THE DIESEL, THE ZEBRA, AND THE SPLUTTERSHY

She knew the path very well... Just a quick turn to through the forest, across the lines, through the field, and there she was. Or, at least, supposed to be.

She had done this so many times by now, she knew the back like the back of her hooves. Wait... Did her hooves even have a back?

Through the forest she went, the heavy foliage of the old trees shading the light, looming over her head like a canopy. Her sight has been reduced - dark shadows covered the path. Her assistant was getting impatient...

"Don't worry, well get there soon..." she whispered "I hope..."

Trees, with long, gnarly branches hoovering over her head, their leaves rustling in the gentle breeze... She felt herself more and more lost, as she trotted down the dark path.

The forest, usually more like a jungle, was now indeed the very description of a temperate zone, deciduous, scary, dark forest. She couldn't recognize the species, but they looked sinister... As she trotted deeper into the woods, she could feel a sense of dread rising within herself. The world seemed to be loosing colors, as she ventured, a mist rose to her feet, getting more and more dense, while the tall grass seemed to flatten, die, the ground becoming barren, aside from the trees, now tall and pillar-like, with long, claw-like branches, arching down towards her... The air grew cold and moist, and the light was nearly gone. The streaks of the sun shining trough the leafage turned into an ominous, monochrome color.

RED.

She would've sworn she heard whispers behind herself. Slowing down, she listened carefully.

She couldn't make out the language, but the voices increased in number, the casual whispering turning into a quiet cacophonia. Her heart started to beat faster, her breaths grew hastier, as she increased her speed, trotting faster and faster. Through the whispers and the breeze flying pass her ears, she could hear a thunderous crackle from behind. Looking back, only for a brief moment, she saw a tall tree collapse onto the ground, it's trunk snapped into half. Gray light covered that area, where the tree fell down. And, grasping it with it's long, clawed hand was...

She gasped as the dark eyes rested upon her. Turning her head forward, she ran, faster than the wind, her assistant holding onto his dear life. Thorn bushes filled a trench in front of her. She jumped, spreading her wings... Flying faster and faster, she rose into the foliage, darting left and right between the now sword-like branches... Breaking through the top, she felt the tiniest branches brush under her fur, scarring her skin, and breaking off.

But she was out now, under the full-spectrum of Celestia's sweet sun, soaking up it's heat, her mane flowing freely. She had almost forgotten how great it is to fly.

Took one glance down.

MILES away from the ground...

"MEEP!"

She slowed down, her muscles tense, lowering closer and closer to ground level - an instinctive reaction. To her misfortune, she was lowering back into the forest as well... But in the distance, she could see it come to an end, the rising sun reflected from the long-stretching pieces of metal. So she sped up, fighting her own reflex to dive back to the ground, her body shaking, as instinct and sheer willpower fought. She could still feel her assistant, hugging her, holding his body close. He did not dare to part with her.

With one loud, wheezing gasp, she landed, unable to fight her instinct anymore. Landing slightly roughly on the lush, soft green grass, she laid down, legs and wings spread, her chest heaving heavily, her eyes close to rolling back, as her consciousness was ready to flee. A gentle shake from her friend woke her up. Looking up, she saw concern in his eyes.

"I'm... *huff* ...OK..." she muttered, smiling. Slowly, she got back up, standing on shaking legs.

"We'll... Leg it... OK?"

Her assistant nodded furiously.

"Good morning, Fluttershy!" he greeted him. A cheery smile, a kind voice, triangle-ish eyebrows, big nose...

"Good morning, Derek!" she replied. Derek was a kind sort. Soft-spoken, gentlecolty, "gentleMANly", as he put it, very noble, and endlessly polite. To bad he couldn't enjoy a good health with it. Being a Class 17, Derek's engine was a disaster area, especially his cooling system, which failed him the most. He had broken down more times than any other machinery in British Railway History. His mechanical condition - along with himself - has been neglected by his previous owner - the notorious and loathed Sir Wyatt Fronts, the 'Thin Git'.

However, in his new workplace, he was well-kept and looked after. Sadly, this didn't helped his persistent "teething troubles", no matter how hard Spike worked, he always remained a weedy engine, spluttering smoke and going up in flames (sometimes literally) every three to five hours - every eight hour on cold days (he absolutely LOVES winter). Never-the-less, he remained a diligent, optimistic engine, ready to work whenever he was needed. Thus, he was sort of an outcast among the slacker, hardcore, heavy-weight diesels of the Other Railway, but his meek nature and gentleness may have been the very reason the others haven't grown even more sour over the years. And the fact that he has the biggest alcohol tolerance among them also makes him a respected member among the clan. A gullible prat, he was often the butt of the other's jokes and the scapegoat when weaseling out of their jobs. Not here, thought.

He was the only one who actually WANTED to go to Equestria - the others merely followed him as ordered by the Thin Git to get him back (a hastily made idea, probably, as they all got stuck, and decided to pose as refugees, only to be followed by ACTUALLY fleeing engines from all around planet Earth).

