The Great Canterlot Train Robberyby The Blue EM2ChaptersThe Evening of the DramaMailbag HorrorBag and DragHeroes of CanterlotRaising SuspicionsCreditsThe Evening of the DramaIt was now March in Canterlot, and the snow had finally melted away. The sun shone in the sky, the days now being noticeably longer than they used to be. As the afternoon rolled in one Thursday evening, a group of six friends were heading for Sweet Apple Acres. Due to the slight increase in temperature, the streetcars now had air conditioning enabled, which meant that things were not as hot as they could have been. When the streetcar came to a stop, these six friends hopped off and headed onto a dirt path toward the farm itself. These six friends, as you will undoubtedly know, were Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Pipsqueak, Rumble, and Button Mash. Having just come off a number of dramatic events, such as restoring a railroad, Scootaloo coming back from the dead, or a great rescue on the Rich estate, they were keen for a quieter few days. “I hope this weekend won’t be too chaotic,” Pip observed, raising his opinion. “Yeah!” Button added. “I’ve got some mods I want to test on Train Simulator.” Sweetie Belle pouted. “I thought you’d want to spend it with us.” “Yeah, that too!” Button added. Rumble spoke up. “Hey, isn’t the mail train due through any minute now?” “Race ya to the fence!” shouted Apple Bloom. “You’re on!” Scootaloo replied, as the six kids raced over the field to the fence that sat next to the mainline. At this point on the railway line, it was only double track in either direction, as far as Canterlot to the south and Cloudsdale to the north. As a result, services had to be timetabled to run quickly to avoid backlog, although there were loops at the bottom of Cloudsdale bank. The rails had a number of unusual features next to the track. On both sides of the line were brackets, to which bags were attached. There were also large nets on the ground, held up by wooden frames. This was where mail was picked up and dropped off, in order to save time on the rails as loading and unloading mailbags at stations was very time consuming. Therefore, dropping mail off and picking it up on the move was incredibly useful. The students looked out over the rails, as they heard the distinctive sound of a Churchward bark approach from Canterlot. And then the train appeared. It consisted of a Great Western Railway Saint Class engine on the head, no 2999 Lady of Legend, and a series of bogie coaches with no windows. Instead, they had a net on one side, and a great arm to which another mailbag was attached. The engine thundered forward, the driver sounding the whistle as he saw the students waving to the train. The bag mounted to the arm hanging from the carriage fell into the net, the arm rising automatically to avoid catching on lineside equipment. The bags mounted on the arms crashed into the net with a bang, and swung back around to avoid catching on other mail carriages. The pickup and drop off of mail complete, the train sped onwards into the distance, sounding its whistle as it did so. But no sooner had that train flown through, then another one raced past on the opposite track, this time pulled by a Class 40 diesel. The procedure repeated, the bags being dumped and picked up by the fast-moving freight train. “That’s not supposed to happen!” Rumble noted. “The next train in that direction is not due for another 10 minutes.” “Maybe it’s running early?” Scootaloo suggested. “I’ve had that a couple of times.” “It’s odd they’d schedule trains to run early,” Pip noted. “Usually they run behind the timetable, not before.” “Well,” Sweetie Belle interrupted, “we can always discuss it indoors. No point in just standing around in the heat!” “Noted,” Button said, and they headed toward the house. When they got there, Pear was there to greet them. “Hello you six,” she smiled. “Did ya stop ta watch the post train through?” “We sure did!” Apple Bloom replied. “It never ceases ta be spectacular.” “But there was another train headed the other way,” Pip said. “And Rumble said something about it being early.” “Ah well,” Pear replied. “Ah wouldn’t worry about it at all. Do ya wanna stay for supper?” “That sounds nice!” Scootaloo said. “Count me in!” Button added. Overall, they reacted positively to this idea, but whilst waiting, they trooped off to the front room to watch some TV. Apple Bloom flicked through some channels. “They’re two, they’re four, they’re six, they’re eight-” “Ah,” Rumble noted. “It’s Thomas and Friends.” “But which season?” Sweetie Belle asked. “There’s a real quality change between Seasons 16 and 17.” “I still miss hearing Michael Angelis narrating them,” Pip said. “Ah yes,” Apple Bloom replied. “Ya lived in the UK for a while, didn’t ya?” “Lived there!” Pip exclaimed. “I was born there!” The intro finally ended. “Wonky Whistle.” “It’s a Sharon Miller episode,” Scootaloo grumbled. “Can we change channels?” Apple Bloom punched some buttons. “Chugginton!” “NO!” everyone cried. Sure enough, Apple Bloom switched channels as fast as she could. “Dale a tucuerpoalegría Macarena Que tucuerpo es pa' darlealegría why cosabuena Dale a tucuerpoalegría, Macarena Hey Macarena!” “Seriously?” Button Mash asked. “MTV is still a thing?” “Most people watch music videos on YouTube these days,” Sweetie Belle told him. “It was so strange coming across a Rainbooms one.” “That at least is an improvement over some of the rubbish on that site,” Scootaloo said. “Like that one about a wreckin’ ball,” Apple Bloom commented. “Seriously, why did Cyrus go so badly off the rails?” The channel changed once again, this time showing classic Thomas and Friends episodes. They watched quite a few of those, when suddenly the broadcast stopped. “What?” Pip asked. “Has the receiver got jammed again?” Apple Bloom groaned. But then an image of a man at a desk came up on screen, and he began speaking. “We interrupt this programming in order to bring an urgent announcement.” The image then changed to show police swarming across part of the line at Canterlot. “An hour ago, a robbery was committed on the postal train stationed at Cloudsdale. The criminals are believed to have made off with nearly 50 million dollars' worth of dollar bills, gold, and diamonds that were being transported on the train.” The image then changed again, to show a class 40 diesel coupled to some vans. “That’s got the same running number as the one we saw go through!” Rumble shouted. “The criminals are believed to have hijacked the train and driven it off in the Canterlot direction. If the public has any information regarding the robbery, they are encouraged to report it to the police immediately. We will now return you to your scheduled program.” The broadcast switched back to the channel, but Apple Bloom was left worried. Had they witnessed a robbery? And would they be roped into yet another adventure? Author's Note This video was invaluable in writing this chapter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EGQWAZghaM What will happen next? Tune in tomorrow to find out! Mailbag HorrorIt is no understatement to say that the news of the train robbery caught the ears of almost everybody in Canterlot. Throughout the school, people were busy discussing the incident, with varying degrees of subtlety, but all of them were worried for the safety of their valuables. Rumble sat with Pip and Button, both of whom were highly concerned over the incident. “Will it still be safe to shunt up at Cloudsdale yard?” Button asked. “I’d rather not have people jump on my engine whilst I’m working!” “Relax Button,” Pip replied. “I’m certain that they’ll catch them. Money doesn’t just vanish.” “Pip’s right,” Rumble added, frustrated. “But what concerns me more is how they were able to make off with the money in the first place. The yard is supposed to be secure, for crying out loud!” Button shrugged. “What if they had a spy in the company?” “A spy?” Pip asked, shocked. “Yes, a spy,” Button repeated. “Why is everyone repeating what we are saying to one another?” “I don’t know,” Rumble replied. “Why is everyone repeating what we are saying to one another?” “Maybe the author is trying to draw the conversation out as long as he can, so that he can ensure he hits the needed wordcount,” Pip suggested. “What?” the other two boys asked. “Are you not aware of other individuals reading this on their computer screens as we speak?” Pip asked. Button shook his head. “And I thought I had problems.” Rumble spoke