The Trial

One late afternoon, Bambi was feeling sad. He was just walking home from visiting the hospital. His father had been involved in a nasty accident with some troublesome trucks. As he approached the yard, he saw Peter biff the trucks angrily.

"YOU COULD'VE KILLED SOMEONE OR YOURSELVES!!!" he thundered.

"We're sorry!" said the trucks, "We didn't mean to cause this much trouble! And we didn't mean to injure Mr Great Prince!"

"When will you learn?!" groaned Peter.

When Bambi got into the yard he was looking very sad.

"How's your dad?" asked Murdoch.

"The doctor says he'll be fine," replied Bambi, "He's just broken his legs and a few other bones in his body, not to mention he's covered in scratches and bruises, he won't be walking for a while."

"Serves him right for being a cold-hearted person!" said a voice.

The voice came from Spencer. The silver A4 had taken a dislike to Bambi and his family. He believed that Bambi's father was still a cold-hearted person and never cares about Bambi. This was beginning to make Bambi annoyed. He knew his father had changed, but nothing could prove Spencer wrong.

"Your father should've been killed!" snorted Spencer, "It's what he'd be deserving for the way he treats you!"

"My father is not cruel anymore!" snapped Bambi, "My father is a good deer!"

"Your father is a cold-hearted lunatic!" snapped Spencer, "And so are you!"

This made Bambi very cross.

"Don't insult my father in front of me!"

"Insult?!" replied Spencer, "I'm pointing out a fact! And this attitude of yours shows you're a big dumb loser!"

"I don't like your attitude!" said Bambi crossly.

"Well at least I don't look like a useless squirrel!" said Spencer rudely.

"Apologize at once!" ordered Jamie.

That made Spencer very cross, "I've got nothing to be sorry for!" he snorted and then steamed away in a huff.

Bambi was furious. He did not like Spencer at all.

"Bambi," soothed Thomas, "Don't let what Spencer said get to you. None of us like him, he's the disgrace and cold-hearted lunatic, not your father!"

"Still," said Bambi, "I swear...if he insults my dad in front of me one more time, I'll see to it that his worthless boiler is burning away in the desert of Egypt!"

"Bambi, calm down!" said Mallard.

"There's something else Bambi," said Emily, "Peter said he got some kind of confession out of the trucks."

"What confession?" asked Bambi.

"They said that it wasn't really an accident," Peter replied, "They were pushed by an unknown engine, they were going too fast to find out who it was, but they know that this engine was one that actually tried to kill your father."

"Hold on a minute!" said Bambi, "So you're saying that an engine wanted to kill my father?!"

"Seems that way," said Peter.

Bambi then gave an angry frown.

"Then I wanna know who did it!" he said.

Bambi then looked at all the engines, pointing his right hoof at them all.

"Which one of you tried to kill my dad?!"

The engines looked at each other. Then Gordon spoke out.

"Why are you accusing us?"

"Because you guys are the only engines who work on this railway!" Bambi answered, "So it had to have been one of you!"

"Bambi!" said Milo, "We would never want to hurt your father!"

"That doesn't change anything!" said Bambi crossly, "One of you tried to kill him, and I wanna find out who!"

"It wasn't us!" shouted the engines together.

Agatha then came out hearing the loud noise.

"OHHH, noise, noise, noise! Noisiest of the noisiest of noisiest! Now what's going on?!"

"We just found out that someone tried to kill Bambi's dad on purpose!" said City Of Liverpool.

"And Bambi believes it to be one of us!" shouted Tornado.

"Yes!" said Cock O' The North.

"Look Bambi," said Agatha, "My engines don't do that kind of thing."

"Well one of them has!" snapped Bambi.

"Bambi you can't blame us!" said replied Henry.

"You're the only engines who work on this railway though!" Bambi pointed out.

"But we didn't do it!" shouted Thomas.

"Everyone, calm down!" said Agatha.

"I'm gonna find out which one of you it was! But how am I suppose to find out who nearly killed my father when the culprit won't confess?!" snapped Bambi.

Agatha thought for a moment. Then she had an idea.

"Well Bambi," she said, "There is one way to find out."

"There is?" asked Bambi curiously.

"How?" asked Henry.

"We could have a trial," said Agatha.

"What's a trial?" asked Bambi.

"I'll show you," said Agatha.

Later, Agatha had gathered everyone at the yard, the animals, jets and Thunderbirds. Agatha spoke to them all.

"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. Now, as you all know, Bambi's father has been injured and we have just found out that some engine tried to kill him, we don't know who, but little Bambi here wants to find out who this murdering engine was."

Agatha then looked at Bambi, "Bambi, put this black cape on and stand here, since it was your father who got injured, you get to be the judge."

"And what does the judge do?" asked Bambi.

