HOCKINGS' LAST STAND

Based upon "Trusty Rusty" by James Mason

Adapted by Zack Wanzer and Rachel Ravens

Early one morning, Mr. Percival addressed the engines of the Skarloey Railway in the sheds.

"I've got some exciting news for you all," he announced. "I've received a phone call from Paul and Annabelle, and they'll be returning to Sodor first thing tomorrow."

"They are?!" cried Peter Sam. "Oh, sir! This is fantastic!" The other engines all whistled and tooted in acclamation.

"If that is the case," said Skarloey, "we'd better make sure the line is in good working order when they get back."

"Good point," agreed Rusty. "Fred, Flyer, let's do our rounds!"

"Right behind you!" called the inspection trolley.

"Hey, wait up you two!" Fred exclaimed. "I'm not as fast as you are!" And it was quite true – Fred's top speed was only a mere nine miles per hour.

The other engines soon departed from the sheds too as they found their own trains.

The maintenance trio rolled along the tracks; Flyer was next to Rusty while Fred trailed behind.

"First rate, Rusty," grinned Flyer. "I think the line is in tip-top shape. We're practically gliding along!"

"You can't be too careful," advised Rusty. "Especially with that recent storm we had not too long ago."

"Yeah," grunted Fred. "There's an accident waiting to happen. A flood on the track, some jammed points…"

"That's what we're here for, silly," chuckled Flyer. "To set things right before an accident can occur. And we're so good at it!"

As the group came onto the viaduct – the tracks merged to one here – Rusty felt a jolt on the track. "Flyer, Fred, stay back!" called the orange diesel.

"Huh? What's wrong, Rusty?" asked Flyer.

"There was a bump up here!" said Rusty. Mr. Hugh got out of Flyer to inspect the damage.

"There's a lot of erosion on the stones!" he exclaimed. "They're affecting the tracks!" Rusty backed up without any more prompts.

"Are you okay, Rusty?" asked Fred.

"Thankfully, yes," he panted. "But it looks like what happened to the viaduct on the North Western Railway years ago is happening here!"

"You mean… it could collapse?!" exclaimed Flyer.

"Correct, Flyer." Rusty bit his lip and winced. "We'd better report this to the rest of the engines." On that note, the maintenance trio split up to find the others.

Soon, Rusty found Duncan and Rheneas.

"Flatten my funnel!" exclaimed Rheneas. "That viaduct has held our weight for years without incident!"

"Th' lest thing we need is tae end up lik'… Proteus…" Duncan added quietly. At the mention of the railway's former number three, Rheneas' eyes grew cloudy. "Er… sorry, Rheneas."

"It's okay," Rheneas insisted. "I know exactly what you mean."

"Well, that's just great!" Sir Handel exclaimed when Fred told him and Skarloey the news. "We can't get the passengers to Lakeside now!"

"They may be able to travel there by bus." Skarloey didn't sound too happy either, but he knew better than anyone what crossing a weak bridge would do.

"I suppose so…" Sir Handel sighed.

"We'll get onto that soon, I hope," Fred said. "This will be top priority for repair for sure. That viaduct is vital!"

"Oh dear!" cried Peter Sam. "I was hoping to give Annabelle and Paul a run to the lake when they got home."

"Better safe than sorry, Stuart," Duke insisted. "It wouldn't suit His Grace if any of us were to fall off the viaduct."

"Or anyone at all, for that matter," Flyer whimpered. "I-I can't believe something like this would happen. I mean, we're not as heavy as the North Westerners."

"No, but we still weigh tons," Duke pointed out. "I'm honestly surprised the viaduct hasn't started to wither away before this. Or if it has, we just haven't noticed it."

At the end of the day, all nine engines met up at the sheds, and informed Mr. Percival.

"Goodness me!" he exclaimed. "Thank you for telling me, and thanks to Rusty, Flyer and Fred for noticing it before something serious happened. Repairs will start immediately. For now, none of you are to cross the viaduct."

"Y-you don't need to tell us twice, sir," Sir Handel stammered, and Mr. Percival left. The other engines glanced over at their number three with concern. They didn't need to ask why he was feeling that way. Losing two brothers to falling down from a high place, and almost following in their wheel turns…

"We're all here if you need us, Sir Handel," Peter Sam spoke quietly.

"Thanks…" he trailed. The engines slowly fell asleep, hoping the viaduct would be fixed soon.

