Pumping Engine

by AaronCottrell97

One evening, Emily is suddenly forced to make a sudden stop because of a cow wandering onto the line, with the sudden stop causing one of her passengers to spill hot tea from on his trousers. The man is so cross that he complains to the Fat Controller, even though it wasn't Emily's fault, and in his anger makes such a nasty insult to Emily that Thomas retaliates against him.

It was a fair summer evening on Sodor, and most of the engines were busy on their last runs for passengers and goods alike. On the Main Line, Emily was heading back to Knapford with her last passenger run of the day. It had been a fairly smooth day for her, and now as she rolled along her way back, she had been thinking to herself about what she had experienced recently. First, a rather unpleasant bubbling boiler when a bar of soap landed in her tender and got whisked into her boiler during Knapford's celebration, resulting in an unexpected extra festivity for the people to enjoy, but then led to some of the engines teasing her on the subject, then she had faced a rather tedious then perilous time when Bill and Ben's teasing and cheekiness led to Thomas saving her from a landslide and burying himself for her.

Emily wondered what the next experience would be, but scarcely moments into her thoughts, Emily came around the bend, just a few miles left from Knapford...and saw a cow suddenly wander onto the line a few hundred yards ahead. The cow looked up and mooed with alarm.

"Ohh! Look out!" Emily called.

Her driver reduced steam and braked hard. Her wheels rang loudly against the rails as she stopped quite suddenly, just about two yards away from the cow. The sudden stop made several of per passengers bump and bounce a little in their seats...and there was one man who just happened to be pouring hot tea from his flask, and the sudden stop made his tea spill all over onto his trousers, making them wet and burning him a little. Some of the passengers looked out their windows and could see the cow, which made them understand. But the man stared at his trousers for a moment, then became very cross, rather like Seamus Holder could be when something similar happened to him, back when he was still the Grumpy Passenger.

"Rrgh! Outrageous! I'm having a word with Sir Topham...and this engine too!" he grumbled angrily.

Emily did not yet know what had happened in her coaches, but she was nonetheless relieved to have stopped in time. It wasn't long before the cow trotted off the line and Emily could finish her journey. She started quickly and was back on her way down the line. The quick start didn't please the cross passenger much after the spill on his trousers. He continued to grumble and gripe in her coach, and this would lead to a rather heated and negative slew between himself, Emily and even Thomas, regarding a rather insulting remark that would tumble out of this man's mouth and trigger Thomas' ever-unyielding drive to shield Emily, as well as a little riff before they'd all see eye to eye.

Emily made the rest of her way back to Knapford Station. There, she saw Thomas and the Fat Controller waiting for her and she stopped right at Platform 1, facing Thomas. Most of her passengers began to leave her coaches as the Fat Controller came forward.

"Well done, Emily. Right on time," he said. "And...I do mean right on time almost down to the second. Did anything happen out there? You seem a little relieved about something."

"A sudden stop near the end, sir," said Emily. "A cow suddenly strayed onto the line, and I had to stop right away. Luckily, no one was hurt."

"Good to hear, Emily," said Thomas. "You were quick to stop, no harm done and-"

But suddenly, as all the passengers left the station, there came a loud exclaim of anger and displeasure as one of Emily's coach doors slammed shut. Everyone looked and saw one more passenger. A man with a noticeable spill of tea on his trousers, and his face looking very crabby. He marched stubbornly up to Emily and pointed.

"YOU! You clumsy great engine! A hot flask of tea set for me to pour, and you slam on your brakes and spill it all! What you think you're doing?!"

"What? Excuse me!" Emily exclaimed with surprise.

"Whoa! Don't be so grumpy! And DON'T call my angel clumsy!" Thomas exclaimed, smelling a rather heated scenario.

"Alright, what's this all about now?" the Fat Controller asked.

"Sir! I MUST complain about the most abominable ride this emerald has given me!" the man barked. "There I was in my coach, just about to pour some tea, when suddenly, for no reason at all, she goes on slamming on her brakes, spilling tea all over my trousers! A nasty spill for no reason! No merit in stopping like that at all!"

Emily tried to explain what really happened. "But sir, there was a-"

"I'd been expecting a smooth and proper journey, Sir Topham," the man interrupted, turning his frown to Emily. "But it seems to me I've been expecting too much from an antique class of engine!"

This made Thomas and Emily's hearts jolt with offense. Even the Fat Controller flinched and became very focused on this man.

"Hmph! Antique?!" Emily scoffed, rather offended.

"Certainly an old enough engine class to be antique!" the man went on. "You'd better teach her some manners, Sir Topham! Because if all she's good at is blowing bubbles, perhaps an old antique like her would be much more useful as a pumping engine!"

When Emily heard what this man's mouth had just uttered, she exclaimed, then her voice stuck in her throat as she turned very red in the face and began shaking with anger. Her heart flipped and pounded with absolute offense and incensed nerve. She knew just what pumping engines were, as did the other engines, and this did not fit at all. Many decades ago, Smudger had been turned into a pumping engine generator for riding roughly and coming off the rails practically all the time, but that was a due consequence for his unchanged atrocious behaviour...and now, here was Emily, being called the exact same thing for no valid reason whatsoever. Never had she heard such a lewd and insensitive comment, not even from Gordon and James during her five years of torment against them, or even George the Steamroller. Being given a remark as impolite and disruptive as this was more than enough to make her want to scream her boiler out to this man.