"The judge is the one who decides who's guilty and who's innocent and decides on the defendant's punishments," Agatha explained, "And if things get out of hand, you just have to shout out 'Order', got it."

"I think so," said Bambi.

"The other animals will be the witnesses," said Agatha, "They're job is to tell us what they saw when the incident took place."

"We'll do our best," said Nala.

"What do the engines do?" asked Bambi.

"They tell their stories and you decide if they're innocent or not after hearing their stories," Agatha said.

She then looked at the jets and Thunderbirds, "The air crafts are the jury."

"And what does the jury do?" asked Bambi.

"Well at the end of the trial," began Agatha, "The jury guys discuss with each other, and then they say who's innocent or guilty, and then you Bambi decide the punishments for the guilty one."

"Oh this is gonna be a difficult job," said Thunderbird 1.

"Let's just try our hardest," said Thunderbird 2.

"Now all we need is a persecutor," said Agatha.

"And what does the persecutor do?" asked Bambi.

"The persecutor calls up the witnesses," said Agatha.

"I see," said Bambi, "But who's gonna do that job?"

"What about Agatha?" asked Edward.

"What about her?" asked Bambi.

"Well, she's our manager," said Edward, "And she's the one who tells us what to do and is always the one keeping an eye on us while we're working, she should the persecutor."

"That makes sense to me," said Flying Scotsman.

"Me too," agreed Evening Star.

"Okay," said James.

"Fine," said Emily.

"Right then," said Agatha, "Let's begin."

Agatha then pointed at Flying Scotsman.

"Scott, can you tell us in your own words what happened when this incident happened?"

"Well," began Flying Scotsman, "I was just running down the track, pulling my express train, like you told me to. I was just minding my own business when I saw a cloud of black smoke reflecting against the orange evening sky. I guessed it was an engine, but then I heard it's chuffing stop and then heard some rattling, which I believe came from the trucks. Then suddenly...I heard the crash and found the mess when I returned home. And that was all I saw."

"Scott speaks the truth," said Duchess, "I was with him at the time."

"So you witnessed what Scott witnessed?" asked Bambi.

"Yes Bambi!" said Duchess, "So it wasn't Scott, my Scotsman had nothing to do with this incident!"

Bambi looked at the jury, "What do you think, Jury?"

The jets and Thunderbirds quietly discussed it and told Bambi what they thought.

"Bambi," said Thunder, "We find Flying Scotsman innocent."

"Well that clears you, Scott," said Bambi.

It was now Jamie and Peter's turn.

"What were you two doing when this happened?" asked Agatha.

"We were just working in the shunting yards when it happened," said Jamie.

"As we were working," went on Peter, "We heard what sounded like an engine running at a fast speed, but then the chuffing stopped and we heard trucks rattling down the track, the sound got louder and louder and me and Jamie gasped in shock when we saw them rush right passed us."

"And then a few seconds later, just before we could have a chance to act, we heard the crash!" finished Jamie.

"Okay," said Bambi, "So you saw the trucks race past you, but you didn't see the engine pushing them?"

"I'm afraid not," said Peter.

"I guess you two are innocent," said Bambi, "What about you Cocky?"

"I was just having wash-down," said Cock O' The North, "I was enjoying the nice feeling of the sponges cleaning my green paint, but then suddenly I heard the crash outside. After I was cleaned, I went to investigate, and that's when I found your dad all hurt, my driver quickly phoned for an ambulance."

"So it was you who helped my dad to hospital," said Bambi, "Thanks."

"No prob!" said Cock O' The North.

"I guess that clears you," said Bambi.

"Your turn Mallard," said Agatha.

"Well," said Mallard, "Me, Evening Star, Tornado, Milo and City Of Liverpool had just finished our work for the day. We were in the yard getting ready to settle in for the night, but then we saw the crash."

"It was horrifying!" said Evening Star.

"We all saw the trucks hurt your father!" said Milo.

"He was hurt badly indeed!" added Tornado.

"Then Cocky showed up and called for an ambulance!" finished City Of Liverpool.

"So you saw the crash, but didn't see or hear an engine?" asked Bambi.

"No," said Tornado, "But we did see a black cloud in the distance."

"No further questions," said Bambi.

"Your next Thomas," said Agatha.

"Well," began Thomas, "Percy, Edward, Emily and I were working on the branch line. I was pulling Annie and Clarabel as always."

"No I was!" said Percy.

"No I was pulling them!" Thomas snapped.

"No I was pulling them!" Percy snapped back.

"I was!"

"No I was!"

"ORDER IN THE GOD DAMN COURT!" thundered Bambi, "Will you just continue with your story instead of arguing over who was doing what!"

"Sorry," said Thomas.

"Anyway," said Edward, "We were working the branch line, yes."

