Equestria Girls: The Railway Stories

by friggin normie

Thomas Saves the Day

After his incident with the trucks, Thomas worked diligently with Edward to learn how to properly handle pulling trucks.

"Remember, Thomas. You should only bump trucks when they're misbehaving. If you bump them for no reason, they'll pay you out."

"Right! we won't have another accident on Gordon's hill!"

"Or anywhere for that matter!" Twilight put in.

Everyday, Celestia arrives at the station to catch her train.

"Hello," she always said to Thomas and his crew. "Don't let the silly trucks tease you. Remember, you have an important job as the station pilot."

There were lots of trucks, and Thomas worked hard shunting them into their proper places. But there were some odd trucks that he wasn't allowed to touch. They each had a long arm with a hook at the end, and were coupled to a special coach.

"That's the breakdown train," Twilight told him. "The cranes are meant to lift engines and coaches back onto the rails should they ever come off."

"But we've never had that serious of an accident. At least not while we've been here."

"You never know," Spike said. "It could happen at any time."

---

A few days later, Thomas had just finished shunting a slow goods train when he heard an unfamiliar whistle.

"Help! Help!" A voice called. "They're pushing me, they're pushing me!"

A tender engine with black paint came racing through the yards. Sparks flew from his brakes as he tried to stop. Thomas blew his whistle in alarm.

"Use your brakes!" Spike shouted.

"We can't!" Screamed the engine's driver. "They're made of wood!"

And still screaming and whistling for help, the engine rounded a bend and disappeared.

"I'd like to teach those stupid trucks a lesson," muttered Thomas as he thought of his own troubles with trucks.

Twilight stared in disbelief. "What kind of idiot gives an engine wooden brakes in this day and age?"

But she never got an answer, as an alarm bell in the signalbox began ringing.

"There's been an accident down the line!" He cried. "Get the breakdown train, quickly!"

Without saying another word, Thomas was coupled up and pushed the cranes as hard as he could.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" He panted. He wasn't pretending to be Gordon this time. He really meant it.

Meanwhile, the engine's crew checked him all over to see if he was hurt. He had come of the rails and was now lying in a field on his side. Thankfully, they had jumped clear before the crash.

"Well, darling," said the driver, "it looks like you'll be out of action for a while."

"Was anybody hurt?" He asked quietly.

"The tail end of the train is still on the rails, so the guard is fine. But Sweetie Belle has some bruises and I've injured my ankle."

"But it could've been worse," the aforementioned Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"This has been a terrible first day," the engine sighed.

"It could've been worse," Thomas said as he came to a stop. "One of the engines on my old railway tipped over on the points leading into the yard. Everything came to a standstill and we were stuck having to deal with the backlog for a week!"

The engine smiled weakly.

"I'm Thomas," the tank engine said as he was coupled to the unhurt cars. "Who are you?"

"I'm James," the engine sighed. "This is my driver, Rarity and my firewoman Claire."

"But everyone usually calls me 'Sweetie Belle.'"

Thomas' crew introduced themselves and began clearing away the wreckage, while Rarity and Sweetie Belle were looked over by a medic.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Screamed the trucks as Thomas shoved them.

"It serves you right!" Thomas said angrily. "You're lucky nobody was seriously injured from this!"

"Aside from the smashed trucks," Spike muttered.

"It's their own fault," Twilight retorted. "If they hadn't pushed James like that, then this would never have happened."

Spike shrugged. He couldn't argue with that logic.

---

The sun was setting by the time James was put back on the rails. Sweetie Belle gave him a sympathetic pat on the buffer.

"Don't worry," she said quietly. "You'll be fixed up soon and we can get back to work!"

"That reminds me," Twilight said. "Why on Earth do you have wooden brake blocks? They clearly didn't work properly."

"I'm an experimental engine," James replied. "My front pony truck was meant to fix an issue my class has when we go at high speeds, and my brakes were supposed to be replaced once I was cleared for work. As you can see, that never happened."

Thomas grinned as he was coupled up to James. "Well, Edward says the men at Crovan's Gate work like magic! You'll back to work in no time at all!"

And buffer to buffer, the two engines puffed home.

---

A welcome party awaited them when they arrived at Tidmouth Sheds.

"Three cheers for Thomas!" Whistled Edward.

"Hip hip-"

"Hooray!"

Thomas blushed at the attention.

"You've done a wonderful job today, Thomas," said Celestia. "You too, Spike and Tara."

"Well, we certainly couldn't leave poor James in that field," chuckled Thomas.

Celestia frowned. "James, I'm sorry this had to happen on your first day. Or at all for that matter."

"It's alright, ma'am. But is my driver okay?"

"I'm just fine, darling!" Aside from being on crutches, Rarity was no worse for wear. "I'll be back on your footplate in a few weeks!"

"Which should be how long it'll take to mend and repaint you."

"Repaint me, ma'am?"

"Of course! You and Thomas will both be repainted in the colors of the NWR. Now, what would both like?"

"Blue please, ma'am!" Thomas peeped. "Then I can be just like Edward!"

"Would it be okay if I was painted red?" James asked quietly.

"Absolutely! I had been meaning to try out red for an engine anyway."

"Miss Celestia," Edward said quietly. "Don't forget about what we talked about."

"Yes, of course. Thomas, Edward says that you've improved greatly in the yard, so I thought of a special job that only you can do."

"Will I be transferred to another shunting yard, ma'am?"

"Heaven's no! You'll be getting your own branchline!"

---

Now Thomas is as happy as can be. He's painted blue with the number one on his tanks. He has two faithful coaches called Annie and Clarabel, and they spend their days chuffing up and down the branchline. But he's never lonely, as Edward, Henry, and their crews always stop to give him the news. Gordon's too busy to stop by, but always makes sure to whistle poop, poop when he passes by. And Thomas makes sure to whistle peep, peep in return.

Comments

[The Blue EM2]

"One of the engines on my old railway tipped over on the points leading into the yard. Everything came to a standstill and we were stuck having to deal with the backlog for a week!"

camo.fimfiction.net/28vSnWwrJON11gf62E66IviTbdosfZc4YC1TzLvsJto?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fa7%2Fb3%2F8e%2Fa7b38ea40724901adbfd95ef90b39483.jpg

A reference to this accent at Hitchin, by any chance?

[friggin normie]

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Admittedly, it wasn't meant to reference any accident in particular. It was just a throwaway line based from the numerous accidents I've read about growing up