"Another boring day on the horizon..." sighed Cranky.
"Oh, lighten up, chuck!" laughed Carly. "I'm sure something interesting's bound to arrive."
"At this hour, Carly?" grumbled Cranky. "What could possibly arrive that could be so-"
Then, something heavy snagged onto Cranky's hook. "What in the world?!"
"Cranky, are you okay?" asked Carly.
Cranky heaved with all his might and lifted the heavy object to his eyes to reveal... "Gator?!"
Yes, it was Gator, Percy's old friend from Colombia. "Hello, Cranky! Been a while, hasn't it?"
"Is that who I think it is?" asked Salty from below. "It is! Ahoy there, Gator!"
"Hey, Salty!" chuckled Gator as Cranky lowered him onto the rails. "How long's it been? I haven't seen you in a little over ten years!"
"Far too long, matey!" chortled Salty. "What brings ye back to Sodor?"
"Well, I didn't have a whole lot of work to do back home," Gator explained, "so I figured it's been a while, I may as well pay you lot a visit! And I have to say, this place looks...a bit different."
"That'd be me!" laughed Carly. "We haven't met. I'm Carly!"
"Pleased to meet you, Carly!" called Gator. "Now, I should probably go and find Percy."
"I think he's still at Tidmouth Sheds," guessed Porter. "It's still really early. He may not even be awake."
Gator wasted no time in heading to Tidmouth Sheds. On the way over, he noticed a few changes around the railway. New stations. Unfamiliar engines. One thing was for sure: Sodor has had a serious makeover. But when he got to Tidmouth Sheds, he didn't care. He just wanted to see his old friend again. Percy was still asleep by the time Gator got there.
"Wake up, everyone!" chuckled Gator as he blew his whistle.
Percy woke up with a shock. "Wha...what's going on?"
"Hello!"
"Gator?!" gasped Percy. "Hi! What are you doing here?"
"Figured I'd pop by for a visit. See you've got some new roommates."
Nia and Rebecca smiled at Gator. "You've missed a lot." laughed Thomas. "These are Nia and Rebecca. They're living with us after Edward and Henry moved out."
"Aw, they moved? How come?"
"Edward moved out to be closer to his branchline."
"And Henry?"
"...I dunno."
As the engines left the sheds to get to work, Percy stayed behind to see Gator. "It's so good to have you back here!"
"Thanks, Percy, it's good to see you again, it really is." Gator smiled. "...railway's a touch different from how I remember it though."
"Yeah, but whaddya expect after over ten years?" Percy laughed. "It's still the same old railway. In fact, do you wanna join me on my job today? I've got a delivery to make up to Arlesburgh."
"Oh, absolutely!" Gator perked up. "Lead the way!"
In spite of what Percy said, it didn't feel like the same old railway to Gator. At every turn, he witnessed something strange that wasn't there before. Granted, Gator was never adverse to anything new, but with all these changes, it was almost like he was on a whole new railway.
"You alright, Gator?" asked Percy, noticing how confused Gator was.
"Yeah, I'm alright, Percy." smiled Gator. "Just getting used to all the changes to the railway."
"I hear that," chuckled Percy. "It took me a while to get used to some of the new bits around here. Like, did you know at one point Sodor had a walking bridge?"
"A what?!" gasped Gator. "How's that even possible?"
"An inventor moved to Sodor a few years ago named Ruth." Percy explained. "It's a long story."
"Okay, while that does sound very unusual, this place is still the same old Sodor." Gator thought to himself. "I still know my way around."
Percy and Gator then proceeded to take a turn up to Harwick, right by Arlesburgh West. "Okay, I can't say I remember this place..."
"Who's your friend there, Percy?" asked Rex.
"Hello there!" chuckled Gator. "Call me Gator!"
"Funny, you don't look like a reptile." joked Rex.
"Wow, you're really getting on with the miniature engines." gasped Percy.
"We've got a massive miniature railway up in Bucaramanga." explained Gator. "They're very nice fellows."
Soon, Percy dropped off his load and was ready to head on back to Knapford...until...
"Oh, Percy, just a heads up," called out Rex, "I think the track heading to the main line is blocked, Philip's just derailed."
"What?" asked Gator. "But we just came that way."
"It's kind of a new derailment. Your best bet is taking the walking bridge."
Percy and Gator soon found themselves cutting through Toby's branch line to get to the Walking Bridge. When they got to it, Gator was more than confused.
"What?" he pondered. "Where's the rest of it?"
"It's not called the Walking Bridge for no reason, y'know." explained Ruth, who was commandeering the bridge for the day. "Just roll on and the bridge will do the rest."
Gator looked at Percy. He didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous. "After you."
Percy gulped. "Y'know, I've...never actually been on this bridge before. You sure you don't wanna go first?"
Gator thought for a second, but the truth was, he was scared too. "...no. No, I can't."
"Me neither!" whimpered Percy. "What if I fall off?!"
"It's all too strange!" cried Gator. "I'm starting to think...um..."
"What?"
Gator didn't want to say it, but he knew he had to. "I'm starting to think you may be wrong. Maybe this isn't the same old railway."
"I know that feeling better than anyone." Ruth sympathised with Gator. "Change can be a scary thing. I had to make the biggest change of my life when I moved here."
"I know, but what if you went back to America for a day and everything there was different to the point where you barely recognise it?"
"Well, like I said, change can be scary. It can be hard to swallow, even. But at the same time, it's a natural part of life. It may take time getting used to, but I assure you, deep down it's still the same old railway."
Then, an idea came to Percy. "Tell ya what, Gator. Why don't we go on the bridge together?"
"Yeah, good idea." Gator smiled.
The two then rolled onto the Walking Bridge as Ruth commandeered it to the other side. It was still a little intimidating, Percy even had his eyes closed the whole time. But alas, the two made it across.
"Wow...that was actually rather smooth." Gator gasped. "You ready to go, Percy?"
Percy was still quivering, his eyes still shut. "Yeah, just give me a second..."
And as the two went on their work, Gator soon got used to all the changes to the railway and wasn't so intimidated by everything, and even when he encountered something new he didn't understand, he never forgot Ruth's advice. And, soon enough, it did start to feel like the same old railway again.