Everyone was now very angry. Emily's driver stormed out of her cab.

"Now, SEE HERE!" he snapped, pointing his finger to the man. "I will have NONE of your-"

Then everyone heard a deep, gurgling growl come from Thomas...for he too had heard just what this man said about his angel. Thomas' heart flipped, then his eyes became bloodshot, his face went dark red and sparks began leaping from his funnel as his axles shook vigorously. Not only because of the idea of Emily being turned into a pumping engine; the mere idea was infuriating enough to hear and he had never heard anyone else utter such a remark. But also because he easily knew how much Emily didn't like being reminded of her soap incident. While this man ultimately didn't mean what he said and was surely just too grumpy to think clearly, no one else, not even Seamus Holder made such a heinous comment while he was still the Grumpy Passenger. For just a brief moment, Thomas felt as though a fraction of his demon flowed through him, controlling his actions...and obeying his inner commands.

"HEY! You arrogant, unwelcome, pretentious BASTARD!" Thomas yelled to the man. "Not since Lady Hatt said Annie and Clarabel should be turned into beach huts have I heard anything so insensitively intolerable! NO ONE talks like THAT to my angel, wife and safety engine! If you had ANY shroud of dignity, you would keep your big mouth shut! You have a problem with my angel, you deal with ME! NOT HER!"

"Now STOP right there this instant, Thomas!" the Fat Controller demanded, seeing where this was going. "I am having NO nonsense from you!"

Thomas took no notice, baring his teeth to the passenger, who was admittedly starting to feel uneasy.

"There will be NO ONE calling my angel a pumping engine on THIS railway!" Thomas hissed. "You think that little bit of tea on your trousers is a nasty spill? I'LL GIVE YOU A NASTY SPILL!"

Then Thomas took a deep breath, growling through his gritted teeth, then as he gave a loud yell of anger, a huge surge of steam erupted from his wheels, almost twice as dense and thick as Merlin's steam could be. That steam blew onto the platform and all over the man. The Fat Controller stepped away just in time, and Emily could hear that man exclaim, cough and choke through the steam, which lingered for almost fifteen seconds. When the steam cleared away, there was that man, absolutely soaked to the skin, from head to toe, with a massive puddle forming right at his feet as water dripped off from all over him. He was even more soaked than when Thomas accidentally splashed Alicia Botti and the Fat Controller, or when Bert splashed the Fat Clergyman in the forest, and much like Bert felt at the time, Thomas felt no shame and no guilt in what he did whatsoever.

"SO THERE!" Thomas yelled. "HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?! I will be DEAD before I hear any more disgusting comments about my angel come out of YOUR mouth!"

In this instant, the man forgot all about Emily and was now even more furious with Thomas, which was ironically what Thomas wanted.

"What...my...why, you...How DARE you! You miserable engine!" the man barked furiously. "Just look what you've done! You can't treat me like this!"

Thomas kept losing his own sense of reason by the second as he glimpsed to Emily's offended look on her face.

"If you ever try to utter such a scum-coated remark towards my angel again, I will do FAR worse!" Thomas threatened the man. "Come on, then! Who wants another wheeshing?! Form an orderly line, I'll wheesh you all one by one! COME ON, WHO'S NEXT?!"

"YOU'RE next, Thomas!" the Fat Controller boomed, pointing a finger straight at Thomas. "This time, you've gone too far! I will NOT, for all the glory on this island, have rudeness like this to passengers! Wheeshing someone on purpose INDEED! I thought you to be more in control than this! You will now stay in your shed until I can trust you to behave!"

To Thomas, this meant nothing in the least. All that mattered to him was Emily, and after what he heard that man utter, no confinement would bother him nearly as much.

"I don't care how long you keep me in the sheds, sir," Thomas growled. "All I care about is Emily. Today was alright until now! For her sake, consider this my highest honour today! And I thought Seamus Holder was a terrible man! This man is NOT walking away! NOT until he apologizes! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU owe my angel a damn APOLOGY!"

"THOMAS, ENOUGH ALREADY!" the Fat Controller bellowed, putting Thomas in line. "I do NOT tolerate insults such as his, but fighting about it isn't helping anything! I will deal with this passenger and what he said! But what you did is wrong too!"

Thomas looked away and huffed indignantly, while Emily just stared, feeling stuck in a wave of different feelings all of a sudden. Then the Fat Controller sighed strongly and turned his attention back to the cross passenger, speaking empathetically at first, then rather severely.

"Now...As for you...As far as what Thomas did to you just now, I do apologize sincerely. His behaviour is indeed most unacceptable and I'm potently sorry he did that...but when it comes to what you just said to our Excellent Emily, I am NOT happy with you either! Absolute SHAME upon your words! I am utterly disgusted and sickened by your abysmal comments. Emily the No. 12 Safety Engine is NOT an antique, and she is most certainly NOT a pumping engine, and NEVER, EVER will be!"

The man looked away at first, still seething with anger after being soaked and he felt no shame in complaining further.

"Then WHY, I ask, did this...ENGINE stop so suddenly and spill my tea for no apparent reason?! Bumping and bouncing me about like a clown! Is that what safety engines do?! Is conjuring cheap tricks like blowing bubbles all they do?! I should say not! Antiques don't-!"

