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Opening Credits78 words
See the Engines Rolling down the Track...1,982 words
Remember me to one who lives there...1,405 words
If I had a Voice I would Sing...1,002 words
The Hottest Place in Town1,890 words
Bright Star Arising!1,551 words
Knights of the Round1,028 words
Where'd it Go?1,022 words
All's Wrong in Hate and War...1,502 words
Everything is Disintegrating...1,197 words
The Most Important Thing is Being Friends!1,671 words
Credits283 words

All's Wrong in Hate and War...

If you had been standing outside Darlington Steelworks on a given morning, you would have been able to hear what sounded like music coming from the structure. The result was a curious boombox effect, with the sound being hard to make out but being there at the same time.

Inside, it was a different story. Frankie was leading Sophie around the steelworks, singing as she did so.

"This is the hottest place in town!
We'll warm you up/
When you're feeling down!
We'll make a smile/
Out of every frown!

"Just take a look around
At the joy we've found!

"This is the place
You can have some fun!
Where you can feel/
Like a number..."

Frankie trailed off as she saw Sophie's running number was far too long to scan properly with the metre. She was soon able to pick the words up, however.

"We've got more sunshine/
Than the sun!
There's a light in our eyes/
We simply can't disguise!"

"This is the hottest place in town!"

Frankie was ready to start the chorus, but things were about to change.

"Come in and come along/
For the ri-"

Suddenly, Sophie throttled up and moved forward, before stopping nearby. "Alright, cut it!" she shouted. The music abruptly stopped.

"Who interrupts musical numbers halfway through?" Frankie asked.

"I do," Pipp said, and opened the door. "This is all well and fun, but I have a question. Where are Porter, Izzy, Bellerophon, and Misty. I know for a fact they came here."

Frankie spluttered for a few seconds as she came up with an answer. "Well, they went off to make a delivery. They should be back soon. In the meantime, could you help us out for a short while? We've got some slag hoppers that need moving."

"I sense a trap," Sophie said.

"One delivery can't be that bad," Pipp said. "Let's give it a go, shall we?"

Sir Gillemere was looking closely at the facility, with Sombra at his controls. "Something is off," he said.

"Have you seen something?" Sombra asked, who reached for a pair of binoculars. "Facility looks fairly conventional to me. With only one way in or out, that's a bottleneck which should be quite easy for them to defend, and hard for us to attack."

"Not so much that," Sir Gillemere replied. "There's far too little activity for a facility of this size. I would say it's underdefended, given the circumstances. It's like they want us to attack."

Bellerophon arrived a few seconds later as the other engines began to get their equipment into position. "Seen anything yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," Sir Gillemere said. "The place is curiously quiet on that front."

Suddenly, Bellerophon heard a familiar engine note, and seconds later he spotted something. "Misty! Look! It's Sophie!"

"And she's pulling a train of slag hoppers!" Misty said. "They've tricked her into working for them!"

A wave of guilt washed over both engine and driver, and the pair in a moment knew they had to make amends.

"Where are you two going?" Radiant Hope asked.

"To put things right," Misty replied, as Bellerophon vanished into the distance.

Sophie's engine strained as she shifted the last of the load onto the hill for dumping. "I don't think this track was designed for this many hoppers to be unloaded in one go!" she said.

"Me neither," Pipp replied. "This is hot work. Good thing I'm in here, or all my clothes would be dirty now!"

There was a pause. "Why exactly do you wear white most of the time? It's a nightmare to clean."

"It deflects heat and is a photogenic colour. It goes especially well with my skin."

"Sophie! Pipp!" a familiar voice called.

Sophie glanced over in surprise. "Well, look who it is!" she said. "If it isn't the engine who got us into the mess!"

Pipp looked over, and her face immediately shifted into a frown. "You've a lot of nerve coming here after what you did."

"We have to go, now!" Misty called. "They may be here any moment!"

But neither Sophie nor Pipp were listening. Pipp was especially annoyed. "First you steal our goods train, then you have us chase you across the country, and then you disappear! You flipped our lives upside down, again might I add, and left us two engines down!"

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Bellerophon said. "But we ha-"

"Really?" Sophie added. "Because I don't believe you."

"We have to go! Now!" Misty shouted again. Truth be told, she was getting frustrated herself.

"When we've finished dumping these we'll leave," Pipp said. "And I'll be sure to tell mom about what you did."

"That's not how it works!" Bellerophon said. "They keep you here forever! You're effectively a slave here!"

"Slave?" Sophie said. "As in forced labour?" She glanced about. "Pipp, get me uncoupled! I'm not suffering through that treatment again!"

Bellerophon moved a bit to give Sophie space to move, when suddenly a chain attached to the back of Bellerophon and began dragging him back! "Help!"

The engine behind him spoke up, revealing them to be Frankie. "You thought you could just run away, could you?" she smirked. "Well, the boss has a very particular punishment lined up for you."

