Stoke up the Magic that Lies Beneath the Mountain, and the Lady will Smile...
Times are changing on the Island of Sodor. Modernisation is creeping in and the future beckons, but the engines and their friends feel they have nothing to fear from the outside world. But when Sir Toppham Hatt goes on holiday, leaving a rather eccentric woman in charge, a new threat comes to the island, one that threatens them all...
Written in honour of the 20th anniversary of Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
Presented in Association with the Guild of Equestrian Railroaders
Starring the voices of;
Tara Strong
Ashleigh Ball
Tabitha St. Germain
Andrea Libman
Madeleine Peters
Michelle Creber
Claire Corlett
Jim Miller
Liev Shreiber
Mariee Devereux
Rachel Bloom
Ali Liebert
Rebecca Shoichet
Robert Rackstraw
Keith Whickam
Nigel Pilkington
Britt Allcroft
and John Hasler as Thomas the Tank Engine
in
Thomas, Twilight, and the Magic Railway
Coding and text programming by Knighty
Based on 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic', created by Lauren Faust, and 'The Railway Series' by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry
Voice recording by Ocean Productions
Characters animated by DHX Media, Live Action Animation by Elstree Studios
Distributed by Hasbro and Mattel
Copyright MMXX
Hello everybody, and welcome.
I believe that most people understand that the moment you get on a train, a great adventure awaits you around the corner. Long after the glorious chime of a steam whistle or the rumble of a diesel horn has ceased to sound, the romance of rail travel will remain in the hearts of most who experience it, whatever the age, place, or time. I say most, because sadly for some people it does not. And just a few troublemakers in the world is all that is needed to ruin some of the best things in life.
This is a story about railways, locomotives, a group of old friends, and the magic that brought them together.
But the Island of Sodor is a big place, and much like a story, a railway needs a hero. Who's this puffing down the track?
It's the hero of our story, Thomas! Hello Thomas! Pulling his coaches, Annie and Clarabel!
"Peep peep! Hello!"
And his driver, too, Twilight Sparkle.
"Good morning, everybody! Welcome to the Island of Sodor!"
Indeed. Regular readers will know that Thomas and his friends live on the Island of Sodor, which sits off the coast of England near Barrow in Furness, and occupies a space of sea next to the Isle of Man. Over the last few months, Thomas and his Friends have had many adventures indeed, and the Island's population has increased dramatically, with many new engines and people coming to live there. There truly is no place like Sodor, and if you have the imagination that I think you do, I think you'll see why.
Knapford Station was the hive of activity it has always been, with trains constantly bustling in and out with passengers and trucks. On the far side of the station, Duck set off with a goods train for Arlesburgh West, whilst James headed away for Crovan's Gate with a stopping train, stating something about always needing to be the favourite.
On platform one sat Gordon. He was looking over at the clock, and he seemed very bored indeed. His driver, Rainbow Dash, looked equally bored, and was constantly checking her watch.
"Honestly Dash," Gordon grumbled, "how does Thomas expect me to run the main line express service if he is constantly running late? If he is late, I am late. If I am late, the passengers complain. And I dread to think what will happen if the passengers complain."
"And then they try First Group trains at Barrow," Rainbow Dash added. "Still, being put on goods work due to a late running train hardly sounds fun, if you remember that time we got stuck on the hill and needed to be rescued by Edward."
"I remember that very well, you know," Edward smiled, as he puffed through with some trucks. "I must say, the trucks are behaving much better than they usually do."
"Mornin' Sugarcubes!" Applejack greeted both Gordon and Rainbow Dash. "Boy is it a fine day."
Mercifully, neither of them saw Gordon's red face, and once they were gone, he looked straight back to the station clock. Not sure whether to be embarrassed or annoyed, he settled on the latter, and started counting as the clock struck 10. "3, 4, 5, 6,..."
"7, 8, who do we appreciate?" Thomas said, as he pulled into the platform next to Gordon. "Practicing your numbers, Gordon? That's a good engine."
Gordon rolled his eyes. "I'm counting how many seconds you are late, Thomas. Tell me, what does that sign over there say?" He drew attention to a large poster, which showed a stylised depiction of a steam engine at full tilt, drawn in an art deco style with some quite prominent text on it.
Thomas began to read. "The North Western Railway; really reliable and right on time. Signed; the Managing Director of the North Western Railway Company PLC, Sir Toppham Hatt."
Gordon let out a breath. "Good heavens, I thought you were going to call him the other name."
"The Fat Controller?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"OI!" shouted a voice from a nearby office. "That's Sir Toppham Hatt to you!"
Rainbow, looking noticably chastened, backed away onto the footplate. Thomas, however, continued speaking. "The sign also says 'sorry for any inconveniences during repairs. We are working to make the North Western Railway a better railway'." A quick look around the yard would have revealed that the ballast and buffers in the yard were being repaired, and this was a crucial task for the next few days. "So, Gordon, it is OK to be a few minutes late."
"And it's not as if we could help it, either," Twilight added. "There was a cow on the line and it needed shooing."
"You should have just asked Daisy to do it," Gordon replied. "She's the expert. Luckily, I'm not off for a few more minutes, so there was some leeway for your passengers, but I'm telling you that these delays must stop. It's bad for the railway's image."
"You think it's bad here?" Thomas asked. "Why don't you try Southern Rail, or one of the other train operating companies on the mainland? Our trains may run late sometimes-"
"An interesting choice of words," Gordon interrupted.
"-But at least we don't cancel every single train and leave commuters stranded when one snowflake is forecast on the other side of the planet." Thomas glanced about again, and got ready to go. "Now, if you'll excuse me Gordon, I have been asked by Sir Toppham Hatt to collect the woman who will be caring for us Sir Toppham Hatt goes on a much deserved holiday. He's been working so hard over the past year he's never had a chance to catch a break!"
Gordon snorted. "I think we can look after ourselves. Surely it's not that hard to write a timetable?"
At that moment, a loud roaring noise started up behind them, and a diesel suddenly shot through heading towards Vicarstown, flying past on the centre through track. "OUT OF MY WAY!" the diesel bellowed, and roared into the distance, his engine spewing smoke and growling like a tiger.
Rainbow Dash coughed and spluttered at the sheer amount of black smoke produced. "Bleugh! That was worse than one of Trixie's smoke bombs! You know, the ones she uses when she tries and fails to disappear?"
Gordon looked about, perplexed. "What was that, even? I've never seen a diesel like that before. The sound he made reminds me of Bear somewhat, but surely that wasn't him?"
"It was a Western Hydraulic," Twilight old him, "but I didn't catch the name or number. I also didn't know they ran them in sandstorm livery, either!"
"I don't know about you, but he didn't seem very nice," Thomas said. "We need to be careful. I believe you have priority on the line?"
Just then, the signal dropped, and Rainbow Dash sounded Gordon's whistle. The big engine pulled away with a wheesh and a roar. "Goodbye Thomas, and good luck. Maybe we need someone to help us after all."
Moments later, Thomas set off for his destination, to find the mystery woman.
Many miles away, back on the mainland, is a city called Ruddington, which itself is a suburb of the city of Nottingham, itself a fine and mighty city. Usually associated with the legends of Robin Hood and the band of Merry Men, Nottingham had a rich industrial and railway history, once having boasted a labrynthian maze of railway lines and sidings, as well as no less than TWO main lines. However, today, only one of these main lines remained, the Midland, the Great Central having closed many years ago.
However, those who had remembered the Great Central had not sat idle, and in the fifty odd years since the London Extension had closed, a group of volunteers had worked hard to rebuild the former Great Central line from Ruddington. They had got as far as Loughborough viaduct, where they were currently working to connect with the other Great Central Railway, who frustratingly were less than a mile away on the other side of the Midland, needing bridges and cuttings to reconnect with their southerly neighbours. Never had the saying 'so near and yet so far' seemed so apt.
Ruddington Fields is the headquarters of the northern end of the Great Central Railway, and is a wonderfully kept depot and station, with a ticket office, a nicely kept cafe, engine sheds to visit and explore, not one but TWO miniature railways, and did I forget to mention that they provide train rides every weekend, with four departures a day?
It is here we meet a new character, and boy is she quite the force of nature. This woman has cream skin, wild red hair that cascades in every possible direction, amber eyes, and she wears a green short sleeves shirt with a darker green skirt, as well as grey socks and black shoes. Her name is April Bradford, but many people refer to her as Autumn Blaze, due to the force of her personality, and the fact she is well, a bit... batty.
Many people know her, and she loves helping people. She never expects (or even wants) any reward for what she does, which is why she volunteers at the Great Central, as she can help lots of people. She does whatever they need doing, being it driving the trains, being the guard, selling the tickets, or sometimes even cooking in the cafe! However, she is often so busy that when people try to thank her, she has already vanished off to her next task!
Meanwhile, in a suburb of North London, a young woman, who couldn't have been more than fifteen, sat outside an apartment block whilst more trains rattled past. These train, however, did not have faces, and did not seem to be alive. This young girl had mild amber skin and piercing blue eyes, as well as hair that seemed to be red and yellow in separated strands. She wore a light blue dress with a short yellow skirt that dropped partway down her legs, and light blue leggings which terminated in a pair of grey boots with an orange chevron on the front plate.
Her name is Sally, but almost everybody referred to her as Sunset Shimmer. She had lived in urban environments for her entire life, having lived with her aunt, Stellar Flare, for many years as her parents were too busy, it seemed.
"Sunset!" called Stellar, a woman with light amber skin and dark red hair, as usual dressed in a business suit. Her line of work was in town planning, and she was solely interested in pulling down the old and embracing the new architecture of the world. This caused her to clash often with Firelight, a fellow planner who supported conservation. "Sunset! You need to pack!"
Sunset shrugged, and stepped indoors as the rain began to fall. She started throwing random clothes into her suitcase, as well as filling her rucksack with more random items. She looked back at Stellar. "Why do I have to go away? I'm going to be leaving all my friends behind and going to a place I don't know!"
Stellar sighed, and rubbed Sunset's hair. "Sunset, we both know it was only meant to be temporary. Nothing lasts forever, and with the demands of my work, Sunspot and I can't care for both you and Sunburst. Your parents are lovely people; I'm certain you'll get on fine."
"Yeah, but not lovely enough to actually look after me," Sunset grunted, and lay back on the bedpost. "Why did they send me away? Nobody's ever explained that!"
Stellar sighed, again, and went and got an old photograph, which showed three people; two boys, and one girl. It was in black and white, and so was hard to make out, but nontheless she began to explain. "The two people in the centre, the ones holding hands, are your parents. This was taken at their Prom in Nottingham in the eighties. Apparently they made a stunning couple, but the other person there got jealous and tried to wreck it. Later on, he took something that was very precious to your father, Sunset, and destroyed it. I don't know what, and he's never really said either."
"Maybe I'll find out there," Sunset sighed, and looked out of the window as the rain continued to splatter down on the ground.
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."
Thomas and Twilight rolled towards Crosby signal box, fully expecting a red signal to stop them and a signalman to ask them where their coaches were. As they approached the box, suddenly a bright golden light appeared in the sky, and out of it fell Autumn Blaze! She fell through the air and landed on the signal box balcony.
"Ouch!" she said. "That gets rougher every time I do it! I really must figure out why it drops me off in random places each time."
Thomas whistled. "Excuse me, are you the woman who will be covering for Sir Toppham Hatt whilst he goes on holiday?"
"Hello Thomas!" Autumn replied. "I'm Autumn Blaze, and you must be Twilight Sparkle!"
"You know me?" Twilight asked, confused.
"Everybody knows the little blue tank engine and his bookworm of a driver!" Autumn replied, bouncing down the step of the signal box and climbing into Thomas' cab. "I can't wait to meet you all and get started! Do you have any idea how rare sentient engines are on the mainland these days?"