"But we heard an engine in the distance," said Emily, "We didn't see it, but we heard it stop and then heard trucks rushing down the line."

"And then that's when we heard the crash," finished Percy.

"Seems like you four are innocent too," said Bambi.

Thomas and Percy sighed with relief.

"What were you, James and Henry doing, Gordon?"

"Well," began Gordon, "I was in the shed, getting oiled up for my evening train later tonight."

"And I was preparing to take the Flying Kipper," added Henry.

"And I was having my safety valve fixed, I broke it after I brought a heavy train in," finished James.

"Did you see or hear anything when the crash took place?" asked Agatha.

"Yes we did," said Henry, "We could just about see a black cloud of smoke in the distance, we didn't hear the engine or the trucks until we heard the nasty crash. When me and Gordon were ready, we went to investigate, that's when we arrived and found Cock O' The North calling for an ambulance."

"We find the big engines not guilty," said Vulkeena.

"What about you Murdoch?" asked Bambi, "What were you doing when the incident took place?"

"I was just taking a train of ballast to cover a part of the railway that had no more fresh stones," said Murdoch, "As the workmen were covering the track, I saw some trucks rushing dangerously down another track in the distance. I didn't hear them crash until fifteen seconds later."

Bambi then spoke to the animals.

"What do you guys think?"

Bianca spoke out, "We were all in Duchess's mansion, we were all just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. Nala was watching the sunset."

"And then I started to hear the unknown engine and the rattling wagons," said Nala, "I called the others here to listen up when we decided to investigate."

"When we heard the puffing stop and then just the rattling wagons, we decided to see what was going on," said Marian.

"So we were just going out to find out what was happening," went on Robin Hood, "But as we left the door...we heard it!"

"We didn't know what happened until we got to the crash site!" said Kyubi.

"And that was all we saw," finished Faline.

"And we could tell that none of these engines had anything to do with it," said Renamon, "As they told you, they were busy with their own businesses."

Bambi decided that all the engines he knew and trusted were innocent.

"I'm sorry for accusing you guys," he said sadly, "I believe what you all say, your stories tell me that you had nothing to do with my father's incident. I guess I was just angry."

"Apology accepted, little one!" smiled Gordon.

"But Bambi," said Milo, "If we didn't do it, then who did?"

"Well let's think, Milo," said Bambi, "You, Mallard, Evening Star, Tornado and City Of Liverpool can't have done it because you were resting in the yard. Peter and Jamie couldn't have done it because they were shunting at the time. Scott can't have done it because he was pulling passengers, we know because Duchess was there. Cock O' The North didn't do it because he was having his paint cleaned. Thomas, Percy, Edward and Emily never did it because they were on the branch line. Gordon, James and Henry couldn't have done it because they were busy with their own needs. And Murdoch never did it because he was working with ballast."

Everyone started to wonder.

"It sure is a mystery," said Thomas, "None of us are responsible for the attempted murder of Bambi's dad...and we're the only engines on this railway."

Suddenly, that made something click in Bambi's head.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" he said, "Did any of you get a slight glimpse of this engine's paintwork?"

"I did!" said Flying Scotsman, "It was dark and too far for me to see who it was, but I did see a slight bit of silver on it."

"But none of us are silver?" said Evening Star.

"Wait a minute!" said Nala, "Spencer's the only one we know who is silver!"

"This means...!" said Vixey.

"IT WAS SPENCER!!!" they all chorused together.

"Find him!" ordered Agatha.

Later, Thomas and Percy managed to trap Spencer and towed him to the yard.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

"Spencer!" said Bambi, "You have been charged for the attempted murder of my father!"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" said Spencer, looking for an excuse.

"You won't be able to talk your way out of this, Spencer!" said Thomas crossly.

"We figured it out Spencer!" said Mallard, "We know it was you!"

"So YOU hurt Bambi's dad!" said Gordon.

"I did no such thing!" snapped Spencer.

"Spencer, Scott saw a glimpse of silver paint!" said Mallard.

"It was a silver engine that WASN'T me!" shouted Spencer.

"Tell the god damn truth for once!" demanded Tornado.

"I speak only the truth!" said Spencer, "I did NOT attempt to kill that heartless bonehead! Another silver engine did it! End of story! And whoever he or she is, is trying to frame me!"

"That's a load of baloney!" shouted Percy.

"Even if it was me, which it WASN'T," growled Spencer, "I would've succeeded in doing it to many heartless fools!"

"This isn't the point!" snapped James.

Just then, they heard someone call out.

"Bambi!"

Everyone gasped. There hopping towards them was Bambi's best friend, Thumper the rabbit.

"Thumper?" said Bambi surprised.

"Sorry I'm late!" panted Thumper, "Hey Murdoch!"

