Well, they certainly didn't know just what there was in store. What there was behind the dreamer's door.
"The Island of Sodor. A quant little island off the cost of England, home to a colorful cast of talking steam engines. Some would even say that it was a magical place, where dreams can come true. But, there is another place... A magical land, one full of harmony. A place chock full of colorful creatures, the most magical being the ponies. Friendship is real here, a place where dreams really do come true."
Friendships are made, bonds are formed, and life goes on, with a little bit of magic.
(Will contain references to my other fic "Dear Maria," but not tied to it; IOW, same timeline but not a continuation to DM)
The Island of Sodor. A quant little island off the cost of England, home to a colorful cast of talking steam engines. Some would even say that it was a magical place, where dreams can come true. But, there is another place...
A magical land, one full of harmony. A place chock full of colorful creatures, the most magical being the ponies. Friendship is real here, a place where dreams really do come true.
Well, they certainly didn't know just what there was in store. What there was behind the dreamer's door.
It was a late evening on Sodor, as the sun gave off hues of orange, yellow, red, and blue.
Each member of the Steam Team was puffing back to Tidmouth Sheds after a long and strenuous day of work. Thomas and Edward from their respective branch lines, Gordon and James from Knapford, Henry and Emily from the shunting yards, Percy from the clay pits, and yes, even Toby was heading home, to his little shed in the woods. One by one, they reached Tidmouth Sheds, settling their fireboxes, talking about the day's events.
"And then, Bill got so mad, he pushed Ben under the slate hopper!" Percy giggled with glee, remembering the laughter-inducing scene earlier that day.
All the other engines were listening in, though some more than others.
Thomas laughed along. "Will those two ever learn?"
Gordon groaned, rolling his eyes. "Those two are a lost cause, if you ask me."
James snorted. "If they ever try that with me, I assure you, there will be trouble. From both myself, and my paintwork."
Thomas, Percy, and Emily laughed.
"Will the trouble be only your dirty paintwork James?" Emily chuckled, making James huffy.
James gave a hmph, and Edward smiled at his friends. "Come now, that's enough teasing for today. Let's get some sleep."
Thomas laughed. "Yeah, ok DAD."
Percy giggled as well. "Okay DAD."
James and Emily soon joined in on the tease too, but Edward just sighed with a smile. This was a new nickname for the old blue engine, but he had become accustomed to it. Edward rolled his eyes, then closed them. The others started to yawn, and drift into sleep.
Henry was the last to speak to the team, yawning.
"Goodnight guys."
"Goodnight."
Thomas had a dream. A purple line, he followed. Memories from another life came from the line, showing a group of 6, but more promantly, a... purple unicorn with wings? His eyes widened, following the figure.
All the engines had a dream like this, but with different prominent ponies.
Thomas's eyes opened slightly, and his eyes suddenly flew open!
There was a purple orb of light, floating in front of him. He felt himself flinch, but he was curious. He starred at the orb. It moved, like it was wanting him to follow. The orb floated to the turntable.
Thomas was about to pull forward, when he saw his other friends. Each one had a orb in front of them, excluding Edward and Emily. Henry had a yellow orb, Gordon had a blue orb, James had a white orb, and Percy had a pink orb. And, a certain other steam tram was now looking at an orange light.
All the engines had the same reaction as Thomas to their orbs, and the orbs floated up next to the purple one.
"What is that?" Emily asked, a little scared.
"I think it wants us to follow it." Thomas spoke, and chuffed up slowly.
Suddenly a bright white light engulfed them, and without a sound, they were gone, leaving empty births behind them.
Almost all of them were gone.
A terrified Emily was the last remaining in the sheds. She frantically looked around, confused and shocked. "Wh-.. Where did they go???"
Somewhere on the island, a little shed in the woods was also empty.
Princess Twilight Sparkle was asleep in the old castle she had earned so long ago. She was taking some R&R at her old home, Ponyville. Well, it wasn't that old.
It had been 2 years after her coronation, becoming the ruler of Equestria. She had planned a weeks' visit in ponyville, due to "unnatural" forces being reported. But really, she has here to relax and spend time with her friends. The life as a princess has been very busy. And monotonous.
A big THUMP awoke her from sleep, and immediately she sat up from her bed.
'What was that?'
She looked at the door. She herd light groans echo throughout the castle. Twilight stood up quickly. 'That noise came from the map room.'
Twilight rushed out of the room, though numerous hallways, and down a flight of stairs. When she finally arrived at the map room, she could only gasp.
Six ponies were all on the map, waking up from something.
Three were blue, a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony. Two were green, a pegasus and an earth pony. There was also one red unicorn.
The blue earth pony looked young, and had a slick black mane and tail, his mane short, and his tail normal sized. his eyes were a shining black. His cutie mark was a railroad track, strangely enough.
The blue unicorn looked quite old, and had a grey fizzy mane and tail. His eyes were red. His cutie mark was a open purple book.
The blue pegasus had a sharp but slick grey mane and tail, and wings as his cutie mark. Speaking of, his wings were large, and feathery. It was 4 different shades of blue, and looked quite elegant. His eyes were also black.
The red unicorn had a long back mane and tail, with gold tips. He seemed thinner than the rest, and his cutie mark was a bow. He eyes were golden yellow.
The green pegasus had a brown mane and tail, purple irises, and his wings were 4 shades of green. His cuite mark was a flower with heart petals.
The green earth pony had a short mane and tail, which were red. His eyes were sky blue, and he had a letter with a heart seal as his cutie mark.
They all stared at Twilight, all sharing the same confusion. Then, the blue earth pony realized something. He looked at his blue hooves, and felt his features. The others realized too. And, all of them started to scream.
Twilight winced at the noise, but quickly regained composure. She quickly realized that these ponies must have been from somewhere else. She guessed Canterlot High, but with the harsh way they reacted, she wasn't so sure.
"Calm... DOWN!"
The group of 6 turned silent, all wided eyed.
Twilight inhaled, and spoke calmly. "I know this must be really weird for you. Being a pony. "
None of them answered, still in shock.
Twilight exhaled, and glanced behind her. 'At least they're calmer now.'
She turned back to the group, with a welcoming smile. "Rest assured, you'll get used to it, for as long as you're going to be here."
One of them decided to speak, the blue earth pony. "Uh.. Who are you?"
"And where are we?" The red unicorn added.
Twilight cleared her throat, and held her hoof to her chest, giving off her regal voice. "I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ruler of Equestria." She relaxed her posture. "I assume you all are from a different world, considering your reactions to your new form."
The 6 made their way off the table, listening to the Princess of Friendship speak. "First things first, can you tell me your names?"
After a round of introductions and explanations, Twilight had gathered all she needed to for now.
They had come from a place called the Island of Sodor. They were all originally steam engines, and worked on the railway there.
The blue earth pony was named Thomas, the blue unicorn was Edward, the blue pegasus was Gordon, the green pegasus was Henry, the green earth pony was Percy and the red unicorn was James.
"It should take about 3 days to a week to locate your world and send you back." Twilight informed the ponified steam team. "In the meantime, there are plenty of rooms in the castle, and you all may pick a room to stay in."
Edward was the first to reply. "Uh, Thank you." He had remembered her royal status. Edward bowed to her. "Your highness."
The others remembered as well, and followed Edward's example.
Twilight sighed, almost as if she was disgusted at the thought. "Please, you don't need to bow to me. I'm not even your ruler."
They stopped, and Percy apologized. "Sorry. We kinda have a queen back home."
Twilight nodded, understanding that. "Now-"
She suddenly heard the castle doors open, and the sound of hooves coming her way. The main five had stopped at the door frame, with a dirt brown earth pony who had a dark chocolate mane and tail, and glasses as his cutie mark. His eyes were hazel.
"Twilight, we found-" Rainbow Dash stopped mid sentence upon seeing the six other ponies in the map room. "I guess you found some others from a different world too?"
A drowsy Thomas awoke from his sleep, smelling the scent of spiced pancakes, fresh maple syrup, and crisp apple fritters.
He suddenly shot up out of bed. He sniffed the air again. "What is that appealing smell?"
