The predators of the Everfree are disappearing. Fluttershy brings the issue to Twilight. Worried about her critters becoming the next victim. Possibly even Ponyville.
"And what we're you going to do? Get a free ride because you're the princess?"
In Britain (and many other places in the 19th and 20th century) the crown often had a standing arrangement with the passenger train companies. They paid for a sort of "all access" travel, so they never needed arrangements to board a train anywhere in the country. Anyone acting in an official capacity who needed to board a passenger train headed anywhere in the country could do so simply by flashing their credentials. (The royal family, of course, could just walk on as if they owned the place). (They pay ~for a full year, five years, or how ever much the train company and the crown arrange for in advance~ for unlimited train use within that period, and just like that, they can come and go as they please. No ticket purchase necessary, because their passage has already been paid for.)
This was often less because they needed regular travel, and more so they could do so without ever needing to purchase tickets in advance, because if they did have to purchase tickets, then the wrong person or persons might overhear the sale or find out about it, which would be a potential security concern.
So the more paths and means of transport they had available at an instant's notice without pre-planning, the more secure routes they had for protecting valuable items or VIP's who were being discretely transported should they find themselves under attack or being pursued. IE, the queen's personal carriage and escort are attacked by surprise, a small number of her guard can slip out of the carriage with her in tow, board a train, and be headed to a safe location without any need for stopping to purchase tickets. Obviously this wouldn't be ideal, but if there are too many dangers watching the streets and you need to travel a long distance, you have a relatively secure way to do so. The only guy who's gonna know you're on the train with the queen herself is going to be a single ticket master. And the chances that the threat has managed to also infiltrate that particular train on the very off chance that the queen would take a run-of-the-mill passenger train on that particular rail company's cars is practically nonexistent. And even then, you can come and go at any time, so you can jump trains at the very next stop. This allows the possibility of being able to escape the carriage attack, get on a train headed in the opposite direction of where the threat thinks you're going, then hop trains and double back after the enemy forces have lost track of you and spread out.
Even if they weren't expecting to need the train arrangement to evade an attack on their own soil, I would expect that the Equestrian government would have a similar arrangement with the train companies. (Hell, If I were Celestia or Luna, I would have this done just so I could sneak off and enjoy the scenery of a train ride as a way to relax and play hooky. Do it about once every 5-8 decades, and as long as you don't make a big deal about it so it doesn't get recorded in some sort of public record, no one will live long enough to really catch on, let alone predict when it will happen.)
I didn't know that... Kind of regret making him steal the Bits now. Never really like making characters bad per-say, more like morally questionable.
Thanks for taking the time and writing that. Never really had a second thought about it. I was gonna say something like 'Celestia can defend herself' but looking back at every one of the previous villains she has fought, it doesn't really help that case.
But yeah, thanks for writing that out. That must have taken some time.
Please don't take this sarcastically. I never like it when people think I'm being sarcastic with my thanks.
7418484 I understand. Most people aren't aware of government transport preferences anyway. I only know this particular little bit of trivia thanks to a grade school report I did on 1800's through 1900's trains and their more notable/interesting practices.
........... What?
In Britain (and many other places in the 19th and 20th century) the crown often had a standing arrangement with the passenger train companies.
They paid for a sort of "all access" travel, so they never needed arrangements to board a train anywhere in the country.
Anyone acting in an official capacity who needed to board a passenger train headed anywhere in the country could do so simply by flashing their credentials. (The royal family, of course, could just walk on as if they owned the place).
(They pay ~for a full year, five years, or how ever much the train company and the crown arrange for in advance~ for unlimited train use within that period, and just like that, they can come and go as they please. No ticket purchase necessary, because their passage has already been paid for.)
This was often less because they needed regular travel, and more so they could do so without ever needing to purchase tickets in advance, because if they did have to purchase tickets, then the wrong person or persons might overhear the sale or find out about it, which would be a potential security concern.
So the more paths and means of transport they had available at an instant's notice without pre-planning, the more secure routes they had for protecting valuable items or VIP's who were being discretely transported should they find themselves under attack or being pursued. IE, the queen's personal carriage and escort are attacked by surprise, a small number of her guard can slip out of the carriage with her in tow, board a train, and be headed to a safe location without any need for stopping to purchase tickets.
Obviously this wouldn't be ideal, but if there are too many dangers watching the streets and you need to travel a long distance, you have a relatively secure way to do so. The only guy who's gonna know you're on the train with the queen herself is going to be a single ticket master. And the chances that the threat has managed to also infiltrate that particular train on the very off chance that the queen would take a run-of-the-mill passenger train on that particular rail company's cars is practically nonexistent. And even then, you can come and go at any time, so you can jump trains at the very next stop. This allows the possibility of being able to escape the carriage attack, get on a train headed in the opposite direction of where the threat thinks you're going, then hop trains and double back after the enemy forces have lost track of you and spread out.
Even if they weren't expecting to need the train arrangement to evade an attack on their own soil, I would expect that the Equestrian government would have a similar arrangement with the train companies.
(Hell, If I were Celestia or Luna, I would have this done just so I could sneak off and enjoy the scenery of a train ride as a way to relax and play hooky. Do it about once every 5-8 decades, and as long as you don't make a big deal about it so it doesn't get recorded in some sort of public record, no one will live long enough to really catch on, let alone predict when it will happen.)
7418368 Huh...
I didn't know that... Kind of regret making him steal the Bits now. Never really like making characters bad per-say, more like morally questionable.
Thanks for taking the time and writing that. Never really had a second thought about it. I was gonna say something like 'Celestia can defend herself' but looking back at every one of the previous villains she has fought, it doesn't really help that case.
But yeah, thanks for writing that out. That must have taken some time.
Please don't take this sarcastically. I never like it when people think I'm being sarcastic with my thanks.
7418484
I understand.
Most people aren't aware of government transport preferences anyway.
I only know this particular little bit of trivia thanks to a grade school report I did on 1800's through 1900's trains and their more notable/interesting practices.
that was weird