The steady chuffing from Kipper's stack echoed in the valleys as we climbed the steep gradients towards our next stop, Crown Sheet's magic sending another few pieces of firewood onto the flames as he leaned back in his chair. A long yawn escaped him as he rubbed at his eyes, my own trying to stay focused on the tracks ahead. "Mmmnm, think that Sparkle-Cola's finally starting to wear off on me. Least we aren't too far off from the switchback, at any rate... You'd think pre-war they would've figured out a way to get a train up more than a five percent grade."

"I'm sure an unladen locomotive could do a steeper grade, least as far as it's fuel tanks would permit, but I dunno if you were taught this back in Fireman's school Crown Sheet - trains are heavy. As in, hundreds of tons of steel and fuel heavy. Only reason they move at all is because of some black magic physics fuckery with the smooth steel wheels and rails..." Being gentle with Kipper's throttle, we slowly rounded another bend in the track as we ascended through the mountains towards the switchback. Sure, it was hardly the fastest route, but when the mainline's all but completely shut down because of some magical pre-war supertrain you make do with what you've got. Least they do provide the courtesy of a reverser engine...

Crown Sheet just let off another annoyed grunt at me, another couple pieces of firewood going in through the doors. "I know the physics behind it all, Casey, what I meant was why didn't they come up with some *actual* magic physics fuckery for getting past steeper grades? That just be too much to ask?" My thoroughly miffed fireman leaned back in his chair as we continued on, the first step of the switchback starting to descend beside us as we trundled up towards the points. Well, small mercy, we're definitely short enough that we don't have to worry about splitting the train and going through all that headache... Please let the Misery Range be cleared by the time we reach Cordite, at least.

"Yeah, and I'm sure such a system that lets a thousand-ton train negate it's own mass to better get over hills would have survived multiple balefire bomb impacts completely unscathed. Didn't they interfere with electro-magical systems or something? Cause a lot of the complicated ones to get fried? Something crazy like the Ouroboros might have it, but even if they developed it to a working place, I really doubt it was too widespread by the time the bombs started hitting." The switch points passed underneath our wheels as we trundled along the first step, the small siding that housed the little switcher diesel running parallel alongside us. I started to slow us down, leaning and watching out Kipper's side window as the prince's fancy lounge car finally cleared the switch. "We're good on the first step, I'll head over to the switcher and get us ready for the ascent. Don't let Kipper's fire get too low while I'm gone."

Crown Sheet let off an annoyed grunt as I hopped out of my chair, climbing down out of Kipper's cab. A crisp breeze blew up along the canyon as I crossed over to the stout switcher, the gravel railbed crunching underhoof as I hefted myself up onto the running boards. 'Ten Cents', huh? Well, you're no Kipper, but long as you've got the grunt in you to pull us up the switchback, let's get rolling. Flipping on the ignition circuits and holding the starter button, the small diesel engine under the hood whined for a few rotations before rumbling to life, my hoof giving the small control console a couple gentle pats. Atta boy...

The little diesel switcher trundled smoothly down the line towards the points, brakes squeaking as I stopped past the switch. Climbing out of the cab, my eyes led back to the end of the train, and the fancy observation deck on the prince's carriage. Egh, always hated working with those kinds of cars, buffer & chain couplers aren't fun to work with with you don't have headroom. Trotting back a ways, the old pair of manual points sat still set to the siding and lower track, a pair of loud screeches of rusted metal on metal setting them right. Nodding to nobody in particular, I made way back to Ten Cents, a faint thought creeping into my head as I got back into the cab and closed the door shut behind me. Oh, Celestia please let that mercenary guy be dead asleep right now...

Easing the switcher up to the back of our train, the observation deck on the prince's carriage quite annoyingly obscured view of the rear buffers, myself being as gentle with Ten Cents' throttle as I could to make the bump not as bad. From the bit of a jolt I got even despite that, I probably should've tried to be more gentle. Maybe next time I'll have Crown Sheet do this instead... Loosing a sigh, I made sure the brakes were full on, hopping down out of the cab once again to get us coupled up. Definitely gotta remember to apologize to Crown Sheet and Stopwatch, and Ottie... from the loud curses and yelling coming from the car to my right as I ducked inbetween both pieces of railway equipment, probably gonna skip the apology for him.

