11: Helpless
It was a cold and cloudy October Morning in the Rocky Mountains. Wind blew throughout the mountains as we dragged a heavy train up the mountains.
The train consisted of myself at the front, a khaki brown 4-4-0 tender engine just behind me, about a dozen long flatbeds of steel, and two heavy-duty brake vans at the rear.
The second engine was a “Type 18” from the National Railway Company of Belgium, built in 1902. It had a stylish design reminiscent of the Victorian Era, fairly large driving wheels, fairly respectable top speed, and fairly decent power.
With a second crew manning the Type 18 and second brake van, along with my own manning myself and the first brake van, we dragged the heavy train up the rocky mountains at a slow and steady pace.
“Edward?” Eric asked from my cab, breaking a long silence.
“Yes?” I asked back.
“Do you prefer Sodor, or Equestria?”
Once again, silence. But only for a moment, as I was simply trying to decide.
I sighed in defeat. “I can’t say. Equestria is… amazing. It’s fantastical, there are so many more sights to see than Sodor, and it almost equals Sodor in the supernatural area. Well, supernatural to us, I mean.”
“Right…”
“But Sodor… I just-... All of my friends are back on Sodor. I spent over sixty years there. Without question, that island is my home. Our home.”
“I-I-...” Eric sighed. “To think I was completely fine with staying here two months ago.”
“And I was right to tell you to not be that way. Like- Considering what Twilight has done in her life, you’d think she’d have something by now.”
“I know! If inter-dimensional spells exist, why the bloody hell are inter-universal spells so hard?”
“Exactly. I just can’t…”
I took in a breath.
“I can’t help but wonder about what my friends are thinking back home. How worried they must be. I’m an icon there. For me to just… disappear… But Equestria…”
The familiar feeling of being sick to my boiler overtook me. I grew silent, staring at the tracks ahead.
It had been two long months since the changeling invasion. Two long months of me and Eric waiting for Twilight to make any progress on her spell.
Nothing.
Not a sliver.
As time had gone on, myself and Eric’s hearts grew fonder for Sodor. The former much more so than the latter. We wished to return, even if it meant we would never see Equestria again. With such a wish, the question of how much we’d sacrifice just to see Sodor again would soon appear.
Having gone deep in that rabbit hole once, I will not be elaborating. For my sanity’s sake.
Now, Eric had it far better than me. I’m pleased to say that, despite being over a decade older, he had officially become Fluttershy’s coltfriend. Likewise for her as his marefriend.
Fluttershy, though not officially being a therapist, did fairly well acting as one. Their bond as marefriend and coltfriend greatly helped Eric with his grievances.
“EDWARD!”
“GUH! Uht- Eric! Sorry about that!”
“Bloody hell! I was about to hit the emergency brake!” Eric exclaimed.
“I know. I could feel your hoof on the lever.” I sighed. “Back to your question, I… if all our friends weren’t back on Sodor, I would stay here. But as it stands… I prefer Sodor.”
“You two…” Brimstone slowly began. “...really love Sodor, don’t you?”
“Of course we do,” I said. “We spent all our lives there. All our friends are there.”
Brimstone sighed as he leaned on my left window frame. “Sodor sounds so great. All the stories you’ve told, all the engines and rail lines you explained… It all sounds so cozy.”
“It really is. Not much in Equestria has been able to match the cozyness of it. The genuine-ness of it.”
“Funny,” Eric began. “-that everyone we talk to about Sodor always wants to take a trip to it.”
I chuckled. “Indeed, old boy. Though, I do wonder what would happen if ponies did come to our world. I mean, our world more or less functions without magic.”
“I know! Lord knows what the governments would do if a bunch of pastel ponies with flying and magic capabilities began popping up on Sodor.”
I laughed. “Pastel Ponies! I wonder how often that term would be used.”
“I doubt much. I’m sure most would rather stick with just ponies.”
“Oh come on mate. It wouldn’t be a small amount that would use it and you know it.”
Eric chuckled. “The more I think about it, I do. I really do-”
“OW!”
A sharp pain pierced my gearing.
“Edward! Are you alright?"
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I grunted. “The bearing in my number two driver just overheated.”
Eric groaned. “We need to replace everything. This basic maintenance isn’t going to do anymore.”
“We don’t have green water. I still don’t know if I’m ready to take the pain of a cutter’s torch.”
“In any case, we’ll need to take a trip to the works after this.”
“And by works,” Brimstone began. “You mean?”
“The equivalent of a barn,” I finished.
Something I’ve only vaguely touched upon until now is Equestria’s lack of Green Water. As a reminder, Green Water is an anesthetic given to engines undergoing maintenance. It is the sole reason us non-faceless lot are able to be regularly maintained.
