Content Warning: Implied emotional/psychological abuse
13 - When it rains…
The rain thundering against the roof of the shed wasn't enough to drown out the voice of that annoying witch, Clun Castle as she spoke to Blue Peter. The large Peppercorn engine seemed equally as annoyed but said nothing about it, only staring into space as Lady of Legend desperately tried to ignore the both of them.
"I heard that, that little wet drip of an engine Tornado had another firebox failure," Clun Castle suddenly mentioned out of the blue.
Blue Peter narrowed his eyes and glared at the Castle class who simply gave him a snide grin.
"Charming as ever, Clun Castle," Blue Peter muttered with a roll of his eyes. He should go and find another shed to sleep in, away from this annoying harpy of an engine.
"Please it's Meredith," the Castle class flashed her teeth at Blue Peter and the Peppercorn wanted nothing more than to be elsewhere. Clun Castle had always been an irritating engine and that was even more apparent when trapped in a shed with her.
Ignoring Clun Class, he turned his attention to the 'young' engine, Lady of Legend. The engine built on top of a corpse. While he may have had reservations about Tornado, at least she was entirely new and not built like a scrap engine like a hideous Dukedog or whatever the Hush Hush was.
She looked put together well, he had to admit, no sign of the old Hall that had given its body to her. No sign of the soul that had once inhabited the frames. Just how exactly did Clun Castle and her human handler intend to bring that old Hall back?
"Stop staring at me you fat sausage!" The young engine suddenly snapped at him, uncomfortable with his leering. "You Peppercorns are just fat and rude!"
"Excuse me?" Blue Peter thundered annoyed. "You best hold your tongue in my presence you childish welp!"
Clun Castle just chuckled.
"Oh Tydfil, you are quite the excitable little rust bucket!" She exclaimed cheerfully. "With an attitude like that, I don't think anyone will miss you!"
"Ryan and Daisy miss me!" Tydfil snapped at the Castle Class angrily. "Unlike you, they're actually nice to me and are my friends!"
Clun Castle began scowling at the young engine who just sat there looking grumpy.
"I gave you my tender so that you could work, is that not nice enough for you?" Clun Castle snarled at her.
"No! Because you acted really creepy to me and don't think I haven't noticed you trying to convince me that I'm some other engine!" Tydfil snapped angrily. She looked and sounded furious. "You're not my friend, you're just some old salty cow who wants something from me!"
Clun Castle looked murderous while Blue Peter was amused.
"Ah, I see even the young ones see what an appalling excuse of a lady you are, Meredith," Blue Peter chortled and Clun Castle shot a venom-filled glare at him.
"Shut up!"
"I knew there was something horrible about you the second I met you!" Tydfil snapped. "You're just a selfish and self-serving bitch who never had a single concern about me!"
Blue Peter laughed while Clun Castle's face turned red from anger. Unlike Tornado, Lady of Legend had a fire and was bold. So unlike the young Tornado who had been quiet and deary.
"I've changed my mind, I quite like this Lady of Legend," Blue Peter snarked and Clun Castle threw a dirty look at him before rounding on the young Lady of Legend.
"You listen here you little menace!" Clun Castle snapped at her. "We only tolerate you right now because you have Maindy Hall's engine! You're nothing more than a placeholder until we get her back!"
Tydfil looked disturbed by this.
"Wha- what?"
"You're nothing!" Clun Castle shrieked. "The King Twins only ever treated you like a princess in hopes that they could bring Maindy Hall back! They never actually liked you, you stupid girl! You're nothing to them! You're nothing to me! Ms Parsons is working on trying and bringing back Maindy's soul!"
Tydfil looked distraught now.
"I'm not Maindy Hall!" She shouted furiously. "My name is Tydfil! I'm a Saint class!"
Clun Castle suddenly gave a wicked smile and lowered her voice to a purr.
"Surely you must have heard the whispers of Maindy Hall's ghost in your smokebox little girl?" She purred and Tydfil flinched away from the Castle Class.
Clun Castle gave a sinful grin as she saw Tydfil fall silent and her demeanour suddenly became disheartened and she became depressed. Blue Peter watched on stoically.
"You see Blue Peter? Maybe if you tried hard enough then Saint Mungo would have come back by now and you wouldn't have that insolent little thorn in your side!" Clun fluttered her eyelids sweetly at Blue Peter who gritted his teeth annoyed.
