“The train’s late, sis.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sky huffed, blowing her mane out of her face and looking up at the clock reproachfully. “Oh well, while we’re here, did you pack all your stuff?”

“Sure did!” Shadow patted her saddlebags, grinning. “Got a whole bunch of darts, arrows, chocolate bars…”

“Perfume?”

“Per...no!” Shadow began, before clamming up and fastening her saddlebags a little tighter. “Come on sis, what the hell would I need that shit for?”

“Who knows?” Sky shrugged, looking upwards and whistling innocently. “Maybe you were hoping to meet a nice little colt your age, and wanted to make a good impression for a change?”

“Ewww, come on sis, I’m not like you, fawning over the nearest pony who flashes you a smile!” Shadow stuck her tongue out, making a face. “I have standards, thanks!”

“Pretty bloody high standards.” Sky huffed, looking her over. “I can see the little blue ribbon sticking out of your bag, sweetie. You’re not fooling anypony.”

Shadow went bright red. “It’s...for...something else, okay?”

“Sure it is.” Sky chuckled, unconvinced. “Tell you what, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll give you ten seconds to come up with a good excuse. Aaaaand...go!”

Shadow bit her lip, tucking the ribbon into her bag and staring straight ahead. You could almost hear the clock ticking as her mind raced, inventing wildly.

“Improvised bandages?”

“Nope.” Sky pulled a big roll of bandages out of her saddlebag, shaking her head stoically.

“Shit.”

Another couple of seconds, then:

“Um...improvised noose in case Tone Deaf shows up?”

“I like the idea, but we’re not hanging anypony.” Sky giggled. “Three seconds!”

Shadow put her hooves on her head, panicking as she tried her best to come up with something less...girly.

“Belt?”

“Nope.”

“Garotte?”

“You don’t garotte ponies.”

“Wait, I’ve got it! It’s for…”

“Time’s up!” Sky grinned. “Sorry Shadow, but I’ve caught you being adorable! Thanks for playing, sweetie!”

“Awww, but I had the perfect excuse!” Shadow huffed, crossing her forelegs and sulking next to Sky on the bench.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you can have a consolation prize!” Sky grinned, nudging the sulky filly with her hoof.

Shadow’s ears perked a little. “Consolation prize? What kind of consolation prize?”

“How about…” Sky smiled, grabbing her and squeezing her tightly. “A hug from your favourite sister in the whole world?”

“How about no...oomph!” Shadow protested, before being cut off as Sky winded her. Her big wings extended, beating pathetically in an attempt to free her from her big sister’s affections. Sky clung tightly to her, nuzzling her cheek and whispering soft coos to her until she finally gave up, settling into the hug and resting her head under Sky’s chin.

“You’re gonna be the death of me one of these days…” Shadow whispered quietly, barely audible over the hustle and bustle of the busy terminal. With that, she surrendered, tucking her head under Sky’s good wing.

Sky cradled her for a while, shielding her embarrassed face from the busy world around them. One or two ponies gave her funny looks for holding onto a fourteen-year-old pony like she was a newborn filly, but Sky glared at them until they went about their business and left her alone. It wasn’t often that she got to hug Shadow like this, especially in public. She’d trade her other wing for an opportunity like this.

The sun was blocked out by an approaching pegasus, as dark and edgy as they come. He flapped lazily, keeping himself just off of the ground, his wild black mane blowing in the wind. He regarded Sky and Shadow with a stern gaze, his bright purple eyes contrasting against his scarred grey coat.

“You look terrible.” Sky commented simply.

“What do you mean?” The pegasus dropped to the ground, taken aback.

“That colour scheme? That entrance?” Sky shook her head with disapproval. “It’s stallions like you who give the rest of us a bad name.”

“Now wait just a second!” He protested, clearly trying to work a little growl into his voice. “I’m a very serious bounty hunter! I’m allowed to look badass if I want to!”

“Yahuh.” Sky set Shadow down, getting to her hooves. “So you’re a bounty hunter, huh? The last pony I saw who looked like you was an assassin, and she was super-serious too. Turned out she dyed her coat black, and she was secretly pink.” Sky giggled, looking him up and down. “Go on, what colour are you really?”

“Pur...I mean, shut up!” The pegasus stamped his forehoof sulkily, pulling out a pair of bull whips and cracking them on the ground in front of Sky simultaneously. “I am Whiplash, you bitch, and I’ve been sent to bring you in, dead or alive!”

