Luna walked through the coaches, checking to see if there was anything of interest in them. There was nothing, really. Both shared the same interior just like any common coach would.
Surely these coaches were common, at least in wherever they came from, right? They must have been at least a little common. They were likely expensive to maintain and keep clean, not to mention the materials used in them. Aluminum made up their bodies instead of steel. This made Luna understand exactly why it was so easy to set off in them.
Noticing a light switch next to one of the doors, Luna flicked it, and looked at the lights. They flickered wildly for a few seconds before coming on, lighting up the coach. The princess smiled. Interior lighting was only present on the Crystal Zephyr, and only in the engine and leading car. So the fact that both of these coaches had lighting, and incredibly good lighting at that, was most wonderous.
"That settles it. Truro, I am officially slating you as my personal top-link express engine," she stated as she walked back through the coaches and exited via a door right behind the tender. She climbed onto the tender, stepped over the coal, and got back into the cab with ease. "You will receive the best of restorations I can facilitate. I may even restore you myself."
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FOO!
She grabbed the cord and blew the whistle long and hard, thrice, listening to Truro sing and echo through the nearby mountains.
The princess giggled as she began shoveling more coal into the firebox, pushing Truro faster. Up to a brisk 50MPH. Leaves and grass flew in the direction of the wayward train as it passed by, some leaves even following the train for a hundred feet or so before exiting the wake.
Luna leaned out of the cab and looked ahead, watching the line curve through the picturesque forest, smiling as she listening to the beautiful rhythm of the chuffing cylinders.
That smile faltered, turning into a small frown as her eyes narrowed on an approaching object. A buffer. As she continued around the curve, another, larger object came into view. A single coach bearing the same livery and markings of the coaches currently attached behind. Luna's eyes widened in surprise.
She put the brakes on as she saw a track switch ahead. Bracing herself once again as Truro's powerful brakes brought the train to a stop just ahead of the track switch. Wasting no time, Luna jumped out of the cab and immediately began making her way to the new coach.
The coach was in a similar condition to the coaches Truro was pulling, as was its shape, but it had less windows then the other two. The forward half of the coach was essentially the other two coaches, big windows and such, but the back half had less windows. Smaller windows.
She walked up to the front of the coach, eyes landing on the center of the wheels. She swore she could see an old name etched on. Upon further inspection, and with the parting of overgrowth and dust, she could properly see it.
TIMKEN
Without a word, Luna curiously opened a door and climbed into the coach, checking to see if anything on the interior differed.
Stepping inside the grimy unkempt interior, she found that it looked more or less the same as the others. At least, in the forward area. Towards the back, she could see what seemed like a crewpony's area. Making her way back there, she could see a few amenities. Smaller chairs, some shelves, even a minifridge. One with nothing in it, sadly.
In the center of it all was a large red valve. Like one you'd see on a caboose.
"Ah. So this is why this particular coach looks different," Luna noted, instantly putting two and two together. "You must be a brake coach to aid in braking." She smirked as she looked out the windows at Truro. "Not that Truro would need the extra braking."
The smirk turned into a smile as she walked back through the coach. "It wouldn't hurt to take you along, would it?" She stepped outside of the coach, landing on the ground. "What do you think, Truro? Shall we take this coach along?"
She walked past the coaches already behind Truro, looking at the wheels on them. They bore the same names on their bearings as the brake coach. TIMKEN. She even found the same name on Truro's bearings.
Thinking little of it, she set Truro into reverse and gently opened the regulator. The couplings slacked as the tender pushed into the first coach, and the first coach into the second coach. Luna jumped out and ran over to the track switch, flipping the lever and directing the train into the siding.
Climbing back into the cab, Luna closed the regulator and gently applied the brakes. With a satisfying bump, the second coach backed into the brake coach. Smiling, Luna got back out of the cab, went in between the second and now-third coach, and hooked up the chain between the two, coupling the brake coach to the train.
After making sure the brakes weren't on in the brake coach, Luna and Truro were on their way again, pulling out of the siding with two toots of the whistle. Luna realigned the switch to the siding. for when she decided to come down this little old line again, she didn't want to be running at speed straight into the siding.
The weight of the extra coach was apparent over the next ten minutes, but it didn't do much to effect the rate of Truro's acceleration. Luna by this point was growing braver. She was opening the regulator more, pulling the reverser back more, increasing speed to a very respectable 60MPH.
Yet she could still feel Truro's want. She could feel that Truro wanted to go faster. She wanted to go faster too. But she knew that the tracks wouldn't be able to handle a train of any size doing high speed. Even 60 was pushing it.
FOOOOOOOOOO! FOOOOOOOOOO!!!
"By the stars I love that whistle," Luna happily stated.