Already, Angel bunny was looking into his engine. He had no idea were the little rabbit got it's profession, but he was excellent at fixing him up quickly. He sometimes even made dangerous stunts: due to his size, he could get inside his double engine blocks, and he even did this when his engines were still running, or what's more, he was still moving. By the weird oddities of fate, Fluttershy was yet to notice her "pet's" death-defying mechanical skills - and thank heavens for that. Luckily for all three of them, Alexei, the foreign deity and controller of the railway, Equestrian Rail, AND the Princesses were looking into this problem, as the god had recently "acquired" the blueprints of Derek's class, and were looking over it to find a solution.

After that check-up, and receiving their work order, they rolled off, again, towards the forest.

Everfree Forest was one of the most well-known and notorious green lands of Equestrian, spreading over provinces, it's thick foliage covering the land for miles, like a mountain range, only broken by ravines and clearings and deforestation paths that ponies made in ancient times. Some areas were habitable, some were even inhabited, but most was left alone, giving home to many mythical, supernatural creatures. Certain areas were even worse: shrouded by something the civilized beings only know as the Corruption, parts of the great forest had turned into a nightmare land. Lethal beings roamed these parts, but thankfully, the Corruption wasn't going anywhere. It was a the environmentalists' recurring question: HOW did it even appeared? No magic could explain it, nor could any weather movement. It was a mystery. Naturally, Fluttershy would have reported the appearance of the Corruption in their part of the forest, but it had been there since she first ventured in there, before the Corruption in general was discovered. She felt it wouldn't help at all - they couldn't sterilize any other corrupted parts, either.

And also, there was... The Thrill.

Now Fluttershy wasn't a mare of huge demands. She had everything she needed: Her friends, her animal friends, her cottage, the ground, and more importantly, the "friendlier" part of the Everfree Forest, close to hoof, and now, she also had her locomotive friend. She also had "The Stare", which she could use to tame animals.

But... The Thrill was different.

The Thrill... Was unique.

A shy and often fearful pony by nature, no-one expected Fluttershy to be adventurous. However, this was beyond adventuring.

Fluttershy had an addiction.

A natural addiction.

Every time she braved that very same path through the corrupted forest, she was in full knowledge of the danger she had put herself out to. Beasts and monsters inhabited the Everfree Forest. Ends and Terrors dwelled in the Hollow Holt.

She wasn't sure when the Holt had appeared, but it had been there for a long time - it was there before her. Every time she went through it, it stored a new horror for her. It felt like as if it was waiting for her. Creeping up to her.

The ponies despised the Corruption. They HATED it. It was one of the few things that evoke such vile and strong negative emotion from them. The griffons hated it as well - their story went back a long time, when they were still in clans rather than a full civilization. Zebras hated it as well - the amount of dark magic it emitted was strong enough to defile an entire sightful of landscape within a day. Thankfully, it wasn't spreading. It also turned the natural habitats of the land feeble: blinded, albino, leukemics, DEAD.

Yet, she couldn't help herself.

The threat she felt, every time she saw the shadows increasing. Like a surge of electricity, it slipped down her spine.

The Thrill.

The rising sense of dread, a potential of instant shock, panic lingering within her body, her mind in disarray. Her general fears gone in favor of a much larger one. It made her muscles tense, increasing her strength. Blood pumped wildly within her, and her senses were madly increased, as if she had taken an overdose. Which she did. All the time.

For Fluttershy was addicted. Not to ground salt. Not to Witch Weed.

She was addicted to adrenalin.

A neurotic malfunction it was, perhaps, but her FFF (Fright/Freeze, Fight or Flight reactionary system) was overwhelmed by the amount of adrenalin that flowed through her, every time she was in danger. But only the Thrill could provide a boost big enough to dull her conscious senses, and make her fully return to her instincts.

She hated going trough the path.

Yet, she wouldn't help it.

She couldn't help it.

What's worse, she wasn't even conscious of it.

They arrived to the forest cutting quite early, most of the machines weren't even on yet, heck, even the workponies weren't present. But there was one thing that was awake, one thing that was already on the move: Brush.

"Good morning, chaps!" he called out to them. The Class 47 was busy arranging some trucks "Glad you could come!"

"So are we!" Derek replied cheerfully "What's the plan?"

Brush eyed them up. And spotted the pony.

"You're Fluttershy, right?" he asked "Well, you may not like this, but there's a deforestation going on."

The mare flinched.

"It's nothing large-scale, though..." the diesel quickly explained "We're making a double-line industrial through here, where the woodland is the thinnest. It'll be going to Gaslight City. It's biggest power plant and gasworks are just beyond the forest. And don't worry, afforestation had simultaneously begun elsewhere." he finished with a smile.

Fluttershy forced on a smile.

"G-Good to hear."

"Ooookaay, I guess?" Brush wasn't convinced "Anyways, we got some time before the shift starts, so, ya might as well make yourself comfortable."

