12 - An Evening Storm

Mallard watched Lady Gresley closely. Although he couldn't remember having met her before, she felt familiar. Like he had seen and spoken to her in a dream.

She was as tall as he was and he towered over other humans, even the huge security guard, Aaron. She stood almost a foot above her assistants, both of average height. All the while they said nothing, diligently at her side.

She held herself with grace and there was an authority in how she carried herself. She came across as a very intimidating and authoritative woman though she held deep compassion in her face and there was a warmness behind her eyes.

It was similar to how Sir Gresley carried himself, he noted. Her mannerisms, how she commanded authority and that mischievous glint that his designer had had in his eye on occasion.

It was all there. He did not doubt that this woman was of his designer's kin.

"It's rude to stare Mallard," she admonished him suddenly as he followed her through the museum halls, her assistants paying him no mind.

"I apologise," Mallard turned his gaze away from her. "You just remind me of Sir Gresley."

Lady Olivia stopped in her tracks and suddenly turned to him, curiosity in her gaze as she rounded on him. Mallard stepped back slightly. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he felt a deep fear of this woman, like he knew that she could easily put him in his place should he act out even if he were still an engine.

"Really? I do?" Olivia questioned him and Mallard nodded.

"Just your mannerisms, how you interact with others," he explained. "It reminds me of him. How he was, how much I miss him."

Olivia watched as a look of grief overcame Mallard's face briefly before it quickly disappeared and Mallard stared back at Olivia.

"Forgive me, Lady Gresley," he quickly looked away from her. "I am being sentimental. It's not appropriate."

"No, no, it's okay," Olivia assured him. "It's just, you never really showed a semblance of sentimentality to me before. It's rather intriguing."

"With all due respect, I have no idea who you are, we only just met," Mallard deadpanned. "You talk as if we've met before but I have no memory of such things."

"I had a fear that was the case," Olivia mentioned but said nothing more.

Mallard looked back at Olivia and then at Herbert who was perched on his shoulder. The raven had said nothing this whole time, instead, he perched on Mallard's shoulder, a silent and watchful sentinel.

"Tell me more about him," Olivia suddenly asked Mallard. "Did you know him well? Was he proud of you for your record?"

"Of course, he was proud of me!" Mallard exclaimed, puffing out his chest slightly. "I'm Sir Gresley's pride and joy! He named me after his beloved ducks! I was one of the few engines Sir Gresley took to visit them. We used to birdwatch together!"

Olivia chuckled as Mallard became excited as he talked about Sir Gresley. It was strange hearing Mallard so passionate. Comforting even.

"It's clear that you hold a great affection for him," she observed and Mallard gave her a small genuine smile.

"Of course," Mallard bowed his head slightly. "We used to sit on a siding by a lake for hours and talk. He was a great man, I miss him dearly."

"I've never heard an engine talk about him so personally before, it's nice to hear what my grandfather was like to those who knew him," Olivia smiled and Mallard gazed at her.

"If I may," Mallard suddenly asked. "But who are you? I fear my memories after being, what I can only describe as mutilated by the man Thompson, are nothing more than a black void to me."

"Olivia Gresley," Olivia introduced herself to Mallard. "Granddaughter to your designer, well technically Great Granddaughter but it's less impressive if I say that. Director of the National Railway Museum and Driver of Steam Engines like yourself."

Mallard nodded to her and Herbert seemed to give an approving squawk at her.

"Not a designer?" Mallard asked curiously and Olivia shook her head.

"Never had the money to attend University," Olivia explained as she beckoned Mallard to follow her. "That and I never had the patience for it. I don't particularly have an interest in designing modern rolling stock. My heart was set on driving steam engines."

Mallard nodded and looked up as they entered the Great Hall where many engines sat. A shudder ran through his spine as reality hit him.

"Lady Gresley, when did Steam die?" Mallard asked, terror clear in his voice.

"1968," She answered sadly. "There are only a few steam engines left compared to what it was and most of them are preserved. Entire classes of engines are now extinct. The only place that Steam hasn't died is Sodor."

Mallard stared at the ground sadly. In his heart, he had already known that it was true but the truth still hurt to hear.