Equestria never had such an anesthetic, and wouldn’t have it for decades.
“Fatigued races, fatigued journals, fatigue fatigue fatigue,” the unicorn worker said as he used a spell to check the gearing. “The only bearings still in good condition are the rollers.”
“How long will they last?” I asked.
“I’ve done what I can, but you’ll be lucky if any part of you lasts more than a week if you don’t pull any trains. Your gearing needs a complete overhaul.”
“Right then,” I snapped. “Eric, Brimstone and Thorax? Get in my cab. We’re marching right up to the Diarchy and we are demanding an overhaul.”
…
“Bloody hell is that a sentence I never thought I’d say.”
“Neither did I,” Eric chuckled before sighing. “Well, let’s find a brakevan and head off to Canterlot.”
“Why can’t we take a train back?” Thorax asked.
“Can we?” I asked the unicorn.
“Only if It’s just the one,” the worker replied. “You could pull more, but only if you have a deathwish.”
“Right then. When’s the next train?”
“Edward, I strongly disagree with-”
“No,” I said, interrupting the Princess of the Sun. “Gobs of oil can only prevent the inevitable for so long. I can’t believe I went along with such “maintenance” for so long. It’s downright disgraceful what you’ve put me through and I refuse to stand for it any longer.”
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took a step back on the platform, shocked at how forward I was with them.
Luna was the one to speak. “Edward, I… I do not even know what to say.”
“Aren’t you the princess of dreams?” I asked. “Can’t you force somepony asleep?”
“So you have heard that rumor… Yes,” she begrudgingly replied. “But I do not know if I can keep you asleep throughout the process. I can only put you to sleep. My spells are not anesthetics.”
"Oh, that’s it," I thought.
“Where’s that princess who isn’t afraid to get her hooves dirty?” I asked. “Where’s the princess who went through hell and high water to conquer her fears of becoming Nightmare Moon? Where’s the princess who fought tooth and nail to win twenty-two battles a thousand years ago? Bust my buffers, where’s the princess who loves TRAINS for crying out loud?!”
“RIGHT HERE!” Luna happily exclaimed, flaring her wings and striking an intimidating pose. “You are right, Edward. I am the Alicorn of war. I should not be afraid of merely causing you harm when you demand it. Especially if it means a great deal of good for you in the future.”
“Luna, let’s not be hasty about this,” Celestia said.
“There is nothing quick-tempered about it,” Luna replied, glancing at her elder sister and furling her wings. “If anything, we have been far too leisurely about such a vital service.”
She looked back at me. “Edward, make your way over to my shed. Expect only the highest-quality parts and materials and the best engineers Equestria and its neighboring countries can offer.”
“Will do,” I said with a massive grin.
My first two months in Equestria were maintenance hell. Nopony had been brave enough to perform proper maintenance on me, owing to my sentience, which put me in quite the tough spot.
The temporary solution was to put as much high-quality oil in my bearings as possible. To their credit, this worked splendidly.
Until it didn’t.
It was half over a month when my older journal bearings began nip at me with varying amounts of pain, despite the careful maintenance. It didn’t help that, before this, they hadn’t moved an inch for several months.
Over the span of a fortnight, my bearings were progressively worn more and more, at an increasing pace. Days before my run with the Type 18, I began having trouble starting with and without trains, and later at high speeds. The pain I would experience could be compared to having Arthritis.
Moving to the overhaul of my gearing…
Inhale,
Exhale.
The next three weeks that encompassed my overhaul were bar and none the darkest weeks of my life.
Luna’s spell that forced anyone to sleep worked, yes, but as she said, it only did just that. Force those asleep. Most horrific was that I could still feel most of the pain that came with the overhaul.
Worse still was that Luna had brought a top-flight doctor into the shed, who stated that my being constantly forced asleep would have long-term health ramifications.
While the doctor did say it could be different for me, none of us wanted to chance it, so we agreed to keep me awake.
Which meant I had to endure every bit of pain the maintenance contained.
My entire gearing assembly was taken apart. This included my siderods, bearings, and pistons. I hadn’t felt any of these being taken off before; excluding the rods, so it was a very strange experience for each disconnected part.
The feeling of not being able to feel the parts, but still having the motor functions necessary to operate them, was the equivalent of simply not having a limb.
The pain I keep speaking of comes from the cutting that had to be done in order to properly overhaul the gearing. Cutting, grinding, and welding were among the things needed to be done. This was a terrifying time for everypony involved, and many would be sent into therapy for their overwhelming fears of harming a sentient “creature” such as myself.
All we could do was grit our teeth, grip our tools, and power through it all.
