Tales From The Tracks & Beyond

by Teh Kew1 Storyteller

Are you a Thomas & Friends fan? Do you like reading fanfics of it that are a little bit different from the usual fanfics? If so, then you might wanna check this out. This story has things that Thomas & Friends dosen't, like action. If you wanna see a story that involves trains that are a little bit different, then you might wanna read this.

6. The Trouble With Trucks

=|=|=| Episode 6: The Trouble With Trucks |=|=|=

The engines on The Leafy Line work hard. But of course, they can't do it alone. They need rolling stock to help them. One such example were trucks. Trucks were normally used for delivering coal and other things.

One day, Jack was talking to the trucks. Unlike Sodor, the trucks in The Leafy Line were actually pretty great. They weren't troublesome or anything like that, in fact they're just usually chill and interact normally with others. What? Were all of you surprised that the trucks on the Leafy Line weren't like the ones on Sodor? Don't be. Why would anyone want to be troublesome for no reason? Unless you WANT to have some people- -or engines- -hating you, I don't see why you'd want to be troublesome. I don't know what's wrong with the trucks on Sodor. Maybe they're just THAT crazy? I don't know. But whatever the reason is for the trucks on Sodor being the way they are, I'm pretty sure it's NOT good. I just hope it's not as weird as I think it is.

"So, how does it feel not being able to move much on your own?"

"Well, it dosen't really bother most of us that much. But some of us are right. It can get pretty boring at times."

"Do you guys wish that all of you could move on your own?"

"Some do. Others like the situation the way it is. As it means that they don't have to exert effort into what they do."

"Haha! Man, you trucks are lucky. You only need to follow an engine where he or she's going, while we have to do all the work."

"I don't really think so. You engines can move around on your own. So you guys can see lots of things when you go on your journeys. We can't move on our own, and we can only see different things when we're being moved."

The trucks had a point. Engines seemed to be more lucky than them. They were tough, strong and had a lot more steel in them than some trucks would. Some trucks were just made of things like wood. The trucks that The Leafy Line normally use were similar to the ones on Sodor, but they were slightly bigger and much sturdier. Pretty handy for when accidents happen. At least the trucks that The Leafy Line uses won't break so easily.

While Jack continued talking to the trucks, Mr. Fred came along. "Jack, I need you to deliver coal to Aquaria Docks. Use whatever trucks are around here, and take around... ...I'd say 11 trucks. Then, I want you to take them to a coal hopper and fill them up before you go to the docks alright?" he said. "Yes sir." replied Jack.

So Jack puffed away to arrange a train of trucks. When he was done, he buffered up in front. The shunter fastened the couplings, then Jack whistled before chuffing off to find a coal hopper.

When Jack found one, he stopped at just the right spot to let the first truck be filled with coal. The coal hopper then started pouring coal on it. Soon the first truck was loaded. Then, Jack move forward to let the next one be loaded. The coal hopper started dumping coal again, and soon the second truck was filled. Then, Jack let the third truck get filled. And so on and so forth.

But... when Jack got to the last truck, something happened. As Jack stopped to let the last truck get filled up with coal, there was trouble! The coal hopper started filling the last truck up with coal. But after it was full, it didn't stop! Coal kept on pouring down the last truck until it was overfilled! Soon, it seeped out and began to go all over the truck next to it and the rails behind the last truck!

The last truck was coughing and choking, "-STOP! -STOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" it tried yelling with it's muffled voice under the coal! Jack gasped in shock as he watched the last truck get buried! The man who was operating the coal hopper realized his mistake and said "-OH NO!" before switching it off.

The last truck was buried! It couldn't speak properly with it's muffled voice. The man operating the coal hopper rushed over to the scene. "-OH NO!" said the man, "-OH MAN! -I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY I didn't know!" he added. Jack sighed and said "That's ok...".

Soon, Mr. Fred came along. When he saw the mess he said "What's this?!". "My fault sir, I accidentally let the coal hopper put a bit too much coal on the last truck.." said the coal hopper man. Mr. Fred sighed and said "I'll go get something to clean this up.".

After a while, the mess was cleared. A front loader and an excavator were used to clear the coal. And the coal was loaded onto a dump truck. Then, Jack whistled and set off.

Later that day, the trucks were talking to each other. And they all had a good laugh about what happened today. "I know I'm built to take coal to places, but I don't wanna be in a pile of it." the truck who got buried in coal chuckled. The other trucks could only chuckle along.

The next day, a big order of coal was said to The Leafy Line. Mr. Fred was at the sheds and was about to give the job of delivering the coal to one of the engines.

"Someone just ordered a very big amount of coal from us. So this delivery will use a lot of trucks. Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike, the both of you will be the ones pulling the trucks. And Riptide, you will be the banker engine just in case Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike can't pull the train up the Loop-de-loop mountain."

When Mr. Fred finished speaking, the three engines said "Yes sir." before setting off. While Tim and Riptide were following Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike, Tim said "Whoever ordered coal must've ordered A LOT. From the way Mr. Fred said it, it sounds like we'll have A LOT OF TRUCKS to manage!". "Well, at least we won't be managing them alone. The order must've been SO BIG if both Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike were called for this." replied Riptide.

When Tim, Riptide, Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike got to where the trucks were, they were SHOCKED! There were 30 TRUCKS in a single line! And they were waiting for them to deliver their load.

"-WWWWWOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -THAT'S A VERY LONG LINE OF TRUCKS!"

"-Y...-Yeah..."

"Now I know why you two were called as well... one engine would have a bit of a hard time pulling THAT!"

"W-well... let's do this then."

Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike buffered up in front of the train, while Tim and Riptide buffered up from behind. "Ready?" said Tim, "-READY!" the brothers replied. Then, the four of them started to move the train.

"Kinda heavy, but it wouldn't really bother me if I pull it alone. Same goes for my brother. But the Loop-de-loop mountain makes the work a bit harder and makes even me and my brother struggle when it comes to these kinds of work. So I'm glad the both of you came along Tim and Riptide."

"Glad to help. And yeah, the Loop-de-loop mountain can be trouble."

The train was heavy and hard to pull. But eventually, Tim, Riptide, Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike managed to speed up. Soon they were racing along the line! "-C'MON EVERYBODY! -LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" said Thunderstrike as he and the others went as fast as they could!

Soon, the four were rocketing down the line! Using every ounce of strength they had to keep the train going. They soon passed Rose, who was pulling a goodstrain. Rose was SHOCKED when she saw the four thunder by! "-WHOA!" she said as she saw them disappear into the distance.

Soon, the four reached the Loop-de-loop mountain. And when they started to climb it, they started struggling a bit.

"C'moooonnnnn! Harder! Stronger! Faster!" groaned Thunderstrike as he, Lightningstreak and Riptide's wheels started slipping a bit. "-I'M TRYING!" Riptide yelled from behind as Tim shovelled more coal and dropped more sand. Then, Tim said "Hey, I have an idea! Let's all go slow and steady. That way, we'll be able to get a better grip on the tracks and be able to move the train without using too much strength and energy.". "Good idea!" said Lightningstreak. So Tim, Riptide, Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike decided to go a bit slower. Soon the three engines' wheels managed to get a good grip in the rails, making moving the train a bit easier.

