//------------------------------//
// 1 Weekend Passes 
// Story: HorkosWorks 
// by Brass Polish 
//------------------------------//

	Lazybug was watching Nyx attempting a spell outside Twilight’s castle.
“Don’t strain yourself,” he warned.
Nyx paused for a moment. “Twilight bet Starlight that I’ll be able to cast this spell by the end of the weekend. I gotta keep trying.”
“And why are we doing this outside?” asked Lazybug as Nyx’s horn lit up again. “If you do manage to cast it, it’ll probably attract a lotta attention.”
At that moment, they both spotted three ponies running towards them. Nyx extinguished her horn again.
“What? But I haven’t cast the spell yet.”
Rainbow Dash reached them first. “Hey! The Map’s calling us!”
“Now? But you three were gonna go with the Crusaders to Clopley Hill, weren’t you?” asked Lazybug.
“Yeah. I guess now we can’t,” shrugged Rainbow. “Want my ticket?”
She didn’t even wait for Lazybug to answer. She shoved the red ticket she was holding into his mouth and flew into the castle. Rarity ran up to Nyx.
“Here, you have this, darling,” she said, magicing her own ticket towards Nyx as she and Applejack ran by her and Lazybug. “Enjoy.”
Lazybug and Nyx looked at the tickets Rainbow and Rarity had unloaded on them. They were weekend passes for the Equestrian Railway Company’s 150th Anniversary Gala.
“You think we should go?” asked Lazybug. “Trains aren’t my favourite thing, but if those three wanna give their tickets away while they’re on their mission…”
Nyx spotted three more ponies running towards the castle.
“As long as they aren’t too upset about this,” she said tentatively.
“I’m gonna smack that map in the face!” Apple Bloom growled as she, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle sped towards them.

Applejack found someone to give her weekend pass to in the main chamber. Diamond Tiara was slumped in Pinkie Pie’s chair while her dad and Twilight were standing on the other side of the Cutie Map talking finance.
“Oh! There’s a mission!” squeaked Twilight excitedly as Rainbow’s, Rarity’s, and Applejack’s cutie marks removed themselves from their flanks and circled above the map.
Apple Bloom burst into the room, followed by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. She wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about this mission as Twilight was.
“What’s the big idea?!” she spluttered. “First you take my big sis away from me right before the Sisterhooves Social, then you try and rip us apart on Winter Wrap-Up day, and now this?!”
“Simmer down, Apple Bloom,” said Applejack sternly as hers and the other two cutie marks dipped down towards the Map. “I told ya this over and over again. When duty calls, I gotta answer. I’m sorry, but we can’t go to Clopley Hill with ya.”
“You’re needed in Clopley Hill!” Twilight cried ecstatically.
Applejack quickly turned back to the map. Sure enough, their cutie marks were orbiting the area above the miniature city of Clopley Hill.

“Are you kidding me?!” roared Rainbow Dash. “What was the point?! We were gonna go there anyway!”
Nyx and Lazybug entered the chamber.
“What’s going on?” asked Nyx.
“That map just called them to Clopley Hill,” groaned Apple Bloom. “They just gave away their passes for no reason!”
“Oh. Do you want your passes back?” asked Nyx.
“No, no,” said Rarity. “It’s very unlikely we’ll be able to enjoy the festivities when we have a friendship problem to suss out.”
“Well, looks like we’re going to the railway gala,” smiled Lazybug. “You coming too, Diamond Tiara?”
“Can I, Dad?” Diamond Tiara asked Filthy Rich.
“Oh, sure. No problem at all.”
“What’s Filthy doing here anyway?” asked Applejack.
“He just made a donation to a crisis fund I just started,” said Twilight as Filthy grimaced a little bit at the way Applejack had addressed him. “For situations like this, where we get called by the Map without warning and need to pay for accommodations for an undetermined period of time. So you three don’t need to worry about paying for another hotel room out of pocket.”
She magiced a bag of cash over to Rarity.
“Couldn’t we just set up a tax for that?” asked Rainbow.
“No.”

