A bright cool-colored canvas stretched out before him in an empty expanse of neither shape nor physics. Zeccaran walked forward until he came upon a strange looking door, positioned randomly in the astral pasture. It was a ratty portal its white paint chipped and peeling. The wood that was exposed appeared to be strong but withered and dry like it had gone through a vicious dust storm. He reached up for the handle out of pure curiosity and pushed its lever down as he pulled the door open. Rusted hinges gave a long haunted screech as he slowly wrenched open the door to its fullest. Behind the door intense light poured out accompanied by the sounds of ponies talking and maybe even the sounds of his own voice he was not sure. This was unlike any dream he had had before, even the other faux-dreamwalks, and it intrigued him to no end. Zeccaran walked confidently through the portal eager to find what laid on the other side.

“Argh! That was bright. Wait...I know this place. The brown curtains, the cherry wood paneling, that ugly green carpet, this is the train I was taking east from Las Pegasus before I met Gusty! How did I get here? Is this even a dream anymore, or am I remembering this? Ok, this is weird and I don’t like it. Hey, it's the old conductor! Still kinda jealous of that mustache, I have no idea how he gets it too look so nice and shiny like that. Ohhh! He’s bringing in Gunther’s crate, I guess I’ll sit back and watch…”

The conductor heaved and huffed as he drug in the big wooden cage that held the equally wooden dog. He gave his brow a wipe before shooting out a sharp sigh of relief.

“I don’t know what you got in there, Mr. Z, but it sure is heavy!” he responded cheerily.

“It’s actually a friend of mine,” he responded getting down from his bunk.

“Boy, oh boy is it strange to witness oneself in the full third-person! Fascinating really. I had no idea my mohawk used to look that badass!”

The conductor cast a quizzical look at Zeccaran. He bent down to the crate’s lock and unfastened it deftly with his mouth. Instantly a thick wooden barrel of a Timberwolf catapulted from the dog crate and tackled Zeccaran off his hooves and onto the ground. Gunther yipped excitedly and began licking his pony friend’s face with extreme enthusiasm that only a dog could have. Zeccaran giggled at his unorthodox canine and shooed him off of his chest before sitting up and wiping away the extra Timberwolf slobber from his face.

He looked up to the conductor to find the stallion frozen shock still in horror at the sight of Gunther. His tan fur had nearly turned white and his eyes’ arteries pulsed intensely as he focused only on the proverbial elephant in the room. Guther to his credit seemed to notice and lay himself out flat on the floor of the cabin before slowly inching closer to the conductor making pitiful puppy noises as he did. The conductor continued to look on in pure terror as Gunther came closer until the Timberwolf bumped his nose into one of the stallion’s front hooves. The conductor’s immediate reaction was to jump up and away with such force that he actually bounced off the ceiling before landing in a pained heap as Gunther barked excitedly at him.

“Gunther! No! Bad! Leave him alone, he’s scared of you!” Zeccaran scolded his companion. The dog responded by whimpering dismally before returning to him and stretching out on the ground next to Zeccaran, by this time the conductor had recovered.

“H-h-h-how!? How is that thing domesticated!??” He gawked and stammered to Zeccaran. The zebra simply snickered at the other stallion’s distress, Gunther was completely harmless!

“Well, he’s my friend. I’ve raised him since he wasn’t more than a sappup. He’s no different than a regular dog.” he responded cordially after regaining a steady voice. There was no need to tease the stallion about being scared, honestly it was only natural for ponies to be terrified of one of their only natural predators.

“I...I-I just don’t believe it. If he gets out in the car he’ll cause a huge panic!” the conductor groaned. “Look...I...Just don’t let him out of this room. I’ll give you one more warming, mate. But anything after that and I’m tossing him off this locomotive myself!”

The conductor gave another panicked glance at Gunther before exiting the bunk room with a disheveled haste. This left Zeccaran to sit there in silence before giving a shrug and starting to pet Gunther. The world slowly seemed to freeze in that moment as Zeccaran meditated the day away peacefully sitting with his dog and having no reason to leave. He simply was happy to be left alone to ponder the world and do nothing about it. Such was his prerogative, he firmly believed in his heart that the Universe was fated to do what it would regardless of how he felt about it, but it was healthy to think over the different annoyances he experienced.

