It was a very busy day in the magical land of Equestria. The Friendship Express was carrying passengers as usual to its destination. Among six of the passengers are Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and last, but not least, Twilight Sparkle. The ponies were inside a passenger car, looking at the views of the mountains.

"Can you believe this view?" Twilight said to her friends.

"Yeah. It looks so beautiful." Fluttershy was looking at the view that Twilight was looking at.

"So why are we going to that forest?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Everypony knows that it's very big, and we could get lost there."

"I know what you all are concerned about," replied Twilight. "But that Cutie Map called us to go there."

Applejack was also confused. "Why would the map call us there, Twi?"

"Well," answered Twilight, "it's kind of impossible to question about. So I get your point there, Applejack."

The train arrived at the station a few minutes later, and the ponies left the train. As they got off, they saw two signs pointing in which direction they can go. Twilight decided that the forest was on the left side of the signs. So they followed the pathway that led to the forest.

"It's dark and scary here," said Fluttershy, quivering from the forest's eerie looks.

Rarity was disgusted by the looks of the forest. "Whoever designed this place needs to do a better job."

"I think this is the quietest place in Equestria," said Pinkie Pie. "We need to make this place lively!"

As they walked deeper into the forest, they saw no signs of any ponies there. But then, in front of them, is a small pond.

"What?" yelled Rarity. "That's it?! We came all this way just to see a lake?!"

"It's not a lake," replied Fluttershy, "but rather a pond. Look how small it is." Rarity rolled her eyes.

"Now look, everypony," announced Twilight. "We may not have found something concerning here, but we still have to keep looking."

"And would that change anything?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"It may so."

"Let me be honest with you, sugar cube," said Applejack. "We can't just keep going further and further down, because we may not find anything at all."

"And not to mention that we could get lost here," replied Fluttershy.

"Let me check inside the pond." Pinkie Pie dived into the pond to look for any pony underwater. She couldn't find anything there, so she got back up to the surface.

"There's no pony here," said Pinkie to the rest of the ponies.

While they kept talking about their situation, what they were unaware of is that the pond began to emit something very strange. Like as if something underwater got activated. Then, it started to form a whirlpool down to the bottom.

"Alright," announced Twilight. "If you all think there's nothing here, we'll head back to Ponyville."

"Uhh, Twilight?" Pinkie was the first one to get sucked into the whirlpool. Twilight noticed it first.

"Pinkie!" cried Twilight, as she reached for Pinkie Pie.

The other ponies also held onto Twilight, to make sure she doesn't fall into the water. The ponies in order were: Rainbow Dash holding on to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity then holding on to Rainbow, and finally, Applejack holding on to both of them. Almost all of them were in the water. Applejack threw a rope onto one of the tree stumps nearby to bring her closer. Unfortunately, even that doesn't hold on for much longer, as the rope finally gave way and snapped, and the whirlpool sucked the Mane Six deep into the pond.

The Mane Six finally arrive at the other side of the pond, this time, deep underwater. Knowing they don't have much time, they look for the surface of the pond and have only mere seconds before they drown. After what seemed like forever, the six ponies finally reached the surface and gasped for air. They walked on the ground, drying themselves. They were in a forest that looked nothing like the one they were in before, in the middle of nowhere.

"Everypony okay?" questioned Applejack.

"Yes," answered Rarity. "Well, except my mane."

"What was that though?" asked Pinkie Pie. "We were so deep back there!"

"Not to mention we almost drowned at the last second," called Fluttershy.

"Okay, everypony," announced Twilight. "I don't know what just happened back there, but we have to make a fire. Because it's already nighttime here, somehow."

"Okay. I do have the element of loyalty, anyway."

The ponies gathered some firewood they found in the trees. Then, they started to find some small sticks to form a fire. When they did so, Rainbow Dash rubbed the sticks together to quickly start a fire but did nothing. Applejack took the sticks from her, rubbed the sticks harder, and formed a fire.

"How did you..." said Rainbow Dash, who was dumbfounded.

"I took some lessons as a filly," said Applejack.

Twilight came to the group and sat down. "Listen up, everypony," she announced. "We're all probably confused as to what happened minutes ago. But let's not worry about that now. What we have to worry about is that we might be somewhere outside of Equestria. So all we have to do to get ourselves together through this situation is to remain calm and stick together. Because we don't know what this world might bring us."

"Like giant spiders?" questioned Rainbow Dash.

