Thomas & Equestria Girls 2: Adventures From Sodor

by LPFanFic

Chapter 12: A Day Out With Thomas

Thomas & Equestria Girls 2:
Adventures From Sodor!

Chapter 12: A Day Out With Thomas

It was a new day in the world of Canterlot City. Juniper Montage had invited Thomas and his friends to meet with her at a very special location.

Yesterday, the Engines met with Principal Celestia to enter the Crystal Race in Twilight and her friend's place. It took some convincing. And despite some apprehension, Celestia happily enrolled them as temporary Wondercolts in the end. When that was taken care of, Juniper took Thomas to her uncle's movie set, where he was working on the much anticipated movie based off his very own cartoon. Thomas had been given the role as himself by G. B. Keeling, the film's consultant. The director Canter Zoom agreed and gave Thomas the role after submitting his audition.

The other Engines were indeed surprised to hear of Thomas' involvement with the movie. They must've recognized Thomas' voice too maybe, and thought him perfect for the role. To avoid any suspicion of him actually being Thomas, however, Juniper gave him a different name for everyone working on the movie to address him by.

"I can't believe you're actually starring in a movie, Thomas," Percy said. "As yourself!"

"If only we were allowed in," Emily said. "I would've loved to see how Knapford station looked."

"I may not really understand it much," Thomas admitted, "but Canter Zoom said I did excellent during my audition!"

"Now we just gotta wait for the executives to call it official," Juniper said, cheerfully. "And you're on your way to becoming a movie star, Thomas! Oh, I mean, Steam Wheeler."

"Steam Wheeler?!" Gordon laughed.

"It's not funny, Gordon!" Thomas said, crossing his arms.

"Coming Soon!" James joked. "The movie you've all been waiting for! Thomas; staring Steam Wheeler!"

James couldn't even get it out without joining Gordon as they continued laughing some more. Thomas and Juniper glared at them.

"We couldn't just tell them my name," Thomas argued. "You saw how the Shadowbolts reacted when we introduced ourselves. They thought we were crazy."

"Huh! Stuff and nonsense," James complained. "You would've had your name slapped over every frame of this movie more than it already has if it were up to you."

"Agreed," Gordon agreed. "A show, a movie, a museum exhibit! What's next; a fun fair?"

"Funny you should mention that," Juniper chimed.

Thomas and the others followed Juniper through a large, blue gate. Upon entering, the Engines were met with a jaw dropping, eye gaping sight of a large, loud theme park packed full of people with Thomas' image almost everywhere they looked.

Juniper had taken Thomas and his friends to a Thomas theme park. Thomas was completely blown away. There were mechanized thrill machines the likes of which none of the engines have ever seen in their lives.

There was a Gordon themed Music Express, Troublesome Trucks roller-coaster, Harold the Helicopter chair-o-plane, and a Cranky the Crane drop tower. The park had Carousels with second floors and Ferris Wheels higher than any seen on Sodor. Bumper cars with diesel engines as the electric cars, a Bulstrode gondala pendulum ride, and various other rides including Jump & Smiles, Search and Rescue helter skelters, Breakdances, slide towers, log fumes, and a three-foot gauge Railway where a Percy and Thomas train took visitors on tours or to their destinations all across the theme park. Juniper approached Thomas, still taking everything in, and whipped out a gold ticket.

"Wanna know the best part about a theme park; Having a free pass for it!"

The Engines admired the pass with awe. Thomas accepted and stared at the shiny ticket.

"A movie star also has the benefit of inviting his closest friends to access anything promoting their big movie, which is why my uncle asked me to pass this onto you."

Everyone was excited, but Toby was intimidated by all the loud and elaborate rides.

"S-shouldn't we be preparing for the Crystal Race tough?"

"Relax, Toby," James said, casually. "Balloon popping, ball tossing and adrenaline rides can count as training."

"They don't," Emily said. "But at the same time, how can I say no to a fun day at a park?"

"Let's see how many rides we can go on with my free pass!" Thomas encouraged.

