In our world, in a remote part of the Irish Sea between the Isle of Man and England, there is a very large island, surrounded by beautiful blue sea. It has fields of green and sandy yellow beaches. There are rivers, streams, and lots of trees where the birds sing. There are also lots and lots of railway lines stretching from coast to coast. The mainline is known as the North Western Railway, and it is the busiest industry on the whole island. This island is the Island of Sodor.
Summertime is always beautiful on the Island of Sodor. This time of year, the sky is blue, the sun shines, and beautiful flowers blossom everywhere. It was always busy for the engines on the railway. But it was always so peaceful here, too.
Perhaps the busiest engine on the Island of Sodor is a cheeky little tank engine with six small wheels, a short stumpy boiler, a short stumpy dome, and a short stumpy funnel. This engine is painted blue with red stripes, and a big yellow number one painted on its tanks. The engine is the famous Thomas the Tank Engine, who has traveled to all the continents across the world, and has proven that his number one is his iconic symbol of leadership.
Thomas loves summertime. He enjoys traveling up and down his branch line with the gentle breeze blowing across his funnel and the sun shining on his bright blue paint. He also loves the smell of the flowers surrounding him as he puffs along happily, pulling his faithful coaches, Annie and Clarabel.
Late one sunny evening, Thomas was puffing along his branch line with Annie and Clarabel, pulling their last branch line train back to Knapford Station, which was the busiest on the mainline. It was warm and sunny one moment, but then the air began to cool down a lot, and the clouds in the sky grew darker.
"Clattering carriages!" gasped Annie. "It looks like a summer storm is approaching."
Thomas peered up to the sky, and he could see Annie was right. "I didn't notice the clouds become so heavy," he puffed. "I'd better get my passengers home before it starts raining." He began to speed up a little.
They had to stop at Dryaw Station, which was the last station before Knapford. Thomas's passengers got on and off, just as usual. But as the passengers went about their business, Clarabel noticed something fall from the sky. But it wasn't rain… it was a snowflake!
"Thomas," Clarabel called to him. "I think that you might want to see this."
Thomas looked up, and he could see snow falling from the clouds. "Snow?" he asked. "How can it snow in summer?"
"We don't know," Annie and Clarabel said together.
Suddenly, Thomas felt a chilly wind blow across his face. "Brrr," he shivered, "it sure feels like winter."
The snow didn't melt when it hit the ground, but it did quickly turn anything it hit very slippery. The tracks were still warm, so when the snow hit the tracks, it melted into water and then refroze into ice. Thomas could see the ice forming along the rails, and he was worried. "I think something's going on here," he said, "but I'm not sure what…"
At that moment, the conductor blew his whistle and waved his green flag, which meant it was time to go.
"Oh well," Thomas said, "I guess we'll have to see if Sir Topham Hatt knows anything about this." He tooted his whistle, and he set off down the track towards Knapford Station, puffing slowly and carefully.
A fair distance away from the Island of Sodor, on the southern coast of Norway, is a kingdom surrounded by mountains. The kingdom goes by the name of Arendelle. The queen of Arendelle, Elsa, and her younger sister, Princess Anna, rein the throne of the entire kingdom.
Elsa appeared to be an ordinary young woman, but she was much more special than that. At her birth, she was gifted with powers controlling ice and snow, but she had isolated herself from her sister for a long time. After Elsa had accidentally created an endless winter upon her kingdom, she had banished herself to the North Mountain, but she eventually returned thanks to Anna's kind nature.
Elsa and Anna love summer, and they enjoy all the things about it. Even if it were to get too hot, Elsa could simply use her powers to bring snow. Usually, she and all the people of Arendelle lived in peace, but Elsa and Anna were soon to find out that all the wonders would soon disappear… and they and only one could restore it.
Later, back on the Island of Sodor, Thomas reached Knapford Station, where he found his best friend Percy talking to Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the North Western Railway. They both were looking concerned, and they were glancing up at the sky.
"This doesn't seem right," muttered Sir Topham Hatt. "It's not supposed to be snowing at this time of year."
Thomas pulled up to the platform and came to a stop. Percy noticed he was looking worried. "What's wrong, Thomas?" he asked.
"I don't know why," Thomas spoke up, "but I have noticed ice forming on the rails on my branch line."
Percy gasped. "Did you say ice, Thomas?" he asked nervously.
"Yes." Then he spoke to Sir Topham Hatt. "Sir, do you know what's going on?"
Sir Topham Hatt looked up at the sky, frowning concernedly. "I'm afraid not, Thomas," he stated, "but it looks like there is a cold front approaching. This is very rare at this time of year, so I suspect that something terrible must be happening."
Percy was nervous. "What is it, sir?"
"I can't say for sure, Percy," Sir Topham Hatt answered. "But for now, Thomas, you should go and get some rest. There will be a lot more work to do tomorrow."
