SCHOOLHOUSE RYAN

A storm had rolled in over the Island of Sodor. The wind was starting to pick up, and it was forecasted it could start raining heavily any minute. Ryan, the tank engine who worked on the Harwick Branch Line, was eager to find shelter as soon as possible. He raced up to the shed, panting heavily.

"Phew! Made it just in time!" he sighed with relief. Daisy, who was already there dozing, opened a sleepy eye.

"What time is it?" She then noticed Ryan, shivering nervously next to her. "Ryan? What are you doing here? Don't you have trucks to pull?"

"I-I'm not going out there during a storm! I could get struck by lightning, o-or hit by a fallen tree, or who knows what else! At least in here, it's safe!" Daisy rolled her eyes at Ryan's cowardice and closed them again.

"Whatever you say, Ryan." A crash of thunder made Ryan yelp in fright. He gulped nervously as rain started pouring down outside.

The storm lasted all day, but by the next morning, it had passed. Ryan opened an eye to make sure the coast was clear.

"Huh. There doesn't seem to be much damage," he commented. Daisy snorted.

"Good. Maybe next time there's a storm you won't cower in your shed then."

"You didn't go out either!" Ryan said defensively.

"You can't expect me to go out in such rain, Ryan. My mascara will run. Besides, who'd want to travel in that weather anyway?" Ryan pouted and rolled away to fetch some trucks. As he puffed into Harwick, he was surprised to see Duck at the station throat, Jack loading his trucks with debris.

"What happened here?" Ryan gasped. Jack reversed from the trucks and smiled.

"Oh, hello, Ryan. The school in Harwick got badly damaged by the storm yesterday, so Duck and I are helping to clear it all up."

"Maybe you would know that if you didn't leave the rest of us to do your work while you hid in the shed," Duck mused. Ryan chuckled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Duck, I just don't do well in storms. I thought everyone else took shelter too!"

"Some of us have to keep things running, no matter the weather, Ryan. Trains don't stop just because there's a bit of thunder," Duck replied briskly. He whistled and rolled away, leaving Ryan to sigh.

"Oh dear… I suppose Duck's not too happy with me."

"Never mind, Ryan," Jack said sympathetically, "I don't work well in storms either." But Ryan still couldn't help but feel guilty.

Ryan had soon collected his trucks and arrived at Knapford, where Thomas was waiting to depart with Annie and Clarabel. He was so busy wondering how he could make things up to Duck that he didn't notice Daisy pull into the station.

"Oh, get off, get off! Stop that, you hooligans!" Daisy groaned as several children poured out of her and onto the platform. Thomas chuckled.

"What's the problem now, Daisy?" Daisy glared.

"The problem, Thomas, is thanks to that blasted storm, all the children from Harwick's school have to come down here to Knapford instead!" Thomas raised an eyebrow.

"Harwick? I would've thought they'd have gone to Arlesburgh. It's closer, isn't it?"

"That's what I said! But no, apparently there just isn't enough room there, so they asked me to take them here this morning. Ugh, why couldn't a bus have done it instead? For once, I want that dratted Bulgy to take my passengers."

"Be careful what you wish for…" Thomas muttered. Ryan had overheard the conversation and gasped.

"Taking children! That sounds like a fun job!" Daisy scowled.

"Fun?! Listen, Ryan, you don't know passengers like I do, especially children. No matter what you tell them, they'll always make a mess! I have crumbs in my lovely upholstery, sticky handprints all over my clean windows, and don't even mention my springs." While she was ranting, all the children had gotten off, and her guard blew the whistle. Daisy shuddered.

"You'll have to take the children back this afternoon, Thomas. I'm off to see my fitter." She honked her horn and hurried away.

"Wait, Daisy!" Thomas protested, "I'm busy on my branch line! You can't just… ugh. Even when not working on the same line anymore, she still manages to dump all her jobs on me."

"Oh, can I do it, Thomas? Please? I'd love that!" Ryan pleaded. Thomas looked unsure.

