He Was Number One

by Acoustic Pulse

The Train

Author's Note:

September 1st: Been busy again, also received a little constructive criticism saying my chapters were too short. Going to try to make this one a little longer, but time crunches may prevent me from doing so. My goal is to make it at LEAST 3k words, but it could be more.

Update September 7th: Almost done with the chapter. Sorry it took so long.

Update September 8: Finally done. I hope you enjoy it!

It had been a week since Rotten Core almost took his own life. It had been about two weeks since the prognosis. He was aware that around half the time he had left was almost gone already. He decided he would make another trip to Ponyville, perhaps his last. Applejack had yet to be informed that he was dying. The only ones who knew were Braeburn and Doctor Red Cross.

"She needs to know. She doesn't deserve to be left in the dark. It would hit her really hard if she were to find out later that I had died and that she didn't have a chance to say goodbye," Rotten Core said to himself.

He grabbed his saddlebag, which consisted of only a few bits, some paper, a pen, and a little bag that held the leftover apple pie that Braeburn had made for him, "It's probably stale by now, but hopefully she'll like it. They say it's the thought that counts, after all," Rotten once again said to himself.

He took a deep breath and began to slowly trot out of his door. His entire body ached, but he didn't want to bother Braeburn while he was out working in the field. He felt his cousin had done enough to help him and that he deserved a break from the madness.

"Let me leave a note, so he'll know that I'm not trying to off myself again," he reached into the saddle bag and got out the pen and a sheet of paper.

In a huge, scrawling font, he wrote the note: GONE TO VISIT AJ IN PONYVILLE. BE BACK TONIGHT OR TOMORROW MORNING. I MIGHT STAY LONGER, DEPENDING ON HOW I'M FEELING.-RC

He left it between the front door and the screen door, "If he can't read that, he's blinder than I am sick," Rotten Core quipped under his breath. He then turned to leave. It felt nice to be out of the house, he was glad to be out in the fresh air instead of cooped up in his muggy house.

He was thinking of trotting the whole way, which would probably take all day. He then took his illness into account, "As much as I'd love to go the long way, I'm probably going to just take the train from here to Ponyville. I'll get there faster and I'll be able to spend more time there."

---

After about ten minutes, he made it to the train station. He had never taken the train before, so it would be a first for him. He asked himself, "I wonder if I still have time to make a bucket list?"

The train was boarding passengers when he approached it. The engineer was looking around for any stragglers. He took a deep breath and bellowed, "ALL ABOARD!"

Rotten Core spoke up, "What stops will you be making today?"

The engineer thought for a moment, "Well, I'll be going all over Equestria. Appleloosa was my last stop yesterday, so I'm starting from here today. My stops today will be Baltimare, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, and my last stop will be Ponyville."

Rotten Core sighed, "How long do you reckon it'll take to get to all those places?"

"Here to Baltimare is about 6 hours. Baltimare to Fillydelphia will be 2 hours, Filly to Manehattan will be another 2 hours, Manehattan to the Crystal Empire is about 9 hours. Crystal Empire back to Canterlot 12 hours, then Ponyville will be about 2 hours. Altogether, it'll be 33 hours. Almost a day and a half. I tell you one thing, it'd be a hay of a lot faster if this train could fly," the engineer explained.

"Well, by Celestia, I'm better off travelling to Ponyville on hoof," Rotten Core was getting a little disgruntled.

"Look, I don't set these routes, the railroad union does. If you got a problem, you're gonna have to take it up with them or if you want results, Celestia herself. I'm simply doing my job. I don't make the rules, pal, I just follow them," the engineer remained professional, though he was clearly annoyed.

Rotten Core nodded, "You're right, I apologize. I just have family in Ponyville. I'm terminally ill and they don't know yet because I haven't had an opportunity to tell them. They need to know. I was hoping to spend some of my final days I have left with them. If I waste a day and a half on a crowded train, I won't have much time left to spend with them."

The engineer gave a sympathetic frown, "It's nothing personal, sir, it's simply business."

Rotten Core nodded, "Yeah, I know. I'm not blaming you. I'm sorry if it came off that way."

The engineer pondered for a moment, "You know, you said you don't have much time left, right? Have you ever been on a train before?"

Rotten Core shook his head, "I've never been on a train before."

The engineer continued explaining his idea, "Well, I have an idea that you might enjoy. It will definitely be memorable."

Rotten Core liked where this was going, "Do go on."

