TWILIGHT'S FIRST DAY

It was a pleasant, if chilly morning in Equestria.

The sun had just came up, the early birds were chirping...

Aaaaand...

Ummm....

Oh!

The railway's daily shift came into action.

And in the Canterlot Province, the heart of the Equestrian Kingdom (Equestria ISN'T the planet's name, silly!), not far from the capital, Canterlot itself, a small town was waking up.

It was Ponyville, a humble village where most residents knew each other, and lived happily, away from the bustling cities and the barren wastelands. Lately, this town had also received the honor (and responsibility) of being selected as the province's main transfer yard - many trains passed through here, and the speedway lines set up a bit further from the yard and the station, provided extra safety for the fast runs that didn't stop at Ponyville Station.

The marshaling yard itself had two sheds: a smaller one, which was more like a remise, with ten sidings, and a transfer table, and a bigger one with fifteen sidings and an electric turntable.

The latter one was massive and block shaped, Soviet-era style (or shall I say, Council-era style), and had a second level which loomed over seven sidings on one side - the engineers' living quarters and leisure room was located here.

In the rightmost side, a small locomotive was snoozing, a discontent moppet on his mouth and a slight frown over his closed eyes, though barely noticeable - especially since most people would've focused on his hideous, pointy nose and winsomely snaky eyebrows.

He was diesel engine, a shunter, to be precise. He had six small wheels, with shiny, stainless steel tires and traction rods, a short, stumpy cab, a short, stumpy body, and a short, stumpy temper.

As the first rays of the sun illuminated his berth through the ground glass windows, the engine woke up, feeling sullen, as usual.

Snorting, he opened one eye, and glanced around, sniffing...

Looking nonchalant and with a hint of superiority, he opened both eyes, and waited.

Soon enough a workcolt arrived, opening the shed's double doors, light filling the dim siding.

"Good morning there, Diesel!" he said, cheerily. Diesel just rolled his eyes.

"What's SOOO good about it?" he asked, although he had to admit the cool, morning breeze, moist with dew, was a nice change compared to the frowzy air of the shed, swirling around his wheels as it poured in in gusts.

The pony quickly climbed into his cab, sweeping off the dust from the control cubicle.

"It's a special day today!"

"Why? Are we making a gig for handicapped children?" the shunter asked back, amused, before correcting himself "I mean, handicapped foals?"

"Noooo..." the colt replied "Nothing like that..."

Diesel sniffed again.

"Then... What is it?" he huffed, suspiciously. His driver-of-the-day didn't reply. He just smirked, and started the engine.

The shunter's motor quickly roared to life, and was soon purring (or more like rumbling) smoothly - not much of a surprise, as he was kept under PROPER conditions.

Slowly, Diesel rolled out from his berth, down the the sloped rails, down the short, concrete covered ground towards the turntable's well. With a quiet whir, the table turned to his siding, enabling him to roll onto it.

He was surprised to see that instead of turning to the right, towards the yard, he was turned to the left, which led to the observing tracks and the fuel depot.

"What's going on?" he asked, now curious. His driver still didn't reply, just urged him forward. Reluctantly, Diesel obeyed, but his eyes were now darting around suspiciously, a pronounced frown on his face.

He was stopped on the middle of the outer track, where his driver turned off his motor.

The diesel engine glanced around.

The sky was clear, aside from a few clouds in the distance...

The birds were chirping, and the crickets were chirping as well, in the high grass of the meadow outside the yard's stone fence. Diesel could easily see over the fence, as it was at the bottom of the tracks' high embankment.

His driver had left without a word, leaving him to wonder.

In the distance, he could see the colorful houses of the town.

THEN he remembered.

"Hurry up, Spike! we're going to be late!" Twilight called out to the dragon. She herself was packing her saddlebags for the day - sandwiches, a thermos, and some fake gemstones she got from Rarity the other day ("ZIRCONIUM?! The NERVE of that salesmare!!! Why, I oughta...!").

The lavender pony chuckled inwardly at the memory, before closing the bags, and tossing them over her back.

"Comin'!" Spike replied from the other room. He soon entered with a backpack.

"You packed in everything in, right?" Twilight asked. The baby dragon thought for a moment.

"Quills, parchment, notebooks, ink, History Records of Equestrian Railways, aaaaand repeat all, 'cept for the book. Check." Spike responded, counting the object on his fingers "I guess we're ready."

"Right." the purple unicorn smiled back "Let's go."

On their way through town, they met no-one, and in fact, saw no-one. So early in the morning, Ponyville was like ghost town. Tranquil, but creepy in a way. As if time had stopped. In fact, after some time, Twilight began to expect to come across overgrown ruins the next corner. Spike, on the other hand, was anxious, and tried to cover it with questions.

"S-So... What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I hope I'll get to work as an administrator, or, if anything, a ticket cashier." his friend replied, before chuckling "And you could be a ticket inspector!"

"I'll pass..." Spike groaned "Anyways, what about the others?"

Twilight pondered.

"The Apples are busy, Applejack said they're behind schedule. Fluttershy has to take care of a wile argument between foxes and wolves..."

"Don't wanna be in HER place..." Spike hissed, wincing at the thought of being in such predicament...

"Rarity is on a day-out with her family... And Rainbow Dash had to go to a Weather Council meeting at Cloudsdale. It's about that accident with the refinery."

"I should have guessed..." Spike mumbled "This licenta stuff sure is dangerous, huh?"

"It is." Twilight replied, before adding it sharply "Licenta radiation holds potential dangers, IF handled the WRONG way. What happened was an unfortunate incident."

