Luna and Truro

by Fujimi200SX

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Slice of Life, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 11060

The Archaic Princess Luna discovers something even more archaic than her.

Princess Luna is a rather archaic princess. Being a thousand years forward in the world, it is understandable. She always assumed that she would always be an outlier to others, never finding something even nearly as old as her besides books and buildings.

However, she is surprised to discover an object more archaic than her. Far more archaic.

A train.

A rather... famous train.

Published 2022-03-09 22:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-03-16 18:14:38 UTC

Meeting Truro

Princess Luna stepped through the forest, paying little mind to what was around her.

Cuts and bruises were present around most of her body, and her regalia had seen better days. Her wings had especially seen better days. Her portside in particular was badly cut, putting it out of commission for days and rendering the Alicorn flightless.

She, admittedly, did not know where she was. All she knew was that she was far from Equestria. This was good. For the monster she had vanquished - by herself - would have wreaked havoc on Equestria had the fight ensued within it.

Of course, she would have teleported herself and the monster much closer had she known she would be rendered flightless.

Now, she only had the vaguest idea of where Equestria was. Far away.

The princess had been walking for days now. Although she had a natural resistance to fatigue, the princess was growing weary. She needed sleep. She had already exhausted herself from vanquishing that monster and hadn't taken much of a break since.

Clink

Luna stopped as the regalia on her hoof hit something metal. She looked down to find, to her surprise, a rail. Supported by concrete ties.

It was an old rail. Not entirely covered in rust, but there were clear signs of age. The same went for the concrete ties. All were simply old and weathered, a few having cracks and small plants growing through. The ballast was so covered with overgrowth that Luna almost didn't see it.

She silently looked up the single-track line, seeing it curve out of sight behind bushes. She looked down the line. Same story. Seeing this, she sighed and silently began walking up the line. "It seems like I have found the Iron Compass," she said.

More walking. It would have been nice if the scenery would change, but it was just overgrowth and trees. She couldn't even see the mountains they were so thick.

She needed sleep. Even somepony like her, able to stay up three days in a row with no adverse effects, needed sleep. Not just her body. Her mind. She needed a long, dreamless sleep. Where her mind could simply shut down and rest.

A yawn came out. One of many. She looked up to spot the sun beginning to set. She dared not attempt to raise her moon, for she knew that she was in a very different spot compared to where she normally raised it.

Please, sister, she thought. Take care of the night until I get back.

Looking down, she stopped.

Ahead of her, the forest thinned slightly, leaving a tiny clearing. Within the clearing was a station. Just a platform, really. The small building was little more than a frame sitting atop the concrete.

It was the object parked at the platform that caught her eyes. A train. A rather... old train. Continuing forward, she saw that the engine was a little bigger than the Friendship Express' locomotive, not even counting the three-axle tender hitched on behind it.

It was dark green in color, with a maroon red lower section. It had a long, gently sloping boiler, a black front end, bright red buffers that lacked a cowcatcher, a short and straight chimney, and gold fittings. Its arrangement was the ever-popular 4-4-0, which meant four wheels in front, four driving wheels, and no wheels in the back.

It was the size of the driving wheels that caught Luna by surprise. They were 80-1/2 Inches in Diameter, which were gigantic compared to the Friendship Express' 52 Inch Wheels. They had a design engrained in them that Luna guessed was a counterbalance for the heavy reciprocating mass of the side rods.

Stepping onto the platform, Luna spotted two long steel coaches. Both were similar in design. A brown color with a buttercream stripe down the sides, black roof topping it off. Between the tops of the windows and roof sat a large word in buttercream paint.

P U L L M A N

Below the windows, she could make out another buttercream word.

Great Western Railway

Luna looked left to spot the same letters GWR on the tender of the locomotive, surrounded by a logo of sorts. Her eyes went back to the engine to spot a set of numbers. Words placed directly underneath the cab fitted on with a golden sheen.

3440

Her eyes gazed even further left to spot more words on the boiler of the locomotive. They were arranged in a semi-circle pattern with the same golden sheen.

CITY OF TRURO

The Night Mare smiled. She liked this train. It wasn't brightly colored like the Friendship Express, it wasn't shiny and "futuristic" like the Crystal Zephyr, it was tame and elegant. It had a smart paint scheme that was easy on the eyes, a captivating design, and was - in a word - Elegant.

How could one leave such a beautiful machine alone in a forest like this? Luna wondered.

The train itself, compared to what was left of the station building, was in far better condition. That wasn't to say it didn't look a little shabby, however. It was simply weathered. Like it was left here for a couple of years unattended. Small amounts of rust were visible here and there, but it seemed entirely operational.

However, given the state of everything else in the area, which looked like it had been decades since it was last touched, the train looked slightly out of place.

Putting the thought process on hold, Luna cleared her throat. "Ahem. Good Evening... Truro," she greeted. "Is it alright if I use one of your coaches as shelter for the night?"

No reply.

"Very well. I will..." Luna trailed off. Was she really talking to a train? A machine with no life force?

At least... that is what ponies typically said. The ponies that drove the trains, however, liked to say that their trains were alive. And that they would talk to them. The ponies to the trains.

The wind began to pick up and the temperature lowered, ruffling Luna's coat. She sighed and made her way to the first coach, using a hoof to grab the handle. The door creaked as it was gently opened, presumably because it had not been touched, let alone opened, for a long time.

Luna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Inside the coach was about what she expected in terms of condition, just without any overgrowth.

It was the actual seating that caught her by surprise. Everything was supremely lavish. A familiar burgundy color overtook most of the interior, and the seating looked to be made of high-quality fabrics, which considering how much seating was present, must have been very expensive.

Old lights sat flush on the ceiling. There was even a ceiling fan. A device that likely would have worked well to remove the dusty, stale air present due to all windows being firmly closed. A precaution that did well to keep any overgrowth out of the inside.

Admiring the luxury, Luna picked a seat and laid down, grabbing a few old blankets draped over a few other seats. She ruffled the blankets to rid them of most of the dust then draped them on herself, snuggling gently into the surprisingly comfortable seat. As she took off her regalia, she smiled, thankful for the shelter the world had given her.

Her regalia off, and her slightly dusty - but still soft - blankets on her, Luna settled in for the night, looking up at her moon that was beginning to peek from behind the forest. A thought came to her, and she used her magic to open the window next to her to allow fresh air inside. One window was fine. Though, just to be safe, she opened two more.

A happy sigh escaped her as she melted beneath the covers, going limp. She closed her eyes, ready to welcome a dreamless sleep.

Before falling into the dark abyss, she gently opened an eye, smiled, and said;

"Thank you, Truro, for your hospitality. I greatly appreciate it."

