Bossy Boilers- Turning The Tables

by Wahtiff

Emily's downward spiral, from the sisterly engine that Thomas had met at Knapford to the big bossy buffers she currently was, has left all of the other engines dismayed- so much so that a few have given up hope that she'll change. During a passenger run, however, Toby convinces Thomas that there is one last method he could try to start bringing the old Emily back...

3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The S.R. Is In

After his run was over, and the delighted passengers were finished thanking him for the trip, Thomas went to put Annie and Clarabel back in the coach shed before heading off towards home. With the combination of the late hour, and the fact that he was still a bit beaten up over how he had spoken to Emily earlier, the tank engine suddenly felt more tired than usual and he knew that he needed all the sleep he could get.

Unfortunately for him, however, the night would not leave him without one last event.

He was just nearing the edge of the yard when he suddenly heard movement coming from behind a line of freight cars next to him, the sound of wheels on rails as an engine moved on the other side. At first, Thomas shrugged it off, thinking that he wasn't the only engine who was working late, but all too quickly he noticed that the sound was travelling parallel to him.

Thomas paused.

The other engine stopped.

Thomas moved forward a few feet.

The engine moved as well.

Realizing he was being watched and followed, Thomas narrowed his eyes and spoke up, "Who's there?"

Suddenly, between the gaps in the freight cars, he saw a brief flash of pink.

Oh no. His eyes widening, Thomas immediately leaped forward and tried to make a run for it-

BAM!

-only for Rosie to appear directly in front of him, just before he could escape further down the line. Thomas slammed on his brakes, both tank engines grunting as they collided into one another. Thankfully, though, neither were hurt and at worst suffered only a painful jolt to their front buffers.

"Geez, Rosie," Thomas winced, backing away, "if Gordon was speeding out of control down the main line, is THAT how you would try to stop him?"

"No, if it was Gordon, I'd leave it for him to deal with by himself. I'M not getting in his way." Rosie answered, backing away and glaring at him, "But right now, he's not the issue. YOU are."

"Me?" Thomas raised an eyebrow, "Look, Rosie, I know the jokes at the shed were a bit much for you tonight, but-"

"No, you steam-for-brains, not THAT!" She hissed, "I'm talking about that display with Emily. What the HECK was all THAT about?"

"I don't think I know what you mean, Rosie." Thomas said, though inside, he was very- VERY- nervous.

In all of his effort to plan that night out, and turn that first table on the Stirling, he had forgotten a simple, but very vital, detail: other engines who witnessed the incident. Where everyone else he knew was concerned, Thomas knew that the plan could be reported to Sir Topham Hatt and buried in an early grave before he could even blink.

Or worse: the plan could be reported to EMILY, and THEN reported to Sir Topham Hatt... That was a combination that Thomas didn't even want to think about.

"Oh no, I think you do." She said, moving closer in a threatening manner and forcing Thomas to back away, "Don't play dumb with me, Thomas. I HEARD you, what you sad."

"Uh…" Thomas's eyes shifted around, trying to think of an excuse, "You heard wrong?"

Rosie stared at him, her glare making its way like a knife to his soul.

"It wasn't what you think?" Thomas tried again.

Rosie raised an eyebrow.

"..." Unable to think of anything else, Thomas merely gave her a sheepish smile.

Rosie raised both eyebrows.

"Ugh, okay!" Defeated, Thomas closed his eyes and groaned, "That was...the entire reason for my run tonight?"

"Wait, what?" Her anger fading, Rosie now looked confused and not a little bit disappointed in him, "The whole reason you scheduled your run? You asked Sir Topham Hatt if you could do a night run-?"

"- all so that I could wait for Emily to undoubtedly show up a few seconds late." Thomas finished, "That's right."

"Okay...In that case, allow me to ask you another question." She suddenly buffered to him, her glare hitting him at point-blank range now, "WHY?"

"W-why?" Thomas gulped.

"WHY would you WANT Emily to show up a few seconds late, so you could berate her and be a complete and utter JERK to her!?" Rosie seemed in disbelief, "What the heck, Thomas? That...I can't...WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Thomas had officially had enough, and he roughly shoved Rosie away from him, "Do you think I liked it, Rosie? Do you think I wanted to do it? Well, I didn't!"

Rosie was appalled, "What are you even saying? You didn't like it...and yet you did it anyway?"

"Yes!"

"...That's NOTHING like you, Thomas! What kind of logic is that?" Rosie snapped, "You're usually the nicest engine that a lot of us know. You don't have a mean piece of metal in your boiler, and yet...you are a complete jerk to Emily-"

"-because I had to be." Thomas interrupted.

.

"That makes no sense!"

"It would if you knew her for as long as I have!" Thomas retorted, angrily.

Rosie's eyes widened, and she blinked, "Huh?"

"Look, Rosie, I'm tired and I feel bad for what I did tonight, so if you're just here to berate me for what I was doing," Thomas glared at her, "you're wasting your time, because I honestly don't really care anymore what you have to say."

Rosie opened her mouth, stubbornly.

"HOWEVER," Thomas stopped her, "I...I MIGHT tell you, provided you calm down and let me explain myself."

"Okay, okay, fine." With a groan, she closed her eyes took a few deep breaths, centering and calming herself. Opening her eyes, she gazed at Thomas with a look of curiosity, "Okay, I'm calm. No more confrontation, no more yelling, I'm COOL. Now tell me, Thomas: Why were you so mean to Emily, tonight?"

"First off, Rosie, I need you to answer me something?" Thomas looked her up and down, "What is Emily like, in your opinion?"

