1908, Dodge Junction Railyards
Steaming crashed into the barrels behind him, but he quickly got back up with a smirk on his face, while he wiped some of the blood from his mouth.
"Is that all you can do?! I got tougher hit from the old miners!" Laughed the young man as he tackled his attacker to the ground, hitting him repeatedly in the face.
He was 15 years old by now, and had grown to an sturdy young railwayman. Over the years he had worked in Dodge City, both he and Emerald had become known as 'the friendly ghosts of Dodge Junction station' since they barely left the station grounds. They had refurbished one of the old coaches in the yards to become their home, and the station and yard personal had become somewhat of an family for them. They teaches them what to do on the railway, taught them how to write and read, and taught them how to fight both in hand to hand combat, as well as wielding a firearm. They soon learned that the two were a perfect fighting unit, Emerald was the more bulkier of the two, and had more strength in his arms. Therefore he handed out heavier hits than Steaming. He however was the more cunning of the two, he always knew how to avoid the punches and kicks that were directed at him, and knew how to distract an enemy. He would wait for the right opportunity, and only then would he execute his blows. This was the same with their shooting style. Emerald had an quick draw, and would easily outgun some of the fastest gunslingers in the region. Steaming usually took his time, and wouldn't let anything distract him from his prey. He would've made a perfect marksman, even the local Royal guards offered him a place in their ranks, but he declined, saying his life was for the roads of iron. Though they were pretty clever, they were also quite cheeky and would often play tricks on foreign engine crews that would visit the station, which sometimes escalated a bit too much for the likings of the others. Right now, they were fighting with a crew from Canterlot, with a large group of other rail workers around them, cheering them on, while a man with red and blue hair was standing closely to them, in his hand a piece of paper, with a pencil in the other one, counting together how much they would win from the bets. Steaming was thrown off the man, who quickly grabbed a wooden board, aiming for the younger mans head. He however made a quick move to the right, making the board hit nothing but the ground where he just stood. He quickly punched the man in the stomach, before grabbing the board and hitting the man with it instead. The man fell onto the ground with a thud.
"Hey E! Do you still need some help with your guy?!" Laughed Steaming, as a man landed a few meters in front of him, eyes crossed and with no intentions to get up again.
"Nah, I think he had enough." Laughed Emerald in reply, as he moved up to the other railwayman.
"Alright, Alright! Enough with the fighting! Get those two to the infirmary and to the others, we still have a railway to run, so MOVE!" Shouted Westing, as he moved to the front of the workers, who quickly went back to work, four of which carrying the two knocked out ones from Canterlot in tow.
Westing turned back to Steaming and Emerald while he sighted.
"Why is it that you always need to knock the lights of the visiting boys out?" He asked.
"What can we do about it that they can't keep up with us?" Asked Emerald with a smirk, as the man with red and blue hair come up to them, a large bag of bits in his hand.
"Okay lads, it's pay time!" He grinned, as he put the bag on the nearby workbench.
"Sweet Celestia! How much did we get this time?!" Smirked Steaming.
"Not as much as last time. They start to think that you two can't be beaten by anyone on this side of the map! Looks like we won't make any money with this anymore." Sighted the man, a young man of the Airial tribe by the name of Waybill.
"Too bad. Looks like the dream of the home on wheels will have to wait them." Shrugged Steaming, as he grabbed the bits he and Emerald got as a share for the fight.
"That's all fine and dandy, but now that you knocked those two from Canterlot out, who's going to take their goods train back to Canterlot?!" Asked Westing, as he pointed to a long string of trucks, in all kinds of variety.
"Oops." Said the two men, as they now noticed the problem.
"When was it supposed to leave again?" Asked Emerald.
"In around 30 minutes. It's express goods, and can't be delayed." Explained the supervisor.
"Great, and they usually don't get their wits back till a few hours after." Groaned Steaming, as he glanced around the yards.
"Don't we have a spare crew who we could send out?" Asked Emerald, as Westing shook his head.
