Apropos of the Sinners

by SpitFlame

Part V – Chapter IV – Off the Rails

Luckily for Airglow and Nova, they managed to snag a table by the window with Sharp in the dining car. That night was a frosty one. They had entered the northern regions of Equestria, and the light, rapid lashes of snow could be observed. Most frightening of all, however, is that this snow was not produced by any pegasi. This was naturally occurring weather! Fortunately the Flying Rift was built like an ox, designed to challenge and overcome any obstacle.

Nova wore his old duds from his formative years as a lieutenant in the Guard, though it was surprisingly well-kept, to the point where it could have been mistaken as new; Sharp was decked out in a three-piece suit, all shades of blue. Airglow wore a light pink dress, overlaid with a shawl, and a ribbon that matched the colour of the flower propped up beside her left ear.

The buscolts set up the tables—dazzling white cloth, pyramid-folded napkins, fancy plates and utensils—then the waiters with menus in hoof. They had ordered, and in twenty minutes the food came.

"Thanks for waiting!" beamed the waiter. "Anything else?"

"That will be all, thank you!" replied Nova.

They began to dig in.

"Since we're here, I gotta ask—did any of you hear about those pamphlets?" threw in Sharp for anypony to answer.

"The ones criticizing Princess Celestia?" asked Airglow pensively. "Yeah, I heard."

"Rumour has it a nefarious group of ponies are planning a revolution. Spread those pamphlets and tracts because now they're 'ready' or something. Ponies these days, I tell ya—getting excited over stirring trouble."

"What a travesty," declared Nova, scowling. "Who would dare speak a flippant word about our beloved Princess?"

"I can think of one pony," muttered Airglow quietly, but she was not heard.

"Mmm... I wouldn't fret over spilt milk," said Sharp in between chewing. "I haven't the slightest clue what purpose those pamphlets can serve, but they've been too public about it. Saying they're going to host some soirée at a three-way casino joint, or something."

"You mean that fête said to be happening in Canterlot?" Nova leaned forward, smiling strangely. "It will take place during the Autumn Festival, next month!"

"Exactly, next month. But here's the important part—that because they've been so public with the pamphlets, it makes me wonder how much control they have over it. If I were the one designing these things, all in order to kickstart some revolution or whatever, I mean, would I really be so loud and proud with them? No, not at all."

"Can revolution really be their goal?" asked Nova.

"Oh, that's a loaded question, and I've no idea what'll be revealed with them. I just think it's weird, spreading them around, I mean. You want to host a—what?—live reading or concert or something about these pamphlets, and you're putting it in the Autumn Festival. Well, the Autumn Festival won't have time for controversy, especially when events there can get so busy and distracting, and with so many ponies there, it'll all be ignored in my opinion.

"Mm. But fine, let's say they have their way there, at the Autumn Festival. I've seen these pamphlets get tossed around from Ponyville to Vanhoover, and mark my words, there's no way and no how all the ponies, or even most of the ponies, who've read or heard about this so-called investor will be showing up to Canterlot next month, so no matter how you slice it, it's bad strategy."

"Are you going to the Autumn Festival, Sharp?" asked Airglow.

"I've been thinking about it, but sometimes I just don't have control over these things. Well, Canterlot is my home, so there's that. But I doubt this so-called investor will be worth any investigation; I might even expect a case file on my desk by next week."

"What about after the Flying Rift?" Airglow went on, putting her fork down. "You got any other assignments?"

"Certainly. In fact, I'm glad you asked; I'm the leader of an extraction team," Sharp declared suddenly in a different tone. Nova and Airglow exchanged glances, but Nova leaned forward, terribly interested. "And right now, even now as I'm sitting in this dining cart, eating this nice food," he continued, "my team and I are on the hunt. Have any of you head of the infamous Doctor Blythe?"

"I believe not," said Nova, eyes widened.

Airglow shook her head.

