A/N Warning: Toby's burned to death in this. Be angry or sad, but no flames other than his explosion ones. I only write deathfics if the engine believed in The Big Railway In the Sky, glossing over those who don't believe and also those I just don't know how to write it unique. Everyone who dies after Toby's death and before my No More Steam fic, a standalone in the Tales timeline, had an accident. When the railway's closed, the crew serve as comfort for the engines or help them grieve with each other during the day.
After Percy's fatal accident, more engines died. Donald was fatally ill, then Douglas died of a broken heart without his brother and then James was scrapped due to metal fatigue.
Thomas, as the engine's leader, had been trying to fix things for his friend since recovering from James being scrapped as best he could. He was aggressive about trying to be a Really Useful Engine, forgetting his heart.
One day, the engines were in Knapford for a meeting. Where's Toby? Thomas wondered.
Sir Topham Hatt said sadly, "We've lost Toby. He had a boiler explosion, as Edward did, except Toby burned to death.". He pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his eyes, crying a little.
Many of the engines were in tears over their fallen friend. They missed Toby's cheerfulness and wisdom. Their drivers offered comfort.
'Arry and Bert came by in time to hear of Toby's death. "What a bunch of cry-engines," they said.
Thomas's driver said to the tank engine, "Thomas, I want you to cry." as soon as Toby's death was announced.
Thomas, barely able to choke out the words through his constant tears, gave a speech about Toby. "H-He sh-shall b-be m-missed. I-It's f-fine t-to cr-cry, a-as w-we l-lost ou-our fr-friend t-to Th-the B-Big R-Railway I-In th-the Sk-Sky. W-We m-must tr-try t-to b-be R-Really U-Useful E-Engines. I-If a-anyone w-wants t-to cr-cry t-to m-me, I-I sh-shall l-let y-you. I-I d-don't j-judge y-your e-emotion.". Every word was another wailing sob and his voice was broken by sniffles. He made a sad whistle sound, then sniffled again hard, coughed as he choked on his tears and hiccupped as he gasped and gulped, shaking as he let himself go. The tank engine's driver pressed a cloth to his eyes and rubbed his cheeks as he wailed his broken heart out until he had no more tears to cry. His crew gave him a drink after the meeting.
That night, Thomas wailed himself to sleep with his driver's comfort. He had a vision of Toby on The Big Railway In The Sky. The old tram was reunited with his siblings.
The railway was closed a few days to allow the engines to grieve and have a memorial service for Toby. The vicar led the outdoor service, with Toby's crew, Sir Topham Hatt and Toby's living engine friends tearfully eulogizing the tram. The more emotional engines that were left from the Steam Team, past or present, were the weepiest. Toby's coach, Henrietta kept sobbing, comforted by his crew. The Thin Clergyman's son, Christopher, was there. He pulled out a white handkerchief and wiped his face as he mourned his favorite engine. Ride the golden railway, he thought, as he knew about heaven. If there's a heavenly railway for dead engines. You were a Really Useful Engine, Toby.
Henry, due to being on the Steam Team once, went to Knapford and met Thomas there. Henry pressed his buffers against his little friend's and they wailed and cried together, comforted by their drivers.
JoJo had known Toby less than other engines, but was available for fellow engines to cry to. "I can be there for anyone needing to talk and cry to a friend," he said. "I may not have been here as long, but I've got care and inspiration for those in need of it.". The more emotional original Steam Team engines, like Thomas, took his offer the most.
The engine's drivers, the Hatts and all their friends, including fellow engines, did what they could to comfort any engines who were sad.
A smaller diesel was brought in when the railway reopened, to replace the tram. Unlike when Edward died, no heritage railway had a suitable replacement for sale, just engines too big for that.
Thomas was able to work when the railway reopened, but was still broken-hearted. "Dr-Driver, c-can y-you dr-dry m-my t-tears?" he wailed, his face wet with tears. His first job since the reopening was finished and he needed to express his grief depression.
