Aurora's Advent

Stranded

"ACHOO!"

Donald, Douglas, Oliver, Duck, and BoCo started coughing as a cloud of soot rapidly filled Arlesburgh Sheds. Their crew started to cough as well as they tried to fan out the soot.

"Losh sakes, Duck!" Complained Donald. "When did yer crew last clean ye oot, min??"

"Oh, be quiet, you Caledonian-" But Duck was interrupted by a laugh that sounded like a tinkling bell.

"Sorry, everyone!" A female voice laughed.

When the soot cloud finally dispersed from the shed, a beautiful female adult stood on top of Duck's boiler, standing next to his funnel.

She wore simple jeans, a black shirt, a white lab coat stained with soot, and black boots. Sharp green eyes sparkled a stark contrast to cherry-red cheeks, with yet more soot decorating her face, and her long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. A stethoscope hung around her neck, and on the ground beside Ducks wheels, was a large leather Gladstone bag, which the engines all eyed with suspicion.

Duck sniffed. "I do wish you would've told me what you were going to do, Dr. Maverick. Now I've disgruntled everyone in the shed."

"Not for the first time." Oliver cheekily added.

"Force of habit and please, call me Maria." Maria replied apologetically before jumping down onto his footplate in front of his face.

"Do you still feel stuffed up?" She asked gently.

"Not anymore." Duck replied, trying not to blink when she inspected his eyes with a retinoscope.

"I would hope not, after that sneeze you did, love." BoCo chuckled softly, soot scattered on his face.

"Why are you all covered in soot... no one told me?" Aurora asked as she walked over to the shed, a candy cane sticking out of her mouth and carrying a large bowl in her arms.

"Maria made Duck sneeze to clear his smokebox. It literally just happened, no warning or cover." Oliver pointed out in annoyance, before noticing the bowl. "What's with the bowl?"

"I figured that since Aurora is staying here tonight, I'll put on a movie." Jerry Smith, BoCo's driver, smiled as he held a small portable popcorn machine. "Show her a classic Christmas movie."

"Alright! Movie night!" Donald and Douglas cheered happily.

"What movie are you putting on?" Maria asked, moving Duck's lips around to inspect his gums.

"A Christmas Carol." Turner, Oliver's firewoman smiled warmly, carrying a large thermos. "She's picking which version, seeing as she's our guest for the evening.."

"I am?" Aurora asked as she walked over to Douglas, looking over at Maria and Duck. "Is he alright?

"He is." Maria hummed as she pulled out a large jar, putting a glove on. "Just giving him a booster."

Duck groaned with disgust as he watched her scoop up a small amount of a clear gel. When she first arrived in the summer, she inspected every engine on the island and had given them this same gel to keep them healthy.

Maria had conducted this research under the guise of solely improving the global railway economy. (She was mostly concerned for their welfare, but this was a pragmatic reason as well) and because of that, she developed a gel to help prevent engines from getting colds and viruses.

The only downside is that the taste was tremendously TERRIBLE.

Closing his eyes, he felt Maria smear the gel along his gums before lowering his lip.