Charles rattled to a stop in Norden station, with the other two engines in tow behind him. "That plan worked!" he said. "My genius... it scares me sometimes."
Zipp stopped his engine and hopped out of the cab, running back to the others. "Did you get it?" she asked.
Sunny hopped out of Salty's cab and showed the object. "Got it! We're one step closer to restoring the magic!"
"Hooray!" Izzy added.
Salty spoke up. "Erm, I hate to interrupt the landlubbers, but there seems to be a mighty squall coming in on the radio."
Sunny hopped back in the cab and took up the receiver. "Hello?"
A very familiar voice spoke on the other end. "Sunny? Where are you?"
"I'm at Norden. We're getting ready to move off, if you'd like to join us."
"You stay right there. Pipp and I are heading up here on another engine. I'll deal with you then." The line then closed.
Sunny looked back. "Dad didn't sound too happy. Guess we'll wait and see what's going on."
"I take it things didn't go to plan," Porter said.
"Probably not," Charles said. "Still, could be worse."
Just then, a strange spluttering and crashing started up from behind them. A large steam locomotive rattled into the loop next to them. It had a very strange, boxy shape, rather like a tin of spam. It had four leading wheels, six driving wheels, and two trailing wheels, all of them having holes in them like pieces of swiss cheese. It also had a very strangely shaped, angular tender. The wheels and frames were painted black, but the main box and the tender were painted green with three horizontal yellow stripes. The tender bore the legend BRITISH RAILWAYS in yellow text, and the cabside had the number 34022. The engine also had no nameplates.
The engine spluttered to a stop. "I did tell you I was a bit out of puff!" she said, in an accent which was the last thing you'd expect to hear from an engine of the Southern Railway.
Charles rolled his eyes. "She's from the wrong side of the Pennines," he grumbled.
Hitch clambered out of the cab of this engine. "Last time I take a ride on one of those," he grumbled. His uniform was completely smeared in black soot, and he was covered from head to toe in coal dust.
"Who's the chimney sweep?" Izzy asked.
"It's Hitch," Hitch replied. "And you two are in a lot of trouble."
Seconds after that, another engine arrived at the loop, pulling in behind the others. It appeared to be the same class as Charles, but was instead painted in two tone red and black with blue blobs and bore the number 33102. The nameplate read Sophie.
"Did you have a nice ride?" the diesel asked its occupants as they got out. They were Argyle and Pipp, the latter of whom had changed into something more practical.
Argyle said nothing. He climbed across the track, up into Salty, walked through the cab, and onto the platform.
Sunny's heart sank at his facial expression. Argyle never raised his voice or shouted at her. Instead, he had what she termed 'the look'. And he was giving right now.
"Was it worth it?" he asked.
"Was what worth it?"
"Seriously, what were you thinking?" he asked. "Not only did you cause mayhem at the field in Swanage, you stole from somebody! I shouldn't have to explain to you that stealing is wrong."
Sunny had no response. She felt rotten.
To her surprise, Zipp spoke next. "It was my idea, sir. I suggested they try the plan, as I figured Pipp wouldn't notice that we'd swapped the parts around."
"Well, I did," Pipp said, not looking hugely happy either. "Thanks to you lot, the concert got ruined! You left me hanging and turned my life upside down! Literally!" She paused. "It's destroyed my reputation, and over what? Some silly crystal?"
"You didn't really think this one through, did you?" Porter said.
Nobody responded. They all knew Porter was right.
Sunny glanced up. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Pipp heard this, and nodded. "I accept this apology, but I still don't trust you," she said. "Or you," she added, pointedly glaring at her sister. "Just what is so special about this crystal anyway?"
"You know how these engines have faces?" Izzy said.
"Yeah?"
"Well, this crystal was part of a device that once powered the means by which all engines were sentient. But it was broken long ago, and the bits were scattered. We're trying to reunite them and get the magic back together!"
