Of Mares and Machines

by Razalon The Lizardman

Chapter 12

Mavis’ last day in Equestria was as routine as all the rest: get up, shower, eat breakfast with the Apples and complete the morning chores. But the excitement of finally returning home and getting her wheels back stayed at the forefront of her mind the whole time. She tried not to think about how her upcoming meeting with the Fat Controller would turn out, not wanting to have to worry about it right now. She still took extra care not to act out of line or get into trouble.

It was afternoon when it came time to leave for the train station. Mavis exchanged goodbyes with the Apples while they waited for Twilight to arrive. They all commended her for her hard work and diligence and told her she was welcome on Sweet Apple Acres if she ever came back to Equestria. But there was one thing she had to do before leaving.

She pulled Big Mac aside when Granny Smith and Apple Bloom went back inside the house and Applejack was waiting by the front gate for Twilight. He didn’t speak as she led him, but the knowing glint in his eye made it clear he knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. She stopped once they were out of sight around the barn and turned to face him, forcing her eyes to meet his against her discomfort.

“I have a crush on you, Big Mac,” she said, getting straight to the point. “Or, rather, I had one, but I don’t want to have one anymore if that’s okay with you.”

Big Mac smiled and nodded his head. “Eeyup.”

It felt like a massive load of trucks was uncoupled from Mavis with that statement. She sighed with relief and replied with, “Thank you.”

“You know, I had a crush on you from the moment I saw you, too,” Big Mac said.

Mavis was surprised. “Really?”

Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup. But I realized it wouldn’t work out pretty darn quick, so I got over it. Glad to see you did too.”

Mavis felt heat come into her cheeks again. Big Mac chuckled.

“I still like you, though,” he continued. “You’re strong, dependable and good-hearted. You bein’ a train don’t mean we can’t still be good friends.”

Mavis was confused by that. “How can we be friends if we’re in different worlds?”

Big Mac raised his hoof and pressed it against her chest, earning a startled gasp from her. “S’long as you keep me here, we can be friends no matter where we are.”

Mavis was even more confused now. “My… heart?”

Big Mac nodded.

“But I don’t have a heart as a diesel engine.”

Big Mac shook his head. “Maybe not one for pumpin’ blood, but all livin’ things have a heart. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have any friends back home.”

Thinking over his words, Mavis thought she understood what he was saying. She didn’t see her fellow engines very often, but she still had them in her thoughts when they were away. Calling that ‘having a heart’ was strange, but she intended to keep Big Mac in her thoughts even back at Ffarquhar, even if those thoughts had nothing to do with marriage and having foals. Speaking of which…

“I have another question: What does ‘having foals’ mean?”

Big Mac’s eyes bulged and his cheeks turned pink. Unintelligible rubbish spewed from his mouth for a few seconds before he shook himself. Mavis recoiled from the brief, indignant display, but relaxed once he regained his composure.

“That ain’t nothin’ you oughta worry about, Mavis. Trust me, yer better off not knowing since yer gonna be an engine again soon.”

That did nothing to sate Mavis’ curiosity, much to her annoyance, but she didn’t press the question, deciding to trust Big Mac. She nodded her understanding.

“Well, I reckon Twilight’s gonna be here soon,” Big Mac said. “Better go wait by the front gate for her.”

Mavis nodded again and turned back the direction they came. Before she turned the corner out of sight, she stopped to give Big Mac a wave goodbye and a sincere smile, both of which he returned.

She re-joined Applejack by the front gate and the two of them waited for Twilight to arrive. The alicorn princess arrived a short while later, but she didn’t come alone— Fluttershy was with her.

“Hello, Applejack. Mavis,” Twilight said, addressing them both. “Are you ready to go?”

Mavis nodded.

“Yep,” Applejack replied and looked to Fluttershy. “You ain’t busy, ‘Shy?’

The pegasus shook her head. “I really wanted to say goodbye to Mavis.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Mavis replied, genuinely touched.