On to the more technical side of the overhaul, I did expect only the highest-quality parts and materials to be used. An expectance that was far more than met.
Lightweight Titanium was the most common material used, as the focus was put squarely on extending the time between visits to the works. Custom parts were forged and extremely precise measurements were used throughout the gearing. The valves and piston connections were tightened, automatic lubrication was installed; giving me a slightly more industrial look, and roller bearings were installed everywhere.
With the addition of a Baker valve gear over my original Stephenson, my gearing assembly was ready to go years without more-than-basic maintenance.
“Alright! Everything is officially squared away,” Eric said as he tightened the last bolt on the assembly. “How do you feel, Edward?”
“It feels… strange,” I replied.
“Are you ready to run?” Brimstone asked.
“Only one way to find out,” I replied. “A good round of shunting.”
“Shunting?!” an unfamiliar voice called out.
I looked at the small platoon of mechanics, engineers, and other ponies that sat with bated breaths just off the track.
“Yes. Shunting,” I said.
“But would a run on the main line not be a better test?” Luna asked, who was in front of the group.
“On the contrary,” I replied. “These parts are new. It would be irresponsible to throw me onto the main line before we can assess my new strengths and correct any problems that might occur. That’s what shunting is all about.”
“I suppose that makes sense,” Luna begrudgingly replied.
“Now. Allow me to get up to pressure, and we can start.”
During my overhaul, a handful of new engines had been discovered throughout Equestria. These included two members of the LMS Royal Scot Class, number 6100 and 6115, named Royal Scot and Scots Guardsman respectively. These two would become premier express locomotives, often double heading due to their similar names.
Two more had also been found; a pair of war-ridden USRA Heavy Mikados. These 2-8-2’s of the American Military were strong, reliable, and could hold their own at high speed. They were the perfect engines for supplying an overhaul being performed on Canterlot Castle.
The issue that worked in my favor was the freight they generated making such supply runs.
The yard in Canterlot, though updated, proved problematic when handling large incoming trains. The engines pulling said trains had to do the shunting, causing backups and bottlenecks throughout the city.
“The only thing that could save the yard until we can further improve it is an on-site shunter,” Luna stated.
“Perfect,” I said as we slowly approached the yard. As expected, it was riddled with dozens of flatbeds, some empty, some loaded with stone, steel, and other construction materials. One of the USRA engines was trying Its best to shunt it all.
I took in a deep breath. So deep I’m told my whole body rose up ever so slightly. After letting it out, I said;
“Just you watch. I’ll have this yard in good nick before it hits noon.”
With that, I dug into my work, shunting trucks and marshaling trains like never before.
My new gearing was unrivaled, let me tell you. It allowed me to start moving faster than I had ever done before and let me work much less when doing any kind of work. I never fell short of puff, and my fuel economy increased to remarkable levels.
And that was just in the yard. After a week of breaking the gearing in, I let myself out on the main line, where I resumed my regular freight and passenger runs. I gained a noticeable increase in overall performance as I was able to put more steam to the cylinders without losing pressure, owing to the tightening of my gearing which allowed for almost zero steam loss throughout the mechanism.
I was faster, more powerful, and able to put each and every one of the engines back home to complete shame with overall performance.
Even the express and heavy goods engines in terms of horsepower.
That said, I was more ready than ever to get back to Sodor, eager to show the others what I could do.
Me, Eric, Brimstone, and Thorax were on a freight run from Ponyville to Canterlot, running at speed. The wind was in our favor, the skies were clear, and the autumn leaves had long arrived, transforming the once-green landscape into a flurry of reds, yellows, and oranges.
“What speed did Luna say you could theoretically achieve?” Brimstone asked.
“One hundred and thirty miles an hour,” I replied.
“You think we could hit it?”
“No way I’d be able to hit that speed under my own power! If I had increased boiler pressure, maybe I could touch ninety with nothing behind me."
“Settle down, Edward!” Eric exclaimed. “We don’t know that! Didn’t you hit close to seventy when you chased that runaway train the one time?”
“Oh, that incident back in 29’? No. It was more like sixty-five. And that was downhill.”
“Then surely you’ll be faster!”
“Maybe we should ask Luna to give us a light train and a long stretch of track to test our speed,” Brimstone suggested.
“You know, I might just try that.”
Just then, Eric chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“I just realized that James would absolutely love to have an upgrade like you,” he replied.
“Oh! Haha! He would!” I laughed.
“Excuse me?” Thorax asked, having made his way to the cab to have a chat.
“James had a knack for wanting to go fast,” Eric explained. “He always complained about how he was lumbered with his design and whatever train he was hauling. And the obvious speed limits. I didn’t even think about how he would relish an overhaul like Edward’s.”
