This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown
WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.
It was the middle of the first day of the Battle City tournament. Duelists were still at it with their duels to earn the all the Locator cards they needed to qualify for the finals! ...well, wherever it was. However, there were a number of duelists who were not competing in the tournament, and were merely watching the duels going on. And those duelists were...
"Man, these duels are really awesome!" James R. said to his friends.
Yup; Matt, James R., Carlie, Michael, and Zack were the ones who were not competing.
"You can say that again." agreed Michael. "Too bad we can't take part in that tournament."
"Unfortunately, we only have so much time left on the island before we have to return home." Zack pointed out.
"Too true, Zack." Carlie agreed.
"Maybe next time." James R. added to that.
Yup... Next time...
Title: The Black Rose
As the five friends (or siblings) walked down the street, Matt saw someone running down the street.
"Hello." he said. "Who's that?"
Unfortunately for Matt, the running boy wasn't actually looking where he was going. Just before any anyone could even speak up about it...
*BAM!*
The boy ran right into Matt, knocking both teenagers down onto the ground.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" said the boy in a daze.
"That was your fault!" protested James R.. "You weren't watching where you were going!"
The boy got back up, while both Zack and Michael helped Matt back up. The boy was shown to be 17-years old. He had short blue hair like Thomas, Edward, and Gordon, but was also very tall and muscular. He also wore a sleeveless shirt and splash pants, and carried a Duel Disk.
"Sorry about that." The teenage boy apologized.
"It's fine." sighed Matt, rubbing the top of his head a bit. "Just try to be more careful next time."
"I will."
The boy, named Hank, then noticed the five teens from America.
"Hey, are you guys duelists?" The muscular, blue-haired boy asked curiously.
"Well Zack here isn't." said Carlie. "But the rest of us are."
The moment the brown-haired girl spoke up, Hank turned towards her and started blushing at how pretty she looked.
"Wow..." he whispered.
James R., with a raised eyebrow, immediately noticed this.
"Are you getting a crush on our sister?" he asked, trying to not sound antagonistic.
"If you are, let me say this clearly and as nicely as possible; our sister is off limits!" said Zack firmly.
"Wait, sister?" Hank blinked, snapping out of his love daze. "You guys are all related?"
"We are." Michael confirmed.
"But not by birth or blood." Matt added. "You see, we were all adopted... though not at once."
"Really?" asked Hank. "How did that happen?"
"It was a pretty long time ago." Zack began. "When we were all around 8-9 years old."
"Matt, James, and Zack here were all living separate lives with their parents... but lost them in different ways." Carlie continued.
"I lost my parents when I was actually 12-years old." Matt put in. "I've mostly been living on the streets in 'Vancouver - British Columbia'."
"Both my parents died in a card crash." James R. said sadly.
"I lost both my parents and home in a big fire." Zack added. "James and I actually met while we were living in an orphanage."
"And that's when they also met me." Carlie added to that.
"How did you end up at the orphanage?" Hank asked. "A girl as pretty as you should never had to live at one."
"It was for the best." said the brown-haired girl sadly. "See, my parents were rather afraid of me because I had, and still do now, psychic powers that would allow me to make real damage when playing Duel Monsters. They felt like they wouldn't do a very good job of raising someone like me and wanted me to be adopted by someone who would be able to understand and handle my powers."
"Wait, back it up a bit." Hank interrupted. "Psychic powers? What do you mean by that?"
"I have the ability to literally bring Duel Monsters to life when I duel." explained Carlie. "But unlike the regular holograms, these monsters were real."
"Those powers were so great that Carlie was given the nickname 'The Black Rose Witch' by lots of the people for not only for those extremely dangerous abilities, but also for her deck type." Michael added. "Not to mentioned she was bullied by lots of the other kids from the orphanage."
"I was one of the people who witnessed those powers in action first hand." Matt spoke up grimly. "It was before I was adopted into the family. At the time, I was in a Duel Monsters tournament in America, and Carlie was my opponent."
As Matt told the story, many people came around to listen to the story.
"At first, the duel was going well for both of us." The dirty blonde-haired boy explained. "However, after a while...it happened."
"What...happened?" Hank asked nervously.
Carlie looked ashamed with herself as she started to tell what happened.
"I had suddenly snapped, and I then activated a card that inflicted damage to Matt." The brown-haired girl admitted sadly. "And the damage was so real that it actually injured him quite badly."
"And that was when Carlie's dark side was unleashed." James R. added. "It changed her so much that she became an extreme sadist who enjoyed inflicting pain on others."
The whole crowd gasped in horror upon hearing that. Even poor Carlie lowered her head in shame at what she had done years ago.
