//------------------------------//
// Duck Takes Charge 
// Story: Thomas and Friends: The Retold Adventures 
// by The Blue EM2 
//------------------------------//

"Do you know what?" Percy asked one morning, as James and Gordon were being prepared for their morning run.

"Know what?" Gordon groaned. He was in a bad mood, and really could do without Percy's nonsense for a morning.

"Do you know what?" Percy asked again, not quite knowing what to expect.

"Honestly Percy!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Why are you asking us this?"

"I agree!" Gordon exclaimed. "I cannot possibly know what what is unless you tell me precisely what what is and will be."

There was a moment of silence. "What just happened?" Pinkie Pie asked.

Percy spoke again before anybody else could. "Sir Toppham Hatt says the work in the yard is too heavy and too much for a small engine like me. He's getting a bigger engine to help both me and Pinkie out with our work."

"Rabbish!" James snapped, somewhat annoyed like Gordon. "Any engine could do it; if you two talked less and pranked less and worked more, this yard would be a sweeter, and happier, and better place."

"Besides," Rarity asked, finishing her work in oiling James' joints, "who would drive this new engine? It's not as if we have any spare drivers going around at the moment."

Percy simply headed off into the yards to collect some coaches, and was grumbling the entire way. "That stupid somersault signal!" he complained, as he went about his work. He was recalling the time he had misread a signal and gone backwards instead of forwards. "Nobody listens to us now," he added sadly. "They think that I'm just a silly little engine."

"Oh, I'm always silly," Pinkie said optimistically. Then her hair deflated. "But I don't think we'll live that one down, ever."

"They order us about, but we'll show them, we'll show them!" Percy exclaimed. But, truth be told, he didn't know how he would show them, or even what he would show them for that matter. By the time the afternoon came, he was utterly exhausted and completely miserable, and rolled to a stop in the platform with some suburban MK1 coaches. Sir Toppham Hatt was there on the platform, and he saw Percy's sad face and Pinkie's lack of energy. So he decided to ask what was wrong.

"Hello you two!" he exclaimed. "You look tired!"

Pinkie panted loudly. "Yes... sir... boy...is... this... work... hot!" she exclaimed.

"It is, Percy added. "To be truthful sir, I'm not sure if I'm standing on my dome or on my wheels."

Sir Toppham Hatt smiled. "You look the right way up to me, Percy!" he laughed. "Cheer up! The new engine arrives tomorrow. He's bigger and stronger than you, and can probably do the work by himself."

Percy looked sad. "Will there be no use for me or Pinkie?" he asked.

But Sir Toppham Hatt had good news. "We have a new harbour being built at Knapford," he said. "The docks at Tidmouth and Brendam are being overworked, and we need to increase capacity. Thomas and Toby are participating in the construction work, and I think you two can help too."

"Oh, yes sir! Thank you sir!" Percy exclaimed. Pinkie Pie's hair immediately went back to its usual poofy shape.

"We won't let you down sir!" she cried. "Extra cupcakes for everybody!" And she opened the regulator as she did so, Percy speeding off into the distance.

Sir Toppham Hatt laughed, shaking his head. "She is so random," he chuckled.



The next day, Applejack was out in the yard with a younger girl, who had yellow skin, red hair, and orange-yellow eyes. She wore a green T-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of orange boots with buckles set into the sides of them. She also had a massive pink bow in her hair, and was listening intently to Applejack.

"And that's how, with a lasso of rope, Ah succesfully got the rope around the buffer of James, allowin' Rarity to scramble across and slow James down successfully. Course, there weren't much of old Eddie left at the end of it, but at least he got an overhaul out of it."

"That sounds great!" the younger girl cried. "Ah wish Ah could work on the railway like you!"

"Ya will be able to one day, Sugarcube!" Applejack smiled, rubbing the younger girl's head. "Just ya wait and see."

Behind them, a large engine that was painted dark green rolled into the yard. He was the biggest tank engine anybody had ever seen, with large frames, sandboxes mounted over the front driving wheels, a large brass safety valve cap, a dome, and two large tanks attached to the sides of his boiler. Sir Toppham Hatt walked over to greet him.

"Hello!" he called. "You must be the new engine!"

The engine replied with something unintelligible.

"I beg your pardon?" Sir Toppham Hatt asked. He could not understand this engine's accent at all. The engine repeated himself, but the young girl from earlier walked over and seemed to understand him.

