Month: July 2022

The day finally came. Everyone assigned to the route gathered at Knapford for the morning Wild Nor’ Wester. They showed their tickets to the Guard and boarded the coaches as Gordon backed down with a smile on his face. He was actually five minutes early. The Fat Controller was confused. “What are you doing this early?” he asked Gordon.

“Oh, just heard some news concerning my Fireman,” replied Gordon. “Specifically, his wife!”

“Do you mean-?!” asked the Fat Controller.

“He does!” confirmed the Fireman. “She’s pregnant!”

“Congratulations!” praised the Fat Controller. “No wonder you’re here early! Is this your first one?”

“It is, and we’re already thinking up names! I’m considering Bertram if it’s a boy!”

“I’m flattered to hear that!” The Guard’s whistle then blew. “Ah, mustn’t keep you! Good running!”

“Thank you, Sir!” replied Gordon. He then moved his wheels. “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” he called to the coaches. His speed soon climbed. “Out of my way! Express coming through!” Gordon thundered down the line.

---

Inside the coaches, Richard was bouncing up and down in his seat like a little boy. “I’m riding Gordon’s Express! I’m riding Gordon’s Express!” he giggled.

“Geez, Daddy!” chuckled Kaitlyn. “You were like that when you built your ‘Spectacular’!”

“Because another childhood dream of mine is coming true! I’m riding on a train on Sodor with my second favorite engine pulling it!”

“Wait, Gordon’s your second favorite engine?” asked Daniel. “Then who’s your first?”

“Well, don’t tell Thomas and Gordon, because, as I said, Gordon’s my second favorite and Thomas is my third, but my most favorite engine of all is Percy.”

“Percy?!” protested Kaitlyn. “Listen, I like the little guy. I enjoyed being his Firewoman, but he’s the most accident-prone engine on the railway! Why would he be your favorite?!”

“Well, his season 1 theme’s a real good song, his shape’s similar to mine, and his work ethic’s-”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” came the Guard’s voice over the coaches’ tannoy, “we are now approaching our first stop at Wellsworth. All passengers disembarking, please collect all your belongings and mind the gap as you exit the carriage. Thank you for choosing the North Western Railway’s Wild Nor’ Wester and have a great day.”

---

Gordon slowed down and gently brought his coaches to the platform. He looked at the station’s clock. “…Just five minutes early,” he muttered to himself. “I must be getting old.”

“Come on, Gordon!” laughed his Driver. “It’s still early!”

“Yes, but I usually arrive fifteen minutes early. Perhaps this is going to be my first step towards retirement from the Express. …What on Earth am I saying?! I still have years of steam and speed in me!”

“Trust me, you galloping sausage!” called a woman’s voice. “You don’t!” Part of the track next to Gordon then vanished in an explosion. The station staff quickly evacuated Wellsworth Station as Richard and his team investigated what was going on. They soon found their answer as Igura, Katie, Auriella, Yamta, and Yulduk faced them.

“Adachi Igura,” growled Richard.

“A pleasure to see my son-in-law again,” purred Igura.

“Believe me, the feeling’s not mutual! Bounty’s coming with us!”

“Bounty?”

“Don’t play coy with me! You’re after Bounty because Khan wants her Source for his New Multiverse or whatever he calls it! You only imitate Hiro’s plans after he fails miserably!”

“Imitate?!” snarled Igura. “I come up with my OWN plans!”

“And I’m hoping my eyesight’s going bad, but that better not be Katie Barker with you!”

“It is,” replied Katie.

“You’re not allowed on railway property after that stunt you pulled with Edward!”

“My wife and I,” called Auriella, “do NOT require permission!”

“AURIELLA SEFLOWA!” shouted Azuliterii in uncharacteristic rage. “I was hoping Katie didn’t mention your name, but is it true?! YOU’RE her wife?!”

“You, of all people, have an issue with girls marrying each other?”

“I do when one of the women is the worst kind of criminal scum who has no business calling herself a Queen when NO ONE of our power should EVER have that title!”

“That’s nothing more than Chizaran Propaganda! I unchained the Adrexians when I finally became the first Queen!”