Starting Truro

Luna woke up in the afternoon, possibly from the best sleep she had had in years. She looked around the coach, taking in a breath of now-fresh air before lifting the blankets off of her and sitting up. She let out a yawn and stretched as many parts of her body she could before donning her regalia and placing the blankets back where she got them.

"Good Morning, Truro," she greeted. She giggled to herself as she realized the stupidity of herself talking to a train. "I hope you slept well."

Sunrays slipped through the windows of the coach, giving the interior quite the look as Luna made her way through the coach, opening the same door she used to get in and stepping out onto the platform. She looked around, using the newfound light to map out the area. It was, to nopony's surprise, the same as last night.

She stepped down the platform and looked at the engine. It felt... strange. When one sees a Steam Locomotive, they always expect steam to be billowing out of the smokestack and hissing out of the cylinders. When there was nothing, it just felt... strange.

She sighed. "Well, Truro, once again, I thank you for your hospitality. I must go now, for I must go back... to... Equestria..."

Luna's eyes widened. What was she saying? Was she really going to leave this train here? Alone? How was she to find it again? She couldn't fly, so she couldn't get a very good rundown of the area. Or even her journey home.

A journey that, because she wasn't able to fly, would take an unknown amount of time.

With a train... that time would be greatly shortened...

Such as the train parked right in front of her, that despite having visible rust, looked entirely operational...

She tilted her head. Could she operate a train by herself? She had a general idea of how, having read books about the machines, but she had never put the knowledge into practice.

Her eyes went to the tender, which was filled to the brim with coal, and possibly water. This engine was ready to go. All she would have to do was start it, open the regulator, and she'd be off at a much quicker pace.

Luna closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and let it out. She opened her eyes, and made her way towards the locomotive. Tentatively, she stepped into the cab, and took in the controls. She took in another breath as she saw the controls. Brass fittings, pipes, gauges and levers lined the forward wall. One gauge showed the boiler pressure, another showed the cylinder pressure, another showed brake pressure, and yet another was a speedometer that went all the way up to 120MPH.

She breathed. In, out, in, out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, letting it out and opening her eyes after several seconds.

Though the controls looked daunting, she knew for a fact that once the train was moving, all she would need to do was manage the fire, water, regulator, and reverser. She hoped that whatever other controls this archaic train had only helped to make the train run better. She'd be alright if the train didn't run as well as it could. If it could move faster than she could sprint, she was happy.

"Well, it seems I am going to teach myself how to drive a train," she said to Truro.

Luna started the process by putting coal into the firebox. The coal was of lower quality than Equestrian coal, but she would have to make do. She then checked the water levels, which were full both in the engine and tender, totaling at 3500 Gallons in the tender alone.

After taking another breath, she used her magic to light the coal ablaze. All she knew was that the fire would heat the water to the boiling point to create steam, which took some time. Knowing this, Luna took the time to look all around the platform and train for anything that would help her to drive it. A manual, magazine, anything at all.

She did find one thing. Inside the frame of the station building, she did find a book on the floor. A special edition of archival quality, she noticed, with acid-free paper. Designed to last a while. But to her shock, the second she picked it up, it disintegrated in her magic.

This was strange, as such a book should not have been able to disintegrate like that unless it was very, very old. Granted, it had been exposed to the elements for presumably a long time judging by the building, but even then.

She sighed as she walked through what used to be a doorframe. Her tail ever so slightly grazed a piece of wood. To her immense shock, that piece of wood crumbled, instantly bringing the rest of the "building" down. She jumped away and looked back at the building as it was turned into dust.

Her jaw slacked a little as she processed what had just happened. Buildings, or objects in general, didn't just crumble to dust like that unless they had been left static for an exorbanant amount of time.

She looked back at Truro, then around at the place around her. How old was this place? And why is it the only thing around? There were certainly no buildings or other paths around. This station would have served nopony. Not even the odd farmer or woodworker.

Furrowing her brow, Luna lit her horn, and sent out a spell that would tell her the age of any object she pleased. In this case, it was the train, and the platform.

She gasped harder than she had ever gasped in her life. A lump formed within her throat in short order a she saw the saw the age of Truro and platform.

1468.

Truro was 1468 years old, while the platform was 1472 years old.

That shouldn't have been possible. The train, platform, and building would never have survived this long. It was as if they had been preserved by a third party, magical or otherwise. Without that, the train would have fallen apart into a rusty mass of metal centuries ago.

And it was a train! A newer form of transportation introduced mere decades earlier! How could it have existed? If this machine had been built back then, transport likely would have evolved exponentially in that time. It shouldn't exist. It simply shouldn't exist. Nothing the age of this train existed, yet this train did.

She did the spell several more times to confirm it. Each test yielded similar results. However, strangely enough, when she tested the coaches, she found that they were younger than Truro, at 1434.

So it wasn't a collective number thrown at her. Truro and the coaches behind had been built at the times she was given, but that did little to calm her shock.

Tentatively, the princess stepped back into Truro's cab and looked at the boiler pressure. No pressure. She could faintly hear the water boiling and generating steam, but whatever steam was being made wasn't getting to where it was supposed to be.

She tapped her chin. Wasn't there a device to help the train with generating steam at a standstill?

She checked the controls, reading each sign carefully. Her eyes settled on a small plaque on the starboard wall.

'Rebuilt in 2025 by the Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon.'

"Intriguing," Luna said as she continued her search. "Hmmm... Blower! That was the name," she said as she twisted a valve.

Now Truro was beginning to sound like an idling steam locomotive. She could hear the steam surging into the boiler, and smiled when she saw the boiler pressure begin to inch upward.

"I am about to pilot a steam locomotive," Luna cheerfully said to herself. "A... millenia-year-old steam locomotive..."

Her smile faultered. The only way this locomotive would be as old as it is was if it were transported through time. Transported through time and somehow preserved here, in the condition it was in.

She took a breath in, held it, then let it out.

Where exactly did this train even come from? The plaque said it was rebuilt by the Museum of the Great Western Railway, but where was that? Where even is the Great Western Railway? Was this long-abandoned line part of the GWR? Or was it just an old line?

And for that matter, how old was the line?!

Luna took in another breath as she checked the age of the tracks. 1492. So only somewhat older than the train.

"You should stop dwelling on the matter," she told herself. "You must get this train running and moving. To get back to Equestria."

Fifteen minutes later, Luna was sitting in the cab, shoveling a bit more coal into the firebox via magic whilst staring at the boiler pressure. It just kept going higher and higher. Past 100PSi, past 150PSI, All the while accelerating in the rate it gained pressure.

As it shot a little past 200PSI, the noise of escaping steam filled the air as the safety valve opened. Luna, realizing this, bit her lip and smiled. She had successfully started a steam locomotive! Now it was time to get it on the move!

