Misty Mystery - ThomasNATION Fanstory
March 30, 2024
Years ago, the relationship between the engines of Sodor and the engines of Misty Island was thriving. The engines of Sodor would teach the three Logging Locos, Bash, Dash and Ferdinand how to be really useful, and in turn, the Logging Locos would supply them with some of their logs, be it Hill, Sea or Jobi wood. But eventually, it was ordered that the tunnel connecting Sodor and Misty Island would be boarded up. Misty Island was sealed off from Sodor forevermore. But despite this, the residents of Misty Island would try to keep going, particularly Bash and Dash, who one day, as the sun set, were playing a friendly shunting game with a flatbed of Jobi logs all perfectly balanced.
“Ready for it, Dash?” called Bash.
“I’m open!” called Dash back. "Let me at it!"
“Ready for it, Dash?” called Bash.
“I’m open!” called Dash back. "Let me at it!"
The shunting game was on. The two were determined. They knew that they had the game on the line, but by golly were they gonna win it! The flatbed swerved, it wobbled and it came so close to toppling. It was anyone’s game, until…
“What are you two doing?” interrupted Ferdinand.
“Uh…nothing?” Dash whimpered.
“Ah, y’know, just…playing a shunting game.” Bash chuckled. “We had Hee-Haw stack up some wood, and then-“
“I know what you’re doing,” Ferdinand rolled his eyes, “but what I mean is, why aren’t you two sorting those logs?”
"We're just having a bit of fun," said Bash, "it's not that big a deal!"
"Not that big a deal?" asked Ferdinnd. "Bash, we need to get those Hill logs on that ferry to Sodor by 4. And the way things are between us and everyone on Sodor are bad enough as it is. I'd call that a big deal."
"But..."
"Back to work, you two. Now."
Now, after the tunnel was boarded up, Ferdinand had decided to strap up and focus on getting wood deliveries to the Island. But after nearly 11 years of this isolation, he drastically changed. He went from "that's right!" to "you're not doing that right!". But still, he maintained his big heart...something that Bash was unaware of.
"It's not fair!" groaned Bash as he loaded a ferry with flatbed upon flatbed of Hill logs at the loading wharf. "Why does Ferdinand always have to focus on work?"
"I know," sighed Dash, "I miss when he was just as eager for fun as we are."
"Right? I want that Ferdinand back."
"But what can we do? He's been like this ever since the tunnel was sealed up."
"I know..." Bash got to thinking. He hadn't thought about it for a while, but it was a question he had for years. "...hey. Why was the tunnel boarded up anyway?"
"Don't ask me." sighed Dash. "Every time I ask Ferdinand, he either tells me to get back to work or changes the subject. It's like he's hiding something."
"Well, y'know what?" Bash declared. "To heck with all the lies and secrets! We need to do something!"
"Like what?"
"Like going over to Sodor and asking Sir Topham Hatt why the tunnel was boarded up."
Dash gasped. "You mean...leave the island? Without Ferdinand's permission?"
"Yeah! He's not gonna tell us, so why should he know?"
"Bash, this is insane!" Dash cried, trying to bring his brother back to reality. "We haven't been to Sodor in years, plus, both tunnel entries are boarded. How are we meant to get there?"
"Good point..." Bash thought, setting his sights on the ferry. "Bingo! We go on the ferry!"
"Uhm..." Dash whimpered.
"Come on, Dash!" Bash smirked as he boarded the ferry. "Plenty of room!"
Dash had tons of reservations about leaving Ferdinand, but ultimately, he knew they had to get to the bottom of this mystery. "Okay, I'm in."
Dash boarded the ferry and before long, the two were en route to Sodor!
As the ferry stopped at Brendam, it was well after midnight and the engines were asleep. But Bash and Dash couldn't sleep out in the open, Ferdinand could easily catch onto them. So they looked around for a good shed, and thankfully, they hit the jackpot...at the Dieselworks. It was dark and a bit stinky, but either way, they had great sheds and plenty of oil for them. It was perfect...until they woke up.
"Eh?" asked Sidney. "Who are you two?"
Bash and Dash woke up with a jolt. "Oh, sorry," Dash explained, "we didn't know these sheds were taken."
"But we have a good reason," Bash continued, "we ran away from Misty Island!"
"Misty Island?" asked Sidney. "I think I've heard of that. Isn't that the island covered in...uh, what was it? Um..."