“Oh. … Why wasn’t he given an overhaul to go faster?”
“Because of the unnecessary costs. That’s why-”
KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
The lads were thrown forward as I slammed on my brakes, bringing the train to a grinding standstill.
“Jesus Christ, Edward!” Eric yelled. “What’s the matter with you?! Why’d you stop like that?!”
“Lads… look at the siding,” I slowly said.
They did, growing confused as they saw what I was referring to.
“Could it be?” I asked, a smile creeping onto my face as I puffed forward to get a better view.
The train on the siding next to us was small. It was a line of five dark red two-axle Victorian-Era coaches. The engine in front was equally small. It had four driving wheels and a small four-wheeled tender. It had a small but long boiler, lacked a cab, and sported copper cladding on its large dome-shaped firebox. To complete the engine was the iconic Indian Red paint of none other than the Furness Railway.
To me, it could only be one engine and one engine only.
“Old Coppernob!” I exclaimed as I stopped. “I never thought I’d see you again! What in blazes are you doing here?!”
“Old Coppernob?” Thorax asked.
“Lads, meet Old Coppernob,” I say with glee. “The Furness Railway’s Number Three engine. So-named due to the copper cladding on the firebox.”
“Why are you talking like It’s non-faceless?” Eric asked as he scanned the engine buffer-to-buffer.
“Sorry, I’m just over the moon right now. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a former member of the Furness Railway. Much less a faceless one. This was one of the Furness’ first locomotives, you know. Built way back in 1846.”
“Eighteen Forty-WHAT!?” Brimstone exclaimed.
“I know! It was in service a full 55 years before being withdrawn in 1900! I- I thought it was scrapped! But no! Here it is in all its glory! A few bits of shrapnel from the war it looks like, but it looks amazing!”
“Well! It’s nice to see you so happy!” Eric said. “Let’s get this train delivered and we can come back for it later.”
“My left piston we’re continuing without Coppernob,” I stated, beginning to move forward past the switch. “We are buffering right up to its front and pulling it all the way there.”
“Edwar- Oh forget it. Fine. Thorax, throw the switch, would you?”
“Okay.”
The changeling flew ahead and landed next to the switch, grunting as he changed the points.
I looked at my fireman. “Brimstone, grab your oil can and make sure Coppernob and its coaches’ bearings are oiled. I want it to be smooth all the way there.”
“Yes sir.”
With Thorax operating Coppernob’s brakes, we made good time getting up to Canterlot with the extra train. A congratulation from Princess Luna and a quick boiler inspection later, Coppernob was found to be in working order, except its boiler pressure would have to be severely reduced to maintain safety. And both it and its train were far too small for regular service, even in pristine condition.
“I have an idea,” I said. “Let’s put it in a museum!”
Yes, I would go to abuse my leverage on the train-loving Night Princess in order to get a Furness Railway Museum built and opened. I would go on to abuse this leverage elsewhere, but that’s a story for another day.
The building site would be placed out west near a place known as Bridlefield, far from many cities and towns. The building itself would be a replica of the Barrow-in-Furness Railway Station as it had been from 1882 to 1941.
It was a massive building. A true marvel of late 19th-century design, it stood nearly four stories tall and contained space inside for quite a few trains. The museum would become one of the most profitable museums in Equestria. This would be in part of the many pages and articles detailing the history of the railway itself, and the engines and rolling stock the museum would gain over time.
I’ll let you guess who gave such information.
The construction would take over a month, most of which I spent supplying it. And I cherish every bit of it. I was rebuilding my original railway’s ‘Big Station’, something that had a lot of sentimental value to me.
That month did well to distract me and Eric. We were contempt and happy, knowing we really were making a difference around here. Knowing that we were bringing my world’s history into this world for the very first time, for even future generations to experience.
But then, as the weeks following the opening grew into months, the novelty wore off. We soon focused back on Sodor, in turn focusing on Twilight’s efforts in getting us home.
Or rather, lack thereof.
“Why am I even waiting here,” I asked as we idled on a siding, two six-axle coaches behind me.
“Because Princess Twilight asked us to wait here,” Brimstone replied, mane being blown about by the cold late-February winds.
“To do what?”
“To investigate Ponhenge.”
“Why does she specifically need us to be here? Why does she need us on seemingly any escapade she and her friends go on?”
“I don’t know!” Eric snapped. “Maybe she just likes the novelty.”
“Tch. That or she’s trying to get us killed.”
“Oh come on Edward, don’t be so overdramatic.”
“Sorry. I’m just a little miffed. First, Twilight has us take her here. Then we run around like mad taking her friends to find ancient artifacts, and now we’re back here waiting for her to investigate ‘pone-henge’. Now-...”