The two diesels quickly started to chat about work and their new life in Equestria. Fluttershy, finding the conversation rather personal, stayed silent, idly watching Angel nibble on a particularly large carrot he somehow brought along, as she thought: Gaslight City. A place fabled for it's uniquity in style, design, and, of course, lighting. Mares like her could never even dream of visiting such a place - despite all it's beauty, Gaslight City was an industrial metropolis - "Authorized Personnel Only". The city could just as easily been built as a massive, ugly energy complex, rather than the architectural dreamland it was today. Hadn't it been for Celestia, the place would be an eyesore, rather than a sight for sore eyes. With all it's technical wonders and beauty, it was the perfect gift for the science-loving Luna. But, as a city that uses coal as it's main power source (the main material used by it's gasworks, producing coke as a commercial product, and town gas for the citizens themselves), it sure had a great demand. Serving it has been a great backsore for years. But the expansion and modernization of the railway system gave space for new solutions.

Such as this industrial branch.

Part of the branch was already finished - they were on it, and now, they were continuing it's constructions. It had to be extended further, across the the stripe of forest, straight to the outskirts of the city, where the plant was.

She tried not to think of the deforestation process that will take place, but her mind kept returning to it - and then shifted onwards, towards the memories of that less friendlier part of the woods.

She was woken by the hooter which marked the start of the shift. Many workponies have already arrived, and so did the forecolt. Standing in a circle, they waited for the orders to he handled out, and soon joined by Fluttershy as well.

"Alrigh', lads!" the forecolt spoke up.

Or snapped, more likely. He had a nasalous, harsh voice, and didn't sounded very kind.

"We got some urgent business to take care of here! We'll have to lay down AT LEAST one mile of track by the end of the day! However, since the wood stripe is twenty miles thick, and we still have sixteen miles ahead of us, we ought to speed this up. The geographic bureau had marked our path: apparently, this part of the woods ahead of us had been attacked by a strange fungus that made the trees rot from the inside, dry out, and collapse, also poisoning the soil. We're going to mow down this stripe, lay the ballast and the tracks." he declared sharply.

"However..."

The slightly dulled workponies now looked up.

"However... There are certain danger points that you all best keep in mind. First of all, if you notice any swarm of insects, ESPECIALLY parasprites and wasps, report it immediately. We can't be delayed by a cursed bug invasion. Second, there are two or three parts of the forest we have to avoid, so, whatever you do, DON'T change our general direction! There are three landmarks that we have to watch out for."

A giant map was levitated up for all the workponies to see, displaying the path of the cutting, and three points along the way, one of which was now highlighted.

"One of them is a ravine. We don't have that sort of money to build a bridge over it, so, we'll have to go around it's edge. Thankfully, our path passes right beside it, so it shouldn't be much of a problem."

Another point was highlighted. This was further away from the path, and also had a trail joining to it.

A trail, that led back to Ponyville.

"The next "obstacle" is actually far from our path. It is the hut of a zebra remedist called Zecora. You might know her."

Most of the workponies nodded in agreement.

"Well, the thing is, since the lines will be less than one and a half mile from it, will have to give her a notice about the rails, you know, legislative stuff, and whatnot. The third one is a bit obscure for me."

The last, third point was highlighted. This was, by far, the closest to the line, and a small warning sign appeared next to it: A white triangle with a red edge, inside of it a twisty trifurcate symbol pointing upwards - the universal symbol of "Mental Hazard". It wasn't very far from Zecora's hut. Fluttershy's eyes went wide.

"Apparently, there's a ruined village VERY close to our route. I don't know if you guys heard about it, but Celestia herself had warned us about it. We MUST avoid that one village at all cost, and make the line as far away from it as possible. Now, we don't have the money to arch very far from it, so the distance we'll put between IT and the rails is million times the distance between the market path and the point displayed on this map."

Whispers filled the crowd. The workponies were anxious. One of them asked out aloud:

"Boss... Wha's up wi' tha' village?"

The forecolt looked over his ponies. He gave a sigh...

"...Does any of you know of... The 'Story of the Blanks'?"

Derek's engine run cold. An unfamiliar, icy feeling filled his engine blocks. Brush was dumbfounded.

He knew of the horror stories revolving around the ponies, but wasn't very good with details.

Fluttershy froze altogether. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel. She couldn't think. Just listen.

The crowd fell silent. They looked at each other in bewilderment.

"According to the Royal Archives..." the forecolt went on "In her weakest years, a the first few decades after the unfortunate... Events with Princess Luna... Or Nightmare Moon..."

The ponies cringed...

"So, in those years, Princess Celestia was still beyond herself. "Grief that they had never seen greater", they wrote. In this less than sober frame of mind, she approved of a program devised by one of her ministers back then. This was before the elections and the multi-party system was established, WAY before it."

It began to dawn to them, what their boss was talking about. He continued, nevertheless...

"The program I'm talking about..." he said slowly "Is something that you may know of as... "The Village Destruction Plan"."

The ponies hissed. Derek and Brush exchanged dismayed glances.

They all knew of the plan, the dark splodge on Princess Celestia's solitary ruleship.

"The Cost of Progress is that of the cost of a few houses." said the motto.

Today, it was know as:

"The Cost of Progress was the cost of homes, culture, and lives."

For the sake of industrialization and urbanization, rural areas were obliterated, and many villages ceased to exist, destroying cultural hotspots, and erasing long years of history. Nearly a thousand years it may have been, but the ponies still remembered it. It was one of Princess Celestia's biggest regrets. She saw the blame and incomprehension in SO many ponies' eyes. That included the eyes of Discord, Queen Chrysalis, Princess Cadence, and most importantly, her own sister, Princess Luna. No one understood, what went through her head when she made her decision. Neither did she.