“What was the point?” Apple Bloom grumbled as the train ferried her and her eight companions to northern Equestria. “Why would it bother to call you there when you were going anyway?”
“We needed to be made aware that there was trouble in that town,” said Rarity.
“It’s so frustrating when our plans get ruined,” groaned Apple Bloom. “I got all excited, and for nothing.”
“It wasn’t for nothing, Apple Bloom,” coaxed Sweetie Belle. “We’re all still going together. And we got to let some others in on this.”
She indicated the seat where Lazybug, Nyx, and Diamond Tiara were looking at the railway gala brochure Applejack gave them.
“Look at this. They’re hosting two ghost walks tomorrow evening,” said Diamond Tiara, pointing to an advertisement. “One around town, and one at Caerfilly Castle.”
Lazybug was delighted, but faltered a bit when he caught the look on Nyx’s face.
“Not interested?” he asked.
“Well, maybe not in the castle one,” said Nyx.
“Oh, no big deal,” Diamond Tiara shrugged. “We can stick with the city one.”
“You three can walk around the city if you want, but I wanna go to the castle,” said Scootaloo.
“Me too,” nodded Sweetie Belle. “A castle would be a way better place to hunt for ghosts.”
Diamond Tiara shook her head. “You don’t hunt for ghosts on a ghost walk. The host just tells ghost stories while giving you a tour.”
“Oh.”

Scootaloo realised that Rainbow Dash hadn’t said or done anything during the entire train ride. She’d just been glancing out of the window slumped in her seat.
“You bored, Rainbow?” asked Scootaloo.
Rainbow jumped a bit. “Huh? Oh. Well… yeah. I don’t… I think trains are boring, alright?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah. I only agreed to come in the first place because you were so enthusiastic about it when you invited me. I’d say it’s just as well the Map called us.”
“But Rainbow, even if trains aren’t your cup of tea, it’s still a party,” said Rarity. “You get to go to platform potlucks, and socialize with railway workers at open locomotive yards.”
“Meh,” shrugged Rainbow Dash.
“I’m surprised,” said Scootaloo. “Don’t you love the speed of the steam engines?”
“I’m not too impressed,” Rainbow said. “I could get to Clopley Hill faster than this rust bucket could.”
“Wanna bet?” asked Applejack.
“Yeah, sure,” said Rainbow, looking enthusiastic for the first time since she’d boarded the train. “Five bits says I’ll get to Steeds Central before this train gets you there.”
Rainbow and Applejack hoofbumped, and Rainbow opened the window and flew out of it. Right away, she began to overtake the train as it trundled across a trestle bridge. As she flew by the locomotive, a gust of wind blew the smoke coming from the funnel into her face. She veered to the left a little bit coughing and trying to wave the smoke away. Her lost concentration sent her smashing through the window of a signalbox.

As soon as Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, she saw the mare in charge of the signalbox zooming towards a stack of boxes. She opened one and pulled out a pane of glass. Rainbow Dash could swear this signalmare had replaced the window she just broke before all of the shattered glass had hit the floor. Bemused, she glanced around the signalbox and saw several stacks of boxes, all of which had things like “signal levers” and “signal wire” written on them. Then, just as quickly as she’d replaced the window pane, the signalmare grabbed the empty box, tackled Rainbow Dash to the floor, and pinned her with the unfolded box.
“Ow! Hey, I’m lying on broken glass here!” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“I’ll let you up if you give me a good reason for wrecking my signalbox,” the signalmare frowned.
“I didn’t wreck your signalbox,” objected Rainbow. “I only broke a win--”
The signalmare sat down hard on the box holding Rainbow down.
“Ow! OK, OK!” cried Rainbow as the weight made the glass cause her more pain. “I was racing the train to Steeds Central and it blew smoke in my face and I lost my concentration! OK?”
The signalmare considered. “Fine. I’ll take it.”
She stood up and took the box off of Rainbow Dash, and stood up herself and brushed some glass off of herself.
“What’s your name?” asked the signalmare.
“Rainbow Dash.”
“I’m Finetooth Comb.”
She held out her hoof, and Rainbow decided to accept it. As soon as she bumped it, Finetooth grabbed her hoof.
“Listen. Don’t fool around with trains. You can’t win with this railway,” said Finetooth in a low voice. “Get it?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow faltered. “Yeah. Sorry.”
Finetooth Comb pointed to the door. “Don’t worry about leaving me with a mess. Just get out.”

