The Tenders of Terror! - ThomasNATION Fanstory
October 31, 2024
"Headin' home, fellas?" asked Porter.
"Yep, it's been a long day," replied Edward, "so we're just going to head back before it gets too dark."
"Arrgh, ya may as well get back soon," chortled Salty, "lest ye be snatched up by...the Tenders of Terror!"
"The Tenders of Terror?" asked Nia.
Cranky rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Here we go again..."
"There be few things that scare me on this isle," Salty warned. "But the Tenders of Terror will be enough to scare the wheels offa any engine! Lean in closer as I tell you their tale of woe..."
Nia, Edward, Bill, Ben and Porter leaned in, ready for one of Salty's classic spooky stories.
"Twas a long time ago on the railway, when a young engine with two tenders was in charge of this here branch line. He was proud of his line, but no prouder than he was of his tenders. Until one fateful day...he chuffed into a tunnel and disappeared without a trace, and nobody knows why. All that was left of the lad were his two tenders. To this day, those two tenders roam in the shadows whenever the fog comes a-rollin' in, searchin' and cryin' for their engine. So let this be a warnin' to you all. Should you go puffin' in the fog, watch out and watch yer backs. Because when you least expect it, the Tenders of Terror might couple up to ya, and before long there won't be any of ya left! All that'll be of ya...will be the Tenders of Terror."
Nia gulped nervously. "Huh. That was a really...interesting story."
"That's a very creative story, Salty," said Edward, "but also a bit silly. I've worked on this railway my whole life, longer than you, even. And I've never even heard of this double-tendered engine."
"That's because nobody knew how to explain it." Salty went on. "How does one explain an engine disappearing into the fog?"
"You just made it up, didn't you?" scowled Cranky. "We all know that engines don't just vanish into tunnels. Honestly, and here I thought the Flatbeds of Fear was your most far fetched story."
"So what happens when the tenders get you?" asked Nia.
"Then the curse falls on you too." Salty explained. "Until one day, you vanish as well. Even the lightest touch of the buffers is enough to pass on the curse!"
"A curse? Seriously?" Cranky groaned. "Nia, he's making it up. There are no Tenders of Terror. Head home."
The engines adjourned and headed back to their homes, Salty's tale still fresh in their memories.
The fog had rolled in as Nia headed back to Tidmouth Sheds. She couldn't get the story out of her mind.
"That story was made up, right?" Nia asked. "I mean, surely there's no ghost tenders around here...but then again I've met plenty of engines on this line only to never see them again."
Nia looked around a little. "...and I'm talking to myself. I'm probably just overthinking it. That was just a story. There's no-"
A loud rattle started filling the silence. Nia stopped dead in her tracks. "Hello?" Nia looked around, trying to find the noise. "Who's there?"
The rattle died down eventually. Nia let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, I need to get back to the sheds, I think I'm starting to hear things...and I'm still talking to-"
The rattle started up again. From the fog, Nia noticed a train of trucks and tankers sitting at a station. Nia could barely make out the shape of a tender from the fog.
"Oh, it was just you!" Nia laughed. "You gave me such a scare, Edward! You realy need to warn me before you sneak up on me in the-"
Nia puffed up to the engine, but what she saw next was a sight she didn't want to see. There was no engine. All there was were the freight train and two rusty tenders. Nia was mortified!
"The Tenders of Terror!" she screamed. She raced off as fast as she could, not looking back. She didn't know how to explain it, all she knew was that she wanted to get out of there before she got hit by the Tenders' curse.
The engines at Tidmouth Sheds were all cosied up and fast asleep. That was, until...
"Gangway!" cried Nia as she raced into the sheds, accidentally knocking Gordon back into his shed. "Sorry, Gordon!"
"Why is it always me?" groaned Gordon.
"Are you okay?" asked Thomas. "I've never seen you so freaked out."
"I don't know," panted Nia, still frightened. "I think I lost them."
"Lost what?"
"Let me guess." James sighed. "Another one of Salty's spooky Hallween stories?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"This happens every year," explained Emily, "though usually it happens with Percy."
James noticed Percy racing into the sheds with the mail train. "Here he comes now."
"They're after me! THEY'RE AFTER ME!" screamed Percy, racing into the same berth Nia dashed into.
"Wait, wait, wait, Percy, no!" cried Gordon before he was knocked back further into the shed.
"Okay, what's going on?" asked Thomas. "I'd expect this from Percy, but what's got Nia so spooked?"
"I saw...the Tenders of Terror!" cried Nia.
James laughed. "Okay, that's a new one, I'll give him credit."
"Nia, don't worry about the Tenders of Trouble or whatever they're called," Emily chuckled, "this is just another one of Salty's tall tales. Trust me, there's no such thing!"
"But I saw them!" whimpered Nia. "With my own eyes. They were all rusty and ghostly, it was horrifying!"
"How do you know it was the Tenders of Terror?" asked Gordon. "Sounds to me like they were just a couple of old trucks."
"Because I saw them too!" blurted Percy.
"Really?" gasped Thomas. "Wow, if both of you saw it, maybe these tenders are the real deal..."
