[A/N]: Now before we begin, I want to say that I wanted to base this fanfic off of Bluestar's Animatic by Nifty-Senpai who sadly didn't get back to me and I grew impatient over it. With some asking about it, I decided to go on ahead with it. Time to let my mind flow freely like the river.
Allegiances:
Bluestar (Owner of Puffer Thunndersnake 2-6-6-4 1238 "Rorick")
Fireheart (Owner of Puffer Thundersnake 4-8-4 604 "Jensen")
Cloudtail (Owner of Growler Thundersnake GP-9 500 "Henry")
Goosefeather (Owner of Puffer Thundersnake 4-4-2 606 "Norton")
Minor characters:
Whitestorm (Owner of Puffer Thundersnake 4-8-2 119)
Brightheart (Owner of Growler Thundersnake GP-9 795)
Graystripe (Owner of Growler Thundersnake SD-7 2943)
Thrushpelt (Owner of Puffer Thundersnake 4-8-0 475)
Spottedleaf (Owner of Puffer Thundersnake 4-8-4 613)
Silverstream (Over of Growler Thundersnake F7-A 3689)
Sandstorm (Owner of Growler Thundersnake F7-A 3725)
Brambleclaw (Owner of Growler Thundersnake Fairbanks Morse 180)
March, 1953
Duane Eddy- Rebel Rouser
It was a prosperous time for all cats all over the country. Two kits were grabbing newspapers to deliver while the city was bustling with activity. However, a city like that seemed to be microscopic. Out in the Thundersnake yard there was much activity to be found. Puffer Thundersnakes were found leaping and bouncing from one Silverpath to another while monsters patrolled the Thunderpath as they had goods to deliver in times of prosperity. Puffer Thundersnakes came in two styles, rigid and articulated. The rigid types were usually small to medium sized. They were used for some of the more specialized jobs while the articulated ones had two sets of wheels and were designed for long distance travel with heavy goods. How these Puffer Thundersnakes worked was you had to shovel black rocks known as coal to be burned, this in turn will boil the water and create hot pressurized clouds which are sent to the wheels and through a complex system of pistons, push the gears and turn the wheels. The used clouds mix with the coal dust before being shot into the sky. This was the dominant form of travel for these Thundersnakes and they remained kings of the Silverpath.
An example of this was a 2-6-6-4 Puffer, thundering along the countryside with a massive thundersnake behind it. The she-cat at the controls was confident, looking ahead while traveling at a speed to show off its majesty. The black puffer with the company name and its number was the thing telling it where it belonged. However, even the cats had good nicknames for their puffers so identifying them would be easier, passing by the siding. The she-cat gave a friendly blow of the whistle as clouds of white came out. She made her way to the otherside of the cab of her puffer to look out the left. Another massive puffer Thundersnake was making its way up the opposite Silverpath to her. They weren't in trouble as both thundersnakes were going to pass each other safely. This approaching puffer was a 2-8-8-2 and it was dragging a hundred hoppers of coal, possibly more. It lumbered along while the she-cat's puffer thundered along on the opposite silverpath. She smiled before looking out ahead. Going back into the cab, she grabbed the whistle, she pulled it and gave out the puffer's long bellow, she was enjoying the time of her life.
The chuff of the thundersnake the she-cat was in was going much slower, finishing a hard day's worth of work. Once it stopped, the she-cat went and decoupled the puffer from several boxcars it had shoved into the track. Once done, the puffer thundersnake began to pull away as they were going to use the opportunity to rest up. Backing into the service facility, it came to a stop right next to another puffer thundersnake, a much more streamlined specialized type. The ginger-colored cat was waiting beside it before the she-cat hopped on out to greet him.
"Hey Bluestar, how's it going? That thundersnake was massive." Fireheart began as he described how long the thundersnake was with his paws. Bluestar smirked with confidence.
"Yeah, nothing like it though. Rorick has such power." Bluestar replied with a smile. She knocked on one of the cylinder cocks with her paw. It was made of one job and one job only.
"What's it like handling Thundersnakes like that?" Fireheart began. He began to think over what to say next before he began speaking again. "Now don't get me wrong, Jensen could handle the Powhatan Arrow just fine. But your thundersnakes seems incredible." Bluestar looked at Fireheart again as she knew that she enjoyed her job.
"It's the best thing in the world Fireheart, commanding such tonnage through the mountains and across stretches of silverpath is not like anything else." Bluestar began. She grabbed an oiler and began to grease up some of her thundersnake's joints so it could be used again later. "It was what Rorick was built for, and he could do it forever. I wouldn't have it any other way, nothing could keep me." Bluestar continued to inject grease where it was needed. Fireheart however seemed to question Bluestar's command of high amounts of thundersnake work.
"Doesn't it get tiring for your Rorick though? Pulling such heavy loads all the time?" Fireheart asked Bluestar if her puffer ever felt tired from doing the job it was intended to do. Bluestar shrugged.
"Oh, not at all. He'll pull more too. Rorick will set the record." Bluestar mewed while she continued to grease up. Fireheart wasn't so confident.
"Still, we might have help shortly, whether we ask for it or not." Fireheart told Bluestar. Bluestar finished greasing the join up and went over to grease the next set of joints.
"What do you mean Fireheart?" Bluestar asked out of curiosity as she began to grease up the next set of joints.
"The new engines we're going to get, growlers." Fireheart told Bluestar. Bluestar paused when she heard about it. She decided to begin speaking to Fireheart about it.
"We don't have any growlers; we don't need them." Bluestar mewed to Fireheart. She continued to grease up her massive puffer's joints to keep it running smoothly. Fireheart began to speak again.
"Well, every other class one in the country has them." Fireheart began. He scratched the back of his head as he continued to speak with an unknown rumor. "Some of my friends are saying that they will be replacing our puffers but, it seems to me they're helping out quite a bit." Bluestar turned her head to Fireheart, and she continued to speak.
"The Norfolk and Western will never have growlers, puffers are always better. Rorick here can out-pull any growler that could be made." Bluestar mewed with confidence that her puffer's sheer strength would win the day against any growler that the company had to throw at them. Fireheart wasn't so sure.
"Well maybe by Rorick's self, I heard these growlers help each other out." Fireheart began. "They run together on thundersnakes with as many as they need to pull them."
"Sounds inefficient to me." Bluestar smirked. "One puffer should be able to pull a thundersnake." Bluestar continued to mew in her confidence.
"Well maybe so but other companies in the area don't seem to think that." Fireheart told Bluestar. Bluestar walked over before she took her paws and smooshed Fireheart on the cheeks.