"I don't know,"
Percy was in the next bed over, also smelling the sweet breakfast. "But it smells really good."
Thomas and Percy slowly walked out of the room, joining their friends who were also following the scent. They all were still new to walking, and were taking it slow.
Henry noticed them first. "Ah, hey."
Edward, James, Gordon, and Toby looked to Thomas and Percy. Thomas looked himself over again. "Still ponies. Not a dream."
"I think that much is obvious." Gordon rolled his eyes.
The group didn't talk too much as they were trying to find where the aroma was.
"This place is huge." Edward commented, gazing at the hallway they walked through.
"Big enough to get lost in." Toby said, looking down another hallway.
As the group continued down the hallway, a unicorn popped out of one of the rooms, levitating a piece of parchment in front of her. Her coat color was periwinkle, and mane was a striped purple and aquamarine. The steam team looked at each other, and Edward decided to speak.
"Um, hello."
The unicorn snapped out of her reading, and turned her head to the group of ponies. She smiled. "Oh. You ponies must be the group Twilight about this morning. I'm Starlight Glimmer." She rolled up the piece of paper, to turned her attention to them. "I take it you're lost?"
"Yeah, we're looking for the dining hall?" Henry asked.
Starlight pointed her hoof down the hall. "Turn left after three doors down, then make a right."
"Thanks."
Starlight trotted the opposite direction, once again opening and looking at the piece of paper. The team once again glanced at each other, and went in the direction the unicorn pointed to.
Soon enough, they entered a large room with a expansive dining table. Twilight's friends were settling down at the table as Pinkie rolled a cart in. Twilight remained standing, having awaited the team. She turned to see them, and smiled. "Good morning. I hope you all got enough sleep last night."
Thomas answered honestly. "It was.. Okay."
"Really weird though." Edward added, looking up at his horn.
Twilight smiled politely, gesturing them to follow to the table. "You'll get used it, trust me."
They followed her to the table, and everypony eventually settled down, except for Pinkie Pie who was starting to serve breakfast.
"We've had many otherworldly creatures visit our world, including a few who transformed into ponies when they arrived." Applejack was nonchalant in starting conversation.
"We've never had this many from the same world before." Rarity pointed out.
"Well, not if you count Shady's Earth." Pinkie Pie said as she slid a plate of pancakes with a side of apple fritters in front of Rainbow Dash.
"So, could you all tell us more about where you're from?"
Toby shrugged. "Well there's not much to tell than what we already told you."
Thomas decided to add. "Edward and I run our own branch lines on the railway, and Gordon regularly pulls the express train."
"The fastest, on-time express train!" Gordon boasted, not even noticing the plate of pancakes and fritters being pushed in front of him. James and Thomas rolled their eyes.
Rainbow Dash commented on his response through bites of pancakes. "I'll bet that's no comparison to the flight speeds I've recorded though."
Henry was surprised. "Really?"
"I'll have to give you two a crash course on flying later." Rainbow smiled, using her right wing to pick up a fritter and throw it into her mouth.
Percy was the first to acknowledge the plate in front of him. He raised a hoof to a pancake, and tried to move it closer to his now scrunched up face. "Um, how do I?-" He eventually gave up but was able to lift an apple fritter with a hoof. Pinkie giggled as she sat down, placing a huge stack of pancakes in front of her.
"Oh it's easy! You just go-" Pinkie took a huge bite out of the side of the stack. James glanced at the thick pile of flapjacks.
"That's a lot of pancakes."
Rarity chuckled in embarrassment, glancing down and away, specifically from James. "She has uh (a), big appetite."
Percy took a small bite of the apple fritter, and almost gasped. He savored the flavor. "Hmmm- This is so good, you guys have to try this!"
Thomas glanced at his friend, then down at the plate in front of him. Percy took a bite of the two pancakes in front of him and got just as giddy. Thomas tried some flapjacks and Toby tried the fritter. Both were blown away with how good the taste was.
Rarity cleared her throat and looked to James and Edward. "If you're a unicorn, you use your magic to hold a fork." She gestured to the fork and knife with her magic. She pointed slightly to Fluttershy. "If you're a pegasus, you can try to use your wing as a hand of sorts."
Fluttershy was holding a fork in her left wing, picking up a piece of fritter. "You have to be talented to do so though."
Edward tried to use magic, but nothing was happening. Gordon and Henry were well into their meals, quickly getting the gist of eating.
"Just think of what you want to do, and concentrate on it." Twilight said, picking up a piece of pancake.
Again, Edward concentrated on the fork resting next to the plate. He watched in awe as the fork was lifted off the table with a dark purple aura. "Whoa... Am I doing that?"
James lifted a fork and and butter knife up with a golden shine. "I think we are.."
Starlight entered the room, now wearing a school robe, carrying even more scrolls and a feather pen with her magic. She noticed the two unicorns in awe, and chuckled. "It is pretty amazing isn't it?"
She walked up to Twilight and have her a side hug. Twilight greeted her. "Hey Starlight."
"Hey Twilight."
Twilight glanced at her scrolls and chuckled. "Busy day?"
Starlight levitated a apple fritter to herself. "You would know. Running a school isn't exactly a piece of cake." She ate the fritter in one bite while writing something down on a different paper.
"Don't you mean a piece of pancake?" Pinkie smiled, popping up next to her with a pancake on a disposable plate.
Starlight laughed lightly, and took the plate with her magic. "Thank you Pinkie."
She trotted off to the doorway. "I gotta go, school starts in an hour."
"Good luck, and happy teaching!" Twilight waved goodbye to her friend, and Pinkie popped back into her chair. Percy and Toby were staring at her with amazement. "How did you do that?" Percy asked.
"It's Pinkie Pie, you learn not to really question it." Applejack said simply, leading the two away from that conversation.
"She runs a school?" Edward inquired about Starlight. Spike the Dragon entered the room at this time, flying over to sit next to Twilight. He answered the question.
"Twilight created it, the School of Friendship."
The steam team was a little shocked at the sight of a little dragon casually sitting at the table. Spike noticed and introduced himself. "Oh, I'm Spike by the way, Twilight's trusty assistant. She said we'd have guests this morning."
Fluttershy decided to add back to the original conversation, the team coming back from collective shock. "The School of Friendship is a place for every pony, creature, and kinds alike to learn about friendship."
Henry pushed back a now empty plate. "Friendship sounds pretty important around here."
Thomas sighed. "Well, we are sitting with the Princess of Friendship here, that one's pretty obvious Henry."
Percy was done as well, satisfied as he pushed the plate away. "Mmm, that was really good! Who made this?"
Pinkie giggled. "The one and only! With help from Applejack."
Applejack tilted her hat slightly in response. "Farm fresh apples turn out a reaction everytime."
Toby spoke to Applejack. "You work on a farm?"
"It's hard work, but honest living. You can come visit if you're interested."
Percy spoke to Pinkie. "You need to teach me how to cook this!"
Pinkie nodded as she stood, beginning to collect empty and dirty dishes. "Of course I will! You guys don't have anything to do anyways, right?"
Gordon stood from the table, looking to his closed wings. "I want to learn more about what these wings can do."
Rainbow Dash flew up from her seat. "Now that's what I like to hear. Fluttershy, you'll come along with me to help these stallions get the gist?"
Fluttershy slowly stood up, helping Pinkie with the cleaning. "Um, sure." She pointed to the table. "But first we have to get this cleaned up."
"You got to flap your wings hard and fast."
Rainbow was instructing Gordon and Henry on how to fly up. Fluttershy was with her, also giving advice.
"Oh, but not too fast or you might land upside down." She worried.
The two stallions hovered off the ground, carefully rising in altitude. Henry was impressed with himself, and Gordon was starting to smile in amazement. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed.
Rainbow nudged Fluttershy with a shoulder from her comment. "Calm down Fluttershy, they've got it." She flew above them while Fluttershy stated below them. "It's important to remember to carry your weight while you fly." Fluttershy continued.
Rainbow went ahead of them a fair bit, angling her wing beats below her. "Sometimes your balance will be challenged."
