> Life of the Whistle
>  by SteamingWhistle382
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The visit of the reporter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A reporter of the Ponyville gazette was slowly walking along a dirt road towards an small house, far away from the main part of the town. It was a small, two story tall house, with a small garden behind it, and a small building surrounded by tall grass a little way away from it. It also looked quite abandoned, with the woodwork in a state of disrepair, and the fence surrounding the house being damaged at some places. Placed everywhere around the house were many different objects, all of which had a connection to the railways. It ranged from lamps, signs and tools, to baggage trolleys, and even an old handcar, standing still and silent in the garden, on an isolated piece of track. The reporter slowly made his way to the door of the house, knocking at it, and waiting for something to happen. 

"Um, hello?" She said, hoping to get an answer. 

"Mr. Whistle! I'm from the Ponyville gazette! I'm here because of the interview!" The woman said, as from behind the door, the sound of a lock opening could be heard, as the door was opened, giving view of an elderly man with dark gray hair, that looked like it had soots and ashes in it. He wore old, worn out glasses, and had a gray beard. But the most notable thing on him was the old, worn out railway uniform with an even older, worn out leather railway hat, that sat on his head. He squeezed his eyes in a frown, eyeing the woman all over. 

"Come in." He grumbled, as he turned away from the door, letting the woman inside. 

The house was, opposite to the rundown appearance from the outside, in quite a well kept state. They walked through a small corridor towards an room which probably was the working room of the man. The woman looked around while walking, looking into the other rooms of the house, seeing that the furniture was well kept, although it looked like most of it hadn't been used for quite a while. They reached their destination and both of them got inside. The room was fairly big, with a small workbench in one part, on which several dismantled and partly rebuild toy trains stood, while in another part, a large array of bookshelf stood, most of the books concerning the topic of railway engineering, the history of railways of Equestria, and the history of railways in general. They moved to a small table, that was surrounded by a couch and four chairs, two opposite the couch and one on each end. Above the couch hung many framed pictures and newspaper articles, the pictures having many different locomotives on them, but one loco would always be found: a rustic looking, 4-6-0 tender engine, with the number '382' painted onto the tender in white. The newspaper articles had a young man in them, who was either accompanying the princesses, with an girl that was about the same age as he was on the pictures, or on his own, with headlines reading famous engineer breaking world record or 'the whistle' promoted into royal services. While scanning over the many different articles, the woman noticed one article that stood out the most. It was also the oldest one handing on the wall, already having several ripping and water marks. On it was the picture of an derailed locomotive, with the picture of an string of passenger coaches on a deserted track, which seamed to have been mangled where the front of the first coach stood. The headline of the article was most surprising for the reporter. Cannonball express wrecked! Driver saves passengers, nearly loses his life. 

"Take a seat." The man said, as he sat into the chair next to the couch. The reporter took a seat on said couch and pulled out a quill and a notebook. 

"Thank you for taking the time for the interview, Mr. Whistle." 

"Steaming." Corrected the man. 

"What?" 

"My family name is Steaming. But because the name Whistle Steaming sounded so bad, I and everybody else got used to call me by my second name, before my first." He explained. 

"I see..." Muttered the woman, scribbling onto the notebook. 

"Anyways, I've come here to talk about your carrier for the railway." Smiled the reporter. 

"I guessed so much. It isn't much worth mentioning though..." Said the retired engineer with modesty. 

"Not many engineers can call more than 40 years of dedicated service, with nearly half of it as royal engineer for the princesses, and with such an spotless record as you have." Said the reporter. 

"It isn't that spotless..." Muttered the engineer sadly. 

"For the time you have worked on the railways, it sure is." Said the woman kindly. 

"But there are some blank spots in your history that aren't filled out yet. I had hoped you could help me answer some questions that were often given to us." Continued the reporter. 

"Well, you took some of your time off to come all the way out here to talk with me about my past, I guess it's only fair if I answer your question. I haven't planned on doing anything today anyways..." Smiled the railwayman, but muttering the final part to himself. 

"Great! Then let us begin." Grinned the woman, as she grabbed her notebook. 

"At first, there always was the question of your early days for the railway. There aren't any clear records of those times until the faithful run with the Cannonball Express." 

"Ah yes, my early years. Well, it all really started when I was a little boy..."
> first encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

1901, Canterlot, orphanage on the outskirts of the city 



"YOU LITTLE BRAT HAVE CAUSE ME ENOUGH TROUBLE! I WILL NO LONGER KEEP UP WITH YOUR SHENANIGANS!" Bellowed a angry man at a young boy with worn out work clothes and black hair, who was shaking violently. 

"P-p-please sir! I won't cause you any more problems, I promise!" Quivered the boy. 

"DAMN RIGHT YOU WONT! CAUSE YOU WONT BE HERE TO MAKE ANY!" He shouted, and grabbed the boy via his magic by the neck, opened the door and threw him out! 

"AND STAY THERE!" He shouted, and closed the door with a bang! 

The boy, a 8 year old Steaming Whistle, was picking himself up from the ground. He threw an angry glare at the orphanage he called his home for as long as he remembered. 

'Good riddance!' He thought, as he started to walk down the empty streets. It was late in the evening, but he knew his way around. He slowly moved to an older district of the city, where many of the buildings were already closed and abandoned. He walked to an small building which was nailed shut, but that didn't stop him. He walked to one of the wooden planks and pulled it open, making enough space for him to crawl through. It was a lot darker inside, since there weren't any sources of light, but he was there so many times now that he could nearly walk around blind. He passed some old boxes that had been made into makeshift chairs, with an bigger on as a table. He continued to walk through the building till he heard someone sneaking up to him. 

"Don't even try it Emerald." Said the child without turning around. 

"Spoilsport." Came the reply as another boy with similar work clothes and black hair that had a green streak through it came up beside him. 

"What are you doing here?" Asked Emerald. 

"The old bastard threw me out. Said I caused too much trouble." Shrugged the black haired boy. 

"Well, we did started that fire in the factory..." 

"We only wanted to put more pressure on the boiler." 

"And then helped it spread through the whole building..." 

"We couldn't know that was petroleum in that bucket." 

"And caused the manager to lose that brand new dress he bought for his wife..." 

"Say, on which side were you again?" Grumbled Steaming with narrowed eyes. 

"I duno, always the side with the better cards." Shrugged the boy. 

"And what are you going to do now?" Asked Emerald. 

"At first, I'm going to take a good nights sleep, I'm pretty tired. And tomorrow, we'll see further." 

"Alright, the 'guest bed' is always free for you." Smirked the kid, as he pointed to an old looking mattress that was lying on the ground. 

"Still better than what the old man at the orphanage had." Smirked the young boy, as he walked to the mattress and threw himself on it. 

"Good night, Steaming Whistle." 

"Good night, Emerald Heart." 



The next morning, they woke up bright and early, a habit they learned when they worked in the iron foundries. They slowly walked through the busy streets of the industrial part of Canterlot. While they did had some water to drink that morning, thanks to Emerald who rebuild the drain pipe to act as a water collector, both he and Steaming had another problem, as their stomachs grumbled loudly. 

"If we ever want to find some work, we need to get some food in us first, or we won't have any strength to do so." Chuckled Emerald, as they reached the main marked place. It was pretty big, with many people walking about buying fresh products or selling said ones. The two of them looked around hungrily, at the many different fruits and vegetables that were sold all around them. But sadly neither he nor Emerald had any bits to buy anything. But that hasn't stopped them before. 

"Hey E! Look over there!" Steaming said in a low whisper, and pointed to a stand which was filled with all kinds of things that could be produced out of apples. 

"You know what I see?" Smirked Steaming. 

"Breakfast" Grinned Emerald, as he disappeared into the crowds, knowing exactly what Steaming wanted him to do. The black haired one slowly walked towards the stand, making sure to maintain a small distance to not make him look suspicious. Just then, a shrill whistle sounded out as Emerald raced by the stand, knocking over anything and anyone in his way. Following him was a small group of Royal guards, racing as fast as they could after him, but not getting any closer. As all eyes were drawn to the chase, Steaming quickly began to collect some apples for him and Emerald. He was just about to turn away with his loot, when a voice with a southern accent shouted out behind him. 

"And where the hay do ya think yar going?!" He glanced back with a slight look of shock in his face, as a girl with blond hair and freckles in her face glared at him. All eyes were drawn to him as he started to race as fast as he could away from the stand. 

"Stop! Thief!" Shouted the girl, but Steaming couldn't care less as he raced through the crowded marked. A few of the royal guards who had chased Emerald now made their way after Steaming. But oppose to Emerald who simply forced his way through the crowds, Steaming slithered through them like a snake. He always knew how to escape somebody who was after him, and in a place such as this, it was easy for him to loose the guards. He quickly got out of the market place, and turned into an alleyway, hiding behind some trash cans, watching the guards racing in the direction they thought he ran off. 

"Fools." Chuckled the boy, as he slowly came out of his hiding place. 

"I wouldn't say so." Came a voice from behind him, making him jump and turn around. 

Behind him stood a young girl, around the same age as he was. She had electric blue eyes, and dark, almost metallic looking black hair. A friendly smile was on her face, but Steaming knew from experience that a smile could fool you. 

"Who are you." The boy asked, in a stance ready to jump at her and make a run for it. 

"Junction Spike, but my friends call me Jacky. I saw you stealing those apples. Why did you do that?" She asked. 

"My friend and I were hungry." Shrugged Steaming, as he grabbed one of the apples and took a bite out of it. 

"But why didn't you or your mother buy it?" Asked Jacky again. 

"I don't have any money. I lost my job in the factory, and I lost my parents before I started to remember things." Said the boy simply. 

"You don't have any parents?! But where do you live?!" She asked, shocked. 

"I live in an orphanage, or better said, lived in an orphanage, till yesterday." 

"Why?" 

"The old man there said I was too much trouble for him, and that's why he threw me out." Said the kid smirking, not exactly saying why he was thrown out. 

"You poor thing. No parents, no home, no money, I don't know how one could survive like this." Said the girl sadly. 

"I can manage. I might have lived for eight years in that orphanage, but that didn't meant I had it easy. It was always everyone for himself. But what about you? With fancy clothes like those, I don't think you come from where I'm from." Chuckled Steaming, as Jacky's expression chanced from one of sadness to one of shock. 

"Oh dear! I came here with my mother to buy groceries for dinner tonight, but when I followed you and your friend, I lost sight of her! Please, can you help me find her?" Asked the girl in an helpless tone. 

"... Alright, but only if you don't tell the guards who I am." Smiled the boy cocky as they shook hands. 

"That won't be a problem, you never told me your name." Chuckled Jacky. 

"Oh, then allow me to introduce myself: Steaming Whistle. At least, that's what everyone calls me." He said, lifting his workers hat and making a short bow, getting a giggle from Jacky in reply. 

"That's a pretty funny name." She said. 

"I know, but it fits. I like to whistle, so there." He grinned, whistling a little tune to show Jacky why he was named like he was. 

"So, what does your mother look like?" Asked the boy, as he and Jacky walked back to the front of the crowded marked. 

"She has a yellow dress, with brown hair the same length as mine, and a large basket in her hands." Said Jacky. 

"Hmmm... Argh, I can't see anyone from down here! Stupid small size..." Muttered Steaming as he looked around. He saw a small hay cart, standing near a stack of boxes. 

"Haha, now that'll be a good lookout point!" He grinned, and showed the girl next to him who became a bit nervous. 

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She asked, a bit scared. 

"Better than going in there blind and rushing into one of the Royal guards." Smirked Steaming as he started to jog to the boxes, with Jacky gradually following him. 

They climbed the boxes with no problems, but Steaming had to 'encourage' Jacky onto the hay cart. As soon as they were on the cart, they could look over the whole market. They scanned everyone, until Steamings eyes landed on a face that fitted the description. 

"Hey Jacky! I think I found her!" Steaming smiled, as he pointed at an woman that was rushing around on the market place, a concerned look on her face, while stopping everyone who passed her. 

"Yes! That's her!" She cheered, loosing her balance while doing so. Steaming tried to keep her from falling, but was dragged down with her. Both he, Jacky, and a small part of the hay load tumbled onto the street. A few seconds passed, and both their heads poked out of the hay, looking at each other before bursting out laughing. 

"Come on! Your mother must be pretty scared already, we shouldn't keep her waiting." Steaming chuckled, before getting out of the hay. 

They both got out of the hay and made their way to the woman, who was on the eastern end of the market. When she saw her daughter, she quickly went to her and gave her a tight hug. 

"Don't you ever run away from me again, you hear?" She said, sniffing slightly, before turning to the young boy. 

"Thank you ever so much! I don't know how I can repay you!" She said. 

"I know how!" Said Jacky brightly. 

"He and his friend don't have a job, nor do they have parents or money, so they need to steal food. Can they come for dinner tonight?" Asked Jacky with hopeful eyes. 

Her mother looked at the orphan, clad in dirty, worn out work clothes, wearing an dirty old workmans hat. Her eyes fell onto his face, which was dirty as well, but his eyes gave away a look of honesty and friendliness, not one of a burglar. She then smiled warmly. 

"Of course they can." She said kindly. 

"Thank you ma'am." The boy said, taking off his hat, showing off his dirty hair. 

"If you could come to the Celestia road number 97 at 5pm? We shall expect both you and your friend there." She continued. 

"Of course ma'am." Steaming said, but his pupils shrunk when he saw the Royal guards making their rounds across the market. 

"I'm sorry my ladies, but I need to go. Good bye, and I shall see you this afternoon." The kid said, before turning around quickly, just as the Royal guards saw him. 

"Oy, you! Stop, in the name of the princess!" One of them shouted, as they gave chase after him. 

"You always seem to find friends in the most strangest places." Chuckled Junctions mother, as they began to move again. 



Steaming soon lost the guards again, and began making his way to his and Emeralds 'home'. He snuck inside and was quickly tackled by Emerald. 

"Ugh! And hello to you too my friend." He groaned with a chuckle as the black and green haired boy got up from him. 

"Where were you for Celestias sake?! I thought the guards got you after that blonde blew your cover!" He grumbled, as Steaming gave him one of the apples. 

"Long story, but to keep it short: grab the cleanest of your clothes you can find and be ready at 3pm, 'cause we got invited for dinner at 5 with the Spike family!" The black haired one grinned. 

"... What?" Asked his friend with an look that said 'I'm not buying it'. 

"It's true, the daughter of that mister Spike followed me to my hideout, and for not blowing the whistle on me, I helped her find her mother. She told her that we didn't have money or a home, and asked her mother if we could eat with them. She said yes, and we are expected to be there at 5pm!" Explained Steaming. 

"And what exactly is this 'Spike family' for a family?" 

"I don't know, but I don't give away a free meal. And after we're full, we can as them if they knew anybody who is in need of two pairs of helping hands. What do you say?" He asked, as he went to a small wooden cupboard that they used to store their clothes in. 

"Alright, you got me. But what are we going to wear?" Asked Emerald. 

"Easy! You are going to wear that clean suit we 'borrowed' from that tailor, and I wear my stuff, along with my-" he said, before remembering something. 

"Ah buck! I forgot! The old geezer kept my hat! Looks like I need to go back and visit him again..." Groaned the black haired boy. 

"Or you could just go without the hat?" Suggested Emerald, as Steaming gave him a death panned look. 

"Emerald, how long do we know each other?" 

"Since the day I arrived at the orphanage 5 years ago." 

"And in these 5 years, did you ever see me without my hat? Except the time I washed my hair or went to work with this here hat?" He asked, pointing at his workmans hat. 

"No..." Groaned Emerald. 

"Then why in Tartarus name, do you think I would go without my hat?" Asked Emerald. 

The other boy said nothing, and sat on one of the chairs. 

"Thought so." Smirked Steaming, and got another pair of work clothes out. They were still dirty, but on a much lighter scale than the ones he wore now. 

After he placed them on his chair, he went to the door, after checking the old, cracked, but still working clock that hung on the wall. 

"11am, I still got 4 hours. Okay, I'll be back in around 2 and 1/2 hours! Be ready by then!" Shouted Steaming through the building, getting a grumbling as an answer. 

"One more quack like that and as soon as we get a piece of soap, your mouths going to be washed with it! Don't forget I speak mumblish as well!" He shouted again, this time, there was no reply. 

"Thought so." He smirked, and left the building. 



He quickly and quietly made his way to the orphanage, making sure to bypass any Royal guards on the way. After a nearly 40 minute long walk, he arrived in front of the run down, red brick, three story building that he called his home not 24 hours ago. He walked into an alleyway in between the orphanage and the next building and hid behind the back door of the house, waiting for somebody to come out and open a passage inside for him. He didn't have to wait long, as an elderly woman walked slowly out of the house, carrying a rubbish bag in her magical grasp. 

"The old bastard! Always sending me on the rubbish duty! Ungrateful runt, first he throws out young Emerald, then he kicks poor Steaming out and keeps all his belongings and even the documents about him to himself!" She grumbled, as Steaming quickly snuck inside, but not without hearing what the woman said. 

"The old geezer had documents about me?! Okay, looks like this just got more interesting." Smirked the boy as he snuck through the small corridors of the building. He quickly found his way to the main office, he had spent many hours of his weeks in there, and found it, to his surprise, deserted. 

"Huh? The old geezer left the sinking ship? Well, better that than having him here while I search for my stuff." Shrugged Steaming as he quickly got to the main desk, opening and closing the drawers, till he finally found what he was searching for. He slowly pulled out an old, dirty leather hat, with an dark blue and golden checked cloth ribbon around the front. He placed the hat on his head, smiling slightly as it finally was on its rightful place. Underneath the hat was a brown envelope, with the letters 'SW' on it. 

'Must be the documents Carol talked about...' He thought to himself. 

He opened it, and started reading it. While he read, his eyes grew bigger and bigger, till they were the size of plates. He quickly folded the letter and put it in a pocket of his vest, making sure that it wouldn't fall out again. He was just about to head for the door when it was opened from the other side, making space for a slightly shocked and very angry old man to appear in the door. 

"GRRR, I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF THIS HOUSE! AND WHAT IN TARTARUS ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT HAT?!" He bellowed. 

"I'm here to take what is mine, this!" He pointed at his hat, before pulling out the letter. "And this!" 

"YOU'VE GOT EXACTLY 3 SECONDS TO HAND ME THAT LETTER, OR YOU WONT BE ALIVE LONG ENOUGH TO READ IT!" He yelled, as he produced a revolver from a pocket of his, pointing it threateningly at Steaming. 

"One!" 

Steam was getting nervous, his only escape way was blocked, and he had less than three seconds to make his move. 

"Two!" He cocked the hammer of the revolver back, as Steaming looked behind him. They were on the second level of the house, with a bit of luck, he could make the jump out of the window without any mayor dama- 

"Thre-" He put pressure on the trigger, but just before he completely pulled the trigger, he was pushed to the side, the shot going passed Steaming and through the window, where it couldn't do any harm. The young child looked up to see the elderly women, Carol Singer, standing in the doorway, quickly noticing what was happening. 

"Run, quicky!" She urged, shooing Steaming out of the door. Steaming raced as fast as he could towards the exit. From behind him he could hear the sound of a fight, followed by a loud bang. He raced even faster, crashing through the front door, as another bang came from behind him, and he felt a hot stinging in his arm. He looked down, only to see a red hole, with blood running down from it. He kept his cry of agony back, as he raced as fast as he could around the next corner, disappearing from his assaulter. He grabbed his left sleeve, ripping it from his jacket, while wincing slightly as the pain shot through his body. He tied the piece of cloth tightly above the wound, making sure that the bleeding would stop. He rushed back to his hideout, getting shocked glances from bystanders he passed. He crashed inside, quickly getting the attention from Emerald who raced to him, helping him to the box/table. 

"Damn it Steaming, I thought you only wanted to get your hat!" He grumbled as he quickly made some makeshift bandages out of the reminder of Steamings jacket. 

"I was, but then I found this!" He said, as he grabbed his jacket and pulled the letter out of it. 

"A letter. You got shot, because of a letter?!" Emerald roared. 

"Calm down E! If you read what is in the letter, you will understand, at least somewhat." Steaming smiled. 

Emerald took the letter and began to read it. 

"My dear Brother, 

I trust you with taking care of my son Whistle. I know I can rely on you. Please, take care of him as if he was your son. I and my wife need to go and survey the rail extension towards Dodge Junction. We have heard that the natives have repeatedly attacked the workmen, and we are concerned that there might be bloodshed if we don't do something about it. We will be back as soon as possible. 

Take care, your Brother Steaming Funnel and sister in law Head Light." 

"Do you understand now?!" Steaming asked joyful. 

"Not really." He said, as Steaming face palmed. 

"It means the old geezer was my uncle, and my parents worked for the railways, and went to Dodge Junction! Which means I'm not an orphan!" He smiled broadly. 

"But that was probably 8 years ago! Surely they would've returned and got you out of there!" Argued Emerald. 

"Maybe something hindered them from returning? One thing is for sure though: As long as there is no evidence that they are dead, there is the possibility that they are still alive, and that means, I must go to Dodge Junction to find them!" Said Steaming with determination. 

"Might I remind you that we have an invitation for dinner tonight?" Said Emerald, as Steaming stopped ranting and turned to his friend. 

"... Maybe the search for my parents can wait till after that." Steaming said sheepishly as he got up from the table, and grabbed his 'clean' clothes. 

"So, I'm getting ready, better get the 'security system' on duty. We'll be out and about in around 15 minutes!" Steaming smirked, as he grabbed his clothes and went to an part of the building where he wouldn't be distributed. Exactly 15 minutes, they left the building, and made their way through the city, towards the Celestia road.
> Dinner with the Spikes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They slowly made their way through Canterlot, but they soon learned that the Celestia road was quite a way away from their home. They passed through nearly all the districts, till they were in the most wealthy district of the city. Every house looked like it was polished to perfection, with shiny clean windows and brightly colored walls. 

"*whistling* Wow Steaming, this 'Spike' family must've had quite the luck with their ancestors if they can afford to live here!" Said Emerald impressed. 

"I think you're right. Let's see... 93, 95, ah, there it is! Celestia Road 97!" Smiled Steaming as they stopped in front of the large mansion. It was white in color, with an red roof, and a large iron fence around it, with the only access being a large iron gate, with some of the iron beams forming a locomotive. They walked through the gate and up to the large door, where they knocked on the door, an elderly butler opened it, looking at the two boys in surprise. 

"I'm very sorry, but we don't have any food we could give you." The butler said. 

"Huh, that's strange, 'cause we've been invited for dinne-" Emerald said cheekily, as Steaming stopped him abruptly. 

"You must excuse my friend good sir, he has a loose vocabulary. My name is Steaming Whistle, and me and my friend were invited by the lady and daughter of the house for dinner at 5. I do hope we aren't late." Steaming said in his best tone he could muster. 

The butler turned inside, asking someone something, before turning back to the two kids. 

"Lady Spike hadn't given me notice that she'd expect two... Gentlemen like you two. Please, steep inside. She will be with you two shortly." He said, as both walked inside. They gasped in awe at the large dome like hall that was the entry hall. It had a door on both sides from the entry door, with an large staircase opposite of it, with another door underneath the upper level gantry. The walls were covered with paintings of the families ancestors, some of them standing in front of colorful steam locomotives, while others stood in gardens or in what seemed to be far away countries. They couldn't look at the pictures for long though, as a joyful shout rang through the hall. 

"Steaming!" Said the voice. 

The two boys looked up, seeing Jacky coming down the stairs. She wore an long, black dress, that fitted her hair color, and hugged the orphan with a big smile. 

"Hello lady Spike" chuckled the boy as Jacky blushed slightly. 

"You know you can call me Jacky." Grinned the girl. 

"If that is what her lady ship wants." Steaming grinned back, earning an eye rolling from the girl in front of him. 

"Anyways, this is my long time friend Emerald Heart. Emerald, this is lady Junction Spike." Introduced the black haired boy. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Emerald." Jacky stated. 

"Likewise, lady Spike." Emerald said, bowing slightly. 

"Ah, the young hero who returned my daughter to me!" Came another voice, as Jackys mother came down the stairs. 

"Hello Mrs. Spike." Said the boy, taking his hat off. 

"And I see you brought your friend with you as well." Smiled the woman. 

"Yes ma'am. This is Emerald Heart, my best friend and nearly a brother to me." Said Steaming as Emerald stepped up a bit. 

"It is an honor and a pleasure to meet you ma'am." 

"Oh, he has quite the manners." Chuckled Mrs. Spike, as she ruffled through the black and green hair of Emerald. 

"But we can't let you dine like this." Mrs. Spike said firmly. 

"Huh? What's wrong with us?" Asked the two at the same time. 

"First, the two of you need to take a bath!" Said the woman firmly, as she pushed the two boys upstairs. While Steaming was brought to the guests bathroom, Emerald was brought to the families bathroom. As soon as both of them were inside, the two of them groaned loudly. 

"Aw well, better get started then. Can't to anything about it." Sighted Steaming as he took of his clothes. After filling the large bathtub with water, Steaming went inside the tub, at first relaxing thanks to the warm water, till his wound was in the water. With an wail of pain, he withdrew his injured arm, letting it rest outside the tub. But it didn't took more than a few seconds till there came a knocking sound from the door. 

"Steaming?! Are you alright?! I heard a wailing from here!" Jackys voice rang from outside the door. 

"Y-yes! I'm alright!" Said Steaming through clenched teeth, trying to sound normal but the pain hindering him. 

"You don't sound like that." Jacky said, as she opened the door and came inside. 



Steaming blushed red when he saw the girl coming into the room. 

"Didn't your mother teach you it is inappropriate to walk into someone when they are taking a bath, especially if he's a boy?!" Asked Steaming frantically. 

"Yes, but you sounded like you were in pain, and I wanted to make sure you were alright!" Jacky said, but then gasped when she saw the makeshift bandage around the bullet hole. 

"What happened to your arm?!" She asked, shocked. 

"Nothing. Emerald and I tried to repair some of the lamps inside our house when I tripped and landed on a piece of broken glass, that's all." Lied Steaming. He was used to lying, so it wasn't hard for him to lie to Jacky, but somehow, deep inside, he felt a light stinging. 

"I go and get mother, she needs to give you some proper medical help!" Jacky said as she raced outside the bath. 

Steaming let himself sink back inside the water, growling underneath the water surface, as bubbles came from his mouth as he growled. 

"And all this because of some stupid bath..." Blubbered the boy. 



As soon as Mrs. Spike came in and saw the injury, she asked Jacky to go and get some bandages from the first aid box they had. As soon as she was out of hearing range, the woman turned to Steaming. 

"I know it wasn't from a piece of glass, and so does Jacky. That was a bullet, no doubt about it. Who did this to you?" Asked the woman, as Steaming looked at her with surprise. 

"You wouldn't believe me, but that was my own uncle." Said Steaming and told her the story of what happened when he returned to the orphanage. 

"Don't worry, I will make sure that this man will be dealt with." Assured Mrs. Spike. 

"I think you're already too late for that. Remember the second shot I told you about? Well, I think that shot was directed at Mrs. Carol. I doubt that the guards didn't heard the shot, or the one that hit me. I'm guessing he is already at some guards outpost, behind bars, trying to lie to them about that it was a burglar who shot me and her." Steaming winced, as Mrs. Spike finished the bandage around his arm. 

"Thank you ma'am. It doesn't hurt anymore." Smiled Steaming, as he moved his arm around. 

"Think nothing of it my dear child." She smiled, and got up, picking up Steaming clothes. 

"Wait! What are you doing with my clothes?!" 

"You can't wear these dirty old things. They need to be washed first! I already brought you and your friend some clothes for dinner." She said with a small wink. 

"Thank you, but could you at least leave my hat? It means much to me." Said Steaming. 

"Of course my dear." The woman said, leaving the hat on the pile of clothes she had prepared for him. 



A few minutes later, both Steaming and Emerald met again at the top of the staircase. Steaming was dressed in an blue and white outfit, with an light blue and white shirt and dark blue pants, while Emerald wore an black shirt with an green streak running over it, along with pants of the same color. They walked downstairs and were met by Jacky and her mother, who were smiling at them. 

"You look very smart like this." Mrs. Spike said with an warm smile. 

"Thank you ma'am." The two said. 

"But now, let's get to dinner, shall we?" She continued, as the stomachs of both boys started to growl. 

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." She chuckled, as they made their way to the dining hall. They were amazed by the size of the table, and by the food that was on it. They were shown their spots by Jacky and sat down. Emerald was just about to start eating when he was hit in the side by Steaming. 

"What gives?" Asked the black and green haired one. 

"Only eat when everyone got something! I thought Miss Carol had taught you something back in the orphanage?" Hissed Steaming in a whisper. 

Emerald was just about to answer when a large, browned haired man dressed in a suit that fitted the directors of the factories Steaming and Emerald worked at, came into the room. He was very tall, but had a warm, gentle smile on his face when he saw Jacky running up to him. 

"Hello my little princess! How was your day?" He asked happily. 

"It was great daddy! I was with mommy at the market, and met two new friends there!" She said excitedly, pointing to Steaming and Emerald. 

"My little girl is such an open soul. Hello there young boys, my name is Iron Spike. What are yours?" He asked kindly. 

"I'm Emerald Heart sir." 

"And my name is Steaming Whistle sir." 

"Steaming? Why does that sounds so familiar?... Anyways, friends of my daughter are friends of me as well. I am glad that you joined us for dinner tonight! We did expect another guest, but he couldn't make it here. So there is plenty for you!" Roared the man with laughter, as he took his seat at the table, and they started to eat. Steaming and Emerald were both feeling like the rulers of Equestria that evening. It has been a long time since they had eaten like that. They were enjoying themselves and their company immensely, but while they had a great time, Steaming couldn't help but feel Irons eyes on him. After dinner, they moved over to the living room to continue their conversations. 

"Say, young Whistle, that is quite an interesting hat you go there. I don't remember drivers from the Equestrian National to wear such hats." Iron said. 

"It isn't from the Equestrian National. It is from Germainy." Explained the boy with a smile. 

"That is quite... Coincidental. Say my little boy, how old are you exactly?" 

"I'm 8 years old now, why?" 

"And are you sure your surname is Whistle?" 

"I never said it was my surname. My surname is Steaming. But since Whistle Steaming is a ridiculous name, everyone calls me by my surname." Explained the child, as Iron jumped from his seat, a large smile on his face. 

"Of course! Now I know!" He bellowed, making everyone in the room look at him confused. 

"The hat, the name 'Steaming', the fact that you're called by your surname before your actual one! You are the child of Steaming Funnel, and his wife Head Light!" Smiled the man broadly as Steamings yaw nearly touched the ground. 

"Y-you know my parents?" Asked the boy with a slight shaking in his voice. 

"They worked for my railway when we extended it down to Dodge Junction! I knew he had a child, but I always thought he took him with him when he went to Dodge, or at least after the negotiations with the natives were over..." Muttered the railway manager. 

"Wait! YOU own the Equestrian National Railways?!" Asked Emerald, shocked. 

"My great grandfather Steel Hammer was the founder of the Canterlot and Ponyville Railway, which merged with the many other railways of Equestria to form the Equestrian National. When it was formed, they declared me to be the managing Director of it." Explained Iron, matter-of-factly. 

"Do you know if they are still in Dodge?!" Asked Steaming excitedly. 

"No, sadly, the section down to Dodge Junction has its own archive, so I don't know if he moved from Dodge or not." He sighted. 

"Then I will go down there and find him at once!" Said Steaming with determination, burning in his eyes. 

"But how? We don't have any money to go down there?" Asked Emerald. 

"Mr. Spike, do you need a couple of hands who could do some work for you?" Asked Steaming, turning to the managing Director. 

"No, not at the moment." Said the man as the boys expression fell. 

"But I do have a private train that leaves for Dodge Junction tomorrow morning, and the both of you are happily invited to come with me!" Said Iron grandly as the faces of the two lit up like Christmas trees. 

"oh thank you Mr. Spike!" The two shouted simultaneously. 

"It is quite alright you two." Winked the man as he turned to his butler. 

"Ramsbottom, please contact the yards and tell them to ready the train #46 for a run to Dodge Junction. We shall depart at 9am on the dot!" He said grandly as the butler nodded and left. 

"And you two should hurry along and go home, you two need to be up early tomorrow, or you might miss the train." He said to the two kids. 

"Daddy, they don't have a home." Jacky whispered to her father. 

"Is that true?" He asked, shocked as the two nodded. 

"Then you two shall rest the night here. Ramsbottom, please prepare the two guest beds for our guest here." He said. 

"Of course sir." Said the elderly butler, and walked to the stairs. 

"Sir, with all due respect, we can't just simply come to your house, eat with you, sleep in your bed, take your private train and all that without even repaying you." Said Steaming. 

"It is quite alright Steaming, your father once helped this railway out when it was on its knees, now it is time to repay him by reuniting him with his son." Said Iron kindly as the two kids looked at him in awe. 

"I didn't know my father ever did something like that..." Murmured Steaming. 

"You'd be surprised by what your father already did, but I think this shall have to wait for tomorrow, because I think your beds are ready." Said the man as Ramsbottom returned into the room. 

"If our two guest would follow me please?" He asked, pointing to the staircase. 



The two kids quickly followed the butler upstairs, and were given their rooms. They were quite big, with large windows, and large beds in the middle of the room. They quickly made themselves at home, and settled into their beds for the night. 

"Hehe, quite the improvement." Chuckled Emerald in his bed, as he quickly fell asleep. 

Steaming however didn't went to sleep that fast. His mind was racing about the fact that his parents might still be alive. 

"But why wouldn't they come to get me? ... Could it be, that they didn't want me anymore?" Asked the young kid to himself, getting no answer in reply. 

"Ah well, I got all the time in the world once I see him again." Shrugged the boy with a smile, as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
> The journey and the offer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, both Steaming and Emerald were woken up by the butler. It was very uncommon for the two kids to sleep in like this, but it was also uncommon for them to sleep in beds as comfortable as these were. They got into their clothes and went downstairs where the Spike family was waiting for them. 

"Good morning you two! I suppose you two sleet well?" Asked Iron with a grin. 

"Very good indeed sir." Smiled Emerald. 

"Best nights rest I had in years!" Grinned Steaming, while popping his back. 

"Well then, you two better get to eat breakfast quickly then, or we'll miss our path towards Dodge Junction." Winked the man, as the two of them quickly took their seats and dug into their meals. 



When they had finished, Steaming grabbed his hat from the hat stand, while Iron took his briefcase, which contained some important documents about the route down to Dodge Junction. They stood at the door when Jacky came up to them. 

"Daddy, can't I come with you three?" She asked. 

"I'm sorry my little princess, but I'm afraid you can't. The run down there is far too dangerous for such a small girl as you are." Said the man. 

"But I'm not that small! I can help you, I know I can!" Said Jacky in protest as her mother came up to her. 

"Now now, your father has made up his mind and you must respect his decision. Good bye dear." Mrs. Spike said as she kissed her husband. 

"Good bye my love, I'll be back in around a days time, two if it is harder to find them." Said the man as he opened the door, as the two boys and he walked towards the carriage. 



They soon arrived at the big train station that was the Canterlot main station. It was a very large station, with the building made from stone, and the canopy made from steel and glass. When it was build, it was made to replace the many smaller stations from the small railway companies, and was the first step to unite the railways of Equestria as one company. As for that, the station was the biggest in whole Equestria. With more than 25 tracks, it was always busy. They walked through the large entry hall and past the numerous packed platforms, where long strings of coaches stood, some of which already filled with passengers, others completely empty. They walked to the platform that was furthest to the right, where a small, partly outdated 4-4-0 'Ponystone' tender engine stood, coupled to two passenger coaches, both looking like they came right out of the midst of the last century. Both kids looked in awe at the old train. They had heard from such engines, from the tales of the early days of the settlements down in Dodge Junction and Appleoosa. With fast chase between natives and settles on horses and train, horrible derailments and daring shootouts between horseback riders and gunmen that would fight from the coaches or trucks. 

"She's quite the beauty, ain't she?" Smiled Iron as the two children eyed the engine. 

"Yes, yes she is..." Said Steaming in awe, as the engineer walked up to them from the front of the engine. 

"Sir, train #46 is ready and waiting for the departure call." Said the man in a gruff, but somewhat kind voice. 

"Thank you Hotbox. Say you two, how about we take a look inside her before we depart?" Suggested Iron. 

"Can we?!" Asked the two kids with bright eyes as they turned to the engineer. 

"Sure, climb aboard, I show you around." Smiled the engineer as they climbed inside the small old engine. 

Inside the cab, it was pretty warm, but quite spacey. Both kids looked in awe at the many different levers, knobs and wheels inside the cab, and eagerly asked questions about each lever, and what function it had. Steaming had sat himself onto the drivers seat and looked through the window passed the boiler, and onto the tracks in front of him. He then noticed a long rope, hanging from the top of the cab roof. His eyes were fixated on the rope, slightly swaying around thanks to the slight vibrating of the engine. His curiosity got the better of him, when he grabbed the rope and pulled it. A loud whistling rang through the air as the engines whistle blew. Hotbox quickly went to the small child and pulled him from the drivers seat. 

"Hold your horsepower there young boy, that's the engines whistle. You can only pull it if your about to pull out, or if there is danger on the line." Explained the engineer, as he was called to the side of the cab by an porter, who quickly told him something, and then moved away again. 

"Alright, looks like we're about to get the green light. I suggest you get into the coaches now. It'll be a long ride down to Dodge." Said Hotbox as the others started to climb down from the cab. 

The other three got down and into the coaches, while the fireman finished the oiling of the motion parts. As soon as he was back in the cab, the guard blew his whistle, and with another strong blast of its whistle, the old locomotive made its way out of the station. 



The train quickly got up to speed, and soon they were coasting down the main line outside of Canterlot. Both Steaming and Emerald had their noses pressed against the window of the coach, looking at the passing landscape with awe. 

"I take it this is your first time riding on a train?" The man next to them said with a chuckle. 

"Not only that sir, it's the first time we are out of Canterlot. We always had to work, so we never got time to go anywhere, other than the factory." Explained Steaming. 

"Then you two are in for an interesting ride, 'cause along the way the scenery will change quite a lot." Grinned the man knowingly. 

Hours past. The train never slowed down, rattling past small village stations, or unmanned goods loading platforms, only once or twice running through a mayor town. They gasped in awe when the train raced past the biggest apple orchard they had ever seen. Emerald thought that it would be bigger than the forest that it was build next to. The landscape soon chances. The green landscape with small hills and forests chanced into long, drawn out green prairies, before turning into a desert like landscape. 

"We are nearly there kids. Maybe 1 more hour, and we'll be in Dodge Junction." Said Iron with a smile, as the train rattled over the tracks. 

Steaming, who by now had grew bored of watching the scenery, excused himself for going to the toilet. He walked through the first coach, before crossing the coupling to the second coach. He got inside, seeing that it wasn't filled with comfortable seats like the other. In it was only one small chair in front of a small table. Above the table were many small cupboards, but all of them were empty. He let his eyes wander towards a closed off cupboard at the other end of the coach, with an heavy iron chain around it. He slowly walked towards it, when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, when somebody sneezed next to him. 

"W-who's there?" He asked, slightly scared, before shaking the scared feeling off of him, and regaining some bravery. 

"Who's there?! Come out, show yourself!" He said loudly, as from a wooden box, a slight shaking could be seen. 

He sneaked to the box, before pulling it to the side, reviling a eight year old, black haired girl that he last saw that morning. 

"J-Jacky?!" He asked, shocked, before being pulled into a hug. 

"Please, don't tell my daddy that I'm here!" She quivered, making Steaming feel bad. 

"It's alright Jacky, it's me, Steaming." He said, calming the young girl down. 

"Oh thank Celestia it's you, I thought it was somebody from the trains crew." She said with a sight. 

"But what are you doing here? I though your father didn't want you to come with us?" Asked Steaming. 

"I wanted to come with you! I always got to stay with Mom at home, while daddy goes onto one of his trips. I rarely get the chance to go out of Canterlot, and if I do, it's always onto the same, lame old fancy galas or birthday parties of some of my aunts or uncles. I never had the chance to meet any friends." She said with a sight. 

"That's bad. But your father needs to know that you are aboard the train. Otherwise, he can't protect you in case something bad would happeeEEEEEENN!" He said, screaming the last part as the trains brakes came hard on as he and Jacky were thrown off balance. 

"What's happening?!" Asked Jacky, scared and surprised. 

"Somebody pulled on the brakes. It must mean we are there!" Said Steaming joyfully, as he got up again and raced to the door. 



But when he jumped out, he was surprised to see that the landscape didn't chance a bit. There were no houses, or buildings or anything other than the same, drawn out, yellowish sand dunes that made up the desert. He walked up to the locomotive where Emerald, Iron and Hotbox were standing. 

"What's holding us up?" Asked the small boy. 

"Look in front of us boy." Said the engineer as he pointed in front of their train. 

There, right on their track, stood another train. It was another passenger train, coupled to another, worn out looking 4-4-0, with soot covered paint, covered in a cloud of escaping steam. 

"Thats the 10:30 to Dodge Junction, it should've been there 20 minutes ago!" Fumed Iron, as he walked down the length of the train, till finally reaching the locomotive. When he got there however, he was shocked to find the engineer impaled by an arrow, while the fireman was sitting on his seat, eyes wide because of the shock. Iron quickly climbed inside, and walked over to the fireman. 

"What happened here lad? Can you hear me?" Asked Iron, but he didn't get a response from him. Then, from over the pile of coal, came another man, wielding a Coltchester rifle, which he aimed at them for a brief second, before lowering it when he saw who was in the cab. 

"Sir! Thank the gods, you are here! We were attacked by the natives! They pulled a rail and killed the driver! We defended ourselves till they pulled back, but I'm guessing they are just waiting for another time to strike!" Explained the guard. 

"Do we have any wounded?" Asked the man as he tried to move the fireman. 

"Some of the gunslingers inside the coaches have some light injuries, one got an arrow into the shoulder, we patched him up but we need to get to Dodge to make sure he is going to be okay." Said the guard. 

"Okay, get a few men from the coaches and get them out here, we need to lift that rail back into place before the natives come back! Hotbox, get your fireman up here, he needs to drive this kettle while you take care of yours!" Ordered the man. 

"But what about the fire Sir? We can't work as fireman and driver at the same time!" Asked Hotbox. 

"What about Emerald and me sir?" Suggested Steaming. 

"What?!" Asked the three men at once. 

"We both worked at the steelworks, feeding the boilers with coal there! We know how to keep a fire up! We can keep the engines moving!" Said Steaming with determination. 

Iron Spike said nothing, and turned towards the firebox of the engine, seeing that the fire had grown pretty small. 

"The run up to Dodge from here is around 20 minutes. Do you think you can keep up firing for that long?" Asked the man. 

"We had break times that were shorter than that! Emerald! I take care of this one, You'll feed the boiler on Irons train!" Said Steaming as Emerald jumped from the engine and raced back to Irons train. 

Everyone worked fast. The men from the train quickly levered the rail back into place. Emerald and Steaming shoveled coal as fast as they could while the fire in the engines grew back to their former size. Soon, everything was ready, and the men quickly boarded the train again. But before the last man could clear the door of the coach, a arrow hit him in the calf. 

"Argh!" He screamed, as he fell into the coach, before being pulled completely inside by some of his friends. 

"THE NATIVES!" One of the passengers shouted, as the others quickly pulled out their weapons, readying themselves for the fight. 

Both Hotbox and his fireman opened the regulator of their engines, and slowly, the cavalcade moved forward. The passengers started shooting, their Coltchesters clearly superior to the bows, arrows and tomahawks. But the Natives had been gathering firearms as well, mostly older, outdated ones, but these still could hold a threat against the men on board. The wheels pounded the rails as the trains moved through the desert, as the Natives tried to reach them. The guard was still with Steaming and the fireman on the first locomotive, firing his gun at the horseback fighters, while Steaming shoveled coal for dear live, and the temporary driver pulling every ounce of strength that the engine had out of her. Just then, a arrow flew into the cab, hitting the driver into the back, as he fell forward, closing the regulator as he did. Steaming jumped forward, grabbing the injured man, pulling him away from the controls, as the guard checked the man. 

"No chance, he's gone." Sighted the guard, as he opened the regulator, before quickly getting into the blind spot between him and the natives. Steaming gave a quick glance back towards the end of the cavalcade, and saw how some of the natives jumped from their horses, and onto the train. Then he remembered who was in that final coach of the train. 

"By Celestia, JACKY!" He cried, as he threw his shovel aside, jumping over the coal of the tender, and jumping onto the first platform of the first coach. 

'Damn it! Why did I choose to get into the first engine?!' He thought, racing through the train, trying to beat time. He was quickly at the last coach, jumping onto the second locomotive and racing through the cab, passing a very surprised Emerald and Hotbox, as he climbed back into the coach. When he was inside, he could see how Iron Spike and one of the natives fought against each other, with the native having a tomahawk in his hand, while Iron was fighting with his bare hands. The fight was in favor of the native, as he had pinned down the man, his right hand raised with the tomahawk inside, ready to strike the fatal blow. Steaming quickly charged at the big red skinned man, jumping at him and pulling him off the man with force. Iron quickly got up and tackled the native, giving him a few punches into the face, before grabbing an paperweight, and hitting the man onto the had with it, knocking him out cold. 

"Phew, thanks for the help kid, you saved my life there!" Panted the railway man, but Steaming was already running towards the open door, running through it, jumping over the couplings and into the last coach.  

When he reached it, he almost froze in terror. There, lying unconscious on the ground, was Jacky, an native was about to pick her up, when something inside Steaming snapped. He roared in anger as he raced at the native his small fist pulled back ready to strike. He threw a heavy right hook at the native, heavier than anyone would expect from an 8 year old. The native was slightly thrown back, a light crunching could be heard as he was thrown back, but he quickly recovered, spitting out something white. Steaming was standing in front of Jacky, making sure than the native wouldn't cause any more harm to her. His glare was cold as ice, and it looked like steam was coming out of his nostrils, making the native unsure if that really was just a 8 year old child. Iron, who had come in just in time to see Steaming throw the punch, had finally recovered from the display of power, and charged at the man, ramming him head on, pushing him out of the door, and throwing him out of the train as he watched the body of the man bumping on the sleepers a few times, before coming to an rest. He turned around, to see Steaming on his knees next to Jacky, out of breath from his charge through the train and the outburst here in the coach. 

"Steaming, why is my daughter on board the train?" Asked Iron confused, as he came to the two children. 

"She wanted to tag along. She didn't wanted to be left home again. Damn, if I knew this would happen I wouldn't have left the coach!" Steaming panted, growling the final part as he caught his breath back. 

"Don't be too harsh on yourself. If it wasn't for you, Jacky would've been abducted and without a father by now." Iron said, laying a hand on his shoulder. 

"Still, I should've been there! I could've protected her better!" Steaming grumbled, just as Jacky began to stir, and opened her eyes slightly. 

"S-steaming?" She stuttered, unsure if the boy in front of her was real, before jerking her body upwards, pulling Steaming into a tight hug, sobbing loudly. 

"Don't leave me alone again! I was so scared! I thought I was going to, going to-" she didn't got any further as she broke down completely, crying into the boys shoulder, as he just sat there, the girl in his arms, and returning the hug. 

"Don't worry, I won't leave you, I promise." He whispered into her ears, trying to calm her down. It worked, as her sobs got more and more silent, before ending completely.  

Steaming looked into Jackys face, noticing that she had gone asleep, the fear and shock from the situation had worn her out. Iron walked up to the two, trying to pick Jacky up, but she held onto Steaming with an iron grip. 

"Looks like you need to carry her." Chuckled Iron a bit. 

"Don't worry, If I can work for 8 hours shoveling coal, carrying her won't be a problem." Smiled Steaming, as he picked up Jacky and brought her into the other coach. 



After another few minutes, the trains arrived in Dodge Junction. The passengers were glad that they had survived the attacks, and the wounded were brought to the hospital. The dead drivers were brought to the nearby cemetery, to get a proper burial, on costs of the railway, as Iron promised them. They made their way to the local headquarters, where an man in black, slightly dusty, suit awaited them. He was around Irons age, with short, brown hair and square glasses, his hair being slightly flattened, probably because of the stetson that hung on the hatstand next to the door. He stood up and shook hands with the man from Canterlot. 

"Boss! What a pleasant surprise! I didn't expected to see you here!" Smiled the man. 

"I'm sorry to pop in unannounced, but there is a matter of big importance that needs to be attended to. Westing, these are Steaming Whistle and Emerald Heart, two very brave and very helpful boys from Canterlot. Steaming, Emerald, this is Mr. Westing House. He is the supervisor of the railway lines around Dodge Junction. Now Westing, young Steaming here is the son of two employees that worked on this section of the railway. Their names were Steaming Funnel and Head Light. Both of which were send down here to negotiate between the natives and settlers." Introduced Iron and explained the situation. 

"So you are the little Whistle Funnel and Light told me about! Hehe, yes, you really do look like your father." Chuckled the man, as he ruffled the boys hair. 

"But I'm afraid that you won't have any luck in them here." Sighted Westing, as he looked at the three, as their expressions fell. 

"Whys that?" Asked Steaming. 

"They departed from her, a few years before I took charge as supervisor of this section of the road. Nobody knows where they went. Well, almost nobody." 

"Wait, who could know?" Asked Iron. 

"There might be a chance that Lucky Strike knows where they went. He worked with them in the negotiations with the natives. But he disappeared when he wanted to live together with the natives." Explained Westing. 

"Then we have to go and find him!" Said Steaming with determination in his voice. 

"You won't have any luck. The natives are very tricky to find. It took your parents and Strike nearly 5 months to find them, and even then they had to promise never to tell another soul where they were living for the sake of their lives. However, they started to attack the trains again, but without any way of finding their tracks, it will be impossible to find their hideout." Explained the road supervisor. 

"Then I just have to work on the trains and go after them once they draw back from the train!" Said Steaming, but Westing shook his head. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't and will not allow a child at your ago to go after men as trained in combat as they are." Said Westing with a firm voice. 

"But I can't return to Canterlot with nothing! I just can't, and I won't!" Said Steaming firmly, as Emerald nodded. 

"I'm sticking to Steaming with this one. We come all the way, we won't turn back now. After all, we have nothing to return to anyways." He said. 

"Wait, you two don't have a home?" Asked Westing, slightly shocked, whilst the two nodded. 

"We don't have a home, we don't have a family, we don't have a job. We only have us." Said Steaming, but it didn't sounded pained or sad. It sounded almost proud. 



Westing turned towards the window of his office, overviewing the whole rail yard below. 

"We are in need of someone who could take over smaller jobs around the station and in the yards. It wouldn't be much, but the payment should be enough for you two to get something to eat and drink at the station cafe." Said began Westing slowly. 

"You could sleep in the station while it's closed for the night, or in one of the older coaches in the yards." Continued the man, as he turned to the two boys with a small smile on his face. 

"Y-you mean we could work here?" Asked the two boys shocked. 

"You did say you had nothing to keep you in Canterlot right? And here you would have everything: a home, a job, and you could still keep up the search for Lucky Strike. Maybe some of the other folks in the town or around the mines have seen him ? So, what do you say?" 



Train #46 stood at the platform, ready for its return run back to Canterlot. While Hotbox felt the loss of his fireman, he didn't showed it, and tried to focus on work. On the platform, both Steaming, Emerald and Iron stood, looking around the station. 

"I'm sorry we can't come back with you, but like Westing said, we have nothing but bad memories that keep us there." Explained Steaming. 

"It's alright my friend. Though I don't think that I'm the one you should be apologizing to." Chuckled Iron as he pointed with his head at the coach that stood next to him, in which the figure of Jacky could be seen. 

"She has been pretty quiet since you said you wouldn't come back with us." Said Iron. 

"Well, it isn't a goodbye forever. Maybe, one of those days, I come up with a train to visit you." Said Steaming with a smile. 

"And maybe you'll be in the company of your parents then?" Grinned Emerald. 

"You bet I will!" Laughed Steaming, as he turned his head to the window where they had spotted Jacky just a minute ago. 

"... Excuse me for a second, I need to talk to somebody." Said Steaming as he turned to the coach. 

He climbed inside and looked around. Jacky had moved from the window that was closest to the platform, to the one in the direction of the yards. He walked up to her, and sat down opposite to her. 

"Jacky?" He said softly, as the girl looked up. Her eyes were slightly red, and the sides of her face had wet streams on them, indicating that she had been crying. 

"Why don't you want to come with us?" She asked. 

"I'm sorry Jacky, but I have to find out where my parents are, even if they are buried somewhere, I have to know! And here, I can have a job, a home, and can start a new life. All I have left in Canterlot is a heap of bad memories." Said Steaming, going soft on the final part. 

"Only bad memories?" Asked Jacky, even more upset. 

"Well, there were one or two good ones, like when I met Emerald, or how the two of us made the old man at the orphanage so angry that he went purple." He rambled, smiling softly as Jacky turned her head away in sadness. 

"And meeting you." He concluded, making the girl in front of him turn her attention to him again. 

"Without you stepping into my life, I would probably be on the streets of Canterlot right now, stealing fruits or bits for a living. But now, I am here, I have a job, a home, and the possibility of seeing my family again! And that's all thanks to you. I owe you everything, Junction Spike." Said the boy, using her real name for the first time. 

Jacky looked at him with watery eyes, and jumped from her seat, hugging him tightly, soft sobs coming from her. 

"Promise you'll write?" Asked the girl in a whisper. 

"As soon as I'll learn how to, of course!" He whispered, returning the hug. 

They hugged each other for a few more minutes, before Iron stepped into the coach, stating that they needed to go. Reluctantly, Jacky let loose of the young railwayman, but not before giving him a kiss on the cheek. The boy turned bright red, as he turned towards the door, saying his goodbye to the manager of the railway, and jumping from the train. As soon as he was off the train, the guard blew his whistle, and the train started to depart. The engine whistled loudly, as the two boys started to walk away, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the loud shout that came from the train. Steaming turned around to see Jacky, leaning out of the window, waving her goodbyes at the two friends, as the two of them waved in return, until the train was out of sight. They then made their way back to the main office. Whilst they did however, Emerald started to snigger. 

"What is it?" Asked Steaming. 

"Oh nothing, you just have something on you cheek." Said his friend innocently, as they walked past a window. 

As he looked inside, Steaming stopped dead in his tracks, as he saw his reflection in it. On his cheek was a big kiss mark. He tried in vain to get it off of it, as Emerald laughed loudly. 

"GRRR! Just wait till I'm done with you!" Growled Steaming as he started to chase Emerald back to the main office. 
> 5 years are a day...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

1908, Dodge Junction Railyards 



Steaming crashed into the barrels behind him, but he quickly got back up with a smirk on his face, while he wiped some of the blood from his mouth. 

"Is that all you can do?! I got tougher hit from the old miners!" Laughed the young man as he tackled his attacker to the ground, hitting him repeatedly in the face. 

He was 15 years old by now, and had grown to an sturdy young railwayman. Over the years he had worked in Dodge City, both he and Emerald had become known as 'the friendly ghosts of Dodge Junction station' since they barely left the station grounds. They had refurbished one of the old coaches in the yards to become their home, and the station and yard personal had become somewhat of an family for them. They teaches them what to do on the railway, taught them how to write and read, and taught them how to fight both in hand to hand combat, as well as wielding a firearm. They soon learned that the two were a perfect fighting unit, Emerald was the more bulkier of the two, and had more strength in his arms. Therefore he handed out heavier hits than Steaming. He however was the more cunning of the two, he always knew how to avoid the punches and kicks that were directed at him, and knew how to distract an enemy. He would wait for the right opportunity, and only then would he execute his blows. This was the same with their shooting style. Emerald had an quick draw, and would easily outgun some of the fastest gunslingers in the region. Steaming usually took his time, and wouldn't let anything distract him from his prey. He would've made a perfect marksman, even the local Royal guards offered him a place in their ranks, but he declined, saying his life was for the roads of iron. Though they were pretty clever, they were also quite cheeky and would often play tricks on foreign engine crews that would visit the station, which sometimes escalated a bit too much for the likings of the others. Right now, they were fighting with a crew from Canterlot, with a large group of other rail workers around them, cheering them on, while a man with red and blue hair was standing closely to them, in his hand a piece of paper, with a pencil in the other one, counting together how much they would win from the bets. Steaming was thrown off the man, who quickly grabbed a wooden board, aiming for the younger mans head. He however made a quick move to the right, making the board hit nothing but the ground where he just stood. He quickly punched the man in the stomach, before grabbing the board and hitting the man with it instead. The man fell onto the ground with a thud. 

"Hey E! Do you still need some help with your guy?!" Laughed Steaming, as a man landed a few meters in front of him, eyes crossed and with no intentions to get up again. 

"Nah, I think he had enough." Laughed Emerald in reply, as he moved up to the other railwayman. 

"Alright, Alright! Enough with the fighting! Get those two to the infirmary and to the others, we still have a railway to run, so MOVE!" Shouted Westing, as he moved to the front of the workers, who quickly went back to work, four of which carrying the two knocked out ones from Canterlot in tow. 

Westing turned back to Steaming and Emerald while he sighted. 

"Why is it that you always need to knock the lights of the visiting boys out?" He asked. 

"What can we do about it that they can't keep up with us?" Asked Emerald with a smirk, as the man with red and blue hair come up to them, a large bag of bits in his hand. 

"Okay lads, it's pay time!" He grinned, as he put the bag on the nearby workbench. 

"Sweet Celestia! How much did we get this time?!" Smirked Steaming. 

"Not as much as last time. They start to think that you two can't be beaten by anyone on this side of the map! Looks like we won't make any money with this anymore." Sighted the man, a young man of the Airial tribe by the name of Waybill. 

"Too bad. Looks like the dream of the home on wheels will have to wait them." Shrugged Steaming, as he grabbed the bits he and Emerald got as a share for the fight. 

"That's all fine and dandy, but now that you knocked those two from Canterlot out, who's going to take their goods train back to Canterlot?!" Asked Westing, as he pointed to a long string of trucks, in all kinds of variety. 

"Oops." Said the two men, as they now noticed the problem. 

"When was it supposed to leave again?" Asked Emerald. 

"In around 30 minutes. It's express goods, and can't be delayed." Explained the supervisor. 

"Great, and they usually don't get their wits back till a few hours after." Groaned Steaming, as he glanced around the yards. 

"Don't we have a spare crew who we could send out?" Asked Emerald, as Westing shook his head. 

"No can do, they are already on the move, picking up the failed coal train that broke down outside of Saddle Springs. It won't be back until an hour, 45 minutes if they can get the train up to speeds without running a hotbox." Grumbled the supervisor. 

"With what kind of locomotive did they come up with?" Asked Steaming suddenly. 

"Steaming, what do you want to do?" Asked Westing, seeing the glance in the young mans eyes. 

"Just answer the question." Said the rail worker. 

"One of those 'type 12' 2-8-0s, why?" 

"They have the same cab configuration as the old 'type 9' Consolidations, right?" Asked the man again. 

"They should be the same, but-" 

"Then we shouldn't have a problem getting accustom with her!" Smirked Steaming, as the faces of the other turned into a mixture of surprise and shock. 

"Wait! YOU want take the train to Canterlot?!" Asked the road supervisor with shock. 

"Emerald and I worked as spare crew for the runs up to the mines, and we worked on Consis with the same cab configuration before. Also, we know a good chunk of the route up to Canterlot, so we shouldn't have too much problems with figuring out the way." Smiled Steaming. 

"But you only made light engine movements and, at the most, worked small coal trains down here! You don't even know how to handle heavy goods trains like this one!" Shouted Westing. 

"Best time to start figuring out then! Now come one! We are the only ones with at least somewhat experience behind the throttle, and that train needs to move! Get the two knuckleheads from Canterlot to take over our jobs when they wake up, shunting and cleaning the station shouldn't be too hard for those two 'important engine men from an superior city' to quote them." Smirked Steaming, as Westing sighted. 

"Alright, but if you get into trouble because this express goods train is handled by two 15 year old shunters, don't expect me to bail you out." Groaned the man, as the two men raced off to the sheds. 



25 minutes later, and everything was ready. The locomotive was coupled to the front of the long goods train, the headlamp lit because of the upcoming dusk. Westing had explained to the two temporary engine men that they would be sent back down with the early morning passenger train the following day. They would stay in the railways own hotel on the other side of the main station, and would have the right of way till they reached Ponyville. The sky started to turn from clear blue to an light orange tone, as the train sizzled silently in the large yards. Steaming looked over to the firemans side, to see Emerald, reloading his revolver. Both he and Steaming got them from Westing for their 14th birthday, when they got the allowance from him to learn the ropes on goods trains. But because the native attacks still didn't went down, high command gave the order for every engine man to wield a handgun on board their locomotive, while every other traincrew member would either wield a handgun (in the case of the few brakemen left) or an large firearm, (usually, the shunters and the guard in the caboose would be wielding those). 

"Don't worry E, they won't dare to lay a hand on this train if they know who's driving and firing it." Boasted Steaming, trying to lift his best friends confidence. 

"Yeah, but only if they know." Said Emerald, putting the final bullet into the chamber as they heard the blow of an guards whistle. 

Steaming leaned out of the window, and saw a green light, waving from the end of the train. 

"Welp, this is our signal." Smiled Steaming, as he pushed the reverser forwards, pulled the brakes into the 'released' position and slowly pulled the regulator open. 

A metallic groaning came from the wheels and joints, and a jerk went through the train, as the barking of the funnel started to rang through the station. After a few meters, Steaming gave a strong pull on the whistle rope, as the loco blasted its chime whistle off. The barking increased in volume as Steaming opened the regulator further, letting the engine work its magic as the long train departed out of the yards. Within minutes, the train left the yards of Dodge City and started its journey through the desert. The line was pretty flat for most of the way towards Ponyville, so Steaming closed the Regulator nearly fully, when they reached the top speed for their section. The train rattled through the countryside, cruising with the constant speed of 60MPH. Time passed quickly, but the scenery didn't change. After nearly 40 minutes of plain staring at the tracks in front of him, even though that wasn't much because of the darkness, Steaming closed his eyes for a few seconds, yawning tiredly. 

