Twilight & Friends

A Thomas & Friends/My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Crossover

Written by: ThomasZoey3000

Episode 9: Thomas Races Into Trouble

Based on "Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure" by Andrew Brenner

It was a beautiful summer's day and Thomas the Tank Engine was puffing along his branch line with his two faithful coaches; Annie and Clarabel. All was well for the only surviving E2 tank engine as he had a good head of steam, and every moving part was working perfectly. Inside his coaches, people were having friendly conversations instead of complaining about the hot weather.

Amongst those passengers was Sunset Shimmer. She was on her way to Ffarquhar to hang out with Twilight and Pinkie Pie. It was a nice break for her as she had been working in the quarry for several days, and a couple of times she nearly passed out due to the heat. Duncan and Sir Handel would just say she was being lazy, but she would just ignore them.

"Only one more week to go and then that'll be it," she thought to herself. "It's kind of sad though, since I've gotten used to working with those narrow gauge engines for so long."

From where she was sitting, she heard Thomas call out to his coaches; "keep an eye open for Bertie, I don't want him beating me this time."

"You need to stop focusing on racing Thomas and get on with your work," said Annie. Moments later, there came a 'Uh Oh!'

Many passengers braced themselves. Sunset was confused, that was until she felt a jerk and felt the train going faster. She looked out the window and saw why. Bertie the Red bus was crossing the bridge above the line, which meant now that he and Thomas were in a race.

But Thomas wasn't paying any attention to his coaches. He was instead laughing and trying to go faster, in spite of his crew trying to slow him down. Nearby on the road, Bertie was doing his best to catch up with the blue tank engine.

"Give it up Bertie, you know I'm going to win!" Thomas called cheekily. "I'm number one for a reason you know."

"Perhaps, but I think you need to watch where you're going!" Bertie called back.

Thomas looked ahead and saw works on the tracks. He swerved onto the other line, somehow managing to stay on the tracks.

"Thomas, stop that!" cried Annie. "One of these days, we'll come off at the points if you continue going fast!"

But Thomas still wouldn't listen. Meanwhile, the passengers on board the train were being bounced about like peas in a frying pan. Sunset was doing all she could to stay in her seat.

"Thomas stop!" Annie cried again. She looked ahead and saw a red signal, "you're passing a red signal! You need to stop!"

Up ahead of the passenger train was Toby with Henrietta, Victoria and Elsie, his two coaches and brake van. Toby's Driver slammed on the brakes. Thomas though looked up to the signal box and called out; "Express Coming Through!"

The singalman got up from his seat at once and quickly changed the points. Thomas dashed on ahead, nearly missing Toby by inches.

Thomas though didn't respond back as he continued racing. He could see Bertie, and was determined to catch up, "I will win! I will win!"

"I knew Thomas was cheeky, but I didn't know he was this cheeky," Sunset groaned quietly to herself.

For a moment, it looked as though the two would be neck and neck, that was until Bertie slowed down. A excavator named Oliver, who surprisingly had the same name as the Great Western auto tank engine, was making his way down the road towards a construction site, but he was moving slowly. Bertie had no choice but to slow down and follow at a slow pace.

Soon though, Oliver the excavator moved out of the way and Bertie hurried to catch up with Thomas.

Thomas however had gotten so far ahead and reached Ffarquhar in no time at all. He was early, but no one was happy, "my dear old frames, they won't last if you keep racing Thomas," groaned Annie. "And your passengers don't like being bounced about like peas in a frying pan."

Twilight and Pinkie were on the platform and were surprised by the speed Thomas had come in at. Twilight spoke firmly to Thomas, "You know Sir Topham Hatt doesn't like you racing, it's too dangerous."

"Nonsense Twilight, it's all in good fun. Besides I've been racing on my branch line for years and not once have I had an accident."

"Er, yes well that was different. I was going slow then, and looking elsewhere. When I'm racing, I never have accidents."

Twilight shook her head, "racing can be fun Thomas, but there's a time and a place for it. You can hurt someone or worse, just look to Street Racing in America and you'll see that I'm right."

Thomas rolled his eyes, he thought everyone was being a stuck in the mud. He was uncoupled from Annie and quickly ran round the train.

A minute later, Bertie pulled into the station rather crossly, "it's not fair, I'm always getting stuck behind slow vehicles."

"Excuses, excuses, that's all you ever say nowadays Bertie," Thomas teased. "Maybe you should just admit that I'm faster than you and give up. I'll beat you everytime."

"Not always," Bertie snorted. "And I would've beaten you, had it not been for the work on the new branch line."

"There's a new line being opened up from Arlesburgh up to Harwick," explained Thomas' driver. "The Fat Controller wants to start doing business over there, and so has decided to open up a line there. It's been an ongoing project for a while now and I hear it's coming along smoothly."

"It may be coming along just fine," smirked Thomas as he was being coupled back up, "but it won't be as important as my line. After all, my branch was the first on the North Western and is the best line ever. It'll be always be number one, just like me."

The teenage girls just rolled their eyes, they had heard this kind of boastful talk from Thomas before.

