Thomas & Equestria Girls:
Welcome To Canterlot High
Chapter 9: The Mysterious Light
An hour or so passed since the girls brought Thomas over to Twilight's house after passing out at the Canterlot Mall. They did everything to try and combat the mysterious dark shading that began slithering all over him, but for the most part nothing seemed to work. They wondered if they should consider asking help over from Equestria. Maybe they had an answer that would help them figure out what kind of magic they were up against.
But then out of nowhere, just as the dark blue umbra finished covering almost all of Thomas' being, the shading began to disappear. The girls were well alerted, and watched the torn stitching and holes fully repair itself to it's original state. The dark shade gradually faded away and returned his clothes back into the bright blue it was hours ago. Thomas no longer looked to be in any pain, and his pale skin was back to being a regular pale blue again. Once every seam was repaired, Thomas inhaled a deep breath, as if he was tasting fresh air again for the first time. His breathing was heavy and he panted to catch his breath. The Girls all beamed with relief. Whatever happened to that magic was now done with, and Thomas' appearance was back to it's bright and cheerful look.
Everyone gathered around Thomas. Spike jumped on top of Thomas' stomach with joy, watching him leisurely open his eyes. Thomas could hear faint, murmuring voices; all of which belonged to the Girls asking multiple questions and throwing out assumptions. His vision was still a little fuzzy at first, but the more his eyes opened, the more things became clear for him again.
From what Thomas could remember, he started attending high school and met a girl named Sunset Shimmer, who kindly gave him a tour of Canterlot High. He met all her nice friends and went on a trip to someplace in a strange world he's never been to. Then he remembered telling them that he's from a place called the Island of Sodor; where he and his friends work hard to be really useful.
Thomas' vision finally regained a clear sight after a few seconds of blurriness. Instead of being in Canterlot Mall, Thomas was now in someone's bedroom. The room had teal walls and a purple roof with an abstract shape and design. The interior had a large collection of books hanging against the wall to his right, various astronomy and chemistry paraphernalia were stationed around the room and near a window such as a telescope or a model of the solar system hung above where he laid, and an aquarium placed under a shelf of trophies and awards.
"Look, everyone! I think he's awake!" Spike said, wagging his tale.
Thomas looked down at the peculiar dog sitting on his chest.
"Hey! How's it going? Seems like that dark magic almost did a number on you."
Thomas nonchalantly stared at Spike for a good few seconds. Eyes shooting wide open, he then realized that a Dog just asked if he was alright and comprehended what that meant. Thomas quickly leaned up and screamed at the sight of Spike, who started screaming himself after Thomas paused to hear him do so. Going back and forth between each other, the two finally stopped screaming as Thomas backed himself up against the bed's headboard.
Spike jumped off and into Twilight's arms, unsure of why he's screaming himself and who this new person they brought in was. The Girls were all alerted to Thomas, now hugging the headboard.
"Thomas?! Are you okay?!" Sunset asked.
"The-the, D-dog, t-talking!" Thomas pointed at Spike while stuttering and pausing between each word.
Twilight looked at Spike who was just as confused as he is.
"Oh, right. I guess you haven't met Spike yet," she laughed, sheepishly.
She held Spike in front of Thomas, still eyeing him like he was an aberration or something that only existed in a children's book.
"This is Spike... My talking dog." Twilight realized how odd the introduction sounded.
"Hi there!" Spike said.
Thomas was still freaked out by Spike and clenched the bed's headboard.
"Judging by his reaction, I'd say he really isn't from Canterlot," Rainbow Dash joked.
"How?" Before Thomas could ask Twilight responded.
"It's a long story," she grinned, meekly.
Thomas has seen a number of things over the years that were completely out of the ordinary; and he himself was a talking tank engine. But a talking dog was something all new to him. Finally calming down, Thomas took in deep breaths and regained a level head. He surveyed the room and everyone in it, appearing both worried and relieved that he was up and awake again after his sudden blackout.
"What's going on? Where am I," Thomas asked, noting how comfortable the bed was.
"We're at Twilight's house," Sunset said, sitting down next to him. "We brought you here after you randomly passed out at the mall."
"What?!" Thomas said in disbelief.
Now that he was catching up to speed, Thomas was shocked to hear that something bad happened to him without him even knowing it. Even worse, his head was all fuzzy from the last moment he spent before his blackout.
"Don't you remember feeling light headed and falling out of your seat?" Fluttershy asked.
"Not really. The last thing I remember was talking to everyone. I was eating something too, we all were. And then one of you asked me if I promised to do something."
"That's right," Twilight said. "You'd promise to spend more time with your friends and not get caught up in work."
Thomas rubbed his head. "I did huh?"
"Do you really not remember the last few minutes before blacking out?" Rarity asked.
He shook his head. "What exactly happened to me?"