"While the landscape around Dodge might be quite nice compared to all those houses in Canterlot that all look the same, I wouldn't mind if there would be SOMETHING different out here." Grumbled Steaming, as Emerald handed him a cup of tea he had from his thermos. 

"Thanks." Sighted Steaming, as he took a large gulp of the tea, internally thanking this Earl Grey for the blackish drink. 

He put his vision back onto the rails in front of him, seeing something glowing in the distance. He couldn't exactly see what it was, as in greater distances his sight always was a bit watery, but he did notice that whatever it was, it was moving. He slowly opened the regulator, after checking the speed and noticing that it went down quite a bit, and moved his right hand to his revolver. 

"E, better get your gun out. Looks like there's some trouble up the line." Growled Steaming, after pulling up his revolver, his movement copied by Emerald. 

The train raced through the now settled in night, as the glowing got closer, and bigger. When they got close enough, they were shocked to see that it was a cart filled with wood, the load ablaze and lighting up around 5 meters of its surroundings, both Steaming and Emerald couldn't see the hidden figure near the front of the wagon, as the train raced towards a small cutting, as the line started into a gentle climb. The figure pulled the wooden blocks that blockaded the wheels, and the wagon started rolling down towards the cutting. The wagon picked up its pace as it got closer to the cutting, till it hit the edge of it, and fell onto the railway tracks, breaking apart as it landed on the tracks, spilling it's burning load all over it. Both crew members saw what had happened, as Emerald jumped from his seat. 

"We need to stop this thing!" He shouted, reaching for the brake handle, as Steaming grabbed his hand before he could reach it. 

"No! If we stop now, we won't get the train out of her before those bandits get here!" Said Steaming sternly, as he pulled the regulator wide open, giving the engine full steam as it pounded the rails beneath it. 

"Hold on tight, this is going to be a bumpy ride!" Steaming warned as he pressed one of his feet against the firebox of the engine, whilst grabbing the regulator tightly. Emerald grabbed the window frame on his side of the cab, whilst pressing both feet against the firebox, as the train hit the obstacle in its way. A strong jolt went through the loco and the first 5 trucks, as the train plowed through the burning pieces of wood. The train slowed down slightly thanks to the run in, but it wasn't too much to bring it to an standstill, as they finally went through the barricade, and onto the clear tracks again. Both men in the cab breathed a sight of relief as they finally were past the obstacle. Steaming sighted, and turned to his friend. 

"Well, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Panted the engineer, not really believing in his words. 

"Yeah, just as much as going to the dentist." Grumbled Emerald, as Steaming just chuckled, whilst the train rattled further down the line. 



After another 20 minutes, they could hear a clacking from underneath their train. Steaming looked further into the distance, and noticed a few lights in the distance, which grew in size and numbers. 

"Looks like Ponyville is coming up." Steaming said, as they past the distance signal, which stood at 'Danger'. 

He closed the regulator and eased on the brakes, as the train began to slow down, coasting into the Ponyville main station, coming to an complete stop at the first platform. Steaming was a bit confused when he saw a large group of Royal guards, waiting for them at the platform. 

"Um, Emerald? Could it be that our past is coming to get us?" Asked Steaming with a chuckle. 

"If so, I'm putting the blame on you. After all, you told everyone at the saloon what we did to the factory in Canterlot." Murmured Emerald, who had partly fallen asleep along the way.  

"Not my fault that you mixed my lemonade with the strongest cider they had, and making me drunk for two? Still don't know how you did that by the way..." Grumbled the engineer, as he got out of the cab. 

"Evening lads." The engineer said, as the guards past him and went straight for the trucks. 

"... Okay, sure, just ignore the guy responsible for getting the train to motion." Said Steaming, more to himself than to the others. 

"Sorry, the guys are in a bit of an hurry you see." Came a voice from one of the guards. 

"No problem, but they should know that I am here as well. What are they even doing there?" 

"... You don't know what is in those trucks, right?" Asked the guard. 

"Nope, I was only told that the train was express goods and that it can't be delayed." Explained Steaming as the guard sighted. 

"Okay, but that needs to stay between us, okay? These trucks are loaded with presents for the royal wedding between princess Cadence and captain of the Royal guards, Shining Armor. We are here to check that nothing went missing along the way, and that nothing is damaged." Explained the guard silently. 

"Wait, so your telling me that what I'm transporting is nothing more than some wedding presents?!" Asked Steaming. 

"Well, for the most important wedding in the whole country." Said the guard, matter-of-factly. 

"I thought we were transporting something important, and not some bloody 'congratulation' cards and some China clay made plates!" Growled Steaming. 

"Well, your also transporting the wedding cake." The guard shrugged. 

"Really? What flavor?" 

"I don't know, but I think something with cherries." Said the guard, but Steaming was already rushing off to the cab. 

"E! E! Get down here pronto!" Called Steaming as Emerald climbed down from the footplate of the engine. 

"What's up?" He asked. 

"We're done for the day, that's what! Come, lets see if the guys over at the sheds have two bunks free for us." Grumbled the engineer. 

"Wait! We still need to take this train to Canterlot!" Shouted Emerald. 

"Not anymore we don't. This thing ain't more express than our coal trains!" Growled the young man next to him. 

"Huh?" 

"That train is filled with wedding presents for some royal wedding thingy!" Shouted the man, as they stopped on the second platform. 

"What Royal wedding?" Asked Emerald. 

"The wedding between princess Cadence and the captain of the Royal guard, Shining Armor/Sparkle." Came a gruff voice from behind them in reply. 

Both men turned around to see a long, black tender engine, in an 4-6-0 wheel configuration standing on the track next to them. They both looked inside the cab to see an elderly man, maybe in his mid 40s, sitting in the driver seat, his engineers hat pushed over his eyes, talking to them. 

"What are two young newbies like you two, doing on the main line with an goods train?" He asked, not looking at them or pulling his hat from his eyes. 

"We were the only ones who were able to drive and fire the train after its original crew had an... Incident." Emerald explained. 

"And that we were for long enough! I refuse to pull such an excuse for an express goods train!" Exclaimed Steaming. 

"Say, young one, do you know what express goods means?" Asked the man in the cab. 

"Sure. Express goods are goods that need to reach their destination because they are of the highest importance to the people who ordered them. Of course they can also be perishable, but those trains would usually be made up from refrigerator trucks, and since that's not the case with this lot, its the first explanation." 

"See? And you still not understand why it is an express goods?" 

"No!" 

The man sighted. 

"You sure are thickheaded. Think about it: these presents come from all over the region of Dodge City, and Ponyville. They will represent their regions at the wedding. So now think, if these were delayed, and wouldn't be there at the wedding reception. They would think that the people of this region had forgotten about them, or simply don't care. This however, casts a bad image about our region. And once the people know why it wasn't there, they'll be angry at the railway, and stop using it. And what happens with railway lines that aren't used by the people and doesn't makes any profit?" 

"It... Gets closed down." Steaming gasped, at the realization. 

"Bingo junior. Now if I was you, I would go back to that loco and drive it as quickly as the restrictions allow to Canterlot, since your already 5 minutes late." Said the man, as they looked at the station watch, as it indeed showed that they were behind schedule. 

"GAAAH! What in Tartarus are we still doing here?! We need to get a bloody move on!" Shouted Steaming as he and Emerald jumped from the platform, raced across the tracks and jumped into the cab of the 2-8-0 that stood across the 4-6-0. 

With a loud blast of its whistle, and a slight slipping of its wheels, the locomotive of the goods train pulled out of the station, it's trucks clanging behind as it departed the station. The man finally sat up, pulling his hat right, giving clear sight on his bearded face, with grey eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses, hiding the larger portion of his gray turning black hair under his hat, while he watched the train on the opposite side of the station depart. He heard somebody climb aboard the engine, as a woman around the same age as he was, walked up next to him, her shoulder long, red hair in slight curls, as she watched the train depart with him. 

"Who was that Steaming?" Asked the woman. 

"Some newbie kids from the Dodge Junction devision. Looks like they still have a lot to learn before they become proper main line material, but they sure got the steam to do so." Chuckled the man, as the call came. 

"ALL ABOARD!!! The Cannonball express Las Pegasus departing now!" 

"Well then, let's Highball, Head Light." Grinned the man, as he took his place in the seat of his locomotive, as with a loud cry of the express engines whistle, the Cannonball express departed. 
> Long time no seen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train soon rattled through the landscape, running faster than before, trying to make up for lost time. Steaming was now determined to get the train to Canterlot on time, and nothing would slow his train down, not even the princesses themselves! The train started to climb the mountain towards Canterlot, the engines bark became louder, the chuffing stronger, and their speed got steadily slower, as the long express goods made its way up the hill. They soon reached a small wayside station, in its siding stood a pair of 0-10-0 tank engines, hissing quietly for their call of duty. Their train slowed to an stop at the station, the signal red as a train blocked their path, which made Steaming, well, steaming. 

"Which train is holding us up?! I swear, their crew will be in for something once I see them!" Fumed the engineer as the two men were joined my the station master. 

"Give them some slack, will ya? Their engine failed with an blown cylinder, we already sent to bankers after them, so the section should be clear in 15 minutes." Explained the station master. 

"15 minutes?! But then we'll be 20 minutes late!" Shouted the engineer enraged. 

"Um, did you have a look at the clock?" Asked the station master confused. 

Steaming took a quick glance at the clock that hung from the roof of the platform cover, and was surprised. They hadn't just made up the delay from Ponyville, they arrived at the station with 5 minutes to spare. 

"Well wouldn't you look at that, how fast did we run up here, to get 15 back?" Asked Emerald. 

"I was so focused on the run, I forgot to check." Said Steaming, slightly embarrassed. 

"Well, guessing by what you two told me, you would've clocked up 70MPH on the run! I always thought the 'type 12's only go up to 60!" Laughed the station master. 

"But we still will be late if we go up there with only this engine! We need another one!" Said Emerald, quickly calculating their chances with and without extra help. Ever since the two of them got taught in mathematics by the men in the yards, Emerald proved to be a real genius with such stuff. 

"We got two bankers her in the yards, if you want, I could send a crew with you up the hill." Suggested the station master. 

"Finally a proper suggestion this evening!" Steaming shouted, was he jumped back inside the cab. 

"... I take that as a yes." Said the station master and made his way to the yards, where the two 0-10-0Ts were waiting. 



True to his words, exactly 15 minutes later, the signal raised its arm, and with an low cry of the Consolidations whistle, the train started off. The banker behind it only moves its own weight, until it reached the started of the tough climb. Steaming and snorting, the two locomotives fought their way up the hill, the smoke from their funnels as black as from an volcano eruption, and their barks echoing around the hills. 

"It wouldn't surprise me if the lads in Dodge heard us!" Laughed Emerald loudly over the bark of the locomotives. 

"Less talk, and more coal! We ain't there yet!" Steaming shouted back in reply, his eyes were focused on the dark tracks ahead, with the top of the hill still far from their view. The train wasn't going faster than 20MPH, but Steaming was determined to get to the station on time. Suddenly, he could see beyond the climb, and the first lights of a big city started to come into his view. 

"Just a bit more, and we've done it!" Laughed Steaming, as the engine made its way over the top of the bank, and started picking up speed as the rest of the train followed suit. With a 'goodbye' blast of the whistle, that was replied from the small tank engine behind it, the train started to pick up more speed, not letting anything stop it from its goal. They passed yellow signals set at 'danger', as the first points started to rattle below them. Steaming closed the regulator as they verged from the main line, and onto the goods lines, as they passed the first few strings of trucks. They slowly rolled into the Canterlot shunting yards, passing hundreds of trucks, and the occasional shunting engine, before leaving the yards behind, and moving into a large, warehouse style building, with platforms and workmen, bustling about to and from the waiting trucks, loading and unloading crates and boxes of every style, size and color. The train groaned to an stop, a few meters away from the buffer stop, as the first workmen started to open the doors, and getting the very important load out of the trucks. 



"Thanks for taking over for Brake Shoe and Coal Heap. I never thought they would get into a fight without winning. They are the strongest duo in Canterlot!" Said the foreman of the goods station as he got to the two engine men. 

"Huh, is that so?" Smirked Steaming as he and Emerald exchanged a smile. 

"Well, you two should better hurry along now, the guys at the hotel ain't going to keep the room free for you the whole night." Said the man as he hushed the two men towards the exits. 

"Huh, what a friendly person." Said Emerald sarcastically as they walked through the yards in the direction of the main station. 

"Probably wanted to hide the presents. They are the presents for the Royal wedding after all, and nobody should know what they are before the great day." Shrugged Steaming. 

"Are you sure you still are the same engineer who wanted to abandon the train because it wasn't a proper 'express goods'?" Asked Emerald as he and his companion crossed the main tracks outside the station. 

"Well, the words of that engineer from Ponyville sure stuck with me." Smirked Steaming as they entered the station. 

They walked slowly towards the station building, passing a long string of passenger coaches. 

"You remember the last time we were here?" Asked Steaming with a small smile. 

"Sure, how can I forget the day I was forced to take a journey down to Dodge Junction and to take a job on the railway." Grumbled Emerald playfully. 

"Hey, at least we have a job! And without me, getting invited for dinner at the boss's home, we would still be on the streets, stealing food and robbing the people of their possessions." Nudged Steaming, pretending to be offended. 

"Yeah, suppose your right. How is Jacky by the way?" Asked the black and green haired. 

"She's fine. School life's killing her, but she said she would go down to Manehatten with her mother soon. She said she'd rather switch with me, having some actual work instead of spending the days locked up in that building." Chuckled Steaming. 

"Well, I wouldn't mind going to an actual school, instead of only learning from the guys at the sheds." Said Emerald with a sight. 

"Really?" Asked Steaming surprised. He thought he'd never hear that from Emerald. 

"Well, yeah. I'd like to become something more than a mere railwayman. I'd like to become somebody important, somebody, who is remembered as someone, not just anybody." Explained Emerald, as he and Steaming stopped walking. 

"I know you always wanted us to become the top engineers on the road, but I don't think that my future is on the rails. I hope you can understand that." Said Emerald with an downcast look. 

"E, you are my best friend in the whole world. You are practically my brother, and the only family I had in the last 5 years. And if you want to become somebody through going to some fancy school, you have my full support." Steaming said with a gentle smile. 

"Your the best, you know that?" Emerald said with a honest smile. 

"I know, I just try to hide it to the common folk." Winked Steaming with a cheeky grin, getting hit on the arm by his 'brother'. 

"Ouch, you and your right hook." Steaming said with a wince. 

"Now come, like the guy in the goods station said, they ain't going to keep the room open all ni-!" Steaming began, but was cut off by a door from the coach that swung open right into his face. 

"Argh!" Steaming cried, falling onto the platform as blood came out of his nose. 

"Steaming!" Emerald shouted as his friend was knocked to the floor by the door. 

He crouched to the ground as Steaming recovered from the blow. He went through enough brawls to recover from such a hit in a matter of seconds. A gasp came from in front of him as a second person came into his point of view, but being obscured by the lighting of the station. 

"Oh Celestia, I am so sorry! I didn't see you there!" The figure said, worriedly.  

The voice belonged clearly to a woman, the long strands of hair coming from her head only strengthening the theory. 

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Had worse from worse." Said the man, as Emerald handed him a handkerchief, to clean the blood from his face. 

"But you need medical aid! Come with me!" The woman said, pulling him up from the ground, and dragging him away to the main station, where the medical bay of the station was. 

They went inside, and the doctors quickly worked on fixing his nose. After putting a bandage over the bridge of his nose, he was brought back to the waiting hall, where the woman from earlier waited, her hands hammering on the armrests of her chair. She jumped up and hugged the young man tightly. 

"Oh thank Celestia you are alright!" She whispered, as Steaming stood there with an confused expression on his face. 

"Um, thank you for your concern, but I am all right ma'am. You should better get back to your folks, before they get concerned about your disappearance." Said Steaming. 

"But... I wanted to stay with you. It's been so long since we last saw each other." Said the young woman in front of him, staring him deep in the eyes. 

"Did we met before?" Asked the engineer, a bit surprised, trying to remember the woman in front of him. He thought back to all the girls he had met over the years, many of which he had only talked a few words at the station of Dodge Junction, and only a selected few knew him closer, but he couldn't remember anybody in a black dress with shoulder long, metallic black hair. 

'Wait! Metallic black?!' He thought, as an image of an 8 year old girl with the same hair color appeared in his head. 

"By all the trucks in Dodge Junction... Jacky?" Gasped the engineer, as the girl in front of him giggled. 

"Hehe, for a second, I worried you might've forgotten about me." She smiled, as she was suddenly pulled into a strong hug. 

"Oh it really is good to see you again!" He cheered, slightly lifting the girl into the air, as said girl laughed in reply. 

"I'm glad to see you as well! But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Dodge Junction?" Asked the girl, as they started to make their way out of the medical bay. 

"Emerald and I had to take an express goods train up here, whilst its original crew was, as he would quote it, 'in dispose'." Chuckled Steaming. 

"Well, you really choose the perfect timing for it then!" Grinned Jacky as they walked up to Emerald, who stood next to an large clock, that showed that it was already nearing midnight. 

"Whys that?" 

"Mother and father had to make some meetings in Manehatten, and stayed there for a few more days than planned. But they were invited to the Royal wedding tomorrow, so they wanted me to take their place, but there is still one seat free. I thought, maybe you could go with me?" Asked Jacky, as her cheeks grew a light shade of red. 

"Wait! You want ME to go there with YOU?!" Asked the engineer in shock. 

"Well, yes, if you don't mind of course." Answered the girl, her cheeks now bright red. 

"W-w-well, I wouldn't mind, but the road supervisor expects me at the yards with the early morning train for tomorrow morning, a-and he wouldn't like it if I wasn't there!" Stuttered Steaming. 

"That shouldn't be a problem. Smoke Screen should be back to take over by tomorrow. And it's your free day anyways!" Butted in Emerald, getting an dark glare from Steaming in return. 

"Thank you so much for aiding me in my time of trouble." Whispered Steaming sarcastically. 

"Every day bro." Sniggered the young man. 

"But I don't have any spare clothes with me, except for my spare uniform, and I can't wear that on an occasion such as this!" 

"That won't be a problem. I have a friend who could make you a suit in a matter of hours!" Smiled Jacky, her eyes shining as they pleaded the engineer to say yes. Said man was pulled to the side by his long time friend. 

"Whats your problem Steaming? Just say yes and go with her to the wedding!" Said Emerald. 

"My problem is, that it would be the first time that she and I were somewhere, with only the two of us! I don't know what to do!" Said Steaming embarrassed. 

"Easy! You go with her to the bloody wedding, have a good time with her, and finally tell her that you have a crush on her!" Emerald grumbled, as Steamings eyes widened. 

"How did you-?!" 

"You tend to mutter in your sleep. Pretty badly at that. So either you go with her, or I go over there and tell her myself!" 

"N-no! I'm going, I'm going!" Shouted Steaming, as he turned back to Jacky, who looked at the two with an confused look. 

"Alright Jacky, I take up your offer. I will accompany you to the Royal wedding tomorrow." Said Steaming, slightly forced. 

"Great! I shall meet you tomorrow morning in front of the station! Good night!" Giggled the girl, as she quickly walked off towards the main exit. 

"what did I do to deserve this? Getting blackmailed by my best friend to go to a wedding I am not suited in any way to go, with a girl I'm cab over wheels in love." Grumbled Steaming as he started to walk into the same direction, Emerald a few feet beside him. 

"At least we are quit now. Without me, you would've never made a move on her, and let me tell you something: she likes you as well." Chuckled Emerald. 

"How are you so sure about that?" 

"I've got a nose for stuff like that." 

"Oh yeah, like the time you said that girl from the station cafe liked you, only to end with an tray in your face?" Smirked Steaming. 

"I couldn't know that she looked at the porter behind me!" Growled Emerald in response. 

"Suuuure." Chuckled Steaming as Emerald kept growling. 

They quickly made their way to the railway hotel that was directly opposite of the main station, before they checked into their room, and quickly fell asleep. 
> The morning before the wedding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two railwaymen from Dodge Junction woke up early the next morning, at first slightly confused about the lack of the sound of steam locomotives moving about, and yard workers shouting orders about, till they remembered their run and what happened at the station last night. They quickly washed themselves and ate breakfast in the hotels restaurant, with Steaming ranting about what an insult they tried to sell as tea, before making their way to the station. In front of one of the great gates that let to the platforms, the two men parted ways.

"And you are sure that Westing will be alright with me staying here for another day?" Asked Steaming.

"Of course! After all, he can't tell you off for spending your day off work here. Just make sure you get back sooner or later! I don't think he'll take it too kind if you miss your morning shift tomorrow, like you did three weeks ago!" Chuckled Emerald, as his friend shivered.

"Don't remind me. Last time I was ordered to clean out every drainpipe on the station roof, and you know how scared I am of falling from high places like that!" Grumbled the engineer, as the call rang through the station.

"The 6:30 local train to Dodge Junction will depart shortly from platform 16. Last chance for getting aboard."

"Well, good luck on your date Romeo." Winked Emerald, as he passed something over to the engineer.

Steaming looked at the object, and noticed that it was a small box of bullets for his revolver.

"Just to be sure that no one makes any wrong moves on you or Jacky." Explained Emerald.

"You know I usually grab for my other weapon before I touch my gun." Grinned Steaming as he clenched his fists for a brief second.

"Hehe, yeah yeah, Celestia forgives, we don't." Smirked Emerald, before the two of them burst end out laughing.

"I see you tomorrow bro." Said Emerald, still laughing as he walked to the platform.

"Well, seeing that Jacky didn't told me when she would come here, I guess the best thing to do would be sitting here and wait till she arrives." Muttered the railwayman to himself as he walked to an nearby bench, and sat down on it.

'BOOOOOOOORING!'

Steaming was getting rather impatient. He wasn't somebody who could wait too long, and he was quick to show it. His head was quickly glancing from the station clock, to the main entrance and over the people who came and went through it, hoping to see the metallic black haired girl he was waiting for. But till now, he didn't have any luck with that. His fingers were hammering on the bench, and his foot was rapidly hammering on the floor.

'Come on Jacky! I don't like being in such a crowd.' Thought the engineer. He was usually with his friends and colleagues, in their own, small groups where everyone knew everyone, and would talk openly to each other. But here, he was on his own, drowned in an ocean of people whom he didn't know, and probably knew he wouldn't want to know. He can't remember how he had coped with it when he was younger, but he knew he would be happy once he was back home where it would only be him, Emerald and the occasional yard worker who would walk over to them and have a little chat. He was so deep in though, that didn't notice a girl in a blue dress, sitting down next to him.

"Good morning Steaming!" Said Jacky joyfully, making said engineer jump from his place on the bench and falling straight onto the ground.

"Ouch!" He groaned, as he picked himself up.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't wanted to surprise you." Jacky said.

"No no, it's alright. I should've noticed you. How come I didn't see you come in through the main entry?"

"Easy. I used the side entry." Grinned Jacky, as Steaming face palmed.

"Of course. Stupid me!" Grumbled the man, as Jacky giggled.

"So, are you ready?" Asked Jacky.

"Lead the way, my lady." Said the engineer, trying to form a Canterlot accent and failing miserably, as the girl in front of him chuckled with an slight blush.

"Well, if you ask so nicely." She smiled, and started to lead the engineer outside the station, and through the busy street of the nations Capitol.

They walked for roughly an hour, before they stopped at an building, that stood in a row with many similar ones. The only thing that made the building stand out from the rest was a small sign that hung above the door, with what looked like a carousel on it, with the word 'boutique' in fancy writing beneath it. Jacky pulled the man inside, and the sight of many colourful dresses and suits greeted the two, along with the sound of an bell ringing.

"Hello! Ms. Belle! Are you here?!" Jacky called through the store, as some scuffling could be heard from the back of the shop. A few seconds later, a girl in their age came from the back, a pair of red glasses on the bridge of her nose, with purple hair, white blouse and purple trousers, with shoes of the same colour. She smiled brightly when she saw Jacky.

"Junction darling!" She exclaimed, and walked over to the girl, pulling her into an hug.

"Hello Rarity! It's good to see you again!" Smiled Jacky, as she returned the hug.

"And who might this gentleman in your company be?" She asked.

"My name is Steaming Whistle ma'am." Steaming said, lifting his hat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Whistle. My name is Rarity Belle, and this is my family's boutique." Introduced the girl herself, before turning back to Jacky.

"It is a good timing that you came here, I finished the dress, and wanted you to try it on." Said Rarity, as Jacky beamed brightly.

"That's great! I'll try it on straight away." Said the girl happily, as she rushed off to where Rarity had come from.

"You make dresses as well?" Asked Steaming.

"Why yes! I help my parents running the boutique after school, but I also design and create my own dresses as well! I dream of owning my own boutique someday." Explained the young seamstress with a dreamy smile.

"That sounds like a pretty nice dream. I dream of becoming the best engineer of the railway. The railway gave me everything, a job, a home, a future,... I simply want to repay them for everything they did for me." Explained the young engineer.

"I heard about that. Jacky tends to speak a lot about you, and what you went through. It must've been quite hard, growing up in a railway station without anybody to help you." Said the purple haired girl with a concerned look.

"It wasn't that hard. I had my best friend Emerald with me all the time, and the men and women from the yards and the station cafe taught us everything we needed to know for the future. They taught us how to read, write, simple mathematics, how to work and behave around railway vehicles, the art of shooting from the ground and from a moving train-"

"Wait! You can shoot? With a gun?" Asked Rarity, stunned.

"Yes, the rails around Dodge Junction aren't the safest, and the only way to move around down there without getting a third eye down there is to carry one of these around with you all the time." Chuckled Steaming, showing his holstered handgun.

"Oh my, that doesn't sound like a very safe way for a child to grow up." Said Rarity.

"Oh, the open rails weren't safe, that's for sure. But we didn't go out much, we usually stayed at the station, or went about in the yards. That's where we also found our current home. When we went on one of our yard exploration runs, we found an clapped out passenger coach from the early days of the line down to Dodge. We started repairing it bit by bit, and now it's body is completely repaired. But to get it back on its wheels again, will take quite some time." Explained Steaming, as Jacky came back into the room.

"It's perfect Rarity! Thank you so much!" Beamed Jacky.

"It's quite alright dear. Always happy to help. Say, are you going to the Royal wedding with your parents as well?" Asked the young seamstress.

"I'm going there with Steaming in their place. They are stuck down in Manehatten, something to do with the railway as it seems." Said Jacky.

"I see. And what will you be wearing Steaming?" Asked the seamstress, turning to the engineer.

"Your seeing it." Replied the engineer casually, only noticing the pleading look on Jackys face after saying it.

"WHAT?!" Asked Rarity in shock.

"I don't have anything else to wear here besides my uniform." Said the young man with an nervous chuckle, not knowing why the purple haired girl in front of him was making such a fuss about it.

"That will never do! This will be the most important event of the whole year! You can't walk in there wearing your working clothes! You would be a laughing stock!" Exclaimed the seamstress.

"Huh, see if I care. Let them laugh if it makes them feel important. They know they are above me, and if they really get on my nerves, I'll show them what an annoyed engineer really can do!" Smirked Steaming, but Rarity shook her head.

"Well, you might not care, but I do! I know how to fix this! I'll make you a suit!" She smiled in delight, snapping her fingers.

"Wait, what?" Asked the engineer perplexed, as he was dragged into the back of the store, as Jacky sighted.

"I knew this would happen." She sighted.

Steaming was pulled to an small, empty space near the very back of the shop, where a table with an chair in front of it stood. Rarity quickly grabbed a measuring tape, and turned to the engineer.

"Would you be so kind to undo your shirt please?" Asked Rarity.

"Whoa! Hold it right there lady! First, I think this goes way beyond it for the first time we're meeting each other, second, I don't even have any money on me to pay you for the suit! And lastly, I don't even want a suit!" Exclaimed the engineer, as Raritys cheeks turned a light shade of red because of the first remark.

"I need you to take off your shirt so that I can take your measures silly! And don't worry about the payment! Let's call it a gift for you, from me." Smiled the purple haired girl kindly.

"Wow, that's very generous of you." Said the engineer, genuinely surprised.

"That's one of my specialities darling." Smiled Rarity.

"But that still doesn't change the fact that I don't want a suit. My clothes are just fine!" Continued the engineer.

"Well, too bad, because you don't have any saying in it. I will make you a suit, if you like it or not." Said Rarity with an determined smile.

"Just agree to it Steaming. She won't back down until you say yes." Said Jacky, who came up to the two.

"Okay, but be quick okay?" Sighted the young man, as Raritys face lit up.

After around 15 minutes, Rarity had all the information she needed.

"Um, one small question: would it be possible if you could add a little pocket inside it where I could store my revolver? I'd be much more relaxed if I can carry it around me whenever I can." Asked Steaming with an embarrassed chuckle.

"I think that should be possible. But I am afraid you will need to give your gun to the Royal guards at the entry to the castle anyways." Said Jacky.

"Hehe, of course." Chuckled Steaming, as Rarity shooed them out of the building.

"And now I need some time to make the suit. It should be ready in a few hours. I see you two later." She said, and closed the stores door behind her.

"Well... That was something... Different." Said Steaming.

"You must excuse her, she means well, but she can't except no for an answer." Said Jacky with an embarrassed laugh.

"Don't worry, already went through it in Dodge in an similar incident. So, where to now?" Asked Steaming.

"Well, I had expected that we'd stay at Raritys place a bit longer till lunch time, so I don't really know where to now. Do you have any suggestions?" Asked the girl.

"Hm, well, there is one place I would like to visit again, just to make sure it still stands." Muttered Steaming thoughtfully, trying to form the route in his head.

"Do you know the route there?" Asked Jacky, as she saw how the engineer tried hard to think of the route.

"Once I'm at the main market, I should be able to figure it out." Murmured the young man, as he looked around, seeing a sign on which 'this way to market ->' stood.

"Well, that's convenient." Said Steaming and started to walk in the direction of the arrow.

They soon reached the market and Steaming led from there. They walked further and further, past factories and workshops, till they reached an very poor area of the city, where many buildings were either in disrepair or completely closed off from the public. Jacky never went to this part of the city, but Steaming wasn't scared. He grew up here after all. Jacky walked closer to the engineer, and grabbed his hand with her own. Steaming looked shortly to their interlocked hands, but then looked back onto the way ahead, slightly red in the face. They kept walking till they reached an small, closed down factory, with an crumbled old chimney, and an slightly collapsed roof.

"Well you don't say! That bloody thing is still standing!" Laughed Steaming as he started to walk towards the old, nailed shut door.

"This is where you wanted to go?" Asked Jacky.

"Why yes. This was mine and Emeralds old hideout. It also was our home for when the old man at the orphanage had enough of us." Chuckled Steaming.

"How could you live here? I mean, it is completely wrecked!" Exclaimed Jacky.

"Easy. We didn't used the whole building. We only used one or two rooms. The parts that had the most damage were sealed off, so that we couldn't go there, even if we wanted to!" Grinned the young man, as they stood in front of the closed off building.

"It doesn't look like we can go in there." Said the girl next to him.

"Oh, looks don't always show off the reality." Chuckled Steaming, as he pressed against the upper part of one board, which moved to the action. Steaming pulled the board up, so that it stood in an 90 degree angle to the door.

"We know our ways into the buildings of the city. Well, at least into the buildings in this part of the town." Chuckled the young man, as he squeezed himself through the gap.

"Ugh! I think I grew a bit too much." Winced the boy, as he rubbed his front and back, which had scrapped against the other boards.

"Well, the inside looks just as I had imagined it." Said Jacky, looking around.

The inside of the building was just as battered up as the outside. Debris and broken machine parts littered the floors, with a few cleaned up spaces that were probably used as walking paths by Steaming and Emerald. At one side of the room were a few rotten wooden boxes, placed around an larger, just as rotten box, which Jacky guessed were used as a table and chairs. Two clapped out, dirty and disused mattresses layer in two corners of the room, with some old clothes on and around them. Steaming walked to an old, partly collapsed shelf, where something rectangular rested, dirt, dust and soot covering it and making the recognition nearly impossible.

"What is that?" Asked Jacky.

Steaming picked the object up, opening it, and showing Jacky a old drawing.

"That was something Emerald and I did when we were bored: we made drawings. Sometimes of us, sometimes of the people we met, and sometimes of what we wanted to do in the future." Chuckled Steaming, as he sat down on one of the old boxes, looking through the drawings, showing Jacky badly made drawings of himself and Emerald, scary looking pictures with the title 'old man' and 'loudmouthed old bastard', and pictures of the two of them, fighting against monsters in a foreign place.

"Hehe, you two had quite big dreams." Chuckled Jacky, as she saw the last picture.

"Yeah, back then, we didn't really knew what the future had in store for us, so we thought of anything. But two things the two of us always came back to were gunslingers, and engine drivers." Chuckled the engineer, as he showed her a drawing of the two of them, showing them on board of an moving locomotive, with both of them wielding, what looked like Coltchester rifles, fighting against persuading people.

"Whys that?" Asked Jacky.

"Well, the engine driver things is pretty easy to explain. Both Emerald and I started working at an factory when we were 7 years old, and into the factory went rails. Every day, we would see the locomotives steam in and out of the factory, bringing in empty trucks and taking away full ones. We loved the sights and sounds of the engines as they rattled about, and wanted to go with them, away from the orphanage, away from Canterlot, just... going somewhere else." Explained Steaming, thinking back to the time he worked in the factories.

"And why did you want to become a gunslinger? That isn't a job that most people would usually chose."

"Well, back then, Emerald an I had a book we always read, called 'the adventures of Trinity'. It's about an lone gunslinger, who was said to be the fastest gunslinger in the world! Some even called him 'the Devils right hand', because he would bring the devil his next customer. He also had a brother, named 'Bambie', but don't think he was small just because of his name. He was a mountain of a man, and his punches were so hard, they were a weapon in their own right. We loved those stories, and wanted to be like Trinity. Well, we both know that these stories were just made up now, but back then, these stories were what gave the two of us hope, that even people like us could become famous." Explained Steaming, as he looked around the room, his eyes falling on Emeralds old mattress.

"Wait a minute, I just got an idea..." Muttered Steaming, as he got up and walked over to the mattress, lifting it up, and pulling something from underneath it.

"I knew he would keep it there. He always stores his important things under his mattress." Chuckled Steaming, as he showed Jacky an old book, with the picture of an thin, blond gunslinger with steel blue eyes, and an slightly smaller, but much thicker build man, with small eyes and beard in his face. Underneath the two men was the title Steaming just told.

"Hehe, I bet Emerald will jump in joy when he sees this old thing again." Chuckled Steaming, as he put the book into an pocket on the inside of his uniform jacket.

Steaming had just put the book away, when they heard something fall in the back of the old factory. The two teenagers looked in the direction of the sound, but couldn't see anything. Steaming slowly stood up, and sneaked in the direction of the sound.

"What are you doing Steaming?" Asked Jacky, a bit scared of the action of the engineer.

"Ssssssh, quiet Jacky! I don't like it when people wander about in my home, even if I didn't used it for 5 years." Whispered Steaming, as the two of them sneaked further into the factory. They were coming up to the end of the factory, when they could see a small group of men, with one of them arguing with another.

"You can be lucky that the building is empty! Just imagine if we were found! The guards would send us to jail in a heartbeat!" Said the man.

"We are in one of the most deserted parts of the city. The next populated building is at the end of the road. We could destroy the whole interior of the Celestia damned thing and nobody would know! We don't have to be that secretive now." Argued the man.

"We are still within city borders. We need to keep a low profile until we're at the coast. We can't risk this being caught, so close before we-"

"Well lads, sorry to tell you this, but your covers blown. Now stick 'me up, and throw any guns through the window over there." Came the voice as Steaming walked in, revolver drawn, and pointed at the men in the room.

"Who're you? Our bounty hunter?" Asked one of the men, as they threw their revolvers out of the window, and into the yard of the factory.

"Nope, just a man who was lucky enough to become an engineer for the railways."said explained Steaming, as he walked around them, wanting to led them outside.

"Jacky, go open the door up front, I keep these jailbirds here company." Said Steaming, but before Jacky could even take a step, the sound of an revolvers hammer being pulled back went through the room.

They looked to their right, seeing another member of this group, holding an old, partly rusty, revolver at the engineer.

"You know, I have an better idea: you don't go to that door, and keep me and my lads company, and if your little girlfriend is good, we let you go and the two of you will be alright. Well, at least mostly." Laughed the man evilly, as he slowly walked to Steaming, disarming him.

But just as he grabbed the revolver, Steaming swung his left hand, knocking both his and the mans gun out of the window. The man was surprised, and Steaming used his helpless situation, and punched him hard with his right fist.

"JACKY! GET THE BLAZES OUT OF HERE!" Shouted Steaming as the other 3 members of the group started charging at him.

The engineer quickly ducked under a punch, but got hit by another in the stomach. He flinched slightly, but gave a punch of his own, sending the man onto the ground, holding his stomach in pain. He made a swift move to the left, dodging another punch, letting it hit the wall that was behind him. The attacker yelped in pain, and shook his hand violently, snarling at where Steaming stood. The man in question however, had already moved behind him, kicking him hard into his butt, sending him into the wall, knocking him out cold. The other three however had more than enough of him, and went at him all at the same time. While two grabbed his arms, the third gave him several punches into his face. He was about to make another punch, when one of the rotten old boxes hit him at the head, shattering in impact. The two men restraining Steaming looked over, where Jacky stood, her eyes filled with determination, as she looked at the men with an angry look.

"Leave him alone you bullies!" She cried.

The distraction was all Steaming needed to free himself from the thugs. He yanked his arms out of their grip, jumping and landing on the feet of the two men. They jumped and shouted in pain, but the engineer wasn't quite finished yet. He quickly kicked the man to his left with his leg against the mans one, making him fall onto the factories floor, while he hit the man to his right with both hands on either side of his face, stunning him long enough to hit the man with his fist squarely on his head. The man slumped to the ground, completely knocked out, burying the other man underneath him. The last of the four men group looked from his beaten up colleagues to the man in front of him, who looked like he didn't even started to fight for real, a broad smirk on his face, as he edged ever so slowly towards him, as he walked slowly backwards, before hitting the wall behind him. His whole body shook in fright, as the engineer stood in front of him, and even though he wasn't that much bigger, he seemed to tower over him. Steaming raised his fist, tensing his muscles, and smirking widely like a mad man.

"Boo." Smirked the young man, as the last of the four men group collapsed onto the ground, the fright and shock finally overwhelming him.

"Hehe, that's how you do it." Chuckled Steaming, as he turned to Jacky, seeing her standing where she had been since she had thrown the box, mouth agape in shock and awe.

"How did you-?"

"Emerald and I aren't the most feared pair of rail workers in the yards, and probably the whole eastern part of the nation, for nothing. He and I fought and took down the strongest and most fearsome fighters that came into the town, and are well known in Dodge Junctions underground fighting arenas. Compared to what he and I fought against, these weaklings were a walk in the park." Grinned Steaming, as he walked to the person who was buried underneath his pal, still trying to lift him from himself.

"Hey punk, before I knock you to dreamland, how about you explain what you did, so that the guards have an proper reason for putting you behind the bars." Said Steaming with a cold voice.

"Why should I?" The man sneered.

"Maybe because I will break every of your bones otherwise?" Steaming suggested, but the man just scoffed.

"You wouldn't dare."

In a swift move, Steaming, hand stomped down of the mans arm, sending a large amount of pain through his body.

"There's more where that just come from. Way more. So, still keeping shut, or do you want to talk?" Asked the engineer, his voice even colder than before.

"Alright, alright, I talk! Just take your foot from my arm!" The man whined, as Steaming removed his foot from the arm.

"We stole an experimental new power source that we wanted to sell in Germainy." Explained the man.

"New power... What kind of new power source?"

"It's called a internal combustion engine. They already build many of those over there, but this one doesn't needs to be activated by hand. It has an electrical starter." Explained the man further.

"Huh, thanks for the info, birdbrain!" Smirked Steaming, hitting the man on the head, knocking him out as well.

"So, they wanted to sell the work of countless of hours to the land where the internal combustion engine was developed aye? Heh, they can buy as many as they want, but this thing stays right here!" Said Steaming, as he looked at an queer looking object that was inside a crate.

"Um, Steaming? Could we please go now? I don't think I want to be here any longer." Said Jacky.

"No problem. I just go grab my gun, hide their guns safely out of sight, and then we go and get out of here. We'll tell the guards that they should pick them up, once we meet some of them."

"Don't you think it's a bit dangerous, leaving them here without anyone to watch over them?"

"I thought you wanted to get out of here? And don't worry about it, they won't get up for at least an hour, maybe two if they're weak in recovering from heavy blows. I think we have more than enough time to call some guards up here." Winked Steaming, as he walked over to the window where his and the guns of the other men went through, and climbed through it, grabbing his revolver, and the ones of the thugs, before throwing the latter ones onto the roof of the building, where they could do no harm.

He went back through the window, and both he and Jacky walked back outside through the opening in the boarded up door. They slowly walked back into the direction of the main market place, Jacky still amazed about the fact that her friend just took down four fully grown

men, while Steaming just smiled slightly, looking at Jacky every once in a while, chuckling when he saw her still deep in thought about how he could take them on all on his own. After they told a group of passing guards that they saw a group of suspicious looking men hiding inside the abandoned factory (they decided that it was better if they didn't told them the real story), they made a stop in a small restaurant that was nearby, Steaming remembering it from his days in the factories, when he was brought here with Emerald by one of the older workmen who grew fond of the two. He walked in and ordered something for the two of them. After taking a seat near a window, they waited patiently for their lunch to arrive.

"Is it just me, or does this restaurant looks somewhat foreign?" Asked Jacky to the engineer.

"Quite an eye you got there. It is indeed foreign, its owner came from Germainy, and when he saw that none of the food he used to eat was sold here, he bought one of the old buildings here, refurbished it, and turned it into, what he calls a 'Schnitzelhaus' or something like that. While I don't really understand all of the stuff on the menu, what I know is, that it is really good." Explained the engineer, as the waiter came with two plates with food.

"What exactly IS this stuff?" Asked Jacky as she looked at her food in confusion.

"Well, from what the cook told me when I was younger, it's called 'Jagerschnitzel' with mashed potatoes and vegetables. I don't know what it's exactly made from, but like I said earlier, it is pretty damn good!" Smirked Steaming, as he pierced one of the small, brownish, disk like pieces of meat, cutting it in half, and started to eat.

"Still as good as in my memories." Smiled the young man, closing his eyes with an blissful expression.

Jacky cut a small piece of her mini-steak off, and put it in her mouth, starting to chew it. It had a more or less spicy taste, but on a tolerable level, with an crunchy shell around the meat inside.

"Not bad." Said the girl, after she swallowed up he piece.

"Hehe, bad liars are easy to spot for me." Smiled Steaming, as he dug into his meal.

After their dinner, and after an long round of 'who pays?', out of which they agreed to pay their own meal, Jacky said they should check up on the suit Rarity was making for Steaming. While the engineer was a bit confused, he agreed, and after a little while, the two of them were back at the boutique. They walked inside, just as they saw Rarity, coming out of the back of the shop.

"Oh! You are already here! How convenient! I just finished your suit!" Smiled Rarity.

"Really? My, you must've been a very busy bee then! I thought it would take much longer!" Chuckled Steaming, as he was led to the back of the boutique.

"Well, it is rather pressing after all, with the wedding celebration being this evening." Explained the young seamstress, as they reached an mannequin, on which the suit was put on. When Steaming looked at it, his jaw nearly fell of. It looked just like an original Germain railway uniform.

"Wow..." Said the engineer quietly.

"I take it you like it then?" Chuckled Rarity.

"How did you-?"

"Your hat. It has the same design as the ones from Germainy, so I took the liberty do make the suit represent the railway uniforms from Germainy. Needless to say, they are very distinguished, so you should fit in perfectly into the Royal wedding wearing this." Smiled the young woman next to him.

"Now, go and try it on! Your eyes practically scream to get into it." She continued, as Steaming shook himself awake, and quickly grabbed the suit, disappearing behind a wall, so that Rarity wouldn't see anything that she shouldn't.

After a few minutes, he appeared in her view again, and the young seamstress smiled brightly when she saw him.

"My, I must say, the suit looks stunning on you! As if you were a real member of the Germain railways!" Smiled Rarity, as the engineer blushed modestly.

"Thanks for the flowers." He said with an embarrassed blush.

"Hehe, and I guess Jacky will like seeing you in this suit even more." Giggled the young seamstress, as Steaming went bright red.

"Y-you think so?!" Asked the engineer, with an slightly higher voice.

"Oh I know so darling. But I think you shouldn't let her see it before the wedding. You know, as to not spoil the surprise." Chuckled Rarity.

"O-of course! Your right!" Stuttered Steaming, as he disappeared behind the wall to get changed again.

"Oh Jacky, if only you'd see his signs." Sighted Rarity with a slight smile.

Once he finished changing into his usual clothes, Steaming walked back out with Rarity and two cardboard boxes in his hands, one with Jackys dress, the other with his suit. They were just about to go, when a ringing rang through the room. The source of it was the phone on the counter of the store. Rarity rushed over to the counter and picked up the call.

"Yes hello, carousel boutique, Rarity Belle at the phone. ...yes. ...oh dear. ...no, I don't know who- wait! I do know someone! Don't worry, we will get it delivered on time! Goodbye!" She said, and hung up, turning to the two people who were standing at the door with confused expressions.

"Would you be so kind and do a little errand for me?"

"Okay, first, I get drawn all the way up here to Canterlot, for bringing the presents for the wedding."

"Yes, you said that 5 times already."

"Then, I have to bring the wedding dress all the way from downtown Canterlot up here to the castle."

"That, you already said 6 times."

"And then I get held up by a pair of nit witting guards, who can't even do their job right in defending themselves, much less anybody else, and molest an 15 year old teenager, because they 'suspected' her to smuggle some dangerous objects inside!"

"You forgot the part where you beat the living daylight out of them when they tried to do their job, after which you got arrested for assaulting them." Said the guard outside of his cell, who was by now more than annoyed by the engineer inside the cell.

"1. They didn't 'do their job', they molested her, like I already said, and 2. It took 5 of you wimps to take me down, and I'm only a railway engineer! If I were your captain, I would either get you back to basics so that you can at least stop a regular grown man, or throw you wimps out, and replace you with someone with more stopping power!" Smirked Steaming, as the guard outside of the cell shot him an angry glare.

"Hey Shield! Can't you make that silencing spell so that I don't need to hear this wanker anymore?!" Grumbled the guard, as another one was sitting behind a desk, writing into a book.

"With the greatest pleasure!" Grumbled the man, as his hands glowed a pale green light, as the dungeon fell into silent at last.

"Finally!" Sighted the guard from the cells, as he smiled in relief.

"Well, but you can't argue about that he has a point." Came a third voice, as a man in two tone, blue hair walked inside, on his shoulders the badges of a captain.

"C-captain Armor! We didn't expect you here!" Stuttered the one called Shield, as the two guards stood to attention.

"Usually, I wouldn't, but that was before the young lady Spike her told me that you imprisoned her companion." Said the captain with a even voice.

"With all due respect sir, he was the one who attacked two guards on duty." Said the one from the cells.

"From what lady Spike told me, they did a pretty sloppy job at it, and this Mr. Steaming here, was only defending the young lady. On top of that, you made yourself a laughing stock with that little stunt out there! It took 5 of you, Equestrias best soldiers, to take out an simple engineer with no training whatsoever, who on top of that kicked two of you out of commission! I should take his advice and put the 5 of you back to basics so that you learn how to at least defend yourself! Now, I advice you to open that door and release him at once!" Said the captain, the even tone now gone from his voice, and replaced by that of anger, as the two guards just looked down in shame.

"Yes sir..." They said in embarrassment, as they opened the cell door.

Steaming smirked at the two men, before mocking a punch, to which the two of them jerked away from him.

"Thank you for your help, Mr?"

"My name is Shining Armor, captain of the Royal guards." Said the man in front of him with a slight smile.

"Ah, I heard you are the lucky man who is going to be married by the end of the day! Congratulations for that! My name is Steaming Whistle by the way. Engineer on the Equestrian National Railway, Dodge Junction devision." Said Steaming, shaking the hand of the captain.

"Thank you, Mr. Steaming. Now, lady Spike told me that you were responsible for the current absence of two of my guards, better said, their current health situation?" Asked the captain with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yes. Seeing them grabbing Jacky at her most private places was something I simply couldn't go by without them getting any comeuppance for it. They shouldn't be too battered up though. I didn't go full throttle on them, so they should be on full health within the next two months." Said the engineer, as they walked upstairs.

"Wait, what do you mean with 'not going full throttle on them' and 'not longer than two months'?!" Asked the captain of the Royal guards in shock.

"Well, I can't really go full throttle on my own. I can only go up to, say, 70% of my full fighting power if I'm alone. If my buddy Emerald Heart were here however, then they wouldn't be awake by now." Smirked the engineer, as Shining looked at him with an unconvinced glance.

"If you two are that good, then why didn't you two join the guards?"

"Hehe, believe it or not, but Lieutenant Pass has asked us that numerous times already!"

"You mean Lieutenant Raton Pass from Dodge Junction? The man who defended whole Dodge Junction from the natives for over 5 days with only half an platoon? The one called 'the hardest rock in the desert'?" Asked Shining, shocked.

Lieutenant Raton Pass was known two things: his famous, week long defence of Dodge Junction, and the fact that he never seemed anyone worthy of joining the guard, without proofing himself. Hearing that he would even offer a place in the guard to somebody as common as an engineer was shocking, to say the least.

"The one and only. But we are men of the rails. We work for Equestria, but not by keeping it safe, but by making sure that people and goods reach their destination safe, relaxed, and on top of that, on time!" Smirked Steaming, as he saw the face of the captain, who was trying to reach the floor with his yaw.

"Well, that is quite respectful. I bet the princesses would be impressed as well to have someone with so much dedication to the job as you are within their nation." Smiled Shining, as they reached a large hall, which was filled with tables and chairs, at one of them, sat 5 girls, one of them obviously being Jacky, talking to each other.

"Well, seems like they are waiting for us, better not keep them waiting any longer, aye?" Suggested Steaming as he started moving again.

"A very good suggestion indeed." Chuckled Shining, as the two of them moved to the table where the 5 girls sat.

The conversation of the girls was quickly ended when the two men walked up to them.

"Hello Jacky, sorry it took so long." Chuckled Steaming, as Jacky just rolled her eyes.

"You didn't need to be so hard on them you know." Grumbled the girl with a frown, but the small smile on her face was making her stern facade crumble to pieces.

"From what he told me, he went easy on them." Smiled Shining, as he was joined by one of the girls, with light pink hair, and light blue eyes.

"Is that so? Well then, I think we should thank you for not going all out on them then." Chuckled the woman, as she gave Shining a small kiss on the cheek.

"And I suspect you are princess Cadence, am I right?" Asked the engineer, while lifting his hat.

"You suspected right. My full name is princess Mi amore cadenca, but I commonly go by Cadence." Smiled the princess.

"But I see that you aren't alone. Who might you three lovely ladies be?" Asked the engineer, making a small blush appear on the girls cheeks and an small frown on Jackys face.

"W-well, my name is Twilight Sparkle, member of the Celestial studying foundation 'Harmony'." Said the girl with two tone, purple hair, with an pink streak running through it.

"Huh, never heard of that before." Shrugged Steaming.

"It's a foundation my aunt installed to teach and learn the most talented and promising children of Equestria in their own ways. As of now, we have 6 members." Explained Cadence with a smile.

"Huh, I can only see four people here, if Jacky is one of them."

"I'm not a member, but my family has long since been a supporter of the foundation. That, and the fact that I'm a good friend of Rarity, is the reason I became friends with them." Smiled Jacky.

"Well, there are three other members, two of which are outside, while the final member is at her home, helping her parents out with their boutique." Explained Twilight.

"So, how about we continue the introductions? 'Cause I don't think that Pinkie can contain herself much longer," grinned Shining, as Steaming looked at him with an confused expression, as he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a pink arrow, being knocked to the ground with force.

"Ugh! What the-?"

"HITHEREIMPINKIEPIEAREYOUGOINGTOBEANEWFRIENDOHIHOPEYOUAREGOINGTOBEANEWFRIENDIHAVESOMANYFRIENDS!" And on and on the pink haired girl, with the sky blue eyes rambled.

"Okay, hold your horsepowers there little lady." Said the engineer, finally getting over the confusion, and putting a hand over the girls mouth, who still muffled into his hand. Twilight sighted, and gave Steaming an apologetic look.

"You must excuse Pinkie Pie, she is... rather enthusiastic, when meeting new people." She said with an embarrassed chuckle.

"That I noticed, but, no harm done. After all, a bit of excitement is what makes life, well, exciting." Chuckled the engineer, as he released his hand from Pinkie, who finally stopped talking.

"So, you're a engineer?" Asked the enthusiastic girl, as she inspected the engineer closer.

"Yes I am. Proud engineer of the Equestrian National Railway company, Dodge Junction devision, at your service." Said the engineer, almost mechanically, making a small bow in front of the women.

"He's actually as shunter, and only rarely works as an engineer as of now. But don't tell him I said that." Whispered Jacky to Shining, Twilight and Cadence, who chuckled quietly.

"Well, Fluttershy here once worked as an engineer, even just on one occasion." Grinned Pinkie, as the final girl, with pale pink hair and a light yellow dress, jumped slightly when her name was mentioned, shying away from the eyes of the engineer.

"Hello ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you." Said the young man softly, as the girl turned back to the engineer, her eyes still filled with worry.

"Um, hello, it's nice to meet you too." She said, with a voice that was barely a whisper.

'Man, shy indeed.' Steaming thought, as the girl shied away again.

"Anyways, from what I am guessing, Rarity is a member as well, brining the round up to four. But that means that there are still 2 other members left.”

“You guessed right, as for the final two members, their names are Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Both of them have a small competition right now, but I think they should be finished in about” A crashing sound could be heard from beyond the door on the other side of the hall, followed by the door bursting open, as two girls raced into the room, one had blond hair, while the other had her hair in all colors of the rainbow. Both girls skidded along the floor, but couldn't stop in time, and crashed into both Steaming and Jacky, knocking them over, and all four of them piling up against the wall of the room.

“Now. Are you for alright?” Asked Twilight with a wince.

“A recon Am alright.” Said the blond, picking herself up.

“Sure, after all, I won.” Bragged the rainbow colored one.

“Whoa there RD! Ah won!” Argued the blond.

“No way Jack! I got back here faster!” Argued Rainbow, but their argument was cut short when they were suddenly pushed up and forwards, as Steaming lifted them off of himself and Jacky.

“Sorry for interrupting your little chat girls, but Jacky and I needed to breathe.” Said the engineer sarcastically, as he helped the girl next to him up.

“Oops, sorry ya’all, didn't noticed ya were there.” Applejack said.

“Yeah, sorry.” Rainbow added sheepishly.

“No harm done. Compared to what sometimes crashes into me in the yards, you were a soft breeze.” Chuckled the young man with an grin, think of what, or better said who, already crashed into him over the past few years, who weren't so lucky in simply getting up again.

“I take it that you can take a punch then?” Asked Dash.

“Well, I wouldn't quite say that…” Chuckled Steaming.

“He took out two of my guards while fighting off three further ones. I think it's safe to say that he can take a punch.” Laughed Shining, as the engineer went slightly red in the face.

“No way! How did you do that?!” Asked Rainbow, her eyes shining brightly.

“Just like I took down any other man that has the nerve to bad mouth my home city or the yards I’m working in. And if the guards who defend the castle here are like the ones I used as punching bags, I can only say: hope you girls know how to defend yourself, ‘cause they won't be much of an obstacle against any intruder.” Huffed Steaming, as Dashs jaw tried to reach the floor.

“Wow, you so have to show me some of your moves!” Cheered the rainbow haired girl.

“Hehe, maybe on another day.” Smiled the rail worker, as he pulled out a pocket watch from his left breast pocket, and checked the time.

“Well, I wish we could stay and chat a bit longer, I really would like to know some of Jackys friends, but time is pressing, and we need to get ready for the wedding reception.” Said the engineer, as he put the watch away again.

“You don't really have to go. I saw that you brought your clothes with you when you brought the dress up here. You can change her if you want.” Suggested Twilight.

“Hm, it would save us the trip to Jackys house and back again… What do you say?” Asked the young man the girl next to him.

“I’m okay with it.” Smiled Jacky.

“Okay, then that's how we do it.” Smiled Steaming, as he turned to Twilight.

“Good! Wait a minute, I just call for Spike.” She said, as she turned around, and called for the one called Spike.

A few seconds later, a young boy with green and purple hair hurried into the room, stopping just in front of Twilight.

“You called?” He panted.

“Could you lead Jacky and Steaming to the guest room please?” She asked.

“Of course! Follow me!” Smiled the young boy, as he lead the two out of the room 
> Uninvited guests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, how old are you kid?" Asked Steaming as Spike lead him and Jacky towards the guest room. 

"Me? I'm 8 years old." Smiled the boy. 

"Shouldn't you be in school then?" Asked the young man. 

"Nah, I learn everything from Twilight. She is somewhat of an teacher for me, and I'm her number one assistant!" Smiled Spike. 

"Hehe, sounds like fun." Chuckled Steaming. 

"Most of the time it is, but not when Twi is in her 'crazy mode'. You just want to stay as far away as possible from her if that happens." Chuckled Spike. 

"She can't be that bad." Laughed the engineer. 

"It is true! I remember when she was in such an rush to get everything done in time, that she completely forgot to make herself presentable! She looked like she was awake for three days in a row!" Said Jacky. 

"I think she probably was that day." Frowned the boy, as they reached a door. 

"Well, that's the guest room. See you guys later." Waved the boy, and left the two to themselves. 

They went inside, and Steaming went wide eyed when he saw the size of the room. It was at least as big as the coach he and Emerald shared, with an large bed in one corner, with an bedside table, an large wardrobe on the opposite side, and a table with an single chair in front of it. On the right side of the room, another door lead to the bathroom. 

"*whistling* not bad, not bad. In comparison, this is the Manehatten Flyer, and our orphanage was the slow, empty goods to the mines." Grinned Steaming, sitting down on the bed, smiling in pleasure of the softness of the beds mattress. 

"So, who shall go in the bath first?" Asked Jacky, who was ever so glad that the engineer decided to lie down onto the bed, so that he didn't saw the blush on her cheeks. 

"You can go in first if you want. I don't mind being second." Said Steaming, sighting as he closed his eyes. 

"O-okay!" Said Jacky, the blush still in her face, as she grabbed the box with her dress in it and disappeared into the bathroom. 



Half an hour later, she came out again, now dressed in an metallic blue, strapless dress, that hugged her figure perfectly. 

"Steaming, you can go in now." She said softly, but got no reply, with the exception of a couple of soft snores. 

She walked to the engineer, seeing him fast asleep in his clothes, his hat pulled over his eyes, softly mumbling something to himself as he slept. 

"zzz... No E, I told you she isn't into you... You only get a food tray into your face again..." Mumbled the young man, as he pulled a small frown in his sleep. 

'He's so cute when he's sleeping.' Chuckled Jacky. 

She looked quickly to the door, checking that it was indeed shut, and that nobody would see them. She slowly removed the hat from Steamings head, noting with an relieved sight that he was indeed out like a light. After checking if the door was still closed, she pulled all her courage together, and slowly leaned down towards the lips of the engineer, her cheeks flaring red. Her lips were about an millimeter from the young man's own pair, when Steaming suddenly jerked up, eyes ripped open, as his head crashed into the head of the girl's. 

"Ow!" The two of them said simultaneously, rubbing their heads with an pained expression on their face. 

"Jacky? What was that about right now?" Asked the man in a wince, not noticing the appearance of the girl in front of him. 

"U-uh, you were having something on your face! I just wanted to remove it!" Jacky said quickly, not at all convincing the young man, but right now, that wasn't important. 

"Something is wrong." Stated Steaming, as he stood up, grabbing the box in which his suit was in. 

"What?!" Asked Jacky, scared at the thought that he meant her. 

"Sssh! Somebody passed this room a few seconds ago. I couldn't hear it, but it sounded like they were carrying weapons. Swords, probably." Whispered the engineer, as he opened the box, searching in it for something. 

"That's all? It was probably just a group of guards, checking if everything was alright." 

"Can't be. Think about it: why would the guards sneak about, if they were on patrol. Somebody only does that if they want to hide the fact that they are here. And that means, that they are up to something, and if somebody is up to something, and said someone's are carrying weapons, that means they are up to no good." Frowned Steaming, as he finally found his revolver and the box of bullets underneath his clothes, pulling both out and starting to reload the former. 

"But how can you be so sure that it were weapons in the first place? I didn't hear anything!" Answered Jacky with an equal frown. 

"Live in a railyard for a few years, and you learn how to hear a pin drop in a boiler explosion. You need to hear orders over snowstorms, or through gales at times. You get a good hearing through such things." Chuckled the engineer grimly, as he finished reloading, and put the spare ammo into his belt, before turning around to look Jacky in the eyes. 

"Now, two things: first, stay in this room! Whatever you hear out there, whatever happens, stay inside!" Said the engineer, with concern in his eyes. 

"O-okay, and the second thing?" Asked the girl, as the engineer leaned in and moved his mouth to her ear. 

"You look amazing in this dress." He whispered into her ear, her face going as red as the necktie of the man in front of her, as he turned around and walked out of the room. 