The group cheered as Thomas, Juniper and some of the Engines branched off to see what they can do first. They were all looking forward to a fun day.

---

Thomas' free pass allowed him and his friends to access a variety of rides. Percy and Toby wouldn't go on some, seeing most of these rides as scary and too fast. Thomas and Juniper talked the two into going on some of the slower, less thrilling rides to get an easy start. After that, Percy and Toby went on as many as they could, only for Toby to feel nauseous after riding a teacup inspired ride, and proceeded to upchuck in a nearby garbage. Thomas and Percy both rode a Chair-o-plane ride, then joined Gordon as they rode a music express. The ride was much faster than any of them thought. Percy was scared but Thomas managed to ease him into the fun. After the two friends hopped on a tour train for a trip around the park, Percy found himself enjoying himself again, as well as the park a lot more.

There were also smaller amusement attractions such as funhouses. Some were large and small, and included lots of mirrors, obstacle courses, a slide, ball pits, and spinning discs. The engines bombarded their way through the rocky attractions, getting tossed around, tripped up, lost, and walking face first into a mirror or two. But Thomas and his friends were still having a blast, especially from sliding down slides, jumping into ball pits, and swinging on ropes to get a cross one platform to another.

The Thomas Park held plenty of Carnival games. Some were unique to the park. But the park also had Rope Ladders, Skee Ball, Whac-A-Moles, Duck ponds, and many more that were centralized around Thomas' TV show!

One game Thomas and his friends were greatly invested in was the 'Boulder Run'. Patrons take control of Thomas or either of his friends to try and maneuver through a series of tracks whilst being chased by Boulder, a large, circular rock that once caused a lot of damage back on Sodor. Thomas had to keep his character on track for a certain amount of time to earn lots of tickets. But once Boulder knocks over a moving figurine, the player loses. Other players could participate too, allowing them to compete and sabotage each other by leading Boulder into another character and knocking them over. Gordon and James soon joined to prove they can last longer than Thomas. And the three competed to see who can stay on track the longest, ending with Gordon and James both getting knocked down by Boulder and Thomas being the last engine standing.

The Engines moved on to another game. This one being a horse race style game where patrons shoot water guns at a bullseye to make the corresponding engine move a head and take the lead. Thomas, Percy, James, and Emily decided to play and aimed their water guns. The little train figurines inched forward when the Engines sprayed water at their corresponding character. Some had a hard time getting their train to move, but it was James who reached the end and won the race. James won a plushy of himself, which he began showing off how accurate his paint was even as a stuffed toy. The others dreaded the endless boasting they'll be hearing from him for a while. And boast he did.

Next, Juniper Montage and Thomas tried their skills at a dart throwing booth, trying to pop colorful balloons to win a stuffed character. The two competed to pop the most balloons. Thomas didn't have the best aim, but Juniper didn't show much difficulty. Juniper ended up winning, and earned herself a Diesel 10 plushy. An ecstatic Juniper was overjoyed with her prize and hugged it tightly. Shocked at first, Thomas then glared with disdain at her plushy, remembering just how unpleasant the real diesel himself was.

---

Later on, Percy, James, Gordon and Toby branched off with Juniper to check out the food venues and gift shops. Along the way, they saw large crowds of people surrounding a white stage. There weren't many children at this gathering. The majority were either teens or young adults. A Woman speaking on a podium was announcing the arrival of a special guest to the park. Juniper immediately got excited when she realized who it was. It was G. B. Keeling Jr., Keeling Sr.'s son who she and Thomas met yesterday on her uncle's movie set. G. B. Keeling stepped on stage and sat on a comfy chair facing the audience. He had a mic in hand and happily encouraged the audience to share any questions.

"That's him!" Juniper squealed to the Engines. "That's G. B. Keeling Jr.! His father created your stories! He's the reason why you and Thomas' show are famous!"

The Engines were admittedly impressed.

"Oh, yeah!" She said, proudly. "Gentlemen, see how the man who started it all inspired dedicated fans to embrace their imagination, friendship, kindness and-huh?"

