//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Of Mares and Machines // by Razalon The Lizardman //------------------------------// The Fat Controller’s words had filled Mavis with dread, so much so that she refused to budge when her driver tried to make her go. Being locked up in the shed suddenly didn’t seem so bad anymore. Her driver sighed. “Don’t be silly, Mavis,” he said from her cab. “The Fat Controller isn’t going to turn you into scrap. He’s giving you a chance to make up for your mistake; best not to make him even more cross.” “B-but my wheels,” she sobbed. There was a short pause before her driver stepped out of the cab and came around to face her. He gave her a firm, but understanding expression. “Your accident put a lot of workmen in hospital, Mavis,” he told her. “And we’re lucky they only got by with a few broken bones; if things got worse they might have lost their legs completely.” “But I’m going to lose my wheels!” Mavis whined desperately. Her driver shook his head. “Wheels can be reattached, but legs are lost forever once they’re removed. The Fat Controller isn’t taking your wheels away forever, I promise.” Mavis relaxed a bit at his assurance. “Well, okay then…” Her driver smiled and climbed back into her cab. This time Mavis started without issue, and soon the two were off navigating through the quarry to Thomas’ branch line and the main line beyond. Mavis saw the Fat Controller and her manager get into the former’s car a short distance away. She thought she saw them looking her way as she passed, but couldn’t tell if they were smiling or frowning. “What is the Fat Controller planning to do with my wheels?” Mavis asked her driver once they’d reach the main line. Her driver laughed. “Wait and see when we get to Tidmouth Shed. It’s a surprise!” Mavis just scrunched her face in annoyance but didn’t say anything else. She managed to put aside her worries after a bit and enjoy the run. She wasn’t getting to shunt trucks, but being allowed to run on the tracks was a welcome relief after being locked up in the shed. All along the way she caught the attention of plenty of children who stopped to wave at her as she passed, as well as cows grazing in pastures who roared with alarm in response to the racket she made while passing. Every engine she passed she exchanged greetings with her horn and always tried to look important. Many of them, like Henry and Gordon and James she hadn’t met personally before, having only Percy’s and Toby’s descriptions to go off of. Rarely did she get to travel beyond Ffarquhar Quarry, aside from going to the Works to get fixed. All the attention she was attracting from both people and engines made her feel very important, almost as much as sorting trucks. Her trip took her through the countryside and passed plenty of towns. She was able to keep her mind off of the ‘surprise’ at Tidmouth Shed most of the way, at least until her driver said “we’re almost there” once they’d reached the end of the main line and ventured into Tidmouth Station, at which point her worries began building up again. Her driver guided her through the junction and eventually into a siding overlooking the turntable in front of the shed. She came to a gentle stop against the buffers and her driver hopped out of the cab and came around to face her again. “Now we wait for the Fat Controller to arrive,” he said. “Please tell me what’s going to happen to my wheels,” Mavis begged. Her driver looked at his watch. “Well, if all goes like clockwork, you should know within the next few minutes.” He smiled at her. “It’ll be a great surprise, wait and see.” Mavis huffed. “I’m not much for surprises,” she muttered. They waited for a few minutes before the Fat Controller’s car pulled up behind the shed. Mavis’ driver left her to greet them. At the same time, one of the shed’s doors was opened and Thomas came sliding out. “Mavis!” he called when he caught sight of her. “What brings you to Tidmouth Shed?” “I’m being punished,” she replied, sadly. She told him about her accident. “Serves you right,” Thomas said disapprovingly as he was brought onto the turntable. Mavis saw the Fat Controller, her manager, and her driver enter through a side door into the shed. A thought struck her. “I heard you came through a ‘Window’.” “I did,” Thomas said as the turntable began repositioning him. “It’s in the shed. It’s too small for an engine to fit through, though.” “Then how did you come through it?” Mavis asked. “And what’s on the other side?” Thomas’ face scrunched. “I’d rather not say how I came through.” The turntable clicked into place and he slid onto the tracks. “But there are ‘other worlds’ on the other side, with lots of strange but friendly creatures.” Mavis didn’t understand what he meant by that, but before she could ask anything else Thomas had chuffed away. Mavis waited for the Fat Controller to return to explain what was happening, deciding to rest in the meantime. She felt a bird perch itself on her cab but ignored it. She also ignored the occasional greetings engines passing by on the tracks behind her. Knowing that she was going to be losing her wheels made her want to savour what little time she had left with them. A horrid thought struck her that she might be strapped onto a flatbed truck and hauled away somewhere. “Sleeping well, Mavis?” Mavis opened her eyes. The voice came from behind her, and it was probably the last one she wanted to hear right now. Toby