Chapter 1: Seeing is believing
Listening to the communications chatter and what is happening as i approached the landing pad proved most of the time´s very useful. I could always catch gossiping words that would help me get insight on what to expect as all information is good information in my book´s. Getting as much information as possible even from gossip through the chatter by different frequencies has proven invaluable on occasion. For example i managed to understand why my clothing sometimes became pink after it was done from laundry. Other time´s i overhear the security channel´s on the latest news on what is going on and what dangers awaited at what spots. This time around i heard no chatter of the abnormal one´s except the one telling pilots where to land and weather forecasts, and it seems to be windy,
I was tasked to solve something of an odd job that do not appear frequently on our list of assignment´s. The job was forwarded from the planet irolka two-hundred years ago, catalogued as the day of needed assistance today. Why would one freeze an assignments for over two-hundred years, but the benefit´s from completing this assignment would help my world as an whole on the trading aspect. So when the time was in to complete the job which was collecting dust the organisation were inclined to send me. Was it because of the fact i was new to them and had finally earned my keep amongst the ranks, climbed the ladder to join the rest of the elite, maybe this was to test me so they gave me an boring assignment expecting not much but a routine check up, disposing of bandits and their ilk perhaps? i shall see as i arrive.
I flew past the tower that went upwards like an spire, very few were that high up as well as i could see the landing pad that i was instructed to land upon. After i landed and opened the hatch coming outside i was greeted with something ominous. I could hear the night life critters the bugs that made their sound echo through the dark night, i was sure that i had not miscalculated this city. At first glance as i approached the landing pad it would at least have several thousands of ponies walking about minding their own business, where is everyone and why is it so quiet.
I started to walk forward slowly on my two back hoofs moving my head to the sides, taking in the atmosphere while being inside of my armour. Curiosity hit me as i walked, my armour on the ground made an strange sound every time i moved forward. The sand i walked upon would not make this kind of sound, i got even more curious yet suspicious of this until i heard the sound of a pony galloping forward on his four hoofs, i watched him move towards me.
"Excuse me!, sorry!, but excuse me!, i most ask you a question." His breath was heavy uttering these words.
"Is your name perhaps Tajel?"
"Yes that would be me, but common courtesy is that you introduce your self first before asking the name of someone else."
"Beg your pardon, my name is Tripkam RangBolt, i was asked to guide you and assist on the assignment ahead of us, and luckily we are one day early until the assignment is to be started." His breath calmed down as he spoke with less weight behind the words.
"About that mission i have many questions and i do not understand what i am supposed to do, the only information i have is that it is urgent, some kind of problems regarding some sort of train and the fact it is well over two-hundred years old, but assigned for tomorrow."
"I will let you know everything that is need to be know, that is why i was sent here, where nobody else wanted to go during this time." His face changed as he uttered his sentence, seemed to be that of an pony who was pushed into doing something he did not want..
"You have caught my attention, i want to know everything you can tell me about this town, the problem at hand, and why my steps make this noise when i walk on the sand. and why your boots do not."
"No worries we have enough time, would you please follow me and we will get this done and over with."
This started my journey With Tripkam, or should i say my walk towards my impending destination. I kept moving my head around observing the city. I asked my question´s to settle the curiosity and ominous feeling that kept bugging me. Tripkam told me as i recall, the sand i am walking upon has metal dust woven together in the sand, my armour when it touched the sand and moved upon it resulted in friction and caused the sound that annoyed me with every step i took.
According to Tripkam as we kept walking, the city and everything else in all cities on the planet have the main components of heavy metals, mostly iron. The planet has an abundance with heavy metal´s and is the biggest exporter of iron across the solar system but my ears had caught attention to something else. The wind as it swept across the empty city through the holes that existed, mainly the ventilation shafts, made this distinct sound that gave me chills making me restless. The town´s citizen´s had left several days early for the assignment that i am here to deal with, what could cause something to make an entire city of ponies to move away. I was growing nervous of the situation and the job i was sent to deal with.
"Tripkam, why did they send you of all people and why did everyone leave, what is my job, and who has been following us since we started walking?"
Tripkam took notice that there was yet, one more pair of hooves following us and moved his head backwards as he stopped to observe who the mysterious third guest has been.
"Oh, that is the filly that has been living here, homeless little runt. Her family died in the mining caves trying to make an living, the father died by accident her mother died as her body gave up, it shut down by it self due to the heavy load of work. An tragic event that we can not do anything about currently, seems like your interesting armour and boot grinding on the sand caught her attention."
"And the filly is left homeless?"
"The filly is not the only one who is in trouble around here, take a good look at me."
Tripkams body at an closer look was malnourished and he looked very weak, i did not pay attention to him to much as i was more curious of my surroundings, He looked at me in the eyes and kept talking.
"I think i should tell you what the job is as we are getting close to the location. All the problems we have are tied to this assignment, i was sent here because they though i was best suited for the upcoming event currently, it was not a draw by shortest stick however of who should come."
We had arrived closer to the east of the town and there were some mining equipment, shovels, drills, nothing out of the ordinary, seemed like everything was left as it was in a hurry. Tripkam moved me down stairs from above the ground, the opening was shaped like a snake its head leading downwards to the belly and reminded me consequently of an subway station that we had back home, the filly was still following us a bit in the distance but not far of, moving from corner to corner observing me and Tripkam, i did not pay attention as well as Tripkam seemed to rather ignore the filly.