“What is it?” Eric asked.
“I swear I just saw a white explosion in that forest,” I reply.
CRACK!
Thunder and Lightning suddenly struck a location in the forest, and black clouds began to form around the location.
“What in blazes is going on in there?!”
Suddenly, we heard the booming voice of a foe that Twilight and her friends had released.
For a moment, we tried our best to listen in. We could only discern the words of a very loud, very gruff pony, who spoke of destroying the light of the world and making everything bow to him.
After what sounded like a magic duel, I saw a giant black shadow shoot into the sky, and just like that, the black clouds were blown from existence.
“...What the bloody hell was that,” Eric slowly asked.
“That is a very good question,” I replied. “Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.”
“Edward!” the familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle called out.
“Yes?” I asked, spotting her, her friends, and six ponies I didn’t recognize running out of the forest.
“We need to get to my castle as soon as possible!” the princess said.
“That is one of the talking trains you speak of?” a gray, elderly pony asked upon seeing me. One who looked like a wizard.
“Yep!” Twilight replied as the group got to us. “Starswirl, meet Edward! Edward, meet Starswirl the Bearded!”
“So this is the famous Starswirl!” Brimstone exclaimed. “I never thought-”
“Quiet, you,” the wizard snapped. “How many more of these ‘talking trains’ are there?”
“Just me,” I replied with a stern tone. “And you sir will have to shut up and cut that attitude if you want to keep your ticket to ride.”
‘Starswirl’, shocked by my abrasiveness, only responded by grunting and sticking up his nose as he walked to the forward coach.
“Edward! You can’t talk to Starswirl like that!” Twilight yelled.
“I can, and I will,” I snapped, scaring the young princess. “Especially if he keeps up that attitude of his.”
A week after that exchange, I did get the chance to talk with the abrasive wizard while waiting at Ponyville Station. Having been filled in on his exploits a thousand years ago; namely, a weak time travel spell he invented, I had a serious question for him.
“Are Inter-Universal Spells possible?”
The elderly wizard standing on the platform was surprised.
“Inter-Universal?” Starswirl asked. “Why does a creature such as yourself want to know such a spell?”
“First, don’t call me a creature. And second, has nopony told you that I’m from a different universe?”
Once again, he was surprised.
“No. Nopony did.”
“In short, I was brought here against my will after puffing through a tunnel. Since then, the princesses have been trying to find a way to get us home. Knowing the spells you created in the past, could you tell me if any Inter-Universal Spells are possible?”
The elderly wizard looked at the ground for a moment, deep in thought.
“I don’t think so.”
The water in my boiler went cold. I stared at Starswirl, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out.
“I see… Thank you, Starswirl. That’ll be all.”
With that, I blew my whistle and steamed out of the station.
Twilight threw a book across the Canterlot Library.
“WHY?!”
“SHH!” a librarian snapped.
“I’M A PRINCESS I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!”
With that, Twilight stormed out of the library and took off towards the station, buying a ticket for Ponyville.
Her heart sank when she saw the train she would be getting on. More specifically the engine pulling it.
Me.
She sat in the first-class coach, away from prying eyes. Moments later, I pulled out of the station, unaware of the royal passenger as the warm June sun beat down on me.
In the time between this time and my meeting with Starswirl, I had been officially inducted into the Royal Rail Service, or RRS. This was a special service created by Princess Luna, who chose only the best engines to pull the prestigious trains.
The engines and rolling stock were freshly-built copies of ones that had been found throughout Equestria. They were given the absolute best materials, custom parts, and the latest technology that allowed them to go further and faster than most other engines. I was the exception, of course, and was given extreme care because of it.
The letters RRS were painted just under my cab windows in the same bright yellow font as the number two on my tender, complete with a red outline.
As for the maintenance that came with being part of the RRS, and every bit of maintenance afterward, something very interesting would happen regarding my opinion on it.
As insane as it may sound, I began to prefer being awake during the process.
Something about feeling everything being done to me, and the ability to converse with the ponies working on me, is just so much more enticing than sleeping through it all. Better still was that I was able to tell the ponies if they were doing something wrong throughout the entire process, rather than only part of it.
This opinion has stood firm since then, even with how boring and painful it can get.
“Bust my…buffers these rubber bands don’t help,” I grunted as I pumped my pistons hard to bank a heavy train up the hill to Canterlot. Black rubber was tied around my driving wheels, intended to increase grip. Unfortunately, the difference was marginal.
“Are you sure?” Brimstone asked, the cold winter air nipping at him as he watched my wheels. “The engineers said it would give us more than double the grip we normally have.”