Spike had his doubts.

"Yeah, so was Chernobull, Severesk with Trotsk-7, Haresburg with Three-Mares Island, Spellafield, Packs, and... Oh! Who could forget Heroshima, or shall I say, Bukushima?" he asked murkily. Twilight grunted, and picked up pace, as her assistant continued "Face, it, Twilight, licenta is dangerous, and ponies have always struggled to keep control of it."

"And you think that ridding the world of rainbows and lightning power is the ultimate solution, do you?!" Twilight snapped, loud enough for anyone to hear. Spike looked around nervously.

"Shh!" he hushed her "There's no need to get yourself worked up about it!"

"I'm NOT getting myself worked up about it!" Twilight responded angrily, but with a quieter voice "I'm getting worked up about YOUR stupidity!"

"What?" Spike had taken aback.

"You listen to all that crud those spectraphobiac gangs and their sponsors say, when one of your friends is RAINBOW DASH?! She had been having sleepless nights over the arguments and stress caused by with those vicious cloppers!"

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed. He rarely saw Twilight this angry, and had never expected her to get vulgar.

"All those ignorant, hectic buckers think about is 'OOOOH, ANOTHER LEAK, WE SHOULD TOTALLY BAN REFINING RAINBOWS, AND THEN ARGUE ABOUT GRAY SKIES! WHAT, SOME SCIENTIST AND EXPERTS DARE TO CLAIM WE'RE NOT RIGHT? LET'S SUE THE BUCK OUT OF THEM!'" that, by far, was the best "annoying bimbo witch" and "snooty old nag" impression Spike had ever heard. He now listened with interest, as the mare continued her rant.

"Ponies know NOTHING about the conditions and nature of these accidents! And if you TRY to explain it to them, it's like talking to a stone wall! Chernobull was due by equine omission and the skipping of regulations, and Bukushima had to suffer the strongest earthquake recorded yet, AND a tsunami before the meltdown! And, for the last time, Heroshima was a blooming MILITARY ATTACK, NOT an ACCIDENT!" the unicorn bellowed "THERE IS A MOHTERBUCKING DIFFERENCE, YOU KNOW!"

"Woah, take it easy, Twilight!" Spike replied soothingly. The mare took a deep breath.

"Alright." she mutterd crossly "But c'mon! Don't you think it's a bit suspicious that most of the groups are from Phillydelphia?" she asked "'Cause, for your information, it's exactly 'Delphia that had been pushing the idea of licenta used for military purposes, rather than civilian ones. Their contribution helped the Manehattan Project the most."

"Twilight, that's manure, and YOU should know that!" Spike snapped back "All these conspiracy theories are made up in response to their claims. At LEAST, you didn't went as far to compare them to the Nasys..." he added.

Twilight huffed.

"I would never DO such a thing, and besides...!" she groaned, before adding, more delicately "You know what I think of nationalism..."

"'It's the springboard to supremacism to colts and mares who are in doubt about their ponyhood.'" Spike cited with bore "I KNOW! And I agree with it, so to speak. But you can't just ignore their opinion! It would make you just as bad, if not worse, than them!"

His friend sighed.

"I guess your right. But still..." she muttered, her voice dropping into an ominous whisper "I swear by Star Swirl's beard, if I ever, EVER come across one of those motherbuckers, I'll..."

"Before you continue that..." Spike interrupted on a disinterested tone "I might as well tell you that Fluttershy is an active anti-licenta supporter."

Twilight's face fell.

"And Rainbow had agreed with her." Spike added "They understand each other's point of view, and they tried to come up with solutions in the discussions." the dragon scratched his head "Buuut, the other participants usually don't really work together well."

The mare gave an exasperated sight.

"Let's get to work." she muttered, glumly.

They soon arrived at to the yard, and went straight to the main shed, where the Doctor was waiting for them.

"Good morning, Twilight! Morning, Spike!" he greeted them "Ready for your first day at the railway?"

"Sure!" Twilight replied cheerily, despite her spleenful mood "What'll be my job?"

"Follow me." the Time Lord replied, and trotted off. But to Twilight's surprise, to the other direction - he wasn't going towards the station's office - he was heading to the sidings!

Surprised, Twilight and Spike followed him, all the way to the outermost siding. From the distance, she could already figure out why.

Diesel was resting on the siding, his cab towards them. The workmares did wonders to his appearance - his buffer plates were bright red as they were supposed to be, with buffers painted dull black, making them look good as new. His overall paintjob, originally spotty, faded with a tint of brown added to it, probably due to the quality (and consequently, the price) of the paint, was now replaced by a proper jet black coat - even his wheels and chassis had been repainted. His silver gray tires and traction rods shone brightly, his windows cleaned, and his footplate spotless. Twilight could only marvel at the sight.

The Doctor interrupted her gaze.

"Well, here we are."

"What?" the mare asked back, bemused.

"Here we are." the Doctor repeated "Your first job."

"My... First... Job?" she asked slowly, eyes darting around, before they landed on Diesel.

"Yes." Dr. Whooves replied "Through your training and hopefully afterwards, you'll be Diesel's driver. Now, he's a shunting engine, which means your jobs will mostly consist of arranging trains, and short-distance slow goods. You may also be doing maintenance on him if fitters aren't available."

"Wait..." Twilight's eyes went wide "I'll be... A driver?"

"No need for this, then!" Spike grinned, and hurled the heavy bag away into the distance. Twilight was getting nervous.

"But... I don't know how to drive at all, let alone an engine!" she whimpered, before asking, hopefully "Do I at least get an instruction manual?"

