Twilight Sparkle has worked her branch line for many months, sometimes she would help of Thomas’ branch line and she knows it very well.
“You know just where to stop, Twilight,” laughed her driver, “You could almost manage it without me.”
Twilight knew her driver was joking. Later, she told Pinkie and Fluttershy at the Ffarquhar sheds. At times Pinkie, and Fluttershy would help Twilight when the others were busy.
“Driver says I could take care of myself,” Twilight told them.
“What a joker,” Pinkie laughed.
“I’d never go without my driver,” said Fluttershy earnestly, “Even though we can run without them.”
“Why can we move without our crew anyway,” Twilight asked.
“It’s a reference to the ‘Stories of Sodor’ on YouTube by Victor Tanzig,” Pinkie replied.
Twilight and Fluttershy stared at Pinkie. “What?” she asked.
“PINKIE!” Boomed a voice for the heavens, “STOP BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL!”
“Sorry, Mr. Narrator,” she apologized.
“Anyway,” Twilight said, unsure what that was about.
“Yeah,” Fluttershy retorted, she was on the same paper as Twilight, “I would feel scared going on my own.”
Just then the Fat Controller showed up, “Twilight, Mavis wants help up at the quarry,” he said.
“Ok sir,” Twilight replied as she puffed off.
The next morning, the firelighter came. Twilight drowsed comfortably as the warmth spread through her boiler. Pinkie and Fluttershy were still asleep. Twilight remembered what her driver had said.
“What a joke,” she chuckled, “even though I’m fine moving on my own, when he gets here, I’ll whistle to Pinkie and Fluttershy good morning.”
Twilight then started to move. But really, she was only moving because a careless cleaner had meddled with her controls. She soon found out that she had no crew. She was so scared, that she had forgotten that she could stop on her own! She didn’t dare look at what was coming next. There was the stationmaster’s house. The stationmaster was about to have breakfast.
“Sweet Celestia!” Cried Twilight and shut her eyes as she crashed into the house. The house rocked. Broken glass tinkled. Plaster was everywhere. Twilight had collected a bush on her travels. She peered into the room through its leaves. She couldn’t speak. She was lost for words, her time being on Sodor and this was her first major accident. The Stationmaster was furious. His wife picked up her plate.
“You miserable engine!” She scolded, “Just look what you’ve done to our breakfast! Now I shall have to cook some more!”
And she banged the door. More plaster fell. This time, it fell on Twilight. Twilight felt depressed, her spotless record was broken. Workmen propped up the house with strong poles, and laid rails through the garden. Meanwhile, Cadence arrived.
“Don’t worry, Thomas. I’ll soon have you back on the rails,” she laughed. Cadence, puffing hard, managed to haul Twilight back to safety. Bits of fencing, the bush, and a broken window-frame festooned her front, which was badly twisted. Cadence smiled and left her. Twilight was in disgrace. There was worse to come.
“Twilight, out of the few times you did something wrong, this is the worse,” boomed the Fat Controller.
“I know, sir. I’m sorry, sir,” Twilight’ voice was muffled behind her bush.
“You must go to the works and have your front mended. It will be a long job,” the Fat Controller instructed.
“Yes, sir,” Twilight sighed.
“Meanwhile, a new engine will do your work,” said The Fat Controller.
“A N-N-New Engine, sir?” Twilight spluttered.
“Yes, Twilight. New engines always stay in their sheds till they are wanted. New engines never gallivant off to breakfast in Stationmasters’ Houses,” the Fat Controller said before turning and walking away.
Pinkie and Fluttershy were worried. Twilight’s recent accident had caused a great deal of trouble and the Fat Controller was waiting for them with important news. They found him at Elsbridge where the new engine was. And they were shocked to find out who this engine was. She was a LSWR Class 0298 steam locomotive, with a blue livery, her smokebox was silver and a moon with a magic wand was painted her bunker.
“Here…” the fat Controller said, “Is Trixie, the new engine who has come to help while Twilight is – um – indisposed.”
“Oh poor Twilight,” Trixie acted, “I hope she gets well soon.”
“Please, Sir,” asked Pinkie, “Will she go, Sir, when Twilight comes back, Sir?”
“That depends,” Said the Fat Controller, “Meanwhile, however long she stays, I hope you will both make her welcome and comfortable.”
“Yes, Sir, we’ll try, Sir,” Pinkie and Fluttershy said.
“Good. Run along now and show her the Shed. She will want to rest after her journey,” and he left.
“Now that Twilight is out the way, I can prove that I’m the better pony,” Trixie cackled.
“Hey Twilight’s done much more work than you can to get a crowd,” Fluttershy retorted.
“Ooh burn,” Pinkie laughed.
