#pretend the events of tatmr happened in the 2010s/2020s

[juniaships]

Rosie Earns A Star Chapter 1:

Rosie gets a new engineer however she is not who she seems. Meanwhile there's news of an actress who disappeared, Schemer violates railway protocol to film his own pilot series, and Arthur tries not to strangle sometime. Mix of TATMR, RWS & TVS because I am not a "purist"; I love Thomas the tank engine in all its form! Not a shipfic, this is purely platonic!!

Times have changed and so have interests. As people think about what they want to do in their lives, some have taken upon themselves to rebuild themselves from the ground up. Others are too busy to realize what they need is right in front of them. Arthur thinks a trip to the seaside could help clear their minds.

Or a well-aimed rock at their heads. - The Author.

"Famous Actress Disappears in Spain!"

Mrs. Stone read the headline aloud as she flipped through the newspaper. It was breakfast time and the Stone family were getting ready to take Lily for her annual trip to Muffle Mountain.

"Who is it?" Lily asked as she looked up from her bowl of cereal.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear." Lily swallowed then asked again. Smiling, Mrs. Stone read aloud:

"Brittany Wilson was scheduled to appear at a movie festival later this month. She was last seen at a hair salon in Madrid Thursday afternoon. Her whereabouts are currently unknown, and her family have not spoken to the press."

Lily grew intrigued.

"When they checked the hotel all of her belongings were gone," finished Mrs. Stone.

"Oh that Brittany Wilson! I heard of her before! I haven't watched a lot of her movies but my friends love her. I hope she's alright."

Mrs. Stone nodded in agreement.

"It could be a publicity stunt but who knows in this crazy world we live in."

After breakfast the Stones got in their car and drove to the public transit. Lily bid her mother goodbye and promised to text her when she got to Shining Time.

As the train shuffled along the tracks, Lily couldn't help but feel concern for the missing actress.

In another universe, Mr. Conductor was also getting ready for the day. The tv was playing in the background (he liked a little music to get his engine started, pun intended) when suddenly the news came. It was about the missing actress. They had her picture on the screen: a Black woman with light brown curls and a pink and grey dress sitting inside a salon.

"They still haven't found her yet," he said to himself. "That's troubling."

He wasn't into the celebrity gossip like his cousin. But even he was a little concerned for her wellbeing. She probably had a family waiting anxiously for her return. His thoughts were on his mind even as he sparkled up at the Shining Time office to get his itinerary.

"Let's see, first on the list find a new driver for Rosie."

As he went over the potential substitutes, one of the tulips in his flower vase rang. He went over to answer it.

"Mr. Conductor you have a visitor," Stacy said on the other end. "They're here for the training."

"Training?" He looked over at the whiteboard.

"Oh right! I forgot we have a new hire today! Well bring them on in!"

A moment later the door opened, and in came a person in a dark overcoat and pants. Their hair was tucked underneath a gray hat.

'Odd choice of outfit for this kind of weather,' Mr. Conductor said to himself.

"Are you Mr. Conductor? I'm here for my first day." The woman said shyly. She handed him a folder. He looked over the files, then to her, then over the files again. The lady stared expectantly at him.

"Terri Bud eh? Well, we do need a set of extra hands & these papers are legit," he said.

"They kinda rushed me through training," Terri Bud said quickly. "If you like I can get Miss Jones to corroborate."

"Oh no that's alright love! You are in good hands with us!"

"Cool," Terri said as she shook his hand. "And for future reference just call me Bud."

A cherry red tank engine was in her shed reminiscing about her retired driver when Mr. Conductor arrived with the new hire.

"Good morning Mr conductor! I see you have a visitor," Rosie chirped merrily.

"And good morning to you Rosie," said Mr. Conductor. "And I do! This is Bud. I'm training her today and if it goes well she'll become your new permanent driver!"

Rosie was excited. She had spent the past few months with substitute drivers. While most of them were nice, some of them couldn't handle her bubbly demeanor. Their loss! She preferred a set choice anyways. She hoped this one was nice.

"Nice to meet you Bud, I just know we'll have the best time together," she said politely. "Why don't you get yourself comfortable in my cab?"

"Ehm perhaps you could take off your coat, it gets pretty hot in here." Mr. Conductor suggested.

Bud paused for a moment. Then she tool her coat off, revealing her dark gray overalls and a white t shirt. She took off her glasses and put it inside the coat packet.

