//------------------------------// // 1. - Maple Station // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Iron Horses // by thefurryrailfan //------------------------------// The welcoming southern railyard town was alive with activity as we slowly chuffed down the few active clear lines, pulling up alongside the eponymous station. Looking across the platform, the end car of a passenger train just about poked out past the main building, a rather snappily-dressed ghoul stepping down out of the car - heh, glad to know that old seamster's still finding work down here. Least that is someone working... A quick double-blast on the whistle managed to jolt Crown Sheet back awake as we came to a full stop, a soft chuckle escaping me. "We're here, you can stop with your whole 'narcolepsy' routine now." "Nnh, narcolepsy is one thing Case, having to heave firewood single-hoofedly over three hundred fifty miles of switchbacks and five percent grades is another. Can we at least get some decent rest now that we're finally down here?" A light sigh left my lips as I watched the unicorn stretch out, dropping onto his hooves. Well... yeah, I guess we could take a breather. Made good time getting here, at least, better than usual... hope the return trip goes just as smooth. Crown tossed a couple more logs onto the fire as we pulled further ahead along the platform line, before ducking through the tender passageway and uncoupling the mail train. I heard the screech of the mail train's brakes as they were quickly disconnected, Kipper giving a slight lurch forwards as the weight was loosed, myself quick on applying our own brakes to keep us from hitting the switch leading back onto the flythrough. Crown soon reappeared, getting back to his seat and sticking his head out, his magic flaring and the switch ahead changing in our favor. Heh, darn lazy unicorns... "We'll head back into the main yard and find where they house their locomotives nowadays, what with their Roundhouse being a bar and theater. I think that one of these outer works sheds might fit the bill..." Kipper picked up some speed as we eased out onto the main line for a moment, Crown pulling the next switch to divert us east before going back to throwing a few more logs on. I kept her going at a slow pace, the unicorn beside me resetting the two switches as we passed, the steel lines of Maple Station stretching out ahead of us. "That Prince guy's probably expecting us tomorrow, we should be good to spend the night and set off early. Once we find where his train is, anyways..." "If he's a prince like those old stories tell of, I doubt we'd have to look too hard. Probably brought his own jewel-encrusted solid gold carriage along or something, air conditioner and everything. Hell, all we'll have to do is just look for where all the blinded townsfolk are walking away from..." Crown tossed another few cut logs onto the flames as we headed across into a small four-track yard section, a service shed still standing nearby the town. Lights were on... hope somepony's home. The unicorn beside me set the switches to lead us into the shed, myself saying a quiet prayer that the electrical alert systems weren't wrecked and they'd know to open up before we got there. Mercifully, the doors did swing open after a moment, but as I started to ease us down to roll into the shed Crown Sheet leapt for the brakes, throwing the lever all the way to emergency. A loud screeching noise filled the air as I was jolted forwards, regaining myself in time to look over at a very surprised unicorn, the shock fading to annoyance as we finally came to a stop. "Thanks for the brake test. Now, what in the seven hells did you do that for!?" "Uh... eheh... tank on the line?" He wore a weak grin as he leaned back, looking out of his window. Tank on the line, what the hell is that supposed to mean? We're a tank engine, and I don't see any water tower scaffolding missing its tank anywhere, just something... big, and green, and pointing a bunch of guns straight at us. Oh, THAT kind of tank. What. Looking out of the stoker-side window with Crown Sheet, a hatch clattered open on top of the big tank's main turret, a ghoulified zebra poking his head out of it. We both shared a blink in bewilderment, the zebra letting off a soft chuckle before lifting one hoof up towards us, ducking back inside his tank. The large machine's motor revved for a moment, before it reversed back inside the engine shed, parking up alongside the tracks... Why do I get the feeling this service shed isn't really servicing locomotives anymore? The unicorn beside me met my eyes with his, one hoof scratching at his head. "So... whadda we do? I mean, ask nicely if we can park up in there, I guess? I didn't see any Cordite markings on it, so, maybe they're independent?" I answered him with a shrug, stepping back to close the throttle and shut the brakes off, letting the pressure build back up again with a loud hiss. "Well, I mean, you