“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!” Sweetie Belle whimpered and tucked her ears against her head as Diamond Tiara raised her voice even higher. The little pink filly hadn’t stopped screaming since she realized she and Silver Spoon were now stuck with her three least favorite filly’s, and she wanted to make sure said fillies knew just how much she despised it. Unsurprisingly, she wasn’t the only one.
“How in the world is this OUR fault?” Scootaloo screeched back, her orange muzzle mere centimeters from the pink filly’s. “You’re the one whose fancy coach pulled out of the station and confused us!”
“It’s a Pullmare observation sleeper car you uncultured Blank Flank!”
“Prissy Pony!”
“Barbarian!”
“Daddy’s Girl!”
“Chicken!”
“QUIIEEEETT!!” Apple Bloom shouted so loud the end became a winy, if only to get a word in. “Does it really matter who’s ta blame here? Way I see it we’re ALL good’n lost now!”
“Not really,” Silver Spoon piped up, earning her the attention of the other four filly’s. “If we’re going northeast, that means we’re headed toward Manehattan on the old River Ridge Route. When the train left, was it pulling just passenger cars or some freight too?”
“Uh, both?” Apple Bloom answered, remembering the pair of painted box cars right behind the engine.
“All right, that means it’s a local service. We can talk to the conductor when the train stops at the next station, then he’ll have our coach uncoupled, and call a train to take us back to Canterlot.”
“Wow,” Sweetie Belle gasped with a tilt of her head. “How do you know so much about trains Silver?”
“My uncle Top Hat runs the Equestria North Eastern Railway,” She smiled proudly. “He’s the Controller for all the trains from Manehattan to Fillydelphia. If I’m right, our train’s going to make a stop at a station to drop off those freight cars and some passengers. I don’t remember the name, but I think it’s where the mainline connects with two branch lines.”
“Knapeford,” Diamond Tiara supplied, much to the surprise of the crusaders. “What? I know stuff too.” Scootaloo didn’t look like she entirely believed the spoiled filly, and Apple Bloom just stared at Diamond, who had now gone a whole five minutes without insulting anypony. Sweetie Belle though was more concerned about the situation at hoof.
“So how long until we get to the station?” She asked joining Silver spoon where the grey filly sat at the table.
“I’m not sure really. It’s not that far from Canterlot so it shouldn’t take us that,” A sharp whistle cut Silver Spoon off, and the filly’s felt the train jolt slightly as it began to slow. Scootaloo looked surprised they were stopping so soon, not realizing just how long she and Diamond had spent shouting at each other. The orange filly quickly hover hopped over to the window to get a better look at the station ahead, but had to squint hard to even see it.
Even when their train did pull in there wasn’t much to see. The station was little more than a pair of brick shacks and stone platforms on either side of the three track mainline, with a pair of switches criss-crossing the tracks and connecting them to two more sets of rails, one behind each of the two buildings.
The engine pulling their train huffed and hooshed as it pulled the box cars and coaches over the switches and onto the track behind the right-hoof station building, only letting it’s passengers out once the observation car was clear of the switches and mainline. As the old locomotive uncoupled itself and slowly rolled off into the yard, the crusaders went out onto their coaches rear deck for a better view. Apple Bloom’s eyes wandered across the small freight yard behind the station and smiled when she saw a pair of four wheel box vans painted with the mark of Sweet Apple Acres. They were sitting near the dark stone engine shed, where a dusty tender engine sat quietly in one of the berths as a small tank engine puffed its way across the yard.
“Kinda small ain’t it,” Scootaloo remarked, hopping off onto the platform. Looking at the tiny station’s buildings, Apple Bloom had to agree.
“It don’t look much bigger than Ponyville’s station, just brick instead'a wood. An come ta think of it,” she said turning a confused look toward Silver Spoon. “Ain’t stations usually built near a town? All I see’re trees.”
“Yes,” Silver Spoon clarified, adjusting her glasses. “But this is really just a Junction. Look.” She pointed with her hoof to another line of tracks splitting off from the main double tracks just outside the station, running off between a pair of hills before vanishing into the tree line.
“That’s the branch line to Hollow Shades. If there’s any passengers or freight that needs to go there, the mainline trains stop here, and lets the ponies and goods off. Then they wait until a train from the branchline comes to take them on to Hollow Shades.” Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but be impressed.
“That’s really smart.” Scootaloo was another story though.
“So, what? Do the trains have to stop at every station then? What if somepony needs to get to Manehattan really fast?”