The engineer finished explaining his idea, "How about you ride up front with me the whole time? You'll be able to see everything. It'll be fun, trust me."

Rotten Core's eyes lit up, "Really? You'd let me do that?"

The engineer chuckled, "Yeah, also it'll give me somepony to talk to while I'm driving, because it gets a little lonely up front when everypony else is in the passenger cars."

Rotten Core asked the conductor, "May I ask what your name is?"

The engineer nodded, "Yes, sir, my name is Full Steam."

"Full Steam. Nice to meet you, I'm Rotten Core," Rotten introduced himself.

"You as well. Don't worry about a ticket, just hop in, buddy. We're in for a long ride," Full Steam gestured toward the front.

"I appreciate that," Rotten Core climbed onboard. He looked at the controls. All these dials looked like tiny clocks and they confused him. He was glad he wouldn't be the one controlling this giant hunk of metal.

Full Steam gave one last, "ALL ABOARD!"

The final ponies boarded the train. Full Steam climbed in the front, taking over the controls. He turned to his new sidekick, "Can you do me a favor?"

Rotten Core nodded, "Sure."

Full Steam gave him a list of passengers' names, "Can you make a head count real quick? I just wanna make sure I'm not leaving anypony behind. Since it's gonna take a day and a half to get to every stop, I'm not in any hurry."

Rotten obliged his new friend's request, "Sure. It'll give me a chance to meet new ponies as well."

---

He moved across to the back of the car and saw a door that lead to the passenger coaches. He pulled the door open and carefully stepped across, not wanting to fall, because the train wasn't moving yet, but hitting those rocks would still hurt a little. He took a look at the names and began the head count.

"Cherry Jubilee?"

A mare in the 2nd row raised her hoof, "That's me!"

"Your ticket please, madame," Rotten Core attempted a more professional approach to his little assignment.

She nodded, "Certainly," she held up her ticket.

"Thank you. Derpy Hooves?"

A wall-eyed grey mare with a blonde mane looked up, "Uh. That's me."

"Your ticket please, Ms. Hooves."

Derpy held up a blank piece of paper, "Is this my ticket?"

"No," Rotten Core raised an eyebrow.

Derpy held up a ball of lint, "Is this my ticket?"

"No, Ms. Hooves, that is not your ticket," Rotten answered.

She then held up a piece of torn fabric from her seat, "Is this my ticket?"

"You're a couple apples short of a bunch, aren't you?" Rotten Core shot back.

Derpy frowned, "But I found my ticket," she reached into her mane and pulled it out.

The other passengers glared at Rotten Core. This made him feel uncomfortable.

"Okay, well, uh... thank you, Ms. Hooves," he dodged a bullet and the passengers averted their gazes.

"Echo Chamber?" he called.

A white stallion with a black mane and tail looked up. He was writing something using a typewriter, he appeared to be some sort of reporter.

"Oh, yeah, I got it," he flashed his ticket.

"Thank you, sir," Rotten Core checked off his name.

He looked down at the next one, "Flash Sentry?"

A Canterlot guard in gold armor said nothing and simply flashed his ticket. Rotten Core checked his name and then called the next one, "Golden Harvest?"

A yellow mare with an orange mane and tail flashed her ticket, "I'm here."

"Thank you, Ms. Harvest," Rotten Core checked her name off.

"High Caliber?"

Another Canterlot guard silently flashed his ticket.

"10-4," Rotten Core checked his name off.

"Ink Well?" he called the next name.

"Present," he flashed his ticket as well.

"Gotcha. Jolly Rancher?"

A stallion in a large Stetson hat raised his hoof, holding his ticket.

"Krispy Kreme?" Rotten called.

A white mare with a red mane and tail raised her hoof, "Right here."

"Lyra Heartstrings?" Rotten Core called.

"You already know I'm here, I take this train all the time," she shrugged, her ticket sitting in the seat beside her.

"Alright, good to hear," he checked her name off.

"Maud Pie?" he called.

The grey mare just stared. She held up a rock. This confused Rotten Core until he realized that the ticket was taped to the rock, "Boulder has it," she said in a monotone.

"Right... okay then," Rotten Core cringed.

"Next Level?" he called the next name.

A young colt in the back raised his hoof, "That's me."

"Your ticket please, little guy," Rotten Core acknowledged him.

"Oh, right here," He fished it out of the bag that was sitting on the floor below his seat.

