[Express Train to Canterlot] Train tracks blocked - a catastrophe for the world of fashion [PM for invite]

[Davroth]

Things don't always go as planned. The smallest things can sometimes destroy the most meticulous planning. I could turn out, as an example, that your latest discovery decides that the life of a supermodel is not the right thing for her, no matter how much you insist, you can't force someone to live the dream of so many mares and stallions.

Photo Finish had barely noticed how her mind had wandered up until now, as she snapped out of it with a slightly annoyed sigh. She looked around in her compartment. It was first class, of course, but even though, she didn't really enjoy train rides. And this one was going to be unusual for a couple of reasons, some of them she wasn't even aware of right now.

It all started yesterday, back in Ponyville. The blue mare of fashion had received a telegraph of the most urgent kind, summoning her back to Couture headquarters immediately. Apparently there had been a new designer entering the Canterlot fashion scene and those new designs, they were said to be absolutely dazzling. 'Huh' she thought to herself, adjusting her iconic glasses 'I, Photo Finish, vill be ze judge of zat..'

Of course, time was of the essence now. It was important for a prestigious fashion magazine like Couture to be at the pulse of the local fashion scenes, so the sooner they could write a feature about a promising, new designer, the better. Photo Finish knew she wouldn't be able to wait for the train that had been booked for her and her entourage. So she did the only right thing: booking a last minute overnight train ticket to Canterlot. Just her, and light baggage (only two cameras and a hoof full of different lenses). Fortunately, she had the compartment to herself. She didn't really intend to talk much during this trip. Or so she had thought.

Just as the light blue mare had been able to fall asleep, rumble went through the train, not only roughly waking her up, but almost throwing her out of her seat. As she tried to comprehend the situation in her slightly sleepy head, she thanked Celestia that she had tugged her bags under her seat instead of the luggage racks above the seats. Those lenses were very fragile, not to mention expensive. And she knew from experience that she should never part with her cameras. You never knew when inspiration would strike.

Photo Finish waited for a few minutes in complete silence. This train hadn't been very full, she noticed while boarding. She wasn't even sure if there had been any other ponies in the first class. Being on a tight schedule, she would likely be too late for her meeting, should this disruption take too long. She had to do something.

The famous earth pony mare threw open the door, stepping out of her compartment dramatically. She struck a pose.

"Vat is going on?" She asked loudly to noone in particular "I, Photo Finish, demand to know vhy ze train stopped moving!!"

[Techno Tealeaf]

A short ways away on a dirt road a young mare was pulling a large cart behind her. She was enjoying the peacefulness of the trip to Canterlot when a horrible screech and a loud hiss broke the silence.

"What in the world was that!?" Burst said to herself. She pulled the cart harder and galloped up the trail to see just what was going on. As she rounded the corner she saw the Canterlot Express, large clouds of steam were pouring from the front and it had come to a complete stop. Burst unhitched herself from her cart and galloped up to the train.

"Hello? Is everyone ok?" She yelled as she searched the train from the outside.

[Davroth]

After looking up and down the first class, the blue mare was fairly certain now that nopony else was in this wagon. Either that, or they didn't want to leave their compartments. She didn't seem to have a choice. 'I'll haf to take care of zis meinself!!' she thought.

She trotted to the front of the cart as a voice reached her keen ears:

"Hello? Is everyone ok?"

Photo Finish peered into the dark outside. She didn't see anything at first, here eyes still adjusted to the lamps inside the train. "Hallo? Hu iz out zere? I, Photo Finish, demand zat you show yourself!" She struck a pose in the frame of the door out, her silhouette undoubtedly impressive against the light pouring out through the cart doors and windows, waiting for an reaction.

[Techno Tealeaf]

"Well there's certainly nothing wrong with this pony." Burst thought to herself. She trotted closer to the first class car of the train and called out again. "My name's Firecracker Burst, is everypony alright in there?" She looked over the train again but because of the darkness she couldn't see much besides the Silhouette of Photo Finish in the door.

[RoyalDice]

All the little filly could hear were the ramblings of a pony somewhere further into the first-class cabin. The loud hiss that had suddenly occurred somehow made the train stop moving! That was odd, isn't a train usually supposed to .. like, keep going down the tracks until it reached it's.. like, destination? the little filly thought, rubbing her chin idly.

Popping up from behind one of the seats in the first-class cabin, she slowly keeps tapping her chin, as she pulls a certain teddy bear out of her bag. Slowly hiding back behind the chair, she holds Hatson in front of her. ''Hatson, my trusty companion, could you perhaps look if you can like, see anypony?'' she asks, and giggles. ''Aww, thanks!'' she mutters at the bear, and slowly holds it above the chair, twisting it so it would get a good look of the cabin before pulling it close to her again. ''See anything?'' she asks, and waits for a short moment before grunting. ''Harumphf.. you didn't see anything?'' she grumbles and slowly puts the teddy bear on her head. ''Alright, i shall get a look myself, gosh!''

Appearing behind the seat for a second time, she looks around. It seemed that the cabin was still okay, and there were two silhouettes close to her apparently talking to each other. They seemed suspicious.. too suspicious.. maybe they were the ones who had stopped the train from moving! And they were perhaps planning to make their escape! Not on Sleuth's watch.. or.. clock.. or.. well, she wouldn't let them get away that easily!

''I got yooooou!'' she squeaks, and flutters out from her cover, tackling into Photo Finish. '' You shall not escape!'' she squeaks loudly, and wraps her hooves around the mare, having clinged onto her. '' I know you did thiiiiiiis!'' she yelped, as she starts pointing her hoof at the other mare as well. ''You shall not escape.. eitheeeeer!''