"No can do, they are already on the move, picking up the failed coal train that broke down outside of Saddle Springs. It won't be back until an hour, 45 minutes if they can get the train up to speeds without running a hotbox." Grumbled the supervisor.
"With what kind of locomotive did they come up with?" Asked Steaming suddenly.
"Steaming, what do you want to do?" Asked Westing, seeing the glance in the young mans eyes.
"Just answer the question." Said the rail worker.
"One of those 'type 12' 2-8-0s, why?"
"They have the same cab configuration as the old 'type 9' Consolidations, right?" Asked the man again.
"They should be the same, but-"
"Then we shouldn't have a problem getting accustom with her!" Smirked Steaming, as the faces of the other turned into a mixture of surprise and shock.
"Wait! YOU want take the train to Canterlot?!" Asked the road supervisor with shock.
"Emerald and I worked as spare crew for the runs up to the mines, and we worked on Consis with the same cab configuration before. Also, we know a good chunk of the route up to Canterlot, so we shouldn't have too much problems with figuring out the way." Smiled Steaming.
"But you only made light engine movements and, at the most, worked small coal trains down here! You don't even know how to handle heavy goods trains like this one!" Shouted Westing.
"Best time to start figuring out then! Now come one! We are the only ones with at least somewhat experience behind the throttle, and that train needs to move! Get the two knuckleheads from Canterlot to take over our jobs when they wake up, shunting and cleaning the station shouldn't be too hard for those two 'important engine men from an superior city' to quote them." Smirked Steaming, as Westing sighted.
"Alright, but if you get into trouble because this express goods train is handled by two 15 year old shunters, don't expect me to bail you out." Groaned the man, as the two men raced off to the sheds.
25 minutes later, and everything was ready. The locomotive was coupled to the front of the long goods train, the headlamp lit because of the upcoming dusk. Westing had explained to the two temporary engine men that they would be sent back down with the early morning passenger train the following day. They would stay in the railways own hotel on the other side of the main station, and would have the right of way till they reached Ponyville. The sky started to turn from clear blue to an light orange tone, as the train sizzled silently in the large yards. Steaming looked over to the firemans side, to see Emerald, reloading his revolver. Both he and Steaming got them from Westing for their 14th birthday, when they got the allowance from him to learn the ropes on goods trains. But because the native attacks still didn't went down, high command gave the order for every engine man to wield a handgun on board their locomotive, while every other traincrew member would either wield a handgun (in the case of the few brakemen left) or an large firearm, (usually, the shunters and the guard in the caboose would be wielding those).
"Don't worry E, they won't dare to lay a hand on this train if they know who's driving and firing it." Boasted Steaming, trying to lift his best friends confidence.
"Yeah, but only if they know." Said Emerald, putting the final bullet into the chamber as they heard the blow of an guards whistle.
Steaming leaned out of the window, and saw a green light, waving from the end of the train.
"Welp, this is our signal." Smiled Steaming, as he pushed the reverser forwards, pulled the brakes into the 'released' position and slowly pulled the regulator open.
A metallic groaning came from the wheels and joints, and a jerk went through the train, as the barking of the funnel started to rang through the station. After a few meters, Steaming gave a strong pull on the whistle rope, as the loco blasted its chime whistle off. The barking increased in volume as Steaming opened the regulator further, letting the engine work its magic as the long train departed out of the yards. Within minutes, the train left the yards of Dodge City and started its journey through the desert. The line was pretty flat for most of the way towards Ponyville, so Steaming closed the Regulator nearly fully, when they reached the top speed for their section. The train rattled through the countryside, cruising with the constant speed of 60MPH. Time passed quickly, but the scenery didn't change. After nearly 40 minutes of plain staring at the tracks in front of him, even though that wasn't much because of the darkness, Steaming closed his eyes for a few seconds, yawning tiredly.
"While the landscape around Dodge might be quite nice compared to all those houses in Canterlot that all look the same, I wouldn't mind if there would be SOMETHING different out here." Grumbled Steaming, as Emerald handed him a cup of tea he had from his thermos.