Pinkie Pie chimed in.
"It Was Really Scary! At First You Were Like, 'Hello! I'm Thomas, I'ma hard worker. Hardy tardy pardee'." She finished her imitation. "And Then You Were Like,"
She re-enacted the moment Thomas felt dizzy and pretended to pass out herself. Thomas just sat and watched with perplexity. Pinkie Pie then appeared out of nowhere in front of Thomas while hanging upside down.
"And THEN! The Next Thing We Knew, You Were Being Covered In This Icky, Shadowy, Gunky Stuff That Damaged Your Clothes And Making You Sick! So, We Brought You All The Way To Twilight's House And Took Care Of You While Also Trying To Figure Out What Was Causing That Shadowy Stuff To Appear! But Luckily We Didn't Have To Worry About That Anymore Because Now It's Gone And You're All Better!"
Pinkie Pie fell on top of Thomas and looked up at him. Thomas didn't know what to make of Pinkie Pie's explanation, but chuckled none the less over her impersonation of him.
"That's not what I sound like, Pinkie," he smiled.
Pinkie Pie beamed and giggled a bit before getting back up. Thomas shook his head. He still had a lot of questions on his mind.
"So, I just passed out?"
"Mm-hm," The Girls nodded.
"And this shadow stuff... was tearing up my clothes?"
"Not just that," Sunset explained. "You were pale and alternating between silence and groaning pain for the last few hours."
Thomas examined his clothes, which were now back to how it was. He had no idea how much danger he was really in. And from the sound of what Sunset told him, it didn't sound pleasant.
"And you were all looking after me while I was out?"
The Girls happily nodded again.
"Wow. Thanks, everyone!"
"Don't mention it," Applejack said, tilting her hat.
The Girls then gathered around Thomas and began talking all at once. They asked him questions while showing gratitude and relief over his recovery. Spike jumped onto the bed with his tail wagging. Even though Thomas was still a little freaked out by him, Spike was still a small puppy and didn't seem that harmful at all. So, he placed a hand on Spike and gave him a gentle pat on the head. He wasn't sure how a talking dog responded to being petted, however, so he didn't continue for long. Though once Thomas stopped, Spike hunched over and felt a little upset.
Finally with the commotion settled, everyone's chattering ceased and Sunset Shimmer was able to ask him a more pressing question.
"So listen: we have no idea what exactly caused that dark shadow. We were hoping maybe you knew something about it? Is there anything significant about what we explained at all that sounded familiar?"
"Yeah, what's the deal with all that shadow stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Is It Some Kind Of Family Curse?!" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Does it happen all the time?" Fluttershy asked.
"How many outfits do you have to buy after each piece of clothing gets torn like that?" Rarity asked.
"C'mon y'all! give him some room to speak." Applejack sat down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright now, Thomas. Tell us what you know. You can trust us."
"Thomas?" Sunset asked, worriedly. "What's going on?"
All eyes were on him. Thomas just sat with his eyes-widened, staring back at everyone all curious and concerned about what he went through, and if it's somehow related to anything possibly involving magic.
He wasn't aware that they themselves have a history in dealing with magic, or that this type of situation would be something they could help him with. Although, he was just as confused over the whole ordeal and couldn't answer any of their questions. None of the Girls understood what's going on and neither did he. Thomas didn't know what to say. This was the first time he's ever had a run in with any dark shadow, and thus couldn't quite put together what may have caused it happen.
Then, he slowly remembered something else important. He looked out the window on his right and noticed it was already night time. The sky was dark and the stars were almost if barely visible. Thinking real hard, Thomas then remembered why he was in this world and what he was sent to do. Mr. Conductor asked him to seek out and rescue Lady the Magical Engine, and return her to the Magic Railroad before the Island of Sodor falls to great danger. She had gone missing from the line along with the magic she carries. So, Mr. Conductor gave Thomas enough Sparkles to travel across the Magic Railroad in hopes of finding her.
With all this flooding back into his memory, Thomas frantically gripped his head on the verge of panicking.
"Oh no!"
He urgently got up from Twilight's bed.
"I gotta go. I Gotta Go!" he said, grabbing his sweater.
The Girls were all bewildered while watching Thomas struggle to put on his sweater and running towards the door to leave Twilight's room.
"What's the matter?" Twilight called.
"Where are you going?!" Sunset called also.
Thomas opened the door but turned and faced the others before leaving.
"I need to get something done before an even worse accident like this happens again."
"But, you haven't told us what that shadow thing was," Rainbow Dash said.
Thomas sighed, realizing this might be the last time he'll see them again. Staring back at everyone, Thomas convinced himself that he had to leave and came to grips with this, reminding himself that the mission at hand was more important. And if he wants any of his new friends to be safe, Thomas knew he had to leave them and continue his job, before it was time for his return to Sodor.
