Thomas and Friends: the New Adventures

by The Blue EM2

The Last Goodbye

30 years later...

The world of the 2040s is, in many ways, very different to our own. Technology has advanced considerably, and electric wires snake across the country and wire up Britain's entire rail network. In addition to reopening older closed routes like Woodhead and increasing capacity on routes such as Standedge, the government has also enagaged in a large scale programme of building new railways. Following the success of High Speed 1 in 2007, more lines had been built. High Speed 2 had seen its first trains in 2027, with the extension to Glasgow opening in 2031. High Speed 3, cutting through the hills via the Pennine Base Tunnel, had opened in 2035, and High Speeds 4 and 5 were currently under construction. The upgrades to the existing lines have also incorporated in cab signalling on the fastest sections, allowing tilting trains to operate at speeds of up to 150 miles an hour.

But some things never do change, and the Island of Sodor was one of them. The Island had fiercely resisted change, remaining determined to be a time capsule of the way that things used to be. It would always be, in the words of Sir Toppham Hatt, a place for "proper engines hard at work, doing what they were built to do."

One morning in May, a family piled off of the class 1000 electric train at Barrow-in-Furness and transferred to the waiting Class 101 DMU, an incredibly old, venerable thing at nearly 90 years old. As it set off over the bridge and towards the Island of Sodor, we shall focus in on the family that joined the train.

The adults in the family were a much older Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry, who had married in the early 2020s. However, life had meant they had been unable to start their planned family until a fair bit later, and even now they only had one child. The child was a girl with pink skin and long, orange hair with yellow streaks in it, currently tied up in a ponytail. She had orange eyes, and wore a pair of black shoes, white socks, a yellow skirt and a pink blouse. Her name was Louise Denver, but she was normally referred to as Luster Dawn. She sat next to her mother, fidgeting, whilst Flash looked out of the window.

"What's wrong, honey?" Twilight asked Luster.

"I guess I'm a little nervous," Luster admitted. "I've never been to Sodor before, and it's a totally new environment! Not only that, we'll be here for the whole summer!"

"Yep!" Flash smiled. "I'm looking forward to getting back on the footplate. It's been too long since I last saw Toby."

Luster nodded, and looked at the floor. Twilight noticed this and spoke up. "Are you worried about being alone? My friends are bringing their families, I'm certain you can try with them."

"That's the problem!" Luster exclaimed. To describe Luster as socially awkward was an understatement. "You know I struggle to talk to people. When I try, I just clam up!" Her head went back against the headrest. "Maybe trying to make friends is just a massive waste of time."

"It's OK, maybe this time you'll get lucky!" Twilight told her. "You'll be fine, I know it."

"The next station is Vicarstown, where this train terminates. Please alight here for services to Crovan's Gate, Wellsworth for trains to Brendam, Knapford for trains to Ffarquhar, Tidmouth, and Arlesburgh. Thank you for travelling with the North Western Railway." The intercom cut out as the DMU stopped, and the passengers got off.

"Well, it's nice to see that Vicarstown hasn't changed much," Flash smiled. Apart from the addition of some digital station clocks, Vicarstown still retained its steam era atmosphere. Many steam and heritage diesel engines awaited departure or arrived from places far away.

"Hey, egghead! Over here!"

Twilight looked up to see her old friends standing nearby, considerably older but nontheless quite chipper. "And a good morning to you too, Rainbow Dash!" she called. "So, how's it been in the last 30 years?"

Whilst the adults talked amongst themselves, Luster went and sat down on a platform bench. She gazed absent mindedly at the roof as she waited for them to stop chatting.

"Hey, are you OK?" asked a voice. Luster looked up to see a boy with pale blue skin and short, prismatic hair looking at her. "You just seemed a little lonely, that's all." The boy was presumably a sports type, based on his blue shorts and T shirt combined with green trainers.

"I- I'm Luster Dawn," she said quietly.

The boy sat down next to her. "Typhoon Blast," he said. "Or Tom Bolton if you prefer. Rainbow Dash's my mom, but I bet my awesomeness more than gave that away."

Luster glanced over to him. "You're here for the reunion?"

"Yes I am!" Typhoon smiled. "I've never been to Sodor before, and this place looks awesome! Mom and dad used to work here!"

"As did mine," Luster said quietly. "See the woman with purple and blue hair?"

Typhoon's jaw dropped. "YOUR MOM IS TWILIGHT SPARKLE?!"

"Is Typhoon bothering you?" asked another voice. Another boy, this time with blonde hair and yellow skin, wearing a work shirt and jeans with brown boots. "Sorry, he can be a bit of a problem at times."

"That's not fair, Thunder!" Typhoon replied, rolling his eyes. "Are you still annoyed I whooped your butt at soccer last month?"

