Hazard had spent the day working. Concentrating on hammering down the spikes, mind wandering. He had a plan in all this. The pompous pigeon knew Hazard wasn’t just a spike driver, but he was far too concerned proving a point now. Hazard had caught him.
It was a good thought as the camp gathered after the evening meal. Most were still munching away on something or another. Their universal was nervousness. A few had told Hazard he didn’t need to do this. Von Vinnin may be right, that thing was huge and he was one unicorn. Maybe it was best to take the hit and move on. After all, there’s always work laying rail somewhere else. Hazard had refused. This was about pride and dignity. Like some gryphon and his damn machine were gonna send them packing and make them “redundant.” You can’t just replace ponies and skills, dreams, and needs like this.
The rail was set and ready, just a long, long line of spikes set to be driven before they hit the rockface ahead. Hazard on the left with a hammer head in his magical grasp and Von Vinnin on the right with the start lever for the engine in his claws. The sun was behind them, and the sky was casting a reddish haze. Von Vinnin had abandoned his fine trimmings and donned gloves and overalls as he nearly stood in all the coal piled into the machine’s cab.
“It is not too late, Herr Hazard. You can-“
“Cram it!” Hazard barked back.
“Hrmph. Very well! I will take joy in seeing you in my dust as you ponies say.”
Time Catcher flew over the middle of the rail with a revolver in her teeth. Her face was a picture of anxiety, brow furrowed and a droplet of sweat running down her temple. Both of the competitors glared at her, waiting for the starting gun. The workponies kept to the sides of the track, many trotting softly in place. Their tension brought near silence with only a clicking of the steam engine and Hazard’s magical shimmering breaking the air.
Time Catcher pulled the trigger, and the crack of the gun was joined by heavy clank of a hammer head striking steel. The steam engine let out a strong whistle as Von Vinnin slammed the lever forward. Steam hissed and axles clanged, the fire inside crackled as the gryphon gave it its first fresh taste of coal. Hazard pulled ahead immediately, swinging the hammer in tune. Up, then down, then up again. Each step forward was another slam of the hammer head. Behind him, he could hear the steam engine waking. A hiss and crack as it drove its first stake. Von Vinnin shoveled coal into the furnace as fast as his claws could manage.
The ponies cheered as Hazard kept moving but their excitement was misplaced so soon. Hazard knew it, and Von Vinnin knew it. The steam engine’s pistons were getting faster and each new shovelful of coal and lurch forward gave it more momentum. Clang, clang, clang. Their cries began to die down as Von Vinnin’s laughs rose with the smoke. Hazard could see the front of the engine enter the side of his vision then see it surpass him.
“So long, Herr Hazard!”
The steam engine fully passed him, leaving Hazard in a cloud of smoke, steam, and dust. All was lost and they couldn’t even be halfway through yet. The ponies were about to sink into despair when Time Catcher shouted.
“Look!”
Pushing past the dust, Hazard reared in a second wind. Grey and black hair coated in dust mattered little to him as his hammer swung down. He was nearly at a trot as he pushed past Von Vinnin. The gryphon cursed Maar before pushing the main lever farther forward and cursing the machine’s slowness. It would do him no good as Hazard’s hammer slammed into the rockface at the ending of the set rails. He nearly ran into the rock himself and instead slumped towards it.
The ponies let out a momentous cheer. Hazard had done it! Von Vinnin leaned out of the engine’s cab was the engine made up the difference to the end of the rails.
“He did it!”
“Hazard showed him!”
Von Vinnin clicked his beak, watching the ponies in their little celebration. Some were even dancing. Dancing! Imagine it…
The engine slowed back down again as it came to the rock and Von Vinnin kept working the controls.
“Herr Hazard…”
Hazard looked up at the gryphon. He stood back up straight, grinning right back at him. It only lasted for a moment though. Von Vinnin still had a smile across his soot kissed avian face despite his apparent loss.
“It is not sundown.”
