Duck and the Great Escape
The evening prior...
When Stepney and the other engines of the Little Western had returned to the shed, the bigger engines had noticed their long faces.
“Whatever is the matter Duck?” asked Edward, an old and wise Furness Railway K2 ‘Larger Seagull’.
“It’s Christmas in two days!” exclaimed James. “How can you have such a sombre expression your faces?”
“You might be enjoying Christmas, but we’re not,” Stepney sighed.
“Why-ever not??” Henry enquired.
“Because our friends aren’t,” Oliver replied.
Suddenly, Gordon waded in. “Are you talking about those three despicable girls who made a laughing stock of ME?!”
Toby snorted. “You’re not exactly perfect in that regard Gordon. Remember that incident with Neville?”
Gordon was suddenly very silent.
“Please tell us!” said Percy.
"I was down in Brendam today,” Oliver explained, “and I saw that Scootaloo had been confined to her room with no opportunity to leave the house, not even for air or conversation.”
The engines gasped in shock.
“Good heavens!” exclaimed Henry. “Why would they carry out such an act?”
Duck continued. “When I passed by Sweet Apple Acres near Arlesburgh, I observed three individuals in the house acting as if nothing had happened, and there was Apple Bloom out in the snow all on her own, being made to move stuff about until her legs fell off!”
“WHAT CHEEK!” spluttered Gordon. “Fancy them overloading an individual. It’s like asking a Tank Engine to pull the Express!”
“I know, I know,” Toby sighed.
“What about you Stepney?” asked Edward. “How is Sweetie Belle fairing?”
“She has it worst, I’m afraid,” the terrier replied. “Only today was she packed off on the Wild Nor’Wester and sent to the Mainland to live with her parents!”
“I can’t imagine what it would be like!” Percy cried. “It must be like being trapped in a tunnel with no coal or water!”
“Don’t remind me,” Henry moaned.
“But,” Duck said, “we have a plan to end this state of affairs.” And he told the others his plan.
Edward suddenly spoke up. “I’m not going to interfere with your plan, but I have to say I think you will simply make things worse.”
“Did you not here what they just said?” boomed Gordon. “Those families have clearly lost the Christmas spirit! Families are supposed to forgive and forget one another, just I forgave you for making me stall on the Hill!”
James spoke up next. “I thought the entire point of Christmas was that it was a time of peace and forgiveness, not jealousy and petty anger. How is what the families are doing better than what they did?”
“And by keeping them apart,” Henry finished, “they are making a terrible mistake. Even Sir Toppham Hatt wasn’t that cruel during the Engine Strike. Why, it’s dis-dis-”.
“Disgraceful!” said Gordon.
“Disgusting!” put in James.
“Despicable!” finished Henry.
Edward sighed. “At the same time, these families need to be given a chance to calm down. From what I’ve been able to pick up of the incident, the trust those girls had in their families has been destroyed. Trust is like a piece of paper; once you have folded it, you cannot make it flat again no matter how hard you try. My driver once had a falling out with a friend, who told him that, no matter what, he couldn’t ‘fix his broken plate’.” The old engine paused. “I asked him what he meant, and he told me this story.”
And so, Edward began.
A mother had a son who had an extremely bad temper. He would often do or say some extremely hurtful things, after which he seemed truly repentant. No matter what the mother did, she could not get the child to think before he reacted. One day while washing dishes, she had a great idea. She called her son into the room with her and handed him a plate. “Throw that plate on the ground” she instructed the young man. After some encouragement, the young man did as he was told.
As expected, the plate broke into several pieces. “Now let’s glue this plate back together” the mother said, so they worked together for quite some time and had the plate looking pretty close to its original state, although a few cracks and chips were still visible. “Now say you’re sorry to this plate,” the mother said.
The child looked confused but saw that his mother was serious. So, he said his apology. “Now is the plate good as new?” the mother asked. The child shook his head no, because although it was back together, it would never look the same.
The mother went on to explain that is what we do to the hearts of our loved ones when we are angry. Although the pain can be mended and apologies can be given, the relationship will never be able to be put back together the same again.
The other engines murmured in approval. But they were not convinced.
Gordon was the first to speak. “But you cannot put the relationship back together if you are not prepared to start out on that road. These families are clearly not prepared to do this.”
Percy spoke next. “Remember how Sir Toppham Hatt forgave us for spreading those rumours about Harold? If he can extend the olive branch, so can they!”
“And the treatment is unacceptable!” added James. “Even if they did say horrible things about my shiny red paint.”