"Nope." the brown earth pony replied "It'll have to be a first-hoof experience, but don't worry. Diesel will be there to help you!"

"But... But..." Twilight was getting closer to panic.

"As for you, Spike." the Doctor continued, turning to the dragon "You'll be a full time fitter. Your job will be to maintain the engines based here. For you, I do have blueprints and manuals, and I hope you'll study them well."

"C-Can't we switch jobs?" the mare asked, practically begging.

"What, you want ME to deal with that Grease Block?" Spike retorted, mordantly "As if!"

The Doctor and the dragon left, still discussing Spike's duty, leaving Twilight behind. She slumped onto her flank, pouting.

"You finished yet?" a moderately deep voice grumbled "Work's not gonna do itself, and I can't move by myself ALL the time, as I detailed to you back in the first night!"

Twilight cringed at the memory.

She then got up, with a determined face, turned around and trotted towards the engine, up to the front,

"Good morning, Diesel!" she greeted him happily.

"Oh, so you're NOT afraid of me?" Diesel replied nonchalantly, his face in the same glum expression Twilight had seen the most so far.

"No..." she replied, admitting, embarrassed "I was afraid of the task, because I don't know how to drive an engine."

Diesel rolled his eyes, before he spoke, his frown softening slightly.

"Well, the best way now is for you to try it." he spoke "I have many decades of experience behind me, which also comes with some expertise in certain areas of rail work."

He looked down thoughtfully, at the mare before him. He then closed his eyes, and with slight "whatever" grimace and a "Hmph!", he talked to her.

"Alright then. First thing first, as my driver..." he began "You're in charge of whatever work I do. You control me, essentially, you drive me."

The unicorn only nodded.

"First thing first would be that you check over me to see if the fitter had left out anything, but I doubt that's the case. I've already had a check-up this morning, and everything's fine." he explained "But, if you wish, you can take a quick look around..."

And Twilight proceeded so.

She climbed up to Diesel's ladder, onto his roof, and walked around on top, checking the exhausts. Then, she climbed under him, examining the axles, brakes and gearing. She knew nothing about diesel engines, but the explanation Old Stuck-Up gave to the princesses on their first meeting, she was sure that she was looking at the right things.

After a thorough examination, she found her way into Diesel's cab.

The control cubicle was in front of her. It was a simple set, easily manageable from each sides of it.

"Right." she heard Diesel's voice as if he was inside the cab as well. Dismissing the idea of a "Dieselception", she figured that since she's basically inside the engine, his voice was just as easy to hear as standing outside, in front of him. She was also sure he could hear her. So...

"What now?"

"First of all, turn my motor on." Diesel replied "Search for a button with a sign that reads "Engine Start-Off"."

The mare proceeded so, and soon found it. Pressing it - which turned out to be hard, as the button had a metal rim, and only it's plastic inside moved - she was startled by the loud noise of Diesel's engine clanking to life, before it turned into a mixture of purring and rattling.

"OK." Diesel responded "Now, do you see the control handle?" he asked.

"Yes. TWO of it." came the reply.

"Right. You may see another, vertical handle not far from it. That' are the brakes' control. Put one... Hoof over that lever, and the other to the control handle. Release the brakes, and then slowly turn the handle to a forward motion. Directions are highlighted on the panel."

After catching everything the shunter said, Twilight did exactly as he told her. Carefully, she pulled the vertical lever, jumping as she heard the shrill sound of the air brakes releasing.

Diesel purred comfortably.

"Easy now, Sparkle." he spoke in a reassuring way "Now. Slowly turn the control handle forwards, and keep an eye out on the track through the windows. You can see through them, right?"

Twilight's chair - the very chair she slept on a few days before - was close and high enough for her to see through the right oblong window. She chose this side so that she could keep an eye on the other sidings as well.

Shakily, she put her hoof on the handle, and slowly turned it, the degree of the turn growing and growing. The control handle was a horizontal one that turned to the side, that would of probably went around in a circle, if the gearing would allowed it.

Getting a firm grip on it, Twilight stopped. Diesel was yet to move.

"C'mon, Twilight." she heard his voice "It's not that hard. Just do it."

She was momentarily surprised. Diesel's voice was gentle, almost brotherly, and this was unarguably the first time he ever called her Twilight.

A determined look, not different from the one she had on earlier, returned to her face.

"C'mon, Twilight! You can do this!" she reassured herself, and gentle but firm, she turned the handle to quarter level.
Very slowly, the shunter began to move. Twilight held her breath. Diesel accelerated, slowly gaining speed, before he came to a constant, slow pace, rolling down the line.

Twilight squealed.

"I did it!"

"Now, don't cheer so early!" Diesel replied "You got me moving. Fine. How do you stop me?"

The mare didn't replied. For a moment, she felt another panic attack approaching. Then, after taking a deep breath, she looked around. The controls were simple enough. Carefully, she pulled the handle back, and pushed the lever into it's original upright position. Diesel slowed down, and stopped with a pneumatic hiss, engine rattling quietly.

"...Adequate." he spoke up after some time, his normal, indifferent and superiority-tinted voice returning "Can you do it backwards?"

"Backwards?" the mare blinked.

"Yes." Diesel replied mordantly "Us engines could only go back and forth on the rails. Move me backwards."

Twilight though for a moment, then slowly, she turned the control handle to the other direction, and to her surprise, it could move that way easily.

After a few runs back and forth, trying out the different speeds and methods of braking, she felt much more at ease, feeling her control over the engine. But she wasn't alone.

