//------------------------------// // The History of the Legend // Story: A Ponyville Ghost Train // by Darth Redbeard //------------------------------// They said that legends can live forever. Not many ponies believed that saying. Sure there was the legend of Nightmare Moon, but many had written it off until that fateful day that she returned and almost plunged the world into endless night. However, the other legends were ignored as being fairytales. Nothing more than stories to tell young colts and fillies to behave at night. One legend however, had faded into history and was hardly spoken of for the last forty years. Not since that day thirty years before the return of Princess Luna had the story been known. All but few had forgotten it and even then, the younger generation wrote it off as nothing more than a foals’ tale. The mare in the moon shone brightly over Equestria on that fall night as the last train of the day was unloading its cargo and passengers. Ponyville was growing quick, but not to the level many of the other cities had expected. Part of this was mostly due to its location near the Everfree Forest. No pony would dare enter the woods in fear of what awaited them. As the cars were empty, the engineer drove the train to a siding and waited for the firepony to return to the engine. The engineer was a dark blue earth pony with a dark red mane. His cutie mark included two crossed swords, a sign that he had spent years in the royal guard, but after retiring, he began to drive the train from Canterlot to Ponyville on the new Ponyville Railroad. His name was Crimson Crown. After beginning his new job, he had ran his train on time with no accidents. His train of choice was the 4-4-0. It was brand new for it’s time. The smokestack was very wide on top, helping to regulate the steam made from the wood. Four wheels in the front behind a device known as a cow catcher. Four large wheels around the cab helped the engine move with the steam produced in the cylinders. His train was the state of the art, but was still experimental. His son had joined him when he was thirty years old, working on the engine. Crimson and his son, Hope, and Hope’s son, Iron Shield, were the last of their family. Iron was about fifteen years old and getting ready to strike out on his own. Crimson was brought out of his musing by the sound of another pony entering the cab. He turned to see his son, Hope, enter the cab. Hope was a green earth pony with a bright yellow mane. His dark blue eyes held tears as he went to his place. “Visiting your wife’s grave again?” Crimson asked, his voice close to breaking as he remembered his daughter-in-law. Hope’s wife, Light, with a shining spark always present in her eye. Lips as bright as a red rose, her short brown mane and her beautiful smile. Her personality and good treatment of Hope made her well liked by Crimson when her and Hope began dating. She was quite literally the light of Hope’s life. When she perished to a Timberwolf attack, Hope had been devastated. Her grave was on their hill overlooking Ponyville. The same place they were married at. “I can’t believe how long it’s been,” Hope replied. “It seems like yesterday we were all laughing and having fun playing tag. Is this how it was when mom passed?” “I’m afraid so,” Crimson answered, looking down as he closed his eyes, picturing his beautiful wife. Her long mane and beautiful eyes that shone brightly when Crimson was home from training. “She was my other half and when she died in a Griffon raid, it hurt. It’s part of the reason I left the guard. The other part was to finish raising you. I can tell you that leaving the guard was the best decision of my life.” Just as they were about to take their engine back to the shed, another pony walked up. “We need you to take this car to Dodge Junction,” he said. It’s what we have left and we decided to send it to them.” “OK,” Crimson said. They put the train into forward and opened the throttle. They moved to beyond the switch before the pony switched the points. They backed to the siding and coupled the car to the engine. They moved the train out of the junction and onto the line. It was beginning to rain as they drove down the line. The forest covered the tracks, making it dark. The light from their headlamp was their only source of light. The rhythm of the train traveling along the tracks kept a steady beat. Crimsons eyes watched the track as they continued on. Hope threw the wood into the firebox. He placed their food onto a rack and left the firebox open, allowing their food to cook while they traveled. The darkness of the cab only illuminated by the light of the fire. Just before they neared the old castle, the engine began to pick up speed. “What’s going on?” Hope asked. “I don’t know,” Crimson replied, trying to apply the brakes, only for them to fail. The train continued to pick up speed as they neared a dangerous curve. “What’s wrong with the brakes?” Hope asked, running over to help apply the brakes. “I don’t know!” Crimson shouted. “I lost control!” Crimson and Hope tried their best to stop the train, both pulling hard on the brakes. but it was no use. Crimson went back to the car and jumped on the roof, hoping to maybe have the cars brakes stop the train, but a low hanging tree sailed across, knocking the wheel off the brakes, leaving no chance of the train stopping the normal way. He went back into the cab and switched the reverser into reverse. The wheels began to turn backwards, but for some unknown reason, the train continued to roll forward. When he went and closed the throttle, the train only continued moving at high speeds towards a sharp bend in the rails. “Look out!” Hope hollered. They closed their eyes as the train came off the rails, sliding down a hill onto it’s side, the wood from the fire spilling everywhere. As the train came to a halt, the fire from the firebox consumed the cab. Crimson and Hope ran out, but could not keep the flames from getting on them. The flames consumed them as they got out, but soon were burned to death, their bodies still trying to get the flames off. There they lay on the forest floor, their engine wrecked as they watched each other slowly begin to pass. “I’m sorry, son,” Crimson thought, just as his eyes closed one last time, never to open again. All Hope could do was watch his father slip away as he faded in and out. Eventually Hope’s eyes also closed just as his father's. Timberwolves appeared on the smoldering clearing and began to chew on the charred remains of the two ponies. Nopony knew what happened to the train until a year later. A young stallion named Rome Apple saw a train rolling along the old abandoned rails into the