24 - Yr Hwyaden Ffôl - 'The Foolish Duck'
Victor was at a loss for words. They had been preparing the Flying Scotsman's engine for the skilled and professional crew at Crovan's Gate when every single person in close proximity to the Flying Scotsman had suddenly felt extremely sick or cold.
A chill swept through the Sodor Steamworks with almost no explanation and all the engines and people working in them suddenly felt anxious and a sense of dread fill them.
It was almost as if a festering miasma had suddenly gathered around the Flying Scotsman's engine and began festering it was some kind of illness or disease that threatens every single person, engine or human within the Steamworks.
Murdoch who was having his tune-up near Flying Scotsman's empty engine suddenly tried to jerk away from the empty shell instinctively,.startlimg the engineers around him.
"There's something bad in that engine!" He called to Victor, uncharacteristically panicked and frightened. "Get me away from it! You have to get it away from me!"
The sheer panic in Murdoch's voice spoke volumes. Even Victor was on the edge of panic as the Flying Scotsman's engine cast an ominous and terrifying shadow over the floor, black smoke swirling around the boiler like an angry, personal thundercloud. The blank smoke box door appeared almost like a black hole, drawing them in.
"We- We need to evacuate the Steamworks now!" Victor shouted. "Scotsman's engine is infected with-" Victor stopped, unsure how to finish his order. He didn't know what this was, he had never seen black smoke act like this or be quite this horrifying.
Regardless, every single person and engine within the Steamworks did not hesitate or argue, desperate to get away from the Flying Scotsman's now seemingly cursed engine. There was a mad rush as both engines and people spilled out into the daylight sun.
"What do we do boss?" Kevin asked the Narrow Gauge engine, frightened. "We can't go back in there with that- that thing!"
"Victor, what the hell happened to Flying Scotsman?" Jeremy immediately went to find the engine and rounded on him. "We removed all traces of the Black Smoke that had been sabotaging him! Why is his engine suddenly now infected with it?!"
Victor pursed his lips pensively.
"I have a few ideas but my main suspicion is one you're not going to like," Victor said bitterly.
Jeremy seemed to freeze, his face somewhat realising what Victor was going to say but not accepting it.
"Go on," Jeremy nodded to Victor nervously.
"Either we missed another of the Black Smoke canisters or Flying Scotsman's soul is… gone," Victor explained, his voice shaky and nervous.
Jeremy didn't say anything, he simply bowed his head and his entire posture slumped into a defeated one as he turned and walked away from Victor and Kevin without another word.
Victor just watched him go, unsure of what to do.
Duck and Lady of Legend pulled into the end of the Litte Western Line at Harwick to find Kind Edward II peacefully waiting for them, staring out at the sea as people gathered around him, curious and delighted to find such an interesting and different engine there. Trojan who was at the back of the train just rolled his eyes at the loitering crowd and wheeshed a few people who were getting close to the track, sending them away from the tracks.
"Yer menaces' need to keep off the damn tracks!" He snapped at them angrily. "Yer idiots are gonna get yourselves killed!"
Some of the people were tourists, other were curious locals and there was a couple of rail enthusiasts with their cameras out and drones flying around to capture the King Class in all his glory.
The Blue King looked somewhat pensive and cast down, hardly noticing the people gathered around him and ignoring their questions or prodding.
"King Edward II, sir?" Duck asked tentatively not wanting to disturb the engine. "Are you alright?"
King Edward seemed startled and looked up at Duck who was waiting there was his consist and a very sulky-looking Lady of Legend.
"Come on old boy!" Trojan called from the back of the train. "This ain't like ye at all!"
King Edward narrowed his eyes at the saddle tank but seemed too tired or too distracted to fully glare at him. Instead, he turned his attention to Duck who was waiting before him attentively.
"Hello Montague," the King class greeted the Pannier tank. "I am just tired, that is all."
There was something untruthful behind his words but Duck didn't press. It wasn't his place to press into the personal issues of one way above his standing.
"Yes sir," he said politely.
Duck felt Lady of Legend shifting behind him agitated. He could tell the young iron was wanting to rant about himself and his new saddletank friend.
The Blue King seemed to recognise it too and looked towards Lady of Legend.
