The lost Empire

by Q_The_Exile

Chapter 10

The next day evening

Location: Ponyville Train Station

"I can't believe this!" Apple bloom chattered excitedly with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, "We got a summons from princess Luna herself, asking us to meet her at the station!"

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. I wonder if it has anything to due with the construction that popped up overnight on the railroad. I mean, they are being connected to that mysterious building near the Everfree with two sets of track." Sweetie bell chattered as they watched as a
4-4-0 with, Exile Railroad painted on the tender, pulled in to the station from the finished side of the two tracks with three loaded flatbeds covered by tarps in front of the normal coaches.

They waited excitedly as Luna stepped onto the platform in a full station master regalia, followed by Archy in pony form, Applejack, Rarity, and Sir Top Hat, the owner of the equestrian central railway.

"Sis? what are you doing here?" Sweetie belle asked nervously as they all stood in front of the tree fillies.

"I came deary, to speak with Mr. Exile about your punishment that you'll be shearing with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom." She told her with a smirk as the three fillies' smiles simultaneously drooped to frowns of dread.

"So, then why is the princess here if your giving us punishments?" Scootaloo asked questioningly.

"I am merely here to be a witness for my old boss." She said with a smile as she gestured to Archy.

"Speaking of which-ahem-.. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, you are being charge with the actions of causing confusion and delay on my railroad. To repay these damages you three shall work as engineers on my railroad until this day next year." He said before walking over to the canvases and pulled them off, revealing three new engines sitting on each car.

"Apple bloom you shall be working with Apple Bell." Archy told her as he gestured to a green and red 4-6-0 with a shield with an apple in the center painted just under the cab window.

"Sweetie belle you'll be working with Emerald Star." And moved to the middle 4-2-2 engine painted green and black with a shield and star with a music note painted under the window.

"Last but not least, Scootaloo; you'll be working with this 4-4-0." He finished gesturing to the final blue and red engine with a shield with a wing in the center painted under the window, sitting on the flatbed.

"Please show up tomorrow in the afternoon, at the Cat and Moon station for your first lessons on how to take care of these engines." he ordered them with a slight smile on his face as he saw their shocked faces.

"Can we go and look at them?" sweetie bell asked him with puppy dog eyes, with the other two joining her.

'Must.. ignore.. cuteness.. for.. a.. single.. minute..' Archy thought to himself.

"In a minute, there is one other thing that needs to be done" Luna told them, taking pity on Archy.

"Right! Ahem.. Scootaloo;" he said as she got worried as he singled her out with a stern expression.

"Congratulations! you've been adopted!" he told her with a smile that would rival Pinkie's.

"Wh- What! Who?! Who?! Please tell me who!" She begged him, just holding her tears back in happiness of having one of her dreams given to her.

"Welcome to the family!" he told her with a smile.

"THANK YOU!" she cried happily as she raced over and bear hugged him with tears of happiness.

"Well, With everything done here. I'll be heading back to Canterlot." Luna replied happily a moment after they had separated, and teleported away from them.

"Well, I think that we should be heading home now, A.B. since it sounds like you'll be h'ven' a busy day tomorrow." Applejack told apple bloom.

"And we sweetie need to get back home. We don't want to be out late tonight." Rarity told sweetie belle and excused themselves.

"I'll have a crew drop off your refrigerators tomorrow afternoon at your houses." Archy replied with a smile before turning to Scootaloo. Scooping her up suddenly, earning a peal of surprise and laughter from her, and deposited her into the cab of the locomotive. He decoupled the locomotive and ran around the train before coupling up and heading home. The whole time smiling as Scootaloo sat in the fire-pony's seat.

---

The Next Morning

Location: Paradise station - Private station owned by Archy.

"Scoot', Time to wake up." Archy whispered into Scootaloo's ear as he gently nudged her shoulder to get her to wake up from her bed.

"Mhm.. 'k I'll be up in five min'ts." She replied half asleep, making Archy chuckle before heading down stairs.

a few minutes later, Scootaloo came running down the stairs of his house and into the dining room, just as he came pout with a heaping pile of pancakes and sat down across from her and began eating with her.

"So, this morning," he said between bites to her, "we will get you initiated, so that you will really be my daughter, and can successfully take up my empire when I retire of do your own thing when you wish."

"Wait, I thought that I was already your daughter?" She asked confused as she picked up a glass of orange juice.

"Legally, you are. But the process I will put you through will pass to you all of my abilities and none of my short-comings. I'm not actually in my original form, and i won't be in this form all the time, the problem is that you cant understand me in that for currently. After the initiation you will be able to, and any other language currently known or dead." he explained as he got up and poured himself some green tea from a pot on the stove.

"oh, cool. what else will i get?" She quizzed as she got up and put her dishes in the sink.

"I don't know for certain, but i guess that you will receive my ability to transform into anyone I touch or anything I build. I also guess you will also get my ability to absorb and transmute any material touched at whim, and that your body will harden and strengthen so that it will match steel if someone attacks you." Archy theorized as he cleaned up the table and began washing dishes with Scootaloo drying them and staking them neatly on the counter next to her.

"Cool~," She said as Archy finished and picked up the stack of dishes in each hand, before a blue flame flashed along his back before two wire like appendages unraveled from his back. Scootaloo watched intrigued as the wires reached up and opened a pantry above the sink, before coiling and picking up one stack of dishes each and placed them away before closing the doors.

"oh yeah, you could also get wires too." he said with a chuckle at her expression as he gestured to the appendages.

Leading her out the door and to a three bay train shed behind his house that connected to the train tracks with a small turntable in front of the door. On the small siding next to the shed sat her engine with it's tender full of fuel and water, along with Apple bloom's, and Sweetie Bell's engine.

Archy opened the door and as she walked in she saw above her, hanging from a crane sat a red, streamlined and tender-less 0-8-0, and on the wall across from her was a poster of the engine and another engine racing.

At the opposite side from the engine shed doors she saw a round object in a metal case surrounded by several pipes and pressure gauges, all of which were moving wildly and some pipes quietly hissed steam.

"Morning Arrow." Archy called out as he shut the door, confusing Scootaloo as she looked around for another being and found none.

"She's Scootaloo, I just adopted her and have to go through the initiation." Archy called out again as if hearing some question.

"Who are you talking to?" Scoot' asked confused.

"Ah, Red Arrow. She's hanging above you," he answered her as he pointed to the red locomotive.

"I hat to be rude or mean offence, but as far as engines go, they cant talk." Scoot' said to Archy as he pulled up to chairs and gestured to her to sit in one, which she did.

"It will all make sense in a second." he replied before focusing on her," Now, are you ready to do this, and do you want to do this?" he asked her seriously.

"yes." she replied in the same tone as him.

"Good." he said with a smile before turning into his original anthropomorphic dragon form.

Scoot' looked nervous as he seemed to reach into his chest and pulled out a small, blue ball like object that was similar to the one in the metal case and cradled it gently in his hands. Taking a deep breath he suddenly thrust-ed the blue metal ball like object to her chest and she watched it disappear into her skin before suddenly passing out.