Pipp had a brainwave. "Hey. If I help you guys, it could fix my own reputation. As you can see, I have my own engine, so I can definitely keep up."
"Well, it's settled then," Argyle said. "We continue on our path. The next one was somewhere in Lancashire."
"I'm only coming on one condition," Pipp said. "Any further bits of this device thingy need to be won fairly, without theft."
"Deal," Zipp replied.
Hitch sighed. "I guess I'm coming along too. And Rebecca."
"Who?"
"That's me!" the steam engine said. "I'm a West Country, or Spam Can to some. I may have somewhat slippy wheels and may need a few repairs, but I can definitely help you out."
The various people took their positions, ready to head off into the night.
The next morning, Sunny awoke to the smell of cooking from somewhere. She sat up from her seat and dropped out of the cab onto the ground. She soon followed the smell to the origin source, soon finding Izzy cooking something in Porter's firebox.
"Morning!" Izzy chirped. "Fancy cooked breakfast at Gas Mark 15?"
"What you cooking, and where are we?" Sunny asked.
"We're parked in a goods loop at Crewe, and I've got some eggs on the shovel at the moment. I'll be putting the bacon on once this is done, and after that some black pudding if any of you want that."
Sunny nodded. "I'd like that."
Safe to say, the cooked breakfast helped to restore the crew's spirits. Except perhaps Pipp, who complained about greasy food possibly ruining her figure.
"Relax," Zipp smiled, as she bit into a bacon sandwich. "A bit of bacon every now and then won't hurt you."
Hitch noted Sunny looking slightly down as she sat there. "You feeling OK?" he asked.
"No," Sunny replied.
"What's wrong?" Hitch said. "You can tell me."
Sunny sighed. "I haven't told the others, but part of the reason for setting off on this journey was because... I was getting tired of being seen as a crackpot. I wanted friends who accepted me for who I actually was, not saw me as a nuisance."
"Whatever makes you think I thought you were a nuisance?" Hitch said. "That's an entirely understandable sentiment, Sunny. Truth be told we all want friends who love us for being who we are. But would it have really hurt you to have been honest about it?"
"Arr, it's alright," Salty said suddenly, parked on a nearby siding. "I know how to raise our spirits."
"How?" Pipp asked. "Does it involve music?"
"Yes. I know many songs." Salty closed his eyes. "There once was a ship that put to sea/
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea!
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down/
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)!"
"Hey, I know this one!" Izzy said. "It was a meme on TikTok not long ago! Come on, guys!"
"This is preposterous," Charles complained. But nobody listened to him.
"Soon may the Wellerman come/
To bring us sugar and tea and rum!
One day, when the tonguing is done/
We'll take our leave and go!"
Several minutes passed, and once they were done with their sing song (which Pipp recorded and put on social media), it was time to reassemble the train in preparation for the departure towards Lancashire. The engines began to move about to assemble the new train.
Porter was to be placed in front of a fuel tanker which was carrying some diesel fuel for the trio of diesel engines. Charles was positioned behind it, and was calling Porter in. "Watch your approach speed, Porter!"
Unfortunately, a passing express obscured Charles' words, rendering Porter unable to hear. He reversed, and reversed...
and collided with the tanker with a bang. It slammed into Charles, which caused part of the tank to crack.
To say Charles was annoyed was an understatement. "PORTER, YOU IDIOT! YOU'VE REVERSED INTO THE FUEL TANKER!"
Sophie and Pipp began laughing as Charles continued grumbling. "You've broken it. Nice work."
"I didn't know that was there!" Porter protested. "Honestly, that was an accident." To try and minimise the annoyance the other felt, Porter chose to leave.
"Don't just steam off, Porter!" Charles boomed. "Porter? PORTER!"
Salty sighed. "Not a shipshape operation, this," he sighed.
"There's plenty of time to patch it up," Sunny replied, as she took her position in the secondman's position.