Hissing of the train’s airbrakes made him open his eyes and knocked the boredom away in an instant. Zeccaran got up from the ground and slipped out of his bunk room leaving Gunther inside like he had been instructed. He followed the bustle of ponies, all of them being large Earth Stallions. If he remembered correctly this stop was for a mine or as the locals called it, “The Rock Farm,” it was famous for precious crystals and oil. The location supplied the gems to the Equestrian Treasury for a special credit and sold the new fuel source to the highest bidder.

The zebra knew he stood out from the crowd, being smaller and certainly more striped but all he cared about was getting some food from the small station’s kitchen. He had been on this route before and he was hoping that they still had the homemade shaved hay chips. The little fried crisps of deliciousness were one of the few reasons he still enjoyed life. Their familiar and intoxicating smell drew him towards a covered countertop next to the ticket booth. He nudged by a rather enormous teal mare who was busy jabbering about train fares to the booth attendant. He practically drooled as he tossed the proper amount of bits onto the counter and ordered.

The five-o’clock shadow covered cook grumbled in acceptance as if ponies regularly slapped up the exact change required to buy the hay chips. He tossed a great pile of hay shavings into the fryer behind him. The stiff voice of the conductor caught his ears while he waited.

“Well, I do have a spare bunk, but I don’t know if you would want it.” He said worriedly to what Zeccaran assumed was the female patron he had passed. “Well, okay...just be warned he has a pet...a very unique pet.” That could be no one else but him, He was about to turn around and get a better look at his imminent bunkmate when the cook cleared his throat.

“Here you go, Mac.” the grizzled cook said as he pushed Zeccaran a basket of just-out-of-the-fryer, chips. “Thanks!” he replied immediately taking one of the crisps in his mouth and burning himself. He didn’t complain, the piping hot hay pieces were by far the most delicious variant of the crop and he ate them merrily regardless of the pain they caused.

Zeccaran turned around finally to find the mare and the conductor vanished from where he had heard them. He shrugged indifferently and made his way back onto the train, slipping past the changing shift of engineers who were smudged with coal soot. He made it back to his room passing through an otherwise empty passenger car. He opened his door, stepped inside, and sat down on the bench in the front of the cabin before digging into his food. Gunther strode up and made pitiful puppy noises as he begged for a single chip. Zeccaran of course granted him that single chip and continued eating wondering when the conductor would appear with the mystery mare.

He did not have to wait long. A few minutes after he finished his chips there was a strong knocking on his door. “Come in.” he said kindly and the door swung open slowly to reveal the conductor standing there with a blush, behind him the big teal mare stood spouting a charming grin. Now in clearer view the mare in question stood about twice Zeccaran’s short height. She had a slender build and tight eye-pleasing muscles. Light freckles dotted her high cheeks and pretty face. Her looks were accented with a thick, long, and somewhat wavy mane and tail. Those portions of hair were a seafoam color which perfectly complimented her teal coat and deep blue eyes. A medium-sized horn protruded from her thick couture and lengthy wings sprang from her sides. She was an alicorn.

“Heeeeere it comes, the first time I met Gusty. I wonder what my face looked like…”

He sat there and stared dumbly. An alicorn?

“Wow, I look like a total idiot. My jaw is completely slack and I slumped awkwardly on the bench. Ugh, I remember how many questions I had for her: Why was she here? Was she a princess? How did she come across the Rock Farm? I just was too flabbergasted to ask though, not that I didn’t get my answers, actually I think with everything I know now I would have rather remained ignorant and free of that big teal menace. She’s my friend but...sometimes”

“Mate, this is...uhm.” The conductor paused before casting a quick glance back to the mare. “Y-your new bunkmate. Make sure your blasted dog is nice to her, now...uh-I need to get going.” The conductor stammered, as he tried to back out of the room.