"Well Tydfil, do you think you did well on your surprise assignment?" He asked and Lady of Legend frowned at him.
"This little tank engine has been nothing but bossy and demanding!" She shouted giving Duck a shunt which he winched at but held firm. "He thinks himself above me, sir! He is nothing but a peasant to me!"
King Edward II sighed deeply and closed his eyes in frustration.
"Did I or did I not tell you that Montague is the one who runs this line? Therefore he has every authority to do so if he does not see you up to standard," he chided the young engine.
"But Blue King!"
"Enough," The Blue King said sternly. He looked at Duck expectantly.
"My report on her performance is not good sir," Duck admitted hesitantly.
"I was sadly expecting this," King Edward II said pensively. "But please, spare no detail, Montague."
"She lacks control over her speed, she tends to misjudge curves or corners in the track and approaches them too fast. She also dwaddles when at stations and takes too long during stops," Duck informed the Blue King.
The Blue King simply stared at him expectantly.
"She brakes too harshly and starts to violently," Duck finished and glance back at the young engine. "I am honestly surprised at her complete lack of knowledge about basic consist etiquette. She constantly shunted me or the front coach when she was upset or displeased. I am most unimpressed sir."
King Edward II was silent for a second, observing Duck as he stared stoically at him and Lady of Legend who looked as if she was about to start complaining. Trojan however took his attention most of all.
"You look like you have something to say, Trojan," the Blue King intoned dryly.
Trojan always had something to say, was always outspoken about something that it truly got on the Twin King's nerves. There was never really a time when Trojan wasn't complaining about at least one thing.
King Edward II honestly didn't know how Pendennis Castle could put up with him let alone call him a good friend.
"I always got something to say," Trojan grumbled. "But this time it is a little more serious."
The Blue King doubted it would be but sighed and allowed the little saddletank to speak.
"Tydfil here thought it would be a good idea to use yer true name sir," Trojan said, his face grim and not with his usual smirk. "She also decided to throw around the names of your brother and Pendennis around like they were common names, sir."
King Edward II seemed to pull himself out of his tired state and straighten himself up as if to loom over Lady of Legend.
"Is this true, Lady of Legend?" He asked, his voice now cold, demanding and harsh.
Lady of Legend seemed to shrink at the sight of the large King class who now appeared larger and more furious than she'd ever seen him.
"Well, I um-" She fumbled her words and avoided his gaze.
"Look at me and speak clearly girl!" the Blue King snapped angrily.
Lady of Legend looked anywhere but the Blue King's face, her eyes darting everywhere.
"I- I- they're lying sir!" She suddenly shouted. "They're trying to make me look bad! These stupid little shunting engines-"
"That's enough!" King Edward II shouted over her and she immediately became quiet.
The Blue King turned his attention to Duck.
"Can you confirm what Trojan has told me, Montague?" He asked and Duck looked back at Lady of Legend briefly before looking back at the King Class
"I can confirm it, sir," he said. Lady of Legend glared at him but stopped when he saw the look on King Edward II's face.
He was furious.
"You would abuse my trust and my name!" He thundered and Lady of Legend seemed to shrink back away from him.
"I'm sorry sir!" Lady of Legend squeaked, frightened. "I meant no disrespect! I just don't understand why it's so important when other engines use their friends' names so casually!"
"Because this is how we operate on the Great Western Railway!" King Edward II rounded on her.
"The Great Western Railway mean anything anymore!" She suddenly shrieked, exploding in anger. "I'm tired of the both of you constantly ordering me around with no explanation of why or what I'm supposed to be doing!"
The Blue King class was taken aback by the sudden outburst.
"Tydfil! This behaviour is not appropriate! Especially not in front of shunters!" He scolded but Lady of Legend ignored him.
"No! Stop trying to control everything I do! I have no freedom! I've never been out of Didcot since I came into being! I'm my own engine!" She shouted back. "And I'm in a Saint class, not a Hall class like you keep calling me! You can't even do me the courtesy of getting my class right!"
King Edward II suddenly went pale and his eyes widened in shock. He immediately looked nervous and eyed the humans who were now watching with curiosity and fascination at the argument.
He seemed very flustered and nervous all of a sudden, confusing Duck. Never once before had he seen a King Class in a position of weakness or falter in their demeanour.