Henry and Gordon were met with wind turbulence from RD. They had to flap their wings a lot more. Fluttershy was not amused at Rainbow's challenge. "Rainbow Dash, don't do that."
"They can handle it." Rainbow was confidant in this statement. Quickly Gordon regained flight, and flew through the air swiftly. He stopped next to Dash.
"Hey, that was pretty good." Rainbow complemented.
Gordon smiled. "Thanks."
Rainbow chuckled, and smirked. "For a beginner."
At first Gordon felt insulted, but he quickly composed and took her challenging tone.
"We'll meet up at that cloud above. Then I can show you what real flying is like." Rainbow started off to the cloud, and Gordon have chase.
Meanwhile Henry was taking it slow, not daring to look at the ground. He took a breath, before glancing down by accident. The ground looked so far away..
Fluttershy noticed, and flew over next to him. "Hey, if you ever get scared of the height, I like to imagine I'm a giant. Larger than life, but still connected to the ground." She flew a little higher. Henry inhaled, and matched her pace, relaxing his nerves.
"I'm guessing you don't like to fly much?" Henry guessed, the two reaching the cloud.
"No, I don't like to fly so high up. I prefer being close to the ground." She landed on the cloud and Henry was shocked again.
"I can stand on a cloud?"
He landed to stand on the cloud, and chuckled. In the background, Gordon is also in excited awe about standing on the cloud.
"Yeah, as a pegasus you can walk on clouds, butterflies, and other light surfaces." Fluttershy said, looking slightly up to watch Rainbow.
"I think I prefer staying close to the ground as well." Henry concluded.
Fluttershy glanced at the blue pegasus, then the green one. "Are you and Gordon close?"
Henry shrugged, noticing Gordon watching Rainbow Dash with extreme interest. "You could say that I guess. We don't spend a whole lot of time together."
Rainbow was urging Gordon to practice with her.
Fluttershy smiled at the blooming friendship. "It looks like Rainbow's taken a liking to your friend though."
Henry had noticed that too. "Hm. So it does." The two blue Pegasi took to the left of the cloud, not going far.
"It'll be good for him to make a new friend." Henry said this to himself, but allowing Fluttershy to hear it.
A bird suddenly flew past them, catching Henry's interest. He gasped. "Is that a robin?"
"You like animals too?" Fluttershy spoke, following the robin with her sight.
As the two talked about nature, Rainbow Dash was teaching Gordon some advanced movement.
"Come on, I know you can go faster than that!" Rainbow urged. Gordon sped past her, dodging clouds. He was having the time of his life. "Whoo! The speed-!"
Rainbow flew over to him quickly. "I know! The speed! The agility! It's freeing!"
She dived down to gain more speed and Gordon followed suit.
Rainbow kicked through a cloud, and Gordon copied the same movement through a different cloud. Rainbow whooped as Gordon cought up with her. "I take back my backhanded compliment, you're actually pretty good at this."
Gordon nodded. "You are too, I mean, you did those stunts like it was nothing."
"I do pride myself with having the fastest recorded Wonderbolt speed record." She busted through another cloud, as Gordon stopped to hover.
"What's that?"
Rainbow explained, also stopping to hover. "The Wonderbolts are an elite flying squad of Pegasi, who once served under former princess Celestia and Luna. I wanted to be one for so long. Then one day, I sucked it up, worked hard, and finally got in. With a little help from luck."
"You're an official member." Gordon clarified for himself. Rainbow flew up to land on a cloud above them, Gordon followed.
"Precisely."
Gordon and RD landed on the cloud. Rainbow continued. "It took a lot of mess ups and learning along the way, but I know more now."
She looked across Ponyville. "I'm proud of what I do."
Gordon understood, keeping his wings open. "I do as well. There's no higher honor on the railway than leading the express."
Rainbow glanced at his wings. "I haven't commented on this yet, but your wings are huge, like, almost bigger than Twilight's wings!"
"Yeah?" He looked his wings, then at RD's wings. "I suppose they are. Henry's too."
"Care for a race?" Rainbow suggested.
Gordon chuckled lightly. "You know, I'm always the one being invited into a race, It's almost never been the opposite."
"Well it seems like you're a good opponent then."
Gordon recalled his rivalry with Spencer, and chuckled again. "For their egos maybe."
The rest of the day was quite uneventful. Twilight and Starlight were creating another mirror portal, some of the steam team read up Equestrian history, they all got a thorough tour of Ponyville from Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity, and the team was getting used to their new forms. The days brought new bonds and new friendships to bloom.
"I swear sir, one minute they're here, the next, poof! They're gone with the flash of lights."
"How on Earth could someone take 7 engines away with one bright flash?"
"S-seven?"
"Toby was found missing this morning as well."
"Hoohh, I hope they're alright."
"Don't worry Emily, we'll find them. For now, you have to pull the express while Rosie runs Thomas' branch line."
"Okay sir. I'll do my best to be a really useful engine while they're gone."
"Let's start off with the easiest spell, and the one you two know how to do already, levitating."
Twilight was giving Edward and James a crash course on unicorn magic while Thomas was talking with Spike. They all were in the map room. Spike and Thomas were sitting on the crystal chairs, while Twilight, James, and Edward were standing up, towards the map table. Twilight had three books on the table.
Edward and James levitated the books with ease. Twilight was pleased. "Good."
The two set the books back down. "The other spell that most unicorns should know is teleportation." Twilight closed her eyes, and teleported to the other side of the map. Edward and James gasped.
"We can do that?" James got excited.
"How mystifying.." Edward commented.
"Now you two try. Think of a place in this room to teleport, and concentrate."
Both of them closed their eyes. The purple outline for Edward glowed, and suddenly he went from one side of the map to the other. He was amazed. "Oh wow."
James was a second behind him, and teleported next to Thomas and Spike.
"That's pretty impressive." Thomas admitted, James smirking proudly.
"I am, aren't I?"
Thomas rolled his eyes at James' comment.
Twilight levitated the books back to their shelves. "And that's not even scratching the surface of a unicorn's level. See, unicorns can have different skill levels based on their skill, specialty, and how much they study and/or practice."
Edward thought. "Basically, the better you get, the more powerful you can be?"
Twilight turned to him. "Correct, but not all unicorns are destined to use high level magic. Or even want to."
Thomas stood, and walked over to them. "And you are someone who has, right? Spike told me you used to be a unicorn before becoming an alicorn."
Twilight nodded, smiling. "Yes. Even when I was a filly I was a gifted magic user."
Thomas relayed information he learned. "And you were excepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns."
Twilight nodded. "Yes, I-" Suddenly she stopped. She glanced at Spike. "Has Spike been telling you my life story?"
Spike spoke, holding a jem and reading a cookbook. "I've only caught him up on what's happened these many long years."
Edward remembered a question he wanted to ask the day before. "That reminds me, why do James and I have horns, and Gordon and Henry have wings, while Thomas, Percy and Toby don't have any of these?"
Twilight rubbed her chin. "I guess when you were brought into this world, you were given forms that would best match who you are."
James muttered under his breath. "It would have been cool if I had wings."
Edward and Thomas looked at him.
James backpedaled. "Which is not to say being a unicorn is not cool, on the contrary I really like the pony form I was given. Especially this long mane and tail."
"Especially your long, gold-dipped black mane and tail."
Rarity entered the map room, responding to James' last comment. She politely smiled to the unicorns. "How are you two getting along with handling your magic?"
"Pretty swimmingly." Edward said.
"It was much easier than I thought it would be." James admitted, noticing a piece of cloth in her hoof.
Rarity walked over to Twilight briefly. "Twilight, darling, when you see Starlight can you give her this sunhat she ordered? I've been trying to track her down all day."
She handed the hat over to Twilight with magic and she took it with her magic. "Sure can Rarity. You can leave it with me."
Rarity exhaled with a smile. "A million thanks dear. I've just started designs on this year's summer collection."
That intrigued James.
Twilight set the hat down."You have a theme yet?"
Rarity shook her head. "No, but that's why I've come here."
She turned, and walked over to James. "You look like a pony who would know a thing or two about fashion."
That caused Thomas to burst out laughing.
"James? (Ha!) A fashionista? If you count the numerous times he's boasted about his paintwork, then perhaps."
