One thing that plagued Twilight and the others was Dangersignal and Dragonstorm’s behavior whenever any pony mentioned Ponyville North Platforms. They’d clam up and avoid the pony talking about it at any cost. Most ponies thought it was slightly strange, but said nothing about it.
Ponyville North Platforms had been closed for years, following a very tragic accident. Not every pony knew of this accident, nor understood it’s significance to the history of this quaint little town. If they knew, they would soon want to forget it and quickly.
One cold and rainy July night, Dangersignal and Dragonstorm finished the 9:45 pm Canterlot to Ponyville local train. However, the train was diverted into Ponyville North Platforms. Standing at Platform 3 was an express passenger train, hauled by a GWR King class from someplace called the Human World.
The trains that now ran on the Equestrian Railway Network were all from the Human world. These trains also included goods wagons, which were rather uncommon in Equestria. In fact, all trains came from a place called the United Kingdom. Unlike the newest wagons, these had mechanical brakes, meaning that a pony known as a shunter had to set the brakes on the wagon.
These kinds of wagons are often referred to as “unbraked” wagons and any pony not trained in handling them will be taken for a wild ride. Dragonstorm and Dangersignal had trained themselves to handle these types of wagons on trains weighing anywhere between 2,000 and 5,000 tons, with some heading upwards of 9,000 tons.
Unbraked wagons have a distinctive chatter and as the two Alicorns looked at the King and it’s train in the closed down platforms, there came the distinctive unbraked wagon chatter. The way the wagons rocked and pitched over the joints told them that the train was out of control and it was weighing 8,457 tons.
The locomotive’s chatter was that of a Stanier 8F and Dragonstorm turned to see a goods train blast out of the tunnel portal. The brakes on the locomotive screamed in pain and horror. A station stallion waved a red flag and was screaming at the overrunning goods train to stop.
Dangersignal and Dragonstorm moved their train out of the platforms as quickly as they dared. As the last coach cleared the platforms, there came an earth shattering crash, followed by the sounds of a crackling fire and a violent explosion. Dangersignal turned around and stared at the flaming wreckage that was supposed to be two trains.
“I’m going to help!” he called to his brother, leaping off the footplate and making his way to the accident. “You move the train over to the Junction station and wait there until I return!”
Dragonstorm did just that and waited for the better part of eight minutes. Twilight and the others ran over to Dragonstorm, who was anxious. He was keeping one too many secrets and it seemed that time was not on their side. Luna and Celestia had come down from Canterlot after Dragonstorm had helped Luna see more about her sister and how much they had in common.
However, this scene had brought them down and it was their turn to be concerned for their former guards. Normally, they never kept secrets, but this was something that needed to be addressed and quickly. Dragonstorm looked up, missing their eyes and saw his brother flying towards them, slightly pale.
“You okay?” Rainbow Dash asked after he landed.
“Fine,” he said.
Luna shook her head and looked at them. She glanced over at her sister and whispered in Dangersignal’s ear that they’d like to have a conversation, in the privacy of the two male Alicorns’ home. Dangersignal agreed and the group headed off home after they moved the coaches into a carriage shed and set the engine into a berth of the yard’s engine facility.
Once the door shut, Celestia turned to the two male Alicorns, who were fixing everyone a stiff cup of herbal tea. Whatever happened at Ponyville North Platforms had spooked them hard. Darkseige had some idea of what happened and was careful to broach the subject.
“It’s that time,” he said.
“Yes,” was all the two stallion Alicorns could say.
“It’s that time for what?” White Orchid asked.
“You all don’t know?” Darkseige said.
They nodded. Darkseige found a newspaper from many years gone by. Carrying it over, he flipped it onto the table, with the headline showing. Luna peered at the headline:
“Runaway Goods Plows into stopped passenger train, Killing all on board”
“Oh,” Luna said.
“Yes,” Dangersignal said.
“That accident must have been something hard to swallow, seeing all sorts of bodies, mangled wreckage and a roaring hot fire,” Celestia said at last.
“Well, the accident ripped two second cousins from us,” Dragonstorm added. “Now, this next thing is very sensitive. Will you keep this between us all?”
Everyone agreed, with Pinkie wanting to make it a Pinkie Promise, but White Orchid told her no. Before the topic could get out of hand, Rainbow Dash broke it up.
“What is this secret?” she asked.
“Well, our second cousin, Clear Path-A Batpony/vampire hybrid married a prince, named Solar Knightmare, a Unicorn. Our other second cousin, Dashing Clouds married a pony named Harmonious Bell,” Dragonstorm said. “Dangersignal also married and he had a kid-a batpony/vampire/Alicorn foal named Stanier Five. His wife’s name-Phantom, because of her snow white coat. Clear Path, Phantom and Dashing Clouds were pegasi from Cloudsdale.”
“Well, that’s hardly a secret,” Rarity said.
“The fact that his wife and our second cousins and their spouses were in the wreck, leaving Dangersignal to care for his son while keeping him hidden in the poor section of Canterlot, for fear that somepony would want to bring harm to him,” Dragonstorm said. “That’s one part of the secret. The other part is that Hurricane and Aquatis Storm are Clear Path and Dashing Clouds’s brothers.”
“Ouch,” Twilight said.
“Yes,” said Dragonstorm said. “We haven’t told you the honest truth because we didn’t know how far we could trust you all. If you want to break off relations, go ahead.”
Rarity decided to hug Dragonstorm while Fluttershy hugged Dangersignal. Twilight shook her head and said that it was okay, because they had their reasons. Rainbow Dash suggested that the son lives with his father and that the others could take it in turns to watch him.
“He’s seventeen and has enrolled in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to learn all sorts of magic, but he takes night classes, and so that way he stays out of every ponies line of sight,” Dangersignal said. “He’s been hearing about you, but is afraid to travel for fear of having something done to him.”