"Phew, well!" Sharp leaned back on his chair. "You got that going for you two, and maybe it's for the best. He's a real nutcase if I could ever vouch for one, used to work at a mental asylum, went missing after fifteen years of service. Thing is, most ponies don't know about this Blythe fellow, usual case of covering his tracks and whatnot—but we're looking for him because he's a serial killer. No, worse, he's known to experiment with his victims, really, messes with their heads using dark magic. He steals unicorn magic, too. It's chilling, reading those reports. You haven't heard about ponies losing their magic, have you?"

"I, uh, really have no idea about that sort of thing," replied Airglow, her lips on the verge of a frown.

"And because we're looking for Blythe, it got be thinking—so I brought it up—what if there's some connection between him and the Tic Tocs? Could there be? Am I just overthinking it? It isn't uncommon for coincidences like these to just spring up. Well..."

"Good graces to Princess Celestia, what if I run into this murderer who steals magic?" exclaimed Nova. "What fate be so cruel as to do that to me? What if it happens right now?"

"Hey, hey, let's not sour the mood," laughed Sharp, ironically unaware that he had done so himself. "There's nothing to be scared of. It's not like Doctor Blythe is on the Flying Rift with us or anything, right?"

Airglow looked at him awkwardly. Nova coughed. Sharp gazed at them intently, then at his plate, then back up.

"Hold up," he said again, waving his hoof, "I ain't jinxing anything. He's not actually on this train. Come on, look, my bad, but let's withdraw. Um... say, have any of you read those pamphlets?"

"Me? Of course not, I have no time for such frivolities," said Nova. "I will drink, spend, and chase my wildest dreams! There is no time like the present. Other than..." He paused, twisting his lips.

"Now that's a self-serving mindset," remarked Sharp. "I read one of them. It may interest either of you, or both."

"Why us?" Airglow looked at him in faint surprise.

"Your brother Cluster Tale, the popular academic and Princess Celestia's personal student, was quoted. How did it go again...? Ah, that's it. 'There is no evidence to suggest a correlation between the wellbeing of Equestria and the length of Celestia's rule; on the contrary, she has taken away our freedom of conscience,' and something other. I can't remember."

"Brother Cluster is always chasing danger, eh, Airglow?" laughed Nova, nudging her.

"I guess, yeah," replied Airglow distractedly. She was watching a mother and her two kids across the cart, they were bickering about something, and the mother was scolding the colt while the filly blew a raspberry.

She was no longer listening to the current conversation, but not consciously, as if to be rude; her mind was simply going around the car, picking up on the various words and phrases being scattered about. She was having a hard time focusing on one single topic. She kept thinking back to what Cluster had told her. "Serpent will eat serpent." "I'll gladly let it happen." "Then that's life."

The miscellaneous sounds became more interesting to her. The clangs of glasses, the clinging of the chandelier, even the muted wind and snow blowing outside. She had been eating but stopped halfway, for some reason losing her appetite. Airglow went on this trip to get away from home, to take a little break, but now she started to have her doubts.

"Airglow?"

Airglow gave a start. She looked at Sharp.

"You went all quiet," said Sharp again, "and you look like you just saw a ghost. Everything okay?" I really hope it's not because I mentioned a serial killer still on the loose.

"Everything's fine," she sighed, forcing herself back into the moment. "I was just thinking about Ponyville, and I thought—"

She was interrupted by the sharp noise of multiple glasses shattering. Everypony in the room gave a start. Two of the waiters looked bewildered, exclaiming, "I'm so very sorry," while trying to levitate the pieces with their horns. But nothing happened.

Many other silver utensils dropped down form unicorns' grasps. Exclamations and vexed murmurs arose on all sides. Everypony was confused or upset, not understanding what was happening, trying to ignite their horns but failing.

"What the—!" Sharp instantly focused all of his magic in his horn, to perform a simple spell such as levitating his fork, but he felt an incredible resistance. A few pathetic sparks fizzled from the tip of his horn, and nothing else came of it.

"What happened to all the magic!" a mare cried out.

"This is an outrage!" cried another one.

Half the room rose from their seats. The staff was trying to calm everypony, but they too were at a loss.

Suddenly the doors burst open from both sides of the compartment. From the left was a unicorn in black, with a ring adorning his horn, which glowed fiercely with magic.