Elsewhere on Sodor, a self propelled steam shovel was making her way to the construction site. She also had a passenger on board, it was Starlight Glimmer. As some workers had fallen ill during the heat wave, it was agreed that she would help with the work there. It was also part of her punishment, but she wasn't happy.

"Working on a good for nothing line, I could be doing better with my life," she grumbled.

"Oh come on Starlight, it's fun to work on a new line," said the Steam Shovel, whose name was Marion. "There's plenty for someone to do there, like digging for example."

"Yes I know you like to dig, but it's still not fair. I should be out and about enjoying my day, not working like a slave."

"Working on a new line isn't slave work," smiled Marion. "That said, I wish it wasn't so far off. I want to get to work and dig. Who knows what I can find. Maybe a dinosaur skeleton again, or suits of armor. Who knows."

Starlight rolled her eyes and grumbled unhappily. However, as she was looking out the right side window, she saw something flash by.

Marion had seen it too and was startled, "maybe it's the weather playing tricks on us." But then they saw it again. "Okay, now this is starting to become scary. Maybe I should shut my eyes, then I won't see those strange..."

Marion opened her eyes and found herself pushing a goods train forward. Her Driver stopped her at once.

"Toad, what in the name of the Great Western just hit us?" called a voice from the front of the train.

Marion's shovel was lifted up and she saw Toad the Brake Van, and in the distance, she could see Oliver the Western Engine.

"It's only that new steam shovel Mr Oliver. You need to watch where you're going Ms Marion, we're not ready to leave for the new site just yet. We have to collect our ballast."

Marion and Starlight jumped when they heard the voice and saw a small red engine pushing small trucks up the bridge like structure known as the Chute.

"Oh and here's Mr Rex too, and Mr Bert." Beside the steam crane on their own wharf were two small engines, one blue and the other one green. These were of course Rex and Bert, with Mike at the top of the chute.

"Surprising since you've been down here a few times already," said Oliver. "Maybe they're always busy when you come by."

Mike was offended, "of course we're real, we bring the ballast down from the hills, and wool for clothes. Not to mention carry passengers from your railway, although it's not a job I want to do."

"Sometimes you have to do that kind of job," chuckled Rex. "Unless you want the Small Controller to have a firm talk with you again."

"That's enough you two," snapped Bert. "You're sounding like you were before Scootaloo and her friends taught you two a very important lesson." That silenced the two engines at once.

Starlight found the situation funny and giggled a bit, but then went back to her normal ways, "silly nonsense if you ask me."

Toad rolled his eyes and looked back to Marion, "haven't you ever seen engines this small before Ms Marion?"

"Not really, I've never seen such little engines before. These ones though took me by surprise, as if by magic."

At last, the ballast was loaded up and Oliver was ready to leave, "I don't know about that Ms Glimmer, there's magic all around us," said Toad. "You just need to keep your eyes open for it."

"Toad's right, cause you never know when magic will just pop out of..." but Marion was cut off as two blue tender engines rattled by with heavily loaded goods trains.

Much further down the tracks, there was a lot of activity as engines and workers worked on the new branch line. Oliver soon reached the site and moments later, the two blue tender engines arrived with their loads.

The two engines were Donald and Douglas, the Scottish engines. Many years ago, only one was expected for the North Western, but they ended up with two and after some minor mishaps, the Fat Controller decided to keep them both. Donald was 9 and Douglas was 10.

"Aye we 'ave laddie," smiled Donald. "Both Douggie and I 're bein' kept busy bringin' supplies tae the site everyday."

"And bringin' in ballast when ye and Toad canna bring 'em alone," added Douglas. "Tis a nice change oof pace if ye ask us. Though we dinna think all of us agree."

"Aye laddie, we hear nothin' but complaints from the wee lassie. Tis givin' us all a headache with her ideals on leadership, tis if she cauld bae a leader with yon attitude."

"Weel, that's enough chit-chat, we've git wurk tae dae. Sae ye later Oliver and Toad."

The two engines puffed off to the edge of the line where the work was continuing.

Over at the site were several machines. There was a red front loader named Jack and a small green excavator named Alfie, both of them were in charge of loading Max and Monty the red dump lorries full of the rocks blasted away from the path they were making.

Several sticks of dynamite blew up and rocks went in all directions. Once the dust had cleared, the two machines went to work. As they rolled forward, they heard a horn.

"Hullo Alfie, hello Jack, sorry I'm late, but traffic was crazy getting here," panted the other excavator. "A red bus in particular was trying to over take me for some strange reason."

And that's what they did. They dug up all the rocks and dumped them into Max and Monty. Behind them, the workmen were laying down the rails and sleepers brought in from Donald and Douglas, and Marion was lifting rocks and dirt from the lineside and loading them into trucks. Starlight's job was to help with rails and sleepers, but she wasn't happy about this.

Later that afternoon, Thomas was pulling into the big station. Twilight, Pinkie and Sunset were on board as they, along with the rest of their friends, were going to see a movie that evening at Knapford.

