One morning, Silver Spoon was up and chirpy. Diamond, on the other hand, wasn’t steaming properly.
“I don’t feel well,” she groaned.
“If you want, I’ll do your work for you,” Silver told her.
“No need,” Diamond replied. “I’ll try.”
Silver took the morning goods train coupled to the back of the passenger train. They needed two engines to deal with the weight, and as such Diamond was coupled to the back.
At the Top Station, the two trains were split. Silver went onwards to the quarry, whilst Diamond took the passenger train back along the line. Her sickness worsened as she ran back along the line, to the point she could barely pull the train when she rolled into the platform at the bottom of the line.
She ran back to the shed, where Ocellus and Cheerilee were waiting for her. “This is bad,” Ocellus said. “We have an engine out of action, so we need to put another one into service.”
“I’ll go!” said Sweetie Belle.
Up at the Quarry, Silver shunted the trucks into position and placed them at the bottom of the incline, to be taken to the next level of the quarry. She then pulled away and moved some loaded ones to the exchange sidings to see Apple Bloom coming up the line.
“Hello!” she called. “What’s going on?”
“Diamond’s failed,” she said. “You’re needed at the bottom of the line.”
Silver wanted to finish her work at the Quarry. But she also wanted to help her friends. She set off down the hill towards the Top Station.
Apple Bloom saw that some loaded tucks were ready to come down the hill, so she rolled into position.
The usual engine assigned to this duty was Babs Seed. But the problem was, the trucks were so dopy they couldn’t tell the engines apart.
“It’s Babs Seed!” one of them screeched. “Let’s pay her out!”
“No!” cried another. “It’s Apple Bloom! It’s Apple Bloom!”
But it was no use. The trucks strained at the rope, which snapped. The trucks roared down the grade, and straight toward Apple Bloom!
Meanwhile, Silver buffered onto a passenger train. Applejack pulled through the station on a goods train. “Mornin’, Sugarcube!” she called.
Silver whistled back, and set off up the line on her train.
She puffed up the line, the midday sun shining off her dome and giving the whole area a most pleasing appearance.
There were wondrous sounds coming out of the woods as she rolled along, and she reached the most popular stop on the line. The passengers flooded out, eager to soak up the sun or to buy an ice cream from the Refreshment Lady.
Silver simmered happily in the platform, as she reflected upon her life. The old line on which she had worked had not been the nicest of railways, an old quarry line which had very heavy workloads. Well, heavy workloads for her, as Diamond had basically been the favourite of the management. She had an easy life and pulled the director’s train.
Silver and her brother Dark Steel, on the other hand, had dragged load after load of slate down the line to the wharf. Day after day after day.
Even so, it had been a secure life. Hearing the news that the quarry was closing was simply shocking to her, as she had feared the next place for her would be the scrapheap.
But salvation did some, as this line had bought her and Diamond. Now she lived a very nice life, which wasn’t too tough, although she made sure to work hard.
A loud whistle distracted her from her thoughts, as Pip rolled into the junction, looking frantic.
“Help!” he cried. “There’s been an accident up in the quarry!”
“What happened?” asked Silver.
“I don’t know the details, but Rumble’s been sent up to help clean the mess!”
Silver was uncoupled from her train, and raced up the hill.
There was quite the mess facing her when she reached the top of the hill, and rolled into the quarry. Trucks were scattered everywhere, the water pipe was broken and leaking, and shattered slate lay everywhere.
But this was nothing compared to Apple Bloom. Her tank was dented, her funnel had come clean off, and her frames were bent.
“Sorry for the bother, ya’ll,” she said.
“Take it easy,” said Rumble. “I’ll get you down the hill.”
Sweetie Belle arrived with a flatcar, and they loaded Apple Bloom onto it. Rumble backed out of the yard and took the wagon down the hill.
It took them ages to clean the mess. The broken trucks were loaded into tipper wagons, and those that could be re-railed were loaded with rubble. They were marshalled into two large trains, and Sweetie Belle took the first of the two trains down the hill.
Silver Spoon took the second, being sure to pin down brakes before she set off. It was a hectic run, as the steep grade put her on edge, but she reached the bottom safely.
The trucks were offloaded at the wharf. Gilda and Fluttershy were waiting with trucks to take away the wreckage.
“What a mess,” Gilda commented. “I’ve never seen an accident like that before.”
“Is Apple Bloom OK?” asked Fluttershy.
“We don’t know,” Sweetie Belle told her. “I just hope it’s OK.”
When they returned to the shed, they found Apple Bloom gone. “Where is she?” asked Silver.
“They’ve taken her to the works,” Cheerilee told them. “It will take a very long time to fix her, I’m afraid.”
“We’re two engines down,” Scootaloo whispered. “Maybe we need to source another.”
“Leave that to me,” Cheerilee told her. “You lot need to rest.” She walked away from the engines.
Diamond spoke up. “This is my fault,” she said. “I shouldn’t have fallen ill-”
“You couldn’t help being ill,” Sweetie Belle reassured her. “But I wonder who the new engine will be?”
The engines went uneasily to sleep, not knowing what would come next, but knowing they wouldn’t see one of their friends for a very long time.