"And my siblings? What about my brother Merlin?"

"A few of them survived Sir Nigel, Bittern, Union of South Africa and others overseas. Unfortunately, Merlin was not among them," Olivia revealed and Mallard bowed his head, hiding his face. "But your class is luckier than most. Some only have sole survivors. Others are extinct."

Not Merlin.

Mallard felt his eyes burn and water but he quickly blinked away his tears. He mustn't cry in front of a Gresley, it was weak, shameful. He said nothing as Olivia led him towards a wide-open part of the Great Hall.

Mallard stared as his own engine came into view beside the Duchess of Hamilton. Olivia paused as Mallard stopped to gaze at the Speed Record Plaque affixed to the side of the engine.

He stared at it for the longest time as Herbert decided to perch himself on the cab window proudly, Olivia watching them silently.

"My record," Mallard mused quietly. "Was it ever broken?"

"By modern trains, many times over," Olivia explained and Mallard's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Many of them go over 200 miles per hour, some are almost reaching 400 miles per hour now although you can have many arguments about whether maglev counts."

Going at 100mph had hurt. He had felt as if his rivets and pistons were about to explode. Mallard couldn't even imagine going twice that speed let one 3 times faster.

"But, you'll be happy to know that no Steam Engine has ever beaten your record," Olivia added. "You are still the fastest Steam Engine in history."

A wide smile appeared on Mallard's face. He was still king. Neither the LMS nor the Germans had taken his record.

"Still on top. Still the best Steam Engine in the world," he grinned but Olivia pointed a finger at him, a clear warning.

"Don't you let your pride get the better of you, Mallard," she warned. "I'm certain that Sir Nigel could break that record if he wishes. He's come close once or twice before too."

Mallard wiped the smirk off his face and bowed his head again. If this Lady Olivia ordered Sir Nigel to break his record, he did not doubt that Sir Nigel would oblige, being the voice of their designer. His attention returned to his engine.

"Why is my engine in a museum?"

"You were preserved to commemorate your achievement," Olivia explained. "A symbol of Steam at its finest."

Mallard frowned and looked disturbed.

"What a terrible existence," he muttered and looked at Olivia. "Do I at least get taken out on runs?"

"Your firebox has been concreted up," Olivia explained and Mallard looked appalled and furious.

"What? Why?! Why the hell would someone concrete up an engine's firebox?! Do you understand how demeaning and cruel that is!? You're better off scraping me!" Mallard demanded angrily as Herbert suddenly gave an offended caw and flew to perch down on Mallard's shoulder, glaring at Olivia. He had started growling at her angrily and her assistants quickly moved to protect her.

Olivia stared at the raven. She'd owned birds in the past, and she'd even befriended wild crows and other corvids but this bird seemed to have a human understanding of what was going on. It was beyond strange.

Ignoring the bird for now she decided to address Mallard's current situation. She walked over to Hamilton who had been watching the interaction curiously out of the corner of her eye.

"Do I have your confidence as a Golden Warden, Lady Hamilton?" She asked and Hamilton smiled at her slightly.

"You do, Lady Gresley," the Duchess of Hamilton vowed and Olivia turned to Mallard who was standing there furious.

"This will take some explaining," she admitted and Mallard gave a humph and crossed his arms.

"I've got time," He snarked before gesturing at his stone-cold engine. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Olivia inwardly smirked. She liked this 'younger' Mallard. He seemed full of life compared to the cold, irritated and nasty Mallard who had inhabited the museum for many years. There was a warmth to him now, a soul even.

The Black Smoke had truly destroyed any warmth Mallard had once had and turned him into a murderous and unfeeling monster.

She turned to one of her assistants.

"Call Sir Nigel, he will have a better hand at explaining this," she ordered and the man quickly rushed off.

Mallard watched him go uninterested before he felt a nudge from Herbert, the raven brushing up against his cheek almost in a reassuring way.

He felt comfort in the gesture and calmed slightly although he had a feeling that whatever he was about to learn was about to send his world crashing to the ground.

He was about to ask Olivia if the Coronation also had her firebox concreted up when she suddenly became flustered when music suddenly began playing in one of her coat pockets and answered a strange thin black device as if it was a telephone, confusing him.