"Yer from the West Country?" she asked. "What's yer name?"

"I'm called Montague," the tank engine said, boasting a thick Cornish accent. "However, most engines called me Duck, as I waddled when I ran on the rails. I don't anymore, as those nice chaps at Buckfastleigh fixed me up, but the name rather stuck, and I'm quite fond of it."

Sir Toppham Hatt nodded. "You're a Pannier Tank, aren't you? Paddington depot?"

"Why yes sir!" he replied. "Why sir, may I work with that girl over there? She seems to understand me pretty well."

Sir Toppham Hatt looked over. "What's your name?"

"Ah'm Abigail! Abigail Belinda!" the girl replied. "But most people call me Apple Bloom."

"Would you like to work with Duck?" Sir Toppham Hatt asked. "The work will be hard, but if Applejack is anything to go by you Apples will pull through."

"Ah'd love ta! Applejack's mah big sister!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Why, this is a dream come true!" She ran forward and scrambled onto Duck's footplate, familiarising herself with the cab controls.

Percy then arrived. "Ah, Percy, Pinkie Pie!" called Sir Toppham Hatt. "I have a new engine for you. His name is Duck. His driver is Apple Bloom. Please show them how we do things here."

"Yes sir!" Percy exclaimed. "Follow me!"

Apple Bloom whooped. "All right! Let's get to it!"



The two engines set to work, and made an impressive job of it. James, Gordon and Henry silently observed Duck and Apple Bloom hard at work, the girl seemingly having been born on the footplate (which was partly true, since she had been delivered on a train).

"He seems a simple engine!" Henry whispered.

"We'll have some fun!" James exclaimed.

Both engines, as well as Gordon, started making loud quacking noises as they rolled past them. One of them shouted "Apples ahoy!", whilst the other blew steam at the duo.

There was so much smoke that Duck couldn't see in front, and Apple Bloom was so stunned she slipped on the footplate and landed on her bottom! "Oww," she moaned.

Percy then arrived, and saw all that had happened. He was cross, but Duck didn't seem to be bothered.

"They'll get bored eventually," he said. "The Castles and Kings at Paddington did that sort of thing all the time. Do they do it to you Percy?"

"Yes," Percy sighed.

"It's really irritating," Pinkie added.

"We little folk have been pushed around fer too long!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "We need ta put a stop to this nonsense, or else we'll NEVER hear the end of it!"

"I agree!" said Duck. And he whispered a plan to the others.



Sir Toppham Hatt was finishing up his work in his office, and was looking forward to a nice evening in after a long day. Suddenly, he heard a loud, long whistle, and an extraordinary noise.

"Has Gordon's whistle valve gone again?" he asked, as he stepped outside. When he arrived at Tidmouth sheds, he saw an amazing sight.

Gordon, Henry, and James were all parked outside the shed. On the turntable was Percy, calmly blocking it, and Duck was blocking the track behind it. Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie were engaged in a furious argument with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy.

"Get out of the way!" Rainbow Dash roared.

"No," Pinkie refused.

"STOP THAT NOISE!" Sir Toppham Hatt boomed. "What is going on here? How did this place end up in such a mess?"

"They won't let us in!" Gordon said.

Sir Toppham Hatt went over to Duck. Apple Bloom was by now next to him, and the look of fury on Sir Toppham Hatt's face worried her greatly. "You two, you had better have a good explanation for this," he snapped.

"Beg pardon sir," Duck said calmly, "but I'm a Great Western engine; it's written on my tanks. We do our work without fuss, but with your support sir, could you inform these engines that we only take orders from you."

"That's right!" Apple Bloom added. "The little people and engines have been pushed about by these big bullies fer too long!"

James, Henry and Gordon all began whistling furiously.

"SILENCE!" snapped Sir Toppham Hatt. "Percy, Pinkie, Duck, Apple Bloom, I am pleased with your work but I am VERY disappointed with your behaviour right now. You have caused a disturbance."

The big engines began laughing. But then Sir Toppham Hatt wheeled around. "AS FOR YOU!" he boomed, "YOU caused the disturbance! You have been far worse than them, and Duck is right. This is my railway, and I give the orders!"

Duck was left alone to manage the yard alongside Apple Bloom. They did so easily, but the bigger engines and some of the crews did not forget the night, and began to plot how they would get rid of those two.