The following morning, the engines waited excitedly for the arrival of Annabelle and Paul Percival. The rest of the Percival family was also at Crovan's Gate, as were more of the newly wed couple's friends and family.

"How much longer until they get here?" asked Peter Sam.

"Gee, Peter Sam," huffed Fred. "You're more excited than a child at Christmas."

Sir Handel chuckled. "Believe me, Fred, this is nothing," he said. "You should have seen Peter Sam's reaction to hearing Rusty would be out of the works after his rebuild."

The orange diesel in question blushed upon hearing that. "R-really, Peter Sam?" he asked.

"Heh, yes…" said Peter Sam, chuckling shyly. "I was happy to see you."

Just then, everyone heard a whistle, and it was Patrick Percival who called out, "Here they come!" And sure enough, Henry came pulling into the station with a single coach in tow. Two figures stepped out, thanking the big green engine for the ride.

"Annabelle, Paul!" Peter Sam called, leading the excited whistles and toots. "You're back!"

"Hello, everyone," smiled Annabelle. "It's so good to see you!"

"Peter, Penny, Patrick, Pansy!" Paul rushed over to his brothers and sisters. "I've missed you so much!"

"How was your honeymoon?" asked Pansy. "Did you get any good pictures?"

"We did, yes," said Paul. "Our holiday was fantastic."

"And how about you?" asked Annabelle to the engines. "How have you all been? Any new arrivals while we were gone?"

"No new arrivals, I'm afraid," said Skarloey. "Although quite a bit has happened while you were away." And so he and the other engines quickly filled Annabelle in from Julie and Harold's "flying horse" all the way up to yesterday's viaduct damage.

"Viaduct damage?" exclaimed Annabelle. "Oh my goodness. Rusty, are you okay?"

"I am, thankfully," said the orange diesel. "And Peter Sam was actually planning to take you and Paul down to Lakeside before this all happened."

"That's really nice of you, Peter Sam," smiled Annabelle. "Thank you, but your safety is far more important than our trip right now."

"Yeah, it can always wait another day," added Paul. "Say, where's Gwen and Tyler?"

"You mean you don't know?" asked Stephen. "Gwen recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Julian!"

Annabelle jumped for joy. "Gwen's had her baby?! Oh, wow! That's incredible! I have to get a new gift for him!"

"Hold your horses, Anna," soothed Paul. "One thing at a time. We'll get around to it."

Amidst all the joy that was happening, no one had noticed three young women enviously spying on them.

"Is that them?" asked one of them to the other two.

"Yes, Julissa, that's them, alright," said the second. "My beloved Paul and the spoiled redhead who took him from me!"

"And I thought Annabelle was my best friend as well, Evelyn," scoffed the third. "But no, she decided to choose Paul over me! And she's talking with those… non-steamers, as if she's on a picnic!" She emphasized "non-steamers" as if saying the word "diesel" made her puke.

"What do you propose we do about this, Addison?" asked Julissa. "I mean, look at that orange diesel over there. He looks like he's low-key flirting with that green tank engine."

"Yes, it's disgusting, isn't it?" remarked Addison. "The idea that engines of different fuel sources can have feelings for one another repulses me!"

Evelyn was quiet. She didn't have the same railway experiences that her peers had, but her father was involved in a few shady businesses around Sodor. And she did hear him mention something unusual. "Addison…" she trailed, "have you heard of the boulder quarry?"

"Boulder quarry…" Addison pondered. "Hmm… I think it rings a bell. I heard some people talking about it at my old school."

"According to my father, it was abandoned shortly after it was opened," said Evelyn. "He was going to set up one of his operations there, but quickly turned it away after hearing about the strange happenings."

"Ohhhh!" gasped Addison. "Yes, I remember now. Something about missing tools, slippery rails, sudden rockfalls… sudden rockfalls…" She clicked her fingers and nodded. "That's it!"

"What's it?" asked Julissa.

"We should sneak those three engines up there and trap them," explained Addison. "The cursed quarry should take care of the rest."

The three humans slipped away, the celebration continuing as if nothing suspicious had happened.

Meanwhile, in a prison up at Cregwir, on a northern part of Sodor where no railways ran, Jacob Hockings was just moping around in his cell.

"I can't believe this," he muttered. "Six years of being trapped after my last two engines were ripped away from me, and then another five years after failing to scrap two Westerners! It's as if the people on this blasted island want me to suffer for their own sick amusement!"

