Apple Family Reunion

by The Blue EM2

Chapter 9

The top of Bald Knob was very warm, despite being so high up, and the skies were clear as far as anybody could see. The clouds had all gone away, and were probably busy dropping water over North Carolina.

"Hey! It's wet enough already! We don't need West Virginia's rain as well!"

Jimmy, please stop infiltrating my stories. Go back to Manteo and turn into Sunbutt, for all I care. Where was I? Ah yes, there was no rain to be reported that lovely summer day, and the families got off to go and see the sights, whilst some made a hasty visit to the restrooms built near the station. The scene was happy, and the feeling of merriment spread amongst all. Apple Bloom and Babs Seed had occupied themselves with looking off the lookout platform, trying to see what was going on.

"Apparently y'all can see the rest of the Appalachians around from up here," Apple Bloom said.

"And Monte Rosa, in all likelihood," Babs joked.

"Sorry, what?" Apple Bloom asked, confused at Babs' comment.

"Something a pen friend of mine said once," Babs explained. "He used to go to Switzerland quite a bit, before it got too expensive for most tourists, and most mountains had signs proclaiming you could see Monte Rosa from them. Almost invariably you couldn't, but they never bothered to change the sign."

"Where is Monte Rosa?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It's in the Alps," somebody else said, "and sits between Italy and Switzerland. It's the second highest peak in the Alps, after Mont Blanc in France."

"Wow!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, her eyes full of their usual childlike wonder. "How do ya know that?"

The man laughed. "Wikipedia," he said.

Apple Bloom looked at Babs. "Oh. Right."

Meanwhile, at the train, the second Shay had been decoupled, and with a loud blast of its whistle, it began to run down the hill, gears flying and whistles echoing as it rolled backwards down the line toward Whittaker. Bright Mac was at the controls, and brought the engine down the mountain in an expert and controlled manner, stopping it smoothly at the siding just outside the locomotive shed, ready for the engine to be disposed of for the evening.

Back up top, Granny Smith and Apple Rose were talking about the old days, again.

"Ya know," Granny Smith smiled, her face aglow, "Ah recall it has been a long, long time since Ah was last up here. Probably back in the 1990s or somethin' like that. Anyways, it stuns me, seein' how this place has barely changed since the last day Ah was here, that the world could change so much or so fast."

"Yer not the only one!" Apple Rose laughed. "Ah can vaguely remember computers bein' invented, and now those youngin's are carryin' them around in their pockets, able ta talk ta anybody they want to at the touch of a button. And no need fer those switchboard operators anymore!"

"In mah day," Granny Smith replied, "phones were thin's that sat on yer mantlepiece and had to be turned in order ta be used. But now, as you say, they can carry them about with them wherever they want and know whatever they want, whenever they want. Crazy!"

"Do they ever actually learn anythin'?" Apple Rose sighed. "In our day, we had to learn from big books. But now they can just look it up. No wonder it all goes in one ear and out the other."

"Sorry?" Granny Smith asked. "Did ya say somethin' about it all goin' in one ear and out the other?" Suddenly, a loud whistle sounded from the engine positioned at the back of the train. "Ah blast, the train's leavin'!" Granny Smith cried, heading toward the platform.

"It won't go until we're all aboard, Granny," Applejack called, speeding toward the platform herself.

"How can we be sure?" Big Mac called as well. "What if the driver leaves the guard behind?"

"Please don't tempt fate!" called Pear Butter, also headed for the train.

Once everybody had taken their seats, the brakes came off, and the train began to descend the hill toward Cass. It rolled back and forth through the switchbacks, through the many curves that characterised the line up to Bald Knob, and stopped off briefly at Whittaker in order to allow passengers a rest. The many coaches sat in position, held in position by the locomotive they were coupled to. Another whistle informed the travellers that they were ready to start the final portion of the trip, and on they got. Another blast of the whistle, and they were away down the hill. Unfortunately, this was where things began to go wrong. Once the train comes out of the bottom switchback, it must descend a steep slope in order to get to Cass station. Brakes must be carefully maintained on the descent, in order to control speed, as this place was the site of many runaways back in the history of the line. Unfortunately, history was about to repeat itself. Valve Gear checked the speed gauge, and adjusted the brakes on the engine, to minimal effect.