"Here is where the assignment will start."
I looked around slowly, it was the spitting image of an subway station, the only difference was the fact that the environment was outfitted for mining operations, it had its pillar´s to support the celling from falling down, the hole that that was drilled through for the train to move forward and backward stretching out endlessly, there was no end to the tunnel. The rail road tracks were there, It was an old design nothing new or modern but it seemed more of quality then anything else, yet my question remained unanswered so i spoke up looking down on Tripkam on my two hooves while he was still on his four.
"So i think i finally understand what my job is, you want me to use my gun to blast some rounds at the rocks and collect resources, as the rest of the city went out on their holiday?"
Tripkam tilted his head and looked at Tajel, he was showing that he was not amused at the comical effort put into display.
"No that is not the case, i need you, or rather said we, as in this planets government who sent in the request to your organisation. We are in an need for you to take care of an ghost." Tripkam moved his head to the right and looked at Tajel, his body was facing forward on the tracks sitting down on the platform.
"So, the government of Irolka are willing to give our planet trading agreement with benefit´s in every trade we do with you´r people, if i can kill a ghost so to speak, have i managed to summarize this assignment in an nutshell."
Tajel looked back at Tripkam standing on his two hooves with his eyebrow on the right side moving up a bit.
"Pretty much."Tripkam looked ahead of him self as he uttered the word,
"You do know ghosts do not exist and i have seen some odd creatures, even in magic as well as science this is something i can not believe in, you do understand that all this dust from the mining operations around here most have reached to that pony head of yours."
Tripkam looked at Tajel without moving an inch of emotion on his face, he instead pulled out his book from the satchel on his left side bag and looked into it, trying to find something in the pages.
"It will arrive soon just wait for it, should be coming any second now and we will see who is the crazy one, just give me some time to look into the details."
I looked at Tripkam as he was going through the pages of his book, i was curious to know what he was talking about, what is it that is coming soon? Maybe he was referring to an incoming train that will take me to my destination where i would do my assignment. The assignment did mention that there was a train involved but not in what way, could be security or bodyguard duty because it sure can not be something like a ghost. The interior and surrounding´s started to become utterly quiet, except for the vibrating noise from machinery on automated procedure working and buzzing. I found things starting to become strange, there were no rats in sound or in eyesight until a howling voice started to echo through the tunnel, something far away and something very obscure was travelling trough the tunnels and then the chanting started.
"I can see you finally hear it." Tripkam kept looking into his book talking as he had known this was coming.
"Tripkam, explain your self is this some sort of joke? are you trying to scare me for some reason?"
"I can hear it as well, anyone down here with us can hear it, even the filly hiding behind the door behind us can hear it. Ah i found it, it is coming right about... NOW!"
As soon as Tripkam ushered in the word "Now!" the distinct sound with the howling followed up with chanting was met with an sound all to familiar to me, the sound of a train coming closer. I steeped up closer to the rail-road tracks but not to close, Tripkam kept his plot on the platform pavement a bit back. I moved my head to the sides looking to see where it will come from, although the sound was coming from my left side i could not see it. I looked to the left where the sound was coming from and there were shapes, something was forming and moving forward on the tracks on an unrelenting speed showing no sign of stopping or slowing down, at that moment i stepped back and not even a second later only a meter away from my very face between the visor it passed me by. The train had its shape but was more like smoke passing by, blended together with an weird way of shape-shifting almost like watching an mirror that distorts your looks.
The train as it passed by was accompanied with distinct laughter together with the haunting of what seems to be it´s passengers, that is the only conclusion i can think of at the time being. The train as it swept downwards to my right vanished once more alongside with the sound that it had made. As the sound carried down deeper into the tunnel leaving me in a daze, my mind wandered of in thoughts trying to wrap it self around the experience with a sense of logic. My senses, my mind can not comprehend this, my body was frozen like stone i had completely forgotten about the fact to move back and away from the spot so close to the tracks.
"Tajel." Tripkam was looking at Tajel who was standing mesmerized on what he had seen.
"Yes, what? Oh right...ghosts huh."
"It took me a bit of time to wrap my mind around it as well but, i was slightly prepared for it."
"The book?"
"Yes the book, it carries all information known regarding this case and i suggest we leave for above, there is an restaurant that we can rest in and talk about it more as well as i have more information to share with you. But i got to say i have been around here before so i knew about the train, it passes by like this getting even more intense each and every day."
With that concluded we moved upward through the stairs and out of the snake´s belly, the filly seemed to have left and moved out of here, and i do not know how long she was down here, but we were out topside of the empty city as the sky was clouded dark. Tripkam took me a few blocks further into the city and was still in viewing distance of the subway station, the head of the snake as i want to call it. We entered inside the restaurant but barely for my part, the armour makes me taller then any other pony but i managed to get through. Once inside Tripkam went of scavenging around probably for food and something to drink, i can not blame him if he does not put a few bits in the registry once he was done, he seemed to have not ate anything properly for quite a while. My eyes however were fixated on the clouds through the big glass window, there seems to be an storm at the works.
I let my eye´s and head slip down taking a good look outside to see that the filly was observing us from afar, still hiding right behind the corner yet the rain started falling accompanied with thunder.
"The filly is out there still following us." Tajel talked loud enough for Tripkam to hear.
At that very moment Tripkam dropped the bag of canned apples with the bottles of water and moved to the door. As the rain started hitting hard on the door and windows, i wondered if he would yell at her to get lost, yet what awaited in response took me a bit by surprise.