"Sorry, what?" Thomas asked. "I've run into engines from the mainland before, and they've been perfectly talkative."
"Oh. Never mind, forget what I was saying. Shall we get going? I'm looking forward to get to work!"
Thomas started off towards Dryaw station, stopped beyond the reversing points, and waited for them to change so he could cross over to the Up line. All done, and he whistled and reversed backwards up the line towards Knapford.
The signalman sighed. "First engines who think they are pulling trains, then women fall out of the sky onto the balcony. Whatever next?"
Meanwhile, Twilight adressed Autumn. "It's good you're here," she said, "as some really weird stuff has been going on lately."
"Indeed," Thomas sighed. "There's a new diesel on the island, a Western hydraulic. Boy is he nasty, and I bet Sir Toppham Hatt won't like it."
Elsewhere, in a set of sidings, Diesel 10 sat talking with a pair of Class 08 shunters. One of them appeared to be purple, but his paintwork was so filthy it was hard to tell precisely what colour he was. The word 'Splatter' was barely visible on the side. The other one was painted some form of lime green, and was similarly filthy. The word 'Dodge' was on the side of his bodywork, which was also scarcely readable.
Leaning out of their cabs were two girls. The one leaning out of Splatter wore dark blue shoes with a light blue buckle, dark purple socks, a purple tartan skirt, a white long sleeved shirt buttoned up at the neck, a purple jacket, a blue scarf, and had pink skin, hazel eyes, and purple hair done up with a hairband. The other girl, leaning out of Dodge, wore a nearly identical outfit, but had switched the jacket for a purple waistcoat, and had no scarf on. She had yellow skin, and icy blue two tone hair, in which an orange flower sat.
Across from this most odd combination, Diesel 10 was prattling on proudly about a sculpture of him carved into a boulder nearby. "So," he said, "Fatty's going away to the mainland for a holiday, eh? He needs the exercise. Superb work, Splodge!"
"I'm Splatter," said Splatter.
"And I'm Dodge," added Dodge. "My driver's called Coco Pommel!"
"And mine Suri Polomare!" Splatter interjected.
"I don't have time to say four names every single time I want something done!" Diesel 10 snapped. "Be glad I'm not calling you Splococomaregde!"
"Isn't that a form of art?" asked Coco. Her real name was Catherine, but we'll stick to Coco. NOT MISS.
"Yeah, I think Jackson Pollock painted that," Sarah, or should I say Suri, added.
"Anyways, now that Fat Hatt is away," Diesel 10 continued, with a smirk, "the cats will come out to play, and we shall catch our mice!"
Splatter and Dodge just stared blankly at him. "Well," Splatter started, "Thornaby did have a depot cat at one point."
"Let me explain," the big diesel said. "With nobody to keep an eye on the engines of this island, we can cause as much chaos as we see fit. We're the future. Steam ended on the mainland nearly fifty years ago, and as such we can easily remove them and make their lives an absolute misery."
"There's one slight problem boss," Coco said nervously.
"It's more than slight!" Suri added. "But this island is the home of Thomas the Tank Engine, and he has brought Autumn Blaze with him!"
"How did they get there?" Diesel 10 asked. "This makes things so much more complicated."
"It only makes things more complicated if you let them be made more complicated," added another voice, and the man in the trench coat appeared from a nearby hill. As he strode down, he cast off his coat and hat, fully revealing his appearance.
He had white skin and piercing blue eyes, as well as white hair that was slowly balding. He wore a suit of jet black armour with two parallel lines running up the chestplate, combined with grey boots. "Never fear, anybody," he said. "Diesel 10 and I can take care of this all."
"Who are you?" asked Dodge.
"Why," the man said, "I'm the Storm King. That's all you need to know. Besides, I have a little trick to show off that'll even the odds in our favour." He pushed a button on his remote, and a panel slid back on Diesel 10's roof. Out of it slid a grabber with a heavy claw fitted, which appeared to be the colour of rust. As it bent down into the stored position, the hydraulics failed and it smacked down on top of Diesel 10's cab roof.
"OW!"
Splatter and Dodge conversed with one another. "I doubt he intended for that to happen."
Suri shook her head. "You two, that is the understatement of the year."
Little did they realise, Thomas, Twilight and Autumn had witnessed the entire scene. "I don't think they'll be a problem," Autumn said bravely. "I can keep them under control. There's a special object called gold dust, which I can use to travel from one point to another in the blink of an eye. He won't know what hit him."
Thomas noted the existence of the boulder. "Wow, Diesel 10 is seriously vain. He makes James look modest!"
"You think?" Twilight asked, rhetorically.
A few minutes later, Autumn Blaze had set herself up in Sir Toppham Hatt's office, and was checking all was in order whilst reading from a letter that took up most of the desk. "To Autumn Blaze, I hope you have had a safe and comfortable journey to Sodor." She laughed. "Yeah, right." After that interlude, she then continued reading. "If you need anything whilst at work, or are unsure of anything, please do not hesitate to contact a member of station staff, who will be perfectly happy to help you. From, Sir Toppham Hatt."
Seconds later, the phone went, and Autumn picked it up. "Good afternoon sir! Yes sir, I'll make sure to keep the railway running and on time. Of course, I'll keep an eye on Diesel 10. Speak to James? Yes sir! Of course, the three r's; reading, writing, rithmetic!"
She paused as a confused voice spoke on the other end. "Sorry sir. Responsible, reliable, and really useful!" She then put the phone down, and looked about. "It's a long walk from here to Tidmouth sheds. Of course, I have gold dust on my side!" She took out her whistle, and blew it.
Nothing happened.
"Huh?" she asked, looking into her whistle in confusion. "I should have sparkled out by now! Is my whistle broken or something?" She blew on it again, and her face looked noticably relieved as she sparkled out and vanished.
James was still stuck in the shed, and Thomas backed into the berth next to him. James looked annoyed, and snapped at him. "Wobbly wheels."
"You're just jealous," Thomas replied. "Only I am useful enough to collect Autumn Blaze."
"Puffy pistons," James retorted. "Only an engine as splendid as me could possibly have collected Autumn Blaze. It's just the way of the world."
"James!" Rarity snapped. "A gentlemen never boasts! He only ever shows modesty!"
"James is an engine, Rares," Rainbow Dash called over, as Gordon reversed into the shed.
"Indeed," Gordon smiled, his pomposity visible for miles around. "Collecting the replacement controller is a very important job that can only be done by very important engines. James and I are important. You are not. You are small."
Thomas was annoyed, and once again did not look where he was going and bashed into a truck that had been left on the shed road for some reason. And it was into this truck that Autumn Blaze sparkled, and fell back.
"Can we please all stop arguing?" she asked, as she climbed out of the truck and walked out to the turntable. "Sir Toppham Hatt has asked me to keep this railroad-"
"Railway," Twilight interrupted. "We are in Britain, not the United States, irrespective of what the animators think."
"This railway," Autumn continued, "really useful. Bumping trucks is not useful, Thomas."
"The trucks were being silly," Thomas replied.
"Shush."
"You can't say that!" Gordon exclaimed. "Only Sir Toppham Hatt is permitted to say that."
Autumn shook her head. "Get back to work," she snapped. "Oh, James? You can come out now."
Just then, Thomas headed out of the yard, complaining to himself. "Little engines can do big things," he grumbled, "especially if they have smart blue paint like me!"
"Be careful what you wish for, Thomas," Twilight said. Sure enough, Harold flew overhead and covered Thomas in dust.
"Sorry, old chap!"
"MY PAINT!" Thomas cried.
Nearby, Splatter and Dodge coughed as they were covered in dust too. "What just happened?" they asked, in unison.
Evening fell, and the engines returned to their sheds to rest until the morning. Twilight had spent much of her shift trying to get the dirt off of Thomas' paintwork, but she had been unable to remove all of it, and had promised to complete the work in the morning. Even so, Thomas was not pleased. "I look a mess," he complained. "How can I be really useful if I'm covered in dirt and dust?"
"I had no idea you could be so vain, Thomas," James said.
"That's rich, coming from you," Percy retorted. "Don't worry, Thomas. I'm certain that Harold didn't mean to cover you in dust. But Twilight is coming back tomorrow, and she will clean you and make you look magnificent. Then everybody can value your blue paint and red stripes."
"That's my line!" Henry protested.
"Only I can protest about other characters using my lines!" Gordon interrupted.
"Quiet!" Autumn hissed. For some odd reason, she had taken on the position of night watchman for the shed, instead of sleeping in the railway accomodation provided for her, and was currently lying in a hammock dressed for bed. "You can't rest and work hard tomorrow if you're all talking all the time!"
The engines fell silent, and Autumn went back to her drink. "Hot chocolate always get me off to sleep, every time." She smiled as she lay back in her hammock, but suddenly sat up again as she heard the growl of a Maybach engine outside the shed. The structure was undergoing some light structural maintenance, and the exterior was covered in walkways and scaffolding to better facilitate such repairs. Seconds later, the gantry next to her tumbled to the ground as something crashed into the exterior wall. On the other side of the now holed wall was the grinning face of Diesel 10.
"You're not wanted here, Autumn Blaze!" he sneered. "Let's make that fact quite clear."
Suddenly, his grabber began to find its way through the wall and go for Autumn. Autumn grabbed her whistle and blew it with all her might.
Nothing happened.
"What?" she asked. "Why isn't it working?"
"Looks like the magic is failing!" shouted another voice. Autumn looked up to see a man looking out of the cab of Diesel 10, leering in perceived victory. "At this rate, the Lost Engine will be ours in no time!"
Autumn calmly got up from her hammock. She had gritted her teeth together, and coolly stared the Storm King down. "Leave us alone," she said, coldly.
What happened next caught everybody off guard. Autumn's skin and hair suddenly turned jet black, her eyes went white and started to glow, and her body burst into flames. "LEAVE!" she bellowed, her voice distorted and booming. "OR ELSE YOU'LL HAVE A NIRIK TO CONTENT WITH!"
Storm King's face turned white with shock. He pulled back Diesel 10's grabber, set him into forward on the reverser handle, and they both sped off into the night. "Enjoy tonight, Blazy, as you won't like tomorrow! I will get the Lost Engine!"
Autumn switched herself back to normal, and looked over at the shocked engines. "That was incredible!" James said. "You scared him off!"
Autumn nodded. "Yeah. But I can only do that so many times a day or else I tire myself out. First the sparkle stops working, now Diesel 10 and Storm King are causing havoc? Why does everything have to go wrong as once?"
"Murphy's law," Henry interrupted. "Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. It's quite worrying, really."
"When do you NOT worry?" Percy asked Henry.
"Touche."
Autumn sighed. "I suppose I'll have to sleep on it."
"Your whistle?" Thomas asked. "Won't that break it?"
"No, the problem," Autumn sighed, and she turned back to her hammock and hopped in it. Before long, the orange haired woman was fast asleep, and in the world of dreams.
Meanwhile, in Ruddington, in an engine shed on the site of the Great Central Railway Nottingham, a man in his fifties sat at a desk, looking at an old engine. He had light grey skin and blue eyes, with messy black hair that seemingly hadn't been combed in a while. He wore black pants, a pair of grey shoes, a dark blue shirt with a black waistcoat, and a white tie around his neck. This is Steven, or as most people call him, Sombra. The engine he was looking at was a nondescript and fairly generic side tank of indeterminate manufacture, of the sort produced in their thousands for factories and dockyards in the early 20th Century. However, the result did bare a passing resemblance to the Great Western 101 class tank engines. It had four small wheels, painted purple, the body was also painted purple, outside cylinders, curving side tanks, two golden buffers on the front, two more on the back, two golden lamps, a golden smokebox, a purple chimney capped with a golden chimney cover, a golden dome and safety valves, and dark purple frames and cab roof. On its side tanks were written its name.
