REJECTS

...Afternoon came.

The dark clouds covering the skies above Ponyville and the area near it were cleaned up by the weather pegasi, but still, a certain taste of electricity remained in the air.

Tension, almost touchable, was apparent to anypony - or any engine - around.

A line of mares, followed by a small, purple dragon, left the town limits, heading towards the grassy field beside Ponyville Marshaling Yard's end sidings, located on the very spot the Other Railway entered their world, and entered their lives.

A knot was present in all of their stomachs, their legs were shaking, and their eyes constantly watering up, as they trotted down the dirt road, across the field, getting closer and closer to the plain of doom.

Trixie sat there, on the other side of the small area, a glare fixated on her face.

Yet, the mares couldn't feel hatred towards this one pony.

Her life, built of lies and deceit, crumbled in front of her eyes. Once respected and awed, she became a living shadow, shunned by her peers, and destroyed by hecklers and hooligans.

She had nothing left.

Friends and family long gone, fans and audience no more.

Fame and fortune slipping out of her hooves and her magic's grip like quicksilver.

She had nothing left.

She was as alive as joyous.

And she blamed them.

"Now I'm going to die..." Twilight thought, as she closed her eyes.

"Don't be so ruddy sure about that!" a voice replied in her head, making her eyes pop open in surprise.

Trixie was in front of her.

The knot tightened in her stomach.

The others sat down in a circle-sector shape further away, as she told them...

"Well... This is it..." she uttered. Trixie just nodded, and stood up.

The two walked up to each other, eyeing up one another, as the rules of the Alicorns' Challenge said so.

They then turned their backs to one another, and began to trot.

Fifty steps of the right front hoof was required.

5 steps.

Twilight shuddered, the urge to regurgitate rising in her stomach...

10 steps.

Her friends were shivering - not because of cold, but because of the pure fear that kept rushing through their body in great gushes.

20 steps.

Twilight had to swallow hard to stop her breakfast from returning... She was hair lengths from hyperventilation.

40 steps.

Trixie sighed, once more.

Yes. This is it.

50.

The two mares stopped, and spun around, their horns already flickering with magical charge.

Purple and blue light illuminated the area, as two force fields rose around the two mares - a precaution both of them had thought of.

Their fur and manes flared with magic, as their power manifested itself: Twilight, her body lit by magical fire that bleached her fur white and turned her crest and tail into flames, Trixie, her body whitened by the blinding light of the magic lightnings that coursed across her body, turning mane and tail into a spiky bundle of electric fire.

Magic overlapped their bodies, leaking out through their eyes - orange-toned white flames glowing in Twilight's eyes, blue-toned electricity sparkling in Trixie's.

The librarian and the showmare charged their horns - two balls of magic, one purple, enveloped in flames, baring a six-pointed star-shaped cutie mark that resembled Twilight's, and an indigo one, enveloped by electric arches, bearing a curving and straight, star-topped cutie mark that resembled Trixie's.

Simultaneously, their cutie marks disappeared from their flanks.

They stared at one another, a final glance at the enemy, before they bowed their heads forward, bringing the globes of magic into the same level.

Instantly, Trixie's magic shot out like and arrow, only to meet with Twilight's shield-like beam halfway between them.

The sound was deafening, akin to the cacophony of a burning forest and a violent thunderstorm, mixed with tones and noises not from this world.

The two mares steadied their selves, not loosing focus one bit, as their shields and the epicenter where their beams met burned away the grass. Twilight grit her teeth, already growing weary - never, in her life before, had she performed such immense output of raw magic. Beads of sweat appeared on her body, only to evaporate, and subsequently turn into plasma.

Trixie kept her mouth tightly shut, but behind her lips, she was snarling in effort.

For minutes, the two beams were even, the same length, and the same width. But as 20 minutes passed, Trixie's had suddenly grown thicker, and began to push Twilight's back.

The mares held their breath, and Spike's heart skipped a beat.

Twilight flinched, and gritted her teeth harder.

With little effort, she widened her own beam, pushing Trixie's back into the original, deadlock position...

Her friends gave a faint sigh of relief - the battle was far from over.

For a good ten minutes, the wider beams kept illuminating the area...

All of a sudden, Trixie's began to flicker.

The showmare's eyes widened.

Twilight's beam automatically began to push her's back.

The librarian's heart sank...

"No... Not like this..."

Trixie snarled, and clenched her muscles - her beam regained it's pace, and increased to twice it's size, catching Twilight by surprise, as she quickly reinforced her own with haste.

In return, the showmare increased her's as well.

Twilight couldn't help but to increase her own.

Trixie replied with another boost.

So did Twilight, taking up the pattern.

From then on, they continued - neither stopping or evening out the beams, as the buffer point commuted between them, going closer and closer to either mares with each turn.

Finally, they were brought to a draw: both beams having the diameter of their whole bodies, crests and tails grown as lengthy as those of the Princesses' - curtains of fire, and capes of electricity.

Their force fields had grown as thin as bubbles, their eyes completely white, bodies radiating and regathering their own magic.

Both snarling and struggling to stand steady, blinded by the light of the discharge.

The mares and the dragon not far stared upon them with wonder, fear long since replaced with awe.

Half an hour had passed.

Through the blinding light, Twilight could sense her opponent moving - Trixie slowly closed her eyes, and ceased her snarl.

"Oh no! She's giving in! NO! Don't! I cannot... I can't possibly..."

But then, she noticed that the mare's beam didn't waver.

"She isn't stopping... YES! She's gonna dodge to the side and... We could settle this without any of us..."

Trixie shut her eyes and mouth.

Only to suddenly reopen it, now having an even more fierce snarl and a wider glare. Her beam grew to twice it's size, her force field growing stronger...

Twilight flinched, as the showmare's beam quickly gained upon her.

With a burst of purple light, her own force field disappeared, and her beam grew wider, matching that of Trixie's once more.

Through her concentration, she failed to take notice of the metallic taste in her mouth - she grit her teeth so hard that blood was drawn from her gums.

Cautiously, she began to apply more power to her magic, ready to draw it back in case Trixie's began to wither.

As the collision point drew closer and closer to Trixie, the librarian began to think...

"Where did she hold all that power? Last time we've seen her, she was all words and little magic. How did she, a showmare magician, grew into an adversary as strong as I am? Is she using some old, archaic technique? Is she drawing power from the world around us? Is she holding the power of some ancient god?"

Finally, she had another thought...

"Is she also the Element of Magic? The rightful bearer, even?"

"I have changed since the last time we've met, Twilight Sparkle..."

