Happy Fourth of July! And for you all, a Thomas and Friends one-shot.
I was feeling nostalgic and decided to do this.
Enjoy!
Dusk coated the sky on the Island of Sodor. Thomas was at Knapford Station with Annie and Clarabel, dropping off passengers.
"Ah, last train of the day." Thomas puffed.
"Thank goodness it's the last train!" said Annie.
"Our axels ache!" complained Clarabel.
"Oh you two!" Thomas laughed.
Sir Topham Hatt walked ip, checking his pocket watch.
"Well done Thomas!" he said. "Right on time and really reliable!"
"Thank you sir!" Thomas beamed.
"Now then, head back to the sheds and get some sleep." Sir Topham Hatt boomed.
"Yes sir. Right away sir." peeped Thomas.
The guard blew his whistle and Thomas puffed away.
Ffarquhar Sheds:
Thomas shunted Annie and Clarabel into their siding and puffed into the center birth in the sheds.
Percy was on the left, Toby on the right, and Mavis in the siding.
"Boy am I glad to be resting my wheels after such a long day!" wheeshed Percy.
"Well make sure you rest up. You have the mail run later." advised Toby.
Percy chuckled. "I always do Toby," he replied.
Toby smiled and glanced at the blue tank engine. "So Thomas, anything interesting happened to you today?"
"None of the sort Toby." Thomas replied. "But I am looking forward to a nice rest."
"We could all use one," said Mavis. "I've felt like I've shunted every truck in the quarry!"
The engines laughed before they all went to sleep.
But Thomas couldn't sleep. He glanced up at the clock. It was only 9:00. He sighed heavily.
He looked around and saw his friends sleeping peacefully.
Without another word… Thomas began to puff away.
Kirk Ronan Branch:
Thankfully there were no other engines out at night. The mail run wasn't for a little while and the Flying Kipper wasn't until morning.
Thomas passed by an old grotto with a wishing well. He sighed heavily as he puffed on.
Eventually the little engine slowed to a stop as he came to an old line that ended in a pair of buffers. But they weren't just ordinary buffers. They were the Magic Buffers. The ones that could take anyone to the Magic Railroad and then eventually to Muffle Mountain where they could visit Shining Time Station or the home and workshop of Burnett Stone.
Thomas stared longingly at the buffers. He wanted to go through and see an old friend of his. But Lady was probably busy with her own work.
"Oh Lady…" Thomas sighed. "I wish I can see you again… but… you have your own job… like a really useful engine does…"
Thomas was about to puff away when he heard the familiar magical train whistle sound. Rainbow colors enveloped the buffers. Thomas realized that someone was coming through! But before he could race away to prevent an accident, the magic disappeared and out stepped two young adults.
They appeared to be in their thirties and both sported black hair that almost looked like they used to be black.
One was a man who wore a sky blue jacket, a red shirt, blue jeans, and grey shoes.
The other was a woman who wore a green shirt with blue sleeves, grey pants, and black shoes. She also had on a familiar red necklace.
"Whoa… I never get tired of that." the woman giggled.
"Me neither," said the man.
Thomas stared at the two in wonder.
They both looked at Thomas and gasped.
"Thomas?!" the woman asked.
"Is that you?!" asked the man.
Thomas looked at them closer and gasped as well.
"Lily?! Patch?!" he exclaimed. "Bust my buffers! Is that really you?!"
"It is us Thomas!" said Lily. "My god it's… been so long…"
"Yeah… been a long time since we've been here." said Patch.
Thomas beamed from buffer to buffer. "Oh my I am so happy to see you both again… and my god you two have really grown up! I can't remember the last time I saw you two!"
Lily and Patch chuckled.
"It certainly has been a while." Lily nodded.
"What are you guys doing here?" asked Thomas.
"Well Patch and I were on a stroll through Muffle Mountain… and found ourselves wanting to visit Sodor again." Lily replied.
"Yeah it had been a while since we came here," said Patch. "It's been… a pretty long time."
"Speaking of long times, we oughta make sure this one isn't too long before we go through those buffers again." said Lily. "Otherwise the kids might worry:"
"Kids?!" Thomas gasped in shock.
"Yeah, we got a couple of kids." Lily replied.
"Along with our prized horse and dog." Patch added. "Say Thomas, is there anywhere we can sit down and chat? We're tired from walking and the rush of the magic on the railroad made us a little airsick."
"Oh sure!" Thomas smiled. "Climb in and I'll take you to the grotto with that wishing well."
Lily and Patch nodded as they went on either side of Thomas and climbed into his cab. The little blue engine chuffed backwards down the line.
Luckily Thomas didn't have to go far as he stopped by the grotto. Patch and Lily climbed out. They sat on one of the grass ledges.
"Ah the Sodor Wishing Well." Lily smiled. "I remember helping create more gold dust here for Mr. Conductor and Junior."
"Watch the swirls that spin so round." muttered Patch.
"That was a wonderful sight that day." Thomas smiled. "It was kind of like victory fireworks since we got Lady back, stopped Diesel 10, and got the magic and the railroad restored."
