A Touch of Chaos

by Written Out

Traintop Tussle

The three fillies sat huddled together, the constant chunk-chunk as the train sped along the tracks to its destination at Canterlot the only sound breaking the silence. Each of the three was doing their own thing as they waited for the time to pass. Scootaloo stared out the window, nearly bouncing in excitement as she awaited the appearance of the great city where she hoped to receive her cutie mark. One hoof rested on the scooter which she had brought onto the train with her, and she used it to lift herself to better see the passing scenery. At her side, little Apple Bloom was much less enthusiastic.

Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably. The jewels on the clasp at her throat glittered in the evening light, and she started to feel like it was choking her. She was tempted to remove the red-and-gold hoofmade Crusader cloak, but decided to continue wearing it. If she lost it, she would probably never find it again. She had kept it despite having been foalnapped out of her own bedroom; she wasn’t about to lose it now.

A quiet whimper beside her drew her gaze over to Sweetie Belle. The little unicorn had curled up into a ball, and was mumbling to herself as she shuddered with her hooves on her head. “Ya okay, Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom asked quietly. She didn’t want to be heard by the two changelings, who were only a few train cars away. Sweetie Belle peeked out at Apple Bloom through a gap between her forelegs, weakly nodding her head before curling up again. Seeing she wasn’t going to anything more from her scared friend, Apple Bloom instead decided to take a look around at the train car they had smuggled themselves onto.

The Friendship Express was the pride and joy of Equestria, being the fastest method of travel throughout the country, and even travelling to other countries. Actually, with the exception of walking or flying, it was practically the only method of travel throughout the country. A miracle of a combination of magic and technology, it somehow used heated water to move. Apple Bloom’s teacher, Miss Cheerilee, had explained the phenomenon in class a few months ago, though Apple Bloom couldn’t really remember the details. Something about the magic heating and evaporating the water, and then the steam doing… something to make the train move. Yeah, that sounds about right.

As for the train car itself, it was wonderfully inviting. The lovingly made feather-down cushions were tastefully offset by the billowing thick curtains, ready to invite passengers to close the blinds and sleep during the long overnight trips. The carefully painted brown wooden walls were periodically interrupted by the smoothly-cut windows, giving passengers a magnificent view of the passing scenery.

Not that Apple Bloom paid any attention to any of this, instead hopping up on one of the many seats that filled the car. She focused her gaze on the swinging light fixtures on the ceiling, wondering why she had agreed to go along with this. AJ’s gonna be so mad. Trying to get her mind away from the imminent lecture she would be facing from her older sister, she instead thought about the group was going to do when they reach Canterlot.

…

Wow, are we really this bad at plannin’ things?

The Crusaders had never been good at planning out the activities that were supposed to give them their cutie marks, instead preferring to dive right into the action. Maybe if they took the time to think things through, they would come home covered in tree sap less often. Stuck on a moving train with nothing to do, Apple Bloom was starting to wonder if this was such a good idea.

“Whatcha thinking about?”

Apple Bloom’s head shot up to see Scootaloo staring at her, curiosity clearly visible in the orange filly’s eyes. Scootaloo hopped onto the sofa, giving Apple Bloom a playful little nudge. “You ain’t thinking about bailing out already?” the pegasus asked teasingly.

“Just a little bit,” Apple Bloom admitted. At Scootaloo’s look of surprise, she felt the need to clarify. “Are you sure this is a good idea? How are we supposed to pull off what everypony in Canterlot couldn’t?”

Scootaloo casually brushed off Apple Bloom’s worries, leaning her head against the seat back. “Ah, don’t be such a baby. We’re not going to fight them. We’re just going to sneak in there, like one of those ponies Pinkie told us about. What did she call them again?”

“You mean those ninjas?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Scootaloo smiled, having gotten the answer she was looking for. “We just need to be sneaky, like we’re trying to slip in after curfew. What could possibly go wrong?”

A choking noise from Sweetie Belle caused the two of them to look at her, and they saw she was staring back at Scootaloo disbelievingly. Her mouth moved, but anything she said was overwhelmed by an abrupt crash from the car directly next to them. The ruckus continued, even seeming to gain in volume, and they could hear voices filtering in through the door connecting the next car over. The door buckled and exploded inwards, filling the car with debris and billowing white smoke.