"You have been following me for two days now since i got to this city! And i know we are the only ones currently here! You have not eaten for two days as well and this is the third day! Come over here and eat with us if you are hungry!"
Yelling out to the filly like this did not work, the filly remained at her corner starring, Tripkam´s face as i watched it was not upset or angry he seemed irritated rather said frustrated, the rain was coming down harder and the filly was being soaked wet, before i could utter out a word Tripkam had run of with full speed to the filly across the street and grabbed her with his teeth, tossing her up on his back as he ran back with full speed with his meagre body. I would have gone out there my self, i wanted to get her inside yet Tripkam was faster.
Tripkam put her down on the couch that was for guests, as it seemed to be close to the entrance and would indicate this, he brought in a towel to wipe the filly of from her soaked body.
"How is she?" I looked at Tripkam as he finished wiping her with the towel.
"She will be fine, she is only hungry i can presume. I tried ignoring her, i though she would run of but she did not, even though i did not have food to spare as i awaited for your arrival. The rain is coming down hard and it is a good thing she was close."
Tripkam at the time when i met him seemed like an pencil pusher, someone to just observe me and write down how things are going while i take care of the job assigned, this is a side i liked about him. He actually cared about the little filly all this time as she was following us, but could not do much to help her, he did not have the food to share at the time.
"Well Tajel let us get to business, we can eat later once the little one wakes up, she has been following me without sleeping for days now and probably has nowhere else to go."
"Very well let me get out of the suit and we can continue, i have to sit down."
The suit towered one and a half pony in height when standing on one´s hooves, the armour opened up splitting in half from the stomach to the neck like two doors to each side, allowing one to slip out of it and slip back inside attaching one´s hooves into its hollow arms and legs, one can move around with relative ease as the suit worked like an extension for one self. As soon as i sat down Tripkam looked at the opened suit and back to me.
"Symphonian armour, first time i am seeing them up close and better yet how it looks like, makes the empire´s and republic´s seem primitive in comparison."
I took notice of the fact he knew where my armour came from, i wonder what else he knows.
"How....?"
"How do i know what it is, how do i know where you are from? you most have forgotten the request for help was sent two-hundred years ago to an certain planet, it is obvious that you come from that place and the fact that a lot of time has gone into acquiring information, although all we know is that your organisation makes good work in hiding everything and frankly i don't give a buck about that, it is not in my interest, the rest is office work i get a lot of paper moving my way."
Tripkam kept his cool with a face that showed no smugness in it, no crooked smile, he really genuinely did not care if one goes by expression.
"If i knew more my self i would have shared a few pieces of information, but i know very little. The metal it is made of is something that can not be found on this planet so it is something rare, the shield on its left handed side has functions i don't even know about yet, but the right side however, that my unicorn friend is a plasma gun, point and fire and see big blue balls fill the void that were my aim is, there is a lot more that i my self have yet to discover and i have only had it for some week´s by now, it does not come with an instruction manual so to speak i am still under training."
"Well proper etiquette would state that i should talk about my self, if we go by formalities but, i got a lot to say."
Tripkam had one big story tell me, the rain was still falling down hard and the thunder was not stopping any time soon, the filly was still sleeping on the couch with an blanket over her. As we talked we ate of the canned apples as well as drinking some water, he put some aside for the filly to eat it was more then half of what he had found which was left behind, on further glancing around this was definitely an coffee shop, the tables, the way everything around me was decorated, as well as the drums up on the stage with the guitar that was left behind. Tripkam said it was an restaurant but i am guessing it serves both utilities at different hour´s judging from the menu´s.
Tripkam told me everything i would have ever wanted to ask him, he works for the mayors office in this city as an pony digging through paper work, mainly taking care of pony complaints that come in by the computer as well as in letter. He continued onwards about the city and the planet it self Irolka, explaining the current situation at hand. It seems after finding out during the time of colonisation that the planet had an abundance with heavy metals, the work on mining those resources began quite early. Not long after that accidents started to happen, the accident´s only affected unicorn ponies and the ones who used magic.
It seems the planets density in its resources amplifies magic and will not stop amplifying until one dies. Yet over time ponies such as Tripkam have low affinity towards magic as it was used a lot less, magic use adapted towards each pony as a new generation was born. Tripkam was one of these ponies, at best he could levitate objects of his size while remaining in control and being able to stop the use of magic, on this planet it suited his needs just fine but anywhere else he would not have any magic at all, although being an unicorn pony.
"Well that is that now let us go back to business."
With those last words the sleeping filly woke up and looked to our side and then out through the window. We both looked at her as she seemed to be in a daze not knowing what happened, as soon as she turned her head to look at us Tripkam talked starring at her watching the filly´s eyes.
"Take a seat, i got canned apples over here and water."
The little one took slow steps to the chair and sat down, while sitting she ate the food, pacing her self chewing little by little while drinking the water occasionally.
"Right, here is the deal Tajel, rail-road work started on Irolka way back, i would say two thousand years ago by estimates and stretches currently across the entire planet tied together, the rail-road tracks connected roughly eight hundred and fifty years ago and they are very important, it helps us get everything of planet and trade it of, now we just make ends meet, and can you guess where it all connected?" Tripkam looked at Tajel but got an answer from someone else to their right.
"Here?"
