THE DICKTATOR

The mares waited patiently for their friends to arrive - being a spokespony of your beliefs and ideas was a hard job.

The diesels... Not quite.

"Where the Hell is she?" BoZo grunted. They had been waiting for two hours.

"Relax, B.Z.! It's a tough meeting, and it's especially hard when the opposition's main member is your best friend!" Spike replied.

"Yeah, it's ending just about... Now!" Twilight added.

"Well, that's good to hear..." the hybrid engine replied, before narrowing his eyes "Did you just called me "B.Z."?"

Spike looked nervous. Out of all of them, BoZo meant the most potentially harmful to him, structure-wise.

"W-Weeell, I thought... Since 'bozo' means 'stupid'... That I should call you something else..."

"Oh. Never said I didn't liked it." the mish-mash replied.

As the dragon gave a sigh of relief, Diesel rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't mind wasting time for trivialities, if it wouldn't be on our only free weekend!"

"Don't be so selfish, Diesel!" replied Rarity "Princess Celestia and Luna gave us free time by the goodness of their heart."

"And you suppose Alexei did because of that, too?!" the shunter snapped back "He's the bloody controller of this railway, and he knew we freakin' deserved it!"

"Now, come on, Di'! Relax a bit!" Pinkie chirped "After all, engines ARE built for work!"

"Yeah, well so are horses!" the Class 08 snapped back "Can't believe I'm having an argument with..." he muttered to himself, then stopped, narrowing his eyes "Did you just called me "Di'"?"

"Yes." the mare replied innocently.

"Who allowed you to do so?" came the bitter question.

Pinkie gulped.

"W-Well..."

"DON'T call me Di', don't give me your stupid nicknames! My name is Diesel, and shall call me like that!"

"Okay..." she replied.

"Now wait a second just right there!" Rarity snapped "Who are YOU to tell US what we shall refer to you as?"

"Rarity..." Twilight began, but the white unicorn shushed her.

"Please, darling, leave this to me." she said, then turned to the shunter "Look, Diesel. We've accepted you lot into our world, so that you can escape ill treatment and certain death on the other side. THE VERY LEAST you can do is let US decide what WE can say..."

"Rarity..." Twilight tried again, but her friend just ignored her.

"And ANYWAYS, we're the ones that employ you! You are, but machines in a world of magic! Thus, WE expect a bit of respect, IF you don't mind!"

The diesel exchanged looks - hurt, dismayed and angry.

The mares were horrified.

"RARITY!" Twilight snapped. The white unicorn was surprised.

"What is it, darling?"

"What you said was wrong on so many levels!" the lavender mare replied. Her friend was baffled.

"How so?" she asked, truly confused.

Twilight was about to reply, but her engine was quicker.

"Don't waste your breath, Sparkle, I'll handle this..." he said, before turning his gaze to the unicorn.

Rarity looked back at him with confusion written all over her face.

"Alright then, horse..." the engine uttered "Take a look around us."

Rarity proceeded, momentarily enjoying the granite Equestrian landscape that she overlooked so many times, after getting used to it. It looked achingly beautiful!

"Yes?" she asked, in a dreamy state.

"Do you notice anything... Different? Anything that wasn't there before?"

Rarity's eyes scanned the landscape, thinking of anything that was new in the scenery... But it all seemed the same...

Except...

It was somehow brighter... The summer tide was over, and as it getting nearer and nearer to autumn, the countryside seemed to grow... Darker... With more clouds passing over the skies, and the weather growing colder after hot summer days, everything seemed to loose it's color. Flowers still bloomed, and fruit was still being harvested - Applejack was working her flanks off, once again, but this time, even more furiously, so that she could raise the money to fix Spamcan - even though both the Princesses, her friends, AND her family told her that the railway would cover the expenses.

Still, she was a stubborn mare.

And she wasn't working SO hard that they would have to tie her down for her own good.

Yet.

As Rarity mused over this, she suddenly realized what made the scenery so bright - the rails!

The ground, smooth surface of the long-stretching 'I'-shaped steel bars, polished by the many trains thundering on them day after day, leaving their surface as shiny as a mirror - it reflected the sunlight, making the area light up, as they glistened, like resting ribbons of light laid across the land.

The mare was even more awestruck.

She usually saw the rails up close, and was able to see their sides, browned by rust, with the ballast in between them covered in oil - nothing desirable about them.

But from a distance, they enhanced the landscape's natural beauty - much like a forest fire: it was meant to be admired from afar, not from up close.

"Beauty is only an additional feature only a selected few can notice..." Diesel uttered "It's primary feature is it's usefulness."

He went on, as the mare kept gazing at the sight, but paying close attention to his words.

"Ever since we have arrived, the Equestrian economy began to bloom. With the railway being restructured and expanded, we could reach almost everywhere, delivering goods and passengers. Equestria was already living in an adequate prosperity, with a blossoming market economy and a very well developing stock exchange. Capitalism kept in velvet bounds, and social expenditures worth their price - all thanks to the clever economic skills of Princess Luna, and the social policies of Princess Celestia. However..."

Rarity looked up, wondering why he paused.

"...All of the Princesses' efforts couldn't handle the pauperism of the poorest regions, and the erratic transportation and transfer between the provinces. Most of the taxes, tariffs and tolls were still based on the old, feudal system's arrangements - either too high, or laughably low. And that was the point: other countries, even many of the more advanced, individual provinces and autonomous regions laughed at Canterlot."

Diesel paused, impressively.

"Equestrian money was worth NOTHING outside the country, and many governmental offices were underdeveloped, led by hard-line conservatives and local patriots - the only ones goofy enough to take these positions. All may seemed well for those living near Canterlot, but the rest of Equestria was slowly pulling apart. Members of the Equine Federation were finding it more and more tacky and unbecoming to be led by Canterlot, Goddess-Princesses or not.

The Europonian Union was slowly overtaking the Equestrian Federal Monarchy in the field of economics.

Even countries like Eagleland, the Griffin Republic, with it's often unpredictable, not to mention unreliable politicians, was way ahead - heck, even the autonomous Norther Region, Stalliongrad Oblast, with it's impossible mixture of market and planned economy, socialist set-up and councilism, was beating the Monarchy with ease!"

The mares were shocked. They had no idea about Equestria's economy, but if what Diesel said was true...

"You sure done your homework..." Spike muttered.

"I asked the Princesses and Alexei myself." the engine replied "What Equestria needed was something, preferably arranged by Canterlot, to pull this country back together! Something which enmeshed the separatist regions and renewed inter-provincial trade and transport.

The most obvious answer was the railway, but that was in NO SHAPE OR FORM to handle such a thing! And that's were WE - and the Flat Controller - entered the picture!"

He paused again, smirking inwardly as he saw the curious glances of the mares - all eyes were on him.

