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Opening Titles286 words
Welcome to Sodor1,933 words
Old Friends, New Foes2,430 words
Autumn Arrives1,652 words
The Siege of Tidmouth2,599 words
Some Help Please?2,446 words
Revelations of the Past1,412 words
The Plot Thickens1,807 words
Dawn of the Sunset2,433 words
Into the Buffers2,162 words
Friendship is Magic1,469 words
Closing Credits283 words

Old Friends, New Foes

Back in Nottingham, a young lad was walking along the platform at Ruddington Fields with a dog at his side. This dog was a brown dog, with a white stomach, and was panting heavily as they walked along the platform. Her name is Winona. Remember her. She's important.

The lad was wearing black boots, blue jeans, and a work shirt that was not disimilar to the one that Applejack wears, except the main colour was blue with a brown chest and collar, as well as two symbols that looked like upside down horseshoes. He had tan skin, dark blue eyes, and brown hair. His name is Charles, but is often referred to as Caramel as his parents own a caramel sweet factory in the Midlands. As they walked down the platform, they reached a sign and looked at it. The sign was a little worn, and needed some adjustment, so Caramel took out his paint and paint brushes, and began to spruce it up with bold colours and grand lines.

By the time he was finished, the sign had a bright, colourful image of a steam engine pulling coaches on it. The sign read;

WELCOME TO THE GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY NOTTINGHAM

TRAIN RIDES EVERY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, AND SOME WEEKDAYS EVERY YEAR

YOUR TICKET GRANTS YOU UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ALL ONSIDE AMENITIES

FULL MUSEUM, GIFT SHOP, ENGINE SHED, AND CAFE

WE ARE PROUD TO WELCOME YOU TO THE GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY NOTTINGHAM

Caramel smiled as he admired his handywork. "Well, Winona," he said, "Ah think this is the best station and railroad sign that there can be in these parts. What do ya think, eh?"

Winona simply barked in response. This not being Enid Blyton, her dialogue would not be indicated with the word 'woof'. Then, in the distance, a whistle sounded as the train began its approach from Fifty Steps bridge to the station.

"Ah well, sounds like On Time is bringin' the train back inta the station. There was somethin' Ah wanted ta ask him anyhow." Caramel began to stride up the platform. "Come on, girl! We don't wanna be late, do we?"

Seconds later, the train rolled into view, being pulled by an LMS 8F that was resplendant in British Railways colours with early crest on the tender. At the controls was a man with light grey skin, brown hair, and a pair of orange eyes, holding onto the throttle with one hand and the brake with the other as he brought the train to a smooth and controlled stop in the platform. This man is Owen Thomas, or On Time as he is often referred to as he has never brought a train in late, a fact he intends to maintain.

On Time stepped out of the cab, and handed his mug of tea to Caramel. "Be a good lad and get this filled up for me, will you?" he asked.

"Sir, Ah was wantin' ta ask ya somethin' about the map," Caramel said. "Ya know, the old map we have on the wall of the office?"

On Time looked back to the fireman. "Get her turned around and ready to go at fourteen hundred sharp!" he said.

"Yes sir!"

On Time followed Caramel into the office. This map was an old map of the railways in the Nottingham area. Before the preserved railway was created, the sight of Ruddington Fields was nothing but old sidings, and the main line continued under the old bridge and into Ruddington. The map had a marking where the line now stopped, but beyond it were odd black lines.

"I imagine it's those black lines you're wondering about, is it?"

"Yes sir," Caramel replied. "They look like some sorta railroad tracks, but Ah can't see any lines around here apart from this one."

"Our right of way terminates just north of Fifty Steps," On Time added. "The line did once go north into the city, but that was lifted a long time ago. All we have there now are just some buffers."

Caramel nodded, and then looked at his watch. "Excuse me, sir, but Ah just noticed the time. Ah need ta be off ta see Sombra, as he needed some stuff deliverin' ta his shed on site."

On Time smiled. "He's quite the character. I haven't seen him smile in a long time, but he's nice. Still working on that engine of his?"

"Yes sir. He seems ta struggle ta get her ta work, though," Caramel replied, and headed out of the door.

As On Time left the office, he turned to his left, and was suddenly confronted by a large man in a trench coat. "Where is he?" the man asked.

"Where is who?" On Time asked. He had no clue who this man was.

