//------------------------------//
// Meeting Truro 
// Story: Luna and Truro 
// by Fujimi200SX 
//------------------------------//

Princess Luna stepped through the forest, paying little mind to what was around her.

Cuts and bruises were present around most of her body, and her regalia had seen better days. Her wings had especially seen better days. Her portside in particular was badly cut, putting it out of commission for days and rendering the Alicorn flightless.

She, admittedly, did not know where she was. All she knew was that she was far from Equestria. This was good. For the monster she had vanquished - by herself - would have wreaked havoc on Equestria had the fight ensued within it.

Of course, she would have teleported herself and the monster much closer had she known she would be rendered flightless.

Now, she only had the vaguest idea of where Equestria was. Far away.

The princess had been walking for days now. Although she had a natural resistance to fatigue, the princess was growing weary. She needed sleep. She had already exhausted herself from vanquishing that monster and hadn't taken much of a break since.

Clink

Luna stopped as the regalia on her hoof hit something metal. She looked down to find, to her surprise, a rail. Supported by concrete ties.

It was an old rail. Not entirely covered in rust, but there were clear signs of age. The same went for the concrete ties. All were simply old and weathered, a few having cracks and small plants growing through. The ballast was so covered with overgrowth that Luna almost didn't see it.

She silently looked up the single-track line, seeing it curve out of sight behind bushes. She looked down the line. Same story. Seeing this, she sighed and silently began walking up the line. "It seems like I have found the Iron Compass," she said.

More walking. It would have been nice if the scenery would change, but it was just overgrowth and trees. She couldn't even see the mountains they were so thick.

She needed sleep. Even somepony like her, able to stay up three days in a row with no adverse effects, needed sleep. Not just her body. Her mind. She needed a long, dreamless sleep. Where her mind could simply shut down and rest.

A yawn came out. One of many. She looked up to spot the sun beginning to set. She dared not attempt to raise her moon, for she knew that she was in a very different spot compared to where she normally raised it.

Please, sister, she thought. Take care of the night until I get back.

Looking down, she stopped.

Ahead of her, the forest thinned slightly, leaving a tiny clearing. Within the clearing was a station. Just a platform, really. The small building was little more than a frame sitting atop the concrete.

It was the object parked at the platform that caught her eyes. A train. A rather... old train. Continuing forward, she saw that the engine was a little bigger than the Friendship Express' locomotive, not even counting the three-axle tender hitched on behind it.

It was dark green in color, with a maroon red lower section. It had a long, gently sloping boiler, a black front end, bright red buffers that lacked a cowcatcher, a short and straight chimney, and gold fittings. Its arrangement was the ever-popular 4-4-0, which meant four wheels in front, four driving wheels, and no wheels in the back.

It was the size of the driving wheels that caught Luna by surprise. They were 80-1/2 Inches in Diameter, which were gigantic compared to the Friendship Express' 52 Inch Wheels. They had a design engrained in them that Luna guessed was a counterbalance for the heavy reciprocating mass of the side rods.

Stepping onto the platform, Luna spotted two long steel coaches. Both were similar in design. A brown color with a buttercream stripe down the sides, black roof topping it off. Between the tops of the windows and roof sat a large word in buttercream paint.

P U L L M A N

Below the windows, she could make out another buttercream word.

Great Western Railway

Luna looked left to spot the same letters GWR on the tender of the locomotive, surrounded by a logo of sorts. Her eyes went back to the engine to spot a set of numbers. Words placed directly underneath the cab fitted on with a golden sheen.

3440

Her eyes gazed even further left to spot more words on the boiler of the locomotive. They were arranged in a semi-circle pattern with the same golden sheen.

CITY OF TRURO

The Night Mare smiled. She liked this train. It wasn't brightly colored like the Friendship Express, it wasn't shiny and "futuristic" like the Crystal Zephyr, it was tame and elegant. It had a smart paint scheme that was easy on the eyes, a captivating design, and was - in a word - Elegant.

How could one leave such a beautiful machine alone in a forest like this? Luna wondered.

The train itself, compared to what was left of the station building, was in far better condition. That wasn't to say it didn't look a little shabby, however. It was simply weathered. Like it was left here for a couple of years unattended. Small amounts of rust were visible here and there, but it seemed entirely operational.

However, given the state of everything else in the area, which looked like it had been decades since it was last touched, the train looked slightly out of place.

Putting the thought process on hold, Luna cleared her throat. "Ahem. Good Evening... Truro," she greeted. "Is it alright if I use one of your coaches as shelter for the night?"

No reply.

"Very well. I will..." Luna trailed off. Was she really talking to a train? A machine with no life force?

At least... that is what ponies typically said. The ponies that drove the trains, however, liked to say that their trains were alive. And that they would talk to them. The ponies to the trains.

The wind began to pick up and the temperature lowered, ruffling Luna's coat. She sighed and made her way to the first coach, using a hoof to grab the handle. The door creaked as it was gently opened, presumably because it had not been touched, let alone opened, for a long time.

Luna stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Inside the coach was about what she expected in terms of condition, just without any overgrowth.

It was the actual seating that caught her by surprise. Everything was supremely lavish. A familiar burgundy color overtook most of the interior, and the seating looked to be made of high-quality fabrics, which considering how much seating was present, must have been very expensive.

Old lights sat flush on the ceiling. There was even a ceiling fan. A device that likely would have worked well to remove the dusty, stale air present due to all windows being firmly closed. A precaution that did well to keep any overgrowth out of the inside.

Admiring the luxury, Luna picked a seat and laid down, grabbing a few old blankets draped over a few other seats. She ruffled the blankets to rid them of most of the dust then draped them on herself, snuggling gently into the surprisingly comfortable seat. As she took off her regalia, she smiled, thankful for the shelter the world had given her.

Her regalia off, and her slightly dusty - but still soft - blankets on her, Luna settled in for the night, looking up at her moon that was beginning to peek from behind the forest. A thought came to her, and she used her magic to open the window next to her to allow fresh air inside. One window was fine. Though, just to be safe, she opened two more.

A happy sigh escaped her as she melted beneath the covers, going limp. She closed her eyes, ready to welcome a dreamless sleep.

Before falling into the dark abyss, she gently opened an eye, smiled, and said;

"Thank you, Truro, for your hospitality. I greatly appreciate it."