“ENOUGH!” shouted Igura. “Richard Saunders, surrender to us or Gordon is scrap!” Azuliterii responded for Richard as she swung her arm and projected an energy wave that knocked the villains off their feet.

“Gordon, the instant your path is clear,” Richard said to the big engine, “just go! Never mind the speed limit! Get your passengers out of here!”

“Right!” replied Gordon. As the villains picked themselves up, the Kamen Riders fastened their belts on and pulled out their transformation devices.

“HENSHIN!” they shouted. They all transformed and drew their weapons. Amy swung her hammer as if she were still fighting Eggman.

“Is that supposed to impress us?” chuckled Igura. She, Auriella, and Katie then pulled out their belts and fastened them.

“Shocker Driver!” called Igura’s belt. Auriella and Katie’s belts looked like diamond rings without the diamond in it. Igura then pulled out her i.d tag as Katie and Auriella each pulled out a diamond.

“Henshin!” the three announced. Igura inserted the i.d tag into her belt.

“TALON!” it called. “Hito yon’de Akuma no Shocker! Hito yon’de Akuma no Shocker!” Armor then materialized on her body and she became Kamen Rider Talon. For Auriella and Katie, they just inserted their diamonds into their belt’s clasps. The diamonds shone and armor appeared on them. Richard, now Guard, gripped his sword.

“Igura’s Rider name, I already know,” he said. “What are yours?”

“I’m Kamen Rider Glam,” said Katie.

“And I’m Kamen Rider Jewel,” finished Auriella, “and we both wear the Dazzle Driver.”

“You’re still villains!” declared Guard. “GET THEM!” The Heroes then leapt onto the Villains and were met with heavy resistance. It was still enough for Gordon’s line to be cleared. “GO, GORDON! GO!” shouted Guard. Gordon wasted no time in leaving Wellsworth. He got his train out of there as the Heroes fought the Villains. It was then that Guard noticed that his opponent, Talon, wasn’t fighting as hard as he remembered. “What’s going on?” he demanded. “You fight better than this! Or is this the result of being in Hell for so long?”

“Not considering a third option?” chuckled Talon. Guard arched an eyebrow under his helmet, then they widened in fear.

“No!” he said. Talon then delivered a solid kick to his gut and knocked him into Hanako and Flora, Herald P.

“Scrapping Gordon would have been a nice bonus,” chuckled Glam, “but our main mission WAS accomplished.”

“We just needed you here,” purred Jewel.

“We have Bounty in our grasp,” said Talon. “If you do not surrender tomorrow morning, Sodor will be wiped off the face of the earth.” She then summoned a rift and she and her allies jumped in. Once it closed, Guard growled.

“Adachi Igura, I’ll have your head!” he vowed.

Early the next morning, the engines woke to hear the sound of motors. “Erf!” grumbled Patrick. “Early morning car show?”

“…No, I think it’s the diesels,” replied Culdee. He was right. Four boxy engines reversed into the sheds. Unlike the steam engines, these four were level all the way. They were rectangular with a square cab at the back and were colored like the steam engines. Sira, Yufantel, Irina, Endram, Glanthel, and the Manager all stepped out of their cabs. The Manager spoke to the engines. “Engines, may I present Nina,”

“Hello!” greeted the diesel with the number 9 on both sides of her cab.

“Himalaya,”

“Hi!” called the number 10 diesel.

“Shen Ven,”

“Nice to meet you,” said the number 11 diesel.

“And Greta,” finished the Manager.

“You have a very lovely line,” remarked the number 12 diesel.

“Now, Irina, I want you to help Nina learn the line,” directed the Manager. “Sira, you’re with Himalaya. Yufantel, you work with Shen Ven. Glanthel, I want you to assist Greta.”

“We’ll know this line like the back of our buffers!” boasted Nina.

---

As each engine worked, their personalities came through. Nina was a proud diesel, which bit her in the rear buffers only once as she overshot the platform at Shiloh. After that, she decided it was best to keep her self-praise to herself until the day was done. Himalaya was a very quiet diesel, but a friendly one. Shen Ven liked working with the “Trucks”, the supply and maintenance train. Greta once looked everywhere but the track during the first leg, but then Glanthel told her about Godred’s death and recent haunting. That made her pay more attention to her work. The day soon finished without incident, and everyone returned to the shed. “So,” Patrick said to Nina, “had a bit of an oopsie today?”