After G. B. Keeling got on stage, however, a few the teens and other adults began heckling him and his involvement with Thomas. They were not happy at all with Thomas' current television run, and came to Keeling's Q&A to ask questions regarding its direction. A few parents with their children tired joining in to liven up the meet & greet, but fans kept asking how he could let the show and upcoming movie tarnish his father's work, why he's not ashamed of what they're doing to Thomas, and why he isn't doing anything to prevent things from getting worse. The crowd became so rowdy that G. B. Keeling had to be escorted off stage, disappointing the majority of people who came to see him.

The Engines were surprised. They looked to Juniper who felt ashamed but played up a sheepish smile.

"I-I guess not everyone feels the same."

---

Meanwhile, Thomas and Emily wondered around the park together, staring in awe at the many machines and children having just as much fun as they were.

"You were right, Thomas," Emily twirled. "I finally get what you and the others were saying about this place. There's a whole different point of view when you're a person. It's all so exciting and new!"

Thomas chuckled. "And that was before I knew there was an entire theme park about us."

"It is nice seeing more stuff centered around us and not just on Thomas." Emily's eyes widened then grinned with embarrassment, "Not that there's anything wrong with just you, of course."

"That's okay, Emily! We're all having fun at least. And there's still lots more fun to be had when the Crystal Race begins."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," She said, a bit doubtful. "You sure we can win? I mean, I'm not sure it's wise to be stooping to their level. It almost seemed like they were encouraging us to act just as competitive."

"We're not gonna do anything like that, Emily. We're better than them. It's like you said; just work together, and we'll show those Shadowbolts what we're made of."

This managed to inspire Emily a bit. "Hmm. Well, okay, Thomas! Let's beat them at their own game."

Suddenly, among the mist of people walking by and chatting away, both Thomas and Emily heard faint sobbing. The two stopped in their place upon hearing it predominantly within the vicinity, wondering what and where the sorrowful noise was coming from.

"You hear that too, right?" Emily asked.

Thomas and Emily scanned their surroundings. It was difficult making out where the noise was with the passing people and children chattering over it. Their search brought them to a vacant popcorn and cotton candy kiosk closed off while the employee is away. The crying came from behind the kiosk. Thomas and Emily sneaked behind to find a small boy sitting with his back against the wall, knees bent, and face buried in his palms.

The boy had orange hair, apple green skin, and light blue eyes. He wore a dark and sky-blue polo shirt, blue pants, brown shoes, and a red baseball cap with a yellow number one on front. A red balloon was tied to his wrist, and a Thomas shaped whistle laid flat next to him as he kept crying into his hands.

Both Thomas and Emily were worried. What could he be crying over? They cautiously approach the crying boy. Emily knelt down next to him, gaining his attention after gently placing a hand on his shoulder and greeting him with a soft hello. The boy looked over at Emily then Thomas, who stood and leaned in front of him.

"What's the matter?" Thomas asked. "Why are you crying?"

The boy sniffed back a few times with tears still leaking from his eyes. He was nervous to talking to these strangers, but did so anyways, seeing something welcoming about these two; particularly the blue boy.

"I w-was with my mommy and daddy and sister when we were playing that water squirt game."

"I know that one," Thomas chuckled. "That's a really fun game. Did you win anything?"

"Yeah. Just a-a sticker book. Then I saw another game I wanted to play. So, I left to go play it. But then I looked around and both my parents were gone."

"Did you try going back to see if they were at that racing game?" Emily said.

The boy nodded, only to start welling up again. "I lost my parents, and I don't know where they are!"

He buried his face into his hands again and started sobbing louder. Thomas was sad for the boy.

"Oh dear."

"Mommy! I want my mommy!"

Emily tried rubbing his back for comfort while he continued bawling. She looked to Thomas, looking just as disheartened as she was. It was a wonder how nobody could hear his cries even over the noisy machines. Thomas couldn't stand seeing the boy cry anymore, and prompted him to do something about it.

"Hey, it's alright," Thomas beamed, determined. "We'll find your parents for you."

