My Little Pony: Origins.
Chapter Twelve.
Ghosts of The Past.
February 16th 2015, Ponyville, Equestria. 13:30 pm.
Dusty forced the gangway door between the first and second TPO open, the door groaned as it slid open, throwing dust everywhere. Dusty coughed and waved her hooves around. The coach was empty, much to the dismay of both her and David.
''Well that disappointing.'' David said, looking at the collapsed letter sorting desk and rotting letter that had never been delivered, mail sacks were slumped up against the side of the carriage. The two walked across to the second gangway and forced that door open as well, their noses were filled with a smell worse than death.
Dusty looked around the third coach, she reared back when she saw more skeletons, unlike the ones in the first carriage, these ones were dressed in Royal Mail uniforms and British Railways crew uniform.
''Poor bastards...'' David said, noticing that some of them had wedding rings on, ''Never even got to say goodbye.'' He added, finding a blanket and covering them up as a sign of respect. Dusty bowed her head in respect as they moved back to the second coach and shut the gangway door back up.
The two walked back along the length of the train, David hopped down from the open side door on the old mail sorting carriage, he helped Dusty down onto the overgrown track bed.
''Dusty, couple up the Jinty, we're getting '43999' out of here.'' David said, walking towards '43999's cab, Dusty nodded and quickly ran towards the tank engine. The green mist engulfed the rest of the skeletons, one of them began to twitch, its head flicking side to side as the chest bounced up and down, it began to screech. The scream from the skeletons was masked by the sound of '47500's safety valves popping.
Dusty went and coupled up '47500' to the brake van, she expected to see vacuum brake pipes, but the brake van didn't have any.
''David! You're gonna have to try and release the brakes on your end, the brake van doesn't have a brake line!'' Dusty shouted, she coupled up the Jinty to the Toad before getting into the tank engine's cab, ''Ready!'' She shouted again, blasting the whistle. David climbed into '43999's cab and placed his hand on the brake handle, the trees rushed in the wind.
''Here we go.'' He said, he forced the handle into the release position. Nothing happened, he sighed.
A hissing noise began to fill David's ears, he looked up and saw the black psi needle twitch before moving to the right, the red needle twitch as well, moving left, he watched in awe for the next few minutes as air filled the brake line for the first time in over fifty-five years. The brakes released, throwing dust from under the wheels. David was surprised when '43999' started to roll forward due to slack between all the couplings, '43999' stopped rolling when the slack between the Jinty and the brake van tightened. '47500' was now the only thing holding the whole train in place.
''Ok Dusty! Brakes released!'' David shouted, Dusty responded with a sharp blast of '47500's whistle, she opened the regulator.
'47500' rolled backwards for only a few feet before the wheels started slipping, sparks began flying from under the tank as the Lancashire built steam engine struggled to pull the train, things got worse when the train began to roll forward, dragging the tank engine with it. Dusty put sand down but it had little effect. David, noticing something was wrong, quickly slammed the brakes on, bringing the train to a stop, Dusty quickly shut off the regulator, '47500's wheel quickly stopped spinning.
"Fuck." Dusty sighed, getting out the cab. '47500's wheels were smoking, the spinning left the rails shining against the rusty track. She uncoupled the brake van from the tank engine. She heard a demonic screech, David heard it too, it was coming from the first coach.
The two walked towards the coach, Dusty was trembling, David looked nervous. They looked in through the still open door on the TPO, they saw skeletons standing up, mucus, rotting flesh and the clothes fell away from the corpses. Dusty went to scream but David stopped her from doing so, but the skeletons turned and looked at them, one of them screeched.
''Run!'' David shouted, the two ran as fast as they can, the skeletons quickly followed the two. Dusty and David hid in the gap between the brake van and the third coach.
''What are we gonna do?'' Dusty said as quietly as possible, the sound of the skeleton's feet making contact with the ballast got closer. David looked at Dusty.
''Go back to Ponyville! Go back and get my diesels! Get help!'' David said, a skeleton peered around the corner, its bony hand snapped at them.
''What! No! I'm not leaving you behind!'' Dusty objected, the hand of the skeleton was getting closer as it was trying to get between the coach and the brake van.
''Go!'' He shouted as the skeleton grabbed him and began to drag him, Dusty nodded quickly before jumping to the other side of the train and running towards the Jinty.
Dusty quickly climbed up into the cab as more skeletons chased her, she pulled the cylinder drain lever. Steam sprayed out from the cylinders, blinding the skeletons in hot steam. The tank engine rolled backward, just fast enough to get away, but slow enough to not jump the tracks. The engine burst out the clearing, Dusty slowed '47500' down and jumped out the cab and ran ahead, she threw the point lever over, the point blades moved just as the tank engine past, Dusty climbed back on.
