Derailed

by Harms Way

Rating: mature
Tags: Human, Sunset Shimmer, Main 6, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Sad, Romance, Original Character, Discord, Princess Celestia, Sex
Length: 47254

What should have been a routine track inspection run turns into something that one engineer will remember for the rest of his life.

After a massive storm runs across the state of California, the famous Cajon Pass requires inspection before allowing freight to pass through once again. This is where rookie engineer Nathan Bridgeport wants to prove that he has what it takes to make this job a career.

Little does he know what lies in wait for him and his locomotive on the other side of the San Gabriel Mountains.

(Takes place after Season 3 but before Equestria Girls.)

Published 2015-08-30 23:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2017-02-11 22:11:26 UTC

Chapter Two: The Forest

"Oh..... fuck! My arm!" Nathan groaned while leaning against the control panel. Each time he tried to move his left arm, agonizing pain was all he got in return. "What the hell happened?" With his sight still missing after being blinded by who knows what, all Nathan could do was feel around the immediate area to, at least, get a sense on what position both he and the locomotive were in. After pulling himself up, he could feel broken glass on his seat. "Well... at least the thing managed to stay upright." He thought while brushing the glass off of the padded seat before sitting down. As he sat down, he was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, thankful for having survived a derailment after going over 60 mph. "Why is it so quiet out there though?" With the engine now silent, the only things that Nathan could hear the chirping of birds and leaves rustling as a breeze blew through the broken window in front of him.

"Wait a minute...." He thought. "Last time I checked, there was a thunderstorm going on out there." As he was thinking that, his sight began to return to him. But once he was able to clearly see, his eyes widened in shock and surprise at what he saw. "Where... the hell... am I?" He said out loud as he quickly saw that the area around him was no longer Cajon Pass. Instead, he found himself and his wrecked locomotive in a small clearing of a forest. After a minute of looking at the trees around him, another realization came into his mind. "This looks exactly like what was in my dreams!" He then tried to move his arm again, only for pain to make him regret that decision. "Okay. Figuring out where I am can wait. Where is that first aid kit?" He said as he slowly rose to his feet and began to slowly walk toward the other side of the cab. "Ah. There you are." He knelt down and picked up a small metal box. Opening it with his good arm, he pulled out some pre-wrap, tape, and some antiseptic wipes before sitting where the conductor would usually sit.

"Fuck!" He cried out internally as he rolled up his left sleeve to find his arm had a few cuts, some of them were bigger than others, presumably from broken glass. "Okay.... this is gonna sting." He said as he began running one of the wipes across the cuts. The pain from the stinging made his teeth clench together. Once the painful ordeal of cleaning the cuts was over, he then used his chin to hold the end of the pre-wrap in place before wrapping his wounds with a few layers before doing the same thing with the tape. With his injury taken care of for the moment, Nathan could now return his focus to figuring out where he was. "How did I even get here?" He thought while opening the front cab door. "Last thing I remember was heading towards a curve with no brakes and.... that voice...."

Stepping out onto the front platform of the now wrecked locomotive, his mind began to get filled with many thoughts. "Why am I in the same place that those dreams took place in?" He thought while jumping off the platform and landing on the grass. "Will I ever see my home again?" The moment 'home' went through his mind, Nathan instantly thought of his friends, his family, and his job. He then took a big sigh before walking around the diesel. As he walked, Nathan found that despite being off the tracks with a mound of dirt almost completely burying the front, 1506 still looked in good condition. "Looks like you could just put her back on some tracks and she'll run."

After inspecting the giant vehicle, Nathan turned his attention to his surroundings. "Better try and find someone who can help me." He said to himself before walking towards a small dirt pathway. Wanting to keep himself covered as best he could, he kept the raincoat on even though the sun shined brightly overhead. It wasn't long before he immediately began regretting his decision, beginning to sweat profusely. As he continued on, Nathan wondered what would happen if he found civilization. Would they help him? This thought kept racing through his mind as he pressed on down the trail. Rounding a curve in the trail, something rancid immediately assaulted his nostrils, making him pinch his nose shut. "Dear God!" He thought, using his left arm as best he could to fan the smell away. "What is that awful smell?" Not long after, Nathan began to hear a faint rustling in the trees on both sides of him. "H-hello?" He called out, hoping to get a response. "W-who's there?"

A slight growling is all that replied as Nathan began darting his eyes back and forth before the ground began to shake a little beneath him. The growling around him grew louder as he turned around until he could see something that was he was very familiar with. "What.... the.... fuck....." A large beast, flanked by two similar looking yet smaller creatures had stepped out onto the dirt path in front of the lone human. They all appeared to look like wolves, only made entirely out of branches and logs with glowing green eyes. "The creatures from my nightmares!" Nathan thought while they slowly began to approach him. He stared backing away with his hands held up in front of him in a defensive pose.

"Easy there, big fellas." He said while slowly backing away. "I don't mean any trouble at all." The bigger one, presumably the alpha, wasn't letting up as it continued to stalk the smaller human. "Fight or run?" He thought as the creatures continued to growl at him. "Fight or run?!" Without any warning or provocation, the alpha let out a massive roar, sending it's awful breath right into Nathan's face. "Right then." He thought. "Legs... don't fail me now!" Nathan immediately turned around and began sprinting back down the path in the direction he had come. The sounds of the creatures' growls and roars behind him only made more adrenaline pump into his veins, making him go as fast as his legs could possibly go.

"Gotta... get... back.... to the engine!" He said to himself between breaths. As he was running, Nathan couldn't help but notice how eerily similar this was to his nightmares. One of the creatures clawed against the back of his raincoat, which was fluttering through the breeze, tearing the bottom portion to shreds. "If I had something to make a fire, ya'll would be firewood by now!" Nathan called back in anger towards the creatures as the chase continued down the trail. As he got close to the clearing where 1506 resided, Nathan could sense that the creatures were practically breathing down his neck. He then jumped over the same fallen tree that was in his dreams before sprinting towards the presumed safety that was his diesel.

Like he did in his nightmares, once he got close to the locomotive, Nathan wasted no time in getting back on board before locking himself in the cab. And just like what happened afterwards, he found himself surrounded by these vicious creatures as they circled around the stranded diesel. One of the smaller animals tried leaping at the window, only to fall short and smack head first into the steel frame. As the creatures circled, Nathan slumped down in the center of the cab along the back wall. "What the heck am I gonna do?" He said to himself before the familiar sound of a low voice chuckling broke the silence that was occasionally broken by the growls heard outside.

"Aww. What's the matter, Nathan? We've been through this scenario how many times? And yet once again, here you are, hiding in your little contraption. Honestly, I thought you would have been better prepared for this."

"Glad to see that my anguish is amusing to you." Nathan replied before the voice laughed again.

"Well it's not every day that something like this happens."

"Something like what happens?"

"A creature such as yourself appearing in this world. That's why I was trying to prepare you."

A silence soon followed after the voice said that. "A different world?" Nathan thought as he crawled over to the window, just as the alpha lurked past, staring directly at him while growling. "That does explain a lot."

"Well Nathan, my new friend. It has been fun watching you play with these timberwolves. But I'm afraid I must go. I have an important meeting to attend."

"Wait!" Nathan cried out. "You can't just leave me here to die!"

After a few seconds, the voice let out a sigh. "I suppose that wouldn't do either one of us any good, now would it?" A snapping sound could be heard soon after. "Don't worry. Just use this contraption of yours to scare the beasties away."

Nathan was about to say something before he heard a loud yet familiar rumbling coming from behind him. "Holy shit!" He thought while quickly jumping up towards his seat. "How the hell did he start the engine?!"

"There." The voice said. "Now you should be able to scare off those wolves." Instead of replying to the voice, Nathan could only stare at the gauges on his control panel. The engine was running as though it wasn't damaged at all!

"H-how did you do that?" Nathan finally managed to say. But he didn't get an answer. "Hello?" He paused for a moment, but could only hear the sound of the idling engine. "Creepy voice? You there?" Figuring that the voice left, Nathan turned his attention outside and watched as the timberwolves all stopped and were staring at the now operating locomotive. An idea then quickly popped into his head before turning back towards the wooden lever controlling the horn. "This should scare em off." He said while grabbing the lever. He then pulled down, letting the horn ring out across the forest. As the horn kept sounding, Nathan watched as the wolves jumped at the sudden noise before quickly running off into the trees. "Ha!" Nathan cried out in victory as the last of the timberwolves disappeared. "Plenty more where that came from!" He yelled, pulling the lever down again.

Now confident that the wolves were long gone, Nathan released his hold on the lever before getting out of his chair. "Thanks, old girl." He said, patting his hand against the control panel. "I promise that I'll find a way to get you out of here." With that said, he slowly opened the door to the cab before stepping out onto the walkway leading towards the back of the engine. Stopping at one of the panels, he opened the metal door and carefully shut the engine down. "Now to just figure out a way to find some help." He thought while going back into the cab. "How will I do that without going back into that forest?" After a few minutes of thought, another idea flashed through his mind. "Of course!" He cried out internally. He then turned his attention back to the small metal box where the first aid supplies were. Opening it, he pulled out a plastic red gun. "Good, it's still loaded." He said after checking the tiny object over.

"Whatever comes here after I fire this off, please let it be something that won't try to kill me!" He said while stepping back out onto the walkway. He then raised the gun up towards the sky, ready to fire it off. At the exact moment his finger flinched on the trigger, a familiar growl from behind him made him flinch. Looking upwards, he found a small timberwolf standing on top of the locomotive. "Stubborn little monster!" He said before the creature jumped down onto the walkway, directly between Nathan and the cab. "Well.... looks like I don't have a choice this time." He thought before the creature lunged at him, tackling him to the metal floor. As he struggled to keep the beast away from his head, Nathan curled his legs up beneath it before kicking out, sending the little wood wolf flying until it collided with the door of the cab.

Using this temporary moment of separation to his advantage, Nathan quickly rolled underneath the railing of the walkway and fell to the grass below. "Where is it?!" He thought, looking for the plastic gun that would either summon help or bring his new friend some reinforcements. Just as his eyes caught sight of the gun as it rested next to the large fuel tank, the beast attacked again, tackling Nathan into the grass. This time though, his wooden jaw was clamped firmly around Nathan's wounded left arm. Nathan cried out in agonizing pain as he began using his right arm to punch the beast as hard as he could right between its glowing eyes. "I! Am! Not! Your! Dinner!" He yelled as each punch landed on the wolf's face. Finally, the wolf seemed to have had enough and released Nathan's arm from it's jaw before backing away, growling slightly. Nathan slowly rose to his knees, clenching his injured arm. The wolf just stood there, glaring at him with those glowing eyes before letting out a brief growl, turning around, and running off.

"Yeah. That's right!" Nathan called out as the wolf disappeared into the trees. As he slowly got to his feet, Nathan could feel the blood dripping down his arm from the bite. He cried out in pain as he slowly walked back over to the engine. Bending down, Nathan scooped up the small plastic gun with his good arm before pointing it up towards the sky once again. After squeezing the trigger, a red flare shot out from the plastic barrel, soaring straight into the sky before exploding. "Now, I play the waiting game and hope that someone will come soon." He thought before slowly climbing back onto the locomotive. "But I should probably get this injury taken care of in the meantime." With that, he slowly walked back into the cab to treat his wounds as best he could while waiting for something or someone to come.

Author's Note

Hey ya'll.

Thank you so much for the surprising response that this story has been given. I truly appreciate all of it. I hope ya'll enjoyed this new chapter. Next chapter will be a little different than this and the previous one, but I hope ya'll will enjoy that one as well whenever it comes out.

Til then, see ya'll later.

Harms Way

Chapter Three: Helping A Wounded Creature

The mid-afternoon breeze blew through the air as Applejack and her younger sister, Applebloom, walked through the Everfree forest. The little filly had just finished helping Zecora with gathering a few ingredients for some potions that the zebra had been wanting to make. Applejack, being the protective older sister that she is, decided to escort the young one through the forest in case any monsters that she had the unfortunate pleasure of encountering had decided to try their luck on a lone filly. Fortunately though, this passage so far was rather calm and peaceful.

"So what'd Zecora need ya to get her?" The older sibling asked as they trotted down a dirt path.

"She just needed my help in getting some more poison joke plants." The little one replied. Before Applejack started freaking out over what effect those darn plants had on her, Applebloom shot her sister a cute smile. "Don't worry, big sis. Zecora gave me some protection so that way none of the leaves touched me."

"That's a relief." Applejack replied, wiping one of her front hooves across her forehead. "Hey! Once we get back to Sweet Apple Acres, you wanna watch me and Big Mac get some more apples for that big order?"

"I would." The little filly replied. "But Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo asked me if I wanted to go over to Sugarcube Corner after I got done with Zecora."

"Ah." Applejack replied. "Alright then. Just make sure to be back before sundown."

"I will." Applebloom said in response. "I still can't believe how huge that order is though. Every apple we have?"

"Yep." The elder sibling replied. "All of it going to Manehattan for some big festival. The planning committee said it picks a random orchard each year and this year, they picked Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Ain't that festival still a few months away?"

"Yes. But better to get the apples down now so we can put them in those special preservation boxes we got from the committee."

"How many trips are we makin'?"

"Beg pardon?"

"Well, it's gonna take a lot of trips from here to there to deliver all those apples."

"That's the best part!" Applejack exclaimed. "We don't have to take them all the way to Manehattan."

"Well... how else are they gonna get there?" Applebloom asked in a confused tone.

"We'll be shipping the apples by train. All we gotta do is get them to the station."

"Huh." Applebloom replied in relief. "Well that'll be easy then." As the two ponies walked along down the dirt road, the calm sounds of leaves rustling around them in the breeze were suddenly drowned out by a loud roar, startling both ponies. "Applejack....?" The little one asked, visibly shaking with fright. "W-what was that?"

"Sounded like a timberwolf." Applejack replied before grabbing her sister. "Stay close." The young pony nodded her head in compliance and both she and her sibling carefully progressed further on down the trail, keeping their eyes peeled for any enemy. "So far, so good." The older mare thought while both she and her sister trudged on. Slowly, the forest around them returned to a state of calm as the only sounds that were heard were once again the leaves blowing through the gentle wind. "Well..." Applejack said while loosening her grip on the young filly. "Looks like things have settled d-"

Before she could complete her sentence, another noise had pierced the tranquility of the forest. A noise that neither pony had ever heard before. "What in the name of Celestia is that noise?!" Applejack screamed internally before tightening her grip on Applebloom's body.

"Uhh... sis?" The little one said.

"Y-yes?"

"Could you.... not squeeze me so..... tight?!"

"Oops!" Applejack replied, loosening her grip again. "Sorry."

Only seconds after she had done so, Applebloom was once again being held tight within her sister's grasp as another sound, a much louder sound, echoed across the forest. This time though, the little filly clung to her sister for dear life until the noise faded. "What's going on, Applejack?" She asked, looking up at her sister who was frozen in fear.

"I think it's high time we get out of here." Applejack said after a few minutes of silence, her sister nodding quickly in agreement. The two ponies didn't have much farther to go before they would enter a clearing in the forest. From there, it was only a 5-minute trot to the treeline. As they both began trotting nervously forward, Applejack kept a weary eye out for anything looking for a throw down with two of her friends, Bucky McGuillicutty and Kicks McGee.

"Applejack?" The young one asked, making Applejack break from her pattern of looking around to look at her little sister. "You think some kind of creature made those noises?"

"I'm not sure." She replied. "But whatever it was, I ain't gonna let it hurt ya."

"I can protect myself, ya know." Applebloom protested, making her sister chuckle.

"I know." She replied as they continued on down the trail. "I'm just lookin' out for ya, that's all." Right after she said that, a third noise broke the peace of the forest before both ponies looked up and saw something glowing in the sky before exploding with a loud bang. "Huh." Applejack said as she looked at the sky. "Maybe Trixie is out practicing some new fireworks spell for her shows."

"That blue unicorn who likes to show off?"

"Eeyup." Applejack said in a way that sounded similar to her older brother.

"Maybe she's the one makin' all those noises too."

"I don't think that she's capable of makin' those sounds." The older pony said as both she and her sister walked around a fallen tree before entering a clearing. "I don't know. Maybe Twilight would know, right Applebloom?" However, once they got past a final tree, both ponies stopped as something neither one of them had ever seen was smack dab right in the center of the large clearing. "On second thought..." The older pony said. "Maybe Twi wouldn't know after all."

"What in all of Equestria... is that thing?" Applebloom asked as she stared at the massive object. From what they could see, the object looked entirely made of metal with part of it buried in a mound of dirt. "Ohh... if only the others were here. We could be.... CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MYSTERY SOLVERS!"

"What?!" Applejack cried out before trying to grab the young one. But she had already started running off toward the yellow, silver, and red colored object. Applejack groaned in protest before following her sister. "I got a bad feeling about this." She mumbled to herself.

As the two ponies got closer, Applejack could see that there were letters and numbers painted on the side of the metal monster. "Union Pacific? What the hay does that mean." She said internally before she saw her younger sister actually hop onto the thing. "Applebloom!" She scolded. "Get down from there this instant!"

"Don't worry, sis." The filly replied. "I'm fine." Applebloom then started walking along the metal walkway towards the small hut shaped structure on the other end. Applejack nervously followed closely, but from the ground. Once the filly reached the metal door in front of her, she gazed up and saw a handle on it. She jumped up and tried grabbing it, but couldn't hold on, landing on the metal with a thud.

"Are you okay?!" Applejack cried out.

"I'm fine!" Applebloom replied before she looked back at the door in time to see something appear behind it through the glass. The handle turned before the metal door swung open slowly. Applejack's pupils shrank in fear as a creature walking on two legs emerged from inside.

"What... the buck... is that?!" She screamed internally as the creature just stood there, looking at both her and Applebloom repeatedly. As she looked, she could see that the creature looked to be in pain, judging by the expressions on its face. Its right hoof was clenched tight around the other. Looking closer, Applejack could see red dripping from where its right hoof was. Upon seeing that, Applejack instantly could tell that this creature was wounded. But a wounded creature could still lash out.

As her sister looked on, Applebloom could only sit on the metal and watch as the creature turned its attention back to her and bent down, extending its left hoof out toward the filly. She shut her eyes tightly, expecting something bad to happen. But instead, she felt something softly rub against the top of her head. Her eyes opened to see the creature's left hoof gently pat her on the head before being pulled back.

"Such an adorable little pony." She heard the creature say before it suddenly fell forward, landing on its front just inches from the side of the filly.

"Applebloom!" Applejack cried out before jumping onto the metal walkway. "Are you okay?! Did that creature hurt you?!"

"I'm fine." She replied before both ponies looked at the strange, now motionless creature. "But this thing just spoke to me."

"It can talk?!" Applejack asked in a surprised tone. "Well, what did it say?"

"That I was an adorable little pony." The filly replied with a smile on her face. This answer made Applejack raise one of her eyebrows in disbelief. "Honest to Celestia! That's what it said."

"So...." Applejack replied. "It didn't hurt you and it can speak Equestrian. So it could be peaceful." She looked at the creature again as she began to see more red appearing around the same area, only now that she was closer, she could see splinters protruding from the wound. She looked at Applebloom, who just sat there, staring at the creature. "Whatever this thing is, one thing though is for sure. It's hurt." She said, pointing her hoof at the red coming from it's left hoof. "It must have been attacked by the timberwolves we heard earlier."

"What should we do?" Applebloom asked.

"Well..." The elder sibling said as she looked at the creature. "If we both leave, this thing might get attacked again." She then looked up at the surroundings for a few minutes. "Okay. Here's what we should do. I'll stay here and keep watch while you run to Ponyville and find Twilight and the others. We'll need to get this thing some medical help."

"You sure, sis?" The filly asked. "Ponyville ain't that far away."

"I know." Applejack replied. "But I don't wanna take the chance. Timberwolves don't venture that close to the treeline, so you should be fine."

"Alright, sis." Applebloom replied before jumping off the metal and landing on the grass. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

As she watched her younger sister sprint off across the clearing and disappear into the trees, Applejack turned her attention back to the strange creature. Gently but hesitatingly, she placed a hoof on the creature. "Don't worry, pardner." She said. "Help is coming. Just hang in there."

-15 minutes later-

Applebloom sprinted into Ponyville faster than she has ever ran before. Darting her head back and forth, she kept her eyes peeled for Twilight Sparkle. As she ran towards the center of town, she wasn't looking as to where she was going. Before she knew it, her search came to an abrupt halt when she collided with somepony.

"Oops." She said, looking over to see that she knocked Spike the dragon to the ground. She then could see that gems were scattered across the area. "Sorry bout that, Spike."

"Ow." Spike said while getting up. "What's going on, Applebloom?"

"I'll explain it to ya later." The filly replied. "Right now, I need to find Twilight. Where is she?"

"Oh. Well, she's over there by the fountain with Dash and Rarity." He replied, pointing his claw to the fountain at the center of town. Applebloom looked and, just as the dragon said, saw Twilight and Rarity standing by the fountain with Rainbow Dash hovering just off the ground, talking to each other.

"Thanks, Spike." Applebloom said before rushing off to talk to them.

"You're welcome!" Spike called back before he started picking up his gems.

"Twilight!" The little filly shouted as she ran up to the group.

"Oh, hey Applebloom." Twilight responded in her cheerful tone. The look on her face changed once she was able to see the little one's face. "What's wrong?"

"Applejack... and I found... something." She replied while trying to catch her breath.

"What'd you find, kid?" Rainbow Dash asked as she landed beside her.

"We found this strange metal object in the Everfree Forest. But there was a creature inside that we've never seen before."

"WHAT?!" Twilight yelled as her eyes lit up. "A new creature living in a metal home?" She began to jump up and down in excitement. "Sweet Celestia! A chance to study a new species! Did it do anything you would say was fascinating?"

"Well, it can walk on two hooves and it speaks perfect Equestrian." Twilight's eyes grew at what Applebloom said.

"It c-can s-speak Equestrian?" Applebloom nodded. "Dear Luna!" Twilight cried out. "You and your sister found an intelligent new species!"

"Speaking of Applejack...." Rarity said as she looked around. "Where is she?"

"She's still in the forest." Applebloom replied. "She's watching over the creature. But we gotta get going now!"

"What's the rush, kid?" Rainbow asked.

"Applejack said it was hurt! She said it might've been attacked by a timberwolf before we found it." The words that came out of the filly's mouth made Twilight stop jumping in place, a worried look instantly replacing her cheerful one.

"Well then." Rainbow replied. "We'd better get going." She then bent down slightly. "Hop on my back! We'll get there faster if we fly." Applebloom nodded before carefully climbing onto Rainbow's back.

"If this creature is hurt, then we'll need to get it some medical attention." Twilight said as she spread her wings out. "Rarity, go find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Tell them to meet us at the hospital."

"On it!" Rarity replied before rushing off towards Sugarcube Corner.

"Come on Twilight!" Rainbow said before taking off with Applebloom holding on tight. "We don't have any time to waste!"

"Right!" The alicorn called back before flapping her wings, slowly rising off of the ground. Soon, both mares were flying through the air toward the Everfree Forest. As they got closer, Rainbow and Applebloom couldn't help but chuckle at Twilight as she struggled to stay on course. "Rainbow!" She called out. "Could you maybe teach me to fly better later on?"

"Sure thing, Twi!" Rainbow called back as both she and Twilight were now flying above the forest.

"There it is!" Applebloom yelled, pointing her hoof at the clearing. Both Twilight and Rainbow let out simultaneous gasps as their eyes immediately locked onto the metal object sitting in the middle of the clearing. Flying around, Twilight immediately saw Applejack as she sat next to something that was half orange and blue. Soon, both mares touched down on the grass next to the object.

"Hey there, Twi." Applejack said as she jumped down from the metal walkway. "Thanks for coming out here so fast."

"No problem." Twilight replied. "So... is this the creature that Applebloom told us about?"

"Eeyup." The earth pony replied. "It hasn't moved since it fell down next to Applebloom, but when I looked closer, I could see it was still breathing. I think it might just be unconscious." Twilight stepped closer to get a better look. She then placed a hoof on the creature.

"Definitely not fur." The princess thought as she continued to look. "A patch of brown hair on it's head. Torn clothing. Appears to still be breathing." She then looked at Applejack as she stared at the creature. "You said it was attacked, right?"

"Eeyup." Applejack said again, pointing her hoof to the pieces of wood protruding from the creature's hoof. "I'm not sure how long it's been here. But it's already been attacked by a timberwolf."

"Well then..." Twilight replied as her horn lit up in a violet aura. A similar colored aura formed around the creature's entire body. "We'll need to hurry and get this to the hospital!" Applejack watched as Twilight levitated the creature off of the walkway, keeping it suspended in the air with her magic. "Don't worry. The doctors there will take good care of it."

Applejack nodded her head in agreement. "I'll just go ahead and take Applebloom home then." She said. "I'll meet ya'll at the hospital once I drop her off."

"Sounds good to me." Rainbow replied. "Who knows. Maybe once this thing wakes up..." She said, pointing to the creature. "It can tell us what the buck this thing is." Her hoof then pointed towards the massive metal object.

"Agreed." Twilight added. "Come on, Rainbow." And with that, both mares were airborne once again with the creature flying alongside Twilight, securely being held within her magical grasp.

As she watched the two mares fly away with the creature, Applejack turned her attention back to her younger sister. "Well..." She said, placing her hoof around the filly. "Betcha didn't think that we'd be doing something like this today, aye?"

Applebloom looked up at her sister and let out a small sigh before both ponies began walking back to Sweet Apple Acres. "Nope."

Chapter Four: A Warm Welcome

A few days had passed since Applejack and Applebloom discovered the creature and it's metal home. News had spread quickly across Equestria as soon, newsponies from near and far descended onto Ponyville in hopes for a picture of the creature or it's strange contraption. Fearing that all this attention might intimidate the creature, Princess Celestia had ordered the Royal Guard to post two ponies outside the room in Ponyville Hospital where the creature was being treated. She also asked Shining Armor to place a protective shield around the massive object in the Everfree Forest to ensure that no pony would try and take something from it.

So with the alien creature unreachable for the time being, reporters began to go after the next best thing, a story with the two ponies who made the actual first contact. Ponies representing newspapers from Manehattan, Las Pegasus, Winneapolis, Des Mane, and San Prancisco all came over to Sweet Apple Acres for an interview with Applejack and Applebloom. Even as the two ponies were trying to collect the apples that were needed for what Applejack discovered to be Manehattan's upcoming Nightmare Night celebration, they were harassed by photographers and interviewers to the point where Big Mac had to chase them off just so the family could work in peace.

After completing her chores for the morning, Applejack decided to take a walk over to the Ponyville Hospital to see if anything had developed with Equestria's newest arrival. Along the way, she passed by Pinkie Pie who was gathering various party supplies for something the farm pony wasn't really sure what for.