The door to the observation deck above me slammed shut as hooves stomped across the wood flooring, angry grunts heralding his arrival as I got the brakeline connected with a hiss of pressure. "What the hell is going on?! Why in the name of Celestia are we stopped, and what's that dinky smelly rusty pile of junk doing backed up to this car! Grrh, they better have a real fucking good explanation for this shit, did their stupid teapot break down finally?" Biting my tongue for the moment, the chain clattered into the hook, a few quick turns on the handle tightening it together and finally getting us fully hooked up. Gravel crunching underhoof, I stepped out from under the deck, turning to go back into the switcher - and coming face to face with Boomer instead. "You! You better start explaining yourself right now you incompetent inbred, my boss is not gonna be happy to hear his train's been delayed because of your fucking incompetence."

Doing my best to resist the urge to throw this guy onto the tracks and start pulling us up the slope, I drew in a deep breath, releasing it nice and slow. Don't get yourself a charge of railway murder before you can be fired for not delivering the package, Casey... "The reason we're stopped is because the main line is locked out due to the Ouroboros, so we had to divert onto the Biscuit Switchback instead. We can't run a train up the switchback backwards, so we need this locomotive to get up the grade. We're getting underway shortly, get back in your car or stay out of the way, we're only being paid for delivering the package. That means, not delivering you. Get it?"

The mercenary fumed underneath his ratty helmet, grinding his teeth as he stood on the side of the tracks. After a moment, I just turned about and climbed back up into Ten Cents' cab, only just making it inside as the stupid grin I was holding back broke across my muzzle. Oh, how much I wish we could just leave him in a valley somewhere out here, would make saving Ottie a bit easier... kind of. Looking back, I was slightly disappointed to see him slamming the door to the rear carriage shut, watching a bit of his fury getting taken out on the furniture inside the car. Hey, it's his head if the prince finds his fancy railcar trashed...

Turning back around, the steady grade of the middle leg of the switchback stretched out ahead of me, my hoof reaching for the whistle cord. Letting loose a steady two-blast signal on the switcher's middle-toned whistle, Crown Sheet responded with a pair of blasts on Kipper's own, the brakes on the whole train releasing with a hiss of pressure. Ten Cents' little diesel engine roared as I opened the throttle up, the slack in the train getting picked up as we started to make the ascent finally. Come on, ya cute lil' thing, I believe in ya.

We soon arrived at the top leg of the switchback, myself throttling back Ten Cents some as we passed over the upper points. The end of the tracks sat a couple hundred meters away, plenty of space for our modest load, and I watched out the side of the cab as Kipper's nose cleared the switch. The brakes on the train let off a squeal as they applied, a light smile on my muzzle as I climbed back down to the rails, moving in to uncouple the small switcher. Not entirely finished here yet, but getting up here with no incident's an achievement in and of itself. The brake line hissed slightly as it was disconnected, the last bit of pressure in the hose releasing, myself starting to get to work on the screw couple, when Kipper's whistle started going off. What the?...

Quickly giving the tensioner a spin and pulling the linkage off the hook, I pulled out from between the cars and looked to the green locomotive at the far end of the train. Four short blasts... something must be wrong. Breaking into a gallop, I could just about hear Crown Sheet's screams over the hissing of steam, doing my damndest to throw myself up the ladder and into Kipper's cab as I reached the brass hoof rails. Hooves clattering onto the metal floor, I looked over to Crown Sheet's seat, seeing him white as a ghost, but otherwise none the worse for wear... uh, okay?

His eyes, wide as dinner plates and with marbles for pupils, met mine, his forehoof shakily raising to point backwards to the tender behind me. Turning around fully - threw myself in here a bit further than I expected - I looked to the corridor beside the wood stowage, getting a little shaken myself as some glowing eyes stared back at me from the darkness. They blunk once or twice, the pony they belonged to stepping out and into the light, his copper and brass coat glinting in the sun. Oh, thank Celestia, it's just Ottie... Letting off a sigh of relief, I turned to face back to Crown Sheet, still seeing him cowering in the corner with his hoof raised - and finally figuring out what the choked noises he was trying to say were. "R... r... r... r-robot... p-p-p-pony..."

Confusion met him from me for a few seconds, before I worked out what was giving him so much of the heebie-jeebies. Oh, for the love of Celestia... "Crown Sheet, I need you to try and get the color back in your coat right now, and your head back on your shoulders. I know this is really freakin' you out right now, but just let me explain, mkay?" My oh-so-stoic fireman lowered his hoof, though didn't seem to relax much. Well, small blessing, he was too freaked out to do anything about it, at least... I let off a small sigh, the inner workings of Ottie whirring and hissing as he adjusted his head, letting his flanks fall to the floor. "This robot... Ottie... Ottie, he is the package. Yup."