The princess stood up and eyed the reverser. It was a strange one, unlike what the Friendship Express had. Instead of a lever that moved forward and backward, it was instead a handle spinning in a circular motion. She grabbed the handle and began spinning it clockwise, keeping at it until it stopped.

Seeing this, she reached over at the long bar that was the regulator. She grabbed it with a hoof, pausing as she looked around. There was nopony around, no animals, not even a birdcall in the distance.

Taking a deep breath, Luna tentatively began to open the regulator.

Steam surged into the cylinders for the first time in forever, pushing on the connecting rods. The steam dome shook and the cylinders creaked. Dirt and rust were sliced off surfaces as Truro began to edge forward.

Chfff

The first chuff of the engine was like music to Luna's ears.

Chfff

"Come on..." she said as the train shook. The couplings tightened as the tender helped to start the first coach, and the first coach helped to start the second coach. The chuffing steadily increased in rate as the bearings spun, creaking more and more. Luna smiled. "Come on Truro! You can do it!"

With a pounding puff and a heaving huff, Truro was on the tracks, front wheels guiding it down the line with Luna at the controls. The princess couldn't stop smiling until she remembered something. Something that made her look up.

"The whistle..."

Luna reached up and tentatively grabbed the cord. With a deep breath, she looked to her left, seeing the platform. She had never blown a whistle before, much less one on a steam locomotive. Here she was, holding a whistle cord, feeling like she had control of the Elements themselves.

With a deep breath, Luna pulled the whistle cord.

foooWOOOOOOOOOOOOH! FOOOOOOOOOOO!

Luna screamed with joy.

FOOOOOO! FOO! FOOO! FoooOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!

The whistle pierced through the air, screaming like a pegasus flying for the first time. It wasn't low and booming like the Friendship Express, nor was it high and distorted like the Crystal Zephyr. It was a perfect blend between the two that greatly befitted an engine like this.

"Yes!"

The coaches dragged behind, becoming less and less resistant as the train went faster. Luna grabbed the reverser and spun it counterclockwise, allowing the pressure in the cylinders to stay level. The rate of chuff continued to steadily increase, and the train officially left the station.

"This will greatly help me on my journey!" Luna exclaimed, feeling like a filly again. "Though I musn't go too fast. These rails are old and decrepit, and I do not know when a sharp corner will arrive."

Truro continued on, chuffing through the forest like the elegant machine it was. Luna smiled, cementing the thought of her restoring this millenia-old locomotive in her mind.

Driving Truro

Clickety Clack, Clickety Clack, Clickety Clack, Clickety Clack

Truro rattled down the rails, pistons pumping and wheels whirring. Princess Luna sat in the cab, checking the water and fueling the fire. She leaned out of the cab to make sure no obstacles were ahead, all the while smiling like a colt in a candy store.

She had to admit, driving a train was fun. There was a level of finesse she didn't realize was present when driving a train. One thing she never noticed was the way the steam coming from the smokestack stayed white. While she had thought it was merely a design feature, as she did see an older train once that was puffing black smoke out, it was the way one stoked the fire.

She found that when she put a certain amount of coal in the fire, brilliant white steam would pour out. Too much fire and the steam turned jet black. Too little fire would yield the same results. It was all so fascinating to the princess.

The pistons pumped and the wheels whirred as Truro puffed steadily down the dilapidated tracks, white steam pouring out of the smokestack. The tracks creaked and groaned as the train passed over them, but did well to support the train and keep it in line. Leaves and grass flew in the direction of Truro as it passed them by, signifying the impressive speed of 30 Miles Per Hour.

Luna eyed the speedometer as it stayed at that speed. She leaned out the cab window and looked at the side rods. They weren't spinning very fast. At least, not nearly as fast as the Friendship Express' side rods would at this speed. This was certainly due to the driving wheels being so large, but it put a thought in her head. A thought that made her look at the speedometer. The 120MPH speedometer.

Both the Friendship Express' and Crystal Zephyr's speedometers went up to 80. While neither train could actually attain that speed, the speedometers were like that on the off-chance that the trains were going downhill and the engineer decided to have some fun. Another reason they were both 80 was because they were the same speedometer type. This was done to slightly lower the maintenance cost of the Zephyr, which already took an exponential amount of work to keep running.

Speedometers typically went only a bit higher than a locomotive's mechanical top speed, that being a little under 70MPH for the Friendship Express, a little under 80 for the Crystal Zephyr. An older black locomotive Luna had the chance to look inside of had a 70MPH speedometer.

So, by that logic, this speedometer being at 120 meant that Truro could mechanically achieve a speed within 10-20 Miles Per Hour of that.

Which meant that Truro would be able to exceed 100 Miles Per Hour.

That... sounded unlikely. Nothing, not one object on wheels had ever achieved 100 Miles Per Hour, even downhill. The trains that have tried to achieve the unbreakable barrier going downhill would always snap the siderods off, usually destroying the engine due to the speed the siderods snapped off.

But the siderods were moving far slower than those on 50-60 inch wheels. Which meant it would take longer for the siderods to reach dangerous speeds.

Luna tapped her chin. "Can you achieve 100 Miles Per Hour?"

...

"Truro?"

She had no idea why she added the name. It was probably out of habit. All Truro replied with was the steady chuffing of steam.

Luna looked out of the cab down the strangely picturesque line and bit her lip. With an intake of breath, she gently opened the regulator more, allowing more steam into the cylinders and allowing the train to go faster. The speed steadily increased, exceeding 30MPH.

The princess looked back at the two coaches, watching as they rolled behind with little resistance with a smile. She like the smart, semi-aerodynamic look of them. Their smart paint colors that blended well with the locomotive despite the difference in color, and their sheer length gave them a sense of executiveness. It wasn't a long and public passenger train with ultra-short cars. It was a short and spacious train. One of importance and elegance.

She had half a mind to slate this as her personal train.

Over the next hour, Truro continued down the old line, passing by trees and gliding over embankments at what was now 40MPH. Despite this incredibly brisk pace, the siderods still weren't moving all too fast compared to what the Friendship Express' siderods would be moving at.

FOOOOOOOOOO! FOO! FoooOOOooooOOOOO!

The whistle sounded through the forest, piercing through the leaves and branches several hundred feet before cutting off. Luna smiled, but was beginning to feel annoyed. She had been travelling at a brisk 40MPH for an hour and a half now, yet there had been zero sign of civilization. There were no bridges, no tunnels, no water towers, not even a track switch!

Where in the world was she?!

The worst part was that the tender was running low on water. No water meant no steam. No steam meant the train couldn't move. She had to find a water tower, or even a lake. Something with water that can be turned into steam.