WAS SHE TALKING TO HER TELEPATHICALLY?! ALONG WITH THAT MUCH OUTPUT?!

"I am truly Great and Powerful now..." Trixie's voice announced, chiming like a silver bell "And I shall finish this battle as such..."

Trixie's force field finally dissipated into thin air - simultaneously, her beam grew twice as wide as it already was, burning a trench into the ground between the two mares.

Trough her struggle, Twilight's eyes widened. The former showmare's beam was now enveloping her own, slowly but surely deteriorating it...

Her words rang in her ears, painfully.

"YOU, Twilight Sparkle, are the personal student of Princess Celestia herself, and above that, The Element of Magic."

Trixie was no greater than her - she had an unfair advantage from the very beginning...

It was the showmare's lies which brought her world down, but it was her and her friends' actions that made her life a misery...

They had destroyed her, emotionally and reputation-wise, nullifying her life's effort.

Unintentionally, of course, but still, they made her become no more than a shadow, and empty mare with no past or future, merely lingering in the present.

It didn't mattered to her if she had won, OR lost - she simply wanted to fight what had ended her career, her fame, her everything. To prove herself a worthy adversary of what appeared to be fate itself in her eyes.

She had nothing to loose or gain...

"But I do!"

Twilight's beam stopped deteriorating, right in front of her horn.

"My friends... My family... Diesel... Ponyville... The Princesses... All of Equestria!"

Slowly, her magic began to regain it's force, inching forwards slowly, but steadily.

"The Princesses count on me! My friends need me! Equestria needs the Elements of Harmony!"

Faster and faster, her beam regained it's length and width, eventually growing to a size equivalent of Trixie's...

"And beyond Equestria, the World itself needs me! An Element of Defiance! One Element of Hatred... Needs it's counter!"

Slowly, the purple beam of magic began to consume the indigo one.

Trixie didn't flinch, but her hair slowly grew back into it's original size, her beam not changing one bit.

"Applejack... Rainbow Dash... Rarity... Pinkie Pie... Fluttershy..."

Her beam slowly gained more colors - the colors of the rainbow...

Her friends sat, motionless, astonished by the sight.

"Spike... Shining Armor... Cadence... Princess Celestia... Princess Luna... Mom, dad..."

Slowly, her beam moved across the draw point, now gaining on Trixie...

"Cheerilee... Big Macintosh... Zecora... Gilda... Dr. Whooves... Derpy... Cloud Chaser and Flitter..."

Her entire body was lit with white light, as her beam slowly turned into a pure white ray...

"Diesel... Derek... Spamcan... Old Stuck-Up... Bowler... Steamie... 'Arry and Bert... Pip and Emma... BoZo... Cromwell... The Breakfather... Mr. Alexei..."

Trixie glared, motionlessly, as the beam suppressed her own... Slowly, the white light began to fade from her eyes...

"Ponyville and Canterlot and ALL OF EQUESTRIA! ALL OF THE WORLD! ALL THAT EXISTS, BREATHS, THINKS AND FEELS! I GOT TOO MUCH TO LOOSE!"

Trough her now raging power, she suddenly sensed Trixie's magic disappearing altogether.

With haste, she tried to retreat her own force, but it was too late - she had no control of her beam any more.

The Alicorns' Challenge now fully in place, she cannot retreat her power...

Trough the blinding light, she saw Trixie once more - her eyes in a soft, deep glare, her soul opened up to her as she was using Fluttershy's stare.

No envy.

No regret.

No hatred.

No sorrow.

Just emptiness...

And pure magic...

"I AM Great and Powerful, and I shall finish this battle as such!"

"Guys! GUYS!" the tank engine cried, rushing into the yard.

"Steamie, you're late!" Dr. Whooves scolded him "The meeting had already began!"

"Forget the meeting!" Steamie exclaimed "You gotta come with me!"

"Why?" Diesel asked, nonchalantly.

"Twilight and Trixie are having a Magic Duel!"

Diesel's eyes widened.

"So?" Bowler asked "What's up with that?"

The sound and shock wave of a magical explosion, carrying the force of an erupting volcano, hit the yard, shaking the engines down to the core of their motors.

"FfffffffffffffffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUCK!" Diesel cursed, her engine roaring to life, as the Doctor and Derpy jumped into his cab - Gilda doing the same with CoBo's, as she woke from her shock...

The Class 08 shot off, thundering towards the source of the explosion, following Steamie, with the others roaring behind them.

For ten minutes straight, the minds of the mares and the dragon was overtaken by void... Then, slowly, reality seeped back into them, along with the wind that was knocked out their lungs.

Eventually, their sight came back as well...

The first thing they noticed - aside from still being alive - was their friend, Twilight.

Charred and dusty, her mane was a mess, but she was still standing - quite alive as well...

So, their first reaction back on the solid ground was heartfelt ovation - Twilight had won! Their friend had survived!

Unable to contain their selves, they stood up, and, still shaking a bit, began to rush towards the mare.

They didn't took notice of the burned and possibly forever infertile ground... Or the lack of any sound in the area, aside from the explosion's echo and their own voice, slowly finding words to express their joy...

But as they came close to Twilight, something, in the very back of their minds, was lit with blaring red.

Twilight's face was twisted into a desperate, utter expression of pure horror, with tears dwelling in her eyes, her body beginning to shudder violently...

Her friends slowed down, smiles disappearing one by one, as the drew closer to her, finally taking notice of the changed environment, and the time that passed.

Finally up close, they saw their friend break down into tears, shrieking in emotional pain, as she collapsed to the ground...

Their joy vanished without a trace - confusion, worry and fear took it's place...

They stopped a mere 5 steps from their friend - a tenth of the amount which it all began with...

Twilight sobbed before them - a broken mare, crushed under her own emotions...

Finally, her assistant approached her, not yet daring to lay his clawed hand on her back...

"Twilight...?" he asked, mustering up all the stamina he had.

Shaking and wheezing, the more slowly raised her head, turning it towards her friends.

...Who could only gape in horror...

Twilight's eyes were bloodshot by the heavy tears that had been rushing down her cheeks the very moment her and Trixie's beams met.

Her mane and tail was a tangled, charred mess, and burn marks covered her body like scars...

The base of her horn was lightly bleeding, the skin punctured by the incredible output of magic - her horn ached and her forehead pounded.

But all pain, all agony, all the physical consequences of her battle were diminished into nothing by the amount of emotional anguish that writhed trough her body, burning her heart.

She couldn't stand the gaze of her friends anymore, so she let her head fall onto the ground, to Hell with the pain in her jaw...

