The Ghost and the Gold

The Ghost and the Gold is the twenty-fourth episode of Sodor High School: Thomas and Friends Tales.
==Synopsis==
Donald and Douglas invite Thomas and Emily to join them on a trip to Scotland.
==Plot==
The damage done to Sodor High following Diesel 10's hostile takeover is minor aside from the former Smelter's classroom, so repairs don't take too long and the school didn't need to be closed until they were finished. On the way to school, Emily expresses surprise to Thomas that Diesel 10 was so close and relieved that her Father removed anything that could connect her to him from his office, Thomas chalking that up to luck on their side.
Classes occur with no kinds of disturbances. At lunchtime, Thomas and Emily find every table at the cafeteria is taken, likely because there's a special. Since they brought their own lunches, they go to find an empty table, which leads them to the one Donald and Douglas are sitting at. The twins allow Thomas and Emily to join them, the two ignoring most of the Smelter Class students glaring at them save for Paxton, Sidney, Dart, and Den who politely greet them. As everyone eats, Douglas gives Donald a letter from their cousin Olivia in Scotland asking them to help her investigate the spooky sound they've been hearing in their family's castle at night so her parents don't sell the place. They're skeptical that it might be ghosts but want to help Olivia and choose to go for the week their parents will allow them to travel to Scotland. Emily volunteers herself and Thomas to go with them on the trip as they're great at solving mysteries (and she admits she's always wanted to visit Scotland since her youth) and the twins agree so long as their parents do.
Later that night, the twins checked with their parents, and of course they said yes. Thomas and Emily's parents also said they could go. The next day, the two teens left with Donald and Douglas on the next train going to Scotland. During the trip, Emily explains her reason for wanting to visit Scotland; it's so she can find and get a picture of the Loch Ness monster. Donald and Douglas laugh, claiming it doesn't exist, and they should know because they never encountered it while living with their parents before moving to the Island of Sodor. Emily is discouraged, but Thomas assures her that just because the Loch Ness monster has never been founded doesn't mean it isn't real. Donald and Douglas tease the pair by asking if they got together, which they outright deny.
At the station, Olivia, cousin of Donald and Douglas, is waiting when the train arrives. The passengers get off, but one is in a rush and shoves Olivia aside, angering her. Luckily, her mood improves drastically when she sees Donald and Douglas, and the latter helps her back up. Olivia then meets Emily and Thomas, growing distressed over the ghost situation of her family's castle and possibility of it being sold. The Sudrian visitors assure her they will find out the problem. By the time they arrive at the castle, it's after dark. Olivia shows her cousins and their friends to the guest rooms they would stay in. Emily suggests that Thomas can stay with her, so Donald and Douglas, with them being brothers, can have the first room. Olivia agrees to the suggestion and bids everyone a good night—if they can even sleep. The twins are worried since they never saw Olivia look so spooked before before going into their room to turn in for the night.
Thomas waits outside the other guest room for Emily to finish changing as they share a conversation about finding the Loch Ness monster, with Thomas being confident they'll find it one way or another despite what Donald and Douglas said. Just then, Thomas hears the sounds of chains and howling somewhere inside the castle. Emerging from the room, Emily thinks it's a dog, but also thinks it sounds like a ghost and requests checking it out without help from Donald or Douglas. They sneak down the hallway to find out the source of the noise, and Thomas soon leans against a brick wall and breaks it apart, revealing a hidden room full of straw and a hole in the wall with light. Taking a look, Thomas finds an older man, rattling some chains and showing off ghostly figures with the help of a projector. Close to him was a small black dog, which is howling loud and long. Emily figures out that there's no ghost but has no idea who the man is. Thomas says they should let Olivia and the twins know, but don't need to as Donald, Douglas, and Olivia show up after hearing the noise. Thomas explains the situation, and Olivia guesses that it's her family's next door neighbor who's behind the ghost business, aware that the families have been feuding since 1560.
