It was the end of another busy day on the Canterlot & Central Territory Railway. Bon Bon was taking her last goods run for the day.
When she arrived on time at Dodge Junction, her driver remarked, "If you keep this up, you're bound to maintain your spotless record." Bon Bon felt proud when she heard this.
Later that night at the sheds, Bon Bon told the other engines all about it.
"My driver told me I have a spotless record!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Vinyl.
"A spotless record means that Bon Bon here has never made a mess or a fuss and has never caused an accident," explained Octavia.
"Exactly!" boasted Bon Bon.
"I don't really see what's all the fuss about," remarked Lyra.
"That's because an engine like you would never understand," Bon Bon replied snootily.
"What do you mean?" asked Lyra.
"Well, you always complain about having too much work to do, and there was that one time you crashed into a goods train."
"It wasn't my fault," replied Lyra, slightly annoyed, "You can't see a train in the dark without a tail-lamp."
"Pah!" snorted Bon Bon, "You're just making excuses."
Just then Celestia approached the shed, "Oh no! I hope she isn't here to give us more jobs," groaned Lyra.
"Applejack is taking a special goods train to another railway tonight. It will be very heavy, so she'll needs a banker engine to help her up Rainbow Hill."
Vinyl wanted to help Lyra pay Bon Bon back, "Excuse me, Celestia. I'm sure Bon Bon would love to help. After all, she never complains about doing work, do you Bon Bon?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Bon Bon, "I'll do anything I am told to do even if I have a bent bufferbeam and a leaky boiler."
"Then you will wait for Applejack at Canterlot Union station to help her goods train to the top of Rainbow Hill."
"Of course, Celestia," replied Bon Bon, and she chuffed away.
On the way there, she met Rarity, "Good evening, Rarity," she whistled.
"Good evening, Bon Bon," replied Rarity, "Where are you off to?"
"I'm helping Applejack with her special goods train. Celestia picked me for the job because I have a spotless record!" Bon Bon boasted.
"Is that so?"
"Of course! Only engines that never made a mess or a fuss can have this important job."
"Hmph," snorted Rarity, "I don't see why you're so proud and boastful about it."
Bon Bon simply snorted and puffed away indignantly.
Next, she met Twilight, "Good evening, Twilight."
"Good evening to you," replied Twilight, "Where are you off to at this time of night?"
"I'm helping Applejack with a special goods train. I've been picked for the job because I have a spotless record!" Bon Bon boasted.
Twilight rolled her eyes, "It's okay to be proud of one's own accomplishments," she puffed, "But being vain or boastful about it isn't."
Bon Bon steamed off in anger, "An engine like you would never understand!" she huffed. She felt it was such an insult for other engines to not recognise an engine that took great pride in her own spotless record.
Applejack was steaming through the night-time fog, her lamp shone brightly. She wasn't really happy, the train was much heavier than what she was used to.
"No need to grumble, Applejack," said her driver, "At least there'll be another engine to help us up Rainbow Hill," this cheered Applejack up a little, but she was still a bit grumpy.
Meanwhile, Bon Bon was waiting in a siding at Canterlot Union station for Applejack to arrive. Just then, Rainbow Dash chuffed into the station with the evening express.
"Good evening, Rainbow Dash."
"Hey there, Bon Bon," replied Rainbow Dash, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm waiting for Applejack to arrive so that I can help her up Rainbow Hill. Celestia chose me to do this because I have a spotless record."
Rainbow Dash was puzzled, "A spotless what?" she asked.
"A spotless record. It means that I've never caused any trouble or an accident."
Rainbow Dash scoffed, "Well, I don't see any reason to be so proud of it." with that, she puffed away.
Bon Bon was cross, nobody was taking notice of her and her spotless record.
When Applejack did arrive, Bon Bon felt better. Applejack's driver stopped the special goods train to allow Bon Bon to buffer up to the back to help the train up Rainbow Hill. She wasn't coupled up so that she could separate from the train once it had crested the hill, without having to stop the whole train.
"I'm ready to go!" puffed Applejack.
"Me too!" whistled Bon Bon, and off they went.
It wasn't long before the train reached Rainbow Hill, "Push harder!" yelled Applejack.
"We'll make it!" exclaimed Bon Bon confidently.
But there was trouble ahead, Applejack was pulling her train harder than she had realised. Halfway up the hill, the tail-lamp on the break van fell off. Bon Bon suddenly felt the weight on her buffers disappear.
"Where's the tail-lamp?" she puffed.
"I don't know," replied her driver, "I can barely see anything through this thick fog."
Bon Bon whistled loudly, but there was no reply from Applejack.
Up ahead, Applejack began to notice something, "Bon Bon, my train's feeling heavier!" she shouted, as the heavy train began to slow down, "What's happening back there?"
She soon got her answer.
'Crash!'
Bon Bon rammed straight into the break van, bringing the whole train to a halt, the break van crumpled like an accordion and fell apart. Luckily, the guard was thrown clear when Bon Bon collided and only had minor injuries.
But Bon Bon's spotless record, like the break van, was in pieces.
The next day, Vinyl arrived with the breakdown crane and some workmen to help clear up the mess. They found a broken tail-lamp on the tracks.
Vinyl had also brought Celestia, she spoke to Bon Bon, "This accident was not your fault. The tail-lamp should have being checked that it had been fixed on properly. We'll have you fixed and back in working order, though I'm afraid I can't say the same about your spotless record," Bon Bon was upset.
"I'm sorry I got you into trouble," said Vinyl, "Now you have no spotless record to be proud of."
"Nevermind, Vinyl," replied Bon Bon, "I should be saying sorry to you, for being boastful and vain about my spotless record."
"Well, you don't have to be boastful of anything now," joked Vinyl.
"You've got that right," puffed Bon Bon.
A few days later, Bon Bon was repaired and chuffed happily into Ponyville station with a passenger train.
Lyra was there too, "You look happy for an engine that lost her own spotless record."
Bon Bon chuckled, "I don't really care about them anymore. Besides, I don't really see what's all the fuss about." repeating what Lyra had said a few nights ago.
"Is it because an engine like you would never understand?" teased Lyra.
The two engines laughed, "Probably," replied Bon Bon, as she puffed out of the station.
Bon Bon never really cared about spotless records anymore. After all, it's not like the other engines seem to care anyways.