As her cries continued, the gaze of the others slowly parted with her body, and began to follow the charred trench dug and burned out by the beams - all the way, terror swelled in their hearts like a bubble in a pond of tar.

Finally, their gazes landed on the other end of the field, at the other end of the trench, in a crater where the explosion took place...

And in the bottom of the small pit laid a heap of ash and dust, cold in the heat of the crater around it.

Once again, the air was knocked out of the mares and the dragon, as their eyes dilated painfully, pupils shrinking into nothingness, their face contorting with agonizing horror and dismay.

Their mind ached, as it processed the sight that their burning eyes took in.

The sight of a unicorn's horn, broken at it's base and ashen gray, laying on top of the pile of dust...

They didn't even heard Twilight's bawl:

"SWEET CELESTIA, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

The convoy of engines rocketed down the line at break-neck speed, led by a huffing and puffing tank engine.

Tension and sorrow hung in the air, as the black shunter at the front kept cursing like the Devil.

"FuckfuckfuckfuckFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK, we're LATE!"

There ponies and the dragon had nothing to see... Hear... Think... Or feel...

Just emptiness...

As they stared upon the dismal remains of what was once the Great and Powerful Trixie - truly powerful, and truly, truly great...

As tears crept into their eyes silently, they could only stare at the wreckage that surrounded them.

Weak and sickened as he was, Spike tried to comfort his caretaker, his step-sister, his friend since birth - but all his words, feeble and empty, fell onto deaf ears, as he gently stroked the mare's back, unsure of what to say...

In their grief, none of the took notice of the sun and the moon, both of which celestial bodies stopped on their course, one half set, the other half risen.

They didn't notice the alicorns, flying down from Canterlot at a terrifying speed, nor the slender figure materializing near them.

The Princesses gazed upon the wreckage with a mixture of dread and sorrow - there hasn't been one Alicorns' Challenge held in a millennia, but all the horrors, all the blood and torture, all of it came back to them that moment...

"We're late..." the elder uttered, staring at her sobbing apprentice...

"Too late..." her younger sister agreed, looking at the pile of dust that was once a unicorn.

Alexei remained speechless.

If what he sensed just minutes before was true...

Then all was lost...

Without all the elements, the world was doomed to face the wrath of the old gods, defenseless as a newborn...

He fell to his knees, oblong eyes widened in terror, as tears dwelled up in them, crystal clear drops that didn't roll down his cheeks.

None of them noticed the distinct hiss in the background, the sound of metallic doors opening and closing, and the sound of hooves, paws and talons on the dead grass...

The Princesses trotted up to the group, trying their best to comfort them, laying down beside the huddled up ponies and dragon, and embracing them with their wings the best they could...

The row of engines stared at the dismal sight with utter sorrow - they were too late. The damage was done.

They failed.

Only one person refrained from falling into sadness:

The griffon made her way to the crater, her objective dead ahead - a disheartened mare and stallion followed her...

She crouched down beside the pile of dust, and, gently as she could, she picked up the horn with her talons...

It had broken off at it's very base, where the bone met the skull, the nerves, albeit fried, still within it.

She examined the horn thoroughly, before carefully putting it down into it's place.

Standing up, her determined motions were noticed by the engines, who now stared at her with confusion and aghast.

She walked up the grieving group, and stared at them for a long time - ponies she knew, reduced to a bundle of anguish and sorrow, edged by two disturbed and uncertain alicorns, with destroyed outer god kneeling beside them, his tall stature pointing into the air like a dead tree.

She then took a deep breath, and, with a hoarse voice, spoke straight to the Princesses.

"So... Are we going to revive her, or not?"

Upon the utterance of the word 'revive', they all ceased to grieve, and stared at the griffon as if she was a saint gaining her glory - or as if she had completely lost her mind...

"...Revive?" Celestia uttered, and simultaneously, Alexei's dampened eyes cleared out.

"I admit, I flopped at most classes in high school..." Gilda admitted "...STILL got my graduation, just to get it straight!" she added, quickly "But the only thing I actually payed attention at was sorcery class, especially that one issue about revival spells and techniques..."

She looked around.

Everybody was paying attention.

Good.

"We have everything that we need." she announced "The two Princesses. The cause of the death."

Twilight flinched.

"Air filled with raw magic." she added, pointing out the taste of electricity, ozone and tension in the air.

"An alien god." she nodded towards Alexei here.

"And a griffon for the final touch!" she added, wiggling her fingers on her right talon.

Shaking slightly, the two alicorns and the tall being stood up.

"OK..." he muttered, before clearing his throat "How do we do this?"

In response, Gilda turned to the lavender alicorn.

"Still got some juice, Sparkle?"

Staggering to a stand, Twilight mustered up some magic to her aching horn. It burned and it was weak, but it was there.

"That'll do." the griffon nodded "And I believe you are fully charged..." she said, looking at the deities present. They nodded as one.

"All right." she announced, clapping her talons together "We got exactly... When did the battle ended?"

Pinkie checked her watch.

"Roughly twenty-five minutes ago."

"Hoo-kay, so we got thirty-five minutes to bring this filly back to life!" she explained "HOP TOO, EVERYPONY!"

The others stared at her, bemused.

"Someone had just died..." Dr. Whooves reminded her.

"Yeah, and she'll stay like that if we don't haul ass and get this over with. SO MOVE IT, or we're losing her!"

Instantly, everybody sprung to action. The too alicorns, Alexei, and Twilight positioned themselves around the circle of the battlefield in a double Thales theorem format, with Twilight standing closes to Trixie's remains...

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Keep it together, girl!" Gilda called out to her, now standing between the mare and the dust "You can do this!"

Swallowing her tears, Twilight nodded, and the procedure began.

First, she charged whatever magic she could muster from her body into her horn - adding a bit of her own life-force as well, just a bit, as Gilda told her.

Then, a beam, much smaller, but no different from the one she used minutes ago, began to scan the pile in front of her, before settling on the horn. She closed her eyes, and concentrated...

Slowly, waves of potent magic began to pulse through her beam, feeding itself into the horn, which began to glow, and eventually lifted itself from the dust, levitating in mid air.

"Your turn, your majesties!" Gilda called out to the sisters, who charged their horns as well, and shot two, thicker beams of magic at the dust itself, nursing it with raw power only the sun and the moon could provide.

"Now, Mr. Alexei!" the griffon called out to the figure, who's eyes lit up with white, material light, as a steady, oscillating beam shot out from his raised hands, enveloping the horn in a blinding light, making it look like nothing but a black silhouette.

Twilight winced, and her legs shook. Gilda was quick to notice this...

They had to hurry up.

Slowly, the horn itself turned white, disappearing in the glow that surrounded it, as the dust became coated with blue arches of electricity.

