Well, five months after the previous chapter was posted, the 20th episode of Season 2 is ready for you to read. Work has kept me busy, and to add on top of that, in April 2021, I got started renovating my museum and train room. Finally though, this story is complete. Special thanks go out to Scrubb1910 for an idea towards the end of this story, which will lead to future installments in this series, going from the rest of Season 2 and moving on to Season 3.
Sodor High School: Thomas & Friends Tales
Written by: ThomasZoey3000
Episode 46: Percy to the Rescue
Based on "Tale of the Brave The Movie" by Andrew Brenner
It was business as usual at Brendam. Gator was helping out with loading cargo onto a ship when Cranky suddenly called down; "we got two bicycles coming into the docks, and coming in fast. They shouldn't be here!"
Gator looked to the direction Cranky was looking and sure enough, he could see the two bicycles riding in. One was being peddled by a red head he had never met, but the second bike belonged to his new friend; "Percy?" he cried.
Both boys were racing through the docks, passing many surprised workers. Gator got into his lorry and sped after them. He suddenly pulled out in front of Percy, blocking him while the red head continued on to the clay pits.
"Oh come on! Why is the universe against me today?" Percy grumbled.
Gator stepped out of his lorry and walked over to Percy, "what are you doing Percy? If you go down to the pits, you could get yourself hurt, or worse. The walls are still unstable."
"I have something to prove, and I'm not going to stop for anything."
Percy tried to get away, but Gator wrapped his arms around the young boy and held him back. Percy fought hard, but Gator proved to be too strong. Soon, he gave up, just as Thomas and Emily arrived, along with Sir Topham Hatt and Mister Percival.
"Well at least that's one of the boys," sighed Mister Percival, "but the other one."
"Sorry, I couldn't get to him in time," apologized Gator. He turned to Percy, "now, would you mind explaining to me what's going on here?"
"I like to know the answer to that question too," added Sir Topham Hatt. "For all I know, you punched James for a trick he played on you, and you ran out of the school."
With no more fight in him, Percy broke down and admitted everything, how he was going to prove he was braver than James, and the reason he punched him in the first place. Sir Topham Hatt stared at Percy firmly, and was going to speak, but Gator spoke first.
"Being brave is good Percy, but going into a dangerous place to look for something just to prove a point, that's not being brave, that's being dangerously reckless."
Percy said nothing as tears dropped from his eyes. Gator wrapped his arms around the young lad, but this time in a hug.
"I know it's hard dealing with people like him, and you wish it could stop," Gator continued. "But the sad truth is, those people won't stop, they'll just keep going."
"But why?"
"Could be for a whole host of reasons, but mostly it's due to their egos. But listen Percy, the best way of dealing with them is not proving you're better than they are, but to just let them be, and go to the ones that truly do love you, like your friends and family." Percy looked back to Thomas, Emily, Mister Percival and Sir Topham Hatt, who all showed caring smiles to him. "Karma will come around to teach him a lesson, so there's no need for you to do that. Does that make sense?"
Percy nodded, but couldn't speak as more tears fell down his face.
Cranky climbed down from his crane and walked over to the group, "as nice as this scene is, we do have one major problem. Your red-headed friend flew by here and is still making his way to the pits."
"And with how fast he's going, we'll never never catch up to him in time," added Emily.
Up to that point, Percy hated James. He hated him for the tricks he played, hated him for the insults thrown his way and hated how he seemed to never learn from his mistakes. But it was at that moment his hatred disappeard as he stood up, taking charge of the situation, "we can still catch him, we just need to leave now. Gator, you with us?"
Gator nodded and ran over to his lorry. He turned the ignition on and waved over to Percy. The young boy climbed in as the lorry started rolling, and together, they took off for the pits. Everyone else climbed into Sir Topham Hatt's car and followed.
"Arr, what's going on out here?" Cranky heard Salty call as he came out of the nearby warehouse.
"I'll explain later, but right now, you need to call the police and ambulance, they're going to be needed."
At the pits, James peddled his bike down clear paths. He looked all around, "no monsters, no footprints. Doesn't matter, with this trip under my belt, I'll prove to be the bravest boy on the entire island. They'll never mock me again, but Percy, they will. I'll make sure they know how scared he was."
Being oblivious as he was, he didn't notice some small rocks falling down from the cliff-face. Light rain had fallen the night before, and while it wasn't as bad as the day of the rockslide, it was still enough to make the ground mushy. But James continued on, determined to be the best.
