THE BEST DECORATED ENGINE PARADE

A whole week had gone by since Emily, Glynn, Spencer, Logan and Caitlin had departed for Canada, but at long last, they had arrived at the Port of Montreal, close to where the Great Railway Show would be taking place in a couple of days. By then, Sir Topham Hatt would have arrived by plane from the Sodor Airport.

"Well, here we are," said Emily. "This is the place."

"Oh wow!" Caitlin gasped in excitement. "Look at this place!"

"I wonder who we're going to meet while we're here," said Glynn curiously.

"I'm not sure," said Caitlin, "but let's go and investigate... after we get checked in, of course."

Once the engines were unloaded and fired up (minus Glynn, who was to be transported to the show by truck), they set off.


At long last, they had arrived on the grounds of the Great Railway Show.

"So, Logan," said Emily, "you've ever done the Shunting Challenge before?"

"Nah," said Logan. "It's the first time I've partaken in one."

"I'm sure you'll do well," said Spencer. "Though the other shunters have gotten a head start in learning the course."

"That's what concerns me," Logan admitted. "I was sent up here at the last minute. I'm not sure if I'll do well at all."

"Just do the best you can," assured Caitlin. "Even if you don't win, at least you'll have tried."

"Thank you, Caitlin," smiled Logan. "I'm sorry you're the only competitor from Sodor now, Emily."

"It would have been nice to have Thomas here with me again," Emily sighed. "But I promised I'd do my best for him here now."

"And that's also what I encourage you all to do," said a voice. The engines glanced back to see Sir Topham Hatt approaching them.

"Oh, good timing, sir," said Glynn. "We just got checked in."

"That's good to hear, Glynn," Sir Topham Hatt nodded, "and I'm glad to hear you all got here safely. I wish I could say the same for Thomas..."

"We all do, sir," said Logan. "I hope he's safe." Just then, the announcement came on the loudspeaker.

"All participants in the Great Railway Show, please proceed to see your designated locations."

"We'd better get ready then," said Emily. "Good luck, everyone."

"I'd better get unloaded too," said Glynn, laughing. "It'd be pointless if I was leading the parade on a lorry."

"Truck, Glynn," corrected Caitlin. "In North America, what you refer to as lorries, we call trucks."


As soon as the old coffee pot engine was unloaded, he and Emily went to where the competitors for the Best Dressed Engine Parade were resting.

"Bust my buffers!" cried Emily. "Gator, is that you?"

"Why, Emily, I haven't seen you in ages," gasped Gator. "It's great to see you here today. How're Percy and Toad?"

"Percy's been doing great since your visit to Sodor," said Emily. "Toad's been working well with Oliver too."

"Though he did have a bit of a scare," Glynn confessed. "Before we left for Canada, we found out Thomas went missing."

"Not Thomas," gasped Yong Bao, remembering him (and Emily) from when he and several other participants ended up on Sodor by mistake on the way to the Great Railway Show in England a couple of years ago. "What happened, is he okay?"

"He ended up in Africa," Emily explained. "We don't know exactly whereabouts."

"I don't think anyone's from Africa here," said Rajiv; he was another face from the engines that Emily recognized from the accidental visit to Sodor, as well as James' rival from the previous show.

"Ah don't know of this Thomas character, but Ah hope that the little feller's located soon," said another engine. This last engine was one that was unfamiliar to Emily; he was an American 4-4-0 tender engine with a cowcatcher in front, an oddly-shaped funnel, a large headlamp, a bell near the front of his boiler, and a thick white mustache.

"Who are you?" asked Emily.

"Beau is mah name, and minin's mah game!" the American engine said proudly. "Ah was one of many locomotives to help in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad! Not ta boast or anything," he added with a chuckle.

"So you say," Rajiv snorted. "You're probably a replica told to act like you were in the 19th century."

"Hogwash!" snorted Beau. "There's a photograph of me at the openin' ceremony of the Railroad with good ol' President Ulysses S. Grant! What more evidence do ya need?"

"Do these two always argue like this?" asked Glynn.

"This is actually the first show which they've interacted with each other," Yong Bao explained. "I think it's only now that Beau's participated."

"It's mine and Emily's first time too," Glynn explained. "Though I'm not competing, per say; just leading the parade."

"I bet you'll have a bit of fun with that," smiled Gator.

"Attention, Best Dressed Engine contestants," came the loudspeaker. "It is time for the parade to start. Please get in line."


It wasn't long before the engines were lined up; Glynn was leading with the brass band in one of the Ulfstead Estate Railway coaches in too. The first of the contestants was Beau, followed by Rajiv, then Gator, then Yong Bao, and finally Emily bringing up the rear.

"Good day, everyone," said the first announcer. "Today, we have a lovely arrangement of engines from all over the world decorated for your entertainment."

"And I'm sure the engines are just as entertained as us, Giles," the second one smiled.