“Thanks for showing me where to go, sir” the mare said as she slipped past the retreating stallion. Zeccaran was sure that she had intentionally rubbed as much of her flanks against his side as she could. Her horn lit up with a golden-yellow aura and an enormous suitcase pushed its way in over her and the conductor before being unceremoniously dropped in the middle of the bunk room.

“I am Gusty Twilight!” the mare faux-saluted with a broad vocal change. “What is your name fair zebra?” she asked continuing her gusto-filled speech while kicking the door closed behind her.

“In retrospect I’m just glad I was able to recover from bearing witness to her. She was already going to be a hooffull, but at least I started with a good impression…”

“Hello, friend. My name is Zeccaran.” he remarked with a quaint bow, “And this is Gunther my faithful companion.” Gunther barked approvingly and jumped up into trotting towards the big teal mare.

“Good boy.” she cooed at the Timberwolf as he stood up on his back legs to reach her face and begin licking her. She petted him affectionately and giggled at the oaken log, before suddenly gasping in surprise.

“Wait a minute!” she proclaimed, “A zebra that doesn’t rhyme?”

“Well of course, not everyone follows that trope, after awhile it gets rather coarse.” he responded trying to bite his tongue.

“Oh, by Luna’s stars do I hate rhyming! And this, ugh this is why I go out of my way to not do it! Stupid, Gusty asking stupid questions. I sounded like an idiot!”

“Normal folks like me don’t have to rhyme, not even Shamans do it all the time.” he continued. He started to grimace in horror at what was occurring, meanwhile Gusty began to grin mischievously.

“Besides it is meant for rituals and and incantations, I hope you understand this explanation.” Zeccaran balked awkwardly unable to stop.

“So, why are you still rhyming now?” Gusty asked nearly full-on laughing.

“I don’t know, for some reason I can’t stop, please you should call the language cops!” Zeccaran finished before he slammed his hooves into his mouth anger growing. He started hitting himself in the face to try and jar himself free of the terrible habit. Gusty cackled merrily as she watched him try to readjust his brain.

“Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself!” she mocked her voice extra high-pitched. He did not care, it was much more important to stop rhyming. After a good ten hits he gave talking another try.

“I think I got it….yeah...HA! Take that stringent social conventions! I’m free from your stigma again!” he shouted triumphantly. Gusty stopped laughing finally and opened up her suitcase before sitting on the floor in front of it. A silence descended upon them as she began sifting through the contents, arranging them in the bunk room with an obsessive precision..

“There’s her sword. You’d think a weapon as old and as magical as it would have some sort of glowing aura about it, but no its just looks plain and rather used: under the bottom bunk it goes! That mail hauberk of hers, closet, yep. That ridiculous box of caltrops...why did she even have those? I guess they are a weapon to stop a full cavalry charge..but..that just seemed so out of place. Oh, boy...the crowbar. You know, I’m pretty sure she was working on the Rock Farm, only place that would have that equipment in the area. How many of those cobalt skirts does she own??!! Why didn’t I notice that? Oh, I’m looking out the window...Ugh...when will this end?”

Time suddenly sped up and the motions of he and Gusty became blurs marked by the occasional solid form of them sleeping. He blinked trying to refocus on the scene before him, but found that non-physical eyes did not benefit from a good blinking. About two days passed as the train they were on moved across the open plains of Equestria’s heartland moving northeast along the mighty Everfree Forest. With the lands rolling hills and occasional town the vista portal of the window became a picturesque view of the evening sun made as it settled . As if a master painter had spent years applying the correct amount of shading, hues, and warmth that seemed to pervade the evening colors until it could practically bring tears to Zeccaran’s eyes with its beauty. He had forgotten how the world could look, having spent too much time being distracted by the ponies in it and his own problems.

Before him, his dream-self sat up in bed: He sighed heavily which unfortunately roused his bunkmate. And as if on cue she shot of her bunk, and pronounced loudly: “I’m hungry!”