"Appreciate it. Octavia?" Rotten Core was getting sick of doing this.

The grey mare pointed at her collar. The ticket was tucked in between the collar and her neck. Her pink bowtie hung crookedly.

"Alright, thanks," Rotten Core knocked her down. The next name he saw on the list looked vaguely familiar, but he wasn't sure where he had heard it before. He pondered for a moment, attempting to remember. He drew a blank. The passengers blinked, waiting for Rotten Core to call the next name.

"Pinkie Pie?" he called.

A pink mare with a frizzy mane jumped up and shouted, "THAT'S ME!" She jumped around saying hello to everypony. Her energy never seemed to dwindle. She was always hyper. Rotten Core had finally remembered who she was, "Oh, I know you. You're one of Applejack's friends," he said.

Pinkie Pie nodded, "Yes! Applejack is one of my best friends! She's like a sister to me."

"Oh, well, I'm her cousin. Rotten Core. I'm from Appleloosa, I live next door to Braeburn. I don't know if we met when Applejack brought Bloomberg over that one time," Rotten Core introduced himself.

Pinkie Pie thought for a moment, "I don't remember you, but I DO remember Braeburn. That guy was funny, he loves Apples more than AJ does, and that's hard to do."

Rotten Core laughed, "Yeah, I'm not the most popular family member, I've always been the troublemaker, but I've changed."

Pinkie Pie facehoofed, "How did I not remember you? I just realized who you were. You're the sick cousin, right?"

Rotten Core nodded, "Yes, that's me."

Pinkie Pie smiled, "AYY, I GOT IT RIGHT! I'm glad to meet you, I love making new friends!"

Rotten Core concurred, "A friend of Applejack's and a friend of Braeburn's is most certainly a friend of mine."

Pinkie Pie reached into her mane and showed him her ticket, "Almost forgot!"

Rotten Core checked her name off and called the next one, "Quick Draw?"

A pale blue stallion was drawing in his sketchbook. He looked up when his name was called, "Hey, buddy, you wanna see a magic trick?"

Rotten Core was intrigued by this question, "Sure."

Quick Draw showed him a picture of his ticket that he had drawn, "Ready?"

Rotten Core nodded, eager to see where this was going.

Quick Draw smacked the page. It was now blank, the ticket drawing had disappeared. The magician looked at Rotten Core, "Check your saddlebag."

"It's back up front," Rotten Core raised an eyebrow.

"Just do it, you'll see," Quick Draw urged.

"Alright, I'll be back in a second," Rotten Core headed back up front to check his saddlebag. He fished through it until he found something unusual. A train ticket, but how did it get there? Quick Draw's trick had worked and Rotten Core was left completely mind-boggled. He return to the car, holding the ticket.

Quick Draw laughed, "I told you it would be cool."

The other ponies on the train gave him a round of applause. He took a bow and sat back down. Rotten Core called the next name, another one that looked very familiar, "Rainbow Dash?"

He looked up and realized that the blue mare was asleep, her head leaning against the window. Pinkie Pie nudged her, "WAKE UP, RAINBOW, THEY NEED YOUR TICKET!"

She jolted awake, rising above the seats with her wings. She got into a defensive stance as if she was about to swing on somepony, "WHO'S THERE? I'LL TAKE ON ANYPONY!"

Rotten Core shook his head, "I just need your ticket, pal, take it easy."

Rainbow sat down, feeling flustered. She pulled out her ticket, "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Rotten Core checked her name off the list. He looked at the next one, "Snowflake?"

A ripped white stallion with tiny wings reared up on his hind legs. He flexed his front hooves, and held his ticket in the air. He let out a loud, "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH," which echoed throughout the cart. Everypony turned and looked at him. He chuckled at their reactions.

"Alright, True Grit?" Rotten Core called the next name. A tan stallion wearing all black raised his hoof, showing his ticket.

Rotten Core checked it off, he noticed there was nopony who started with U on the list. He skipped it and went to V, "Victory Lap?"

An athletic stallion raised his hoof, showing his ticket. That was the last pony on the list.

---

Rotten Core returned to the front after collecting everypony's tickets. Full Steam looked at him when he entered, "Is everypony present and accounted for? I have to leave now, there's no more time for me to kill."

Rotten Core nodded, "Yeah, that's everypony."

The train began to slowly creep out of the station, "Alright, we're on our way to Baltimare first."

