Join Thomas, Twilight and their friends on the Island of Sodor.
The North Western Railway is...interesting. Not only is it still mostly powered by steam, but the engines are alive! Naturally, this can lead to trouble, But Twilight and her friends don't mind. They know that no matter what trouble they may encounter, the engines strive to be really useful!
Far away on the Isle of Man is a little island called Sodor. Travelling to the island is like travelling to the past. Instead of the hustle and bustle of the big cities on the mainland, Sodor is full of cozy little villages. And instead of large railways run by high speed diesels, the island has a little steam railway known as the North Western. The railway is run by three tender engines: Henry, Gordon, and the focus of today's story, Edward.
Edward was the oldest among the three engines, as well as the smallest. He wasn't as big or as strong as his coworkers, and was often left in the sheds as a result.
"Driver won't choose you again," the other two would laugh. "They want big, strong engines like us!"
The old engine tried to ignore them, but weeks of their mockery had left him feeling hopeless.
One morning, as Gordon and Henry were being fired up, two women approached the shed. They were both dressed in the NWR's standard engine crew uniforms. The taller of the two had long, pale blonde hair, while the other had cherry red hair with a pink bow.
"Hello?" The taller of the two asked. "Is this Tidmouth Sheds?"
The three engines were confused. The woman had spoken with a Southern twang.
"Erm, yes," Edward answered unsteadily.
"Perfect!" The shorter one cheered. "Now, which one of y'all is Edward?"
"I am," the blue engine answered again. "But who are you two?"
"Yer new crew!" The taller one said again. "Mah name's Jackie. And this here's mah sister Abigail."
"But you can call us Applejack and Apple Bloom! Ah'm yer new fireman - well, firewoman, and mah sister's yer new driver!"
Edward grinned from buffer to buffer! Finally! After weeks of being shut up in the sheds, he was finally getting back to work. The old engine was so excited to be working again that he didn't hear Gordon and Henry's protests at being left behind.
Edward quickly shunted his coaches and headed for the platform.
"Oh Edward," the coaches tittered. "We're so pleased to be working with you again! Those big engines are far too rough with us!"
Apple Bloom was just as excited as her engine. "When do we get ta leave?" She asked for the umpteenth time. "Ah can't wait for everybody ta see us flyin' down the line!"
Her sister sighed. "We can leave as soon as the guard blows his whistle. But I ain't seen hide nor hair of him all mornin'."
"Oh well," Edward chuckled. "These things happen sometimes. Why don't we get to know each other better while we wait."
"Beats sittin' 'round here twiddlin' our thumbs," Apple Bloom groaned. "Ah bet yer wonderin' what two Americans are doin' here on yer island."
"The thought might have crossed my mind."
Applejack laughed. "Well, me an' Apple Bloom grew up on an apple farm back in the states. But It's been hit by a bad case of apple blight fer the past couple years."
"Oh dear."
"'Oh dear' is right! So me, Apple Bloom, an' our brother Mac moved out here, got our trainin' and joined the railway so we could send money home to help the family."
"But we coulda started work sooner if we had just fibbed and said ah was twenty instead of waitin'."
"And like ah said the last forty times ya said that, we don't lie in this family! 'Specially when it comes to work!"
Before the two could start a full blown argument, the guard came shouting and blowing his whistle.
"About time," Apple Bloom muttered. "Any longer an' we woulda been late!"
Edward said nothing and pulled out of the station as quickly as he could. Not even the fear of being late could ruin his good mood.
That evening at the shed, Edward spoke endlessly of his day out. Despite how much he teased the older engine, Henry was happy that Edward had gotten his time to shine. On the other buffer, Gordon couldn't stand it.
"I'm surprised you can be so cheerful," Gordon grunted. "I'd be worried about being late this morning if I were you. If anything, it proves just how slow and out of date you are."
Edward grinned cheekily. "What's wrong Gordon? Upset that none of the attention was on you today?"
"Don't be silly! An old engine like you could never take away from the sight of a grand engine like me! Just you wait, old timer. Tomorrow, everyone will see me flying down the line with the express. No one will notice you."
"Gordon?" Henry chuckled.
"What?"
"Edward fell asleep while you were talking."
And indeed the old engine had.
The next morning, Gordon was still boasting.
"Just wait until you see me flying down the line, Edward. Now that will be a splendid sight."
Edward paid him no mind, and left to go shunt in the yard.
The old engine had always enjoyed shunting. He would sneak up behind the trucks and give them a bump!
"Oh, oh, oh!" They would cry. "Whatever is happening?!"
Applejack and Apple Bloom didn't see the appeal, but were glad that Edward was enjoying himself.
Edward played until there were no more trucks and sat in a siding to rest. Not long after, he heard the loud of bellow of Gordon's whistle.
The big blue engine was scowling deeply. Instead of nice, shining coaches, he was hauling a long line of dirty trucks.
"A goods train, a goods train," he muttered. "The shame of it! Oh, the shame of it!"
Applejack laughed. "Well, shoot! An' here he said he was gonna fly down the line with the express!"
"Ah've seen snails go faster than he is!" Apple Bloom chuckled.
"He certainly showed me!" Edward joined in.
The three friends laughed until a signalman walked up.
"Gordon's stuck on the hill. Would you mind giving him a push?"
Apple Bloom giggled. "We're never lettin' him live this down, right?"
"Nope!"
When they arrived, Gordon was in the middle of an argument with his crew.
"I can't do it!" He puffed.
"Yes, you can!" His driver cried. She groaned and pulled at the ends of her rainbow colored hair.
"You're just not trying!" His fireman - er, firewoman - agreed.
"No, I can't! These silly trucks hold an engine back so. Now, if they were coaches..."
A shrill whistle blew in the distance.
"We're here to help!" Edward called.
"Edward?!" Gordon and his driver cried.
"Why couldn't they have gotten Henry?" The big engine groaned. "Edward's much too small to be of any use!"
"If he's banking us, we'll be here all day!"
The firewoman sighed and went to speak to Edward's crew.
"Sorry about Gordon. He can kind of be, well..."
"An ego-fueled nincompoop?" Apple Bloom offered.
"I was gonna say a jerk, but that works too. The name's Madeline, but you can call me Scootaloo."
"Apple Bloom. So, would ya mind gettin' them to reverse down the hill so we can get goin'?"
"No problem!"
Gordon begrudgingly reversed down the hill.
"It's no use, it's no use."
"Chin up, Gordon. We'll get you over the hill in no time!"
The big engine rolled his eyes as he felt the pressure grow on the back of his buffers.
"Honestly, you could at least help! I can't push the train and you at the same time!"
"It's no good," Gordon moaned as the train got moving. "We can't do it, we can't do it!"
"We can do it, we can do it!" Edward pushed and puffed with all his might.
Working hard, the snorting engines slowly made their way up the hill.
"We can do it, we will do it!"
And before Gordon knew it, he reached the top of the hill!
"I've done it! I've done it!" He cheered as he raced down the other side.
He had forgotten all about poor Edward, and the old engine was left puffing and wheezing as he tried to catch up. Soon, he reached to the goods yard and stopped at the water tower for a long drink.
"Ah can't believe that big blue show off left without even sayin' 'thank you'!" Applejack growled. "But we're mighty proud of ya, Eddie. Tonight, Ah'll get some brushes and repaint you ta look even grander than the other engines!"
Edward was too tired to reply, but gave her a grateful smile in return.
Despite being teased for it, Edward is pleased with his small size. In exchange for not being able to pull large trains like the ones Henry and Gordon take, Edward is better suited for navigating the shunting yard. Taking advantage of this, he shunts the trains that the bigger engines take on long journeys. Unfortunately, this quickly began to interfere with his own work.
"Late again!" Gordon muttered one day. "This is the fourth time this week, Edward! if this keeps up, the passengers will say this is a bad railway!"
"Well, excuse me for having to shunt your coaches, Gordon. Maybe if you shunted your own trains, I wouldn't always be late with mine."
"Gordon? Shunt? Don't be ridiculous!" His driver laughed. "Gordon's too awesome for shunting. Maybe you need to step up your game, old timer!"
Applejack hopped out of Edward's cab and angrily approached Gordon's driver. "Well Reyna, ah know you an' Gordon can't get through the shuntin' yard as easily as Eddie, but you could at least wait right outside it to take yer own dang coaches to the platform!"
"Don't call me 'Reyna!' It's 'Rainbow Dash' thank you very much! And me and Gordon wouldn't have to wait outside the yard if you just moved faster!"
The argument between the two drivers quickly devolved into a shouting match. The passengers looked on and prepared to run if things became physical. Edward tried to calm the two down while Gordon looked on with disinterest.
"Quiet!" A new voice rang out.
Applejack and Rainbow froze and turned to see their boss, Celestia Hatt.
"This is no way to act in front of the passengers or in general. Now, what was this about?"
Neither woman answered.
"Well?"
"If I may, Miss Celestia?" Gordon spoke up. "This all happened because Edward has been late all week."
Edward shot the big engine a glare. "Only because I have to shunt Gordon and Henry's trains when I'm between jobs, ma'am. I'm afraid the work is becoming too much for me."
Celestia thought for a moment. "I suppose you're right Edward. What we need is a dedicated station pilot. I'll head to the mainland next week to see if I can find one. Until then, I'll try to lighten your workload."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"And as for you two," she said, turning to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "Please do not let this happen again. This is a railway, not a playground."
"Yes ma'am," the two said quietly.
"It's about time we got another engine," Henry said that evening. "If one of us broke down, the other two would have a hard time keeping up with the workload."
"Pah!" Gordon snorted. "The workload isn't the problem."
"Lemme guess," Apple Bloom muttered as she dropped the fire, "Edward is?"
"Exactly! If Edward didn't take his time getting our trains ready, we wouldn't need another engine."
Edward sighed. "Don't bother arguing with him, Apple Bloom. I doubt anything would get him to stop."
"But it's not right! Why does Gordon get to put you down all the time and act like some big shot! Yer twice as useful as he is!"
"It's because that Rainbow Dash keeps feedin' his ego," Applejack sighed. "Ah swear, that girl wouldn't know humility if it smacked her in the face."
"Why don't we talk about something other than Gordon?" Henry puffed. "What do you think the new engine will be like?"
"A hard worker," Edward said.
"Someone humble would be nice."
Apple Bloom chuckled. "Maybe they can put Gordon in his place."
The speculation surrounding the new engine continued until Celestia left for the mainland. She boarded Gordon's train early that morning and sighed as the countryside whizzed by. Though she'd never admit it to the anyone, she preferred Edward's slower pace to Gordon's breakneck speed.
A few hours later, Celestia found herself in a small goods yard on the Mainland. She explained her situation to the manager and was told she could look around. The engines eyed her, hoping she would pick them. Eventually, she saw a small teal engine. He had six small wheels, a short stumpy funny, a short stumpy boiler, and a short stumpy dome.
"Oh, you don't want that one," the manager said dismissively. "He's still fresh out of the workshops. His crew's pretty new too. His driver's pretty antisocial, too."
Celestia paid him no mind and approached the little engine. "What's your name?"
"I t-technically h-haven't got o-one, ma'am," he stuttered nervously. "But my fireman's taken to calling me 'Thomas.'"
"Hello, ma'am." A young woman with purple and pink hair stepped out of Thomas' cab. "I'm Thomas' driver Tara. And this is his fireman and my brother Spike."
Spike leaned out of the cab and waved.
Celestia smiled and waved back. "So, are you three hard workers?"
"We try to be, ma'am. But we're still trying to get the hang of shunting."
"There's an engine on my railway who can teach you everything you need to know. That is, if you're willing to come work for me."
Tara, Spike, and Thomas thought for a moment. While their current home was nice, the other engines and staff members were noisy and rude.
"We'll do it!" The three said together.
The older woman grinned. "I was hoping you would say that."
A few days later, Thomas and his crew arrived on Sodor.
"Wow," the little engine puffed. "It's so different from our old railway."
"It's a little quaint, don't you think?" Tara asked.
"I think it's nice," Spike sighed. "It certainly beats that noisy goods yard."
A shrill whistle pierced the air as a blue tender engine puffed into the yard.
"You must be the new engine," he said cheerfully.
"Th-that's me," Thomas stammered.
"Are you Edward?" Tara asked.