James grumbled. "Shut up Thomas, an engine's paintwork is really important."
Thomas continued to giggle, boasting about himself in the process. "Too bad you didn't get painted blue, like me! Then maybe I'd care."
"Is that a insult?" James turned to Thomas, taking a step.
Edward waved his hoof between them, breaking it up. "Okay, okay, come on, that's enough."
He glared at both of them, but not negatively. "Do you two really need to start arguing in front of our new friends?"
James sighed. "Thomas started it. All I said is what I believe."
Rarity smiled. "It seems you are somepony who knows a thing about fashion. Well, an engine's fashion statement."
"So?" James asked.
Rarity asked if he could come along. "I would appreciate if you accompanied me to my boutique, I think you could find something to do there. I'd need you to help me with something."
James was interested, and nodded. "Sounds like a full day to me."
Rarity waved to him to follow, and they trotted towards the doorway. Rarity waved goodbye to Twilight and Spike.
"I'll bring him back in one piece."
Twilight chuckled, and rolled her eyes with a smile.
"You best do!" Spike called after.
Spike sighed. "She's great."
Thomas chuckled. "You fancy her, aeh?"
Spike blushed in embarrassment. "Maybe. But it'll never be reciprocated."
"How do you know?" Edward asked.
"She's already told me." Spike sighed slightly.
"Ouch." Thomas commented.
"It's fine. As long as she finds somepony that'll make her happy, I'll be happy."
Edward was presently surprised. "That's really mature of you Spike."
Thomas turned to Twilight. "Hey Twilight, could you tell me more about these Elements of Harmony Spike kept bringing up?"
CAKE.
Cakes upon cakes was what Percy was looking at as he entered Sugarcube Corner's kitchen with Pinkie.
"When making anything, there's always more than one ingredient in the mixture."
Percy stared at the confections in the kitchen. "Sure."
Pinkie noticed him staring at the sweets around them. "Oh, sorry about the clutter, Mr. And Ms. Cake have been super busy with the cake competition this year."
"I see.." He slowly stopped, staring at a black and white cake.
"Have you always been a baker?"
Pinkie shook her head, clearing the counter and putting clean kitchen tools on the open space. "Nope, it's just one of my hobbies, and the job I have."
Percy walked over to Pinkie, now noticing her cutie mark. "Um, what's the mark on your flank about?"
Pinkie glanced at it, and explained. "That's my cutie mark. A cutie mark is basically what you're destined to do, what your specialty is."
"So your cutie mark means you're destined to... Blow balloons?"
Pinkie Pie giggled, taking out the flour from another cupboard. "No silly, my cutie mark represents my love and passion for planning parties, and making ponies smile."
Percy inhaled, taking in the scent of the confections around him. He smiled. "That's- Awfully sweet."
Pinkie just beamed, whisk now in hoof.
"Welcome to Equestria! It's like that here."
She set the whisk down, trotting across the kitchen to the overhead cupboards to grab sugar. She glanced at the green colt, pointing to his flank. "Hey, you have one too!"
"I do?" Percy turned his head to see his cutie mark. An envelope sealed with a winged heart. "I do! Why is is an envelope though?"
Pinkie carried the sugar over to the counter on her head. "What's something back on your Earth that's your specialty, something you're passionate about and proud of doing? Something that represents you?"
Percy had to think for a moment, before realizing it. "Oh!- I run the mail train every night! I love that job, and it's kinda what I'm known for." He looked at his cutie mark more closely. "I still don't know why it's sealed with a heart sticker."
Pinkie had the counter readied. "You'll figure it out, I know you will!" She popped up next to him and put a hoof around his neck. "Now, you're going to help me make a small batch of carrot cupcakes!" She pulled him over to the counter, Percy a little surprised at her touchiness. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Aren't you going to teach me first before we start baking?"
Pinkie giggled, giving him a measuring cup. "Baking is the learning! Besides, you'll catch up pretty quickly. If my husband can, then you can."
Percy blinked. "You're married?"
And so ensued a conversation about Pinkie's life, messy baking, and error filled escapades. Percy had to admit, it was fun.
It's late spring, and the trees are a vibrant green, alive and dotted with red specks crossing from eye to eye. Stretching out across the plains, it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Toby was looking out to this view on a hill as Applejack spoke about her family's farm.
"For generations, the apple family had lived and grown in Ponyville. There's many of us across Equestria now, but this is where it all started."
Toby took in a deep breath to admire the smell, and looked to Applejack. "I can't believe this all started from one apple seed."
Applejack tipped her hat slightly. "A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this place. You can attribute a lot of that to Granny Smith, when she was younger she had the determination and ethic of a 500 pound workhorse."
Toby went back to admiring the view. "Wow. This view..." He stumbled off, still in awe of all this hard work in front of him. Applejack finished the sentence, looking over the trees.
"..Is what we work for. Too bad you hadn't arrived sooner, the Zap Apple season is something we're especially known for." She gestured him to come along, and the two started off down the hill.
"It's wonderful how this old farm is still alive and strong as it is."
Applejack was curious. "Whatcha mean by that Toby?"
Toby reminisced about the good old days as the hill was ending, and apple trees surrounded them. "Well, I used to run a branch line north of Sodor."
He smiled, remembering him and Henrietta going along the rails. "A long time ago. It was a busy, happy time. I had plenty of jobs, passengers to carry, cargo to haul..."
His smile weakened, glancing at Applejack to notice if she was paying attention. And she was.
"But over time things slowed. So much so that they closed down the line."
Applejack tilted her head down slightly. "I'm mighty sorry to hear that."
Toby assured her sympathy, looking up through the leaves. "It's okay. The head of the Northwestern Railway, Sir Topham Hatt, invited me to work on his railway, and now I am. With Thomas and the bunch. It's a good life. He treats us all very well."
Applejack smiled lightly, and walked over to a tree that had woven wood baskets under it. "Glad to hear so."
Toby stopped, and gazed at the apple tree. "...How do you collect apples? I don't see any ladders around."
Applejack waved her hoof down, and kicked the tree with her hind legs, causing the tree to shake, and the apples to fall into the baskets.
Toby was impressed. "How did you do that?"
Applejack walked over to another tree. "It's called apple bucking. All you need to do is aim, wind up, and-" She bucked the tree, and again, apples fell into the baskets. "-Buck the tree with force."
She placed a front hoof on the tree. "These trees in particular were planted during the fall, and now give during spring. It's how we're able to grow apples year around."
Toby smiled. "Highly impressive."
Applejack gestured to the next tree. "Would'ya wanna try?"
Toby nodded quickly, giving a appreciative grin. "Why not?"
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique!"
James was immediately impressed with the front. As Rarity let him into the boutique he looked around with a high interest. Hand crafted, designer clothing lined the sides of the shop, slightly hidden from the normal eye by curtains, making the shop feel welcoming and open. To the right, was a little stand and two big mirrors for ponies to look in while trying on dresses. To the left, three hair stylers accompanied the same count of hanging wall mirrors.
An empty pony mannequin was near the stand. Ahead he could see stairs leading to the upstairs bedrooms. Aside the stairs hidden from view was the doorway to the kitchen.
"This place has style." James complemented, Rarity trotting over to him.
"Thank you, it's not much compared to my stores in Canterlot and Manehattan, but it's the one I'm most pleased with."
James stopped walking, and turned his head to her. He couldn't believe what he just heard.
"You run more than one of these?"
Rarity noticed a strap on a dress that was uneven, and she used her magic to straighten it while talking. "I own three, the other two are run by my good friends in the fashion world, who know what I and my fashion lines are about."
James lightly gasped, admiration sparkling in his eyes. Rarity chuckled. "Don't get too excited yet darling, you haven't even eyed the stitches in my dresses yet!"
He went to gaze at the dress for a minute, then at Rarity as she walked over to the stairs.
"Come along now, I just might have something you could help with."
James shook his head to snap out of it, and joined Rarity. He spoke. "This is all just.. impressive. You've earned a lot."
Rarity nodded once. "Hard work and creativity James. That's how I got here."