"Thanks." Sighted Steaming, as he took a large gulp of the tea, internally thanking this Earl Grey for the blackish drink.
He put his vision back onto the rails in front of him, seeing something glowing in the distance. He couldn't exactly see what it was, as in greater distances his sight always was a bit watery, but he did notice that whatever it was, it was moving. He slowly opened the regulator, after checking the speed and noticing that it went down quite a bit, and moved his right hand to his revolver.
"E, better get your gun out. Looks like there's some trouble up the line." Growled Steaming, after pulling up his revolver, his movement copied by Emerald.
The train raced through the now settled in night, as the glowing got closer, and bigger. When they got close enough, they were shocked to see that it was a cart filled with wood, the load ablaze and lighting up around 5 meters of its surroundings, both Steaming and Emerald couldn't see the hidden figure near the front of the wagon, as the train raced towards a small cutting, as the line started into a gentle climb. The figure pulled the wooden blocks that blockaded the wheels, and the wagon started rolling down towards the cutting. The wagon picked up its pace as it got closer to the cutting, till it hit the edge of it, and fell onto the railway tracks, breaking apart as it landed on the tracks, spilling it's burning load all over it. Both crew members saw what had happened, as Emerald jumped from his seat.
"We need to stop this thing!" He shouted, reaching for the brake handle, as Steaming grabbed his hand before he could reach it.
"No! If we stop now, we won't get the train out of her before those bandits get here!" Said Steaming sternly, as he pulled the regulator wide open, giving the engine full steam as it pounded the rails beneath it.
"Hold on tight, this is going to be a bumpy ride!" Steaming warned as he pressed one of his feet against the firebox of the engine, whilst grabbing the regulator tightly. Emerald grabbed the window frame on his side of the cab, whilst pressing both feet against the firebox, as the train hit the obstacle in its way. A strong jolt went through the loco and the first 5 trucks, as the train plowed through the burning pieces of wood. The train slowed down slightly thanks to the run in, but it wasn't too much to bring it to an standstill, as they finally went through the barricade, and onto the clear tracks again. Both men in the cab breathed a sight of relief as they finally were past the obstacle. Steaming sighted, and turned to his friend.
"Well, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Panted the engineer, not really believing in his words.
"Yeah, just as much as going to the dentist." Grumbled Emerald, as Steaming just chuckled, whilst the train rattled further down the line.
After another 20 minutes, they could hear a clacking from underneath their train. Steaming looked further into the distance, and noticed a few lights in the distance, which grew in size and numbers.
"Looks like Ponyville is coming up." Steaming said, as they past the distance signal, which stood at 'Danger'.
He closed the regulator and eased on the brakes, as the train began to slow down, coasting into the Ponyville main station, coming to an complete stop at the first platform. Steaming was a bit confused when he saw a large group of Royal guards, waiting for them at the platform.
"Um, Emerald? Could it be that our past is coming to get us?" Asked Steaming with a chuckle.
"If so, I'm putting the blame on you. After all, you told everyone at the saloon what we did to the factory in Canterlot." Murmured Emerald, who had partly fallen asleep along the way.
"Not my fault that you mixed my lemonade with the strongest cider they had, and making me drunk for two? Still don't know how you did that by the way..." Grumbled the engineer, as he got out of the cab.
"Evening lads." The engineer said, as the guards past him and went straight for the trucks.
"... Okay, sure, just ignore the guy responsible for getting the train to motion." Said Steaming, more to himself than to the others.
"Sorry, the guys are in a bit of an hurry you see." Came a voice from one of the guards.
"No problem, but they should know that I am here as well. What are they even doing there?"
"... You don't know what is in those trucks, right?" Asked the guard.
"Nope, I was only told that the train was express goods and that it can't be delayed." Explained Steaming as the guard sighted.
"Okay, but that needs to stay between us, okay? These trucks are loaded with presents for the royal wedding between princess Cadence and captain of the Royal guards, Shining Armor. We are here to check that nothing went missing along the way, and that nothing is damaged." Explained the guard silently.
"Wait, so your telling me that what I'm transporting is nothing more than some wedding presents?!" Asked Steaming.