"We're doing it!" said Riptide, "-OH YEAH! WE'RE MOVING BETTER THIS TIME!" said Tim as the three engines were able to go faster and faster gradually. Eventually, they and Tim managed to reach the top of the Loop-de-loop mountain. Then, they went faster and the three engines clickety-clacked along the track as fast as they could.

Soon, Tim, Riptide, Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike reached the docks. When they got there, they saw a big white ship waiting for them. Just then, Splashy the sailboat arrived. "Hey everybody! Meet Great White! The ship that's been waiting for you all to deliver the coal!" said Splashy. "Uhhh... hi Splashy." replied Riptide. Then, he, Tim, Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike looked at Great White, the big white ship that was waiting for them. He was VERY BIG.

"Uhhhhh... hi Great White." said Tim. However, what he didn't realize was that Great White was sometimes rude and grumpy. "OI! Stop dillydallying you four and get that coal near me so it can be loaded onto me and be delivered to where it needs to be!" Great White said. "Alright, no need to be rude." said Lightningstreak as he and the others got the coal near Great White.

When the coal was near Great White, it was loaded onto him. Now, I'm going to tell all of you what he looks like. Great White's a very big ship that was colored white at the top and black at the bottom. He had a nameplate on his sides and had decals resembling the mouth and eyes of a great white shark on the sides of his front.

After the coal was loaded onto Great White, he honked his horn before setting off. "Well, that ship was VERY RUDE." said Thunderstrike, "Yeah." replied Lightningstreak. "Nevermind, let's just go." said Tim, all three engines agreed before going back.

When Tim and the three engines got back to the sheds, Mr. Fred was waiting for them. "Oh, it's you four. So, have you all managed to deliver the coal to the docks?" he asked. "Yeah, we had a bit of trouble but we managed." Tim replied. "Good." said Mr. Fred.

After Mr. Fred gave Tim, Riptide, Lightningstreak and Thunderstrike their next jobs, he went to the other side of the engine shed. There was a black engine there. A GWR (Great Western Railway) 2900 class. He was black with yellow stripes and the number 21 on his tender. His name was Panther. He also had the symbol of a panther's head on the sides of his cab.

For some reason, Panther was grumpy today. I don't know why, but he is. Mr. Fred came up to him and said "Panther, I need you to take a goodstrain to the mines.", "I just hope that I don't get to be with THOSE TRUCKS again!" Panther said angrily. He was talking about certain trucks that didn't really like him. "Well... I'm sorry Panther, but there are only a few trucks left in the yard right now... and if the trucks you hate are the only ones there then you have no choice but to use them." said Mr. Fred, Panther fumed away.

As it turns out, Mr. Fred was right, The only trucks that were available in the yard right now were the ones Panther hates. "-UGH! OH COME ON!" said Panther, the trucks looked at him and said "Look! It's Panther!". Panther groaned before saying "Alright, let's get this over with..." before starting to arrange the trucks. But while Panther was doing so, the trucks kept making it hard for him to work. They would hold him back from time to time, this annoyed Panther so much that he sometimes bashed them.

"STOP THAT!" he yelled, "Or what?" said the trucks. This made Panther even more angrier that he bashed them again!

*BAM!*

"-OW OW OW!" screamed the trucks. "-STOP THIS NONSENSE AND GET MOVING! We have something to deliver and all of you are holding it up." said Panther. The trucks realized that Panther was right and just chose to go along with whatever he was doing. But they were still cross and was planning to pay him back.

As Panther finished arranging the trucks, he buffered up to them. The shunter fastened the couplings and Panther blew his whistle before setting off.

Once Panther's trucks were loaded, he began to start his journey. On the way, the trucks were being troublesome again. "Hold back! Hold back! Don't let Panther clickety-clack along the track!" said the trucks before they all laughed. "Be quiet!" snapped Panther. But it was no use, the trucks kept saying rude things about him and sometimes biffed, bashed and held back. By the time Panther got to the mines, he was very tired.

"Whew! I'm tired!" said Panther, but the trucks still kept laughing at him. Now Panther was very angry, so he gave the trucks a bump! "OW OW OW!" they screamed. Then they paid Panther back by bumping him! Soon, Panther and the trucks were bumping each other. Eventually, it stopped because they all ended up getting even more tired.

Some of the people who were working at the mines heard the noise, so they checked it out to see what was going on. But when they did, Panther and the trucks had already stopped fighting. So they were confused, then they just ignored the noise and got back to work.

By the time Panther came back to the engine sheds, he was exhausted. Tim and Riptide were resting there. "Oh, hello. What's your name?" said Riptide, "Shut up! I'm tired and I need a rest." replied Panther. "That's not very nice." said Riptide, "I don't care. Just shut up." Panther retorted back before resting. "That was rude." Tim whispered, "Yeah, I know." Riptide replied.

Later That Night...

Later that night, Tim and Riptide snuck off again and went into the portal that led to the underground hangout. When they got there, the hangout was full of people chilling. Some of them were having drinks.

"Huh. It's a bit quieter today." said Tim, "Yeah. C'mon, let's find somewhere to rest until the next game starts." replied Riptide as he and Tim did just that.

Meanwhile, a group of girls were just chatting to each other. I'll tell you all about them. There was Colette, a pale skinned woman with black hair and black eyes. Kaitlyn, who was sometimes called Katie and was pale with blond hair that was slightly curled at the end and brown eyes. Her hair was usually tied into a ponytail. And finally, there was Mandy who had pale skin with black hair and eyes. Colette is usually nice, Kaitlyn could be a bit of a showoff when it came some things and Mandy was usually serious, but knew how to have fun as well when she wanted to.

"Well girls, that last game was fire!"

"Yeah. Another win for us."

"So... what do you two think the next one will be?"

"Guess we'll find out soon."

Soon, Tim and Riptide found somewhere to relax. "This looks like a nice spot." said Riptide, "Yeah. Now let's rest here." said Tim. But what they didn't realize was that the spot they were resting on was right next to the girls. "Hey... isn't that the new guy?" said Kaitlyn, "Yeah. What? You gonna come up to him and be sassy?" said Mandy. "I'm not gonna be "sassy", I just think someone should give him a warm welcome." replied Kaitlyn. Mandy already knew what was going to happen, Kaitlyn would try and intimidate Tim and Riptide to make them feel weak and like noobs.

Kaitlyn walked up towards Tim and said "HEY YOU!". "-Huh?" Tim said as he looked to his side, there was Kaitlyn pointing at him and standing in a sassy way with a hand in her hip. "Uh... hi?" Tim tried saying, "YOU! You think you got what it takes to REEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLLYYYYYYYY make a mark out there in this place?! Tah. You haven't seen nothin' yet. One day, a hard challenge is gonna prove that you're just a weak noobie." Kaitlyn replied. "Ummmmm... ok..." said Tim confused as to why someone just came up randomly to him just to say that.

"Well, whaddya got ta say to that punk?!" Kaitlyn added, "I uh uuuhhhhhh..." said Tim not knowing what to say. But before he could think of what to say next, Mandy came over and interrupted by pulling Kaitlyn by the ear and saying "Alright, enough of this nonsense! Let's just go back to where our seats are!". "Ow ow ow ow ow! Hey! Lemme go!" yelled Kaitlyn, then Mandy let go of her ear. Kaitlyn rubbed it and said "What'd you do that for?!", "I know you're trying to "intimidate" the competition, but I think we should just let him be." said Mandy, "And besides, he's not one of our enemies." she added.