The first victim of the senseless and needless destruction was an isolated village in the Everfree Forest, simply known as The Great Forest back then.

"It is said that this one place, called Sunnytown, was the first victim of the plan that was yet to be announced when the village was deserted." the forecolt spoke "But, there's a... Rumor going about that the reason that place is a ghost town by now, is not as secular as the political records should suggest. They say there's something supernatural is behind the desertion of that place, and the reason it was emptied is not within the greater scheme of politics."

The forecolt's eyes wandered of, his gaze resting in the air.

"That place may even be the source of the thing we know as... The Corruption..."

The ponies gasped. Fluttershy twitched, and sunk to her flank, her face going pale. Her pupils dilated, her irises spread. Her breath stretched, as if she was constantly sighing, trying to avoid hyperventilation.

"Which brings us to the last point." their chief went on "If any of you see sights that would suggest the Corruption is present - and we all know what those are -, the immediately report it to me. OK, I think that's all. Alright, ponies, let's get this line laid."

And on that cue, Fluttershy snapped out of her trance. With shaking legs, she walked back to her engine. They exchanged a glance - and that was all that was needed. They went on their work, pulling and pushing trucks. The cranes loaded them, and then, they arranged it into a train, which Brush took away to the sawmill. The cranes themselves were inanimate, completely relying on the ponies to control them.

There was, however, one machine that was just as alive as the engines and the trucks.

It was large, weather-worn, turquoise deforestation machine with caterpillar wheels, and two great circular saws in the front. It rumbled loudly, as it mowed down trees and shrubbery. It had square-shaped gray face at the lower front of his cab, cleverly positioned so that both he and his driver could see what's in front of them. He also had a tall exhaust pipe extending from him, which blew thick plumes of white smoke - he wasn't completely warmed up yet, and some dew had gotten into his exhaust, which now rapidly turned into steam.

He slowly moved forward with a content look, clearing up the forest, while a large plow on his lower part also removed the trunks. When they arrived to a bigger tree, he had to reverse, so that the lumberjacks could take care of it personally. He couldn't risk rendering himself out of order.

As Fluttershy stopped Derek for a refill at the mobile tanker, she couldn't help but to stare at the large machine. He was robust and looked dangerous, yet, his movements were soft and gentle.

Brush stopped beside the two, and by then, both of them were gazing at monstrum chopping down the forest stripe.

"They call him Cutlass." he explained "He's a lonesome fellow, but trust me, his heart is not as sharp as his blades. He's very gentle, to be honest. But he rather keeps himself to himself."

"Uhuh..." the mare replied, her eyes still on the machine.

They made good progress, and soon, they passed the ravine - didn't actually saw it, but the map showed it to be close. No one dared to wander off, so they moved fast... When they came in level with Zecora's hut, the forecolt trotted straight to Fluttershy.

"Listen, gal..." he spoke to her, gentler than he usually does "I know you're a friend of Zecora, so, could you please take this paper to her?" he hoofed over a form "We need her to fill this out in order to continue. If she doesn't agrees, we'll have to turn to the right authorities, the sooner, the better. You're a pegasus, so you can fly over this canopy." he went on "You know, if it's not a big thing to ask..."

"Oh, no, it isn't..." Fluttershy replied, lowering her head slightly "But, umm... You see..."

She leaned closer, and whispered to him:

"I'm afraid of flying..."

The stallion was taken aback... But, scratching his stubble, his voice turned serious.

"C'mon, gal, show some guts! Just fly above the foliage level, and keep looking forward, until you can see his hut in the distance. I heard there's a large clearing around it, keep looking for that. Now GO, we don't have time."

The mare only meeped, as the stallion pushed her forward, much to Derek's and Brush's protest.

"Hey! Leave her alone! She didn't sign up for this!"

"That's no way to treat a lady! HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU TWAT!"

The dark brown pony paid no attention to them, he just pushed her near the edge of the forest.

"Look..." he muttered impatiently "You came here to help, so help! Just fly over to her, there's a good gal!" and with that, he turned away. Already, the workponies were assaulting him for his behavior, but he didn't care. He wanted to get the job done and over with.

Shaking slightly, Fluttershy looked at the dense woods ahead of her. With a deep sight, she took off.

The the black maned stallion's advice seemed to work. She flied above the heavy leafage of the forest, and soon saw the clearing. Landing easily on the dusty ground she trotted towards the door of the hut, and once there, knocked.

"Ah, the kind one, Fluttershy, you came to visit, or just passing by?" she was greeted by the herbalist's rhyming words. She smiled, and wasted no time.

"Good day, Zecora, I, ummm... I came for a reason..." she spoke. The zebra was all ears.

"What that reason may be, that brought you directly to me?"

"Well, umm... It's..." She didn't know how to explain, so she simply hooved the paper to her.

"Hmmm? What's this?" she asked, and skimmed through it. Lowering it, she looked quite surprised.

"Noise pollution from lines of the railway?" she asked, before chuckling "Hard to believe, it's so far away!"