“I think that’s what the Ex-pess trains are for,” Sweetie Belle added, which Silver Spoon quickly corrected.
“I think you mean express.”
“Yeah that! I remember Rarity one time complaining about Rainbow Dash making her late for her train to Canterlot and missing the Express to Manehattan.”
“Exactly,” The grey filly smiled. “Those trains only carry passengers and mail, and only stop at a few stations. They’re really fast, but kind of expensive too. I rode the Fillydelphia Flyer a few months ago, and everything there was suuuuper fancy.”
“So,” Apple Bloom nodded, still mulling over the first half of Silver Spoons explanation. “That’s the line to Hollow Shades. What about that other’un over there?” The farm filly couldn’t help feeling bad when Silver Spoons mood immediately deflated, reminding her of her sisters first time trying to make an Apple Souffle.
“I’m uh, not really sure where the other one goes,” she admitted when there was a hiss of steam from behind them, then a voice.
“That’s the line to Neighagra Falls.” All five fillies turned to look at the little tank engine now sitting behind their coach, voice cheerful and sweet like her face. She had only four small wheels, each painted the same plain black as her boiler and the small bunker behind her open cab. Her side tanks were small and squared, with the number 1311 picked out in slightly faded white paint. They sat low astride her boiler and tall slim dome, well behind her tall narrow funnel. Despite her drab paint She was a beautiful engine, petite yet balanced in her proportions, but the moment the filly’s looked at her, she gave a fearful squeak and vanished in a cloud of steam.
“Hey!” Diamond Tiara quickly jumped back into the coach, managing to draw the attention away from the timid tank engine.
“What’s up with her?” Scootaloo asked looking after the little pink earth pony before Silver Spoon answered.
“Diamond doesn’t like getting wet. It makes her mane turn all frizzy.”
“I’m so sorry,” The engine gasped. “I didn’t mean to, I just.”
“Woooow.” Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but walk around the engine, and her quality time with Rarity had taught her to recognize elegance when she saw it. “You’re so pretty.”
“Um, thank you?” The tank engine said nervously, as Apple Bloom trotted up to her buffers.
“Huh, I didn’t know engines could talk.”
“Usually only our drivers and fire-pony’s can hear us,” The tank engine explained as the steam cloud dissipated and Diamond Tiara peeked her crowned head back outside. Scootaloo hovered up onto the engine’s front footplate.
“What’s your name?” The little engine started to stammer an answer, before she could another pony came ambling up alongside her, watch chain jingling against his buttoned up shirt and blue uniform.
“Ello? What’s going on here?” He asked, medium grey coat nearly matching the wisps of steam escaping the little engine’s cylinders as his thick short beard captured some of the moisture. His muted colors only served to draw more attention to his cutie mark, a silver train whistle surrounded by a spattering of golden flecks. “Lilly, why haven’t you sorted out these cars yet?”
“Sorry Mr. Conductor Sir, I was talking to these filly’s and I got distracted.”
“Filly’s?” He pondered, glancing around before looking down at the five in question. “Oh. Ello there.” Apple Bloom was about to say hi back, but the conductor’s eyes immediately went to the observation car in front of Lilly and ground his teeth together.
“Well this certainly wasn’t on the manifest. I swear it never fails with those dimwit dispatchers. Cant’ they organize a train that’s not one of their precious Limiteds?”
“Um, Mr. Conductor?” Silver Spoon pipped up, walking over and sitting down in front of the old earth pony. “My name’s Silver Spoon, and my, uhhh,” She hesitated a moment, feeling Diamond Tiara’s eyes on her, but swallowed the awkward lump. “Friends and I kind of got on the wrong train. For some reason this train took our coach from the station when it shouldn’t have.”
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom finally spoke. “And we got on thinking, well.” She shot a withering glare back at Scootaloo, more than enough to make her big sister proud. “A certain somepony thought it was the train back to Ponyville.”
“Ahh,” The conductor sighed putting a hoof to his chin. “So you’re the missing coach everypony’s talking about. Well, that solves one mystery.”
“Yay!” Sweetie Bell cheered as the five filly’s moods brightened considerably. “Now we can get a train to take us back to Canterlot!”
“I’m afraid not.” The conductor’s words popped the newly inflated moods like an old balloon, and Lilly couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. “The Sun Racer is due from Manehattan, and there’s a freight heading up from Fillydelphia. If we let you out on the line now, you’d clog the road. Lilly dear,” He said turning to the little tank engine. “See that this coach is stowed by the sheds until the express’s gone through. We don’t want it getting mixed up in any more trains.”