Diesel had been with her, aiding her through the session. He would always give her advise in the right time, but in a voice that made it sound like a rude remark.

- "Guess that's how he does it..." - she pondered, as they finally left the training siding, and were approaching the fuel depot.

Stopping beside the tanks, she followed her mentor's order and turned his engine off, took the cap from his fuel tank, and placed the hose in it.

"It's VERY important that you ALWAYS turn the motor off before refueling." the jet black engine spoke "One of my... Drinking friend's driver forgot this once..." his voice turned glum "They're no longer with us..."

Twilight let out a quiet gasp. But said nothing.

Somehow, she felt it was best not to say anything, as the shunter seemed deep in thought, embracing the memory.

A while later, they arrived at the sidings. It was a slow day, and only a few trains have been stopping there, most of them just quickly passing through. The coaches have been arranged, and the only thing left to clear were the sidings were the "home" trucks were stored. But boy, was THAT a mess!

The trucks had been scattered all over the sidings, in odd and even numbers, various kinds and types mixed. They were all chatting with each other, not having the slightest care in the world, as Diesel rumbled into the yard.

They all noticed him, however, but didn't seem to care much.

"Twilight. Horn." Diesel spoke simply. Twilight reached out to a hanging strap, and gave it a thug.

Diesel's infamous electric horn buzzed through the air.

The trucks paid NO notice at all.

"Right." the shunter muttered, eyes narrowing "Twilight. OTHER horn."

The mare now reached out to a sprung crank attached to a pipe running through the control panel, up to the ceiling of the cab.

Diesel's secondary, air-operated horn blared loudly, making the trucks all jump and bump into each other.

Most Other Railway diesels had two horn: one, quieter, for urban areas, and a louder one for the yards and for foggy weather.

Twilight honked the latter, which even made she herself jump up in her seat.

"Steady now." the engine called to her, before speaking to the trucks "Alright you lot! Listen up! I have a trainee driver with me, and I want her to LEARN to SHUNT, and not what an obnoxious bunch of pricks you are! So, behave yourself, or I'll take you to the demolition derby!" he yelled.

The trucks winced, but kept whispering to each other, as Diesel, surprisingly carefully and gently, shunted them to their place, arranging two trains, and putting the rest in their assigned sidings, his work contradicting his mood.

Soon enough, the work was done, and the two decided to take a rest at carriage works, located near the sheds. Diesel never like to stop on curved tracks, it always felt constricting to him in a way, but then again, who cared?

Twilight was sitting on his footplate, resting her head against the cool metal of the ladders that ran up to his roof.

"So, how was I?" she suddenly asked.

Diesel thought for a moment.

"Good." he admitted "Especially if you consider that it's only been your first day. You could handle driving in either directions with ease, and dealt with one of the most sloppiest truck in the bunch." he grinned here "And THAT was a heart-warming sight to see."

Twilight blushed at the memory.

One of the trucks had been giving hard time to her and Diesel, jamming it's brakes hard on, and getting stuck on a set of points. Twilight, loosing patience after some time, trying to release the brakes of the stubborn truck, whacked him on the top of his side where his face was located, and instantly, the truck's brakes released, said rolling stock whimpering painfully. Twilight apologized, but Diesel just jeered.

"If you say so, Diesel" she replied.

They sat there, soaking up the sunlight, and enjoying the slight breeze brushing against their fur and metal, when Twilight heard the most queerest sound...

...sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.... wheeeeeeeeeeesheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehw...

"What's that?" she asked, wondering.

"What's what?" Diesel asked back, nonchalantly.

...sheeeeeeeeeewheeeeeeeeesheeeeeeeeeee... Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

"That, that noise! It sounds like... It sounds like someone's trying to speak through a whistle..."

"A whistle? "

..sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh...

"Yeah! Didn't you just heard it?"

"Wait..." Diesel's eyes went wide.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, but her eyes went wide as well, her pupils shrinking to pinprick size, as the noise got louder and louder, AND LOUDER...

...SheeeeeeeeeweeeEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--!!!

- OH FUCK!

The next second, something green, incredibly fast and blurred passed by the two, sliding down the siding next to them, crashing into the buffers at the end.

Badly shaken from the crash, the two didn't budge, with Diesel's eyes shut tight in a frown, still ready for the impact that never happened, and with Twilight gripping onto his ladder, clinging to it for her dear life.

Slowly, the two opened their eyes, and Twilight glanced back.

And the end of the siding, a large cloud of steam was dispersing.

Quickly, the purple unicorn drove the black shunter to the buffers at the end of their siding. The steam had cleared off, revealing a fluorescent green tank engine, with his eyes still rolling in a synchronized manner with a gurn on his face. The buffers behind him were damaged: The beams were bent, the plate looked close to breaking, and the metal frame holding it bent back. Thankfully, the locomotive was still on the rails, wheeshing steam from his internal cylinders.

Twilight jumped out of the cab, frantic about the situation, but Diesel just groaned, rolling his eyes with annoyance.

"Steamie!" he snapped at the engine "What the Hell?!"

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked, anxious.

After coughing a bit, Steamie replied in his normal, cheery tone, through slightly disoriented:

"I'm fine! I think..."

"Me too!" said a familiar voice.

"What the... PINKIE?!" Both mare and diesel cried out in unison, as Pinkie Pie climbed out from Steamie's cab, wearing an orange high-visibility vest, lurching towards them groggily, eyes rolling in separate directions.

"OH MY GOODNESS!!!" Twilight screamed "Are you alright?!"

