//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8 
// Story: The lost Empire 
// by Q_The_Exile 
//------------------------------//

Archy brought the road locomotive to a smooth stop just at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres and the three little fillies hurriedly climbed out of the cab.
"Thank heavens!" Sweetie belle cried in relief.
"Ground!, Sweet, sweet, solid ground!" Scootaloo cried as she kissed the ground.
"Dramatic, Ar'n't they," Archy muttered to himself before spotting two vary angry mares coming towards them and silently changed his form to one of his friends.

"Scootaloo!,"
"Apple Bloom!"
Rarity, and Apple Jack exclaimed when they saw the little fillies before marching over to them.
"Where have all of you been? It is four hours since we asked you to be back!" Rarity Asked them sternly as Applejack marched up to Apple Bloom and scolded the poor filly.
"And you forgot that you were suppose to help Me and Big Mac' with canning Apples to store them." 
"But we got lost and-"
"Up! I don't want to here it! get back to the house, you are going to have a lot of chores to do for punishment." Applejack ordered and practically frog marched Apple Bloom away.
"Sweetie, Go home." Rarity ordered to sweetie.
"You're not going to yell at me?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously.
"Not here Where it is impolite." Rarity replied before turning to Scootaloo who was trying to edge away from the group.
"And I have not forgotten you, Scootaloo. Go back to Mrs. Evergreen's. I'll have a word with her later about you as well." Rarity ordered and watched both of the two fillies walked towards town before starting that way herself, but was stopped by Archy,
"Excuse me Miss? May I ask you some quick questions?"
"Sure thing deary," She replied turning around.
"Why do the Apple family have to Can their apples? And doesn't miss Scootaloo have a parent to look after her?" He asked, tilting his head to one side.
"We don't have anything to keep our fruits and vegetables cold so all of our food goes bad after a few days unless we can it," she replied, smiling at his form's cuteness, before frowning slightly as she continued, "Scootaloo, lost her parents to a fire when she was younger. So, She has been in the orphanage since then and both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle have been practically the high points of her life so far."
"I see.. Thank you miss. you have given me something to ponder upon, have a good day," Archy replied, bowing slightly to Rarity.
"Have a nice day as well," Rarity replied with a smile before turning away and walking towards town.
Turning back to the locomotive, Archy through a shovel of coal into the fire box before releasing the breaks and heading back towards the caves. 
After he was out of sight from Ponyville, Archy turned to a little box above his head and turned a crank next to it, extending a radio wire above the cab, before heading on.
Pushing down the button on the hand set he called up dispatch in Exile, "Archy to dispatch, over."
"Dispatch here: Go ahead Archy."
"Hey Sam, I need you to call the construction crews and order them to lay tracks to the edge of Ponyville tonight. And while they are there, to build a replica of the Cat and Moon station, over" he replied as he changed back to his original form and continued towards the cave entrance.
"Any particular reason why you want that? over."	
"Let's just say that I have found a new market for Ice, and I think that the Cat and Moon's station master would like it where she could get more activity. over"
"..."
"Ok, I have just sent out you request, see you when you get back. over"
"Ok, Archy over and out"