THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY SERIES No. 11

NIA THE SUDRIAN ENGINE

Based upon the episodes by Camille Ucan and Rose Johnson and Davey Moore

Adapted by Zack Wanzer, James Riddle and Rachel Ravens

Foreword

Hello again, friends!

Things had been a bit uneventful for me since Christmas last year, but since Addison Darnell's invasion, Emily and I have had quite a few adventures together; she's practically a sister to me by now! But it wasn't just us who've had fun these past few months. Mavis, Rosie and Rebecca all got their moments in the spotlight alongside us. Why don't you read these stories and see for yourself?

Nia

EMILY AND NIA, BEST FRIENDS?

Based upon "Emily's Best Friend" by Camille Ucan and Rose Johnson

Ever since she'd been saved from uncertain doom on her old railway, Nia had proved herself to be a valuable asset on the Ffarquhar branch line. Whether it be passengers or goods trains, she'll do her work without fuss, and is very thankful for her place on Sodor.

One afternoon, Nia was resting between jobs at Elsbridge when she saw Emily pull in with a passenger train.

"Good afternoon, Emily," Nia greeted. "How are your wheels? How is your boiler? How are your pistons? Have the tracks been taking you where to go, and are your fellow engines keeping you well?"

Emily chuckled in bemusement. "Well, my drive wheels are as big as they were when I was first built; my boiler's still bubbling with pride; the tracks lead me to wherever I need to go; and my fellow engines have indeed been keeping me well."

"Has there been any news from the main line?" Nia asked. "How's Molly been doing since James left for his India trip?"

"She's been feeling a bit lonely without James' presence," explained Emily, "but he'll be back sooner than she believes."

"It's still amazing Molly was able to find love in someone as vain as James," said Nia. "I guess some opposites attract."

"Kind of like how Rebecca bonds so well with Gordon?" Emily teased.

"Oh, yes," said Nia. "Gordon feels like a completely different engine when they're together."

"It's rather cute when you think about it," Emily giggled. "It's just a matter of when and how they admit to it. Speaking of which… how's your own crush?"

Nia blushed with embarrassment. "Er… I don't know what you mean."

"Sure you don't," Emily chuckled. "Especially about a certain green tender engine who loves nature…"

Nia realized she couldn't hide it anymore, and gave in.

"Alright, I admit it," she sighed. "I… have feelings for Henry. I just… I don't know how to express myself to him."

While the two engines chatted, Martha, Julian and Gladys had a conversation of their own.

"Have you noticed how well those two seem to get along?" asked Martha.

"Yes, it's like they've known each other for a very long time," remarked Julian.

"It's simply heartwarming how quickly such bonds can be formed," Gladys stated warmly. Nia and Emily couldn't help but hear the coaches talking.

"Have we really bonded so closely?" Nia pondered.

"I'm not sure," said Emily. "I mean, what do we really have in common that brings us that close?"

But before either of them could say any more, Emily heard her guard's whistle sound.

"Whoops, I must be going," she said. "So sorry, Nia. Perhaps we can talk again later."

"Okay, Emily," said Nia. "See you later." With that, the Stirling single puffed away with her passengers.

Later that day, Nia had brought a load of empty trucks up to Anopha Quarry. Mavis and Scarlett were busily arranging some loaded ones into their sidings.

"Hello, friend Nia!" Scarlett cheerfully greeted.

"How are you doing, Nia?" asked Mavis.

"Oh, I'm doing alright," said Nia. "How have you two been getting along since Scarlett came to

help?"

"Oh, things have been great so far," Mavis smiled. "Scarlett's good company to have up here while the others are busy on the Ffarquhar branch."

"Quarry very fun!" smiled Scarlett. As she was shunting trucks to the hopper, Nia heard the familiar clicking sound of the points.

"Scarlett!" she cried. "You're about to hit Mavis with the trucks!"

"Yipe!" Scarlett quickly slammed on her brakes. Mavis had backed out of the way just in time, and sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Nia," she breathed.