LADY.
"I'm sorry I let you down, Lady," Sombra sighed, as he looked vaguely at the wall. "I'm sorry I let him do that to you, and that I failed the magic."
As he sat there, he thought to himself, and remembered the past. He had first found Lady when he was a new volunteer here, having worked on the real railways for a while and now basically doing his day job for a hobby (busman's holiday, anyone?). When he had fired the engine up, she had begun to speak to him, telling him her name was Lady. She was from a steelworks in the nearby area, and had discovered an incredible secret near here entirely by accident. Sombra let her show him, and they had been transported from Nottingham to Sodor, a place Sombra had never been before. It was incredible, and he made sure to keep popping back whenever he could, usually with Lady as she knew the way. He also found the railway that linked the two together fascinating, and how it seemed to defy all logic, as well as the gold dust that was produced whenever Lady flew along its track.
But, sadly, one dark day, it all came crashing down.
"Where's the engine?" Storm King demanded, as Sombra stood on Lady's footplate.
"You have no idea how to drive her safely," Sombra retorted, both to Storm King and to the purple skinned woman standing next to him.
This clearly was not an acceptable answer for Storm King, as he rudely shoved his way onto the footplate. "Come on, Tempest!" he said. "It's our turn to drive a train!"
Slamming the brake handle off, and winding the reverser back as far as he could get it to go, Storm King tore open the regulator. Lady took off like a rocket, and soon was clear of the station approaches and into a tight bend.
"BRAKE!" Sombra cried, and grabbed at the brake control. Tempest, in response, shoved him off the footplate, and he hit the gravel below. He watched on in horror as Lady tipped over onto her side, smashing into the gravel and ballast and skidding along as she came to a violent stop.
Sombra walked forward slowly to survey the damage. Lady's frames were torn, her smokebox had partially detached from her boiler, her dome was bent, the safety valves were missing and her running gear was broken into pieces. Storm King angrily jumped off the footplate and shook his fist at him.
"YOU IDIOT!" he screamed, tears in his eyes. "YOU DERAILED HER ON PURPOSE! NOW TEMPEST IS DEAD, AND I WILL SUE YOU FOR EVERY LAST PENNY YOU HAVE!" He stormed off into the bushes, whilst Sombra walked around the other side of Lady, to see the woman pinned underneath the engine. She had been dead for a few minutes, and in that moment the brakedown crane arrived and Sombra called an ambulance. It was only after Lady was back in his workshop that he let himself break down.
"The magic is gone," he whispered, barely able to keep his composure. "And I have failed you." Only then did he permit himself to weep for one of the few things he had ever loved.
And now, many years later, Sombra had noticed the changes in the world. There were far fewer engines that were capable of speaking now, and even some of the ones here, closest to the source of the magic, had fallen silent. It was clear that something bad was going on, and now that Storm King was back, Sombra was certain they would only get worse.
Meanwhile, at Tidmouth Sheds, Autumn was deep within her dream. In her dream, she began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "The Magic Railroad must be somehow connected to these problems," she said to herself in the dream. "The gold dust must somehow be connected to it, or else it cannot function. And maybe the rough journey and the lack of gold dust are somehow connected! And then-"
Suddenly, Flim appeared in the dream. "Why didn't you come back, Autumn?" he begged. "The railway is gone, and the magic left with it!" In her vision, Autumn saw the former Ruddington station site, torn up, gone, and turned into a housing estate.
Autumn awoke with a start. "I have to act!" she cried. "This world is in great danger, and I must find the source of the gold dust! And we need some extra help too."
One scene transition later, Sunset had gotten off her train at Bedford. As the overhead wires stopped there, passengers needed to change trains in order to continue their journey north. As she walked over the platform, she suddenly noticed that the signboard was showing connections north.
On either side of her were two identical trains, both Class 222 DMUs. She studied the destination board, and walked to the right, getting onboard and finding a seat.
Little did she realise, she had misread the destination board. That wasn't the train she wanted at all. This train wasn't going to Nottingham. It was going to Sheffield!
Morning had broken on the Island of Sodor, like a new morning, and the engines were setting off to work. As James steamed out of his berth and onto the turntable, Autumn looked at her watch and sighed. "If I can't travel by gold dust," she said, "I'll need to travel by train. But I can't ride in Thomas' cab, as that is too obvious."
Just then, Duck rolled to a stop outside the yard. "Need some help, Miss Autumn?" he asked.
"Can you take me to Crovan's Gate, please?" she asked. "I've got somewhere I need to go."
"Sure thin'!" Apple Bloom called to her. "Just hop in the cab, and away we go!"
The run to Crovan's Gate was pleasent enough. Duck ran well and smoothly, heading a stopping train, and Apple Bloom was a skilled driver, there was no denying that. It was just that Autumn was too distracted by what was going on to truly enjoy the scenery. After they stopped, Autumn said her goodbyes and hopped off to head over to the Skarloey railway.
As she approached, she saw a group of kids hard at work on maintaining their engines. Smoulder was currently underneath Duncan's frames, peering at something. She reached out for something. "Spanner?" she asked.
Sandbar quickly handed her one. "Here you go."
"My nuts and bolts must be loose," Duncan grumbled. "I can never remember feeling this shaky."
"All things can be repaired," Peter Sam smiled. "Even Grandpuff."
"Quiet, you," Duke grunted. "You're just as much the impertinent young scallywag I remember you being."
"Did you ever call them anything else?" Sandbar asked him, curiosity in his eyes.
"Not really."
Meanwhile, Silverstream was busy getting Peter Sam lit up for the morning. When suddenly-
"BOO!"
Silverstream shrieked and fell off of her seat, landing on a bucket of water. It flew high into the air and splashed all over her, making her very wet. "Gallus!" she shouted. "That wasn't funny!"
"You sure look hilarious though," Gallus snorted.
Ocellus rolled her eyes. "I sometimes wonder how they get any work done."
Autumn then chose to walk into the scene. "Good morning girls!" she called.
All eyes suddenly snapped over to her. "All of the engines and at least two of the drivers are guys," Smoulder said sarcastically. "I know I may look like a boy, but really?"
"And more than one of them has a crush on somebody," Rheneas smiled.
"Oh, not this again," Sandbar groaned.
"OCELLUS AND SANDBAR, SAT BENEATH A TREE, K- I- S- S-"
"Quiet!" Autumn shouted. Silence fell and landed on the track. "Can you help me?"
Silverstream, still very wet and trying to dry herself out, spoke up. "Can we help you? Of COURSE we'll help you!" She flew over, and shook Autumn's arm so quickly that it was a miracle she didn't pull it off. "I'm Silverstream, and welcome to the Skarloey Railway!"
Autumn looked over to Rheneas. "Can you and your driver take me to Rheneas Falls?" she asked.
"It will be a pleasure, miss-"
"Autumn Blaze."
"Thank you. Yona and I shall collect our coaches momentarily."
After dropping her off at Rheneas Falls, Rheneas continued his journey up the line, whistling merrily as he did so. Autumn set off up the falls hiking trail, knowing that she had to succeed, or else calamity would ensure.
Elsewhere, Thomas was stopped at a level crossing. Well, he wasn't stopped for the level crossing as trains have right of way over roads, but he had stopped, and in front of the level crossing too. He was having some odd steaming problems, and Twilight was checking him over to see what was wrong.
Suddenly, George the Steamroller rumbled over the crossing, grumbling to himself. "Still trying to avoid the inevitable?" he asked Thomas. "Railways are no good, turn them into roads. Railways are no good, turn them into roads!"
"That'll never happen, George," Thomas said confidently. "Trains are safer than cars."
"And a lot more convenient too!" Twilight added. "It means you can watch the view and not have to look at the road all the time!"
"Oh really?" Cozy Glow sneered from George's controls. "Because they've already started construction of the A692 across the Island. Then the Island shall flood with cars and busses, putting you out of business!"
Thomas looked in concern at Twilight. "Is she a pyschopath, or something?"
Meanwhile still, Autumn had finally climbed to the top of the falls. She searched around on top of them for several minutes, before suddenly finding a piece of paper. "Stoke up the magic that lies beneath the mountain and the Lady will Smile. Then watch the swirls that spin..."
She looked down, and saw the paper was torn. "Where's the rest of it gone?" she asked, in a panic. Looking about her, she found another piece of paper, and read out the last bit. "So well. Stoke up the magic that lies beneath the mountain and the Lady will Smile. Then watch the swirls that spin so well." She shrugged her shoulders. "What on Earth is that supposed to mean?"
She checked her phone, and luckily she still had a signal. "I really didn't want to interrupt your holiday, but I have no choice," she sighed, and dialled a number.
On a road somewhere on Sodor, Cozy Glow brought George to a stop next to a pub. She set his gearing to hold him in position and hopped off the footplate. "I just need to make a quick phone call," she said, and headed indoors. So George was left sitting there all alone, with nobody to help him.
Suddenly, Storm King appeared from nowhere, jumped onto his footplate, released the controls and opened his regulator. George began to steam off down the road, utterly helpless to stop himself. "Help! Help! I'm being stolen!" he cried.
"You'll never need to bother about that little brat again!" Storm King laughed. "Where you're going, you'll be very useful indeed."
As George steamed helplessly into the distance, Cozy Glow heard the commotion and ran outside to see her steamroller rolling off without her. "GET BACK HERE, THIEF!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. But Storm King just ignored her. Going back to her phone, she dialled 999. "Hello? Police? I'd like to report a stolen vehicle. Yes, a steamroller- stop laughing!- has been taken. It's dark green, with red lining and gold bands on the boiler cladding. You will! Thanks." She ended the call, and put the phone down, her face seething with rage. "Nobody takes MY steamroller and gets away with it."
After a very slow drive to some sidings (as George could only travel at a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour), Storm King brought him to a stop. Diesel 10 was already waiting for him, as were Splatter and Dodge, grinning at the steamroller, who looked horribly awkward.
"I got the goods!" Storm King called triumphantly.
"Excellent," Diesel 10 smiled. "Now then, George, I assume you know why you are here?"
"Because I was stolen and driven down the roads at speeds far faster than I was meant to!" the steamroller snapped back.
"Apart from the obvious," Splatter chimed in.
"What's obvious?" Dodge asked.
"That George was stolen and driven here," Suri explained to him. "That's why it's obvious."
"Oh, right," Coco answered. "Now it makes sense."
"WHERE'S MY COFFEE?!"
Diesel 10 sighed. "Ignore them; they're idiots. I know you dislike railways and steam engines, and so do we. Trains need buffers in order to stop and not crash, so if you destroy the buffers, the steam engines will crash. Once they are all gone, we'll rebuild the buffers, and take this railway for our own."
"What good will that do?" George asked. "They'll just build new ones."
"There's a new woman on the railway, a temporary controller," Storm King explained. "She has a special power that allows her to teleport between this world and a place on the mainland via a set of buffers. So all we need to do is destroy all the buffers on the island, and then she won't be able to escape, and I can get right of her once and for all." He jumped onto George's footplate, swung his roller to the right, and opened the regulator. "Let's get started!"
George closed his eyes as he rumbled out of the parking lot, over the track, and smashed into a pair of buffers on a siding, completely smashing them to matchwood.
"Well, that's one down!" Dodge called.
"And now, I'm stuck," George grumbled. And he was.
Elsewhere, Autumn had finally come back into phone reception, and dialled a number as she did so. "Hello? I'm trying to get through to Nottingham. Hello Mr Flam! Have you seen her anywhere? You have? Excellent! I'll call her now!" She hung up, dialled another number, and listened as it began to ring. "Please pick up. If I know her, she'll be preoccupied..."