"She's…" Rosie paused, as if realizing something, "She's...I actually don't know. She seems nice at times, but...she's always complaining that I bump her coaches too hard. She eventually just told me not to bother, and said she would get them herself from now on. I also remember what Molly told me about her first day on Sodor, and when Emily teased her for pulling those freight cars…" She sighed, "Actually, I have a pretty mixed opinion about her, but even that's kinda...bad. I can't say for certain, though, because I haven't really talked to her much."

"Well, for yours and Molly's information, she wasn't always like that. In fact…" Thomas briefly told her about Emily's old personality, when the Stirling had first come to Sodor- the time when she had berated him and Percy for teasing Salty was the centerpiece of his explanation.

By the end of it, Rosie's eyes widened, "Wow...that...wow."

"Surprised?"

"Yeah, because...wow," Rosie blinked, "that is NOT the Emily I've seen and heard about. Are you sure…?"

"Ask Percy. He knew her like that, too. I'm not kidding," Thomas sighed, "Emily actually WAS a nice and sweet engine, like a sister to us. But now...you know."

"But that still doesn't explain why you-"

"I know, and I'm getting to that now. You see, yesterday I met with Toby for a shared passenger run…"

Before they had parted ways, Toby had been the one to warn Thomas about telling other engines of their plan, particularly how they might react in a way that would most likely end with Thomas being punished- very few engines liked a bully, after all.. Therefore, as Thomas explained his plan to Rosie in detail, he observed the particular reaction he got from his fellow tank engine. As expected, by the time he was finished, she looked completely unsure of what she was hearing.

He looked at her, "I don't expect you to understand, so you don't have to act like you do, but I am starting to really think that the Emily I became friends with can be brought back, and if this is the only way to do it, then…" He looked away, "so be it. I honestly hope tonight was enough, but if it wasn't…"

"So...you're just going to keep doing this until she caves?" Rosie asked.

Thomas nodded.

"You're right," Rosie backed up, allowing him to come forward until they reached the opening to the siding she had appeared out of, "I guess I couldn't understand, since the Emily I know is the one we have now."

"I just want you to know, though, Rosie," Thomas assured her. Now that she knew of the plan, it was vital- VITAL- that he try to keep things on the down-low, "I'm keeping the bullying on Emily. I'm still me, and I'm not going to become a second bossy boiler to everyone."

"...What's stopping me from telling Emily about what you're doing?"

Thomas's eyes widened, "You wouldn't."

"Try me. I don't like bullies, Thomas, even if one of their victims is someone I don't particularly like." Rosie answered, "But tell me: You were willing to tell me all about this plan of yours, so what exactly do you have planned in case the wrong engine found out?"

"I...nothing, except maybe find a way to convince them not to say anything. I didn't even expect to have any witnesses for this first one." Thomas meekly responded, looking away, "I just said I was gonna keep the bullying on Emily, I even promised Mavis earlier today, so I'm not about to hurt or threaten you to keep quiet."

"So nothing's stopping me from telling Emily?"

"No...not a thing."

Rosie narrowed her eyes, "What's stopping me from taking this straight to Sir Topham Hatt and having him put a stop to all this?"

Thomas sighed again, defeated, "Nothing."

"How about all of Sodor?"

"Zip, zilch, nada." Thomas again answered with honesty, "It all depends on you, what you want to do."

Rosie considered it, and then made her decision, "Okay then. In that case…"

Thomas held his breath.

She nodded, "I'll keep it a secret."

"Wait…" Thomas looked up, surprised, "really?"

"Mhm." She answered.

With a sense of relief, Thomas smiled brightly, "Wow, I...Thank you, Rosie. I-I honestly wasn't expecting you to say th-"

"I'm in."

His smile fell, "Wait...WHAT!?"

…...

While the morning was peaceful at most other places on Sodor, the quarry was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Having spent the night with Mavis again, Toby awoke to the usual loud sounds of running machinery, some workmen shouting to be heard above the noise, and the rest of the workmen yelling at Bill and Ben for their usual early-morning tricks. Always the optimist, however, the steam tram was quick to point out to his lover that it was at least a SUNNY, noisy morning with not a raincloud to be seen.

His optimism earned him an eyeroll, but he knew that Mavis was at least a little bit motivated by his words, deep down.

Probably.

Together, the two of them prepared trains of slate and china clay to be taken to the docks. They worked quickly for several hours, from five to nine, knowing that with enough effort, they would be done and able to have a short break by breakfast-time. Life in the quarry was strenuous, and Toby knew that Mavis always wanted at least one or two lasting kisses, just enough affection from him to hold her over until the afternoon when they would get a longer break in the shed- and therefore, more privacy.

When breakfast rolled around, however, the sound of a familiar double-whistle echoed throughout their part of the quarry, and the two looked up just in time to see Thomas entering the quarry.

Next to him, Mavis raised an eyebrow, "Strange. Was Thomas scheduled to work here with us today?"

"Not that I'm aware of." He answered. Either way, he rang his bell to greet Thomas, and upon seeing them the tank engine smiled and started towards them.

Then, to their surprise, Thomas suddenly stopped and looked behind him with a bitter and impatient expression. After a moment, an equally-familiar pink engine appeared around the bend and stopped next to him.

"And he's here with Rosie, too?" Toby felt a smile creep onto his lips, "Interesting combination…"

Toby and Mavis watched from afar, patiently, as Thomas and Rosie seemed to bicker for a short period over something. Then, finally, with one tank engine wearing the expression of defeat while the other wore an expression of excitement, the four engines finally met in the middle of the quarry.

Thomas cleared his throat, and smiled, "Toby. Mavis. How are you two, today?"

