Old Iron

by Fujimi200SX

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Adventure, Crossover, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 61084

The North Western Railway's famous Number 2 finds himself in Equestria.

I have grown to expect the unexpected. On the Island of Sodor, the absurd and supernatural are considered normal. Ghosts of engines and spiteful brake vans, mythical creatures causing all manner of hell on the Skarloey Railway, a potentially rabid dog putting Sodor in the center of a political conflict, and much, much more. Sounds almost exciting, doesn't it?

What I, Edward of the North Western Railway, never expected, not in my entire life, was appearing in a different world where humans have been replaced with ponies, not to mention the fantasy aspects involved.

If I told you that I had experienced stuff even more absurd than that, would you believe me?

Published 2022-03-25 21:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-01-03 02:12:59 UTC

1: July 4th, 1973

It was July 4th of 1973. A day I remember vividly. I woke with a very slow start, barely able to make out anything around me for what felt like minutes before my vision sharpened. Around me, I could see that I was in a workshop. There was mostly rolling stock, but I could spot one or two engines on the adjacent tracks. Neither of whom I recognized.

I vividly remember seeing the workshop contort and age. Vines and bushes enraptured the building, cracks and rust appeared everywhere, all of the engines were rusting so much that they fell apart. I grimaced in response to this. While I knew this wasn't really happening, it was still a creepy sight.

"Edward?"

I refocused onto the stout gentleman standing on the platform to my left. He was wearing a black suit and tophat with a pale yellow undershirt. He looked at me with a worried, but hopeful look. Seeing the familiar face made me smile.

"Oh, hello sir," I greeted.

A sigh of relief escaped the stout gentleman. "Oh thank god. You're alright."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

The man, named Sir Topham Hatt, took in a deep breath. "I'd really rather not say, but..." He sighed. "You've been under the effects of Green Water for seventeen months."

"Seventeen months?!"

I was speechless. Engines being under the effects of "Green Water" - an anesthetic given to engines when undergoing repairs so they don't feel pain - for longer than eight or even nine months was unheard of. They were typically woken up once every month or so to make sure their psych isn't affected.

"Yes, Edward. Seventeen months," another man said as he came into view. He was my driver, Thomas Eric Galindes.

"What happened?" I asked. "I thought I was only in for a change of brakes."

"Yes, that was the plan," Topham said. "However, an accident occurred just as we finished and were about to start you, Thomas accidentally poured a bit of Black Water into your tank."

I was shaken to my wheels upon hearing this. "Black Water" was another chemical agent similar to Green Water. But while Green Water was an anesthetic, Black Water was a euthanizing agent. It was induced on non-faceless vehicles - vehicles like me who are alive and have faces, hence the term - when they wanted to die. This assisted suicide was known as "The Final Firing", and was chosen by vehicles for a number of reasons, most involving something along the lines of them not wanting to drain the budget of their company due to very costly repairs.

The thought that I could have been killed on accident was horrifying enough. But for it to be by my own driver that nearly did it? That was even worse.

I mustered the courage to speak. "How... did it happen? And how am I not dead?"

Both men's faces turned vengeful. "Some plastered git fouled up and put black water in typical water barrels," Thomas stated. "I poured maybe a gallon in when I realized. I screamed and within moments any and all water barrels were halted all around the island."

"I was there when it happened," Topham said. "I almost fainted when the realization struck and could only watch as Thomas and your fireman Charlie desperately try to start your system. Everyone in the workshop thought you were done for. However, we could all see that your system was still able to start, but barely. When Mickey arrived in record time, he said that you were still alive, but you wouldn't wake up for an indeterminant amount of time."

I stayed silent for a few seconds as I took the information in. Thoughts rushed through my head, some wondering what would have happened if I really had died, others wondering who the git that fouled up was.

"Blimey," I finally let out. "That's... That's horrible."

The men nodded in response.

"If I may, where is Charlie?"

"He's bedridden right now," Thomas replied. "Nothing life-threatening."

"Huh..."

I looked past the men as I noticed some strange engines at the other end of the shed. Funny engines, they were. They had bright coats of paint, party hats, button noses, and one had oversized glasses. I blinked in response to this, causing them to disappear.

"Is something wrong, Edward?" Topham asked.

"Just some hallucinations, sir," I replied.

"Yes, that is to be expected," a new voice said. Ahead, I saw a crimson red non-faceless engine exactly like myself slowly puffing towards me on an adjacent track. A 4-4-0 with the letters "F.R." on his tender. It was Mickey. Sodor's Fire and Rescue engine.

I smiled. "Oh. Hello Mickey."

Mickey smiled as he stopped. "How goes things, Edward? Everything alright so far?"

"A bit shook, but otherwise I'm fine."

"Does anything hurt?"

"No sir."

"That's good. Listen, it's a good thing I'm here. I need to evaluate your psych. Make sure nothing is mentally wrong with you. Are you alright with this?"

"Of course chief. I understand."

"Sure you don't need a few minutes to get readjusted?"

"No sir. I feel just fine."

"If you say so. Has Sir Topham told you what has happened to you over the past seventeen months?"

I frowned and looked at Sir Topham. "What has happened to me?"

Topham sighed. "Over the months, I couldn't bear to let you sit in place with nothing being done to help you. Sodor has been doing very well in its finances, so I decided to pay for some new parts for you."

"What sort of parts?"

"New wheels for one. All your fittings and pipes have been replaced, as have both your cylinders. You've even been fitted with a speedometer that rises up to one hundred miles per hour, per Charlie's request."

I laughed at this. "A hundred miles per hour sir? I doubt I'd ever be able to reach two-thirds that speed."

"It was one off of a scrapped A3."

"Ah, I see."

The fat controller smiled. "But the most recent addition was the roller bearings on each and every one of your axles, including those on your tender."

"Roller bearings, sir?"

"Yes. It's a special kind of bearing I'm trying out that can go faster and last longer than traditional bearings. They're expensive, but considering their advantages I think they'll be worth it. I already have three special coaches outside that I want you to take when you're ready."

I frowned. "With all due respect sir, wouldn't it be bad for me if I go out with these hallucinations impacting me?"

"On the contrary," Mickey interjected. "It would be better if you went out and about. Maybe not on regular service, especially on the mainline, but some shunting and small yard-to-yard jobs will reduce the hallucinations."

"If you say so chief." I smiled. "As skeptical as I am, I can't wait to try out these new bearings. They certainly sound interesting."

"There's a good engine," Topham said with a smile. "Welcome back Edward."

"Glad to be back."

Over the next few hours and late into the afternoon, Mickey evaluated my psych, which I did surprisingly well on, all things considered. I did suffer a few hallucinations, most involving either the strange engines or the equally strange rapid-aging hallucination. However, one stood out that I remember vividly. I saw three maroon tank engines that had been part of the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway, along with a familiar man in a blue suit in the far corner of the shop.

Other than that, I did just fine. Mickey allowed me to leave the shop to test my new bearings and make sure everything was in good working order. And my word, the roller bearings were nothing like I thought. It was extraordinarily easy to get going and made me feel like I was riding on fresh grease.

I wish I could say a couple of my friends had stopped by during this, but they hadn't. They were all too busy with their own jobs. I didn't mind. They had a railway to run, and I didn't want to be a detriment to that.

The three coaches were different then what I had seen before. Instead of the standard four-axle bogie coaches I was used to, they instead had six axle bogies. Another noteworthy detail was their classic LNER livery. Brown primary color with a large cream-colored stripe around the windows. They even had the word Pullman in the center. Truth be told, I liked the look of these ones over the normal ones.

As I backed up to the three coaches, Sir Topham walked up to me.

"Edward, I'm going to be riding in your cab to Tidmouth."

"What for?" I asked.

"Because it's convenient. Also so I can make sure you're fine on the way there."

I smiled. "Okay then."

"Have a nice run Edward," Mickey said as he pulled beside me with a works coach.

"You too, Mickey," I replied.

"If you need anything, just say so. I'm sure I can provide."

"Of course chief. I wish you luck throughout the rest of the day."

"You too. Again, it's nice to have you back."

"It's great to be back."

With two toots of the whistle, Mickey was off. I was coupled up to the three coaches and left soon after. Along the way, I continued to marvel at the smoothness and efficiency of the roller bearings. They worked so well on the coaches that it almost felt like I wasn't pulling anything at all, which worked against me as I accidentally slipped my wheels pulling out. Me, Sir Topham, and Thomas had a laugh as we pulled out of the works yard and went down the mainline.

We must have picked a bad, or good, time to leave, as I saw only one other engine on the way to Wellsworth. That engine happened to be Thomas, a bright blue tank engine with six wheels and a number 1 on his side tanks. We whistled at each other and exchanged greetings, but because he was going in the opposite direction we could only do just that. I wasn't even able to say that I'd see him later.

"It's so nice to be able to just look at a gauge to see our speed instead of having to guess," Thomas said.

"It must be," I agreed.

As we went over the Preston Incline, or "Gordon's Hill", Topham and Thomas - my driver - filled me in on a few things that had happened over Sodor. Namely, not much. Topham had brought in another engine to do my work, and Thomas had apparently dated a woman for a few months before breaking up since she was a complete freeloader. He had also gotten a new car. The most notable thing that happened was that Topham was thinking about ordering for a nuclear power plant to be built.

"Why? What's wrong with the power plants we have now?" I asked upon hearing this.

"Though privately owned, they're expensive," Topham began. "Not to mention their pollution. Having a centralized power plant able to supply the entire island with electricity would reduce costs for both the island and the railway."

"For the railway?"

"Yes. As it stands, we have to send trains all throughout the island to deliver fuel to the various power plants. If it were to just one delivery to a single location, that would alleviate stress from the branchline crews."

"Don't we already make fuel deliveries to other businesses that don't involve power?"

"Yes, yes, but those trains would be much shorter and therefore not force the engines to work as hard. Plus they run out of fuel at different times. Having a set time in which deliveries are made are sure to increase efficiency."

"Hm... Wait, why haven't you went ahead and built it by now?"

"Because I was funding your overhaul."

Upon hearing this, I flipped out at Topham. I told him that he shouldn't put money towards me just because he felt sorry for me. He retorted by saying the island didn't absolutely need the power plant, to which I said that he might as well not build it. This back-and-forth argument continued until Wellsworth, where I was forced to stop because of a faulty signal.

"Well. While this gets resolved," Topham said as he stepped off my cab. "I'm going to use the lavatory. Be right back."

"Aren't there lavatories in the coaches?" Thomas asked.

"Yes, but I've never felt comfortable using them," Topham replied.

"Alright. Speaking of, I might as well use the lavatory as well. See you in a second, Edward."

"Of course," I replied.

With Thomas and Sir Topham gone, I idled by the platform, chatting with a few passengers that recognized me and were glad to have me back. Most I certainly didn't know, but it was nice to chat and learn of what happened during my hiatus. Which, again, wasn't much.

I waited for Topham and Thomas to come back, glancing around at the scenery and warding off any hallucinations.

And I continued waiting.

And continued waiting...

...

...

...

BANG!!!

I yelped as the loudest explosion I had ever heard ricocheted through the air. It was louder than a rocket taking off, louder than even the biggest railway gun I had ever fired.

The sky itself began to turn red just as I heard a sound nobody wants to hear. Air Raid Sirens. But judging by the giant plume of smoke I saw in the distance, it wouldn't have taken a genius to know what had happened.

"OH TO HELL WITH THE SIGNAL!"

With two whistles, I just about snapped the couplings getting out of Wellsworth. I charged past the faulty signal, speed increasing faster than what I thought was impossible for an engine of any kind, much less myself. I raced down the mainline, appearing as a bright blue blur to anybody I passed.

I don't know how adrenaline works for humans, but something that I'm sure was the equivalent of the stuff was surging through my body. I was going at speeds I had never gone before. Faster than James, faster than Henry, faster than Gordon, faster than the Flying Scotsman himself. My pistons pumped harder and my siderods went faster than ever.

I blew my whistle as loud as I could as I passed Donald, a small black Scottish tender engine pulling a slow goods train in the opposite direction. I remember the look on his face vividly. It was a look of shock, surprise, and horror. Either because of my speed, or what was happening.

With Crosby approaching, I whistled as loud and hard as I could, alerting those who were - for whatever reason - still on the platform that I was passing through. Once through, I set my sights on the one place ahead that would shield me from what was to come. Crosby Tunnel. I passed over a small bridge and then under another before the tunnel came into view.

With the crimson-red sun obscuring my vision, I dashed inside, squeezing my eyes shut as I slammed on my brakes. Despite them being practically brand new, my speed and momentum ensured that I popped out the other end. My wheels ground against the rails as I continued for a dozen meters before finally stopping. The coaches bumped into me before rolling back, slacking and tightening the couplings a few times before they too stopped.

"Hoh... Hoh... Hoh... Hoh...... Hoh..." I looked down at the rails, completely knackered from the thrashing I had put myself through. I sat there for minutes as I caught my breath. After that, I began to look around at my surroundings.

It was then that I grew very confused. I knew every inch of the standard gauge rails. I knew that this side of Crosby Tunnel had three tracks set within a dugout with fencing at the top of said dugout.

It did not have a single track with trees and a cliff face on one side, with a sheer drop into a river on the other side. I knew it was a sheer drop into a river because it was right next to the track.

I blinked several times, trying to shake away this hallucination. To my surprise, it didn't go away. It stayed there like I was really there. Looking around, I found that I was within extremely mountainous terrain. Snow-capped mountains rose high into the sky, cut apart by various flowing rivers and valleys.

I practically knew every inch of Sodor, at least that of the standard gauge line. I knew that no place on Sodor, or even Britain for that matter, had a view like this for standard-gauge rails.

After gawking at the sight, I looked up and was shocked by the moon that now hung in the air. It was massive. Four times the size of the moon I had grown to know and love. Furthermore, it simply shouldn't have been out right now. The sun wasn't meant to set for hours.

After gawking at that, I switched on my headlamp and tentatively began moving forward, hoping that doing so would snap me out of this strange dream. If it was a dream, that is.

As I continued down this strange mountainous track, the dark feeling I had that this was real became more and more apparent. I had somehow been transported to a different part of the world while escaping the blast that had befallen Sodor. In all my years, I had never thought that would happen either to myself, or any other engine. Those that were alive, at least. The deceased were probably able to do stuff like this.

...

What if... I was dead?

No, no. I wasn't. I couldn't have been dead. I wasn't. I...

"What's that?"

Ahead, I could see what actually looked like a giant mythical sword rising into the sky. It looked to be made of crystal, and upon further inspection, looked more like a palace you'd see out of straight fantasy. Surrounding the crystal superstructure was a circle filled with small houses and businesses also made of crystal, with perfectly symmetrical pathways slicing through it all.

My eyes quickly fell on the tracks leading near the mythical city, then onto the station that was stationed next to the tracks, pun partially intended. With a breath, I cruised down the tracks I was currently on down towards the city, hoping to find someone who could tell me where I am.

Suddenly, the coaches behind me braked hard, and I was brought to a screeching halt.

"Hey! What the? What happened?" I asked, wishing that I could look back at the coaches to see. I knew there weren't any non-faceless coaches on my train, which is where the confusion stemmed from. "Oh god don't tell me one of the brake lines failed."

"Technically, they did!" a familiar voice called out.

"What the?! Thomas? Was that you?" I asked, growing hopeful as I heard ground crunch behind me.

"Yes Edward! It was me! I disconnected a brake hose!"

I heard the sound of hissing air as Thomas reconnected the hose.

"Oh thank god. When did you get on?"

"Edward, there are way more important matters than how I got on!"

I rolled my eyes. "Like that explosion? Like how we seem to be in a different-"

I stopped cold as "Thomas" walked into my vision. In place of the tall, physically fit man I had grown to enjoy the company of, was instead a blue pony with a yellow mane and tail, red eyes, and large leathery wings connected to its barrel. The pony would be just as tall as the man if it were standing on its hind legs.

"Look at what I've been turned into!" the Thestral exclaimed.

Author's Note

My take on the MLP x TTTE crossover and second full story. Let's see how I do.

2: Hallucination

"WHAT IN BLAZES!?"

"Yeah! I had just about the exact same reaction as you did!"

"But... how?!"

"I don't know! I spent all that time working out and making sure I was fit, to be turned into THIS! WHAT. THE HELL!?"

"Calm down Thomas!"

"Calm down?! EDWARD!? I'M A BAT PONY! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN?!"

"You're not dead, and we're not in danger! We have plenty of time to calm down and assess the situation."

Thomas let out a loud, almost bloodcurdling scream before taking in a few deep breaths. He sat down on his rump and sighed. "Yeah, you're right. So. What exactly is the situation right now?"

I raised a brow as his ears drooped. "Well, we just escaped what I'd assume is a nuclear blast. Then-"

"Nuclear blast?"

"What? The nuclear blast. Or some giant explosion, I don't know."

"What do you mean giant explosion?!"

"Uh- You mean to say you didn't see or hear that giant explosion? The whole flippin' sky turned red! That was the whole reason I tore down the line!"

"Edward- wha- There was no explosion! I remember exiting the station building, I heard you shout 'To hell with the Signal!' out of nowhere, and I jumped into the last coach as you took off! Then I was knocked out because I smacked my head into a table! THEN I woke up like THIS!"

"Thomas, there was an explosion. Maybe you didn't notice because you were knocked out."

"No, there wasn't! You just yelled out 'To hell with the signal' with no warning and took off!"

"So you're saying I hallucinated i-... tuh..."

I stopped as I thought about it more. The thought that I could have actually hallucinated the whole thing and put the lives of others at risk for no reason was unpleasant.

"Edward? Edward are you alright?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah, I'm... fine." I sighed. Suddenly, I gasped. "The Green Water! Blimey, perhaps I really did hallucinate that."

"Maybe your mind did it because Topham mentioned a Nuclear Power Plant. Weren't you always against those and feared what might happen?"

"Yeah, I was," I scoffed. "Great. A stupid hallucination made me put others at risk. We wouldn't be here right now if I had just waited a bit longer for it to clear up."

"Well, we're not dead."

I chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. Anyway, now we have a more pressing matter to deal with."

Thomas looked around, ears remaining flat. "Yeah, we do."

"Seeing as we have no idea where we are, I propose that we head over to that city and ask them where we are."

Thomas looked at the city. "Right... that. Some city. Looks like something out of the Wizard of Oz, if I'm being honest."

I chuckled. "I'm sure it does. Anyway, come on then. We can talk on the way there."

"Right. Give me a second to hop in."

"Hm. Did I ever mention how good you actually look as a Thestral?" I asked as I flicked on my headlamp.

Thomas chuckled as he climbed into my cab. "Yeah, I'll admit, I actually look pretty good... and cute."

"Ha! You? Cute? Has the world gone mad?"

We laughed as I set off down the tracks. For the next ten minutes, we traveled down the snaking line, chatting about our thoughts on what was happening. I remained relatively neutral throughout this exchange as I preferred remaining calm and taking in as much information as I could before making too many guesses. After I told Thomas this, he too remained neutral.

I also asked him how being a pony felt. He said it was... interesting. He said it was surprisingly easy to get used to being one. In fact, the only thing he wasn't used to was his extra "limbs". His wings. Well, that and the fact that he didn't quite know how he was supposed to hold a shovel.

Soon enough, we approached the crystal station. I was amazed at how massive the palace was. Even from a good half a mile away, it was taller than any building I had ever seen. It stood up on four pillars, and when I squinted I could see a glowing heart directly under it.

"Interesting..."

The station I was pulling into wasn't too special if you didn't count the crystal building. It had two tracks, one platform, and the building itself. Thomas and I were somewhat confused, wondering who would ever build anything like it out of crystals. Either they wanted maximum tourism and it cost an extraordinary amount, or there were just so many crystals in the area that it made sense to do so.

Once I stopped, my driver got out of my cab and looked around the quiet, desolate station. Only a few lights were on to illuminate the platform, but the building itself was entirely dark. Nobody was there except for us.

"Well, Edward?" Thomas asked. "What should we do?"

"Well," I began. "We could either wait here until morning, or we could keep traveling down this line until we find another town. Or you could walk down to that city and ask for help."

"Ask for help?!" My driver walked into my view. "Look at me! I'm a flippin' bat pony! I can't just walk into that town! What if someone... takes me or something?"

I sighed. "Yeah, you're right. So what do you want to do then? Wait here, or keep going?"

"I think we should keep going. Try to find another station."

"I agree. I'd prefer finding a normal town. Not whatever this crystal fantasy is."

"Right."

Thomas jumped into my cab, and I set off down the line with two toots of my whistle.

Meanwhile, two quadrupeds were walking away from the crystal city towards the train station. One of them was midnight blue, while the other was a bright shade of pink.

"Well, I hope your stay at the Crystal Empire was 'satisfactory' for you," the pink one said.

"Yes, it was. Though I am excited to go back to Canterlot to drive Truro again," the blue one replied.

The pink one scoffed. "You've had that train for a month now and you're still going on about it."

"I will inform you that driving a steam locomotive has been the most fun I have had in years. I have good reason to-"

PEEEP! PEEEEP!

The two quadrupeds stopped, fear quickly growing inside the blue one.

"The train was not supposed to BE HERE FOR- AGH!"

The blue one took off towards the station in full sprint, watching as the train began pulling out of the station. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, which was quite fast, even for a quadruped.

"No, no, no nonono!" she yelled as she jumped onto the platform. "No! NO!" Unfortunately, the last car left the platform before she could get to it. "CONSARN IT!"

I shook with surprise as I heard someone scream in anger behind me. "Was that someone on the platform?"

"Yeah, I can see them. They looked pretty angry just now," Thomas replied as we slowed to a stop.

I chuckled. "They must be. Must think we're a regularly scheduled train. Should we go back and ask where we are?"

"Sure. Here, I'm gonna duck inside the front coach. Just in case."

"Right."

As Thomas climbed over my tender and into the first coach, I blew my whistle twice and began reversing back to the platform. I could actually hear the sigh of relief escape the person who had nearly missed "their" train, which put a smile on my face.

"You know, I think that might be the angriest I have ever seen you," I heard a voice say.

"Cadance, there is nothing that can anger somepony more than them missing their train," another voice said.

"Mm. Wait, what the... which train is this?"

"I... do not know. I have never seen this engine before."

"There might be a reason for that," I said as I stopped at the platform, bringing the two quadrupeds into my view. My eyes widened in surprise.

They were ponies like Thomas, but a little bigger. One of them was a bright shade of pink with a multicolored mane and tail, and the other was a dark shade of blue with a slightly lighter shade mane and tail. A mane and tail that seemed to flow freely on its own accord. Most interesting was their regalia. The pink one wore your typical golden attire complete with a crown while the other one wore a darker equivalent.. They both had large feathery wings and long horns, so a mix between a Unicorn and Pegasus. What the proper term for that was I did not know.

We stared for a few seconds before I spoke. "Hello there?"

"AH!" the pink one yelled, jumping back.

"Y-You can talk!" the blue one yelled.

"Wha- I can talk?! YOU can talk!" I retorted.

"Of course we can talk! We are ponies! You! You are a... a... a STEAM LOCOMOTIVE!"

"Yes! I'm a steam locomotive!"

"Uh-... I-..." The pink mare struggled to find her words. "I mean I've heard of railroaders treating their engines like they're living beings, but this is just absurd!"

I burst out laughing. It had been a very long time since I had heard anyone say something like that. The laugh was contagious, as the blue mare began to chuckle as well.

"Okay, hang on. Let's just back up a bit," I said, easing the situation. "I'm Edward. Edward of the North Western Railway."

Both mares looked at each other for a second before the blue one smiled. "I am Princess Luna. Princess Luna of Equestria."

"And... I'm Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire," the pink mare said.

"That's quite a mouthful!" I noted.

She laughed. "It is, isn't it? Most ponies call me Cadance."

I chuckled. "I'm sure of it. Anyway, the Crystal Empire? Is that where we are right now?"

"Indeed we are," Princess Luna replied. "Heh, shall I ask the obvious question?"

"How and why am I alive? I don't know."

"You don't know?" Princess Cadance asked. "How? You must be, like... huh?"

"Well, there are a few theories on why I and other engines like me are alive."

"There are more of you?"

"Yes. There are."

CLAP

"Okay I'm coming out now," I suddenly heard Thomas say as I heard a coach door shut. "Holy..."

"A... Thestral?" Princess Luna said, tilting her head in surprise.

I smiled. "Your royal highness', meet my driver. Thomas Eric Galindez."

Thomas lowered himself in an attempt to bow. "Pleasure to meet you,"

"Likewise," Princess Luna replied. "You may rise."

Thomas did so and slowly walked next to me.

"If we may, where exactly are you two from?" Princess Luna asked. "We know you are from this 'NorthWestern Railway', but where is that?"

"On the Island of Sodor," I replied.

"Where is this island located?"

Me and Thomas looked at each other with grim expressions. "We... don't think it's anywhere on this planet," I said.

"Whatever do you mean?"

I could swear Princess Luna was copying my way of speaking. That would be exactly what I would have said in her position.

"Well, about fifteen minutes ago, I popped out of a tunnel in the mountain range back there, and Thomas found himself turned into a pony. He was originally a bipedal called a human."

"So you mean to say you are beings from another world?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Wait, what tunnel in the mountain range?" Princess Cadance suddenly asked. "The tracks past here only continue for half a mile or so."

"They do?"

"Yeah!"

Me and Thomas looked at each other again. "That's... frightening," Thomas said.

"You mean to say you drove on tracks from the mountains down to here?"

"Yes," I replied. "Considering everything that has happened so far, we have good reason to believe you on the fact that the tracks either didn't exist, or only existed so we could make it onto these tracks."

"And I don't remember where the tunnel was, so I can't help locate where it... was," Thomas said.

"I know where it is, but I can't exactly help."

"Of course you know where it is, your memory is perfect."

I chuckled. "Always, Thomas. Always."

"Well. In light of this, umm... where are you two heading?" Princess Cadance asked.

"We don't know," I replied.

"Well in that case, how about you take me and Cadance to Canterlot?" Princess Luna asked.

"Camelot?" I asked

"No, Canterlot," Cadance corrected.

"Oh. Sorry, I misheard.."

Princess Cadance turned to Princess Luna. "How did you know I wanted to go all of a sudden?"

"Considering we just met a Thestral and a talking train from a different world, I had good reason to believe you'd want to."

"Hm."

I frowned. "Sorry you two, but unless the tracks are already pointed there, I don't know where Canterlot is. And I wouldn't want to crash into another train, seeing as I'm not on the schedule."

"It will be fine," Princess Luna assured. "I tend to drive my train off-schedule and I have had little to no issues."

I chuckled. "You? A princess? Driving a train?"

Princess Luna smiled. "Yes. It is my personal train. His name is Truro."

"Truro?" Thomas asked. "I take it you don't mean the train is alive?"

"No. It is for affection. The way I found Truro was quite interesting. I was forced to steam and drive him down an abandoned line that has since been restored, and throughout the journey, we bonded."

"Right. Non-faceless or not, many tend to bond with whatever train they travel the most on. Especially if they're driving it."

"Non-faceless?" Princess Cadance asked.

"I would assume he means an engine like Edward. Alive," Luna replied.

"Ah."

Princess Luna glanced over at my now-puzzled face. "Edward? Is something wrong?"

"Truro?" I asked.

She nodded.

"As in... City of Truro?"

Both mares stopped and stared at me.

"You know him? Er, it?" Princess Luna asked.

"Is City of Truro a dark green 4-4-0 with a red frame and a tender that says Great Western?"

"Y-Y-... Yes. He-... It is."

I took in a deep breath. That was surprising. I only met City of Truro once many years ago. He was an engine that had allegedly achieved 100 miles per hour back in 1904. He was in fact one of three contenders for the first steam locomotives to break the magical barrier. The other two were Scot - better known as Flying Scotsman- , the first locomotive to achieve a recorded 100MPH, and the second was a 4-4-0 owned by New York Central over in the United States numbered 999 that supposedly broke it way back in 1893.

How City of Truro wound up in this land I had no idea. And judging by Luna's description, this version of Truro was not the humble celebrity I had met previously.

"Well um... where is Truro?" I asked. "I'd like to see him- er, it for myself."

"At Canterlot," Princess Luna replied. "Here, let us get going. Mind if we ride in your cab so we can talk on the way there?"

"It might be a tight fit, but sure."

"I can handle it, Edward," Thomas assured.

The three climbed into my cab, I blew my whistle twice, and we set off down the line.

"Woah! Wait, how are we moving?" Princess Cadance asked, seeing my controls moving without Thomas' input.

"I can drive myself," I replied.

"You... You can drive yourself?"

"Of course my dear. All non-faceless vehicles can."

"Then..." Princess Cadance let out a bewildered breath. "That's amazing. Wait, why would you have crews if you can drive yourselves?"

"Common sense," both myself and Princess Luna said at the same time.

I cruised down the line and took in the sights. Equestria was beautiful, let me tell you. There were mountains, rolling hills, and expansive plains as far as I could and couldn't see. And the number of visible stars in the sky was astronomical, pun partially intended.

The hallucinations kept coming, in case you were wondering. They were nothing I couldn't handle. It usually consisted of a few strange houses in the distance or strange outlandish engines on the other track - when there was another track that is - and only once did that hallucination with everything becoming overgrown and abandoned happen. But even then it was only for a second, as me moving at my speed quickly shattered the illusion.

"So, Edward," Princess Luna began. "Do you really not know why you are alive?"

"No your highness, I do not," I replied.

"Please, call me Luna."

"Oh, I beg your pardon?"

"There is no need to be so formal, Edward. It is not like we are in a crowd. And what friends would we be if we did not call address each other via first name only?"

"Well, if you say so."

"Back at the Crystal Empire, you mentioned something about theories?" she asked.

I smiled. "Yes, I did. Would you like to hear them?"

"Of course."

I could faintly hear Thomas chuckle, knowing what was about to happen.

"First off," I began. "Even though we have been around for over a century, - in my world at least - very little research has been done on why we are alive. This is because we tend to live very long lifespans. And when a vehicle does finally expire, and an examination is conducted on our remains, these quasi-autopsies tend to reveal nothing of value. There are several theories as to how we come to life, and I'll describe three of them for you."

I felt the princesses shift with excitement.

"I'll begin with the Chemical Reaction Theory," I continued. "This one is somewhat self-explanatory, as it's thought that when a vehicle experiences its first firing - as it is known - a peculiar chemical reaction occurs that triggers the birth of life. For a while, this was the generally accepted theory, until the arrival of non-faceless rolling stock. Since they don't experience any kind of ignition or combustion, their presence added a further layer of mystery to the non-faceless topic and even questioned the validity of the first firing altogether."

"Next is the Attentive Theory," I smiled. "This one puts forward the idea that those vehicles that were built with an extra layer of care are the ones destined to become sentient. I've never really believed this one as It's a bit... 'flowery' for my liking. Furthermore, it's been argued that care and attention goes into the development of all vehicles. So why wouldn't that mean they all come to life?"

"I have to agree with that," Luna stated.

"As do I," Cadance agreed.

"Where did you get that notebook and quill?" Thomas suddenly asked.

"Hey, I'm writing down notes for Twilight because this stuff is freaking interesting," Cadance retorted.

I chuckled. "Finally, we have..." I paused for dramatic effect. "The Revenant Theory, which suggests that all non-faceless vehicles are the mechanical reincarnations of the dearly departed. Though this might sound utterly ridiculous, there is a lot of evidence to support it. You see, even when an engine is less than twenty seconds old, they are able to speak. Furthermore, they always introduce themselves by name. That's the way it's been for every non-faceless vehicle since the first. We wake up knowing how to speak, how to read, and what our names are. No non-faceless vehicle has ever been given their name. We've always known it. How would that be possible, for what is essentially a newborn, unless they've already led a full life?"

"However," I said before they replied. "This theory has never really been accepted. Not just because it sounds so outlandish, but because as time went on, vehicles began appearing with more... 'unusual' names. I don't know about you, but I've never met anyone named Splatter or Dodge."

...

...

"Is that all?" Cadance asked.

"For those three theories, yes. It is," I replied.

"Twilight is going to love you if that's the way you talk about your history."

Thomas and I laughed.

"Believe me," Thomas began. "When he starts telling the actual stories and not relaying theories, he becomes a record you don't need to flip. It's extraordinary."

"I believe it," Cadance replied.

I chuckled.

"By the way, Edward, this has been an amazingly smooth ride," Luna noted. "And that was certainly an experience. I never thought I would be so enamored by somepony-... somebody talking about mere theories."

"I aim to please," I replied, feeling flattered.

"If I may, how old are either of you?"

"35," Thomas said. "I'll be turning 36 in two weeks.

"82," I replied.

I could quite literally feel their reactions. "82?" they both asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I am- or, was, one of the oldest engines on Sodor."

"So that's why you have such a knack for storytelling," Cadance said. "You just have experience."

"I like to think of it as a gift," I replied. "I've been telling stories for many years, since before I even helped build the Ffarquhar branch. Oh, sorry, you don't know what that is."

"Ah, so you are the perfect vessel for explaining the history of your world," Luna noted, rubbing the wall of my cab.

I chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I am. Though, I do hope to get back to Sodor soon. I would hate to be put back on the rails after so long just to leave the island right after."

"Excuse me? Whatever do you mean?"

"Ummm... Well, before that, what's this town we're approaching?"

Ahead, there was a very old town. I should say ancient, since by 'old' I meant thatch roofs and wooden frames. The only building that was different was a large multi-story circular building in the center which I could only assume was the town hall. Another building within the town looked like a candy-themed bakery, and a third was a complete eyesore that looked like it belonged in the Crystal Empire.

"Ah. That is Ponyville," Luna stated.

"What kind of name is Ponyville?" Thomas asked.

"An uncreative one," I plainly replied.

"I concur," Luna said.

"Wait a minute, was Twilight in Ponyville or staying up in Canterlot?" Cadance suddenly asked.

"...I do not know," Luna replied.

"Well shoot. Should we stop and get her on? Or just keep going and send a letter to her in the morning?"

"What are the odds that Twilight is up in Canterlot?"

"I don't know!"

"Who is this Twilight fellow?" I asked.

"Twilight Sparkle. A fellow princess," Luna replied. "One who is extremely eager to learn new things. She will be ecstatic when she finds out about you."

"I'm sure everyone in this world will be."

"None as much as her."

"Hm. Well, I'm up for either option."

"Thomas? What do you think?" Cadance asked.

Thomas shrugged. "Same as Edward. You two are the princesses."

As we puffed closer to the station the princesses thought of what to do. But Thomas said something before they could come to a conclusion.

"Actually, I think we should keep going," he stated. "It's already crowded enough in here."

"You have a point," Luna said. "Very well. Cadance?"

"Let's keep going."

I smiled. "Very well then. If that castle up on that mountain is where we're going, I can't wait to get there."

Thomas leaned out of my cab. "Wait what castle- WHAT IN BLAZES IS THAT?!"

Author's Note

This chapter should have come out DAYS ago, but nope! I'm a procrastinating moron!

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, this does not necessarily go by regular Thomas The Tank Engine canon. It goes by the canon of a fan series on YouTube called "The Stories of Sodor". It is by a YouTuber of the name "Victor Tanzig" and is a VERY good watch. There are four (Recently completed!!!) seasons, with a fifth in the works, including two Sodor Specials and even a mini-series.

I highly recommend the series for those looking for amazing Thomas content, or just love watching trains. Victor's writing is truly something else and deserves to be recognized. In fact, the bit with Edward explaining the theories was pulled straight out of the video linked below. If you liked that bit, you'll love the whole thing.

3: Royalty

"Is there anything else you two would like to know about?" I asked as I began the climb up the mountain towards Canterlot.

Cadance tapped her chin. "Hmmmm... Who was the first ever non-faceless vehicle?"

"That would be Clive, my dear. An 0-4-0 built way back in 1856 for the Sodor and Mainland Railway."

"This year system of yours is fascinating," Luna noted.

"It is, isn't it? Anyway, he's still around working at a slate quarry. He's an alright chap. He's got tremendous experience and stamina, even more so than me. 'Gumption and Commitment' he likes to say. And him being a rather simple engine compared to more modern engines, he is very cheap to maintain."