Pinkie just chuckled, shaking her head.

"I'm fine!" she replied "Just had to test something..."

"Test?! What are you talkin--?!" Before Twilight could finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie's vest exploded with a loud hiss, expanding... Much like an air-bag.

The impact hurled Twilight into the side of Diesel, making the locomotive shake and jitter on his wheels. Slowly, the purple pony slipped down his side, still plastered on it, while Diesel blinked rapidly to stop his eyes from shaking.

"Hmmm... Air-vest is a bit delayed..." Pinkie Pie mutter d, her voice muffled under the vest, before it deflated, akin to a balloon. She shrugged, and smiled brightly "But, that's what are these tests are for!"

She then noticed Twilight.

"Ummm... Twilight... You alright? Twilight?"

"Eeeh... I think she's unconscious, Pinkie..."

"Nonsense, Steamie! She can't be... Wait... SHE IS!"

"Good to know... Now... Would you be a goooood friend, and BLOODY HELP HER, YOU STUPID TWIT?!" Diesel roared.

"AAAAAAH! YESYESYESYES! RIGHT AWAY, DIESEL, SIR!" Pinkie screamed with fear, as she ran of.

One trip to the first-aid room later, Diesel was waiting at a siding with Steamie and Pinkie beside him.

Twilight came up to them, a bandage covering her head.

"Sorry about that, Ms. Sparkle..." Steamie began.

"Yes. Forgive me, Twilight, I didn't mean to..." Pinkie began, but the unicorn waved her hoof dismissively.

"Never mind that, Pinkie, it wasn't your fault."

"Well..." Diesel muttered "Good to see you're still in one piece."

The mare just chuckled.

"Anyways, Doctor Whooves told me about our duties for the afternoon." Twilight informed them "Pinkie, you and Steamie will have to arrange a freight train for D199. That's Spamcan, right?" she asked the engines.

"Indeed." Diesel replied, before muttering to himself "Steamie, shunting. Those poor, unfortunate trucks..."

"What?" Pinkie asked.

"Nothing!" came the hasty reply.

"Anyways..." Twilight continued "Diesel and I are going to shunt D261's... What was his name? BOWLER! Yes, we're going to shunt Bowler's passenger train, and then, we'll take a slow goods train to the mines at Pyker's Peak... Hmmm... Never heard of those..."

"It's a recently opened coal mine." Pinkie explained. "I know because I've been helping with the opening party!" she added, cheerfully.

"Good." Diesel responded sharply "But just tell me, WHAT the HIGH HELL were you thinking, running into a buffer stop like that?"

"It's... It's fitters orders..." Steamie whimpered, his eyes tearing up.

"Yeah..." Pinkie added, looking sad as well, before she exclaimed "He's such a nice colt! He instructed me how to drive Steamie, how to shunt, how to obey Rule 55, how to DISobey Rule 34, and... Well... The air-vest was his idea... And he'd done so much for me, just this morning. And... I couldn't just disagree with those caring-like eyes, I..." Pinkie stopped.

Twilight Sparkle and Devious Diesel had been staring at her for the longest time, with a mischievous expression, with Diesel's being a bit more nefarious, naturally. A content and knowing smile on their mouths, they just watched her. Even Steamie was giggling!

"Pinkiiiieee..." Twilight cooed "Do you LIKE that colt?"

"Y-Yes..." Pinkie replied, smiling nervously "I mean no! I mean..."

"Hmhmhmmm..." Diesel chuckled in an oily voice "Well... Guess love really IS for everyone... "

"WHAT do you mean?" Pinkie snapped, suddenly angry.

"Oh, nothing..." the shunter purred, as Steamie cackled madly "I'm just glad to hear you've finally... Met your match..." he practically whispered the last few words, making Pinkie blush madly, as she quickly sprinted back into Steamie's cab, releasing the brakes, and shoveling wildly, filling the firebox.

"Well, it was nice talking with you!" Steamie cheered, as Pinkie pulled the throttle. He shot backwards, instantly.

"WHEEEEEEEEEEESH!" the tank engine cried with joy, as they disappeared into the distance.

As soon as they did, Twilight burst out in giggles. Somehow, teasing the pink pony like that felt TOO good. Diesel, on the other hand, looked disgusted.

"BLEEEAAAUGH!" he grimaced, sticking his tongue out "Sparkle, remind me NOT to do that ever again!"

"Wh-hy?" Twilight chortled "t. Was. HILARIOUS!" she said, laughing uncontrollably.

"For such an amateur like YOU, perhaps." the diesel snorted "But for an expert like ME, it was low-class, and degrading!" he sneered.

"Amateur?" Twilight suddenly asked "But you said..."

"You may be a natural driver." the engine replied "But I'm an experienced bastard."

"Bastard?" Twilight replied, eyes blank.

"Yes." Diesel smirked evilly "A master of jeers, the scheming, oily trickster in the shadows, king of nasty pranks and sour lessons, a booby-trap mastermind!" he said with pride. "Call me whatever you like, but you can't change mine, or correctly, OUR general nature." he said in a haughty voice, eyes closed "We're all bastards at the core, all values aside. What can I say?" he opened his eyes halfway "This is how we roll."

On their way back to the sidings, Twilight couldn't help but to think about what her engine said. Wait... Her? Diesel was JUST an engine. If anything, he belonged to Equestrian Rail. Or the Other Railway. Or the sheds. Not to HER. Yet... There was a feeling of familiarity when she stepped inside his cab once more, now driving him cab first towards Bowler's coaches. A feeling of comfort. Maybe it was the warmth of the cab compared to the cool, late afternoon air.