Steaming slowly sneaked through the long halls of the castle, heading into the direction of the hall where he met the other girls. It was easier said than done though, since the castle was quite big, with many similar looking corridors. He already took a few wrong turns, but had luckily always found his way back onto the right path again. He came up to another corridor crossing, when he heard a few hushed voices from the left one. He slowly walked up to it, taking a small glance inside it, seeing a small group of soldiers, wearing unfamiliar armor, deep black in color, with poison green highlights. 

"Don't forget, in 15 minutes, in the reception hall. They'll be all in there, ready for us to pick." Said one of them in a hushed voice, as, with an green puff of smoke, he changed his appearance into one of an normal servant, the others following suit, only that they now looked like guards. 

"So that's their game." Gasped Steaming, backing away slightly, before turning around, and racing off to the next intersection of the corridor. 

He raced through the narrow hallways, his mind on one thing: reaching the reception hall before the deadline. He finally found himself on the path he took earlier, and sped up even more, finally seeing the double doors towards the reception hall. He tried to slow down, but slid over the floor, crashing into the doors, bursting them open, flying slightly through the air, before crashing onto his belly, sliding on said one for a few more meters before finally coming to a stop in front of the feet of somebody he couldn't clearly see from his position. 

"Oh dear. Are you alright?" Asked a motherly voice, concern carrying in her tone. 

"Ugh, had worse, but that isn't important right now! I need to speak to the girls from the group 'Harmony'! They might be in danger!" Groaned the man, as he picked himself up. 

"Um, Steaming, you might want to correct your tone." Said Twilight, who was standing with the other girls from the group Harmony a few feet away from the scene. 

"Why? Are the princesses here?" Asked the young man. 

Twilight didn't answer, she simply pointed to the figure in front of Steaming, who the later still hadn't given the proper attention. The engineer turned to the figure in front of him, just to stop dead in his tracks. There, standing in front of him, was a woman, appearing to be in her late 30s to early 40s, dressed in an long, white and gold colored dress, with teal, light blue and light pink hair, which appeared to be flowing even though of the absence of any kind of wind or breeze inside the room. Steaming never saw her in real life, nor did he ever saw an actual photo of her, but he knew in a heartbeat that the woman standing in front of him was no other than the immortal princess of the sun, Celestia of Equestria herself. He quickly corrected his stature, and kneeled in front of her. 

"Your highness, I am sorry for ignoring you, I didn't noticed you." Explained the engineer. 

"You are forgiven, engineer of the Equestrian national railway Whistle Steaming. But I think there are more pressing matters than formularies. You said that the group 'Harmony' might be in danger?" She asked. 

"I am afraid, that it isn't only them, but everybody that is in this room right now! I noticed a group of guards in strangely colored armor, lurking around in the hallways of the castle, saying something that 'they would all be in the reception hall for them to pick' to quote them. I suspect that there is some kind of plot against the princesses. My suggestion would be to quickly evacuate the building, or to withdraw to the closest guard outpost. The safety of the princesses and their students is of the utmost importance right now!" Explained Steaming, a bit surprised about himself stating this in such a fashion. 

'I think lieutenant Raton did have some influence on me in the end.' Thoughts the engineer, as the five girls stood behind the princess with an mixture of shock, anger, confusion and fright on their faces. 

"Pah! I'm not afraid to fight! Just let them come!" Growled Rainbow Dash. 

"Ahm with Dash on this one. Ah ain't going to let a group of half pints push us around!" Said Applejack. 

"Look, I'm probably the last person you would find to scare out of an fight. Hell, I'm probably the person who would start such fights in the first place! But right now, we don't have any knowledge about who this enemy is, nor what he is capable of, or in what numbers he is coming up. And I'd like to know such stuff before I start a fight, not while I'm directly in it. A strategic retreat right now would probably be the best-" but he couldn't get further, as the main doors were burst open yet again, with two guards being thrown inside of the room, battered and bruised up, as a large group of the attackers, fitting Steamings description, walked into the room, most of them wielding swords, spears or axes, with the rare few having a faint glow around their hands, indicating them to be from the magic tribe. 

"Welp, looks like we have to cancel that plan." Sighted Steaming, as he turned around, to look at the intruders with an cold glare. 

"Okay, quick scan over them, I'm guessing more than 50 of them, at least. Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, You three escort the princess somewhere safe! I don't care where, anyplace might be better than here right now. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, you two and I take care of this company of nitwits over here." Said Steaming with an even tone, not looking at any of the girls. 

"And who exactly put you in charge?" Asked Rainbow with narrowed eyes. 

The engineer turned to her, the glare now turned to her. 

"I did, when these guys decided to interrupt my explanation of the plan. And if any of you girls have a better plan, you should execute it now, 'cause I think these guys ain't going to wait any longer." Growled Steaming, as he saw the intruders slowly walk towards them. 

"He's got a pretty good point! Come on now!" Urged Twilight, as she hurried the princess and the other two girls out of the room, leaving the three person army against the platoon of intruders. 

"We don't want to do you kids any harm, we just want to get to your princess Celestia." Said the man closest to the trio, as a gunshot rang through the air, as the man next to him let his sword drop with an pained wince, making them all stop, and look at the source of the shot, seeing the, slightly dirty, revolver of Steaming, still smoking from its barrel, the ice cold expression still on his face. 

"Funnily enough mate, I want to do some harm to you guys, 'cause right now, I am pretty pissed off because you interrupted the preparations for my first date, and I want to let off some steam!" Growled Steaming, pulling the hammer of the revolver back again, making the drum of the gun rotate, chambering a new bullet. 

"Okay, you called for it. Changelings, attack!" Shouted the man, as the large group of soldiers streamed towards the trio. 

Steaming looked at his gun, and shrugged, making it spin a few times in his hand, before putting it back into its holster. 

"Applejack, Rainbow, I hope you two can fight." Grinned the engineer. 

"We had our fair share." Smirked AJ. 

"Good, 'cause this would only make half as much fun if I had to do all by myself." Chuckled Steaming, as he started to charge into the mass of soldiers, the two girls following suit. 



The princess and her three escorts were quickly making their way towards the guards outpost, that was located on the western side of the castle. They were shocked when they passed the hallways, in which either knocked out guards were lying on the ground, or fighting against the intruders. Once or twice, one of the guards in black and green armor would step in their way, but would quickly be dealer with by either Twilights or the princess's magic, or pinkie, wielding a small, arm sized cannon, painted in blue and pink, that fired a mixture of streamers and confetti. They were nearing the outpost, when they bumped into Cadence. 

"I'm so glad I found you aunt! I don't know what is happening! Who are these intruders?!" Asked the bride-to-be, as another intruder jumped into their path, but was quickly pushed down another hallway by the princess's magic. 

"They are called the 'Changelings'. They are ruled by an evil queen called Chrysalis. We were long since a thorn in her eyes, and hates us for our way of ruling our country. She has tried many times to destroy our bloodline, but until now, we fended her off every time. How did they breach our defense ring?" Explained the sun princess, muttering the second part to herself. 

"We need to repeal them quickly! I just hope Steaming, Applejack and Rainbow are alright." 

"Where are they by the way?" Asked Cadence. 

"They stayed behind at the reception hall to fend off a large group of these meanies." Explained Pinkie, as she fired another shot from her small cannon, pushing the offender against the wall, and covering him with confetti and streamers. 

After a few more minutes, they reached the guard outpost, where Shining had already gathered a rather large group of guards, a small part in white and golden armor, armed with guns, while the rest was clad in black and deep blue armor, wielding swords, spears and crossbows. In front of them, clad in the same white and golden armor, with an officers pistol at his hip and a sword on the other side, was Shining Armor. 

"Men! We might have been surprised, but they are deep within our territory! We will force them out of our city, or they will never leave this place at all!" He shouted, as the men in front of him shouted in agreement. 

"Captain!" Called Celestia, as her group came up to the captain. 

"Shining!" Called out Twilight, relieved that her brother was alright. 

"Oh thank Celestia you are alright Twily. I didn't thought the group I sent to the reception hall would reach it in time." Said the man with a sight of relief. 

"They didn't. We did saw a few men along the way, either knocked out or fighting against the intruders though." Said Fluttershy in her usual, timid voice. 

"How did you escape then?" 

"Steaming stayed behind with Applejack and Rainbow Dash to make sure the princess could escape." Explained Pinkie, in her cheerful way. 

"Then we must get there first! Those three alone won't hold them off for long." 



Meanwhile, in the reception hall... 



"So you only travel up here once in a while?" Asked Steaming casually, as he grabbed two of the intruders by their heads, and making them crash into each other. They were holding up quite well against the enemy group, which was slowly getting smaller, as the knocked out men on the ground started to pile themselves. 

"Yeah. We all come from Ponyville, Twilight and Rarity being the only exception for coming from here. Rarity sometimes visit us down there, and Twilight moved into the library there." Explained Rainbow, as she flew up into the air, just as another offender tried to knock her over, only to crash into three other ones that stood on the other side of Rainbow. 

"It's good so though. Otherwise, Ah would have ta abandon ma duties at ah farm, and that ah could never do!" Explained Applejack, kicking into one of the enemy guards chest plate with such a force that he was thrown into a table, destroying said furniture. 

"A farm? That sounds nice. Down in Dodge, the closest farm we have is the apple orchard in Appleoosa." Chuckled Steaming, dodging another fist, before giving his opponent an uppercut, followed by an left hook, which send the man turning 180 degrees, and finally kicking him into his behind, making him tumble against a wall. 

"Ya'll ever been to Appleoosa once?" Asked AJ. 

"No, well, not into the actual town. I only had the chance to go as far as the goods yards in front of the orchard. Some kind fellow called 'Braeburn' was there when we picked up some trucks full of apples. Even offered us one, good guy he was." Chuckled Steaming. 

"Eeyup, that's ma cous alright. If ya go down there any time soon, care to tell him Ah said hi?" 

"Sure thing AJ." Chuckled Steaming, as he leaned backwards, just as one of the offenders swung a leg of one of the tables at him, missing him by a few millimeters. 

He stood up straight again, just in time as the man hauled out for another swing, only for the engineer to intercept the blow by grabbing the leg, hitting him with the fist on his hand. The man whined in pain, while Steaming hauled out, and swung the leg onto his head. The blow knocked the man out instantly, and breaking the leg in the progress. Steaming looked at the broken leg with a shrug, before turning around, just to get hit by another soldier. He was stunned for a bit more than a second, but shook his head quickly, and frowned at the man. 

"Not like this lad. LIKE THIS!" He smirked, punching the man in the face, who in turn tumbled over the table that was behind him, knocking it over and into the path of two others, who stumbled over the furniture, and landed flat on their noses. Rainbow quickly swooped in and grabbed them by the belts, pulling them into the air, while the two men were wailing for help. 

"Oh? You want to get back down? Be my guest..." Smirked Rainbow, as she let go of the two of them, letting them fell from at least 6 meters height, making them hit the ground with a thud. 

"Oh I wish Emerald was here! He would love showing those guys what their precious military training is worth!" Laughed Steaming. 

"Who the hay is Emerald?" Asked AJ. 

"He's my best friend in the world, and somewhat of an brother to me. He and I are partners in crime, hehe, and once, we where that quite literally." Said the man, with an embarrassed chuckle. 

"What do you mean?" Asked Rainbow with an raised eyebrow. 

"Well, a bit more than 5 years ago, he and I were nothing more than outcasted orphans, without a job or money. We had to steal food to survive, and were on the search for a job. Luckily for us, I met Jacky one day on the main market, and I think you know the rest of the story." Smiled Steaming. 

"A bit more than 5 years... Say, do ya ever stole apples from the stands of the main market?" Asked Applejack as her eyes narrowed. 



Steaming was about to reply, when through the door, a mountain of a man walked in. He was at least 2 meters tall, with big, beefy arms and large shoulders, wielding a large axe. He scowled as he saw the three person army that his comrades had been held up with for so long. 

"What are you nitwits doing?! Can't you take care of two puny girls and an weak excuse for a man?!" He roared at his men. 

"Okay, that went right against my pride." Growled Steaming, as he pulled out his revolver from the back of his belt. He hadn't used it until now, and was sure to not use it any time soon. 

"Rainbow, would you be so kind and watch over my firearm for a bit? This shouldn't take long." Smirked Steaming, as he gave the rainbow haired girl his gun. 

"Hey, big mouth! How about you show that those muscles are actually useful for something?!" Taunted the engineer, as the man only growled. 

"You will regret to have angered Vaslili." He growled, as he threw his axe to the side of the room, making it smash into a row of chairs, with some of them breaking on impact. 

The two men stood opposite to each other, some the enemy soldiers stopped fighting in order to witness the fight between the apparent leader of the intruders, and the engineer, while the rest were still busy with Applejack and Rainbow. 



The two men stood a few meters from each other, waiting for the other to make their move. Finally, Vasili had enough, and charged at the engineer. The man in question smirked when he saw the big man charge at him, arms extended to grab and crush his opponent. He waited till the last possible second, before he made a step backwards to the left, letting the man surge past him, and into his minions, who stood in a circle behind them. Vasili quickly got up again, grunting at the cheeky smile on the man's face. 

"Olé" grinned Steaming. 

"Don't think you can play games with me!" Roared the soldier from Stalliongrad. 

'It's my turn now...' Thought Steaming. 

In the blink of an eye, he moved up to Vasili, quickly placing a punch to his chin, upper torso and a kick against his knee. The larger man tumbled to the ground, a pained groan escaping him, but it didn't seemed to be enough to take him out. The Stalliongrad man grabbed the younger man, throwing him through the air and against the wall with force. The engineer slid down the wall, his back throbbing in pain. 

'Ugh, looks like this is going to be interesting.' Thought the man, trying to get back up, only to have a big hand grabbing him by the throat, leaving him gasp for air. 

"You shouldn't play a mans game, kid." Growled Vasili, as he punched the engineer in the face, making blood burst out of his nose. 

More hits followed, and it didn't looked like Steaming would get out of the barrage of punches any time soon. Both Rainbow and Applejack tried to get to the younger man's aid, but they were completely occupied by the Changelings soldiers. After another, hard punch into his stomach, Vasili let off from the man, letting him slump to the ground. 

"At least you learned your place, small child." Grunted the Stalliongrad man, turning his back to the man, now focusing on the two women who glared at him. 

"Now, do you give up or do you want to join him." Said the man, but his superior glance turned into an confused frown when the girls expression turned into an smirk. 

"What are you smiling like that?" 

"Don't count yar apples before ya bucked them." Smirked AJ, as the two looked behind the man. 

He turned around, but it wasn't quick enough, when a strong fist connected with his face, making him turn into the opposite direction, blood, and a few teeth flying from his face. He had no time to recover, as further punches and kicks to his face and torso followed, each of them hitting their target, before getting a two punches onto both sides of his face at the same time, followed by an thunderous punch on his skull, which was accompanied with a cracking sound, before the big man tumbled backwards, and finally, landing on his back, with a loud thud. All the enemy soldiers were shocked from seeing their superior, who was nicknamed 'the bear of the tundra' for his strength and the myth that he survived against a fully grown bear, without any kind of weapon in the frozen tundra of the Stalliongrad backlands, defeated by an mere 15 year old teenager. Their eyes wandered to said figure, who was standing with an smirk in front of the knocked out man, his face bloody and bruised, but his eyes screaming out the determination to fight. 

"So, who wants more?" Said the young man, as he pulled his hands up again, ready for another round. 

"FREEZE! OR THE GIRL WILL PAY!" Shouted a voice, and they all turned to the entry of the hall, where another soldier of the Changelings stood, in his hand an very old looking pistol, while his other hand was firmly around the neck of Jacky, who looked with an angered expression at the intruder. 

"Don't listen to him Steaming! I'll be fine!" Shouted Jacky, as the man removed his hand briefly from her neck to hit her into her stomach. 

"Quiet you bitch!" Barked the man, moving the pistol closer to her face, but the girl still wasn't scared of him. 



A gunshot fell. All eyes widened and moved to Jacky, expecting her to fall to the ground with an hole in her head. To everyone's surprise, she was alright, as a high pitched scream rang through the hall, as the soldier behind her let go of her, dropping his gun while moving his hands in the area of private parts, or better said, what was left of it. For where his crotch once was, a bloody red hole could be seen, gradually painting his pants from black to red. Another shot followed, this time hitting the gun that was lying on the ground, destroying it in the process. This time, all eyes were directed at the source of the shot, this being an very pissed off Steaming Whistle, his eyes cold as the steel he ran his trains on, his facial expression unreadable, but his voice was all the more clear what was going on inside him. 

"AJ, RD, make sure Jacky is alright, and bring her to another room. You better stay there as well." Said the man coldly, as the two girls only nodded in agreement, Applejack being too shocked by the young man's emotionless actions, while Rainbow couldn't believe that the man in front of her had been so quick in retrieving his gun that she didn't even noticed it, before quickly walking towards Jacky, who was white as a sheet by now, probably even more shocked than the others, if that was even possible. 

They all quickly left the room, and once the doors were closed, Steaming slowly walked to the injured man, looking him coldly in the eyes. 

"You shouldn't have done that mate, you'd life on afterwards otherwise." Hissed the engineer, bringing the barrel of his gun up to the face of the man, who quivered with an scared expression in front of him. 

"Please, have mercy..." Said the man shakily. 

"My mercy ran out when you tried to harm my love." Whispered Steaming, pulling the trigger of the gun, ending the life of the downed man. 

He slowly stood up again, turning to the other soldier that were still in the room, all of the frozen stiff with fright. 

"If you don't want to suffer the same fate, you will never tell what happened to him, and you will do what I tell you, or not even Celestia will help you. IS THAT CLEAR?!" He bellowed at the scared men in front of him, who didn't talked a word. They only nodded in reply. 

"Good. Now you shall move along to the guards post. And don't even think of trying anything funny with me, or else!" He growled, as the men jumped slightly at the sight of the young man pulling out his firearm again. They quickly started to move through the double doors that lead to the western side of the castle, nearly running away, but stopping themselves, knowing that they would be quickly taken down if they would try to escape. Steaming quickly went to the doors that lead out of the hall, wanting to call out for Jacky and the others, just to find them a few meters away from the door. 

"What from 'go to another room' didn't you understand?" Grumbled the man. 

"When her mind started to work again, she raced out of the room. Guess she was scared that they would overpower you. When she heard the shot, she stopped right here, shaking her head for a few seconds, before tumbling over. I think she thought you were shot in there." Explained Rainbow, as she lifted the passed out girl from the ground, and over to Steaming, who carefully took her from the rainbow haired girl. 

"What happened in there?" Asked AJ. 

"Well, a shot accidentally went off, and hit the bastard in the head. Lucky shot, if it was done on purpose." Said the man with an calm expression. 

"Well, was it? On purpose, I mean." Asked RD, as they walked through the hall to the western hallway, both girls turning a bit green in the face when they saw the corpse on the ground. 

"No, like I said, it was an accident." Huffed Steaming, while AJ narrowed her eyes, not convinced by the explanation of the engineer. 

"Ah have a hard time believin' that it was a accident." Said AJ with an frown. 

"Then don't. It won't change the fact that it was." Growled Steaming, still fed up from the situation, as they caught up with the Changeling soldiers, who had stopped by now. 

"OY! I said you should move!" Shouted Steaming, as the last few rows of soldiers turned to him, all looking at him with scared expressions on his face. 

Before anyone of them could say anything, a few Royal guards pushed their way through the mass of soldiers, lead by an very relieved, and slightly confused, Shining Armor. 

"Am I glad you guys are ok! I thought we wouldn't be here in time!" Sighted Shining. 

"Well, you aren't. You arrived just in time to miss everything." Said Steaming with an small smirk, before turning to the Changelings. 

"You lot! You will listen to everything the Royal guards tell you, without any incident! And those who do think they can play games, well, will quit the game of life pretty damn early!" Bellowed Steaming, as the intruding soldiers all jumped at the shouting, some of them racing to the Royal guards, begging them to be taken to the dungeons to be safe from the engineer. 

"How in the name of Celestia did you do that?" Asked Shining, amazed by the fact that the nearly 30 men strong group of enemy soldiers listened to the command of one mere teenager. 

"Ask me no question, I tell you no lies. Bring them to the dungeons, and then get back to where the princesses are. We all need to get the castle back under our control. Oh, and also, send some men to the main hall. They need to pick up around a dozen knocked out soldiers, an heavily injured Stalliongrad man, and an corpse there." Said the engineer casually, as he passed the stunned captain, who was still surprised by the young man's actions and response. 

"What did he mean with that? Who got killed?" Asked Shining the two girls that still stood next to him. 

"We don't really know what happened. All we know is that one of them was killed by an gunshot, but he said it was an accident." Explained Rainbow. 

"And? Do you believe him?" 

"To be honest with ya? No." Answered AJ. 

"But right now, we don't really have time for this. We need to get these arses out of here!" Dash finished, as she and Applejack quickly made their way after Steaming, while Shining kept standing with the captured men and his own guards. 

"Um, sir? How shall we proceed?" Asked one of his guards, breaking his captain out of his thoughts. 

"Take the, to the dungeons, and send some of our men to the main reception hall! Then get as many of us and sweep every hall for any intruders. We need to get control of the castle again." Ordered Shining, as the men saluted, and began to move with the captured soldiers into the direction of the dungeons.
> Into danger once more
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steaming, AJ and Rainbow quickly made their way to the guards post, where they were welcomed by an relieved princess and the rest of the group 'harmony'. 

"I'm so glad you're ok!" Sighted Twilight. 

"Meh, nothing we couldn't handle." Said RD with an wave of her hand, as Applejack shook her head. 

"How are the guards getting along with the reclamation of the castle?" Asked Steaming. 

"We have a hold on most of the upper levels, as well as the complete eastern part of the castle. But they get reinforcements all the time, and we don't know where they are coming from!" Explained one of the guards who were staying with the princess. 

"... I think I know where they are coming from." Muttered Steaming, his face pulled into a concentrating frown. 

"You do?!" Asked Twilight, shocked. 

"It's more a guess than an actual knowing. I studied the history of the railways in my free time, and one of the most interesting things was the Canterlot underground railway project. It involved the connection of all the main stations of the rail lines terminating at the, back then, plentiful main stations of Canterlot via an rail line underneath the streets of the city. Some tunnels had been dug, but the plan was thrown aside when the railways were grouped and the new main station was build. One of the finished tunnels was dug right underneath the castle, with the plan being to build a secret entrance for evacuation of the castle in case of an attack on the city. But that's all the books said. I don't know if the entry was actually build, but if it was, it would be the perfect deployment point for an surprise attack such as this!" Explained Steaming. 

"Of course! I remember discussing it with Luna, when the project was started. She had been partly involved with the project, and probably came up with the idea of this secret entry. I wish she would be here right now, and not in Zebrica..." Said Celestia with an sight. 

"She could've probably told us where the entry was." Pondered Twilight. 

"Well, we have to do the next best thing then." Grumbled Steaming, as he pulled out his revolver, and a few of his bullets from his belt, as he started to reload his gun. 

"And that would be?" 

"Simple." Started the engineer, not looking up from his work. "We go down into the tunnels, and search for those buggers ourselves. As far as I know, the underground lines, opposed to their name, also had part of their lines above the ground. Have you ever noticed that, in a few parts of Canterlot, there are iron bridges that seemingly never have something running over them? Those were for the railway line. We search for the closest bridge, climb up there, search for the nearest entry to the tunnels, and cut their reinforcement route off. We should be able to stop them that way." Spoke the young man, finishing with the closing of his guns drum, and putting the revolver back into his pocket. 

"That sounds pretty risky." Said Fluttershy. 

"It is. That's why I won't allow any of you to go down there." Said Steaming. 

"What?!" Shouted Rainbow. 

"Don't even start arguing with me. After all, you girls are too important for us to lose any of you. I go with some of the guards." Said the young man with a stern look on his face, which surprised many of the guards inside the room. They didn't thought that a boy like him would be so concerned about the wellbeing of others, so much so that he would be willingly risking his life for them. Even the princess was surprised, even though she wouldn't show it. 

'Whistle Steaming, what is your past? What is the reason that you put the wellbeing of others before your own so willingly?' Thought the monarch, as she eyed the young man, who's eyes were shining with determination. 

"So, any volunteers?" Asked the man, turning to the guards that stood inside the room, still looking at the engineer in a mixture of shock and awe. 

Quickly, a group of seven men walked forward, their look filled with the same determination as the engineers. The railway man nodded in response. 

"Alright, you lot will do. Where is the Armory of this shack? We need to be well equipped if we want to storm them head on!" Steaming called, as one of the seven lead them to the Armory. 

They grabbed a small variety of guns, mostly bolt-action rifles, with two of them grabbing a pair of crossbows. Steaming stood in front of the cabinet that stored the rifles in them, scanning across the plentiful array of guns, until his eyes fell on an, slightly dusty, Coltchester rifle. He pulled it out, before checking that the reloading mechanism worked well. 

"Huh, thought we threw that one out long ago. Was the gun from one of our oldest officers. He retired a few months ago though. You sure you want to use that old thing?" Asked one of the guards, as Steaming grabbed a few small boxes of ammo in the caliber of the gun, before quickly spinning the gun around, and throwing it in the air, catching it with his right hand with the barrel pointed closely at the guards nose. 

"Yep, pretty sure." Smirked the engineer, putting his arm through the sling of the gun, and securing the gun on his back. 

They walked out of the Armory, and back into the gathering room, where the princesses and the group 'harmony' waited patiently for them. 

"We'll be back as soon as possible. Um, is there a back door in this castle where we can go through?" Asked the engineer sheepishly. 

"No, but I think I can provide a way for you out of the castle. Say, do you know where the closest of these bridges you mentioned is?" Asked Celestia. 

"Um, on our way up here we passed under a bridge, around a quarter of a mile to the southeast of here, but I don't know how-" but the rest of his question was cut short as Celestias hands glowed with an strong golden light, before the group of eight men disappeared from their view. 

"I do hope they will be alright." Whispered Fluttershy. 

"Don't worry my dear Fluttershy, they are all well trained guards, and if he could fend off that group of men with Rainbow and Applejack, I think Steaming will be quite alright as well." Celestia said with an reassuring smile. 

"Hey! Where did Jacky went to?" Asked Pinkie suddenly, only now noticing that the metallic black haired girl disappeared. 

"Oh oh." Gulped Applejack and Rainbow in unison. 

"What's wrong?" Asked Twilight. 

"Well, we saw what happened with Steaming when Jacky was in danger, and Ah ain't want to know what happens when he gets back here to find her missing." Said AJ, scratching the back of her neck. 



"this is going.. to.. help..." Steaming said, before he noticed he spoke at nothing, as the group of men stood on the streets of Canterlot, between long rows of buildings, the castle in a bit of an distance in front of them. They could see that trying to keep the public unnoticed of the situation at the castle would be pointless, as from quite a few points of the castle, black smoke rose into the sky, with flashes of poison green and multi colored light, coming from the castles windows. The fact that a large crowd of people had formed itself in front of the gates was all it needed for them to know that there would be quite some uncomfortable follow ups, mostly for the guards. 

"Okay, that takes care of the question for how we get out of the castle. Now for the question, how do we get to the tunnels." Muttered Steaming, loud enough for the others to hear him. 

"What do you mean by that?" Asked the guard closest to him. 

"Well, the problem right now is that." He said, and pointed behind them. They all followed his finger, to see the bridge a little way behind them, towering above the streets, with no obvious access point. 

"That's going to complicate things a bit." Said another guard, staring up at the bridge. 

"Hmmmm..., how about that store?" Asked a third guard, and pointed to the paint store next to the bridge. 

"Um, no offense here buddy, but you can go about your painting hobby later, right now we need to get up onto that bridge." 

"I know that! How about we go in that store, and climb from the window onto the bridge?" Suggested the guard, as the faces of the others lit up. 

"Good idea!" Smiled Steaming, and quickly made his way to the store. 



After some time of convincing the store owner to let them go through his window (which lasted around 5 seconds until he noticed that all of them were from the Royal guards, as well as armed with heavy weaponry) they placed a ladder through the window of the room, and climbed over it onto the old iron bridge. They mock saluted at the shopkeeper, who waved them good luck in return, before they started to walk along the rusty old rails towards the castle. 

"You weren't lying when you said that the line had been abandoned." Whistled the guard to the left of the railway man as they slowly walked over the overgrown tracks.  

The embankments to the left and right of the tracks were blooming with many different kinds of flowers, and bushes with all kinds of berries had partly grown on the tracks to their left. The towering form of the castle slowly began to grown in front of the group, but the closer they went, it became more and more obvious that the railway line wasn't as abandoned as it was said. The tracks, which until now were nearly completely covered by the grass and bushes, could be clearly seen again, and instead of the rails being completely rusted, the railheads were shining brightly in the afternoon sun, indicating that they had been used plenty of times over the last few weeks, maybe even months. 

"Looks like the Changelings have been busy for quite some time now." Muttered one of the guards from the back. 

"It surprises me that nobody thought of mentioning that somebody was running on the rails up here..." Pondered another. 

"Welp, nothing we can do about that now. All we can do, is to wash these rats out of their hole." Said another, before they all bumped into each other, as Steaming stopped abruptly. They stood in front of an small, makeshift loading platform, with the only access being a small stairway, which led to the backdoor of an building. 

"Looks like somebody used this line as their private backyard railway." Frowned one of the guards wielding one of the crossbows. 

Steaming however, wasn't listening to what they were saying. He was keeping his eyes on the tracks in front of him, better said, on the tracks that disappeared into the tunnels, a few hundred meters away from them. He suddenly could see something from within the tunnel. It was very small, but it couldn't be anything else. He held up his hand. 

"No word!" He hissed, a closed his eyes, concentrating. 



His eyes shot open a few seconds later, quickly rushing from side to side, seeing that there were a large amount of crates, stored on the platform, which were stacked high enough to hide a grown adult 

"Quickly! Up there!" Hurried the engineer, and raced behind the crates, followed by a group of confused guards. 

As soon as they were all behind the crates, a faint clanking could be heard, coming closer, until a small, four wheeled tank engine clanked out of the tunnel, pulling a few covered trucks, before slowing down and coming to an stop at the platform. Out of the engine jumped two of the Changeling soldiers, who made their way along the trucks, opening the doors, so that they could start loading them. 

"Good think Valiant kept his word. Hehe, it wasn't like he had another choice anyway!" Sniggered one of them, as they walked onto the platform, starting to pick up the crates. 

"Can't argue with that. It really is a pleasure to have such an private Armory, on top of that, with such an excellent transportation connection towards the 'battlefront'." Smirked the other, picking up another crate. 

"But once the job is done, we can... Dispose him. After all, the castles Armory will be much better suited for our cause." Laughed the first one again, lifting the crate that was in front of Steamings face. 

When he saw the smug grinning face of the engineer behind the crate, his mind stopped its working process for a few seconds. But that was more than enough time for Steaming to take care of the man in front of him. He quickly pulled out his revolver, holding the barrel against the nose of the man, staring him dead in the eye with a stone hard expression. 

"One peep and your brain will be that engines new paint job." Whispered the young man in a threatening voice, while the man in front of him nodded in shock and fear. 

Steaming kept his position, nodding with his head for the men next to him to move to the other man, who was disappearing into the first of the covered trucks. Two of the guards quickly made their way after the man, into the truck. 

"Hey, you coming or- ARGH!" Began the voice, before being cut off with an short scream, and an thud. The man outside was tied up by some of the others, before the one from the truck was pulled outside, knocked unconscious by one of the guards via the butt of the rifle. 

"Okay, here's the plan: one of us will stay here and watch over our pal and his knocked out friend. We will use the train to force them out of the tunnel." Started Steaming. 

"How are we supposed to do that?" 

"Easy. We smoke them out. We use oil and burning coal from the engine to set the last truck ablaze, and use the hot fumes to force them out. We will do that for around 15-20 minutes. That should be more than enough time to make them run for the exits to get some air. We'll leave the burning truck out here and use the engine to go through the tunnel to the other side, to make sure that they don't try to return once the fumes are gone. If any of them try to get out of the tunnel through our side, we'll take them as prisoners, or if they don't cooperate, we have to use force to make them cooperate. Only use your guns if there is no other opportunity. Sounds good?" Finished the engineer, getting a collective nod. 

"Alright, then let's move, every second we wait out here, is a second they can use to get closer to the princess!" 



They didn't wasted any time, and quickly put the plan into motion. They poured oil over the wood of the covered truck and lit the truck on fire after pushing it into the tunnel mouth. After a few minutes, thick black smoke started to come out of the tunnel mouth, and they could faintly hear shouting, coming from deep within the tunnel. 

"Looks like things are getting a little hot in there." Joked one of the guards. 

"I wouldn't make that many jokes if I were you. Do something useful, and get in the truck. We need to see where we are going after all. The rest of you, cover the tunnel exit and make sure that anybody who comes out of there joins the two on the goods platform." Called Steaming from the cab of the tank engine, as he stoked the fire of said locomotive. 

They waited and waited, but nobody came through their part of the tunnel. After the time was up, Steaming pulled the leftovers of the truck out of the tunnel. The only thing that was left from the burned out truck was the frame, the body had been burned to cinders. Steaming pushed the truck onto the other track, and after the guards got inside the truck, they made their way down into the tunnel. They hadn't gone far, when they saw what looked like an abandoned platform, deserted of life, but covered with crates and boxes of all kinds and sizes. They continued on their way down the tunnel, their eyes peeled on any movement. Not long after, they reached the end of the tunnel, but this side wasn't as deserted as the other. It was crowded with Changeling soldiers, all eying the small train with surprised expressions, which quickly turned into one of shock as they saw that the men on board the train weren't ones of their kind, but of the Royal guards. 

"Freeze! In the name of the princesses, you are hereby under arrest!" Shouted the rang highest, as the others took aim with their guns, making sure to make them look more threatening then they actually were, which was pretty hard by a group of 7 against, by a quick counting, at least 100 soldiers. 

The men who were closest to the train complied with the order, but the ones further at the back were trying to turn the situation in their favor. One of them raised his crossbow, but before he even had the time to aim, a shot rang through the embankment, followed by the splintering of wood, as the crossbow was destroyed at the bow, leaving the man with only the grip and the rear body of the crossbow intact. 

"The next one won't be on your weapon sport! That goes for you all! Comply with our orders, and you will all walk out of this alive. Go against them and, well, you will share the fate of the bow." Shouted Steaming from the cab, lowering his Coltchester, as the soldiers all gulped. None of them had the thought of trying such a stunt now. 



They gathered most of them inside the trucks and locked the doors, making makeshift cells out of the rail vehicles, while the rest was lead down the rail line into the tunnel. Once they were at the platform again, they brought all of them out and into the castle. The underground platform was connected to the castle via a large number of small, narrow passes, through which they needed to navigate through. It wasn't long before the small paths gave way for an larger room, with many shelves, on which boxes full with fruits and vegetables of all kind stood. 

"Looks like the storage room of the kitchen, only bigger." Noted one of the guards. 

"Probably a secondary storage, to make sure there is always enough stuff here. You know, in case of a bad harvest or so." Said the engineer. 

"Or if Pinkie raided the storage room of the kitchen and left nothing for the cooks. Again." Sighted another guard. 

"That bad?" 

"You don't know half of it." Came the collective sight of the guards. 

They quickly made their way out of the cellars, and soon were back in the upper levels of the castle. With their backup from the tunnels cut off, the Royal guards finally had the upper hand again, and slowly but surely, they won control over the castle again. The large prisoner transport reached one of the larger hallways in the castle, when they were stopped by a large group of Royal guards, lead by an young sergeant. 

"Wow! Where did you catch these guys?!" She asked. 

"Them? Playing rats down in the tunnels. Take them to the cells, they should be the last backup of those invading buggers." Explained Steaming casually, as they started to make their way back to the guards outpost, leaving behind a dumbstruck sergeant. 

"Sergeant Kicker? What are we supposed to do now?" Asked one of the privates behind the woman. 

"Like he said, take them to the cells!" Ordered the blond sergeant, as the men went into motion. 



A few minutes later, they all reached the guards outpost, and were expecting a heroes welcome, but instead, they were greeted by the sight of the group 'Harmony', either sitting at the table in the middle of the room, or pacing around nervously, while Celestia sat next to Twilight at the table, being the only one who welcomed them back. 

"I see you've returned. Did everything went well?" Asked the monarch, as the girl jerked their heads to the door, the eyes of Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow filled with fearful nervousness, Fluttershys only filled with fear, and Pinkies glowing in her usual, cheerful manner. 

"Everything went as smooth as an branch line run. We got them out of the tunnels, and brought with us around a hundred or so prisoners of 'war'. I think that's what Raton would call an 'easy day'." Chuckled Steaming, but the playful smile on his face was replaced with an confused frown as the lack of laughter irritated him. 

"What's with those eight foot long faces?" Asked the engineer. 

"Well, you see..." Started Twilight slowly. 

"There might be a small problem." Continued Rainbow. 

"Ya'll see, the thing is-" Said AJ, her eyes darting around to avoid the engineers own pair. 

"Jacky has disappeared and we have no idea where she is!" Shouted Pinkie cheerfully, shocking everyone in the room. 

They all stared at the railway man, who was standing where he was, his eyes wide, but not making any move. 

"Steaming? Are you ok?" Asked Fluttershy, while RD snapped her fingers in front of his face. 

He shook his head a few time, trying to collect his thoughts. 

"Could you say that again?" Asked the man slowly. 

"We searched everywhere, but Jacky just disappeared. We last saw her when you guys left." Explained Twilight. 

"I see. Well then." Sighted Steaming, starting to move to the door that lead to the hallway, and right through it, before softly closing it again. 

"That went better tha-" 

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU---!!!" 

"You were saying Twilight?" Sighted Rainbow, as the shouting didn't seemed to stop anytime soon.
> Risks and Rescue in the last second
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They all were relieved when Twilight casted a muffling spell on the door, so that they could finally take their hands off their ears again. 

"Welp, Ah guess it's safe ta say we saw that one coming." Sighted AJ. 

"He must've fallen really hard for her to tick off like that." Laughed Rainbow. 

"Now is not the time for jokes Rainbow." Huffed Twilight. 

"I wasn't joking. Even a blind guy would notice that he has a thing for her! Well, maybe except for Jacky herself that is." Retorted RD with a pout. 

The argument was cut short when the door was slammed open again. Steaming walked into the room again, his eyes filled with an cold stare that wasn't directed at anyone directly, but everybody could feel that it was on them. He breathed in and out deeply, Pinkie later said she could see steam literally shoot out of his nostrils, as he stopped inside the room. 

"I'm out." He hissed, and walked to the doors. 

"What?" Was the collective answer. 

"You heard me. See you later, and good luck fighting off the rest of these buggers. I have a girl to find." Growled the engineer, not turning to them again. 

"B-but-" 

"NO BUTS! My only reason being here in the first place is because Jacky needed somebody to go with her to the wedding. The only reason I was fighting here was because she was in danger! And the only reason for me to stay here, is somewhere out there, probably cab over wheels in trouble with some of those Changelings, which means I am needed anywhere but here. My princess, your ladyships, I wish you a good day!" Barked the railwayman, now finally having turned to them, his head red in anger, sparks flying out of his eyes, as he walked out of the door, slamming it shut with such a force that a picture of the princesses that hung on the other side of the wall fell to the ground, making the frame break. 

"I suppose that was to be expected." Sighted Celestia. 

"I just hope he doesn't hurts himself." Said Fluttershy softly. 

"I'd be more worried about the leftover Changelings than about Steaming..." Muttered Rainbow, loud enough for the others to hear her, as the cracking of gunfire started to ring out from the other side of the door. 

Just then, the door to the hallway opened, to make way for Shining. 

"Your majesty, we are ready for the final push. They drew back to the main throne room, and the adjacent rooms and hallways. We'd like you to join the operation, overviewing it from the back." Said the captain of the Royal guards. 

"Of course. Girls, will you accompany me?" She asked the girls of 'Harmony'. 

"Of course." Came the collective reply. 



Steaming was storming through the hallways, his gun at the ready, his look burning through the empty hall in front of him. Every now and then, a lone Changeling soldier would jump into his way, trying to block his path, but he wouldn't have any of it. Within a matter of seconds, the soldier would have a hole in his shoulder, and a stomp in the stomach, making him unable to attack anybody for a while. Sometimes though, he would have to make sure his opponent wouldn't get in his way at all anymore. He had lost track of where he was going long ago, and quite frankly, he didn't really care. All he cared for was to find Jacky, and to make sure she was alright. As for that, he didn't notice that the marks of battles got fresher and fresher the more he went down the hallway. He made a turn at a crossing, just to stop dead in his tracks, his mind stopping its work for a split second. In front of him was a group of Changeling soldiers, standing at the ready to fight against any of the Royal guards who would come at them. Their determined looks turned into confused ones when they saw the railway man standing in front of them, instead of a squad of members of the Royal guard. Steamings mind started to work again, and the anger build itself inside of him pretty quickly again, his breathing getting stronger as he pulled his face into an rage filled scowl. 

"DIE YOU PRICKS!!!" Shouted the man, as he pulled his gun up, glancing through the iron sights for a split second, and quickly emptying the magazine into the row of soldiers. 

He rapidly emptied the rifle, at such a pace that would make Emerald whistle in astonishment. When he tried to fire again, and heard the mere clicking of the gun, indicating the empty magazine, he stopped his rage firing, and looked at his work. In front of him, were the remains of the once 10 men strong group of soldiers. All of them had either holes in the left side of their upper torso, or in their stomach, with the ones with the holes in their lower torso region whining and moaning in pain on the ground. Steaming put his Coltchester onto his back, and pulled out his revolver, slowly walking up to the downed men. He held his gun above the one closest to him, staring him in the eye with an ice cold glare. 

"Where is Jacky?" He hissed. 

"I-I don't know w-who your talking about." Growled the man on the ground, wheezing heavily, but not scared by the man above him. 

"Wrong answer, swine." Spat the young man, pulling the trigger. 

He walked to the next man, and placed the revolver against his head as well. 

"Same question: where is Jacky?" Asked the engineer again. 

"P-p-please, I don't know who you are talking about. Don't kill me!" Whimpered the man, coughing up blood. 

"Liar." Hissed Steaming, about to pull the trigger again, when he saw something, that made him stop. 

It was a shield that one of the men dropped when he was cut down by Steamings assault. It leaned in an angle against the wall, reflecting the scene in front of it, including the engineer. When the man saw his reflection in the shield, he took a step back from the man lying in front of him, the hand holding his revolver shaking slightly. His reflection showed him a nightmare, at least, for him. His face and upper torso was sprinkled in blood, his eyes were filled with hatred and disgust. He had seen this glance only once, more than 7 years ago, from the orphanage manager, his uncle. He walked slowly backwards, shaking his hand, until he hit the wall behind him, his eyes wide in fear and shock. He always tried to make himself look tough and strong, a leading figure that others could look up to, but he always hid his fear inside him, ever since the day at the orphanage. It had scared him for life, even though he would rather fall over dead before anybody would know. And now, he was looking just like his nightmare. No, he had become his own nightmare. 

'This isn't me, this isn't me, this isn't me!' Thought the man to himself, shaking his head viciously. 

"I can't become like him. I can't! ...I must find Jacky!" He whispered to himself, shakily pushing himself from the walls, before starting to move again, trying to forget what he just did, and what he just saw. He raced through the hallways, passing corridor interjections and countless doors, before reaching a larger junction, where many different paths and stairs lead into numerous directions. 

'Hm, which way to go? Hehe, a signalman is what I need.' Grumbled the man with an dry chuckle to himself, as he looked at the ways around him. 

"Let's take that one." He huffed, and started to charge down the way directly to his left. 

He made his way down the hallway, until reaching a large double door. After silently pushing it open, he noticed that it was the entry to the kitchen, which had been evacuated a while ago. Noticing that nobody was inside, he slowly walked into the room. He wanted to go to the next set of doors on the other side of the large kitchen, when he was suddenly hit onto the back of his head with a blunt but heavy object, making him fall forward, into one of the plentiful tables in the kitchen, crashing onto the pots that were placed on top of it. 

"Hehehe, bad choice of you to come here..." Chuckled a voice, as the engineers vision turned blurry, before completely turning black. 



meanwhile, a few corridors away from Steaming... 



"We are ready to breach sir! All waiting for your command!" Saluted a Lieutenant as Shining, the princess and the group 'Harmony' reached the squadron in front of the doors that lead to the throne room. 

"Proceed." Ordered Shining, readying his rifle, a well kept bolt-action rifle with light blue barrel and an darker blue shaft, specially made for the captain of the guard. 

Three other guards rammed their shoulders into the door, bursting it open while the men behind them covered them, their rifles at the ready. Once the doors were open,they could see that they had been expected. At all the doors leading into the room, Changeling soldiers had positioned themselves in a defensive position, their guns held at the ready as well, their eyes filled with ice cold professionalism. 

"FIRE AT WILL!" Ordered Shining, as the first soldiers fired at the invaders. 

But instead of hitting the enemy, the bullets stopped a few millimeters in front of them, green light cracking from the point where they stopped. The Changelings smirked as the faces of the Royal guards turned into an confused frown, before something in Shinings mind clicked. 

"TAKE COVER! THEY CASTED A BARRIER!" The captain ordered, as his hands glowed in a light blue hue, as a blue barrier grew around him. 

It quickly engulfed his fellow soldiers, but not quick enough, as 8 of his men fell over, a few of them crying out in pain, while others fell silent. The bullets stopped when they hit Shinings shield, and fell to the ground, as some of the medics pulled the wounded and killed back through the doors. The firing display stopped, as the Changelings broke their defensive formation, and started to charge at the guards, with swords, spears and bolts of magic. Shining put his gun onto his back, and pulled out his sword, that he had carried on his side. 

"Show no mercy!" He shouted, as he lead his men into the battle. 

Swords clashed, spears were jammed deep into torsos, and blood and screams filled the throne room. The fight, which started out in favor of the Changelings, had turned in favor of the guards, who had both superior weaponry, as well as superior training. As for this, the numbers of the invading soldiers quickly diminished, but the remaining soldiers wouldn't give up. They fought for their course until their final breath. It was nearly 45 minutes since they started the final battle, when the last of the Changeling soldiers were slain down by the guards. Once the battle was finally over, the princess, as well as Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack and Cadence went inside the throne room, to survey the damage, both material, as well as a human damage. They opted to leave Fluttershy, as well as Pinkie outside, till at least 90% of the dead bodies and blood stains had been cleared away, to make sure Fluttershy wouldn't get a panic attack, and to preserve Pinkies innocence. 

"My gratulations, captain Armor, once more you have proven why you are the captain of the guard." Princess Celestia said as her group walked up to the two-tone blue haired man, who was resting with some of his men. The girls behind the princess didn't say a word, their faces were a mixture of white and green, as they walked through the battlefield/throne room. 

"Thank you, your majesty, but this was, at the most, a training session that ended badly. Ugh, I really should have known it that those Changelings would make up a shield. I could've saved those men." Sighted the man with an downcast expression. 

"You couldn't have known it. It would have happened to anyone." Said Twilight, hugging her brothers arm to comfort him, as did Cadence. 

"Thank you Twily, and you too honey." Smiled Shining, and pulled them into an soft hug. 

"But one thing is still troubling me." Frowned Shining, once he let go of Twilight and Cadence. 

"And what would that be?" Asked the princess. 

"We couldn't find Chrysalis. We thought that she had highest command of the Changeling soldiers, but she didn't fought with them in the battle." Said Shining. 

"Maybe she knew she couldn't beat us, and made a run for it." Laughed Rainbow. 

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Came a unfamiliar voice. 

They all turned to Shining, Twilight and Cadence, as the voice came from their direction, only to notice that nobody stood behind them. Their confused looks turned into one of shock, as Cadence suddenly pulled out a knife from her dress, and plunged it deep into the rips of her husband-to-be. 

"Shining!" Screamed Twilight, as the man fell against his younger sister with an pained gasp. 

"Cadence, what did you do that for?!" Shouted Rainbow. 

"I can't answer you that, since I'm not Cadence." Smirked the woman, her voice sounding very different from her usual tone. 

"What?!" Shouted the rest of the group 'Harmony', as the woman in front of them suddenly glowed in a poison green hue, as her appearance changed. Her eyes turned green, and her hair turned into black, with poison green streaks in it. Her dress turned into the same black and green armor that the rest of the Changelings wore, as every guard in the room directed his gun, sword, spear or magic at the woman that was standing in the middle of the room. 

"Hehe, I would drop them pretty quickly if I were you." Smirked the Changeling queen, as she whistled a few tones, as the complete room began to glow green. 

The others covered their eyes because of the intensity of the light. When they opened it, they wiped their eyes to make sure they weren't hallucinating things. The dead bodies and bloodstains had disappeared. In their place was the same amount of Changeling soldiers that were in the room when they first breached into it, all of them had their rifles pointed at the guards, girls and princess, smirking at them. 

"Now Celest, how about we have a little talk? The last one we had ended... not quite as promising as I hoped it would." Said the woman, as Celestia glared at her. 

"What happened?" Whispered Twilight, who had moved with Shining next to Celestia. 

"To cut it short: it was the reason why we opted to move around in a private train, instead of simply coupling our coach to the back of a normal one." Sighted the sun princess. 

"So Celestia, let's talk." Said Chrysalis with an evil grin. 

"There is nothing to talk about! You will never rule over Equestria! I won't allow it, and neither will Luna!" Shouted Celestia, her voice booming around the throne room, as she used her Royal Canterlot voice. 

"I thought you might say that, but I'm not here for your permission to rule, since you can't do anything about it. After all, you wouldn't want that your precious students and niece to be harmed, now would you?" Asked the woman with an sickly sweet voice, as Celestias eyes grew wide. 

"You wouldn't dare..." Whispered the monarch. 

"Just watch me." Smirked Chrysalis, as she made a small gesture of her hand, and the men loaded their rifles. 

"Take aim!" Shouted Chrysalis, as the soldiers took aim at the girls in the room. 



15 minutes earlier, in the kitchen... 



"Wake up ya little pantsy." Came a voice that woke Steaming out of his unconsciousness. 

The engineers eyes ripped open when he remembered what happened to him when he had entered the kitchen. He tried to move, but he couldn't. His eyes wandered to his ankles and noticed that they had been tied to an iron beam. He looked in front of him, seeing two men, one wearing glasses and an worn out slouch hat, while the other one was wearing welders goggles and an brown Stetson. 

"C'mon S! We gotta get back to the others!" Urged the man with the Stetson. 

"No chance mate, that blurk was the one who took down Heavy. I wana make sure he knows the consequences for that." Said the man called 'S', whiles the other one just sighted and headed to the door. 

"Alright then, I tell Spy yer gona catch up later." Called the man as he disappeared through the door. 

"Ya know, that wasn't nice of ya, to kick the light out of my pal, and to take him to those cells of yours." Talked S casually, while having his back turned towards the man. 

"I think it was pretty fair, seeing that I beat him in our little fight." Smirked Steaming. 

"Hm, maybe. But Ah don't think that ya should walk out scot-free like that." The man said, pulling out an Kukri knife, and turning around. 

"Huh, and here I thought I would end my servicing life in a train wreck." Joked the engineer, but deep inside of him, he was scared out of his mind. 

"Who said ya would die? At least, not right now." Shrugged the man, as he uncut the rope that kept Steaming tied to the pipe. 

"What's this for then?" As an answer, another Kukri was rammed into the working plate next to the engineer. 

"I'm a Sniper mate, I have standards. And one of them is, be polite. That also includes not killing ones that are helpless." Said the Sniper, as he walked a few meters away from Steaming, before turning back to him, pointing his blade at him. 

"Now then mate, how about we have a little dance?" 

"Why, of course. I lead." Smirked the engineer, as he pulled out the Kukri, and swung it around in his right hand a few times, before he started off. 

The blades clashed together with an metallic clanging. The Sniper tried to thrust the knife into his stomach, but the engineer just dodged the thrust. He countered the blow with an swing to the man's chest, but he just blocked it with his own blade. 

"What do ya know, I didn't thought ya had the spunk in ya!" Laughed the man. 

"Heh, and I thought that down in Pontralia they only have Kangaroos that could give a punch!" Laughed the engineer back, and tried another swing, but was blocked by his knife again, before being hit by a fist in the stomach. 

It stunned him for a second, which was all the man needed to swing his blade down at him. Steaming tried to dodge it, but was too slow, and the knife made a deep cut in his right arm. 

"Ugh! That'll sting tomorrow." Cursed the railway man. 

"I think that'll be the least of ya concern." Scoffed the Sniper, as he made another blow. 

The pain from the cut took a bit from the engineers concentration, and the man from Pontralia took this to his advantage. Every few minutes, a new cut would be added on Steamings body. His arms and upper torso were quickly covered with deep cuts, blood smearing over his clothes. With an final, deep cut right across the engine man's chest, and a hard kick by the Sniper, Steaming fell backwards, and against one of the tables in the kitchen. He was feeling tired, and had difficulties to keep his eyes open, but he wasn't giving up. The Sniper walked up to the railway man, and stood over him, the Kukri firmly held in his right hand. 

"Well mate, looks like that's the end for ya." The man said. 

"Why didn't you kill me when I was tied up then? Would've been easier for you." Puffed the downed man, but the Pontralian man shook his head. 

"I told ya. I'm a sniper. A professional. We have standards." Explained the Sniper, as he twisted the blade around, ready for the final thrust. 



But it never came. The door was pushed open, and both men turned towards it, seeing a person in guard armor, with an helmet covering his head. He quickly pulled his rifle up, and fired at the Pontralian man without hesitation. With an pained shout, the man fell to his side, blood coming out at a large scale from his chest and mouth. The guard quickly rushed inside and stopped in front of Steaming. 

"Thanks for the rescue lad, I owe you one, big time. What's your name partner?" Asked Steaming wearily, exhaustion slowly setting in because of the many fights, and the injuries. 

The guard didn't said anything, but began to take the helmet off. When the headwear was off, Steaming noted with shock that it wasn't a he, but a she. 

"Jacky?!" Shouted Steaming, shocked as the metallic black haired girl in front of him looked at him in concern. 

"Don't move! We need to patch your injuries up!" Shouted Jacky, as the engineer grunted as he was about to move from his position. 

Jacky quickly went to the kitchens first aid box, and pulled some bandages out of them. After getting Steaming out of his jacket and shirt, they started to warp the bandages around the cuts (With Jacky being relieved that she was behind the engineer to do so). When they had warped up at least most of the deeper cuts, Steaming started to talk again. 

"Jacky, what are you doing out here, why are you walking around dressed like a royal guard, and when in Celestia did you learn how to shoot with a bloody rifle?!" 

"First, there is no need to shout, especially since there are still some of those Changelings around. And second, my father started to teach me how to defend myself with a gun. That incident on the way down to Dodge Junction made him a bit paranoid about me, and as of that, wants me to be able to fight for myself." Explained Jacky, while taking off the rest of the armor. Steaming noted that she had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt, a red necktie, and a pair of black work shoes. From a small bag, she pulled a brown hat, which looked pretty old and torn, like it had went through pretty much already. 

"But that doesn't explain why you are walking around in a guards armor, or walking around out there with those Changelings at all!" Argued the engineer, as his hat was pulled from his head, and the old brown hat was placed on him instead. 

"You were going on a suicide mission with 7 soldiers as backup. I went out to try and take out as many of them as I could, so I... borrowed the armor and rifle, and started to take out any of these guys that went across my path." Explained Jacky. 

"You didn't have to do that you know. I am alright, see?" Smiled the engineer, wincing slightly as one of the deeper cuts across his chest started to hurt again. 

"Uhu, sure, fit as a fiddle." Said Jacky while rolling her eyes. 

The two of them were silent for a few seconds, before Steaming pulled the girl in a deep embrace, holding her tightly. Jacky was confused, and slightly shocked, but returned the hug nonetheless. 

"Don't you ever do that again, you hear? I was so scared that something might have happened." Whispered Steaming. 

"I'm no longer the eight year old girl anymore you know. I know how to look out for myself." Chuckled Jacky. 

"I know, but you are still the girl that I made the promise to always look out for her, and to keep her safe. And I am not one to break a promise." Chuckled Steaming in reply, to which the girl started to blush. 

They went quiet again, when their eyes meet each other. Steamings brown eyes stared into Jackys blue ones, their bodies still close because of the hug. Both their heads slowly began to move towards each other, their eyes closing, while their hearts were hammering against their chests, pounding at the pace of an express train. Their mouths were only millimeters from each other apart, when a voice called from outside. 

"Junction? Is everything alright in there? It's been awfully quiet for quite a while now." Came the familiar voice from outside the door. 

Both teenagers eyes ripped open, their cheeks flaring red as they put some distance in between each other. 

'Damn it!' both of them cursed in their thoughts. 

"Who is out there?" Asked Steaming. 

"I nearly forgot. Cadence, you can come in now! Everything is alright!" Called Jacky, as the princess walked inside. 

"Huh? Weren't you with the others Cadence?" Asked Steaming, confused that she was here. 

"No? The Changelings disguised themselves as my guards and took me as their hostage until Jacky took care of them. We were on our way to my aunt and her students. What made you think I was with them?" 

"Because we bumped into you shortly before reaching the guards outpost on the western side of the castle! And that was probably more than two hours ago!" 

"I was with the company of three of those Changelings at that time." Scowled Cadence at the memory. 

"Wait. If you are here, and there is another Cadence with the princess, then that means..." 

"THE PRINCESS IS IN TROUBLE!" They all shouted. 

"Shit! Why did I rush off like that?! I should've stayed and helped them!" Groaned Steaming, annoyed with himself. 

"If you did, you would be in trouble as well now, and wouldn't even know about it." Said Jacky in an comforting voice. 

"Maybe, but I still could've defended her!" Grumbled the engineer. 

"Now isn't really the time to argue about that. We must go and try to help as much as we can!" Urged Cadence. 

"Right, right, sorry! Your right, we need to go and search them! ...Anyone got any ideas where they might be?" Asked the young man. 

"Hmm, there was a pretty large group of guards in front of the main throne room. Maybe they are there?" Suggested Jacky. 

"Probably. Let's go!" Called Steaming, but was stopped by Cadence. 

"Wait! That might take to long!" Said the young princess, as her hands started to glow in a light pink hue, followed by the three of them glowing in the same color, before disappearing. 



They reappeared behind the Thrones in the throne room, both Jacky and Steaming being a bit wobbly on their legs. 

"I still need to get a feeling for this teleporting stuff." Huffed Steaming, as he looked around the throne, to see that the princess, the group 'Harmony', Shining and his guards were surrounded by a large group of Changelings, all of them having their weapons ready to fire. He also noted that Shining was bleeding heavily from where a blade was stuck into him. 

"Looks like we came just in time. Jacky, how much ammo do you still have in your gun?" 

"A full clip, five bullets. I still have 3 in reserve though." The engineer grumbled at this. 

"I have around 9 bullets left in my gun, plus 6 in the revolver. It might just be enough. We have to be quick though. Take the ones closest to the girls, and shout to them to take cover. Anywhere is better than in the open." Explained Steaming. 

"What?! You two want to fight against a 30 men strong squad? That's suicidal!" Argued Cadence. 

"I had plenty of those operations already. I think I will be alright. And I will protect Jacky at all costs, and those buggers are making this whole thing pretty unsafe." Said Steaming with determination in his voice. 

"Hey, don't think I can't hear you! I can protect myself, thank you very much!" Grumbled Jacky. 

"I know that. I'm just worried about you, that's all. I don't want to see you die in crossfire or anything like that." Sighted the engineer, as Jacky hugged him softly. 

"I know, and I really appreciate it, but you know that I can take care of myself. And the 12 soldiers would tell you that as well, if they were alive that is..." Chuckled Jacky. 

"I don't want to disturb your moment here, but we should get aunt Celestia and the girls now." Said Cadence, tapping her foot as Chrysalis shouted the order to aim. 

Steaming and Jacky positioned themselves at the edges of the Thrones, looking first at the invaders, and then at each other. Steaming gave a short nod, and pulled the guns up to their shoulders, to take aim. 

They leaned out of their cover, and quickly took aim at the first two soldiers. 

"TAKE COVER GIRLS!" Shouted Steaming, as he and Jacky started to fire at the soldiers. 

The first two fell, dropping their rifles, as the others stared in shock at what had happened. The princess and the girls quickly dashed for cover, namely the two Thrones where their two friends were fighting from, whilst the other guards started to fight alongside their two saviors. Steaming and Jacky kept up fighting, but the Changelings already got their bearings back, and started to fight back. It quickly evolved into a wild gunfight, with the Changelings and guards shooting at each other from all sides. Steaming and Jacky fought hard, but Jacky only had a gun with 5 bullets in the magazine. As such, she had to reload fast and often. When she was reloading for the second time, one of the Changelings jumped at her. She was just about to hit him with the stock of her rifle, when a bullet flew through the attackers head, his eyes turning back into his head as the momentum made him fly past Jacky, and landed with a thud at the wall behind them. 

"You alright?" Shouted Steaming, his revolver already back in its holster, as he went back to shooting the assaulters again. 

"Yeah, thanks!" She shouted, as she pulled the bolt of the rifle back, chambering another bullet. 

The Changelings, after getting a 'kind' reminder from their queen that their strategy plan wasn't working, now went over into an defensive retreat, covering their queen with their lives. 

"This isn't the last you have seen of me!" Called Chrysalis, as she and the rest of her soldier turned and ran head over heels into the opposite direction.  

Some of the soldiers tried to stop them, especially their queen, with aimed shots to their legs, but weren't quite fast enough, as Chrysalis' hands glowed in a green hue, and she and her minions disappeared in a flash of green light. For the first time since lunchtime, the castle had fallen into silence. That was cut short however, when the soldiers began to cheer at their victory. Steaming sighted in relief, seeing that they had survived the attack. He turned and wanted to go to Jacky, when he was suddenly tackled by a familiar pink blur, as he was pulled to the ground by Pinkie Pie. 