"Even though we were severely outdated in our own world, compared to not only Equestrian, but Worldly standards, we are the cutting edge in this realm! Thank's to Alexei's powers, the railway quickly expanded in the most widespread, yet, economic way possible - it even sprouted some new industries around the country, while it improved literally every profession and industry it came in contact with!"

He began to raise his voice with pride.

"The railway went through a revolution, and gained millions of trained members in the shape of experienced locomotives and rolling stock. With it's expenses almost completely covered by Alexei, and INFINITE amounts of oil at it's service, the rail industry brought forward a rapid economic growth unseen and unheard of, ever since the fall of the old system in Stalliongrad! In a few months time, Equestria was back in it's prime, the Equestrian Bit currency getting ahead of the Europonian Cent and the Stalliongradian Rubin, and even beating the Gearmane Mark, the Eaglish Pound!"

He noticed that he was practically shouting, and cut back.

"Thankfully, the Equestrian public didn't catch the consumerist craze, like the griffons did when Eagleland before the Great Inflation - the ponies were more sensible sorts, and the extra money ended up in bank accounts, as savings. Still, the economy boomed, but this explosion was kept in control, much like the explosions within our internal combustion engines."

Diesel smirked - he clearly enjoyed this metaphor.

"At the moment, Equestria has literally NO paupers, and less than 1% lives on minimal wage. Big corporations were harnessed and broken in by the state, corrupt companies had their leaders arrested and were subsequently nationalized or had new leaders selected - trusted, intelligent ex-members of the Equestrian financial cabinet."

Seeing the amazed gazes of the others, his smirk grew wider.

"Equestria is on it's way to regain it's former glory, and all councils bow to Canterlot. The companies are obligated to keep Fair Trade connections with Third and Second World countries, which offers possibilities to them as well, and the Princesses finally instituted something they hadn't dared in the past thousand years: property and luxury tax! Back in the days, aristocracy and the capitalist would've organized a putsch because of the mere thought, or would've ruined the country for their own gain - now, they didn't DARED to oppose - in fact, some of them even supported it."

His pride - and with it, his voice - rose again.

"As for the moment, the Equestrian Treasury could quite easily shove EVERY SINGLE company's, bank's, province's and region's pelf up it's arse - apart from that of Stalliongrad's, of course."

He cut back again, almost whispering this time.

"Your once troubled country became the most secure, stable stronghold in the field of economics and a social paradise for all the subjects, thanks to Alexei's 'divine intervention', the Princesses' political skills, and, last but not least, OUR assistance."

"That's... Simply... MARVELOUS!" Rarity exclaimed, as the massive information sunk in "But I still don't see your point... All of this wouldn't have happened, if the Princesses wouldn't have accepted you as members of Equestria..."

"Perhaps..." Old Stuck-Up muttered "But tell me something, Rarity... How stable do you think this system is?"

"Quite..." the mare replied "I mean, after what you've said..."

"What would it take to topple it?" Bowler asked, interrupting her. The mares exchanged nervous glances.

"What do you mean?" Spike asked. He didn't understood half of what the shunter had said, but it sounded good.

And "toppling it" sounded bad...

"Spike, even you could tell this..." BoZo replied "What does the new economy rely on?"

"The railway?"

"Good. And WHO work on the railway?"

"The... Ponies?"

"Yes, but who else?"

"Griffons?"

"Aside from organic beings!"

"Oh..." Spike's eyes widened "Ooooh.."

He gulped.

"Engines?"

"Yeeesss..." Diesel smirked wickedly.

"Wait, what are you implying?" Rarity asked.

"Well, wha' else?" 'Arry asked "Bu' a cou'e' r'volu'ion?"

"C-Counter revolution?"

"Yeeessss..." the shunter grinned, and the others followed suit.

"Wuh-Whatever do you mean?" the mare stuttered.

The engines exchanged knowing looks, momentarily ending the conversation. Silence fell among the group, as the locomotives "conversed" through their eyes, facial features barely changing. Finally, Diesel spoke up again:

"Like I said, both the Princesses and the Flat Controller worked hard to wrestle Equestria back onto the top of the economic food chain. However, for that, they needed something to serve as the mainframe of the new Equestrian economy. Roads were out of question, as you didn't have the right infrastructure, nor the vehicles, skies were too crowded and since mostly pegasi and griffins used it, while other beings preferred the ground, and freight transportation was easier on land, thus, an aerial system would been completely uneconomic and unnecessary. There aren't many waterways in the country, let alone wide and deep enough to support heavy-duty transportation."

He smirked again.

"Thus, all that was left was a crumbling railway, out of date and financially crippled by long decades of neglect."

The mares exchanged concerned looks.

"Alexei could rebuild the rails and stations, and also create new lines and extension in a flash. The Princesses could organize the funds and the workers to the new locations, and launched the student employment program that you're a part of - a little extra funding for the young mares and colts for their studies, while the railway get's it's basic employees right at the start, until it gets popular for a wider range of workers looking for a solid job."

The other diesels began to smirk as well.

"But there was one thing missing from the picture. Well, a LOT of things, actually. Essential things that are a necessity to keep to railway running. US."

There was a certain force behind that last word... A force that made the mares and the dragon shudder inwardly, and experience a sickly, murky feeling deep down... A mixture of envy, sadness and anger - a feeling that they had rarely experienced before.

It felt... Wrong, yet, it felt just as well. Like a unique voice of reason calling from the inside

Twilight, however, was quick to recognize it.

It was the same feeling she felt when Discord momentarily won, and she was left alone.

The same feeling that rushed through her veins and nerves when she was blowing up diamond walls in the abandoned mines under Canterlot, trying to hit the fake Cadence in the face.

The very same feeling she felt, for the shortest moment, when she realized her brother hadn't told her anything...
A feeling she had barely tasted, let alone lived with - barely a few things could incite it...

But from what he knew, the diesels, at least, in their own world, had to live with this feeling all the time...

"They really are..." she thought to herself...

"The Elements of Hatred..."

"What?"

Twilight jolted, and looked around. The others looked at her with puzzled looks. Diesel quickly got over it, and continued.

"The railway can only operate if it has customers. But if there's nothing to do the service - deliver passengers and goods - then there's no point in having a railway at all. WE, engines, steam, diesel and electric, run the trains. On time, with high-quality delivery. Coaches and trucks, for the most time, bend to our will. Drivers, firemans, conductors, train masters, guards are only there for security reasons - to keep us under control, and help us, if needed. Which IS rare. In reality, we would only need fitters, porters, oilers and shunters and ticket inspectors..."

His smirk faded.

"As machines, we don't have the same freedom as living, organic beings, and with us bound to the rails with so little manipulators to interact with our environment... We don't have a choice." he finished, solemnly.

The others seemed upset as well.

But then, a dark grin spread on the jet black shunter's face.

"Yet, the free will we have is enough..."

"Enough... For what?" Spike asked.

"For a counter revolution..." the engine muttered.

