Hello there, all you Thomas fans. Welcome to my very first ever Thomas fanfic!
Really, it was just a matter of time before I wrote something for the series, and ever since I watched Journey Beyond Sodor I've had ideas for a fic like this one. I went through tons of different iterations before settling on this story, and now I'm very happy to say that I can finally begin writing it :)
BUT, before I go any further, I must give a warning: this story is rated Teen/PG-13 for heavy themes such as abuse, trauma recovery, emotional issues, et cetera. There isn't anything graphic or anything like that, but regardless this story will cover those topics so if you are sensitive to that kind of stuff, here is your warning.
Anyways, here is the prelude. Hope you enjoy!
Also yeah, DISCLAIMER: I don't own Thomas & Friends or the Railway Series. If I did I would be a very very proud train mama right now. :'D
Whenever anyone – be they human or machine – asks me to tell them a story, I imagine that the stories they want are nothing like this. They want a tale of heroes going on grand adventures, of fantastic journeys and the emotional triumphs of good over evil, with the evil punished and the good riding away to protect their world for years to come. Adult humans make me laugh when they discuss such stories, talking about their apparent distaste for them. They're too childish, they say, they're too simple and too unrealistic. They make me laugh because I know they still enjoy them. They are truly no different from machines in that regard, I feel. They like them because of their simplicity, their unrealism. They provide an escape from the stresses of the complicated real life. Such are the same reasons that machines enjoy them so. They are so different from reality. They are comfortable and hopeful. They can make an individual believe in goodness, even when real life may tell them otherwise.
But I am sad to say that this won't be that sort of story. This story won't bring comfort. This story has no heroes or adventures.
This story is about machines – the train engines, my own children, as I like to call them – and humans, both at their very best and their absolute worst.
This story is terribly frightening.
This is a story that I had not wanted to believe when I witnessed its events for the first time. I wanted to believe that I myself had been dreaming, that what I had witnessed was a mere nasty trick of the eyes. I never thought that anyone could be capable of what had happened.
This story frightens me.
I understand if you have many questions, dear listener. If I were you I would as well. I too would be wondering what on Earth could frighten the guardian of all engines. What could possibly ever terrify Lady, the Magical Engine, the very same machine who withstands the rugged mountains and the tests of time just to watch her fellow engines live and grow with their human companions? Even I am shocked. That may be the reason why I am telling such a harrowing story today; I am shocked by it. This is a natural reaction to such events, yes, but these events are so harrowing, so very heartbreaking that even I am not sure if its ending will be truly "happy", not in the fashion that you are used to. Even with all of the hope that I am told I instill in others, I have very little hope that those within this tale will ever be completely alright.
But they may surprise me. They might be alright. In just a few weeks maybe they will end up like those heroes from other tales, completely unscathed by their experiences after a long battle. Maybe my children will grow just as I have seen them do before. Maybe their humans will do the same. It has happened before. Maybe everything will be fine.
But I am still unsure that that will happen. Too much has happened to them already. When I tell you what happened, you will understand why.
But please, heed my warning.
This is to all of you, whether you are human or machine.
This story is frightening. It frightened even me. It exposed me to what could happen if neither species had any kindness, and the aftermath of such effects.
To all you humans: do not think me prejudiced. I hold no grudges against your species, or any species. I have seen great humans, devious humans, ignorant humans, the most kind humans, forgivable humans, and most certainly horrible humans. You are no different from machines in that regard. It's a curse of holding such high intelligences; you are so diverse that it is impossible for you to be the perfect person. As such, do not think I am fabricating events simply to posit a simple but wrongful message. I have seen far too much of humanity to dare lie in such a way. That is not what I intend with this. But I must warn: there are humans in this story that are kind, that are ignorant, but there are others still who are horrible. Absolutely horrible. I apologize if you do not want to stay after hearing that, my dear human listeners, but I cannot be dishonest.
To all you machines, I give the same message. You are just as diverse as humans, so it should be no surprise that the machines I will speak of are both good and bad, as much as I despise such simple terms. You have probably heard loads of stories of my engines, of both the good and the bad, but I am afraid this won't be the same as those that you are used to hearing. This may be painful. This may be hard to hear. But it is the truth. It is hard to listen to, but it is true.
To all my listeners who may be engines, I apologize if this story terrifies you. I send the same message to all of you.
To all of my listeners, be they machine or human: I greatly apologize if I upset you.
To all my dear listeners:
I am sorry.
So how was that, guys? Yeah, this is definitely one of the main reasons why I wanted to write this story. I wanted to get creative with the narrative style of this story, telling it from the point of view of a deity/spirit character, and so this gave me an opportunity to share some of my own headcanons about Lady and how she could actually fit into the world of Sodor (basically, I've always imagined that Lady is actually a spirit guide/guardian for all the engines, tying into how she was used in Calling All Engines).
Anyway, I hope this prelude has sparked your interest in this story. Please let me know in the reviews if you'd like to see more. Until next time!
~Pixel