“Oh, like you didn’t nearly overshoot Skarloey Road on your first day!” protested Alaric.

“OI!”

“Well, after that, the passengers had a VERY smooth run!” chuckled Nina.

“It looks like everyone is working nicely on the railway,” mused Irina.

“It’s good to have you engines with us,” Culdee said to the new diesels.

“It’s good to be working finally!” replied Shen Ven.

“And it’s good to see such excellent hard-workers,” called the Manager’s voice as he approached the sheds. “Thanks to your efforts, the Culdee Fell Railway will more than survive the upcoming summer rush, it will thrive! I’m proud of you all! Nina, Himalaya, Shen Ven, Greta, you’ve done marvelously on your first day! Endram, Sira, Irina, Glanthel, Yufantel, you have more than earned my trust here! I need to tell the other Controllers about your efforts. In the meantime, take a week off. I’m sure you’d enjoy seeing your friends.”

“Thank you, Sir!” said Yufantel. “It was nice working on a railway!”

“And the Culdee Fell Railway,” continued Irina, “is the perfect start for working on a Mountain Railway.”

---

“MORONS! ALL OF YOU!” Igura was LIVID with the teams she sent out. “Katie, you never got any of Fat Hatt’s engines scrapped! Yamta, your bombs were discovered and defused! Yulduk, you never accounted for the engines using different trucks! Auriella, your ghost still had morals! You’re all idiots!”

“Are you done?” asked Auriella.

“Done with your moronic plans?! Yes! We’re doing things my way now!”

“But Crystal Widow-!”

“Is on MY side!”

“It’s true,” cackled a voice. It sounded like Blackarachnia’s, but it was a bit more crazed. A white and pink copy of Blackarachnia then stepped out of the shadows. She had purple optics like Nemesis Prime. “Time for a little mayhem!”

“You’ll be going to Suddery to find Bounty,” ordered Igura, “then Yulduk and Yamta will take her when you give them her specific location. After that, we’ll intercept the heroes’ two teams.”

“Two?!” asked Katie in disbelief.

---

Everyone met with the Fat Controller over where the ships were parked. He was smiling warmly. “My friends, you have been a credit to all the railways on this island. I am proud of you all.”

“It was our pleasure, Sir,” replied Richard.

“Now, I must confess something,” continued the Fat Controller. “Bounty doesn’t work for any of the railways. She’s a secretary for the Sodor Council in Suddery. I didn’t tell you this because my previous history with Richard made me unsure of his intentions. Now, I must ask, how do you plan to get to Suddery?”

“I’m honestly not sure,” answered Richard. “I want to use our ships, but they might be a bit inconspicuous. As would our Transformer friends.”

“Maybe the giant friends,” suggested Thundercracker, “can take the ships to a remote area near Suddery by going along the outside of the island while the rest of you can…I don’t know…take the train there?”

“An excellent suggestion, Mr…” said the Fat Controller.

“Thundercracker, Sir.”

“An excellent suggestion, Mr. Thundercracker!” The Fat Controller then opened a case. “There are two tickets for each of you,” he said. “One is for the morning Wild ‘Nor Wester, the other is for the local passenger run from Wellsworth to Suddery just a few minutes later. With my compliments, of course.”

“The Wild ‘Nor Wester?” asked Kaitlyn. “Isn’t that Gordon’s Express?”

“Indeed it is. And, barring any problems, Gordon will be pulling it tomorrow.”

“We’ll be at Knapford ready for the train!” promised Richard.

“Excellent! I’ll make the necessary arrangements with Gordon! Good night, ladies and gentlemen!” The Fat Controller turned on his heel and returned to his car.

“This is it!” cheered Richard. “We’re in the home stretch!”

“Don’t get cocky!” urged Kong Primal. “We still have to FIND Bounty first.”

“He’s right,” said Thundercracker. “Pardon the old Seeker views, but the mission isn’t a success of failure until we go home.”

“…You’re right. We gotta get Bounty reunited with her sisters. And good news! We got Gandalf back from the Lords and we picked up Galadriel!”

