ROSIE AND THE RUNAWAY HORSE
Written by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens
Set before The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor
Rosie was at the Steamworks having recently gone through an overhaul. She had just gone through some tests to make sure all her parts were working properly, and all she needed right now was a new coat of paint. Sir Topham Hatt had arrived to see her.
"How are you feeling right now, Rosie?" he asked.
"Really good, sir," Rosie smiled. "I can't wait to get back to work."
"That's excellent, Rosie," Sir Topham Hatt replied. "The engines down at Thomas' branch line are wanting you back very soon."
"But of course, Rosie, my friend," said Victor, "you'll need a new coat of paint before you can get back to work. Kevin!"
"Yes, boss?" asked the little road crane, rolling up to Victor.
"Do you think you can find some paint for Rosie, please?"
"Sure thing, boss! Right away!" And Kevin rolled away to collect a palette of paint pots near the back of the Steamworks.
"Oh, and Kevin, mind where you're going so you don't hit the-" BANG! "-wall," Victor finished, wincing slightly.
"Sorry, boss!"
Rosie giggled to herself. "Some things never do change around here," she said to herself.
"Right. I'll leave you to it." Sir Topham Hatt started walking away to tend to his other duties.
It wasn't long before Kevin showed up before Rosie and Victor again, carrying a palette of paint pots with various colors.
"Here you go, Rosie!" said Kevin, screeching to a stop, and nearly tipping over some paint pots onto the ground. "Whoa!" he cried, quickly regaining balance.
"Easy, Kevin," cautioned Victor. "We don't want to waste money on spilled paint, you know."
"Right. Sorry, boss," said Kevin. "Got a bit excited there for a second." He then carefully lowered the palette onto the ground so Rosie could take a better look at the labels.
"Huh. None of them say that they're lavender," she noted.
"Oh, sorry about this, Rosie," Victor sighed. "We were hoping to get a shipment in, but unfortunately, it never arrived. Probably got lost in the deliveries."
"But there's always the opportunity to try out a new color until then," added Kevin hopefully. "Like blue or green, just like the rest of the steam engines!"
As Kevin mentioned the last part, Rosie imagined herself being painted in blue and green; for the former, she was pulling Annie and Clarabel along the line with a yellow number one on her tanks, just like Thomas. For the latter, Rosie found herself amongst other green engines like Percy, Emily, Whiff, Philip, Rex and Luke.
"I don't think I'd look good in either color," she said at last. "If I was blue, people would mistake me for Thomas, and there's already far too many green engines out there, so I'd probably blend into the background."
"Oh," said Kevin, looking down at the palette. "I didn't think of that."
Victor was quiet for a moment, thinking about Rosie's words; there were a fair number of green engines on Sodor, and she would probably be mistaken for Thomas if she were blue…
"Maybe you could try red," he said at last. "It doesn't have to be the same shade as mine if you don't want to be."
"Hmm…" Rosie said thoughtfully. "That might work."
It wasn't long before Rosie was given her new coat of cherry red paint with dark raspberry tank panels, gold boiler bands and light gray lining. Not only that, she had the initials of the North Western Railway painted on her tanks and the number 37 under her side cab windows.
"So, what do you think?" asked Victor as a workman held up a mirror so Rosie could see her new look.
"Oh, wow!" gasped Rosie in astonishment. "It's beautiful. I never thought any color besides lavender would suit me, but this color really works! And I love the logo and number too. Thank you, Victor and Kevin; you've both been very helpful. See you soon."
Victor and Kevin smiled and said goodbye to Rosie as she started to leave. Henry and Peter Sam were both at Crovan's Gate station with their passenger trains.
"Oh, good morning to you," greeted Peter Sam warmly. "Are you new to Sodor? Welcome to the island. My name is-"
Henry then burst out laughing. "Oh, Peter Sam, that's not a new engine. It's Rosie."
"I just got a new paint job," Rosie explained. "Do you like it?"
"I think it looks amazing, Rosie," Henry complimented. Peter Sam felt a little sheepish for making such a mistake.
"Sorry about that, Rosie," he said quietly, then he smiled. "I do like your livery too. Really stands out among the other red engines on the island. I bet everyone else will be surprised."
"I sure hope so," said Rosie. "Though I am a little concerned what James might say if he sees another red engine on our railway. Not counting Skarloey or Rheneas for engines on our railway, of course."
"Or Mike," added Henry. "My driver showed me a picture of him once. He's red too."
Rosie chuckled. "I'd better go. Nice catching up with the two of you." With a cheerful blow of her whistle, Rosie set off for Knapford.
Down at Knapford, Rosie was about ready to launch herself back into her normal routine to shunt some trucks, when Sir Topham Hatt walked over.
"Rosie, I have a new job… oh my!" he gasped. "You look really good in that livery."
"Why, thank you, sir," she smiled. She had gotten quite a few compliments from other engines on the way back down the line - fortunately, she hadn't come across James. "They were out of lavender at the Steamworks, so I settled for this color. I quite like this color though."
