TGR but There's a Roleswap (2x5)

Chapter 1 - The Foreign Scottish Engine

Word Count: 930

Once James arrived at Brendam Docks, he headed straight for his assigned goods trains to get it over with and go back to pulling passenger trains. "A splendid engine like me shouldn't be doing this sort of work!" he muttered with fury. Just as he was about to say something else, a ship's horn blasted near the docks as the ship came to the loading area, specifically the engine loading area.

Nobody had used that area in years so when the platform dropped to connect the ship to the docks, everyone stopped and stared, including James, Salty, Porter, and Cranky.

Once the ship and platform were safely connected, engines stormed off the boat, quickly filling Brendam Docks and startling the beings there. The engine, a Scottish tender engine, in the front rushed ahead with excitement. "Och, dear! V-Very busy today! The dockyard, I mean!" he exclaimed inattentively.

The dock manager looked up from his clipboard when he noticed the engines pass by. "Hey, stop! Hold it!" he hollered but they couldn't hear him so he blew his whistle. Thankfully, they all stopped, including the Scottish engine.

Ignoring the immediate groaning of questions from the engines behind the second engine, the dock manager asked loudly, "Where are you all going?"

"To the Great Railway Show, of course!" replied the second engine, a Belgium streamlined tender engine.

"The Great Railway Show is on the Mainland in England! This is the Island of Sodor!"

"The Island o'-?" The Belgium engine's face dropped. "Oh." With a blast of his whistle, he hollered, "Alright, back on the ship!"

Despite the complaining from some of the other engines, everyone reversed back onto the ship. As they did so, the Scottish engine yelled, "H-Hold oan! I'm comin'!" following everyone else. "W-Wait!"

James followed the crowd to the boat. "The Great Railway Show? Are you all really-?"

"Get out of the way, rusty iron!" hollered a large blue Canadian tender engine.

James fumed, huffing heavy clouds of steam. "I'm not the one going backward," he muttered. As the engines boarded the ship, he exclaimed, "Why don't you take me with you all?" He switched lines. "It looks like there's room for one more!" exclaimed James as he braked suddenly at the engine boarding dock.

"Is there somebody missin'?" piped up a small green tank engine with a thick Italian accent. Her expression quickly shifted as she noticed Salty and Porter calling out for an engine rushing towards James.

The large American tender engine only chuckled darkly.

Just as James' expression shifted, the Scottish engine bumped into him from behind with a loud CLANK! James was shoved forwards, making his pony truck dangle from the edge and for him to dip forward, as the other engine gasped in surprise.

"Nonono! Help!" he screamed as he panicked. "I'm going to go overboard!"

"James!" exclaimed Salty and Porter. They rushed forward to the engine-loading docks with many of the dock workers.

James helplessly reversed, dipping back and forth on the edge of the docks.

The workmen quickly grabbed a chain, attached it to the back of the Scottish engine, and connected it to James' tender buffer beam.

"Start pulling!" exclaimed one of the workers.

The Scottish engine struggled as his wheels squealed against the iron rails. Slowly but surely, he managed to pull the bright red medium-sized tender engine back on the rails. Once James was settled down and the workmen began to unchain the engines, cheers roared around the area for the Scottish engine.

"What a rescue!" exclaimed Porter.

Everyone was glad the engine had saved James and that nothing worse had happened.

But James wasn't.

"What is it with all you railway show engines? Charging about like you own the rails!" he fumed as he backed down and switched onto Porter's line. "What makes you so special anyway? Do you think you're better than the rest of us just because-!" He froze once his eyes met the stranger.

The Scottish engine was a tender engine with four leaders and four drivers, painted Indian Red with a lighter red and black used for his lining. His eyes were a warm brass, and he was about the same size as James. "S-Sorry, I'm v-very sorry!" he exclaimed, looking downwards and avoiding eye contact. "No' ma intention tae bump ye. I-I should've lookit." he said. "I-I didnae ken ye there!"

James didn't answer. He glared at the foreigner, feeling insulted that the engine didn’t even bother looking at him. Great, just what I needed! he thought with a huff and a frown that slowly grew. Another red engine.

Noticing the rising tension, Salty broke the silence. "Uh, thank you for rescuing me. My name is James," he said, glancing at James to the Scottish engine. "What's yours?"

"Salty!" James scolded sharply.

But Salty laughed, and the Scottish engine joined, chuckling.

"Don't be silly, James. That can't be their name. That's my name!"

The foreigner's laughter subsided. "Edward. Ma name’s Edward," he chimed with a warm smile.

"Well, I can't stay here all day!" he huffed as he backed straight into Porter.

"James, watch out!" exclaimed the viridian saddle tank engine. It was too late as James bumped him back by accident.

Edward gasped as quietly as he could.

James was flustered. In a desperate attempt to cover his mess up, James huffed back at the other red tender engine. Red. He fumed at the thought. "I have work to do!"

"Hm?" Edward's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his eyes followed the other red tender engine leaving the docks without his goods train.