PEEEEEEEEEEEP! PEEP! PEEEEEEP!
Luna was immensely surprised by the sound of another whistle nearby. A familiar, high-pitched and distorted whistle. Looking ahead, Luna saw the track curve heavily into a switch. A switch leading onto a two-track mainline. And to her surprise, she saw the Crystal Zephyr racing down the line, going the same direction as her.
Slowly, her frown turned in a smirk. Slowly, her face turned into that of mischief.
"Oh yes. OH. YES! COME ON TRURO! LET US DO THIS!"
Luna pushed the regulator all the way open, causing plumes of smoke to pour from the smokestack. The force of 1000 Horses was put into the tracks as Truro forced his way onto the main line, chasing after the high-speed express train. Pistons pumped and wheels whirred as Luna shoveled coal into the firebox, grinning devilishly as she began catching up to the Zephyr.
Faster and faster Truro went, exceeding 70MPH. By now, the front buffers of Truro were beginning to pass the rearmost car of the Zephyr. Seeing this, Luna decided to do something to scare the daylights out of the passengers. She grabbed the whistle cord, firmly grasping it.
"Hello small pony train, meet the better GWR train."
FoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! FOOO! FOOOOOOOOOOOO! FoooOOOoooooOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
With a mighty pull, Luna blew Truro's whistle, letting every passenger on the Zephyr know that they were not alone on the rails. She laughed as she saw all of the Zephyr's windows suddenly fill with ponies, each in complete awe at the spectacle that was City of Truro.
In short order, Truro began overtaking one car after the other. After giving the passengers a wave, Luna grabbed the shovel and chucked coal into the firebox, allowing Truro to go faster and puff harder.
When Truro began to pace the Zephyr's engine, the looks on the driver and firemare's faces were priceless. Giggling, the princess grabbed the whistle cord and pulled hard, sounding off two beautiful toots of the whistle.
That seemed to knock some sense into, or knock the sense out of the two ponies, as both instantly jumped into action to start fueling the Zephyr. The firemare shoved coal into the Zephyr's firebox while the driver managed the water. Luna only smiled and began doing the same for Truro.
The race was on! Both trains thundered across the tracks, pistons pumping their hardest to deliver power to the rails. The Crystal Zephyr's hidden siderods began straining, causing the ride to become rougher and rougher for the crew and passengers. Meanwhile, Luna felt like she was riding on a cloud.
The Zephyr, much to Luna's surprise, matched Truro's pace in both speed and acceleration. Checking the speedometer, they were about ready to exceed 80MPH.
That was when the Zephyr stopped pacing her, having reached its mechanical top speed of 78MPH. Truro, on the other hand, simply kept going. It kept on accelerating. Faster and faster it passed the Zephyr. Luna looked past the coaches back at the driver and firemare, smiling when she saw the gobsmacked looks on their faces. For a bit extra flare, she did something very becoming of a princess such as her.
She stuck her tongue out at them.
She then proceeded to laugh as both ponies seemed to direct several choice words at her. Despite their efforts, the race had ended in a rout. Within less than a minute, City of Truro had overtaken the Crystal Zephyr. Also Known As the fastest train in the world.
"Heh."
The princess directed her gaze to the speedometer, which was steadily rising towards 90MPH. She felt a lump form in her throat as she listened to the high-speed puffing of the pistons. Even whilst approaching 90, Truro was still accelerating. She leaned out of the cab to look at the siderods. Her jaw slacked. Though they were indeed moving fast, they were still abysmally slow to the speeds the Friendship Express or Crystal Zephyr's siderods would be moving.
She looked back at the 120MPH speedometer, watching it steadily rise.
"You can do 100... you can do one hundred miles per hour... I could be come the first pony ever to exceed 100MPH on a land vehicle propelled by its own power... steam..."
Gulping, she began shoveling more coal and feeding more water into Truro. She pulled the reverser back a little, keeping a close eye on the speedometer as it passed 90.
"Come on Truro..."
Out of the corner of her eye, Luna could see Ponyville of all places. The train shot across fields like a bullet. Anypony in the area that saw the train was wowed at its incredible speed.
92
Some thought it was a prototype. Others thought it was a runaway train being propelled by some unknown force.
94
What they all knew was that they were witnessing history.
96
Ahead, Luna could see the Friendship Express leaving the Ponyville Station. Thankfully, she was on a separate track than it.
98
"Oh my gosh."
99
"OH MY GOSH!"
100.
Luna grabbed the whistle and pulled as hard as she could.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
The princess watched as everypony on the Ponyville Station Platform screamed in surprise at Truro, jumping back as the train shot by at over 100MPH, steam spewing from the funnel and covering the platform. Continuing to blow the whistle, Luna looked inside the Friendship Express' carriages, seeing the passengers freak out as they saw Truro passing.