"Your quite the smart little filly or a good guesser, but yes it was here, the final rail-road tracks were connected in the subway we visited and the planet as a whole relies on those tracks to ship out all minerals that we get, the problem is the fact we can not use the tracks, and we have not been able to use the tracks for over three hundred years now. Tajel it is finally getting to us as a population."
"And i would say it has something to do with that train and the ghosts in it?"
The filly was still chewing gaining her vigour back gulping in the food feeding her self, two days with no food i can only imagine the hardships a pony so young could have gone through hungry.
"One question though, how did you know about that comment, which you told me back at the ship as we walked down the streets." Tajel pointed out making slight nodding movements towards the filly, who was to busy eating to notice at the time, she was trying to grab the apple in the can, it seemed to be stuck.
"Ah, i had two days with nothing else to do all alone waiting for you to arrive, i took the time to look through the news in the mayors office, being young and all with the given situation one is in, it most have happened not to long ago."
The filly was still trying to get the apple out of the can, as i watched her she looked just like the colt back home that was curious about me, likes to call him self Steel. They have the same colour´s, different manes, and they were different in shape´s but this looked like it was his sister if they were related. Different in physical bodies and looks, i just could not help but give of an smile seeing her plunge her mouth down the can where the apple was.
"Well regarding what i showed you, i exaggerated a bit it is not really an ghost-train, it is more of an monster so to speak."
"Now your jumping trains with me, ghosts, monsters, what is coming after monsters, dragon´s?"
Tripkam looked at Tajel while the filly had finally grasped the apple out of her can and was chewing on it.
"Well it is easier to say ghost´s then this scientific mumbo jumbo talk, they sent me because i was disposable, someone they would not miss, if this assignment works out i get maybe a free lunch if i am lucky, and if it does not work out nobody would miss me, i do not like to be stuck here while the rest of the cowardly citizens leave on a damn camping trip out of this cities sight."
I could see he was upset of the turnout, Tripkam is not used to these kind of dangers as he was in a bad place at a bad time, i turned my head to the filly.
"How are the apples are they any good?" I looked at her giving of a smile.
The filly looked back and nodded at me with her head acknowledging that they were good. As the rain kept going and the thunder hitting hard without an end in sight, i turned back to Tripkam to continue the conversation that was at hand. Tripkam took out his book once more and started flipping pages, he found what he was looking for and turned his head to me.
"I will explain what happened with the help of this book, history has it that 300 years ago from this point, there was testing done by the pony named "Crow Waters", crow.....i know this i read about it, give a me a second to think, yes.... yes i remember this."
I was watching him as the thunder flashed by i could have sworn there was an light-bulb above his head.
"Ah this is good, i know about this." Tripkam had his eyes opened wide, the filly took notice and started watching with interest towards what the commotion was, i was curious my self towards what this great discovery most be.
"It is now obvious, three-hundred years ago Crow created an sphere that could host magic, something that could host magic with the use of science, if sparked it would contain that magic inside and keep fuelling it self endlessly while being amplified with the help of this planets density. If a pony of the unicorn kind can not control the magic, then science will find a way to do so, crow most have figured it out."
I looked back at the filly as she looked at me, we both were out of our wits and could not keep up with this pony, we were mesmerized by his words. Tripkam noticed this and went back to pace him self for a second try in explaining.
"Might have gone of the rails a bit here, let me try this again. Crow crated a ball, this ball holds nothing inside, once he added a bit of magic inside of it the ball would contain the magic and then amplify that magic. The planets density is giving fuel towards the sphere, so if we attach it to the train´s engine that train would be able to travel endlessly without the use of anything else."
Tripkam looked at both of us trying to see if his words were going through to us.
"Go on we are still with you."
"Good, now, this train after the ball was introduced to it had an accident, it went out of control and disappeared, the rail-road tracks got covered in magic and it bounces anything that touches the rails except for that train, it most have covered the rails as it has been travelling all over the tracks, so any form of shooting or destruction towards the rails would not work."
I was understanding a bit more of his though process, yet i was curious why that train disappeared at first, where did it go, and if the tracks were covered in magic and the planets density was amplifying that trains engine making it move forward, why did it appear now. Tripkam seemed to be preparing for a second talk down of explanations.
"So let me take a look in the book, here we go. This train has appeared over the course of time once every fifty years had passed. So each time fifty years come to pass the train appears, and during a period of 7 days it starts to take form before it fully appears. The chanting we heard before it appeared is the same as what crow was chanting to make the train move and having the sphere work in unison with the train."
"I can understand that so far, but i heard moaning in those tunnels before that train appeared what about that."
Tripkam looked into his book flipping the pages to find the answer, he got excited with the prospect of knowing, quite the bookworm this one.
"Here we go, those are the miners and explorers sent inside the tunnels. They went deep inside and disappeared becoming part of the tunnel haunting it."
As Tripkam mentioned that i could only say, so there are ghosts after all.
"Ah ghosts, i get it."
"No not ghosts, they are warped, sent through to an different dimension where their voices echo out of it, i would say their lamentations are coming through cutting out, as one travels deep inside you will probably end up in one of them openings and get sucked into it."
I looked back at the filly who looked just as dumbfounded as me with the explanations that were given from Tripkam.
"Are you getting any of this little one?"
The filly moved her head to the sides indicating a no that she was in fact not understanding a single thing that just came out of Tripkam´s mouth. Tripkam noticed this and gave out an sigh of air regarding this moment.