And what did he meant by "us"? The Other Railway? Diesels in general? Or...

They arrived to the coaches, and the lavender unicorn quickly coupled them up. Soon, they were at the station, where Bowler was waiting.

"Oh, THERE you are!" he snapped with mimicked anger "Hurry up, you lot, I haven't got all night!"

Diesel grunted, and even Twilight found it hard not to snap back at the snooty passenger engine.

But soon enough, Bowler was ready. Tooting goodbye to the shunter with a conceited smirk, he rumbled off, pulling his coaches with delicacy.

Diesel only snorted with disdain. He glanced to the side, and was surprised to see Twilight glaring after the engine with a mix of anger and envy. The engine smirked. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was beginning to like his new driver... The pony. NOT HIS new driver. The pony. Right...

"Cheer up." he muttered to him, sarcastically "We got our own train to pull!"

They found the line of nine trucks plus brake van in a shady siding behind the smaller engine shed.

The train mostly consisted of vans, painted dark, grayish blue or dull black, with the fire hazard sign on each of them. The vans themselves were old, two-axle ones, seemingly just after a re-paint. There was also a oil tanker at the back, right before the break van.

As Diesel was coupled up, the last door slammed shut.

Their load was dynamite, required for mining operations. It was safely packet up in the trucks, and the oil tanker actually contained extinguishing liquid.

The guard blew his whistle, and their signal dropped, the light green. Honking his quieter horn, Diesel rattled out of the station onto the open line...

They've been going down the main line for some time, before he noticed something.

"Twilight Sparkle?" he asked.

"Yes, Diesel?" the mare asked back.

"What position is the gear lever in?"

All diesel shunters on the Other Railway had been equipped with a 3 mode gear system - Shunt, Cruise and Haul. Shunt was the lowest gear, allowing the engine to move trains with great traction, at the expense of speed. Cruise was used when engines had to travel without a train. It was significantly faster than the Shunting mode, but didn't provided much traction. Haul was only added when shunters actually had to pull trains. It granted them half the speed of Cruise - which usually had five times the top speed of Shunt - with the Shunting mode's traction. This of course, taxed the engine's fuel supply greatly, but they later managed to "economize" this problem.

"It's in "Cruise"..." Twilight replied.

"Switch it to "Haul" immediately!" Diesel snapped, and the pony quickly did so.

They arrived to the mine's station safely, and shunted the trucks to a siding... After that, and quick refuel, they began their journey down the steep slope of the hillside serpentine of train tracks - Pyker's Peak was a long way up.

The mountain itself looked like Swiss cheese, filled with holes - earlier mines. Some even dug all the way through the mountain.

They had to stop at a semaphore, a few miles before mines' branch line reached the main line...

Diesel had been travelling cab first again, so Twilight was the first one to saw the red light. Reluctantly, she stopped the engine. She was mentally tired with the day's work, and wished to be home in her nice, warm bed.

Diesel felt the same, but didn't wanted to rush. He had once jumped a signal, and nearly collided with Stuck-Up, of all engines. A smooch from the disgustingly posh express locomotive disturbed him to the point of a catatonia-close-call, and made his pistons jump around like mad - he could instantly feel the taste of oil sludge in his mouth.

He was thankfully interrupted from his thoughts by his own air-horn blaring furiously, Twilight hitting the crank of it impatiently.

"C'mon!" she hollered "I wanna go home! CHANGE!"
And she continued slamming onto the crank. But, to her surprise and fury, no sound came.

"HEY! WHAT GIVES?!" she snapped.

"Now listen up there, Missy!" Diesel growled "You may be tired, but I was the one actually did the work here! AND, it was ONLY your first day! It only gets harder from this point onwards, so either SHUT UP OR PISS OFF!"

The mare didn't replied. She just gave and angry sigh.

Moments passed.

Suddenly, from the distance, the wails of a siren came.

"What's that?" Twilight asked. Diesel heard it too.

"Uuuuh... Shark warnings?" he guessed.

Another noise hit the engine's metaphorical ears, and he looked back up the line, his lamp illuminating as much as possible.

His eyes went wide.

"Twilight. Drive." he muttered.
"But... The signal..." the mare protested.

"Fuck the signal, DRIVE! QUICK!"

The unicorn immediately did so, turning the handle to max, brakes completely released. Diesel shot backwards, cab first, onto the main line - a long line of stone hoppers following him at a ground shaking speed...

Down on the slope, it was easy to keep distance between them and the trucks. But once on the main line, things got harder.

Diesel literally burst trough the points, making them jam in the position leading to the mine's branch line. Rattling after him came the trucks.

By some weird act of fate - and by the negligence of tardy signalmare - they ended up on the express line, the stone train gaining up on them...

"What do we do now?!" Twilight screamed.

"We'll have to let them catch us." came the reply.

"WHAT?!"

"We'll have to stop those trucks! It's a runaway!" Diesel explained "If WE don't stop 'em, they might KILL someone else!"

He winced.

"Don't think that I like the idea! But we gotta do it! So..." he took a deep breath "Ready, Sparkle?"

Twilight stared at the trucks from the cab. Diesel's hood hid most of the sight, but she could still see the long line of large double-bogie trucks that crept closer and closer in their run.

With a spark in her eye, Twilight's face became determined. She grabbed hold of the control handle, and reached out to the brakes.

"Ready, Diesel!"

It was on!

They raced down the line, trucks slowly gaining at them, while Diesel blasted his air-horn all the way.