"Our puffers are too good for that. The N&W takes pride in us. I swear to starclan the day a growler replaces my puffer." Bluestar mewed that the company wouldn't dare to replace them. She released her paw from Fireheart's cheeks before Fireheart began speaking again.
"I don't think they're replacing our puffers Bluestar, it's some extra help." Fireheart told Bluestar. Bluestar smirked before she continued to speak.
"I don't know. I don't like it." Bluestar told Fireheart that she didn't like the situation. Fireheart knew he had to reassure her.
"We'll be okay. We always are." Fireheart then looked at his watch before he climbed into the cab of his puffer. "I'm sorry to leave but the arrow departs in ten. I have to get ready. See you later, Bluestar." Fireheart gently pulled the throttle to his puffer, and it began to chuff away. Bluestar went back to her work as the streamlined puffer departed the position it was in. He blew the whistle as a signal saying goodbye for now.
Within the hour, Fireheart's puffer was speeding along the silverpath with a thundersnake that was carrying the cats that were riding along inside it. It was the job he was handling while Bluestar seemed to be doing the heavy lifting. This was something he enjoyed but even then, it was going to change.
May, 1953
Out of the shops growled a set of F units. Two A units and two B units in the middle, they were hauling some special cargo. N&W's first growlers that the company had purchased, they were very few though as they wanted to test them out. The special load began to make its way to see where it could drop them off.
Growlers were a low sound type of unit, running on black sludgy oil known as diesel. How this works is that the diesel is sent into the generator where it is converted into electricity which the electric current heads down to the wheels and propels the unit forward. It was much more efficient and simpler to operate and maintain than the puffer thundersnakes.
The units were being towed along the countryside to their final destinations to begin their work. However, this was making some of the other cats nervous. Thrushpelt with his puffer saw the new units and he began to slowly back up. He looked onward as the units passed by him. The growler units would continue on through the countryside as if they wanted to make their presence known. They even pass by Bluestar who was using her puffer to pick up coal hoppers from the local tipple. The units pass by while Bluestar knew they were here. Pulling the throttle, her puffer began moving away as it was going to finish up its job at the tipple.
The next morning, Bluestar was pulling into the spot where she usually talked to Fireheart. Once she had stopped, the streamlined puffer headed out of its shed as Fireheart had finished raising the pressure to get the clouds to push it along efficiently. He noticed Bluestar was in a bit of an agitated state.
"Morning early bird, back already?" Fireheart asked Bluestar why she was back earlier than expected.
"I've seen them, Fireheart, they're here!" Bluestar told Fireheart about what she saw yesterday. Fireheart was confused.
"Who's that Bluestar? What are you talking about?" Fireheart asked Bluestar if she had any idea about what she was talking about.
"N&W growlers, I saw them with my own eyes. They're on their way. I won't let them take my thundersnakes." Bluestar growled as she knew that she wasn't happy about this. Fireheart knew that Bluestar was being a bit irrational.
"Hold on Bluestar. We can't jump to conclusions; we were bound to get help eventually. Every company in the area has growlers now." Fireheart explained that the company wanted to be like everyone else while Bluestar wasn't entirely sure. She began to contemplate about it while she was hanging onto her pride.
"We're still better than them. We can prove it." Bluestar began to claim that their puffers were still better than the growlers that the company was purchasing. She looked at her watch and knew that she needed to get going. "I have another thundersnake, see you later Fireheart." Bluestar mewed as she was cutting the conversation short. She blew the whistle and departed as fast as she came into the scene. While Bluestar was leaving the scene, a red growler appeared as it was approaching them. Bluestar didn't pay any attention to the growler as she wanted to get to her job. The growler then stopped as a fluffy white cat exited the cab to make himself known. He then walked over to Fireheart and began speaking to him.
"Hey, I'm Cloudtail and this my growler Henry, we just got assigned here. EMD GP-9 at your service." Cloudtail introduced himself to Fireheart.
"Oh, hey Cloudtail, I'm Fireheart My puffer is assigned for passenger service, usually big hauls like the Powhatan Arrow." Fireheart introduced himself back to Cloudtail. Cloudtail was excited to see someone tell him what they specialized in.
"Oh, that's cool. Henry is equipped for passenger service but nothing too big. He's also here for freight for what I know." Cloudtail mewed about what his growler was here for.
"Oh, good to have you, we always appreciate help." Fireheart mewed warmly to Cloudtail being there.
"Oh thanks." Cloudtail began. "So, I have an assignment later for a thundersnake on track… three. I haven't seen the yard yet." Cloudtail told Fireheart that he had something to do later but he wasn't familiar with the layout of the area. Fireheart decided to show Cloudtail around.
"Oh, that's fine. I'll show you. Follow me." Fireheart told Cloudtail as his puffer thundersnake began to lead the way. Cloudtail, seeing he didn't want to be left out of the tour, took the growler he had and began to follow Fireheart.
Bluestar meanwhile was backing into the track where the assigned thundersnake she was talking about was located. After coupling up to the boxcar of her massive thundersnake she was going to be handling. Whitestorm who was in his puffer next to the thundersnake began speaking.
"All right Bluestar, here it is, but there is one thing I should mention." Whitestorm began. Bluestar was a bit puzzled by this and wanted to know what Whitestorm was talking about.
"What's that?" Bluestar asked Whitestorm.
"Some of the new growlers are being tested." Whitestorm began. "Two of them had been assigned to this thundersnake as rear-end helpers." Bluestar looked at Whitestorm as she had a bit of disgust on her face.
"Rear end what?" Bluestar began. She didn't like the prospect of getting help. "Rorick can handle this thundersnake fine on his own, he doesn't need help." Bluestar was defending the fact that she wasn't fond of getting any form of help. Whitestorm looked at Bluestar.
"I know Bluestar. But these orders come from up top." Whitestorm explained to Bluestar that she was going to have to accept the help of her thundersnake. "Nothing much we can do, might make the most of an easy run."
"Easy run to the tipple. Rorick will show what a real puffer could do." Bluestar retorted, she didn't want to make the best of an easy run with them on her tail. Might as well try finding some way to shake them off.
"Take it easy, Bluestar." Whitestorm reassured her that she shouldn't go too hard. This gave her an idea. The two growlers were attached to the rear of the thundersnake and they coupled on. Once they were ready to go, Bluestar blew the whistle, and the puffer began to huff away with the goods. The two growlers on the other end trailed behind, ready to help out in case Bluestar got into any form of trouble.
