Date: March 1, 1960
Location: Hitchcock, Saskatchewan
Time: 12:59 PM
Railroad: Canadian Pacific

Ponies: *Sitting in a room, waiting for their boss*
Dike: I wonder who that new worker is Douglas got for us.
Highball: You're not the only one.
Douglas: *Walks into the room with Metal Gloss* Hello everypony, our new worker has arrived.
Metal Gloss: Hello.
Ponies: Hello.
Highball: Where'd you come from?
Metal Gloss: Cheyenne. I work on the Union Pacific.
Douglas: She's staying with us, until I'm able to hire a parang buriko that can take Tom's spot. Now Metal Gloss, you will work with the orange, and yellow stallions. Their names are Dike, and Highball. They'll ipakita you what to do. Okay everypony, get to work.

As they left, Dike, and haybol took Metal Gloss to the roundhouse where they keep the engines.

Metal Gloss: *Looks in the roundhouse, and is very happy. Many of the engines are steam locomotives*
Dike: Look. Her face is beaming with joy.
Highball: *Smiles* I think I know why. *Looks at Metal Gloss with a serious expression on his face* No steam engines for you.
Metal Gloss: *Gets sad, and tears begin to come out of her eyes* Why?
Highball: *Laughs* I'm just teasing you. You don't have to cry.
Metal Gloss: *Feeling better*
Dike: We're going to drive a freight train with one of those engines. *Points at a streamlined engine with four drivers*
Metal Gloss: Ooh. That's beautiful. *Walks toward it with Dike, and Highball* You sinabi we were pulling freight with this.
Highball: That's right.
Metal Gloss: This looks madami like an engine for pulling an express train.
Dike: Well, it was built for hauling passengers, but with diesels invading our line, we have to use these engines for freight trains.

The three of them climbed into the engine's cab, and drove it to the yards.

Dike: *Slowly backing the engine toward a train of seventeen boxcars*
Highball: Have you ever driven steam trains before Metal Gloss?
Metal Gloss: Yes. On the Union Pacific, I drove mostly Northern type engines, but I also drove a few Challengers, and Big Boys.
Dike: Shit. That's a real honor there.
Highball: They're all scrapped, or retired now. A shame really, I want to drive one of those engines.
Dike: Our railway should have gotten their hooves on one of them. *Stops the engine as it gets coupled up to the train* Then we'd make a massive profit bringing everything to everyone.
Metal Gloss: Though the Big Boys were very powerful, and not to mention the largest locomotive in all of Equestria, they cost a lot to build, and maintain.
Highball: Well of course they do, they're giants.
Dike: She has a point though. When her railway bought those engines in the 40's, they must have cost millions to build, and operate.
Metal Gloss: They were.
Dike: *Looks at the signal, seeing it change from red to green* Time to go. *Pulls the throttle*

The train slowly started to ilipat forward. The wheels slipped as steam shot out of the smokestack.

Dike: *Moves the throttle forward, then pulls it back again* I think we got it now. *Blows whistle twice*
Metal Gloss: *Thinking* How did you get the name Highball?
Highball: Well you see, my real name is Tim. Everyone here calls me Highball, because I like to drive at high speeds.
Metal Gloss: Even on sharp curves?
Highball: Certainly not. Only on straightaways. You have to be a madman to do something like that.
Dike: One of you, please start shoveling coal.
Metal Gloss: I'll do it.
Highball: No please, allow me. You're a special guest on our line. I don't want you to break your back doing this.
Metal Gloss: Well, thank you.
Highball: *Starts shoveling coal into the firebox*
Dike: *On the mainline, increasing speed*
Metal Gloss: Where are we going?
Highball: Eastbound, to Winnipeg.
Metal Gloss: *Excited, then looks out of the cab to see the scenery they pass*
Dike: We have a lot of flatland in this country. Mostly, because of prairies.
Metal Gloss: It's beautiful.
Highball: Really? Nopony has ever sinabi that before.
Metal Gloss: Then they don't understand. I think it looks very nice.
Dike: Thanks. We like it too.

At 60 miles an hour, the train continued heading east for Winnipeg.

2 B Continued