The modern world was so… different. Yet familiar. He couldn't explain it. It was almost as if he had experienced blind, deaf and senseless.

He just stared dumbfounded and confused at Olivia as she spoke on her phone, lost in his thoughts.

"What do you mean North has gone missing?" She suddenly demanded loudly and Mallard perked up at the mention of this 'North'.

North? As in, 'Great Northern?' Was he also still alive? Had he survived the end of Steam too, in that ugly, horrible rebuild of his?

"That fucking bitch!" Olivia suddenly shouted furiously and went to throw her phone but regained her composure and instead lowered her arm slowly and straightened herself up. "Always one thing after another these days! I don't have time for this!"

"Ma'am?" Her assistant asked, extremely concerned. It was extremely rare that Olivia got angry.

"It's Great Northern," Olivia snapped bitterly. "Ms Parsons appears to have kidnapped him and taken him, hostage."

Mallard had no idea how someone had kidnapped Great Northern, nor who this Ms Parsons character was but he knew that it meant nothing but trouble.

"It feels like you just got here," Henry sighed as the two Australian Engines sat at Vicarstown, support coach in tow with Thomas on a flatbed behind 4201. "You'll be back won't you?"

"Of course, we will," Grey puffed up. "Someone has to take little Thomas home!"

"I can take myself home!" Thomas complained but he was ignored by the Sudrian engines gathered.

Gordon awkwardly rolled up next to Grey's side with a nervous smile. Grey noticed him and gave him a huge grin.

"Hey there Big Blue, don't miss me too much ay?" Grey jested at him and Gordon's smile grew. "Want me to pass anything on to your brother?"

"Only that he's an idiot," Gordon muttered and Grey laughed.

"Well, I'm sure he knows that already," she beamed. "Take care of yourself won't you?"

"Of course Grey, I always do!" Gordon retorted, annoyed at being spoken to like a child. He then relented his irritation and smiled at Grey. "You look after yourself too. The engines on the mainland can be… prudish and snobbish."

"Oh, I know, Scotsman's told me many stories while he came to visit us," Grey remembered. "I hope to Bamboozle them with my Aussieness! You know, like I did with you."

"You did not bamboozle me!" Gordon argued but Grey and Gold just laughed at him and he blushed a deep red before looking away from the Australian engines embarrassed.

"How come Thomas always gets to go on adventures?" Percy suddenly spoke up on Grey's other side as he sat eyeing Thomas. "I never get to the railway and go to rail events!"

"Stepney invited me to the Bluebell Percy," Thomas imparted to his best friend but the saddletank just glowered at him.

"It's always about you, isn't it? What if I want to go and visit my brother huh?" Percy snapped annoyed and Henry looked down at his little saddletank friend concerned. "I'm not just Thomas' best friend you know!"

Thomas stared at Percy in shock. Percy had never displayed any resentment or problem before his trip to the Bluebell. This had come out of nowhere and taken him completely by surprise.

"Percy, I hope you know we don't see you that way," Henry assured the little engine who was now pouting and looking down at his buffers.

"I know, but it doesn't feel like that sometimes," Percy muttered and Henry and Thomas glanced at each other concerned as Sir Topham approached Percy.

"Percy," he appealed to his saddletank. "Why didn't you mention this beforehand? We could have made arrangements for you to go with Thomas."

"Oh!" Percy was surprised. "Really sir? You would have done that?"

"Of course!"

"But sir, the railway is struggling to find engines," Percy reminded him. "I didn't, I didn't want to ask because it looked like it would be abandoning my duties on the North Western!"

"Percy of course it wouldn't look like that," Sir Topham assured Percy and the little saddle tank's face turned bright red in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm, I'm sorry for making a fuss then sir!" Percy remarked. "I've just embarrassed myself, I'm sorry."

"It's no trouble at all Percy," the fat controller assured his engine. "Next time you can go with Thomas or maybe even have a little adventure of your own hmm?"

"Yes sir, I'd like that sir," Percy exclaimed brightly.

"Well, Lyell will still be here," Thomas pointed out and Percy looked at him.

"Oh yeah! She will won't she?" Percy realised. "Sir, could I spend time with Lyell at the museum?"

