Back in Silverton, while Ironside was getting acquainted with Roadkill and reacquainted with Trixie, Shining Armor and Twilight awoke from their slumber and began searching the town for their engineer. Every building they entered was combed for information about him or his whereabouts. As it turns out, Ironside spent almost no time in town at all; the townsfolk were very well acquainted with one another: if anyone had been away for a significant amount of time, they’d know. The last building in town they would check was the saloon. It was the last place they expected to find any news about Iron, but Twilight wanted a thorough check of the town, so off they went.
The saloon’s lounge wasn’t very crowded that day. There were a few conversations occurring around the bar, but they were hushed. Nevertheless, an eerie silence fell upon the establishment the moment the two royal siblings walked inside. Every head turned to face them. The only emotion to be found on the faces that fell upon the siblings was astonishment. Twilight and Armor scanned their surroundings, staring briefly at each face that locked eyes on them. The patrons quickly turned their gazes elsewhere as soon as either one of the unicorns looked back at them, only to go back to staring as the two ponies approached the bar.
The bartender lowered his head in respect as Twilight and Armor arrived at the bar. “Welcome, Your Highnesses,” he said, “How can I help you today?”
“We’re looking for an engineer,” answered Armor.
“Many of our patrons are engineers, Sire,” said the bartender.
“His name is Ironside,” put in Twilight.
Just then, a mare wearing a ten-gallon hat tapped the bar with her hoof. “Chester, I’d like to buy two sarsaparillas for the Prince and Princess.” Chester pulled out a large bottle and poured the contents into two large glasses, which he then slid across the bar towards Twilight and Armor. They caught their glasses and stared at the dark brown liquid inside.
The mare placed her payment on the bar, stood up off her stool, and trotted over to join the siblings. “That’s his favorite drink,” she said taking a seat next to Armor. Twilight figured that this mare must have known Ironside personally; no one else even knew his name.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Theofillya, mayor of this fine town,” answered the mare, “I’m the one who found Ironside when he landed here last year.”
“He’s been here for that long?” asked Armor in surprise.
“Yep, and he’s the finest engineer I’ve ever laid eyes upon,” answered Theofillya. Armor looked back into his glass and scrunched his face.
“This is his favorite beverage?” he asked with a tone of disgust.
“It’s like old-school root beer,” replied the mayor, “I’ll be shocked if you don’t know what that tastes like.” Armor cautiously brought the glass to his lips and tilted it back. To his surprise and relief, it was delicious.
Twilight took a few sips from her glass before continuing the conversation. “We’re friends of Ironside,” she said.
“I know you are, Twilight- excuse me, Princess Twilight,” said Theofillya.
“When did he start working on the railroad again?” asked Twilight.
“Oh, as soon as he told me he was an engineer,” replied Theofillya, “We’d been short one of his kind for some time. We had an ol’ K-27 that nopony would drive. She lucked out when he showed up.” Twilight leaned in closer to her brother.
“How could he have gotten another job after he left Ponyville so soon?” she asked.
“What happens in Canterlot doesn’t get mentioned all over Equestria, sis,” he replied, “It took Cadence and me a while just to find this place on the map. They probably don’t know what he did because they don’t get news this far away.”
“If you’re talking about why Ironside left Ponyville and vowed to never return, I do know what happened,” interrupted Theofillya, “But here is not the best place to discuss it.”
“How much has Ironside told you?” asked Armor in suspicion.
“Enough for me to know that he made a terrible mistake and he doesn’t believe there’s any way he can fix it,” Theofillya answered. Twilight and Armor finished their drinks before joining Theofillya outside.
The mayor led them to the yards just outside of town. “He’s a nice kid,” praised Theofillya, “After his drunken beatdown on Gallow, he practically gave up alcohol wholesale. But he’s been suffering from insomnia for a long time now. Apparently the memories of what happened still haunt him. I can’t blame him for feeling so guilty for what happened.”
“How do you know all of this, ma’am?” asked Armor.
“Aside from M, I’m the only one he felt comfortable talking to,” she responded.
“Who’s M?” inquired Twilight.
“She’s the K-27 I mentioned earlier: an old Mikado from Baldwin. She’s a strong and very friendly engine; I don’t know why nopony wanted to drive her,” said the mayor.
“So can we see Ironside?” asked Twilight.