"I wouldn't mind, Ryan, but you're not exactly a passenger engine. Maybe I should ask Duck-"

"Don't bother with that, Thomas!" Ryan cut in, worrying that if Duck got extra work, he'd be more annoyed at him, "I'll just find a coach to take them in later!" He whistled and rolled away before Thomas could object.

Ryan traveled back up the Little Western with another goods train, starting to realize the predicament he had just gotten himself into.

"Oh dear… Where am I going to find a coach?" He pulled into Bluff's Cove to wait for a red signal. Up ahead on the nearby siding, Ryan spotted Whiff peering into a couple of rubbish trucks. Ryan whistled to get Whiff's attention.

"Hello, Whiff! Um… what are you doing?" Whiff grinned.

"Looking for recycling, Ryan! You'd never guess what things people throw away when really, they're still good as new! Like, hmm… This old tyre!" Whiff's driver stuck a gloved hand into one of the trucks and pulled out a dusty car tyre.

"See, Ryan?" Whiff called back, "Just bung on a couple of chains and you can use it as a swing!" Ryan had no idea what Whiff was talking about, yet still smiled in encouragement regardless.

"That's nice, Whiff! Good on you!" The signal dropped and Ryan hurried away. Whiff glanced at his driver, who held up a trumpet.

"Er… do you want to test it out?" The driver immediately tossed it back into the rubbish truck.

"Oh."

Upon dropping off his trucks at Arlesburgh, Ryan looked all around for a coach, but the task was easier said than done. Ryan spotted the Slip Coaches on a siding and gasped.

"Those would be perfect!" The Slip Coaches shared confused looks as Ryan puffed towards them.

"Hello! I'm Ryan, and I need a coach to pick up the children from school! Are any of you available?" Before any of the baffled coaches could reply, Duck backed down onto them, cutting Ryan off from reaching them.

"These are my coaches, Ryan," Duck said firmly, "You can't just take them for some other job." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Your coaches? I didn't know you could own coaches. Do I have my own then?" Duck sighed. Ryan rolled into Knapford Station, grinning as he saw Gordon at the platform with his express coaches.

"Say, Gordon, um-"

"No." Ryan's face fell, disappointed.

"But you don't know what-"

"I don't have time for whatever it is you want, Ryan. The express waits for no one!" Gordon whistled and puffed away importantly. Sadly, Ryan puffed into the yard, hoping to find a spare coach there. A line of red branch line coaches stood on a siding. Ryan advanced towards them, but Stafford rolled past, pushing them away. Ryan groaned.

Ryan rolled down the Little Western again, desperately searching for a coach not in use. To his dismay, he only found Oliver with a goods train at Haultraugh. Oliver frowned as Ryan pulled in.

"Ryan? What's the matter?"

"Daisy doesn't want to take the children to school and back, Oliver, so I volunteered to help, but there isn't a coach I can use anywhere!" Ryan explained, exasperated. Oliver thought for a moment.

"Are you sure there isn't, Ryan? There are a lot of coaches on Sodor."

"If I may make a suggestion, Mr. Ryan, why don't you ask The Fat Controller? I'm sure he could arrange something," suggested Toad. Ryan gasped in realization.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that before! That would've been much easier than going around the railway looking for one!" Oliver and Toad shared a look.

"Thanks, you two! I owe you one!" Ryan whistled and eagerly reversed away.

"Erm, what exactly does he owe us, Mr. Oliver?" Toad asked curiously.

The sun was higher in the sky now, and Ryan knew he was running out of time. He puffed back down the line to Knapford as quickly as he could.

"I must find a coach, I must!" he panted to himself. As he passed by some bushes, a voice called out.

"Oh, hello! Who's looking for a coach?" Ryan froze, looking around nervously.

"W-Who said that?" he stammered.

"Don't be frightened! I'm over here! That's it, this way!" the voice called. Ryan looked over and spotted a glimpse of red behind the bushes.