"Mist?"
"No, that's not it. Um..."
"The point is," Bash kept on explaining, "we're trying to uncover a mystery."
"A mystery?" Sidney gasped. "Well, you boys are in luck, those are my specialty!"
"Really?" asked the two brothers.
"Absolutely! Just stick with me and I'll help you crack this case no problem!"
"Oh, thank you, sir!" Bash cried with joy.
"First things first, we need to find Sir Topham Hatt." explained Dash. "Do you know where he could be?"
"Not a clue, but I know someone who might." Sidney thought. The two raced over to Knapford to find their first subject.
"Okay, where is this engine?" asked Dash.
Sidney looked around the station, setting his eyes on Nia. "There."
The three approached Nia, ready to interrogate. "Hello, Nia." said Bash.
"Oh, hello!" smiled Nia. "Wasn't expecting to see you two again. Where's Ferdinand?"
"We'll ask the questions, Nia." interrupted Dash. "Do you know where Sir Topham Hatt is?"
"I think he's up at Harwick," Nia explained, "but I recommend cutting through Thomas' branch line. The junction on the Main Line is down for repairs. The signal is-"
"We're good, Nia." Bash brushed off the explanation. "Come on, you three! Not a moment to lose!"
And the three set off, desperate to find Sir Topham Hatt.
Meanwhile, back on Misty Island, Ferdinand had just woke up and was ready to start the day’s work. But something seemed off.
“Bash? Dash?” called out Ferdinand. “Where are you two?”
Suddenly, Ferdinand noticed the empty wharf, the brothers’ workload still sitting there. But the tunnel was still boarded up, leaving Ferdinand with one conclusion. “Oh, no, no, no, no, they didn’t!”
Ferdinand wasted no time in rushing over to the tunnel and, after a long period of waiting for the workmen to take down the boards, speeding over to Sodor. He wound up at the other end of the tunnel, with only one question on his mind.
“Belle! Flynn!” Ferdinand panted. “Have you seen Bash and Dash? It's an emergency!”
“No, I haven’t.” said Belle.
“Weren’t they with you?” asked Flynn.
“No, they ran away from the logging station.” Ferdinand whimpered as he raced off. "I've got no time for this, they're gonna find out!"
"Find out what?!" cried Flynn.
Ferdinand, in typical Ferdinand fashion, didn't hear Flynn's yell, as he was too focused on tracking down his friends. Soon, he was starting to run low on oil, so he had to fuel up at a depot at Elsbridge, where he happened to run into Thomas.
“Ferdinand?” gasped Thomas. “Hi! What are you doing on Sodor?”
“I’m looking for Bash and Dash,” Ferdinand explained, “they ran away from Misty Island. I think they’re trying to figure out the truth.”
“The truth about what?”
As Ferdinand and Thomas talked, Bash, Dash and Sidney were on another line, singing away.
"Ha ha ha, hee hee hee,
we're off to solve the mystery
to why they closed the isle of mist,
but we'll be back before Ferdinand gets-"
Suddenly, Dash slammed his brakes, stopping the other two dead in their tracks.
"Dash?" called Bash. "What's the matter?"
"Look!" shuddered Dash, looking over at Thomas talking to Ferdinand.
"What?" Bash whispered. "What's he doing here?"
"I think he's looking for us!" whimpered Dash. All of a sudden, the three noticed Diesel right behind them, giggling away and getting ready to bump. "No, no, no, please don't!"
"Wait!" gasped Sidney. "I've got an idea."
A few moments later, Diesel had switched tracks while Thomas and Ferdinand kept talking. "So what even happened? Why did the tunnel get sealed off?"
"It's a bit hard to discuss, but the reason is because-"
HOOOONK! Diesel raced past, blowing exhaust in their face, buying Bash, Dash and Sidney enough time to sneak past. "SURPRIIISE!"
"Diesel!" cried Thomas. "Sorry about him. You were saying?"
"It doesn't matter anymore." Ferdinand sighed. "I'm just hoping the two of them don't find out. It'd destroy them."
Bash, Dash and Sidney kept on searching all over Sodor for Sir Topham Hatt. Even when they got to Harwick, they were told that Edward took him back to Knapford. Just their luck. On their way back, they raced past Ferdinand. Just their luck!