“Well you can tell them to shove their estimations into the garbage. I swear I am actively losing grip with these stupid bands. When we get to Canterlot, we are taking this rubber off immediately.”
“Well, another mile and we’ll be there.”
Spring had come around. I was taking a special tourist train meant exclusively for the upper-class citizens of Equestria and elsewhere. Though it was a heavy train; a rake of ten coaches making close to 500 tons, I managed well when up to speed.
“I just realized something,” I said with a flat tone.
“What is that?” Luna asked from my cab. She had volunteered as both my driver and firemare today.
“Unless we revert the upgrades I’ve been receiving, It’s going to be nearly impossible for me to be maintained back on Sodor.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Because of how expensive the parts you’ve given me are. The price to maintain me in my current state would outweigh my actual usefulness by more than double.”
“Do not say that about yourself, Edward!” the Alicorn exclaimed.
“I’m not saying that I'm useless. I’m saying that, compared to the cost to maintain a much more capable engine such as a 9F, it would be stupid to keep me on.”
“Could we not merely transport you here to perform maintenance?”
“Yes. I was getting to that. It would be a requirement to bring me here unless I were reverted to my pre-Equestrian state.”
“But you would prefer it if you remained in this state, correct?”
“Of course. I’m never giving up these upgrades. Being able to work such heavy trains without needing help has been life-changing. Even if I have to be brought here for maintenance, going back to my old state would be downright foolish.”
“I see.”
We sat in silence after that, resorting to watching the scenery and other trains go by as we puffed down the line.
Luna soon broke that silence.
“Edward?”
“Yes?”
“Would you like to attend the Grand Galloping Gala?”
“The Grand Galloping Gala?”
“Yes. An event celebrating the completion of Canterlot. It is in three weeks, on the twenty-first.”
“Why would I need to attend something like that? How would I even attend something like that in the first place?”
“I could ask my sister to hold it in the Canterlot yards.”
“...”
“I’m sorry, but the answer is no.”
“But Edward-” Twilight began to protest.
“I don’t have any interest in the Gala. Even if you held it right here in the yard, what would I even do besides sitting in one place and telling stories?”
Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out. She knew there was no good reason for me to attend.
“Me and my crew will handle the incoming trains for the day,” I explained. “When the Gala starts and my crew attends, I’ll manage it by myself.”
“Manage what by yourself?” Eric called out as he, Brimstone, and Thorax entered the shed.
“Speak of the devil’s associates, and they appear!” I joked with a small smile.
“Hey!” Thorax cried.
“And to answer your question, Eric, I mean the yards.”
“Ah, so you know our job for the day?” the Thestral asked as he and the other two stopped next to me.
“Yes. I got it over the radio.”
“Oh! They got that working?”
“Indeed they did. Now.” I turned my attention back to the Alicorn in front of me. “As for you, go tell Luna and Celestia to keep the Gala where it is.”
“But-”
“Go.” I snapped.
Her ears flattened as she turned. “Okay…”
“Edward, that was uncalled for,” Eric chastised as he and the other two jumped into my cab.
“No, it wasn’t,” I responded as I watched Twilight leave the shed. “I’m sick and tired of everypony trying to anthropomorphize me. Send me to places I shouldn’t be, have me attend things I shouldn’t attend.”
“That we can all agree on. But you know you shouldn’t be snapping at them like that!” Eric said with a casual tone.
I sighed as we steamed out of the sheds. “I know, I know. I’ve just been a little annoyed lately.”
“So have I. Fluttershy has been helping me stay calm, but It’s hard. She did show me an exercise that helps a lot, though.”
I stifled a growl. “Would that exercise work for me?”
“Considering you don’t have any arms, no!” Eric chuckled.
I didn’t return the enthusiasm, resorting to silently throwing myself into my work as an express train entered the yard.
The rest of the day was hard as we worked the yard. Being the only on-site shunter and trains coming and going faster than most other days, I had to work nonstop, only being able to rest when refueling.
Despite my best performance yet, the yard began reaching critical mayhem, and I was forced to request a shunter, citing it as a national emergency.
Fortunately, an elderly Class A1 0-6-0 tank engine from the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway - commonly known as “Terriers” - had arrived at Ponyville earlier that day. The engine, Number 35 “Morden”, ran light to Canterlot, achieving nearly 70 miles per hour; a speed unheard of for the class.
The 19th Century Terrier was just what the doctor ordered. With good communication and a lot of sand, we just barely managed to keep the yard in working order throughout the day and into the evening.
Only when it got close to the time of the Gala itself did the work die down. It died down so much, in fact, that only the Terrier would be needed.
With just half an hour until the Gala, we pulled into a siding, and my crew stepped off.