When Rainbow Dash got to Steeds Central, she found the train was already there, and the guard had just called the passengers over to his brake van. She joined her friends.
“Gracious! You’re covered in glass shards. What happened?” asked Rarity, using her magic to clean Rainbow as best she could.
“I ran into a signalbox window,” groaned Rainbow Dash as Applejack held her hoof out. “OK, OK. Here.”
She gave Applejack the five bits.
“You know what was weird? The signalmare had window panes ready to go in that signalbox,” Rainbow Dash went on as Rarity continued to remove as much glass as she could manage. “She replaced that window before I even turned around. How often do ponies break her windows if she’s got stuff like that?”
“Well, how often do ponies try and race the trains?” Diamond Tiara smirked, prompting chuckles from Lazybug and Nyx.
The guard cleared his throat and everypony turned to face him.
“Good evening, everypony. My name is Jumping Bean, and I will be hosting tomorrow evening’s castle ghost walk, just so you know. However, I would like to run a few things past you before the celebrations of 150 years in operation begin. It has come to my attention that one of our passengers was flying alongside this train trying to race it.”
Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable.

“Mares and stallions, our railway is a business, it is dangerous, it is our livelihoods, and it is… our… hobby.”
No one paid much attention to Jumping Bean’s hesitation to say those words.
“We cannot emphasize enough how foolish it is to horse around with steam locomotives, their stock, their rails, and their crews. And so I would like to do my bit to prevent potential mishaps by explaining a few rules. When you are visiting the shed yards, offices, museums, and static displays, you must avoid making loud noises, running about, and standing on the tracks. Do not bring any pets or attract any animals…”
Now it was Lazybug who looked uncomfortable.
“Do not distract the guides and staff, do not draw on anything and do not bring food and drink with you. We--”
“That’s not a rule, Jumping Bean,” came a voice from the other platform.
Everyone turned to see another stallion standing by the stationmaster’s office.
“Gala guests are allowed to have refreshments with them,” he said. “Snack tables are gonna be set up all over the place tomorrow.”
The face Jumping Bean made at this statement convinced a lot of the passengers that this guy must make an excellent ghost walk host. Then Jumping Bean relaxed his face.
“Thank you for correcting me, Trailblazer,” he said through gritted teeth. “Steed Central’s stationmaster, mares and stallions.”
Trailblazer waved to the passengers and walked slowly down the platform to go about his business.
“I apologise for that… mistake…” Jumping Bean went on sourly, “but I can assure you that the next and last rule I’ll mention certainly is a rule, as it has been for years. Our general manager wishes all of you to stay away from the works shed if you’re visiting the loco yard. HorkosWorks is where our locomotives berth, are mended, maintained, and overhauled, and have new parts cast. You can’t look anywhere around it without laying eyes on a heavy, expensive, and volatile piece of machinery. We’re very protective of that shed. Thank you for your time, and enjoy your weekend.”
And he stormed into his brake van, slamming the door behind him.