"Ugh, fine." muttered Kaitlyn as she rolled her eyes, "But just so you know new guy, the competition's tougher than ya think. Hope you're prepared for what might come." she continued before going back to her seat with Mandy.

"She's rude." said Tim, "I know, what's her problem?" added Riptide. When Mandy and Kaitlyn got back to where Colette was waiting, Colette said "Lemme guess, Kaitlyn tried to "intimidate" the competition.". "Yup." replied Mandy, "What's wrong? I'm just tryna do our team a favor by stopping people from becoming our possible enemies in games." said Kaitlyn. "That guy's just a regular noobie. Just let him be." said Mandy.

Meanwhile, Colette was just staring at Tim. To her, he was kinda cute. Colette was starting to like Tim more and more as she continued to look at him. She got up from her chair and started to approach him.

Tim and Riptide were still talking about Kaitlyn when they saw Colette walk up to them. "Oh. Hello." Tim said, "Hi." Colette said blushing a little bit and looking away. Tim was confused and said "Somethin' wrong?", "-Oh -uh- -no. Nothing. I'm fine. Thanks." Colette stuttered. "Ok." muttered Tim, but after he said that Colette still didn't go away. "Uuuuhhhh... aren't your friends over there?" said Tim, "-Oh-uh-yeah. Haha... You're right. I'll be going now." said Colette a bit nervously before heading back towards where her friends were. "That was weird." said Riptide, "Yeah." replied Tim.

Meanwhile, Colette went back and sat with her friends again. "Uuuuhhhh... what were you doing with him?" asked Kaitlyn, "Oh-uh... -nothing Katie." replied Colette nervously. "It looked like you were in love with him." Kaitlyn added, "-W-well... -I... -uhhhhh..." Colette stuttered before Mandy said "You don't actually like him do you?". "W-What?! Who?! Me?! Him?! Nah. H-He's just a regular guy. -Wh...-why would I wanna get with him?" Colette stammered, Mandy just gave Colette a "Seriously?" look and raised a brow.

Just then, Mr. Patterson started announcing. "Alright everyone, the next game's startin' soon. Ya'll know what to do." he said. Soon, most of the people got ready for the next game.

A few minutes later, Mr. Patterson came back. "Is everyone ready?" he asked, when no one answered he said "Good.". Then he added "Now, the next game will involve freight cars. The rules are quite simple. Two participants will be picked. The game is all about freight cars. There will be burning coal that the freight cars will launch towards the drivers and their engines. If an engine or driver gets hit by coal lumps five times, they will be disqualified and teleported out of the game. The last engine and/or driver standing wins! Alright, here's a spinning wheel! The wheels will be spun twice to pick two participants to join the game!". After Mr. Patterson said that, he spun the wheel.

"And the wheel is now spinning spinning spinning spinning spinning spinning oooohhhh who's it gonna be iiiiitttt'sssssss... -TIM! Congratulations Tim, you have been chosen to participate in the next game!"

When the crowd saw that Tim got chosen, they roared and applaused. They knew Tim was a newbie in the locomotive hangout, and were kinda curious on how far he'd go. Then, Mr. Patterson spun the wheel again.

"And we're gonna spin the wheel again! It's spinnin'... -and spinnin'... -and spinnin'... -and spinnin'... -and spinnin'... -and it's going to be... -COLETTE!"

When Colette was picked on the wheel, everyone gave a thunderous roar of applause. Because if Colette got picked, then that meant her friends would be able to join in the game as well. Let me explain. Colette is part of a team. In the underground locomotive hangout, it's possible to form a team. Just one thing though, you and the people who'll join your team should sign something. The name of the team that Colette was in was the Pumping Pistons, the group name was chosen because speed was their main thing. It was the one thing they had an edge on. Mandy was the leader, and Colette and Kaitlyn were with her.

"Looks like Colette got picked on the wheel! And because she's part of a group, her teammates will be joining in the game as well! Wow! Four people in one game! Now this is going to be epic!"

The people clapped and cheered when they now knew who was going to be in the next game. Then, Mr. Patterson said "Would Tim, Riptide, Colette, Flower, Kaitlyn and Mandy please head to the modification room?". Then, the game participants went to the modification room. Oh and by the way, there are still things I haven't talked about yet. Like the Pumping Pistons' engines.

Colette's engine was a pink SECR (South Eastern & Chatham Railway) C class with yellow stripes and pink flowers all over her. The engine's name is- -unsurprisingly- -Flower. She had the number 02 on her tender and had a small front wheel that was able to move to the sides. Like some 2-6-0 engines. The real SECR C class engines were 0-6-0 tender locomotives, but Flower was modified.

Kaitlyn's engine is a modified GWR 2900 class. Instead of having four small wheels at the front, they were only two. Making it a 2-6-0 as well. It was purple with white stripes and lining and had the symbol of a head of a purple snake on the sides of it's cab. It had the number 28 on the sides of it's tender and had a decal that said "STEAM SPEED" on it's sides. It's wheels had white outlines and there was a gold part somewhere around the top of it's funnel. And finally, it was a non living engine. Would you believe if I said Kaitlyn was the one who modified her own engine?

And finally, we have Mandy's engine. Which looks like an LNER A3 but it's not. Mandy actually built her engine herself, she had experience building steam locomotives. The engine was non living as well. It was green with white stripes, had a flat running board and was also a 2-6-0. It's buffers were a little bit bigger than Flower's and Katlyn's engine's. The tender was big so that it could hold a lot of coal. Mandy's engine was built for speed, and it's acceleration was pretty quick for a steam engine. It's strength was something to behold too, as it could take A LOT OF DAMAGE before it would start to break. And I mean A LOT. Mandy's engine has the symbol of a zooming green fist on the sides of it's cab. It had the number 7 on it's tender and had the symbol of a green fist with orange zoom effects on it's sides.

After Tim, Riptide, Colette, Flower, Kaitlyn and Mandy got out of the modification room, they saw that they ended up in a desert-like stage. The people clapped and cheered even more when they saw them. Then, Mr. Patterson started announcing again.

"Attention please everyone, the game will be starting soon. So make sure to keep your eyes peeled for some crazy action in this game! Like I said, if a driver or an engine gets hit with the burning coal five times they will be disqualified and teleported out of the game!"

The game participants looked in front of them. There were living trucks that had been given motors so that they would be able to move on their own. "Alright get ready you babies 'cuz this game might get too "hot" to handle for all o' ya!" one of them said. "You guys just wait, we'll ace this thing." Kaitlyn muttered smirking. "-Why are you smilin' punk?!" the truck added, Kaitlyn didn't respond and her smirk grew bigger.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, ON THE COUNT OF 3... -1... -2... -3... -GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

When Mr. Patterson said the word go, the game started! Immediately, the trucks began to throw burning coal everywhere! "WHOA!" yelled Tim as he and Riptide dodged fast. Mandy and Kaitlyn both went backwards at the same time, but the tenders of their engines hit each other and almost caused the both of them to fall off the magical tracks that were letting their engines move. "HEY WATCH IT!" Mandy yelled, "YOU WATCH IT!" Kaitlyn yelled back as she and Mandy kept on driving backwards.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Colette and Flower screamed as they were panicking, they didn't want to get hit by the coal and were trying their best to avoid them!

