Duck had cracked a cylinder, so Percy was called to work in the yard until Duck was repaired. It was hard work, but Percy was determined to keep things running smoothly.

One evening, BoCo came to the sheds. Percy was tired but he wanted to talk to the new engine.

"'BoCo?' That's an odd name," he said bluntly. "Er, no offense."

BoCo just chuckled. "You're not the first to say so. I wasn't sure what to call myself, so I swapped the name of my wheel arrangement. CoBo didn't have the same ring as BoCo, you know. What about you lot? Where are your names from?"

Henry spoke up before Percy could answer. "My first driver named me. He said he wouldn't work with a nameless engine, so he gave me one himself!"

"I named myself," wheeshed James. "Everyone else here had names and I didn't want to be the odd one out."

Percy was puzzled. "The Fat Controller didn't name you?"

"No," grunted Gordon. "The men at Doncaster named me, not The Fat Controller."

"Not even Edward or Thomas?"

"Edward told me a stationmaster on his old railway named him," put in BoCo.

Henry thought for a moment. "I think Thomas once said the platelayers named him when he first arrived. They even painted his number. Why does it matter anyway, Percy?"

"Well…" the little engine puffed, "I thought The Fat Controller named us all himself. I know he named me."

"He did?" The others asked together.

"Yes. He asked if I would work hard if he chose me, and when I said yes, he named me on the spot."

After a moment, Percy grinned cheekily.

"If I'm the only engine The Fat Controller named, then I suppose…" he paused impressively. "I must be the favorite."

The big engines didn't have much steam left, but they made a tremendous noise nonetheless.

"Rubbish!" snapped James. "If anyone is his favorite, it's–"

"Me!" Gordon interrupted. "Why would either of you be his favorite when I'm around?"

"You?" scoffed Henry. "The engine who ran into a ditch? Don't be ridiculous!

BoCo, not wanting to be dragged into the ensuing argument, stayed silent and tried his best to sleep.

Next morning, Gordon, Henry, and James had miraculously decided to drop the subject, but Percy remained puffed up. He swanked about the yard as he shunted the big engines' trains, and always made sure to remind them of who the 'favorite' was.

"Here are your coaches, Gordon! Courtesy of The Fat Controller's favorite engine!"

"It's a shame you have to take dirty coal trucks, James. The Fat Controller would never give such a job to his favorite engine!"

"I know it's hard not to be the favorite, Henry. But if you're lucky, you might be the second favorite!"

The big engines thought he was being very silly indeed.

That afternoon, Percy was resting in a siding when the yard manager arrived.

"James was supposed to collect a goods train, but he's running late," they said. "He won't have time to shunt it himself, so you'll have to do it, Percy."

The green engine yawned and puffed slowly away to find the trucks.

"A favorite engine's job is never done," he said to himself.

James' trucks had been resting as well, but Percy was being careless and woke them with a bump!

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" they cried. "Whatever is happening?!"

"Come on, you lot," peeped Percy. "The sooner you're at the platform, the sooner I can go back to sleep."

Percy jerked the trucks forward and headed to the platform.

"Who does he think he is, sticking his funnel in our yard?" complained a truck.

"Duck wouldn't treat us like this!"

"Let's pay him out," giggled a third. "That'll teach him not to bump us!"

"It'll get him to shut up about being the favorite, too!"

The trucks were hardly being quiet, but Percy was so distracted by what he would next say to the big engines that he wasn't listening.

"Favorite engine coming through!" he whistled as he puffed into the platform. But just as his driver reached for the brake, the lead truck screamed "Now! On, on, on!"

The trucks surged against Percy! He tried to stop, but the weight of the trucks behind him made it difficult. He rattled out of the station and towards the crossovers. The points were set against him, but Percy couldn't have known.

He hit the points with a bump and rolled along for several feet before finally stopping. No one was hurt, but Percy and the first few trucks were off the rails and blocking the line.

"What will The Fat Controller say?" he groaned.

"You're about to find out," said a familiar voice. "Percy, I asked you to help out in the yard, not to be a hindrance."

"N-no, Sir. Sorry, S-sir."

"Edward will be along soon with the breakdown train. And when you're back on the rails, I expect this 'favorite engine' nonsense to stop, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

As he waited for help, the stationmaster, the passengers, and the workman all told Percy just where he could do with his trucks. Percy didn't feel like the favorite engine anymore.

When Percy returned to the sheds that evening, he hoped the other engines would already be asleep. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky.

"Look!" came a voice. "There's Percy! He's The Fat Controller's favorite engine, y'know!"

"Not anymore, he isn't."

"Why not?"

"He wanted to show everyone how important he was, but ended up looking silly instead!"

The three engines thought it a great joke, but Percy thought they were being very silly indeed.

A/N: Yesterday I realized Percy was the only engine canonically named by The Fat Controller, so I knew I had to do something with that. It was either this, or a young Skarloey getting uppity after thinking the railway was named after him and not the reverse.