“It’s always the way, isn’t it?” Rarity said when they arrived at the hotel. “One pony causes the rest to get told off.”
“Hey!” snapped Rainbow Dash. “You know me and Applejack had a bet.”
“Yeah, well we ain’t gonna make no more bets while we’re here,” said Applejack. “We shouldn’t be causing a problem when we’re trying to find the one the Map called us here for.”
“Need a room?” said a familiar voice.
Trailblazer was standing behind the front desk.
“Aren’t you the stationmaster?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Only voluntarily,” answered Trailblazer. “I make a living as the night clerk at this hotel.”
“Really?!” burst out Sweetie Belle. “Don’t you ever sleep?”
“Occasionally,” said Trailblazer pleasantly. “I take one night off a month.”
They all looked at him as if waiting for him to grin and say “Just kidding.” But he didn’t.
“That can’t be enough,” said Rainbow Dash.
“I’ve been doing it for years, and I’m still standing,” said Trailblazer.
“More like leaning,” said Lazybug.
“You’re far from the first ponies to tell me this is no way to live,” smiled Trailblazer. “My next night off is tomorrow night. I’ll be fresh and spry on Saturday. Don’t fuss over me. Now our rooms are only equipped for six ponies maximum, so…”
“These six have a reservation,” Rarity interjected (Lazybug, Nyx, and Diamond Tiara were to take the spots Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack had originally planned to take). “These two and myself haven’t.”
Trailblazer confirmed the reservation, swaying a little, and gave the booked room key to Apple Bloom, who led the other five foals across the lobby and up the stairs. Then Trailblazer found a vacant room for three and gave the key to Rarity, who paid for it out of Twilight’s crisis fund.
“He must love working for the railway if he volunteers there during the day and works for his money during the night,” Applejack said as they headed upstairs.
As soon as they were out of sight, Trailblazer said to himself “I’d rather have my horn torn off than set hoof in that station again.”

The plan had been for all nine of them to have breakfast together in the hotel dining room the following morning. But when Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara left their room at 7AM and got to the council members’ room, Apple Bloom hadn’t even managed to knock on their door before it was slammed in her face and squashed her against the wall. Diamond Tiara jumped as Rainbow Dash burst from the room and soared down the hall towards the lobby.
“I’ll get that jerk!” she roared as she flew out of sight.
“Rainbow! Get your head straight!” shouted Applejack, running out of the room after Rainbow Dash.
“What’s going on?” demanded Diamond Tiara as Rarity was stepping out into the hallway.
“Rainbow Dash’s money is missing,” said Rarity. “We’ve searched the room top to bottom, so now Rainbow suspects the signalmare. Mind your belongings today. There could well be thieves about.”
“OK. We’ll watch out for each other,” Diamond Tiara nodded.
“Wonderful. Have a lovely day,” said Rarity as she ran to catch up to Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
Diamond Tiara closed the door. “Come on, Apple Bloom. Looks like it’ll just be the six of us at breakfast.”
“What’s the point?” groaned Apple Bloom, still flat against the wall. “How do I know none of you will get dragged away as well?”
“Oh, don’t whine about it,” said Diamond. “No one else is on the Friendship Council. And it’s not like Lazybug’s gonna leave for some kinda pest control problem. He and Nyx only have one animal to keep in check. Come on. You don’t wanna sit around moping and miss out on some fun.”
Apple Bloom nodded, dislodged herself from the new filly-shaped hole in the wall, and accompanied Diamond Tiara to the dining room.

The door to the signalbox banged, and Finetooth Comb promptly answered it.
“Hey, you managed to find the door,” she smirked when she saw Rainbow Dash standing crossly in the doorway.
“Yeah. And now I’m gonna find my money!” Rainbow growled, storming into the signalbox.
“Uh, I cleaned this place top to bottom after you came bursting in yesterday,” said Finetooth, “and I haven’t seen any cash lying around.”
Rainbow ignored her and went on searching all over the room for her money.
Applejack entered the signalbox. “Sorry about this, Miss Finetooth.”
She grabbed Rainbow Dash by the ear and yanked her out of the building, where Rarity was waiting.
“Rainbow, you had your money at the station,” Applejack grunted. “Remember? You paid me after you lost your bet.”
Rainbow blushed a bit. “Oh. Right.”
“I told you we can’t cause a problem on top of the one the Map wants us to find,” said Applejack.
“Indeed. It would be bad to create enemies while we attempt to help the ponies in this town,” put in Rarity.
“Sorry,” said Rainbow. “But I’m so cheesed off about all my money being gone. It’s like that mission in Griffonstone… Only I haven’t been left for dead.”
“I don’t suppose you could recoup some of your loss from our crisis fund?” ventured Rarity, turning to lead the way back towards town.
“I dunno. Y’all can call this a crisis,” said Applejack, “but I think it’d be wrong to take money from that just ‘cause of carelessness.”
“Watch it, Applejack,” warned Rainbow Dash, “or you’ll be the one left for dead on this mission.”