“I hope you all have fun,” I said as they stopped in front of me.
“Right. But Edward, are you sure you can run the yard crewless?” Eric asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “It’ll give me a chance to test out this new mechanical stoker.”
“Alright. If you say so.”
“See you later, Edward!” Thorax cheerfully exclaimed.
“Bye,” Brimstone added.
“Have fun at the gala!” I said as the three walked away. “And good luck with Fluttershy, Eric!”
As I worked, I listened to the sounds of the Grand Galloping Gala coming from the castle. From the sound of it, it was quite the shindig, as I could hear it even in the furthest corners of the yard.
There had been an elaborate buffet, a brass band, dancing, stories of the past, anything you’d expect from a celebration of its type.
As the night went on, I would find myself wondering if perhaps I should have attended.
These thoughts, however, were stopped when I noticed an old line outside of Canterlot. I saw it in the distance, climbing and curling around the mountain.
I looked over at the crew of the Terrier. “Oi, you two!”
“What?” the engineer yelled back.
“Do either of you know what that line is up there?”
The stallions leaned out and looked ahead, spotting the same line.
“Uhh… I think it was an old logging line? Built not long after trains were introduced. It’s been abandoned for years.”
“I see… You think you could handle this yard by yourself while I check it out?”
The stallions were surprised. They looked at the manifest the fireman had, then shrugged.
“Yeah. We can,” the engineer said.
“Alright. If anypony asks, tell them I’ll be up there.”
Blowing my whistle, I slowly puffed through and out of the yard. I looked around at the surrounding buildings, seeing parts of Canterlot I had never seen before. I could see a few ponies who were out and about, who looked right back at me as I passed over the elevated tracks.
“I haven’t seen a train on that bridge for years!” I heard one call out.
In minutes, I went under an archway and outside the Canterlot walls. The moment I did this, the tracks took a turn for the worse.
They were rickety and worn, having been built from basic wood and iron instead of the magically-enhanced steel ones I had come to love. The rails were rusty and ties rotted from decades of disuse, and the trestles I passed over felt like they would fall if the wrong two-by-four moved two inches the wrong way.
The gradient was equivalent to Gordon’s Hill. The curves were long and superelevated, clearly designed so trains couldn’t derail should they run away.
For the better part of half an hour, I crawled up the mountain. As I climbed, the air grew thinner, and the foliage grew thicker.
While I wondered if it was a good idea to run crewless up here, I consciously perished the thought. For this would never have been as special if I had my crew with me.
After an hour, the thick forest around me thinned, turning into a mix between trees and stumps.
CLI-CLA-CLI-CLACK! CLI-CLI-CLACK!
I yelped as I passed over a switch, having been fixated on looking through the trees and at the landscape beyond. I looked around me and gasped, slowing to a stop as I took in the sight around me.
It was a logging railyard.
Logs piled high everywhere around the tracks, even more loaded on 19th-century skeleton log cars of American origin. Wooden platforms, pulley-operated cranes, and sheds sat beside the three available tracks; one of which continued around a bend and into a collapsed tunnel.
The track I was on was a Y, continuing on to the cliff edge to let the locomotives of the day turn around. Strangely, there was another track that paralleled the Y.
On that track sat another engine.
Amidst the hiss of my releasing brakes, I slowly puffed forward next to the engine.
The engine was the most American you could get. It was a 19th-century 4-4-0, but wore a steel cab and black paint. It had a long and straight funnel instead of the comically-large funnel locomotives of the time wore and modernized controls.
The tender was slightly larger than my own and carried a full load of coal. It appeared slightly armored, like it were in the military, and had a prototypical six-axle bogie just behind the front four-axle bogie.
U.S Military R.R. was painted on the side, explaining the prototypical nature of the engine.
“Well. I wonder how long you’ve been up here,” I said, noting the rust and decay present throughout. “You clearly aren’t from Eque-”
My voice got cut short as I saw the view beyond the engine's smokebox. I slammed on brakes and stopped just short of the buffers, staring ahead.
It was Equestria.
I could see for hundreds upon hundreds of miles, seeing all the expansive fields, dense forests, and massive mountain passes through the clouds below. The night sky above me was clearer than I had ever seen it before, Luna’s moon the centerpiece of the stars as it illuminated the landscape below.
I looked down below, shivering as I saw miles of mountain beneath me. Miles that ensured no engine would survive, should they fall.
My water and frames felt cold, my boiler pressure dropped, and I began having trouble breathing, panting as I looked around at the ethereal sight. There was no wind, no third-party sound.
The only sound, in fact, was my own thoughts.