Misty tried to break her engine away, but it was hopeless. The diesel was too powerful, and she daren't risk uncoupling during running. What if she fell out and injured herself?

"This is not good!" Fergus called.

"Blue Circle, how copy, over?" Tempest asked.

"Bellerophon's being dragged into the building by a diesel engine. Markings are of MSC 4002. Classing them as a threat."

"This is bad," Ashleigh said. "We have to go, now."

"Is all the gear in position?" Sombra asked.

"Yes. Battering ram is ready to go, and other equipment is secured."

Sombra activated his radio. "To all units receiving on this station. Operation Exodus is in effect. Repeat, Operation Exodus is in effect."

The formation moved off into the steelworks area, determined at all costs to save their friend.

The claustrophobic confines of the steelworks was a place Misty had no desire to return to any time soon, but here she was again. What had once seemed warm and friendly had taken on a sinister air. The air was full of smoke, and piercing red light shone all over the place. The machinery bubbled with strange pools of coloured liquid. This Misty recognised almost immediately as Spectra. The very same substance she had taken from that lantern, or at the very least derived from prisbeam. This very place was her fault. What sort of a friend was she if she had given their enemies such an advantage?

As Bellerophon was dragged deeper in, he suddenly saw a familiar sight rigged up to some machinery. "Hurricane! Is that you?"

The old engine coughed. He was covered in dirt, and he seemed to be missing a few parts, but he was otherwise alive. "Sorry, you two," he wheezed, clearly struggling for breath. "They broke me."

Misty realised what they meant. "They turned him into a generator, or rather a steam heating unit," she said. Her internal guilt only continued to build.

Finally, Frankie stopped at a point in front of a stage, and decoupled before parking in a siding.

"Give our friends back!" shouted a voice.

Seconds later, Porter rocketed into the steelworks, followed by Sophie a second later. Both of them formed up to attach to Bellerophon and move him out.

Frankie smiled. "Not so fast," she said, and the doors to the facility began to close.

"Hurry!" Ashleigh called. "The doors are shutting!"

The engines had to speed up in order to get in, but they managed, somehow, to make it through with only a few seconds to spare. Now they were in the facility, and what they saw shocked them.

"Who knew Opaline had such military capability?" Sir Gillemere asked. "This is worse than I'd imagined. Look at all these tubes and pipes!"

"All fuel for her army," Fergus said. "Is there no end to this nightmare?"

They finally arrived where the others were, who had been blocked in by lines of trucks. "Right, who's in charge here?" Sombra demanded.

Frankie laughed. "You're quite the presumptous one, aren't you? Just thinking you can demand answers of people, or rather engines in this case, whom you have no control over. Oh well. To deliver the message, please welcome our commander, he who serves the woman who will save us all from slavery!"

Sound began to blare as flames were fired from nearby projectors, and a figure began to walk across the gantry above. They seemed to be dressed in some sort of military uniform based on the cap and the clinking of medals, and he suddenly turned, the flames suddenly illuminating his piercing glare and stuck-up face. He seemed somehow... familiar.

"Well, hello there," he said simply. "I've missed you. Especially you, Izzy, and the little traitor down there."

Izzy gulped loudly. "Sprout Cloverleaf?"

Author's Note:

We're into the final act, and things are hotting up in the steelworks. Time for the final battle!

And yes... you have been asking for a while about his whereabouts. And it's now confirmed... Sprout Cloverleaf is back after his defeat in Falmouth Bay months ago.

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shining paladin

shining paladin #1 · Apr 12th, 2023 · · ·

nice chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the fireworks in the next chapter

ScisetShimmerEvan

ScisetShimmerEvan #2 · Apr 12th, 2023 · 1 · ·

"I sense a trap," Sophie said.

It most definitely is.

"It deflects heat and is a photogenic colour. It goes especially well with my skin."

It's still not the best color to wear when doing a job where you'll get dirty.

The engine behind him spoke up, revealing them to be Frankie. "You thought you could just run away, could you?" she smirked. "Well, the boss has a very particular punishment lined up for you."

Oh shit!

The claustrophobic confines of the steelworks was a place Misty had no desire to return to any time soon, but here she was again. What had once seemed warm and friendly had taken on a sinister air. The air was full of smoke, and piercing red light shone all over the place. The machinery bubbled with strange pools of coloured liquid. This Misty recognised almost immediately as Spectra. The very same substance she had taken from that lantern, or at the very least derived from prisbeam. This very place was her fault. What sort of a friend was she if she had given their enemies such an advantage?

You were tricked Misty. If it wasn't you, it would've happened to someone else and then the mess could've still happened.

Misty realised what they meant. "They turned him into a generator, or rather a steam heating unit," she said. Her internal guilt only continued to build.

Holy crap!