Her body moving instinctively, Apple Bloom dove underneath the seat she was sitting on. She collided with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who had both reacted in the same way she had. The three fell together in a pile underneath the seat, hidden from sight. The smoke prevented them from seeing what had happened, but they could hear something moving in the car with them.

Sweetie Belle’s breathing was fast and erratic. Apple Bloom could feel her sides heave as the white unicorn deeply inhaled. Before she could scream and give away their position, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both pounced on her, covering her mouth with their hooves. They relaxed slightly before voices filtering in through the wreckage drew their attention. The smoke was starting to clear, but they could only see the area closest to the ground because of the seat above them.

“You ponies are just full of surprises, huh?” The voice belonged to a changeling just entering the car. His black, chitinous, hole-riddled legs softly thudded against the wooden floor of the car ever time he took a step. A slight buzz tinted his words, giving them and otherworldly feeling. “Can’t say I thought any of you would try to stop us so soon.”

“Seems like there’s a lot you didn’t think about, Last Breath.” The second voice came from another changeling, who entered the car behind the first. This one’s voice was deep and even, seemingly locked in a steady state of disapproval. What little they could see of this one’s legs was heavyset, and he was a lot thicker than the other one. “This entire plan of yours has been a failure from beginning to end. I don’t know why the Queen even bothered wasting any energy on a collection drone like you.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Innocenty,” the first changeling, apparently named Last Breath, said. Somehow he was able to sound both wheedling and mocking at the same time. “Not everyling can be a Major, you know. We would want guys like you to starve without guys like me around. Oh, my mistake. I meant ‘wouldn’t’.”

A flash of light filled the room, followed by a meaty thwack as the smaller changeling was thrown against the train wall. “I should kill you right now,” the larger changeling hissed, his deep buzzing voice barely carrying to where the Crusaders huddled together. A green glow filled the room as he pinned the smaller changeling against the wall with his magic. “I don’t know why the Queen favours a traitor like you, but if you know what’s good for you, don’t push me.”

“Too bad you’re a good boy who follows orders, huh?” Something moved on the floor close to where the crusaders lay hidden, and Last Breath’s antagonistic voice shifted slightly. “Oh look, your prey’s starting to escape. Why don’t you show me how you handle this? Show me what you can do, Innocent Sin.” His voice was cut off as he was suddenly thrown into another wall, hitting the wall with the crackling sound of splintering wood.

“You don’t have the right to use my full name,” the larger changeling, Innocent Sin, snarled. Turning away from the smaller changeling, he walked down the aisle in the direction the Crusaders hid. The fillies recoiled away from the oncoming hooves, squeezing themselves against the back wall as far away from him as they could. The oncoming hooves reached the seat where they hid… and continued on down the aisle.

Following his steps with their eyes, the trio saw when he stopped in front of something white lying on the carriage floor. Whatever it was must have been what flew through the train door. The white object shifted slightly, and Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she saw several patches of brown scattered along its surface. Something about it tickled at the back of her memory, before it stuck its head up and she could see its face as it glared up at the changeling standing above it.

“That’s Pipsqueak!” she hissed, too surprised to remain silent. “What’s he doing here?”

“Who?” Scootaloo whispered back, glancing from Apple Bloom to Pipsqueak and back again.

“Twist introduced him to a few days ago! He moved into town not too long ago, she said he hadn’t made many friends yet.” Indeed, that had been the first time she remembered meeting the tiny pinto earth pony. A few years younger than Apple Bloom and her friends, he still wasn’t quite old enough to go to school yet.

Scootaloo’s throat shifted as she visibly swallowed, and she licked her lips as she stared back out at the colt on the floor. “If he doesn’t get out of there soon, he’s not going to need to worry about making friends.”

“Where did you take her?” Pipsqueak demanded of the changeling, uneasily climbing to his hooves. The girls could tell he was badly hurt from the way he moved, but the ferocity in his eyes was as hard as steel. The little pinto earth pony’s movement was unsteady and cautious, and he fell back to the ground before he could stand upright. Dozens of little wooden splinters stuck out of his coat, tiny drops of blood oozing from several of the wounds. He must have gotten all that when he had been thrown through the doorway.

“He’s not going to get out of there, is he?” Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle silently shook their heads as they watched the scene unfolding before them. A part of them wanted to go out and help him, but fear of discovery kept them pinned to the ground.

