What If? - ThomasNATION Fanstory
January 29, 2022
It was a late night on Sodor. The Steam Team were settling into their berths at Tidmouth Sheds and preparing for a good night's sleep.
"Whoo, what a day..." Percy sighed in relief. "if I see another milk tanker, I think I'm gonna pop!"
"You're telling me," James groaned. "my train had to be rerouted, so I had to go through a quarry! I almost spoiled my paintwork!"
"You and that paintwork!" Thomas laughed.
"What? I can't help being the most splendid...and also the wittiest, most entertaining, most handsome and fastest red engine on Sodor."
"Careful with that, James!" Nia chuckled. "Last time you said that, you crashed right into the sheds!"
"That wasn't my fault!" James cried through the Steam Team's laughter. "I had a problem with my brakes! Plus, Rosie was teasing me..."
"She didn't even do that..." Gordon grumbled.
"...and my brakes were making a strange noise, and-"
"Yes, yes, James," Emily rolled her eyes. "we've all heard the tale. About how the sheds were destroyed, Edward and Henry moved out and now we have Nia and Rebecca."
Thomas laughed, but then started to think. "Guys. It just hit me. Now, hear me out here. What if...none of that happened?"
Rebecca was confused. "I don't get it."
"I mean, when you really think about it," continued Thomas, "if James never crashed into the sheds, things would have turned out completely different."
Gordon laughed in hysterics. "Oh, Thomas, you and your imagination! You can't just imagine a different scenario because you're not satisfied with the current status quo. Goodness knows I've tried."
"I am satisfied, Gordon, but I'm just saying, it would be a completely different outcome."
"I'd love to have Edward and Henry back at the sheds," Gordon sighed. "but I'm fine as it is right now. Now, get some sleep."
Thomas eventually drifted off, but he still couldn't help but think about the scenario. As he slept, he thought about that day and wondered. What if James never destroyed Tidmouth Sheds?
Thomas remembered James racing down the line at full speeds, with no brake fluid to slow him down and Rosie hot on his trail as he approached Tidmouth Sheds. "Oh no!"
But all of a sudden, instead of James crashing into the wall, he instead bumped into the turntable, derailing himself. James opened his eyes. Luckily, nobody was hurt. "Huh."
Rosie approached James, inspecting the crash site. "James! Are you alright?"
"Uh...yeah." James chuckled. "I'm fine. Whew, that could've been a disaster."
"Is it not already?" Sir Topham Hatt scolded as he approached. "I've told you many times about showing off and rushing about, and now look what's happened. You should consider yourself lucky nothing happened to the sheds."
"But sir," Rosie protested, "James has been having problems with his brakes all day."
"I see..." Sir Topham Hatt pondered. "Well, you should get yourself to the Steamworks at once! Uh...after you get back on the tracks, of course."
"Yes, sir..." James sighed.
"I don't know what happened!" James cried as he was escorted to the Steamworks by Thomas and Percy. "It was almost like I was gonna crash into the sheds!"
"So, how'd this happen again?" Percy asked. "You say it was because of a problem with your brakes?"
"Yeah, it was so strange, and scary." James whimpered.
"Heh, you can't seem to have any luck with brakes, James!" Thomas chuckled. "But no worries, we'll get you to the Steamworks soon enough."
"Yeah," Percy added in. "plus I gotta say, thank goodness you didn't do any real damage to the sheds."
"No kidding." James chuckled. "At least things can't get any stranger from here, right?"
"Absolutely." Thomas smiled.
A year passed since James' incident and a lot had happened since then. A big freeze hit Sodor, Bulgy was reinstated on the roads, and Thomas had a grand adventure on the Mainland. All was right with the world...until Ace entered the picture.
"...and I'm on a race around the world!" Ace explained. "Five cross-country rallies on five different continents!"
Thomas was amazed. "That's so amazing! I've always wanted to see the world!"
"Then why don't ya?" Ace offered. "Mate, you should do it. Anyway, I haven't got time to hang around here all day. I need to carry on with my speed trials. See ya!"
Ace left, leaving Thomas thinking about it. That night, he pulled into Tidmouth Sheds early, where he was immediately greeted by Edward.
"Evening, Thomas!" Edward smiles. "What's up? You look excited."
"I am, Edward!" Thomas cried. "I just got an offer to go on a big world adventure! Five different continents! I start in Africa, then I-"
"Hold on, Thomas," Edward interrupted. "are you sure? What about your branch line? Your responsibilities? You can't just leave without warning. And for so long, too. It'll take at least two weeks until you get back."
"But it's my dream to go around the world, Edward."
"I get that, but you still have responsibilities. In fact, you don't have anyone that'll fill in for you." continued Edward. "...unless..."
"You want to what?!" Sir Topham Hatt gasped.
"I want to travel around the world with this yellow racing car!" Thomas explained.
Sir Topham Hatt sighed. "Thomas, you really need to sort your priorities here. You still have a branchline to run."
"That's just it," Edward suggested, "maybe we can get a new engine to help us out!"
"A new engine?" Sir Topham Hatt pondered. "Now, that idea could actually work. I've been meaning to pick up a new engine for a while anyway. Alright, Thomas. You want to go around the world? Go right ahead."
"YES!" Thomas cheered. "Thank you, sir! Edward, your idea was brilliant!"
"Oh, it's my pleasure, Thomas," Edward chuckled. "Now, you go ahead and go around the globe. I'll look out for a new engine."
Thomas disembarked and in short, he found that it was worth finding a new engine. It was incredible, and he even managed to bring home a new engine: Nia. But as soon as they got to Tidmouth Sheds that night, something was different.
