Smokestack Lightin'

by Logic Flip

It Is What It Is Or Is It?

It was no small secret that Friendship Castle was going to be a replacement for Golden Oaks Library in the coming months. In fact, Twilight had gone out of her way to let the mayor know as well as promote it in posters and by word of mouth. It also meant that books were needed to replace the ones that had been destroyed so with the help of some funding from the government treasury, what could be recovered from the castle of two sisters, and a few donations from the royal archives courtesy of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the unoccupied rooms is the castle had become temporary storage for many, many, MANY, boxes of books.

Everywhere but the living areas and the throne room had stacks upon stacks of them filled with books and scrolls and it was in one of the many halls that Twilight was searching through newly opened boxes, her friends watching as she burned through each one at a pace that was almost painful to see. She had been that way ever since the train had been blocked off and the sudden arrival of Princess Celestia hadn't done the mare's temperament any favors. Books flew every which way as the Alicorn spoke almost nonstop, a few stopping in front of her nose for the briefest of moment before being tossed aside.

"'Inaugural' means first, right? So that banner must have meant that it was that locomotives first run but if there had been a design like that being built in Equestria, it would have, at the very least, been published in a newspaper. But it also said 'reconstruction' so it was being rebuilt? Which means it had to have been here years before it appeared in Appaloosa. No. No. No. This is far from local. It's not even domestic."

"Twilight, darling?"

"Griffon design, maybe? Colorization is similar... Uses of black and greys. Impossible! Far too large for their industry. They conserve metals and materials for other things. Minotaur? No, rail system still in its infancy. Zebra? No, there's not even a mass transit system over there. Which means that it came from....somewhere but where? I mean the design is far beyond anything ever recorded."

"Twi? Ah think ya may need tuh..."

" A 4-8-8-4 wheel configuration?!? Who even thought of that? It's almost insane! How would they even work together efficiently enough to get the most towing power out of it? It has to be articulated or balanced in some way so that the wheels don't work against each other."

"OI, Twilight!"

"And there's that energy, what was it? It felt like magic but-"

Twilight was brought up short as Spike walked up to her, with no warning, licked his claw and put it to the alicorn's horn, fizzing out her magic. The books in the air immediately dropped, some of the other's having to dodge out of the way to avoid getting clocked in the head by a book.

"Spike!" The Alicorn cried in frustration.

"Well, there wasn't any other way to get your attention."

Applejack stepped forward. "Yeah, Twi. Yuh were kinda gettin' a little bit...uh." The orange mare paused trying to find the right, more polite word.

Rainbow Dash beat her to it. "You were going coo-coo, Twilight." She then frowned at he annoyed glance Applejack sent her way. "What? we're all thinking it and Applejack was taking too long to get to the point."

Rarity put a hoof to her head and sighed. "That's called being tactful, Rainbow."

"Yeah," Applejack agreed. "Just 'cause yuh can say it don't mean yuh should."

Yeah, so what if Twilight was getting a little loco in the coco?" Pinkie Pie said, with a wide grin. "All she needed was some marshmallows to even off all the chocolate! Ooo. That AND some whipped cream. The hoofwhipped kind, not the spray stuff. Oh, and maybe some vanilla sprinkles..."

Everyone watched as Pinkie Pie faded into one of her tangents, no longer paying attention to them as the thoughts of Hot Chocolate and certain garnishing thereof ran through her head.

"Well," Twilight began, "Thanks Spike. I guess I was going a little...out there?"

The dragon crossed his arms. "A little?"

"Okay, maybe a lot." The Alicorn admitted, "but can you blame me? It's just sitting on there, huge, imposing, like a fat spider on a clean floor."

"Well, now that Princess Celestia is here, you don't have to worry." Rarity said, trotting up to her and putting a hoof on her shoulder. "She may have cordoned off the station but that hardly means it's dangerous. I'm sure that in time we'll all figure out where that thing came from and have our fears put to rest."

Twilight nodded, smiling a little. Rarity was right, she was working herself up for nothing. She would just talk to the Princess and after a short investigation they would-

Her thoughts collapsed as a royal guard appeared one of the open windows before gliding in. Before she could even greet him, the white pegasus beat her to the punch. "Princess, you and your friends are needed at the station immediately."

Okay, now was the time to panic.

Author's Note:

Sorry for such a short update. I've been having the worst case of writers block.

Comments

[Mad Maudlin]

It's full of zombies, innit?

[Logic Flip]

5466315 Nope. But the mane 6 and Celestia are about to have a little surprise in the next chapter.

[Railroad Brony]

I like the name. I shall give this a read.

5491412 should read my story, then. Canterlot & NorthWestern, among others.