the Tram Engine was likely getting a drink of water behind her, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to chat like this. “Until you ruined it,” Mavis said sharply. “I’ve never seen you here at Tidmouth before,” he remarked. “What brings you here?” Mavis decided not to answer, hoping she could avoid further embarrassment. “... Is it because of your accident?” Bust my buffers, Mavis thought. “Yes,” she moaned. “I thought so,” Toby said. “Well, we live and learn as they say.” “They’re taking away my wheels,” Mavis said sadly. Toby was silent for a long moment. Mavis figured he was finished drinking and was going to leave, but she knew he wouldn’t without first talking down to her in some way. He always did that, just to prove how much better than her he was. “That sounds fitting, considering how serious your accident was,” he finally said. “I hope this’ll teach you to be more careful with trucks from now on so you don’t end up hurting anyone else.” Mavis didn’t say anything as she heard Toby whistle and then leave right as her driver, manager, and the Fat Controller strode over, looking up at her with varying expressions. She was surprised to see the Fat Controller actually smiling. “What’s going to happen to me, sir?” Mavis asked feebly. "You'll see once we get you inside the shed,” he said. Mavis’ driver clambered up into her cab and guided her onto the turntable. The turntable was repositioned onto the rightmost track leading into the shed, and the doors opened to reveal a sight that confused Mavis; a couple of small, colourful creatures shaped like horses. One of them was purple and had a horn and wings, while the other was orange and wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Near the back wall of the shed was a large green tarp covering over something tall and narrow. The shed was completely empty otherwise. The horse creatures themselves never stopped smiling at her all the while she approached, so they were friendly, at least. The Fat Controller and her manager came through the door into the shed and joined her driver as he stepped out of Mavis’ cab. The three of them stood side by side, facing the horse creatures, who returned their gazes. “This is Mavis,” the Fat Controller told the creatures, gesturing to her. “She's the one I was telling you about.” “Oh, so it’s a girl, then,” the purple creature said, turning to Mavis. It appeared to be studying her, which Mavis didn’t like. She glowered at the creature, but it paid her no attention. “Actually, Mavis does sound very feminine, now that I think about it.” “I gotta say,” the orange one spoke up, “those yellow stripes look good on her.” Mavis softened a bit at that compliment— at least these strange creatures recognized good livery when they saw it. “Oh! We haven’t introduced ourselves yet!” the purple one said. She put a hoof to her front. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” “Applejack,” the orange one said in turn. “We’re ponies from Equestria.” That last bit was lost on Mavis. Seeking answers, she cast her eyes to the three men and asked, “What’s going on here?” Her manager gave her a serious look. “Mavis, the task I’m about to give you will determine whether we think you’re ready to work in the quarry again.” He pointed to the ponies. “For the next week you’ll be working for them, and if you behave yourself I’ll let you work in the quarry upon your return.” Mavis managed to smile. That would be easy! Then a thought crossed her mind. “But sir,” she said to the Fat Controller, “you said I would be losing my wheels. How am I supposed to work without them?” Mavis’ driver snickered, which baffled her. The orange pony stepped forward. “Actually, I’m the one you’ll be working for. My family runs an apple farm, and you’ll be helping us for the next week in the fields.” Mavis only understood half of what Applejack said. How was she supposed to help ‘in the fields’? Twilight must’ve seen how confused she was, because she said, “Maybe it’d be better if we just showed her what we mean.” “I’ll admit to being excited to see what this magic of yours is like,” Mavis’ manager said. Twilight stepped forward in front of Mavis. Her horn lit up in a purple hue, which made the three men’s mouths drop a little. Mavis didn’t know what was happening, but a sinking feeling was settling into her tank. Twilight pointed her horn at Mavis and a single, solid beam of purple light shot forth, making Mavis gasp in fright before it hit her. The beam was connecting her to Twilight’s horn, and the edges of her vision filled with the same purple light “Amazing…” her driver breathed. Twilight then directed her still lit horn toward Applejack and a second beam shot forth, briefly enveloping the other pony in a brief flash before she turned back to Mavis and launched yet another beam down the length of the light bridge connecting them. The instant the light hit her Mavis felt something inside her. Her entire frame shook violently and she closed her eyes, letting out another frightened gasp. A tingle spread from her face all the way to her cab, and another flash of light blinded her vision. She felt herself begin shrinking and changing shape. The feeling was indescribable and very frightening, but it wasn’t painful. The sturdy build of her frame was softening, which was wrong. Unfamiliar feelings began overwhelming her, ones she couldn’t make sense of, which was just as frightening as the idea that her whole