"Well, for the most important wedding in the whole country." Said the guard, matter-of-factly.
"I thought we were transporting something important, and not some bloody 'congratulation' cards and some China clay made plates!" Growled Steaming.
"Well, your also transporting the wedding cake." The guard shrugged.
"Really? What flavor?"
"I don't know, but I think something with cherries." Said the guard, but Steaming was already rushing off to the cab.
"E! E! Get down here pronto!" Called Steaming as Emerald climbed down from the footplate of the engine.
"What's up?" He asked.
"We're done for the day, that's what! Come, lets see if the guys over at the sheds have two bunks free for us." Grumbled the engineer.
"Wait! We still need to take this train to Canterlot!" Shouted Emerald.
"Not anymore we don't. This thing ain't more express than our coal trains!" Growled the young man next to him.
"Huh?"
"That train is filled with wedding presents for some royal wedding thingy!" Shouted the man, as they stopped on the second platform.
"What Royal wedding?" Asked Emerald.
"The wedding between princess Cadence and the captain of the Royal guard, Shining Armor/Sparkle." Came a gruff voice from behind them in reply.
Both men turned around to see a long, black tender engine, in an 4-6-0 wheel configuration standing on the track next to them. They both looked inside the cab to see an elderly man, maybe in his mid 40s, sitting in the driver seat, his engineers hat pushed over his eyes, talking to them.
"What are two young newbies like you two, doing on the main line with an goods train?" He asked, not looking at them or pulling his hat from his eyes.
"We were the only ones who were able to drive and fire the train after its original crew had an... Incident." Emerald explained.
"And that we were for long enough! I refuse to pull such an excuse for an express goods train!" Exclaimed Steaming.
"Say, young one, do you know what express goods means?" Asked the man in the cab.
"Sure. Express goods are goods that need to reach their destination because they are of the highest importance to the people who ordered them. Of course they can also be perishable, but those trains would usually be made up from refrigerator trucks, and since that's not the case with this lot, its the first explanation."
"See? And you still not understand why it is an express goods?"
"No!"
The man sighted.
"You sure are thickheaded. Think about it: these presents come from all over the region of Dodge City, and Ponyville. They will represent their regions at the wedding. So now think, if these were delayed, and wouldn't be there at the wedding reception. They would think that the people of this region had forgotten about them, or simply don't care. This however, casts a bad image about our region. And once the people know why it wasn't there, they'll be angry at the railway, and stop using it. And what happens with railway lines that aren't used by the people and doesn't makes any profit?"
"It... Gets closed down." Steaming gasped, at the realization.
"Bingo junior. Now if I was you, I would go back to that loco and drive it as quickly as the restrictions allow to Canterlot, since your already 5 minutes late." Said the man, as they looked at the station watch, as it indeed showed that they were behind schedule.
"GAAAH! What in Tartarus are we still doing here?! We need to get a bloody move on!" Shouted Steaming as he and Emerald jumped from the platform, raced across the tracks and jumped into the cab of the 2-8-0 that stood across the 4-6-0.
With a loud blast of its whistle, and a slight slipping of its wheels, the locomotive of the goods train pulled out of the station, it's trucks clanging behind as it departed the station. The man finally sat up, pulling his hat right, giving clear sight on his bearded face, with grey eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses, hiding the larger portion of his gray turning black hair under his hat, while he watched the train on the opposite side of the station depart. He heard somebody climb aboard the engine, as a woman around the same age as he was, walked up next to him, her shoulder long, red hair in slight curls, as she watched the train depart with him.
"Who was that Steaming?" Asked the woman.
"Some newbie kids from the Dodge Junction devision. Looks like they still have a lot to learn before they become proper main line material, but they sure got the steam to do so." Chuckled the man, as the call came.
"ALL ABOARD!!! The Cannonball express Las Pegasus departing now!"
"Well then, let's Highball, Head Light." Grinned the man, as he took his place in the seat of his locomotive, as with a loud cry of the express engines whistle, the Cannonball express departed.