Lady of Legend was upset and her eyes were watering with tears as she glared at King Edward II.
The Blue King cleared his throat.
"I will deal with this later," he said gruffly, although Trojan noticed that his voice lacked the authority he had had buy a moment ago. He avoided Lady of Legend's gaze and looked past the engines gathered in the distance as he steamed up to leave.
"Find Lady of Legend a shed," He ordered. "She is not to leave unless myself or my brother say so."
"I'm tired of being controlled by you!" Lady of Legend shouted back indignantly and Duck immediately looked worried.
"Sir I must protest! Clearly, Lady of Legend has issues with your treatment of her! That is something not to be ignored!" He insisted and the King Class glared at him.
"Our personal affairs are no concern to mere shunters," he said snootily and Duck glared at him.
"I'm not just a shunter, I run a branch line!" Duck objected. "Not that it would make any difference! I've given a piece of my mind to engines bigger than you and I won't hesitate to do it to someone I respect either!"
"Then clearly you no longer practice the Great Western Way," King Edward I scolded and without another word, steamed away, Duck looking significantly hurt and Trojan glaring at him.
Lady of Legend simply glared at her buffers, hurt and anger evident on her face. Both Duck and Lady of Legend were uncoupled from their coaches and moved into a nearby yard with Trojan.
"Is the King's treatment of you really that bad young lass?" Trojan asked concerned.
Tydfil said nothing, only looking away from the saddle tank. Duck looked pensive and worried.
"I think the City of Truro should hear about this, I'll see if I can talk to Tornado or another engine close to him," Duck suggested and Tydfil gave a huff.
"I don't need little engines to fight my battles for me," she said snootily and turned her nose up at them, proceeding to ignore the little shunters.
Duck and Trojan glanced at each other but said nothing more.
"My brother is dead and you're letting that criminal get away!" Gordon thundered furiously, hissing steam from every valve and his face a picture of both despair and outrage. "I'll destroy him! I'll destroy him the second I get me buffers on him!"
"Gordon-" Sir Robert tried to interrupt but Gordon ignored him completely.
"My brother! The only brother I had left!" Gordon shouted furiously. "How could you let this happen? Why did you let him near Mallard!"
"Gordon this isn't going to help the situation! Please calm down!"
"Calm down? Calm down?! My brother is dead and you're telling me to calm down!" Gordon was beside himself in anger and had no intention of calming down.
In his cab, Oscar was desperately holding on to Gordon's brake so that he wouldn't move on his own, his pipes and his cab glowing with his own dust, threatening to take off on his own while Vincent desperately tried to calm the distressed engine.
"Gordon please!" Henry begged his old friend. "I know you're upset but you can't go off and do something irrational!"
"That's easy for you to say, you just suddenly have 18 siblings!" Gordon snapped coldly at the big green tender engine. Henry looked hurt but knew that Gordon was only saying such things because of the situation and tried not to take it personally.
Pendennis who had now fully snapped out of his trance-like state was now awake and extremely confused at the chaos unfolding at the station before him.
Flying Scotsman was dead? How was that possible? What had happened while he'd been in that weird trance Scotsman had put him into and why hadn't he woken up when Scotsman had been killed?
"If Scotsman died then why didn't I wake up from the trance he put me under?" He suddenly asked and the engines and Sir Robert turned to look at him.
"Whatever do you mean Pendennis?" 5025 asked confused.
"I was still in that trace Scotsman put me under with his Gold Dust," Pendennis explained.
Gordon was shuddering impatient and didn't give any attention to him but Sir Robert looked intrigued.
"He's right," Sir Robert noted. "If Scotsman somehow managed to place part of his soul in a safe place then there is every possibility that he can be returned to his engine."
"But he can't if his engine is destroyed!" Gordon yelled angrily. "Let me go! Let me go to my brother's engine!"
The desperation in his voice was loud and clear. Sir Robert was about to speak to Gordon when Stainer appeared, running up to the Earl, out of breath.
"Tornado's on her way to intercept Mallard," He gasped out of breath. "She was the closest as she was headed to Croven's Gate to get one of her pins checked after the Truro rescue. Steamworks have also been informed and they've locked the place down, although, Scotsman's engine is now filled with black smoke."
