A few months have passed since the magic was restored to the world, and people are still figuring out how to navigate this strange new world. Within the town of Falmouth, the annual Festival of the Sea is approaching, and planning is being overshadowed by strange events breaking out across town. Can Sunny and her friends get to the bottom of the mayhem before the festival goes belly-up?
A loose adaption of the Make your Mark special, and the first story released as part of the celebration of 40 years of My Little Pony.
The sun had once again risen upon the counties of Devon and Cornwall, as it was known to do every day without fail. Plymouth, the capital of Devon, remained busy and buzzing with activity. Trains rattled in and out of the station, with services heading to various different locations throughout the West of England.
The station was also abuzz with conversation between both people and vehicles, with various diesels and electrics in discussion about what was happening in the world and people asking to finding out what else was going on.
As a Voyager pulled out of the station on its way to Aberdeen, a Class 33 pulling a slow goods train rumbled out of the tunnel at the eastern end of the station. He looked about, grumbling as he entered the station approaches.
"I keep telling you, Zipp, I am an officer, and officer's don't work!"
"You're also one of only two diesels who are mainline registered," Zipp retorted. "And seeing as Sophie went on ahead of us, this means we were the only ones to take this train to Falmouth for the festival. So suck it up and stop complaining. If you do well, you'll get a passenger run out of this."
"That would be a vast improvement," Charles sighed, as the train rolled to a stop at a red signal at the end of the platform.
"Well, it's been a long time since we were last here," Zipp said, hopping out of the cab for a breath of fresh air. "Boy can it get hot in there."
"Be glad you're not driving a steam engine," said a passer by. "The heat in those is close to a sauna! Not sure you'd take a British Rail suntan well."
Zipp's attention was distracted by a rumbling from up ahead. The ground seemed to shake as a diesel rattled over the bridge. The engine had the appearance of a garden shed, and was painted in an ugly bright read livery. At the same time, a massive train of four wheeled trucks rumbled past, loaded to the brim with china clay.
"Freight coming through!" the diesel shouted. "Give me a clear run at the banks, lads!"
Critically, the signal now cleared, and Zipp could get on her way. She retook the controls, opened the throttle. With an obediant roar, Charles pulled out of the station with his rather wacky assortment of wagons and onto the Brunel Bridge.
"What a magnificent structure," Charles said, as he rolled over it. "And it was built in 1859! Truly a testament to Brunel's genius, alongside the sports train."
Zipp nodded. "It's taking weight well in excess of what it was designed to take. And by the way, that picture wasn't a sports train. All the photo showed was an engine and tender that was yet to be attached to anything."
Charles was momentarily silent. "Still, could be worse."
On the other side of the bridge, a large sign proclaimed that they had arrived in Cornwall. Strictly speaking, they had reached Cornwall when they had reached the halfway point over the river, but the sign was put on the other side as county signs are not known for their ability to float.
They had at last cleared the platform at Saltash and could open up on the steep downhill gradients. The track seemed to rise up and down like a roller coaster as they duo rumbled through places with wonderful names. Names such as Liskeard, Par, Lostwithiel, and... Bodmin. Not quite sure what was happening when they picked that one, but onwards they went.
Zipp laughed. "I've been here once, but I'm still no closer to figuring out how half these place names are pronounced!"
"Why not ask Sunny when we get to Falmouth?" Charles suggested. "She seems to know everything there is to know about Cornwall!"
"That's probably because she grew up around here," Zipp answered.
The gradient suddenly shifted again. "I also like this for anothe reason," Charles smiled. "SPEED AND POWER!"
Zipp adjusted the brakes. "I don't think so, Charles. We're still limited to 50 with this load, and with the gradients you could risk coming off if you run quickly."
Charles huffed. "What is this, the war on speed Victorian edition?"
After quite a long period of running, the duo pulled to a stop at Truro, where the junction to Falmouth was located. Whilst they waited for the branch train to arrive, Zipp got out of the cab for some more air.
As she closed her eyes, soaking up the local sound, her phone suddenly started buzzing, and played a piece of music.
"See the ponies trottin' down the street/ Equestria is where they wanna meet/ They all know where th-!"
Zipp groaned in annoyance. "Seriously, Pipp? Changing my ringtone without my knowledge stopped being funny a long time ago." She slid the button over and lifted the speaker to her ear. "Hello?"
"Is the camera working correctly?" the voice, that of Lady Haven, asked on the other end. "All I can see is some blue blob."
"It's a voice call?" Zipp asked, mostly to herself rather than anybody around her. She switched the cameras round and held it in front of her face.
The screen in front of her was blank. "Have I set this up correctly?"
"The sound's working, but you've turned the picture off," Zipp said.
The face of her mother appeared moments later, but there was now no sound.
"Now you've turned the sound off," Zipp added. She then tried to mime what to do in order to switch it back on.
Haven seemed to get the message, and at last normal service was resumed. "Hello Zipp. How was your journey down from Swanage?"
"Almost there, mom," Zipp replied, turning the camera to show the station running in board. "We're at Truro. Just ten miles to go. We need to wait for a DMU to arrive first."
"Glad to hear all is OK," Haven replied, with a smile. "Tell the others that I said hi."
"Uh, sure thing," Zipp replied, as a DMU rolled into the bay platform.
"Hey, old timer!" the DMU called to Charles. "It's good to be out of the retirement home for the afternoon, eh?"
"What cheek!" spluttered Charles. "I'll have you know I'm only sixty, you stupid idiot!"
"Now, let's not get heated over something that doesn't matter," Zipp told both of them, before climbing back into the cab as the signal changed to green.
