Disclaimer: Greetings Fans, This is the beginning of my newest story for . It's a Crossover I like to call, Dragons Ponies and Engines. It's a Crossover between My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, Thomas and Friends and the Spyro the Dragon Series with references of Avatar the Last Airbender in there alongside TUGS. I do not own the aforementioned shows I only own my ocs. Thank you that is all. Now let's get on with the show.
Zuko's Suggestion
It was the summer of 2014 on the Island of Sodor the Engines were all working hard hauling passengers and goods but lately the engines had been working so hard that their axles were on the verge of breaking. At Tidmoth Sheds that Evening some of the Engines and their friends were having a discussion.
Electra: sixteen trains in one day for each of you. That's a new record for steam engines but it's taking a toll on you lot. Donald and Douglas worked so hard that they broke their pipes and now they have to get to the Steamworks for repairs.
Henry: I know which is why we need a new Station Pilot at Tidmoth and fast.
James: Not to mention we need some help with the goods work. Henry and I can't keep up with it, even with Neville and Murdoch on goods work full time.
Gordon: And Pip and Emma broke down from all the extra work so I had to take the express all the way from here to London in their place. We need another engine or so to help us.
Zuko who was a red dragon was listening to the Engines talk and he could remember the days he was flung from his home dimension before the railway was nationalized and he had seen a lot of stuff. Electra who was a yellow dragon from the same dimension as Zuko was could also hear the engines speak but unlike Zuko she didn't like laziness.
Electra: You lot are just being lazy and slack. Show some back bone, this is where you steam engines say that you've done more in a 100 years than what diesels can do in an eternity so prove it.
Henry, James, and Gordon all glared hard at the Electric Element Dragon for that comment.
Zuko: Electra perhaps you should can it. That's exactly what you said around 1925 or so and it was your big mouth that brought my evil cousin here and caused the whole diesels are better than steam engines fiasco to happen.
Electra: Sorry Zuko but I'm just trying to remind the engines not to be so lazy. Daisy was lazy and I had to bark just to get her into shape.
Thomas: Daisy has come a long way since then but I'm with the big engines on this. We do need a full time station pilot at Tidmoth and the sooner we find one the sooner I can return to the branchline. I cannot believe you and Zuko talked the Fat Controller into sticking me here for three weeks.
Electra: You're the one still on punishment for running into a sinkhole by accident Thomas.
Zuko: It was either that or we pull Splatter and Dodge from Vicarstown to do the shunting here.
?: I still say we should've pulled Pug or Jinty to do the shunting or get Zuko to call in Fowler Era LMS Engines to pick up the slack.
Electra Zuko and the engines turned to see a blue Dragon with white markings on her legs resembling socks appear.
Electra: Perhaps if the Fat Controller had gotten a tank engine or a diesel shunter to replace Duck then we wouldn't be in this mess Kasumi.
The new Dragon known as Kasumi spoke up.
Kasumi: Well it's not my fault and it's not the fat Controller's fault either Electra. You need to remember that we're only human and I can tell you right now that Haru would agree and he's an Earth Element Dragon.
Zuko: But Haru is on the mainland dealing with a crisis there and he won't be back for a while.
Edward: Can we please get back to our main issue here.
Zuko: Edward's right, In any case I think I may have found a solution. I had a word with some of the Controllers of the Heritage Railways and the Queen and they let me Electra and some of the other Dragons create a museum to preserve working steam engines and we got them in good working order. We also managed to preserve plenty of Tank Engines and tender engines of all classes too and it's right here on Sodor.
Electra: The point is that I had Zeng go see the Fat controller to tell him about the extra work and he's bringing in some extra help. Personally I do hope it's a diesel or two. No offense to you guys but I can't use my electric element to power up steam engines. It only works on the Peel Godred Electric Engines.
Duck: I just hope the new diesel shunter isn't a Class 08. You know full well what happened the last time one was here.
Electra: I'm well aware of that but given time we can reform him and teach him to work with Steam Engines.
Zuko: And for the record Duck the loss of many steam engines was the fault of Dr. Richard Beeching and his stupid Modernization plan.
Edward: I understand that Prince Zuko but some steam engines find it hard to see the situation like that and they had to endure numerous diesels saying that diesels are better than steam engines but the other railway even began scrapping older diesels too.