"Hey Pinkie." Applejack said as she walked over to her friend. "What you got all that stuff for?"

"Oh hey AJ!" The pink pony replied in her usual happy tone as she set down a bag filled with streamers. "I'm stocking up for when I'll be throwing that strange creature a "Welcome to Equestria!" party. I kinda used the last of my streamers and balloons decorating it's room as a "Get Well and Wake Up Soon!" theme."

"I see." The farm pony responded as she looked at her friend's bag. "Speaking of which, do you know how that thing's doing? It looked like it had quite a tussle with a timberwolf."

"Twilight's guessing that the red stuff coming from it's hoof might be it's blood or something, so some science ponies are checking out a sample." Pinkie replied. "But she said that it's looking like it could wake up anytime now."

"Anytime?" A soft voice asked from behind both ponies. Applejack turned to see Fluttershy as she hovered just inches off the ground, carrying a bushel of carrots, presumably for her bunny. "Oh! I can't wait to finally see how this creature acts. But at the same time, I'm a little nervous too."

"Ah shoot." Applejack said as the pegasus flew closer. "I'm sure the thing is peaceful. It didn't attack me and Applebloom when we found it."

"I suppose so." Fluttershy replied. "But still, it's better to be safe than sorry. I remember seeing it when Twilight and Rainbow Dash brought it in. It's so big."

"I bet it's just as tall as Princess Celestia!" Pinkie blurted out.

"Could be." Applejack replied. "It certainly towered over me and my sis."

"Well, I'd love to stay and talk some more." Fluttershy said. "But I gotta get these carrots home to Angel. I'll be sure to go to the Hospital to meet you guys when I'm done feeding the animals." With a smile and a wave, the yellow pegasus flew off towards her cottage. As she flew off, the two earth ponies began walking to Sugarcube Corner so Pinkie could drop her supplies off.

"So Applejack...." Pinkie said as they walked. "How's that harvest of yours coming along?"

"It's coming along nicely." Applejack replied. "Just wish these darn newsponies would leave us alone."

"Well, maybe once the creature wakes up, the newsponies will be all around it instead of you guys."

"I suppose so." The farm pony said as the two mares arrived at their destination. As Pinkie Pie stepped inside to take care of her things, Applejack leaned against the side of the building. "Just hope this thing won't lash out at us when it wakes up." A couple minutes passed before Pinkie emerged from inside.

"Okie dokie lokie." She said as she bounced up and down. "Lets go to the hospital." After a 10-minute stroll through Ponyville, the two earth ponies arrived at Ponyville Hospital, where they found Twilight nervously pacing back and forth in front of the main doors. "Hey Twilight!" Pinkie called out, startling the alicorn in the process. "Oops! Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh it's fine, Pinkie." Twilight replied while constantly looking up in the sky. "I'm just a little nervous. Nurse Redheart said that the creature could wake up at any moment since it's tossing and turning in it's bed."

"When did it start doing that?" Applejack asked as the trio stood outside.

"According to her..." Twilight replied. "It started doing that early this morning." She paused again to look up at the clear blue sky. "I called for Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Cadance and my brother to come here so we could greet the creature when it finally wakes up since you said it could speak Equestrian." She said while pointing to the farm pony.

"All I know is that it called Applebloom and I quote..." She raised her front hooves in air quotes. "An adorable little pony."

"Interesting." Twilight replied. "Plus, given by what the nurses and doctors have discovered, they think that this is a stallion being."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when they removed it's clothing to examine it, they found a feature that is similar to that of a stallion. I don't think I need to go into further detail as to what that certain part would be."

"I see." Applejack replied. "So what exactly does that mean?"

"I'm not sure." Twilight replied. "But if we can get permission from this creature, I'm sure the scientists in Canterlot want to perform some tests."

"Like what?"

"Again, I'm not sure." Twilight then began to pace back and forth again. "Oh I can't wait much longer! I have so many questions to ask!"

"Calm down sugarcube." Applejack said, placing a hoof on the alicorn's side. "You don't wanna overwhelm this thing with questions now, do ya?"

Twilight let out a long sigh in response. "No. That wouldn't do us any good. I just wish that we could get this over with." After she said that, the sound of doors being opened with force emanated from behind the Princess, startling her again.

"Excuse.... me.... Princess Twilight!?" An exhausted voice said. Turning around, Twilight and Applejack found Nurse Redheart standing in the doorway leading into the building. She was breathing heavily as though she had just got done taking part in the "Running of the Leaves" race.

"What is it Nurse Redheart? Are you okay?" Twilight replied as the pony regained her composure.

"Yes. I'm okay." She replied. "But...." She paused to look back inside the building through the glass doors. "It's awake."

"The creature's awake?!" Twilight cried out. "Oh! Finally I get the chance to interact with a new intelligent species!" The Princess began jumping around with joy and excitement.

"Twilight." Applejack said. "Remember. Don't overdo it now."

"I know." She replied as the group of ponies began making their way inside towards the room that the creature was in. "I wish Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were here to meet this creature, but they can meet it later. We need to establish a good first impression with this creature." As they walked down the hall, the sounds of their hooves on the tiles echoed around them. "Nurse Redheart. Did the creature try attacking you at all when you saw it was awake?" Twilight asked as they stopped outside the door leading into the room.

"No."

"What did it do then? How did you find out that it was awake?"

"It said something about being on strong medication because I looked like a... pony."

"I see." Twilight said as the guards in front of the door moved aside. Her horn lit up in it's violet aura before the doorknob became enveloped in the same colored aura as well. With a simple turn of her head, the door swung open, allowing the group of ponies to see inside. Immediately, all eyes focused on the bed and it's occupant. Twilight could see that the creature was leaning against the headboard with it's left hoof in a sling. Looking up, the Princess could see the creature's blue eyes were gazing at the group. "So far, so good. It's not making any kind of moves against us." The alicorn thought to herself as she stepped over to the bed. "Hello." She said to the creature while waving a front hoof at it. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. On behalf of all of us here...." She looks back at Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Nurse Redheart. "I welcome you to Equestria."

The creature's eyes grew wide after hearing Twilight's words. It then stretched out it's right hoof before turning it's attention back to the group of ponies. "Equestria?" The creature asked. "So I'm not on any medicine that's making me hallucinate?"

"You aren't on any medication at all." Nurse Redheart replied. "All we've done was apply some healing magic to your hoof."

"My hoof?" It asked while looking down towards the sling. "You mean my arm?" The ponies all looked at eachother with confused looks on their faces before Twilight looked back at the creature.

"May I ask what species you are?" She asked.

"I'm a human." It replied. "But my name is Nathan Bridgeport."

"Well. It is an honor to meet you, Nathan." Twilight said. "I must say that you are very fortunate that Applejack found you in the Everfree Forest." She pointed a hoof over towards the farm pony who gave a sheepish smile in response. "Otherwise, we might not be having this conversation at all."

Nathan turned to look at Applejack. "I recognize you." He said as the mare stepped closer. "You and that smaller pony. I remember seeing the two of you before I blacked out." He then turned to look at Twilight and Nurse Redheart. "Is it alright if I stand? I feel like I've been lying on this bed for days."

"Yes. You may stand." Nurse Redheart replied. Slowly, Nathan turned and extended his legs over the side of the bed.

"I feel so... stiff." He grunted as he began to stand up. With a few audible cracking sounds, Nathan slowly arrived at a standing position, easily towering over the ponies.

"Woah!" Pinkie Pie cried out as she looked at the human. "I was right! You are as tall as Princess Celestia!"

"Who?" Nathan asked in confusion as he began to walk forward.

"The Princess who rules over all of Equestria." Twilight replied. "She, her sister, my sister-in-law, and my brother are on their way here to meet you as well."

"And they're all Royalty?"

"Yes."

"I see." Nathan replied before turning his attention back to Applejack. "So if this umm..." He paused to rub his hand underneath his chin. "Mare? Yes! That's it! If this mare didn't find me in this forest you spoke of, I'd probably be dead?" Twilight and Nurse Redheart both shook their heads. He then turned his attention back to Applejack. "Well then." Slowly, Nathan got down on one knee in front of the farm pony. "I am forever in your debt for saving my life."

"Ah shoot." Applejack replied as her cheeks began to turn red. "Don't worry about it. It was nothin'. I'm sure anypony else would've done the same thing."

"Anypony?" Nathan repeated. "Looks like I've got lots of things that I need to learn if I'm gonna be staying here." As he stood back up, Nathan's head brushed up against an orange balloon. "What the?" He said as he looked around the room and saw many different balloons and streamers. Turning back towards the bed, he noticed a banner that read "Get Well and Wake Up Soon" on it. "A little welcoming party for me?" He asked.

"Nope." Pinkie Pie replied. "This was just something I whipped up for when you woke up. The real welcoming party will happen later on."

"I see. Well I do appreciate the warm welcome. Thank you all so much." Nathan replied before looking down at his orange vest. "By the way..." He began. "Where is my locomotive?"

"Your what?" Twilight asked as she walked over.

"My diesel locomotive." He replied.

"You mean that big metal whatchamacallit?" Applejack asked. "I think it's still in the forest." She then looked at Twilight. "Is it still there?"

"Should be. Shining Armor put a protective shield around it so nopony could take anything from it."

"Nothing really to take from it other than my lunch box and some first aid supplies." Nathan replied. "Don't even know how I'm gonna get it out of there and onto some tracks where she belongs."

"Tracks? Train tracks you mean?" Twilight asked.

"You ponies have trains here?"

"Yes." Twilight replied. "We can show you around Ponyville if you like."

"Might as well." Nathan replied. "Better to start getting used to this new place sooner rather than later."

"Oh! Before I forget." Twilight began to say. "I know we just met and all, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to take part in some tests in Canterlot."

"Uhh... what kind of tests?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. We've already sent a sample of your blood to be studied. But I'm sure that our scientists would like to run some medical exams, physical tests, and a few others."

"Hmm...." Nathan said. "Am I free to say no?"

"Well I wouldn't force you to do something that you weren't willing to do."

"Good to hear." Nathan replied. "Tell you what. I'll think about it."

"Great!" Twilight exclaimed. "Well, how about we get started with your tour then, shall we?"

"Lead the way." Nathan replied as the group began walking out of the room.

Chapter Five: Introductions & A Meal

"So I'm sure you have many questions running through your mind right now." Twilight said as the small group of ponies and one human walked down the hallway leading towards the exit of Ponyville Hospital. "If you do, don't be afraid to ask." Nathan only walked behind the small alicorn, silence being his only response. She was right. His brain was overloading with questions that needed to be asked. How did he get from his engine in the middle of a forest to a hospital? How did he even arrive in this world? What other species besides talking ponies resided in this world? Would she know who this "creepy voice" is? Would he ever find a way back home? Before he was about to ask one of those questions though, his stomach grumbled louder than it ever did before.

"Well...." Nathan said as they approached the lobby. "For starters. What kind of food is there in this world?"

"Hmm..." Twilight replied. "We have apples, muffins, cakes, hayburgers, carrot dogs, and so many others. But I won't waste time telling you about them since I can clearly tell that you're hungry." As the group entered the lobby, Nathan could see three other ponies standing in front of the door. A unicorn with snow white fur and a dark purple mane and tail, flanked by two pegasus ponies. The one on the ground was light yellow with a pink mane and tail while the other, just hovering off the ground, was light blue with a mane and tail that had each color of the rainbow.

"Sweet Celestia!" The unicorn cried out the moment her sapphire eyes caught a glimpse of the human. "Twilight. What is this creature?"

"Rarity, this is Nathan Bridgeport. He is a human from... uh...." She paused as she realized that Nathan never said where he came from.

"Earth." Nathan said, sensing Twilight's conundrum. "I'm from a planet called Earth." Rarity's eyes widened as she gazed at the human from the top of his head to his boots. His stomach growled again, breaking the silence that was in the small room. "Sorry to ask this." He said, grabbing at his gut with his good arm. "But how long was I out for?"

"About three days." The alicorn replied.

"Yeah!" The light blue pegasus exclaimed. "You totally beat my record for sure!" Nathan looked at the small airborne pony as Twilight looked back at him.

"Oh my!" She said. "How rude of me not to finish introducing you to the others." She quickly cleared her throat and pointed her hoof at the blue pony. "Nathan, this is Rainbow Dash. She is Ponyville's fastest pegasus and part of the weather team."

"Weather team?" The human thought to himself. "I'll have to ask about that later." He then stepped forward a little to stand next to Twilight. "Nice to meet you."

Twilight then pointed her hoof over towards the grounded pegasus who couldn't stop staring at him. "And this is Fluttershy. She mainly takes care of animals and is the kindest pony I've ever known."

"Hello." Nathan said towards Fluttershy, who jumped a little the moment he spoke.

"Um... hi." She replied in a quiet, barely audible tone.

"Now I see why 'shy' is part of her name." He thought as his stomach growled again, startling the timid pegasus. "Sorry." He said, trying to calm the pegasus down. "I just haven't had anything to eat in three days apparently so right now, I'm starving."

"Oh dear!" She exclaimed as she rushed over to his side. "Well, let's get you something to eat." Before he could reply, Fluttershy was already leading the small group out of the hospital. "What exactly would you like?" She asked as she turned back towards him.

"Well..." Nathan began to reply, trying to think of what Twilight had said earlier. "How about you guys just lead the way to wherever ya'll go to eat and we'll see what happens from there."

"Sounds like a plan then." Twilight replied as the group continued on down the dirt road. As they entered Ponyville Square, Nathan couldn't help but notice that everyone or "everypony" as they say is staring directly at him in amazement. However, he distracted himself from it by answering a few questions that the alicorn had for him. Such as are all humans like him in his world? What was his world like? Did magic exist there? Each answer that he'd give, she would write it down on a notepad with a quill being held in her magic.

As the group approached a building called "The Hay Burger", Nathan could hear that Rainbow's stomach was making a similar noise to his own. "Take it you're hungry too?" He asked, trying to keep a conversation going.

"Yeah." She replied. "I didn't really have a breakfast since I had to go out and clear the skies after last night's storm."

"What do you mean by that?"

"As a weather mare, it's my job to help out with the weather around here. Bringing in clouds full of rain drops when it's time for a storm, clearing the sky for nice sunny days like this one, and also bringing clouds filled with snow for winter."

"That's strange."

"Why?" Rainbow asked. "How do you guys control your weather?"

"We don't." Nathan replied, making each pony around him gasp. "Our weather pretty much does what it wants, when it wants."

"So what you're saying is..." Twilight said. "That your weather controls itself?"

"Pretty much." The human replied.

"I'd love to be able to see that!" She exclaimed as wrote on her notepad again.

"Same here!" Rainbow added before she opened the doors leading inside the small building. As the group entered, Nathan had to duck his head slightly to avoid hitting the top of the door frame.

"Welcome to the Hay Burger!" A unicorn said from behind the counter before her pupils shrank as she caught a glimpse at the human. "I uh...." She stuttered before shaking her head a few times. "What would you like?" As Nathan glanced at the menu, the other ponies were talking among themselves about what to order. After several minutes, Twilight stepped up to the counter.

"We'll have six hayburgers and six medium sized cups of apple cider." She replied before looking up at Nathan. "What would you like to have?"

"What exactly is a hayburger?" He asked, making the cashier pony give him a puzzled look.

"A hayburger is basically two buns with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and hay in between."

"I see." He said. "Well then, I'll just have a hayburger without the hay and a large cup of cider."

"Did you just say you wanted a hayburger without the hay?" The cashier asked.

"Is that a problem?" He asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"No." She replied. "Just odd." She then pushed a few buttons on the register. "So I have seven hayburgers, one without hay, six medium ciders and one large cider. Correct?"

"Yes." Twilight replied.

"That'll be 35 bits total."

"Bits?" Nathan asked before Twilight magically had a purse similar in color to her coat appear in front of her. After watching it open on it's own, he watched as 35 gold coins floated out from within, landing in front of the cashier in five stacks of seven coins.

"Enjoy your meal." She said as she took the coins in her magical grasp and placed them into the register. A minute later, the food was placed on the counter.

"Thank you." Twilight said before she and Nathan joined the others as they sat at a big table. As he sat down, his knees banged against the underside of the table, making it shake. Lucky for them, Twilight still had their food in her magical grip.

"Clearly there is alot that I'll need to learn about this world." Nathan said as his food was levitated in front of him.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Well for starters, these "bits" are your money?" He replied as he placed his right hand into his pocket before pulling out his wallet. He then placed it on the table.

"What the hay is that?" Rainbow asked before she took a bite out of her food.

"It's called a wallet." Nathan replied. "It's what I use to carry my money with." He then took the wallet back in his hands before opening it. Twilight then levitated a ten dollar bill that was inside.

"So this is your world's currency?" She asked, studying the bill closely.

"Yes." He replied. "What you have there is a ten dollar bill." He then took another bill out of the wallet and held it up. "This is a one dollar bill. The one you have in your magic is worth ten of these." Twilight then took the bill out of his hand with her magic and looked at the two very closely.

"Fascinating." Twilight exclaimed. "Umm... could I maybe borrow them to study?"

"Keep em." Nathan said. "Doubt they're worth anything here." This made a smile grow on the alicorn's face as she quickly made her purse appear once again before dropping the bills within. Another flash of her purple magic later and the purse was gone. As Nathan began eating his meal, he couldn't help but notice the others were watching him eat. He sighed internally as he realized that he was gonna have to get used to being the center of attention for quite a while.

"So..." Rarity said after a few minutes of awkward silence. "How exactly did you manage to come to Equestria, Nathan?"

"To be honest. I can't really explain how I got here." He replied before taking a sip of his cider. The moment the sweet liquid touched his tongue, his eyes widened before chugging the entire cup down within 30 seconds. Placing the cup back down on the table, he saw all eyes were darting back and forth between him and the now empty cup with a few mouths wide open as well. "Sorry. It was just so good." He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I've never seen anypony go through an entire thing of cider that size that fast!" Applejack said as Rainbow's mouth slowly closed. "Looks like we just got ourselves a new customer."

"You made this cider?" He asked. "This is the best drink I've ever had!"

"Yep. That's good ol' Sweet Apple Acre cider. We always sell some to this place for them to serve."

"I see." He replied before turning his attention back to the question that was asked before he chugged down his cider. "So anyways, like I said. I'm not exactly sure how I got here. But maybe ya'll could help me out with something."

"What would that be?" Twilight asked after she gulped down the last of her meal. Nathan then began explaining the circumstances that he was in before ending up in the Everfree Forest, not leaving out any detail. Each pony leaned in as he began talking about being tormented by reoccuring dreams about him being chased by timberwolves through the forest only to end with him locking himself inside the cab of his locomotive. However, once he began telling more details about the voice that he heard, specifically what it said to him, all eyes shrank simultaneously.

"Umm... Nathan?" Fluttershy asked in her quiet tone. "Was this voice kinda low and liked to laugh alot?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed in response, making the timid pegasus jump. "Oops. Sorry. Yes it was exactly like that. But uhh.... How did you guess that?"

Before Fluttershy could answer, the doors to the building flew open as a small purple dragon came sprinting inside, holding what looked like a scroll in his claws. "Twilight!" He yelled as he ran towards the table. "I... have a... message!"

"Holy shit!" Nathan yelled before falling off his stool in surprise. "A talking dragon!"

"Calm down Nathan." Twilight said as she hopped off her stool. "This is Spike. He's my #1 assistant."

"So this is the creature you've been talking about?" Spike asked as he walked over beside the alicorn.

"Yes." She replied. "This is Nathan Bridgeport. A human from a planet called Earth." As Nathan got back to his feet, Spike immediately began shaking as he soon found himself being towered over by the human. "No need to be scared, Spike." She said. "Nathan wouldn't hurt you. Right?"

"Right." Nathan replied, making the tiny dragon's shaking slowly stop moments later. Twilight then used her magic to take the scroll out of Spike's claws. As she unraveled it, she read the contents to herself.

"What's it say?" Pinkie Pie asked before Twilight got done reading.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I'm writing to say that I, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor will be arriving in Ponyville to greet the creature later on this evening. I hope that things are going smoothly if it is awake. In the event that it is a peaceful creature, then I would like to speak to it personally. If not, then you know what needs to be done.
Signed,
- Princess Celestia

"Spike." Twilight said after she got finished reading Celestia's message. "Could you send a message back to her?"

"Sure thing." Spike said as Twilight made some paper and a quill appear with her magic.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Things here are going very well. The creature now known as Nathan Bridgeport, a human, is very much a peaceful creature as he has been spending time with me and the rest of my friends ever since he woke up. He was just telling us about the circumstances that led to him arriving in Equestria. I think we're going to have to bring someone else here to help us out with this. But both he and I will explain in greater detail when you arrive.
Signed,
- Princess Twilight Sparkle

"Uhh... Twilight?" Nathan said as he watched Spike make the scroll disappear into a glowing green fire. "What exactly is she saying about you knowing what needs to be done if I wasn't peaceful?"

"Well." Twilight said. "If you indeed weren't peaceful and were deemed a threat to Equestria, we would have had to use the "Elements of Harmony" to stop you. They are Equestria's most important defense against evil."

"You don't have to worry about that then." Nathan replied. "Only time I'd attack anything is if I was attacked first, just like with those damn timberwolves." He then paused as he remembered what Twilight said as Spike was taking down her letter. "Also, what did you mean by bringing someone else in to help figure out how I got here?"

"I think it would be best to wait until Princess Celestia arrives." Twilight replied. Nathan wanted to ask more, but he felt that it would be better to just sit and wait for Celestia to arrive.

Chapter Six: A Good Deed (With Unintended Consequences)

"Well everypony." Pinkie said as the group walked out of the Hay Burger. "If I'm gonna throw Nathan here a "Welcome to Ponyville" party, I'd better get started on setting Sugar Cube Corner up."

"Sugar Cube Corner?" Nathan repeated, trying to stifle a laugh. "What is that? Some kind of sweets shop?"

Pinkie gasped as a response. "How did you know? Are you some kind of psychic?"

"Uh... no. Lucky guess?"

"Hmm.... I guess." She replied. "Anyways. I'll be back later everypony!" With that said, the pink pony started bouncing away, only to disappear around a corner.

"So uh... how long until this Princess Celestia arrives again?" Nathan asked as the group began walking through town again.

"I'd say around sunset." Twilight replied.

"I see." He replied as he looked up at the sky. Sunset had to be at least 3-4 hours away. "So what exactly should we do until then?"

"Why don't you show us that machine of yours?" Rainbow replied, making Nathan stop in his tracks. The memory of the timberwolves attacking him still lingered vividly in his mind.

"I agree with Rainbow." Rarity chimed in. "I am curious to see what this contraption looks like."

"I don't know..." Nathan said while looking down at his arm in it's sling. "I'm still a little banged up from the last time I was with 1506."

"1506?" Twilight asked.

"That's what I call her." He replied.

Each pony looked at eachother with puzzled looks on their faces. "Her?" Rainbow asked while raising an eyebrow. "You call that thing a her?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Back on my world, sailors would always refer to their ship as a she." He replied. "Basically because they would love their ship as much as they would a woman." The ponies looked at him in silence, the same puzzled looks on their faces. "It's pretty much the same thing we engineers do when referring to our locomotives."

"Interesting." Twilight said as she quickly jotted down what he said on her notepad.

"Well." Applejack said. "Even if those timberwolves showed up again, we know how to deal with them." Nathan let out a little sigh in response.

"Might as well do something to make time go by." He replied before nodding his head in agreement. "Guess I do need to get a few things from her anyways."

"Then it's settled." Twilight said. "Lets get going!" And with that, the group began walking towards the Everfree Forest. Along the way, Nathan could still see ponies just staring at him in amazement as he passed by, making him feel really uncomfortable. He was also beginning to notice something strange. For every pony that looked like a stallion, there were at least three or perhaps four mares. It all seemed really odd to him, but not really knowing much about this world, he decided not to ask. "So over here, we have the Golden Oaks Library." Twilight said as she pointed a hoof over towards a tree. "That is my home here in Ponyville."

"You live in a library?" Nathan asked.

"Yep. Me, Spike, and my pet owl, Owlowiscious."

"I see." He replied as he took a look at the alicorn. "Shouldn't be surprised that she lives in a library. Kinda seems like the bookish type."

"And over there is Carousel Boutique. That is where Rarity lives and works."

"What do you do?" He asked as he turned his head towards the white unicorn.

"I design outfits. Wonderfully amazing and beautiful dresses for mares. I also dabble in clothes for stallions too."

"I see." Nathan replied as he looked down at his clothes. They were torn from a mix of being worn many times, the occasional times of getting caught on edges of freight cars, and most recently, the timberwolves. "Don't suppose you could maybe help me out with getting some new clothes?" He asked. "If you're not busy of course."

Rarity's eyes immediately widened as she turned to look at him. "A chance to design clothing for a new creature? Why I'd love to!" She replied. "Come by anytime and I'll get your measurements darling."

"Will do." He replied. As the group crossed a bridge leading out of town, Nathan could see that the only thing up ahead of them was the forest. "How exactly are we gonna find my engine in there?" He asked. "I don't really remember much about this place other than it's in some kind of clearing."

"Big, made of metal, painted yellow, surrounded by a dome of purple magic." Rainbow said as she hovered close by. "Shouldn't be too hard to spot."

"Okay smartass." Nathan thought to himself as they entered the forest.

"Don't worry sugarcube." Applejack said, placing a hoof on his jeans as she walked alongside him. "I know this forest pretty well. I remember where your thing is."

"Alright then." He replied, looking down at the farm pony. "I trust you." This made Applejack smile as she walked to the front of the group to lead the way. As he followed the group of ponies along the dirt path through the forest, Nathan couldn't help but wonder about how he was going to get a 167-ton locomotive out of this forest. From what he's seen so far, he wasn't sure if the machinery capable of lifting it even existed in this world. And even if it did, there weren't any rail lines leading into the forest.

After walking for what seemed like half an hour or so, Nathan finally saw what Rainbow Dash had mentioned earlier. A giant purple dome in the middle of a clearing in the forest. He looked closer and saw that the shield was surrounded by ponies in what looked like gold colored armor as they all wielded a spear in their hooves. "Ponies in armor and holding spears." He thought as they approached the shield. "Cross that off of the list of things I never thought I'd see."

"Hello!" Twilight called out, making the guards facing them look towards her.

"Uh... Greetings, your highness." One of them replied in a nervous tone. "What can we do for you?"

"I wish to have access to the machine that is inside this dome."

"I see. And is this the creature who owns that thing?" He asked, pointing his hoof towards Nathan.

"Yes. He wishes to gather some of his belongings from it."