The man's sentence was cut off rather shrilly. For it was now Emily's turn to not hold back another instant. She knew not to wheesh any passengers, no matter how angry she was, but she took a huge breath, then whistled so loudly and shrilly, it hurt everyone's ears. Thomas and Emily's crews and the cross passenger held their ears. The Fat Controller held his ears too until the whistling stopped. Then Emily tumbled out her share, making herself heard for the better good.

"FOR GOODNESS SAKES, YOUNG MAN! I stopped because a COW SUDDENLY STRAYED ONTO THE LINE! If YOU would just stop uttering such disgusting comments about me for ONE MINUTE, you'd see it's ME who was right to do what I did! Do NOT take me for some conjuror of cheap tricks!"

Thomas, the Fat Controller, and even the cross passenger froze as still as stone, their eyes boggling wide and their mouths gaping to the volume at which Emily screamed, for her voice was as loud as when she came down on Donald and Douglas' arguing.

"Gracious goodness me..." the Fat Controller said after a few silent moments. "Rather miraculous volume, Emily...but you're absolutely right."

"She what?!" the man complained.

The Fat Controller turned around fast and spoke most irritably.

"Yes, young man! While I do apologize for Thomas' behaviour, if you'd care to listen for at least one minute, Emily has NOTHING to apologize for! A cow strayed onto the line rather suddenly, and Emily was simply fulfilling her duty as our safety engine. It is NOT Emily's fault that a cow strays onto the line, and it would have been much, much worse than just spilt tea on your trousers for you and the rest of the passengers if she didn't stop! What then? That cow would not be here anymore, Emily would have derailed, and you all could have been heftily injured! You should be thankful that she prevented a potentially nasty accident! MUCH more important than a little spill of tea on trousers!"

The man listened to all that the Fat Controller was saying, and gradually, his expression changed from complaint and grouch, to one of minor but noticeable embarrassment and regret. He looked to Emily, who still bore a look of hurt, anger and sheer contempt for such insult. The man's frown began to fade and he began to seem dazed and a little shocked over the words he had just laced on her.

"That's right! THINK about what you said!" the Fat Controller enunciated. "I would have expected you to be much more rational and understanding and I am VERY disappointed in your behavior alongside Thomas'! It is most unacceptable to treat Emily like this, and you're lucky I won't tell David what you just said to her!"

"I most infinitely agree!" came another voice. Everyone looked to who was standing just outside the station.

"Seamus Holder?" Thomas observed.

"The Sensible Passenger," Emily added strongly. "Seamus! Thank my No. 12 you're here!"

And he was. While still obeying his ban from travelling on passenger trains for a little while longer, Seamus had been here all the time, overheard what had happened, and was all too ready to come to Emily's side. He walked briskly to the platform, straightening his black necktie.

"Evening, Emily, Sir Topham...and Thomas. Hmm..." Seamus gestured to them, then turned to the cross passenger. "And YOU!"

"Me?" the man asked as Seamus came forward and seized his shoulder.

"You should be ashamed of yourself! I saw and heard what you said!" Seamus scolded severely. "It is a most scathing reflection and not very different from of how I used to behave over small inconveniences, blaming them on everyone but myself, and I made so many people and engines hate me until I became an absolute madman and caned Emily's brother Bernard when I most wrongfully thought he was dangerous! Then I almost caned Emily, and for that, my home and assets were taken away from me. I was doomed to starve and dehydrate in the streets until I heard the wonderful truth about Bernard saving that boy's father, I saw my errors and David gave everything back to me."

"Well, at LEAST, I don't complain as much as YOU did!" the man retorted. "But you weren't on this train to complain about tea on YOUR trousers too!"

"That makes no shroud of difference!" Seamus berated. "Giving up my grumpy side and changing for the better does NOT give you permission to fill in the void of grumpy passengers and give Emily trouble which I never laced upon her verbally! Emily is a North Western ICON, and blowing bubbles is CERTAINLY NOT the only thing she's is good at! She's the shining voice of reason on the whole Island of Sodor! Our No. 12 Safety Engine! She stayed safe, figured out what happened while the engines tried to get to Rocky, saved Bertie from the collapsing bridge, saved Gordon from the bridge when it began to fall away, saved James, Percy and Rebecca all at once, and there's a WHOLE lot more she's done and will always do for all of us! And just today, she potentially saved you and your fellow passengers from what could have been a nasty accident...and THIS is how you thank her?! By stooping to Lady Hatt's one-time low when she said Annie and Clarabel should be turned into beach huts?!"

The Fat Controller looked away, mildly embarrassed as he remembered that jumbled holiday of his. As for Emily, as angry as she was at the remark she had been given, she could not believe what she was hearing. Seamus Holder, formerly the Grumpy Passenger was coming to her defense and truly shredding light on this man's behaviour, which made the man turn fairly red with shame and embarrassment.

"Emily did NOTHING to deserve any of this!" Seamus scolded. "And in the matter of your outrageous insult, the Emerald Law clearly states 'Anyone who attempts to bully or harass Emily the Stirling Single at Gordon and James' magnitude shall befall confinement and/or banishment from Sodor. Any offenders of such magnitude will NOT go unpunished.' Sir Topham, I leave practicing the Emerald Law to you!"

