//------------------------------// // Thomas' Train // Story: Thomas and Friends: The Retold Adventures // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// A few days later, Thomas was at it again, grumbling to the other engines. “I spend all my time here pulling coaches about for you to take on long journeys,” he moaned. The heavy MK1 coaches rumbled to a stop in the platform, and Twilight went to uncouple Thomas. Not noticing, he simply went on with his grumbling. “Why can’t I pull passenger trains too?” Twilight went and spoke to him. “Thomas,” she said, “it probably won’t happen, so there’s absolutely no point in moaning about it. You’ve been at this for days!” “Twilight’s right, you know,” Gordon added, a smirk on his face. “For one, you’re too impatient, you’d be sure to leave something behind!” With that remark, he and Rainbow Dash broke into laughter. “Good one Gordon!” she said, with a grin. “Rubbish!” snapped Thomas. “I’ll show you, no matter how long it takes!” That night, Thomas stayed awake all night, unable to sleep. There were a number of factors in this inability to sleep, but the main one was the fact the railway had decided to turn the stall next to his into a maintenance shop at the last minute. This stall was occupied by Henry, who seemed to be having mechanical issues, and Fluttershy and the other engineers worked all night trying to figure out what was wrong with the big green engine. But alas, they couldn’t find a thing. Thomas sat there, all night, worried for the big engine. What would happen to the passengers if he cannot run? He thought to himself. The next morning, Henry was failed with leaking tubes and had to be towed to the works at Crovan’s Gate. This presented a problem, as Henry usually pulled the first train of the day. Gordon was out at the other end of the line, and Edward was on goods duty at Wellsworth, so there was no engine. “Thomas,” Henry wheezed. “If they cannot find another engine, will you take my train for me?” Thomas thought for a moment. This might be his chance! “Alright Henry,” he said to his friend. “I promise.” “Thanks,” Henry replied, as they buffered up a nondescript works diesel and towed him away. Thomas then had to go and marshal a full 5 coach rake for the morning train, as some joker had decided to scatter all the carriages and wagons across the yard in various unhelpful places. It took him and Twilight almost an hour to assemble the train, and then brought it back into the platform at Knapford. Twilight got off the footplate and sat on the platform, visibly nervous for some reason. Thomas, on the other hand, had to do all in his power to keep his excitement in check. Time went past, passengers got on the train, and still no other engine came along to pull the train. Eventually, once all the doors were closed and everyone was onboard, Sir Toppham Hatt came out of his office to see what was going on. “Whatever is happening here?” he asked. “Where is Henry?” Twilight spoke to him. “Sir, Henry was failed with leaking tubes and had to be towed to the works at Crovan’s Gate for repairs. Hence his not being coupled to the front of the train.” Sir Toppham Hatt looked most annoyed. “Well, find another engine!” he said. “That’s the problem, sir,” Twilight replied. “There only is one engine available, with Edward on the goods and Gordon elsewhere. That engine is Thomas.” Sir Toppham Hatt sighed. “Oh dear,” he said. “I really could do with another engine, maybe one from the Lancashire and Yorkshire. I’ll deal with that now, but are you sure Thomas can do it?” “I’ll try sir!” Thomas cried. “There’s a good engine!” Sir Toppham Hatt exclaimed. “Be quick now!” As Sir Toppham Hatt went back to his office, Twilight hopped back onto Thomas’ footplate, wound his reverser back, and opened the regulator. Thomas rolled back through the junction, over the points, and through the other platform and onto another set of points to run him onto the main running line. Once the reverser signal had cleared, he reversed onto the train and stopped, colliding with the coaches with a gentle bump. Twilight checked back. But what happened next, nobody knows. Perhaps Twilight pulled the regulator by mistake. Perhaps Thomas was too excited to listen. Either way, Thomas started off, but he hadn’t been coupled up, and as a result the coaches were left behind-along with the passengers, who all started shouting. As Thomas rolled past the first signal box, the signalman began to shout to him. But Thomas paid no attention to what he was saying, as he assumed that the signalman was praising him. “He’s saying what a splendid sight we are!” he called to Twilight. Thomas gathered speed as he sped down the mainline, people gathering everywhere on both the lineside and platforms to watch this tank engine running light engine at speed down the line. “Henry says this is hard work, but I think pulling trains is easy!” he exclaimed. As he flew over a level crossing, he called out, “Peep peep peep! Hurry, hurry, hurry!” pretending to be like Gordon. Twilight laughed at Thomas’ joke. “Good one Thomas!” she said. “I can’t wait to see Rainbow Dash’s face when she hears of this!” But the good run came to a premature end. Just up ahead, outside Crosby, was a red signal. Twilight applied Thomas’ brakes and brought him to a gentle stop. “Bother!” he exclaimed. “It’s at danger! And we were going so nicely too! What a nuisance signals are!” “If it’s a choice between that or crashing, I think I know which I’d prefer,” Twilight said, as she hopped off the footplate to speak to the signalman. “Excuse me sir,” she asked, “but what is happening up ahead?” “Line’s blocked just up ahead,” he said. “I must say, I don’t often see you two down here. Come to think of it, last time was when you were coupled to the back of Gordon’s train?” Thomas turned red. “Must we have constant reminders of that? But I’m pulling a train, can’t you see?” The signalman simply looked in confusion. “Then where are your coaches?” he asked. Twilight turned around, and then did a double take. “No no no! NO NO NO NO! NO NO NO!” she cried, going into a fully-blown panic attack. “Those passengers are stranded at the station! Why didn’t I check the couplings? Maybe they were faulty? Or I-” Thomas glanced back as well. “Well, bless me!” he exclaimed. “If we haven’t left them behind!” His face fell almost immediatelty. “Don’t worry Thomas,” Twilight said. “We’ll just go back and get them.” Stepping back into the cab, she reset the reverser and opened the regulator, gently reversing Thomas down the line. At Knapford, all of the passengers were complaining to Sir Toppham Hatt about how bad the railway was. But when Thomas and Twilight returned, and apologised for the mess that had been made, they were forgiven, and the passengers forgot to be angry. Twilight hooked Thomas up, and this time he really pulled it, even if they arrived in Vicarstown more than two hours late. That evening, Gordon returned to the station, laughing. “So, how’d it go?” Rainbow Dash asked, smirking. “Not well,” Twilight admitted. “Well, you do work with the engine who wanted to pull coaches but forgot the train!” Gordon snorted, and the entire station started laughing. Except Thomas and Twilight of course, who just simmered crossly.