Now Mr. Conductor got a good look at her face. Her skin was a light shade of brown and she had hazel eyes. For a second he thought he recognized her face but waved it off as a symptom of the heat.

"Okay then, we'll start with the basics."

He started by showing her the controls and how to start Rosie up. Bud wrote and nodded as he went along. 

"Now since she's one of our younger tank engines it doesn't take very long to start her fire," said Mr. Conductor. 

"I see and it doesn't hurt her?" 

"As long as you keep the fire steady," said Rosie. "I might be a Vulcan but I'm not that immune to overheating."

"Right," Bud nodded. "This isn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"Trust me, once you get through an accident or two you'll be able to navigate the rails like second instinct!" 

"Or three," muttered Mr. Conductor.

Back in Shining Time, Lily was waiting in the lobby for her grandfather. He was having trouble with his truck. While she was texting her friends, Mr. Conductor's cousin Junior was talking to a customer.

"Have you heard about what happened in Spain?" Asked the Customer.

"I know it's been all over my Twitter feed," said Junior. "I heard it's part of a new movie they're filming!"

"I heard she got involved in the trade and is running from Interpol," said the customer. He shook his head in dismay.

"Actors these days, at least back in the day when they got in trouble it was entertaining. Now it's all just sad."

"Those are just rumors though, they're not always spoken with truth," replied Junior. "At the end of the day it's not our business." He looks around and leans closer so no one else could hear.

"Then again what business do we have!"

The two gossip hens clucked in humor, and the customer and left the station house. Lily took it as her chance to greet him. 

"Junior!"

"Hi Lily! Long time no see!" They hugged. "How's life been?"

"I'm doing fine I was just waiting for Grandpa. Car troubles, again."

Junior sucked his teeth. "Burnett and that truck, I'm all for self repair but he's gotta admit some things are a lost cause."

Junior disliked the idea of his friend struggling, especially when he was getting on in years. He wished he could help him but Burnett insisted on keeping that truck.

"That's alright I'm sure some of Lady's magic could help," said Junior.

"How is she?" Lily asked.

"She's running as smooth as I surf the waves," boasts Junior. "She misses you so much. Everyone on Sodor wants to see you!"

Lily was touched by his statement. "Don't worry I'll come by the island before I go back home."

Just then they heard a truck honking from outside. Lily gasped, "That must be Grandpa! We can catch up later!" She waved goodbye then got her things and went to her grandfather.

As soon as she left Junior leaned back in his chair and laughed to himself.

"Oh Lily is going to be so surprised, she doesn't even suspect a thing!"

"Suspect what?" Horace Schemer's voice nearly made Junior fall out of his chair.

"The heck are you doing here?" Don't you have a psychiatrist appointment or something?" The Blond haired man sneered.

"My psyche is in perfectly good health thank you very much," the arcade entrepreneur retorted as he flapped the front of his vest. "As you know I feel it is time for a career change-"

"Cleaning the toilets?"

"No! I decided to expand my business into the world of cinema!"

"Any movie you'd make would end up at the bin at Savers," grumbled Junior. Schemer ignored his putdown and continued boasting.

"So I'm taking the nephew out to Sodor and see if we could film a pilot to sell to the execs."

Junior was about to respond again until another funny idea popped up in his head. A sly grin crossed his lips.

"Well good luck with the new career," he said. "When you get that series I'll make sure to tune in!"

"You better," said Schemer. "I've wasted too many years living under your family's shadow. Now all of you will see it is my time to shine!"

'Shine so brightly you'll explode into a black hole,' Junior snickered as he gave Schemer two tickets to Sodor. He could not wait to see how it will turn out...

Back on Sodor, Conductor was showing Bud how to run Rosie. Despite her initial shyness Bud was paying attention, eagerly scribbling in a notebook. She asked Rosie a few questions to gauge her comfort level. Later that morning Mr. Conductor decided to go on a test run.

Bud loved the sensation of the breeze caressing her face. If she could she would've let her curls down. The sights along Thomas's branchline whirled by in a haze of colors. So this is what it's like? 

"How are you liking it so far?" Rosie asked her.

"It's wonderful! I've been on trains before but not like this!"

Rosie giggled. "I'm glad you're enjoying it Miss Bud!"

"Just call me Bud!" 

Suddenly a foreign object whirled by Rosie's head. "Whoa!"

"Are you alright?" Asked Bud.

"I'm fine," huffed the cherry engine. She yelled back, "Whoever did that, just to let you know you're violating railway regulations!"