"Hehehehehehehe..." one of the trucks snickered as he rushed over to where Tim and Riptide were! When they saw the truck coming towards them, they screamed before driving backwards so fast! So fast that they accidentally hit a wall!

*-BANG!*

"OW!" Riptide yelled, "OOGH!" said Tim as he accidentally hit the back of his head into the back of the inside of Riptide's cab! "YOU OK?!" asked Riptide, "Yeah." replied Tim.

Meanwhile, Mandy was escaping from a rain of burning coal that one of the other trucks were throwing at her. "FULL STEAM AHEAD!" she yelled as she pulled something on her engine's controls. Then, more smoke came out of her engine's wheels and funnel before it went even faster!

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Colette and Flower were still screaming as they kept on escaping from the burning coal that rained on them! Three of them had already hit Flower's sides, making her and Colette have two lives left. "-FASTER! -FASTER!" yelled Colette, "-I'M TRYING!" said Flower as she sped up.

Kaitlyn was having a bit of trouble with her engine, black smoke came out of it and covered the areas she went to. Don't worry, this always happens with Kaitlyn's engine. Lemme explain. Kaitlyn knows about locomotive stuff, but not enough. Her engine was fine when she first modified it. But after a while, it began to show some problems like slightly slowed speed and occasional clanking. Kaitlyn does have a life outside of the locomotive hangout. She does lots of different jobs just to earn money for herself. And because of this, she didn't really have time anymore to properly take care and maintain her engine. Some of the things inside it were VERY DIRTY, so that's why it was always puffing black smoke.

The trucks that chased Kaitlyn coughed and couldn't see where they were going. The same happened to Kaitlyn whenever she would pass by some of the black smoke her engine made. And because of the black smoke, she even accidentally crashed into a wall!

*-BANG!*

"OW!"

The front buffers of Kaitlyn's engine were bent, and Kaitlyn accidentally hit her head on the side of her engine's cab! "-FUCK!" she said as she rubbed her head. Then, she looked back and saw the trucks coming after her! "OH SHIT!" she yelled before getting out of where she was as fast as she could! The trucks chased after her and threw more burning coal!

"-OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF ACTION TONIGHT! Colette and her engine have just lost 3 lives! And the front of Katlyn's engine seems to be bent! All the drivers and engines are trying to escape the burning coal, but the question is... -how long will they last?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Colette and Flower again as they were cornered into a wall! The trucks surrounded them! "-P...-Please don't hit us with burning coal... -please?" asked Colette, but the trucks took no notice of her and threw burning coal at her engine! "OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!" Flower kept saying as she and Colette were teleported out of the game. Kaitlyn saw what happened and said "-COLETTE!" before Colette and Flower disappeared.

Meanhile, Tim and Riptide were doing the same thing that Colette and Flower did. Escape. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" they yelled as they raced across the stage! "Alright, you trucks wanna play it that way huh? -TRY THIS!" said Kaitlyn as she rushed over to where the trucks were before covering the with black smoke! The trucks ended up coughing and crashing into each other!

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!" Kaitlyn laughed as she covered them in more black smoke. "RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN!" said Tim as he made Riptide go faster.

"OH YEAH! HOW YA LIKE THAT YA STUPID TRUCKS?! HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Kaitlyn lauged even more. "OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE DRIVERS HAS CAUSED THE CARS TO CRASH INTO EACH OTHER! They will be reset and they'll be able to continue the game again." said Mr. Patterson. "-OH COME ON!" said Kaitlyn as she rushed over to the trucks and said "NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" before bumping them and pinning them into a wall!

The trucks tried to get out of Kaitlyn's engine's grip, but they couldn't. Then, Mr. Patterson said "OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH! It looks like Kaitlyn has broken a rule here. I didn't say that anyone could do that to the freight cars. Kaitlyn is disqualified from the game!". "-WAIT -NONONONONONONONO!" said Kaitlyn, but it was too late as she and her engine were teleported out of the stage as well.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" said Tim, "-GOGOGOGOGO!" yelled Riptide as Tim made him go so fast to get away from the trucks that were still trying to throw coal at him! "-GET BACK HERE YOU CHICKENS!" yelled the trucks as they gave chase!

"ARGH, THAT FOOL! I TOLD HER TO STOP DOING STUPID SHIT!" said Mandy as she facepalmed and got away from where the trucks were as fast as she could. "FASTER! FASTER!" said Riptide, "-I'M GOING AS FAST AS I CAN!" yelled Tim.

"Alright everyone! That's two people down in this game! And now there are only two people left! Tim and Mandy! Who do you think will be the last one standing? I guess we'll find out soon!"

*-PEOPLE CHEERING-*

Tim, Riptide and Mandy were all trying to escape from the burning coal as fast as they could. Mandy had a bit of an easier time than Tim because her engine was MUCH faster. But Tim and Riptide were starting to struggle a bit. The trucks were fast and was soon catching up to them! They were both getting tired.

"Alright Riptide... it's just us and Mandy now. Think you can last a little bit longer so that we can win?" said Tim, "I'll try." replied Riptide. "Great, FULL STEAM AHEAD!" yelled Tim as he made Riptide go faster.

Meanwhile, Mandy's engine got hit by three lumps of coal! Even though she was going as fast as she could, the trucks could catch up with her and throw burning coal all over her engine! 2 more times and they would have Mandy eliminated from the game. "-DAMMIT!" said Mandy as she made her engine go faster.

The same thing happened to Riptide, now he and Tim only had 2 lives left in the game! Tim and Mandy were tied with each other on their number of lives. The question was... -who would be the last one standing?

As Tim and Riptide kept on racing along the stage, one of the trucks accidentally BUMPED INTO THEM! This caused them to spin out of control! And they accidentally hit Mandy's engine in the process!

*-SMASH!* "-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA!"

Mandy's engine ended up spinning as well! Eventually, she managed to make it stop. But by then it was already too late! As it then got hit by 2 more lumps of coal! Mandy looked in shock as she saw what happened.

"-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT LOOKS LIKE MANDY'S LOST! SHE'S OUT OF THE GAME EVERYONE!"

And with that, Mandy and her engine were teleported out of the stage.

"THE WINNER IS... -TIM AND RIPTIDE!"

*-PEOPLE CHEERING-*

"We won! We won! Hahahahaha!" Tim said as he laughed with joy, "Oh yeah!" yelled Riptide. Then, the both of them were teleported out of the stage as well.

When Tim and Riptide were on the stage Mr. Patterson was in, Mr. Patterson gave them $50. "Here." he said as all the people clapped and cheered for Tim and Riptide. Tim and Riptide couldn't believe it! $50?! That's a first. "ALRIGHT!" said Tim as he grabbed the $50.

That night, Tim was very happy. Mr. Patterson gave him a lot more money than usual this time. He didn't know why, but he wasn't complaining. After all, he did get more money right? Tim kept on thinking about the money as he went to sleep.

The next morning, when Tim woke up and went to the kitchen he saw that breakfast was a little bit better this time. This time, it wasn't just sunny side-ups and bread. Now there were strips of bacon too. Tim gave some of the money he got from the hangout to his parents. And they ended up having a bit of a better breakfast.