The next room he entered was messy but organized. So many rolls of colored fabric, jewels, sequins, everything a fashion designer would dream of. He gasped at the variety.
"It's like a room of design paints." He remembered the numerous times any engine was decorated for special occasions. It made him grin from ear to ear.
Rarity trotted over to the sowing machine and picked up a few blank pieces of thick art paper. She also levitated a pen into the mix. "I knew you'd be impressed."
He noticed a pale green dress in progress on a mannequin. "This is something you're working on?"
He walked over to it, Rarity joining him. She sighed. "Yes, but without a theme for the upcoming summer line, I can't find it's true form."
James stared at the dress in thought. "Hmm.."
"But that's why you're here." Rarity looked to James.
She levitated the pages in front of him.
"What do you think feels in? "Ocean Breeze Across Equestria" or "Melting Pastels"?"
James blinked, and for a moment pondered.
"..What about something like, "Inner Sun Colors?" It could be a line that expresses someone's true colors, the clothing could glow in the sun, and it would be a good reflection of a pony's personality."
Rarity was presently surprised at the suggestion, but liked it very quickly, staring to sketch a dress out on a blank paper. "..That is a really good idea!"
James don't know what inspiration hit him, but he kept going and Rarity sketched the idea as he talked and trotted around the room.
"And-! And, maybe we could combine it with the melting pastels idea, other colors blending in and out, and eventually lining the edge of the dress or dripping off the dress, so to speak."
Rarity began to grin, nodding continuously. "Yes, yes! This is genius!" She finished the sketch and showed it James with the same enthusiasm. "I shall call this first piece, Illustrious Light Greenery!"
James was just as impressed with her sketching skills as he was with her dress making skills. Rarity had come up with a short two piece dress, complete with a small swirl ear piece.
Rarity levitated the work in progress dress over to the sowing machine, and some scissors.
"Have to get to work before it leaves you?" James chuckled as Rarity went over to the sowing machine.
"Exactly. You did good James."
Her complement made James proud. "So, are you going to teach me how to make some fashionable clothing?" He asked, coming up next to her.
Rarity smiled, and floated the scissors to him. He took it with magic.
"I have much to teach, let's get going."
As the second day ended, more progress was made to the portal to take them home. It would only need a few more adjustments, and then they would be back to Sodor. But they weren't minding the wait.
Pinkie had just made a batch of cookies and if he didn't get there soon, his friends would eat them all.
Twilight and Starlight were working on the portal, and Edward was watching them. He was urged by Percy to come try these cookies, as apparently Percy had made them himself, with Pinkie's supervision. "And they're actually good this time!"
Thomas got to Sugarcube Corner as Edward teleported to the door.
"You're getting really consistent with your teleporting." Thomas noted to Edward as he slowed down to trot.
Edward chuckled lightly. "Starlight said I could be gifted in magic."
Thomas chuckled back, and nudged Edward with an elbow.
"Maybe you are."
The two entered the bakery, and saw their friends already at the counter eating cookies. Gordon, James, Toby, Henry, and Percy were munching away at the cookies, conversing.
"Hey, can't you leave some cookies for the other two blue ponies over here?" Thomas joked.
"Sorry little Thomas, but these cookies are for upstanding engines only." Gordon teased. Thomas chuckled at the joke, and Gordon gave him a cookie. Henry gave Edward a couple cookies and Edward levitated them.
"James here was going on about this dress him and Rarity are making." Henry informed them.
"Kind of boring if you ask me." Toby whispered to Thomas, and Thomas snickered.
James rolled his eyes at Toby as he continued.
"As I was saying, the muted sky blue really worked with the light lime green and pastel yellow. The sequins added only exaggerated the green, really making the design pop."
"Yawn, so boring." Gordon groaned. "Can we talk about something else?"
"Like how well I did with this batch of cookies?" Percy chimed in, eating a cookie in one bite. Henry seconded that, nibbling on the cookie in his hoof. "Actually, yeah, we should. It's much better than the last batch you tried."
Percy smiled. "Only 13 batches of cookies to greatness!"
"So, how's everyone been doing?" Edward asked, checking up on the team. Percy spoke first.
"Pinkie's been teaching me how to bake cupcakes and cookies. Oh! Did you guys know that the mark on your flank actually means something?"
Thomas smiled. "Yes Percy, it's our cutie marks. It represents a pony's destiny."
"That's what Pinkie told me." Percy responded.
James smirked at himself. "Well then this bow must be telling the truth, because I'm quite fashionable."
Gordon rolled his eyes at James, and Henry spoke.
"I found out that Fluttershy can talk to animals, which is really neat. She has this animal sanctuary that she runs, and I don't know why but the animals there really like me."
"Well you were one attached to nature." Edward noted.
Toby spoke up. "I worked on the Apple farm. Applejack's dedication is truly admirable. Her siblings are respectable ponies too, especially her older brother. It's fascinating what earth ponies can do with the ground."
"They say all ponies possess magic, but why do earth ponies get the short end of the stick?" Thomas thought aloud.
Gordon answered Edward's roll call. "It turns out that I'm a naturally gifted flier. I can follow RD's Wonderblot routines fairly well, almost to a T."
Percy laughed lightly. "RD?"
"It's a nickname she uses." Gordon said defensively. He turned the conversation to Edward.
"What about you Edward? What have you and Thomas been up to?"
Edward let Thomas speak first. "I've been researching the history of Equestria, as well as learning about Twilight and her friends. Apparently they've saved this world like, 14 times!"
"Really?" Toby asked.
Thomas nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, they're practically heroes!"
"Not like they'd need more confirmation of that." Edward said with a smile.
"I've been practicing my magic. I can now teleport longer distances. I've been studying it with Starlight and Twilight, when they're not working on the portal home. When they are, I like to watch and offer my help to them. There's so much we don't know about."
"I'm pleased to hear everypony is taking this so well." Thomas smiled.
"Ah, you said everypony and not everyone Thomas." Percy pointed out. Thomas chuckled.
"Heh, guess I did."
A silence fell upon them. James finished his last cookie.
Suddenly Henry spoke.
"You know, I wonder how Emily's doing right now."
The team seemed to blink in unison.
"She's probably worried sick.." Thomas sighed.
Edward looked down. "And Sir Topham... I can't imagine how he's feeling about us missing."
The team frowned at this, now feeling a little down.
Pinkie came into the bakery, and took in the atmosphere of the room. "What's with the frowny faces ponies?"
"We're feeling a little homesick, I guess." Percy relented.
Pinkie understood this, and felt a little sad for them. "Oh."
Toby agreed with Percy. "I mean, Equestria is great and all, but we have responsibilities back on Sodor."
Thomas spoke. "Ponyville is a great town to relax and unwind in, but we have to get home soon."
"Well you won't have to wait any longer."
The steam team looked to the door to see Twilight standing there. "The portal is practically complete. But we will need your assistance."
Thomas took a breath for the group, and nodded.
"Of course."
The room they walked into was a spare library, one in the back of the castle.
There were three portals set up. Two were working and operational, while one was just the portal frame. The working portal frames were bluish-sliver and gold respectively, while the empty frame was a shiny light purple.
Starlight was explaining her work. "Having done one of these before, it wasn't too hard to create a third one."
The steam team gazed at the portal. The rest of the main 6 were here as well.
Twilight nodded, and built off of what Starlight said. "But like the other two, we will need an item that connects back to your world, or something from your world that was brought here, vice versa."
The group looked at each other, and Percy started scratching his head in thought. Then suddenly, he felt a roundish object in his hair. He blinked, and took it out of his hair. In his hoof was a piece of coal. Coal from Sodor.
"What the-?"
Thomas was puzzled. "How did that get here?"
Percy shrugged. "I don't know, it just- appeared!"
"Perfect." Twilight nodded in approval. Percy gave out his hoof with the coal, and Twilight levitated it into its place atop the portal.
"Now it needs a spark of magic to activate it."
Twilight looked to Starlight, and Starlight looked to Edward.
Edward understood, and was very surprised. He put a hoof to his chest.
"W-wait, me?"
Twilight tilted her head to the portal. "Would you like to try? You've shown great progress the past 3 days."