A few miles out of the location, Bluestar's puffer was pulling the thundersnake along nicely. The two growlers on the rear trailed by as they were getting dragged long. Bluestar began thinking of Whitestorm's words about taking it easy. She knew she needed to put her plan into action.
"All right growlers, keep up with this." Bluestar muttered to herself. She yanked at the puffer's controls which caused it to begin pulling harder and pick up speed. The seconds ticked by as the slack was getting harder and harder to control at the rear. Bluestar was really going to make a challenge for the new growlers to cope with. The ones at the rear were beginning to question her methods.
"Uh is this normal, she's pulling a bit hard, isn't she?" Graystripe asked as they were going faster than normal.
"Can't tell me about it, this is hurting my growler!" Brightheart called out. Bluestar's puffer continued pulling harder and harder as it was trying to break the chains off from itself. Then the knuckle from Brightheart's growler between it and the caboose of Bluestar's thundersnake snapped, breaking the growler's coupler knuckle. "Well, that was not how it was supposed to go." Birghtheart told Graystripe. They brought their two growlers to a stop while they were going to call for a maintenance crew to replace the broken knuckle. Bluestar's thundersnake slipped out of sight from them. Bluestar, having her puffer free from their influence, continued to pull away. She had also reduced it to a safe speed.
"They can't out do me, they never will." Bluestar told herself that the growlers couldn't be as big and powerful as her puffer. She continued to slip off, oblivious to the events she had helped cause.
"So that's about it really." Fireheart mewed to Cloudtail while Cloudtail had his growler hooked to its first thundersnake, a short local. "The run you're on is a good first run. Nice and easy, shouldn't be anything too challenging just yet."
"Hey thanks Fireheart, I'm glad you can show me around." Cloudtail mewed while he made some final preparations.
"Yeah, no problem." Fireheart replied. He paused and then he remembered something. "I won't be in the shed tonight; I have a night job I need to do. When you come back you might meet my friend Bluestar who operates an A class 1238… she can be a bit intimidating, but she is a good cat, she just needs to warm up to you." Fireheart explained that he wasn't going to be around when Cloudtail was going to find Bluestar later that night. But Cloudtail didn't care all that much for it.
"Thanks for the heads up." Cloudtail began. He reached over and blew the growler's horn. "I better get going now. This is exciting, see you around Fireheart." Cloudtail mewed as the thundersnake departed. Fireheart watched as Cloudtail made his departure while pulling the thundersnake behind him. He was definitely going to enjoy his first day.
Nightfall came around as Fireheart blew the whistle to his puffer thundersnake as he was pulling the carriages meant to carry cats behind him. The puffer began pulling away with the thundersnake. Cloudtail meanwhile entered the area to park the growler and called it a day. Once getting it shut down, he began to walk across the area and spotted Bluestar. He began to approach her and get himself to know her.
"Oh, hey are you Bluestar?" Cloudtail began. "My name is Cloudtail, I just got assigned here." Bluestar looked at him and she smirked.
"Yeah… whatever. Stay out of my way." Bluestar muttered. Cloudtail felt a bit hurt from this and he tried to speak to her in a friendlier manner.
"Oh, all right. I don't want to be a bother." Cloudtail began. Bluestar looked at him and she began to speak.
"Leave me alone growler, I've had a long day." Bluestar told Cloudtail before she began to leave for the night. Cloudtail looked on as Bluestar was probably grumpy about it. Was she always like this?
The next morning would come as Fireheart and Bluestar were talking among themselves while they were sitting on their Thundersnakes. Cloudtail was in his growler, performing switching duties with the local industries. A couple of engineers helped move Bluestar's puffer from the shed, the massive steel behemoth rolled a few feet before coming to a stop beside Bluestar.
"Hey Bluestar, have you met Cloudtail yet?" Fireheart asked Bluestar. Bluestar looked at Fireheart almost as if her mood slowly soured.
"Yes… nothing special." Bluestar told Fireheart that she didn't find anything special with Cloudtail. Fireheart knew he had to convince Bluestar about it.
"Oh look. Cloudtail is a good cat. He's really eager to work here too. Give him a chance." Fireheart told Bluestar that she should give Cloudtail the chance of working here. Bluestar looked at Fireheart as if she was still mad over yesterday.
"A chance to do what? Take my place?" Bluestar growled. "They had growlers on the rear of my thundersnake yesterday for starclan's sake." Bluestar tried telling Fireheart that they shouldn't trust Cloudtail.
"Why is everything about replacement these days?" Fireheart asked before he turned to Bluestar. "you said yourself. The N&W takes pride in its cloud power, we'll be fine." Fireheart tried to reassure Bluestar that she wasn't going to be replaced. Bluestar then looked at Fireheart.
"Then why is he here? If we were fine before, then what has changed?" Bluestar asked why Cloudtail was there to begin with. Fireheart began speaking again.
"Nothing's changed, they're just new growlers." Fireheart told Bluestar that nothing has really changed, and they just had new toys to play around with.
"Well, I don't trust them but, since he's assigned here, I guess I'll work with Cloudtail." Bluestar mewed that Cloudtail wasn't going anywhere and he was merely there to help out. Fireheart nodded with approval.
"Now there's the N&W spirit I know." Fireheart mewed with enthusiasm. He knew he needed to leave the scene. "I hate to cut it short, but I promised my friend that I was going to stop by today." Fireheart stated why he was leaving today. Bluestar looked up with some excitement over his friend.
"Going to see Goosefeather today?" Bluestar asked Fireheart.
"Yeah, he's always got something good to tell me. Either that or he's rambling." Fireheart told Bluestar that it was either something good being said or just a rambling mess. "Whichever it is, he's good company, see you around Bluestar." Fireheart pulled the throttle open a bit as the streamlined puffer began to depart. While departing, Cloudtail stopped his growler, giving Firestar the right to depart. Blowing the growler's horn, he wished Fireheart good luck. He, much like Bluestar, watched Fireheart disappear into the distance.
Goosefeather owned a 4-4-2 puffer which was being kept as a static display structure of the station. He took good care of it and often talked to the locals. Fireheart's puffer was heard chuffing as it approached the station. Then the puffer stopped right next to the smaller puffer. Goosefeather turned his head to see Fireheart.
"Hey Goosefeather, how's it going?" Fireheart asked him. Goosefeather turned his head to Fireheart and greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Oh, hey Fireheart, it's been all right, just watching the world go by." Goosefeather mewed to Fireheart. Goosefeather watches Fireheart nod with approval. Fireheart needed to bring something up to Goosefeather. "How's the arrow?" Goosefeather would ask.
"On time, all the time, every time. I wouldn't have it any other way." Fireheart told Goosefeather about his trade.