Edward spoke again. “Whilst I do agree that the punishment is excessive, it is clear that those three did something that was out of line. They made Sunset feel like a social pariah. And all out of petty jealousy, when they could have simply talked to their siblings about it. But I am disgusted at the hypocrisy of the students who submitted secrets and blamed Sunset for it at the same time. In short, I do not agree with what you have planned, but I will not try to stop you.”
Thomas spoke up. “So, what shall we do? We need to make this right.”
“We could try a strike,” Gordon noted.
“That worked so well last time, didn’t it?” James snorted.
“Duly noted,” Henry replied.
Percy’s face suddenly lit up. “I’ve got it!” he cried. “We’ll try it tomorrow.”
Christmas Eve...
Shortly after Oliver had left, Applejack looked at her watch. “Well, Ah’d better be getting' back ta the farm,” she said. “Need ta see how everyone’s getting' on.”
She crossed the footbridge just as the Arlesburgh train was coming in, pulled by Duck. But just as she got to the train, and prepared to open the carriage door, Duck suddenly accelerated away into the distance.
“What in tarnation?” she asked. “There ain’t another train for another hour!”
Rainbow Dash had crossed over to platform 1, and looked down the line. There was Duck speeding off into the distance.
Then she heard a distinctive 3-cylinder beat in the distance. This was followed by a loud whistle, and the familiar sight of Gordon the Big Engine approaching on the express. The train rattled and roared toward them. Rainbow Dash smiled. The Down Wild nor’Wester called here, on its way to Vicarstown, and she usually took it to get to her hometown of Wellsworth. It was quick way to travel, even if it did require a change of trains.
But as the train approached, it showed absolutely no signs of slowing down. Gordon roared through the station at well over 70 miles an hour, whistling loudly as he did so. “No service for hypocrites!” he shouted, flying through and vanishing into the distance.
Rainbow Dash was confused. “Maybe it’s a new timetable?” she asked. This was frustrating, as it meant she had to take the slow train to Wellsworth, and that stopped everywhere. She took out her phone and dialled her parents.
Fluttershy had left before the others to help at Crosby Animal Sanctuary, where she cared for many different animals. Amongst them were hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, and rabbits. There was one she was especially close to, Angel, that was the closest thing she had ever known to a pet.
But her shift was over, and she wanted to get back to her parent’s house at Cronk. There she would be spending Christmas Eve, before she and her friends met up on the day itself for a day of happiness and merriment in the town square of Knapford.
She heard a whistle in the distance, and approaching in the distance was Henry. He was pulling a long, slow train, and eased to a stop with his vans in the Crosby station platform, as the train in front of him had got into difficulties and was having trouble ascending Gordon’s Hill.
Fluttershy walked over to greet the Black 5. Both of them were fairly shy, and had bonded over a collective kindness and love of nature. But what came next shocked her.
Just as she opened her mouth, Henry whistled loudly. “So, I’ve finally seen your true colours, have I?”
Fluttershy was taken aback. “Erm, excuse me, but I don’t follow,” she said.
“They call you the element of kindness,” Henry fumed, “and yet you only apply it selectively. You can be very cruel when you want to.”
“Is this about Sunset?” Fluttershy asked. “Because-”
“Because nothing!” the Stanier 4-6-0 interrupted. “When is it ever acceptable to break someone’s heart and leave them crying on the cold tiles of Knapford Station? Whenever is it acceptable to fail to stand up against injustice?”
“The Crusaders did do something that was wrong, Henry,” Fluttershy reasoned. “They posted a lot of hurtful stuff and should be punished for it.”
“So, it is acceptable to tear them apart, just as they tore you apart?” Henry thundered. “Two wrongs do not make a right, Fluttershy! Especially when it comes to family!”
“I’m not-”
“Willing to show compassion, given the tough time they have been through? By acting in this hateful manner toward them, you will simply distance them from their siblings even more.”
There were tears in Fluttershy’s eyes as she realised the true meaning of Henry’s words. “No, I-I'm so-”
Just then the signal changed. Henry snorted. “If this sort of attitude remains, then I’m afraid this is the end of our friendship. Merry Christmas.”
He stormed away into the distance, as Fluttershy dropped down onto the platform and wept. “What have I done?”
Pinkie Pie had since travelled back to Tidmouth to await some much-needed supplies for Sugarcube Corner. They were supposed to be arriving at the docks and moved by rail to the closest siding. As she stood at the siding, she noticed Percy pulling four trucks toward her.
“ARE THOSE THE SUPPLIES I ORDERED?” she asked.
Percy didn’t reply, and came to a stop. “Element of Laughter, eh?” he said. “I bet the only laughing you did was behind the backs of everyone this season!”