Edward took a second to blink, and inhaled. He looked at his friends. They were in support of this idea. He exhaled long.
"Alright. I'll give it a try."
He walked up to the portal. Starlight gave some advice. "All you have to do is shoot a beam at the coal."
He nodded, and needed to take another breath. He tilted his head down slightly, and readied his horn.
Edward focused, and a beam of violet was shot at the coal. The machine sprang to life, and soon enough there was a working portal inside the frame. Thomas and his friends gasped. Edward looked up, and saw the portal. He felt really proud of himself, and smiled. "It actually worked." He rubbed this head. "Though, it still took a lot of straining."
"Practice makes perfect." Twilight smiled.
"So we can go back now?" Henry asked, a little hope in his voice.
"Give it an hour or two to settle." Starlight said.
Twilight nodded in response. "Since there's nothing on the other side connecting to the Equestrian magic, the portal may be unstable."
James spoke. "So you mean you don't even know if it'll stay open once we go through?"
"That's why Starlight will be on this side of the portal when we travel." Twilight answered.
"We?" Gordon noted the collective term.
Rainbow flew over to him. "Yeah, you didn't think you guys were going back alone?"
"We want to send you off when we know you'll be safe." Fluttershy added.
Edward thought that was rather considerate. The steam team appreciated that. Pinkie jumped up, feeling excited.
"Well, you all have one more hour, so let's make it count!"
And so they did.
While the friends stayed together as a unit this time, Gordon and James went off with Rainbow Dash and Rarity respectively.
Rarity was finishing the dress with James. Rarity was putting some last minute touches on the dress, and James was sowing the blue and green swirl hair piece together.
"I think I've gotten the hang of this." He noted, lifting the sowing needle up, then back down.
Rarity was wearing her glasses, sowing in a small sequin.
"Yes, you certainly do have a talent for the art of fashion."
James stopped sowing for a second, and blinked. He felt himself blush lightly with embarrassment. He started to smirk, offsetting the flattery he felt from the comment. "I sure do. It's hard to be the only engine on Sodor who's as amazing as me!"
Rarity gave a light chuckle, and turned to him. "So, is it done yet?"
"Wait a moment..." James squinted as he stitched the last piece. He tied it off, and cut the extra away with some scissors. "Aaanddd done."
He levitated the accessory into the air, turning to Rarity, proudly presenting it.
"Voila! The hairpiece."
Rarity took it from him, and fitted it to the mannequin.
"Excellent work James. You've done well."
James beamed, looking at their finished product. "We make a good team, don't we?"
Rarity took a step back, and silently critiqued it. "I have to agree. Thanks for the help."
"Thank you for letting me help."
The two looked at each other, and simply smiled.
Rainbow Dash and Gordon were cloud busting. One cloud after another dissipated, blue streaks shooting ciss cross across the Ponyville sky. Rainbow was keeping score of how many she cleared.
"73, 74, 75-!"
"Are you always counting how many clouds you've cleared?" Gordon asked.
"Sometimes. Keeps my skill in check and all."
Gordon chuckled lightly, using his wing beats to clear a group of clouds. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's trying to impress me.'
Rainbow Dash finished, and flew over to him. "So are you keeping track?"
Gordon looked behind him. "I think the empty sky behind me says it all."
Indeed, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Although... Rainbow pointed out a few scattered clouds. "Almost empty sky. You missed a few."
Gordon brushed it off.
"A sky with a few miscellaneous clouds isn't anything to scoff at. I'd prefer a day like that actually."
He noticed that the sky behind Rainbow was completely devoid of clouds. He gave a small smile.
"You tired after all of that flying around?"
Rainbow stretched her back. "Actually, yeah. I think I might have been trying a little too hard."
"So you are trying to impress me?" He said this thought out loud to see what reaction he could get from her.
Rainbow Dash laughed a little, and flew past him.
"Perhaps I am. Now come on, I know a good place where we can relax for a minute."
Gordon followed her to wherever they were going. "You don't have to do much to impress."
"Hm?" She glanced at him as they flew.
He spoke his mind. "You're one of the fastest people I've met, you're in a prestigious position being a Wonderbolt, heck, I was even dumbfounded when you told me Pegasi control the weather. Remember, you're talking to someone who comes from a place where "magic" is just fantasy or an illusion."
Rainbow Dash was presently flattered. She responded quickly, a little off topic. "-I guess that's why your friend Edward has been infatuated with the use of magic and how to cast spells?"
Gordon nodded. "He's lived a long life. We all have actually."
He simply left it at that.
Rainbow Dash grinned, and nudged him in the shoulder. "Thanks for sharing Big G."
Gordon was pleasantly surprised at this new nickname, but liked it all the same.
The two eventually arrived at the swimming hole, Rainbow's favorite spot in Ponyville to relax and recharge.
They landed on the ground and looked at the water.
"How do you feel about swimming?"
Gordon cringed slightly. "A lot of us have had.. unpleasant experiences with large bodies of water."
Rainbow smiled.
"And yet we both still need it to function properly."
The two laughed. After a while, they sat down on the shore and looked up to the sky. It was a short moment of peace.
After a while, Rainbow gave a large sigh. Gordon heard this, and glanced to her.
"What's wrong?"
"I guess it's around that time." Rainbow sighed, noting the sun's position in the sky.
"Oh."
He could tell she was disappointed for it to be over. Gordon stood up, giving a smile. "Hey, didn't you say you're coming with me?"
Rainbow blinked once, and smiled weakly. Gordon nodded.
"It's not over till' it's time to say goodbye."
The friends flew off to join the rest of their friends, waiting at the castle.
"Okay, so like we've said before,"
Twilight was talking as she strapped her satchel on herself. Starlight was helping out, taking some scrolls away from her and empty scrolls to her.
"The connection to your world is still unstable, as there is no grounded connection to Equestria; That we know of or have some sort of control over."
Twilight put the empty scrolls into her satchel, and smiled at the steam team. "Who knows, maybe we'll find one."
The rest of the mane 6 were also getting their satchels ready.
Spike entered the room, carrying a different scroll. "I'll have to stay behind, Celestia is not too ecstatic with being yanked out of retirement for stepping in, and I need to catch her up to speed some."
He presented the document to Twilight and she quickly signed it numerous times. "Thanks Spike, I'm sure she understands."
"Is everypony ready to go?" Starlight asked, standing by the portal.
"I guess so." Percy said, although with a hint of sadness to his voice.
"It was fulfilling and fun. But I'm looking forward to having my engine form back." Toby added, James nodding as Henry spoke.
"Me too, I hope nothing's gone too off the rails back home."
Percy and Pinkie silently laughed at the unintentional pun.
"Ooh, I can't wait to see where you guys live!" Pinkie bounced up to the group.
"And what you actually look like too." Fluttershy came beside her, and the friends lined up.
Thomas quickly looked to Spike. "Hey Spike. Thanks for telling me all about the numerous adventures everypony has had."
Spike simply smiled in return. "It was my pleasure, and hey, you make sure Twilight doesn't get caught in trouble again."
"You may be asking the wrong engine on that one."
Starlight glowed her horn as a farewell to Edward, and he did the same back.
"Are we going yet, or are we just standing here?" Rainbow went to hover in the air, a little impatient.
Twilight turned her head to Thomas, and pointed towards the portal with her head. "Go on, we'll be behind you."
Thomas inhaled audibly, and walked up to the portal. He raised a hoof to it.
"We're coming back to Sodor."
'We're coming back home.'
The friends entered the portal, and appeared on the other side..
The steam team found themselves in overgrowth, an abandoned track in front of them. Though, they weren't connected. Thomas realized this as they all came through the portal. He glanced at himself.
"Huh?"
Still a pony.
The mane six came from behind, slightly surprised at the stallions' confusion, and were even a little puzzled themselves. The steam team were all still ponies.
"What?" Percy was puzzled.
"Hey, what gives? Why are we still horses?" James seemed to pout a little, as the portal behind the mane 6 closed, Starlight now awaiting for the signal on the other side.
The group of friends took a moment to ponder their predicament. "Perhaps the magic that enveloped you and took you all to Equestria now resides in you?" Twilight gave an educated guess, rubbing her chin in thought.
