Much thanks to all the reviewers.
Cue the theme!
...
You hear about that snowfall?
Odd, isn't it. It's still autumn.
Must be the Sodor weather affecting us...only thing that makes sense to me.
Oh, let's just get on with it.
...
At the Wellsworth yards, Edward yawned as he woke up. He felt his fire being lit and let out a relaxed sigh as he felt warmth flood through his body. As his driver and fireman, who had both slept in the sheds that night due to late working hours, climbed aboard and began to ease him out, he felt ready for anything.
There was a soft thud as he ran headfirst into a snowdrift.
"BLIMEY!" Edward squawked, though it was muffled.
...
Snow had come early to the Island of Sodor. For whatever reason, the seasons didn't discriminate against snow, forcing it down whenever it felt like it, and therefore bringing everything to a stop. It was heavier than usual, and that was saying something considering how often it seemed to fall.
Most engines hated snow, and were therefore locking themselves up in their sheds to watch the TV and moan about how bad the snow was, instead of actually doing something about it.
Donald and Douglas, on the other hand, were used to it. They were out in seconds, and coupled back to back with the breakdown train coach in the middle, filled with workmen for whom the cold was no bother, and snowploughs on their front, they set to work.
They screeched to a halt as Douglas's driver, a notable supporter of the sports, rushed back to their sheds, grabbed his radio and legged it back over.
They made their second, less grand exit, and got to work. They puffed backwards and forwards, patrolling the line like a Scottish version of the Mounties. Donald, as he was leading, was mostly the one swearing at any hapless driver or drivers that got in their way. His language was quite...vulgar, to say the least.
As they passed the ruined castle, Douglas glumly reflected on their status. He was regarded as a bit of a maverick badass, which was quite unlike him considering that Donald was the more violent of the Caledonian twins, and was now feared by trucks everywhere...except for the stupid ones. But he had recieved no word from the Fat Controller regarding he and his brother's fate. It was beginning to get to him.
"Eyes on the rails ahead, Dougie!" called back Donald, before roaring at a terrified sheep that had gotten in the way. The poor sheep was practically ready to head to a butcher's and turn himself in.
Generally, the snow slipped away easily, as Donald demonstrated via his demolishing of a snowdrift located in one of the valley's. Sometimes they found deeper drifts that required both engines putting their weight. This made the workmen very nervous, as the idea of having the engine who had crushed a brake-van into tiny pieces putting his weight on their coach was...troubling.
And presently, as they exited the valley, they came across another drift that was hard to move. They charged at it and got nowhere.
"Well!" Douglas said cheerfully. "We should have this sorted out in a wee jiffy, eh?"
"Yer're turning into a Sassanach!" snapped Donald good-naturedly. They were just backing up for another try when they heard a faint whistle and a cry. Donald peered ahead.
"Losh sakes Donald!" shouted Douglas. "It's Henry!"
"Dinnae bloody fash yerself Henry! Wait a while, we'll have you out!" Donald called out.
"Should I be concerned?" Henry asked rhetorically.
...
One bruise filled bashing later, Henry was helped back to Tidmouth by a happy Donald and a apologetic Douglas. "He's no usually this rough!" he admitted.
Henry was dazed but grateful. "Never mind." He backed down onto the turntable and slid back into his shed with a sigh. "Why so glum?" Even he could see that all was not well.
The twins told him that the Fat Controller would be returning soon from a excursion to the mainland. "He'll send us back for sure!" Donald declared mournfully.
"It's a shame!" said Percy emotionally.
"A lot of nonsense about one frigging signalbox that got broken!" Gordon said grumpily. "I'd destroy every single one I could see if I could."
"That Spiteful Brakevan too-" put in James. "-well he deserved it. Good riddance, that's what I say."
"And they were splendid in the snow." agreed Henry. "It isn't fair!" And they all agreed that something should be done.
The question was, what?