The tunnel was soon cleared, and the train was into the final stage of its run into Falmouth. The train descended through Perranwell, Penrhyn and Penmere, before rolling to a stop in Falmouth goods yard, where Bellerophon was assembling a goods train.
"Hello!" he called. "Have a nice trip down?"
"As good as a run to Cornwall could be," Charles said, as Zipp stopped his engine and got out.
"Seen Sunny anywhere?" she asked Misty.
"She's doing some sort of advert in the town square," Misty explained, nervously fiddling with her collar. "Just this way, along the tram tracks."
Something about Misty's behaviour didn't sit right with Zipp, but for now she ignored it and got on her way.
Suddenly, the lid popped off a bin and Izzy emerged. "T-R-A-S-H! Doesn't mean is waste! T-R-A-S-H! With a dash of taste!"
"Izzy, what are doing dumpster diving?" Zipp asked.
"It's useful stuff!" Izzy protested, pulling herself out. "Besides, this trash is your trash, this trash is my trash!"
"I'd suggest washing before we talk to anybody else," Zipp said, setting off in the direction of speech.
At last they found Sunny, Pipp, and Hitch, standing in the town square. Goldie was also there, and seemed to be speaking to Sunny. "Dear, I just want to be sure you want to do this, that's all."
Sunny smiled. "Mom, it's fine. It's just an advert."
Zipp walked up. "Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. Got the microphone you requested too." She handed it to Pipp. "You have no idea how much sneaking around this took; trying to avoid getting stuck in another boring Duchess lesson requires a lot of sneaking."
Pipp then handed the microphone to Sunny. "Just imagine you're talking to us and not much of the UK right now and you should be fine."
Sunny's eyes widened as heard the beep. "Am I live?"
"Yes," Pipp replied. "Now go for it!"
Sunny nodded. "Hey there, everybody! I'm Sunny Starscout, and I live in Falmouth, Cornwall. A lot has changed in the last few months, and I'm proud to announce that after a long hiatus the Festival of the Sea is back! Do you want to learn more about Cornish sea culture? Do you like lots of tasty food? Do you want to hear both Nathan Evans AND the Longest Johns performing sea songs?"
"Sunny, you're too close to the camera," Izzy said.
Sunny backed up. "Sorry. But with weather like this it's sure to be a blast!"
"And, of course, things will be kept nice and orderly," Hitch said, his first contribution to the entire conversation.
Sunny was about to speak again, when suddenly a pigeon swooped down and plucked the phone from Pipp's hands.
"Ow!" Pipp screeched. "Hitch, my phone! Not to mention that thing scratched my hands!"
"It probably thought it was fish and chips!" Hitch replied. "Quickly, follow that bird!"
"I'll stay here and check Pipp's OK," Zipp said.
The others set off running through the streets of Falmouth, chasing a missing phone.
Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch sped off through the streets of Falmouth, chasing a large seagull that had taken Pipp's phone from her hands. The bird was pretty fast, so the journey was very hard going on their lungs.
As they sprinted over some tracks and rounded another set of bends, it became clear this was having quite a serious effect on the trio. Sunny was puffing and panting as they kept going. "This... Is... Not... Fun... At... All!" she wheezed as she kept going, determined to keep going despite the lactic acid building up in her legs.
Izzy was having a slightly easier time, but even she was starting to flag. "This isn't easy either!" she said, speeding along as best she could, her face starting to go all sorts of strange colours from the exertion. "At this rate... I... Might... Keel... Over!"
Only Hitch seemed to be having no difficulty, and raced ahead of them at speed. "Yep, this is one of the benefits of an aggressive fitness regime!" he said, as he waved to a fellow cadet. He waved back in return.
Eventually, the others had had enough of all the running and were seriously flagging. As they passed round a bend, Sunny suddenly had a bright idea. "There's... a... tram stop... up... ahead!" she wheezed. "That... may... help!"
The pair stopped as the sign hove into view. They worked hard to catch their breath from all the exertion they had just been through. "I don't know why I left my roller blades at home," Sunny said. "They'd be perfect for this sort of situation."
"I would have suggested we use my moped, but unfortunately I left that back in Bury!" Izzy explained. "But I imagine I could find an alternative set of wheels around here." She gasped as she saw something. "Look!"
"What is it, Izzy?" Sunny asked.
"I see a little silhouetto of a tram!" Izzy called.
And she was right. With a rattle and a roar, the track rumbling from its passage, a double decker tram rattled to a stop at the station. It had curved, streamlined bodywork, and had a tall traction pole extending to the wires. The paintwork was vibrant, consisting of an orange stripe at the bottom, a white section of bodywork, a green section that curved down with the bodywork, and another white section at the top. Black banding separated the individual layers. There was a single headlamp mounted at the bottom of the framework, which was only used at night to avoid blinding people, as it was very bright.
The tram called to them as he rattled to a stop. "Hello, lassies! What brings you two out here today?"
"Runaway phone!" Izzy replied. "Can you take us to the Docksider Housing Project?"
"That's where I'm headed, as it's the end of the line," the tram replied. "Just wait for the driver to open the door and show your passes before boarding."
"Thanks MacTavish!" Sunny said, as the doors slid open. She showed her resident pass before taking a seat on the bottom deck. Izzy boarded moments later and paid for a single, before joining Sunny on the lower deck.
"I'm surprised you didn't go for the upper deck!" Izzy said."
"It's usually busy, as people fight for the seats that look forward," Sunny explained. "We get a decent view from here."
Izzy shrugged. "It's just that people used to go upstairs and have a smoke, and then somebody would speak and they would go into a dream."
Sunny facepalmed. "Izzy, why? Is it National 'Reference Popular Songs Day'?"