"Well, that's good to hear." Goosefeather began. "How are you taking the changes?" He asked Fireheart. Fireheart began to think about it before he continued to speak.
"What changes, the new growlers?" Fireheart asked Goosefeather.
"Yeah. I saw a growler yesterday; it didn't pay attention to me. I guess they're here to last." Goosefeather told Fireheart about the growler he saw the day before. Fireheart began to speak.
"Yeah, we have at least one assigned with us. His name is Cloudtail, he's a good cat." Fireheart told Goosefeather about who they got assigned with.
"I knew they would come eventually, we're just a bit late." Goosefeather mewed to Fireheart about what was happening. Fireheart began to speak again.
"I think all the companies have growlers now. What do you think?" Fireheart mewed as he was optimistic about it. Goosefeather began to speak to Fireheart.
"Be mindful of the growlers, I am not saying that you should be suspecting them of anything but just be mindful of the way things are." Goosefeather told Fireheart that he should be mindful.
"I will Goosefeather, thank you." Fireheart mewed before he looked at his watch. He knew he should get going. "I have to get going now. It was good seeing you, I promise I'll stop by again." Fireheart told Goosefeather that he needed to leave the scene. Goosefeather nodded before he began speaking.
"All right. Have a good day Fireheart. I'll be here." Goosefeather bids Fireheart farewell as Fireheart gets back into his puffer. He released the brakes and steadily pulled on the throttle, he pulled away with the puffer, releasing white clouds from the cylinders. Goosefeather watched as his friend disappeared.
June, 1953
Cloudtail blew the horn twice as the trio of growlers departed with their thundersnake as Cloudtail took the lead. Bluestar and Fireheart were watching as the thundersnake slipped off from their sight and into the distance.
"He was sure excited about today's thundersnake." Fireheart began. Bluestar had calmed down, but she looked like she was still on the edge.
"I suppose so." Bluestar began. "It's not bad I guess, I'm just worried." Fireheart knew Bluestar's feelings hadn't subsided as if they were constantly being disturbed.
"Hey we're still here, aren't we?" Fireheart asked Bluestar. Suddenly, another streamlined puffer decided to make its appearance as the she-cat inside wanted to talk to Fireheart. "Hey what's up?" Fireheart asked.
"I'm just getting ready for my Thundersnake." Spottedleaf began. "I can't believe it's being rerouted though. I'm going around the bridge today."
"Why is that?" Fireheart asked Spottedleaf. "Anything to do with that wreck out west?" Fireheart asked if that was the cause of all the reroutes.
"That's exactly it. That poor puffer from another company took a dive off of the old trestle. All of the country's major bridges are being inspected." Spottedleaf explained why she was going around the bridge instead of directly over it.
"The wreck was just last week, wasn't it?" Fireheart asked Spottedleaf.
"Yeah." Spottedleaf mewed before she continued speaking. "I heard they were also talking about the puffer's weight. Big puffers are worrying the inspectors." Bluestar snapped before she interjected herself into the conversation.
"Their what?! They're heavy for a reason, they pull tonnage that needs the power of them to go where it's going." Bluestar hissed as she was fine with this arrangement. Spottedleaf continued to speak.
"Yeah, but with me and Fireheart's puffers being 4-8-4's like the puffer that dove off the bridge, they're a big concern. The growlers are still going over the bridge though." Spottedleaf explained to Bluestar. All this seemed to do was anger Bluestar even more.
"Of course, they are! They're just fine are they! As if I needed another reason to dislike them." Bluestar hissed as her puffer began to leave the area, she wanted nothing else to do with this conversation. Fireheart watched as Bluestar left. He then turned his head back to Spottedleaf.
"Don't worry about her, she seems… quick to anger these days." Fireheart began speaking to Spottedleaf.
"I guess I don't blame her, everyone seems a bit weird these days." Spottedleaf added that everyone was acting strangely.
"Well, you're not wrong." Fireheart paused before looking at his watch. "I don't want to make you late for your thundersnake."
"Ahh good point. See you around." Spottedleaf mewed before her puffer departed the scene with clouds ejected from the sides of the cylinders.
Bluestar was gathering coal hoppers from her favorite tipple while Thrushpelt's smaller puffer pulled past her with a local freight thundersnake.
"Too much weight, ridiculous." Bluestar grumbled to herself. "The puffers are fine how they are, and I won't change that from you growlers. Cloudtail and the others seem to be okay, but Rorick is the one who pulls the tonnage around here."
One night, two growlers were pulling a mixed thundersnake as they were climbing up the hill. The load was heavy, and it was beginning to slow them down. They continued to climb as high as they could while trying their best not to stall. However, the hill was proving to be too much for them, and they knew they needed to stop. Once they figured they weren't going to get any further. They put on the brakes and decided to hold on the hill, they were now stuck.
"Man, I hate this hill." Silverstream began.
"Tell me about it, I've been stuck here before." Sandstorm added as this wasn't the first time she stalled on this particular hill.
"Oh well, I'll call dispatch for help." Silverstream told Sandstorm that they needed help and it better come. They weren't aware of who was coming to their rescue. Bluestar was heading to the hill as she was fuming about the job she was tasked with.
"Helper service, what a joke." Bluestar growled to herself. "Can't they handle it themselves?" The puffer then found the stalled thundersnake where it parked. Silverstream had taken the brakes off as they were going to be assisted up the hill. She continued forward as then she was coupled to the caboose of the thundersnake. "Let's see if they can handle this?" Bluestar mewed, she began to push on the stalled thundersnake as it began to move. Silverstream and Sandstorm knew that help had arrived as Bluestar continued to push harder and harder on their tail. The units would be quickly taken to the top of the hill as Bluestar's plan had worked a little… too well?
The next morning, Fireheart spotted Bluestar in a spot that she wouldn't normally be in. He began to approach her with his puffer. Once they got to the spot, Bluestar was greasing her puffer's joints up as she didn't like the predicament, she was in.
"Morning Bluestar." Fireheart greeted her.
"Hello Fireheart." Bluestar mewed as if she was upset from last night. Fireheart looked at her as he began to speak.
"What's going on? Is there something wrong?" Fireheart asked Bluestar if she had any ideas to see what was wrong with her. Bluestar stopped greasing before she turned and began to speak to Fireheart.
"I've been reassigned." Bluestar began. "Dispatch was impressed with my helper service last night and now I've been assigned as a helper for the hill. Rorick cannot pull thundersnakes anymore." Bluestar explained how her job was downgraded and that she was no longer allowed to take the lead but instead use the power she had to assist others up the hill. She couldn't do the job she enjoyed doing to begin with.