Outside the pits, Miss Marion was surprised to see Gator's lorry and Sir Topham Hatt's car pull up.
"What's all this?" she asked. "The pits are not a safe place to be right now."
"We know that Miss Marion," said Emily. "But a friend of ours named James came down here looking for a monster." Marion raised an eyebrow at this statement. "I saw footprints the day of the rockslide, and Percy thought that it could belong to a monster, and now James wants to prove he's the bravest by finding it."
Miss Marion blinked a few times, "I'm sorry, what?!"
James chuckled to himself, "Emily was seeing things, she's just as silly as..." some rocks fell in front of him, forcing him to look up, "Percy...is."
Something was poking out from the rockwalls, and from James' point of view, it looked like...
"A MONSTER!" James yelled and turned back the other way.
Everyone heard James' shouts, followed by a rumbling sound. The rockwalls were so weak that James' shouts forced another rockslide.
"James!" cried Emily and started running towards the shouts, but she found herself being stopped by Thomas.
"Emily, it's too dangerous, we could get trapped. We can only hope James can get out of there in time."
But based on the rumbling sounds, Percy could tell James wasn't going to make it. He started looking around for something that could help, and that's when he saw Miss Marion's railway steam shovel.
"I must be brave," he said to himself.
He ran to the machine, and climbed into the cab. He pushed one throttle in and the machine roared into life, surprising everyone in the process.
"What in the world is that boy doing?" cried Gator. He waved for Percy to stop, but he didn't.
He was too busy figuring out how the controls worked. Finally, he figured out how the bucket worked, and pouring on the speed, he charged for the enterance way. Gator was going to follow in his lorry, but found the path being blocked off by rocks falling behind Percy and the steam shovel.
Percy chuffed ahead until he found James. The foolish red head had gotten his bike stuck, and forgetting the danger, Percy assumed, he was trying to get it free. Operating the bucket, he reached down for James and lifted him up into the air.
"Huh? What the? Percy? What are you doing?"
"Saving your sorry butt you son of a..." But Percy was cut off as more rumbling could be heard. He and James looked back to see rocks falling at a faster rate. "We'll continue this later, right now, let's get out of here!"
"Fine with me! Go! Go! Go!"
Percy pushed the regulator open and the steam shovel charged ahead, rocks buring the land behind them. It was gaining on them quickly, too quickly as James looked back.
"They're almost at the back wall, maybe more speed is in order!"
"I'm just one James, so shut up!"
Percy shovelled more coal into the firebox, and increased the speed.
"Faster still Percy! Come on slowpoke!"
"Sure thing Mr Stupid head, now shut it!"
But even Percy's best efforts weren't enough. It would only be mere seconds before the rockslide swallowed them whole. They would both be buried alive if something wasn't done. Then Percy saw it, a rockledge stable enough. He grabbed hold of the bucket controls and moved it away from the ledge.
"When you get your chance, jump James!"
"I'm sorry, what did you..."
"See you on the other side James!" He moved the levers again, swinging the bucket up and to the right. Reacting to this, James jumped out and flew onto the ledge where he got up and ran to safety. Percy sighed, but gulped as he heard rocks pounding on the back roof.
"So, this is what it's like to be brave," he thought to himself. "I understand it now. I really do. Thank you Gator."
A small tear dripped down from his right eye as his hands moved away from the controls and towards the ledge of the control panel. He smiled a great big smile and sighed happily. Rocks consumed the entire steam shovel, buring it completely.
It was five minutes before the worse of the slide was done. James looked down, but couldn't see Percy.
"Oh no, what have I done?" James gulped.
"You've been a stupid idiot!" snapped a voice. James looked behind him, only to find himself being punched by Emily as she ran past and towards the massive pile of rocks. She was soon joined by Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt and Gator.
Mister Percival stayed to keep James back, "you're in a lot of trouble young man."
"Not as much as Percy is." This time, he wasn't boasting, he was now deeply concerned for the green haired boy.
Miss Marion soon arrived with another shovel, a diesel powered one and with it, and some workers, they started to dig away the rocks. Wilbert looked up to the sky, "dear Lord, please let this boy be okay."
"We can only hope Wilbert," said Ted.
Emily had tears pouring down from her eyes as she and Thomas pulled rocks away by hand.
"Come on Percy, please be okay. Please be okay! PERCY!" she shouted.
Thomas covered her mouth, "I know how upset you are, he's my best friend after all, but shouting will only bring down more of the pits on us. Just keep digging."