The other inmates just rolled their eyes and went about their business. Hockings was bad enough before his escape, but his recapture only made him deplorable.

"How long do you think it'll be before he finally croaks?" one of them asked.

"I dunno, but I'd sooner go through with the death penalty than listen to his whining for one more minute!" said another.

Just then, a news bulletin started playing on the television. "We interrupt this segment with an important announcement," the broadcaster said. "Yesterday, the Skarloey Railway's number five, Rusty, discovered that Rheneas viaduct is unstable, presumably due to recent storm damage. All trains running beyond Glennock will be replaced with buses until the viaduct is repaired."

Hockings tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Rheneas viaduct on the Skarloey Railway… hmm… yes… that will do nicely." That was the easy part of his revenge plan figured out… but breaking out was a different story. He couldn't just rush up and attack the guard, like last time…

Early the next morning, Skarloey and the other engines were just waking up to start the day's work. The old engine yawned and said, "Good morning, every…one?"

"Skarloey? Is everything alright?" asked Peter Sam.

"Well… does anyone know where Rusty, Flyer, Duke and Fred have gone?"

"Hmm, that's strange," said Rheneas. "Flyer's usually down at their shed on the other side of the line, but that wouldn't be the case because of the damaged viaduct. They, Rusty and Fred probably went out to start work on it, and as for Duke… perhaps he's on the first train of the day."

"That last one doesn't surprise me," remarked Sir Handel, exchanging a knowing look with Peter Sam. "The Picnic would always set out pretty early on the Mid Sodor Railway."

"Heh, not that Granpuff was much of an early riser," Peter Sam chuckled. "Then again, neither is another engine I could mention."

"Yeah… hey!" cried Sir Handel, as the others all laughed. At that moment, Mr. Hugh arrived at the sheds to start work, but he was surprised to see only five engines.

"Does anyone know where Rusty, Flyer, Duke and Fred have gone?" he asked.

"Huh? We thought that th' maintenance trio were wi' ye!" cried Duncan; the others all glanced up at once. "'N' Duke… are th' coaches still in th' shed?"

"Yes," nodded Mr. Hugh. "They're still sleeping." Then things grew even more concerning when Mr. Percival rushed in with a newspaper.

"Engines, Mr. Hugh!" he cried. "You're not going to believe what I just read about this morning! Sir Handel, Peter Sam, you two might want to brace yourselves."

"What for?" asked Sir Handel. Mr. Percival then showed everyone the headline on the front page of the Sodor Times – "Hockings Escapes Cregwir Prison for Second Time!" The engines gasped in shock and horror.

"Hockings?!" gasped Duncan. "Sur Handel, Peter Sam, that wasnae…"

"It was!" exclaimed Peter Sam, exchanging a look with Sir Handel. "And he must be out for revenge…"

"That can only mean…"

"GRANPUFF!" The Mid Sodor brothers bolted out of the sheds at top speed.

"Hey!" cried Rheneas. "Wait for us!"

"You two go after Peter Sam," Skarloey advised, "and I'll follow Sir Handel. We'd all best keep a lookout for Rusty, Flyer and Fred."

Without another word, Skarloey, Rheneas and Duncan rushed out as well.

Further down the line, Rusty, Flyer and Fred were being directed by a "relief engineer".

"Er… Mr. Hugh's supposed to take us up to the viaduct so we can assess its repairs," said Rusty. "It's in the other direction."

"Oh… I forgot to tell you," the "relief engineer" said. "There was a set of points down this way that got jammed. Er… Luke had trouble with them yesterday."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean 'Duke'?"

The "relief engineer" sweated a bit. "Oh… yes! I meant Duke. Heh… where did 'Luke' come from? Silly me!" She then giggled nervously.

"I'm pretty sure Duke would have told us about something like that," Flyer said quietly.

"Most definitely," agreed Rusty. "And Mr. Hugh would normally send a more experienced engineer out with us if he couldn't make it…"

"I was the only one available on such short notice," insisted the "relief engineer". "New and eager to work! Surely you all felt that way too, right?"

"We did," said Fred, "but if I may ask, miss, when did you first join our workforce?"

"Er… just late yesterday," the "relief engineer" said. "I was mostly doing stuff in the workshop."

"I… see," Rusty sighed. He glanced back at his friends and whispered, "I suggest we keep a close eye on her."