“Gandalf?” asked Flora. “So, we have a positive id on our mystery Lords?”

“Yep, and just like Batman, they were fighting against them on the inside!”

“Nice work, Thundercracker!” said Irina.

“She’s right, good work!” agreed Richard. Thundercracker arched an eyebrow.

“Erm…thank you?” he said.

“…Didn’t Megatron praise your work?” asked Richard.

“The only time a commanding officer ever praised me was when I killed Autobots for the glory of the Decepticons. Being thanked for saving lives instead of taking them is a little…new to me.”

“Well, let this be the first of many, because I’ve seen more from you than merely taking lives.” Thundercracker wasn’t sure, but he felt something in his Spark…lighten.

Wilfred, Yufantel, and the Fireman were pushing a passenger train up the mountain. They were crossing Devil’s Back in clear weather and were about to reach the station at the summit. There was still a bit of wind, but it wasn’t enough to make anyone worry. Yufantel was a little nervous as they climbed the last remaining near straight-up 600 feet of Devil’s Back. They soon saw the Summit Station ahead. Yufantel then released a breath in relief. “It’s weird,” she muttered.

“What is?” asked the Fireman.

“I commanded a skyship just fine, but I get nervous on mountains unless there’s a clear building in sight.”

“I’m like that with rollercoasters if you can believe it. I prefer to control the speed of the train and going fast on high hills isn’t exactly fun.”

“Yeah, I guess I prefer having closed walls around me as I’m in the air.”

“Er, Yufantel?” asked Wilfred. Yufantel then realized what was going on and screwed on the brakes a little quicker than usual, but still enough to ease into the platform. Patrick and his crew were on the opposite platform, waiting for passengers to climb aboard.

“Head in the clouds?” chuckled Sira.

“Something like that,” replied Yufantel embarrassed.

“Long as it’s not a habit, especially on a mountain,” remarked Irina.

“You’re absolutely right,” agreed Patrick. “It’s a risk no one should take.”

“Says the risk-seeker,” muttered Wilfred.

“FORMER risk-seeker!”

“HEY!” called the Stationmaster as he stormed out of his office. He was looking directly at the points outside the station. “Clear off, you! Patrick has to-!”

“Not again!” gulped Patrick as he guessed who was sitting on the points.

“Stationmaster, what’s the number on the engine?!” called Wilfred’s Fireman. The Stationmaster was confused at the question but walked toward the engine. He didn’t get behind it as he saw the nameplate and screamed in horror as he fled to hide by Wilfred.

“G-G-G-Go-God-d-d-dr-!” He couldn’t get the name out. Irina guessed it quickly.

“Godred,” she said as she stepped out of Patrick’s cab. Sira and Yufantel followed her and faced Godred’s ghost.

“What are you doing here, Godred?” asked Yufantel. “The engines, staff, and visitors all believed you had moved on after your accident.” Godred said nothing. “…Godred, if you want help moving on, I’m a licensed ghost-easer. It’s my job to help ghosts that want to move on but can’t.” Still nothing. “…Can you hear me?”

“He can hear you, all right,” chuckled a woman’s voice in a cold tone. The speaker then came out. She was tall and wore a seafoam green dress. “I just made it so that he won’t speak as long as he’s mine.”

“And you are?” asked Irina.

“Oh, where are my manners? I am Auriella, Queen of Adrexia.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Only because you Vortex Riders never passed by it or asked the Chizarans about their cousins.”

“I see. So, you’re the reason Godred’s haunting this mountain?”

“I prefer the term ‘revisiting’.”

“Souls that moved on and are pulled back tend to cause havoc!” argued Yufantel. “You need to let him go!”

“And a Queen obeys a mere Princess?” scoffed Auriella.

“You’ll obey this one!”

“You’re in no position to give me demands, child!” Auriella turned to Godred. “It’s time, Godred.”

“Time for what?” asked Irina.

“For his last passenger run. Must keep to time, and all that.”

“He can’t even touch anyone!” scoffed Patrick.

“No, my Superheat Design Friend, but he CAN take you.”

“…Possession,” hissed Yufantel.

“P-Possession?!” gulped Patrick. “As in…take over our-?!”