The unicorn beside me blunk for the first time in a while, leaning forwards slightly. Well, least he didn't impale himself on any of the controls during his freak-out. His eyes glanced between myself and Ottie a few times. the color in his coat slowly coming back. "P-package? What... you mean... *he's* what we've been hauling? He's the thing for the prince? What... Why would a prince want a freaky steam-powered robot?" The figurative gears in Crown Sheet's head turned for a moment, the very non-figurative ones in Ottie's head whirring away likewise. "Waaait wait wait, back up - you called it a he. Why did you call it a he?"

"Because *he* isn't just a robot, something that gets programmed and does a thing. He's... he learns. I don't know how to say it, he can think for himself, and speak, and all that sorta freaky stuff actual ponies can do. And lemme tell you Crown Sheet, that's been giving me a fuckton of shit to have to think about and deal with the last two days." I caught myself for just a second, feeling my vision start to go blurry as tears streaked along my cheeks with each blink. Swallowing dryly, I wiped my eyes as dry as I could, looking back to Crown Sheet. "He... he's gonna end up as a slave to that prick, paraded around like some sort of prize animal, or something. Or worse." I choked the words free, Ottie picking himself up and trotting forwards a bit, resting a hoof on my shoulder.

Trying to calm myself down some, and succeeding for the moment, my eyes fell back onto Crown Sheet. From the way he wasn't cowering in fear now - much, at least - he got the jist of it. Ottie's head motion whatevers hissed as he looked between us, the unicorn in the chair letting off a sigh. "I think I get it. But, Casey... we don't really have a choice, do we? We can't just... *not* deliver him. What would dispatch think? Or the prince? A guy who can afford a railcar like the one on the end of ours, and afford to have it shipped over here, I think he can just as easily afford to have our heads on silver platters if he wanted it!"

"Fuck's sake, Crown, I know!" I fell to my haunches as the tears came back, dripping onto Kipper's cab floor as they ran down my cheeks. Ottie's forehoof kept comforting me as I cried myself out, sniffling in after a short while. "I... I know. We'll... I'll... I'll think of something. Even if it's just throwing you two off to safety and finding a ravine to crash Kipper into, I'll think of something. Just... go get the switcher back to it's siding, I'll pull us off the switchback." Rubbing at my eyes with an oil-stained foreleg, I stayed sat on the floor of Kipper, hearing Crown Sheet rise to his hooves and start trotting for the door. Looking to him, he stood in the doorway, the concern obvious on his muzzle. I picked myself up after a second, passing on a small nod, my fireman dropping down out of the cab and trotting along the gravel railbed, as I settled myself into my chair.

Even the cold steel throttle of Kipper did little to put me at ease, as I went through the usual routine to get her moving again. The brakeline hissed as it was pressurized to move the shoes back, the usual hiss coming from the dome ahead as I opened up the throttle, slow chuffs echoing up from Kipper's stack as we eased forwards along the track. Extra hisses and noises came from my right, catching my attention momentarily as Ottie trotted forwards, glass tube eyes still focused on me. The upper junction passed underneath Kipper's wheels as we both sat in silence for a moment, before Ottie... hit me with one hell of a bombshell. "Why... why do you hate slavery so much? I don't know a lot, but I don't think you'd really survive crashing into a ravine. That seems a little... extreme, I guess?"

The tender had cleared the junction by the time my brain caught up with me and processed what he'd said, my hooves tensing up on the levers. That was the whole point, you stupid, stupid, bucket of... you stupid, stupid mare. Of course he wouldn't know. Perking up and refocusing, I leaned out the window, watching the end of the train starting to pass over the junction finally, myself easing us to a stop after another forty meters or so. Kipper simmered quietly as I let loose a long breath, resting my forelegs in my lap. Grab the can opener, Casey, Ottie wants to see these worms...

"When... when I was a little filly, my family... we didn't have things great, but we almost managed. Almost. Dad worked the railyard, mom stayed at home caring for me, it wasn't exactly like a pre-war paradise but it-it was home, damnit." I blunk a few of the fresh tears from my eyes, leaning back in the seat. You can do this, Casey, just... keep it together. "Mom couldn't do much - I... she... she had my sister in her at the time. I was gonna have a sister to play with..." Trying hard as I could, I couldn't hold it back this time. Silent weeps coughed up from me as I sat in Kipper's cab, the steam-powered pony beside me still looking at me with those orange-glowing eyes. His hoof lifted to rest on my shoulder, the gentle, familiar hisses from him and Kipper offering a small comfort.