"I have to agree with you, Seamus," the Fat Controller observed as he spoke again to the man. "I have said countless times that it is my responsibility to ensure there is peace on this railway. Thomas seems to have disrupted that peace on you indeed...but YOU have disrupted Emily's peace too! Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING gives an engine or Sudrian civilian the right to jeopardize the Emerald Law in any way, which includes foul comments as this towards Emily, Thomas' emerald angel and wife figure, David Rider's engine and best friend, and Sodor's official safety engine. Not even Gordon and James ever conjured such a nasty comment to her. For this, you must be punished alongside Thomas. Therefore, for your insult towards Emily when she was simply fulfilling her duty as safety engine, this means you are forbidden from my passenger trains for one week. Is that clear?"

"Fine," the man sighed a little reluctantly as he shook a little water off his sleeves.

"And to ensure this doesn't happen again," the Fat Controller continued. "Along with Thomas being kept in the shed, I am putting you under Seamus Holder's supervision and instruction for three days. Perhaps he can convince you to think a little more about what you said."

"Fine, fine! Be that way!" the man retorted irritably. "But still, if Emily didn't stop so suddenly, and if THOMAS here didn't wheesh me, maybe I wouldn't have to say she and even Thomas would be better off as-"

"Young man!" Seamus intervened. "I'm as disappointed in Thomas as Sir Topham is, but for Emily's situation, I don't care if she screamed in your ear for what you said to her! She is our official safety engine, and you will treat her with respect! If there IS anyone who needs to learn some manners, it is most certainly NOT Emily! That someone is going to be you!"

"But-" the man tried.

"NO BUTS!" Seamus barked. "You are coming home with me to dry off and you and I are going to have a little chat. You are NOT going down the path I once trod upon!"

"That will be enough, all of you!" the Fat Controller stated sternly. "We must all get back to business. Now, sir, do YOU have anything to say to Emily?"

"He should have quite a deal to say!" Seamus added strongly. "So no walking away yet, young man! Apologize! Right now! Everything you said about Emily being a pumping engine, you take that back!"

The man looked to Emily again. Still, she looked offended and rather angry at the words she had to hear. Despite how angry this man still was at Thomas for wheeshing him, little flickers of truth began to sink in, and a look of considerable shame, misunderstanding and regret came over that man's face. While still cross about all he had to complain about, he did have the impetus to apologize to Emily as he started to see the real nature of what happened out there.

"Well...taking what happened on the line into clearer account, between you and me...I'm sorry, Emily," he said with notable honesty. "I did not know you were trying to protect a cow from being run over, and protecting us from something potentially horrible. For keeping us all safe from something much worse, you're not a pumping engine, and never will be. A mere misunderstanding, okay?"

Emily said nothing and nodded once. Her frown lessened, but it showed while she did accept the apology, she was still offended underneath. Thomas was not much convinced himself, still fuming angrily and twitching his eyebrows to the man.

"That's better. But I must warn you, sir," the Fat Controller cautioned. "This had better not happen again."

The man nodded slightly...then looked and sounded cross again.

"But I still must ask...why did Thomas here have to be insanely cheeky to wheesh me like this?! I'm soaked! I must say already that Emily at least has decent courtesy to not have done that herself!"

Thomas was still fuming angrily and even cheekily. "I did it for HER, you shallow grouch! No one else! You're welcome to insult ME all you want! I don't care what the Hell you think of me! All I care about is Emily!"

"Broken record that I am on this subject, I will NOT STAND for any bullying on my railway whatsoever," the Fat Controller stated. "And that includes YOU, Thomas the Tank Engine! As honourable as your devotion to Emily is, NOTHING at all gives an engine the right to wheesh anyone as you did. Now...get in your shed immediately! And you can stay there until I can trust you to behave again! And you go on with Seamus, young man! I am not pleased with either of you tonight!"

Finally, as Seamus escorted the man out of the station, Thomas could see this couldn't be dragged out any further.

"...Come on, Emily. Let's get out of here," was all he said.

With no further delay, Thomas and Emily gave one look to each other, then retreated together to Tidmouth Sheds. When they arrived, they were glad the sheds were empty. Thomas turned around and slunk right into his berth, realizing that he would be here for a while now until the Fat Controller would see fit to let him out, but that didn't matter to him. He watched as Emily backed into her berth too, still looking a little dazed and fully focused on just what had happened at Knapford. Thomas knew just how she felt and wondered what to say to her.

"Well. That went poorly," Thomas said blankly, not bothering to be sarcastic by saying it went beautifully or anything like that.

"Talking about the elephant in the room, are we?" Emily asked. "This is all too familiar to me by now."

"What do you mean, Emily?" Thomas asked. "First Gordon and James' names to you, then 'Arry and Bert's remarks, George's rudeness...but today's comment towards you is NOT familiar to my ears. At least not since what Annie and Clarabel had to hear."

"I'm talking about you, Thomas," said Emily. "I know why you did what you did. We both know what used to drive you forward in times like this."

Thomas looked up to Emily and could see exactly how she was feeling underneath. He too didn't know what to feel out of all the senses that were bubbling in his head. But he did know a few things to be certain even now.

"Well, what else could I have done after hearing what that...man said about you?!" Thomas huffed defensively. "You did NOT do anything wrong! You did NOT deserve to hear such a nasty thing about you for something that WASN'T even your fault!"

"Nonetheless, I respected that man and didn't wheesh him, Thomas," said Emily. "Scolding him was quite enough already, as the Fat Controller, myself, and even Seamus did."

"I'm sure there's a sensible answer to this, Emily," Thomas huffed. "But is it really worth respecting passengers even when they're disrespectful towards us?"