"That's me! And this is my crew Apple Bloom and Applejack."
"They're just nicknames, in case y'all were wonderin'," Applejack joked. "We're really called Jackie and Abigail."
"Now, I believe Miss Celestia said you were in need of some shunting lessons?"
Thomas blushed in embarrassment. "Yes. I'm afraid that I'm still pretty new."
"No worries! We all have to start somewhere. Come along then. We can start with handling Henry's next train."
For the next few hours, Thomas worked hard to help prepare the trains for the other engines. While he did make mistakes, Edward was patient and made sure to point out his mistakes. In between breaks, Tara made sure to write down each tip Edward gave them. The Apple sisters had tried to talk to her, but she hardly paid them any attention.
"Sorry about her," Spike said as the sun began to set. "She's always kept to herself. But I promise she's really nice when she opens up."
Thankfully, Applejack was understanding. "We'll take yer word for it, Sugarcube. Now come on. We still hafta show y'all Tidmouth Sheds.
Thomas felt nervous as he approached the sheds. They weren't much bigger than the ones at his old home, but the unfamiliar engines inside seemed to make it look large and imposing.
"Gordon, Henry," Edward puffed, "say hello to Thomas and his crew."
Gordon eyed the tank engine suspiciously. "This is our new station pilot? He looks even weaker than Edward."
Applejack covered her sister's mouth before an argument could break out.
"I think he seems nice," Henry said, hoping to stop Gordon from crushing the poor engine's self-esteem. "Although he'll have to be repainted."
"Repainted?" Thomas wasn't sure about that.
"Miss Celestia prefers all of us to be the colors of the North Western Railway. You can chose between green and blue, although I have heard rumors that she wants to experiment with red."
"And you'll get a new number," Scootaloo chimed in. "We've been in need of a new number one!"
"What happened to the old one?" Spike asked.
"Taken out of service," Edward sighed. "Each of us was brought in to replace the old coffee pot engines."
"Hence the reason why we have numbers two, three, and four, but not one," finished Henry.
"Hopefully, that'll change soon," a new voice chimed in. Celestia smiled as she greeted her workforce. "Tara, I hope you, Spike, and Thomas had a productive first day."
"Oh, we did, ma'am. Edward taught as much about shunting as he could."
"Wonderful! And I hope you've been getting along with your coworkers." She shot a pointed look at Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
"Not really, Miss Celestia," Spike piped up. "We haven't really had the chance to sit down and chat."
"Well, I hope you do soon. Communication is key for a railway to function properly."
As Celestia and the engine crews began to discuss tomorrow's schedule, Gordon shot another glance at the new engine.
"Make sure not to get in the way, little Thomas."
Thomas grinned cheekily. The big engine wouldn't be acting so rude soon.
But I shan't say anymore, or I will spoil the next story.
It had taken a few weeks, but Thomas had finally gotten the hang of shunting trains. Edward had wished him well and returned to his usual duties, leaving the teal engine to his own devices. At first, things had been quiet, with nothing more than a passing 'hello' to Henry and Edward. Until one day, Thomas decided to have some fun.
Gordon had just come back from pulling the express, and was dozing in a siding. Thomas, goggled to himself and quietly sidled up beside the sleeping engine.
"Peep, peep, peep! Wake up, Lazybones! Why don't you work hard like me?" Thomas laughed and ran off before Gordon could respond.
"Thomas!" His driver admonished. "You know you shouldn't tease the other engines like that!"
"Oh, lay off Twilight," Spike laughed. "We're just having a bit of fun."
"It won't be fun when he gets back at you for that," she muttered. "And don't call me 'Twilight!' I doubt anybody else is being called by a nickname."
Spike rolled his eyes. "You really haven't been talking to anybody, have you?"
Thomas paid them no mind, and went on thinking he was clever.
The next day, Gordon was trying to rest again. Not wanting to deal with Thomas' shenanigans, the big engine decided to rest in the carriage sheds. He had just closed his eyes when-
"Peep, peep, peep!
Gordon growled as Thomas ran off laughing.
"Why on Earth would Celestia bring such an immature engine to the yard?"
Rainbow Dash sighed. She too had been trying to rest when Thomas popped in. "It was either get him or deal with that slow coach Edward being late. Don't worry though. I'm sure he'll get sick of it soon."
"And if he doesn't?"
"We can deal with it."
Unfortunately, Thomas didn't get sick of it. And no matter how hard she tried, Twilight couldn't get Spike and Thomas to cut it out. After another week of whistling and being called names, Rainbow Dash decided to take matters into her own hands.
One morning as the engines were being fired up for the day, Rainbow approached Twilight.
"Oh, you're Reyna, right?" The newer driver asked. "What seems to be the-"
"You know what's the matter! You and your little tank engine keep screwin' with me and Gordon! Cut it out!"
Twilight had been taken by surprise by this, but quickly grew angry. "You think I like watching my brother and our engine act like children?! I've been trying to get them to stop for days now!"
"Well, you're clearly doing a terrible job. So either get them to stop, or I will!"
The engines watched on in mild interest. None of them had ever seen Twilight get worked up before, so it was a bit of a surprise to see it.
Twilight jumped aboard Thomas and roughly opened the regulator.
"Um, Twilight?" Thomas asked nervously.
"Don't," she answered curtly. "Just. Don't."
For the rest of the day, Twilight was in a poor mood. She wouldn't speak to Spike, and she wouldn't speak to Thomas. It wasn't until Thomas had taken away Gordon's coaches that the irate driver finally spoke up.
"You know how I've been telling you guys to stop messing with Gordon?"
Thomas and Spike hesitated for a moment. "...Y-yes?"
"Forget what I said."
Thomas saw Gordon up ahead and weighed his options. On one hand - er, buffer - he now had the chance to tease Gordon without being yelled at. On the other, Twilight agreeing to go with his games was a clear sign that he absolutely shouldn't do it.
I'm sure you can guess which one he picked.
Thomas puffed up besides Gordon and whistled as loudly as he could.
"Peep, peep, peep! Wake up, Lazybones!"
Thomas ran off laughing, leaving Rainbow and Gordon to let out a string of obscenities.
"That's it!" Rainbow cried, red in the face. "I told them to stop, and they didn't listen!"
Scootaloo gulped. She knew that Rainbow could be more impulsive than usual. "Now Rainbow, let's not do something we'll regret."
But Rainbow wasn't there. She had walked to Gordon's front to come up with a plan to get back at Thomas.
The next morning, Thomas couldn't wake up. Spike tried to get his fire going, but Thomas didn't move.
"Come on, Thomas! The express is due soon!"
"Gordon can wait," Thomas yawned. "Goodness knows he'd appreciate the rest."
"But the passengers can't wait," Twilight chimed in. "So get up and get going!"
"Alright, I'm going. Alright, I'm going."
Slowly but surely, Thomas made his way out of the yard and collected the coaches.
"Hurry up, you." Gordon spat.
"Hurry yourself," Thomas puffed.
As Thomas puffed to the platform, Gordon and Rainbow grinned.
"Yes, we will."
Thomas had barely stopped before Gordon hurried to the front of the train.
"Poop, poop, poop," he whistled. "Get in quickly please!"
The people got in, the doors slammed shut, and the guard blew his whistle. Gordon shot off like a rocket...with Thomas being dragged along for the ride. Gordon had started so quickly that the workmen didn't have the chance to uncouple Thomas!
"Gordon!" Thomas called. "What are you doing?!"
"Having some fun!" The big engine called back. "Surely, you can understand!"
Spike wanted to slam Thomas' brakes on, but Twilight wouldn't let him.
"Having his wheels lock at this speed will damage them for sure!"
So the poor trio had no choice but to be dragged along across the island.
"You can't get away! You can't get away!" The coaches laughed.
"I'll never be the same engine again!"
Eventually, Gordon came to a stop. Thomas was uncoupled, puffed to the water tower, and had a long drink.
"Well, little Thomas," Gordon laughed, "I suppose you've learned what hard work really is, haven't you?"
But poor Thomas couldn't answer.
"Guess we really showed them, didn't we?" Rainbow Dash laughed.
"Gordon and Reyna, what is the meaning of this?!"
The trio grimaced. There was something neither of them had accounted for when they had made their plan. That being Celestia.
"Would either of you mind telling me why our station pilot was still coupled to your train?!"
Before either of them could speak up, Scootaloo jumped in. "Thomas kept whistling at us when Gordon was trying to rest so he and Rainbow decided to play a trick on him as payback!"
Celestia took a deep breath and sighed. "I'll be speaking with everybody involved tonight."
That evening, Thomas and Gordon found themselves parked outside of the big station. Their respective crews had just finished explaining the situation to Celestia.
"Well, clearly I need to say it again. This is a railway. Not a playground! Thomas, I know you're still young, but please refrain from playing tricks on the other engines. The same goes for you, Spike."
"Yes, Miss Celestia."
"And Gordon. If you have a problem with another engine, come to me. Don't take matters into your own buffers."
"Yes, Miss Celestia."
"Tara, I had hoped that you knew better than to go with such childish games just because you had a problem with one of your coworkers. Please don't let this happen again."
"I'm sorry Miss Celestia. It won't happen again."
Celestia turned to Rainbow and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And Reyna, this is the second incident you've been involved in this month. If you get caught up in something else, I'll have you suspended from the footplate. Do I make myself clear?"
"Y-yes, Miss Celestia."
"Good."
Celestia turned on her heel and walked into her office.
Rainbow sighed. "Listen Tara. I'm sorry I blew up at you like that. And for, y'know, dragging your engine across the island."
"No, I'm sorry. I should've tried harder to get Thomas and Spike to stop."
"Mind if we start over?"
Twilight chuckled and held out her hand. "Sure. I'm Tara, but my brother and Thomas like to call me Twilight Sparkle."
Rainbow took her hand and shook it. "I'm Reyna, but I prefer to be called Rainbow Dash. Wanna be friends?"
Twilight thought for a moment. "Sure, I don't see why not."
And the two friends boarded their sadder and wiser engines and headed to Tidmouth Sheds.
Once an engine attached to a train, was afraid of a few drops of rain. He ran into a tunnel, and squeaked through his funnel, and wouldn't come out again.
Henry had been acting oddly the past few days. He would sulk in the morning instead of preparing for the day, and would snap at his crew when they tried to get him to stop dawdling. It had only become worse when he was repainted, which leads us into today's story.
Henry simmered quietly as his driver came around to the front.
"Um, H-Henry," she said timidly. "Wh-why have you s-stopped in the t-tunnel?"
"Because," he snorted, "the rain will ruin my lovely green paint."
"B-but the passengers-"
"Who cares? Honestly Fluttershy, you're far too kind for your own good."
Fluttershy tried to speak up again, only to be silenced by the glare her engine gave her.
"W-well, I s-suppose it's fine i-if you s-stay her for a wh-while l-longer."
Henry grinned, pleased that he had gotten what he wanted.
"Hey man, we've gotta get this train goin' again, or we might harsh the passenger's mellow."
Henry rolled his eyes as the firewoman joined them.
"I said 'no,' Treehugger, and that's final."
Treehugger and Fluttershy sighed. Henry was a stubborn engine, and they both knew that no amount of arguing would change his mind.
Soon, Celestia arrived on board Edward's passenger train. She saw the look on Henry's face and sighed.
"Henry," she started, "I'm warning you. Do not test my patience today. I just had to deal with Thomas and Gordon last night, and I don't have it in me to do this again. Get out of the tunnel."
Henry rolled his eyes and blew smoke at her.
Celestia tried to ignore her twitching eye. "Fiona, Willow. Get the passengers."
Ten minutes later, the passengers all stood at the mouth of the tunnel and watched as Fluttershy tied a strong rope around Henry's coupling.
"Um, Miss Celestia," Fluttershy said meekly. "Why exactly am I doing this?"
"Because," she paused for dramatic effect. "We're going to pull Henry out!"
"Seriously?" A passenger called.
"It's better than standing here twiddling our thumbs. Now come on!"
Celestia, Fluttershy, Treehugger, and the passengers all pulled as hard as they could. Well, almost all of them. A stout gentleman had muttered a quick 'My doctor has forbidden me to pull' and watched from the sideline. But no matter how hard they pulled, Henry didn't budge.
"You're wasting you're breath," he puffed.