After a short while, I managed to pull myself back together enough to continue. Gonna get worse before it gets better... "Dad... dad worked in the yard, where they shunted all the cars together. The... the railbed was fresh, loose gravel, he tripped and got one of his hooves smashed by a moving car. The railroad... let us live where we were, while he went up to get treated and a prosthetic, but soon as he got back, they... they threw his bills at us. I didn't know at the time, all I saw was that my dad was finally back home, could hug me again. We were a family again..." I felt the tears starting to well back up, lifting a hoof to my muzzle to try and keep them at bay. Taking in a shuddering breath, I held it off this time - if only just.

"There's just no way we all could've afforded to eat and pay off what he owed, not with what he was earning, especially after it all. My, dad... mom... they..." I scrunched my face up, hard, trying to hold back the tears again, a long whimper escaping me. Come on, Casey... "Mom... woke me up, one night. She... she was sitting on my bed, crying. Soon as she saw me moving, she pulled me into a hug, held me tight as she could, k-kissed me... c-comforted..." Couldn't hold it back this time. Fresh, stinging tears flowed down my cheeks, metal scraping against metal as Ottie shuffled himself a little closer to me. "It- it w-was... it was the l-last time she... she..."

Ottie's softly warmed forehooves wrapped around my middle as the steam-powered pony pulled me into a hug, myself returning it and squeezing his metal midsection tight. My muzzle came to rest on his shoulder as I sputtered and cried myself out, the brass of his body offering little physical comfort, but it... it was enough. We sat like that for a small while, myself eventually calming down enough again. I leaned back, rubbing at my sore eyes, swallowing hard. Nearly finished, Casey, just get through it. "I... I woke up just in time to s-see her get l-loaded on one of- of the stock cars... I never saw her again. Ev-even today I can't see those things without getting sick..."

Ottie nodded, though the look on his muzzle... one last bit. Letting my head drop as I leaned on my forelegs, I gave it a slight shake. "That's why I always refused all those jobs, any one that might've had a slave car on it. If one of those cars had my... my sister on it... and I took her somewhere, where she would end up worked to death... I just... I just couldn't take that risk. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

My hooves were still shaking as I got myself back together, mostly, Ottie nodding gently with a few small whirrs and hisses of steam. Memory lane's never a fun place to go, not back to then... A long sigh escaped me as I lifted my head back up, looking to the brass pony in front of me. His glass tube eyes met mine, a solemn look on his muzzle. "Stopwatch did tell me that family was an important thing. I think I might understand what he meant, now." A faint smile started find itself on my muzzle, looking at Ottie. He does learn...

The robot pony started to return the small smile to me as we looked at each other, though something seemed to catch his attention behind me - at least, the way his expression went from 'gentle understanding' to 'unbridled excitement' seemed to make it look that way. Before I could react, he'd leapt forwards, his hooves clanging hard against the side of Kipper's cab as he looked out the window, his eyes following something while his muzzle was held in a wide smile. Staring at him in pure confusion, he glanced over to me for just a moment, pointing out the window at something. "It's my glinty friend, up on that hill! Do you see him?"

I could only blink at him in bewilderment, the excitement on his face hardly faltering as he pressed his muzzle to the glass with a metallic clink. Half-wondering if this was the start of my mental break after so many years of suppressing those memories, I turned myself about in the chair, looking out of Kipper's window with him. Eyes traveling up the hillside, sure enough there was... something up there, glinting sunlight off of it. Even if I couldn't exactly make out what it was... it seemed to be hovering, or flying or something, at least. Oh, Celestia above, don't tell me Ottie's got some alien hardware in him or something... wait... could it be one of those fish-drone-things, maybe? But, why would one take interest in us...

The door to Kipper's cab opened opposite us, Crown Sheet climbing up into it, the unicorn stumbling only slightly as he caught sight of Ottie again. Credit where due, he at least regained himself fast enough, already pulling some wood from the tender and tossing it onto the fire as he settled himself back in. "Switcher's back on the upper siding, we can head off again. Oh, and, uh, our one passenger has really made a mess of the prince's car... Pray to Luna he doesn't try to pin the blame on us."