"So long as it doesn't intrude on your duties, I see no problem with it, Percy."

Percy beamed happily and gave a small peep.

"Happy days!" Grey exclaimed happily from the front of her consist. "You'll be a great friend for Lyell, little Snail!"

Percy beamed at the affectionate nickname. He didn't mind Grey calling him a snail. If she had called him a caterpillar, however…

Grey's loud brassy whistle suddenly pierced through his thoughts as she hissed steam and began to pull away.

"It's been fun! Thanks all! I'll bring back pressies!" Grey shrieked happily as Gold blasted his horn in farewell too.

"To the Bluebell!" Thomas excitedly yelled.

The Sudrian engines began blowing their whistles, shouting their farewells and best wishes as the Australians and their passenger began to gather speed and disappear into the distance towards the Vicarstown bridge.

"We're here Ms Tornado!" Mayflower happily chirped as they pulled into Darlington Works. "And just before a thunderstorm rolled in too!"

Tornado said nothing, her boiler full of anxiety and nervous tension.

On any other occasion, Tornado would be delighted to be home, but she felt sick and fearful. She didn't want the engineers fiddling with her firebox. It hurt and it made her feel sick for days afterwards, even when they were just welding up things.

She hated it, she hated it more than anything.

Her frames began to tremble and tears of fright slipped down her face as Mayflower took her to the sheds. She slammed on her brakes suddenly causing Mayflower to yelp as she tugged on the coupling.

"Lady Tornado?" Mayflower asked confused, worry in her voice.

"I don't want to," she quivered, frightened.

"Lady Tornado you have to, they'll make you better!" Mayflower tried to reassure her but Tornado refused to release her brakes.

"No!" Tornado shouted, childishly. "They'll hurt me!"

Her shouting attracted the members of the Trust who came milling out of the sheds to see what the commotion was about.

Flying Scotsman appeared along with them, gazing at Mayflower and Tornado.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

"It's Lady Tornado, Mr Flying Scotsman sir," Mayflower explained. "I was the only engine available to bring her here. Everything was fine until we got to the sheds but now Lady Tornado refuses to release her brakes!"

Flying Scotsman looked over at Tornado behind the B1 and found her trembling in fear, tears running down her face.

"Oh Tornado," Scotsman lamented sadly. He looked at Mayflower. "It's alright Mayflower, I'll take over from here. You can go back to what you were doing before."

"Yes sir," Mayflower responded.

"No!" Tornado shouted suddenly, surprising both engines. "I want Mayflower to stay!"

"Mayflower has other things to do Tornado," Scotsman explained but Tornado sniffed aggressively and glared at him.

"You mean like staying away from me?!" She shouted angrily at him and Scotsman stared at her confused.

He looked at Mayflower who looked embarrassed and nervous of him now.

"Tornado what are you-"

"First you keep me from seeing and apologising to Evening Star and now I find out you were keeping Mayflower and her brother from talking to me!" Tornado shouted angrily at him. "You're just as bad as Green Arrow was! Trying to keep people away from me!"

Scotsman looked completely lost now.

"I don't understand Tornado," He stammered flustered. "What are you talking about?"

"I've seen you and others at Galas! You shield and kept Mayflower and other Thompson engines away from me!" Tornado accused and Scotsman suddenly realised what she was talking about.

"Oh," he realised. "I see now."

He glanced at Mayflower who was now looking at him terrified.

"I didn't mean to speak out of turn Mr Scotsman!" Mayflower squeaked terrified. "Please! Please don't punish me I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay Mayflower, you're not in trouble," Scotsman assured her. "I admit, my treatment of you in the past has been neglectful and you have not deserved it. But Sir Nigel-"

"Stop it!" Tornado snapped. "I trusted you! I thought you were the LNER's Golden Boy, always perfect and the best role model but you're as devious and demeaning as any of the other 'high class' engines!"

Tornado sounded manic and her voice was now a shriek. Flying Scotsman sighed and looked away from the Tornado.

"I am sorry I kept certain truths from you Tornado," Scotsman admitted quietly. "I do admit, I hold prejudices against Thompson's engines, like Mayflower. I still do even though Mayflower and her family aren't deserving of punishment for the sins of their designer."