The boy faced Thomas with teary eyes and a stuffy nose.

"Yeah! Your parents are probably just as worried for you as well," Emily assured him. "And our other friends can help too!"

Thomas then extended a hand for the boy to take.

"Come on!" He beamed. "Let's look together!"

The boy stared at Thomas and his hand. Reluctantly, he accepted, and got back on his feet. Emily held onto the boy's whistle with one hand while the other held his left hand.

"Hold on tight now, okay?" Thomas instructed. "We don't wanna end up losing you too."

"And stay very close to us so you can point out your parents," Emily added.

The boy didn't know what to say. He was still visibly upset, but seeing these two strangers volunteering to search for his family had put him at ease a little.

---

Thomas, Emily and the boy trekked through the park while keeping an eye out for his parents. They eventually run into their friends, all wondering why a small child was with them. Thomas and Emily explained the situation to everyone. The Engines quickly understood and shared collective glances followed with a nod of agreement. Toby approached Thomas and looked at the Boy, simply observing the strange teens discussing among themselves. He didn't know anyone, and was a bit nervous around them.

"This park is awfully big and too crowded," Toby said. "No wonder they got separated. It's very easy for anyone to get lost in such a place."

"Fancy everyone else not paying notice or doing anything to help this poor little one," Gordon said. "It's, it's... disgraceful."

"It's disgusting," James chimed.

Gordon and James looked to their left, remembering that Henry isn't with them to complete their complaint, and slouched in dismay. The more the boy heard from these people, especially after hearing what Gordon and James said, he started to sense something familiar about these people.

"Let's not waste any more time!" Percy said. "His parents must be worried sick."

Thomas nodded then looked at the boy with a smile.

"Shall we continue our search?"

The Boy nodded. Thomas then took the boy to continue on, now with Percy, James, Gordon, Emily and Toby tagging along. The group shuffled and cut their way through crowds of people not paying notice to their surroundings. They tried looking everywhere, from the rides, to the funhouses, to the food venues and games. But they didn't appear to be anywhere. The multiple barrage of people passing and obscuring their sight didn't help much either.

"Do you see your parents anywhere?" Thomas asked the Boy.

The boy looked around while holding tight onto his whistle. He couldn't see them at all. The boy slouched.

"No. We're never going to find them! I'm gonna be lost forever."

Thomas and the others could see the boy tearing up. After thinking to himself, Thomas had an idea. He lifted the boy off the ground, and sat him on his shoulders. The boy was scared and confused at first, but Thomas managed to sway his worries.

"Maybe you'll have a better view from up here! Hold on to my head. Aaaand lift off!"

Thomas then strolled ahead, making airplane noises and holding onto the boy's legs so he doesn't fall off. The boy laughed and spread his arms out like wings while Thomas rushed in a quick haste through the kiosk isles. The other engines didn't know what Thomas was playing at until seeing him and the boy laughing with joy, which was nice to see given his predicament.

"Do you see your mom and dad anywhere now?" Thomas asked, still laughing a bit.

The boy squinted and scanned the area. It was much easier to see sitting on Thomas' shoulders. He could even see above people's heads. But his parents were still not in sight. As Thomas continued carrying him past the crowds now settling down, the Boy then spotted a man and a woman with a baby stroller, looking distressed while speaking with two park security guards.

"There!" The Boy cried, hopping on Thomas' shoulders. "Over there! I see them! I see them!"

Excited, Thomas tried following where the boy pointed. The man looked out into the crowd and saw a red balloon dangling higher than most were. He followed the balloon's string length to the Boy sitting in plain sight above the crowd, and waving at him with flailing arms. He got the mother's attention and pointed to their son now approaching them. The parent's cried out and ran to him. Thomas set the Boy back down, who proceeded to run towards his parents with both arms out.

"Mom! Dad!"

The parents got on their knees and embraced their son in a tight hug. The mother was on the verge of hysterical weeping. The Engines stood beside Thomas and smiled along with him. They were relieved and proud to have reunited the boy with his parents and sister, who was fast asleep in her stroller.

