The End Of The Line

by autobotfan15

Chapter 2: Approach

[Train Tracks To Haven City - Afternoon]

---

The Iron War Horse rocked and rolled on the rails with the fuel tanker behind it. Andrew kept one eye on the tracks while the other he kept on the gauges. He then at some point looked over to Stacy who was typing on her laptop. He decided to break the awkward silence.”So, where do you think Twilight and her friends went off too after what happened to Ponyville?”

Stacy looked up from her laptop and pushed her glasses up her nose bridge before giving her response.”If I were to hazard a guess, I would assume AJ went to be with her family at Appaloosa. Fluttershy and Rainbow most likely went back to Cloudsdale. We all know Pinkie is with her family on the rock farm. Rarity probably went to sell her products somewhere near the border or beyond, and I can assume Twilight went back to Canterlot.”

Andrew nodded in understanding. But deep down he wished that wasn’t the case.”Speaking of Canterlot, you think these tracks lead to there?” He asked.

Stacy looked at the map growing even more confused. “I don’t know. When we backed up towards that last junction I thought we might have detoured around Ponyville and were heading there, but for some reason these twists and turns are telling us otherwise.”

Andrew sighed. “I’m sure we’ll find something at some point. What do you think we’re gonna do if we find the ponies of Ponyville?”

Stacy looked up from her laptop and straight ahead, her mind processing that question. “Honestly, beyond confronting Jason, I don’t know. I just want to help these ponies get a decent life back without suffering. I just want to help a nation like my Dad has. You remember what I said about him.”

“Oh yes, you said he served in the military?” Andrew asked.

“U.S. Air Force,” she replied. “At first he fixed aircraft, then he flew them. When he came home for Christmas when I was seven he would talk endlessly about the cool technology that was used, much to Mom’s annoyance.”

“And that’s how you got involved with electronics?” Andrew asked.

“I was already obsessed with computers when I was a kid, and Dad just encouraged it.” She laughed before frowning. “But all that changed one day. I was just barely in high school when it happened.”

“What happened?”

Stacy was quiet for a moment before answering. “I was doing homework when Mom answered the door only to see a man in uniform. I could barely make out the conversation but when I came out of my room I saw my Mom crying with the man there looking pretty somber. I soon learned that the man was a Casualty Notification Officer. My father died.”

Andrew was stunned for a moment.”I’m sorry to hear that.”

Stacy took a moment to collect herself before continuing. “I was sad for a long while but then one day while browsing the internet I saw it. An episode.”

“My Little Pony?”

“What else? It was the episode when Rainbow did her famous Sonic Rainboom and saved Rarity and the Wonderbolts.” Stacy smiled. “It actually made me happy. To me it felt like more than a show.”

“I agree, and we were right. It’s a whole other world we are now in,” Andrew replied.

“What about you? What got you into the show?” Stacy asked.

Andrew thought for a moment. “I was browsing YouTube one day. Some of my favorite channels started putting pictures of ponies in their videos, even though they were mostly about another fandom. Eventually curiosity made me look into it.”

“And you discovered the show?” Stacy asked.

“I discovered the fandom, but at first I only saw what the haters were saying along with a news channel,” he replied, “but then I started to dig a little deeper and soon I watched an episode. It was actually an episode about Spike. Secret of my Excess.”

“And then you watched another?” Stacy asked.

“And another and so on,” Andrew replied.

“Say, you said those channels were a part of another fandom. What other kind of fan are you? A Trekkie? A Potterhead? A Whovian?”

“A Tankie,” Andrew replied with pride.

Stacy paused for a moment. “A...what?”

“I know, not many Bronies take kindly to fans of Thomas the Tank Engine, but I’m not like one of those cringe crossover people who use tons of different characters in a single video with subtitles.”

Stacy sighed in relief. “So what's your plan here aside from Jason?”

“To undo the painful punishment he inflicted on Rainbow Dash and Applejack, my two favorites. The trials may have shown their sins but they don’t deserve that torture. If I was suffering a painful ache with timed strikes with no end, I’d go insane and jump in front of a train,” Andrew explained.

The two were quiet again until the train rounded the bend. It was then Stacy noticed something and looked through a pair of binoculars.”I think I see some kind of settlement or town up ahead.”

“Aha! Civilisation at last! Let’s get ready to greet them and let them know we’re coming,” he replied as he reached for the locomotive’s horn.