"Mmm, that looks nice." said Tim, he could smell the eggs and bacon. As Tim sat down, his mother said "Tell me Tim, you've been earning a bit more money than usual. How?".

Suddenly, Tim got worried. He didn't want to tell his mother- -or father about the underground locomotive hangout. They wouldn't like what he and Riptide were doing there. Then, something popped into Tim's head.

"Oh-uh... -well... -I've been working extra hard on the railway."

"-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Oh Tim, I'm so proud of you! C'mere!"

"-ACK-"

Tim's mother gave him a great big hug, but it was a bit too tight and Tim wanted to get out. "-A-A-A-A-ACK- -Mom... -it's too tight!" he said, "Oh, sorry." said his mother as she let go of him. Tim fixed his clothes before saying "That was really tight.", "Sorry dear, I'm just proud of you that's all." replied his mother.

"You should be proud of yourself Tim, you are following your passion and you're helping the family." said Tim's dad, "Thanks." Tim replied as he and his family sat down and ate breakfast.

After eating breakfast, Tim got himself ready before going to work. When he got to the engine sheds, he saw that Panther was the only one there. "Why are you in the sheds and not working?" Tim asked, "Stupid Mr. Fred told me to stay in the shed!" replied Panther. "Why?" Tim asked again, "He kept bumping the trucks around, and he accidentally damaged the buffers on some of them." replied Riptide. "Were they fixed already?" Tim added, "Yes." Riptide answered.

"Looks like you'll be having a good long rest." chuckled Tim, "Yeah, just think of this as a rest from your duties." added Riptide. "Come along Riptide, let's go find Mr. Fred and see what job he has for us." added Tim, "Yeah." replied Riptide as he and Tim set off. Panther just snorted and rolled his eyes.

When Tim and Riptide got to platform 4, they found Mr. Fred standing there. "Ah, Tim and Riptide. I was wondering when you two would be ready." he said, "Well, we're here sir. What's our job?" asked Riptide. "The both of you shall deliver coal to the docks. Fill some trucks up using a coal hopper and go there at once." said Mr. Fred. "Alright sir." said Riptide as Tim made him whistle before they went off.

In the yard, Tim and Riptide were arranging a train of trucks. "You know Tim and Riptide, we prefer you over that horrible wretched Panther." one of them said, Tim and Riptide chuckled. Then, Tim said "Ah. I don't know what's wrong with him. But nevermind about that. Me and Riptide will be the ones who'll be taking all of you today.".

The trucks were delighted, they were going to have a smooth ride for once. When Tim and Riptide took them to the coal hopper, Riptide said "Hey, isn't this the place where one of Jack's trucks overfilled with coal? And the coal ended up going all over?". "Yes it is!" replied Tim as he and Riptide chuckled.

When the trucks were filled with coal, Tim and Riptide set off. The journey was smooth and uneventful, which was all the trucks could ask for after a while of rough rides with Panther.

After Tim and Riptide delivered the coal to the docks, they put the trucks back in the yard. "We wish you two pull us more often, it's a smooth ride with you two." said the trucks, Tim and Riptide chuckled before going to platform 2.

After Tim and Riptide had been given their next job, it was Panther's turn to be given one. "Panther, I need you to deliver some more coal to the docks." said Mr. Fred. "Why can't Tim and Riptide do it?! The trucks like them better than me." said Panther, "I'm sorry Panther, but there's no other engine available right now other than you." Mr. Fred replied. Panther snorted as he went into the yard.

When the trucks saw Panther, one of them said "Oh no! It's Panther!". "C'mon you rotten planks on wheels, get here!" said Panther as he banged the trucks into each other. "OOOHHH!" they groaned.

When Panther was able to form a train, the shunter fastened the couplings. "I'm tired of being bumped around!" one of the trucks whispered, "Let's pay him back!" another one said. And the second truck began whispering the plan to the others.

"C'mon, don't dawdle. Let's go!" said Panther, when he started pulling the trucks they started off with a jerk. But the trucks didn't care this time, they were going to teach him a lesson.

As Panther was puffing along the line, the trucks began to hold back. "Hold back! Hold back!" they whispered to each other, but Panther didn't know what they were doing. There were more trucks than usual, so he thought that the train was really heavy. "Damn I must be getting old." said Panther as he struggled on.

When Panther was nearing the docks, the trucks began to do the next part of their plan. They started pushing Panther, but not too fast just in case. But Panther couldn't stop them! "-STOP! -STOP!" he wailed, "GO ON! GO ON!" said the trucks as they kept bumping and pushing him.

Up ahead, were some points. The stationmaster was supposed to wait until Thunderstrike arrived before he would switch the points to let Panther go on the right track. However, he didn't realize that Panther was coming towards the points first since the trucks were pushing him!

"ON! ON! ON!" yelled the trucks, "STOP!" yelled Panther. His driver tried to apply the brakes but it was no good. The trucks kept pushing him forward! The stationmaster only just saw what was going on now. "-OH NO!" he said as he tried to switch the points. But it was too late! Panther was going on the wrong track!

"-HEEEELLLLPPPPPPP!" wailed Panther, then there was trouble. Up ahead were another set of points. One lead to more track, and one led to the buffers. The points were set to the track with the buffers! "-STOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP!" Panther wailed, but the trucks kept pushing him forward!

"OH NO!" yelled Panther as he saw the buffers nearing, he shut his eyes. -Then...

*BAM!*

Panther crashed through the buffers and derailed! His front buffers were now slightly bent and damaged. The trucks laughed. Panther's driver and fireman looked angrily at them. "You crazy motherfuckers!" the driver yelled.

The stationmaster ran over to where Panther was and said "Are you all alright?!". "Yeah, but the train's now derailed." the driver replied. The trucks just kept on laughing.

Eventually, Riptide came with the breakdown train. And inside his cab... -was Mr. Fred! Mr. Fred got down and said "What happened here?!", Tim and Riptide could only look in shock. "Stupid trucks pushed me and made crash through the buffers and derail." Panther grunted. "We'll get you outta there." said Riptide.

Soon, Panther and the trucks were back on the rails. Mr. Fred then scolded the trucks for what they did. When Tim, Riptide and Panther were back at the sheds, everyone was talking about what happened to Panther. "SHUT UP EVERYONE!" Panther yelled, "Maybe if you hadn't kept bumping the trucks they wouldn't have done this to you." replied Condor. Panther just snorted and went elsewhere.

That night, Tim and Riptide went to the locomotive hangout again. This time, it was completely chill. And it was much, much quieter than usual. "It's quieter than usual here." said Tim, "Yeah." replied Riptide as he and Tim found a spot to rest on.

Just across Tim and Riptide were the Pumping Pistons, "Look. It's that new guy again." said Kaitlyn. "Don't do anything stupid." said Mandy, "No, I won't. He's just a noob." replied Kaitlyn.

But... what Mandy and Kaitlyn didn't realize was that their friend Colette was starting to fall in love with Tim. She wanted to approach him, but she was too shy to do so. She blushed at the thought of her and Tim together.