There was an awkward silence as the engines fell silent, the crews and members of the trust not moving a muscle, unable to predict what the engines would do.

"Flying Scotsman is one of the few engines who give us basic courtesy, Tornado," Mayflower finally spoke after a pregnant pause. "Please don't blame him. The LNER had a culture that lasted for decades and still does today. I don't think Scotsman intentionally tried to keep us away from you. He's a good engine, my brother and I are fond of him. Please Tornado, there's a lot of complicated history behind our place in the LNER. Please don't blame Scotsman, it's not his fault."

Tornado just stared at Scotsman, a deep look of hurt in her eyes. She suddenly huffed and snorted, avoiding eye contact with the A3 Pacific.

"I don't want to see you right now," she spat angrily at Scotsman. "Go celebrate your birthday or whatever you're doing."

"I understand Tornado," Scotsman smiled at her sadly. "If you ever need me, I'll do everything I can for you, just let me know."

Tornado refused to speak or look at Scotsman and Scotsman gave a sad sigh.

Scotsman slowly departed a sad but understanding look in his eyes.

"Take care Mayflower," he farewelled the B1 who gave him a polite peep of her whistle. "You too Tornado."

Tornado did not respond, refusing to even look at the Flying Scotsman as he departed with a sad whistle. Mayflower watched him go sadly.

Iain approached Tornado with Chloe at his side. Tornado lit up at the sight of her. At least there was one good thing about today. Her mood immediately brightened and she gazed down at her old friend.

"Ms Chloe!" She exclaimed delighted, trying to push away her argument with Scotsman from her mind. Chloe gave a shy giggle and blushed. "I missed you, Ms Chloe!"

"Hello, Tornado!" Chloe greeted her. "It's good to see you again. Though I wish you were in better condition."

Tornado sniffed and looked away. She'd been ignoring her broken stay in her firebox but now the pain was growing ever more noticeable.

"I don't want to be taken apart, please!" She begged desperately. "You don't understand how much it hurts!"

"Tornado-"

"It's not fair!" She shouted. "Why does my firebox keep having problems?! I hate this! Why can't you fix me?!

Tornado sniffed and looked at her buffers frightened. Her frames trembled violently and she looked completely distraught.

"Tornado," Chloe stepped forward and laid a hand on her cylinder box, trying to comfort her. Tornado sniffed and she leaned into Chloe's touch.

Chloe felt warm and familiar and her very soul seemed to resonate with hers calming the A1 Peppercorn.

"I feel sick," Tornado moaned weakly as she sniffed her tears away. "I don't want you to see me like this Ms Chloe."

"You'll be alright Tornado, we'll look after you," Chloe assured her gently. "You're stronger than your illness, you know that right?"

"I know, I'm just tired of being sick in the firebox," Tornado mumbled. She didn't know why but Chloe's presence had made her feel calmer and better and her anxiety eased.

It was like when she was close to Scotsman and his gold dust reached out to comfort her when she was upset.

"Can you release your brakes please Tornado?" Iain asked the Peppercorn. "I know you're scared but the sooner we can deal with this the sooner you'll feel better."

Tornado looked away from her chief engineer. She didn't want to release her brakes but the pain in her firebox was worsening by the minute and she knew that it was better to be over and done with before it became unbearable.

"Only if Mayflower can stay," Tornado bargained and Iain looked to Mayflower's crew who had been watching events unfold. They conferred for a little while before Ruth, her fireman poked her head out and gave a nod.

"Mayflower can stay Tornado," Iain smiled and Tornado gave him a weak smile before releasing her brakes.

"It'll be okay Lady Tornado," Mayflower assured her. "You're a Peppercorn! Peppercorns are very strong engines indeed!"

Tornado said nothing in response to that but she did hope that there was truth to Mayflower's words.

As a thunderstorm sounded in the distance, it was almost as if the heavens themselves churned to Tornado's mood and spoke for her.

The rain pounded heavily on the boilers of the two drenched engines as they made a beeline for the sheds, desperate to get out of the rain.

"Come on in! That storm just came out of nowhere, hells bells!" Arthur shouted over the storm, trying to usher the two engines in out of the rain.