"Honestly," 'Thunder' sighed, and walked over to Luster. "Thunderbolt. My real name's Tyson, but Thunder will do nicely."

Luster was on a roll. She had gone from no friends earlier today to two in less than 15 minutes. Maybe making friends was worth all the effort.

"Those two clearly inherited our old rivalry," Rainbow Dash said, walking over to the trio. "Go easy on her, Ty, OK?"

"Yes mom," Typhoon replied, sounding mildly annoyed.

"That applies ta you two, Thunder," added Applejack. "Ah don't want this reunion spoiled by petty rivalry."

"You can talk, darling!" Rarity, now much older and with a few grey hairs in amongst her purple ones, chimed in. "Blueblood and I had a frightful time securing acommodation on this island!"

Another two girls joined them. One of them had white skin and yellowy hair, and dressed very similarly to her mother in a blue blouse and skirt. The other had yellow skin, green hair (that was long), and wore a short sleeved shirt, shorts, and a pair of sandals.

"So you must be Luster Dawn," said the first. "My name's Charity."

"I'm Blue Angel," said the other. "See Fluttershy over there?"

"We know," Thunder said. "She's your mom. Charity is Rarity's kid."

"Well, it's nice to meet you all," Luster smiled.

"Excuse me everyone!" called a voice. Gallus, now the station master at Vicarstown and suitably attired, appeared on the platform. "The special's ready to go whenever you are."

Twilight walked over to see the kids talking to one another, all discussing their interests. "Come on, you six!" she said. "It's time to go!" She then looked. "Luster, are you OK?"

Luster looked up. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my friends."

---

The train, pulled by Gordon, set off promptly, and soon they were exploring all the places where their adventures had happened.

"This is the tunnel where Henry was shut in," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"And where Gordon burst his safety valve!" Applejack added.

"Don't remind me," Rainbow Dash sighed.

Having left Ballyhoo Tunnel, they then sped onwards over to Crovan's Gate, and past the junction where Thomas had his near miss with Electra. At Crovan's Gate works, facing onto the mainline, Sandbar and his wife Ocellus waved to the passing train, their two kids also there and waving merrily, alongside a man identified by Rainbow Dash as 'Oliver'.

"Many things happened here," Twilight smiled. "Amongst them, James pushed Toby to the works!"

"And Ocellus met Skarloey," Fluttershy pointed out. "That friendship really helped boost her confidence."

James charged through with a passenger train. "Express coming through!"

"That's my line!" shouted Gordon. "Oh, the indignity."

They then passed through Maron, and then up Gordon's Hill, where Gordon had got stuck all those years ago, and down into Wellsworth, where Edward whistled to the train as it sped through. Soon, they passed Knapford Junction, where many adventures had begun and ended, and at last arrived at Knapford, where Sir Steven Toppham Hatt (who had succeeded his late grandfather to the baronetcy) had organised a special party for the returning crews, with all the engines in attendance.

"I," he said, "was only a small boy when they were the drivers of the North Western. They did our railway proud, and Sodor is still a marvellous place to be. But, sadly, there are those who worked on the North Western who are either no longer with us, or couldn't make it today either through illness or geography."

The station fell silent for two minutes.

Once the two minute silence was over, there was the sound of a party popper being triggered, and Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared with a man with yellow skin and brown hair. 30 years of age hadn't diminished her energy one bit, and a girl with red skin and mixed brown and pink hair was with them.

"Great to meet you!" said the man. "I'm Charles Sanders, or Cheese Sandwich. Pinkie's my wife, and this is our daughter Cherry Pie!"

"Hello!" Cherry exclaimed, bouncing over to the other kids. "This is so much fun!"

Luster looked up at her mother as Thomas puffed into the platform. "You know, maybe this whole friendship thing isn't as hard as I thought it was."

"Friendships aren't easy," Twilight replied. "People fall out- we had a fair few of those 30 years ago- but no matter what, if we all stick together and work at the issues at hand, we can accomplish anything. Believe me, I was in the same place you were in a while ago."

---

Music suddenly started playing.

"Oh dear," said Gordon. "Is this now a musical?"

"When I started out, I was unsure
I thought I knew all that I needed, didn't know what to expect!
But when my walls came down, I saw the truth;
All along something was missing-
And I think you'll see it, too!

"This is where the magic happens,
This is where the magic lives!
Our friendships weave together stronger,
The bonds grow deeper, lasting longer;
And the greatest spell you'll know
Is how the Magic of Friendship grows!"

Pinkie Pie and Percy, the latter of whom had suddenly appeared on a mail train, suddenly interrupted.

"And no matter how much time goes by
The party will still be here with some fun new games to try!"