One of the passengers groaned. "Well, that didn't work. You think she's going to say-"
"We'll push him out instead!"
"Of course she is."
The passengers moved to the back of the train and pushed as hard as they could. The stout gentleman didn't help this time either. Once again, Henry stayed in the tunnel.
Celestia groaned and pulled out her cell phone.
"Who're you calling?" Fluttershy asked.
"Tara. We'll see if Thomas can push him out."
Thomas raced down the mainline as quickly as Twilight and Spike would let him.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" He puffed, pretending he was Gordon.
In no time at all, the little teal engine had arrived to the tunnel.
"Peep, peep!" He whistled. "Ready Henry?"
"It's no good," the green engine muttered. "I'm staying put."
Thomas ignored him and buffered up to the train. He pushed and puffed with all his might until his face was as red as Apple Bloom's hair. But Henry still didn't move.
"Look, you idiot," a particularly angry passenger cried. "The rain has stopped! Now get out of the tunnel so I can get home!"
"It could start again, so I'm staying here."
Celestia was at her wit's end. "You know what, Henry? Fine! If you like the tunnel so much, you can stay there! We'll take away your rails and brick up the entrance!"
Henry suddenly realized he had made a mistake.
That evening, the other engines and their crews tried to console a crying Fluttershy. Henry may have been acting like a tool, but Fluttershy still had a soft spot for the green engine.
"If it makes you feel better, he had it coming," Rainbow said gently.
As you can guess, this only made things worse.
"Nice goin', Rainbow," Applejack muttered. "Listen Sugarcube, In a few days, Celestia will realize that she overreacted. Henry'll be outta that tunnel before ya can say 'bust mah buffers!'"
Fluttershy sniffed. "Are you sure?"
"Would ah lie to ya?"
Twilight groaned. "I hope he's let out soon. Edward and Gordon can't handle the work alone. And Thomas doesn't have any experience with anything other than shunting."
Thomas thought for a moment. 'If Henry's out of action, then maybe I'll be able to pull a train!'
Henry stayed shut up for several weeks. He didn't have enough steam to whistle hello to the other engines, and the dirt and grime from the tunnel had ruined his paintwork. Henry now wishes he hadn't been so silly. I think he got what he deserved.
The week following Henry's refusal to leave the tunnel had been a busy one. No sooner had one train been delivered, another one was ready to go. Poor Edward and Gordon were rushed off their wheels.
"We get no rest, we get no rest," the bigger engine grumbled. Edward was afraid that he had to agree.
"Maybe I can help?" Thomas said one morning. "I can take the morning passenger train for Edward!"
"Don't be silly," Gordon yawned. "You're far too impatient, little Thomas. You'd be sure to leave something behind!"
Edward hummed in agreement. "I'm afraid he's right, Thomas. Leave the goods and passengers to us. I'm sure you'll be able to help once you've had proper training."
Thomas huffed away indignantly. He was sure he could pull a train as well as the others could.
"Can you believe them, Twilight?" He asked as she and Spike prepared to head home for the night. "They think that I can't pull a train properly!"
"Well..." Spike started slowly.
"What?"
"They're right," Twilight answered bluntly. "We can barely shunt properly. I think the only way you'll get to pull trains any time soon is if something happens to one of the other engines."
"Bother," Thomas sighed. "It seems like I'll never get the chance to pull trains and see the world."
Luckily, Spike was more sympathetic than Twilight. "Don't worry, buddy. Who knows? Maybe one of the big engines will break down tomorrow."
"That'd be pretty convenient," Twilight muttered.
The next morning, Edward had broken down.
"Wh- I- How?!" Twilight stuttered in disbelief.
"His dang regulator won't open!" Applejack grunted as she tried to fix the problem. "Bloom an' I have been trying ta fix it for the last ten minutes!"
"But we should be able to get it unstuck soon," Apple Bloom sighed.
"Not in time ta take the first train, we won't."
Twilight shot a suspicious glare at Thomas and Spike.
"Twi, I swear we had nothing to do with this!"
Thomas hadn't noticed Twilight's suspicion. "Maybe we'll get to pull the passengers today!"
"I guess we might," Twilight sighed.
As soon as his crew boarded, the little engine ran off to fetch the coaches. He bumped them excitedly and chuffed to the platform as quickly as he could.
"Be careful, be careful!" The carriages shouted.
But Thomas paid no mind. He wanted to run around to the front of the train, but Twilight wouldn't let him.
"Let's at least wait until we're told to pull the train."
In no time, the platform was crowded with people, but Edward never arrived.
"Now?" Thomas asked again.
"Not yet," his crew laughed.
Eventually, Celestia came to see what the problem was.
"Applejack says that Edward's having some technical difficulties," the guard said.
"Then find another engine!"
"There's only Thomas, ma'am."
The two looked over to see a grinning Thomas.
"Oh dear," Celestia sighed. "I suppose you'll have to take the train."
Thomas ran round front as quickly as he could and buffered up to the coaches.
"Don't be impatient now," Twilight said sternly. "Wait until everything is ready."
But Thomas wasn't listening. He was thinking of how grand he would look flying down the line with his first train.
What happened next, no one knows. Thomas says the guard blew his whistle too soon, and Twilight insists that Thomas didn't wait until he was coupled to the coaches. Anyhow, Thomas started as quickly as he could. Celestia tried to call him back to the station, but Thomas was already out of sight.
Thomas whistled cheerfully as he rattled through the countryside. People shouted and waved as he passed by, filling the tank engine with joy.
"This is amazing!" Thomas cried, and Twilight had to agree.
"I'm sorry I said you weren't ready. Turns out pulling a train is easier than the others made it out to be!"
But their fun wouldn't last much longer. They soon approached a red signal and had to stop.
"Bother!" Puffed Thomas. "And we were going so nicely, too!"
"What's the problem?" Spike asked. "We're the only ones out here, so we can't be waiting for another train to pass."
A confused signalman walked up to the engine. "Hello you three. What are you doing so far from the big station?"
Thomas beamed with pride. "I'm pulling a train! Can't you see?"
The signalman was even more confused. "Then where are your coaches?"
"Bless me!" Twilight cried. "We've left them behind!"
"You had best head back and get your coaches."
Spike sighed. "The others are never gonna let us live this down."
To say that the passengers were furious was the understatement of the decade. The crowd had begun screaming and yelling almost as soon as Thomas had left. Celestia wasn't sure she could keep them from rioting for much longer.
"This railway's a circus!"
"We want our money back!"
"This would never happen on the Mainland!"
A sad peep, peep stopped the passenger's complaints, for when they saw how sad Thomas was, they had forgotten to be angry.
"We're so sorry, Miss Celestia. I never meant for this happen."
"I know, Thomas. But I hope this has taught you to be more patient in the future."
"It most certainly has, ma'am." The guard's whistle blew, and this time, Thomas really pulled the train.
For many days afterward, Gordon, his crew, and even Edward's poked fun at Thomas' mishap.
"Look, there's Thomas!" They would say. "He wanted to pull trains but forgot about the coaches!"
Thomas said nothing, but he thought they were being very silly indeed.
Thomas the Tank Engine wouldn't stop being a nuisance. Night after night, he kept the other engines awake.
"I'm tired of shunting trains," he complained. "I want to see the world!"
Gordon grunted. "Didn't you just learn why you shouldn't be allowed out on the mainline a few days ago?"
"A rookie mistake," Thomas argued. "It could happen to any engine."
Their crews took no notice, for Thomas was a little engine with a long tongue.
One night, his and Edward's crews stayed at the sheds later than usual. They felt sorry for Thomas and decided to make him feel better.
Well, and to get him to stop complaining.
"We've got some trucks ta take up to Maron tomorrow," Applejack said. "If y'all take 'em, we can shunt coaches instead."
Twilight, while reluctant, agreed to go along with it. She wouldn't admit it, but she could only take Thomas' complaining for so long.
The next morning, Thomas and Edward found themselves in the yards.
"Are these my trucks? Oh, or how about those?"
"Settle down, Thomas. They're over here."
"Listen up, y'all," Applejack said as Thomas was coupled up. "Trucks are silly things. If they catch ya off guard, yer gonna regret it."
"Make sure not to bump them unless they misbehave," Edward added.
Spike gulped. "Are you sure we can't take out the non-sentient trucks?"
"'Fraid not, Sugarcube. There ain't enough to carry all these goods."
"Wonderful."
The guard's whistle blew, and Thomas started with a jerk.
"Oh, oh, oh!" The trucks called. "Wait, Thomas, wait!"
But Thomas didn't listen. "Come along, come along!"
"Alright, don't fuss! Alright, don't fuss!"
As the tank engine puffed away, Apple Bloom gulped.
"Do y'all feel like we just made a mighty big mistake?"
"Eeyup."
Thomas began going faster and faster.
"Wheeesh!" He called as he raced past Henry's tunnel. "Hello, Henry!"
The countryside seemed to blur together as Thomas and the trucks rattled along. Thomas was having the time of his life, but the trucks were grumbling about his rough treatment of them.
"Pay him out," one whispered. "Let's do it on the hill."
Twilight heard the trucks whispering among themselves, but was unable to hear what they were saying.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," she muttered.
"Full steam ahead!" Thomas laughed as he charged up Gordon's Hill.
"Now!" Screamed one of the trucks. "Hold back, hold back!"
Spike groaned. "Bother those silly trucks! We might need a banker if they keep this up."
"No we won't!" Cried Thomas. "We'll make it over this hill or burst!"
The train slowed, but Thomas was determined to make it to the other side.
"Don't hold back!" Twilight yelled at the trucks. "We have a schedule to keep!"
As they reached the top of the hill, the trucks grinned. "If you want to stay on schedule, we can help with that!"
And before they could stop to pin down the brakes, the trucks surged forward!
"On, on, on! Faster, faster!"
Poor Thomas tried his hardest to stop, but the trucks were far too heavy for him to stop on his own.
"Stop pushing us!" Spike cried.
"Go on, go on!" The trucks giggled in their silly way.
Twilight screamed as she felt the train sway back and forth.
"There's the station!" She cried as Maron came into view.
The train lurched as it was diverted into a siding. Thomas shut his eyes and prepared for the worst.
"I have to stop, I have to stop!"
He slowed down little by little until finally, he came to a stop just in front of the buffers.
"Goodness," said Thomas shakily. "That didn't go as planned."
"That's a bit of an understatement," Twilight said as she unsteadily hopped out of the cab. "I think my life flashed before my eyes."
Spike leaned against Thomas and sighed. "Look on the bright side. Nobody was hurt and Celestia won't ever find out about this."
"I wouldn't say that."
The trio jumped when they saw Celestia.
"Mind telling me what you three are doing so far from the station?"
"W-we brought E-edward's trucks," Thomas stammered.
"But why did you come in so fast?"
"We didn't mean to, ma'am. We were pushed!"
The controller sighed. "I understand that you want to do the same work as the other engines, but you're too inexperienced to pull trains or run on the mainline. Maybe a few weeks of shunting trucks here in the yard will teach you almost as much as Edward. Then you'll be a really useful engine."
Everyday, Gordon the Big Engine pulls the big express. He takes great pride in being the only engine strong enough to do so. The coaches are always packed with important people, like Celestia Hatt. And today, Gordon, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo were trying to see just how fast they could go.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" The big engine puffed as he raced down the line.
"We're hurrying, we're hurrying!" The coaches replied.
Scootaloo shuddered. She never liked how the coaches were capable of speech without mouths.
In a minute, Gordon would see the tunnel where Henry stood bricked up and lonely.
"Oh dear," the green engine sighed. "Why did I worry about the rain spoiling my lovely green paint?"
As the tunnel came closer, Gordon chuckled to himself.
"I'll blow my whistle as loud as I can at Henry."
But just before he could blow his whistle, there as a loud crack followed by his cab flooding with steam.
"What on Earth?!" The big engine cried. "I feel so weak! Whatever is happening?!"
The train grew slower and slower until it stopped at the mouth of the tunnel.
"Looks like you've burst your safety valve," Scootaloo sighed. "You won't be going anywhere else today."
"Must've been from all that hot air in your smokebox!" Giggled Henry.
Gordon said nothing. He had just enough steam to slink onto the track where Henry was bricked up.