Von Vinnin yanked an unused lever and the driving rod of the steam engine spun backward with a mighty crunch and grind of gears. The top of the rod was a thick, metal blade shaped like a spade. Perfect for rock breaking. Von Vinnin cackled with the first clank into the rock face, sending rock and rubble sprayed out over the ponies. The drill slammed forward once more and the steam engine began to slowly lurch forward into the growing hole it was creating.
“It is a steam DRILL, Herr Hazard!”
Hazard and the ponies watched helplessly. Clang, crank, clang. He already felt spent, he thought he’d done it. The charcoal unicorn fell back on his haunches, mouth agape, and stuck with an exhausted expression.
“Hazard, come on!” Time Catcher shook him. He snapped into alertness. “Go get him! You can’t just let him win!”
The unicorn looked up, eyes glazed. Surely, he couldn’t… No, he could. He pulled himself back to his hooves.
“Get back!” He roared, waving a hoof at the others.
His horn flared with purple energy and the workponies cheered. A wild crack of magic shot forward and a second hole appeared in the rock. With a shout, Hazard sent another shot into the rock and another. The unicorn pushing into the darkness of the cave he bore and joined his compotator.
Fire, smoke, steam, and dust shot from the twin holes as though a second Tartarus was opening up within. Outside, they could hear the steam engine scream and Hazard shout with it. A cacophony of magic, rock, and gears pushing deeper into the hard stone and faster than anycreature could have imagined.
“Come on!”
The ground below trembled as they ran over the hill. Everypony wanted to reach the other side before they would manage to break through. At the rate they were working, only the Sisters knew how soon it would be but it seemed sooner rather than later. Inside the ground, Hazard and the machine were neck and neck. The only light was Hazard’s magic, the embers of the machine, and the sparks of metal and magic on stone. Von Vinnin pushed the engine harder, shoveling more coal into its hungry maw despite the smoke and dust choking them. Steam hissed from its pistons ever louder and stronger as Von Vinnin found new ways to force the machine to work faster than the pony. The gyrphon looked from the hot to the touch controls of the engine to see the unicorn’s horn with a constant glow, steaming from the explosions and magic it produced. Hazard was a creature possessed. Just a few more feet of earth, just one more bomb, just a bit more. Just a bit more. Von Vinnin screeched, beating the machine and shoving the levers as hard as he could, the popping gauges and spinning dials be damned.
A final blast of rock showered outward from the cliff. Everypony held their breath as the dust began to clear, unsure who or what would be there. The dust curtain slowly settled and all that was there was Hazard, his fur blackened with soot and mane full of stone splinters.
A deep thud rumbled out of the hill followed by a lone sprocket rolled out and clattered to the ground.
The ponies cheered and rushed their triumphant, if tired, hero. Hazard cracked a weak smile and stepped forward to greet them. He made it a few steps for crumpling to the ground. The jubilance faded into concern then into silent horror.
“Hazard!” The pony lay in the dirt, motionless. The oldest pony of them shook his head. He’d seen it before as much as he’d hate to say.
“His heart gave out.”
Von Vinnin lurched from the hole, feathers singed, and clothes blackened. He was bleeding from the right side of his face but it did not seem to deter his approach to the still figure of Hazard.
Time Catcher locked eyes with the gryphon, trying to muster works of hate, anger. All she got out was “He won.”
“He may have. He may have.” The gryphon pointed a cruel claw at Hazard. “But it takes 20 years to make that and he pushed himself to an early grave.” His claw shifted back towards the hole in the rock.
“It takes 20 days to make one of those and every time we push it to death, we make a better one. 20 years of skill granted by chance or 20 days of work and iron for a machine anycreature can run. He never understood how the machine worked, or how he worked himself, did he? The machine can be harnessed, it is inevitable.”
Von Vinnin spat into the dirt, his blood mixing with the saliva. “I will inform the company to send another steam drill. Work begins again tomorrow.”