"WOOHOO! I knew you would come back!" She cheered, as Steaming pulled himself and her (since she was still clinging to the engineer) from the ground. 

"That, was SOOOO awesome!" Cheered Rainbow Dash, pressing both her hands against her cheeks. 

"Nice work there partner." Nodded Applejack. 

"Thank you for saving us, um, Mr. Whistle." Whispered Fluttershy, looking at the engineer for the first time. 

"Hey, just call me Steaming." Winked the engineer, as the light pink haired girl giggled with a slight blush. 

"Okay, Steaming." Said Fluttershy, giving him a small smile. 

"*coughing* I thank you as well, Mr. Steaming, for saving us in our peril." Said Twilight, trying to sound mature, before being pulled into a bear hug by the railway man. 

"Haha! Since when are you so formal with me? We're friends, so cut the crap and keep the thanks! I don't like seeing my friends getting harmed you know!" Laughed Steaming. 

"You really are a mystery, Whistle Steaming." Smiled Celestia with a slight chuckle. 

"Just doing my duty ma'am. But how is Shining doing? Will he be alright?" 

"I already fixed his wounds with my magic, but the exhaustion from the battle has caught up with him. He will need some time to rest, but he should be alright in the end." Explained the princess. 

"That's good to hear. But I think we should wait with the wedding. After all, I don't think we can hold the reception in the reception hall, at least, not in the state it is in right now." Said the engineer. 

"But you only had this day off! You wouldn't be able to attend it!" Exclaimed Jacky. 

"I don't need to. I think the reception will go off smashingly now. At least the Changelings won't be a trouble now." Grinned the young man cheekily. 

"Are you really sure you can't stay? After all you did for us, it would only be fair to have you at our wedding." Said Cadence from where she was sitting next to Shinings resting body. 

"I'm a railway man, I have a duty to attend to, and I can't neglect it. I'm terribly sorry, but the call of duty comes first." Said the engineer with an apologetic tone. 

The girls tried to convince him to stay with them for the wedding, Cadence even offered that she would give him an written absence note signed by her, but it was useless. Steaming thanked them for the offer, but made it clear that he wouldn't miss a day of work, he swore his life on it. The girls couldn't do anything, as Steaming said his goodbyes, and he and Jacky made their way down to the central station. When they reached the main gates, they were swarmed by hundreds of confused, concerned, and annoyed civilians, who demanded to know what had happened inside the castle. Some of the guards guarding the castle escorted them through the crowd, and said their goodbyes as well. The two teenagers didn't come very far though, when Rarity came up to them, asking them the same question the crowd had asked. Once they made sure nobody would listen, they explained everything. 

"Goodness! Just to think what these ruffians would've done if you two hadn't interfered... It simply is disgraceful!" Gasped Rarity, as they reached the large station. 

"We can be glad that nothing major happened, and that we all are safe and sound." Sighted Steaming. 

"If you can call cuts all across your arms and chest 'nothing major'..." Muttered Jacky, as Steaming grabbed himself a ticket at the ticket box. 

"Jacky, I told you, I had worse from worse." Said Steaming with an eye roll. 

"And I told you already that I have a hard time believing you." Grumbled Jacky. 

"Oh just look at you! Just like real lovers." Giggled Rarity, as both of them turned into a deep scarlet color. 

"W-w-well, I need to go, that's my train up there! Rarity, it was a pleasure to meet you, and the rest of the group 'Harmony'. I really hope my trains bring me up here more often, so that I could visit you all more often in the future. Jacky, I really hope the next time we meet again won't be that far into the future." Said Steaming, trying to turn the conversation into a different direction, and hugging Jacky. 

The girl returned the hug, before Steaming started to pull back. Jacky held him firmly, but before the man had time to ask, she had already leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The railway man's head turned deep red, as he turned on his heel, rushing off while shouting 'good bye!' Through nearly the complete station. Jacky and Rarity stood behind, with Jacky having a red face like Steaming, and Rarity a smug smile on her face. 

"Come on, admit it." She said. 

"Admit what?" 

"That you have fallen for him, and pretty hard by the look of it." Chuckled the young seamstress. 

"That's stupid, and you know it!" Grumbled Jacky, her red face betraying her though. 

"Junction dear, you know you shouldn't lie to your friends." Scolded Rarity playfully. 

"Oh go and make out with Applejack!" Scoffed Jacky, Rarity's face went from a smug smile to a surprised look. 

"You know that I and Jacqueline are just friends." Hissed Rarity, a bit too fast to sound convincing. 

"If you say so..." Smirked Jacky, as she started to walk away, but not in the direction of the exit, but towards the platform. 



Steaming had already boarded the small, wooden, yellow bogie coach, that was the main consist of his train. At the front of it was a small 2-6-2 tender engine with light green paint, and red stripes. He had chosen the last coach, seeing that he could see the engine from her the best, while also catching up some much needed sleep on the way. The clock struck the hour, the guard blew the whistle, and with an loud blast of the engines own whistle, the train jerked into motion, slowly moving out of the station. Steaming had his eyes on a book in his hands, it was the book he had took from his old 'home', but it looked different from before. The front of the book had been destroyed, as well as many of the pages, a deep cut running through it. 

"Sorry Emerald old pal. I promise I buy you a new one, but it served a greater purpose. After all, that thing saved my life..." Chuckled Steaming to himself. 

In the sword fight with the 'Sniper', the Pontralian man had made a deep cut right above his heart. He guessed that, if the book hadn't been there, he would've probably cut right through his heart. 

The engineer looked away from the destroyed book, and out of the window, seeing Jacky walking along with the train, waving it away. The man stood up with a smile, and opened the window. 

"Good bye Junction! See you soon!" Shouted the engineer over the sounds of the moving train. 

"Good bye Steaming! Promise me you'll write?!" 

"Always!" He laughed as the train left the station, waving one last time before the train disappeared out of view, and pulled his head inside, closing the window shortly afterwards. 

He smiled a small smile, and after the guard passed him and checked his ticket, he closed his eyes and pulled his hat over his head. Only then did he notice that the hat was in fact the old, brown, Stetson like hat that Jacky gave him at the castle. His shock turned into a small smile once again, as he chuckled slightly. 

"Now we REALLY have to see each other soon, my dear Jacky." Said the engineer to nobody in particular, as he closed his eyes once more, finally falling asleep after the long day he had. 



Meanwhile, at the Telegraph office at the Dodge Junction main station... 



The man at the Telegraph was busy noting down a message, which he was receiving for a few minutes now. Once the machine stopped clicking, he reread his message, his eyes nearly jumping out of their sockets. He sprinted out of the office, racing across the yards towards the sections Forman's office, where Westing was about to close in for the night. 

"WESTING! WESTING! YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS!" Shouted the man, as he nearly crashed into the startled Forman. 

"What's gotten into you Clipper? It's like you got the message that the natives want to have peace." Chuckled Westing. 

"No, even better!" Grinned the man, and gave the message to his superior. 



To: Westing House Stop. Royal wedding rescheduled Stop. Will be held in Dodge Junction in three weeks Stop. will require assistance from the railwaymen of the Dodge Junction devision for preparation and guest transportation Stop. Request for engineers Whistle Steaming and Emerald Heart to attend wedding and work on honeymoon train of the royal couple Stop. Request done by the princesses Stop. Signed, Iron Spike, managing director Stop. 



Westing stared at the piece of paper, before rereading it again. He the looked at Clipper, who looked at him with a broad grin. 

"Here!" Shouted Westing, giving Clipper his coat and hat "Keep that for a while, I go and tell the Mayor! And go tell the dispatcher about what's going on! We need every engineer and every engine that can work for this! And tell him to send Steaming and Emerald to me first thing in the morning! We might've got the biggest contract since the early days of the diamond rush in the coal mines here!" Laughed Westing, as he started to run down the streets towards the town hall.
> Calm days in Dodge Junction... or not
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Steaming arrived at the station, he went straight to the old coach he called his home. It was well past midnight, and the yards were quiet and empty. He opened the door, and went straight through the corridor he and Emerald build in the middle of the coach to an door labeled 'Steaming "Trinity" Whistle - engineer and gunslinger' in what looked like the writing of an preschooler. Steaming pushed the door open, walked swiftly inside and landed face first in his bed. 

"Tough day Trinity?" Asked a voice from the door. 

"You don't even know half of it Bambie." Groaned Steaming as Emerald chuckled lightly, walking into the room. 

"So, how was your date with your princess?" Smirked Emerald. 

"There wasn't one. A surprise attack which involved the injuring of the groom got in the way." Huffed Steaming. 

"Okay... You've got me interested. Tell me everything." Urged Emerald, as his lifelong friend sighted, and started his tale. 

"Man, you really had quite an adventure today! Too bad your date with Jacky got cancelled as well..." Said Emerald, as he inspected the old book (or what was left of it) that he got from Steaming. 

"First, it wasn't a date, second, ...yeah." Huffed Steaming. 

"But fancy you forgetting your hat like that. It's so precious to you, I never thought you'd forget it! Ah well, maybe next time your up there you'll find it. Night bro." Said Emerald with an smug smile. 

"Yeah, next time... Night." Said Steaming, as Emerald sighted and left the room. 



The next morning started with a few surprises for the two railway men. As soon as they got out of their coach, they were greeted by the sight of workmen, bustling about with paint pots and tools, rushing forwards and backwards, fixing this part of the canopy, or repairing that wall of the tool shed. Along with the work done outside around the yards and station, they could see that the work inside the workshops had nearly tripled, with a few engines already outside, waiting for their final inspection before returning to work. Just then, they saw a fellow engineer, called Wooden Brake, running up to them. 

"Morning Brake, what's the rush? And why are the yards so busy? Did they find diamonds in the coal mines again?" Asked Emerald. 

"I don't know, all I know is that Westing's ordering every man available to bring the station and yards into top condition, and dispatch called every engineer on duty to him." 

"Alright, what are we waiting for then?" Asked Steaming. 

"Wait! He also said that you guys should go straight to Westing House first!" 

"Huh? What did you do now?" Asked Steaming with a frown, looking at Emerald. 

"Don't look at me! I'm innocent this time!" 

"Ugh, we don't have time for this! Come on, let's get it behind us." Sighted Steaming, as the two of them went to Westing's office. 



"Come in!" Called Westing, as somebody knocked on his door. 

"Ah! Steaming, Emerald, come in, I've been expecting you." Smiled the road supervisor. 

"Oh dear, if he's that happy, he must've thought of something brutal for us as an comeuppance already." Whispered Steaming. 

"Now Steaming, I've heard you had quite the adventure yesterday in Canterlot, is that right?" 

"Um, yes sir." Said the engineer meekly. 

"And you left quite the impression on both the princess, as well as her studying group, 'Harmony', was it?" 

"I believe I did sir." Chuckled the man. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt you sir, but why did you call us up here?" Butted Emerald in. 

"I was coming to that Emerald." Chuckled the supervisor, and pulled out the telegram. 

"Here, read." Smiled the an, and handed the letter to the two men. 

Once they had finished, they looked at their boss in surprise. 

"And that's no joke?" Asked the two simultaneously. 

"Not at all! That's why the yards are so busy right now. We need to make sure that we show, that the Equestrian National Railway is the most reliable, as well as the most endurable railway around! That's why we need every engineer, every engine, every truck and every coach that we have in our section operational and on the road. You two will have to help as well!" 

"How?" 

"Simple. Iron Spike has agreed to sent down a string of freshly rebuild 2-8-0 'Shire horse' class tender engines, amongst others, to replace some of the older 'Ponystone' class 4-4-0s. You will be working as the crew for one of them, on the local goods up to Ponyville and back, as well as running your usual trains to and from the coal mines. We need as many crews out there, 'cause as soon as the news of the wedding being held here in Dodge hits the public, our trains will the packed to the brim." Explained Westing. 

"Sounds pretty logical. When will the new engines arrive?" Asked Emerald. 

"In around an hour, maybe two. We are already stretched as it is with the increasing coal traffic, and as such, we are double tracking the main line up to Ponyville. With any luck, we should have finished it within this week, so they might get delayed on the run down here." 

"Alright, better make ourselves useful until then. Come on E! The guys down in the workshops will be happy to get a few more helping hands to repair those engines!" Chuckled Steaming, clapping his hands together, as the two men dashed out of the office. 

"They really brought some life into these here yards when they began to work here." Said Westing with and chuckle, as he got back to his paperwork again. 



Steaming and Emerald worked together with the workshop crew for a few hours, until they had their first coffee break. Whilst they were sitting inside the cantina, they could hear the sound of an unfamiliar whistle, coming closer towards the yards. 

"Sounds like work's calling us." Chuckled Emerald, as he pulled his mug of coffee to his lips. 

"Yeah, breaks over for us guys. Good luck getting the shunter back into service." Waved Steaming, as he placed his empty mug on the table, and started to walk off with Emerald. 

"Meh, nothing major, just a loose dome cover and a leaky steam valve in the cab. She'll be running around the yards by tomorrow if nothing bigger comes into the shops." Said Kettle, one of the boiler smiths from the workshops, as the two engineers disappeared through the doors. 

Outside, they could see the column of engines that had stopped inside the yards. Truth to Westing's word, standing in front of them were around 15 freshly rebuild tender engines, mostly 2-8-0 'shire horse' and 4-6-0 'Pegasus' class engines, but there were some 4-4-0 'larger Ponystones', 4-4-2 'Clip-Clops' and even a 2-10-0 'Big Mac' class locomotives as well. As soon as the leading engine was uncoupled, the unassigned crews got to the engines, beginning to get them ready to move. 

"Well well well, looks like we got ourselves some new toys." Grinned Steaming, as they got to their engine, the 'shire horse' with the number 297. 

"Well, let's just hope they don't have any teething troubles." Grumbled Emerald, as he looked around the cab of their loco. 



They quickly got to work, and by lunchtime of the next day, every engine had been planned into the timetable. The trains were running like clockwork, and everyone worked their hardest. The news of the royal wedding being held in Dodge Junction spread faster than expected, and every time a passenger train would come into the station, the platforms would be swarmed by passengers coming from all over the country to get a glance at the royal couple. The double tracking project was completed like Westing said, and was opened without ceremony, since everyone had too much to do. 

One morning, on the day the special guests would arrive, Steaming and Emerald were waiting in the yards with their engine. The shunting engine had been delayed by an late running branch line train, which brought trucks full of minerals and produces from the farms along the line to their goods train. 

"Come on Puffa! We're going to be late if we keep waiting here!" Called Steaming from his cab, as a small 0-6-0 side tank engine passed him with a small string of trucks. 

"Don't worry Steaming! You'll be on time, don't you worry!" Called Puffa from his engine, as he stopped the train, so that the shunter could fasten the couplings. 

"That's what you say..." Grumbled Steaming, as he looked back, seeing Puffa reverse his engine from the train. 

He quickly reversed his engine to the goods train, nearly throwing Emerald out of the cab in the process. 

"Watch it S! I want to stay on this thing thank you very much!" Shouted Emerald, as he grabbed the hand rail on the tender. 

"And I want to get this train over and done with! We've got to be back before the VIPs get here!" Replied Steaming as his engine connected with the train with an firm bump. 

The guard leaned out of the caboose, blew his whistle and waved the green flag. Steaming opened the regulator forcefully, making the wheels spin as the train started out of the yards. Steaming pushed both the engine and Emerald to their limits, the engine panting and wheezing as it raced through the plains, as Emerald kept shoveling and putting more water into the boiler. 

"Hey, Trinity! Go easy on her! You're going to break something if you keep pushing her!" Called Emerald, but Steaming didn't listen. 

'Gotta be on time! Gotta be on time! Gotta be on time!' Thought the engineer, pulling the throttle fully open. 

They were coming up to a small town, one of the numerous wayside stops along the line, but what they couldn't know was that the switch that lead to the small shunting yard next to the station had been switched to allow shunting operations to be carried out in the yards. The signal man had thought that the goods train would be still in the section, and only saw the train when it rocketed past the signal box, thundering towards the station. 

"Steaming! There's a loco in our Path!" Screamed Emerald as he saw a small 0-6-0 tender engine on their track. 

"Dear mother of the Canterlot express! Jump Em! Jump!" Screamed Steaming, as Emerald got to the side of the cab and jumped to safety, while Steaming stayed on the engine. 

The crew of the small shunting engine in the yards saw the train rocketing towards them, and fled from their engine. The signal man jumped towards the switch levers, and threw the one for the switch around. The goods train swayed into the yards, the brakes already screeching in an attempt to slow the speeding train down. The train had already lost a good amount of the speed it had, but was still moving too quickly to stop in time. In front of the speeding train was a small line of trucks, which had been stored till it was their turn to be loaded. With an splintering crash, the train hit the end of the wagons, reducing the rear end to splinters and ripped apart pieces of wood. The train itself, as by miracle, stayed on the rails, but the cowcatcher and the smokebox had been bent and dented. Steaming fell out of the cab, his eyes slowly moving from left to right, looking at the mess he had caused, before falling backwards against the wheels of the locomotive. The yard crew and Emerald raced up to him. 

"Steaming! Man, are you alright?!" Asked Emerald worriedly. 

"What were you two idiots thinking, rushing into the station like that?! You would've crashed into our engine, and probably harmed some of the passengers on the platform if Gantry didn't switched you into the yards!" Scolded the engineer of the yard shunter, not noticing that Steaming had collapsed due to exhaustion of the whole situation. 

"Listen old man! We only did what our signal said! When we came in, ours was green! Looks like your dear 'Gantry' has snoozed in on the job and forgot to cover your shunting duties!" Growled Emerald. 

"Listen mate, we've got our job to do, and by the pace you and your friend raced in, so do you. How 'bout you get that goods of yours back onto the net, and get going?" Growled the fireman back in return. 

"Sorry to burst your bubble there partner, but there are a few problems there. First, my engineer is out, second, my engine's got quite a beating, and I think it'll be too dangerous to move the gal on her own steam till she's repaired. How about you do something more productive and take that train yourself?" Suggested Emerald with an sarcastic tone. 

The situation was about to escalate when the sound of an unfamiliar whistle started to come from down the main line. 

"What now?" Grumbled the engineer, as the three men looked down the straight tracks, seeing a small black dot, which quickly became bigger, and closer. 

Soon, they saw what it was. With an loud rattling and roaring, a long, white train raced through the station, deep black smoke coming from the wheels, it's whistle continuing to whistle four short blasts: the emergency signal. 

"That's the Royal train! It's way too early!" Exclaimed the fireman of the shunting engine. 

"It's blowing off the emergency signal! The brakes must've run hot! It's a runaway!" Gasped the engineer, as the last coach of the train past them. 

They could see that someone was on the balcony of the rear coach, and saw how something flew from the train. They quickly walked up to where they saw the object land, only to see that it was a bottle with an piece of paper in it. Emerald quickly opened it and began to read it. 

"We're in trouble! Our brakes have failed! Warn Dodge Junction and try to stop us! Signed, Junction Spike." Read Emerald, as he stopped next to his engine. 

Steaming suddenly jumped from his resting place, eyes ripped open and filled with determination. 

"E! Uncouple the trucks! You there! Get to the switch and throw it as soon as the trucks are over it! We're going to stop that train or bust!" Exclaimed Steaming, jumping into the cab of the engine, not letting the others speak. 

"Steaming, that's suicide! The loco is in no condition to run! We might have a damaged cylinder, or a steam pipe has knocked itself out of place inside the boiler! We can't pull this one off, we'll run ourself right off the rails!" 

"Em, we are the only ones close enough to stop that train. Plus, the 'shire horses' are fast enough to keep up the pace with the Royal train. We need to try it!" Said Steaming. 

Emerald sighted, and turned back to shovel more coal into the firebox. Steaming gave a firm pull on the whistle, and started to reverse the engine out of the wreckage. They slowly pushed the trucks over the crossover, till the last two trucks were left. Steaming pulled the brakes, and the trucks rolled on without them over the switch. The engineer of the shunter threw the switch and the 2-8-0 quickly started to accelerate after the runaway. 

"Good luck!" Shouted the man at the switch. 

"Thanks! We'll need it..." Shouted Steaming, but keeping the final part to himself. 



They raced down the line, tender first, Steaming again pushing the engine to its limits. The locomotive panted and wheezed even more than before, steam escaping from some of the damaged parts at the front of the engine, but they pressed on. They had long since catched up with the smoke screen provided by both the funnel and the burning brake blocks of the engine, and slowly but surely, they got closer to the train. Steaming blew the whistle loud and long, as to warn the Royal train that they were coming. Five minutes later, and they were only a few hundred meters away from runaway train. Steaming had pulled down his goggles, so that he could see through the smokescreen. The engine rocked and shivered, wheezing and groaning in agony. 

"Come on old girl! Just a few more seconds, and you can rest!" Whispered Steaming, as the the engine strained itself further. 

"Open the coupler! Open the coupler!" Shouted Steaming, as they got in hearing range. 

"Okay!" Came a reply from the runaway train. 

They came closer and closer, till Steaming could see through the smokescreen, staring directly at the rear end of the Royal train. They rammed against the train, and Steaming shut the throttle. But instead of keeping the speed of the train, the runaway started to get away from them again. 

"Damn it! The couple closed itself again! E! Get your sooty ass over here!" Cursed Steaming, as his childhood friend walked over to him. 

"Keep your hand on the throttle, I'll take care of the coupler!" Said the engineer, as he jumped away from the controls, and jumped over the coal to the back of the tender. 

He climbed down to the coupler, kicking it forcefully, trying to open it without injuring himself. His attempts were useless however, as the coupler was stuck. He looked around, and found the hose which Emerald used to clean the tender with the water of the tender tank. He picked it up, tied it around his stomach and kneeled down, trying to free the coupler with his hands. He jerked and pulled on the coupler, till with an creaking, the coupler opened. Unfortunately for him, it opened so abruptly, that he couldn't pull his left hand from the coupler, and he crushed his hand in it. 

"AAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!" Screamed the man, pain shooting through his body, as he nearly lost his balance. 

"Steaming! Are you alright?!" Asked Emerald. 

"Don't worry about me! Get this thing hooked up with that train! We already passed Horseshoe farm! We only have a few more minutes till we reach Dodge!" Screamed Steaming, trying to release some of the pain via his scream. 

The engine picked up speed again, and rammed into the train again. With an loud clanking, the couplers connected. Steaming sighted in relief, as the familiar screeching of brakes connecting with the wheels rang through the air, as the runaway finally was under control again. Suddenly, Steaming could feel a few pair of arms grabbing him, and pulling him on the balcony of the train. He landed on it with an light thud, and rolled around, only to be nearly crushed in an hug, which came from an familiar, metallic black haired girl. 

"You idiot! You big, old, stubborn idiot! Why do you always risk your life in such stunts?!" Cried Jacky, as she kept hugging Steaming, the engineer too shocked from the whole situation to come up with an proper reply. 

"Hey Jacky, Ah ain't want ta spoil yar moment, but if ya keep hoggin him like that, Twi ain't gona help his hand." Chuckled Applejack. 

"Oh! Right, sorry." Sniffed Jacky, as she backed away from the engineer, before a purple aura appeared around his hand, and the deformed part of his body got its normal shape back. Once the hand was back to normal, the aura disappeared again. 

"So, done!" Smiled Twilight. 

"Hey hey! Not bad! Looks like I can still compete in the shooting trials at the next town fair!" Chuckled Steaming, as he moved his hand around, noticing that the pain had gone away completely. 

He turned around, smiling slightly, in an attempt to reassure Jacky that he was alright, when he was suddenly slapped by the said girl, tears still running down her face, and an angry scowl was present on said face. She turned around, and quickly walked away, before Steaming had the chance to say anything. 

"What was that for?!" Asked Steaming perplexed. 

"Well Darling, you kind of had it coming." Sighted Rarity. 

"And pray tell why?" Grumbled Steaming. 

"Well, how would you feel if your childhood friend was putting his life on the line, nearly loosing his hand and falling off a moving train, and knowing you could do nothing if something really happens? She was really worried about you, you know." Explained Rarity. 

"I was trying to save her, and all of your lives if you have forgotten. She should know that I would never do such a thing without an reason! I thought she knew me better than this..." Retorted the engineer bitterly, as he saw outside, seeing that they had already entered the yards of Dodge Junction. 

"If you need me, I'll be on my engine. I have work to do." Hissed the engineer with an hurt tone, as he went out through the balcony doors, just as princess Celestia and a woman in her late 30s with midnight blue hair, wearing a dress of the same color, with stars and a sickle moon on it walked inside. 

"Junction just passed us when we came up here. She seemed pretty troubled. Is everything alright?" Asked the midnight blue haired woman. 

"No, I'm afraid not princess Luna." Sighted Twilight, as she started to explain what had happened. 



Steaming had already jumped back onto his locomotive, after uncoupling it from the Royal train. When he got into the cab however, he saw that Emerald was dumping the fire. 

"What are you doing?" Asked Steaming. 

"Getting this wreck ready for the shops, that's what. Look out through the window." Said Emerald, pointing at the window. 

Steaming looked through it, seeing that on the side of the main line, two lines of parts had formed themselves, ending at what was left of the front of the locomotive. Steam was leaking out through the broken off cylinders, the pilot was left in the middle of the line, and the pilot wheels were resting a few meters away from the loco on the tracks. 

"Hm, good thing she didn't broke apart out on the line." Huffed Steaming. 

"True that. What happened to your face?" Asked Emerald, pointing at the engineers cheek, where a red patch in the form of an hand glowed at him. 

"I don't want to talk about it." Steaming hissed, as he jumped from the cab, when he heard the loud rumbling of feet, pounding on the wooden platform. 

"Huh, if you say so lad." Said Emerald, a bit taken aback by the bitter sound of the engineers voice. 

Steaming walked along the platform, and saw a mass of people, crowding around the exit of the royal saloon coach, where the princesses and the group 'Harmony' had just exited from. He wanted to walk past unnoticed, but this was quickly stopped by the princesses calling him out. He sighted, and turned around to walk up to the monarch. 

"Yes, your majesty?" Asked the engineer. 

"I have heard that you and your partner were the ones who rescued our train from an probably unfortunate fate. Is that so?" She asked. 

"Yes ma'am. Though I kinda wrecked my loco in the process..." Chuckled the engineer with an downcast look. 

'And probably more than just my loco...' Sighted the engineer in his thoughts. 

"Well, then this will be the second time you saved us from peril, dear Whistle. I thank you for this. Now, I would like to officially invite you to the Royal wedding. You left your suit at the castle the last time you visited us, so we brought it with us." Explained the princess, as one of her servants walked up with an small cardboard box. 

"I thank you for this honor, your majesty." Said the engineer with respect. 

"We shall expect you at the reception tomorrow evening, 6pm. I hope you will arrive on time." She chuckled. 

"Oh, don't worry. That shall be the day when I'll be late!" Smirked Steaming, as both the princesses and most of the greeting committee chuckled at the comment, before Steaming started to walk off again. 

He couldn't make more than a few steps though, when he was stopped by an hand on his shoulder. He turned around to look into the eyes of the road supervisor, Westing House. 

"So Steaming, care to explain why your engine is in pieces from the cylinders onwards?" Asked the man with an sickly sweet voice. 

"Uhhhh... Rushed job at the workshops when they rebuild her?" Said Steaming, with an unconvincing tone. 

"Uhu, and why did the yards at Daisy Town called me because of an speeding goods train that smashed into a truck there?" Asked the man with an stone hard glance. 

"Uh..." Was the only thing Steaming said, not coming up with an proper excuse now. 

"That's what I thought. How about we have a nice little chat about rule number 3 of the railway. You do know what it was, right?" 

"Trains have to keep to the permitted maximum speed in their section." Said Steaming with an sight, as both he and Westing started to walk off to the later man's office. 



After a lengthy talk with both Westing House and Iron Spike, which ended with Steaming getting off the hook once they found out that the signal man had indeed forgotten to pull the signal to 'danger', Steaming made his way to his home, still carrying his box. His mind was still on his problem with Jacky. 

'Why can't she understand that I only tried to save her and the others?! After all the time, I thought she'd understand me. Maybe I was wrong...' Thought the engineer sadly, as he walked into his coach, and into his room. He placed the box on the bed, and pulled the lit off. 

When he saw the content, he was surprised to see that there was one extra piece of clothing in it. His hat was placed on top of his suit, the leather shining as if it was polished for hours, and the checked ribbon on the front shined in its golden and blue colors. He pulled the hat out in awe, nearly doubting that it was his. Underneath the hat was a small piece of paper, with his name on top. He clearly recognized the hand writing. 



Steaming, 

I'm sorry that I took your hat. I know how much it means to you, so I polished it up a bit. I hope I'll see you wearing it with the suit Rarity made for you at the wedding. 

Junction Spike (Jacky) 



Steaming sniffed slightly, a broad smile on his face, before wiping the tears out of his eyes, which were now filled with their usual confidence and determination. 

"I've got to find Jacky! I need to apologize to her for being such a thick head!" Muttered Steaming, as he placed his hat back on his head, and rushed through his door and out of the coach. 

He quickly made his way through the station and out into the busy streets of Dodge Junction. The streets were even more packed than it usually was, with many important looking people bustling about, with the native people of the city mixed in here and there. Steaming quickly made his way to the grand hotel that was on the opposite side of the station square. Once inside, he went straight to the reception, where a man in green suit waited for his next customer. 

"Ah! Steaming! Pleasure to see you again amigo! What can I do for you?" Asked the man with an Marexican accent. 

"I need your help Esteban. I need to know in which room a girl named Junction Spike is. I have to speak with her!" Urged Steaming. 

"No problemo amigo. Let's see..." He murmured, looking into a book. 

"Ah yes! Junction Spike, room 329. You know where it is?" 

"Yeah, third floor, 29th room. Thanks for your help Esteban." 

"Good luck amigo!" Chuckled the Marexican man, as Steaming quickly made his way to the staircase. 



Steaming stood in front of the said room a few minutes later. He had a dry throat, and didn't knew if he should do this right now. But then he remembered how sad and angry Jacky looked, and knew he had to clear things up with her. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. 

"Jacky? Are you in there?" He got no reply. 

"Jacky, I only wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't wanted to make you worry about me. I only did the things I did so that you and the others would be save. I can't bare the thought of something happening to you, and would even battle Tartarus head on to make sure you are safe and happy. You don't have to forgive me right now. I only wanted that you know why I did the things I did." Explained Steaming. 

When he still didn't get an answer, he sighted, and turned to leave for the yards again. However, he quickly stopped when he heard the sound of an doors lock opening. He turned around to see Jacky, standing in the doorway to her room, her eyes red from crying. It nearly broke the engineers heart to see his friend and crush like this. 

"Y-you don't have to be sorry. If someone should be sorry, it should be me. I was so stupid! You only wanted to help us, and I pushed you away and was mad at you." She sniffed. 

"But you had every right to be mad at me! I was so careless, and got myself more than just a mere injury out there! You don't have to apologize!" Exclaimed Steaming. 

"But neither do you! You were only helping us out of our trouble, and all I did in reply was giving you a slap in the face." She said, slightly sobbing, but before she could start crying, Steaming already pulled her into a strong hug. 

"Jacky, I battled against an Stalliongrad veteran soldier, with nothing more than a few slight bruises. What you did was, at the most, a bee sting." Smirked the engineer, as Jacky punched him on the arm in reply. 

"Hehe, see, that's what I'm talking about! So, all good?" Asked Steaming. 

"Yeah, all good." Smiled Jacky, as the engineer beamed in reply, hugging her even stronger, and lifting her slightly off her feet. 

"Haha! Now we're talking! Now come on! You're in my town now! Let me show you around!" Laughed Steaming, as he pulled Jacky through the hotel, towards the exit. 



After a lovely afternoon, which was filled with Steaming showing Jacky most of the important places in Dodge Junction, rounded off with an delicious piece of apple pie with vanilla ice cream at the stations café, Steaming brought Jacky to the final place of their trip: his current home. They slowly crossed the tracks of the yards, till they reached the old coach that stood on its lonely little siding, away from the main part of the yards. 

"Well, it's not as grand as the Royal train or your home in Canterlot, but it's my home." Smiled Steaming, as he lead Jacky inside, and to his room. 

"Welcome to my little kingdom." Grinned Steaming, as the two of them entered the makeshift room. Jacky looked around and was surprised by the design of the interior. In the right hand corner of the room was a small wooden bed, above which an baggage storage net was hug, holding all kinds of stuff that would otherwise clog up the ground. The wall with the windows was occupied by one of the old benches that used to be for the passengers, with an small coffee table in front of it. The wall opposite to the bed had a large desk with a chair in front of it, with many different pencils and brushes on it, with pieces of paper scattered all around it. Some of the pieces, as well as a large variety of the papers on the walls had drawings of locomotives and scenes from western novels on them, each of them increasing in quality and details the further she got. Finally, the wall with the door towards the corridor had many different shelfs, with some of them holding books, whilst others held tools, self made wooden toys or rare and precious pieces from Steamings history on them. 

"You have a really nice room." Smiled Jacky. 

"Thanks. Took me years to finish it, but it's pretty good now." Smiled Steaming. 

Jacky looked over the locomotive drawings that were along the wall, till her eyes landed on a set of drawings that stuck out from the lot. They were portraits of many of the people Steaming had encountered, there was one about Emerald, one from Westing House, a drawing of her father and one of her as well. 

"Did you drew all of these?" She asked. 

"Yeah, never stopped my sideline hobby. Still have problems with drawing people, but I'm getting better." Said the engineer with an embarrassed chuckle. 

"I think they're pretty good." Said the girl with an warm smile. 

"Thanks!" Grinned Steaming, as he looked at the drawing of her. 

He walked up to it, and took the drawing off of it. 

"Here, take it. I can always do another one." Smiled the engineer, as Jacky took the drawing of her. 

"Thank you Steaming." Smiled Jacky. 

Just then, the peace and quiet was interrupted by loud shout from outside, followed by an strong jolt that went through the coach, knocking them off their balance and onto the bed, with Jacky on top of Steaming. 

"Urgh! Who in their right mind would go on this rickety old track?!" Groaned Steaming, as he rubbed his head, trying to soothe the pain. 

"Are you alright Steaming?" Asked Jacky, concerned about her friends safety. 

"I'll live. Um, could you get up from me?" Asked Steaming embarrassed. 

Jacky quickly jumped up from the young man, her cheeks flaring red as her eyes darted towards the door. Steaming followed suit and walked towards said door, walking through it and heading towards the door that lead to the outside. Once out of the coach, they saw that two trucks had rammed into their wagon, bending the frame inwards and splintering some of the wood. Two shunters raced up to them, concern written all over their faces. 

"Oh great Celestia, are you two alright?!" Asked the first. 

"The points to your sidings were faulty. When we sent the trucks down the line, we thought they would move along down to the other sidings, not into your home." Explained the other. 

"Don't worry Hopper, Flatbed. Nothing more than a surprise and a few things that fell over. But we need to warn the others about the faulty set of points. You two get those trucks from the wagon, I'm going to talk with the yard master about the switch." Said Steaming, as the two men walked back to their engine, and Steaming started to walk towards the small yard building that is the yard masters office. 

"You're quite the good leader in such situations." Smiled Jacky, as she drew level with the engineer. 

"Meh, those are incidents that happen every day in the yards. You don't need to be a qualified leader to coordinate your co-workers in such stuff." Shrugged Steaming. 

"Might be, but they trusted you. And even the most cunning and witty leaders are useless if their men don't trust him." Said Jacky, as Steaming stopped in his tracks. 

"Your words?" 

"No, Shinings. He tends to talk quite a lot about his career when he's off duty. It's like getting trained to become a commanding officer!" Laughed Jacky, as Steaming joined her. 

"Yeah, it's the same with Lieutenant Raton. Once he starts, he just keeps on going." Grinned Steaming, as they entered the small hut, in which a man sat behind a small desk, small glasses on his nose, which was deep inside a stack of papers. 

"Hey Freight! There's a problem with switch 319. It made two trucks ram into mine and Emeralds coach while being shunted." Explained Steaming, as the man called Freight looked up at him. 

"I'll send a maintenance crew up there to fixate the switch. Not like anything will be moved to or from that siding anytime soon..." Grumbled the man, as Steaming rolled his eyes. 

"If you say so Schedule. See ya." Waved Steaming, as they disappeared out of the hut again. 

"He seems like a friendly fellow." Said Jacky sarcastically. 

"He's a real sunshine. Thankfully, I don't have to put up with him that much anymore. I prefer the open road, far away from the yards right now." Smiled Steaming, as they slowly walked beside the tracks to the station. 

They started climbing up onto the wooden platform of the station, when from the eastern yard entry the sounds of gunshots and battlecries rang over to them. Both teenagers stopped in their tracks, Jacky being confused, while Steamings eyes narrowed. 

"Natives..." He hissed, and quickly started to dash away, back in the direction of his coach. 

"Steaming! Wait for me!" Jacky shouted, as she hurried behind him. 



They quickly reached the old wagon, and jumped inside, as Steaming ran to an closed off cupboard that stood in the kitchen. He opened it, pulling out two Coltchester rifles, tossing one towards Jacky. 

"Alright Jacky, let's show those buggers who's the boss in these here yards!" Smirked Steaming. 

"You actually want me to fight with you?" Asked Jacky. 

"Sure. I saw what you could do against those Changelings. You're more than experienced to take up a fight against some natives, who's main weapons are bows, arrows and tomahawks." Answered Steaming, as the door to the coach was opened again, and into the kitchen ran Emerald. 

"Was bout time you showed up." Chuckled Steaming, pulling out two sawn off shotguns, along with a bandolier for both him and Emerald. 

"It's a bit difficult, maneuvering through the yards whilst the others try to shoot your arse full of arrows." Replied Emerald sarcastically, as he loaded two cartridges each into his guns. 

"Alright then, let's give 'em hell!" Cheered Steaming, as he and his two friends raced outside. 

They stormed right inside the battle, as the natives had fought their way deep inside the station and yards. The railway men were fighting from their engines and the trucks, using them for cover, whilst the natives we're using whatever cover they could find: boxes, barrels, tool sheds, everything. Steaming and Emerald smirked, and jumped from the platform of the coach, and charged inside the attacking natives. Back to back, they shot and killed the natives, who had now noticed that they were being flanked, and tried to take out the two men. 

"I don't think so!" Laughed Steaming, as a native with an tomahawk tried to take a blow hat him, only for Steaming to shove the stock of the rifle into his stomach, and pulling the barrel up to his head, giving him the final blow. 

"Hehe, these laughing stocks are pushovers!" Laughed Emerald, pulling up his shotgun, blowing the guts of the man in front of him out, while giving the one next to him a shrapnel load into his head. 

"Hey Jacky! Your missing out on the fun here!" Shouted Steaming, but needed to stop his talking, as a native appeared in the corner of his eye, trying to ram an arrow in his chest. 

But before he could to anything, the man already dropped to the ground, a hole in the place where his heart was. 

"I'd rather stay here, if you don't mind!" Smirked Jacky, ejecting the empty cartridge. 

"Nothing against that!" Laughed Steaming, and turned around, to continue defending the station. 



After a further 10 minutes of fighting, the natives retreated back where they'd come from. The yards were a mess, with many dead bodies littering the ground, and a few of the smaller buildings were on fire, set ablaze by the retreating natives to stop the railway men or guards from follow them. 

"Good work lads! Now get your cabooses shifted, we need to get the yards cleaned up again! We have a railway to run after all!" Shouted Freight Schedule, as the yard workers started to clean up the tracks. 

"Good work Jacky. Didn't know you had such an good aim." Smiled Steaming. 

"I'm the best shot in our shooting association. I usually hit the ten on 50 meters without actually aiming." Grinned Jacky. 

"Well, maybe the best back in Canterlot, but down here, the crack shots are called Steaming 'Trinity' Whistle and Emerald 'Bambie' Heart." Chuckled Steaming, bragging a bit. 

"Care to have a trial about who's the best shout out of us three?" Asked Jacky. 

"You two can shoot this out under the two of you. The one of us with the better aim is 'Trinity' over here." Chuckled Emerald, as he started to walk back to his and Steamings coach, to store his weapons again. 

"Alright then! Let's get to the shooting range at the guards post, and test who's the best!" Grinned Steaming, as they started walking through the yards. 

But they weren't even halfway through them, when they noticed that a few of the yard workers were fighting against someone near one of the tool sheds. Upon closer observation, they saw that they were fighting against a large native man, who was holding the workers off with bare hands. 

"Steaming! Could you lend us a hand?!" Asked Hopper, as he was thrown away by the man. 

"Sure thing lad! Ms. Spike, if you would excuse me for around 5 minutes? Duty calls." Smirked Steaming, handing Jacky his rifle, and charged towards the man, while Jacky just chuckled with an slight shaking of her head. 



Like Steaming said, not five minutes later, and the large man was sitting on the ground, his hands tied behind his back, while large bruises and a small trail of blood from his mouth showing that Steaming hadn't giving him that much of an beating. The engineer in question was standing in front of the man, a small smirk on his face. 

"Well lad, looks like this'll be the end of your little surprise attack. Care to explain why you attacked us in the first place?" Asked the railway man, as the native in front of him looked up at him. 

"We heard the princesses are here. We wanted to talk to her." Said the man in a deep voice. 

"Talk to her? You could've simply come here and speak to her, not charge in here accompanied by a bullet hail." Said the engineer, confused. 

"After what you did to us, we wouldn't take any risks." Spat the man with venom in his voice. 

"What do you mean by that? All we did was defend our trains whenever you attacked them!" Asked the railway man again. 

"I won't tell you. I will only speak with the princess about it." Grumbled the large man, glaring into the eyes of Steaming. 

They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, both of them trying to read the others mind, trying to find out if the other was lying. Finally, Steaming sighted, and turned to the other workmen. 

"Bring him to the station. Tell the station master to lock him up in his office, and to guard both the door and the windows. I will return shortly." Ordered Steaming, as he turned to Jacky, and took back his rifle. 

"Change of plans Jacky, we need to go to the princesses and bring her here. Something fishy is going on, and I hate fish." Grumbled Steaming, as he started to move again, Jacky following him after a few seconds, pondering if Steaming actually meant what he just said. 
> Eventful 24 hours
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steaming and Jacky soon reached the small group of houses on the eastern side of the town, that had been extra made for wealthy holiday makers who wanted to experience a 'real' Wild West weekend, which was now used to accommodate the princesses and the VIPs (Jacky and her family stayed in the railways own hotel, as to not put any further pressure on the towns budget than the wedding already did). They quickly walked past the large mansions, till they reached the largest of them, which was used by the princesses. Said monarchs were just about to go and take a look at what caused the gunshots they had heard from downtown, when their guards took a defensive position in front of them, aiming with their rifles at whatever threat was heading for them. 

"Put them down! We are friends!" Shouted a well known voice, as the guards relaxed, and Steaming passed through them to the princesses. 

"Whistle Steaming, Junction Spike, what an unexpected surprise. What brought the two of you up here?" Asked Luna. 

"Sorry to disturb the two of you right now, but there had been a surprise attack on the station by the natives." Explained Steaming. 

"Oh dear, that are dreadful news. We will send our guards down there right away." Said Luna. 

"No need for that ma'am. We already fended them off. But we caught one of them as prisoner. He said the reason for their attack was to find the two of you, and to speak with you. We asked him what he wanted to talk about, but he said that he would only talk about it with you." Finished Steaming his explanation. 

"I see. Well then, we have to reschedule our overview of the wedding preparations then. I'm sure Twilight will be alright if we let her work on her own a bit more." Said Celestia finally. 

"Are you sure dear sister? You know what happened the last time..." Whispered Luna nervously. 

"Well, I don't think she will do something like that again." She whispered back, before she turned to the two teenagers again. 

"Where is that native right now?" Asked the princess. 

"He is in the station masters office." Said Steaming, but couldn't even blink fast enough, as both he and Jacky, as well as Celestia and Luna were engulfed in a golden light, before disappearing from the mansions grounds. 

"Uh, should we go after them as well?" Asked one of the guards. 

"Of course we should!" Shouted another one, as the others all scrambled after the shout of their superior. 



They reappeared outside of the station masters office, seeing that door was wide open, and that the native man was just putting the workman who stood guard outside of the room into said room, arms and legs tied up, with a cloth covering his mouth. He jumped a bit when the people appeared in the room, but quickly recovered and stood firmly in front of the princesses. 

"It is good to finally have the chance to talk to you." Said the man, his firm look still on his face. 

"We were told of what you had to do to finally have a chance to speak with us. We didn't want that all those losses would go in vain." Explained Luna. 

"My tribe had more losses than you could imagine. We are cursed by a group of bandits, who continually attack us. We have lost many men through their hands, and women were robbed from our villages, never to be seen again. At first we thought they were part of your guards, they always attacked at night, and we never saw their clothes. But one night, they had set a tent on fire and we could see them." Explained the man. 

"That is terrible! We only started to build in this region because of the alliance between the natives and us. That some people are deliberately trying to destroy this alliance is, is!" Started Luna. 

"Disgraceful, disgusting and despicable!" Spat Steaming. 

"Exactly!" Agreed Luna, thankful that Steaming had found the fitting words. 

"I'm so sorry for your losses, Mr.?" Said Jacky, still not knowing the name of the native warrior. 

"My name is Red Rock, strongest warrior of the buffalo tribe." Said the man. 

"Didn't Twilight and her friends ran into a group of warriors of the buffalo tribe down in Appleoosa?" Pondered Luna out loud. 

"Our tribe is very far reaching. We have family in all parts of the south of the land. Will you help us to stop these bandits?" Asked Rock. 

"We will help you, I will ask the commanding officer of the guards here in Dodge Junction to go along with you and hunt these bandits down!" Exclaimed Luna with determination in her eyes. 

"Thank you, but I will not go without the engineer." Said Red Rock, crossing his arms. 

"Huh? Why?" Asked Jacky. 

"He was the only man who ever beat me in a fight. And any man who can beat me has my respect, and my loyalty to him. I will follow him into fight, and I am sure that with his help, we will defeat the bandits." Said Red. 

"Hm... alright. I will accept the offer. But you must promise me, that once we defeated the bandits, that you and your tribe will leave the railway alone. No attacks, no derailments, no blockades. Alright?" Asked Steaming, offering his hand. 

The native man shook the hand, his facing cracking into a small smile. 

"You have my word engineer." Said Red Rock, placing his hand over his heart. 

"We have to be quick then. Let's get to the guards post right away, we don't have all day, and I've got an date at 6 tomorrow afternoon." Said Steaming, not noticing that Jacky's face went bright red, while the princesses exchanged a knowing smile. 

"Don't rush too much youngster. Me and the rest of the group are already here." Came a gruff, old voice, as a elderly man, looking like he was in his mid 50s, dressed in full guards cavalry outfit, walked into the room, his beard as grey as his hair, with an cavalry hat on his head and an Coltchester rifle on his shoulder. 

"Ah, Lieutenant Raton Pass! Good to see you again!" Beamed Luna. 

"A pleasure to see you again, your Highnesses." Said Raton politely, as he turned to the native. 

"I heard what you lot were talking about. The attack on Dodge Junction, the one where you surrounded the city for five days solid, you thought that we were those bandits, right?" Asked Raton. 

"Haugh." Said the man, nodding his head, as Raton sighted. 

"The town lost many good men over those days. I heard you lost many as well? Men and women alike?" Asked the Lieutenant again. 

The native man only nodded this time. 

"Then I will help you to send those rotten pieces of no good wimps to Tartarus!" Said Pass with an thundering voice, surprising the women in the room with his vocabulary. 

"I forgot that he was also the man with the most curses in the guard." Whispered Luna to herself. 

"Thank you Raton. Now, let us be quick, the longer we stand here, the more time these bandits have to cause even more havoc to Red Rock and his village." Said Steaming, as Raton only nodded, and the three men quickly moved outside of the room, leaving the women behind, who only looked at each other in confusion. 

"I didn't thought that Raton would be so willing to help a native." Muttered Luna. 

"He might be a rock, but he has a soft core. Especially if innocent people are involved." Smiled Celestia, as she noticed that Jacky had left as well. 

"Seems like our duty here is done. How about we check on Twilight and make sure that she doesn't cause havoc with her organization fever?" Suggested the sun princess. 

"Good idea. I hope the poor workmen who help there aren't tired out too much already." Sighted Luna, as the two of them disappeared in two flashes of gold and midnight blue. 



When Jacky walked outside of the station building, she saw how a small group of six further guards, all wearing not matching kind of clothes, the only thing making them look like real guards were their cavalry hats. The group, consisting of four men and two women, were sitting on their horses, while Steaming, Red Rock and Raton Pass stood next to an brown stallion. 

"My men probably took my horse together with the horses of the other fallen men back to our village. We have to go there first." Explained Rock. 

"Alright, you'll ride with me till there then. Come on, let's get my horse." Smiled Steaming, as Jacky joined them. 

"You have your own horse?" Asked Jacky, surprised. 

"More or less. It's actually one of the horses that transports the goods from the station to the stores and factories further in the city, but I learned how to ride a horse with him, and whenever I go and make a delivery, he's my stallion of choice." Explained Steaming, as they walked inside the stables that were next to the station. 

He walked up to one of the stables, in which a black stallion with an grey mane stood. The horse trotted up to the engineer when he saw him enter. 

"Yeah yeah, it's good to see you too old pal. Sorry that I was gone for so long, but the road needed me over the past few weeks. But I'm back now, and we're going on a nice long trip. How's that sound?" Asked Steaming, as the horse snorted in reply. 

"Hehe, now that's what I wanted to hear! Let's get you saddled up and we're ready to run Iron Horse!" Grinned Steaming, as the girl and native man looked at him with an confused look. 

"Really? 'Iron Horse'?" Asked Jacky. 

"What? It's a good name! Plus, it only suits him for being a railway owned horse!" Defended Steaming his decision. 

"Alright, forget it. Now, which horse will I take?" Asked Jacky. 

"Um, I don't think you will need one. The hotel is right across the station square, if you remember." Said Steaming puzzled. 

"What do you mean? I thought I was coming with you?!" Asked Jacky. 

"Jacky, did you ever ride on a horse, in the desert, while the sun is burning down on you with around 40*C as standard temperature? I'm dreadfully sorry, but I can't risk taking you out there. This one is something not even you could go through without an bad aftermath." Sighted Steaming, as Jacky wanted to say something, but was cut off by Red Rock. 

"Engineer is right. Desert too dangerous, even for woman as tough as you." Said the man his eyes burning into the girl's own. 

Jacky looked between the two men, before sighting, and walking outside again. After the two men had saddled up, they moved up to where Raton waited with his group. 

"You two took your time." Commented one of the men, a thin build man with fuzzy black hair, brown shoes and washed out, blue coveralls. 

"Ach, shut up Nitro! We need to get a move on! Los jetzt!" Grumbled the man next to him, a tall, broad man with bald head, and grey uniform of the army of the Germain Empire. 

"You must excuse Nitro and Wartburg, they got into one of their fights again." Sighted a short woman with blond hair that reached down to her neck, wearing dark green work clothes, speaking in an Stalliongrad accent. 

"No problem Katyusha, it's not like these two ever stop rambling about." Sighted Steaming, as he remembered that he had yet to introduce them to their native friend. 

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you to our new ally. Everyone! This is Red Rock, the strongest warrior of the buffalo tribe! Red Rock, you already know Nitroglycerin, from Pontaly, Wartburg from the Germain Empire, and Katyusha from Stalliongrad." Started Steaming, as the two men kept on bickering, before being stopped via a slap to the back of their heads from Katyusha, who just waved at the man in reply. 

"And over here we have Jacque Ka-boom from Prance, Blizzard Hale from the frozen north, and Path Finder, hailing from our own, here in Dodge Junction." Introduced Steaming, pointing at a short man with mustache and dynamite sticks across his torso, a woman with ice blue hair and eyes, and an medium sized man with friendly smile and messy brown hair respectively. 

"Bonjour!" Grinned Jacque. 

"Nice to meet you." Said Blizzard in an monotone voice, before turning to the others again. 

"Pleasure to be fighting with you." Said Path politely. 

"Better keep your chat for the way, we've got some low life scumbags out and about, and by the looks of it, they've been pretty naught for quite a while now! Let's help our native friends get rid of them once and for all!" Called Raton, and started off with his horse, before the others could reply. 

"What a strange group of soldiers." Said Red. 

"That's true, but once you really know them, they aren't that strange anymore." Answered the railway man in front of him, as they raced after them, trying to catch up with the others. 

Jacky had been rushing through the yards towards Steamings and Emeralds Coach, and once there, didn't even stop to knock before going inside. 

"Hey Jacky, what are you doing here? And where is Steaming?" Asked Emerald, as Jacky strolled inside of Steamings room. 

"Get yourself some comfortable clothes and get to the stables." Answered Jacky, searching through Steamings drawers, searching for some clothes that might fit her, and being successful as she pulled out a pair of brown pants and a light blue shirt. 

"What? Why?" Asked the man. 

"Because Steaming has gone off with Raton and some of his soldiers, and we're going with them, if they like it or not!" Grumbled Jacky, as she took off her shirt, making Emerald blush deep red, and turned on his heels, making his way towards his room. 

'Damn it Trinity, in what mess did you get yourself into this time?!' Thought Emerald, as he walked inside his room. 



The group of 9 rode through the desert that surrounded the city, heading south towards the Macintosh mountains. It's was shortly after lunchtime when the group noticed a few blurry objects appear on the horizon, which turned into tents shortly afterwards. They finally reached Red Rocks village. They slowly made their way past the tents along the main 'road' towards the biggest tent, which Red Rock said was the Chiefs tent. They stopped in front of it and got off their horses backs, when main of the villages inhabitants came up to them after they saw that Red Rock was with them. 

"My friends! These seven have come to help us defeat the bandits who cursed our village!" Explained the warrior, as the people of the village said their thanks to the seven, and offered them to take care of their horses, and to give them something to eat. When they were eating, Red Rock called for Steaming and Raton to come to the Chiefs tent. 

"You wanted to speak with us?" Asked Steaming, as they walked inside the tent. 

"Haugh. This is my Chief, Desert Fox. Desert Fox, these are the Engineer and the Lieutenant." Introduced Red Rock. 

"We commonly go by the names of Steaming Whistle and Raton Pass. But, mind me asking, why did you call us here?" Asked Steaming. 

"It's about my son, Little Snake. He disappeared a few days ago, and we don't know where he went. We suspected that the bandits captured him, and took him to their hideout." Explained the chief in clear equestrian, surprising both Steaming and Raton. 

"Why would they abduct one of you? How old is he?" Asked Steaming. 

"He's 10 years old. Many of our young children were abducted by them, to work in their mines." 

"Mines? What mines?" Asked Raton. 

"Diamond mines. They took the younger ones to work in there, while they take older to pull the carts." 

"Hm, using forced labor to mine their money up. Disgusting. Don't worry Chief Desert Fox, we will get your children back, and the other people as well!" Declared Raton, while Steaming nodded in agreement. 

"Thank you my friends. The bandits always come from the south, out of the great bison hills. We tried to attack them once, but we only suffered high losses that day." Said the chief. 

"Don't worry chief Fox! We'll make them pay for what they did to you and your village, and will bring back the abducted people! I'll go and tell the others, we'll leave as soon as possible!" Said Steaming, and rushed outside of the tent, with Red Rock following him. 

"Say, Chief Fox, where did you learn to speak our language that well?" Asked Raton. 

"Once, long ago, three people, two men and a woman came her, to negotiate with us. They were workers of the iron horse, and wanted to make peace with us. Over the time they were here, the lone man fell in love with Cactus Flower, and after a while, he stayed with us and married her. He taught us how to speak your language, and what you were doing with the iron horse. He was captured by the bandits a long time ago" Explained the chief. 

"What was his name?" 

"Lucky Strike." 



They saddled their horses again, and after getting some supplies from the people of the village (mostly food and water) they made their way further south, the hills continuing to grow as they rode into the direction. Red Rock was leading them, riding on a large, brown stallion. They soon reached the mountains, and started to climb into them via a small path. They had been riding throughout the day, and slowly, the sun began to disappear behind the horizon to their right. They soon reached a small plateau, where Raton made them stop. 

"We're going to camp here, and continue up in the morning! Ka-Boom, you and Nitro set up the intruder alarm. We'll make shifts in guarding the camp, Wartburg, you're up first! The others, make sure that the horses are alright and that the tents are set up correctly! I will go and search for some firewood." Ordered the Lieutenant. 

"Oui oui, mon general." Answered Jacque. 

"Geht Klar Chef." Grumbled Wartburg. 

"Roger sir." Said the rest, as they all got to work. 

The darkness soon settled down around them, but they already had the fire going and the tents set up. They all sat around the warming fire, eating some of the food they got from the villagers, when Red Rock started to speak. 

"Mind if I ask a question?" 

"You already did, but carry on." Smirked Path Finder, as the others facepalmed. 

"How come you all are together? You don't look like you are from the military, most of you." 

"We're a colorful bunch, you see. Nitro was a miner in Pontaly, until he had to escape when he blew up the whole mineshaft! He was lucky nobody was in there at the time! Durning his escape, he fled to Stalliongrad, where he met Katyusha. She was working there in a factory, gave him a job, but the poor fool destroyed some of the machines there when he tried to fix them, and both of them were fired. They moved east, but lost their way, and moved blindly through a snowstorm in Foalland. It was there when they met Blizzard, who picked them up when she noticed the two of them half buried in the snow when the fainted due to exhaustion. When they explained that they were job- and homeless, she explained that they could accompany her to the next town, where a ship could bring them to the Germain Empire. They did, but when they were in the town, they were charged for being involved in the derailing of an goods train. We still don't know why the people thought they were involved with it, but they escaped them, all three of them getting on board of the ship to the Germain Empire in the last second. Once they arrived in Mareburg, they met Wartburg, who was fighting in the empire's military. He explained that he was going to fight in the war between his country and Prance, and asked them to accompany him in his train till the border, where they would be likely find work in some part of the military. They did, working supply deliveries, hospital movements and whatever not. It was also there when they met Jacque, who was a prisoner of war back then. He escaped though, and stole some dynamite out of the military camp he was held prisoner in. He was found by the others, but they were caught by some passing guards who thought they were all traitors, and told their generals what they thought was sabotage and high treason towards their land. They were going to be executed, when the Prance attacked their camp. In the hustle and bustle, they all escaped, and fled to Le Havre, where they stowed away on board of an goods steamer, which brought them over here to Equestria." Explained the Lieutenant, as they all smiled at the story, a wave of nostalgia washing over them. 

"When we arrived, we were without a job, a home or a place to go. That was until we met young Path Finder here. He said that they needed workers on some railway project down here, so we signed up and started working here. After the first few native attacks, the guys from the guards noticed that we could pick up a fight; we were usually the ones who were on patrol around the railheads, and after a few times when we're fighting together, the old desert rock suggested that we come with him and try our luck in the guard. And the rest I think you can figure out for yourself." Chuckled Nitro, finishing the story. 

"Interesting..." Muttered Red Rock. 

"What?" 

"That people who couldn't be more different would work together so well." Explained the man. 

"Well, we went through so much over the time, it kind of sewed us together." Smiled Katyusha, as they her a low whistling from the rocks, on which Wartburg had set up his observation platform. 

"Two riders, heading their way up here. Doesn't looks like they are after us, they're way too slow for that." Whispered the Germain man. 

"Okay, we'll take them alive. They might be from the bandits, and could tell us a bit about them. Someone, put the fire out, the others, get behind those rocks and take cover. Once they pass you, get them down from the horses." Ordered Raton, as Blizzard quickly put the fire out, and the others got behind the surrounding rocks. 

They waited a good five minutes, till the sound of hooves clopping on the ground was heard. A few moments later, a voice could be heard. 

"They can't be far now." Said a voice, deep but calm, and strangely familiar. 

"You said that for the last 15 minutes now. Are you sure this is the right way?" Asked the second person, the voice sounding much higher and more feminine, and just as familiar as the first one. 

"As sure as I can ever be. You saw the smoke line didn't you? I bet it was the fire from where they set up their camp." Said the first voice again, sending shivers down the spines of the group of nine. 

"So they are after us after all..." Whispered Raton. 

"Well, if they searched for us, then better give them a nice 'hello', right?" Smirked Steaming, as Raton gave him a smirk of the same size, and turned to the others at the other rock, nodding to them. 

The two riders slowly passed the rocks, but once they were halfway past them- 

"Bring them down!" Ordered Raton, as Steaming and Wartburg pulled the two persons from their horses backs, while the others took care of the animals, making sure that they wouldn't fall down the ledge. 

Steaming had an easy game with his opponent, who was more than half a head smaller than him, as well as much lighter build. The person struggled underneath him, but couldn't get out of Steamings iron grip. Wartburg had a bit more difficulties, but after getting some help from Nitro and Jacque, they managed to restrain the man via a strong rope. Nitro casted a small flame via his magic, and lit some of the petroleum lamps that they had carried with them, so that they could get a look at the small 'search party'. Once they saw who it actually was, Steaming couldn't help himself and facepalmed. Hard. 

"Jacky. Emerald. WHAT IN THE NAME OF JUPITER AND 119 ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Shouted the engineer, only to get seven hands over his mouth, successfully blocking every further shout that wanted to exit the enraged railway mans throat. 

"Do you want to let half Equestria know that we are here?!" Hissed Wartburg with an enraged expression, as Steaming just death panned at him as they took their hands away from his mouth. 

"Actually, I tried to let the whole of Equestria know, but you stopped me." Answered Steaming sarcastically, before turning back to his crush and childhood friend, getting his pocket knife out to cut open the rope. 

"So, back to the elephant in the room: why in Tartarus did you two follow us? Didn't I told you that you should stay in Dodge?" Growled Steaming, his temper now at a more controllable level. 

"Sorry bro, she kinda dragged me along." Said Emerald. 

"You don't get rid of me so easy Steaming. You won't leave me behind that easily a second time." Said Jacky with an smug smirk. 