Bud saw the thing leave. Her heart was racing and not just from the speed Rosie was going. 'No! They can't find out I'm here!' 

The object had been a drone sent by two cameramen. Well, if a 70 year old man and 9-year-old boy could be considered professionals.

"Did you get the shot?" Asked Schemer.

His nephew checked on his cell phone. "No, that engine was too fast!" The boy said with a pout.

"Too fast - There's no such thing as too fast!" Schemer said. He watched Rosie go.

"A little troublesome than I thought," he noted with a smirk. "I love a good challenge."

Later that afternoon, Rosie made a stop at the sea station for tea time. While Mr. Conductor busied himself with a giant choco sundae, Bud was sitting on a large rock looking at the sea.

"We call these French fries," she held out a piece of fried potatoes to Rosie.

"It smells so delicious but it'll probably agitate my boiler," said Rosie. Bud stifled a laugh. She liked the tank engine.. She didn't comment on her drabby appearance, and her enthusiasm was pleasantly welcome.

Just then Arthur came by having finished his run for the hour.

"Afternoon Rosie," said the dark crimson tank engine. "You don't mind if I rest here for a bit?"

"Sure," said Rosie. "I love some extra company."

Arthur spotted the woman on the boulder. "Who is she?"

"That's Bud, she's my future driver," said Rosie. "We're showing her the ropes today."

Bud waved at him. "Nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too Bud." "I'm not from the UK so excuse me if I mess up some things," the woman said.

"That's alright. It took me a while to get used to Sodor when I first arrived," said Rosie. She sighed. "Ah I remember it like it was yesterday."

Bud looked at the ocean. As she watched the blue waves crash along the sandy rocks, she felt a pang in her heart.

"I love the sea," she sighed. "This beach looks a lot cleaner than where I used to live."

"Where do you used to live?" Rosie asked her.

Before Bud could answer there was a buzzing sound. They all looked up to see a tiny helicopter with a camera lens attached at the bottom.

"Ugh it's that drone again," Arthur mumbled. "The owners came by this morning asking if they could film the seaside. I thought they were done but apparently not."

"That same contraption almost hit me earlier!" Rosie wheezed angrily.

"Someone's ought to do something about them," Arthur added. 

That was when Bud got an idea. She walked over to a patch of rocks, picked one up and positioned herself as close to the drone. Then with a grunt she threw the rock at the drone! It hit the camera causing it to crack. It flew away before she could reload.

The two engines were shocked!

"Bud! Why did you do that?!" Rosie cried. She didn't her to get in trouble

"Hey it worked for me one time," Bud replied with a shrug.

"That is...quite unexpected!" Arthur remarked awkwardly.

Mr. Conductor heard the commotion and rushed outside.

"What's that noise?"

"Just me taking care of a problem," Bud said, pointing to where the drone was flying away in defeat. Mr. Conductor raised a brow. "And how exactly did you solve the problem?"

Bud walked over to pick up the answer. She held it up with a grin.

"What my folks call it the old fashioned way."

Mr. Conductor groaned and rubbed his temples. He didn't want to deal with a possible lawsuit especially on the first day of training.

"Okay just...don't do that again. I don't think the NWR can handle another scandal and I don't want you to risk losing your job just as it begins," he spoke to her sternly. Bud's face burned with shame.

"I'm sorry, I promise It won't happen again sir!"

Mr. Conductor checked his watch.

"Well, we better get a move on. There's still a lot more to teach you. And hopefully you can learn how to solve problems in a non traditional way." He directed that last part at Bud, who could only grin nervously before meekly going back into the cab.

The two engines whistled their goodbyes and Rosie went off to finish the rest of the day.

At a fishing spot near the boardwalk Schemer's nephew winced at the video. 

"What happened!" Schemer barked.

"I don't know some jerk threw something at my drone now the lens aren't working!"

The drone sputtered pitifully back and landed with a dreadful thud. Schemer picked up the drone and groaned.

"Great! That'll cost me a fortune to replace!"

"You mean my fortune," hid nephew mumbled under his breath. Schemer rubbed his chin.

"Hmm. Whoever that person is they're an obstacle. This is even more challenging than I thought."

But the allure of money & rubbing it in Junior's face overrode all common sense. "Well then if it's a challenge they want they got it!" He slapped his hand on his nephew's shoulder and pulled him close.

"I promise after today we'll become rich and famous! But mostly rich!"

Schemer's nephew frowned. He didn't like the sound of that...