"Never mind the tunnels just do not go into them and we will be fine, once the sphere is gone so should the holes disappear over time in the tunnel´s, so let me continue. The train when it stopped a second time since it had disappeared a pattern was acknowledged, the first time nobody believed it had appeared and that is why the request was sent in, hence a two hundred year old assignment popped into your organisation. And continuing one hundred and fifty years ago, the Irolkan military tried blowing the train up, which seemed to leave all things thrown at it to disappear into a void, seems it was noted that ripples appeared as it was hit."
Tripkam just destroyed my wonderful idea of blasting the train to its basic components, seems that would not work, but there was more to the story so i sat down and listened, the filly took interest in this as well.
"so one hundred years ago as it appeared once more, at the same time, at the same spot, at that station we were waiting at. The Irolkan military went ahead and sent in twenty soldiers. According to witnesses as it is written here they heard gun fire and screams as the train took of. Continuing onwards fifty years ago it appeared again, but this time they left a bomb carried by two ponies, sergeant BlastTicker explosive´s specialist and his private JollyRam, as soon as they carried the bomb inside the door closed and they were on the move as they screamed to be let out."
So the Irolka´n ponies have run out of ideas and no wonder they offered such an good deal for us. The rain was still hitting heavily on the windows with its thunder as we silently took in the new-found information, i moved my glance on the filly who was concerned and started moving her head on me and Tripkam. Tripkam moved his head towards the filly and realised this.
"You know what, Tajel do you play any instruments?"
I was surprised of his question it was rather random, i was pleasantly obliged to answer him.
"My descendants where musicians and i come from symphonia, after all that scientific talk you ask me a question you know the answer to easily, yes i know how to play the drums."
I was curious to see where this is going, what is he up to and why this question all of an sudden, he went on looking at my suit of armour standing in the room and went back to face me.
"Do you have any P.E.T.R.A´S? with you perhaps?"
Petra, Pony extension tool, robotic arms. An acronym of the P.E.T line of merchandise that augments and extends a ponies capabilities, these P.E.T products are hollow inside where you can put your hoof into it and it attaches to your hoof giving you full control of the fingers at the end of it, different extensions exist and utilities yet it is another one of them Heartfillian products, but i am surprised why he would want this, first of he asks if i play any instruments, second he wants to know if i have any petras. I know that you do not ask for these if you are not going to use them that is for certain, but for now i obliged him as i had an inclined though telling me what he wanted to do, the dots were coming together so to speak.
"Yes i do, if you want to borrow them i will go and get them."
I went of to my suit and grabbed a pair that i had brought with me, these petras were given to me by the organisation free of charge to help me in missions, we get several pairs just in case when delicate work is needed. I brought them to Tripkam who observed and put them on, he seems to be no strangers to these tools, i followed it up with a question.
"What now?"
"Now we go to the stage, little one come along you already ate everything i left on the table."
I figured as much, i moved up the stage behind the drum-set and grabbed my sticks, a bit harder to hold them without the petras but i can make do without them. Tripkam grabbed the guitar while the filly was on her four hooves looking at the stage to see what is going on. Tripkam started of with pulling up the guitar, i was very surprised he could play any instrument at all. The rain and thunder kept going but it was not a bother any more for my part, Tripkam started it of and i joined in with his rhythm on the drums, i do not know what song it was or what he was playing but it was enjoyable to listen to, as we progressed further into the song the filly kept watching and had opened her mouth it seems she was enjoying her self.
Tripkam used his magic and started playing on a second instrument alongside with the guitar, i kept matching his beat on the drums. As soon as the electric guitar was added to the song the filly smiled and started to move back and forth bending her knees, as she moved to the sides on the same spot standing and smiling, enjoying her self i wondered if Tripkam was smiling, i have not seen him smile this entire time since i met him. We kept playing although it was dark and gloomy in this city, although rain fell down hard and the thunder was bearing down close enough, as i might be facing my last day today i will make this filly smile at least and let her enjoy herself. At this moment it felt like a ray of light was thrown our way, an echo moved through the city from the melody we were making and i felt like my worries were going away.
I though to my self, Tripkam i was wrong, you have a very big heart and i assumed to much. We ended our song and it seemed like the thunder was stopping but the rain continued to persist, we moved down to the filly as Tripkam gave me my petras back.
"Thank you for letting me use them." Tripkam looked at Tajel, all tree of them on their four hooves.
"The pleasure was all mine, if i make it out of that train alive you can keep these i will just say i lost them during the mission, if they hear i managed to finish, the organisation would not even bother asking how they went missing."
Tripkam looked back on Tajel, and uttered back.
"I will hold you accountable on those words.... now little one..."
We both looked down at the floor as the filly had fallen asleep on the ground with a smile on her face, i picked her up and moved her back to the couch using the petras while i walked on my two back hooves, it was much easier to carry her back to the couch as well as to not wake her up, I put her down on the couch and put a blanket on her so she would not get a cold, she still had a smile on her face. I moved back to Tripkam to say a few final words before tomorrow.
"Tomorrow is the day, do you have any ideas on how i might be able to do this without dying in vain, any ideas at all."
Tripkam looked back at me i could see he was frustrated but thinking hard on what i could do in order to stop this train in its tracks. Tripkam looked back at me and it seemed he had an idea.
"I got nothing."
"I will drag you with me into the train so dont joke around here."
Tripkam gave it another thinking session until he finally had the same expression as before.
"Yes there might be a way."
At that moment i was glad to hear those words, anything that could help me currently is a blessing, i looked at him eager to know how.