"I knew it was going to storm, just not quite so badly!" Edward piped up as Boco flinched from the cold wind that was now blowing through the open doors as the two engines backed into the Brendam Branchlines sheds.

"Hurry and get inside!" Boco muttered annoyed. "I don't want icicles in my radiator!"

"Maybe you should get yourself a nice firebox then," Green Arrow quipped at Boco as he reversed into the sheds next to him and the diesel gave him an annoyed look. "Warm up your silly little spark plugs."

"Diesels don't have spark plugs, Arrow," Boco retorted in good humour.

"Really? I thought all combustion engines had spark plugs?" Arrow's creased his brow confused as Boco just laughed at him.

"Hello!" Murdoch called to Evening Star as she reversed into the berth between himself and Arrow. "It's wonderful to finally get to meet you, Evening Star!"

Evening Star just gave him a shy smile and blushed. She wasn't used to all this positive attention. It made her feel embarrassed.

'Hello.'

"I do hope you'll enjoy your stay on our island Evening Star!" Arthur piped up from Murdoch's other side. "We're very pleased to meet you! We need all the help we can get these days."

'I'm happy to help. I'm a working engine, I live to work not be stuck in a museum.'

Arthur and Murdoch glanced at each other confused.

"Evening Star doesn't really 'talk'," Green Arrow explained. "She's mute but she can still communicate, you just have to learn how she does. But she says that she's happy to help and she's a working engine, not a museum piece."

"Ah, I see!" Murdoch exclaimed and gave Evening Star a sympathetic smile. "I hope that we'll be able to understand you over, time Ms Star!"

Evening Star just smiled in response feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the attention. She looked at Arrow who immediately picked up on it and drew the attention away from her.

"So, what's been happening since I've been in the works?" He asked.

"Oh that engine that you crashed into Tydfil has been filling in for you," Murdoch explained and Arrow frowned.

'You crashed into someone?!' Evening Star suddenly looked alarmed and Arrow turned bright red.

"It wasn't my fault, she was stopped on the track in front of me without notifying the signalman!" Arrow quickly defended himself.

"She's a little troubled," Edward cut in. "The other Great Westerns have been pressuring her without any concern for her mental state. She's a new build that hasn't been taught properly or handled with care, that can have devastating consequences on an engine."

"That's no excuse to cause a serious accident," Boco interjected. "Green Arrow's accident could have been a lot worse."

"That's true," Edward remarked but he was quickly talked over by Arthur.

"Edward has a point though, have you seen the engine they got in to replace Truro? That Clun Castle?"

Green Arrow immediately groaned and Evening Star gave a disapproving huff at the mention of Clun Castle.

"No wonder Lady of Legend is so troubled. What was Truro thinking when he decided to let Clun Castle take care of a new engine!" He scolded. "Clun Castle is nothing but a selfish, dimwitted idiot who has no business being around young engines!"

"What do you mean?" Edward asked concerned.

"Clun Castle constantly bullied Tornado when she was new," Green Arrow explained grimly. "She would often come back to her shed crying because Clun had been nasty to her."

'She bullied me too, she used to steal my trucks and get me into trouble. I'm sure she was the one who caused my shunting accident at Severn.' Evening Star put in and Arrow frowned.

"Evening Star says Clun Castle used to steal her trucks and thinks she caused an accident that almost got her pulled out of preservation," he explained and the Brendam engines looked horrified.

"She sounds like she shouldn't be near any engine let alone a young one!" Boco exclaimed appalled.

Edward however looked thoughtful.

"I met Lady of Legend earlier today actually," he mused. "The poor thing was upset, she was very stressed. I don't think she has any support right now. Her friends are all up at Harwick."

"She seemed to take a shine to myself and Murdoch the other day," Arthur mentioned with a glance at his bigger friend. "And Murdoch's defended her from those big Great Western engines before. Maybe we could reach out to her?"

Edward smiled at the LMS engine and looked approvingly at him.

"As long as she's aware that she has friends she can turn to here, I think it's a good start," Edward agreed.

"I think Clun Castle still shouldn't even be here," Arrow muttered annoyed. "What was Truro thinking?"

