Chapter 8
Two days later, the group were awake and learning the harbor yard in groups of twos and threes. It was complex, with many points, crossovers, sidings, through tracks and quayside lines, including gangplanks, where the passengers could catch trains. Rainbow Dash and Dangersignal were working on the London Transport Pannier tank.
“You never said this would be confusing!” Rainbow Dash told Dangersignal, in an accusing tone.
“Well, this is a harbor,” Dangersignal said. “The one place in all of Equestria where utter chaos can reign if nothing is kept in check. We need to learn the yards, in case we have to work here.”
Rainbow Dash conceded that Dangersignal had a point, and continued to watch as he handled the pannier tank with ease. Suddenly, he dropped his hooves to the cab floor and groaned in pain. Rainbow Dash, from what she saw him do, closed regulator and put the brakes on.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “Just over did it two nights ago, when we had that postal run.”
“Well, you’re not continuing on in that condition. You might completely put yourself out of action, and then where would the railway be?” she stated.
“Your right,” Dangersignal said.
Rainbow Dash flew off and soon returned with, Dragonstorm, Alistair and Franklyn. Alistair and Franklyn took over for Rainbow Dash and Dangersignal while she and Dragonstorm helped their injured comrade back to the hotel. When they arrived, Dragonstorm went off to fetch some ice packs while Rainbow Dash helped Dangersignal to his room.
Carefully, so as not to do more harm to himself, Dangersignal crawled into bed, with his front legs stretched out. That eased some of the pain, and made what was left tolerable. Five minutes later, Dragonstorm came up with some ice packs and carefully packed them around the sore muscles.
“No more work for you for a week at least,” Dragonstorm said.
“A week?!” Dangersignal yelped. “I can’t be out for that long!”
“Care to injure yourself more?” Rainbow Dash said.
“No,” came the dejected reply.
“Hey, at least we’re able to put it right,” Dragonstorm and Rainbow Dash said.
“Anyway,” Dragonstorm added. “I promised Keyth that I’d help him arrange an empty express passenger train to get used to snaking our way away from the passenger gangplank to the open main line.”
“Go to it,” Rainbow Dash. “I’ll look after and tend to my boyfriend.”
“Thank you,” Dragonstorm said and galloped to the yards.
Silence reigned, then Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“How’s life been since your “retirement” from being one of the Elite guards?” she quizzed. “I know your attached to the job.”
“It’s a change of pace for sure. Rather hectic at times. You know what they say “A change is as good as a rest”,” he replied.
The two chuckled softly before Rainbow curled up next to him and went to sleep. He closed his eyes and smiled. The ice melted, slid around and eased the pain. Time slowed down and the two were in perfect harmony, until…
“So, I see that true love has been sought out at last.”
The two jolted awake, Rainbow Dash falling off the bed, striking Dangersignal on one of the sore muscles. He cringed as he felt the blow land and heard his sweetheart hit the floor. The two looked up to see a bright pink Alicorn with a Dark purple, Hot pink and cream colored mane and tail.
“Princess Cadence!” Rainbow Dash and Dangersignal gasped, in surprised horror. “We didn’t hear you!”
“Dragonstorm gave me a key,” she said. “After I explained that some certain ponies wanted to question you two.”
The two looked at each other, this time, their blushing was replaced with curiosity.
“Well, what do these ponies want to ask us?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“What you were doing last night?” Princess Cadence said. “They were surprised by noises in the night. One said that her guards saw you two standing in some creature, which was hissing as a small group of humans handed something to one of the ponies on the platform at Canterlot station.”
“So, we were being watched during our mail run,” Rainbow Dash mused. “Sounds logical, actually. Princess Luna raises the moon and works the night shift with her own Elite guards, which are Thestrals. They also say that they saw the strange creature, with a Pegasus hovering next to it.”
“Send them in,” Dangersignal said. “I’m sure we can handle questioning.”
Princess Cadence nodded, then headed to the door. Dangersignal gave Rainbow Dash a sly wink, which said that he was going to have some fun. Soon, the two could hear voices and hooves getting louder. Dangersignal told Rainbow to get on the other bed and act as though she was sleeping.
She nodded and carried out the task just as a group burst in. The same five ponies that were coming to the train when it stood at Ponyville station, waiting for the starter to come off, were there. Behind them was a Thestral, or batpony as many residents called them and an Alicorn with a dark blue mane and tail, black coat and a dark black patch on her flank with a crescent moon in the dark black patch.
“Princess Luna, Princess Twilight,” Cadence said. “Here is…”
“I know my own retired guard,” Luna spoke.
That got the Thestral all riled up. He believed that he and his kind were Princess Luna’s guards, but to hear that an Alicorn had the same privileges! He was getting ready to strike when Rainbow Dash woke and flew in front of him.
“Can we have peace?” Dangersignal asked. “I’m trying to make with the healing over here!”
