//------------------------------// // The railway // Story: Railway Adventure // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// After getting the glue removed from her hair (a most unpleasant ordeal, I can assure you), Apple Bloom headed to art, along with her classmates. The art rooms were on the top floor, and several tables and easels set up at convenient intervals for the students. Each table sat four, and so Bloom sat down with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Cozy Glow. “May I have your attention?” called a voice. The teacher, Paint Brush, stepped forward. “Welcome to your first art lesson of the year. It is my intention that you enjoy these lessons, but I also want you to work to your best ability.” He paused, then continued. “Why, it could be within these four walls that the next Van Goch is found!” A girl towards the front, a student named Twist, spoke up. “Ecthuthe me thir, but wathn’t Van Goch mocked by hith peerth?” Two bullies, Snips and Snails, burst out laughing. “Hith peers? She can’t even talk properly!” Paint looked furious. “It is not acceptable to mock others for who they are!” he bellowed. Turning to Twist, he spoke again. “You are correct, Van Goch was generally perceived to be a fool. But time showed that his doubters were the fools. The important lesson is that we don’t let others dictate who we are, but let ourselves flourish and produce our own masterpieces.” He turned to the class. “For your first assignment, I would like you to draw or paint, or perhaps both, a scene from the region’s history. This should take the whole 2 periods.” Scootaloo groaned. “2 periods? I can’t draw to save my life!” Paint heard this. “This is not to be a solo effort. Indeed, the tables are to work together to craft this piece. Now, go!” The 4 looked at each other. What were they to do? Sweetie Belle was the best at drawing, so they let her draw the scene in question. It was to be one of the engines of the Everfree Railway at Ponyville station. Scootaloo was left to handle the biography, whilst Apple Bloom ensured technical accuracy to the subject. Cozy Glow handled the paints and colours, and when they were all done, they each signed their names on the back. It took them 70 minutes in total, but the results were superb. The scene depicted a black Saddle Tank sitting in the platform, producing steam and ready to go up the line. The piece had a realistic, but also dreamlike quality to it, as if to create a feeling of timelesness. Paint Brush came over, and was most impressed. “Who did this one?” he asked. “We did, sir,” said Cozy Glow. “We each contributed a bit to this picture.”’ “It’s extraordinary! It looks it was painted by one of the 13th Graders. This is going up on the wall outside the department, but first I shall let it dry, scan it into the computer system and frame it.” After school, the girls met up to head off on their adventure. Apple Bloom turned to the others. “Have we got any supplies?” she asked. Scootaloo opened her backpack. “Torch, first aid kit, bandages, 3 bottles of water, some cookies mom made to take with us, map, compass, GPS.” “Your thorough!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “Mom wouldn’t let me go if I didn’t come prepared!” Scootaloo replied. “On the topic of which, are we all allowed to go?” Suddenly, there was a loud ringing noise. “That’s mah phone,” said Bloom. “Ah’ll get it.” She pressed the speaker to her ear. “Hello?” “Apple Bloom!” came the reply. “This is Grand Pear. Your pa just called to say he’s givin’ ya the rest of the day off. He’s really impressed with the amount a’ work ya did yesterday. Ah’m ready to drive down ta Ponyville when you give the word.” “OK, thank ya!” Bloom answered. “See ya!” “Have a nice time.” The line stopped. The four of them made their way across the street to the railroad station. Canterlot Railroad Station was an enormous building, constructed out of red brick and with a massive two-span overall roof. It had 8 platforms, all of them through, and had been opened in 1900 by the California Coast Railroad. The 4 went to the entrance lobby and walked to the ticket booth. The attendant smiled at them. “What can I get you four?” she asked. “4 singles to Ponyville, please,” asked Scootaloo. “That will be 4 dollars, ma’m,” the attendant replied. “Your train will be waiting at platform 1.” “Thank you!” said Cozy Glow, and the four of them rushed off to the platform to find a Class 101 DMU waiting for them. They climbed aboard and sat right behind the driver. The guard blew his whistle, and away they went, rolling through the idyllic countryside that California had to offer. The branch to Ponyville stemmed off a mile outside the