Signal boxes and stations warned each other about the runaway, and safety measures have been taken. The main line was closed off from the branch lines, stations and yards, ponies on unavoidable stations were cleared from the platforms. Signals and points were set, all preparation done.

Except one.

Diesel watched as the trucks slowly crept forward, finally hitting his buffers with a metallic thump.

This made the engine jerk backwards, and the mare momentarily lost her balance, but quickly regained it.

They waited until the trucks didn't felt like pushing that much.

"NOW!" Diesel yelled.

Instantly, Twilight switched to neutral, and slammed the brakes on. With a loud hiss, the shunter's brakes came on, his traction rods stopping in their turn, wheels throwing sparks everywhere with an ear-splitting screech.

Instantly, the trucks felt pushing again, but through the push, the engine could feel their pace growing less.

However, a sharp pain reminded him about physics, and what he should be doing.

"Twilight! Release the brakes!" he yelled through the cacophony.

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Twilight screamed back.

"My brakes are overheating!" Diesel roared back "If I don't let go, they'll melt, and we'll never stop this bloody train!"

The mare was reluctant, but proceeded. Instantly, she felt the jerk of the trucks pushing them again, but this time, it was weaker!

She waited for a minute, and slammed the brakes on again, the runaway growing significantly slower.

"A few clear miles, and we're done!" she cheered.

"Calling D8, calling D8! This is Yard C-P-1!" an electronic voice said. Twilight, nearly falling off the chair again, looked around, and saw the source of the voice - it was the radio transceiver. Not watching what she flicked, she reached out to it, and replied through the din. She assumed they were D8.

"This is D8!" she couldn't stop herself "Over!"

"D8! We know of the runaway!" the voice answered "Give us your coordinates!"

"Uuuuhh..." Twilight muttered, unsure of what to say. Diesel, who had heard everything, was quick to reply:

"We're about thirty miles down the line, approaching fast! We have a runaway consisting of..." he counted for a moment "Twenty fully loaded stone hoppers, no brake van! We need a few clear miles, and we can stop it!"

"Right. Which line are you using?"

Diesel didn't respond.

Twilight glanced out through the windows of the cab. It was a three-track line, and they were travelling on the middle one.

And the middle one was...

"We're on the Express line!" she screamed.

"Right. The lines empty in your section, and..." the voice stopped "Hang on! This is bad!"

"What's wrong?!" the unicorn asked.

"The line's not clear!" the radiocolt cried "The 20:35 InterCity is due!"

Deadpanning, Twilight turned around, looking out through the window.

In the distance, she could see and hear another train approaching. Focusing on it, she saw that it was Pip - or Emma, she couldn't tell the twins apart, especially from such a distance.

Pip (or Emma) also noticed them, and blasted her two-tone horn loudly, panic all over her face.

Twilight only stared, her mind frozen in fear.

Subconsciously, she reached out to the brakes, released them, and slammed them on again, repeating over and over...

Diesel noticed this.

"Sparkle. Why are you morsing... "OH DEAR CELESTIA, TAKE ME NOW"... On my brakes? If I caught that correctly..." he muttered.

Then, he heard the two-tone horn.

And noticed just WHICH siding he was on.

"SSsssssshit!"

The trucks were at a moderate speed now, and with a hasted emergency stopping, could have came to a halt.

The InterCity, however, which was going MUCH faster, needed more time and space.

And there was none.

"Well... It was nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle." Diesel muttered, bitterly "See you on the other side."

Twilight didn't reply. She was busy uttering a prayer to Harmonia, the ancient ruler of Equestria.

Diesel also considered praying, but he never was much of a believer, so...

"Hey... Sparkle..." he grinned "This may be my last run. End of the line, so to speak. Do me a favor."

Twilight finally snapped out of her panicked trance.

"Yes?"

"If I gotta go, I wanna go down with pride." Diesel explained "Now, that's sorta busted, 'cause I'm travelling arse first towards my colleague, about to be turned into metal foil with a blood sample on it, if you don't get out!"

"What?" the mare asked.

"What I'm saying is, give me the ultimate honor. Release my brakes, turn all my lamps on, secure my electric horn, full on, and get out of here!

"I can't release the brakes!" Twilight replied, jamming them on again, the pace now steadily decreasing without the brakes overheating "There are passengers on that train! And I'm NOT leaving you behind!"

"Are you fucking insane?!" Diesel yelled "You're going to get killed!"

"I'm not leaving a friend behind!" the mare hollered back.

Diesel rolled his eyes.

"Your funeral. Literally."

Twilight's eyes darted around on the rails in front of them.

Suddenly, she saw a set of points, just right ahead.

It only took a flick from her horn to set the points, diverting them away from the express line, the last truck getting off ONE SECOND before the other train passed by, knocking the points back into their original position.

Screeching loudly, with the trucks banging behind him, Diesel slid down the siding, which led him onto an overgrown tracks, plunging into the darkness.

Back at the yards, everyone had heard the news.

Pinkie Pie and Steamie were resting near the water tower.

"I hope they're alright." Pinkie muttered with worry.

"Oh, don't worry!" the tank engine replied "With Diesel's dexterity and Twilight's magic, I'll sure they'll manage just fine!"

"Hey, can you hear that, Steamie?" the party pony suddenly asked.

There was an odd droning noise filling the air.

The next second, crashing through the bushes from the edge of the meadow came Diesel, running cab front, wheels throwing sparks everywhere, a line of stone hoppers behind him, horn honking loud and fluent. He skidded through the yard, slipped pass the tank engine and Pinkie, and careered into the the carriage works, crashing through the heavy wooden doors, and smashing through the other door on the other side, finally hitting some buffers, the train jerking to a stop with a loud clank, some stone falling out from the trucks.