“If this is about Anon-a-Miss, then-”
“The way you treated the Crusaders was totally unnaceptable!” Percy snapped back. “As you can see, I brought you something for your actions.”
Pinkie Pie smiled. “Oooh, lovely, the supplies I ordered!” She pulled of the tarpaulin, and her eyes widened in horror.
The trucks were not filled with icing, cooking supplies, or batter. They were filled with coal!
“I can’t make a cake with coal!” she protested.
Percy uncoupled from the train. “Merry Christmas,” he said, as he backed away. “The cooking supplies will go to someone who deserves them this holiday season.”
He vanished around a bend and further into the docks. Pinkie’s hair deflated.
“Wow, the narrator must really dislike us!” she said.
Elsewhere, Rainbow Dash had got part of the way home, and decided to flag the Wild Nor’Wester again.
As it approached, Gordon spotted Rainbow Dash waving, and smiled.
As the trains rattle through Marron, they must pass over a set of water troughs. These can be very messy, and produce a lot of spray.
Gordon noted this, and saw it as a perfect opportunity. Just as he charged into the troughs, he dropped his water scoop and roared past. The water flew up into the air, and onto the platform-soaking Rainbow Dash from head to toe!
“I hope you get the message now!” shouted Gordon.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “What’s going on?”
That evening, Sunset waited at Knapford Junction for her train to Ffarquhar. She had lived on Thomas’ branch line for many years, and as a result knew the blue tank engine fairly well. She smiled as he came to a stop in the platform. “Evening Thomas!”
Thomas didn’t reply. He looked cross. “I’m ashamed of you!” he snapped.
“Why?” Sunset asked, visibly confused.
“This whole affair, Anon-a-Miss!” Thomas said. “How could you do that?”
“I was the victim!” Sunset protested. “It was they who did it!”
“And they left you crying on the floor, begging for mercy,” Thomas sighed. “And yet you were unwilling to show the Crusaders mercy when they begged you for mercy and forgiveness. That’s simply plain hypocritical!”
Sunset lost her temper. “YOU DON’T KNOW THE HALF OF IT THOMAS! THOSE THREE GIRLS WRECKED MY LIFE! THEY DESERVE TO SUFFER THE WAY THEY ARE!”
Thomas looked totally unphased. “So, it’s petty revenge you seek, eh?” he answered. “You haven’t changed at all!”
Just then, the guard’s whistle went, and Thomas steamed away into the distance with his train.
Sunset was left with her own thoughts. “What have I done?” she asked.
Meanwhile, Duck was steaming along his branch line, and passed Sweet Apple Acres with his vans. As the siding for the farm was set up in the Up direction, he had to travel onward to Arlesburgh, run around, and pull them back in order to shunt them into the siding. He would then take them on to be marshalled at Arlesburgh yard.
He pushed his trucks into the siding and sure enough saw Apple Bloom carrying a crate over to the loading dock. Well, carried is the wrong word. It was more of a cross between dragging and stumbling. She reached the dock, completely out of breath, and pulled her woolly hat off her head.
“Mornin’ Duck!” she said.
“Good morning madame,” Duck replied. “I take it you have some cider for me?”
“Ah don’t think yer tanks’d take it!” the girl said. Both human and engine laughed at the joke.
Stacking to boxes into neat piles, Apple Bloom pushed them onto a hand cart, and wheeled them onboard the vans. It was slow going, as only one person was completing the process, and each van could take 60 boxes. And there were five vans to fill.
Presently, Big Mac came outdoors. “What’s takin’ so long?” he boomed.
“There are an awful lot of boxes to load-” Duck began.
“Ah didn’t ask ya, kettle!” he boomed.
Apple Bloom turned to face her brother. “Well, maybe if ya weren’t workin’ mah butt off, they might be loaded faster?”
Mac’s face went even redder than usual, and his hand closed into a fist. Duck shut his eyes.
BAM!
“That, is for creatin’ that social media profile.”
BAM!
“And that is fer answerin’ back.” Duck opened his eyes to see Apple Bloom a sobbing mess on the floor. “Now get these loaded and get back over ta the house. We’ve got a cellar to clean.” He began to walk away. “By that, Ah mean you.”
Duck was furious. He breathed in, and let loose the foulest curse known to steam engines.
“CASHMORE!” he shouted.
Apple Bloom got back up, and started loading the crates again. “This is gonna be mah life fer the next few weeks,” she sighed.
Duck spoke up. “That goes beyond punishment. I have a plan to get you out of here, but if it’s going to work, you need to trust me, OK?”