"Gumption and Commitment," Luna repeated. "A trait that is sorely lacking in today's youth."

I laughed. "That is exactly what he says!"

"Ha! Well, I hope me and him can meet someday."

"Speaking of which," Thomas began. "When are we going back home?"

"That's a very good question," I said. "Seeing as you two have magic, when are we going to be able to get back to Sodor?"

Luna sighed. "That is the thing. While there are very little, very unsafe and very illegal interdimensional spells. By what Thomas has told us, we may be talking about inter-universal spells, of which none exist. I doubt even Starswirl would have been able to conjure such a spell."

Me and my driver said nothing as we traveled into a double-track tunnel. I never said this earlier, but these rails were amazingly smooth. I rarely felt any bumps or imperfections in the track, and it overall had far better construction than any track I had the pleasure of traveling on. Even the tracks in Germany - yes, I had visited Germany once - felt like logging rutways compared to this.

"Edward, what is it like to be a slave?"

My eyes widened at Cadance's sudden question. "To be a slave?"

"Yeah. Like, you're an engine. Even though you can drive yourself, you have to be sold to different companies, and eventually, you'll be scrapped. Killed."

I chuckled. "No, I won't be scrapped, my dear. There are laws against that."

"There are?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't there be?"

"Could you tell us these laws?" Luna asked. "We could use them for you and other engines on the off-chance more appear."

"Oh my god..." Thomas quietly chuckled, burying his head in his hooves.

"Well, in that case, there are various rights and privileges afforded to us, most importantly that we cannot be scrapped alive, as it is considered cruel and unusual."

"Wait! Edward! Slow down!" Thomas exclaimed. "I think I can save you some breath. I just remembered that there's a book in the second coach about the laws."

I slowed. "What?! How?"

"I don't know why I brought it, but I left it in the coach because I didn't want to drop in your firebox."

I stopped. "Well, that's lucky! Better go and get it."

"Right! Be right back!"

Thomas jumped out of my cab and trotted back to the second coach, disappearing within.

"Edward? What's it like to run out of fuel?" Cadance asked. "Like, coal and water? Does anything happen?"

I chuckled. "Contrary to popular belief, when we run out of fuel, that simply means we can't move. It isn't the equivalent to starving."

"Oh. Huh."

I heard Cadance write something down on whatever notebook she had.

CLAP

Thomas climbed over my tender back into my cab. With two whistles, we were off once again.

"Here," Thomas said, dropping the book from his maw into Luna's grasp. "This book shows the most up-to-date laws, rights, and privileges awarded to all non-faceless vehicles. Here, have a look."

Soon we were traveling at speed again. I couldn't help but smile at the views I was getting from this high up. I had never been on a line that went up a mountain before, so this was a first for me. No standard gauge line on Sodor had this kind of view.

We rounded a bend, and there it was. The castle that was-...

...

...

...

The worst sound is silence.

I knew exactly what Thomas, Cadance, and Luna were feeling when my pistons stopped pumping. When steam stopped moving through my system. When the familiar rhythm of a steam locomotive ceased.

Unending paranoia.

My jaw hung open from the sight of Canterlot. Either an illusion spell had been placed on me, or I simply didn't want to believe it when I first saw it. What I thought was just an oversized castle was actually the biggest, grandest, tallest city I had ever seen.

The castle itself rose into the sky, scraping the clouds with its tallest towers. Waterfalls poured down into the forest below from pipes unseen, and the infrastructure was quite literally something you'd see out of fantasy. The city was bigger than Tidmouth, bigger than Knapford, bigger than even Vicarstown.

Did I mention that this city was parked on the side of a bloody mountain? I don't think I mentioned that!

"Edward?" Thomas asked, leaning out of my cab. "Edward are you... wuh..."

"That... that's certainly something else," I finally managed to say, resuming my puffing rhythm.

"Have you never seen a castle before, Edward?" Luna calmly asked.

"I've never seen a city quite like this," I replied, slowing down as we got closer to the city.

"Do you not have cities like this?"

"We have a few houses that might do this. Not entire cities with thousands of people."

"Its population is roughly ten thousand."

"That's about what Vicarstown has."

"A town on Sodor?"

"Yes. But... koh. I don't know if I'll ever get used to this."

"Yes, Canterlot truly is a sight to behold."

I looked in all directions as I passed under a white archway, officially entering the city. "How long did this take to build?"

Luna smiled. "Roughly fifty years. This city is 458 years old."

What.

"Nonsense! You're having us on."

"If it truly is nonsense, blame my sister. She is the one who told me."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes. Her name is Celestia. She is a princess like me."

"Well, I can't wait to meet her."

Once again, the infrastructure was superb. It was classical. White marble buildings and bridges, parks sprouted here and there with canals flowing between the streets, and gems lined on buildings and paths to add extra flavor to the whole thing.

"I take back what I said before. I actually could get used to this. As long as this is just a stop, that is."

Luna laughed. "Of course. Here, let me guide us to the shed I keep Truro and Lode Star in."

"Lode Star?" I asked as we traveled over a set of points.

"Yes. Another train me and my sister found not long after I discovered Truro. It is a green 4-6-0 numbered 4003."

"I take it that it also belonged to the GWR?"

"Indeed."

"How interesting."

A few minutes later, with Luna using her magic to switch points ahead of me, we came to a Y-Track that lead into a large six-birth shed.

Anyway, we pulled off the track towards the shed. I stopped and watched as Luna opened three of the doors, revealing two engines. City of Truro, and Lode Star.

Truro looked exactly how I remembered. A dark, Great Western Green paintjob with a bright red frame, a small six-axle tender similar to mine, the number 3440 under its cab windows, and finally, a semi-circular nameplate in the center of the boiler reading City of Truro.

Lode star looked just about the same as Truro, just slightly longer with an extra set of driving wheels. It also had a lighter shade of green.

"Edward? Is something wrong?" Luna asked.

"I'm just... baffled at how these two engines could have popped up here," I replied.

"Well, City of Truro has enjoyed the past two months as my personal express train, while Lode Star was brought back to working condition and will be placed into regular service sometime this week."

"I see..."

Maybe it was just me, but I could swear Luna herself was British. She wasn't, and her accent wasn't quite correct, but it also somewhat was at the same time.

"So what are gonna do?" Thomas asked.

"Well, I was thinking perhaps Edward could sleep here for the night," Luna said. "And that you could sleep in the castle."

"In... the castle?"

"Yes. You two I am sure have had a hard day. You deserve some rest."

"True," I said.

"You're gonna let me sleep in the castle?" Thomas asked.

"You can live in it if you want to," Cadance replied. "It has plenty of space."

"Well... Edward?"

"Don't you dare let me ruin this chance, Thomas," I stated. "You go enjoy that castle as much as you can."

"Well, a-alright then! I take it you're gonna stay here for the night?"

"Of course. I'll get myself turned around, and judging by the size of this shed, I could easily fit myself and the three coaches."

Thomas looked at Cadance. "Well uhh... hm. Lead the way I guess."

Cadance nodded. "Luna? Are you coming?"

"In a moment, Cadance," Luna replied. "I suggest not telling my sister about yours or Thomas and Edward's arrivals. She is likely asleep anyway."

"Alright. Well, see you tomorrow Edward. I can't wait to talk again and hear more about your world."

"And I can't wait to tell you more about my world."

"Hm. Say, Thomas? Do you know how to fly?"

"Uhhh... no?" Thomas replied.

"Okay, hop on my back then. I'll fly you there."

"..."

Thomas let out a mewl - a rather adorable one I might add - as he climbed onto Cadance's back. After psyching himself up, Cadance took off, and the two were gone.

I grinned. "It's been one of his dreams to live in a castle."

"Really now?" Luna asked. "Lucky him."

"Yep. Now, I shall get myself turned around, and you can leave for the castle."

I reversed away from the shed, then steamed forward past the second set of points. Luna switched the points which allowed me to reverse back onto the Y and into the shed. I settled in next to Truro, and finally let my cylinders and axles rest. I extinguished my fire - much to Luna's surprise - and looked out at the tracks ahead.

"Well, this has been a very interesting day," Luna said as she walked into my view, holding the rulebook Thomas had been showing them. "And these laws are amazing. Very well written, this book."

"I hope it is," I replied. "And I'm glad to have met you two."

"Likewise. Anyway, I will be off to the castle. I must grab some things."

"Right. Goodnight, Princess."

She unfurled her wings. "Goodnight Edward. And welcome to Equestria."

With that, Luna took off into the sky, closing the shed doors and leaving only my headlamp to illuminate the interior.

My smile faded as I began to feel... empty. Though I know she had good intentions, the way Luna said that was almost frightening. I looked over at Truro and Lode Star, raising an brow as I wondered how they could have possibly gotten themselves here.

I yawned. "I'll just ask Luna in the morning. Good night you two."

With that, I closed my eyes, and let myself drift off to a calm, dreamless sleep.

"A talking. train."

Luna nodded as she ate a tuna sandwich, looking at her sister, Princess Celestia.

"Named Edward."

Luna swallowed. "Indeed, sister. And he is 82 years old."

"82? That's impressive for an engine. Though my assumption is that steam locomotives how been around for a considerably longer time in his world compared to ours, it sounds like he should have been retired decades ago."

"There are laws that prohibit scrapping a non-faceless vehicle while it is alive."

"Interesting. Where is Edward now?"

"Sleeping in the same shed I keep Truro and Lode Star. He also had three coaches coupled behind him."

"And where is Thomas?"

"Sleeping next to Cadance's room. Speaking of Cadance, she is here in the castle."

"She is?"

"Yes. She was walking with me back to the station. The moment she saw Edward, few would have been able to stop her from coming."

Celestia chuckled. "I'm sure of it. Though, I'm also a little concerned for what is to come."

"What do you mean?"

"There are zero inter-universal spells. Even Twilight Sparkle would be hard-pressed to even attempt to make one without messing something up. Then there is the question of which universe Thomas and Edward hail from."

"Sister, you are being too pessimistic."

"Luna, think about it. Am I wrong to have concern over this?"

Luna said nothing for a moment. Celestia waited patiently for her answer, staying quiet and sipping on a cup of tea. Finally, Luna sighed.

"No, I suppose not."

Celestia nodded. "Speaking of Twilight, have you notified her?"

"Nay, I have not. Thomas said it would have been too crowded in the cab."

"You and Cadance rode in Edward's cab?"

"Indeed. How else would we be able to talk to Edward?"

"Why specifically Edward?"

"Because Thomas could have easily ridden in the coach while Edward drove us here to Canterlot."

"..."

Luna chuckled. "Did I ever mention that Edward can drive himself?"

Celestia returned the chuckle. "No you did not! Here, let's get going. Now I really want to meet him."

Luna held up a hoof as she gave the book of Laws, Rights, and Privilege's afforded to non-faceless vehicles to Celestia. "How about you read this first? Give Edward some rest."

Celestia narrowed her eyes and glanced at the clock. "It's only nine."

"And we arrived here at midnight. He had a harrowing day yesterday. By the time we finish reading this, he should be awake, and we can go see him. But first, would you please write a message to Twilight?"

My morning started like any other. I woke up, fresh as a daisy, ready to start the day. I looked to my right to spot City of Truro and Lode Star, then looked forward at the closed shed doors.

Oh how I wanted to get out there and truly put my upgrades to good use. I knew I couldn't, for my presence in... 'Equestria' would cause quite the stir.

I looked up at the clock, which read 10:09AM, and frowned.

"Do I really need to play the waiting game?" I asked nobody in particular as I lit my firebox.

I waited for several minutes before I heard a door creak open.

"Edward?" I heard Luna call out. "Are you awake?"

I smiled and gave a polite whistle. Luna giggled as she opened the shed door in front of Lode Star and stepped in.

"Edward? I would like you to meet my sister, Celestia."

I watched as a tall, beautiful, regal mare stepped inside and looked at me. She stopped and stared, which I did likewise. She was white, but also had a slightest tinge of pink covering her body. Her mane and tail flowed freely similar to Luna's, but bared the lighter colors of pink, blue, and green as opposed to ethereal blue. Her eye color was also a light shade of pink. Her regalia was about the same as Cadance's.

What surprised me the most was how tall she was. She was a full head taller than Cadance, eight feet at least, not counting her horn. This put her eyes almost level with my own.

I watched as she quickly cleared her throat and put on a smile. "Good morning Edward."

I smiled. "Hello. You must be Princess Celestia."

Celestia nodded as she walked towards me. "That I am. But please, call me Celestia."

None of us said anything as Celestia and Luna sat adjacent to the track. Celestia tilted her head, examining me closely.

"I see..."

"I beg your pardon?" I asked.

"Sorry, It's just that I've never seen a talking train before."

"And I've never seen talking ponies before."

Celestia chuckled. "Touché. So. Um... what would you like to talk about?"

"I don't know to be honest. I'm usually out and working right about now."

"Well, you can't exactly do that."

"Indeed..." Luna grimaced. "Equestria would be sent into a tizzy if they found out about you."

"Okay, Luna, are you part British?" I blurted out.

Luna was taken aback. "British?"

'"Yes. Your voice, some of the phrases you use, they are exactly what an englishman would say."

Luna and Celestia looked at each other, the former smirking. "No, Edward. I am not. I am a princess of old, so perhaps older phrases reflect that of the... 'British'."

"Hm. Anyway, what's so bad about Equestria finding out about me? I can handle publicity. I've done so in the past."

"Well, It's just..." Celestia trailed off. "It's just that you are a talking train. In my thousand years of life, not once did I think I'd see something quite like you."

"Wait..." I stared at her. "Excuse me?"

"I said that in my thousand years of life, not once did I think I'd see something quite like you."

"What do you mean 'thousand years of life'?"

"...Oh!" Celestia laughed. "I'm over a thousand years old."

I had no idea what to say. Never did I think a human- er, anything organic, would be able to live that long. I always knew that I could effectively live forever if kept maintained. But that was because I was a machine. Something whose parts could be replaced over and over. Humans and ponies were organic. You couldn't just replace their body parts.

"How can you live to be a thousand years old?"

"That's just how long Alicorns can live thus far."

"...I see. So are you... 'Alicorns' unable to die?"

"As of right now, no."

"...Interesting."

"Now. Luna told me that you were 82?"

"That I would be."

"Impressive. Though trains in our world are less than two decades old, and while I have no doubt that trains have been around for far longer in your world, 82 sounds very old for an engine."

I chuckled. "It does, doesn't it?"

"How is an engine able to last so long?"

"Routine maintenance. I'm no spring chicken but I'm hardly past it."

Celestia laughed. "I'm not saying you are. Though I must admit, you look amazing for your age."

"I did wake up from a lengthy overhaul yesterday, so I'd be surprised if I didn't look good."

"Heh. Well um... What have you done over your life?"

"Well, that is quite the list. I started out as a passenger engine for the Furness Railway back when I was built. When it..." I took in a breath. "When the Furness Railway closed in 1907, I was bought by the Sodor and Mainland Railway and permanently relocated to Sodor where I became a mixed-traffic engine."

"Mixed-traffic?"

"An engine that pulls both passengers and goods."

"Ah. Is that it?"

I laughed. "Absolutely not! I've probably had the most eventful life out of any engine! But first, what about you two? What have you done in your lives?"

"I spent a millennia on the moon," Luna blurted.

"I-" Celestia cut herself off as she stared dumbfounded at her younger sister.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked.

"I spent a millennia on the moon."

"..."

"Well, technically I wasn't on the moon. It was my darker counterpart, Nightmare Moon."

"...Well then. Um, Celestia? What about you?"

Celestia looked at me. "I spent most of my life doing what a monarch does. Keeping the peace, addressing my subjects, and taking a few breaks every now and again."

"Hm."

"OH. MY. GOSH HE'S REAL!"

Myself and the sisters shot our attention to a purple Alicorn with dark purple hair standing in one of the shed doors.

"Good morning, Twilight Sparkle," Luna greeted.

"Uh- Morning Luna!" Twilight exclaimed as she sprinted towards me, stopping a few feet to the side of the tracks. "Ohmygosh you're actually real! You're an actual talking train!"

I chuckled. "Yes, I am. Twilight Sparkle?"

"Y-Yes! I am!"

"I'm Edward."

"Hi! Uh- Yeah! So... Hoh... Wow. You're an actual talking train. You are an actual talking train."

"Well isn't this adorable," I heard the familiar voice of my driver, Thomas, call out from across the room. I looked over to spot Cadance with him.

I looked back at Twilight as she looked all around me.

"Can I?" she began to ask, pointing at my frame.

"Examine me? Of course, my dear. Just don't touch anything."

"Sheesh Twilight!" a new voice called out. "Did you have to fly so fast?"

Both myself, Thomas, and the other three princesses watched as seven ponies walked into the shed, smiling as each pony began to wear dumbfounded looks upon seeing me.

The first, who I assumed was the one who asked Twilight about her speed, was a bright blue pegasus with magenta eyes and a rainbow mane and tail.

The second pony I saw was white with light blue eyes and a stylish purple mane and tail. The third was bright pink with a hot pink mane and tail. Said mane and tail were very unkempt and honestly looked like cotton candy. She had sky blue eyes.

The fourth was a light yellow pegasus with light pink hair and emerald green eyes. She was the slowest out of the seven, and seemed much more timid. She looked the most adorable.

Fifth was a orange with a cowboy hat on. She had a braided light orange mane and tail. Her eyes were equally orange. I'm going to start referring to manes and tails as simply 'hair'.

Sixth was a violet mare with purple and pink hair, and cyan eyes. The seventh was cauliflower blue with white hair, said hair having the slightest ting of blue. She also had a purple cape with stars on it.

The seven mares stared in awe at me. I could see Thomas holding in a laugh. Never before had either of us seen so many people- er, ponies, so gobsmacked by either myself, or any non-faceless vehicle. I couldn't help but smile.

"Hello everyone. I'm Edward. Edward of the NorthWestern Railway."

None of the ponies said anything as they proceeded to stop several feet in front of me. Except for the yellow one who was still slowly walking.

"And I'm Thomas. Thomas Eric Galindez," my driver said, trotting over to me. "Edward's driver."

Finally, the cauliflower blue mare spoke up.

"I'm... Trixie. Trixie Lulamoon."

"Hello Trixie."

"I'm Starlight Glimmer," the violet mare next to Trixie said.

"Well I'll be," the orange mare said with a very American accent. "Ahm' Applejack. This pegasus right here," she said as she pointed to the bright blue pegasus with rainbow hair. "Is Rainbow Dash. And that pink pony is Pinkie Pie."

"Hello," I greeted.

The white pony with purple hair cleared her throat. "I'm Rarity."

"Pleasure to meet you." I looked at the light yellow pegasus. "What about you? What's your name?"

The pegasus looked down at floor. "Um... I'm Fluttershy..."

"Hello Fluttershy," I greeted. "I'm Edward."

"Wait- You actually heard her?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Yes. I did."

"Wow..." I heard Twilight say as she came back into my view. "Everything about you seems so... normal! You aren't any different from any other steam locomotive! At least... well..."

I chuckled. "As I told Luna and Cadance, when people back in my world performed quasi-autopsies on us, they never revealed anything of use."

"Fascinating..."

"I must admit, Edward," Rarity began. "You are possibly the most polished locomotive I have ever laid my eyes upon."

"More than Truro?" Luna asked.

"Possibly," Rarity replied.

"Miss Rarity, there is no locomotive that is more polished than Truro."

Thomas laughed. "Me and Charlie kept Edward so clean and polished, you could see your reflection. He's shinier than any engine."

"I, Princess Luna, keep City of Truro more polished than any other engine. There is no way you keep Edward as polished as it."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled as the princess and my driver glare at each other. "You two had better not start a competition to see who can keep their engine cleaner."

Thomas smirked. "I believe a competition like that is in order."

"Well," Celestia began with a chuckle. "I'm glad everypony is getting along."

"So... What do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Luna smirked. "I do believe a story is in order."

I laughed. "I take it you want to see just how good I am at storytelling?"

"Yes, yes I would."

Twilight, using her magic, created a notebook and quill. "What are you gonna tell us?" she asked, suddenly sounding like an excited little kid. Er, 'filly', to use the proper term.

"Hmm... How about I tell you all about my life as a passenger engine back on the Furness Railway?"

Twilight mewled. "Yes! Please! I'd love to hear stuff about your world!"

I watched as Thomas sat down next to Fluttershy. "You all just woke up a beast, you know that?"

"We what?" everypony asked.

I laughed. "It's been a while since I've told stories to a group that weren't fellow non-faceless vehicles, so this should be an interesting experience."

"Now," I began. "This particular story takes place back in 1896..."

Author's Note

Had this on the backburner for way longer than I should have, but decided to speedwrite it for a sir named Nightwhisperer so they could get some... thoughts out of their head. Thoughts about Rarity.

You're welcome!

For those that love writing lighthearted stories or love lighthearted music, Imma just leave this here. :scootangel:

4: Furness

I puffed into the High Harrington Steelworks with a slightly annoyed look on my face, Furness Red paint glistening in the sunlight. I passed a long line of trucks before stopping at the end, looking at the non-faceless truck parked next to me.

"Well well well, look who it is," the truck sneered. "Mister 'Stay out of my way'."

"I'm sorry? Do I know you?" I asked.

"I'm-"

"Oh wait, I just realized, I don't care," I snapped. "I was told to pick up a train."

"It's over there," the truck replied, referring to a long line of flatbeds with heavy steel on them.

"That's it?" I asked, looking up and down the train. "Blimey. It's a big one," I said worriedly.

"What's the matter? Can't handle it?" the truck sneered.

"Of course I can! Just you watch," I retorted. "Where can I find a turntable?"

"Around the bend. But listen, I'm told you've never pulled a goods train before. So let me give you some pointers."

"Pointers? From you? I think not. You're just a truck. You're the ones who get pulled by engines. NOT the other way around."

"Alright, fine! But if something happens, don't come cryin' to me!"

"Nothing is going to happen," I snapped, puffing away towards the turntable.

It should go without saying, something would happen. As indicated, I had never pulled a goods train prior to this occasion. It was very heavy, and I struggled to make a start. But soon I was rolling along and approaching High Harrington Station.

Unfortunately, my ignorance regarding proper goods train safety meant I was unaware of the requirement to stop at the top of a hill to give the guard time to pin down the brakes. I just kept going. And sure enough, the weight of the train began to press against me.

And I was powerless to stop it.

I began flying down the hill with no chance of stopping. The guard applied the brakes on the brakevan, but that did little to help my quickly-increasing speed. Soon enough, the track leveled out, and I entered a long, sweeping curve, still going at woefully unsafe speeds.

To make matters worse, Samson - a green non-faceless 0-4-0 tank engine who lacked a cab - was approaching me in the opposite direction. As I rocketed around the bend, we caught sight of each other.

"Bust my buffers!" Samson exclaimed as we caught sight of each other.

"Samson, move!" I yelled.

"Don't worry Edward! I'll stop you!"

"I SAID MO-"

That sentence got cut off as Samson came to a stop and I slammed into him. BANG.

"Crikey!" I yelled.

Our brakes squealed as the weight of the train pushed against me. We passed by Albert, a red 2-4-2 tank engine who was stopped in siding with a line of freight. Myself, Samson, and the train went slower and slower, and slower, before we finally came to a stop.

We both took a few seconds to catch our breaths.

"Fizzling Fireboxes," Samson exhaled. "Are you alright Edward?"

"Y-... Yes. Uh, I-I'm fine," I replied. "My word... Thank you Samson. Thank you so very much."

"No worries," Samson replied. "Like I said. At your service."

Word of my little runaway got back to Mr Pettigrew - the manager of the railway - and he rightly gave me a tongue-lashing. Even though I only handled a small number of goods trains after that, I made sure to be extra careful.

Samson and I also became friends. Over time, this friendship eroded my preconceptions of 'Industrial Engines'. Engines that only worked Goods Trains.

And when I next returned to Sodor, I made sure to apologize to Skarloey. A small narrow-gauge 0-4-2 that worked on the aptly named Skarloey Railway that I had accidentally insulted a few days prior.

"And he thankfully forgave me."

I smiled as I looked at the wide-eyed ponies.

"Well, thank you for sharing, Edward," Celestia said.

"You are quite welcome, Princess. Now, I must-..."

Thomas smirked. "You were just about to say that you had to get going and do some work, weren't you?"

I sighed. "Yes, I was. Then I remembered why I can't do that," I grumbled.

Luna tilted her head. "You want to work?"

"Of course. I'm a mixed-traffic engine. I'm built to work. All engines are."

"Are you not glad that you can take a break?"

"No. I just spent seventeen months not doing work. Didn't Thomas explain this to you?"

Luna sighed. "But of course. But we cannot just let you out and work. At least not before we figure out how to get you home, if that is possible."

"I understand that. I'm just annoyed is all."

"Hm."

I noticed that Fluttershy had raised her hoof.

"What is it, dear Fluttershy?"

"Um... It's about the uh, Furness Railway," she explained. "Why did you leave it?"

I frowned and looked down at my buffers. That was always a tough topic for me, Albert, and Winston. A 2-6-0 tender engine.

"Edward?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh... Sorry, it's just... I was forced to leave the railway back in 1907. After it closed."

"...Why did it close?"

"Well..."

"Eep! Er, you don't have to tell it if you don't want to!"

"No, no. It needs to be said."

And this was the story I told.

Furness is an area of Cumbria, located in Northwestern England. And between 1844 and 1907, it was serviced by the Furness Railway. All locomotives who worked on the railway were faceless with the exception of myself, Winston, and a shunter named Albert.

At its height, the FR owned or worked on over a hundred and ninety miles of track. This kept us plenty busy.

Albert, Winston, and I mostly worked around the city of Dalton which was relatively close to Barrow. As a passenger engine, I frequently made trips to this station, which was but a stone's throw away from Sodor. In fact, I knew Neil, Clive, and Mathew - three cabless engines part of the Sodor and Mainland Railway - since before coming to the island, as did Winston who often ran goods trains to and from Barrow. Albert mostly acted as the station pilot for Dalton but he also worked on the small branch line of Scarborough that ran west of the yard.

On this branch was the Parker Brothers' Coal Mine, which provided cheap coal for the FR, making it an invaluable business partner. It was on March 13, 1907, when Albert returned to the yard with a delivery of coal. There, he found Winston and myself discussing a recent event in Russia.

"So they've gone ahead and convened a second Duma, have they?" I said.

"And I hear it's off to a roaring start with forty thousand demonstrators having to be dispersed by the army," Winston replied.

I scoffed. "Honestly. What do those people expect? It only just started. Did they think it would introduce sweeping reforms that very day?"

"Perhaps they wanted to show the Tsar that they want to keep this one."

"I highly doubt Nicholas the Second will be intimidated by a mass of unwashed workers."

"If he wasn't intimidated, he wouldn't have set up a Duma in the first place, would he?"

"Touché, Winston."

"What are you two talking about?" Albert finally asked.

I looked at him. "Oh. Hello Albert. We're just discussing the situation in Russia. A new Duma has been established."

"Isn't that the thing people put over their beds?"

"That's a Duvet."

"Oh. Then what's a Duma?"

"It's the Russian equivalent of Parliament," Winston answered. "A people's Parliament. Which is something they didn't have before."

"And this is the second one?" Albert asked. "What happened to the first?"

"The Tsar abolished it because he didn't like its suggestions."

"They demanded too much Winston," I stated.

"The release of political prisoners? The empowerment of trade unions? And land reforms? That's too much, Edward?"

"In the timeframe they demanded, yes! True, lasting change, is a gradual process that cannot be rushed."

"Well, the Tsar better get a move on this one, or mark my words, he'll lose his crown."

"I don't think that's likely," I replied. "Not while he's got the support of the army behind him."

"For now, you mean."

"You might wanna table this discussion for now lads," Albert said with a smile. "Here comes the gov."

Walking up to us was the manager of the Furness Railway, William Frank Pettigrew. We all smiled and gave our undivided attention to him like we had done so many times before.

"Good morning, engines," he greeted.

"Good morning Mr. Pettigrew," we said in unison.

"I have a very important announcement to make," the man stated. "As you know, we have enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the neighboring Midland, and Sodor and Mainland railways. Recently, I have been in touch with the executives of these companies about the possibility of a merger. Unifying all three into a single railway."

"What a good idea sir," I said. "That'd do wonders for our passengers and clients."

"My thoughts exactly," Mr. Pettigrew replied. "Not to mention having three companies working in unison would dramatically bolster our revenue."

"I'm guessing it's not a done deal yet, sir," Winston guessed.

"You guessed correct, Winston. I've merely put to them the offer. But, they must be interested, or they wouldn't have agreed to preliminary discussions."

"When are those going to happen, sir?" Albert asked.

"Next Thursday. Representatives from both companies will arrive here. Number 24 will deliver the Midland executives. And Edward? You'll bring in the directors from Sodor."

"Yes sir," I replied.

"This all sounds very promising, sir," Winston noted.

"I agree," Mr. Pettigrew replied. "I'm very optimistic about our future."

That very Thursday, I was taking a passenger train carrying the Sodor Directors into Dalton Station. I pulled into the platform, taking extra care to be smooth as I came to a stop. Mr. Pettigrew was there.

"Any problems Edward?" he asked.

"No sir," I replied. "Neil arrived on time, and we departed likewise."

"And you made sure to give them a nice smooth ride?"

"Of course, sir. I always do."

Mr Pettigrew smiled. "Excellent. Where can I find them?"

"Coach number three."

"Right. Then I had best get to work."

"Good luck, sir!"

Of course, I didn't think he really needed luck.

After navigating through the throng of passengers departing from my train, Mr Pettigrew met up with the Sodor and Mainland executives, who complimented him and myself on a very smooth ride. He then took the pair to meet the Midland executives who had arrived earlier that day.

After pleasentries were exchanged and a delightful morning tea was enjoyed, Mr Pettigrew began showing the envoy around the yard. He dazzled them with a lot of facts and figures, many of which I'm sure they'd heard before.

But he also demonstrated the efficiency of the FR's engines, and tantalized them with the prospect of sharing in our locally mined coal. This was surely a major point in favor of merging, as every rail company back then wanted their own cheap source of fuel.

Things were going extremely well for our director. And it looked as if the visitors were primed to agree to the merger right then and there.

That was when it happened.

As our director and the visitors were talking, they heard a loud wooden crash nearby in one of the warehouses. One that had two tracks leading through it.

"What was that?" one of the visitors asked.

"I'm not sure," Mr Pettigrew replied. "E-Excuse me gentlemen."

Our director ran over to the shed as fast as he could, entering it in short order.

"Oh no," he said, seeing what had happened.

There were five men. Four of them workers, another in a black outfit who was a supervisor. A heavy crate had fallen onto the rails and one of the workers, severely injuring the man. The men were arguing.

"You daft gits!" the supervisor yelled. "Can't handle a simple job!"

"Don't blame us!" a worker replied with an equally loud tone. "We warned you!"

"What in blazes is going on?!" Mr Pettigrew yelled.

"Mr Pettigrew," the supervisor began. "These stupid twits tried to move a crate that was too heavy, and lost control of it! I told them to get a trolley, but-"

"Don't lie!" the same worked interrupted. "You told us to carry it by hand! 'Put your backs into it, you lazy prats' you said."

"You little-"

"ALRIGHT SHUT IT!" our director yelled. "Who's to blame isn't important right now! This man needs a hospital immediately!"

I'm pleased to say the injured workman would make a full recovery. But, I'm sorry to say that the fallout from the incident was very severe.

An investigation was carried out and many workers were questioned. And practically all of them blamed the incident on harsh working conditions. This of course meant the unions got involved. A strike was quickly arranged and the FR's manpower was halved overnight. Desite his best efforts, Mr Pettigrew struggled to reach an agreement with the unions. And unfortunately, any agreement he had hoped to make with the visiting executives went up in smoke.

Even if the executives had stuck around, there was no chance they would have agreed to the merger, given what would happen next.

Albert, Winston and I stared at Dalton Yard. It was a complete mess. Cars were strewn about everywhere, and one of my coaches was stuck in the middle of it all.

"Bust my buffers!" I exclaimed. "Albert!? What have you done to the yard?!"

"Me!? Why do you assume this is my fault?!" he asked.

"Because you're the shunter! You're supposed to keep things in order!" I replied. "Uh-, Uh-, Wha-, How in fizzling fireboxes did you manage to put one of my coaches in between two trucks?!"

"I. didn't do that!"

"Well, you did give me the wrong vans for delivery to Barrow," Winston said. "I took them all the way there, only to bring them all the way back."

"Hey! Those were the vans the yardmaster told me to shunt!" Albert retorted.

"The acting yardmaster, you mean."

"Exactly! In case you haven't noticed, we don't have the usual staff! So things are going to get stuffed about a bit."

"You call this a bit?"

"I call it as not being my fault the lads have gone on strike!"

I scoffed. "You still think trade unions are a good idea, Winston?"

"What are you jumping on me for, Edward?" Winston asked. "I'm on your side!"

"Oh! So we're taking sides are we?" Albert asked. "Fine! I'll shunt this lot!"

Albert angrily chuffed away and into a siding. He biffed into one of the trucks, then another truck without stopping.

"See? I'm doing it!" he yelled. "Happy, Edward? I'll get this yard sorted! Just you wait!"

"Hmph. That'll be the day," I said.

Later, Albert was shunting two flatbeds into one of the platforms. The acting yardmaster was there.

"Albert? What are you doing?" the yardmaster asked in a harsh tone.

"What do you mean?" Albert asked. "I'm bringing in these trucks so they can be loaded."

"I said take them to track two!"

"No! You said track one!"

"I said track two! Now get them over there!"

Albert groaned as he reversed out of the platform.

Nearby, next to one of the sheds, two workers stared at a large and heavy crate that was a third off of the crate beneath.

"Should we straighten up that top crate?" one the workman asked.

"Probably," the other replied. "But we'll need two others to help move it. And we're running behind as it is."

"What if the foreman finds out?"

"He'll probably say 'Good job for not wasting time'. Come on, it'll be alright."

The two men walked away to go get two more to help with the crate. Unknown to them, the top crate had begun to shift. Nearby, Albert was shunting the two flatbeds at a slightly speedy pace, oblivious to the approaching danger.

The crate shifted more and more before finally, it fell off and onto the tracks, smashing itself to pieces. Albert was quick to notice and slammed on his brakes, but his excessive speed meant the flatbeds ran over the wood, derailing right into the legs of a large crane.

"Bust my buffers!" Albert exclaimed before letting out an annoyed groan. "This would be how this day ends."

Suddenly, the crane began to creak.

"What was that?" Albert asked.

"The legs on the crane must have been damaged," a workman said. "Look! It's cracking! And if it falls back onto that fuel tank..."

Everyone froze as they looked at the massive fuel tank the crane was beginning to lean towards.

"LEG IT!"

Both man and machine ran and reversed as far away from the crane as they could. The crane creaked and groaned before finally giving way with a loud snap. It was small wonder what happened next.

The sound of metal colliding with metal could be heard, followed by the horrifically loud explosion caused by the fuel tank. The immediate sheds and rolling stock were leveled, and most of the wood in the area began to burn.

I sometimes wonder if the Lucky Lamp had ever been on the Furness Railway. Because it could only be luck that the fire caused by the exploding fuel tank was contained and extinguished by a sudden downpour. Albert and the workmen were able to get clear, so thankfully, no one was hurt. However, the damage was done.

A swift and savage investigation by the railway board followed. In their judgement, negligence was the cause of the accident, and we were slapped with a substantial fine that crippled our finances. Despite our best efforts to carry on, by October of that year, the Furness Railway had to close.

Albert felt incredibly guilty, and blamed himself for the closure. Winston and I disagreed. We blamed ourselves for pushing him so hard. Mr. Pettigrew, however, blamed no one.

That man was never capable of spite, as evident by the fact he had already found homes for the three of us.

Albert went to work for the London, Brighton, and Southcoast Railway, which later became part of the Southern Railway. Winston was sold to the Great Eastern Railway, which would be absorbed into the London North Eastern Railway or 'LNER', and I would find myself on Sodor.

