//------------------------------//
// Chapter 26: Cadence the Love Engine 
// Story: MLP: The Equestrian Engines 
// by SuperSamYoshi 
//------------------------------//

On starry nights when the moon is full and the air still, you can hear the sounds of faraway ships and distant laughter. They echo over the hills and through the valleys, down calm canals and sleepy inlets. Every engine knows that these are the sounds that say the harbour is hard at work at the big station by the sea. One night, a special load of fish was ordered. The Fat Controller decided that extra vans must be added to the train that the men called The Flying Kipper. The only vans available were old ones. They had not been used for a long time. Henry waited impatiently by the key side as Cadence shunted them into position. Thomas puffed by with the Mail Train.

“Hello, Cadence! Going fishing?” Thomas joked, “I'd take care if I were you.”

“Why?” huffed Cadence.

“Well for one thing...” puffed Thomas remembering his own experience, “...if fish get into an engine's boiler they always cause trouble. And for another, fish can be awfully smelly. And I know what I'm talking about. Good night.”

Henry grunted dreadfully. “You'll just have to put up with it, Henry,” said his driver, “At least the extra load will mean you can have another engine help us up Gordon's Hill.”

Once Henry was ready, he puffed away. Meanwhile, Cadence was waiting at Edward's Station so that she could help the heavy train by pushing from behind. Henry made good progress. When they reached Edward's Station, his driver stopped the train beyond the platform. Then Henry gave a special signal.

“Peep, Peep, Peep, Peep! I need help please?” Henry whistled.

“Peep, Peep!” replied Cadence, “I won't be long.”

Cadence buffered gently up to Henry's train. She was not coupled on. So Henry would then be able to run on without stopping, when they reached the top of the hill.

“Ready!” whistled Cadence and off they went. Soon they reached Gordon's Hill.

“Push hard, push hard,” puffed Henry.

“We're doing it, we're doing it,” replied Cadence. Henry was pulling his train harder than he realized. The tail-lamp from the fourth van comes off all of a sudden. Cadence felt the weight on her buffers slacking. Then Cadence noticed something else.

“There's no sign of a tail-lamp,” She puffed. She whistled, but there was no reply. Meanwhile, Henry had noticed something too.

“My train's getting heavier,” he thought to himself, “I'm slowing down.”

Then there was trouble. Cadence crashes into the vans, causing Henry to come to a complete stop. No one was hurt, but a strong smell of fish hung in the air. Next day, workmen found the broken tail-lamp at the bottom of the hill. The Fat Controller spoke kindly to Cadence.

“The accident wasn't your fault,” he said, “we should've checked that this tail-lamp was fixed on properly. We'll soon have you in working order again.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Cadence sadly, “Thomas told me to be careful about fish. They got me in a right pickle, didn't they?”



Cadence worked hard pulling trains along the main and branch lines. Sometimes she pulled coaches. Sometimes she pushed trucks. But whatever the work, Cadence got the job done without fuss. One day Cadence was resting in the shed when the Fat Controller arrived.

“Your work on the lines has been good,” he said, “Would you like to run your own little line near the Harwick Branch?”

“Yes please sir!” Replied Cadence. So Cadence took charge of her own little part of the Harwick branch. The responsibility delighted her. The line runs along a coast by sandy beaches till it meets a port where big ships come in and then arrives at Harwick Harbour were she sees Ryan and Daisy, as well as Oliver, Duck and Skiff. Cadence enjoyed exploring every curve and corner of the line. Sea breezes swirled her smoke high into the air and her pink paint glistened in the sunlight.

“This is just like running my own Kingdom,” she puffed, “I wonder if Celestia would allow me to rule my own kingdom back home.”

“Well, you know what they say,” laughed her driver, “A change is as good as a rest.”

Soon Cadence was busier than ever. The Fat Controller was building a new station at the port and Cadence pushed the heavy trucks wherever they were needed. Bertie looked after Cadence’s passengers and the other engines helped too, but the work took a long time. Noise and dust filled the air.

“Don’t worry,” whistled Shining Armour, “The station’s nearly finished.”

“And on time, too,” Said Cadence thankfully. Cadence felt her responsibility deeply and talked endlessly about it.

“You don’t understand, Luna,” she said in the sheds, “how much the Fat Controller relies on me.”

“Is that so,” muttered Luna sleepily.

“I’m the princess of love and…”

“Quack, quack, quack,” mocked Luna.

“What?” asked Cadence confused.

“You heard. Quack, quack you go,” Luna repeated, “sounds like you laid an egg. Now quiet and let an engine sleep.”

“Quack yourself,” said Cadence indignantly. The next morning she spoke to her driver and fireman.

“Luna says I quack as if I’d laid an egg,” she told them.