Celestia exited the train and groaned. "These big engines are always causing me trouble. Send for another engine at once!"
Edward was the only engine available.
"I'll try my best!" The blue engine puffed.
"An' we'll show that Rainbow Dash what for!" Applejack replied.
And with a strong sense of determination, Edward clanked away to collect the train.
"That's no use," Gordon puffed despondently. "Edward can't push the train."
"That's what you think!" Apple Bloom cried. "We'll get this train movin' faster than you can say 'express comin' through!'"
Edward buffered up and pushed and puffed with all his might, but he couldn't get the heavy coaches moving.
"Express coming through," Rainbow muttered.
"See? I told you. The only other engine who'd have a chance at hauling that train is Henry."
Celestia thought for a moment and approached the tunnel. "Henry? I feel like you've learned your lesson. Would you please pull the train?"
"Yes please, ma'am! But what about my crew?"
"We're right here!" Henry looked over to see Fluttershy and Treehugger exiting one of the coaches.
"It's a good thing we were on our way to meet a friend," Flutterhsy giggled quietly.
The pair boarded Henry and started up his fire. The green engine hummed as he felt the warmth spread through his boiler.
"Oh, I'm stiff!" He cried as he finally got moving. He was dirty and covered in cobwebs.
"That's indecent!" Rainbow Dash joked.
Celestia chose to ignore that comment. "Have a run to ease your joints and find a turntable!"
"I'm sorry for the way I acted," he told his crew as they trundled down the line.
"It's water under the bridge," Fluttershy replied cheerfully. "I'm just glad we're working together again!"
"Same here, man," Treehugger replied. "We can work together without any bad vibes harshing our mellow."
Henry pretended he understood what that meant.
Soon, Henry backed down to the front of the train.
"Peep, peep!" He whistled. "I'm ready! How about you?"
"Peep, peep, peep!" So am I!"
"Pull hard, we'll do it! Pull hard, we'll do it!" They puffed together
And working together, the two engines got the train moving.
"We've done it together, we've done it together!"
Everybody was excited. The stout gentleman leaned his head out the window to cheer for the two engines, but they going so fast, his hat blew off into a field, where a goat ate it for tea!
The engines didn't stop until they reached the station at the end of the line.
"We did it, we did it!" Their crews cheered.
The passengers scrambled out of the carriages to congratulate the two.
"You'll both be getting a new coat of paint for this," Celestia told them.
The two friends whistled with glee.
That evening, Edward and Henry arrived to take Gordon home. The blue engine was silent for most of the journey.
"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I shouldn't have teased Edward for being old or for you getting shut up in the tunnel."
"I'm sorry, too," Rainbow Dash sighed. "I've kinda been acting like a prick for the last couple weeks, haven't I?"
"You and me both."
"No worries," replied Edward. "You learned your lesson in the end, and that's all that matters."
Applejack nodded her head in agreement. "Ah know y'all are always focusin' on being the fastest and the best, but can ya at least tone it don enough to be civil with the others?"
The two blushed sheepishly.
Apple Bloom chuckled. "Why don't we all start over? Let's just bury the hatchet and try ta be friends."
The others all agreed.
Gordon and Rainbow Dash are still boastful, since they're those kinds of people, but whenever their egos get too big for them to handle, Edward, Henry, their crews, and Scootaloo are quick to set them straight.
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.
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.
James was enjoying his life on the island of Sodor, but his accident had made it clear that he still had a lot to learn.
"You're a special mixed traffic engine," said Miss Hatt. "You can pull coaches and trucks quite easily, but you must learn from your mistakes."
James didn't have to ask what she meant, as he could well remember that dreadful accident from his first day.
"Today, you'll be double heading The Local with Edward."
The blue engine grinned. "I'll lead and show you around the island. Make sure not to bump the coaches, James."
The red engine gently backed into the platform and grinned at all the people admiring his shiny red paintwork.
"You really are a splendid engine, darling," Rarity sighed when she noticed the attention her engine was getting.
James swelled with confidence and let out steam, but a shower of water splashed all over Celestia's nice new suit. James' confidence vanished like magic.
"Uh-oh," the red engine murmured.
Sweetie Belle had seen what had happened and tried to reassure him. "I'm sure nobody noticed, James. And I'm sure Celestia won't be too upset."
James wished he could say he believed her.
The guard's whistle blew, and James started with a jerk.
"Go on, go on," he hissed.
"You needn't be pushy," Edward replied.
The coaches were grumbling too. "Don't go so fast, don't go so fast."
But James didn't listen.
James was very distracted as he and Edward made their way down the line. On their way to the next signal, James had almost run past two red signals. And by the time they did reach the next station, two of the coaches had overshot the platform.
"James," Edward said in an attempt to lighten his friend's spirits, "I know you're still new to passenger work, but you must remember that passengers like to get off at the platform."
The red engine payed Edward no mind, but he was pleased that nobody but Sweeite Belle had noticed Miss Hatt's suit.
Presently, they arrived at Elsbridge where Thomas was waiting with his own coaches.
"Hello, James!" Thomas said cheerfully. "You're looking much better now that you're out of the works!"
"Especially with that snazzy new paint job," put in Spike.
"And I hope Rarity and Sweetie Belle are settling in nicely," Twilight added.
Rarity smiled. "Oh, we're settling in nicely, darling. Sodor is such a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the Mainland."
Thomas' guard blew his whistle and the little engine pulled out of the station.
"Sorry, you lot! Can't stop," he puffed. "We do have a schedule to keep!"
Soon, Edward and James passed the field where the red engine had had his accident. The fence by the line had been mended and the cows were once again grazing in the field. Sweetie Belle smiled and waved at them, but the bovines took no notice.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the last station and rested before heading home. James was still worried about what Miss Hatt would say when she next saw him.
"It'll be fine," Sweetie Belle assured him.
It was not fine.
The next morning, Miss Hatt spoke severely to James.
"If you can't behave, I shall take away your red paint and have you painted blue!"
"Jeez," Sweetie muttered once Celestia had left. "I didn't think she'd be that upset."
"Well, you must understand, Sweetie," Rarity told her. "Having such a lovely new suit ruined is a disgrace! And Applejack tells me that Celestia is under a lot of stress. Not only does she have to run such a large railway-"
"A railway with five engines doesn't seem very big."
"It is when you're the one running it. And not only that, but there's a new problem plaguing the line every few weeks."
James tuned out their conversation as they made their way to the platform.
He was very rough as he shunted his coaches, and banged them even harder when he saw that nobody was taking any notice of him.
"Don't talk, come on!" he called rudely. "The other engines never have to fetch their own coaches."
"Edward does," his firewoman said.
"Well, he's only painted blue," he replied, as though that helped his argument.
"You needn't be so rude with the coaches, dear," Rarity soothed.
The red engine grumbled to himself and waited for the guard's whistle.
"I'll show them," he muttered once they were on their way. "They think Gordon is the only engine who knows how to pull coaches."
Rarity held on to the cab handrail for dear life as James rattled down the line.
"Calm down, James! We're being bounced around like peas in a frying pan!"
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" He called.
"You're going too fast! You're going too fast!" Answered the coaches.
But James still didn't listen. He tried hard to pick up more speed, but the coaches began holding him back.
"We're going to stop!" They cried. "We're going to stop!"
And with one final jerk, the train came to a stop in the middle of the line.
"Stupid things," James puffed. "Now we'll be late! What's the matter?"
"The brakes are hard on," Sweetie answered.
"A leak in the pipe, most likely," Rarity groaned. "You were banging the coaches enough to make a leak in anything!"
Despite their situation, Sweetie Belle snickered. Rarity rolled her eyes.
"Come on, Sweetie. Let's go inspect the coaches."
After a few minutes of searching, they found the broken brake pipe in the middle of the train.
"How shall we mend it?" Asked the guard.
Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. "One of the drivers on our old railway had a similar problem once. I think he said he fixed it with some newspapers and leather bootlaces."
Rarity cringed at the thought of using bootlaces in such a matter.
"I've got some newspapers in the brake coach," said the guard. "But we'll have to get some bootlaces from one of the passengers."
The sisters groaned. The others were never going to let them live this down.
A few minutes later, the passengers were outside the coaches and listened as Rarity explained the situation.
"All we need are some leather bootlaces. Has anyone got some?"
The passengers looked around.
"This man does!" one eventually called out.
The man in question scowled at the one who called him out.
"Would you please give us your bootlaces, sir?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"No," said the man, "I won't!"
"Then I'm afraid we'll just have to stay out here in the middle of nowhere. And it'll be all your fault."
The passengers started to shout about what a bad railway it was, then they turned to the man and shouted about how bad he was.
"Alright, alright!" He grunted after a few minutes. "Take the bloody laces!"
Rarity smiled and promised to pay for new ones. Then she wrapped the bootlaces and newspaper tightly around the hole, and James was able to pull the train very gently.
He is a sadder and wiser engine now, and takes care never to bump the coaches again.
James stayed shut up in the sheds for several days and was feeling miserable.
"Oh dear. I wonder if I will ever leave the shed. Will anyone see my red coat again?"
"Who's he talking to?" one of the nearby trucks asked his companion.
"No clue," replied the other.
"Why did I go so fast that I made a hole in one of my coaches that had to be mended with - of all things - a passenger's bootlace?"
"You needn't spout expository," Rarity told him. Ever since he was put in the sheds, she made sure to visit him everyday. "You don't have to be so dramatic, either."
"That's rich coming from you," Sweetie muttered.
"And who whined and complained endlessly while they were modelling for me these past few days?"
Sweetie sighed. She hoped they could get back to work soon. If she had to spend any more time as Rarity's personal mannequin/pin cushion, she was going to scream.
At last, Miss Hatt arrived to see them.
"I can see that you're sorry, James. And I also know that you want to be a useful engine. People are laughing at my railway, and that won't do at all."
"We'll try hard to do our best," said James.
"That's a good engine! I'd like you to take some trucks to Maron today. Can you handle it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" And James puffed away to collect his train.
"Why are we shunting in the yards again?" Asked Thomas.
"Because we promised to help Applejack and Edward since we have an hour before our first train," answered Twilight.
A shrill whistle pierced the air as James puffed into the yard.
"Here are your trucks, James. I hope you have some bootlace on hand!"
Thomas and Spike giggled and Twilight rolled her eyes. James was cross, but chose not to say anything.
"We want a proper engine!" The trucks cried as James was coupled up. "Not a red monster!"
James and his crew took no notice and started as soon as the guard blew his whistle.
"Come along," he said firmly. "I want no nonsense today!"
"We won't go, we won't go!" Screamed the trucks, but James didn't care. With a mighty heave, he pulled the screeching trucks out of the yard.
The trucks tried hard to make the journey a pain, but James didn't give up. When they held back, he gave them a firm bump, and when they tried to push him, he slammed the brakes on. Sometimes the axles would run hot and James would have to wait for them to cool down, but each time, a determined James would start again, refusing to let the silly trucks get the better of him.
"Give up, give up! You can't pull us, you can't!" Giggled the silly trucks.
"He can and he will!" Sweetie Belle cried as they approached Gordon's Hill.
"Look out for trouble, James!" Called Rarity. "You never know what those troublesome trucks might be planning."
James hummed in confirmation and pulled harder as the trucks began to hold him back.
"I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" He panted as they reached the halfway point. "Will the top ever come?"
There was jerk somewhere along the train and suddenly, everything became easier.
"We've done it!" cried James. "It's all so much easier now!"
But Sweetie Belle looked outside the cab and shut off steam.
"Bother those trucks, they've done it again!"
"What do you mean, darling?"
She pointed outside at their much shorter train. "Our tail end has broken away!"
Luckily, the guard had eased the train to a halt and put up red flags to warn approaching engines.
"No wonder it was easy," James muttered as he gently reversed down the hill. "Stupid trucks. They could've run into somebody."
Edward puffed up behind the wayward trucks and whistled.
"Need any help, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
"Er, no thank you," puffed James. "I can manage."
"Don't let them beat you!" Edward called.
James whistled triumphantly and charged the hill. It was hard work, and it felt as though the weight of the trucks was increasing, but James never gave in.
"We've done it! We've done it!" Sweetie shouted as James rounded the bend at the top.
"Thank goodness," sighed Rarity.