"If engines or people harass me, or are rude to me, there's the Emerald Law to keep them in place," Emily emphasized. "Otherwise, it would have been chaos!"

"Which is EXACTLY what that man accused you of!" Thomas replied.

To this, Emily gave a hiss of steam, putting her wheel down and leaving Thomas silent for a few moments. He frowned with conflict for a while, then eventually he sighed and leaned left and right to shake his head, managing to calm down for his angel.

"I'm sorry, Emily," he said more controllably. "I truly know I shouldn't have done that, and staying here until further notice is more than deserving for such behaviour...but when it comes to how much I love you, I feel no guilt in soaking that man whatsoever."

"I'm just as angry at him as you, Thomas," Emily sighed. "But I would not have wheeshed him if I were you."

"I know you wouldn't, Emily," said Thomas. "But you've dealt with too much already. The soap incident, some of the engines teasing you about it, and especially Bill and Ben teasing you about it just before I had to save you...then when I heard that ungrateful pig outrageously call you an antique better off being turned into a pumping engine...over something that wasn't even your fault...I just lost it. Hearing such words filled me with so much hate. And even though I know such a thing will never happen, I know that underneath, you're still hurt by that remark...and I will never stand for it."

"Neither do I, Thomas," said Emily. "It's true I've been dealt with plenty of weight recently, and perhaps we both need a little break from everything."

"I'm sure it's just morbid thinking, Emily...but the reason I did it was so you didn't need to...because...what if you felt like you had to take action and bully that man back, which would only make everything worse? What if you b-became sad and afraid again, then...?"

"Thomas, we know that will never come to be again," said Emily. "I assure you, that IS just morbid thinking, and nothing more. The Fat Controller was there to see it himself, and he got on that man's case right away. He knew what was wrong and he addressed it. And Seamus Holder will keep that man from causing any further trouble."

"That's all well and good on your part," said Thomas. "But as long as it meant punishing that man for what he said to you, I'm glad I did what I did anyway! And talk about finding new respect for Seamus Holder! If it were a choice between Seamus and that man today, I would IMMEDIATELY call Seamus Holder a nobleman! I don't care if the Fat Controller doesn't tell your best friend, I am NOT letting that foul grump get away with what he spewed upon you! If David wants a prisoner locked in the Sea Emperor's brig, he'll get one!"

"Thomas...! Stop talking," Emily eyed a little sternly. "I truly appreciate you showing how far you're willing to go since you love me above all else, even if you did go too far and will be staying here until the Fat Controller sees fit to let you out again. Maybe I am a little upset by today's events, but just as Gina told you in Italy, I'll get over this soon enough."

"I...I know you're doing the most sensible thing, Emily," Thomas sighed strongly. "But you've just been dealt with so much recently...and I don't want that man to get away with his words. I will only feel fit to apologize to him if he's shaken for the better...which does make me think, Emily...I need to know your honest answer...just hear me first."

Emily watched as Thomas pondered a little anxiously.

"If...If David...knew what happened? If that man were found out by David...if he were to deal with that man his own way...would it help? Or not?"

Thomas held his breath and looked closely as Emily looked to her buffers. Then looked strongly into Thomas' eyes.

"David's ambition to protect me is near equal to yours, Thomas," she said seriously. "I'll even say his ambitions surpass yours every now and then. He's a most faithful best friend for me, but as strong as his love for me is, his temper can be very harsh if he's pushed far enough, rather like you. Would telling him stop this issue in its tracks? No, Tommy. In a sense, I feel telling David would only make the matter worse and draw it out more than it should be. Besides, he hasn't been directly involved every single time it's about me, you or both. Perhaps this is another occasion...where we don't need him rushing in. I've fought my own fights, Thomas. Donald and Douglas know it, Diesel knows it, Diesel 10 knew it...everyone knows it."

To this, Thomas leaned up and down with a single nod, both expecting and not expecting this response at the same time. He understood both sides, and for it to come from his emerald angel and wife was enough for him.

"Alright, then. If that is my angel and wife's judgment, I know I can trust it," said Thomas. "Thank you for letting me know, Emily."

"You're welcome, Thomas," Emily whispered. "And do not worry. That man was surely just upset and didn't really mean what he said."

"I should hope so too," Thomas replied. "I won't know that until I'm let out again, and you'll probably be wondering that yourself since you're busy with goods trains for the next few days, per your safety engine schedule."

"It will turn out in the end, Thomas," said Emily. "Seamus will talk him round however he needs to...although, that sense of offense does sit in me a little even now."

"I know, Emily," said Thomas. "And I for one, do not want you to be feeling like that much longer...if I can be of any help, that is. May I?"

"Oh, Thomas..." she managed to smile. "Even after all that you did today, I'm more than willing to let you do so...just you and I. Shall we?"

Thomas began to smile again and turned around to Emily's berth, softly buffering up to her. A gentle night was all they needed for now, and Thomas pressed his face to Emily's cheeks and spent a few minutes kissing her soft, creamy skin and bringing a light blush and soft giggles from her lips. It made him start to feel better right away to hear her soft little voice giggling to the kisses he gave her.

"Oh...ooh, Tommy...such a cutie-pie...thank you...oh, ohh..." she whispered and chirped quietly.

Then as Thomas let go of Emily's cheeks and let her rest softly, he got another little idea...a little loving nurture he had never thought of before...which gave him an unexpected idea for the name, given what happened today.

