Thomas and Friends: Return to Sodor

by The Blue EM2

Chapter 5-Picture a Land where the Sky was So Blue

Pipp Petals plummeted feet first into the ground, various walls and caverns rushing by her at speed. She looked down and saw nothing but darkness. Not even her phone's torch was able to pierce the gloom that surrounded her as she dropped.

Unfortunately, it seemed little was going to save her; she wasn't the most scientific of girls, but she knew at the same time she wasn't going to slow down. This wasn't Alice in Wonderland, after all.

She continued to plummet downwards, before suddenly hitting a stream of water that dropped her onto a sort of downward slope. She flew along and looked around for something that would help her stay on balance and avoid dropping off the edge of the world.

It was rather like a water slide in that regard. She held on for dear life as she whizzed along at speed, trying to keep her head up and out of water. She then saw a drop coming up. "No, no, no, no no no! That drop is huge!"

But the world didn't listen to her. She screamed as it approached at speed, before suddenly there was nothing below her. The water plummeted straight down as a waterfall, and hit a large pool below.

Pipp, however, was not quite so lucky. The forward momentum caused her to drop down and forward, plummeting downwards into the caverns below at high speed. She closed her eyes and tossed her phone forward, hoping it would land safely somewhere and the signal would allow somebody to find her. Preferably alive. It would break her poor mother's heart if she was found less than in one piece down here, in this murky, rat and water filled tunnel deep underground.

She finally hit the water with a splash, and dropped down into it at speed, before the water pressure forced her to a stop. She glanced about underwater, holding her breath as best she could before the shifting pressure forced her back unpwards into the air and to the surface of the water.

Pipp broke the surface, gasping for air before paddling over to the edge of the pool. She glanced about, moving several stray hairs out of her eyes. Luckily, her phone had landed on a soft patch of land that had seemed to have absorbed the impact. If she'd kept it on her the electronics would have been fried by now.

"I am NOT doing that again!" she said, as she hauled herself out, her soggy clothing considerably adding to the weight. She glanced about. "Brilliant! Not only are my clothes and hair wet, I'm stuck underground with no clue where I am." She picked up her phone and checked it, only to find it couldn't locate her. "This is awful! I'll never find a way out!"

Just then, she had an idea. "Wait a second. I got myself and Zipp out of that mine in Cornwall using a stream with a geotag! What if I do the same thing?"

She popped the settings on, only to realise the phone was, miraculously, still streaming. "Hey Pippsqueaks!" she said. "Sorry for the interruption in service. As you can see I'm in this really weird cave with no clue where I am. I'm attaching a geotag now, so if you could come and look for me that'd be fab!"

Pipp decided to keep the stream running so that people could locate her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, strange lights and crystals seemed to glow in the tunnel, producing strange lights and odd glows. "Ooh. I must take pictures of this. It's like's I've stepped into a fantasy movie!"

A few minutes later, the others arrived. "Pipp! Are you OK?" Sunny asked.

"How did you find me so quickly?" Pipp asked. "And yes, I'm physically fine. Just rather wet."

Izzy took out a hairdryer and gave her a quick blast. "There. That should dry you off."

Pipp nodded. "I'll need to wear something else tomorrow, though. I'll need to give these to the maid for ironing."

"You really do live a different life to a lot of us," Hitch commented. "I iron all my own clothes."

"ANYWAY," Misty said loudly, "where are we?"

"We're in the Tidmouth Crystal Caves," Zipp explained. "It's a local tourist attraction, and we're on part of the tour route. But this cavern on our left- that's your right, Pipp- isn't marked on the tour map. It's as if we're the first people in the history of the world to ever see it."

Just then, a small puffing noise began and a small tank engine and a carriage rolled to a stop. It was a yellow narrow gauge saddle tank with four driving wheels and two trailing wheels. He was painted yellow, and had an enormous lamp attached to his top lamp iron which shone brightly into the caves.

"It's well past closing hours," the engine said. "How did you end up down here?"

"A fall I have no desire to replicate," Pipp answered, still shuddering. "At least bestie still works."

"Who's bestie?" Sunny asked.

"It's the nickname she gives her phone," Zipp replied. "I told you she was unhealthily attached to it."

"Says the girl who names all of her different pairs of goggles."

"You name your goggles?" Misty asked.

Zipp went bright red. "Err, moving on- some of us came in the lift. But where are we, and who are you?"