"The rest, as they say, is history."

"What happened to Mr Pettigrew?" Luna asked.

"He retired," I replied. "And lived to the ripe old age of 93. Enjoying those final years with his grandchildren."

"Well. Thank you for sharing, Edward."

"Indeed," Celestia said. "Amazing job. Very well told. But what's this Lucky Lamp you mentioned?"

"That's an interesting subject, Celestia," I replied. "But It's also a story... for another day."

Thomas snorted. "Oh my god Edward I hate you... I hate it when you say that."

I grinned. "Why do you think I say it so often?"

"Wait, what?!"

Everypony, including Thomas, laughed.

Throughout the next few hours, I told everyone stories, mostly ones about mine or the other engine's experiences on Sodor, particularly during the early years of what is known as The Big Four. This was the name given to the four major railways of Britain that existed between the years 1923 and 1947. These included the Great Western Railway, The London, Midland, and Scottish Railway, The Southern Railway, and finally, The London and NorthEastern Railway.

I was quite surprised that four princesses were able to be there for so long. Twilight and Cadance I could understand since the former didn't actually rule anything while the latter had a husband named Shining Armor that could run the Crystal Empire himself. It was Celestia and Luna I was most surprised about as they ran Equestria as a whole. I didn't ask them about it as I felt it would interrupt the conversation, but I wanted to.

After a story involving James, the Express, and some bootlaces, I decided to ask about Equestria's rail infrastructure.

Long story short, it was rubbish.

In all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, only two trains were running, with a third having recently been taken out of service. These two were the Friendship Express and the Crystal Zephyr. Both of which were passenger trains. The only freight they carried were either dozens of bags or just putting the freight in one of the coaches.

In fact, the only redeeming quality about the railways was the rails, tunnels, and bridges that had recently been upgraded by Luna. Specifically, the bridges, as those were built for the lightweight trains. Not trains as heavy as City of Truro. Which considering Britain has the most restrictive loading gauge on Earth, the trains here must have been horrifically light.

I immediately told them that this was no way to run a railway. They said that Equestria wasn't affected by it, to which I said that they didn't know that. The reason many communities supposedly didn't have problems was that they were simply used to it. If the rail industry - particularly the locomotives, rolling stock, and stations - were upgraded, many towns and industries would flourish.

Before this conversation could go on longer, I noticed that Fluttershy had once again raised her hoof.

"Hold that thought. What is it, Fluttershy?" I asked.

"Um, what if somepony breaks the rules?" she asked back.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean... well, what if somepony were to scrap an engine... without them being dead? Has anyone done that?"

Everyone looked at Fluttershy. That was certainly an interesting topic. One that made my face turn grim.

"Oh yes," I replied with a much more condescending tone. "People can, and have done that. I've heard stories of engines being tortured for their insubordination. Forcefully scrapped. Ripped away from the world. Murdered."

Everypony looked at me, surprised at my change of tone.

"Shall I continue?" I asked.

"I-If you want to..." Fluttershy replied.

"Well I won't go into detail, but a friend of mine had nearly been tortured back on the Barnhill Railway."

"The Barnhill Railway?" Luna asked.

"An industrial narrow-gauge railway in a place called Scotland. It was hideously corrupt and treated its workers like slaves. They also bribed the police to turn a blind eye to this abuse and the many other crimes they were guilty of. Like neglecting critical track maintenance which caused a fatal accident. When the investigators from a city called London arrived, they were done for. The railway was closed, the executives imprisoned, and the police were disbanded."

"That's horrible!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Duncan was the friend I mentioned. He wasn't ever... 'tortured', but he had been threatened numerous times. That's why he behaved like such a prat when he began working on the Skarloey Railway located on Sodor. It took a few decades before he realized his mistake and became one of the most pleasant chaps one could talk to."

"Well I'm glad he turned his attitude around," Celestia said.

"Likewise. Now. Does anyone else want to hear what people have done to torture engines?"

"What if you explode?" a voice asked.

Everypony looked at the blue unicorn next to Starlight. Trixie.

"Trixie? What kind of a question is that?" Starlight asked.

"A valid one," Trixie replied.

"Well, since I haven't exploded, I can't say for sure," I said. "But the survivors of boiler explosions have told me that it feels like something inside them melts, and then half their body is torn apart. The closest thing to a boiler explosion I experienced was a boiler crack. Several years ago, I ran head-on into an excursion train, and the water around my firebox surged forward, causing my boiler to fatigue and rupture."

Everypony gasped.

"W-What was it like?" Cadance asked.

"It hurt like hell, let me tell you. Having metal fatigue occur in such a sort amount of time brought me endless searing pain. I ended up passing out, in fact, and was laid up at the works for an extended time because no fresh boiler units were available. It didn't help that British Railways were facing severe financial problems at this time."

"What do you mean by an extended time?" Luna asked.

"The engine I ran into was a visiting 4-6-0 express engine named Randolph. He came down with severe, and I mean severe metal fatigue throughout his whole body. It was a rare kind that is harder to detect, hence why it got so bad. His brother, Reginald, another express engine, advocated for his complete overhaul. This made the Fire and Rescue Service declare it as an emergency, forcing British Railways to release funds, but this in turn delayed my repairs."

"Seeing as you are still around, I take it the repairs went well?"

"Mine did."

Everypony froze.

"What do you mean... yours did?" Celestia asked.

"Despite the workmen's efforts, despite said workmen being the best in the industry, Randolph's repairs were an effort in futility... He didn't make it."

"How sad..."

"Yes, it was. Anyway, anything else? Are you going to ask me what it feels like to be tortured?"

"What's the heaviest train ya pulled?" Applejack asked.

I grinned. "Nearly 540 tons with 17 fully loaded coaches back in 1963. Though I did have to double head it with Henry. By myself? I'm not sure. I've delivered many stone trains by myself, so perhaps 300 tons. Three-fifty may have been one of the munition trains I pulled."

"Impressive!" Celestia exclaimed.

I chuckled. "I'm sure I could do more. And I just might. Even if I had the ability to go home right this second, I'd rather stay here and help with your railways. They are complete and utter rubbish from what you have told me."

"I concur. The railways need a severe upgrade," Luna stated.

"Woah, hold on," Rainbow Dash began. "Don't you two want to go home or something? To your 'world' or whatever?"

"I don't know," Thomas said. "It's rather exciting being here if you ask me. I mean, I never got to leave Sodor, and look!" He opened his leathery wings. "I've got wings! I can fly! What's not to love about that?"

I grimaced. "True. It won't hurt to stay for a few days. But what about your friends and family back home? Don't you want to see them?"

"..."

I patiently waited, as did everypony else.

"Well... You have a point," he finally said. "But as you said, it won't hurt to stay for a few days."

"I'll need more than a few days to work on an inter-universal spell," Twilight stated. "It's more like three MONTHS. Maybe even years! And I don't even know if It'll be safe, or if I can make one powerful enough to transport an entire steam locomotive!"

Myself and Thomas looked at Twilight, then at each other, then Thomas looked back at Twilight. I scanned the small crowd.

"Do you think you all could give me and Thomas a few minutes?"

Author's Note

No excuse. I have ZERO excuse for how long it took to get this out. Also, I wrote half of this when I was half asleep, so please, feel free to let me know of any mistakes and typos I made.

These parts are just going to keep getting longer and longer, aren't they?

5: Night Run

Once everypony left, me and and Thomas looked at each other.

"Alrght Edward, I've seen that look before. What is it?"

"I wanted ask, in private, what you would do if we were stuck here for the rest of our lives," I replied.

I watched Thomas deflate.

"Well, if that were to happen... I guess I'd just try and live life as normal as I can. I'd stay as your driver, hopefully get a good bird and have children. Honestly, the biggest issue would be getting used to the lack of cars. I may be able to fly, but having a car would be handy. Would be more normal as well."

"Understandable."

Thomas scoffed. "I didn't have that car for a month before getting sent here," he muttered before sighing. "What about you?" he asked. "What would you do?"

"... Do what I've done my whole life. Work. Not much I can do besides that."

"Good point."

"Thing is, unless we find that tunnel we popped out of - which mind you may not even exist anymore - we may very well be stuck here. I don't doubt Twilight's skills in magical spellmaking, but Luna said that very few inter-dimensional spells exist, all of which are very dangerous. Then there's the factor of finding the right universe."

Thomas' ears flattened.

"I'm not throwing in the towel on us getting home. I'm just making an observation."

"Right, right. You being an ex-military commander, you would be the kind to do that." He sighed, turned away, and began pacing.

"Oh, and I'm not waiting days to begin working again. That's not what I do."

Thomas looked at me. "What? Edward, you heard the princesses. You can't work until they're sure we can't go home."

"And you heard Twilight! She said it might take her months. I'm not waiting that long. Especially with how shoddy the railways are."

"Edward! They're princesses! With magic, no less! You can't disobey a princess, let alone four!"

"Two. Neither Twilight or Cadance said anything about me working."

Thomas groaned as he turned away. "You wanted them to leave because why? To ask me about us being stuck here forever? What, did you not want to scare them?"

"That was one of the reasons, yes. But also because of the next question."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

A devilish grin made its way onto my face. "What were those looks I saw on your face when you were looking at Fluttershy?"

My grin broadened as Thomas' ears flattened.

"Oh bollocks, I should have known you'd notice..."

I chuckled. "She your type?"

Thomas chuckled. "Yes, she most certainly is," he said as he turned back towards me. "Don't tell anyone, alright?"

"I won't. Mum's the word. But if I were you, I'd ask how old she is, just in case. I can't tell their ages from looks alone, but my guess is that they're all in their early twenties."

"And I'm in my mid-thirties. Right. I'll remember to do that."

There was silence between the two of us as we sifted through our thoughts. After a moment, we heard a knock at one of the shed doors.

"Well, that does it," I grumbled. "Come in!"

The door creaked open and Princess Luna peered inside.

"Can we come back in?" she asked.

"Yes, you can," I replied.

Luna opened the door further and made her way towards me and Thomas.

"I would like to confess that I was listening in on that conversation between you two," she stated.

I scowled at the princess.

"I apologize. I could not help it."

I rolled my eyes. "It's fine. Was it just you listening?"

"No. I too was listening," Celestia added as she stepped inside. "We were quietly talking about what to do with you two."

I raised a brow. "You were?"

"Specifically, you, Edward," Luna said. "We understand your concerns about not working for an extended period of time and conjured a solution. Tonight, you will perform various freight runs throughout Equestria. I will accompany you and Thomas. This will be to familiarize you with Equestria's rails."

I pursed my lips. "Please tell me I'll be running in the day as well."

Luna nodded. "We require time to discuss that, but so far we are leaning towards revealing you to the public tomorrow."

I took in a deep breath as the rest of the ponies filed in.

To be honest, though I've handled publicity just fine in the past, I was more nervous then I had ever been before. I was going to become the first non-faceless vehicle in this entire world. From what Clive told me back when he was revealed, he was more excited than anything. And in a sense, yes. It was exciting. But it was just as much exciting as it was nerveracking.

"Edward? Is something wrong?" Luna asked.

"Sorry, it's just that me being revealed to this world as the first ever non-faceless vehicle has me nervous."

Luna nodded. "I understand what that is like. But we do not need to dwell on it if you do not want to do so. In fact, there is something Thomas mentioned that greatly interests me."

Celestia tilted her head. "There is?"

"What is it?" Thomas asked.

Luna turned towards my driver, but kept her eyes on me. "Did you say that Edward was a Military Commander?"

Thomas laughed. "Yes, I did!"

Luna grinned. "One that has served in battle?"

"Many."

Luna let out a mewl as she looked at me. "It has been ages since I have met a fellow commander who has served in battle!"

I smiled. "Has it now?"

"Yes. Equestria has not seen any true battles in centuries."

My smile faded. "When were you a commander?"

"Over a thousand years ago. I served in twenty-two hard-fought battles."

"..."

"What about you? How many have you served in?"

"How the hay can a steam locomotive be a military commander?" Twilight asked.

"They just can," Thomas replied.

I sighed. "On the front lines? ... Seventeen."

Luna smiled. "What were they like?"

I closed my eyes, envisioning a few scenes from my time as a commander. "Horrible. Absolutely dreadful. Worse than anything any of you have ever seen."

I opened my eyes and looked at Luna, whose smile had begun to fade.

"Edward, the battles I have fought in were far worse than what you could imagine."

I scowled. "No. They weren't," I snapped in a condescending tone. "I have a good idea of what kinds of battles you might have fought, and I can assure you that mine were far worse."

Luna scowled back. "How could you be so sure?"

"Because I doubt you served in not one, but two World Wars."

Everypony froze.

Celestia took a step away. "What do you mean... World Wars?"

"Exactly as it sounds. All of my world's major powers butting heads with one another. World War One, otherwise known as The Great War, and World War Two. Otherwise known as the second war to end all wars. But millions of people fighting each other isn't why it's worse. It was the technology."

It was at this point I had noticed three more ponies that had entered the room. A white unicorn stallion with blue hair the same height as Cadance, and two pegasi mares. One yellow with orange hair, the other a light shade of blue with white hair.

"While you may have had bows and arrows, swords, and above all, magical spells, we had guns. To give a visualization, think of a small handheld cannon that fires metal shots at well past the speed of sound. And not just once every ten seconds or so. Dozens of shots within seconds. Sometimes even hundreds."

"And... you had to deal with these-... guns?" Celestia asked.

"Not just what I described. Explosive rifles, cannons, and airstrikes are among the many things me and my platoon had to face. Tanks, planes, giant warships, all were powerful machines. Far more powerful than whatever you lot have here, I'm sure."

I scoffed.

"Yet even with all these technologies, with all the changes and differing factors from your world, there is still one thing similar about the wars I've heard of and fought in and whatever wars you had."

Luna gulped. "What is that?"

"War never changes in its essence. It only changes in its means."

For the rest of the day, I told them my stories of war. What we did on Sodor, and then my time as commanding officer of what is known as the 110th Platoon of the Steam Core. AKA, the Wild Nor'Westers.

Everypony was both frightened and amazed by what I told them. To hear them tell it, they had never thought such technology could or would be used in such a horrid way. They couldn't fathom how a single species could be at war with each other. I could only tell them that the reason for war back on Earth was more than likely the same reason for war here.

Power.

There was a point where Celestia had excused herself for a time to go send a notice to towns and businesses throughout Equestria about a new night train she was "testing". Though it seemed like a valid reason, judging by the fact that I was about to explain the atrocities the second World War created, I doubted it was the main reason.

Before we knew it, Celestia and Luna had to go and lower the sun, then raise the moon. We bid-...

"Wait a minute," I said, staring at them. "You need to go do what?"

"Go lower the sun and raise the moon," Celestia replied.

"How... Actually, no. I'm not even going to question it. You two go do that."

This world is literally the stuff of fantasy.

"Now, my little ponies," Celestia began, looking at the small crowd. "I trust that you all will keep Edward a secret until we give the word?"

With a resounding yes from everypony, the sisters left. I asked the rest of the ponies if they could kindly leave so I could get a bit of rest before my nightly run, to which they obliged.

My thoughts on this entire thing were mixed. On one hand, yes. This was all rather exciting. Especially since I had rarely traveled outside of Sodor in my life. Sure, Sodor was a very lovely island, and Sir Topham Hatt sometimes rotated us engines around to give us something new to do, but having been on that island for the better part of sixty years, it got repetitive. So I'd be able to see new places.

But then again, I was in a different world. No, a difference universe. That was the most terrifying. At least this was a good world that hadn't seen wars in centuries, but still. And the thought that I would never get to see my friends, Sodor, or another non-faceless vehicle? The thought made me feel nauseous.

"Edward? You alright?"

I looked at Thomas. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, is all."

"Mm. Well, I'm gonna go back to the castle. I gotta say, living in one is way better then I expected."

I chuckled. "I'm sure it is."

"Anyway, see you in a few hours."

"Bye."

Clunk

My smile faded as Thomas closed the shed door. I once again found myself staring at my faceless friends that were City of Truro and Lode Star. Two Great Western Railway engines that had somehow found their way into Equestria. Without their drivers or fireman.

"I wonder if more engines will come here. To Equestria."

I yawned.

"I just hope a few of them are non-faceless."

The chuffing of my pistons filled the air as I approached a run down shed. It had brick walls and a wooden roof with several piles of logs and lumber scattered about. Towards the left, I saw a sign with German words on it.

Schuppen
Siebzehn

I scowled as I slowed to a stop.

"Oh no. I know what's happening. There is no way- WHAT?!"

Suddenly, I was inside. Surrounding me on all sides were piles of emaciated corpses, dozens of train cars filled with badly decomposed human remains.

"No."

From man to woman, from the elderly to children.

"NO."

All were splayed out and asphyxiated among the heavy machinery. By far the luckiest were those who were shot anywhere that killed them instantly.

"NOOOO!"

"HUH!"

My vision was suddenly filled with the shed. In front of me stood my driver. For a few seconds I just sat there, taking in deep breaths before fixing my gaze on Thomas.

“Edward? Edward are you alright?” he asked with a panicked tone.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just an old nightmare that resurfaced.”

“What old nightmare?”

“Bulbrick.”

Thomas shuddered. “Not that place. How did that resurface?”

“Probably because I talked about such atrocities. I even tried to leave out the gory details, but that clearly didn’t help.”

“Well. Before I suddenly start having nightmares about that place, I came to wake you up. Your train is ready.”

I sighed. “Good. I’ve been hoping to get to work.”

Thomas unhooked the three coaches from my tender. Then, under the cover of night with my headlamp illuminating the tracks ahead, I made my way to the abysmally small yard where I saw my train. It was nothing special, but surprised me. A long line of “BR Standard” vans, or Boxcars as some call them, lined up with a British Railways Brakevan running up the rear. The vans were just steel boxes sitting on two axles with the brakevan being just about the same, just with two tiny platforms at either end. The train was a bit longer than what I normally pulled, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

What surprised me was the fact that this BR rolling stock were here at all. I wasn’t complaining, since I was used to vans like these, but I was expecting rolling stock from this world. Something more colorful, perhaps.

“Oh wait, if City of Truro was found with those coaches behind it, Lode Star was likely found with these vans behind it.”

Thomas smiled. “Not behind it,” he replied. “Just scattered about the yard Lode Star was found in. Luna told me. Speaking of, there she is now.”

Up ahead, Luna was readying the train. The moment she saw us, she smiled and wave. Next to her was Celestia, who also gave a polite wave. Both myself and Thomas smiled as we passed over a set of points. Thomas trotted over and switched them, and I backed up to the train.

“This is certainly longer than what I typically pull,” I remarked.

“Will that be a problem?” Celestia asked.

“No, not at all. It’ll give me a chance to put my upgrades through their pacers.”

“I’m also excited,” Thomas said.

"Now. Is the train ready?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes."

"And everything is properly secured?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. When do we leave?”

“Right now,” Luna stated before looking at Celestia. “Sister? Are you sure you do not want to join us on this run? You could certainly help me explain the goings on of Equestria.”

“Why would you need help?”

“Because you have been around Equestria for millenia. I have only been around for a few years. Plus, you have not traveled much in the years I have been back. Would it not be nice to get out of the castle?”

...

...

...

“I don’t see why not.”

Over the next few minutes, I was refueled with both coal and water by the sisters with their magic. I mentioned that they should install water towers and coal hoppers to speed up the refueling process. To my surprise, they had never heard of such concepts. The practice was that ponies would manually refill the engines when they stopped at the stations via buckets of water and wagons of coal.

I swear, this has to be the most dysfunctional railway ever conceived.

After refueling, Thomas began shoveling the new coal into my firebox. Suddenly, a large puff of fire shot out of my funnel.

“Woah! Now that’s got some kick!” I exclaimed.

“It sure does!” Thomas replied as he shoveled more coal in. “This coal makes the coal back in Britain look like sawdust! And British coal is supposed to be the best!”

“Well, I’m glad you think so highly of Equestria’s coal,” Celestia said as she sat down in my cab. It was hard for her considering her size. And since Luna wasn’t small herself, it made for a rather crampt cab.

“Alright, here we go!” I said.

With two toots of the whistle, I began to pump my pistons. The couplings tightened as the first van helped to start the second van, which helped to start the third, and so on down the train, building the jolt until it all hit the brakevan.

Despite the size and weight of the train, we were underway and leaving the yard within a minute. I felt invigorated with newfound power. Like a fresh Furness build. I very well could have taken the whole train on a single cylinder if I wanted to.

“Time to explore Equestria,” I happily said, forcing a smile. “My new home...”

“What was that, Edward?” Thomas asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” I quickly replied.

The next several hours were largely uneventful. We delivered freight throughout Equestria in a timely manner, both myself and Thomas marveling at the sights, sounds, and NOT the way the stations and ‘yards’ were designed.

The yards for every single town consisted of a single siding, if that. In fact, the only town that had any sort of proper yard was a town called Dodge Junction. It was about what one would expect when thinking of an "Old Western" American town. Shoddy wooden buildings, a saloon, a Sheriff station, etcetera.

But even then, it was only three tracks beside the main line, plus an extra track for storing engines. While this yard would likely have serviced this town well with proper engines and rolling stock, such things did not exist, rendering the yard useless.

I began explaining the importance of proper rail infrastructure to the sisters, who listened intently. I explained why longer platforms for longer trains were needed, and why proper marshalling yards were essential. Not to mention the need to double-track more lines throughout Equestria to allow for smoother running.

I also introduced them to the concept of a shunting engine. Like the name suggests, such an engine is designed to work in and around a yard, marshalling trains and shunting cars for loading and unloading. While it isn't unheard of for a regular engine, be it mixed traffic, heavy goods, or express, to perform shunting around yards, having an on-site shunter greatly streamlined operations.

As for us making deliveries between stations, Luna and Celestia made sure everypony stayed quiet about me. The vans were loaded and unloaded faster than I had ever seen largely due to the princesses helping via their magic, and we departed early every time. As an aside, the ponies working the station said that they were grateful for the service, further proving my point that the small towns and villages of Equestria would benefit greatly from proper infrastructure and services.

"Edward? Can I ask you a question about Lode Star?" Luna asked.

I smiled. "Of course, my dear. What is it?"

"My original plan for Lode Star was to put it on express runs, seeing as that is what it seems to be designed for. But now that I have seen how benefiting it would be for extra freight services to be established, should I put Lode Star on such services?"

"Hmm... Until you can get more engines, I'd say yes. Since it is a 4-6-0, it will have plenty of pulling power. And given the fact that this coal you have me running on is in a totally different league compared to British coal, and Lode Star was designed for British coal, any freight you have it pull will more than likely be a fast one because of how well Lode Star will be able to steam."

Luna smiled. "In that case, it be beneficial to put Lode Star into service tomorrow?"

"Absolutely."

"I will keep that in mind."

"You know, Luna," Celestia began. "I never thought you would be so interested in railways. I thought you would be interested in more proper tasks."

Luna chuckled. "You can blame Truro for that, sister. Lightly managing the railways has given me a true daytime purpose in Equestria."

"Lightly?"

"And as for you Edward," Luna began as she rubbed the side of my cab with a hoof. "You are helping me bring Equestria into a new, modernized age."

"I..." I paused, processing the information. "...never even thought about that."

"And to think the so-called 'old-fashioned princess' is the one working to modernize Equestria," Thomas joked.

Luna rolled her eyes. "Did Cadance tell you stories about me?"

"Yes she did. How did you know?"

"Because nopony else would have."

"Ah."

"Now, onto a different matter," Celestia said. "Edward, what is your opinion on being... 'revealed' tomorrow?"

I looked down at my buffers. "...I'm not sure."

"Do you think we're being too hasty with this? It is only your third day in Equestria."

“Again, I’m not sure. On one hand, it would be good to start working during daylight hours. No offense Luna but I don’t fancy seeing myself as a night runner.”

“None taken,” Luna said.

“But on the other hand, it does seem a little rushed. Another day would be nice, but I don’t want to stay in the shed telling stories all the time. I may be good at it but that doesn’t mean I like doing it all day.”

“...”

We stopped at the Ponyville station. It took a few minutes to unload and load cargo, the men- sorry, ponies working the station once again grateful for the service. They locked up the vans in a timely manner, and we departed likewise.

“You know,” I began. “Even though you’re telling all the ponies who see us to keep quiet, rumors are going to spread.”

Celestia pursed her lips. “Yes... Rumors have already begun to spread throughout Canterlot of a so-called ‘strange blue locomotive with a face on the front’.”

I smiled. “Then I say we do it. I can get some sleep, and we can reveal me sometime in the afternoon. What time were you two thinking?”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, surprised at my enthusiasm.

“Well, we were thinking noon,” Luna said.

“Then we’ll do it at noon.”

“...Are you absolutely sure?” Celestia asked.

“I’m positive,” I replied.

“Only fools are positive.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive! Wai- I FELL FOR IT! I should have known!”

Luna burst out laughing, which contagiously made Thomas laugh. “That is the first time anyone has gotten that response correct!”

I chuckled as I began to climb the steep grade up to Canterlot. “In all seriousness, yes. I’m sure. Let’s do it.”

“Then let us get some sleep and prepare for your unveiling,” Luna said.

To be honest, I was just hoping this unveiling thing wasn’t going to take too long. I wanted to get to work. These towns needed freight services. And both Lode Star and myself were going to have to provide them with them.

Author's Note

Curse you, ADHD! Curse you!

I REALLY hope I can publish more often. That was a week and half of no updates. Consarn it.

6: Unveil

The familiar sight of Knapford Station loomed into view as I puffed around a bend. Its size was only rivaled by that of Vicarstown. It was made of brick, had four platforms, and six tracks. Two of which being terminus tracks. With a glass canopy sat atop the entire building, it was - in my opinion - the nicest looking ‘big station’ the island had.

I let out a whistle as I pulled into platform one, weeshing steam from my cylinders as I stopped. I smiled as doors opened from the rake of express coaches behind me, ones with the cream and green liveries of the North Western Railway.

Minutes passed before I heard the coach doors close and a guard's whistle blow. With two toots of my own whistle, I set off quick and easy down the line.

Truth be told, it felt strange being on Sodor rails again. While the rails were in fact some of the best Britain, they still felt leagues below Equestrian rails. I would have to ask somepony about how they made their rails. None of which even had ballast! If they added ballast to their rails, the quality would increase tenfold.

“So, this is the Island of Sodor?” I heard a familiar voice call out.

“What the?!” I exclaimed, looking to my right to see Luna flying beside me. “Luna? How are you here?”

“It is something I can do,” Luna replied. “I can enter any dream I want.”

“... So you can raise and lower the sun and moon and enter dreams. What else can you do?”

“I can manipulate dreams to my will.”

“Okay. But how in blazes are you able to to move the sun and moon?”

“Magic. They are kept in our planet's gravitational pull. Both I and my sister help them along their paths.”

“...”

“Is it different in your world?”

"It is. While our moon also orbits around Earth, it does so without needing assistance. As for the sun, we orbit around it.”

“How intriguing. Is it possible we could stop someplace? That way we can talk better?"

"Alright. There's a siding up ahead. I can pull into there if you change the points."

Luna nodded and flew ahead. She landed next to the track switch and changed it, allowing me to pull into the siding. After I stopped, Luna sat next to the tracks in front of me.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I was wondering if there was anything specific you wanted to do at your unveiling."

I stayed silent, thinking. No matter what, ponies would be gathering around me with questions, most of which I was sure were going to be "How are you alive?". I would be stuck for hours, maybe even the whole day. As much as I love asking questions, it would get very boring rather quickly.

Unless...

"How does an excursion sound?"

Luna blinked. "A what?"

"An excursion. I pull a passenger train, ponies ride it. For leisure purposes."

Luna tilted her head. "How would that be different from any other passenger train?"

"Believe me. Ponies will love it. No wondering when the next stop is, no wondering if they'll be late. Just hours and hours to sit and chat with their friends.”

Luna nodded. “That does sound like an interesting idea. But the train would need to be rather long to accommodate the amount of ponies who would want to travel on it.”

“Oh please. I feel like I could pull close to a thousand tons with how much power I have.”

Luna grew confused as she looked at me, presumably noting how small I was.

“No... Surely you would not be able to pull that much.”

I chuckled. “Us engines can pull a lot more weight than one would expect as long as the track stays nice and level. Obviously, if I were to come up to a hill, I’d need help. Especially on that climb up to Canterlot.”

“...”

“Actually, I just had a thought. A way to make sure I don’t stall out on a hill.”

“Oh? What is that?”

“Luna, have you ever heard of a Double-Header?”

Luna tilted her head. “A Double-Header? No, I have not.”

“It’s a train pulled by two engines. Having another engine behind me would help for the steeper grades."

"Oh. In that case, which engine would you like helping you? Lode Star?"

A devilish smirk appeared on my face. "I seem to recall being promised a train double-heading with City of Truro, a few decades ago. A promise that was never upheld."

Luna's ears flattened. "You want to double-head with Truro?"

My smirk vanished. "Is something wrong with that?"

Luna looked down. "It is just... Truro is my personal train. He-... It has only ever pulled the coaches I found it with. And only I drive it."

"What's wrong with double-heading it?"

"Nothing, but... who will operate it?"

I raised a brow. "You will? If It's your train, I don't see why you wouldn't drive it."

Luna sighed. "I suppose I am just a little nervous."

"Just be glad you're not the one who is an entirely new form of life being revealed to an entire city."

"Heh, fair. That settles it then. We will perform this 'Double-Header' as part of the excursion."

The two of us remained silent for a time. I did so out of respect for the princess while Luna was simply thinking.

"You know..." Luna slowly began. "Before my sister retired to her chambers, she mentioned that she was concerned that somepony would try to steal you. To use you for nefarious purposes."

"...What would anyone want to do with a non-faceless engine?"

"My words exactly!"

"The only reasons someone would take me would be if they wanted me to run trains for them. Why wouldn't they just steal a faceless engine? Faceless engines can't resist. They can't talk back. They can't drive themselves.”

Luna nodded. "Exactly. My words to her were eerily similar to yours."

"You'd have to be pretty dumb to want to steal a sentient engine. There is zero benefits from it."

"Once again, I agree."

An idea flew into my funnel.

"Would you like me to give you a tour of Sodor?" I asked with a smile.

Luna returned the smile. "I would like that."

For the next hour, I gave Luna a tour of the island's main line. To my surprise, she had the ability to bring my driver - who I will be calling "Eric" from now on as to remove confusion between him and Thomas The Tank Engine - into the dream. An ability both him and I appreciated.

The princess marveled at how cozy the island was. The rolling hills, expansive flatlands, and distant mountains gave views they had seen only few times before.

As we puffed through Crosby Station, I took the time to ask the princess how in blazes Equestria's rails were so good despite lacking ballast. After I explained to them the concept of ballast, they proceeded to tell me.

Long story short, it was what I expected. During the forging process, the rails were magically treated to have a highly refined structure and remove any impurities that form. That includes air pockets and stray material such as sand. This made for extraordinarily strong rails that were better than any foundry on Earth could create.

The rails, when being laid down for a new line, were seamlessly joined together via - you guessed it - magic. Though they were sometimes traditionally welded together for one reason or another.

The railway sleepers - those small platforms under the rails - were also far better than those found anywhere on Earth. They were predominantly made of wood, typically dark oak, which was once again magically treated for a refined structure. They were then chemically treated so that insects and termites would be deterred.

Concrete sleepers were used in cities. They were far more refined and allowed for very smooth running. When I asked why they didn’t use concrete sleepers more often, Luna replied with a simple and very agreeable answer.

“Wood simply looks better.”

After that explanation, I fell into silence. I heard Luna and Eric start another conversation, but tuned it out as I looked around at the scenery.

…

This was a dream, right?

I know I’ve been on this island for over sixty years, but was my memory of the island really this precise? Every sleeper, misaligned rail, tree, blade of grass was perfectly visible along with the mountains in the distance. There was no blur nor aperture. Nothing unnatural, anyway.

And the more I looked around, the more we traveled, the more eerie it felt. It didn’t even feel like how Sodor felt back when I first came here. There was simply nothing. No workmen tending to signals, no passengers waiting at the platforms, no cars driving along the roads, no other engines. Only rolling stock.

This didn’t even feel like how the island felt back when I first arrived. Back then, there were very few engines that worked on Sodor. Myself, Thomas The Tank Engine, and Toby from the Elsbridge and Knapford Railway, Neil, Clive, and Mathew from the Sodor and Mainland Railway, and Colin, Lily, and Adam from the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway.

Only nine engines worked on Sodor’s standard gauge lines. Granted, the amount of standard gauge lines that existed on Sodor between 1907 and 1923 were nowhere near what it was in present day, but this felt like a barren wasteland. A place once filled with life, now devoid of such luxury.

I began feeling sick to my boiler. This wasn’t Sodor. And yet, it was. This was meant to be my home. Now I’d be a fool to call it that. Not with such a lack of life.

“EDWARD!”

“AH! Uh, what? What is it?” I asked.

“I was trying to tell you that I brought my sister into the dream!” Luna replied.

“Oh. Right… Hello, Princess Celestia.”

“Uh… Hello Edward,” the sun goddess replied. “Is everything alright?”
I sighed. “Sorry. I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

I was surprised. “Do none of you see the issue? This doesn’t feel right.”

“What doesn’t feel right?” my driver asked.

“Wha- Eric! You’ve lived on this island your whole life! You mean to tell me you don’t notice the problem?”

“...Can’t say I do. Besides the lack of other engines, of course.”

“Exactly! There’s no life! Sodor is meant to be full of life! With engines puffing down the line every few minutes, passenger waiting to board their trains, farm animals eating, all that! Not this! It feels like a wasteland. You can’t tell me you don’t feel uneasy when looking around.”

We went silent for several seconds as my driver looked around. Slowly but surely, his ears dropped lower and lower.

“My god you’re right…”

I took a breath. “Yeah…”

“I will admit,” Luna began. “It does seem a little strange for this much track to be this disused.”

“It only seems a little strange because you two are used to only ever seeing two trains run the whole country. Plus, you’ve never been on Sodor before.”

“No, we have not.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “You highnesses, you know Twilight better than-... Actually, nevermind. I’d rather think about this when I don’t need to be well rested for tomorrow’s event.”

“What were you about to ask?” Celestia asked.

“Nevermind that,” I replied. “How about we just sleep for now? I understand that you two like spending time here on Sodor, but I would like my mind to be rested.”

Celestia sighed. “Very well. Luna? Are you in agreement?”

“Yes. Edward is right,” the Night Mare stated. “We should all be resting for the event.” She turned to Eric. “Eric?”

“Yeah, yeah, I need to ‘rest my mind’ as well,” he replied.

Luna smiled. "That settles it. We shall meet again in the morning. Edward, is there a specific time you would like to wake up at?"

"What time is it now?"

"Three in the morning."

"Then eight should be fine. Nine at the latest. I want to look my best for the event."

Luna nodded. "Very well. Thank you for letting me and my sister get a glimpse of Sodor.”

"You're welcome."

"Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight you three."

That morning, I woke up well-rested, ready for the event.

Soon enough, the others entered the shed, all except for Celestia, Twilight, and strangely enough, Starlight. The former two were overseeing preparations while the latter was simply missing.

But we couldn't dwell on that. There were three engines in this shed that needed to look more polished than a car dealership.

Which, by extension, meant there was some competition between Luna and Eric about who could get their engine cleaner. They spent two full hours cleaning and polishing every centimeter of City of Truro and myself using the highest quality polish I have ever seen.

By the end of it, with an hour left before the event, you could see the whole shed in the reflections on our paintwork. There wasn't a clear winner between Luna and Eric, so they decided to call it a tie, saying they would hold another competition soon. I - thankfully - told Eric to get another engine, for I didn't like the idea of being subject to thorough multi-hour-cleanings bi-weekly.

Celestia had come in not too long after this. Both she and a white unicorn, Rarity, were impressed at how clean we were, going so far as to say we were cleaner than the castle halls. This certainly did boost Luna's, Eric's, and my egos.