“That all depends,” replied Theofillya, “What are you planning on doing with him once he comes back?”
“Wait, you mean he’s not here?” asked Armor.
“That doesn’t answer my question, Your Highness,” said the mayor.
“We just want to bring him home,” replied Twilight, “Gallow believes he’s dead and has been obsessed with making a special coffin for him. We need him to prove to her that he’s not dead.”
“That’s all?” asked the mayor, “You’re just here to show her that he’s still alive and then you’re gonna drop him off back here?”
An indignant look crossed Twilight’s face. “I’d like to have him stay with us in Ponyville, thank you very much.”
“I understand, dear,” said the mayor, “But engineers like him aren’t a dime a dozen. I don’t want to lose an asset like him.”
Twilight was about to counter that as Princess, she had more authority than Theofillya and therefore had the final say in whether or not Iron would remain in Silverton, but Armor spoke first. “Well, is there any pony or engine that would want Iron’s job? I’m sure that they would be able to fill his place.” Theofillya thought for a moment and then turned her gaze towards the two Consolidations resting inside the roundhouse. Armor followed her gaze. “Those two,” he pointed out, “What is their job on the railroad?”
“Until a couple days ago, they were the motive power for our tourist trains,” the mayor replied, “A pretty thankless job if you ask them. They’ve wanted to pull ore trains all their lives, and now they’ve got what they wanted.”
“What happened a couple days ago?” asked Twilight.
“Ironside left for Huckleberry,” answered Theofillya, “He said he found M’s long-lost brother there. It’s about a seven-hour journey if you go fast.”
Twilight sighed. She didn’t want to continue chasing Ironside around, but she knew it might be her only chance of bringing him back. “The engine we’re using is over there,” she said, turning her head to 1015. Theofillya looked at him. “Do you think we can make it in seven hours?” Twilight asked. Theofillya nodded. “Look, I know you value Iron’s contributions to your work force,” said Twilight, “But as Princess of Equestria I have the final say in whether or not he remains under your employment.”
“Theofillya,” put in Armor, “We’re not the only ones who want Ironside back. Princesses Celestia and Luna are both good friends of his, and they’ve missed him dearly.”
“I know, he told me,” said Theofillya.
“Then will you let him come back with us?” asked Twilight.
The mayor sighed. “I don’t really have much choice. I’m going to miss the lad.”
“We’ll be passing through one last time before we return him to Ponyville. You can say your goodbyes then,” said Armor.
Twilight and Armor soon had 1015 racing along the old Silverton-Huckleberry line. While they were on their way, Ironside, Trixie, Roadkill, and the K-27s arrived in downtown Huckleberry. The town had the same rustic appearance of Silverton and the same buildings. There was a general store, a saloon, a few hotels, a sheriff’s office, a small town hall, an undertaker, and a blacksmith. Roadkill made a beeline for the saloon while Trixie backed the engines into a siding near the station. “Are we heading into the saloon too?” asked Ironside.
“Yeah, I feel like a few pints would be nice right now,” replied Trixie.
“Don’t you have work to do today?” inquired the engineer.
“I’ll tell you about it when we get inside,” answered the magician with a sigh.
The saloon was known as Hell on Wheels, and the sign hanging over the entrance depicted a flaming locomotive drive wheel. Iron smiled in amusement upon noticing the sign. “You know, when they were building the railroads, the first thing they built in town was a saloon.”
“I can only imagine why that would be,” replied Trixie, “Railroading is tiring.” Iron was confused by Trixie’s answer; he never once thought that working with trains would be exhausting enough to drive a pony to drink. Then again, he did partake of the bottle quite a few times himself in the past, but never because he was stressed out from work.
Sure enough, the saloon was every bit as accurate a depiction of unruly behavior as Iron had read in the history books. There were gamblers, drinkers, and showgirls aplenty, and Roadkill already had a select few of the latter gathered around him at one end of the parlor. Trixie and Ironside trotted up to the bar and sat upon the stools. Trixie removed her hat, placed it on the bar, and buried her head in her hooves. The bartender seemed to instantly recognize her, as he approached her almost immediately. “Can I get you the usual, Ms. Trixie?” he asked. Trixie nodded. The bartender then turned to Ironside. “How about you, son?” he asked.