"Don't ever wonder off from us again," the Father scolded.

"I'm sorry," the Boy said with repentant.

Despite his scolding, the Father was still relieved to see he son was okay. The Father and Mother then stood back up, holding their son's hands as tight as ever while facing Thomas and the others.

"Thank you for bringing our son back to us," The Father said, gratefully.

"No problem, Sir!" Thomas beamed. "We couldn't just leave him all alone."

"Is there anything we can do to repay you?" The Mother asked.

"Now that you mentioned it," But James was interrupted by Emily.

"Not at all," She smiled with arms resting behind her back. "We're just happy to help, Ma'am."

"Okay," The Father said. "But, if we ever run into each other again, we might just have to reward you with something proper."

"Sounds fair to me!" Thomas said, leaning down to face the Son. "Who knows, maybe we will see each other again."

The Boy smiled, despite some confusion. He kept staring at Thomas and his smile. There was something about him and his friends that looked and sounded so familiar.

"Come along," He said to his son. "Let's get you and your sister a bite to eat."

"As long as it's none of that junk food they're selling, sweetie," The Mother joked.

The parents took their son and daughter away. Thomas waved at the boy and his family.

"Goodbye!" He said. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

The Son kept staring back at Thomas and his friends waving goodbye until they were long gone. He looked at his Thomas shaped whistle, staring back at him with a similar, friendly smile, recalling that entire last half hour to himself. That couldn't have been him, could it? He didn't know for sure, but somewhere deep down convinced him of such. Perhaps it really was.

Just then, Juniper Montage showed up. She was wearing a Thomas hat and held a bunch of other merch in her arms.

"There you all are! I've been searching the whole park for you guys."

"Sorry, Juniper," Thomas said. "We got a little sidetracked. Where have you been?"

"Come with me! There's something you all gotta see."

---

The Engines followed Juniper to the next stop of their trip. They entered a large, blue and yellow, carnival tent like marquee. Just as Juniper hoped, Thomas and his friends were blown away by what they saw. Stationed on top of flat tables were towers of train tracks with motorized toy trains operating at the same time. The engines passed by the vast and expansive layouts and admired the miniaturized motor toys of themselves riding along the plastic blue tracks. Each toy did its own thing; pulling passengers, goods trains, and operating sections of the Island just as the engines would on Sodor. There were even motorized vehicles and a Harold the Helicopter flying above a few layouts from a metal rod.

The gang reached the end of the tent, which led them back outside to a market area where different venues sold countless merchandise, including ones based around Thomas. One of these smaller tents fascinated Thomas to take a look inside. The others followed him and browsed through all the different merchandise. There were also vintage, metal trains of the show's characters still in box hanging from pegs against a metal rack.

"These were toys they use to sell when I was little," Juniper explained. "Someone must've took really good care of them. It's hard to find most of this stuff still intact."

"I find it harder to believe that I've been around that long," Thomas said.

Gordon spotted a tv dinner tray and was proud to see his image on it. James found a a miniature wooden train that looked almost like him.

"Finally!" He said. "More stuff with me on it! Now this is what I'm talking about."

"I'll say," Thomas chuckled. "I guess people just couldn't get enough of me back then."

He went up to the front desk where a clerk sat behind a counter with rows of small, colorful books displayed in front. The clerk sat with crossed arms, staring at the Engines with a raised brow and an unamused, fixated glance.

Thomas picked up one of the small books from the counter and examined it. The front cover depicted a hand drawn Gordon, Henry, and Edward in a small shed. Edward looked sad, while Henry and Gordon looked at him with condescending smiles. The title above the book threw Thomas for a loop. The book had Gordon, Henry, and Edward on the front cover, but not Thomas. His name wasn't even mentioned anywhere. And Instead of sharing the same name as his television show, the book was simply titled 'Adventures From Sodor'.

"Huh?" Thomas said, aloud. "What's this suppose to be?"

"You're kidding, right?"

Thomas looked at the clerk, who had a lot to say about Thomas' question.