Sky raised her eyebrows at him as he approached her, a wry smile slowly appearing on her face. Shadow took one look at the two ponies facing off and sat back on the bench, holding her head in her hooves. “Ooooh boy…”

“So, Whiplash, huh?” Sky grinned, biting her lower lip as she slunk forward. “Do you know how to use those whips, sweetie?”

“Sky...you’re being a slut again.” Shadow said, not looking up or removing her hooves as her big sister nuzzled Whiplash’s face.

“Wait...’” Whiplash’s eyes widened, and he backed away a little. “Piss off! You’re supposed to be scared of me, damn it! I’m supposed to bring you in!”

“Well, I have been a really naughty girl…” Sky purred, brushing up against him like a cat. Her tail flicked over his chest as she passed him. “I guess you’d better punish me, huh sweetie?”

Whiplash was a little too taken aback to do anything but stare for a while. He’d kind of expected everypony to quake in terror at his approach, that his reputation as a feared and deadly bounty hunter would in some way strike Sky immobile and mute with sheer dread. He had not exactly planned to have her flirt with him. Nopony ever flirted with him!

“Sh...shut up!” He yelped, a little more squeakily than he’d have liked. “This is supposed to be really scary, like that time in Germaney when my parents were trampled to death by a rampaging rhinoceros!”

“Oh boy, here we go with the backstory.” Sky rolled her eyes. “How much of that actually happened, Whiplash? You know you don’t have to lie to impress me…” She lowered her head, kissing his neck.

Whiplash started sweating a little, his wings growing warmer. There was no way that Sky was turning him on...was there?

Shadow sighed as a little old mare sat down on the bench next to her, watching the scene unfold in bewilderment. The filly shuffled closer, patting her forehoof with her own.
“Hey, excuse me? Miss? I need a new family. This one’s broken.” She nodded at her big sister with an embarrassed chuckle. There was really no stopping Sky when she got like this. Either something horrible would turn up and distract her, or she’d get laid. Shadow had learned to just sit there and watch as she turned the latest unfortunate stallion into putty in her hooves. Whiplash would be no different.

“So hey, I’ve got some time until my train comes.” Sky winked, nuzzling his neck as her tail flicked from side to side. “Maybe you wanna follow me into the bathroom and...you know, collect on your bounty…” She gave a cute little giggle, gazing up at him with shining blue eyes. She was deep inside his personal space now, pressing her body against his just a little as her breath grew more laboured, her voice huskier.

Whiplash’s wings sprang out with a damning pomf. “I...I wasn’t planning to...I didn’t bring…”

“Ssssshhh…” Sky put a hoof up to his muzzle, shaking her head and grinning. “Shut up, sweetie. Just come with me and I’ll make you a well-rounded offer that’ll convince you to let me go. Trust me on that.”

Whiplash couldn’t exactly speak anymore, just making pathetic babbling sounds. Sky’s grin became a little more predatory. She had him right where she wanted him. The little white pegasus had lost count of the number of ponies she’d gotten out of trouble with by giving them what none of them wanted to admit they wanted. Whiplash, for all his edgy appearance and fake scarring on his nose, was going to be no different from any of the others.

He was about to say something to the affirmative when they were both interrupted by distant shouts. Whiplash, Sky and Shadow all turned their heads at the approaching sound warily. They sounded an awful lot like guards, but the stallions who were clearing the crowd at the train station certainly didn’t look like Equestrian soldiers. In fact, they looked scarily like the unicorn from a couple of days before.

“Oh fuck, more of them.” Sky and Shadow whispered as one.

“What? More of what?” Whiplash asked, still a little dazed.

“Look, I hate to cut this short, sweetie, but I’ve gotta go.” Sky turned back to Whiplash apologetically, patting him on the shoulder. “But hey, I promise that we’ll meet up again soon! You seem like a standup guy under all that makeup!”

And with that, she gave him a little kiss on the cheek and galloped off, her little sister in tow.

“Sis?” Shadow tugged on Sky’s tail a little as they made their way up onto the railway overpass.

“Yeah?”

“They’ve spotted us.”

“I know.” Sky nodded, steeling herself. Even then, Shadow could see her starting to shiver a little. “Stay safe this time, okay? We just have to get to Manehattan and we’ll be able to disappear.”

“Gotcha.” Shadow nocked a sleep arrow, drawing back her bowstring and loosing it at the lead Operative, a hulking great earth pony. Her aim was brilliant as always - it was her special talent after all - but the brute shrugged it off just as his compatriot had earlier. The three stallions closed ranks, half-trotting, half-marching towards the two sisters with the same matching menacing glare.

“Let me do the talking.” Sky muttered to her little sister. “Get ready to jump when I give the word, okay?”