"Understood. You may proceed." The guard replied as he stepped aside. Twilight's horn lit up, resulting in a small opening appearing in front of them.

"Lets go." The alicorn said as she passed through, followed by the other ponies. Nathan, unfortunately, had to crouch down in order to get inside. "Oops. Sorry! I forgot that you're twice my height." She said as her cheeks began to turn red.

"It's alright." Nathan replied before turning his attention to his locomotive. It was still in the same condition as he remembered. "Good to see you again, old girl." He thought after he walked over and placed his good hand on the side.

"Now I can see why this thing is an engine." Twilight said as she looked at the half-buried wheels. "These wheels are similar in design to the ones on our trains." She then walked along the side, the look on her face showing much enthusiasm as she studied the mammoth object in front of her. "What is this?" She asked while pointing her hoof at the fuel tank.

"That is a fuel tank." Nathan replied. "Capable of holding 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel. There's one on the other side just like that one. In total, this engine can hold 5,000 gallons of fuel." After saying that, he stepped up on the rear steps before turning his attention to the cab. Just as he set his sight on the door, he saw something inside the cab move. "Uh.... Twilight? I thought you said that no one could get in with that shield up."

Twilight looked up at him before turning to look at where Nathan was looking. She then watched as Nathan nervously stepped forward towards the door. "Be careful Nathan!" She called out before she spread her wings and lifted herself over the railing to walk behind the human.

"Whoever or whatever is in there better not try anything unless it wants a fight." Nathan thought to himself as he reached for the door handle. Turning it slowly, he heard the latch open before he began pulling on it with his good arm. Once open, he slowly stepped inside.

"Well hello Nathan." An oh so familiar voice said, making Nathan jump. He turned to see a creature sitting in the conductor's chair that looked like it was the result of a child's curiosity or boredom. "We finally meet face to face." After saying that, Twilight stepped in behind Nathan. The moment her eyes looked at the creature, her pupils shrank immediately.

"Discord!" She said in a loud tone. "What in Equestria are you doing here?"

"Oh just taking a moment to admire this wonderful machine that our mutual friend here owns." Discord replied before getting up. Twilight was amazed to find that Discord was just slightly taller than Nathan was as the two stood, facing eachother.

"It's you..." Nathan said softly. "You're the one who's been torturing me for weeks with those damn dreams!"

"Guilty." Discord replied as a pair of handcuffs appeared around his wrists. "I must say though that it seems you're taking this whole situation rather well." He was gonna say more until Rainbow Dash landed on the hood just outside the cab.

"What the hay are you doing here?!" She asked as she glared at Discord.

"Calm yourself, young one." He said. "Don't you want to hear the tale behind the reason that this human and his machine are here?" That question immediately made Rainbow go silent as the rest of the group wandered into the cab. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack each gasped at the sight of Discord, but Twilight hushed them in order for Nathan to hear what the draconequus had to say.

"I'm listening." Nathan said, allowing Discord to speak.

"Well it all began a few days after my last visit to Ponyville." Discord began as he sat back down in the conductor's seat. "You might want to take a seat. This is going to be quite a story." He said, prompting Nathan to sit down in his seat. "So I was sitting in my home, thinking about what to bring for Fluttershy's tea party when I received a letter from Princess Celestia." This made Twilight raise an eyebrow towards him.

"How does she fit in with this?" She thought to herself.

"Apparently she wanted further proof that I truly was reformed." Discord continued. "So she told me to do something good without the help or guidance from Twilight or her friends."

"And what was good about taking me from my own world?" Nathan asked, his right hand slowly clenching into a fist.

"I'm getting to that part." Discord replied. "So anyways, this request was a bit vague as far as how much good I needed to do. I doubt she would have accepted me helping Granny Smith cross a street. So I then decided to watch some interdimensional television to pass the time and perhaps help me figure out something good to do." A remote suddenly appeared out of nowhere and floated down to Discord's hand. With his other hand, he snapped his fingers together, teleporting himself, Nathan, and the other ponies outside of the locomotive. He then pressed a button on the remote, causing a rift to open in front of them. Nathan and the ponies all stared with their mouths wide open as Discord made different shows from different dimensions appear.

"It's like a weird shaped television..." Nathan thought to himself as he could only stare.

"So I was busy flipping through channels until I found a particularly interesting one." He said, making the rift/television stop on a show that Nathan was familiar with. It was a news show on NBC that he watched each night.

"Our top story tonight!" The reporter on the show said. "Disaster on the tracks in southern California as an engineer's life has been tragically cut short." The show then revealed a destroyed diesel locomotive laying on it's side. Nathan's pupils shrank as he saw the numbers on the side.

"1506." He thought as he darted his eyes back and forth between his diesel and the destroyed version he was seeing.

"Rookie engineer Nathan Bridgeport tragically perished on Cajon Pass just near the summit as it would seem that his locomotive tipped over on it's side while going around a curve." The reporter said. "The cause of the accident is yet to be determined."

"My brakes!" He said internally. "My brakes went out just before I hit that curve!" Twilight and the rest of the group stood in silence, not really knowing what to say.

"I saw this and I thought that this would be what proves that I've been reformed. Saving a creature from a gruesome fate." Discord said as he pressed a button on the remote, making the rift disappear. "So I decided to go back to a few weeks before that and began giving you those dreams in hopes that they would prepare you for the jump."

Nathan just stood there in shock. "I'm supposed to be dead right now?"

"You okay there sugarcube?" Applejack asked, lightly poking at Nathan's leg only to get nothing for a response.

"Uhh.... Nathan?" Twilight asked, hoping to get a reply, but like Applejack, she got nothing as Nathan just stood there, silent and still like a statue.

"But... y-you can... send me back. R-right?" Nathan finally managed to ask.

"I'd tell you." Discord replied, but in a lower tone. "But I think it would be better for you to see for yourself." He then snapped his fingers and a portal opened up. Nathan's eyes grew wide as he immediately recognized the location on the other side of the portal. It was the Yard Office in Victorville. Nathan slowly turned his head to look at Discord, only for him to motion for Nathan to step through. He nodded slightly before slowly walking through.

Upon exiting the portal on the other side, Nathan could immediately feel the familiar heat of the sun as it shined in the clear blue sky. He then heard a familiar sound before turning to see a northbound reefer train speed through the rail yard, passing underneath the same signal gantry that he went under with his diesel. Just after the train finished going by, Nathan heard a familiar voice.

"It should have been me."

Nathan turned around to see his longtime friend and mentor, Gary, sitting on the bench just outside the building. Sitting beside him with an arm draped across Gary's shoulders was Kyle. Both of them looked as though they'd seen better days.

"We had no way of knowing this would happen, Gary." Kyle said.

"I know." Gary replied. "But still. It isn't fair that my buddy is gone. He was a good kid."

"I'm right here!" Nathan said as he walked over to the bench. "Gary! Kyle! I'm fine!" But instead of a joyful moment that Nathan was hoping for, neither one of them turned to look at him. This made Nathan really confused as he stopped next to the bench. "Uh... guys?" Still no response from either of them. "Hello?" He then tried to place his good arm on Gary's shoulder, only for his hand to pass right through. "What?!" He said in a loud tone before he felt a hand on his shoulder. He then turned to see Discord standing next to him.

"They can't hear or see you, Nathan." Discord said as he demonstrated by waving his other hand through the bench that Gary and Kyle were sitting on. "I'm afraid to say this. But when I brought you to Equestria with my magic, in my haste to prove that I was indeed reformed, I forgot that you wouldn't be able to physically return to this world. I mean, you can still come and be here like we are now, but you'll never be able to physically return to this world ever again." Nathan only stood there in silence as Gary and Kyle each stood up and walked towards the building, both of them passing through him like he wasn't even there, because from their point of view, he wasn't. "I'm sorry." Discord said as he could sense immense sadness coming from the human.

Nathan didn't reply. He simply couldn't respond because he didn't know what to say. He was standing in his world. He could feel the heat from the sun, yet it was like he wasn't there at all. As far as his friends were concerned, the Nathan Bridgeport that they knew was gone. After several minutes of just standing in silence, Nathan turned around and slowly walked back toward the portal with his head tilted down. Stopping just before going through, he turned his head to watch as another train passed through the yard. Normally, this would make him smile, but there was no smile on his face this time. After the train passed, Nathan stepped through the portal.

As soon as he and Discord emerged on the other side, the ponies all saw the extremely depressed look on the human's face. Twilight could even see tears streaming from his eyes.

"Nathan?" She asked while walking up to him. "Are you alright?"

"I.... just.... need some time to think." Nathan quietly replied before turning to walk away from the group.

"Nathan?" Fluttershy asked. She tried to go fly after him to try and comfort him, but Discord stopped her.

"I think it might be best if he was alone for a little while." He said in a soft tone as they all watched Nathan slowly walk through the opening in the magical dome.

Chapter Seven: Return To The Rails

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Nathan thought to himself as he walked along a dirt path leading out of the forest. "I'm stuck in a world that I know very little about. I'll never be able to talk to my family or friends again. And to make things worse, I'm broke and homeless." As he walked, a tear slowly formed in his eye before it streaked down his cheek. The amount of feelings rushing through his mind began to make his head hurt to the point to where he stopped just before exiting the forest to lean against a tree, keeping his face hidden from anyone who might pass by. "Why did this have to happen to me?!" He cried out as tears began streaming from his eyes. "What did I do to deserve this?!" As he kept himself leaning against the tree, making no attempt to hide his crying, Nathan felt something gently place itself against his hip.

"That's it, sugarcube." A familiar voice said. "Get it out of your system. I know that you must be really upset."

"Upset is an understatement of how I feel right now." Nathan replied while wiping tears from his eyes. He then turned his head to see the pony that saved his life having her hoof against his thigh. "I never thought I could experience such a mixture of sadness and anger until now." After saying that, Nathan chose to sit down on the grass while keeping his back against the tree. This allowed Applejack to sit down next to him and place a hoof on his shoulder. "I've lost practically everything I've ever had."

"Now that ain't true." Applejack replied. "You've got your health, you've got these clothes, and while you may have lost your friends back home, you've got six friends here that I'm sure would do anything to help you adjust to living here."

"I do?" He asked before looking to meet Applejack's green eyes.

"Well of course ya do." She replied before pointing her hoof over to his left. Nathan turned and saw each of the other ponies, minus Pinkie, standing a few feet away. "Even though Discord thought it would've been better to leave ya be, after he explained what happened, we all decided to come after you to try and help you through this."

"Applejack's right." Twilight said as she stepped forward and sat down next to the human, placing her hoof on his other shoulder as the others huddled around him. "Nathan." Twilight continued. "I'm sure you must be taking this really hard right now. While I may not know what it's like to never be able to go back to where I came from. What I do know is that you have an amazing opportunity right in front of you."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"You have the opportunity for a fresh start. A clean slate. You have the chance to rewrite your destiny." Nathan looked into Twilight's eyes after she said that. "And like Applejack said. You have six friends here that would be willing to anything they could to help you get through this." Her statement was confirmed by each pony nodding their heads in agreement. "For starters, if you need time, I can write to Princess Celestia and the others to tell them to wait a few days or so before meeting you."

"No. That won't be necessary." Nathan replied. He then let out a soft sigh before meeting Twilight's gaze once again. "Even though it's going to take some time to get over this, I'm not gonna let it stop me from meeting this Princess of yours." After saying that, he slowly got back up to his feet. "After all, maybe meeting her and the others will help me get past this."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Twilight asked. "It would be perfectly fine if you needed more time."

"Thank you." Nathan replied. "But I'll be alright. Like I said. It'll take time to get past this, but I'm not gonna let this ruin your day." After saying that, he started walking back towards the way he came.

"Where are you going, Nathan?" Rarity shouted as the human walked deeper into the forest. "Ponyville is that way." She emphasized her statement by pointing towards the open field of grass that was beyond a few trees.

"I just need to go get what I came here for to begin with." Nathan called back. "It won't take long." After hearing that, each pony followed the human back towards the magical dome surrounding the wrecked locomotive. As he walked, Nathan noticed that the ponies were smiling once again as they all closely followed him.

"Hey Nathan, may I ask you something?" Twilight asked as she walked up beside him.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Well." Twilight replied. "I was just wondering if you needed any help with getting your machine back on some rails. We have a track that runs through Ponyville so it would be close by."

"I could use all the help I can get when it comes to that." Nathan replied. "Do you have a crane that is strong enough to lift it?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Twilight replied. "I could probably lift it with my magic." Hearing that made Nathan instantly look down at the little pony. He then started laughing at what she said. "Uhh... I don't get it." She said as she looked at the laughing human. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry." Nathan replied after getting his laughing to stop. "It's just that 1506 weighs almost 170 tons. I don't see how one pony could lift it by herself."

"You'd be surprised at what Twi's capable of doing. She saved Ponyville from being attacked by an ursa minor by herself." Rainbow Dash said after flying over to them. "I'm sure she can lift it." After she said that, the magical dome came into view once again.

"What the hell is an ursa minor?"

"It's a magic bear that has fur that looks like the night sky." Twilight replied. "It took lots of magic just to soothe it into slumber."

"Interesting." Nathan replied while he stopped just outside the dome. Twilight's horn started glowing and soon, the entrance grew to meet Nathan's height. "Thank you." He said while walking in without having to crouch down.

"You're welcome." She replied. "I'll let you get what you came here for before I try moving your machine."

"Alright then." With that said, Nathan quickly jogged over to his locomotive before getting onto the steps. Upon entering the cab, he began to look for what he wanted to get. "Now where did I leave that darn thing?" He thought before his eyes landed on his metal lunch box. "There you are." He said as he picked up the item and promptly exited the cab.

"So what did you need?" Twilight asked as Nathan hopped off the engine.

"Just needed to grab this." He replied as he held his lunch box for all of the ponies to see. "But more specifically, what's inside."

"What's in there?" Rainbow asked as Nathan crouched down and set the container on the grass. As he opened the lid, he reached inside and pulled out a small rectangular object. Twilight and the others moved closer to see what it was. "Okay, I'll bite." Rainbow said as she looked. "What is it?"

"This is my iPhone." Nathan replied. "It's a device that allowed me to communicate with my friends whenever I wanted to."

"How exactly does it work?" Twilight asked as she gazed at the phone.

"Well, let's just pretend that you had a phone just like this." Nathan replied. "All I'd have to do is enter a few numbers, press send, and I'd be able to talk to you from almost anywhere and we'd hear eachother as though I was right next to you." Twilight's eyes lit up as soon as she heard that. Nathan then pushed the small button on top of the phone. But instead of having his screen light up, nothing happened. "Darn. Battery must be dead." He thought as he put the phone in his pocket. "Wonder how I'll be able to charge it here." Turning his attention back towards the others, Nathan noticed that Twilight looked to be having trouble processing what she just heard. "Uhh.... Twilight? You okay?"

"Oh! Yes. I'm fine." She replied with her cheeks beginning to turn red. "I just never thought that what you described could be possible. Your species must be truly advanced to have this impressive technology."

Nathan chuckled after hearing that. "You think that's impressive?" He asked before pointing at his engine. "Just wait til you see the power that this old girl has."

"I'm sure we'd all like to see that." She replied followed by all of the others giving their respective approvals. "But first. Let's see if I can get uhh... her... onto some tracks." Nathan and the others took a few steps back as purple magic started to envelop Twilight's horn. The human then set his sight on his engine as it began to get enveloped by the same magic as well. The ground around them soon started shuddering as he could hear Twilight's grunts. For at least a few minutes or so, Nathan couldn't see any movement as far as his diesel was concerned.

"Twilight!" Nathan called out. "If you can't do it, stop! Don't hurt yourself! We can find another way to move her!" But the little alicorn wouldn't call it quits yet. The glowing around her horn intensified as she tried giving her magic more strength. Soon, the human noticed chunks of dirt moving from where the front coupler was buried. He then saw his engine move slightly upwards to where he could see just underneath the wheels. "No way...." He said to himself as Twilight slowly made 1506 rise just a few feet off of the ground. The engine then moved forward until it was completely away from the small trench that it made upon arrival. "I can't believe she's actually doing this!" All of the other ponies, even Fluttershy, was cheering Twilight on as she continued to make the heavy object float through the air.

"I can't hold it like this much longer!" Twilight cried out as the magic around her horn began to flicker. The locomotive's weight was proving to become too much, even for her. Even though the engine was a few feet in the air, a sudden drop would result in serious damage. But just as it looked like it was going to fall, a mixture of light blue, dark blue, and yellow auras engulfed it just as the purple aura disappeared.

"Twily!" A voice called out, prompting Nathan, Twilight, and the others to look towards the direction that the voice came from just as the magical dome surrounding the area vanished. Standing where the entrance once stood was a group of four ponies, one bright white unicorn with a mane and tail comprised of many shades of blue followed by three alicorns, each with their horns glowing as they collectively held 1506 in their magical grasps while not looking to have much trouble doing so.

"Hey.... Shining." Twilight groaned as the unicorn rushed over to her. "I thought.... you guys were gonna.... meet us at Sugarcube Corner."

"Well, we were. But Princess Luna wanted to come see this thing that I got ordered to protect." He replied. "Guess it was a good thing we showed up when we did." He then looked at the engine before casting his gaze on Nathan, briefly exchanging glances between him and Twilight who looked exhausted. His eyes soon locked onto Nathan again as a look of anger appeared on his face. "What's your problem?!" Shining yelled. "Why did you make her do that?!"

"Woah!" Nathan replied as he held up his hands in defense. "First off, calm down! Secondly, I didn't make her do anything. I told her that if it was too much then she should've stopped."

Shining's eyes narrowed on him before looking to Twilight's friends. "Is that true?"

"Yeah." Applejack replied. "He did tell Twilight to stop when she couldn't get it to move at first."

Shining looked at the farm pony before looking back at Nathan until he rested his gaze back on Twilight. He then chuckled a little. "Well little sis. Looks like your stubbornness got the better of you... again."

"Hey!" Twilight protested. "I got it moving, didn't I?"

"I suppose so." He replied. Turning his head towards Nathan again, he rubbed the back of his head with his hoof. "Sorry about that. Guess I got a little ahead of myself. Name's Shining Armor."

"It's alright." Nathan replied. "I would've done the same thing." He extended his hand out, prompting Shining to slowly do the same. "So I take it that you're the ponies that Twilight wrote to?"

"That is correct." The white alicorn with a multi-colored mane and tail that flowed replied. She, along with the other two, stepped forward while gently letting the engine down onto the grass. "I am Princess Celestia." She said while holding her hoof out. Before Nathan shook it, he noticed that all of the other ponies were bowing in her presence.

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Nathan Bridgeport." The human replied before shaking her hoof. "I'm sure that I've caused quite the commotion when I came here."

"The honor is mine." She replied. "And you are right when you say that. When we heard about your arrival, we immediately decided that we postpone our Princess Summit until we could meet you. Though I do need to apologize for Discord's actions. I guess I should've been more clear on what he could've done to prove he was reformed."

"Well, he did save me from death. So I guess that is a good thing." He said. "Though me not being able to completely go back home was a hard thing to swallow."

"I can understand that." Celestia replied. She then turned her head towards the other two alicorns. "Forgive me. I haven't introduced the others." She directed her hoof to point towards the smaller dark blue alicorn with a mane that looked like the night sky. "This is my younger sister, the Princess of the Moon, Princess Luna."

"Pleased to meet you." She said as Nathan shook her hoof.

"And this..." Celestia continued as she pointed towards the pink alicorn. "is my adopted niece, the Princess of Love, Princess Cadance."

"It is an honor to meet a new species." She said as Nathan shook her hoof. "Especially a peaceful one."

"Yes." Nathan said. "I'm not exactly a violent guy until something or someone attacks me. Once that happens, then I reserve the right to defend myself in the way I see fit."

"That is good to know." Celestia replied. "So Twilight. What exactly were you doing with this?" She asked before pointing her hoof over towards Nathan's engine.

"I was trying to take it over to the tracks that run through Ponyville." Twilight replied. "That thing is a loco...mo...tive."

"A what?"

"It's a diesel locomotive." Nathan replied. "Twilight said that you have trains in this world. This is an engine from my world."

"Fascinating." Cadance said. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Nor have I." Luna added. They all stared at the engine in amazement before Celestia looked back toward Twilight and Nathan.

"So..." She began to say. "Shall we get this thing back to Ponyville? It is starting to get late."

"Yes." Twilight replied. Upon saying that, she tried to get her magic going again, only for it to sputter out the tip of her horn. "That thing must've really drained me." She said. "How about we meet you all back at the train station? I think there might be a siding close by that this can be set on."

"That sounds good to me." Celestia replied before she, Luna, and Cadance began using their magic to lift the diesel into the air once again. "We'll meet you there." The three alicorns then spread their wings and took flight, safely holding the heavy locomotive in their magical grips as it followed them into the sky.

"I never thought I'd see the day when I'd see a diesel flying through the sky." Nathan said to himself as he watched his diesel disappear over the treetops.

"Come on." Twilight said. "We'd better get moving." With that said, the group, along with the members of the Royal Guard who were still there, began to make their way back to Ponyville. Along the way, Nathan couldn't help but notice that the ponies seemed eager to get back so they could see his engine in action. But as they continued, Twilight still looked to be worn out from lifting the diesel by herself.

"Hey." Nathan said after noticing Twilight struggling to keep up. "Need some help?"

"No. I'm fine." Twilight replied before momentarily stumbling over herself. "Well... I may be a little tired still from what I did back there."

"I can see that." He replied. "If you want, I could try and carry you."

"You'd do that?" She asked. "For me?"

"Of course." Nathan replied. "After all, we're friends. Aren't we? You helped me, so the least I can do is help you in return." This made Twilight smile as she nodded her head. Nathan then bent down and slowly wrapped his arms around Twilight's body. "Up... you go." He grunted as he lifted Twilight up to his shoulders. The little alicorn's eyes grew wide as Nathan got her into a manageable position to where he could comfortably carry her while still keeping up with the others.

"Thank you." Twilight softly said into Nathan's ear. Shining Armor turned his head and looked back to see his younger sister being carried by the human. His eyes then met Nathan's before he gave an approving nod. Once he did that, he turned back to look ahead towards the open fields of grass with Ponyville just beyond them.

"Anytime." Nathan replied as he continued to walk along with the rest of the group. After what seemed like an hour of walking, the group of ponies arrived at Ponyville Station as the Princesses were waiting for them with 1506 still held in their magic. "Are you guys even tired after holding that thing up for so long?" Nathan asked as he walked onto the platform while still carrying Twilight.

"A little." Celestia replied. "This thing is heavy. But since there are three of us holding it, we could keep it in the air for a long time."

"That's impressive." Nathan said before he could see an empty siding just next to the platform. "Well, lets get the old girl back on some rails, shall we?"

"Agreed." Luna replied as the three alicorns slowly maneuvered the locomotive over the siding.

"Sorry Twilight." Nathan said. "I gotta put you down so I can guide this thing properly."

"That's fine. Thank you again for carrying me. You didn't have to." She replied as Nathan set her back down.

"It's no problem." Nathan replied. "Also... Seeing as how I'm going to be living here from now on. I guess it wouldn't hurt to have these scientists you mentioned do some tests." This made Twilight's smile appear once again. "But only under one condition."

"Of course." Twilight said. "What would that be?"

"No shots or needles." He replied. "I really don't like them."

"Agreed." Twilight responded. "I'll see to it that they'll know not to give you any shots."

"Thanks." Nathan replied before walking off of the platform to stand next to the siding. "Alright!" He called out. "Bring her down gently!" The Princesses all began to lower 1506 down towards the rails. "Steady!" Nathan called out as he began checking to see if the wheels were lined up with the rails. Minutes passed as a crowd of ponies gathered to watch what was going on. "Little bit to the right!" The diesel moved slightly to the right while still being lowered. Soon, a thud could be heard as all of the wheels made contact with the rails. "Touchdown!" Nathan called down as the magic enveloping the diesel disappeared. The ponies all around them all cheered and hollered as Nathan saw confetti start raining down from above.

"Best "Placing A Whatchamacallit Onto Some Tracks" party ever!" Nathan heard a familiar voice cry out as Pinkie Pie fired more confetti from a little cannon. Soon, ponies with cameras immediately began taking pictures of the diesel and Nathan while also asking him questions about what he was, where he came from, and how he got to Equestria. This continued for what felt like hours.

After the crowds dispersed, Nathan walked back onto the platform to see the Princesses were still waiting for him. "Thank you." He said. "I couldn't have gotten this thing back onto some tracks without you."

"You're quite welcome." Celestia replied. "I'm looking forward to seeing what that thing can do."

"Well, you'll find out soon. I just need to make sure that everything on her is good to go before I take her out onto the main line."

"Come on everypony." Pinkie Pie said. "Lets give Nathan the best party he's ever had!" Nathan simply smiled at the enthusiastic pink pony and nodded his head. After that, they all began to walk over to Sugarcube Corner.

"Well...." Nathan thought to himself as he looked back at his diesel as it rested comfortably on the rails. "I kept my promise to you, old girl." He then chuckled to himself before looking back towards his new friends. "Maybe it won't be so bad living here after all."

Chapter Eight: Getting Settled

The sun shined brightly in the clear blue sky over Ponyville as the sounds of everyday life coming in through the broken window aroused Nathan from his slumber inside the cab of his locomotive. The moment his eyes opened, he instantly groaned at how bright everything was as he covered his eyes. "That Pinkie Pie sure can throw a party." He thought to himself as the memories of last night's welcoming party flowed into his mind. "Most fun I've had in a long time." He then stretched out his arms, or at least the arm that wasn't in a sling, hearing the usual cracks before getting out of his seat. As he started to reach for the handle of the cab door to step outside, he was caught off guard by the sound of a steam whistle echoing through the air before Nathan could feel his diesel begin to vibrate.

"So they have steam trains in this world." He said to himself as he watched a passenger train slowly pass by his parked diesel before coming to a stop at the station. Once it stopped, Nathan was able to get a better look as some of the passenger coaches sat next to his engine. At first glance, Nathan thought the cars looked like gingerbread houses on wheels. As he stood on the front platform of 1506, he could see that his diesel was slightly taller than the coaches. Shifting his view towards the front, Nathan spotted the steam locomotive before he climbed down to get a closer look. "Uhh... shouldn't that thing have a tender?" He thought as he just saw some kind of double-decker car coupled to the engine instead. The engine itself was painted pink with wheels that were painted in almost a cream colored yellow with a blue center. As he looked on, Nathan could see that other ponies around were watching his every move.

"Why hello there, stranger." A voice called out, making Nathan look around. "Up here." The human's head turned to where the voice was coming from until his eyes rested on a light tan colored pony wearing an engineer's hat while also sporting a red bandana around his neck leaning out of the steam engine's cab. "Can't quite say I've ever seen a creature like you before." The pony said as his gold eyes focused on Nathan. "You the one that's been causing all this fuss lately?"