The trucks, realizing that James really wasn't going to give up, sighed and admitted defeat. It was smooth sailing down the other side as James puffed wearily into Maron Station.
He was resting in the yard as Edward pulled in alongside him. Then, James saw Miss Hatt in his brakevan.
"Oh dear," he murmured quietly, "what will she say?"
"The better question is what she was doing riding a goods train," Rarity replied.
But Miss Hatt was smiling broadly.
"I was in Edward's train and I saw everything! Well done, James. You've made the most troublesome trucks on the line behave!"
Edward's trucks glared at James'.
"Nice going, you lot," one of Edward's said sarcastically.
"After that performance, you most certainly deserve to keep your red coat!"
James smiled gratefully.
"Fair warnin'," Apple Bloom whispered to Sweetie Belle. "Gordon an' Henry are actin' worse than usual. I doubt this'll keep 'em from teasin' James tonight."
Sweetie Belle sighed. "Don't worry. I'm sure it won't last too long."
That night, Henry and Gordon were alone with James and their respective crews. Edward had been busy on his own branchline that day and chose to sleep there for the night. Although Miss Hatt was beginning to think well of James, the two big engines would speak endlessly of bootlaces.
"Remember that time you needed bootlaces to bend a hole you made from banging the coaches too hard?" Gordon asked.
Rainbow Dash snorted.
James tried to ignore the twitching in his eye. "Gordon, I swear-"
"Y'know James," started Henry, "Fluttershy uses a lot of newspapers for bedding at the animal shelter. I'm sure she'll let you borrow some if you ask."
"Get stuck in a tunnel!"
"Careful, James," Rainbow Dash laughed. "You wouldn't want to make a hole in Henry's brake pipes, now would you?"
"We wouldn't want Gordon getting stuck on a hill either," the red engine muttered.
The other engines took no notice.
"You talk too much, little James," puffed Gordon.
"I guess the pot has met the kettle," Sweetie muttered. Rarity nodded her head in agreement.
"Now, a fine engine like me has plenty to talk about-"
"Yet you seem to be stuck on the topic of bootlaces," James interrupted.
"Quiet, you! As I was saying, I'm the only engine who can pull the express. If I'm out of action, they need two to replace me. I've pulled that train for years and have never lost my way. Not once!"
Rarity snorted. "I'm not surprised, given that you've been running on the same stretch of track since you began taking the train."
"We seem to know the right line by instinct," Rainbow finished. Neither she nor Gordon paid Rarity any mind.
Every wise engine or driver knows that it's the signalman's job to keep the engines on the right track, but the Gordon and Rainbow were being so boastful that they had forgotten this.
"Wake up, James!" Gordon said the next morning. "It's time for me to take the express. What are you doing today? Odd jobs?"
"Well, we've all gotta start somewhere," Rainbow chuckled. "Run along and fetch our coaches, will ya?"
Scootaloo mouthed 'I'm sorry' to the red engine and his crew as they pulled away.
When James found the coaches, their new coats of paint glistened in the morning sun. He was careful not to bump them, and they followed him smoothly to the platform.
"We're going away, we're going away!" they cheered.
"I wish I could go away with you," James said wistfully. "I would love to go flying down the line with the express!"
"We might get our chance one day, darling," Rarity told him.
Gordon - being as loud as he could - backed down onto the train proudly.
"Poop, poop!" he whistled. "See you tomorrow, little James!"
"See ya later, Fancy Pants!" Rainbow called out to Rarity, who shook her head at the nickname.
Celestia Hatt was on board the train with other important people, and once the guard's whistle blew, the big engine puffed grandly out of the station.
"It's a shame that we can't take the train," Rarity sighed. "Imagine all the people who might be interested in my designs."
James watched until the big engine and his coaches disappeared, and then went back to work shunting the trucks and coaches into their proper places.
He had just finished shunting some coaches into place for another train when he heard a strange noise.
There was Gordon, puffing as slowly and quietly as he could back into the station. James eyed him cheekily and waited until the big engine had stopped to speak up.
"Hello Gordon," he said cheerfully. "Is it tomorrow already?"
Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Or was this just your fastest run yet?"
Neither Gordon nor his crew answered. He just let off steam meekly.
"Did you lose your way, dear?" Rarity joined in.
"It was lost for us!" Rainbow answered, finally getting sick of the teasing. "The signalman switched us onto the loop line by accident!"
"We had to go all the way around it and back again," Scootaloo finished.
"Perhaps it was instinct," James and his crew said together.
Gordon's passenger left the coaches and began demanding for a refund at the ticket window.
"We want out money back!" they yelled.
Celestia climbed onto a nearby luggage cart and blew the guard's whistle as loudly as she could. The passengers fell silent and turned to her. Then she promised them a new train at once.
"Gordon's in disgrace," she said, turning to James. "Can you take this train?"
James grinned broadly. "Yes, I most certainly can, ma'am!"
"Looks like you and James got your wish," Sweetie said, nudging her sister's arm.
"Indeed we did!"
Once Gordon had moved onto another line, James backed onto the coaches as quickly and as gently as he could. Once he was coupled up, the passengers boarded the coaches.
"Do your best, James," Miss Hatt said, leaning out the window.
The guard's whistle blew and James pulled out of the station.
"Come along, come along!" he called to the coaches.
"You're pulling us well, you're pulling us well!" they sang back.
James grinned as he raced through the countryside. As people waved and cheered for him as he passed by, the red engine would wink and blow his whistle at them. Bridges and stations flew by as James raced along.
"As fast as you like, as fast as you like," chanted the coaches.
"Why do they always repeat themselves like that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Never mind that, Sweetie," her sister said. "Focus on how great we look!"
Soon, they arrived at the final station. The passengers cheered for them and Miss Hatt told him what a splendid engine he was.
"You've done very well today," she said. "Would you like to pull the express more often?"
"Yes, please!" The red engine answered happily.
The next day when James came by, Gordon was pushing freight cars.
"I may not like shunting or trucks," the big engine said, "I will admit that it's a relaxing change from pulling the express all the time."
"And it's been pretty fun teaching the trucks some manners," Scootaloo put in.
Rainbow Dash shook Rarity's hand and congratulated her on how well they had pulled the express.
"Everyone's heard about it," she said, "and they think you guys did awesomely! Not as great as me, Scoots, and Gordon-"
Rarity chuckled and rolled her eyes at that.
"-but awesome nonetheless. Keep up the good work!"
"You too, darling!"
James and Gordon are now good friends. James sometimes takes the express to give Gordon a rest, and Gordon never mentions bootlaces. And the two are quite agreed on the subject of trucks.
Thomas the Tank Engine loves his branchline very much and thinks it's the most important part of the railway. His fireman, Spike, and his two coaches Annie and Clarabel agree with him. Annie can only carry passengers, while Clarabel can carry passengers, their luggage, and the guard. The two carriages are both old and in need of new paint - as Rarity mentions whenever she gets the chance - but Thomas loves them very much.
As they run backwards and forewords down the line, they like to sing songs to each other. Whenever Thomas leaves a station, he sings 'Oh come along, we're rather late. Oh come along, we're rather late' and the coaches sing 'We're coming along, we're coming along!"
Twilight and Spike could never bring themselves to tell them the songs weren't that great.
The two coaches never mind what Thomas says to them, and they know that whenever he is cross, he is never cross with them.
One morning, Thomas was waiting impatiently for Henry at Elsebridge station.
"Where is that Henry?" Thomas said to himself. "We'll be late if he doesn't get here soon."
Twilight was anxious, but did her best to hide it from Thomas. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason as to why he's late."
"Maybe a cow strayed onto the line," Spike suggested.
"Then that would be a pretty lost cow. The only ones I've seen are the ones from where James crashed, and that part of the line isn't on Henry's passenger route."
"How do you know Henry's passenger route?"
His older sister grinned. "I keep copies of everybody's schedules to make sure we're all running right on time!"
At last, Henry puffed feebly into the station.
"Where on Earth have you been?" Thomas asked.
"I'm sorry I'm late," the green engine moaned. "My system is all out of order. No one understands my case."
Fluttershy patted his cab sympathetically. "He's been having trouble making steam ever since he came out of the tunnel."
Thomas scoffed. "Rubbish! You're just being dramatic. With the way you've been acting, anyone would think that Rarity was your driver!"
"Thomas!" cried Twilight indignantly. "There's no need to be so rude!"
"Well, if Henry could get his smokebox out of his tender for five minutes..."
While the pair bickered, the guard blew the whistle. But as he made his way to Clarabel, the poor man tripped over a woman's umbrella. Clarabel watched in horror as the station and the guard disappeared as Thomas began moving.
"Stop, stop, stop!" she cried. "We've left my nice guard behind!"
Annie's eyes widened in shock when she heard this.
"Wait, Thomas, wait!"
But Thomas wouldn't listen.
"We musn't be late," he puffed.
Spike had heard the coach's pleas and tried to tell Twilight.
"Twi, the coaches said-"
"Never mind their songs," she said dismissively. "Let's just finish up our work so I can give Thomas a proper talking to."
"We haven't a guard, we haven't a guard," the two coaches fretted.
The coaches were cross that Thomas wasn't listening, but their was nothing they could do. The couldn't apply their brakes to stop the train without the guard, and if they bumped Thomas to make him listen, the passengers would get cross.
But Thomas wouldn't stop until they reached a red signal.
"Bother that signal!" he shouted. "And we were going so nicely, too! Why have we stopped?"
Twilight had forgotten to be cross with Thomas and looked around in confusion. "I don't know, but the guard should tell us soon."
So they waited....and waited...and waited some more, but the guard never came.
"Where on Earth is the guard?" asked Thomas.
"We've left him behind!" the coaches wailed.
Thomas gulped. "Oh dear. I hope he isn't cross with us."
The tank engine was about to reverse back to the station when Clarabel shouted.
"Look!"
In the distance, a small figure was approaching the train. Panting heavily, the guard came to a stop, leaned on Clarabel and had a long drink. Once he had gotten his breath back, he told everyone what had happened.
"I'm so sorry we left you behind, Mr. Guard" Thomas said to the guard.
"And I'm sorry that we weren't listening to you," Twilight said to the coaches.
"It's quite alright," replied the guard. "If we hurry, we can still make up for lost time."
Thomas smiled at that and went as fast as Twilight would let him.
"As fast as you like, as fast as you like!" sang the coaches. They were very pleased to have their guard back.
They raced along so quickly, that they reached the end of the line very quickly.
Afterwards, Thomas promised to try not to be so impatient in the future, and he and Twilight learned to always listen when the coaches said something was wrong.
When Thomas puffs along his branchline, he always looked forward to something special: the River Els. Whenever Thomas crosses the viaduct by the river, he always saw people fishing. He often wanted to stop and watch them, but Twilight wouldn't let him.
"What would Miss Celestia say if we were late?"
Every time Thomas saw another engine, he'd always say-
"I want to go fishing!"
And they always had the same answer:
"Engines don't go fishing!"
"And the outfits fishermen where are absolutely atrocious," Rarity would add in.
But Thomas doesn't let them dampen his spirits.
"Silly stick-in-the-muds," he would laugh.
One morning, he stopped at Elsbridge to take on water, only to find that the water tower was out of order.
"Bother," he huffed, "I'm thirsty!"
"Spike, do we have enough water to reach the next station?"
Spike checked Thomas' water level and cursed.
"We barely have enough water to reach the next signalbox!"
Twilight thought for a moment.
"We can get water from the river! Or at least enough to get us to the next station."
Once Thomas was at the bridge, Spike looked at the river and gagged. The water had a yellow tint to it.
"Are you sure you want to get water from here?" he asked. "I've seen boiler sludge that looks cleaner than this."
"It's either that or strand the passengers," Twilight replied.
"Ugh, fine. But how are we gonna get the water?"
His sister looked around until she found a bucket and some rope.
"With this!"
Spike looked skeptical. "That bucket is full of holes, Twilight."
"Then we'll have to work quickly!"
And so they did. Twilight would lower the bucket down into the river, pull it up as quickly as she could, and hand it to Spike so he could fill Thomas' tank.
"There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza." Spike sang. "There's a hole in bucket. Dear Liza, a hole!"
After about ten minutes of this, Thomas finally had enough water to get moving.