“Got it.” Shadow nodded, slinging her bow back over her shoulder. It was useless anyway.

Sky looked up at the stallions as they stopped right in front of her. She barely came halfway up their chests. The little white pony gave the most pleasant, friendly smile she could manage, though her ears splayed back with suppressed fright.

“Hey fellas.” She chuckled uneasily, looking between them. “I don’t suppose you’re looking for a different little pony, are you?” They’re not bad looking…

“No.” The earth pony said simply, ignoring the arrow sticking out of his chest. “We’ve been ordered to bring you in or kill you, Miss Runner. Silver Tongue’s getting fed up of your interference in his affairs.”

“Oh, it was Silver Tongue I was pissing off?” Sky slapped her head with a forehoof. “Why didn’t you say so? If you’d just told me it was him getting naffed off at me, I’d have stopped this shit ages ago! Thanks for telling me, guys!” She made to trot off in the other direction, but the second Operative, a unicorn wearing this season’s cliched sunglasses, caught her by the tail with his magic.

“I don’t think so.” The lead pony shook his head. “You’re coming back with us, and I don’t give a shit whether I’m bringing back a pony or a corpse. Now it’s up to you to make me care.” He leaned in, growling.

Sky looked around at them, giving a very nervous gulp. “I don’t suppose being super-cuddly and downy soft gets me any points?” She squeaked. Her ears perked just the tiniest bit as another sound filled the air, the rattle of an approaching train, bound to pass right under the bridge upon which they were standing.

“No way.” The earth pony shook his head, grinning mirthlessly. “Sorry, but being huggable isn’t gonna get you out of trouble, sweetheart. Now come on, we’re heading back to Silver’s place.”

One of her forehooves crept back to her hind legs. There was little drawstring on her hind leg hoof muffler, a little something that she’d resolved to only use in emergencies. Of course, it was only really supposed to be used in flight, but it wasn’t like she was going to be doing that anytime soon.

Besides, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Sky tugged on the drawstrings on her hind legs, and a set of bright pink flares in her boots went off, spraying out onto the railway overpass. Shadow backed up, shielding her eyes with her wing as the sparks and white-hot flares went everywhere. The stallions backed off, and the unicorn’s concentration was broken for just long enough that Sky was able to pull herself free.

“Jump for it!” She yelled, rounding on Shadow.

The two sisters leapt off of the bridge, down onto the roof of the train passing underneath. They both landed with a simultaneous grunt, their padded hooves clanging on the metal roof.

Sky took a look back at the bridge and let out a very small squeak. The stallions had not only gotten their eyesight back from the point-blank flare blast, they were leaping onto the train’s caboose as it kept moving. They all glared at her as one, three sets of burning, determined eyes.

Whatever the hell they are, they’re brainwashed… Sky thought to herself, starting to pick up speed. Her hooves slipped and slid on the smooth metal surface of the roof, and as she leapt from one carriage to the next, she could hear the far more sure-footed stallions catching up, same as the unicorn from a couple of days ago.

Shit, this is gonna hurt…

Stronghooves darted out onto the platform, ears splaying back as he assessed the situation. There were three of them this time, and while Sky was running as fast as she could over the roof of that train, they were gaining easily. He’d have to work fast if he was going to save her.

Taking a run-up across the platform, Stronghooves galloped towards the railway tracks, trying not to think about what a monumentally stupid idea this was. With a grunt, he launched himself off of the platform, leaping far further than a stallion of his size and weight should be able to manage. With a clang of metal on metal, Stronghooves landed atop the roof of the train, taking only a moment to regain his balance before running after Sky’s pursuers again. His horn flared, stopping the Operatives’ unicorn in mid-air. With a tug from his magic, he yanked the Operative back towards him. The other two didn’t register their compatriots disappearance, keeping up the chase. The unicorn whirled round, his own horn flaring and striking Stronghooves in the breastplate with a blast of amber magic. The guard captain reeled back, a fatal blast mark on his chest, but Stronghooves could already feel the magic of his enhancements working on his body, healing the damage before he could lose too much blood. The regenerative magic working on his body wreathed him in bright blue light, fixing the damage in record time.

Stronghooves and the unicorn stared at one another blankly for a moment, before the former cracked a friendly smile.

“Now then, how about you leave my sister alone and we can forget that all of this ever happened?” Stronghooves asked conversationally, as if the two of them weren’t on the top of a speeding train.

The unicorn stamped his hoof, lowering his head and preparing another spell.