The ponies and the dragon stared, confusion written all over their faces.

"You see..." Bowler explained "The biggest enemy of every despotic, dictatorial system is intelligence. Intellectuality. Because THAT is what inspires those who aren't smart enough, or refuse to think for themselves, to rebel. To rage against the machine of the state. Yet, in the case of Equestria, one must also count the magical powers of the Powers That Be."

The mares gave a sigh of relief.

"However..." he added, with a smirk "In OUR case, magic is not an issue..."

The ponies (especially the two unicorns) jerked their heads up in shock, staring at the now contently smirking row of diesels, the lone steam engine, and the steam-diesel hybrid with wide eyes.

"For you see, my little ponies..." the Class 08 added in slick, oily voice "Test, provided by Princesses and our Controller, had proven that engines, trucks, coaches, and all other equipment from our world is unaffected by unicorn, alicorn, and possibly even discordian magic. You can still use brute force, but the repairs would cost more money than what's economic, AND, even if you disassemble us and put us back together, we are still the same. And since we're all unique, even as members of our class, mixing our parts would leave you with thousands and thousands of dysfunctional locomotive frankensteins..."

"And what could you do?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Ever heard of the term "Wildcat strike"?"

"I did!" Twilight chirped.

"No surprise THERE." Stuck-Up growled.

"It's basically a sudden, unannounced strike organized by the workers themselves, unauthorized by a trade or labor union."

"Exactly." the express engine purred "And since us engines don't have any... Trade unions, every strike we made is a wildcat one."

"An' a blo'ade!" Bert added "Wi'h a few ro' o' eng'nes par'e' on th' loine, dere's no way any trai' cou' pass!"

"So that's your little scheme!" Rarity hissed "You honestly think you can bring US to our knees with that?"

"Yes." the engines announced in a chorus, with the utmost complacence.

Again, this struck a nerve at them. The same feeling, flashing up again.

"With us on strike, the system your Princesses and Alexei had built up would loose it's grace, it's reputation, and would eventually crumble, falling into a recession this world had never seen before. Ponies would be plunged into poverty, unemployment and homelessness, with big, selfish corps taking on them and stripping them from their rights, as they can racketeer them with the promise of money. With the public untested and miserable and the economy stagnating, extremists rise, challenging the the Princesses in their rule. Eventually, Equesria will descend into a state of chaos and havoc..."

And again, that flash, burning through them...

"But why?" Twilight asked, sounding a bit more angry than she intended to be "Why would you ruin a system fit for both your and our needs, and with it, a society, the lives of thousands or even millions? Are you not satisfied with our services? Shall we crawl to you on our knees, constantly sucking up to you? You're well maintained, well fueled and respected by ponies all around Equestria! What else do you want?!"

The others were surprised by Twilight's outburst - they had never heard their friend talk in such a tone.

The engines were surprised as well.

Diesel didn't even flinch.

"Of course, not." he simply announced "The point is, we have power over you, and in certain ways, you have power over us as well. We don't ask for much, as you give us what we need for the both of our sake, and so do we. All we want is the one thing we didn't had in our own world - respect. Not for WHAT we are, because, in all honesty, we are, but machines, like you've said. We want to be respected as persons. Not for what we did, because that's what we are built for, and not because of how we act, because that's plain rubbish. We want to be given respect in the way you respect one another for who and what he or she is."

He gave another, solemn pause.

"You didn't create us, and like us, you were created, so I think we are of equal value. Treat us as such."

With that, he finished, and fell into silence. His comrades gazed at him with true respect - something which they had never done before.

The mares and the dragon, however, kept thinking.

Rarity spoke up:

"But what's wrong with us giving you nicknames? It's only a form of affection..."

"In the way YOU put it, it wasn't." Old Stuck-Up reminded her "You said that we shall accept your whim because we're allowed into your world. Now you know why we were NEEDED, do you still your reason is valid?"

"No, of course not, but..."

"That's the point!" Stuck-Up went on "It may be a form of affection, but if we clearly don't want it, then it looses it's original purpose, whatever your intentions were with it."

"Ah... I see it now." Rarity smiled, then turned to the Class 08 "I'm sorry I was rude to you, Diesel. I didn't thought it trough!"

"It's alright." the shunter uttered "People have a tendency to make that mistake. But that's just the start..."

"Whatever do you mean?" the white unicorn asked.

Diesel took a deep breath to answer, but then, an ever-deep, fine-tuned horn echoed through the air.

"Ah, that's CoBo." the engine said, instead of answering "FINALLY!"

Soon enough, the Class 28 showed up in the distance, rumbling towards them, with three shadows staring out from behind his windshields.

Soon enough, he arrived, and parked next to them, his three passengers stepping out from his cab.

"Well, THAT was a waste of time!" Rainbow exclaimed, right as she jumped out from the door frame, followed by Fluttershy, who gently stepped down (even thought it WAS a jump down from there), and finally, Gilda, who closed the door as well.

"That bad, ey?" Spike asked.

"WORSE, actually..." Gilda replied "Dash and Fluttershy tried to have decent argument, but two sides just kept bickering and throwing in pointless insults. The only plus side is that NOW it least I have something to associate my home country's cabinet meetings with, when I want to insult politicians."

"Yes, well..." Fluttershy muttered "I think it was better than last time. No fights broke out this case..."

"That made it all the more boring!" Rainbow snapped "It's one thing that we're not making any progress - I sort of gotten used to that, being the babysitter of THAT bunch - but when all they do is squabble and there's no chairs being thrown from either side, THAT'S were I draw the line."

Gilda grew excited.

"Dude, they were throwing chairs last time? Why didn't you tell me?"

"- Why are you interested in that?" Twilight asked.

"Look, you ponies have quite a few good things, and quite a lot lame ones. But there's ONE that you definitely buck major ass in, and that's flash fight!"

"Flash... Fight?" Fluttershy muttered.

"Yeah, when a fight suddenly and unexpectedly breaks out between two ponies! The more, the merrier!"

"I hope you're not planing to free Discord, then..." Twilight sighed.

"Nah. The old fart's totally lame. And he holds a GREAT misconception of what Chaos is."

"He does?" the others asked.

"Well..."

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" Diesel snapped "We have weekend to spend!"

"But... That means we have all the..."

"SPEND WELL!" the shunter yelled, cutting the purple unicorn off "Look, I might as well just visit the bar!"

"I don't think so!" said a voice.

They all turned (at least their eyes) towards the source of the voice.

It was Dr. Whooves, stepping out (or more like jumping out) from the Breakfather's cab.

"What's up, Doc?" Bowler asked.

"An engine is coming to visit the yard." the stallion replied, walking towards them

"You mean... Right now?" Rainbow asked, sounding quite bemused.

"Yes." the Doctor replied "And... I know this is YOUR weekend, but can you show him around? Only one of you would be enough..."