Ottie stayed fixated to the window as I gave one last glance out it, that fish drone still hovering out there. Maybe it's looking at something else, or something... yeah, next to a switchback smack in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. That glance might have been longer than I expected, as Crown Sheet piped back up. "Uh, Casey? Something interesting out there?... Something that might wanna kill us out there?..."

"Uh... no, no, just one of those drone things. Maybe it's thrusters are broken, or something, let's just get going." Kipper's brakes hissed as they were released, the dome ahead hissing likewise as steam flowed to the cylinders. We continued our ascent up the incline to Biscuit, Ottie giving a light wave out the window to the drone... I think. Why did he call it a friend... "Should be able to hit Biscuit by dusk, at least, barring any other catastrophes."

Crown Sheet gave a noncommital grunt beside me, another pair of logs getting thrown into Kipper's firebox. The pile in the tender clattered as more fell into the gap, Ottie finally setting his hooves on the floor. Crown Sheet still looked at him warily. "Okay, I've... mostly gotten used to the idea of a steam-powered robot pony on the train now. Still freaky as hell. You... you can't turn yourself into a giant pony-eating robot, can you?"

My eyes rolled almost out of their sockets as my truly fearless fireman turned his uneasy attention towards Ottie. The automaton pony beside me passed on a confused look, thinking for just a moment. "Not... not that I know of. Besides, I eat combustible material, anyways. Or, well, anything that can burn. I think." Ottie rubbed at the back of his head, looking more than a little guilty. "Truth be told, the reason I came up here was because Stopwatch already fed me the few pieces of firewood you gave him, and I'm starting to get hungry again. Oh, and thirsty too, I guess, water's running a little low."

"A robot that actually gets hungry and thirsty, now I've seen everything..." Crown Sheet gave his head a shake as I kept us moving up the hill, easing back on the steam flow as we picked up a bit of speed. The firebox doors clattered as he tossed a few more pieces of firewood in, seeming to take interest in something out his side window... or, maybe just trying to ignore Ottie. Oh, for the love of... reaching down under my seat, I simply - loudly - undid the latch to my toolbox, Crown looking over as my hoof wrapped around the prybar again, an eyebrow raising towards him. He seemed to get the hint. "Ugh, fine, I get it. I guess if he's full on firewood, that's less of a chance he'd be hungry for pony... assuming overfeeding him isn't what causes him to grow giant and carnivorous, anyways..."

The wood pile behind us clattered as Crown Sheet pulled out a small stack of the cut logs, setting them near Ottie. A hungry look in his... tube-eyes, the clockwork pony wasted little time in starting to chomp through the wood, the ease at which he did so giving the both of us no small amount of alarm - Crown probably a bit more than me, in all likelyhood. Still, that's solid oak... note to self, don't put things I wanna keep into a robot pony's mouth. Not that I could imagine myself doing so for any reason to begin with...

Another clatter came from the tender, neither of us paying much mind to it, thinking it was probably just the wood settling again. We did, however, start paying attention when it was followed by yet another clatter, and then the passageway door shutting. Leaning over to get a better look myself, Crown Sheet was quick to get to his hooves, the uneasiness of Ottie's presence being replaced with a more distinct look of worry, his magic rapidly pulling out the medkit we had onboard. That... that is really not a great sign. Especially considering who's the most likely one needing medical attention...

Crown Sheet helped Stopwatch out from the corridor and onto the hoofplate of the tender, his magic already starting to apply some of the bandages and put a healing potion to his lips, myself likewise moving from Kipper's controls to be by Stopwatch's side. The malnourished unicorn showed more than a few very large bruises across his body, the crimson stain glinting along the passageway just driving the point in further - the fact that he managed to drag himself all the way up here with this sorta damage, that's impressive on it's own. And, more importantly, really should not have happened in the first place...

Purple potion dribbled across his cheeks as he coughed back against the flow, Crown Sheet moving the bottle back as Stopwatch gagged and sputtered, spitting up a sickly mix of blood and bile onto Kipper's floor. The battered unicorn paused for a moment to catch his breath, visibly starting to recover as the healing magic did it's work, leaning back to sit upright and look towards us all. "You... you're good ponies, you know... thank you. Nngh, while I'm not new to abuse, this is the first time Boomer's gone so far with it..." Boomer... I can't say I'm surprised. Maybe throwing him off while we're skirting around a valley somewhere actually wouldn't be a bad idea after all. "When are we likely to reach the next town? Master Brayef might have hired that goon, but if I'd died then it'd be his head, regardless of if Ottie made it to them. Master really doesn't much care for hearing other people have abused his property, you see."