"The duel became so much more fierce after that." Zack stated. "But in the end, Matt defeated and freed her from the darkness. And overtime, she learned to control her psychic powers more properly."
A flashback to two years ago began.
FLASHBACK
Within a duel stadium in the United States two years ago, Flashback Carlie controlled two monsters called Black Rose Dragon and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis both on the field. Flashback Matt, meanwhile, controlled a monster Stardust Dragon, an Equip Spell card called Prevention Star activated, and a facedown card on his side of the field.
"Listen to me, Carlie." said Flashback Matt slowly. "You have to stop this sadistic enjoyment in hurting others. It will bring you nothing but more heartache!"
Flashback Carlie merely laughed scornfully at the demand, causing the dirty blonde-haired boy to scowl a bit.
"After all the pain I had to endure for years? Not before I make everyone else suffer... including you!" The brown-haired girl insisted savagely. "So now, I'll activate my Black Rose Dragon's special ability! By tributing it, it will go and destroy every card on the field! Go forth, Black Rose Dragon, and clear the field!"
Black Rose Dragon obeyed, letting out a fierce roar before being to glow a bright purple. If this worked, the whole field would be cleaned. Flashback Matt, however, was ready for it this time around.
"I don't think so!" he shouted. "I activate my Stardust Dragon's ability! By tributing my dragon, I can negate your own dragon's effect and destroy it... VICTIM SANCTUARY!"
With that said, Stardust Dragon wrapped its arms around Black Rose Dragon, glowing white. Soon enough, the two Synchro-like dragons had vanished.
"You fool!" Flashback Carlie called out. "Because of your move, your Equip Spell card's effect has been rendered useless! Meaning I can now use Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis to attack and defend again. And the moment I switch it into attack mode, I'll use it to attack you directly and win the duel!"
She place two fingers to her monster card when...
"Reveal Trap card!" Flashback Matt announced, causing Flashback Carlie to stop her action in an instant. The dirty blonde-haired boy's facedown card then flipped up and revealed itself to be... "Cosmic Blast!"
"Cosmic Blast?" Flashback Carlie reeled back.
"Yes." nodded Flashback Matt. "Since Stardust Dragon went to the graveyard, I can inflict life point damage to you equal to its attack points!"
A powerful shockwave erupted from the Trap card and struck Flashback Carlie hard, causing her to scream as she flew back a bit and landed on the ground (LP: 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Matt Fudo wins!
All of a sudden, the dark aura around the defeated brown-haired girl faded away as the announcer of the duel spoke.
"And the winner of the duel is Matt Fudo!"
Without wasting a second, Flashback Matt hurried over to the downed Carlie.
"Are you okay?" The dirty blonde-haired boy asked immediately, just before stopping and gasping. "What?"
Flashback Carlie was shown to be crying her eyes out. Between the painful bullying she endured in the orphanage, being separated from her parents and brother at a young age, and nearly hurting Flashback Matt severely in the duel due to her completely losing it... It had all just became too much for her to bear.
"Help me..." weeped Flashback Carlie, looking up towards her victorious opponent.
Flashback Matt slowly bent down to Flashback Carlie. The sight of her being in tears really made his heart ache.
"I don't have to be your enemy, Carlie." he said calmly. "I could be your friend. Wouldn't that be better than hurting people?"
The poor, broken, brown-haired girl only wrapped her arms around the dirty blonde-haired by as she continued to cry as the whole crowd in the stadium booed and screamed insults at her.
"Yeah, you deserved that loss, witch!" exclaimed one person.
"You're nothing but a disgrace!" called another person. "You tried to kill that guy!"
About the only ones in the crowd who felt terrible for Flashback Carlie was Flashback James R., Flashback Zack, and Flashback Michael, her adopted brothers. At last, Flashback James. R stood up and directed his anger towards the crowd.
"Hey, shut your traps!" he snapped at the rude crowd. "You have no right to insult her just because she's different! If I hear anymore complaints about her, I am going over there to bash somebody's skulls in! Do you understand?!"
Flashback James R.'s outburst made everybody go quiet—save for a couple of scattered insults, curses, and boos.
"That's better." James R. huffed. Now, he really didn't like getting mad, but when someone close to him was being picked on, he could and would definitely get mad.
Back in the stadium center, Flashback Matt continued to comfort Flashback Carlie when he met 'him'...
"Thank you, son." said a familiar voice (male).
The man walking towards the two teenagers...was Flashback Discord.
"Who are you, sir?" asked Flashback Matt politely.
"I am Discord J. Crawford." answered Flashback Discord. "Head of Industrial Illusions."
"Industrial Illusions?" The dirty blonde-haired boy blinked. "I've never heard of that company before."
"Oh?" Flashback Discord raised an eyebrow.