"Mind your business Clun Castle," Blue Peter snarled at her but the Castle class just laughed at him.
She was about to retort when the doors of their shed rattled and suddenly opened to the rainstorm outside to which Clun Castle shrieked.
"You're getting my paint wet!" She screeched obnoxiously, but no one paid her any heed.
"There are more important things than your paint, Clun Castle!" A deep voice rumbled through the sheds and Tydfil immediately flinched, cowering away from the huge King class that was now entering the sheds.
iNo, not him. Anyone but him. Even his brother would have been better./i
"Oh, it's you! Finally someone civilised among this stupid little island's country bumpkins!" Clun Castle exclaimed gratefully.
King Edward I said nothing in reply, instead leering over Lady of Legend whose frames began trembling in fear.
"I do hope you've been a good girl, Tydfil," King Edward I hummed quietly. "That you haven't gotten Truro's silly little ideas into your head."
Tydfil said nothing she just sat staring at the ground, tears burning her eyes.
She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be far away, to be with her friends, Ryan and Daisy.
Clun Castle began talking feverishly to King Edward I, who simply ignored her, the rain still running off of his frames, displeased at being so wet.
Blue Peter just sat silently in the berth, his thoughts conflicted, his thoughts turning to the other Peppercorn across the country.
"Never have I been as disappointed in an engine as I have been with number 4!" Coppernob seethed angrily.
Stephen just rolled his eyes as he watched the rain cascading on the outside of the museum's glass walls. The old engine had been non-stop complaining the second he had arrived at Ulfstead museum.
"You know if you just relaxed and enjoyed this trip a little, maybe it would make you less stressed and less prone to complaining all the time. Stop making the volunteers cry and get their salty tears to corrode your paintwork," Stephen poked the old red engine who promptly glared daggers at him.
Stephen ignored him and glanced at the Furness. Although Coppernob appeared stoic and stern, Stephan could see that something was bothering him.
"What's wrong old champ?" Stephen asked and Coppernob frowned.
"Nothing is wrong," Coppernob huffed but Stephen was not at all convinced.
"Really now? You've been obsessively complaining about Edward since you got here, it's not healthy you know," the little yellow engine intoned and the Furness glared at him.
"What would you know? Stuck in your castle like a princess?" Coppernob shot back but Stephen just laughed.
"You say that as if you didn't spend decades in a glasshouse watching over the Furness Railway," he chortled and Coppernob just grumpily humphed and looked away from the Rocket. "It's been over a century since Edward worked on the Furness, Coppernob. He's probably moved on from those days, try as you might to bring him back, at this stage he's a staple of the North Western."
Coppernob stared at the Rocket for the longest while, his thoughts on the NWR no 2. He wouldn't lie, it had hurt, seeing the Larger Seagull pull up to a siding outside the castle and not even bother to come inside and see him.
He wanted to think that Edward would have been proud to uphold the values of the Furness Railway. There were so few Furness engines left. It was himself, 20 and a few others at this point in time. That was all that was holding the fort down.
No one to recall the sharpies, the neddies and the work ethic of the Furness before it had been consumed by the monster that was the LMS and its beast-like locomotives.
Maybe it was desperation that was leading Coppernob to chase after No.2. Only 20 and 25 proudly proclaimed and upheld the Furness values. Hell, even Fluff was proud of his heritage to some degree and Fluff was a brash and impulsive little thing that showed Coppernob little respect.
Coppernob more than anything wanted Edward, the famous larger Seagull of Sodor to spearhead a movement to get the Furness Railway recognition.
With Edward's fame, maybe their Trust would grow. Maybe new blood would come in and uphold the Furness Ways.
He didn't want the Furness Railway to fade into obscurity.
He already knew that the other engines looked at him as a tedious old fusspot who kept clinging to the remains of a long-gone railway.
He would never admit it but he was afraid. Afraid that no one would care in another ten years about the Furness.
Perhaps that was why No.2 ignoring him hurt so much. It felt like a stab in the boiler for the old engine, seeing the Larger Seagull not even recognise where he had come from while the memory of the Furness slowly died.
"It's not right," Coppernob concluded. "For No.2 to go around ignoring the railway that made him while its memory slowly dies. It's disgraceful!"
Stephen gazed sadly at Coppernob. He could see a rare moment of vulnerability in the old engine.
"Perhaps," Stephen mused quietly. "Maybe bring that up when you listen to Edward."
"It will be at the top of my agenda when I have words with him!" Coppernob snapped but Stephen frowned.