"But were closer to you than one and a half mile!" Fluttershy explained frantically "The lines will pass by over there, and it could be very noisy, and..."

Zecora placed her hoof on her mouth, silencing the pony. She had a gentle smile.

"Fluttershy, dear friend, the forest is dense, it's foliage will come to my ears' defense." she smiled, and, dipping a feather into a tar-like liquid, she wrote her name on the marked line. She then turned to the pegasus:

"After all, do you think, that if I had already heard the machines, I wouldn't say a thing? But now that you mentioned this great ordeal, I'd like to see those machines have a forest meal..."

The yellow mare blinked.

"Huh?"

"I've never in my life seen mechanical saws, are they like creatures that put trees in their maws?"

"Oh? NO-nonononooo!" Fluttershy was slowly catching on "There's just one machine, Cutlass, and the workponies use chainsaws and axes. Then me, Derek and Brush take it away."

Now Zecora was trying to catch up.

"Slow down, dear friend, it's hard to understand! So the ponies work in a band?"

"Y-Yes. There are twenty or twenty-five stallions and mares, and one deforestation machine, plus, a few cranes to load the logs onto the trucks."

"So, the rails are already being built with such haste? Hope their efforts won't go to waste!"

"Oh, no, you see, they clear a part of the forest, then lay the ballast, then the sleeper, and THEN, the rails. They can already be used, so we bring trucks, and the cranes load them with logs. We then take them to the sawmill..."

"We? Who is the company? I must see!"

"See?" Fluttershy looked up "You mean... You wanna come to the site?"

"Yes indeed!" Zecora replied with a smile "The whole operation sounds like a chore, but with all this equipment, couldn't there be more?"

"W-What? N-No, they're just cutting a clearing for the railway lines..." the mare muttered "There's going to be an industrial line from Ponyville to Gaslight City, and it has to got through the forest. They simply marked what would be the quickest way, and, now... They're clearing the "obstacles" away... That's all..." she muttered, glancing back at the zebra "But, if you want to come..."

"I certainly wish..." Zecora smiled "My knowledge of the forest may even come handy, plus..." a sultry smile appeared on her face "So many working horses can be quite an eye-candy."

Fluttershy blushed madly upon hearing this...

"O-Oh... My..." she uttered. She didn't even thought of the whole thing from this direction.

"Shall we go then? Please, show the way!" the herbalist continued, walking up to the edge of the clearing "I wish to see them!"

She turned away from Fluttershy, before uttering with the same sly smile, now accompanied with a blush...

"And, perhaps, have a roll in the hay..."

They arrived quite quickly. Zecora was eager to see how the deforestation process went by, and Fluttershy needed to get back to work, anyway...

When they reappeared, the workponies first greeted them, but when they saw Zecora, they fell silent. The zebra didn't seemed to mind, though, she was busy examining the equipment. Hard to believe, but she had never even seen a chainsaw before. Back in her homeland, the lumberjacks were ill-equipped, due to financial reasons, and cuttings weren't made in such large scales, anyway. Well, that was what it was like when she was still a filly. She then began to ask the workponies on break about the equipment. They were a bit awkward at first, but soon, they caught the enthusiasm of the zebra, and began to show her the equipment. But some where surprised.

"Excuse me..." a mare asked "But are you really okay with this? I mean, we're trimming the forest. Your forest!"

The zebra smiled.

"That may be, but I'm not an angry mob, and besides, it is just another job!" she smiled "The forest isn't mine at all, anyway, and I don't mind a bit of... Trimming, if it's for the railway..."

She fully understood why they needed to clear the way, and agreed with it, too...

When she was young, she was often dismayed how the workponies, often aided by her tribe, chopped down the trees to make way for the rails... But when the rails were actually finished, and the trains brought water, medicine, and farming equipment, she finally understood why the trees needed to go. And, even back then, they planted trees elsewhere, to make up for the loss.

But, back then, the trains were pulled by smoke-spewing steam engines, that clanked loudly, and moved about with a huff...
She was surprised to see the two diesel engines, not to mention living ones.

"Pleasant to meet you, miss Zecora!" Derek greeted her with his usual lisp "My name is Derek, and this is my good friend, Brush."

The Class 47, with a mustache made out of his own empty headcode-panel, greeted the Zebra kindly.

"Charmed to meet you, miss Zecora!" he spoke "Glad you came to see our work. I'm 47666, but my friends just call me "Brush"."

The herbalist herself was charmed by the engine.

"I'm glad myself that I've came to see, these machines and methods are new to me..." she said, taking an intimidated glance at Cutlass, as he cleared yet another yard "But you engines are beyond my imagination, could you tell how you diesels came to creation?"

Brush smiled widely.

"It all started 154 years ago, with the birth of a man named Rudolf Diesel..."

While the engine explained the origin of his kind, and the development of the heavy-duty engine that WAS his origin, Fluttershy found herself verbally assaulted by the forecolt.

"WHY did you brought... Her here?" he asked furiously "This is an authorized area, and she's holding up work!"

"I didn't meant to..." Fluttershy explained "She just wished to come along. She means no harm, and she isn't holding up work, I swear!"