"Oh, we're fine, but," Toby glanced at Rosie, then back at Thomas, "you seem like you're not with good company right now."

"I'm not." Thomas deadpanned.

"Hey!" Rosie hissed, indignant, "I'm GREAT company!"

"Translated: You're a pain in my smokebox." Thomas mumbled.

"Now, now, BEFORE this goes any further than I think any of us would like it to, particularly me," Mavis interrupted, "what exactly brings you two here? I don't remember the work being so difficult today that we needed two other engines…."

"Well...uh...You see, Mavis, there's been…" Thomas finally sighed, "If you guys have the time, can we talk in private somewhere? There are… CERTAIN things we need to talk about."

"Ah…" Toby nodded in understanding, "Okay, in that case, Rosie and Mavis can-"

"No, Toby." Thomas glared at Rosie, who only shrugged, "There's certain things WE need to talk to you guys about."

Toby blinked, confused.

"She knows." Thomas sighed.

On a normal day, Thomas would've considered the steam tram's frozen expression funny...

…..

Once they were all comfortable- yet UNCOMFORTABLE- together inside Mavis's shed, the diesel spoke up, "I guess I'm a bit slow, so...what's this about?"

"You know what it's about, Mavis." Thomas answered, pointedly, "You know, about E-M-I-L-Y?"

"Oh. I was afraid you'd say that." She sighed, remembering their conversation from the previous day.

Then her eyes widened, and she looked at Rosie, "Oh…."

"Yep." Thomas nodded in agreement.

Toby just glared at Thomas, questioningly.

"I had no choice." Thomas answered, meekly, "And before you ask: No, I don't know if any other engines saw it, nor was I confronted by Emily afterwards at Tidmouth. Rosie convinced me to sleep in her shed last night..."

"Hey, it kept you from possibly being confronted by both me and her on the same evening." Rosie pointed out, "Or the entire rest of the Steam Team, if she decided to mention your behavior to the rest of them."

"Actually," Toby considered it, "that's a good point. Of course, if Rosie was truly the only real witness, AND if she agreed to keep it a secret-"

"Which I have." Rosie interrupted.

"-then I don't think we have to worry about the rest of the Steam Team becoming too suspicious. After all, you're know as one of the nicest engines on Sodor, while Emily is...not so much, so it would be her word against yours."

"Well...maybe it's good for the first time, just to test it out a bit, but it's not like you were going to be subtle about it going forward, anyway." Mavis pointed out, "Rosie, or any engine, was probably going to see you treating Emily like that and ask what was going on with you. Even if not last night, then eventually..."

"Speaking of last night…" Rosie looked at Thomas, "Tell them."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Toby chuckled, eager to take his mind off of the issue concerning her for awhile, "Yeah, how DID that go, actually? Did you do it? Did it work?"

"Really, Toby?" Mavis asked, unamused.

"Look, Mavis, we talked about this, remember?" Toby pointed out.

"Fair enough."

Thomas hesitated, "It went fine, Emily was late as planned, and I-"

"-was a complete and utter jerk to her for just being a second past the start time." Rosie finished. Upon seeing three annoyed expressions sent her way, she defended, "What? It's true. I can attest to it, can't I?"

"Rosie, it's not that I don't like you," Toby said, "and I don't mean offense, but now that I think about it: What ARE you doing here, anyway? You agreed to keep things quiet, you really don't have to be here to listen to us discuss this."

"Yes," Thomas said, VERY quietly, "she does."

"Huh?" Toby and Mavis glanced at him.

Thomas spoke slowly, with a wary glance at Rosie, "The reason Rosie has to be here is because….she agreed not to take this to Sir Topham Hatt or tell anyone we don't want to know about this plan, but…"

"But?"

Thomas inhaled, then carefully exhaled the words, "She only agreed to do it...for a price."

"Price? What pri-?" Toby glared at Thomas, "You didn't."

"Again," Thomas said, meekly, "I had no choice."

"Thomas was telling me about what Emily used to be like, and to be honest, after I had a second to think about it," Rosie spoke up, "I decided that… I want to see that Emily for myself. So...I'm in."

"Rosie," Mavis asked, cautiously, "what do you mean 'you're in?'"

"You guys are going to keep stepping it up from here, right? Beyond simply arriving late at the station?" Rosie explained, "It sounds like a big process, and it seems to me like you guys could use some more help with this, so..."

She grinned, "I'm going to turn the tables on Emily, too!"

"What!? No, no, nonono," Toby wheeshed, angrily, "that is NOT happening!"

"Too bad, it wasn't your call." Rosie retorted, looking at Thomas with a smug grin, "It was Thomas's, and he already agrees with me."

"Correction: I had no choice EXCEPT agree with you." The blue engine deadpanned.

"Liar! You were clearly thinking it over!"

"Okay, enough!" Toby groaned, "Look, Thomas, it's one thing to deal with engines who witness this, because I won't deny that Rosie was only the first. It's harder to get them to keep a secret if they find out our plan, but the more engines that are actually INVOLVED," He gave his friend a very serious expression, "the higher the chances are of Emily finding out. If that happens, this plan of turning the tables is dead in the water, and we might not get another idea to bring the real her back."

"I don't really like this plan, period, but I have to agree that it DOES seem like our only option." Mavis nodded, looking at Thomas, "Why would you risk that? You could've, I don't know, let Rosie turn you in to Sir Topham Hatt for just an unusual episode of bullying."