Apple Bloom nodded.
Duck took his train to the marshalling yard, to see the Scottish twins, Donald and Douglas, moving several of the vans into the wrong sidings.
“Hey, Douggie, where ya puttin’ those wagons?”
“Just over there Donal’!”
Duck puffed in with his new vans. “I’ve some vans here for marshalling!” he said.
Douglas puffed over to him. “Been over ta that farm yet?”
“That’s where these vans came from, yes,” Duck explained.
“Well, until further notice, we’ve been dumping all those vans inta the sidin over there.”
Duck laughed. “That will put pressure on them.”
“The roads aroond here are too bad ta deliver those boxes by rail. If they’re produce ain’t goin’ ta market, they’ll lose out and be forced ta compromise.”
Duck was astonished. “All of this for Apple Bloom?”
Donald joined them, having finished ‘shunting’ the wagons. “That wee lass don’t deserve what their doin’ ta here. She did somethin’ wron’, but that’s too harsh.”
“Even I weren’t punished so harsh when I misplaced that cooch!” Douglas noted.
“Yes!” Donald added. “When I demolished that signal box, they didna work me till my wheels fell off!”
Duck sighed. “I have a plan to rescue her, but I need your help. Can you help me?”
“Ya can always rely on a Scottish engine,” Douglas said. “What ya need us ta doo?”
That night resounded to the loud crashing and banging of wagons in Arlesburgh yard. Donald and Douglas pushed the coaches and trucks back and forth as noisily as they could, moving a train of 13-ton wagons for Duck to pick up. Duck rolled past and coupled onto the wagons, and headed for the dock.
Meanwhile, the noise woke the Apple family up. “What in tarnation!” Granny Smith shouted.
“What’s that noise?” asked Big Mac.
Applejack sighed. “Sounds like the Scottish twins are at it, again,” she sighed. She grabbed a coat and some layers, heading off into the darkness with her older brother and grandmother to find out what was going on.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom quickly pulled on some warm winter clothing, as well as a coat, and sprinted out of the front door, in the opposite direction to where her family was going.
Applejack walked into the yard to see what the noise was all about. “What in tarnation is goin’ on, you two?”
Donald addressed. “Ah, the wee lassie wants to know what’s goin’ on.”
“Ay, Donal’,” said his brother. “Well, we are shuntin’ those vans ya sent us, to take them ta market.”
Big Mac looked confused. “They were supposed ta go ta market a few days ago!”
“Well,” said the other engine, “There is a certain matter of concern over at Sour Pear Hectares which we dinna agree with.”
Granny Smith stepped forward and shook her fist angrily at Douglas. “Now you see here-” she began.
“No, you see here!” Donald interrupted. “That wee lassie yer keepin’ under lock and key is in a mighty poor state. We Scottish engines are not willin’ ta tolerate such a thing.”
Smith seemed cross. “Ya think ya can tell me how ta run mah affairs, ya young whippersnapper?”
“I think you’ll find yer the young whippersnapper here, madame,” Douglas snorted. “We rolled out of Glasgow works in 1909.”
“And what will ya do, eh?” asked Donald. “Cane us on the firebox? Slap our smokeboxes? ‘Cause that’ll end badly for ya.”
Just then, a whistle could be heard in the distance, and a puffing noise.
Big Mac looked over. “There’s Duck! But he wasn’t due with a goods train until Boxing Day!”
Applejack’s face went red with anger. “APPLE BLOOM!” she roared.
Granny Smith began issuing instructions. “Take that pump cart and get after them! That girl’s gonna get a whippin’ fer this!”
Donald sighed. “Aboot that...”
Meanwhile, Duck raced down the line with his trucks. They sped along, the light being good and the rails clean. Apple Bloom poked her head out the cab.
“Did Donald and Douglas hold them up?”
“There’s no sign of them, so I think so!” the pannier tank replied.
“Get back here!” shouted a loud voice. Right behind them were Applejack and Big Mac, operating a pump cart. They were catching up quickly, closer and closer they got.
Duck put every ounce of steam he had into getting clear. They were gaining control. “One clear mile and we’ll have done it!” he cried.
Apple Bloom looked ahead, and shrieked. “Ah Glory, look at that!” Before them was Murdoch, pulling a slow heavy coal train.
“Evasive manoeuvres!” shouted Duck, who swung across the rails onto the down line, and straight past Murdoch. But trouble lay ahead. Before them was James!
“EEEEEEYYYOOOOOOIIIIIIKKKKKKSSSSSS!” exclaimed Duck. “Save us!” Luckily, a quick-thinking signalman did, and they were diverted onto the up line just in time.
