My Little Pony: Origins.
Chapter Ten.
Discovery.
Shining Armor glares at Cadence, the pink alicorn could sense the fire in her husband's eyes, she frowned.
''There must be some mistake, my brother would never do that.'' Cadence said, calmly, ''Maybe Flurry Heart followed him.'' She added, knowing full well that her daughter was known to escape the palace at night.
''I'm with Cadence on this.'' Rarity said, ''The human doesn't look like the kind that would kidnap.'' She added, the girls nodded. Shining though over what Midnight said, something just didn't add up.
''Ok Midnight, tell us what happened.'' Shining said, Midnight gulped, ''Well, go on then, tell us.'' Shining added.
''Well, i was making my rounds outside the palace when i heard loud bangs coming from Flurry's room, i ran to her room as fast as i could. When i got to her room, i saw him tying her up, i tried to stop him but he knocked me out.'' Midnight explained, Twilight was skeptical and first but hearing this made her even more skeptical, she felt the presents of dark magic in the room. The kind of magic that was banned. Among the presents of dark magic, Twilight picked up on a spell that had be cast hours ago, a sound prevention spell. While this was going, Cadence had left the room and stormed down the hall.
''David would never do that! I've got to find him before Shining does.'' She said to herself.
''Hey? Where did Cadence go?'' Twilight asked, noticing a lack of pink alicorn in Flurry's room.
''Probably off fucking a human.'' Midnight smirked, ''Filthy non pure blood.'' He added, Shining glared at him.
''What did you say? You don't speak ill of my wife and your ruler!'' Shining snapped, swinging his hoof at Midnight, who only chuckled.
''You lied, didn't you?'' Twilight asked Midnight, ''Didn't you?'' She added. Midnight just nodded.
''Where's Flurry?'' Shining asked.
February 16th 2015, Arctic Crystal Station, Los Cristales, The Crystal Empire. 6:20 am.
Cadence stormed over to the private platform at Arctic Crystal Station, sitting at the platform was a shortened version of the CEE, but unlike the CEE, it was painted crystalline blue and was a diesel-electric hybrid, giving it the ability to travel over sections of track that weren't powered.
''Morning ma'am.'' The driver said, getting a glare from Cadence.
''Get me to Ponyville as fast as possible.'' The empress bluntly said, glaring at the driver, making him tremble in fear, ''O-of course, ma'am.'' he said, getting into the leading cab. Cadence stormed onto the train and waited for it to depart, she then saw the others running towards her.
''Midnight lied, Flurry snuck out!'' Twilight shouted as she boarded the train.
February 16th 2015, Ponyville, Equestria. 11:55 am.
'642' and '644' snaked off the mainline and into the yard, '47500' sat on a siding in front of the coal stage. The class 19 was brought to a stop along side the tank engine. Dusty was sitting on the running board, drinking soup from a mug, the diesels shut down with a mumble, Dusty noticed them and waved as David exited the cab, the freshly laid snow crunched under his feet. Flurry Heart awoke, still under the sink, she wriggled out and quietly opened the kitchen door and looked around, the train was silent. She cracked the door open and quickly escaped and flew into town.
David put his hands into his pockets, he felt the map inside and pulled it out.
''Oh, here's your map...'' He said before noticing something on this, ''What is that?'' He added, noticing a faded line coming off where the branch line was drawn on, he blew on the map, thinking the line was a bit of hair but when it wouldn't move, he was surprised.
''Let me see that?'' Dusty said, confused, David handed her the map, '''That seems like the old branchline to the Everfree coal mine. But that line was abandoned in 1952 when the Everfree Forest began to reclaim the land. This map was made only last year, why is it still here?'' She added, her and David looked over at the branchline as it darted down hill.
Dusty hopped into '47500's cab, David followed her into the cab, she released the brakes and moved the regulator forward a bit, steam poured out from under the wheels as the steam engine moved forward.
''Let's see what's on that line.'' She said as the jinty left the yard.
The Jinty chuffed along the line as it climbed the incline of the branchline, Dusty moved the regulator back a bit, slowing '47500' down as they approached the spot where a junction should be.
''It should be there.'' David said, looking down the line, he saw splintered wood littering the track, he smiled, remember what caused that.
''What happened here?'' Dusty asked, taking note of the wood clogging the tracks, she looked over at David and noticed the smile plastered on his face, ''David, did you have something to do with this?'' She questioned him, he looked over at the mare and explained what happened on his first day.
''Geez, that explains why your train is dented.'' She said, noticing the junction appearing, abet only the clearing that exposed the existence of something that wouldn't allow the trees to grow back.