The next day, Nia and Percy headed straight to the Brendam branch line. Nia had work to do at the Animal Park later, but before that, they had to find those tenders before any of the engines got the curse. It was even foggier than the day before, but that wasn't gonna stop them.
"Morning, you two." called out Edward. "What brings you up here at this time?"
"We're on a ghost hunt." said Percy. "We're looking for the Tenders of Terror."
"I'm not sure about that story," thought Edward, "how do we know this double tendered engine exists?"
"Because we saw them." explained Nia. "There's no other way to describe it, so we're going back in there so we can take them down."
Nia and Percy went into the heart of the branch line. They searched the flour mill, the Fenland, the scrapyard, but no luck. Their next stop was the docks.
"Ahoy there, you two!" called Salty. "What brings you two down here?"
"Salty, did you ever see the Tenders of Terror?" asked Nia.
"Not this again!" sighed Cranky.
"I can't say that I have," Salty answered, "but I've heard enough stories about 'em to solidify me beliefs. Why'd you ask?"
"Because we saw them last night." replied Percy.
Porter looked at Cranky, smirking. "What's that about him making it up again?"
"No matter. Are they here?" asked Nia. "We're gonna try to take them away before anyone else gets hit with the curse."
"I'm quite sorry, lass," Salty sighed. "But the Tenders of Terror have never roamed these waters."
Eventually, Nia and Percy's search proved fruitless. The Tenders of Terror were nowhere to be seen. They had just started to head back to do their work, when...
"Oh, wait, I need to run by the Clay Pits," recalled Percy. "I have to pick up some clay for Ulfstead Castle."
"Okay, I'll come with you," said Nia, "just in case we see the tenders."
"Ooh, good call." said Percy as they headed down to the Clay Pits. Soon, Percy grabbed his trucks and began to leave, until a small shape started to creep out of the tunnels. Percy squinted, trying to make out the shape through the fog. He eventually saw a freight train...and two rusty tenders.
"THE TENDERS OF TERROR!" screamed Percy. He instantly started reversing down the way as the tenders gave chase.
"Percy! What's wrong?" called Nia.
"They're after me! THE TENDERS ARE AFTER ME!" whimpered Percy.
But then there was trouble. Percy crashed right into a pile of clay, derailing him instantly. But the Tenders of Terror kept creeping towards him. He was trapped. Nia raced over to Percy, trying to push him out of the clay. But it was no use.
"No, Nia, it's no use!" Percy cried. "Just go! Save yourself!"
Nia stared at the tenders head on. She knew what she had to do...but she didn't like it. But at day's end, it was the only way. Nia raced off over to the tenders.
"Leave my friend alone!" Nia growled to the Tenders of Terror.
"NIA, NO!" cried Percy.
But it was too late. Nia gave the Tenders a mighty bump, stopping them dead in their tracks. As far as she and Percy knew, Nia now had the Tenders of Terror's curse.
"Nia...what did you do?" gasped Percy.
"I had no choice." said Nia, a little breathless. "I had to save you. I couldn't just-"
"Ow!" called a strange voice. "What was that for?"
Nia chuffed behind the tenders. What she saw was...Bill and Ben, wincing in pain.
"What the..." gasped Nia. "I should've known. This was all you two?"
"Yeah." laughed Bill. "You gotta admit, it was pretty funny, right?"
"How?" groaned Nia. "How was that in any way funny? You had me and Percy scared for our lives!"
While Nia confronted Bill and Ben, Marion had helped Percy out of the clay. He rushed over to see if Nia was okay. "What happened?"
"Percy, meet the Tenders of Tender." sighed Nia. "How did you even do this?"
"Remember when Henry was tricked into pulling a load of old, dirty tenders?" asked Bill.
"Yeah?"
"We used a couple of those tenders. We had to clean out a lot of boiler sludge so it wouldn't spill out, but it paid off."
"So this whole time, it was you two?" asked Percy.
"The whole time." said Ben. "Not too bad, huh?"
"No!" yelled Nia. "That was horrible!"
"Had to have been one of your worst pranks to date." added Percy.
"It was funny to us." chuckled Bill.
Nia and Percy thought for a second, and eventually started laughing. "I guess it was a bit funny." said Nia.
"Yeah, you really thought this one through." laughed Percy. "Come on, I have an idea."
Later that day, Salty was telling the tale of the Tenders of Terror to the other engines, when a strange rattle echoed through the docks.
"What was that?" asked Porter.
"That'll be them..." warned Salty.
"Pah. I'll believe it when I see it." scoffed Gordon.
Just then, the Tenders of Terror rolled into the Docks. The engines all gasped in horror.
"GAH! The Tenders of Terror!" shrieked Cranky.
Nia and Percy came out from behind the tenders. "Did we scare you?"
The other engines laughed at the prank.
"Not too bad, eh?" laughed Nia. "It was all Bill and Ben's idea."
"Aye, I must say," Salty declared, "I think we all needed that laugh."
And with that, the engines laughed along, both with Nia and Percy's prank, and the fact that the engines had nothing to worry about.
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