A dark chuckle escaped Stopwatch's muzzle as myself and Crown Sheet shared a look, Kipper still chuffing away... oh crap! Stumbling on my own hooves for just a moment, I jumped back into my seat, looking down the single-track line ahead of us. Signal, signal, please tell me we didn't already pass the signal... Rounding a bend, one of the older semaphores caught my eye, in the down position - still green, line's clear ahead. Phew. A sigh of relief left me as I leaned back in the seat, looking back to the rest in the cab. "I think that was the signal for the switchback junction, we'll be getting back onto the mainline soon. Biscuit isn't too far off from there."

Stopwatch nodded to me a few times, gently pressing at some of the bandages wrapped around his midsection before drawing in a sharp breath from the action. "Egh... Good, good. I'll see to getting the message up to his ship when we arrive, likely after our mutual pain in the side has fallen asleep. Perhaps it would also be best if Ottie stayed up here while I left, less chance for him to become damaged, maliciously or accidentally." The weak unicorn let off a small chuckle as my eyes fell back to the brass pony behind me, his eyes still staring happily out the window. Glancing out with him... that Silverfish was still following us. "That, and it wouldn't hurt for him to see a little more of the world. Enjoying the sights out there, Ottie?"

He took a moment to turn and answer, those tube-eyes of his still affixed on the drone. "Yeah, the glinty-friend found us again! Looks like he can move pretty fast, too..." Shifting myself about to look back at Stopwatch - wish I would've gone for a swivel-seat instead - the unicorn wore a confused expression for just a moment, seeming to think, before he gently nodded in realization. Hnh, so he knows more about them after all... understandably, he seemed to recognize the look of wanting to be filled in a bit more, which I'm sure both myself and Crown Sheet were wearing.

"If you're expecting a thorough explanation, I'm afraid I don't know much. Whatever that thing is has been following us for quite some time, and to tell the truth I'm not sure why. Doubtful that it's something of Master Brayef's, though, he's one more for the spectacle. Would probably employ one of his robotic djinn had he wanted to check up on us..." Wearing a faint smirk, Stopwatch's expression was fast to darken as he let his head droop. "Sadly may remain a possibility, especially if I alert him to the current state of things. It would still take time to reach us, however..."

The firebox doors clattered loudly as Crown Sheet shook his hooves in front of himself, turning to address us. "Hang on, if even you don't know what that thing's up to, shouldn't we all be a lot more worried about whatever it might be doing? Sure, we saw 'em going around back at Mare's Lake, but I've never been stalked by one... I think. I don't wanna start being stalked by one now!" Oh boy, here we go again. Honestly, Crown Sheet, you get over one freakout and just find something brand new to get all worked up over...

Stopwatch gave his head a slight shake. "I don't think it means any harm, if it did then it's had plenty of opportunities to act upon it. Any of the times we've been stopped overnight, as one example. It just seems to want to... observe us." A quick chill ran up my spine as the bandaged unicorn said that, looking back out the window to see the little thing glinting sunlight, keeping pace with us as we transitioned onto the mainline. Harm or no harm, something really doesn't sit well with just being watched...

Oh, Biscuit can't get here any sooner...

---

The sun was well along it's descent as we sat in one of the sidings in the Biscuit service yard, the bright floodlamps turning on one by one with a loud buzz. Letting off a small sigh, I let the small curtains either side of Kipper's side windows close, blocking most of the cold blue light to let the soft yellow of the cab bulb illuminate everything instead. Ottie simmered softly as he sat in the fireman's chair, still looking out the window as he'd done when Stopwatch and Crown Sheet left half an hour ago to send the message north. Hope those two are doing alright...

His tube eyes looked towards me for a moment as I trotted up to him, resting a hoof on his metal shoulder. I swore I heard him let off a sigh as he looked back out the window, scanning the sky. "Guess my glinty-friend can't come into town here, or something. Haven't seen him since we arrived." Sad as he looked, I couldn't help but let off a small, sympathetic laugh. How can a bunch of gears, clockwork, and pistons act so cute?...