up, a similar look of concern on his face. “Pip, you really should stop spending time with Pinkie Pie. Her weirdness seems to be rubbing off on you.” Pip sighed. “Well, there is this princess of the night who keeps turning up in my dreams.” Button laughed. “A princess of the night? That’s just as ridiculous as there being a portal in the Wondercolt statue-oh wait,” he stopped, and facepalmed. “Argh!” The bell then went, and the boys agreed to continue their conversation later. The girls were having no easier a time either. “So, what do you think was in those mailbags we saw dropped?” Scootaloo asked. “What are you getting at Scoots?” Sweetie Belle asked in response. “Why are y’all answerin’ each other’s questions with questions?” Apple Bloom asked. “Come ta think of it, why am Ah doin’ it now?” “I don’t know, why are we?” Scootaloo enquired. “Well, there’s every possibility of the bags we saw being dropped containing the stolen valuables,” Sweetie Belle noted. “But that seems an odd place to dump them.” “Maybe they had a waiting lorry to drive them off to a farmhouse where they play Monopoly with real money?” Scootaloo suggested. “Like in that movie we watched once. What was it called?” “I believe you are referring to The Great Train Robbery,” Sweetie Belle said. “That was based on a true event, though I don’t believe they dropped the mail off in bags.” “If so, the money would still be in the local area,” Scootaloo continued. “Though how do you hide it?” “How about we all stop speculatin’ and leave it ta the Police” Apple Bloom snapped. “Gossipin’ about it will not make the Police catch them!” The other girls were somewhat stunned at Apple Bloom’s outburst, and chose to remain silent as the bell went. After school, the girls and their boyfriends headed for the railroad station to try and settle the matter conclusively. Heading into the control room, they went to speak to the regional controller. Mr David gave them a warm smile as they entered. “Good evening girls,” he said. “And boys,” he quickly added. Rumble was the first to speak. “Sir,” he said. “Did you have an odd freight movement on the records yesterday?” Scootaloo elbowed him. “You could have been a bit more tactful!” she hissed. “That’s rich, coming from you!” Pip hissed back. Mr David paid them no attention. “Yes, we did.” “Told you it would work!” Rumble snapped. “A Class 40 came into the section with a radio report that the engine unit had caught fire and it needed priority clearance into the sidings,” Mr David finished. “As a result, we priority cleared it through the network, and brought it here. Only by then, the fire had been successfully extinguished by the engine crew, and the engine was cleared to continue its run.” The students all looked at each other in surprise. “Well,” Button began, “we saw a Class 40 race through and perform a mail drop without any apparent engine problems.” “In fact,” Apple Bloom added, “the engines were screamin’ as it flew through the drop off point.” “We had no mail trains scheduled in that direction for that time,” Mr David noted. “Thanks for warning me.” Sweetie Belle had remained silent the entire time. “Sir,” she spoke up, “Is it possible if we could head back now?” “By all means,” he said. “After all, it’s not a work day.” As was the expected course of action, they headed for Sweet Apple Acres. Riding on the streetcar, they hopped off at the stop and walked over to the section of fence which gave a clear view of the railway line and the TPO drop point. What they saw were two men struggling with a bag. “Blimey, this back is heavy Biggs!” said the first, an immensely large man with a monstrous chin. “I know Daly!” said the other, as he heaved the bag up. “This is the last one we need.” “When’s the train coming through?” asked the first. “Apparently this evening,” ‘Biggs’ finished. “Goody and Wisbey have already got the diesel and the TPO vans. From there, we can ship them to Los Angeles and sell the gold and diamonds off.” “And then we’ll be rich!” added ‘Daly’. “But we may need help setting this up. We can leave it here until this evening.” Just then, both men disappeared off and vanished into the distance. “That was weird,” Pip said. The girls and boys crossed over the fence and checked the line for oncoming traffic. Once they reached the bags, Apple Bloom took a close look. “The bag’s open,” she observed. Sweetie Belle reached for it. “No!” Button snapped. Upon seeing Sweetie Belle recoil in fright, he spoke more gently. “We don’t want to get our fingerprints on it, do we?” Apple Bloom produced a piece of wood, and levered the bag open. What was inside made her jaw drop. It was diamonds. Lots of them. “Looks like we were right to be suspicious,” Rumble said. “So what do we do?” Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom closed the bag, and motioned for the others to cross the line. “We go ta the Police. We got them a lead.” Author's Note In case you are wondering, the names of the gang members are the names of the original Great Train Robbers. Bag and DragLady of Legend was cleared to run out of Cloudsdale Yard within minutes, and departed with a thunderous noise and a furious snort of steam. Behind it were 5 TPO vehicles, one of which was manned by Button, Rumble and Pip. They stayed in contact with the locomotive through the intercom. And who should be driving the engine? None other than Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. “Check equipment, over,” Scootaloo radioed. “Copy that,” said the voice of Rumble. "Net deployment mechanism is operational, as is the drop arm. We’ve already got a bag mounted to it and can drop it into place as is needed.” “Good,” Scootaloo replied. “Keep the fire hot!” commanded Apple Bloom, as Sweetie Belle shovelled another load of coal into the engine’s firebox. The locomotive, in spite of its small size relative to most engines, could handle the heavy load with ease, and the train rolled into the grade quickly. Down and down it went, speed rising as they took the Cloudsdale curve at speed, before vanishing into another tunnel and curving through the hill. Then as they thundered out of the tunnel, they came straight out onto the mainline. “Right, time ta open her up!” Apple Bloom called, and pulled the regulator open to full position. Speed continued to rise. First 60, then 70, and finally 80 miles an hour! “Slow down!” Sweetie Belle called. “If we go too fast, the bag we are picking up will be damaged, and therefore useless. We’re trying to recover the diamonds, not destroy them, remember?” “We can slow down when we reach the pickup point,” Apple Bloom replied. “If we don’t speed up, we’ll never catch that other train and they’ll get away!” The radio went again. “Hello?” Scootaloo asked. “Button Mash here,” said the voice on the other end. "We’ve sighted the other train, just up ahead. We have 30 miles to the intercept point, but only two sets of diamond junctions with which to get across the line. We will need to proceed wrong line briefly if we are going to get in front.” “Thanks for the tip Button,” Scootaloo replied. She called forward. “Button states we need to get across onto the Northbound track!” she shouted. “That means we’ll be running wrong line!” Sweetie Belle called back. “It’s that, or they get away!” Scootaloo replied. “It’s your call, Apple Bloom!” Apple Bloom activated the in-cab radio. “Control, this is engine crew of 2999 Lady of Legend, over.” “2999, what in the world are you doing out on the mainline?” the dispatcher radioed back. "You are not scheduled to depart for another hour!” “We’re chasin’ down a train intent on recoverin’ mailbags with stolen diamonds,” Apple Bloom replied. “We need ya ta switch us onto the Northbound track in order ta pass the other train and get in front of it.” There was a pause. “Apple Bloom, I wouldn't advise that.” Apple Bloom paused herself, before reactivating the radio. "Throw the switch, over.” “Roger, throwing switch. Good luck, and godspeed.” The engine and the train suddenly lurched to the left, as the train switched lines at speed. Running over the junctions at several times the intended speeds of operation, the crew inside the TPO coach were thrown about and landed on the floor. “Ow!” Pip exclaimed. “What in the world is going on?” “We’ve just switched lines,” Button explained. “Ah man!” Rumble groaned. “This now means all of the equipment is on the wrong side! Come on, we need to get it set up in the next carriage, just the other way around!” Completely unaware of the commotion behind them, Apple Bloom kept the regulator open as they began to draw past the other train. The crew of that engine looked in bewilderment as the Saint came level with them. “Oh no you don’t!” the driver shouted, and increased engine power. The diesel shot forward, so Apple Bloom simply wound the cutoff back further, and the Saint continued to catch up, eventually drawing level with the other train. Then trouble came. “APPLE BLOOM!” Sweetie Belle shrieked. “INCOMING TRAIN! INCOMING TRAIN!” Apple Bloom looked out of the cab, and saw, to her horror, that a passenger train was inbound on their line. “We need ta get over that switch, fast!” she cried, and adjusted the cutoff again. Glancing behind her, she saw a sight that horrified her. The arm from the second carriage swung out, and the net deployed-smashing into the train opposite and wrecking them. “That’s torn it!” Rumble shouted down the radio. "The collection net and drop arm are damaged, and we can’t collect from the first car, as it’s on the wrong side!” “We’re switching lines again, you fool!” Scootaloo scolded back over the radio. “Get back to the front car and get it set up again!” “Oops.” the radio cut out. Sweetie Belle looked out at her end, to see the train in front was perilously close. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” she shouted. “GET US ACROSS!” “Unless this guy is backin’ down, that’s a no-can-do!” Apple Bloom replied. Then suddenly, the SD40 on their right started to slow down, the engine belching smoke and fire. “What’s going on?” Scootaloo called. Apple Bloom smirked. “Looks like that diesel just had a mechanical,” she said, as they hit the junction and rolled over it. But the diesel hadn’t stopped, and collided with the rear TPO coach as it crossed over the junction, causing it to fly off the rails and demolish the fence. “That ain’t good!” Apple Bloom called. “What’s happened?” Scootaloo called. “Rear coach has come off the line, but it’s still coupled! It’s deadweight!” Just then the coupling snapped, and the carriage came flying off the rails, derailing the SD40 as it did so. Apple Bloom shrugged. “Well, that was conveniant.” The arm on the first coach swung out once again, and the net deployed. The crew operating the ground platform attempted to pull the arm back in, but it was all for naught. The bag slammed into the net and fell into the carriage, just as a bag was dropped off. “Woohoo!” Scootaloo called. “We did it!” “I can confirm, over,” Pip radioed. "We have successfully recovered the diamonds.” Apple Bloom wiped her forehead. “Why do we always end up savin’ the day?” she asked. “I would be nice to have a quiet few days for once,” Sweetie Belle admitted, as their train came to a smooth stop at Canterlot station. Meanwhile, the train robbers climbed out of the wrecked engine, coughing and spluttering. And just then appeared Chrysalis and the police. “Wisbey, Goody,” she said. “You are under arrest.” Author's Note Well, that was fun to write. Just one more chapter to go! Heroes of CanterlotIt was Saturday in Canterlot, as it had been a few times before that point. On most Saturdays, the townsfolk would simply have gone about their usual business, either shopping, relaxing, walking in the park, or many other and myriad activities. But not today. Most of the town was in the town square, standing before a vast stage, or dais, that had been assembled quite hastily the previous evening and the morning as well. Out on the podium, Swift Order was addressing the assembled townsfolk, and police units that had turned out. For today was a day of celebration. Following the actions of the previous night, and the recovery of the stolen diamonds, police across California had fallen upon the rest of the train robbers, arresting them and recovering the gold and dollar bills they were preparing to smuggle out of the country. These men were all awaiting trial, and nobody doubted that they would soon be in jail. It was what they deserved, after all; crime did not pay, and it would be a very long time until they stepped outside again. But this was not what Swift Order was addressing. He stood on the podium, addressing all gathered there that day. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “It is with great pride and emotion that I present this meeting and gathering of our citizens and police officers. Only yesterday did we witness the end of a most unfortunate incident in our town’s history, and indeed in the history of our State.” He paused, before going on. “Only this Thursday, we saw a robbery on a scale and magnitude never attempted before, or seen in either this or any other country before or since. A robbery of fifty million dollars in dollar bills, gold, and diamonds that would have been remembered in the annals of infamy, had it succeeded.” “But,” he continued, with a growing pride and approval in his voice, “the robbery did not succeed. This was thanks to the bravery of six individuals, six children of this very town, who would not let evil go unpunished, and did the right thing. Without them, we would never have caught the ringleaders. It was thanks to their bravery, taking a mail train onto the line and into harm’s way, with the very real risk of injury or death, to ensure that the stolen diamonds were recovered, that the situation was prevented from becoming very much worse.” “To these six students, this town-and indeed the State of California-are forever indebted. Their bravery should inspire us all, just as they inspired us just a few short weeks ago reopening that railroad.” There was a pause, as Swift collected himself, and looked down at the table. “It is now my pride and privilege, to award these six brave individuals the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” Applause erupted as the six students-Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Rumble, Pipsqueak, and Button Mash-stepped forward. Each of them shook Swift Order’s hand, and was then presented with the medal, enclosed in a smartly presented box. They stepped off the podium, to cheering and adulation, from both their families, their siblings, and the crowd in general. Bright Mac hugged Apple Bloom tightly. “Aw, Pa would be so proud if he were here!” he said. “You’ve done us all proud kid!” Apple Bloom could only smile at the praise she was receiving. Rainbow Dash shook Scootaloo’s hand. “Good job squirt!” she smiled. “First you come back from the dead, then you stop train robbers! Whatever next?” “I know, right?” Scootaloo laughed. Finally, Sweetie Belle received the highest praise from her parents. “Jolly good show!” her father exclaimed. “You did us all proud today,” her mother echoed. Suddenly, Applejack’s voice rang out clear in the crowd. “Three cheers for the Crusaders, the heroes of our town!” Everyone fell silent, and waited for the cue. “Hip hip!” “HURRAH!” “Hip hip!” “HURRAH!” “Hip hip!” “HURRAH!!!!” Just then, a 16-gun salute sounded from a group of offshore vessels, as the band struck up the National Anthem of the United States. Later that day, in the evening, Apple Bloom fired up her PC and turned on Skype. She then selected a certain individual in the contacts list. Sure enough, the face of her favourite cousin came up on screen. “Howdy Babs!” Apple Bloom called. “Cuz’!” came the warm reply. "How are things in Canterlot?” “Well,” Apple Bloom started. “Did ya here about the train robbery?” “It was all over the news!” Babs exclaimed. “How could I not have heard of it? I heard they caught the crooks though.” Apple Bloom laughed. “They sure did...with a bit of help.” Babs looked incredulous. “Really?” was all she said. “Let me guess, you were somehow mixed up in all this.” “Yup. Scootaoo, Sweetie Belle, Button Mash, Pip, Rumble and Mahself helped ta stop them, by recoverin’ the diamonds they were plannin’ ta take with them.” “This sounds like somethin’ out of a movie,” Babs replied. "How did ya stop them?” “With a mail train and some TPO vehicles,” Apple Bloom told her, with a smile to rival the Cheshire cat. “True, it were a little hair-raisin' at times, but that’s how most things seem ta be around here these days!” “I’ll take yer word for it,” Was Babs’ reaction. "What happened next?” Apple Bloom said no more, but simply held up her Presidential Medal of Freedom so it was clear to view on the camera. “Woah! You got the Presidential Medal of Freedom?” “Yup!” Apple Bloom replied. “Ah don’t think Ah’ll be forgettin’ this one in a hurry, ya know.” She put the medal down, and chose to change the topic. “So, how ‘bout you, Babs? Anythin’ happen since we last talk?” Babs smiled. “Yeah. We finally got some proper gigs, but ya remember Silverstream?” “Ah remember her.” “Her time at Edison has ended. She’s gone back ta Rhode Island.” “Ah’m sad ta hear that. Who’ll be yer new drummer?” “We’re still workin’ on that,” Babs replied. “But have a great day! I’ve gotta go!” Apple Bloom went to bed that night with a feeling of contentment familiar to her from the last few months. For she and her friends had foiled the Great Canterlot Train Robbery. Author's Note And so ends this story. I hope you enjoyed this somewhat different take on my usual stories. With thanks to SonicFan05 for being such a source of inspiration. Raising SuspicionsThe Police Station sat in the centre of Canterlot City, positioned roughly equidistant from the town hall and the railway station. This central location was perfect for responding to calls and other such problems. The original had been built with the city, but had been recently demolished to make way for the current structure, which, in spite of being built mostly of concrete with glass windows, managed to be architecturally appealing due to its imaginative design and open, airy spaces. Inside the Station was a row of desks, similar to what you would find in an airport in most major cities, and as Canterlot almost had before the plan had been withdrawn due to a lack of planning permission. Officers were stationed there most days, but the last few months had been especially busy, with incidents in the logbook including alleged ‘exploding gas mains’, bullies attacking visiting students, great lights blasting off in the distance near the stadium, huge dragons being taken down by tanks and aircraft, and having to stop runaway trains with shotgun rounds (which hadn’t worked at all). But today was especially busy considering the train robbery a day earlier. Police forces from across California were being roped in to try and catch the crooks, and as a result the place was ablaze with activity. Officers bustled back and forth, carrying evidence, pieces of paper, and a myriad of other items. Meanwhile, a pair of cruisers pulled out of the garage to intercept an ongoing incident. The staff, safe to say, were extremely tense, what with all that was going on. At this moment, the Crusaders and their friends chose to enter the building, walking as quickly as they could to the desk without attracting suspicion. They were conversing with one another. “Well, who should do the talking?” Button asked, a look of worry in his eyes replacing his usual bravado and confidence. “Apple Bloom maybe?” Pip suggested. “After all, she looked in the bag.” “I’d vote Scootaloo,” Rumble interjected. “She has prior experience of working with the police before, right?” “Yep,” Sweetie Belle interjected. “That business with the dragons and the speeding train.” Scootaloo shook her head. “Those few days I kinda wanna forget, OK?” “Noted,” Apple Bloom added. “Shall we go over?” Motioning them over was a woman with grey skin and short blue hair, combined with pale green eyes that seemed to glow when you looked at them. She was currently dressed in the CCPD uniform of a black T-shirt, utility webbing with a pistol and other equipment holstered on it, black BDU pants with a holster, and black boots. Her name tag read Chrysalis. The students stopped in front of her. “Good evening,” she said. “How may I help you?” Scootaloo spoke up. “We need to speak to the Commissioner himself.” Chrysalis looked surprised. “Well, he isn’t in at the moment, but I’m the Deputy, so you can run it by me. What did you need to speak to him about?” “We have a lead on those train robbers,” Scootaloo replied. “And I get the impression that the Police is appealing for leads.” If Chrysalis was annoyed by this, she showed no signs of it. “Yes, we could do with all the leads that we can get,” she answered. “This robbery has made a real mess of everything. And to think I was planning on spending time with Thorax and Ocellus this weekend,” she sighed. “Wait, weren’t they the kids at the open day?” Button asked suddenly. “Yeah, those were them!” Pip added. Chrysalis chuckled. “Yes, they are my kids. I think about your age too.” She motioned to an access gate, and switched on her radio. “I need another officer to man desk 14, over.” “Copy that, dispatching Gadget.” Chrysalis sighed. “It’s pronounced, Gauchet.” “Noted, ma’am.” In the office of Deputy Chrysalis, the matter was discussed. “So, tell me if I’ve got this correct,” Chrysalis said to them. “Yesterday, you saw a mail train fly through well before the allocated time and drop off some mailbags.” “That’s correct,” Rumble answered. “Then only today, you also saw two men attempt to carry away a mailbag, a mailbag which turned out to be one of the missing ones. Not only that, but it was full of diamonds.” Apple Bloom nodded. “That’s correct.” “Finally, you overheard the two men talking about a pickup taking place of the bag tonight, using another stolen train. Is this correct?” Rumble nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.” Chrysalis sighed, when suddenly her desk buzzed. “Hello?” “Ma’am, Swift Order has just returned.” “Can you ask him to head to my office? I have an urgent matter to discuss with him.” “Yes ma’am, routing him your way now.” Swift Order, whom the girls knew very well by this point, stepped in through the door. He glanced over at the girls. “What have you lot been doing this time?” he asked, with a wry smile. “N-nothing!” Sweetie Belle stammered. “I was only joking,” Swift Order laughed, and took a seat. “What was this you wanted to see me about Chrysalis?” Chrysalis shook her head. “All these years of telling him I’m OK with being called Chris and he still uses my full name.” “Well, it’s what’s written on your badge, after all.” Swift Order had a point. “Anyway, what did you want to see me about?” Chrysalis started speaking. “Sir, these students have a lead on the robbery. Yesterday, the saw what we now believe to be the stolen train dropping off mailbags, and only today saw two men attempt to carry one of them away. There was some talk of another train coming to pick it up, and upon closer inspection the bag was filled with diamonds. This means that the bags with money and gold have already been shipped off.” “I’ve got the LAPD looking into that,” Swift sighed. “Thank you. This has made our job a lot easier. But we still need to catch the crooks.” Scootaloo looked over. “Does that somehow involve us, sir?” The look on Swift Order’s face told her all she needed to know. That evening, covert police officers gathered in the railyard at Cloudsdale. They were lightly armed, with tasers and suchlike, and Chrysalis was monitoring the situation from a command vehicle. “All assets, we have a confirmed track on two of the suspects, over,” she said. “Copy that, opening channel to analyse voices,” radioed the technician. “Hey, Wisbey, are you sure those two have got the bags set up correctly?” asked one of the crooks, climbing aboard one of the engines whilst disguised as an engine driver. “I’m certain they’ll have it set up!” ‘Wisbey’ replied. “Honestly Goodey, you have no faith sometimes.” “Well, I wouldn’t have faith in Biggs to put his trousers on the right way around!” ‘ Goodey’ shot back. “Confirmation on intended targets. Awaiting clearance to move in.” Chrysalis switched the alarm to on. “Engage.” The policemen moved forward, as a large spotlight was shone on the locomotive and the men climbing into it. “STOP! THIS IS THE POLICE!” One of them shouted, “We’ve been rumbled! Step on it!” The engine suddenly fired up on the diesel, an old SD-40, which roared out of the yard with a train of TPO vehicles in tow. Chrysalis growled in frustration. “We’ll never catch them now! Get the helicopter!” Apple Bloom cleared her throat. “There is a way,” she said. “And that it?” Chrysalis asked. Scootaloo said nothing, but merely pointed to Lady of Legend. Author's Note So, here we go! Into the final act! CreditsGraham Verchere-Pipsqueak Blake Swift-Button Mash Claire Corlett-Sweetie Belle Vincent Tong-Rumble, dispatcher Michelle Creber-Apple Bloom Madeleine Peters-Scootaloo Felicia Day-Pear Butter Tom Hanks-News reporter Jay David-Mr David Richard Ian Cox-Biggs, Daly Kathleen Barr-Chrysalis Lee Tockar-Policemen on radio Stephen Lang-Swift Order Ian James Corlett-Technician, Wisbey, Goodey Bill Newton-Bright Mac Ashleigh Ball-Rainbow Dash, Applejack Peter New-Hondo Flanks Tabitha St. Germain-Cookie Crumbles Brynna Drummond-Babs Seed Author's Note Thanks for reading.