She could swear she saw a certain Lavender Alicorn among them.
As quick as Truro passed the caboose, he passed the locomotive. The driver had no words to say, utterly gobsmacked at how fast Truro ripped past his train.
Fast, Fast, and Faster still, Truro exceeded 105MPH. What would normally be a thirty minute trip in the Crystal Zephyr to the bottom of the mountain was cut to just ten. Truro bolted across fields and towards the incline, Luna squeeing with delight as the speedometer touched 110MPH.
Truro hit the incline fast and hard, charging up it like the fiery metal beast he was. Speed decreased heavily back down below 100MPH, but she found it very easy to hold 80. Over trestle bridges and through tunnels the train flew, nearly rattling each and every one to destruction. This made Luna make a note to ask for proper bridges to replace them. Preferably ones like the Maidenhead Viaduct.
As they topped the incline, Luna gave a good, long blast of the whistle. She gave it an especially good pull as she passed under the main archway into Canterlot, waving happily at the guards ahead. Remembering the station, Luna shut off steam and applied the brakes, gushing over how well they worked to slow the entire train down. She could swear the coaches were braking as well!
FOOOOOOOOOOO! FOOOOOOOOO! FOO! FOOOOOOOOOO!
Ponies all around gazed at Truro at he pulled into the station. Each pony, no matter how puffed up in the smokebox they were, wanted a look at the magnificent metal beauty. Truro slowed to a smooth, gentle stop, letting off a hiss when Luna took the brakes off.
The Night Mare looked back at the tender, seeing that there were only a few lumps of coal left. Smiling, she grabbed the lumps of coal, chucking them into the firebox. She kept five lumps as mementos, keeping them in her magical grasp as she stepped out of the cab.
To her surprise, she could see Princess Celestia flying in, landing directly in front of her with practiced ease.
"Luna?!" the elder princess exclaimed.
Luna smiled. "Good evening sister," she greeted, noting the low sun.
"I... I-I thought you weren't coming back!"
Luna rolled her eyes. "I handled that monster just fine, thank you very much. No thanks to you, or the elements."
"The ele- The elements weren't even here!"
"Exactly."
Celestia took a breath. "Where did you teleport? With a monster as big and powerful as that, surely I would have caught a glimpse in the distance."
"Far far away. I spent three days walking nonstop after vanquishing it because I was rendered flightless."
Celestia looked at Luna, then at the slightly rusted locomotive behind her. "And, if I may, how did you get..."
Luna smiled. "Truro? I found him last night on a very old line. His coaches provided excellent hospitality and allowed me to rest easy. Then, after I woke up, I decided to steam him. After all, a train will always be faster than sprinting."
Celestia raised a brow. "Him?'
Luna nodded. "I figured that since I would likely be driving Truro for a while, possibly days, I would 'equinize' him more. Oh! And you will never believe this. On my way here, I achieved one hundred and eleven miles per hour."
Celestia's jaw slacked. "I'm sorry what?"
"Did I stutter?"
"That's impossible! No land-based object has ever achieved 100MPH! Much less under its own power!"
"Not for Truro. In fact, had we been given more time at full throttle, we possibly could have exceeded one hundred and twenty."
"No. No. This... uh..."
"Look at the driving wheels, sister." Luna gestured towards the wheels. "They are massive. Whomever built this locomotive over 1400 years ago knew what they were doing. As did those who built the Maidenhead Viaduct."
Celestia short circuited.
Luna sat there, staring at her older sister as she stared at the locomotive and three coaches.
"Fourteen... Hundred... Years?"
"Way older than you. My assumption is that this locomotive was transported into our world by some unknown means. Be it back in time, or from somewhere else entirely."
"Sister... you understand that nothing from 1400 years ago exists? At least nothing that isn't a rock?"
"So how could a train survive for so long? Once again my assumption is that third party magic was at play. To be honest, I should have checked. But no matter. Once Truro is restored, I will be heading back to the Great Western Railway."
"The Great Western Railway?"
"Yes. There are many sights I saw on the line that I would love to look into, most notably the Maidenhead."
"The Maidenhead?"
"The Maidenhead Viaduct. It is a most wonderous red-brick arch bridge that spans a river. Despite its age, and yes I know a third party magic may have been keeping it in order, but whoever built that bridge was a true master of their class. They knew how to build something that would last."
"..."
"But enough about that. I want the best restorers in Equestria here right now. City of Truro is getting a complete restoration. He shall become my private express engine, one faster than quite literally anything else on rails."
"Uh... Wha..."
Luna stepped back into Truro's cab, letting a devilish smirk form.
"Jealous, sister?"