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Magic Engine G: ThomasNATION Fanstory

November 28, 2020

 

It was a calm, crisp morning on Sodor. Gordon was at Knapford Station doing what he does best: lazing around and berating Thomasā€™ sluggish tendencies with his coaches.
ā€œCome on, Thomas!ā€ Gordon barked, ā€œWhile weā€™re youngā€¦ā€
ā€œAlright, Gordon,ā€ Thomas moaned as he collected the Express coaches, ā€œno need to be all fussy. I wouldnā€™t be in this kerfuffle if you get off your lazy tender and collected them yourself.ā€
ā€œWhat did I tell you, Thomas?ā€ Gordon groaned. ā€œTender engines are not meant to shunt. It wouldnā€™t be dignified!ā€
Then, Gordon noticed a workman putting up a poster on the Knapford wall. The poster was advertising some sort of magic show. ā€œHm. Silly old magiciansā€¦ā€
ā€œMagicians?ā€ Thomas said as he bumped Gordonā€™s coaches into him. ā€œIs there going to be a magic show?ā€
ā€œApparently so,ā€ Gordon said as he glanced at the poster, struggling to read the name. ā€œit seems to be advertising someone namedā€¦Maā€¦Markā€¦uhā€¦ā€
ā€œMassimo the Magnificent!ā€ said Sir Topham Hatt, walking towards the two. Thomas couldnā€™t believe it! He glowed with excitement!
ā€œReally? The Massimo the Magnificent?!ā€ he cried with glee.
ā€œAh, I see youā€™re familiar with his works.ā€ said Sir Topham Hatt.
ā€œOh, am I ever!ā€ Thomas reminisced. ā€œI remember seeing one of his shows in the Italian Colosseum! Heā€™s truly a one-of-a-kind magician!ā€
Gordon scoffed. ā€œWhat does he do that any other magician canā€™t?ā€
ā€œOh, Gordon, you donā€™t even know the half of it!ā€ said Thomas.
ā€œQuite right, Thomas!ā€ Sir Topham Hatt exclaimed. ā€œNow, I need the two of you to go down to the airport and pick up him and his equipment.ā€
ā€œWhat?!ā€ Gordon cried.
ā€œYes, sir!ā€ Thomas exclaimed.
ā€œBut sir,ā€ Gordon protested, ā€œI have the Express to run!ā€
ā€œIā€™m sure I can fill Rebecca or Henry in for your next train.ā€ Sir Topham Hatt said. ā€œNow hurry along, his plane arrives in twenty minutes.ā€
ā€œBut sirā€¦ā€
           ā€œNow, Gordonā€¦ā€
And with that, Gordon sulked away to the airport.
 
Thomas and Gordon rolled into the airport to see the streets crowded with Massimo the Magnificentā€™s adoring fans.
ā€œLook at this, Gordon!ā€ Thomas exclaimed. ā€œIsnā€™t it incredible? All these people took time out of their day, just to see Massimo!ā€
ā€œDonā€™t these people have anything better to do than gawk at some magician?ā€ Gordon scoffed.
And then, Massimo the Magnificentā€™s plane touched down. As he stepped out of his plane, he soaked in the adoration of his fans.
ā€œOh, grazie, my friends!ā€ said Massimo. ā€œIā€™m so euphoric that my dearest fans have come to witness my arrival!ā€
Gordon rolled his eyes. ā€œSeems a bit stuck-up to me.ā€
ā€œLook who's talking!ā€ Thomas rebutted.
Massimo then proceeded to grab an apple from a local fruit stand and threw it in the air. Up went the apple, and down came a bouquet of flowers.
ā€œPer te, amico mio!ā€ he said as he handed the bouquet to a fan.
ā€œHey, Massimo! Over here!ā€ Thomas cried.
Massimo immediately recognized Thomas. ā€œAh, there he is! Thomas, mio vecchio amico! It has been so long!ā€
ā€œIt sure has!ā€ Thomas responded. ā€œOh, Massimo, this is my friend Gordon.ā€
Massimo examined Gordon, taking in his grand scale. ā€œOh my, what an exquisite engine! Heā€™ll do perfectly for the show!ā€
ā€œIā€™m sorry, the show?ā€ Gordon asked.
ā€œOh! Are you really going to do that amazing trick?ā€ Thomas asked eagerly.
ā€œAbsolutely, friend!ā€ Massimo exclaimed. ā€œI shall see you all tomorrow night!ā€
And with a puff of smoke, Massimo the Magnificent was gone. Gordon was confused about the examination.
ā€œUh, what was that about?ā€ Gordon asked.
ā€œOh, I didnā€™t mention this,ā€ Thomas explained. ā€œat the end of the show, Massimo takes the largest engine in the audience and levitates him off the rails!ā€
Gordon was stunned. ā€œWHAT?!ā€
Thomas chuckled to himself. ā€œI remember back when I saw his show in Italy, and when Lorenzo was lifted up off the rails, his reaction was hilarious!ā€
He went to look back at Gordon, but he was gone. ā€œā€¦Gordon?ā€
 
