//------------------------------// // preview // Story: Railroads and Horseshoes // by RainbowTheTankEngine //------------------------------// ALL ABOARD! THE MEETING Thomas was just sitting there afraid that he hit the animal that was sitting in front of him. Until he took a closer at the rainbow maned animal, it was uninjured and it had a pair of wings on its back. Then he said worriedly as if he was hoping that it was not true. “Cinder and ashes, what did I almost hit?!” In response his driver took off his brakes and put him in neutral allowing Thomas to move on his own. Then his driver climbed out of his cabin and started to walk in front of Thomas to see. On the way there he decided to check on Thomas’s wheels and underneath his wheels for any damage. When he did he saw that Thomas was on top of one of the animals in question. “It looks like a Pegasus, Thomas” said his driver “and it also appears that you are over one of them.” As he said that Thomas was already up to steam within a few seconds because he was worried about the health of the animal that was underneath him. He reversed to see what animal it was, it was also plain to see it wasn’t injured at all and he stopped when it was in his full sight. He whoosh steam in relief, and then took a closer look at the animals in front of him. What he saw was this: all of them were ponies, the two directly in front of him were Pegasi, a few feet away from them there were two unicorns, and a few feet away from them the last two were just regular ponies. All of them were different colors. When the driver and the fireman took them off the tracks and set them beside said tracks, Thomas took a closer that the ponies and notice certain similarity to a familiar show. The first pony he looked at was a Pegasus with a cyan coat and a rainbow colored mane and tail. On its flank was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt. The second pony was a unicorn with a violet coat and a dark violet with a fuchsia and lavender striped mane and tail. On its flank was a pink star and around it were five sparkles. The third pony had orange coat and a hay blonde mane and tail. On its flank was three red apples that form a triangle. The fourth pony he looked at was a Pegasus with a yellow cream coat and a light pink mane and tail. On its flank was three pink and blue butterflies closely grouped together. The fifth pony was a unicorn with an ivory coat and a fashionable royal purple mane and tail. On its flank was three diamonds that from a tight triangle. And lastly, the sixth pony had a bright pink coat and a poofy fuchsia mane and tail. On its flank was three balloons, two were light blue and the middle one was light yellow. Out of all the ponies it was the only one smiling. Thomas just sat there with his mouth wide open as he stare at the mane six as recognition flew into his funnel at who he was staring at. His driver and fireman still did not who they were, but Thomas on the hand did and he just couldn’t believe they were the mane six from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is right in front. Then Thomas’s driver said “How are we going to wake them up? And why are they here?” His driver didn’t ask the obvious question of who because when he turn to looked Thomas’s face of recognition, he was going find out rather or not if he ask or not. Thomas said cheeky “I have a hunch why they are here, but I know a good way to wake them.” Then his fireman said “Go ahead if you think that will wake them up so we can get the bottom of this.” Thomas grinned as he let out a long and loud whistle. It sounded like this: Peep Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Four of the ponies woke at the high pitch whistle, but the cyan and the pink ones were still out cold. Thomas’s driver and fireman went inside Thomas’s cab to put more coal on his fire to keep up pressure in his tank. The ponies looked around at where they were. The amount of destruction was evident by the uprooted trees. After taken in the damages they finally notice two unconscious friends and ran over to them, after shaking them for a few minutes they weary woke to the destruction. Thomas gave a small “Peep” on his whistle and all of the attention was on him now. The ponies saw what they thought was imposable: they saw an engine sitting a few feet away with a face on the smokebox. Twilight used her magic to take one her book on steam engines makes and models and flipped through the pages until she found its model. She found out his engine type was an E2 steam engine with 0-6-0 driving setup. This E2 steam engine was bright blue with red pin striping around certain parts of his boiler’s body and in the middle of said body was big yellow and red pin striped number one. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. Welcome to the Island of Sodor. I’m Thomas the Tank Engine and it’s nice to meet all of you.” Thomas said knowingly. Five jaws hit the ground simultaneously while one was just smiling away. The ponies seem to be more shock that Thomas knew their names than the fact that he was a talking engine. It was at this time that his driver and fireman climbed down from his cab and stood next Thomas. Twilight was about to asked a question before Thomas’s driver beat her to the punch. “Thomas do you know these ponies?” “Yes, they’re from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” “Pardon me,” Twilight interrupted. “But why are you two talking to the engine and why did it answered back?” Immediately the driver and fireman started to look around to find the source of the voice. “Uh down here.” The driver and the fireman looked down and saw the purple coat unicorn move forward a few feet. It began to be apparent that this pony was a somewhat leader of the group. Their mouth fell open as it spoke again. “Uh. Hi.” Now they’ve been around talking locomotives, passenger coaches, freight cars, and even cranes and cars. And now talking animals their brains couldn’t take it anymore and passed out. “Was it something I said?” Thomas rolled his eyes and stated this: “They’re not used to talking