"Well, Melissa, they should be," said Giles. "Leading this pack, from the Island of Sodor is Glynn, the former number one engine for the North Western Railway."

"Is that a vertical-boiler engine he is, Giles?" asked Melissa.

"Indeed he is, Melissa. Those are hard to find these days. Glynn was built long before the North Western Railway came to fruition by the original Sir Topham Hatt."

"Well, Giles, our first contestant comes from the American State of Arizona, Beau!"

Beau's smile broadened when he heard his name being called. "Ah never get this much attention down at the mines," he said to himself.

"Just look at those red, white and blue banners along his boiler, cab and tender," remarked Melissa. "That's the true mark of American patriotism."

"Indeed," nodded Giles. "Too bad it's not Independence Day; then there would be flags everywhere with those same colors."

"Next up in the parade is the twelve-time champion from India, Rajiv!" announced Melissa.

"Ah yes, it is another parade in the spotlight for me," Rajiv grinned to himself.

"Do you suppose he'll win again, Melissa?" asked Giles.

"Well, his class is a sight to behold," Melissa noted. "It's no wonder they call him the Fairy Prince of India. I heard he's planning for a streak of a baker's dozen - thirteen wins, for those who don't know."

"But the parade isn't done yet, Melissa," Giles continued. "Next we have Gerald, or he prefers to be called Gator, coming from the lands of Colombia."

"Looks like an alligator, doesn't he?" remarked Melissa. "He's even dressed up like he lives in the jungle."

Gator chuckled at this remark. "At least I'm not wondering around at night and accidentally scaring others." He didn't notice the judges looking at him and then at each other with unimpressed expressions.

"Next up, it's Yong Bao from China!" announced Giles. "Wow! Just look at that handsome tiger on his tender!"

"And that striking livery of red, green and yellow," added Melissa. "They're China's luckiest colors, after all."

"Let's hope that luck will be on my side this time," Yong Bao said to himself. "But hey, it's all in good fun."

"Did you know, Melissa," said Giles, "that many years ago, he saved hundreds of passengers from a bad accident?"

"Oh, really?" gasped Melissa. "That is quite impressive."

"That's how he ended up with his current appearance," added Giles.

"Don't look away, Giles, because we're about to introduce our final contestant - Emily of Sodor!"

"This is quite fun," Emily mused to herself. She could see people along both sides admiring her beauty, and she couldn't help but smile at everyone as she went along.

"Is she a Stirling Single?" gasped Giles. "I thought there was only one left."

"She was saved from scrap years ago and brought to Sodor, Giles," explained Melissa, "and now she works on the main line for the North Western Railway as well as the odd branch line service."

"The North Western Railway has a good habit of saving steam engines like that, don't they?" smiled Giles.

"That they do indeed," said Melissa. The judges were amazed when they saw Emily; never had they seen an engine like her up close and in action before. The question now was, who was going to win for Best Decorated Engine?


At last, the parade had ended, and all five contestants were lined up. Rajiv was feeling rather confident in himself.

"I bet it's me who takes home the crown, again," Rajiv boasted.

"Oh, I don't know," said Glynn. "I think the others put up a good fight."

"Please," said Rajiv. "What could they have that I don't?"

"Humility, for one thing?" suggested Yong Bao innocently. Before anyone could reply to that, the head judge spoke up.

"We have calculated the results," the judge called from the loudspeaker, "and we'll go from last to first. In fifth place, Gator of Colombia. His jungle look was... interesting, but it wasn't exactly what this show was going for."

"Oh..." Gator was a little disappointed, but more or less shrugged it off. "Better luck next time, as they say."

"In fourth place, Beau from the United States of America," the head judge continued. "His pride for his home is undeniable, and that is a major plus in our books."

"Oh, why thank you," Beau smiled to himself.

"In third place, Yong Bao of China," the head judge continued. "His choice of colors is very striking, and his tiger gives him a sense of strength and power."

"Oh, why thank you," smiled Yong Bao. "I've always liked tigers."

"Now we come to second and first place..." The head judge paused for effect. "And this, I tell you, was a very tough call."

Rajiv stared blankly, while Glynn gave a wink to Emily, knowing it was down to just these two engines. Emily, however, wasn't concerned about winning; she was perfectly content with second place, after all. It was all in the name of fun.

"It took a lot of deliberating as to who would make first place," said the head judge, "but after a while, we finally decided upon our winner..."

"It's going to be me again..." Rajiv chuckled eagerly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our winner for the Best Decorated Engine is..."

"Oh, thank you, thank you," grinned Rajiv. "No need to throw flowers my way-"

"EMILY OF SODOR!"

Rajiv just stared in absolute shock, unable to say a word. Emily, however, looked on with amazement; she didn't know what to say either.

"Well done, Emily!" cried Glynn. "I knew you could do it."