“Just a sarsaparilla for me,” the engineer replied, “I’m her ride home.” The bartender nodded and retrieved two bottles for the ponies. Noticing that Trixie hadn’t put any money on the bar, Iron decided to pay for both drinks and laid the three-and-a-half bits down when the bartender returned. Trixie magically popped the cap off her bottle and took a couple of swigs before speaking.
“Do you enjoy your job, Iron?” she asked. Iron took a swig from his bottle.
“Of course,” he answered, “It’s been my dream since I was very young.” He then realized where the conversation was heading. “You don’t like driving trains, do you?” Trixie shook her head in reply. “Is it because you need the money?” he asked. Trixie nodded. Iron patted her on the back and then glanced over at Roadkill and his posse of showgirls. “Well, it could be worse,” he said. Trixie lifted her head up and followed Iron’s gaze.
“At least they’re there to entertain folks,” she muttered.
“Would you actually take that job?” asked the engineer.
“If it meant being able to do what I’ve always wanted, then yes,” the magician replied.
“What is it you’ve always wanted?” asked Ironside.
“To be the greatest magician of all time, of course,” Trixie answered.
“Then why haven’t you concentrated on becoming that?” Iron inquired further. Trixie sighed again and looked down at her beer.
“My magic isn’t good enough,” she said softly. Iron was taken aback. Trixie had never admitted to being bad at anything before. “And you know just as well as I do that money doesn’t grow on trees,” she continued, “We need to make livings for ourselves. This was the only job I found that paid well, but I didn’t expect it to be so stressful. And having Roadkill as a co-worker doesn’t help too much either.”
As Iron turned his gaze back to Roadkill, he noticed the girls were getting rather frisky with him. “Uh, maybe we should continue this talk outside,” he said, “I think Roadkill’s about to get lucky in the nastiest way…” Trixie looked and agreed. The two ponies stepped out of the bar, leaving the patrons inside to deal with what was to come. They sat down on a rocking bench outside the front door and picked up the conversation. “So you want to become the greatest magician of all time,” said Iron, “Is it just for the fame and glory?”
“I want to make a name for myself, Iron,” answered Trixie, “I mean, look at you. You’re the Casey Jones of our time. You’re a Royal Engineer. To say that you haven’t made a name for yourself is horseshit!”
“I didn’t plan on becoming famous, Trixie,” replied Iron, “In fact I don’t think I’m even that famous.”
“But look at where your natural talent has gotten you,” said Trixie, “Aren’t you happy that ponies will remember you for something special you did?” Ironside thought for a minute and then nodded.
“That’s what I want, Iron,” said Trixie, “I want to be remembered because I did something worthwhile with my life. The way things are right now, I’ll be lucky if I’m remembered for all the trouble I caused in Ponyville.” Ironside turned to see a look of genuine sadness on Trixie’s face. “My dream is as good as dead now,” she said softly. As if on cue, Iron put his arm around her and pulled her in close.
“Trixie, you shouldn’t give up on your dreams. Otherwise, what else is there to live for?”
“How am I supposed to keep living for my dream if my dream isn’t even attainable?” she asked.
“I think your opportunity looked you straight in the eye a few times before,” he answered.
“Twilight?” asked Trixie incredulously. Iron smiled and nodded. “Would she even consider me as a student after all the trouble I caused?” she asked.
“You officially apologized for that, didn’t you?” responded Iron. Trixie nodded. “Then you’ve still got a chance. You only left as part of the deal you made from that duel.”
Trixie smiled. For once, her dream of becoming the greatest magician Equestria had ever seen didn’t look so dead after all. “Ironside, never before has anypony told me that I was capable of doing anything useful with my life. I guess that’s why I was such a jerk to you all; I never had any genuine support. I thought I was on my own.”
“Loneliness is an illusion we all seem capable of producing, and it’s a very convincing one too. But it’s one that we can’t afford to fall for.” Trixie leaned her head against Iron’s.
“Thank you, Ironside,” she said softly. Iron simply smiled and squeezed her gently.
The moment was interrupted by a drunken patron stumbling out of the saloon and turning to the ponies. “Hey guys,” he said in a slurred voice, “Orgy. In the house. Right now. It’s awesome.” At that he stumbled back inside.
“I just realized that we left our drinks in there,” said Ironside.
“I’m not going back in there,” replied Trixie.
“Neither am I.”