"You see, I've lived in Canada most of my life. A street urchin in Vancouver you may say."
The creator of Duel Monsters raised an eyebrow. "But then how did you learn to play Duel Monsters so well?"
"Some of the local neighbor kids would sometimes come down and teach me how to play." explained Flashback Matt.
Flashback Discord stared long and hard at the dirty blonde-haired boy for what seemed like forever before he held out his hand.
"That dragon card you've used in the duel... Could I please see it for a minute?" he asked.
Flashback Matt blinked. "My Stardust Dragon?"
"Yes."
The dirty blonde-haired boy took out his Stardust Dragon Synchro monster card and handed it to Flashback Discord.
"Oh my... Hmm..." The jolly man muttered in admiration.
Matt waited patiently for what seemed like forever before the man handed the card back.
"I've never created anything like this before." Flashback Discord stated. "This must be a one-of-a-kind card."
"You're the creator of Duel Monsters?" Matt asked in amazement.
"That I am. Tell me; what type of monster card is this?"
"A Synchro monster." answered Flashback Matt.
"Ah, yes. I know that summon sequence quite well." Flashback Discord nodded. "Carlie's Black Rose Dragon is also a Synchro monster. You, my lad, are a very special duelist, who has what it takes to become one of the best. In addition, I-"
But before he could finish, he overheard Flashback Carlie continuing to cry in shame and depression. Flashback Discord, feeling sorry for his adopted daughter, took his coat off and put it on her.
"I'm sorry, but we will have to finish this discussion another time. Right now, my daughter needs some rest."
"Your daughter?" asked Flashback Matt.
"Yes." Flashback Discord nodded. "Not my real daughter, but rather adopted."
With that said, the man began to lead the poor girl out of the stadium. Flashback Matt watched this with a sad look on his face.
"Carlie..." he whispered.
In the stands, Flashback James R., Flashback Zack, and Flashback Michael each felt sorry for Flashback Carlie, too.
"Poor girl." Flashback Zack sighed.
"Yeah..." agreed Flashback James R..
"I wish there was a way we could help her." added Flashback Michael.
Back over with Flashback Discord escorting Flashback Carlie out, the brown-haired girl had only one thought on her mind...
"Thank you, Matt... For freeing me from my darkness..."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, as Carlie closed her eyes in shame.
"And that's it." she sighed. "That's how I overcame my inner darkness. As Zack had said; overtime, I've learned to control my psychic abilities to the fullest."
"Well, that's good to hear." said Hank, smiling.
"Even then, it still haunts me to this day." Carlie went on, her eyes welling with tears. "Being separated from my family, being bullied at the orphanage... you get the picture. If I had no one else in my life, I'd..."
The brown-haired girl felt very sad by remembering all of her bad, or terrible, times... but just then, her brothers all comforted her with a hug.
"You're not alone anymore, sis." James R. pointed out.
"Right... you have us." Zack added.
"And nothing will ever change that." Michael threw in.
"Never." Matt finished.
"Thank you, everyone." Carlie finally said with a happy tear in her eye, just as she returned the group hug.
The crowd all went "Aww..." at this heartwarming sight. Just then, a clapping sound could be heard coming from someone.
"How very touching." said a familiar voice.
Walking into the area...was Discord, Matt, James R., Zack, Michael, and Carlie's adopted Father.
"Oh my gosh! It's Mr. Crawford!" came a female voice from the crowd.
"Dad!" Matt exclaimed, surprised to see him.
"What brings you down here?" asked Zack.
Discord chuckled. "Well, I am helping Spencer-boy sponsor his tournament after all. But, I was bored and decided to take a walk..." His smile then faded away. "...when I overheard everything."
"We're so sorry to hear about Carlie's tragic past." said Hank, looking sad.
"I know." sighed Discord. "It was definitely the hardest part of her life to go through. Plus, I also know that she misses her parents and brother terribly." Then he smiled once more. "But maybe this bit of news will help cheer her up."
He reached into his coat pocket and took out a letter. Carlie looked puzzled.
"A letter? For me?"
"Yes." said Discord kindly.
"But who's it from?" asked Carlie, as she began to open it.
The brown-haired girl began to read the letter. Once she finished, she nearly burst into tears once more.
"This...is from my brother, Ben." she whispered.
"Really?" James R. asked in shock. "What does it say?"
Carlie read the letter aloud to everyone. This is what it said:
Dear Carlie, how are you doing, sis?
Mom and Dad have really missed you for quite some time since they were forced to give you up. Mr. Crawford told us that you were visiting Sodor for a while. So, while Mom and Dad can't come, I'm actually coming over to Sodor and visit you in person. I can't wait to see you after around 7-8 years.