I sat there for what felt like hours in silence, finding myself reminiscing about times back on Sodor. The relaxing times, hectic times, the thrills and spills on the railway…
Into my mind flowed an incident from 1943, back when I was fighting the front lines with my platoon.
The incident involved James becoming a runaway as he descended Gordon's hill, the train having been overweight for him and the brakevan.
While the overweight train wouldn't have been much of an issue, the brakevan had failed. This had turned him into a full-fledged runaway, causing to run all the way to Maron and smash into a line of tar wagons.
"I've always wondered what it would be like to be a runaway," I said to the military engine. "I'm told It's nothing but helpless terror. The feeling that you're about to die, yet there is nothing you can do about it. Everyone says ``It's the worst feeling you can experience."
"I know a worse one."
I winced, startled at the new, familiar female voice. First, I looked at the engine next to me. Confirming it was faceless, I looked to the sky, spotting none other than Princess Luna coming in for a landing.
The Night Mare touched down with practiced ease, the grass around her flailing about in her wake.
"Oh. Hello Luna," I softly greeted with a formal tone. "What are you doing up here?"
"I have never been one for parties," Luna replied as she furled her wings. "I asked the Terrier Crew where you were when you were not present at the yard.
"Of course,"
We each stared out from the cliff, looking throughout Equestria together in silence.
"The feeling of helplessness is not the worst," Luna stated.
"The feeling of not being able to help the situation no matter what you do is," I finished.
Luna looked at me, surprised. "How do you know?" she asked, curiosity filling her voice.
"I have a few stories.”
“I would assume so. But what I mean is, how do you know, considering you deal with such a feeling all the time? You are a slave to your rails. You cannot help many situations outside of them.”
“Of course. But It’s those situations that do take place on the rails that the feeling comes in full swing. How it affects someone depends on where it is. If there's some war going on in a different country, you don’t tend to care, since it doesn’t directly affect you. But, if that war were to be happening in your country, nay, near your own town, that is when you start to care.”
Luna listened intently, wearing a curious look I rarely got to see on royalty.
“Forgive me for getting philosophical, but I like to compare this to storytelling. To me, it doesn’t matter what kind of story you’re telling, It’s how you tell it. I mean, you could take a silly idea such as a young prince switching places with a pauper who somehow looks exactly like him, and do two things with it. Tell an amazing story about the exceeding severity of laws… or butcher it with a cheap half-baked thing that dares to call itself a plot.”
I grin as Luna smiles with recognition, knowing the story I was referencing.
“You could make an amazing prince.”
My eyes widened at the statement. I glanced at her before forcing myself to look at my buffers.
“A prince?” I asked, looking back at her.
“Think about it, Edward,” Luna began. “Someone like you could help manage the industries and relations with other nations. Not just that, you effectively have an infinite life, owing to your ability to simply have failing or aging parts merely replaced.”
“How in blazes could I help with relations?” I asked, indignantly. “You know I don’t like getting into politics.”
“And neither do I. But I mean in the industry side of things, particularly those related to rail. Not only do you have decades of experience in the trade, but you know exactly how to get technical without losing whomever you talk to. Ponies with those two traits together instead of one or the other are hard to come by.”
“But-... Luna, I-...” I paused, gathering my words. “Me? An engine, being a prince?”
“Your crew told me that you dislike being anthropomorphized. But all we want is what is best for you. I, for one, think you should at least look into it.”
“...Luna,” I said, using a cold tone coupled with a suspicious expression.
“Yes, Edward?” she asked, noticing my tone.
“What subject are you dancing around?”
Her ears twitched. She lifted a hoof slightly off the ground, pulling it slightly toward her.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“What subject are you trying to avoid?”
“I-... Edward, I-...”
I took a breath. “Tell me, Luna. Why are you trying to get me to do other things? Specifically, why are you trying to get me to do things I couldn’t do on Sodor?”
Her ears slowly fell. She looked down at the ground, silent.
“Do you think I’m ever going back to Sodor?”
Luna, silent as ever, looked out over the Equestria, taking in the landscape. She looked up at her moon, which shined brighty down on us, lighting the area in an almost ethereal glow.
Finally, with a sigh, she closed her eyes.
“No.”
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11316971
To be perfectly fair, Chrysalis IS capable of mental manipulation against Shining, who is fairly regarded as the best at defensive magic. While it was never explicitly stated in the show, I always ran with the idea she was low-key manipulating the ponies around her to ignore all of her minor, and some not so minor, slip-ups.
That said, I acknowledge that there's a flaw in that theory in regards to Celestia. She not only is VERY old and experienced, and would therefore probably recognize when her mind is being messed with, but a powerhouse in her own right that likely CAN'T be mind controlled easily.