animals before and without them I can’t build up enough steam to take you back to the stationhouse.” Twilight then looked at him with a questioning look on her face and asked “First, how can you talked? Secondly, why do you what to take us to your stationhouse? Lastly, what is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?” “To answer your first question, Twilight.” Thomas replied “The Island of Sodor and Misty Island are magical islands. Your second question will be answered when we get to the stationhouse. And to answer your third question, it’s a show about you and your friends learning about the magic of friendship.” Twilight was about asked how that’s even possible before Thomas reminded her about their mission. “Let me guess The Elements of Harmony are missing and you’re here to find them and bring them back to Equestria.” “Yes, but how do you know this Thomas?” “Ether what my friends and I saw the real deal or someone on this island is a really good jeweler.” “And let me guess you and your friends saw them before the storm hit, right?” Thomas’s face simply fell as his eyes looked down at the tracks that was all the ponies needed for conformation. “Dang-nabbit why can’t it be easy for once?” Applejack said disheartened. “Because it wouldn’t be as much fun if it was.” Said an excited Pinkie Pie. “Hey Rainbow Dash,” Thomas called to her as she flew up to meet him face to face. “Can you see if you can move a small amount of clouds to wake these two up?” As Thomas eyes looked down at his driver and fireman still sleeping on the ground. “So you want me to move a small rain cloud over them right?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “Basely yes” Thomas answered “And if you can’t or they don’t wake up then you ponies have to put them in my cab along with yourself. Then shovel enough coal to get me up to steam so I can get to the stationhouse.” The problem wasn’t that the driver and fireman didn’t wake up, it was that the clouds did not follow Rainbow Dash instruction. She stand on them, make them rain by jumping on them, but she couldn’t move them anywhere. She went back to tell them the bad news. Twilight used her magic on the humans and put them in the cab and then climbed up herself. Then after she was up she helped four of her friends up into the cab. Rainbow decided to fly beside Thomas instead. But the ponies were having trouble finding a way to open his firebox until Pinkie step on a square petal with one of her back hooves and said firebox cover open quickly to reveal a roaring fire. Applejack shoveled three shovel full of coal in and then Pinkie took her hoof off the petal and the cover loudly slam shut. Then Thomas slowly started to move forward and started pick speed doing so until he stayed out at a nice pace. Rainbow had no problem keeping up with him although she really wanted to race him to the stationhouse to see how fast he was, but she had no clue where it was so she followed him. Everywhere that they saw was destruction, the island did not fare as well as they thought. Thomas was puffing along until he had to stop at a crossing to allow Bertie the Bus to cross the tracks that is until Bertie notice the rainbow maned pony standing on the top of his cab. Bertie did a double take to make sure he was not seeing things and the second look he saw a pair of wings on the pony. He stopped moving and looked inside of Thomas’s cab to see five more ponies heads and two unconscious humans heads though the window. Bertie was worried that he went insane, so he asked Thomas this: “Thomas is there a Pegasus on the roof of your cab or I’m seeing things?” “No, Bertie you’re not seeing things and I would like to have your word not tell anyone until I talk to Sir Topham Hatt of this o.k.” “O.K. Thomas. Are you going to take to the stationhouse to help out Gordon and Henry?” “Yes Bertie, I am” “Well good luck with that Thomas” Bertie said as he drove away from Thomas. Thomas waited for few more minutes as the gates were move so he can continue on. Thomas saw the stationhouse was still a good distant away, but instruct the ponies to look forward and keep looking forward. Rainbow Dash saw that there something different about this stationhouse. What she saw was roots sticking out of the roof and asked. “Why is there roots coming out of the stationhouse roof and who is this Gordon and Henry? Are they engine friends of yours?” “Yes they engine friends of mine and come on Dash do I’ve to connect the dots for you. You are the weather manger are you not?” During this conversation Thomas had gotten closer to said stationhouse. This in turn let the other ponies in the cab of Thomas’s to see what Rainbow was talking about. As Thomas made his final approach to the stationhouse, he started to slow down to a crawl until he stopped on the turntable. Seeing that his engine friends was still getting their morning coal and water and look at Rainbow and said. “Rainbow see that bucket over there? Go fill it with cold water and use it to wake up the two sleeping beauty.” As she flew off his attention turn to the ponies in his cab. Thomas mimics a conductor and said. “Last stop Tidmouth Sheds everybody off. When you exit out of the cab please walk to the front of the engine and wait for further instruction. Thank you for coming.” Just as the five made their way to the front of Thomas, Rainbow came back with the water and went into his cab and threw the water on them and then quickly flew out to join the other five. Outside all of the ponies heard were “Jezzes that cold!” Follow closely by. “Thomas why are back at the sheds? We suppose to get the rails to the main line today.” “These ponies will help us with our trap engines problem we have.” Thomas answered. “How?” They simply said. “Two of them can use magic to teleport the trees to the side of the shed. They can help get them up and running again so they can quickly finish the main line and we can focus on the branch lines.” “Let me guess you want to tell the news don’t you, Thomas.” Said his driver. Thomas just simply smiled at him. “Alright let’s go tell them shall we?”