A/N Thomas and Stepney's the basis of this.
Hey, it's us, Thomas and Stepney. I, Thomas shall tell the start, but then Stepney takes over for the part involving him, but I take parts he didn't know about after he appears.
I was feeling very happy. My blue coat shone in the sun, I was right on time, and all around my branch line the countryside seemed prettier than ever before.
Peep! Peep! "Good morning, Percy," I whistled. "My branch is the pride of the line. Wouldn't you agree?" They tell me I've got a slight ego, because I'm very proud of my branch line. Because of how much I love it, I'd cry until I could cry no more if I lost it.
"Uh, yes, Thomas, of course, but..." I wondered what Percy wanted to say.
"But what, Percy? Out with it."
"Well, there is another engine with a famous branch line." Stepney, the engine with that branch line, as I soon learned my friend was referring to, actually comes from where I'm from. Thinking about Brighton too much makes me think of how I'm the only one of my kind left anymore, which makes me very unhappy. But I've got Driver to comfort me, if he's around, like now.
"Who? Where?"
"His name's Stepney. He's faraway, but Sir Topham Hatt says he may visit us."
"When?" I soon learned Stepney's from a heritage railway called the Bluebell Railway. It's part of the railway where I worked with my siblings that first summer, but then I came to Sodor. Like anything to do with them, it makes me sad.
"Oh, someday."
And Percy hurried away. I give it to Stepney now. Meanwhile, I puffed steadily along my line. It isn't very long and that made me feel a little sad. Later, I saw Rusty, the little diesel who had helped save me from scrap.
"Everyone's been so kind, but my railway is so short, that I do miss a good long run.".
"I think you should tell Driver, too," replied Rusty. "I'm sure he'll understand."
I soon discovered that indeed he did.
"Do you know, Stepney? I feel just the same way." I was pleased to know he thought what I did. We hadn't had a long run since before I was rescued.
That evening, he had exciting news.
"Guess what, Stepney? Sir Topham Hatt has invited us to visit the other engines on his own railway. The manager agreed. It'll be a really long run to get there."
"Oh, thank you!" I sighed. I might be a little engine, being just a tank engine, but I just longed to stretch my wheels once more.
We set off the next morning. By now, all the other engines were talking about me. I found this out when I met them. I give it back to my fellow Brighton engine.
"He runs a famous branch line. Did you know that?" said Percy.
I was feeling a little jealous. "Huh! It may be famous, but my branch is the first on the line. Everyone knows that, too.". And I huffed away to fetch my coaches.
"Look! squeaked Percy. "Why have they all come? There's no train yet."
But Percy was wrong. The signal dropped and from far away an engine whistled.
"Here he comes!" That was Douglas, welcoming Stepney. My friends told me about this. I give it back to him.
I puffed proudly through the junction.
"I hope you'll meet Thomas, too," said Edward. "You both have branch lines to be proud of."
Then, I set off to help Duck shunt coaches in the yards, and we worked happily together all afternoon. I give it back to Thomas. At last, I arrived.
"Sorry. I can't talk. It's time for my last branch line train. I mustn't be late.". I quite like to be on time, because that's being a Really Useful Engine, which is one of my biggest values.
I was hardly out of sight when the engines heard shouting at the station. Moments later, came the alarm.
"Stop all trains!"
The signalman answered the telephone. "A special, is it? I see."
I was impatient. "My passengers are being delayed."
"Sorry, Thomas," said Driver. "We've been shunted to allow another train to pass."
Soon, we heard an unfamiliar puffing sound. There was Stepney with his headlamp swinging and whistle blowing. He gathered speed and disappeared.
"Well, bust my boiler!" I said.
The next morning, I was still fuming. "Shunted! And on my own branch line! It's a disgrace!"
"I'm sorry," said Stepney. "I was a special."
"Why?"
"An important passenger had arrived just as you left. He ordered a special train and Duck let me take it. We had a splendid run but..."
"But", I finished. "It can make an engine nervous not to know the line."
"Exactly," said Stepney. "You're such an expert."
I felt much better. I couldn't be cross anymore and started telling Stepney all about my branch line. He then told me about his.
A/N In my Thomasverse, the Bluebell Railway's like real life, except for Stepney's sentience. Because of The Adventure Begins, Thomas is, in my Thomasverse, on Sodor starting September 1915, so he worked on the Mainland 3 months. If you want to know how he looks in my Thomaverse, picture his E2 length book self. This telling happens after Thomas lost his siblings, which left him broken-hearted in my Thomasverse, inspired by other fics in which he cries over his siblings. After the loss of his siblings, reminders put him back in grief.