Gordon and Rainbow Dash, the former having backed off his train and into a siding, took over the next lines.

"Big adventure's waiting, obviously!
Long as we're still here together
We'll be flying happily!"

Swept along by the emotion of the moment, and inexplicably all knowing the lyrics, everybody joined in.

"This is where the magic happens,
This is where the magic lives!
Our friendships weave together stronger,
The bonds grow deeper, lasting longer;
And the greatest spell there is
What the Magic of Friendship gives!"

Edward arrived in the depot, and then he and Applejack took over singing responsibilities.

"And it's somethin' true to pass on down
To generations yet to come!"

Followed by James and Rarity;

"And we'll never stop believing in
The generosity of the friendships we've won!"

Henry pulled forward, and he and Fluttershy were on the next verse.

"And because the love that I feel
For every single living creature is something that is real;
Friendship happens so naturally!"

Thomas backed up with Annie and Clarabel, and he and Twilight launched into the final part.

"Oh, and how I used to wonder-"

(Ahhh-ahhh-ahhh...)

"What friendship could be!"

Then, unbeknownst to all assembled, the faces and profiles of all they had known and seen through these adventures flashed behind them.

Edward, Henry, Gordon, Bright Mac Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Sir Toppham Hatt, Thomas, Twilight Sparkle, James, Rarity, Annie and Clarabel, Terence, Big Mac, Bertie, Spike, Percy, Pinkie Pie, Toby, Flash Sentry, Stephen and Bridget Hatt, Lady Hatt, the policeman, Mrs Kyndley, Her Majesty the Queen, Trevor, Pear Butter, Grand Pear, Ocellus, Skarloey, Agnes, Ruth, Jemima, Lucy, and Beatrice, Mr Percival, Sir Handel, Gallus, Peter Sam, Silverstream, Mrs Cake, Apple Bloom, Duck, Harold, Soarin', Royal Scot, Valley Glamour, Jinty, Pug, City of Truro, Fancy Pants, Diesel, Silver Spoon, Rusty, Sandbar, Duncan, Smoulder, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Donald, Douglas, the Brake Van, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armour, Daisy, Trixie, George, Cozy Glow, Rheneas, Yona, Stepney, Sweetie Belle, Caroline, Class 40, Upper Crust, Sci-Twi, Culdee, Godred, Sunny Flare, Mr Richards, Catherine, Ernest, Jet Set, Wilfred, Sour Sweet, Lord Harry/No 6/Patrick, Sugarcoat, Alaric, Indigo Zap, Eric, Lemon Zest, Neil, Rockhoof, Mr Starswirl, Bill and Ben, Babs Seed, Sunflower Seed, Boco, Filthy Rich, Rex, Pipsqueak, Bert, Featherweight, Mike, Twist, Spitfire, Flying Scotsman, D7101, D199, Cinch, Oliver, Isabel, Toad, Scootaloo, Dulcie, Mirabel, Snap Shutter, Mane Allgood, Scruffey, Bulgy, Gilda, Duke, Cheerilee, Mavis, Diamond Tiara, Diesel 10, Sunset Shimmer, Stellar Flare, Caramel, On Time, Storm King, Autumn Blaze, Splatter, Dodge, Suri Polomare, Coco Pommel, Sombra, Tempest Shadow (RIP), Juniper Montage, Meadowbrook, Lady, 'Arry, Bert, Electra, Thorax, Cyril the Fogman, Murdoch, Vinyl Scratch, Derek, Octavia, Thumper, Cranky, Celestia, Luna, the Flying Banana, Amersham, Pharynx, Luster Dawn, Typhoon Blast, Thunderbolt, Blue Angel, Charity, Cheese Sandwich, and last (but most certainly not least) Cherry Pie.

Whilst all these images were flashing through the scene, these words were sung by all;

"This is where the magic happens (where the magic happens)
This is where the magic lives! (where the magic lives!)
Our friendships weave together stronger;
The bonds grow deeper, lasting longer!
And the greatest spell you'll know! (you'll know!)
Is how the Magic of Friendship grows!"

Then Twilight finished on her own.

"How the Magic of Friendship grows..."

As Twilight watched her daughter and her new friends chatting, eventually heading off to play with one another, Thomas smiled. And all were happy on the Island of Sodor, the Magical Land where Dreams came True.

Author's Note:

Well, this is it. I'd always conceived this collection as a trilogy, and ending the story 30 years on seemed so fitting to show how, ultimately, the Magic of Friendship never Dies. Not to mention that The Last Problem did such a beautiful job of rounding off the show (irrespective of what some users here think).

Thank you all so much for supporting me and my work over the last few months or so, and I wish for the Magic of Friendship to always live inside you.