seeing anywhere else we could leave Kipper? Wouldn't hurt... long as they don't test-fire their guns inside there too, anyways..." I leaned up to look out my window again, trying to see any movement inside the shed. Let's hope the ghoul with the tank is as friendly as he seems... "Hang in here, I'm gonna go ask. Should be enough space for us to fit and them to still get out... maybe." Crown Sheet responded with a nod, and I made way to Kipper's cab door, dropping down out of it to the gravel below. Trotting along, I couldn't help my eyes moving to look at the state of the rails leading into the shop - Huh, well, I guess they at least cared enough to sink them in concrete outside for a short ways, least they don't seem too beat up. Yanno, for being run over by friggin' tanks on the regular... Trotting inside the service shed doors, the first tank rested idling alongside the tracks, the zebra that was inside it having climbed out to talk with another ghoul, this one a dark green pegasus with a full mane of blond hair... if I ever go ghoul, I can only hope I'm as lucky as she is on the mane front. They seemed to take notice of me after a moment, the pegasus finishing up with a nod and starting to trot over towards me, as the zebra climbed back up his ridiculously tall tank. She wore a grin as she extended a forehoof, myself reaching to take it and returning a small smile as we shook. "Rangefinder, Maple Station Tank Ghouls, and the current most senior member. Aheh, ah, I do hope you weren't commin' in because your, uh, steam engine needs some repairs, I'm not sure if we still have the stuff for that here anymore..." She let off a weak chuckle, rubbing at the back of her head with her hoof for a moment, before stammering. "I-I mean, um, if you do need repairs or something, I... guess we could ask at the engine shed, but, uh, yeah, might... might be a while..." I could only join her small chuckle, giving my head a slight shake. Yeah, definitely not Cordite, way too nice for that... "Oh, no, we're fine, we just need a place we can put her for the night, keep her out of the rain and all. Normally we park up in a roundhouse, but, well, last time I came through here I heard you'd had it turned into a restaurant, eheh. We'll be heading out early tomorrow morning, won't be in your hair for long, I promise. Oh, uh, I'm Water Case, by the way." The ghoul pegasus blunk in surprise for a moment, before putting on a grin and letting off a small laugh of relief. "Oh, good, thought we were gonna have to worry about a ticking pressure bomb being stored so close to the tanks or something. Yeah, sure, can totally hang here overnight, we can probably squeeze our way out with Mad Jack and Rhymey being up north. Never seen him motor Porschia out so fast before, guess he really wanted those extra parts from Mare's Lake or something..." We'd begun trotting out to Kipper as a clattering came form the other end of the shed, the doors opening on the opposite side and the long tank from before starting to turn itself about with a loud scraping of metal on concrete. I paused for a moment at the bottom of Kipper's cab ladder - huh, so that's who that tank belonged to... "Mare's Lake? Small world, we actually just came down from there with the mail. Only caught a glimpse of that Cordite tank on the edge of the yard, thing looked pretty intact when we saw it. Didn't even realize it was with the scrap..." Rangefinder took an understandable step backwards as I moved back to my controls, the soft hiss from the dome as the throttle was opened soon giving way to the steady chuffs out the smokestack as Kipper started rolling forwards once more. Looking back, I watched as the tender eventually cleared the doorway, the ghoul pegasus starting to shut the large shed doors as I cut throttle and brought us to a smooth stop inside. The hiss from the brakes soon subsided as they were fully applied, Crown Sheet dousing the fire as I let the steam vent out through the stack, Kipper seeming to let it off in a long sigh of relief as his boiler emptied of the pressure. That's it, buddy, you can take a nice long break now... The unicorn beside me gave his back a long stretch, turning to rummage about in his storage box as I watched the steam gauge get lower and lower. The needle eventually landed on zero, and with it the soft hiss stopped, myself giving a light nod and grabbing a few of my own items before climbing out. Rangefinder was looking up at the ceiling of the shed, one hoof rubbing at the back of her neck, eyes wide - eh, what, something wrong? As I turned to look with her... the massive fluffy, foggy cloud that hung between the rafters answered that with a yes. "So... I should probably open a window, yeah?" --- A soft swansong came out of the railshed-turned-restaurant as I stepped inside Maple Station's former roundhouse, taking a healthy whiff of the air. In place of engine grease, hot iron, and warm steam, hot meals, warm drinks, and cooking grease met me, the bustle of evening not yet arrived but the restaurant still a pleasant level of lively. Reaching into my vest pocket, the small bag of bottlecaps jangled as I moved it, letting off a light sigh. Well, if we pull through... no, -when- we pull through, then I won't be worrying about not being able to afford relaxing at the end of a day. Come on, Casey... The restaurant area broke into a soft applause as I trotted up to the bar, following it along to find an empty stool. The molded neon sign hung above the array of drinks flickered, myself unable to help but let off a small chuckle as I sat down. 