[Davroth]

The blue mare of fashion peered outside, finally noticing the young mare. That is, she saw her bright, colorful mane. Her coat barely stood out against the deep darkness of the night. She gave a little sigh of relief. Any help would be welcome finding out what happened here.

Photo Finish was just about to answer when something to her side caught her attention. She thought she had heard something. While she turned her head to look for whatever it was that caused the noise, something hit her in the side.

''I got yooooou! You shall not escape! I know you did thiiiiiiis!"

Even though the light pink bundle of pony that had just hit her was still a filly, it was more then enough to sweep the surprised Photo Finish from her hooves. She rolled over, landing on her back, a pegasus filly standing on top of her, her glasses landing a few hooves away on the ground.

"Vat is ze meaning of zis?" She muttered, then, finding her composure again, in a more confident tone of voice: "I, Photo Finish, demand zat you get off immediately!" She stared at her out of piercing, light rose eyes, and an expression of slight annoyance.

[Techno Tealeaf]

Burst made a small ball of fire and searced for a way into the train, after a little looking she found one of the doors had been thrown open. She climbed inside the car and found the two ponies on the floor. "Are you two alright?" Burst asked as she carefully floated the ball of fire above the two ponies sprawled out on the floor.

[RoyalDice]

''Photo Finish?'' the fluffy filly repeated, and gasped. ''I.. i.. i like.. have honestly no idea who you are..'' she muttered and tapped her chin, standing over the mare. ''Well, you fiend, i do not care what you name is! Seeing as you are the culprit, if i am not mistaken, you have the.. uh..'' she paused, scratched her head and poked her tongue out of her mouth. ''.. the right to remain silent, yes!'' the little filly said happily, her wings starting to flutter upwards. Little did she know, she was more than wrong.

Still fluttering above the fabulous fashionista, she looked over at the

associate in the wrongdoing and waved cheerfully.

''Oh, hello!''

she says happily, before cutting to the chase.

''You are this criminal's accomplice, right? Because then i will have to.. uh.. take you into custody too!'' she squeaked, her hooves flailing wildly as she slowly fluttered over to Burst, forgetting that she was standing over the mastermind of this dastardly plan just a minute before. After all, she had to take both of these evildoers in!

(( Sorry if the post is messed up! I just don't know what happened! /Derpy ))

[Davroth]

The blue mare got up from the ground as the little filly finally released her. Photo Finish had never been big on children, not even when she herself was one. And this one didn't make the best first impression on her.

She looked down at herself. A brand new piece from the Hoity Toity collection. Ruined by small, grubby hoofprints. She sighed heavily in annoyance, though nopony was around anymore to notice. Looking out of the door of the first class cart, she mustered the two ponies. The filly was just about what she expected of anypony her age, and the mare outside she could barely see, even with the light provided by her spell. Though the fact that she was out here at this time of night, practically in the wilderness probably meant she was some kind of traveling folk. Not a great prospect for a fashionista.

Photo Finish jumped off the cart, landing gracefully on the dark ground next to the train tracks. She struck a pose, her goggles gleaming gloriously in the fiery globe's glow. Time to make sense of all of this!

"Firecracker, vaz it? And you, little Fohlen." She began. "Vee are not ze culpritz zat caused ze train to stop!" She pointed at the light pink filly and then at the black unicorn mare. "You two vill assist me, Photo Finish, to find out vat stopped ze train." She turned in direction of the front of the train, not even turning as she proclaimed: "We go!"

[Techno Tealeaf]

"Well it certainly seems that this mare is fine, and a mare of action at that." Burst thought to herself. She sighed with relief seeing that nopony was hurt. She turned to the energetic foal and smiled. "Hello there little one, you seem to be the perfect pony to help solve this mystery. How about you stick next to me while we look for clues? You can be my assistaint on this case." She winked at the foal as she morphed the ball of fire into a miniature Phoenix made of flames to light the path.

[RoyalDice]

The filly huffed and stopped her flailing and confusedly tilted her head. At first, she looked at Photo Finish. ''.. You.. look kinda funny!'' she happily cooed. ''But like, totally something my mommy would look like when she goes out on one of her dates with daddy!..'' she tapped her chin and giggled. ''She looked pretty funny each time, too!'' she quickly said, poking her tongue out at the mare before fluttering over to the other pony.

''.. Assistant? Me?'' she said, with a gasp. ''But,, i'm like, the best detective like ever!'' she quietly whined. She looked up at her bear, and grumbled. ''.. Fine.. i'll be your assistant..'' she muttered, and dropped down onto the floor with a quiet thud. ''I don't won't like, like it or whatever!'' she squeaked, as she pouted at the mare.

[Davroth]

The blue mare of fashion furrowed her brow as she turned back to the mare and the filly. Actually, she was relieved that those two just went with it. But: 'You look kinda funny!' she thought, and 'totally somezing mein mommy would look like ven she goes out?' Photo Finish sighed. She highly doubted that this filly's mother shared her impeccable taste in clothing. She sighed, and again looked between the two.

Actually, now that her had had a moment to adjust to the darkness outside, she noticed that the mare called Firecracker had little burn-marks around her hooves. And from the looks of it, it had been quite a while since her mane had been properly coiffed. Photo Finish wrinkled her nose barely noticeably, 'Yeez, travelling folk', she thought to herself.Though, she had to concede to herself that a unicorn would be more then useful in this situation, if nothing else. A secure source of light, if nothing else.

The little ball of fluff, wings and (grubby) hooves was still talking and talking and... They couldn't just let her here, and there was strength in numbers, no matter how small.

Photo Finish cleared her throat noisily: "Hhhhrrrem, I, Photo Finish, zink we schoud get going!" She turned towards the locomotive again, and just took a decisive step forward, just expecting the others to follow her. "We go! Naow!"