frame was falling apart. She felt herself lower to the ground, coming to a stop between the rails. The tingling disappeared completely all at once. She opened her eyes and was immediately startled to see everything appeared so much bigger. The shock of this somehow toppled her onto her side, landing hard on the rocks between the rails. What struck her as odd was the feeling of the rocks against her frame; they actually dug into her side, whereas usually when a rock touched her it bounced harmlessly off, sometimes without her even noticing. She shifted her gaze to see everyone coming forward to gather around her. The ponies were just smiling plainly, but the Fat Controller and her manager were staring at her like she’d been given rainbow livery. Her driver, however, was smiling like the ponies. “You look so adorable now, Mavis,” he said, laughing. “If my daughter was here she’d be begging to ride you around the shed.” Mavis blinked. Ride her around the shed? The tracks didn’t run around the shed. What was going on? Her manager turned to the ponies while pointing at her. “Can you promise nothing bad will happen to her in this form?” he asked, worried. “We’ll take extra care of her,” Twilight promised. “We may not look it,” Applejack followed, “but you’d be hard pressed to find better ponies to protect somepony in Equestria than us and our friends.” “That’s good to hear,” he said and turned to Mavis’ driver. “I’ll arrange a new engine for you to take charge of for the next week.” “Looking forward to the change of pace,” he said cheerily, then looked down to Mavis and waved farewell to her. “Good luck, Mavis! I’ll be looking forward to hearing all the stories you have to tell when you return!” Mavis’ driver and manager waved goodbye to the rest of the group before leaving through the side door and out of sight. Mavis frowned after them; she didn’t want her driver to leave. The Fat Controller strode over to Mavis and knelt down to face her. Seeing him towering over her like this was strange for Mavis and actually made his stern gaze even more intimidating. She nearly cried out when something started beating inside of her. Everything was so strange and confusing and she was missing the dark emptiness of the quarry shed right about now. “I’m sure you’re feeling uncomfortable right now, Mavis,” he said softly. “You’ll feel better once you’ve acclimated to your new body and the ponies explain more about what’s happening. I want to give you another chance, but I need assurance that you’ll behave from now on.” He reached out and put his hand on top of her; the feel of his fingers against her was as unusual as everything else. “This is your chance to give me that assurance.” The terrifying beating inside Mavis came to a stop, replaced by a warm, comforting feeling. It was different from when the Fat Controller previously spoke kindly to her after she’d redeemed herself from a bout of bad behavior where she just felt happy and relieved; this was something different. Twilight and Applejack came forward next to him, smiling broadly. “Cheer up, Mavis, I’m sure you’ll love Equestria,” Twilight told her. “Yeah, you’re gonna love workin’ on my family’s farm,” Applejack said. Mavis didn’t know how to respond; at least she was feeling more comfortable than she was before. “Oh, we still need to show you your new body!” Twilight said. Her horn glowed and, to Mavis’ bafflement, a framed mirror popped into existence next to her. Mavis then felt a tingling sensation envelop her entire body and she lifted off the ground, her vision straightening as she was brought right side up. The moment she settled on the ground she felt her balance give way, only to be held still again under Twilight’s strange ‘magic’. “I’ll help her,” Applejack said. She trotted over and stuck her head underneath Mavis, lifting her onto the orange pony’s back with a grunt of effort. Mavis cried out at the feeling of being lifted up so suddenly. “Hoowee, girl, you’re a might bit heavy!” Applejack said. “Well, she was a train,” Twilight said with a laugh. Mavis huffed, feeling indignant by the way they were treating her. Applejack maneuvered her body so that Mavis was facing the mirror. What she saw made her gasp. Her frame was gone, replaced by a similar creature to the two ponies. She now had four short hooves instead of wheels, her sideplates were gone entirely, and her beautiful black livery was now a dull gray fur coat. Her eyes were shaped like the ponies' and had a noticeable glimmer to them now, but without any distinguishable colors. What really struck her as curious was how the yellow-striped black livery that had framed her face and adorned the back of her cab was now reflected in the hair which sat atop her as well as the thick tail that had replaced her cab. She couldn’t find words to express how utterly disgusting her reflection was. She wanted to cry out in protest, but she knew it would be pointless— this is what the Fat Controller had ordered, after all. “Looks like she’s in shock,” Applejack said. “This will be a great learning experience for her,” the Fat Controller said. “She’ll get used to this new body soon, I’m positive of that.” There were a few more moments of silence. “Well, I guess we’ll be off, then,” Twilight said. “Unless you want to tell us something else, Sir Hatt?” “Tell Celestia that I would like to extend this program if this first run goes well,” he replied and smiled. “I’d also love another