"C'mon... Just a little more..."

The Element of Magic was exhausted. Under one hour, she was pushed to her limits in terms of strength, stamina, magic and emotions, all of which's weight now came crushing down onto her.

The arches on the dust slowly reached out to the horn, changing the blinding light, first into silver, then, into blue.

"Now!" Gilda thought, as she reached out to the horn, grabbing it by it's tip, and making it spin around in mid air.

Suddenly, Twilight's beam dissipated, and she collapsed to the ground, wheezing.

It didn't mattered anymore.

The Princesses and the foreign god ceased their magic as well, as they stared, taken aback, at the sight in front of them...

The former unicorn's horn spun in all directions, eventually forming a ball of light, which sucked up the dust beneath it, turning into an even bigger ball of magic electricity.

It rose, higher and higher into the air...

Ponies, engines, dragon, griffon and humanoid stared at the phenomenon with astonishment...

Suddenly, the ball imploded, only to soundlessly explode, bringing along the sound of thunder, and a lighting bolt that hit the ground.

Gilda smirked.

From the spinning orb came the spinning silhouette of a mare, which grew thicker and more defined with each second...

Tension was touchable in the air, as ponies, engines, and other beings stared, coated in sweat, waiting for the outcome.

And in the relapsing twilight, a newborn foal's first cry echoed...

Slowly and gently, the blue mare lowered to the ground, eyes and mouth shut with an angelic, peaceful look on her face - nothing left from the desperate listlessness that emanated from it once...

She landed on her hooves, as graceful as a snowflake, as the final rays of magic that enveloped her left her body.

She gently leaned out as the trees, landing softly on the regrown, lush green grass...

The others (who could), approached her, to astonished and scared to wake her.

It wasn't necessary.

Gently as foal's, her eyes crept open, not yet focusing, ash her lungs took in the first breath of air..

Slowly, she lifted her head, and blinked, her eyes getting used to the lights of dusk, as if she had never used them before - which was technically true...

Finally, they began to focus, as she looked around - mares, of all kinds and sized, surrounded her. Behind them, in the distance, parked a row of locomotives, too stunned to react.

A griffon and a tall, slender figure stood near by, but closest was a lavender mare, charred and too exhausted to notice her return...

Trixie knew this mare...

"Could it be...?" she whispered.

Shaking her head gently, she stood up, staggering like a newborn, before regaining the balance she once had.

Shaking her head once more, she looked around, gazing at the people that surrounded her, staring at her like how her beloved audience once did.

She saw smiles creeping onto their faces, and she felt like smiling too - then, she looked at her own body, and her smile faded.

No matter which side she looked at, she couldn't find her cutie mark.

Come to think of it, she couldn't even remember her cutie mark!

Twilight's eyes opened as she heard her first sobs, and she was the first to arrive to her, as she fell to the ground, crying...

The mare's body writhed with each cry, as she burred her face between her hooves, hiding it under her thick crest.

The others came to the mare's aid as well, but couldn't figure out the reason behind her cries.

Spike, perhaps because of his height, was the first to notice.

"Girls! Her cutie mark!" he gasped "It's gone!"

The directions given, the others searched that very spot of her body, and followed the baby dragon in his gasp, as they realized he was saying the truth:

Trixie wasn't simply reanimated, she was reborn, with the mind, skills, mentality and memories of the mare she once was, but alas, he flank was now bare, the symbol of her talent gone, and with it, her talent as well...

A new wave of horror and disturbia crashed through the group, as they tried, in vain, to propitiate her.

Gilda sighed.

"Damn it! I knew I forgot about something!" she muttered, facetaloning "This sort of revival spell is literally a "rebirth" spell! They used in the middle ages when someone was sentenced to death, but his or her services prior to the sentence made her worthy of living, even though the sentence was irreversible. It was meant to give the condemned a new leaf!"

"Well, you could have mentioned that earlier!" Alexei grunted.

"Get off my back!" the griffon snapped "We were in a rush, and this was the first thing that came to my mind! Be glad that I even thought of a solution, instead of breaking down into tears, like the lot of ya!"

The figure didn't reply, as the avian sniffed:

"B'sides, this was probably the only one that would actually work, given the time that has passed from the moment of her death!"

"Okay, okay!" the tall being replied "I'm never said I wasn't grateful!"

"Good." Gilda replied sharply, heading back to her engine.

"Trixie..." Twilight began, placing a hoof on the mare's back, only to pull it back instantly, as she felt her tense up, her muscles clenching.

She heard a mutter coming from beneath the silvery crest.

"Trixie..." the librarian tried again, only to have her hoof swatted away.

"I said DON'T TOUCH ME!" the blue mare yelled, bucking against Twilight's body. The kick hit the librarian right in the stomach, hurdling her backwards onto the grass.

The ponies gasped, and retreated with haste, as the former showmare struggled to a stand, shooting a burning glare at the equines and dragon surrounding her.

One by one, they backed away, reversing further and further from the madmare - especially when her horn sparkled up with that familiar, blue electricity.

At an alarming rate, Trixie charged up her horn, then her body, her fur once again turning white, and her mane and tail became the same curtain of lightning it was before, burning brighter than a star, as blinding as an electric fire.

Her hooves left the ground, as the force behind her magic was strong enough to levitate her above the ground - rising higher and higher, as her body was enveloped in indigo light.

Swallowing air into her burning lungs, Twilight managed to lift her head - the blue mare's kick was probably strong enough to pierce her weakened body.

Looking up, her eyes grew wide with wonder and shock, as she saw the reborn mare at her prime once more - crest and tail as long as an alicorn's, burning with a blinding light her own flames weren't able to produce, limbs and torso elongated to the point where the mare seemed to resemble Princess Cadence - or, at least, an over-the-top, horrific parody.

A blade of light, as long as Twilight's own body, arose from the horn of the unicorn, now serving as a hilt.

Watching from afar, the Princesses themselves could have sworn they saw wings, composed of the blinding fire of her hair, sprout from Trixie's back.

Her glaring eyes became pure white, power overlapping her sockets, as she snarled at the world itself.

Around her, the air seemed to freeze - the Royal Sister, shocked down to their cores, were secretly amazed by this incredible feat of magic - if Gilda's incantation was performed well, Trixie shouldn't have had the magical output of a newborn foal - yet here she was, blinding and overshadowing the Princesses of the Sun and Moon themselves.

The engines, nescient about the ways and works of magic, could only stare, stunned and amazed.

The time lord and his assistant were more practical than the rest - they retreated to a safe distance, and observed the anomaly from there.