"No, not anything like that, Rainbow," answered Twilight. "But whatever comes to us here, we have to stay strong. Got it?"

"Got it!" the Mane Five called out.

"Good. Now let's get some shut-eye. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

The ponies lay down and started to sleep. All except Twilight, who just looked at the stars, staring off into outer space. "What do I do now, Celestia?" Twilight murmured to herself.

Pinkie Pie was also awake. She walked over to Twilight. "Twilight?" she asked.

"Yes?" answered Twilight.

"Do you know if we'll ever come back home alive to Equestria?"

"It's not if, Pinkie. It's when."

"Okay. You Pinky Promise?" asked Pinkie.

"I Pinky Promise," Twilight said. Then they both went to sleep.

Meanwhile, not so far away, on a pair of railroad tracks, a blue tank engine was puffing down the line. He had six small wheels, a short stumpy funnel, a short stumpy boiler, a short stumpy dome, and two number ones painted on his side tanks. His name was Thomas. "Phew!" he said. "Today was very busy. I've gotta get to Tidmouth."

Thomas clickety-clacked along the track. He was approaching a junction when suddenly, he is diverted into an old track into the forest. "Whoa! Cinders and ashes!" he exclaimed. He put on his brakes and screeched to a halt. "What on Sodor was that?" he said.

Thomas looked around the forest. He noticed that no one had ever discovered such tracks that led to this. "Where am I?" he questioned. "Perhaps I should explore this place further." He steamed down the track and deep into the forest. "Oh my. This place is very strange," he puffed to himself. "There are no engines."

Thomas continued going down the line when he heard an ominous sound. He was scared and puffed very quickly. Then there was trouble. The track had given way, and Thomas didn't know until it was too late! He came off the tracks and into a pool of water. "Fizzling fireboxes!" exclaimed Thomas. "I've derailed!"

When Thomas tried to move, his wheels couldn't move because they had fallen into the water. Thomas was stuck. "Help!" called Thomas. "Help! Help!"

He tooted his whistle. Back at the ponies, they woke up because they heard his whistle.

"What in tarnation was that?" questioned Applejack.

"I don't know, but it sounds like it's coming from over there," said Rainbow Dash.

"Should we go check at it?" said Fluttershy.

"Well, whatever it is," answered Twilight, "we have to help it."

"But what about the warnings you gave us?" asked Fluttershy.

"This doesn't sound anything like it. So we have to go."

The rest of the ponies thought about it and agreed.

"Okay," said Rarity. "But only if it's not hideous or anything."

The Mane Six followed the sound of Thomas's voice.

Meanwhile, back with Thomas, his driver and fireman checked with him.

"Sorry, Thomas," said his driver, "but unless someone like Harold could spot us, we're going to be stuck here for a while."

"Oh..." Thomas said sadly.

Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes. Thomas' driver and fireman climbed back into Thomas' cab. As for Thomas, he closed his eyes. Then, out of the bushes, came the Mane Six. Thomas opened his eyes and looked at them.

"Hello?" said Pinkie Pie.

Thomas screamed, and so did the ponies. They had never seen each other talk before.

"Who are you?" Thomas exclaimed.

"We're ponies," answered Twilight. "From a world known as Equestria."

"Equestria?" asked Thomas.

"Yeah, silly!" said Pinkie.

"I've never heard of such a place like that. Anyways, what are your names?"

"Applejack's the name, partner."

"Umm... Fluttershy."

"Pinkie Pie!"

"Rarity, darling."

"Rainbow Dash!"

"And the most important, Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I'm Thomas."

"Well, nice to meet you, Thomas," replies Twilight.

"Why did you all scream though?" asked Thomas.

"Sorry about that," said Twilight. "It's just that we've never seen a talking train like you before."

"I'm a tank engine," Thomas corrected.

Rainbow noticed that Thomas was off the track. "Do you need any help, Thomas?" Rainbow asked.

"No, thank you. I've got this on my own." Thomas tried to reverse back to the track, but he was still stuck. This could only mean one thing. "Okay," Thomas said. "Maybe I do need some help."

The ponies giggled at Thomas. Thomas didn't like that.

"How about I just use my horn, Thomas?" asked Twilight.

"Your what?" Thomas said, confused.

"My horn. It could lift things. But I'm not sure on this one, since I've never lifted an engine before."

Thomas looked at Twilight.