---

[Yggdrasil - Around That Same Time]

---

“Music is important to human society, and it always has been,” Gregory was explaining as he presented a projection from his laptop onto the whiteboard behind him. Around the class, eyes of many various creatures were glued to him or the screen. He smiled as he replied,“Now, you know me. I love singing. I’ve engaged in several of what you call Heart Songs since I arrived here, but Earth doesn’t have magic so we can’t just burst into song with a full band playing from nowhere.” This got the class, including the Mane Six, laughing. He smiled as he continued. “In our early history, music wasn’t only used for entertainment, it was also used to keep records of history. Before we had paper or even carved out language on stone, we had to either tell stories through the generations or sing songs of real or mythical heroes.”

He saw a lavender hoof shoot into the air. He sighed, but smiled as he pointed to Twilight. He knew she was about to school him on Equestrian history. He pointed to her and she said, “Ancient ponies did the same thing. Even some of our holiday songs started out as Heart Songs that tell our history.”

Gregory nodded. “Music is important to us just as much as it is here, despite our lack of Heart Song. The current music industry back on Earth is massive. You have artists here like Songbird Serenade or Countess Coloratura. We have a lot of musical artists or bands back on Earth as well. People go nuts for many different artists.”

Gregory was about to continue, when he took a deep breath and noticed just how stuffy it had become in the classroom. It was spring, after all, and he’d kept the window closed since it was still pretty cold outside, but he knew he had a lower tolerance for temperatures than his students. He turned to Smolder, who was the closest one to the windows. “Smolder, you mind opening some of these windows to let some air in?”

“I thought you’d never ask, teach,” she muttered as the brand new Bearer of the Element of Honesty spread her wings and flew to the windows, opening them. When she finished, she sat back down and returned to idly taking notes.

“Thank you,” Gregory said, “now back to what I was saying. Humans have a very wide range of musical genres, from classical, to new age, to techno, to alternative, to rock and roll. Each of these genres has a specific type of sound. I know the same is true here, but I just wanted to reiterate it to emphasize our similarities.”

He was about to continue when he heard something coming from the outside. It had been silent when the sound was heard, and everyone’s ears perked up. One of the ponies in the room, a teenage colt named Rail Crossing, spoke up. “That sounds a lot like a train, but I can’t identify the whistle.”

The class devolved into whispers of confusion, but Gregory’s heart dropped. The sound of that whistle was incredibly familiar. He rushed over to the nearest window which had a birds eye view of Haven City and its nearby train station. He looked to the north, but saw nothing. When he looked to the south, he saw what looked like a train engine coming from the south. He peered at it but it was too far away to get a good look. There was normally smoke that came from the trains from Equestria, but they hadn’t developed anything like diesel or electric yet. The whistle came again, a bit louder, and he knew something was wrong. He had a good rapport with Princess Luna and she would sometimes talk with him in their dreams about current events in Equestria. He doubted that a train development like this would be secret, but he couldn’t be sure. Perhaps it was Luna coming to surprise him?

He remembered his vision and shook his head. Something was coming, and he had to be prepared for the worst. He heard the murmurs of concern from behind him as he turned. “Everyone, I’m afraid that for now this class is gonna be converted into a study hall. I have to go.”

He grabbed his overcoat, flung it on, put his goggles over his eyes and lastly put his hood over his head. After that, he slipped both of his magical rings on and concentrated, feiling the ice wings forming behind him. Everyone was trying to ask him questions, but he simply reiterated that he needed to go and that he’d tell them what was going on later. He rushed out of the window, spreading his ice wings as he began to soar through the air towards Haven City.

---

[Haven City Train Station]

---

Many creatures gathered at the train station platform as the strange train drew closer. Its horn occasionally blaring and its bell dinging. As it got closer to the platform, it slowed to a crawl then it stopped with a hiss of its brakes.

Inside the cab, Andrew and Stacy looked outside in utter disbelief. “Look at all the different creatures,” Andrew said in amazement.

“It's like the song of the canon final except it's not a school,” Stacy added.

Andrew looked at the crowd through the window once more before turning to Stacy. “Alright, remember we are new humans and need to show we can be far better than Jason. Just keep calm and don't do anything stupid.”

“Right,” nodded Stacy as she closed her laptop and slipped it into her backpack.