"Still..." the forecolt hissed "I don't need any... Zebras disturbing my work... OR mares..." he added, glaring at the pegasus.

There was a spark, and something flared in Fluttershy's eyes.

"Now HOLD ON JUST A MINUTE!" she snapped, quite loudly, catching the stallion by surprise, and also catching the attention of the many workponies around them.

"How DARE YOU...!" she hissed "How DARE YOU...!" she seemed so angry, she couldn't even find the words...

Slowly, she calmed down a bit, heaving heavily, but her eyes still seethed with fury. But instead of yelling, she merely declared what she had to say, and quite coldly.

"This operation is run, and funded, by Equestrian Rail and it's associates. Both the cranes, and Cutlass carry the company's emblem, which means they belong to US." she uttered. This was true, Equestrian Rail had recently developed a symbol for marking it's property, a slightly changed version of the original British Rail double arrows symbol.

"You, and your workponies ALSO seem to be carrying said symbol." she went on, her voice gaining a malicious tone "Which means, you're all under the jurisdiction of the railway, which is owned and directed by the princesses themselves, and controlled by their regal advisor. All of whom I know, and can proudly name as one of my closest friends. You are merely an employee, hired to lead the deforestation along the marked lines. But you have no word in what the RAILWAY does. You're no boss of me."

A guileful smirk crept onto the mares face, disturbing the already dismayed stallion.

"You can't order me to throw my guest out of an area authorized by the railway. My mere presence allows her to be here. And anyways, "authorized area"? Tch. We're in the middle of a bucking forest. EVERFREE Forest. Someone who actually LIVES in it may easily be our greatest aid... After all, we still have Sunnytown to face." she added.

And with that, she turned around, slapping the stallion with the end of her tail, also snapping from the pandemonium he had to suffer through when encountering The Stare. He was heaving heavily, and closed his eyes with tire, when he heard Fluttershy talk once more.

"And, as for your racial prejudices... You best consult with my friend Zecora..."

And with that, she trotted off, leaving a dumbfounded forecolt among many, now malevolent looking colleges. But they all returned to work, without saying a word. The dark brown stallion just sat down, taking off his white safety helmet, letting his black mane fall free. He looked at the now ignorantly working ponies, and felt completely out of place. Rejected. Outcast.

He heard hoofs grind on the freshly laid ballast behind him. Slowly, he looked up.

Zecora had came to him.

At first, he was worried about what the zebra may say, but the sincere look in her eyes dismissed all paranoia. Well, almost.

"My dear stallion, what is the matter? The ponies are either cross or dismal, you seem the latter..."

The stallion sighed...

"Well... You see... I have this... Problem..." he spoke with honesty, though found it hard to put his thoughts into words.

"And what shall that be? I'm sure we can find a remedy." the zebra was optimistic. She had either not heard Fluttershy's last sentences, or chose to ignored them.

"Nno, it's nothing biology-related..." The stallion admitted, looking away bashfully. Zecora took a moment to eye him up. He was bigger than the others, roughly as big as Big Macintosh, with a dark brown fur, black mane and tail, and a circular-saw blade cutting a line as his cutie mark. His attire consisted of the now removed white helmet and a light-reflecting neon blue vest, both of which indeed carried the Equestrian Rail symbol.

She then glanced at Cutlass, the large, but gentle deforestation machine, the introvert sort whom the workponies praised to no end, then looked back at the stallion, looking ashamed like a colt caught shouting profanities.

It didn't took her long to see a connection.

"Then tell me what ails you, dear stallion. You look like a sail-less galleon..."

"Well... It's just that..." he found it harder and harder to explain "I had never spoken with a zebra before... And..."

He felt a hoof on his mouth. Looking up, he stared straight into Zecora's turquoise eyes. She had a sympathetic look on her eyes.

"Say no more, my dear friend. Your bother shall come to an end. I've met many ponies that prejudice tamed, but you're the first who actually feels ashamed. You said you never talked with one from the zebra tribe, perhaps I can help you to improve your vibe."

He looked at her with awe. She offered her help, and what's more, her friendship to him. This can't all be for granted.

"I... Thank you, Zecora." he finally smiled. His workponies, three certain machines, and a certain pegasus acknowledged this with a content smile as well.

The work went on, and soon, they were approaching the critical point - the area marked to be under Sunnytown's influence. The distance between the line and the zone was incredibly small, and it put the workponies on edge. Cutlass, who knew next to nothing about the cursed place, continued without fuss. Brush and Derek kept their cool, and to their surprise, so did Zecora.

"Aren't you scared?" Fluttershy asked her, but the zebra was busy muttering something to herself. When she noticed that the mare asked something, she stopped, and looked up:

"Did you said something?" she asked, the rhymes now missing from her speech.

"Y-Yes..." the pegasus shuddered "A-Aren't you scared?"

Zecora had a serious look on her face.

"Dear Fluttershy, indeed, there's no fear in me, as things often turn out to be different than what we first see..." she said, making a quick glance at the forecolt.