"That's right. I have to pull the mail train tonight, Thomas," Percy added, "so I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Okay, Percy," said Thomas, and he set off with his coaches.
Thomas had first parked Annie and Clarabel in the coach shed nearby the station, and then he set off back to Tidmouth Sheds. By the time Thomas got there, it was dark. The clouds were now so heavy, they were blocking out the light. However, it wasn't snowing there, yet. All the other engines were there, too. Thomas turned around on the turntable, and he backed up into his berth, still looking puzzled.
Edward the Blue Engine could see that Thomas was puzzled. "What's the matter, Thomas?" he asked.
Thomas told the other engines all about the ice and the cold front. They were worried too, but Gordon the Big Express Engine scoffed.
"Huh!" he stated proudly. "There can't be ice on the tracks during the summer, silly little engine."
Thomas didn't like being called a silly little engine. But he didn't argue with Gordon about it. "You'll see, Gordon," he thought. "By tomorrow, everything will be covered in snow, just like I said."
But Henry the Green Engine began to worry. "What if Thomas's story is true?" he asked. "What if the tracks get too slippery for us to travel on? And what if the snow becomes too thick to travel through?"
"Don't be so worried, Henry," Emily assured him. "It'll be okay. Besides, it's too warm to be icy."
"Exactly," agreed James. "It's too warm to be icy. If we get any weather from these clouds, it will be rain."
Toby the Tram Engine was sitting on the track next to Emily's shed. He glanced up at the sky, and he looked nervous as well. "That won't change the fact that we'll still need to be careful if it happens," he said wisely. "The rails can be very slippery if they get wet."
Gordon scoffed. "Rain doesn't bother me," he boasted. "I am fastest and best, and I pull the Express!"
"Yes, we know," Thomas stated. As all the other engines went to sleep, he looked up at the sky again. "I just wish I knew what was going on," he whispered. With that, he went to sleep as well.
Meanwhile, over in Arendelle, Elsa and Anna were worried about the weather as well. The cold front had reached their kingdom, and it was already snowing hard.
Anna and Elsa stood outside their palace, looking up into the nighttime sky. Anna had already bundled up in her winter clothing, but Elsa wore just her iconic ice dress. Because Elsa had created it using her ice powers, she wore it almost all the time, and it would never melt.
"Elsa," said Anna, "this is not right for this time of year. It's supposed to be summer here, and for some reason, it's like when you caused that eternal winter."
"Well, this time it's not my doing," Elsa stated. "But maybe I can try to reverse it."
Elsa focused her ice powers onto the cold front, trying to stop the cold weather… Unfortunately, it didn't work, as the snow and icy winds didn't cease. However, Elsa could still use her powers just like normal.
"Sorry, Anna, I guess I was wrong," Elsa sighed. "I guess something more powerful than myself is causing this weather."
"Isn't it just a natural thing?" asked Anna.
"No," said Elsa, "it isn't. If it were, I could've controlled it to an extent, so we may need some help to get this cold front taken care of."
"But who could help us stop this weather?" asked Anna.
"I'm not sure," Elsa answered. "But we should probably go inside and get ready for bed. It's getting late, and the snow's getting even heavier."
"You're right," agreed Anna, and the two of them headed inside.
Later that night, Elsa was laying upright in her bed, wide awake. She was still worrying about the cold front, and it was causing her to not feel sleepy. She looked at a clock on the wall, and the time read 10:30 pm.
"Maybe I could read a book or something to help me feel tired," Elsa said to herself, so she climbed out of bed and walked over to her room's bookshelf. She picked out one book at random, but she didn't pay attention to what the title was.
When Elsa climbed back into her bed with her book, she turned on a lamp and looked at the front cover. The book was titled "Thomas the Tank Engine" and on the cover was a picture of a blue tank engine with a smiling face, and a bright yellow Number One on its side.
"That's strange," said Elsa, "I never remember reading this book before. I must've had it since Anna and I were kids, and I never noticed it." Elsa opened the book, and there was a picture of an island inside the front cover, located between England and the Isle of Man. Unknown to Elsa at the time, that island was the Island of Sodor. Then, Elsa read through the rest of the book, all the while learning all about who Thomas the Tank Engine was.
When Elsa finished reading the book, she felt even more awake than before. She turned back to the inside of the front cover and saw the map of the Island of Sodor again. "The Island of Sodor…" Elsa said to herself.
She went back to the bookcase and quickly found a map of the world. She opened it up and immediately located the Island of Sodor on it. As it turned out, it was close to Arendelle, only a few countries away. "Hmm," Elsa said to herself, "it seems that this Thomas the Tank Engine character has great potential… Maybe I can bring him here…" She put the book and map away, and then she very quietly walked to her window.
Elsa opened the window, and then using her powers, she summoned a crystal of ice a few feet in front of the palace door. Then, she closed the window and went to bed. The crystal of ice gained power as the snow continued to fall, and from the bottom, two long, parallel rods made of ice began to grow…