“Yes sir.” Lilly coupled up and prepared to pull the coach away, but before she could Scootaloo hovered up the conductor.
“Wait, what are we supposed to do? Just wait in there until it’s time to go?”
“I’m sure the refreshment mare could use some help feeding the passengers until their train is ready to depart,” He said casting a worried glance across the train yard to where the old engine that had pulled the train from Canterlot was being looked over by its crew. “Celestia knows old Jeff isn’t the same engine he used to be.”
“Booooring,” The orange Pegasus groaned, her scowl matched by an equally despondent Filly.
“What she said,” Diamond Tiara sighed, eyes widening in shock when she realized what she had said and hoping nopony had noticed. But Apple Bloom had heard her, and it gave her a dangerous, all too common for her, idea.
“Actually, I think we’ll just wait inside.” She smiled and hopped back up into the coach, giving her fellow crusaders a roll with it wink as she went. Sweetie Belle shrugged as Scootaloo hesitantly hopped back on board. The Conductor could only blow his whistle and wave them off, letting Lilly pull the coach away from the train and back across the points before puffing and pushing the streamlined car forward into the yard toward the sheds.
“Okay what gives?” Scootaloo asked rounding on her friend. “Why are we back in here instead of outside?”
“Because,” the yellow filly smirked. “We’ve already tried to earn out cutie marks in baking.” It took a moment for the orange Pegasus filly to realize what her fellow crusader was implying, still sooner than Sweetie Belle, who had a jarring flashback to the aforementioned crusade in Sugar Cube Corner’s kitchen.
‘So much flour,’ the unicorn filly shuddered, before the gears clicked into place, and she joined Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in their excited smiles
“Oh great,” Diamond huffed down her muzzle. “Look out Silver, the blanks are at it again.”
“At what again?” Lilly asked from outside as they trundled over a set of points.
“Earning our cutie marks,” Sweetie Belle answered gleefully. “We’ve never tried getting them in a train yard before.”
“Eeeyup,” Apple Bloom smiled. “And like my big bro always says, no time like the present! Who knows, maybe today we’ll finally find our special talents!” Diamond Tiara scoffed.
“Yeah, shoveling coal maybe.” Lilly didn’t like the way Diamond was acting toward the three louder fillys but she kept quiet about it as she shunted their coach into a siding beside the yard’s engine shed. Then she left to shunt the rest of the train still waiting at the platform, whistling back.
“Well, stay out of trouble! I’ll be back as quick as I can!”
“Okay,” Scootaloo shouted back from the car’s porch railing, before turning back with a devious grin. “Now, where to start?” Sweetie Belle’s expression and voice was much less intimidating as she turned to Silver Spoon.
“Silver, you know a lot about trains. What kind of jobs are there to do in a train yard?” Diamond’s eyes shot open in sudden glee, then turned to panic when she realized what was about to happen, but she couldn’t stop her friend.
“Well, there’s drivers and fire-ponies to run the trains obviously,” she started sitting back on her haunches and adjusting her glasses. “Then there’s the switch pony’s, the station master, conductors, ponies to clean and oil the engines, but usually the drivers and firepony’s do that themselves. Pony’s that check the rails, ponies to check the cars.” Every new job listed caused the grins of three fillies to grow and grow and grow until the inevitable finally happened.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS RAILWAY HELPERS, YAY!!” But no sooner had the three fillies made their intentions known than a tired voice came through the walls.
“Cinders and ashes, what’s all that noise for?!” It took the filly’s a moment to realize it was coming from the engine shed next door, and before Diamond Tiara could say anything, the crusaders were out the door and away.
“Good riddance,” She huffed dropping back on her haunches and crossing her front hooves. “Let those blank flanks run off and get themselves in trouble. More lemonade for us right Silver Spoon?”
“ … ”
“ ... ”
“ ... ”
“Silver Spoon?” Diamond finally looked around when her best friend didn’t answer, and it only took a moment for her to realize the grey filly had followed the crusaders outside. “Silver! What, but, whu, buhjuh, arrrrrrrrrgghhh! Wait for me!”
Somewhere in Manehattan’s Grand Central Terminal, working comfortably at his office desk, a dull yellow earth pony in a top hat and neatly pressed suit sat up with a start, suddenly filled with incalculably overwhelming sense of dread for the safety of his railway.