"We have a problem!" he shouted. "The train's too heavy! We're on the verge of a runaway!"

He was right. The heavy coaches slammed together, forcing the engine backwards down the hill. The train bounced down the hill and the steep gradient.

"What's goin' on?" Apple Bloom asked, holding on for dear life.

"The train's got some sort of speed issue, or somethin'!" Babs shouted back.

"We're gonna wreck!" another called. "Hold onto somethin', it may save yer life!"

The train shot straight through Cass yard, past the engine workshops, and by logical extension past the banking engine detached at the top of Bald Knob. Bright Mac looked over in shock. "No!" he cried. "They're headed for the carbarn!"

And indeed they were. The switches were not set correctly, and the train raced into the carbarn. The engine left the rails inside, as a flange was poorly configured, and crashed into a wall as it impacted the buffers. The wall gave way, and so did the rest of the building, collapsing on top of the other coaches and the train, wood and metal landing everywhere.

Luckily, nobody was hurt. But as the passengers got up, it was clear that the damage was severe. Broken wood, messy plaster, and metal lay everywhere. A worker looked over angrily. "JUST LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY VARNISH!" he shouted. "NO I'LL HAVE TO APPLY IT AGAIN!"

Valve Gear sighed. "Some poeple have no sense of priority," he said.

Pear Butter looked about her sadly. "Some reunion this has turned out ta be," she said sadly. "Ah tried ta make it the best, but it's by far the worst one ever!"

Granny Smith came over to comfort her. "We're all alive, nobody's hurt, and that's what matters most," she said calmly. "Now then, Ah suggest we head away from this place before anythin' else happens."

Just then, Applejack had an idea. "That's it!" she said.

"That's what?" Apple Bloom asked.

"We may have knocked their old carbarn down," Applejack said, "but we can build the Cass Scenic Railroad a new one. Who's with me?"

A loud cheer echoed from the train, as a group of workers suddenly picked up fiddles and other suitable instruments.

Author's Note:

Cue music...

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

9677507
Yes it is. Handy that.

[The Blue EM2]

9677639
As it often is. Interestingly, you are my most regular commenter.

[The Blue EM2]

9677716
Yes, indeed.

[The Blue EM2]

9677750
That was a good spot.

[The Blue EM2]

9677762
That's intentional. It's a reference to the fact some characters receive the exact same name. There are, for instance, two characters called Cloudchaser.

[The Blue EM2]

9677903
Of course.

[The Blue EM2]

9677978
Final chapter goes up tomorrow.

[The Blue EM2]

9678402
Indeed.

[The Blue EM2]

9678406
Depends.

[The Blue EM2]

9678413
Something.

[The Blue EM2]

9678424
See you then.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"How can we be sure?" Big Mac called as well. "What if the driver leaves the guard behind?"

Don't jinx it Big Mac.

"We have a problem!" he shouted. "The train's too heavy! We're on the verge of a runaway!"

Just what we needed.

Luckily, nobody was hurt. But as the passengers got up, it was clear that the damage was severe. Broken wood, messy plaster, and metal lay everywhere. A worker looked over angrily. "JUST LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY VARNISH!" he shouted. "NO I'LL HAVE TO APPLY IT AGAIN!"

I find it shocking no one was hurt as someone must've suffered some kind of injury from that crash!

Valve Gear sighed. "Some poeple have no sense of priority," he said.

people*

"We may have knocked their old carbarn down," Applejack said, "but we can build the Cass Scenic Railroad a new one. Who's with me?"

I'm liking where this is going.