"You're at a Thomas theme park, dressed in a poorly assembled cosplay of the unoriginal, anthropomorphic character as a human trope, and you don't even know what Adventures From Sodor is?"

"Should I know what it is?" Thomas asked.

"Should you-" He stuttered. "Should you know what-Are you being serious right now?! Was that a real question you just asked?"

Thomas was a bit put off. He was afraid everything being said would only agitate the clerk even more, which It did regardless of any safe approach. Juniper and the Engines heard him pestering Thomas and went over to check it out.

"What's wrong, Thomas?" Percy asked.

"I'll tell you what's wrong," The clerk snapped. "Your friend presents himself as this so-called Thomas fan, and yet he just unapologetically asked what 'Adventures From Sodor' is."

Percy appeared just as oblivious. "So… what is Adventures From Sodor?"

"Uhh, the original Thomas' Adventures on Sodor before that botched tv series existed!"

Thomas and Percy could only blink with perplexity.

"The first and only formats that delve its readers into G. B. Keeling Sr.'s imaginative world and all the important lessons that inspired children for decades?"

The two engines still looked confused. The clerk face palmed with a scoff. Juniper Montage picked up something from the clerk's tone that matched a similar rant she recognized from a blogging site.

"Wait a minute," She stood in front of the counter. "Luckyboat7?"

"Uh, Quibble Pants, actually. But if we're going by usernames, then yes. I'm assuming you've read some of my Daring Doo blogs?"

"You mean the ones that overly criticize later Daring Doo books after the first trilogy?"

"That's the one. Now, the only other question I have is, depending on your answer, are you a real fan, or an avid reader that just blindly follows whatever A. K. Yearling puts out?"

"Remember when DaringDooMegaFan16 called you out for claiming Daring Doo couldn't survive a sixty-story, category-six rapid waterfall with a broken leg in Curse of the Jungle Queen? When in actuality it was never broken to begin with?"

"W-wait, you're DaringDooMegaFan16?!" Quibble laughed. "Never thought I'd see the day! So not only do you have poor taste in Daring Doo adventures, but you also have laughable, naïve taste in Adventures From Sodor stories too?"

"I'm allowed to like whatever A. K. Yearling makes!" She defended. "She's an amazing writer. And the same goes for Adventures From Sodor."

Quibble rolled his eyes, "Riiight. Sorry, kid, but you're just another blind fan following that series into another dark age."

Juniper was about ready to grab Quibble Pants from behind his counter. She was completely enraged. But the Engines took Quibble's remark a bit more literal, and appeared frightened and worried by the ominous statement despite the latter's intent not exceeding the same extreme conclusion they began making.

"A dark age?" Percy said, nervously. "W-What dark age?"

"The one sending Thomas and his Adventures From Sodor into a downward spiral of which there's no coming back from."

"Even though according to you and other purist, the show's been going downhill since its fifth season?" Juniper argued

"Oh, you mean when they threw realism out the window in favor of ludicrous storytelling that doesn't even remotely fall under any actual logic or believably?"

"I thought G. B. Keeling's father created the show." Thomas looked to Juniper, "I didn't know we were originally in a book as well."

Quibble Pants scoffed. "You're suppose to be fans, and yet you didn't even know your character is based on a series of children's books, aka the most fundamentally important aspect of the franchise?"

"You don't exactly sound like a fan yourself!" Thomas snapped back. "All you do is complain about the littlest things just because we're not doing what you want us too... I-I mean, what they... do..."

"That's funny coming from someone who thinks Thomas is the main star. News flash, buddy; he isn't! Thomas is only forced into every story that doesn't even require him, and leaving more interesting chracters to be reduced to one-dimensional sidekicks with no personality outside of catchphrases and one note character traits."

"One note trait, eh?!" Gordon fumed. "I'll show you a one note trait!"

"Don't have to," he sneered. "Your amateur 'big & strong' Gordon cosplay is already up to par."

Gordon steamed with anger. The other engines were just as insulted.

"And do not associate me with anything Thomas related, okay. Because I'm not a fan. Not anymore at least."