Edward was beginning to ponder something else. "Maybe, but then, how..?"
"How what?" Fluttershy asked.
"We said that these spheres of colored light transported us to Equestria right?" Edward asked.
Gordon answered. "Yes, and?"
Edward looked to his friends. "Well, all of you had a corresponding color, I didn't have one corresponding."
This once again stumped the steam team. "hmm.."
Twilight spoke again. "Maybe you were infused with bits and pieces of each? If my dormant magic theory is correct."
"Or their could be another element in play here.." James added a thought onto the pile. As they were thinking, Thomas started to notice their surroundings. He felt like he'd been here before. Then he realized.
"Hey, wait a minute, I know where we are." He walked along the track a little before coming to a small clearing. Everypony followed. Thomas began to smile. "We're at the overgrown siding I first met Hiro at."
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Different story for another time." Toby responded first.
Thomas began to follow the other set of tracks. "If we follow the tracks beside.."
He trailed off as they followed, the mane 6 curious as to where they were going. As they followed the tracks, they soon came to the mainline tracks. The engines were pleased, and Percy started trotting out of the trees. "Great, now he can just follow the tracks to-"
Gordon pulled Percy back into the trees. "Percy, are you crazy? We can't let other engines see us like this!"
"Not until at least Sir Topham Hatt knows." Edward rationalized.
"He still thinks we're missing." Henry agreed.
Thomas took the lead, waving to his friends. "Well? Come on, we should know the way to Naphard station!"
Twilight nodded, giving a smile. "We're right behind you Thomas. We'll make sure to stay hidden."
As they traveled, Twilight began taking notes on a scroll.
"What are you writing about?" Edward asked, noticing her scribbling.
"Taking notes about your world. I was thinking, perhaps I can create a spell to change you back, but first I'd need to research your world for a little bit."
"Do you think I could help?" Edward offered, still presently thinking about the circumstances that dragged him along this adventure. Twilight was tossing thoughts around in her head.
"Hm, maybe. Hey, Thomas?"
Thomas briefly glanced back at her. "Yeah?"
"Is there anything special about your coal and water?" Twilight paused her scribbling. Thomas was unsure about her question.
"Uh, not that I know of." He was uncertain in his answer.
"Hmm..." Twilight began scribbling again as Rainbow silently groaned at her current hovering.
"Ugh, why can't I fly higher? Nopony's going to see me." She lifted a tad higher to peek through the branches of the trees.
"Nobody you mean." Henry corrected.
"Yeah, besides the point, no creature would see me above the clouds." Rainbow rationalized.
"You might run into Harold." Gordon mused.
"But you'd really wouldn't want to." Percy added, feeling the need to say so.
After a while of hiking, RD sighed again. "Are we there yet?"
Edward held his hoof out, hearing wheels wheesh and whistles sound. "Hold that thought.."
Both he and Thomas looked out of the bushes in front of them. "Yes, we are."
It was evening now, and the station was slowly draining of engines and people. Lights were beginning to come on, and nighttime deliveries were being scheduled. The group was hiding in some bushes, watching the evening bustle.
"So, do you have a plan?" Fluttershy asked.
Thomas smiled nervously to his friends. "We're just going to walk up there and say hey?"
"That's a stupid plan." Gordon stated flat out.
Toby replied to Gordon's remark. "But it's the only one we have."
"I think we should wait till' everyone's out of here." Henry suggested, peeking through the bushes again.
James agreed. "Yeah, we should."
Percy glanced around, and started walking out of the bush when Henry called after him harshly. "Percy-!"
Percy huffed impatiently, turning his head to the equines. "I'm tried of waiting, this is boring and I'd rather have him find out sooner rather than later."
Pinkie bounced out of the bush. "Yeah," She stood next to Percy, waving a hoof to the air slightly, "What's the worst that could happen? Your boss and a few other people get a little freaked out, that's pretty much it right?"
"I guess.." Toby wasn't too sure.
Pinkie laughed, reassuring them. "This isn't our first rodeo guys. Well, at least not for me."
The group all glanced at each other. Gordon then sighed, walking over to Percy. "Fine. Let's get this over with..."
"If he'll talk to magical ponies smaller than him." Henry said.
Twilight took initiative and teleported the group to the station's #1 platform, which was now fairly deserted. There was one engine at the platform, who's coaches were now empty and was waiting to leave.
This engine was silver, and long, from their new perspective at least. Percy and Toby looked up to the engine as they walked past, the big, tall tender streamline engine steaming awaitingly, the white puffs of cloud rising and dissipating at his wheels. The steam team's ears folded down, at the sheer presence the engine had, even if he wasn't the biggest engine they've known and worked with.
The engine didn't notice whom was on the platform, rather he was looking a little smug, hearing the couches be uncoupled from him and the conductor's whistle blow. He blew his long, loud and important whistle back, slowly steaming out of the station, fulfilled.
Thomas and Percy looked to each other, then to the office at the end of the platform. The conductor finally noticed the strange creatures on the platform, and was bewildered. The steam team ignored the gaze, and walked over to the office window.
Pinkie Pie instead beamed at the man, and waved at him. "Hi!"
This made the conductor promptly faint in shock, and both Rainbow Dash and Twilight glanced at Pinkie.
"What? What did I say?"
Thomas took a breath, and stood out of sight of the window, speaking up loudly. "Uh, Sir? Sir Topham Hat?"
Topham heard this, from his work inside the office. He looked up, and out the window. "Thomas? Is that you?"
Thomas glanced at all his friends. "Yes sir, I-er- we all are out here. But, um-"
A stout man ran out of the office, looking towards the tacks with worry, speaking. "You've all been missing for three days! What in the world happened?" He abruptly realized that the tracks were empty, and was highly confused. "Thomas?"
Thomas hesitated his words. "We're um, not our usual selves, sir. Next to you."
The Fat Controller turned, seeing the candy colored equines standing on the platform. He yelped with surprise, and stepped back a few. "Ah!-"
"It's us sir." Thomas reiterated, watching the disbelief and shock flood the controller's face. He put a hand on his forehead.
"Wha- no, that can't be.. I must be hallucinating.."
Edward took a step forward, a hoof to his chest. "But it really is us sir. Don't you recognize our voices?"
Sir Topham shook his head, still not comprehending the situation. his hand fell to his side, as he spoke with the upmost confusion. "H-how? What happened to you all?"
Twilight stepped forward, looking to the human. "I believe I can explain for them."
And so, she explained it all, as clearly and concisely as she could.
"...They most likely absorbed Equestrian magic, and that turned them into ponies. Which is why I must be working on a transformation spell specifically for their predicament."
The Fat Controller was still a little shook. "Well," he coughed, "I'm just glad you've all have been in good hands."
"The railway on the other hoof?.." Toby asked, preparing for a bad answer.
Sir Topham composed himself, and relayed what's been happening. "Losing 7 engines unexpectedly all at once did heavily impact the workload somewhat. The mail's backed up, the goods yards are more disorganized than ever, Thomas and Edward's branchlines are behind, and the express has been getting delayed, what with it being hard for Emily to keep on time."
Henry spoke up. "We can still help sir. We might not be engines right now,"
"But we can lift our fair share of hard work as equines." Gordon finished glancing at the group, James glowing his horn and the blue Pegasus opening his wings.
"And while they're doing that I can get the research I'll need for making a spell to turn them back." Twilight concluded, getting a little excited now at the prospect.
Sir Topham pondered for a moment. "Well, if you're all committed to working even under these.. circumstances, then I will approve."
"And what better way to work together than with friends?" Twilight smiled, looking to the steam team, then her friends.
"Wait, what?" Thomas was a little confused at first.
"Well, We're not just going to be standing on the sidelines aren't we?" Rarity looked to Applejack, who nodded.
Rainbow Dash flew over to Thomas and Gordon. "We're with you every step of the way."
Edward looked to the Fat Controller. Sir Topham Hat thought this was a splendid idea. "Their help would be much appreciated."
"Yay! railroad work!" Pinkie said excitedly.
"Well girls-?" Fluttershy looked around at her friends.