"That's on Wednesday!" Izzy said. "I'm just warming up!"
Sunny shook her head. Although she liked Izzy, she was still getting used to many of eccentricities.
Her mind was shaken from this when the bell rang, and the tram pulled forward. The ground below her seemed to shake as the traction motors cut in, and the tram rumbled through the streets of Falmouth. Ever since the return of the magic a few months ago, Falmouth had become a good deal busier, and this put a fair bit of strain on the roads. In an effort to relieve the strain on the town's packed roads, the town council had voted to reopen a section of the old tramway. Unfortunately, the original Falmouth trams had been scrapped a long time ago, so the company had acquired a pair from Scotland that had been built to work on the same track gauge.
And the other one, Fraser, passed them on the other line. "Good morning!" he called. "Lovely day for a tram ride, eh?"
"Can't stop!" MacTavish called. "I've got a runaway phone to get!"
Frazer laughed. "Seems like around here gets stranger with every passing day!"
Hitch was still going strong as he sprinted along the streets, now being close to the end of the tram line. He looked about at the blue skies, noticing no change, before he spotted Bellerophon sitting in a siding. "How'd you get over here?" he asked, as he came to a stop.
"I went the back way," the tank engine replied. "Misty's currently getting a drink. Engine driving is thirsty work!"
Hitch nodded. "I know that the hard way. Rebecca can be challenging enough to operate. But it's part of the charm, I guess." He noticed that the development before him was looming into view, and something was sounding behind him.
He turned around to see MacTavish pulling into the tram stop. "Docksider's Rest, last stop! Please disembark here and wait for the tram to move into the headshunt. Don't forget to swap the seats around before you leave!"
He then saw his friends get off, and walk over. "Running a bit much for you?" he joked.
"We still need to find the runaway phone!" Izzy said as she moved past at a reasonable speed. "Ah! There it is!" She pointed up into the sky to see the pigeon circling overhead, the phone still in its claws.
Seconds later, Pipp and Zipp arrived, having taken a taxi. "Honestly, Pipp, if you hate getting your nails damaged why don't you wear gloves?" Zipp asked. "Plenty of performers do."
"You mean opera gloves?" Pipp asked. "Honestly, sis, don't be so cray cray." She then looked over. "Any luck?"
"It's up there, but we can't get it down!" Sunny said. "If only there was a way to get it down!"
Suddenly, the ground seemed to shake, and Zipp noticed MacTavish's face vanish briefly, before reappearing momentarily. Moments later, she saw Sunny smacking into a bed of plants. "Sunny!" she called, and dashed over to help.
Sunny rolled over, the phone in her hand. "Got it!" she said. "Not sure how I went up in the air though."
"Err, Sunny, you're glowing," Hitch said.
"Aww, thanks," the girl replied.
"No, literally glowing," Hitch clarified.
Sunny sat up, and quickly checked herself over. There seemed to be this orange sheen over her skin, and a pair of translucent wings attached to her back. "Wait, what?"
Sunny reacted to this situation as any person typically would if they found themselves glowing and with a pair of wings where they had no business to be.
Scream.
Hitch almost immediately took charge of the situation. "Sunny, focus on me!"
"How can I?" Sunny responded, breathing heavily. "What's happening to me?"
"Panicking isn't going to help," Hitch replied calmly, pulling her to her feet. "Deep breaths, focus on what makes you happy."
Sunny nodded, and before long seemed to be in a calmer state. With a surge of energy, the orange sheen and her wings seemed to vanish into nothingness.
Suddenly, the door to the house opened, denying them their chance to celebrate. A woman with yellow skin and pink hair emerged from it, her face locked into a scowl. Her piercing yellow eyes conveyed an air of hostility, an impression not conveyed by her choice of a green shirt and slacks coupled with grey shoes. "Brilliant!" she snapped. "Another problem caused by that stupid magic!"
Zipp sighed. "Ma'am, we're sorry for making a mess of your garden, but we were trying to retrieve my sister's phone which had been taken by a seagull."
The woman still looked annoyed. "Call me Posey, not ma'am. I'm not the First Lady. And frankly, the garden is the least of my worries. It's all this talking machinery that's the trouble. And I'm not the only one here with that opinion!"
"What do you mean?" Sunny asked.
"Ever since vehicles began talking, there's been a massive spike in the number of people living in the area. They all have cars and similar vehicles. And it's producing more pollution, which isn't fun when you have asthma!" She showed them her inhaler to make her point. "And think of the children trying to cross the road with all the wannabe Jeremy Clarksons driving about!"
"That's a fair point," Izzy conceded.
"Well, we are working on new emissions rules for the town centre," Sunny explained. "We're planning on banning cars from the area and requiring the use of public transport."
"That may be well and so, but there's been so many delays caused by these talking machines," Posey continued. "People always stop to talk to them, which slows everything down. Do you think I enjoy starting my day having to have a debate about Bach with my BMW?"
"I quite like Bach," Hitch said quietly.
"It is apparent to me that this is not at all safe or good for Cornwall," Posey finished.
"Everybody needs time to learn how to use their abilities, that's all," Sunny said. "Adapting to change takes time. Remember that there used to be a lot of hostility to the railroad, and now people don't think twice about it."
"Well, I'd rather they didn't do it all over the town! I nearly got hit in the face yesterday by a careless passer-by who was too focused on a talking tank engine. There should be restrictions on this, and I shall be raising this with the council!" Posey stepped back into her house. "After you've cleaned up the mess you've made of my garden!"
Sunny sighed as they got to work. "Change isn't easy," she said to herself. "But I'm certain she'll come around to our way of thinking someday."
They Gave us an Engine that First went Up and Down...
