Bye Bye, Bertie - ThomasNATION Fanstory
May 23, 2026
"It's a tie!" declared Thomas' driver, one windy spring morning.
"What?!" cried Thomas. "I totally won that!"
"No way." smirked Bertie. "I beat you by a hair."
"Nuh-uh!" pouted Thomas. "I beat you by two hairs! And an eyelash!"
"We need to settle this. Want a rematch?" decided Bertie.
"No!" wailed Annie and Clarabel.
"Ah, looks like we're outnumbered." Thomas sighed. "Next time, though."
"I won't go easy on you next time!" laughed Bertie as he left.
"Oh, so you were going easy on me all this time!" joked Thomas.
As Bertie left, Thomas continued picking up his passengers. But he couldn't help but overhear a pair of drivers chatting on the platform.
"So, when's he going away to the mainland?" said one of the drivers.
"In two days." said the other.
"Well, it's a shame. He'll be missed around here."
"Yeah, but this is just something Bertie needs to do."
Thomas gasped. "Annie! Clarabel! Did you hear that?!"
"What?" asked Annie.
"I think...I think Bertie's leaving Sodor!"
Thomas wasn't sure of what he heard, he only knew it couldn't be good. So, he did what anyone would in this case: tell his best friends about it.
"What?" gasped Percy. "Why would Sir Topham Hatt get rid of Bertie?"
"Don't ask me." Thomas sighed. "I tried to ask him, and I couldn't get a straight answer out of him. And then, he accuses me of not understanding it!"
"So now what? Your branch line just gets a new bus?" asked Rebecca.
"Maybe Thomas can race the new bus." suggested Nia.
"No. It won't be the same." declared Thomas. "We need to make sure that Bertie stays on Sodor."
"What can we do?" asked Gordon. "Bertie's routes don't affect us."
Thomas thought, trying to come up with a solution. "...what if they did?"
"What do you mean?" pondered Percy.
"I'm saying we stop going to the same stations Bertie stops at?" Thomas started. "A total boycott!"
"What's a boy-coat?" asked Percy.
"A boycott." sighed Emily. "And it'll never work. It'll only get us in trouble."
"But it'll drive more traffic to Bertie! Then, Sir Topham Hatt will realise how much Sodor needs him!"
"Thomas, this plan is so inane, so ridiculous, so silly that..." James groaned.
"...it just might work." Gordon interrupted. "So what if we get in trouble? There's something greater at stake here! We shall not let Thomas lose his friend!"
The Steam Team tooted in agreement...except Emily. "This is not going to end well."
The Steam Team woke up bright and early the next morning, ready to enact their boycott. Thomas and Gordon were ready to go as they picked up their passengers.
"I honestly wish I could talk you out of this," Emily sighed. "I don't like seeing you get in trouble."
"It'll all be worth it once we save Bertie." Thomas smiled.
"Well, I'm staying out of it."
As the stationmaster blew his whistle, Gordom immediately disembarked. "Alright. Let's do this."
Gordon made his way across the island. His route was no different, except when he got to Maron, simply whizzing right past it.
"Oi!" cried out a passenger. "That was my stop!"
"Sorry, we don't stop there anymore!" Gordon boasted. "You'll have to take a bus!"
"Perhaps I will..." grumbled the surly passenger. That was all Gordon needed to hear.
All over the island, the word spread about the Steam Team's boycott, from the main line to the branches. And engines all over wanted in on it. They didn't want Bertie to leave forever. They wanted to help him. So now, there were tons of engines skipping stops. And traffic for Bertie had never been better! Bulgy, of course, was loving it.
"Ha! Told you the railways were unreliable." laughed Bulgy.
"Is this not suspicious, Bulgy?" asked Bertie. "Engines just randomly chugging past their stations?"
"Who cares? We're finally gonna free the roads!"
But Bertie was still suspicious.
Thomas stopped at Ffarquhar later that day, pleased with his new "updated" schedule. Passengers climbed out of Annie and Clarabel, grumbling as Bertie drove into the bus stop.
"Thomas?" asked Bertie. "Philip told me you were doing a protest."
"I am!" smiled Thomas. "It's all for you!"
"For me?" gasped Bertie. "Is that why you're skipping your stops?"
"Yes! I'm trying to show Sir Topham Hatt that you're just as important to Sodor as we are!"
"Uh...thanks?" Bertie thought, confused. "But why?"
"So you don't leave Sodor."
"Oh. That." Bertie started. "I still have to leave."
Thomas stopped. "What?"
"I'm leaving first thing in the morning tomorrow. I have a special job to do."
"But..." Thomas was overwhelmed. "I don't want you to go."
"You'll see me again." Bertie said as he drove off. "Bye, Thomas."
Thomas was weak in the wheels. He couldn't chase him. He couldn't talk him out of it. All he could do was watch. "Goodbye, Bertie."
Throughout the rest of the day, Thomas was too depressed to continue the protest. He knew that nothing he could do could bring Bertie back.
"Cheer up, Thomas." said Percy that night. "You could always race me on your branch line."
"It won't be the same." sighed Thomas. "Besides, how do I know you won't leave too?"
"I can't believe it." pouted Rebecca. "All those unnecessary stops, all that protesting...it was all for nothing?"
Emily sighed. "I'm really sorry, Thomas. But I don't think anything you could've done could've stopped this."
"So now what do we do?" asked Nia.
Thomas took a deep breath. "...we keep doing our work. And when the time comes, we get used to the new bus."
Two days passed after Bertie left Sodor. Thomas was still down about his departure as he pulled into Knapford.
"Morning, Thomas." called out Toby.
"Hey..." Thomas said back, weakly.
"Eh? What's going on here?" asked a familiar voice.
Thomas looked over to the roadway and gasped. There, standing at the entryway...was Bertie!
"BERTIE!" gasped Thomas with joy. "You're back!"
"I am! Did you miss me?"
"I thought you had a special new job on the mainland!"
"I did. I was carrying the Queen and the young Prince!"
Annie and Clarabel gasped. "I say!"
"So then...you're not leaving Sodor forever?"
"No! Why would I leave this place? Sodor's my home."
Gordon chuckled. "Welcome back, Bertie. I'm glad this could all get resolved with no confusion or delay."
Sir Topham Hatt cleared his throat. He glared at Thomas and Gordon. "Would you care to explain why you didn't stop at your scheduled stations?"
Thomas and Gordon gulped. They looked around, desperate for an excuse. They noticed Emily on another platform. "Emily, help."
"Sorry, guys." Emily whistled as she disembarked. "I told you. I'm staying out of it."
Thomas winced, bracing for Sir Topham Hatt's scorn. "Oh no..."
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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