"I agree," said Fred. "She looks and sounds extremely suspicious."

"Maybe she's just flustered!" suggested Flyer. "Remember how I was when I was first built, Rusty?"

"I don't think it's quite the same, Flyer," Rusty muttered.

Nonetheless, the trio got to the "jammed points", and Rusty prepared to stop. But much to his shock, he felt a bump at the back of his train.

"Flyer, what are you doing?!" he cried.

"I swear, I'm not doing it!" they protested. "It's the new engineer!"

"Aha!" snapped Fred. "I knew it!" She rolled forwards and tried to couple up to her friends to pull them back, forgetting that Flyer had no couplings front and back.

Realizing the jig was up, the "relief engineer" spoke into a walkie talkie. "This is Purple Top calling Red Top! We're just about here."

"Julissa, we don't need to speak in code," sighed Evelyn from the other end.

"It's alright, honey," said Addison. "As long as they're here, it's time!"

"Wait a minute…" gasped Flyer. "Was that… Addison Darnell?"

"What?!" exclaimed Rusty. "S-she's back?!"

"That she-devil who nearly killed Duck five years ago?" asked Fred. "Her?!"

"Yes, that's right, you oversized lunch box on rails!" Then, out from behind the demolished shed, Addison finally showed herself. She was covered in quarry dust, and almost looked like a ghost. "Once you three are out of the way, Mr. Percival will have no choice but to admit that bringing in diesel traction to the Skarloey Railway was a mistake!"

"Actually, I'm fueled by petrol," insisted Flyer. "So technically, I'm not really a diesel–"

"I don't care!" snapped Addison. "If you're not steam-powered, then you have no right to live! And your little line will only just be the beginning for the second golden age of steam!"

At that moment, she pushed a button, and a loud boom of dynamite was heard, causing rocks to fall down on the rails in front of Rusty, Fred and Flyer.

"We're trapped!" cried Flyer.

"And… we're at the Boulder Quarry…" gulped Rusty.

"Was this place shut down due to it being cursed?" gasped Fred.

"Y-yes…" he stammered.

"We'll go for help!" Rusty's driver told them.

"We can't!" cried Fred's driver. "It's already too risky to move because of the rockslide!"

"Oh, now what are we going to do?" cried Flyer.

"Our friends will find us…" Rusty said quietly. "I hope…"

Doubly meanwhile, Sir Handel and Peter Sam's worries about Duke were not unfounded.

"Stop!" cried Duke. "I do say, put on my brakes, you raving lunatic!"

"You're helpless without your real driver and fireman," laughed the man in his cab. "It's all too easy!"

"My crew will press charges against you, as will my controller and His Grace!" Duke growled.

"His Grace, huh?" remarked the man. "And here I thought it was just a name that your manager gave you."

"It's a title that refers to the Duke of Sodor! Then again, I'm hardly surprised you don't know anything. You must have been the most ignorant child in all your classes growing up in school."

"Ooohh!" the man growled. "That'll be the last regret of your life!"

Duke was about to retort again, but was most surprised to find himself slowing down. "Finally, you did something sensi–" He gasped as he felt his wheels quiver. The old engine glanced all around him; water flowed far below, and the steady crumbling of stone rumbled beneath the tracks.

"Are you mad?!" he exclaimed. "That viaduct is unsafe!"

"Of course I know that." The man steadily made his way over to Duke's bufferbeam. "How could I miss it? It was all over the news."

Duke took a closer look at the man in front of him. He had a dark coat with completely gray hair. Something which he had heard about several times over by his grandchuffs…

"So. You're the man responsible for making Stuart and Falcon's lives a living nightmare," said Duke, glaring at the wicked man before him. "I do not fear you, but the only things I feel towards you are hatred and pity. Hatred for everything you've done to them, and pity that you never learned to change your rotten attitude for the better."

"Why should I change?" scoffed Hockings. "I lost everything after the aluminium plant was shut down and was forced to sell off those pathetic little engines to Mr. Percival! If I can't be happy without money, why should anyone?"

"Money isn't the only thing in life that matters, you know!" snapped Duke. "Family is far more valuable than any suitcase or pile of cash could possibly ever wish to be. Stuart and Falcon had each other to fall back on when I was buried in that shed, and they had the other engines on this line to support them during that time as well!"