But the pump cart was back, and catching up on the other side. The two ran parallel, as the lines got closer and closer together.
Duck pulled as hard as he could, but Big Mac climbed off the cart and attempted to board the engine.
“Yer comin’ back with us!” he boomed. But the engine was going too fast, and he fell back onto the pump cart. But the signalman was unaware of the pump cart, and had left a siding set incorrectly. The pump cart flew round a tight bend, and straight into a muddy pool!
As Applejack and Big Mac climbed out, spluttering, Donald rolled up next to them. “Dinna smashed yerself, did ya!” he laughed. “Don’ worry, we’ll soon ha ya back on the rails!”
Duck backed into the depot, to see Oliver had already got back. Apple Bloom hopped off his footplate, and smiled. “Thank ya Duck,” she said.
“No problem!” he said. “No get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow.”
Apple Bloom hopped into her bunk, and was soon fast asleep.
“That just leaves Stepney,” Duck thought.
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I just had a PTSD flashback of memes
. Love it.
9320698
Which ones, may I ask?
9320702
All of these
Meme
I love it when they on strikes
I think the Apple family needs to cool off, especially Big Mac for hitting Apple Bloom.😠
Duck is a cool engine 😃
And the talk that's Thomas have with Sunset Shimmer is probably the best one yet
And that's like Thomas the Tank Engine is my favorite train.
9320802
OK then...
9320828
Thanks man. I always feel the stories in which Sunset takes delight in punishing the CMC are ironic and hypocritical, for (as Thomas points out here) Sunset begged for mercy from her friends, yet is unwilling to show any herself.
9320836
Your welcome
9320835
No disrespect tho
9320854
None taken. Some of them were actually quite funny!
9320850
What was in the comment you deleted?
9320860
I accidentally put Big Mac face icon where Fluttershy were opposed to be by mistake.
9320868
Ah, OK. Given the content of the story, that would be most innapropriate!
9320869
Yeah, sorry about that.
9320872
It wasn't intended as a telling off.
9320874
Okay, can't wait for the next chapter.
9320880
That's tomorrow morning.
Good story so far. Gotta say though, Big Mac is really out of character in that scene. Speaking like he did to Duck and then hitting Applebloom? He could get arrested for doing that. That’s not like Big Mac.
9320901
It's a satirical comment on OOC moments in these stories. Besides, things are extremely tense at the moment and, as you've probably picked up, the Apples haven't forgiven their younger member.
9320886
YES!
9320907
Ah, so that wasn’t meant to be taken too seriously. And, yeah I can see the ice cold shoulders the family turns toward Applebloom have yet to thoroughly thaw.
9320907
another suggestion you have Edward talk with Sunset
9320911
I like to reward my readers.
9320935
Fun fact; England and the Czech Republic are the only countries in Europe that haven't banned hitting children. As Sodor is under English law, Mac wouldn't face prosecution.
9320959
Duly noted. A future chapter for that one.
9321026
Thanks
9321028
Ah yeah that would make sense. I would still question his actions being that he balled his fist up and then hit her. That still would bother me. But it is only satire as you said so I am not gonna lose any sleep over it. Keep going with this. Its turning out pretty good. I haven’t seen to many TTTE/MLP crossovers here.
9321275
I intend to.
I get what you're doing with this, but the conversation with Thomas and Sunset was out of line. If Anon-a-miss just effected the humane 6 he would have a point but they effected practically everyone, and, given their motivations, Oliver, Duck and Stepney are essentially rewarding the girls for their actions.
9321541
Again, Thomas is a machine, built long before the advent of social media. He doesn't truly understand what has happened.
Well, Rarity is the only one who hasn't gotten a taste of it yet, but when she does, I hope it's done by James. Infact, I'd like to see James ruin Rarity's outfit just to prove his point
9321577
Just you wait...
I know that Applejack and Big Macintosh are supposed to be strong, but I find it somewhat implausible that they'd be able to keep pace with Duck, who would probably be able to travel at at least 40 miles an hour; the 5700s are limited to 35mph on the main line nowadays but would likely have been able to do more than that. Coupled to the running start, chances are that Duck would have been out of sight within minutes. But then we probably wouldn't have had much of a chapter if that was the case.
9417024
Do keep in mind Duck is having to slow down for the junctions to swing between the up and down lines; taking those at 40 would not be pretty.
Besides, this is Thomas and Friends; do remember that TATMR concludes with 0-4-0 (who probably would have a top speed of 30 or so) and an E2 (top speed 50) outrunning a BR Class 42 (top speed 90 miles an hour).