"Because...Rosie's right: I DID think about what it would be like to have her in on it, last night, and I will admit that she IS pretty trustworthy, as annoying as she is," Thomas reasoned as the said female engine stuck her tongue out at him, "She's also right about the fact that we could use a bit more help, Toby. It took me awhile, and a lot of luck, to pull off that stunt last night. From here, we can't rely on luck. We need to properly plan out our strategies, and the more help we have, the easier it might be." He looked away, "It also might lead to quick, less-painful results. The longer we go with this, the more long-term pain we're bringing both Emily and ourselves."

"True…" Toby reluctantly agreed.

Mavis, on the other hand, was not as convinced, "Rosie, you're even more chipper than THOMAS is, and on top of that you don't even KNOW the Emily we're trying to bring back. There is no way you can pull off being mean to anyone, and even Thomas had to force himself. His chance was little, and yours is an absolute zero." She looked at the pink engine, warily, "I don't like the idea of you possibly becoming like Emily, either. Even less than Thomas, actually."

"Who said I actually had to be the bully all the time?" Rosie reasoned, "I might put in a few words, here and there, but Thomas is our primary agent."

"It's too late to change her mind, Mavis. She's in, she's actually RIGHT, and that's that." Thomas groaned, "Unfortunately."

"It's settled, alright." Rosie agreed, "Now then...about phase two…"

"You are WAY too happy about this..." Mavis sighed.

"Phase two, huh?" Toby paused, "Well, what makes you think there needs to be a phase two at all? Maybe we won't need Rosie's help at all, and we can avoid any other risks."

"I want a phase two, just in case." Thomas grimaced, "Where Emily is concerned, it helps to be prepared."

"Fair enough." Toby sighed, then looked to the pink engine, "Okay...Rosie, first off, since you're so INSISTENT on being a part of this, you're expected to contribute. Is that clear?"

"Roger that!"

"Fine, then...I suppose it's best that you have a say in coming up with our next strategy. Do you have any ideas on what we could do to Emily next?" Toby asked, "Step one was humiliating her for being late, using her own talk of punctuality against her, so step two should be at least equal to that in terms of severity."

"I've been thinking about it since last night, and based on what I know of Emily," Rosie smiled, "I do have one idea. It'll be a complex setup, but it might work."

"What is it?" Thomas asked. Though he still had his own reservations of Rosie being in on their plan, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of ingenuity she could offer- she WAS known to be a smart engine, after all.

Rosie grinned, VERY cheekily, "Well, being a station pilot, I tend to overhear a lot of the larger engines' banter as I prep their coaches, and I MIGHT'VE been overhearing some of Gordon and James' lately..."

…..

"This," Thomas mumbled as he and Rosie steamed into the shunting yards at Knapford, "is NOT going to work."

"It WILL. Trust me." Rosie assured.

"We're just gonna end up getting into trouble with Sir Topham Hatt."

"You're gonna get into trouble, regardless."

"Yeah, me and not you." He grumbled.

"Thomas, just TRUST me on this, will you?" She then stopped and looked off into the distance. With her gaze, she pointed out a familiar workman with a green coat to Thomas, "Okay, there's the yard manager. You see him?"

Thomas nodded, eyeing the man, "Yep."

"Okay, then step one is a go. Get ready." Without another word, Rosie went ahead and Thomas watched as she slowed to a stop next to the manager.

Quickly noticing her, he came forward and greeted her with a tip of his cap, "Good morning, Rosie. Is there something you need?"

"Um, actually, sir," Rosie said, innocently, "Sir Topham Hatt said you had a job for me."

"I did?" The manager scratched his chin, "No, he must've been mistaken. I didn't ask for any extra help around these yards today…"

"Huh?" Rosie blinked, confused, "That's strange. He was very specific when I saw him this morning."

"He still can make mistakes, though." He pointed out, "There really isn't anything for you to help out with, today."

"Hmm…" The pink engine pretended to think, "Can you please check? Perhaps I misheard him."

The manager nodded, climbing into her cab, "He's at Wellsworth right now, but let's head over to my office and I'll give him a call."

"Thank you, sir." With that, Rosie puffed away with the manager on board, leaving Thomas to make his move.

Step one: Distract the yard manager and get him out of the yards for a minute. Thomas ran the steps of their phase two plan in his smokebox as he slowly reversed, Step two: freight cars

It wasn't going to be hard to get freight cars, of course. With the yard manager gone, Thomas pretended to be working as he went into multiple sidings and proceeded to grab several random cars from the trains that had been shunted the previous day. The other workmen in the yard wouldn't easily notice the extremely mixed-up train he was forming with other engines' workloads. From one siding, he grabbed coal cars that were meant for Henry, and from another, he helped himself to a car of heavy stone bricks that was meant for James to take later that afternoon, and so on. Being already organized, the tank engine was able to work quite fast.

In the span of roughly three minutes, Thomas had a train of six freight cars ready.

Cars of the heaviest materials- coal, slate, bricks, and even a car of scrap metal- that he could find.

"Quite a mixed train." His driver said, cautiously, "It really stands out."

"Let's get this over with, then," His fireman nodded, "before Rosie comes back or the other workmen take notice of our 'borrowing' and check the manifests."

"Agreed." Steaming quickly up to the front, Thomas backed up to the train, and with one final look around, began to pull it out of the yards. To his relief, no engines arrived and no workmen stopped to ask about the cars, and soon Thomas was away from the main shunting yards.

Not a minute later, he heard Rosie's whistle as she returned to the area, Just in time. Looks like she's done her part perfectly.

He frowned, Now it's all on me. Great….

So far, their little setup operation was working, but that didn't make Thomas feel very good. In fact, he knew that in the event that Emily DID change after the previous night, doing what he was about to would be a waste of time- and the start of a lot of unnecessary hot water with the yard's workmen.

