Thomas and Friends Fanfiction Series 7

King for a Day

(Inspired by an idea from transformersprimefan)

Rajiv is a very vain engine. He thinks he is the most splendid and royally important engine in the whole of India. 

His self-importance only increased when he won the Best Decorated Engine Award at the Great Railway Show in the United Kingdom, beating several other engines, such as James and Emily from Sodor. 

Rajiv never even noticed that his friend, Ashima had won a prize too for winning the Shunting Challenge alongside Thomas the Tank Engine. 

This sometimes annoys Ashima. 

One day, Rajiv was boasting as usual. 

"My crown is what won me the Railway Show, I have no doubt," he said to some passengers. 

"And I'm sure that you are talking too much, Rajiv," said Shankar, "get on with your work! And besides, Ashima won the Shunting Challenge and she doesn't boast and boast...ugh...and boast about it all day, every day!" 

"Did she?" teased Rajiv. "I never noticed." 

"You're such a rude engine sometimes, Rajiv," huffed Noor Jehan. 

"You sometimes make my friend James seem modest," laughed Thomas. 

"Ah, yes! I believe I mopped the rails with him," smirked Rajiv rudely. 

Just then, Charubala arrived. 

"That's enough, Rajiv," she said sternly, "I have a job for you. Some children are going on a nature trail today. I want you to take them around the railway as they seek out the animals around the sights." 

"Yes, Miss Charubala, ma'am," said Rajiv keenly. 

Rajiv set off with a coach to collect the children. 

Ashima was shunting some coaches into a siding at the big station when Rajiv collected his young passengers. 

"Wow," said one child excitedly, "that engine must be a king! He has a crown!" 

Rajiv smiled very proudly. 

"I am like royalty, I must say," he said to himself. 

Then to the children, he said, "I, King Rajiv, shall take you on this splendid nature tour! Do board quickly, please!" 

The excited children boarded. 

(The Famous Fashion Designer can be seen shaking her head knowingly to Ashima.) 

"You know you're not really a king, Rajiv? You're getting too big for your crown!" 

"My crown may as well prove that I am the King of the Indian Engines!" boasted Rajiv. 

He whistled and puffed away. 

"That crown really has gone to his funnel," sighed Ashima. 

Rajiv puffed along the line. He felt grand, he felt royal and he felt over-confident. 

"I am a king! I'm a king, LALALA!" 

He imagined himself with his crown, but donned in a king's red robe. 

"Ashima, where is my royal coach? Thomas, you are banished back to Sodor! Shankar, you and Noor Jehan are to work in the quarries all day, every day! Oh, what it's like to be in charge of you all! Oh, I just LOVE to be king!" 

He snapped out of his daydream when he heard some chattering. He remembered to stop so that the children could admire the monkeys swinging in the trees. 

"Ooh, chimpees!" squealed a girl. 

"Now, children, write your notes on how these monkeys live," said the teacher. 

Rajiv had to wait. But he was worried. He remembered the time when a monkey stole and lost his crown. He didn't want that to happen again. 

"If they take my crown, I won't be a king to the children anymore," he said to himself. 

So he decided to go. 

"Um, so much more to see! Your king will show you!" 

He pulled away in haste and that made the children and teacher bump into their seats. 

"Ow!" 

But Rajiv didn't notice his mistake. 

He soon stopped again when he heard a loud trumpeting sound. 

"Ah, here is one of the largest animals of India!" he declared. "I present to you, the elephants!" 

The children keenly looked out of their windows and there were the elephants. 

Rajiv saw that they were trumpeting water as they entered a lake near the line and he began to worry. 

"What if those elephants blow water at me? I might lose my crown and I certainly won't look fit to be King Rajiv!" 

So Rajiv set off again. 

"Not to worry, I know where we can spot a tiger!" 

The children were annoyed to part with the elephants so quickly, as was the teacher. But they were also keen to encounter a live tiger further along the line. 

Rajiv had to travel very quietly and went very slowly. 

Soon enough, he spotted the tiger up ahead. It was peeking at him near a tree. 

"Here, children," he whispered, "the great tiger of India!" 

The children were very excited and began to take notes on how the tiger lived in its habitat. 

But Rajiv was growing worried again. 

"What if that tiger pounces on me? My passengers would get hurt, my paint would get scratched! My crown could get taken, and then it would be goodbye, King Rajiv and...Hello, King Tiger!" 

Rajiv couldn't take the risk and he set off yet again and headed straight back to the big station. 

But the children and the teacher were furious! 

As soon as Rajiv brought them back to the station, the teacher approached Charubala and told her how badly and quickly the trip had gone!

Charubala was cross too. 

"Rajiv, why did you rush the nature trip? The children hardly had any time to study the animals!" 

Rajiv felt very foolish and blushed. 

"I'm sorry, Charubala ma'am, but I was enjoying being King Rajiv to the children...and those horrible beasts would have made my crown and paintwork look terrible!" 

"You refused to wait because you wanted to look like a king and didn't want your crown taken off you?" snapped Charubala. "Well, as punishment, Rajiv, you can return to your shed. Ashima can take charge of the trip this time!" 

"Yes, ma'am," said Rajiv sadly. 

That evening, Ashima told the engines about how the children enjoyed seeing the monkeys eating nuts and berries, the elephants cooling themselves by shooting water with their trunks and the tiger creeping silently upon its prey in the fields. 

"I bet the children enjoyed being carried by a shunting champion rather than a, uh, king for a single day," teased Thomas. 

Even Rajiv had to laugh, though he still secretly thought he would make a fabulous king! 

(The End!)