One last thing to do before we bring this adventure to an end. Roll credits!

Comments

[JimmyHook19]

(irrespective of what some users here think).

Why is it that those think I'm the most obvious? :/

[The Blue EM2]

10273583
I dunno. Why don't you ask Sir Toppham Hatt?

[The Blue EM2]

10273610
Thanks.

[Sudrian Engineer]

I just realised something funny, in that long list of character names, you never mentioned Sunset, and, unless I am mistaken, you missed Sombra's wife as well

[The Blue EM2]

10297229
Edited.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

The adults in the family were a much older Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry, who had married in the early 2020s. However, life had meant they had been unable to start their planned family until a fair bit later, and even now they only had one child. The child was a girl with pink skin and long, orange hair with yellow streaks in it, currently tied up in a ponytail. She had orange eyes, and wore a pair of black shoes, white socks, a yellow skirt and a pink blouse. Her name was Louise Denver, but she was normally referred to as Luster Dawn. She sat next to her mother, fidgeting, whilst Flash looked out of the window.

Awww.

"That's the problem!" Luster exclaimed. To describe Luster as socially awkward was an understatement. "You know I struggle to talk to people. When I try, I just clam up!" Her head went back against the headrest. "Maybe trying to make friends is just a massive waste of time."

It's not!

"You can talk, darling!" Rarity, now much older and with a few grey hairs in amongst her purple ones, chimed in. "Blueblood and I had a frightful time securing acommodation on this island!"

There was someone I'd last expect Rarity would be married to.

"I," he said, "was only a small boy when they were the drivers of the North Western. They did our railway proud, and Sodor is still a marvellous place to be. But, sadly, there are those who worked on the North Western who are either no longer with us, or couldn't make it today either through illness or geography."

😔 A moment of silence to remember those who were once with us...

"Oh dear," said Gordon. "Is this now a musical?"

You get used to it Gordon.

Edward, Henry, Gordon, Bright Mac Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Sir Toppham Hatt, Thomas, Twilight Sparkle, James, Rarity, Annie and Clarabel, Terence, Big Mac, Bertie, Spike, Percy, Pinkie Pie, Toby, Flash Sentry, Stephen and Bridget Hatt, Lady Hatt, the policeman, Mrs Kyndley, Her Majesty the Queen, Trevor, Pear Butter, Grand Pear, Ocellus, Skarloey, Agnes, Ruth, Jemima, Lucy, and Beatrice, Mr Percival, Sir Handel, Gallus, Peter Sam, Silverstream, Mrs Cake, Apple Bloom, Duck, Harold, Soarin', Royal Scot, Valley Glamour, Jinty, Pug, City of Truro, Fancy Pants, Diesel, Silver Spoon, Rusty, Sandbar, Duncan, Smoulder, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Donald, Douglas, the Brake Van, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armour, Daisy, Trixie, George, Cozy Glow, Rheneas, Yona, Stepney, Sweetie Belle, Caroline, Class 40, Upper Crust, Sci-Twi, Culdee, Godred, Sunny Flare, Mr Richards, Catherine, Ernest, Jet Set, Wilfred, Sour Sweet, Lord Harry/No 6/Patrick, Sugarcoat, Alaric, Indigo Zap, Eric, Lemon Zest, Neil, Rockhoof, Mr Starswirl, Bill and Ben, Babs Seed, Sunflower Seed, Boco, Filthy Rich, Rex, Pipsqueak, Bert, Featherweight, Mike, Twist, Spitfire, Flying Scotsman, D7101, D199, Cinch, Oliver, Isabel, Toad, Scootaloo, Dulcie, Mirabel, Snap Shutter, Mane Allgood, Scruffey, Bulgy, Gilda, Duke, Cheerilee, Mavis, Diamond Tiara, Diesel 10, Sunset Shimmer, Stellar Flare, Caramel, On Time, Storm King, Autumn Blaze, Splatter, Dodge, Suri Polomare, Coco Pommel, Sombra, Tempest Shadow (RIP), Juniper Montage, Meadowbrook, Lady, 'Arry, Bert, Electra, Thorax, Cyril the Fogman, Murdoch, Vinyl Scratch, Derek, Octavia, Thumper, Cranky, Celestia, Luna, the Flying Banana, Amersham, Pharynx, Luster Dawn, Typhoon Blast, Thunderbolt, Blue Angel, Charity, Cheese Sandwich, and last (but most certainly not least) Cherry Pie.

You forgot to put a comma after Big Mac.

As Twilight watched her daughter and her new friends chatting, eventually heading off to play with one another, Thomas smiled. And all were happy on the Island of Sodor, the Magical Land where Dreams came True.

The ending was beautiful, it almost gave me tears for how much the final scene of fim is. 😭