As the dust cleared and the noise died down, the runaway became visible, now stopped, and still on the rails.

Diesel's engine spluttered, and, with a loud BANG!, shut down completely, his lamps going out altogether.

Silence filled the yard...

"...Or not. - Steamie muttered."

After shunting the trucks to a siding near by, the steam engine towed the Class 08 back in front of the work sheds.

Thankfully, aside from bent buffer beams, worn brakes and a clapped-out engine, Diesel was fine. Twilight suffered a minor concussion, having passed out before the impact.

But soon enough, she came back around. She sat up, having been laying on the ground for a good half and hour by now.

"Have we stopped yet?" was her first question. She soon found herself embraced in the most tightest, yet most gentle hug she ever felt, aside from her mother's.

Pinkie held her tight, crying happy tears over her shoulders. Steamie looked at Diesel with deep respect and admiration.

Gently, Twilight hugged back, smiling happily. She was alive. Diesel was alive! THEY MADE IT!

Even Diesel couldn't help but to smirk, as the tank engine shunted him to the work sheds, careful not to put sudden pressure on his sore buffer beams.

It was near midnight when Twilight arrived home.

Spike had been frantic, and was more than thrilled to see her still in one piece.

Unfortunately to him, Twilight was completely exhausted, and she simply collapsed onto her bed, to tired to even cover up.

"C'MON, Twilight!" the dragon nagged "You gotta tell me SOMETHING!"

Twilight gave a tired, wry smile.

"OK." she muttered. Spike stared with anticipation, as the mare continued:

"I think my training session was a success!" she said with a devious smirk, before turning to the other side "And so was Pinkie's..."

"Oh..." Spike responded "Well, I got to know Mr. Bottomsly better today. He's actually really intelligent, sophisticated, and..."

But Twilight was already fast asleep.

Diesel's buffer beams were quickly mended (magic IS magic), and he was shunted into his berth by Steamy.
He just stood there, sullen as ever, and in an especially crap mood.

"'Ey. 'Eard 'bou' yer "aks'on", lad..." Spamcan spoke up from the next siding "Tha' wa' sum' pre'y serious stunt ya di' dere, Diesel."

"Yeah. I have to admit, it was very impressive." Bowler agreed from a bit further away.

"Most definitely." Stuck-Up added "Couldn't have done it better myself, I may ad. You did exactly the right thing, AND in style."

"Well, that's very nice of you to say, guys..." Diesel replied with a suspiciously kind tone. His voice then turned gruff again "But that doesn't make up for my busted buffers and engine!"

"Oh?" Cromwell asked, unamused "Your buffers are fixed. And you'll be getting a new engine tomorrow. Alexei himself promised to get the equipment, and deal with the... "Remotorization", as he said."

"And, as you've said yourself, Diesel, he's a God." Derek added smugly "The LEAST he can do is to get you GOOD new engine! Especially after your heroic deed today!"

"Oh, will you shut up about it?!" Diesel snapped "There was NOTHING bloody heroic about it! I did what I was supposed to do in such situation, and I nearly got myself, my driver, and either Pip or Emma killed!"

"Actually, Diesel." Emma spoke up "That was me."

"Good. FANTASTIC." the shunter sneered. Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Ääähm... Emma?" he asked.

"Yes, Diesel?"

"Since I was running cab first, I couldn't really see forward. Sooo... Just WHAT averted me onto that siding? A signalman can't be that fast. So, tell me, Emma... Did you saw anything?"

"Well... - the commuter engine replied, thoughtfully - It happened very fast, but for the slightest moment... I think... I saw some light on the points..." she muttered, thinking hard "A... Purple aura around the rails. It changed the points, just in time.

"Purple aura?" Derek uttered "Hmmmm... Sounds like magic."

"Magic?" Diesel asked back.

"Say... I heard you were mentoring some mare this morning." the Class 17 stated "Who was it?"

"First off, it wasn't JUST this morning, it was this DAY." the shunter grumbled "And second, it was the Sparkle girl."

"Wha', ya mea' Twiligh' Spa'kl'?" Bert spoke up, surprised.

"Yeah, that's her name..." Diesel muttered "What of it?"

"Well... She's ONLY the Element of Magic from the Elements of Harmony." Derek retorted.

"Oh, for God's sake, Derek! Not everyone's as big of a brony as you are!" the jet black diesel growled "Yeah, so she's the 'Element of Magic'! Good for me!"

"Indeed!" Derek replied in a serious tone "She saved your life! AND Emma's!"

Diesel went silent.

"Oi thin' ya shoul' than' 'er, Diesel..." Bert muttered "Ya owe 'er one."

There was a long pause.

Then, the engine sighed.

"Fine."

Silence took over again.

But it's reign was soon broken by 'Arry.

"So... 'ow wa' she?"

The shunter thought for a moment.

"Surprisingly good, to be honest. She learned quickly, and didn't needed much encouragement. Guess she's a natural."

"Yes. At learning." Derek replied, before falling asleep.

Diesel thought back. He had seen the mare and her dragon arrive with a big bag. And as the dragon tossed the bag away vigorously, he could see it's contents flying out - parchments, quills, bottles of ink, a book of some sort...

He chuckled inwardly, and went to sleep as well.

"Wait-a-minute! Where's my bag?!"

"Uhhh..."

"SPIIIKEEE!!!"

"Aw hay..."