“Wilfred would be a better candidate,” remarked Auriella, “since his construction is similar to Godred’s.”

“Then what?” demanded Sira.

“Then he takes the engine’s train back down the mountain.”

“Godred never kept a good look-out!” protested Wilfred.

“If he’s a repeater as I suspect,” supplied Yufantel, “then the engine he possesses will be doomed to repeat the events leading to his death!”

“Meaning Godred will no longer be alone,” said Auriella.

“Murder is murder, no matter how you slice it, you thug!” Auriella snarled at that insult.

“I never did expect someone like you to understand. Godred, Wilfred’s ready for you. Take him and his passengers.” Auriella then summoned an energy ball in her hand. “As for you lot, onto the coach. Get in quickly please.” Just then, Auriella heard a snap from behind her. She turned around to see Godred rolling backwards. “What?! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!” she shouted as she turned the energy ball into chains. “COME BACK HERE, YOU-!”

“That’s enough!” shouted Yufantel as she tackled Auriella and pinned her to the ground.

“GET OFF ME! YOU’RE NOT FIT TO TOUCH ME!”

“You’re not in a position to give orders, lady!”

“I SAID GET OFF!” Auriella threw Yufantel off and into Patrick’s coach. She then threw a smoke bomb at the ground and used it to get away. Everyone was confused at why Godred repeated his accident.

---

“And he just rolled down the mountain?” asked Culdee once the day’s work was done.

“Derailed at Devil’s Back again,” replied Sira.

“But what would make him do that?” asked Alaric.

“I can answer that,” said Yufantel. “At their core, ghosts don’t want to harm anyone. So when he was ordered to possess an engine with a coach full of passengers, then he felt like he had no choice but to repeat the actions that led to his death so others could still live.”

“…Still, I wish we could help him move on,” sighed Irina.

“That will take less effort than you think,” chuckled a new voice. Everyone gasped as Godred stood in front of the shed. This time, he was smiling. “I see the railway’s still in good hands after my tumble,” chuckled Godred.

“Godred, it really IS you!” gasped Culdee.

“Hello, Culdee,” replied Godred. “How are things?”

“Just…just fine, but…” Culdee was lost for words.

“Ah, my sudden appearance. That’s Auriella’s doing. I WAS resting peacefully after my accident. Then she ripped me from the afterlife. I see that my accident is used as a cautionary tale.”

“Y-Yes,” stammered Wilfred.

“Well, it’s kept Patrick and his fellows on their axles. I just came to finally say goodbye.”

“That’s it?” asked Irina.

“That’s it. If it were possible to tell you what the afterlife was like, I’d tell you. As it is now, I must stay mum. Stay safe up there.”

“We will,” promised the engines and their crews. Godred then faded away. Once he did, the Manager strode up to his engines.

“I saw the whole thing,” he said. “I didn’t think it would be right for me to interrupt.”

“Well, thank you, Sir,” said Alaric.

“Now, I DO have some bad news,” continued the Manager. “While we had a slight decrease in passengers during this incident, the fact remains that the summer rush is approaching and we’re likely to our busiest season yet. So, to that end, I have acquired four new engines. They’ll be coming in the morning.”

“How hard-working are they?” asked Patrick.

“Well, they’ve been shut up in their sheds since their construction in the 80’s. Their sisters have had better luck on the Snowdon Railway. When I approached them for a chance to work on a mountain railway, they were thrilled. I need our new drivers to help them along the line while your normal crews return to work.”

“The 80’s?” asked Culdee. “That’s when they were built?”

“But steam traction stopped being the norm around the 60’s,” recalled Wilfred.

“Exactly,” confirmed the Manager. “These four engines are mountain diesels.”

“We’ll make sure they know how this railway works,” promised Endram.

“I knew I could count on you! Well, that’s all the news for tonight. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night!” The Manager then walked off to his car and drove home.

“Well, I, for one,” said Culdee, “am eager to see how these diesels handle themselves.”

“As am I,” agreed Eric.

“Well, we can’t exactly do that,” remarked Patrick, “without some sleep.”

“He’s right,” affirmed Wilfred. “So, good night.”

“Good night!” everyone bid. The crews headed off as the engines went to sleep.