"That's good, that's good," puffed Thomas. And the little engine hurried away to make up for lost time.
But not long after they had started off, Thomas felt a pain in his boiler and steam began hissing from his safety valve in an alarming way.
"There's too much steam!" cried Twilight.
"I'm fit to burst," moaned Thomas. "Oh dear, oh dear."
"What do we do?" asked Spike.
"Uh, um, we'll dampen down his fire," answered Twilight. "We'll have to wait until he get to the next station to get to the bottom of this."
And so they struggled on.
"I've got such a pain," the little engine cried. "I've got such a pain."
"I know," Twilight said. "But once we get to Ffarquhar, we'll figure out what's wrong."
They stopped just outside the station and ran Thomas - who was still hissing fit to burst - onto a siding out of the way. Annie and Clarabel watched with worried expressions.
"Oh dear, oh dear," they said. "What ever is the matter?"
And while Twilight phoned for an engine inspector, Spike managed to find some signs that said 'DANGER! KEEP AWAY!' in large, red letters, and hung them in front and behind Thomas.
Soon, the inspector and Celestia Hatt arrived.
"Cheer up, Thomas," said the controller. "We'll soon put you right."
Thomas wasn't so sure about that but didn't say anything.
Twilight told them what had happened and the inspector hummed in thought.
"Hmm, so the feed pipe is blocked. I'll just look in the tanks and see if I can find what's blocking it."
The inspector leaned a ladder against Thomas' tank and looked inside. What he saw almost made him fall back in surprise!
"Miss Celestia," he said quietly. "Could you please look in the tank and tell me what you see?"
"Of course, Inspector Norris." She climbed up, looked inside, and cried out in shock. "Inspector, did you see...fish?"
Everyone stared at Thomas in surprise.
"Goodness gracious me!" Celestia exclaimed. "How did the fish get there, Tara?"
"We must have fished them from the river with our bucket!"
"Well, Thomas, so you and your crew have been fishing, eh? But fish don't suit you. We have to get them out!"
They got some fishing poles from the stationmaster's office and took turns fishing in Thomas' tanks. Thomas had never felt more embarrassed. Soon, they had a caught all the fish and had a lovely supper of fish and chips.
"That was wonderful," sighed Celestia. "But fish don't suit you, Thomas, so you must not do it again."
"No ma'am, I won't," he replied sadly. "Engines don't go fishing. It's too uncomfortable!"
Autumn was coming to the Island of Sodor. Yellow stubble gave way to brown earth, and a tractor was hard at work plowing his fields. One morning, Thomas had to stop at a signal by the field.
"Hello," said the tractor, "I'm Terence and I'm plowing."
"I'm Thomas and I'm pulling a train. What ugly wheels you've got."
Twilight facepalmed. Sometimes she swore Thomas had all the tact of a rock.
Despite the insult, Terence's smile didn't let up. "They're not ugly. They're caterpillars! I can go anywhere at all. I don't need rails."
"Well, I don't want to go anywhere. I like my rails, thank you."
And as soon as the signal changed, Thomas left in a huff.
"Why did you insult him?" Twilight asked as they pulled off. She was asking more out of confusion than anger.
"I was being honest," he puffed. "Like Applejack!"
His driver almost facepalmed again. "Being honest doesn't mean spouting out your opinions whenever you want. That's called being rude."
Weeks later, winter came with dark clouds full of snow.
"I don't like it," said Twilight as she checked the weather reports. "A heavy fall is coming."
Thomas snorted. "Snow is silly soft stuff. We can handle it!"
The line was clear for most of the day, but once they reached the top station, large drifts had started covering the line.
"I was afraid of this," sighed Twilight. "You'll have to wear your snowplow for the next journey, Thomas."
The tank engine wheeshed indignantly. "I don't need that stupid old thing! We can just push through the snow! Isn't that right, Spike."
Spike didn't answer. He was busy helping Twilight drag the plow over to the tank engine.
"No!" he shouted. "I won't wear it and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Twilight laughed. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you can't do much of anything without a driver or a fireman. So what are you going to do to stop us?"
Thomas opened his mouth and quickly closed it. He hadn't thought of that.
For the rest of the day, Thomas traveled down the branchline with his snowplow. It was heavy and uncomfortable and it made Thomas very cross. He was so cross that he shook it and banged it and by the time they reached the sheds, it was in heavy need of repair.
"You're a very naughty engine!" Twilight said as she slammed the shed door shut.
The next morning, Twilight and Spike arrived early to fix the snowplow. But no matter what they did, they couldn't make it fit.
"Are there any spares lying around?" Spike asked.
"Afraid not. Looks like we'll have to hope for the best."
Thomas was very pleased with himself. "I shan't have to wear it, I shan't have to wear it!"
Annie rolled her eyes. "You're headed for trouble, Thomas. I just know it."
"I hope it's alright, I hope it's alright," Clarabel whispered as they left the yard.
Twilight was just as worried as the coaches. "It's been fine so far, but it's sure to be deep in the valley."
Thomas laughed to himself. "Snow is silly soft stuff. It can't stop me!"
And he raced into a tunnel thinking of how clever he was. But when he charged out the other side, he was horrified to see a massive snowdrift ahead! Thomas slammed into the mass of snow before he could stop.
"Cinder and ashes!" he cried. "I'm stuck!"
His driver glared and tried her hardest not to say 'I told you so.' Instead, she quietly opened the reverser to back Thomas out of the drift. But no matter how hard he tried, his wheels just spun helplessly.
"Bother," she sighed to herself.
Spike left to get help while everyone else tried to dig the snow away. But the faster they dug, the more snow fell on poor Thomas until he was nearly buried.
"Oh dear, I shall have to stay here until I've frozen over! What a silly engine I am!" And the little engine began to cry.
At last, a bus arrived to take the passengers, and then, who should come to Thomas' rescue but Terence. The tractor was still grinning like a loon as he was coupled to the coaches.
"Don't you worry, Thomas!" he said happily. "I'll take your coaches to the other side of the tunnel and then come back for you!"
And Terence was as good as his word. As soon as Annie and Clarabel were gone, he hurried back to pull Thomas out of the drift. Terence slipped and tugged and tugged and slipped until at last, Thomas was freed from his snowy prison.
"Thank you so much, Terence!" he puffed. "You were absolutely splendid!"
"I hope you'll be more sensible now, Thomas," Twilight said as she coupled Thomas back up to the coaches.
A few months after his incident with the snowdrift, Thomas was waiting at a junction when a bus arrived.
"Hello," said the bus. "I'm Bertie."
"And I'm his driver. The name's Vincent, but you can call me 'Flash.'"
"I'm Thomas. And this is my driver Twilight, and my fireman Spike. Together, we run this branchline."
Bertie thought for a moment. "Thomas? Now where do I know that name. Oh, that's right! You got stuck in the snow and Terence and I had to rescue you and your passengers! I've come to help with your passengers today."
Thomas seethed indignantly. "I don't need your help. I can go much faster than you!"
"You can't."
"I can!"
"You can't!"
"I can!"
A competitive glint shone in Bertie's eyes. "How about a race? The first one to Ffarquhar Station wins."
"You're on!'
"Not so fast, Thomas," Twilight said. "What would Miss Celestia say if she found out we were racing."
"But Twilight," Spike said, subtly winking at Thomas. "If we win the race, we'll be able to reach the station far earlier than usual. Don't you think Celestia would pleased that we worked so efficiently?"
Twilight thought for a moment. "I'm almost positive this is just a trick to get me onto agreeing, but you also make a good point. Let's do it!"
Flash and Twilight managed to get the stationmaster to agree to start them off and soon, the two vehicles were lined up together.
"Are you ready?"
Thomas braced himself. It was rare that he was given the chance to go fast.
"Go!"
Bertie shot off like a rocket while Thomas started at a crawl.
"Can't we go any faster?" Spike asked impatiently. "At this rate, we'll never be able to catch up!"
"Don't you worry," replied Thomas. "We've got this in the bag."
Thomas could never start off quickly, but soon began to pick up speed. Bertie had already gotten very far ahead, but there was one thing he hadn't accounted for:
The level crossing.
As Thomas approached the crossing, he saw Bertie fuming at the gates.
"Good-bye, Bertie!" Thomas said as he sailed gaily through.
"Stupid right of way," muttered Bertie.
"Don't worry, Bertie," Flash said. "We'll catch up to them in no time!"
After that, the road left the railway and they couldn't see Bertie, but this didn't make Thomas any less determined to win.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
Then they had to stop at Dryaw Station to left of passengers.
"Peep, peep, peep! Get in quickly please!"
Word had traveled down the line about the race, and the passengers were very excited to see who would win. The guard's whistle blew and Thomas started as quickly as he could. They soon approached a road bridge that hung over the railway and saw Bertie tooting his horn triumphantly.
"See ya later, Thomas!"
"Oh deary me, oh deary me!" panted the little engine.
"Steady now, Thomas," called Twilight. "We'll beat Bertie yet!"
"We'll beat Bertie yet, we'll beat Bertie yet," sang the coaches.
Thomas puffed harder than he ever had before. At least until-
"Oh bother! There's a station."
Thomas pulled to a stop to let his passengers off and saw Bertie grinning smugly.
"I'd love to stay and chat," he tooted, "but I've got a race to win!"
And Bertie pulled off chuckling to himself.
"Oh dear," moaned Thomas. "We've lost."
Spike glared at where the bus had been as he topped off Thomas' tank.
"No, he hasn't! We'll race by him so fast, he won't even know what happened!"
Thomas grinned. "You're right, Spike! Let's go!"
And Thomas puffed off, more determined than ever to win.
As they crossed the bridge where Thomas had gone fishing, they heard an impatient honk, honk! And there was Bertie waiting at the traffic lights!
"Yes!" cheered Spike and Twilight together.
The light quickly turned green and Bertie raced after Thomas again.
"He's catching up!" cried Clarabel.
"Not for long," said Twilight as she opened the regulator as wide as she could.
Thomas tore through the tunnel as though his future depended on it while Bertie was stuck climbing the hill it had been burrowed into.
"We've done it, we've done it!" panted Thomas.
"Hooray, hooray!" cried the coaches.
Soon, they came screeching into Ffarquhar Station and halted just in front of the buffers.
Everyone cheered for Thomas loudly as they could, and for Bertie once he pulled into the station.
"That was a good race," the red bus panted. "But to beat you over that hill, I'll have to grow wings and fly like an aeroplane!"
Flash exited his bus and congratulated Twilight and Spike.
"You two were amazing!" he said.
"Thanks," Twilight replied. "You and Bertie did pretty well yourselves."
Thomas and Bertie are now good friends and keep each other very busy. They often talk about their race, but Bertie and Flash's manager says that the passengers don't like being bounced around like peas in a frying pan. And Miss Hatt has warned Thomas and his crew not to race at dangerous speeds. So although, between you me, they'd like to have another race, but I don't think they will.
Henry and Gordon were lonely when Thomas left the yard to run his branchline. They missed how everything seemed to run like clockwork when the little engine was around.
And by that I mean they missed that he shunted their trains for them.
Ever since Thomas had left and James started doing more work, the three big engines had to shunt their own trains. No longer could they wait in their warm sheds in the morning and come to the platform to find their trains neatly sorted. Now they had to leave earlier and do the work themselves. And they didn't like that one bit. This left them feeling snippy and overworked.
"Why do we have to do all this work," mumbled Henry at the sheds one morning. "Our coaches should be shunted for us."
"We get no rest!" complained James. He edged onto the turntable and spoke rudely to Henry.
"What's the matter Henry? There's no rain today! Stop complaining and do some work for a change!"
"You're one to talk," Rarity muttered. She, her friends, and their sisters cared deeply for the three engines, but they could only listen to them complain for so long.
"I'm not afraid of getting wet anymore," huffed Henry. "Anyway, you look silly enough to be a clown with that paint. Why don't you go join the circus?"
"Oh, so you've heard the news?" Edward chortled as he puffed into the yard.
"What news?" grunted Gordon.
"'Bout the circus!" Applejack laughed.
The big engines were still confused. "What on Earth are you two talking about?"
"The circus is in town!" puffed Edward. "I've been helping shunt the trucks in place for them. You're all supposed to help, too!"