Everfree. He ran back to Ponyville to inform others of what he saw, but many ponies said that the rails were no longer in use. Not since the last train to ever travel it had disappeared without a trace. For another twenty years, ponies claimed to see an engine use the rails, but the legend soon faded into history and was rarely ever talked about until many chose to ignore the legend. Two years after Luna’s return, Twilight Sparkle was walking down Ponyville's main street on her way to meet Mayor Mare over the old abandoned rails. Many of the younger ponies had petitioned to have the rails removed and the land used for an arcade. Twilight wasn’t sure which side to take. The rails were a piece of history for Ponyville, but they were long overdue on maintenance. She racked her head, thinking of what to do when she heard an excavator at a hill top. She ran over and found Spoiled Rich ordering a crew about as they excavated the hill. “I don’t pay you all to slack!” She exclaimed. “Keep working until this hill is gone. It’s ruining my hours on getting a tan.” “What seems to be the problem here?” Twilight asked as she walked over. “I need this hill brought down so I can get a perfect tan,” Spoiled replied. “This hill has done nothing but kept me from getting the tan I want and I’m going to make sure this hill is gone so I can get it.” “But you don’t even own this land,” Twilight countered. “This land belongs to the entire town.” “That’s where you’re wrong,” Spoiled replied, pulling a piece of paper out of her purse. “I bought this land in the recent auction and as such, I can decide what to do with it.” Before Twilight could argue, one of the excavators shouted. “We’ve got a problem here!” Twilight and Spoiled went over and saw a coffin sitting in the ground. Twilight looked at it carefully and read it. “Here lies Light Shield. A loving daughter, wife, mother. The Light of my world. I will never forget you.” “Get rid of it,” Spoiled commanded. “Move it to the river and dump it.” Twilight looked at her in shock. “You can’t do that!” she exclaimed. “Leave this coffin here and return home. I’ll go see if there’s anything at town hall about this.” The workers all left except for a few that stayed behind to guard the coffin. Spoiled, angry about the situation, huffed and walked away, plotting on how to get rid of the coffin. When Twilight got to town hall, Mayor Mare greeted her at the doorway, sweat pouring off her forehead from trying to keep the petitioners under control. “Sorry that we had to bring you in to help deal with this situation,” Mayor Mare began. “I just can’t get these ponies to listen.” “I’m happy to help,” Twilight said, a small smile forming. “Before we begin, can I look into some of the past records? Some ponies found a coffin at Ponyville Park’s hill and I want to know if there were any records of the pony.” “Of course,” Mayor Mare replied. “What was the name?” “Light Shield.” Twilight turned and walked into the room where the debate was being held as Mayor Mare went to the records to find info on the pony in question. Twilight left the room, smiling as she walked over to the records. She was able to keep the tracks there as part of Ponyville’s history and help them find a new spot for what they wanted to build. Now that that was out of the way, she could focus her attention on the mysterious pony. Twilight racked her brain trying to figure out why she wasn’t buried in the cemetery with the other ponies. Was she a pony that was shunned by the rest of the community at one point? If so, why would that inscription be on it. All these questions continued on until Mayor Mare brought over the folders. “This is all we found about her,” Mayor Mare explained. Twilight opened the folder and examined what was contained as Mayor Mare continued. “She was one of the few that came here after the Apple and Pear Family’s arrived. Her family ran the railroad that was established. Her husband was a stallion named Hope Shield. He was the firepony of engine number 104. Her father-in-law, a stallion named Crimson Crown, was the engineer. It says here that she died from Timberwolves. Her husband and father-in-law disappeared four years later when they were delivering some supplies to Dodge Junction after changelings attacked. Some think that they stole the supplies for themselves and others think they just vanished.” “What about the rest of her family?” Twilight asked as she put Light’s folder down and picked up Crimson’s. “Hope and Light had one son,” Mayor Mare answered. “He runs the Ponyville Blacksmith on the south side of town. He’s not entirely young, but he can tell you more about the ponies in question.” “Thanks Mayor Mare,” Twilight said as she put the papers in her bag. “I looked at Crimson’s record. Turns out that he was in the guard until his wife passed. Since he was in the guard, I’ll ask Celestia if she know’s anything as well.” Twilight walked out of town hall and straight for the blacksmith. It wasn’t hard to find. All she had to do was follow the smoke. The Ponyville Blacksmith was always busy producing nails, rods, and many other items used by everyday ponies to build or repair. As she neared the blacksmith, a brown stallion walked out. His build was almost the same as Big Mac’s, but a few inches shorter. His short brown mane was covered with sweat from the flames as he sat down for lunch. Just as he was about to take his first bite, he heard someone coming. He looked up to see Twilight Sparkle holding folders in her hand. Folders that he knew all too well. “I guess you’re here about my family,” he said. “I’m only going to say this once. All I know is that they were making one last delivery before their vacation and the train never made it. Some ponies say they heard a crash in the Everfree, but nopony wanted to investigate. That’s all I really know other than the legend.” “What legend?” Twilight asked. “I never heard of any legend.” “The legend goes that each year on the day of its disappearance, engine 104 rides the rails again,” Iron began. “Its whistle fit to burst as it nears its crash site. Ghostly ponies driving the train, as a warning to others to never enter the Everfree Forest unless they’re looking for their doom.” “That has to be the dumbest legend I have ever heard,” Twilight said, shaking her head at how ridiculous the legend sounded. “There is no such things as a ghost train.” “We’ll find out,” Iron countered. “Tonight is the anniversary and it’ll run for the next week.” Iron went back to his lunch as Twilight left. “I can’t believe that he didn’t know anything about this,” she said to herself, not wanting to believe anything the stallion said. That night however, would soon change her mind.