Rotten Core sat, preparing for the 6 hour trip. His eyes were fixed to the window outside. He stared as Appleloosa became smaller and smaller and then fading into the distance. This is the farthest he had been from home since the prognosis.

Full Steam continued to drive the train silently. He was so used to doing this job alone that he had almost forgotten that Rotten Core was in there with him. Rotten Core's voice startled him as he spoke, "How long have you been doing this job?"

Full Steam reflected on his career, "Several years, definitely. My dad was an engineer too, he taught me everything I know. For some reason, I'm the engineer and the conductor. Usually, there's a conductor and an engineer. For whatever reason, Equestria Railways has always been short of help. The top brass don't like paying more than they have to. If I had that many bits, I'd be reluctant to spend 'em too. These trains are old and ragged though. The seats are tearing, the paint outside is chipping off, I had to reattach an axel that had broken at a stop. Do you have any idea how catastrophic that would have been had it broken while the train was moving? It could have killed everypony onboard. Families would be destroyed, I would lose my job, the Railway could have been shut down completely, everything would be a huge mess."

Rotten Core was shocked to hear all this, "I've never even been on a train before. I was always afraid of them growing up. They were always real loud and the rumbling noise of the train hauling flank down the tracks always annoyed me."

Full Steam laughed, "What made you change your mind?"

Rotten Core shrugged, "Desperation, I guess. I don't have a lot of time left, I wanted to spend it with my family. I grew up here in Appleloosa, but I always went around wreaking havoc. I got my name because I was always up to no good. And it's funny because my maternal grandparents named my mom Bad Apple and my paternal grandparents named my dad Spoiled Bunch. It was like I came from a whole line of troublemakers. Of course, my parents were criminals, part of this chain of crime that stretched as far south as the Badlands, as far north as Vanhoover, they were everywhere. One day, they took off down Haul Street in Manehattan at full gallop, pickpocketing everypony in sight. They got away with so many bits, it was a miracle they weren't caught and arrested. I never did things like that, I didn't want to be seen as a criminal like them, but their greed rubbed off on me. I went to Ponyville to help my cousin with her Orchard, I realized how successful it was, and I tried to invade it and take it all for myself. I contributed nothing, but wanted to take it all for myself. It was ridiculous, and it was the final nail in the coffin for me, so to speak. They want nothing to do with me, the only reason they've been paying me any mind is because they know I'm dying and they're showing me love out of pity. Once I'm gone, I'll be forgotten. I know that for a fact."

Full Steam listened intently as he drove, "Where are your parents now?"

Rotten Core shook his head in disgust, "Locked up in Dodge City. They tried to rob the bank there while it was busy. How could they have been so stupid?"

Full Steam stared ahead, "Funny thing is, I had never heard about anything like this happening anywhere. Equestria is such a beautiful place with such friendly ponies, that the idea of a crime ring never once crossed my mind. I can say I'm impressed, but I'm sure they didn't leave any of that for you."

Rotten Core nodded, "They didn't leave me anything. They're greedy, as soon as I was old enough to live alone, they kicked me out. Flat on my flank, and they pretended like I didn't exist after that. I had to ask Braeburn for help, one of my other cousins. This dude stopped everything he was doing, called some of the other Apples over and they built the house I live in now, for me, the troublemaking outcast who would never amount to anything. That was the nicest thing anypony had done for me, and I took it for granted. It's in my blood to be an unappreciative hack who's good for nothing. I don't know how that dude puts up with me, but I see him as more of a brother than a cousin."

Full Steam smiled, "There is no closer bond than family."

Rotten Core shrugged, "Maybe you're right. In terms of immediate family, I had never experienced such a bond. My extended family treats me more like immediate family than my immediate family. Granted, I was an only child, so my parents were all I had. They didn't give a filly's flank about me though. I pretty much raised myself."

Full Steam shook his head, "That's rough, buddy."

Rotten Core fixed his gaze out the window, staring at the blurred landscape, "It is what it is. I just realized something."

Full Steam raised an eyebrow, "What is that?"

Rotten Core looked toward the floor, "My parents don't even know I'm dying."

Full Steam, "You can't help that though, they're in prison. They wouldn't know even if you wanted them to."

Rotten Core remembered, "You know what they said when they kicked me out on my own?"

Full Steam sighed, "No."

Rotten Core quoted them, "Good riddance."

Full Steam gasped, "You're kidding me!"

Rotten Core shook his head, "Nope, that's what they said."