"Thomas!" Henry cried. "Welcome back!"
"Hang on, who's this?" another engine pondered. Thomas looked at another engine in his birth. Who was that engine? Sonny!
"Who are you? What's going on?" Thomas asked, confused.
"Thomas, uh, this is Sonny." Edward explained. "This was the new engine Sir Topham Hatt picked up."
"Alright, bruv?" Sonny asked. "Who's your friend?"
"Uh...this is Nia."
"Hello!" Nia cried.
"And I don't mean to be rude, but, um...that's my berth."
"Sorry, Thomas." Sonny sighed. "I've moved in here from now on."
"What?!" Thomas cried.
"Sorry, Thomas," Percy tried to explain. "we tried to tell him, but he just wouldn't leave!"
Thomas didn't want to hear it. He felt betrayed, and didn't feel like talking to the others. "Come on, Nia. Let's go. We'll sleep elsewhere!"
As Thomas and Nia left, Sonny started to reverse into the shed. "Oi, lads? Was I too hard on him?" he asked his drivers.
Sonny's drivers, Baz and Bernie, emerged from his cab. In their hands, a blueprint.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sonny!" sneered Baz. "Besides, we don't need any distractions! This berth is perfect for starting our plan."
"What is our plan again anyway?" asked Bernie.
"Augh, you and the questions, Bernie!" yelled Baz. "Okay, here. This shed is a 6 minute chug to the museum, where lies our target: the only known painting of King Godred."
Unbeknownst to them, Percy was listening close to their conversation.
"What's so special about some measly painting?" asked Sonny.
"Because, Sonny, it's one of a kind from the 12th century. The bloke who painted it was had Godred himself for reference! Once we sell it, we'll make millions and get out of this podunk island!"
"But, Baz," Sonny asked. "isn't there another way we can get rich? I mean, you two can just get jobs!"
"Nah. This is easier."
"And illegal."
"Ugh, can it, scrap heap! We strike at sunrise tomorrow."
Percy gasped in shock.
The next morning, Percy found Thomas sleeping in an old shed outside Knapford.
"Thomas!" he yelled. "Wake up!"
Thomas woke up, seeing Percy. "Oh, hey, Percy. Sorry about last night, I was just a little-"
"There's no time for that!" Percy cried. "Sonny's drivers are criminals!"
"What?!"
"Yeah! And they're on their way to the museum right now! Look!" Percy pointed over to Sonny approaching the museum.
"What!?" Thomas screamed. "We gotta stop them!"
"But how?"
"...uh..." Thomas thought. He struggled to think of an idea. "...we need to get in contact with the police so they can take them away."
"But what about Sonny?"
"Leave that to me."
The plan was in action. As Sonny waited outside the museum, Nia and Thomas approached him.
"Hey...Sonny, right?" Nia asked.
"Yeah, you alright?"
"Yes, I'm quite alright. Perhaps we should talk for a little bit?"
As Nia and Sonny talked, Thomas' driver snuck aboard Sonny and poured a bucket of water into his firebox.
"Agh!" Sonny winced as he felt the cold water on his firebox.
"You okay, Sonny?" asked Thomas.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Suddenly, Sonny heard a loud siren from outside the museum. The police arrived at the scene just as Baz and Bernie escaped.
"Baz and Bernie!" the chief of police cried. "Come out with your hands up!"
"But we didn't steal anything!" Baz lied.
"Oh, really?" asked Nia. "Then why are you holding a 12th century painting of King Godred?"
"How do you know King Godred?" asked Thomas.
"Percy told me everything."
Baz scowled at Bernie, who was clearly holding the painting in his hand. "Really, Bernie?"
"What?"
"Give us the painting. You're coming with us." the chief said.
Baz didn't hesitate to punch the chief as he and Bernie climbed back into Sonny.
"Uh, Baz?" Bernie questioned. "Shouldn't his firebox be glowing?"
Baz noticed the damp firebox. "It's been tampered with!"
Before they had a chance to do anything, they were escorted out of Sonny.
Thomas smiled in his pride. "Wow, I guess we really did it."
"Yeah, I guess we did." Nia smirked. But before they could do anything else, a whistle boomed through the island. "Huh?"
Thomas woke up in his shed. The whistle came from Nia! "Good morning, everyone!"
"Morning, Nia..." Gordon yawned.
Thomas looked around. "Huh. Was that really all just a dream?"
"What do you mean?" asked Rebecca.
"I had this strange dream last night," Thomas explained. "where James' accident never happened and Edward and Henry were still here at the sheds..."
"Here we go again..." Gordon sighed.
"...and it led to a whole chain reaction where Sonny moved into the sheds instead of Rebecca, and the museum was robbed, it was so weird."
"Wait, Sonny?" asked Emily. "Why did he move into the sheds?"
"Edward convinced Sir Topham Hatt to bring in a new engine while I went around the world."
"Huh." James chuckled. "So, tell me, since I kicked off the events of the story, was I the brave hero in stopping this robbery?"
"Actually, you were never there."
"Oh."
As the rest of the Steam Team disembarked, Gordon stayed behind, curious. "Thomas, this other reality where Edward and Henry never left - was it better or worse?"
"I'd call it a double-edged sword." Thomas responded. "On one hand, I'm so used to seeing Nia and Rebecca in the sheds now so it felt really strange. On the other, I kind of liked seeing Edward and Henry in the sheds."
"Ah. Well, at the same time, they're still around, and still your friends."
"You're really saying this?" Thomas chuckled. "I remember you had a temper tantrum when you found out Henry was leaving!"
"Don't remind me..." Gordon groaned.
And the two of them disembarked, ready for the day ahead.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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