"Huh?" His driver hopped down and switched the points, which looked like they hadn't been used for a long time. Reluctantly, Ryan rolled forward, feeling the old rails creak under him. To his shock, at the end of a siding stood an old coach. Its windows were broken, and it was leaning on one side.

"W-Who are you?" The coach grinned eagerly.

"I'm Dexter!" Ryan yelped as a rat scurried over the track in front of him.

"I'm… Ryan. How long have you been here?"

"A long time, I think. I've lost count; I was once a fancy dining coach, but I was shunted here after me axles went, you see. A new supply of rolling stock came in at the time, and the board decided it wasn't worth the money to mend me." Ryan was about to speak when Dexter cut him off.

"But that doesn't matter now! You're here, and clearly looking for a coach, and here I am! It's like it was destiny! What's the job?"

"I was going to pick up the children from Knapford, but-"

"Oh, children! I love children! They make an old coach feel young again! This is perfect! Just pull me out of here and we'll be on our way!" Ryan thought for a moment.

"Well… I do need a coach, and I've used old trucks before without a hitch." Ryan smiled. "Come on, Dexter!" Dexter grinned giddily as the purple tank engine was coupled up to him. Ryan heaved, but Dexter wouldn't budge.

"It's just me old brakes, they must be locked on. No matter, just pull harder!" Dexter encouraged. Ryan obliged, but instead of pulling Dexter out of the siding, the old coach's axles broke completely. Ryan sighed.

"I'm sorry, Dexter. I do need a coach, but… oh, what's the use? I'm just not any good at pulling coaches. Maybe Thomas was right…"

"Don't say that, silly! When you were pulling me, it felt wonderful! The first time I moved in years!" Ryan frowned.

"You barely moved an inch."

"An inch is better than nothing at all!" Dexter smiled, "One wheel-turn at a time! I just need some new wheels, windows, paint, and I'll be as good as new!" Ryan's driver uncoupled him from Dexter and he started rolling away.

"I can be useful, honestly! You're not leaving, are you? We just met!" But Ryan didn't reply as he sadly puffed out of sight. Dexter frowned for a moment before smiling again.

"He'll come back."

Ryan trundled along the Little Western back up to Arlesburgh, having abandoned his plan to speak to the Fat Controller. He did feel bad about leaving Dexter, but he felt worse since he thought he let everyone down.

"Ryan?" Ryan looked up and saw Daisy on the other side of the level crossing.

"Oh. Hello, Daisy."

"Where are you going? Thomas told me you were picking up the children from school today!" Ryan sighed.

"Sorry, Daisy. I did want to, but I can't find a coach anywhere. Besides, maybe it's best I don't do it anyway…"

"Well, I certainly can't do it! I was just cleaned!" Daisy protested, "And it could be months before that school gets repaired!" At the mention of repairs, Ryan's mind drifted back to Dexter.

"I wonder if…" A broad grin crossed Ryan's face. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Don't worry, Daisy! I have this all under control, you'll see! Now, no one will have to pick up the children from school!" The crossing gates opened and Ryan raced through. Daisy was still confused.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

In the yard at Arlesburgh, Duck was shunting Judy and Jerome into their siding after using them to clear some debris from the track when Ryan pulled in, screeching to a halt. Duck frowned as he reversed from the two cranes.

"Ryan? What's the hurry?"

"No time to explain, Duck! The children will be let out soon! Can you take them please?"

"Weren't you going to take them, Ryan? That's why were you fussing so much about a coach, wasn't it?"

"Sorry, Duck, but I can't. You know more about coaches than I do; you'd be better suited for the job." Duck was impressed.

"Well then, I don't see why not-"

"Perfect!" Ryan interrupted as he was coupled up to the breakdown train, "Come on Judy and Jerome, we have a coach to save!"

"A coach? What does he mean by that, Judy?"

"Probably just one that derailed in the yard, Jerome; must've been blown off the tracks by the wind last night. We're right behind you, Ryan!" Ryan whistled and puffed triumphantly away. Duck stared in bewilderment.

Dexter sat on his lonely siding, still waiting for Ryan to return.