“Well, let’s not waste any time,” Twilight said. “The train leaves in about forty-five minutes and it’ll take us about thirty to make it there so long as we don’t get distracted. Then it’ll take us about five to collect our tickets, another five if any of us need to use the little filly’s room, so the remaining five is our margin for error that we need to—”

“Heya, Twi?”

Twilight looked to Applejack. “Yes?”

“Didn’t you jus’ say we shouldn’t waste time?”

Twilight looked confused. “... Yes?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

Realization quickly dawned on Twilight and her cheeks turned pink. “Eheh, sorry.”

Applejack laughed and Fluttershy giggled. Mavis didn’t understand what was happening but decided to giggle as well for the sake of fitting in.

Twilight threw a hoof over her eyes as if trying to hide from them. “Let’s just go.”

---

The Ponyville train station was nowhere near as crowded as the Canterlot platform was about a week ago. Small groups of ponies milled about, chatting with friends or standing silently while porters pushed along trolleys carrying luggage. The Friendship Express hadn’t yet arrived by the time Mavis’ group arrived. They collected their tickets from the booth and gathered at a spot near the middle of the platform. With the small number of ponies on the platform, the air was filled with very little noise, which allowed the four of them to easily converse with each other.

“Excited, Mavis?” Applejack asked.

Mavis turned to her. “What about?”

“Getting to ride on the train again.”

“A little.” In truth, she hadn’t been thinking about that fact until now, but now a welcome bit of excited anticipation began building within her. “I never get to pull coaches like the other engines, so it’s less special for me.”

“Maybe if you visit again we can arrange for you to replace the Friendship Express?” Twilight suggested half-jokingly.

“Ponies would find it really freaky to see a talking train, though,” Applejack pointed out.

“True.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Mavis assured them. “Pulling trucks is my favorite thing to do, but coaches are too big and heavy for me.”

“You sayin’ you’re weak?” Applejack questioned.

“I can pull trucks easily enough, but I wasn’t built for long journeys pulling passenger trains,” Mavis explained. “But that’s fine; I like working in the quarry. A good run along the coast is nice every now and then, though, but I’m most happy to be at home.”

“I can relate,” Fluttershy said softly, but that was all she said, and no one prodded her further.

Finally, after some time, smoke began rising from distant treetops, signaling the arrival of the Friendship Express. Ponies stopped doing what they were doing and gathered near the edge of the platform with all their carry-on luggage. The train came around a bend into sight, drawing closer and whistling as it neared the station. It rolled in loudly, stopping perfectly aligned with the platform. A few minutes went by while the crew completed the required post-journey protocol before opening the doors to allow the passengers to disembark. They streamed from the coaches, spreading out along the platform to wait for their luggage which started being unloaded from the coaches’ storage compartments and rolled out on trolleys.

“Well, this is goodbye,” Fluttershy said to Mavis.

Mavis nodded. “Thanks for letting me help you,” she said. “And I… I’m sorry again about all the trouble I caused.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Everything you did to help more than makes up for it,” she assured her. Fluttershy then reached over and grasped Mavis in a firm hug, startling her at first before she returned the gesture. Mavis felt Applejack and Twilight join in the hug as well— she wondered if that could be seen as undignified by everypony around them?

The four of them held the hug for a short while, eventually breaking away when they heard the guard blow his whistle and shout, “All aboard! Have your tickets ready!”

Fluttershy waved goodbye to Twilight, Applejack, and Mavis as they got in line to board the train. Twilight held the tickets in her magic, passing them to the guard once they reached him. He checked them over before giving them back with a nod and allowing them to board. They climbed on board the train one after another and took the only row containing three open seats next to each other, near the rear of the coach.

A few minutes later the train’s whistle blew. The three ponies waved goodbye to Fluttershy through the seat’s window, who waved in turn as the train set off down the line.

“Almost home, Mavis,” Applejack said, settling into her seat.