All the mares, one after another, stacked their hooves together. Rainbow looked to the stallions. "Are you in?"
For a second the steam team was silent, until Edward placed a hoof on the others. "Without a doubt."
Percy beamed, joining in. "The more help the better!"
Then Gordon next. "We're all in this together."
Then James, and Toby. Finally Twilight looked to Thomas. He simply smiled, and joined the hooves stacking. "This time it's our turn to show you mares how us engines do it."
They each got their assignments from Sir Topham Hat, and business began early next morning.
James was looking disgusted at the state of Naphard's yard.
He, Rarity, and Edward were sent to get the yard in order and deliveries being run on time. They were standing on one of the rails. Edward was holding a list of deliveries needed to be picked up and/or shunted away,
"Look at this mess. What engine can even navigate through this?"
Edward rolled his eyes. "James, we're here to organize that's all."
Rarity levitated a list in front of her. "And by the train schedule the yard manager gave us, there's supposed to be one temporary pilot, and one permanent pilot here?"
Edward nodded. "Yes. Stanley, who's here temporarily on account of the workload, and-"
There was a sudden gasp heard by the group. James suddenly sighed, knowing the voice of the boxcab diesel well. "Philip."
Said little diesel came up the track next to them, and stopped next to the three, grinning excitedly. He first looked to Edward and James. "Oh wow! James, Edward, is that really you?"
Edward nodded. "How could you tell?"
"Sir Topham Hat told us all about it!" Then Philip looked to Rarity, still with the same chipper excitement. "And you must be the nice pony friend helping you out."
Rarity cordially introduced herself, taking a step or two to the boxcab engine. "Yes, my name's Rarity. James said your name was Philip?"
Philip was very cheerful and pleasant. "Yes ma'am, that's me, number 68! If you ever need anything, just call me over Ms. Rarity. Now I have to get back to shunting cars!" He abruptly scuttered off, tooting his horn shortly.
"What a charming little engine." Rarity remarked.
James scoffed, rolling his eyes. "More like annoying."
Edward glanced at the boxcab diesel. "Come now James, sure he's a bit.. overbearing, but he's still learning. He still is rather new to the railway after all."
Rarity looked at the list now being levitated by Edward. "Hm, what's the most urgent matter on this list right now?"
Edward almost seemed surprised, as it was the first one on the list. "A goods train to Tidmouth. Huh, that's a very simple one, why hasn't it been delivered?"
Philip heard this as he passed them again, slowing down to look over to the yard. "Oh, the cars for that train are right over there." Three trucks were tucked in between sheeted ones. "And there. and there." The pieces of the train were scattered everywhere, some tucked away in corners, some between flatbeds, most just randomly placed everywhere.
James was even more disgusted, and a little frustrated now, pointing to some cars assigned to the train. "And they haven't even been put together yet?"
This time a silver tank engine passed by, carrying a load of flatbeds behind him. He seemed exasperated at James' compliant. "We've been swamped with work James! Not to mention that absolutely nothing has been moved out of this yard yet."
Rarity glanced at the tired engines, then the work in front of them. She grew determined, though a little worried about how dirty this would be. She took a step forward, glowing her horn and deciding on which thing to move first. "Let's dig out that train then."
Stanely stopped in surprise, looking back to the white unicorn. "You think you can do it?"
The covered truck she was trying to move was heavier than expected as she strained to move it. Abruptly, someone started pushing it forward. James had come up beside her, and was using his magic to move the truck out of the way. It seemed it was easier for him to move it than it was for Rarity.
"I don't know, but she'll need help." Rarity turned her head to James, who also wore determination on his muzzle. "It's what we're here for."
Rarity smiled back, and Edward walked to the right of them, also begining to use his magic. "I'll start making room to put that goods train together then."
And so the unicorns started setting things straight.
"This train's been sitting here for 3 days. It needs to be moved now."
Applejack and Toby were talking to a workman at Tidmouth goods yard. In front of them was a regular load of parishable goods that had to be moved. If it didn't get to the stations they needed to be, it would all go bad. After taking a good look at the train, Applejack concluded that it seemed like a doable feat. She spoke to the foreman while looking to Toby. "We can take it. We're workhorses after all."
The workman seemed to agree, focusing his sight on Toby and the equine's stature. "Well I guess a stallion would be able to carry a goods train like this."
Applejack seemed a little miffed that he chose to leave her out the conversation entirely, glancing to the man on the platform. "Listen here, I grew up on Sweet Apple Acres. I reckon I can haul a load of goods."
The foreman just shrugged at that, and went to go find something to help the little ponies out. Toby was a bit more realistic, unsure in their current abilities. "Are you sure we're up for this Applejack? I mean, were just ponies."
"Ponies with strength and skill." Applejack informed him as Twilight came teleporting into the picture, with some news. Twilight had heard his doubts, and was now putting them to rest. She strolled over to them, levitating the open scroll she was previously making notes in.
"Besides, I just did a little investigation with Thomas and Percy, apparently you and your friends seem to be able to pull half as much weight as you could as engines here."
Toby seemed slightly puzzled at this discovery. "But in Equestria it didn't feel that way."
Twilight nodded, purposely pondering out loud. "I'm guessing that's because in Equestria, the magic that transformed you was in the air, or around you at all times, on top of it inhabiting inside you. Here, you're back in your natural element. So what you could handle before as an engine is halfed, adding to the inherit strength you have as ponies."
Applejack turned to Toby with a smile on her face. "Well partner? Ready to work?"
Toby shared her determination. "Always. And always willing." However, he pointed out something while pointing his hoof to the line of cars. "Just one problem: how are we going to carry these trucks without harnesses for ourselves?"
The foreman reappeared with two rusty harnesses in each hand. "I think I might have a solution for that."
Toby tilted his head. "Are those.. vintage horse harnesses?"
The man nodded, stepping off the small platform to give them to the duo. "They were used on the railway long ago. Don't know if they'll help, but it's what we have."
Applejack and Toby examined the harnesses, finding them to be a bit big. Twilight assessed the equipment and got an idea.
"Hmm.." she levitated the the harnesses to herself and pondered. "Maybe if I shrink them a little.."
She cast a spell and the harnesses shrank to the right size for the two. She gave them back to Applejack and Toby while in the background the foreman was in awe of what she just did. "There. They should fit you now. Don't know what I could do for the rust. Maybe you should ask Rarity about that."
That suddenly reminded her of a later task. "Oh, that reminds me, Percy and Thomas are carrying the mail train later, maybe I should go ask some workmen for more of these harnesses."
A random workman came by to attach them to the cars before the ponies would put them on. When they did, Toby showed some discomfort. "A little uncomfortable. But it works."
Applejack just took it in stride. "That's just how I like it." They both gave a smile and nodded to each other.
Twilight waved them off, rolling up the open scroll. "I'll see you two in a little bit, I have to check up on how Rarity, Edward, and James are doing."
"See ya Twi." Applejack said goodbye, and Twilight teleported away.
"You two are good to go." The foreman said, walking away to let them to it.
"Ready?" Toby asked her, Applejack tilting her hat.
"Always up for a challenge."
They started forward, finding it a little hard to start moving. But finally, the trucks started to inch forward and slowly they were beginning to pick up speed. Once they were out on the mainline, their steady trot had turned into a consistent and fast galloping.
"This was harder to move than I thought." Applejack relented, as she had finally found her footing.
"But look at us now!" Toby glanced around there surroundings as an engine passed them, memories returning from the old days.
As they were, the duo was about to pass under a bridge, on which was some children watching the trains pass by. The scene of two ponies hauling a goods train certainly was a interesting sight to see, but they waved anyhow.
Toby took a big inhale before realizing. "Oh. Right, no bell."
Applejack noticed his disappointment, and quickly thought of something to greet the kids. She glanced up to the children, loudly proclaiming, "Yee haw!" as they passed under. The children cheered and turned to wave them goodbye.
Toby glanced at her with a pleasantly surprised smile. "Hey, that idea isn't too bad."
Applejack smiled back eyes focused on the tracks ahead of them. "We have a load of stops to make, so let's get haulin'!"