A Day at the Tracks
It was unusual to see a store of this type in the centre of town. The type of store that is usually found on darker streets. Places where stores with blacked out windows and barred doors are expected. But there was this store, on main street, proudly advertising its wears for all to see, even if only an extreme few were interested. The goods sold there were targeted towards a very specific clientele. A type who were very particular about what they wanted, but were willing to pay handsomely for it. This small but dedicated crowd was what allowed the owner to afford the prominent position on Ponyville's Main Street, even if a "busy" day consisted of three or four customers.
At 1:30 in the afternoon, Fluttershy was the second customer of the day. This was not her first visit to the store and she knew that it would not be her last. She entered the store nonchalantly, no one in the street blinked an eye. If they were to be surprised about anything, it would be that they had had the privilege of actually seeing someone walk through that door in either direction.
From the entrance of the store, the shelves were lined with goods for sale. A few steps in, a musky smell overpowered everything from the outside. The walls were lined with accessories, magazines and videos. Things meant to distract from the main products. Fluttershy was not interested in them, she already had all the bobbles she needed as well as subscriptions to several of the magazines. She also had a backlog of videos she needed to get through before she could even think about getting a new one. The shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen, probably hiding in the back room. Fluttershy kept walking past all the distractions to the gleaming display case where her prize awaited her. She passed the "used" shelves looking over the molded plastic with disgust. Of course they were all perfectly useable, but the principle behind the idea was a complete turnoff to the potential savings. They would never be her own, no matter how much use she'd get out of them.
At the display case she admired the assortment of goods laid out, each aligned parallel to each other in a diagonal pattern along the top shelf. The display was pleasing to look at, but Fluttershy knew exactly which one she wanted. All her magazines had recommended it for its superb construction and attention to detail. It had also been featured in several of the videos she had taken the time to watch. Looking it over behind the glass she nodded to herself in agreement. Up close she could see where the manufacturer had taken care to replicate every detail of the real thing. The main reason she was interested in this particular one was that it had been described as being one of the most powerful on the market. She was a little doubtful about that as it was smaller than her current most powerful one. But her magazines and videos had never led her wrong before, this was the one for her.
She heard a noise from the back of the store and looked to see the shopkeeper coming out of the back room. Through the closing door she spotted a TV displaying a screen full of static. The grey haired proprietor came over the display case, adjusting his glasses so he could see which of his regulars has appeared in the store. Recognizing the pink mane and butterfly cutie mark he smiled and opened up a conversation with "Good afternoon Fluttershy! What brings you in today?"
"Good afternoon to you too Idle!" Fluttershy waved, still looking down into the display. "I need a new one," she said tapping the display case directly above her choice as Mr. Hooves approached the counter.
Standing across the case from her he replied, "So soon? I seem to remember you coming in just the other day to pick up a little one for some light work."
"Well yes," Fluttershy blushed, "But this one's for a big job, I need some, err, power."
"Well if this is what you want you've made a fine choice. Hand built and modeled, straight from the Manehatten factory. More than enough power for whatever you need. I have last years model," he said pulling the product out of the case and setting it down on the glass, "does everything I need it to do, never been stuck with this thing in the lead!"
"I'll take it!" Fluttershy said, closely admiring the workmanship without a pane of glass between her and it. She wanted to touch it but was afraid of desecrating it somehow. "This will do the job just perfectly! But what's the cost?" She asked, knowing that her magazine had it listed for just under three-hundred bits.
"For an enthusiast like you Fluttershy, who knows just how much care and effort went into making this, three-hundred bits. For that I'll throw in some lubricant, smoke oil and a one-year warranty. But only because you're my best customer."
"Oh please," Fluttershy said quietly, holding true to her name. She handed over the money to the grey haired earth pony. "I know I'm here a lot, but best customer? Really?"
"Yes!" he exclaimed. "If anyone understands this lifestyle better than me, it's you." Fluttershy blushed heavily. "Let me wrap that up for you, don't want it breaking before you're able to give it a go." He gingerly wrapped the toy in tissue paper and placed it into a form-fitting cardboard box. He closed the box and slipped it into a brown paper bag. "Something this nice will make you a target for every no-good-nick in town. Don't want them to know just what you're carrying!"
Taking the bag, Fluttershy thanked him again for his help. She watched as he turned back to his dark room with the waiting TV. She marched out the front door back to the street. Again no one taking any particular notice, just one passerby thinking to herself that she didn't know that store was still open. The trip home was a battle of emotions for Fluttershy. She wanted desperately to get home and put her purchase to use, but she didn't want to seem too out of character. Flying would be faster, but then everyone would ask what she was so excited about. But walking would take so much longer. She settled on the compromise of walking albeit at a slightly increased pace. The whole time she was imagining un-boxing her new toy and putting it to good use. She already knew exactly what she was going to do with it. At the edge of town, where no one was around, she lifted off and raced for her cottage. Her trip to Idle Hooves Hobby Shop had been a success and she had a shiny new locomotive to show for it.