“Why?” the one called Innocent Sin boomed out, his deep voice drawing the fillies’ attention again. “Why do you ponies keep fighting us? It would be so much easier if you would just submit, but both you and that Mayor refuse to surrender.”

“Bullies like you would never understand,” Pipsqueak said, finally managing to stand upright. The fillies couldn’t see his face anymore, but he sounded as determined as ever.

“The world’s not so black and white, kid,” Last Breath said from where he lay against the train wall. “Who knows, maybe we’ll be able to see eye-to-eye someday.”

“You overstep your bounds again, Last Breath,” Innocent Sin said balefully. The fillies shivered as the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees at the chill in his voice. “Open your mouth once more, and I will kill you.”

“Promises, promises,” Last Breath muttered. Despite the way he seemed to enjoy pushing Innocent Sin’s buttons, he clammed up anyway, showing he took the threat seriously.

Turning away from the irritating changeling, Innocent Sin turned his attention back to the colt before him. “So that’s your answer?” A bright flash of green filled the train car, and suddenly Mayor Mare was standing where the changeling had been a second before. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you otherwise?” Despite the voice being the Mayor’s, the tone of voice was as flat and emotionless as ever. It really was a terrible disguise.

“I’m young, not stupid,” Pipsqueak said bluntly as Last Breath snorted. “I know that’s still you.”

“Hmph.” Another flash of green and the Mayor vanished, the changeling returning to his original appearance. There was a sudden hacking noise from Innocent Sin. While he appeared to be choking on something, after a few seconds, he spat out a large glob of green goo, pinning Pipsqueak’s hooves to the floor. Behind him, Last Breath seemed to be choking on his own ill-contained laughter. “Is there something you find amusing?”

“I thought I wasn’t supposed to talk?” After a moment’s silence in which neither changeling said anything, Last Breath answered the question that had been posed of him. “You can’t just fool them just by looking like them. You have to act like the ponies, too. Also, transforming in front of them makes the whole thing useless.”

“You would know, wouldn’t you?” Innocent Sin spat, baring his long, dagger-like fangs. Whatever they were talking about, it sounded like a long-standing grudge. Several minutes passed in silence, during which the fillies and colt remained silent while the two changelings glared at each other. The sheer force of the enmity between the two felt like a physical object, smothering and choking every other living creature in the room. For several long minutes, the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of the wheels running along their tracks and the noises made by the locomotive at the head of the train.

After the tense moment seemed to drag on forever, during which Pipsqueak and the three hiding fillies feared that the two changelings would attack each other, Innocent Sin broke the stalemate. “I wonder,” he said, turning back towards Pipsqueak, “how is it that you knew we had her?” His voice was firm and brimming with anger, but for whatever reason, it seemed he was going to pretend like the near-explosive situation had never happened.

“I’m not telling you nothing,” Pipsqueak said stubbornly.

“Brave little warrior, aren’t you?” Innocent Sin asked scornfully. “Or should I say pretend warrior? You may not be a gryphon, but…” A sickly green glow filled the car, emanating from where he was standing. “Let’s see what a herd animal knows about loyalty.”

Apple Bloom flinched as a loud shriek suddenly filled her ears. She had been too focused on the events before her that she hadn’t noticed as a strange sense of weightlessness overtook her body. Looking down, she saw that her entire body had been wrapped in the same green glow that filled the carriage. A silent scream fought to escape the sudden paralysis she felt in her throat as she struggled against the inexorable pull of the changeling’s magic. She could feel her friends grabbing her hind legs, both of them fighting to keep Apple Bloom from being dragged away from the presumed safety offered by their hiding place. The green glow spread onto their hooves as well, and all three were dragged out into the light.

“Here’s a tip,” the glow coming from Innocent Sin’s horn vanished, dropping all three fillies. They hit the ground with a dull thud beside Pipsqueak. “Don’t bother hiding from creatures that can sense emotions. It won’t work.”

“Apple Bloom?” Pipsqueak asked incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah could ask you the same.” Groaning, Apple Bloom managed to get her hooves underneath her and force her body upright. Beside her, she could hear her friends doing the same. “We was hopin’ to sneak into Canterlot,” she admitted to Pipsqueak. Finally getting her bearings, her gaze unwilling traced the body of the changeling standing before her, traveling from his hooves all the way to his eyes. The sight of those cold slit pupils staring directly at her was nearly enough to make her wet herself.