But then again, He thought, it's better to be safe than sorry in this kind of war, and that means taking risks in preparing for another battle.

All too soon, he saw that he was arriving at his destination- or rather, the scene of his upcoming crime: Up ahead, at the end of a long stretch of tracks, was Knapford Sheds.

About two thirds of the way to it, however, was its turntable, used for both coaches and engines alike.

It was facing perpendicular to Thomas.

Jackpot!

"Thomas." His driver spoke up as they stopped, "We didn't ask last night, but this time is going to be MUCH more noticeable and cause MUCH more confusion and delay. Are you SURE you're ready to do this?"

Thomas took a deep breath, and then let it out, "Yes. For Emily. The REAL Emily."

His driver nodded, then turned to the fireman, "You ready?"

"It's not like I need to rehearse." His fireman laughed, "We've done this for real in the past. Plenty of times, in fact."

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" Thomas asked.

"Both."

The tank engine snickered, but his smile was brief.

With another deep breath, Thomas left the train behind and puffed over to the turntable, making sure that there were no witnesses as he stopped before it. His driver got out and spun him to the line adjacent to the cars, then turned it so that it was perfectly perpendicular to the cars' line once more. Thomas then reversed back, switching line until he was behind the train. Coupling himself to it, Thomas pulled the train out of sight of the coach shed between the buildings.

Okay, NOW, He breathed, we need the witnesses.

A moment later, he got his wish as he once again heard Rosie's whistle. Over the tops of the cars, he saw her steam into the yards with the yard manager still on board. Even though he couldn't hear what they were saying, it really appeared as though Rosie was arguing with him- and completely uninvolved with what Thomas was doing.

Now, He exhaled, for the runaway train. Now!

Blasting his whistle like crazy, Thomas buffed the train and started to run forward at full throttle, screaming, "Aaaaahhhh! Help!"

"What the-!?" As Thomas sped into the yards, the yard manager spun around from Rosie, looking on with wide eyes.

"I can't stop!" Thomas cried as- on cue- His driver and fireman jumped clear, "Help!"

"He's heading for the sh-!" The manager yelled, and then he looked again, realizing, "Oh no, no, no, not there!"

Rosie gasped, "Thomas, look out for the-!"

CR-CR-CRASH!

One by one, with Thomas (subtlety) forcing them, the freight cars met nothing but empty air as they fell on top of one another, and into the turntable's well. With their loads so heavy- and damaging- the coal car in front was crushed to nothing but splinters by the bricks behind it, and every last piece of freight car and freight flooded the well-

"Ahhh-!" BAM!

-and Thomas joined them, serving as the cherry on top of a sundae of disaster.

He winced, feeling the crumbling and groaning wreckage beneath his wheels as he lay stranded in the well, I think I know how Oliver felt, now...

"Thomas, what have you done!? What-!?" Unable to believe his eyes, the yard manager ran up and stood looking with complete disbelief at what was before him. However, he shook his head of the anger and irritation that rose up, and instead looked at Thomas, "What in the blazes just happened, Thomas? Are you alright?"

"Not really." Thomas groaned, and it was completely honest.

Rosie, too, was now honestly concerned, though her words were rehearsed, "What happened, Thomas?"

"I...I…" Thomas pretended to be ashamed.

"Wait a second," The yard manager looked into the well, surveying the damage, "those cars were shunted yesterday- and they're from different trains." He looked at Thomas, now with irritation, "What sort of cheekiness were you up to THIS TIME, you blue menace?"

Thomas looked away, "It was just a bit of fun, sir. I only planned to cause a BIT of confusion and delay, is all. Just a few freight cars to hide and have them seek," He glanced back at his wheels, "but then my brakes seemed to fail."

"Well, Mister Number One, NOW you've caused a LOT of confusion!" The manager berated in frustration, "Now I need to make sure that there are replacement cars for those trains to fulfill the orders placed, and on top of that, you've damaged the turntable! Now Rosie will have to work double-time this afternoon just to get Emily's and Edward's trains ready, because they won't be able to get to their coaches themselves." He pointed at the nearby coach shed, "Tender engines NEED this so that they can turn around and couple to their coaches once they're out."

"Thanks a lot, Thomas!" Rosie grumbled.

"Wait, so you guys turn from asking me if I'm alright to scolding me?" Thomas asked, "That doesn't seem fair."

Walking up and brushing themselves off, his driver and fireman faux-glared at him while the manager answered, "And cheekiness is fair and honorable? Let this be a lesson to you, Thomas: Cheekiness doesn't pay on this railway, it will only get you into trouble." He paused, quickly observing the scene, "Anyway, this mess fills up the well enough that we might not need a break-down train, so do you feel alright enough to let Rosie pull you out of there?"

"I think so." Thomas said, sadly.

"I guess there IS help we need after all, Rosie." The manager turned to her, "Get in position, and I'll call my crew for a chain."

Rosie nodded, somberly, "Yes, sir."

When the man turned his back, however, she looked at Thomas and winked.

…...

It didn't take long for Rosie to pull Thomas out of the turntable well, and once he was out, Harvey arrived and began to help clear the mess. Because Thomas needed to keep with the guise of having bad brakes, his steam was shut off completely and Rosie took him to the Steamworks.

On the main line, she looked back as she pulled him, and smiled, "Nice work."

"You really think so?" He asked, "Because I don't FEEL too nice right now. Those cars really scratched at my wheels and axles when I was on top of them. Also, what are we going to do when Victor's team finds there was nothing wrong with me to begin with?"

