It took a sudden showering of praise from the worker pony’s to convince Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Diamond Tiara’s father Filthy Rich that the five filly’s had had nothing to do with causing the accident.
“Shucks Bloom,” AJ said rubbing her neck. “I’m sorry for snapping at ya like that.”
“As am I darling,” Rarity apologized for the third time nuzzling Sweetie where the white filly sat on Lilly’s front buffer beam.
“Guess I have an apology to make too,” Rainbow sighed, lounging with Scootaloo on a small cloud she had made from Lilly’s steam.
“It’s okay,” the orange filly smiled laying back with her front hoofs behind her head. “I’m feeling so awesome right now I didn’t even hear half what you guys said.” The comment sent a round of laughter up, loud enough to reach Mr. Rich, who’s deep chuckling nearly upset the load of drinks and sandwiches he was carrying on his back.
“Here we are,” He smiled setting the tray down. “Refreshments courtesy of the dining car. On the house.”
“Really?” Sweetie gasped sitting up and practically lunging for the lettuce wrap Rarity’s magic offered up to her. “Mmmm, Mah favowite!”
“Sweetie! Don’t talk with your mouthful,” the older unicorn scolded taking a dainty bite of her own wrap. The apple sisters however dug right in, as Silver Spoon, who didn’t much care for lettuce, looked at Sweetie Belle curiously.
“Um, Sweetie belle?”
“Hm?” The asked through a mouthful of sandwich, nearly ignoring their sisters earlier warning.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what was that spell you used to fill Lilly’s tanks?” The mulberry tank engine looked back at her side tanks, still sloshing gently and mostly full.
“Oh that? That was a top off charm my Mom taught me. She says it’s really good for hoofball night, and it really helps when Rarity gets so focused on a project that she forgets how her back legs work.” The purple maned unicorn nearly gagged on her sandwich as any blood not helping clear her throat went right to her cheeks. Rainbow Dash of course roared with laughter while Scootaloo cackled right alongside her. When she finally calmed down enough she started to take a bite of her own lettuce wrap, before her eyes caught those of Diamond Tiara, the pink filly’s muzzle just inches from her own first taste as well. Lilly the tank engine watched both filly’s carefully as they stared each other down like the Dodge Junction gunslingers in Jedidiah’s stories.
Slowly, Diamond took a bite of her sandwich, followed by Scootaloo taking a bite of hers. Diamond took another bite, and Scootaloo mirrored with an even larger one. Before Rainbow dash could think not to laugh, if the thought even crossed her mind, the orange and pink fillies were noses deep in a good old fashioned eat off. Not even Filthy Rich could suppress a little laugh as Scootaloo scarfed down her wrap first, leaving Diamond with only a half bite left.
“HAH! Top that!”
“No fair,” Diamond whined. “You took bigger bites!”
“Yeah, cause that’s how you wi, whoah!” The little pegasi’s attempted victory pose on the cloud turned into a tumble when her balance blew off in the wind, and she would have fallen onto Lilly’s boiler if not for a pale yellow magical aura catching her.
“Careful now,” a dull yellow earth pony in a top hat and suit with a pocket watch cutie mark smiled as he walked up to the group with two more ponies at his sides. “I like to think we’ve had enough spills here today don’t you?”
“Uncle Hatty!” Silver spoon cheered, rushing up to the yellow stallion and into a warm hugging nuzzle, one that clearly warmed the hearts of the old pony’s companions. One was the grey earth pony stallion the fillies knew as Mr. Conductor, the other a cherry red unicorn mare slightly older than their teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, with bright teal eyes and a short curly deep purple mane. She too was wearing a suit, this one a sharp bright red that stood out against her coat, and the twirling blue ribbon wand cutie mark on her flank.
“Good to see you to Silver,” Top hat grinned, before turning a mock serious expression on his niece. “Now, what’s this I hear about a gang of Filly’s stowing away aboard a misplaced carriage, gallivanting round my train yard, and then taking one of my little engines for a ride?” Applejack cast a knowing smirk at her little sister, the yellow filly looking nervous regardless of their accomplishments.