We began to discuss the plan. I'll spare you most of the details, but I will say that she expressed interest in livening the event up with music. To this, I looked her square and the eyes, and promptly said "No". There would be no brass bands, no special effects, nothing. Just the sights and sounds of steam locomotives. That's how they are meant to be looked at.

Celestia respected my choice and obliged, but not before asking if she could still get some ponies to craft a theme for me. I reluctantly said yes under the condition that they put effort into the theme, and that I was to be the first to hear it.

After going over the rest of the plan - which we mostly agreed to - Celestia and the others left the shed, leaving myself, Eric, and Luna alone in the shed.

"Alright you two," I began. "You know what to do?"

"I'll be driving Lode Star," Eric said.

"And I will be operating Truro," Luna added.

"Excellent. As soon as Celestia finishes her speech, we all puff forward and make our way into the yard."

Eric mewled. Rather adorably, I might add. "I never thought I'd be this excited for an event like this."

"Same here."

"Though under the excitement, we are all nervous, correct?" Luna asked.

"Of course," I replied. "Why wouldn't we be? But anyway, get Truro and Lode Star steamed up, and we can begin."

"Alright then. Clean the coaches behind me, and we can begin!"

Outside, Celestia stepped up to a pedestal, holding up her hoof to silence the throng of ponies in short order. It took no more than ten seconds flat for the once-whispering crowd to be wholly silent. On her left sat Twilight and the rest of what I like to call the "Mane Six", and on her right sat Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. All of whom were adorned in beautiful regalia.

Seeing the crowd grow silent, Celestia cleared her throat and began to speak. Slowly and thoughtfully with practiced ease.

"We are gathered here in celebration of a momentous occasion," she began. "Two nights ago, a very special machine appeared in our land alongside his driver. A machine that, with his knowledge and expertise, will help reshape Equestria's railroads into a model of efficiency. Despite the short time he has been with us, he has already given both I and my sister several tips on how a railroad should be properly run."

I watched as Luna and Eric gently opened the throttles on their engines. Steam entered the cylinders on Truro and Lode Star, allowing the Great Western Duo to puff forward and out of the shed. I followed behind them with my coaches in tow, as was the plan.

"Though this machine is entirely foreign," Celestia continued, motioning over to the two engines slowly puffing into the yard, steam billowing from every nook and cranny. "I can safely assure you that he is very familiar to those who live near train tracks."

I know Celestia wanted it to be a surprise that I was a steam locomotive, and I know I am in fact mostly a machine, but I didn't particularly like being referred to as a machine.

"I am proud to announce that a new kind of life has appeared in Equestria. Known as the non-faceless vehicle. Without further ado. Fillies and Gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time..."

City of Truro and Lode Star stopped next to the crowd just as a shape began parting the steam between them.

"Edward of the North Western Railway!"

I blew my whistle long and loud as I emerged from the steam, grinning broader than ever before. If I ran on my ego, I would have had more explosive force than the bomb that hit Hiroshima.

Steam hissed from my cylinders as I slowed to a stop, looking around at the throng of ponies now staring directly at me. They each wore faces of wonder, confusion, surprise, and outright astonishment.

"Hello everyone!" I called out.

"Edward is a new form of life known as the Non-Faceless Vehicle. He is from a special little island called Sodor," Celestia stated. "And though both he and his driver, Thomas Eric Galindez, did not come here by choice, they will be staying for some time in order to help Equestria's Railways. The changes he has already proposed to me and my sister include brand new infrastructure, more engines and rolling stock, revitalized services, and more."

"But before any of that happens, we will be hosting a special excursion train hauled by both Edward and my sisters private engine, City of Truro. As you can see, Edward is pulling brand new coaches that will be coupled to the coaches you can see at the station."

She gestured to the rake of three Great Western Railway Pullman coaches sitting at one of the two nearby platforms.

"This excursion will be going all over Equestria. Not just because I want to give all of my little ponies a chance to see Edward, but also to give Edward and his driver a tour of our amazing land."

"But before that," I began. "I will be taking any questions you may have for the next hour. However, there will be a few that I will refuse to answer. That isn't to say you should be overly wary of what you ask, but just keep it in mind. I uh, well... I honestly don't know what to say! I'm happy to be here and look forward to working with you ponies!"

"And we look forward to working with you, Edward," Celestia finished.

"I'm sure of it," I chuckled. "Now! Who wants to go first?"

We’d be here all day if I told you all the questions both myself and Eric were asked. So, I will tell you the most notable ones asked of us, and answer them accordingly.

The first question I’ll talk about is one that came from the Princess of Love herself, Cadance. And it is actually the second most common question asked of us non-faceless lot. “Do we feel love?”

Yes, we do.

I will concede that, being machines, we likely feel love dramatically different to humans. Or, in this case, ponies. But I don’t think that makes it more or less significant. Like humans and ponies, our relationships often form from common interests and matching personalities. Some can last a lifetime while others are just a passing fancy.

The next question is: “Do we ever get sick?”

Yes.

In terms of us getting sick, we are most certainly different from humans and ponies in that regard. One way we can get sick is by taking on a batch of bad coal. The kind that has us shooting soot out of our smoke boxes. A comparison for this would probably be coughing out exhaust smoke. Then there’s boilerache. The closest comparison I can make to this is constipation. There are other ways we can get sick, but most are related to very technical reasons I don’t fancy getting into.

The third and final question is: What is the difference between us and normal engines? Are there any advantages and disadvantages?

I’ll first start with the advantages. First off, we have the ability to ignite and extinguish whatever form of combustion we have. Best of all, it's instantaneous. Which means there is no fussing about. Once we’re firing, we’re off.

Another advantage is that in the event of a breakdown, we can tell our crews and workmen exactly where a fault lies, which saves them the time of locating it first.

One more advantage is that, because we don’t have to look through the windows of a cab and past a large boiler, our visibility is far greater than that of our drivers and fireman. This makes it that much easier to spot trouble ahead. Though, this doesn’t mean we’re always attentive. We can get distracted just as much as humans and ponies can.

Of course, nothing is perfect. And we do have some disadvantages.

For one, we’ve been called an impediment to progress. Technology, especially that on a not-so-shoddy railway, is always advancing. No sooner does one thing come out, something newer and better replaces it. The older generation is then discarded by way of scrapping.

But since a non-faceless vehicle cannot be scrapped, our companies and owners are simply stuck with us. And although they do have a duty to care for us by way of proper maintenance, they are under no obligation to effect repairs that would price them out of business.

Backing away from that, once questions were answered and everypony had a bit of time to get used to seeing a face on the front of an engine, I combined my rake of coaches with the ones at the platform, and both myself and City of Truro buffered up to the train. Though there were some issues and complaints as passengers got on, they did so in a timely manner, and we departed likewise.

At least, we would have, if not for something rather interesting happening.

Somepony by the name of Night Light decided to climb into the cab of Lode Star - which was now sitting a few tracks adjacent to me and City of Truro - and decided to pull the whistle. He was definitely an amateur that had never operated a whistle before, but I find it funny to see a stallion his age having fun.

But then Luna decided to blow Truro’s whistle. It was a bit higher pitched than Lode Star’s and less pronounced, but Luna still did it just to have some fun.

That was until Night Light looked at her and blew Lode Star’s whistle again. A long commanding blast. Luna looked at him and blew it again, and it suddenly turned into a whistle battle. Luna versus Night Light. Lode Star vs City of Truro.

The two went back and forth between each other, each coming up with their own rhythms. I myself tried to stay out of it, but temptation got the better of me. Once there was a break in their fight, I interjected with my own loud blast.

This little row continued for a dozen seconds. Just when I was letting off a very creative tune, we were all hit with a scare that drowned out every one of our whistles.

FoooOOOOOOOOOOO!!! FOOOOO! FOO! FooooOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOO!!

A clear, crisp, and authoritative sound echoed throughout the city as all eyes were drawn to the engine puffing into the yard. When I looked at the engine, I froze.

The engine was a 4-6-0, but unlike Lode Star, was smaller and clearly American. Its front four driving wheels were under the boiler and close together while the rear two were further away, sitting directly under the cab.

It was black with a silver smokebox on the front. It had a cowcatcher on the front, a bell atop the boiler, a large whistle, and black tender with two four-wheeled bogies, said tender having a number 3 on its side.

Behind this stately and handsome American was a small green combination passenger car riding on bogies similar to that of the tender. Above the windows were words that only sealed the deal on what this engine was. The car was the Number 5 Combination Car from the Sierra Railway.

It was the most famous engine in cinematography. It was the Movie Star engine. The Hooterville Cannonball. The locomotive built the exact same day I was, that being March 26th of 1891.

Sierra Railway Number 3

In the movie star’s cab was none other than Starlight Glimmer, who stopped the engine just in front of me on the adjacent track.

“How’s THAT for an entrance?!” she yelled out.

“How in fizzling fireboxes did you find Sierra Number Three?!” I exclaimed.

“I woke up on it!”

“You what?”

“I woke up on it! I don’t know why, I don’t know how, all I know is that it was already moving and I had to get back here! So I did the only thing I could do and drove it here as fast as I could.”

“I- uh, wow! I just- Sorry, I just can’t believe I’m finally meeting the Movie Star herself!”

“The Movie Star?” Luna asked.

“This engine has starred in more movies than any other. It is among the most famous engines ever built,” I explained.

“How intriguing. Well, Edward, I am glad you are happy.”

“Yeah. I needed this. Kelley will make a very fine addition to Equestria’s fleet.”

“Kelley?”

“Yes. That’s the name this engine was originally given. W. N. Kelley. After a treasurer of the company it was built for.”

I looked at Starlight.

“What are you going to with it?” I asked.

Starlight looked at the engine. “I dunno. I haven’t really been into trains. I have to admit, driving it as fast as I could here was a lot of fun. My spine wants to murder me, but it was fun.”

I chuckled. “Yes, operating a steam engine by yourself is hard work. But what exactly are you going to do?”

Starlight shrugged.

Luna stepped out of Truro’s cab and up to Starlight. “Well, Starlight Glimmer, given this particular engine’s historical significance, I believe I should take custody of it to preserve its heritage.”

“But you’ll still let it run regular services?”

Luna nodded. “I believe Number Three would be perfect for passenger and goods work for smaller towns. Particularly those within Central Equestria.”

“Then why do you want to take it?”

“So that I can ensure the engine’s preservation.”

“Huh. Well, I like preserving things, so you can have it.”

“Can we PLEASE get moving already?!” Eric exclaimed.

“I agree!” I said. “We’ve been delayed long enough! Let’s go!”

Eager to make up for lost time, we quickly departed. The fanfare we got upon leaving the city was immense. Far more than I’d like to admit. There were more than a few saddened faces from those who didn’t get to ride, but Celestia - who was flying above us - told them that they would get their chance very soon.

Throughout the rest of the day, we traveled throughout Northern Equestria, visiting each and every town we could in the timeframe given. From the city of Seaddle to the village of Whinnyapolis. And both myself and Eric loved them all. Every one of them had their own feel, with the villages being my favorite because of just how tightly-knit their residents were. They were always so cheerful.

We stayed at these towns for about thirty minutes each, up to an hour for the bigger towns and cities. Each time, we were greeted with warm welcomes by confused but excited ponies who wanted to get a look at us. I made sure to answer questions, have good chats with a few of them, and to always remain cordial and to respectfully tell off those who were being annoying.

As for Lode Star, that engine was running its own service throughout Northern Equestria. A fast freight service that, because of Equestria's ultra-high-quality coal, the engine's high-pressure boiler, four cylinders, and eighty inch driving wheels, was achieving speeds of up to eighty miles an hour despite the heavy train. The residents of the towns it visited loved this service, as it allowed them to ship goods to anywhere they needed in a very timely fashion.

I’ll admit, touring Equestria like this and meeting its residents is one of the best experiences I’ve had. Meeting the ponies, learning their lifestyle, taking in the sights and sounds, it was far different than staying on Sodor. And I loved it. So much so that there were several points in which I didn't want to go back to the island.

Of course, because of how many towns the northern part of Equestria had, we weren’t able to visit them all. So we decided to stop and rest for the night in a small town called Green Neigh. The town only had a single siding that would have in no way been able to hold myself, City of Truro, and all of the coaches, so two more were very quickly built with nothing but rails. The process should have taken hours at most, but pegasi, unicorns, and the princesses helped to reduce that down to a mere half hour. A time which I could hardly fathom.

After the work was completed and tested by rolling a coach over them, we settled in for the night. The passengers either slept in the hotels or stayed on the train.

Before we went to bed, Luna and Celestia stepped up to me and Eric.

“I must say, Edward,” Celestia began. “This excursion has been extraordinarily successful. My little ponies all love it.”

I chuckled. “I’m glad they do. I must say, touring Equestria like this has been an experience I’ve sorely needed.”

“Same here,” Eric stated.

“I have to agree,” Luna replied. “Though, I did not realize how long it would take to explore even this part of Equestria. We haven’t even begun on the northern mountain range.”

“That’s how these things go,” I said. “If Equestria is as big as I think it is, we may be looking at a week-long tour.”

Celestia nodded. “That we will be. I will make the necessary announcements to the rest of Equestria and get ponies working on a new route.”

“Alright then. I can’t wait to see what the new route will be like. There are just so many places I’m now interested in seeing.”

“Well, don’t worry. You’ll be getting to see all of Equestria soon enough.”

I only smiled.

“Anyway, we must all be getting to sleep. We’ve all had quite the day.”

“Interesting that you say you need sleep, sister,” Luna noted. “Considering us Alicorns can stay up for days at a time.”

Celestia looked at Luna. “That doesn’t mean we have to,” she replied before looking at me. “Goodnight, Edward.” She looked at Eric. “Goodnight, Eric.”

“Goodnight, princesses,” we replied.

The sisters left, leaving me and Eric alone. Eric looked at me.

“Some day, huh?”

“Yeah, it really has been some day,” I replied. “Though, as I said before, this tour was something I never knew I needed.”

“Same here. I love it. And if I’m being honest-” Eric trailed off for a few seconds.

“If you’re being honest?” I asked.

“Uh- Sorry. If I’m being honest, I actually like it here. No, that’s an understatement. I love it here. More than Sodor.”

I didn’t say anything. Eric looked up at me, tilting his head in confusion.

“What about you? How do you like it here?”

I sighed. “I have to agree. This kingdom is amazing. It’s bigger than Sodor, the rails are better, the landscape and overall views are better, It’s just… Koh. I don’t even have the words.”

“Is it just better?”

“Yeah. It’s just better.”

“Mmmm. Well, I best be off to the coach. I need sleep.”

“Make sure you ask the princesses to get you a fireman. I could tell how tired you were getting.”

“Right! Right. I’ll do that the first chance I get. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Eric stood up and walked back to the forwardmost coach, opening the door and climbing inside, leaving me by myself. I resisted the temptation to let my thoughts wander about, instead closing my eyes and letting myself drift off to sleep.

I found myself awake once more several hours later. There had been no dream. No time I was able to spend on Sodor. I scoffed as I looked to the sky, spotting Luna’s moon just behind what I had been told was Mount Everhoof.

I looked around, scanning both the town and forest. Not a single soul was awake. It was just me. Just me under the stars.

Looking ahead, I noticed an extra set of tracks that I couldn’t recall having previously been there. It wasn’t a siding. Just a single track that lead over to a nearby tunnel. A tunnel with a sign above it that I couldn’t make out.

The gentle wind that was blowing through was becoming deafening, so I lit my fire and waited a minute for the steam to generate. Then, after checking around to see if anyone was awake, I slowly moved forward and out of my siding as quietly as I could.

The track switch, strangely enough, was already lined in for the tunnel track. So I was able to puff towards the tunnel to read the sign. As I got closer, I was finally able to make it out.

Big Thunder Mine

Of course, with the tunnel being entirely open, curiosity got the better of me. Ignoring the opinions of any number of cats, I slowly puffed forward to the entrance of the mine and flipped my headlamp on to see inside.

Inside, I could see that the tracked slowly descended further and further until out of sight. I sighed as I looked around, noting the presence of two other disconnected caved.

Suddenly, I could hear the rumbling of wheels on rails. Ones coming from right behind me. I couldn’t see behind me, so I did the one thing I could do.

“Hello?” I called out. “Who’s there?”

No reply. The sound only got louder.

“Is anyone-”

BANG!

Something suddenly shoved itself into my bunker, ramming me forward and into the tunnel. With a yelp, I immediately applied my brakes. This, however, did little to slow me down.

I blew my whistle as loud and hard as I could, wheels screeching as I careened around bends. The rails rattled in my wake as they were in no way designed for the speeds I was doing.

As I rounded one last bend, the track evened out, and in turn straightened out. Ahead, illuminated by my headlamp, was very clearly the front of an engine. My eyes widened as I shoved my valve gear into reverse and threw the throttle wide open. This practice, though painful, helped to slow me down even faster. My wheels skidded fiercely as the shape came closer and closer.

BANG!

While it sounded like a loud bang, it really wasn’t. My buffers had sustained minimal damage and I was overall fine. Just shaken up is all.

“Hoh… Hoh… Huh… Son of a… Ugh.” I groaned. “Just my luck. Some git sends a coach up my bunker and I end up at the bottom of a mine.”

Suddenly, I gasped, noticing the sheer size of the engine in front of me.

It was both taller and wider than any other engine I had ever seen. It was entirely black, with a large cowcatcher on the front, a large boiler, a large frame, everything about this locomotive was simply large. And while I couldn’t see around the locomotive, I knew it had to be a long one.

“Good lord what have I found?” I asked nobody as I stared at the red and yellow numberplate on the smokebox door.

1218

I sighed. “Well, no way my whistle can reach the surface with how deep I must be right now. No doubt I need to reverse back up.” I looked at the engine in front of me. “I’ll make sure to tell the others about you.”

I began reversing, but was stopped as my front coupling tightened. I looked down at my buffers and, to my horror, saw that my coupling was stuck on the front valance of this giant of an engine.

“You are joking.”

I moved forward and back, trying to get my coupling unhooked. I tried everything I could but to no avail. Clearly, if I was getting out of here, I was going to have to bring this monster with me.

“OH SON OF A-”

PEEP!

I blew my whistle in anger as I looked down at my coupling. I calmed myself down and psyched myself up for the heavy pulling I would have to do. But as I looked at my coupling, I noticed three characters on a nameplate just above the cowcatcher.

N & W

“N & W?”

I racked my mind for anything with those initials. I knew I had heard them before, but their meaning slipped my mind.

“N & W, N & W, N & W,” I chanted, trying to get something to click.

…

…

…

“Norfolk and Western?”

Author's Note

Timestamp: 10:37

Listen to the movie star sing! Ya'll didn't think I'd let the British have all the fun, did you? THINK AGAIN! LONG LIVE AMERICA!

Once again, sorry for the extended wait between parts. Life stuff, a writer's block, and a freaking ban for (rather idiotic) plagiarism screwed me six ways from Sunday. So here's an extended part that-I-honestly-think-might-be-horrible-in-terms-of-pacing!

7: Excursion

In the second baggage coach of the excursion train, two ponies sat among the baggage. One yellow, one blue. Eric and Fluttershy had woken up early much like myself. The former had noticed the latter in one of the coaches and had managed to persuade her into going to the baggage car to talk in private.

The two talked about their adventures and misadventures. Their highs and lows. How Fluttershy once used her words to stop a dragon from polluting the air above Ponyville and how Eric had once used my whistle as an improvised way of sending Morse Code.

I always chuckle when I recall that incident.

"You mean to tell me that you actually stopped a Cockatrice from turning you to stone by staring at it?" Eric asked.

"Uh, yeah. I did," Fluttershy replied. "But I did have to talk."

"That... blimey. That's impressive. Wish I had the ability to that."

Fluttershy giggled. "Maybe-"

BANG!

The two jumped, startled by the sudden noise.

"What was that?" Fluttershy asked.

"I don't know. Let me go check."

Eric stood up and walked to the front of the carriage with Fluttershy in tow. He opened the door and looked around. He gasped as he notice something.

Or rather, a lack of something.

"Where's Edward," he asked.

Fluttershy looked out. "Edward? Um, I don't know."

"How would you?" Eric asked before jumping out of the coach. "Edward?!" he called out as he darted in between the coaches, searching for the engine he'd been friends with his whole career. Alas, the only engine he found was City of Truro.

"SOD IT!"

Inside a first class coach, the four princesses sat, discussing what had woken them up.

"It sounded like a bang," Twilight said.

"Of course it was a bang," Luna replied. "A loud one, at that."

"Maybe somepony dropped a pile of dishes?" Cadance suggested.

"Unlikely. Nopony would be up at this hour," Celestia noted.

"GUYS!" Eric yelled.

"Der- gert-! ERIC! Don't do that!" Twilight yelled back.

"Sorry!" Eric replied. "But this is important! Edward is missing!"

The princesses jumped to their hooves.

"What do you mean Edward is missing?" Celestia asked.

"Sister, stop being so coy!" Luna snapped as she ran out of the carriage. She flew dozens of feet above the village and scanned the area, looking for any signs of smoke. She found none.

"Consarn it, Edward. Where did you go?"

I looked around at the small dugout next to the track. It was interesting in the sense that someone had made it into a living space. There were shelves, chairs, a library of books, a bed, all of which made me wonder if someone stayed here with these engines.

Suddenly, a thought flew into my funnel.

"Was someone trying to hide this engine?" I asked, looking at the engine in front of me. "They clearly succeeded, but I wonder why they hid it in the first place."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. I was getting out of here one way or another. I had a duty to the passengers. City of Truro certainly couldn't pull that entire train by itself. And I certainly couldn't wait down here for someone to find me. And the schedule would be thrown clean out the window if they had to send for another engine while looking for me.

My firebox flared as I built up steam. I braced myself as the coupling tightened. Then, with a deep breath, I began to pull. With pistons pumping and siderods straining, I began to pull the engine in front of me. It shuddered and groaned, having not been moved or oiled in a very long time. To my annoyance, I heard a few more cracks of coupling.

"You are joking," I grunted as I entered the incline. "Don't tell me I'm pulling a whole train up this shaft."

The next hour was the hardest I had ever worked in my life. I swear I was on verge of busting a piston with how hard I had to puff. It was bar and none the heaviest things I ever pulled. The only things that allowed me to make it up the incline was my new valve gear, roller bearings, and the track being strangely grippy.

By the time I was close to the top, almost out of fuel, I was flustered beyond belief. Never had I worked so hard for so long. I knew I had to at least been within whistle range, so I blew my whistle as loudly as I could, hoping someone heard.

I continued for a dozen seconds before whistling again. One long shriek.

...

"I TOLD YOU HE WAS DOWN THERE!"

"Yes!" I joyfully exclaimed, tooting my whistle twice.

"EDWARD! Edward... Edward!" I heard Eric yell along with a flap of wings.

"I'm down here!" I yelled back.

"What the heck are you doing down here?" he asked as he tried to find a way into my cab.

"I was reading a sign when something shoved itself up my bunker, sending me down into this blasted mine. Now how far from the top am I?"

"No more than a hundred feet. Now why are you moving so slow?"

I grunted loudly before responding. "I'm dragging another engine with me, that's why!"

"WHAT?! What engine?"

"I don't know! Something American!"

"How do you know It's American?"

"Because It's absolutely massive."

My wheels slipped suddenly. I caught this before I lost speed.

"How did you couple up to it?"

I scoffed. "My coupling got stuck on the front valance when I smashed into it. Believe me, I tried ripping it off several times."

"It's almost like the couplings are built for pulling hundreds of tons."

I groaned.

Within a minute, I watched sunlight fill the edges of my vision. My initial relief turned to dread as I realized what time it had to have been for this much sunlight to be present.

"How long have I been down there? What time is it?" I quickly asked.

"Seven-Thirty."

I sighed with relief. "Alright. We can still leave on time."

"Leave on ti- Edward-!"

"No!" I snapped as I felt sunlight hitting my tender. "I have a duty to the passengers."

The moment I fully exited the mine, Eric appeared on my left. I could tell he was going to argue, but his jaw dropped when he saw the engine I was pulling.

"Edward!" I heard Luna exclaim as she rushed over to me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," I replied. "I had to wrestle with this behemoth to get out of here."

Everypony watched as the engine I was pulling came into the sunlight. It truly was a massive machine. Two small wheels lead one set of six large driving wheels, which lead six more large driving wheels, followed by four small wheels. A 2-6-6-4 locomotive.

Behind the engine was a tender almost as big as Henry. It rode on two six-wheeled bogies and had the large yellow letters bearing the Norfolk and Western name. Behind that was another tender of similar design. A "canteen" tender that only held water.

As I stopped to finally ease my axles, Norfolk and Western Number 1218's weathered black paint glistened in the sunlight. Everypony from my driver to the princesses marveled at the steam-powered giant, wondering how such a machine could ever be created.

As for myself, the feeling of finally being able to stop working and simply rest was unmatched. I felt as if I could simply collapse onto the rails. I sat there, breathing, letting everypony admire the engine I had brought out from the depths.

That was until my driver asked me a question.

"Edward, could you reverse some more?"

I looked at him. "Why?"

"Because I think there's another engine in the mine."

My eyes widened. "You mean I was towing two engines?"

"It sure seems like it!"

I sighed as I began moving again, bringing this second mystery engine into the light. This engine was just as big as 1218, but so much more powerful.

As in, powerful enough to be the one of if not the strongest steam locomotive ever built, excluding "Triplex" locomotives.

Two small wheels lead not six, but eight bigger driving wheels, which lead eight more driving wheels, which were followed by two small wheels. A 2-8-8-2. It too had two large tenders behind it, one being a canteen tender, but also had the addition of a dark blue caboose owned by Norfolk and Western. Number 500 837, to be specific.

On the front of the engine lay a four digit number. 2156.

Nicknamed the Warhorse, 2156 was a Y6a articulated locomotive capable of nearly 170,000 pounds of tractive force. Over three times the force of Britain's strongest engines. It had roller bearings on nearly every service, great balancing, a smooth ride, and was most certainly one of the best engines ever built.

Norfolk and Western 1218, otherwise known as the Mercedes of Steam, was the sole surviving member of N&W's Class A locomotives, and the sole survivor of the 2-6-6-4 locomotive as a whole. Like 2156, it had roller bearings on nearly every service, but it had large driving wheels and amazing balancing that allowed it to easily of speeds of 70 miles per hour and more. Despite the large wheels, it still developed over 110,000 pounds of tractive force and could pull 7500 tons of freight at over 60MPH on a level track.

And here I was, having just pulled these two pieces of marvelous machinery out of a mineshaft. And let me assure you, I looked hilarious doing so.

"Edward," Luna began. "What are we to do with these engines?"

I sighed. "I don't know. Listen, I need to rest for a few hours, alright? Until we need to leave. Now could someone please uncouple me?"

Luna stepped next to where my coupling was stuck and, after a few seconds of fiddling, uncoupled me from the American engines.

"Edward, what exactly was down in that mine?"

A swift investigation of the mineshaft was carried out over the next few hours. Their findings were interesting, to say the least.

They discovered that this shaft was in fact not present before. The rocks around it did not conform with the rocks already present, and there were small signs that the incline I was sent barreling down was slotted in between the entrance and where I found the N&W engines, leaving several to believe that something or someone had purposefully placed this mine here via unknown means.

As for the shaft itself, it didn't have any branching paths, nor did it go any deeper than where I picked up the engines. It was a single passage created with the express reason of putting the engines there.

At least, that's what I thought at first. That theory was partially disproven when Twilight found a journal written by an anonymous man. I'll spare you the details as the journal spanned several pages, but the basic gist is that the man had in fact hidden the locomotives in there, saying they would have been scrapped had he not done so. Annoyingly, despite going into detail about the society that wanted to scrap the engines, he never dropped any names.

The journal ended on a dark note, the man writing in the last page how he was starving and about to die. For his last few words, he said, and I quote; "Take care of these locomotives. Restore them to working condition. Save them. Please."

After some digging, they did manage to find the bones of the man. Nothing more.

Creepy, if you ask me.

Of course, we had to keep to time. After Twilight dispatched a group of specialists to investigate the mine further, we departed on schedule, leaving the Norfolk and Western engines in the sidings. I would have to come back for them later.

"So. Edward," Eric began. "Still loving it here in Equestria?"

"Absolutely."

"Loving it more than Sodor?"

"Ye- Excuse me?"

"I'm just asking!"

My wheels clicked as we traveled over a set of point onto a two-track line.

I sighed. "See, here's the thing. I love Sodor. I've lived on it for a very long time. I appreciate the sights, the sounds, sometimes I feel like I'm a storybook for children.

"Buuut?"

"Equestria is exactly that. A storybook of sorts. Actually, no. It is quite literally fantasy. I mean, colorful talking ponies that can do magic? That can fly? Princesses who can move the sun and moon? Does that not sound like a textbook fantasy world?"

"I wouldn't say textbook, but yeah."

I sighed. "Eric, I'll be honest. I've thought about really staying here. And I hate myself for doing so. It's just that everything about Equestria is simply better than Sodor. Not to mention how big it is. It's no island."

"So what you're trying to say," Eric paused, choosing his words. "Is that you and I are stuck between the choices of personal gain and loyalty to our homes? To your passengers?"

"Exactly. Except my duty to the passengers on Sodor clashes with my duty to the passengers here. Equestria is a backwards nation in need of assistance. I'm one of the few that can give it that."

"Well, Edward, if this pattern of finding new engines continues, you won't be needed here in Equestria by the time Twilight finishes that spell. Even number 1218 could do all your work four times over."

The look on my face turned grim. I didn't say anything, choosing instead to stair at the tracks ahead. This concerned Eric.

"Edward? I-Is something wrong?"

I sighed. "This isn't something to talk about while on an excursion. Tell you what, we'll talk about it tonight."

Eric returned the sigh. "If you say so. I'm heading back to the cab."

"Right."

"To the American West we go!" he yelled as he extended his wings and flapped back to my cab.

To this day, I am still surprised at how quickly he got used to flying.

This day of the excursion involved us stopping in Appleloosa and Dodge City. It was quite enjoyable to talk to people with such American accents. Lode Star also followed us around, continuing to make high-speed freight and mail deliveries.

After we hit those two towns - particularly after I got to look at Dodge Canyon, a sight neither myself nor my driver had seen before - we visited Salt Lick City and went through the Green Mountains past the "Untamed West". A very fine place to travel, I might add. Then, after a stop for fuel, we stopped in the great city of San Franciscolt.

San Franciscolt.

This was the city that made me realize that half the town and city names of Equestria were 'ponified' versions of cities from our world. Particularly those from the states. I always want to kick myself whenever I think about it since it took me way too long to realize this.

When I told the princesses, they could only laugh.

And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit ticked off that almost none of the cities were plays on anything British. In fact, the only thing that was a play on a British location was Canterlot.

Anyway. After visiting San Franciscolt, we traveled south to the half-floating city of Las Pegasus.

I'll admit. Flying ponies, princesses that move the sun and moon, and literal magic were one thing to get used to. Staring at a half-floating city? That was a completely different matter. This was a city of bright lights and bustling activity. It had casinos, hotels, five star restaurants, everything that made it quite the wild vacation spot. As Apple Jack put it, the city was essentially "one big party".

Here, we actually met up with another engine that had been found parked in the station platform just that morning. A Great Western Railway 4073 "Castle" Class named "Earl Bathurst" with the number 5051. This 4-6-0 express engine was similar to Lode Star but with a few upgrades. These upgrades included a bigger and lighter boiler, bigger pistons, heavier frame, and more tractive effort.

Luna expressed immediate interest in putting the engine to work, but Eric told her that the engine had recently been in a scrapyard and - last he checked - was undergoing restoration. While it seemed to be in good working order, he suggested having a professional look at it.

So what did Luna do? Seeing as Las Pegasus didn't have any sidings or extra tracks, she coupled it to the back of the excursion. In any other situation, I wouldn't have went through with this decision, but considering there were zero other engines available, it felt justified.

The rest of the day was largely uneventful. We made our way back to Canterlot to let off passengers and drop off the Star Class. We spent some time there and let new passengers on, then continued off the mountain out North to continue the excursion.

But not before doing something that, to this day, I am still grateful for.

You see, in our excitement of touring Northern Equestria, we didn't actually tour Northern Equestria. As in the Crystal Mountains. Because we would be traveling over some very steep grades, Luna decided that it would best to uncouple City of Truro and replace it with Sierra Railway #3.

This decision would prove invaluable as we ascended the mountains towards the Crystal Empire. The grades her rivaled that of Gordon's hill. But while said hill was steep, it was only several hundred feet in length. The grades of the Crystal Mountains would go for close to a mile.

Sierra #3's tractive effort coupled with mine allowed us to climb the hills in a timely fashion, owing to Luna's surprising skill with the throttle.

We stopped by the Crystal Empire for an hour, then continued on through the mountains to the Rainbow Falls. It was practically nighttime by this point, so this is where we stopped. And let me tell you, the Rainbow Falls were beautiful. It wasn't just a name. The waterfalls were literal rainbows. Couple that to the beautiful mountains that surrounded us, and it was among the reasons I loved Equestria.

While we parked in the siding that was - to our surprise - able to hold the entire train, Luna told me that this line had recently been extended next to and past the Neighagra Falls to provide a connection to Manehattan, which would be our first stop the next day. This decision had already proved invaluable as ponies were able to get between the two cities faster.

Well, 'faster' depending on what the Friendship Express' Engineer was feeling.

With everyone retiring to the coaches and local hotels, I was once again left alone. Nothing but the buildings, the mountains, the falls, and most of all, the night sky.

Soon enough, I closed my eyes, and began to sleep.

It was a dark and cloudy morning on the Waterton Branchline, better known as the Little Western. Engines rolled through switches, roared around bends, and raced down straight sections of track with their trains.

I myself was hauling a heavy train of brick and steel bound for the coastal town of Arlesburgh. Because of my experience pulling the Norfolk and Western engines up that mine, this was childs play.

"Welcome to the Arlesburgh, your highnesses," I said to Luna and Celestia who were in my cab.

"Though there is ample amounts of construction happening, this looks like it will be a most wonderous tourist destination," Luna stated.

"It most certainly will be. Perhaps it might get finished by the time me and Eric get back."

"This entire line has been just beautiful," Celestia said. "It looks like it has been plucked right out of a children's tale."

I chuckled. "Well I can promise you that it isn't my memory being flowery."

"I'll hold you to that."

We entered the yard, puffing through sets of switches before coming across two other engines. Thomas and Donald. Both of whom seemed to be arguing.

"Take the children to the carnival? Whyyy?" Thomas asked. "What have CHILDREN ever done for MEEEE?"

"Ya want your special coach? Take it!" Donald exclaimed, angrily shoving an express coach next to Thomas. "Now Douglas can come back, right?"

Thomas looked at the express coach, looking at it from top to track. He frowned.

"Wrong! That isn't my SPECIAL coach!"

"Then have some more coaches! I'VE GOT PLENTY OF EM'!!" Donald yelled, suddenly shunting what I swear was the entire island's fleet of coaches into several sidings beside Thomas.

"You can't put a price on my special coach!" Thomas yelled. "And I won't forgive that thieving engine Douglas for stealing it!"

BANG!

Douglas snapped, slamming into Thomas' buffers.

"LISTEN YOU USELESS BLUE PUFFBALL! DOUGLAS HAD BEEN SENT BACK TO SCOTLAND FOR SCRAP! AND YOUR NOT GOING TO BRING HIM BACK OVER A STUPID COOOAACH!?!!?!??!"

"WHAT IN BLAZES IS GOING ON?!!" I yelled, blowing my whistle.

"Stay out of this, Old Iron! This is between me and this useless blue puffball!" Donald snapped back.

"So you're so mad that you're insulting me are you? LISTEN! Get back to work, the both of you! Now! Or else I'm telling Sir Topham Hatt!"

"Edward, this git isn't bringing back Douglas from Scotland!"

"How in blazes is it Thomas' place to bring back Douglas? And what do you mean by that, anyway? I just passed Douglas not ten minutes ago!"

"Yeah, Donald! How is it even my business?!" Thomas smugly asked.