"I guess." Nathan replied, making the pony jump slightly upon hearing his voice.

"What exactly are you?" He asked as he leaned further out of the cab, almost to the point where he was about to fall onto the platform.

"I'm a human. Name's Nathan Bridgeport."

"Hu...man." The pony repeated while chuckling slightly as he pulled back into the cab. "That's a funny name for a creature." The pony then exited the cab and stood in front of him. "Nice to meet you, Nathan. Name's Steamer. I've been running the Friendship Express for almost 10 years now." Nathan extended his hand out and Steamer promptly raised a hoof up to meet it in a handshake.

"The Friendship Express?" Nathan repeated as Steamer nodded his head. "That's a funny name for a train."

"Yeah. Never really asked why it's called that." He replied as he noticed Nathan taking another look at his engine. "Quite a sight though, ain't she? This old gal and I have been together for as long as I can remember."

"You're right when you say that." Nathan said as he looked at the idle locomotive. "I've never seen an engine like this before."

"I can say the same thing for whatever that is." Steamer replied as he pointed his hoof at the diesel sitting in the siding. "What kind of thing is that?"

"That is my world's version of this." Nathan replied while pointing at the pink engine. "Only instead of burning coal, it runs on diesel fuel."

"Never heard of that before." He said before looking over at the clock mounted on the station wall. "Well, it was nice meeting ya, Nathan. Even though we just met, I can already tell that you and I are gonna get along just fine." He said before climbing back into his cab. "Sorry to cut this talk short though. But this train's gotta be moving along. Take care now."

"Alright!" Nathan called as steam hissed out beside him. "Have a safe trip!" Steamer nodded before pulling down on the whistle cord and pushing a lever forward. Soon, the Friendship Express began pulling out of the station, leaving clouds of steam and smoke behind as it rushed off into the countryside. Nathan coughed a little, along with the other ponies on the platform, as he tried fanning the smoke away from his face. "Gonna have to get used to that." He said between coughs before he started walking back to his engine.

"Nathan!" A familiar voice called out. Turning around, Nathan saw Twilight standing by the ticket window.

"Hey Twilight." Nathan said as the little alicorn walked over to him. "How you doing?"

"Pretty good." Twilight replied. "Just thought I'd come by and see how you were. Fluttershy was over here earlier, but saw that you were still sleeping. So she decided not to wake you up."

"I see." He replied.

"Anyways..." She continued. "We have a busy day ahead of us." Nathan raised an eyebrow after hearing that.

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Twilight replied as a list appeared out of nowhere in a flash of purple magic. "Rarity needs your measurements in order for her to make some new clothes for you."

"Ah yes." He said while nodding.

"Followed by a quick stop at the hospital so the nurses can check on your arm, maybe get rid of that sling for you."

"Sounds good."

"After that, a stop at the market to pick up some food. I'll help you out with the funding."

"I'm not really sure where I'd be able to put it." Nathan replied as he looked back at his engine. "Not really much room in the cab to store groceries."

"Well, that brings me to the next item on the list." Twilight said. "Today, we'll help you get your own house here in Ponyville."

"That sounds good and all." The human said. "But how will I pay for it?"

"Princess Celestia said that she would provide the funds needed." Twilight replied. "She said that it was the least she could do to help you out."

"Wow." Nathan said. "That is really nice of her."

"I know." She replied.

"But shouldn't we get the house before getting the food instead of the other way around?"

"Wha-?" Twilight said before looking at her list. She then lightly groaned before making it disappear. "I knew I stayed up too late last night." This made Nathan chuckle as they both started walking. "Anyways..." She continued to say as she walked alongside the human. "I'm glad that you had such a good time at last night's party."

"It was a really nice one." He replied. "Best party I've ever had thrown for me."

"Pinkie will be pleased to hear that." Twilight said. "She always likes it when the one she threw the party for is happy."

"I'm sure she does." He replied. "By the way. Did you ever ask these science ponies about the tests that they wanted me to do?"

"Oh! Yes." Twilight replied. "They wanted to do a physical examination, some medical readings like your heart rate and blood pressure, and something about a personal endurance test."

"A what?"

"Personal endurance." Twilight repeated. "They said that they wanted you to do it because of your umm...." Nathan noticed Twilight's cheeks beginning to turn red. It didn't take long for him to pick up on what she was trying to say.

"Well, I'm not really sure why that is needed." He replied. "But if they think it is necessary, then I suppose I could oblige." This made Twilight breathe a sigh of relief. "And they know about the condition I asked for, right?"

"Yes." She said. "I made sure that they knew not to give you any shots. I also told them that my friends and I would accompany you to the research facility."

"Good." Nathan replied. "When are they wanting me to show up?"

"They want you to be there tomorrow." Twilight replied. "So we'll have to take tonight's train to Canterlot so we can be there in the morning."

"Okay." He said as the two stopped outside the door of Carousel Boutique. Twilight then used her magic to open the door, letting it swing inward before stepping in. Nathan followed, having to slightly duck to avoid hitting his head on the doorway. However, the top of his head managed to hit the little bell that mounted above the door.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique." Rarity said with her back turned to Nathan and Twilight. "How may I help you?" She asked before turning to see her friends. "Twilight and Nathan!" She exclaimed as she walked over. "I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon."

"Oh!" Nathan replied. "That's alright. We can come back later on."

"Nonsense." The unicorn said. "Right now is the perfect time to get your measurements."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely." She replied as a measuring tape flew around her in a light blue aura. "If you would, follow me please." Nathan and Twilight slowly followed Rarity into another room where mannequins adorned with incomplete dresses stood. "Well Nathan, in order for me to get the proper measurements, I will need you to umm...."

"Say no more." He replied. "I had a feeling you needed me to strip. Would it be alright if I kept something on though to keep my "parts" covered?"

"Of course, darling." Rarity replied. "Whatever makes you comfortable." Nathan nodded before trying to take off his orange safety vest, only for his sling to get in the way.

"Hey Twi." He said, gaining the alicorn's attention. "I know you said we'd be stopping at the hospital later on, but I'm just gonna go ahead and take this off now."

"Is your arm fully healed?"

"Think so." He replied. "I can move it without having any pain." After a few seconds, Twilight nodded in response. So he began undoing the straps around his neck. With a click from the latch being undone, the straps fell to his chest before he removed the sling, allowing his arm to straighten out for the first time in days. "Much better." He said as he bent it a few times. He then went back to taking off his safety vest. Once that was done, he took off his plain white t-shirt, exposing his chest for the two mares to see.

"Alright." Rarity said. "You can stop for now. We'll start by taking measurements for your top." She looked over towards Twilight as she made a small notebook and quill float over to her. "I'll need you to record the numbers."

"You got it." Twilight replied as she grabbed hold of the items with her magic.

"Alright Nathan." Rarity said as the measuring tape circled around the human. "Shall we begin?"

-1 hour later-

"Thank you so much, Nathan." Rarity said as she held the notebook containing all of his measurements within. "I'll be sure to get started on making you some new clothes right away."

"No problem, Rarity." The human replied as he and Twilight stepped outside. "See you later."

"Take care now, Rarity." Twilight called out. "See you at the station tonight." After saying that, she used her magic to close the door. Once done, she turned her attention to the human as they began walking away. "Alright." She said as her list appeared once again. "Seeing as how your arm seems to be healed, I think we can skip going to the hospital." Nathan promptly nodded in agreement as Twilight crossed it off her list. "So I guess we're heading to Town Hall to go speak with Mayor Mare about getting you a home."

"Sounds good." He replied. "I can't wait to get that all taken care of." As the two walked along, ponies all around smiled and waved at the two, prompting both of them to return the favor. "This place is much nicer than most towns I've been to back home." Nathan said after waving to a mint green unicorn who was walking with a cream colored earth pony. "Everyone here seems really happy."

"Yes." Twilight replied. "Ponyville is truly one of the most peaceful little towns in all of Equestria." As she said that, Nathan couldn't help but silently agree as he looked around. If this was a dream, he'd probably never want to wake up. As each pony stopped to wave, Nathan began to take note of unique little designs on their flanks. His eyes then turned to Twilight's and noticed one on hers as well. A six-pointed star with 5 little stars surrounding it.

"So what's with these little designs?" Nathan asked while pointing at the picture on the alicorn's flank.

"That is my cutie mark." She replied.

"Cutie mark?"

"A symbol of one's destiny." She said. "For example, my cutie mark represents my love of magic. Does your kind not receive cutie marks?"

"Well...." Nathan replied. "Yes and no." Twilight stopped so she could listen to the human's story. "Back on Earth, we don't really get anything to signal that we really like something unless we pay to have it permanently marked on our skin. It's called a tattoo."

"Tat...too." Twilight repeated. "And do you have any of these?"

"No." He replied. "I didn't have the money to get one. And even if I did, I wouldn't know what to get."

"I see." She said as she quickly jotted what he said into her little notebook. "Where would these tattoos normally be?"

"Most people would usually get them on their arms or back." He continued while rolling up his sleeve to demonstrate.

"Interesting." Twilight stated. "Though I thought you said you didn't have one."

"I don't." He said.

"Then why is there an image of Discord on your arm?"

"What?!" The human exclaimed as he quickly looked, only to confirm what the alicorn had seen. "Where the hell did this come from?"

"Oh. Don't mind me." The image said in the all too familiar voice that Nathan has come to resent. "Just thought I could hitch a free ride."

"Discord!" Twilight said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well...." The tattoo replied before disappearing only for the real deal to appear in front of them. "I wanted to speak with Mr. Bridgeport for a moment."

"Haven't you already done enough to him?" She asked before she felt Nathan's hand gently pat her on the head. She looked up to see the human looking down at her before giving her a smile.

"I'll take care of this, Twilight." He said. Twilight simply nodded in response before she stepped back to give Nathan and Discord some space. "What exactly do you want?" He said, turning his eyes towards the strange creature in front of him.

"I just wanted to apologize for what happened as a result of my magic." Discord replied. This statement stunned Twilight as Nathan only stood silent while keeping his eyes glued on the draconequus. "I was just so focused on proving to Celestia that I was indeed reformed that I didn't really take into account how you would feel." Twilight watched as Nathan's right hand slowly clenched itself into a fist before being brought up.

"Discord..." Nathan started to say in a calm voice before letting out a sigh. "If it wasn't for your magic, I wouldn't be standing here today." Discord's eyes darted back and forth between Twilight and Nathan. "Yes, it's because of you that I won't ever be able to actually go home. And even before that, you killed my sleep cycle with those dreams. I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I've had to buy an energy drink just to stay awake while shunting cars around the railyard. But in the end, you saved my life."

"So what exactly are you saying?" Discord asked while keeping a wary eye on the human's fist.

"I'm saying..." He replied. "That as far as you and I are concerned, we're good." Nathan opened his hand and extended it out toward him. Discord glanced at the gesture before slowly reaching out with his paw hand and taking hold of the human's hand to the surprised gasps of ponies. The two looked around to see that they were surrounded by ponies who wanted to see what was going on before looking back at eachother.

"Thank you." Discord softly said before he pulled the human into a hug, prompting all of the ponies around to stomp their hooves into the dirt as they cheered. Nathan, while momentarily stunned at first as a result of what was happening, soon returned the favor by giving Discord a friendly hug. After that, the ponies started going back to what they were doing before coming over. "Now if you two will excuse me..." Discord said as he slowly stepped back. "I need to go take care of some chores back home. Thank you for this, Nathan. It truly means so much to me." With that said, he then disappeared in a bright flash.

A few minutes of silence passed as Nathan slowly let a smile appear on his face. He then looked at Twilight, who was still stunned by what she had witnessed. "You alright, Twilight?" The human asked, making her shake her head a few times.

"I just...." She said. "I wasn't expecting you to forgive Discord so easily. Because of him, you can't go back home."

"I know." Nathan replied. "But what point is there to hold a grudge if nothing can be done about it?" Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof upon hearing that. "Besides, if he didn't do anything, I'd be six feet underground instead of being in a new world."

"I suppose that's true." She replied. "I think I could maybe learn a thing or two from you. You just seem to be full of surprises." As the two began to walk again, Nathan couldn't help but feel a little better about himself. After roughly 10 minutes of walking, the two found themselves outside of Town Hall. "Well...." Twilight said. "Are you ready to get your new home?"

Nathan opened his mouth to reply, but another voice cut him off.

"Twilight!" Spike called out as he raced toward the two.

"What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked before her eyes saw a scroll in the dragon's claws as soon as the little dragon stopped in front of them.

"A... message from... Princess Celestia!" He replied between breaths as he soon collapsed in a heap on the dirt and grass beneath him. After checking to see if her assistant was alright, Twilight took hold of the scroll and carefully unwrapped the ribbon that kept it closed.

Dear Princess Twilight,
I wish I was writing to you about a happier subject, but it has been brought to my attention that Sunset Shimmer, a former student of mine, has been apprehended in the Crystal Empire. I need you and your friends to meet me and my sister there as soon as you can. We'll discuss more details in person.
Signed,
Princess Celestia

"Uhh... Twilight?" Nathan asked as he saw the surprised reaction on the face of the little alicorn. "I know you might be getting tired of me asking this. But are you alright?"

"Looks like we'll have to change our plans." She replied as she used her magic to give the scroll to the human for him to read. "We need to go find the others and catch the next train to the Crystal Empire."

Author's Note

Whats up everypony?

Now before this question gets asked, I'll just go ahead and answer it. I'm not really good at writing about parties, hence the reason why I decided to skip over Nathan's welcoming party. I do apologize if that was a part that some of you were looking forward to reading about.

Anyways. Now that I've been given some free time after the recent lack of free time by my employer, I'm hoping to have this story be updated on a regular basis for now. And as always, thank you all so much for the success this story has been so far. It really means alot to me. :twilightsmile:

See ya'll in the next update,
Harms Way

Chapter Nine: The One Who Ran Away

Clouds of smoke and steam filled the air as the Friendship Express raced down the tracks, bound for the station just outside of the Crystal Empire. In the third car from the engine, Nathan leaned back and laid his head against the window ledge as he stretched his legs over onto the seat on the other side of the passenger car. As he did, a slight pain in the back of his head would constantly make him sit back up in order to relieve the pressure. Once the pain went away, he leaned back and closed his eyes to try and get some sleep until he felt something tap him on his leg.

"Umm.... Nathan?" Fluttershy said while holding a pillow under one of her wings. "I uh... couldn't help but notice you rubbing the back of your head as though it was hurting you to lean back. So I brought you this pillow so your head could be in a comfier spot."

"Thank you, Fluttershy." Nathan kindly replied before reaching out to grab the pillow. "My head was starting to get a little sore from being pressed against that ledge." He then placed the pillow into position against the wall and leaned back again, gently pressing his head into the pillow. "This feels much better." He quietly said, making the pegasus smile.

"I'm glad to hear that." She said. "I've also been wondering how you've been since Pinkie's party. I was over by your machine earlier, but saw you were still sleeping despite it almost being noon."

Nathan quietly chuckled at what she said. "I've been doing fine." He replied. "I think my body is just trying to catch up on some deprived sleep that was the result of Discord's dreams." Another yawn passed between his lips after he finished talking. After that, he could hear the sounds of multiple ponies snoring softly. "Take it the others are napping as well?"

Fluttershy simply nodded her head in response. "Yes. Don't feel bad when I say this. But I think they were all so excited when you first arrived that they didn't get much sleep."

Despite being told that, the human still sighed a little in response. "And what about you?" He asked. "Did you have trouble sleeping too?"

"Well, a little bit." She replied. "But that was because I was afraid that you wouldn't have been friendly and would've started attacking us as soon as you woke up."

"Fluttershy..." He said before reaching out to run his hand through the pegasus' mane. "I promise that I will never attack anyone or anypony unless they attack me or my friends first." This made another smile form on the pegasus' face. "Its always been a code of mine back home. And seeing as now Equestria is my home, and you guys are my friends, that covers ya'll too."

"That's good to hear." She softly replied before Nathan yawned again. "I think I'll let you try and get some sleep now." She said. "Sweet dreams."

"Same to you." Nathan replied before watching the pegasus return to her seat. He then leaned back into his newly acquired pillow and went back to staring up at the ceiling of the passenger car. His eyelids started feeling heavy as the gentle rocking of the car slowly helped send him onto the path to dream land.

The afternoon sun shined bright in the clear blue sky over the town of Victorville as Nathan sat beside the tracks in a lawn chair underneath a red parasol umbrella. He leaned back and took a sip of his ice cold root beer, taking in the beauty that was his former home, until he began to hear footsteps coming up behind him.

"Greetings Nathan Bridgeport." A voice said, making the human turn around to find one of the alicorn Princesses that he had met before now walking up to him. "How are you doing on this fine night?"

"Oh uh...." He stammered, stunned by this unexpected visitor. "I'm doing pretty good, I guess." The dark blue alicorn stopped beside the human and looked around. "You're uhh... Luna, right?"

"Correct." Luna replied.

"And uhh... how are you in my dream?"

"It is part of my duties as Princess of the night to watch over my subjects as they dream." She replied. "And seeing as how you are now living in Equestria, I felt that it was right to come by and talk to you."

"I see." Nathan replied. He watched as Luna kept looking around at the surroundings.

"I take it that this is the world you came from." She said while gazing at some of the nearby houses.

"Yep." Nathan replied. "Just because I can't physically go back in the real world doesn't mean I can't dream about it."

"I see." Luna replied before sitting down next to his chair while still looking around. "I've seen many interpretations of new worlds from the dreams of my subjects. But to see one that is actually real is just breathtaking." Just as she finished her sentence, the sound of an oncoming freight train's horn echoed in the distance. "What, pray tell, was that noise?"

"Well..." He began to reply as he stretched his arms and legs out. "Soon, you'll see what I used to do in this world." This made Luna look toward the direction that the sound was coming from as not even 10 seconds later, a tanker train raced by.

"This is what you used to do?!" Luna yelled over the sound of the train.

"Yeah!" Nathan yelled back. "I'd drive these things at least three times a week across the desert!" After saying that, the two sat back and watched until the train completely passed by. Once it quieted down, Nathan saw the amazed expression on the alicorn's face. "Pretty cool, don't you think?" He asked before taking another sip of his root beer.

"I've... never seen anything that big... move so quickly..." She replied. "And that machine of yours can do that as well?"

"Pretty much."

"Fascinating." She replied before clearing her throat. "So. Are you adjusting well to your new life?"

"I guess." He replied. "It's gonna take a while to get used to this."

"How so?"

"Well..." Nathan said. "First I still need to get a house. Also, tell Princess Celestia that I am extremely grateful for her generosity in offering to purchase a home for me."

Luna smiled when she heard that. "I'll be sure to tell her that." She said.

"But besides my diesel and a few other things, I don't have a bed or anything else." Nathan continued. "All my stuff is back on Earth and even if I was back there, I wouldn't be able to retrieve it because of Discord's magic."

"Hmm..." She said while placing a hoof to her muzzle. This made the human look at her with a confused expression.

"What." He said. "Do you know of a way that I can get my belongings?"

"I'd have to look through a few books that come to mind." She replied. "But I may be able to help you with that."

"You're serious?" He exclaimed. "I'd be able to bring my things here?" As soon as Luna tried to reply though, the ground beneath them began to shake more so than when the train passed by. "What's going on?!" He called out as the vibrations made him fall out of his chair.

"Come on Nathan..." Twilight's voice echoed across the land. "Time to get up."

"It would seem that your slumber must come to an end for now." Luna said before she took to the sky. "Until next time, Nathan Bridgeport!"

"Come on sleepy head." Twilight playfully said as she nudged Nathan's leg. "Lets get going."

"5 more minutes..." He groaned before rolling over onto his stomach, making the others around him giggle.

"Come on, sugarcube." Applejack said. "Up and at em." The human groaned again but slowly rose up to a seated position. He then stretched his arms out, making a few cracking sounds in the process as well.

"Are we there already?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes before yawning.

"Yes." Twilight replied. "Just take a look out your window." Nathan did as instructed and as soon as his eyes caught sight of the kingdom in front of him, his jaw dropped in surprise.

"Woah...." He said in an amazed tone. "I've never seen anything like this in my entire life."

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Rarity asked as she joined the human in looking out the window. "I always do enjoy coming here."

"Breathtaking is more like it." He replied before standing up to follow the rest of the ponies as they disembarked. As soon as Nathan stepped foot onto the platform, he instantly froze in place as his eyes focused on a pony that seemed to be made of crystal. "Uhh... Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"When you said that everything here was made of crystal, I didn't think you meant everything." He said while gesturing towards the crystal pony who was now looking confused by what she was overhearing.

"Well what did you expect in a place called the Crystal Empire?" She asked in her playful tone as the others started giggling again.

"Good point." He replied before following the others as they began walking towards the city. Along the way, Twilight would always catch Nathan as he stopped to stare at the crystal ponies. Sometimes they would do the same when looking at him. A quick throat clearing though would always bring him out of his self-induced trance though with slightly redder cheeks.

As the group approached the castle, the human could see a group of guards standing in front of the main doors.

"Your highness." One of them said as he stepped forward and bowed, making the others behind him to do the same. "It is good to see you here."

"Thank you." She replied. "But the bowing isn't necessary." The lead guard stood back up and immediately looked at the human.

"I take it that this is the peaceful creature that Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor were talking about?"

"Yes." She replied before pointing her hoof at the human. "Allow me to introduce you to Equestria's first human inhabitant, Nathan Bridgeport."

"Sup?" Nathan asked before extending his hand out. The guard looked at him with an extremely confused look on his face before looking back towards Twilight.

"A rather... unique creature to say the least." He replied before turning around. "Now if you all will follow me. I will lead you to the detention chambers where the trespasser is being held." He then used his magic to open the doors and stepped inside, followed closely by Twilight and the others before the remaining guards closed the door behind them.

"So how long has this former student of Celestia been here?" Twilight asked.

"Since last night." A voice called out, causing the group to turn to see Princess Cadance and Shining Armor walking towards them. "According to the guards, she showed up while we were in Ponyville with you guys."

"I see." The purple alicorn replied. "And what was she doing here?"

"We don't quite know yet." Shining replied. "She's remained silent when we interrogated her. Princess Celestia thought maybe you'd be able to get her to speak."

"All I can do is try." She replied as Shining now led the group down a hallway toward a door made of iron bars which led to another hallway. When Twilight stepped in, the first thing she saw was her old teacher. "Princess Celestia." She said as she eagerly went over to be next to her. "We came here as soon as I got your message."

"It is good to see you." Celestia replied before looking at her friends and the human. "And I'm glad you all could join her as well. I wish this was a more joyous occasion though."

"So who in the hay is this former student of yours?" Applejack asked.

"Her name is Sunset Shimmer." She replied. "A former student of mine who began her studies with me not long before Twilight." The white alicorn began to walk down the hall, making the others follow as she continued to speak. "She was once a great student, learning magical spells faster than anypony I had ever seen. But one day, I decided to show her something. A mirror that would allow you to see into your future. I don't know what it is that she saw, but ever since then, she would not let it go." This made Twilight raise an eyebrow as another door came into view. "It wasn't until I caught her in a room that contained forbidden spells and dark magic that I finally saw that she would never be ready for the next level of her studies. I had no other choice but to remove her as my pupil."

"So this Sunset Shimmer could be just as talented as Twilight?" Rainbow asked as she hovered next to the human.

"Yes." Celestia replied before stopping in front of the door. "But after I had sent her away, I found that she had knocked the guards who were escorting her out of the castle unconscious. They had said that she disappeared into the mirror. Ever since then, I had always kept a close watch over it, in case that she would someday return to Equestria to seek my guidance." Twilight looked inside to see a unicorn mare with gold colored fur and a fire colored mane sitting inside. Looking closer, she saw a silver ring was placed on her horn.

"Why would you need a magical inhibitor ring?" Twilight asked. "Is she a threat to Equestria?"

"The guards placed it on her because she kept using her magic to teleport away whenever she found herself cornered." Shining replied. He then levitated a set of keys off of a nearby hook and placed one into the lock on the door. "Be careful, little sis." He said before turning the key and began to open the door. Twilight looked back to her friends and each one gave her a smile. She then looked up at Nathan, who gave her a smile as well.

After Shining Armor opened the door, he stepped aside, allowing his sister and Celestia to step inside. Sunset looked up when she heard the noise of hooves stepping inside her cell. Once her turquoise colored eyes caught sight of her old teacher, a look of anger appeared on her face before she looked at the young purple alicorn next to her.

"Hello... Sunset Shimmer." Twilight said in a hesitant tone. "My name is-"

"No need for introductions, Sparkle." Sunset interrupted in a defiant voice, making Twilight take a step back. "I know exactly who you are."

"H-how do you know my name?" Twilight asked, now beginning to shake a little. "I-I know very little about you."

"I'm afraid that I'm the reason for that." Celestia replied before draping a wing over the frightened alicorn, which seemed to calm her down. Her horn then lit up and soon, two books appeared in an aura of bright yellow magic. One book had a symbol that was similar to her cutie mark while the other had a symbol that looked like Sunset's. "With these two books, I was able to keep Sunset up to date with all that has been going on here in Equestria so that if she came back, it would've been easier for her to readjust."

"But that doesn't explain why she's locked up." Twilight said.

"I think I can help with that." Shining said as he stepped into the cell, holding an object in his purple magic. "We found this in the satchel that she was wearing when she was apprehended." As soon as he said that though, the sound of Sunset quietly chuckling made him look at her. "And what exactly is so funny?"

"Oh nothing." The restrained unicorn said. "I'm just so sure that you must be proud of the fact that it took an entire squadron of your guards to hunt down and capture a single mare."

"Hey!" Twilight objected. "You don't talk to my brother like that!"

"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" She asked before turning to look at her. "I know you won't attack me while this ring is on my horn. And I'm sure you know that the moment it comes off, I'll just be gone in a flash of magic." As the two stared at each other, Princess Celestia took a close look at what Shining had in his magic. It appeared to be a cheap knockoff version of the crown of Equestria's newest Princess.

"What exactly were you planning on doing with this?" She asked as she took hold of the crown with her magic.

"What difference does it make if I tell you or not?" Sunset replied. "The mirror portal is likely closed off by now, leaving me stuck here. So the plan I had has already failed." She then chuckled to herself a little. "I do need to say this though." She said before looking back at Celestia. "I wasn't expecting you to tell me about an upcoming Princess Summit only for me to show up and find no one except a bunch of guards. Didn't think you had it in you to lie."

"I would never do such a thing, Sunset. And you know it." Celestia replied, a bit of anger could be heard in her voice before she let a sigh escape her lips. "We just had an abrupt change in plans."