"You didn't hear me, I said when you listen, to Edward," the Rocket clarified. "You tend to talk old chap, but you have an even harder time listening. Maybe listen to Edward and he'll tell you why he's ignoring the Furness Railway Trust and its engines."
Coppernob wanted to shout at the annoying little wine barrel engine but deep in his boiler he knew that the Rocket was right.
He said nothing, not wanting to admit that he was wrong.
Stephen seemed to recognise this and went about his business, tending to the castle with Millie and leaving the red Furness with his thoughts.
It was almost after midnight when Flying Scotsman returned to the sheds at York exhausted and drenched in rainwater. He felt terrible and he knew that it had little do to with the coal that had spoiled from the rainwater made his fire cold and his boiler feel like it was filled with sludge.
Still, it was good to be home, regardless of the trials that the previous day had delivered unto him. Seeing Truro waiting for him, bleary-eyed and exhausted was a grateful sight to behold, even if his worry for the old Great Western often hijacked his thoughts these days.
"Hello dear," Truro greeted him with a weary smile and tired eyes. "It's a bit late, even for you."
Scotsman chuckled.
"Come now, you make me sound like a common vagrant," he chortled humorously. "Can I not stay out beyond midnight on my build week?"
The City of Truro just gave a soft chuckle. The tired expression on his face seemed to melt and a look of tranquillity appeared in its place. Flying Scotsman however glanced around the shed, looking for something.
"Where's Sir Nigel?" He asked confused. He had asked the A4 to stay and keep watch over the City of Truro while he had been drawn away to Darlington.
"Ms Olivia called him away urgently," Truro's face creased into one of confusion. "It sounded like an emergency from the way her assistant was acting."
Scotsman looked thoughtfully at Truro before looking away quietly. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was gold dust related but he couldn't be sure. Probably something to do with him, no doubt. He would probably find out later when Olivia found him and proceeded to dress him down.
Worries for future Scotsman, he reasoned and turned his attention back to Truro.
"And what about you, how are you holding up my precious Great Western idol?" Scotsman asked and Truro's resolve seemed vanish in an instant. "Truro?"
Truro looked away from him and sighed deeply.
"I am resigning my position as leader of the Great Westerns," Truro stated and Flying Scotsman stared at him shocked.
"What? Why?!"
"I feel that I am no longer able to serve my role as efficiently and with as much gravitas as I once did," Truro explained. "I sent a messenger to Lode Star and Mr Corbyn will officially demote me tomorrow. I have elected King George V as my replacement."
Flying Scotsman was shocked. First Tornado now this?
"But… why Truro?"
Truro still avoided his partners gaze.
"This isn't something new, I have been having doubts in my abilities for many years now," Truro reasoned and Scotsman was stunned.
Had he been so out of touch with his own partner that he hadn't even noticed his personal problems until now? Was he that bad or that ignorant of an engine.
"I still… I still should have noticed something," Scotsman insisted and Truro just gave him a sad smile.
"There's nothing that you could have done Scott," Truro assured him but Scotsman was still distraught.
"Am I that terrible of a person to you Truro?" Scotsman asked upset, still heated from Tornado's confrontation.
"What- Scott no! Of course not!"
"Then why didn't I notice your struggles! You have always been there for me, you've supported me through everything!" Scotsman fretted, concerning Truro. "How could I be so selfish!"
"Scotsman, you are not selfish!" Truro pleaded with the A3 Pacific. "I just don't share my problems often, you know that-"
Scotsman was hearing none of it however, instead he looked distraught.
"First Tornado, now this!"
"Scotsman please! This isn't your fault!"
"I'm just a terrible excuse of a partner-"
"This isn't about you!" Truro suddenly shouted at Scotsman, snapping him out of his fretting.
Scotsman glanced at Truro who was looking annoyed with him.
"Please Scotsman, these problems, they relate to things I cannot divulge to you. My leadership problems have been happening long before I even entered a relationship with you," Truro explained. "So please, don't take this burden on to yourself. This is not your fault and there is nothing you could do to fix it."
Scotsman just stared at the ground before he took a deep breath.
"I… I apologise," Scotsman mumbled although Truro could hear in his voice that he didn't fully mean it. "I've not had the most pleasant day."
Truro gazed at Scotsman sadly. He could tell, the second Scotsman had backed into the sheds, that something was bothering the big engine.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Truro asked and to his complete surprise, Scotsman threw Truro and nasty look.