"Ah good, excellent, Tornado will catch him, no trouble," Sir Robert affirmed but Gordon didn't look as convinced. "And Black Smoke will only hang onto an engine if it knows there's still the potential of a soul tethered to it, confirming the Great Western's theory. It's why it clung to Mallard so dearly, it knew that it could use him to gather more Gold Dust."
The engines, except Gordon, relaxed slightly.
There was still a chance.
"Sir I must insist on confronting Mallard myself," Gordon demanded but the Earl shook his head.
"I cannot allow you to do that," Sir Robert said his voice stern with a look of disapproval at Gordon. "I do not want you to get hurt. Let Tornado deal with it. She saved Truro, she can save Scotsman too."
Gordon looked like he was about to argue but looked around at the engines gathered. They were all looking at him, all concerned and almost as distressed as himself.
"Your brother is an engine that has inspired people and lives in the hearts of people around the world Gordon," Stainer proclaimed as he stepped forward to speak and reassure the big blue pacific. "He will not die, even if his engine was scrapped. Mallard is certainly the fastest of Sir Gresley's engines and has his admirers but Flying Scotsman has captured the hearts of people in a way that is hard to quantify or explain. You should have faith that he will return to his engine Gordon."
Gordon looked like he wanted to argue but felt that he couldn't. Instead, he just felt tears watering in his eyes and he blinked rapidly, trying to make them go away.
"I just-" He choked up and shuddered and he desperately tried not to cry. "I can't lose my brother, he's the only one left. I don't want to be alone."
He failed to stop himself from crying and simply began weeping.
Sir Robert without a word climbed onto Gordon's running board to wipe away his tears and comfort him. Behind them, Stainer moved to climb into 5025's cab.
"I'll take 5025 with me and try to intercept but I doubt we'll get there before Tornado and Mallard," Stainer explained and Sir Robert nodded to him.
"Good luck to you Henry," Sir Robert wished him and the man simply nodded back before disappearing into 5025's cab. "I have a feeling you won't need it though."
Duck was surprised to find the large Green King class sitting in a lonely part of the castle grounds of Ulfstead. Behind him, he heard Trojan tut as he noticed the larger engine sitting alone with a sulky expression on its face.
Duck approached him hastily, still angry from his confrontation with the Blue King but respectful.
"Greetings sir, I am Duck," Duck introduced himself politely to the bigger engine. The engine just looked down his nose at him before giving a huff of disproval and casting his eyesight elsewhere, ignoring the Pannier tank engine.
Duck frowned and rolled closer.
"You must be King Edward the First, it's an honour to meet you, sir," Duck spoke, his voice louder and clearer annoyed by the bigger engine's silent treatment.
"Don't bother," Trojan scoffed. "This one's worse than his brother. And he almost killed the City of Truro by leaving him to die with Mallard knowing full well that he was in danger."
"What!" Duck's politeness and respectful demeanour immediately dropped and he glared up at the Great Western King.
"Truro is the ambassador for all Great Westerns! How dare you!" Duck shouted furiously. "How dare you abandon our representative in his time of need!"
The Green King gave a snort of dismissiveness.
"You little engines always idolise him to such a ridiculous degree," he scoffed. "City of Truro hasn't been a bastion of the Great Western Railway since he was bought by the LNER. The Great Western didn't want to waste money on him for good reason."
"Good reason?! Good reason!" Duck shrieked angrily. "City of Truro was the first engine to go 100mph! He has every reason to be saved!"
"I think you'll find that ugly old log of an engine Flying Scotsman was the first, little shunter," the Green King claimed.
"I think you'll find that Scotsman doesn't care about that anymore," Duck pointed out. "Scotsman respects Truro and will defend him when others challenge his record. I'm certain Truro would do the same in return."
"Those two are too close, their relationship is… disgusting!" The Green King spat out hateful. "It goes against everything the Great Western stood for!"
So it was well known among the higher ranking Great Western Engines that Scotsman and Truro had a relationship.
It would have never been accepted back in the early days of the last century. Hell, having a relationship with an engine that wasn't work-related was frowned upon let alone having feelings for one another, never mind the same gender. The times had truly changed, although it appeared that some of the Great Western still adhered to that.
For the second time, today Duck found himself questioning the Way of the Great Western he had pushed so dearly for a long time.