A chase ensues, with Donald and Douglas going after the man. Olivia gives Thomas and Emily the rundown on the feud her family and their neighours over the old castle and the gold that's said to be hidden somewhere, but she is convinced that her neighbors just want the castle for themselves. Emily wonders if the gold really exists; if they find it, the feud could be stopped, but Olivia dismisses the idea along with the idea of the Loch Ness monster being real, much to Emily's dismay. The twins return, explaining the man is after the gold again, having spied on him. Determined, Donald assures they'll put an end to the neighbor's little game tomorrow and prevent the castle from being sold. As everyone returns to their rooms to sleep, Emily insists that there is gold hidden in the castle, wanting to find it and settle the feud between the two families. Thomas believes they'll find it, having overcome the odds many times before.
The next morning, the two teenagers tell Olivia and the twins that they are going to look around the castle (while also secretly looking for the lost gold). They find nothing. By nightfall, the twins and Olivia have their plan all set, while Olivia's parents are settling down for a good night's rest when they hear howling and clanging of chains. Turns out the sound is from the neighbor, who is about to activate projector when he gets a nasty surprise in the form of a clanking sound and growl—coming from a seemingly living suit of armor, causing the man to scream and crash into the room belonging to Olivia's parents, much to their surprise and anger. However, it turns out that the armor that frightened the neighbor is none other than Douglas, while another living suit of armor is none other than Donald. Douglas hands the film slide to Olivia's Father, who uses a flashlight to reveal the "ghost" that's been causing trouble for the family. Caught in the act, the man confesses to his crime, saying he only wants the gold that's hidden somewhere in the castle, but Olivia's Mother denies there being any gold.
Donald then remembers Thomas and Emily and asks where they are, with Douglas assuming they're still asleep. It turns out the pair is still searching for the possible lost gold, with their search taking them to the castle's basement. One section of wall catches Emily's attention, and with Thomas's help, she finds another hidden room; a room that Olivia and her parents are not aware of. Thomas soon trips over something, a bunch of old bagpipes. Emily finds them to be heavy, but then gets a serious thought. Turns out they are filled with the gold that the neighbor's been searching for, solving the mystery. The two bring the bagpipes to the twins, Olivia, and her parents and reveal the gold to them. The neighbor is overjoyed to have finally found it, while Olivia, her parents, and the twins express their surprise over the gold being real after all. The neighbor thanks Thomas and Emily for their service and, to make up for all of the trouble, gives some of the gold to Olivia's family to help with repairs to the castle, promising to leave it alone from that point on. Donald and Douglas praise Thomas and Emily for their assistance, while Emily makes a comment about the Loch Ness monster, annoying the twins as Douglas insists there's no such thing.
He's instantly proven wrong when he looks out the window and gasps. Everyone else looks out the window and discover a creature with a long neck and swimming slowly past the castle. Donald and Douglas, along with their family members, are at a loss for words, but a disappointed Emily remarks that she doesn't have her camera on hand, so she can't take a picture of the Loch Ness monster.
==Characters==
* Thomas 
* Emily 
* Donald and Douglas 
* Olivia (Debut)
* Olivia's parents (Debut)
* The neighbor (Debut)
* Den (cameo)
* Dart (cameo)
* Paxton (cameo)
* Sidney (cameo)
* Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)
* Diesel 10 (mentioned)
* Lady Hatt (mentioned)
* The Brighton family
** Dalton (mentioned)
** Andrea (mentioned)
* The McIntosh family
** Mr. McIntosh (mentioned)
** Mrs. McIntosh (mentioned)
==Cast==
==Trivia==
* This episode is based on the Country Mouse and City Mouse episode, "The Ghost of Castle McKenzie".
* Rather than facing expulsion, the Smelter Class students are all given detention for helping Diesel 10 take over the school.
Category:Thomas and Friends
Category:Sodor High School
Category:Episodes
Category:Fan Fiction