A few days later, Hitch was completing the final works on getting Rebecca ready for service. She just needed her sandboxes filling and a little bit of oil in the lubricators and they'd be ready to go. He looked about to see Salty rolling to a stop nearby.
"Hello, matey!" the diesel called. "How's the sea finding you today?"
"Been better, to be honest." Hitch looked up. "I had to deal with all sorts of nonsense yesterday, not least the fact that Pipp's advert is all over social media."
Sunny rolled down Salty's cab window. "Which one? She posts to various different social media accounts each day, usually multiple videos a day."
Hitch scrolled through his YouTube feed, having ensured Rebecca was secure, and showed the relevant video.
"Try something new, take a chance, just believe it/ Let out your light, shining bright, can ya see it? Whoa-oh-ohhhh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh, hey! Whoa-oh-ohhhh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh!
"Try something new, take a chance, just believe it/ Let out your light, shining bright, can ya see it? At Mane Melody, hey! At Mane Melody!"
"That's the new shop she's singing at, isn't it?" Rebecca asked. "I'll admit I don't know her hugely well, having spent most of my time at Swanage in bits, but I'm pretty certain she's not a qualified hairdresser."
"Just be glad that's the YouTube short," Hitch said. "The full thing is even more of an earworm! But it does get a bit annoying after a while."
"I'll still be going along to support her today," Sunny said. "She's singing at the opening today, and it seems kinda good to help out of a friend. Salty and I will finish up our shunting here and then got on down."
"We've got some parcels to deliver to Perranwell," Hitch replied. "But hopefully I should be able to attend. See you later."
"See ya later, landlubber," Salty smiled, and backed away. "I sailed from Auckland to the Bluff..."
As Salty's voice, and his sea shanty, gradually grew quieter, Hitch took this as a sign that he could go. After finding the parcels vans in the sidings, Rebecca formed up in the platform to let them finish loading the parcels onboard.
The loading took several minutes, with the parcels being thrown haphazardly into the doors. "I get the impression the station staff aren't used to loading parcels," Rebecca said. "Isn't it normally put into bags that are mounted on arms and dropped off into nets?"
"I'm not an expert on mail haulage, but I don't think that process has been used for a long time," Hitch replied, as he received a whistle and a green light from the platform.
Before they could pull away, somebody called up the platform. "HALT! PASSENGER WISHES TO BOARD!"
Hitch looked down the line to see Goldie walking down the platform. Aware of the circumstances of the train, she had tied her purple hair back, and her yellowy-gold skin was reflected in the incredibly clean coaches. She was clothed in her usual attire of black shoes and stockings coupled with a dark blue skirt, a beige blouse, and a blue business jacket. Her green eyes seemed to have some level of annoyance in them, as she spoke to somebody on the phone.
"No, Mr Anderson, or whatever your name is, please stop with the messages. We have absolutely no desire to buy your insurance, or your cars, or whatever it is you want to sell today." She ended the call and shook her head. "I've just about had enough of scammers."
She stepped into the carriage. "Hopefully the run to Perranwell will be smooth."
Hitch took this as a signal to depart, and opened the regulator. Rebecca's wheels dug into the rails- and immediately began spinning. A vast cloud of ash like steam roared into the air, visible for several miles.
"Steady on!" the Spam Can called. "I have a very sensitive regulator!"
"Still not used to this," Hitch said, as he made some adjustments. He opened the sanders and reduced steam. "I can see why they nickname one of your brothers the Volcano."
Apart from the wheelslip incident, the run up to Perranwell proved to be rather uneventful. Rebecca dropped off the vans in a siding and prepared to run back down to Falmouth when she heard a voice.
"The times are hard and the wages low!"
"Did you hear that?" she asked. "There was singing a few moments ago!"
"I didn't hear anything," Hitch replied, as he brought her to a stop at the signal.
Suddenly, the voice came again, but louder this time.
"The Rocky Mountains are my Home!"
"It's coming from that siding," Hitch noted, and he secured the engine in place. He walked back along the line and stopped in one of the sidings on the Down side of the station. Sitting in the siding was an old, battered, green crane tank who, although in good mechanical shape, could do with a new coat of paint. He was also the source of the singing.
He stopped when he saw Hitch approaching. "Hello!" he said, with a Scottish accent. "I haven't seen you before!"
"We hadn't seen you here before," Hitch confessed. "What's your name?"
"Harvey, sir," the crane tank replied. "I'm from Scotland, originally. If ever you need something lifted or put back on the rails, I'm happy to help. And I can sing too. There's no better way of keeping trucks in line than singing."
"Not to be rude, but I don't think you're going anywhere soon," Hitch said. "But I'll bring some of my friends up and we can get you back to your former glory. How's that sound?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, laddie. I'm in good mechanical order, and just need a lick of paint."
"I think I can help," said a voice behind them, causing Hitch to turn in surprise. "Oh! Mrs Starshine!"
"There's no need to be formal," Goldie replied. "But I think I can help. There was a crane tank similar to you in the town where I grew up, and I worked on a dockside to help pay for my college degree. I can get you repainted, and there's plenty for a crane tank to do down in Falmouth."
"Way hey, bully in the alley!" Harvey replied. "Thanks, mateys! As long as we have folks like you, the future is bright."
"Just doing my civic duty, sir," Hitch said. He turned to Goldie. "I don't mean to intrude, but I don't think business clothes are exactly appropriate clothes for working on a machine."
"Precisely," Goldie said. "I'll catch the next train back, and then get a set of overalls so I can drive Harvey down to the harbour."
When Rebecca (and Hitch) had returned to Falmouth, they resolved to tell the others of Harvey. No sooner had Hitch secured his engine in place and handed her over to a fitter to watch than he ran into Posey, who seemed to be annoyed.