"Glad to hear that at least," Sir Topham Hatt nodded, then he got back to business. "Now, the job I have scheduled for you is, you have to bring some horses for the country fair. Many people want to have rides around the fairgrounds today."
Rosie beamed at the thought of horses prancing happily with riders on their backs and being petted, cuddled and given treats if they were good. "Of course I'll help, sir. My driver's daughter Nicola loves horses."
"Sounds like I've picked the right engine for the job," Sir Topham Hatt chuckled. "The horse vans should be down the middle of the yard."
Sir Topham Hatt walked off and Rosie went off eagerly to find the horse boxes.
"Horses are just incredible animals, Rosie," said her driver as she was coupled on. "They may be big and powerful, but you treat them right and they turn into gentle giants."
"Has your daughter ridden one yet?" she asked.
"She often rides her friend Ella's horse," the driver replied. "Although she has been begging me for one of her own. Maybe we could get one on a free lease one of these days."
"What's a free lease?" asked Rosie as she puffed away.
"It's when someone else owns a horse and they lease it out to you," the driver explained. "You take care of the horse in every sense of the word except owning it. Feeding, grooming, riding, taking it to see the vet - anything the horse needs, you are responsible for. It's a lot of work, but I strongly believe Nicola can do it if she sets her mind to it."
"I agree," said Rosie. "I wish both of you luck in finding the right four-legged friend."
Eventually, Rosie and her crew arrived at the paddock. Many horses all stood in the paddock grazing.
"While these horses have gotten used to engines, not all horses are used to engines coming by," Rosie's driver explained as he and the fireman got down to open the horse boxes. "In fact, it's very easy for horses to get frightened, or as we call it, 'spooked'."
"Why's that?" asked Rosie as the horse handlers came to catch the horses with lead ropes and halters.
"Because, Rosie, horses are typically prey animals in the wild. In their mind, it's a fight or flight situation. Even something as simple as sand being shaken in a bottle could scare them if they aren't ready for it."
"That must be very scary for them," said Rosie sympathetically. "I'd best not whistle while the horses are being loaded then."
So the cherry red engine quietly waited as the horses were led out of the paddock into the open. Some of them, a bay horse and a light chestnut horse, looked very curiously at Rosie and started poking their heads through her open cab.
"Hey," she giggled. "What are you two up to?"
"I think they want to see if there's apples or carrots in your cab," chuckled one of the handlers. "Come on, Blitz, Champ. No treats in there."
The two horses brayed with disappointment as they were led away from Rosie's cab.
"Noted, horses can be cheeky too," Rosie chuckled to herself.
It wasn't long before the last of the horses were loaded into the box vans, and the driver and fireman got back into Rosie's cab.
"Alright, ol' girl," said the driver. "Go as carefully as you can."
With a gentle wheesh of steam and a quiet whistle, Rosie slowly set off for the fairgrounds near Hackenbeck.
The train seemed to be going rather smoothly, and the horses were eating the hay in the nets without a care in the world. Suddenly though, without Rosie or her crew's knowledge, one of the horses, Champ, had his ears suddenly perk up. He gave a couple of powerful kicks to the box van's door - which hadn't been shut properly - and jumped clear of the van onto the grass beside the track and galloped off. His friend Blitz saw this, but gave a calm whinny, as if he was okay with what Champ was doing.
Meanwhile, Rosie had arrived at Hackenbeck station where some horse handlers were waiting.
"Okay, little darlings," said one of the handlers, a young woman. "Time to come out for- huh?!" She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"Is there something wrong, ma'am?" asked Rosie, concerned.
"One of the horses has escaped because the van's open!" she cried.
"Who was it?"
"Champ. The light chestnut with the dark spots. His friend Blitz is still here, surprisingly."
"Where could Champ have run off to?" asked Rosie. "Surely, he couldn't have gone far?"
"Oh, he'll do anything to have his way," sighed the handler.
"We've got to find him," said Rosie. "Driver, fireman, let's leave the rest of the horses and go." Once she was uncoupled from all the horse boxes except for one, and with the lead horse handler in her cab, Rosie ran around the remaining horse boxes and reversed down the branch line to find Champ.
Meanwhile, Champ had rushed over to Finney's battery farm, where Terence lived, keeping his ears well alert.
"Ow…" cried a voice; it sounded like whoever it was had a lot of pain somewhere in their body. "Ouch, my leg…"
Upon hearing that, Champ burst into a full gallop, sniffing around for any odd scents in the area.
He soon came towards an apple orchard. Usually, he'd try and pluck one from the lower branches of the tree, but now wasn't the time for treats. As he scanned the area, he came across a teenage girl, crying and on her back. In Champ's experience, people don't normally roll over unless something was really wrong, so he headed towards the girl, and gently put his nose over to her.
"Oh, hello…" the girl said softly, reaching her hand out. "Are you one of Farmer Finney's horses? Tap once for yes, twice for no."
Champ nickered and tapped his hoof twice.
"Oh…" she nodded in understanding. "I'm not sure how you got here, but I'm so glad you are. Please stay with me until help arrives."
Champ gently nuzzled the girl with the tip of his nose, and she petted it.
"Thank you."