"DON'T you DARE think I'm on your side, Thomas," I snapped. "As far as I know, you are just as much in the wrong as Donald is."

"No I'm not! I was minding my own business when Donald started-"

FooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! wooOOOOOOOOOOOO! woooOOO WOOOooooooWOOOOOOOOOOO!

We all stopped as a whistle filled the air like the ghostly wail of some eldritch being. I found myself not being able to hear any construction sounds, the princesses, or even the hissing of my own steam.

"What is that?" I asked, fear skyrocketing as my vision darkened.

Suddenly, I was back in the rainbow falls. It was dark, and a dense fog had made itself present. There wasn't a single pony out, not one light on. It felt like I was the only being that lived in the world.

But I could still hear the whistle.

I could hear an engine approaching. I could hear the rapid chuffing of the funnel and feel the speed of the siderods. The tracks in front of me got brighter and brighter as the engine approached from behind. The whistle continued to echo off the mountains, shrieking like that of a lost soul.

Suddenly, the engine roared into view. It was dark bronze with gold lining. Four small wheels lead a team of six] large driving wheels followed by two small ones. It had bullet-nosed streamlined that stretched around the full body, making it seem like a raging torpedo. Under its cab windows, I saw the golden number 3768.

The tender was equally streamlined. It rode on six-wheel bogies and sported equal amounts of streamlining compared to the engine. On its side, just below the golden lines, lay a name I had seen few times before.

PENNSYLVANIA

As the engine roared by, I got a great look at the coaches. They were 80 feet long and wore Tuscan Red liveries and silver Clerestory roof. Sixteen of these coaches rattled by, the last one being an observation car. On the rear of that observation car sat a circular logo with a name that told me what this train was.

BROADWAY LIMITED

"Bloody hell," I slowly let out as the train roared on, continuing to blow its ethereal wail.

"Edward?" I heard a familiar voice call out. I looked to my right to find Luna. "W-What was that?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Perhaps a lost train. A soul trying to find its way through the night."

"Was it a ghost?"

"I don't think so," I said, listening to the whistle and watching the train travel over bridges in the distance. "Though, having seen a ghost train myself, I can't be so sure."

Luna cleared her throat. "Well. I hope to meet up with that train. I would do it now, but I have a question I wanted to ask."

"And what is that?"

Luna looked me in the eyes. "What do you think is really happening back on Sodor?"

I sighed. "They're more than likely all concerned about me. They are probably looking for me. Looking through each and every nook and cranny." I chuckled. "I just became a poet."

Luna returned the chuckle. "That you did."

"I just hope they aren't worrying so much that It's impeding their work. They still have a railway to run, after all."

Of course, I had no way of knowing how things truly were going back on Sodor. For all I knew, I had a perfect double that made it seem as if I had never left.

I really hoped something like that wasn't the case.

Author's Note

Today (June 26th, 2022) unceremoniously marks the one-year anniversary of my first story being published onto the site. Yay me. Today ALSO marks the day this story hit 666 views! Woohoo!

Also Also, yesterday (June 25th, 2022) was the 10-Year Anniversary of a track as equally well-laid as Equestria's tracks.

Have fun.

8: Ghosts

It was a bright and sunny morning as we traveled through the mountains. My brakes quietly squealed as we descended a steep section of track, Sierra #3's brakes doing the same behind me.

Speaking of #3, I realize that I completely glossed over the part where we uncoupled City of Truro and brought the engine onto the train, so I want to go over what actually happened.

Basically, because #3 is an American engine and the train consisted entirely of British rolling stock, there was a coupling issue.

You see, British rolling stock use what is known as "Buffer and Chain" coupling. This consists of two buffers, a hook, and a chain that connects to a hook on a separate car. American rolling stock, however, use "Janney" couplers. These are essentially massive sideways hooks that semi-automatically tighten when pushed together. The reason the Americans used these is because it was significantly less lethal than the previous "Link and Pin " coupling, and because it was far stronger and could easily handle the forces of the heavy rolling stock they used.

If you were to put these two types of coupling side by side, anyone with their eyes open can see that they can't exactly fit together. This meant we had to quickly retrofit #3 with hooks so it could pull the coaches.

But this also posed a second issue. Brakes. #3 used what are known as Air Brakes. The entire train including myself were fitted with Vacuum brakes. I won't go into specifics, but simply put, vacuum brakes consists of a continuous pipe running throughout the length of the train. In normal running, a partial vacuum is maintained in the pipe, and the brakes are released. Air brakes, on the other buffer, use compressed air to release the brakes of a train.

While both use pipes that run throughout the train, they cannot mix in the slightest. This meant that if I was on the front of the train, like we had planned, only myself and #3 could provide braking to the train. And we couldn't exactly run a line around #3 to connect to the forward coach.

Despite my suggestion that we should either stick with Truro or couple me behind #3, the princesses were insistent that I was on the front of the train. I wasn't entirely against this. Being from a railway that hadn't fully adopted continuous vacuum brakes, I had experience being one of if not the only source of braking on a train. So we went through with the decision.

Steering back to the story, the journey to the Neighagra Falls was uneventful. The views we were able to see were, as usual, breathtaking.

But when we got to the Falls, hoh. That was a view that has stuck with me all this time. I could see for miles down a series of lakes, spotting the towns and villages that dotted the sides of them. Hope Hollow, Windsoar, Green Neigh, to name a few. We sat on the bridge that spanned the falls for the better part of fifteen minutes before continuing.

We rounded a bend, and there was the city of Manehattan. I couldn't help but laugh. I had always heard that American cities were big, but this was absurd. The massive silver blocks scraped the sky, standing proudly against the winds that pelted them. Few buildings were quite as tall as them.

As I continued to stare at the city, my smile turned into a frown. The buildings were impressive, yes, but they were entirely fabricated. They lacked as much character as the ones on Britain. Coming from someone who used to live on an island where half the buildings were constructed almost entirely by hand, it just wasn't my style.

The city's rail infrastructure was certainly a lot more built-up compared to literally everywhere else we had visited. It had not one track, not two tracks, not even three tracks, but four parallel tracks that made up the main line through here. Old Blighty rarely had this many parallel mainline tracks.

As an aside, the buildings that weren't skyscrapers were very aesthetically pleasing. They were made of either brick or stone and carried vaguely muted colors. Typically cream, grey, or blue. Throughout the streets, I could see yellow carts racing around carrying whatever passengers had decided to ride them. Most of them stopped and stared right at me as we went by.

Soon enough, we approached the dockyards. The place we would be staying for the next hour. And my word, it was glorious.

"Now THIS is how you design a train yard!" I delightfully exclaimed as the docks came into view.

There was a yard body, a track for storing brake vans and cabooses, a run-around track, auxiliary track, and even engine servicing. Even though such a yard would never have the capacity to support the entire city, I was elated to see such a professional operation.

There weren't many cars in the yard, of course, but the ones that were located within were very American. They ranged from boxcars to hoppers and tank cars. None of which had any markings and wore dark red or black paint. As we slowed to a stop, I spotted an engine parked in the brake van siding. It was, to my surprise, an A4!

Hehe, no, not that A4. As noted by the black paint and golden lettering on the "slopeback" tender, this was a Pennsylvania Railroad Class A4. A four-wheeled switch engine designed to work on the tight street, dockyard and industrial trackage the Pennsylvania Railroad had in its possession. Behind the A4 was a PRR A5. Essentially the same engine, just bigger. It was in fact the biggest 0-4-0 ever built.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that even an American switch engine was just as big as me.

We stopped on a big open track and were greeted with far more fanfare than the other locations we visited. Word had gotten out about us now that we were actually doing the excursion, and many weren't as 'afraid' of me now that they had heard good things about me and the excursion.

We did things the usual way. I greeted myself and Eric, answered questions, told them where I was from and why I was here - without revealing the fact that I was actually from a different world - and all that.

But half an hour into our stay, a very interesting engine came into the yard.

It had immediately caught my eye as it tore around a bend. It was small, silver, looked a lot like Thomas, and pulled a rake of five LMS coaches. They were very old, carrying a cream and red paintjob and being made largely out of wood.

I had been finishing up a story when I gasped, fully recognizing the engine. Its red stripes and silver paintwork glistened in the sunlight, only being outclassed by the bright yellow number 0 on its sidetanks.

"Arthur!?" I exclaimed as the engine rattled by, startling everypony that had been listening. "Someone stop that train! NOW!"

Luna, understanding the urgency in my voice, took off after the train. She caught up to it in short order, entering the cab of the engine to find that no driver or fireman was there. She quickly located the brake handle and slammed it shut, bringing the train to a screeching halt. She then took off the brakes and reversed the train back into my view, stopping it and stepping out of the cab.

"Do you recognize this engine, Edward?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, I most certainly do," I replied.

"What kind of engine even is this?" Twilight asked, already interested in it.

"It's an E2 Tank Engine," I replied. "Build for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway between 1913 and 1916. It also just so happens to be the ghost of an engine I once knew. One that I could have sworn we had sent away."

I remained silent as I stared at the engine, remembering how it ravaged both companies of the islands. Business had dropped dramatically as our passengers avoided us like the plague, as did our goods clients. We had several encounters with the ghost train, causing a widespread dip in moral. The situation had become unbearable, causing some of us to come up with a situation.

"Edward? Are you alright?" Celestia asked.

"I'm fine. I just... can't believe I'm looking at this engine again."

"Timothy the Ghost Engine... Huh. I like that," Twilight said, stepping out of the engine's cab.

"Timothy?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking at me. "I found a nameplate in the cab. Timothy."

"Sorry to tell you this, but that engine's name isn't Timothy. It's name is Arthur."

"What? But it said-"

"It isn't called Timothy."

"Who's Arthur?" Eric asked.

"I've told you about him, haven't I?"

"No. You haven't."

"...Do you lads want to hear about it?" I asked, looking out among the immediate crowd.

"I suppose so," Celestia said.

"Did this... Arthur, do something wrong?" Fluttershy slowly asked, having been sitting next to Eric. Quite closely, I should add.

"Oh yes, he did."

And this was the story I told.

Arthur was a mixed traffic engine for the LMS, one of the earliest editions when they first came to Sodor. Without question, he was the most boastful engine I have ever known. He was forever prattling on about his spotless record, how he had never once been late. What made it worse is that it was true. Somehow, he always delivered his trucks trains on time and without failure. He was also never shy about calling out those engines who were late, even if they were on his own crew.

Unfortunately, this pride is what led to his downfall.

It was late one night in the winter of 1923 when he had to take an express train. He had suffered a delay and couldn't get out of the station quick enough when he was finally allowed to leave. Eager to make up for lost time, desperate to preserve his spotless record, he tore down the line at a criminally reckless speed. This combined with the poor visibility, the icy rails, and the steep descent of Gordon's Hill, it was small wonder what happens next.

CRASH!

"He... crashed?" Fluttershy asked.

"Came right off the rails," I replied grimly. "He and his coaches rolled almost a hundred yards before stopping. But that wasn't the worst of it."

"What could be worse!?" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Every single one of his passengers were killed."

The crowd grew eerily silent for several seconds.

"What about Arthur? What happened to him?" Celestia asked.

"He was scrapped," I replied. "The impact killed him instantly and turned his body into a mangled heap of metal that barely resembled an engine."

"..."

I sighed. "And it didn't end there, either."

"...What do you mean it didn't end there?"

"Every year since Arthur's death, at least until 1937, his ghost appeared. Hoping desperately to reach his destination so he and the tormented souls of his victims could finally be at peace. And his ghost," I said, glancing at the E2, "was this exact engine. Coaches and all."

Silence once again followed.

"Now. I'm sure you all would like to know what happened to the ghost, so I might as well tell you."

"Well. That was quite the interesting story," Celestia said. "I speak for all of my little ponies that we are grateful you were willing to share such information."

"It was my pleasure," I replied, eyeing the tank engine.

"I have to commend you engines. To vanquish such a being by such simple means is rather impressive in todays day and age."

"Well, our world doesn't have unicorns or anything of that nature, so we're used to it."

"Now since you have shared with us one of your ghost trains, how about we share with you our ghost train?" Luna asked.

I snapped my gaze to her. "You have a ghost train?"

"Yes. We do," Celestia said, looking at Shining Armor. "Would you like to tell it, Shining Armor? Seeing as you were the one who first encountered it?"

Shining chuckled. "No. I am uhhh, not really the best at storytelling."

Celestia nodded. "Very well. I shall tell it."

And this was the story she told.

It was only a month prior when the event occurred. It was very late and Shining Armor couldn't get to sleep.

As he watched the clock turn over to midnight, he heard an eerie whistle echo throughout the Crystal Empire. Knowing there were no trains scheduled until morning, Shining got out of bed and walked to the balcony to see a train puffing towards the station. He quickly got dressed and ran out toward the station at top speed, getting there just as the train came to a stop.

The engine was big. It had four wheels in the front, six large driving wheels, and pulled a six axle tender. Both the engine and tender wore beautiful red paint with black lines. On the tender sat the golden letters LNWR. Behind the engine were six long coaches carrying a cream and green livery exactly like that of the Elsbridge and Knapford Railway.

While this sounds like quite the premier express train, it didn't exactly seem that way, as layers of dirt and grime covered the train from top to track.

Shining, seeing that nopony was in the cab, decided to investigate the forward coach. To his surprise, the interior was spotless, warm, and extremely comfortable.

But no sooner did he get to the center of the coach, the door slammed shut, and the train began to move. Try as he did to get out, nothing would budge. Not even a teleportation spell helped. All he could do was sit in a seat and listen to the howl of the whistle as the train picked up speed.

It achieved speeds of up to ninety miles per hour and only slowed down when it approached Ponyville. There, Shining stepped off the train to find Twilight. The two agreed to get back on the train and follow it to wherever its destinations were. These destinations went all over Equestria. From Seaddle to Appleloosa, Dodge Junction to Manehattan.

Finally, as it neared six in the morning, the train stopped in Canterlot where Twilight and Shining met Luna, who took great interest in the engine. But before anything could be done, the train set off down the line. Luna tried chasing after it, but the second 6AM arrived, the train tore into a tunnel and simply vanished.

"Since then, every night between midnight and six in the morning, the train roams the rails, taking ponies to their destinations in a comfortable and timely manner. Nothing more. We have since called the train 'The Midnight Special' and told ponies to not fear it. It is perfectly safe and entirely free to ride."

"And it gives ponies a chance to truly appreciate the night," Luna added.

Eric clapped his hooves together. "Well! That is quite the train! I can't wait to see it."

Celestia chuckled. "Yes, it is."

The princess looked at me with enthusiastic eyes, said enthusiasm leaving her as she saw my serious look.

"Uh-... Edward?"

"Did there happen to be a nameplate on the engine?"

"Yes. There was. Did I not mention that?"

"No. You didn't. What was the nameplate?"

"...Afton."

"Afton." I looked at my buffers. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a very long time..."

Eric looked at me. "Who's Afton?"

"An express engine from the London and North Western Railway. Specifically a Claughton Class built in 1916. One that disappeared while pulling an express of the same name."

"An express of the same name?" Luna asked.

"Every letter. The Midnight Special."

"..."

I sighed and began to tell the story.

I know listening to story after story must be tiring, but this is what I had to deal with whenever we stopped at the towns and cities.

Anyway, Afton. He was, as I said, a Claughton Class 4-6-0 express engine built for the LNWR in 1916. He arrived on Sodor in 1919 when the directors of the Elsbridge and Knapford Railway wanted to trial express runs.

Because they were afraid the runs wouldn't go very well, they decided to lease an engine from the mainland, which just so happened to be Afton. And let me tell you, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was fast, powerful, reliable, and greatly bolstered our reputation in the first couple of days he was present. He was even given a custom six chime steam whistle so everyone knew when he was coming.

This, however, came at a moral cost.

Afton was like any other express engine. He was rude, boastful, despised pulling freight, and was very picky about which coaches he was given. He was at his worst when any member of the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway was nearby.

One summer day, we were running dangerously low on coaches since nearly every one needed maintenance, forcing Thomas to hunt the yards for whatever he could find. He hadn't slept well the previous night and had forgotten to save the few available express coaches for Afton, instead giving them to me. I was already long gone by the time Afton arrived at the platform, so Thomas gave him a rake of four older branchline coaches we had recently bought. Three of these coaches were actually non-faceless sisters. Their names were Summer, Skye, and Sienna.

Afton at first refused to pull the train, rudely commanding Thomas to fetch him some proper coaches after insulting said coaches. Thomas snapped back with, and I quote, "I'm busy. Take them, or leave them!" before quickly puffing back to the yard.

The coaches groaned as Afton begrudgingly backed up to them, calling him rude and improper. This quickly sparked a seething rivalry between them and the engine, which worsened when one of the air hoses came loose, bringing the train to a stop on a bridge. This incident was due to Afton traveling far too fast for the coaches to properly handle.

When his runs were done, he was forced to shunt the coaches himself. The coaches tittered grumpily, complaining about how horrible Afton had been treating them. He blamed the coaches for slamming on the brakes, calling them rotten old antiques. Summer replied saying that it was his fault, to which he told her otherwise.

"It's not my fault you don't know how to pull coaches, you rotten red sausage!" Summer barked.

This insult caused Afton to quickly lose his temper. His boiler pressure shot up, and amid the hiss of his safety valve, there was a BANG! And then a splintering CRUNCH!

Afton hadn't been paying attention when he entered the carriage sidings and had ran the coaches into the buffers hard. The buffers were bent and broken, but were not the most damaged. That honor belonged to the coach behind Afton's tender.

Summer.

She was squashed between him and the second coach, Skye, crushed into a pile of splintered wood and bent metal, killing her instantly. The other coaches shrieked in horror at the fate of their sister. Afton just sniffed indignantly.

"This is what you get for being weak, old antiques," he quietly said. "If only you were proper coaches, this wouldn't have happened."

He watched as the broken coach was loaded onto a flatbed and taken away. The coaches were silent as they too watched the process. When it was done, Afton smirked, and slowly puffed away.

The directors were not happy with Afton's carelessness and neither were the police. The incident landed him in Rail Gate Prison for thirty days, forcing the express services to temporarily close. When he was let out, however, he came back to the island. This was because the directors hoped he had changed for the better. And they were partly right.

While he did take extra care for the trains he pulled, his rude and boastful attitude was still present. The attitude was dialed up to a major 110% when he was given the honor of pulling a brand-new express train called The Midnight Special.

It was a late-night train that offered an express run from Vicarstown to Tidmouth. Having pulled the train a few times before it was assigned to him, I can tell you that a nonstop run under the stars was and still is a very enjoyable experience.

"About time I had a named train of my own to pull," Afton loudly said as he waited on the turntable. "And with proper coaches, no less!"

I groaned and rolled my eyes, having been the only one at the sheds that night.

He was bubbling with excitement as he coupled up to the train. He was so excited that he never once looked back at the rake of coaches he was pulling.

No one noticed the coach closest to him didn't belong to the consist. It was painted cream and green, just like the express. But it was smaller and had no bogies. Just two axles. It was filthier and didn't look like it belonged on such a prestigious train such as the Midnight Special.

The guard blew his whistle and the train set off.

Over Afton's puffing, there was a loud groaning noise that came from the lead coach. It sounded like it hadn't been oiled in a long time.

Soon, the express passed under the signals, and I watched as it was gone in a cloud of steam. I remember seeing the out-of-place coach, but didn't think much of it at the time.

Later, the signalman at Killdane got a call from the signalman at Maron. He wanted to know if the Midnight Special had passed through to check that the system was still operating. The Killdane signalman said he had received a bell from Crovan's Gate a long time ago, but the express hadn't come yet.

Checking his watch, he saw that the express was running about half an hour late. Just before he could hang up the phone to call Crovan's Gate to send a work train to check the line, there was a knock at his door. He opened it to see the Midnight Special's guard standing there, panting heavily.

"Heh-, Have you seen our engine?" he asked.

"What engine?" the signalman asked. "No engine has passed by my box for hours!"

The guard then went pale. "That... That's not possible! You must be mistaken! I've just come from the Midnight Special and I haven't seen our engine anywhere!"

"I swear on me mother's head no train passed by the box! I would have seen it! Come on man, you're speaking all kinds of rubbish!"

"I'm not! Our entire train is missing its engine! It's like It's disappeared into thin air!"

"Come on mate," the signalman said, inviting him in. "Have a cuppa tea and explain what you're tryin' to say."

I was soon dispatched with a works train. I found the six express coaches from the Special sitting neatly on the mainline and the irate passengers.

From passenger testimony, they said that one minute the train was cruising along smoothly, then after the tunnel, the train went slower and slower until the coaches ground to a halt. When they looked out the window to see what the problem was, they saw that there was no engine at the front.

Workmen investigated the coaches for damage, but none was found. The coupling on the lead coach was intact. While I pulled the train back to the station, the workmen searched up the line. Perhaps Afton had derailed somewhere before Killdane and the guard just missed it.

However, nothing.

No trace of an engine or even an accident could be found.

Afton's crew were found at Crovan's Gate the next morning asleep on a bench by a cleaner making the rounds before the first service of the day. When asked how they got there, they had no memory of what happened after they entered the tunnel. Just that one minute they were entering the tunnel, and the next they were awake on the platform.

A massive search was held to look for Afton. Every inch of the main line was checked, as was every inch of the branch lines. But nothing could be found.

The Midnight Special was discontinued indefinitely as the more superstitious passengers refused to ride the express after midnight, worried that if a whole engine could vanish, then why not a whole train of passengers?

The mystery deepened when many of the passengers expressed concern for those who might have gotten in the first coach. The investigators noted that all the coaches were still on the train, but the passengers were insistent that a coach was missing from the express.

"A small coach! Just behind the engine!"

Station staff, porters, and the crew of the engine who assembled the train were just as adamant that they had gathered the rake of six express coaches. No more, no less. After extensive investigations, relief was brought to the passengers when it was found that everyone who had bought a ticket for the Midnight Special was accounted for.

But the mystery remained.

What happened to the engine and the alleged coach? How could an engine's crew wake up at a station with no memory of how they had gotten there?

To this day, the file remains in the Vicarstown Police files...

...as unsolved.

"And that is the end of the story as the wider public knows. Though there have been tales of engines seeing Afton puffing along the line in the distance with a single coach behind him. But no one at the time was sure if what they saw was real or not," I finished.

I looked around at the princesses and the crowd, watching some of them shake with fear. My frames felt as cold as ice as I recalled what happened afterward.

"Heed my warning," I said, putting on a colder voice. "For something even as humble as a coach does not take kindly to being mistreated. They have their ways of getting revenge. And a simple matter such as death does not offer protection from retribution."

"W-Why do you say it like that?" Twilight asked.

"Because those were the exact words from him to me," I replied in my normal voice.

"Wait, how and when would he have told you that?"

I let out a heavy sigh. "I never believed in ghosts until the incident with Arthur's ghost in 37'. In 1940, I was sitting by myself in a shed when Afton reversed in, carrying that same coach. He told me that he was allowed to rest, and that he wanted to talk about the incident. We talked by ourselves for what felt like hours before the coach let out a large groan."

"That coach," I continued, "was the ghost of Summer. Hell-bent on revenge for killing her. She never spoke, and I never tried speaking with her, knowing it would be futile to do so. She only creaked and groaned, telling Afton that it was time to get moving. 'We must keep time, you know?' was the last thing Afton said to me before hissing steam and pulling out of the sidings. 'Yes... Yes we do,' was my reply. Soon, they vanished beyond the gloom of the yard lights..."

I paused.

"...and was gone."

I stayed silent, giving everypony time to think about the story. The only sounds present were the hissing of both mine and Sierra #3's steam, and the crashing of the ocean waves.

"Well..." Celestia finally said after a moment, breaking the silence. "That... certainly expands our knowledge of the ghost train."

"Yes. It... does," Luna confirmed.

"Does this mean that Afton is... alive?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know," I replied. "Perhaps Summer was finished tormenting him and decided to send him here as a faceless engine. Unable to do anything to express himself. Only able to run a train to whatever destination is needed."

"Edward... stop telling ghost stories like that," Eric said. "This is just... ugh."

I sighed. "Well, we've stayed her long enough. It is time for us to advance to the next city. Those who are staying on the excursion, please start boarding now. Those who are not, please give the ticket vendor your tickets. And to those who would like to ride, go to the ticket vendor to see if there are enough available spots for you and whoever you would like to bring."

"Edward, I was meant to say that," Celestia said.

"I know," I replied.

"Wait, Edward, what are we meant to do with... Arthur?" Luna asked, gesturing to the tank engine.

"If that's just a normal engine, use it for what it was designed. For shunting and short freight services."

The rest of the excursion went off without a hitch, though it was soured by what I had brought to light. We went to the neighboring city and town of Baltimare and Hollow Shades respectively. After that, we made one final trip back to Canterlot. There, in the light of the setting sun, the excursion was concluded. Everyone went home, delighted at how well the excursion went, and finally got some rest.

After that, well, not much happened for a while. Twilight had told us that she had begun working on the spell that would bring us home, Luna made arrangements for the new railway system, and Earl Badhurst - the GWR Castle Class - was put to work.

The most notable thing that occured was when we had to move N&W 1218 and 2156 to Canterlot. This was quite the undertaking as every available engine - besides the Friendship Express and the Crystal Express - was needed to get the behemoths up the mountain. Since both weighed close to five hundred tons, getting them up was hard. After learning that their combined weight was close to a thousand tons, I had to ask a question I haven't gotten an answer for, even to this day, "How in blazes did I alone pull the two out of that mine?"

Though it was slow getting them to Canterlot, we arrived without anything going wrong. In hindsight, we really should have just taken the two up the mountain one by one.

But when those two engines were refurbished and let out onto the unsuspecting rails, they were forces to be reckoned with. By far the best engines I had ever seen up to that point. Fast, powerful, reliable, everything under the sun. They could take whatever train you coupled behind them with ease. 1218 would even see service in passenger runs, running at speeds upwards of 80 miles per hour. They conquered each and every mountain that was thrown at them with style and speed to match.

The two were so good that Lode Star and Earl of Bathurst were entirely obsolete in the goods industry. The two were put on passenger duties, which they ran very well, regularly achieving speeds of 90 miles per hour. They would have gone faster, but they didn't for the simple fact that drivers and firemares alike were too scared to achieve higher speeds.

Major development occurred in Manehattan and Phillydelphia, the latter of which was located between the former and Baltimare. Manehattan built tracks through its streets, and both it and Philly built a line between the two cities, providing much-needed rail access.

The Pennsylvania A4 and A5 engines were perfectly suited for the tight tram-like trackage the "Manehattan and Phillydelphia Railroad" had. They made short work of the meager lot of goods that had to be shipped to and from each city.

'Timothy', as the silver E2 tank engine was called, also became part of this line, providing shunting and passenger services between the cities. It did prove problematic in the sense that its water tanks were inadequate - as was normal for E2 tank engines - but they managed. Overall, the MPRR was a great success.

I relegated myself to local work around central Equestria, much to the dismay of the princesses. The towns I typically visited were Canterlot, Ponyville, Appleloosa, Dodge City, Salt Lick City, and Detrot. I would do whatever needed doing, whether it be goods work or passenger runs. We even got a fire-stallion by the name of Brimstone Shovel. I won't go into detail here, but he was a very good chap to work with. A fair bit younger than Eric at twenty six years old, but he was eager to work and really knew his way with a shovel.

For the next few weeks, we had it going pretty good for ourselves.

But, I'm sorry to say, this peacetime would be short-lived, as Equestria would soon be secretly attacked by somepony I'm sure you all know.

And by somepony, I really mean some-ling.

Author's Note

Your wish is my command, Schorpioen! Though not in the way you were expecting, I'm sure! I even brought extra for you!

Also, the Arthur story is from Victor Tanzig and the Afton story is from Tesla51. The latter of which has been somewhat modified by me to mostly fit the lore of the Stories of Sodor. I HIGHLY recommend watching "The Wandering Coach", as it is quite the chilling story. Also because it will allow you all to see what I've changed and understand the eeriness of it.

After all, if My Little Pony can get dark, why can't Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends do the same?

9: Connection

It was a cold and rainy night on the Mid Sodor Railway. Owls hooted, wolves howled, and the chuffing of a steam engine filled the air as a train thundered by.

The little tank engine was painted bright yellow with red lining. Its four small front driving wheels spun as fast as they could while the rear two wheels worked to provide stability. Behind the engine was a line of flatcars, each piled with heavy logs.

The engine, whose name was Proteus, panted as he tried desperately to make up for lost time. He raced around bends, rattled through tunnels, and thundered down hills.

“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!” exclaimed Proteus.

“We’re doing that!” his driver and fireman yelled back, the latter shoveling coal as quick as he could.

The rails creaked and groaned, having not been designed for the speeds Proteus was achieving. The engine didn’t care. He was late and had to triple-time it to get to his destination on time.

The track dipped down, growing steeper and steeper, allowing Proteus to go faster and faster. Unfortunately, the weather changed for the worse, almost in sync with his speed. Rain buffeted his boiler and smokebox, and his wheels began to slip and skid.

“After this tunnel is the bridge, and after that is the straight line,” said Proteus, not caring about the quickly worsening visibility. “I can run faster!”

What Proteus and his crew could not have known was that the viaduct had partially collapsed, rendering it completely unusable, especially at speed. The tunnel walls, thick rainfall, and soaked rails did nothing but seal their fate.

KSSHHHHHHH-

FOOOOOO-!

CRASH!!

“And every year on the date of the accident, the train runs again as a warning to others, plunging into the gap, shrieking like a lost soul!”

The workponies at the platform sat in wonder for several seconds before one started slowly clapping. Then another started clapping, then more, and the rate increased until everypony was clapping. It took several seconds for it to die down.

"How long ago did THIS happen?” A worker asked.

"A very long time ago," I replied.

"Wow..."

"Ahem. Alright, enough storytime. We still have a railway to run."

“So,” Eric began as the workers filed out. “Are you ever going to tell them that the story isn’t real?”

“Of course not,” I chuckled.

At that moment, a stallion holding a shovel caught my eye. He had a lime green coat of fur, a teal mane and tail, red eyes, and a slightly stout build. His “Cutie Mark” - as I had learned was the term for the strange markings I saw on everypony’s flanks - was that of a “brimstone” shovel.

I chuckled. “Hey Eric, think that chap with the shovel is our fireman?”

“I think he is,” Eric replied. “I’ll go greet him.”

My driver trotted over to the stallion, who swallowed as he mustered up some courage.

“Afternoon mate,” Eric greeted. “I take it you’re Brimstone?”

“Uh- Yeah! That’s me!” Brimstone replied with a smile.

“Feeling nervous?”

“A bit. I just-” He glanced at me. “can’t believe I’ll be firing Edward. I thought for sure I’d be firing that other black engine I’ve been seeing around.”

Eric chuckled. “Just because Edward is the first and only non-faceless vehicle in Equestria doesn’t mean he’s some puffed up celebrity. Nothing to be afraid about.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Anyway. Let’s get back over there. The train is almost ready.”

I greeted the two with a smile as they neared me.

“Hello there. Brimstone Shovel, right?” I asked.

“That’s me!”

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Edward.”

“It’d be a crime if I didn’t know who you were.”

I chuckled. “Of course it would be. Now I would love to stay here and chat, but we have a train to deliver.”

“Right. Come on then,” Eric said as he climbed into my cab. Brimstone followed suit.

“Where are we off to?” he asked.

“A supply run to the Crystal Empire,” I replied.

“The… The Crystal Empire?”

“Yes. Have you never been there?”

“No. I haven’t.”

“Well, on this train, you’ll get to explore just about every city and town Equestria has. So I’d look forward to that.”

The train of BR Standard Vans and Brakevan was ready in short order, and we departed for the Crystal Empire.

“So,” Eric began as Brimstone began shoveling coal. “How long have you been working on the railway?”

“This is my first day, actually,” Brimstone replied.

Eric stared at Brimstone like he just screamed bloody murder. I would have done the same if I had the ability.

“What do you mean It’s your first day? How can you be a fireman if you’ve only been working for a day?”

“I worked as a stoker for five years up in Canterlot. A lot of the buildings up there use boilers for heating.”

“Ahh. I see.”

“Hungry bastards, those boilers were. And I actually got paid extra depending on how much coal I didn’t use, so I had to learn to be efficient.”

“So what made you join the railway?” I asked.

“Well, I decided to quit that job about a week ago and move to Ponyville. Then I saw you on the excursion and decided to sign up. Just to see what happened.”

“And they gave you the job of being a firemare? Just like that?”

“They saw my experience in firing a boiler so yeah.”

“Interesting. The railways back home wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“To that, I say: Welcome to Equestria,” Brimstone chuckled.

The trip to the Empire was uneventful. We stopped to fill up with water twice, stopped once for coal, and then we were there. We spent another hour there to help with properly constructing new sidings and a new maintenance shed.

Of course, with a brand new shed being constructed and the sun beginning to set, I simply could not pass up the opportunity to sleep in a brand-new shed. They always had a very good smell to them.

This proved to be a surprisingly good decision, as I would meet quite the interesting character that night.

I woke up to the feeling of someone climbing into my cab. Though on other nights I would have immediately called them out, I decided to stay silent, curious as to what they would do.

For a few minutes, the pony in my cab simply sat there, mesmerized by my pipes, gauges, levers, and valves. After a few minutes, it began to fiddle with my controls. A feeling I could compare to that of someone moving any of your limbs.

Throttle, blower valve, damper, water injector, you name it. The pony messed with everything for minutes on end. He even sat on the driver’s seat and leaned out the window, making chuffing noises and whistling whenever he pulled my whistle cord. He giggled, which only made me smile.

From his voice, the pony sounded young, but not too young. Perhaps his late teens. Just old enough to work on the railway.

I fought the urge to chuckle. Whoever this was, they really wanted to drive an engine. I adored people like this. The innocent people that wanted to do nothing but work on the railway. No matter their age.

After a few minutes of the pony poking and prodding at my controls, he hopped out of my cab and climbed onto my splashers, staring at my valve gear that rested under the boiler.

“Having fun?” I asked, bringing a squeak out of the startled pony. I chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m not mad. We can talk.”

The pony tried to start a sentence. He failed, then tried to start another. He failed that as well. After failing a third time, he sighed and slowly walked into my view.

Almost immediately, I realized that I wasn’t staring at a regular pony.

He wasn’t a neon toy-like bright blue or green with red stripes like most ponies. He was all black with a little pop of blue on his ‘wings’ and eyes. Admittedly, I quite liked this ‘restrained design’.

Most surprising was the many holes in his legs. Each was an almost clean cut right the way through. Almost like they were meant to be there.

I gasped as I saw the creature’s frightened expression.

“S-Sorry! I don’t mean to stare,” I quickly apologized. “I’ve just never seen a pony like you.”

The creature opened his mouth to speak, but shut it and sat there in silence.

“Is… something wrong?” I asked.

The creature swallowed hard, mustering his courage. “N-No,” he finally said. “Nothing’s wrong. Er-... Yeah.”

“You don’t have to be scared. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

“...”

“Can I know your name, please?”

“Uh- Um-... Ahem. I’m uh… I’m Thorax.”

“Thorax? That’s… Actually quite fitting.”

“W-What? Wha-do-you mean?”

“Sorry if this is offensive, but you look like a bug. If memory serves, Thorax is a body part of a bug, so you looking like one makes your name quite fitting.”

Thorax’s ears perked up slightly. “I… guess. And uh- That is a little… offensive.”

“Then I’ll be sure to not use the term around creatures like you. Speaking of, what exactly are you?”

“I’m… a changeling,” Thorax slowly replied. His ears lifted a bit. “H-Have you never heard of a changeling?”

“I’ve heard the term somewhere from some old folklore but other than that, I can’t say I have.”

Thorax suddenly perked up. “This… Well uhh… Hi!”

“H-Hello?” I laughed. “Oh! I’m sorry, I never mentioned my name. I’m Edward.”

“Yeah. I uh… heard. I was on the… excursion.”

“You were? Huh. I swear I would remember a fellow like you.”

“You wouldn’t have seen… me. You would have seen my disguise.”