"I am Proteus, the engine of the caverns," the engine explained. "I can sense you are bound for a great destiny. Come, and board the carriage, and I shall take you to where you shall need to go."

"Where we need to go," Hitch mused. "Where do we need to go?"

"That is one of life's great questions," Proteus said. "Now come. We have much to see, and not much time to see it in."

The team boarded the single coach sitting behind the locomotive, and with a whistle and a release of steam the formation moved off through the caverns.

It wasn't long before Sunny began to spot things she recognised. "Look!" she said. "It's the Sword of Godred!"

"What's that?" Misty asked.

"A magical blade wielded by Godred, the first King of Sodor, when he defeated the Romans at the Battle of Marron's Bank. It was forged by Siegfried the Brilliant, and became the status symbol of the Kings of Sodor until the Sudrian monarchy was abolished in the early 15th Century. It's also supposed to be in Ulfstead Castle, the current home of the Earls of Sodor, but what's it doing here?"

"I've heard reference to a Duke of Sodor," Izzy asked. "Why is that?"

"Sodor is part of the Duchy of Lancaster, so the actual Duke of the Island is the Duke of Lancaster- who happens to be King Charles III. There is an Earl of Sodor, but locals for some reason refer to him as a Duke. One of them even got an engine on the Mid Sodor named after him, until he met his demise in the Gulf War."

Soon they rolled past another object. "The arrow of Shane Dooiney!" Sunny said.

"Who?" asked Pipp. "Sounds kinda Irish."

"Shane Dooiney was a monk who found solace on a mountain- which, incidentally, is named after him. It's near Culdee Fell, the tallest mountain on Sodor at 3,000 feet, which was also the home of a monk- the island's patron St. Machan."

"What do half these mean?" Zipp asked. "Do you speak Sudric?"

"Only bits and pieces I've picked up from Dad's notes," Sunny admitted. She turned to a page in a notebook. "Ah! Culdee Fell translates as 'the mountain of the companion of God'. Interesting."

The train continued to rattle through the caverns, with Pipp merrily snapping photos as the train rumbled along the line. It was still glowing, so there was no need for artificial lighting in order to see the way. Even so, Proteus' lamp continued to shine out into the gloom as they went along the line, a truly incredible place unfolding before them and producing a wondrous experience.

There was now a distinct lack of artefacts to look at, and this meant most of the journey was being conducted in silence. The train rattled along slowly, allowing them to simply enjoy the ride. But Sunny looked slightly agitated. "I hope we're in time," she said.

"In time for what?" asked Misty.

"If the crystals are separated for too long, then the Non Faceless Vehicles lose the ability to communicate, and by extension their sentience. If we don't put them back together soon, we'll be stuck back in the nightmare that we had all those months ago will begin again!"

"Being unable to speak or perceive anything?" Misty asked. "I can't imagine a worse fate for anybody. I wouldn't even wish that on Opaline!"

The train began to slow down, and at last it came to a stop in a platform, where it was clear the line ended. "All change!" Proteus called.

The six got out and walked to a pool nearby. "There's somebody here," Zipp pointed out.

Sure enough, there was. A man was standing with his back facing to them, but his rather mismatched clothing was clearly visible. Although most of his clothing was brown, such as his trousers and jacket, he had a mustard coloured handkerchief tied around one arm, a yellow glove on another, a green boot on one foot, and a brown boot on the other.

He then suddenly turned around and looked at them, revealing a caucasian man with wild white hair and a beard, combined with a moustache. He had oddly piercing brown eyes, and this made him seem a little unnerving. "So, they arrive at last," he said.

"Are you George Carlin?" Misty asked.

"I'm afraid not, although his passing was indeed a tragedy," said the figure. "I am Discord, and I have watched over the world for longer than you can imagine." He pointed to the pool below him.

Zipp knelt down and took out a magnifying glass. "The shapes in this pool match the shapes of the crystals!" she said. "Maybe they were from here?"

"They were found here," Discord answered. "Those crystals, formed thousands of years ago, are the power source behind the gold dust- the energy that gives sentience to machines of the entire globe. They lay here for thousands of years and were not found until later. But with magic our world is unsafe."

"What makes you say that?" Sunny asked, confused.

Discord waved his hands, and brought something up on the display. "A long time ago, there were three men. Wise men, scholarly men, men of the cloth."

"Men of the cloth?" Pipp asked.

"That's a fancy way of saying they were clergy," Hitch answered.