The mares could only gape in flummox, as the pony who's death and revival was done before their very eyes, was now at her prime once more, a magical powerhouse, truly fitting for the title: 'Great and Powerful'.

The dragonling rushed to his step-sister, trying to get them away from the overpowered mare glaring down at her, but the librarian couldn't move - her eyes were fixated on the raging magician.

Suddenly, a sigh came to Trixie's lips:

"Oh, what's the use..."

In a flash, she powered down, her thunderous magic retreating into her, as the blade of her horn faded, and her mane, tail and fur returned to it's original state... She lowered to the ground, gently as she did after her recreation, and let her head drop, her mane covering her eyes - hiding the tears that dwelled up once more.

Mares approached her, as she trotted, but she would react to none of them. Eventually, they stopped trying, and let her trot, as they stared after her in sorrow.

Twilight made the last attempt:

"Trixie, please... Let us help you... I'm sure we could--..."

"I don't need your help anymore..." Trixie interrupted her, shooting her a tearful glare above her shoulders. She then turned her gaze forward, not even sure of where she was heading - or where will she go.

She whispered to herself, loud enough for the lavender mare to hear:

"I don't need your friendship anymore..."

"Trixie, if there's anything we can do..." Princess Celestia began. She knew very well, she could sense that the showmare her subjects knew was no more...

Before them trotted a mare, more broken than ever before - confiscated of a life...

Yet, she still tried, in a last-ditched attempt, to help her subject - stray as she was, she didn't deserved to be alone.

So she called out:

"Trixie!"

"Oh, for God's sake, SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

A deep, harsh voice crackled through the air like distant thunder. The eyes of the beings present widened upon hearing such offence.

The Princesses themselves took aback, hearing the vulgar order of a familiar voice.

Looking up for the first time, the mares now saw that locomotives they had worked with have long since arrived - how much they had seen, they didn't know...

Looking up, Trixie saw that that's exactly where she was heading - to the end sidings, towards one green machine in particular.

A familiar, black box of an engine right next to the green one sniffed - she was certain that he was the one who told the Princess off.

Twilight couldn't believe her ears.

Sure, she had heard the engines speak vulgarities to authority figures, but this?

Celestia was the railway's chairmare, for crying out loud!

"Diesel, what are you doing!?"

"Shut the Bloody Hell up, Sparkle! You had done enough damage today!"

"D-Damage?" the unicorn stuttered "Wh-What did I do?"

"What did you do?" Stuck-Up growled "You had completely DESTROYED her, that's what!"

"D-Destroyed?" the mare stammered "But... Why... How?!"

"Don't be more moronic than you already are!" the jet black shunter hissed "In ONE DAMN HOUR, you had completely destroyed a mare's life!"

"Eh... Wha... What th' bloomin' hay do ya mean?" Applejack snapped "Twilight had jus' brough' back Trixie from death!"

"She brought her body, all right!" Bowler retorted "But not her life!"

Twilight didn't understood...

She glanced the mare - the mare she had unintentionally humiliated... Who's life she had unintentionally ruined... Who's last hope she had unintentionally crushed... Whom she had defeated... Killed... And brought back to life, without as much as a...

She understood.

"No... No, I didn't..." she uttered, eyes growing wide.

"Yes... YES, YOU DID!" Diesel roared.

"We may be newbies in terms of magic..." Derek sniffed "But even WE know that a grown mare is nothing without her cutie mark - nothing without her talent!"

"And yet, you brought her back, even though it was clearly her final fight!" Diesel bellowed "She didn't wanted anything else from life - she didn't wanted anymore from life! But you pulled her back, into this nightmare!"

"But it was Gilda's--!"

"Gilda merely offered the option!" CoBo grunted "You could have rejected it, and let her die in peace and honor, forgotten as she was!"

"But you brought her back!" Stuck-Up added with a venomous tone "Thus denying her from greater glory... Now, she's nothing, thanks to you!"

Twilight's eyes ached from the amount of tears they had to bare in one day... But that didn't stopped them from coming, once more...

"Alright, THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH, DIESEL!" Rarity yelled, trying to protect her friend - sadly, she couldn't pretend true anger very well, which the engines were quick to notice.

"An' abou' YOU!" Spamcan growled "Wha' sorry sor' o' frien's ARE YA?!"

The mares were dumbfounded.

"Whut... Whatever do ya mean?" Applejack asked, utterly confused.

"Ya le' yer own frien' compe'e i' a ba'le o' loife an' death!" 'Arry snapped "Ar' ya freakin' MAD?!"

"But... But it was an..." Dash began.

"An "Alicorns' Challenge", yeah, yeah!" Bert grunted "Whi's was banne' a THOUSAN' BLU'DY YEA'S AGO!"

"But the magical ties--...!" Rarity tried.

"The magical ties only apply if the battle had actively begun! GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT!" the black Class 08 yelled.

"But... You can't just deny an Alicorn's Challenge!" Twilight protested "The sword right--...!"

"Capital punishment was BANNED in the MIDDLE AGES!" snapped Bowler "Which means every rule, right and procedure affiliated with it had to go!"

"Not only what you did was COMPLETELY ILLEGAL...!" Diesel growled "...You also had NO BLOODY REASON to do it!"

"All it would have took is a little research for a loophole - or a little common sense, and ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!" CoBo put in.

"YOU are her friends!" Derek continued "HOW could you just let her go through all of this without the slightest bit of protest?! Your friend's LIFE was at sake, for crying out loud!"

The mares lowered their heads in sorrow...

The engines were right...

How could they let their friend, their own friend, engage in a lethal fight, following the rules of a millenniums-old challenge?!

The fact that it was banned only made it worse.

They let their friend endanger her own life, only to have her break the highest and most basic Equestrian law, loose her innocence, end the life of another pony, and utterly destroy a mare's life!

"She... She started it..." Rainbow claimed, in a weak attempt.

"SO WHAT?!" BoZo shouted "You could have denied it in the first place! But NO! Instead of chaffily offering her your friendship, or any measly sort of moral support you usually do, you just went along her way, EVEN WHEN IT WAS CRYSTAL CLEAR that she's suicidal!"

"So, to sum it up..." Diesel began "...Not only have you practically let your friend toy with her own life, not only have you let her break primal laws and commit murder, not only have you assisted in one's suicide, you had also, intentionally or unintentionally, had your friends, family, colleagues and whatever actively discriminate, humiliate and assault ONE, lone pony, destroying her socially, emotionally, and all her properties along with it, making her life a complete misery! And to top it off, you then had her brought back to life, forcing her to live without any reason or purpose, WHATSOEVER, thus, breaking your OWN rule of "Live and let it Die"! THIS supposed to be the Equestrian way of doing things? Social-emotional disorder and nonsensical anarchy?!"