“Well, I tried.” Stronghooves sighed, drawing his sword and bringing it around in a slashing arc. He sliced the Operative’s horn clean off, returning the sword to its sheath before the weapon’s enchantment could take effect. The unicorn’s eyes widened as his magical enhancements reacted with the curse on Stronghooves’s sword, and his body rapidly began to necrotize. Stronghooves shoved him aside, galloping after the others.

Hold on Sky...just hold on…

“SIS!”

“What?”

“Check it out!” Shadow nodded, wings beating wildly. “There’s another train up ahead, coming the other way!”

Sky squinted, flicking her tail out of the earth pony’s grip as he closed on her. Indeed, there was a train coming on an adjacent track, and it was rapidly approaching. Sky licked her lips, waiting until the train was just about to pass before making one big leap, spreading her wings painfully. The two sisters dove onto the other train, rolling and grabbing onto hoof-holds on the roof to stop themselves from slipping off. Shadow tucked her wings in to stop the airflow from the train’s motion from tugging at them.

The two Operatives made the leap onto the top of the train far more easily, two sets of hooves thudding simultaneously onto the roof. Both of them let out a low, dangerous growl that Sky could hear over the clattering of the train on the tracks.

“Miss Runner, you’re coming with us.” The earth pony growled, taking a step forward and grabbing her by the scruff of the neck.

“Oi! Let her go, asshole!” Shadow squeaked, nocking another arrow and shooting the stallion between the eyes again. The second arrow struck him in the face, but he ignored it, taking Sky by the throat with his other hoof and slamming her into the train roof. Sky let out a strangled cry, landing on her bad wing. Her eyes began to water as the same stabbing pain as before shot through her entire body.

“There’s no point in running, Sky.” The Operative growled. Shadow was loosing everything she had in her arsenal at him, but she might as well have been tossing cotton balls for all the good it did. “We’re not the kind of ponies you can run from.” He lifted her into the air, ready to give her neck one last twist.

With a roar, a stallion in purple and gold armour leapt onto the train with them, tackling the Operative off into a nearby building. The two of them disappeared in a storm of shattered bricks.

Well that was handy… Sky thought to herself as she grabbed onto the edge of the train. She quickly cycled a sleep dart into her crossbow, shooting the last Operative in the eye as he tried to make a grab for her. She hoisted herself onto the top of the train again as he reeled back, yelping in pain.

“Leave me the fuck alone!” Sky growled, balancing herself on her forehooves and delivering the most powerful kick she could manage to the stallion’s chest. Any other time, it wouldn’t have done a damn thing to him, since Sky wasn’t a very strong pony and he was absolutely massive, but combined with his own backpedalling motion, the kick was enough to send the Operative off the side of the train, leaving Sky atop it with her little sister.

Stronghooves shook his head as he tried to get back to his hooves. Fortunately, the stallion trapped underneath him took care of that for him, kicking him in the stomach and launching him into the ceiling of what appeared to be an office building. Stronghooves crashed through it with ease, landing on the floor above and struggling to get up. The Operative pulled himself up through the hole that Stronghooves had made, growling and champing like angry stallions everywhere. The growling was strangely dissonant however, a result of the magical enhancements working on repairing his body from the blunt trauma, no doubt.

The guard captain drew his sword, throwing a quick salute. “Come on, my friend! I’m not interested in fighting you! I just want my sister left alone, that’s all!”

“No dice, Stronghooves.” The unicorn shook his head, growling. “Silver wants this pony dead or captured, and you’re not getting in our way. Just accept it. Your sister’s a criminal and we’re gonna put her down.”

“I’m not going to allow that, kid.” Stronghooves replied evenly, keeping his expression neutral. “I care about her. She’s very sick and needs my care. She doesn’t need chasing by ponies who are little better than guinea pigs and thugs. Back off.”

“You asked for it, Captain.” The earth pony pawed the ground before charging. He had better luck than his companion, catching Stronghooves around his midsection and carrying him out through another exterior wall. The two of them landed with a thud on the railway tracks again, before Stronghooves was able to roll onto his back and kick him off.

The earth pony clambered to his hooves, lowering his head and charging him again. Stronghooves rolled over and balanced himself on his forelegs, raising his hindquarters and bucking his aggressor in the face. He timed it perfectly, just as the ground began to shake with the approach of another train, and the earth pony was launched right into the path of the oncoming locomotive. At the last second, Stronghooves dove sideways, avoiding the train as it thundered into his opponent, killing him instantly.

“See? I...I told you I didn’t want to fight.” Stronghooves panted, getting up and sheathing his sword again. As the train passed, trundling off into the distance, he wandered off of the tracks in contemplative silence, staring at the patch of blood where once had stood another stallion.