“...Your disguise?”

Thorax explained to me what a changeling was. To put it simply, they were bug-like creatures that had the ability to change into nearly any form. Mostly creatures such as ponies and griffons, but they could become various inanimate objects. Even a small engine.

That was not their only unique function, however.

The way they… “Ate” was by consuming love. Actual physical love. Changelings could eat normal food, of course, but doing so would only barely sustain them. How they ate love was by sucking it out of ponies like a literal parasite.

I physically cringed when told that. Thorax, seeing this, quickly said that this was typically a last resort process. They mainly fed off of ambient love and love directly given to them. This certainly lightened the mood.

Yes, he did offer to share his limited knowledge on changeling reproduction, but I passed. I’ve never been interested in reproduction of any kind.

Anyway, after explaining how changelings worked, Thorax stared at the ground for a few seconds. I asked him if anything was wrong, to which he timidly replied with:

“Could you tell me a story?”

I smiled. “Of course I can! Would you like to hear anything in particular?”

Thorax perked up. “Something of uh… Oh how do I put this… Winning against the odds? I think?”

My smile broadened. “Thorax… I know exactly which one you will love.”

And this was the story I told.

Crash!

It was a dark and stormy evening on the main line. Wind and rain buffeted my boiler. My sanding gear had failed, my wheels slipped, and my fireman rode in front, dropping sand on the rails by hand.

Dragging behind me was a rake of seven long coaches, each fit to burst with railway enthusiasts. They watched anxiously out the windows, praying we made it home safely.

"Come on!.. Come On!... Come on!" I panted, breathlessly. "This is dreadful!"

But there was worse to come. The rain and thunder only got worse and my grip on the rails decreased. Worse still, I began climbing an incline.

Suddenly, my wheels began to slip fiercely again and again. Before I could do anything, there was a snap! instantly followed by a horrendous CRASH!

Pain ripped through my body as we grinded to a halt. The passengers gathered around while my crew inspected the damage.

To say it was grim would be an understatement. My siderods had sheered off and launched into my frame and splashers, battering them up and out of shape. Repairs took some time.

"One of your crankpins broke, Edward," said my driver at last. "We've taken your siderods off. Now you're a single. Like an old-fashioned engine." He cleared his throat. "Can you get these people home? They must start back tonight."

"I'll get them home or go down fighting," I promised.

"Atta boy!"

We backed down to where the track was nearly level. I puffed and pulled my hardest, but my wheels kept slipping and I just could not start the heavy train.

The passengers were getting anxious.

My driver, fireman and guard went along the train, making adjustments between the coaches. "We've loosened the couplings," they said. "Now you can pick your coaches up one by one. Just as you do with trucks.

"That'll be much easier," I gratefully replied.

So, with the fireman sanding in front, I gently began letting steam into my cylinders..

"Cooome... oooon!" I puffed.

I moved cautiously forward, ready to take the strain as my tender coupling tightened against the weight of the first coach. The first coach moving helped to start the second, which helped to start the third, and so on down the train.

I let out a breath I had been holding. "Right. Now that that hurdle is over with, It's time to tackle the hill."

"Steady..." my driver warned as the track grew steeper. "Well done, old boy!"

We all listened happily to my steady beat as we forged slowly but surely up the hill. The passengers were thrilled, most having their heads out of the windows. They waved and shouted, cheering me on as we puffed around a bend.

At Knapford Station, Sir Topham Hatt paced the platform. Henry, with a special train, waited anxiously too. Soon, they heard a familiar PEEP! PEEP!

Battered, weary, but unbeaten, I steamed in. Henry, having been on the side where my battered frame was visible, was utterly gobsmacked at the state I was in. The fat controller, having not been on that side, stepped forward and angrily pointed at the clock. But before he could say anything, excited passengers swept him aside. They cheered myself, my fireman, and my driver to the echo before rushing off and getting in Henry's train. I could tell Henry wanted to talk, but being late enough as he was, he puffed off with a little extra fanfare.

"Edward, would you mind explaining why you are so late?" Sir Topham asked.

I only chuckled in reply.

“Never give up, I always say. No matter the odds, no matter the threat. Never. Give. Up.”

Thorax squeed like a colt, happily prancing back and forth. I only chuckled.

“Hey, uh… Could we head outside?” he suddenly asked.

“Outside?” I asked back.

“I mean, since you can drive yourself, could we head out onto the uh… tracks? I really love riding trains.”

“Heh. Sorry, but I can’t do that without proper clearance. Not when there’s a chance of running into another train.”

“No No No there’s an old line I know! We could go down there?”

That certainly grabbed my attention.

“An old line? Where?”

“Uh… A few miles from here? I think?”

I looked up at the clock. Eric and Brimstone wouldn’t be awake for hours.

I could run crewless. It was only a few miles before getting on whatever old line Thorax was talking about. It wasn’t that unsafe. Especially since there were very, very few trains I could accidentally run into.

And considering the fact that I was heading down the tracks with Thorax in my cab not ten minutes later, you can probably guess what I decided to do.

Soon, Thorax directed me over a track switch that I swear was never there before, after which we then traveled for miles down this mystery line. It was very cold and overgrown. So overgrown, in fact, that I could hardly see the rails sometimes.

This entire time, I allowed Thorax to shovel coal and operate my water filter like how a real fireman works. And he hated it. He, like many others, never realized how hard it was to actually fire a steam engine. It was hot, it was tiring, and there was a level of finesse one had to have in order to fire it properly. But he did the best he could.

While he shoveled, I looked around at the surrounding forest. There were very few places like this line on Sodor, mostly due to the lines being properly tended to, but this overgrown look was different. The fact I couldn’t see very far into the forest was something I actually liked. It felt cozy, if a bit unsettling.

“So, Thorax. Why not tell me about yourself?” I asked.

“Like… Like what?” he asked back.

“Whatever you would like. Your parents, where you’re from, all that.”

“Oh. Well um… I have an older brother. Named Pharynx.”

“Really now? Where is he?”

He’s back at the hive. He… runs security there…”

“Is something wrong?”

“N-... Yeah… Sorry, I just don’t like talking about him. He terrifies me...”

“...Is it because he's the head of security?”

“Well, kind of. It’s mainly because of what he’s done to me…”

I sighed. “He’s your big brother. What has he done to you?”

“Well… he uh…”

I’m not going to go into what he told me, but I will say that the things Pharynx did to Thorax were extremely vulgar.

Despite this, I listened to Thorax. I was grossed out, yes, but I could tell he had never had anyone to talk to. No parents, no real friends, no one. So I listened. I let him get all his thoughts out and gave my two cents on the few things I felt needed it. I listened to his grievances, his annoyances, and his anger. Especially his anger.

After he was finished with a particularly heated rant, I found myself discussing things further with Thorax. And my word, he needed it. The happiness he felt was “nothing like he had ever felt before”. His overall mood improved, he was less shy, and was overall in a much better place, mentally.

This began my thoughts about becoming something of a therapist.

CLICKACK-CLICKACK

Minutes later, I nearly jumped off the tracks as we suddenly passed over a track switch. I quickly glanced over at where the other track went only to see that it simply ended after passing through another switch.

“A Y-Track?” I asked. “Why would a Y Track be in place if it wasn’t for a-”

I gasped, slowing to a stop as I passed over yet another switch.

The overgrowth had opened up slightly, revealing a second track that led into a set of buffers. There was also a very old two-story station. It had beautiful red paint with white accents and a steeply pitched black roof. It was beautiful. Certainly much different than anything back on Sodor.

Almost heartbreakingly, the station had succumbed to nature a very long time ago. Its paint was peeling, its metal supports had rusted, its windows had cracked…

…and the clock that had told so many people when the next train was due had stopped at exactly 8:38AM. Just below it was a hanging sign with the word BENNETT in bold black letters.

But the thing that fascinated me the most was sitting at the platform. It had nine long Tuscan-red passenger cars, one of which being a baggage car and another being a rear deck observation car.

At the very front was a big semi-streamlined 4-6-4 steam locomotive in black and silver paint. It had big Tuscan-red stripes on its sides with the golden number 2850 smack in the middle. On its front sat two plaques.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

CANADA

I grinned as I read the words CANADIAN PACIFIC plastered on the sides of its rusted red tender.

“Oh my god it's a Royal Hudson.”

“It’s a what?” Thorax asked.

“A Royal Hudson!” I exclaimed. “From the Canadian Pacific Railroad! And not just any Royal Hudson, but the very Hudson that pulled the Royal Train for King George and Queen Elizabeth back in 1939!”

“Wha- I- Uh-... This train pulled royalty?” Thorax asked.

“With a striking blue paintjob to boot. I’ve seen pictures of it.”

“Well…” Thorax jumped out of my cab and walked to the Royal Hudson. “Wow… I never knew I was playing with the Royal Train…”

I chuckled. “Not the Royal Train. But it was the Royal Train of Canada.”

“Still…” Thorax turned to look at me. “So… Are we going to take the train back or something?”

I opened my mouth to say no, but stopped myself to think about it.

While I had to pull Norfolk and Western out of a mine, pulling this train would be far easier since the line was a series of uphill and downhill grades. I could easily maintain speed on such grades.

After about a minute of thinking, I sighed. “If the brakes on the train aren’t on, we can bring it back.”

After turning around on the Y Track, Thorax did his best to fasten my coupling to the Hudson, and I gave a firm tug on the train. As much as I loved to say I dragged the train out of there, I can’t. No matter how hard I tried, I could not move a wheel.

“Welp, that does it. Sorry Thorax. Its brakes are stuck on. We’re going to need help to move this.”

Thorax crossed his forelegs in a pout. I only smiled.

“Come on. We can head back and wait until morning to fetch a bigger engine. Or at least one with an air compressor.”

After uncoupling me, Thorax jumped back into my cab and we traveled down the line and back to the Crystal Empire. As we approached the station, Thorax asked me something. Something very important.

“Hey. Uh, Edward? Can I work with you? As… a conductor?”

“That depends,” I chuckled. “How old are you?”

“Uh… Seventeen…”

“Hmm… A bit young, but you may be able to sign up. I’ll talk with the-”

“Edward, what are you doing?” a new voice called out, causing me to look ahead.

We had been approaching the Crystal station. On its single platform was none other than Cadance, whom I smiled at.

“Ah. Good morning, Cadance,” I greeted as I slowed to a stop. “What are you doing up at this hour?”

“I could ask the same question,” she retorted. “I woke up on accident, realized I needed something to eat, and decided to come out here when I heard your whistle. Now, where were you and who were you just talking to? It couldn’t have been our crew.”

“A chap named Thorax got in my cab earlier and woke me up by accident. We talked for a bit before he told me about an old line he found. We traveled down it, found a train, and came back here because I certainly couldn’t move it.”

“Oh! You found a train?”

“A Royal train.”

“EEE! You’re gonna have to show me! But uhh…” She leaned over to get a look at my cab. “Where’s Thorax?”

“Right in my cab. Thorax, what are you doing?”

I knew he wasn’t gone. I could feel him shuffling around my cab.

Suddenly, I had a thought.

“Cadance…” I slowly began, training my eyes on the princess. “Do you know what a… what a changeling is?”

Cadance suddenly grew livid. “Don’t you DARE mention those-... those PARASITES around me! They are-”

“SHUT IT!” I snapped, surprising her.

I was not having any of this.

“What is it with you and changelings?”

“They crashed my wedding and tried to enslave all of Equestria!”

“...I beg your pardon?”

Simply put, the changelings had invaded Equestria three years prior to this occasion. Their queen, Queen Chrysalis, had foalnapped Cadance and impersonated as her. The queen had mind controlled her husband, took Celestia and the Mane Six hostage, a very nearly won had it not been for the literal power of love.

Interestingly enough, Luna had been nowhere to be seen.

Annoyingly enough, Twilight Sparkle had been the only pony to suspect the fake Cadance. Which…

UGH!

I just about broke my safety valve with sheer anger alone. The thought that Twilight, who had generally known Cadance the longest since she was literally foalsat by her, was completely dismissed in her suspicions was just so unbelievably ridiculous. Especially by her friends, who hadn’t even known about Cadance until just hours prior.

Even Luna, when I talked to her about it, hated everypony involved in that situation whenever she thought about it.

And even to this day I still get angry! Just as you can see right now! It’s just so BLOODY STUPID! It doesn’t make a lick of sense!

Okay… Deep breaths… Sorry, I just… ugh.

Ahem. Anyway.

After she relayed to me that info, I cautiously decided to start asking her a question.

“What if,” I began, doing my best to conceal my lividness. “You met a nice changeling?”

Cadance scoffed. “There is no such thing as a nice changeling.”

“What if there was? What would you do?”

“It’d better explain pretty fast that It’s nice because it would either be going straight to the dungeons or straight to the pits of tartarus.”

I groaned. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. This is no way for a princess to act. Calm down and answer me professionally.”

“...”

“Now.” I took in a breath. “Princess, I would like you to meet Thorax. He woke me up earlier and led me down an abandoned line where he showed me a very special train. Had he not done so, I would have never known about it.”

Cadance leaned over to try and get a look in my cab.

“Could you please sit down?” I asked, causing her to reluctantly do so. “Anyway. Thorax? Would you mind coming out now? Cadance won’t attack you. I promise.”

Cadance stared at my cab as, very slowly, Thorax leaned out to stare back at her. A little gasp was shared between the two before Thorax very slowly stepped out of my cab.

“Uh… A changeling?” she asked, glancing at me.

“Cadance, meet Thorax. Thorax, meet Cadance.”

The two stared at each other for a moment before Thorax decided to start moving forward. Cadance held her ground, never breaking her gobsmacked eye contact with him.

Then, to both myself and her surprise, Thorax sat down in front of Cadance, ears flat on his head.

“H-Hi…” Thorax greeted.

“H-Hello…” Cadance greeted back. “So… You… You really are a nice changeling?”

“Y-Yeah… I am… I want to be loved by ponies. I want to be with ponies. I want… I want to work as a conductor on a pony railroad. I just want…” He took in a breath.

“I don’t want to be with my hive…”

A rather dumb grin appeared on my face as Cadance reached out at the changeling with a hoof, holding it in front of him. She then used her magic to take off her golden hoof shoe.

Thorax slowly outstretched his own hole-filled hoof. After a brief second of hesitation, he touched her hoof.

Cadance smiled and, surprising both myself and Thorax, pulled the changeling into a deep hug, wrapping her wings around his smaller body. It took everything in me to remain silent, especially after Thorax simply melted into the princess. As he did so, I watched his wings seemingly become less transparent and shinier.

The hug lasted for a long time The Princess of Love hugging a creature that fed on love. A creature many thought to be fierce, uncaring, and emotionless, currently crying into Cadance’s soft fur…

Hehe, I just made this sound like somepony’s fantasy story.

Anyway. After that moment, Cadance looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back and then, taking it as an “I’ll take it from here”, I took my leave.

Over the next few days, word got around about me “connecting ponies and changelings”. Both Eric and Brimstone did grow annoyed that I didn’t take them on the little adventure to find the Royal Hudson, but understood that there likely wouldn’t have been any way for me to contact them.

Speaking of the Royal Hudson, it was dragged out of the line by me and stored in the newly built sheds and sidings, awaiting repairs. When the train was finally repaired and repainted with the same silver and blue paint scheme it once had, it ran express services throughout the Crystal Mountains under the private ownership of Princess Cadance, who loved to use it extensively when she traveled.

Thorax, after some training, became the guard of any and all trains I pulled. It was a real treat when ponies that were eager to ride my passenger trains ran out screaming when they saw him. In time, ponies would grow used to him.

Despite his lack of experience as a conductor, he was courteous and generally nice to chat with, though he did suffer from a severe lack of self esteem, forcing either Eric or Brimstone to enter the coaches themselves to deal with the especially rude passengers.

Thorax would prove to be an extremely valuable asset a few weeks later when a certain incident occurred. The incident I alluded to earlier.

One that would put the fate of Equestria in the wheels and hooves of myself , Eric, Brimstone, and Thorax.

Author's Note

So a bit of background to this chapter: It nearly ended up twice as long as it is. This is because it was the first chapter I wrote entirely within Google Documents, which doesn't give an active word count. I only realized how long it was when I noticed I had THIRTY-ONE PAGES, adding up to over 9000 words.

After some discussion, I decided to split it into two chapters. Guess what this means! Two chapters back-to-back! So if you don't see another chapter either tomorrow or the next day, scream at me. Please.

Even moar background is that I never planned on adding a Royal Hudson to the lineup. I only did so because, while researching Thorax, I realized that his voice actor, Kyle Rideout, is Canadian! As soon as I saw that, I couldn't help myself.

Enough from me. Go do things.

10: Invasion

It was on the morning of August 1st when it began.

I had just finished marshaling a passenger train consisting of the three six-axle coaches I had brought from Sodor and was reversing to the Canterlot Station Platform.

“Any ideas on why the princesses were being secretive about this private service?” Eric asked from my cab.

“Can’t say,” I replied. “Short notice, early in the morning, I’d say it's for diplomatic reasons.”

“Hm.”

“Say, how does the whistle feel?” Brimstone asked as he shoveled some coal into my firebox.

“To have not one, but two whistles I can blow?” I asked back. “Let’s see.”

FooooWOOOOOOOOH! FOO! FOOOO!

Eric and Brimstone covered their ears as I let my new secondary whistle sing. It was loud, clear, and could be heard for miles. The whistle was actually a Canadian National 4 Chime that had been found in one of the coaches of the Royal Hudson. When I was given the offer of being fitted with it, I accepted. So now I have two whistles. The one from my days on the Furness Railway, and the one from CN.

“You’re going to wake up the entire city with that whistle,” the familiar voice of Princess Cadance stated as she walked onto the platform.

“I think I already did!” I laughed. “I see you’ve brought some protection?”

“Yes. We did,” Celestia replied as she too stepped onto the platform.

Behind the princesses was a small platoon of guards, some of whom carrying some rather large crates.

“What are those crates for?” I asked.

“Classified,” Cadance replied. “Do you know where we can put them?”

“The brake coach has a space for storage. You can put them there.”

“Excellent. We’ll load the crates and then we can get underway to Ponyville.”

“Right.”

The princesses and the guards stepped onto the second coach where they were greeted by Thorax, who checked their credentials before letting them proceed.

“Is something on your mind, Edward?” he asked, noticing my pensive look.

“Just a hunch is all,” I replied. “No proof, nothing. Just an old engine’s hunch.”

“What sort of something?”

“Just a hunch that something interesting is going to happen with whatever this Royal Business is."

“Something always does.”

Eric looked back to see Thorax waving. He waved back.

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

I blew my normal whistle, and we departed in short order. Down Canterlot Mountain we went, then to Ponyville. Here, we picked up a couple more guards and a few more classified crates.

As we were about to depart, Thorax looked at his list.

“Huh…”

“Something wrong?” a guard asked.

“I’m just wondering where Paper Mache is,” Thorax replied. “Celestia’s personal guard. I just noticed she’s on the passenger list.”

“She is? Oh right! She got tied up at the castle. We’ll charter another train.”

Thorax looked at the guard, then leaned out a window to wave at Eric. He waved back and gave me the go-ahead. With two toots of the whistle, we were off to Appleloosa.

At one point, the changeling was sitting down next to Cadance, who was reading some documents.

“So. Uhh… Cadance. Are you sure you can’t tell us what this run is about? Or at least why you specifically wanted us?” he asked.

Cadance scoffed. “Obviously not. It’s classified. Civilians aren’t allowed to know.”

“I know we’re civilians. It’s just that, since we’re the ones transporting you, it would be a lot smoother if we knew even a bit of what’s happening.”

“We’ll take our chances,” Celestia stated in an almost threatening tone.

Thorax’s ears dropped. Averting his eyes from everyone in the coach, he stood up and walked to the front where a small cord lay. He pulled it twice which sounded a small whistle in the cab.

“Here comes Thorax,” Eric said.

A moment later, Thorax climbed over my tender into the cab where he was met with warm smiles from Eric and Brimstone.

“Something wrong, Thorax?” Eric asked.

“It’s just that, uh… Something about everypony back there feels… off,” the changeling replied.

I raised a brow.

“What sort of something?” Brimstone asked.

“Well, everypony keeps… staring at me. Really staring at me.”

“Are you sure that isn’t because you’re a changeling?”

“I don’t know. It’s not the kind of look I normally get from ponies. Especially Cadance. It’s like… Ugh. I don't know how to explain it.”

Neither Eric or Brimstone said anything, which made Thorax continue.

“She didn't feel like how she normally feels when I'm around her.

That started a new train of thought.

“She didn’t sound considerate, she was a bit… snappy, and…”

“Even her voice sounded off?”

“Y-Yeah. It did. Celestia’s too. She seemed angry.”

“Perhaps they’re just antsy because of what all the classified information is about,” Eric suggested.

“Perhaps…” I slowly said.

“Something on your mind?” Eric asked back.

“Yes. This entire trip feels off. I feel like the princesses would at the very least tell us why they wanted us to take them. They could have easily chosen Sierra Three. From now on, I’m gonna have to make sure we’re always told of even basic information.”

“Uh-...”

“Thorax, head back to the coach. If anything else seems off, come back up here and tell us.”

Thorax sighed. “Alright. If you say so…”

With that, he begrudgingly climbed back over my tender and into the forward coach.

There came a point in the journey where everypony was taking a nap in the second coach, including Thorax. Everypony except for three guards. One guard was in the brake coach watching over the crates while the other two guards were looking at a map of southern Equestria tracks.

“With this speed, I figure in about one hour we’ll be at Hangmare’s Curve,” one whispered. “That’s five miles from Appleloosa. At Hangmare’s Curve we’ll take over the train. With us in control, we’ll highball right through Appleloosa and continue off the main line and through Flat Top Tunnel, after which we’ll stop at Tartarus Turn and wait for the others to get the switch ready.”

“What about the engine? Edward?” the other asked.

The first guard chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll be cooperative once we take his crew hostage.”

About an hour later, we did indeed approach Hangmare’s Curve. A curve so named because of a mare being hung when the tracks were first laid due to her trying to murder several ponies. As we entered the curve, we passed a sign telling trains to whistle. In response, I blew the CN 4 Chime twice.

This woke up Thorax, who got up from his seat to stretch.

Bump

His ears twitched at the sound.

Bump Bump

He looked back at where a crate was stored, seeing the lid jump up.

“What the?” he silently mouthed as he slowly made his way to the crate. Unknown to him, Princess Celestia had noticed him, who tapped the shoulder of Cadance to wake her up.

A little bit of adrenaline kicked in, causing Thorax to quickly step over to the crate, unlock it, and open it up. He gasped as he found a white Royal Guard Unicorn Mare. She had a white coat, blue hair, and golden armor.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Cadance!” Thorax called out as he began lifting the guardsmare out of the crate.

“It’s alright, Conductor,” Celestia replied with a smile, stepping behind him.

“But this mare! How did she get here?!”

WHAP!

Suddenly, Cadance swung her hoof into the back of Thorax’s neck, knocking him to the ground. The guardsmare looked at Thorax, then up at Celestia, who looked back with a devilish smile, motioning for the mare to get out.

The mare stepped out, and Cadance began leading her to the brake coach. Celestia looked back at the group of guards.

“Alright boys,” she said. “We can stop playing soldier now. We’ve got work to do. Come on.”

All the guards stood up and followed Celestia into the brakecoach. From the outside, it looked like the inside of the coach had suddenly lit up in green flames for a second.

In the cab, Eric watched the track ahead. He then looked over at the clock installed on the wall, then he looked out at the sun, which still hung where it was since we started the journey.

“That sun still hasn’t moved,” he said.

“Maybe Celestia has it there for a reason,” Brimstone theorized.

“Perhaps…” I slowly replied. “It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from Thorax. Brimstone, mind climbing back there and checking on him and the passengers?”

“Yes sir,” Brimstone replied, setting his shovel down before jumping onto and climbing over my tender. He made his way through the first coach. He opened the door to the second coach and was quick to notice that none of the passengers were there. He was just as quick to see the doors between the second coach and the brake coach were open, giving him a clear view inside.

To his horror, he saw that the coach was completely filled with changelings that had just finished tying up Thorax and a mare he recognized as Celestia’s personal guard, Paper Mache.

“W-Why did they put you in that crate?!” asked a hyperventilating Thorax.

“Not just me,” Paper Mache replied. “These bastards captured Celestia and Cadance. Who knows who else is in these other crates.”

“Would you two shut it?” the lead changeling snapped.

Eyes wide, Brimstone silently closed the door and ducked below the windows.

“Ohhhh sweet Celestia…”

In the cab, Eric took a big drink of water from a bottle. “Ahhh… So. Edward. What do you think of the whistle? Are we keeping it?”

“I think I might,” I replied. “It’s nice having a loud whistle. The way I see it, I could use my normal whistle when we’re in stations and yards, and then use the CN whistle when we’re out in the country. We can get more range out of it.”

“I see it the same way.”

“EDWARD! ERIC!”

We were surprised to hear the panicked voice of Brimstone as he scampered into the cab.

“The train’s being held up! Those guards aren't guards at all and those aren't the real princesses! They’re changelings! They’ve got Thorax and Celestia’s personal guard tied up and have the real princesses knocked out in those boxes they loaded!”

“WHAT!?” we yelled.

“Uh- I- wha... MM! I-I knew there was something wrong!” I yelled. “Brimstone! Get that fire as hot as you can. We’re five miles from Appleloosa. We’ll make a run for it.”

“Yes sir!”

“I’ll help too,” Eric said, jumping off of his seat and grabbing a second shovel.

Opening up the regulator, I surged forward, picking up speed as I quickly thought up a plan.

“Both of you get up here,” I ordered after a mile. The two did just that, climbing onto my cab roof and alongside my boiler.

“Do you have something?” Eric asked.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Eric, I want you to fly ahead to Appleloosa and alert the sheriff. Rally as many ponies as you can. When we stop at the station, board the train from the front and back. Tell them to grab Celestia and Luna in whatever way they can and bring them to the forward coach. We’ll uncouple the rear two and dash for the next town. Now go. Now!”

“Right!”

With a whip of his wings, Eric took off down the line, quickly disappearing from view.

“What do I do?” asked Brimstone.

“When we stop, I want you to uncouple the other two coaches as fast as you can. When the princesses are in the forward coach, whistle twice, and I’ll take off. Hopefully, the ponies can fight them off until we gain enough ground on them for us to either make it to another town, or hide.”

“Where would we hide?!”

“I don’t know! Now get back to my cab. Keep firing.”

“Ugh. Yes sir. But really quick, do you think there will be enough ponies in town good enough to fight off a group of changelings?”

"I don't know," I replied. "I'm doing an awful lot of hoping."

With an inferno in my firebox, we tore down the tracks at criminally reckless speeds. At this very moment, nothing else mattered. It was Appleloosa or burst.

This sudden increase in speed, however, did not go unnoticed by our parasitic passengers.

“Looks like we’re coming off slick as a whistle,” one changeling said to the lead changeling.

“Good,” the leader replied before turning to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Up front to take over the locomotive,” the leader stated before walking away with a mighty sharp dagger in his magical grasp.

“You won’t get away with this!” Paper Mache yelled. “You’ll have the entire nation searching for you! Actually, you’ll have the entire WORLD after you!”

“Great! We don't care!” a changeling yelled back. His eyes turned vengeful, suddenly, as he glanced at Thorax. “As for you, I can’t wait to see what the queen will do to you. I heard she's been fantasizing ways to punish you.”

Thorax bit his lip and said nothing. Suddenly, the changeling hissed and punched him right in the chest, knocking the wind out of him.

Four miles ahead in Appleloosa, Eric had gathered a platoon of volunteers. By an amazing stroke of luck, there were two veterans of the royal guard that had been taking a small vacation together in the town. They certainly stood out among the motley crowd with their golden armor and steel spears, not to mention their overall bulky appearance.

“Now remember!” the sheriff yelled. “Fight off them changelings for as long as ya can while these guards take the princesses into the forward coach! Equestria is countin’ on ya’ll!”

Eric cringed at the southern accent, but shook it off and looked down the rails. “God I hope this works.”

Back in my cab, Brimstone was shoveling furiously as we closed the distance to Appleloosa, giving what was without question the best performance of his life.

“Three miles!” I called out.

“Right!” Brimstone replied.

Thunk

Brimstone turned around only to stop short, suddenly meeting a very sharp dagger inches from his neck.

“You know why I’m here,” the changeling stated.

Brimstone scowled. “That dagger gives me a pretty good idea.”

“Where’s the engineer?”

“He got off back at Ponyville," I said, almost too fast. "He said he felt sick. Didn’t Thorax tell you this?”

“No he didn’t, but it doesn't matter. Just makes my job easier.”

“What did you do with Thorax?” I asked.

“That traitor got hurt. And your friend here will get hurt too if he tries to interfere. You’re not gonna interfere with the queen’s plan, are you, Edward?”

I scowled. “I don’t see anything I can do.”

There was silence between us for several seconds as the changeling forced Brimstone to sit down on the driver’s seat.

“I’m gonna change your timetable, Edward,” the changeling finally said.

“You can’t change it much,” I replied. “Another two miles and we’ll be into Appleloosa.”

“We’re not stopping in Appleloosa,” the changeling firmly stated.

My eyes widened in horror. “Well, we have to stop someplace! We’re running low on water!”

“You’re going to highball it right through Appleloosa and keep going to the Midwest junction. Then south through Flat Top Tunnel and out of Equestria.”

Blast it. This wasn’t good. If we weren’t stopping, the plan wouldn’t work. We’d have no way to warn everypony that something had gone terribly wrong, which meant these changelings would firmly capture myself, Brimstone, Thorax, and most importantly, the princesses.

I began to panic as I tried to improvise. In seconds, I found myself thinking about my CN 4 Chime. Suddenly, an idea flew into my funnel. Quickly acting on it, I began to blow the whistle.

FOO! FOO! FOO!

FOOOO! FOOOO! FOOOO!

FOO! FOO! FOO!

Three short blasts, three long blasts, and three more short blasts.

“What are you doing?” asked the changeling,

“Standard railway procedure,” I replied as I repeated the message.

“Well, you’re gonna need to stop it.”

I sighed. “Alright then. I don’t mind colliding with another train.”

“Why would we collide with another train?”

“That’s why I was blowing the whistle. That way they didn’t send out another train towards us. But don't worry! I'm sure It's totally fine that we smash into another train. Your plan incorporates that, right?”

The changeling snarled. “Fine. Keep blowing that whistle. I want this to be as smooth of a run as possible.”

I scowled as I began repeating the message.

Then, noticing that Brimstone wasn’t in any position to do anything, I spoke up.

“If you don’t let Brimstone keep the fire going, we won’t even make it to Appleloosa, much less ‘highball’ through it.”

The changeling thought for a second before making his decision.

“...Alright. Do it. Keep that fire running.”

He allowed Brimstone to step off the seat, grab his shovel, and start stoking the fire. This was great, as it put him in a better position to fight of the changeling, just in case.

Up ahead, everypony had noticed my frantic whistleblowing. Most were confused.

“What’s he doing?” the sheriff asked. “Eric, ya never told us he’d be blowin’ the whistle like that.”

“That’s because he never told me. I wonder why he's doing that. Maybe-”

“QUIET!” one of the guards snapped. “Let me listen.”

Everypony stood silent as the guard listened intently at my whistle.

FOO! FOO! FOO!

“S…”

FOOOO! FOOOO! FOOOO!

“O…”

FOO! FOO! FOO!

“S! Oh sweet Celestia he’s blowing SOS! It’s Morse code! Something about his plan must have gone wrong!”

“What could have gone wrong?!” Eric asked.

“A changeling must have made his way to the cab,” the other guard stated. “Look! He isn’t slowing down!”

Eric’s eyes widened as he saw me thundering towards them, not slowing down in the slightest. “You’re right… he isn’t slowing down! What do we do?”

“THROW THAT SWITCH!” one of the guards exclaimed.

“But he’ll hit the buffers-” another began.

“Oh for the love of- I’ll do it myself!” Eric yelled, running over and changing the points as fast as he could with a resounding CLANK!

In seconds, I thundered across the points. The sudden turn offset the balance of the changeling in my cab, which I used to my advantage to slam on my brakes.

“Hey, what’s going on?” the changeling asked, looking ahead to see the buffers.

Suddenly, Brimstone acted. As he went for more coal, he didn’t pick any up, instead picking up coal from the firebox. Before the changeling could react, Brimstone took the shovel and slammed it and the searing hot chunks into him, causing the changeling to scream.

Seeing the changeling lose his grip on the dagger, Brimstone tackled him. The two only exchanged a few punches before suddenly…

BANG!

I hit the buffers hard, causing everything on my train to jump forward, including the passengers, who quickly grew nervous.

“Where are we? Why are we stopped?!” one changeling asked.

“End of the line for you, most likely!” Paper Mache replied.

A changeling opened a door to find several ponies waiting outside, one of which was a lightning-fast unicorn who blasted one of the changelings in the chest exactly the way a gunslinger would.

“OH SON OF A CADELA!” the bug yelled, slamming the door shut.

In the cab, the much stronger changeling had pinned Brimstone down and had the dagger in his hoof, aiming for what he deemed was the perfect spot to plant it.

CRACK!

Suddenly, the changeling was tackled off of Brimstone by Eric, who grabbed the dagger and threw it to the other end of the cab. Brimstone grabbed the dagger and watched as the changeling and thestral fell out of the cab and into the sand.

“Brimstone! The coach! Uncouple it!” I yelled.

Fists were flying between my driver and the changeling. Eric got a clear shot at its left temple, driving the bug back with a sharp jab. The bug, in return, came back with a haymaker, causing Eric to fall against my wheels. He was quick to get back up, doing so just in time to deliver a nasty uppercut to the changeling’s jaw, causing the bug to go down like a ton of bricks.

“YES!” he yelped.

“Great! Now go back and help Brimstone!” I commanded.

“Right!”

While Eric’s scrap had been going on, an even bigger fight was happening in the brake coach. It was an all-out brawl between ponies and changelings. The two veteran guards, Thorax, and Paper Mache, quickly dragged the princesses out of their crates and to the first coach. In the other crates, they were surprised to find none other than Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Apple Jack.

After getting them all into the front coach, they signaled to Eric and Brimstone, who ran back to my cab.

“GOOO!” Brimstone screamed.

Pumping my pistons hard, I reversed, shoving the coaches backward onto the main line.

“Points!” I yelled, causing Eric to fly out and throw the track switch again, allowing me to move forward.

We tore down the line at criminally reckless speeds, almost where my valve gear wanted to shake itself apart. For a few minutes, it seemed as if we had escaped.

Unfortunately, this was not to be, as everypony soon saw the group of changelings flying after us.

“Right!” I yelled. “Eric, Brimstone, get to the coach. Those guards will need all the help they can get to fight off the changelings.”

“Yes sir!” the two replied, scampering over my tender and into the coach, both grabbing shovels and Brimstone grabbing the dagger.

“Get the princesses and elements under the seats!” one guard said. “Make sure they don’t get hit!”

Everyone managed to do just that with mere seconds to spare, putting spare cloths on the ponies to hide them. Thorax, knowing he'd never be able to fight the changelings, hid under the seats as well.

“Incomiiiing!”

SMASH!!

To their surprise, the changelings came through the windows, sending glass everywhere throughout the coach. Eric was even cut by a few stray pieces.

Despite this, the ponies fought valiantly against the changelings, driving them into the walls and seats in whichever way they saw fit. The sounds of banging metal were heard as Eric and Brimstone put their shovels to good use, Brimstone even more so, striking two changelings back to back numerous times.

The guards were doing the brunt of the work, taking on two or even three changelings at a time. Paper Mache managed to take on four at a time for a few seconds. What helped them was the fact that a few of the changelings had landed in my cab, stupidly trying to take control. As stated before, they couldn’t. I had far too much leverage.

That didn’t stop them from trying, of course, which meant less work for the others.

Having long accepted that I was unable to do anything besides rocking the train back and forth - a move that could potentially harm my friends efforts to fight off the changelings - I began surveying my surroundings to hopefully gauge some sort of plan.