So close to tears, the Princesses psyched themselves up - some offenses cannot go unpunished.

"That is enough!" Celestia called out "Diesel, you have NO RIGHT to judge these mares and their actions! You yourself, AND your colleagues, have not helped the situation, whatsoever!"

"NEITHER DID WE WORSEN IT!" Bowler yelled, surprising even his peers "A mare, her life destroyed by adversaries beyond her control, turns to you, her last bastion of hope in a ruined life, for aid - help, advice, comfort, anything! What do you do? YELL INTO HER FACE, MOCK HER, AND THREATEN HER THAT YOU'LL SEND HER TO THE SUN! WHAT SORT OF CRUEL, SICK BASTARD ARE YOU?!"

He huffed.

"Seems like those rumors about Tyrant Trollestia were true..."

The Princess of the Day lowered her head.

This hurt.

The cruel, twisted rumors, either baseless or based on misconception. They hurt her emotions. They hurt her feelings.

They took all of her motivation and courage, crushed whatever ego she allowed herself to have, and left her in the dust, chewed and spit out countless times...

Now, she really struggled to hold her tears...

Luna sighed, saddened as well...

She was there when they had told the mare off - she just came to them in the wrong time!

They were angry at their own selves, for failing an argument against Alexei...

Where they so blinded by petty anger to not notice the broken mare? Did they honestly had to drive down their ire on her?

She had taken her fair share in the insulting, after she realized, who the mare before them was...

She lowered her head as well.

She had been wrong - so wrong.

They were the last hope of a hunted, humiliated pony - the Princesses themselves, and ideal situation that only happened once in a lifetime -, and they threw her into the mud.

Alexei said nothing.

He had been there.

He had seen it all.

Trixie couldn't believe what was happening around her.

The engines, machines from a world far, far away, stood up for her - or scolding the mares and the Princesses themselves for her.

She looked up.

The one engine, the large, long green one with the yellow front and grey face, now looked at her apologetically - why? -, and... Opened the door on his side...

Allowing her to enter his cab...

She proceeded, following his unspoken offer - or order.

"Wait... What are you doing?!" Twilight muttered.

"We're taking her with us." Diesel growled.

"But... But why?" Fluttershy asked.

"She had suffered enough from YOU!" Bowler replied, saying the last word as if it was a wretched curse "So we're taking her somewhere where she could rest, and sleep off all this madness..."

"But... I don't get it!" Twilight cried, desperately.

"Of course you don't..." Old Stuck-Up muttered "NONE of you do, as you're either too naive, too stupid or too self-absorbed to realize ONE thing!"

"...What?" the mares asked.

"That you, and by that, I mean, the lot of you, US, and Trixie, have ONE thing in common..."

"Which is...?" Rainbow asked.

"We're ALL outcasts!" the Breakfather declared, making the equines gasp.

"...Ah-Outcasts?" Rarity stammered "Whatever makes you think that?"

"Don't be more ignorant than you usually are!" Cromwell hissed "You're all outcasts in your own rights, AND DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO DENY IT!"

"Let's take YOU, Rarity, for first example!" Diesel muttered viciously "You're one of the classic examples of "too high for her own class". Even if you manage to find a decent balance between work and social interaction, you fail to realize the awkwardness that surrounds you!"

"Whu-Whatever do you mean?" the mare gasped.

"Don't be daft." the shunter sneered "You ALWAYS try to bring the so-called "high class" and "sophistication" of the big cities to this humble town, once again, FAILING to notice the darkness, filth and corruption that truly lies within these settlements you prefer..."

The mare couldn't reply - she didn't know what to say.

"Yeah..." the engine smirked, wickedly "I'm talking about that snobbish, egoistic naivety you have, which blinds you from seeing the truth!"

"I tried to teach you about the true, sordid nature the upperclass." Stuck-Up added "Nothing but infidelity, petty vengeance, lies, grime and greed. With your experience of THAT side, you'll be washed out into the back-allies within a day."

"Times have changed." Bowler agreed "You got to be TOUGH to stay on the saddle of pageantry. The neu high class is less forgiving and solidary under all the gold and sugarcoat than what you would ever expect. Still, awkward and corrupt as they are, you want THEIR style to be dominant in this humble town. Another member of the SICK society, I see!"

Slowly, Rarity lowered her head in defeat, unable to hold back her own tears anymore. Quiet sobs escaped her, and the diesels continued their list, mercilessly...

"Then there's Applejack!" Diesel went on, enjoying the sight of the mare's head perking up, eyes widening in uncertain fear.

His black, metallic heart became filled with a cold delight, as the routine seeped back into his oily veins...

"Like Rarity, you also try to balance work and play, but you're not as skillful as she is..." the shunter grinned "You bury yourself in work, even if it's unnecessary, just to keep the rhythm going. And so, you neglect your friends, though they don't mind - they had gotten used to your irresponsibility as a friend!"

Applejack gasped, unable to utter a word, her mind thorn between sorrow, confusion and rightful anger.

"Gran'ed, ya wo'k mo', an' yer job is fa' mo' ha'de' in a way..." Smamcan admitted "Bu' tha' doesn' chan'es th' fact tha' ya rathe' stick to yer farm tha' yer own friends!"

"And it's not even about family!" the black engine put in "It's all about doing more work! It's not like it leaves you more free time the day after, or the month after, or whatever!"

"Ya jus' AVOI' yer own frien's fo' wo'k!" Spamcan grunted "B'cause, WHY NOT?! Yer frien's ar'n' produc'ive, anyway! Dey're jus' a bur'en in yer wo'k, ar'n' dey?!"

Slowly, the applefarmer lowered her head as well, hiding her tear-coated face under her hat...

Diesel's smirk grew wider - it had been a long time since he could enjoy what he was the best at - deviousness.

Slowly, in a comfortably unpleasant way, the old tricks and turns, the old schemes and plots, all the experience, all the mannerism and spoils of his half-hearted work returned.

It was like popping his nonexistent fingers after a long time of neglect - they crackled, but the "sound" didn't bother him - all he could feel is slick, yet gluey, proficient hands regaining their praxis, and at long last, putting his own, most greatest and prominent talent into use:

his own, dark nature.

"And what about you, Rainbow Dash?" he continued with an oily voice, his engine beginning to smoothly purr without him even noticing.

The mare looked up, eyes dilated in fear - in fear of being unveiled, unmasked, having her errors and exploits revealed to the watchful eye of the great big world.

