PANICKY PHILIP

Every morning, Edward always is sure to stop by the shunting yard to talk to Philip.

"Edward's here!" Philip cried excitedly, having just heard Edward's whistle from the yard. He burst out of Knapford Sheds, leaving the other engines knowingly chuckling. Philip made a beeline for Edward, who had hardly even stopped before the boxcab braked alongside.

"Oh! You're here already? One of these days, you'll get here before me," Edward chuckled. Philip gasped.

"Maybe I will! We could make it a race if you like! I know you don't usually race, but I think you could be good at it! How is your day going? Mine's going great! It only just started, but a day must be great if you're in it!" Edward smiled as Philip continued chatting a mile a minute.

One day, Philip awoke in the sheds as usual. As soon as his eyes opened, he raced out of the shed, blaring his horn.

"Edward! Edwa…" Philip broke off; as his eyes darted around the yard, Edward was nowhere to be seen.

"...rd?" Philip finished, confused. Stanley rolled alongside, yawning.

"Philip? What's the matter?"

"Where's Edward, Stanley?" Stanley was caught off guard by the question.

"Well, um… I don't know? He's usually here this early in the morning, isn't he?"

"Exactly! But he isn't today! He always comes to say hello! Has something happened to him?" he asked worriedly. Stanley was unsure how to reply, so he glanced back at the other engines, mentally begging them to step in. Unfortunately for him, Harvey, Stafford and Charlie didn't seem to want to, Harvey mouthing "sorry."

"I'm… sure he'll be here soon, Philip," Stanley said at last, hoping he sounded confident enough, "He must have just gotten delayed. It happens sometimes."

"But what delayed him?" Philip inquired, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. Stanley momentarily winced and began rolling away.

"We haven't time for questions, Philip, there are trains to shunt!" Philip pouted and sadly looked to where Edward always pulled up. After a moment's hesitation, he followed Stanley to work.

Philip tried to concentrate on his shunting, but he simply couldn't. All he could think about was Edward and why he hadn't arrived yet. As a result, he wasn't being particularly careful.

"Ouch!" James exclaimed as Philip accidentally bumped his coaches into him. He glared back crossly.

"Get your radiator out of the clouds, Philip!" Philip smiled sheepishly.

"Oops! Sorry, James!" James grunted and rolled away, revealing the rear of a blue tender that looked very familiar indeed. Philip gasped with joy.

"Edward's here!" Philip immediately raced off to see him. However, as Charlie shunted aside some trucks, Philip could see more of the engine and just who it really was. He sighed in disappointment as he drew beside them.

"Oh… It's just you, Gordon." Gordon snorted indignantly.

"Just me? What cheek! I'll have you know-"

"I'm sorry, Gordon, I was just looking for Edward!" Philip cut in. Gordon wasn't any less annoyed.

"Bah! Do I look like Edward to you? Just because we're both blue tender engines doesn't mean-"

"It was simply a mistake, Gordon, no need to have a row about it," Stanley interrupted hastily, rolling between him and Philip. Gordon scoffed.

"An amateur mistake…" he grumbled and rolled away. Stanley sighed with relief and glanced at Philip.

"Are you alright, Philip?"

"I'm fine, but I don't know if Edward is! Where could he be, Stanley?" Stanley was about to reply when Philip noticed Duck coming into the yard. Philip honked his horn frantically, racing right in front of Duck.

"Duck, Duck!" Duck screeched to a halt, just barely avoiding hitting Philip.

"Philip! What's gotten into you?"

"Have you seen Edward today, Duck? It's an emergency!" Philip exclaimed. Duck thought for a moment.

"Well, er… no, actually. I've been busy on my-"

"See, Stanley, I'm not the only one!" Philip cut in hastily, "Edward must be in trouble!"

"Slow down, Philip, Edward's a resilient engine," Duck replied kindly, "I'm sure he's just fine."