"You're that officer, right?" she asked.
"Strictly speaking I'm a non-comissioned officer of the CCF, but yes," he said.
"Close enough," the woman sighed. "I'd like to issue a noise complaint for the seafront district."
Hitch took out his notepad. "Of course. What's the issue you'd like to report?"
"Firstly, the music coming from the hair stylist is far too loud, and it makes concentrating hard." Posey paused. "Seriously, who does that girl think she is? Sofia Carson?" She paused. "And the singing on the seafront is also a problem. I've lost track of how many times the trucks in the yard have sung choruses of Drunken Sailor!"
"I'll be sure to raise it with the individuals in question," Hitch said.
"You'd better," Posey said. "We do fund these services through our taxes, after all." And she walked off, still looking as annoyed as usual.
Hitch popped into Mane Melody to see something was going on. Pipp was onstage, preparing to perform. She was wearing a sleeveless grey gown with matching gloves.
"This song is for my lovely, and paranoid, older sister Zipp. Hit it boys!"
The music began in the background, playing the same generic pop that Hitch had last heard being blasted in Swanage. The backing singers, two people with varying hairstyles, started off.
"I know you're feelin' like there's somethin' wrong/ But don't you worry, I have just the song for you! (Mm-hmm!) Just for you-ooh-ooh! (you-ooh-ooh) So kick those feet up in this comfy chair/ And you'll forget about those cares in a minute or two/ Yeah! That's what you'll do-ooh-ooh!" (do-ooh-ooh)
The woman then took over.
"You've got a lot on your mind, and that's kind of tragic/ But with a little bit of caring and a touch of magic!"
Followed by the guy.
"You'll feel brand new/ And you'll forget what's been troublin' you!"
Pipp then rejoined the lyrics.
"So put your hands up high/ 'Cause we're feelin' all right! (hey!) Every day is awesome in the Fal- Mouth Bay! So put your hands up/ Put your hands up/ (hey!) Everything is gonna be okay!"
The music stopped, and there was brief reverb. Zipp then stood up. "You're still not taking this seriously! Something is seriously wrong with the crystals."
"What's happening?" Sunny asked.
"I don't know if you've been noticing this, but the faces of Non-Faceless Vehicles have been vanishing and appearing at points. If that's not concerning, I have no clue what is!"
"Do you have evidence?" Izzy asked. "If you do, we can come up with a more effective solution quicker."
Zipp pulled out her phone, and started a clip. A truck was joining in a work song alongside several others, only for its face to suddenly vanish without warning. A second or two later, it flickered back in, with the truck continuing from where it had left off.
"Yikes!" Pipp said. "She's a few beats behind there! Somebody needs to teach them about singing in time!"
"You're completely missing the point," Zipp sighed. "If we don't get the crystals sorted out, we could lose the magic forever, and all the work we've been doing these last few months could be lost, possibly forever!"
Pipp sighed. "I think you're just stressed with all the preparations for this event. Just take it easy and you should be fine." She vanished elsewhere, presumably to get changed.
Sunny was the only one who remained after a short while. "Zipp, I'm just as concerned about this as you are," she said. "In fact, it seems to be awkwardly flaring up at times. I seem to be gaining these wierd wings at random times in the day, which is getting really annoying."
The door suddenly opened, and Argyle stuck his head in. "There's a set of trucks rolling about without power on the seafront yard," he said. "You may want to deal with that."
"Sure thing, dad!" Sunny said, and headed out.
This only left Zipp, sitting there, lost in her own thoughts. Why was nobody taking this seriously?
At long last, the Festival of the Sea was underway, and what a sight it was. The old rail yard was being used as the exhibit area and tent pitching location, and many tents were already set up. People were exhibiting many wares and objects relating to the sea and nautical life. One man had brought an entire ship's wheel, and another was exhibiting model boats. Another person was teaching people how to speak like a sailor (combined with nautical slang and technical terminology), and further people were showcasing homemade arts and crafts.
The only problem was the sky had turned a rather unnapealing shade of grey.
Down on the beach, people were building very elaborate sand castles as part of a competition. Sitting near one of them was Harvey, his crane arm having been attached to a large ornament.
"Ready?" called a man on the ground.
"Ready!" Goldie replied, and pulled back on one of the levers. This shifted Harvey's gearing to run his crane arm, which pulled his chain taught. This, in turn, lifted the ornament into the air.
"Easy! Over to the left!"
"Do remember my crane arm doesn't lift very high," Harvey said, with the load swinging about in the wind. His arm swung around to the left, and the object wobbled dangerously in the air.
"Right, down we go!" Goldie called, and the arm began to lower. It dropped into place, and the ornament was in place. As Harvey's crane arm withdrew from the region, the other castles looked to be finished.
Then the judges came by. They took a look at the various castles. "I believe that this castle is the best," said one of the judges, referring to the one Harvey had helped to build.
"I really must protest this decision!" said the familiar voice of Posey.
Goldie rolled her eyes. "Oh no, here we go," she said.
"They built that one with the help of that iron monster!" Posey said, pointing at Harvey.
"I'm a crane tank!" Harvey protested. "I'm built to lift things. Besides, the competition rules never said you couldn't use construction machinery. Look at that group using a JCB to build a moat!"
"Still, I must protest whether this is permitted," Posey said. "I'll be filing an official report." She walked away in a huff.
"There's not many managers around here to complain to!" Goldie shouted after her. "Good Lord, that woman is insufferable."
Several of the others were down at the station. Izzy, naturally, was eating a gigantic ice cream.