"Don't worry, Ottie, I'm sure it'll be back. You know, up in Mare's Lake, and another place called Cantercross, we see those things all the time, just flying around. They never really get too close to us ponies, but, who knows, maybe you'l be able to keep one of them as a pet, or something." I passed on a smile as those tube-eyes met mine, Ottie seeming to sit up slightly. If there's any pony who I could see having a flying robot as a pet, well, a steam-powered one would definitely have the best chances, I'd think. Ottie returned the smile for a moment, before his metal ear twitched and he sat fully upright, looking towards the left-side door.

As I joined him, a heavy hoof knocked against the hard wood, a stallion clearing his throat and seeming to find the right words to use echoing between Kipper and his tender. We wasted little time in getting Ottie at least partially hidden in the corridor before he finally, properly spoke. "Ahem, ahm, Equestrian National Rail Inspector, er... routine check?" Well, that definitely didn't sound convincing at all. Biscuit wasn't a top five vacation destination, but I thought they'd at least be above trying to rob a train. Not that our last car is doing us any favors... Moving quietly, I headed for my toolbox, and the prybar within. "Miss Water Case, please, I mean you no harm. I only wish to discuss matters about Ott- your, uh, special cargo. Privately, preferably."

O...kay, the weirdness scale just shot off the charts. They know my name, and more importantly, they also know about Ottie. Right... "Al... alright. No funny business, I have torpedos and I know how to improvise." Carefully, I pulled open the cab's side door, being greeted by a stallion adorned in a high-vis jacket and hardhat. Credit where due, it's definitely a good disguise for sneaking around a railyard. As soon as his hooves were all inside, he quickly pulled the door shut behind him, looking out the window for a moment. Meanwhile, I moved over to the tender passageway, blocking out Ottie's glowing eyes best I could. "Okay, get talking, how do you know me, and what do you know about the package I'm carrying?"

The construction pony turned about, looking towards me with a smile that... didn't entirely seem natural, but didn't seem to be too devious at the same time. Mostly it just seemed really... off. "We've been following you since you were assigned to pull this train, and we've been following the package for much longer than that. Moreover, we know enough about you that you seemed like the most likely candidate to assist us in rescuing Ottie, as well. He is a very unique automaton, as you've come to learn." Rescuing Ottie? Like... actually maybe being able to send him somewhere he'll be safe? That's... wait. He said 'we'.

"Uh-huh... what do you mean by 'we'? Just who are you, really?" Okay, I'm not daft enough to just hoof over Ottie to some freaky hivemind cult, no matter how much better an alternative they might be. Assuming there actually is a better option between the two current ones, if that's the case. Ottie hissed softly in the corridor, myself glancing back to him for just a second, as the construction pony let off a small chuckle.

"Oh, do forgive me, it has been a while since I've approached somepony directly. My name is Ping, I'm a diplomat for a sheltered, safe settlement that specializes in giving robots such as Ottie a more welcome home, among others of a similar nature. It's unfortunate that his systems aren't quite advanced enough to be able to interface with our more rapid communication abilities, but we have been keeping a very close eye on his journey all the same." The construction pony - Ping, I guess - leaned forwards slightly, seeming to speak past me and to the corridor. "I believe you might know it better as your 'glinty-friend', correct?"

Ottie's eyes seemed to glow slightly brighter as he moved forwards, out of the darkness of the corridor. I stood firm all the same, keeping him back - protected. "Okay, so you're from the place that owns all those silverfish drone-things? And it's a home for sentient robots... you're... not... you're not a robot, too, are you?" I mean, if he is, that's... that'd make sense. On whatever crazy logic I'm trying to process right now.

Ping let off a small chuckle, passing on a short, almost-but-not-quite-natural nod, myself not knowing whether to relax or try and protect Ottie even harder. Pony-eating steam-powered robots are one thing, Crown Sheet, robots that can convincingly look like ponies are a whole different kettle of freaky fish. "Have been for as long as I can recall. But, believe me when I say, our intentions are purely for what's best for Ottie. And yourself and your crew, should you decide to accept our assistance. The leader of our town, The Architect, has already devised a way for you to safely disappear off the radar of any prying eyes for a while... once a certain party has been taken care of, anyways."

I leaned aside slightly, Ottie moving further forwards. So, these guys want to help Ottie, *and* help us, too... and they already seem to have more of a cohesive plan than we do. Hrm. Steam hissed as pistons moved and gears whirred, Ottie pulling himself fully forwards out of the corridor and onto the tender hoofplate. He looked to me, his tube-eyes meeting mine as a smile formed on his muzzle. "He's talking kinda like Stopwatch does, he sounds like he means it. Living with a bunch of other robots like me sounds like it'd be more fun than going to live with a mean old prince, anyways."