A little way down the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) there is a tunnel. This is an enclosed space on a steep gradient, which makes it especially fun when the railway is operating steam locomotives. They have to work very hard to get their coaches back up the slope, and the resulting din and smoke produced is a remarkable sight indeed. Today, the line's resident 8F was pushing its coaches back up the gradient (the line having no turntable or runround loop at the Loughborough end). As it reversed through the tunnel, it was now possible to observe a figure standing by the side of the tunnel. This figure was a girl with yellow skin and dark blue eyes, with a pair of purple glasses sat atop them. She had blue hair of multiple coloured strands that was almost green in places, and currently had her hair done up in pigtails, held in place by bands designed to look like projector reel holders. She wore purple shoes, white socks with what looked like cherries hanging off them, a black skirt with purple dots on the bottom (don't ask me why). a light blue blouse with a white collar, and a purple jacket. Her name was Juliet Monroe, or Juniper Montage as she was often referred to (again, don't ask me why). She currently had a camera in her hand, and set it to record just as the engine thundered past, steam erupting into the air just as the engine emerged from the tunnel, producing a thunderous display of smoke and steam.
"Yes!" she cried, pumping her fist. "Perfect!"
Her jubilation was interrupted when her phone went off. Groaning, she went and answered it, to see it was Autumn. "However this is, know you just ruined a perfect shot."
"Where are you?" Autumn asked at the other end.
"I'm just north of the tunnel," Juniper replied. "Why?"
"I need you to get to Sodor as soon as you can. My supply is running out, the gold dust seems to be running out, and the number of sentient machines here relative to the number we used to see tells me we are in serious danger."
"I don't have any gold dust on me!" Juniper answered.
"Then use the buffers. Remember to go to the station building first and tell the Flim Flam brothers that you won't be around for a bit." Then the line went dead.
Juniper rolled her eyes. "Why do I always end up cleaning up Autumn's mess?" So she walked up the line towards Rushcliffe Halt, hoping to join the train there.
Sunset looked out of the window and saw the train enter a large tunnel. Just then, an announcement started over the train intercom. "Good afternoon passengers, and once again welcome onboard the 10:30 to Sheffield. We are now passing through Nottingham, where this train does not stop. Please do not attempt to alight from this service. Once again, thank you for travelling with East Midlands Trains."
"What?" Sunset cried, and looked out of the window. "Oh no! I got on the wrong train!" She watched helplessly as the platform vanished away, and she was whisked further north.
On the platform, a woman quickly grabbed her phone. "Hello?" she asked. "Oh, Hi Somny. Mah daughter got on the wrong train and just passed through. Could ya go ta Sheffield station and ensure she gets on the right one back? Thanks. Ah'll be here."
Thomas and the other engines were currently having an indignation meeting, or an indigestion meeting, depending on whether Percy was capable of spelling today. Gordon started the conversation. "So, what do we all intend to do? Autumn Blaze is nowhere to be seen."
"Last I saw," Thomas replied, "she was having a phone call."
"Diesel 10 wants to destroy us!" James cried.
Edward, who hadn't said a word up to this point, spoke up. "And I fear that, if we don't work together, he may destroy us all."
"So we band together, same as we always have," Thomas replied.
"But what if Diesel 10 tries to drive us apart, like that Class 08 did with Apple Bloom and Duck?" Henry asked.
"Please don't bring that scoundrel into our conversation," Percy asked. "The situation is bad enough as it is."
Thomas then suddenly sneezed, very violently. "AH- CHOO!"
James shut his eyes. "Say it, don't spray it, Thomas!"
Toby cast him a glare as Twilight got onto Thomas' footplate. "I need to go now," he said. "Autumn Blaze needs our help. I dropped her off at Kellsthorpe road, and with any luck she'll still be there. Goodbye!" Blowing steam from his cylinders, he reversed out of the yard and got on his way.
Henry looked over. "What's wrong with mentioning diesel?" he asked, confused.
The other drivers came over and boarded their engines. "It's because that diesel was so nasty ta us, and further more him and his driver tried ta pin it on mah own family," Applejack explained, as she released Edward's brakes. "And Ah hope that nasty ol' diesel and his troublemaker friends ain't causin' havoc fer the rest of us."
Storm King brought George to a stop on the Crovan's Gate road, and pivoted his wheel to the left just as Sir Handel re-entered the yard for the Skarloey Railway. The steamroller rolled up alongside the tank engine, who glanced up at him. "Oh, hello," Sir Handel said. "What are you doing here?"
"You puffballs need to get out of the way," Storm King said menacingly. "I have a plan, and you won't stop it."
Gallus smirked. "Still smarting over the fact we beat you in that race?" he asked.
"You lot are such annoying brats," Storm King snarled, and he pulled open George's regulator.
Nothing happened. Then there was a loud clunk, and Ocellus appeared from underneath George.
"I removed the drive link," she explained. "Cozy Glow phoned ahead to warn me of a stolen steamroller, and I planned accordingly."
Storm King looked enraged as Suri and Coco appeared. He jumped off the footplate and began shouting. "Get these idiots! They have something of mine!"
Suri charged after Ocellus, who fortunately had quick reflexes. "Here, Smoulder, catch!" she called. She threw the link through the air, and it landed in Smoulder's hands, which was doubly impressive as she was driving Duncan at the same time.
"Good catch!" called Skarloey.
Storm King ran after Duncan, who abruptly stopped, reversed, and then stopped again. The link was thrown through the air, only this time to land in a truck being shunted by Rusty.
So Suri went after Rusty, only for Sandbar to gun the engine forward. At the same time, Yona and Rheneas were just returning from a goods run, and shunted their stock right into Suri's path."Oh no you don't!" the Welsh engine smiled.
"Such infuriating little scamps, aren't they?" Storm King snarled. "Coco, go get that link from the coffee pot!"
Sandbar then threw the link over to Ocellus, who had taken Skarloey's controls, and the tank engine backed up into the shed. As Coco ran in, she suddenly ran back out, yelling in fright. And who should emerge from the shed but-
Duke. He rolled out of the shed, hissing steam and looking very cross. "You impertinent young scallywags," he scolded. "Leave my friends alone."
Storm King stalked over to him. "Somebody should have scrapped you long ago, Grandpuff," he said, and went to kick the old engine.
But before he could do so, he was suddenly caught up by a passing slate wagon being propelled by Peter Sam. "I have to say," the tank engine smiled, "I am enjoying this game of pass the parcel."
"THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!" Silverstream cried. "But what's that? You want a cold bath? Sure!" Just then, the door of the slate wagon opened, and Storm King was deposited into a water trough.
He stood up, shaking his fist. "This isn't the last you'll see of me!" he shouted, and he retreated into the forest alongside Suri and Coco.
Ocellus got out of Skarloey's cab, and reattached the drive link to George. This was just as Cozy Glow arrived, who was huffing and puffing and looked ready to blow a house down. "He thinks he can just steal my steamroller?" she screeched. "Wait until I give him a piece of my mind!"
"Storm King has a plan," Smoulder quickly explained, "but we don't know what that is. I'm willing to put our old animosity aside for the sake of saving the Island. What do you say?"
Cozy smiled. "I'm in."
Sunset got off her train at Sheffield, several hundred miles north of where she wanted to be. Sighing, she stepped onto the platform and got her bag, to be greeted by a woman with salmon coloured skin with dark blue hair, purple eyes, and dressed in (mostly) white. "Hi, Meadowbrook called ahead about you," she said. "You need to catch the train back to Nottingham."
"Or I could just go back to London and forget about this entire thing!" Sunset snapped. "I never wanted to come to this dump anyway."
There were a number of angry looks from passers by, who disliked the idea of somebody calling Yorkshire a 'dump'.
Somnambula sighed. "I'll be accompanying you on the train, to ensure you don't try something like that." And they went over to the ticket booth without so much as an argument.
A couple of hours after that, Sunset somehow found herself at Ruddington Fields (forever). As she walked up the platform, Caramel ran up to On Time.
"Sir!" he called. "Ah saw the stranger! He was doin' somethin' near the buffers!"
"Which is where those black lines on the map go to," On Time sighed. "I'm convinced of it now; he's trying to find Lady."
Glancing in the direction of the buffers, they could see a shimmer of light continuing on from the buffers, as if a railway line continued (which it once had). After a moment or two, the two went their own ways.
Meanwhile, inside the station building, Sunset looked even more confused. "How on Earth did I end up here?" she asked. "Am I just cursed to get on the wrong train perpetually?"
She jumped as a door burst open, and Juniper suddenly appeared. "Hello!" she said. "I'm Juniper Montage! Who are you?"
"Erm, I'm Sunset," Sunset replied, and extended her hand. "Sunset Shimmer."
"Nice to meet you, but I gotta go, bye!" Juniper vanished out of the door and headed off down the platform.
On Time then entered again. "Hello," he said. "Are you Sombra and Meadowbrook's daughter?"
"Yeah," Sunset replied. "Why?"
"He's very worried about you," On Time said. "I've got a few minutes until my next train goes out, so I can walk you over to his shed."
"He lives in a shed?"
"He spends most of his time working there, on an old engine. Come, let us go."
Autumn Blaze once again checked her watch in concern. "Where on Earth is Juniper?" she asked. "We have little time, and I don't think it could take that long to get here! What could have held her up?"
Elsewhere, On Time was walking Sunset over to Sombra's workshop, a small shed that was built next to the main shed used by the Sulzer Locomotive Group. As they walked along, they were chatting with one another.
"What's it like in London?" On Time asked. "I'm a Midlander, born and bred, and haven't been south of Watford Gap in decades!"
"It's very busy, and the roads get so clogged it sometimes seems like it would be faster to walk than drive!" Sunset replied. "It's a good thing that the trains are so cheap, or else it would be impossible to travel around the city." She paused, as it was now her turn to ask a question. "I don't really know my parents. I know my dad's a bit of a crackpot-"
"Your father is a very fine man, and a very good engine driver," On Time sternly told her. "It's not his fault that accident happened."
Sunset either didn't hear, or pretended not to. "But what about mom?"
"Mary Meadowbrook?" On Time asked. "I'll admit I've only met her once or twice. As a matter of fact, maybe I should ask Sombra if I can-"
They turned a corner, and saw Sombra and Storm King in a fierce argument.
"What's going on now?"
"I want that engine!" Storm King demanded. "She's in that shed, and I want her!"
"I want doesn't get," Sombra coldly replied. "Now kindly leave, before I call the police and report you for trespassing on private property."
Storm King rolled his eyes. "Oh well," he said. "It's only a matter of time before I get my revenge." And he stalked off into the distance.
Sombra glanced over to his two visitors. "Good afternoon," he said. He did not seem especially happy to see his daughter. "Hello Sunset. Stellar called, told me you were coming."
"Who was that man?" Sunset asked.
"He likes to cause trouble," Sombra replied. "That's all you need to know. On Time, what is it?"
"One of the diesels is having throttle trouble," On Time replied. "I was wondering if you'd take a look at it?"
"Tomorrow," Sombra curtly replied.
Sunset looked to On Time. "Thanks for walking me over."
"No problem," On Time replied, tipping his cap. "We're running trains tomorrow, if you want to take a trip." He then set off for the station again.
Sombra glanced back to Sunset. "I'll get the shed locked up," he said, "and then we'll drive to my house. With any luck, your mother will be waiting, and we can talk. We have a lot to discuss."