'The Stiff Drink', huh? Well, I can definitely use one of those... Leaning forwards, I let off a sharp whistle, catching the attention of the unicorn behind the counter. He set down the glass he was wiping off, instead picking up a pen and paper, for some reason. He does know that he's just working a bar, right? "Ah, sorry, didn't see you come over. Old eyes and all. What'll it be?" "Could I get a RAD Dash?" Pappy always said it's never too early in the day for some whiskey. Had to question his argument when he tried taking a stroll through the railyard while plastered, though. The bartender... just stared at me blankly. We both blunk for a moment, the old stallion glancing down at his notepad. Was he even writing it down? "A RAD Dash, y'know. Erm..." Yeah, still doesn't look like he's getting it. Oh boy, must be one of those old hires... "Okay, okay, could I get a bottle of Wild Pegasus and a bottle of Sparkle-Cola RAD, and a clean glass, then?" The stallion nodded for a moment, moving to get the two drinks, before his eyes went wide and he let off a cackle, smacking a hoof against the side of his head. It sorta drew some notice from the other patrons, but from the looks of things a lot of 'em were already too tired and emotional to really care. He was still chuckling as he set the drinks down, and I started going through my cap bag to pull them out. "Aheh, sorry, still getting used to working this position. My usual bartender was visiting family in Bridleshade, when... well..." The old unicorn's face went heavy as he let loose a sigh, his magic picking the glass he was polishing earlier back up and going back to it. I popped the caps free of both the bottles, leaning forwards. Bridleshade... no rail connection there, don't remember ever going through it. Huh... "Why, what happened there? Uh, if I can ask." The old unicorn set the glass down in front of me, letting me mix the drinks together in that sweet amber-green cocktail, before letting loose another long sigh. "Cauterize, that's what fucking happened. Whole town of people just wiped clean off the goddess-damned map. Sure, you see it happen here and there still, but the... the sheer efficiency of it when it happened, it's... it's just disgusting. Small miracle is at least the Enclave forces that did land there are all dead, went up thanks to one of the Hopeville gunsmiths heading down there with a balefire egg launcher, Luna rest his soul." He rested up against the counter as I quietly swirled my glass, finding myself at a loss for words. A whole town, just... gone? That's... hard to get the head around. Not that I really would want to... The stallion let off another sigh, nodding over to the mare singing on stage. As I turned to look... okay, so ghouls down here get to keep both their hair -and- get vocal chords ripped straight outta angels? Hell, someone point me to the nearest reactor and I'll dive right in if I can get out of it as well as they did. "See the dame onstage? Vera Lynn, one of those singers from before the war. She's been performing down here for well on two decades now, been keeping her accommodated best that I can. Trying to preserve something of beauty down here, at least... don't have the heart to let her travel further north." Taking a sip of the rough drink, I turned to look at the stallion, more than a little confused. He'd leaned himself up on the bar, letting his head hang low. Now that's the look of a stallion ashamed of himself... "You've probably seen at least some of the town, the folk down here are kind, nice even. You don't get that too often nowadays, even with some of those starry-eyed youngsters wanting to follow in that, egh, light-giver's hoofsteps or whatever. Only heard of things getting worse as you get further north, last thing I ever want to hear is the wasteland's claimed someone like Vera. Heck, I find the right group heading up, I'll go out of my way to pay 'em, just to be sure she stays safe wherever she settles down." I only nodded in response as he continued, a few more sips of the drink making their way to my stomach. Well, I mean, his heart's in the right place, but... mmh, I guess what she doesn't know can't hurt her too much, especially in a nice place like this. Least I doubt they're ducking from a skyraider attack every other day. The old stallion eventually moved the glass he