Thomas was especially hurt by Quibble's disdain over his cartoon. How could he say that? Hearing Quibble state this reminded Thomas of what Sour Sweet said about him and his show. She was someone who was also allegedly a fan before switching to outright hating him all together. It seemed the more people Thomas came across who watched his show growing up don't have the fondest things to say about it. All he could do was glare back at Quibble Pants, having finally enough of his banter.

"So, you don't like Adventures From Sodor," Toby said, examining the tent's merch. "And you only prefer whatever was faithful to the original books. So, why are you at this event if you never liked his show to begin with?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I use to love TAFS," Quibble claimed. "The first two seasons, for example, adapted Keeling Sr.'s stories in an accurate yet engaging narrative that throws in twists to give the show its own identity without differing too far from it's original source material, while teaching the same valuable life lessons and expressing true heart and imagination."

"Do you understand what he's saying, Toby?" Percy asked.

Toby simply shook his head and shrugged.

"The only reason I'm even at this corporate cash grab of a park is to auction off all my old collectibles."

"All this stuff used to be yours?" Thomas asked.

"The mint in box diecast trains and first edition Adventures From Sodor booklets are at least."

"Why did you stop loving the show in the first place?" Emily asked.

"Uh, have you seen any episode past the fourth season?"

Thomas and other Engines shared looks of confusion. They didn't know what point of time each season took place compared to what they experience on Sodor. He could be talking about any point for all they knew. Quibble grew more agitated and continued ranting the more clueless the engines looked.

"Whatever charm, originality, and authenticity the show had was completely tanked by the inclusion of simplified animation, learning segments that a two-year-old would find insulting, and a dumbed down plot to make the show more 'educational for kids!' And oh, better throw in lots of flashy, impossible action sequences to keep their short attention span in check; even though it completely goes against any realism G.B. Keeling Sr. established!"

"But why stop reading the books?" Juniper asked. "They have nothing to do with Thomas and his Adventures From Sodor."

"How can I enjoy the books if this is the legacy Keeling's hard work left in his wake?!"

Quibble Pants whipped out the Thomas movie poster Juniper showed Thomas and his friends. Without having much convincing context to what Quibble Pants claimed the show suffered from, the Engines didn't see anything wrong with the poster.

"If you ask me, it's better to forget this franchise ever existed and leave it that way," Quibble stated.

"How could you say that?!" Thomas said, utterly shocked. "I'm sure there's lots of things my cartoon has to offer."

"Right. Your cartoon?" Quibble rolled his eyes. "Sorry, bub, you may think Thomas and his cartoon are all great and everything, but myself and a lot of intellectuals all see him for what he really is; a sellout!"

Thomas stepped back in horror, becoming more and more angered. Percy and Emily tried comforting him. Even though Gordon and James wanted to relish in Thomas' image on the franchise being deconstructed, the way Quibble went about it was cruel even by their standards. And so they both glared daggers at him instead.

"Well, this may come as a shock to you, Quibble," Juniper scowled, "but those unrealistic stories aren't as unrealistic as you thought."

"And how could you possibly know that?"

"Because, well..."

Juniper looked to Emily and Percy, signaling her not to tell him by waving their hands. Even if she could justify her claims, there was no way someone like Quibble Pants could believe them at face value.

"It just is."

Quibble Pants slow clapped. "Bravo. Super compelling argument. And I suppose a boulder coming to life and actively chasing everyone episode is also legitimate?"

"But if you'd give the show another chance, maybe you'll find something about it that you'll like."

"Please. I'm not wasting my time on that train wreck. I've moved on to much better shows. One with likable characters with actual development, a cohesive continuity, and self-reflective stories that inspire their fan-bases while still being grounded in reality."

"Like what, exactly?" Juniper crossed her arms.

Quibble Pants rummaged through the counter and whipped out a hard cover comic.

"Like Hoof Patrol!"

The front cover of the pink, purple, and blue book depicted five, colorful female horses dressed in various first responder type uniforms. One a law officer, firefighter, medic, army solider, and astronaut for good measure. Juniper examined it, but wasn't impressed.