"The sphere, the ball i was talking about, if it is the same train it might be shifting from one dimension to another every 50 years to refuel it self in order to jump of again, if you can get through the wagons all the way to the front to the engine room and destroy the sphere, the ball so to speak something should happen that would stop it,.The ball should be the anomaly the only thing one would be able to destroy that makes the train move forward, what happens after its destruction is beyond my knowledge or anything i can think of but it is your best bet."
Sounds not as impossible as Tripkam makes it out in words.
"Thank you, if you can think of anything else please let me know so it will add up to my odds of survival."
"I will sleep on it, i will see you tomorrow Tajel and try to get some sleep as well."
Easier said then done Tripkam, damn rain would you end already.
I woke up the next morning, had a bad time sleeping and in truth i could not blame my self when i knew what i was going to face, the rain had stopped but the dark clouds were still there persisting to not let any sunlight through. Tripkam came out from an different room and the filly woke up from the noise that Tripkam was making. I went back to my suit of armour and stepped inside of it, putting the hooves into the hollow legs and arms closing up encapsulating me inside of it. Tripkam came closer and looked at me as i looked back at him.
"Buck the morning, there is nothing good about it, i slept on it and i figured out a way to increase the odds to your favour."
At least something good came out of this morning.
"And what would that be?"
"I am ready and i can see you are ready as well, little one come with us i need you to do something."
This unicorn pony is still full of surprises, never leaving traces of what he is thinking but waits until the very end of things. We left through the streets as most of the rain had left them damp but not muddy, thankfully i could enjoy my self not having my armour cause friction in the sand once i stepped into it, no annoying noise at least. We came to the entrance and went down the stairs through the gates in the shape of doors leading to the platform, the sounds had not stopped. Howling noises remained and the chanting kept coming, as i waited i heard the noise of the train.
"Right on time." Tripkam looked at his watch and turned back walking slowly towards me and the filly.
"Here is how it is going to go down, i will accompany you inside of the train but i can not do much, the fact that the train is powered by magic i might be able to utilize my own magic to sway whatever might come at us to our favour, i may not be strong but i can still be useful and increase the odds. Little one, the other ponies will arrive not to long from now, there is food and water back at the restaurant where we spent the night. I need you to tell the other ponies that me and Tajel went into the train especially the mayor, ask around the other ponies to point you towards him, someone needs to let them know what happened to us."
I can not say no to this request, Tripkam had slept on this for an entire night thinking in how to help me, and as i though he has a big heart, Tripkam is willing to go down with me inside of the train. The filly looked at us with a disapproved face as the train in it´s physical form arrived and stopped at the station opening it´s doors, the last wagon on the train was waiting for it´s passengers or maybe more appropriate to say it´s new victims. Interesting enough the train had not lost it´s looks over the past 300 years, still looked like it had come from the assembly line, brand new from a factory with the colours and shapes. We started walking towards the train but halfway towards it the filly ran pass us directly into the train.
"Tripkam get her out of there i am to slow."
I rushed forward running behind Tripkam into the train on my two hooves, as i entered inside Tripkam had grabbed the filly by his teeth and was going to drag her out, but as soon as i got inside and had turned my head around the doors closed and the train started to move.
"Bucking hell." Tripkam had opened his mouth dropping the filly uttering these words.
"Little one what were you thinking coming in here?" Tripkam looked at the filly with his eyes showing a neutral face, while pushing out deep amounts of air that he had stored inside.
"Only thing left now is to finish this alive, if we are going to get her out of this mess." As soon as Tripkam ended his sentence there was noise, we were not alone.
From the front seats came two skeleton ponies luring their head out to the sides, watching us and wearing an outfit that had seen better days. The eyes were red and darkness filled the surrounding red light in their eyes, i pulled up my right side hoof which had an gun attached to it, and shot the first skeletal abomination that lured it´s wicked blight on me. The one to the left was hit with a charged bolt of concentrated plasma, then i moved to the right with my hoof and shot of yet one more round taking down the right side companion of the first one. The second one was hit hard and shattered in half throwing it´s upper body at my feet, it was still moving with those red eye´s. I brought my right legged hoof upwards and trusted it down on it´s skull ending the misery of who ever that used to be. Tripkam went ahead and looked closer at the clothes, it seemed he knew the pattern of what they represented.
"The one at your feet is private JollyRam, and the other one further down is as suspected his companion sergeant BlastTicker. Well then now we know what happened to these two, so in the next wagon we will have twenty more waiting for us if i am right on this."
I acknowledged his words and answered them by lifting my weapon and charging it, as it glowed radiating the next charge i had stored in it.
"This is why i am here for, these abominations can be destroyed, they are physical so stay behind me and let me deal with this."
Tripkam looked up and nodded his head and fell behind next to the filly. The train had 1 more wagon filled with Irolkan soldiers as well as 2 more wagons after that one. I moved forward having just enough space to be able to walk between the seats in the middle pathway. As i entered the second wagon the skeletal ponies who were once soldiers did not hesitate to jump forward and attack. I pulled up my gun and started firing managing to get ten of them with the gun until they got to close.
I used my right arm that the gun was attached and let it swing at two of the former soldiers smashing them to bits while doing the same thing with my left arm where the shield was taking down another two, five were in front of me and i decided to just plow through them with the left shield in between the skeletal ponies and my self. That is when the last one came up from behind aiming at my head, i had no time to avoid it but it was standing still, and as i saw it being thrown towards the wall splitting into pieces followed with an painful scream.