At that moment, a few of the creatures looked up and pointed. Their smiles indicated that someone they liked was arriving. The new humans looked up to see a hooded bipedal figure flying towards them. It landed on the platform and slowly removed its hood, revealing a human. However, this was clearly not Jason. This human had snow white hair but wasn’t old, bright icy blue eyes, and a scar across one eye. He spoke to the creatures on the platform, and they all backed away. The human looked at the train. “Who’s in there?” he demanded.

To say Andrew and Stacy were shocked would be an understatement. There was another human but it didn’t look like their target nor did it look like anyone they knew. “Who the hell is that?” asked Andrew. “And how did he do all that magic?”

“Not one of our guys, that's for sure. I think we were never the second humans to come.” Said Stacy with worry.

The human looked around, then reached down to grab something on his belt. They all saw he was armed…with a pistol. His hand hovered over it as he called out, “Come on out, whoever you are!”

Suddenly the cab doors opened and the two humans stepped out with their hands in the air. Both of them looked scared and confused by this new development. The human removed his hand from his belt, and the wings behind him vanished into the air with what was clearly magic. His piercing icy blue eyes narrowed at the two. “Well, this is unexpected,” he said as he straightened. “Who are you? You’re not changelings, are you? I know Chrysalis can become human, but nothing like this.”

The two humans exchanged confused looks before Andrew answered. “We mean no harm and we’re not changelings. I am Andrew Wilberts and this is my friend Stacy Brendom.”

The human looked at them, then nodded. “I can sense you’re not lying,” he replied. “My name is Gregory Graystone. I teach at the Seeds of Yggdrasil school nearby. But I can also sense you’re hiding something from me.” He stared at the two, then let out a sigh. “Come with me. We need to talk.”

The two hesitantly climbed down from the locomotive and started following Gregory. Andrew then whispered to Stacy, “What are we gonna tell the boss? This is clearly something we never expected.”

Stacy pondered for a bit but then whispered back. “I have no idea but this now begs the question, What on earth happened between the trial and our arrival?”

Gregory led them through the town, which to the two humans looked rather medieval and a lot like Ponyville. They eventually left the town and were led towards a massive wall with a towering building behind it. Gregory turned back and gestured. “That is the Seeds of Yggdrasil school, run by Starlight Glimmer. It’s a school where many representatives of each race on Gaia can live and learn about each culture around the world. Think of it as the superior version of Twilight’s School of Friendship.”

The two marveled at the sight. They couldn’t believe that a school of friendship was built and even bigger too. Andrew shook off his shock and turned to Gregory. “How on Earth did this come to pass? I assume a pony named Neighsay tried to derail this project.”

“Oh he tried, but since Starlight decided to build in the Neutral Lands, he couldn’t do much,” Gregory explained. “And the fact that you know his name tells me you’re a Brony and a Pegasister.”

“Is it that obvious?” Stacy asked. “We know there can’t be any other humans here unless someone tinkered with the mirror to the human world.”

“Oh, I have Sunset go through that every so often to buy me and the other human here some things,” Gregory chuckled. “Video games, food, and the like. Bacon hair loves challenging me and Jason to video games all the damn time.”

Before the two could say anything, they heard the sound of someone calling out, “Daddy!” A familiar pink blur flew right into Gregory’s arms, nuzzling him affectionately.

Gregory chuckled and hugged the young pegasus filly. “Cozy, you should really be in class, sweetie,” he replied, giving the young filly a kiss on the forehead.

“Professor Celestia said she was busy, so she had to leave early!” Cozy Glow said before she turned towards the two newcomers. Her eyes went wide as dinner plates. “Whoa…”

The two humans stared wide eyed at Cozy Glow. Andrew only had one thought on his mind. ‘Well nice to know he spared a child from a stone imprisonment.’

Gregory turned back to them. “I may not be able to use my magic to read minds, but I can sense emotions,” he said. “There’s a lot of distrust for this little filly. However, I ask that you please behave around my daughter.”

Andrew waved his hands in front of him.”On no Mr, Graystone, we’re just surprised she’s here and even more surprised she called you Daddy. I assume you know her origin?”

“Why not?” Cozy asked. “My birth parents are both flankholes. They treated me like shi-”

“Cozy, language!” Gregory interrupted her, flicking Cozy’s nose. “Behave, sweetie, alright?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Cozy said, before burying her face right into Gregory’s chest.

Gregory turned back to the two newcomers. “She’s right, though. Her birth parents abused her. She’s not the evil mastermind from the show. Hell, she even started a movement called Creatures For Equestria after the abuse on nonponies in Equestria was brought to light.”