"Huh?" gasped Ferdinand. "Guys! Come back!"
"Faster!" cried Dash.
"We gotta lose 'im!" shouted Bash.
Bash, Dash and Sidney sped up back to Knapford, with Ferdinand hot on their tail. At long last, they found Sir Topham Hatt. The racing around had made them woozy and tired, but they weren't gonna give up.
"Sir!" Bash and Dash cried.
"Bash? Dash?" gasped Sir Topham Hatt. "What are you two doing here?"
"We had an important question for you!" panted Bash.
"Why did you close down the Misty Island tunnel?" Dash hyperventilated.
"What?"
"Please, we need to know!"
"I didn't want to close the island down," Sir Topham Hatt started, "but it was just too dangerous!"
Ferdinand blew his whistle as loud as he could, trying to drown out the reason. But alas, it was too late.
"...what?" asked Bash.
"The island's too dangerous," continued Sir Topham Hatt, "none of the machines properly function, the tracks are all dilapidated and warped, I mean, the best way to the logging station is a really shaky bridge...everything about the island could've gotten someone hurt, or worse."
"But...what about us?" murmured Dash. "We could've fixed all that."
"But you didn't." sighed Sir Topham Hatt. "I know you've got good intentions, but those problems were in place for years. And every time a problem came up, you either ignored it or laughed it off. I'm sorry, but Misty Island was a liability."
Bash and Dash were speechless. They didn't realise the problem was that severe.
"Excuse me, sir?" called one of his assistants. "You're wanted on the telephone."
"Alright, give me a moment," Sir Topham Hatt called back as he walked away. Bash and Dash were left to sit there, completely stunned.
"I don't believe it." Bash sighed. "Misty Island was shut down..."
"...because of us?" continued Dash.
"That's...what I didn't want you to find out." frowned Ferdinand.
"Ferdinand?" Bash gasped. "You knew?"
"I was the first to know," Ferdinand explained, "and trust me, it hurt me as much as it's hurting you right now. But I understood, it was only to keep the other engines safe. I mean, come on. A bus was stuck on the bridge. That doesn't just happen, guys. The truth is...our island isn't safe for anyone else."
Bash and Dash were on the verge of tears. But ultimately, they knew both Ferdinand and Sir Topham Hatt were right. Just their luck. "Come on, guys. Let's go home."
A month had passed since then, and out of nowhere, Thomas, Edward and Sidney had received an invitation to Misty Island. The engines were confused about it, but they knew it'd be fun seeing their old friends again.
"What do you think this is about?" asked Thomas. "Perhaps Ol' Wheezy broke down again?"
"Maybe we need to gather more wood?" pondered Edward.
"Maybe we...er..." Sidney thought. "...I don't know. I've never been here."
"Well, if anything, it's probably gonna be something..." Thomas stopped dead in his tracks. Misty Island looked completely different. The tracks were fresh. The rotting buildings were fitted with fresh wood. The piles of logs were cleared. And, most surprising of all, the Shake Shake Bridge was gone, and replaced with a fresh suspension bridge made of Jobi wood. The three engines were stunned.
"What?" gasped Thomas. "What happened?"
Bash, Dash and Ferdinand were at the logging station, awaiting their friends. They were pretty anxious about what everyone thought of the changes.
"We fixed up the island." Bash explained.
"Hopefully it's a lot safer now." Dash continued.
"What do you think?" asked Ferdinand.
Thomas, Edward and Sidney looked around the island. It was different from what they remember...or at least, what Thomas and Edward remember. So much so that it looked like a completely different island. But they only had one thing to say. "We love it!"
"Really?" smiled Dash.
"Yeah, it looks fantastic!" Thomas laughed. "I can't act like I won't miss the old place, but this is still great!"
"Do you think it'll get our island reopened?" asked Bash.
"Honestly..." thought Sidney. "...yes."
Bash, Dash and Ferdinand were over the moon. They had finally regained the trust of the Sodor engines.
"Well, I think this was a job well done." smiled Bash.
"It may take a while, but I think this'll get our grooves back." smirked Dash.
"That's right." smiled Ferdinand.
And so, the sun set on a new, a different, but overall a safer Misty Island. Bash, Dash and Ferdinand continuted their work as usual, and sometimes they'd visit Sodor, but either way, they couldn't be happier with the changes they made to both the island and themselves.
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