Plus, she needed a drink. She hadn't had one for days.

Around a curve Truro went, staying hooked to the rails as Luna shoveled more coal into the firebox, this time with her hooves. She decided she might as well get some exercise. Plus, it felt right to do it this way.

As Truro rounded another curve, Luna saw something that made her smile with joy.

A bridge, spanning a river.

She immediately closed the regulator and applied the brakes, causing the train to decelerate at a surprisingly fast rate. She braced herself against a wall as the wheels turned slower and slower, before the train came to a complete stop just before the bridge. Luna took off the brakes, earning a resounding hiss from Truro.

The princess got out of the cab and made her way down to the water. With a quick purification spell, she began drinking away, spending a full minute satisfying her thirst.

"Ahhhh..." she let out, looking up and eyeing the bridge. What she saw was quite surprising.

It was a very old single structure of two tall wide red brick arches buttressed by two over-land smaller arches. The bridge spanned several hundred feet across the river, linking up to the other side via the same single track Truro was parked on.

What she knew was once a magnificent marvel of a bridge was now overgrown and cracked. Bricks had fallen out, leaves and branches were growing from several cracks, the middle column in the water was the most obscured with a large amount of shrubbery and overgrowth on both sides. Yet despite all this, despite the fact that it was likely the same age as the train and rails, possibly older, it still retained a look of elegance.

Her eyes fell on an old and rusted plaque sitting on one of the walls. Walking up to it, she parted the overgrowth, and let her jaw slack a tiny bit as she read the words.

M a i d e n h e a d . V i a d u c t
Built 1st of July, 1839 by the Great Western Railway.

"The Maidenhead Viaduct?" Luna repeated with a smile. "A most wonderous name."

She backed away and looked at the bridge, then at Truro.

"Hmm... It seems okay. Truro does feel like a rather lightweight train." She looked at the bridge again, noticing a few more cracks. "I am sure this bridge could support a small train such as Truro. But first!" She eyed the water. "I must refill the tender!"

For the next fifteen minutes, Luna used her magic to carry large wads of water to Truro's Tender, depositing it inside the water tank. Once the tank was full, she closed the lid and locked it tight, then got back into the cab. Her ears dropped a little as she remembered what she had to do.

She had to get across the bridge. Or more specifically, Truro had to get across the bridge. Truro and his coaches.

Why Luna had designated Truro as a he, she had no clue.

The bridge was old and almost rickety. Though it seemed to hold itself up easily, with a whole train on it, it could crumble and collapse, taking Truro with it into the river.

Taking in a deep breath, Luna gently opened the regulator, sending steam into the cylinders. Wheel turn by Wheel turn, Truro chuffed onto the single-track bridge. Instantly, the Maidenhead began creaking and swaying, barely ready for the weight now being placed upon it.

The rails groaned as Truro went over them, now approaching the center of the first arch. Bricks fell into the river with accompanying splashes, weakening the Maidenhead. As Truro made past the center of the first arch, the entire weight of the train fully on what may have been the weakest part of the bridge, Luna heard a monstrous creak, and felt the bridge dip ever so slightly downward. Taking in a deep breath, she held the regulator in place, bravely holding her slow and steady pace.

Truro soon edged his way onto the center support column, letting out a hiss of steam as the weight went onto what may have been the strongest point in the bridge. With more bravery, Luna opened the regulator some more, and allowed Truro to go faster over the second part of the Maidenhead. Though the bridge creaked, though the wheels squeaked, Luna and Truro made it back onto solid ground, air hissing from the both of them.

"Okay... Alright..." Luna took in a breath. "Now that that harrowing experience is over, we can continue on our journey," she said as she opened the regulator, steadily increasing Truro's speed.

"Whoever better built that bridge really knew how to build something that will last."

Racing Truro

Luna walked through the coaches, checking to see if there was anything of interest in them. There was nothing, really. Both shared the same interior just like any common coach would.

Surely these coaches were common, at least in wherever they came from, right? They must have been at least a little common. They were likely expensive to maintain and keep clean, not to mention the materials used in them. Aluminum made up their bodies instead of steel. This made Luna understand exactly why it was so easy to set off in them.

Noticing a light switch next to one of the doors, Luna flicked it, and looked at the lights. They flickered wildly for a few seconds before coming on, lighting up the coach. The princess smiled. Interior lighting was only present on the Crystal Zephyr, and only in the engine and leading car. So the fact that both of these coaches had lighting, and incredibly good lighting at that, was most wonderous.

"That settles it. Truro, I am officially slating you as my personal top-link express engine," she stated as she walked back through the coaches and exited via a door right behind the tender. She climbed onto the tender, stepped over the coal, and got back into the cab with ease. "You will receive the best of restorations I can facilitate. I may even restore you myself."

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FOO!

She grabbed the cord and blew the whistle long and hard, thrice, listening to Truro sing and echo through the nearby mountains.

The princess giggled as she began shoveling more coal into the firebox, pushing Truro faster. Up to a brisk 50MPH. Leaves and grass flew in the direction of the wayward train as it passed by, some leaves even following the train for a hundred feet or so before exiting the wake.

Luna leaned out of the cab and looked ahead, watching the line curve through the picturesque forest, smiling as she listening to the beautiful rhythm of the chuffing cylinders.

That smile faltered, turning into a small frown as her eyes narrowed on an approaching object. A buffer. As she continued around the curve, another, larger object came into view. A single coach bearing the same livery and markings of the coaches currently attached behind. Luna's eyes widened in surprise.

She put the brakes on as she saw a track switch ahead. Bracing herself once again as Truro's powerful brakes brought the train to a stop just ahead of the track switch. Wasting no time, Luna jumped out of the cab and immediately began making her way to the new coach.

The coach was in a similar condition to the coaches Truro was pulling, as was its shape, but it had less windows then the other two. The forward half of the coach was essentially the other two coaches, big windows and such, but the back half had less windows. Smaller windows.

She walked up to the front of the coach, eyes landing on the center of the wheels. She swore she could see an old name etched on. Upon further inspection, and with the parting of overgrowth and dust, she could properly see it.

TIMKEN

Without a word, Luna curiously opened a door and climbed into the coach, checking to see if anything on the interior differed.

Stepping inside the grimy unkempt interior, she found that it looked more or less the same as the others. At least, in the forward area. Towards the back, she could see what seemed like a crewpony's area. Making her way back there, she could see a few amenities. Smaller chairs, some shelves, even a minifridge. One with nothing in it, sadly.

In the center of it all was a large red valve. Like one you'd see on a caboose.

"Ah. So this is why this particular coach looks different," Luna noted, instantly putting two and two together. "You must be a brake coach to aid in braking." She smirked as she looked out the windows at Truro. "Not that Truro would need the extra braking."