Full Steam asked, "What did you say when they got locked up?"

Rotten Core looked outside, then back to his new friend, "I didn't say anything. I didn't even know until recently that they had done that. How in the hay are they gonna kick me out, say good riddance, and then get themselves locked up by doing something outlandish like this? Unbelievable."

Full Steam agreed with him, "Yeah, that is the highest degree of buckery I have ever heard of in my life."

Rotten Core laughed, "It's nice to have somepony to talk to, I'm glad I agreed to this."

"I agree. Your company's made this trip a lot more fun, that's for sure," Full Steam concurred.

"How far from Baltimare are we now?" Rotten Core inquired.

"About halfway, maybe three-quarters. We'll be there in two or three hours," Full Steam estimated.

"Should we let the passengers know?" Rotten Core was eager for something to do.

Full Steam looked at him like he was crazy. Normally, he doesn't do that, he just tells them when they get to the destination that they had arrived. He simply decided to let Rotten Core do what he wanted, "Yeah, go ahead."

---

Rotten Core opened the door to pass between the cab and the passenger coaches, "This oughta be fun."

He jumped across landing on the edge. He almost fell, but he caught himself on the door handle. He leaned on the door and it opened, sending him to the floor. The passengers stared, bewildered at what they had just witnessed. Rotten Core sprang to his hooves, attempting to smoothly play off what had just happened. The staring passengers remained unconvinced. Nopony laughed at him because they had grown fond of him.

"Are you okay? That was a nasty fall," Quick Draw called from the back, the magician from earlier.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just came in to let everypony knew that we're about halfway to Baltimare, maybe three-quarters of the way. ETA is two hours, possibly three," Rotten Core repeated Full Steam's estimate.

The pony looked around. Cherry Jubilee asked, "Is anypony even going to get off in Baltimare?"

Ink Well spoke, "Yeah, I live there."

"Really? What were you in Appleloosa for?" Rotten Core was curious.

"Doing a report on the bandits that robbed the bank in Dodge City, or at least tried to. How could they have done that in broad daylight? They are total fools. I'm glad they're locked up," Ink Well laughed.

This made Rotten Core feel awkward, "Uh, yeah, me too."

Ink Well raised an eyebrow, "Did you know them?"

Rotten Core nodded, "You could say that."

Ink Well was delighted to hear this. He got out his pen and pad, "Tell me everything you know."

Rotten Core sighed, "They're my parents. There's not much that I don't know about them. I don't really feel like talking about them though, they were never very nice to me growing up."

Ink Well scribbled that down, "Well, it's a good thing their behavior doesn't run in the family."

Rotten Core felt slightly better hearing that, "Thank you, I was hoping I could stand out and not be seen as the bad guy."

Pinkie Pie blurted out, "Yeah, how can he be a bad guy if he's working for free?"

Rotten Core was confused as he and everypony else turned to look at the pink mare, "For free?"

Pinkie Pie clarified, "Yeah, you're helping the engineer because there's no conductor. He couldn't do both, so you're helping him."

Rotten Core was confused, "How did you know that?"

Pinkie Pie giggled, "Just a hunch!"

Rotten Core turned to leave, "So, is anypony else getting off at the Baltimare stop?"

Ink Well shook his head, "Nope, just me."

"Alright, enjoy the rest of the trip," Rotten Core went back to the cab with Full Steam.

---

"How many are getting off at Baltimare? They were too far away for me to hear," Full Steam asked.

"Just one," Rotten Core answered.

"Really? That's rare. Usually a bunch get off at the first stop and I'm stuck with only a few for the remainder of the trip," Full Steam laughed.

"Just one this time. Ink Well, one of those reporters," Rotten Core replied.

"Oh, him. I hate that guy, his stories are always opinionated. He doesn't ever post anything factual, it ought to be illegal," Full Steam ranted.

"Well, he'll be gone soon, so I'm sure it'll be okay," Rotten Core laughed.

"Probably, I thought about hauling flank and going full speed ahead, but even trains got speed limits. If I was seen going as fast as this thing's capable of, I'd never be able to engineer again. I would get to Baltimare a hay of a lot faster, and the other destinations as well," Full Steam groaned.

"I know, but still, it could get you in trouble," Rotten Core reminded him.

"Yeah, but it could turn a 33 hour trip into a 10 or 12 hour one. The only things capable of going faster than this train are Dragons, Gryphons, and Pegasi, that's it," Full Steam boasted.