was washing up to the shelf behind him, tossing the rag aside. "Ah, well, sorry, tend to ramble sometimes. So, what's your story, eh? Engineer, 'r somethin'?" Setting my drink down, I passed on a nod, swallowing down the rough fizzy mix. "Mmh, yeah, down here outta Mare's Lake to pick up a special goods train, or somethin'. Some kind of personal charter, owned by some fancy prince. You seen 'im around anywhere?" The stallion behind the counter paused to think for a moment, while I mixed up a bit more of the whiskey and soda. Hey, if I knew what a prince was supposed to look like nowadays, I would've found him myself - as it stands, it's anyone's guess. Finding him to let him know we're here wouldn't be a bad start, at least. "We aren't due to set off until tomorrow, just haven't a clue as to what we're looking for far as his train goes." "Hrm. Haven't seen any princes, but there was a short train that rolled in a couple days ago, think they might be who you're looking for. They're parked up in one of the sidings just around back of the Roundhouse, can't miss 'em. Their end carriage is all done up in some fancy gold trimming, and even ivory, I think." The stallion gave a small shudder, myself having to think for a second. Ivory... ivory ivory ivory, where does that come from? I swear I read about this once... um... Oh, right, one of those rarities before the war, or something, export from Zebra lands... and I think also was harvested from living creatures. Ah. Yeah, no, he's right, that's a bit creepy. Don't care how good or bad it might look, you don't see me dressing Kipper up with unicorn horns... "Dunno if there's actually a prince on it, anyways, only guy I've seen come out of the carriage looks like the mercenary type... well, competent mercenary type." Nodding and mixing up the last of the soda and whiskey, the door to the restaurant was ripped open just then, drawing both of our attentions. Well, he sure seems like a nice character... the angry-looking stallion in a small biker helmet trotted over to the bar, the old stallion behind it putting on a pained-looking smile. "Ah, Mr. Boomer, back again so soon? I thought the restocking shipment would've arrived by-" The stallion slammed his forehooves on the bar, making a bit of my own drink jump up out of the glass. "Well damn well hasn't, ya old bastard. We're still waiting on that damn lazy locomotive from the railroad, and my employer's getting annoyed enough about it without your own incompetence showing up and not delivering on the whiskey." He looked around for a moment, before reaching across and grabbing the mostly emptied bottle of Wild Pegasus out from in front of me, looking into it. Letting off a grunt, he threw it back behind the bar, the old unicorn just barely managing to catch it with his magic. "Get the whiskey loaded before sundown, or I'll be taking it from you myself. And for your sake, maybe stop selling it off to..." His eyes looked me over, as a very unfortunate thought crept into my head. This is the guy who's from the prince's train, isn't it? "What are you supposed to be, a carpenter or something?" Oh, I'm probably gonna regret asking this, but a job's a job. Not like I have any other options... "Locomotive Engineer, Equestrian National Rail, just pulled into town a couple hours ago with the mail. Am I right in assuming you're the one I should talk to about the Saddle Arabian Prince's special?" The mercenary looked me over again, before letting off a short grunt and leaning back from the bar. "Hmh, took your sweet time getting here. P.T. Boomer, reclamation associate for Prince Brayef. And the only passenger you should care about - my employer's elected to travel ahead." Well, at least that's a small relief, no need to deal with two assholes being dragged behind Kipper. Still, would be glad if it weren't even the one... "I'm just to ensure the package gets to him without any incidents. Your oversized tea kettle will get us to Mare's Lake without breaking down too much, right?" Oversized tea kettle? TEA KETTLE!? Why, this absolute prick-- Calm, Water Case, calm. It's only three days of travel, you only gotta put up with him for that long at best, and the rear door on the tender walkway does lock if it gets too much. Much as I'd love to slap this guy with a torpedo strapped to a prybar... I bit my tongue for the moment, letting off a loose sigh. "Should be only three days' travel, barring the track being taken out for some reason. We'll be setting off first thing tomorrow morning." Boomer gave a nod in response, pushing away from the bar and turning to face the door. "Better be, for your sake. Wouldn't want to have to ask my employer to find another locomotive because the last one had an... accident." The mercenary started trotting for the door, before catching himself and looking back towards the bartender. "Make sure the whiskey's loaded before sundown." The merc turned and trotted back out the door, opening and closing