February 16th 2008, Ponyville, Equestria. 13:39 pm.
The shortened CEE rolled into Ponyville, stopping in the yard, Cadence and the others got off the train and ran towards the town.
''We've got to find David and Flurry!'' Shining shouted, the others nodded. Before the group could behind the search for the imperial princess.
''I'll write to Celestia and Luna to help us!'' Spike shouted, quicking writing a letter and sending it with his fire, in a matter of seconds the two queens appeared in a blinding flash.
Before Celestia could respond, a high pitched shriek of a whistle echoed around, they looked at a small steam engine racing into the yard, sparks sprayed from the wheels as it sharply braked, backing up against the class 19's, Dusty jumped down and scrambled for the couplings. She folded the knuckle couple on the leading diesel down and quickly connected the screw link coupling and vacuum brake pipes, she was in too much of a rush to pull the buffers out, she quickly hopped back into the cab of the steam engine
''Hey! What are you doing!'' Cadence shouted, her magic pinning the train down, '47500's wheels were now spinning, sparks flying again.
''Hey! I'm trying to bring these to David!'' Dusty shouted back, applying the brakes. Cadence was shocked, her magic engulfed Dusty, bringing the earth mare towards her.
David was able to break free from the skeletons grip and ran into the TPO, slamming the door shut, the skeletons clawed at the door. He looked down at the floor and saw a Type 56 AK47 laying on the floor, he picked it up, accidentally pulling the trigger, causing it to fire, blasting a small hole through the ceiling. He didn't bother question how or why it was still working. The monsters forced the door open.
''Come at me bro!'' David shouted, firing the machine gun.
''Did you just say David?'' Cadence asked, Dusty struggled to escape, biting her lip.
''Yes! Now, if you so kindly let me go, i need to get these to him before those bony freaks kill him!'' Dusty shouted, Cadence dropped her at the sound of screams and gunfire in the distance.
''Where is he?'' Cadence asked, fear and dread filling her voice, the alicorn looked straight at Dusty eyes.
''In the Everfree Forest.'' Dusty said, the others gasped in horror, Cadence was the most shocked out of them all. In a flash, she appeared in the cab of the Jinty.
''Come on them!'' Cadence shouted, Dusty quickly climbed into the cab, ''You'll need a fireman.'' Cadence added.
Flurry Heart walked out of a nearby cafe, a box of donuts sticking out her saddle bag, she overheard voices coming from the yard, she looked up and saw her mother, her father and the others in the yard. Flurry attempted to quietly back away but was stopped by a pink blur appearing out of thin air.
''I FOUND HER!'' It shouted, everyone looked at Flurry Heart, the pegasus tried to back up, but the pink blob was pushing her forwards like she weigh nothing, Flurry's hooves dragged dirt with them as she was pushed up to the group.
''Pinkie! Stop!'' Flurry shouted, she unfolded her wings and attempted to take off but was weighed down by Pinkie.
''Nope.'' The pink mare said, somehow being able to weigh down Flurry Heart, despite not holding onto the ground.
''Flurry Heart!'' Cadence shouted, Flurry looked down at her mother, she smiled innocently as she was engulfed in a light blue aura and brought down to ground level.
''Um...'' Was the only thing Flurry Heart could say as her mother's eyes fixed on the box sticking out of her saddlebag, Pinkie smelt the donuts.
"DONUTS!" The mare screamed and lunged at the bag and the box inside, her attack was only stopped by Twilight holding her by her tail.
''Flurry Heart. Why do you runaway?'' Rarity asked, using her magic to straightening the tiara on Flurry's head. The princess looked at the tiara before knocking it off.
''Because i don't want to be a princess.'' The pegasus said, the others, minus Cadence, gasped, mainly Rarity.
''But why darling?'' Rarity replied, her magic picked up the now dented tiara.
''We've got to go!'' Dusty shouted, everyone, minus Flurry Heart, remembered what was happening, the ponies in town began to hear the distance screeches and gun fire and began to run in terror.
''What's happening?'' Flurry Heart asked, Cadence looked at Flurry with concern, ''Mom, what's wrong.'' Her daughter tilted her head.
''Your uncle is in danger!'' Her mother said, climbing into '47500's cab, Dusty released the brakes and opened the regulator, the steam engine and the two diesels started to move, the others followed them.
''Wait what?!'' Flurry shouted, running after the others, she hoped that they would get to David in time.
End of Chapter Twelve.