The ground shook as the 205 to Trottingham rolled into the station. Led by a mighty beast of glistening steel belching snow-white steam. The wheels on the 4-4-0 Friendship class locomotive groaned to a stop precisely 2 minutes before it was due in. The passengers were lined up on the platform awaiting the arrival. An announcement blared over the loudspeakers: "Now boarding Platform 2: Train 205 to Trottingham. All aboard." The conductor waited on the platform, keeping one eye on the passengers and the other on his pocket watch. The second hand on his precisely calibrated, railroad-caliber timepiece ticked away. The platform was completely cleared with ten seconds until the departure time.
With a bellowing voice the grey-haired conductor called out "All aboard!" and ducked back into the carriage. Along the length of the train, the doors silently slid shut and the locks clicked in unison. The shrill whistle of the steam engine pierced the air. The mighty pistons of the engine began to move, slowly at first, but picking up speed with every cycle. The trained hooves of the engineer delicately pressing the throttle forward while easing back on the brakes. The Fireman feeding the burning mouth of the engine with shovelfuls of coal. The pistons pounding harder as the driving wheels began to turn faster and faster. The scenery began to melt into a blur as the steady rhythm of the locomotive filled the ears of the crew. Faster and faster, the engineer could feel the entire weight of the train behind them, tons of molded steel and wood skimming along the polished rails. The signals showed all clear to Trottingham, top speed was within reach. This was the moment every engineer dreamed of, brakes on zero, throttle all the way open. Hanging his head out the window, the engineer could feel the wind stinging his eyes and his hair in the breeze. The tracks stretched ahead of the engine gently curving through the rolling hills of the countryside.. He gave strong tug on the control cord and the whistle sounded again, almost impossible to hear in the cab over the sounds of the machine and the rushing wind. Pulling it again harder and longer, he let loose a deafening blast across the rolling hills. Ahead, the first of many tunnels appeared. Grinning he gave another generous yank on the control cord. The sound surely deafening to anyone who was within a kilometer of the tracks. To tunnel grew and grew as the train sped towards it. Entering the tunnel, the cab of Engine 9430 was plunged into a darkness lit only by the fire of the boiler.
"Choo Choo!" Called out Fluttershy to no one in particular. Across the layout from her, the train reappeared through the east portal. "The next station is terminus station Trottingham Central!" she said gently turning the controls with her hooves. Bringing the dial on the speed control down to '1' she watched as the train crept into the station. Bringing it to a stop perfectly in line with the platform, each door aligned with carefully arranged clusters of figures waiting for a train that they would never board. Next to the throttle she pressed the door control button. She announced to the station: "Train 205 from Ponyville has arrived on track 4."
Fluttershy took a step back from the elevated control post to view her layout. Years of work in her basement had culminated in sprawling mess of track and scenery. All of it meticulously planned and then executed. Her new engine was the center point of it. Sitting in the station, fake steam coming out in puffs from the smokestack. It was the crown jewel of her collection. This was bliss for her, in her basement, with her cap and scarf. This paradise of hers, that no one could ever know about. She knew that she wasn't supposed to have these things. Trains were toys for little earth pony colts, not for a grown-up pegasus mare. If any of her friends were to see all this, she'd never hear the end of it.
Observing the self-made timetable in front of her she noticed that the 205 had been the last scheduled train of the day. She was done early today, a fact she attributed to the sheer power and speed of her new engine. Fluttershy again pressed the small black button and watched with glee as each of the doors slid shut and clicked into place. She noticed that door six hadn't fully closed and made a note of it in her maintenance journal. She carefully lined the switches to send the train into the depot. A fancy name for nothing more than a plain, easily accessible table covered with track. Each one containing a different consist. Track 1: 411 to Los Pegasus; Track 5: Mixed freight 110 to Manehatten. Each and every one meticulously maintained and kept in perfect running condition. Stopping at the entrance to the yard she made sure the switches were lined into the empty track 7, not wanting a repeat of the great Appleloosa Limited accident. Following proper routine she brought the train into the yard at a crawl, performing the regulation safety stop 100 scale meters from the end of track markings. She eased the train towards the end of the siding and brought it to a stop, perfectly filling the length of the siding.
