Trixie was racing down the street feeling very pleased with herself. But her delight was soon to be short lived. She was suddenly ambushed by Rainbow Dash.
"Gotcha!" she shouted.
"Let go of me, Rainbow Dash!" Trixie demanded. "I have a steam engine to destroy!"
"Not on our watch, ya don't!" said Applejack.
The rest of the gang circled around Trixie so that if she managed to get away from Rainbow Dash, she'd have nowhere else to run.
"That engine belongs to Jokesterrap, Trixie," said Twilight. "And you have no right to bring any harm to her."
"That's what you think," snarled Trixie. "Once I've destroyed that engine, I will have finally achieved revenge for that prank, and also make a profit on it!"
"You want to destroy her just because of a prank?" scoffed Rarity, "I may dislike Jokesterrap's pranks, but I would never go that far to destroy his belongings!"
Just then Jokesterrap raced past on his bike.
"Can't stop!" he called. "I gotta find Principle Celestia!"
Trixie growled, struggling to free her hand. "You're going to tell her about that scrap engine, aren't you?" she shouted. "Well I'll get there first to make sure your plan doesn't work. That engine is going to the scrap yard where it belongs!"
Suddenly she set off another smokeball. When the smoke cleared, she had vanished.
"She's gone!" cried Pinkie Pie. "Oh wait. There she is."
The friends looked back and saw Trixie racing off on a bike. Just then, Mystery Mint came up.
“Trixie!” she shouted. “Get back here with my bike!”
Jokesterrap looked back and saw Trixie chasing after him.
"I have to get to Principle Celestia first," he said to himself. "I won't let Trixie scrap Gladstone!"
Jokesterrap and Trixie had the bike race of their lives. They sped through parks and empty streets. Both determined to get to Principle Celestia before the other. Then Jokesterrap slowed down and pulled down a different path.
"That fool must have realized he was no match for me," Trixie smirked. But she was so busy being proud of herself, she didn't realize she was heading straight for a pond!
"Yikes!" Trixie cried. She braked hard but it was too late. She flew into the pond with a splash and emerged with a lily pad on her head.
Trixie spat out some water.
"Ugh!" she groaned, "Why can't I ever have nice days?"
At long last, Jokesterrap came to Principle Celestia's house. The only time he had gone there was when she had broken her arm and the students came to her house to throw her a Get Well Party, all courtesy of Pinkie Pie, of course.
"I'm not so sure I can do this," Jokesterrap said to himself. But he had to do it or say goodbye to Gladstone forever. So, gathering his courage, he walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened and there stood Principle Celestia.
"Can I help you with something, Jokesterrap?" she asked.
Jokesterrap took a deep breath and told Principle Celestia all about Gladstone.
"Gladstone is a very important steam engine," he said. "But she's more than that. She's family. My grandfather Porter Coupling helped to build her many years ago. He even bought her from the railway to save her from scrap and promised that she would be mine when I was old enough. I wanted to do what I could to keep her safe from harm like Grandpa did."
Celestia remained quiet. Jokesterrap hung his head in defeat. He felt for sure that Celestia would also think Gladstone was to be scrapped.
"Did you say Porter Coupling was your grandfather?" Celestia finally said.
"Yes, I have."
"You mean, one of the best engine drivers that ever lived?"
"Yes, I do."
"And his most treasured engine which had been lost for years is now under your care?"
"Yes, she is."
"Why on earth would you keep something this important such a secret?" Celestia asked.
"Because I was scared that someone would try and destroy Gladstone," Jokesterrap explained. "And I wanted to show the other students I could be more than just a prankster. So I tried to fix her alone."
"But he had all of us," said a voice.
Jokesterrap turned around and saw that it had came from Fluttershy. And with her was Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Sunset, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Fictionary, Vincent, and Flash.
"We got Gladstone back to her shed with no problem," said Vincent.
"And Big Macintosh went to guard her in case Trixie came back," said Flash.
"What does Trixie have to do with this?" asked Celestia.
"Trixie found out about Gladstone and wanted to destroy her just because Jokesterrap pulled a prank on her," said Rainbow Dash.
"Also, she wanted to gain money from it," Vincent added, "that's simply a greedy motivation."
"She's a greedy meany pants," agreed Pinkie Pie.
"I am going to have a word with Trixie's mother," said Celestia. "I have a feeling that she will not be pleased."
Meawhile, Trixie had finally arrived at her house, soaking wet and fuming.
"I cannot believe that Jokesterrap tricked me again!" she fumed. "I'll destroy that engine of his if it's the last thing I do!" When Trixie opened the door, she found her mother waiting for her. She did not look happy.
"Bellatrix Lulamoon! A word, please!"
Trixie was a bit startled by her angry mother.
"Yes mother?" she asked as innocently as possible.
"Don't play the innocent game with me, young lady! We need to talk. I've heard from my friend Celestia that you've been causing trouble and stalking and harassing Jokesterrap and his friends!"
"But mother," objected Trixie. "he humiliated me! I wanted revenge!"
"That's no excuse to try and destroy a steam engine that's been an important part of his family!"
"His friends tormented me as well - and I was covered in manure! MANURE, I tell you!"
"And so to get even you try to destroy something precious to him?"
Trixie felt too nervous to say anything.
"Celestia also says that your actions have earned you 2 weeks of detention," her mother went on. "And during those two weeks, you're grounded!"
"What?!"
"You heard me. And you'll have plenty of chores around the house to keep you busy."
While Trixie was being scolded by her mother, Jokesterrap had gone back to the shed to see Gladstone.
"You'll never believe it, Gladstone!" he said excitedly. "I've just spoken to Principle Celestia. She's heard about you and Grandpa! She know's you're famous and doesn't want you scrapped. You're going to the works so you can be mended properly and run the rails again. Isn't that great?"