Mavis replied with a soft smile and a nod, her gaze rooted to the passing landscape outside. Trees and rocks whizzed past in a blur as the train picked up speed. Mavis wondered how it would feel to stick her head out the window and feel the air rushing through her mane. She would’ve tried to open the window if she knew how to, but she didn’t, so she put it out of her mind and contented herself with watching the passing scenery. She should relish the experience of being a passenger as much as she could, after all, since she didn’t know whether or not she’d ever get a chance to do so again.

It was about a half hour into the trip that Applejack said her name to get Mavis’ attention. She turned to see Applejack and Twilight looking eagerly at her.

“Is something wrong?” Mavis asked them.

“Well, this is probably going to be our last chance to chat,” Twilight explained. “And there’s so much more we would love to know about Sodor!”

“You can’t satisfy this one’s curiosity,” Applejack teased, earning a playful glare from Twilight.

Mavis frowned. “I’ve already told you all about my life on Sodor; I don’t have anything else to say.”

“Even little things could be interesting,” Twilight said. “And… well, I understand you’re not as worldly as some of your friends are. I can’t go to Sodor freely to learn anything more, so you’re my only viable source of information right now.”

Mavis thought for a long while about anything else she could tell Twilight about Sodor that was interesting. That was hard since she didn’t know what could qualify as interesting, but she still tried her best.

“... Sorry, I can’t think of anything,” she finally replied.

Twilight’s head drooped. “Okay, I understand.”

Mavis felt bad for Twilight. “I’d like to learn more about you!” she quickly said, hoping it would cheer her up. “If that’s alright with you, of course.”

Twilight seemed to perk up a little.

Applejack nodded. “Well, there’s a lot we could say that we didn’t last week.” She tapped her chin in thought. “What to say…?”

“Oh! We never told her about Discord!” Twilight said suddenly.

Mavis was happy at first to see Twilight cheering up but then got a little spooked when her muzzle split into a cheeky grin. She’d learned that to mean something was going to happen at her own expense.

“Oh yeah!” Applejack laughed. “I wanna see her reaction to that! It’s a darn shame he’s been away for the past couple o’ weeks.”

“What are you talking about?” Mavis asked, feeling uneasy.

Twilight stared at her intently. Shadows seemed to come over her eyes, giving it a spooky vibe that sent shivers down Mavis’ spine.

“You hate confusion and delay, don’t you, Mavis?” she said darkly.

Mavis nodded shakily.

“Imagine a being whose entire purpose is making things difficult and disorderly. A being who would make clocks tick backward on a whim, or would make rails loop endlessly. A being who delights in being condescending and acting like he’s your superior in every way, who will, quite literally, talk your ears off. How does that sound, Mavis?”

Mavis was quivering by now. She tried to give a reply, but all that came out was a pitiful squeak. She tried again, succeeding with, “It sounds scary.”

Applejack drew her face right next to Twilight’s, adopting a similar sinister expression as the alicorn. “That being exists right here in Equestria, Mavis. An’ we never know when he’ll pop up and cause trouble. If he decided to pop in right now, we might be hours late to arriving in Canterlot.”

Mavis was shaking like a leaf now. Fear consumed her entire being and she let out another pitiful squeak.

Twilight and Applejack bore into her with their striking, sinister gazes. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, their gazes brightened and they doubled over laughing. Mavis blinked, her composure returning as she tried to process the sudden mood shift. Ponies in front of them cast back disapproving glances. Mavis stared at the laughing mares for a short while before eventually joining the other passengers, her eyebrows furrowing and teeth gritting upon the realization they had merely been teasing her. She didn’t like that.

“Stop,” she commanded crossly.

Twilight and Applejack finally settled down and sat straight up in their seats, waving her off. “Sorry. Sorry, Sugarcube,” Applejack said while steadying her breathing. Then another laugh suddenly burst forth from her mouth. “The look on your face was priceless!”

Mavis huffed and turned away from them, returning her attention to the passing scenery outside. The mountain on which Canterlot was built could be seen far off in the distance; they still had a fair ways to go.

Applejack reached over and patted Mavis’ withers. “C’mon now, Mavis, we were jus’ playin’ around. It’s all in good fun.”