“It never was a dull moment with Gusty. Nope could never have a normal day. She really is quite unstable, I hope the Princesses and Stormwalker have some sort of solution. She got a little better after a while but she was a wreck when I met her. Constantly ranting about the importance of ferreting out evil..or calling me names.”

“Get up you striped bum! There’s stuff to do, food to eat!” She jumped up on her back hooves and stuck her face in his as he scowled at her jovial morning pony routine. “We must knock down the inherent darkness of our empty stomachs and vanquish the evil that it entails!”

He rolled out of the bed with a grumble and looked at her with a suspcious look. Gusty had fallen still and was either about to hit him with her usual, “You’re a tiny little striped bug” insult or...scream:

“EEEEEEVIIIIILLLL!!!” she shouted in a primal mania that he still had yet to mentally overcome. “Where is it?! I must defeat it!” she continued her eyes going wide.

Before Zeccaran could inquire why she had yelled, behind Gusty there came a knocking on the door to the cabin. It was then opened slightly by a young attendant mare, really more of an older filly. She sheepishly peeped in and inquired meekly, her bonnet bobbing as she spoke.

"I-I h-heard somepony was hungry? I have the snack cart ri-aaghh!" the snack mare was interrupted. In the same moment, the impulsive alicorn had bowled over the mare causing a great clamour of metal, falling snacks, the body of the attendant, and the thumping of hooves as Gusty ran off down the hall of the train car. This left Zeccaran to sigh and pick up the pieces before following his acquaintance.

“I’ll never understand why I bother to clean up after her...It is both a thankless and fruitless task.”

"Are you alright?" he rushed over and extended a hoof to the small chocolate colored mare. “Owww. Well yeah I’m ok. What’s her prob-oh” The mare stopped, a look of horrendous terror stretching her feature taut with dread. The mare remained silent as he helped her up, her look of fear never fading. Her silence made it excurciatly easy to hear Gunther's panting

"T-tt-tt-timberwolf." she stammered pitifully,ever-so-timidly with a hoof. Zeccaran had almost forgotten his animal companion. Gunther, of course, was an oak-born Timberwolf. He was about Zeccaran's size which made him a moderately sized creature. With thick green leafy eyebrows and tail on his dark brown barky body there was nothing upsetting about him, save perhaps his glowing eyes, but all timberwolves had those. It would be the moment however that the mare would pass out and flop to the floor.

This elicited the immediate attention of one of the male attendants who promptly appeared in the doorway of his cabin. Unfortunately, it was the same conductor that had allowed him to bring Gunther on in the first place. He made an angry face at Zeccaran before gritting his teeth and uttered, “That was your one chance, mate, off he goes.”

“But, I thought you said one warning then the boot.” he responded sadly. “Well after all the yelling and running about your bunkmate is doing I don’t have the patience for it!” the conductor growled at him.

“Excuse me, I need that Zebra.”

Unbeknownst to Zeccaran or the conductor, Gusty had returned to where they now stood arguing in the hall of the sleeper car. She loomed over the conductor, who really was not a small pony, using her height to her advantage. It was in the same moment that she picked up the hapless zebra with her magic and floated him over next to her. Gunther reflexively followed, causing various lookers on to gasp or faint.

“Miss...I uh...no! No, he can’t stay. He is already scaring too many of our patrons.” he demanded over a blush. Zeccaran remarked that it was not fair that Gusty could make ponies feel pressured just by being near them. Then again it might have had something to do with her rather persuasive tone and arguments...

“Oh really? He is completely harmless. Look!...uh..Have him open his mouth, Mr. Zebra.” Gusty made an affirmative motion with her hoof.

“I still can’t believe she had me command Gunther to do this. Not only does Timberwolf breath smell terrible, but this was just ridiculous. She just stuck her whole neck in there, if that wasn’t a sign that she was basketcase I don’t know what is. The old conductor certainly thought so, I really wish he had come to Canterlot to complain as some point, alas. And this argument: ‘if he won’t bite me like this, in his natural attack posture why is he dangerous?” I am overjoyed to not be in this situation anymore.”