Gladstone of course stayed silent.
“Guess I was a bit of a fool,” sighed Jokesterrap. “Believing that you could actually talk. Trains can't talk afterall.”
“You're wrong, Jokesterrap,” said a voice.
Jokesterrap looked around. Big Macintosh had gone back to Sweet Apple Acres when he had come, and there was no other person around but him. And the voice seemed closer when he was with Gladstone. So he looked up at the engine in curiosity.
“You see, I can speak,” the voice continued. “In a way.” It sounded much closer than last few times.
Jokesterrap stumbled back in surprise. Gladstone could talk! How was this possible if she didn't have a face?
"Gladstone!?" Jokesterrap finally asked in bewilderment. “Was that you? But you have no face.”
“No, Jokesterrap,” said Gladstone. “But you can hear my thoughts. As you have with the last times I spoke to you.”
“You mean you were the voice I kept hearing before?” Jokesterrap asked.
“Yes.”
“How is it I was the only one who could hear your thoughts?”
“You share the same bond with me your grandfather did,” explained Gladstone.
"But if you could talk to me all this time," Jokesterrap went on, "then why did you stay so quiet when I first found you?"
“I've been alone in this shed with no real company for years,” Gladstone explained. “When you came and found me, I was scared and thought you were a vandal. But then you started treating me as family instead of treating me like a steam engine. The same kindness your grandfather treated me with. Because of that, I felt that I could trust you. Especially when you were determined to protect me from that wicked girl Trixie.”
Jokesterrap smiled and gave his engine a hug. Everything was going to be alright now.
Next morning when Jokesterrap came to school, he noticed some of the other students talking about him.
"What's all this about?" he asked.
"Pinkie Pie called some of the other students and told them about Gladstone," explained Vincent. "Then they told their friends and now the whole school knows."
"That silly Pinkie Pie," said Jokesterrap. At first he felt nervous that the others had found out about Gladstone, but he felt better when he heard that they were talking positively about him. It was at that moment the other students noticed Jokesterrap. They started bombing him with questions about how long he knew of Gladstone's whereabouts and why he didn't tell them his grandfather was famous. Some even wanted to see Gladstone themselves.
"Hey! One at a time!" called Vincent, "Give him some space, will ya?"
"Why didn't you tell us you had a famous grandfather?" asked Watermelody.
"To be honest," said Jokesterrap, "I didn't think you guys would take me seriously."
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Because you all saw me as this class clown and would have thought I was pulling your legs."
Then Trixie went past on her way to class. The other students didn't talk to her. Some would give her pitying looks while others would quietly laugh at her.
"I told you not to poke your nose into other people's business," said Mystery Mint to Trixie. "But what do you do? You ignore me, try to destroy a steam engine, and steal my bike!"
"Seriously? She did that?" asked Cherry Crash.
"Yeah. All because she wanted revenge for a simple prank."
"That's just low," said Captian Planet.
"Hey Jokesterrap, maybe you can show us that engine of yours after school," suggested Green Cycle.
"Well, we had Gladstone sent to the works after the events of yesterday," explained Jokesterrap.
A little later, Jokesterrap was in class when Principle Celestia's voice came on the intercoms.
“All students report to the gym,” she said.
Once all the students were in the gym, Celestia spoke into a microphone to get their attention.
"Thank you for coming down," she said. "After being informed about what had been going on recently and after many of you had asked, there will be a field trip Monday to the Railway Works. There you will be able to see how work goes on with locomotive repairs. Also you will be able to see the restoration of the recently rediscovered steam engine Gladstone."
The students roared with excitement but got quiet when Celestia continued.
"As long as it is alright with Jokesterrap since Gladstone is his engine."
The students all looked at Jokesterrap hopefully.
"Fine by me," he said.
The class roared with applause once again.
When lunch time came, Jokesterrap joined his friends again.
"You guys are not going to believe what I'm about to tell you," he said.
"Ooh! What?" asked Pinkie.
"She can talk," said Jokesterrap.
“Who?” asked Fluttershy.
“Gladstone,” said Jokesterrap. “She can talk.”
"Seriously?" asked Rainbow Dash, trying not to laugh, "The only times trains can talk is in a kid's show!"
"I'm serious,” said Jokesterrap. “Gladston is the mysterious voice I had been hearing around that shed lately when I was alone. Although it was actually her thoughts."
“You mean like in that one episode of that puppet show with that mute girl that can breathe underwater?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“That's the one.”
"But how is it possible?" asked Twilight. "Steam engines do not have faces or even minds of their own. How is it Gladstone was able to speak to you, let alone use telepathy?"
"I guess there are some questions out there that can't be answered," said Vincent.
"Eeyup."
That evening, Jokesterrap told his parents about the field trip and about Gladstone speaking to him.
"You actually heard her talk?" asked his mother, thinking her son was a little crazy.
"I thought I was hearing things, but it turned out I wasn't," said Jokesterrap. "I could hear her thoughts like on that one show."
"Well when dad was alive," said Tinker, "he would say that Gladstone would sometimes talk to him too."
"So I wasn't the only one, then. Also we're going to the Works Monday as a field trip."
"Did Principle Celestia actually say that?" asked his mother.
"She did. As long as it was alright with me of course that we see Gladstone."
"You're actually alright with other people seeing her?"
"Yes, I am. I'm not really afraid of bad things happening to her anymore."
"That's great news, son," said Tinker. "Your grandpa would be proud of you if he were still alive."
Jokesterrap smiled. "I think he already is."
"By the way," said his mother. "How are you going to be able to afford the repairs for Gladstone?"
"I actually don't know," said Jokesterrap. "But the works said they wouldn't bother with paying for the job until it was done."
"Well that's good to know. Now wash up for dinner."