The smirk turned into a smile as she walked back through the coach. "It wouldn't hurt to take you along, would it?" She stepped outside of the coach, landing on the ground. "What do you think, Truro? Shall we take this coach along?"

She walked past the coaches already behind Truro, looking at the wheels on them. They bore the same names on their bearings as the brake coach. TIMKEN. She even found the same name on Truro's bearings.

Thinking little of it, she set Truro into reverse and gently opened the regulator. The couplings slacked as the tender pushed into the first coach, and the first coach into the second coach. Luna jumped out and ran over to the track switch, flipping the lever and directing the train into the siding.

Climbing back into the cab, Luna closed the regulator and gently applied the brakes. With a satisfying bump, the second coach backed into the brake coach. Smiling, Luna got back out of the cab, went in between the second and now-third coach, and hooked up the chain between the two, coupling the brake coach to the train.

After making sure the brakes weren't on in the brake coach, Luna and Truro were on their way again, pulling out of the siding with two toots of the whistle. Luna realigned the switch to the siding. for when she decided to come down this little old line again, she didn't want to be running at speed straight into the siding.

The weight of the extra coach was apparent over the next ten minutes, but it didn't do much to effect the rate of Truro's acceleration. Luna by this point was growing braver. She was opening the regulator more, pulling the reverser back more, increasing speed to a very respectable 60MPH.

Yet she could still feel Truro's want. She could feel that Truro wanted to go faster. She wanted to go faster too. But she knew that the tracks wouldn't be able to handle a train of any size doing high speed. Even 60 was pushing it.

FOOOOOOOOOO! FOOOOOOOOOO!!!

"By the stars I love that whistle," Luna happily stated.

PEEEEEEEEEEEP! PEEP! PEEEEEEP!

Luna was immensely surprised by the sound of another whistle nearby. A familiar, high-pitched and distorted whistle. Looking ahead, Luna saw the track curve heavily into a switch. A switch leading onto a two-track mainline. And to her surprise, she saw the Crystal Zephyr racing down the line, going the same direction as her.

Slowly, her frown turned in a smirk. Slowly, her face turned into that of mischief.

"Oh yes. OH. YES! COME ON TRURO! LET US DO THIS!"

Luna pushed the regulator all the way open, causing plumes of smoke to pour from the smokestack. The force of 1000 Horses was put into the tracks as Truro forced his way onto the main line, chasing after the high-speed express train. Pistons pumped and wheels whirred as Luna shoveled coal into the firebox, grinning devilishly as she began catching up to the Zephyr.

Faster and faster Truro went, exceeding 70MPH. By now, the front buffers of Truro were beginning to pass the rearmost car of the Zephyr. Seeing this, Luna decided to do something to scare the daylights out of the passengers. She grabbed the whistle cord, firmly grasping it.

"Hello small pony train, meet the better GWR train."

FoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! FOOO! FOOOOOOOOOOOO! FoooOOOoooooOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

With a mighty pull, Luna blew Truro's whistle, letting every passenger on the Zephyr know that they were not alone on the rails. She laughed as she saw all of the Zephyr's windows suddenly fill with ponies, each in complete awe at the spectacle that was City of Truro.

In short order, Truro began overtaking one car after the other. After giving the passengers a wave, Luna grabbed the shovel and chucked coal into the firebox, allowing Truro to go faster and puff harder.

When Truro began to pace the Zephyr's engine, the looks on the driver and firemare's faces were priceless. Giggling, the princess grabbed the whistle cord and pulled hard, sounding off two beautiful toots of the whistle.

That seemed to knock some sense into, or knock the sense out of the two ponies, as both instantly jumped into action to start fueling the Zephyr. The firemare shoved coal into the Zephyr's firebox while the driver managed the water. Luna only smiled and began doing the same for Truro.

The race was on! Both trains thundered across the tracks, pistons pumping their hardest to deliver power to the rails. The Crystal Zephyr's hidden siderods began straining, causing the ride to become rougher and rougher for the crew and passengers. Meanwhile, Luna felt like she was riding on a cloud.

The Zephyr, much to Luna's surprise, matched Truro's pace in both speed and acceleration. Checking the speedometer, they were about ready to exceed 80MPH.

That was when the Zephyr stopped pacing her, having reached its mechanical top speed of 78MPH. Truro, on the other hand, simply kept going. It kept on accelerating. Faster and faster it passed the Zephyr. Luna looked past the coaches back at the driver and firemare, smiling when she saw the gobsmacked looks on their faces. For a bit extra flare, she did something very becoming of a princess such as her.

She stuck her tongue out at them.

She then proceeded to laugh as both ponies seemed to direct several choice words at her. Despite their efforts, the race had ended in a rout. Within less than a minute, City of Truro had overtaken the Crystal Zephyr. Also Known As the fastest train in the world.

"Heh."

The princess directed her gaze to the speedometer, which was steadily rising towards 90MPH. She felt a lump form in her throat as she listened to the high-speed puffing of the pistons. Even whilst approaching 90, Truro was still accelerating. She leaned out of the cab to look at the siderods. Her jaw slacked. Though they were indeed moving fast, they were still abysmally slow to the speeds the Friendship Express or Crystal Zephyr's siderods would be moving.

She looked back at the 120MPH speedometer, watching it steadily rise.

"You can do 100... you can do one hundred miles per hour... I could be come the first pony ever to exceed 100MPH on a land vehicle propelled by its own power... steam..."

Gulping, she began shoveling more coal and feeding more water into Truro. She pulled the reverser back a little, keeping a close eye on the speedometer as it passed 90.

"Come on Truro..."

Out of the corner of her eye, Luna could see Ponyville of all places. The train shot across fields like a bullet. Anypony in the area that saw the train was wowed at its incredible speed.

92

Some thought it was a prototype. Others thought it was a runaway train being propelled by some unknown force.

94

What they all knew was that they were witnessing history.

96

Ahead, Luna could see the Friendship Express leaving the Ponyville Station. Thankfully, she was on a separate track than it.

98

"Oh my gosh."

99

"OH MY GOSH!"

100.

Luna grabbed the whistle and pulled as hard as she could.

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

The princess watched as everypony on the Ponyville Station Platform screamed in surprise at Truro, jumping back as the train shot by at over 100MPH, steam spewing from the funnel and covering the platform. Continuing to blow the whistle, Luna looked inside the Friendship Express' carriages, seeing the passengers freak out as they saw Truro passing.

She could swear she saw a certain Lavender Alicorn among them.

As quick as Truro passed the caboose, he passed the locomotive. The driver had no words to say, utterly gobsmacked at how fast Truro ripped past his train.