'Whoa, never thought she could be so stubborn. Must admit though, that look and those clothes on her are quite sexy... Hold your horsepower! Focus you lovesick nitwit!' Thought Steaming to himself, shaking his head slightly and pulling out his pocket watch, before sighting. 

"It's way too late to send you back right now... Okay, listen. You two will stay with us tonight, but tomorrow, you will ride with Red Rock down to the village again, and wait till we return. No buts, no excuses, got it?" Said the engineer with an stern glare. 

"Fine with me." Shrugged Emerald. 

Jacky stayed silent. 

"I'll take that as a yes. Red Rock, can I trust you to make sure that they will reach the village safely?" Asked Steaming. 

"Haugh. But are you sure you'll be alright? Eight against a whole bandit group?" Asked Red Rock. 

"He's right you know. Maybe I should sta-" 

"No Emerald, Red Rock! I can't and won't allow you two to take such risks. Don't worry, these seven here are the most capable fighters in these parts of Equestria, and I didn't fall and hit my head when I was smaller neither. We'll find a way to stop these bandits, and will be back, before you can say 'Cannonball Express'!" Said Steaming firmly, but with an small chuckle at his little joke. 

"I trust you, engineer. I will make sure they will be safe in our village." Said the native man with a firm expression. 

"Thank you my friend." Smiled Steaming, as he took another look at his watch. 

"We should get some sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow, ALL of us." Said Raton behind him, as he gave a small glance towards the railway man's watch. 

"Wartburg, you can get some rest now. Blizzard, you're up." Continued Raton, as they all went to their tents. 

They all settled into their tents, with some of them needing to squeeze together in their tents, since neither Jacky nor Emerald had a tent with them. Unfortunately for Steaming, Emerald somehow convinced the others that he and Jacky should share a tent. Of course, Steaming tried to find an excuse for Jacky to sleep in somebody else's tent, but they were either sharing it with somebody else already, or would need to keep the spot free for the lookout post. In the end, Steaming sighted and agreed that Jacky would spend the night in his tent, but he already started to think about a way to pay Emerald back for this, one way or another. He pulled out a second blanket that he put next to his, using it as a makeshift bed for Jacky, and fell onto his own blanket, pushing his hat over his eyes. Jacky came into the tent a few moments later after she heard the soft thud of Steamings body landing on his 'bed'. She shook her head lightly as she went next to him, and laid herself down on her resting place for the night. 

"Steaming?" She asked, but the man kept silent, as if he was already sleeping. 

"I know you're mad at me, and don't think I wouldn't notice only because you pretend to sleep!" Grumbled Jacky, as the engineer lifted his body from the ground, turning his head towards the girl. 

"I'm mad? Oh no, I'm not mad. I'm furious!" Barked the engineer, startling the girl. 

"Jacky, I can't be around you all the time out here, nor can I make fully sure you are completely safe. And right now, that is my main concern. I can't help the people if I watch out for you." 

"Steaming, I'm not 8 years old anymore. I can watch out for myself. You don't have to keep looking out for me all the time." Smiled Jacky softly. 

"But I do." 

"Why?" 

"Because I promised you. Remember? I promised you that I would be there for you. I would protect you, and I don't break my promises." Answered Steaming with an sad smile. 

"That's stupid." Chuckled Jacky. 

"For many it is, but for me, it's a golden rule. And as engineer, I keep to my rules." Chuckled Steaming, as they both got silent once more. 

They kept sitting opposite of each other, the moon shining through the thin fabric of the tent, giving the both of them a somewhat mysterious look. 

'Damn it! Why does she looks so damn cute?!' Huffed Steaming in his mind, a light shade of red on his cheeks. 

'Why does he looks so damn handsome?!' Jacky sighted in her thoughts. 

'Why am I so damn scared of telling him/her my feelings?!' They both grumbled to themselves, as they both sighted. 

"Come on, we need to get some sleep. Riding whilst sleeping is something only Trinity can pull of." Said Steaming with an small smile, as he laid himself down again, Jacky following suit. But shortly after they closed their eyes, a small breeze began to flow through the pass, and through the small camp. The others didn't mind that much, since they all had a blanket to keep themselves covered from the wind. Steaming and Jacky weren't so lucky though. They shivered as the winds ran through their tent. 

"Bloody desert temperature drops..." Grumbled Steaming, trying to keep himself occupied with curses to ignore the cold. 

"Don't you have another blanket?" Jacky asked. 

"Yes. You are sleeping on it." Grumbled the railway man. 

"Ohh..." Said Jacky in realization. 

"Ugh, it's going to be a cold, long night Jacky." Huffed Steaming. 

"You know we could keep each other warm if we would, you know, cuddle, or, something.. like.. that..." Said Jacky, but loosing her confidence when Steaming turned towards her with an bright blush on his face. 

"Uhh... Y-yeah. W-we, could do that..." Stuttered Steaming, his blush growing even further. 

They slowly scooted towards each other, and Steaming pulled an arm over the girl, as both of them were glowing bright red now. Their faces were directly in front of each other, but both of them tried to avoid making eye contact with the other, as to not make the whole situation get even more embarrassing. 

'If Emerald ever finds out about this, I will never be able to live this one down! Oh god, she is just so cute! And she smells so good! Hm, either that or all the time in the yards made me react to every change from the smell of coal and oil like this... Nope, it wasn't like that in the castle, it must be her.' The engineer thought. 

'Oh dear Celestia, why did he put his arm around me? Did he notice that I have feelings for him? Or does he have feelings for me? Oh dear, why did I even suggest to cuddle with him?! Of course he thinks I have feelings for him now!' Panicked Jacky in her thoughts, but stayed cool on the outside. Their eyes suddenly met each other, as they stared at each other, neither of them thinking any further, loosing themselves in each other's eyes. Unconsciously, their heads slowly moved towards each other, their eyes never loosing each other. Their heads connected, their lips only a few centimeters apart from each other, their eyes slowly closing, as they still moved towards each other. 

"Hey Steaming, you're up." Said Blizzard in her usual, monotone voice, not paying any attention to what was going on inside the tent, as she made her way up to her own. 

Neither of them had noticed how quickly the time passed, as they quickly snapped out of it, Steaming shooting upwards, scrambling out of the tent, while both he and Jacky were glowing bright red. 

'By the Manehatten Flyer, I nearly.. nearly.. I nearly kissed Jacky! Damn it Blizzard! Why did you have to finish your shift now?!' Growled the railway man with a grumble, upset that his chance went flying through the window, as he walked up to the lookout point. 

Jacky had similar thoughts, cursing that she was so close at finally kissing Steaming, and sighting sadly, closing her eyes again, the cold wind now not bothering her that much anymore. 

Steamings shift went past quickly, without anything happening. Steaming was happy that the wind had kept on going, since he would've otherwise fallen asleep on the spot. He passed Nitro's tent on his way back, waking him, and notifying him that he was next in line to keep a lookout for them. He slumped back towards his tent, and was relieved to see that Jacky had gotten to sleep after all. But even though she was sleeping, he saw that she was still freezing, her body shaking slightly, and her face pulled into a slight frown. The engineer sighted, and laid himself next to the girl, leaning over and pulling her close to him. Jacky immediately stopped shaking, and the frown on her face was replaced by a small smile. Steaming sighted, smiling as well. 

"Sweet dreams, my lady." Murmured Steaming, as he felt Jacky cuddle against him even more than he did. 



"Steaming! Steaming wake up!" Urged a voice. 

"Shut up Em! Tell Westing I'm sick or something..." Muttered Steaming, before falling asleep again. 

"Steaming! Come on, wake up bro! Jacky's gone!" Said Emerald with a panicked voice. 

With a speed that not even Emerald knew of, Steaming raced out of the tent, his eyes darting around their campsite, worried and scared about the whereabouts of his crush. 

"Her horse is missing. I guess she went further up the mountains." Said Path Finder, looking at the freshly made hoof prints that went further along the mountain trail. 

Before anyone could say a thing however, Steaming was already in the saddle of his horse, giving him the Spurs as they raced after the girl. 

"Well, looks like we know where we are going next. Let's catch up with him, before he's too far away!" Said Raton, quickly taking his tent apart, as the others did the same. 

Iron Horse was racing up the mountain path, as they were slowly catching up to Jacky. They rounded a bent, and saw another horse further up the path. When they got close enough, they could see that it was a horse that was owned by the railway. 

"You were with Jacky, huh? But where is that girl?" Huffed Steaming, as he looked around. 

He couldn't see anything where she could've hide behind, and the more he looked, the more concerned he got that something might've happened to her. He honestly hoped it wasn't that case, but his hopes were crushed when he noticed something on the side of the path. He quickly picked it up, only to notice that it was the drawing of Jacky which he gave her yesterday. 

"Oh dear Celestia..." Murmured Steaming, shocked. He quickly moved his arm to his back, wanting to grab his rifle, only to notice that it was missing. 

"Drat! Of course, left the damn thing in the camp." Growled Steaming, as he pulled out his revolver, happy that he would always keep the gun on his belt, or at least close to his body. He quickly checked the drum, seeing that it was completely full. After checking how many bullets he had left on his belt, a grand amount of 18 bullets for his revolver, he grabbed his notebook from the inside of his pocket, ripping a page out of it, and quickly scribbling something on it. After tying Iron Horse and the other horse to a tree truck, and leaving the message in plain sight attached to the saddle, the railway man quickly made his way up the mountain path, his gun at the ready for the moment he would encounter the first of the bandits. He slowly walked along the path, but slowed down even more when he came closer to an narrow passage. 

'Perfect place for a holdup. Better find a way around it...' Thought the engineer, as he moved off the trail, and around the side of the steep hills. When the hill became less steep, her started to climb up. After a few minutes, and a small parade of curses because of cutting his hands on the sharp ledges, he reached the top. Thankfully, there were no bandits whatsoever. He quickly moved further along the top of the hill, looking down the other side. The following part had a small dip, before raising back up again. The trail curved off in the dip, but he wouldn't need to follow it anymore. He found what he had searched. On the other side of the dip was a small assemble of tents and makeshift wooden houses. Behind the camp was a large cliff face, with many holes leading in and out of it. He pulled out a pair of binoculars, and looked closer at the camp. He could see many people walking or sitting around, spending their time drinking, fighting, or shooting at Celestia knows what. He scanned the houses, trying to find answers to where the abducted natives were. His eyes landed on a small hut, out of which a bandit just came, holding his hand underneath his arm, with his jacket reddening. 

'Hehe, looks like they keep her in there. Too bad for you pricks, she's a fighter.' Smirked Steaming, scanning the camp further. His eyes finally fell on a small patch of high grass, that was to the right of the camp. 

'Hm, must find a way to distract them...' Pondered Steaming, as he looked around. On his side of the valley, was a small wood pile, to the right of a small forest. 

'Must be leftovers from these pricks. Let's see, where are my matches...' Grumbled the railway man, as he grabbed into his pocket, pulling out his matches, lifting one and throwing it down towards the log pile. He smirked when he saw a small patch of smoke rising from it, followed by a slowly growing flame. He walked quickly to the side of the hill, and climbed down on the side of the bandits camp. He slowly walked through the valley, keeping his eyes on the camp, making sure that he wouldn't be seen. Thankfully, the bandits went along with his little trick, as a small group came out of the bandits camp, heading towards the place where he made the fire. He quickly sneaked up to the high grass, and slowly marched through it, until he could see the first house rising in front of home. He went to the edge of his hiding place, and quickly made his way behind the house. Sneaking along its backside to the other side, he could her people talk inside the house. 

"What do we do with the one we grabbed today? She doesn't looks like she can carry that much, and she's too big for the tunnels deeper in the mines." 

"Meh, give her to the men. Let them have their fun with her. We haven't got a cutie like her in a long time." 

"Hehe, alright boss." Said the first one with a sick laugh. 

Steaming was frozen in panic. But that quickly left his body when he heard the door of the house close with a bang. He quickly sneaked along the tents and behind small shacks, trying to reach the house where he suspected Jacky to be in. He reached it, but his heart fell when he heard a yelp from inside it. He could only watch as Jacky was pulled out of the shack by her hair, the man sneering with an disgusting smirk. 

"Come on girl, the boys want to meet you." Chuckled the man. 

"To tartarus you don't!" Came the thunderous shout, as Steaming came out of his hiding place, quickly taking aim and pulling the trigger. 

The man fell to the ground, his right eye replaced with an hole, as Jacky wasted no time to get to Steaming. The railway man, hugged her tightly. 

"Don't you ever run away like this again, do you hear?" He whispered. 

"Loud and clear." Whispered the girl. 

Their moment was cut short however, when they could hear the sound of loud steps, coming closer. 

"They're coming, and I doubt I have enough time or bullets with me to take them all out." Frowned Steaming, eyes darting around, searching for something where they could hide in. 

His eyes fell on one of the 'mineshafts'. He wasted no time, and dragged Jacky towards the hole, quickly disappearing into it, but not fast enough, since the first few bandits got a view of Jacky, before she completely disappeared from their view. 

"She ran into the mines! And she killed Joe!" Shouted one of the bandits. 

"That bitch will pay! Go inside, catch her and bring her back. She'll get what is coming for her." Said the leader of the bandits, as some of his men ran inside, the rest staying outside to guard the tunnel exits in case she'd run out again. 



The two teenagers ran quickly through the mineshaft, until they reached a large cave. It was very large, with many people working with primitive tools, digging out the diamonds out of the hill, and loading them into small mine carts, to transport them to Celestia knows where. 

"Wow, whoever these guys are, they surely didn't start recently with this shit. They even build a rail network down here!" Whistled Steaming, impressed by the size of the mine. 

"Steaming, concentrate! We need to get out of here, before those guys catch up to us!" Said Jacky. 

"You're right, sorry." Said Steaming, getting back to reality, and rushing down from their overview point, to the bottom of the cave. Once they were down however, they were spotted by some of the people working close by. They could easily see that they were natives, even though the cave had only a few petroleum lamps around and lit. 

"Who are you? Did they capture you as well?" Asked a man, wielding a pickaxe. 

"Nope, we're here to get you out. We are from Dodge Junction, Red Rock asked the princesses to help him get you out." Explained Steaming. 

"Where is Red Rock then?" Asked a woman, suspicious in her voice. 

"He's with the rest of the group, they will catch up soon. But we need your help, we can't fend them off ourselves, we only have one revolver right now. You need to hold them off, and in the best case, disarm them." Continued the railway man. 

"Are you crazy?! They have guns! Many guns! They will kill us!" Exclaimed a man further at the back. 

"They won't if we stop them first! Please, we need your help, or we won't get out of this shaft alive!" Pleaded Steaming, looking at the men and women that had grouped around him. A man in torn, old clothes, that were covered in dirt and grime, looked at the engineer intensively, before something made click in his mind. 

"I will help you." He said firmly, stepping up to them, surprising many of the native people. 

"Anybody else?" Asked Steaming. 

"If whiteface joins you, then so will I!" Said another man, pulling his shovel up.  

"I will help you as well!" Said a woman. 

"Me too!" 

"I'll help!" 

"We will help you, railway man." Said the man with the pickaxe, holding out his hand, as Steaming shook it. 

"Thank you. Now, get to the entries and hold your tools at the ready. As soon as they get inside, hit them with full force!" Said Steaming, as he got to one of the mine carts, pushing it in front of the main entry, using it as a moveable bullet protection. 

He pulled Jacky next to him, as he leaned past the cart, his gun at the ready. They could already hear the hard steps, that grew louder and louder as the bandits got closer. Steaming pulled the hammer of the gun back, closing one eye, making sure he would hit his target. The tension was thick in the cave, but it all went over the top when the first bandits came through the entries. Steaming shot. The natives swung their axes and shovels. The bandits broke down onto the ground, blood spraying out of their bodies. The bandits were surprised, but started to fight back. Some of the natives were shot, but the others quickly disarmed the bandits, either destroying their guns, or throwing them somewhere into the cave. A bloody fight resulted, with the natives fighting for their freedom. Some of the bandits got through the natives at the entries, and made their way towards Steaming and Jacky. Steaming started to take them down, but his gun quickly ran out of bullets. He pulled out six rounds and gave the gun and the bullets Jacky. 

"Defend yourself! I keep them at bay!" Shouted Steaming, as he jumped up from his hiding place, charging at the bandits that were still standing. 

Steaming quickly started to punch faces and kick into the stomachs, knocking them to the ground or making them curl up in pain with their hands over their stomachs. Some of them got up again and tried to hit Steaming, but he kept on hitting them, with them only brushing past him every time they tried to give him a punch. One who got behind him, tried to take him down via hitting him in the back with the grip of an axe, but Steaming just stiffened for a second, before turning around and giving him a strong right hook, lifting him from his feet, and throwing him into the mine cart. The cart moved slightly forward, giving the engineer an idea. He grabbed the next one, giving him the same punch, sending him flying into the cart as well. He grabbed the next one, repeating the action again and again, until there were no more bandits outside of the cart. He ran towards the cart, ramming against it, starting to push it forwards. However, he couldn't get it up to speed that quickly, and didn't noticed how one of the men inside the mine cart stood up, a knife in his hands. He looked up for a split second, shocked at seeing the bandit standing. His first thought was to grab his revolver, only to notice that it wasn't on his belt anymore. The man with the knife moved quickly, swinging his knife down towards the engineer, as a shot rang out, and the man tumbled onto the ground, a hole in his upper torso. Steaming looked behind him, seeing Jacky rushing towards him, starting to push the cart with him. 

"Thanks for having my back." Huffed Steaming. 

"No problem." Huffed Jacky in reply, the cart wearing down on her arms. 

With an almighty effort of both of them, they pushed the cart away, seeing it disappear behind a curve, along the underground line. 

"And now to get those buggers outside." Smirked Steaming, as he saw that the natives had successfully taken out the bandits, either knocking them out or killing them, already following Steamings lead, and throwing them into the mine carts as well. 

As soon as they had loaded all of the bandits onto the carts and sent them on their way, they started to walk through the tunnels back to the exits. Steaming walked at the front, together with Jacky, as the man who joined them at first walked up to them. 

"Thank you for coming to our aid." Said the man. 

"No problem. If anything, we should thank you. You made them join in as well." Said Steaming, shaking the hand of the man. 

"Well, I knew I could trust you. You are a railway man. And we railway men always say the truth." Smiled the man. 

"Huh? You worked for the railways as well?" Asked Steaming, surprised. 

"Why, yes I did. I helped calm the situation between the natives and the railways down when they laid the rails down here the first time." Grinned the man, as a wave of nostalgia hit him. 

"How interesting. My name's Steaming Whistle, I work as engineer down in Dodge." Smiled Steaming, as the man stopped. 

"Steaming? As in, Steaming Funnel?" 

The young engineer stopped dead in his tracks at the mention of his father. 

"Y-you knew him?" Asked Steaming in a whisper. 

"I'm Lucky Strike! Funnel, his wife and myself worked the things out for the railways! I never thought you are their son!" Laughed Lucky, as Steamings eyes grew wide. After all this time of searching for him, he finally found him. 

"Do you know where they are?! My parents, I mean?" Quizzed Steaming, his excitement barely containable. 

"They had sent me some letters when I was in still living in Dodge. I have them in my tent at the village. Their address should be on them." Said the man, a bit confused at the question. 

They quickened their pace, as Steaming wanted to get back to the village as quickly as he could. Once they were outside, they were confused by the lack of bandits, but their confusion went away when lieutenant Pass walked up with Red Rock. 

"Couldn't wait to get the party started, aye Whistle?" Asked Raton with a chuckle. 

"Nope, but after they brought Jacky here, I thought I should check out if this place was suited for a lady such as herself." Smirked Steaming with an Royal accent, while Jacky blushed a deep red, pushing the engineer away. 

"What did you do with the bandits?" Asked the girl, trying to move their conversation into another direction. 

"Talked with them a bit, asked them questions, hanged them for kidnapping, rape and murder." Shrugged the lieutenant, making Jacky gasp. 

"Relax, he's joking." Chuckled Steaming, as Jacky breathed a sight of relief. 

"We found a small wagon over at their stables. We can use it to bring these people here home." Suggested Jacque, as he walked up to them. 

"Good work Ka-boom. Alright then, let's get going. I'd like to have dinner in my home today." Called Raton, as they all got into motion again, Steaming walking besides Raton, as Jacky was occupied by some of the native children. 

"... You were joking, right?" Whispered Steaming, a bit nervous. 

"We hang their leader. The rest we sent packing, warning them to never come back, or they would follow him." Whispered the lieutenant back. 

"Don't worry, we buried him a bit further away, so that the kids wouldn't see him." Continued Raton, when he saw how Steaming eyed Jacky nervously. 

The railway man breathed a sight of relief as they reached the stables, where they moved Iron Horse and Raton's horse, called Mountain Rock, in front of it. Left in the stable was another horse, probably the one of the leader of the bandits. 

"What do we do with him?" Asked Steaming. 

"Let him free of course! He's no longer a owned horse after all." Said Raton, swinging himself onto the wagon. 

Steaming went inside the stables, bringing the horse out, and patted him softly on the flank. 

"Go on pal. Your free to go." Said the engineer softly, as he horse started to trot away. When it walked away, he could see the picture of a dog on its flank. 

"Strange mark." Huffed Steaming, swinging himself next to Raton, whilst the natives went inside the wagon. 

"Well, they called themselves the Diamond Dogs, so I'd say it fits those crazy nitwits pretty well." Said Raton, as Wartburg came up to them on his horse. 

"Their all on board." Said the Germain man shortly. 

"Alright then! HEYYA!" Shouted Steaming, making the horses move, as the cavalcade slowly left the bandit camp, leaving nothing more behind than a few small tents, a few rotten old houses, and a shallow grave... 



They slowly made their way back, since the cart couldn't take high speeds anymore. It was well into lunchtime when they could finally see the outskirts of the buffalo tribe village. The people of the village flocked to where the wagon stopped, crying tears of joy when they finally hugged their husband, wife, child, brother, sister or whatever again. Chief Desert Fox walked up to Steaming, a small boy with messy blonde hair, and a headband with two feathers in it, following him. 

"I thank you, engineer. I thank all of you, for bringing our lost children and family members back! We would like to make you members of our tribe, if you accept." Said the chief. 

"Hm, why not? Would be something if I could say to a girl that I'm a member of an Indian tribe." Chuckled Wartburg, cracking a small smile, as the others just shook their head with a smile. 

"We would be honored, chief Fox." Said Raton. 

And so, they were all accepted into the buffalo tribe. A large buffet was made for the new members of the tribe, from which Steaming and Lucky excused themselves, making their way to Lucky's tent. Once inside, the man walked to an old chest, opening it, and pulling some old papers out. 

"Here, these letters were written by your parents to me when I was still in Dodge Junction." Said Lucky, as he gave Steaming the letter. 

The younger man started reading the letter, hoping to find anything useful. 



Hello Lucky! 



Just writing you to see if there is anything new down in Dodge Junction. Hope your relationship with that buffalo tribe girl doesn't stops you from doing your duty on the rails! Head Light and I have gotten used to take over the Cannonball Express to Manehatten now. We got one of those new 4-6-0s, number 382, she's a real beauty, and runs like a goddess! Hope you can visit us up here one of these days. I'm thinking about settling down here. We heard there is a small house, just outside the town, which is empty as of now. I had a look at it when I took a stopping passenger up to Canterlot, it isn't that far from the main line. It really looks like a good place to live. I bet Whistle will love it here. Maybe you can visit us three one of these days up here? 



Your old friend and partner, 

Steaming Funnel 



Steaming was staring at the letter, not sure how to react to it. He finally had a lead as to where his parents were, but he couldn't help but feel a bit hurt. His parents knew where he was. They could've picked him up and brought him out of the hell that was the orphanage. But why didn't they? Why did they left him there? He was shaken out of his thoughts by Lucky, who was snapping his fingers in front of his face. 

"You still there Whistle?" Asked Strike with an chuckle. 

"Oh, yeah, yeah. Spaced out a bit. Thank you Lucky. I finally found a trace as to where my parents could be." Smiled Steaming gratefully. 

"No problem. After all, you rescued me and the members of my- ...our tribe out of these bandits. I'll be forever in your debt." Said the former railway man. 

Steaming smiled, but was called outside by Emerald, saying that they had to go. He waved his goodbye to Lucky, and walk outside again. 

They all got onto their horses again, and stood ready to move. 

"Once again, I thank you all for helping us." Said Desert Fox, as he and many of the village members stood next to them. 

"It was our pleasure, Chief Fox. And if you shall ever have problems with those bandits again, we will help you in every way we can." Said lieutenant Raton, as they started to ride back into the direction of Dodge Junction, waving to their friends one last time. 



It was shortly after 3 in the afternoon, when the group of 10 reached the outskirts of Dodge Junction. When they reached the guards post, the 7 guards of Dodge Junction parted ways from their three friends, while they kept going towards the station. Once they were there, they brought the horses to the stables, where some of the station workers took care of their horses. 

"Boy oh boy, am I glad to be home!" Smiled Emerald, as he stood in front of the wooden station building of Dodge Junction. 

"That makes two of us lad." Chuckled Steaming, as he took in the familiar hustle and bustle of the station square, before turning to Jacky. 

"Well then miss Spike, we shall meet again later on at the wedding." Said Steaming in his bad Royal accent, bowing deeply in front of Jacky, making her blush. 

"D-do you have to do that?" She stuttered. 

"Of course. You look cute when you're embarrassed." Smirked Steaming, trying to hide the fact that he was partly embarrassed as well, but couldn't hide the small hint of red on his cheeks, whilst Jackys own pair burned red in embarrassment. 

They would've kept going, if the two of them weren't called inside the station by the station master at that moment. Steaming kissed the back of Jackys hand, before both of them walked into the station building. 

"I still can't understand how you did it." Chuckled Emerald. 

"What?" 

"How you made one of the biggest beauties in Canterlot fall for a third class steam locomotive engineer like yourself." Answered Emerald with an Cheshire Cat grin, before behind hit in the shoulder by Steamings fist. 

"Probably because I'm respectful towards others, and know when to shut my trap, opposed to other people..." Retorted Steaming with an smug smile, before entering the station masters office. 

"Good thing you two are here! I just got a call from mine no.3. They said a hopper melted his bearings, and derailed up there. It's now blocking the rear half of its coal train up there. I said I would send someone with a breakdown train up there and take the rear part down here. You'll take the relief engine up, berth 23." Said  the station master hastily. 

"Wow, wow, wow! We ain't even on duty today! And I have an important da-, erm, invitation that I cannot miss!" Argued Steaming. 

"The next crew that would be available won't come in for another two hours, and we need those coal trucks for the outgoing trains!" Retorted the station master. 

In the end, they had no choice but to comply with the order, and went out to get the engine out of berth 23. Steaming took a little detour however, going to his and Emeralds home, to pick up his suit. He would be changing in the station and go directly to the wedding, to make sure he was on time. When they saw what kind of engine it was, they groaned in disbelief. 

"Who in their right mind would send a bloody 'larger Ponystone' as a relief?! Those things aren't capable of pulling goods trains anymore! They are an 1850s design for crying out loud!" Growled Emerald, as he and Steaming climbed aboard the engine. 

"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Asked Steaming, as he started to move the engine outside. 

They grabbed the breakdown train and quickly brought it up to coal mine no.3. Once there, they could see the trouble. The hopper had run clean off the rails, leaning slightly to the right, with a small part of its load outside on the ground. 

"Welp, looks like that one's ready for reconstruction. All we can do is to lift it off the tracks where it is and leave it there till we can bring it to the yards." Huffed Steaming, as he brought the crane into place. After 15 minutes, the crane had moved the hopper of the track, and Steaming had coupled the engine to the rest of the train, a string of 25 coal hoppers, with an caboose at the back. Steaming climbed back inside, looking at the pressure gauge and the brake gauges. He frowned a little when he saw the needle inside the brake gauge shivering up and down. He tapped the gauge a few times, before the shivering stopped. 

"We need to check those brakes once we are in Dodge. The gauge is giving off some strange signals." Said Steaming, as the guard blew his whistle. 

"Maybe just the vibration of the engine? The older engineers say that you have a wobbly body after riding these girls too often." Suggested Emerald, as the train started to move. 

The coal mine was build halfway up a mountain, around 20 miles away from Dodge Junction. The train slowly started to go down the mountain, and Steaming closed the regulator, keeping a firm lock on the brakes. The needle of the speed gauge slowly crept into the 40s, when the engineer started to apply the brakes. However, the speed kept on rising, now going past 50. 

"Steaming, the section is limited to 45. Slow us down, before wreck this thing." Said Emerald playfully, not noticing the grave situation they were in. 

Steaming pulled the brakes hard on, but still, nothing happened. He blinked, looking at the brake gauges, before tapping them again, seeing that indeed nothing had changed. 

"Em, I don't think we need to check the brakes in Dodge anymore. I think I found the problem." Said Steaming nervously. 

"Steaming... Please say that the brakes didn't fail." Gulped Emerald, his pupils shrinking to small dots. 

"Afraid so. What do you suggest?" Asked Steaming, with false calmness. He was freaking out inside. 

"I'd say whistling and screaming our hearts out." Answered Emerald. 

"Good idea." Said Steaming, as the two of them started to scream, Steaming pulling the whistle all the while in four short blasts, as the runaway train raced towards Dodge. 



Meanwhile at the station square in Dodge Junction... 



Jacky was getting more and more nervous. The wedding was beginning soon, and Steaming was nowhere to be found. She had kept a free space next to her, so that Steaming could sit next to her, but if he wouldn't come soon, he wouldn't keep his promise of being there on time. The people around here continued to talk, until the music started to play, and Cadence walked down the patch, with the girls from the group 'Harmony' as her bridesmaids. 

"Hey Jacky, where's Steaming?! I thought he was a railway man who sticks to time?" Asked Rainbow with an whisper as she walked past her. 

"That's what I thought as well." Whispered Jacky, more to herself than to the others. 

"We have gathered here, in front of the railway station of Dodge Junction, to witness the marriage of captain Shining Armor/Sparkle and princess Mi Amore Cadenca of the Crystal Empire." Started princess Celestia, who would act as priestess. 

But she couldn't continue further, as a faint, low whistling rang through the air. Followed by another, and another, and another. The whistling kept going, four short blasts, slowly coming nearer. 

"What's that noise?" Came the question from within the crowd, as the whistling got louder still. 

Jacky sat in her spot, unsure of what was happening, when her father suddenly jumped up next to her, his eyes ripped open in shock. 

"That's the emergency signal! A train is in trouble!" He called out. 

A collective gasp went through the crowd, when the station master raced out of the building, running over to them. 

"Mr. Spike, sir! Signal box 7 just called through! The coal train from mine no.3 just raced past him, going way too fast! We suspect the brakes have failed!" Said the station master quickly. 

"How much time until it reaches the station?!" Asked Iron quickly. 

"By the sound of its whistle-" The stationmaster started, but couldn't speak further, as an ear piercing screeching rang through the station, accompanied by a loud rumbling and cracking, as from the main line, a locomotive crashed through the fence, digging it's wheels into the road as it skidded along, slowing down drastically, before coming to a complete stop on the opposite side of where Cadence and Shining were standing. 

The engine hissed loudly, steam escaping from all sides, as a figure fell out of the cab, into the steam. They all stared in shock as the steam disappeared, revealing the form of Steaming Whistle, face first on the ground, with his right arm in the air, his pocket watch clutched inside, showing that it was 6pm on the dot. 

"THAT'S WHAT I CALL BEING ON TIME!" Shouted Steaming, as everyone around him facepalmed.
> Wedding reveals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The wedding continued, but not before Steaming got a mighty scolding from Iron Spike and Jacky, even though Iron couldn't get a word out most of the time, because Jacky kept on shouting. After Jacky finally calmed down, Steaming finally got time to explain why he brought the train in so fast. Once he finished his explanation, Iron went into deep thought, before saying that he would see into the matter with the 'larger Ponystone' engines. They sat back into their seats, whilst the yard workers and station employees came out to take care of the derailed locomotive that still blocked the passage between the train station and the rest of the station square. The rest of the wedding went smoothly, and they all applauded when Shining and Cadence kissed. They all made their way across the square to the hotel, where the reception was being held. The band started to play, and the married couple opened the evening with the first dance. Steaming smiled, standing at the side of the dance floor, near the bar, having his first drink already in his hand. After the evening he went through, he really needed it. 



"Wishing I was young again. Would love to dance like these lot once more." Came a familiar, although gruff voice, as the engineer turned his head. 

"Huh, what are you doing here Raton? I thought you don't go to festivities anymore?" Asked Steaming, his voice being a bit monotone. 

"I'm still on duty kid. They wanted that the party would go without a hitch, so they need Dodge's best this evening." Explained the lieutenant. 

"And why are you here then?" Asked the engineer cheekily, but still monotone. 

"Very funny. But what's with you lad? You look like you've just been thrown off your own train!" Asked Raton, concerned for the younger one. 

"Rough time after we've parted. Made the biggest mess at the station since Footplate set the stations roof ablaze in the winter of '09, and after she shouted her voice out at me, Jacky hasn't spoken to me since. Heck, I don't even know where she is since we arrived here!" Sighted Steaming. 

"Hm, sounds like you've had quite the luck then. Well, if there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask." Said Raton in an comforting voice. 

"Thanks Raton, but as long as you can't start a good bar fight in here, I doubt there is anything you can do." Answered Steaming with a sad smile. 

Raton hit him lightly on the arm, before walking off again to continue his patrol round through the room. Steaming pulled his drink to his lips, only to notice that he had already emptied his glass. Shrugging, he turned back to the bartender. 

"Hey Cognac! Another Whiskey!" Called the engineer. 

"Puh, I had hoped that at least your taste in drinks would be better than your taste in clothing. Too bad that this as well is beneath the cultural level of this event." Came a posh voice from behind the railway man. 

Steaming turned around, looking straight towards a man of his age, with combed back blonde hair, ice blue eyes, dressed in a suit that looked like brass. 

"Why thank you for your kind words. Now sod off before I make you." Hissed Steaming sarcastically, making the man scowl. 

"I beg your pardon?! Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!" Asked the man enraged. 

"Nope, and I don't even care who you are. Now get a move on, before you get yourself hurt." Huffed Steaming. 

Even though a nice fight would improve his mood, Steaming thought that the man was only spewing out hot air, and as of this, would run off crying like a child after the first hit. 

"I am Novelty Stirling, son of the former owner of the Las Pegasus, Canterlot and Manehatten railway, and my family is member of the board of directors of the Equestrian National Railway!" Growled the man, not even remotely scaring the engineer in front of him. 

"And you really think that this would scare me? Listen punk, you could be Rocket Stephenson and I would still kick you in the guts, but, I don't want that this evening ends with somebody landing in hospital, for the sake of the newlyweds." Said Steaming calmly, after Cognac brought him his drink. 

"Thanks. Oh, and also, even this whiskey has more class than you have just shown. Mostly because the zipper of your pants has been open for the whole of the conversation." Said Steaming, walking off with his drink, leaving behind a very embarrassed Novelty and a few very shocked nobles. 

'Yep, no doubt there, embarrassing this prick definitely brightened up the evening.' Chuckled the railway man in his thoughts, as he slowly walked through the room, coming up to a familiar family. 

'And it looks like it is going to get even better.' Smiled Steaming, as Iron Spike noticed him, and a broad smile grew on his face. 

"There he is! The runaway railroader!" Laughed Iron, hitting him hard on the back, but the engineer didn't even flinch. 

"I see you grew tougher since the last time we met. Say Steaming, do you have any idea how that engines brakes could fail that quickly? If I remember correctly, she was one of the engines I sent down here for the time of the wedding preparations, and she had only recently been rebuilt. It's been bugging me ever since you made a new platform for the station." Said Iron, whilst his wife and a few of the other people around them chuckled about the little joke, whilst Steaming cringed in embarrassment. 

"Well, I have a small theory for that one. The brake pipes on the 'larger Ponystones' go directly on the inside of frames and underneath the cab, joining with the tender coupling at the end of the cab, through the tender, and on to the other parts of the train. Now usually, the brake pipes would be, as the name says, a pipe made of iron or steel, or another kind of metal. However, due to the time of the building of the original engines, the pipes used in these engines had to be made out of rubber, to ensure that the pipes would still be able to fit inside of the frames. However, of the pipe isn't secured properly on the frames, it can move, and small cuts can happen. If there are too many of these, the air escapes through them, and won't go further through the pipe." Explained Steaming. 

"Wait, we use rubber brake pipes?! Who came up with that daft idea?!" Asked one of the other men. 

"That was Smoke Stack, the chief mechanical engineer of the Celestial Coronation Railway, one of the very first lines in Equestria. He was a strange, slightly crazy person, but his designs were revolutionary." Answered Steaming. 

"Hm, so this problem could happen to every other engine of that class as well?" Concluded Iron. 

"I'm afraid so. I'd suggest taking the engines out of service until we know if it is that reason, or another one." Said the young engineer, as the men pondered. 

"It would be for the best I suppose. But witnessing that derailment, you can be lucky to have come out of it without any injury." Said another man. 

"Yeah, I think my guardian angel up there had been doing overtime duties to ensure I got out of there alive, and so did Emeralds. But now, the only thing I want to think about is getting some R&R before taking that honeymoon train later on." Sighted Steaming, drinking a bit from his drink. 

"Didn't know they let 16 year olds drink stuff as hard as whiskey down here." Chuckled Iron. 

"The golden rule for drinks down here: if it doesn't knocks you out, your free to drink it. But, the highest I usually go is said whiskey, and even that is something I only drink on very rare occasions." Chuckled the engineer, as he looked around. 

"Are you searching for someone?" Asked Lady Spike. 

"Hm, only wondering where Jacky is." Said Steaming absentmindedly, as a small, knowing smile grew on Irons face. 

"I think she went outside to catch some fresh air." Smirked the older man, as the younger railway man jerked back to face him. 

"Oh, that's good. Well, I'll leave you lady and gentlemen alone for now." Said Steaming, making a beeline for the exit. 

"He seems to be in an awful hurry. I wonder what is so important that he has to leave so quickly?" Said Lady Spike. 

"Oh, I doubt he'll be gone too long. At least, it would be better for him. Otherwise the two of us will have plenty to talk about once he is back." Said Iron with an evil smile, making his wife even more confused. 



Steaming quickly made his way outside, but couldn't find Jacky anywhere. His eyes wandered, until they landed on the derailed locomotive. Her fire had been put out, and the steam had been released, leaving behind a, although still warm, lonely and cold sight for the engineer. He slowly walked up to the engine, climbing inside the cab, and sitting down in his seat again. 

"Well old girl, looks like we both have had an quite... interesting evening. Both of us have left the rails, both of us have been left behind by our respective people... yeah, a perfect evening for us two." Chuckled Steaming dryly, letting his eyes wander through the cab. 

He grabbed inside of his pocket, pulling out a small bottle, before opening it. 

"On this hell of an evening!" Said Steaming, raising the bottle in an mock toast, before drinking out of it. 

"Cheers." Came the dry reply from the tender, as Steaming spit out the content, coughing loudly. 

His eyes went to the tender, as he saw Jacky, lying in the tender on top of the coal heap, her hands behind her head, gazing into the cloudless night. Steaming slowly walked up to her, not even getting a reaction out of her. 

"Mind if I lie down next to you?" Asked the engineer. 

"Sure." Came the reply, as the railway man fell into the coal heap as well. 

They laid there, in deep silence, Steaming too afraid that Jacky was still mad at him as to break the silence. 

"You never see the stars in Canterlot." Said Jacky suddenly, startling Steaming. 

"Huh?" 

"The city is always alive, the sky is always filled with lights. You can't see the stars, no matter how far up the city is." Replied Jacky, before turning her head to Steaming. 

The railway man looked into the eyes of the girl next to him, her eyes slightly red, as if she had been crying, which she probably had. Steamings heart was throbbing heavily against his chest, hurting to see Jacky like this. 

'She cried because of you, idiot! You make her feel scared about your safety, because you always take those idiotic risks! You might be tough, but in the end, you are still made out of flesh and blood. One of these days, your luck will run out.' Said a voice inside of his head. 

'She doesn't need to. She knows that I can take care of myself. The last one was an accident, everyone knows that. I know that this time I was lucky, but still...' 

'You need to tell her. The railways always were a joint venture with the death. And wouldn't it be better for her to know, before you get to the end of the line?' 

'...' 

The little dialogue might've only lasted a few seconds inside his head, but for Steaming, it was like hours went by before he finally came to an decision. 

"I was scared, you know..." Muttered Steaming, making Jacky look at him with a bewildered look. 

"I knew I couldn't get out of this one without getting hurt. It was complete luck that Emerald and I went through this without any injury. I was scared that I was going to die. That now, where so many things could finally get cleared up, I would kick the bucket and meet my ancestors. I still have a lot to do on this world. I still want to see places and do things. I was scared that I would go without saying things to people I care for and love..." Said Steaming, as Jackys eyes grew wide on the final part. 

"Don't get me wrong, I don't have any plans to go anytime soon! But, as the old saying goes: 'death rides the tender'. I never know when it's going to hit me, and I'll make double sure from my end that nothing is going to happen! But, the chance is always there." Steaming continued, turning back to Jacky after he spoke whilst lying on his back. 

"Wh-what are you trying to say?" Stuttered Jacky, a large blush on her cheeks as her brain turned into overdrive. 

"You know that I always kept my word. My promise to be there for you. That I would look out for you. I felt it was my debt to you. My debt for everything you did for me. Without you, I would've never met Iron Spike, got this job or get a proper life. I owe you pretty much my whole life!" Said the engineer with slight tears in his eyes. 

"But you aren't in debt, I wanted to help you. And after all, you had helped me. When I was lost, you helped me and brought back to my mother. When I was nearly kidnapped, you jumped in and stopped that man. I owe you more than anything." Retorted Jacky, a sad smile on her face, as Steaming held his hand up while shaking his head. 

"But, over the time, I stopped feeling like it was my debt. I still thought it was my duty to protect you, to always make sure you are safe. But during the attack in Canterlot, you showed me that you didn't needed my protection. You could protect yourself, way better than I ever could. I saw you in a whole new light. Strong, confident, brave and headstrong. Kind, caring, and so many other things. I can't count all that what you are, but all in all, I think I can sum it up in one word: lovely." Smiled Steaming, a blush already on his face, as Jackys own had now covered most of her face, her lips trembling slightly. 

"You are the loveliest person I ever had the pleasure of meeting. A personality that can only be found once in a million, the beauty which could cause wars, and the charm to turn the toughest men into pudding. You are amazing, by every meaning of the word. I doubt my life would've been so great without you in it. It really is no wonder I fell in love with you." Said the engineer, is face now fully red, as he moved his head around as to not make eye contact with the girl. 

If he would've however, he would've seen the most joyous expression he'd ever see on her face, as tears of happiness steamed down her cheeks. 

"I loved you since the first time we met. Of course, I was too young to understand those feelings, but whenever I saw or thought about you, my heart would pump at the rate of an express train, and I would get a warm feeling inside me. It took me a while, but when it finally hit me, it never left me again. Of course, I don't know if you have feelings for me or not, but I wanted that you know what I really feel for you. I don't want to keep you in the dark any longer..." Finished Steaming his confession. 

When he noticed that Jacky wouldn't say anything, he understood it as a sign that she didn't harbor the same feelings. With a heavy heart, he lifted himself up from the coals, about to walk away. 



Meanwhile, inside the hotel, 2nd floor, balcony of the ball room... 



"Looks like that was a fruitless attempt." Sighted the man next to Iron Spike and his wife, wearing an old, worn out tuxedo, with an well kept Germain railway mans hat under his arm. 

"Hm, and here I was sure that she and him would get together. She spoke about him in such high tones whenever he was mentioned, you could think he was her boyfriend already." Huffed Iron, as the two men turned to get back inside. 

"I wouldn't be so quick about giving up on the boy honey." Smiled Lady Spike, as the two men quickly spun around again. 



Inside the tender again... 



Steaming couldn't even take one step, when he was suddenly grabbed by Jacky and pulled down to her with an unbelievable force. He caught himself before he crashed on top of Jackys body, but not even a second later, he could feel something unbelievable soft on his lips. It took a moment, before he understood what was happening. Jacky was kissing him! The shock about the situation came and went in the blink of an eye, as Steaming leaned into the kiss, a smile growing on his face, as a wave of relief hit him with the force of an speeding goods train. The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity, but in reality, took only a few seconds, before Jacky released the engineer, who looked at the girl with an look halfway between joyous and confused. 

"I think you know my answer already." Said Jacky with an small smile, as the engineer moved in for another kiss, this one being more passionate and filled with much more love. 



Back on the balcony... 



"I think I see your point sweety." Grinned Iron. 

"Huh, I always thought you would get furious if you ever saw your little princess kiss a guy." Chuckled the man next to him. 

"Well Funnel, if it would've been one of these slick, puffed up brats who only are interested in the railway Jacky would inherit once both her mother and I are gone, I wouldn't even hesitate and throw that guy in front of the next through goods train. But that boy knows my little princess better than I know her myself sometimes. He cares about her, and wants to keep her safe and happy. He wants what's best for her, not for him. I can trust him. He reminds me a bit of his father, when he was at his age." Chuckled Iron lightly, as they walked back inside. 

"I see... But you don't trust him enough to leave him all alone with your daughter." Chuckled Steaming Funnel, as they got to their table again. 

"I said I trust him, but, everyone has his limits. And I don't want to become grandfather anytime soon!" Laughed the railway manager, as he sat down next to a woman with slightly curled hair, wearing a dark red dress, almost the same color as her hair. 

"And where have you two been?" Asked the woman with a smile, as she stood up. 

"Just witnessing how old Iron's little princess got herself a little prince." Smirked Funnel, while Iron just shook his head with an chuckle. 

"You two are already leaving us? You've not been here for more than an hour!" Asked Iron, a bit disappointed that his old friends would leave him already. 

"The Cannonball Express needs his engineer and firewoman for its trip up to Manehatten. And you know that there is only one crew and one engine for that run." Winked Funnel, as he placed his hat on his head again. 

"Hm, you're right there... Well, see you around Funnel. And as soon as I've found a proper replacement crew for the branch line up there, I will sent you guys a notice. It was good to see you again after all this time." Smiled Iron, as he shook hands with the couple. 

"Thank you Iron. Maybe we'll meet each other as a group of five next time." Said Funnel, as the duo walked towards the exit. 

"Or maybe it'll be a group of six...?" Chuckled Iron to himself, before grabbing his drink again, and walking back to the balcony where his wife still was.  



Jacky and Steaming kept on proofing their love for each other for the next quarter of an hour, until the cold evening started to make itself noticeable. 

"We probably should get back inside. My parents will be wondering where the two of us are." Shivered Jacky. 

"I guess you're right." Sighted Steaming. 

He had spent the last seven years hiding up the courage to confess, and now he wanted to spent as much time with his love as he could. But then he remembered that Iron Spike was very concerned about his daughters well being, he reluctantly agreed. They got up from their little make out spot, but before they stepped off the engine, Steamings eyes landed on his seat. He facepalmed when he noticed what he had forgotten when he crashed into the party, and finally understood what Novelty meant with him not fitting into the parties attendees. He opened the seat, and pulled out his suit and his hat, which had survived the derailment like its owner did. 

"Hehe, completely forgot to put this one on! Not even noticed that I still had my hat for the 'down and dirty' on! Silly old me..." Chuckled the engineer, as he stepped out of the cab as well, and caught up with Jacky who had waited a few steps away from the engine. 

"I had nearly given up on seeing you in this suit." Giggled Jacky. 

"Well my lady, fear not, for as soon as we are inside again, I will change into this suit faster than you can say 'Flying Scotsmare'." Said Steaming grandly, making Jacky giggle further. 



They headed towards the toilets, where Steaming would change into his suit. He told Jacky that he wouldn't need much time, but suggested her to tell her parents that she was back and alright, so that they wouldn't worry about her. Jacky soon returned into the ballroom, and slowly walked back to her families table. To her disappointment however, sitting next to her father was a broad man with slick blond hair, and a gray suit, with buttons that shined like they were made out of pure gold. The man was chewing her father an ear off, while said man wasn't even listening to the man's words. When his eyes landed on Jacky, his eyes widened, pleading her to not come closer, as to not attract the man's attention. Sadly, he had already noticed the girl, and called out for her. 

"Ah, Junction! I was hoping to see you this evening! Why don't you take a seat?" The man asked. 

"Why thank you, Mr. Stirling..." Said Jacky with forced friendliness. She couldn't stand him, or his son for that matter, who only tried to get together with her to get a grasp at running the railway. She sat down, but scooted far away from the older Stirling. 

"Say young Junction, where have you been for the last few days? Novelty tried to visit you both yesterday and earlier this morning, but you absent both times." Asked the man. 

"Well, I was away with a friend." Answered Jacky shortly. 

"Oh? I thought the members of the group 'harmony' had too much to do in preparation of the wedding to take their time sightseeing with somebody?" 

"I wasn't with them. I was with an old friend who works as engineer on this section of the railway." Explained Jacky shortly, not wanting to press the matter any further to make sure that Steaming wouldn't get into trouble. 

"Is that so? Well, I just hope he knows his place. Somebody as common as an engineer on this section of the railway should pay a lady as important as you are with the decent amount of respect." Said Mr. Stirling, as both Jacky and Iron cringe. 

"You took the words right out of my mouth father." Came a voice, as Novelty came up to them, his eyes gleaming at the sight of Jacky. 

"Lady Spike, it is once again a pleasure to have you with us at this event. But my father couldn't be any more right with what he said. Why, just a little earlier on, one of the engineers from the sheds had the cheek to turn up here and made fun at my costs! If I had had the time to find out what his name was, I would've made sure that he would be sent to the smallest, unimportant shed on the whole network!" Fumed the posh man. 

"Is that so? After what I had seen, the young engineer didn't even needed to do anything. You made a fool out of yourself back then, kleiner Dummkopf." Came a smooth, but deep voice from behind Novelty, making the man stop in his tracks. 

"And what would you know about that, hm?!" He sneered, turning around just to look at the chin of the man behind him. 

Standing in front of him was Steaming (even though none of them noticed that it was him), wearing his suit, the dark navy blue contrasting well with the blood red of the ribbons on him. He had his hat pulled down deeply into his face, covering his eyes, leaving only his nose and his, quickly trimmed, bearded mouth exposed. To complete his disguise, he dropped his mixed Canterlot/Dodge Junction accent, and instead spoke with a Germain accent, using words of the Germain vocabulary in his sentences as well. 

"That might come from the fact that I had witnessed the whole situation. If it wasn't for the fact that I found it funny how a simple Eisenbahner could outwit a man from the highest classes of Canterlot, I would've intervened in this childish act of yours." Said the disguised engineer, laughing internally when he saw the face of the man turning red. 

"Who do you think you are for speaking to me like that?!" Exclaimed the man, enraged and shocked about somebody speaking so bluntly with him. 

"My name is Dampfende Pfeife, son of his highness, the Kaiser of the Germain Empire's chancellor for rail transportation, and a close friend of the members of the group 'harmony'. I has come here to give my regards to the newlyweds, as an act of kindness from the Germain Empire. I was actually searching for the Lokführer who was the cause of the dreadful accident outside, when I found him together with you." Explained Steaming, his stern glare shooting out from underneath his hat, staring deep into the other man's eyes. 

"Don't worry about that careless engineer, I will make sure that he will be punished for-" 

"You will most certainly will not do such a thing! I had heard from the yard workers who took care of the engine, that the engineer had, not only managed to stay on the rails with an undersized locomotive for such a Zug, but also managed to keep the damage made to people and property at an minimum! If anything, no one should be punished, because it was a simple Unfall, which could've happened on any train at any time. We should be lucky that it was a Kohle and not a Personenzug." Said Steaming, as Mr. Sterling looked at the ground, feeling foolish for being proven wrong by a man of such a young age. 

Steaming gave a slight smirk when both Stirling's were silenced, before turning to Iron Spike and Jacky, the former looking a bit nervous, whilst the latter had narrowed her eyes. 

"Say, Mr. Pfeife, would you be so kind and accompany me towards the buffet?" Asked Jacky. 

"With the greatest pleasure, Fräulein Spike." Smiled Steaming, finding the whole situation hilarious. Once they were out of eyeshot however, Jacky pulled the man closer to her, whispering threateningly to the engineer. 

"What was that just now?!" She hissed. 

"What? I saw how that prick was hitting on you, and I just wanted to defend my lady." Defended Steaming his actions, causing Jacky to blush lightly. 

"But did you have to do an act such as this for that?" Asked Jacky, now much more calmed down and a bit embarrassed. 

"You heard how they spoke about me, and all the lads here in Dodge. They don't think of us as decent rail workers, but if somebody from the high house of the Germain Empire speaks to them, they should be able to listen." Explained Steaming, as they reached the buffet. However, the engineer quickly grabbed Jackys hand with his how, and softly dragged her away from there, towards the dance floor. 

"Steaming, what are you doing?!" Asked Jacky, nervous about what the engineer was about to do, as they stopped on the dance floor, with the disguised man turning to her, bowing slightly. 

"Would you be so kind and allow me a dance with you, Fräulein Spike?" Asked Steaming in his Germain accent, as Jacky understood Steamings game. 

"A dance can't hurt, but I should probably enlighten you that I already have a boyfriend." Smiled Jacky sweetly, as she put her hand into Steamings, as they started to dance. 

"Is that so? And who is that man?" Asked Steaming with an slight smirk. 

"He is an engineer on this section of the railway. A real charmer and a bit of an daredevil, who just can't seem to stop putting the life of others in front of his own." Said Jacky, a smirk on her face as well. 

"Oh, and are you happy to have him as your boyfriend?" Asked Steaming, as he made Jacky spin around, before standing right in front of each other, looking into each other's eyes. 

"Absolutely." Whispered Jacky, as she kissed the man in front of her, if only for a second. 

"Hm, I somehow have the feeling that the lucky man is happy about having you as his girlfriend as well. One would think that he is cab over wheels in love with you." Grinned Steaming with an Cheshire grin, as Jacky blushed. 

"I-I guess..." Stuttered Jacky, just as somebody tapped onto her shoulder. 

She turned around, just to see that it was Twilight, looking slightly worried. 

"Jacky, have you seen Steaming? He should've been at the sheds 15 minutes ago to prepare the engine for Shinings and Cadences train, but when I called, they said that only Emerald is down there!" Asked the girl, worried that her timetable could get disrupted. 

"Oh, I completely forgot the time! Don't worry Twi, I'll go right away!" Said Steaming, as he quickly left the two girls. 

"Was that Steaming?" Asked Twilight, a bit confused at the man's outfit. 

"Yes." Answered Jacky shortly, as an oily voice came from behind them. 

"I'm glad that you've got rid of that Germain barbarian, dearest Jacky. It would've been disgraceful to see you enduring the presence of this hooligan any longer than it already was." Purred Novelty, whilst Jacky and Twilight rolled their eyes. Both girls knew that he always tried to hit on Jacky, but usually, they just kept on ignoring him. 

"I thought I told you that you should call me by my real name." Grumbled Jacky. She wanted to be with Steaming again, but she doubted that she would see him again that night, or anytime soon for that matter. 

"After being on such close terms that you even dance with a man you haven't even known before this evening, I think I deserve to call you by your nickname." Retorted Novelty. 

"Maybe so, but the biggest difference between you and him is, that he didn't tried to get together with me at every opportunity he sees." 

"Huh, he's wasting time then. I like to get directly to things. Now, how about the two of us dance for a bit?" Suggested the man with an strange look in his eyes. 

"No thank you, but I'm rather spent, and need some time for myself with my parents." Said Jacky, before pushing her way past the noble man. 

"You shouldn't take too long though, Shining and Cadence will leave soon, and after their gone, the party will be done as well." Said Twilight, before going to her friends, leaving a scowling Novelty to himself. 



Meanwhile, at the sheds... 



"Sorry I'm late Emerald! Forgotten the time!" Called Steaming, as he raced into the sheds, still dressed in his suit, his work clothes underneath his arm. 

"No problem. Just get yourself changed and ready to get the old girl moving. I never thought we would get a chance to drive the 'Polar Star'!" Chuckled Emerald, as he walked back from the front of the midnight blue 2-4-2 locomotive, that was Dodge Junctions pride. 

She was one of a class of three locomotives ever build for the CCR, and the only one to survive into ENR ownership. She is often used on special charter trains out of Dodge, while being kept in the sheds during the times between the runs. Many engineers praised the engines perfect stability at high speeds and the almost ladylike reactions the crews would get from the locomotive. Steaming and Emerald only saw her passing their goods engines when she would be chartered, but tonight, they would get a feeling for the 'Mistress of Dodge Sheds'. 

"Hehe, you know, maybe I'll keep this one on. Seems kinda fitting for the occasion." Mused Steaming, as he tossed his working clothes into a locker with the engines number on it, before climbing on board of the loco. 

"If you say so. Not my clothes that get dirty." Muttered Emerald, as he put the oil can he had in his hand back in its place in the cab. 

They slowly pulled out of the sheds, and brought the engine into the yards, where a string of two, midnight blue coaches stood, the first one being a large multi functional coach, with a working kitchen, bath, a storage room and a small compartment for the crew. The second was the special saloon coach, which was completely rebuild as a bedroom, that was finished off with the large balcony at the end. They smoothly stopped the engine, and coupled the coached up to it, before slowly reversing the train into the bay platform that was the stations track Nr. 1. They quickly went outside and helped the evening porters to prepare the train for the wedding couple, before moving up to the engine to wait. 

"Lovely night for an evening run, wouldn't you say?" Said Steaming, sighting. 

"What's with all those feelings? You're letting off more than you usually do when you're getting nervous, and I can see that it isn't that." Chuckled Emerald. 

"Oh, only enjoying how well everything is going. We are finally getting more work on actual trains, I've found a new trail on the whereabouts of my family, and Westing said that they want to scrap some older trucks, so we might find ourselves a pair of proper bogies to put our coach onto. Yes, life couldn't get any better right now." Smiled Steaming, his eyes still in the direction of the station building, while Emerald looked at him with an unconvinced look. 

"You confessed to Jacky right?" Asked Emerald bluntly. 

"To Tartarus yes I did!" Cheered Steaming, a smile as large as the station they were in on his face. 

"And by the looks of it you two finally got together." Chuckled Emerald. 

"Yes, yes we did." Smiled Steaming with an blissful sight, which turned into a frown shortly afterwards. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Well, it's only that, we got together only tonight, and already I'm going to leave her behind. And who knows when I see her again. I don't think I can keep those feelings inside any longer, now that the lid is open." Sighted Steaming. 

"Meh, you'll live. Plus, we can always say you somehow got left behind in Canterlot on our way back." Winked Emerald, as Steaming chuckled slightly. 

"You're a good friend Emerald. The best I'll ever going find on this damn planet." Smiled Steaming. 

"Nothing to it Trinity." Chuckled Emerald, as they could hear some commotion from the station building. 

"Sounds like they're coming." Grinned Emerald, putting his own railway hat on his head, making sure he'd make a good picture. 

"Then let's show them the pride of the Dodge Junction railway division!" Laughed Steaming, as he made sure his hat was sitting correctly, as the wedding party came walking onto the platform, lead by the recently married couple. 



Jacky and her family were the last few to leave the ballroom. Jacky quickly made her way to the bathroom after telling her parents that she would meet up with them outside again. She wanted to make sure she would look perfect for her engineer, as she wanted to make sure he would come back as soon as possible. Once she was sure she would steal the young man's breath, she went outside again, only to be forcefully pressed against the wall by a pair of hands. 

"Why my dear Jacky, you didn't need to make yourself even prettier than you already are. You know I love you all the same." Purred Novelty, as he put a hand to Jackys cheek. 

"Get your filthy hands off of me Stirling! And stop calling me Jacky, only my friends are allowed to call me that, don't you understand?!" Growled Jacky, trying to get out of the grip of the man, which was surprisingly strong. 

"No, but I think you are the one who doesn't understands something here. You should get it into your head that the two of us are meant to be together. And you should stop fooling around with other men, especially that troublesome engineer from around here." Growled Stirling, his palm pressing hard against Jackys chin, so hard that it hurt. 

"You've been spying on us?! Listen, I love Steaming, and we don't fool around! You should get a grip, and see the truth in the face!" Snarled Jacky, still trying to get free. 

"Liar!" Spat the noble man, slapping Jacky. 

The girl was frozen in shock for a second, before burning anger replaced the shock, and quickly retorted to the slap via a firm kick in between his legs. The man howled in pain, dropping to his knees, releasing Jacky in the process. The girl quickly made a run for it before Novelty could recover. She only had one thing in mind: getting somewhere safe as quickly as possible. And her mind only gave her one answer for the question where she would be safe: wherever Steaming was, she knew she would be safe as well. She knew he would protect her, against all odds. She raced towards the station, but she could already feel his eyes burning into her back. She rushed straight through the station building, and quickly came out on the other side, running towards the crowd of people that had gathered around the back of the charter train. She pushed through the crowd, but before she was completely through, a hand grabbed her at her wrist, pulling her to an abrupt stop. 

"Don't even try. I don't want to harm you, but if you don't want to embrace your luck, I have to force it." Hissed Novelty. 

He began to grab Jacky away through the crowd, when he was suddenly hit by a hard right hook, sending him flying to the ground, with some of the people around them turning around to see what the commotion was. Jacky looked up in shock, when she saw Rainbow shaking her hand softly, a slightly pained expression on her face. 

"How can Steaming give out so many of these when it nearly cracks my wrist to give even one?" Asked Rainbow to herself, when she looked up again, seeing Jacky still standing there. 

"What are you waiting for? Get out of here!" Said RD as Jacky snapped out of it, rushing off after saying thank you. 

RD turned back to the downed noble, seeing that he was already on his feet, ready to hunt after the girl again. 

"Oh no pal, you're staying right here!" Said Rainbow. 