"I-I didn't think I could," Emily chuckled, before looking over at Rajiv, still in shock over the fact that his chances of a baker's dozen streak had been ruined. "You're not too upset over me beating you, are you?" she asked sincerely.

"Second place... is perfectly respectable..." said Rajiv, forcing a smile.

"Wait until everyone on Sodor hears about your win," Glynn grinned. "I bet they will be proud."

In the crowds, Sir Topham Hatt was cheering wildly for Emily's victory. The other controllers looked at him with baffled expressions, and noticing that he was being looked at, Sir Topham Hatt quickly regained composure and sat down. But just as he did so, he was told by his assistant that a message had been sent to him. Emily didn't notice Sir Topham Hatt leaving as she was talking to the other contestants.

"You really look amazing, Emily," said Yong Bao. "Do you wear those colors all the time?"

"Oh, I'm usually just emerald green, Yong Bao," Emily explained. "Everything else is just for this show."

"Ah'll bet that's a sight ta behold too," Beau chipped in eagerly.

"Oh, it is," smiled Gator. "I've seen her in her normal colors while visiting the island. She may have won this with her normal colors too."

"Not with a minimalist paint job like that James did," Rajiv muttered, but no one bothered to listen to him.

"Oh, it has been a lot of fun," said Emily. "But I wonder how my friends back home are doing. And there's still no indication of Thomas."


Back on the Island of Sodor, the engines were doing the best they could to keep up with the workload. Bear had just come in with a passenger run to Crovan's Gate where Sir Handel was waiting with the connecting train.

"Good day, Sir Handel," Bear greeted. "How have you been coping today?"

"It's been most unusual around here lately," complained Sir Handel. "Now that Mr. Percival's looking after your railway whilst your controller's gallivanting off to Canada, we're being looked after by the Earl of Sodor."

"Oh, that's not a bad thing, is it?" asked Bear. "I mean, he is Duke's Grace after all..."

"That's what I'm wondering!" said Sir Handel crossly. "In all the stories Duke told Peter Sam and I back on our old line - and believe me, we got told more times either of us can recall - he's never mentioned him to be this eccentric."

"Well..." Bear hesitated for a moment, knowing that this subject would be very touchy. "Just... how long did you and Peter Sam not speak up about Duke?"

Sir Handel nearly felt his firebox go cold with that question. Even though Duke had seemed fine when he had reunited with him and Peter Sam, the younger engines were still haunted with the memories of wishing to say something, but they didn't right off the bat.

"Er... it was... three years since Peter Sam and I arrived here," he admitted. "That's not counting our years at the aluminum works," he added, remembering every time he and Peter Sam - Falcon and Stuart, respectively, at the time, were shot down at the slightest mention to the manager they had there.

"I see," said Bear quietly. "Then again, it's probably a different person who's the Earl now. Or maybe his travels changed him. Who knows."

"It'd better be the latter," Sir Handel sighed, trying to push his grief to the back of his mind. "But regardless, I guess having the Earl in charge here and Mr. Percival in charge of your railway is better than putting Dowager Hatt in charge of your railway."

The two engines chuckled a bit, before Sir Handel remembered something else.

"Any word on Thomas' whereabouts?" he asked.

"Not yet," Bear sighed. "We're all getting very worried. He could be anywhere in Africa, and it's not like we can just cross to the mainland to look for him. That only covers England, Scotland, Wales, areas like that."

"I'm sure Thomas will be found soon," said Sir Handel. "Like how the rescue team looking for Duke didn't give up, the people searching for Thomas won't either."

"Let's hope so too," said Bear, upon hearing the sound of the guard's whistle. Both engines whistled goodbye to each other, Sir Handel's words leaving Bear with a newfound sense of hope.


Author's Comments

James (who helped to co-write the saga thus far with me) and I struggled just to get this chapter off the ground, but luckily, Rachel was there to help us out. For the contestants, I wanted to see how many pre-existing characters I could use, most of which were already in CGI; that was why I included Gator and Beau for the Best Decorated Engine Parade. Speaking of the latter, my take on Beau is that he works in the mines of Arizona per the original movie, and he even claims that he witnessed the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s. However much of his claims hold water, of course, is highly questionable, as if he was around back then, would he have been the same engine he was in the 1860s. Kind of like the Theseus' ship paradox, but in locomotive form. Whether or not Beau is an actual Jupiter or a replica, he still often waxes poetic about the good old days; most engines dismiss him as an eccentric, senile kook. We even included a final scene set on Sodor, even providing an explanation as to who runs the Skarloey Railway whilst Mr. Percival manages the North Western; Sir Robert Norramby himself. With Duke himself having yet to appear in CGI, it'd be safe to say that Sir Handel has mellowed out since season four, and it's one of the few times he gives genuine advice that doesn't come from nowhere.

This was going to be one whole chapter, but it went on a bit too long and so it was split into two chapters instead. Next time, we'll be seeing the remaining three events, focusing on Shunting, Strength and Speed!