"Bluestar…" Fireheart began before she cut him off.
"You saw what happened Fireheart?" Bluestar began asking Fireheart the question. "What I did for them and now I've been replaced." Fireheart tried his best to get Bluestar to look on the bright side of things.
"Well maybe this is a…" Fireheart began before Bluestar cut him off yet again.
"Nothing Fireheart. This wasn't what Rorick was meant to be for." Bluestar told him before her ears drooped. She was heartbroken.
July, 1953
Fireheart was taking his puffer to Goosefeather as he wanted to catch up with him and bring up the news that Bluestar had been reassigned. He was quite worried and Goosefeather could possibly have some answers for this. He stopped beside him as Goosefeather was watching the world go by and would enjoy some company.
"Hello Fireheart, how are you?" Goosefeather began the conversation. Fireheart began to think of what to say next for Goosefeather.
"Hey Goosefeather." Fireheart began. "To tell you the truth, I'm a bit worried. Ever since Bluestar got reassigned." Goosefeather was curious and wanted to figure out more.
"What's going on?" Goosefeather asked.
"She told me she was being replaced. She's been talking like that ever since the first growlers arrived. Cloudtail and a lot of the newcomers don't seem bad at all but, seeing Bluestar like that. She seemed miserable. I don't know what to think now." Fireheart explained that Bluestar must've been phased out as a lot of the newcomers were coming to do the work for her. Goosefeather began to think while processing the information. He then turned to Fireheart.
"And when Bluestar left, who came to take her duties?" Goosefeather asked Fireheart. Fireheart began to speak.
"Well, we had new growlers but…" Fireheart began but Goosefeather decided to cut him off with a question of his own.
"Okay." Goosefeather began. "Fireheart, can I ask you a question?" Fireheart was cut off from finishing his sentence, but he seemed curious about it.
"Sure, what is it?" Fireheart asked. Goosefeather began speaking again.
"Fireheart, have you ever wondered why the numbers on our puffers are so close?" Goosefeather asked Fireheart if he had any ideas on why their numbers were nearly identical.
"What do you mean?" Fireheart asked. He seemed a bit puzzled about what Goosefeather had asked.
"Yours is 604. Mine is 606. Does that seem a little odd to you?" Goosefeather asked Fireheart if he got the similarities. Fireheart began to think about it.
"I'm not sure if I know what you are saying?" Fireheart asked if he had any ideas on what Goosefeather was talking about. Was he rambling again?
"Your puffer is a large powerful express puller in the same number series as mine. Mine is a relatively small passenger puffer." Goosefeather mewed to Fireheart about it. Fireheart was still puzzled and wanted to figure out more about it.
"So… you're saying?" Fireheart asked Goosefeather if he had any ideas of what he was talking about.
"Our puffers are both J classes Fireheart. Yours is from 1942. Mine is from 1903… you replaced me." Goosefeather mewed. Fireheart was shocked. Did he mean to replace Goosefeather? He couldn't believe what he just heard.
"But… they both run on clouds." Fireheart told Goosefeather that this can't be true as they were both similar mechanically.
"I know that but look at us. Your puffer is superior to mine in every way. My puffer was hot stuff when it was new, but age has a way of getting to you. When the duties became too much for my puffer. The J class was renewed with all new puffers. That was you, Fireheart." Goosefeather explained to Fireheart that replacement of all the older stuff when they couldn't keep up with the workload had a way of bringing in something shiny and new. Fireheart understood now but he had one more question to ask Goosefeather.
"So, what does this mean about the growlers, are they replacing us?" Fireheart asked if this was going to be true. Goosefeather paused before he began speaking.
"Cloudtail and his new friends don't mean to replace you personally, but things have a way of happening discreetly. Companies such as yours like anything else have a desire to be on the cutting edge of development. Everything that gets old and becomes obsolete gets left behind." Goosefeather mewed to Fireheart before he began speaking the last few words to Fireheart. "I'm sorry Fireheart, it's just the natural order." Fireheart understood full well what Goosefeather was talking about. He didn't bother to say goodbye this time as the grim picture of what Bluestar was saying was becoming true. The puffer began to chuff away from Goosefeather as Fireheart was processing this information. This wasn't going to end too well.
Leonard Cohen- There Is A War
Brightheart's growler passes on by, carrying a short thundersnake, its knuckle had been replaced ever since Bluestar tore it off.
Fireheart's puffer was heading down the line as he needed to tell Bluestar what he had heard from Goosefeather.
A bunch of new growlers had been made as they were being towed out of the shops to be delivered to their chosen locations.
The chuff from the rear was heard as Bluestar was banking a heavy coal drag thundersnake over the hill with her puffer as she continued to grow unhappy with helper service.
Even some of the most famous puffers were getting replaced with growlers, the crew of their streamlined puffer looked with dismay as growlers had taken over their passenger services.
The growlers continued onward as a thundersnake passes by them on the opposite silverpath.
Bluestar's puffer coupled onto the caboose of the thundersnake as she was helping this one up the hill. The growlers in front begin to tug and pull as Bluestar begins to help it up the hill.
Fireheart's puffer passed by a group of growlers pulling a similarly sized thundersnake, ones that Firesheart handled months before. He continued on his way in an attempt to find Bluestar.
Bluestar was busy pushing another thundersnake up the hill.
The takeover of the growlers as slow and steady as the new ones seem to be appearing in and taking the spot of the puffers that used to rest in this area.
Bluestar's puffer was assigned to bank another thundersnake up the hill. She was shortly coupled on.
The passenger growlers continued on their way, exploring the countryside with their work to do.
Fireheart was busy looking for Bluestar as the search to find her was becoming more and more fruitless. He needed to find her.
Three growlers pass on by with another thundersnake as they were now doing the work of all of the puffers that the company was laying off.
Four growlers were enjoying their new home while the others were getting displaced.
Bluestar's puffer was busy banking another heavy coal drag over the hill. She was clearly not enjoying her job.
Whitestorm's puffer was handling another thundersnake when the growler convoy passed by him on the opposite silverpath. They were coming to last on the silverpath.
The passenger growlers were heading through the woods while they were seeing their surroundings.
Three more growlers clanked by as they were carrying another thundersnake.
Chuffing was heard on the hill as Bluestar was busy pushing another heavy thundersnake over the hill.
A growler was heading over the silverpath switches to rest for the night.
A stalled-out coal drag was on the hill while Bluestar was ordered to help it up the hill. She jabbed the caboose as a loud clunk was heard. This had the effect of moving the thundersnake while the puffer began to push.