He had after all been on Sodor for most of his life now and he had no idea how the sensibilities of the Mainland had changed.
Maybe he wasn't as Great Western as he thought he was.
"Times have changed," Duck urged and the Green King snorted. "Ideas evolve and improve. The modern Great Western would accept such a relationship."
"And what would you know shunter? Stuck on your insignificant little island hidden away from the real world?" The Green King sneered down at him. "You're just one of almost a thousand little tank engines that got sold off because you weren't useful anymore. You're nothing special. You're not even Great Western!"
Duck was stunned.
Never before had he been speechless in the face of someone challenging his views, his ideas on the world.
Had he really been disconnected from the world that much?
Was he even Great Western anymore?
"Leave him alone yer good fer nothing cranky boiler!" Trojan snapped at King Edward I. "We ain't here to see you, we're here to see Truro now shove off and leave this good engine alone!"
"You're as equally as useless!" King Edward I snapped. "I have no idea why you were even restored!"
"To be a pain in yer ass clearly!" Trojan shouted back. He looked to Duck who was still somewhat stunned by the Green King's words. "Come on rectangle, we gotta go see the boss man."
Duck seemed to shake out of his thoughtful state and looked between his new saddletank friend and the green King class who was now just ignoring them again.
"Right," Duck said, still shaken by the Green King's words. "Well then seeing as I'm no longer Great Western, then you won't mind me saying goodbye to you, Merfyn."
King Edward I's jaw dropped and he stared at the pannier tank engine in complete shock as did Trojan.
"Duck what are you doing!?" Trojan shouted at him, almost speechless from the shock. "You can't- we just- Lady of Legend-"
The saddle tank was shocked, the Green King himself was spluttering indignantly.
"How dare you! How dare a peasant speak my true name!" King Edward I thundered furiously. "You disgraceful excuse of an engine! Not even being Truro's pet will save you from this!"
Duck said nothing.
He simply steamed past the Green King and Trojan without another word and headed up to the castle.
"Stop! Come back here this instant!" King Edward I shrieked. "I am a King class, a royal engine and you will do as I say you filthy shunter!"
The Green King continued to rant and yell as Trojan stood frozen for a second, unsure of what to do.
He had to admit, this Duck was a brave engine.
Foolish but brave.
He could respect that.
He ignored the shrieking King class and went to follow his new friend.
"I'm sorry Tornado, I cannot allow you to enter the Steamworks," Victor insisted. "It is far too dangerous, even for a bright young engine such as yourself."
Tornado frowned.
"You do not allow me to do anything, Victor," Tornado said sternly. "Mr Stainer asked me to come here and stop Mallard and that is exactly what I intend to do."
Tornado rolled forward towards the entrance of the Steamworks, ignoring the shouts and calls for her to stop.
A thick black miasma hung around the entrance of the building, the pitch black of the inside threatened to consume her as she rolled forward, determined and refusing to show her fear.
The cold pricked at her and sent painful chills through her boiler. The darkness made it almost impossible to see but she kept her wits about her and held firm against the oppressing darkness.
Before her, the Flying Scotsman's empty engine sat silently. Once, even though empty, she could still feel Scotsman's gentle soul residing within. Now a maelstrom of black smoke had attached itself to the boiler and made it appear as though the entire engine was covered in thick black oil.
She felt as if something was pulling at her soul but she found that it shrunk if she showed confidence or bravery. She beat the feeling away and travelled to one of the steamwork's turntables and sat before the Flying Scotsman's engine, staring intently at it.
She remembered the first time he had met the Flying Scotsman. She had been upset, crying and ran a red signal, almost ploughing straight into him. For almost a month she had believed that the famous engine hated her, and thought her stupid like the other engines.
Instead, that chance encounter had been probably the best thing that had happened to her.
Flying Scotsman had given her confidence and he had shown her that she was worthy of her place in railway history and confidence in her own abilities.
She took a deep breath and approached the blank engine, ignoring the black smoke snapping at her heels like an irate dog. She pressed her buffers against the Scotsman's in a show of affection.
"Hey," she spoke even though there was no soul in the engine. "I know you're not here but-"
She paused and looked at the black smoke box door that stared back at her, Scotsman's number the only piece of identification telling her who this empty engine was.