“Quack, do you?” Pondered her fireman. He whispered something to Cadence and her driver. They were going to play a joke on Luna and pay her back for teasing Cadence. The engines were busy for the rest of the day and nothing more was said, not even a quack. But when at last Luna was asleep, Cadence’s driver and fireman popped something into her water tank. Next morning, when Luna stopped for water, she found that she had an unexpected passenger aboard. A small grey cygnet popped out of her water tank.

“Now who could be behind this,” laughed Luna. The cygnet was tame. She shared the fireman's sandwich and rode in the tender. The other engines enjoyed teasing Luna about her. Presently she grew tired of travelling and hopped off at a station and there she stayed. That night, Luna’s driver and fireman got busy and in the morning when Cadence’s crew arrived to look her over, they laughed and laughed.

“Look Cadence. Look what’s under your tender,” they laughed, “It’s a nest box with an egg in it.”

Luna opened a sleepy eye. “Well, well, well. You must laid it in the night, Cadence, all unbeknownst.”

Then Cadence laughed too, “You win, Luna. It’d take a clever engine to get the better of you!”

There’s a pond near the cygnet’s station. Here she often swims and welcomes the trains as they pass by. The stationmaster calls her Susie. To everyone else she’s always Luna’s Cygnet.



Cadence had been working at the harbour all day and was tired of the smell of fish. She liked working at the harbour, but the smelly fish was really annoying her.

“Phew. Come on, Cadence,” said her driver, “time to go home.”

“Please sir,” she asked, “can I have a washdown first?”

“Sorry, Cadence, there isn't time,” replied the driver, “the Fat Controller is waiting for us at the sheds.”

Cadence arrived at the Ponyville sheds, the Fat Controller had just started to tell them the news.

“There is to be a festival of flowers,” announced The Fat Controller, “this sign saying "Best Dressed Station" will be awarded to the winner. Please help with the arrangements.”

The engines were excited. “My favourite station is for Ffarquhar,” said Twilight.

“Mine is Maithwaite,” said Celestia, “Cadence, what's yours?”

Cadence was too tired to think properly. “The Harbour,” she muttered.

“Ha!” sniffed Luna, “we can tell.”

“The harbour are full of fish, not flowers,” Laughed Celestia.

“All right then,” Cadence huffed, “Peel Godred.”

“That’s near our home,” replied Celestia.

“That's why I like it,” snapped Cadence, “especially when you're up there and I’m down here making fun of me. Good night.”

Next morning, Cadence was proud to be sparkling again. Her train of trucks were being loaded with vegetables and flowers. “These are for Maithwaite,” said her driver, “They'll display them on the platform.”

On the way, Cadence saw Harold. “Why is Harold buzzing about?” she thought, “I haven't time for a race today.”

“What's that?” said her driver, “Why bless me, it's a ram.” And he was right. A ram was standing on the tracks blocking the line.

“Now we'll be late!” huffed Cadence, “I've should've know that Harold was trying to tell us something.”

The ram baaed at her. “I've got just the ticket to get him off the track,” cried the fireman, “food.”

He found some cabbage leaves. He then led the ram off the track. The ram chomped happily away. “Please can we go now?” asked Cadence, the ram bleated as the puffed away. When Cadence arrived at the station, her driver told the stationmaster what had happened.

“I've heard about this ram,” he replied, “he's always hungry.”

A little while later, the station was decked with flowers. “Maithwaite will definitely win first prize,” decided Cadence. She left her coaches and went to a siding where no one could see her. “Time for a snooze,” she thought. But it wasn't. In the distance, rumbling and crushing sounds could be heard at the station.

“We better see what all that noise is about,” said her driver. Cadence was shocked, flowers were scattered everywhere.

“It's that ram,” he said, “He's made of meal of the station too.”

Then there was trouble. “We can't get in to the waiting room!” the passengers cried.

“Why not?” asked the stationmaster.

“The ram won't let us,” they replied. Everyone looked at the ram and the ram looked at them.

“He's not alone,” exclaimed Cadence's driver. Also inside the waiting room, were three little boys.

“Let us out!” begged the boys, “we're sorry.”

“Well look at that!” said the stationmaster, “the boys are the culprits not the ram. He was just making sure they did know more damage.”

“We thought it would be fun, but it wasn't,” cried the boys, “we'll put everything back.”

A few days later, the Fat Controller invited some of the engines to Maithwaite, winner of the Best Dressed Station award.

“I'm sorry, Tia. whispered Cadence, “You made the right choice.”

Then the Fat Controller made an announcement. “There is one more prize for our good friend the ram. Here it is.” And he presented a giant pumpkin, “I'll eat my hat if you don't like it.”

Then Harold landed. The wind from his blades blew The Fat Controller’s hat off and it landed in front of the ram. Everyone gasped as the ram ate the top hat.

“Well,” said The Fat Controller, “seems I wouldn't be able to eat my hat even if I had to.”

Everyone laughed and the only sound from the ram was a contended hiccup.