Rosie was tempted to tease him and say that there was something wrong with him MENTALLY, so of course Victor wouldn't find anything, but she decided against it. If she was honest, she was actually concerned for him and worried about how much that part of their setup might've hurt him. Nothing was really worth a long trip to the Steamworks, not even pretending to be a bully.

"It's your brakes, your crew can vouch for you, and there were no other witnesses." She assured, "At most, they'll just scold you for being cheeky again and give you fresh brakes. Think of it as sort of a reward."

"And when Sir Topham Hatt arrives with a lecture on hand?"

"THEN you can wallow in your misery. But think about it," She grinned, "your part's largely over with. From now on, I take it from here."

"Remind me, Rosie: HOW is getting me sent to the Steamworks and damaging the turntable going to help us bring Emily back?" Thomas asked, "You never really told us. You only mentioned-"

"Don't worry, Thomas. Even if you've forgotten," Rosie answered as they arrived at the Steamworks, "it'll all be crystal-clear tomorrow, because if this works like I'm thinking it will, word will spread FAST."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that…" Thomas murmured, and after that their conversation died down for the rest of the trip.

Victor and Kevin met them, as usual, and Thomas was led carefully into the Steamworks to have his "bad brakes" checked and replaced. As they placed him in a hoist and lifted his wheels to the eye level of the workmen, he nodded to Rosie to get going and she obliged. Steaming away, Rosie returned to the main line and immediately began making a bee-line for Tidmouth Sheds. With the work she would soon need to put in to clear the turntable, she knew didn't have much time to finish putting the last pieces of the puzzle in place.

Arriving in record time, Rosie quickly stopped and composed herself before she pulling up alongside. As she expected, the other six members of the Steam Team were there in their berths- and all of them looked slightly miffed if not annoyed.

She grinned, "Hey, guys!"

"Oh! Hello, Rosie!" Percy greeted, brightening up and looking over with a smile, "What brings you here?"

"Nothing much, just passing through, but…" She frowned, "What are you all doing here? Shouldn't you be out working?"

James huffed, "Yes, we should, but Sir Topham Hatt sent word to the stationmaster at Knapford-"

"-AND the yard manager at Wellsworth-" Edward added.

"-and so on, and had us all gather back here." Emily huffed, annoyed, "Really! He scolds us so often for being late or making mistakes, and now he's calling us while we're working and trying to be really useful. If our trains run late, he'd better not complain."

"Agreed." Gordon scowled.

"Okay, you guys, I'm sure he won't keep us THAT long," Henry reasoned with the Stirling and express engine, "But the question is definitely that: Why ARE we being called here? Sir Topham Hatt usually only does this sort of thing when there's been a serious accident."

"Oh, wait...I…" Rosie looked away, downtrodden, "I think I know. Didn't you guys hear about Thomas?"

"Thomas?" Answering simultaneously, six pairs of wide eyes immediately became very interested in Rosie.

"So that's a no, then?" Rosie raised an eyebrow.

"Quite right." Gordon looked VERY unamused, "What in the BLAZES did that tank engine do this time?"

"Is he okay?" Edward asked, concerned.

Rosie recounted everything that had occurred at Knapford Sheds.

As expected, the reaction was very mixed.

"Oh dear," Percy said, gulping at the thought of his best friend in that situation, "I hope he's alright. Bad brakes are a nightmare."

"It serves him right, I say." James grunted, "He tried to play a prank on us, and karma paid him a serious visit."

"I don't believe in karma. He was being cheeky again, yes," Edward said, glaring at James, "but his pranks are usually harmless. It's not anything to deserve pain. We usually end up laughing later, anyway."

"He's no danger on the rails, I've learned." Henry agreed.

"Well, whatever his motives were, one thing's for certain and that is the turntable being damaged with his failed stunt." Gordon looked to Rosie, "I take it you're going to help with the cleanup soon? How bad do you think it is?"

Rosie gave a hopeful smile, "Not too bad, I don't think. I'm sure the work crew have already told Sir Topham Hatt. Maybe that's why he called you all back- to know when the turntable will be fixed."

"I don't need the turntable, though, so why me?" Percy asked, confused.

"Well, thanks to none other than himself, Thomas will be trapped in the Steamworks for the rest of the day," James looked at the green engine, "so he'll need someone to pull his coaches for him. He still has a late afternoon run scheduled."

"Ah…" Percy nodded, "yeah, I forgot."

"Well, it's not like there's anyone else he likes pulling them." Emily said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. Her eyes, however, were distant as she seemed to think of something, "What's so special about those two, anyway? Can't he share?"

Everyone seemed a bit bewildered by her words, even the usually-standoffish James and Gordon.

"Well...um…" Henry shifted a bit, "He never mentioned anything- when you accidentally took them, I mean?"

"No."

Before it could get awkward, Edward cleared his throat, "I can't say for certain, but I think it has more to do with Annie and Clarabel not WANTING to be shared. Does that sound about right, James?"

"Yes." The red engine nodded, "Back when they were mine, I...was rough with them, and being a station pilot, Thomas was more gentle with them than I ever was. They trust him, and don't like other engines pulling them because they don't want to be treated roughly."

"I can see why that is for you, Mr. Needed-A-Bootla-" Percy grinned.

"Don't. Even. Speak of it!" James growled, while Gordon and Henry tried not to laugh.

"I was pretty gentle with them, though…" The Stirling answered.

"Eh, it's...complicated. Annie and Clarabel have always been, well, odd coaches at times." Edward assured her.

"Hmm…" Emily didn't seem fully convinced of Edward's explanation. In fact, it seemed to Rosie that the Stirling had hardly even heard the response she got to begin with.