"I just want to thank you for being my friend, my big brother, for showing me who I truly am and for giving me the confidence to believe in myself," Tornado said with a kind smile. She closed her eyes and leaned into Scotsman's buffers a little more, hugging his engine tighter. "I know I haven't been the easiest student nor have I been the fastest learner but you put up with me and I just want to say thank you, for everything."
The Black smoke seemed to fade momentarily allowing Tornado a moment of peace with her adoptive elder brother. She stayed there for a moment, silent and still, her eyes closed and allowing the moment to settle.
She opened her eyes and froze.
For a second the image of an engine made of gold dust appeared before her, over Scotsman's own engine, but it wasn't Flying Scotsman. It was of a large express engine with smoke deflectors similar to hers.
It looked exactly like her but the engine was male and had a friendly but older-looking face. It gazed at her curiously but then smiled.
Tornado was too spooked to speak or move.
Was this her brother?
Images flashed in her mind and she suddenly felt memories wash over her like a warm, gentle wave of water.
"Hello Tornado I have something to show you!" Ms Olivia called to the young engine as she sat in the Darlington works. The woman had a skip in her skip and looked proud of something.
Tornado watched her, puzzled but very curious.
"Yes Ms Olivia, I mean Ma'am!" Tornado said flustered as the woman climbed onto the top of her buffer beam waving some photos around. Olivia laughed at her.
"I don't mind if you don't call me ma'am Tornado," she said with a kind smile to the young engine. "Would you like to see what I have?"
"Yes ma'am, I mean, Ms Olivia," Tornado blushed and Olivia gave a soft chuckle before holding the photographs out so Tornado could see them.
They were photos of engines. Engines that bore a remarkably similar appearance to herself.
"They look like me!" Tornado cried out shocked. "How can they look like me?!"
"These are your brothers and sisters young Tornado. They're all A1 Peppercorns like yourself," Olivia explained. "This here is Bonnie Dundee, she was apparantly a little firecracker that gave all kinds of trouble to Sir Nigel. This is Sir Raven, he was the leader of the A1 Peppercorn class and he was Flying Scotsman's good friend too. And this here is Peregrine, the old lads think that you're like him the most. Shy and quiet but reliable and dependable!"
Olivia shuffled through the photos, eagerly excited to show Tornado her siblings but as they went on Tornado could help but feel a sense of dread growing in her.
If she had so many siblings then where were they?
Why hadn't she met them yet?
"Ms Olivia, if I have so many siblings then where are they?" Tornado asked and Olivia's face fell. "Why can't I meet them? Why am I stuck in here?"
Olivia looked away from Tornado, her face visibly upset.
"Did I upset you, Ms Olivia? I'm sorry if I did," Tornado quickly apologised and Olivia shook her head and placed a hand on the side of her smoke box.
"No Tornado it's-," Olivia paused and gave a quiet sigh. "You can't see your siblings anymore because they're no longer here."
Tornado stared at Olivia blankly.
"I don't understand Ms Olivia, how can they no longer be here? They're engines, engines can't die!" Tornado remarked.
Olivia shook her head sadly.
"They were sent to the scrapyard and dismantled. It happened to every class of steam engine, it's why there's so little of them left in the country compared to what was. A lot of engines simply went extinct, like your class." Olivia explained and Tornado looked even more confused.
"But why?!" the Peppercorn demanded. "Why throw us away like trash? Is that what's going to happen to me?!"
"No Tornado, no, you're special, you were built to continue a legacy," Olivia assured the engine who now looked upset and on the verge of tears. "You're the first steam engine built in 50 years and you are a remarkable and beautiful thing. It's taken more than a decade for you to be built, we would never simply discard you like trash, never."
Tornado sniffed and looked at Olivia nervously. The woman had a kind and caring look on her face, reassuring the young engine.
"Why me though? Why build me?"
"To replace what was lost," Olivia said kindly. "One of your brothers, Saint Mungo, I think there's a picture of- here!"
Olivia held up the photo of a friendly but jolly-looking engine with the nameplate, Saint Mungo, on his smoke deflector. He was pulling a goofy face and some humans, his crew, were posing on his buffers in equally as goofy poses. Tornado smiled, he looked like a happy engine.