Electra: Which is why I opened a Museum for Diesels just as Zuko opened one for Steam Engines only the one for Diesels is in Barrow-In-Furness. One more thing, while I do prefer the modernization plan I believe that it could've been carried out much better by simply putting in Shunting Diesels first and then waiting for the BR Standard Class steam Engines to work for 30 Years before scrapping them. That way the earlier diesels would've improved. Zuko and I even told Beeching that.
Zuko: But he didn't listen and he went ahead with the plan anyway.
BoCo: at least you two are wise enough to look at it like that and at least me and Bear are safe here.
Zuko: well it's good to know that some diesels are nice and that some steam engines can see the big picture and Edward please call me Zuko.
Zuko wasn't like most royals that went around telling everybody that he was royalty. He was humble and polite instead of being rude and obnoxious which was the reason he got along well with many of the humans and as they were discussing a goose wearing Chinese clothes flew in on the back of a green Dragon.
Electra: Zeng where have you been and why are you with Haru?
Zeng: Haru and I bring news we need to deliver it to the fat controller at once.
Haru: The Fat Controller also wants to see us and by us he means the dragons and Zeng.
Zuko Kasumi and Electra got the message as they flew off to the fat controller's office.
Thomas: Hopefully this new Engine will do well cause we need all the help we can get.
Edward: Zuko would say that no matter how bad we have it there's always somebody else who has it worse than we do.
Later that evening with Zeng and the Dragons they had managed to get to the Fat Controllers office which had a landing area for Dragons.
Zeng: here we are sir. I brought Zuko and the others as you told me to. Now can I please go. I have news I need to deliver to Zuko's father, Dragon King Iroh at once.
The Fat Controller: Go Zeng and take Haru with you. I have a feeling that both of you need to deliver the news to Iroh at once.
Zeng nodded as he and Haru left before the fat controller turned to see Zuko, Electra and Kasumi.
The Fat Controller: Zuko I'm sure you have an idea as to why I called you, Electra, and Kasumi here. Well I'm giving some new diesel engines a trial since the work loads are getting too heavy.
Electra was thrilled to have some new diesels around but Zuko and Kasumi were worried.
Kasumi: with all due respect sir Zuko, Haru and I were hoping that you'd have some Steam Engines to try out.
Zuko: I'm with Kasumi on this one. Every diesel you've brought here so far has been nothing but trouble.
Electra: What about Bear and BoCo? They're nice and if I recall correctly Bear the resident Class 35 Hymek was the one who defended us from his then colleague Spamcan better known as D199 a Class 46 Peak.
Kasumi: true but I was hoping for some steam engines to try out.
The Fat controller: Funny you should mention that which is why I have an assignment for you Kasumi.
Kasumi: (excited) for me sir? How lovely what is it?
The Fat Controller: You and Zuko are to go to the mainland to see if there are any BR Standard Class Steam Engines in hiding and bring them to Sodor at once. The Diesels I'm trying out are two Class 57s, a Class 70 diesel, a Class 56 Grid diesel, a Class 17, and a Class 14 Diesel Shunter. If any of them prove to be troublesome I'd like some engines ready at once to replace them.
Zuko and Kasumi: You can count on us sir.
Zuko and Kasumi then flew off to the mainland to do just that.
Electra: Okay so what do you want me to do?
The Fat Controller: You've spent your life around diesels on the Mainland and the British Railways so I'll need you to keep an eye on them.
Electra: in other words you want me to screen them to make sure they're willing to work with steam engines and you don't want a repeat of what happened with the last three mainline diesels to show up right?
The Fat Controller nodded as Electra accepted her assignment before she left.
The Fat Controller: (Thinking) From what Electra tells me the Class 14 actually likes working with steam engines and is more comfortable around them than her own fellow diesels and the Class 56 actually likes shunting her own trains when the shunter is unavailable. My real concern is the Class 17, the Class 70 and the Class 57s. The former has lousy performance due to design issues but he is eager to make a good impression but the 57s I do hope they don't cause too much trouble. The Class 70 however I don't know much about but it's very strong so that can take some of the goods work off of Murdoch's buffers but personality wise I hope this engine will blend in well.
With that the Fat Controller went to go get some sleep for the night.