it with just as much grace as he previously showed upon entering. Still wincing from the slam of the door, I leaned back over the bar, looking into the amber-green liquid in the cup in front of me, finishing it off in one go. The drink slid roughly down my throat, a quick shudder escaping me - oh, I'm gonna need more than one of these to get through the next few days. The tinkling of magic caught my attention as I sat staring into the empty glass, a second bottle of Sparkle Cola and Wild Pegasus being placed in front of me. The aging unicorn behind the bar wore a small, pitying smile, passing on a soft nod. "One on the house, for the road. He isn't gonna count every last bottle we load on anyways, and technically it'll be getting on the train..." The old stallion let off a soft chuckle as I picked up both bottles, my eyes looking up at him in genuine surprise. Huh, guess ponies down here really are just generally a whole lot nicer than up north... The band playing over in the restaurant area broke into a melancholy eight-note opening, the mare onstage following it up with some old pre-war song, as I passed on a smile and hopped down from my stool. "Hah, guess so. Thanks, gonna be a lifesaver later, having to deal with you-know-who." "Why d'you think I'm giving it to ya in the first place!" The old unicorn let off a long chuckle, one that I joined him in, the song from the other part of the Roundhouse suddenly gaining a lot more presence as it sounded like every single one of the patrons joined in on it. 'We'll meet again some sunny day', huh? The stallion behind the bar passed on a wave as I made for the exit, myself returning it as I paused at the door, pulling it open and stepping through. We'll meet again... Oh, I really hope that we will. --- There was a slight bump as Kipper's buffers met those of the luggage car that kept us separated from the fancy ivory-plated car on the end, the brakes squeaking only slightly as I applied them. Crown Sheet's magic echoed down through the tender's walkway, the sounds of the brake hoses being connected up and the couplers being secured following, before the washed and hopefully well-rested unicorn reemerged from the darkness. His magic carried over a few more logs from the long tender behind us, his hoof opening up the firebox doors and tossing them on the roaring flames before he flopped into his stoker's chair. "Don't tell me you're exhausted already, Crown Sheet, I've been up for just as long as you have and I think I got even less sleep than you did." My oh-so-perpetually-competent fireman let loose a long groan, twisting himself around to lean his head out of the cab window as I eased open the throttle. The slack was taken up in the cars soon, small chuffs pulling us slowly out on the tracks ahead of us and along towards the north. "Good for you, Casey. Bet you weren't dealing with those damn dreams again like I was." Oh, was that it? Seriously? "Crown Sheet, you're a full-grown stallion who hefts chopped wood into the firebox of a rebuilt modified Trottingham and South Coast Rail J2 Tender/Tank locomotive as a job, how in the name of Tartarus do you keep having nightmares about a steam-powered robot horse?" Of all the things we chat about while on long trips, that one still ranks as the most out of the blue thing that daft stallion ever told me. He works with a huge steam-powered thing all day! And he has nightmares about it? Honestly... "It's a freakin' huge steam-powered robot horse, is the thing! Oh, sure, it starts off small and innocent, but I blink and next thing you know it's five stories tall and looking hungry! And I'm looking like a nice can of Cram, or some hay fries or something!" After a few mad flails of his hooves for emphasis, my fireman eventually calmed down, levitating over another few logs from the tender to the firebox. Three or four pieces of cut firewood in, however, he stopped, looking at the one bit of firewood held between us. "Or, maybe a wooden marionette, I guess? What would a giant steam-powered robot pony eat, anyways?" "Well, considering it takes around ten trees to make enough wood for Kipper's tender, and I'm willing to bet that a giant steam-powered robot would be just a little less efficient than a tested and well-developed steam locomotive... a forest, maybe? Probably would drain the Vanhoover Reservoir, too. In other words, I don't think you need to worry about being a snack anytime soon." The wheels clacked slightly as they passed over the junction, Kipper easing out onto the main line and letting me open up the throttle a little further. Crown Sheet stuffed a bit more wood into the firebox, going back to lean out his side window, myself letting off a chuckle and shake of the head. "C'mon, Crown Sheet, it's only a three-day trip. Just promise me you'll try and stay awake for most of it?" The unicorn beside me let off a long sigh, giving his head a slight shake as he leaned back into the cab. "Yeah, yeah, I