Mavis turned around, shooting her a disapproving glare. Applejack caught on to her silent communication and retracted her hoof, but kept smiling.

“Sorry if we went a little too far, Mavis,” Twilight apologized. “But Applejack’s right; it’s all in good fun.”

“It wasn’t fun for me,” Mavis said softly.

“That’s teasing in a nutshell, but it’s what friends do,” Applejack said.

Friends were supposed to tease each other? That was new to Mavis. If it was true, then she would’ve been Toby’s very best friend with how often she teased him. That was laughable at best.

“Were you just making that stuff up?” Mavis asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No, there really is someone like that: His name is Discord.”

“He don’t live in Ponyville, though,” Applejack added. “An’ even when he comes around ta give us grief, he knows better than to make ponies’ lives miserable nowadays. Us and our friends put a stop to that when we reformed him a little while ago.”

Mavis wasn’t feeling too good even after their assurances. Twilight must have seen it in her face as she said, “Why don’t we talk about something else, then?”

Mavis was all too happy to do that. “If I ever get to come back, could I see more of Equestria?” she asked.

“Sure,” Twilight said. “Although, you wouldn’t be able to see much from the rails. Many of the best sights in Equestria are located away from the railway, so you’d need legs.”

“That’s okay,” Mavis said. “I prefer my wheels.”

“You haven’t warmed up to your legs?” Applejack asked playfully.

“I’m proud to be an engine,” Mavis stated. “I’ll be happy to stay on the rails.”

“It’ll be a little hard to pull off,” Applejack said warily. “Like I said, ponies ain’t isn’t used to the idea o’ talkin’ trains.”

“It’ll probably be a long time before the existence of the Singularity becomes general knowledge,” Twilight added.

“I’ll be around for a long time,” Mavis said with a smile. “As long as I can keep being useful, I don’t need to worry about being turned to scrap.”

“Well, you certainly proved yourself this past week,” Applejack remarked. “If you’re plannin’ on staying useful for another thirty or forty years or more, I’d believe it.”

“Me too,” Twilight said.

The three of them fell into a series of casual conversations about random things afterward. They shared many smaller stories about things that happened in their lives with each other, but more often than not Mavis found the ponies’ own stories far more interesting than they found her repetitive tales of bumping trucks and teasing Toby. It all helped to lift Mavis’ spirits a great deal. She hadn’t forgotten that Applejack was going to tell the Fat Controller about all the trouble she’d gotten into during her time in Equestria, but being with her new pony friends like this, talking and laughing, took her mind off of it and allowed her to enjoy her last few hours in this world without any worries.

She couldn’t think of a better end to her week-long ‘punishment’.

---

The Friendship Express rolled into Canterlot Station right on time at one o’ clock; Mavis was impressed by how orderly and on-time the Equestrian railway system had proven to be. Maybe it had to do with how small it was compared to Sodor which would mean less room for confusion and delay. That was the last thing she needed on her last day here.

The coach doors opened once the arrival procedure was complete, allowing the passengers to spill out onto the platform, which itself was packed with ponies and the air filled with their chatter. Mavis followed directly behind Twilight and Applejack as they navigated through the crowd, coming out near the entrance to the train station.

“There’s always a big crowd here,” Applejack remarked.

“Canterlot is the capital of Equestria,” Twilight agreed.

Mavis could only look at the large crowds and wonder how happy the Friendship Express would be to have so many passengers if it was alive.

“Well, we don’t have to be back at Tidmouth until about one-thirty, so we’ve got a little time to kill,” Twilight said. “Would you like to see the city sights, Mavis? This may be your last chance to do so for a long time.”

“I would like that very much,” Mavis said with a smile.

They took off down the main street leading away from the train station. Mavis craned her neck every which way, taking in all the strange yet interesting sights of Canterlot for a second time. The city was just as lively and colourful as it was the first time, with ponies chatting and going about their daily activities everywhere she looked. Now that she was here again, though, she was starting to think the buildings here, while awe-inspiringly tall, were too queer for her liking. The simple thatched and wooden cottages of Ponyville were more appealing, though, she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because they closely matched her yellow livery.