"Ummm... I hope you don't mind me asking, but couldn't you show him around?"

"I'm afraid not..." he replied "I'm been invited to a meeting... A mandatory one. There will be a conference held at Manehattan about the future of the section."

"Are we... In a tight spot of some sort?" Derek asked.

"Thankfully not. - the earth pony replied "But it's an important meeting, never the less, and I'm not allowed to be late, let alone absent... Please. Could one of you do this for me?"

The engines and the mares exchanged looks.

Finally, Rainbow Dash stepped forward.

"I'll do it."

"WE'LL do i'." Bert corrected her, as he and 'Arry rolled forward.

"Very well." the Doctor replied "You'll find the engine at the yards. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to catch."

"Good luck, youngsters..." the Breakfather hissed, and boomed away, his engine rattling loudly.

Diesel couldn't help, but hear a certain worry in his voice.

"Wait, who's replacing you?!" Gilda called after the leaving diesel.

"Derpy's doing the paperwork for me, and the workponies know the ropes!"

"Aaaaah!" a collective, exasperated sight left the group.

"Well, we better be off then as well..." Dash sighed.

As the twins rolled away with the polychromatic mare in 'Arry's cab, the others set of as well - Twilight, as expected, had planned ahead, trying to make events that would be fun for both the mares, and the engines. But, with her tendency to labor under a delusion about what "fun" is (and with the library lacking any sort of books about the joys and entertainment of living machinery), the others were sure to "throw a wrench" into her plans - for good!

The remainder of the day went by smoothly. As expected, Twilight's plans were not quite the best (especially since she attempted to make them a surprise, and didn't asked any of the diesels about their preferences). The others were quick to help out, and in the end, they had a great time.

It was dark by the time they left for home...

"Fheeew! What a day!" Derek sighed.

"You can tell me that again..." Bowler uttered.

"Pity the girls couldn't come..." the Class 17 added.

"They had to keep their own trains running." Stuck-Up reasoned "But yes, I suppose it's a shame."

"It's even a bigger shame that Applejack and Spamcan weren't there..." Rarity declared "I hope they're all right."

"Speaking of which, did anybody notice that the Iron Bros and Rainbow Dash didn't return?" Diesel asked, but (to his deepest surprise and distaste) he was ignored by the others.

"Well, Spamcan's repairs are going well..." Spike replied, leaning out from BoZo's cab "But I don't know about Applejack... I haven't seen her for days..."

"She's trying to gather the money to fix Spamcan, EVEN THOUGH both the Princesses, and Mr. Alexei had told her that the railway will cover the expenses..." Twilight replied "She's going to hurt herself even more."

"Even more?" Fluttershy gasped.

"Yes... She was limping to her back leg!" Twilight exclaimed "All that applebucking wouldn't do any good for it... Thankfully, Big Mac and Apple Bloom had agreed to look out for her."

"Good to hear." Stuck-Up announced, closing the conversation.

They trundled quietly down the line for some time.

"Say..." Bowler uttered, breaking the silence "I always wanted to asks this..."

"Yes?"

"Do you ponies... Euthanize?"

"...What?"

"You know... Put down another pony..."

". . . HWAT?!"

"Sorry, I just thought that..."

"Why on Celestia's green land would you think that?!"

"Well, the thing is, in our world, if a horse has broken it's leg, humans... Eh..."

"That's YOUR world! Why the Hay would you think that applies here?!"

"Ehh..."

"Would you lot kindly shut the Hell up?!" Diesel snapped at them "We've arrived."

"Bleh. And?" Stuck-Up growled.

"Something's amiss."

The others looked up and realized that Diesel was right. The yards were covered in darkness. Not a single light was lit.

This was a normal occurrence on the Other Railway, as Sir Wyatt often "forgot" to pay the electricity bills...

But in Equestria, this was odd. A rail yard HAD to be lit for the night.

"Huh... What's with that?" Pinkie asked.

"I dunno." Twilight replied "But I think we should enter slowly, in case there's something waiting for us that we wouldn't like..."

"Like what?"

"Like a hundred clones of you, now shut up!" Diesel growled.

The group entered the yard, slowly and cautiously, trying to make as little sound as possible, with lamps toned down.

Everything was quiet - the yard had never been so silent...

"Why does it feel so... Empty?" Pinkie whispered.

"All the trucks have been shunted to the sidelines on the far end of the yard..." Steamie replied, quiet as he could "But why?"

Crossing the yard, they arrived to carriage sheds... And there, between two line of brake vans, parked 'Arry and Bert.

"What the Hell are you guys doing here?" the black Class 08 asked "Don't tell me you've been hiding here all the time!"

"Shu' up!" 'Arry shout-whispered to him "Foind a hidin' plac' near by!"

"Wha-? Why?!"

"SHU' UP! Jus' foin' one! QUIC'LY!"

Puzzled and worried, the engines complied, hiding in the darkness of the shadows on nearby sidings. It quickly turned out that they did that just in time - the beam lights that were used to highlight the marshaling yard scrolled across the very area they stood on, enveloping everything in a blinding white light, before returning to it's presumed original position, and shutting off.

After a few minutes of tense silence, Diesel spoke up, now whispering like the Iron Twins:

"What in the High Hell happened here?! Did the yard became a prison camp? Equestria had been overthrown by North Korean invaders? Did Derpy went mad with power? What the heck happened?"

After a few seconds of silence, Bert's voice replied from a few berths from them:

"I thin' numbah 'A' is th' correct answer!"

Engines and mares rolled their eyes in near-perfect unison.

"So, what's up?" Steamie asked.

"..."

"Guys?"

"...He's back!"

Gasps and moans of horror and dismay echoed in the sheds.

"Wait... Who's back?" Pinkie asked.

"Who else, but the "Great Dicktator"!" BoZo grumbled.

"Didn't you mean "dictator"?" Fluttershy asked, noticing the extra emphasis.

"No! Look, we'll explain it tomorrow! For now, try to get some sleep!" Stuck-Up uttered.

The night grew long, and the ponies and the locomotives fell into a deep, dreamless sleep...

A the deafening sound of a banal, off-key trumpet broke the morning silence.

"AAAAH BLOODY HELL!" Diesel yelled, startled by the cacophony. The others woke up to, with similar reactions.

As the rouse died down, the engines told their drivers to hide in their cabs.

A few workponies came around, wearing old-fashioned, brown blinkered caps, their faces carrying blank expressions, mixed with worry and anguish.

They went around, inspecting the vans and coaches - presently, they stumbled upon the engines.

"Right. We'll have to report you." one of them uttered.

"Why?" CoBo asked "We LIVE here. You know us!"

"We do..." another workcolt sighed "But our leader doesn't."

"Leader?!" Derek coughed "Do you mean Derpy?"

"No..." another stallion muttered, lowering his voice's volume to a whisper "She's... Indisposed."

"What?!"