The Evening of the DramaIt was now March in Canterlot, and the snow had finally melted away. The sun shone in the sky, the days now being noticeably longer than they used to be. As the afternoon rolled in one Thursday evening, a group of six friends were heading for Sweet Apple Acres. Due to the slight increase in temperature, the streetcars now had air conditioning enabled, which meant that things were not as hot as they could have been. When the streetcar came to a stop, these six friends hopped off and headed onto a dirt path toward the farm itself. These six friends, as you will undoubtedly know, were Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Pipsqueak, Rumble, and Button Mash. Having just come off a number of dramatic events, such as restoring a railroad, Scootaloo coming back from the dead, or a great rescue on the Rich estate, they were keen for a quieter few days. “I hope this weekend won’t be too chaotic,” Pip observed, raising his opinion. “Yeah!” Button added. “I’ve got some mods I want to test on Train Simulator.” Sweetie Belle pouted. “I thought you’d want to spend it with us.” “Yeah, that too!” Button added. Rumble spoke up. “Hey, isn’t the mail train due through any minute now?” “Race ya to the fence!” shouted Apple Bloom. “You’re on!” Scootaloo replied, as the six kids raced over the field to the fence that sat next to the mainline. At this point on the railway line, it was only double track in either direction, as far as Canterlot to the south and Cloudsdale to the north. As a result, services had to be timetabled to run quickly to avoid backlog, although there were loops at the bottom of Cloudsdale bank. The rails had a number of unusual features next to the track. On both sides of the line were brackets, to which bags were attached. There were also large nets on the ground, held up by wooden frames. This was where mail was picked up and dropped off, in order to save time on the rails as loading and unloading mailbags at stations was very time consuming. Therefore, dropping mail off and picking it up on the move was incredibly useful. The students looked out over the rails, as they heard the distinctive sound of a Churchward bark approach from Canterlot. And then the train appeared. It consisted of a Great Western Railway Saint Class engine on the head, no 2999 Lady of Legend, and a series of bogie coaches with no windows. Instead, they had a net on one side, and a great arm to which another mailbag was attached. The engine thundered forward, the driver sounding the whistle as he saw the students waving to the train. The bag mounted to the arm hanging from the carriage fell into the net, the arm rising automatically to avoid catching on lineside equipment. The bags mounted on the arms crashed into the net with a bang, and swung back around to avoid catching on other mail carriages. The pickup and drop off of mail complete, the train sped onwards into the distance, sounding its whistle as it did so. But no sooner had that train flown through, then another one raced past on the opposite track, this time pulled by a Class 40 diesel. The procedure repeated, the bags being dumped and picked up by the fast-moving freight train. “That’s not supposed to happen!” Rumble noted. “The next train in that direction is not due for another 10 minutes.” “Maybe it’s running early?” Scootaloo suggested. “I’ve had that a couple of times.” “It’s odd they’d schedule trains to run early,” Pip noted. “Usually they run behind the timetable, not before.” “Well,” Sweetie Belle interrupted, “we can always discuss it indoors. No point in just standing around in the heat!” “Noted,” Button said, and they headed toward the house. When they got there, Pear was there to greet them. “Hello you six,” she smiled. “Did ya stop ta watch the post train through?” “We sure did!” Apple Bloom replied. “It never ceases ta be spectacular.” “But there was another train headed the other way,” Pip said. “And Rumble said something about it being early.” “Ah well,” Pear replied. “Ah wouldn’t worry about it at all. Do ya wanna stay for supper?” “That sounds nice!” Scootaloo said. “Count me in!” Button added. Overall, they reacted positively to this idea, but whilst waiting, they trooped off to the front room to watch some TV. Apple Bloom flicked through some channels. “They’re two, they’re four, they’re six, they’re eight-” “Ah,” Rumble noted. “It’s Thomas and Friends.” “But which season?” Sweetie Belle asked. “There’s a real quality change between Seasons 16 and 17.” “I still miss hearing Michael Angelis narrating them,” Pip said. “Ah yes,” Apple Bloom replied. “Ya lived in the UK for a while, didn’t ya?” “Lived there!” Pip exclaimed. “I was born there!” The intro finally ended. “Wonky Whistle.” “It’s a Sharon Miller episode,” Scootaloo grumbled. “Can we change channels?” Apple Bloom punched some buttons. “Chugginton!” “NO!” everyone cried. Sure enough, Apple Bloom switched channels as fast as she could. “Dale a tucuerpoalegría Macarena Que tucuerpo es pa' darlealegría why cosabuena Dale a tucuerpoalegría, Macarena Hey Macarena!” “Seriously?” Button Mash asked. “MTV is still a thing?” “Most people watch music videos on YouTube these days,” Sweetie Belle told him. “It was so strange coming across a Rainbooms one.” “That at least is an improvement over some of the rubbish on that site,” Scootaloo said. “Like that one about a wreckin’ ball,” Apple Bloom commented. “Seriously, why did Cyrus go so badly off the rails?” The channel changed once again, this time showing classic Thomas and Friends episodes. They watched quite a few of those, when suddenly the broadcast stopped. “What?” Pip asked. “Has the receiver got jammed again?” Apple Bloom groaned. But then an image of a man at a desk came up on screen, and he began speaking. “We interrupt this programming in order to bring an urgent announcement.” The image then changed to show police swarming across part of the line at Canterlot. “An hour ago, a robbery was committed on the postal train stationed at Cloudsdale. The criminals are believed to have made off with nearly 50 million dollars' worth of dollar bills, gold, and diamonds that were being transported on the train.” The image then changed again, to show a class 40 diesel coupled to some vans. “That’s got the same running number as the one we saw go through!” Rumble shouted. “The criminals are believed to have hijacked the train and driven it off in the Canterlot direction. If the public has any information regarding the robbery, they are encouraged to report it to the police immediately. We will now return you to your scheduled program.” The broadcast switched back to the channel, but Apple Bloom was left worried. Had they witnessed a robbery? And would they be roped into yet another adventure? Author's Note This video was invaluable in writing this chapter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EGQWAZghaM What will happen next? Tune in tomorrow to find out!
Mailbag HorrorIt is no understatement to say that the news of the train robbery caught the ears of almost everybody in Canterlot. Throughout the school, people were busy discussing the incident, with varying degrees of subtlety, but all of them were worried for the safety of their valuables. Rumble sat with Pip and Button, both of whom were highly concerned over the incident. “Will it still be safe to shunt up at Cloudsdale yard?” Button asked. “I’d rather not have people jump on my engine whilst I’m working!” “Relax Button,” Pip replied. “I’m certain that they’ll catch them. Money doesn’t just vanish.” “Pip’s right,” Rumble added, frustrated. “But what concerns me more is how they were able to make off with the money in the first place. The yard is supposed to be secure, for crying out loud!” Button shrugged. “What if they had a spy in the company?” “A spy?” Pip asked, shocked. “Yes, a spy,” Button repeated. “Why is everyone repeating what we are saying to one another?” “I don’t know,” Rumble replied. “Why is everyone repeating what we are saying to one another?” “Maybe the author is trying to draw the conversation out as long as he can, so that he can ensure he hits the needed wordcount,” Pip suggested. “What?” the other two boys asked. “Are you not aware of other individuals reading this on their computer screens as we speak?” Pip asked. Button shook his head. “And I thought I had problems.” Rumble spoke up, a similar look of concern on his face. “Pip, you really should stop