"I have no idea how you can be eating ice cream on a day like today," Zipp said.
"Well, we're all British, right? A unique part of Britishness is the ability to eat ice cream in the rain. It's practically in our DNA!"
"That would certainly explain it in your case," Sunny said. "You're dad's Scottish, right?"
"Yep!"
"But both of my parents are American, which doesn't explain it in my case."
The conversation was interrupted by the rumbling of diesel engines, as Sophie rattled into the station, towing a very strange machine. It was painted a deep red, and had windows on either end. A chimney poked up through the roof at one end, which also seemed to be attached to a bogie covered in mechanical equipment. And many, many windows were incorporated into the bodywork.
"What on Earth is that?" Izzy asked. "It looks so bizarre!"
Pipp sprinted over, having stopped Sophie in place. "Come on over! I've got somebody I'd like to introduce!"
The trio walked onto the station and over to the bay platform, where the convoy was sitting. Sophie smiled at them. "It's not everyday that I tow in a railmotor!" she said.
The thing she was coupled to sighed. "I should have known not to use this coal. It is bad for my firebox."
A tall, thin man was standing next to the railmotor. He had quite a gaunt appearance, with a sharply defined face, and milky blue eyes. As seemed to be standard around here he wore a boilersuit over hard wearing trousers and a course shirt. "The weather may not have been best for your mainline test run, Alexandra," he conceeded. He then noticed the others. "Good afternoon, Zipp."
"Hey dad," Zipp replied. "I take it the run down went well."
"Better than it could have," he admitted. Sensing the other's confusion, he decided to introduce himself. "Robert Haven, Duke of Devon. My wife and her train are yet to arrive, but I have an idea to greet them." He looked over to the brass band next to the platform. "Tell me, do you know the following piece?"
About half an hour later, the preparations were ready, and all was ready for the stunt. "Here she comes!" Sophie called, having been shiffled through the yard and turned on the turntable in the meantime.
Moments later, a tank engine coupled to two coaches steamed into view. He was painted a dark olive green, and had six driving wheels and two trailing wheels. Two large, slab-sided tanks sat atop his running board and on the sides of his boiler. A large dome and tall chimney decorated the top of the boiler and smokebox respectively, and a pair of splashers covered his front wheels. His huge bunker dominated the rear of the cab, and the sides of the tanks had the letters SOUTHERN written in block capitals, as well as the letter B and the number 473 below it.
As he came to a stop, he noticed the preparations. "Crikey! You'd think the King was coming to visit!"
Just as the door of one of the carriages opened, and Lady Haven began to step forth, Robert gave the signal. "Now!"
The brass band began to blast a loud and elaborate fanfare over the station, rather like something you'd hear when a member of the Royal Family had arrived somewhere.
Lady Haven looked understandably surprised. "This is overdoing it a bit, is it not?" she asked. "I'm not a monarch!"
"Mom!" Pipp called, rather disrupting the moment. "You made it!"
"Hello Pipp," the older woman smiled, as she made her way down the platform. "Thank you for the smooth ride, Ray."
The person on his footplate, a person with blue skin, saluted as Ray smiled. "Never a problem, ma'am," he said.
Lady Haven smiled as she stepped forward further. "This is all very pleasant, even with the grey sky," she admitted. "But whose idea was it to have such an elaborate arrival?"
"Dad, probably," Zipp said.
Lady Haven turned to Robert. "Really, this joke again?" she sighed. "I am aware that you're not originally from Britain and as such not all the customs are totally familiar, but this level of arrival is reserved for the reigning monarch."
Robert smiled. "I see. Even so, it only seemed fitting, for you are the Queen of my heart."
Lady Haven's facial expression softened a bit. "Thank you, Robert," she smiled. "Now, shall we go and 'sea' all there is to see about the sea?"
Thunder boomed overhead in an increasingly grey sky.
A few hours passed by, and things seemed to calm down a bit, apart from Posey complaining about the cream teas having cream and jam the wrong way around. This, of course, led to other problems.
As Fraser rumbled into the town square, dropping off some passengers, he engaged in idle conversation with a passenger. "Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" he asked.
"You could say that," the passer-by said. "I thought it always snowed in Scotland."
"That's Norway," Fraser replied. He then saw the blocked line up ahead. "Oh fid-"
Then, just as suddenly as before, his face vanished, before reappearing seconds later. "Dlesticks."
"That was weird," said the passenger.
Eventually, the crowds gathered around a large stage, built for musicians to perform on. Izzy brought two people over to her friends. "Look guys!" she called. "It's my parents! They made it!"
The man standing with her was a man of pinkish skin with short, blue hair, and wearing pants and a floral shirt entirely innapropriate for the weather. In many ways, he seemed like a male version of Izzy. The woman, on the other hand, had bluish-yellow skin with orange hair, and was wearing a heavy rain coat atop hard wearing pants and a shirt. Altogether very sensibly dressed.
"Hello!" said the man, with a moderate Scottish accent. "I see that you are all Izzy's friends! Certainly quite a nice town you have here, if a bit windy at the moment. It's like the northern gales I used to experience on Barra."
"It's certainly nice to meet you all," the woman smiled. "I'm Aurora Blaze, and this is my husband Isaac Moonbow."
Moments later, the crowd went quiet as Argyle Starshine stepped out onto stage. "Good afternoon," he said, "and welcome to Falmouth. I'm sorry we couldn't have had better weather, but we have to work with what we have. Generations of sailors did, after all."
There was no response from the crowd, most of whom looked annoyed.
"It is my proud honour at this point in the festivities to introduce our musical offering. To sing a specially composed song for the day, I am proud to welcome the Longest Johns to the stage!"
