Yay! Two arcs done :D Now, down to the most difficult one...I will admit completely - I had NO idea what to do for this character's background, as we have practically NO BACKSTORY INFORMATION about him. So I pretty much had to try and make it all up ^^; So I apologise if it doesn't look as well done. And for those wondering, the characters in Percy's arc are based on these engines:
Hadley and Harley - GWR 517 class
Natalie - GWR 3031 'Achilles' class
Peter - GWR 4100 class
And for this story arc too (Just so I don't forget to put them in), the twin engines are based on LNWR Prince of Wales Tank Engines
It was slowly turning to evening as the engines approached Derby. The engines knew there would be sheds for them to rest in for the night when they get there, and they would be glad to get there, as they were feeling tired.
Most of the railway was shrouded in woodland, and very few people were around, but there was a functioning coal hopper and water tower. A small diesel was shunting some trucks into a small siding, and the engines slowly approached, looking for their sheds.
"Um, excuse me?" Thomas asked quietly.
The diesel looked over, "Hello, oh!" She gasped a bit, "You must be the Sodor engines."
"Yes, that's us." Thomas smiled.
The diesel giggled a little, "I was told you lot would be here. I'm Avril." she introduced herself, "I was just shunting your trucks into this siding for you. I believe your sheds should be this way. Follow me."
The engines slowly followed her, the engines looking confused at the eager little diesel, "You look a lot more...um..." Edward muttered
"Perky." Emily finished.
"Than we would've suspected..." Henry muttered.
Avril just smiled, "The whole steamies and diesel thing, huh? I understand. But I am completely different to most diesels who know that." Avril explained.
"How so?" James asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I'm mad about you steam trains, always have been!" Avril perked eagerly, "I personally find you all fascinating. Your designs and the way you work – it's an industrial marvel."
The engines just gazed in awe, being complimented by a nice diesel.
They carried on down to a small area where a few sheds remained, "There's a turntable here, and those are the sheds." Avril showed.
The engines pushed their trucks to the siding and entered their berths. Henry just looked in awe, looking at every detail.
"This all...looks so familiar." Henry whispered to himself, "The sheds...that turntable..."
"Henry?" Henry jumped out of his boiler, as Thomas looked at the big engine worriedly, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, just...this shed looks, very familiar..." Henry replied, looking around in awe. Everyone looked at each other anxiously, "Almost like I've been here before..."
Avril chirped in eagerly, "These sheds use to belong to a small railway – not particularly a good one because apparently it's controller was really mean towards his engines, and the engines pretty much ran the railway until it closed for financial reasons." She explained.
Henry's mouth gapped open, memories flooding through his smoke box.
"What was his name?" Emily asked. Avril tried to think.
"No one knows. I believe he remained anonymous over this silly rumour that apparently he stole designs from the famous Sir Nigel Gresley." Avril explained, "But that's just some silly rumour."
"Must be." Gordon huffed, "Sir Nigel Gresley designed me and my brothers, and we knew nothing of the kind."
"No..." Henry muttered quietly, "It is true..."
"What are you talking about Henry?" Percy asked.
"Why, do you know about it?" James asked.
Henry gulped a little, "More than know about it James...more than know about it..."
It was a gorgeous spring morning on this little railway, there were many engines puffing to-and-fro, delivering trucks to their destinations. At the centre of this railway, there was a steamworks, bustling with activity.
Inside the steamworks, two pacific tank engines were steaming inside, moving trucks into place for the workmen. The two engines were twins, painted in matching red,and beige livery with their names painted on their tanks.
One twin was waiting on a siding, looking up at the office of the railway Manager. She looked up at it suspiciously, she could swear she heard yelling coming from his office, as she was trying to listen to what he was saying.
"What are you doing?"
"EEK!" The engine jumped out of her cab when she heard the other engine whistle to her, "Landon! You scared me!"
Landon just smirked a little, "Eavesdropping again, London?" he asked cheekily, his twin just blushing and grumbling under her breath.
"I-I'm not eavesdropping! I'm just...trying to listen, to see if Sir is gonna say anything about the new engine. You know, the one with..." London paused anxiously, "The suspicious design..."
Landon just laughed at his sister, "You worry too much sis – come on! I heard the engine has just been finished!" He puffed eagerly, "I want to be the first to meet them! Come on!" and with that, Landon steamed ahead eagerly. London slowly followed, looking at the Manager's office suspiciously before following her brother.
The twins rolled down the rails and looked in awe at the engine on the rails. It had just been built, so it didn't have a tender or a formal paintwork. It was a long engines just painted in a green coat for now.
"Ohh, it looks neat." Landon complimented.