Mavis listened intently as Twilight pointed out various landmarks that they passed while giving elaborate descriptions of each one, oftentimes forcing Applejack to step in and tell her to ‘keep it simple’. She couldn’t understand the significance of most of the stuff Twilight described: a ‘museum’ was where ‘art’ was kept and a ‘library’ housed a lot of ‘books’. Twilight seemed extremely eager to talk about the library, especially, whereas Applejack kept playfully rolling her eyes at her friend’s enthusiasm.

“Doesn’t this annoy you?” Mavis whispered to her as Twilight prattled on.

“You get used to it after a while,” Applejack whispered back. “Honestly, it’s pretty amusing to see her go on like this, forgettin’ who she’s talkin’ to.”

Mavis had no idea how that could be true.

They’d traversed a good portion of the city, taking many turns and venturing down many side streets before Twilight announced it was time to get a move on. They turned in the direction of Canterlot Castle which was easy to spot as it towered over the rooftops of every other building. Its incredible size wasn’t as awe-inspiring as it was a week ago to Mavis, but upon realizing how much work would’ve gone into constructing it, she was impressed all over again. It was buildings like these that were built from the stones extracted from Ffarquhar Quarry; that always made Mavis feel important. She hoped that whoever had built the castle felt the same way.

The three of them made it to the castle in good time. They made their way across the drawbridge and up to the front gate where a pair of royal guards stood on either side.

“Good afternoon, sirs,” Twilight said as they approached them.

“Hello, Miss Twilight,” one of them said. “Go right on in.”

“Thank you.”

The three of them entered the castle without a hitch. This was yet another thing that made Mavis feel important and helped distract her from the upcoming encounter at Tidmouth.

They came into the castle foyer and a pegasus guard off to the side trotted up to meet them.

“Private Gale Strike, your highness,” he said, bowing before Twilight. “I’ve been instructed to escort you to the throne room.”

Mavis saw Twilight roll her eyes at the display before she said, “Lead the way, then.”

Gale Strike stood up and nodded, turning around. The three of them followed behind.

Mavis fell into step next to Twilight. “Why did he bow to you?” she whispered to her.

“That’s what happens when you become a princess; everyone treats you like you’re above them,” Twilight explained, her mouth set in a frustrated frown. “It’s the worst part about being a princess, honestly.”

Now that was something Mavis couldn’t hope to comprehend. How could being important ever be a bad thing?

Gale Strike led them briskly through the castle, eventually bringing them to the throne room’s double doors. He knocked and the doors were enveloped in golden magic and pulled open. Gale Strike bade them enter, which they did. The doors shut behind them as they tread the long red carpet leading up to the throne and Princess Celestia sitting upon it.

“Hello Twilight,” she greeted in that soft, caring tone Mavis remembered from a week ago as they approached. “I trust you had a safe and pleasant trip?”

Twilight nodded. “Yep. Thanks for paying for both train rides, Princess.”

“You’re most welcome,” Celestia replied before turning her attention to Applejack and Mavis. “It’s good to see you’re looking healthy and happy, Mavis. How did this last week fare?”

“Hoowee, Princess,” Applejack said, taking off her hat and fanning herself as if she was suddenly hot, “a whole lotta stuff happened is how it fared. More than I ever thought would’a happened when I agreed ta this.”

“Really?” Celestia said, intrigued. “Well, I’m all ears if you’re willing to say.”

Applejack proceeded to give the princess a simplified rundown of everything that had happened over the past week. Mostly, she stuck to commending Mavis for all her hard work on the farm, but she didn’t hesitate to talk about Mavis’ misbehaviour, albeit without much detail. All she really said was that Mavis had a knack for letting her childish ideas make her do silly and dangerous things without mentioning the fact that she got turned to stone by a cockatrice. She did hint at Mavis’ crush on Big Mac, saying she “had some unexpected feelings for my brother”; the emphasis she put on ‘feelings’ was all Celestia needed to hear to understand what Applejack was saying, much to Mavis’ humiliation.