“Just show me to a sheds,” Trixie growled.
Pinkie and Fluttershy took Trixie to the Engine Shed, and it turns out she was hard to please.
“This is dreadfully smelly,” she complained, “The Great and Powerful Trixie, should deserve something more high class.”
“What does that mean?” Fluttershy whispered to Pinkie.
“I don’t know,” Pinkie whispered back, “All the sheds on Sodor are about the same.” As the led Trixie to the Carriage Shed.
“This is better,” said Trixie, “But whatever is that rubbish?”
The “rubbish” turned out to be Annie, Clarabel, Henrietta Hannah, Helena and Victoria, who were most offended.
“We won’t stay here to be insulted!” Anne fumed, “right, girls?”
“Quite right,” the other replied, just as angry.
Luckily, Thomas, Percy and Toby were nearby and had to take them away and spend half the night soothing their hurt feelings. The engines woke next morning feeling exhausted. Trixie, on the other hand, felt bright and cheerful. She tooted as she came out of the Yard and backed to the station.
“Look at me!” she purred, “I’m the latest steam engine, I am great and powerful.”
She then spotted Eric in the yard. “I say, you over there,” she called out and tooted her whistle, to get Eric’s attention.
Eric puffed back to see who was calling him. “Oh hello there,” he responded happily, “my name’s Eric.”
“yeah whatever,” Trixie replied harshly, “be a good engine and get me some couches.”
“Wow you’re a friendly engine,” Eric talked back, “Who gave you permission to boss me around? You can get your own coaches.”
“I, The Great and Powerful Trixie is far to important to get her own couches,” she boasts, “And if you want to be, whatever you engines say, you will get my couches.”
But Eric didn’t listen, he just went back to shunting trucks. Trixie grumbled and didn’t notice Percy shunting milk vans behind her and was most indignant.
“What is the meaning of this?!” she shouted.
“You’ll be surprise, that Twilight doesn’t do that much passenger trains,” Percy said with a cheeky grin, “she normal helps with the milk runs or helping Mavis at the Quarry.”
“What?!” Trixie gasped angrily, “I won’t pull trucks full of milk, let Toby or Pinkie do it, the love messing around with trucks.” She began to shudder violently.
“Nonsense!” said Percy, “Come on now, back down, gently!”
Trixie lurched backwards. The last milk van crashed into Percy, spilling the milk all over him.
“Told you!” she said, proud with what she did, “Now I’m not moving until I get my couches.”
“I can’t understand,” said the Stationmaster, “Whatever made the Fat Controller send us such a feeble…”
“Feeble? Feeble?!” Spluttered Trixie.
Eric returned to see what had happened, to see Percy covered with milk and Trixie smirking to herself.
Eric helped clear up the mess as Percy went to the Steamworks to get cleaned up. Then Fluttershy took the rest of the milk.
She chuckled, “I’ll do just what work I choose and no more.” But she said it to herself.
Two days later, Fluttershy almost got into an accident with some cows that had strayed onto the tracks. Because of this and her love and care of animals, she went to the Steamworks to have cowcatchers and side plates fitted. They helped to prevent animals from getting hurt if they should stray onto the line. Trixie thought Fluttershy's looked silly.
“You look ridiculous,” she laughed, “You're just afraid of getting hurt yourself.”
“No I'm not,” huffed Fluttershy.
“Yes, you are. I don't have stupid cowcatchers, but I'm not frightened. I just toot and they all go away,” Trixie remarked.
“But they don't,” said Fluttershy.
“They would with me,” Trixie said proudly, “Animals always run if you toot and look them in the eye.”
“Even bulls?” asked Fluttershy.
“Even bulls,” said Trixie. Trixie had never met a bull, but she puffed away quite unconcerned. Down the line she tooted at a farm crossing and the horse and cart halted while she went by.
“Huh!” she said, “It's easy. I just toot and they all stand aside. Poor little Fluttershy. I'm sorry she's frightened.
At the next station, a policeman was waiting, “There's a bull on the line,” he warned, “Please persuade him to return to his farmer.”
Trixie was excited. “Now…” she thought, “I'll show Toby how to manage bulls.”
Champion isn't really a fierce bull, but this morning he was cross. He strayed from his field, crashed through a fence, slithered down a slope and now he didn't know where he was. Though he had the feeling of Déjà Vu. Suddenly, he saw some grass.
“Now for my Breakfast,” he thought. As he ate, Trixie came puffing up behind him.
“Toot-toot,” whistled Trixie, “go on.” Champion was too busy chomping to take any notice. “Toot-toot,” she whistled again. Champion kept grazing.
“This is all wrong,” Trixie complained, “How can I look him in the eye if he won't turn around?”
At last he did. “Moo,” said Champion.