"I'd rather not burden you with LNER problems," he said with a snarky tone before rolling back into his berth without another word and closing his eyes to sleep.
City of Truro stood in his berth silently contemplating their argument. He wasn't sure if he was in the wrong or the right for this one.
Regardless, maybe he should hold off on asking Scotsman about marriage until much later, he thought.
After a few minutes, Scotsman began to softly snore, leaving Truro to quietly stare up at the roof, watching the rain slowly die down as the thunderstorm began to weaken and fade.
The Bluebell Railway was awash with people and engines as they awaited some special visitors. Stepney, Captain Baxter and Fenchurch were all gathered in a little group off to the side while the two A4s and the 5MT were sitting at the platforms.
"This is all very last minute," the 5MT, 'Camelot' commented as she looked around confused. She looked at Stepney as if he had any idea what was going on. "Do you know who's coming down Stepney?"
"No clue," the little tank engine answered, though he had a secret hope that it was Thomas accepting his invitation to come to the Bluebell.
Union just humphed, irritated.
"What a load of nonsense," she sneered. "I doubt that these engines are worth all this pomp and circumstance."
"You're just jealous that it's not for you," Spencer ventured and his sister glared at him.
"I am not jealous!" Union seethed. "One would think that they would be more welcoming to a sibling of Mallard!"
Spencer just rolled his eyes. Always with the excuse that Mallard was her brother and so she should deserve to be treated like a princess. Spencer himself could be pompous but even he knew not to push his status of being Mallard's brother or the personal engine of the Boxford family that hard.
Though, it was mainly due to the act that Gordon and the Sudrian engines would see fit to put him in his place if he did.
Deciding not to argue with his sister he allowed her to sit and stew while he gave the little engines a nervous smile. Stepney, Fenchurch and Baxter did not look pleased. Camelot herself looked ready to fight Union.
Thankfully, however, a strange haunting whistle blasted down the track. Spencer frowned and the other engines looked equally confused. They'd never heard an engine's whistle sound quite like that.
The crowd gathered around the stations began to babble and murmur in excitement as a large vibrant green engine came thundering down the line. The engines stared in shock, even some of the humans on the platforms seemed confused as the large green engine slowly pulled into the station.
"G'day! G'day! Please, there's more than enough of me to go around!" The large green engine laughed as she slowed to a halt beside the other engines.
"Hello!" Came the equally cheery voice of the blue tank engine on the flat bed and Stepney lit up at the sight of him.
"Thomas! You came!" The little terrier squealed in delight. "With strange friends!"
"Yes, I did!" Thomas beamed at the little Orche engine. "This is my friend Grey."
"Hullo!" Grey grinned.
"And this is her friend, Gold!"
Gold said nothing, only giving the engine's present a slight smile in acknowledgment.
Camelot frowned as she scrutinized the strange engines before her.
"Forgive me for being rude," She apologised hesitantly. "But you both don't look anything like engines built here."
"Well of course not!" Grey answered her voice full of humour. "We're Australian! And before anyone mentions it and makes Gold mad, yes they look American but I assure you all that they were built in Australia."
"Wow! Australia?" Captain Baxter squeaked, impressed. "That's so far away! What are you doing here so far from home?"
"Came to wish a silly old sausage a happy birthday!" Grey laughed. "But I hear he's in Scotland. Which, should've known really considering the name."
"It's a pleasure to meet an Australian Engine," Spencer greeted Grey in his upper-class voice which only elicited a snort of laughter from the big Green Australian Pacific.
"Ah, you must be one of them fancy A4s everyone always talks about huh?" Grey smirked at him and Spencer was taken aback by the Australian Engine's brashness. "Bet if you got some of that Gold Dust you'd be drinking high tea with them royals with your pinky out huh?"
Camelot burst out laughing while Spencer turned red with embarrassment.
"I uh," the silver streak had no idea how to respond to the Australia engine's bizarre way of talking.
Unfortunately, Union did.
"How dare you speak to us like that you bulky, green ugly thing!" Union shrieked and Camelot immediately stopped laughing and the little engines all looked to the snooty A4 nervously.
Grey just looked at her quizzically before smiling at her.
"Aw sweetie, it's okay, I'm sure you'll get your attention back once me and Gold 'ere leave," Grey teased and Union just glared at her before turning her attention to Gold.