round of tea and scones; the ones she served are undoubtedly the best I’ve ever had.” “I’ll be sure to let her know,” Twilight said happily. “I must admit to being jealous,” the Fat Controller continued. “Not of the scones, of course, but your government. It would be mania if Parliament found out a gateway to other worlds was stationed here on my railway. I daresay, the entire world would be in an uproar.” “Yeah, I understand what you’re saying,” Twilight said sadly, before perking up. “But you know, the Window only works selectively. It’s not like just anyone can go through at their leisure.” “How does it work, then?” the Fat Controller inquired. Twilight was silent for a moment. Mavis looked to her, wondering if something was wrong. “Well, that isn’t exactly clear,” she said shakily. “I guess the best way to look at it is the Windows have their own free will, able to choose who comes through.” She laughed nervously. “Is that so?” the Fat Controller looked at the tarp, stroking his chin. “Intriguing...” “So, is that it then?” Twilight asked. “Indeed,” the Fat Controller said, and turned toward the side door. “I need to get back to figuring out how to better hide the Window.” The three said their goodbyes and the Fat Controller exited through the door, leaving Mavis alone with the ponies. The mirror blinked out of existence and Twilight turned to face Mavis. “So, what do you think, Mavis?” she asked. “About your new body, I mean.” Mavis blinked. What did she think? Wasn’t it obvious she was repulsed by her reflection? “I don’t like it,” she said simply. “Well, take the time to get used to it and I’m sure you’ll change your mind,” Twilight said. “Oh yeah, by the way, you know you need to breathe now, right?” Mavis blinked again. “... What— Ah!” Something inside her forced her to gasp heavily. Her hooves acted of their own accord, clutching her body as it tightened and she coughed. “Mavis! Mavis! You need to breathe, girl!” Applejack shouted, panicked. “How— do I—” She coughed more. A sense of dizziness started washing over her. “You have lungs now, Mavis,” Twilight said, more calmly. “Draw in a breath through your nostrils or your mouth like this.” She then inhaled deeply before exhaling. “It’s easy, trust me.” Something inside of Mavis’ head made itself known, an unfamiliar instinct which sparked to life. Mavis blanched at it at first, failing to understand where it had come from, but quickly understood what it demanded of her. She understood the control she had over her new face. She mimicked Twilight’s action, drawing in as much air as she could through her nostrils, at which point she instantly felt better, before slowly exhaling through her mouth. “Great job!” Twilight congratulated. “Now do it a few more times.” Mavis followed her instruction. She inhaled and exhaled over and over, finding the process easier each time she did it. By the tenth time she realized the action was automatic like she’d been installed self-deployable brakes and could trigger them herself when needed. Eventually, she was doing it without consciously thinking about it. “... Is this something all people do, all the time?” she asked, amazed. “Yep,” Applejack said. She reached behind her and patted Mavis. “An’ that’s just the beginning of gettin’ used to your new body.” “Right,” Twilight said, before gesturing toward the tarp. “Let’s head through the Window back to Equestria, though; we can help you learn everything once we get back.” The bottom of the tarp was lit in the purple light of Twilight’s magic and lifted up. Applejack walked under, followed shortly by Twilight. Mavis was awed at the sight before her. The tarp was covering what looked to be a bright, rectangular opening in the air. It was still and silent, standing there like it was perfectly natural. Mavis had never seen anything like it, this ‘Window’ as it was apparently called. “Not something you see every day, huh, Mavis?” Applejack asked jokingly. Mavis was too stunned to respond. “Let’s not waste any time,” Twilight urged. They stepped through the Window. A small part of Mavis was proud that she could boast to the other engines that she ‘went through’ like Thomas did. The world on the other side, however, was nothing but white and a lot of other Windows. It was dull and didn’t seem important at all. “This is the Singularity,” Twilight explained. “Essentially, it’s a hub for all connected worlds. But you probably don’t have much of an opinion on it, do you?” she asked Mavis. “I belong on the rails,” she replied, frowning. “Not this place.” “Well, we’ll be out of here right away,” Twilight said. She turned her head around for a bit before saying, “There you are!” and trotted out of sight. Applejack turned to follow her, allowing Mavis to see what had grabbed Twilight’s attention; a strange, darkly-coloured set of floating spheres arranged in a cross-shaped pattern. Twilight stepped up to the strange object and cleared her throat before saying, “We wish to go to Equestria.” The object raised its leftmost sphere, and a second later another Window zipped from a spot not too far away to right in front of them. “Thank you,” Twilight said kindly, before gesturing for Applejack to follow her. The two of them walked toward the new Window. Mavis closed her eyes, suddenly feeling tired after the day’s events. As she began drifting off to sleep, she briefly wondered what surprises were in store for her in this ‘other world’ named ‘Equestria’.