"Don't interfere. It's a matter of hearts." Sneered Novelty, as he rushed back after Jacky, slipping out of Dashs grasp with ease. 

Jacky got out of the crowd, just as the guards whistle could be heard from behind her. She ran even faster, passing the first coach and the tender as the train final started to move. 

"Steaming! Steaming!" Shouted Jacky, as said engineer leaned out of the cab window, surprised to see her in such a hurry. 

"What's wrong Jacky? Why the rush?" Asked Steaming from the cab. 

"Novelty's lost it! He's after me!" She quickly explained, as Steamings pupils shrunk. 

"Oh Scotsmare..." Whispered the man, as he disappeared from the window, only to reappear in the cab entry. 

"Grab my hand!" He called, as Jacky reached out for the man, grabbing his hand tightly, as the engineer pulled her into the cab, both falling on top of each other. 

"Thanks for getting aboard." Grinned Steaming cheekily, before noticing the red mark on her face. 

His expression turned from playful to ice, as he stood up, making sure to pull Jacky up as softly as possible, before placing her in the engineers seat. He walked up to the cab entry again, leaning out to see that Novelty was still running after the train, getting many confused looks from the rest of the wedding part behind him. 

"Stop! Stop that train! Give the girl back! She is mine!" He shouted, trying to catch up to the train. 

Steaming glared at the man, his hand wandering inside his jacket, grabbing his revolver firmly, slowly pulling it out. It was halfway out of his jacket, when his hand was stopped by Emerald. Steaming glared over at his friend, who gave him a stern look in reply. 

"I could take him out from here. I shot smaller targets on such distances with ease." Hissed Steaming, venom dripping from his voice while he wasn't even trying to hide his anger. 

"It wouldn't solve anything. You'd only get into trouble, and I doubt you want any of that right now, especially with her on board. Right?" 

Steaming stayed silent before sighting, and turning towards the cab, putting the gun back in its place. Emerald smiled. 

"You did the right thing." Nodded Emerald, turning back to get into his seat again. 

No sooner did he sit down completely, they could hear a loud cry of pain from outside the cab. He jumped up again, fearing the worst, and saw how Novelty laid on the ground, rubbing his head in pain, whilst a piece of coal laid next to the downed man. Emerald turned back to Steaming, who now sat in his rightful place again, with Jacky sitting in his lap. 

"Steeeeeeeeaminnnnnnng...!" Said Emerald threateningly, drawing his name out. 

"Don't look at me, that piece of coal fell of the tender, I swear it on my pride as an engineer!" Said Steaming, trying to defend himself. 

"You're not even a complete engineer!" Said Emerald, pulling his hand over his face in annoyance. 

"I know." Smirked Steaming, as he leaned back in his seat, feeling how Jacky cuddled up to him whilst chuckling about the cheek of the engineer, as said man sighted in bliss. 



Life couldn't be better right now.
> A brief holiday in Manehatten
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The train raced through the night, carrying some of Equestrias biggest VIPs with it, heading northwards along the Ponyville-Dodge Junction main line. Steaming and Emerald soon found out that the praises of the engineers weren't without reason. The 'Polar Star' ran smoother than any engine they've ever worked on, this being agreed from Jacky who had fallen asleep in Steamings lap. The engineer kept smiling whenever he looked at the girl in his arms, which happened every few seconds, still not fully grasping the fact that they were together now. Emerald himself had a hard time staying awake as well, the smooth gliding of the engine on the tracks beneath them and the chuffing of the cylinders making his eyes flutter shut every few seconds, making him jerk himself awake every time that happened. Steaming noticed that his friend had a hard time keeping awake, and quickly grabbed the whistle cord. He was about to pull it when Jacky moved slightly, trying to get even more comfortable in the railway mans arms. Steamings right arm moved underneath his seat, where a small compartment where the engine crews would store their tools and equipment in it. He moved his hand around until he felt what he was searching for, grabbing it, and pulling out a pair of woolly earmuffs, which the engineers used in the winter months. He placed them gently on Jackys head, and finally blew the whistle of the locomotive, successfully getting Emerald awake for a few minutes. 

"Thanks." Yawned Emerald, stretching, before standing up to shovel some coal into the firebox. 

"Get yourself something to drink, coffee or some Earl Grey. We've still got a long night ahead of us." Said Steaming, as he pointed to the two thermos cans above the firebox. 

"Will do. You want some as well?" Asked Emerald, as he grabbed himself the can labeled with 'C', while he picked up the one labeled with 'T' and held it out towards his partner. 

"Yeah, will need the caffeine to stay awake for the rest of the bloody night. Jacky's lucky to be sleeping right now." Said Steaming before yawning as well. 

"We could always wake her up." Suggested Emerald cheekily. 

"Yeah, but then we would both be skinned by her, and afterwards, I would kill you for waking her up." Said Steaming with an eerily calm voice as he filled a cup with the tea, making Emerald slightly nervous at the proposal. 

"Also, where did you threw the schedule for the run? I hadn't got the time to read it before we departed." Asked Steaming, taking a sip from his drink. 

"Right in front of your nose Trinity." Chuckled the fireman, as Steaming looked to his left, seeing a small piece of paper stuck to an board. 

"Hm, let's see where we're bringing the newlyweds then..." Muttered the engineer, reading the destination. 

"Ah yes, here, lovely Manehatten. Looks like they're going to either spent their honeymoon there or continue via ship over to Prance, Germainy or Colt Britannia..." He said, before checking the complete timetable. 

"Hm, via Ponyville, need to take 'the tunnel' instead of the main station to avoid a headshunt... Take on some water in the older yards, and then it's plain sailing for the next three till four hours until Manehatten tunnel. With any luck, we should reach it just before dawn." Smiled Steaming, but began to frown when he saw the times behind the stops. 

"Looks like we can't allow delays with this one; whoever came up with this timetable must've checked their math thrice! They kept the timing so tight, we only just have time to fill up the tanks with water before we need to get back on the main!" He sighted. 

"Meh, we'll be on time, don't you worry. After all, nothing ever stopped us from reaching our station on time." Chuckled Emerald as the first yellow signals appeared in front of them, indicating that they were getting closer towards Ponyville. 

Steaming reduced the speed, as they rounded the bend, and got onto the Las Pegasus-Ponyville-Canterlot main line. Steaming opened the regulator again as the train picked up speed again, soon cruising at 90mph again. They raced through Ponyville, passing by the late night stopping passenger train that stood on the opposite platform, heading straight towards Canterlot. The run went smoothly, they kept on going, being slightly ahead of schedule, until reaching the gradient before Canterlot. They raced up the mountain, but even though the speed was steadily declining, they managed to get over the top before they went slower than 50. Once they had beaten the mountain, Steaming closed the regulator completely, letting them roll down the line. They soon came up to the complex point work in front of the main station, but both engine men were confused when they saw that they wouldn't continue onwards towards 'the tunnel', but towards the main station! Steaming quickly jumped forwards, grabbing the brake lever and started to brake the train down to yard limits, waking Jacky in the process who panicked slightly when she couldn't recognize where she was. Once she noticed she was still partly on top of Steaming, she relaxed again, cuddling against the chest of the engineer. 

"What's wrong Steaming?" She yawned, the sleep still obvious in her eyes and voice. 

"Looks like we've been rerouted. We're heading into the station, not to 'the tunnel'." Explained Steaming, as they slowed down gradually, just before reaching the station. They slowed to an stop at the buffers, where an confused porter ran up to them. 

"What's this? They've cut the Cannonball down to two coaches now?" Asked the man. 

"Huh? We're not the Cannonball, we're the excursion train for the Royal couple! Why did you bring us in here, we should've gone through the tunnel and onwards to Manehatten!" Asked Steaming, as from the other platform, a loud whistling could be heard. 

They looked at the station throat, where a large 4-6-0 steamed into the station, pulling a train of 7 coaches, coming to an stop with an loud hissing. 

"Hey lad! We've just come back after being rerouted into the tunnel! Care to explain what happened?" Came a gruff voice from the cab of the 4-6-0. 

"The signalman must've made a mistake. He must've mistook the excursion for the Cannonball and vise versa." Concluded the porter. 

"That's all fine and dandy, but we have a timetable to keep to, and we surely have missed our path through the tunnel." Complained Steaming. 

"How about you couple your train behind ours and we go through the tunnel together. Would save the signalman the problem of getting you another path through the tunnel, and you could follow us to Manehatten. The Cannonball has top priority on the road after all." Came a gentle, feminine voice from the cab of Cannonball Express. 

"Hm, what do you think Trinity?" Asked Emerald. 

"Let's do it! I'll be damned if we don't get this choo choo here in on time! Come on Em! Let's get those Axle boxes moving!" Called Steaming from his and Jackys side of the cab, as he threw the brake lever into the 'released' position, and after the air had been emptied out of the brake pipe, the excursion reversed quickly out of the station. 

"Wait! You'd have to speak with the signalman first!" Shouted the porter, but the engineer couldn't (or wouldn't) hear him. 

"Don't worry lad, we'll take care of the signalman, you just make sure that the passengers are ready for departure." Said the engineer of the Cannonball. 

"Will do Steaming, just make sure that those newbies don't cause trouble." Sighted the porter, as he moved further along the train to make sure everything would run smoothly in the boarding process. 



The excursion quickly coupled up to the express train, with Steaming getting more and more frustrated the longer they stood at the platform. Emerald was getting frustrated as well, but not with their current situation, but with the engine. He had a difficult time with the locomotives mechanical lubrication system, as it was showing that it was running out of lubricant again. 

"I think I finally found out why only three of these girls were build. They might've run as smooth as anything, they drink the lube away like a man downing water after a week in the desert!" Grumbled the fireman, as he opened the lubrication pipe. 

"Wait a sec, I'll give you a hand. Better get my mind off of things before I go up and tell that so called 'Express' engineer to get a bloody move on." Fumed the engineer, as he walked over to his friend, helping him refill the system. 

Jacky watched silently from the engineer seat, as someone from outside the cab called up to her. She looked out of the window and saw a women in her mid 40s, with long, dark red hair that she had pulled in a ponytail. She wore the same uniform as every railway employees wore, however, on the left side of her torso, just above her heart, the words 'Cannonball Express' were stitched into the fabric. She looked at the girl with kind Amber eyes. 

"Where's the engineer?" She asked. 

"He's helping the fireman refilling the engines lubrication system." Answered Jacky. 

"What are you doing in the cab then? Only the driver and fireman are permitted access to the cab." Asked the woman again. 

"I... was persuaded. I needed to get somewhere safe, and I knew that whatever the odds are, Steaming would keep me safe." Explained Jacky, as the woman raised an eyebrow. 

"Steaming you say?" 

"That's his name, Steaming Whistle." Explained Jacky, as the woman's eyes grew a bit. 

"How old is he?" Asked the woman suddenly, confusing Jacky a bit. 

"He's 15." 

"I'm 16 since a week ago damnit!" Came a call from within the cab. 

"Shut up and concentrate, you're spilling all the lubricant!" Cried Emerald, pulling Jackys attention from the woman. 

She turned around a few seconds later, but when she looked down to where the woman just stood, she saw that no one was there. She looked in both directions, but she couldn't see the woman anywhere. 

"Huh, strange..." Muttered Jacky. 

"What?" Asked Steaming. 

"That woman. She's probably a crew member of the Cannonball. She came and asked for you, and when I told her your name, she suddenly asked me how old you are, and then she just disappeared!" Explained Jacky. 

"Strange indeed. Meh, we'll just ask the lady once we're in Manehatten." Said the engineer, as they could hear a loud whistle from the front of the express train. 

Steaming blew a loud blast of his three-chime whistle in return, and opened the regulator slightly, letting the cavalcade reverse out of the station. Once they had passed the signal box, they stopped, so that the points could be set to 'the tunnel'. In front of the 4-6-0, a loud clanking could be heard, followed by another clanking from above them as the signal arm fell, allowing them to proceed. The two engine blew their whistles one after the other, and with an loud chuffing, the two trains made its way over the points, and into the long tunnel. The tunnel had been build as part of the underground railway project, and connected the north most line with the south most goods station, as to enable through goods trains from places like Manehatten, to places like Las Pegasus or Appleoosa. After the grouping, the tunnel had been extended and rebuild to allow more trains to pass through, and to accept passenger operations as well. Since then, it has been used as a way to enable through Express runs from the south and southwest to the east and northeast, without the necessary of changing trains or to ride through the complete town to get to the northern station. The tunnel went underneath the whole town, with numerous access points along the way so that the maintenance crews could reach problems inside the tunnel quickly and without the problem of going in on one side and moving all the way to the troublesome part. The railway had a strict policy about the running inside the tunnel, as the engineer should always cut off steam before entering the tunnel, as to prevent the crews from suffocating from the smoke of the engines. Steaming and Emerald had been told of the tunnel by Westing, and knew what they needed to do. They heard two short blast of the express engines whistle, followed by a long, and again two short ones, the whistle code to cut off steam. Steaming closed the regulator, and within moments, the whole train plunged into the tunnel. Neither Steaming nor Emerald or Jacky could see a thing in the dark, the only lights coming from the firebox door of their engine, and the dimmed lights inside of the last passenger coach. Steaming yawned, he always felt more sleepy when he would go through tunnels, but shook his head strongly, to keep him awake. The train clanked through the darkness for a few minutes already, but Steaming noticed that they were going slower. 

"This ain't good." 

"What's not good?" Asked Emerald. 

"We're slowing down! Looks like we're dragging the express down! If we stop in here, we're all going to suffocate in here!" Shouted Steaming back, before grabbing the regulator, pulling it as far as he dared. 

"Are you crazy?! We're going to die if you do that!" Cried Emerald, trying to pull Steamings hand from the handle, but Steamings grip was tight. 

"We're going to die if I don't do it! Now get yourself something to cover your mouth, it's going to be pretty heavy to breath in here!" Said Steaming as the engine's bark started to echo inside the tunnel, and thick black smoke started to erupt from the loco's funnel. 

The smoke started to stream into the partly opened cab, blinding the engines crew and the girl inside. Steaming quickly took of his bandana and quickly pressed it into Jackys hand. 

"Cover your mouth!" Coughed the engineer, as Jacky did as she was told, finding it a bit easier to breath again. 

Steaming coughed heavily, tears in his eyes as the smoke distorted his vision. He pressed his arm on his mouth and nose, trying hard not to pass out from the toxic fumes. He felt light headed, and was slightly wobbling in his seat, as suddenly, the smoke stopped streaming into the cab. The echoing stopped, and the barking was only one straight sound again. Steaming whipped the tears out of his eyes, and looked out of the cab side windows, seeing that they we're finally out of the tunnel. 

"Guys! We're out!" He croaked, his throat burning from the smoke, craving for water. 

Three short whistles came from the leading engine, signaling to stop. Steaming pulled the brakes, and the cavalcade slowed to an stop. He jumped out, feeling wobbly as he landed on the ballast that was on the ground. He slowly walked along the train, but he could already see the glow of an lantern, moving quickly towards him. He waited, as the person came close enough to him. Said person turned out to be the engineer of the Cannonball, being pretty nervous, and pretty annoyed. 

"What the buck were you kids thinking?!" Shouted the man. 

"We were slowing down. We were going to stop if we didn't pushed the train." Explained Steaming, as the engineer started to chuckle, shaking his head. 

"Oh you gullible idiot. The tunnel has a pair of electric helpers down at the break point! They push the trains out of the tunnel once we pass them!" Laughed the man, as Steaming looked at him with an dumbfounded look. 

"Here," chuckled the man, passing Steaming a bottle of water. "Drink it, and get back on your loco, we need to get moving again!" 

Steaming took the water without answering, quickly going back to his loco and climbing back on board, before downing the bottle in one go, thankful to finally have something to sooth his throat. 

"So?" Asked Emerald. 

"They just said it was good we helped when we did." Said Steaming shortly, not taking his eyes off of the tracks in front of him. 

"Is that so?" Smirked Jacky, as Emerald shared a similar grin. 

"Yeah, why?" 

"Oh, just because an engineer came up and said: Who was the idiot who nearly killed himself while doing my job as a banker?" Smirked Jacky, as Steaming stiffened, his face going bright red, while both Jacky and Emerald burst out laughing. 



They quickly got on their way again, and this time, nothing went wrong. They sped along the main line, and after a few hours of high speed traveling, accompanied by nearly a quarter of an hour of running through the Manehatten tunnel, the outer suburbs of Manehatten came into view. The tracks doubled, from the normal double tracks to four tracks, as they passed numerous small commuter stations along the way, with the rare sight of a lone late night commuter train, waiting at one of the stations for its right of way. The small, two story high houses passed for skyscraper and apartment buildings, with lights coming from every direction. The front engine whistled, and they started to slow down, as they started to go over numerous switches. Said switches lead to what the railway men duo could only describe as the biggest shunting yard they had ever seen. There were thousands of trucks, waiting for their next engine to take them away, and countless amounts of shunting engines of every size, type and wheel arrangement. They quickly passed through it, and soon passed a large roundhouse, larger than anything they had ever seen. It was a complete circle, with a few of the shed rows having a door at the back for the engines to go to the servicing stations that were situated outside of it. Behind the sheds, a large, rectangular building followed them for nearly half a mile before it ended. Both Steaming and Emerald were awestruck by the size of the yards, sheds and workshops. 

"Wow, I've heard that the yards in Manehatten were big, but never thatbig!" Said Steaming, letting the scenery sink in. 

"I doubt that both Dodge and Canterlot together would be this big!" Gasped Emerald. 

"And you haven't even seen all of it." Chuckled Jacky, as she pointed ahead of them, where a large station welcomed them. With 10 canopies, 20 tracks, and an additional 4 tracks underneath the station building for the local, inner city commuter railway, the second biggest station in Equestria, the Manehatten Central Station welcomed its guests, as numerous trains departed and arrived simultaneously at the platforms, including a certain, high priority express train, and a just as important excursion train. With a slight squeal of the brakes, the two trains came to an stop at the buffers that marked the eastern end, of the Canterlot-Manehatten main line. The porters opened the doors and put down the steps, as the passengers impatiently disembarked from the train, heading for the exits to make their way to their homes, hotels or wherever they would rest for the night. Whilst Emerald uncoupled their train from the express, Steaming made his way to the special coach, to tell his passengers that they had arrived at their destinations. Steaming stepped inside, walking up to the large double doors at the front of the coach. He knocked firmly on the door, waiting a few seconds before he could hear a muffled voice, followed by footsteps, before the door was pulled open by a tired looking Shining Armor. 

"Steaming? Something wrong?" Asked the captain of the Royal guard. 

"Nope, we just arrived at our destination. Welcome to Manehatten, prince Armor." Chuckled Steaming, as the tiredness disappeared out of the captains eyes. 

"Oh! How time flies! We'll be ready shortly!" Said Shining, and quickly closed the door. 

"Take your time! We don't have to hurry!" Called Steaming with a laugh, as he exited the coach again, and made his way back to his engine. 

"Alright, once they are out of the train, we'll bring it to the yards, and leave it to the hands of the night shed crew. We'll take it back home tomorrow at 10:40." Explained Steaming. 

"Sounds good enough to me." Shrugged Emerald. 

"And where shall I sleep? They didn't really counted me in when they ordered the train." Asked Jacky. 

"Oh, don't you worry. I'll take a single bed room and you two can share a double bed." Smirked Emerald, as the engineer and girl in front of him turned bright red. 

"W-w-well, we'll have to see if they even have two such rooms left at the hotel." Stuttered Steaming, his mind crying at him to punch his longtime friend in his face. 

Luckily (or unluckily) the hotel had indeed two spare rooms for visiting engine crews, one a single bed and the other a double bed room. Before Steaming could say anything, Emerald already snatched the key out of his hand, and rushed off to the room, wish both a good night, and adding that they shouldn't stay up all night long. Steaming growled, thinking up ways to torture him on the run back up the line, when Jacky gently pulled him towards their room. They got inside, but as they were about to change into their nightwear, they noticed another problem. 

"I doubt you had time to grab your nightwear when you were escaping from the Stirling guy, right?" Asked Steaming as he saw Jacky standing in the room with an slightly embarrassed look on her face. 

"Thought so." Sighted Steaming. 

"Do you think that a store might still be open?" 

"Nope, not at this hour. But don't worry, I can lend you my shirt." Sighted the engineer. 

"And you?" 

"Meh, I always have an undershirt, in case my shirt gets ruined, which happens a lot more often than it should... Anyways, I'll be fine, don't worry." Winked the man, as he pulled an shirt out of his traveling bag, passing it on to Jacky. The girl made her way into the bathroom to change into 'her' nightwear, while Steaming changed in the room. He laid himself onto the large double bed, smiling about the soft mattress, and sighting in pleasure of the comfort. 

"That's the life!" Murmured the man, as the door to the bathroom opened. 

His eyes fell onto the woman that stood in the doorframe and his mind only created one word. 

"Cute" 

Jacky was dressed in the shirt that Steaming lend her, but it was clearly a few sizes too big for her. It went halfway down her legs, with the upper few buttons left open, giving him a clear view of her (for her age) moderate cleavage. When Jacky heard the comment from the railway man, she blushed lightly, only proving his words right. 

"Oh stop it." She chuckled, as the engineer smiled brightly. 

"What? I'm only telling the truth! You look adorable." Smiled the man, as Jacky walked around the bed, getting into the bed alongside him. 

Steaming quickly flipped off the lights, and turned to Jacky, wrapping his hands around her and pulling her close, before pressing a light kiss on her temple. 

"Good night Jacky." Whispered the engineer. 

"Good night Whistle." Whispered Jacky back, using his real name for the first time in a long time. 



They were woken up at 9:30am the next morning, or rather, Jacky was woken up, who in turn pulled Steaming out of the bed to get him out of his sleep. The engineer groaned when he hit the floor. 

"Give me 5 more minutes... Or 50..." Yawned the railway man, closing his eyes again as he went to sleep on the floor. 

"Steaming, you've got three seconds to get up, or I'll get Emerald to throw you into the bathtub, and I promise you that the water won't be warm!" Threatened Jacky, as Steaming shuddered at the thought, and stood up with a sight. 

"Alright, you win, I'll get up." Sighted the man, as he finally got up, while Jacky smiled victoriously at him. 

Steaming narrowed his eyes, as a mischievous thought went into his mind. As Jacky turned towards the bathroom door, Steaming came up behind her and started to tickle her. The giggles and laughs of Jacky quickly filled the air, as she pleaded him to stop. 

"Please stop it Steaming, your killing me!" Laughed Jacky, but Steaming only kept on going. 

"No can do sweetheart, you've played with dirty tricks, but I can play with them as well!" Smirked Steaming, as a knock came from the door. 

"OY! Steaming! If you finished pleasuring your girlfriend in there, could you come downstairs please?! They are already serving breakfast you know!" Came the voice of Emerald, as both room occupants went red with the thoughts of each other in the act, but Steamings embarrassment quickly changed into anger, as he howled at the door. 

"Emerald, you better hope they have damn good Earl Grey down there, or Celestia help me I'm going to kill you! AND IF YOU EVER SUGGEST SUCH A THING AGAIN, I'M GOING TO TIE YOU TO THE REAR COUPLER OF THE TRANS-EQUESTRIA EXPRESS!!!" Shouted Steaming as they could hear quick running from outside of the room, indicating that Emerald made the wise choice of starting breakfast without them. 

"You shouldn't have been so hard on in." Chuckled Jacky, even though she partly thought that Emerald deserved it. 

"Oh don't worry, you know that I'm joking." Chuckled the engineer in reply. 

"Yes, but does he know as well?" 

"... Let's keep it at that, shall we?" Smirked Steaming smugly, as he took a look at the clock, seeing that they already had wasted an quarter of an hour. 

"But he has a point. We should hurry up and get ourselves some breakfast." Said Steaming. 

"Um, not to sound impolite or something, but may I suggest a quick shower beforehand?" Said Jacky, as the engineer stopped dead in his tracks. 

"Hm, that wouldn't be that bad would it? Care to join me?" Asked Steaming cheekily, as Jacky went red once more. 

"U-um..." Spluttered the girl, not knowing how to reply to the offer, as Steaming laughed. 

"It's okay, was just a joke." Grinned Steaming, as he disappeared into the bathroom. 

"...at least for now." He whispered to himself. 



After a quick shower, the two of them quickly made their way downstairs to the buffet, where Emerald was waiting for them at a table, several plates already on his side, downing several of their contents. 

"I see your back in your usual diet plan." Said Steaming smugly, as Emerald downed a pancake before speaking. 

"Free food for railway men Steaming~" Retorted Emerald in a sing-song voice, as Steamings eyes grew. 

"If you two shall excuse me." Said Steaming as politely as he could, before charging towards the buffet, gathering several plates to get the contents for his part of the breakfast. 

He returned a few minutes later, having filled the plates with sausages, eggs, buns, yams, butter, bacon, baked beans, cheese, bread, pancakes and a full can of tea. 

"Are you really eating all of this?!" Asked Jacky, shocked about the amount of food. 

"That's only the first course my dear!" Smirked Steaming, as he took his seat, and quickly dug into his meal, while Jacky only shook her head at the sight of the two men eating their meals as if they were starving. 

"I'd suggest getting something as well before we finish what is still there." Said Emerald between bites. 

Jacky pondered for a moment if they really would be able to do that, but seeing how quickly her boyfriend and his friend were eating, she took no chances and got herself something from the buffet as well. 



After half an hour, and nearly completely raiding the hotels kitchen of its storage inventory, the trio slowly made their way to the engine sheds. 

"Best breakfast in a while!" Laughed Steaming, as Emerald agreed with him via a loud burp. 

"Do you always eat that much for breakfast?" Asked Jacky. 

"Guess why the station cafe in Dodge got a 12-men crew working in the kitchen." Winked Emerald. 

"And not just the breakfast I tell you that!" Laughed Steaming. 

"How come you eat so much?!" Asked Jacky. 

"Hehe, these muscles need their energy! Especially if you use them like we do." Chuckled Steaming. 

Jacky just shook her head at the duo, as they reached the entry to the shunting yards. Passing the dispatcher building and the shunters shack, they slowly walked over the tracks, always making sure that they wouldn't be surprised by any engines or trucks that might headed towards them. After a little while, they reached the sheds, and walked towards the berth where they left their engine the night before, only to notice that she wasn't there anymore! 

"Um, didn't we left the 'Polar Star' in this berth last night?" Asked Emerald. 

"I thought so as well. Maybe one of the lads over there know where she went." Suggested Steaming as he pointed to a group of cleaners who were busy cleaning one of the engines on the opposite side of the shed. 

"Hey lads! You know where engine #31 went?!" Asked Steaming, as they came into earshot of the cleaners. 

"Yeah! She said you two are lousy engine men and left for a proper crew!" Came the reply from one of the cleaners, before he and the others laughed. 

"Very funny. Now where is she? We need to get back on track you know!" Called Steaming back, as they stopped laughing. They got down from the engine, and walked up to the trio. 

"We told you. She's gone. Why don't you bugger off back where you came from and make space for some decent people?" Asked the man who made the bad joke, staring into the eyes of the young engineer. 

"E, do you think what I think?" Asked Steaming, not breaking eye contact with the man, pulling his revolver without reviling it to the cleaners. 

"I think so." Smirked Emerald, as he grabbed the revolver and pulled out his own, handing them subtly to Jacky. 

"Would you take care of these for us? It won't be long." Whispered Emerald with an wink. 

"You don't want to-?" Whispered Jacky back, but couldn't even finish her sentence, as Steaming quickly punched the leader of the group of cleaners, before ducking underneath the punch from the man to his right, retorting with another punch to the stomach and a kick to his chest. 

"Get them!" Shouted the leader, holding his nose in pain. 



Steaming quickly went to the engine the group had been cleaning, jumping onto the running board, kicking one of his pursuers into his guts and into his comrades, before grabbing some of the cleaning scrubs and brushes that were left by the cleaners, and threw them at said men. 

"You missed a spot there!" Laughed Emerald, slapping one of the man hard across his face, placing him in perfect line to Steaming. 

"On it!" Laughed Steaming, as he threw the scrub he had in his hand and hit the man square in the face. 

Some of the men already were up again and we're now on the running board of the engine, trying to get to Steaming, while some of the others fought on the ground against Emerald. Steaming quickly punched them off the locomotive, letting them fall onto of each other on the ground. He quickly jumped onto the heap, getting a few hurt groans from it. Emerald was fighting off some of the other cleaners, when one of them came up behind him, slamming a small bench onto his back. Then bench wouldn't break, and Emerald was still standing, so the man continued, hitting the engine man over and over again, without making any progress. Steaming had picked up one of the brooms that laid around, and used it to make the men trip over and into each other. 

"Timber!" Shouted Steaming mockingly as he made two of them trip as they charged at him, flying into the driving wheels of the engine behind him. 

The remaining few cleaners were quickly dealt with, with the exception of the one who still tried to knock Emerald over with the bench. Steaming walked over to his partner. 

"Hey pal, there's someone trying to get your attention." Grinned Steaming, as Emerald turned around. 

"I wondered why I had such a tingling in my back, listen, I'm more endurable than that thing." Said Emerald, before taking the bench. 

"Here, let me show you how it's done." Smirked the fireman, smashing the bench onto his head, breaking it to pieces and knocking the cleaner out. 

"So, what now?" Asked Emerald, as he threw the rests of the bench away. 

A loud whistling came from behind them, and they turned around to see that some of the cleaners got up again, smirking at them with a bunch of different tools in their hands, ready to throw them at the duo. 

"Now, we'll take cover." Said Steaming, grabbing his partner and dragged him into one of the inspection pits, as the cleaners started to throw the tools. 

After a few minutes of clanking and banging of tools falling onto tools, they stopped, mostly because they had run out of tools. Some of them walked up to the pits, to look if the two were still alive. When they looked into the pits however, they were shocked to see that the engine men had disappeared! 

"Where are they?!" Asked one of them. 

"Right here dimwit!" Chuckled a voice, as they turned around, just to see that the cleaners that stayed behind were taken out of commission, with Steaming and Emerald standing above them with a pair of large wrenches in their hands. 

"And now for the final act!" Smirked Emerald, as the cleaners cracked their knuckles, as the duo swung their tools in a threatening manner. 

However, before they could make a move, the cleaners eyes widened, before they rolled back into their heads as they fell forwards. Behind them appeared Jacky, smirk on her face as she threw the wrench she had used to knock them out into the inspection pit behind her. 

"I don't know what you took so long with these guys." Said Jacky smugly, giving the two men their handguns back, while Steaming smirked. 

"If you want to fight against such a group next time, nobody'll stop you." Returned Steaming in a just as smug voice, stepping up to her until he was right in front of her. 

"Oh, does that mean the big, strong engineer needs help from his girlfriend to take down some simple cleaners?" Asked Jacky mockingly. 

In reply, Steaming lifted her with his right hand, lifting her over his shoulder. Jacky let out a yelp in surprise of the man's rash action. 

"S-s-steaming! Let me down!" She spluttered in embarrassment. 

"Oh, so you need help from your boyfriend to get down then?" Sniggered Steaming, as Jacky hammered on his back, shouting at him to let her down. 

Emerald just stood off to the side, chuckling at the scene with a slight shake of his head. 

"Come on Steaming, let her down. You can claim that she's yours later once we've made our way to Canterlot." Smirked Emerald. 

His words did the trick, as Steaming quickly let the girl get onto her feet again, both their faces red with embarrassment. Steaming glared at Emerald, but before he could punch his best friend, his eyes saw a slight movement from one of the cleaners. He quickly grabbed the downed man, lifting him up with both his hands, pushing him against the wall. 

"Come on you runt. We have a schedule to keep to, and need our train to follow it. So, where is it?" Growled Steaming, trying to intimidate the man. 

"I-I'll talk! Please, no more punches!" Stuttered the man, scared by the duo that took him and all of his 23 coworkers out. 

"Where is the 'Polar Star'?" Asked Steaming. 

"W-we were ordered by high management to hide her and her train in the shunting yards, and to send anybody who asked about her to the hospital!" 

"Who ordered you?!" Thundered Steaming, a suspicion rising inside him. 

"S-Sans Pareil Stirling!" Squeaked the cleaner, scared that the man would punch him again. 

Instead, he pushed him out of the way, and began to march towards the shed entry. 

"I suggest that you tell nobody we were ever here. Otherwise we'll be back." Smirked Emerald, as he grabbed a wrench, and broke it in two. He and Jacky quickly rushed after Steaming, who was quickly making his way towards the shunting yards. 

"Steaming, wait up!" Shouted Emerald, as he came up next to the engineer. His face was pulled into an angry frown, and his eyes were piercing everything that was in his path. 

"You could at least try to clear me up man! Who is this 'Sans Pareil Stirling', and what does he have against us?" Asked Emerald. 

"He is Novelty Stirlings father. As for what he might have against us, his son is after my dads position as general manager, and wants to marry me so that he can run the railway once my parents are dead. And on the wedding party yesterday evening, he tried to... I don't even know what he wanted to do, but whatever it was, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it. Anyways, he rushed after me after I kindly rejected him-" 

"You kicked him in the jewels, right?" Asked Steaming with an unconvinced look. 

"...yeah." 

"That's my girlfriend." He chuckled as he kissed her briefly. 

"Well, after that I came to you, and I think you know the story from there. I guess Novelty framed you and Emerald for 'abducting' me and his father ordered some of the guys around here to catch the two of you." Said Jacky, as Steaming pondered thoughtfully. 

"If that's the case, we need to get back to Canterlot ASAP, before those birdbrains send the guards after us. We might've fought against them in the past as well, but we're beyond that now, right E?" 

"Yeah. It isn't fun anymore since they keep sending the weaklings against us. But how are we going to find our train in this mess?" Asked Emerald, as he pointed to the large line of trucks that indicated the border of the yards. 

Steaming looked around, and finally saw something. 

"Problem solved E! Lucky us that the signalmen got a crows nest here!" Grinned Steaming as he pointed to an high, rectangular building that stood tall in between the tracks. 

They quickly made their way up onto it via its staircase that was build on the outside of the building, and stopped when they were halfway up. They could see over the top of the truck roofs, and could see a stationary stream of smoke, coming from within the yards. 

"I think that's her!" Shouted Emerald. 

"Hm, she's pretty deep inside of it. How shall we get them out of there?!" Asked Steaming, as they heard a voice behind them. 

"OY! You! Your not allowed to be up here! Get back to the sheds." 

They turned around, and looked at a tall, slim man with light yellow hair, dressed in blue coveralls with an white shirt underneath it. The man stopped in his tracks when he noticed two men. 

"Trinity? Bambi? What the hell are you doing in Manehatten?!" Asked the man. 

"We could ask you the same question Bill!" Scoffed Steaming, as they starred at each other. 

Their stare down lasted around five seconds before they burst out laughing, high-fiving each other. 

"Jacky, this is locomotive Bill. He's an former signalman from Dodge. Say Bill, how come you ended up over here?" Asked Steaming. 

"Long story. How about you?" 

"Brought up a special excursion with the 'Polar Star', but some of the cleaners got bribed or something like that and hid her in the shunting yards." Said Steaming, as he pointed into the direction of the smoke. 

"Hm, they didn't slack on hiding her, that's for sure. Tell you what, I'll get that train out of the yards, and you three go and look around Manehatten for a bit. As far as I know, you two never visited the city, so count it off as an extended stay if you will. I'll call ahead to Canterlot so that they know what's happening." Suggested Bill. 

"Thanks Bill. But you don't need to." Said Emerald. 

"Oh but I do. We can't have the pride of Dodge Junction stuck in the yards amongst dirty old trucks, don't we?" Chuckled locomotive. 

"Hm, you've been listening to Golden Dome again, didn't you?" Smirked Steaming. 

"You know it." Smiled Bill, as Steaming and Emerald laughed. 

"Alright then, Jacky is it? Make sure those two don't blow Manehatten bridge up while they are in the town, and that they'll have a fun time in the city." Bill said to the girl. 

"Don't worry, I know exactly where to take these two." Smirked Jacky. 



They had been traveling through Manehatten for a few hours now, but Jacky still wouldn't tell them where they were heading. By all they knew, they felt like Jacky was taking them on a long sightseeing tour through the town, proven right when they passed the large road junction that she called 'Times Square'. Finally, Steaming had enough, and walked in front of Jacky to confront her. 

"Alright Jacky, we've been patient for long enough. Could you please tell us where the buck we are heading to?!" Snarled Steaming, annoyed at being kept in the dark for so long. 

"Sure. We're nearly there anyways." Smiled Jacky, not intimidated by the steamed up boy, as they walked around another corner. 

Steaming and Emeralds yaws hit the floor. In all their days, they have never seen so much water. The ocean spread for miles and miles both northwards and southwards, disappearing when the coastline bent around. 

"Wow..." They whispered. 

"I'm guessing you like my surprise?" Asked Jacky playfully. 

"This... This is..." Began Emerald. 

"Amazing..." Finished Steaming, awestruck by the scenery. 

"Now come on, don't just stand there! Let's go down to the sea!" Laughed Jacky, as she ran slightly ahead of the two of them, before turning around to them. 

Steamings yaw slacked a bit when he saw Jacky, the sea behind her being the perfect background for the beautiful girl in front of him, as she looked like an angel to him. 

"Simply amazing." Whispered Steaming with a small smile, as he picked up the pace and quickly followed after his girlfriend, Emerald chuckling to himself, having heard Steamings whisper. 



They made their way down a large stone stairway, and soon reached the golden beach that was at the end of it. It was mostly abandoned, with only a few other people in the distance. Jacky took of her shoes and motioned Steaming to do so as well. The engineer followed her lead, and once his shoes were safely placed next to hers, he was pulled off towards the water. Steaming shuddered a bit at the feeling of the cold water against his feet, but this quickly disappeared in favor of a comfortable feeling, as his body got accustomed to the water temperature. They quickly splashed through the water, laughing and giggling like kids, having way too much fun to notice the confused looks of the people they passed. After a little while, they slowed down and went for a calmer pace, as Jacky snuggled to Steamings arm, leaning against him as they made their way along the coastline. 

"You know, I never imagined I would ever be this happy." Said Steaming softly. 

"You don't need to imagine it. You have the real deal right here." Chuckled Jacky lightly, as Steaming pulled her even closer to him. 

"Hmhm, quite right. And you know what? I'll make double sure that nothing could ever change that." Smiled Steaming, kissing the girl on the cheek, getting a soft giggle in reply. 

"It's getting late. We should probably get back. They must've gotten the train out of the yards by now." Muttered Jacky. 

"Hm, seems like I'm in a pinch now. Either go back and do my honorable duty and bring my train back in record time, or screw it and keep staying here with you. Which one to choose, both sound so very tempting..." Purred the engineer, moving in to kiss his girl, only to meet with a finger, instead of a pair of lips. 

"As much as I would love to stay with you here, you are still engineer on the railway my father manages, and that means that I'm somewhat of an superior of yours. And as your superior, I order you to stick to your duty, so that you can keep your job, and" she gave him a quick peck on his lips. "Return on the next train to me." She finished, whispering the final part. 

Steaming had a slight glow on his cheeks, as he smiled a sly smile at his girlfriend. 

"Who am I to disagree with something my superior orders me to do?" Chuckled Steaming, as he quickly picked Jacky up, surprising the girl, who yelped slightly at the actions, and raced off back to where they started. 

"S-Steaming! What are you doing?!" Shouted Jacky, but couldn't contain her laughter, which made Steamings heart flutter at the sound. 

"Just making sure we are right on time my princess!" Replied Steaming with an grin, making Jacky blush at the nickname. 

"What's with the nickname? I as much a princess as you are the manager of the railway." She asked. 

"You are a princess in my eyes, and that's what counts." Whispered the engineer directly into her ear, making her blush even more, as he gave her a warm smile. 



They quickly reached the place where they had left their shoes, and couldn't help but feel a bit foolish when they saw that Emerald was there as well. They had completely forgotten about their third friend when they had rushed off. 

"Hey E! Sorry that we rushed off like that." Apologized Steaming. 

"Eh, it's alright. I saw how happy you two were, I wouldn't want to interrupt your alone time." Chuckled the other man, as Steaming place a hand on his shoulder. 

"Thanks lad. Now then! Let's get back to the shunting yards, shall we?" Said Steaming, as he put his shoes back on. 

"Sounds good! I was starting to get pretty bored out here anyways!" Grinned Emerald as he started off, leaving the other two behind. 

"Looks like our friend wants a race. Care to make him eat our dust?" Asked Steaming with a sly smile. 

"Hehe, I wouldn't mind, but I doubt I can ran that much in these shoes." Chuckled Jacky, since she was still wearing her high healed boots she wore for the wedding reception. 

"Don't worry, we've got that one covered!" Smirked Steaming, as he quickly scooped her up again. 

"Hold on tightly!" He laughed, and rushed off, while Jacky held onto his neck tightly, shouting and laughing wildly at the chase. 



It didn't took them more than 15 minutes before they reached the gates to the shunting yards, both men out of breath, but still with high spirits, grinning from ear to ear because of their little race. 

"Hehe, you never were the faster one of us two!" Smirked Steaming. 

"I never said I was! My blows are all the harder to make up for it though." Winked Emerald, as they started to walk towards the signal tower again. 

"Um, Steaming?" Asked Jacky. 

"What is it princess?" 

"Could you let me down?" Asked the girl, glowing slightly at being called princess again. 

"Let me think about it... No." Grinned the engineer, ask they climbed up the staircase to the actual workplace where the signalmen worked in. 

They were greeted by Bill, who smiled broadly when he saw Steaming carrying the woman in his arms. 

"Was about time you found yourself a proper girl Choo Choo boy! Good to know you finally got the boss's daughter out of your head, not like you had a chance at her or anything." Chortled Locomotive, as the trio in front of him gave each other knowing smirks. 

"Anyways, we've got your loco out of the shunting yards. She's waiting with her train next to the sheds, near the coaling plant." 

"Thank you Bill." Smiled Emerald. 

"No problem lads. See ya around." Waved Bill, turning around. 

"You know, before I forget it, I completely forgot to properly introduce my girlfriend to you." 

"Huh? What do you mean? You already told me her name is Jacky." 

"That's her nickname. He complete name is Junction Spike." Smirked the engineer, as Bill stiffed, and he was sure he heard his yaw hit the floor. 

"As in, Iron Spike's daughter, Junction Spike?" Asked the signalman with an shaky voice. 

"The one and only, Mr. Bill. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to get back to Canterlot. We can't let my father wait." Smirked Jacky, as they exited the signal tower, leaving a stunned Bill behind. 



They made their way across the yards to the sheds, where true to his words, the 'Polar Star' stood, hissing lightly to herself, waiting for her crew to return. 

"Am I glad to see the old girl again!" Sighted Emerald, lovingly rubbing his hand over the piston of the engine. 

"Agreed. Even though Manehatten was quite a nice city to visit, I'd much rather go back home to good old, calm and quiet Dodge Junction." Said Steaming with an slight yawn, finally placing Jacky back onto her own two feet again, before pulling her up onto the footplate as softly as he could, holding her closely as they stood near the cab entry. 

Before they could do anything else however, Emerald cleared his throat, pulling the attention to himself. 

"Not to spoil your mood or anything, but we are already pretty late, and knowing your boyfriend over here, he'd rather get run over than to be any minute further late." Chuckled Emerald, as Steaming rolled his eyes, before pulling Jacky with him towards the drivers seat. 

He sat down, shifting to make space for Jacky, who ignored the free space next to him for the free space in his lap. The young man blushed wildly, trying everything to keep the blood in his face or anywhere further above his belt. He grabbed the whistle cord and tugged it shortly, before pulling it a further two times, this time longer, the railways whistle code for "Engine requesting path". After a few minutes, the signal for their track changed from red to a white light. Signals in the yards usually used a white light to indicate that the path for a train that would move within the yard limits was free to proceed, so that they wouldn't mistake the signal as that they could proceed further down the mainline. Steaming slowly opened the regulator, and they steady beat of the steaming shooting out of the funnel rang in their ears once more, as they slowly moved away from the sheds, and along the line at a steady pace of 15mph. They soon reached a further signal set to 'danger', but before Steaming could even reach for the brakes, the arm lifted, giving them the all clear to move. Steaming pulled the regulator wide open, as the bark increased in volume, copied by the trains speed, which climbed steadily with every meter they moved forward. 

"We're coming home." Muttered Jacky with a smile. 

"Better let them know we're coming then, aye?" Smirked Steaming, as he gripped the whistle cord, making the chime whistle rang through the air, as they started their way on the long journey back home. 



It has been a few uneventful hours, as they were nearing the Capitol of their country. Jacky had fallen asleep once again mid journey, and was cuddling with Steaming, who was once again in high spirits. 

"Nearly there Emerald old chap." Smiled Steaming, as Emerald finished stocking the fire. 

"Old chap? Since when did you start calling me like that?" Chuckled Emerald, raising an eyebrow playfully. 

"Since today! Seems fitting to you." Chuckled the engineer in return, as they plunged into the Canterlot tunnel, with Steaming wisely shutting off steam and keeping his hand away from the lever. 

They rolled through the tunnel, not losing so much speed as they did on the run to Manehatten, since they didn't had a full load in front of them to hold them down. When they reached the other end of the tunnel however, they were surprised to see a yellow distance signal in front of them, indicating that a red home signal would be coming up. 

"Huh, looks like dispatch has raised the flags. Wonder what they want from us." Muttered Steaming, as he brought the train to an slow stop at the red signal, right in the middle of the yard. 

The engine men duo looked around, waiting for a dispatcher or a signalman to arrive, but nobody came. 

"Hey E, don't you think this is a bit strange?" Asked Steaming quietly. 

"Yeah, I know the signalmen are a slow bunch, but even they know that they shouldn't leave a track blocked that long." 

"Not that! ...Well, maybe that as well, but look around! The yards are abandoned!" Exclaimed Steaming. 

Indeed, the yards were dark and quiet. Usually, there would've been a slow goods train coming through, or at least a small shunter, pushing some trucks past them, but there was nothing. The shunting yards of Canterlot, were silent. 

"I don't like this. Something must be up!" Grumbled Steaming, as he softly shook Jacky awake. 

"Jacky, Emerald and I need to get down for a few seconds. Something is off about the yards, and we need to see if everything is alright. I trust you to guard the train?" Asked Steaming, as Jacky smiled at him. 

"Of course you can. I'll make sure nobody gets on board without permission." Said the girl with a soft smile, making Steamings heart flutter. 

"Hehe, you're working your way up the railway ladder. You already sound like a conductor!" Chuckled Steaming, before giving Jacky a soft peck on the lips. 

The two men slowly climbed down from the cab, standing next to their engine with their guard up, their hands close to their revolvers, in case of an ambush. Steaming set a cautious step forward, as from all around them, lights flickered up, blinding the two men, as a large amount of men rushed up to them, attempting to restrain them. Steaming and Emerald, although startled, quickly fought back, pushing and punching the men away from them. It only took a few minutes before the men had been dealt with, but reinforcements quickly rushed at them. Steaming was just about to punch another one of the men into his dreams, when he saw one of the ones he had already knocked out. A royal guard. 

"Mother of-! Emerald! Stop fighting! Those guys are royal guards!" Shouted Steaming, getting out of his fighting stance, as some of the guards quickly restrained him, placing cuffs on his wrists, a further two men did the same with Emerald. 

"In the name of princess Celestia, you two are under arrest!" Said a voice from beyond the lights. 

"Oy mate! If you would've told us that you guys are guards, we wouldn't have beaten some of your guys up. On the side note, WHY THE HELL ARE WE UNDER ARREST?!" Shouted Steaming. 

"For kidnapping of Junction Spike, assaulting Novelty Stirling, restraining against law enforcers, and purposely injuring 23 people in the sheds of Manehatten!" 

"It were 24 you idiot!" Barked Emerald. 

"Thank you for your confession." Said the voice, the smirk audible in it, as Steaming tried to facepalm, only to stop when the cuffs on his hands prevented that. 

"Hey, we didn't kidnap Jacky! We rescued her from some lunatic wannabe noble punk who was after her! You can ask her yourself, she's in the cab!" Shouted Steaming. 

"How dare you badmouth my son like that?! You should be grateful I told the guards not to shoot you when you assaulted their men!" Came the smug reply, as out of the lights, the smiling faces of Sans Pareil and Novelty Stirling stepped forwards towards them. 

"You! You framed us that we kidnapped Jacky! Grrr, if I weren't cuffed up, I'd punch that stupid look right out of your stupid face!" Growled Steaming, enraged about the presence of the persons who wanted to use his girlfriend for the sake of the ownership of the railway. 

"So it really was the filthy shunting runt who danced with my precious Jacky at the reception. How foolish of myself to not notice you right at the spot. You should've kept your hands off of her, you mutt. But it isn't to late to repair all this. All you have to do, is to hand over my Junction and vow to never lay your eyes on her again, and you and your friend here can leave on this train back to your dirty little sheds." Offered Novelty, whispering into Steamings ear, whilst the engineers eyes narrowed at the offer. 

"What do you say?" Asked the noble with an smug smile, as Steaming head butted him, breaking his nose in the process, making the man scream in pain. 

"No chance whimp! And even if I'd agree with you, it wouldn't work, 'cause there is an huge error in your plan, namely that Jacky wouldn't go out with you, even if you were the last bastard left on the whole continent!" Smirked Steaming, as Novelty whipped the blood from his face. 

"Bring them to the outpost, they'll stay there until the court will see them!" Shouted a voice, probably the superior of the guards, as Steaming and Emerald were pushed away. A few further guards climbed on board of the engine, but were shocked to see that Jacky wasn't there. 

"Sir! The girl isn't here!" Shouted the soldier closest to the cab entry. 

"She isn't in the coaches either sir!" Came a voice form the coaches. 

"They must've hid her somewhere in Manehatten! We'll find her, even if we have to squeeze the answer out of those two!" Barked the commanding officer, as Sans Pareil and Novelty smirked broadly. Their plan was working beautifully. 



Meanwhile, Jacky was hiding in between two trucks, having jumped from the engine when she heard the voices from the two Stirlings. She quickly disappeared from within the couplings, and followed the two railway men from the safe distance of the other side of the trucks, until she saw Steaming and Emerald being pushed inside a horse drawn coach, with the windows blocked via iron pipes. She saw Steaming looking out of the window, his eyes searching through the yards until they landed on her. He smiled, and winked, before blowing her a kiss as the coach began to move out of the yards towards the guards outpost. Jacky smiled, before a determined look went on her face. She would make sure that both Novelty and his father wouldn't come through with this. But first, she needed to make a few visits...
> Courtroom trials
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He's a really useful engine, you know. 

All the other engines they'll tell you so! 

He huffs and puffs and whistles, 

Rushing to and through, 

He's a really useful engine we adore" 

"Can you please shut up?! I can't even think with you singing around like that!" 

"I know, but if it annoys you, then it pisses the guys up at the counter even more off, and that's my goal." 

"He's a really useful engine, you know. 

'Cause the Fat Controller, he told him so! 

Now he's got a Branchline, 

To call his very own! 

He's a really useful engine we adore!" 

"I know, but can't you use a song that is a little bit less cringeworthy?" 

"Hey! I like that book series! And on top of that, it isn't that bad!" 

"You know what, you're right." 

"Told yo-" 

"It's waaaaaaay worse than that." 

"Oh screw you. 

He's the one, he's the one, 

He's the really useful engine, that we adore! 

He's the one, he's the number one, 

Thomas the tank engine! 

He's the really useful engine we adore!" 

"Will you two finally stop talking?! Or do we have to get in there and shut you up ourselves?!" Cried a voice from the other end of the hallway, as Steaming burst out laughing. 

"Just come at me loudmouth! I can take you on!" Shouted Steaming in reply. 

The two men had been in the outpost for three days now, and word had quickly spread throughout the city, as well as Dodge Junction about the rouge railwaymen and their kidnapping. Jacky had quietly made her way back to her father, however he had to promise her to not tell anything to anyone, something he begrudgingly agreed on. However, while Iron kept silent, both Sans Pareil and Novelty did the exact opposite. They did everything to make the two railwaymen look like dangerous, crazy hillbillies, who wouldn't be scared to kill somebody if they had to. However, once the first few articles about them came out, their friends quickly came to their aid, not physically, but in matters of restoring their good name, telling the people about their heroic deeds, and what catastrophes and near catastrophes they had already helped to avoid. This reached its climax when even the princesses themselves spoke about their bravery and good will. However, even though they were grateful for the support they got from their friends, they couldn't be bailed out by any of them. They had, if only partly, confessed to their crimes, and as such, would be sent to the court no matter what. Another thing their friends couldn't help with, was the gigantic amount of boredom they had. They craved to do something, anything so that they wouldn't loose their minds in their cells, but so far, nothing came to rescue them from their forced vacation. At least, that was until Steaming began to sing. He had a deep and booming voice, which rang through the cell block and annoyed the guards immensely, so far so that they had already moved in numerous times to shut him up by force, only to be thrown out by their collars, beaten up and taking in some of Steamings pent up energy. Since then, Steaming hadn't stopped singing, finally finding a way to take his mind off of things. 



The guard who shouted at Steaming, who had just started his shift, stood up with an furious look in his eyes, grabbing his baton and moving towards the open doorway to the cell block, only to be stopped by the older guard who was leaning back in his seat. 

"Take my advice and ignore him kid. It's safer that way." Reasoned the older one. 

"Pah! You scared of an cheeky railway engineer? We've got the keys, and the batons! And what does he has?!" 

"He's got 5 of our guys sent home early because he knocked the lights out of them." 

"Oy! What's up whims?! Too scared of the big bad engineer?! Some fine guards you lot are!" Laughed Steaming from his cell. 

"Alright, that's it, I'm going to teach that bastard a lesson!" Snarled the younger guard, and rushed towards the cell block. A few seconds later, the sound of slapping and pained grunts could be heard, before the younger guard flew back through the door frame, crashing against the wall on the opposite side. The older guard sighted. 

"Six guards." He sighted, as the door opened. 

"What is it?" He asked, as another guard walked in, followed by Iron Spike and another person. 

"These two want to speak to the prisoners. Since they are his employees, Mr Spike wanted to speak to them in person." Explained the guard. 

"And who's the other one?" 

"This is my secretary. Running a railway is tough, time consuming business, and he helps me keep track of the time and my schedule." Explained Iron. 

"Alright, proceed." Said the older one, as Iron and his secretary walked through the doorframe into the cell block. 

They made their way to the only two occupied cells, where they were greeted by an bored-out-of-his-mind Steaming, and an equally bored Emerald. 

"Afternoon gents." Said Iron politely. 

"Afternoon boss." Came the collective reply from the duo. 

"So, here to throw us on the streets, right?" Asked Steaming dully, with an sad smile on his face. 

"Why would I do that?! You two are some of the finest and prosperous engine men since Steamings parents! I would be nuts to throw you two out!" Laughed Iron. 

"Huh, and I thought, after all this badmouthing from those Stirling bastards, we would've been throw from the rails in a heartbeat." Smiled Emerald. 

"Stirling and his brat might've been quite active in badmouthing you two, but I've know you two for longer than he did, and I know what kind of persons you two are, and I have all the informations about what really happened on and since the wedding night right here." Smirked the railway manager, as his 'secretary' removed her cloak, reviling Jacky, who winked at the duo. 

Steaming jumped up, his grin as large as the Canterlot main station, as he opened his mouth to shout, but was cut off by Jacky, who pressed her hand on his mouth. 

"Shhhh! If they know I'm here, then the whole plan will be compromised." Whispered the girl. 

"Huh? What plan?" Asked Emerald. 

"My plan to show the judges that the two of you are completely innocent, and that Novelty is the actual criminal." Smiled Jacky. 

"Hm, sounds like quite a big plan. Care to explain?" Asked the fireman again, Steaming still having his mouth covered by his girlfriends hand. 

"Sure." Giggled Jacky, finally withdrawing her hand from Steaming. 

"Seeing that you two have partly confessed that you were the cause for those 24 guys in Manehatten to land in the hospital, you'll be brought to the judge tomorrow afternoon. They'll be asking you the question again, and will also ask you if you kidnapped me. That's where we jump into action. I talked with the girls from the group 'harmony', and they agreed to help us get you two out of the bunk. Once the judges hear what really happened at the wedding reception, and how crazy Novelty got while trying to catch me, they'll release you out of here in no time! You two will be off the hook, and Stirling will suffer the humiliation from framing you two for kidnapping." Smirked Jacky. 

"Hm, nice thought, but there are some flaws, mainly the fact that Steaming and I are indeed guilty in taking those blimps out. What'll happen after we confessed to them about that?" Asked Emerald. 

"I wouldn't worry about them. We've talked to those guys, and they've explained how they have been bribed by Sans Pareil to harm you. It had been nothing more than self defense. And if they do want to charge you for it, I'll buy you two out." Grinned Iron. 

"That's mighty generous of your sir." Said Steaming. 

"Hey, you kids worked over the last few years without a real payment. Given, we give you food, water and a place to sleep, but after what you kids did over the last few months for us and especially the whole country, it's the least I can do. And in the end, it's all for the sake of the family, isn't it?" Winked Iron, as Steaming blushed in embarrassment. 

"How did you-?" 

"Like I said. I have all the information about what happened during, and after the reception right here." Chuckled Iron, before putting his hand through the iron bars, and placing it on Steamings shoulder. 

"You know, I'm proud that you finally found the might to tell her." Said the man calmly. 

"Thank you sir." 

"But" he continued, pulling him close to the door, staring him in the eyes. "if you ever dare to hurt my little Junction, then I'll hurt you, and I swear, it will be much, much worse." He whispered, while Steaming stared with determination into the eyes of his boss. 

"I wouldn't even dream of doing such a thing. She is way to precious for me to ever see her harmed." Stated Steaming, while Iron smiled fondly. 

"Hehe, I knew you'd say that. Welcome to the family Whistle." Chuckled the railway manager. 

"Hey, visiting time is over!" Came the call from the guard. 

"We have to go now. We'll see you two tomorrow in the courtroom." Said Iron, as he turned to go. 

Jacky stood next to the iron door, her eyes moving to meet Steamings gaze, before they quickly moved towards each other, kissing each other passionately through the iron bars, before withdrawing from each other. 

"I-I'll see you tomorrow." Panted Jacky. 

"Y-yeah, tomorrow." Gasped Steaming, slightly out of breath, following Jacky with his eyes as she disappeared through the doorframe. 

"You alright mate?" Chuckled Emerald, who had to witness the whole scene from his cell. 

"OY! YOU STUPID GUARDS! DIDN'T YOU PROMISE TO SHUT ME UP YOURSELVES?! COME AT ME THEN WILL YA! I'LL TAKE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU OUT MYSELF!" Laughed Steaming, shouting through the corridor, as Emerald cringed, squeezing his eyes shut at the embarrassing situation that Steaming pulled upon himself. 

"On a second thought, maybe the singing wasn't that bad..." Muttered the fireman to himself, as the first few guards raced in, their intentions clear when they opened the cell door to Steamings cell. 



The infirmary of the guards outpost had to do double shifts that night. 



Like Jacky told them, both railway men were brought to the court building early the next afternoon. They were led to a large room, where they were lead to an table at the front of the bench rows. To their left were Sans Pareil and Novelty Stirling, with the younger of the two having a bandage over his nose, a reminder of their last 'meeting'. The judge walked into the room, and everybody stood up. Everybody that was, except of Steaming and Emerald. 

"Hey, do you know why they are all standing?" Asked Emerald. 

"Maybe they're checking if the benches are freshly painted? Better go with the flow and stand up as well." Chuckled Steaming, before motioning for his partner to stand up as well. 

"Take your seats." The judge said, as they all sat down again. 

"We shall now begin the case, the country of Equestria against Whistle Steaming and Emerald Heart. The charges are: kidnapping, frontal assault on 25 persons and restraining against law enforcement officials. Did the charged ones chose a defender?" Asked the judge, looking at the two men, who only gave each other confused looks. 

"Is it bad if we didn't?" Asked Steaming. 

"Well, yes. That is, if you don't want to defend yourselves." Said the judge, a bit confused about the question. 

"We'll defend ourselves then! Nothing we're not used to." Smiled Steaming. 

"And which one of you is going to be the defender?" Asked the judge again. 

"You can do that Steaming. You're better in such things." Yawned Emerald, leaning back into his seat as Steaming chuckled lightly. 

"Alright, I'll do it." Smiled Steaming. 

"Good. We shall continue now with the stating of the charges." Said the judge, as one of the lawyers stepped up with an piece of paper in his hand. 

"On Thursday, the 23rd of August, the here present Whistle Steaming and Emerald Heart abducted the daughter of the manager of the Equestrian National Railway, the 16 year old Ms. Junction Spike, out of motives not yet known to the jury. They escaped the crime scene under the cover of their duty, as they worked on a chartered excursion train to Manehatten. Whilst they were in Manehatten, they assaulted a group of 24 workmen in the motive power depot of said city. The reason for this crime is again unknown. Both men were captured on their return journey to Dodge Junction in Canterlot, but Ms. Spike has yet to be found. We suspect that she is still held somewhere within Manehatten." Said the lawyer, before the judge turned to the two railwaymen. 

"Do you have anything to say about these accusations?" 

"Certainly your honors! Except the fact that we fought with those cleaners in the sheds in Manehatten, everything is just as you said, an accusation. We never kidnapped Jacky, we helped her escape from a crazed lunatic who tried to do Celestia knows what with her if he'd caught her." Answered Steaming. 

"How dare you call my son such names?!" Came the raised voice of Sans Pareil, pointing his finger threateningly towards Steaming. 

"I wouldn't be so jumpy, Mr. Stirling. After all, I never took your sons name in my mouth. But yes, it was your son who chased her, and I don't want to imagine what he would've done if he had caught her a second time." Retorted Steaming calmly, a small smile on his face. 

"What do you mean with 'a second time', Mr. Steaming?" Asked the judge. 