The Jinty slowed down, the brakes squeaked as it came to a stop just in front of a rusty point lever, Dusty hopped out the cab and walked over to the lever, nearly slipping on the ice on a few occasions. She wrapped her hooves around the lever arm and with all her strength, she threw the lever over, the clicking and movement of rusty metal rang out, she brushed the snow off the rails using her tail, the point blades had moved over, the line was now opened towards rusty rails. The mare carefully made her way back to the engine, David held out his hand to her and pulled her back into the cab, she blushed at his touch but quickly shook it off. The regulator mover forward slightly, giving Jinty just enough speed to traverse the points.
The train stopped, just clearing the points, David got out this time, he walked over to the points and, with little effort, threw the lever back into its previous position. He got back to the cab, Dusty gave him one oil lamp painted eggshell white and two other oil lamps painted a reddish pink, he put the white lamp central lamp iron on the front running board, he lit the lamp, it began to glow a yellowish white. He walked to the rear of the engine and placed the red lamps of the outer lamp irons and lit them, they began to glow red. He got back into the cab and Dusty started to move the engine.
Twigs snapped and buckled under the weight of the little steam train as it creeped along the rusty rails, a second set of points appeared as a second line connected on to the rusty line and jointing the line back onto the other branchline from western end. Bushes and shrubbery scraped the undercarriage of '47500' as The Everfree forest tree branches hung over the line, blocking out the sky, causing the forest became dull the further they drove him.
''So, why did you want to be a train driver?'' David asked her, she looked over at him.
''I was a general at a town called Snow Lake, when The Crystal Empire returned, my best friend and my lover was killed by Sombra, i quit the army and left that town, moved to Ponyville and picked up on a job i wanted to do when i was a foal. Dreams come true i guess.'' She said.
A shape appeared ahead, the headlamp barely lighting it, the Jinty stopped just in front of the object, David leaned out of the cab and looked that the object, it appeared to be a Great Western Railway built 20t toad brake van. He hopped down and grabbed his phone from his pocket, he turned on the flashlight app and used it to look around. The brakevan had faded paint grey paintwork with white handrails, the grey paint was flaking away at the bottom of the brakevan, rotten wood and rusty screws appeared where the paint has fallen away, Dusty joined him and looked beyond the brakevan, a coach appeared from the darkness. Dusty nudged David, he looked at coach. The pair walked toward the coach.
The coach had faded blue and light grey paintwork, much like the brakevan, the paint has flaked away where the coach met its frame, allowing rust to shine through, the coach had two large doors, one at one end and another at the other end, this was the same for the other side, 'Royal Mail' was painted on the side is white, it too had flaked, mostly, away. David noticed a second coach appear, it was identical to the first coach but had three doors on each side. A third coach appeared from the darkness as well, it was identical to the other two but only had two doors on one side.
''What is this? These looks like TPO's.'' Dusty asked in awe, David grabbed the front most door of the leading coach and forced it open, air rushed inside, he hopped up into the TPO and helped Dusty in, the two looked around. Dusty walked around the coach, she heard something crunch under her hoof, she looked down and saw bones, she looked up and came face to face with a skeleton, she let out an ear piercing scream, alerting David, he spun around and saw the skeleton, he then saw two, then three, then four. He counted nine skeletons, all of which were wearing British clothing from the 1950s, David saw something goldish reflecting against the light from his phone, he looked down at a small crate and opened it, his jaw dropped when he saw what the contents were, bars of gold.
Dusty opened a sack and found what looked like bits, she dragged the heavy sack over to him, he looked in the sack.
''Pound coins?'' He asked himself, he then looked over at the gold, ''Gold bar's, pound coins, skeletons. This doesn't make any... sense.'' He added as he thought of a story he learned in school, he quickly left the coach, Dusty followed him.
''Whats going on?'' She asked him, he explained to her the story of people who stole from the four banks of the United Kingdom all at once and that they disappeared without a trace.
''I've got to know.'' He said, quickly walking towards the front, a tender appeared, it had faded charcoal black paint, that flaked away, revealing rust.
He shone his phone on the tender, a faded British Railway logo appeared on the rusty object.
''BR late crest.'' He said, Dusty looked at it, noting coal rails on the top of the tender, David looked at the engine at the front, ''Six drive wheels.'' He added, Dusty climbed up into its cab.
''The brakes are hard on.'' She shouted to him, something caught his eye, he looked at the cab side, his jaw dropped again when he looked at it, written on the side.
'4F'
'43999'
End of Chapter Ten.