spending time with Pinkie Pie. Her weirdness seems to be rubbing off on you.” Pip sighed. “Well, there is this princess of the night who keeps turning up in my dreams.” Button laughed. “A princess of the night? That’s just as ridiculous as there being a portal in the Wondercolt statue-oh wait,” he stopped, and facepalmed. “Argh!” The bell then went, and the boys agreed to continue their conversation later. The girls were having no easier a time either. “So, what do you think was in those mailbags we saw dropped?” Scootaloo asked. “What are you getting at Scoots?” Sweetie Belle asked in response. “Why are y’all answerin’ each other’s questions with questions?” Apple Bloom asked. “Come ta think of it, why am Ah doin’ it now?” “I don’t know, why are we?” Scootaloo enquired. “Well, there’s every possibility of the bags we saw being dropped containing the stolen valuables,” Sweetie Belle noted. “But that seems an odd place to dump them.” “Maybe they had a waiting lorry to drive them off to a farmhouse where they play Monopoly with real money?” Scootaloo suggested. “Like in that movie we watched once. What was it called?” “I believe you are referring to The Great Train Robbery,” Sweetie Belle said. “That was based on a true event, though I don’t believe they dropped the mail off in bags.” “If so, the money would still be in the local area,” Scootaloo continued. “Though how do you hide it?” “How about we all stop speculatin’ and leave it ta the Police” Apple Bloom snapped. “Gossipin’ about it will not make the Police catch them!” The other girls were somewhat stunned at Apple Bloom’s outburst, and chose to remain silent as the bell went. After school, the girls and their boyfriends headed for the railroad station to try and settle the matter conclusively. Heading into the control room, they went to speak to the regional controller. Mr David gave them a warm smile as they entered. “Good evening girls,” he said. “And boys,” he quickly added. Rumble was the first to speak. “Sir,” he said. “Did you have an odd freight movement on the records yesterday?” Scootaloo elbowed him. “You could have been a bit more tactful!” she hissed. “That’s rich, coming from you!” Pip hissed back. Mr David paid them no attention. “Yes, we did.” “Told you it would work!” Rumble snapped. “A Class 40 came into the section with a radio report that the engine unit had caught fire and it needed priority clearance into the sidings,” Mr David finished. “As a result, we priority cleared it through the network, and brought it here. Only by then, the fire had been successfully extinguished by the engine crew, and the engine was cleared to continue its run.” The students all looked at each other in surprise. “Well,” Button began, “we saw a Class 40 race through and perform a mail drop without any apparent engine problems.” “In fact,” Apple Bloom added, “the engines were screamin’ as it flew through the drop off point.” “We had no mail trains scheduled in that direction for that time,” Mr David noted. “Thanks for warning me.” Sweetie Belle had remained silent the entire time. “Sir,” she spoke up, “Is it possible if we could head back now?” “By all means,” he said. “After all, it’s not a work day.” As was the expected course of action, they headed for Sweet Apple Acres. Riding on the streetcar, they hopped off at the stop and walked over to the section of fence which gave a clear view of the railway line and the TPO drop point. What they saw were two men struggling with a bag. “Blimey, this back is heavy Biggs!” said the first, an immensely large man with a monstrous chin. “I know Daly!” said the other, as he heaved the bag up. “This is the last one we need.” “When’s the train coming through?” asked the first. “Apparently this evening,” ‘Biggs’ finished. “Goody and Wisbey have already got the diesel and the TPO vans. From there, we can ship them to Los Angeles and sell the gold and diamonds off.” “And then we’ll be rich!” added ‘Daly’. “But we may need help setting this up. We can leave it here until this evening.” Just then, both men disappeared off and vanished into the distance. “That was weird,” Pip said. The girls and boys crossed over the fence and checked the line for oncoming traffic. Once they reached the bags, Apple Bloom took a close look. “The bag’s open,” she observed. Sweetie Belle reached for it. “No!” Button snapped. Upon seeing Sweetie Belle recoil in fright, he spoke more gently. “We don’t want to get our fingerprints on it, do we?” Apple Bloom produced a piece of wood, and levered the bag open. What was inside made her jaw drop. It was diamonds. Lots of them. “Looks like we were right to be suspicious,” Rumble said. “So what do we do?” Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom closed the bag, and motioned for the others to cross the line. “We go ta the Police. We got them a lead.” Author's Note In case you are wondering, the names of the gang members are the names of the original Great Train Robbers.
Bag and DragLady of Legend was cleared to run out of Cloudsdale Yard within minutes, and departed with a thunderous noise and a furious snort of steam. Behind it were 5 TPO vehicles, one of which was manned by Button, Rumble and Pip. They stayed in contact with the locomotive through the intercom. And who should be driving the engine? None other than Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom. “Check equipment, over,” Scootaloo radioed. “Copy that,” said the voice of Rumble. "Net deployment mechanism is operational, as is the drop arm. We’ve already got a bag mounted to it and can drop it into place as is needed.” “Good,” Scootaloo replied. “Keep the fire hot!” commanded Apple Bloom, as Sweetie Belle shovelled another load of coal into the engine’s firebox. The locomotive, in spite of its small size relative to most engines, could handle the heavy load with ease, and the train rolled into the grade quickly. Down and down it went, speed rising as they took the Cloudsdale curve at speed, before vanishing into another tunnel and curving through the hill. Then as they thundered out of the tunnel, they came straight out onto the mainline. “Right, time ta open her up!” Apple Bloom called, and pulled the regulator open to full position. Speed continued to rise. First 60, then 70, and finally 80 miles an hour! “Slow down!” Sweetie Belle called. “If we go too fast, the bag we are picking up will be damaged, and therefore useless. We’re trying to recover the diamonds, not destroy them, remember?” “We can slow down when we reach the pickup point,” Apple Bloom replied. “If we don’t speed up, we’ll never catch that other train and they’ll get away!” The radio went again. “Hello?” Scootaloo asked. “Button Mash here,” said the voice on the other end. "We’ve sighted the other train, just up ahead. We have 30 miles to the intercept point, but only two sets of diamond junctions with which to get across the line. We will need to proceed wrong line briefly if we are going to get in front.” “Thanks for the tip Button,” Scootaloo replied. She called forward. “Button states we need to get across onto the Northbound track!” she shouted. “That means we’ll be running wrong line!” Sweetie Belle called back. “It’s that, or they get away!” Scootaloo replied. “It’s your call, Apple Bloom!” Apple Bloom activated the in-cab radio. “Control, this is engine crew of 2999 Lady of Legend, over.” “2999, what in the world are you doing out on the mainline?” the dispatcher radioed back. "You are not scheduled to depart for another hour!” “We’re chasin’ down a train intent on recoverin’ mailbags with stolen diamonds,” Apple Bloom replied. “We need ya ta switch us onto the Northbound track in order ta pass the other train and get in front of it.” There was a pause. “Apple Bloom, I wouldn't advise that.” Apple Bloom paused herself, before reactivating the radio. "Throw the switch, over.” “Roger, throwing switch. Good luck, and godspeed.” The engine and the train suddenly lurched to the left, as the train switched lines at speed. Running over the junctions at several times the intended speeds of operation, the crew inside the TPO coach were thrown about and landed on the floor. “Ow!” Pip exclaimed. “What in the world is going on?” “We’ve just switched lines,” Button explained. “Ah man!” Rumble groaned. “This now means all of the equipment is on the wrong side! Come on, we need to get it set up in the next carriage, just the other way around!” Completely unaware of the commotion behind them, Apple Bloom kept the regulator open as they began to draw past