"Well your honors, he actually caught up with Junction in the crowd that was surrounding the rear part of the excursion. However, if it wasn't for Rainbow Dashs interception, he most likely would've succeeded in the act." Answered Steaming, as a low murmur rang through the public seats behind them, before the judge hit his hammer on the table. 

"Quiet! Mr. Steaming, are you saying that Ms. Rainbow Dash, member of her majesty's learning and prospering group 'Harmony', had been involved in this case?" Asked the judge. 

Steaming turned around, eying the public ranks, till he found Iron Spike, sitting next to his wife in the middle of the crowd. He was smiling a knowing smile, as he winked at the engineer. 

"You can ask her that question yourself. Mr. Spike! Are they ready?" Asked Steaming, looking at his boss. 

"Waiting outside boy!" Chortled the man, as he whistled, and the doors to the room were opened. 

However, instead of the group 'Harmony', only Jacky stood there. However, the whole room (baring Steaming, Emerald, Iron and his wife) was shocked by the appearance of the girl. 

"Sorry Steaming! They've been held up! They won't be coming here!" Said Jacky. 

"My dearest Junction! You've returned! You escaped these kidnappers!" Shouted Novelty, wanting to race to her, but being held back by his father, who shortly pointed at Steaming, who glared daggers at the noble, restraining himself not to go over to them and punch their lights out. 

"No Novelty. I didn't escape." Answered Jacky curtly. 

"Did they set you free then, Ms. Spike?" Asked the judge. 

"No, none of it, since they didn't kidnap me! They saved me from Novelty. He was chasing after me, and I don't even want to know what he would've done to me if he got a hold on me back then." Retorted Jacky, as further murmurs went through the public ranks, with all eyes being directed towards Novelty, who was sitting calmly next to his father. 



"Psst, Steaming." Whispered Emerald, winking his friend over. 

"I don't like it. He's too calm. As if he knows what we are trying to pull off!" Whispered Emerald, while Steaming eyed the noble. 

"Hmm, you're right with one thing. He's too calm for somebody who's cover just blew. Keep your guard up, we might need to reroute our plan." Whispered Steaming back, just as the judge calmed the people down again. 

"Mr. Stirling. Do you have anything to say about this?" Asked the judge. 

"Yes your honors. It appears that, while she was held against her will by these two, they must've brainwashed her into defending her kidnappers." Said Novelty with a smug smile on his face. 

"Seriously? You couldn't come up with an better excuse?" Chuckled Emerald, as Steaming held his hand up. 

"Mr. Stirling. Do you really want the judge to believe such a far fetched story? Neither Emerald, nor I have any knowledge as for how to brainwash a person, much less so do we have any knowledge about anybody who knows how to do it. It would've been a far better, and plausible theory, to plainly say that she had amnesia or something like that. Given, this could easily be proven false, but it would've been much more believable than this story." Said Steaming, unable to hide the smirk on his face, as Novelty went red with anger. 

"Mr. Steaming, that will be enough, thank you." Said the judge, stopping things before they escalated. 

"Seeing that Ms. Spike has returned safe and sound, and that she cleared up the situation with Mr. Steaming and Mr. Heart, the charge of kidnapping will be dropped. However, the charge of assault will still be held up." Said the judge. 

This time, the faces of the two Stirlings fell. However, a man stood up, and raised his voice. He had a bandage around his head and his arm in a sling. 

"Your honors, I am one of the 24 men that went to hospital because of these two. I came here in name of all of us because I had the lightest injuries, and we'd like to drop the charge against them. More so, we'd like to confess that we were bribed by Mr. Sans Pareil Stirling to send them into hospital instead, and bring Ms. Spike here to him." Said the man, as Sans Pareil quickly turned towards him, his face red with anger, but his eyes showing fear. 

"You'll be quiet, or I'll make sure that you and your pals will be out of your duty in a heartbeat!" Snarled Sans Pareil, his calm demeanor long gone. 

"I would suggest that you hold your tongue, Mr. Stirling. You might be one of the managing directors, but I still outrank you, meaning that my voice weights more in the long run." Said Iron Spike with an even, but all the more threatening tone. 

"If the men from Manehatten want to drop the charge, there is nothing more to say to that. The only charge against them now are from Novelty Stirling, frontal assault and resistance against law enforcement." Said the judge, as one of the lawyers off side was ticking off the charges that were held against the duo. 

"We'd like to confess to those two crimes. The resistance against law enforcement was, more or less, a mistake; we thought that it would be more rail workers who were bribed by Mr. Stirling to take us out." 

"And the broken nose towards the younger Mr. Stirling?" Asked the judge. 

"My answer to his offer. I doubt he'll make a similar one again." Smirked Steaming, while Novelty was gnashing his teeth. 

"What offer?" Asked the judge again. 

"Oh, just the offer, our freedom in trade for Jacky." 

"I never made such an offer!" Shouted Novelty, enraged. 

"To be honest, I don't really care if you are lying anymore, because it won't change anything. It's literally my word against yours." Mused Steaming, his victorious smile making Novelty seethe in anger. 

The judge swung his hammer again, preventing that the argument could escalate any further. 

"Mr. Steaming, like you said, it is your word against Mr. Stirlings. Do you have any proof that this claim is true?" 

"No, I don't. I'd like to say that only somebody guilty would burst into a shout like this, but that won't be enough of an evidence. All we can say, is that we are sorry that we mistook the guards and that we beat them up, and that Novelty deserved it." Said Steaming, before taking a seat next to Emerald. 

"Mr. Heart, do you have anything to add to the situation?" Asked the judge. 

"No. Steaming told you everything you needed to know. Everything he said, is the whole honest truth, and a train shall run us over if we we're lying." Said Emerald, before the room fell silent for a few seconds. 

"The jury will now retreat to decide upon your penalty." Said the judge, as the jury retreated out of their stand, and out of the room. 



Steaming leaned back into his seat, his throat dry after talking so much, before he took a glass of water that stood on the table, downing it slowly. 

"Nice talk lad. You'd make a great lawyer if you weren't hell bent on working on the rails." Chuckled Emerald. 

"Hehe, that would be the third job I'd be good at. Engineer, marksman, and lawyer." Chuckled Steaming, as his eyes turned towards the two Stirlings, who were sitting at their table, scowls on their faces as they talked to each other. 

"Looks like the losers are admitting defeat to one another." Smiled the engineer, as Emerald grinned. 

"Well, they should've known better. Nobody can outwit a railway man, much less two of them." He said, just as the jury entered the room again, and took their seats. 

"We've come to an decision. The engineer Whistle Steaming and the fireman Emerald Heart, are guilty in the points of frontal assault and resistance against law enforcement. However, seeing that they were not fighting to harm them per se, we've decided that they shall serve 20 days of community work in the form of extra shifts on the railway, without payment. Furthermore, they will be forced to pay 100 bits each towards Mr. Novelty Stirling, in form of reparations to his injuries." Said the man closest to the judge. 

Steaming and Emerald smiled broadly, high fiving each other underneath the table, while Novelty and Sans Pareil cursed quietly to themselves. Their plan had failed miserably. 

"Your honors, I'd like to pay the fee for the two lads!" Shouted Iron from his seat, the judge turning to him a bit puzzled. 

"Um, very well then, Mr. Spike." Said the Judge, while Iron pulled out his purse and handed Sans Pareil the money. 

But before any of the Stirlings could move, they were stopped by a pair of guards. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" Snarled Sans Pareil. 

"Sans Pareil Stirling, I hereby arrest you. The charges are of false accusations, assistance of an kidnapping attempt and attempted frontal assault." Stated one of the lawyers, as the older Stirling was escorted by the guards to their carriage, to be brought back to the outpost. 

Novelty followed his father till he was put inside the carriage, and looked after the disappearing vehicle until it was out of sight. He turned around, and saw how Steaming, Emerald, Jacky and her parents walked down the sidewalk, heading towards their home to celebrate their small victory. 

"Just you wait you engine driving mutt. You'll pay for humiliating the Stirlings." He growled, before making his way towards his own home. 



They returned to Jackys home, where Iron and his wife congratulated the three of them. 

"You kids were brilliant! You really showed Sans Pareil and his kid up!" Laughed Iron, patting both men on their shoulders, before giving his daughter a hug. 

"I doubt they'll try anything like that again." Chortled Emerald. 

"I wouldn't be so cocky E. We beat them today, but they are still not on their knees. They'll be out for revenge, they are stuck up and take any attack to their pride deeply. I'd say we better be on our guard for the time being, who knows, maybe Novelty will try to abduct Jacky again?" Said Steaming, with an rare mixture of concern and sternness in his voice. 

"You have a point there." Said Emerald after a few seconds in which he pondered over his words. 

"Well, I don't think they'll be having an easy game with you two, not after the whole ordeal we just went through. However, I am a bit concerned about you Jacky." Said Iron, as he looked at his daughter. 

"Please dad, I can defend myself. Steaming and Emerald would agree, don't you?" She asked the duo. 

"Yeah, she might look fragile, but she can surely take a blimp like Novelty out of commission." Chuckled Steaming, while his girlfriend hit him on the shoulder. 

"See? She ain't afraid to get her hands dirty!" Laughed Steaming. 

"Still, it would be better if she would stay somewhere else for the time being. Just for a few weeks, a month maximum, just to make sure that she'll be completely safe from harm." Said the railway manager, a glint in his eyes that Steaming picked up. 

"Dad, I don't need to be given asylum somewhere! I'll be fine!" Pleaded Jacky. She thought she would be sent to her aunt in Vanhoover, meaning that she wouldn't see Steaming again anytime soon. 

"Junction, this is for your own good. Please understand that." Said Iron, as Jacky just scoffed, turned on her heels and stormed off. 

"Any information as to where she'll be sent?" Asked Steaming, a glint of hope in his tone. 

"She'll be staying in Ponyville for the time being. The girls from the group 'Harmony' will be happy to spent some time with her, and will make sure she'll be safe as well if the situation will be explained to them." Answered Iron, as Steamings face fell. 

He had hoped that Jacky would be staying with him in Dodge. 

"Anyways, I suggest that you kids should spend the night here. No doubt that Westing will mind it if you stay here for a few more hours." Suggested the man, now turned to the two younger ones. 

"Very well sir." Nodded the two boys, as the elderly butler walked them to their room for the night. 



Once they had settled into their rooms, the same ones they occupied the night all those years ago when they were just little kids, Steaming left his room to check up on Jacky. However, since he had no idea which one of the rooms was Jackys, he just had to try every door in the house. After a number of rooms, including Irons office room and a room that was completely occupied by an large model railway set, he finally came up to an door that he felt looked like it would led him to his girlfriends room. He slowly opened it and looked inside, giving a silent sight of relief. Jackys room was a bit larger than his own, with three large windows on the opposite side of the room, a large bed, next to an desk. A large wardrobe stood next to the desk, and shelves and cupboards occupied the final wall. Some photos lined the walls, of herself, her friends and family, with another one right above her bed. Steaming smiled when he saw it. It was taken a few years ago when Steaming visited her on one of his days off. They had been playing in her garden, when they found a small hole in the fence, which separated it from one of the old railway embankments of the underground railway. They walked all the way until they reached the first tunnel. They called inside and giggled when they heard their echo. However, their voices caused some of the soot and ashes on the tunnel roof to come down onto them, covering them in a black blanket. They laughed and joked about each other while making their way back to Jackys home, where they were promptly scolded for ruining their clothes and sent to wash themselves. Steaming was ripped out of his trip with his memory train, when the door to the bathroom opened, making space for Jacky, who was wearing a bathrobe. Upon seeing Steaming, she quickly closed the door again, slamming it shut with an bang. 

"What are you doing I'm my room?!" Asked Jacky, embarrassed about the whole situation. 

"I wanted to see if you're alright! You were pretty steamed up when you went up here!" Answered Steaming. 

"That's because my dad will sent me away, and knowing him, he'll be sending me to my aunt in Vanhoover!" Explained Jacky. 

What?! Why do you think they'll sent you there?!" Asked Steaming, confused. 

"Because we only have one relative who is still living in Equestria! The others either left the country to explore the world, or died already!" Answered Jacky. 

"Wow, that's kinda dark." 

"I know. Could you give me my clothes please? I left them on my chair!" Called Jacky from the bathroom, as Steaming walked towards Jackys chair, a blush creeping over his cheeks as he picked up the stack of clothes, on top of which rested Jackys underwear. 

"Found them!" Called Steaming, trying to control his voice so that it wouldn't crack out of nervousness. 

He walked to the door, which quickly opened, and a hand grabbed the pile, pulling it inside. 

"Thanks!" Came Jackys voice, while Steaming tried to stop the images of Jacky in her underwear to form inside his head. 



Jacky soon came out of her bathroom, now dressed in a short, green sun dress, with green shoes. Steamings blush returned again when he saw her. 

"Will that be your standard greeting to me now?" Joked Jacky, as Steaming shook his head. 

"Well, if you keep being so cute and irresistible, I think it will." Retorted Steaming as he took a large step forward to stand right in front of her. 

They looked into each other's eyes with smug grins on their faces, before they completely reduced the distance between them for a lengthy, passionate kiss. Even thought it had only been a day since they last kissed, it was already a day too long for both of them. They hungrily kissed each other, Jackys arms already around the engineers neck, while said man had his arms around her waist. Steaming could feel Jackys tongue, trying to get into his mouth. He smirked into the kiss, allowing her entrance, and began to caress her tongue with his own. The girl moaned lightly into the kiss, her hands having moved from his neck to his chest, slowly but steadily opening the buttons of his jacket. When the final button was off, he slipped it off his shoulders, throwing it into an seemingly random direction, throwing it directly onto her chair. 

'Hehe, still got it.' He chuckled to himself, but the thoughts in his mind quickly went back to the girl in front of him, as his kisses travelled away from her mouth, and down her neck. 

Jackys moans increased in volume, as Steaming stopped at her collarbone, kissing and sucking it, leaving a hickey for the world to see. 

"Uhh.. Steaming. How shall I- ahh.. Shall I cover that one up?" Moaned Jacky, as Steaming moved up to kiss her again. 

"You don't. I want the world to see who you belong to, so that nobody gets the same ideas like Novelty did." Steaming answered, his voice low, nearly purring at her. 

Jacky answered him with a further, deep kiss. Steaming surely didn't needed to imagine Jacky in her underwear once the night was over... 



Emerald was downstairs in the kitchen with the butler Ramsbottom, helping the elderly man to prepare dinner. He enjoyed cooking, and always liked to learn new recipes. It was usually him who prepared their meals back in Dodge, and as the fireman, he was always the cook in the cab. He had just finished cooking some steaks, when Ramsbottom called out to him. 

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Heart. It is getting harder and harder to do the chores around the house with my progressing age, so a pair of helping hands is always appreciated." Said the elderly man with an slight chuckle. 

"No problem, and please, call me Emerald. Anyways, why does Mr. Spike keeps you as his butler, if you agree that you are getting too old for the job?" Asked Emerald, before noticing how rude his question was. 

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't wanted to sound rude! It's just, you should've retired from your job if you think you can't do it anymore." Emerald quickly added, but Ramsbottom only waved him off with a smile. 

"No worries young one! I get these questions all the time. It's just that I can't abandon Mr. Spike just yet. He might be a great manager, for an even greater company, but he is very hard on himself. If he finds a problem, he'll work on it till he collapses from exhaustion. Me and lady Spike work on keeping him from overdoing it, but sometimes, even we can't keep him from it. Lady Spike is a very busy woman, she is a representative for the railway, and as for that, is mostly on her travels around the country to promote the railway, or to attend to major meetings with town representatives for consultations. And young Jacky is always somewhere else, and now, with the situation with Mr. Stirling, and her new relationship with your friend, I am concerned that he might overwork himself when I'm not around." Explained the man, as he placed the dinner on the plates for tonight's attendees. 

"You seem to be pretty close to Mr. Spikes wellbeing." 

"I knew him since his birth, and saw him grew into the position of his father as railway manager. He is somewhat of an son to me, and I just don't want to see him harm himself. He is pretty dense when it comes to his own health." Explained Ramsbottom with an chuckle at the end. 

"I know what you are talking about..." Muttered Emerald, a certain engineer coming to his mind. 

"Anyways, could you call Mr. Spike and the other children down please? I will call for lady Spike myself once I've prepared the dining room." Asked the butler, before Emerald nodded, making his way out of the kitchen towards the stairs. 

He climbed to the second floor, and soon reached the large double doors that led to the office of Iron Spike. He knocked, before stepping inside. 

"Hello Emerald, what can I do for you?" Asked Iron from his large chair, that had its back to the large windows of the room. 

"Mr. Ramsbottom sent me. He asked me to call you for dinner." Explained Emerald. 

"Oh, is it dinner time already?" Asked the man, looking at the large clock that hung on the wall. 

"I'll be with you in a minute. Say, Emerald. I heard from Westing that you and Steaming are still working on that coach of yours in Dodge Junction. How far did you get with it?" Asked Iron. 

"Nearly done. Westing said that there might be a pair of bogie wheels for us to use from one of the old trucks that got scrapped a few days ago. But I'm not sure if we're going to restore the through brake pipe. Steaming said in case we need to travel with it we'd need to have it working, but I doubt we'll ever need to move that thing. After all, Dodge is our home. We'll return there anyways, even if we have such long runs like the one up to Manehatten." Said Emerald, before he turned to the door and walked out of it again. 

Iron turned in his chair, smiling at the fact that Jacky had been right about investing in an swirling chair for his office, before lifting the earpiece of his phone to his ear again, and lifting the speaker to his mouth. 

"Hmhm. Yes. I had the same thought as well. Do you think they'll get it ready in time? Good. Goodbye." Said the railway manager, before cutting the connection, and placing the phone on the table, getting up to make his way to the dining hall. 



Emerald was walking down the hallway towards the room in which Steaming had made his quarters. He stopped in front and knocked, but he got no reply. 

"Sleeping already?" Asked Emerald, but wasn't holding a grudge against the idea. The day was long, and since the last four days they had to sleep on a badly worn, rock hard mattress, the call for a real bed was growing louder and louder with every minute he thought about the subject. 

He opened the door, and walked inside, knowing that Steaming never locked the door. He was surprised to see the room vacant however, the bed neatly done, as if nobody had rest in it since it had been made. 

"Hmm, where did you go Trinity..." Muttered Emerald to himself, before he deadpanned. 

"Why do I even have to ask? There's only one place in the whole bloody house he'd be going to!" Grumbled the railway man, before walking off towards Jackys room. 

He had as much luck as Steaming though, and had to view every room for itself in order to find the searched room. But that was only until he heard the noise. Quiet at first, then louder and louder the closer he came to his goal. And the closer he got, the redder his face went. The sound of grunts, moans and panting could be heard through the corridor, often accompanied by a muffled scream or and ecstatic 'yes!' From within the oak wood door he stood in front of. He pondered what to do right now. On one side he had to call them down for dinner, and knowing Steaming, he would be craving for any kind of food in the not so foreseeable future. Also, he didn't knew how Iron would react to the fact that he might become a grandfather right now. On the other hand however, he knew that he would most certainly be a dead man if he'd interrupt their 'alone time' right now, so he chose life over anything, and quickly and silently, made his way back downstairs. He quickly made his way to the dining room, where Mr. and Mrs. Spike, along with Mr. Ramsbottom, were already waiting. 

"Where are Jacky and Steaming? I thought they would come along as well?" Asked Mrs. Spike. 

"Oh, they are sleeping. The day must've tuckered them out." Answered Emerald quickly, trying to avoid the matter as best as possible. 

"I see. Say, could you be so kind and help us in a little bet, Emerald?" Asked Iron. 

"Sure, what is it." Asked Emerald, as he already started to eat his steak. 

"Oh, we only betted if they are 'sleeping' in separated beds or sharing one." Said Mrs. Spike with an small smile, tensing the word sleeping, as Emerald nearly died from chocking on a piece of steak. 



Iron Spike only sighted as he produced a small pouch of bits out of his pants, the young man's reaction being enough for them as an answer, passing it over to his wife while Ramsbottom shook his head in disbelief.
> A last farewell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was early in the morning when Steaming stirred out of his sleep the next morning. He sighted, having slept better than he ever had. The bed felt softer, the blanket warmer, and he himself felt calmer than he had in a long time. But a sudden realization made him open his eyes rather quickly, namely that there wasn't a blanket on him, and that the warmth that at first seemed to surround him, only came from right in front of him. He looked down, but his confused mind cleared up when the sleeping form of Jacky began to snuggle into him, a small but constant smile on her face. The memories of the previous night flooded back into his mind, the pleasure, the nervousness of doing something like this, praying that he would do everything right and not screw things up, only to loose all thoughts of doubt the second they joined together, the explosion of pleasure they had, the unsure, doubtful movements that grew faster until they finished in an even greater explosion, the bliss overtaking them, making them see stars, before drifting off to sleep, keeping each other close and warm. They both were their firsts. They both loved every second of it. And they both were sure that her father would probably kill him, seeing that they skipped dinner that evening. At the thoughts of dinner, Steamings stomach began to growl, the organ grumbling about its denial for food. Steaming chuckled lightly at this. 

"Sssshhh old friend. We don't want to wake her up." Whispered Steaming, but his stomach seemingly had a mind of it's own, growling loudly, causing his girlfriend to stir, and to lightly open her eyes. 

She yawned cutely, and Steaming pulled her closely, his constantly, fast pacing mind slowing down to a near standstill at the calm heartbeat. 

"Is it morning already?" Asked Jacky, still half asleep. 

"Yeah, 5 in the morning. Sad habit of an engineer. We just can't have a proper 8 hour nights rest." Winked Steaming cheekily. 

"Hm, I'm starting to regret choosing you as my boyfriend." Mused Jacky. 

"I just have to flush every piece of doubt out of you then." Said Steaming, using his deep voice, making Jacky blush, before moving in to kiss her deeply. 

When they pulled back again, both were slightly panting from the lack of air. 

"So, still any doubts?" Asked Steaming. 

"Nope, no doubts, and no regrets." Smiled Jacky, before a thought struck her, making the smile disappear from her face. 

"But it's just so unfair. We're going to be pulled apart again, and this time for a complete month!" Muttered the girl, her bright blue eyes staring into the engineers brown ones. 

"Hehe, you know, I completely forgot to tell you something important last night." Said Steaming. 

"Oh dear, what did you do this time?" Asked Jacky. 

"Oh come on, I didn't do anything! On the contrary, it's actually quite good news! Your father said that he'll send you to Ponyville for safekeeping, so you might be able to visit me down in Dodge, or I'll visit you on a run up there!" Grinned Steaming, as Jackys smile grew on her face again, before moving in to kiss her engineer deeply again. 

"I really need to thank my dad. He always does so much for me, it only would be fair to repay him for it." Said Jacky, smiling while looking out through the window on the right side of the bed, watching the sun rise over the horizon. 

"Not only you. I'm still not even partly done repaying him for giving me a second chance. He really is a great man." Smiled Steaming, looking outside at the grand display that only a few people get to see, and to enjoy as well. 

They watched the sunrise for a few more minutes, until the reason for their early wake up made itself noticeable again. 

"Sounds like somebody's hungry." Chuckled Jacky, right before her stomach growled as well. 

"Yeah, somebody's hungry alright." Chuckled Steaming as well, before he started to get out of the bed, pulling Jacky up as well. 

"How about an early breakfast, lady Spike?" Asked Steaming, try to keep calm and not get all over his naked girlfriend again. 

"A very good idea, but aren't I a bit out of your usual range of people whom you eat breakfast with, engineer Steaming?" Asked Jacky, having trouble keeping her hormones down as well. 

"Hehe, you might be, but I don't even care the slightest." Grinned the young man, pulling Jacky into another kiss. 

"You're a pretty naughty one, aren't you? Invading the personal space of an superior like that." Purred the girl with an tempting smile. 

"Maybe I am? But I generally don't really care about class or nobility. For me, a third class carriage is as good as a first class parlor car." 

"Oh? So what does that make me?" Asked Jacky with an challenging grin. 

"You?" Asked Steaming, before pulling her close, so that their temples touched. 

"You are the princesses salon car. The most special one of them all." He whispered, before kissing her again. This one, although shorter, carried way more emotions, the two of them releasing their love and feelings for each other from the moment their lips connected again. 

When they pulled apart, Steaming picked up his boxers and shirt, while Jacky put on her underwear, and both of the slipped off outside of the room, and made their way downwards to the kitchen. 



A few hours later, and after the rest of the household had their own share of breakfast, the three youngest people in the house were making themselves ready to get to the main station. Both Steaming and Emerald had their traveling bags with their basic traveling stuff, their colts back at the side of their belts, something Steaming was grateful for. 

"It's good to finally have my gun with me again." Smiled Steaming, spinning his revolver in his hand before putting it into his holster again. 

"Hmhm, nothing says protection more than six bullets at your disposal." Mused Emerald as he moved his hand over the grip of his gun. 

"Oh just shut up will you?" Grumbled Jacky. 

Her father had taken away her revolver, giving it to Steaming with the direct order to not give her the gun until they have arrived the main station in Ponyville. She was still sour at him about it, and at Steaming as well for not giving her the gun after her father had walked away. She had two medium sized bags, filled with some of her clothes for the first few days in Ponyville. The rest would be sent to her at a later date. Steaming had already picked up both bags, having slung his traveling bag over his shoulder, even though Jacky protested and tried to retrieve her bags. 

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I wouldn't carry the bags of my girlfriend?" Asked Steaming with an false shocked tone. 

Jacky just rolled her eyes and said nothing, as Mr. and Mrs. Spike came up to them. Ms. Spike gave Jacky a kiss on her cheek, hugging her tightly. 

"Mom, I'm not going to be gone forever!" Chuckled Jacky with a fake wince. 

"I know, but it will be the longest time you've ever been away from us." Retorted her mother, before her father walked up to her, giving her a bear hug, lifting her off the ground in the process. 

"Goodbye my little princess." He whispered. 

"Bye daddy." Whispered Jacky. 

"Boys, I expect you two to look after her for the duration of the time you three will be traveling together." Said Iron in a drill sergeant manner. 

"You can rely on us sir!" Saluted the two men, rolling along with the joke. 

"Good. Your train will leave at 1015 hours. I expect no delays from neither of you three. You two will report to local headquarters, and you young lady, will report back to GHQ." Said the railway manager, enjoying their little military role-play. 

"Yessir!" The trio in front of the man said in unison, staring him in the eyes. 

"Good. Dismissed! And now move before you miss your train." Ordered the man with a wink, as the three kids started to walk off, having opted to walk to the train station, instead of using a coach to get there. 

Iron looked after them until they were out of sight, before turning around to follow his wife inside. 

"So, now that the kids are gone, what are we going to do now?" Asked Iron, but was cut off when his wife spun around to look him in the eye. 

"You will report to high command for a throughout vocal report, right now. Understood, Lieutenant Spike?" Asked the woman in an straight military way, the only thing giving her away was the smirk in her face. 

Iron chuckled. 

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted, before they quickly made their way upstairs. 



The trio soon reached the main station, and after getting their tickets, moved to the platform from which their train would depart from. The tracks of the platform were deserted, until from down the tracks, a small, six wheeled tank engine slowly rolled into the station, dragging a long string of coaches underneath the stations canopy, the light blue color of the engine a stark contrast against the coaches yellow-orangish one. Shortly after the coaches came to an stop, a big tender engine, with the same kind of color as the tank engine backed smoothly onto the train, before swiftly getting coupled up. From the engine came a deep whistle, indicating that they would soon depart. 

"Hm, that's funny." Mused Steaming. 

"What's funny?" 

"Great Northern usually has a few more minutes before he needs to depart with the express. I wonder what's hurrying him..." Answered Steaming as they got aboard one of the coaches at the back. 

"Who's Great Northern?" Asked Jacky. 

"He's one of the engineers residing up here in Canterlot. He, along with a few others are regular visitors down in Dodge. Heh, I still remember when he, Golden Dome and Black Five went on strike because they refused to shunt their own trains when Cinder Ashes was ill." Chuckled Emerald. 

"Ah yes, and when Old Reliable and that new one, Puffball I think it was, had to take over their duties for the time they had been given forced vacation for being so silly! Ah yes, funny time that was, wasn't it?" Chortled Steaming, as they leaned back into their seats, the fine fabric of the first class coaches softly hugging their skin where it got the chance. 

They hadn't waited long, when the guards whistle rang from a little way behind them, and with an slight jerk, the train started out of the station, quickly picking up speed as they started their trip. However, whilst they were passing the yards, they heard a loud whistling from behind their coach. 

"Sounds like one of the shunters is whistling a greeting to us." Muttered Emerald. 

"Well, the Wild Nor' Wester is a sight to behold after all." Chuckled Steaming, closing his eyes, trying to get a few more winks of sleep. 

But before he could drift off to dreamland, the whistling came again, still as loud as earlier, ringing out with a hint of urgency. 

"Sounds as if the engine that belongs to the whistle is following us." Murmured Steaming, getting up from his seat and opening the window, taking his hat off in case that the wind would blow it off his head. He leaned outside, and saw that the tank engine from earlier was still attached to the end of the train, whistling for the express to stop. 

"So that's what's wrong!" Laughed Steaming, pulling his head inside again. 

"What did you see?" 

"They must've forgotten to uncouple the engine in the station! It's still coupled to the back of our train! Poor engine though, I doubt it was build to run at such speeds." Answered Steaming. 

"Shouldn't we do something about it?" Asked Jacky. 

"Nah, as soon as we're in Ponyville, they'll see her and uncouple her. They might need to check her over, but once they're done, she'll be sent back to Canterlot." Explained Steaming, before settling back into his seat, pulling his hat over his eyes again, his movements being copied by Emerald. 

Jacky just sighted, and settled herself next to Steaming, leaning against him with her head on his left shoulder, before drifting off to sleep as well. 



The journey flew by, all three of them sleeping through the run till they were nearly in Ponyville. Steaming was the first to wake up, quickly waking up Jacky, whilst letting Emerald sleep. He grabbed her bags when the train rolled into the station, slowing to an stop at the first platform. Reluctantly, Jacky stepped out of the coach, Steaming following her with her bags, before placing them softly on the wooden platform. The girl turned to the engineer, pulling him into a firm hug, placing a tender kiss on his lips. They stayed like this for a nearly a minute, before the guards whistle could be heard from behind them, indicating that Steaming needed to get aboard again. 

"Don't go." Whispered Jacky. 

"I'd wish I could." He whispered back. 

"I promise to visit you as often as I can." Continued the railway man, before letting go of her, just as the train began to move again. 

He grabbed the handrail of the door, and jumped onto the moving train, turning back to see his girlfriend following the train, as the distance grew between them. 

"I'll be back as soon as I can!" Shouted Steaming, waving from the open door. 

"I'll be waiting right here!" She shouted back, before gasping. 

"Watch out!" But it was too late, as the door crashed against a signal post, slamming into Steaming and shutting the door. 

"Ouch, that was a nice little bump." Sighted Steaming sarcastically, as he rubbed the place where the door rammed into his shoulder. 

He walked back to his and Emeralds compartment, before settling back into his seat, his fellow railway man and partner snoring quietly in his seat. After another few quiet hours of traveling, the train began to slow again for its final stop; after nearly a weeks time, Dodge Junctions 'Friendly ghosts of the main station' had returned. Steaming and Emerald were still sleeping when the last few passengers got out, but since the guard knew where the duo would head off to, he let them sleep, telling the crew of the shunting engine that would take away the coaches that they still had some passengers that would get off later. Once they reached the storage siding, the shunter walked through the coaches, activating the hand brakes inside them to make sure that they wouldn't run away. When he passed the two railway men's compartment, he knocked loudly at the door. 

"Oy! Steaming! Emerald! Wake up ya lazy gits and get back to work!" Shouted the man with a laugh, before advancing further along the train. 

Both men yawned, stretching, before finally getting out of their seats, looking outside of the window, just to see a boxcar parked next to them. 

"Looks like we're home." Muttered Emerald. 

"Yeah. Back into the grit it is. Come on lad. Better get a move on and get our assignments, before Westing rips our heads off." Joked Steaming, as he opened the door, stepping into the gangway, followed by Emerald with a bit of a distance between them. 

They walked across the yards, heading towards their home, only to stop after they walked around the last truck, seeing the track where the old coach had stood for years, overgrown and abandoned. 

"You see what I'm seeing?" Asked Emerald, the shock in his voice evident. 

"Yep. We've been robbed. Big time." Grumbled Steaming, as he looked around, seeing Hopper and a few other shunters sitting outside a small tool shed, smoking cigarettes and discussing Celestia knows what. 

"Oy! Hopper!" Shouted Steaming, waving the man over. 

"Hey, look at that! It's two jailbirds who've escaped! Let's catch them, maybe we'll get a reward for our heroism!" Joked the shunter, as Steaming rolled his eyes. 

"You know we've been set free legally this time. What happened in the yards? Where is our coach?" Asked Steaming. 

"You need to ask Westing. He wanted to speak to the two of you anyways once you've returned." Said Hopper, pointing into the direction of the sectors headquarters. 

"Oh dear, let's just hope he won't rip us apart for the stuff we pulled the railway into." Muttered Emerald. 

"Relax, we ain't fault for what has happened. He might scold us a bit, but he can't punish us for being framed a kidnappers." Chuckled Steaming, as they walked over to the large, brick building. 

They walked into it, but were surprised when they got out on the other side, to see that the Ponystone engine that had derailed whilst they were driving her, had been left there, propped up on a foundation, and fenced off from the public. 

"Looks like they made a monument out of our wreck." Chuckled Emerald. 

"Hm, well, better than scraping her I suppose." Murmured Steaming as they climbed the stairs to the office of their superior. 

They knocked, and walked in, being greeted by an eerie quiet. 

"Steaming, Emerald. Take a seat." Came the calm voice of Westing, draining the color out of their faces. A quiet Westing House, usually meant danger. 

"So, back from Canterlot?" Asked the road supervisor. 

"Yes sir." Said the men, trying to keep their calm. 

"You know, there were quite a few letters and telegrams coming in over the time you were gone. Plenty of which from higher ups, stating to immediately fire you two, or at the very least, restrict you to yard service until further notice." Explained Westing, as the duo cringed. The mere sound of being restricted to the yards again was bad for them. 

"But yesterday, two further letters arrived, that changed plans. One for Emerald, and one regarding Steaming." Continued House, pulling out two envelopes, passing out one to each man. 



They both opened them, and started reading them: 



Dear Mr. Heart, 



We are delighted to tell you, that you've been accepted to the Royal Celestial Academy for higher education in Canterlot. The semester begins on first of September, informations on your dorm and material will follow soon. 



Signed, Almanac Knowledge, headmistress of the Royal Academy 



Dear Mr. Whistle, 



Following your courageous and extensive service for the Equestrian National Railway, you are hereby promoted to engineering duties in full time service, as well as transferred to Ponyville motive power depot. You'll be serving as new, permanent engineer for the local Branchline goods services. 



Signed, Iron Spike, General Manager of the Equestrian National Railway 



The two men stared at the the pieces of paper, processing the words on them, until they jumped up, high fiving each other, laughing heartily, cheering and dancing about the news. 

"Steaming! This is it! This'll be my chance to make something out of me!" Laughed Emerald. 

"I'm an actual engineer now! I'm going to run trains full time now! I'll be with Jacky for a whole month!" Cheered Steaming, while Westing beamed at the two young men. 

They finally calmed down, when Steaming remembered something. 

"Wait... If Emerald is going to the academy in Canterlot-" 

"-and Steaming is leaving for Ponyville..." Picked up Emerald. 

"Yep. Your going to leave Dodge Junction. That's why your coach left its siding. Iron Spike had phoned me yesterday to ask if the boys in the shops could get it back on its wheels again. They worked throughout the night to get it ready, but it's waiting in the shops for you to pick it up. It will be coupled to the next train to Canterlot." Said Westing with a slight sight. 

Both Steaming and Emerald went quiet. They would leave the place they had called home for years now, all their friends and colleagues, their family. All left behind. 

"Sir, this will be a hard departure." Said Steaming. 

"You've done them plenty of times." 

"But we always returned. This time, we'll be gone for good." Butted in Emerald. 

"You'll get the chance again. You'll get onto the main network again sooner or later." Smiled Westing, but it was a sad smile. 

"Sir, you've been somewhat of an father to us. The men in the yards, our brothers and uncles who taught us and helped us in everything we did. We'll never be able to repay you. Thank you sir. For everything you did for us." Said Steaming, shaking his hand, before he and Emerald were pulled into a hug, not one between friends, but one between a father and his sons. 



The trio walked to the workshops, where the men were waiting, standing in front of their coach, it's bodywork repainted into chocolate brown, the handrails, both on the side of the wagon as well as the end balconies polished up, and the roof painted in a dull, but still perfectly fitting black. Steaming and Emerald stared with wide smiles at their home, coupled to an small saddle tank, it's brand new bogies proudly holding the upper bodywork of the vehicle. 

"It's finished. There wasn't much to do anymore, you boys did a great job in rebuilding it. We screwed the inventory to the floor, so that it won't shift while it's moving. We also put some money together to buy each of you some farewell gifts." Smiled one of the workmen, pointing to four wrapped gifts. 

"Oh guys, you shouldn't have! Our new wheels are more than enough!" Smiled Steaming. 

"Nah, you guys are the children of these yards after all. The least we could do is to sent you off with flying colors!" Laughed a boiler smith, as Steaming and Emerald got their presents. 

The two young men began to open the longer of the two, reviling two, brand new, bolt action rifles, with walnut stock, and bluish finishing. 

"They are brand new, a new type of rifle they call Type 455. 5 round, detachable magazine, with an hair trigger and build to accept the attachment of scopes." Explained a riveter. 

"Wow, look at these girls! Might be a bit of an downgrade compared to our Coltchesters, but by the look of things, they sure as hay outrange them by a few dozen yards!" Chuckled Steaming. 

They moved on to the broader of the two gifts, and reviled two pieces of clothings. Steaming got a long, dark brown coat, while Emerald got a white lab coat. 

"When we heard that you'd be attending that geology academy, we wanted to make sure that you wouldn't need to buy the coat yourself. It also got your initials stitched into it!" Said a shunter. 

"We bought the coat when we saw you with that brown hat of yours. We thought it would look better while wearing something that matched it better." Explained one of the firemen that was with them. 

"Thank you guys. All of you! We might be orphans, but with you lot, we've got the greatest family we could ever wish for!" Said Steaming, tears of happiness in his eyes. 

"And you were the best kids we could've ask for!" Shouted one of the workers in the crowd, and they all agreed. 

"Come on lads! You'll get the honor to bring your wagon onto its second maiden voyage!" Laughed the engineer of the saddle tank, and climbed down from the engine, making space for Steaming and Emerald. 

They slowly reversed out of the workshops, and shunted the coach through the yards towards the station, where a string dark orange coaches stood, coupled to an foreign looking 4-4-0 tender engine, painted light blue. The engineer of the engine stood on the platform when he saw the coach being shunted to the back of his train, smiling broadly at the sight, walking to them with a short wave. 

"Hello chaps, you finally finished your coach or What?" Asked the engineer, his black hair, tucked underneath his hat, his ocean blue eyes shining from behind his pair of glasses. 

"Old Reliable! What are you doing here?! I thought you would only run trains as far as Ponyville these days!" Laughed Steaming, as he shook hands with the older engineer. 

"Black Five is ill. Seems like his old sickness is coming back. I took his train down here, while Golden Dome is taking over his goods train." 

"Bet he's fuming about that." Chuckled Emerald, just to hear and tremendous racket from down the line, before a red 2-6-0 clanked into the yards, pulling a string of trucks with him. 

"I think that answers your question." Chuckled Old Reliable. 

"We've been transferred, or better said, I've been transferred. I'll be the new engineer for branch line goods trains in Ponyville, and Emerald has been accepted to the Royal academy in Canterlot, and will start to study there in a few weeks." Explained Steaming. 

"Oh, so this is farewell to Dodge Junction for now then? Well, we all have to go our own paths, that includes traveling to foreign places." Said Old Reliable. He always had a few words of wisdom to spare for others, and this time was no exception. 

They kept talking for a few more minutes, before the older engineer needed to return to his engine. Steaming and Emerald climbed on board of their coach, staying on the rear balcony to get one, final look at Dodge Junction, before they would need to leave it for the longest time they ever been away from here. The guard blew his whistle, and Old's engine whistled, before beginning to move the train out of the station. Their train slowly chuffed out of the station throat, passing through the yards, where shunters and workmen waved at the moving train, whilst engines of all sizes blew their whistles. Passing the workshops, they could see countless workmen waving and cheering them on, some of them having tears in their eyes. The train picked up speed, exiting the yards, and hitting the main running line. They passed a training field from the Royal guards, where a row of six guards stood, with a seventh and final guard at the front of the line. He turned towards the train, smiling when he saw the final vehicle of the train. 

"Nitro, do it." He ordered, as the Pontalian man smiled with glee, pulling out a box of matches, lighting one and lightened up a fuse. 

A few seconds later, from behind the group, several loud explosions could be heard, followed by something, shooting into the air, before exploding in the sky. The two railway men looked in awe and wonder, as the words 'Goodbye S+E' were written into the sky, before vanishing from view just as quickly as they had appeared. Their eyes moved to the group in the field, seeing lieutenant Raton salute, whilst the others waved. 

"Arrivederci!" Shouted Nitro. 

"Auf Wiedersehen!" Boomed Wartburg. 

"Au revior!" Called Jaque. 

"Do swidanja!" Said Katyusha. 

"Goodbye!" They all called simultaneously. 

"Go show those guys some Junction might boys." Smiled Raton, before ordering his group back to base. 



Jacky was having a pretty uneventful first day in Ponyville. She was staying at the local railway hotel, however, she just felt as if something was missing. She went outside for a short walk, which ended on the platform closest to the yards in the main station. Even though they had only been apart for a few hours, she already felt lonely without Steaming with her. She thought that, maybe he would've already taken the next train back up to Ponyville, but she knew it was only wishful thinking. The chances that Steaming would come back today were too slim to be even measured properly. The station announcer pulled her out of her thoughts. 

"Arriving on track three is the 13:10 local to Canterlot from Dodge Junction. Please step away from the edge of the platform." Came the call, just as the sound of chuffing could be heard from the distance.  

After a further minute, the train glided into the station, stopping with an slight squeal of the brakes. The passengers quickly disembarked, while the new passengers jumped aboard. Jacky sighted when she saw no sign of her engineer, and sat down on one of the benches that stood on the platform. With the signal of the guards whistle, the train quickly departed out of the station, leaving behind an emptying platform, and a lonely girl. Jacky slowly rose out of her seat, her mind set on going back to her temporary home, to get settled in properly. That was until she heard the clanking of an coupling from behind her. She turned around, seeing a familiar, although more polished up, eight wheeled railway coach, being coupled up to an small shunting engine. She hurried across the platform, hoping to catch the wagon that was slowly being pulled backwards out of the station. She jumped onto the rail vehicle, losing her footing for a second, before catching herself again, standing on the rear balcony of the carriage. Walking up to the door, she knocked a few times, till she could hear the sound of footsteps from within the coach. The door opened, and reviled the confused form of Steaming, wearing a apron over his usual cloths, with the words 'the cook is on vacation, kiss the engineer instead' printed onto it. Jacky grinned broadly, and tackled her boyfriend with an deep, passionate kiss. After a few moments of shock, Steaming relaxed, and kissed Jacky back, both of them happy to see each other again. 

"Glad to see me?" Asked Steaming cheekily, as they pulled away for some air. 

"No, just following the orders of the apron." Replied Jacky, just as cheekily. 

"Well, if that's all, I might just as well leave aga-" but he couldn't finish his sentence as Jacky kissed him once more. 

"On the other side, I might be a little bit glad that you're back." Said Jacky, stressing the words  'might' and 'little' out. 

"Hm, then I just have to make sure that, when I'm gone for longer than this, you'll miss me more." Smirked Steaming, and kissed her once more. 

"Steaming! What are you doing man?! The food's going to burn!" Shouted Emerald from the kitchen, making them interrupt their little make out session. 

"Oh yeah. The food..." Murmured Steaming, pulling himself and Jacky up again. 

"You're cooking? I always thought Emerald was the cook." Chuckled Jacky as they walked towards the kitchen. 

"You read the apron, didn't you? E is taking a break, I'm cooking today." Explained the engineer, although that was only half the truth. He actually wanted to improve his cooking skills, so that he could make some proper dishes when Jacky would visit them. 

"And what's on today's lunch plan?" Asked the girl. 

"Just some spaghetti with tomato sauce and meatballs, speciality of the chef." Winked Steaming. 

"Mind if I join you then?" 

"Not at all! The more the merrier, aye?" Laughed Steaming, as they walked into the kitchen, where Emerald was already putting some of the spaghetti onto two plates. 

"Pull out another one, we've got a guest." Chuckled Steaming, while Emerald just rolled his eyes. 

"Is she going to be a permanent visitor now? 'Cause if yes, I need to rearrange some stuff in the shelves." Asked Emerald, while Steaming and Jacky just exchanged a knowing look. 

"Well, from the looks of things, I'd say she'll be visiting us plenty of times over the next few weeks." Chuckled Steaming, pulling Jacky closer to himself. 

Emerald just huffed, and continued to put the spaghetti onto the plates. After each of the three got their servings, along with an bottle of apple cider they had stored in one of the cupboards, they started to dig in. 

"So, how come you two are back already?" Asked Jacky. 

"Long story short: I've been transferred, and Emerald has been accepted at the Royal academy in Canterlot. Thanks again for the heads up on enlisting there by the way." Said Steaming in between two bites. 

"Told you that I'd do it. You just were too much occupied with think up on ways to tell your girl here that you're in love with here." Retorted Emerald, not looking up from his meal. 

"So Emerald's going to leave for Canterlot soon?" Asked the girl. 

"Yeah. Let's just hope you behave yourself up there. The lads up there probably don't know how to handle an oncoming goods train like yourself, if fed up enough." Smirked Steaming. 

"Pah, just make sure you don't derail any of the goods trains on the branch lines. You tend to go off the rails pretty often these days!" Said Emerald, finally looking up at the engineer. 

"Are you sure you're going to be fine?" Came Jackys voice again, making both men look at her. 

"What makes you think we won't be?" Asked the two of them simultaneously. 

"Well, you two were together for years now. Won't being apart be kind of... weird?" 

"Nah, we're used to it. We might've lived together for quite a while, but that doesn't mean that we have been together all the time." Smiled Steaming. 

"Yeah. Don't worry, we'll be right as rain." Added Emerald. 

Jacky looked at both men. She knew they weren't speaking the truth. Sure, they thought they would be alright, but their hearts told a different story. She just hope they wouldn't get depressed by being away from each other... 



After lunch, both Steaming and Emerald decided that it would be a good idea to check out the yard layout, as well as the rolling stock that was in the sheds. Ponyville was one of the smaller junction stations along the routes Canterlot-Dodge Junction, and Canterlot-Las Pegasus, where the mainline split to go to either one of the two terminal stations. As well as main line connections, Ponyville was the starting point of several smaller branch lines, which served villages and smaller towns in the nearer and further distance. As for this, the station had its own yards, sheds and servicing stations. The sheds were a large semi circle, with twelve berths for engines, along with a further ten additional, open tracks where engines could be stored outside of the building. Jacky stayed inside of the coach, saying she'd like to clean it up a bit, to which the two engineers couldn't argue, seeing that they never really cleaned it (except for bringing away the garbage). They walked through the partly filled yards, seeing a small, four wheeled saddle tank painted green with red stripes, shunting some trucks for another train. They soon neared the sheds, where they were surprised to see a familiar tank engine, with six small wheels, a short, stumpy funnel, a short, stumpy dome, painted in sky blue, with red lining, standing on a siding on the track next to the sheds. As they got closer, they could see a man about their age, with sky blue eyes and black hair, standing in the cab, his nosed pressed into a newspaper. 

"Hello the, Mr. Number one! I thought you would already be on your way back to Canterlot after your morning 'run'." Asked Steaming cheekily, as the man put down his newspaper, his head going red with embarrassment, as he turned to the two men. 

"And I thought you would be back in Dodge Junction by now!" Retorted Cinder Ashes, as he got down and greeted the two men. 

"Nope, were no longer engineers for the Dodge Junction devision. I'm now engineer for Branchline goods duties up here, and Emerald is the newest student at the Royal academy in Canterlot." Explained Steaming. 

"Wow, congrats to the both of you then! I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun on those Branchline runs. I'm still stuck in the yards until the fat director trusts me on longer runs." Sighted the man. 

"Who?" Asked the two men. 

"Sir Top Hat, he's the controller of the Canterlot devision, including Ponyville. You'll be seeing him sooner or later. We call him the fat director, but it isn't an insult, and more a showing of respect to his person, if you want to put it that way." Explained Cinder. 

"Ah, now I see. So, you're waiting for your path back up to Canterlot or what?" 

"Nah, I'm waiting for Puffball, he's shunting together some empties for me to take them back up there. Seems like the goods transportations are picking up around here." The canterlotian engineer smiled. 

"Sounds good for us. More goods means more services for the railway after all." Chuckled Steaming. 

A whistle from the yards sounded, and Cinders climbed back into his cab. 

"True that. Well, seems like Puffball finished arranging my trucks. See you around." Smiled Cinders, and drove his engine over the turntable and into the yards. 

Steaming and Emerald headed inside the sheds, looking at the engines that were resting for their turn on the lines. They saw several smaller tank engines, mostly diminutive 0-6-0 tank engines that were working on the branchlines since the beginning of the railways, but a duo of engines in the last shed rows perked their interest. They were larger, had longer boiler, tanks and frame, and a wheel arrangement more fitting for modern days goods traffic. The 2-8-2 tank engines had deep, black paint, with red wheels and white lining, gray side rods and brightly polished brass. They surely stood out from amongst the dirty, grimy tank engines in the sheds. 

"Morning lads, how can I help you?" Asked a voice, as a man with blond hair and light blue eyes walked up to them, a smile on his face as he greeted them. 

"Oh, we're just checking out the sheds inventory. Been transferred here today and wanted to see what I'll be working with soon." Explained Steaming. 

"Ah yes, Whistle Steaming, right? Welcome to Ponyville MPD! Your engine will be 98 1401 over there." Said the man, pointing at one of the 2-8-2s. 

"Pretty strange number for an engine." 

"Well, they are imports from Germainy. They are here on trial, only arrived here a couple of days ago in fact. You'll be her first permanent engineer, so you'll better do a good job!" Winked the man. 

"Hm, a foreigner aye? Let's see how they hold up against our own girls then!" Laughed the engineer, as he wanted to climb aboard the engine. 

"Hold your horsepower lad, she hasn't got any steam up yet! Also, your not even added into the days roster! You'll be on duty tomorrow, you've got the rest of the day off!" Shouted the shedmaster, as Steaming stopped in his tracks. 

"Another day without work?! Seriously?! That's nearly a weeks worth of holiday! Ugh, I can already feel my skills rusting." Groaned Steaming. 

"Come on, it ain't that bad. You can at least check out the town. There's a bakery near the town center that makes the best cupcakes in this side of the country!" Exclaimed the man. 

"Hm, suppose you're right. Ah well, nothing be done about it in the end. Well, till tomorrow mister..." 

"Oh, my name is Journal Box, but friends just call me Jimmy." Smiled the man, as he walked back to a room labeled 'shedmaster'. 

"So, care to check out that bakery?" Asked Emerald. 

"Cakes, muffins, cupcakes and other baked goods, and all that at one place? Do you even have to ask?" Asked Steaming with an cheeky grin. 

"That's my brother!" Laughed Emerald, as they quickly made their way back to their coach, to change into some more casual clothes. 



They soon arrived, and saw Jacky, relaxing on the coach in the living room of the coach, reading in a book. 

"Hey Jacky, we're back!" Exclaimed Steaming as he ripped the front door open. 

"Hey you two! You could've told me that these books were good! I would've started reading them way sooner!" Smiled Jacky, as she held up a book. 

Steaming looked at the cover and started to laugh. It was a book of 'Trinity' book series. Ever since they said that they loved the first book they had from the series, the yard workers gave them a book from the series to their birthdays, and Christmas. They had almost every book from the collection, except the newest book, 'Trinity and Bambi against the governor'. Jacky looked at him with an confused look on her face. 

"What's so funny?" She asked. 

"Nothing, just the fact that you are so perfect!" Laughed the engineer, before he pulled her from her seating place on the coach, and pulled her into a bear hug. 

"Urgh, ain't you so sweet. Nearly gives me diabetes just from looking at you." Said Emerald with an gagging sound. 

Steaming just gave him the finger in return. 

"Shedmaster said I'm off duty for the rest of the day, and said that the town had a great bakery. Want to check it out?" Asked Steaming. 

"I think I know which one you're talking about. I'll lead the way!" Grinned Jacky, and pulled her boyfriend with her through the door. 

"Hey! Wait for me!" Emerald shouted, racing after the couple. 
> New home, new problems, old job
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They slowly walked through the small town, the new sights and sounds a great  difference to Dodge Junction. While the buildings of Dodge were mainly  wooden, with few stone buildings in between, Ponyville was completely made from stone. The style of the buildings reminded them of drawings they saw from towns in Germainy or Mare Britannia, with a rare few buildings showing that they were still in Equestria.  The dirt roads of Dodge were replaced by ones made out of cobblestone,  with the lack of actual sidewalks. Large trees were planted at various  points along the side of the road, giving the town a green touch. They  neared the towns center, where the market had been set up. Even though  it wasn't that much bigger than the market in Dodge, it surely was livelier.  Plenty of stands, selling fresh produces from nearby farms and  orchards, was a nice change from the stands that sold the imported goods  that came in with the refrigerator trains. They walked past the market,  and soon reached a moderate sized building, with the words 'sugar cube  corner' painted on the side above the large window.
"Hm, a bit of a cliché that name, wouldn't you say?" Asked Emerald.
"Yeah,  but who cares. If they make their cupcakes as good as Journal Box said,  then they can wield any name they want." Said Steaming, as Jacky lead  them inside. But they were in for an surprise when they saw who was behind the counter.
"Welcome to Sugarcube- Jacky!" Shouted the cotton candy haired girl, as she jumped over the counter, and tackling the girl in a hug.
"Ugh, good to see you as well Pinkie." Said Jacky with a slight groan, the air in her lungs pushed out by Pinkies hug.
"Hi Pinkie. Didn't thought to see you here, much less that you work here." Chuckled Steaming.
"Hi Steaming! Hi Emerald!" Waved Pinkie, still not letting go of the engineer's girlfriend.
"How come you are here? When I called the castle, they said that you girls had been busy, but I didn't knew that they meant busy back home!" Asked Jacky.
"Well,  Mr. and Mrs. Cake asked for my help with this super important cupcake  order, and Applejack had been called in to help her sister and Granny  with the apple bucking at their orchard-"
"I thought she had an older brother that helped there while she was in Canterlot?" Asked Steaming.
"He  usually does, but he got a broken arm after some guys wanted to harm  him and his girlfriend." Explained the pink haired girl.
"Rainbow Dash had been invited to visit the Wonderbolts base, Fluttershy is helping out with a problem with the Timberwolves in the Everfree forest, and Twilight had been called to replace Cadence while she is on her honeymoon." She continued, as Steamings face turned into a frown.
"So, can I help you with something? Or did you come in just to talk with your old aunt Pinkie?"
"Oh,  yeah, we have been told that this store has the best cupcakes on this  side of the country, and we wanted to check out if that was true."  Explained Emerald, as Pinkies eyes lit up with glee.
"Then you won't be disappointed! Sugarcube Corners has the best sweet treats in whole Equestria!"  Grinned Pinkie, as she pulled them to a small side booth where they sat  down. She quickly made her way into the kitchen, reappearing a few  minutes later with a row of cupcakes on her tray.
"Here you go, the bestselling cupcakes of Sugarcube Corners!" Grinned Pinkie, as she placed the tray on the table.
The two boy's eyes grew at the sight of the cupcakes.
"I  can guess why. If they only taste half as good as the look, then  they'll be holding up to their claim!" Praised Steaming, grabbing a blue  one with lighter blue frosting, which he assumed was blueberry.
He hungrily took a bite, a low growl of pleasure grumbling from his throat, before he swallowed.
"Yep, no doubt about it, they are awesome." Grinned Steaming, getting an even bigger grin from Pinkie in reply.
"Agreed! They're definitely living up to their calling!" Smiled Emerald, after taking a bite out of an chocolate cupcake.
"Looks like you just found two new customers Pinkie." Winked Jacky.

They  stayed for a long time, trying every cupcake sort they had, and chatted  with Pinkie about various things. But Jacky noticed that Steaming would  always try to shift the conversation in the direction of the girls of  the group 'Harmony', or better said, the reason why they couldn't come  to their hearing in court. After they said their good byes and paying  for their food, they got outside again, walking in a seemingly random  direction.
"Say  Steaming, why did you ask Pinkie so many question about her and the  other girls not getting to your hearing in court?" Asked Emerald.
"I thought I was the only one who noticed." Muttered Jacky, more to herself than to the boys.
"Doesn't it feel  strange to you, that the girls all were called to various tasks at the  same time, which prohibited them from getting to court in time?" Asked  Steaming.
"Well, it's a little strange, but it could all be a big coincidence." Said Jacky.
"I've  got a hard time to imagine that. How about we visit AJ and ask her and  her brother about those thugs that attacked him? Maybe those thugs had  the same 'motivation' as the lads back in Manehatten?"  Suggested Steaming, as the first few apple trees began to appear in the  not all too far distance. They walked through large orchards, until  they saw a rustic, two story tall farmhouse, with a barn a bit further  away from it. They walked up to the wooden door, and knocked. A few  seconds later, a girl that looked like she was twelve years old, with  bright red hair, in which a large red bow was nestled in, opened the  door.
"Hello. What can ah do for y'all?" She asked, with an accent similar to Applejack.
"Good day little lady. We'd like to know where Applejack is. We have a few questions we'd like to ask her." Said Steaming.
"Are ya from the guards? If it's about the brawl with those thugs, ma sister wasn't involved!" She said.
"Nono,  I think there is a misunderstanding here. We aren't from the Royal  guards. We are friends of your sister, my name is Steaming Whistle, and  this here is my lifetime friend Emerald Heart." Steaming explained, as  Jacky stepped up from behind them.
"Hey AB. How are you doing?" Grinned Jacky.
"Hey Jacky! Ah didn't saw ya from behind these two! What are ya  doing here?" Asked the small girl, hugging Jacky (which, if you ask  Steaming, was an adorable sight, seeing that the girl only reached up to  her belly).
"Oh,  just spending a bit of time away from my parents with my boyfriend  here. Steaming, Emerald, this is AJs little sister Apple Bloom. Could  you tell us where AJ is? We really need to speak with her." Asked Jacky.
"Nah problem. She's probably at the loading docks right row. Ya know where they are?"
"Sure! See you later Bloom!" Smiled Jacky, as she grabbed Steamings hand and started to pull him away, a broad smile on her face.
"See ya!" Waved Bloom, before she closed the door.
"Wait, since when does Jacky have a boyfriend?" Asked the girl as she was halfway through the room.