promise. Couldn't let you have all the fun of tossing firewood into Kipper once we reach the Misery Range, after all-CELESTIA WEPT!!" ...loathe that I am to admit it, my flanks did leave my seat as Crown Sheet so gracefully fell against the side of Kipper's cab, his eyes locked to something behind us. Regaining at least some comfort as we passed out of the yard and into the countryside, I finally had time to look back at what'd startled my ever-so-stoic fireman - of all the things, a somewhat weak-looking pony standing on the tender hoofplate was not one that I was expecting. Hell, a robot pony would have made more sense... if just barely. The weak unicorn looked between us for a moment, before promptly smacking himself just below his horn with his forehoof, muttering something under his breath as he looked to the floor. O...kay then. I glanced over to Crown Sheet - anytime you wanna pull yourself off of Kipper's valve systems would be nice, yanno - him returning it, just as confused as I was. After a moment, the strange unicorn on the hoofplate looked back up to us, adjusting a worn pair of glasses on his muzzle before clearing his throat. "I-I'm sorry to startle you, I... I'm with Master Brayef's train, part of the, uh, special! Ahm, uh, I was just wondering if I could bother you for a spare piece of firewood or two, I just want to ensure the cargo works fully." Once again, myself and Crown Sheet could only exchange confused glances, myself taking a moment during the second one to ease back the throttle a little. Not gonna get Kipper derailed just because somepony's talking a bit crazy... and invaded the cab. Somehow. Despite us not even knowing they were onboard the train in the first place. Crown Sheet finally seemed to fall back onto his hooves to stand normally, giving a little bite at his lower lip as he passed on one last glance to me. "Uh, sure, sure, we can spare a couple pieces. Though, what do you mean by 'ensuring the cargo works'? And what's your name, anyways?" The other unicorn passed on a long, bowing nod before pulling exactly two slices of firewood out of the tender, turning and looking back at us. There was a short moment, before his eyes suddenly went wide, the two pieces he retrieved falling through the air momentarily as his magic gave out, Crown only just managing to catch them both in his magic instead. Oh dear, that poor unicorn is not well, is he?... though, Crown did have a point. "U-uh... I... I'm, uh, I'm S-Stopwatch! Yes, uh, yes, I serve under P-Prince Brayef, and, uh, did-did I say cargo? I, um, I meant... I meant the fire stove! Yes, uh, the fire stove, in the baggage carriage, yes, um, heh, just want to have somewhere to warm up, in case we're traveling at night, or through any mountains, or, whatever." Stopwatch looked nervously between the both of us, his magic taking the two logs from Crown Sheet. He passed on another long bow, this one done a little bit quicker, before he rushed down the tender's corridor, the access door slamming shut echoing along the metal hallway. Well, I guess that does solve the mystery of how he got in here... but that just raised a lot more questions than it gave answers for. Crown Sheet reseated himself, looking back down the access corridor for just a moment, before facing me. "What d'you think that was about? I mean, I... suppose a prince might need servants or whatever, but... what did he mean by cargo?..." I let off an uneasy grunt, refocusing my attention back out the front window, watching the tracks ahead. "Tell the truth, I'm a little more worried about him in general. Poor guy didn't look like he's been eating a lot... How about we get him something for lunch in Vanderhoof, see if that might get him a little less nervous, maybe. I'd ask why he isn't riding in the end carriage, but after meeting the other pony we've got onboard, I can't really blame him for not..." Much to my annoyance, what I got in response was a stifled chuckle from Crown Sheet. Looking over to the unicorn, I caught him shaking his head, another piece of firewood going into the firebox. "Water Case, you're too much of a bleeding-heart for this world. He's a servant to a prince, it's... it's a tough pill to swallow, but it isn't like he can just up and leave if he wanted to, or could, even. I ain't gonna push your sore subject button any further, though... yeah, we'll get him something, I think I know a pretty good restaurant there." I took a breath, biting at my lip softly and shutting my eyes, letting the air out in a long sigh. Don't think about it too much, Casey... reopening my eyes, I likewise opened up the throttle a little more, trying to focus back on the lines ahead. Oh, that's always a calming sight... "...Hey, Casey? Isn't it the middle of summer?" "Uh... I... I think so, yeah. Why you askin'?" "Why would he need the stove in this kind of weather? It never gets below, like, fifty degrees at night..." ...Damnit, Crown Sheet, I was almost relaxed again...