"Look, we can't tell you more right now, the leader's coming!" the workcolt uttered "Just wait for a short time, and we'll tell everything!"

"Shhh! Here he comes!" a mare whispered.

The engines soon heard a sound.

A sound which they despised, even more than the puffing of a steam engine.

The rattling of one, certain gasoline motor.

Soon enough, a small, square-shape came into view.

As the machine drew closer, every well-known part, every irritating bit, every infuriating attribute.

The L.N.E.R. Class Y11 stopped before the carriage works.

"ATEEEN-'HUN!" an loud, obnoxious voice shouted. It took the mares and the griffon a few seconds to realize it actually came from the small box of an engine.

"Well well well, what do we hav' hear?!" he said in a quick, snappy pace, as he looked over the engines, his slingshot-mouth spreading into a nasty smirk.

"A few diversants Ey spy!" he barked, and chortled on his own (lack of) wit.

"Montgomery..." Derek exhaled in a manner which suggested held-back anger.

Diesel was less bland.

"Dick." he spat "What the Hell are you doing here? Wait, don't tell me that YOU'RE the visiting engine!"

"Yess, indeed Ey am!" the Army green engine declared "And Ey t'ok control of thees infrastructural facility, as the local member dispatched for the job was proven to be too incompetent for such position!"

"Incompetent?!" Derek snapped.

"Relax, Derek!" Diesel called out, hardly believing that he actually had to tell that to Derek, of all engines. He then turned his glare back to the Simplex engine.

"And just WHO, pray tell, in the Seven Hells gave you THAT sort of authority?!"

"None other than Head Office itself!" Dick chuckled wickedly.

The engines gave him incredulous looks.

"See it for yourself!" he added, and rolled forward, revealing a office paper stuck to his side. The engines couldn't really read what it said, but it looked real.

"Seems like your Princesses are going senile with age..." Diesel's uttered in the cab, startling Twilight "Or perhaps Alexei is on something we better not know of, it it has THIS SORT of effects!"

"You can't take over like that!" Steamie shouted.

"Yes, YES EY CAN!" the engine laughed (or more like guffawed) "EY have been given the authoratee to replace all unproductive workforce, which, in this case, was your station master. Thus, yer argument is invalid, little engin'!"

""Little"?" Bowler scoffed "He's practically twice your length! And probably TEN TIMES stronger." he added.

Dick's face turned red, and a vein became visible on his forehead.

"YEU WILL OBEY OHDA'S! EY'M THE ONE IN CHARGE, AND EY MAKE THE OHDA'S!"

"And just HOW do you think you're going to force us?" Stuck-Up grunted "You're the size of a turntable's control cab. You have no power over us!"

"AHA! That's what yeu think, laddie!" Dick grinned "If YEU won't obey mey ohde's, I'll have the workment take yeu apart and rearrange you in a way yeu'll be more co-operative!"

Inside the cabs, the mares and the griffon where horrified.

The engines didn't even flinch.

"They won't do that." Diesel uttered "They're well aware that we're sentient constructs that have feelings and emotions. We're more than machines, and they know it! They wouldn't destroy us."

"Oh, wouldn't they?" Dick grinned under his mustache "Boys?"

The workponies present raised their tools.

"Sorry, Diesel." one uttered sadly "Orders are orders."

The shunter's eyes narrowed, as he glared daggers at the Y11.

"Bastard..." he whispered.

"With that settled, Ey shall give yeu yeur assignments!" Dick declared "Now then..."

There was a long pause.

"All of yeu!" he finally spoke "The usual!"

Growling and grumbling, the engines set off, their drivers secretly controlling them from the cab.

"EXCEPT fer the shunters!" Montgomery declared. Diesel, 'Arry, Bert and Steamie stopped. BoZo, who was also on shunting duty for the week, stopped as well, with Spike waking from his sleep inside his cab.

"Yeu're guin' to be workin' under MY watch!" he declared.

The engines groaned...

A few hours later, they were working in the yards, shunting trucks into their proper place - or, at least, what their new leader "ohder'd".

"Dis is bul'shi'!" Bert grunted, banging some vans together.

"Th' li'l bugga's gonna pay fo' dis..." 'Arry growled, as charged forward, sending a jolt down the train behind him.

"So, who is this guy?" Twilight asked the Class 08's.

"He's called Montgomery." Diesel explained nonchalantly "But we just call him Dick, because, well, he is one."

"No kidding." the unicorn uttered.

"He's a megalomaniac. I think the original engines he was based on worked for the army, but I can't tell for sure. Point is, he's as militant as haughty, and ABSOLUTELY pathetic! He's usually harmless, unless someone has the pill bottle rolled so far away to give him authority."

"Has the what?"

"UGH, never mind! In short, he goes mad with power. PERIOD! We had him once in our yard, but his nonsense eventually had us start a revolution, and purge him from our railway! Spamcan kept ramming into him all the way to the railway limits!"

"Well, that explains everythin'!"

The shunters looked up, surprised.

Applejack was standing beside the nearest switch.

"He dispatched all th' fitters workin' on fixin' Spamcan! Even Spike!"

"Git!" 'Arry shouted.

"Exactly." the applefarmer uttered, walking towards them with a noticeable limp "Ah was glad when Ah was called back t' work - I had nothing to do on the farm - Big Mac an' Apple Bloom wouldn't let me do anything until mah leg heals! But when I came in, I was greeted by that can of grease, who told me Ah'm "no longer desired"! He gave me the sack!"

"Well, at least you got a clear picture of him..." the jet black shunter uttered "By the way, it really is the best if you stay in bed with that leg."

"AH'M FINE!" the mare snapped "An' b'sides! We got more impor'ant things at our hooves!"

"Tch... You're going to end up in a wheelchair, not me!" the engine huffed.

"We gotta do something!" Pinkie cried "We can't let that megalo-meanie run the yard!"

"Megalomaniac!" Diesel growled "Get your damn words right!"

"Look, we need a plan!" Rainbow Dash spoke up "He doesn't even cares about the main schedules! The yard is running amok under his control!"

"Aha... So that's what he's up to..." Diesel grunted.

"What?" the others asked.

"He comes in, takes control and relishes in his Napoleon Syndrome, ruins the yard, for which WE'LL be blamed for! He wants the yard to be shut down, so that we'll be scattered on the railway afterwards!"

"BASTARD!" Twilight shouted, surprising not only the others, but even herself with her infuriated outburst.

"We can't let this happen!" BoZo declared "We'll have to pay him out!"

All around them, the trucks began to chant:

"Pay Monty out!

Pay Monty out!"

"SHU' I'!" the Iron Bros shouted.

"Any idea on how to do that?" Applejack asked.

"I have one." Twilight replied, busy writing a note.

"What do you have there?" Steamie asked.

"Don't be dumber than usual, Steamie!" BoZo snarled "It's obviously a letter to Celestia!"