"Hmm...you know, Emily..." Thomas pondered, suddenly nervous. "I...I have a little idea for us to do..."

"Yes, Thomas?" Emily asked.

"Oh. Ohh...p-please don't take it too badly from me, Emily," Thomas said very carefully. "But...maybe you and I can be our own...pumping engines just for tonight?"

Emily felt a jolt of offense hit her at first, but she knew Thomas meant no such thing.

"What do you mean, Thomas?" she asked a little sharply.

"Well...just like you kind of gave 'bubbling boilers,' a new meaning...perhaps you and I can give today's remark a new meaning and neutralize it as it were?"

"I'm confused, Thomas," said Emily. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Thomas said a little playfully. "I thought of it...as a little game we can play tonight. We can softly buffer up...and pump our buffers in and out of our housings together as we kiss. Maybe make each other bounce nice and softly. Please? I just want you to feel better tonight. Whatever you decide."

Emily heard Thomas and thought for a few moments. She knew Thomas wanted her to feel better, and perhaps this would be a fair way between them to do so.

"Hmm...Mmm...well, alright...But ONLY because you asked nicely, Thomas," she said with a wink. "Let's pump our buffers and make them feel nice."

Thomas smiled with glimmering eyes and saw Emily's eyes glimmering too. They looked down to their buffers and watched as they came together. Then Thomas very gently buffered a little stronger, making Emily's buffers press inward as he kissed her nose, then her buffers softly came outward again. Emily giggled a little, then returned the gesture, pumping Thomas' buffers inward to their housings as she kissed his nose. Thomas began to chortle quietly, and within that minute, Thomas and Emily were playing their little game together, bumping very gently to each other, exchanging cuddles, nibbles and kisses as their buffers cutely pumped in and out of their housings, and they even rubbed their buffers left and right together in a quiet little dance every now and then.

"Oh, Emily...oh, oh...your lips...such a soft, sweet angel you are," Thomas whispered as she kissed and pinched his cheeks.

"Yes...yes, Tommy," Emily whispered as she then trailed down and kissed his chin too. Then she began to yawn and flicker her eyes.

"Sleepy now, my dear?" Thomas asked.

"Enough to fall asleep with you, my cobalt star," Emily whispered. "I still feel the remark in my head...but thank you for tonight, Thomas. You've done enough for now."

"As you wish, my love," said Thomas as he kissed her cheek goodnight. "Sleep well, my emerald angel."

"You too, Thomas, my love," Emily whispered.

And with that, after a soft cuddle and kiss together, Thomas returned to his berth and he and Emily fell peacefully asleep. The other engines came by later and had already heard what happened from the Fat Controller. They too were rather affronted and insulted by what that man had said about Emily. Percy, Nia and Rebecca saw to it that Thomas and Emily were left in peace tonight. Gordon and James remained respectfully silent. Instead of thinking any further about the laugh Emily's soap incident conjured up for them, they gave her an much-needed break, for when they heard today's story for themselves, it made them both feel disturbed underneath as they realized neither of them ever thought up that man's words themselves, if the domes fit, and soon, the other engines were asleep too.

This had indeed been a rather unpleasant evening with Emily being given such an insulting remark that curdled her steam as well as Thomas', which ended up getting Thomas in trouble. They would of course get over it, but nonetheless, as they slept, Thomas and Emily still carried one little flickering thought. They were worried that if David found out, he would be absolutely incensed and steamed with fury. And he was...but only in the dream Thomas began to have as he slept...

Thomas saw himself, Emily, the Fat Controller and the man at Knapford Station again, caught in the same dilemma...only this time, someone else had heard everything that man said to Emily and was all-too ready to take charge.

"Get in your shed immediately!" the Fat Controller demanded to Thomas. "And you can stay there until I can trust you to behave again! And you go on with Seamus, young man! I am not pleased with either of you tonight!"

"ESPECIALLY NOT ME!" shouted a voice from outside the station.

Everyone looked and there was David striding into the station, right towards the man.

"Who do you think you are, calling my engine something that is NEVER used anymore?! Only in Italy, may you find such...archeological 'antiques' as you claim!"

"No gripes out of YOU, Mr. Rider!" the man groused. "First this emerald spills my tea, then Thomas soaks me! I don't need YOUR cheek too!"

"No? Then get BACK in line!" David growled. "Slip back into your shell and stay out of MY engine's way!"

"Slip back in my shell?" the man exclaimed, most affronted. "But Rider, she-"

"If you're inclined to follow Seamus' former path, I'll eat my coat!" David glowered sarcastically.

"Your emerald upset my tea, and you take HER side?! Ridiculous!" the man complained. "I apologized already, and YOU have to barge in like this?!"

"Young man, I CANNOT allow you to trouble my best friend and Sodor's Safety Engine!" David scolded irritably.

"Does spilling tea on my best trousers look like a safety engine's job to YOU?!" the man lipped back. "Is blowing bubbles all they're good at?!"

"RRAA-AAGH!"

David roared almost like a silverback gorilla with a blood-red face and bloodshot eyes as he charged towards the man, taking Thomas, Emily, Seamus and the Fat Controller by shock and worry. David seized the man's collar and pulled him close, almost ready to choke him. The man groaned and winced as David's anchor-like grip clung to his collar. David panted and bared his teeth for a moment or two before his eyes looked to Emily. The piercing, steely look of disapproval and intolerance she gave disarmed him in that mere instant.