"Okay, Twilight," said Thomas. "Let's do this."

Twilight walked over to Thomas and used her horn to use telekinesis. Then, with a creak and a crank, and a crank and a creak, and very, very slowly, Twilight raised Thomas into the air. And then, with a jolt and a judder, Thomas was placed back onto the tracks. Everyone cheered, and even Twilight smiled at Thomas. Thomas smiled back. "Thank you, Twilight!" Thomas said to Twilight.

"Not a problem!" said Twilight back.

"How do I repay you all?" said Thomas. "Ooh, I know! How about I give you all a ride inside my cab?"

"And get dirty by all the soot?" questioned Rarity. "Absolutely not!"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Rarity," said Thomas. "My crew's gotten that taken care of."

"Come on, Rarity!" said Pinkie Pie. "Let's give our new friend some love!"

Rarity still thought it wouldn't be good, but she had no choice. "Fine."

"Then it's settled," announced Twilight. "Come on, everypony! Let's get in!"

Twilight and her friends crammed and jammed into Thomas's cab with his driver and fireman. And Thomas puffed away from the forest.

Thomas was chuffing cheerfully down the tracks with his new pony friends. He didn't notice that a yellow BR Class 42 diesel-hydraulic engine was passing by at a junction up ahead. Thomas gasped. "Cinders and ashes!" exclaimed Thomas. He put on his brakes just in time. The diesel also put on its brakes. "Diesel 10?!" he said shockingly.

"Well, hello, Thomas," Diesel 10 replied in an ominous tone. "You're up late."

"Look, it's a long story, so I'll just head back to my shed." Before Thomas could even leave, Diesel 10 crashed his claw in front of him.

"What is this 'long story' about?" said Diesel 10.

"I had another late-night run, so I had to stay up this late," Thomas lied.

"Actu—". Pinkie Pie was about to correct Thomas before Twilight and Applejack covered her mouth to not give out any information about their existence. Diesel 10 heard Pinkie.

"What was that?" Diesel 10 questioned Thomas.

"Nothing," Thomas replied while worried.

"You don't want to lie to Pinchy right here." Diesel 10 crashed his claw in front of Thomas a second time.

"I'm being serious!" yelled Thomas. "I'm not lying at all!"

Diesel 10 stared at Thomas suspiciously. "Okay, puffball. I'll let you go. For now." Diesel 10 oiled away.

Thomas was relieved. He reached a siding covered in trees and bushes and decided to hide over there. The Mane Six got out of the cab and walked in front of Thomas.

"What's going on, Thomas?" Twilight asked.

Thomas took a deep breath. "I have something very important to tell you all."

The Mane Six listened to Thomas.

"I cannot, and shall not, have anyone here know about your existence."

"Why?" asked Rainbow.

"Think about it. You six appear to be from an alternate universe that no one here has ever discovered. If anyone but me, my driver, and my fireman discover you, they might send you away forever."

The Mane Six were nervous by the time they heard that piece of dialogue.

"Hold on," Rainbow interrupted, "but can't we just hide in something else, like a wagon?"

"We have trucks if that could help," answered Thomas. "They're at the shunting yards. I'll take you there tomorrow because it's already late. And we're already at a siding."

"Okay. Good night, Thomas," said the ponies.

"Good night," whispered Thomas.

Back in Equestria, Spike and Starlight Glimmer were at the Ponyville train station, waiting for the Mane Six to step out of the train.

"Can't wait to hear what they've done at that forest," said Spike.

"Me too," replied Starlight. "I bet they're probably confused as to when they went there."

The train arrived at the station. The ponies inside stepped out, but there was no sign of any of the Mane Six.

"Huh?" gasped Starlight.

"That's strange," said Spike. "Aren't they supposed to come back?"

"They should've. Unless..." Starlight remembered the myth of the forest.

"Unless what?" Spike wondered.

"You know that myth where if you are in the forest, you'll become one with them?" Starlight told Spike.

"No?" Spike said, looking confused.

"Well, I think it's true," Starlight said.

"Oh, is it? Then we gotta check on them." Spike was about to enter the train, when Starlight grabbed him.

"How about we do it another way?" Starlight offered.

"Okay," Spike said.

The two of them went back to Ponyville.

Author's Note

This is my first story on this site. If there's anything I need to work on, just let me know.

PS: I am aware that crossovers like these aren't positively reviewed on, but I'm only doing this because this was something I've known for a while.