A quick scan of the car showed that the rest of the patrons on the train had either passed out or were trying their absolute best to ignore what was going on behind them. Zeccaran watched the conductor back down, playing out his part. He merely grumbled an empty approval. Needless to say, Gusty was quite pleased with herself and removed her vulnerable neck from Gunther’s mouth. Earnestly, she turned to him, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Come on! There is something evil on this train and we need to find it! I’ll take no arguments! You are coming with. Besides all you do is sit around and make dumb humming noises. This will be waaaaaay more fun!” she cooed with eager mania.

“But-but-I’m...I’m tired?” he tried to make the excuse

“Pshhhh. Don’t be a downer. Let’s go!”

She continued to hold him in her levitation making him feel like a foal. If she had released him, he could have at least half-heartedly resist, making it significantly better, maybe. He soon found himself outside the last regular car staring at the mechanism that held the dining car that was behind it to the rest of the train.

“Whatever is evil is in that dining car. I don’t want to go in it unless I really have to. I’m getting some pretty bad vibes from whatever is inhabiting that car.” Gusty shuddered in her spot.

“Soooo. You want to disconnect the car from the rest of the train? Okay, don’t know why I needed to come along…” crossing his front legs still floating in Gusty’s magic.

“Because I can’t turn this dumb thing! That’s why I came and got you!” she complained with extra pouty lips. Gusty angrily pointed at a pressure wheel that appeared to have been greased heavily by something.

Zeccaran took a moment to examine it. Before motioning her to set him down. He approached it still squinted before placing his hooves on it He gave it a turn, or rather it gave him a turn. The control wheel was so slippery he practically fell off the train when he attempted to grip it with his forehooves. After righting himself, without help from Gusty, who stood there laughing at him, he came up with an idea.

“Maybe you should clean that greasy stuff off, so we can turn the wheel?” he questioned. “Well I already tried, its magical or something.” she answered.

“How about burning it? That could work.” he suggested.

“Yeah you’re right! WAIT! duhh! I should have just used my horn to turn the wheel itself not the grease. I got this.” Gusty finally had her apiphany.

Promptly Gusty’s yellow magical aura flared from her horn. Another faint yellow glow surrounded the wheel at the same moment. Zeccaran watched curiously as she appeared to strain herself. Her face scrunched up into a frown and she closed her eyes.

A vicious roar of flames erupted in a flash of white light. Its volume and heat was so intense Zeccaran thought it would actually set the train car on fire. However, luck appeared to be on his side, for it quickly died down to a quaint blaze over the control wheel. Confused, he turned to Gusty. She gaped at the fiery little wheel, allowing her companion to make his first sly comment in a week.

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna light it on fire” He smiled at her slyly starting to snicker.

“I just don’t know what went wrong! It started to turn and the next moment it was on fire!”she grimaced in pure confusion and embarrassment.

“Welp, looks like we are going in.” he lackadaisically commented.

“We are such idiots. I can’t believe I just go along with her. I guess I can’t help help it, she is practically my best friend. Certainly the only pony unafraid of Gunther and that won me over pretty damn good.”

Gusty exhaled a breath and turned to look at the door to the dining car. She tried the door to find it was locked. Zeccaran was hopeful it would end there but, something told him in the back of his mind he was forgetting who this was standing in front of him. Immediately, from the ratty old brown bag the alicorn carried with her wherever she went, Gusty drew out a crowbar and a hammer. To this day he had no idea where she had been keeping them, perhaps it had been inside her skirt’s waistband.

It was only a few seconds later that the door had been removed from its hinges and set aside. It allowed a minimal view into the dining car. Great and unnatural shadows loomed inside the car. Gusty tossed her crowbar into the darkness. There was no satisfying clank. This left Zeccaran scared, as perhaps there really was something evil in that car.

“Don’t kid yourself past me. Don’t kid yourself.”