"Hmm...Mmm..." David sighed, shaking his head and softening his grip on the man's collar. Then he looked to Emily. "Did he apologize?"

Emily maintained her steely look as she answered. "Yes. Right after Thomas wheeshed him."

"Are you SURE?" David insisted with narrowing eyes.

"Yes! There was no lie in this man's eyes," Emily answered. "A fool for such comments...but honest and apologetic nonetheless."

"...Then you may pardon him, if that is your judgement," David replied. "But if it were up to me, I gladly would have locked him in the Sea Emperor's brig!"

"That won't be necessary, thank you," Emily replied sternly.

"Very well, then," David said with a discontent glare to the man as he turned and marched away...

Thomas suddenly woke up and looked around, seeing the other engines had come back. Then he looked to Emily sleeping in her berth too. He thought to the little dream he just had, and he had to admit that Emily was right. This would indeed be one occasion where David didn't need to step in. Thomas soon fell asleep again, too tired to think much more. But now Emily was dreaming something of her own...

Emily was huffing along the Main Line with her coaches and passengers until she came near where the cow strayed onto the line. Emily kept looking back to her coaches, thinking about what had happened that evening and how she intended to get over it soon enough...until she looked ahead and saw something else beside the line. Not a cow, but it was enough to make Emily stop, albeit much more smoothly and steadily, then she stared to who she saw.

"Emily?" David asked, looking Emily in the eye. She suddenly remembered the need not to tell him about what happened.

"You didn't hear about it, did you, David?" she asked nervously.

"Where is that man?" David asked suspiciously.

"Stay away!" Emily ordered.

"Emily!" David urged as he nonetheless came closer. "I swore to protect you and Sodor from any further atrocities like Sailor John!"

"Can you protect Sodor from your temper?" Emily asked, surprising David a little. "...Will you not let us resolve this matter ourselves?"

David stepped a little closer to Emily with his eyes looking even deeper, almost as if he were being mildly possessed. Then Emily heard a tiny, quiet little voice echoing through the air...that made her feel that it was Thomas' former demon, trying to commune to her best friend.

"David..." the voice clouded very softly through David's mind. "David...Ambitious...Daring..."

David got onto Emily's running plate, and as soon as he held her cheek and petted it, the voice faded away into silence. Emily saw a most potently collected expression on his face now.

"I would have locked him away in the brig," David said quietly and heavily. "And then released him duly upon him seeing his mistake...but I can see I am not needed in this tale. I leave it to you and Thomas, however you see fit."

He then patted Emily's cheek and stepped down, much to Emily's very calmed heart now.

"I know," she whispered. "Go on with your business until we meet up again. Don't tell Beatrice about this either. She shouldn't be needlessly burdened for something as minor as this."

David smiled gently and gazed into Emily's eyes with a single nod of assurance...until the vision drifted away and Emily began to wake up.

Emily woke up and let the present moment dawn back to her. She saw the other engines had come back, and Thomas was still asleep. She too thought back to her dream, then felt it coming together that David wouldn't be involved in this incident after all. Her lips perked upward a little and she fell back asleep too...

The time passed. One, two then three days. Thomas remained in the sheds and Emily kept on with her work with the other engines, greeting Thomas good morning each day as she left. Slowly, but surely, Emily began to notice that neither Gordon nor James or any other engine said anything about her soap incident. Rather, they greeted her as friendly and openly as Nia, Rebecca and Percy did. Furthermore, whenever she passed stations, she saw people giving her consoling, empathizing expressions, and she sometimes heard people gripe about what that man called her.

"What sort of shallow, outrageous pig is that man?!" some people said. "Spitting that pile of rubbish on Emily when she did the most sensible thing!"

"THAT was the worst insult towards an engine I've ever heard of in my life!" others had snapped angrily.

"He should pack up and leave Sodor! Just like George!" one or two others said.

To Emily, it seemed that Thomas wouldn't need to gripe much himself anyway. Word had indeed got around, and that was enough for her. While Emily kept on with her work, and while Thomas waited out his punishment, Seamus talked things over with the man who called her a pumping engine. Seamus told the man several things about Emily's strong, unequaled qualities, her really useful and sensible strengths, her adventures with David and so forth, and about what an amazing, sensible engine she was...until on the third evening, while walking along the road together, Seamus sternly told the man one more thing...about all of Emily's siblings except for Bernard which she, David and Thomas knew all too well. Then Seamus turned and walked away, just as Emily passed by with train. That man looked up and saw her beautiful, lovely form huff along...and after what he had just heard...that's when he felt it.

"Emily?" he trembled with burning shame, stinging realization and a pounding heart of regret. "Emily...! What have I done?! Please, Emily!"

Emily kept huffing strongly along the line as she thought she heard a distant cry of desperation and strong remorse far behind her.

"Emily, I'm SORRY! Emily!"

Emily looked back as she heard what sounded like that man's voice and thought a little more until she returned to Tidmouth Sheds that night. But she decided not to say anything about it to Thomas until the right moment. She felt like she knew what would happen the next day, and with no further thought on the matter, she fell asleep at once with him.

Finally, after four whole days, the sun rose over Tidmouth Sheds. Thomas had been shut up all this time for wheeshing that man and awaited to be let out again, while also thinking once in a while about what that man said and what he did in response. Then sure enough, Fat Controller came by Tidmouth Sheds and opened Thomas' shed doors, who prepared himself for whatever the Fat Controller had to say. Emily watched with interest.