"Pip and Emma won't be able to take the express tonight," he said. "So Gordon's been asked to take the train as far as Barrow, but our shunting engine is busy on another job. Can you shunt the coaches into place for Gordon?"

Thomas was about to say 'no, let Gordon fetch his own coaches', but his Driver spoke for him, "we got some time before our next train, so I think we can do that."

"Thank you," smiled the Stationmaster. "Now be quick, Gordon has to leave in ten minutes."

Thomas was uncoupled from Annie and puffed away to collect the coaches, "it's funny," he said out loud, "that I still have to shunt coaches for that lazy Gordon."

"What was that Pinkie?!" Rainbow Dash asked with a firm eyebrow raised. She did not like anyone insulting her father's engine, even though Thomas was right.

"You are lazy though Gordon," called Thomas as he buffered up to the coaches. "You won't go into the sidings and collect your own train, and you won't shunt, so what do you call that?"

"I don't shunt or go into those sidings because the station pilot often has my trains ready. After all, that's what little engines are for."

Thomas was cross, but then a cheeky thought came to him, "that's what little engines are for huh? Well tell you what? How about you learn that's not true? You do the shunting and I'll take the express."

"Dang the little blue buckaroo sure is being cheeky today," commented Applejack. Sunset could only agree with her.

Fluttershy though had a bad feeling that something awful was going to happen. She was right. Thomas blasted through several red signals, forcing other engines to come to a sudden stop.

Thomas saw them and stopped, but the coaches continued on with dangerous speeds and bounced off the tracks, blocking all the lines into and out of the big station.

With a final bang, the last coach came off the tracks. All signals were changed to red, then there came a cry; "THOMAS!" Thomas gulped, for who could've seen this but the Fat Controller himself.

Rainbow Dash shook her head, "I swear this is just like what happened with Gordon and myself sometime ago, only we didn't derail the coaches."

"I don't think now's a good time to mention that incident," Sunset whispered to Rainbow.

Rainbow went quiet at once while the Fat Controller walked over to the mess in the yards.

At the Construction site, Marion was still loading up some trucks when Douglas blasted through with some more rails and sleepers, "hey Douglas, care to play guess what's in my shovel?" It was a game she loved to play, especially with the china clay twins; Bill and Ben.

He puffed past, not noticing a crumbling sound coming from underneath his wheels.

Marion went back to work, then she noticed an excavator. She called out to him. He turned to face her, "is there a problem Ms...uh...?"

"Marion, and there's no problem, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to play guess what's in my shovel?"

"I know, but it can be fun to guess. I do it all the time down at the clay pits." Then she realized, "I'm sorry, I haven't asked you your name."

"Oliver?!" she exclaimed. "Oliver?! But you can't be Oliver, you're a railway locomotive, not a digger like me. How did you do it? How did you change?"

"Did you make a wish? Oh I bet it was those small engines back at the chute, I knew they were magical."

Oliver was about to reply to that, but Marion felt herself being moved away. Her driver needed to fill up her water tank. Oliver sighed and went back to work, "I'm not the only Oliver around here."

At that moment, Douglas ran back with the empty wagons. There was a slight rumble from underneath him, but no one noticed. Starlight especially hadn't noticed, because she was looking out to the waters and looking at a small sailboat.

"Miss Glimmer!" cried the foreman. "Get over here and help us with these tracks!"

In the yards, the Fat Controller was not pleased with the mess that Thomas caused, "Thomas, I thought by now you would've known better than to do something so foolish like this."

"But it wasn't my fault Sir, Gordon was at the wrong platform and Henry was coming in very fast and..."

"No fibs Thomas, you caused this accident, not any of them. I saw you. Though Gordon I think had a hand in this."

Gordon's smug look vanished as the Fat Controller glared at him, "you're in your hundreds Thomas, you should know better than to fib to me."

"I also know about your racing earlier. It's clear you need a good serious lesson taught to you."

"I'm going to send you to work on the new branch line, maybe that will finally teach you some sense before you get yourself into real trouble." The Fat Controller then looked to Gordon, "and if you continue with this 'tender engines don't shunt' business, I'll have you sent away too."

Before the Fat Controller could answer, a whistle was heard in the distance. Moments later, a purple N2 tank engine from the Great Northern Railway puffed in with a brake van in tow.

"Normally yes," she answered. "That is the color of the railway, but maybe purple was this engine's choice of color."

"Sorry I'm late Sir," said the tank engine, "I got held up on the Other Railway. Something about not allowing steam engines on the mainline."

"Oh well, I'm glad you're here Ryan, we're in need for your services," smiled the Fat Controller. "With Thomas working on the new branch line, you'll be working on the Ffarquhar branch."

Thomas looked over to the platform and saw his teenage friends shaking their heads, Twilight especially.

"I am shocked at your behavior Thomas. Racing is one thing, but acting silly and fibbing is going too far. This is not the Thomas I know and care about," and with that, the girls left for the theatre.

Thomas looked down to the ballast unhappily. Now he wished he hadn't tried to show off.

To Be Continued...

Twilight & Friends - The Complete Season 1

by ThomasZoey3000

Thomas Races Into Trouble