"Hmm...it's firebox looks too small..." London muttered.
The twins slowly rolled up the engine. The engine had only just woken up, it was looking around in wonder, exploring the place they just woke up in.
London and Landon slowly rolled up alongside him and gave a friendly smile, "Hi-"
"AH!" The engine jumped, quickly closing his eyes in fear, his boiler cowering. The twins were taken aback by the scared engine.
"Oh, s-sorry there." London soothed.
"We didn't mean to scare you." Landon spoke calmly.
"P-P-Promise..." The engine whimpered, opening an eye to look at the two engines. They smiled softly.
"Promise." They said in unison. The engine opened his eyes and looked at the two engines. He slowly began to calm down as the twins calmly reassured him. He slowly smiled, and the twins beamed. Just then, the twins saw the Manager walk over.
The Manager walked over to the new engine, although he didn't look friendly. The engine looked at London and Landon anxiously. The twins looked at one another.
"Um...Sir, this is the new engine." London said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"I know that London." the Manager answered, his voice was cold.
"Um...do you want us to get him a tender or something?" Landon asked, before being wheeshed by London.
"Go ahead, and try and get it to run too." The Manager said bluntly before walking off crossly. London and Landon looked at each other worriedly, before getting in front and behind the new engine. The engine looked around nervously.
"D-Did I do something wrong?" he asked, cowering.
The twins smiled, trying to soothe the engine, "Of course not." London soothed.
"Manager's just a bit of a..." Landon spoke, before mumbling with London.
"Jerk."
The engine chuckled a bit. His first proper smile, the twins just beamed. But then they remembered something.
"Do you have-"
"A name yet?"
The engine looked at them and sighed, "No..."
"Don't be sad, friend." Landon smiled.
"We'll come up with one for you." London beamed.
"Hmm, something strong, and sparky."
"But something for a big strong engine."
"Maybe we could go with-"
"How about-"
"Henry!"
The twins blinked as they spoke in unison, but giggled regardless. The new engine took the name in and smiled.
"I like it! I love it!"
The twins giggled in success at their new friends, and gently pulled and pushed him away to get him a tender. Henry looked around at the sight of the lush country around him, and gasped in awe, adoring every minute of it, and watching nature's wonders.
The engines were left in shock as they looked at Henry.
"Henry..." Edward gasped, "Are...are you the engine that controller made?"
Henry looked down sadly, "Y-Yes Edward...I was."
"That...kinda explains why you were so sick when we first met you." Thomas muttered.
"And why your shape was so funny." James mentioned.
"And why you need your special coal." Gordon remembered.
"You poor thing..." Emily soothed.
Avril just listened, her mouth gapped open in shock, "That...makes so much sense now...what happened next!"
"Do you want to tell us Henry?" Percy asked.
Henry gave an awkward smile, "You and Thomas told yours...I may as well tell mine. Besides, I've started it anyway, may as well finish it."
The three engines rolled over to a siding, where a couple of tenders were held. Henry looked around curiously, and then saw another engine roll over. She was a ruby red, tender engine.
"Morning Avery!" London and Landon chirped.
"Good morning." Avery whistled politely. She then looked over and saw Henry, "Oh, hello. You must be the new engine."
"Yes, name's Henry." Henry introduced himself. Avery gave a small pleasant smile.
"Lovely to meet you. I'm Avery." Avery introduced, then looked up as dark clouds started to fly over, "I'd hurry up with whatever your doing – there's a storm on the way."
"S-Storm?" Henry whimpered.
"It's when the weather changes severely." Landon explained bluntly.
"Strong winds, heavy rain, you name it." London added.
"R-Rain...w-what's rain?" Henry muttered.
"It's just little drops of water – like what you put in your boiler. It's completely harmless, although it does make travelling difficult." Avery explained. Henry just whimpered.
London and Landon quickly puffed off to get a tender, and then looked over at Avery.
"Avery? Tell Henry that rhyme." Landon asked.
"What rhyme?"
"The one about the train in the tunnel."
"Why would you want me to tell him?"
"It's a fun rhyme!" London exclaimed, "And a nice legend to go with it."
Henry looked at everyone, confused, "What rhyme?"
Avery sighed, "It's just a cautionary tale to help engines avoid hiding from the rain and to carry on as normal – no sense of reality to it."
"Just tell him Avery." Landon said, pushing Henry's new tender into place.
Avery looked at the engines and sighed, "Alright...just remember – it's only a tale."
Henry listened cautiously, as Avery began to talk in a sing-song voice.
"Once an engine attached to a train,
Was afraid of a few drops of rain,
It went into a tunnel,
And squeaked through it's funnel,
And would never come out again."