"Aghhhh!"
"Tripkam are you alright?"
"Yes i am fine, even when i have low affinity towards magic there is a lot of it here as we are getting closer, it is very painful to shrug it of and control the amount one receives when i use it."
I moved onwards having the filly and Tripkam with me following my back as we moved to the third wagon. Once we entered we found the conductor of the train and the two engineers that were on-board, we could see they were by the clothes they were still wearing. I took up my gun and shot them down, it was nothing special in comparison towards the other wagon with 20 of them. As soon as i was halfway there to the other end, the bones started to move and gather to the centre of where those 3 had been shot.
The bones were assembling together, before i could take another shot the skeletal ponies that once were tree became one. It towered me in size with it´s own version of standing tall on his two hooves and pushed my gun to the side with its left arm, it left me without an clean shot. I tried using my other arm to cut it in half hoping the shield would manage to cut him but that was met with this abominations right hand stopping my left, the skeletal pony had replaced its hooves with claws so it could grasp and hold me back. I was stuck in a power struggle which i was slowly losing i could feel and hear that the suit could not take this immense pressure for long. I looked up to its head as it lowered its own looking at me with its bright eyes face to face and that is when it happened.
The filly had jumped on my back and had from my shoulders jumped yet again on top of the skeletons head covering its eyes.The filly was grabbed and tossed at Tripkam who manage to soften her fall with his body, at that moment i used my left arm and did a swing vertically on the skeleton having it shatter into pieces. The bones started to move again but this time i found the head, as i was watching the head i brought up my left legged hoof and trusted it down hard on the skeletal head. I took a look behind seeing if the filly was doing well, and it seems she was just fine Tripkam had managed to grab her without having the filly hitting the ground first, one more wagon left.
We entered the last wagon which was attached to the train it self and it´s engine which we are after, what we got were no skeleton ponies, it was empty until we heard a voice. It was not howling it was laughter, the same laughter i heard the first time the train came around, but this time it was followed up with the voice of a pony.
"hahaha i see you managed to get this far, i am surprised my self, it has been tree hundred years since i had visitors come this far."
As we were waiting to see what is talking or who is talking, one never knows what will appear next, in front of me fog was assembled and from it came a pony, Tripkam seemed to know who it was and spoke up.
"Crow Waters, so you survived."
Water´s looked at Tripkam to answer his response he had a smug smile on his face.
"So you know who i am, well that is quite an honour it means i got into the history books as well, we will have a lot of time to talk to each other once you join my passenger list."
I am not going to sit idle by until we join his merry band, i took my gun upwards and pointed it towards Crow shooting of a blast, crow went up in smoke but kept laughing, until he came back once more. Crow formed him self in front of me as an being of hellish proportions, Crow did not even look like a pony any more, whatever he was now stood bigger then me and had taken physical form. I was tossed hard being pushed flying right into the closed door behind me, Crow approached and grabbed the filly with his left arm which was now claws, while grabbing Tripkam on his right handed claw, Crow was mimicking the skeleton from before. I could not move from my position and neither could i stand up. My suit was not damaged but something was holding me down form barely being able to move, i could do nothing to help them out as Tripkam engaged in talking back towards Crow while he was struggling.
"Let the little one go Crow she just ran on-board and was not supposed to be here in the first place."
Crow looked back with his hollow eyes and mouth as he towered tall and dark with green coloured skin pulsing with magic all over his body like flames being set ablaze from his feet to his shoulders.
"All who enters most pay a price, this ride is not for free hahahah."
Tripkam struggled and did the only thing he could do, he used his magic and let it overtake him,
"I said let go of the little one!"
At that moment he pushed Crow away making him drop the filly and Tripkam down on the ground, Tripkam used his own magic fuelling him self holding crow at bay, as crow was pushing forward with his own magic onto Tripkam i could still not move and i knew the pain as well as anguish Tripkam most be going through, trying to control all the magic that is being added to his body and amplified, he can not last long. I took a look at the filly on the ground and i did the only thing i could do.
"Filly! open the door!"
The filly moved past Crow and Tripkam opening the door pushing it open with her shoulders, revealing the train and the sphere. I used what little movement i had left and moved my right hand slowly closer to my intended target to crack open that sphere, crow noticed this and started to panic.
"Dont shot the sphere you will kill us all!"
"I would rather die then spend my life with an smug bastard such as your self!"
I fired of five rounds of plasma balls flying towards the sphere, i wonder if it was luck but one managed to glance the sphere making it slowly break apart, as soon as it was seeping out magic and having lost it´s function crow along with the rest of passengers disappeared in one anguishing scream, the train however was not slowing down it was preparing to move back from where it had been back to the other side.
Tripkam was holding on to the pain and anguish that was being caused of all the excessive magic around him, he picked up the filly levitating her towards my spot putting her on my lap and got close, looking at me and the filly.
"This is the end of the ride for us, but i can do one more thing at least."
"What are you talking about we will be fine the train will stop and we will get out of here."
I took a look at him it seems he had gone to far into it, he was like an ticking time bomb waiting to go of as soon as possible being filled with magic with every second that passed.
"Don´t act like a fool you know very well what my situation is, take care of the little one at least, somehow this set up feels fated, like someone pulled our strings into this situation, and i got to say fate is quite a mystery. Well this train has only got room for one passenger and i am not to keen on sharing it with you two."