"How do you know that?" Izzy asked.

"My uncle's a vicar in Derbyshire."

"Anyway," Discord said, "they came across this island and wrote all about it in those books which I believe are still being read to this day. They became known as the Guardians of Sodor. But, alas, it was not to be, for the power housed within those crystals was coveted by others. 23 years after the Guardians arrived, an evil woman raised an army and attacked Sodor to seize them for herself. In one last desparate act, the Guardians split the crystals apart."

The display changed to a recording in a room, where the crystals were sat in a box and three men were standing around it as explosions sounded about them.

"We have no choice, Edwin!" said one of them, a tall, gaunt man that they immediately recognised as Awdry. "If she gets her hands on those crystals there is no power of either this world or the next than can stop her!"

"What?" Edwin said in response. "Separating the crystals is not like flicking a switch, Wilbert. We could lose everything!"

"Sirs?" shouted a voice. "The perimeter is breached! Her army will be on top of us in a few minutes!"

"I don't see how we have any other option," said the third man. "Separate the crystals, and spread them across the land. They shall be reunited when the time is right."

The other two men nodded, and with some force pulled them apart. A loud bang echoed across the landscape as their magic fizzled out and failed.

"What was that noise?" Izzy asked. "They sure made an odd sound when split apart."

Sunny tilted her head in confusion. "This doesn't add up. The calender at the back of that scene gave the year as 1970. But Awdry first arrived on Sodor in 1945. That 25 years before 1970, not 23. And why are you telling us this?"

Discord sighed. "You foolish child. It should be obvious why I'm telling you this. You five brought the magic back by reuniting the crystals, and in doing so have plunged our planet into a new era of chaos. She is returning, and when she finds the crystals then she'll be unstoppable. But the solution is obvious to the problem."

"Namely?" Misty asked, confused as to why he'd said five and not six.

"If you have a headache, you take painkillers to make it go away. If you have a tumour, you go to the doctor to have it cut out. The solution is simple- I intend to destroy the crystals, so nobody can ever use their power for evil."

"That's crazy!" Izzy said. "The lives of millions depend on those crystals! You'd be condemning them to death!"

"Only the dead have seen the end of suffering," Discord replied. "But nothing can stop me."

"Who are you calling nothing?" Zipp answered, and began to move forward.

Discord swung out his arm, and Zipp was suddenly pinned in place. "Wh- what? Why can't I move?"

"You children are not the only ones with magic," Discord smiled, before he swung his hand up and tossed her like a ragdoll across the room.

"Zipp!" Pipp called, and charged over to where her sister had landed.

"We will stop you!" Sunny shouted. "Come on guys!" They charged Discord.

"I don't think so," Discord smiled, as he swung his arm once again. They were swept off their feet like toys, smashing to the floor with a loud bang as they did so. Suddenly, cages materialised around them, preventing them from leaving.

"You won't get away with this!" Hitch shouted. "The blood is on your hands!"

"Wrong, on both counts," Discord answered. "I already have gotten away with it. And Non Faceless Vehicles don't have any blood on them, so there won't be any on my hands." He then left, using his powers to collapse the entrance behind him.

Sunny focused as hard as she could, but nothing was happening. "Come on! Where are you when I need you?!"

"Maybe you can't pony up because the crystals are separated?" Hitch suggested.

Just then, another crowd of voices entered the cavern. Their parents had arrived. "They're in cages?" asked Aurora, in shock.

Argyle sprinted over to the cage his daughter was in. "Sunny? What happened?"

Sunny looked up at her father, her face filled with worry. "If we don't stop him... he'll destroy magic... forever."

Author's Note:

Welcome back to a new chapter. This chapter combines elements of the fifth and second comic, as I felt it made more sense to move the dramatic cliffhanger that Issue 2 ends on to the midpoint of the story.

The opening references The Great Discovery, which has a tunnel sequence which was a showcase of what could be achieved in Live Action Animation. Seeing as they knew it would be the final Thomas film produced using the old models, they certainly pushed the boat out with the practical effects.

The various things Sunny mentions during the trip through the cavern are actual Sodor trivia from Awdry's writing. Awdry wrote down a remarkable amount of stuff about the island's history, most of which was not included in the books, but it still provides good reference material for writers.

Speaking of tunnels, the tunnel is based on Magic Railroad as depicted in the film.