Ten minutes of silent and blank faces later, Percy hurried off to see if any of the other engines had a idea.
...
Edward was wearing a rather fashionable scarf when Percy puffed in to greet him at Wellsworth, having finally been pulled out of his shed after three hours. He was shunting the trucks around and greeted Percy cheerfully enough.
Percy explained the situation, marveling at how Edward's scarf looked in the winter weather, and waited.
"What you need-" said Edward after a great deal of thought. "-is a deputation." Aside from helpfully giving the episode it's title, he explained to Percy exactly what this was. Percy ran back quickly without even stopping to say goodbye.
Edward sighed. "So he's going to get that wrong."
...
The engines had moved away from the sheds and were now smoking and chatting in the yard. Duck had arrived and, having been filled in, was firmly on the side of the twins. James had headed off to see if he could find anything warm to burn.
Percy arrived back and babbled. "Edward said we needed a defenestration!"
"OF COURSE!" declared Gordon loudly, trying to sound like he had any idea what that word meant. "The question is-"
"What is a desperation!?" asked Henry, who was not so proud.
"A deforestation is where us engines should tell the Fat Controller what's wrong...Edward says that usually works instead of just dragging it out over a long time."
"Tell...the Fat Controller." remarked Duck thoughtfully, who knew exactly what Percy was talking about but refused to correct any of the other engines because he wanted to see them make a fool of themselves following the Diesel incident. There was a long silence as they considered the safety of this.
"I propose." said Gordon gravely. "That seeing as, well, this is a important issue, and this needs someone that the Fat Controller appreciates greatly, that Percy be our...er...dissertation."
"Yes, that's ri-I!?" squeaked Percy, his voice going up to Scooby Doo levels of horror. "I can't!"
"Rubbish Percy." said Henry. "It's easy!"
"Then you do it!"
"I've got cramp."
"That settles it." said Gordon.
"It's a fine thing yer're doing laddy!" said Donald, proudly. Douglas wept openly at the friendship on display, putting Percy in the worst possible position. He wished it hadn't been settled.
...
"Hello Percy! It's nice to be back."
Percy jumped off the rails, slamming a truck onto it's side and causing Sir Topham Hatt to take a step back, having just got off Bertie."Y-Yessir, please sir, DON'T KILL ME SIR!"
"You look nervous Percy-" said Hatt in a sure qualifier for the understatement of the year. "-what's the matter?"
"Please sir! They've made me a desperado! To speak to you sir! I don't want to be one! I don't like it sir!"
The Fat Controller blinked twice, pondered for a moment and then sighed. "Do you mean a Deputation?"
"One of them, yes! It's Donald and Douglas, sir. They say sir, that if you send them away sir, they'll be turned into scrap sir! That would be more than dreadful sir! Please sir! Don't send them away-"
"Thank you, That'll do Percy." Hatt turned away, leaving Percy to wonder if he'd fluffed it.
...
The Fat Controller arrived at the sheds the next day, as all the engines gathered around in nervous anticipation. He spoke to the engines.
"I had a...Deputation-"
"HA!" Duck crowed. "Told you that's how you said it!" He was shushed by the other engines.
"-I understand your feelings but I do not approve of interference." He paused impressively. "Donald and Douglas?" The two twins jumped in shock. "I hear that your work in the snow was good. You shall have a new coat of paint...not blue though, we can't afford it."
The twins were shocked. "Thank ye sir!"
"Oh, and we'll get some painters to paint your names on you, we don't want anymore trouble...somewhere where's it won't get in the way. No more mistakes."
"Thank ye sir!" But Douglas was more forthright for once.
"So does this mean tha the both of us-?"
The Fat Controller smiled. "It means-"
And the rest of his guessed speech was drowned out by a delighted chorus of a huge blast of whistles and many cheers from all the other engines gathered. It echoed for days, and was forever spoken of after as being one of the more emotional moments of that year.
The twins were here to stay.