Fireheart was still looking for Bluestar as he was continuing to run out of hope of finding her.
Bluestar's puffer was ordered to help another stall thundersnake on the hill, but she had enough at this point. She bashed the caboose which caused the tail end of the thundersnake to derail. The caboose and the boxcars lay in a zig zag as they hadn't been damaged.
Cloudtail arrived a few minutes later after hearing about the accident with a crane to clean up the mess. He spotted Bluestar who was sitting at the front of her puffer.
"Bluestar, what happened?" Cloudtail asked for what happened when the crash occurred.
"Not now Cloudtail, I wasn't made for this." Bluestar told Cloudtail. She was ready to snap at this point.
"We all get rough assignments now and then, but things will get better." Cloudtail tried his best to explain to Bluestar that things would only get better for her. Bluestar wasn't listening to Cloudtail.
"Yeah, you have the luxury day? Don't you?" Bluestar growled. Her fur was beginning to stand up as she was ready to take her anger out on Cloudtail. Cloudtail began speaking again.
"Bluestar, I'm trying to help." Cloudtail began. Bluestar began speaking to Cloudtail.
"It's your fault! All of you! You did this to me!" Bluestar began to hiss. Her claws scraped along the metal cylinder of her puffer as she was ready to scream at Cloudtail.
"Bluestar…" Cloudtail tried to reason with her but Bluestar shouted at him before she began to scream.
"No, you growlers, it's your fault that this happened to me. IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Bluestar screamed at Cloudtail as she didn't know what was happening to her. Cloudtail had curled up in a ball as he had heard the wrath of Bluestar screaming at him. When she realized her mistake, Bluestar began speaking again. "Oh. I'm sorry Cloudtail I'm sorry… What happened to me? I'm so sorry Cloudtail." Bluestar felt like she couldn't reverse this mistake and her snap was only the beginning of her downfall.
Kevin MacLeod- Mourning Song
Nighttime came as Fireheart had found his way back to where he and Bluestar usually hung out. Cloudtail approached Fireheart as he had terrible news for Fireheart.
"Hey Cloudtail, how is Bluestar doing?" Fireheart asked him. Cloudtail began to think about it before he began speaking.
"She's alright, no physical damage or anything." Cloudtail explained what happened to Bluestar. Fireheart nodded with approval.
"That's good." Fireheart began. He dropped his head for a bit before he continued to speak. "She's been worrying me." Cloudtail remembered something he had heard, and he needed to break the news to Fireheart.
"Fireheart, I heard something terrible. I heard that Bluestar is being fired and Rorick is being taken out of service." Cloudtail's mew was full of sorrow, and this caught Fireheart's attention.
"What? What happened?" Fireheart asked if Cloudtail knew the details behind this.
"I don't know too much about this but… they don't want Rorick to keep running and Bluestar to keep working for them." Cloudtail mewed to Fireheart that Bluestar was being laid off. Fireheart knew he had to speak to Bluestar.
"Oh, it can't be…" Firestar began. "I've got to go see her." Fireheart climbed onto the streamlined puffer and left the scene. He knew he needed to talk to Bluestar about this and find out what was going on. He found Bluestar a minute later, sitting in the cab of her puffer while getting ready to make a run for it. She didn't want to be fired or her puffer pulled from service. "Bluestar, what's going on?" Fireheart asked. Bluestar smirked.
"I was right, wasn't it?" Bluestar muttered. Fireheart remembered something and he decided to tell her about it.
"Well, I talked to Goosefeather… he did mention replacements." Fireheart mewed what he remembered from the conversation he had with Goosefeather. Bluestar then snapped.
"I knew it!" Bluestar began. "All along they were here to get rid of us! And here I am ready to have Rorick rot away." Bluestar hissed as she knew that she was right all of this time. The growler's sole purpose was to lay off all of the older cats and tear up the aging puffers. "I'll show them, I won't let it happen."
Jefferson Airplane- White Rabbit
"Uhh… Bluestar…" Fireheart began as he was trying his best to get into Bluestar's thoughts. She sharply cuts him off.
"They won't replace anyone!" Bluestar shouted. She went over to the throttle and began to open it up. Fireheart was confused about what Bluestar's thought process was. He needed to reason with her.
"Bluestar what…" Fireheart tried to ask but Bluestar was a step ahead of him.
"I'll show them!" Bluestar shouted as the puffer began to leave its spot. Fireheart was still confused about what she had in mind.
"Bluestar, what are you going to do?" Fireheart asked Bluestar if she had any ideas on what she had in mind. Bluestar looked at Fireheart before she began speaking to him.
"Do not follow me, Fireheart." Bluestar growled. Bluestar was leaving the scene and Fireheart wanted to know what Bluestar's logic was behind it. He opened the throttle and began to follow Bluestar.
Bluestar was departing the yard as she was taking the lead, she knew what she needed to do and where she was going. Fireheart meanwhile was worried that she was going after all of their new friends that had been arriving over the past couple of months. They were finally out on the main silverpath with both of them running side by side with each other. Bluestar was trying to get as far away from Fireheart as possible while Fireheart was trying his best to find out if Bluestar's decision was even rational to begin with. Bluestar looked to her left to see Fireheart was in pursuit of her. Fireheart quickly caught up to her as he needed to speak to her about what she was thinking about at the moment.
"Bluestar, please think about this." Fireheart pleaded with Bluestar to give a moment to reconsider her decisions and try calling off this behavior.
"Leave me alone Fireheart! Get out of here!" Bluestar shouted at Fireheart as her puffer was desperate to shake him off of her tail. The two of them continued to thunder down the silverpath as one of them was trying to lose the other and the other was trying to catch up. The two puffers continued to race. Fireheart was desperate to catch up and continued to try reasoning with Bluestar. With Bluestar's puffer being nimbler, it was able to get the distance it needed. Fireheart knew the pursuit was hopeless and decided to call it off. Bluestar and the puffer sped off, disappearing into the black that was the night.
Bluestar had escaped from Fireheart, and she headed to the place that she needed to go. She was going to show them that she wasn't going to be messed with. Pulling into the siding track with the puffer she had, she slipped in undetected. The growlers inside noticed that Bluestar had found them, but they didn't know what she wanted. She stopped on the switch while some of them began to speak.