“Canterlot?” Innocent Sin asked her. “Why would you want to go there?” Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears and her teeth were chattering loudly enough to be audible, but Apple Bloom bit her lip and refused to answer. Seeing that she wasn’t going to comply, Innocent Sin’s horn blazed with that familiar sickly green. The glow shot out from his horn, reaching out and wrapping itself around her throat.

Sliding underneath her cloak and clasp, the glow solidified itself into a collar around her neck. Kicking and flailing, the ring lifted her into the air until she floated at eye level with the large changeling. Innocent Sin’s gaze was firm and unyielding, and he appeared unmoved by her struggles. “What. Did. You. Plan?”

“Let her go! She can’t breathe!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rocketed forward, launching themselves at the changeling little fleshy cannonballs. But if they were cannonballs, then Innocent Sin was an unyielding fortress. His carapace was a natural armor and he barely even flinched against the pair of impacts striking his chest.

Dropping Apple Bloom to the ground, where she lay sucking in the sweet, sweet air, he turned his attention instead to his attackers. Namely, the little pegasus rubbing her head. His horn glowing again, he flipped her onto her back. Pinning her to the ground with a hoof on her chest, he frowned down at her. “I’m losing patience. Tell me what I want to know, or we’ll find out how much pain you ponies can withstand.” His fangs and eyes seemed to shine in the evening light, giving him a horrifyingly alien appearance.

Scootaloo swallowed loudly as she looked up at the monstrous sight above her. His hoof was firm and heavy, and no matter how much she struggled, it refused to budge. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but the strength she felt from the controlled pressure left her with no doubt that he could crush her if he wanted to. Filled with fear and feeling like she was going to die, Scootaloo did the only thing she could think of.

She started to cry.

“Get away from them!” Innocent Sin leapt back from the weeping filly as a bolt of green fire passed through the spot he had vacated a moment before. The air rippled and warped from the heat of the flames, which continued uninterrupted on its path until it hit the train wall. The greedy flames quickly spread, seeking and consuming ever more fuel and within seconds, the roof of the train was lost in the roaring blaze.

The three fillies and one colt turned to look at the newcomer. Standing in the doorway, their tiny purple potbellied rescuer stood cast in the light from the flames above. “Spike!” three overjoyed voices shouted at the sight of the baby dragon.

“Spike, huh?” Last Breath mused, slowly closing the distance between him and the latest arrival. “Wonder what Twilight’s pet dragon is doing here- WHOA!” He jumped back as another gout of fire was spat at the ground in front of him, which quickly spread and separated the changeling from the youngsters.

“Are you okay?” Spike panted, rushing up to the foals. Two shots of fire had really taken a lot out of him, and he didn’t think he could pull off another one. Bending down, he sliced through the bonds pinning Pipsqueak’s hooves to the floor with a quick swipe of his claws. “What were you all thinking, sneaking onto this train? I’m just glad I followed you.”

“Can we have this conversation later?” Sweetie Belle asked, pointing at the crackling flames separating them from the two watching changelings with a wave of her chin.

“Yeah, I guess,” Spike admitted. “And who are you?” he asked of the colt he had just finished freeing.

“Th’ name’s Pipsqueak,” the pinto pony said proudly. “I’m going to rescue Princess Luna. I had a dream, and-“

“Yeah, that’s great,” Scootaloo interrupted, quickly cutting him off. “Can we go? NOW?”

“How?” Apple Bloom asked, gesturing at the dancing flames which had completely surrounded them, cutting off the exit behind them as well. She had wiped away the tear streaks running down her face, but her eyes were still a little red.

“Umm…” Scootaloo’s gaze skidded along the roaring flames until they landed on something half-hidden underneath the seat they had been concealed by before. Diving for it, she pulled it out where the others could see it. “My scooter,” she told the others. “Wouldn’t want to forget it.”

“And how is that going to help us now?” Apple Bloom asked, her voice positively dripping with sarcasm.

“Like this.” Gripping her scooter firmly in her hooves, Scootaloo spun in place and swung the scooter as hard as she could at the window pane above her head. With a mighty crash, the glass appeared to explode, throwing tiny twinkling shards in every direction. Mindful of the debris, Scootaloo hopped into the empty window pane. “We’re blowing this joint.”

“Are you nuts?” Apple Bloom yelled at her. “Ah can’t fly!”