"I've written a dozen fanfics and blog posts that delved into the show's mythology and how it reflects our world. I just wish they'd confirm my theories already!"

Thomas and Percy shared perplexed glances.

"And one thing Hoof Patrol has over TAFS is keeping their important characters where they should be, and not just kick them off to appease a bunch of angry soccer moms."

"What do you mean by that?" James asked.

"Haven't you heard? Henry and Edward are no longer on the show. They were replaced by these bland, run of the mill Mary Sues in order to rectify the show's lack of diversity. Because, yeah," Quibble chuckled, "that was the show's biggest issue. Not the story, the characters, or the fact they already have existing female engines that they never utilize to their full potential."

"Hold on," Toby said, visibly distressed. "Henry and Edward were removed from the show?"

"One of many reasons I completely stopped watching all together," Quibble Pants said. "That was just the last straw."

"You said in a blog that their shift to computer animation from traditional hand drawn was what made you quit," Juniper refuted.

Quibble Pants pretended to retch. "Stop. J-just don't even mention the first run of that era again. It's making me sick the more I acknowledge it."

Meanwhile, the engines began showing distress after hearing what Quibble said about Henry and Edward's exit from the show. Thomas didn't pick up on this though, and was wondering why his friends were all sharing the same anxious glance.

"How could they just get rid of Henry and Edward?!" Gordon said.

"How did they get rid of them is what I wanna know," James said, becoming a bit frantic. "Were they scrapped? Were they sent away?"

Percy suddenly gasped. "Oh, no!"

"What is it, Percy?" Thomas asked.

"Think about it, Thomas," Percy stated. "Everything we've done on Sodor has been or is about to happen on your cartoon. Which means, if they took Henry and Edward off Adventures From Sodor, then that also means-"

"Henry and Edward really are leaving Sodor!" Him and Thomas repeated with both gripping their hair. "Forever!"

A loud, collective gasp echoed the tent.

The Engines were horrified. Lingering on that thought made Thomas stress about it more. Events that have taken place on Sodor have already been portrayed in Thomas' television show. And if Henry and Edward where no longer on Thomas's show, then the two engines being captured and potentially shipped off the Island of Sodor must be what leads to their removal from the show, and replaced by other new engines to take over their jobs on the Railway.

"This must be the dark age Quibble Pants was talking about," Thomas said. "The Siren, the diesels, it all makes sense now! It's all being set into motion as we speak."

"But that would mean Twilight Sparkle and the others won't be able to save our friends on time!" James said.

"You mean to tell me that everything they're doing is for nothing?!" Gordon said, peeved.

"I don't believe it!" Toby said in disbelief. "It can't be true!"

"Uh, guys," Emily said. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions just a little bit-"

"What are we gonna do, Thomas?!" Percy interrupted, anxiously. "How do we stop something that's going to happen no matter what?!"

The Engines were in a panic. How were Sunset and their friends supposed to save Henry and Edward if they're destined to leave Sodor? If the show's still carrying on to this day, then the whole diesel takeover must've ended up being resolved somehow. But what about all their friends? How many of will still work on Sodor if Twilight, Sunset and the others do manage to defeat the Siren?

Thomas knew he couldn't leave his friends to this fate. Despite what this world has already established, Thomas couldn't let Henry and Edward be permanently taken away from his. Without another word of warning, Thomas quickly left the tent and took off down the walkway. The Engines and Juniper Montage followed him outside to see him already sprinting away faster and faster from everyone.

"Thomas!" Juniper called. "Where are you going?"

"To save my friends!" He called back.

Percy, Toby, Emily, Gordon then James went to chase after Thomas, leaving Juniper to question how this escalated. Quibble Pants stood beside her while sipping on a blue coffee mug with a #1 Thomas fan' written in bold, yellow text.

"By the way," Quibble Pants said to Juniper, "your friends are taking this Thomas acting routine a bit too seriously."

A bewildered Juniper simply stared back down the direction Thomas disappeared in.

---

To Be Continued.