The Thestral was still up in arms about Luna’s words. Dangersignal sighed, the managed to get Rainbow Dash to move aside, so his line of sight would get the “welcoming committee”.
“Look, if you want a fight, then we’ll fight,” Dangersignal. “In a couple of months, after I’ve returned from light duty.”
“Typical,” the Thestral snarled.
“Sergeant Steel Strike, stand down!” Luna ordered.
Sergeant Steel Strike stood there, growling and muttering insults as Luna looked at her former guard. Rainbow Dash stayed in the air, ready to jump in when things got out of hand. Dangersignal sighed, shook his head and gave a slight chuckle. Normally, a guard could hold his own in a fight, but with his “injuries” as the humans called them, he was relying on someone else to fight his battle for him.
“Look, I was working two nights ago on a steam engine from a class of steam engine called “Aberdare Class”, built by a railway called “The Great Western Railway” in a place called Britain, to handle coal trains. It was the best engine we had for the steep gradient to the Crystal Empire and they could handle mail trains as well,” Dangersignal explained. “The reason for the night run is that the Griffon Parcel Service has gotten lazier than anything, leaving unsorted post at Baltimare harbor. The clerk downstairs has to sort it before we take it out and deliver it.”
“Oh,” Luna said. “But why run it at night?”
“So everyone gets their mail in the morning,” Dangersignal replied. “It would never do if ponies didn’t get their letters or packages in due time. If a parcel is to be delivered at nine in the morning, then it’s at the sorting office, ready to be sent out and delivered at nine in the morning.”
“Now, do you care to explain one thing more?” Sergeant Steel Strike asked.
“What do you want explained?” Dangersignal asked.
“The Pegasus by the locomotive,” he asked.
“Oh, Lightning Dust,” Dangersignal said. “She challenged us to a race, but we made her fume and left her in the dust. She was going on about me being a filthy Alicorn guard who’s of no use at all to the royalty and that Rainbow Dash was giving all Equestrians a bad name by hanging with a human.”
That got them to look at each other, with a mixture of disgust and irritation. It was sometime before anyone spoke up again.
“That isn’t right!” one said.
“We know, Twi,” came the reply.
“But, Applejack!” “Twi” protested. “You don’t say stuff like that! Not even to people who are helping us!”
“I know,” “Applejack” replied.
The two turned to us. The one with Bright yellow mane and tail, and dark yellow coat with three apples on her flank spoke first.
“Name’s Applejack. Proud owner of Sweet Apple Acres,” she said. “It’s south of Ponyville and…”
“I know,” Dangersignal chuckled. “Famous for it’s apples. It’s only been mentioned to me 6,358 times during my time working on the railway line.”
Everyone stared.
“You heard about us through the train?” Applejack asked.
“You could say I heard it through the grapevine,” Dangersignal chuckled.
“The grapevine?”
“Local gossip,” he continued. “It’s a good source of getting information on some of the locals without having to inquire.”
Everyone chuckled. At that moment, there came shouting and the sounds of punches landing. Dangersignal groaned.
“Well, my dear enemy is here, ready to tear me a new one,” he said.
The others were surprised to see Dangersignal so calm in the midst of trouble. Soon, said pony arrived, growling and with a murderous look in his eye.
“You’re really pushing your luck!” he roared at Dangersignal. “Those two imbecilic princesses at Canterlot are giving you the go ahead to do this! They’re too stupid to live!”
“I’d watch what you say,” Dangersignal chided. “There are three princesses here, one with one of her royal guard.”
He didn’t care and continued to spout off like a broken faucet. Finally, Dangersignal decided to put him in his place.
“If you think your hot air could move the balloon in Ponyville, then how about a race?” Dangersignal said.
“A race,” Dr. EconoAxe said. “What are the conditions?”
“We start at Ponyville and race to the Crystal Empire. First race is with passengers. At the Crystal Empire, I’ll turn my engine, then we race back to Ponyville, where we’ll exchange the passengers for goods and race to Appleloosa, and back to Ponyville. The first one back wins and the loser has to find a new lease of life somewhere else,” Dangersignal said,
“Your on,” came the reply.
“I’ll wait until your better,” he sneered. “I don’t fight a broken weakling.”
Dr. EconoAxe left, chortling all the way downstairs. The others were concerned.
“You’ll never beat him!” Rainbow Dash cried. “It takes time to uncouple the coaches and turn the engine! Same with the goods trains!”
“That’s where having done some good old fashion hillside train watching comes into play,” he said.
He explained how trains use a method called “Top and Tail” where the engines are turned to face opposite directions. One pulls the train one way with the other pushing, then at the destination, instead of turning the locomotive at the “front”, the other engine takes over and hauls the train back down the line, with the engine at the “Back” pushes.
“Oh, then that way…” Applejack said.
“The train is sandwiched between two sources of braking power and heat,” Dangersignal said. “And no time is lost!”
“That sounds fun!” Rainbow Dash said.
“I know and I know the engines for the tasks,” Dangersignal said.