It was just desert, but there was a mountain ridge fast approaching. Also approaching was a track switch far ahead that lead to a canyon track. I immediately shut off steam and applied the brakes, not wanting to give away my new plan.

Back in the coach, the ponies were winning. Eric, being the hard man he was, ditched the shovel and went all-out with his hooves, taking changelings one by one. Brimstone was still going strong with his shovel, and the guards were doing equally well. They had most of the changelings on the floor with few to go.

Soon enough, every changeling had been dropped, including the ones from my cab who had foolishly tried to take a three versus five fight.

We had won. For now, at least.

I sat waiting while everyone caught their breath. After a moment, Eric came out.

“Everything alright back there?” I asked.

“Yeah… Yuh… We’re fine…” he panted.

“Oh thank god… Get the changelings off of the coach. I don’t want to risk retaliation. The moment words gets around their forces about this incident, we’ll have the entire hive looking for us.”

“I say we keep one or two changelings aboard,” Paper Mache called out as she too exited the coach. “That way we can get details on their plan. We’re three highly trained guards. We can keep them in line.”

“Fine. Just get the other changelings off as soon as possible. Eric, I want you to fly ahead and change the points. I want to get off the main line as soon as possible.”

“On it,” Eric said as he tiredly flapped his wings and took off towards the track switch.

In less than a minute, most of the changelings were left in a row next to the tracks, save for two that had been firmly tied up. We quickly departed and traveled over the switch, after which Eric changed them back and flew back into my cab.

"Bloody hell, wings really do work wonders," he mused.

“What's the plan now?” Brimstone asked.

“Go wherever this track takes us,” I replied. “Preferably a dense forest or a tunnel. How are the others doing?”

“They’re doing fine,” Brimstone said. “The princesses and Twilight’s friends were hit with a spell. They won’t be awake for at least twenty-four hours.”

“That’s just TOPS!” I snapped. “Alright. We’ll find someplace to rest. A town, an overgrown siding, wherever will hide us. We’ll camp out until tomorrow.”

“Great! Where will we find food?”

“Let’s worry about things as they happen. Not before.”

The track we traveled on was old and rusty. After passing over a switch that split it in two, twisted back and forth upon a mostly-wooden bridge as it hugged the canyon wall. It did this for miles, sometimes going up grades of 10% or more. A total logging line.

How this kind of trackage was ever approved, nobody knew.

Soon enough, the tracks converged into one, but still continued with the perilous terrain. Fortunately, we soon managed to find another track that went deep into a dense forest.

As we traveled through the forest, I noticed a track switch ahead that lead into a siding. Parked within it was something that made me smile.

“Eric, Brimstone, take a look ahead,” I said, making the two lean out of my cab.

In the siding sat a very old 4-4-0 with a single hopper and caboose sat behind it. The locomotive looked like it was plucked right out of the Old American West. It had a silver boiler, brass fittings, a black wooden cab with the number 17 under the windows, black wheels, a giant funnel and headlamp, and a black tender piled high with wood that had the words VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE on its sides.

Behind the engine and tender was a short metal ore car. It was dark gray and also wore V&T insignia, but lacked a number. Contained within this car was a 4.5 ton load of fine raw silver; such a load would having been worth millions back in Britain. Why I committed the weight of the load to memory, I have no idea.

Behind the ore car was a bright yellow caboose. It had six windows, red V&T wording along the top, a gray roof, and the number 7 just below the windows. Most interestingly was that it lacked a “cupola” that most American cabooses had. As in that little box located on the roof.

“Well would you look at that,” Eric said.

“Right then. This is where we’re stopping,” I said, applying my brakes and bringing us to a stop next to number 17.

Seconds later, one of the guards came out of my coach.

“What are we doing?”

“We’re going to camp here for a day or two,” I replied. “Since the caboose is in far better shape than the coach, you can move some seats and sleep in there. We can retrofit some pipes so I can provide heating.”

“Oh thank Celestia. It’s been agony dealing with the wind.”

I am pleased to say that my decision to camp in the wilderness proved invaluable. Try as they might, the changeling forces were unable to find us. After over 24 hours of waiting, the princesses and the mane six woke up one by one, all of whom were grateful for me having possibly saved their lives.

There was, of course, the case of where Luna and Rainbow Dash had been during all of this. While there had been concerns for the two having been captured and brought to the hive, both were entirely fine.

Luna had only been on an incredibly well-timed outing with City of Truro and was quick to notice the anomalies when she got back to Canterlot mere hours after we had left. Choosing to bide her time and get more information on what was happening, she had quickly drove City of Truro back out of Canterlot and hid on the old line where she had first found the engine, staying there and managing the sun and moon cycle herself.

After Celestia woke up and reestablished communication with Luna, they and the other princesses went on a day-long spree of capturing each and every changeling in the major cities and towns of Equestria. After rallying the might of the Royal Guard, every changeling was eradicated from the nation in a matter of days.

Rainbow Dash, unknown to anypony who didn't live in Ponyville, hadn't been in Equestria at all. You see, two weeks prior, she went on a pranking spree throughout town. Her friends thought she needed to be teached a lesson, so they went at her with their own prank. Simply put, they pretended to be cookie-craving zombies.

This heavily backfired, as an horrifically well-timed steam locomotive happened to be approaching. Rainbow heard the whistle, gathered her courage to fly up and over the zombies, and convinced the engineer to open the throttle as wide as it would go. Twilight and a few Pegasi attempted a pursuit, but were forced to break off due to the engineer taking four of them down with a gun he somehow had.

She had been just south of Equestria working on a once-failing railroad known as the Midwest and Central Railroad, which served various towns located down there. It would be over a month before Dash came back to Equestria, arriving via an express pulled by Midwest and Central Number 382.

To hear her tell it, neither she nor any of the railroad had any idea that Equestria had been in trouble. If they did know about it, they would have immediately provided their services. Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash and Luna were fine. Better than fine, in the case of the former.

Overall, the invasion had been thwarted, all thanks to myself, Eric, Brimstone, and Thorax. Had it not been for us, Equestria may very well have lost three of their four princesses. The day after what was hoped to be the last changeling - excluding Thorax - was forced out of Equestria, a ceremony was held at Canterlot to commemorate our accomplishment. Here, we were each given medals of honor.

Well, my crew was given medals of honor. Since I was an engine, they decided to give me a very, very, very, VERY special coach. As in special enough that, when I first laid eyes on it, my jaw nearly went straight through my buffers and into the tracks beneath me.

It was a coach of gold. Literally.

Everything from top to track was made of gold. Pure 24 Karat Gold. The body, the frame, bogies, the wheels, everything except for the coupling and springs. The coach itself was essentially a copy of one of the coaches off of Luna’s train, that being a six-axle Pullman from the GWR, except with an added observation deck on the rear.

“No,” was my reply when I was done registering it in full.

It should go without saying that I very rarely pulled the coach. It spent most of its days in Luna’s shed, collecting dust. Call me ungrateful, but what in blazes am I supposed to do with such a coach? It wasn't even part of a coach set. I'd look silly pulling it unless I was repainted.

A few days after the ceremony, we would find out most of the plan for the changeling invasion. Long story short, it consisted of putting prominent powers into a deep sleep, impersonating each of them as they went. This included the Mane Six and the princesses.

Using their new statuses, the fake princesses chartered me and my crew for an urgent express run to Ponyville and Appleloosa. After they took us over and forced us through the Midwest Junction and out of Equestria, they would have taken us to their hive, where we would have been forever kept as to never be nuisances ever again.

At least, that was the case for the princesses and Mane Six. As for myself, the queen - who I would later learn went by the name “Chrysalis” - wanted to experiment on me. Particularly on how much love I could produce. To her, a new being like me could - for all she knew - produce entire stores of love.

You can be sure that “her royal highness” was raging in her chambers for days when she learned of her plan’s failure.

And yes, I know some of you would like to know what happened to that old Virginia and Truckee engine we found. It was assigned to mixed-traffic duties throughout Southern Equestria and was often seen pulling a boxcar, a baggage car, three or four passenger cars, and its caboose. All of which had bright yellow paintwork with Virginia and Truckee lettering. A very fitting service for the engine.

The silver the ore car had been carrying was divided between the small town throughout central Equestria, much to the dismay of the south. That ore car was then used throughout Southern Equestria, usually when there was sand or ballast that needed to be moved.

For weeks, we had it going extremely well for us. Everything was calm, the engines from the Norfolk and Western had finally been brought back to working order and were able to deliver very long trains of steel, kicking Equestria into overdrive with its modernization.

This happiness wasn’t to last for me and Eric, however. Because those weeks turned into months, and Twilight still had no idea how close she was to completing her inter-universal spell.

And not only that, a severe issue would begin rearing its ugly head.

Maintenance.

The bane of every engine's existence.

Author's Note

There it is. The most action-packed chapter of the story. Boy was it fun to write.

Though, I do believe (er, hope) a couple of you actually recognize some of the plot. Almost like you've seen it happen somewhere else.

Does the name Cannonball Express ring any bells?

Anyway. I have LOVED the idea of playing stuff like the Changeling Invasions (yes, both of them) out in a different way than they were originally played out. Just see what would happen if a few things went differently.

That's all I have to say. I hope to see you all again very soon. Que Sera, Sera

11: Helpless

It was a cold and cloudy October Morning in the Rocky Mountains. Wind blew throughout the mountains as we dragged a heavy train up the mountains.

The train consisted of myself at the front, a khaki brown 4-4-0 tender engine just behind me, about a dozen long flatbeds of steel, and two heavy-duty brake vans at the rear.

The second engine was a “Type 18” from the National Railway Company of Belgium, built in 1902. It had a stylish design reminiscent of the Victorian Era, fairly large driving wheels, fairly respectable top speed, and fairly decent power.

With a second crew manning the Type 18 and second brake van, along with my own manning myself and the first brake van, we dragged the heavy train up the rocky mountains at a slow and steady pace.

“Edward?” Eric asked from my cab, breaking a long silence.

“Yes?” I asked back.

“Do you prefer Sodor, or Equestria?”

Once again, silence. But only for a moment, as I was simply trying to decide.

I sighed in defeat. “I can’t say. Equestria is… amazing. It’s fantastical, there are so many more sights to see than Sodor, and it almost equals Sodor in the supernatural area. Well, supernatural to us, I mean.”

“Right…”

“But Sodor… I just-... All of my friends are back on Sodor. I spent over sixty years there. Without question, that island is my home. Our home.”

“I-I-...” Eric sighed. “To think I was completely fine with staying here two months ago.”

“And I was right to tell you to not be that way. Like- Considering what Twilight has done in her life, you’d think she’d have something by now.”

“I know! If inter-dimensional spells exist, why the bloody hell are inter-universal spells so hard?”

“Exactly. I just can’t…”

I took in a breath.

“I can’t help but wonder about what my friends are thinking back home. How worried they must be. I’m an icon there. For me to just… disappear… But Equestria…”

The familiar feeling of being sick to my boiler overtook me. I grew silent, staring at the tracks ahead.

It had been two long months since the changeling invasion. Two long months of me and Eric waiting for Twilight to make any progress on her spell.

Nothing.

Not a sliver.

As time had gone on, myself and Eric’s hearts grew fonder for Sodor. The former much more so than the latter. We wished to return, even if it meant we would never see Equestria again. With such a wish, the question of how much we’d sacrifice just to see Sodor again would soon appear.

Having gone deep in that rabbit hole once, I will not be elaborating. For my sanity’s sake.

Now, Eric had it far better than me. I’m pleased to say that, despite being over a decade older, he had officially become Fluttershy’s coltfriend. Likewise for her as his marefriend.

Fluttershy, though not officially being a therapist, did fairly well acting as one. Their bond as marefriend and coltfriend greatly helped Eric with his grievances.

“EDWARD!”

“GUH! Uht- Eric! Sorry about that!”

“Bloody hell! I was about to hit the emergency brake!” Eric exclaimed.

“I know. I could feel your hoof on the lever.” I sighed. “Back to your question, I… if all our friends weren’t back on Sodor, I would stay here. But as it stands… I prefer Sodor.”

“You two…” Brimstone slowly began. “...really love Sodor, don’t you?”

“Of course we do,” I said. “We spent all our lives there. All our friends are there.”

Brimstone sighed as he leaned on my left window frame. “Sodor sounds so great. All the stories you’ve told, all the engines and rail lines you explained… It all sounds so cozy.”

“It really is. Not much in Equestria has been able to match the cozyness of it. The genuine-ness of it.”

“Funny,” Eric began. “-that everyone we talk to about Sodor always wants to take a trip to it.”

I chuckled. “Indeed, old boy. Though, I do wonder what would happen if ponies did come to our world. I mean, our world more or less functions without magic.”

“I know! Lord knows what the governments would do if a bunch of pastel ponies with flying and magic capabilities began popping up on Sodor.”

I laughed. “Pastel Ponies! I wonder how often that term would be used.”

“I doubt much. I’m sure most would rather stick with just ponies.”

“Oh come on mate. It wouldn’t be a small amount that would use it and you know it.”

Eric chuckled. “The more I think about it, I do. I really do-”

“OW!”

A sharp pain pierced my gearing.

“Edward! Are you alright?"

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I grunted. “The bearing in my number two driver just overheated.”

Eric groaned. “We need to replace everything. This basic maintenance isn’t going to do anymore.”

“We don’t have green water. I still don’t know if I’m ready to take the pain of a cutter’s torch.”

“In any case, we’ll need to take a trip to the works after this.”

“And by works,” Brimstone began. “You mean?”

“The equivalent of a barn,” I finished.

Something I’ve only vaguely touched upon until now is Equestria’s lack of Green Water. As a reminder, Green Water is an anesthetic given to engines undergoing maintenance. It is the sole reason us non-faceless lot are able to be regularly maintained.

Equestria never had such an anesthetic, and wouldn’t have it for decades.

“Fatigued races, fatigued journals, fatigue fatigue fatigue,” the unicorn worker said as he used a spell to check the gearing. “The only bearings still in good condition are the rollers.”

“How long will they last?” I asked.

“I’ve done what I can, but you’ll be lucky if any part of you lasts more than a week if you don’t pull any trains. Your gearing needs a complete overhaul.”

“Right then,” I snapped. “Eric, Brimstone and Thorax? Get in my cab. We’re marching right up to the Diarchy and we are demanding an overhaul.”

…

“Bloody hell is that a sentence I never thought I’d say.”

“Neither did I,” Eric chuckled before sighing. “Well, let’s find a brakevan and head off to Canterlot.”

“Why can’t we take a train back?” Thorax asked.

“Can we?” I asked the unicorn.

“Only if It’s just the one,” the worker replied. “You could pull more, but only if you have a deathwish.”

“Right then. When’s the next train?”

“Edward, I strongly disagree with-”

“No,” I said, interrupting the Princess of the Sun. “Gobs of oil can only prevent the inevitable for so long. I can’t believe I went along with such “maintenance” for so long. It’s downright disgraceful what you’ve put me through and I refuse to stand for it any longer.”

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took a step back on the platform, shocked at how forward I was with them.

Luna was the one to speak. “Edward, I… I do not even know what to say.”

“Aren’t you the princess of dreams?” I asked. “Can’t you force somepony asleep?”

“So you have heard that rumor… Yes,” she begrudgingly replied. “But I do not know if I can keep you asleep throughout the process. I can only put you to sleep. My spells are not anesthetics.”

"Oh, that’s it," I thought.

“Where’s that princess who isn’t afraid to get her hooves dirty?” I asked. “Where’s the princess who went through hell and high water to conquer her fears of becoming Nightmare Moon? Where’s the princess who fought tooth and nail to win twenty-two battles a thousand years ago? Bust my buffers, where’s the princess who loves TRAINS for crying out loud?!”

“RIGHT HERE!” Luna happily exclaimed, flaring her wings and striking an intimidating pose. “You are right, Edward. I am the Alicorn of war. I should not be afraid of merely causing you harm when you demand it. Especially if it means a great deal of good for you in the future.”

“Luna, let’s not be hasty about this,” Celestia said.

“There is nothing quick-tempered about it,” Luna replied, glancing at her elder sister and furling her wings. “If anything, we have been far too leisurely about such a vital service.”

She looked back at me. “Edward, make your way over to my shed. Expect only the highest-quality parts and materials and the best engineers Equestria and its neighboring countries can offer.”

“Will do,” I said with a massive grin.

My first two months in Equestria were maintenance hell. Nopony had been brave enough to perform proper maintenance on me, owing to my sentience, which put me in quite the tough spot.

The temporary solution was to put as much high-quality oil in my bearings as possible. To their credit, this worked splendidly.

Until it didn’t.

It was half over a month when my older journal bearings began nip at me with varying amounts of pain, despite the careful maintenance. It didn’t help that, before this, they hadn’t moved an inch for several months.

Over the span of a fortnight, my bearings were progressively worn more and more, at an increasing pace. Days before my run with the Type 18, I began having trouble starting with and without trains, and later at high speeds. The pain I would experience could be compared to having Arthritis.

Moving to the overhaul of my gearing…

Inhale,

Exhale.

The next three weeks that encompassed my overhaul were bar and none the darkest weeks of my life.

Luna’s spell that forced anyone to sleep worked, yes, but as she said, it only did just that. Force those asleep. Most horrific was that I could still feel most of the pain that came with the overhaul.

Worse still was that Luna had brought a top-flight doctor into the shed, who stated that my being constantly forced asleep would have long-term health ramifications.

While the doctor did say it could be different for me, none of us wanted to chance it, so we agreed to keep me awake.

Which meant I had to endure every bit of pain the maintenance contained.

My entire gearing assembly was taken apart. This included my siderods, bearings, and pistons. I hadn’t felt any of these being taken off before; excluding the rods, so it was a very strange experience for each disconnected part.

The feeling of not being able to feel the parts, but still having the motor functions necessary to operate them, was the equivalent of simply not having a limb.

The pain I keep speaking of comes from the cutting that had to be done in order to properly overhaul the gearing. Cutting, grinding, and welding were among the things needed to be done. This was a terrifying time for everypony involved, and many would be sent into therapy for their overwhelming fears of harming a sentient “creature” such as myself.

All we could do was grit our teeth, grip our tools, and power through it all.

On to the more technical side of the overhaul, I did expect only the highest-quality parts and materials to be used. An expectance that was far more than met.

Lightweight Titanium was the most common material used, as the focus was put squarely on extending the time between visits to the works. Custom parts were forged and extremely precise measurements were used throughout the gearing. The valves and piston connections were tightened, automatic lubrication was installed; giving me a slightly more industrial look, and roller bearings were installed everywhere.

With the addition of a Baker valve gear over my original Stephenson, my gearing assembly was ready to go years without more-than-basic maintenance.

“Alright! Everything is officially squared away,” Eric said as he tightened the last bolt on the assembly. “How do you feel, Edward?”

“It feels… strange,” I replied.

“Are you ready to run?” Brimstone asked.

“Only one way to find out,” I replied. “A good round of shunting.”

“Shunting?!” an unfamiliar voice called out.

I looked at the small platoon of mechanics, engineers, and other ponies that sat with bated breaths just off the track.

“Yes. Shunting,” I said.

“But would a run on the main line not be a better test?” Luna asked, who was in front of the group.

“On the contrary,” I replied. “These parts are new. It would be irresponsible to throw me onto the main line before we can assess my new strengths and correct any problems that might occur. That’s what shunting is all about.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Luna begrudgingly replied.

“Now. Allow me to get up to pressure, and we can start.”

During my overhaul, a handful of new engines had been discovered throughout Equestria. These included two members of the LMS Royal Scot Class, number 6100 and 6115, named Royal Scot and Scots Guardsman respectively. These two would become premier express locomotives, often double heading due to their similar names.

Two more had also been found; a pair of war-ridden USRA Heavy Mikados. These 2-8-2’s of the American Military were strong, reliable, and could hold their own at high speed. They were the perfect engines for supplying an overhaul being performed on Canterlot Castle.

The issue that worked in my favor was the freight they generated making such supply runs.

The yard in Canterlot, though updated, proved problematic when handling large incoming trains. The engines pulling said trains had to do the shunting, causing backups and bottlenecks throughout the city.

“The only thing that could save the yard until we can further improve it is an on-site shunter,” Luna stated.

“Perfect,” I said as we slowly approached the yard. As expected, it was riddled with dozens of flatbeds, some empty, some loaded with stone, steel, and other construction materials. One of the USRA engines was trying Its best to shunt it all.

I took in a deep breath. So deep I’m told my whole body rose up ever so slightly. After letting it out, I said;

“Just you watch. I’ll have this yard in good nick before it hits noon.”

With that, I dug into my work, shunting trucks and marshaling trains like never before.

My new gearing was unrivaled, let me tell you. It allowed me to start moving faster than I had ever done before and let me work much less when doing any kind of work. I never fell short of puff, and my fuel economy increased to remarkable levels.

And that was just in the yard. After a week of breaking the gearing in, I let myself out on the main line, where I resumed my regular freight and passenger runs. I gained a noticeable increase in overall performance as I was able to put more steam to the cylinders without losing pressure, owing to the tightening of my gearing which allowed for almost zero steam loss throughout the mechanism.

I was faster, more powerful, and able to put each and every one of the engines back home to complete shame with overall performance.

Even the express and heavy goods engines in terms of horsepower.

That said, I was more ready than ever to get back to Sodor, eager to show the others what I could do.

Me, Eric, Brimstone, and Thorax were on a freight run from Ponyville to Canterlot, running at speed. The wind was in our favor, the skies were clear, and the autumn leaves had long arrived, transforming the once-green landscape into a flurry of reds, yellows, and oranges.

“What speed did Luna say you could theoretically achieve?” Brimstone asked.

“One hundred and thirty miles an hour,” I replied.

“You think we could hit it?”

“No way I’d be able to hit that speed under my own power! If I had increased boiler pressure, maybe I could touch ninety with nothing behind me."

“Settle down, Edward!” Eric exclaimed. “We don’t know that! Didn’t you hit close to seventy when you chased that runaway train the one time?”

“Oh, that incident back in 29’? No. It was more like sixty-five. And that was downhill.”

“Then surely you’ll be faster!”

“Maybe we should ask Luna to give us a light train and a long stretch of track to test our speed,” Brimstone suggested.

“You know, I might just try that.”

Just then, Eric chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I just realized that James would absolutely love to have an upgrade like you,” he replied.

“Oh! Haha! He would!” I laughed.

“Excuse me?” Thorax asked, having made his way to the cab to have a chat.

“James had a knack for wanting to go fast,” Eric explained. “He always complained about how he was lumbered with his design and whatever train he was hauling. And the obvious speed limits. I didn’t even think about how he would relish an overhaul like Edward’s.”

“Oh. … Why wasn’t he given an overhaul to go faster?”

“Because of the unnecessary costs. That’s why-”

KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

The lads were thrown forward as I slammed on my brakes, bringing the train to a grinding standstill.

“Jesus Christ, Edward!” Eric yelled. “What’s the matter with you?! Why’d you stop like that?!”

“Lads… look at the siding,” I slowly said.

They did, growing confused as they saw what I was referring to.

“Could it be?” I asked, a smile creeping onto my face as I puffed forward to get a better view.

The train on the siding next to us was small. It was a line of five dark red two-axle Victorian-Era coaches. The engine in front was equally small. It had four driving wheels and a small four-wheeled tender. It had a small but long boiler, lacked a cab, and sported copper cladding on its large dome-shaped firebox. To complete the engine was the iconic Indian Red paint of none other than the Furness Railway.

To me, it could only be one engine and one engine only.

“Old Coppernob!” I exclaimed as I stopped. “I never thought I’d see you again! What in blazes are you doing here?!”

“Old Coppernob?” Thorax asked.

“Lads, meet Old Coppernob,” I say with glee. “The Furness Railway’s Number Three engine. So-named due to the copper cladding on the firebox.”

“Why are you talking like It’s non-faceless?” Eric asked as he scanned the engine buffer-to-buffer.

“Sorry, I’m just over the moon right now. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a former member of the Furness Railway. Much less a faceless one. This was one of the Furness’ first locomotives, you know. Built way back in 1846.”

“Eighteen Forty-WHAT!?” Brimstone exclaimed.

“I know! It was in service a full 55 years before being withdrawn in 1900! I- I thought it was scrapped! But no! Here it is in all its glory! A few bits of shrapnel from the war it looks like, but it looks amazing!”

“Well! It’s nice to see you so happy!” Eric said. “Let’s get this train delivered and we can come back for it later.”

“My left piston we’re continuing without Coppernob,” I stated, beginning to move forward past the switch. “We are buffering right up to its front and pulling it all the way there.”

“Edwar- Oh forget it. Fine. Thorax, throw the switch, would you?”

“Okay.”

The changeling flew ahead and landed next to the switch, grunting as he changed the points.

I looked at my fireman. “Brimstone, grab your oil can and make sure Coppernob and its coaches’ bearings are oiled. I want it to be smooth all the way there.”

“Yes sir.”

With Thorax operating Coppernob’s brakes, we made good time getting up to Canterlot with the extra train. A congratulation from Princess Luna and a quick boiler inspection later, Coppernob was found to be in working order, except its boiler pressure would have to be severely reduced to maintain safety. And both it and its train were far too small for regular service, even in pristine condition.

“I have an idea,” I said. “Let’s put it in a museum!”

Yes, I would go to abuse my leverage on the train-loving Night Princess in order to get a Furness Railway Museum built and opened. I would go on to abuse this leverage elsewhere, but that’s a story for another day.

The building site would be placed out west near a place known as Bridlefield, far from many cities and towns. The building itself would be a replica of the Barrow-in-Furness Railway Station as it had been from 1882 to 1941.

It was a massive building. A true marvel of late 19th-century design, it stood nearly four stories tall and contained space inside for quite a few trains. The museum would become one of the most profitable museums in Equestria. This would be in part of the many pages and articles detailing the history of the railway itself, and the engines and rolling stock the museum would gain over time.

I’ll let you guess who gave such information.

The construction would take over a month, most of which I spent supplying it. And I cherish every bit of it. I was rebuilding my original railway’s ‘Big Station’, something that had a lot of sentimental value to me.

That month did well to distract me and Eric. We were contempt and happy, knowing we really were making a difference around here. Knowing that we were bringing my world’s history into this world for the very first time, for even future generations to experience.

But then, as the weeks following the opening grew into months, the novelty wore off. We soon focused back on Sodor, in turn focusing on Twilight’s efforts in getting us home.

Or rather, lack thereof.

“Why am I even waiting here,” I asked as we idled on a siding, two six-axle coaches behind me.

“Because Princess Twilight asked us to wait here,” Brimstone replied, mane being blown about by the cold late-February winds.

“To do what?”

“To investigate Ponhenge.”

“Why does she specifically need us to be here? Why does she need us on seemingly any escapade she and her friends go on?”

“I don’t know!” Eric snapped. “Maybe she just likes the novelty.”

“Tch. That or she’s trying to get us killed.”

“Oh come on Edward, don’t be so overdramatic.”

“Sorry. I’m just a little miffed. First, Twilight has us take her here. Then we run around like mad taking her friends to find ancient artifacts, and now we’re back here waiting for her to investigate ‘pone-henge’. Now-...”

“What is it?” Eric asked.

“I swear I just saw a white explosion in that forest,” I reply.

CRACK!

Thunder and Lightning suddenly struck a location in the forest, and black clouds began to form around the location.

“What in blazes is going on in there?!”

Suddenly, we heard the booming voice of a foe that Twilight and her friends had released.

For a moment, we tried our best to listen in. We could only discern the words of a very loud, very gruff pony, who spoke of destroying the light of the world and making everything bow to him.

After what sounded like a magic duel, I saw a giant black shadow shoot into the sky, and just like that, the black clouds were blown from existence.

“...What the bloody hell was that,” Eric slowly asked.

“That is a very good question,” I replied. “Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.”

“Edward!” the familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle called out.

“Yes?” I asked, spotting her, her friends, and six ponies I didn’t recognize running out of the forest.

“We need to get to my castle as soon as possible!” the princess said.

“That is one of the talking trains you speak of?” a gray, elderly pony asked upon seeing me. One who looked like a wizard.

“Yep!” Twilight replied as the group got to us. “Starswirl, meet Edward! Edward, meet Starswirl the Bearded!”

“So this is the famous Starswirl!” Brimstone exclaimed. “I never thought-”

“Quiet, you,” the wizard snapped. “How many more of these ‘talking trains’ are there?”

“Just me,” I replied with a stern tone. “And you sir will have to shut up and cut that attitude if you want to keep your ticket to ride.”

‘Starswirl’, shocked by my abrasiveness, only responded by grunting and sticking up his nose as he walked to the forward coach.

“Edward! You can’t talk to Starswirl like that!” Twilight yelled.

“I can, and I will,” I snapped, scaring the young princess. “Especially if he keeps up that attitude of his.”

A week after that exchange, I did get the chance to talk with the abrasive wizard while waiting at Ponyville Station. Having been filled in on his exploits a thousand years ago; namely, a weak time travel spell he invented, I had a serious question for him.

“Are Inter-Universal Spells possible?”

The elderly wizard standing on the platform was surprised.

“Inter-Universal?” Starswirl asked. “Why does a creature such as yourself want to know such a spell?”

“First, don’t call me a creature. And second, has nopony told you that I’m from a different universe?”

Once again, he was surprised.

“No. Nopony did.”

“In short, I was brought here against my will after puffing through a tunnel. Since then, the princesses have been trying to find a way to get us home. Knowing the spells you created in the past, could you tell me if any Inter-Universal Spells are possible?”

The elderly wizard looked at the ground for a moment, deep in thought.

“I don’t think so.”

The water in my boiler went cold. I stared at Starswirl, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out.

“I see… Thank you, Starswirl. That’ll be all.”

With that, I blew my whistle and steamed out of the station.

Twilight threw a book across the Canterlot Library.

“WHY?!”

“SHH!” a librarian snapped.

“I’M A PRINCESS I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!”

With that, Twilight stormed out of the library and took off towards the station, buying a ticket for Ponyville.

Her heart sank when she saw the train she would be getting on. More specifically the engine pulling it.

Me.

She sat in the first-class coach, away from prying eyes. Moments later, I pulled out of the station, unaware of the royal passenger as the warm June sun beat down on me.

In the time between this time and my meeting with Starswirl, I had been officially inducted into the Royal Rail Service, or RRS. This was a special service created by Princess Luna, who chose only the best engines to pull the prestigious trains.

The engines and rolling stock were freshly-built copies of ones that had been found throughout Equestria. They were given the absolute best materials, custom parts, and the latest technology that allowed them to go further and faster than most other engines. I was the exception, of course, and was given extreme care because of it.

The letters RRS were painted just under my cab windows in the same bright yellow font as the number two on my tender, complete with a red outline.

As for the maintenance that came with being part of the RRS, and every bit of maintenance afterward, something very interesting would happen regarding my opinion on it.

As insane as it may sound, I began to prefer being awake during the process.

Something about feeling everything being done to me, and the ability to converse with the ponies working on me, is just so much more enticing than sleeping through it all. Better still was that I was able to tell the ponies if they were doing something wrong throughout the entire process, rather than only part of it.

This opinion has stood firm since then, even with how boring and painful it can get.

“Bust my…buffers these rubber bands don’t help,” I grunted as I pumped my pistons hard to bank a heavy train up the hill to Canterlot. Black rubber was tied around my driving wheels, intended to increase grip. Unfortunately, the difference was marginal.

“Are you sure?” Brimstone asked, the cold winter air nipping at him as he watched my wheels. “The engineers said it would give us more than double the grip we normally have.”

“Well you can tell them to shove their estimations into the garbage. I swear I am actively losing grip with these stupid bands. When we get to Canterlot, we are taking this rubber off immediately.”

“Well, another mile and we’ll be there.”

Spring had come around. I was taking a special tourist train meant exclusively for the upper-class citizens of Equestria and elsewhere. Though it was a heavy train; a rake of ten coaches making close to 500 tons, I managed well when up to speed.

“I just realized something,” I said with a flat tone.

“What is that?” Luna asked from my cab. She had volunteered as both my driver and firemare today.

“Unless we revert the upgrades I’ve been receiving, It’s going to be nearly impossible for me to be maintained back on Sodor.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Because of how expensive the parts you’ve given me are. The price to maintain me in my current state would outweigh my actual usefulness by more than double.”

“Do not say that about yourself, Edward!” the Alicorn exclaimed.

“I’m not saying that I'm useless. I’m saying that, compared to the cost to maintain a much more capable engine such as a 9F, it would be stupid to keep me on.”

“Could we not merely transport you here to perform maintenance?”

“Yes. I was getting to that. It would be a requirement to bring me here unless I were reverted to my pre-Equestrian state.”

“But you would prefer it if you remained in this state, correct?”

“Of course. I’m never giving up these upgrades. Being able to work such heavy trains without needing help has been life-changing. Even if I have to be brought here for maintenance, going back to my old state would be downright foolish.”

“I see.”

We sat in silence after that, resorting to watching the scenery and other trains go by as we puffed down the line.

Luna soon broke that silence.

“Edward?”

“Yes?”

“Would you like to attend the Grand Galloping Gala?”

“The Grand Galloping Gala?”

“Yes. An event celebrating the completion of Canterlot. It is in three weeks, on the twenty-first.”

“Why would I need to attend something like that? How would I even attend something like that in the first place?”

“I could ask my sister to hold it in the Canterlot yards.”

“...”

“I’m sorry, but the answer is no.”

“But Edward-” Twilight began to protest.

“I don’t have any interest in the Gala. Even if you held it right here in the yard, what would I even do besides sitting in one place and telling stories?”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She knew there was no good reason for me to attend.

“Me and my crew will handle the incoming trains for the day,” I explained. “When the Gala starts and my crew attends, I’ll manage it by myself.”

“Manage what by yourself?” Eric called out as he, Brimstone, and Thorax entered the shed.

“Speak of the devil’s associates, and they appear!” I joked with a small smile.

“Hey!” Thorax cried.

“And to answer your question, Eric, I mean the yards.”

“Ah, so you know our job for the day?” the Thestral asked as he and the other two stopped next to me.

“Yes. I got it over the radio.”

“Oh! They got that working?”

“Indeed they did. Now.” I turned my attention back to the Alicorn in front of me. “As for you, go tell Luna and Celestia to keep the Gala where it is.”

“But-”

“Go.” I snapped.

Her ears flattened as she turned. “Okay…”

“Edward, that was uncalled for,” Eric chastised as he and the other two jumped into my cab.

“No, it wasn’t,” I responded as I watched Twilight leave the shed. “I’m sick and tired of everypony trying to anthropomorphize me. Send me to places I shouldn’t be, have me attend things I shouldn’t attend.”

“That we can all agree on. But you know you shouldn’t be snapping at them like that!” Eric said with a casual tone.

I sighed as we steamed out of the sheds. “I know, I know. I’ve just been a little annoyed lately.”

“So have I. Fluttershy has been helping me stay calm, but It’s hard. She did show me an exercise that helps a lot, though.”

I stifled a growl. “Would that exercise work for me?”

“Considering you don’t have any arms, no!” Eric chuckled.

I didn’t return the enthusiasm, resorting to silently throwing myself into my work as an express train entered the yard.

The rest of the day was hard as we worked the yard. Being the only on-site shunter and trains coming and going faster than most other days, I had to work nonstop, only being able to rest when refueling.

Despite my best performance yet, the yard began reaching critical mayhem, and I was forced to request a shunter, citing it as a national emergency.

Fortunately, an elderly Class A1 0-6-0 tank engine from the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway - commonly known as “Terriers” - had arrived at Ponyville earlier that day. The engine, Number 35 “Morden”, ran light to Canterlot, achieving nearly 70 miles per hour; a speed unheard of for the class.

The 19th Century Terrier was just what the doctor ordered. With good communication and a lot of sand, we just barely managed to keep the yard in working order throughout the day and into the evening.

Only when it got close to the time of the Gala itself did the work die down. It died down so much, in fact, that only the Terrier would be needed.

With just half an hour until the Gala, we pulled into a siding, and my crew stepped off.