"I don't know what it is. But if what I'm thinking is right, then I have to hurry. Thank you very much for the help, everyone! I really appreciate it, but I have to get moving fast or else I might be too late. Goodbye now!" He said quickly, before slamming the door.
The Girls all shared collective glances. Getting something done before it's to late? They were all the more suspicious now more than ever. Before they knew it, Sunset Shimmer ran out the door after Thomas, who was already long gone by the time she made it outside.
Sunset tried looking for which direction he may have went down, but had no idea where Thomas had run off to. She was contemplating going after him anyways regardless if she knew where. Sunset called out to him, but there was no answer. The wind picked up and made the night sky chilly. Sunset hugged her arms in an attempt to stay worm. After a few minutes debating on whether to go after Thomas, she headed back inside Twilight's house. She looked back over her shoulder once more, having second thoughts. First Thomas was attacked by a mysterious shadow, and now he's abruptly ran off while going on about getting something done. Who knows what he meant by that. Sunset was too worried for Thomas to just let him go off by himself, whether or not he knew his way around Canterlot at all yet.
Hopping she might see him at school again, Sunset Shimmer convinced herself to go back inside the house.
Thomas ran as fast as his clumsy legs will let him down the street of the suburban neighborhood. He didn't know where he was or if he was going down the right directions, but Thomas knew he had to get back to Canterlot High and hope that Lady might still be there. It took a long time, but going by instincts and a sudden surge pumping through his body that acted as a guide of sorts, he miraculously ended up finding the school. Perhaps the Sparkles inside Thomas knew where to take him and thus led him to where a stronger collection of Gold Dust was located, and in tern taking him straight to Lady.
Thomas was out of breath. He was surprised how little energy people have. On a full tank of water alone, Thomas could almost puff all across Sodor before getting tired. Reaching the school, however, he felt like it wasn't that far from Twilight's house. He got turned around a bunch and went down a couple of wrong streets sure, but he'd still be full of energy by the time of getting here had he been a tank engine.
After a minute to exhaust, he collected his breath and walked towards the front entrance of Canterlot High.
The sky shined bright with stars in the majestic night. The school was quite and not a single sound other than the crickets chirping within the bushes and grass were heard. Thomas went up the stairs and attempted to open the door, hoping with anticipation that they were still open. He tugged and pushed on the doors, reminding himself to open them inwards, but the doors would not budge. Thomas pushed and pushed but the doors remained shut. They were all locked. He leaned against the glass doors and peered inside. Nothing could be seen through the pitch black of the empty hallways. He banged against the door while calling out her name.
"Lady!"
There was no response, and no sign of anyone inside the building. Feeling defeated, Thomas fell to his knees and turned to lean his back against the door. He sat and gazed at the courtyard, not knowing or having any idea what to do now.
Sir Topham Hatt and all of his friends back on Sodor were probably wondering where he is. He forgot how cross Sir Topham Hatt will be if he wasn't back on Sodor doing his job. Thomas had hoped he would've found Lady by the time it got dark so they could both return before the magic got out of hand. It was late now and Lady was no where to be seen. What if she was never in this world to begin with? What if she really was at Muffle Mountain or somewhere else? He had no idea anymore and began to question if he should've come here at all, and if he should've kept going forward even though a powerful impulse lingered him to take the path that lead him to where he is now. There was no telling. The only thing Thomas had was his instincts, which were now telling him that maybe Lady wasn't at Canterlot High.
Thomas sighed in disappointment. "Maybe Mr. Conductor should've sent another engine to look for Lady. At least they would've found her and brought her back by the time it got dark. Maybe even looked in a place she was actually hiding."
He buried his face in his legs. He felt foolish thinking that Lady would ever end up in a place like this. He began feeling even more foolish for ever coming to Canterlot High. But if he hadn't, he would've never met Sunset Shimmer and her friends, who were all very nice and friendly towards Thomas, as well as taking care of him during his unconscious state. He smiled while thinking about them, and time he spent with his new friends today. Maybe coming to Canterlot wasn't such a bad thing, but he was still convinced Lady might not be here after all.
"What was I thinking? This is just too big for me. I could never pull off a job like this. There are other engines on Sodor more capable than I am." He sighed bitterly to himself. "I should head back and do what little engines are only meant to do. Smaller jobs."
Thomas didn't have anymore time to look for her. He had to get back to Sodor before he got in trouble. Wearily, Thomas got up and headed towards the statue's base. He stared at it for a long-time, peering into his own reflection from the surface and examined his human self one last time. Just when he thought he'd gotten used to being person, the only thing Thomas can see in this fleshy body was incompetence. Thomas looked at his hand, the kind of movement he'll never make again, and stuck it through the portal and inside the statue, ready to step back in and return unsuccessfully to his home. The rippling waves of the surface flowed upon having his hand enter the portal.