"It is." Twilight replied "I'm telling her what's going on, and asking for help!"

"So, a snitch, ey?" 'Arry smirked.

"No, 'Arry." the unicorn frowned "I'm being sensible, AND smart, by reporting an engine's misdoings to my highers, rather than prematurely taking actions into my own hooves, when I can't be sure what I'm dealing with!"

"Ya'r' dealin' whi' a defo'med dust bin. Plain an' simple!" Bert replied.

"That may be..." the mare replied "But that official paper looked a bit fishy for me. That's why I'm sending this letter!"

"Don't you need Spike for that?" Steamie asked.

"...Very observant, Steamie..." Twilight exhaled, before turning to the tank engine's driver "Pinkie, I want you to deliver this to Spike, A.S.A.P.!" she explained, levitating a folded up scroll to the party pony.

Pinkie saluted, and jumped into Steamie's cab.

"We're on it, ma'am!" the tank engine declared, and hurried away.

"Applejack!" Twilight said, turning to the cowpony "Get the workcolts to continue working on Spamcan! If they ask, say that "Montgomery" had ordered!"

"Gotcha!" she replied, and quickly trotted away, hissing quietly as she put pressure on her left rear leg.

Twilight and Rainbow looked after her, quickly exchanging worried looks - A.J.'s stubborn nature may very well be the end of her farming career.

"OI!" a familiar, obnoxious voice rang in the air "Where did that leetle tin can go?"

"Off to fetch some water!" Diesel growled back.

"Ey did not alloowed any lunch breaks!"

"For fuck's sake, he's a STEAM engine! He NEEDS water to run!"

"Then Ey shall replace him, and show yeu just HOW to shunt!"

"Oh, OK!" 'Arry called out, and stopped where he was. Bert did the same.

"This'll be interesting..." BoZo smirked, stopping as well.

With a loud clatter, Dick showed up in all his green glory, blasting his horn all the way.

He stopped in front of the engines, now in row, smirking at him.

"Alright, Dick..." Diesel chuckled "Show us some REAL shunting!"

The small shunter looked around, slowly getting discouraged by the wall of trucks surrounding him.

"OK, well neow..." he muttered "Ey'll... Start with an empty row..."

The shunters exchanged knowing looks.

"Ove' dere!" Bert grinned, motioning him to line of tankers with his eyes.

"Reight!" the Y11 declared, and rushed over to them. Stopping right in front of them, he shouted back to the others:

"Alright, you twits, neow yeu'll see some REAL shunting!"

With that (and with the sound effects of a wind-up toy), he set out to push the truck in front of him.

They wouldn't budge...

So he strained, his engine revving louder and louder, as he tried and tried to move the trucks.

The noise of the small gasoline engine echoed around the yard, snubbing the sounds of the workponies sneaking back into the work shed to fix a certain Class 46, covering the sounds of mares giggling wickedly, and shutting off the sound of engines laughing at his pathetic attempts.

In the end, he broke down, and kept yelling until a few workponies pushed into the nearest shed and began working on him.
Sadly, the diesels didn't got away with it.

BoZo was put on heavy duty slow goods, while Diesel, 'Arry and Bert had to finish the work while the Y11 kept shouting at them with his full 130 decibels.

At the end of the day, the engines retired to the empty section of the carriage works - Montgomery had their shed as his own residence.

Stuck-Up, Bowler and CoBo arrived from their daily trips as well, and Applejack had been there all day, working on Spamcan with the fitters, helping out the best she could. After finding Spike and having him send the letter, Steamie and Pinkie hid in the sheds for the rest of the day.

Finally, the baby dragon joined them, as they began to play the oldest game in the world - the Waiting Game.

As the sun set, the ponies and engines, along with a few, younger workcolts, discussed the situation.

"So, he's been acting like that since you arrived?" Rarity asked gloomily.

"Yeah, he keeps rollin' around, poking that "official paper" under everypony's nose!" Rainbow Dash grunted.

"Well, no' li'erally..." Bert added "As he has no arms 'n' shtuff..."

"Shu' i', Bert!" his brother snapped.

"We've checked around." Bowler explained "Trottingham Junction has our back in case things get out of hand, Pip and Emma are at Manehattan Central, along with the Brakefather, waiting for our call, Cromwell is at Canterlot - the lucky bastard ended up as the star of an industrial-technological convention -, and Dr. Whooves has been alerted. His highers have agreed to speed up the meeting so that he could depart earlier, so he'll be here as soon as it's possible."

"Good." Twilight sighed "Any sign of Derpy?"

"No, that's what bothers us all!" the green diesel replied "She had vanished without a trace. Not even the workponies could tell. Some of us fear the worse." he added, with a worried tone.

Twilight's eyes widened.

"Sweet Celestia..." she uttered "You don't think..."

"We can't tell for sure..." he replied "He's not quite alright in the head..."

"What we DO know is that he's still his usual self." Derek grumbled. He was in a particularly bad mood.

"Yeah... What's up with that?" Rainbow asked. The others were curious too.

"Well..." Derek muttered "He's... No, actually, he's based on the London and North Eastern Railway's Simplex-model Y11 class engines. These were small, petrol powered experimental shunters, and, like most, they worked for the War Department."

"The only vaguely logic theory we have is that "militant past" went into his radiator..." Stuck-Up added.

"He's a megalomaniac, and now, he has the junta he wanted. Now, we were never the ones to respect ANY authority - well, other than that of the Dining Club, in my case -, let alone fictional ones. As you can guess, he was quick to antagonize us, and, likewise, we were quick to hate his guts."

"In the end, Diesel finally remembered that he wasn't painted black just to identify him as an '50's shunter, and we retired El Presidenterror from our railway." put in Bowler.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. The engines exchanged looks. Diesel's stared blankly in front of himself for a second...

"Well... I suppose we could... Tell you..." the green diesel muttered awkwardly.

"Yeah... Toime th' spill da beans..." 'Arry uttered, trying to look everywhere but at the ponies, especially his part-time driver and fitter.

"About what?" Twilight asked.

"Well... It's kind of an awkward topic..." Derek admitted "Oh, I wish Spamcan would be here! He'd know how to start this off!"

"Start what off?" Applejack pondered out loud.

Silence fell...

The tension, slick and quiet, began to rise in the quiet air of the shed. Workponies exchanged pondering looks, the engines were busy staring at their own buffers, and the mares were puzzled above all. All tried to guess about the elephant in the room.

Eventually, the black Class 08 could take no more:

"Oh, for FUCK'S SAKE! I WAS AN ANARCHIST!"

The mare's chain of thoughts took a double back, as they looked up.

"You WHAT?!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I was an anarchist!" Diesel repeated "A rioter! A hooligan! A PUNK! One of the Black Mass! Member of the Black Bloc! THE Black Bloc itself at times! I bared rubber bullets, water cannons, tear gas, plexy shields, batons, assaults from skullheads, THE LOT! It wasn't the brightest time of my life, DEFINITELY NOT the finest moment of my carrier, but GOD DAMN IT ALL TO HELL, I'M FUCKING PROUD OF IT!!!"