Posey, who was in the crowd, then began complaining. "What happened to the Fisherman's Friends? Aren't they supposed to be singing? How can we have a group of musicians from Bristol performing at a Cornish festival?"
"When was the last time you didn't complain about something?" Goldie asked, who had joined the crowd.
The crowd began to talk amongst themselves as the weather continued to get worse. Suddenly, black clouds and a full on lightning storm erupted overhead.
In the engine yard, Porter looked up. "Can I just say that this doesn't look good."
Complete chaos had erupted on the dockside as the storm intensified. Lightning roared and began striking things, and rain began to pour in quantities usually seen in a tropical storm.
"I know Britain is a very wet country, but this is ridiculous!" Charles called, over the sound of thunder. It sounded less like thunder strikes and more like a relentless barrage of artillery, as if Falmouth was being shelled by some unknown foe.
On the dockside itself, people were running for shelter and their lives. Argyle had dived inside a building, and many others tried to take refuge at the Fisherman's Arms from the storm, causing a queue as people tried to get in.
More bad weather entered the fray as the wind speeds began to pick up, producing atmospheric conditions unlike anything that had been seen in the region.
Isaac looked out to sea, and saw something approaching. Something he had never thought he'd see in this part of the world.
"TAKE COVER! THERE'S A TORNADO INBOUND!"
But this wasn't like any tornado he had seen. The vortex was purple, and seemed to glow with some unearthly energy.
"What in the world is going on?" Sunny asked, rhetorically more than anything else.
"This storm!" Zipp realised. "It's because the crystals are out of alignment! Because we're not working together and people aren't cooperating with Non-Faceless Vehicles, it's produced this gigantic storm! We have to find a way to stop it and return things to normal!"
Suddenly, another tornado opened up right over the town, and formed a large horizontal portal over the trackwork. People and objects began to get sucked in despite their best efforts to anchor themselves down.
One of the people who tried to escape was Posey, but she had badly misjudged the wind speed, and was blown off her feet and sucked into the portal. "SOMEBODY! HELP US!" she cried, her voice barely audible over the roaring demon of the air as she was pulled into the portal.
Sunny sprinted for the portal, but was forced back by a sudden blast of rain. "Come on!" she called. "We have to find a way in there!"
"Are you crazy?" Hitch asked. "We have no idea what's through there!"
"We can't just stand here and watch them die! We have to do something!" Sunny changed course and went for Salty, bounding up his cab steps two at a time before opening the door. Once inside, she fired up his engine and prepared to move.
She switched on the radio. "I'm going in."
A loud whistle blast sounded behind her. Followed by another.
"Sunny, can you hear me?" asked a familiar voice. "I'm in the crane tank behind you!"
"Mom?" Sunny asked. "Where'd you get the tank engine from?"
"Doesn't matter, I'll explain later!" Goldie replied. "It's not safe for you to go in on your own. I'll attach Harvey's chains and winch to your engine and gradually play out the line. That way, we can haul you back in."
Sunny looked behind her. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think Harvey is heavy enough to act as an anchor."
"He's got me to act as some ballast!" Ray called, who had now been hooked up. "Just give the word and we'll start pulling!"
"Roger that!" Sunny replied. "Let's go, Salty."
"Let's go, matey," Salty said, with grit in his face. "Any sailor knows that when they go to sea they may not come back. Let's either save your friends or we die trying."
Salty's engine roared as he began to advance against the storm. Goldie slowly let out Harvey's chain to allow Salty to move forward. Izzy sprinted alongside and jumped up on the steps and knocked on the door.
Sunny opened the door. "Izzy! What are you doing?"
Izzy then handed Sunny a lantern. "Take this! It's a good luck lantern! I originally made it for your birthday, but I'm giving it to you now as you might not make it back! If ever you find yourself in darkness, use it to light your way!"
"Thanks Izzy!" Sunny replied. "If I don't make it back, know that meeting you guys was one of the best things that ever happened to me."
Izzy saluted. "The honour is all mine!" She then hopped off the steps and watched as Salty advanced into the darkness.
"Don't just stand there gawking!" Hitch called. "Get to Porter and help against the storm! It's only by working together we can end this disaster!"
The interior of the portal was a place unlike anything anybody had ever seen before. A space seemingly empty and full of nothing apart from the odd purple glow, the emptiness of the place have Salty some seriously strange vibes. "Are we the first, apart from those gone from the world, to be glimpsing Davy Jones' Locker?" he asked.
"I hope not," Sunny replied. "From what I've heard Davy Jones has a foul temper."
The duo located Posey and several others soon enough. And it was just as well, as Sunny was starting to feel weird. The deeper into this place she went, the more off she felt. She had placed the lamp on the cabin console as Salty had advanced forward, and noticed the substance inside was glowing, cutting against the lightless shades of this strange dark realm.
Even more confusing was how Salty didn't seem to be falling forward, as if he was running on invisible track in space itself. He came to a stop in front of the rescuees.
Sunny secured Salty's brakes, and hopped out of the door. No sooner had she exited, then she felt strange energies wash over her, and a bright glow emanating from beind. She turned her head and saw the same translucent wings from previous. "Of course! This place amplifies magic! That's why the Non-Faceless Vehicles have been losing their abilities, as it got sucked in here!"
She flew over to Posey and her compatriots, and reached her hand forward. "Come on! I'm here to help you!"
Posey nodded, sensing the alternative, and grabbed on to Sunny's. "Do what you have to!"
Sunny focused her mind and began moving backwards, her wings working against the ethereal currents of this dark dimension.
"I have no idea how this is working," Salty said, "but the track is beginning to feel a bit wobbly!"