the other train. The crew of that engine looked in bewilderment as the Saint came level with them. “Oh no you don’t!” the driver shouted, and increased engine power. The diesel shot forward, so Apple Bloom simply wound the cutoff back further, and the Saint continued to catch up, eventually drawing level with the other train. Then trouble came. “APPLE BLOOM!” Sweetie Belle shrieked. “INCOMING TRAIN! INCOMING TRAIN!” Apple Bloom looked out of the cab, and saw, to her horror, that a passenger train was inbound on their line. “We need ta get over that switch, fast!” she cried, and adjusted the cutoff again. Glancing behind her, she saw a sight that horrified her. The arm from the second carriage swung out, and the net deployed-smashing into the train opposite and wrecking them. “That’s torn it!” Rumble shouted down the radio. "The collection net and drop arm are damaged, and we can’t collect from the first car, as it’s on the wrong side!” “We’re switching lines again, you fool!” Scootaloo scolded back over the radio. “Get back to the front car and get it set up again!” “Oops.” the radio cut out. Sweetie Belle looked out at her end, to see the train in front was perilously close. “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” she shouted. “GET US ACROSS!” “Unless this guy is backin’ down, that’s a no-can-do!” Apple Bloom replied. Then suddenly, the SD40 on their right started to slow down, the engine belching smoke and fire. “What’s going on?” Scootaloo called. Apple Bloom smirked. “Looks like that diesel just had a mechanical,” she said, as they hit the junction and rolled over it. But the diesel hadn’t stopped, and collided with the rear TPO coach as it crossed over the junction, causing it to fly off the rails and demolish the fence. “That ain’t good!” Apple Bloom called. “What’s happened?” Scootaloo called. “Rear coach has come off the line, but it’s still coupled! It’s deadweight!” Just then the coupling snapped, and the carriage came flying off the rails, derailing the SD40 as it did so. Apple Bloom shrugged. “Well, that was conveniant.” The arm on the first coach swung out once again, and the net deployed. The crew operating the ground platform attempted to pull the arm back in, but it was all for naught. The bag slammed into the net and fell into the carriage, just as a bag was dropped off. “Woohoo!” Scootaloo called. “We did it!” “I can confirm, over,” Pip radioed. "We have successfully recovered the diamonds.” Apple Bloom wiped her forehead. “Why do we always end up savin’ the day?” she asked. “I would be nice to have a quiet few days for once,” Sweetie Belle admitted, as their train came to a smooth stop at Canterlot station. Meanwhile, the train robbers climbed out of the wrecked engine, coughing and spluttering. And just then appeared Chrysalis and the police. “Wisbey, Goody,” she said. “You are under arrest.” Author's Note Well, that was fun to write. Just one more chapter to go!
Heroes of CanterlotIt was Saturday in Canterlot, as it had been a few times before that point. On most Saturdays, the townsfolk would simply have gone about their usual business, either shopping, relaxing, walking in the park, or many other and myriad activities. But not today. Most of the town was in the town square, standing before a vast stage, or dais, that had been assembled quite hastily the previous evening and the morning as well. Out on the podium, Swift Order was addressing the assembled townsfolk, and police units that had turned out. For today was a day of celebration. Following the actions of the previous night, and the recovery of the stolen diamonds, police across California had fallen upon the rest of the train robbers, arresting them and recovering the gold and dollar bills they were preparing to smuggle out of the country. These men were all awaiting trial, and nobody doubted that they would soon be in jail. It was what they deserved, after all; crime did not pay, and it would be a very long time until they stepped outside again. But this was not what Swift Order was addressing. He stood on the podium, addressing all gathered there that day. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “It is with great pride and emotion that I present this meeting and gathering of our citizens and police officers. Only yesterday did we witness the end of a most unfortunate incident in our town’s history, and indeed in the history of our State.” He paused, before going on. “Only this Thursday, we saw a robbery on a scale and magnitude never attempted before, or seen in either this or any other country before or since. A robbery of fifty million dollars in dollar bills, gold, and diamonds that would have been remembered in the annals of infamy, had it succeeded.” “But,” he continued, with a growing pride and approval in his voice, “the robbery did not succeed. This was thanks to the bravery of six individuals, six children of this very town, who would not let evil go unpunished, and did the right thing. Without them, we would never have caught the ringleaders. It was thanks to their bravery, taking a mail train onto the line and into harm’s way, with the very real risk of injury or death, to ensure that the stolen diamonds were recovered, that the situation was prevented from becoming very much worse.” “To these six students, this town-and indeed the State of California-are forever indebted. Their bravery should inspire us all, just as they inspired us just a few short weeks ago reopening that railroad.” There was a pause, as Swift collected himself, and looked down at the table. “It is now my pride and privilege, to award these six brave individuals the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” Applause erupted as the six students-Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Rumble, Pipsqueak, and Button Mash-stepped forward. Each of them shook Swift Order’s hand, and was then presented with the medal, enclosed in a smartly presented box. They stepped off the podium, to cheering and adulation, from both their families, their siblings, and the crowd in general. Bright Mac hugged Apple Bloom tightly. “Aw, Pa would be so proud if he were here!” he said. “You’ve done us all proud kid!” Apple Bloom could only smile at the praise she was receiving. Rainbow Dash shook Scootaloo’s hand. “Good job squirt!” she smiled. “First you come back from the dead, then you stop train robbers! Whatever next?” “I know, right?” Scootaloo laughed. Finally, Sweetie Belle received the highest praise from her parents. “Jolly good show!” her father exclaimed. “You did us all proud today,” her mother echoed. Suddenly, Applejack’s voice rang out clear in the crowd. “Three cheers for the Crusaders, the heroes of our town!” Everyone fell silent, and waited for the cue. “Hip hip!” “HURRAH!” “Hip hip!” “HURRAH!” “Hip hip!” “HURRAH!!!!” Just then, a 16-gun salute sounded from a group of offshore vessels, as the band struck up the National Anthem of the United States. Later that day, in the evening, Apple Bloom fired up her PC and turned on Skype. She then selected a certain individual in the contacts list. Sure enough, the face of her favourite cousin came up on screen. “Howdy Babs!” Apple Bloom called. “Cuz’!” came the warm reply. "How are things in Canterlot?” “Well,” Apple Bloom started. “Did ya here about the train robbery?” “It was all over the news!” Babs exclaimed. “How could I not have heard of it? I heard they caught the crooks though.” Apple Bloom laughed. “They sure did...with a bit of help.” Babs looked incredulous. “Really?” was all she said. “Let me guess, you were somehow mixed up in all this.” “Yup. Scootaoo, Sweetie Belle, Button Mash, Pip, Rumble and Mahself helped ta stop them, by recoverin’ the diamonds they were plannin’ ta take with them.” “This sounds like somethin’ out of a movie,” Babs replied. "How did ya stop them?” “With a mail train and some TPO vehicles,” Apple Bloom told her, with a smile to rival the Cheshire cat. “True, it were a little hair-raisin' at times, but that’s how most things seem ta be around here these days!” “I’ll take yer word for it,” Was Babs’ reaction. "What happened next?” Apple Bloom said no more, but simply held up her Presidential Medal of Freedom so it was clear to view on the camera. “Woah! You got the Presidential Medal of Freedom?” “Yup!” Apple Bloom replied. “Ah don’t think Ah’ll be forgettin’ this one in a hurry, ya know.” She put the medal down, and chose to change the topic. “So, how ‘bout you, Babs? Anythin’ happen since we last talk?” Babs smiled. “Yeah. We finally got some proper gigs, but ya remember Silverstream?” “Ah remember her.” “Her time at Edison has ended. She’s gone back ta Rhode Island.” “Ah’m sad ta hear that. Who’ll be yer new drummer?” “We’re still workin’ on that,” Babs replied. “But have a great day! I’ve gotta go!” Apple Bloom went to bed that night with a feeling of contentment familiar to her from the last few months. For she and her friends had foiled the Great Canterlot Train Robbery. Author's Note And so ends this story. I hope you enjoyed this somewhat different take on my usual stories. With thanks to SonicFan05 for being such a source of inspiration.