He shouting must have alerted some "guards", as the beam lights outside began to scroll. Silence fell once more, as everyone held his or her breath. Finally, the lamps turned off...

"...And, just when did you wanted to tell me... US, about this?" the lavender unicorn questioned. She didn't seemed happy.

"Why does it concerns you, Sparkle?" the shunter snapped "You're not my mother, and I have no incumbency towards you!"

"Diesel, you WERE an anarchist!" Twilight snapped back "You carry a potential threat to the Equestrian Monarchy!"

""Threat"? I'm a freaking box that runs on fuel and rolls on rails which decide my path instead of me! WHAT SORT OF THREAT I COULD BE!?"

"You can speak!" the mare yelled.

Everyone was silent.

"Yes." the engine replied dryly "SO?!"

"You're quite possibly the only intelligent being from in Equestria that poses as a threat to the Princesses' rule! From within our own society!"

Diesel was both surprised and bemused.

"What, you think I'd rally up the ponies to topple the system?"

"Yes! You said it yourself!"

"NO!" the engine roared "PAY ATTENTION TO THE DAMN DETAILS! I said that if I could get the engines into a wildcat strike to freeze down the railway if I would, and I CAN! I do have amazing powers of persuasion and observation, but that's beside the point! No, as a matter of fact, maybe THIS is exactly what we would need to get Dick out of the yard! There's no point handing me over to the authorities - THEY CAN'T ARREST A BLOODY DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE! And it's not like I'm real threat - I joined the anarchists in back in the '80's, during the Thatcher-era. I was sick and tired about the fact that a bunch of neck-tied morons ruining my country and the railway I worked on, led by a conservative, repulsive NAG! Your Princesses are doing a FINE job! I've nothing to complain about - other than idiotic co-workers and dumb little mares who want to play herionies in the WRONG BLOODY TIME! So calm. The Hell. DOWN!"

He only noticed the stunned silence when he himself calmed down. Twilight kept staring at him with. A look of respect? A glance of horror? He couldn't decide. Neither could she.

Spike burst into the deafening silence like a little, scaly, purple ball christened as "in medias res". He was waving a parchment and a red book.

"Twilight! TWILIGHT!"

The mare blinked, and turned towards her assistant.

"Yes, Spike? Did the Princess replied?" she asked, nervously.

"Yes!" the dragon replied, only to have the parchment violently ripped out of his clutches.

Twilight quickly read it out loud for the mass:

"My dear, faithful student!

I'm stunned to hear that such situation has occurred. I can only confirm that neither I, nor Luna, nor Alexei had given out any sort of "Alpha-order" to any employee, equine or construct. The engine in question HAS to be a fraud.

However, I would like you to try and handle this problem. You got the aid of your friends, and the engines, if I read your letter correctly. This "Dicktator" shouldn't be much of a problem. You have the Magic of Friendship, and Diesel has his wit and experience. If you still can't handle the task, do not worry! It's not a test, and I'll be arriving at noon tomorrow with the rest of the leader board!

Beside this reply, I'll also send a book which I recently had the pleasure and fortune to read. Inspiring, though, not a life-changer - nothing I haven't heard and didn't knew before.
Still, it's a must-read, especially in your current situation.

Sincerely, and with hopes, and love,

your mentor,

Princess Celestia."

The workponies exchanged puzzled books.

How can a book help in overthrowing a tyrant?

Spike picked up the book from the ground, dusted it off, and carried it near the shunter and the mare.

As the Mane 6 and Gilda saw the title, their eyes widened - partly with wonder, and mostly with confusion.

Diesel stared down at the book, and smirked.

"Why, it's the Collective Works of good ol' Karl Marx!"

Next morning, came dawn.

A red dawn.

The dark shadows left the yard sluggishly, as light regained it's place. In the work shed, the engines, and their drivers, were wide awake.

They had a plan.

CoBo waited. He and Gilda were sent forward to keep an eye out for the guards and to address arriving trains - no one should stop at Ponyville today.

The day was starting slow. But they knew, it will speed up soon.

For soon, it will be the time to act.

One by one, the carriage work's doors opened.

Dark shadows began to stir inside...

They moved towards the exit, with a crowd around and behind them, motioning them forward, more and more...

Finally, the shapes surfaced the light... Pegasi flew out, in all directions up in the sky...

They disarmed the guards without harm, and either told them to joint them, or tied them up somewhere safe...

One by one, they race out of their sidings, onto their planned locations.

Diesel and Twilight shared a smirk. The plan was coming together...

"Reporting to Brigadier Sparkle!" a workcolt rushed to them. Twilight tipped her blinkered cap.

"Rest. What do you have to tell me?" she asked, calmly.

"We've found Derpy, ma'am!"

The mares eyes widened.

"And?"

"She was hid in an out-of-order water tower at the south edge of the yard, tied up and gagged."

The unicorn was silent for a moment.

"Any injuries?"

"She had a few bruises, possibly a result of her subduing, and the ropes left burns... She hadn't eaten or drink anything since she was tied up..."

The workcolt felt silent for a moment.

The mare and the diesel stared at him sharply.

"She... Wasn't able to use the little fillies room, either..."

Diesel's glare darkened.

"Clean her up, provide her some food and drink, and take her to the hospital if needed." the brigadier spoke slowly and quietly "Tell her to stay calm, and don't come to the yard."

The stallion saluted, and left.

No sooner than he was out of sight, Twilight's fur flared with magical fire, her mane and tail ablaze. She growled deeply with unrestrained bestiality, mouth twisted into a snarl, her eyes glowing with a hateful light.

She was seeing red.

"Calm the Hell down." the shunter ordered "You'll burn the cap."

With a sigh, Twilight let out steam. Her fire gone out, and she sat back down on the ground.

A few moments passed in silence.

"Well... This is it." she finally announced.

"Indeed." Diesel muttered "Today, the Great Dicktator shall fall, or we shall die in Hell."

"What?"

"...Never mind..."

Montgomery was NOT happy. He was hard to satisfy to begin with, but THIS was totally beyond his broadest tolerance.

There was not a single soul in the yard, the engines were gone, and there was nobody there to work.

"Hah! Unauthorized break, ey?" he smirked "Ey'll soon find yeu!"

So he went around, checking every siding, every shed, every depot for the others.

Finally, he had to stop in the center of the yard.

He was running out of fuel, and he still couldn't find the others.

Out of breath, he gazed around himself once more.

"Where... *huff* The Hell... *huff* Are they?!" he muttered.

Suddenly, the station's and the yard's speaklers cracked to life.

Music, militant, yet, so full of emotion, filled the yard.