The three engines soon forgot to be cross and were hard at work helping to shunt the circus trucks. They marveled at the animals and the performers they saw. Although they wished they could go and see them perform like their crews planned to.
At the end of the week, Gordon and Henry were dreadfully jealous when James was chosen to take the circus away. They quickly forgot about the animals and were soon grumbling about their work again.
"It was nice while it lasted," sighed Rainbow Dash. "Think we can pay them to stay on the island long term?"
The day after the circus had left, Henry had to take some workmen to clear a blockage in his tunnel. He complained to himself as he collected some trucks and shunted them towards the tunnel.
"I can't stand the thought of having to spend more time than needed at that stupid tunnel," he huffed.
"Don't worry, Henry," Fluttershy soothed. "As soon as we're done with this job, we can head home."
Henry scoffed. "We could've been at home now if Celestia had given this job to one of the other engines.
"You're really bumming me out," Treehugger sighed. "Could you, like, lower it down a skosh?"
Henry grunted and said nothing more as they reached the tunnel.
One of the workmen looked inside, but couldn't see the other end.
"That's a pretty big blockage. Come on, guys! Let's get to work!"
The workman grabbed their shovels and ran inside to clear away the blockage. They hadn't been inside for more than a few seconds before they came running out screaming.
"Wh-whatever's in th-there," one of them stammered, "i-it's alive a-and angry!"
The foreman scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Look, Henry and I will go in and try to push it out of the way. Then we can all have a good laugh at how silly you all are."
"It was nice knowing him," one workman muttered to the other.
Henry wasn't so sure about this and neither was Fluttershy.
"D-do we h-have t-to go in th-there?" she asked shakily.
"Afraid so," said the foreman as he climbed into the truck at the front.
Henry blew his whistle and slowly made his way into the tunnel. It seemed darker and more cramped than usual inside. He was just about to back out when he felt his trucks his hit the blockage. The blockage shifted a bit...and then it bellowed angrily and began pushing Henry and his train out of the tunnel!
First came Henry, and then his trucks, and finally, a large and angry elephant.
"Goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "He must've been separated from the rest of the circus."
"Leave it to James to leave something as big as an elephant behind," Henry muttered.
Fluttershy paid him no mind as she slowly approached the elephant.
"Is she mad?" the workman asked.
"Hello there, big guy," she said quietly. "Are you upset that mean old Henry pushed you?"
"I didn't want to push him," Henry muttered pitifully.
Slowly but surely, the elephant calmed down. Fluttershy began petting his trunk until he wrapped it around her and gently placed her on his back.
Fluttershy giggled. "You're just a big old softy, aren't you? Yes, you are!"
While the foreman phoned Celestia to tell her what had happened, the workman fed the elephant some of their cakes and a few buckets of water. He had just started drinking his fifth one when Henry suddenly let off steam. The frightened elephant reared back while Fluttershy held on as tightly as she could, and he sprayed water all over poor Henry!
Once the elephant had calmed down, Treehugger, Fluttershy, and the workman began laughing.
"I'm glad someone found it funny," Henry grunted sarcastically. "Silly great beast."
An hour later, the elephant's keeper arrived with Edward and a large van to take it home. Henry was glad to see the elephant was leaving, and puffed home feeling crosser than usual.
"An elephant pushed me," he fumed. "An elephant whooshed me!"
That night at the sheds, Henry told Gordon and James about what had happened. Instead of laughing and telling him he was being silly, they sighed sympathetically and said he had been badly treated.
"You poor engine," Gordon sighed. "It's a shame you were treated in such a way."
"Indeed," hummed James. "To laugh at an engine who had just been attacked is deplorable."
Their crews, who had been preparing to go home, heard this and scoffed.
"Honestly," muttered Rainbow Dash, "they're acting like the elephant charged him or something."
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed. "They spray us with water all the time and you never see us whining like they do."
"They've been getting irritable ever since Thomas left," put in Rarity. "I think it'd be best if we kept an eye on them. You never know what those three might do to make their complaints heard."
Rainbow snorted. "Like what? Go on strike? Even those three wouldn't do something that stupid."
For some reason, the others weren't so sure about that.
The big stations on each end of the railway have a turntable. They had been installed because it was dangerous for tender engines to run backwards at high speeds. Tank engines like Thomas don't need turntables, as they could backwards just as well as forwards. But to hear Gordon talking one morning, you'd think he had been given a tender just to show how important he was.
"You don't understand, little Thomas. We tender engines have a position to keep up. It doesn't matter where we go, but we are important. And for Celestia to make us do menial work like shunting or to run onto those dirty sidings, it's....it's, well, it's not the proper thing!"
Thomas wasn't paying much attention to Gordon. He had been busy watching Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash mimic Gordon during his tirade, for they had heard it all before. He chuckled and went off with Annie and Clarabel.
"It's disgraceful," Gordon hissed as he backed down onto the turntable. The turntable had been built in a windy area not far from the sea. And if Gordon wasn't on it just right, he would upset the balance and make it difficult to turn.
The big engine was in a particularly bad mood today and the wind blew hard against him. Rainbow Dash tried to get him to stop in the right place, but Gordon just wouldn't try.
"Try now, Scootaloo!"
Scootaloo tried to turn the crank that allowed the turn table to rotate, but it just wouldn't budge.
"Still nothing!"
Rainbow glared at her engine. "Listen up, Gordon! You can be in a bad mood for the rest of your life for all I care, but could you at least try and get on the right place?"
"I am trying," Gordon said dismissively. "It's the wind's fault."
"Well, it wasn't a problem for Henry and Fluttershy the other day, was it?"
"Henry's only a small engine. Of course he wouldn't have troubles with the wind."
"He's not much smaller than you, you...you-"
"Big blue whale?" Scootaloo offered. She was just as frustrated with Gordon as Rainbow was.
"Yes! That!"
Gordon flushed red with anger. "Now listen here-"
But before Gordon could launch into a tirade, Scootaloo cut him off.
"We'll be late if we don't get a move on. What do we do, Rainbow?"
"Ugh, I guess Gordon'll just have to pull the next train backwards."
"What?!"
Thomas waited patiently at the station for Gordon. The big engine was running a little bit behind, but Thomas knew there was nothing he could do about it.
"Where's Gordon at?" Spike asked. "He's usually not late."
Twilight checked her watch for umpteenth and stared down the line anxiously.
"Please hurry, please hurry, please hur- What on Earth?!"
Thomas chuckled as Gordon and his train - being pulled tender first, mind you - puffed slowly into the station.
"Oh, I didn't know we had a new tank engine," laughed Spike. "Oh wait, it's only Gordon back to front."
Gordon watched Thomas expectantly. The tank engine hadn't said anything but Gordon knew he'd start teasing any second now.
"So Gordon," he finally said. "Playing tank engine are you? That's a sensible engine."
"The turntable stuck," Gordon muttered. "I couldn't get turned around."
"Which wouldn't have happened if you were a tank engine! Take my advice. Scrap your tender and have a nice bunker instead!"
"They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery," Twilight told Thomas. "Gordon must really admire you if he's doing something like this."
Even James laughed as he raced by.
"Be careful," called Gordon, "or you might stick too!"
"No fear!" The red engine called back. "I'm not as fat as you!"
When he reached the sheds, James gently backed down onto the turntable.
"I musn't stick, I musn't stick."
But the high winds combined with James' small size quickly led to trouble. The turntable slowly began turning, but soon picked up more and more speed until James spinning like a top! Luckily, Rarity and Sweetie Belle had gotten out of the cab beforehand, but now they couldn't get it to stop.
Gordon puffed into the yard and watched with amusement.
"Help me, please!" James called to whoever could hear him. "Get me off this crazy thing!"
After a few minutes, the winds died down and James - whose face was now greener than Henry's paint - backed quietly into the sheds.
"Well, well," remarked Gordon. "Playing roundabouts, little James?"
That evening, the three big engines held an indignation meeting.
"It's not right!" puffed Gordon. "Henry gets sprayed by an elephant-"
"Gordon gets insulted by his crew and has to pull his trains backwards-" put in James.
"James gets spun round like a top-" cried Henry.
"And worst of all, we're all forced to shunt like common tank engines!" the three finished together.
Gordon's scowl deepened. "If they think we'll stand for this, then they've got another thing coming!"
Edward, who had been quietly listening to the big engines sighed. He had a feeling the next few days would be eventful, and indeed they would be.
Miss Celestia stood in her office and listened to the noise from outside. The passengers were once again angry and on the verge of a riot.
"Why does something have to go wrong every few weeks?" she sighed to herself.
The stationmaster came in with bad news.
"Henry's train is due to leave any minute, ma'am. But the train isn't ready and Henry's sulking in the sheds."
Celestia muttered something under her breath about the big engines and hurried away to find Henry.
When she got to the sheds, the three big engines were arguing with their crews. Even Fluttershy and Tree Hugger, who were known for never raising their voices or losing their tempers, were shouting at their engine.
"Quiet!" shouted Celestia. Silence fell over the sheds like magic. "Show a wheel, Henry. If you head out now, your train won't be too far behind schedule."
"Henry's not going," Gordon grunted.
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because we won't shunt like common tank engines. That was why you bought Thomas to begin with. Important tender engines like us should have our coaches shunted for us. Only then will we pull them!"
"Tender engines don't shunt," the three engines said firmly.
Their crews gave Celestia apologetic looks.
"So, tender engines don't shunt, eh? We'll see about that." And she drove away to find Edward. "The yard just hasn't been the same since Thomas left."
She found Edward at Wellsworth shunting trucks.
"Leave those trucks here, Edward. The big engines are sulking and I need you to shunt in the yard."
Edward whistled happily. "Thank you, ma'am! That'll be a nice change."
"An' while we're there, we can teach those big engines a thing or two," Applejack chuckled.
And soon, Edward was hard at work shunting trucks for the big engines. Their complaints seemed to stop and the trains ran like clockwork.
But when Celestia came to check on Edward a few days later, all was not well. Edward looked sadder than she had ever seen him and his crew looked incredibly irate.
"Whatever is the matter?" she asked.
She got her answer as Gordon came clanking in. As he puffed pass, he angrily blew steam at the smaller engine while hissing 'traitor.'
"Good gracious! That's no way to act!"
"The big engines have been doing it for days, ma'am," Edward sighed. "They say that tender engines don't shunt, and last night they said I had black wheels."
"Mighty ironic comin' from James," Apple Bloom muttered.
"I haven't, have I ma'am?"
Celestia frowned at the treatment of the old engine. "No, Edward. You're got nice blue one and I'm proud of you! But all the same, we do need a new station pilot."
The next day, Celestia once again found herself on the Mainland, but was upset to find that the yard where she purchased Thomas hadn't any engines to spare.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hatt," said the yard manager. "We've been hit with more work than usual, but I can point you to a workshop where I got most of my engines."
Inside the workshop, Celestia saw many engines. There were big ones, small ones, tender engines, and tank engines too. But none of them were just right. At last, her eyes landed on a smart little green engine with four wheels.
"He's perfect!" Celestia cried. "If I choose you, will you work hard?"
"Yes ma'am, I will! But if I may?"
"What is it?"
"May my friends come with me? They helped me during my trials, ma'am."
"If they agree to it, then I don't see why not. Where are they?"
Almost as soon as she asked that, a loud POP! came from behind her. Celestia later swore that she hadn't screamed.
"Hello!" said a bright young woman with poofy pink hair. "I'm so glad that you chose to buy our friend!"
"Pinkie," said a woman with straighter mauve hair and a flat expression, "we've talked about this. Most people don't like being scared from behind with party poppers."
"Whoops," Pinkie laughed sheepishly and shook Celestia's hand. "The name's Pinkamina Diane Pie, but everybody usually calls me Pinkie because of, well," she giggled and pointed at her hair.
"And I'm her older sister, Maud," the other woman said flatly.
Celestia had to take a moment to get her bearings. "Er, well, it's lovely to meet you both. This engine would be pleased if you joined him on my railway. Would you like to?"
Pinkie smiled broadly. "Are you kidding?! We'd love to keep working with him! Right, Maud?"
Maud nodded in agreement. "But he'll need a name before we set off."
"You're right," Celestia said. "I was thinking about 'Percy.' What do you say?"
The engine grinned from buffer to buffer. "Percy's a perfect name!"
"Excellent! Now, let's get going."