Sombra's home sat in the middle of a housing estate in Ruddington. It was a fairly normal suburban detached affair, nothing spectacular, but nontheless a bit cramped and not entirely welcoming. After tea, the trio sat around the fireplace, Sombra having got a wood fire going, and they sat engaging in conversation. Well, Sunset and Meadowbrook did. Meadowbrook, Sombra's wife, was a woman in her late fourties, with blue skin and red hair she wore in a topknot. She had light blue eyes, and currently wore a white cotton blouse, a green petal-like skirt with a cream band around the bottom, a golden bracelet, and something else around the top of her head and around the tops of her ears. She had been asking Sunset about her life in London, when Sunset tried to engage Sombra in conversation again.
"Dad?" she asked. "I saw something interesting today. I ran into a girl who seems to be a keen photographer, based on the fact she had a camera with her."
No reply.
"On that note, why are there no pictures in here?"
"Because I don't like pictures," Sombra answered, the first thing he had said in about an hour. "For the same reason I don't live next to the Great Central anymore. I don't like to hear trains."
"But dear," Meadowbrook began, "Your workshop is in that yard. Surely ya hear the trains there?"
"The windows and doors are soundproofed," Sombra replied, still not looking at either of them. "That way I never have to hear a train again."
Sunset, confused as to why somebody who dislikes trains would have a workshop next to a railway, got up to look, and accidentally knocked a record player, which began playing a long, slow waltz.
Sombra wheeled around, and quickly turned it off. "Never run that record," he snapped, his eyes fiery. "It was the last thing I heard before the accident."
Sunset, noticably chastened, chose to leave the room. Meadowbrook looked at her husband, disappointment in her eyes. "She didn't mean it," she started.
"I don't care if she meant it or not," Sombra answered coldly. "That memory is too painful. Why can't I get that engine to work?"
In the distance, despite the fact that the last train of the day from Ruddington had run, the sound of a steam whistle echoed loud and long.
Meanwhile, On Time and Flim sat, looking at another old photograph unearthed from the area in the 1970s.
"Sombra and Storm King were childhood friends," On Time started, "but a few years back had a falling out over that engine that Storm King keeps talking about."
"Have you ever seen the engine?" Flim asked. "What does it look like?"
"I can't tell you," On Time answered. "It stays locked in that shed, and Sombra won't let anybody else in. But I've been thinking."
"Yes?"
"Ever since that accident, the number of engines that can speak and communicate has fallen drastically. I don't think it's a coincidence, and those black lines, I think, mark some sort of special way of travel. Though to what, I don't know."
"That may explain how Autumn can seemingly travel so fast without ever catching a train," Flim noted. "We've got a mystery on our hands."
Meanwhile, on Sodor, Thomas and Percy arrived at Knapford station with the up and down mail trains respectively. "Good work Thomas!" Twilight exclaimed. "We're in on time! Autumn would be pleased!"
"Speaking of Autumn," Percy asked, "where is she?"
"Last I saw," Thomas replied, "she was making a phone call to somebody on the mainland. Why?"
"I overheard some talk of buffers from Diesel 10 and his cronies," Percy answered. "What about that?"
"Maybe there's a super special secret railway that Autumn uses to travel and it powers sentient locomotives and if it's put out of use they cannot work and cannot talk and we all lose our jobs and end up with a guided busway!" Pinkie suggested.
Toby stopped in a neighbouring platform. "Sorry to break up the chit chat," he said, "but Diesel 10 is right over there. He would have heard everything you two just said."
"Oh dear," Thomas replied. "What should we do?"
"Toby and I have a plan," Flash replied, and his hand went for the bell chord. "Wait and see; he won't suspect a thing." And Toby puffed bravely into the night.
Diesel 10 was cross. "What do you mean we lost George?!" he snapped.
"Well, sir," Suri started, "his driver came back and the narrow gauge engines prevented us from getting the drive link. We got very wet too!"
"Can't you knuckleheads do anything correctly?" the Warship growled. "Not only do we have a potentially rogue steamroller out there, we also have Autumn still on the run! We'll have to smash the buffers on our own!"
"Why?" asked Dodge.
"Because we don't know which one is the entrance to the Magic Railway," Diesel 10 replied. "If we get them all, Autumn cannot escape!"
"Yes she can!" Coco pointed out. "She can get on a boat and sail back to the mainland."
Toby sat there, behind them, as they sat in a shed. "Now?" he asked.
"Now!" Flash replied. He reached up, sounded Toby's whistle, which echoed through the night in a ghostly fashion, and rang the bell as loudly as he could. Diesel 10, startled, slammed his claw into the support pillars and demolished the structure, trapping them inside.
Toby retreated as Splatter and Dodge glanced between one another. "Erm, boss?" asked Splatter. "Did you mean to do that?"
"I always mean what I do," Diesel 10 replied, his embarassment obvious.
The next morning, Thomas came to a stop in the yards at Arlesburgh. He wasn't entirely sure why he was there; Autumn's dissappearance had meant that the engines and their drivers had largely had to figure out their instructions on their own. He then noticed Henry sitting on a siding, looking mournful. "Hello Henry!" he called. "Are you OK?"
"No," Henry replied sadly. "I've got boiler ache and steaming problems."
"Henry had a bad lot of coal lately," Fluttershy informed them, looking out from within the cab. "As a result, he's not burning very well. There's some trucks over there with local coal that ought to burn a bit better. Could you help us out?"
"Of course!" said Thomas. "Anything for a friend. Besides, how hard can collecting some trucks be?"
Thomas soon discovered that it could be very hard indeed. The previous night, the depot crew had scattered the trucks all over the yard, which meant that it took Thomas ages to find the coal trucks, which were buried deep within other sets of trucks, which themselves had to be moved in order to make the trucks accessible. After what felt like several hours of shunting, Thomas was finally ready to go.
"I'm ready when you are, Twilight!" he called.
"Let's go!" Twilight replied, and pulled on the regulator. There was a slight delay in the steam chest and the brakes, and the train was sat on a steep gradient. Thomas rolled forward and gently hit the trucks, before starting off up the hill. However, the sixth truck was not coupled properly, and promptly flew down the hill and into some buffers, suddenly vanishing in a flash of rainbow light.
Thomas saw nothing, and stopped higher up the yard with the trucks. "All six coal wagons, ready for duty!" he said.
Duck rolled up alongside him. "Six?" he asked. "You may need to practice your numbers again; there are only five!"
Twilight looked out, and began to count. "One, two, three, four, fi-" She shook her head. "Let's count them backwards. Six, five, four, three, tw-" She shook her head. "This makes no sense, I'm certain we marshalled six!"
"Oh well," Henry interjected. "There's more than enough coal there for us to get moving."
Somehow, Autumn Blaze had found her way onto the viaduct, having walked an untold distance across the island at this point. She paused for breath, only to hear and feel the rails humming and vibrating. "There's a train approaching!" she said. "If I can flag them down, I can get back to Knapford (hopefully), and present my findings!"
The rumbling of a Maybach engine and a harsh diesel horn killed those hopes. "It's Diesel 10!" she cried, and ran onto the bridge.
"I see your skills in perception have not failed you," Diesel 10 said sarcastically, as he rolled onto the bridge. Autumn ran as fast as she could, but she couldn't outrun a Western Hydraulic, and she was suddenly scooped up by a massive grabber, which began to pull her up and into the air. Diesel 10 advanced slowly over the bridge, and then stopped on the centre span. "I've got you now, twinkle toes, and soon I'll have that blue puffball too."
Storm King opened the door of Diesel 10's cab. "And then, we can take the lost engine and exact revenge! Not to mention get a proper place for diesels to live, of course."
There was a loud cracking noise. Autumn looked down and gasped. "Back off of the viaduct!" she cried. "It was never designed to take the weight of a stationary locomotive, and it's starting to give way!"
The diesel simply laughed. "I can do whatever I want, and that means you have to do whatever I want as well. This is easier than dealing with those brats at Crovan's Gate, after all."
Autumn struggled as hard as she could in Diesel 10's vice-like grip. But it was hard to move with several pounds of crushing force pressing down on you. In one sudden motion, she produced a pair of pliers from a pocket on her skirt. She slowly pulled them up, and suddenly saw that the hydraulic system for the claw had two wires. One was red and the other was green. The reason for the different colours was for the ease of the maintenance team. One wire carried the fluid that closed the grabber, and the other released it.
"Which one, which one?" she wheezed to herself, having a hard time breathing for reasons that I would hope would be obvious to the reader. "I can't fail now; if I do, the entire world is at risk!" With one motion, she cut the red wire. "LET ME GO!"'
The sudden loss of pressure to the claw caused the arm to jerk upwards into the air and the claw to release. Autumn hurtled through the air like a meteor and flew for what like felt for hours, before she suddenly landed in an open field on top of a pile of mattresses.
"Well, it was certainly convenient that somebody put those there," she said, getting up and dusting herself off. Moments later, a whistle sounded, and Oliver pulled up next to the field.
"Ah!" he said. "These are the mattresses that the waste dump wanted collecting. How did they get here?"
"Are you OK, Miss Autumn?" Scootaloo asked, looking perplexed.
"I'm quite alright, but this world may not be if I can't get into contact with somebody," Autumn replied. She took out her phone and smiled. "Yes! I'm back in coverage."
Sunset sat alone outside of Sombra's house, the boredom clear on her face. There was nothing to do in Ruddington apart from the railway, and that wasn't even operating today. She had asked if she could go into town on the tram, but Sombra had flatly refused, much to the confusion of Meadowbrook. As she sat curled up against the wall, next to a nondescript tree that had clearly seen better days, when Winona tore past them, barking loudly. Sunset jumped up in confusion, not noticing a small amount of golden stuff landing on the ground. Sombra poked his head out of the door.
"Was that a dog I heard?" he asked.
"Yes, but it's gone now," Sunset replied.
Sombra nodded, and stepped outside, closing the door behind him for what must have been the first time in days. He walked over to the tree and sighed. "I must get this tree removed," he said. "It's looking pretty awful." He was completely oblivious to the coating of gold dust on the branches, and only looked back when he heard a record playing.
"Isn't that the tune you and mom danced to not long before you got married?" Sunset asked.
"Yes."
"Why is it problematic for you?"
Sombra's eyes narrowed. "That's none of your business." He turned around and went back inside.
Just then, another voice joined them. "Excuse me?" said a male voice. Sunset turned to look right at Caramel. "Have ya seen a dog anywhere near here?"
"One ran by a few minutes ago," Sunset replied. As if on cue, Winona appeared and barked happily in front of Caramel.
"Ah don't think Ah ain't see ya none," Caramel said. "Ah'm Caramel, Ah'm a local here? Ya may have seen me down at the station."
"Sunset," Sunset replied. "I'm here hopefully on a temporary basis until the family I usually live with find more space in London."
"Ya live in London?" Caramel exclaimed, astonished. "How'd ya end up here?"
"I got on the wrong train."
The two teens began laughing, before the door opened again. Sombra looked out. "Hello, Caramel."
"Hi Mr Sombra. Ah'm headin' into Nottin'ham and was wondrin' if there were anythin' ya needed."
"No," Sombra replied.
"Can I go with him?" Sunset asked. "No offence, but there's not a lot to do here."
"Yes," Sombra answered, equally abruptly. "Be back before sunset."
Having purchased some lunch on their way, Caramel and Sunset sat in University Park enjoying a picnic, whilst the twin shadows of the Trent and Portland buildings loomed over the park. Some ducks were currently in the process of taking off, whilst, in the lake, a few fish swam around.
In the distance, the roar of an HST starting off from the station could be heard. Caramel stopped to listen, and then continued. "And so, the birds usually live here year round. The park was part of the former Boot estate, and when he gave the land ta the city they incorporated it inta the university."
Sunset them had a revelation. "I heard a train moving through the Ruddington area last night. But Dad told me the line stops at 50 Steps."
"It does," Caramel replied. "But Ah've heard that train too. "It's always heard outside of operatin' hours on the Great Central, and most people in town have reported hearin' it too."
