Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Into The Boob Verse.

Trixie's Trick

Photographers had come to the island to take pictures of the railway. They all stood on bridges, on sideways, or even station platforms, just to get the best photos of whatever engine they could. The engines loved this, especially Henry.

"They always shower me with compliments whenever they take my photo!"

He boasted to no one in particular.

"That's more than I could say about the rest of you I'm sure."

His driver, who had been listening to the same thing all day, had grown fed up.

"I've heard them say how fat you look too."

She snarled, but Henry wasn't listening. At that moment, Clifton sauntered in, his boiler littered with little black dots.

"What happened to you!?"

Douglas' driver gasped.

"Some teenagers threw coal at us when we came out of the tunnel!"

Clifton's stoker replied in a squeak filled fury.

"They ran off before we could catch them!"

"Not like you would've..."

Henry muttered, but Trixie's brain quickly connected the dots.

"You know~"

She smoothly talked to Henry.

"We could blast them with soot, like what you did to those old school boys after your rebuild."

"I'd rather not risk dirtying my lovely paint. Then who'd the photographers get photos of then!?"

"But think about it~ Imagine, being a hero to the railway~ They'd definitely take your photo once news goes around~"

Douglas' driver raised an eyebrow, as Henry's smirk turned to a toothy grin.

"Oh really!? Do you think I could be a railway hero!?"

"Of course you could. We'll do it tomorrow."

And with that, Trixie hobbled away.

"What are you planning?"

Douglas' driver asked, grabbing her hand. Trixie only smiled.

"You'll see~"

The next morning. The plan began. Henry started steaming stubbornly. The stoker, who had been made aware of what was to take place, simply played along.

"We'll make those teenagers as sooty as your firebox."

Henry found the whole thing rather exciting. He soon found himself having trouble breathing.

"It'll be worth it!"

He huffed.

At last, the time came. Henry had a long goods train in tow, determined to pay out some vandals. As they neared the tunnel, his crew began to ready him for the stunt.

"I'll show them!"

He gasped. That's when it happened. One moment, the tunnel exit was coming into view, the next, Trixie opened a lever, spraying ash and soot everywhere! Henry coughed and spluttered, unable to see the end now. He rocketed out the other side, his lovely green paint now covered in a horrid black.

"What was that for!?"

He gasped, his face as red as his now dirty foot-plate.

"That's for all that boasting!"

His driver replied. Henry was furious, Trixie had won.

What made it worse was when he arrived at the big station, people with cameras were all over the platform, whispering and looking at photos. They didn't much care for Henry now.

"Worse and worse."

He whispered. He wasn't to know they weren't in fact for him at all.

That night, the other engines gave Henry a wide berth. A few of the crews worked hard to make sure he was a little cleaner.

"Maybe they should shower you with something other than compliments."

Clifton smirked. Henry didn't reply.

Trixie was given a light telling off by The Fat Controller. While he thought the joke was mostly harmless, it did create a thick cloud that lingered until the next train had passed on through it.

The teenagers were swiftly arrested, and helped pay for the damaged coaches. Some of the best punishments are the strictest.

Henry still boasts about his paintwork, but never in front of his driver. He knows if he does, Trixie will play yet another trick on him. I just hope this lasts.