"You know perfectly well who," the man snarled at him. "The man who ruined my life, Sombra."

"Why does it matter to you where Sombra is?" On Time asked in response. "He can go wherever he pleases, you know. It's a free country."

There was a moment's silence from the man. "Playing innocent, like the rest of this dumb, broken down, idiotic suburb, is not going to save you when the axe falls." The man then stormed off, looking angry.

On Time shook his head. "What a shame it is," he reflected, "that people want to ruin the very best things in life. That incident was your fault, and you know it."

Inside the booking office of the Great Central Railway Nottingham, things were very busy indeed. Apart from the man operating the ticket stand, there was also a dedicated phone line for potential customers to call on. Manning these phones was a man wearing white pants, blue and white shoes, a formal shirt with a black bow tie, and a blue and white waistcoat. He had light yellow skin, blue eyes, and red and white hair. The man running the desk looked almost identical, except he had a red moustache.

This pair are the Flim Flam brothers. As a double act, they run the booking office at Ruddington and ensure everything keeps moving along smoothly. Given their business acumen, they are perfectly suited for it.

Flim took up the phone as it began to ring again. "Hello! Great Central Railway Nottingham!" There was a pause. "Yes madam, the next train is the 2 o' clock from Ruddington. That's 14:00. May I take your name?"

Flam, meanwhile, stamped some more pasteboard tickets. "And that will be thirty pounds sir, family rate for two adults and two children." The passengers paid and then walked off, satisfied with their purchases.

As On Time entered, Flim glanced to his brother. "Can you man the desk for a moment, brother?" he asked. "I have something that I need to discuss with On Time."

"Certainly brother!" Flam replied, now with his hand on one phone and his other hand on the ticket stamper.

Flim stepped out of the office, and showed On Time a drawing. "I found this in an old locker nearby," he explained. "I think it was by Sombra."

"Or Steven, to use his real name," On Time sighed. "Nobody knows where that nickname came from. Back in the days, he had such a lovely smile."

"You were friends?"

"Who wasn't?" On Time replied. "He was one of our first drivers, and was always so willing to help out and get things done. Rather like Autumn Blaze. He taught me so much about driving and firing engines; back in the day he drove diesels on the Midland." His face changed. "There's a man in a trench coat walking around, I think he's trying to stir up trouble. Avoid him, and ensure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Of course," Flim replied, and re-entered the booth to join his brother.

On Time headed into the canteen. "Now if only I could find Autumn-"

"I'D RATHER... SIIIIIIIIIIING!" Autumn suddenly appeared at the serving hatch of the canteen. "Can I take your order please?"'

"No thanks, I'm not hungry." On Time smiled at his friend. "So, what does today bring for you?"

"Ohhh, that!" Autumn smiled. "I've been asked by a Sir Toppham Hatt to go to Sodor and watch over his engines for a bit, and to ensure nothing really crazy happens and that all is proper and safe and wonderful!"

On Time laughed. "You really are a character. You'd best get on your way though; Sodor is on the other side of the country and several hours and changes of trains away!"

Autumn Blaze smiled again. "See you later!" she said, and she sprinted through the booking office, and then stopped. "Wait a second," she said, looking at the picture that Flim had left out. "That's a map of Sodor!"

"Indeed," said Flim. "Apparently Sombra drew it as a boy. But I can't find any record of him ever having gone to Sodor. I'd always thought he lived here in Nottingham."

"How did he get to Sodor if he didn't go by boat or train?" Autumn pondered. "He can't have flown as there's no airport, and he can't have driven as there's no easy way to get cars there. Oh well, I must be off. See you!" And she dashed out of the door and sprinted toward Fifty Steps buffers before anybody else could say a word.

On Time walked out of the office, his hand around his chin. "What secrets does this place hold?" he asked. "Are this place and Sodor somehow linked?"

Autumn, on the other hand, reached the buffers, ran into them, and vanished in a cloud of rainbow light.

Meanwhile, Sunset sat on a train at St. Pancras station. As the buzzer alerting the passengers to the fact the train was departing sounded, she looked down. "Hope I have a good time with you, mom and dad," she sighed. "Hopefully it'll make up for the time you haven't been around." She sat back and drifted off to sleep as the train pulled away from the platform, inbound for places to the north.