"Edward," Celestia called as Percy puffed into the yard. "This is Percy. Please show him what to do."
"Yes, Miss Hatt," Edward whistled happily.
"Applejack? Apple Bloom? Is that you?" Pinkie asked looking out of the cab.
"Pinkie and Maud?" Applejack laughed. "Fancy seein' y'all here! Edward, these are the some old friends of ours. They lived at the rock quarry a few miles north of the farm."
Edward introduced himself to Percy and his crew and puffed away to show them the ropes. Percy soon learned what he had to do, and the two engines were soon chatting with their crews.
Henry eyed the newcomer suspiciously and decided to have some fun. He rolled up alongside the little engine and tried to wheesh him, but before he could, Percy blew a large cloud of steam at him. Henry jumped and raced back to the sheds.
"That was amazing!" puffed Edward. "I could never wheesh like that!"
"Ha! That was nothing. Back in the workshops, we had to wheesh even louder to make ourselves heard!"
"We even held the record for loudest wheesher!" Pinkie laughed. "Well, we did among the other engines there."
The next morning, Thomas arrived to the sheds.
"Celestia called for me," he said. "I assume it's because you lot need help here."
"Shh," said Twilight. "Here she comes."
"As you all know," the controller started. "The big engines are saying that they won't shunt like common tank engines, so I've decided to leave them in the sheds until they've learned some sense. So I'd like Thomas and Edward to run the mainline for a while, and Percy shall look after the branchline for the time being."
"Little tank engines indeed!" snorted Thomas as he puffed out of the yard. "We'll show them!"
And that's exactly what they did. Thomas was anxious about his coaches, but Percy and his crew Pinkie Promised to take good care of them. While they were on the branch, Thomas and Edward looked after the passengers and goods on the mainlines. There were fewer trains, but the passengers didn't mind. They knew that the big engines were learning a lesson.
Gordon, Henry, and James sat cold, alone, and miserable in the sheds. They wish now that they hadn't been so silly.
One morning, a few weeks after the big engines had gone on strike, Celestia called their respective crews to the sheds.
"Have you ever noticed how Celestia's main solution to getting the engines to stop acting out is to lock them in sheds or in tunnels?" Scootaloo asked as they all made their way to the sheds.
Rarity thought for a moment. "She hasn't done it that often, has she?"
Rainbow Dash counted each time on her fingers. "A month or two before you showed up, she bricked Henry up in the tunnel for hiding from the rain-"
Fluttershy shuddered. She didn't like thinking about how cold and miserable Henry must have been.
"I was wondering why it was called 'Henry's Tunnel.'" Sweetie Belle muttered.
"She locked James in the sheds after he banged the coaches too hard."
She and Scootaloo snorted. The others groaned
"And then there's now. Am I missing any?"
"Does Edward's time in the sheds count?" asked Fluttershy.
"Nah, that was more because Gordon and Henry could handle the work on their own for a while."
Rarity sniffed. "Well, three times is hardly enough to say that does this sort of thing happens often."
"Shh," said Sweetie Belle. "We're here."
"Wonderful of you to join us," Celestia said and turned to the big engines. "I hope you three are sorry and now understand that every job on this railway is important, no matter how small it may be."
"Yes, ma'am," they said together. "We do."
"Perfect! Thomas and Edward have worked diligently on the mainline, but I will let you out if you promise to stop this nonsense about how tender engines don't shunt."
"Don't worry, Miss Hatt," James said quickly. "We will!"
Celestia then told Percy, Edward, and Thomas that they could go play on the branchlines for a few days. The three engines ran off happily to find Annie and Clarabel at the junction.
The two coaches were very pleased to see Thomas again.
"Stop, stop, stop!" screamed some trucks as Edward and Percy shunted them around the yard.
The two engines laughed and went on with their work until the trucks were tidily arranged.
Later that day, Edward had to take some trucks down the the quarry. Percy was left alone, but he didn't mind. He and Pinkie liked being cheeky to the other engines as they passed by.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" they would call, and laughed as the big engines grew cross.
After a great deal of shunting, Percy sat at the signalbox and waited for the points to change. Edward had told Percy to remind his crew to whistle for the signalman, but the little green engine had forgotten.
Percy waited and waited for the signalman. The points were against him, so he couldn't move. Then, he looked down the mainline and whistled in horror. There was Gordon, racing towards him with the express!
"Get out of my way!" The big engine bellowed.
Maud pulled the reverser, hoping that she could get Percy out of the way before Gordon could hit him. When that didn't work, she grabbed her sister and jumped out of the cab.
Gordon came screeching to a halt just in front of Percy.
"What on Earth are you playing at?!"
But Percy didn't answer. "I won't stay here," he cried. "I'll run away!"
And the little engine raced down the line as quickly as he could.
Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash and chuckled nervously. "Uh, can we get a lift?"
Poor Percy was so frightened that he raced through Edward's Station and charged up Gordon's Hill. After he rattled down the other side, Percy grew tired. But he couldn't stop without Pinkie or Maud to shut off steam and apply the brakes.
"I've got to stop, I've got to stop!" he panted.
A nearby signalman saw that Percy was in trouble and kindly switched him off the mainline. Percy puffed wearily onto a siding that ended with a large bank of earth.
"I want to stop, I want to stop," Percy jolted as he felt himself hit the bank. "Oh, I have stopped!"
"Don't worry, Percy," said the workmen as they began digging his bunker out of the earth. "We'll get you a drink and some coal. That'll make you feel better."
Presently, Gordon arrived to help Percy.
"Well done, Percy," he said. "You started so quickly that you prevented a nasty accident!"
"Uh, didn't Gordon prevent the accident when he stopped?" Rainbow whispered.
The others shushed her before Percy heard her.
"I'm sorry I was cheeky," puffed Percy.
The two engines are now good friends, and Percy is always careful when he is out on the mainline.
One morning, Henry was feeling very sorry for himself. Sometimes he could pull trains just as well as the other engines, and sometime he felt as though he had no strength at all.
"I suffer dreadfully and no one cares," the green engine moaned.
"I do," Fluttershy assured him. "And Treehugger does too!"
The firewoman nodded.
"What a load of rubbish!" snorted James.
"No it isn't! We care about Henry immensely!"
The red engine rolled his eyes. "I was talking about Henry. He just doesn't work hard enough!"
"Now darling, that's hardly fair," Rarity admonished. "If I remember correctly, it was Henry who covered for you while you were suffering from a dreadful case of boiler ache last week."
Celestia Hatt came to the sheds, and she looked like she had bad news. "I'm sorry Henry, but you're too expensive. We've given you plenty of new parts but nothing seems to work. If we can't fix whatever's ailing you, we'll have to get another engine to do your work."
As she left, Henry became sadder than ever. "Oh dear, I shall have to go away."
Fluttershy, who had been on the verge of tears, sniffed and pulled out her phone. "No you won't! I'll make sure of it!"
"But how?"
Treehugger looked over Fluttershy's shoulder and smiled. "Wait and see, man."
When Henry got to the station, he was surprised to see Celestia. Instead of her usual suit, she was wearing a pair of blue overalls.
"M-Miss H-hatt?" Henry stammered. "What's going on?"
"Fiona texted me earlier and said that she thinks she's found the root of your problems. So I decided to come and see for myself."
As Henry and his train pulled slowly out of the station, Treehugger motioned to his firebox.
"Well man - uh, ma'am, - Henry just isn't feeling it the way the other engines are. His chakra isn't on the same wavelength as theirs."
Celestia turned to Fluttershy and mouthed 'What?'.
"Oh, erm, what Treehugger means to say is that Henry's a poor steamer. We'll build up his fire as best as we can, but it usually can't create enough heat. It was manageable when we first joined, but it got worse after his time in the tunnel."
Poor Henry struggled down the line but as they pulled into Wellsworth, he could go no further. Edward arrived to take over and kindly helped Henry into a siding.
"Keep your spirits up," the old engine puffed. "You'll be back at it in no time!"
"If you say so." He wanted to believe his friend, but Henry was certain that he'd be sent away now.
Celestia and Fluttershy went on discussing Henry's issues.
"So, what do you think is wrong?" Celestia asked.
Fluttershy reached into the tender and pulled out a lump of coal. "It's the coal. I'm sorry to say that we've had a poor lot lately. The other engines have larger fireboxes than Henry, so they've been able to manage. Henry's is much smaller and can't generate enough heat. But he'd be a much different engine with Welsh coal."
The controller thought for a moment. "It's expensive, but Henry deserves a fair chance! I'll send James to pick some up tomorrow."
That night, Henry could only think about being sent away.
"Oh dear, oh dear."
The other engines and their crews hated seeing him like this, and tried hard to distract him.
"Hey, Henry?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah've been meanin' ta ask, but what kinda engine are ya? Ya look a lot like Gordon, but yer wheels an' firebox are different."
Henry perked up a bit. "Oh, well that's quite the story-"
"It's a story to you," grunted Gordon. "I think it's a disgrace."
"It's been eleven years, Gordon. You can't still be mad about that, can you?"
"I can and I am."
"Well, excuse me for being built."
Rarity cleared her throat. "Pardon me for interrupting, darling, but what are you two going on about?"
"You see, Rarity, Gordon and I were designed by the same man. Sir Nigel Gresley. I was a protoype for Gordon's class, believe it or not."
"But," cut in Gordon, "Gresley decided not to use the design. Unfortunately, a man with a vendetta against him stole the plans and built Henry."
"Without bothering to fix any of the flaws, might I add."
Twilight was confused. "And Celestia didn't find it odd that she was buying an engine that looked remarkably similar to an A1 that wasn't built by the GNR?"
The green engine grinned. "Well, that's a funny story..."
10 Years Earlier
"Oh dear, what to do," Celestia muttered. "What to do?"
Another one of the coffeepot engine's boiler had given out, and Celestia didn't know what to do. Edward had already been doing most of the work on his own, and with the loss of their number three, the blue engine was being swamped with work.
Suddenly, she heard a knock at her office door.
"Enter!" she called.
"Excuse me, ma'am," said the man who walked in. "It seems that you're in need of an engine."
"I'm not sure how you knew, but you're right. Unfortunately, I haven't the money to get one."
"Well, what I told you I could give you one for cheap?"
"...What's the catch?"
"He's just got some teething troubles. Aside from that, he's pretty efficient."
"How much?"
"Eh, let's say a thousand pounds?"
"Sold!"
"Personally, I think I'm worth a little more than that, but I've always found it funny how she didn't bother asking what kind of troubles I had."
"But," said Fluttershy, "if she had, then you might not be here with us."
Edward chuckled. "I doubt that, Fluttershy. Miss Hatt was beyond desperate for another engine, and the railway didn't have the money for anything better. No offense, Henry."
"None taken."
The others laughed at the thought of Celestia buying an engine for such a low price, and for a short while, Henry forgot about his worries.
The next day, Fluttershy couldn't contain her excitement when the Welsh coal came.
"This stuff better be worth it," muttered James. "I had to go all the way to the Mainland to get it."
But Fluttershy paid him no mind. "Now we'll show everyone what Henry can do!"
She and Treehugger placed the larger lumps like a wall inside Henry's firebox, then covered the glowing middle with smaller ones.
"What are you doing?" moaned Henry. "You're spoiling my fire!"
"Trust us, Henry! This'll be great!"
In no time at all, Henry had a roaring fire going. He puffed happily into the station and let of steam.
"How do you feel, Henry?" Celestia asked. Although, she felt that she knew the answer.
"Better than ever before!"
"Good. I trust that he has a good fire going, Fiona?"
"Like you wouldn't believe, ma'am!"
"Alright then. But no record breaking! We don't want to push him too hard."
Fluttershy laughed. "Henry won't need pushing. If anything, we'll have to hold him back!"
Henry had a wonderful day. He'd never felt this strong in his life. He wanted to go fast, but Fluttershy wouldn't let him.
"We have plenty of time, Henry."
They ran so well, that they arrived at Elsbridge early. When Thomas arrived, he was surprised to see Henry.
"Where have you been, Lazybones?" asked Henry. "Oh, I can't wait for dawdling tank engines like you! Goodbye."
"Well," puffed Thomas, "Have you ever seen anything like it?"
Twilight, Spike, and the coaches agreed that they hadn't.