"Really." Sunset said in a sarcastic tone. "What could be so important that it would change the schedule of the four alicorn Princesses of Equestria?"

"Funny you should ask." Twilight replied. "Because the reason is standing just outside this cell as we speak."

"Oh please." She said while rolling your eyes. "I highly doubt your friends are the reason."

"Hey!" Rainbow's voice called out from outside the cell.

Twilight cleared her throat a little before turning to look at the door. "Nathan." She said. "Could you come in here for a moment, please?" She looked back towards Sunset who raised an eyebrow as the sound of footsteps drawing close echoed in the small room.

"What did you need, Twi?" Nathan asked as he stepped into the doorway of the cell. But all Twilight did was point her hoof at him while looking at the restrained unicorn. Nathan then looked at turquoise eyes of the unicorn as they widened in shock at what they were seeing.

"H-how in Equestria is there a h-human here?" Sunset stuttered, making Twilight's and Celestia's eyes instantly widen as well.

"You know what he is?" The young alicorn asked.

"Of course." Sunset replied, but in a different tone now. "After all, I was in a similar form in the world beyond the mirror portal."

"Wait." Nathan said. "You used to be a human?"

"Yeah." She replied. "But I don't really feel like talking anymore!" After saying that, she lowered her head until she was looking at the floor. This made everyone in the room look at eachother before looking at the now silent unicorn. Before he looked away though, Nathan watched a tear drip off of Sunset's face before it hit the floor. He proceeded to step out, allowing Twilight, Celestia, and Shining Armor to walk out before a guard used his magic to close the door.

"Well...." Celestia said. "I wasn't really expecting this."

"Me neither." Twilight added. "It's like as soon as she saw Nathan, her whole mood changed from being defiant to being sad. Almost as if she was reminded of her old... world." Twilight then looked at the human as he was looking back at the cell.

"I'll be sure to have a team of guards watching over her cell." Shining said. "I'll write to you if anything comes up with her."

"That is fine." Celestia replied before letting another sigh out. "Sunset wasn't always like this. She was once a model student who excelled in anything she set her mind to. I'd give anything to see her like that again." She proceeded to start walking towards the door leading out of the hallway. "I suppose I must be on my way back to Canterlot."

"You can ride with us if you like, Princess." Twilight said. "We were heading there for Nathan's tests with the scientists." Celestia replied with a simple nod before everyone began walking to the door. As he allowed the others to leave before he did, Nathan turned to look back at the cell where Sunset was still in. But before he stepped out, he could hear faint sounds of crying and sniffling coming from where she was.

"I don't know why." He thought as he turned to walk out. "But I have a feeling that I'll be seeing that unicorn again sooner rather than later."

Chapter Ten: A New Roommate

"Rise and shine, Nathan." Twilight said while nudging the human's body with her hoof. "We need to make sure you get a good breakfast before you go in for your tests." Nathan's eyes opened a little, only for the invading light of the morning sun to make him close them again.

"Too.... early...." He grunted before pulling the blanket over his head.

"You're beginning to sound like Spike." She said before chuckling. "Come on." Even though he wasn't entirely awake yet, Nathan could feel Twilight tugging on the blanket with her magic. "Don't you want any pancakes?" This question made Nathan's eyes shoot open before he instantly sat up. Twilight chuckled some more as she saw what her question had done. "I'll take that as a yes." She said before turning to walk to the bedroom door. "I'll wait outside so I can show you where we're having breakfast." Nathan nodded in response and waited until the young alicorn had left the room before he completely stood up.

"One of the few things that'll ever get me to be up this early." He thought to himself as he walked into the bathroom, being careful to avoid hitting the top of the door frame. As he stepped inside the room, a sharp pain in his back made him grunt a little as the decision to sleep on the floor proved to come back to haunt him. Well, the choice for him was either sleep on a hard marble floor or sleep on a bed that was half his size.

"You doing alright in here?" Twilight's voice could be heard while Nathan looked back to see the little alicorn poking her head in the room. "I heard you grunt which usually means somepony is in pain."

"Just my back." He replied before straightening up. "Nothing to worry about."

"You sure?"

"Positive." He said. "I've had worse pains just from sitting in my engineer's seat for too long."

"Alright."

"Now uhh...." He said while looking at Twilight. "If you could be so kind as to give me a few minutes of privacy..."

"Oh!" She said while her cheeks began to turn red. "Right. Sorry." She then quickly scooted backwards while using her magic to close the bathroom door. This made the human chuckle a bit before he tended to his personal needs. After a few minutes, Nathan emerged from the bathroom to find Twilight putting the blanket and pillows that Nathan had commandeered back on the bed. "I'll be sure to look to see if we can find a bed that is better for your size." She said after quickly making the bed to the point where it looked untouched.

"Sounds good." He replied. "But after we get the whole housing situation taken care of first."

"Of course." She said as Nathan put his shirt on. However, she began to note a faint smell coming from Nathan's clothing. "Uhh... Nathan." She said while placing a hoof to her muzzle. "You're not really smelling good right now."

"Sorry." He said. "I don't normally wear the same clothes for this long."

"Well it's a good thing that Rarity is making you new ones." She replied. "But you can't really go out there smelling like this." Nathan then noticed Twilight's horn beginning to glow. "Lucky for you. I know a spell that can neutralize the odor." After saying that, Nathan's body was surrounded in an aura similar in color to the one enveloping Twilight's horn. A few seconds passed until the auras disappeared. Twilight then took a deep breath in and smiled big after exhaling.

"Much better." She said before she started walking to the door. "Ready to go get some breakfast?"

"Yes." He replied as he followed the little alicorn out into the hallway. As the two walked down the hall, the memory of Sunset Shimmer lingered in Nathan's mind as he could probably guess as to what she must be going through right now. "So Twilight." He said, making the purple one look up at him. "What exactly are they going to do with that unicorn we spoke with last night?"

"I'm not sure." She replied. "I don't think she can be held in her cell for long as the only crime that she has against her is trespassing which isn't really a felony. I'm still trying to figure out what she was doing with an almost identical looking replica of my crown."

"Maybe she was wanting to swipe your's while leaving the fake one in it's place." The human said. "Why else would a fake crown be needed?"

"That is true I guess." She replied. "But she said so herself. Whatever plan she had was already ruined when she was caught."

"Maybe."

"Why do you ask though?"

"Well..." He replied. "You remember how before she mentioned being a human back in this world she came from? And then how she just stopped talking?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure she's probably feeling as though she has nothing left. Kinda like how I was feeling when I found out that I couldn't return home."

"That's what I first thought too." She said. "She did start to act similar to you after you came back from your world. Sad and quiet." Twilight then put a hoof to her muzzle as the two continued walking. "Princess Celestia did say that she didn't really get along with anypony back when she was her pupil. Maybe all she really needs is a friend."

"Wouldn't hurt." The human replied as they came up to a set of doors. He could hear the voices of his friends on the other side as he grabbed hold of the door handle. Opening the door, Nathan found each pony sitting at a round table with several plates of pancakes in the middle.

"Morning sleepyhead." Applejack said as Nathan and Twilight walked into the room. "Sleep well?"

"Eh." He said. "I've had worse nights. But I think my back is going to hate me later on while I'm doing these tests." He then turned his attention back to Twilight. "What exactly did you say they wanted to do?"

"I think all they want is to see how fast and how strong you are while monitoring your heart and blood pressure." The alicorn replied before taking a seat.

"So it's basically a physical exam then?"

"Yes."

"Great." He said before taking a seat between Twilight and Rainbow. "My back is going to love me so much after today." This made the ponies around him giggle before each one looked at the delicious looking butter and syrup covered pancakes.

"Alright everypony." Rainbow said before reaching out to grab a few of them. "Let's dig in!"

-45 minutes later-

"So Nathan." Applejack said as the group walked outside. "You ready for your tests?"

"As ready as I'm ever gonna be." The human replied. "I am kinda nervous though."

"Why's that?"

"Well..." He said. "What if I don't do well on them?"

"I'm sure you'll do fine, big guy." Rainbow said as she hovered close by.

"You think so?"

"Of course." She replied. "After all, you're the only human here. You'll be holding all of the records for your species after today. Fastest Human in Equestria, Strongest, blah blah blah."

"Well when you put it like that, it does make me feel a bit better."

"It is understandable to be nervous." Fluttershy said while hovering on the other side of the human. "After all, we don't know anything about your kind other than what you've said."

"Well, I think there is one pony who'd know." He said. "But she's locked up in the Crystal Empire right now."

"Maybe Sunset could help us in understanding you a bit better." Twilight added as she led the group down a street that was lined with restaurants, clothing shops, and jewelry stores. "But that'll have to wait until after she gets released."

"Until then, we'll just have to rely on your own knowledge." The cream colored pegasus added before the group stopped outside of a large building with a sign that said 'Canterlot Research Facility'. Nathan gulped a little as Twilight's magic engulfed the doorknob and turned it enough to open the door.

"Please let this experience be a good one." He thought before following the group in. Once inside, the human saw a room that looked similar to that of a hospital lobby back on Earth. As the others took their seats in a corner of the room, Twilight motioned with her hoof for the human to join her up at the desk where a light pink unicorn mare was sorting through some papers. Twilight tapped her hoof against the desk, making the unicorn's eyes look up at her before resting their gaze on the human.

"Hello." The alicorn said. "We're here for an appointment with Dr. Heart Beat."

"I see. You must be the one called Nathan Bridgeport." The mare said, making Nathan nod his head to confirm her statement. "Quite a unique creature." She paused to look at a paper before looking back at the two in front of her. "Dr. Heart Beat will be with you shortly to begin your tests. Have a seat and wait for her to call your name."

"Alright." Nathan replied before he and Twilight joined the rest of their friends in the corner of the room. However, his chance to rest wouldn't last long as he soon heard the sound of a door opening.

"Nathan Bridgeport." A voice said, making him look toward the direction that the sound came from. A tan colored unicorn with a black mane while wearing a white lab coat stood in a doorway, looking at him and the others with emerald colored eyes. She began walking over to the group while holding a clipboard in her magic. "I am Dr. Heart Beat. It is nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." The human replied.

"Now if you all will follow me, we will get our testing session started." Nathan and the others soon started following the doctor as she entered a small hallway. "So Nathan. Before we can get started. I need to ask you two questions."

"Shoot." He replied, making the doctor stop and look at him with a puzzled expression. "That means go ahead."

"Ah. Alright then." Heart replied before clearing her throat. "First question. Can you fly?"

"No."

"Okay." She said before writing something down on the clipboard. "Next question. Can you do anything with the help of magic? Like levitation or teleporting?"

"No."

"I see." She replied before once again writing something down. "Well. Looks like your test results will have to be compared to that of an Earth pony then." She then proceeded to look at Pinkie Pie and Applejack. "Would either of you two be willing to participate so we can get the most accurate comparisons possible?"

"Sure thing doc." Applejack replied. "I'd be more than happy to lend a hoof."

"Excellent." Heart said before opening a door that led into a giant open area with no roof. The bright light from the sun made Nathan briefly shield his eyes before he could see that it looked like an athletic training area, complete with a track, hurdles, and an observation area where other science ponies were already sitting with clipboards held in their respective magical auras. Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all started to make their way over to where the other scientists were, leaving Applejack and Nathan to follow Heart Beat as she led them to an area where it looked like competitors would begin their running exercises.

"So what is this first test gonna be?" Applejack asked as Heart levitated a stopwatch out of her coat pocket.

"This first test will compare your speed." She replied. "I want both of you to run one lap around the track as quick as you can."

"One lap?" Nathan asked. "Easy."

"Alright." Heart said as Applejack and Nathan got into position. "On your mark..."

"Come on Nathan!" Rainbow called out from the stands. "Show us what you got!"

"Get set..."

"No hard feelings if I beat you?" Applejack asked.

"Nope." Nathan replied before chuckling to himself.

"Go!" Upon hearing that, Nathan and Applejack immediately began racing around the track to the cheers of their friends. Applejack immediately took the lead as the human tried his best to keep up.

"Come on pardner!" Applejack called out. "Is that the fastest you can go?"

"I'm.... going as.... fast as I..... can!" Nathan called back in between breaths as Applejack continued to increase her lead to the point where she was already coming out of the final turn before Nathan could enter it.

"Give it all you got!" Rainbow's voice called out, prompting the human to try and go faster to no avail as Applejack had already crossed the finish line while Nathan was just entering the home stretch.

"This... is.... embarassing...." He grunted to himself as he raced by the stands before crossing the finish line. He then slowly came to a stop, breathing heavily before he noticed Heart Beat offering him a mug of water. He eagerly accepted it before chugging it down instantly.

"Interesting." Heart said as Nathan finished his drink. "So according to these times, it would seem that Applejack was twice as fast as you were. She managed to finish her lap in 50 seconds while your lap took a minute and forty seconds." She proceeded to look up to the stands. "How fast did you clock both of them at?" She called out.

"We had the mare registered at doing 30 miles per hour while the fastest speed we had the human at was 14!" One of the scientists called back.

"Wow." Nathan replied between his breaths before turning his attention to the farm pony. "You're a fast one."

"Thanks." She replied. "Was that really the fastest you could run?" The human simply nodded his head in response.

"Alright." Heart said as she flipped to a new page of her clipboard. "Next test will compare your strength by seeing how much weight you can pull."

"Could we wait a bit first?" Nathan asked. "I need to catch my breath. Haven't ran like that in quite a while."

"Of course." She replied. "Just let me know when you feel ready." Nathan nodded his head again and slowly made his way over to a bench to sit down. Once seated, he let out a big sigh before he started looking up at the sky. He could feel his heart racing as he closed his eyes to try and relax before the next test.

"You doin' alright, sugarcube?" He heard Applejack ask before he could feel something sit down next to him on the bench. "You look beat."

"I'm fine." He replied. "Just hadn't needed to run like that in years. I didn't think I'd be this out of shape."

"Sounds like me and Dash could help you out there. We tend to do lots of exercise."

"Yeah." The human said while keeping still. "That would be nice of ya'll to do for me."

"How are you feeling?" Heart's voice asked, making Nathan open his eyes to look at the unicorn as she stood in front of him. "Do you need more time? Another mug of water? Anything to help you at all?"

"Nah. Just needed to sit down." He replied before letting another sigh out. "So what's next for these tests again?"

"Well..." Heart said while levitating her clipboard in front of her. "Next would be the strength test." She proceeded to point her hoof over toward a wagon fitted with seats and metal poles. "We'll hook you up to the front of it and you'll begin to pull it around the track. Every 60 seconds, we'll add another weight or pony to it. The test will continue until you can no longer pull the wagon." Nathan looked at the front of the wagon and saw the harness that would presumably be secured around his waist.

"That sounds good and all." He said. "But humans don't usually pull wagons with a harness." This made Heart stop looking at her clipboard to look at him and raise an eyebrow. "Back home, we'd pull wagons with a handle."

"A han...dle?" Heart repeated. "What exactly does one of these look like?"

"Give me a paper and something to draw with and I'll show you." Heart did as requested and provided the human with what he had asked for. Nathan soon began to draw a picture of what he had described. Now he wasn't exactly an artist, but he did it as best he could before showing Heart the picture.

"Interesting." She said. "It'll take some time for us to modify our wagon to suit your needs. But for every test we have you take, each one will need to be as accurate as possible. So I guess the strength test will have to be put on hold."

"Sounds good." He replied. "So I guess that means we're done for the day?"

"Yes." Heart replied. "We'll postpone the remainder of this assessment until we can have the proper conditions for you."

"That works out good for me then." The human said as Heart motioned for Twilight and the others to come down from the stands. Nathan watched as Twilight's horn lit up before she and the others disappeared in a flash of purple magic only to reappear seconds later in front of him and Applejack.

"Is everything okay?" The alicorn asked as she looked around to see the scientists beginning to leave the area. "Why is everypony leaving?"

"We'll continue our tests once we get our wagon over there suited for our test subject's needs." Heart replied. "I'll be sure to get in contact with you once everything is ready, Princess Sparkle." She then turned to face the human. "Til then, I want you to not engage yourself in any strenuous activities that could result in injury. We'd rather not have to wait any longer than necessary."

"You got it." He replied before she started to walk over to the exit, prompting him and the rest to follow. "At least my back won't be as sore as it would've been." As the group walked out into the lobby, a thought entered the human's mind as he remembered Twilight mentioning another test. "Hey Twi." He said, gaining the alicorn's attention. "Didn't you say something about another test these ponies wanted me to take?"

"The personal endurance test?"

"Yeah."

"Well." She said. "I told Dr. Heart Beat to cancel it. I don't think that you would've been willing to go through with it if you knew what it was about."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you about it later." She replied. "Right now, lets just get back to Ponyville so we can finish what we started yesterday."

"Alright then." The human replied as he followed the others outside. But as he walked out of the building, he wasn't expecting for the little alicorn to have stopped directly in front of him. "Twilight!" He called out before falling forward and landing face first on the ground, luckily avoiding to fall on top of anypony. He grunted a little in pain before hearing hooves stop just inches away from the top of his head.

"Princess Celestia." Twilight's voice said, prompting Nathan to lift his head slightly to find the gold hoof covers of the Princess just a few inches from his face. His eyes then darted around to see everypony other than Twilight bowing as he began to stand up once again. Once back to a vertical standpoint, Nathan noticed that another pony was with the Princess. The one who he had met the night before.

"Didn't keep her for long." He thought as Sunset Shimmer stood by the Princess of the Sun with her silver inhibitor ring still placed around her horn. Behind the two stood a small squadron of Royal Guards.

"What brings you here?" Twilight asked as she eagerly went over to Celestia.

"The guards of the Crystal Empire brought Sunset here because her records still had Canterlot as the city in which she lived." Celestia replied. "But she doesn't have a home."

"I see." Twilight replied. "Do her parents live anywhere near here?" This question seemed to affect the restrained pony as her eyes immediately darted to look at the ground. Nathan noticed this and subtly tapped Twilight on the head before pointing at the unicorn. "Oh!" She said. "I'm so sorry. I... I didn't think she was..."

"An orphan?" Sunset asked. Celestia cleared her throat, making Sunset look up at her before looking back at the ground.

"Many years back, I found Sunset at the local orphanage after seeing that she possessed great magical potential. Since then, she had always lived in the castle." The elder alicorn said as she looked down at her former protégé. "Unfortunately, the whereabouts of her parents are unknown." She then looked back at Twilight. "I offered her a place to stay in the castle, but she declined. So that is the reason why we are here."

"You were wondering if she could stay with one of us?" Twilight asked. Celestia silently nodded in response. "Well, if nopony else has a spare room, I could see if I could clear a room out for her."

"Actually Twilight." Nathan said, gaining everypony's attention. "I may have an idea."

"Yes?" The little Princess asked.

"Well, this would only happen if Sunset willingly agrees." The human said. "But she's in need of a home, and so am I." He proceeded to look at Celestia. "Perhaps Sunset and I could live together. I'm sure Ponyville would have at least one two-bedroom house available. And it would be less trouble compared to one of you guys clearing out a room." A minute or two of silence passed before Celestia turned her head to look at the human.

"That does seem like a good idea." She replied before once again looking down at her former student. "What do you think, Sunset?"

The restrained unicorn kept looking at the ground for a few minutes before raising her head to look at the human. "Sure." She said in what sounded like a sarcastic tone. "I guess I could live with the human." Nathan then saw her mumble something, but couldn't quite make out what she had said.

As he looked on, he soon felt Twilight poke him in the leg. He then knelt down to see what she wanted. "Are you sure about this?" She whispered, only for the human to nod his head.

"You said so yourself." He replied. "Maybe all Sunset needs is a friend. What better way to show her that I could be a friend than to offer her a place to live."

This made Twilight place a hoof to her muzzle in thought for a moment. "I suppose that's true." She said. "Well... If you're sure that this could work, then I'll let you go through with it."

"Sounds good." He replied.

"Well then." Celestia said, gaining everypony's attention. "If everything is settled, then I will release Sunset into your custody." Once she said that, a gold aura surrounded the inhibitor ring on Sunset's horn before it magically disappeared. All eyes were glued onto the gold colored unicorn to see if she would try to run away. But to the surprise of most, Sunset just slowly walked over to Nathan and the others before stopping beside him.

"Thanks." She softly said. "Just don't make me regret choosing to go along with this."

"I'll do my best not to." The human replied in thought as he, Sunset, and the rest of his friends began to walk toward the train station with Celestia and her guards following close behind.

Author's Note

Hello everypony,

Well, I really do hope that this new ending will make up for what was originally posted as the tenth chapter. I was originally going to have this take place in the eleventh chapter, but I'm now rethinking how this entire story will pan out.

Harms Way

Chapter Eleven: Making Connections

"Looks like it'll be late when we get back to Ponyville. Town Hall will probably be closed for the night." Twilight said as she sat next to Nathan while looking out of her window. "Guess getting your new home will have to wait until tomorrow." She then turned her head to look at the human. "I'm sorry."

"That's alright, Twilight." He replied. "One more night of sleeping in my engine won't kill me."

"But what about Sunset?" She asked, making the human look back at the lone unicorn as she had decided to sit in the very back of the passenger car. "I don't think she would like sleeping there."

"Hmm...." He said. "You have a point there. Perhaps I should go talk to her about this." Twilight nodded before she watched him slowly stand up. "Besides. It's time to let her know that I'm here for her if she needs someone to talk to." After saying that, he began making his way to the back of the coach toward his new roommate. As he walked, he sighed a little as he looked on at Sunset who seemed to be content with just leaning her head against her window. He could easily tell that she would rather be anywhere else than here. Not wanting to bother her too much, Nathan chose to sit in the seat across the aisle from her and cleared his throat. "You doing alright, Sunset?"

Sunset's eyes moved to where she was able to look at the human while keeping her head against the window. Even though she wasn't speaking, Nathan could tell by the look on her face that she was still in an emotional turmoil from being cut off from the world that she had came from. Slowly, Sunset's eyes moved back to where she was looking out the window.

"Why do you care?" She bluntly asked.

"Well..." Nathan began. "I couldn't really help but notice that you were sitting back here all alone."

"Maybe I like being alone." She replied. "Not everypony is as joyful or as happy as Sparkle and her friends."

Nathan sighed a little after hearing that. "This is gonna be alot harder than I thought it would be." He thought as he looked on. "I heard from Princess Celestia that you didn't exactly get along with any of the other ponies." This made her look at him again. "May I ask why?"

"Because I didn't have anything in common with anypony else." Sunset replied. "I was Celestia's pupil. I was destined for greatness. Nopony else would've known what I was going through."

"Well I guess you can't really say that anymore." Nathan said, making Sunset raise an eyebrow at him.

"Oh yeah?" She asked. "How so?"

"Because out of everyone here in this world, I'm the only one who knows exactly what you're going through right now." He replied. "I know what it's like to not be able to go back to the world I came from. The sadness. The anger. It tore me apart inside." Sunset just kept looking at him without saying a word. "I can see it in those eyes of yours." He continued. "You're an emotional wreck right now and you have every right to be."

"What about you?" Sunset asked. "I originally came from this world. You didn't. You should be in an even worse state than I am. Yet, you don't show any signs of being sad or angry."

"I don't really show my feelings until it gets to the point where I can't hold them in." He replied. "When I first found out that I couldn't go back home, I didn't want to show them in front of the others. It took everything I had just to hold it together until I was alone before I broke down and let it all out. But it turns out, all I really needed was some....pony to vent to." To his surprise, Sunset actually chuckled a little after hearing him struggle to say the right word. "Look. I know we haven't really known each other for long, Sunset." Nathan continued to say as he leaned forward. "But if you ever want to talk about what you're going through, I just want you to know that I'm here for you."

Sunset watched as Nathan put his hand out toward her. Her eyes darted between looking at it and the floor a few times before she looked back at him.

"Thanks." She said. "Maybe we'll talk more when it's just us. I don't really want them to hear my feelings." Nathan turned his head to look at the others. Most of his friends had decided to take a nap. The only pony who was awake still was Twilight as she had decided to read a book to pass the time.

"That's fine." He replied. "Though that probably won't happen until after tomorrow. Twilight said that Town Hall won't be open when we get back to Ponyville."

"So what does that mean for us?" Sunset asked. "Where have you been living at?"

"I've... been sleeping in my locomotive."

"A train?" She asked. "You've been living on a train?"

"Didn't really have much choice." He replied. "Plus it's the only thing I have from my world that still works, or at least I hope it still does." Sunset looked at the human with a puzzled look. "But I'm getting off track here. Pun not intended." He continued. "Do you want to sleep at Twilight's place or..."

"I'll... sleep where you sleep."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Sunset replied. "I don't really want to sleep at Sparkle's or at any of her friends' houses."

"Well.... alright then." He said. "But it might be a little uncomfortable."

"Trust me." She replied. "Anything is better than what I had to sleep on back in that cell."

"Fair enough, I suppose. Just don't expect to be sleeping on a bed or anything." The human said before he started to feel the train begin slowing down. "Back in Ponyville already? That was a fast trip." He thought before looking out of the window. But instead of seeing a train station, Nathan only saw trees and wide open plains of grass. This made him confused as the Friendship Express slowly came to a halt. Before he could do anything else, the door towards the front of the coach opened before a pony who looked to be the conductor stepped in.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked as she put her book down. "Why are we stopping here?"

"It would seem we are experiencing a problem with the engine, your highness." The conductor replied. "My sincerest apologies."

"What seems to be the problem?" Nathan asked as he stood up, being careful to avoid hitting his head on the roof of the coach.

"We're out of coal." A familiar voice from behind the conductor replied. Seconds later, Steamer walked into the coach. "I'm sorry everypony." He said while taking his hat off. "But with no coal, I can't make any steam. And no steam means this train ain't going anywhere."

"How can you run out of coal?" Twilight asked. "Didn't you get some when we were in Canterlot."

Steamer shook his head. "Canterlot had given it's last amount of coal to another train and didn't have any to spare for us. I tried to go as far as I could on what I had, hoping that it would be just enough." He sighed a bit after saying that. "But I guess it wasn't."

"How far are we from Ponyville?"

"At least 30 miles, I'm afraid." Steamer replied. "Which means it'll take some time for me to get a replacement engine here."

"Would you have to walk there just to get a new engine?" Nathan asked. Steamer only nodded in response. "Damn..." He thought. "That's a long walk."

"If I was a pegasus, I could just fly to the nearest rail yard and pick up a new engine." The earth pony said. "But I'm not. And I refuse to ask one of my passengers to do it. I made this mistake. So it seems only right for me and me alone to fix it."

"But Steamer..." Twilight said as she got out of her seat. "We can't just sit here and wait for you to walk that far."