In the next moment a most wonderful smell wafted out of the portal. It was a mixture of cooking berries, sweets and pastries. Zeccaran actively tried to keep the wind of the moving train from stealing the smells away, but realizing he couldn’t, he charged right into the pitch dark room. He couldn’t help himself, it was simply too delicious a smell, and he was quite hungry too.

“Wait!” Gusty called after him. But her words were wasted as his legs impacted something solid causing him to flip forward and face plant the carpeted floor. It hurt. But he was too proud to let Gusty realize he had just about knocked himself out and was content to sit quietly in the darkness alone. That was until there was a soft click and the room lit up with magical lights on the ceiling and the blinds opened letting the sun pour in.

He could now see that he had tripped over an amazingly plush ottoman. The crowbar set atop of it, nestled into its pillow. Gusty had followed him. She began laughing at his misfortune, but suddenly she stopped. “I KNOW WHERE IT IS!” she proclaimed.and dashed over to an oven that Zeccaran could just see. Only the corner of the range was visible from where he lay.

In the next moment, Gusty tossed a pie out from the oven and onto the floor before Zeccaran. Inscribed in an artful script on its top crust was the word Evil. It was the only indication of any evil in the room, or probably in the whole Cloudsdale District that they were traveling through. Zeccaran could not properly react to this occurrence. He simply sat up and looked at the pie. He remained straight-faced as his companion drew her mighty sword from its scabbard and viciously beat the pie out of its tin. Like a great bird of prey tearing into its catch with talon and beak such was the visceral nature of Gusty Twilight’s assault on the pastry.

The sound of slow unsteady hoof falls came from the door they had entered. Zeccaran turned slowly to see a moustached chef pony. His jaw was dropped and he was crying. His lip quivered as if it was being shook by a devastating earthquake such was his struggle to speak. The ruination of his prize baked concoction was a horror he seemed unable to accept.

“Why?...why my pie?!!?” he blathered out after a few pitiful minutes of watching Gusty triumphantly posturing her wings.

“Simple, my dear chef! It..was...EVIL!” Gusty replied with her perfected gusto.

The chef was unable to quite comprehend how this made any sense. The chef, again, spoke up: “But...but...it wasn’t evil it was just a pie...a simple pie! My most famous and infamous pie that has brought me so much wealth and….blah...whyyy!!??”

He fell to the floor in a pool of tears and smears of his pastry.

As a preening peacock flares his feathers and struts about, Gusty walked out of the train car and down the hall of the next car. Gunther, who had been with them the entire time silently plodding behind his master, finally broke and began eating the remains of the pie. He did this by licking the sobbing baker. The baker, of course, immediately freaked out.

He began with simple screaming. It quickly turned into him running about the car then up into the regular passenger area as Gunther chased him licking his body as he did.

“Ahhhhhahahhhh! It's going to eat me! Get it away! Get it away! Waahhhaaha….why me-by Celestia why???!” the poor stallion cried. Zeccaran had yet to recover from what he had witnessed and unwittingly he let his animal companion continue to chase and terrorize the pony.

The zebra followed the sight as it moved through the train, causing various exclamations from the other passengers. Given the circumstances, Zeccaran would have laughed, had not the conductor, with a cage in hoof promptly lifted Gunther up and away from the baker with his levitation.

“He’s going into the cargo car until our next stop then he’s gone!” He roared angrily as he stuffed the hapless timberwolf into the big cage.

Zeccaran wanted to object, but at this point he decided it was better to just let Gunther stay safely in the cage instead of arguing with his host. He simply nodded in acceptance and beat a slow retreat to his bunk car. Inside of which Gusty Twilight sat in her top bunk humming happily to herself. Rather tired and desensitized from the experience of today, Zeccaran decided he would sleep and try to feel better about the next day. With Gusty around he had a feeling that nothing was ever going to be boring again.

“Boring. No. Dangerous and annoying. Yes. Will the Universe let me go? Also, no.”

He silently sobbed hoping the bright onset of new light from the window would lead him to waking up.

Next Chapter: Act 1: Chapter 3 - "...Really?" Estimated time remaining: 24 Hours, 47 Minutes