“I hope you all have fun,” I said as they stopped in front of me.

“Right. But Edward, are you sure you can run the yard crewless?” Eric asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “It’ll give me a chance to test out this new mechanical stoker.”

“Alright. If you say so.”

“See you later, Edward!” Thorax cheerfully exclaimed.

“Bye,” Brimstone added.

“Have fun at the gala!” I said as the three walked away. “And good luck with Fluttershy, Eric!”

As I worked, I listened to the sounds of the Grand Galloping Gala coming from the castle. From the sound of it, it was quite the shindig, as I could hear it even in the furthest corners of the yard.

There had been an elaborate buffet, a brass band, dancing, stories of the past, anything you’d expect from a celebration of its type.

As the night went on, I would find myself wondering if perhaps I should have attended.

These thoughts, however, were stopped when I noticed an old line outside of Canterlot. I saw it in the distance, climbing and curling around the mountain.

I looked over at the crew of the Terrier. “Oi, you two!”

“What?” the engineer yelled back.

“Do either of you know what that line is up there?”

The stallions leaned out and looked ahead, spotting the same line.

“Uhh… I think it was an old logging line? Built not long after trains were introduced. It’s been abandoned for years.”

“I see… You think you could handle this yard by yourself while I check it out?”

The stallions were surprised. They looked at the manifest the fireman had, then shrugged.

“Yeah. We can,” the engineer said.

“Alright. If anypony asks, tell them I’ll be up there.”

Blowing my whistle, I slowly puffed through and out of the yard. I looked around at the surrounding buildings, seeing parts of Canterlot I had never seen before. I could see a few ponies who were out and about, who looked right back at me as I passed over the elevated tracks.

“I haven’t seen a train on that bridge for years!” I heard one call out.

In minutes, I went under an archway and outside the Canterlot walls. The moment I did this, the tracks took a turn for the worse.

They were rickety and worn, having been built from basic wood and iron instead of the magically-enhanced steel ones I had come to love. The rails were rusty and ties rotted from decades of disuse, and the trestles I passed over felt like they would fall if the wrong two-by-four moved two inches the wrong way.

The gradient was equivalent to Gordon’s Hill. The curves were long and superelevated, clearly designed so trains couldn’t derail should they run away.

For the better part of half an hour, I crawled up the mountain. As I climbed, the air grew thinner, and the foliage grew thicker.

While I wondered if it was a good idea to run crewless up here, I consciously perished the thought. For this would never have been as special if I had my crew with me.

After an hour, the thick forest around me thinned, turning into a mix between trees and stumps.

CLI-CLA-CLI-CLACK! CLI-CLI-CLACK!

I yelped as I passed over a switch, having been fixated on looking through the trees and at the landscape beyond. I looked around me and gasped, slowing to a stop as I took in the sight around me.

It was a logging railyard.

Logs piled high everywhere around the tracks, even more loaded on 19th-century skeleton log cars of American origin. Wooden platforms, pulley-operated cranes, and sheds sat beside the three available tracks; one of which continued around a bend and into a collapsed tunnel.

The track I was on was a Y, continuing on to the cliff edge to let the locomotives of the day turn around. Strangely, there was another track that paralleled the Y.

On that track sat another engine.

Amidst the hiss of my releasing brakes, I slowly puffed forward next to the engine.

The engine was the most American you could get. It was a 19th-century 4-4-0, but wore a steel cab and black paint. It had a long and straight funnel instead of the comically-large funnel locomotives of the time wore and modernized controls.

The tender was slightly larger than my own and carried a full load of coal. It appeared slightly armored, like it were in the military, and had a prototypical six-axle bogie just behind the front four-axle bogie.

U.S Military R.R. was painted on the side, explaining the prototypical nature of the engine.

“Well. I wonder how long you’ve been up here,” I said, noting the rust and decay present throughout. “You clearly aren’t from Eque-”

My voice got cut short as I saw the view beyond the engine's smokebox. I slammed on brakes and stopped just short of the buffers, staring ahead.

It was Equestria.

I could see for hundreds upon hundreds of miles, seeing all the expansive fields, dense forests, and massive mountain passes through the clouds below. The night sky above me was clearer than I had ever seen it before, Luna’s moon the centerpiece of the stars as it illuminated the landscape below.

I looked down below, shivering as I saw miles of mountain beneath me. Miles that ensured no engine would survive, should they fall.

My water and frames felt cold, my boiler pressure dropped, and I began having trouble breathing, panting as I looked around at the ethereal sight. There was no wind, no third-party sound.

The only sound, in fact, was my own thoughts.

I sat there for what felt like hours in silence, finding myself reminiscing about times back on Sodor. The relaxing times, hectic times, the thrills and spills on the railway…

Into my mind flowed an incident from 1943, back when I was fighting the front lines with my platoon.

The incident involved James becoming a runaway as he descended Gordon's hill, the train having been overweight for him and the brakevan.

While the overweight train wouldn't have been much of an issue, the brakevan had failed. This had turned him into a full-fledged runaway, causing to run all the way to Maron and smash into a line of tar wagons.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to be a runaway," I said to the military engine. "I'm told It's nothing but helpless terror. The feeling that you're about to die, yet there is nothing you can do about it. Everyone says ``It's the worst feeling you can experience."

"I know a worse one."

I winced, startled at the new, familiar female voice. First, I looked at the engine next to me. Confirming it was faceless, I looked to the sky, spotting none other than Princess Luna coming in for a landing.

The Night Mare touched down with practiced ease, the grass around her flailing about in her wake.

"Oh. Hello Luna," I softly greeted with a formal tone. "What are you doing up here?"

"I have never been one for parties," Luna replied as she furled her wings. "I asked the Terrier Crew where you were when you were not present at the yard.

"Of course,"

We each stared out from the cliff, looking throughout Equestria together in silence.

"The feeling of helplessness is not the worst," Luna stated.

"The feeling of not being able to help the situation no matter what you do is," I finished.

Luna looked at me, surprised. "How do you know?" she asked, curiosity filling her voice.

"I have a few stories.”

“I would assume so. But what I mean is, how do you know, considering you deal with such a feeling all the time? You are a slave to your rails. You cannot help many situations outside of them.”

“Of course. But It’s those situations that do take place on the rails that the feeling comes in full swing. How it affects someone depends on where it is. If there's some war going on in a different country, you don’t tend to care, since it doesn’t directly affect you. But, if that war were to be happening in your country, nay, near your own town, that is when you start to care.”

Luna listened intently, wearing a curious look I rarely got to see on royalty.

“Forgive me for getting philosophical, but I like to compare this to storytelling. To me, it doesn’t matter what kind of story you’re telling, It’s how you tell it. I mean, you could take a silly idea such as a young prince switching places with a pauper who somehow looks exactly like him, and do two things with it. Tell an amazing story about the exceeding severity of laws… or butcher it with a cheap half-baked thing that dares to call itself a plot.”

I grin as Luna smiles with recognition, knowing the story I was referencing.

“You could make an amazing prince.”

My eyes widened at the statement. I glanced at her before forcing myself to look at my buffers.

“A prince?” I asked, looking back at her.

“Think about it, Edward,” Luna began. “Someone like you could help manage the industries and relations with other nations. Not just that, you effectively have an infinite life, owing to your ability to simply have failing or aging parts merely replaced.”

“How in blazes could I help with relations?” I asked, indignantly. “You know I don’t like getting into politics.”

“And neither do I. But I mean in the industry side of things, particularly those related to rail. Not only do you have decades of experience in the trade, but you know exactly how to get technical without losing whomever you talk to. Ponies with those two traits together instead of one or the other are hard to come by.”

“But-... Luna, I-...” I paused, gathering my words. “Me? An engine, being a prince?”

“Your crew told me that you dislike being anthropomorphized. But all we want is what is best for you. I, for one, think you should at least look into it.”

“...Luna,” I said, using a cold tone coupled with a suspicious expression.

“Yes, Edward?” she asked, noticing my tone.

“What subject are you dancing around?”

Her ears twitched. She lifted a hoof slightly off the ground, pulling it slightly toward her.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“What subject are you trying to avoid?”

“I-... Edward, I-...”

I took a breath. “Tell me, Luna. Why are you trying to get me to do other things? Specifically, why are you trying to get me to do things I couldn’t do on Sodor?”

Her ears slowly fell. She looked down at the ground, silent.

“Do you think I’m ever going back to Sodor?”

Luna, silent as ever, looked out over the Equestria, taking in the landscape. She looked up at her moon, which shined brighty down on us, lighting the area in an almost ethereal glow.

Finally, with a sigh, she closed her eyes.

“No.”

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay. I've got a small backlog of finished chapters that will be coming out after New Year, so be sure to look forward to that.

12: The Sands of Time

Twilight decided that morning that she was going to admit defeat. There was nothing left to try; no trick, no spell, no means whatsoever of getting us back to our own universe. There were no more ``dusty old books” to be found.

It had been three years since me and Eric arrived. Each day was spent hypothesizing, testing, and ultimately rejecting every approach they could think of for creating an inter-universal spell that could send us home. Now, though, she was finally ready to stop. There was no way, no how, no theory left unexplored.

We were going to live out our lives in this reality, never to see our friends and loved ones again. Eric would never travel the Earth, and I would never travel on Sodor trackage.

A great, reliable steam locomotive such as myself, with seventy years of service under Sodor's ownership, gone in just a day.

Twilight stepped onto her private train, entered an empty passenger car, and sat down in the small library section. She winced as the engine moved forward, jolting the three long coaches behind.

She watched the city of Canterlot move by as the train gained speed. The tall, white buildings and lavish parks give way to the expansive landscape of Equestria. She felt her ears flatten as she thought about me and Eric, knowing this was to be our home.

She had to tell us, today, that Equestria was to be our home. Forever. Her mind raced, wondering about how we would react. What we would think of her. If her friends, the princesses, everypony would reject her.

If she even deserved them after failing to do this one thing.

As the private train rolled down Canterhorn Mountain, Twilight began to cry.

By Royal Request over the telegraph, me and my crew were parked in a lone siding that lay within an expansive field. An American cowcatcher hung from my buffers, and knuckle couplers replaced my old hook and chain couplers.

I took in a deep breath, feeling dry steam churn inside my superheater. I sifted through stories of the past. Happenings on both Sodor and the Furness Railway. Some were mundane, others adventurous, and even more were supernatural. I paid little mind to my crew, who were conversing in my cab about the day's events.

I watched a large purple locomotive slowly pull into the siding in front of us. The engine - a streamlined 4-6-2 from the Pennsylvania Railroad - stopped several feet in front of me, releasing steam.

Twilight and Luna stepped out of the forward coach, the former’s ears flattening upon seeing me.

“Oh. Good afternoon, Luna. Twilight,” I greeted as the two walked towards me.

“Good afternoon, Edward, Eric, Brimstone, and Thorax,” Luna greeted back as she and Twilight sat down in front of me, next to the tracks. “I hope you have been well?”

“For the most part,” Eric replied.

“Why did you want us to stop?” I asked. “We have work to do.”

Luna took a deep breath in. “I’m afraid you will be unable to work for the next week. Possibly more.”

I widened my eyes in surprise. “What? Why? Is something wrong?”

Luna looked at Twilight, a grim expression appearing on her face as she gave a nod to the smaller princess. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

After letting her breath out, she opened her eyes and began to speak.

“Edward, Eric… It’s been three years,” she slowly began. “For three years, I’ve been doing everything I can to find an inter-universal spell to get you two back to Sodor. I’ve tried looped portals, portals that only open once every few moons… and even spells that would send you there, with no way of coming back here. I’ve asked for help everywhere, read every book…”

My fire and frames began turning to ice, likewise for Eric and his blood.

“I don’t know how to put this,” Twilight quivered, her voice failing as tears formed in her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to contain herself.

“You’re not going home. I can’t do anything else. Me, Luna, Cadance, Celestia… We’ve tried everything. Nothing works. We can’t send you back home.”

I look down at my buffers, feeling the inside of my boiler twist around itself. My eyebrows lowered and pulled closer, my facing contorting to that of dismay, but also that of acceptance.

“I take it you have been preparing for this moment?” Luna asked.

“Yes,” me and Eric replied, our voices strangled.

“We have,” I finished. “We knew it was going to happen eventually.”

“Edward, I really did try everything,” Twilight said. “I’d give up my Alicornhood if it meant you could go home-”

“Twilight, It’s fine,” I interrupted, glancing at the young princess. “I believe you. I suppose It’s just… my destiny to stay here. To continue innovating and improving Equestria to my best ability.”

“And you have done a splendid job doing so,” Luna cooed, doing her best to keep her voice from failing. “Equestria has never been in a better form than it is now, and it is all thanks to you.”

I didn’t reply, instead staring at my buffers, my jaw slightly agape as words strangled my ability to speak.

“Edward?” Luna asked.

“...Yes?” I asked back, quivering.

“Would you like me to clear the line to Ponyville?”

“...Yes…. I would prefer that.”

That evening, Eric entered Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Oh! Hello, Eric! I didn’t expect you to be back so soon,” Fluttershy greeted in a happy, soft tone.

Eric said nothing, choosing instead to stare at her with a weary, heartbroken expression.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. She knew that look. She knew what had happened.

Tears forming in her eyes, Fluttershy stepped toward Eric and wrapped him in a hug. Eric hugged her back, and the two sit down, melting into each other’s embrace.

In that moment, the Thestral and Pegasus became one.

That evening, Brimstone entered his house in Ponyville. Inside waited his adopted son, who looked at him with wonder.

“What happened?” the colt asked. “Why do you look sad?”

Brimstone stared at him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he bent down to hug the young colt, who instinctively hugged back.

Cadance and Shining Armor tightly hugged a sobbing Thorax, the former covering the young changeling with her wings. None said a word as they lay in bed together, Thorax in between the two like he was their son.

I was alone in my shed, my eyes weary after having just woken up. I looked at the clock above, scowling when I saw how early it was.

No other trains would be out for hours.

Knowing this, I lit my fire and built up pressure. My safety valves hissed as I pushed against the shed doors, snapping a lock and flinging them open. After turning on my light, I slowly puffed through the tiny railyard, forcing my way onto the main line.

I stopped, staring down the long straight stretch of track that lay before me. In recent times, the line running by Ponyville was completely revamped to allow extremely high speeds, complete with three total tracks for most of the line.

I had always wondered how fast I could truly go if I put my pistons to it. Just me and a clear stretch of track.

I took in a deep breath, feeling my superheater churn with dry steam.

HISS!

My wheels bit the rails, launching me forward down the track. Steam poured out of my funnel as I gained speed. My siderods went faster and faster, showing no signs of vibration due to the lightweight, perfectly balanced nature of my gearing.

I went faster than Thomas. Faster than James. Faster than Henry. I even felt like I was moving faster than Gordon and his express.

There were no thoughts going through my mind. Only this sudden need for speed I had.

I forged on like the Military Commander I was, flying around bends and dashing through tunnels as I headed west, still increasing in speed. I became a bright blue blur, steaming through forests like a runaway train.

Finally, I slammed my air brakes into emergency. I felt my weight transfer forward, which helped my braking power due to the newly installed brakes on my pilot wheels.

I slowed down to a more comfortable pace, watching and listening to the tracks beneath me.

I felt lost. Like I was falling apart. I didn’t feel lonely. Rather, I felt a complete lack of hope.

I knew I had friends, I knew that I was in a very good place as far as my life was concerned.

Yet inside I felt.. empty. An aching hole inside my boiler.

I was so broken, I didn’t even know where I was by the time morning came.

Inhale…

Exhale…

Inhale…

Exhale…

Sorry. It’s just… incredibly hard for me to get through this part, even after so long.

Ahem

For weeks, I couldn’t bring myself to do work. I shut myself away, pushing away everypony that tried talking to me. I didn’t cry, nor did I openly mourn. I simply sat still with my eyes closed, trapped in my own thoughts. In my own bubble.

Luna tried letting me pull a special train from Canterlot to Manehattan. Suffice to say, it went horribly. I didn’t steam well, I felt slower and weaker than ever, and I missed two signals which nearly caused me to collide with another train.

Back to my shed I went, trying to get over myself. For days, I sat parked inside, not moving, doing what I previously described. Sticking to my own bubble.

There came a point when I finally did want to cry. The feeling was completely foreign, and I didn’t know what to think.

"Edward?" the ever-familiar voice of Princess Luna called out.

I winced. "What is it, Luna?"

I looked over at the midnight Alicorn, watching her peer in from one of the shed doors.

"I was wondering if you would please take the time to come out of your shed, if for a short while."

I sighed. "What for?"

"Just... Could you please come outside? It is a surprise."

I eyed her suspiciously, thinking about it before silently letting steam into my cylinders. She smiled with glee, running back outside much too eagerly.

I slowly pushed the shed doors open. The warm sun shines down on me for the first time in days as I roll out of the shed.

My eyes widen as I see a full-force symphony orchestra outside. Their stands stood on and next to the tracks with close to a hundred ponies lying in wait, their instruments ready and raring to go.

I stop suddenly, finding it hard to take in the sight.

"Luna," I say, looking at the mare who was walking up to a separate stand where my crew and the other princesses were. "What is this?"

Luna giggled. "Why, you remember our promise of letting you be the first to hear your very own theme song, do you not?"

Before I could respond, Luna waved her hoof, and the orchestra began.

A combination of cellos, clarinets, flutes, sand blocks and tambourines kicked off the tune. They started slow, like a steam engine picking up speed. The tune accelerated as a bass, soprano saxophone, cowbell, and djembe joined in. Each and every instrument sang in perfect harmony. Soon enough, the violins joined in, only elevating the song.

I felt my frames shudder as I listened to the song, taking in the symphony that was my own theme song. There were few places in which only a single instrument played. There were no fancy solos, no big moments for any of the instruments. They all played as one. Not too slow, not too fast. Like an old engine simply making its way down the track.

For the first time in weeks, a smile made its way onto my face. A smile of pure unadulterated happiness.

And for the first time ever, I actually cried.

While those few minutes didn't completely cure my grief, it was a massive help. With the song stuck in my head, I was able to come back out and work trains again.

That being said, it would take a long time for me to truly get over my grief, likewise for Eric. It took him a year to get over it, largely due to Fluttershy’s efforts to comfort him. Those two became inseparable.

We would have a serious talk that lasted hours after he came to me. That conversation would end in us fully accepting our fates, vowing that we would fully embrace life in Equestria.

Eric and Fluttershy would marry just days after our acceptance. During the wedding, that same orchestra came out again and played what would come to be known as Toby's theme. That would start a chain reaction of creating themes for most of my friends, of which I am forever grateful.

If you remember my passing mention of wanting to become a Therapist, I decided to pursue the job. I did remarkably well in the beginning, using my extensive knowledge to help those in need and becoming one of the best therapists in Equestria. With a little help from Princess Luna, of course.

I would continue to help bolster the railways of Equestria in any way I could for as long as I could. But, as the years drew on, parts of my knowledge became outdated, replaced by better methods created by the brilliant minds of creatures all around Equestria. Of course, I would be the first to know about the methods, and would be one of those that approved them.

Time marched on. I continued to be maintained and upgraded with the latest tried and tested parts. My hundredth birthday passed, which would be celebrated at the very top of Canterhorn Mountain, which would be known as “Edward’s Point”.

As the years passed, my crew would retire one by one, save for Thorax, who became my driver. Having become a “King Changeling”; via an incident I’ll have to explain on another day, he was given a much longer life. As was his brother, Pharynx, who became an actual king of the changeling hive.

Inhale

Something would later happen as the years turned into decades.

I was in Manehattan when I had gotten a call from Princess Cadance telling me that Eric was deathly ill in the Crystal Empire Hospital and that I had to get there as quickly as I could.

In the yard with me happened to be LMS Number 3699, better known as “Fury”. It was an experimental 4-6-0 express engine designed to operate at 1400 to 1800 pounds of pressure. While it was never much of a success in Britain, it was fast, and it was economical.

With that in mind, we coupled Fury and two canteen tenders behind me, and I was given emergency clearance all the way to the Crystal Empire.

When we arrived at the Empire, the Turbomotive was almost out of fuel… and Eric was still alive, having been wheeled out so I could see him. Fluttershy, Twilight, and Cadance were already there.

"Eric! Oh thank god I managed to get here in time," I said as I stopped next to the station platform.

I felt my boiler sink as I saw the state he was in. This jaded old stallion, once a human, lying on his deathbed in the warm spring sun.

"Edward," my former driver said, smiling as he sees me. "It's good to see you. You as well, Thorax."

Thorax smiled as he stepped out of my cab. In place of his small, black changeling self, is instead a tall bright green form. "H-Hey, Eric. It's um... been a while."

Eric chuckled. "Yes, it really has been. I see you've become Edward's driver."

Thorax nodded as he sat down next to Eric.

Eric looked at me. "You've been keeping secrets, ya old bastard."

My jaw dropped. "You never asked!"

The stallion only smiled for a few seconds. Soon, he sighed.

"I can't believe I actually made it to a deathbed," he weakly said, staring into space. "I thought I would've snuffed it decades back..."

"But you didn't," I replied. "You kept going like the hard man you've always been."

Eric let out a weak chuckle. "Too true, old boy. But... I still can't believe it. I'm actually about to die."

"Don't be sad, Eric," I said. "I just know you'll be going to a new life. If that revenant theory is anything to believe, you'll be revitalized as a non-faceless vehicle. Maybe you'll even get to see Sodor again."

Another weak chuckle escaped him. "Maybe... And, Thorax... I'm glad to have worked with you as my conductor and friend."

A tear welled up in Thorax's eyes. "I loved working with you too."

"Now, I know I'm gonna be snuffing it soon, so Edward, Thorax..."

Myself and the changeling looked at him expectedly.

"I don't know when you two are going to pass, but you two had better keep going for as long as you damn well please. Don't let anyone tell you to snuff without giving them the hardest time you can. You deserve to go out on your own terms, no matter what."

"We will, old boy," me and Thorax stated in unison.

Eric would die only thirty minutes later, leaving everyone present in agony. Brimstone was almost as torn as I was, since he didn't even get to say goodbye. The poor chap was wallowing in his home for days. Me and Thorax were the same way, taking a week off from work to give ourselves time to cope.

And, the truth is... For as much hate as LMS's Fury gets, if I hadn't had an engine that could cruise happily at nearly a hundred and fifty miles an hour without refueling once... I would never have gotten to see my friend one final time. So, in this engine's opinion, Fury is... is an alright engine.

Brimstone was next. He would pass at age 70 in his sleep, just six months after Eric's death.

I took his death much better than Eric’s, despite not being able to say goodbye. I, sadly, have nothing to say about his death, other than it put me in another depressed mood for at least a fortnight.

One of my most cherished journeys would come from one that was, for all intents and purposes, routine. What made it different, however, was the mare in the driver's seat.

At the amazing age of 102, Fluttershy was the sweetest, softest creature anyone could want. It didn’t matter who you were. She always found sympathy. She was practically everyone’s great-grandmother.

Though her health had been declining for years, the old pegasus still had the strength to sit down in the driving seat of my cab. She grabbed my throttle and pulled it open, gently blew my whistle, and drove me and the massive Farewell Train behind me all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville.

A few days later, she sat still on her deathbed, inside my shed. With the doctors gone, she stared at me and the other princesses present, as content as could be.

“Thank you for keeping Eric happy until his last day,” I say.

Fluttershy let out a soft, weak giggle. “You’re welcome, Edward,” she says, weakly. “I was at my happiest when I was with him…”

“Likewise when he was with you,” I reply.

“No, he was at his happiest when he was with you…”

I take in a soft, quivering breath.

“I suppose he was.”

“I hope you keep living… I hope you all keep living,” she said, glancing at the princesses sitting near her. “For as long as you can.”

“While we understand it is your time to go, Fluttershy” Luna begins, “We truly wish you could be with us longer.”

Fluttershy giggled again. “I do too… But that won't take away all the memories I’ve made with you and the others.”

She looked at Twilight, whose eyes had already started to water.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” she asked.

“I… I just don’t want you to leave me…” the taller, much more regal purple Alicorn replied. “I-I’ve already lost the others. I don’t want to lose you too…”

“Don’t worry Twilight. I’ll be with you forever. Right?”

“Y-Yes, but…” Twilight struggled as her words strangled her throat.

“Shhhhh,” Fluttershy cooed. “It’s okay, Twilight. I’ve lived my life. You need to keep living yours, even after I’m gone.”

Twilight hiccuped.

“Thank you for all those amazing memories, Twilight. I hope we can meet again, even if it isn’t in this universe.”

“I… hic… I hope we do too…”

Fluttershy looked back at me. “And thanks for the memories you gave me, Edward.”

I weakly chuckle. “It has been my pleasure, Fluttershy. Thank you for your service to Equestria.”

“You’re welcome. And thank you… for your service…”

“You are welcome, my dear. Que Sera, Sera.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes.

"Que Sera... Sera..."

With that, she drifted off to her infinite sleep. Another legendary life gone to the everlasting sands of time.

And that… was the second and time I had ever cried.

While I cried, I noticed Twilight leaving the shed through one of the doors. But even with the tracks of tears on my face, I very distinctly remember seeing Twilight’s expression contort from that of complete sorrow…

…to that of complete hatred.

It would be the last I would ever see of her.

Just a few days later, I was pulling a double-headed train with Sierra Railway Number Three. It was an exhibition freight train, showing the power of us older locomotives in such a modern time.

We were heading towards Ponyville from the south, coming from Appleloosa. I could quite clearly see Canterlot far in the distance. I smiled at the familiar sight, admiring the magnificent city, knowing I'd be arriving at it soon to give Twilight her therapy.

Then everything exploded.

Bright lavender smoke poured from the city, shooting into the sky and falling down the mountain, practically engulfing it.

Back then, I had no idea what it was. Even today, I’m not quite sure of it. But all I knew was that the demonic cloud was engulfing everything in its path.

There was only one thing on my mind: Run.

Pumping our pistons hard, me and Sierra #3 broke away from our train and took off down the line. We were diverted west, away from Ponyville at top speed.

Me and #3 went faster and faster down the line, doing our damnedest to outrun the cloud which slowly gained. With Thorax in my cab, and the crew of #3 not being pegasi, an idea flew into my funnel.

“Thorax! Grab #3’s crew and get them the hell out of here!” I yelled.

“B-But Edward, what about you?!” Thorax asked, leaning out of my cab.

“I’ll be fine! Just grab the crew and GO!” I barked.

After briefly hesitating, Thorax nodded. “Alright. Be safe, Edward!”

The changeling took off from my cab and grabbed the crew of #3, and the trio disappeared.

I continued on with #3 puffing behind me with the dark lavender cloud nipping at the coupling. The tracks took us west; FAR west, to the furthest reaches of Equestria. We passed by the Furness Railway Museum and went further into Bridlefield.

But as I continued, I began going slower. My boiler pressure began to drop, and my fire began to die.

An infernal sickness filled my boiler as we slowed to a stop. “No…”

It dawned on me that we were out of fuel. I couldn’t move, and neither could #3. We had completely expended every ounce of steam, coal, and water.

And when the cloud hit us, the next few days were nothing but lavender.

When the smoke dissipated, we sat there, unmoving, not knowing what to do. We had no crew, no fuel, no way to send for help. I could see a the Zephyr Mountain Mining Facility far in the distance, perched on a mountaintop, but couldn’t do anything to have them notice us.

So we sat there, waiting.

Days began to pass.

We couldn’t move.

Days turned into weeks.

We couldn’t move.

Weeks turned into months.

The grass around us grew taller, reaching our wheels. We watched hundreds upon thousands of saplings sprout from the ground.

Months turned to years.

What was once a field that belonged to an impressive mining town several miles ahead slowly became a thick forest. The tracks beneath us rusted, but the ballast held firm.

Bushes and trees grew all around us, removing any chance of pegasi spotting us from the air.

Not that they would have been able to, anyway.

Our titanium frames and tungsten boilers held up against nature, allowing us to survive even the harshest elements for long periods of time. It's amazing how well they held up.

There was always a part of me that wished I wasn’t lasting so long. That I could just die and be rid of this hell. I did everything I could to move. To do anything.

Then we started embracing the situation by living in our dreams.

Years turned to c̶e̷n̶t̸u̶r̷i̶e̴s̴.̴.̶.̷

We had accepted our fate and dreamed our dreams.

Never scared of what we’d find.

For it was all just in our mind.

Whatever we encountered could never compare to the things that lived outside.

We had drifted off to sleep, reality a memory.

13: C'est la vie.

“But then,” Edward continues, smiling as he looks at the small group of ponies in front of him. “After 303 years, six young ponies came across us. Two are princesses, two are in law enforcement, and two are simply really good friends.”

The six ponies in front of Edward, weary and weak from sadness, smile.

“And so concludes my story. At least, until I’m in a condition to get into the finer details. Any questions?”

The ponies stare, glancing at each other as they ponder what to say.

“Whuh… What happened to the cloud?” the yellow earth pony named Sunny Starscout asks. “Do you have an idea of what it could’ve been?"

Edward sighs. “I don’t know what it was, but I know who caused it.”

“Who?”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Edward replies, grimly.

Sunny is taken aback. She couldn’t believe the vile statement against the princess she had loved all her life.

“N-N-... No! It couldn’t have been her! She would never do such a thing to Equestria!”

“Twilight was mentally unstable, Sunny,” Edward states in a serious tone. “She couldn’t cope with immortality.”

“Then why did YOU do so well?! A-And what about Celestia? Or Luna? Or Cadance?!”

“She was just different. Practically a foal in an adult body, when all is said and done.”

“Whuh… WHY?!”

“It’s… infuriating, my dear. But when I was in France, I learned a phrase that perfectly encapsulates most matters. C'est la vie. That’s life.”

“And It sucks,” the white multi-colored pegasus named Zipp Storm says.

“Indeed,” Edward replies. “I’m sorry, Sunny. But Twilight isn’t the perfect nation-saving princess you’ve made her out to be. Having been in more than several therapy sessions with her, I can tell you a lot about how she really was. But those will have to be stories for another day. Now. Do any of you have other questions?”

“What did you mean by dreaming your dream?” the red earth pony named Sprout Cloverleaf asks.

“We lived in our dreams, doing whatever we wanted. Creating a perfect Sodor, living out our lives on Sodor like normal, anything we wanted to do, we did. Those were the powers given to us by Princess Luna herself.”

“Huh…”

“What happened to the other princesses? And Thorax?” the violet unicorn named Izzy Moonbow asks.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know. I don’t know where they were when Twilight snapped, and I don’t know where they could’ve gone. Perhaps we can go looking for them sometime in the future.”

“How the hay have you three survived this long?” the pale yellow earth stallion named Hitch Trailblazer asks.

“Good parts. That's about all we can say,” Edward replies. “But frankly, I don’t care how we survived. What matters is that we did.”

“So…” the pink pegasus named Pipp Petals pauses, choosing her words. “What do you want to do now?”

“Well, I think a reseating of all our parts is in order. As is some new oil. And definitely some grease. The bearings will have a fit if we tried moving them after all this time.”

“How the heck do we get you three to a place we can repair you?! We can’t just pull you!” Hitch exclaims.

“Yes you can!” Edward replies. “If you have a steam locomotive, you can fire it up and use that to pull us.”

The looks on the ponies’ faces tell Edward what he needs to know.

“So you don’t have a working train, huh?"

"Well, we do, but they aren't the right gauge," Zipp clarifies.

"In that case, you ponies are strong, aren’t you? Just assemble a team and you can pull us the old-fashioned way.”

The ponies all sigh except for Zipp.

“So, one last thing before we assemble that team…” She points her hoof to the rusty red scrap engine next to Edward. “What in the world is your story? Edward didn’t mention you at all.”

“That was on purpose,” Edward replies. His eyes narrow, and a devilish smirk appears on his face as he glances over at the engine. “Buuuut… We have an extra six hours for another life story, right James?”

The scarlet red engine groans. “At least let me get a washdown first!”

Edward only laughs. "Even after over three hundred years of being in that dirty state of yours, you still care so much about your paint. Then again, if you didn't care about your paint, you wouldn't be James!"

James returns the laugh. "Too true, love."

Edwards purrs in response.

Hitch suddenly groans. "Don't tell me you two actually refer to each other like that..."

Both Edward and James burst out laughing.

"Of course not!" Edward finally replies. "We'd never be that tacky. We talk like any old friends would."

"We just wanted to see how you six would react," James adds, causing Hitch to groan.

"Seven, you mean," Edward says.

"Seven?" James asks, looking at the blue engine.

"Yes. Seven. These six here, plus that blue unicorn mare that's been watching us from the bushes over there for the better part of the morning."

Everypony including James look into the forest, trying to find who Edward is talking about.

"Where is she?" Zipp asks.

"She was just over there! The mare with the kinky hair! Did none of you see her?"

"Edward, we don't see her," James says.

Edward sighs. "Ah well. We can figure it out later."

"Sorry for asking," Zipp begins, " but are you two really in love with each other? Even if that joke you made was, well, a joke, it kind of feels like you are."

"Zipp, science has proven that two people WILL grow closer together if they only have each other to talk to for a long time. We've been stuck with each other for over three hundred. I'd bet my boiler that ANYONE could fall in love in that time."

"...Oh. I guess you're right."

"And Edward was already into men to begin with, so that certainly helped the process," James begrudgingly says.

Edward chuckles. "Now, can one of you go assemble a team to pull us out of this forest? I'd love to see a field before the day is done," Edward says.

"And I'd like my paint cleaned as soon as possible," James adds.

"Tisk Tisk, Rail Rocket."

"Oh go to hell, Old Iron!"

Author's Note

An absolute rollercoaster of a few final parts, but It's done.

Sweet Mother of Luna It's actually done. Just a day before New Year, at the time of writing.

My first ever completed longfic.

God damn does it feel good.

I'm gonna be honest, a big part of me wanted to continue this story. A big part of me really did. But I also don't want to drag this out. I want this to be accessible. And while I could likely set up this ending a lot better with some outside help (I am but a one-pone show, after all), I'm happy with the leadup.

(ALSO I'VE BEEN PLANNING THIS ENDING SINCE THE BEGINNING SO YAY!!!)

Anyway, I really appreciate those that stuck around for this story, even through my atrocious writer's block. It has been a blast to write this and to bring my own version of TTTE x MLP to life.

Whether you're a pony fan, a pony fan that also loves Thomas, or you are a Thomas Fan who has somehow made it onto this site, thank you for the likes, constructive criticism, or just being here to read. I appreciate you all. I hope to bring more stories of an equal or higher caliber than this one to this wonderful site.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I can't wait to hear feedback or thoughts on particular details of the story.

Now then! While I do have a plethora of other stories I want to write, be it the sequel, separate works, or side stories to this one, those stories will have to wait...

...for another day!

0: A small introduction.

I lived on the Island of Sodor. A little island situated within the Irish Sea, between England's Lake District and the Isle of Man.

This island is home to many engines of all shapes and sizes. Express engines, mixed traffic engines such as myself, shunters, steamies, diesels, standard gauge, and narrow gauge, all of them and more. It is considered a safe haven for engines, as our controller, Sir Topham Hatt, always made sure there was a time and place for any engine working the line. Whether it be to shunt trucks, run the mainline or one of the many branchlines, or even take the odd tourist train. Each engine had a job. If they weren't able to do that job, another would fill in and they would be reassigned elsewhere on the island.

Oh, I am sorry, I didn't introduce myself.

I'm Edward. A mixed-traffic 4-4-0 tender engine built in 1891 for the Furness Railway. That's four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and zero trailing wheels. I have a blue coat of paint with three red stripes on my boiler and a yellow number 2 on my tender.

I had many friends on Sodor. In fact, I can't name a single engine on that island whom I wasn't friends with. Friends I cared for, who cared for me, and we always helped each other. The most notable ones I know are Gordon, the express engine, Thomas and Percy, two shunters, Henry, our oldest heavy goods engine, and James. Another mixed-traffic engine like myself.

There were many others, but that's not why you're here today, is it? You want to know how I found myself in Equestria. This strange, literally magical land of Equestria.

I'll tell you how.