"Sorry, Mavis," cried Scarlett. "Scarlett sure she was heading toward hopper! How'd that happen?"

"Some practical jokers must be out trying to cause trouble," said her driver. "We'll make sure to inform Mr. Croarie to install security cameras."

"Some joke," muttered Nia. "Are you two alright?"

"We are now, thanks to you," said Mavis. "You've got a keen eye there, Nia."

"Asante, Mavis," she smiled. "Now, I'd better get this lot down to the harbor. Kwaheri."

"Er… key hike to Nia too?" Scarlett said, confused. Mavis chuckled, hoping to ask Nia for more Swahili lessons later.

Meanwhile, Emily had just arrived at Vicarstown station with her passenger train. Rosie was arranging a goods train on another platform.

"Hello, Emily," Rosie greeted. "How's your day going?"

"Oh, so far, so good," said Emily. "So what's new with you?"

"Oh, not much," said Rosie. "I'm arranging this goods train for Stanley to collect. After work, we're planning to meet up for a romantic view of the seaside."

"Really?" asked Emily, a bit surprised. "I've never known Stanley to be that type of engine before."

"People and engines can be full of surprises," explained Rosie, "especially when you take the time to get to know them. Take me, for example; as a tomboy, many would never imagine that I'd ever be painted lavender in the past, and that I'd prefer a tougher color like dark green."

At that moment, a familiar whistle sounded as Stanley puffed into the station.

"Afternoon, Rose," the silver tank engine greeted, playfully winking at his girlfriend.

"Hello there, Stan," giggled Rosie. "Looking forward to later today?"

"I always look forward to spending time with my favorite girl," Stanley smiled.

Emily couldn't help but smile. Even though Rosie and Stanley's personalities were as different as night was from day, they still seemed to come together so perfectly as a couple. As the guard's whistle blew, the emerald engine was just about to leave when she noticed one of the trucks behind Rosie run loose.

"Rosie!" she cried. "That truck is heading for those coaches!"

"Bust my buffers!" she exclaimed. Rosie stopped, and Stanley quickly moved the coaches out of the way. The truck rolled harmlessly forward and came to a stop in the middle of the yard.

"That was close," Stanley sighed with relief. "Thanks for the warning, Emily."

"Glad there was no harm done," she sighed. "It just wouldn't do, having damaged coaching stock."

"We must have forgotten to check that coupling," Rosie groaned, going back for the truck. Emily whistled goodbye to her friends and puffed away, assuming it was a minor mishap.

Back on the Ffarquhar branch line, Thomas was up the line taking some trucks to Dryaw station.

"I sure hope James is having fun in India," he said to himself.

"You did a great thing, Thomas," smiled his driver. "Sharing that gift with your friends and letting them travel around the world."

"Heh, thank you, driver," he replied. "I wonder who will go traveling next?"

While Thomas and his crew were busy talking, none of them realized they were heading for trouble. A signalbox loomed ahead, and the signalman was keeping an eye on the line. Little did he realize someone was sneaking up behind him with a wooden club…

At first, the signal showed red, but then suddenly, as Thomas drew closer, it changed to show green.

"That's nice, we don't have to stop," said Thomas. He coasted along, but then…

"Thomas?!"

"Toby, Henrietta, Hannah and Elsie?!" Thomas slammed his brakes on. "What in the Great Railway–"

Then everything seemed to happen at once! One moment, Thomas was on the rails, and the next, he'd hit the points set against him and traveled a short distance before coming to a stop, the trucks piling up behind him, blocking the points.

"Great Railway above, Thomas!" cried Toby. "What happened?!"

"I don't know!" Thomas answered, surprised at this turn of events. "I swear the signal was green!"

"It can't be," said Henrietta. "The signal changed to red after we'd cleared it!"

Toby's driver got out of his cab to take a look. When he returned, his expression was pale. "You're right, Thomas. It is green!"

"We're going to report that careless signalman once we get back," said Thomas' driver. "Right now, we have to telephone for help."