Well, Sky’s safe, and I guess I’ve got an idea where she was going, too. That railway only leads to Manehattan. Maybe I can catch up with her.

He began to follow the tracks, but as he took his very first steps, there was a low growl and the sound of galloping hooves behind him. Stronghooves turned, too late to stop the oncoming hoof of the last remaining Operative. He was knocked to the ground, banging his head on the railroad tracks, groaning and whimpering softly.

As he raised his head, he looked into the eyes of the earth pony who’d been left on the train with Sky...or rather, eye. The other had been completely put out by Sky’s dart.

“You’re coming with me, Stronghooves.” He growled, voice dissonant.

“It appears I am.” Stronghooves conceded weakly.

It’s okay, Sky. I’ll catch up to you soon…

The stallion brought down his hoof, and everything went black.

Sky pulled the skylight on the train car open, dropping down into the carriage full of passengers.

A moment later, Shadow dropped down behind her, trying to avoid everypony’s gaze.

“Well, erm, wanna find a free compartment?” Sky shrugged.

“I guess, but how do we even know that this thing’s going where we want it to go?” Shadow asked, cocking her head.

Sky tapped a hoof to her chin for a moment, before sliding a random compartment door open and peering in. She interrupted a pair of teenagers who were in the middle of coitus.

“ ‘scuse me!” Sky said conversationally, completely disregarding what she might be doing for the overall mood of the two ponies’ experience. “Where’s this train headed, anyway?”

“Mane...Manehattan…” The young stallion grunted, continuing to pound away at his now-bemused marefriend. “Now do...do you mind?”

“Not at all! Thanks for your time!” Sky beamed. “Oh, and sweetie?” She added to the young mare. “Don’t just lie there like a dead fish. Remember, sex is a two-way street, and you’ve gotta be active in the bedroom as well, okay? Take care!”

And with that, she slid the door shut.

Amateurs…

“So it is going to Manehattan?” Shadow asked. Her head was under her wing, eyes shielded from the sinful acts in the compartment.

“Apparently.” Sky grinned. “Now come on, let’s find somewhere to sit.”

The two sisters trotted down the aisle of the train, until they finally came upon a vacant compartment. The two of them slipped inside, closing the door carefully behind them and taking their seats.

“So how are we gonna find Rolling Thunder’s instructions, then?” Shadow asked, once they had both sat themselves down.

Sky stretched her bad wing experimentally, cringing. That Operative had hit hard. “We can get in contact with some of the ponies in the Manehattan underground, find out what we need to know to intercept the courier before he heads back to Canterlot.”

“Or we could find the Count and beat the shit out of him.” Shadow suggested.

“Well yeah, but he’s an incredibly rich defence contractor. I don’t really think bucking him into next week is really gonna get us the information we need...or clear our names.” Sky chuckled.

“True.” Shadow grinned. “It’d be pretty fun, though.”

Sky sighed, rolling her eyes and smiling. “Well, I can’t deny that, but if his security’s as good as the assholes we ran into today, something tells me we’re not gonna be able to get close to him.”

Shadow’s ears flopped down, disappointed. “Awww, all right then. So we hit the underground, find out about who this courier is and where they are, we grab his instructions for Silver Tongue off of him, and then we head back to Canterlot, right?”

“Right.” Sky put a hoof under Shadow’s chin, raising her head up again. “And if you want, we can take a quick trip to Celestialand while we’re there.”

“Well...I mean...if you wanted to, I guess I could tag along…” Shadow shrugged, though her wings began to flutter involuntarily.

“Hey, it’ll be fun!” Sky grinned, letting her go. “Besides, I haven’t been to Manehattan in ages. We might as well take a little holiday while we’re there, right?”

“Right.” Shadow chuckled, beaming back. “Just...let’s be careful, okay?”

“We’ll be safe, sweetie. I’ll never let anything happen to you, I promise.” Sky nodded, resisting the urge to hug her little sister very tightly indeed.

To her surprise, this time it was Shadow who hopped off her seat, jumping up next to Sky and snuggling up to her. She didn’t really say anything else beyond that, merely laying down and resting her head under her sister’s bad wing. Shadow kept staring up at her until tiredness overcame her, and she drifted off to sleep in her sister’s hooves.

Sky sighed, looking out the window and smiling as the Equestrian countryside rushed past. Manehattan was far bigger than Canterlot, with so many places she didn’t know, so many ponies she wasn’t familiar with, and Rolling Thunder’s Operatives would be out there too, looking for her.

This is going to be fun…