Meanwhile, Rosie had stopped near Terence's field. She had tasked the orange tractor if he or Farmer Finney had seen Champ.
"Hey, look," called the fireman. "Are those hoof tracks?"
"I know they weren't here when I plowed this field," said Terence. "It can't be one of Farmer Finney's horses either."
"That must be Champ," realized the driver. "Let's go and see where they lead." He and the lead horse handler jumped out of Rosie's cab and followed the hoof tracks across the field.
They didn't get far when Rosie's driver noticed something that made his heart leap with concern.
"Nicola!" he cried, rushing to her. "Oh, what happened?"
"I was trying to get apples down from the tree," she explained. "But I mistimed my step and fell down. I was alone for a while before this beautiful horse decided to stay with me."
The horse handler looked over at Champ and smiled. "Well, I've always known horses were special and connected with certain people, but I've never known Champ to bond with anyone like that."
"You must be special to him if he took off from the van to see if you were okay," commented the driver.
"Thank you, Champ," whispered Nicola. "I'll never forget this moment for as long as I live."
It wasn't long before the three of them and Champ returned to where Rosie, her fireman, Terence and Farmer Finney stood waiting. They quickly explained what had happened.
"Animals," Farmer Finney said fondly. "They seem to have this sixth sense about them, and that seems to be especially true for horses."
"We'd better get Nicola to the hospital to have her leg looked at," said the driver. "And you, Champ, back to the fairgrounds."
Champ looked over at Nicola with concerned eyes and gently put his nose near her hand again.
"I think he wants me to come to the fairgrounds," said Nicola. "He probably won't perform unless I'm there."
"Well… as long as you keep your leg very still, young lady," said her father. "I don't want it getting worse."
"We'll make sure to send for a doctor at the fairgrounds," assured the lead handler.
So Rosie took everyone back to the fairgrounds - with Champ onboard the horse box, properly secured this time - and the horse rides at the fairgrounds could begin. Every time before Champ was ridden, he would always turn his head to the stands to check up on Nicola, who was being checked over by a doctor, much to the horse's relief. He always made sure to put on a good show just for her.
"He is very special, dad," Nicola said wistfully.
"I think we owe him a treat after this," agreed her father. Rosie was watching the show from a nearby siding.
"My first job in my new livery, and I've already made a new friend," she smiled. "It's going to be hard for Nicola to find another horse like Champ."
And that is what Nicola and her dad thought too. About a week or so later, when Nicola had recovered from her sprained leg, Rosie came down to Hackenbeck - the fairgrounds had been removed and they were turned back into a normal grassy field - where she got quite the surprise.
"Hi, Rosie," smiled Nicola, and there was a familiar four-legged friend all saddled up, giving a cheerful whinny.
"Champ!" cried Rosie. "Hi, what are you doing here?"
"Remember that little surprise I mentioned earlier this week?" chuckled her driver. "Well, this is it."
"Meet my new free-lease horse," grinned Nicola. "He lives up to his name, and is as sweet as he was the day I met him."
"Congratulations, Nicola!" Rosie cheered. She didn't whistle though, just in case Champ got spooked. She then noticed something about the blanket under his saddle. "Oh wow!"
"Yep, it's cherry red, just like you, Rosie," Nicola smiled. "Whenever we ride, I will use this and think of you, as you were part of the reason why Champ and I met at all."
Rosie felt tears of joy pricking her eyes. "I'm so glad you're so happy, Nicola. Welcome to the family, Champ."
The horse gently whinnied in Rosie's direction, indicating he understood the message. The cherry red engine puffed away, her mind set on a firm decision.
"I'm keeping my cherry red livery," she said quietly. "If Nicola is that happy with her horse and it was my new livery which inspired her to keep riding, I want to make her and Champ proud."
And from that day onward, Rosie remained painted cherry red. Of course, when James finally found out some days later, he did get jealous of her and felt threatened about his position… but that's a story you already know.
THE END
Author's Comments
A new Thomas story from me and Rachel, finally answering the question as to how Rosie got her new cherry red paint. The premise was based upon a Wood value pack from 2018 called Rosie's Prize Pony, which I speculated was based upon a scrapped series 21 episode (and no, this was not intended to be a rewrite of Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant, despite the similar sounding titles; the story was planned prior to the reveal), and this story is set during the same series as well, taking place before Hasty Hannah and The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor. The fantasy sequences of Rosie being painted in blue and green were based upon initial plans for her revamp before Ian McCue and co. finally decided upon red, serving a similar function to those seen in the likes of Terence Breaks the Ice. The main bulk of the story was based upon Rachel's personal experiences with horse riding and an incident where she got hurt while riding one; basically a case of Write What You Know. Had it not been for her experiences with her free-lease horse Sam (almost like looking into a mirror), I'd imagine the story could've taken a completely different direction - she practically wrote up the majority of the main story by herself! I was going to have Thomas and James turn up, tying into The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor, but it didn't happen, although you can still figure out how it goes. I hope for the next original story to be a direct follow-up to An Engine of Many Colors and A Shed for Edward. All four stories together (so far) really feel like a Railway Series book.
More stories to come!