"Then why can't Sombra hear it?" Sunset asked.
"Maybe he's choosin' not too," Caramel sighed. "But Ah noticed on the map that strange black lines are marked in on the old Great Central alignment towards Victoria. Those are invisible railroad lines, but why are they there? And who built them?"
Storm King leaned against a lamppost in town as On Time exited the Ruddington station site to get something from his car. Thunder thundered overhead and the skies were overcast. As he walked past, he spoke to him. "The weather's predicted to get worse," he said. "You'd best be getting under cover, Storm King," he added, and continued walking.
Storm King simply smiled. "All I have to do now is wait. And then the lost engine will be mine!"
Completely unaware of what was going on, Sunset and Caramel stopped at the station. "Ah have some errands to run," Caramel explained, "but Ah'll be back later. See ya!"
Sunset waved to him as he left. This place finally seemed vaguely interesting. Her musing was suddenly caught short when Juniper suddenly appeared. "HI!" the other girl called.
Sunset turned to her casually. "Hello," she said. "What are you doing?"
"Getting ready to go to Sodor!" Juniper replied. "Wanna come with me?"
Sunset glanced at the clock. "As long as we're back before Sunset."
"They'll barely even notice you're gone!"
The pair headed for the buffers at Fifty Steps, when suddenly three figures fell out of the portal and landed on the ground.
"Whose idea was it to have a tea break next to the buffers?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Look at chicken brain over there!" Apple Bloom retorted.
"Who are you calling a chicken brain?!" Scootaloo snapped.
"Are you three OK?" asked Juniper. The Crusaders looked up at the new pair, rather confused.
"This may seem obvious," Sweetie Belle said slowly, "but I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
Sunset and Juniper flew along through the air, apparently transported on nothing but air. The rails sat below them, and golden light and shades of blue and green swirled all around them in the gloom. However, it was not a smooth ride, and they were thrown about as they flew along.
"This is bumpiest crossing I've ever done!" Juniper exclaimed, glancing at her watch. "I need to avoid exhausting my gold dust! There's not much going around, you know!"
"Do you do this often?" Sunset asked. Something in her questioned whether what she was seeing was actually real, and pinched herself to check. Sure enough, it was real. "Were those three girls from the other side?"
"I think so!" Juniper replied. "But I only recognised the redhead. I haven't seen the other two before!" There was another lurch. "Ah! We must have passed under the Irish Sea. We'll soon be there! Of course, I don't think that the railway will last much longer. She'll vanish, along with the engine."
"What engine?" Sunset asked again. Her confusion at only being told all this information was only just apparent.
"The engine that runs on this railway. It vanished before I began working on the Great Central Railway, and I've never seen it as a result!" Just then, they saw a truck off to the side, sitting in a siding. "Hold on a minute, that wasn't there last time."
They bounced some more as they passed over a set of points, and were suddenly spat out of the buffers and into Arlesburgh yard.
"We're here!"
"Where?" Sunset asked.
"Why, the Island of Sodor, of course! This is the Magic Railway! Come on! There's a good hill over there I want to show you!"
Before Sunset could protest, Juniper was dragging her up the hill, where they got a wonderful vantage point of Arlesburgh West. In the distance, Duck pulled away with two auto-trailers, whilst Mike arrived on the Arlesdale Railway with several trucks. Once he was in the yard and the signals were checked, Bert set off with a passenger train.
"What's all the voices?" Sunset asked.
Juniper smiled. "I'm glad you asked. These are some of the last Non-Faceless Vehicles left in the world, and the voices are them talking to one another and having conversations! It's a sight you sadly no longer see on the mainland. And if we don't hurry, Sodor shall succumb to a similar fate too."
Meanwhile, at Tidmouth Docks, several ships had just arrived at the port, meaning it was very busy indeed. Cranes were unloading refrigerated boxes of fruit and vegetables that had come from such exotic places as Holland and Iceland, and were setting the boxes down on the quay. These boxes were then loaded into Type A containers, and then placed on conflats (short for 'container flat'). These wagons were currently being marshalled by Thomas and Stepney, whilst off to the side, Diesel 10 and his minions skulked grumpily.
"We nearly had him too!" Storm King snapped angrily. "We nearly had him were it not for those stupid tweasers!"
"Those pliers caused a fair bit of damage," Suri noted. "It took me ages to fix those wires and get the hydraulic fluid moving again."
"So, tell me boss," Splatter asked, "why did you let Autumn go?"
"Errr," Diesel 10 replied, "I was testing her resolve to see if she would either accept her fate or try to escape. Her cleverness in escaping confirmed we need to change our tactics."
"Did he really?" Dodge asked increduously.
"Can it, you!" Diesel 10 shouted, and swiped at them. However, he missed. His claw crashed into a box on a nearby wagon, and the contents exploded everywhere. The bits of fruit and vegetable rained down, covering everything. It was on the floor. It was on the rails. It was all over the trucks. It was all over Diesel 10, Splatter, Dodge, and their drivers. It was all over Stepney and Sweetie Belle. The only place where there were no fruits and vegetables was the wagons, where it should have been.
"Watch what your doing with that great big arm!" Sweetie Belle shouted, as she backed Stepney up to collect another load of trucks.
"Playtime's over," Diesel 10 snarled. "Now to destroy this place- starting with a green caterpillar with red stripes. That green bug will regret standing against us."
"Thorax?" Coco asked.
Storm King facepalmed. "Percy, you idiot!"
Stepney had finished backing up to the sidings, where Thomas was waiting. "I overheard them talking about getting rid of Autumn. Maybe they have something to do with her disappearing!"
"I hope she's safe," Thomas replied. "We need to find her and help her." His face fell when he saw what a mess the pair were. "What happened?"
"Diesel 10 was having a ragequit and smashed a box full of produce," Sweetie Belle explained. "It got over everything."
"You'd better get cleaned up!" Twilight exclaimed. "Rarity would have a fit if she saw you so messy!"
Moments later, Henry steamed past with his fully marshalled train, whistling majestically into the sky as he set off on his long journey. So good was the firing that he could still be heard many miles away.
"Henry's looking good," said Stepney. "Duck told me you brought him some trucks filled with the best Sudrian coal. Good thing we found that seam, eh?"
"That's another thing that's confusing me," Thomas admitted. "I collected six trucks, but there were only five when I got to Henry. It was like the other one vanished, like magic!"
"Magic?" Sweetie Belle suddenly asked. "You mean that portal thing in the buffers?"
"Sweetie Belle," Twilight asked, "what are you talking about."
"There's a portal in one of the buffers to some place on the mainland that Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and I fell through by mistake. There were two people on the other end, too."
Thomas suddenly clicked what was going on. Autumn, the gold dust, Storm King's words- it all slotted into place. "So that's where Autumn's railway comes out," he smiled.
"Thomas!" called the yard foreman. "You're needed with Annie and Clarabel. The local's failed, and we need you to do an all station's stopping working to Arlesburgh."
"No rest for the weary," Thomas sighed. "Let's go."
"Who will help Stepney in the yard?" asked Twilight.
"Duck's currently on his way, so he'll take over your duties."
Several minutes of stop start working later, Thomas arrived at Arlesburgh West with his passengers, to see two faces he'd never seen before. "Hello!" he called. "I'm Thomas, who are you two?"
"Hi!" Juniper replied. "I'm Juliet, but call me Juniper. This girl's Sunset!"
"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset replied. "Nice to meet you."
"Have you seen Autumn Blaze anywhere?" asked Juniper. "We're looking for her."
"You're not the only one," Thomas admitted. "Now I've got some trucks to take to Vicarstown. Feel free to hitch a lift if you want, as long as the guard's OK with it."
As they puffed down the line, they passed the old windmill at Cronk. Sitting in front of it was Oliver, currently pushing the trucks into the siding, whilst Autumn and Scootaloo were busy moving the pile of old matresses and loading them into the trucks.
"It's a heavy load, this lot!" Autumn called to Scootaloo.
"Yes... it... is!" Scootaloo wheezed. "I don't like to be called lazy, but this is where being scrawny is a real disadvantage!"
"Hello Autumn!" Juniper called, as she hopped out of the brake van. "Did you come here to move matresses specifically?"
"No," Autumn replied. "I landed here whilst escaping from Diesel 10's claw, and somebody had the kindness to put these matresses here to catch my fall! Handy that."
Oliver coughed. "This was a mixup. These matresses were meant to be going to the waste dump, but they got mixed up with a load of flour. I dread to imagine where the flower is now..."
The foreman of the waste dump was very confused when bags of flour were unloaded from the vans. "What on Earth?" he asked.
Lyra looked confused. "Maybe it got shunted incorrectly?" she suggested.
"Ach!" Donald exclaimed. "Ah dinnae trus' that there diesel ta shunt them correctly. Ah'll be back in Arlesburgh tonight, Ah'll give him a piece o' mi mind!"
Meanwhile, back at the windmill, Juniper was listening to Autumn fill her in. "So, this diesel wants to find the lost engine and destroy us all?" she frowned. "But that makes no sense! If he destroys us all, he'll destroy himself!"
"I think logic is not Diesel 10's strong suit," Twilight said dryly. Seconds later, Autumn's phone went, and she went to take the call.
"Hello? Oh, Sir Toppham Hatt, how lovely to hear from you! Oh, yes, of course, that'll be perfect! Oh, I'm just at the windmill right now helping to move some matresses that got left here! Of course sir! See you later, sir!"
"I don't think anybody from the other side has ever crossed before apart from me and Juniper," Autumn said, running over and shaking Sunset's hand so enthusiastically it nearly came off. "I'm Autumn Blaze, and it is so, so lovely to meet you."
"Erm, hi!" Sunset replied, not entirely sure how to respond.
"HELP ME!"
They all looked over and suddenly saw Juniper was caught in the sails of the windmill. The sails spun faster and faster, until Juniper was hurled through the air at great speed. She eventually landed- right on top of Diesel 10.
"Hahahahahahahaha!" the Western hydraulic laughed. "I've got you now! If I can't take Autumn, you'll do!"
Juniper just held on for dear life, as she had landed on top of Diesel 10's exhaust ports, and coughed at the smell. "Smells like your hydraulics need some work!"
Sunset looked concerned. "Will she be OK?" she asked, frantically.
"Oh, she'll be fine, trust me," Autumn replied calmly. "She and I have been in many tight spots before, and we're equally good at getting out of them."
Sunset suddenly looked up the sky in shock. "I can't stay!" she said. "If I'm not back by sunset I'll be in so much trouble!"
Autumn sighed. "I don't think the Magic Railway has enough power left to make a return trip," she said sadly. "But I think Sombra knows where to find you. You're not the only member of your family to have travelled down that line."
"He's been here?" Sunset asked.
"Yes. It was a long time ago, but if we can't get back and the railway stops working- I dread to think of the consequences that'll result."
"Where's Sunset?" asked Sombra. The sun was setting in the sky, and there was no sign of her anywhere.
"Ah'm sorry sir!" Caramel exclaimed. "Ah returned ta the station ta get her and she weren't there! Ah ain't got no clue where she went!"
Sombra was silent for a moment. "It's not your fault," he said slowly. "I know exactly where she is."
"Sir, have ya heard an engine whistle outside of operatin' hours?" Caramel asked. "Ya must have, because ya heard a dog bark yesterday with no problems."
Sombra just ignored him, and walked back inside. Caramel turned around, only to see Storm King towering over him.
"Where did you hear that whistle?" he demanded. Caramel took the opportunity to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. He arrived at the station as the last train of the day pulled in. Flim was waiting to greet the train, and On Time hopped off the footplate as the train stopped.