He walked over to the signalbox, and when he went inside, he was surprised at what he was seeing. I'll spare you the details on what happened, but it was unquestionably worth ringing Barbara Regaby about.

It wasn't long before Judy and Jerome were brought to the scene of the accident by Nia and Emily, and Barbara Regaby was onboard as well.

"Tommy!" cried Emily. "Oh, are you alright?"

"Well… I'm thankful that I did not have Annie, Belinda and Clarabel with me, and Toby and his coaches were unhurt," he sighed. "Who in their right mind would meddle with a signal like that?!"

"Well, the signalman told me that the last thing he remembered," Barbara reported, "was that he felt something club him on the back of his head, and when he came to, he was tied up in his chair, and–"

"Pardon me, Constable Regaby," Nia interjected, "Scarlett nearly crashed into Mavis at the quarry due to a point 'failure'. But… now I'm starting to think it wasn't a failure…"

"And Rosie nearly had one of her trucks run into some coaches at Vicarstown," said Emily. "I don't think that was an isolated incident either, ma'am."

"Thank you for telling me, you two," commented Barbara. "I'll be sure to inform the rest of the squad to increase security around the island. This phantom saboteur, whoever they are, shall not get away with this!"

While Barbara Regaby went off to investigate things further, Emily and Nia brought Thomas to Crovan's Gate Works.

"Don't worry, Thomas," said Nia. "You'll be back on your wheels in no time."

"I know, but that's not my biggest concern," he sighed. "There's something much bigger afoot. You don't think this is Addison and her fleet enacting revenge on Sodor, do you?"

"Ooh…" winced Emily. "She could be. But… she's not turned on steam engines before."

"There's a first time for everything, Emily," said Nia. "Maybe all of us rallying together to save the diesels and electric engines finally pushed her over the edge…"

"…if she wasn't already," Emily trailed.

"And she used to be such a sweet kid too," added Thomas. "But now, I wonder if she ever truly cared for Annabelle like Annabelle did for her…"

"I wonder that too," Emily sighed. "But… I do know one thing, Thomas; I care for you very much. You helped me through my darkest hour, and I know we are going to pull through whatever this saboteur is doing to our railway."

"Same here, Thomas," Nia added. "If not for you, I'd have been scrapped long ago. We won't let those people harm our home, or our friends."

"Thanks, you two," said Thomas. "Oh, and Nia, do you mind looking after–"

"Oh!" Both Emily and Nia beamed at each other. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"That's another thing we have in common, Emily!" cried Nia. "Thomas helped both of us in our darkest hours."

"He's such a sweet engine too," Emily giggled. "Thanks, Tommy. Hope you feel better soon."

"Er… you're welcome, Em." Thomas blinked in confusion. "Er… Nia, about Annie, Belinda and Clarabel…"

"Of course I will look after them, Thomas," she replied. "Don't you worry about your branch line. Percy, Toby, Mavis and Scarlett will pitch in too, of course."

"Thanks, Nia."

On that note, Emily and Nia became closer than ever before. They don't get to spend as much time together as they hope to, for they work on different lines. However, they can talk long hours in the shed at night, which can keep some of the others up.

Author's Comments

We're now onto the home stretch for Season 2 of The International Railway Series, and these final four stories make up Nia the Sudrian Engine! Our first episode for adaptation, Emily's Best Friend, is rather underwhelming and feels like it was written solely to give Emily a lead role after not giving her one in Series 22. Not to mention how random it feels to put engines in pairs; Donald and Douglas make sense because they're brothers, but everyone else? So yeah, this rewrite is practically as far away from the original as you can get, and it focuses more on Emily and Nia wondering if they have anything in common to justify being friends. We were practically stuck on where to take it before Rachel suggested using the crash from The Other Side of the Mountain to add a bit of tension regarding a phantom saboteur. This ain't the last we'll be seeing of them, of course.

Next time, there's trouble afoot at Barrow with Nia, Rosie and the Elephant!