“It sounds like you had quite the experience, Mavis,” Celestia said, looking to her with a gentle gaze. “Would you say you enjoyed your week-long stay in Equestria?”

Mavis nodded. “It was more pleasant than I thought it would be to lose my wheels.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Celestia said, flaring her wings. “Consider yourself welcome to visit Equestria whenever you are allowed to.”

“Thank you, Princess,” Mavis replied, smiling.

Celestia stepped off her throne. “Now then, let’s get you back to Sodor.”

Celestia led the group out of the throne room and to the supply room where the Window was housed. She nodded to the guards on either side and they acknowledged the greeting. A key popped out of thin air in front of Celestia, surrounded in her magic. She used it to unlock the door, opening it to reveal the Window. Twilight, Applejack, and Mavis stepped up to it.

“Bye, Princess!” Twilight said, waving a wing.

“See you again in a little while!” Applejack said, waving a hoof.

Mavis didn’t say anything, merely waving a hoof as well.

Celestia waved goodbye in return. “Take care. And Mavis?”

“Yes?”

“Tell Sir Topham Hatt that any of his engines he decides to send over from here on out will be met with open hooves.”

“I’ll tell him!” Mavis promised. She assumed ‘open hooves’ meant ‘welcome’.

The three of them stepped through the Window into the Singularity. Going from the dimly lit supply closet to the infinite expanse of white was a little jarring to Mavis. Just like last week, she spotted dozens of other Windows littered around the otherwise empty space. Now she fully realized the significance of this place. Going through Windows could lead to worlds as strange and frightening, yet interesting, as Equestria. She would never admit it to anyone, but that was more important than she, or any other engine for that matter, would ever be. Maybe even more important than the Fat Controller, which both fascinated and terrified her.

“Alright, where is the nearest Guide…?” Twilight murmured, turning her head around this way and that. “Aha! There’s one!” She trotted over to the same floating, darkly-coloured set of spheres Mavis remembered from last week a small distance away. “We wish to go to the Island of Sodor, please.”

The Guide lifted its spheres. A small point of black in the distance in Mavis’ eye’s corner began growing larger and larger, forming a rectangular shape. She quickly realized this was a Window that was situated very far away and appeared to grow bigger because it was coming closer at Express speed. In no less than three seconds it halted, coming to a perfect standstill right in front of the group.

“Thank you,” Twilight told the Guide.

“Why were the two Windows so far apart this time?” Applejack asked. “Do they not stay in the same place?”

Twilight was silent for a moment, thinking before she spoke. “This place was created by a higher power. By higher beings. This place exists purely for their amusement and we’re their performers. We’ll never know the ins and outs of why what happens here happens the way it does.” She turned around and winked, flashing them a smile. “And I’m okay with that.”

“Really?” Applejack laughed. “Guess there really is a first time for everythin’!”

“Trust me, Applejack, we’d have better luck figuring out how Pinkie Pie works than even coming close to uncovering the mysteries of this place.”

“Now that’s a bold statement if I’ve ever heard one.”

The two friends shared a good laugh after that. Mavis would’ve loved to join in, but right now the only thing on her mind was getting back through the Window so she could get her wheels back. She remained patient, though, waiting for the ponies to stop and following them through the Window once they did.

The Window was still covered by the tarp from last week. They lifted it up and stepped out into Tidmouth Shed. It was completely empty right now, which made sense since every engine would be off working in the Yard or pulling coaches or goods trains or various other odd jobs around the railway about now. The gravel crunched under their hooves as they made their way across the ground to the nearest set of tracks. Mavis reached up and rubbed her hooves against the buffers. She’d almost forgotten what they felt like and even now they felt strange under the bottom of her hoof. But the sight of them alone was enough to make Mavis feel happy.

They stood around, waiting for the Fat Controller to arrive but not talking much. Every now and then, Twilight or Applejack would make a comment about some aspect of the shed like how enormous it was. At one point they asked her how cozy it was to sleep in.