Delain- The Hurricane
"Hey Bluestar, what's going on?" Sandstorm asked. Bluestar didn't answer, instead, she yanked the throttle open causing the puffer to suddenly surge forward. It bashed the growler Sandstorm was in. It was nudged a bit back before she began to back away. The other growlers retreated almost if there was something wrong with Bluestar. Did she snap? The puffer surged forward again and bashed Sandstorm's growler again. Brightheart's growler attempted to make a run for it and get help, but Bluestar quickly reversed and bashed the growler trying to retreat. Bluestar went forward again as Sandstorm's growler had taken shelter on one of the sidings. She was ready to bash her again when she heard an unfamiliar growl coming from one of the sheds. Out came a fairbanks morse, the largest and most powerful growler they had.
The huge growler and Bluestar's puffer looked at each other. Almost if they had agreed to a duel and if it was a challenge. Bluestar's puffer began backing away as the growler surged forward. It bashed the front end of the puffer as Bluestar had the strength to stop it. She backed away before rushing forward, she bashed the growler and pushed it back a bit. The growler threw Bluestar off before they charged forth. Both bashing each other while pushing the growler back. Bluestar backed off as the growler moved to the switch. The switch had been set as Bluestar's puffer came charging forward again, Scratch! The paint on both thundersnakes was scratched off as sparks leaped from the metal and into the air, the growler moved forward. Bluestar stopped to turn the threat from the rear. She began to back up in an effort to charge forward. The growler backed up as they both collided into each other, the puffer still had some strength left so it was able to push it back. She began to move forward again but the growler was much nimbler and it slid itself into the siding path. It went against the metal and the puffer began to move back. Scratch! More paint was scraped off as sparks flew. Bluestar's puffer went backwards before as the growler pursued it. Bluestar stopped the puffer as the growler slammed into it, she quickly pushed it off as the growler was thinking of another way to trip Bluestar up. It went forward before heading onto the switch. Bluestar went forward and went onto the switch the growler was previously on. The growler moved to trap her, but Bluestar moved off to intercept it. Scratch! The two thundersnakes ground against each other as sparks and paint flew off of the thundersnakes prepared to charge against each other again. They both bashed into each other as the growler backed away. It began studying the puffer, it was like an enraged, bleeding animal ready to take its anger out on the hunter, the chuff of the puffer knew it was still alive and had its teeth. The growler charged forward again and bashed the puffer, pushing it back further than before. Bluestar knew she had to destroy the Fairbanks growler.
Charging forward like the animal that couldn't be tamed or like the storm that would continue to rage, she bashed the growler, pushing it a couple feet back, she backed away and charged forward again. Similar results. The others watched as she continued to use the growler as her punching bag. Bluestar backed away as the puffer gathered the remaining strength that she had. She charged forward gathering speed, the growler had moved to give itself space but that was a mistake. Bluestar's puffer bashed the growler so hard that the growler was knocked backward into the shed and destroyed the shed as well as itself. Bluestar, seeing how she managed to win by beating the toughest growler on the block, began to back away and lick the wounds it had sustained from the fight. She felt triumphant.
The next morning would roll around as Fireheart was talking to the group about what happened last night, the shed had been obliterated and they bailed when the roof was going to cave in.
"It's just…" Fireheart began as he was trying to figure out what had exactly happened. "Are you sure it was her?" Sandstorm was looking at him along with Graystripe, Silverstream and Brightheart.
"Yeah she… she came here…" Sandstorm began as she tried to recount what had happened. "Brambleclaw and his fairbanks hadn't pulled their first thundersnake yet. He saved us but… he was killed." Sandstorm was trying to figure out what exactly happened, her voice was filled with sorrow as she tried to figure out what had happened. Fireheart was beginning to tear up.
"Oh Bluestar…" Fireheart began. He knew he had to get going. "I'm going to go find her. Please be careful. I'm still sorry about what happened." Fireheart boarded his puffer and began to leave the scene. He knew that his friends had to live through the loss of someone that had joined to help work for them. Bluestar had committed murder.
Bluestar was in her puffer as she was beginning to feel guilt and the fact that she had killed someone in the duel. She didn't know what the company was going to do to her or Rorick now.
"Oh, what have I done?" Bluestar began as she was feeling the stigma of spending the rest of her life behind bars. "What have I done? That growler, eh?" She asked. She didn't know what to say next. "I couldn't have. What would they do with me now?" Bluestar asked herself. She began to think about what to do next. "You know I can stay, I will." Bluestar mewed as she began to feel hopeful about it as she had a brilliant idea in her head. "I'll prove myself, THAT'S IT!"
Mother Mother- Little Pistol
"I'll have Rorick pull a thundersnake no one has ever seen before!" Bluestar mewed to herself about the plan. " That's it. Everything will be fine. They'll see. They'll all see!"
Bluestar's puffer reached the junction as it was switched to a coal tipple, she began to reverse in to see what was available to take. She continued to back down the siding unaware she was in the right place at the right time. The first two sidings were stuffed with coal hoppers, they were fully loaded, and further back were more fully loaded hoppers. There could have been a hundred hoppers, possibly more. Bluestar knew she needed to take all the hoppers with her. She began to back into the siding with the first string of coal hoppers. Clank! The puffer had coupled up to them and she began to pull back out twenty-two hoppers she had picked up. Once the switch was clear, she began to back down into the next siding to collect the next back twenty-one this time. She was going slow to make sure she was able to couple up to them. Clank! She coupled up to more N&W coal hoppers. She knew there could possibly be more. She began to reverse deeper into the tipple fields to look for more. She heard another clank. She changed gears and began to pull forward. Bluestar had found another string of hoopers to use twenty-seven more. She was feeling confident about pulling this off. Bluestar moved forward to clear the switch and when that was done, she reversed down and coupled up to another string of twenty-eight hoppers. She pulled forward to clear the switch and when that switch was cleared. She reversed and coupled up to the last string of twenty-four hoppers. Her thundersnake was just her, Rorick and a hundred and twenty-two coal hoppers. She tried to get as much traction as possible as the wheels began to slip, she was able to get traction and began to pull away with the heavy load. She blew the whistle while heading down the Silverpath, the white clouds coming out as the black clouds were coming from the funnel, the heavy coal drag clanked behind her, but the puffer was strong enough to handle even a massive load like this. For Bluestar, this was what she needed as she exited the tipple and began to make her race into the forest. She had a surprise for someone.
Fireheart meanwhile was talking to Cloudtail about where Bluestar possibly was. He was still reflecting over the words of what Sandstorm had told him about what exactly happened.
"I'm sure of it, Cloudtail." Fireheart began. "I couldn't believe it at first, but they all said it. I need your help. We need to find her." Fireheart knew he needed Cloudtail's help if they were going to locate Bluestar. Cloudtail was in his growler, and he began speaking.
