Duncan had not stopped grumbling over the last few days. He grumbled that he wasn't polished, he grumbled he was overworked, and he'd even grumbled about the passengers! Why, only today he had prevented a train from getting into Rheneas station by stopping on top of the bridge. This had made everybody very annoyed, and not least Skarloey, who had now been backed into the shed by Ocellus. Both of them looked very annoyed.
"I'm ashamed of you, Duncan!" Skarloey snapped, his eyes full of anger. "Thank Trethivick that Rheneas is coming home tomorrow, perhaps he and his driver can teach you some sense before it's too late!"
Duncan rolled his eyes. "What is Rheneas to do with me?" he asked, annoyed that this mysterious engine was being mentioned yet again.
"Rheneas saved our railway," Skarloey said. "You may complain about the numbers of passengers Duncan, but truth be told, things were very different a few years ago."
"Please tell us!" Peter Sam asked from nearby. "I don't believe you've told us this one!"
Skarloey smiled as the screen suddenly went blurry.
"What's happening?" Ocellus asked, panicked.
"Don't worry, I'm only having a flashback," Skarloey said. "It happened before you came here, you see. The railway was in very bad shape, with broken buildings, damaged trucks, and poorly maintained coaches. Rheneas and I were the only things keeping the railway going, or else it would close."
"That sounds awful!" Silverstream exclaimed, her hands covering her mouth.
"It was," Skarloey replied. "I tried hard, but I was too old. My wheels ached badly, and I could not get up enough steam. But Rheneas, the kindly old soul he was, understood entirely. 'It's my turn now!', he said to me one day. He was old, like me, and often short of steam, but no matter what he always made it to a station and rested there... unlike a certain tank engine here."
Duncan growled at Skarloey, but otherwise said nothing.
"'I must never stop between stations!', he would say. 'Whatever would the passengers think?'"
"Yeah, right," Duncan snorted.
"Passengers," Skarloey continued, "get very cross if you stop in the wrong places. Rheneas stopped in the wrong place one time, and this is what happened..."
It was a wet, horrible, and rainy afternoon many years ago. The rails were damp, and the train was very heavy as the rain lashed down upon the Island of Sodor. Rheneas, an old tank engine with a four wheels, outside cylinders, a dome up against the cab, and a pair of squat side tanks, was rolling along with four coaches. At his controls was a girl with grey skin and brown hair, wearing a light red dress with a white shirt underneath, as well as black stockings and shoes. The train was packed, with some of the passengers being crammed into the guard's van!
"This is very slippery!" Rheneas exclaimed to his driver, as his wheels wouldn't grip the rails, and slimply slid in place. "Are you sure we can make it, Yona?"
"Yona knows Rheneas can make it!" Yona replied. "Yona knows Rheneas is hard working engine!"
This caused Rheneas to redouble his efforts, and he set off up the slope with renewed strength and determination. At last, the pair reached the top with the coaches, and they were at long last through the worst of it.
"Hooray!" Yona cried. "Yona knew we could do it!"
Rheneas smiled. "The worst is over," he sighed. "Now, it'll be easy." Had he not been so tired, he would have known better than to tempt fate, as a few seconds later, there was a loud clang of metal, and the train skidded to a stop. "Argh!" he cried. "I've got cramp!" And there he was, stuck, on the loneliest section of the entire railway.
Yona hopped down from the footplate and explained what had happened. "Yona see problem!" she said. "Valve gear on Rheneas is stuck. Next station not far. Yona think that Rheneas can make it there. Will you try, Rheneas?"
"I'll give it my best shot," Rheneas said grimly. He set off again in the pouring rain over the windswept moors and trees, his cylinder aching all the while. It was hard going for the old tank engine, and the train didn't make it easier at all, but he knew he had to try and complete the run. "If I fail," he thought, "the passengers will be cross and the railway will close!"
Everything went blurry thanks to the potent cocktail of tiredness and pain clouding his mind. He really didn't have the strength left in order to keep going, not even to make another turn of his wheels! But he made another turn, and another, and another, and another. After a long, hard journey, Rheneas arrived at Crovan's Gate, tired but triumphant. "I made it," he said quietly.
"Thanks for getting us home," said a man, whom Rheneas recognised as Mr Cup Cake, a local baker. "I'll be sure to tell the others about this railway, and how hard the engines work!"
Yona was proudest of all. "Rheneas is gallant old engine!" she said. "Rheneas shall be mended and made good as new!"
"...and," Skarloey smiled, as he finished his story, "Rheneas always was ready for another day."
The entire shed was in stunned silence, as people had been listening carefully to his story. Then Duncan ventured to speak. "Thanks for tellin' us that story Skarloey," he said. "I was wrong; passengers are important after all."
The next day, Rheneas returned from the mainland. Edward pushed his special truck into position, and a crane lowered him gently down onto the rails. A great chorus of whistles and cheers began from all assembled, and Rheneas was by far the happiest of them all. As Yona helped to free him from the supports, he smiled at Skarloey.
"You know," he said, with a smile, "this really helps an old engine feel he has really come home."