Fast, Fast, and Faster still, Truro exceeded 105MPH. What would normally be a thirty minute trip in the Crystal Zephyr to the bottom of the mountain was cut to just ten. Truro bolted across fields and towards the incline, Luna squeeing with delight as the speedometer touched 110MPH.

Truro hit the incline fast and hard, charging up it like the fiery metal beast he was. Speed decreased heavily back down below 100MPH, but she found it very easy to hold 80. Over trestle bridges and through tunnels the train flew, nearly rattling each and every one to destruction. This made Luna make a note to ask for proper bridges to replace them. Preferably ones like the Maidenhead Viaduct.

As they topped the incline, Luna gave a good, long blast of the whistle. She gave it an especially good pull as she passed under the main archway into Canterlot, waving happily at the guards ahead. Remembering the station, Luna shut off steam and applied the brakes, gushing over how well they worked to slow the entire train down. She could swear the coaches were braking as well!

FOOOOOOOOOOO! FOOOOOOOOO! FOO! FOOOOOOOOOO!

Ponies all around gazed at Truro at he pulled into the station. Each pony, no matter how puffed up in the smokebox they were, wanted a look at the magnificent metal beauty. Truro slowed to a smooth, gentle stop, letting off a hiss when Luna took the brakes off.

The Night Mare looked back at the tender, seeing that there were only a few lumps of coal left. Smiling, she grabbed the lumps of coal, chucking them into the firebox. She kept five lumps as mementos, keeping them in her magical grasp as she stepped out of the cab.

To her surprise, she could see Princess Celestia flying in, landing directly in front of her with practiced ease.

"Luna?!" the elder princess exclaimed.

Luna smiled. "Good evening sister," she greeted, noting the low sun.

"I... I-I thought you weren't coming back!"

Luna rolled her eyes. "I handled that monster just fine, thank you very much. No thanks to you, or the elements."

"The ele- The elements weren't even here!"

"Exactly."

Celestia took a breath. "Where did you teleport? With a monster as big and powerful as that, surely I would have caught a glimpse in the distance."

"Far far away. I spent three days walking nonstop after vanquishing it because I was rendered flightless."

Celestia looked at Luna, then at the slightly rusted locomotive behind her. "And, if I may, how did you get..."

Luna smiled. "Truro? I found him last night on a very old line. His coaches provided excellent hospitality and allowed me to rest easy. Then, after I woke up, I decided to steam him. After all, a train will always be faster than sprinting."

Celestia raised a brow. "Him?'

Luna nodded. "I figured that since I would likely be driving Truro for a while, possibly days, I would 'equinize' him more. Oh! And you will never believe this. On my way here, I achieved one hundred and eleven miles per hour."

Celestia's jaw slacked. "I'm sorry what?"

"Did I stutter?"

"That's impossible! No land-based object has ever achieved 100MPH! Much less under its own power!"

"Not for Truro. In fact, had we been given more time at full throttle, we possibly could have exceeded one hundred and twenty."

"No. No. This... uh..."

"Look at the driving wheels, sister." Luna gestured towards the wheels. "They are massive. Whomever built this locomotive over 1400 years ago knew what they were doing. As did those who built the Maidenhead Viaduct."

Celestia short circuited.

Luna sat there, staring at her older sister as she stared at the locomotive and three coaches.

"Fourteen... Hundred... Years?"

"Way older than you. My assumption is that this locomotive was transported into our world by some unknown means. Be it back in time, or from somewhere else entirely."

"Sister... you understand that nothing from 1400 years ago exists? At least nothing that isn't a rock?"

"So how could a train survive for so long? Once again my assumption is that third party magic was at play. To be honest, I should have checked. But no matter. Once Truro is restored, I will be heading back to the Great Western Railway."

"The Great Western Railway?"

"Yes. There are many sights I saw on the line that I would love to look into, most notably the Maidenhead."

"The Maidenhead?"

"The Maidenhead Viaduct. It is a most wonderous red-brick arch bridge that spans a river. Despite its age, and yes I know a third party magic may have been keeping it in order, but whoever built that bridge was a true master of their class. They knew how to build something that would last."

"..."

"But enough about that. I want the best restorers in Equestria here right now. City of Truro is getting a complete restoration. He shall become my private express engine, one faster than quite literally anything else on rails."

"Uh... Wha..."

Luna stepped back into Truro's cab, letting a devilish smirk form.

"Jealous, sister?"

Restoring Truro

Luna guided City of Truro into a spacious and comfortable shed, along with his coaches. Looking around, she could see a small team of the restorers Celestia had sent for. She smiled as she saw the curious looks on each of their faces. Instead of putting the brakes on, she simply pushed the reverser all the way forward and opened the throttle, letting Truro pull the coaches to a stop. After doing that, she closed the regulator and reverser, setting the locomotive brake on before stepping out of the cab.

She looked at the small team of six ponies. Two were Earth Ponies, another two were Unicorns, and the last two were Pegasides. Three were stallions, the other three were mares. The princess smirked, wondering if she was looking at some other version of the Element Bearers.

"My sister has informed me that you six are one of the best restoration teams in Equestria. Is this correct?"

The ponies looked at each other before a pegasus stepped forward. "Yes. It is. We've all been doing restoration work together since grade school."

Luna nodded and gestured towards the engine. "Well. I hope you are up for the challenge of restoring Truro here. I would restore him myself, but my skills are severely lacking in that field of work."

The pegasus smiled. "Of course. We always love sinking our tools into new things."

Luna chuckled. "Well, I must warn you, Truro here is not new by any means."

"Yeah... Celestia said that this train was somehow over fourteen hundred years old. We were all skeptical about the age but if you were able to steam the train all the way here, we guessed it was alright."

Luna raised a brow. "When did you get to know my sister on a first-name basis?"

The pegasus' ears flattened. "Sorry! Force of habit..."

"No matter. Anyway. Let us get to working on Truro. I say we should start on the coaches first. That way Truro has time to expel his boiler pressure."

"Got it."

The whole team began working hard to restore Truro to his former glory. Over the next couple of days, another unicorn had offered her decorative services, Rarity. Luna respectfully declined, knowing the mare would want to change a few things about the interior. The princess preferred the interior just the way it was.

The first to go was the rust, dirt, and grime. Luna had been afraid of ruining the paintwork, but two her surprise, the two unicorns of the group worked extraordinarily well to remove just the rust, revealing the beautiful Great Western Green underneath.

The inner workings of Truro were cleaned out and removed of any and all rust and smoke. Each and every bolt of Truro was taken off, being either refurbished or outright replaced. Luna, despite knowing that originality was key for this locomotive, could care less about bolts. They were bolts. Likely not even the originals either.