A bright light engulfed me and the filly before i could talk back and after the light vanished i found my self back at the subway station where the train had stopped initially, the snakes belly with the filly. I had regained my movement as well and stood up walking towards the tracks while being on the platform, as i watched the tracks i kicked a rock that was right next to me on to the tracks, and there was no magic covering those tracks any more. The train had disappeared and so had the magic covering the tracks as well, they were once more use able. I turned my head and saw that the filly was behind me as Tripkam liked to call her "Little one".
.
As i moved back to the filly she was looking around tossing her head, i would suspect she was looking for Tripkam who was no where in sight.
"Where is Trippy?" The filly looked up at Tajel with an confused and saddened face.
"He is not coming back any more, he is gone on his own journey, but he said i should take care of you so i will."
I could see she had an disapproving stance towards my comment and started having a fit of rage.
"NO! i want to see Trippy!"
I went up close to her so i could grab her lifting her up, but as soon as i had her in my hooves while wearing my suit of armour, she started to struggle, kicking and throwing around her hoofs all over me, i tried bringing her close but she hit me right on the helmet and the visor activating a function i had no clue existed.
*Playback Recorded 11:28 Pm Yesterday*
These letters flashed and an image popped up on the visor, it was a video recording and it had sound. As the filly was kicking around the sound of Tripkam´s Guitar could be heard, the filly relaxed and sobbed as i put her on my right shoulder, the music we played yesterday as i was out of my suit, it had a record function of what it was facing towards. I started to move out of the station and up the stairs leading out, the song kept going as the filly kept calm listening on my shoulder, she was sobbing and weeping in tears. I did not want to make any detours after this, i just wanted to travel back home and take my two weeks of vacation which i have earned. As i walked down the same streets with the filly on me i could see the citizens of this city were coming back, i kept walking and watching the video moving forward closer to my destination but then i could hear someone shouting for Tripkam.
It was a pony in an outfit, looked like he was someone important so i walked up to him to tell the bad news.
"Tripkam is not of this world anymore and who might you be?"
The pony looked up he was surprised in seeing me so tall but braced him self keeping his cool.
"I am the mayor, so you are telling me he died? How?"
I took the time to explain how we went inside the train, how he had helped us and if it were not for him we would have all died, but this seemed to leave the mayor with no change in his mood.
"Well he was good for nothing anyway´s, easily replaceable, job well done, i will leave the rest for the diplomats to decide over the pricing and the rest of the agreed upon rewards and trading agreement."
I did not know what took over me, was it the song and the fact he said he was good for nothing, the rage overtook me when he said those words "Good for nothing", my eyes went wide and i put down the filly on the ground, i could see she had an disapproved look towards his words. In my anger i used my left arm where the shield was attached and from the underside came 3 sharp fingered claws, i grabbed the mayor and shouted at the top of my lungs right at him startling the ponies around me who took attention to the current situation.
"You coward!, you arrogant low life scum!, Tripkam is twice the pony you will ever be!, you all should be grateful of him!, he was the one who helped me in the crucial moments giving his life so this world could return to what it was!, that means you can return to a better life style!, remember this day and who he was because he was a pony that no other has been able to match in my eyes."
I was holding the mayor up tall shouting my speech, i wanted to let the claws which just came out to cut his head of, to move along and satisfy my thirst for the anger i was currently engulfed in, i was so upset and angry at the same time. The mayor was pleading for his life and i was close to cutting his head of, i was just lacking a bit more of a push until the filly stood up on her two hooves and put her forward ones on my leg, i looked down at her i could see in her face that this was not what Tripkam would have wanted, i tossed the mayor to my left with a swing having him fall several meters from me. I picked up the filly and put her back on my shoulder and moved onwards as the citizens that were just arriving watched us.
I was surprised it had claws on my left arm, got to sit down and study up on this suit and learn more about it i feel like a hypocrite saying all information is good yet i neglect the most important piece of information, how to operate the suit. The song was still playing and i moved my eyes back on that visual screen seeing us play, i took a good look at Tripkam this time and i noticed something which the filly asked about.
"Why are you smiling?"
I did not turn my head around and i kept watching the video playback.
"He is smiling, i never saw him smile not once but in the video he is smiling."
It made me glad knowing, that it was day he was truly happy for that moment, i could not resist but smile back having my anger melt away. I let the music run its course and i moved closer to the ship it was in eyesight now, and i turned to the filly who still on my shoulder.
"Filly, can you tell me what your name is? i never thought of asking you."
The filly did not look back but she looked straight at the ship and uttered the words.
"I dont have one."
Left me in a pickle but i started thinking, i was taking her back to my home, my world, symphonia and it hit me.
"How about the name Symphia do you like that name?"
The filly heard the name and gave it a second to think about and smiled.
"Yes!"
"I am glad to hear that you like it."
Symphia looked back at Tajel and just smiled.
We went inside the ship and i took of leaving Irolka to it´s fate and Tripkam a pony i would never forget, i still to this day do not know what the name of that song we played but i remember that rainy and thunderous day when we played and smiled for one moment.
This was twenty years ago, and the song i still have that recording to remember where i met my daughter Symphia.
To be Continued in.
Chapter 2: Brawn´s meet Brain´s.
Author's Note
Rough chapter 1 and will probably not continue on this, but i had an idea and had to unload, i hope it was enjoyable if you can see past some of my misstakes, because i tried finding them all, and i am sure i missed some and grammar ones as well.
