The Alliance (Sodor High School)

The Alliance is the thirty-ninth episode of Sodor High School: Thomas and Friends Tales.
==Synopsis==
Gordon tells his friends of a time in the past where Thomas got him out of trouble when he made a mess of things.
==Plot==
One hot summer afternoon, Gordon and Leo are playing football in the park while waiting for the former's team to arrive for practice while Thomas, Emily, Percy, and James watch them from the sidelines. After a while, the boys take a break and enjoy some lemonade Emily made. As everyone relaxes, Gordon asks Thomas if he remembers when he saved his position on the football tram on this very field years ago. Emily and Leo are curious by what they mean, moreso since James and Percy know what they're talking about. With an hour to kill before the football team arrives, Gordon begins telling the story.
A couple of years ago, young Gordon was resting on the bleacher when Henry startled him awake to say hello before walking away. Gordon fumes about Henry being cheeky to someone who's never gotten in trouble, which causes Thomas to try and remind him of all the times he did only for Gordon to rebuke him before rejoining practice with his team.
Later when practice ends the coach, Mr. Brandon, stops Gordon before he could leave asking for a favor. He tells Gorson it's his turn to take home and clean the team's dirty uniforms for an upcoming game, a task Gordon reluctantly accepts even though it'll take two days to do. Gordon fears becoming a laughingstock if any of his friends, Thomas especially, learns of his duty and takes the uniforms home in a wagon hooked up to his bike. On the way, Thomas pedals up to him asking about his practice and Gordon hastily rushes off. Thomas, curious about what Gordon had in the wagon, follows him.
Gordon makes his way home as fast as possible but has to wait at a traffic light. Soon he hears the bell of Thomas' bike and the moment the light turns green, he races off before Thomas can can even speak a full sentence. Confused with why Gordon's avoiding him, Thomas chases him for three more streets until Gordon, desperate enough to lose Thomas, crosses a small wooden bridge over a stream. Befoe Thomas can warn him to stop, the bridge collapses under the weight sending Gordon, his bike, and the wagon of uniforms into the water. Thomas pulls him out with a long, sturdy branch and asks Gordon if he really thought Thomas would be malicious enough to mock him for doing the team's laundry (which he knew is what Gordon had to do). At that, Gordon admits the truth and Thomas helps him fish the laundry wagon and his bike out of the stream.
The boys return to the football field before Mr. Brandon leaves and explain what happened. Since the uniforms won't be ready for Saturday's game, Mr. Brandon prepares to punish Gordon only for Thomas to take responsibility for causing the accident. Mr. Brandon lets Gordon off the hook, but removes Thomas as the team's water boy as punishment before taking the uniforms with the intent of cleaning them himself. Once Mr. Brandon has left, Gordon thanks Thomas and promises to get him his job back before the game, the boys forming an alliance to help each other from this point on.
Back in present day, Emily asks if Gordon ever did get Thomas his job back but before he can answer, his team arrives and he heads off to begin practice. Thomas and James go against telling Emily and Leo what happened next, promising to do so another time before they relax and enjoy the practice.
==Characters==
* Thomas 
* Emily 
* Percy 
* Leo 
* James 
* Gordon 
* Mr. Brandon (Debut; flashback)
* Henry (flashback)
* Rosie (mentioned)
==Cast==
==Trivia==
* The episode's plot is based on the chapters of the RWS book, "Gordon the Big Engine", or its television series equivalents, "Gordon Takes a Dip" and "Down the Mine".
* This is the only chapter to be released in 2019. Additionally, it's the final chapter released in the 2010's.
* In spite of the ending, the series has yet to answer if Gordon did help Thomas regain his position as water boy, leaving it on a cliffhanger.
* Despite the alliance made during the flashback, Gordon would betray it in Season 3's "Thomas in Trouble".
Category:Thomas and Friends
Category:Sodor High School
Category:Episodes
Category:Fan Fiction