"I hope you are sorry, Thomas," he said solidly. "And I know too that you meant to protect Emily like the husband figure you are to her. But you had better clearly understand that really useful engines don't EVER wheesh fellow passengers. I will let you out now if you promise not to do anything of that sort again."

"Yes, sir. I promise, sir," Thomas said lowly and meekly, looking to Emily with a little nod. Emily nodded back, and the Fat Controller nodded too.

Then Thomas made his way slowly to Knapford Station and collected his train. Emily followed him along the line with her train until they came to two red signals. Thomas and Emily stopped and looked to each other, not sure of what to say. After four days, Thomas wondered when and how he would see that man next. Perhaps he hadn't learned any lessons and would be just as rude as ever. No such thing. Only a moment later, Thomas and Emily's eyes trailed to the road beside the line...and there was that very man who complained about Emily and called her such an uncouth name. But something was different. The man seemed extremely humble, quiet and not rude at all. Thomas and Emily watched as he slowly walked toward the line. His shoulders twitched. He wiped his eyes. Thomas wondered if he was crying. He wasn't, but the man came closer and closer, until he looked up again and stopped.

"Thomas..." he said quietly. "So you're out and about again."

"Sir...forgive me," Thomas said solemnly, looking back to his behaviour.

"No..." the man said quietly. "Forgive me for not understanding...that your Emily IS our official safety engine, and she always will be. I want to apologize properly for the horrible things I said about her. I wish heal these offenses in friendship, and I take back every single word I said about her being a pumping engine. NO engine can help it if a cow strays onto the line, and I should never have let myself get so bothered by something that wasn't her fault."

In that moment, after four days of waiting, Thomas felt a great deal of weight ebb away from his heart, and Emily felt just the same as she tingled comfortably. It was nothing overly dramatic or overdone. It was just humble and to the point.

"Well...there are many words and certain behaviour I would take back also," Thomas answered.

"Seamus gave me a strong talking-to, Thomas," said the man. "He said lots about what Emily can do and what an amazing engine she is, and I can't argue against any of it. I know I haven't been very neighbourly, Emily, but...well, Seamus told me all your siblings were withdrawn from service except for Bernard, just like Thomas' siblings were all withdrawn and scrapped and...I was ashamed even further. I...tried calling out to you when I saw you pass by yesterday."

"Did you now?" Emily pondered. "I wondered if I heard you out there."

"Really, Emily?" Thomas pondered.

"I wanted to wait for you to hear about it...until today," Emily winked gently to Thomas.

The man then shook his head regretfully and gently touched Emily's bufferbeam.

"Once again, Emily, you are no antique pumping engine, and never will be," he said surely. "I'm infinitely sorry I so-named you."

"It's alright. That doesn't matter anymore, sir," Emily began. "Don't be hard on yourself."

"But it does matter to me," the man almost whimpered. "You DO understand what to do in moments like that, and I now know you would do anything to keep your passengers and friends safe...I just feel so humiliated and disgusted by the things I said. Emily the Stirling Single, I own myself an ass. You were right, I was wrong. I just don't know what other words to convey of how ashamed and sorry I am."

"Ahem," Emily cleared her throat. "Your honesty and words right now are more than enough, sir."

"Indeed, they are," said Thomas. "But I should be apologizing too, sir. I'm the one who wheeshed you from head to toe and soaked you all over. I know I shouldn't have done that, or called you the names that I did. It's just what you said about Emily that day...it filled me with so much hate that it made me forget that perhaps you were only saying it because you were angry. We all say things we never truly mean when we get emotional. I do it, the Fat Controller does it, David does it, we all do it once in a while. So what I want to say is...I'm sorry for wheeshing you, sir."

To this, the man nodded and even smiled.

"And gladly, I accept your amends, Thomas. I can see you're truly sorry, and that you know I never mean those awful words. And if anything, being wheeshed probably served me right anyway. But nonetheless, I accept your apologies, Thomas. Thank you both. Friends?"

That was all Thomas and Emily really needed to hear to carry on.

"Friends," both engines said together with a smile.

Thomas and Emily carried on with their day, as did the man, more humble and wise than he was before. Word got around about what happened that morning, and as Emily had told Thomas, she indeed got over that event and was soon carrying on as chipper as ever. As for that man, he was rather touchy on this subject for some time afterward, but Thomas and especially Emily were quick to notice that the other engines stopped making teasing remarks about bubbling boilers, and that from that day on, that man never made another rude remark about Emily whenever she fulfilled her duties as safety engine, and no one ever called her a pumping engine again. But there was yet another little challenge for the engines to be faced with, as some rather hefty winds would blow through Sodor soon. Maybe too windy for signals and certain huts.

---

So this entire story was based simply on one line of dialogue from Victor Tanzig's "Stories of Sodor" series on YouTube, specifically the Season 4 episode "Secrets", where its revealed that Henry and Emily have secretly been married for years - yes, two steam engines officially married each other in that universe - and Emily very briefly talks about a time where Henry wheeshed steam at someone for saying Emily would be better off as a pumping station and she had to be comforted by Henry. So I decided to have a story with that pumping station insult in mind and this is the end result. Seriously, check out Victor Tanzig's stories, they're fantastic. Also, this story pretty much puts an end to others constantly making fun of Emily for what happened to her in "Bubbling Boilers". Until next time, tell us what you thought of this story and we'll see you next time. Stay safe.