‘We know about that movement we all saw the trial,’ Andrew thought.

Gregory sighed. “So, how the hell did the two of you get here? The portal I came through closed the moment I drove my car through.”

Andrew and Stacy looked at each other before nodding and turning back. “You see, a few months back some whistleblower from NASA revealed strange phenomenons on Earth in the form of strange lights in random locations. The more recent one came in rural Pennsylvania. Just like you, we drove a train through it. It all happened so fast.”

Gregory looked at them with a frown. “What year is it back on Earth?”

“Around 2024,” Stacy said.

Gregory raised an eyebrow. “Strange…I left Earth in 2027, and I don’t remember ever hearing about anything like that in the news. Tell me more. I sense there’s something more to tell.”

“Daddy, can I go back home now?” Cozy asked. “Mommy promised that she’d show me some dragon fighting.”

Gregory sighed, but smirked and looked down at Cozy. “Tell Mommy that I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Okay!” She kissed Gregory’s cheek then flew off towards one of the smaller towers.

Gregory watched her go, then turned back to the two humans. “Alright, let’s walk and talk.”

Stacy perked up. “Actually, you and Andrew can do that. I think I left something important back on the train. I think I'm gonna go and grab it.”

Gregory didn’t react to this, but simply nodded. “We’ll wait here, then,” he said.

Stacy quickly left, leaving Andrew alone. Andrew then remembered something and turned to Gregory. “You said something about another human. How many are there other than just us?”

Gregory frowned at this. “Just me, Jason, you two, and whoever you’re lying to me about,” he replied.

Andrew’s eyes widened somewhat. “Lying? What do I have to lie about?” he asked, startled by this human’s words.

“The moment you said ‘just us’, I could feel the deception,” Gregory replied. “I told you before that I can feel emotions thanks to my magic. I know what a lie feels like.” The air around them began to grow colder. “Not only that, but your friend was telling a partial truth about needing to get something important back on your train. Then again, I don’t need to be able to sense emotions to know the two of you couldn’t pilot this train on your own.” He took a step forward. “If you intend harm to anyone I care about, it’s best you rethink that position.”

Andrew shivered, not just from the sudden cold but from the icy eyes that were staring into him. “Look sir, I’m not here to harm anyone in your community. I want to help people in need. As for the train, well, I volunteered for a scenic railroad a few times back home.”

“And that makes you qualified to run an entire vehicle?” he asked. “You and your friend have lied to me moments after meeting me, and while I sense no deception in what you just said, I need more to go on.”

Andrew then plucked up whatever courage he had left. “Look, I would never harm anyone, even if your daughter did bad things that aren’t really canon anymore. I just want to help ponies who are suffering. Surely you can understand that.”

The cold air around them started to dissipate. “Hmm, okay, I sense no lie there, but there’s one more question. Why did I sense a level of hatred when I mentioned Jason Wright?”

Andrew took a deep breath. “Well, it’s just-”

Before he could say anything else Stacy came back carrying a small bag with her. “I’m back. I just had to get my emergency gear just in case.”

Gregory looked at the bag and nodded. “There was no need for that, since you two will be staying with me and my family for the time being. But I would appreciate my question being answered.” He turned back to Andrew. “Jason Wright. What about him fills you two with so much burning hatred?”

The two froze for a bit before Andrew started by saying, “It’s just…well, what if I told you-”

At that moment another pegasus came flying in. To the humans he was a rather familiar sight. Flash Sentry landed near the group and turned to Gregory. “Professor Graystone, Princess Luna demands your presence.”

Gregory sighed. “I told Moonbutt all she has to do is send a letter via Spike mail, but alright. Besides, I’m not an Equestrian citizen anymore.”

“She knows that but she says it’s urgent as she feels this should concern you. She’s waiting in Starlight’s office,” Flash explained.

Gregory nodded. “Understood, I’ll head there immediately..” He then turned to the two humans. “You two are coming with me. No arguments. Humans and ponies have not had the best of interactions.” He touched the scar on his eye. “I got this when a pony attacked me because I was a human. Now come.”

---

[Skies Over Ponyville A few moments Earlier]

---

A flock of Pegasi were soaring high on patrol over what had once been the bustling village of Ponyville. One of them turned to his comrades in annoyance. “Tell me I haven’t gone mad,” one of them said. “Why would the Princess increase our patrols? I felt like I haven’t slept well in a while.”