A soft sigh left me, eyes falling to the floor. Well, Ottie trusts him, so I suppose there is that. Being around other living, learning robots too... doesn't sound like it'd be a bad thing, either. Guess that's the decision made, then. I looked back up to Ping, that not-quite-right smile on his muzzle. "After we do that, and... if we can go back out, leave and still do work somewhere, for some independent, small railroad or something... will I be able to come and visit Ottie, when I want to?"

Ping seemed to pause for just a moment, his eyes - quite alarmingly, as a matter of fact - changing to look a bit like some old-world terminal screens as text scrolled across them, before he blunk and they returned to normal. "Of course you can! There's no reason why you couldn't, really. All we ask is that you don't reveal the location of the Factory to anyone... The Architect will fill you in with regards to more of the details when you do arrive, but currently you do have more pertinent matters to attend to."

I let loose a long sigh as I nodded towards the pony-robot. Well, that's a relief... but, right, come on Casey, we have to get there in the first place. Hopefully their plan is better than throwing us off a cliff... "Since you do seem to have accepted our assistance, we'll have one of the drones drop off the information and some of the tools while you're underway tomorrow. You'll have plenty of time to prepare before you reach the planned area, and I would highly suggest memorizing the map route whenever the moment is available." Ping's expression lowered slightly as he leaned back some, continuing. "However... there is still the matter of your one passenger, Paper Trail 'Boomer'. We have good reason to believe he may direct the violence he imparted upon Stopwatch last night towards yourself and Crown Sheet in the near future, and beyond that we haven't been able to properly work out a plan of action to remove him from the equation prior to your disappearing. I'm afraid you'll have to sort that part out yourselves."

A somewhat baffled guffaw left my lips, as I ran a forehoof through my mane, eyes focused on Ping. Oh, sure, of course there'd be a hitch like that... "So you're telling me, you, this Architect guy, and an entire settlement of robot ponies couldn't have worked out some way to get Boomer away from us yourselves?"

"You'll have to forgive us, we've been rather preoccupied preparing for the arrival of another pony of interest, and their own friends, among the usual work at the Factory. Rather humorously, you'd actually crossed paths with them not long after receiving that delivery order. But regardless, we haven't had the time to work out all of the necessary details." Ping adjusted himself on his hooves slightly, myself letting off a small sigh. Well... great. Barring booking it while he's out drinking or something, assuming he does leave the train, this is probably not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows...

Ottie whirred beside me, moving forwards slightly, an... odd expression on his muzzle. I think he was actually trying to look a bit confrontational. "You stopped sounding like Stopwatch does. Did you really not think of anything?" Well, that definitely caught me offguard. From the looks of things, did so to Ping too.

The construction pony in front of us leaned back on his hooves for a moment, looking side to side, before letting his head drop. "We... did calculate one favorable possibility, yes. We don't resort to violence unless it is absolutely necessary, but unfortunately the only way to ensure removal of Boomer from the equation is to have him perish. This would also allow the ruse to be more convincing and increase the chance of your safe disappearance, as having a recognizable body at the site would remove a greater deal of suspicion should anyone come to investigate further."

Ping looked especially somber about the whole thing, as I tried to process it. So, best bet to remove Boomer from the equation is to... -really- remove him from the equation. That does make ya think... as does wondering exactly what they're planning, if the phrase 'recognizable body' is factoring into our chance of success, for cryin' out loud! As I was about to ask him about that, though, a clatter came from outside, sounding like somepony falling onto the gravel railbed. There was a short curse, before it sounded like they rushed onto their hooves again, and started running off - towards the back of the train. I really hope that wasn't who I think it is.

Ping looked towards myself and Ottie, the alarm clear on his face. "I'm afraid we haven't much time now. Protect yourselves as best you can, you will receive the needed materials and full plan tomorrow morning. I do hope to get good news from the Factory about you all. Good luck." The construction pony looked around the railyard through Kipper's window for a moment, before sliding the door open and allowing himself to drop to the ground. The door slid back shut with the sound of magic, myself swallowing dryly, looking over to Ottie. His tube-eyes met mine, that unfamiliar uneasy expression on his muzzle mirroring me quite well.

Tomorrow is not gonna be a fun day.