"Besides, someone must've seen him," agreed Stanley, "Maybe you could ask a few engines about him." Philip grinned.

"You're right! I'll find Edward if it's the last thing I do!" Philip reversed away from Duck, the points were switched and he scampered off down the line, away from the yard.

"Wait, Philip, come back!" shouted Stanley, "I meant…" But Philip had already left. Stanley sighed.

"...here." Duck gave him a sympathetic look.

Soon enough, Philip was asking everyone he met if they had seen Edward.

"Have you seen Edward, Thomas?" Philip asked, braking alongside Thomas at Knapford.

"Sorry, Philip, I haven't," Thomas replied apologetically.

"Neither have we," chorused Annie and Clarabel. Philip sighed. He rolled up to Diesel, who had stopped at Kellsthorpe to fill up on fuel.

"Diesel! Have you-" Diesel blew smoke from his exhaust in Philip's face and rolled away, chuckling darkly. Philip coughed before groaning.

"Come to think of it, I did see a blue engine today," Sidney mused at the Blue Mountain Quarry. Philip gasped excitedly.

"You did?! Where?"

"Uh…" Just then, Sir Handel passed with some trucks, looking as grumpy as ever. Sidney smiled.

"Oh, that's him right there!" Philip stared blankly at him.

It wasn't long before Philip grew frustrated enough to give up his search. He groaned as he slowly rolled along the main line.

"No one has seen Edward today! Duck must've been wrong… Edward has to be in trouble!" He gasped in horror.

"He must've had an accident! An accident that no one knows happened, so he's been stranded all day!" His pace quickened and he started talking faster and faster.

"I have to find Edward and quickly! But who can help me…?" As he said this, he pulled into Dryaw station, where Harold the Helicopter stood on his helipad. Harold noticed the boxcab approaching.

"Hello there, old chap! You do look put out." Philip screeched to a halt and reversed as he saw the large helicopter. He had never seen him before, but he wasn't focused on that.

"I need to find Edward as soon as I can! He's had an accident!" Harold frowned.

"Edward? Having an accident?"

"Yes!" Philip cried, annoyed that Harold didn't seem to understand, "We have to find him! He could be in danger!"

"Tell you what, chap, I can search for him from the air. A bird's eye view, as they say. Would be more efficient than you looking at least." Philip didn't catch on to Harold's condescending attitude and smiled gratefully.

"Oh, thank you, big… um..."

"Helicopter, chap. Watch me, you'll soon understand." Harold's large arms began to spin around and soon, he lifted off from his helipad and into the sky. Philip watched in amazement as Harold buzzed away.

"Wow…"

Philip headed back to the yard, and for the first time that day, he felt at ease.

"That Harold's amazing! He'll find Edward in no time! I just hope he's okay…" In the distance, Philip could hear talking. Curiously, he rounded a bend and saw Douglas at a red signal with a goods train. Donald was just stopping alongside, pulling a works unit coach.

"What have ye got there, Donnie?" Douglas asked curiously. To Philip's surprise, Donald seemed unusually sullen.

"Just some workmen. Apparently, there's a giant mess down at the Clay Pits. Trucks everywhere."

"Aye, ye dinnae say… Poor Edward," murmured Douglas, "Must be going through quite tae ordeal right now." Philip gasped.

"Edward!" Donald and Douglas jumped and looked back in surprise.

"Where'd ye come from?" burst out Donald. Philip didn't bother to reply as in a wild panic, he shot past the twins and into the distance. Donald and Douglas shared a confused look.

Philip pounded the rails as he raced faster and faster down the line.

"Edward's in danger, I have to save him!" he panted, "Don't worry, Edward, I'll be there! Just hold on!" Just up ahead, there was a set of points in the line that were against Philip, but he was so busy panicking that he didn't realize this.

"Philip to the rescue- whoa!" Philip cried, his front wheels biffing into the points. They came off the rails and Philip, unbalanced, tipped off the tracks onto his side into a bank beside the line. Philip opened an eye and groaned.