Luna herself cleaned the whistle, allowing it to sing even better than it did before. The team proceeded to check the bearings, but were surprised at the design of said bearings. They were roller bearings. A very revolutionary form of them. Seeing this, it was no wonder Luna was able to start Truro and his coaches so easily and go so fast with little resistance. These types of bearings could travel faster, and last longer, and keep going with less cost, and get places sooner.

"Timken Roller Bearings, huh? Well, it is no wonder I was able to attain the speeds I did," Luna chuckled, looking at the inscriptions on one of the bearings.

"What speeds?" one of the ponies asked.

The princess smirked. "Well..."

The team worked fast and efficiently at the job. Luna could see why they were regarded as the best. They were grade school friends, so they had trust in each other. Not to mention that they had been doing this since grade school, so they had the expertise. They were all polite too, always willing to teach her how to do this and that.

The team was so good in fact that it cut what should have been a month-long job down to just a fortnight. By the time the job was done, the whole train was so cleaned and polished that Luna could see her reflection. And by the stars, Truro looked beautiful. He looked like a proper steam locomotive. Not a toy.

FOOOOOOOO! FOOOOOOOO!

The whistle sang with newfound strength as Truro pulled into the Canterlot Station, Luna in the cab, operating the controls. Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the rest of the Element Bearers were eagerly waiting at the platform, some more eager than others.

"Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!" Rarity, the white unicorn exclaimed, admiring the paintwork. "Whomever did the work on this machine is a true master of their craft!"

"Do you mean who designed it? Or who restored it?"

"Both."

Luna chuckled. "Both. Both is good. Now. Is everypony ready?"

"Ready for what?" a cerulean pegasus, Rainbow Dash, asked.

"For going to the local cake parlor," Luna scowled. "For exploring the Great Western Railway of course!'

"Rainbow, we've been talking about this over the whole week!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I've been training with the Wonderbolts all week! What do you want me to do?!"

"Valid point," Luna stated. "Now! We musn't dally! We must leave now in order to maximize time spent on the GWR."

FOO! FOO-FOO-FOO! FOO!

Celestia sighed. "Are you absolutely sure you want to drive this train there? Why not let a trained conductor drive?"

Luna scoffed. "I would like to see you pilot Truro to 111MPH."

"I will never believe the notion that Truro exceeded 100MPH, much less reached one-eleven!"

"Then get on."

Celestia scoffed as she, Twilight, and the other Element Bearers stepped onto the forward coach. Luna smiled as she looked at the stuck-up "Nobles" who clearly wanted a ride on Truro.

She cleared her throat, and with a smile, grabbed the whistle cord.

FOOO! FOOOOO!

Luna opened the regulator and cylinder valves, allowing the train to pull out of the station. The chugging of the cylinders steadily increased in speed, steam pouring from them and creating a most wonderous sound. Nay, song.

Truro pulled away from the station with newfound strength and efficiency. The refurbished parts greatly increased Truro's acceleration, so much to the point that Celestia had to brace herself, for she hadn't sat down before the train began moving.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think she did that on purpose."

The train accelerated out of Canterlot quick and easy. Luna pulled the reverser back further and further. Speed really increased when they began going downhill. 60, 70, 80. As Truro approached 90, Luna applied the brakes, holding the speed. During restoration, she had found that the reason the brakes worked as well as they did was because they were Vacuum Brakes.

To put it simply, the brakes were always on. There was a continuous pipe running throughout the length of the train, of which a partial vacuum was maintained to release the brakes and allow the train to move. Long story short, this type of braking system was far superior to the basic manually-operated brakes the other trains used. This type was also safer. For if a train were to become disconnected for whatever reason, the vacuum would be lost and the decoupled half would grind to a halt. This made for a very safe train.

"Look at the SPEED we're doing!" Twilight exclaimed as she watched the scenery shoot by them. "Even the Crystal Zephyr isn't this fast!"

Celestia smiled. "Credit where it's due. This is fast. But we are going downhill."

"Uh- When the hay did you ever see the Crystal Zephyr go this fast downhill?"

"..."

Everypony braced themselves in the seats as they flew around a corner, wheels squealing. Soon, the bottom of the mountain approached. In the cab, Luna saw this, and took off the brakes. She opened up the regulator as far as it could go, allowing plumes of brilliant white steam to pour from the smokestack.

To everypony's surprise, the train exceeded 100MPH. And it kept accelerating according to Twilight's speed-check spell.

Everypony, knowing nothing on wheels had ever been able to attain this speed, was horrendously confused.

"What the..." Celestia began.

FoooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! FOOOO! FOOOO! FOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOO!

In the cab, Luna smiled, knowing how confused everypony was. She checked the boiler pressure, continuing to smile as it sat level at 200PSI. This new, ultra high-quality coal plus the adjusted safety valve allowed Truro to run even faster and more efficiently then before.

"We're already near Ponyville holy CRAP!" Twilight exclaimed, seeing the small town in the distance. She squeed like a filly as they exceed 110MPH. She could not believe how smooth the ride was. At this speed, the train should have been shaking itself apart! Yet it wasn't!

"How?!"

"It must be something to do with the suspension on the train," Celestia noted.

"Since when do trains have suspension?"

"Didn't you see the springs supporting it?"

"No! Where were they?"

"On the bogies."

"The what!?"

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FOOOOOOOOOOOO! FOO! ... FOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Truro blasted through Ponyville Station with enough speed to fling suitcases in its direction.

"Suh... Alright! We need to get a blueprint of City of Truro! This train is insane!" Twilight yelled.

"I find it hard to believe Luna would let anypony do that," Celestia replied with a slightly annoyed tone.

Twilight was surprised. "What? Why?"

"I have a feeling that Luna would want to keep some exclusivity with this train."

"Oh for- We could just BASE IT on City of Truro! It doesn't have to be an exact replica!"

"I still don't know."

"Hmph."

Across the fields the train went, reaching as high as 115MPH before it hit a limit. Luna knew Truro could go faster, but now it seemed to be a matter of power deficiency. There was too much air resistance being generated. The bearings and better-quality coal helped, but even then, the power deficiency was too great.

Accepting defeat, Luna held the train at a "steady" 113MPH all the way until they approached the switch track for the Great Western Railway line. It took them practically no time compared to if they had taken the Friendship Express or Crystal Zephyr.

Flexing her now-healed wings, Luna shot ahead of the engine and flipped the switch, sending the train straight onto the old rails. Celestia, Twilight and company were thrown to one side of the coach, none expecting the sudden change in direction. After flipping the switch back, she took off and shot after the train, landing in the cab and instantly setting about slowing the train down to a still-brisk 60MPH.