"Thumper!" said Murdoch, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Save the chat for later," said Thumper before looking at Bambi, "Bambi, I heard about what happened to your dad and that you're having a trial about it. I came just in time I guess."

"What do you mean by just in time?" asked Emily.

"I need to say something," said Thumper.

"Um, we're trying to get Spencer to confess his actions right now," protested Red.

"Red Arrow!" said Thunder.

"Guys," said Bambi, "Thumper has something to say, and we're gonna listen. Go right ahead."

Thumper nodded and began, starting off by glaring at Spencer.

"Bambi, this monster truly did try to murder your father!"

"That's a lie!" snapped Spencer.

"I was standing by the track when he did it!" went on Thumper, "I was hopping through the trees minding my own business and saw him rush past me pushing those trucks! And I heard the crash two minutes later!"

Everyone was shocked, Thumper had evidence that proved Spencer really did do it.

"Thumper," said Evening Star, "You saw him...you...witnessed this?"

"He made those wagons do it!" said Thumper.

"You think those lies can frame me?!" snorted Spencer.

"At least dozens of other rabbits in the forest I was in will back me up on this!" said Thumper crossly, "We all saw you do it!"

"Did you now?!" replied Spencer.

"My friends," said Flying Scotsman, "It looks like we've found evidence!"

"What's your verdict, Jury?" asked City Of Liverpool.

"We don't need to reach the verdict mate!" said Vulkeena.

"He's guilty!" agreed Thunder.

"Good enough for me!" said Bambi.

"Me too!" agreed Agatha.

"So...that's it, right?" asked Thunderbird 3.

"Let's send him to the scrap heap!" suggested Jamie.

"No!" said Peter, "That's too easy for someone like him!"

"What do you mean?" asked Mallard.

"He's gotta pay for what he did!" replied Peter.

"Bambi is the judge!" said Murdoch, "He'll decide the punishment for Spencer!"

"Choose your punishments for him, Bambi!" said Percy.

Bambi thought for a moment. Then he whispered something to Agatha. The blue vixen smirked.

"Spencer! For your punishment for trying to kill the Great Prince, you will be doing nothing but pulling garbage trains for the rest of your life!"

"Absolutely not!" snapped Spencer, "I'm not pulling those smelly trains! They're for useless tank engines like Thomas!"

Thomas was annoyed, "WHY YOU LITTLE?!"

"Thomas, you can beat the hell out of him later," said Gordon.

"Get used to it!" said Agatha, "Maybe it will give you time to think about what you've done!"

"No way! I'm not doing it!" snapped Spencer.

"Hey!" said Mallard, "Shut up! You don't even have a choice! You're the one who attempted to murder someone!"

"And you're gonna do it whether you want to or not!" added Bambi.

"I hate you!" moaned Spencer.

"Personally, I don't care!" said Bambi.

"Bambi! Is this how you want to repay me after trying to free you from cruelty?!"

"My father is not cruel!" snapped Bambi.

"Then you and all your friends are filthy rats!" snorted Spencer, "You're not even giving me another chance!"

"What?! You try to take an innocent stag's life away and now you want mercy?!" Nala said.

"You know we're not letting you go after this!" said Cock O' The North.

"Now, for your sentence!" said Bambi.

"Wait!" said Thomas, "I've got a better idea!"

"Well let's hear it," said Bambi.

Thomas whispered his idea for a punishment to them all and they all agreed. Bambi then announced the punishments.

"Spencer, you're not doing garbage trains, you are going to be sent away to Egypt, and you will be banned from ever returning to England for the rest of your life!"

Spencer's eyes popped.

"You heard him Spencer!" said Gordon, "You're spending the rest of your life in Egypt! And you're not coming back or going anywhere near the UK ever again! You've banned from this country forever!"

"Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!" cried Spencer, "All my years of trying to become the greatest engine in the world have been ruined! And it's all because of you! Bambi you little fathead!"

"We've had enough of you!" said Peter, "Take your filthy insults and lies elsewhere!"

"You can't do this to me!" cried Spencer.

"Scott," said Bambi, "Send him to Egypt Harry Potter style and shut him up!"

Then using some special wizarding magic, Spencer teleported away to Egypt.

"What do you think will happen to him?" asked Thomas.

"Do you think he'll go to jail?" asked Vixey.

"I don't know," said Agatha.

"Well whatever happens to him," said Flying Scotsman, "At least we no longer have to put up with his lies and insults, knowing that Spencer is finally gone."

"Does this mean one of Sir Nigel Gresley's designs did it?" asked Faline.

"Yep," smiled Bambi, "I think a member of his creations is the perpetrator this time."

Everyone smiled and laughed. They were all happy, they had solved the case and Spencer was finally gone from their lives, meaning that Bambi would no longer have to put up with his arrogance.