Thomas's driver climbed onto his engine's running board to comfort him. "There, there, Thomas," he said, taking a cloth from his pocket. He gently rubbed his engine's cheeks and wiped his eyes, being attentive to his values and cues. "No judgment from me, just my care and compassion, so go ahead and cry as much as you want. Your emotions are valid, so just cry and I shall wipe away your tears. I'm here for you, not to fix your mood, just provide practical comfort in your pain.".
Thomas said, the words coming out with his wailing sobs as he cried more, "I-It br-breaks m-my h-heart t-to l-lose T-Toby. H-He w-was s-so cl-close t-to u-us.", referring to himself and Percy. "H-He c-comforted m-me wh-when P-Percy h-had th-that a-accident th-that e-ended h-his l-life.". He was sniffling hard, coughing, choking on his tears and hiccupping. He gasped and gulped, shaking as huge tears welled up in his eyes without stopping. His driver's comfort was welcome.
He said, as he continued to wipe the tears away, "As when you learned of Toby's death, I want you to cry. I know you feel things deeply and you weren't right before we learned of that. You've got the right to cry." He wiped all his engine's tears away as best he could.
Thomas wailed and cried until he could cry no more. His driver dried his last tears away, dabbing his face of any stray tears and his damp eyes until they were dry. He then went back to his engine's cab with the sodden cloth. The tank engine's crew gave him a drink.
Later on, Thomas was on a siding on his branch line with his crew on break. He sensed someone was near. "Who's here?" he asked.
"Autumn. I've come to visit again," was the reply. "I sense you're very sad about something, so cry if you need to.". She saw a big tear well up in his eye and felt overwhelming empathy for her friend, hugging his face in reaction. She pulled out her handkerchief, hearing him begin to cry.
"There, there, Thomas," she said, rubbing his cheeks and dabbing his eyes. "Let it all out. I'm here to wipe your pain away because I can wipe your eyeballs now.". She thought of possible ways to inspire him. "Eyeball's one of my favorite words."
W-We l-lost T-Toby," Thomas wailed to his friend. He sniffled again, hard, coughed as he choked on his tears and hiccupped. He gasped and gulped, shaking with his wailing sobs as huge tears constantly flooded his eyes. There was no holding back with Autumn there.
She said, as she continued to wipe his tears away, "Due to how deeply I feel things, I don't find emotion scary or uncomfortable. I connect with others through my own emotions and imagine how those I care about feel.". She wiped all his tears away as best she could. "If I was crying like you, my nose would be runny and all stuffed up. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with emotion and cry my eyes out and I also tear up at times. Even happier individuals like us, normally, need to cry at times and it's okay."
Thomas said, "I-I k-know h-how d-deep y-your e-emotions ar-are. I-I r-remember th-that l-last t-time y-you c-came h-here i-in t-tears.". He cried and wailed loudly until he had no more tears to shed. Autumn then wiped his cheeks and eyes dry of tears and shared the inspiration she had for him. As she left to continue her visit to Sodor, the tank engine's crew came back and gave him a drink.
Thomas thought of Autumn comforting him. She's barely big enough to wipe my eyeballs, as she put it. I've seen her in tears, so I know how she is. I remember when she came here in tears because "Grampa's puppy dog died.", as she said after her cry. Her eyes and face got red and she used up her tissues and handkerchief because she couldn't stop crying until she ran out of energy to cry. She told me her dad gave her that hanky for when she cries and doesn't have access to tissues, because she's used them or somewhere without any.
Toby's friends recovered from their grief as much as they could in the time to come. Thomas and Henry, along with Toby's diesel friends, struggled the most.
A/N Henry's death will be next and then one focused on Rosie, but I'll allude to all the others who died in accidents. FurryFoxFires, my FanFiction buddy, played a role in what I wrote here. She types Thomas ESFP in personality typing, so I allude to him Se-Te looping. Losing Toby breaks the loop because his Fi breaks back through. I just wanted to write Thomas in an Se-Te loop. In some deathfics I read, Sir Topham Hatt had a few tears, so I had it happen, to show his love for his engines. I write the characters as they were in the classics. Autumn kind of replaces Janie. I've written about her before. She's very loosely based on me, but only the less daydreamy aspects of her overall personality, as some other elements of her life are different from me, some just slightly though.