He turned and looked back at the school. "Goodbye Canterlot High. Goodbye all my friends."
Thomas paused, closed his eyes, and hung his head dejectedly.
"Goodbye, Sunset Shimmer."
Just as Thomas was about arms length in the statue, he heard a strange noise that sounded like fences rustling about. Then, from within the school by the entrance, he saw what appeared to be a bright golden light gleaning inside the building. He squinted at the light, dazed and entranced before it finally disappeared and slowly vanished.
The strange noise he heard again came from the fence on the far right. He looked over and saw a shadowy figure climbing over it. The night was a little too dark for Thomas to make out who it was. Thomas ran over to the fence and pressed himself against it. He saw two shadowy like silhouettes running to an open door, beaming with light from the inside. Trying to act quickly, Thomas tried with all his might to climb over the fence with no success. The two silhouettes hurried into the school, leaving the door wide open. Thomas noticed this and knew he had to get over there before he loses his chance. Trying even harder to make it over, Thomas climbed up and held on to dear life as he ascended over the fence and fell flat on the ground. He got up and ran straight towards to the door, hoping it doesn't shut. Thomas grabbed the door and ran inside, then closed from it behind.
Now inside Canterlot High again, Thomas looked around and saw he was in the gymnasium. Suddenly, the lights shut off. And just when they did, another gold light shined more prominently across the gym floor and moved slowly down the hallway. The light was so bright Thomas had to shield his eyes by holding his arm up to block the radiating rays emitting off the golden glow. He walked across the gym in an attempt get closer to the light. He could hear wind chimes echoing throughout the gymnasium. He gained enough distance were all he could do now was just stand directly near enough as the light was too blinding to walk any further.
"Hello?" Thomas said, trying to peer through his arm. "What is that?"
The light suddenly flinched and the chiming sounds went out of sync. Both Thomas and the mysterious light stood where they were, not making any movement. Curious, Thomas tried reaching out to the light, only to notice it getting dimmer by the second. The light was moving away from him.
"Wait!"
He ran to the gym's entrance and began chasing after the light, which was speeding down the hallway. Thomas sprinted down the corridors after them, trying not to lose sight of it. Following them wasn't that hard at all given how bright it was and lighting up every dark corner of the school. It was challenging to chase after a light that blinded you the closer you got as well, but Thomas managed to keep up for a little while before almost losing its location again more than once. After chasing the gold light for a good while, he finally lost track of it, stood by the main entrance of the building in all of its dimness. He tried listening to the wind chimes, but the school was back to being nothing but silent once more.
Nothing he knew of could explain how a manifestation of light can just get up and walk away like that. This was definitely a person radiating the mysterious golden glow. Thomas knew this for sure, as he looked down on the floor and saw what he hoped to find in the form of a trail of Gold Dust left behind by the glowing being.
He bent down on one knee and picked it up, mixing it around his index finger and thumb, and heard the sound of chimes clinging.
"I found you," Thomas said, self assured of himself again.
Sunset Shimmer met everyone back in Twilight's room. They where all gathered near a section of the room and looking down at something. Twilight sat on her knees while bushing the floor when the rest noticed Sunset come in.
"Where is he?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Sunset looked back towards the door while grabbing her right arm.
"I don't know."
"But, h-he's out there all alone," Fluttershy said. "We have to search for him."
The other Girls agreed.
"It's too late out. We'll have to figure out a plan tomorrow." Sunset noticed Twilight fooling around with something. "What's that you got there, Twilight?"
Sunset walked over and crouched down beside her. On the floor laid a pile of gold sprinkles that were scattered about in a disorganized collection. Twilight picked up a small amount with her hand and heard wind chimes go off as she did. She played around with the Gold Dust to decipher what they were. Sunset and Twilight shared quizzical glances. Neither of them knew of or seen anything like this.
"Can I Touch It Now?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Better not," Twilight said. "Just in case you end up causing it to explode."
Pinkie Pie slouched.
"What do you think this is?" Twilight asked Sunset.
"Not sure. Maybe this is what was hurting Thomas?"
"If it is, then we should keep it from contacting the rest of us. Although, I'm touching it now and so far nothing bad's happening. Why do you think that is?"
"Or it hasn't taken affect yet. It could end up having a different outcome for whoever holds it."
"Can I Try And Hold It?" Pinkie asked again.
Twilight and Sunset both firmly say no.
"Aw, But I Wanna Feel The Sparkly Glittery Thingy."
Everyone skeptically leaned in to see the gold sparkles on Twilight's hand.
"I'm not sure it's supposed to be glitter," Twilight said, examining the Gold Dust. "I think we might have something far messier on our hands."
Sunset chimed in. "For all we know, these gold sparkles are something entirely beyond our understanding."
To Be Continued.