"Saint Mungo here was meant to be preserved, he was meant to be saved as an example of his class," Olivia explained. "He was however killed by a horrible, vengeful engine."
"Why?" Tornado looked appalled.
"We don't know why," Olivia frowned. "But the engine was punished when it came out years later. At first, it was assumed to be a mistake on the part of the scrapyard but a boy who was the nasty engine's crew finally spoke out and the engine was punished."
Tornado looked down at the floor disheartened.
"You mean, if that engine- if Saint Mungo wasn't scrapped, I wouldn't even be here?" She asked and Olivia froze, her eyes widened in shock.
"Tornado-"
"Blue Peter was right! I'm just a replacement! A phoney!" Tornado cried. "I'm not a real peppercorn, I was just made to fix a mistake!"
"No, Tornado, please you mustn't think of it like that!" Olivia tried to calm her but Tornado began crying. "You are not here to fix a mistake."
"Yes, I am!" Tornado shouted angrily. "What would that engine- what would Saint Mungo do if he knew I replaced him?! He'd hate me just as much as Blue Peter does!"
She began bawling like a child and Olivia could only try helpless to try and calm her but Tornado refused to listen, inconsolable.
Tornado gave a choking gasp as the memory released her, leaving her staring back at Scotsman's engine, the apparition of her brother staring back at her.
"Sai- Saint Mungo?" Tornado stuttered confused and scared. She didn't know how the ghost would interact with her.
Did it hate her? Was it jealous that she was alive when it should be?
The apparition grinned at her kindly.
"Are you angry at me?" Tornado quivered at the sight of the ghost, frightened of how it would react to her. "Are you angry that I replaced you? Are you angry at this mistake?!"
The ghost said nothing, only smiling calmly at her.
Tornado grew more nervous and suddenly the black smoke was biting at her, trying to rip her soul from her engine in her moment of weakness.
She cried out in pain and tried to back away but her wheels felt frozen in place and she began to panic as the black smoke gripped her tightly.
"Help, help me!" She begged and tried to move again but again she couldn't.
She squeezed her eyes shut and desperately tried to move, her boiler shaking with pain and terror.
"I'm so proud of you, Tornado." A voice she had never heard echoed in her mind.
She stopped struggling and looked up at Saint Mungo's ghost who was still smiling at her while the gold dust that made up his ghost was pulling the black smoke away from her.
"Saint Mungo?" She asked the ghost but the ghost did not answer, only dissolving before her eyes. "Saint Mungo!"
She felt a sudden calm wash over her as she felt a gentle hand on her regulator.
"It's okay Tornado," She heard Flying Scotsman's voice from her cab, confusing her. "I can handle this from here on out. Thank-you for making my dark days a little bit better, Young Iron."
"Flying Scotsman?" Tornado asked confused as the sound of a whistle suddenly pierced the air shrilly.
Tornado's surroundings suddenly began to warp and melt around her and in the blink of an eye she suddenly found herself in the Darlington Works, engineers staring at her, mouths open wide in complete shock at the fact that Tornado, a 105-ton engine had appeared right before their eyes.
At her side, the Gresley P2 built, Prince of Wales sat, finished and ready to roll.
"Tornado how did you-?" Her lead engineer, Iain stepped forward, a bewildered look still on his face. He didn't even have time to finish his question when an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke.
"Who am I?"
Despite the fact that their first locomotive had 'magically' appeared right before their eyes and there was a bigger cause of confusion as the cowl over the Prince of Wales' face now suddenly had a handsome, but very confused-looking face.
"You're awake?!" Iain shouted and the engineers rushed to gather around the newly build P2 with a buzz of excitement. "You're awake!"
"He's awake! He's finally awake!" Came the shrill cries of the excited engineers.
Tornado watched them as they excitedly rushed around. She wanted to join them, despite her confusion but suddenly felt exhausted and her eyelids grew heavy with sleep.
The last thing she heard was the P2 Trust singing and celebrating the awakening of their brand-new engine.
Gresley's newest big boyo is awake. Time to party.
~For updates, extra lore or to ask questions or discuss the fic, you can find me on tornadoyoungiron tumblr
There is also a Tumblr where you can directly ask the characters of this story at Ask Young Iron