"Wait, you like that guy?" said Flower, "Y-Yeah. D-Don't tell the others ok?" replied Colette. Flower agreed, then asked "Why him? He's just a regular guy.". "-I... -I dunno... -well... it's that... -he... -he's just so cute." said Colette, "Go find yourself a better guy, he dosen't look all that good or anything." replied Flower. But Colette didn't hear her as she was too busy staring at Tim.

"Psst! Hey! That girl's staring at you!" Riptide whispered to Tim, who looked around and widened his eyes in surprise. There was Colette, blushing and gazing at him. She waved hello to him before he waved back. But Tim was still confused.

"I think she likes you." said Riptide, "Yeah, I'm not sure I'm ready for this kind of stuff yet." said Tim. Just then, Mr. Patterson started announcing.

"Everyone, the next game will be starting in a while. So be ready."

And with that, Mr. Fred got off the mic before everyone returned to what they were doing. Colette then stood up from her chair and walked towards Tim. "She's walking towards you!" said Riptide, "I know." replied Tim.

As Colette was getting nearer and nearer, Tim started to get worried a bit. She had a slightly seductive look on her face. "-Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what do I do?" Tim thought, but in the end he ended up doing nothing as Colette was finally next to him.

"Hi." Colette said in a sweet tone, "Hi." Tim replied back. "I don't think I've ever caught your name before." Colette continued, "Tim." Tim replied. "What a lovely name, my name's Colette." Colette replied. "Well then, hi Colette." said Tim before trying to focus back on eating his shrimp.

"Ya come 'round 'ere often?" Colette asked, "Uh... yeah I guess. I mean... I've only joined this whole thing for a short time now but I go here everyday so yeah." Tim replied.

"Hey! Colette! What are you doing?!" yelled Kaitlyn, "-Oh-uh-nothing. I'm just talking to Tim." she replied. "Who's Tim?" asked Kaitlyn, "The boy you dumbass." said Mandy. "Why is she talking to him?" Kaitlyn asked again, "I don't know, maybe she likes him?" said Mandy. "That guy? He looks like a normie." Kaitlyn snickered.

After a little bit of talking, Colette led Tim somewhere else where the two of them could be alone together. "Finally, just the two of us." said Colette who was still blushing slightly, "Y-Yeah." said Tim. He couldn't believe what was happening right now. A girl liking him? There was no way. No girl would find him that attractive, -or so he thought. Tim looked like any other normal guy, but he thought he wouldn't be able to find someone who liked him. -Until now.

"So, what's a cute lil' guy like you doing here?" asked Colette, "Uh well I'm just here to earn some extra money, since me and my family don't have a lot of money." Tim replied. "That's nice." said Colette, "Yeah." said Tim again.

Tim and Colette couldn't look straight at each other, they really were falling in love. "-H...-Hey Tim..." said Colette, "Yeah?" Tim replied. "-I... -I just wanted to ask you something." she continued, "What?" said Tim.

Colette stammered and stuttered, she couldn't speak properly from her nervousness and embarrassment. "What is it? You ok?" asked Tim, "-Y-Yeah... -i...-it's just that I..." Colette stammered again, "You what?" Tim asked again.

"-I... -It's just that... ...I..."

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to ask..."

"Go on..."

"-W...-will you be my..."

"Your what?"

"...My... ...My..."

Before Colette could finish her sentence, Mr. Patterson started announcing again.

"Everyone, the next game will be freight car collecting. So everyone who wants to get picked please go back near the stage. Thank you."

"Well, time to go." said Tim standing up, Colette didn't even get to finish her sentence so she said "-Hey-Tim?". "Huh?" replied Tim, Colette was about to say what she wanted to say but she became shy and said "-Uuuhhhh... nothing. Let's just go.". "O-ok?" Tim said confused before he and Colette walked together.

When Tim got back to where Riptide was, Riptide asked "What did you two do back there?". "We just talked to each other." replied Tim, "Really?" Riptide replied. "Yeah." Tim said, before adding "We're not in love with each other y'know? This is like sort of a friend thing." and rolling his eyes. "Oh, ok." said Riptide.

Tim did have feelings for Colette, but he didn't really realize this yet. Then, Mr. Patterson started announcing again.

"Attention everyone, the next game will start after I announce. It's freight car collecting. The rules are simple. There will be cars scattered all over the stage. The one who collects the most cars wins. There will be red trains scattered all over the stage as well. And they will be running around fast. So the drivers and engines better watch where they're going. No one is allowed to purposely crash someone else or play tricks or something."

The next game was freight car collecting, but I'll call them trucks. Basically, the one who gets the most trucks wins. Mr. Patterson spun a spinning wheel a few times before the people who were going to participate in the game were chosen.

"Alright, so here are the people that the wheel picked. Tim, the Pumping Pistons, Rodger and Elly. Now, about the teams and the game. Each of the members of the Pumping Pistons won't have to collect 15 freight cars themselves as long as the number of cars each one of the members collected makes 15, then they'll still win. Alright everyone, to the modification room please."

After everyone got out of the modification room, they were taken to a grassy stage with lots of bridges and tracks that went underneath them. "This'll be easy! Nothing to it!" said Kaitlyn, "Katie, there are other people here. We better get trucks fast." replied Colette. "Don't worry, they ain't gonna do anythin' to stop us. We're fast, that's why we're called the Pumping Pistons!" Kaitlyn replied back.

"This'll be easy!" said Riptide, "We better watch out for those red trains Mr. Patterson was talking about. They run fast." said Tim. Just then, a familiar face pulled his engine up beside Riptide.

"Yo Tim!"

"Rodger?"

"Yep, that's me! How ya been dude?"

"Oh uhhh... I'm fine."

"Cool. Anyway, do your best. I know you can."

"Thanks."

"Hey Tim, remember me?"

"Elly? Yeah I remember you."

"It's been a bit of a while."

"Yeah."

Rodger wasn't the only one that Tim and Riptide got to meet again, Elly was there too. Then, Mr. Patterson started the countdown.

"3, 2, 1, GO!"

As soon as Mr. Patterson said go, all the drivers and engines scrambled to get as much trucks as they could! But the Pumping Pistons had the advantage, because speed is the one thing they were really good at. And since they were a team, all each member had to do was to collect enough trucks so that when their trucks were combined it would make 15 trucks. Meanwhile, the others would have to find 15 trucks all by themselves.

"C'mon Riptide! Let's gooooo! Full steam ahead!" yelled Tim as he made Riptide go faster, they had already collected 2 trucks.

Meanwhile, Rodger had an advantage as well. Fire was coming out of his engines sides and funnel, it was sort of like one of those cars with big exhausts that spewed fire. Rodger's engine used the fire to gain more speed, this made Rodger able to collect 5 trucks fast.

Elly was rushing along the line, she had only collected 1 truck. But as she as going under a bridge, she saw a red train coming towards her! "AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" she yelled as she rushed backwards as fast as she could! "HELP!" yelled Elly as she kept on rushing back.

The Pumping Pistons were in the lead with 9 trucks. Each member had already collected 3 trucks each. "OOOOHHHHHOHOHO! It looks like the Pumping Pistons have taken the lead! I don't think anyone else will be able to catch up to them! Look at them go!" yelled Mr. Patterson.

"This is easy!" Kaitlyn said to her teammates through her phone, "Don't celebrate yet, we still need a few more trucks before we can win!" replied Mandy. "Piece o' cake!" said Kaitlyn as she hung up and went back on trying to find more trucks.