"Oh, don't give me that stupid, sappy talk about how 'precious' family is!" Hockings snapped. "My father disowned me. My wife left me. Even my own daughter wanted nothing to do with me! But at least I was able to corrupt poor, innocent Addison's mind while she was still a weak little child…"

"She could've done great things had you not done so! Annabelle and her friends did all they could to steer her down the right path, but the emotional damage you've inflicted onto your own granddaughter has already been done!"

"And I'll do more to your precious 'grandchuffs'!" Hockings grinned evilly as stones from the viaduct began falling into the river below. "Once I've salvaged your remains, I'll personally deliver them to Mr. Percival and his engines, and then everyone on Sodor and beyond will know never to cross paths with Jacob Donner Hockings, the most brilliant criminal genius in the world!" He then began to cackle wildly. "And why stop here on Sodor? I will run the British Isles with an iron fist, and nobody, not even Sir Topham Hatt, will have the courage to ever stand up to me again! Jacob Hockings always–"

"SILENCE!"

Duke's bellowing command was punctuated by a flash of lightning, as if it had been perfectly timed. Hockings jumped back in a mix of surprise and terror. There was silence for a moment before Duke spoke up again.

"You are anything but a genius." Duke's tone was calm, but there was fury underneath. "You're nothing more than a spoiled brat in a pathetic elderly man's body with delusions of grandeur, constantly blaming everyone for your own downfall except yourself! Your penny-pinching ways led your father's company to ruin and brought shame to your family, and even then, no amount of money you laundered was enough to make you truly happy!"

More pieces of the viaduct broke off and fell, but again, Duke ignored it. Hockings, meanwhile, could barely get a word in edgeways as the old engine continued his rant, now truly furious.

"That's all you've done in your miserable, pathetic life!" he ranted as a keystone fell. "Being an ungrateful bully who never appreciated what he had, and went out of his way to get more no matter who got hurt in the process! No wonder your family wanted nothing to do with you! And if you think us engines are just machines without a soul, think again! We feel the same emotions that all living beings feel, as well as pain when hurt physically, mentally or emotionally! Even if you succeed in destroying me, you'll just end up back in prison once again and my spirit will haunt you until the day you finally croak!"

The track dipped a little underneath Duke, and for the first time in his life, a steam engine had actually made Jacob Hockings afraid. Another crash of thunder caused him to scream and miss his footing, for another part of the viaduct had collapsed underneath him, but he just managed to cling onto one of the railings with his hands.

"Granpuff!" called Peter Sam, blowing his whistle. "If you're out there, please shout out to us!"

"Wherever ye are, dinnae pop oot 'n' scare us!" called Duncan.

"Duke?" Rheneas had just as little luck as the other two. Just then, three horns sounded out. "That sounds like Rusty, Flyer and Fred!" the vermillion tank engine gasped.

"But what are they doing here?" asked Peter Sam. "They sound like they're in trouble!"

"Something else must be afoot," Rheneas realized. "Come on, you two!" Without any more questions, Peter Sam and Duncan raced after the older engine.

"Granpuff?!" Sir Handel blew his whistle. "Granpuff, where are you?!"

"Duke?" called Skarloey, also blowing his whistle. "Can you hear us?"

Both engines then heard a cracking sound.

"The viaduct!" cried Skarloey, and he and Sir Handel sped up.

"Please don't be there, please don't be there…" panted Sir Handel.

Down at the abandoned Boulder Quarry, a rumbling sound occurred.

"Uh… Rusty, Fred, please tell me that wasn't what I think it was!" gulped Flyer.

"Oh no!" gasped Rusty. "Maybe tooting for help was a bad idea!"

"What other choice did we have?!" insisted Fred. "No one would've come for us otherwise!"

Just then, three other engines rattled up to the points. The rocks blocked them from going any further.

"Rusty, Flyer, Fred!" exclaimed Peter Sam. "Are you three alright?!"

"For now, yes!" called Rusty. "We were forced down here by a woman posing as a new worker, and she's in league with Addison!"

"Addison was here as well?!" exclaimed Rheneas.

"And there's rockslides occurring too!" added Flyer. "It's too far away to reach us for now but… Addison set off some dynamite."

"Duncan, we'll go back to the yards for trucks and workmen!" said Rheneas. "Peter Sam, stay here and make sure Rusty, Flyer and Fred are okay!"