"Everypony, get on the ground now!" he commanded aloud.

From the right side, a pegasus mare in an ivory suit, one of the ponies from Knob's crew, carrying a crossbow wrapped under her wing, taking steady aim.

"Nopony move!" she ordered.

Everypony was silent for a whole five seconds.

"B-but which one do we do?" asked the puzzled Nova, looking all around. Everypony in the room froze.

What! A train robbery! thought Sharp in immediate alarm. Here? Now? Not good!

"Wha—? What is this?" exclaimed the mare in white, glaring at the stallion in black. "Nopony told me this train was getting hijacked!"

"Hey boss, we got troub—gah!" the stallion started shouting back, but a bolt from the mare quickly zoomed across the cart and pierced his throat. Blood gushed out of his mouth, we wreathed to the ground. On the way down his horn flashed, shooting out a stray magical blast.

Everypony in the room screamed as the wizening blast of magic ricocheted off every surface. It finally caught an elderly stallion square in the chest; he flew back, hit the floor with a thud, a burning hole smoking from below his neck.

The screams finally erupted. The mare in white was all in confusion and retreated back down the hall. Everypony else was getting up, pushing, shoving, running out of the cart. The staff had abandoned their duties and were trying to escape as well.

"The conductor! Where's the conductor!" they cried. Several of them banged on the conductor's door, but it was locked tight, and no noise could be discerned from within. "The conductor's dead!" some immediately concluded in utter horror.

Several more of those ponies in black and white appeared, rushing into the dining cart and the neighbour cart. Tables were flipped over. Several ponies were cowering in the corner, holding loved ones close together. Metal bolts and magical blasts started to whiz by at deadly speeds. Several of the pegasi tried to escape through the windows, but to their dismay, it was discovered that every window in the train was rigged to stay shut. The whole thing was a premeditated operation.

Amid all of the ensuing chaos, Sharp had gotten hold of the table, grasping it like a shield, and rushed one of the ponies in white. He pushed the pony right up against the wall, cracking the table in two in the process. Having knocked the sucker out, he stayed low and wildly gestured for Nova and Airglow to follow him. They ran alongside him in a panic.

"Those murderers!" cried Nova in a sharp whisper.

"Stay close, stay close!" Sharp kept repeating. They were caught in a sea of ponies, all running in different directions while avoiding the bloodbath in the dining cart. Their screams drowned out his voice.

Airglow was gasping and struggling to stay close. Sharp slowed his gait, grabbed her by the hoof, and forcefully led her through the hall, past all the broken glass and ponies tripping on themselves, through another hall, then he shouldered his way into his own cabin. He and Airglow fell right on the floor. Sharp intuitively bolted up and slammed the door shut.

They were gasping for breath. At least half a minute of silence went by in the room.

"Are you... you okay?" he asked her at length, peering through the little window on his door from aside.

"But... Nova! Where's Nova!" she exclaimed, going pale.

"Ah, shoot!" Sharp stomped on the floor. He turned to her with an agitated look. "Your brother was caught in all the ruckus... he fell back... ah, damn it! What were they thinking?"

"This... this doesn't make any sense," the frightened Airglow began to speak, but she was stammering on every word. "Who were they...? Where did they...? That pony in the white suit, do you...?"

"They lost their damn minds," huffed Sharp. "The ones in black, they're the Tic Tocs, the ones with the delivery piece, or something, and now they... no, I shouldn't be talking about this now," he suddenly said in quite a different voice.

"I don't understand; why target this train of all things?" asked Airglow in astonishment.

"That's the million bit question." He stopped by the door and heaved a great sigh. Something burned like coals in his eyes. "Look," he said again, "this wasn't supposed to be happening, but now it is, understand? There's some independent party involved by the looks of it. What they're after—your guess is as good as mine. You stay here. Keep the door locked. I'm going to get your brother and come back."

"B-but..." Airglow tried to speak up, but she stopped, realizing there was no rational objection she could espouse. Moreover, her head was swimming, she couldn't think properly at the moment.