'Um, it wasn't Truro who approved her,' Evening Star interjected. 'It was Lode Star on the condition that Coppernob keeps an eye on her.'

"Coppernob?" Arrow asked confused. "That old rusty bucket? He's here?"

"Who's Coppernob?" Murdoch asked confused.

"Oh an old Furness engine that used to be on display in a glasshouse at Barrow-in-Furness," Arthur explained. "Some of the porters and crews always told stories of the grouchy old engine at the end of the line. 'You be good and work your hardest or old Coppernob will come and give you an earful,' they'd say. He used to work on Edward's old railway!"

Arrow was completely surprised.

"You're an original Furness? I thought that you were a commissioned build for the North Western," He asked astounded but to his complete surprise, Edward had started scowling.

"Was a Furness, was!" Edward clarified quickly. "I barely spent time on that railway before it died and became part of the LMS. And not soon enough either!"

Boco and Arrow glanced at each other. They'd never heard Edward sound so… bitter.

"But I always thought you were proud of being a part of the Furness?" Boco questioned incredulously.

"I was proud of the work I did and the friends I had," Edward clarified. "But the railway itself was very… tedious and boresome. Coppernob had a certain hold over the railway. It wasn't a pleasant place to work with that old kettle leering over everything!"

"Edward," Boco began to say but as if on cue, the power went out, causing the shed to plunge into darkness and the remaining crews who were sheltering in the sheds started cursing loudly, fumbling to switch on the emergency generators.

Murdoch screamed in terror and began shouting hysterically, denying he was afraid of the dark while Arthur desperately tried to calm his best friend down, Evening Star just stared at her brother very confused.

Why was a big strong engine like her brother afraid of the dark?

Nothing more was said about Edward and the Furness, but Arrow's mind couldn't help but dwell on the mystery.

"Late run Oliver?" Duck raised his eyebrow amused as his friend pulled into Tidmouth Station with a long line of empty trucks. Thankfully it was late and the trucks weren't causing the 1400 any trouble due to being too tired. Both engines were just glad to have a reprieve from the fierce storm that raged outside the station.

"You know, as annoying and as childish as Lady of Legend was, she was somewhat helpful," Oliver remarked sounding exhausted. Duck frowned.

"We really do need extra help here don't we?" The Pannier Tank observed.

"Yes but Sir Topham only brought big engines over to help the railway," Olivier grumbled annoyed. "Our branch line can't take anything over 70 long tons of loco right now! Lady of Legend was barely under that."

Duck sighed. He was frustrated. The director in charge of the branch line clearly wasn't doing anything and had done nothing, even after had Donald derailed and that bit of track fixed. The rest of the track was still in desperate need of repair and all of them were running the risk of derailing, no matter how light they were.

"I've been trying to get a hold of Sir Topham but he's never around!" Duck exclaimed frustrated. "He's been too dealing with the mainline!"

Olivier tutted annoyed.

"If those tracks aren't fixed soon, something bad's gonna happen, I'm telling you," Olivier warned and Duck couldn't help but agree with him.

Something bad was going to happen, Duck just knew it.

A haunting whistle suddenly sounded down the track as a large engine came into the station, rattling the rails and steam shrouding it in a mysterious and menacing cloak. Even though the storm was deafening, this engine somehow managed to be more thunderous.

Oliver and Duck glanced at each other. No one else was supposed to be working this late in the night, especially not in this weather, except Henry and that hadn't been his whistle.

The large mysterious engine pulled into the station, hissing and whooshing steam angrily. It was huge, green and had 'Great Western' painted on its tender. Rainwater ran over its boiler giving its profile a huge contrast and making it appear even more menacing in the bright lights of the big station.

Duck's face immediately turned into a scowl as he recognised the engine.

"You!"

The engine snorted steam and looked down at the little engines with clear disdain. Oliver just stared at the engine confused.

It was one of the Upper-class Great Western Engines, one that demanded the respect of the shunters but he had no idea why Duck was being so indignant towards it. Then he saw the nameplate on it and immediately understood.

King Edward I.

"Really now you insignificant pile of scrap," King Edward I snarled viscously. "Is that any way to speak to a King?"