Sincerely, your brother Ben.
Everyone (except Discord) in the area was shocked to the core. Carlie honestly felt like crying right now! ...but out of pure joy instead of sadness.
"My brother is coming to visit me." she sobbed happily. "The greatest brother I have ever had...is coming here!"
"That's wonderful news!" smiled Matt.
"I'd say this calls for a celebration." added James R..
"There will be time for a celebration later." Discord interrupted. "We have to get to the harbor now."
"What?" Carlie blinked. "But...won't it be days before Ben gets here?"
"Not quite." Thee jolly man grinned. "I got this letter from him days ago... but I waited until now to give it to you."
Carlie's eyes widened as she smiled big. "Then that means-!"
"That he is coming in today."
The whole crowd started cheering for the brown-haired girl, who couldn't be feeling any happier than she was now.
(elsewhere...)
A while later, Discord had taken Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, and Carlie with him to the big harbor. While she was very, very excited, Carlie was also feeling very, very nervous.
"I can't believe I'm about to actually see my brother for the first time since around seven-to-eight years." she said to herself.
"It's okay, Carlie." said James R. reassuringly. "We're right here with you."
Carlie only continued to fidget nervously. Just then, a new voice was heard calling out to her.
"Is that you, Carlie?"
The brown-haired girl looked up and gasped.
"Is that him...?"
Standing nearby was an 18-year old boy with short black hair and glasses. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. This was obviously Ben.
"Ben?" Carlie whispered, starting to tear up.
"Hello, sis." smiled the boy.
That had done it; the flood gates had been opened. Without wasting another second, Carlie raced towards Ben and threw her arms around him in a hug while crying.
"Ben! Oh, Ben..." she sobbed extra hard. "You have no idea how much I've missed you!"
"And I missed you so much too." The boy replied, while also crying.
Carlie's adopted brothers, as well as Father, couldn't help but shed tears at this heartfelt reunion... although Discord's cries were more comical in nature.
"This is awesome." James R. smiled.
Once the two siblings finished embracing, Carlie took Ben over to see her friends.
"Ben, I'd like to introduce you to my adopted brothers and best friends." She gestured to James R. first. "This is James. He is the owner of the Blackwing deck."
"Hi." James R. greeted.
Carlie then gestured to Zack.
"This is Zack." she went on. "He's not a Duel Monsters player, but he knows the game inside out like my adopted Father."
"Hello." greeted Zack.
"Hello right back." smiled Ben.
Carlie then gestured to both Michael and Matt.
"These two boys are Matt and Michael." she said. "They are the two best duelists in all of America."
The two boys smiled and began to speak their respective catchphrases...
"Who's the Master of Faster? Who rules the Duel? That's right, it's me, Michael Atlas!" Michael said, in a rather dramatic (or arrogant) tone of voice.
"All I can say is this..." Matt started, before smiling and punching a fist forth. "Let's rev it up!"
Ben was very impressed to say the least. "I'm very pleased to meet you all."
"Very much likewise, Benny-boy." Discord spoke up.
Ben looked up to the man and shook his hand. "You must be Mr. Crawford." he said, remembering the letter he sent to Discord.
"Please, call me Discord." Discord insisted.
"Okay, Discord."
"Now, Ben, currently there's a big Duel Monsters tournament being held here on the Island of Sodor." The creator of Duel Monsters explained. "It has been created by the Boxford Corporation with help from my company, Industrial Illusions."
"That sounds like fun." said Ben happily. "Is Carlie participating?"
"Not this time." The brown-haired girl pointed out. "And neither are James, Matt, and Michael."
"W-Why not?" Ben asked, sounding disappointed.
"For one, it wouldn't be fair for everybody else to lose to us that easily." explained Matt seriously. "Besides, we don't have that much time left on Sodor before we have to go back home to San Francisco."
Ben nodded understandingly and turned to his sister. "Anyway, Carlie, I'm so happy to see you again after so long."
"I know!" Carlie agreed. "We have so much catching up to do."
The black-haired boy then felt his stomach grumble as he smiled sheepishly.
"Umm, ha ha..." he chuckled nervously. "Is there a good place around here to grab a bite to eat? I haven't eaten anything on the boat since dinner last night."
"I know one good place." said Michael. "Let's go."
And so, the group left the harbor to go find a place in the city of Knapford to grab a bite to eat. Thanks to Michael, they all went to easily the best pizza joint in the city. Carlie and Ben both did a lot, and I mean a lot, of catching up in the process, and they even played a friendly game of Duel Monsters while doing so...and Carlie also took Ben for a ride around the city on her Duel Runner.
Yup, Carlie would never, ever forget this day. It would be one of her most treasured moments in her whole life. No question about it.