“I can’t either, but,” the rest of what Scootaloo intended to say was lost as the train suddenly shook and seemed to nearly jump from the tracks, and her hooves slipped off the ledge. A quiet “Whoops” was all she had time for before she fell out of sight.

“No time! Go! Go!” Shoving the foals towards the open window, Spike turned to look at what the changelings were doing. Much to his surprise, they had barely moved, only taking a few steps back away from the heat of the flames. The larger one was frowning at him, like he wanted to chase after the group and stop them from escaping. But the smaller one actually lifted a hoof when he saw Spike staring, as if he was tipping a non-existent hat, his mouth twisted into a jaunty smile.

“Spike! Let’s go!” Spike turned to see that only Apple Bloom was left, the other two having already leapt from the train. The filly was waving at him, telling him to hurry up. Running over to her, he heaved himself onto the windowsill beside her.

The cool air whipped at his face, and the ground passing beneath him at an incredible velocity made him wonder if maybe the burning train wasn’t the safer place to be. Before he could turn back, he felt something strike him in the small of his back, throwing both him and Apple Bloom out of the burning train. His body seeming to move of its own accord, he grabbed Apple Bloom and wrapped his body protectively around hers. I knew I was going to regret this, was all he had time to think before his head struck a large rock on the ground, and then all his thoughts were darkness.

---

“Are you sure we shouldn’t wake him?”

“Nah, he’s fine. Keep pulling.”

Several hours had already passed since their escape from the burning train, though the evening sun remained locked in the same position as ever. After they had managed to leap from the train car, the group had managed to hook up again without any major difficulties. The only injury the group had sustained during their flight from the changelings was Spike being knocked unconscious when he hit the ground. In addition, Apple Bloom’s cape and clasp had been torn off and left behind at some point during the chaos. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but thought it was when she had leapt from the train. Thankfully, her favourite red ribbon was still firmly attached to her head.

After meeting up, the four foals had argued about what they should do. Sweetie Belle had suggested heading back to Ponyville, but both Scootaloo and Pipsqueak had disagreed with that idea. Scootaloo didn’t want to return to Ponyville with empty hooves, but the idea of heading into Canterlot clearly frightened her. When the possibility of meeting that large changeling again had been brought up, she had shuddered and quickly changed the subject.

The argument had finally ended when Pipsqueak asked them if they wanted to travel with him. He told them he had been sent a dream from Princess Luna, and that he was going to rescue her. Apple Bloom promptly pointed out how much that sounded like the stories she remembered her parents reading her when she was just a baby. The stories about a brave group of heroes rescuing captive princesses from all sorts of horrible monsters. When Apple Bloom made the connection, the other two leapt at the idea to go with Pipsqueak. Hero cutie marks weren’t out of their reach yet.

The fact that they would never have to meet that large changeling again was a plus.

All this led to the current situation, with the four foals tied to the front of a makeshift litter that Apple Bloom had quickly lashed together. It was really nothing more than sticks and vines. Spike slumbered blissfully on top of the litter where the group had tossed him, not seeming to realize that his head stuck out over the edge and dragged against the ground as the litter moved forwards. Scootaloo’s scooter lay next to him, and the filly in question would look back every so often to reassure herself it was still there. Now and then, the litter would catch on a protruding rock or tree root, and the group would need to stop to tug it free.

“So where are we going anyway?” Apple Bloom asked Pipsqueak eventually, being the first to realize that they really didn’t have a clear destination in mind.

“Not really sure,” Pipsqueak replied, shifting the vine that tied him to the litter. “Princess Luna just put the knowledge in my head of where she is and that she had been captured by the changelings. I had hoped to find out a little more, but they found me too soon.”

“She ‘put the knowledge in your head’?” Sweetie Belle asked doubtfully. “She can do that?”

Pipsqueak just shrugged, not really sure himself. “She did, so I guess she can. All I know is that she’s south of us, but I don’t know how far away.”

“Well, I hope Spike wakes up soon,” Scootaloo said, groaning as the litter caught on yet another rock. “Because this is getting old real fast.” As the group stopped to free the litter once more, none of them noticed a pair of glowing yellow eyes watching them from under the cover of a nearby bush. By the time the foals finally freed their burden, the eyes had vanished, the leaves barely even stirring at their wake.

Author's Note:

Pipsqueak was first (and last) seen in Chapter 7.

Comments

[Black Lord of Mordor]

So good bro!!

[KingOfDreams]

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