Steamer sighed again. "I suppose your right." He said. "But I don't think any of the pegasi here know how to operate a steam locomotive. And even if they did, they aren't licensed by the ENR."

"He's right." Rainbow chimed in. "I wouldn't have any idea on what to do."

"Me neither." Fluttershy added.

"Who said anything about having to get a steam locomotive?" Twilight asked, making Steamer raise an eyebrow in response.

"Uhh... I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, Princess." He replied.

"I think I know of a way on how we can fix this." Twilight said. "And it would be much quicker than you having to walk 30 miles, Steamer."

The earth pony continued to look at her with a confused look on his face. "What would that be?"

"There's already an engine in Ponyville that I'm sure could pull this train there." She replied before turning her head to look at Nathan. "All we need to do is get it here."

"You mean that big metal thing?"

"Yeah." Nathan replied. "1506 can easily pull this train the rest of the way. I just don't understand how we can get it here."

Twilight just chuckled a little in response. "Leave that to me."

"Princess. This is very kind of you to offer." Steamer said. "You don't have to go through all of this trouble."

"It's no trouble at all." She replied as she turned to look back at him. "Plus I'm sure that Nathan would love to help out."

"She's right." Nathan said. "I'd be more than happy to help out." He then chuckled a little to himself before looking back at Steamer. "After all. We engineers have to look out for one another." After saying that, he turned his attention to Sunset who was still sitting in her seat. "You gonna be alright here?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine." She replied. "Go get your thing. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."

"Don't worry." He said. "This train will be moving again soon." Nathan then turned and started walking toward the front of the car. "Ready to go when you are, Twilight." The little alicorn nodded before she and the human jumped off of the coach and landed on the grass just beside the tracks.

"While you're doing that!" Steamer called out. "I'll make sure to have everything here ready for when you return!"

"Sounds good!" Nathan called back before flashing a thumbs up at the earth pony. As he did this, a purple magical aura enveloped his arm. This surprised the human as he looked down to find his entire body in the same state.

"Alright Nathan." Twilight said as the human looked at her. "Lets get going." After saying that, Twilight turned around and spread her wings. She then flapped them a few times before she finally lifted herself off of the ground. Nathan looked on in amazement as she rose further into the sky before he began to feel himself rise off the ground.

"Holy shit!" He said in his mind as Twilight continued to pull him into the sky. On instinct, Nathan started to panic and start reaching out to try and grab onto anything."

"Nathan!" Twilight said from above the panicking human. "Calm down!" The human tried to do what she said, but being suspended in the air with the only thing keeping him from falling being a magical aura didn't help. "Nathan. I promise that you're safe. I will not let you fall." She said. "Do you trust me?"

This question made Nathan's actions slow as he realized that the alicorn was telling the truth. He breathed in and out heavily a few times to try and calm himself down before he looked up at Twilight.

"Alright." He replied. "I trust you, Twilight." Upon hearing that, Twilight grinned before she started moving again, pulling the human along with her. With the ground becoming further and further beneath him, Nathan's eyes widened in surprise at this feeling. "I'm flying...." He thought before looking up at Twilight as she gracefully flew through the night sky. "I can't believe I'm actually flying!" Nathan called out, making Twilight look back at him. She giggled a bit as she watched the human do a front flip while still being held in her magical grasp.

"Having fun?" She asked as the human straightened out horizontally with his arms out in front of him.

"Heck yeah!" He replied. "This ain't something I normally do on a daily basis!"

"Well now that you're living with us, you can expect this to happen more often. Especially if we have to do something like what we're doing right now."

"Seriously?" The human asked in an excited tone. Twilight just nodded her head, earning a smile from the human as the two of them continued to soar through the night sky toward Ponyville.

The moon was steadily rising in the sky as Twilight and Nathan arrived over Ponyville. From this point of view, Nathan could see everything. Twilight swooped down and stopped just above the train station, making the human do the same as random ponies below began staring at the two of them. Slowly, Twilight lowered Nathan down onto the platform before the aura around his body disappeared and she descended herself. Once she landed, Nathan turned his attention to his parked diesel sitting over in the siding. If he was to go help Steamer and the rest of his friends, he would have to go 30 miles in reverse as the front of 1506 was facing the opposite direction.

"Well old girl." Nathan thought as he started walking toward his engine. "Lets show these ponies some true American horsepower."

"I can't wait to finally see this move!" Twilight enthusiastically said as she walked alongside him. "Well, under its own power that is. I'm sure you must be excited as well."

"You got that right." He replied. "Although I'm pretty sure that taking this engine out onto the main line is illegal since I have no idea who owns this track."

"Don't worry." Twilight replied. "This is an emergency. Your engine is the closest and we're already here. I'll talk to anypony from the Equestrian National Railroad if they come here."

"Equestrian National Railroad?"

"Yes." Twilight replied. "One railroad that spans across all of Equestria."

"Huh." He said. "I've never seen that before. Back home, we had at least five major railroads along with hundreds of smaller local ones."

"Yeah." Twilight replied again. "We used to have four major ones here. But they all agreed to form one giant company instead of trying to compete with one another."

"I see." The human said as he grabbed onto the railing of the back steps before climbing aboard. Twilight looked on from the ground as Nathan walked along the metal walkway until he stopped at the cab. "Wanna come inside?"

"Sure!" Twilight replied in an excited tone before her horn lit up. In a burst of magic, she disappeared only to reappear on the walkway not even a second later. "So how do you start something like this?" She asked as they both entered the cab.

"It's a long story." He replied. "I'll explain it to you when we have more time. But right now, I need to get this beast up and running." After saying that, Nathan went and sat down in his chair. "Wish I had a flashlight or something." He said as he struggled to see which controls were for what. "Can't really see what I need to see."

"I can help with that." Twilight replied. Nathan was just about to ask as to how before her horn began to glow in a purple light.

"Thanks Twi." He said before he looked back over at his controls, now being able to see the various gauges and buttons. He then leaned over and flipped a switch that was labelled 'Engine Run'. Once finished with that, he walked over to the back of the cab and opened up a small door that covered a switchboard containing many different controls. Twilight watched as the human flipped many switches before she saw the gauges on the panel light up along with the rest of the cab. Seeing this, she cut off her magic since it was no longer needed. "I'll be right back, Twilight." Nathan said as he closed the panel door.

"Where are you going?"

"Outside." He replied. "Gotta start her up out there." After saying that, Nathan placed his hand on the door handle and opened the door. "You might wanna cover your ears though." He said. "This old girl likes to growl when she gets woken up from a nap."

"Oh uhh.... okay." She said before watching Nathan disappear outside. As soon as the door closed again, Twilight decided to hop up and sit down on the conductor's seat before she heard the sound of metal banging against metal along with a few words that she had never heard. After a minute or so, Twilight felt the entire machine begin to vibrate as she started hearing a loud noise coming from outside. "Wow." She thought as the cab door opened and Nathan walked back in. "He wasn't lying about the whole growling thing."

"Sorry if you heard what I said out there." He said as he sat down in his seat. "Kinda slipped out."

"Was it something I shouldn't repeat?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah." He replied as he started turning a few switches, making the lights outside come on. "I try not to talk like that. But those words just slip out so easily. Whatever you do, do not repeat what you heard." After saying this, Nathan noticed that the noise his engine was making had attracted a large crowd as he saw multiple ponies standing on the platform.

"Looks like this thing has attracted quite the crowd." Twilight said as Nathan made absolutely sure that his brakes were functional. When he moved the brake lever, he breathed a massive sigh of relief when he saw the needles in the brake gauge move back and forth with the position of the lever.

"Remind me to thank Discord after this is all taken care of." He said, making Twilight look at him with a confused look.

"Uhh... okay....?" She replied before Nathan released the brakes.

"Sorry if this scares ya'll." He thought as he looked at the crowd while his hand gripped the whistle lever before he pulled down on it three times, sounding three short blasts from the horn. To his surprise though, the ponies on the platform didn't react as he was expecting and only flinched a little at the sound. "Before we get moving..." He said, looking over toward Twilight. "Do you know the speed limit on this track?"

"Unfortunately, I don't." She replied.

"Guess we'll just have to take it slow then." He said as he pushed the reverser lever into the 'reverse' position. "Oh!" He said before putting the brakes back on. "I can't believe I forgot to throw the switch."

"What?" Twilight asked.

"I need to switch the track." He replied before pointing to the switch at the end of the siding. "If I try going over it now, this could possibly derail or even destroy the switch."

"I'll take care of it." Twilight said before her horn lit up again. Nathan watched as her magic enveloped the switch handle before it moved up. "There we go."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Nathan asked, making Twilight blush a little before he released the brakes once again. Three more blasts from the horn rang out across the small town before Nathan moved the throttle into the first notch, making 1506 begin to move on its own for the first time since coming here as it started backing up toward the main line. "Time to go to work, old girl." He thought as the diesel started moving onto the other track. After clearing the switch, Twilight used her magic to move it back to the position it was originally in. Nathan then pushed the throttle into the second notch, giving the engine a bit more power.

"I think we can go a little faster than this." Twilight said, prompting Nathan to look at his speedometer.

"You may be right." He replied after seeing the engine was only doing roughly 25 mph. He then moved the throttle up another two notches, making the locomotive lurch back as it started to pick up more speed. "I'll leave it here for now." He said after seeing that they were now doing 40 mph. "We'll be back there soon." Twilight nodded in response as she turned to look out her window as 1506 made it's way out of Ponyville and into the countryside.

"You sure that Nathan's contraption can pull this whole train?" Rarity asked as she sat in her seat.

"If he said it could, then I have no reason to think otherwise." Applejack replied. "Especially considering how heavy it is since Twilight struggled to move it. Gotta be pretty strong just to move on its own."

"I can't wait to see that thing in action!" Pinkie Pie said before she started bouncing on her seat. "I bet it'll have no trouble pulling us."

"Come on! Push like you're being paid to! Which in this case, you are!" Steamer's voice called out from outside. This made everypony except for Sunset move to the side of the car where the voice came from. "We need to get this loaded before Princess Twilight and Nathan get back here." From inside, the group watched as Steamer and the conductor were struggling to move the cowcatcher from the front of the engine on a small cart toward the back of the train.

"Don't you think we should go and help them?" Fluttershy asked. "They seem to be having trouble with that."

"We can't." Applejack replied. "Steamer told us not to."

Rainbow Dash groaned as soon as she heard what her friend said. "I'm so bored!" She said as she hovered just above her seat. "I can't just sit around and wait for Twilight and Nathan to come back."

"Not like we have much choice, Rainbow." Rarity replied. "I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"I hope so." The cyan pegasus replied. "I don't wanna stay cooped up in here for much longer."

"That makes two of us." Sunset replied in thought as she watched the rest of them from her seat. Ever since Nathan had left with Twilight, the gold unicorn mare hadn't moved an inch, choosing to stay by herself in the back of the coach. But instead of just looking out her window all the time, Sunset had glanced at the group of ponies as they talked about this locomotive that her roommate was living in. But even though they were friends with the Princess of Friendship, none of them decided to at least try and make a conversation with her. Then again, it wasn't like she was making any effort herself.

The only one who seemed to genuinely care about her was out getting the means to which she could escape from this situation. But why is that? Why does the only human in Equestria seem to care about her? Does he really want to try and be her friend? Or is he doing all of this out of pity?

These questions and more swirled around inside her head as she continued looking at the loudmouthed pegasus as she continued to complain to the farm pony about being forced to remain inside the small coach. But soon, Sunset would have a chance to escape. As soon as the human returned, Sunset would make it her personal mission to ride with him in his engine. A mission that she had no intention on failing.

"I really think we should put that empty car behind the engine from now on..." The conductor's voice said from outside, making Sunset look out her window as he and Steamer passed by her coach again. Both of them looked completely spent from moving the cowcatcher.

"I agree with you on that." Steamer replied. "I'll be sure to talk to Mr. Spike about it when we see him." The conductor opened his mouth to reply, but an unfamiliar sound cut off his response.

"My ticket out of here has finally come." The gold unicorn thought as Rainbow Dash and the rest of the ponies instantly gathered themselves at the window to try and get a view of what was going on.

"Easy does it, Nathan." Twilight said as she and the human looked on from the cab as 1506 slowed down until it was just a few feet away from the front of the Friendship Express.

"Alright." The human replied as he put the brakes on. "Lets get coupled up and be on our way." After saying that, he got out of his chair and opened the cab door before stepping out with Twilight following close behind. As they walked on the metal walkway, the noise coming from the now idling engine made the little alicorn shake a little as she passed by before they came up to the back of the engine. Steamer was already waiting for them at the front of his locomotive as he pointed to a metal bar with a loop on the end that was bolted onto the front of the pink steam engine where the cowcatcher once was.

"All set and ready to go!" Steamer called out over the sound of the diesel engine.

"What the heck is that?!" Nathan called back while pointing at the metal bar. "Where's your coupler?!"

"You're looking at it!" The earth pony yelled in response before pointing his hoof at the bar again.

"I can't hook up to that!" Nathan said. "My coupler isn't the same!"

"Nathan!" Twilight yelled, gaining his attention. "Could you turn this off for now so we don't have to yell?!"

"Sure!" He replied before walking back to the cab. Not even five seconds after walking inside, the large diesel engine was shut down.

"Thank you." The little alicorn said as he walked back to where he was.

"So how exactly are we going to fix this?" Steamer asked. "Your coupler is much bigger than mine."

"I'm not sure." The human replied before he turned his attention to Twilight. "You got anything?"

"I'm not sure either." She said. "I could maybe try and adjust your's to match up with Steamer's."

"Worth a shot." He replied before Twilight's horn started glowing again. Both Steamer and Nathan looked on as Twilight's magic enveloped the rear coupler of 1506. The little alicorn grunted and groaned as she tried to transform it into a matching counterpart of the one bolted to the front of the steam engine. After a few minutes though, Twilight's magic dissipated, leaving the coupler as it originally was.

"I can't do it." She said, panting slightly from her effort. "That thing must be made of something that can't change shape."

"Good ol' American steel." The human thought as he looked at the coupler, trying to figure out a way to solve this.

"Well can we just take it off then?" Steamer asked. "We have the matching coupler stored in the cab as a spare."

"I don't have the tools needed to take it off." The human replied. "But then again, I don't think we need to. Go and get this other coupler." Steamer nodded his head and walked back toward his engine just as Sunset, Rarity, and the rest of Twilight's friends walked up. Each of them just stared in amazement at the size of the diesel locomotive when comparing it to the size of the steam engine.

"Woah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she looked on. "That thing is strange looking when compared to our train!"

"It certainly looks that way." Rarity replied. "Though I never thought I'd be this impressed by a machine."

"Ya'll ain't seen nothing yet." Nathan said. "Just wait until you see the power that this old girl has." After he said that, he noticed Sunset walk over until she stopped just beside him.

"Could I maybe ride with you in this?" She asked while placing her hoof against the diesel. "You know. Just to get comfortable with what I'll be sleeping in."

"I don't see why not." He replied, making him see something he never saw before. That being a smile on Sunset's face. "Just remember what I said earlier though. Don't expect to be sleeping on a bed or anything." The gold unicorn just nodded her head as she turned and hopped up on the back steps of the diesel.

"So when will we get moving?"

"As soon as we get this situation solved." He replied as he saw Steamer dragging another metal bar across the dirt and grass. This one had a part that split out in a fork-like way with loops on both ends. "But I think I know how we can fix this. At least until we get back to Ponyville."

"How?" Twilight asked as she grabbed hold of the bar that Steamer had dragged with her magic.

"Well, it's a bit of a gamble here." Nathan replied before he grabbed hold of the knuckle of the coupler and pulled it open as far as he could. "Okay. Now Twilight. I want you to position the end of the bar right here." He said before pointing at a specific point in the middle of the coupler. The alicorn did as she was directed and moved the bar into position. "Stop. That's perfect. Keep it there."

"Now what?" She asked.

"Well I was gonna ask you something." He replied. "But it looks like you'll be too busy keeping that bar in place." As he looked at the bar, the human was thinking that a welding torch would be extremely helpful right about now. "Don't think these ponies would have one though." He thought before he looked over at Rarity. "Don't suppose you know how to weld. Do you?"

"Whatever do you mean, darling?" The white unicorn asked.

"Do you know how to make it so that these things..." He said while pointing at the coupler and the bar. "are fused together?"

"I'm afraid not." Rarity replied. "I don't know any fusion spells. That's advanced level magic." Nathan sighed a little after hearing this.

"I... might know one." Sunset's voice said from behind him. "Its been a long time since I last did it. But if it'll get us moving, then I'll do it." The human proceeded to turn around and look up at Sunset who was looking at where the two items were touching. He looked on as her horn began to glow before noticing a turquoise colored aura envelop the rear coupler and the end of the metal bar that was touching it. His eyes widened as the end of the bar started to fuse with the massive piece of steel before both Sunset's and Twilight's respective auras vanished. "There." She said. "That should do it."

Nathan and Steamer looked at each other before the human walked up to the newly adjusted coupler. He brought his fist down against the bar to test the strength, only to find that it felt solid. He chuckled a little before he looked up at Sunset and nodded.

"Great job." He said, making Sunset smirk a bit. "Same to you, Twilight." He continued. "Great work."

"Thank you." Twilight replied. "But as nice as it is being out in the countryside, I think it's best that we get going. I don't think we can stay here all night."

"Of course." The human said before climbing back onto his diesel. "Stand clear from the tracks every....pony." He said, still struggling from years of saying it otherwise. The ponies around the track did as they were told and stepped a few feet away as Nathan went through the process of bringing the massive diesel engine back to life. As he was doing this, Sunset had decided to enter the cab and see exactly where she would be sleeping.

"Well..." She thought as she looked at the two mounted chairs. "Can't say he didn't warn me." She then proceeded over to the chair that wasn't surrounded by controls and gauges and hopped up onto it just as the massive motor roared to life once more, causing the entire locomotive to vibrate. "Sweet Celestia!" She thought before Nathan stepped into the cab and took his seat on the other side of the cab. He laughed slightly at the surprised look on Sunset's face.

"Bet you weren't expecting that!" He called out over the noise of the engine. Sunset merely shook her head as the human released the brakes, making the air hiss out before he started moving the locomotive back. His gaze though was fixated on Twilight who had volunteered to be his guide for the hook-up. As 1506 inched backward, Twilight kept gesturing with her hoof to keep going until she quickly pointed it up, signalling for him to stop. At the sight of this, Nathan applied his brakes as quick as he could, bringing the locomotive to a halt. "I'll be right back!" The human called out to Sunset before he exited the cab once again.

As he walked on the walkway again, Nathan saw Twilight holding what looked like a large metal bolt in her magic before she began lowering it into position between the three loops. "I still don't understand how this seems to be the standard coupling system." He thought as he jumped down onto the grass just as Twilight had finished putting the bolt in. "Then again, I'm sure there's plenty of other things that'll confuse me in this world."

"That should.... do it!" Steamer called to him as he slid a pin through a drilled hole in the bottom of the bolt. "Alright everypony! Get back on board so we can get out of here!"

All of the ponies nodded in response before they all turned around and started walking back to their coach.

"Guess I'll go and head back to my seat!" Twilight called out as Nathan climbed back on board the diesel. He just nodded before Twilight jumped down and began making her way back to the coach with the rest of her friends. The human then made his way back inside his cab and found Sunset looking at the various gauges and controls. The sound of Nathan closing the cab door startled the little unicorn before she looked back at him.

"Might wanna take your seat, Sunset." He said. "We're about to get moving."

"Alright." She replied before walking back over to her seat. As she hopped back up on her seat, Nathan took his seat and opened the window to his right. Once it was completely open, he stuck his head out and looked back toward the pink engine. A few seconds passed before the human saw Steamer lean his head out of the cab before he signaled with his hoof to start the pull. Nathan nodded before pulling his head back inside.

"Alright old girl." He thought as he released the brakes for hopefully the last time until they reached Ponyville. "Lets show these ponies what the power of diesel can do." As he thought this, Nathan pushed the reverser handle into the 'forward' position before he gripped the throttle with one hand and the whistle lever with the other. Pulling down on the wooden handle, Nathan let two long blasts of the horn ring out across the countryside before he moved the throttle into the first notch. 1506 shuddered before it started to move forward, slowly beginning to pull the load behind it. Once he was sure the whole train was in motion, Nathan moved the throttle into the second notch, allowing the engine to pick up more speed.

"Next stop: Ponyville!" Nathan called out as the train continued to move through the dark countryside.

Chapter Twelve: The First Night

"I can't believe how loud this thing is!" Sunset called out over the sound of 1506's massive engine as the diesel continued to make its way toward Ponyville with the disabled Friendship Express in tow. "How are you not deaf from this?!"

"What?" Nathan replied.

"I said how are you not deaf?!" Sunset repeated a bit louder

"Just kidding!" The human replied. "When you've been around these things for as long as I have, you get used to the noise!" After hearing that, Sunset just turned her head to look forward while doing her best to keep the noise from giving her a headache. Nathan looked over and saw that the noise was getting to the gold unicorn."I may have something that can help you though!" He yelled, gaining her attention again. When she looked at the human again, she saw that he was holding his hand out to her with some strange little things in it.

"What are those?!" She asked while taking two of them with her magic.

"Earplugs!"

Upon hearing this, Sunset immediately tried to put them into her ears, but found that they were too small for them. "These won't work for my ears! They're too small!" She said, making the human look at her before he rubbed his chin for a little bit. He then snapped his fingers before he leaned forward and grabbed something else for her to try. They looked like earmuffs, but they didn't have any cloth padding. They appeared to have rubber pads instead.

"Try these then!" He said, prompting Sunset to take them from him and place them over her ears. To her surprise, this actually worked as she couldn't hear a thing now. To show that these were working for her, Sunset smiled and nodded her head. This made Nathan smile too before he turned his head back to look out at the track ahead.

"Why would he be doing all of this for me?" Sunset thought as she looked at him for a bit before she turned her head back to look out the front window. "Maybe he really isn't doing this out of pity.... Maybe... he actually is trying to be my friend." As the train continued on, her eyes shifted back and forth between looking at the track in front and the human who had spared her from getting a migraine. No one had been this nice to her in quite a long time. Not since Princess Celestia had taken her in from the orphanage as her pupil.

An hour had quickly gone by before Ponyville began to come into view. As soon as Nathan could see the familiar buildings coming up, he started to ease the brakes on, not knowing how the rest of the train would react if he tried stopping the normal way.

"At least it isn't too late." Sunset said as she took off her ear protectors. "What is this thing? I would've had a major headache if you didn't give this to me."

"Earguards." Nathan replied as he continued to slow the train down on approach to Ponyville Station. "My friend back home gave that to me on my first day as an engineer. It helped me out big time." After saying that, he grabbed the whistle lever and pulled down on it twice, sending two long blasts from 1506's horn across Ponyville before the train slowly rolled by the station before coming to a halt. Once fully stopped, Nathan and Sunset exited the cab as the rest of the ponies disembarked as well. Sunset walked to the rear platform of the diesel, leaving the human to shut down the engine before joining her.

As the human and the gold unicorn stepped onto the platform, a crowd of ponies with cameras began to swarm around them, the bright flashes from the cameras blinding both of them as numerous questions were asked in regards of what happened. The noise of all of the different voices and flashes were just getting to both of them until the entire crowd was engulfed in a purple aura of magic.

"Quiet!" Twilight's voice cried out from behind the crowd before all eyes were glued on the little alicorn as she walked over to Nathan's side. Each pony contained in the aura looked at each other before they all nodded their heads. "Thank you." She said before cutting off her magic, allowing the crowd to step back from them. "Now before you all start up again..." Twilight went on to say. "I need to know something first."

"What's that?" A pony in the crowd asked.

"Is anypony here a representative of the Equestrian National Railroad?"

The ponies gathered on the platform all whispered to one another for a few moments. Twilight looked at both Nathan and Sunset before somepony cleared their throat, gaining all of their respective attention.

"I believe you must be looking for me." A dark brown colored earth pony with a yellow mane said as he separated himself from the crowd.

"And who might you be?" Twilight asked as the stallion stopped just a few feet in front of them.

"My name is Gold Spike." He said before bowing in front of the purple alicorn. "Chairpony and CEO of the Equestrian National Railroad." Twilight immediately looked up at Nathan as Gold got back up again. "I must say that this is quite the coincidence." He said. "I had just arrived in town not that long ago for a meeting with a pony named Applejack tomorrow morning."

"Mr. Spike!" Steamer's voice called out as he rushed over to them. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Hello there." Gold said as Steamer stopped next to Sunset. "I'm terribly sorry. But could you refresh my memory as to who you are?"

"My name is Steamer, sir." He replied. "I drive the Friendship Express."

"Ah yes." Gold said. "So... Could you care to explain to me as to what exactly is the reason behind one of my trains having to be pulled here by this umm....." He paused as he tried to make out what the massive steel object was in front of him.

"Engine." Nathan's voice said.

"Thank you." Gold said before turning his attention to the source of the response. His pupils shrank as he stepped back slightly before slowly coming close again. "And who or what exactly are you?"

"Nathan Bridgeport." He replied. "I'm a human from another world that now lives here in Equestria."

"I see." Gold said as he rubbed his front hoof under his muzzle. He then turned his attention back to Steamer. "So are you going to answer my question?"

"Oh! Right." Steamer said before clearing his throat. "Well we weren't really given any coal up in Canterlot because they gave the last of it to the train that was going to get more from the mines. But I didn't want to keep the passengers waiting. So I uhh... tried to... get here on what I had."

"Well clearly it wasn't enough." Gold said. "That was a very foolish and unprofessional decision you made."

"I know." He said before letting out a sigh. "I guess this means I'm fired. Right?"

Gold just stared at Steamer as he rubbed his hoof under his muzzle again. "I should fire you right here right now." Gold said, making Steamer gulp in response. "But... I'm not going to do that." This made the engineer pony's eyes light up when he heard that. "The reason why is because we are short on engineers right now." He continued. "Firing you right now would only cripple this company even more. So instead, I'm placing you on probation for a month. Screw up again during that time and you won't be so lucky as you are now."

"Oh thank you sir!" Steamer exclaimed in relief of not losing his job. "I promise never to mess up this badly again."

"Good." Gold replied before looking back at Nathan. "So you say this thing is an engine?" He asked as he slowly stepped close to the parked diesel. "Where are the pistons and the connecting rods?"

This made Nathan chuckle a bit before he cleared his throat. "This isn't a steam engine." He said. "This is a diesel locomotive."

"Diesel?" Gold asked. "What does that mean?"

"Well..." Nathan began as he walked over to the fuel tank. "Instead of running on coal like this train over there." He emphasized this by pointing at the pink steam engine still coupled to the back. "This runs on diesel fuel." After saying that, he gently tapped the giant tank a few times.