"You look hideous in that absurd green! And that diesel looks ugly, it looks like one of those ugly bulky American things," she sneered and Gold became furious. They went to detach from the train and rush the sneering A4 but they stopped when he saw Grey suddenly lurch forward and get in Union's face.
The A4 was shocked, no one had gotten up in her face before, not even when she was being particularly antagonistic. Grey pressed against Union's buffers hard, Union was shocked at just how strong the Australian engine was.
"Listen here you stuck up kitchen appliance!" Grey snarled in Union's face, the A4 looking terrified. She looked to Spencer who was watching surprised but also amused, much to Union's chagrin. "You insult my friend again and I'll make short work of ya, you hear?! You'll be a fancy car ornament to some fancy lord by the time I'm done with you!"
Grey proceeded to shunt Union hard, sending her down the line, the A4 not saying a word from shock. Never had another engine dared shunt her in such a way. It was uncouth, it was disrespectful.
"How dare you touch me you filthy foreign engine!" Union finally shrieked at Grey but the Australian Pacific did not budge an inch.
"I heard that the A4s were Gresley's pride and joy!" Grey declared. "Imagine my surprise when I finally meet one and she's nothing but a rude and engine who feels it decent to insult visitors to her country! I am most disappointed and I'm sure my friends in Australia will be too! This is what the famous Mallard's siblings are like? I am disappointed!"
Union's eyes widened in horror as she realised what the bright green engine was implying. If she was to go back and tell all her friends in Australia that Union was a horrible engine, she would never live it down. She went to plead with the foreign engine but Spencer had quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Forgive my sister, she's just shaken by your arrival," Spencer put forward with a glare at Union. "She's not usually so rude or uncouth."
There was a snort of laughter from the tank engines gathered but it was ignored.
Grey eyed the A4s sternly before flashing them a brilliant smile. Gold however still looked furious and continued to glare at Union.
"No worries mate, just watch yerself ay?" Grey grinned at Union and the A4 just stared at her disgruntled.
"I'm sure she will," Spencer retorted smoothly with a pointed glare at Union. "Lest she displeases the other A4s for making them look like fools."
Union said nothing, only staring straight ahead and avoiding the conversation.
"Grand!" Grey relaxed and seemed pleased. She moved away from the large A4 and returned to greeting the other engines, the little tank engines gathered around her, Thomas and Gold and began peppering them with questions.
Spencer rounded on Union who was glaring at the foreign engines.
"You best shape up and quit having that attitude before you embarrass us on an international level, Chantelle," he sternly advised his sister. "Or you'll end up as a museum exhibit if Sir Nigel sees fit."
Union just snorted distaste and hissed steam at Spencer before promptly retreating and disappearing elsewhere in the railway.
Spencer just watched her go with a tired look.
It was going to be a long gala.
"You look, worried friend!" Came the voice of the A2 Peppercorn as Saint Mungo sat in a yard behind the sheds of York. Mungo's look of worry faded as he saw the other Peppercorn, surprised to see him in England.
Blue Peter and many of his siblings had been moved to Aberdeen to pick up the mess that Thompson's P2 redesigns had left behind. Blue Peter seemed to resent this posting and took whatever chance he could to return to England.
The A2 Peppercorn sidled up next to Saint Mungo a proud look on his face.
"Proud of something are we my young friend?" Saint Mungo teased and Blue Peter looked offended.
"Young friend? I'm a year older than you!" Blue Peter huffed importantly but Saint Mungo just chuckled.
"That might be true but my soul is older and wiser than yours Peter," he exclaimed dramatically and Blue Peter just snorted and rolled his eyes at his cousin to which he was promptly admonished. "Don't be so juvenile Peter, a Gresley catches you doing that to them and they'll have your tender."
"Then I should consider myself lucky that my best friend is not one of those overrated kettles then yes?" Blue Peter teased and Saint Mungo gave a hearty laugh.
"You never know I could do!" Mungo chuckled but Blue Peter wasn't buying it at all. "If I gave it some welly, I'm sure I could a right ass!"
Both engines burst out laughing.
"You're too jovial and warm-hearted to ever be like those upper-class twits," Peter insisted and Mungo looked touched.
"I'm flattered old friend, truly, I am," Saint Mungo beamed warmly at him.
"What were you-" Peter began to say but he was quickly cut off by the shout of one of the previously spoken of Gresley's, a very angry-looking A3 with a snooty-looking face. Her name was Tranquil but she was anything but what her name implied.