Then, with a whoosh of steam, Emily suddenly rolled out of her berth and onto the turntable.

"Where are you going, Emily?" Percy blinked, "Sir Topham Hatt told us to wait here for him."

"Bother waiting." She said, "I just remembered that I…had something to do, and it needs to be done before this afternoon."

"And WHAT might that be?" Gordon asked, suspicious.

"That's none of your business, Gordon." Emily responded, her voice neutral. When the turntable stopped on the central set of tracks going away from the shed, she rolled off the table and started puffing away, "Just tell Sir Topham Hatt I was delayed."

"Again?" James asked, nervously, "What about what happened last nig-?"

"Shut up, James!" To the now-OBVIOUS surprise of everyone- Rosie included- Emily screamed that response with a low growl in her voice as she disappeared around the bend.

"But I...I was just asking because I didn't want Sir Topham Hatt to put her in a worse mood." James said, blinking with surprise, "Saying she was delayed AGAIN might not be a good enough excuse…"

"You don't need to explain, James." Edward blinked, "I...think you were fine."

"What was THAT all about?" Rosie asked, curious.

"I wish we could say," Henry explained, "but we can't. Emily came home in a really bad mood last night, but she wouldn't tell us exactly why. I mean, we saw her in passing and knew she had been delayed in getting the passengers to Knapford in time for Thomas's night run, but whenever we ask about it, try and lift her spirits…"

"She just gets angry and tells us to leave her alone." Percy said, looking out where the Stirling had disappeared, "I mean, I know she values being on time, but to get so angry about a short delay seems unlike her."

"Thomas would probably know," James shrugged, "but he obviously wanted to avoid her bad mood as well, because he sure wasn't here last night and now he's trapped in the Steamworks for the rest of the day. Actually, come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if he damaged the turntable on purpose just to get a ticket there."

"I can't blame him." Gordon huffed, "Cheeky as He is, I wouldn't wish that girl's temper on anybody. Her attitude is… simply horrid."

"Now THERE," Edward sighed, "we have an agreement."

…...

Based on what Thomas had told her of the real Emily, as well as what she knew of the Stirling herself, Rosie knew that she would most likely go to the Steamworks to visit Thomas. At first, she felt a little bad for subjecting Thomas to the last he was expecting or wanting- talking with Emily after the previous evening, or rather, being forced to listen to her as she lectured him- but she knew it was necessary for their plan.

And now that Emily is out of the sheds, it will be up to someone to send Sir Topham Hatt's message to her… Rosie grinned, IF he can get me to send it to her, that is.

Of course, while Rosie was sometimes looked at as a chipper and cheeky fool by some engines, she was in reality very observant. Of the things that she learned through observation, there was the layout of not only the different railway routes, but also the roads that ran alongside many of them. Therefore, as she steamed away from Tidmouth, she made sure to take the line that followed the road into the yards.

"Does Sir Topham Hatt travel the same route to Tidmouth every day?" Rosie remembered asking the other three at the quarry.

"Yes. He prefers to drive the straight road between Tidmouth and Knapford when he leaves Topham Hall. It's the one he trusts the most when he visits the sheds. Why?" Toby had asked.

"No reason, just curious." Rosie smiled to herself, "It's all about the timing…"

Sure enough, she soon saw a familiar blue car that was traveling down the road. Inside, she saw the railway's head controller behind the wheel.

Right on time. Just as Sir Topham Hatt was about to pass, Rosie stopped and whistled to him.

Surprised, he slowed to a stop and rolled down the window to lean out, not irritated but definitely impatient, "Yes, Rosie, did you need something? I'm in a rush right now."

"To Tidmouth to talk about Thomas's accident, right?" She asked.

"Yes, and speaking of which, you should get back soon and help clean that mess up." He frowned, "I won't lecture Thomas THIS time, but mark my words, the managers and I will be keeping my eyes on him around the shunting yards for awhile."

"I actually told the others, already, sir." Rosie informed, "But what we all want to know is when the turntable will be fixed."

"The crank mechanism and its track were damaged by the heavy freight in those cars that Thomas was messing with. It will be usable tomorrow, the work crew informed me, but not by tender engines. Their weight will easily upset table and trap them on it. Considering most of the engines at Tidmouth are tender engines and have their coaches at Knapford, I feel that they should know the most."

"Uh oh." Rosie pretended to look worried, "Emily said she had something to do that couldn't wait..."

"Oh, botheration! I swear, that Billington and that Single Tender…." He groaned, "Alright, then I want you to find Emily and tell her that I want all tender engines not to use that turntable. After that, get back to Knapford and help the workmen finish clearing its well for tomorrow. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Rosie said, cheerfully.

"That's a good engine. Off you go, then. I'll spread the message to the others." Before he started off again, he turned and smiled, "Thank you for telling them about the accident for me. It will get them back to work much faster."

"Anytime, sir." Rosie answered, watching as he then drove away.

Then, for awhile, she stood in silence. Concerned, her driver and fireman leaned out of her cab, "Rosie? You okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She answered, letting off steam and moving forward, "Let's go and 'spread the message.'"

"Rosie, can I ask you something?" Her driver asked.

"What is it?"

"Listen, it's great that you want to help Thomas, but this really doesn't seem like our fight, even if you want to see what Emily's real personality is like." He shrugged, "Why do you want to be involved so badly?"

She stopped, Good point. Why DO I want to help Thomas with this…?