Meanwhile, on Sodor, James was having some trouble in the shed. "Buzz off! Buzz off!" he cried. "Go away! Go away!" There was a loud buzzing noise as something flew about. "Rarity! Do something!"

"I'm trying James," Rarity called, "but this rotter is being an absolute nuisance." She was waving a fly swatter at it, which wasn't working very well.

"Need some help?" Stepney called from nearby as he puffed past.

"We ought to be fine!" Rarity replied.

Sweetie Belle sighed. "You don't look it. This reminds me of that time we had to get that bee swarm off of James' boiler."

"Don't remind me!" James snapped.

Thomas backed down onto a nearby siding, but wasn't being careful and collided with the buffers.

"Ouch!" Twilight cried.

"Fizzling fireboxes!" Thomas echoed. "I wasn't expecting that!"

James glanced over. "You do know you are supposed to stop BEFORE the buffers? Remember when you went through them and down a hill?"

"If you mean the time I crashed into Twilight's house, then no," Thomas replied. "There was only a FRED totem to warn me that the line ended. Anyways, the buffers did their job. They're meant to stop a train from derailing if the engine crashes into them. What are you two doing here?"

"Well, my wheels were getting a bit worn out, and Sir Toppham Hatt said I could have a rest for a bit," James replied.

"And now we are trying to swat this dratted bee! BEGONE, YOU FOUL THING!" Rarity cried.

Twilight laughed. "Rarity, I think you're being overdramatic."

"I AM NOT BEING OVERDRAMATIC!"

"If you have a rest," Thomas said, "you can work harder later. And the harder we work, the fewer diesels we will need."

Just then, the engine roar heard earlier started up again, and a Class 42 rumbled to a stop on a nearby line. He had a very mean face stuck underneath his cab windows, and his paintwork was orange with hazard stripes. There were windows set into the side of his frames, allowing you to see his engine which was pumping out incredible amounts of smoke.

"Oh really?" he said. "We diesels take the strain when you steamies break down. In fact, you are useless, cowardly, cranky, worn out hunks of metal that should have been scrapped ages ago and can't even deal with a bee."

"Are not!" James shouted.

"Yes you are," the diesel smiled cruelly. "I'm Diesel 10. You have no idea what's coming you fools. When I and the Storm King are done here, there will be nothing for you steamies to cherish or save. Goodbye." He then throttled up, and roared off into the distance belching smoke.

Once everybody had stopped coughing, Twilight spoke up. "That was a Warship class diesel," she explained. "Number D810 Cockade. Hence Diesel 10, as he's the tenth member of the class."

"Well, I think he's just a big bully!" James shouted. "We're not 'useless, cowardly, cranky, worn out hunks of metal' in the slightest!"

"Quite right!" Rarity added. "Why, we are brave, noble, and hard working. Why, just think of our friends. Henry, who moved two trains by himself, or Edward, who saved James from a nasty crash!"

"And the help of Applejack's lasso skills," added James.

"Precisely," Twilight smiled. "Or how about Toby, who prevented a train from falling into a river?"

"I need to be off to collect the woman looking after us," Thomas said, and he sped away. "See you later James!"

The scrapyard is a glum and depressing place. It is where old vehicles and engines and coaches and trucks are stripped of useful parts and recycled. Toby and Percy rolled in and looked around them.

"Thanks for coming with me Toby," said Percy. "I'm a little scared of scrapyards."

"So am I," Toby sighed. "They are haunted, and I nearly joined the rest of my class here."

"I was so super busy planning that 'goodbye and have fun on your holiday Sir Toppham Hatt' party that I completely forgor we had to come here!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Imagine that! Me, forgetting something!"

"Not the best of timing for a holiday, I will admit," Flash said. "Let's go and get these wagons back to Tidmouth. Then we'll feel better."

As they left the yard, they had no clue that a pair of diesels were watching them. Their drivers leaned out of their cabs, looking on in interest.

"Let's go tell the boss," said the first diesel. "This will make our lives easier."

Author's Note:

I chose to change the reason for Diesel 10's name as the explanation given in the film script doesn't make much sense.

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Sudrian Engineer

Sudrian Engineer #1 · Apr 21st, 2020 · · ·

So Sombra is a good guy, and is taking the place of the late Peter Fonda's Character, Burnett, and the Storm King is with Diesel 10, nice

Thomas, Twilight, and the Magic Railway - The Blue EM2

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