"I've never heard of this before." Gold said while continuing to look at the diesel. "But clearly your engine must be strong if it can pull an entire train, plus the engine itself, with no trouble at all. How strong exactly is it?"

"This old girl has a 3,000 horsepower engine, capable of pulling quite a lot of weight by herself."

"Horse....power." Gold said. "You mean to say that this thing is as strong as three thousand ponies?"

"Well..... I'm not so sure about that. It's actually a really complicated math problem." He replied. "But she is pretty strong to say the least."

"Hmm...." Gold said as he looked at the massive object. "Well perhaps you and I have much more to discuss. But I don't really believe that this is the best time or place. Perhaps we could meet again sometime later on this week."

"Sure." Nathan replied.

"Good. Now if you all will excuse me. I must return to my motel room so I won't be exhausted when I'll be meeting with the Apple family in the morning."

"But Mr. Spike. Applejack is right here." Twilight said as she pointed to her friend. "You could talk to her now if you wanted to."

"I would, Princess Sparkle." Gold replied. "But I am very tired from my long trip here from Manehattan." He then turned to look at Applejack. "I'm afraid it'll have to wait until after I've gotten a good night's rest."

"That'll be fine." Applejack said before yawning herself. "I'm plum tuckered out as well. I'll see you in the morning. You know where to find me." Gold simply nodded his head as a response before he turned and walked away.

"So...." Steamer said as soon as he could no longer see his employer. "What exactly are we gonna do about my train?"

"Don't worry." Nathan replied before turning to his friend. "I'll pull it to the closest rail yard and we'll leave it there. How far would that be?"

"There is one just a few miles outside of Ponyville." Steamer replied. "We'll just have to leave it there and I can get more coal in the morning."

"Sounds good to me." Nathan replied.

"You guys be careful now." Twilight said as Nathan and Steamer climbed back onto their respective engines. She then let out a yawn before she could speak again. "We'll be going back to our homes now for some sleep."

"Alright." Nathan said as he watched Sunset climb back on board the diesel. As soon as she came up next to him on the walkway, he handed her the earguards again. Sunset smiled as she took them with her magic before placing them over her ears again. Once she did this, Nathan gave her a thumbs up before allowing her to go by him and into the cab. Once she was in, he brought the engine back to life. Minutes later, Nathan let out two quick blasts of 1506's horn before he released the brakes and set off with the Friendship Express in tow.

An hour had passed until Nathan, Sunset, and 1506 had arrived back into Ponyville after taking care of Steamer and his train. As the diesel rolled over the switch, Sunset used her magic to move the lever, just as Twilight had done, so the human could park the giant diesel in the siding again. Once this was finished, Sunset moved the lever back as Nathan shut the engine down for hopefully the final time that night.

"Well." Nathan said after Sunset had taken off her earguards. "I think it's time we got some sleep now."

"Yeah." She replied. "I wasn't really expecting all of this to happen."

"Me neither." The human replied. "But at least I now know that this old girl is still in good working order." He then paused as he looked at the fuel gauge. It was now between the full mark and the three quarters mark. "But if I don't find something that she can run on here, she'll eventually stop working."

"Hmm..." Sunset said. "What exactly is this diesel fuel anyways?"

"It's basically a special type of oil."

"Oil..." The unicorn said as she thought about possible alternatives. A few minutes of silence passed as both of them tried to think of what else 1506 could run on. "I think I may have a solution."

"What would that be?"

"Is it possible that this machine could run on the oil that can be produced from black oil sunflowers?" This made Nathan's eyes shoot wide open before immediately looking at the unicorn.

"Of course!" He exclaimed. "The oil from the sunflower seeds could be turned into something called biodiesel. This can definitely run on that. Do any of those flowers exist in this world?"

"Think so." Sunset replied. "But I'm no expert on flowers so I can't say for sure if they do or even where they are."

"Darn." He said. "Guess I'll have to ask Twilight about it when I see her again tomorrow."

"Yeah." Sunset said before yawning. "But I think it's time we get some sleep."

A yawn escaped from Nathan's mouth before he could reply. "I'd say so too." He said before leaning the back of his seat down. Instead of getting back up into her chair though, Sunset decided to just lay down on the floor of the cab before another yawn escaped her mouth. "You gonna be alright sleeping down there?" Nathan asked as he looked over at her.

"Yeah." She replied. "This may not be as comfortable as a bed. But I've definitely slept on worse things."

"Alright then."

"One thing though before I forget to ask." She said, making the human look back over at her. "What was it like back in your world?"

"That answer will have to wait until morning, Sunset." He replied before returning his gaze to the cab roof. His eyes soon started to close as he placed his hands behind his head. "It would take a long time to explain what it was like back home."

"Well.... did you have a family back there?"

"Of course I did."

Sunset sighed a little after hearing that. "Lucky. I never really got to know my parents. Only way I've gotten to know their names is from my birth certificate." She then looked over at Nathan as he laid back in his chair. "But I'm guessing your parents must be very sad right now since you're not there anymore." This made Nathan's eyes open very quickly only for them to slowly look in the opposite direction of where Sunset was.

"Yeah....." Nathan said. "I'm sure they would be."

This confused Sunset as she immediately looked at the human. "Would be?" She asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well....." He replied. "The last time my parents and I talked to each other was.... almost 10 years ago."

Sunset's eyes immediately lit up as soon as she heard that. "How is that possible?" She asked. "Do you even know where they are?"

Nathan just shook his head in response. "Yeah. I know exactly where they are."

"Where?"

All the human did as a response was sigh for a bit before slowly raising his arm to open the window beside him. Sunset looked on as he stuck his arm out the window before pointing straight up into the night sky. This action confused Sunset for a bit.

"What exactly is he trying to say?" She thought as Nathan continued to leave his finger pointing up at the sky. But soon, her mind finally caught on as to what he was trying to tell her. "Sweet Celestia...." She said as he pulled his arm back into the cab before closing the window. "You mean to tell me that your parents are...."

Nathan just nodded his head in response.

"H-how?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." He replied. "It's something that I've kept locked inside ever since it happened."

"Oh." She said. "Well.... I understand then." A minute or so of awkward silence passed before she spoke again. "But I suppose if you're willing to listen to me blab on about my past, the least I can do is listen as you talk about yours."

"Thanks." He replied. "Maybe when everything settles down, we'll talk about it."

"Okay." She said while slowly nodding her head. "Well. Good night then."

"Good night Sunset." He replied. And with that said, both of them set off on their own paths to dream land.

Author's Note

What's up everypony?

So yeah. My apologies for there being a bit of a delay in the making of this chapter. I've just been trying to figure out what to write, what not to write, blah blah etc.... But I'm just going to say this now. I don't plan on ever letting this story fall into the realm of unfinished stories. Even if the space between chapters is a bit long, just know that it's only because I'm either having trouble with what to touch on, being busy with work, or just not having the creative drive to write.

Hopefully, that will end soon. But I'm not making any promises. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. It was a really difficult one to make despite it just being over 3,000 words. The next one will be longer.

Harms Way

Chapter Thirteen: Important Discussions

"So tell me again why you dragged us away from catching up on some sleep again." Nathan said before yawning as he, Sunset, Applejack, and Twilight walked through town on their way out to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Because Mr. Spike wanted to personally speak with you about something." Twilight replied. "Also, Applejack wanted to give you and Sunset something to have for breakfast since you can't cook anything in your locomotive." Nathan opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by the loud grumbling of his own stomach. Looking down toward it, he then turned his attention to the earth pony walking right beside him.

"Thank you, Applejack." He said, making her smile. "I appreciate that gesture very much. And I'm sure that Sunset does as well." After saying that, he looked to the gold colored unicorn on his left. "Right, Sunset?"

"Huh?" She asked in a tone that sounded like she was still half asleep. "Oh yeah. Sure."

"And once we get done with breakfast and your talk, we can finally get you your own house here in Ponyville!" Twilight exclaimed, making other ponies around the area look at her with weird expressions on their faces. Twilight noticed this as soon, her cheeks started to turn a shade of red. Meanwhile, Nathan noticed a pony, a light brown colored earth pony stallion, pulling a large cart filled with all kinds of supplies ranging from blankets and pillows, to firewood, pots, and pans.

"Going camping or something?" He asked, making the stallion stop in his tracks before looking at him.

"No. Or I should say not yet at least." He replied. "Just getting an early start on preparing for the heat."

"The heat?" The human asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." He replied before beginning to move again. "I'd talk some more, but I have more supplies to get a hold of." With that said, he went off in the opposite direction of where the human and his friends were going. Nathan looked on in confusion as he watched the pony turn a corner before disappearing behind a shop.

"You alright, Nathan?" Applejack asked after looking up to see his facial expression. "You look confused."

"Yeah." He replied. "I've just never seen anyone prepare for heat the way that pony's doing."

"Really?" She asked before looking at Twilight. She then looked back up at him with a curious look on her face. "How do ya prepare for it then?"

"Well back home, I'd just wear a light t-shirt and some shorts if it was going to be hot outside. Not get a bunch of camping supplies." As soon as he got done talking, he could hear the ponies around him, even Sunset, chuckling softly. "Uh.... what's so funny?"

"I think we're going to need to have a talk later on, Nathan." Twilight replied. "Something I think you're gonna want to know."

"About what?"

"You'll find out soon enough. It's something that we can't really speak of out here. We'll talk at the library."

"Uh..... okay then...." He replied as his mind wondered just what exactly could "heat" mean in this world other than being hot. He did this throughout the journey to Sweet Apple Acres, but couldn't come up with any different meaning. "What the hell are these ponies talking about then?" He thought as the group walked up to the house.

"Hope ya'll are hungry." Applejack said before opening the door, revealing a table filled with plates of pancakes along with mugs of apple cider. Sitting at the table were four ponies. One of them Nathan recognized as Mr. Spike. The others consisted of a large red stallion with an orange mane, an light green elderly looking mare with a white mane, and the little yellow mare with a red mane that was with Applejack on the day that he arrived in Equestria. "Nathan and Sunset." Applejack said before pointing her hoof at them. "I'd like to introduce you to Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applebloom."

"Nice to meet ya'll." He replied as the group sat down at the table.

"Everypony." She continued before pointing at him. "This is the human that I've been telling ya'll about. Nathan Bridgeport."

"So that's his name?" Applebloom asked, only for him to nod his head to confirm. "I've been wonderin' what it was since we found him."

"And who's that little unicorn here?" Granny Smith asked before pointing at Sunset.

"That's Sunset Shimmer." Applejack replied. "She's Nathan's roommate."

"New mate?" She asked just as Sunset decided to start drinking her cider, only for her to spit it out all over the human's face just as he was about to drink his cider. "Now Applejack. You know we shouldn't be talkin' bout that kind of stuff at the table, especially in front of Applebloom."

"Roommate Granny." She replied. "Room mate!"

"Oh." The elderly pony said. "Well they do look nice together anyways."

"Not helping, Granny." Applejack said through gritted teeth as she looked at the human. The spray from Sunset's mouth covered his face and it looked like some of it even got into his mouth. Each pony at the table looked on with widened eyes, especially Sunset with her now crimson shaded cheeks, as Nathan simply reached up with his hand and wiped his face off.

"I'm sorry." Sunset quickly said as he shook his hand dry of any excess mixture of unicorn saliva and apple cider. "I didn't mean to do that."

"You're fine, Sunset." He replied, making her sigh in relief.

"So uh..... Mr. Bridgeport." Gold Spike said, making the human look at him. "I believe we have a situation here that you and your machine might be able to solve."

"Oh really?" He asked before taking a bite out of his pancakes. He then chewed for a few seconds before swallowing. "And what exactly would that be?"

"Well...." He began. "It would seem that Applejack and her family here have just finished harvesting the last of their apples and stored them in these preservation boxes."

"Go on."

"According to their counts, they've managed to fill roughly a thousand of these boxes." He continued to say. "And our boxcars can only hold at the most.... twenty. So we're going to need fifty of them for their delivery to Manehattan."

"And let me guess." Nathan said as Gold took a sip from his mug. "None of your engines can pull a train that long?" The earth pony just shook his head in response. "I see."

"So that is why I have asked to speak with you." He said. "If you are willing, I would like for you and your machine to pull the train.... as your first task as a certified engineer of the Equestrian National Railroad." After hearing that, Nathan's jaw dropped as the ponies around him just looked on.

"A job?" He asked. "You're offering me a job?"

"Indeed I am." Gold replied. "Like I said last night, we are short staffed on engineers. So it would make sense that I try to hire the creature who knows how to run this powerful machine. So what do you say?"

Nathan looked around at his friends, each of them were smiling and nodding their heads in approval of the idea. He then looked over at Sunset. "What do you think, Sunset?" He asked.

"I say go for it." She replied. "It's a job at least. Plus you've clearly got the skills needed for it." Hearing this made Nathan smile before looking back at Gold.

"Then I guess it's a yes." Nathan replied, making Gold smile brightly. "But under one condition."

"Name it." Gold replied.

"1506 stays painted the way she is." He said. "I don't want to see her painted pink like your steam engines are." This response made Gold chuckle a bit.

"I suppose I can agree to your terms." He replied. "Especially since it is your locomotive." He then took another sip out of his mug. "Well now with that out of the way, I will need for you to stop by my office in Manehattan to sign your contract."

"Sure thing." Nathan replied. "I'll head out there as soon as I get everything that needs to be taken care of here done first."

"Splendid." Gold said before getting out of his chair and walking over beside him. "Then with a gentlecolt's agreement, I will see you in Manehattan." He said while extending his hoof out toward him. Nathan smiled before shaking it with his hand.

"See you there." He replied. Gold smiled again before turning his head to look at Applejack.

"Thank you for the lovely breakfast." He said. "It sure beats what I had planned."

"Anytime." Applejack replied. With that said, Gold simply smiled before turning and walking out the door. As soon as it closed, Nathan cleared his throat.

"So uh....." He said. "Where is this place called Manehattan?" This question made each of his friends chuckle before Twilight made a map appear in a flash of magic.

"This is Ponyville." She said while pointing her hoof toward a small dot on the map. Nathan proceeded to look on as her hoof slowly made its way toward the right side of the map before stopping just before it went into the blue part. "And this is Manehattan."

"That's quite the journey." Nathan replied as he looked at the map. "It's gonna take a lot of fuel just to get there and back."

"Well what does your machine run on?"

"Diesel fuel." He replied before taking another bite out of his pancakes. "But maybe you can help me with something."

"What's that?"

"Well, this was actually an idea that Sunset thought of." He said, making Sunset smile in the process. "Do you know where any black oil sunflowers grow?" Twilight paused as she thought it over for a few minutes as Nathan finished off the rest of his apple cider.

"Not off the top of my head, no." She replied. "I'd have to go back and look in the library for something that would tell me."

"I see."

"In fact...." She said. "That would also be the perfect opportunity to explain what we were discussing earlier."

"You mean heat?" He asked, only for Twilight to nod before getting up and walking toward the door.

"Let's get going, you two." She said while motioning for Nathan and Sunset to follow.

"Do I have to?" Sunset groaned. "Can't I just go back to his train and sleep some more?"

"I don't see why not." Nathan replied, making a smile appear on her face again. "I'm sure that this talk shouldn't last long."

"Thank you." Sunset replied before she got out of her chair and disappeared in a flash of turquoise colored magic. Twilight sighed a bit after she disappeared before looking up at Nathan as he walked up to her.

"How are you getting along with her so well?" She asked. "It's like she doesn't really want to spend any time with the rest of us."

"Give her time, Twi." He replied. "She's actually pretty nice once you get to know her."

"If you say so." The little alicorn replied as the two walked outside before she turned her head to look back. "Thanks for breakfast, Applejack!"

"You're welcome, Twi!" Applejack called back. "I'll meet ya'll back in town once I get the chores for today taken care of."

"Alright!" She replied before turning to look at Nathan. "Well. Seeing as how it's just the two of us now, how about we take a shortcut back to my house."

"Shortcut?" Nathan asked before watching Twilight's horn light up in her purple colored magic. Before he could even blink, both of them were suddenly inside what looked like a library, only with shelves carved into the wooden walls and a stairway leading up to what looked like a bedroom.

"Welcome to the Golden Oak Library." Twilight proudly said. "Also known as my home here in Ponyville."

"Looks nice." He replied while watching the purple pony look around the various bookshelves, occasionally taking flight to check the ones on the top shelves.

"Let's see...." She said as she looked through each shelf. "Where did I put that book?" As she continued searching, Nathan remembered her little dragon friend lives here too. Looking around though, the little one was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's that little dragon of yours?" He asked, making Twilight suspend her search momentarily.

"Spike?" She replied before going back to searching. "He's over at Rarity's place."

"I see." The human replied.

"Ah ha!" Twilight exclaimed before pulling a book off of the shelf with her magic. "This will explain the concept of heat for you, Nathan."

"This must be a pretty important topic." He replied as Twilight landed in front of him with the book still being held in her magical grasp.

"Yes." She said. "Yes it is." She then laid the book down on a table. "Have you heard about a thing called the estrus cycle?"

"I can't say that I have." He replied. "Why?"

"Well, you might want to take a seat then." Twilight replied before making a stool appear with her magic.

"A stool?" He thought before slowly taking a seat. "Could've at least put a cushion on it or something."

"Now...." Twilight said. "For us mares here in Equestria, the first week of spring is an opportune time for us to uh..... conceive." Her cheeks turned a shade of red after saying that. Nathan's reaction on the other hand was different. His eyes were wide open. "During that week, our bodies become overwhelmed with hormones as well as receive an increased libido combined with ultra sensitivity.... down there." She was about to continue before she saw Nathan raise his hand. "Yes?"

"Does this have anything to do with that one test that the science ponies in Canterlot wanted me to take?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Twilight replied. "You see, the Personal Endurance Test, or P.E.T. as they like to call it, is a test that is designed to see how long a stallion can withstand the feeling of intercourse before succumbing to orgasm. The usual overall time is roughly two minutes."

"And what exactly is the purpose of that test?"

"It's basically a way of checking to see if the stallion is still healthy in terms of reproduction. I'm sure that they just wanted to see if your seed was compatible for conception with us."

"So..... you're saying I would've had to screw and possibly impregnate a pony?"

"Well...... yes and no." Twilight replied. "Most likely you would've had to have taken that test with Dr. Heart Beat. Also, you wouldn't have gotten her pregnant. She would've cast a spell that would've prevented her from doing so and just collected your seed inside her for later removal and inspection."

"I see." He replied. "Well I am glad that you decided to tell me exactly what it was before I took it rather than surprise me. I most likely would've jumped out of a window if you didn't cancel it. Don't get me wrong, you do look rather.... nice. But right now, I just can't see myself doing that with a pony."

"And that's completely understandable." Twilight replied. "I wouldn't expect you to accept something like this right away." This made Nathan breath a sigh of relief before remembering what he saw earlier.

"So that pony with the cart full of camping gear...."

"Was a pony who had already decided that he wasn't going to be sticking around Ponyville during that time." Twilight replied. "No stallion is forced to stay if he doesn't want to. And.... honestly, I don't blame those who choose to skip town until the heat passes. The mares here can get a bit..... persuasive if you know what I mean." By now, her cheeks were bright red.

"So..... let me get this straight." Nathan said. "What you're saying is that for one week out of the entire year, every mare here wants some stallion to give them a good time?"

"Again, yes and no." Twilight replied. "Granted that some mares do, in fact, want to be.... rutted during that time. But for most, we just tend to only be that way toward ponies that have a special place in our heart. We usually just feel rather..... hot and bothered so to speak. We do however have medication that can dilute the effects temporarily."

"Interesting."

"Yes." She continued. "But there is a time in the fall, that is actually coming up here pretty soon, that certain ponies go into a smaller wave of heat as well. But that is usually reserved for ponies who are outside for long periods of time. Like Applejack for instance."

"I see." He replied as Twilight continued to inform him about everything heat related.

Sunset reappeared outside of 1506 in a flash of turquoise colored magic. The sight of the locomotive in front of her made her smile as she slowly climbed the back steps and made her way up to the cab. "Time to get some much needed sleep." She said to herself as she used her magic to open the cab door before closing it behind her. Once inside, she noticed that her body was incredibly warm, but she blamed it on being outside in the sunlight for so long. She then yawned loudly as she walked over to the part of the cab where she was sleeping earlier before turning around and sitting down.

But as she moved to lay down, her nether region briefly rubbed up against the diamond tread metal floor. The feeling of this made Sunset moan slightly as a wave of pleasure surged up through her body. Her body grew warmer as beads of sweat started dripping from her face. She also soon noticed a musky scent around her.

"Wait a minute....." She thought before inhaling deeply. The air around her was filled with an aroma that she hadn't smelled in quite a long time. Upon smelling it, both of Sunset's eyes were wide open as she knew exactly what it was. "No...... that's impossible!" She thought. "I can't be!" But the signs and symptoms were there. "I'm in..... heat!"

Author's Note

What's up everypony?

So this is my second attempt at introducing this topic into the story. The first attempt didn't quite exactly work out the way I was hoping for and forced a drastic change. I'm hoping that this new attempt will be better. If it is, then that is good. But if not, then I'll just take the chapter down and rewrite it to where it will be good.

My apologies on the extended time between this and the last chapter. I certainly wasn't expecting it to last this long. I will do the best I can to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

Full steam ahead, my fellow bronies and pegasisters.
- Harms Way

Chapter Fourteen: Beating the Heat (Clop)

Author's Note

There will be some clop in this chapter. For those who wish to skip over it, I will have messages for when it starts and for where it ends in red colored text.

Also, keep in mind that this story's time is still centered between the season 3-season 4 gap. So some of the text in this chapter will not be coinciding with what is happening in today's world.

Chapter Fourteen: Beating the Heat (Clop)

"So you're saying that there's a field of these black oil sunflowers nearby?" Nathan asked as he and Twilight walked through the town toward the train station to pick up Sunset.

"Yes." She replied. "According to my Equestrian flower identification book, they grow just outside the Everfree forest." The mere mention of that name made a shiver run up the human's spine as the memory of his encounter with the timberwolves flooded into his mind.

"Well. At least they aren't far." He said. "And we're gonna need plenty of them before my train and I leave for Manehattan."

"You might be right." Twilight replied. "The distance is roughly 2,000 miles between here and Manehattan. No train can go the entire distance without having to stop and fill up on coal. Your engine probably wouldn't be any different."

"Indeed." The human said. "I'd definitely need a tank car hooked up behind 1506 and filled to the brim with biodiesel just so I can get there and back." This made Twilight's eyes widen as soon as she heard that.

"Then we should probably get on that pretty quick." She replied with the human nodding in agreement. After saying that, the two stayed quiet for a little while as they continued their walk. "So...." Twilight said, in hopes of breaking the silence. "I've noticed that you haven't really talked about your old world other than a few things."

"I take it you wanna know more about it?" Nathan asked before chuckling slightly.

"Of course!" The alicorn proudly replied. "I want to know everything you know about it! Your species has advanced technology. Your engine is already proving to be the strongest and most powerful in all of Equestria. And your currency is fascinating. I want to know so much more!"

"Well what do you wanna know first?"

"I'll start off with something simple." She replied before making a notepad, a quill, and a small jar of ink appear in her magical grip. "Where on this 'Earth' did you come from?"

"I came from a country called the United States of America." The human replied. "A country made up of fifty unique states, each with their own cultures, laws, and regulations, while also adhering to the laws created by an overall form of government. Just like I'm sure the citizens of this country are called Equestrians, I was called an American."

"Fascinating." Twilight replied before writing what the human said down in her little notepad. "And in which of these states did you live?"

"A state called California." He replied. "But I only lived there for just over a year. I was born and raised in a different one. A state called Iowa."

"What's the difference between them?" This question made Nathan stop in his tracks before looking down at Twilight, who reacted by looking up at him with a puzzled look.

"I could spend quite a lot of time answering that question." He replied as he started to walk again. "But I'll just say that those two states are practically almost the exact opposite of each other."

"And they don't fight at all?"

"Nope."

"That's incredible!" She exclaimed. Her excitement made the human chuckle again. "Who was your Princess there?"

"Princess?"

"Didn't your country have a Princess that ruled over it?"

"Nope." He replied, which caused Twilight to gasp.

"Did it have an evil King or Queen who sought to control all of their subjects?"

"Nuh uh."

"Then.... who ruled over it?"

"We had what's called a President." He replied. "A person representing one of the two main governmental parties or groups that is elected by the people."

"Governmental parties?"

"Yep." He replied before holding both of his hands out. "Democrats." He said before raising his left hand slightly. "And Republicans." He continued while doing the same thing with his right hand.

"And what would be the difference between them?"

"Again. I'll explain it in greater detail later on as it would take a long time."

"Okay." She replied before continuing on with her note taking. "So you just elect a leader rather than having one person do it all the time?"

"Yep." The human replied. "Every four years, we have an election."

"That is fascinating!" Twilight replied before writing down in her notepad again. "You put the safety and well being of an entire country onto a random person?"

"Well no. They're usually a current or former Senator or Governor. Someone who would know how to run a country. Very rarely did we get someone who had no political experience running for President."

"I see." The alicorn replied. "And I suppose this also explains why you haven't bowed when Princess Celestia was near you."

"Precisely." He said. "I hope I haven't offended her by not bowing. We don't bow when the President comes for a visit. I'd just shake his hand if I ever had the chance to meet him."

"Well I'm sure that she doesn't mind, seeing as how you're still getting accustomed to the way our world works." Twilight replied as 1506 came into view. "If she did, I'm sure she would've said something by now."

"I'd hope so." He said before both of them came to a stop beside the parked locomotive. "Sunset!" He called out. "You awake in there?" He then waited for a response, but it never came.

"Did.... she... leave without us?" Twilight asked as Nathan climbed up the back steps of the diesel and began walking toward the cab.

"I doubt it." He replied. "She's probably still sleeping. We didn't get to sleep until it was really late last night."

"Oh. Well I'm sorry that Applejack and I disturbed your slumber then."

"Don't be." He said while laying his hand on the door handle. "If you hadn't, I might not have a job now. Plus.... I'm used to running on little sleep. Ask Discord."

This made Twilight chuckle a bit. "I suppose that is true." She said as Nathan turned the handle and started to pull the cab door open only for a turquoise colored aura to encompass it and slam it shut.

"Sunset?" Nathan said before trying to open the now magically sealed door to no effect. "Sunset. Let me in."

"I'm sorry, Nathan." Sunset replied from within. "But I can't let you in here right now."

"Why not?"

"It's..... complicated." She said. "Is anypony with you?"

"Uh... just Twilight." He replied. "Why?" He soon heard the gold colored unicorn groan, most likely because of his response.