"And," added Mr Percival, "I heard glowing comments from the works staff about you, Yona. Or would you prefer Yvonne?"
"Yvonne is boring name!" Yona replied. "Yona prefer to be called Yona!"
Taking a moment to analyse the butchered English, Mr Percival smiled. "Yona, you shall be Rheneas' driver from now on. Welcome aboard!"
And truly was everybody happy that day.
And Yona is Rheanes' driver. I knew it! And she and Rhenaes make a wonderful team.
I would agree that this is a good story, but please tell me Duncan isn't gonna be a completely different engine from now on. I mean, I hate his attitude but I don't want it to be solved with one talk no jutsu. That just doesn't feel natural.
I like the way Yona's normal human name is, but I have to admit, I was expecting her to be wearing a green dress, like the way Yona wears that green saddle cloak on her back
10121905
This isn't the last we'll see of them.
10121907
He won't.
10122332
The depiction is based on this image;
camo.fimfiction.net/idRbXIT6By2GMnMG5KRv3iRQTFuUOZv0YDxGfUyRL28?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fe8%2F82%2F13%2Fe88213e93acdb2b61444f11ae6e7b76c.png
10122449
Oh! Now I got a better idea of what the Young Six look like in this story now
10122451
I found it whilst browsing Google late one night. There's a frustrating lack of EqG Young Six art, and I've spotted a lot of artists have difficulty drawing Ocellus in the EqG style.
10122485
Glad to know I'm not the only one. I had the same problem when I was drawing the Young Six as Anthro Jedi Knights for a poster I was gonna have their voice actors sign at a con I attended last year. And Then after the con, I uploaded the pictures of them as Jedi on my Deviantart Page.
What really frustrates me is indeed the lack of art with them. Another reason I wish they were on the show much longer than 2 blasted seasons!
10122487
Or that they didn't get their own show. They're more interesting than the Mane 6, and yet Seasons 8 and 9 was dominated by them. The writers sure love character regression...
10122497
Or that they didn't get their own show. They're more interesting than the Mane 6, and yet Seasons 8 and 9 was dominated by them. The writers sure love character regression...
Quite right.
They deserve much more screen time! And let's not forget the fact that Smolder had more episodes where she interacted with one of the main cast more than the rest of the six!
What's the point of adding new characters if you aren't gonna give them the good amount of screen time they deserve?
Heck in one of my fanfiction series, I give the six a good amount of screen time they rightfully deserve! I even gave Terramar some bigger screen time!
10122516
Apparently, Hasbro pressured the writers into adding the School and the new students as they wanted new toys and a new playset to sell. Well, I've never seen toys of the Young 6. If an Ocellus plushie did exist, I wouldn't have thought twice about buying it.
10122531
Well that explains a lot. Although, I believe the school isn't really needed that much, it's more of a scapegoat. In lines of toys, I've seen a Silverstream figure with a Fluttershy, except this Silverstream was more like a literal repainted figure of Skystar.
The same applies for me in lines of an Ocellus plushie, intact when I was attending the con I mentioned, I looked all over for an Ocellus plushie but only found Smolder and Gallus. The best thing I got in lines of Ocellus was a keychain and an "Ocellus is Best Changeling" tag.
But I really want a plushie so badly! Ocellus is just so darn cute for me, that she broke my cuteness scale! I just wanna hug and nuzzle her so badly!
But, in lines of getting an Ocellus plushie, I'm probably going to commission one.
10122539
I may do the same. I wasn't aware of a Silverstream toy, but I'll ask Jimmy if he has it. He's a Silverstream fanatic.
10122568
I can't even remember where I saw it. Either online or at my local Walmart.
But I think there was also a Silverstream plushie at that con too but I can't remember either.
10122570
Hmmm. I'll be writing for Ocellus in a collab that'll hopefully be appearing soon.
10122581
I look forward to seeing it
10122921
I know you will.
10122948
Yes.
10122975
You may be waiting a VERY long time.
10122982
Yes.
10122990
Yes to maybe. Depends on when the sequel is ready.
10123021
Good.
Just as I predicted back in Home at Last: I knew that Yona would be Rheneas' Driver! :D
10123363
Well, she was the only one left.
10123370
I know.
10123373
So it kinda made that one easy (especially with Crazy Glue driving George).
10123379
Heh =)
(Btw.... unpopular opinion from me.... I'm kind of not fond of Cozy Glow's fan nickname: Crazy Glue. )
10123381
Erm... do remember in this story it complements her perfectly.
10123385
Okie Okie ^^'
10123386
Indeed. Tomorrow shall see another fan favourite return.
Honestly G.O.E is about as accurate a story as it gets when it comes to portraying working narrow gauge railways, they were always one unsuccessful passenger run away from closure, and situations like that would have occurred on a regular basis, they would have had to grit their teeth and knuckle down in the hopes they could reach the end of the run and repair any damage, often as simply as possible, before taking the next run
Stop interrupting the flashback!
You had it coming. 😏
I don't think that a needs to be there before four wheels. Makes it sound odd with it there.
Looking back at this moment, it reminds me a lot like what happened to Edward with his side rods in season 2 in "Edward's Exploit."