“Uh, hehe, that would be us Sir,” she started only to be cut off by her fellow crusaders.
“You see Sir,” Scootaloo started as the red unicorn lowered her to the ground only for Sweetie Belle to interrupt.
“What happened was.”
“I know what happened,” Top Hat said quickly before the fillies could trip over each other’s tongues. “And I have to say I’m quite impressed. You took quick thinking and team work, then put them together to prevent a nasty accident. Look.” He nodded back to the express train, the big pacific engine up front watching as Jedidiah and the crane gang continued to clear the wreckage of Mike’s freight from the tracks.
“You five saved everypony on board, and those working the clean up as well. But then,” He smiled, standing a little straighter before bowing slightly to the three mares present. “What else would anypony expect but heroics from the families of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony?”
“Th, Thank ya Sir,” Apple Bloom stammered, not sure whether to beam or wilt under the pride oozing smile her big sister was giving her. The other Crusaders had the same dilemma; rare was the occasion their antics earned them praise.
“Now,” Mr. Conductor said clearing his throat and checking his gold watch. “I think it’ll please everypony that it’s been arranged for Mr, Rich’s car to be added to the Sun Racer Limited at Hoofmouth. Once this mess is cleared of course.”
“Lilly my dear,” Top Hat said turning to the mulberry tank engine. “Jedidiah needs some rest, so I’m sending him back to the station. Could you help the workers finish up here?” Lilly couldn’t believe it.
“You mean?”
“I understand if you don’t want to,” he smiled cheekily. “It would probably leave you puffing cars back and forth for the rest of the day.”
“No! I mean! Yes, yes sir! Thank you sir!” She whistled happily as a pair of worker ponies climbed into her cab even while her new friends crowded round her buffers.
“Congratulations!” Apple Bloom cheered as Scootaloo hopped up.
“See, I told ya all you had to do was show’em what you got!”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she smiled, then looked up to where Diamond and Silver were standing back, then added, “all of you.” The rich filly’s faces broke out into nervous smiles, but then Sweetie Belle torpedoed the mood.
“I guess this is goodbye,” She said, making the other four filly’s realize they may never see their new tank engine friend again.
“Actually.” Diamond Tiara looked back at her father, the old stallion clearing his throat with a gleam in his tired eyes as he turned to Top Hat. “There’s something I wanted to speak with you about. I was going to request a more formal meeting, but as an old friend said once, no time quite like the present.”
“Certainly Mr. Rich,” The railroad manager smiled, nodding toward the express train. “Come. Let’s talk business.” The business pony’s climbed aboard the train and went into the baggage car, where nopony heard anything else from them until the express had puffed its way into Hoofmouth station. The five fillies waved to Mikaela and Jedidiah in the shed, the old steamer finally resting his tired wheels. Shortly after they arrived, Lilly came chuffing round the bend with a line of freight car’s from Mike’s train, pulling them backwards into the yard, smiling and whistling to her five new friends as she went by. She shunted the cars and fetched Mr. Rich’s coach, gently buffering the observation car onto the end of the express, just as Filthy Rich and Top Hat finally reemerged from the baggage car, only to lock themselves in one of the cabins of Mr. Rich’s private coach.
The five filly’s all bid their new friends goodbye, dashing across the yard to wish Mikaela and Jedidiah good luck and get well soons. Then they climbed aboard Mr. Rich’s coach with their big siblings and waved their tank engine friend goodbye as she puffed backwards down the line.
“Bye Lilly!” Scootaloo yelled as the express train pulled out of the station, Apple Bloom raising her voice above the hissing steam and engine’s bell.
“If ya ain’t too busy, try an swing by Ponyville sometime ya hear!”
“I will!” she whistled back, then vanished round the bend. From the station platform, the stallion the fillys had come to know as Mr. Conductor watched the express train depart, and quite by habit, checked his watch.