Raising SuspicionsThe Police Station sat in the centre of Canterlot City, positioned roughly equidistant from the town hall and the railway station. This central location was perfect for responding to calls and other such problems. The original had been built with the city, but had been recently demolished to make way for the current structure, which, in spite of being built mostly of concrete with glass windows, managed to be architecturally appealing due to its imaginative design and open, airy spaces. Inside the Station was a row of desks, similar to what you would find in an airport in most major cities, and as Canterlot almost had before the plan had been withdrawn due to a lack of planning permission. Officers were stationed there most days, but the last few months had been especially busy, with incidents in the logbook including alleged ‘exploding gas mains’, bullies attacking visiting students, great lights blasting off in the distance near the stadium, huge dragons being taken down by tanks and aircraft, and having to stop runaway trains with shotgun rounds (which hadn’t worked at all). But today was especially busy considering the train robbery a day earlier. Police forces from across California were being roped in to try and catch the crooks, and as a result the place was ablaze with activity. Officers bustled back and forth, carrying evidence, pieces of paper, and a myriad of other items. Meanwhile, a pair of cruisers pulled out of the garage to intercept an ongoing incident. The staff, safe to say, were extremely tense, what with all that was going on. At this moment, the Crusaders and their friends chose to enter the building, walking as quickly as they could to the desk without attracting suspicion. They were conversing with one another. “Well, who should do the talking?” Button asked, a look of worry in his eyes replacing his usual bravado and confidence. “Apple Bloom maybe?” Pip suggested. “After all, she looked in the bag.” “I’d vote Scootaloo,” Rumble interjected. “She has prior experience of working with the police before, right?” “Yep,” Sweetie Belle interjected. “That business with the dragons and the speeding train.” Scootaloo shook her head. “Those few days I kinda wanna forget, OK?” “Noted,” Apple Bloom added. “Shall we go over?” Motioning them over was a woman with grey skin and short blue hair, combined with pale green eyes that seemed to glow when you looked at them. She was currently dressed in the CCPD uniform of a black T-shirt, utility webbing with a pistol and other equipment holstered on it, black BDU pants with a holster, and black boots. Her name tag read Chrysalis. The students stopped in front of her. “Good evening,” she said. “How may I help you?” Scootaloo spoke up. “We need to speak to the Commissioner himself.” Chrysalis looked surprised. “Well, he isn’t in at the moment, but I’m the Deputy, so you can run it by me. What did you need to speak to him about?” “We have a lead on those train robbers,” Scootaloo replied. “And I get the impression that the Police is appealing for leads.” If Chrysalis was annoyed by this, she showed no signs of it. “Yes, we could do with all the leads that we can get,” she answered. “This robbery has made a real mess of everything. And to think I was planning on spending time with Thorax and Ocellus this weekend,” she sighed. “Wait, weren’t they the kids at the open day?” Button asked suddenly. “Yeah, those were them!” Pip added. Chrysalis chuckled. “Yes, they are my kids. I think about your age too.” She motioned to an access gate, and switched on her radio. “I need another officer to man desk 14, over.” “Copy that, dispatching Gadget.” Chrysalis sighed. “It’s pronounced, Gauchet.” “Noted, ma’am.” In the office of Deputy Chrysalis, the matter was discussed. “So, tell me if I’ve got this correct,” Chrysalis said to them. “Yesterday, you saw a mail train fly through well before the allocated time and drop off some mailbags.” “That’s correct,” Rumble answered. “Then only today, you also saw two men attempt to carry away a mailbag, a mailbag which turned out to be one of the missing ones. Not only that, but it was full of diamonds.” Apple Bloom nodded. “That’s correct.” “Finally, you overheard the two men talking about a pickup taking place of the bag tonight, using another stolen train. Is this correct?” Rumble nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.” Chrysalis sighed, when suddenly her desk buzzed. “Hello?” “Ma’am, Swift Order has just returned.” “Can you ask him to head to my office? I have an urgent matter to discuss with him.” “Yes ma’am, routing him your way now.” Swift Order, whom the girls knew very well by this point, stepped in through the door. He glanced over at the girls. “What have you lot been doing this time?” he asked, with a wry smile. “N-nothing!” Sweetie Belle stammered. “I was only joking,” Swift Order laughed, and took a seat. “What was this you wanted to see me about Chrysalis?” Chrysalis shook her head. “All these years of telling him I’m OK with being called Chris and he still uses my full name.” “Well, it’s what’s written on your badge, after all.” Swift Order had a point. “Anyway, what did you want to see me about?” Chrysalis started speaking. “Sir, these students have a lead on the robbery. Yesterday, the saw what we now believe to be the stolen train dropping off mailbags, and only today saw two men attempt to carry one of them away. There was some talk of another train coming to pick it up, and upon closer inspection the bag was filled with diamonds. This means that the bags with money and gold have already been shipped off.” “I’ve got the LAPD looking into that,” Swift sighed. “Thank you. This has made our job a lot easier. But we still need to catch the crooks.” Scootaloo looked over. “Does that somehow involve us, sir?” The look on Swift Order’s face told her all she needed to know. That evening, covert police officers gathered in the railyard at Cloudsdale. They were lightly armed, with tasers and suchlike, and Chrysalis was monitoring the situation from a command vehicle. “All assets, we have a confirmed track on two of the suspects, over,” she said. “Copy that, opening channel to analyse voices,” radioed the technician. “Hey, Wisbey, are you sure those two have got the bags set up correctly?” asked one of the crooks, climbing aboard one of the engines whilst disguised as an engine driver. “I’m certain they’ll have it set up!” ‘Wisbey’ replied. “Honestly Goodey, you have no faith sometimes.” “Well, I wouldn’t have faith in Biggs to put his trousers on the right way around!” ‘ Goodey’ shot back. “Confirmation on intended targets. Awaiting clearance to move in.” Chrysalis switched the alarm to on. “Engage.” The policemen moved forward, as a large spotlight was shone on the locomotive and the men climbing into it. “STOP! THIS IS THE POLICE!” One of them shouted, “We’ve been rumbled! Step on it!” The engine suddenly fired up on the diesel, an old SD-40, which roared out of the yard with a train of TPO vehicles in tow. Chrysalis growled in frustration. “We’ll never catch them now! Get the helicopter!” Apple Bloom cleared her throat. “There is a way,” she said. “And that it?” Chrysalis asked. Scootaloo said nothing, but merely pointed to Lady of Legend. Author's Note So, here we go! Into the final act!
CreditsGraham Verchere-Pipsqueak Blake Swift-Button Mash Claire Corlett-Sweetie Belle Vincent Tong-Rumble, dispatcher Michelle Creber-Apple Bloom Madeleine Peters-Scootaloo Felicia Day-Pear Butter Tom Hanks-News reporter Jay David-Mr David Richard Ian Cox-Biggs, Daly Kathleen Barr-Chrysalis Lee Tockar-Policemen on radio Stephen Lang-Swift Order Ian James Corlett-Technician, Wisbey, Goodey Bill Newton-Bright Mac Ashleigh Ball-Rainbow Dash, Applejack Peter New-Hondo Flanks Tabitha St. Germain-Cookie Crumbles Brynna Drummond-Babs Seed Author's Note Thanks for reading.