"Aye, Rheneas!" said Duncan. The two bustled away as quickly as possible.

"Don't worry, you three," soothed Peter Sam. "We'll get you out of there." He winced. "I just hope Granpuff's okay…"

"Wait, what's going on with Duke?" asked Flyer. The green engine quickly filled them in.

"Well, isn't that just peachy!" exclaimed Fred. "Two revenge-bent maniacs here on the same day!"

"Oh… Granpuff…" sobbed Peter Sam. "I can't bear it if he… if he…"

"I'm sure Sir Handel and Skarloey will find him," Rusty said gently. "And once we're out, we'll help in any way we can."

Peter Sam managed a weak smile at the orange diesel. "Thank you, Rusty…"

At the collapsing viaduct, two frantic whistles sounded, coming closer by the second.

"Skarloey? Sir Handel?" cried Duke, whistling. "I'm over here!"

"DUKE!" Sir Handel exclaimed. "Skarloey, watch my back."

"Be careful!" he called.

"Hang on, Granpuff…" Sir Handel slowly moved forward. "I'm coming." The dark blue engine bit his lip, knowing of the huge drop below. I can't give up! I can't be scared… I have to do this!

Sir Handel's crew fastened a chain between him and Duke. Slowly, Sir Handel started to pull back. "I've got you, Granpuff. I got you…"

"Someone help me, please!" begged Hockings; one of his hands had lost its grip on the railing, and he was now sobbing with terror.

"You don't deserve it!" snapped Skarloey, keeping a close eye on Sir Handel's progress. "Not after all you've done to the Mid Sodor trio and their friends!"

"You're doing well, Falcon," whispered Duke, almost crying. "That's it…"

Seeing Duke's calm face despite the danger was the final straw for Hockings. He tried one more time to pull himself up, but he lost his grip on the rail.

"It's fruitless, Hockings!" a voice boomed. Hockings looked up and gasped. There, standing above and looking down on him, was Bertram.

"Wh– That's impossible!" he cried. "I scrapped you alive years ago!"

"There's no way you'll survive the fall," remarked a second voice. "Hmph, ironic, isn't it?"

Hockings looked up again. This time, he saw Freddie standing where Bertram once stood. "I… well…"

"And being destroyed in another storm," a third voice added. "How fitting." Now, Colin the crane replaced Freddie.

"No! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" screamed Hockings. "STOP THIS! STOP!"

"I guess they got a bit tied up," remarked a fourth voice; this time, it was female. "Just like you made Sir Topham Hatt too busy to save me." Finally, Stevie the electric shunter appeared before Hockings.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" sobbed Hockings. "PLEASE! STOP!"

Duke, Sir Handel and Skarloey couldn't see what Hockings was yelling at, nor did they have time to think about it. The three engines had managed to clear away from the viaduct just in time, as the section that Hockings was clinging onto for dear life finally gave away, sending him, screaming, plunging into the depths below…

Back at the Boulder Quarry, more rocks had fallen, gradually getting closer to the maintenance trio. Rheneas and Duncan had returned just in time to get Rusty, Flyer and Fred free.

"Hang on, you lot!" called Rheneas. Peter Sam grabbed some of the trucks and assisted with the cleanup.

"We hae tae hurry!" cried Duncan. "Th' falling rocks hae made it tae where th' auld shed was!"

"Oh no!" exclaimed Peter Sam. "There's only a few more on the points!"

Just as the last few rocks were loaded and Duncan hauled them away, the maintenance trio were clear to go. Fred could get clear easily, but Rusty's driver had to drive Flyer out before Rusty could move. When he went back into the orange diesel's cab, there was more trouble.

"Ugh!" cried Rusty. "I blew a fuse!" Peter Sam goggled in horror as the rocks were getting ever so closer to the orange diesel, one hanging above was bigger than most.

"I'm coming, Rusty!" Peter Sam shot forward, his driver swiftly coupled him up and he pulled back. Where the two engines once stood, the large rock hit the track with a thud.

"Let's get out of here!" cried Rheneas. Rusty's driver hopped back into Flyer as the group cleared the quarry… just in time.

Unknown to them, an exhausted but relieved spirit glanced at them, wishing them well.

Back at Crovan's Gate, Mr. Percival and Mr. Hugh stood anxiously awaiting the engines' return. All services had ground to a halt, and no one knew for sure if all nine engines would be alright.