She left her control post and reached for the master switch for the layout. Flicking it off, the current in the tracks died for another night, the lights of the miniature towns dimmed to let their sculpted residents rest for the evening. The last lights to go black were the overheads that lit the landscape. The ensuing blackness was broken only by the row of lights leading up the stairwell. Fluttershy climbed the stairs looking at the walls adorned with signs and livery of famous railroads from around the world. Before the door at the top of the stairs she hung up her engineers cap and scarf, ready to enter back into the real world. She didn't know what to do with the extra time. She was normally finished after dark, but today she still had plenty of time to do something. She figured a walk would do her much good.
She walked down the path from her cottage to the main road. Unsure of where to go she waited at the cross roads. A seemingly divine signal made her decision for her. From her right, a whistle rolled across the land. She turned towards it and started walking, she knew exactly where her destination was. The walk took a little over twenty minutes, the path meandering left and right through the lightly forested hills. She took a side trail so small that she had to actively look for it, even though she had taken it many times before. The little trail cut through the bush. Pushing aside branches and trudging through undergrowth, Fluttershy reached a linear clearing.
In front of her was a gravel embankment rising up about 3 feet. Fluttershy carefully listened to the silence of the forest before climbing up the small hill. Rather than fly, she decided not to disturb the absolute quite with the flapping of wings. She had some trouble getting up the loose packed rocks but after a few slips reached the top. She was met with two parallel ribbons of shining steel tied together with wooden beams. The rails each reflected the filtered light of coming dusk. Looking to her left and right, the rails stretched out to infinity. Keeping one ear open, she dug into her saddlebag for a spare coin. Pulling out a small piece of metal, she carefully balanced it on the left hand rail.
Admiring the small copper coin balanced on the silver rail, she heard from the distance another whistle. Quite and removed, but there in full force. She picked up her bag from between the rails and retreated back towards the trail. Stepping over the rail she made sure that the coin was still balanced in the middle. The whistle blew again, louder this time. She scurried down the hill sliding on the loose rocks. She quickly collected a stick and laid it perpendicular to the rail at approximately the point where the coin was resting. This way she would not forget where she had left it.
The whistle blared again, close enough that it was all Fluttershy could hear. The ground started to shake, she was afraid the vibrations might knock the coin off the rail. The noise of the train could now be heard through the trees. Looking down the tracks she could see a shining headlight at the base of a great column of smoke and steam. The sound of the train grew louder and louder as it closed the gap between the two. From the noise and smoke it was clear that the train was going full speed. Drawing ever closer, every instinct in her body told her to run, even fly, away as fast as she could. But she held her ground, entranced by the mighty machine coming right for her. She knew she was safe, the train wouldn't leave its tracks which were a good six feet in front of her. Plenty of room for even the widest of coaches to pass by harmlessly.
The locomotive was close enough that she could indentify it. She grinned, it was a 4-4-0 Friendship Class locomotive. The exact same as the model spending its first night in her basement. The difference was this one was exactly 87 times bigger and built in the famous Fillydelphia Motorworks. The noise was deafening now, the train five seconds away. Time slowed as it pulled in front of her. The pistons moving back and forth in slow motion. The driving wheels sparked and squealed against the rail. She looked up to the cab expectantly. Through the driver side window she saw the blue and white stripped cap of the Engineer. Manning the controls, paying no attention to anything but the myriad of valves and levers in front of him.
In the gap between the engine and the tender, Fluttershy was able to glimpse the Fireman. She could see his sweat-soaked brow under his coal stained cap. She saw his shovel pierce the giant pile of coal, taking a giant shovelful and throwing it effortlessly into the boiler. For a moment she could see everything in the cab as if she was there herself. Somewhere she often imagined herself while she was in her basement. As the train sped past she was able to catch a glimpse of the roaring fire in the belly of the machine. Even from track-side she felt as if she could feel the heat coming from it. The train slowly returned to its real speed. On the side of the tender Fluttershy observed the logo of the Equestrian Railways proudly emblazoned on the side. Time returned to normal as the passenger coaches passed by in a colourful smear. The last carriage passed and Fluttershy watched its red lantern pass into the distance.
Breaking her trance on the red light, she searched for the flattened coin. She found it laying between the rails in line with the stick. She carefully picked up the flat disc being careful not to hold it in either hand. The immense pressure of the train had squished the coin flat and made it boiling hot. Juggling it between her hooves it eventually cooled down enough to not burn through her saddlebag. She slipped it into her bag and turned back to the trail. At the tree line next to the track a whistle rolled over the land. Proper darkness had begun to fall. Turning for home, Fluttershy wondered if there was an overnight train waiting for an engineer back at home.