“Right on time,” he smiled through his beard, pocketing his watch and retrieving a small brass whistle. As the train puffed toward Canterlot, the fillies turned to head inside, when something caught Sweetie Belle’s eye.
“What was that?”
“What was what Sweets?” Scootaloo asked as the white unicorn went back to the coach’s railing.
“That light. It looked like it was coming from the station.” She squinted her eyes to try and see as Silver Spoon came up and looked for herself.
“What light?”
“I don’t know, it was all gold and sparkly.”
“Well,” Apple Bloom sighed. “Whatever it was, it’s gone now. Probably nuthin anyway.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Come on,” The yellow filly nodded. “Let’s get inside. We got a long ride back to Ponyville.”
Later that day, as Celestia’s sun neared the horizon, it painted the sky a dazzling array of pinks and purples. Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow settled into the warm water of the private car’s onboard Jacuzzi, where just a moment ago five little fillies had been having the greatest splash war in the history of Equestria. But as with all heroic battles, the casualties were many and terrible.
“OW!” Diamond Tiara flinched as the brush tore through another tangle of hairs, pulling and breaking, and feeling like it could rip her scalp off on the next pull.
“Sorry,” Sweetie Belle apologized, concentration wavering and causing the brush held in her magic to waver in the air. The pink filly grumbled about butter-hoof unicorns even as she steeled herself for another brush stroke. Apple Bloom tried her best not to take some small measure of satisfaction in seeing the spoiled filly at the little unicron’s mercy, even as her own mostly dry mane was being woven into a pair of intricate braids by Silver Spoon.
“There we go,” the grey filly smiled as Scootaloo brought a mirror and held it up for Apple Bloom to see. She gasped upon seeing her normal hairstyle replaced with twin braids, one of which held her trademark bow at its top.
“Gah lee, I look just like Granny Smith in the photo albums.”
“Well,” Scootaloo snickered, “Aside from you know, everything but the hair.” The yellow filly heard none of it, and took a moment to admire her new mane styling.
“Ya know you’re really good at this Silver.”
“Well I have had some practice,” she smiled, her own silvery hair still up in a towel. “Thanks for letting me. Diamond won’t let me anywhere near her mane.”
“Oh hush up,” the pink filly sighed without any real venom. “You know how my hair gets when it’s wet. OW!”
“Sorry!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“It’s okay,” Diamond sighed. “You’re actually doing a better job than my usual stylist. That mare shouldn’t be in the same town as a hairbrush. Ow!” Scootaloo watched the pink filly’s hair care with a growing smirk.
“And that’s why,” She smiled running a hoof through her short mane. “I keep mine as aerodie-nemic as possible.”
“Aerodynamic,” Silver Spoon corrected.
“That too.” A giggle went around the room before Scootaloo realized what she’d said, but even then she couldn’t help but laugh herself. As the laughter abated however, an awkward silence fell, only to be broken by the sharp cry of a steam whistle as a train thundered past on the opposite track. It only served to remind the fillies of the friends they had said goodbye too, and a very uncomfortable subject for one of them.
“So,” Apple Bloom started, looking at Diamond Tiara, the pink filly no longer squirming under Sweetie’s brushing.
“So.” Her tone said she knew exactly what the farm filly was starting in on, but rather than blunder through it herself, Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo’s seated haunches a swift kick.
“Look uh, about what I said back at the station. About you being a … you know.” Diamond sunk a little further into her shoulders, eyes toward the floor. “What I’m trying to say is, I’m …” Scootaloo looked like he was actively struggling with some great inner force working and fighting against her, but slowly, the words did indeed escape her lips.
“I’m … sorry …. for calling you a nerd.” When Scootaloo finally met the pink filly’s eyes, she found the expected look of shock, as if she had suddenly grown a horn.
“What, but? Why?” she asked. “Why in the world would you, any of you apologize to me?”
“Cause,” Apple Bloom smiled, “That’s what pony’s do when they’re sorry, right Scoots?”