"I promised my father-in-law that the engines would thrive for years," he panted. "If… If they all…"

"We couldn't have seen this coming, Peregrine…" soothed Mr. Hugh. "All the same, if Sir Robert Norramby returns to find his engine…" He shuddered, unsure of how to tell him if anything happened to Duke.

"That's what I fear most, Ivo…" Just then, the controller and engineer were greeted with a chorus of whistles and toots.

"He's alright!" cried Sir Handel. "Granpuff is alright!"

"And thank the Great Railway for that." Peter Sam was still in tears of relief and joy from the revelation.

"Duke!" cried Mr. Percival. "Oh, are we glad you're okay!"

"It was thanks to Sir Handel," Skarloey pointed out. "He went onto the collapsing viaduct and saved him!"

"Indeed," agreed Duke. "He flew high like a Falcon and wouldn't swoop down."

"Oh, well done, Sir Handel!" smiled Mr. Percival. "You were incredibly brave."

"He wasn't the only one, sir!" announced Flyer. "You should have seen Peter Sam. Rusty was about to get crushed by a large rock, and Peter Sam rushed in and pulled him out of harm's way!" Mr. Percival and Mr. Hugh, shocked, continued asking Flyer about where they, Rusty and Fred were, but Rusty's mind was elsewhere.

"Thank you, Peter Sam," said Rusty. "Thank you…"

"That's okay, my dear…" Peter Sam broke off as he realized what he just said. "Oh! I mean… er…"

Rusty chuckled. "It's okay, Peter Sam. I… I feel that way about you too."

"You do?" he gasped quietly. "Oh, Rusty… I… I love you…"

The other engines all looked on fondly at the display, even if Duncan and Fred tried to act casual about it.

"You got there in the end, little brother," chuckled Sir Handel.

"I'm so proud of you both," said Duke. "You faced your fear of heights, Falcon, and Stuart finally confessed to Rusty." Sir Handel and Peter Sam could only smile with pride.

Over the next few days, a salvage operation took place to recover Jacob Hockings' body at the bottom of Rheneas viaduct, as well as to begin extensive repairs given the collapse. The line was temporarily closed to passenger traffic while repairs took place, and every single engine gave it their all to have it finished by spring next year, with Rheneas, Peter Sam, Rusty and Duncan being transported to the eastern side by road to repair the viaduct from there.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering how Hockings was able to escape prison the second time around, right? Well, according to some prisoners up at Cregwir, he had slipped in some illegal substance into the prison guard's tea and he went into a deep sleep. Thankfully, the guard recovered in the hospital, but he quit his job out of PTSD. Meanwhile, no funeral took place for Hockings, and he was buried in an unmarked grave at the northern part of Sodor, as if he had never existed to begin with. But the impact of his actions would never be forgotten.

When Mr. Percival heard about Addison Darnell's involvement in what almost happened to Rusty, Flyer and Fred, he declared that she would no longer be welcome on the Skarloey Railway, and "wanted" posters for her, Evelyn and Julissa were hung all across Sodor. Unbeknownst to everyone, however, they had slipped away during the rockslide at Boulder Quarry, and everyone, including Annabelle Percival, felt that this wouldn't be the last they'd hear from Addison and her cronies…

But that's a story for another day.

THE END

Author's Comments

At long last, we approach a rewrite that we've been looking forward to doing for a very long time now! It ended up diverging from the original Trusty Rusty episode a lot more than I'd thought it would, with the one commonality being an engine rescued from a collapsing bridge. Jacob Hockings' death was an inevitability, and I envisioned his demise being similar to that of Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, when he tried to kill Esmeralda and Quasimodo with a sword, only for the gargoyle he's standing on to collapse from underneath him, leading to his fiery doom. Meanwhile, there's Addison's first real attack on Sodor's diesels (not counting her killing Bowler, since he wasn't a Sudrian to begin with) which sets things up for a Between the Lines story in the not-too-distant future, one which I hope will answer some questions as to what happened leading up to Engines of the Same Metals. This story ended up being longer than we thought; in fact, it was a little over sixteen pages long when we'd finished! That's the longest a Classic Sodor Adventures story has ever been thus far, not counting mini-specials.

Upcoming stories:

- Oliver the Snow Engine

- Duncan's Wild Ride (The Runaway Elephant/Rheneas and the Roller Coaster)

- The Tortoise and the Hare

- Three Cheers for Thomas