"What are you useless, ugly engines doing just standing around doing nothing?!" She shrieked in a horrid high-pitched voice that made Blue Peter wince. "You! Aren't you supposed to be in Scotland? Get out of here!"
Blue Peter glared at the infuriating A3 and hissed steam in anger.
"I'm down for a tune-up at Donnie, you can clear off daft cow!" He snapped at her.
"Daft cow? Daft cow!" She shrieked, absolutely affronted by Blue Peter's tact. "How dare you talk to me, me! A Gresley, like that!"
"With all due respect, Tranquil, you did come into a restricted yard and proceed to scream at us like a banshee," Saint Mungo pointed out. "We are entitled to some privacy when our crews are on break."
Tranquil just humphed and stared at them snootily.
"You Peppercorn's are nothing but trouble!" She disparaged them. "You're just as ugly as those Thompson engines and twice as useless! I would rather have Thompson's here than you lot!"
"Careful now," Saint Mungo warned, holding back his offence. "Flying Scotsman or Sir Nigel hears you saying that and they'll pull you off the mainline."
"Flying Scotsman is a designer's pet!" She screeched. "He's in league with the board of directors!"
"I mean, that's literally his job. He's a go-between for the engines and the railway for his sector," Blue Peter pointed out dryly and the A3 glared at him. "Go and take your face for a shit, you useless waste of coal!"
"Shut up you dirty thing!" she shrieked. "How dare you speak to me like that! I'll have the Foreman take your tender for this-"
"Tranquil!" A loud voice shouted and the engines turned their attention to find a large green A4 coming towards them imposingly, the nameplate "Guillemot" affixed to the side of their smokebox.
"Gilly! These classless Peppercorns are disrespecting me! Please be a dear and get the yard manager!" Tranquil ordered the A4 but they were having none of it.
"I will do no such thing," Guillemot huffed angrily, their expression less than pleased. "You've been told off for harassing Peppercorn's in the past Tranquil. Peppercorn's are not Thompson engines. Now clear off and get back to work!"
Tranquil looked absolutely beside herself with rage and went to challenge the A4 but Guillemot was having none of it.
"Don't try it," they seethed. "If you do I'll send you to Doncaster with your tender in your boiler!"
Blue Peter and Saint Mungo watched as Tranquil was quickly sent on her way, still miffed about them but frightened by the threat of Guillemot actually going through with it.
Not that they would. Guillemot was a reasonable and sensible engine. Didn't mind doing grimy goods work, a nice change for their usually pompous class.
Guillemot acknowledged the two Peppercorns with a blast of their whistle before going on their way. As they did they made sure to blast steam at the B1, Mayflower who had sat at the far end of the yard watching the interaction just glad that Tranquil hadn't rounded on her as usual.
Mayflower gave a startled yelp and looked agitated and upset but the Peppercorn's ignored her presence.
"What a charming lady," Blue Peter sarcastically exclaimed and Saint Mungo just gave a soft tut.
"A trouble maker that one," he muttered. "Always picking fights and causing drama. But not to worry, her words are always full of smoke, there's no fire in them."
Blue Peter just frowned.
"Never liked those Gresley's," he sneered but Saint Mungo just gave a thoughtful sigh. "Just a nasty bunch of overrated engines! We can do their job just as well as them!"
"Most of them are not too bad," Saint Mungo argued. "A dear friend of mine is an A3 named Merry. She likes to socialise with us poor lowly Peppercorn's. A couple of them do actually. Gilly sometimes joins us as well. Bit of a lonesome traveller that one."
Blue Peter didn't look convinced.
"I'll believe it when I see it," he declared with a sceptical eye.
"If you say so Peter," Saint Mungo chuckled. "Regardless of that little tiff, it's superb seeing you back here, if only for a little while."
A small genuine smile appeared on Blue Peter's smokebox.
"It really is Mungo," Blue Peter added. "I've missed you lot too much. Pass my regards onto the others won't you?"
"Of course, old chap," Saint Mungo exclaimed brightly…/i
"That's all my personal experiences with Blue Peter, I'm sorry," Mayflower apologised to Tornado. Tornado looked disappointed. She had been hoping for a little bit more than just a fleeting observation.
"Are you sure?" Tornado asked and Mayflower looked saddened.
"Blue Peter and his siblings worked up in Scotland for the most part," she explained. "We very rarely ever saw them. I was super lucky to even see an A1 and an A2 Peppercorn together!"