"How am I going to save Edward now?" Suddenly, he heard a familiar buzzing noise from above. He looked up and saw Harold.

"Harold! Help!" Philip called desperately. From up in the sky, Harold could faintly hear a yelling. He looked down and saw Philip's accident. Harold sighed as he hovered to where he was just above Philip.

"So, you went off waffling, did you?" Philip stared in confusion, having no idea what Harold just said, though the helicopter didn't seem to notice.

"You didn't listen to me, clearly. Helicopters are much better scouts than you engines; we can't have a silly accident like this at least." Philip looked down at his buffers, ashamed.

"Never mind, chap, you did your best," Harold added hastily, "I'll get help as soon as I can. Sit tight!" Harold took off again, leaving Philip once again on his own.

Philip felt worse by the minute, lodged in his uncomfortable position.

"I've let everyone down… I've let Edward down! I hope Harold rescues him first…" Just then, he heard a whistle. He looked up in surprise to see Harvey rolling up, Harold flying above.

"Philip!" gasped Harvey, "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me, Harvey!" Philip called, "You need to go to the Clay Pits! Edward's had an accident!"

"Philip?" Philip's eyes widened - he knew that voice. He looked in shock as Edward rolled up in the opposite direction, completely unharmed.

"E-Edward! You're okay!" Edward glanced at Harvey, who just looked as confused as he did.

"Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

"B-Because you didn't come to say hello this morning, and you never came all day! A-And no one else had seen you either, and I heard Donald mention an accident at the Clay Pits and-"

"-you panicked," Edward cut in gently. He smiled ruefully.

"It's flattering you were you so worried, Philip, but the accident wasn't mine at all. I was simply helping to clear up a large mess that Bill and Ben had made." Philip gaped.

"Bill and… Ben?" A loud horn echoed around the area as in the distance, a large, green diesel approached, pulling a very battered and embarrassed Bill and Ben on flatbeds.

"Those two can be quite the troublemakers," Edward explained, "From what Timothy told me, a prank of theirs went wrong and… well…" Edward gave a stern look to the twins as they passed by. Bill and Ben looked away, ashamed, as the diesel rolled away. Now, Philip felt ashamed too.

"Oh… I've been a bit silly, haven't I?"

"You can say that again," remarked Harold. Harvey glared up at him.

"Never mind, Philip. We'll have you back on the rails in no time," the crane engine said kindly.

"Thanks, Harvey." Philip sighed.

"I promise not to panic so much again, Edward." He then gasped as a thought struck him.

"Stanley! Where's Stanley?! I've been away for so long, he should be looking for me! What if he's had a terrible-" Stanley's whistle cut him off as he wearily pulled up to the accident alongside Harvey.

"Philip! There you are-" He broke off, realizing Philip's situation.

"Stafford won't let me hear the end of this…" Stanley muttered mournfully. Philip chuckled nervously as Edward gave him a look.

Author's Note: I felt like Panicky Percy missed the mark on Percy's characterization, so I decided to switch him over to Philip, who I feel makes a lot more sense. This was short, but I feel like the plot is simple enough to warrant it. Since Stafford got a role last time, I figured it fair to give Stanley one here, and I'm glad I did since I feel like he fits better in the role. Harold's role got expanded from the episode, where he just sort of shows up at the end, and it was very fun (and sweet) expanding Edward and Philip's dynamic. For the large, green diesel that cameos, yes, it's exactly who you think it is... unless you thought Bear for some reason. Why? Because if this was really how the episode went with BoCo's return in the show being him popping up without speaking with shots that specifically obscured his face, that'd be hilarious. If you ask why it isn't Timothy who's actually in CGI, well... he's still at the pits helping to clean up. I probably won't do this again for any other character so don't worry about it. Don't consider it fan service, consider it... "me service", heh. Anyway, there probably won't be any adaptations for a while as I focus my efforts towards another original story. In the meantime, thank you for reading!