“I guess,” the little Pegasus groaned, earning another kick to the flank from Apple Bloom. “I mean yeah!”
“Besides,” Sweetie smiled. “If it wasn’t for you, we’d have never saved all those ponies on the train.”
“Heh.” Diamond rubbed the back of her neck, pink cheeks turning the faintest shade of deeper red as Scootaloo relaxed herself into the booths plush seating.
“Even I have admit that was pretty awesome. I mean did you see how fast Lilly was going?! Don’t get me wrong Rainbow Dash is much faster, but dad-gum! She was like, whoosh on the curves, wheesh down the straightaways!” The other crusaders could only giggle as Scootaloo’s dramatic impressions of their tank engine friends speed caused Diamond’s blush to turn her whole face red. This continued until Scootaloo nearly flopped off the edge of her seat, which made Sweetie Belle realizing something all of them had overlooked until now.
“Hey!” She said looking between Diamond and Silver Spoon. “You two should come crusading with us!” This of course stopped Scootaloo dead in her tracks.
“Little white unicorn filly say what?”
“Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara should go crusading with us,” She repeated as plain as common sense. “When we get back to Ponyville.”
“Uh, no offense meant Sweetie,” Apple Bloom said gently. “But uh, … they already have their cutie marks.”
“Well yeah, but can any of us recall one time our crusading didn’t end in disaster? At most it’s only gotten us in trouble with the adults.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tensed up and glanced at each other nervously. It had become something of an unspoken superstition not to mention out loud the curse that plagued the crusaders.
“And look,” Sweetie continued. “Here we’ve actually done something right for a change! Awesome even! All we had to do was work together.”
“Well yeah but …” Scootaloo was about to make the argument that this was Diamond Tiara they were talking about, only to realize how much the last few hours had changed the pink filly in her eyes. And if anything was to be judged by the way Diamond avoided the little pegasus filly’s gaze, the same was true for her as well. Once again awkward silence fell like a curtain over the room, and it endured even after the pink filly got to her hooves and trotted back to one of the coach’s rooms, closing the door behind her.
“That went well,” Scootaloo sighed with tired sarcasm as Silver Spoon let out a breath of her own.
“I’m really sorry.”
“You?” Apple Bloom asked perplexed, “What the hay do you have to be sorry for?”
“It’s just … Diamond’s never been the best at making new friends.”
“Really,” Scootaloo asked pouring on the sarcasm now that the pink filly was out of sight. “Must be her sparkling personality.” This earned her yet another swift kick to the flanks, one from each of her fellow Crusaders.
“She’s actually really nice!” The grey filly insisted. “When you three are off crusading she always comes up with the most fun games to play. She’s just … shy.” Apple Bloom looked at Silver Spoon as if the grey filly had grown a set of wings and a horn.
“Now hold the feed just one second. Diamond Tiara: shy. You sure you’re use’n those words right? Cause sounds to me like somethin’s out of consmext.”
“Context,” Sweetie Belle corrected.
“Whatever! Are you seriously tellin us that Diamond Tiara, the Diamond Tiara we get tormented by at school every day by, is an act?!”
“Well, not all of it,” she admitted in shame. “I really am sorry about teasing you girls for not having your cutie marks yet. I got mine early so I always thought that any bla.” She managed to catch herself before she said blank flanks. “Fillys like you all were just too dumb to find your talent or weren’t as special. Now I know that was really, really wrong.”
“We forgive you,” Sweetie Belle chimed. “You did keep us from arguing and panicking earlier.”
“And,” Scootaloo added. “It was you who told us Diamond knew how to drive a train. We’d have never stopped that express train without you.” Silver Spoon was speechless; never in a million years expecting such nice words to come from a trio of classmates she’d helped bully day in and day out. Maybe Princess Twilight was right about the power of the magic of friendship after all.
“Thank you,” she squeaked out quietly as the train carrying them back to Ponyville trundled over sleek rails under clear skies.