“I’ve never slept here in Tidmouth,” Mavis clarified. “My shed is back in Ffarquhar; it’s comfortable, but getting locked up inside for days is horrible.” She shuddered.

“Hopefully you won’t have to go through that again,” Applejack said.

Mavis certainly hoped she wouldn’t.

A few minutes later the side door opened and the Fat Controller slipped inside, followed up by Mavis’ driver and her manager, and strode over to the ponies. Mavis’ driver was looking cheerful, but her manager and the Fat Controller were more serious. Mavis felt her stomach start to act up. This was it, she thought. She tried her best to push down her rising fear and put on a warm, welcoming smile.

“It’s good to see you’re unharmed, Mavis,” the Fat Controller said to her, speaking in a plain tone. “I hope you were good to these ponies.”

“She certainly made life interestin’ for us all right,” Applejack said. “She had a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but I think overall you’ll like what we have to say.”

Mavis’ manager nodded. “We’re all ears, then.”

Applejack proceeded to give a repeat of her earlier rundown to Celestia about the past week’s events, except this time she didn’t hold back any details. Every significant thing that Mavis had done, both good and bad, was relayed to the three men. They seemed impressed at first as Applejack told them about how hard-working Mavis was and what a big help she ended up being. When she started talking about Mavis’ adventures in the Everfree, however, they were visibly shocked. Mavis was tempted to shy away from their gazes, but she held firm and kept her eyes locked onto theirs’. Applejack next started talking about how Mavis volunteered to help their friend Fluttershy with her animals. This seemed to lift their spirits a little, but they then were beyond horrified to learn Mavis got turned into stone by a cockatrice, but Applejack was quick to assure them that the only reason it happened was because Mavis was concerned for Fluttershy and that she was very brave to venture into the Everfree to try to find her friend. Mavis couldn’t read their faces at all by the end as they didn’t seem to know whether they wanted to be happy, cross, or some combination of the two.

“... And that brings us to now,” Applejack finished. She looked between the three of them. “Anything else you three wanna know?”

The three men looked to each other, their faces growing serious. “We need to talk this over,” the Fat Controller said to the ponies. “Please wait right here.”

The three of them retreated to a spot close to the opposite side of the shed out of the ponies’ earshot and began conversing.

“That went well,” Twilight said, smiling.

Mavis looked confused at her. “They didn’t look pleased at all.”

“But they weren’t furious with you, either,” Twilight said. “That means there’s a chance they’ll give you your job back.”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said. “My gut’s tellin’ me they will, in fact. Just you watch.”

That was confusing. “Your gut talks to you?” Mavis asked.

Applejack chuckled. “Figure of speech, Sugarcube.”

They waited for a few minutes while the three men talked. Mavis felt her heartbeat increase and stomach roll over. This was it. Either she’d be changed back into her true self, or she’d be locked up in the shed forever, or even turned to scrap. As bad as thinking about those last two possible outcomes was, waiting for the men's final decision was even worse. It was a huge relief to her when they stopped talking and made their way back over to the ponies.

Mavis was instantly drawn to their faces to see how they were feeling. They looked plain. That didn’t help her feel any better; at least if they were cross Mavis would know to act scared, or relieved if they were smiling. As it was, her heartbeat became nearly unbearable; she’d be glad to turn back into a diesel and be rid of it altogether.

“We’ve talked it over,” Mavis’ manager said. “And we’ve reached a decision.”

A sudden impulse forced Mavis to hold her breath against her wishes, but she didn’t release it, her mind preoccupied with listening to him. Applejack and Twilight looked a lot calmer and composed than she was feeling, which made her incredibly jealous.

“You’ve been very brave and courageous, Mavis, judging from what Miss Applejack has told us,” the Fat Controller told her, his tone firm but respectful. “Brave to the point of foolishness from the sounds of it. I cannot have that on my railway.”

Mavis glumly hung her head. “Yes sir,” she said softly. This was it; she was going to be turned to scrap.