Tornado looked downtrodden. She had hoped to find a little bit more about Blue Peter but it seemed she only found out that the A3 Pacific's could be real bullies.
"Are all A3s just arseholes?" Tornado demanded of Mayflower who was staring at the sleeping P2 Mikado before them, Charlie had fallen asleep long before the night and its storm had come into Darlington.
"No, of course not Tornado," Mayflower assured the saddened Peppercorn. "They were stuck up, yes, but most of them were lovely engines. Reasonable and very polite. Tranquil was just a horrible engine to everyone."
The weight of Mayflower's words hung in the air for a bit then she seemed to cast her eyes down and shifted on her frames uncomfortably.
"I overreacted at Scotsman," Tornado admitted. "I- I was in pain, I wasn't thinking straight. I hope he's not mad!"
"It's okay Tornado," Chloe piped up from in front of Tornado, the young woman checking over her front end and was now fiddling with her brake pipe. "Flying Scotsman won't hold it against you personally. He understands."
"I hope so," Tornado glumly rumbled. She looked down at Chloe who was quietly fiddling with her pipe. She didn't seem to be paying attention to it though, she seemed only to be nervously fiddling with it, her thoughts elsewhere.
"My brake pipe is fine, Ms Chloe," Tornado told her and Chloe blushed a deep red and quickly let go of it.
"Of course Ms Tornado, I apologise," Chloe stammered. She avoided looking up at the big engine's face and simply stood, staring at the ground.
"Why did you leave, Ms Chloe?" Tornado asked quietly. "I missed you, you were my favourite engineer. It's like you knew every single part of my engine better than anyone else."
Chloe shook her head and sighed.
"I moved to Dorset to be with people like me," she mumbled quietly but Tornado didn't believe it for a second. She knew Chloe and she knew when she was lying to her, even after all these years.
"Why are you lying to me, Chloe?" Tornado fretted annoyed.
"Just tell her would ya?" The loud shout of a Scottish man suddenly interjected.
Chloe looked up at stared terrified at Rooster who had been watching the exchange from Charlie's side.
"This isn't the right time, Roo," Chloe mumbled frightened but she was ignored by the larger man.
"You're a smart girl right?" Rooster stalked forward addressing Tornado. "I'm sure you're aware of all the stuff with gold dust and souls and human engines?"
Tornado narrowed her eyes and watched Rooster carefully, having an idea of what was going on but didn't want to make assumptions.
"Yes?" She agreed with Rooster hesitantly.
Rooster pointed to himself.
"I'm Cock 'O the North, but people call me Rooster, nice to meet yer young lass," Rooster introduced himself and Tornado couldn't help but smile at the charisma that Rooster had.
"Scotsman's told me about you, he said you and you siblings were the strongest engines in the UK," Tornado recounted and Rooster gave a hearty laugh.
"That we were… are," Rooster exclaimed proudly with a glance at Charlie sleeping. "But more to the point, Chloe here is also an engine's soul that was preserved in a human form."
Tornado realised what Rooster was saying and turned to look at Chloe who was avoiding her gaze, looking anywhere but Tornado while Mayflower just looked completely lost and confused.
It now made sense why Chloe seemed to know every single inch of her engine and how to fix it. How she seemed to know exactly where to comfort Tornado or help her with even the slightest nicks or aches. Tornado frowned.
"Which Peppercorn are you Chloe?" Tornado asked pointedly and Chloe seemed to drop her shoulders, realising the jig was up.
"I'm sorry Tornado I-" Chloe began to apologise in a husky voice but Tornado was having none of it.
"Which one?!" Tornado demanded angrily.
"A1 Peppercorn, Kestrel," Chloe stated quietly.
Tornado said nothing, she just stared at Chloe unsure how to feel or what to say. On the one hand she was angry that Chloe had lied to her all this time. On the other, she wanted to throw every single question she could at the young lady.
"I'll leave and give you space," Chloe said softly and went to leave but Tornado quickly called to her.
"Wait! Stay… please?" She begged and Chloe gave her a small smile and nodded to her.
"Of course Tornado."
Tranquil is named Tranquil: Proceeds to be the biggest Karen in the entire world because the author thinks the irony is hilarious.
Gilly is cool though. They might appear later idk. I don't really have a chill A4 come to think of it.
Sorry for the wait, I got Covid, am studying and have other things that need my attention. I'm all better now, hopefully I can get these out more regularly. 3