Once an engine attached to a train, was afraid of a few drops of rain. He ran into a tunnel, and squeaked through his funnel, and wouldn't come out again.
Henry had been acting oddly the past few days. He would sulk in the morning instead of preparing for the day, and would snap at his crew when they tried to get him to stop dawdling. It had only become worse when he was repainted, which leads us into today's story.
Henry simmered quietly as his driver came around to the front.
"Um, H-Henry," she said timidly. "Wh-why have you s-stopped in the t-tunnel?"
"Because," he snorted, "the rain will ruin my lovely green paint."
"B-but the passengers-"
"Who cares? Honestly Fluttershy, you're far too kind for your own good."
Fluttershy tried to speak up again, only to be silenced by the glare her engine gave her.
"W-well, I s-suppose it's fine i-if you s-stay her for a wh-while l-longer."
Henry grinned, pleased that he had gotten what he wanted.
"Hey man, we've gotta get this train goin' again, or we might harsh the passenger's mellow."
Henry rolled his eyes as the firewoman joined them.
"I said 'no,' Treehugger, and that's final."
Treehugger and Fluttershy sighed. Henry was a stubborn engine, and they both knew that no amount of arguing would change his mind.
Soon, Celestia arrived on board Edward's passenger train. She saw the look on Henry's face and sighed.
"Henry," she started, "I'm warning you. Do not test my patience today. I just had to deal with Thomas and Gordon last night, and I don't have it in me to do this again. Get out of the tunnel."
Henry rolled his eyes and blew smoke at her.
Celestia tried to ignore her twitching eye. "Fiona, Willow. Get the passengers."
Ten minutes later, the passengers all stood at the mouth of the tunnel and watched as Fluttershy tied a strong rope around Henry's coupling.
"Um, Miss Celestia," Fluttershy said meekly. "Why exactly am I doing this?"
"Because," she paused for dramatic effect. "We're going to pull Henry out!"
"Seriously?" A passenger called.
"It's better than standing here twiddling our thumbs. Now come on!"
Celestia, Fluttershy, Treehugger, and the passengers all pulled as hard as they could. Well, almost all of them. A stout gentleman had muttered a quick 'My doctor has forbidden me to pull' and watched from the sideline. But no matter how hard they pulled, Henry didn't budge.
"You're wasting you're breath," he puffed.
One of the passengers groaned. "Well, that didn't work. You think she's going to say-"
"We'll push him out instead!"
"Of course she is."
The passengers moved to the back of the train and pushed as hard as they could. The stout gentleman didn't help this time either. Once again, Henry stayed in the tunnel.
Celestia groaned and pulled out her cell phone.
"Who're you calling?" Fluttershy asked.
"Tara. We'll see if Thomas can push him out."
Thomas raced down the mainline as quickly as Twilight and Spike would let him.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" He puffed, pretending he was Gordon.
In no time at all, the little teal engine had arrived to the tunnel.
"Peep, peep!" He whistled. "Ready Henry?"
"It's no good," the green engine muttered. "I'm staying put."
Thomas ignored him and buffered up to the train. He pushed and puffed with all his might until his face was as red as Apple Bloom's hair. But Henry still didn't move.
"Look, you idiot," a particularly angry passenger cried. "The rain has stopped! Now get out of the tunnel so I can get home!"
"It could start again, so I'm staying here."
Celestia was at her wit's end. "You know what, Henry? Fine! If you like the tunnel so much, you can stay there! We'll take away your rails and brick up the entrance!"
Henry suddenly realized he had made a mistake.
That evening, the other engines and their crews tried to console a crying Fluttershy. Henry may have been acting like a tool, but Fluttershy still had a soft spot for the green engine.
"If it makes you feel better, he had it coming," Rainbow said gently.
As you can guess, this only made things worse.
"Nice goin', Rainbow," Applejack muttered. "Listen Sugarcube, In a few days, Celestia will realize that she overreacted. Henry'll be outta that tunnel before ya can say 'bust mah buffers!'"
Fluttershy sniffed. "Are you sure?"
"Would ah lie to ya?"
Twilight groaned. "I hope he's let out soon. Edward and Gordon can't handle the work alone. And Thomas doesn't have any experience with anything other than shunting."
Thomas thought for a moment. 'If Henry's out of action, then maybe I'll be able to pull a train!'
Henry stayed shut up for several weeks. He didn't have enough steam to whistle hello to the other engines, and the dirt and grime from the tunnel had ruined his paintwork. Henry now wishes he hadn't been so silly. I think he got what he deserved.
Don't you?