After all, her driver was right. She really didn't have to be involved with the plan in any other way than swearing silence, and yet there she was, about to place the final piece of the puzzle that would complete the entire setup for phase two of the plan itself. The devil's advocate part of her even rightly stated that she really had never paid Emily much mind before then. She had been nice to her, has suffered Emily's bossy buffers, but had otherwise ignored the Stirling.

So why...?

She frowned, already knowing her answer.

"Well, Rosie?" Her fireman asked.

"It's because," She looked back at the two men, "I'm...kind of lonely."

"Lonely? Rosie, you are a very outgoing engine and one of the biggest extroverts on Sodor." Her driver seemed shocked, "How the heck are you lonely? You even have a bunch of friends!"

"There's Thomas on a good day, and then Molly, James, Stepney when he visits this part of the island, and Percy." Rosie raised an eyebrow, "Here's a hint: Molly is the odd one out."

"Molly's the odd on-?" Her driver's eyes widened, "Oh…"

"I'm lost. How is Molly different than the others?" The fireman scratched his head.

"Look closely at Rosie. What kind of engine is she?" The driver asked.

"She's an S.R. USA-"

"No, no, not her frame. Look closer," They climbed down from Rosie's cab and pointed at her smokebox, "at her face. Notice anything that she shares with Molly and not with her other friends?"

"Nothing, other than the fact she's a gir-" The fireman facepalmed, "Oh. I get it now."

Rosie did not know too much about Emily personally, but she DID know why the Stirling's arrival was such a big deal among the engines compared to the slightly-lacking, yet similar, reactions to her and Molly arriving on Sir Topham Hatt's railway.

It was because they were female. Before Emily, while there had been female engines like Daisy and Mavis, the idea of a female STEAM engine was unheard of on Sodor. The steam engine population on Sodor was completely male, and even older and wiser engines like Edward- who still remembered his arrival on Sodor- had never met a female steam engine and therefore considered such a concept to be up there with fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin or gold being at the end of a rainbow. When Emily had first appeared, however, that way of thinking was so suddenly smashed to pieces. It was no wonder that Thomas and Percy were so eager to grow closer to the Stirling and consider her a sister, happy to be best friends with such a unique engine.

Unique for Sodor, that is. Rosie, being one herself, knew that there were in reality PLENTY of female engines that existed in the world. She herself had several sisters who still lived in the United States, or who had in the past worked in Brighton and Southampton alongside engines of Thomas and Percy's own classes. However, for some reason known only to God, she and her sisters- as well as the females of a lot of other engine classes- were a small minority compared to the amount of male engines. Her own inventor and father- a Christian to his final breath- had once told her that she and her sisters were given life like that, that females were fewer than males among engines because God wanted them to stand out as special.

"I know for a fact that you can shunt cars and set coaches better than the boys can, and they admit it!" He had laughed, "The Lord Himself probably made you to be one of the prime examples of your class."

It was, to her, an exaggeration, but his logic still seemed to largely hold up in the outside world. In fact, Rosie also knew all too well that female engines were worth more money on the market than males due to their uncommonality, and that Sir Topham Hatt had bought her for a price that was nearly fifty percent more than what her brothers- who had all been standing next to her- had cost. None of them had been offended, of course, and it had been a celebration among their entire family that Rosie would get to work and represent them on a railway somewhere other than her homeland, but while she DID feel special, the lack of other female engines to talk to on the island really saddened her. There was nothing wrong with being friends with engines like Percy and Stepney, she grew to think of them as brothers too, but in the few years she had lived on Sodor, the only fellow female engine that Rosie had really developed a close bond with was Molly. Mavis was nice, but Rosie always found it hard to relate to a diesel, and it was the same for Daisy. Molly, who was also looking for such a bond, had quickly grown to be her closest friend next to Thomas- and unlike Thomas, she actually found her imitations of him flattering and funny.

Then, last and debatably (as of the present moment) not the least, there was Emily- the very first female to set her wheels firmly on Sodor, since become one of the island's most notorious and rude bossy boilers.

"Maybe right now, she's not the sort of engine I'd like to have as a friend." Rosie said, softly, "But...if what Thomas told me was true, then that wasn't the real her. The real her, like he described, I'd want to be friends with. If we can actually do this, bring her back," She smiled at her crew, "who knows? Maybe it can be her, myself, and Molly. You know, like the Three Musketeers."

"That…." Her driver nodded, "I have to say, Rosie, that's actually not a bad goal to reach for."

"You can say that again." Her fireman agreed, "But...what if we can't bring the real Emily back?"

"All I say is this: I think Toby is wrong, and even if we fail, maybe there will still be a way we can go about it. However," She grinned at them, "I have a good feeling we won't have to cross that bridge. Let's at least see how my idea works out tomorrow."

The two men shared a look, and then her driver shook his head, "I wish the rest of us had your optimism."

Aaaand here it is, folks. After nearly a month of unmotivation and hiatus, here is chapter three. I was originally going to make this one long chapter that included Rosie joining Thomas with his mission, the preparation, and the outcome, but I decided to cut it here and save the rest of it for chapter four.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Rosie's joined in, and I'm sure- if you guys are familiar with the classic series- you might've already figured out what Emily is in for in the next chapter the turntable. Yeah, it's gonna be interesting, I think. I gotta say, I was actually stumped for how to write this one, but big thanks to jriddle41 for giving me this idea in a PM. Feedback is always appreciated, and I will see you guys again for chapter four.

Oh, and if you guys were curious about the reasoning I gave for Rosie about joining in on this (the stuff about female engines, I mean), it will actually play a part later on in the story. In the next chapter, I'm also hoping to maybe take a peek into Emily's point of view on all this, so bear with me as always.