"Gotta ask, whatever happened to Diesel 10?" asked Lily.
Thomas thought back. "Well… he was sent packing by Sir Topham Hatt after he was fished out of the barge. He, Splatter, and Dodge were sent to the other railway. But he came back years later more mellowed out and was just a menacing diesel at the smelters with 'Arry and Bert, though he did help restore the airport. Wonder what the other railway did to them to tone down their evil ways… or at least make Diesel 10 more bearable for the most part. Of course… he reverted back to his villainous ways when he took over the Steamworks… mostly. He did help fix the Dieselworks after he accidentally set it on fire. He did steal our Christmas decorations but he eventually brought them back. He hasn't been seen much since Den and Dart run it these days so I guess he was sent back to the other railway." he replied.
"Wow… that's a lot to take in." commented Patch.
"Anything else?" asked Lily.
"Well… LOTS of engines have come and gone or become permanent members of the railway." Thomas chuckled.
"Well Sodor is a safe haven for engines of all kinds." said Patch.
"And we're all proud of it." Thomas smiled. "My branch line has never been better, as are my coaches and my best friends." He paused. "I did travel the world though."
"Finally achieved your dream huh?" mused Lily.
"Sure did." Thomas replied. He paused. "When was the last time you visited?"
"We dabbled around here and there for private vacations. Not wanting to attract too much attention since our easiest transport is magic." said Lily. "Took us years to get used to that logic."
"I'm sure it has." chuckled Thomas. "So… when did you two get together?"
"About 10 years after everything that went down." Lily replied. "We both finished college and dated for a while and then eventually settled down and got married."
"Bought a house around Muffle Mountain, took on jobs around Shining Time thanks to Mr. Conductor and Stacy Jones and even Burnett Stone as he got older, eventually had kids, along with a ranch for my horse, and eventually a dog." added Patch.
"Oh like Mutt?" asked Thomas.
"One of his puppies." Lily replied. "Mutt got older but eventually found a girl and had puppies. We adopted one and named him Mutt II."
"Original Mutt passed years ago." Patch said sadly. "And Mutt II is getting on in years."
"Aw I'm sorry to hear that." Thomas said sympathetically. He liked Mutt during his visit with Burnett, Lily, and Patch after Diesel 10 was defeated.
"Well he isn't the last Mutt. No pun intended." smiled Lily. "Got a girl of his own and had a puppy. We now have Mutt III. Cute little guy."
"My current horse is the daughter of my first horse." Patch added.
"Wow you guys seem to be set up nicely." Thomas mused. He paused. "...Do your kids know you're here?"
"Mom and Dad are visiting so they're watching them." Lily replied. "We're having a family get together. My brother's flying in tomorrow."
"You have a brother?" Thomas asked in surprise.
"One of the reasons why I was staying with my grandpa," said Lily. "That and my Dad was traveling so I was too young to take care of Mom. Her siblings did."
"Interesting." said Thomas. "Wish you guys could visit us more often."
"We know but we have family and our work to think about," said Lily. "We usually come here for nostalgia sake."
"Even if we do see you guys we do try to be brief, and again, not attract unwanted attention to keep Sodor's best kept secret… a secret." said Lily.
"Trying to keep it safe, I understand," said Thomas. He sighed. "I just wish Lady would visit more often too. I know she has her job on the Magic Railroad but still…"
Lily and Patch looked at Thomas sympathetically.
"We know Thomas." Lily said gently.
"But hey, she is the reason why the magic stays on Sodor," said Patch.
"Both her and the Conductor family for here and in Shining Time." added Lily.
"Makes sense." Thomas mused. "How's your grandpa?"
"Enjoying his retirement." Lily said. "Still a regular around town nowadays. And he's still thankful for Sodor in helping out with Lady's restoration."
"We all played a part in that." smiled Lily. "Including you Thomas. You did help collect that truck of Henry's Special Coal."
"I sure did." Thomas boasted.
Lily then thought of something. "How come Henry needed it again? I thought that problem was fixed after his rebuild."
"Yeah went to Crewe after his crash with the Flying Kipper." added Patch.
Thomas snorted. "Mess up with one of his major yearly services. Not all the parts were good." he replied. "But they were expensive so he had to take special coal for a long time until he got another one."
"Makes sense." Lily nodded.
"So you two worked at Shining Time?" asked Thomas.
"Still do odd jobs every now and then," said Lily. "But yeah I got to know Stacy and Billy better and got to meet the regulars. Schemer still makes us laugh and those station regular kids were always nice to see and talk to."
"Yeah. Tanya, Matt, Kara, Dan, Becky, Kit, even Schemee." Patch nodded.
"And we met more members of the Conductor family in addition to Mr. Conductor and Junior." said Lily. "We met one who worked at the North Pole with Santa, one who once had a double created by some of the kids, his sister, one who looks like the guy from Dempsey and Makepeace, one who looks like James Bond, and one who looks like he was in Peak Practice."
Thomas chuckled. "Those sound like members of the Conductor family," he said.