"He is coming back, isn't he?" he wondered aloud, "Surely, he didn't just abandon me… right?" Just as he was started to have his doubts, Ryan's whistle blew, and he rolled into the siding, a stunned Judy and Jerome behind him.

"Ryan!" Dexter cried gleefully. Ryan smiled.

"Hello, Dexter! Meet Judy and Jerome!" The two cranes glanced at each other.

"Was this coach really left to rust here, Judy?"

"I suppose so; poor little thing. Don't worry, Dexter. We're going to get you out of here!" Dexter gasped.

"Out of this siding, you mean? Hooray! Are we going to pick up those children now, Ryan?" Ryan chuckled.

"Yes, but not in the way you think!" Carefully, Judy and Jerome lifted Dexter from his siding and onto the flatbed between them. Dexter grew more and more excited as Ryan pulled him back to Harwick. Duck, who had just brought the children back from Knapford, gaped as Ryan entered the station.

"R-Ryan?!"

"Hello, Duck!" Ryan said cheerfully. The children were surprised too, as Dexter was carefully lowered onto some bricks near the station. "Come on, everyone!" Ryan called to them, "Let's get Dexter looking brand new again!" Dexter was delighted as excited children ran over to him. Soon, they had scraped off his old paint and the time had come to repaint him.

"How about blue?" Dexter suggested eagerly, "I always wanted to be blue, but all the other coaches were red!" And so it was; the children all started repainting him. Dexter was surprised, however, when the children started adding their own drawings to him.

"Er, Ryan? I love the drawings, but would the passengers approve? It looks a bit informal, doesn't it?"

"Maybe, but that's the thing; you're not carrying passengers, Dexter! You're going to become the new classroom for the children!" Ryan had hoped that Dexter wouldn't mind this new, sudden change in job, and to his amazement, Dexter started laughing with joy.

"Me as a classroom! Why, it's like a dream come true! Thank you, Ryan! This is much better than being on that siding any day!"

It took a few more days to restore Dexter and set up everything inside for the children. In the meantime, Duck continued taking the children to Knapford. One day, Dexter's restoration was complete, and Duck and Ryan watched as the first day of school inside him commenced.

"I'll admit, Ryan," Duck remarked, "it's unconventional, but clever." Ryan beamed, feeling he had redeemed himself in Duck's eyes.

"Thanks, Duck! But really, it's Dexter who agreed to it! Everything alright, Dexter?"

"It's more than alright, Ryan; it's amazing!" Dexter grinned. Ryan and Duck shared a look.

"It's only temporary, though, isn't it? The school in the town's going to be repaired eventually."

"Which would mean you'd get to go back to working on the railway, Dexter," Ryan added, "Would you like that?" Dexter thought for a moment.

"No thank you, Ryan. I appreciate the offer, but I'm more than happy staying as I am! Even without wheels, I'm still really useful!" From then on, Dexter was the new classroom. He and Ryan remained firm friends as whenever Ryan would arrive at Harwick, he would see Dexter, continuing to be really useful, just in a different way.

Author's Note: This one was written in late January, so not too long ago at the time of me posting this. This rewrite's the first one that has a changed lead, though it won't be the last. In the episode it was Duck, and that worked greatly, don't get me wrong, yet part of me wondered what it'd be like if Ryan was the lead instead, which spawned this. Writing this helped me figure some stuff out, mainly how to write Ryan and how he interacts with others. There's also Duck, who despite being demoted, still managed to maintain a large role, which wasn't on purpose but I'm happy it happened. I managed to sneak Oliver and Toad in, since for some reason they were completely absent in Season 22. I also replaced Reg's scene in the episode with Whiff since Ryan going to the scrapyard seemed a bit out of place; plus. it gave me a chance to utilize Whiff a bit, which is always nice. Dexter, meanwhile, is set up here to be used in my stories at some point in the future. The next rewrite, however, isn't gonna set anything in particular up like the first three have, though hopefully it'll still be worthwhile. See you then!