And one by one, they rushed out from the shadows, from behind the line of trucks and coaches, roaring loudly and blasting their horns like the wails of an agonized organ.

Workcolts poured out of the buildings, trucks and coaches, waving their tools as weapons, the guards carrying their red flags high up in the air.

The wave of ponies soon crashed against him, hooves denting his sides, bucking his face and smashing his windows in...

An engine - he couldn't make him out through the crowd and his swollen eye - approached him. As the crowd cleared, he could make out his shape through the haze that now covered his eyes.

The engine began to push him backwards. Faster and faster. He tried to put his brakes on, but he couldn't.

He tried to yell, but now word left his mouth.

Finally, he felt his wheels leave the rails. He saw the sky so clear.

Everything went dark...

"...Should of known it would be you!" an unfamiliar voice said...

Dick slowly came to his senses...

He saw the world in weird way: the sky was on the left, and in front of him was a curving wall, while up close to his right was wall of gravel...

He couldn't make sense of it, but an aching pain in his rear reminded him what happened.

The mass.

The riot.

The engine, shunting him...

...Into the turntable well!

He glanced around, angrily, and soon saw it:

Diesel's smirking face, accompanied by the Iron Twins, and two ponies who looked most content - one winged, one horned.

He heard gravel crunching, and looked "forward" - a thin, tall figure wearing railway official's uniform, sided by two, large ponies who had both wings and horns, and wore similar attires - Head Office.

"Oh shit..." the Simplex thought, and gulped.

"...Using fake official authorization to gain illegal control over an entire station, forcing equines and engines alike to subdue to your will, undermining governmental authority for unauthorized actions and maintaining a paramilitary group and using terror in order to enforce your "ohders", not to mention holding an employee hostage in an unequane environment..." Alexei enumerated, then took a deep breath "Montgomery..."

The engine stared at him nervously.

"...You're fucked."

After he was fished out from the well, the Y11 was put on a siding, out of sight. Then, the Princesses and the controller turned to the workponies and engines. Many were still wearing their revolutionary outfits, and were slightly on edge - they've stood up against a tyrant, but in the same time, they reveled in a mass protest inspired by views that went straight against the Monarchy.

But the Princesses looked at them with pride.

"My little ponies..." Celestia began.

"Our dear engines..." Luna added, nodding towards the locomotives.

"We would like to congratulate you all for actions - defeating a tyrant is no small task, and, thanks to your passion, morale and cooperation, you've succeeded!"

"It is no small feat..." Luna added "That you fought for your freedom. It was, obviously, the right thing to do, and for that, you dared to go many steps beyond your own limits - something which is truly commendable!"

The ponies seemed to be easing up.

"Who led the revolution?"

Alexei's question was greeted with silence. Slowly, the crowd separated in the front, allowing Twilight to trot forward, with Diesel rolling slowly behind her.

As she reached the Princesses, her head hung low.

"Are you angry at me, Princess?" she asked, quietly. Her mentor was puzzled.

"Why would I be, my dear student?" she asked.

Diesel replied instead of her.

"Well, we did organized a local communist revolution, which could threaten the social stability of Equestria and..."

"...It does not." Luna cut him off "Honestly, I don't know why you always see us as rigid overlookers... Your actions were just, and you did the right thing, and that's what matters."

"Communism isn't a condemnable thing." Celestia continued "It's just... Slightly utopistic."

"In our world, communism is an obsolete idea..." Diesel explained "It was created by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and it's very basics - known today as Marxism - described a society without the existence social classes, class struggle, run by the workers themselves, often through councils or communities, hence the name. It's completion would be an anarchistic, stateless society based on communities. But our modern society simply exceeded such ideas - we live in a globalized world with international companies and trades run by many governments. Marx's ideas are now out of date."

"No, they're not..." Alexei replied "Sure, his ideal society is bit off these days, but that's only for the advanced world. Communities could always exist. Besides, he had many other clever thoughts, especially the working class' self-awakening and self-realization. Anyways, this is Equestria, not Earth."

"Our world isn't as advanced as your own." Luna explained "And we found Marx's ideas - though, not ALL of them - a good aim for the future."

The engine's eyes widened.

"You mean...?"

The princesses nodded, and turned towards the crowd.

"As rulers of the Equestrian Monarchy, we can only encourage our subject to recreate themselves. Nothing lasts forever, and eventually, the monarchy, and with it, WE will have to go. Therefore, planning ahead is necessary, and we only want what's soberly the best for our subjects. An ideal society where everypony lives in wealth, weal, equality, peace and prosperity, is what we should all aim for - if necessary, without the existence of central power."

Luna took over.

"But we can't have it right here and right now - such things take time, and rushing would only botch it up. No, we must all continue working, and living our lives, building the path towards our dreams. As your leaders, we represent you, and try to solve your problems the best we can. Some things cannot be solved through sheer force, or magic - they require wits and wisdom, and that's why we're here: to guide you on your path towards your dreams - keep in mind, we aren't perfect, either, but we give as much as we could."

"And, to be honest..." Celestia added "We would be glad to trade jobs with ANY of you."

Ponies and engines collectively gasped.

"With all honesty!" the Princess of the Day went on "Being the leader, ESPECIALLY royalty, is no easy task. It's stressful, it isolates us from our friends and the very ponies we had sworn to look after, and it's an incredible responsibility - many had cracked under such weight before, and many will. Sure, fame and luxury are good, but in the end, they're nothing more, than dark shadows: fame can befoul us, luxury can drive one mad... I'd much prefer to live among other ponies and do whatever hard work I can, rather than to sit all day, feeling stressed and useless..."

"And add the fear of failure to that..." her sister went on "We'd love to trade with any of you, but, unfortunately, we can't..."

"Why not?" Pinkie asked.

"We are bound to our word." the younger princess explained "We had sworn to guard and protect Equestria through the day and the night. We maintain peace and order through ruleship, as we had experienced that mortal ponies simply aren't up for the task..."

"Even the most purest souls were corrupted by power, the most strongest wills broken by the heavy weight of responsibility, and the greatest mind dwarfed and driven insane by the scale of it..."

"So, it's like trying to use a 40 watt light bulb in a 10000 watt socket..." Steamie stated.

"Pretty much."

"This is revolution that we all take part in - a slow, but steady progress that will bring us all freedom, peace, equality and justice!" Alexei declared "And for that, we ask your, and all of Equestria's help. We seek the help of you - the everyday heroes! FOR VICTORY!"

The sound of ovation echoed around the yard, as the workers cheered - for themselves, for the Princesses, for the railway, and for Equestria.

But in the middle of joy, Derek's eyes widened.

"Oh my God! We forgot about BoZo!"

The steam-diesel hybrid huffed and wheezed at the bottom of the hill. Behind him, the trucks were trying to cheer him up, but to no avail. Finally, BoZo caught his breath.

"OK... One more time.." he said, for the hundredth time...