They worked as fast as they could on their own before more help arrived. Police officers and paramedics joined in on the rescue mission. They worked hard, hoping to God that Percy was alright.
At last, there came a shout, "I see him!"
It had come from Gator. He crawled into the cab and found Percy laying in the middle of rocks. He was in bad shape, but still had a smile on his face. Everyone worked hard to get him out and into an ambulance. Once they left, heading for the hospital, Thomas turned to James, "you've made some stupid mistakes in the past, but this is the worst. If I lose my best friend, rest assured James, you will know true fear."
He prepared to strike James with his fist, but stopped before hitting his face. He turned and with Emily and Gator, headed off for the hospital.
Sir Topham Hatt walked over to him next, "James, I would deal with you, but I think the police will be doing that job for me."
James gulped as the officers pulled out handcuffs.
Days passed, and as they did, the mood in Sodor High School was somber and quiet. All the students heard about Percy, and hoped for a speedy recovery, and for James, they showed nothing but anger towards him.
James' parents actually left him in jail for two days before finally bailing him out. Upon his return to school, he was left to study alone in the principal's office, far away from the other students.
Thomas and Emily came to visit Percy everyday. It was all Emily could do to not cry when she saw him all battered up, and with a mask helping him to breathe. He was stable, but the accident had left him in a coma. Thomas tried to keep a brave face and show kindness, but he could barely last ten minutes before his eyes watered up.
Gator meanwhile came to see him everyday, and would stay until visiting hours were over.
"You will get better my friend," he kept saying. "remember to be brave, and never give up."
It was a total of nine painful days since Percy went into the hospital, but it was on that ninth day that Thomas and Emily arrived at the hospital, and got a wonderful surprise.
"Did you guys bring any comics?" asked a cheerful voice. "The Telly here stinks."
"Percy?!" Thomas and Emily gasped.
Sure enough, it was Percy, wide awake and smiling. They ran into the room happily, finding Gator in there too. He just smiled, "he was awake when I came in this morning," he stated. "I've been keeping him company for you two."
Emily placed her hand on Percy's right bandaged covered hand, "how do you feel?"
"Well let's see, I survived two near death experiences in the short time span of 24 hours, and have been in a coma for eight days, so I say, I'm doing okay. Just bored."
Thomas chuckled, "now there's the Percy we know and love."
Emily pulled out her phone and pointed it at Percy, "would you like to say anything to our friends? They're going to be watching this remarkable video of you awake."
Percy smiled and waved weakily at the camera, "hi there everyone, no this is not fake footage you're watching. It's really me; Percy, and apart from having a dozen, or who knows how many rocks were falling on my head briuses, I'm perfectly fine as you can see. I'm okay everyone."
Emily stopped recording and posted the video. Moments later, there was cheering from outside. Thomas and Emily looked and saw many of their fellow students waving and cheering for their friend. Emily pulled out her phone again and filmed Percy again, "thanks everyone, I can hear your cheers, and it really helps me forget the pain. Love you all, and I can't wait to return home."
Once that video was posted, the cheering seemed to get louder.
"Maybe stop with the videos," chuckled Thomas, "or we're going to be fined for noise complaints."
Percy laughed, but then whinced in pain, "Thomas, please no jokes, it hurts when I laugh." With a little help from Gator, Percy was able to put another pillow behind him, which helped him with the pain.
"Thank you Gator, have you gotten word about the boat that was going to take you and your lorry home?"
"It came a few days ago, and it left the next day," he answered.
Percy felt guilty, "I'm sorry you missed your boat because of me."
"Don't worry about it my friend, I'll get my chance to go home soon, but for now, I would like to stay and help you out more. Who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to explore this entire island."
"It is a big Island," Thomas pointed out. "It'll take you days to see all of it. Heck, you'll be here till Christmas if you do that."
"Well then, I guess I'll be here for Christmas too."
Percy beamed, he was certainly glad his friend Gator was going to stay a little longer. He turned his attention back to Thomas and Emily, "what about James? No one's told me if he's okay."
"He got better than he deserved," Thomas grunted. "You saved him alright, and he was arrested for trespassing in a restricted zone. Currently, he's being punished in the principal's office."
Percy groaned as he lifted his right arm a bit, "it wasn't enterily his fault, I was the one who gave him the idea."
"Perhaps, but there's a big difference of telling someone about doing something, and actually going through with it. I can only imagine everyone's feelings on James right now."