Meanwhile, Tim and Riptide were going under a bridge. Then, they heard a fast puffing sound and someone yelling "-HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPP!". They stopped because it sounded like whoever was shouting for help was on the same track as them! What they were thinking was proven true when they saw Elly rushing back towards them! Then they saw the red train that was chasing her. "-YIKES!" yelled Riptide as he and Tim started rushing back as well!

"Oh! It looks like Tim and Elly are being chased by a red train. We can only hope that they don't get caught. Meanwhile, the Pumping Pistons are acing this thing! They've been avoiding red trains and now all they have to do is collect a few more cars and they'll win!"

Colette was in the same situation as Tim, Riptide and Elly. Being chased by a red train. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -GETAWAYGETAWAYGETAWAAAYYY!" she yelled as she made Flower go even faster!

As Colette and Flower kept rushing through the tracks, they reached a bend. As they crossed through it, Flower began to topple a bit! "-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA SLOW DOWN!" Flower yelled, but Colette didn't have to. As they reached the end of the bend soon and Flower's left wheels were back on the rails. "-WHOA! That was close!" said Flower, "LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" yelled Colette.

Rodger was tearing along the tracks! Flames continued to spew out of his engine! "-PEDAL TO THE METAL!" he shouted as he made his engine go faster.

But... -there was trouble ahead! A red train was rushing through where Rodger was! "HAHAHAHA! No one can catch me! Not even the red trains!" he yelled. But he was wrong. As he went through a tunnel, he saw the red train that was coming towards him! "-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled as he tried to apply the brakes. But it was too late! Rodger and his engine crashed onto the red train and derailed!

*CRASH!*

"-OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH! -IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF THE DRIVERS HAVE CRASHED INTO A RED TRAIN! Rodger is out of the game!"

And with that, Rodger was teleported out of the game.

"Welp, looks like someone's already crashed." said Riptide, "Yeah, we better watch out for those red trains!" agreed Tim.

Meanwhile, Mandy was speeding along the line. She was rushing towards a truck she found. But... -what she DIDN'T realize was that there was a red train coming towards the crossing she was about to speed through!

The red train blew it's whistle long and loud! Mandy gasped in shock as she applied the brakes, but because her engine was going so fast it was having a hard time braking! "-C'MON C'MON STOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!" yelled Mandy as she put on the brakes harder!

For a second there, it looked like Mandy was going to crash into the red train! But luckily, she was able to stop in time. But she got thrown forward and got bumped on the engine's controls!

*BUMP!* "OW!"

"-AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! -AGH... -OW!" Mandy groaned as she held her head in pain. The red train passed by her engine as she was rubbing her head. "God-fucking-dammit!" said Mandy as she just went back to finding more trucks. She wasn't hurt and didn't have a bruise or anything like that thankfully.

Tim and Riptide had now collected 11 trucks, "Just 4 more trucks, and we'll win!" said Riptide. "Yeah, -FULL STEAM AHEAD!" yelled Tim as he and Riptide raced along the line.

Tim and Riptide managed to collect 3 more trucks, only one more and they would win. "-HAHAAAAA! -YES! ONLY ONE MORE AND WE'LL WIN!" said Riptide. Meanwhile, Colette and Flower's situation was the same as Tim and Riptide's. They only had to collect one more truck.

Then, Tim said "Look Riptide! A truck!". "Let's get it!" said Riptide as he and Tim rushed towards it, Colette and Flower did the same thing as well.

As the engines and their drivers were nearing each other on the crossing, they saw each other. "-OH NO!" yelled Riptide as Tim applied his brakes! "-AAAAAHHHHH!" yelled Colette as she did the same thing to Flower. The two engines skidded to a halt right near each other!

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!*

"Phew! That was close!" said Colette, "Yeah..." replied Tim. Then, they both looked at the truck that was nearby. "That truck is mine!" said Tim, "Not if I get to it first!" said Colette. The two drivers both started their engines, the engines' wheels screeched on the rails. Then...

*CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG*

Colette and Flower managed to get the last truck they needed, "We won!" said Colette as she made Flower whistle.

"Oh! It looks like we have a winner! It's Colette!"

Since Colette was part of the Pumping Pistons, the win also went to her teammates. When everyone who participated on the game were on the stage Mr. Patterson was in, Mr. Patterson announced the winners and gave them $50 each.

When Tim, Riptide and the Pumping Pistons were out of the stage Mr. Patterson was in, Kaitlyn laughed and said "Hey Tim, you think you can beat the Pumping Pistons? You can't. Speed is kinda like... -our thing. And we have an edge on it. We can get the job done fast.". Mandy just facepalmed and said "Alright Katie that's enough." before dragging her along.

Colette was about to go with her teammates, but decided to talk to Tim one last time for today before she did. She walked over to him and said "Sorry, don't mind her.". "Oh, it's nothing. I didn't really care about what she said." Tim replied.

Tim and Colette couldn't look straight at each other, they blushed and looked away. Then, Kaitlyn said "Hey Colette, ya comin' or what? Stop falling head over heels over that normie and just come with us.". "Well, I have to go. Bye Tim." said Colette, "Goodbye." Tim said smiling.

That night, Tim couldn't stop thinking about Colette. "That girl sure is nice." Tim thought, but he still couldn't believe that this kind of stuff was finally happening to him. "A-Am I actually starting to go through this kind of stuff now? -I...-I can't believe it! After many years, I'm finally here. Well, I guess it had to happen eventually. Oh well, time to sleep." Tim continued in his mind. He tried to go to sleep, but he couldn't do so right away because of Colette.

Meanwhile, Colette had just arrived home. "Hey mom, hey dad." she said as she opened the door, "Oh, hello Colette." said Colette's mother. "It's a bit late for you to come home isn't it?" said her dad, "Sorry, you know me. Lots of work at the railway." Colette replied. "Hehehe. I know. Now, get some rest. You look a bit tired." Colette's dad added, "Yeah." Colette just muttered as she went to her room.

Now, about the railway that Colette works in... -it's called Holly's Heights/Holly's Heights Railway. The railway got it's name from the mountains which it mostly ran through. There's a story that says that these mountains used to be where Holly, one of the first women to be the leader of an army lived. The story says that Holly had fought many battles before she died of an unknown illness in 1524. Whether or not the stories are true is still debated, but people have dug up things that might be able to back up the stories about Holly. Like an old rusted sword that looked like it belonged in the 15's.

Anyway, Colette slumped on her bed tired but happy. She couldn't believe this day had come. -Falling in love with someone. But... -here it was. "Wow, I can't believe I'm starting to fall in love with someone. I never knew this day would come, or even think it would... -but... -here it is." she thought. Then, she continued thinking about Tim for a little while before falling to sleep.

The next day, Colette woke up. She rubbed her eyes as she got up from bed. Soon, Colette made her way into the kitchen. "Oh, hello dear. Sorry, there's no breakfast yet, you woke up a bit early." said her mother. "That's fine, I'll just make myself a sandwich." Colette replied as she grabbed the bread, peanut butter and jelly.

After Colette and her family finished their breakfast, Colette and her dad went to the places they worked at. Colette's dad worked at a small shop, there weren't that many customers or anything. But the money he earns is enough for his family. Colette took a ride inside her dad's car as her dad took her to her workplace.