"Not only that, but they also supported me when I came out," said Lily.
Thomas blinked. "Came… out?" he asked.
"I'm bisexual." Lily replied. "I like both boys and girls."
"OH!" Thomas said in realization. "Oh now I get it! Thanks for telling me Lily."
"I'm glad you're so accepting, Thomas." Lily said with a big smile. "You're the first engine I've come out too."
"What about Lady?" Thomas asked.
"She already figured it out." Patch replied. He shrugged. "Magic perks I guess."
"It really feel nice hanging around the station, feeling and secretly seeing the magic that makes you feel like all your dreams come true," said Lily.
"But we also get that feeling here," said Patch.
"I get what you guys are saying." said Thomas. "Me and all my friends, both human and non-human, feel the same way. Sodor truly is a magical place. A safe haven for all when you think about it. It feels like a second home to you. Makes you feel great to be an engine… or anything other."
The three all chuckled.
"And we're glad to call Sodor our second home," said Patch.
"Third for me. I grew up in the city." said Lily.
"Oh yeah that's right." Thomas realized. "Have you ever thought of moving here?"
"On occasion, but we don't wanna separate our kids from their friends," said Lily. "And we're waiting for the right time to tell them about the magic. But we do tell them stories before bed or whenever they want them. We know the stories thanks to theCondcutor family."
"Maybe when they leave for college," said Patch. "You got any jobs in mind for us?" he joked.
"Maybe stationmasters, drivers, firemen, maybe even controllers if Sir Topham Hatt's descendants aren't interested in the job." Thomas joked back. "You'd be Co-Fat Controllers."
All three of them laughed.
Patch checked his watch. "Welp, as fun as this was, it's getting pretty late. We all have work in the morning." he said. "And it's a pretty decent walk back to our house in town."
"I'll give you a lift back to the buffers," said Thomas. "Hop on board."
Lily and Patch climbed into Thomas' Cab and the little engine puffed down the line a bit.
Thomas soon stopped 15 feet away from the buffers.
"Here we are!" he peeped.
Patch and Lily got off and walked in front of Thomas.
"Thanks for the lift. And for having a little chat with us." said Lily.
"Yeah it was great catching up." said Patch.
"It was great catching up with you guys too," said Thomas. "Just remember, you guys and your friends and family are always welcome on Sodor."
"Same applies to you guys at Shining Time and Muffle Mountain." said Lily. "And don't worry, we'll try to visit more soon."
"After all, the magic is worth believing in," said Patch.
"I'm glad it is," said Thomas.
"And I'll always have magic here." said Lily, pulling something out of her pocket. A familiar stuffed animal.
Thomas gasped. "Is that… your stuffed bluebird?" he asked.
"I always keep it with me." Lily said fondly. "Still has the magic from the day we got the gold dust back for Mr. Conductor and Junior."
As if on cue, rainbow colors swirled around the bluebird.
"I'm glad you always keep that special magic with you." Thomas smiled.
"Me too." Lily said fondly.
Lily pocket her bluebird and then climbed up onto Thomas' running board and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making the blue engine blush redder than James as Patch chuckled. Lily then hopped down, patted Thomas on the buffer, and rejoined her husband.
"Goodbye Lily! Goodbye Patch!" Thomas whistled.
"Goodbye Thomas! See you soon!" said Patch.
"You're a really useful engine Thomas!" said Lily.
And with that, Lily and Patch jumped back through the buffers and disappeared in a hoard of rainbow magic.
Thomas was silent for a moment before he steamed off back to the sheds.
Ffarquhar Sheds:
Thomas steamed back into the sheds, making sure not to wake up Percy, Toby, and Mavis.
"I may have not seen Lady tonight, but it was really nice seeing Lily and Patch again," he said to himself. "And who knows? I may see Lady again too." He yawned. "But I know she's being a really useful engine… in her own magical way…"
And Thomas fell asleep.
Unbeknownst to him, future up the line from the sheds, in the siding right beside Tidmouth Station… sat a familiar purple and gold tank engine.
"And you're a really useful engine too Thomas." Lady said with a soft smile. "And we'll have a proper reunion some day. I just know it. Goodnight my brave blue engine…"
Lady blew her whistle and surrounded herself with gold dust as she disappeared.
Thomas heard Lady's whistle as he slept. And it brought a smile to his sleeping face
CAST
Joseph May as Thomas
Nigel Pilkington as Percy
William Hope as Toby
Jules de Jongh as Mavis
Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt
Mara Wilson as Lily
Cody McMains as Patch
and
Britt Allcroft as Lady
And done! What a one-shot for the Fourth of July.
Guess who the members of the Conductor family are supposed to be in addition to those played by Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin, and even Terri Garr.
Rate, review, and I'll see you all soon!
Dedicated to those in the Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Shining Time Station family:
George Carlin
Leonard Jackson
Lloyd Bridges
Ari Madger
Jerome Dempsey
Bobo Lewis
Gerard Parkes
Barbara Hamilton
Alan Semok
Russell Means
Doug Lennox
and
Peter Fonda