“Quit your bellyaching!” their commanding officer barked. “We’re only on this increase in shifts for a day.”

The flock of five pegasi continued their flight until one of them looked down and noticed something. “Hey, Striker. Is that smoke?” one of them asked.

The officer looked down and saw not only a fire but strange structures as well. From a distance it looked like a huge camp site as well as two strands of railroad tracks. He then looked up to his soldiers. “Alrighty, colts, we’re diving in for a closer look. Remain sharp.”

The flock began to descend only for what was on the ground to become clearer. It was indeed a campsite. Several tents were pitched up and there were indeed two sets of railroad lines with one of them having a short train of cars. Then to their shock they saw the inhabitants. And they saw them. The humans stared in wonder at the pegasi hovering above their camp site.

Striker glanced around then he saw how one of the cars looked like a cannon. He then turned to the troops. “Firelight, Meteor Shower, fly back to Canterlot and inform the Princess. The rest of you follow me. Let's see if these strangers are as hostile as that cannon.”

Firelight and Meteor Shower saluted before turning and zooming back towards Canterlot.

Meanwhile inside one of the tents, Howard was looking at the jar of chaos he’d found in Jason’s cave. He was wondering how he could use this to his advantage. That was until a nearby radio emitted a static sound. “Stacy to base. Come in.”

Howard could only grin as he had a feeling the luck of his mission was going well in his favor. He picked up the radio and replied, “Base, Howard here. What is it?”

“Base, there’s been a new development,” Stacy said. She sounded a bit worried.

Howard raised a brow. “Please elaborate.”

“Sir, we found a human living in some town with a school nearby,” she replied. “A human that’s not only able to use magic, but a human who isn’t Jason!”

Howard’s eyes widened in shock. This he wasn’t expecting. “Who is this human? Does he know why we’re here? Does he even know about all of us?”

“We haven’t told him anything,” Stacy replied. “Sir, Cozy Glow called him Daddy.”

“Then it's clear her movement didn't cause any harm and her origin might’ve come to light. Where is the engineer, Andrew?”

“He’s back with this new human,” she explained. “Sir, this new human said he could read emotions. He might know if someone’s lying.”

Howard thought for a moment and sighed. “If he can read emotions then try and keep yourself calm. If he even tries to derail your search for Jason, you’re to get out of there and back here. We don't want him knowing our true intentions yet.”

“I’ll try, sir, but it seems he knows about Jason. He mentioned another human.”

“Hmm…then it might give us an advantage. See what you can learn about him and we can arrange for something.”

“Understood, sir. Stacy out.” The radio went dead as she cut the connection.

Howard looked back to the jar before putting it away. Little did he know the moment he stepped out of his tent that his day was about to get more interesting.

Comments

[Theresa hall]

Maybe they should have kept watching for starters. The girls know they messed up and deserve what they got. These people are idiots considering this isn't a game and the rainbow and applejack did some pretty mean stuff. Stuff that could get put in prison or worse death row. They chose their actions and this isn't fiction for them.

[Starlight Nova]

Why didn’t you reply to my comment?

[autobotfan15]

11802284
Well remember the show cancelled and got pulled from air after the epilogue of the trial story so it was impossible for them to know anything about Gregory. And when they learn everything... well thats a reveal for a future chapter

[autobotfan15]

11802288
Sorry i thought your comment was meant to be a joke. i say on the rails because of a train. I do mean on

[Theresa hall]

11802291
I guess but they are being ridiculous too considering rainbow and applejack stunts would have sent them to prison or death row in our world and twilight was irresponsible by instigating the whole thing by deciding without even bothering to learn anything about that world by making him out to be some sort of monster. Ponyville didn't have to one up in the hate parade but twilight had a duty to spread friendship and she chose to hate and to enjoy her silver platter with never really taking her blessings seriously. She never understood what responsibility was about. She had a responsibility to spike who she failed to look out for and she had opportunities to go to zecora especially after the greed incident but chose never to bother trying to make sure something else like that wouldn't happen again. She took for granted the seemingly goodness of Equestria and never bothered to look closer or take responsibility for bad behavior. Rarity was a greedy vain thing that never bothered to get with the real world. Fluttershy needed to get out into the world without using her friends and animals as a crutch to avoid it as much as possible. Pinkie needed to understand that joy and sadness are part of the same coin and to be aware of the world around her and how her actions affect it and its not just fun and games all the time. The girls chose never to ingrain the lessons they learned and had to pay the piper for it.