"The Element of Loyalty to you claim to be..." Stuck-Up smirked, words rolling off his tongue like sweet poetry, as his tone sharpened "...And yet, you procrastinate friends for work, work for training, training for sloth!"

"Yeah, ya 'av' th' 'ardes' wo'k..." 'Arry chuckled.

"Livin' wi'hou' a backbone t' bac' u' yer wo'ds!" Bert chortled "Har'es' job in 'e wo'ld, ey, Rainbo'?"

"Hmmh..." Diesel sneered "Work comes before fun for the lot of ya, but for YOU, idling away is primal..."

"Ya nevah notice when yer frien's need ya." 'Arry agreed.

"Th' same way ya nevah notice when ya miss th' star'in' gun." Bert put in, trying to be artistic "Toime flies by, an' yer life thunders pass ya, an' wha' hav' ya accomplished? Ya staye' aloive, a mare livin' in her dreams!"

The pegasus lowered to the ground, and had to grit her teeth to stop herself from shrieking into the dimmed sky, tears rolling down her cheeks in a most painful manner - in guilt.

Diesel's grin grew even wider, and the other engines began to join him as well.

He felt absolutely delighted - so much hope and joy, so much chaffy happiness and unnecessary lustrum, so many things, good things he never had the chance, or the liking to enjoy, brought into his face and used in excess, without as much as a thought of care about HIS ideals and likings - he had to tolerate this for soooo long!

Now, all this fluffy, sugary, cutesy-poo ambiance and setup collapsed and withered before his eyes, finally revealing it's true, self-deceiving, hollow self to wide, open world.

He was in Nirvana!

"Oh, and don't think we had forgotten about you, Fluttershy!" he said, his voice positively evil. The cream colored mare squirmed, trying to make herself look smaller - sadly, that didn't took away her ability to hear.

"What is there that could be said about you?"

The mare lifted her head in surprise, seeing her own engine, the weedy Class 17 smile at her.

She also saw that very, comforting smile turn into a wicked grin of malice.

"Actually..." Derek went on, using an awfully smooth tone "What is there that couldn't be said about you? You're a pegasus that dares NOT to fly. You live in a cottage, surrounded by animals of all shape an size, all race and kind - but with only a couple of equine friends that also had to be magically linked to you to even meet them in the first place!"

"Goo' on', Dere'!" Spamcan called out.

"Nice, a very good start, Derek..." Diesel smiled "But, with all honesty, you've failed to point out the most CRUCIAL problems with the picture!" he added, with a nasty smirk.

"Really?" Derek asked, pretending surprise "Like what?"

"Like the fact that she lives on the EDGE of the town, alone in a cottage with an ARMADA of animals, her pet is a dominant male rabbit who literally seems to take control over her life at times, while she's too shy to even breath near stallions..."

"Ah, I see..." Derek replied, momentarily reverting into his original self "Oh my, that DOES bring some icky ideas to your mind..."

"Icky indeed..." the shunter grinned.

He didn't even NEED to see the mare's face to tell it was burning red with shame and tears.

For the shortest moment, he did felt some sort of resentment towards his own self, but that was quickly brushed away by the sheer pleasure coming from hurting someone else - not necessarily weaker, though. The harder it is to catch the prey, the more it's worth.

But for him, the mere idea of hurting someone living in his or her own bubble, hiding behind his or her own wall of lies, in his or her own world built of deceit, then bringing these delusions down to make another face the world in all of it's stark reality - it was pure bliss.

Bliss and Heavens, gorgeosity and gorgeousness made metal, cold and raw.

But even when sitting atop his own smoggy clouds of dark delight, he didn't lost sight of his target...

Especially now, given the fact that the next one ALWAYS made him see red, deep down... ALWAYS.

"YOU!" he roared, making everyone in his vicinity jump in surprise.

The ponies looked around, trying to find just who he was directing his bash at now...

Didn't took them long to find out...

She shrunk under his glare, barely even daring to take deeper breaths, as the overwhelming feeling of terror overtook her mind...

"YOU are nothing more than a nuisance! Not simply an eccentric or an outcast, NO. You're FAR beyond any point of social redemption, my absolute opposite of "friend"! I said this before when I disabused Steamie, but now, I shall correct myself, as you're more fitting for this: NO-ONE should be THIS chirpy and live!"

The mare shrunk even more.

"I mean, honestly! HOW are you even ALIVE?! Your diet alone would have killed millions of species - all of which MILLION times your size, and in perfect health! Aside from that, you arbitrarily bend and break the rules of physics and logic itself. An amazing feat, perhaps, but don't you think it may have some negative effects on the way people see you? Or what about your constant parties, thrown for the most trivial reasons in the world, or for no reason at all! For shitz and giggles, literally! "Why", asks the common equine, "does one hold parties which are all the same and show no difference in design, taste - or lack, thereof -, and theme"? To HIDE something, obviously!

Her eyes widened. NOW she really didn't liked where this was going.

"So..." the diesel smirked "What are you hiding, Pinkamena Diane Pie? What sort of dark, ghoulish secret do you have, and where? In your basement, perhaps?"

He could practically hear her heart breaking - no sign of protest from her this time. Good.

"But, I shall stay from the horrid "rumors" surrounding your case." the locomotive smiled with mock-kindness "Though, the question still remains: WHY do you hold your banal, trivial parties all the time? WHAT are you trying to cover up?"

Oddly enough the others raised their heads slightly - this one question had been bugging them for some time by now, with no clear, straight answers given. Perhaps now...

Diesel's smile disappeared.

"I tell you, what: Emptiness!"

This caught the pink pony by surprise... What did he meant?

"Beyond your blatant, unnecessary parties, stomach-churning cheeriness and over-the-top, hyperactive mindfuck nonsense, you're nothing more, than an empty sell..."

He paused, impressively.

"A mare without any content and frame, nothing more than built-up bubble of saccharin, food color and confetti - a balloon, reminiscent of the three on your flank - all puffed up in a nice, round shape, seemingly firm, yet flexible, yet all it takes is a bit of extra-cold air or liquid... Just a bit too much pressure applied... Just ONE, sharp pin..."

BANG!

The ponies jumped - the engine's statement was enhanced by a violent backfire.

"Your mask falls..." Diesel said softly "Your hide, now loosing all it's shape, becomes wrinkled and loose. But what was on the inside? Nothing..."

He had to stop, just to stifle his laughter...

"Just a gush of moist, moldy air... No content... No value..."

He couldn't help it... His smile quickly twisted into a grin, and he burst out laughing, rude and loud - the best joy is gloat, after all.