"Wouldn't that be anti-climactic though? It would be for me, at least, I've only been outside Appleloosa twice in my life, this is the third. All that sightseeing would blur by too fast for me. It wouldn't be fair," Rotten Core coaxed him to keep the steady pace he was at.

"Fair enough. I'll keep going slow. None of the passengers have complained, so I guess they're not in any hurry either," Full Steam submitted.

"Alright, good, because the last thing you need is to lose your ability to engineer. It's bad enough that Equestria Railways ain't got no help, this'll make it even worse if they lose another employee," Rotten Core added.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Full Steam brushed his sidekick's valid points off.

Rotten Core was annoyed by this and remained silent for the duration of the trip to Baltimare. The train rounded a bend and not far ahead, the city could be seen. They were approaching the first stop on their journey through Equestria. Full Steam pulled into the station, the brakes squealed and the train slowed to a halt. Full Steam pointed to the door. Rotten Core understood the signal and poked his head through the passenger doors.

"We've made it to Baltimare. If anypony is deciding to get off here, now is the time to do so," Rotten Core called.

Ink Well rose from his seat, heading toward the exit. Victory Lap, who had been quiet most of the trip, silently rose and followed him out. Quick Draw also exited. This confused Rotten Core, as the other two hadn't mentioned getting off at Baltimare and Ink Well said he lived there.

"What are y'all doing?" Rotten Core asked Quick Draw.

He shushed him and whispered, "Just watch."

Victory Lap took off in full gallop toward Ink Well, who had his back turned. He did not see him coming. Victory Lap jumped and lunged at Ink Well. He used his front hooves to tackle and pin him down.

Ink Draw panicked and struggled, attempting to break loose, "VICTORY LAP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! RELEASE ME AT ONCE!"

Victory Lap kept him down, "Not yet, you have something we need."

Quick Draw used his unicorn magic to retrieve Ink Well's notepad. It was riddled with total lies and hyperbole, "You call this news? This looks more like a tabloid magazine than a newspaper. Is this the kind of horseapples they accept here in Baltimare?"

Ink Well was fuming, "IT IS NEWS!"

Victory Lap kept him pinned down. Quick Draw showed Victory Lap what Ink Well had written, "Look at this madness. It says Rotten Core has taken the train's passengers hostage and that we're all being held against our will. That is a total lie. Rotten Core is one of the friendliest stallions I've ever met. He would never do anything like that. Ink Well, you owe this guy an apology. We won't let you go until you do."

Victory Lap's front hooves were digging into the back of Ink Well's neck, which brought him considerable pain, "If I keep pushing, I'll rupture a disk, I don't think you want that."

Ink Well gave in, "Alright, fine. Rotten Core, I offer my sincerest apologies for my inaccurate reporting. It's just that he came from a line of criminals, it would make for an interesting story to read."

Rotten Core had seen everything. He exited the car and approached the three tussling stallions, "I forgive you. You seem to have a knack for fiction. Maybe you should write novels instead of news reports. I think that will be more up your alley, and it would probably be more fun for you. In fiction, the only limit is your imagination, you don't have to tell the truth, you can be as inaccurate as you want."

Ink Well wasn't sure if Rotten Core was insulting him or helping him, "I'll definitely take that into consideration. Thank you. Again, I apologize."

Victory Lap held him long enough to threaten him, "If I ever see you do anything like that again, I'll snap you like a twig, do you understand me?"

Ink Well nodded, "Yeah, I got you."

Victory Lap let him go, "Off you go then, have a nice day."

Quick Draw gritted his teeth and turned to Rotten Core, "I was sitting behind him and I saw everything he had written. He had no business doing that. He's going to ask you personal questions and then make things up, the nerve of some ponies, I swear."

"I had no idea because I was up front with Full Steam the entire trip. I can't believe he would lie about me like that. He seemed nice when I spoke to him, even though our conversation was brief," Rotten Core was still in disbelief.

"Well, we have your back, ain't that right, Quick Draw?" Victory Lap nudged his friend.

"Absolutely, we're not gonna let a good name get soiled like that. The train's about to leave, we should probably get back on."

Victory Lap, Quick Draw, and Rotten Core got back on the train and the first two returned to their seats. Rotten Core closed the door to the car after seeing nopony else was getting on. Full Steam let out one loud, "ALL ABOARD," and off they went. Their next stop was Fillydelphia.

END OF CHAPTER 4!