When Colette's dad got to Holly's Heights railway, Colette got out of the car and said goodbye to her dad. Then, Colette's dad drove away. "Well, time to get to work." said Colette as she went to the engine sheds.

When Colette got to the engine sheds, there was Flower waiting for her. "Colette! You're here!" said Flower, "Yeah, now let's ask Ms. Simone what our first job for the day is." replied Colette.

Colette lit Flower's fire until it was burning nicely, Flower was sizzling happily. "Now it's time to go to the stationmaster's house. Ms. Simone's probably there." said Flower, "Yep." replied Colette as she made Flower puff off.

When Colette and Flower got to the stationmaster's house, they could see Ms. Simone talking to the stationmaster. Colette made Flower blow her whistle, catching Ms. Simone's attention.

Ms. Simone is a pale skinned woman with black hair and black eyes, she normally wears a formal black dress. When she saw Colette and Flower outside, she rushed out of the stationmaster's house.

When Ms. Simone got to Colette and Flower, Colette said "Good morning Ms. Simone, what's our first job for today?". "There are people who want a tour of the railway's mountains, the both of you will be pulling a passenger train first thing in the morning today." replied Ms. Simone. "We'll get to it ma'am." said Flower as she and Colette got ready beside a platform.

Colette and Flower waited for a while, before a little non living tank engine shunted some coaches on the back of them. "Oh look, our coaches are here!" said Flower.

The shunter fastened the coupling, and when the signal dropped Colette made Flower whistle and start off.

As Colette and Flower approached the mountains, the passengers all looked outside the windows. Some of them even started taking pictures.

When Colette and Flower reached the higher parts of the mountains, they could see how beautiful it was up there. "The view from here is great." said Flower, "I can see everything from up here!" said Colette. Then there was trouble, Colette and Flower heard a long and loud whistle! "Huh? What was that?" said Flower, "Sounded like an engine." replied Colette.

It was an engine! And it was going down the mountains way too fast! Luckily, the engine was non living. But there could be an accident anytime! "-HEEEELLLPPPPP!" yelled the driver, he was trying to apply the brakes but he couldn't! Then, Colette and Flower saw that there was a very long train at the back of the engine. "He shouldn't have taken that many trucks!" said Colette. Then... -it happened.

*CRASH!*

The engine had derailed! It was hanging dangerously over the mountains! It teetered and tottered over and over again. "-HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPP!" The driver yelled. "DON'T WORRY, I'M COMING!" yelled Colette as she uncoupled Flower from the coaches before making her rush over to where the derailed engine and it's driver was.

When Colette and Flower got to where the derailed engine was, they looked at it. It was still teetering and tottering. "-HEEEEEELLLLPPPPPPPP! -PLEEEEAAASSEEE!" the driver yelled again, "DON'T WORRY, I'M COMING!" said Colette as she made Flower get closer to the train that the derailed engine was pulling. Then, Colette realized that she and Flower wouldn't be able to pull the engine back onto the mountains as the train behind it was very heavy. There were no points nearby for Colette to put the trucks onto or use.

"-OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!" said Colette panicking, then she had an idea. She wouldn't be able to save the engine, but she didn't really need to. Because it was non living. Instead, she would save the driver and the fireman. Then suddenly, Colette saw the train start moving again! The engine that pulled it was now LITERALLY hanging over the mountains! "-AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" the driver and fireman screamed.

Getting into action quickly, Colette got all the chains from the couplings of Flower and the coaches before combining them together to make a long chain. Then, she rushed over to where the driver and fireman was.

"-HEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!" the driver and fireman yelled again, Colette ran up to where they were and looked down. The engine they were in was still hanging dangerously over the mountains! With only the weight of the heavy train preventing them from falling! Colette dropped the end of the chain she made and said "One of you should grab onto this first so that I can pull one of you out properly! Then, The one I saved can help me save the other.".

The driver quickly grabbed on to the chain. Then, Colette started to pull it! "...rrrrrr... ...rrrrggggghhhhh..." she groaned as she tried pulling the driver up. But she couldn't! "Come oooonnnnnn!" she groaned some more until finally she was able to pull the driver back on top of the mountains.

"-WHAT ABOUT ME?!" yelled the fireman, "Hang on, we'll help you!" said Colette as she threw the end of the chain again downwards. The fireman then grabbed on to it before Colette and the driver started pulling the chain up.

Colette and the driver groaned as they pulled the chain with all their strength. "Come oooonnnnnnnnn! ...rrrrgggghhhhh!" Colette groaned, luckily with the help of the driver the fireman was pulled back up the top of the mountains as well.

"Thank you." the driver and fireman both said, "No problem, now why were you two bringing so many trucks?" Colette replied. "We were just trying to get all our jobs done at once since we had some delays." the driver replied, "Thinking is just as important as getting your jobs done on time." said Colette. "Yes, we know. And... -we're sorry." said the fireman, "Please don't tell Ms. Simone!" the driver begged. "Well... alright. But I think sooner or later what you two did will be found out anyway." Colette replied.

And she was right. Later that day, Ms. Simone spoke severely to the driver and fireman that got their engine in the accident. As for the engine, it's now being fixed at the works. Two helicopters had helped put the engine back on to the rails before it was taken there.

Later that night, Colette drank some beverages with Tim at the underground locomotive hangout. They told the stories about what happened at the railways they worked on today. Colette told Tim about the accident at the mountains, and Tim told Colette about how some of the trucks at his railway finally managed to get back at Panther by pushing him under the coal hopper and letting him get buried in coal.

After Tim and Colette drank some more beverages together, they both started to get up and go home. But... before they did... Colette turned around and said "-T-Tim?" before holding his hand to stop him. "Hm? What is it?" Tim asked. His question was answered when...

*Smooch!*

Colette suddenly kissed him on his left cheek. "-I... -I... -I... -I... -Wh-wh-wha-ba-ba-ba-wh-what?! -Wha-" Tim kept stuttering, did a girl really just kiss him? I suppose people get to this part of life eventually.

Tim was about to say another word, but Colette put a finger on his mouth and said "Shhh.". Then, Colette smiled. "-I... -I... -I... ...uuuhhhh... -wh-wh-wh-ba-ba-what?" Tim stuttered again. But before he could say anything else, Colette asked "-T-Tim... -I...-Is it okay if... -you... -you be... -m-my boyfriend?". Tim couldn't believe his ears! Someone asking him to be her boyfriend? He never thought this would happen, but here it is.

Then, Tim thought for a moment. He realized he wasn't ready for this sort of thing. It was all too much for him. He just couldn't believe someone liked him even though he was just like any other guy in the world.

"-C...-Colette. I...I'm sorry. -B-But... I can't... -Not yet. -I...-It's just that... it's too much for me to comprehend. I...I never thought someone would like me in this way. I... -C...-Can I just tell you when I'm ready?"

"Sure... if you need some time then I'll give it to you. Just... please tell me when you're ready."

"Don't worry, I will."

And with that, Tim and Colette gave each other their numbers before going home.

That night, Tim and Colette couldn't stop thinking about each other. They texted for a long time before the both of them went to sleep. Looks like new love will be puffing down the line soon. And I hope it goes full steam ahead soon. But for now, we have reached the story's end. Until next time everybody.