This only intensified Sunny's efforts. She had soon reached the cab, and pushed Posey onboard before climbing in herself and shutting the cab door. She set Salty's engine to reverse, and fired up the engine.
She grabbed the cab radio. "NOW!"
On the other end, Goldie got the information. She pulled on some levers and advanced the mechanism. Harvey's line began to draw in, hopefully pulling Salty out.
"It's a good thing they weren't in further!" Harvey said. "I didn't have much chain left otherwise. How's it going at your end, Ray?"
"Pressure's good and holding!" he called, as a blast of wind hit. "Buffeting! Buffeting!"
Out on the dockside, Porter was rattling up and down with a coach, trying to collect as many people as possible from the landscape. "Get aboard!" he called.
Suddenly, a loud roar started up from the portal, and the form of Salty emerged from the chaos, with Posey onboard. But no sign of Sunny.
"Sunny?" Izzy asked.
Seconds later, a ball of golden energy seemed to build up in the portal, and Sunny roared out of it, still powered up. To avoid a head on collision, she pulled up and flew high into the air, overlooking the town once more. With the last of her strength, she turned and focused the energy into the portal succesfully shutting it.
Only she hadn't considered her current location. As her wings vanished, she looked down. "This is gonna suck."
She then began to fall towards the ground. But seconds before she would have crashed into it, she stopped abruptly, and bounced up in the air. She looked around and saw her friends holding a trampoline. "Guys?" she asked. "Where'd you find the trampoline?"
"I found it blowing along the beachfront," Pipp replied. "Me and Sophie moved it up here whilst you were in the portal, just in case."
"Thanks for saving me," Sunny replied. "I doubt hitting the concrete at that speed would have been fun."
"After all you've done for us, it was the least we could do," Zipp smiled.
As rainbow energy glowed in the distance in the viscinity of the lighthouse (where the crystals were housed), Posey walked over to them. She looked quite downtrodden.
"I wish to apologise for what I said about not only you five, but the vehicles as well," she said. "Turns out they can be really useful after all, as I suspect there'd be no dockside left without them. And Sunny, I owe you my life- a debt that, in all likelihood, I will never be able to repay."
Sunny got off the trampoline and walked over. "Hey, no biggie. Apology accepted."
"I'd also like to withdraw the previous noise complaint. The trucks can sing as many sea shanties as they want in my view."
Argyle, Isaac, and Haven had also made their way over. "Great work, you five!" Argyle called. He turned his attention to Sunny. "I couldn't be more proud to call you my daughter."
"And everybody else performed swimmingly," Haven smiled. "I noticed a nice property for sale on my way down. It seemed reasonably large and suitable for our needs, and furthermore has rail access."
Pipp looked excited. "You mean?"
"Yes. We're going to purchase it, restore it, and live half the year here!"
"And," Isaac added, "I just received orders for working on an offshire drilling platform near an archipelago of imprudence."
Izzy got the joke, and began laughing. "Don't be scilly!" she said. "Does that mean?"
"I'll be using Falmouth as a base to get out there. There's the small heliport, so I can catch a helicopter when I need to travel out there."
"How things have changed since the last year," Hitch said. "We even had a new friend join us." He looked around. "Hold on a minute. Where is Misty?"
Voice Cast-in Order of Appearance: Jeremy Clarkson-Captain Charles Lizy Koshy-Zipp Storm Nigel Pilkington-Assorted voices Jane Krakowski-Lady Haven Joseph Swash-Bellerophon Bahia Watson-Misty Kimiko Glenn-Izzy Moonbow Tara Strong-Goldenella Vanessa Hudgens-Sunny Starscout Sofia Carson-Pipp Petals James Marsden-Hitch Trailblazer David Tennant-MacTavish Sam Heughan-Fraser Kimberly Ann-Truong-Posey Bloom Keith Whickam-Salty Rachel Miller-Rebecca Nathan Evans-Harvey Samantha Bielanski-Jazz Johnathan Tan-Rocky Riff Michael McKean-Argyle Starshine Theresa Gallagher-Sophie Jodie Whittaker-Alexandra Richard E. Grant-Robert Haven, Duke of Devon James May-Ray Steve Blum-Isaac Moonbow Felicia Day-Aurora Blaze Richard Hammond-Porter
On a nearby overlook, a man dressed entirely in black leather with a biker helmet overlooked the bay. He glanced over to see Misty walking over.
"You took your time," the man said.
"Sorry for the delay!" Misty replied. "The storm rather delayed me. But I have good news. I can confirm that the source of the power for the Non-Faceless Vehicles is here."
The man smiled. "Perfect," he said. He switched on a radio. "Opaline, I have good news. We have confirmation of the target, and Misty is succesfully integrated into their population. We can move forward with the plan."
"Excellent," said the voice. "Remain in position and await further orders."
"Understood," the man replied, and put the radio away. "Soon, you will all be laughing on the other side of your radiators and various other places, all of you. If I have my way, I shall soon have revenge on you all, especially you Argyle. Then I shall have Goldie to myself. For I am unstoppable. I am a power unlike any you have seen, FOR I AM PETER THOMAS BOOMER!"
Hundreds of miles away, a woman with oddly purple skin and snow white hair sat in a chair. Her icy blue eyes started at a video feed of Falmouth, and she calmly took a pen out of the top pocket of her grey business jacket. "With this in place, our plan can succeed faster than I imagined," she smiled. "It won't be long now until the former glory of British Rail is restored to this land, and I can take my rightful place as ruler of the United Kingdom." She then began laughing as the light began to fade. "You may have weathered the storms, but you have no idea what's coming next!"
With Geoffrey Rush as P. T. Boomer and Athena Karkanis as Opaline.