Twilight couldn't understand him - HOW can one be so cruel and bitter all of a sudden, when he acts so normal all the time. So... Peaceful and somewhat tolerant. Reasonable. Wise, even...

And why...?

Why...?

WHY did all that he had said seem... So true?!

So undeniably obvious, now that he had mentioned.

Sure, it was biased - or, at least, felt like -, and, of course it extremely negative...

But then...

Why did she felt that he had spoken what had been in her mind for so long?!

"Alas, our time is short, so I might as well wrap this up..." the shunter smirked, and his peers smirked with him.

Their engines purred comfortably, sound akin to that of a tiger's, panther's or jaguar's, which hid in the bushes, watching as a member of it's kin toy with the prey...

Icy smirks on every face, soft, malicious frowns upon each eye...

They were one.

One immense, horrible group of bastards, who's words we're so undeniable true!

"I could go on and ON about how the Princesses are outcast by default despite all their fame, fortune, luxury and benevolence... Though, now that I mentioned it, it isn't really that much of a surprise that they fail as social beings, if we not count the tea parties, speeches and meetings they have to attend..."

His gaze changed subjects...

"Then there is our beloved Doctor, with his little, klutzy gray lovemaid, BOTH of whom ponies ogle at with shock and disturbia..."

The mentioned too leaned close, trying to comfort one another, wordlessly.

"But I feel it's time we got one the MAIN REASON of this peppy rant..." Diesel grinned "TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"

A gasp arose from the group, as all eyes - hurt, sad, and angry glares - landed on the lavender mare.

Diesel's smile was no more.

"When YOU were selected as my driver, I thought I was lucky - I had the most reasonable, sensible equine in a thousand yard radius as my driver - and all those trivialities about being the heroine of Equestria and the Element of Magic, Princesses' protegee, et cetera, et cetera..."

The mare listened, anxiously...

"But I soon came to the realization that you are, but another naive little pony, living in her own world of delusions, oblivious of the world that has to suffer around her, and completely uneducated about the virtues of life - a folly I write upon the bill of your mentor..."

Twilight couldn't see, but feel that Princess Celestia lowered her head even further. She tried to feel rage, but she had no more anger left...

"...In the end..." Diesel uttered finally "You're nothing more, than a shut-in, nerdy bookworm and teacher's pet with a periodic fit of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - yet another outcast to ad to the list, and WHY NOT?! That's basically the ONLY THING us engines and you ponies have in common..."

The mare sighed... Was this the end?

"Until today..."

...Definitely not...

"For today, I came to the realization that even though we are all ostracized by the society around us, WE, engines, are still different from you..."

"...How?" she asked, weakly.

Diesel took a deep breath.

"Despite all your errors, mistakes and misconceptions, DESPITE all the petty anguish and pathetic delusion you live in, you're still better than us..."

The mare's head perked up...

"...What?"

"Don't get me wrong, it isn't just YOUR efforts that helped this..." the engine sniffed.

None of his peers were smiling anymore
.
Twilight stared, perplexed.

"For everything you do, every path you take, every ounce of effort you put into things, WE always botch it up. WE always take the wrong path, our efforts always fail, and ALL of our work is DOOMED to failure."

He paused for a moment.

"I had said it countless times before, but I shall repeat it once more: OUR world isn't as nice as your's is. It's ugly, wretched and cruel, twisted and warped in sick ways, and as appealing as a pustulate pimple on your anus. Therefore, EVERYTHING that comes from there, including us, is worse than anything that comes from here. - he explained, half-heartedly - Your world supports your delusions and eccentricities, OURS detests them and humiliates us for them, mercilessly - WE don't have the luxury of a "loving" and "tolerant" society..."

He fell silent, for one last time...

"To sum it up... You, Twilight Sparkle, you and your friends, are outcasts, weirdos, misunderstood by the rest of the world.

WE are rejects! We're freaks that the rest of the world has ejected from itself, and left to rot..."

He spat, then, with a loop of thought, added:

"THAT'S why we've came here in the first place! At least, THIS world can bare us, if never truly accept or tolerate..."

He gazed at the mares for one, last time - no sign of anger, spite or malice in his eyes. Just sorrow.

"We HOPED we could find somethings that vaguely resembled "friends" in this world, so famous for it's love and tolerance. Instead, we were given delusions and fake, material happiness composed of petty consumerism and empty relations..."

The air grew heavy with melancholy... Neither engines or ponies uttered a word...

What was there to say, after all?

"...And in the end, we did find people who we can relate to..."

Diesel's voice was hoarse, and filled with bitterness.

"They are rejects, just like us - rejected from the pseudo-perfect society of ponies, rejected by a group of outcasts who stand on a higher level - knew how to gang up against the ones they don't like... YOU."

Doors slammed...

Motors growled...

Brakes hissed...

One by one, the locomotives reversed from the sidings, reversing from the one place that had seen so much since they have arrived...

No word spoken... No thought to share...

They just trundled back to their sheds, away to hide from a world that rejected them as well...

In the cab of two particular engines, a griffon and a pony sat, staring at the scenery outside, listlessly. They were rejected - and thus, accepted.

One by one, the ponies left the field, each on his or her own way, not uttering one word to the other - there was nothing to be said.

Just emptiness.

The Princesses retreated to the palace, tail in between their legs, after the painful humiliation they had to suffer through the day - the painful realization of it all.

They turned to their friend for help, but Alexei declined.

"Don't speak to me..." he muttered, emotionless "I have nothing to say to you."

Late into the night, a lavender mare climbed into her bed, exhausted. Her step-brother and assistant tried to comfort her, but his words fell to deaf ears, so he eventually gave up, and retried to bed himself...

"These are the main sheds." Bowler explained kindly "Not much, but it's home."

"Not much"?

The place was massive, especially compared to her old carriage.

"There are sleeping quarters upstairs..." the green diesel went on "But I'd rather suggest that you sleep in my cab. The seat is adjustable and comfy, and I'm MUCH cleaner than anything around here!"

That the mare could guess from the strong musk of soap coming from the locomotive.

Gilda said her goodbyes, welcoming her to the team.

"Don't worry." she said, mustering a smile in spite of her tiredness "It's not bad. It gives you a stable income until you find another... Oh..." she shut her beak, and left, quickly...

The mare sighed wearily, and, following Bowler's advice, retired into the Class 40's cab.

The seat quickly turned into a bed, and she found some warm blankets packed aside.

Laying on her "bed", a shiver ran down her spine - what will become of her, Beatrix Lulamoon?

The Great and Powerful was no more.

All that was left...

...Was a reject...

And in the night, two magical mares cried themselves into a dreamless sleep...

As one.