And finally, Discord. The character who is the cause of much of the comic's controversy. I am generally reluctant to use Discord in writing given his potential to break stories, but a human version of the character can work well (given he's voiced by the same person who voiced Q in Star Trek). Misty misidentifying Discord as George Carlin (RIP) is an allusion to John de Lancie's physical resemblance to George Carlin, as well as referencing a similar joke in Gold Dust and Harmony.

Well, the stakes are set. Can our heroes save magic, and the Non Faceless Vehicles?

Comments

[shining paladin]

great chapter mate keep it up cant wait for the next chapter

[The Blue EM2]

11745507
Glad you enjoyed.

[Sudrian Engineer]

Dumb Question: Are we supposed to already know who the woman that tried to get the crystals is?

Other dumb question: Why is Discord evil? Was he evil in the comic?

[The Blue EM2]

11745522
1. The next chapter will fill you in, but it's Opaline.

2. Discord is, to put it mildly, a bit of a dick in the comic. The writers were trying to get him closer to his S2 persona.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

11745384
Indeed.

Aye.

Indeed.

That honestly would make for a good PMV if you ask me.

Well, well, I never would’ve thought to see Proteus make an appearance, an unexpected, but welcome surprise.

I truthfully don’t like writing about Discord myself either, cause of the way his character arc is in the series, I honestly feel more like he was just fanservice for John D Lance to be in the series longer. Moreover, I never trusted him from day one. So in my stories, he remains a statue cause I truthfully cannot figure out how he would fit in a story without something going wrong.

But, I hope they not only stop that psycho but also save Twilight and her friends too!

[The Blue EM2]

11745682
Proteus is a difficult character to fit in, given the implication he never existed in the first place. I thought he would fit here, though.

Wingdingaling (a friend of mine here) expressed the view that Discord should have stayed a villain-a viewpoint I share as it's very difficult to write him as a heroic figure. The most fondly remembered Discord stories on Fimfiction are either works of surrealist nonsense or stories where he's actively trolling people (Discord is Bored, for instance).

Given the alternative, it's vital. The weight of the world is upon their shoulders once more.

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

11745685
I think this is one of the better roles I’ve seen anyone give him. If anything, I think Proteus being connected to the Magic Railroad for the Narrow Gauge side is a good idea, given it was said his lamp is magic.

I share that viewpoint too. Cause I do have plenty of projects where he is still a villain, and he’s even out to get one of my OC characters who is a deep friend to Fluttershy.

Quite right. And they have their parents there to help them this time.

[The Blue EM2]

11745690
But given this is the first true reality warper they have faced, have they met their match?

[Thomlight Sparkle 1]

11745980
He might be a reality warper, but he's still arrogant and overconfident. But he will give a challenge, no doubt there.

[The Blue EM2]

11745989
I can assure you that.

[ScisetShimmerEvan]

"How did you find me so quickly?" Pipp asked. "And yes, I'm physically fine. Just rather wet."

You should know that Pipp.

Just then, a small puffing noise began and a small tank engine and a carriage rolled to a stop. It was a yellow narrow gauge saddle tank with four driving wheels and two trailing wheels. He was painted yellow, and had an enormous lamp attached to his top lamp iron which shone brightly into the caves.

Proteus!!

Zipp went bright red. "Err, moving on- some of us came in the lift. But where are we, and who are you?"

Well, good to know something new the sisters have in common.

"A magical blade wielded by Godred, the first King of Sodor, when he defeated the Romans at the Battle of Marron's Bank. It was forged by Siegfried the Brilliant, and became the status symbol of the Kings of Sodor until the Sudrian monarchy was abolished in the early 15th Century. It's also supposed to be in Ulfstead Castle, the current home of the Earls of Sodor, but what's it doing here?"

You and me both on the sword Sunny.

"Are you George Carlin?" Misty asked.

How does she know about him?!?!

"You children are not the only ones with magic," Discord smiled, before he swung his hand up and tossed her like a ragdoll across the room.

Welp, they're in trouble now!

Just then, another crowd of voices entered the cavern. Their parents had arrived. "They're in cages?" asked Aurora, in shock.

Thank goodness they're here.

[The Blue EM2]

11746038
1. Indeed she should.

2. Probably the last character you were expecting to see, I reckon.

3. Indeed.

4. Likewise as well.

5. George Carlin's pretty well known in popular culture. Apart from voicing Filmore in Cars (2006), his stuff is also regularly found online.

6. They are indeed.

7. Lucky indeed-or else their kids might have starved to death.