Halfway through the job, Brush' driver had suddenly and mysteriously taken ill, and had to be carried back. Zecora offered help in lessening his illness, but it was no good, he was far too sick to work, and his condition was growing worse at an alarming rate. So instead, to everyone's surprise, the forecolt asked if SHE wanted to be Brush' driver.

The remedist was reluctant at first, but after a worthy crash course about the controls, she decided to join in, while the forecolt replaced Cutlass' operator - the only other pegasus beside Fluttershy - who took the driver back by flight, as both engines were needed at the moment.

Derek wasn't feeling well, either. His engine had been working great for a surprisingly long time, and this now seemed to be catching up to him.

He coughed and wheezed, and his engine clanked louder and louder with each turn. Eventually, Fluttershy turned him off to cool down, AND to prevent another breakdown bonfire. She may be safe in the cab if such occurs, but then again, no one is safe around Derek when he breaks down. The Class 17 could only mutter his thanks to the pony, as they rested.

Brush and Zecora, on the other hand, were kept busy, now dealing with an increased workload as well, carrying the supplies Derek was supposed to deliver to the building sight. With only tracks available, moving around became tricky, but thankfully, for such reasons, switches were placed between the two lines, so Brush was able to push the empty equipment trucks back, and, when returning, pull the ones loaded with logs and wood away as well. The work went on right in front of Derek's eyes, who felt really useless, and really pathetic indeed. But he had gotten used to that. As they waited for his engines to cool off, they both dozed off, while the building continued. When they woke up, it was late in the afternoon, and the line was already built as far as they could see. Brush came rolling down on the other line, pulling a line of trucks full of broken branches.

"Ah! You're awake!" he smiled, passing by "Then help us out, would ya'?"

Fluttershy cautiously restarted Derek, his motors roaring into life with a neighing wheeze and plumes of thick black smoke, which quickly dispersed. All the noise woke up the still snoozing Angle bunny, who grumpily took a look around. He suddenly spotted something, and, patting Fluttershy's leg, he showed it to the mare.

Derek also noticed it.

"Hello?" he muttered "That's weird."

On the other line, there was a switch with a line leading into a woods. It could be mistaken for dead tracks used to safely derail runaways, but Derek could clearly see them running deep into the woods.

"I wonder where those lead to..." he pondered. So did Fluttershy.

They had completely forgotten where they were, and, after a run around to get onto the other line, they rolled down the siding leading into the darkness, away from the main line.

For some time, they traveled down the shady tracks, plunging deeper into the forest. Derek had no headlights, thanks to his face taking up his front, so all the light they had came from the cab's lamp, which's bulb was flickering badly, clearly near it's expiration.

As they rumbled onward, Angel grew anxious, and after a point, hid under Fluttershy's mane. The mare didn't noticed anything. She seemed to be in some sort of trance, eyes transfixed on the line ahead of them...

Soon, he saw large shapes emerging from the shadows.

"Buildings!" she exclaimed.

The next second, there was a loud bump, and she felt Derek's front drop. She immediately turned the brakes on, but it was no use. With a second bump, Derek's other bogie rolled of the rails as well. At last, Derek himself stopped. The next second, with one last flicker, the bulb went out, shrouding the mare and the rabbit in darkness. Angel was cowering, and hid under the control panel. Fluttershy decided to step out of Derek's cab, and examine what had happened.

It didn't took long to discover to full depth of their situation: Derek had quite literally rolled of the rails, and was now stranded in the soft ground.

The mare looked around, and trotted forward, examining the old buildings. Oddly enough, she felt The Thrill, but she didn't saw any reason to feel like that. All she was half demolished buildings and junk lying about.

But as she walked deeper into what appeared to be a ruined village, memories began to reemerge.

A town.

Ponies.

Blank flanks.

Blanks.

Blanks!

Her train of thoughts was derailed, when she noticed the ground moving in front of her. As it rose up, crumbling, it revealed what appeared to be a hoof...

...In an advanced state of decomposition.

Hyperventilating, Fluttershy began to reverse, as the long-dead creature crawled out of the ground, onto his hooves, and stared at her with dead, empty eyes...

"WhELl, KId..." it spoke, which sounded like smoke rising from a stake, but rather nonchalant at the same time "...wHAt CaN I sAy, yOU toOK yOuR TImE..."

It quickly jumped into role when others began to rise from the ground as well:

...The maaaaark...

...SSShe hasssss the maaaaarrrrk...

...Sssseize heeeerrr...

Fluttershy could bare no more. As the creatures began to surround her, she let out a cry...

That was probably heard from all the way to Canterlot.

Bursting through the horde like a battling ram, she ran towards Derek's direction, before she skidded to a halt.

"No! I can't run to back to him! He's helpless!"

She glanced around... The cursed villagers had her covered.

Nowhere to run!

Nowhere to hide!

A cold flame flared in her eyes, as they focused without an aim, as they took up The Stare. Raising her forelegs, she rose to her hind ones, staring the closest monster in the eye - or what was left of it. It seemed to stun it. It stopped, not grunting or groaning. However, the mare could feel a sickly feeling seeping from it.

Fear.

And she liked it.

She brought her hooves down on the undead creature's head with a force so great, it smashed it's crumbling skull straight into the ground. She didn't stopped there. Taking a quick glance back, her eyes still glowing with a cold light, she glared at the being behind her, before giving an almighty buck.