"Fine. Can Twilight come in here for a minute? I need to talk to her in private."

"Uh.... okay." The human replied before looking down at his friend. "She wants to talk to you in private."

"Me?" Twilight replied in a surprised tone before pointing at herself. "Why?"

"Heck if I know." He said before noticing something was off. A scent that he had never smelled before. He breathed in heavily to try and identify it, but couldn't do so. "You smell something, Twi?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at him as she climbed the steps before breathing in through her nose.

"I don't smell anything."

"Come over here and try." Nathan replied before hopping over the railing and landing on the ground below, allowing Twilight to stand where he was. Once she was standing by the door, she again breathed heavily through her nose. This time though, she was able to smell what her friend was talking about.

"What is that smell?" She thought while looking down at him. He simply responded by shrugging his shoulders at her. Turning her head back to look toward the door, she sighed heavily before clearing her throat. "Uh... Sunset?" She called out. "It's Twilight. What exactly did you need?"

"I need to talk to you." Sunset replied before the magic encompassing the door dissipated, allowing Twilight's magic to open it. The alicorn then stepped inside only for Sunset's magic to slam the door shut behind her, making her jump in the process. Once inside, Twilight noted that the scent she encountered outside was significantly more potent in the small cab. Looking over toward the opposite side, she soon found the fiery haired unicorn sitting in a corner of the cab, visibly shaking.

"Sunset?" She asked while gingerly stepping forward toward her. "Are you alright?"

"N-No." Sunset stuttered. "I'm n-not a-alright!"

"What's wrong?" The alicorn asked in a caring tone, prompting Sunset to slowly rise to her hooves before she made her way over to where her lips were mere inches from her ear.

"I'm.... in heat!" She whispered, making Twilight's pupils shrink upon hearing that as she stepped away.

"H-How is that possible?" She stammered. "We aren't supposed to go in heat for several more months!"

"I don't know!" Sunset softly cried out, trying to make sure that her voice doesn't alert anyone outside, especially her roommate. "Maybe it's my body's way of catching up on all of the cycles I missed."

Twilight rubbed her muzzle with her hoof as she thought about what she said. "I suppose that makes sense." She replied. "But what exactly did you need me for?"

"Do you have any spells that can help ease this feeling?" Sunset asked in a desperate tone. Twilight tried to remember if she had learned any spells for this, but none came to mind.

"I'm sorry, Sunset." She replied. "But I'm afraid I don't know any that would help you."

"What about medication?"

"I don't have any of that either." She said, making Sunset groan in response. "I don't usually get some until winter."

Sunset sighed heavily as she laid back down on the metal floor, burying her face in her hooves. She couldn't stand to be like this any longer than she needed to be. The feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Her normal periods of heat were nothing compared to what this was. It was almost triple what she had felt before. At this point, she'd do anything to alleviate this feeling. Even..... something she was hoping she'd never have to ask the one creature that truly cared for her to do.

"Tell Nathan that he can come in here now." She softly said.

"Why do you want him to....." Twilight's own question was soon lost as what Sunset was going to ask of him immediately dawned on her. "I'm not so sure that that's a good idea, Sunset."

"Why not?"

"Because he told me himself that he doesn't see himself engaging in this type of behavior with a pony quite yet."

"But I need to get rid of this feeling if I'm gonna come with you guys to go house searching!" Sunset cried out with a few tears beginning to form in her eyes. The feeling was getting worse as each minute passed. "Please!" She begged. "At least explain the situation to him."

Twilight sighed a bit before looking back toward Sunset. "Alright." She replied. "I can't promise that he's gonna help you. But I'll do my best to explain this to him." She then turned to walk toward the door, stopping just as her magic took hold of the handle. "Maybe this is a way for me to show you that I can also be your friend."

"We'll see." Sunset replied as Twilight opened the cab door and walked outside before closing it again. It wasn't long before she found Nathan leaning up against the engine, looking at his phone. The sound of her hooves on the metal walkway alerted him to her presence as he turned around to look at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she walked closer to him.

"Just wishing this thing was charged so I could've listened to a bit of music while the two of you were talking." He replied before putting the device back into his pocket. "Speaking of which. What exactly is going on with her?"

"Well....." Twilight replied as she jumped off the back steps. "Let's just say that it's a good thing we had that talk earlier."

"What. About heat?" The little alicorn just nodded as she walked over to him. "What does that have to do with....." His question soon stopped as what Twilight had said combined with their talk from earlier formed a conclusion in his mind. "She's in heat?" Again, Twilight just nodded. "How?"

"She thinks that it's her body's way of catching up on all of the cycles that she missed while she was back in her old world."

"I see."

"And it looks like there's only one way that can help get her hormones under control." Nathan's eyes grew wide as it didn't take long for him to figure out what she was referring to.

"Twilight. I told you. I'm not quite ready to engage in that sort of behavior yet. Especially with a pony I literally just met a few days ago. I'm not someone who'd take advantage of someone who isn't in the proper state of mind."

"And I applaud you for that, Nathan." Twilight replied before putting a hoof against his thigh. "But right now, Sunset needs you to help her. I wouldn't ask this of you if there was any other way to help her."

Nathan looked down at Twilight before looking up toward the cab. He sighed as his mind tried processing the pros and cons of each possible outcome. On one hand, if he chose to help Sunset in the way that she wants him to, he'd not only be helping her out, but also giving up something that he's saved for the one who he'd be spending his life with. On the other hand, if he decided not to help her, that would kill all of the effort that he put into the friendship that he and her shared.

"What should I do?" He asked himself internally as he kept staring at the closed cab door. "I want to help her. But yet, I don't want to do it in the way that she wants me to." He kept thinking about it until an idea came into his mind. One that would work out for both parties involved. "I think I may know of a different way that can help her." He said, making Twilight look up at him.

"A different way?" She asked. "What way are you talking about?"

"Just another thing to add to the 'Explain Later' list." Nathan replied before he made his way to the steps. "But it will definitely help Sunset out."

"If you say so."

"Why don't you go ahead and start heading to Town Hall." He said while starting to walk down the metal walkway. "We'll meet you there."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked as she followed him from the ground.

"I'm sure." He replied. "Hopefully this won't take long."

"Alright." She said. "I'll trust that you know what you're doing. I'll meet you guys there then."

"See you there." He replied before opening the cab door and walking inside, making sure to close it behind him. Once that was complete, he turned his head to look at Sunset as she laid on the floor. The scent that he had encountered outside was much stronger in the small space. "Hey there, Sunset." He said, making the gold colored unicorn look up at him. "Twilight brought me up to speed on the situation."

"And you've come to help me?"

"Yes." He replied. "After all, what are friends for?" This made Sunset smile as she slowly got to her hooves.

"Thank you." She said before wiping a tear from her eye with her hoof. "Twilight told me that you weren't ready for something like this yet. I'm not going to force you to do this if you don't want to."

"Sunset. You're my friend. If you need this..... then I'll help you."

-Clop Begins Here-

Sunset smiled again upon hearing that before she slowly turned around and bent her front hooves, lowering her front while slowly moving her tail to the side, revealing her asshole and her dripping wet pussy for him to see.

"I'm ready when you are, Nathan." She said while looking back toward him.

"Uh... Sunset." He replied. "I'm not gonna help you get rid of your heat like that." This statement confused the eager mare as she stood up before turning around to look at him.

"Well how else are you gonna help me get this feeling under control?"

Nathan replied by walking over to the conductor's chair before sitting down and patting his lap, signalling for Sunset to hop up. The unicorn looked at him with a confused expression before doing as instructed and hopping up onto his lap before laying down.

"Now Sunset." He said as he gently placed his hand on the unicorn's back. "I'm going to need you to trust me on this."

"I trust you, Nathan." She replied. "I wouldn't have asked for you to do this if I didn't." She then slowly laid her head down so her muzzle was resting comfortably against his jeans. "So how exactly is this gonna work?" She didn't need to wait long as she felt the human's hand slowly glide down her back before reaching her flank. Soon, she could feel his fingers gently begin to rub her outer pussy lips. This made her let out a soft moan before she felt him ease a finger inside.

"Let's hope that those times I spent up late at night back home will help me here." The human thought as he continued sliding his finger in. Judging from the sound of his friend's moans though, his method was working. Once his finger was completely within, he used the others to begin rubbing her folds as best as he could while also beginning to pull the finger inside her out before pushing it back in.

"Ohhhh Nathan....." Sunset groaned as her body was getting overwhelmed with feelings of pleasure. "This.... feels.... amazing." Nathan didn't reply as he was focused on giving Sunset the relief that she desired. He continued working his finger in and out of her ever increasing wetness as he could feel her body become warmer. Looking toward her face, he noticed that Sunset had closed her eyes as her facial expression told him that she was enjoying every second of this. Her tongue was even hanging slightly out of her mouth as she breathed heavily. But just as his thumb brushed against her clit, her eyes shot open. "Right there!" She cried out in pleasure.

"Target acquired." He thought as he let his thumb continue to stimulate her clit, sending waves of pleasure coursing through Sunset's body. But she wasn't the only one getting feelings from this experience. Her blissful moans weren't exactly doing him any favors either as his jeans were starting to feel a bit tight around his crotch area. But he didn't care. He just wanted to give her all the pleasure that he could. As he continued, he gradually slipped another finger inside, earning a soft moan of delight from her.

"Ohhhh Celestia....." The unicorn moaned. "I'm about to cum, Nathan!" Hearing this, the human doubled his efforts and started moving his fingers at a quicker pace inside her. Sunset clearly enjoyed this as her moans grew louder and louder until she cried out in orgasmic bliss as her cum flowed across his hand before splattering in a small puddle on the metal floor below. She panted heavily as Nathan slowly withdrew his fingers from inside her before discretely wiping them dry on his jeans.

-End of Clop-

"Thank you.... so much." Sunset groaned between breaths before she looked up at him. "You have no idea how badly I needed that."

"I can only guess." He replied.

"But why didn't you just do what any other stallion would have?" This made the human chuckle.

"In case you haven't noticed, Sunset." He replied. "I'm not any other stallion. I'm not even a stallion at all. I'm a man."

"I know that." She said. "But still. Any other stallion would have rutted me right then and there, no questions asked. But..... you didn't. Why?"

"Because I have too much respect for you as a friend." He replied. "Plus.... I've kinda been saving myself for the one who I know I want to be with."

"Oh." Sunset replied. "I see. You're one of those who save themselves til marriage. Fair enough. I can respect that." She then looked at him with a puzzled expression. "But how did you...."

"Let's just say that even though I never had sex before, I know what it takes to get a woman or I guess in your case, a mare, off."

This made the unicorn chuckle before smiling at him. "Well I really do appreciate it." She said before sitting up on his lap, turning to face him, and quickly wrapping her front hooves around him in a hug. Nathan slowly looked around as this action surprised him before he wrapped his arms around her body to return the hug. "I promise that I'll repay you for this somehow." She said before letting go. "And no use in trying to talk me out of it. The way you made me feel, I just can't go without giving you something in return."

"Whatever makes you happy, I suppose." He replied as Sunset jumped down from his lap. Looking over toward the small puddle she made, her cheeks turned a shade of red before using her magic to make it vanish, as if it was never there. She then looked back at him while giving him a sheepish smile, her cheeks practically the same color as the red of her mane.

"Well...." She said before opening the door with her magic. "Now that I'm feeling a lot better than I was a few minutes ago. Why don't we go ahead and get going to Town Hall so we can finally get our house?"

"That sounds like a good idea to me." He replied as the two of them stepped outside before he closed the cab door behind him.

Chapter Fifteen: Home Sweet Home

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter One: Inspecting the Track

"Get away from me!" Nathan cried out while running through a forest. The sounds of creatures pursuing him grew louder as he ran as fast as his legs could go. "Gotta... get... back... to the engine!" He said to himself in between breaths as the creatures began to howl behind him. Jumping over a fallen tree, Nathan spotted the object that he was thinking of. A diesel locomotive in a small trench with its front coupler buried in a mound of dirt. While making a mad dash for it, he felt something claw at the back of his raincoat. "Fucking monsters!" He cried out before vaulting himself up the metal stairs. Not wasting any more time, he quickly opened the door to the cab before closing it behind him, locking it for good measure.

One of the creatures lunged at the door, only to smack into the metal barrier with a loud thud. Catching his breath, Nathan found that he was relatively safe inside the cab. "What the hell are those things?" He said to himself as he was now able to get a better look at his pursuers while they circled the wrecked locomotive. They appeared to be wolves, only made of wood with glowing eyes. A low chuckling voice soon made him jump as he frantically looked around the cab. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" Nathan called out. The voice continued to chuckle ominously before slowly ceasing.

"Oh.... you'll soon find out.... Nathan. In due time..."

"H-how do you know my name?" Nathan asked, shaking slightly.

"But until then.... I believe it is time for you to wake up." The voice replied before the only thing that could be heard was loud beeping. Before Nathan knew it, everything had faded into a bright light.

Beep.... Beep.... Beep....

"Stupid alarm..." Nathan grumbled as he hit his fist against the small end table next to his bed, hoping to smash the alarm clock that had saved him from his nightmare, but yet disturbed his slumber. After a few misses, his fist lands squarely on the 'Snooze' button. "Victory is mine...." He grumbled again before rolling over and slowly rising to a seated position. With a loud yawn, he stretched out his arms, a few satisfying cracking sounds followed. Glancing at the clock again, the time in brightly lit green numbers read "10:30 am".

Rising to his feet, Nathan let another yawn escape from his mouth before walking over to his dresser. "I finally manage to get some sleep during that storm and I get that dream again?" He thought while putting on a clean t-shirt. The night before, a severe storm swept across the southern portion of California, drenching the region in much needed rain, but the strong winds made sleeping extra difficult. After getting fully dressed, Nathan looked over towards the door to his bedroom. Hanging from the knob was a neon orange safety vest with the Union Pacific Railroad logo proudly stitched onto the back. "Maybe it's a sign for something." He said before putting the vest on.

Walking out into the hallway of his small one-bedroom house, Nathan eyed his lunch box that was sitting on his kitchen counter before looking up at the clock. "Still got a bit of time." He thought before opening the fridge and getting a can of root beer out. Cracking open the lid, he placed the can to his lips, eagerly guzzling down the refreshing liquid before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Now that hit the spot." He said to himself. Glancing back towards the clock mounted on the wall, the time read "10:45 am". With a slight nod to himself, he grabbed his lunchbox before exiting out the front door.

The rail yard in Victorville wasn't far from his house, a fact that allowed him to spend very little on gasoline unless he had to fill the tank of his truck. So whenever it was nice to decent weather outside, Nathan would always walk from his house to the yard. This morning was a bit foggy with the clouds looking ready to dump another load of rain across the land, but it didn't look bad enough for him to drive. The walk didn't last long though before he was already stepping onto the rail yard property. Looking around, Nathan noticed a lack of activity among the various parked freight cars. Before stepping onto the walkway that went across the main line, he noticed something else that wasn't right. Just at the southern end of the yard stood the overhead signal gantry. Normally, a few lights on the steel structure would be lit up in green. But today, each light was red.

"That's strange." Nathan thought as he crossed the tracks. "I haven't heard any trains pass through yet today. So why are all of the signals red?" He kept thinking about it until stepping inside the Yard Office, a small building located just next to the passenger platform. Upon entering, he saw one of the experienced engineers who helped him with his training as he stood next to a row of lockers. "Morning, Gary." Nathan said, giving a wave towards his friend.

"Hey there, Nathan." Gary replied. "That was some storm we had last night, am I right?"

"Biggest one I've seen in a while." Nathan responded. "Kept me up for most of the night."

"Well, that can be said for me as well." Gary said before reaching into his locker and pulling out a thermos of coffee. Pouring out some into a styrofoam cup, he soon put it to his mouth before taking a few gulps. "Want some coffee?" He asked while holding out his thermos.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though." Nathan replied. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

"For starters, Kyle is holding a meeting here in a little bit."

"I see." Nathan replied. "Well, best not to keep the boss waiting."

"Agreed." Gary said as he got up after finishing the rest of his coffee. Soon, both Nathan and Gary walked into the meeting room. Inside was a circular table surrounded by metal chairs. Noticing the room was vacant except for himself and his friend, Nathan walked over to the window just in time to see the rain start up again. After a few minutes of standing by the window, a cough brought Nathan's attention back to the room. Kyle, the Yardmaster, was standing in the doorway. Holding some papers in his hands, he then proceeded to walk into the room.

"Morning, gentlemen." He said as he walked over to the table before taking a seat. Nathan and Gary followed suit.

"Morning, Kyle." Gary replied. "What you got for us today?"

"Well, I've already given out the tasks for the morning crew, but seeing as how you two are the only ones who bothered to show up for this meeting, I'll just skip straight to the point." Kyle said, looking at both Nathan and Gary before glancing down at his papers. "As I'm sure both of you know, last night's storm was the biggest one we've had here in southern California for a while."

"Got that right." Nathan replied.

"However, we have a slight problem because of it."

"What problem would that be?" Gary asked, leaning inward.

"Well, considering the severity of the storm, it was decided last night to shut down Cajon Pass as a safety precaution. That is the reason why all of the signals at the end of the yard are red at the moment." He paused again, picking up a paper before continuing. "In order for the line to reopen, we must determine whether or not it is safe to do so. Every hour that the line remains closed, it is costing us big time. So here's the deal, I need one of you to take a locomotive out onto the main line for inspection duty."

"One of us?" Gary asked. "Why can't someone from San Bernardino check on the line?"

"Because all of their diesel engines are waiting to bring freight over the pass." Kyle replied. "Believe me, I asked before calling this meeting." The sound of thunder booming across the sky interrupted Kyle's words. "So are either one of you willing to check the line?"

"I'll do it." Nathan replied while holding his hand up.

"Splendid." Kyle responded, a smile forming on his face. "Go and take 1506 out onto the main line then. Be sure to check in with San Bernardino Dispatch to let them know that you're coming their way."

"1506?" Nathan asked. "You mean that SD40-2 that we got sitting in the maintenance siding?"

"Yep."

"Alright." Nathan replied before standing up. "I guess I'll be on my way then." He then started to walk towards the door.

"Hey!" Gary called out, making Nathan turn around. "You be careful out there."

"Don't worry. I will." Nathan replied.

"I'll have a nice hot cup of coffee waiting for ya when you get back."

"Thanks man."

"Better get going, Nathan." Kyle stated. "The more time that Cajon Pass is shut down, the more money it's costing us."

"Gotcha." Nathan replied before walking out into the hallway with the lockers. Stopping at his, he picked up his hard hat and raincoat before stepping out into the rain. Looking out into the rain, he could see the shining rails of the tracks out in front of him. "Where are you?" He thought while trying to pinpoint the location of his locomotive. After scanning the yard as best he could, he was able to spot the diesel in question as it sat on the siding, lights on and engine idling. "Kyle must've had it prepped before he came in." He thought as he began making his way towards the massive yellow and silver object. Getting closer, Nathan could see the "Union Pacific" painted in big red letters on the side along with the number "1506" just beneath the cab window.

As he climbed aboard, Nathan heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Nathan!" Gary's voice said before he turned around to see his friend jogging up to him, waving an object in his hand. "You forgot your lunch box!"

"Knew I was forgetting something." Nathan thought as Gary jogged up to the side of the locomotive. "Thanks Gary! Don't know what I'd do without you!" He said before grabbing the lunch box out of his friend's hand.

"No problem!" Gary called back, his voice barely being heard over the noise coming from the idling 3,000 horsepower engine. "Like I said!" He yelled. "Be careful!"

"I will!" Nathan yelled back, flashing Gary a thumbs up before making his way into the cab. Watching as his friend made his way back to the office, Nathan turned his attention to the gauges. "Alright." He thought as he looked at each gauge. "Fuel gauge is at full. Engine seems to be running normally. Should be considering we just fixed it." He then pulled on the brake lever, watching the pressure gauges before releasing. "Brakes check out." He then grabbed the radio receiver and turned the radio itself on. "Union Pacific 1506 calling Victorville Dispatch. Over." A few seconds pass before he hears someone respond.

"Union Pacific one five zero six, this is Victorville Dispatch. We read you loud and clear. Over."

"Copy that." Nathan replied. "Requesting permission to proceed onto the main line. Over."

"Stand by." The voice on the other end replied. Nathan looked down towards the southern end of the yard, all of the signals still showing red. Soon, one of them changed to green. "Union Pacific one five zero six, you are cleared to proceed onto the main line. Due to visibility, speed is restricted to 35 mph. Do you copy? Over."

"Cleared to proceed onto the main line. Speed restricted to 35 mph." Nathan repeated. "Thank you. Over."

"Be careful out there." The voice said before Nathan hung up the receiver. Grabbing the whistle lever with one hand while pushing the reverser into forward with the other, he pulled down on the wooden lever twice, sounding the horn before pushing the throttle into the first notch. The engine then roared to life as the locomotive slowly began to move forward. The familiar sound of steel wheels passing over the various switches made him smile as the lone diesel made it's way onto the main line. As the locomotive approached the signal gantry, Nathan shook a little as he stared at the lone green light among the many red lights surrounding it. "Steady, Nathan." He thought as he passed underneath the structure. "This is just like any other trip. Only just slower and it's storming like hell out there."

As the train moved along, Nathan took out a little booklet named "Radio Channels" before turning to the page he was looking for. Glancing back and forth between the book and the dial on the radio a few times, he then turned the dial to a different number before grabbing the receiver again. "Union Pacific one five zero six calling San Bernardino Dispatch. Over." As he waited for a response, the various flashes of lightning kept him entertained.

"Union Pacific one five zero six. This is San Bernardino Dispatch. We read you loud and clear. Over." A new voice on the radio said.

"Copy that." Nathan replied. "I am one mile south of Victorville yard, proceeding southbound at 35 mph. Over."

"One mile south of Victorville. Proceeding southbound at 35 mph." The voice repeated. "So you're the one who is inspecting Cajon Pass?"

"Affirmative."

"Acknowledged. We'll have a siding cleared for you to park your diesel once you arrive. Over."

"Copy that. 1506 out." Nathan replied before hanging the receiver up. As he did, the sound of thunder boomed across the desert as the locomotive began the long climb up towards the summit. At normal speed, the journey to the summit would take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. But since he is going at half the speed, it was going to take twice as long. "This is gonna be a long ride." Nathan thought as the wind howled outside the cab.

Half an hour into the journey, Nathan found the line to still be in good shape for freight service. "So far, I'm not seeing any problems." He thought as he looked out the window. "Better let Kyle know about this." Soon he took the radio into his hands again before turning the dial. "Union Pacific 1506 calling Victorville. Over."

"This is Victorville Dispatch." The voice on the other end said. "How's the inspection coming along? Over."

"So far, everything is alright. Over." Nathan replied.

"Good enough to start sending southbound traffic? We have a tanker train coming in from Barstow. Over."

"Hold them until I reach the summit. I'm about 8 miles til there. Over."

"Hold the tanker train til you get to the summit. Will do. Over."

"Alright." Nathan replied before hanging the radio back up again. "Wow! I've never gotten to tell a train to wait for me before." His hands shaking at the feeling. "If it weren't for this restriction, I'd already be at the summit." As he looked out the window again, a small yawn escaped his mouth. Letting his gaze go over towards his lunch box, he reached down and opened the lid. "Good thing I packed this." He said, chuckling to himself as he picked up a Red Bull energy drink. Cracking the lid open, he put the can to his lips before taking a few gulps down. The contents making him shudder slightly before he found himself a little more awake than he was.

Minutes passed by as the locomotive neared the summit. Occasionally the wheels would begin to slip on the wet rails, causing Nathan to activate the sander to gain more traction. Finally, after a long hour of trudging up the mountains, Nathan and 1506 reached the summit. "Made it!" Nathan screamed internally as he brought the diesel to a halt just a few feet away from a red signal. Grabbing the radio one more time, he turned the dial. "UP 1506 calling Victorville Dispatch. Over." He then waited for a response, only to get static in return. "1506 calling Victorville. Over." He said again, only to hear static again. "Strange." He thought before turning the dial on the radio. "Union Pacific one five zero six calling San Bernardino Dispatch. Over." He said, his hands getting a little sweaty from nervousness. Just like Victorville, San Bernardino wasn't responding to his messages.

Hanging up the radio, Nathan looked forward toward the signal. Just as he did, the signal changed from red to green. "Okay. That just scared the hell out of me!" He thought, but released his brakes anyways to begin the descent. "No one replied, yet the signal changed." Rubbing his hand against his chin, he couldn't figure out why. As the locomotive passed by the signal, Nathan found himself watching as the signal changed from green to blue, then yellow, orange, before finally stopping on red. "What the....?" Nathan said out loud as the diesel rolled past. "Our signals don't flash blue or orange! That doesn't make any sense at all!" Before he could breathe after yelling that, a familiar low chuckling voice could be heard.

"Make sense?" The voice asked. "Oh what fun is there in making sense?"

"That voice..."

"It's good to finally see you outside of the dream realm, Nathan." The voice said before a snapping sound could be heard.

"What do you want?!"

"Oh nothing really." The voice replied before chuckling again. "Just wanted to have a little fun with you before you leave."

"Leave? Leave to go where?" Nathan asked. Before the voice could reply, his eyes caught sight of the speedometer on the control panel. The locomotive was rolling down the hill at 50 mph, nearly double the speed allowed on the curves. "Now is not the time for this!" He yelled in thought before grabbing hold of main brake lever. Pulling it forward, he looked at the gauges. But to his horror, they didn't respond. The voice chuckled again as he shoved the lever all the way to 100% braking power, but still, the needles of the gauges didn't budge and his speed was increasing.

"What the fuck is going on?! Where are my brakes?!" He cried out.

"Oh you don't need brakes for where you're going." The voice said.

"What are you talking about?!"

"All will be revealed in time." The voice replied. "In the meantime, you might wanna look out for that turn. It looks like a sharp one."

"Turn?" Nathan asked before looking out the cab window. Directly ahead of him was one of the first turns of Cajon Pass. The speed down these tracks was limited to 30 mph, but 1506 was doing twice that. "There's no way I'm gonna be staying on the rails!" Nathan thought as he neared the turn. Just before the curve stood another signal gantry. The lights flashing overhead were flashing in all sorts of different colors. "Well....." Nathan said as he approached the gantry. "Never thought I'd go out this way...." But just as the front of the locomotive passed underneath the gantry, instead of impending demise in the form of a sharp curve as the thing he could see, all he could see was a blinding light. Nathan threw up his hands to try and shield his eyes, but it was too late.

"What the fuck?!" He yelled before getting thrown forward as the only sounds he could hear were the sounds of glass shattering and metal grinding against something else before the locomotive came to a halt.