"Sir! Sir!" Caramel called. "Storm King's askin' about some lost engine, and Ah think Sombra knows somethin' we don't, and we're all in danger, and Sunset's-"
"On Sodor," Flim finished. "But if she hasn't returned, it means only one thing. The portal has stopped working."
On Sodor, Percy was travelling towards the Arlesburgh terminus, with a mission. Thomas has asked him to keep an eye on the buffers that accessed the Magic Railway, but it was dark and stormy, and Percy was scared. "I have to be brave, I have to be brave!" he puffed. "But it's so dark and cold, and the wind is howling around my funnel!"
"Don't worry Percy!" Pinkie smiled. "As long as I'm here, we can blow away the cobwebs and giggle at the ghostie!"
"Thank you Pinkie," Percy replied. They stopped in front of the buffers, suddenly seeing they were not alone. Splatter and Dodge oiled about with demolition equipment. According to Silverstream, Storm King had been planning on using George to destroy the buffers, but they had stopped them from doing so.
"Right then," Dodge said, "How are we meant to destroy these buffers without going through the portal?"
"Oh, you are silly!" said a ghostly voice. "You can never destroy the buffers! No matter how many times you do, they will always come back!"
"W-who's there?" Coco asked, frightened.
"I am the spirit of the buffers!" said the ghostly voice again. "Now you must leave, or else you will pay!"
Splatter and Dodge's wheels began to revolve in reverse, and they shot backwards and into the night. The voice laughed.
"Acting crazy always works," they said. A light shone, and Percy suddenly saw who had been doing it all along. Cozy Glow had been talking into a megaphone to trick them.
"Pinkie!" Percy said. "We need to go and warn the others! If we don't act now, we're in big trouble!"
Thomas, Sunset, and Autumn all sat around a makeshift campfire. Sunset looked worried.
"If I can't get home via the Magic Railway, it'll take hours to get home!" she exclaimed. "Oh, why did I agree to this?"
"You couldn't have known," Thomas said. "We will get you home, but it may take a while."
Autumn, who had been oddly silent, spoke up. "And until we can find the source of the gold dust, we can't reactivate the Magic Railway. And the engine is long gone, too. So it's a non starter."
"Maybe it was those whistles."
Autumn perked up. "Excuse me?"
Sunset glanced at her. "I've been hearing a steam engine whistle at night, well after the Great Central has stopped operating for the day."
Autumn jumped for joy. "She still exists! Stoke up the magic that lies beneath the mountain and the Lady will smile! If we can get Sombra onboard, we can find the lost engine!"
Seconds after her proclamation, Diesel 10's horn echoed through the air in the distance. "He sounds cross," Thomas said, dryly.
"I hope Juniper will be OK," Sunset added.
Autumn quickly got to her feet. "We need to find a way to get Sunset home, even without magic, but I think I have an idea. If Sunset has been hearing a steam whistle-"
"What else could she hear? A diesel whistle?" Twilight asked.
"Some of the early petrol engines had whistles." Once certain there would be no more interruptions, Autumn continued. "Anyways, we know that the Magic Railway is built to standard gauge, which leaves us with one option."
"I vaguely recall a coal truck in there," Sunset said.
"Even better," Autumn replied.
"I don't like where this is going," Thomas said quietly.
"Thomas, we have an idea so crazy it might just work. Will you and Sunset go through the buffers and recover the truck, and then take it to Nottingham?"
"That's madness!" Thomas replied. "I've made enough mistakes already, and what if I cannot physically run there? The gauge could be wrong!"
"What if it isn't?" Autumn asked rhetorically. "Twilight, I will need you to come with me. Diesel 10 is expecting us to be moving against him. But he won't be expecting Sunset Shimmer at Thomas' controls."
Thomas sighed. "Alright then, Miss Autumn. I'll try. See you in the future- hopefully." Sunset climbed aboard and sounded the whistle. She then moved Thomas' controls, and the pair set off into the night.
Twilight sighed. "Now, about rescuing Juniper?"
Thomas rumbled along the line towards Vicarstown. It was dark, and the fog made the visibility very poor indeed. The blue tank engine rattled along the track, suddenly seeing the buffers ahead. They began to glow a rainbow colour as he approached.
"Now or never," Sunset whispered, and braced herself for impact.
"Brace yourself!" Thomas called. They hit the buffers-
-and instead of derailing, found themselves somewhere else entirely. They were in a magic place indeed, with trees running alongside rails and ballast bathed in beautiful blue light. Thomas puffed along, bouncing up and down due to the poorly maintained track.
"This is worse than Southampton docks!" he exclaimed. "I hope we find that truck soon, as I really don't want to be down here any longer than I have to be!"
"You and me both," Sunset added. "Look! There it is!"
Looming out of the distance ahead of them was the missing truck. Thomas clattered over some points and Sunset brought him to a stop. She jumped out of the cab and threw the points, before climbing back aboard and backing Thomas down onto the truck. Then, she coupled him up, before once again getting back in the cab and setting off on their way once more.
"So, this Nottingham place is on the other end of that portal, right?" Thomas asked. "And to get there we just steam straight through the buffers?"
"That's the basic idea!" Sunset replied. "Mind you, I've only done it once, so I can hardly claim to be an expert on the subject."
Suddenly, there was a shimmering sound, and the ghostly outline of an engine appeared in front of Thomas, made entirely from floating golden particles. The only sounds it made were a series of whistles.
"Is that what I think it is?" Thomas asked. The apparition vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and the next set of buffers loomed. They, just like the last set, began to glow a rainbow colour, and Thomas, Sunset, and the truck all melted through as they crossed the threshold between locations.
Thomas came to an abrupt and quite sudden stop at Fifty Steps, the truck clanging into him as Sunset applied his brakes. "Is this Nottingham?" Thomas asked. "I thought there would be sheriffs and merry men!"
"Robin Hood was around a long time ago!" Sunset replied, as she slipped out of Thomas' cab and set off for Ruddington Fields. "I'll get dad, as we need help getting this truck into the yard!"
"This is Sudrian coal!" Thomas called. "It's very important indeed! Please hurry!"
"I will!" Sunset called, as she vanished into the distance.
Thomas was all alone.
Sunset was on the outskirts of the yard when she saw a Class 03 shunter being used to move stock around rumble to a stop. She waved to get the driver's attention.
Caramel leaned his head out of the cab. "Sunset!" he cried. "Yer OK!"
"We don't have time for that!" Sunset exclaimed. "I need your help! There's a truck that needs moving into the yard and your engine can do it!"
Caramel nodded. "Ah'll be there right away."
Suddenly, Thomas found himself moving without any driver. "Oh not again!" he cried.
A voice, the voice of Storm King, cackled. "Enjoy oblivion, Thomas!"
Shortly after clearing the station, there is a steep downhill gradient. In normal operation, this requires heavy braking to counteract, but with nobody at Thomas' controls, he couldn't brake. He tried to whistle, but he couldn't do that! He tried to wheesh, but he couldn't do that either! He simply continued to roll helplessly along.
"HELP! HELP! I CAN'T STOP!"
He continued to gain momentum, speeding forward down the hill. To his horror, he suddenly saw another train in his path. A large grey diesel with an air smoothed front end was approaching from the next station. The driver of this engine blasted the horn repeatedly, but Thomas couldn't do anything.
On Time looked forward from the cab of the HST prototype to see an oncoming tank engine- with a face? "What the?" he cried, and, realising the engine had no intention of stopping, he punched the emergency stop button. Sirens wailed in the cab and the passengers were hurled forward as the train began to slow down. The tank engine was still approaching at dangerous speeds, and seemingly had no intention to stop. They inched closer and closer, until suddenly a rainbow flash of light opened up in the ground, swallowing the tank engine whole!
The HST ground to a stop, and On Time wiped his brow. "Was that a Non-faceless Vehicle?" he asked. "Passengers, we do apologise for the sudden stop. We will be underway momentarily."
Luckily, the truck was still there. But Thomas was gone! Sunset looked about for her friend, whilst Caramel hooked the shunter up to the truck. With a growl and a roar, the Class 03 began to move the load back into the yard.
"Thomas? THOMAS?" Sunset asked, looking all around and calling out the little blue engine's name. A few minutes later, the HST arrived and stopped.
"What's going on here?" On Time asked, leaning out of the cab. "Where did this truck come from?"
"Have you seen a blue tank engine anywhere?" Sunset asked.
"One nearly crashed into my train," On Time replied. "Then it vanished into the ground, rather like the Toad in the Hole in the Road."
"How did my joke end up in this story?" Jimmy asked, suddenly very confused.
ANYWAY... they succesfully got the truck to the workshop, where Sombra stepped outside to see what all the confusion was about. Then he saw the truck. "Sunset, where have you been?" he asked.
"Sodor," Sunset replied. "Please, you have to help! I've been there, and it's wonderful. But it's all at risk now! There's an evil diesel and a scary man and they both want to destroy the island and the engines who live there. Autumn Blaze and Juniper Montage are in danger! We need to get the magic back!"
"I don't know how," Sombra said quietly. "Lady won't run on any coal I've given her, although all her parts check out just fine."
"This is Sudrian coal," Sunset replied. "Would that work?"
Sombra's face changed completely. "We can try," he said. "Get me some petrol and some old rags! We're going to start the lost engine!"
A few hours later, Lady's fire was roaring hot, and Sombra shovelled the first load of Sudrian coal onto the fire. Sunset stood off to one side. "Dad, why did you never mention Lady?"
Sombra sighed. "I felt that I had failed to protect Lady, and I had let everybody down as a result. I'd never thought I'd found a magic engine when I bought her; I only thought this was a local industrial, so when I learned the truth I took my responsibilities seriously. It broke my heart when Storm King broke her."
"Has mom ever ridden on her?" Sunset asked.
"Once," Sombra replied. "But Meadowbrook and I never went through the Magic Railway. We didn't think it was safe yet. But now that you've done it, such fears are probably in the past." Moments later, Lady's safety valves lifted, and her pressure gauge read 140 PSI. "Good. We're up to steam. There's no time to waste; hop aboard and let's go!"
Shutting her firebox door, Sombra pulled on the whistle chord, an LNER whistle obtained from a K1. The doors were opened with a flick of a remote, and Lady began to move for the first time in years. Sombra was going easy as he still wasn't sure everything worked properly, but Lady was performing marvellously. The signaller gave them clearance onto the main line, and onto it they rolled, Lady producing a wonderful two cylinder exhaust beat.
"The lights are all green for you, Lady," Sombra smiled, the first time he had smiled in many years. "Green for glory." They rounded the bend, the site of that crash all those years ago, and onto the access line for Fifty Steps. They charged towards the buffers.
"Here we go!" Sunset called. "Onwards to adventure!"
Sombra looked over, laughing. "That sounds familiar somehow," he said.
Lady rolled through the buffers, and onto the Magic Railway. The previously rough ride was suddenly very smooth, and Sunset saw Lady throwing up golden particles as she steamed along. The railway was getting its energy back, and Lady was somehow connected to it.
Both Sombra and Sunset were so enraptured with the beauty of the Magic Railway that both of them jumped when a third voice spoke. "It has been too long since I was last here."
It took them seconds to figure out who it was. "Lady!" Sombra called. "You're alive again!"
"How I've missed this place, and being able to roam free on the rails," Lady replied. "Thank you for having faith in me, Sombra."
"Never a problem," Sombra replied. "You're an absolute gem to drive."
Seconds later, another engine joined them from behind. "Sunset!"
Sunset looked back. "Thomas! You're OK!"
Thomas smiled at her. "So it worked," he said. "Highball for Lady! We'll have Diesel 10 beaten at this rate!"
Moments later, they entered the portal back to Vicarstown.
Elsewhere, Diesel 10 thundered into the smelting works, and performed a rather abrupt emergency stop in the yard, causing Juniper to fly through the air and land on James' footplate. "Oww," she groaned.