Celestia promised to make arrangements for Stanier Five’s safe transport. Luna was still confused as to the fiery explosion that was heard and felt. Dangersignal looked down.
“The events of this accident are rather simple to follow, because no pony has to dive into any minds,” the large male Alicorn said.
“The driver of the 9:45 pm goods train was running twenty minutes late leaving the Crystal Empire with a heavy mixed train, behind a Stanier 8F #48170. The train consisted of six fish “bloater” vans, eight well wagons, six China Clay slurry tankers, twelve coal wagons, nine salt vans, four bogie bolster flatbeds of fresh cut lumber, two kerosene tankers, eleven single vent vans and a brake van.
The driver, an Earth Pony named Steam Pipe was known to be rather hard nosed and ignore all signals. I worked with him and we nearly slammed head on into a local passenger train, had a signal mare not set the points away from the train. I refused to work with him and after that he got a new firing pony named Clinker Bed, who was worse.
When they worked the train into Canterlot, they were now forty minutes behind and had to wait while a load of six CCT Vans full of mail were shunted onto the tail of the train. The driver didn’t even wait for the guard’s flag and once the wagons were connected to the train, he opened the regulator and the train fired off.
Now, during the day, there had been excursion trains running all day and one was running from the Crystal Empire. It was full of families who had never been outside of that particular Empire. It was a way for them to see more of Equestria. This particular train had stopped to allow the travelers to taste the local places-Sugar Cube Corner and the Hayburger.
It was 12:52 am when the goods train burst out of the tunnel, over running all the signals set against it. The signal mare tried to divert the train away from the passenger train, but it was too late. Hot coals spread all over the wreckage and to add fuel to the flames, the two kerosene tankers ruptured and sprayed the flammable liquid over the burning coals.
It took about two days to put the fire out, but like the accident that claimed our parents, there were no survivors. Stanier Five was at school when the accident happened. i had to break it to the young kid that his mother was dead. I swear I must have no emotion, as I couldn’t bring myself to cry or even request time off.
He knew I loved him and that I had to work the wreck and emergency duties, even though I hated it with every passing moment. That stupid driver had to go and break every rule and over run the safe-guards. Even though we may not be of blood relations, I take your safety seriously and don’t want to lose you as I lost my wife, parents and sister. You mean a lot to me and I am grateful that you all are my friends.
This is a history I don’t care to think about and it’s an event that could have been a repeat of my own history, leaving my kid without a mother and father. While he’d have his uncle, my younger brother, I really wanted things to look up,” Dangersignal said.
Silence hung in the air. Luna looked at Celestia, who was ready to cry. She realized that her banishment of Luna was a light slap on the wrist compared to Dangersignal and Dragonstorm. To her, any pony who hated wreck and emergency duty shouldn’t have to be on that duty. Her nerves were telling her to not ask, but her curiosity was piqued.
“I’d like to know…Why’d you work on that particular duty if you hate it?” she asked.
“After being in the guard and spending most of my time removing dead bodies from any battle field, you get used to seeing death on a large scale and after a while, you believe that you’ve seen it all. When there’s a train wreck on this scale, and you see things that you never thought possible,” Dangersignal said. “I’ve learned to deal with it.”
The others just stared at him while Dragonstorm fixed everyone another cup of tea. However, they refused, as they couldn’t stomach that at all. He offered water and had that turned down too. He drank a cup of tea and suggested that they at least drink something and water wouldn’t make them sick. They finally conceded and he handed out water glasses. They drank in silence and looked at Dangersignal, who was feeling low.
He had done two things that were completely opposite of each other-he was and wasn’t there for his son. Rainbow Dash offered to stay with him, seeing as she had no other duties and Dangersignal had the next day off. Dragonstorm said that it’d be best to let them alone and that he’d like to have company to collect Stanier Five.
Dragonstorm pulled out a photograph. In it was a Batpony Alicorn, pitch black coat with red mane and tail. Male body structure with thin red stripes around his neck and his legs. Red eyes and a cheerful smile. Behind the young pony was Dangersignal and a Pegasus with a snow white coat, dark ice blue mane, light ice blue tail and blind in her left eye.
Celestia took one look and started to cry. Luna comforted her as best as she could, being the younger sibling. Dragonstorm helped as well, and they soon had her soothed. Rarity, Twilight, Aquatis Storm, White Orchid and Shaydefire offered to fetch Stanier Five and bring him down. Celestia agreed while she laid down and cried some more, this time crying into Dragonstorm’s chest, much like how he cried in his big brother’s chest years ago.
Sadness was there, laughing maniacally. The sadistic twerp was definitely enjoying seeing every pony suffer. Rainbow Dash and Dangersignal went into his room on the second floor. When the door shut, he began to cry. He was feeling lousy for having to hide so many secrets and VMH or Very Much Hurt. Rainbow Dash soothed him and let him rest. She smiled and kissed him upon the cheek and crept downstairs to see Celestia curled up with Luna, both sleeping peacefully.
Dragonstorm was laying on the couch, looking over the sleeping regal sisters with a contented smile. Rainbow Dash trotted upstairs and followed Luna and Celestia’s example.
Meanwhile on the train to Canterlot, Twilight was not sure what to think. Aquatis Storm told her that friendships often times have to cover the painful and downright wretched parts of life. She wanted to cheer up Dragonstorm and Dangersignal. To her, they were more than Alicorns, they were friends and good ones at that. While they weren’t exactly perfect, they at least knew their business.
“I hope this cheers them up,” Rarity said.
“It will, rest assured,” White Orchid said. “After all, they’re dealing with many ghosts and need some cheering up.”