"Where do you think she could be now, do you think?" Cloudtail asked Fireheart as he had no idea where she could be. Fireheart began to think as he wanted to see where Bluestar could be.
"I don't know…" Fireheart paused as if he felt a vibrating sound, it was only getting more and more noticeable as if an earthquake was going on and it was only getting worse and worse as if the epicenter was coming to them. "Do you feel that?" Fireheart asked. Cloudtail looked ahead as the earthquake they were feeling was Bluestar thundering to Cloudtail with her puffer and thundersnake of coal hoppers. She was ready to take her full anger out on him. Cloudtail only had one response to a monster such as her.
"Oh no Fireheart, come on!" Cloudtail shouted. He yanked the growler's throttle and began to rapidly reverse to avoid getting crushed by Bluestar. The coal drag continued to clank along as the rumbling was heard by Fireheart now.
Delain- Tragedy Of The Commons
Bluestar's thundersnake thundered by Fireheart as she had a new target to take down. Cloudtail. Fireheart opened the throttle and began to try to get Bluestar to reason with her decisions and what she was doing was wrong. He knew this wasn't going to end well. Bluestar's puffer was barreling down the main silverpath as it wanted to take its vengeance out on Cloudtail's growler. Bluestar leaned out of the window as she began to vent her words at Cloudtail.
"YOU! YOU STARTED THIS! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Bluestar shouted at Cloudtail. Her voice was as loud as thunder, her mouth as wide as a tunnel. Cloudtail felt scared and tried to reason with her that the reason they came was to assist her.
"Bluestar no. Please we want to help." Cloudtail told Bluestar that they wanted to be friends with her. Bluestar however wasn't pleased with this, and she continued to scream.
"YOU REPLACED ME!" Bluestar screamed at Cloudtail. Cloudtail was reversing as fast as the growler would allow him. He was trying to run away as Bluestar wanted to catch and destroy him. She was also pulling the coal hoppers behind her as she wanted to prove that her puffer didn't need to be scrapped and would still find itself some use. Fireheart was trying to catch up on the other silverpath while trying to match Bluestar's speed. The three thundersnakes continued to race down the silverpath, there was nothing in front of them, so their path was wide open. Fireheart tried desperately to catch up to Bluestar while she was in full rage mode. He finally caught up to her and tried to reason with her, trying to get her to stop this madness.
"Bluestar, you have to try to stop this thundersnake, it's too dangerous." Fireheart began as he didn't want Bluestar to get injured in any serious way. Bluestar was still fired up with fury and she turned to look out of the left side of the window, and she began screaming at Fireheart.
"IT'S TOO LATE NOW FIREHEART! I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU ALL WHAT RORICK CAN DO!" Bluestar screamed at Fireheart. The three thundersnakes continued to thunder down the silverpath as Fireheart was beginning to fall behind. Bluestar was still chasing down a fleeing Cloudtail as they continued to meet their end goals. Bluestar's thundersnake began to vibrate the silverpath as the wheels pounded the steel path. The coal hoppers were the reason behind this as she had over a hundred of them. Fireheart and Bluestar continued to try racing side by side with each other. Cloudtail was desperately trying to get away from the madness as Bluestar tried to catch him. The fleeing growler and the chasing puffers were heard throughout the countryside. Bluestar's puffer was constantly making clouds as a means to chase Cloudtail and pull the coal hoppers. The coal hoppers trailed behind the serpent as they were now feeling the brunt of Bluestar's relentless pounding. The three of them continued down the silverpath. Fireheart's puffer was beginning to slow down as he was running out of clouds, but Bluestar was expending all of her effort too. However, the worst was yet to come.
Cloudtail's growler went over the switch and onto the silverpath Fireheart was traveling down. Bluestar continued to chase Cloudtail unaware of Fireheart traveling down the path. Fireheart leaned out and saw this and slammed the puffer's brakes on. It was too late, there was a crash and for Fireheart everything went black.
Bluestar looked back to see that Fireheart was no longer following her. Scared that something bad must have happened. She slammed on the brakes as if she was trying to stop herself, sparks began leaping from the puffer's wheels as if she was trying to correct a mistake that was uncorrectable. She continued to scream at Cloudtail.
"YOU DID THIS! IT'S YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!" Bluestar screamed at Cloudtail. Bluestar slamming on the brakes had a ripple effect, she was slowing down, but she didn't have the strength to hold her massive thundersnake of coal hoppers back. They continued to push against her until they could take it no more. The couplers snapped as a batch of coal hoppers began rolling off the silverpath. Another group followed heading in a new direction, the rest were still going as fast as Bluestar before were rolling along by their own devices, another few coal hoppers came off the silver path as they were all beginning to pile up behind her. Bang! One of the N&W coal hoppers slammed into another one causing more to fly off the silverpath, some tumbling down the embankment while others piled up behind. Bump! One of the coal hoppers slammed into Bluestar's puffer while she was still venting her frustration at Cloudtail for what he had done to Fireheart. "YOUR FAULT! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOURS, YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED MY FRIEND! THIS IS YOUR FAULT! YOU KILLED HIM!" Bluestar continued to scream as the world she knew was coming apart. Bash! Another coal hopper slammed into another one, it even got to the point where the hoppers pushed the massive puffer sideways and off the silverpath. Bam! Another coal hopper slammed into another one. Bluestar was sticking by her puffer as the coal hoppers began slamming into it. The pressure from the clouds was becoming too great as it continued to build higher and higher. Then the coal hoppers began to pile on top of the puffer. Bluestar heard the cracking of metal and glass as if her beloved Rorick had reached a breaking point. No use in running now, she thought. She was going to stick with what she loved until the end. Rorick's massive boiler then exploded.
Cloudtail was knocked back as if the debris were flying into his face, and he had taken cover. Fireheart was lying in a flower field next to his derailed puffer as he was unharmed. The effects of the explosion could also be seen by Goosefeather as he was sitting beside his static puffer.
"I guess the war has begun. Eh Norton?" Goosefeather would talk to his puffer.
October, 1953
CHVRCHES- Make Them Gold
Fireheart and Cloudtail had their thundersnakes repaired from the incident as the two of them were now pulling the Powhatan Arrow together. They vaguely remembered what happened to Bluestar and it was for the better. The two of them seemed to be enjoying their time together more compared to when Bluestar was still roaming the silverpath. A bright future was ahead for the both of them as they both disappeared into the forest. Things couldn't be better.
[A/N] (Again): This is a one-shot that is about 10k words roughly and it only took me a few days to complete it. I am proud of myself as others would say this isn't possible, but I made this possible. Hopefully I should give you more before vacation time. See you later.