"Unless it's me," Sharp stressed, gritting his teeth, "or Nova for that matter, don't open for anypony whatsoever. Even if they're asking for help, don't open, it may well be a trap." Another loud crash was heard. "Ah, shoot! I gotta go. Stay here!" He bolted out of the room and closed the door just as hard. After a few seconds Airglow fell to her rump, staring at the blank space in front of her. She had never felt so powerless in her life before.

* * *

Nova was running blindly from car to car, getting bumped and shoved by other ponies, till he found himself in the third-class compartments. He stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, looking frenziedly all over the place.

"What? Where? How did—? Ah, to tartartus!" He clicked his tongue and found a little corner to sit in, just behind a roulette table and a bar counter. He noticed a few other ponies sitting in the corners, looking at him in fear, others giving him dirty looks. He waved them off.

I need to, no, I have to find Airglow! ran through his mind. Goodness, what am I doing here? He shot up and ran back out to the car he had come from. The noise was starting to settle down. I have lost Sharp Heat as well. Eh, what utter nonsense! As Celestia is my witness, those vile scum shall pay!

But his inner monologue was short-lived. He overheard a series of hoof-steps approaching. Nova quickly ducked to find cover behind a table. The door opened. He observed a trio of ponies in those ivory suits walk in.

"Do you really think we can steal the elixir?" one of them asked in a worried voice.

"Of course we can, so long as I'm here!" the other replied with a merry laugh.

"Yo, toughies, where's Knob?" inquired the third.

The trio stopped for a moment.

"Eh, Knob? He stayed behind in the cabin, I think. Ha, ha—must be crying his eyes out now."

"Who cares what Knob is up to?" said the first in reproach. "He'll slaughter half the passengers. First, all the magic is gone, but most importantly, we need to secure the elixir and group together again."

"Sure we will," assured the second, "but first things first: we need to start in the freight hold, work our way up, you catch my drift?"

They made some more remarks and then were gone.

What's this? thought Nova. They're here to murder the innocent passengers! And they're going to take something from this train? Ah, Nova Steel, get up, you must find Sharp this instance!

* * *

"Damn it. D-damn it!" cried Knob in a tearful voice, leaning with his whole body forward and pressing his face to the couch with his hooves over his head. He repeatedly slammed his hoof down, almost shaking with grief, as it were.

"Damn it, damn it!" he went on. "I envy Constella... I r-really do." He sniffled. "I really do!" He shot up, with a face full of distress and indignation. "This world is cruel, I'm telling you! It's not fair! Why did Constella win the draw and not me? It's just not fair!"

"Calm down, Knob," said one of the other crew members. "You'll still have your turn, won't you?"

"Did you not hear their screams of terror?" yelled Knob, brandishing his hoof at his teammate. "They were shouting, glass was shattering, ponies must have died. Constella killed those runts, I just know it! She got to do it, not me!"

"Just like last night?" whispered the same mare from the side of her mouth, eyes flashing with mockery. The other crew members shared a chuckle.

Knob groaned and turned away, pressing a hoof to his forehead.

"But Knob," said another mare, smiling sympathetically at him, "why don't you just go see what's going on? What's stopping you from checking out the dining car?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Knob, blinking at her. He went momentarily still, as if her words had just entered his head for the first time. "What'd you mean?"

"Well... the draw is that you can't kill anypony yet till she's done, right? But there's no rule saying you can't go take a look, right?"

"Yeah, that's it!" cried Knob in a sudden and hopeful voice, staring at the mare as if what she said was the most amazing thing he ever heard. "I'm such an idiot. I can just go check it out. Why am I still here? Ha, ha!"

He patted the mare on the head, causing her to reel back.

The others simply rolled their eyes, and the first mare sat there with a bored expression, saying, "Whatever, do what you gotta do."

"Thanks, Dolly," he laughed, speaking more calmly now. "That's exactly what I'll do." He opened the door, stepped outside, and glanced back in at the others. "Keep the place warm for me, will you?" And, chuckling to himself, he excitedly jogged down the hall like a little kid heading to the candy store.