southern approach of the station, looping back and travelling around the back of the town. Bloom made sure to point out Sweet Apple Acres along the way, and the train soon reached its destination, rolling to a stop and making a groaning noise as the brakes were released. It didn’t take them long to find the old narrow-gauge line. The buildings had been left in place (although looked a little dilapidated), and the track stemmed off into the trees. Apple Bloom shouldered her pack, and headed off, the others following soon behind. They were wise to have packed a torch, for the path under the trees was dark, and trip hazards were hard to spot. Bloom led the way along the old rusty trackbed, weeds growing between the rails and the sleepers held in place more by faith than by any mechanical means. Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle on the way up. “You know, this reminds me of a story that I read once on the internet.” “Oh?” Sweetie Belle replied. “What happened in it?” “Well, a girl and her two friends went in search of a golden apple, in conditions similar to this.” “Did they find it?” “Yes, but it turned their leader into a pony”. “What a strange story!” “That’s not even the weird part. It turned out to be a dream, but then it really started happening.” “To her?” “To everyone!” “That sounds scary,” said Cozy Glow. “Well,” Scootaloo admitted, “it was a bit strange.”’ “Pipe down you three!” said Apple Bloom. “We’re here.” At the edge of a clearing, stood three buildings. The first was an old slate shed, with massive doors that covered its entrance. Along the side wall were windows every 4 feet, although these were boarded up. The roof had caved in in some places, and the structure looked very unsafe. The second building was a station building, that sat on one of the two platforms that made up the station. After dusting off the cobwebs, it became apparent that the station was called Everfree Junction, as lines to a quarry had gone off here, as well as to the lumber mill at the lake which most people were more familiar with. There had clearly been some form of passenger service, as a timetable was there for 1939. The final building was a 2-road structure made of slate. It had green doors and more of the elliptical windows present on the first structure. The roof was well maintained, and all seemed well. However, when the girls closed in on this door, it emerged that it was locked. “How are we gonna get in?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Simple,” Apple Bloom replied. “Scootaloo can just slip in through the gap there and open her up from the inside!” “How on earth would I fit through without getting stuck?” Scootaloo asked. “Yer scrawny enough, and ya can figure your way in.” “No way Bloom!” Scootaloo replied. “I’d rather not get wedged in a door.” “Chicken,” Bloom replied. She promptly started making chicken noises. “Yeah, real mature, Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “Fine!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “I’ll do it.” She disappeared off through the gap on the side of the building. A few minutes passed. “Are you sure she isn’t in trouble?” Cozy Glow asked. “She knows her way around tight spaces,” Sweetie Belle replied, just as the door opened. There emerged Scootaloo, covered in soot! Coughing, she growled, “I’ll want a shower before I go home. If I get into trouble for this, know it was your fault Bloom!” “Noted,” Apple Bloom replied. They stepped inside, and were stunned at what they saw. The shed was left more or less as it had been the day the line closed. Tools were everywhere, an old newspaper sat on a desk, and lined up were six engines. One was a 0-4-2 Saddle Tank, behind which sat a 0-4-0 Well Tank. There was another Saddle Tank behind it, and another to the left of the first. Behind that sat a four wheeled diesel mechanical shunter, and an 0-4-0 Side Tank behind it. “Wow,” was all Sweetie Belle had to say. “They look like the engines I saw on a railway in Wales once,” Cozy Glow added. “They were built as part of the same order,” Scootaloo added. “No wonder nobody could find them, being tucked away this well.” Bloom turned to them. “Ah have a plan!” she said. “We’ve found the lost engines of this line. But they don’t deserve ta just sit here and accumulate dust! Ah say we restore one of them, and get this line runnin’ again as a preserved railroad!” “Great idea!” said Scootaloo. “I’ll second that!” “Me too!” added Sweetie Belle. “And I” Cozy Glow added. They came together and fistbumped, to make it official. A few minutes passed, before Cozy Glow spoke again. “I hate to be a party pooper, but how on earth are we going to get these engines down the mountain?”