The trio walked through the orchard, Jacky leading the two railway men towards their next targeted location.
"What brought you into such a good mood all of a sudden Jacky?" Chuckled Steaming, as he saw that the smile was still on Jackys face.
"Oh,  nothing in particular really." Chuckled Jacky, as the tree rows  suddenly stopped rising besides them. In front of them was a wooden  platform, with plenty of wooden crates, containing countless amounts of  apples, stacked upon it. Next to the platform was a cart, with a  brown work horse tied in front of it. Standing on the other side of the  platform were numerous, small, four wheeled trucks, one of which had  its slide door opened for loading of the crates. As they got closer to  the open truck, they could hear angry mumbling coming from within the  wooden rail vehicle.
"Stupid Mac, of course he had ta get a broken arm as soon as we'd get an order such as this one." The voice grumbled.
"Sounds like her." Mused Emerald.
"Yep. Hey Applejack!" Called Steaming, as the girl in question came out of the truck, a surprised, but happy look on her face.
"Well look who it is. What're y'all doing here?" Asked AJ with a smile.
"Well,  that's a bit of a long story, part of which is why we're are here right  now actually. But to make it short: I'm new resident engineer for Branchline goods trains, Emerald will be attending the Royal academy and Jacky will spent the next month here." Explained Steaming.
"Shucks, congrats to the both of ya then! Seems like ah'll be seein more of the two of ya around here then. But what do ya mean about 'why yar here'?"
"Well,  we wanted to ask you a few questions about these thugs that fought  against your brother, and about that order you were talking about  earlier." Said Emerald.
"Well, ah'd like ta answer those questions of yars, but ah have ta finish loading these crates on board of this train. Urgent order, ya see." Explained AJ, pointing at stacks of crates that were still on the platform.
"Well,  if that's all, we can help you with that!" Chuckled Steaming, as he and  Emerald grabbed three of the crates each, and started to bring them  into the trucks.
"Ya don't have ta do this, ah can manage!"
"Then you'll manage even better with the two of us!" Grinned Emerald.
"I think you mean three." Winked Jacky, as she grabbed two of the crates as well.
"We'll help you finish your job, then you answer our questions, deal?"
AJ looked from Steaming, to Emerald, to Jacky and then back to Steaming again.
"Ah shucks, ah sappose a have no choice in that matter in the end. But we have ta  hurry, before Bell gets here." Sighted AJ, as they all helped to finish  the loading. After a little while, all the crates had been loaded into  the trucks, and the doors sealed off for the trip.
"Well, that's the last of them. Thanks a bunch, ya three." Smiled AJ.
"It was nothing Applejack. A bit of light training never hurts." Chuckled Steaming.
"Now all we have ta do is ta wait for Bell to arrive." Said the farm girl, just as the ringing of a Bell sounded out.
They  all three looked down the tracks, just to see a strange thing come  towards them. It was boxy in shape, with Windows at the sides, metal  plates covering its wheels, as it slowly chuffed towards them. It  stopped once the buffers connected with the ones on the trucks, which  showed Steaming and Emerald that whoever was driving this... whatever it  was knew what he was doing. From out of the thing jumped a man who  looked like he was in his early 30s, with a  brown jacket over his railway man overall, and instead of the usual,  blue and white striped hat, a brown fedora was on his head.
"Hello  Ms. Apple. I see you already finished loading my delivery. I doubted  you'd get it finished so quickly, seeing that Big Macintosh is out of  commission." Said the man politely, but with a small chuckle at the end.
"Heya Bell, ah got some help with the lot from a few friends of mine." Applejack said, pointing at the trio.
"Oh hello, I doubt I've seen you lot around here before. I'm Ringing Bell, I work the small Branchline up to Marewell." Said Bell with a smile, extending his hand.
Steaming quickly shook it.
"Greetings Bell, I'm Steaming Whistle, this is my friend Emerald Heart and this is Junction Spike, my girlfriend."
"Oh, I almost didn't recognize you Junction! It's been an awfully long while, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has." Chuckled the girl.
"Um,  pardon me asking Mr. Bell, but what is this for a kind of engine? I've  never seen anything quite like it before." Asked Emerald, his eyes still  on the strange locomotive.
"This, is a steam tram. It has been built with cowcatchers and sideplates, to protect people and animals from getting underneath the wheels." Explained the engineer.
"But lots of engines on the railway got cowcatchers, and they don't need such sideplates." Exclaimed Steaming.
"Yes,  but our railway runs partly through the town, and along busy streets.  It is the rules to have this kind of safety measures for lines such as  ours." Explained Bell.
"Fascinating. I never knew of such interesting lines. But how will I be able to work on this Branchline if my engine doesn't have such sideplates?" Asked Steaming.
"Oh? Are you an engineer as well then?"
"Just been transferred up here this morning from Dodge Junction. Will be working Branchline goods trains with one of the new engines that are standing in the sheds." Explained Steaming.
"Ah, you mean 98 1801, right? I hope you know what you're up against then. Well, I doubt you'll be working on my Branchline.  I have a friend called Flowing Stream, who works with me on the line.  She usually works the passenger trains with her own steam tram and our  guard Silver Lining." Explained the man, as he coupled the train up, and  got back on board his engine.
He  started the train up again, waving the four people on the loading  platform good bye as he made his way back to the main station.
"Hey, what did you mean with that?!" Called Steaming, but the other engineer was already out of earshot.
"What  did he mean with 'hope you know what you're up against'?" Pondered  Steaming, as they started to walk back to the farmhouse.
"Hm, old Bell's always been talkin in riddles, but he's got somethin in that head of his." Said AJ.
"Maybe it's something about the loco. You know how new designs tend to be." Shrugged Emerald.
"Hmm, I think I'll take a look at the engine once we get back home..." Muttered Steaming.

They reached the farmhouse and got inside, where Applebloom  was doing some homework, while a large man with orange-red hair was  sitting on the couch, his right arm in a cast, sighting from boredom.
"Ah'm back!" Called Applejack.
"Hey sis!" Waved AB from her place.
The man only gave a short nod of acknowledgement.
"You're back early." An old voice said from the kitchen, as an old woman with already gray hair appeared in the doorway.
"Jacky  and a few of her friends helped loading Bells train." Explained AJ as  the three friends behind here walked into the house.
"Oh, hello Jacky, what brings you here today?" Asked the elderly women with a smile.
"Hello Granny Smith. My boyfriend wanted to investigate in a certain situation-"
"Oh, congratulations! Which one of these two fellas is he?"
"Good day Mrs. Smith. I'm Steaming Whistle, Jackys  boyfriend." Smiled Steaming, as he pulled Jacky close to him, as if to  prove that he was the real deal, something Jacky didn't objected to.
"Hm, you seem somewhat familiar. Have ya ever been around here before?" Asked Granny.
"Well, I did took  some goods trains up and beyond here, but other than that, this is my  first time here." Said Steaming, slightly puzzled about the situation.
"Hm, ah don't visit the main station that much, and ah'm fairly sure ah saw you somewhere before..." Murmured the elderly woman to herself.
As  Jacky tied Granny Smith into a conversation, so that Steaming wouldn't  be stuck in his situation, the engineer was thinking to himself where  the woman could've seen him, letting his eyes wander around the room.  His glance landed on an old photo of the Apple family. But what was  making his eyes grew wide was the 8-year-old Applejack on it.
'Oh Hotbox. Now I know why they know me!' Gulped the engineer, as his mind focused on the day his life changed forever, all those years ago.
"Psst, Emerald."
"What's up Steaming?" Asked the man.
"Remember when we lived in the abandoned factory in Canterlot, that day our lives changed?" He whispered.
"Yeah, why?"
"Remember those apples we... 'acquired'?"
"Yeah, you were called out before you could go out Scott free. Why are you asking me that now?"
In reply, Steaming pointed subtly at the old photo.
"I think I now know the name of the girl that called me out." Whispered Steaming.
"You don't mean-!" Whispered Emerald.
"Yeah. Let's keep it quiet for now, shall we? I doubt we need to bring that up now." Whispered the engineer in reply.
"Hey, what are ya  all whispering there?" Asked Apple Bloom, as she suddenly appeared  between the two boys, reminding them that they still had company.
"Oh! Erm, nothing little one. A-anyways, the reason why we came here! We wanted to ask Big Mac a few questions regarding the attack on him." Said Steaming, turning to the man on the couch.
"Oh? What do ya want to know then?" Asked the large man.
"Well,  we wanted to know what actually happened. Steaming here thinks that  there might be a connection between your injury and some other  occurrences." Explained Emerald.
"Alright,  well, ah was on a date with ma girlfriend, when these thugs suddenly  step in front of us. They threatened us, but they didn't want any money.  We tried ta get away from them, but they chased after us. Ah told ma girlfriend ta get the guards, while ah would keep 'em  occupied. As soon as they had caught up with me, they started ta fight  with me. Ah held up pretty well, but they were too many. They broke ma arm, and gave me several bruises, but made a run for it as the guards came in. Ah was brought ta the hospital and they fixed me up best they could." Explained Mac.
"Anything  that stood out from those men? Anything they said that could help us  narrow in on a certain group of people?" Asked Steaming.
"Well,  they surely didn't sound like they'd come from around here. They  sounded like they came from further up north. Ah couldn't really see  them that well, had too much ta  do in keeping them away from me... Hey, now that Ah think about, as  they were running away, ah heard one of them speak about something. Ah  think they said... Up eight twenty, or something along the way." Said  Mac, trying to think up the details from his memory.
"Up 8:20? Big Mac, I thank you  for answering my questions. I just might figure out if this stuff is  all a coincidence or something bigger." Smirked Steaming, before bidding  the other members of the Apple family goodbye, and hurrying out of the  house, getting slightly ahead of Emerald and Jacky who took some more  time to say goodbye.

"Hey Steaming! Wait up!" Called Emerald.
"Can't. Need to get to the station quickly." Replied the engineer.
"You got a lead on those thugs then?" Asked his friend.
"Not  exactly, but if I can find what train departed at 8:20 on the Up line  out of the town, we can narrow down the path where those thugs went."
"But  the Up line out of town leads to at least 20 further towns, and those  are only the ones on the mainline to Las Pegasus!" Exclaimed Jacky.
"Might  be so, but Big Mac said that the thugs sounded like they came from  further up north. Means that they must've come from one of the branches  heading up north; only those lead north on the Up line out of here. And  that narrows it down to one or two dozen stations. Narrowed down on one  line, all that's left will be six or seven stations." Explained  Steaming, as they exited the large orchard, and made their way back to  the station.
They soon reached the two-story stone building, entering it and walking straight to the station master.
"Oh,  hello young ones! What can I do for you?" Asked the station master, a  man with messy brown hair, brown eyes and kind smile on his face.
"I'm Steaming Whistle, I'm new permanent driver for Branchline  goods services around here. But that's not why I'm here, I wanted to  find out what train departed at 8:20 last Monday." Explained Steaming.
"Well then, first of all, welcome to the Ponyville  MPD! Anyways, the timetable of that day is stored over there. But  please but them back in their place once you're through with them. We  need them for next Monday." Explained the station master, pointing at a  large set of drawers.
They  opened the one with the word 'Monday' on it, and pulled out the section  for the time between 8pm and 9pm. The list showed every train that ran  around that time, from passengers to goods trains, empty stock services  and light engine movements. They finally found the train that had  departed at 8:20, a small pickup goods service that went along the Branchline to Waterwell junction. The line was moderate in length, with around 5 stations before the terminal station of Waterwell. Steaming grinned when he saw that it was a goods train, and not a passenger one.
"Alright, now it's official, those cases are connected." Grinned the engineer.
"How come you're so sure about that so suddenly?" Asked Jacky.
"The  8:20 on the Up line is a pickup goods. Only railway workmen are allowed  to ride on those as 'passengers'. Meaning, the thugs are railwaymen." Explained Steaming, putting the timetable back in the drawer.
"Well, that might be the case, but it still doesn't mean that the attack on Big Mac and the big order at Sugarcube Corners are connected!" Countered Jacky.
"There  is, and I'll explain to you just how it is. Jacky, tell me, what was  the name of the place that ordered the sweets?" Asked Steaming.
"The crowned unicorn hotel in Canterlot."
"And Emerald, remember about that place that one of the bosses owns in Canterlot?"
"Oh yeah! The hotel with the name out of the mindset of an 8-year-old girl! How could I forget that?" Laughed Emerald.
"Yep. What was its actual name again?" Asked Steaming with a raised eyebrow, and an expecting smile.
"That was the crowned... unicorn." Started Emerald, noticing halfway through it what he was saying.
"Exactly. And now for the bonus question: who owns that hotel?" Asked Steaming, turning to the other two.
"Sans Pareil Stirling!" Answered the other two in unison.
"That  was the correct answer! It appears, that our dear Stirling had figured  out our plan before it even got into motion. He hired the goons to take  Big Mac out of commission, gave the order for the cupcakes, and probably  got the other arrangements in motion to get the girls as far away from  the hearing as possible!" Smirked Steaming.
"Well, obviously, that didn't work as good as Stirling would've wanted it to be." Chuckled Emerald.
"That might be true, but seeing that those blurks  got henchmen even in this part of the country, I think it'll be  difficult to keep Jacky hidden from their eyes. They'll be sure to  inform Novelty about her whereabouts, and I don't want to know with what  kind of army he'll walk up with when that happens." Grumbled Steaming,  the mere thought about the man who was after his girlfriend giving him  dangerous thoughts.
"Hey  Steaming, have you already forgotten that I'm not that easy to take  down? I'll show Novelty who he's dealing with if he gets too close to  me." Smirked Jacky, as she flashed them a glance of her revolver, that  was hidden inside her jacket.
"Hehehe,  well, you got a point there as well. Better said, six points." Chuckled  the engineer, as they slowly walked across the yards towards the  railway carriage.

Once  they got close enough however, they could see that something has been  added to the entrance of the coach. A letter, held in place by a knife  in the wooden door, was waiting for them to return.
"Well, that looks promising." Huffed Emerald sarcastically.
"Let's  see who couldn't wait to write us a letter before we could send our  acquaintances our new address." Frowned Steaming, as he pulled the knife  out of the wood, and opened the letter.

We know Junction Spike is in Ponyville. Hand her over, and you won't be harmed. Refuse, and pay the price. Bring her to Waterwell Junction on the first morning passenger train.

"Well, that's informative. What shall we do now?" Asked Jacky with a frown.
"I'd  say we'll do the usual. Ignore the letter, wait for them to get her by  force and steamroll them to the ground!" Smirked Emerald.
"Now now Emerald, I think I have a better idea. We'll go along with them." Said Steaming.
"Are you nuts?! You're giving them Jacky?!" Yelled Emerald.
"Mind the tone, you don't have to yell while I'm right next to you." Chuckled the railway man.
"No, at least, not directly. We'll send Jacky down to Waterwell with the first passenger train. The first goods  train however, leaves the station an hour earlier. We'll bring that  train down, wait there for the passenger train to come in, then follow  Jacky and whoever picks her up there to wherever they'll bring her, and  once we're there, squeeze some nice information out of those blurks." He explained, while Jacky and Emerald listened intensively.
"Sounds like a mighty large risk you're taking there Steaming. Is it worth it?" Asked Emerald.
"If Jacky and I ever want to get a night's rest without needing to have one eye open, yes, it is. Only thing left now, is to ask if you are up for it Jacky." Said Steaming, turning to his girlfriend.
"Depends."
"Yes, you can take your revolver with you." Sighted Steaming.
"Alright, then let's do it!" Smiled the girl brightly.
"Seriously? All it needed was the allowance of taking your revolver with you?" Asked Emerald.
"Sure.  If you lose us, at least I can get myself out of the situation without  too much difficulties." Shrugged Jacky, while Emerald just sighted.
"Alright,  we still need to make some preparations for tomorrow. Emerald, make  sure to grab some extra bullets for our guns. While we're at it, better  take our new 'toys' with us. I've got the sustained feeling that we  might need them. Jacky, get some practical clothes for the journey,  something easy, in which you can hide your revolver in. I'll take a look  at 98 1801 and see what Bell meant with his statement." Said the  engineer, as he got out of the coach, and walked off to the imported  engine.

Once  he reached the sheds, he quickly made his way to his assigned engine,  and controlled her completely. From pistons and rods to valves and  injectors, he looked at every part he could, but nothing seemed out of  the ordinary. He finally climbed into the cab, looking around. It was  small, which was to be expected on a tank engine, with the cab controls  on the right-hand side of the loco.
"Well,  nothing too weird. She's modern, but that's about it." Muttered  Steaming, as his eyes fell on a small book that had been placed on a  small tablet. He took it, and looked inside.
"Enginemen logbook. Let's see what the other boys wrote about her..." He muttered, turning the pages.
"Well bust me. No wonder he wished me luck!" Exclaimed the engineer.
Nearly every written page had been filled by another engineer, remarking all sorts of issues. Burst valves, leaking tubes, problem with keeping up pressure, jammed gauges in the cab... Steaming closed the book, sighting.
"Welp,  looks like I just got the top price! Ah well, looks like I'll have to  do the best with what I have." Said the boy, as he grabbed the coal  shovel.
"Better  get her steamed up, I need to make a picture of her myself to see how  bad it is." He grumbled to himself, filling the firebox with coal,  igniting the burning material.
Slowly, the pressure in the boiler began to rise, steam coming out of several openings in the cab.
"Well, let's hope she won't burst while we're at it!" Joked Steaming to himself, while opening the shed doors.
He  got back into the cab, and slowly edged the regulator forwards. The  engine heaved, and slowly rolled forwards, out of the shed. The  turntable operator saw the engine moving out of the sheds, and quickly  turned the turntable to the shed road.
"Where'd you want to go?" Asked the operator gruffly.
"Shunting yards." Replied Steaming.
The  man nodded, and the table began to spin towards one of the tracks  leading out towards the yards. Steaming slowly moved the engine off the  turntable, and into the yards, always keeping the engine in check,  making sure that nothing would go wrong. He slowed to an stop in the shunting yards, next to the yards signal tower, from which a bewildered looking signalman leaned out.
"What are you doing here? Your engine isn't scheduled to be here until 4:45am tomorrow morning!" Asked the man.
"Test  run. Need to see if any problems can occur while out on the open line.  Need to put her under real working conditions. Which line of trucks  needs shunting?" Came the reply.
"Well, there are some trucks on track 12 that will make the number 3768 to Vanhoover. They still need some trucks from track 8 and 13. That's the last ones."
"Alright, will do that. Later." Said Steaming shortly, and carefully brought the engine into action again.
He  quickly collected the trucks on the said tracks and brought them to the  already waiting ones on track 12. Once he was finished, he slowly  reversed the engine back into a siding. After grabbing an oil can, he checked the moving parts of the engine, and afterwards every external part on the locomotive.
"I  can't see what would be wrong with this engine. She's in excellent  condition! No damages, failures or anything of the sort!" Exclaimed  Steaming, as the goods train he shunted left the yards.
A  few minutes after it departed, he was cleared to go back to the sheds.  Once inside the sheds, he noted the engine off duty, and handed her over  to the shed crew to drop her fire. He was about to walk back to his  coach, when he passed by the shed masters office.
"Steaming! A word please!" Came a voice from inside the office.
He walked inside, seeing the shed master sitting at his desk, overlooking the roaster for the next day.
"I saw you took 99 1801 out for a little run. Why did you do that?" Asked the man.
"Well,  I have to make sure that the engine will run without a hitch tomorrow  morning on my first run. I read the logbook, and the many problems the  others had with her, and wanted to see how she'd do under real  conditions. Needless to say, I'm more than confused how the others could  have so many problems with the engine. She worked perfectly well with  me." Explained Steaming.
"Hm, interesting... Maybe you have a lucky hand with the engine?" Mused the shed master.
"But  still, you shouldn't take an engine from the sheds without notifying me  beforehand. It could've easily ended in a very dangerous situation.  Next time, make sure to notify both me and the signalmen within the  yards about this, alright?" Continued the man, staring into the eyes of  the young engine driver.
"Yes sir." Said Steaming sheepishly.
"Good.  This shall be all. I will see you tomorrow morning at 3:45am. Until  then, have a nice afternoon." Finished Jimmy, as Steaming quickly left  the office. 

He  returned to his carriage, and quickly made his way to the kitchen.  Emerald was preparing dinner in there, on the dining table were several  small, unlabeled boxes.
"Got the ammo already? That was quick." Remarked the engineer.
"Was cheaper in the dozens. Got around 600 rounds in total for our new toys." Explained Emerald.
"Huh? Don't they fire .357 like our Coltchesters?"
"Nope. They eat .308 Coltchester. You'd be surprised how rare that type of bullet is around here! There is a surplus of 357 here though. So, we shouldn't run dry on our revolvers." Explained the self-claimed  cook, as Steaming opened one of the boxes, taking out one of the  bullets. It was longer than their usual bullets, broader at the back,  with a cone like projectile.
"Hm, bit more weight. Let's hope they'll be worth it." Muttered Steaming.
"Just  don't think too much about it. Go and call Jacky. She's in your room  since she got back." Said Emerald as he got their plates out.
"You could've told me earlier that she's here." Chuckled Steaming as he walked off to his room.
He  softly opened the door and walked inside of his room, his eyes quickly  falling onto the slumbering form of Jacky that was on his bed. A soft  smile grew on his face as he saw his girlfriend on his bed, a completely  innocent expression on her face. He snuck up to his bed, leaned down to  her face and softly and passionately kissed her. He smiled into the  kiss as he felt a reaction from her, indicating that he successfully woke her up.
"Evening princess. I see you slept well?" He asked cheekily.
"Hmhm, but I think the waking up was even better." She purred, kissing him again.
"Oh,  how I regret not telling you earlier how I feel for you. I'd have woken  you up like this hundreds of times before." He muttered through the  kiss.
"Well, we've got all the time in the world to catch up on that." Mused Jacky.
"STEAMING!  WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?! DINNER WILL GET COLD!" Called  Emerald from the kitchen, reminding Steaming why he came to his room.
"Oh yeah. There was a reason why I woke you up." Said Steaming, pulling himself and Jacky into a sitting position.
"Well,  let's listen to him and get going then." Smiled Jacky, as she got up  from the bed, and quickly grabbed the engineers Germain hat, putting it  on her own head, and skipping out of the door.
Steaming  was stuck in his seat for a second, somewhat awestruck by the sight of  Jacky with his hat on, before shaking his head, and quickly rushing  after his girlfriend, reminding himself that he'd have get a photograph  of her with that hat on for the inside of his pocket watch. After a  filling dinner, all three of them retired to their beds, aka, Emerald  got back to his room, and Jacky went together with Steaming into his  room. They quickly fell asleep, so that they could get up bright and  early to prepare for their 'mission'. At 3am, both Steamings and Emeralds alarm clocks rang, waking the two railway men  up. Jacky however had her troubles with listening to the bell, and  continued sleeping. Steaming tried to wake her up, but she was knocked  out cold. He sighted, set the clock to 5:45 and got his clothes for the  day. After going through a quick shower, he joined Emerald for  breakfast. Once that was out of the way as well, he checked the clock,  seeing that it was only 3:30am, he went and checked their guns once  more.
"Alright,  both our revolvers, 6 rounds in the chamber. We got two boxes each with  80 bullets in total. Our 455s with 5 bullets in them, two boxes a 20  rounds, makes again 80 bullets for our big toys."
"Ain't this a bit much? I know we need to be prepared, but we don't want to fight a war on our own!" Chuckled Emerald.
"Better  safe than sorry. We can't run out of ammo before they do." Explained  Steaming, pulling out another, smaller box out of their storage, quickly  scribbling down a note for Jacky, before grabbing his rifle and  revolver, his movements copied by Emerald.
They  got out of the carriage, and made their way towards the engine sheds.  The lights that hung above the shed row doors illuminated the turntable  and tracks in front of it, while the lights from the engine crew  buildings played lighthouse for the two railway men.  They walked into the building, and into a large room where already two  crews were sitting at a table, on it several cups full coffee.
"Morning gents. Where's the shed master?" Asked Steaming.
"In his office." Came the gruff reply.
"Thanks.  You go and get yourself a cup E. I'll talk to the shed master. Take my  rifle for the time being, alright?" Asked Steaming, as Emerald took the  gun from the engineer.
Steaming walked to the shed masters office, knocking on the closed door, before walking inside.
"Ah, good morning young one! Ready for your first shift?" Asked Journal Box.
"Sure am boss. Can't wait to finally get to know what the line up to Waterwell Junction is like." Smiled Steaming.
"That's  good to hear. Your engine is in row 16, steam her up and get her onto  the outgoing line towards the yards, right up to the signal box. The  signalman will tell you how to proceed." Explained the shed master.
"Will do sir. Good bye." Said Steaming, leaving the office, and returning to the mess hall where he had left Emerald.
He found him in conversation with the other crews that sat at the table from earlier.
"...and  the signalman sent us right into the yards, and crashing into a row of  trucks that waited there!" Explained Emerald, as the other men burst out  laughing.
"Some  luck you kids have! Crashing into sidings, destroying half an engine,  derailing a runaway engine, and still getting promoted!" Laughed one of  the older men.
"Reminds  me of the old man! Remember when he thought it would be good to turn  his tender into the foundation of a signal box?" Laughed another, as  they all hollered with laughter.
"Or!  Or the time he used one of the shunting engines to 'help' the station  master in expanding his house front?!" Laughed another, as they all  laughed even harder.
"Sounds like quite a 'capable' engineer. What is he driving, a shunter?" Scoffed Steaming.
"He's driving the 'Royal Guardian'." Said another.
"You don't mean the the 'Royal Guardian', right?" Asked Emerald quietly.
"The very same kid." Chuckled a fireman.
"What's the 'Royal Guardian'?" Asked Steaming.
"Only one of the rare few loco's that got the privilege to haul the 'Cannonball Express' from Las Pegasus to Manehatten. Hand-picked  out of the 'Racehorse' type 4-6-0 class of engines. Especially 'Royal  Guardian' has been a stroke of luck, she has been the engine that always  got her trains in on time. Whenever she was in front of the train, it  would reach Manehatten  on the dot. It is said that she only has one crew that works on her,  since no other crew can work her quite like they do." Explained Emerald.
"Yeah, that's no rumor though. She really has  only one crew. Plenty have tried, but they would usually work on local  services with her. And even on those, they would have trouble working on  her." Explained the first driver again, as a clock rang inside the room, telling them it was already 4am.
"Oh damn, we need to hurry! Thanks for the chat gents, see you around, Emerald, let's go!" Said Steaming, rushing to the door.
"Coming Steaming!" Said Emerald, emptying his cup, and racing outside after the engineer.
"Did he just call the other one 'Steaming'?" Asked one of the drivers.
"Huh, could be a coincidence that he's called like Funnel." Shrugged the other driver, as he went back to drink his coffee.

Steaming  and Emerald walked slowly through the warm night towards the open shed  doors, in which the dark shadow of 98 1801 stood, silent and cold.
"Long time since we worked on a tank engine." Sighted Steaming.
"I always disliked these narrow, cramped cabs." Grumbled Emerald.
"Well, when I took her out yesterday, there was plenty of room inside the cab. She isn't a station shunter, but a branchline engine after all." Chuckled Steaming, as he walked into the shed, and lit some of the oil lamps.
Slowly,  their section of the shed got brighter, and soon, the engine in front  of them got illuminated by the light, the deep black paint contrasting  nicely to the red wheels. Both engine men got into the cab, Steaming to grab the oil can, and Emerald to start the fire. Both got into their work patterns, Steaming  jumping around the rods and pistons, while Emerald build a nice fire in  the firebox. Soon, steam started to escape through the funnel and  cylinders, and the air pump started to work. Steaming lit the three oil  lamps at the front (one on top of the smokebox and two above each  buffer), making them shine into the darkness of the yards. With the  final work outside of his engine done, the engineer returned to the cab.
"And?"
"Well, it is a bit more space than on a yard shunter..." Agreed Emerald.
"Good enough for me! Now let's get going! Today, we have  to be on time, no matter what!" Said Steaming, cutting into Emeralds  sentence, before grabbing the whistle, letting the engine shout its  booming voice into the night.
His  hand wandered to the regulator, slowly opening it, and driving the  large tank engine out of the shed. They stopped in front of the  turntable, and once it was moved into the correct position, they got  onto it, getting turned onto the outgoing track towards the yards. They  stopped next to a small signal box, where a man leaned out of, waiting for them.
"Huh?  You got the foreigner moving? Thought it wouldn't budge no matter who's  on her. Your train is on track 4, that's the second outgoing track.  Just follow the signals and couple up to it once you're there. Departure  time is at 5:30!" Said the man, before disappearing into his signal box  again.
In  front of them, the signal showed its white light, giving them a clear  path. They slowly crossed through the yards, passing their train,  consisting of a few covered vans, several empty flatbeds and a row of  tankers, finished off with a brake van at the back. They rolled off of  the main yard track onto a siding, passing a signal before stopping.
"Alright, path's clear, back her up!" Called Emerald as the signal changed to white.
They  rolled backwards onto the waiting train, stopping softly, touching the  buffers on the first truck. Emerald got out and coupled the engine up to  the train, grabbing the goods paperwork and the timetable for the  journey.
"Looks  like it's a pretty easy run. Stopping a few times, dropping the covered  ones first, the tankers follow afterwards, the flatbeds are for Waterwell  Junction. We should be able to reach the end of the line half an hour  before the passenger train reaches the station." Said Emerald as he  passed the schedule to the engineer.
"Hm, a bit more than 400 tons. I bet she could haul twice..." Muttered Steaming.
"Don't  overdo her on her first run Steaming! We don't want to tire her out too  early on!" Laughed Emerald, as they could hear a metallic clanking from  in front of them.
Steaming  looked out of the cab, seeing that the signal arm has rose into the  air, showing the green light. From behind him, he could hear the whistle  of their guard. Turning, he saw him waving his green lantern.
"Alright! Show me what you can do 1801!" Smiled Steaming, opening the regulator softly but firmly.
The  steam streamed through the pipes into the cylinders, pushing the  pistons backwards, and driving the wheels. The strong exhaust bark  disturbed the quiet night, as the train started out of the yards. The  engine had no problem getting the train into motion, quickly getting the  train up to yard limits. They soon passed the final signal box before  switching onto the branchline. Once the train was completely on the branchline, Steaming  opened the regulator further, getting the train up to line speed. The  sun started to rise in the east, bathing them in a warm orange glow, as  they steamed down the line, past drawn out fields, through large forests  and through small station halts, where sleepy looking station master  waved them through. They soon reached the first stop, a small station  with small yards and its own shunter, an elderly 2-4-0 with dirty  nameplates, on which the letters formed the name 'Gladstone'. They left  the trucks for the tank engine, and continued on down the line.
"Huh, what a quaint little place." Chuckled Emerald.
"Yeah, but what kind of name is Buggleskkelly?!" Asked Steaming, as they entered a tunnel, on top of which a lonely windmill stood.

After  dropping the tankers off at a small goods stop, they continued on  towards the end of the line. The route got steeper the further they  went, with high hills dawning in the closer distance.
"I think that this 'Waterwell Junction' is some kind of mining town. I could imagine that these hills got quite some minerals in them." Said Emerald.
"Hmhm, I think so too. Maybe that's why it's a Junction? Several small mining spurs ending there and joining up into the branchline to the mainline." Pondered Steaming, as they entered a long curve.
"But why would they need flatbeds in a mining town? Wouldn't open trucks be better for that?" Asked Emerald
As they got out of the curve, the fireman got his answer. The station of Waterwell Junction dawned in front of them. A large station with two bay platforms for passenger trains, along with  a shorter platform for milk, fruit and mail trains, and to the right, a  shorter through platform, which wasn't connected to their line, but to  another railway, with a smaller track gauge than theirs. On the right  side of the station was the goods yard, with a large array of open  trucks in its sidings, some empty, some loaded to the brim with coal,  iron ore, lead, granite and so on. Another track had a ramp at its end,  on which the smaller tracks ran, ending at the height of their flatbeds  platform. They slowly entered the yards, as a shrill whistle came from  behind them. They looked, seeing a small tank engine with two pairs of  cylinders at the front and back, making her a 0-4-4-0 tank engine,  pulling a set of small green coaches, all of them looking like they had  been built  in the middle of the last century. The small train rumbled past them,  slowly rolling into the platform, stopping with a slight squealing. They  did the same, stopping their train in the yards, and waited for someone  to come over and tell them where to get to now. They wouldn't have to  wait for too long, as a shunter walked up to the large engine.
"Can't  believe she made it here in one piece. The flatbeds are needed over at  the loading ramp. I'll throw the switches, you just make sure to get the  trucks there." Said the shunter, and walked off to the first switch.
"Well, that explains why they need those flatbeds." Huffed Emerald.
"A blooming narrow-gauge line." Chortled Steaming, as he got out of the cab to uncouple the train.
They  quickly ran around their train and coupled back up to it. Once they  dropped the flatbeds off at the loading ramp, they pulled their brake  van into a siding along with their engine, and let their eyes wander  across the yards. At the end of the yards, a small roundhouse stood,  with several smaller locomotives waiting in their stalls.
"Hm,  let's see... Quick count, a further two Mallets, two or three 4-4-0s, a  2-6-0 and what looks like a 0-6-0 tank. But I doubt that goes onto  their mainline that much." Said Steaming.
"Just  look at their rolling stock! You'd think you'd look into a photograph  of the past with that much classic stock! Clerestory coaches, smoke  stacks of coal ovens, five plank trucks-"
"And last but not least, Mallet compounds. Where else but on a narrow-gauge railway would you find this collection of rare railway equipment?" Smiled the engineer.
"Only a railway museum I'd guess." Chuckled Emerald, as Steamings eyes moved on towards the passenger station.
"Hm,  the station is pretty much settled into the town. If he'd want, he  could easily slip away into the town with her without trying too hard."  Frowned Steaming.
"We  would need to keep him in the station, quickly grabbing him and squeeze  all the information he has out of him then?" Asked Emerald.
"Basically? Yes."
How  about this then, I cover the main exit. There is only one exit through  the main station building anyways, so that shouldn't be too much of a  problem. That way, he is cut off, with only the other platforms and the  open track, and along that, we have clear range."
"Alright, that's settled then. Let's get our guard out of harm's way first." And with that, Steaming jumped from the footplate, walking up to the brake van.
"Hey lad, how about you go and grab yourself some breakfast? We'll stay with the engine until it's time to leave again."
"Alright,  have nothing better to do right now anyways. Later lads." Said the  guard, walking out of the van and towards the station.
"Okay,  you get into position near the main building. But make sure you don't  stand out too much. We can't risk letting him know we're here. I'll stay  here and keep an eye out for the train. I have clear view of the  platform, so I should be able to see Jacky once she gets off the train.  I'll blow the whistle once I see somebody tailing her. If he makes a run  for it, I'll blast a second time. Now let's go." Said Steaming, as  Emerald jumped from the footplate and onto the platform, while Steaming pulled up his rifle, pulling out the magazine, checking that it was loaded.
"Time to end this." He murmured, putting the magazine back in place with a click.

Time  passed. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. 20 minutes. The platform got more and  more crowded with the early morning passengers and commuters. Finally,  the sounds of a working engine could be heard from down the line,  getting louder until a small black 0-6-0 tank engine rounded the bend.  It slowly rolled up to the platform, pulling four, eight wheeled wooden  bodied coaches into the station. The doors opened, and a flood of people  streamed out of the small train. Steaming quickly found Jacky in the  mass, looking around slightly for her 'escort'. Steaming tailed her with  his eyes, looking left and right towards the people that got too close  to his girlfriend. Finally, he saw somebody, dressed in a black hood,  that has been following her across the platform, getting closer and  closer to her. He grabbed the whistle cord, and gave a firm tug on it,  letting the whistle rang out. The person shot forwards, grabbing Jacky,  and pulling her towards the station building. Steaming quickly pulled a  second time, the whistle blowing loudly, as he jumped from the engine,  the rifle on his back, his revolver in his hand, running up to the  platform and further towards the station. Suddenly, he saw how both the  black hooded person and Jacky, hurrying across the platform, away from  the station building, and towards the narrow-gauge  platform. Chasing after them, only a few meters behind them was  Emerald, panting along the platform. The hooded one pulled Jacky into  the cab of the small narrow-gauge  engine, quickly closing the door before Emerald could catch up. With a  strong wheeze, the small train started to move out of the station.  Steaming rounded the bend at the end of the standard gauge platform, as  he saw how Emerald tried to jump onto the platform of one of the  coaches, only to see that somebody had already been expecting him,  kicking him into the stomach, and out of the train, landing on the  wooden platform with a harsh thud. Steaming hurried up even faster, but  was too slow, and could only watch as the train accelerated out of the  station. He raced up to Emerald, who picked himself up, not caring about  the people behind and around him who were giving confused glances about  what the commotion was about and why the train had left so early.
"You alright?!" Asked Steaming.
"I'll live. What about Jacky?"
"On board the train that just left." Sighted Steaming.
"Then  why the hell are we still talking here?! We have to stop that thing!"  Exclaimed Emerald, as he rushed towards the telegraph office, Steaming joining him a second later.
They crashed into the office, only to find the telegrapher with a knife in his back, and the telegraph destroyed.
"Damn it! They had expected us!" Growled Steaming.
"What shall we do now?" Asked Emerald.
"We  can't give up! ...the sheds. Grab your gear, and hurry to those sheds  we passed earlier!" Shouted Steaming, already racing out of the office.
Emerald  quickly grabbed the rifle from the engine, and raced to the sheds. Once  he reached it, he saw how Steaming drove one of the 4-4-0s onto the  turntable, it's red paint and golden stripes showing that it was used to  fast passenger runs, the name plate "Texas" standing proudly on its  side.
"Come on E! We have to move!" Shouted Steaming.
"Ain't  the guys from around here going to be pissed if they see that you steal  one of their locos?" Asked Emerald, as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Those bastards killed one of us and kidnapped one of yours. We'll take care of your engine, just go and get those arses!" Said one of the local crew members, as he shove Emerald onto the engine.
The  turntable was moved into position and Steaming reversed her into the  yards. Before he was completely behind the signal, it already dropped  for him to move. He rammed the Johnson bar forwards, opening the  regulator wide and let the wheels spin wildly. After a few seconds of  wild spinning, the wheels got their grip again, and with a loud cry of  her whistle, the "Texas" started to charge after the stolen train.
'The hunt is on...'
> The Great Locomotive Chase
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thundering  down the line, the old tender engine rocked and swayed along the  tracks, clearly not having run that quickly in a long time. Steamings  eyes were locked on the point where the tracks went out of sight,  hoping that the rear of the runaway passenger train would appear again.  They rounded another tight turn, the flanges squealing as they pressed  against the rails, as they could see the rear of a green coach,  disappearing into a tunnel, while a light smokescreen slowly dissolved  into the air.
"We're gaining on them!" Shouted Emerald.
"More coal! We need to get our hands on them!" Replied Steaming, pulling the regulator wide open.
They  raced into the tunnel, bursting out the other side, as the rear coach  was right in their view. However, they only now noticed how close the  coach got.
"Oh  cowcatcher, pull the brakes! Pull the BRAKES!!!" Shouted Emerald, as  Steaming pulled the brakes hard on, the engine jerking around as the  locomotives brake force slowed her down.
The  engine stopped a few meters in front of the coach, which slowly rolled  into the engines central front buffer, indicating that it has been  rolling backward, if only slightly. Both men jumped from the locomotive,  and saw that the rest of the passenger train was missing.
"They must've uncoupled it from the rest of the train to block the path for any pursuers."
"Won't  stop us! We'll push it ahead of us! A little shield for any tricks they  might want to pull!" Thundered Steaming, already back in the cab and  opening the regulator to continue their pursuit.
They were winding themselves up the mountains, through narrow paths and long tunnels. Whilst rounding another bend, Steaming saw the train, higher up along the line.
"Up there they are!" He shouted, pointing at the train.
"They got quite the lead!"
"Who cares?! We'll catch them, the 'Texas' will help us with that!"
They  pressed the old engine onwards, racing through stations and whistling  towards the station masters and passengers to stand back as they  thundered through. Ahead of them, a bridge span over a large lake. As  they got closer to the bridge, they saw how another coach stood on the  stone viaduct, it's bodywork ablaze and blocking their path.
"And what now?!" Shouted Emerald.
"Don't  worry, that coach will take care of that!" Shouted Steaming back,  pulling the brakes quickly, as the engine jerked forwards, loosing speed  quickly, while the coach in front of them got further and further away,  heading towards the obstacle in their path.
The  coach rumbled along the tracks, crashing into the burning vehicle on  the bridge, pushing it off the rails and into the lake below. The hit  however, caused the coach itself to derail as well, leaning dangerously  over the edge.
"See?  Problem solved." Smiled Steaming, as they slowly pushed the coach over  the edge with their engine, making it follow the coach in front of it  into the lake with a loud splashing.
"You  call it a problem solved, I call it another problem following us."  Grumbled Emerald, as the locomotive picked up speed again.
"What are you moaning about now?" Chuckled Steaming.
"Well, we abandoned our engine whilst on duty, stole an engine from the engine sheds in Waterwell,  most likely are currently running this engine into the ground, and  destroyed two of the coaches of this railway. I really don't want to  know what the bosses will say to that!" Counted Emerald.
"Well... It was for the greater good?" Tried Steaming, as they entered a small forest.
Ahead  of them, a small signal box came up, with a set of points a bit of a  distance away from it. Steaming narrowed his eyes and reduced steam,  before coming to an stop at the signal box.
"I though we were in a chase here?! Why did we stop?!" Asked Emerald.
"I  don't trust these points up there. They could've stopped and set the  switches so that we run into a dead end, while they can flee without  pursuers." Said Steaming, and jumped from the cab.
He  walked up to the signal box, and climbed to the operating room. Walking  inside, he sighted at what he found. The signalman was knocked out,  tied up to a chair.
"Like  I thought..." He said, and pulled out his knife, cutting through the  ropes, and looked around, seeing a few bottles of water, next to a half eaten meal that was probably the signalmans  breakfast. He opened one and emptied the content onto the face of the  man. The result was that the signalman woke up with a jump, before  sinking back into the chair, grabbing his head in pain.
"Ouch! Bloody bastards!" He cursed.
"Who did this?"
"Some  bastards slowed down with the morning stopping train, got out and  demanded that I throw the switch to the old mine spur! I refused, they  knocked me out. I guess they threw the switch themselves." Explained the  man.
"Alright, we'll get those punks!" Said Steaming, rushing out of the doors and back into the cab of the 'Texas'.
"Up  the mine spur they went! We'll get them there!" Said Steaming as they  started along the line, leaving the main running line behind them as  they started up the old mining spur.

They  drove through the forest, climbing up the side of one of the mountains,  twisting and turning until they could see a small yard up ahead, with a  green coach, sticking out in the middle of it.
"Get  your rifle ready! We'll need them. I can feel it..." Growled Steaming,  as they slowed down, entering the old mining grounds.
They  slowed to a stop behind the rest of the passenger train. Jumping out of  the cab, they looked around, searching the surrounding buildings for  any person that could've been waiting to ambush them.
"Looks calm to me." Muttered Emerald.
"Too calm. Back into the cab, pronto." Muttered Steaming back, as they both slowly backed back towards the cab.
In the corner of his eye, Steaming  saw something flash from one of the buildings that stood near the  tracks. He jumped, pushing Emerald to the ground, but he wasn't fast  enough to evade the bullet, as it hit him into his left shoulder.
Get into cover E!" Shouted Steaming, as he got up again, dashing for the cab, as further shots rang out.
They  both took cover in the cab, firing from their position towards the  buildings. Every so often, they would hit close to where they were  hiding, but before they could get a concrete hit, they would be swiftly  dealt with. After a few minutes, the shootout ended.
"Think that was the last of them?" Whispered Emerald.
"Oh,  don't even get your hopes up for that, you fool." Came a voice from  outside, as they looked out, and saw Novelty, with a tied up, and very  pissed off Jacky next to him.
"I  am impressed. Even though my men tried everything to stop you, you  still managed to get here. Too bad though, this is the end for the both  of you." Smirked Novelty, as Steaming and Emerald rose their revolvers  at the same time.
"As  far as I can see, you are the one who has reached the end of his line.  You are cornered, with two guns pointed at your head, without anything  to protect yourself. Release Jacky at once, or you won't be able to  regret your decision!" Growled Steaming.
"Oh  you silly engine driving mutt. Did you really think I wouldn't have  brought you two here if I hadn't had a plan? That coach in front of your  puny engine? It's completely loaded with dynamite! If you want to attack me, I will detonate it, and level this whole mountain side!" Smirked Novelty, as Steamings, Emeralds and Jackys eyes went wide.
"You would kill yourself, just so that Jacky and I wouldn't be together?! You are crazy!" Shouted the engineer.
"You  and her aren't meant to be! She is destined to be with me! Nobody wants  to understand it, but I don't care about that! Junction and I will be together, forever!" Shouted the man.
"You  are mental! What gives you the idea I would ever be together with  somebody like you?!" Shouted Jacky, but was cut off when Novelty slapped  her.
"Be  quiet, you have no talk in this matter anyways!" Hissed Novelty, as  Steaming shot forwards, his eyes nearly glowing red in anger.
He quickly threw a heavy right hook against Noveltys  yaw, but was stopped by some of his henchmen, who restrained both him  and Emerald, while Novelty got back to his feet, spitting out some  blood. He glared towards Steaming, before hitting him in the stomach,  the engineer showing no sign of pain whatsoever. Noveltys anger grew through this, and he grabbed a crowbar, hitting the engineer onto the back with it. This time, Steaming  went to the ground, gasping in pain as Novelty began to kick into the  stomach of the engineer, while Emerald fought against the men  restraining him, and Jacky screamed at Novelty to stop, crying at seeing  her boyfriend getting beaten up like this. Finally, after one last hard  kick into his stomach, Novelty let off of Steaming, and turned towards  Jacky, tears still running down her face.
"I  told you to stop fooling around with him. We could have avoided all  this if you just went along and followed your destiny." Purred Novelty,  but Jacky didn't heard him, still shocked from the situation.
"Bring  them away, but don't kill them right now. I don't want any dead people  near my wedding." Ordered Stirling, as two of the henchmen picked up  Steaming, and they, along with Emerald and the ones restraining him,  went towards one of the old mining buildings, while Novelty pulled Jacky  along with him.

After  taking away their rifles, revolvers and ammunition, Steaming and  Emerald were locked into an old mining lift, to wait until after the  wedding.
"Steaming! Steaming, come on, get your shit back together!" Urged Emerald.
In reply, Steaming threw up onto the floor, a bit of blood coming up along with the contents of his breakfast.
"Ugh, that felt like hell. I think he broke some of the stuff inside of me." Groaned Steaming.
"Yes, and if we don't hurry, he'll marry Jacky!" Said Emerald, as Steaming suddenly shuddered violently and then got silent.
"Steaming?" Asked Emerald, as his childhood friend stood up, as if his injuries weren't there at all.
He got up to the lifts door, and with a firm pull, ripped it out of its hinges. Emerald was amazed.
"You have to teach me that one some day soon. Right now, let's go!" Said Emerald, while Steaming only nodded, still silent, his eyes hidden from view by his hat.
They  walked up to the door, silently opening it, looking outside to see a  man standing guard. Emerald was about to knock him out, when Steaming  quickly pulled the man inside, one hand over his mouth and the other  around his chin, giving a quick pull, and snapping his neck in one quick  succession. He pulled out the man's revolver, throwing it towards  Emerald, before exiting the building, and silently making his way from  building to building, sneaking from window to window.
"Oookay, you are starting to worry me Steaming..." Muttered Emerald to himself, following the engineer.
The  man in question had stopped in front of another building, in which  several henchmen were, with them were their weapons and ammo.
"Any  idea of how we can get our equipment?" Asked Emerald, as Steaming only  grabbed the revolver out of his grasp, and walked up to the window.
He  slowly levered the window open, but only so far that he could put the  barrel through it. Within a second, he pulled the trigger, letting the  bullet fly across a fuse of a dynamite bundle. The men inside heard the  shot and the whizzing of the lit fuse, and quickly escaped out of the  building, racing for cover to escape the inevitable explosion. Steaming  pulled the window completely open, jumping through it, and pulling the  burning fuse out of the dynamite bundle, before throwing it away onto  the ground, letting it burn out.
"Okay,  I have no idea what is going on with you, but please keep it this way  until we're through this shit." Sighted Emerald, grabbing his revolver  and rifle, while Steaming already took his.
They  quickly exited the building, running towards an unspecified direction.  As it appeared, the former mine was actually a small town, with many  abandoned homes, shops and even a church. But something didn't fit into  the picture of an abandoned town. In front of the church, a horseless  carriage stood. Both Steaming and Emerald had seen such carriages  before, in Canterlot and Manehatten,  called 'automobiles'. What made Steaming stop however wasn't the  automobile, but the banner on the back, spelling 'just married'.  Steaming grabbed his partner by the shoulder and pulled him over to  wards the church.
"Alright alright,  I saw it! Man, you could simply tell me what you think! You're  beginning to creep me out with your silence..." Grumbled Emerald, as  they ducked underneath a window. Steaming glanced inside, and saw a  reverend, chained to a bench, while one of the henchmen stood guard.  Then, Novelty walked in, without Jacky however.
"Thank you for doing me this favor, your highness." Said Novelty.
"This is outrageous! Why did you kidnap me, and what favor are you talking about?!"
"Why,  didn't you know? You are going to be the lucky man to wed me and  Junction Spike! You should consider it a great honor to be the reverend  to carry out such an great and historic task!" Purred Novelty.
"I will do no such thing! I demand to be released at once!" Growled the reverend.
"My  good sir, I would suggest changing that tone towards me. We wouldn't  want that your son would get into an accident, now would we?" Oiled  Novelty, as the reverends eyes grew wide.
"My little feather... What did you do to him?!"
"Nothing.  But this can easily change if you keep your hostile attitude towards me  and keep refusing to cooperate." Smirked Novelty as the reverend  lowered his head in shame.
"I... I will do as you say." Sighted the reverend.
"Splendid!  I will go and get my bride! You shall stay here and prepare for the  wedding! You! Release him, but make sure that he doesn't run away." Said  Novelty, pointing at the henchman.
"Alright boss." Nodded the man, as Novelty exited the church through the side door he came in.

"Alright,  looks like things just got even more complicated than they already are.  Any ideas Steaming?" Asked Emerald, looking over to the engineer, only  to see that he was already gone.
"I begin to miss the old Steaming. At least he told me his crazy plans before doing them..." Huffed the fireman as he walked off to the side of the building.
Looking around the bend, he could see that Steaming was next to the side door, silently opening it, before entering the church.
"That  crazy son of a!" Emerald rushed after him, but as he reached the door,  he could already hear the sound of fighting men inside the building.
Inside,  he saw Steaming and the henchman, entangled into each other, with the  henchman on top of Steaming, trying to strangle him. Steaming quickly  kicked the man off of him, sending him flying into a row of benches. The  engineer jumped up, his hat lying some meters away from him. Now  Emerald could see his eyes clearly. His usual brown eyes burned red with  anger. Emerald looked at the engineer in surprise.
"Steaming?! What the hell?! What happened to your eyes?!"
Steaming  didn't reply, he rushed over to where the man was lying in the benches,  pulling him up, and punching him several times in the face, before  letting off of him. In a swift motion, he pulled out his revolver,  letting it spin a few times on his finger, before shooting the man in  the head.
"Wh-who are you? Where did you come from?" Asked the reverend, shocked by the actions of the boy.
"We  are here to rescue Junction Spike, and by the look of things, you as  well." Explained Emerald, while Steaming picked up his hat.
"I can't go! If I leave, they are going to harm my family!" Cried the reverend.
"Don't  worry, we will make sure that they won't harm you or anyone anymore.  This has gone on for far too long. We will end this, today." Said  Emerald, with an determined look on his face.
"Thank  you. But please, take care of yourself. And your friend as well. He  seems like he isn't capable of rational thinking right now." Said the  reverend.
"I noticed. He usually isn't that impulsive. I don't know what is going on with him right now..." Frowned Emerald.
Outside, they could hear a lot of commotion, gradually coming closer.
"I  suggest you get out of here. We have a steam engine, standing in the  yards near the old mines. Take cover in it, if we aren't there in 15  minutes, you simply open the big lever sticking out from the middle of  the boiler. Once you get to the next station, pull the little lever next  to it, it will brake the engine to a stop." Explained Emerald.
"Thanks,  but I know how to operate a steam locomotive." Said the reverend and  shook Emeralds hand, before exiting the church through the side exit.
Steaming  stood at the place where the revered usually stood, his rifle already  pulled up, the barrel pointing towards the door, ready to bring death to  whoever would come through it next.
"Usual plan then Steaming?" Asked Emerald, bringing his rifle in position next to the engineers one.
Steaming only nodded in agreement.
"Once  this whole shit is over, I really want to know what's wrong with you  right now..." Murmured the fireman, as he looked down the iron sights.
The church was silent, only the sounds of somebody heading towards the building could be heard. Steamings  grip on his rifle got tighter. The doors opened, two henchmen pushed  the open, while few further came in behind them. In between them were  Novelty and Jacky, Novelty dressed in his usual cooper suit, the only  thing different about him was that he was wearing a top hat. Jacky was  dressed in a white wedding dress, but was tied up via a rope. Steamings  eyes got even redder, burning down the sights in an attempt to burn  Novelty alive. He growled, his voice sounded more like that of an  enraged animal than that of a normal person, as he slowly pulled the  trigger.
"Die..." He growled, startling Emerald with his grave deep voice. Never before had he heard his voice this deep before.
The  gun fired, but Novelty didn't fall. The man in front of him however  did, a small hole in his forehead. Emerald fired his gun, but he missed  as well, this time, the man to Stirlings left fell.
"Buck. We should've tested them on a range to check the sights..." Muttered Emerald, chambering another round.
The men quickly scattered, hiding behind the benches.
"They escaped!"
"How did they get out of that lift?!"
"Shut up and kill them you fools!" Shouted Novelty, as he grabbed Jacky and raced out of the church.
"The bastard is getting away!" Shouted Emerald, as he ducked into cover again, to prevent getting shot from the henchmen.
Steaming  didn't. He jumped down from their position and went into a sprint,  shooting some of the goons that stood. When he ran out of bullets, he  put his rifle onto his back, and quickly drew his revolver. But it  wasn't quick enough since one of the men got up to shot him. But before  he could pull the trigger, he was shot into the head by Emerald.
"Run you crazy bastard, and stop that lunatic!" Laughed Emerald.
A hint of a smile came across Steamings  face, as he continued to rush through the church. He burst out of the  doors, seeing how the automobile that stood outside earlier raced off  down the road towards the other end of the town. Steaming quickly pulled  out his rifle again, pulling out the empty magazine and inserted a new  one. He chambered a new bullet, and pulled the rifle up to his eye.
"No  more." He pulled the trigger, hitting the rear rights tire, and the car  verged to the right, then to the left, and then to the right again,  crashing into a house.
Steaming  ran up to the wrecked car, seeing how the door on its side was open and  the inhabitants had already abandoned the vehicle. Steaming looked  around, seeing a shadow disappear behind a wall. He pulled out his  revolver again, running after the shadow. After a few turns, they  reached the rail yards again. Steaming saw how Novelty pulled Jacky back  towards the passenger train. He raced after them, lifting his revolver  and fired a shot into their direction. Steaming didn't knew  if it was because he hit or because he distracted him, but Novelty  tumbled to the ground, landing a few feet away from Jacky, who quickly  ran away from him.
"You won't get away from me!" Screamed Novelty, pulling a derringer revolver out of his pocket, pointing it at Jacky.
Before he even hat  the chance to take proper aim, Steaming shot the miniature gun out of  his hand, making it land somewhere underneath one of the carriages.  Novelty scowled, looking into Steamings  direction to see the railway man walking towards him, putting his  revolver and rifle onto the ground, before taking off his jacket. He  grabbed Novelty, pulling him up by his collar, before throwing a strong  punch into his face, letting him fly towards the carriage.
"You  wanted to marry Jacky against her will." Growled Steaming, picking him  up and punching him again, this time into the stomach.
"You wanted to take the woman most important to me away from me." Another punch to the face.
"You slapped her." Another hit to the stomach.
"So  I will pay you back for mistreating the most wonderful girl on the  planet for your own goals." Steaming gave further punches with every  word he said.
Finally, after a final, heavy punch onto Noveltys nose, Steaming  let go of him, letting Novelty drop to the floor. He was battered and  bruised, blood flowing out of his mouth and nose, his face was swollen  and he was wheezing feebly. Steaming looked at the downed man with a  hated look for a few further seconds, before turning around, seeing that  Emerald had caught up with them, having helped to untie Jacky, who  stood next to the fireman with a scared look on her face. Steamings  eyes flickered between brown and red shortly, his vision playing tricks  on him, as he saw a familiar scene: A child, standing behind a woman's  legs, while an enraged man was screaming at the child, which cowered in fright behind the woman. That familiar scene, from a different angle.
'So much for not becoming my own nightmare...' Thought the boy.
His thoughts were interrupted by his air circulation being cut off by a strong wire, as Novelty strangled him.
"You  just don't want to understand, do you? Junction is mine! You will never  have her! She is mine!" Slurred Novelty, his swollen face making it  difficult to understand him.
Steaming  tried to grab the wire as to pull it from his throat, but he couldn't  get a grip at it. He tried to shove Novelty off of him, but he couldn't.  Emerald and Jacky were running up to them, when suddenly, Noveltys  grip got weaker, and let go completely. Steaming pushed the man off of  himself, and looked behind him, to see the reverend, with a coal shovel  in his hand.
"In  the name of the gods of the earth, the air and the magic, you shall  stop with this atrocity!" He shouted, as Novelty fell to his side,  knocked out.
Steaming  coughed heavily, glad to finally breath again. Jacky hugged him  tightly, crying into his chest, as his eyes returned from red to their  usual brown once more.
'I'm not my nightmare. I have them, and they stop me from being him.' Concluded Steaming with a soft smile.
"Thank the gods you are alright Jacky." Sighted Steaming silently, returning the hug with a smile.
"Glad  to see you are back Steaming. Thought you were stuck in that crazy  mode. But what the hell was up with you? And what was that thing with  the eyes?" Asked Emerald.
"I  don't know. All I saw was red, and all I wanted was to take Novelty out  for harming Jacky." Said Steaming, as he turned to the reverend.
"Thank you for helping me..." He began, but stopped when he saw the man.
"It was nothing son. You helped me out of my peril, I merely returned the favor." Smiled the man in a calm voice.
"Excuse me, but you don't happen to be reverend Golden Book, are you?" Asked Steaming.
"Why yes I am. You heard of me?" Asked the reverend.
"Who doesn't knows  the man who wrote the Railway Series Books?! You are a celebrity to  me!" Shouted Steaming, before he buckled, sinking to one knee, a sudden  pain shooting through his left side.
"Steaming! What's wrong?!" Asked Jacky, as she touched Steamings  left shoulder, only to feel something wet. She pulled her hand back,  shocked to see blood, but then remembered how they were ambushed and  Steaming got shot.
"Oh  damn, I forgot he was shot earlier! We never patched the wound up! We  need to get him to a hospital fast!" Said Emerald, slapping a hand in  front of his head.
"Then  we should hurry!" Said the reverend, as Emerald pulled Steaming over  his shoulder, bringing him on board of the locomotive, while the  reverend got into the driver's seat, and quickly made the engine move  out of the abandoned mining town.

They  quickly drove back down the line, Jacky trying her best to patch  Steaming up by wrapping pieces of the wedding dress around his injury.  Steaming drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness, the blood  loss being apparent to him.
"Hey Jacky." Breathed Steaming.
"Shhh, safe your energy." Whispered Jacky, scared of her boyfriend dying.
"Jacky, do you know that engines can talk?" Asked Steaming weakly.
Jacky looked at Emerald, confused about what he was talking about.
"That's the blood loss talking. Just play along with him and keep him awake." Said Emerald, as he kept firing the engine.
"N-no, I-I didn't knew that."
"They  don't talk to everyone. They only talk to those drivers that they seem  worthy. Those, with whom they worked for years, and know them like they  know the rails they run on. They'll tell you if something is wrong with  them, even if everything seems alright with everyone else. That's why  older engineers know if something is wrong with their engine. Because  they tell them what the problem is." Explained Steaming, his head  shaking about as the engine swayed along the tracks.
The locomotive raced down the line, as from ahead of them, a high pitched  whistling rang out. They looked ahead, and saw the passenger train,  racing towards them, the passenger coach with the dynamite at the front.
"Damn it! Novelty is back!" Emerald shouted.
They  raced backwards, passing the stations and platforms from earlier, where  passengers and stationmasters watched in fright as the two trains raced  by, quickly telegraphing down the line to stop all traffic. They got  closer to the bridge, when Steaming shot forwards towards the brake,  pulling it strongly.
"What the hell are you doing Steaming?! We need to get away from that fool, or he'll blow us all up!" Cried Emerald.
"The  engine! It told me we need to slow down, or we crash down the bridge!"  Protested Steaming, as Jacky pulled him from the controls.
They  had lost a good amount of speed, as they crossed the viaduct. Half way  over it, a strong jolt went through the engine, shaking them all up.  They reached the other side safely, as Novelty rocketed onto the bridge.  He never saw it coming. The train hit the rickety stretch of track, and  jumped out of the tracks. The coaches flew off the bridge, tumbling  down towards the lake, pulling the engine and Novelty with it. With a  heavy crash, the coaches hit the water, followed by the crunching of  wood as the engine made splinters out of the coaches and finally a  deafening explosion, as the boiler and the dynamite exploded. They all  stared back towards the bridge as it grew smaller the further away they  drove, then at Steaming, who was smiling slightly, and then at the  engine, not sure what to say.
"Don't worry, they are thankful..." Whispered Steaming, as he finally lost conscious.

They made their way back to Waterwell  as quickly as possible. When they reached the station, they were  greeted by the yard workers and shed crews, who quickly helped them get  Steaming into the brake van of 98 1801, as to get him to the hospital in  Ponyville.  The reverend promised to visit them as soon as he made sure his family  was alright, and disappeared out of the yards. Jacky joined Steaming in  the brake van, while the guard worked as fireman in the cab, and Emerald  worked as the driver. They made record time back to Ponyville, blasting the engines whistle in alarm that they were coming in hot. With screeching brakes, the train stopped in the yards in Ponyville,  where an ambulance was already waiting for them. Next to them was a big  4-6-0 tender engine, with a long string of coaches, getting prepared  for its next journey. The engineer looked over to see what the commotion  was about, and nearly fell out of the cab when he saw the young engine  driver, getting transferred from the brake van to the ambulance.
"Light! Light! Come here, quickly!" Shouted the engineer.
"What is it?" She asked, but he didn't answered, and only pointed at the unconscious boy.
When  the woman saw him, tears began to form in her eyes, as her hands  covered her mouth. They quickly jumped out of the engines cab, but  weren't fast enough to catch the ambulance, as it already left for the  hospital, taking Steaming, Emerald and Jacky with it.
"Hey you!" Shouted the engineer.
"Yeah, how can I help you Funnel?" Asked the guard.
"Who was the boy that got driver away right now?!" Asked the woman next to him.
"Him? I don't know, they always called him Steaming, though. Hey, isn't your family name Steaming?" Asked the guard.
"Yes, yes it is." Frowned the engineer.
"Can you tell the yard master that 382 won't take the Cannonball tonight? Something came up just now, and it can't wait."
"Okay, will do Funnel. Any hint on what it is?"
"Family matters."

Emerald  and Jacky paced in front of the surgery room. Apparently, the bullet  has wedged itself in between the shoulder blade and the bone of his  upper arm, so that they had to perform a surgery to get the bullet out.  They also had to use a lot of blood reserves to refill what the boy had  already lost. They stopped pacing when when  two people came into the waiting room, both wearing the work clothes of  the ENR, with the word 'Cannonball Express' above their heart.
"Hello, you are the driver and fireman of the Cannonball, right?" Asked Jacky.
"Fire woman to be precise, but other than that, yes, that's us. Is Whistle Steaming in there?" Asked the woman.
"Yes, they are performing a surgery right now." Explained Emerald, as the woman grabbed the hand of the man tightly.
"Who are you anyways? And how did you know Steamings name?" Asked Jacky.
"You two care for him pretty much, right?" Asked the man with a weak smile.
"He is the only family I had for the last 15 years. He's basically my brother, just not from blood." Explained Emerald.
"I love him. More than anything in the world. But what does this have to do with you?" Asked Jacky again.
"Well, you might hate us, but we are his parents."