“Ooh, oh,” Trixie murmured, “Why doesn’t he run away.”
“Go on Trixie,” called her driver, “he’s harmless.”
“Yes,” said Trixie unhappily, “You know he's harmless and I know he's harmless. But does he know. Look at his horns. If I bump into him. he might hurt, me, them. The farmer wouldn't like that.”
Champion sniffed at Trixie. “Oooofh!” Said Trixie and that was that. Trixie did no more. She scuttered to back to the station. Fluttershy and Rainbow was bemused and amused to see her back in the station so soon.
“Bulls always run if you toot and look them in the eye. Eh, Trix?” laughed Rainbow.
Trixie stayed silent.
“Oh well,” Fluttershy stated with a snicker, “We can live and learn. I better chase him away for you I suppose. With a secret weapon that us steamies have.”
Trixie then realized what Fluttershy meant as she clanked away to find Champion. When she arrived, Fluttershy tooted her whistle loudly but Champion took no notice. Then Fluttershy whooshed noisily. That did the trick. Fluttershy whooshed a little more and now breakfast over. Champion chuntered away to join the farmer. Trixie was feeling exhausted the evening as she returned to the sheds. She was glad when her day's work was over. Some boys were on the platform of the station before the sheds.
“Hey Trixie,” one teased, “I've got some sweets. They're called ‘Bulls Eyes’. I like them, do you?”
“Ah, keep you own bulls eyes.” And Daisy scuttled to the shed.
After her experience with Champion, Trixie remained lazy and stubborn. Though the other engines found a way to tease her by reminding her that she was now frightened of bulls and cows. One day, Sonata had just pulled into the yard, where Pinkie was grumpily shunting.
“Heya, Pinkie, I see Trixie's left the milk again,” she commented.
“I'll have to make a special journey with it, I suppose. Anyone would think I'd nothing to do,” grumbled Pinkie.
“Tell you what,” replied Sonata, “I'll take the milk; you fetch my trucks.”
“Their Drivers and the Stationmaster agreed. Pinkie had never been to the Quarry before. Mavis had began ordering the trucks for her.
“Hello Pinkie,” she greeted her, “I thought Sonata was coming up to pick these up.”
“We swapped jobs, as Trixie didn’t take the milk again,” huffed Pinkie.
The trucks grumbled to each other as Pinkie coupled up. “This is Sonata’s job;Pinkie's got no right to poke her funnel up here and pull us along.” They whispered and pass the word. “Pay Pinkie out, pay Pinkie out.”
“Come along,” puffed Pinkie, “no nonsense.”
“We'll give her nonsense.” Giggled the trucks, but they followed so quietly that Percy thought they were under control. Suddenly they saw a notice ahead: ‘ALL TRAINS STOP TO PIN DOWN BRAKES’.
“Peep! Peep! Peep! Brakes, Guard, please!” called out Pinkie.
But before he could check them, the trucks surged forward. “On! On!” they cried.
“Help! Help!” Whistled Pinkie. The Man on duty at the crossing rushed to warn traffic with his red flag but was too late to switch Pinkie to the "runaway" siding. Frantically trying to grip the rails, Pinkie slipped into the Yard.
“Peep peep! Look out!” She shut her eyes as she crashes into a brake van destroying it in the process. The brake van was in smithereens. Pinkie's Driver and Fireman had jumped clear, but Pinkie was stranded. Next day, the Fat Controller arrived. Fluttershy and Trixie had helped to clear the wreckage, but Pinkie remained on her perch of trucks.
“We must now try…” Said the Fat Controller, “to find a free engine to be in your place to help the branch line. You have put us in an Awkward Predicament.”
“I’m so sorry sir,” replied Pinkie sadly, if she still had her mane, it would have gone flat.
“You can stay there till we are ready. Perhaps it will teach you to be careful with trucks.” Pinkie sighed. The trucks groaned beneath her wheels. She quite understood about awkward predicaments. The Fat Controller spoke severely to Trixie, too.”
“My engines work hard. I send lazy engines away,” he said sternly, Trixie was ashamed, “However, Fluttershy and the others says you worked hard after Pinkie's accident. So you shall have another chance.”
“Thank you, Sir,” said Trixie, “I will work hard, Sir. Fluttershy and the others say they'll help me.”
“Excellent! What Thomas and the others doesn't know about Branch Line problems isn't worth knowing. Our branch line engine's an Experienced Engines.
Next day, Twilight came back, and Pinkie was sent to be mended. Victoria, Helena and Spike were delighted to see Twilight again, and she took them for a run at once. Trixie had redeemed herself, and Twilight has taught her a great deal. She "shooed" a cow off the line all by herself the other day. That shows you, doesn't it?