At least five of them crumbled into nothing, as she continued her rampage. They kept coming, although, now only by the pull of their dark instinct - they themselves reluctant about getting closer than a yard to the pony on berserk.

Rotting legs, broken-off jaws, cracked skulls, busted rib cages flew into the air, along with pieces of rotting meat.

After what felt like hours of battling, the onslaught finally stopped. She stood there, legs and tensed oped, heaving heavily, her glare scrolling the sea of body parts laid out around her. Slowly, she felt a smirk creep onto her face, but she restrained herself. Taking a deep breath, she trotted away from the dead bodies. But as she did, she heard a rustle from behind.

She spun around, then froze.

The corpses rebuilt themselves, and rose from the ground. New cracks were appearing all around here.

She tensed her muscles, even her wings, for the next battle, then looked around.

Ponies.

Dead ponies.

They were coming from everywhere, rising from their long-forgotten graves, pouring out from the dark forest, hissing and growling.

She didn't even know where to turn her head, and all her fears came crushing her down, as she noticed she couldn't even tell where she came from...

Exhausted by the fear and hopelessness, she collapsed to the ground, and waited for the first bite.

But it never came!

She opened her eyes, when a weird zooming sound echoed through the stiffened air, and a large portion of the dead beings was swept aside by a large limb. Two beams of light cut through the darkness, evaporating the blanks, but leaving her unharmed. She recognized them as artificial light. They came from a large, long body that was in the middle of the town, a single, two-sectioned limb extending from his top, now busily flinging the dark beings away, even picking up a few, and crushing it with it's jaw-like end. The mare could have sworn she heard mad, sadistic cackling.

Whatever was that thing, it was intelligent. And enjoying itself.

Shivering, the pegasus ran back towards Derek, illuminated by the light beams, the Thrill pounding within her again. The next second, she heard a horn - and it wasn't Derek's thunderous one!

It was Cutlass! The large machine crashed through the dense row of trees guarding the isolated village with the swiftness of a ballerina. Whooshing pass Fluttershy, he proceeded to mow down the zombies like a pro. The mare wanted to warn him about the other entity, but the long shape had disappeared.

Workponies rushed over to her aid, while Brush was already beginning to pull Derek back on the rails. Cutlass also had his lights on, and with the combined powers of his blades, and the trigger-happy (or more like saw-happy) workponies, the village was soon cleared of it's inhabitants... Along with most of the houses.

Despite his best efforts, Cutlass was still a large machine, and tended to knock things over when moving to hastily. And he was quite hasty right then.

Finally, the area was clear, and Derek was back on the rails again. While most of the workponies where out there, swinging their axes and chainsaw akin to Jack Torrance and Leatherface, a few, more sober and sensible ones were checking Derek and Fluttershy for any damage or injury.

Zecora climbed out the big diesel's cab, and trotted over to the last house. It was more like a hut, and it was, by far, in the best condition, compared to the others... Especially now.

"Hey! Don't go there! It's dangerous!" a mare called out to her, but she didn't seemed to hear. She just kept trotting towards the last house, chanting something, almost inaudibly.

The workponies watched, as the zebra began to utter something on her native language, closing her eyes, as she stopped in front of the half-collapsed porch...

Her words, though incoherent, echoed through their ears, repeating over and over again. It felt like an anthem, that touched their very souls, unveiled their deepest thoughts and beliefs, and rid them from all their worries and bothers. It was the Anthem of Souls.

Fluttershy was the only one who actually saw it.

A ghostly apparition, solidifying in front of the zebra, while the wind picked up. It looked like a pony, dressed in white, or more likely, made of white, as it hovered above the ground, a sorrow look on it's face.

Zecora finally stopped, and opened her eyes.

The ghost looked at her longingly.

"It's alright." she said, her voice becoming softer than it usually was "You're free to go now, Ruby."

The spirit smiled, and the next second, it spiraled into the air, it's form dispersing completely, as a final gush swept across the land, bringing the moaning of trees and the moisture stuck between them, a large, collective sigh of relief of the Everfree Forest.

The phenomenon was followed by a long silence. Nopony dared to speak, not wanting to break the solemnity of the moment.

"Waow. That was some serious spiritual gizmo right there!"

Indeed, nopony.

Cutlass smiled down at Fluttershy.

"You were brave, little pony." he spoke kindly "But you seemed like you need help, so I did!"

"And just in time, by the looks of things!" the forecolt added, leaning out from the machine's cab "You alright there?"

"I think so..." Fluttershy muttered "Did... Cutlass, did you see anything in the center of the village before you started your attack?"

The machine pondered.

"No..." it spoke finally "Beside the zomb-ponies, no-one."

"OK..." the mare exhaled, and fell onto the ground, unconscious.

The ponies fell silent again.

"Don't worry, everyone!" Derek declared "Just put her in my cab, and..."

The next second, with a loud BANG!, his engines burst into smoke, engulfing his body, and smothering the entire area with the thick, gray smog that made everyone cough. As his engines spluttered to a halt, he quietly muttered something in his embarrassment:

"...Or not..."