“But,” he continued, drawing Mavis’ gaze back up to him where she was surprised to see him smiling, “an engine that cares for those around them certainly is welcome on my railway, especially one that’s as hard-working as you.”

A spark of hope lit up in Mavis’ chest. “Sir, does that mean…?”

“The quarry hasn’t been the same without you,” Mavis’ manager cut in, smiling as well. “I look forward to seeing you at work tomorrow.”

Mavis’ heartbeat returned to normal. For the first time today, she felt genuinely happy. “Thank you, sir,” she breathed. “I’ll work harder than ever, I promise.”

“I look forward to it as well,” the Fat Controller said. He turned to Twilight. “All that’s left is to change her back.”

“Right away, Sir Hatt,” Twilight said. “Mavis, go stand in between the rails. And make sure you get as close to the middle as you possibly can.”

Mavis did as instructed. It took about a minute to center herself between the rails, but she was positive she was correctly positioned.

“Pull your hooves together,” Twilight said.

Mavis did as instructed again.

“Okay, here we go.”

Twilight’s horn was quickly enveloped in lavender magic and she pointed it at Mavis. A flash of lavender light burst forth from the tip, washing over Mavis and blinding everyone. Mavis heard the men cry in mild surprise at the sudden flash as she closed her eyes.

The sensation of being transformed back into a diesel was just as indescribable as being changed into a pony and every bit as non-painful, but this time she wasn’t afraid; she was eager to change back. A tingle shot through her entire body and she felt it start to expand and harden. All the sensations she felt as a pony was replaced by the familiar, welcome ones she’d grown to love for her entire life: the thirst for good oil, her sturdy-built frame, and especially the wheels which, thankfully, set upon the rails on either side of her without issue. She felt absolutely splendid!

The strange feeling of being transformed gradually faded away. Mavis waited a few seconds before opening her eyes. She’d grown so used to only being at eye level with the ponies that she was taken aback to see them standing below her, having to cast her gaze down in order to see everyone. They stared back up at her with appreciative smiles; her driver especially, who looked eager to hop in her cab and drive her away.

“How are you feeling, Mavis?” he asked.

“Ready for a good run,” Mavis replied without any hesitation.

“I’ll leave you to that, Driver,” the Fat Controller said. “Make me proud, Mavis,” he finished warmly.

“Of course, sir,” Mavis replied. “Oh, by the way, Princess Celestia asked me to tell you she would welcome any other engines you send through with open hooves.”

The Fat Controller nodded in understanding. “That’s good. I believe this program will be greatly beneficial to us both.”

“I’m sure it will,” Applejack said. “And with that, I’m thinkin’ it’s about time we head back home, Twilight.” She started walking towards the Window.

“Agreed,” Twilight said and followed after her. “Bye, everyone!” She waved her hoof goodbye and Applejack did so too.

The humans waved goodbye as well as the ponies lifted the tarp up and disappeared under it.

“And with that, we must be off as well,” the Fat Controller said. “The construction crew will be arriving shortly to cover up the Window and I’ll need to supervise them to make sure they don’t see it.”

“I wish you luck with that, sir,” Mavis’ manager said.

The two of them waved goodbye to Mavis and her driver as they left through the side door.

“Time we got you back to Ffarquhar,” Mavis’ driver said, climbing up into her cab. “Best let you rest today after everything you went through this past week. You need to be in good health for tomorrow.”

“I’d like that very much,” Mavis said.

“So, did you enjoy your holiday in Equestria?” he asked as he prepped her.

“I did.” Calling it a holiday was a huge stretch, but she did enjoy it. More than anything, though, she was glad to be back home on the Island of Sodor.

The End

Author's Note:

Comments

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

This was a great story! You totally need to make a sequel to it! Maybe do it with James or Gordon next!

[howard035]

You did a great job blending two distinct narrative voices.

[Emerald Omen]

As someone who writes both My Little Pony FanFiction, and Thomas and Friends FanFiction, I was curious about this story. And now that I've completed it, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed it! It's a really cool idea, and was well executed. Well done!