TUGS: The New Series "Replacement"

Replacement is an episode of TUGS: The New Series, and the season finale of the First season. It was written by Dr. Raymond Stanz and Trainferry88.
==Plot==
It was early morning in the Bigg City Port. Frank the Rail Barge had just returned from Up River. He had been working with the Salvage Fleet when he had ran aground into a warehouse of Zinc. He had to spend a full year being mended. He was eager to start work again.
Now, take note of this. Since Frank spent so little time with the Star Fleet, and he was owned by the Dock Railway, he had never met most of the Fleet, and was only aquaintenced with Top Hat. He had heard of a barge that worked with the Star Fleet. Unbeknownts to him, that barge was also named Frank. But we'll stop here, or else we'll spoil the story.
Frank was waiting at Lucky's Yard. His dock was next to a wall at the end of the yard. the wall was being repaired, and there was a large hole in it. Many of the bricks had fallen off. He could now see what was going on on the other side, without anybody seeing him. He heard Top Hat's hooter sound. "Hey, thats Top Hat!" he said. "He must be coming for me!" Soon enough he saw the name plates of Top Hat, Eddie, and.... Frank? "What?" Top Hat heard him and turned around, but the other Frank kept on going. "There you are!" said Top Hat. "Didn't see you there. Now let's just go to the Railway Dock and you can resume work just like old times!" Frank grumbled all the way there. What did he think? He thought Top Hat was replacing him!
Top Hat had to leave Eddie at Lucky's Yard for repairs, and for a moment, Frank thought that Top Hat was replacing Eddie instead. But that changed soon enough. At the Railway Dock he saw the other Frank, loading up with freight cars. He was putting them in his hull sideways! "That's no way to treat freight cars!" said Frank. Puffa, ready to be loaded onto Frank. whistled. Frank thought this was the other Frank's whistle, and he furiously bumped into the dock next to him, letting off his anger. Unfortunately, when he moved, he left an open space where Puffa was supposed to be loaded on. The tank engine chuffed into the water. "He-jhjhkhhfh!" he gurgled. Top Hat, looking away, saw nothing. "Come on Frank, let's get moving." Frank scowled as the other Frank steamed away.
Next, he was to pick up Ralph, with the munitions train. He picked him up and took him acroos the harbor, to where it reconnects with the railway at Uptown. Top Hat left to get refueled at the dock, and left Frank.
As every wise railway barge knows, you must be extremely careful with Munitions Vans, as they can easily explode. frank, however, was thinking about how he could get back at the other Frank. Then, he saw the other frank being loaded with coal. "That's MY coal!" he growled. Just as Ralph's crew shut of the brakes, Frank angrily bumped into the Coaling Dock. Ralph and the Munitions Vans surged forward, derailed, and crashed into the coal building. Despite the explosions behind him, Frank was still unaware of them. The other Frank had escaped again! Top Hat returned to the smell of smoke. "Oh, dear, what happened here? Let's be off Frank." But Frank wasn't listening. He smirked as he saw the coal on the other Frank on fire.
Then, he picked up Danny and the Stalite Express. He was bringing them to the Yards, which were near the Garbage Corporation. He was cheerfully floating along, as he thought he had gotten rid of the other Frank. Top Hat won't replace me now. He thought. But then he saw a slightly burned Frank chatting with another barge at the Garbage Corporation. "How many times do I have to get rid of you!" he growled. He violently swung aroung and hit Lord Stinker, the garbage barge. The garbage flew in the air and landed all over Danny and the Exprress. One large metal piece of garbage crahed into the control building. It short-circuited the controls. A wall went down and an avalanche of garbage fell all over Frank. He smirked again. But he didn't see the garbage all over Danny. Top Hat still noticed nothing, except for the garbage avalanche."Hmmph! So smelly! Leave the garbage to Warrior anyday. Come on frank!" and they puffed away.
Frank was happy. knowing that he'd gotten rid of his replacement once and for all. But he wasn't smiling when he arrived at the Railway Dock. Standing thereb was Captain Star, and a furious Mr. Jones! Alongside them was Puffa, almost unrecognizable because of all the seaweed, a burnt figure that resembled Ralph, and Danny covered and smelling like garbage. they were all glaring directly at Frank. "Frank! What have you been doing? Look at all the trouble you have caused!" said Mr. Jones. "But sir, I-I-I didn't do anything. It was all the other Frank's fault. He was going to replace me!" The Engines, Mr. Jones, and Top Hat looked confused. Then the other Frank, still covered in garbage, steamed up. He was about an inch off the ground, and was moving very slowly. "So," continued Frank. "I decided to get rid of him. I didn't want him to replace me! I didn't know I was doing all that extra stuff." From the floating pile of garbage came a sound. "Mmmmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?" Ralph translated. "He says 'I wasn't trying to replace you. I was just trying to do my normal jobs! Why did you think I was replacing you?' " "Because I saw him with the same name, and he was picking up freight cars like me, But he didn't even do that right! And then he was picking up coal, like I do. But he didn't do that right either. And Railway Barges are never supposed to stop!" protested Frank. "Mmmmmmmmm. Mmmmmmmmmmm!" " 'But I'm not a railway barge. And I'm not supposed to replace you. We just met each other by chance. '" translated Ralph "Oh." said Frank, feeling ashamed. "Can I still work Mr. Jones? I'm sorry." "I'm sorry Frank, but you're a mess. look at all you've been through. I'm afraind you'll have to be repaired again. It serves you right for assuming an causing all this trouble." Frank groaned. "Same for you Frank. You smell terrible."
You would probably like to know that on the way to Lucky's yard, Frank and Frank made friends. They never have had a fight again.
I think we all know what today's moral is. Never assume anything, or it just might end up badly. Just look what happened to Frank!
Category:TUGS: The New Series Episodes