Emily cut in at that moment, "we'll worry about James later, but for now, how long do you think you'll be here Percy?"
Percy shrugged, which caused a bit of pain again, "maybe two, three weeks at the most, depending on how fast I recover. Till then, I'll manage, as long as I have some comics to read."
Thomas and Emily chuckled, and gave Percy a comic, which they all read together. Gator excused himself, but promised to come back later. He smiled at the trio, "maybe I should get in contact with some of my old friends," he thought to himself and left.
It took longer than three weeks. Percy's injuries were severe, but with the help of his friends and the doctors, he was able to walk, pick things up and do anything he could do before. By the fifth week, he was finally released from the hospital, just in time for Halloween. He came walking in, dressed up like Superman.
Everyone commented on his outfit, though instead of saying rude things, they all agreed that he deserves to wear that outfit, "you're brave like Superman," they said, "jumping into danger to protect others, even if it's James."
Percy beamed, "thank you for your kind words, but I only did what anyone would do."
Bill and Ben muttered under their breath, but Edward hushed them. Perhaps it was lucky that he was the only one who heard them.
James meanwhile was at his locker, grabbing his books. He could hear the other students cheering Percy on as he walked around in his Superman suit. James wanted to dress up, but given how much trouble he was in, he thought it was best not to.
"I am so stupid," he grumbled to himself. "Percy nearly died because of me, and for what? A footprint to a mysterious creature?" He slammed his fist into the wall, not caring about the pain. "First my bike accident, now this, when will I learn my lesson?"
"When indeed?" asked a familiar voice. James groaned, he knew the voice was Gordon's.
He turned around and sure enough, there was Gordon, and he wasn't alone as Henry was with him.
"You know James, you got an ego the size of Texas," said Henry, "and that's saying alot since we've never been there before."
Gordon nodded, "we were merely going to give you a scolding for that awful trick with that 'Scrap Monster' of yours, but this really takes the cake. Do you even know how lucky you are right now? You'd be dead if not for Percy, and he's spent the last six weeks recovering in hospital because of you."
"Believe me, I know how lucky I am. I owe him greatly for everything. I need to talk with him."
But Gordon and Henry shook their heads, "go anywhere near Percy, and we're not the only ones you'll have to deal with, if you get what I'm saying," said Henry.
James gulped, he knew what Henry meant by that statement.
"It's better for you to keep that mouth of yours shut James," added Gordon. "And that goes with talking to anyone else from now on."
James was taken aback, "what do you mean by that?"
"Oh I think you know what we mean."
"We've forgiven you for alot of stupid stuff, but this is beyond anything dumb you've done in the past. There is no 'letting it slide' this time James. You'll have to pay for your actions, and you'll have to do it on your own."
"No, please don't. I'll do anything you ask me to do, I'll pay for my actions, just don't take away from my friendships."
"You should've thought of that before going to the china clay pits," growled Henry darkly. "Good bye James, and good luck on your path to redemption, alone." And with that, the two boys walked away from James.
James called out to them, but they didn't look back. They just walked on until they were out of James' sight. He fell to his knees with tears coming from his eyes. Other students passed him by, and they payed no attention to him. For the second time in his life, James felt lonely, and this time, he feared he'd never get his friends back.
Snow came a few days later, and Percy was out and about doing his usual rounds. He had a little bit of difficulty, but he promised his manager that he could work just fine, and he was. Emily and Thomas greeted him at the front door, "how are you doing today Percy?" they asked.
"Very well to be honest. Sure, my back is killing me, but I'm good."
"Glad to hear," smiled Emily. "Oh, and they found out what made those prints back in the clay pits."
"Really? What was it?"
Thomas smiled, "it was a dinosaur," he answered. "A T-Rex to be honest. They actually found it agmost the rock pile you were in, and now it's going to the museum for display."
"And they're dedicating it in your honor Percy," added Emily, "since you were the one who found it."
"Yeah, but by accident as you might say," he chuckled.
The three laughed until Percy left to continue his rounds. Emily turned to Thomas, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, there never seems to be a dull moment around here."
"No indeed," agreed Thomas. "But I do know one thing."
"What's that?"
"I'm freezing standing out here, let's go back inside and get warmed up."
And that's just what they did. They went over to the living room, and sat down in front of the fireplace. Emily once again sitting close to Thomas, and smiling.
"Let's just hope the rest of this year doesn't bring up anymore dangerous surprises," she thought to herself.
But surprises were...but I won't say another word, or I'll spoil the next set of stories for you.