Rarity looked in confusion. "I do say, where did you come from?"
"Iver Heath, originally," Juniper groaned, as she stood back up. Diesel 10 approached from nearby. His grabber reached over and grabbed one of the workers, closing around him.
"Hand over Juniper or he goes splat," the diesel snarled. "Don't think I won't do it."
"You're a monster!" James shouted. "We will never give in to you!"
Juniper blinked in shock. "We have to get out of here!" she cried, grabbing her whistle. "I'm sorry for failing you all before, but I will do my best now and save you!"
With all her might, she blew her whistle. She, James, Rarity, and the workman were all teleported to Vicarstown, where Lady and Thomas suddenly came to a stop.
Autumn was there to oversee the arrival of both engines. "You made it!" she cried. "As did you two, Juniper and James!"
"Only problem is, my supply is all gone," Juniper wheezed. "Who would've known that trying to sparkle so many objects at once would be so hard?"
"At least we are all safe now."
Boy were they wrong. The growl of a Maybach engine started up behind them, and Diesel 10 advanced out of the darkness. "You were so focused on sparkling your friends that you forgot about me," he grinned evilly.
Storm King jumped onto his footplate. "Let's finish this once and for all!" he cried, and gunned Diesel 10's engine.
"Run!" Thomas called. Sombra pulled open Lady's regulator and got underway, and Sunset got Thomas moving as well as Diesel 10 chased them, laughing maniacally.
A few seconds later, Autumn had a moment of horrified realisation. "Stock up the magic that lies beneath the mountain and the Lady will smile! So that's why Storm King wants rid of her!"
"What do you mean?" Juniper asked, looking worried.
"Lady is the source of the gold dust! If she's destroyed, then we are doomed."
Lady and Thomas roared down the track, their cylinders going double time as they tried to flee from Diesel 10. Sunset, on Thomas' footplate, was frantically shovelling coal into the firebox as they flew along. Sombra, the considerably more experienced driver, was having a noticably easier time at the controls of Lady, but her small bunker made it tough going.
Diesel 10 roared in behind them, his twin Maybach engines growling furiously. Storm King stuck his head out of the cab window. "Now I'll get you, Sombra!" he roared. "I shall have my revenge! You took Tempest's life, and I shall take yours!"
Sombra looked back, able to see clearly behind as Lady lacked a rear cab wall. "No you won't!" he exclaimed. "Because the magic you refuse to believe in will get the better of you!"
"Enough talking!" Diesel 10 snapped. "I think the claw wants a little snack, right Pinchy?"
Diesel 10's claw came swinging down.
"GET BACK!" Thomas shouted. Lady lurched forward as Thomas moved out of the way of the claw.
Sunset wiped her brow. "I'm seriously hoping I'm getting danger pay for this!"
"I'm seriously hoping we don't die!" Thomas retorted. "I do not intend to go to the scraphead today!"
Sombra checked the line ahead. All lights green, the way was clear. "Come on Lady," he whispered. "It's all or nothing."
They roared under another bridge and into a tunnel. Gordon flew out the other portal as Diesel 10 entered after them.
"What was that?" Gordon asked.
"A Class 42 breaking the speed limit, that's what!" Rainbow Dash replied. "I need to phone this in!"
Onwards our heroes sped, Diesel 10 gaining on them constantly, but Thomas and Lady refused to give an inch. Diesel 10's claw lunged at them over and over again, but consistently failed to find its mark.
"How can I not keep up?" Diesel 10 panted. "Two dock shunters versus a Western Hydraulic? It should be an easy win!"
"Magic coal, remember," Storm King said.
Seconds later, they came to the viaduct. The viaduct, which was on the verge of total structural failure. Sombra's face was grim. "Well, this is it," he said. "Lady, if this is the end, I want you to know I don't regret a single moment."
"Neither do I, sir," Lady replied.
"Come on, Lady!" Thomas called. "Little engines can do big things!"
The viaduct groaned like a wounded animal as Lady crossed the central span. The supports and retaining wall gave way and collapsed as she cleared the centre. She puffed furiously as she made it over, seconds before the keystone collapsed.
Sunset looked out of the cab. "I don't like this!" she exclaimed.
"Look forward, and never mind the view!" Thomas shouted. "We can do this!"
Sunset looked up, bit her tongue, and focused on driving. She opened Thomas' regulator, and they roared forward and over the chasm that was growing bigger with every second. They were on solid ground, then on track suspended in the air, which twisted and growled as they crossed, lurched down and up again, and then-
They were over. And in good time too, as the entire central span had gone.
"Well done Thomas! Well done Sunset!" Sombra called, and blew Lady's whistle as loud and as hard as he could.
Thomas whistled in response as he cheered. "We did it!
Diesel 10 was not so lucky. He roared onto the broken section, which now had nothing to support it. The track broke under his weight, and he plummeted into the abyss... landing on a conveniently placed barge in the process.
Storm King stepped out of the cab and shook his fist furiously. "YOU HAD ONE JOB, YOU STUPID ENGINE!" he shouted. "AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT RIGHT! ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS FOLLOW THE DARN TRAIN!"
Diesel 10 sighed. "Perhaps magic really does exist," he sighed. "But I must say it is quite pleasant weather for a canal cruise."
The friends reunited at Crovan's Gate station, where Juniper and Autumn were waiting for them. "I see that Diesel 10 is gone!" Juniper said. "Good riddance, he was enough trouble as it was."
"Will you soon get your magic back?" Thomas asked. "There was a riddle, wasn't there? Stoking something?"
"Yes," Lady replied. "But what most people don't know is that is only part of the riddle. The entire riddle reads 'Stoke up the magic that lies beneath the mountain and the Lady will Smile. Then watch the swirls that spin so well in the Sunset Sky'."
It was at this moment that Autumn had a brilliant idea. "I think I've figured it out!" she exclaimed.
"Figured out what?" Sunset asked, confused.
"The clue! The magic lies beneath Culdee Fell, and the Lady has already smiled. We need to do this in the sunset sky, which is about now, so there really is no time to waste!"
"Let's go!" Thomas exclaimed, and the humans headed for the neighbouring Culdee Fell Railway.
"Have a nice time up at the hotel!" Patrick called, as he started his descent. "I don't really understand why you wanted to come up here of all places today, but I suppose you can do what you want."
"Possibly best not to question," Sugarcoat added.
Autumn dashed over to the old well, and made the last connection. "The source of the Gold Dust is under this well, which is currently blocked up. Here, Juniper, help we get this manhole cover off!"
Juniper sprinted over, as did Sunset and Sombra, and they tugged and tugged at the cover with all their might. When it seemed as if all was for naught, the cover suddenly popped off, and a torrent of Gold Dust roared into the sky, lighting up the evening sky like a fireworks display.
"Gold dust!" Sunset exclaimed.
"Gold dust!" Sombra added. "The Non-Faceless Vehicles of the world are saved!"
"Gold dust!" Juniper said in turn. Autumn, on the other hand, did a jig on the spot as the magic danced through the sky and into the air.
Down at Crovan's Gate, Thomas and Lady watched the spectacle with wonder. "Lady," Thomas said, "you're a Really Useful Engine. You're welcome on my branch line whenever you want to visit."
"I couldn't have done it without the help of you or Sunset," Lady replied. "Helping each other brings to light the magic in all of us.
When the others came down the hill, it was time to say goodbye. "I know I didn't know you very long," Juniper said to Sunset, "but I'll miss you. Here's hoping no giant movie monsters rampage through the local theatre."
"That sounds like it would make a great 21 minute short," Sunset joked. "See you around, Juniper."
"Juniper!" Autumn called. "I was wondering, could you keep an eye on the Magic Railway for me? I think I'll be needed back at Ruddington-"
'Cause Rainbows won't light up the sky, unless you let it rain, and candle won't just-"
"Sorry, that's my ringtone," Autumn replied. She quickly answered her mobile. "Yes? Sir Toppham Hatt? You're back? Yes, everything's fine right now? Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Goodbye, sir!"
She turned to face Sombra and Sunset. "See you in Ruddington!" she called, as both she and Juniper sparkled out.
Sunset turned to him. "Dad, sorry for thinking you were some sort of crazy person-"
"It's OK," Sombra replied. "I shouldn't have closed my heart to you. But you and I now have a very important job, one that the fate of the entire world depends on."
"And that is?"
"We are now Lady's crew. I won't be able to operate her all the time, so I was wondering if you wanted to become her driver."
Sunset grinned wider than the Cheshire Cat. "Yes, yes, and yes again!" she exclaimed.
"Let us remember our Shining Time together," Sombra smiled gently, in that warm, gentle way he did.
And so, everything returned to normal on the Island of Sodor, and across the world. Engines, coaches, and trucks globally regained their ability to communicate, which was a bit of a shock for some, especially when your Black 5 suddenly starts discussing Shakespeare with you! The Great Central Railway continues to go from strength to strength, with Autumn and Juniper keeping a watchful eye on everything.
Diesel 10 and Storm King were never seen again, and I would say that's a good thing. The last thing anybody wants is them around.
Which brings us to one last thing. As they headed home, Twilight spoke to Thomas, the sun setting in the distance. "So, what happened whilst Sunset was driving you?" she asked.
Thomas laughed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he smiled, as he steamed happily into the distance.
Based on Thomas and the Magic Railroad by Britt Allcroft.
Distributed by Fimfiction, in association with the Guild of Equestrian Railroaders
Starring the voices of;
John Hasler-Thomas, Rheneas Tara Strong-Twilight Sparkle Keith Whickam-Gordon, Edward, Sir Toppham Hatt, Crosby Signalman, Harold, Henry Ashleigh Ball-Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Lyra Tim Curry-Diesel 10 Trish Pattendon-Stellar Flare Rebecca Shoichet-Sunset Shimmer Brian Drummond-Caramel Sean Bean-On Time Liev Shreiber-Storm King Sam Vincent-Flim, Splatter Scott McNeil-Flam, Dodge Rachel Bloom-Autumn Blaze Robert Rackstraw-James, Toby, Donald, Patrick Tabitha St. Germain-Rarity, Suri Polomare Tim Whitnall-Stepney, George Claire Corlett-Sweetie Belle Nigel Pilkington-Percy Cathy Weseluck-Coco Pommel (NOT MISS POMMEL) Jim Miller-Sombra Steven Kynman-Duck, Peter Sam Michelle Creber-Apple Bloom Shannon Chan-Kent-Smoulder Tim Stourton-Duncan Aneirin Hughes-Duke Vincent Tong-Sandbar, Flash Sentry Lauren Jackson-Silverstream Gavin Langelo-Gallus Devyn Dalton-Ocellus Sunni Westbrook-Cozy Glow Alie Liebert-Juniper Montage Mariee Devereux-Meadowbrook Murry Peters-Somnambula Andrea Libman-Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy Joe Mills-Oliver Madeleine Peters-Scootaloo Britt Allcroft-Lady Sienna Bohn-Sugarcoat
Coding and text programming by Knighty
Based on 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic', created by Lauren Faust, and 'The Railway Series' by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry
Voice recording by Ocean Productions
Characters animated by DHX Media, Live Action Animation by Elstree Studios
Distributed by Hasbro and Mattel
Dedicated in memory of Doug Lennox (1938-2015), Russell Means (1939-2012), and Peter Fonda (1940-2019). Rest in Peace.
Thomas and his friends will return in...Thomas and Friends: the New Adventures!
"How long has this boulder been here?" Splatter asked Dodge.
"I don't know. It kinds just appeared."
"Should we try to move it?" Coco suggested to Suri.
"There's no way we could move it!" Suri snapped. "I am surrounded by idiots."
The four continued arguing, whilst George and Cozy Glow chortled on a nearby hill.