"You could have said something!" Luna heard Celestia call from behind. She looked past the tender and at the coach's front door, spying the white Alicorn.

"Whatever do you mean?" Luna asked as she took off the brakes.

"The turn back there! I nearly stabbed my horn through one of the windows!"

Luna scowled. "And I would have made you pay. Now, let me continue driving."

Celestia scoffed as she stepped back inside the coach, sitting in a seat.

"You alright?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." The Sun Princess took in a breath. "Let's watch the scenery go by. I'm interested in seeing what this line has to offer."

The rest of the journey was mostly uneventful. Luna slowed down and even stopped in the center of the Maidenhead Viaduct, allowing those with and without wings to get a good view. From afar, the bridge truly was a sight to behold. Twilight and Rarity thought it looked far too good to be a Railway Bridge. City of Truro and his three coaches parked on it was icing on the cake.

After several minutes of examining the bridge, its structure, and its impressive age, everypony got back on the train and continued down the line. The rails creaked and groaned, but having travelled over them once, Luna was confident they would hold.

It was a few hours before they happened upon the other landmark Luna knew of. The platform in which she found Truro.

Chuff... Chuff... Chuff........ Chuff..... Tsssssssss...

Luna and the others stepped out onto the decrepit platform, feeling the crumbling concrete beneath their hooves.

"So this is where you found this train?" Celestia asked.

Luna nodded. "This is where I found Truro and two of his coaches. We passed the siding in which I found the brake coach ages ago. Before the Maidenhead."

"This platform is so OLD!" Twilight exclaimed as she ran spells on the area. "This over here looks like an old building! I wonder what happened to it."

"That was me," Luna explained. "The building had rotted so much that only the frame remained. Simply grazing my tail against one of the planks practically disintegrated it."

"Huh... Strange..."

"I did find a book of archival quality, but the centuries spent exposed to the elements ensured that it too would disintegrate in my grasp."

"Fascinating."

Luna looked around as everypony examined the platform and the small clearing surrounding it. Her eyes glanced up the line, ahead of Truro. It curved it little, almost out of sight. However, just barely poking out from behind the bushes, Luna spotted a track switch. A very old track switch.

"What the..." she mouthed, stepping down the platform and leaning over as far as she could. Indeed, there was a track switch. A rather long track switch meant for high speed.

"Something the matter, sister?"

Luna's ears twitched at the sound of Celestia's voice. "There is a track switch," she stated, gesturing towards the track switch just around the curve.

"Interesting... Shall we go see what it is for?"

Luna nodded, stepping into the cab.

Celestia scoffed. "You don't have to bring your new train along every inch of this line."

"I want to bring Truro along the line."

FoooOO! FOO-FOO-FOO! FOO!

The mane six were surprised at the sudden whistle.

"Welp, I think that's our que to get back on," Rainbow Dash said.

"Indeed it is." Luna eyed Twilight, who was still examining the platform and writing notes. "Ahem. Twilight? Are you coming along?"

"You go ahead, I'll catch up," Twilight replied.

Luna said nothing, focusing on the tracks ahead as she waited for everypony - excluding Twilight - to get on. After hearing a door slam, she blew the whistle twice and opened the regulator. Truro began pulling away from the platform quick and easy. As it did so, Luna felt a presence behind her. It was Celestia, who had to sit half inside the cab and half on the tender.

"Do you need something, sister?" Luna asked.

"I was wondering if you had any theories about this train. This... line."

Luna shoveled some coal into the firebox. "A couple. First, this line must have appeared recently in our world, despite its age. Or at least the track switch onto the main line."

"Oh?"

"Sister, you really think the ponies building the main line would have built a whole switch for this line, but not ever go down this line?"

Celestia said nothing.

"And then... there is the fact that Truro may have been specifically preserved by some unknown force of magic. The question is, why? Why Truro? He is a train. I am grateful, for I have had a lot of fun driving him, but-"

Click-Click... Click-Click...

Truro's wheels clicked as he went over the track switch and onto what appeared to be a two-track main line. Luna and Celestia looked down the rails, and were surprised to spot another switch track going right. Past that was another, and then another. It was a small railyard.

Luna's jaw slacked. "What the..."

The two tracks they were on continued for a bit more than a thousand feet before splitting apart, presumably to form a loop. The yard did the same, but only for several hundred feet before ending in buffers. The tracks of the yard were littered with overgrown rolling stock. Small flatbeds, vans, rotted wooden plank cars, what one would typically find in a railyard. Just more practical and not showy.

"Sister, what is that over there?"

Luna looked at where Celestia was pointing. She gasped suddenly, putting on the brakes and bringing Truro to a halt. Unfurling her wings, she took off and flew across the yard towards the object.

Landing a few meters away, she took in the rolling stock. It was very similar to Truro. It had a long sloping boiler, a dark green paintjob, and a black undercarriage. It had a bigger Six-Wheeled Tender with the words GREAT WESTERN painted on. It had outside cylinders and less brass fitting than Truro, but retained a brass-topped smokestack. Also like Truro, or at least when she had first found Truro, it was covered in rust and dirt.

The biggest difference from the locomotive and Truro was that it wasn't a 4-4-0. It was a 4-6-0 Ten Wheeler. A very stylish 4-6-0 Ten Wheeler. These types of locomotives were practically unheard of, but there had been a few ideas thrown around with them. Nopony tried building them, for they would rather continue with the cheap 4-4-0 design.

"What is this?" Celestia asked as she landed next to Luna.

"It is called a steam locomotive."

"I'm being serious."

"I do not know. Though, it looks very stylish, even with those freight cars behind it," Luna said, noting the three rusted gondolas coupled behind it.

"It looks like an elongated version of Truro," Celestia noted, glancing back at Truro to spot Twilight's friends getting out of the forward coach.

"Indeed. Perhaps the Great Western Railway preferred keeping their engines more or less the same. But if that is that case..." Luna stepped forward towards the locomotive, eyeing the number plate underneath the cab windows. 4003. She stepped next to the dirty semi-circular nameplate situated in the middle of the boiler. She reached up and rubbed the nameplate to reveal the name. "What the..."

Stepping back, the sisters read the name of the Express Steam Locomotive. It was two simple words.

L O D E . S T A R

Author's Note

Alright. This pentalogy was nice to write. Simple, easy, and a good way to shed light on the lesser-known steam locomotives to non-railfans. Plus it's my first completed multi-chapter story! Woohoo!

Anyway, I may do Celestia next. Or Twilight. I have a good locomotive for Twilight but am struggling with finding one for Celestia. Here's hoping I can find one.

Ha. Did I get you?

Come on. It's pretty freaking obvious which train pairs with Celestia. There is no other train that would fit as perfectly as it.

Hint: It's American!