Gordon headed into Vicarstown Station. He was absolutely appalled by the idea of being lifted off of the rails, and had to find another engine to fill his spot. He noticed Henry at the station, and knew he would be perfect.
ā€œHenry!ā€ he cried. ā€œAm I glad to see you!ā€
ā€œOh, hello, Gordon!ā€ said Henry. ā€œWhatā€™s the matter?ā€
ā€œI was just wondering,ā€ Gordon answered, ā€œif you wanted to take part in tomorrowā€™s magic show.ā€
ā€œMe?ā€ Henry asked curiously. ā€œWhy me?ā€
ā€œWell, Massimo the Magnificent loves to lift the biggest engine in the show off the rails as his grand finale, and I thought what bigger engine is there than you?ā€
Henry was conflicted. ā€œI donā€™t know whether or not to be honored or insulted by that comment.ā€
ā€œPlease, Henry?ā€ Gordon pleaded.
Henry hesitated, but soon agreed. ā€œFine, but you owe me for this.ā€
As Henry disembarked, Gordon was relieved to not be part of the show anymore.
 
The next day, Massimo was busy setting up the stage for his grand performance with the help of Sir Topham Hatt and Thomas.
ā€œUp a littleā€¦okay, now rightā€¦ā€ he said as a workman was arranging the curtain backdrop until finally getting it right. ā€œAh, tremendo!ā€
Just then, Gordon rolled up. ā€œHey, Mr. Massimo, sir, you say you need the biggest engine to lift for your finale?ā€
ā€œQuite right, Gordon.ā€
ā€œWell, I found an even bigger engine thatā€™ll really fit the bill.ā€
ā€œReally?ā€
ā€œYes. His name is Henry, and heā€™s one of the strongest engines I know. Heā€™d be perfect for your show!ā€
ā€œWait, Henry?ā€ Thomas chimed in. ā€œI thought he had an accident up at Maithwaite. Heā€™s away at the Steamworks right nowā€
ā€œ...youā€™re kidding.ā€ Gordon said in disbelief. ā€œWell, surely there has to be another engine, uh, Rebecca?ā€
ā€œSheā€™s running the express for tonight.ā€ Sir Topham Hatt responded.
ā€œUh, James?ā€
ā€œOn the mainland.ā€
ā€œEmily?ā€
ā€œUp at Black Loch.ā€
ā€œMurdoch?!ā€
ā€œI have no idea where he is nowadays.ā€
ā€œOh, the indignityā€¦ā€
ā€œCome on, Gordon,ā€ said Thomas, ā€œgive it a go!ā€
ā€œThomas, I told you,ā€ Gordon argued back. ā€œI canā€™t take part of this show, it wouldnā€™tā€¦ā€
ā€œWouldnā€™t be dignified, I know,ā€ Thomas finished. ā€œbut a little bit of silliness never hurt anyone. And besides, no one will judge you for it. In fact, I bet theyā€™d find it cool that you took place in such an amazing show anyway. So, come on, Gordon, just let down your guard for one night.ā€
Gordon sighed, regretfully conceding. ā€œAlright. I guess you do make a good point. How bad can it be?ā€
 
ā€œVery badā€¦ā€ Gordon groaned as he was dressed in clown makeup on the night of the show. Massimo admired the blue engine.
ā€œAh, tremendous makeover, Gordon!ā€ he cried out. ā€œNow, places, please! Once the curtain rises, we will shine like the stars of the cosmos!ā€
ā€œLADIES AND GENTLEMEN,ā€ the announcer cried. ā€œPUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE ITALIAN WONDER, MASSIMO THE MAGNIFICENT!ā€
ā€œShowtime!ā€ said Massimo as he bounded onto the stage.
The majority of the show went spectacularly. Over the course of the show, Massimo had sawed volunteers in half, pulled all sorts of strange creatures out of his hat, levitated parts of the set, and several other tricks that even impressed Gordon a little. But then, the time came for the finale.
ā€œAnd, for my last trick, I will do what the Sudrian folk previously thought to be impossible!ā€ cried Massimo. ā€œIā€¦will levitateā€¦AN ENGINE!ā€
The crowd cheered as the curtain behind Massimo raised to reveal an intensely embarrassed Gordon. ā€œMiei cari amici, you may know old Gordon as the titan of the Sodor railroads! But not even the heaviest of the heavy is too much for the power of Massimo il Magnifico!ā€
Gordon groaned, but then saw his colleagues in the crowd, cheering him on.
ā€œYouā€™re doing great, Gordon!ā€ Thomas cried from the crowds.
ā€œAndā€¦ABRACADABRA!ā€
Gordon shut his eyes. He was a tad nervous to see what was happening. The crowd gasped in amazement.
ā€œApri gli occhi, figliolo...ā€ said Massimo.
ā€œ...what?ā€
ā€œYour eyes, Gordon, open your eyes.ā€
Gordon slowly opened his eyes, and to his amazement, he was floating! The crowd erupted into uproarious cheers, particularly from the engines.
ā€œWoo-hoo! Go, Gordon!ā€ the engines cried. As Gordon was lifted back onto the rails, his face filled with pride.
ā€œSee, what did I tell you?ā€ Thomas asked. ā€œA little bit of silliness isnā€™t the end of the world.ā€
Gordon grinned, knowing Thomas was right. He would still take himself mighty seriously, but he wouldnā€™t be afraid to be a bit goofy here and there.
ā€œYouā€™ve been too kind, friends!ā€ Massimo cried as he made his exit. ā€œArrivederci!ā€

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