10Time passed on the Island of Sodor. Thomas and Emily enjoyed the rest of his whole uninterrupted year on Sodor after seeing all five continents around the globe at least once. After an unusual Valentine's Day concerning Rosie and the Fat Controller surprising Lady Hatt, followed by a blooming Mother's Day between Percy and Emily, and another silent evening in May between Thomas and Emily, there came two other considerable events that year.
That summer, there came a day when Sidney had gathered a flatbed full of most unusual parts, only for him to forget what the parts were needed for. Paxton then decided that he and Sidney had to find out what they were for, treating them like a case. Then Thomas told them those parts were for a diesel engine, making Sidney and Paxton search for more clues, until things started to go wrong with Sidney, having a bad horn, broken lamp, faulty buffer and coughing black smoke. It was only then that they realized these puzzling parts were for Stanley.
Then when December came by, Thomas and Emily were both immensely happy to be together again for Christmas Eve and Day. This year, however was a little peculiar. At the Animal Park, Thomas heard from Head-Keeper Jack that the boiler for the winter house had broken down, and that Emily had been at Brendam Docks to pick up a new boiler. But the intense snowstorm had delayed the ship so badly that the boiler wouldn't arrive until after Christmas. When the Fat Controller heard the news, he urged Thomas to transfer the animals to the Steamworks to keep warm until the boiler arrived.
While Thomas was able to collect the animals easy as pie, he saw he couldn't make his way to the Steamworks so easily. A snowdrift at a tunnel blocked one way, then as he sped over Gordon's Hill, he ran into another snowdrift at the bottom. But having remembered how useful Trusty Trunky was for him in India, the elephants were able to push the train right through the snowdrift. As Thomas wouldn't reach the Steamworks in good time, he decided to bring all the animals to Tidmouth Sheds. Percy, Nia, Rebecca and Emily were welcoming enough to the animals, although Gordon and James thought otherwise.
Emily was most particularly intrigued by this. She had never seen so many animals so close before, and her only experience with animals like this were when Thomas had the elephants hose her down after she was washed and the pipe failed. It was most unusual to be sharing their shed with animals, but she was still happy just the same to have Thomas with her again. The new boiler arrived the next morning, and the Fat Controller had seen Thomas' plan at the sheds. James even had the ironic honour of looking after an Ostridge egg, to his disbelief.
Now, it was the following May, almost a year and a half since Thomas returned from Australia, and he just began to wonder about briefly visiting a few countries again. Emily was a little downhearted to hear this, but still appreciated that those trips would likely be briefer...
But one afternoon, there came a brief wave of speculation and fear that started at Vicarstown with Flying Scotsman. In his worried words, the exiled had spoken. While bringing his passengers from the Mainland, Flying Scotsman had heard rumours of what sounded like a threat of revenge by the long-since banished Diesel 10. He had been banished from the Island of Sodor ever since Sailor John's final defeat and imprisonment.
Naturally, this rumour got several of the engines, including Thomas and Emily to wonder and worry throughout the day if he'd ever return. No one had given a moment's thought about Diesel 10 all this time, and to hear even just a rumour concerning him was bound to make everyone anxious. Fortunately however, these rumours were short-lived. The Fat Controller gathered the Steam Team together and assured them how he had made himself inescapably clear to Diesel 10 that if he ever even tried to set wheel on Sodor again, without professional assurance from the Mainland Railway Board that he was trustworthy, then he'd be scrapped within the hour. He also told them how the Mainland Railway Board was keeping such a tight watch on Diesel 10, he wouldn't try anything anyway. This was enough to calm all the engines down and ease with relief.
That night, David was in his Arlesburgh home, lying in bed and reading to himself. He had heard about the rumour that had spread among the engines, only for that rumor to be called off by the Fat Controller when he reassured them all. David knew very well how responsible and capable the Mainland managers were and trusted in the Fat Controller's judgement. Diesel 10 wouldn't dare try anything without the approval of the Mainland managers, given his sheer warning from the Fat Controller. This was enough for David to ease up too as he kept reading.
David continued to read in bed for almost two hours, until his head began to nod, and his eyes began to feel heavy. Then at last, he could no longer hold onto his book. He placed it on his nightstand, turned out the lamp and fell asleep. But then, a few hours into his sleep, he began to dream of something dark and mysterious...
It was a dark night. Black clouds were creeping through the sky, covering the moon and stars, and Flying Scotsman was at Vicarstown, set to take another passenger run to the Mainland. Among all the other passengers, David had purchased a ticket to ride on this train. Having heard the rumors concerning Diesel 10, he wanted to investigate some of the Mainland further, determined to stop any threat in Sodor's path. He boarded one of Flying Scotsman's coaches and soon, they were off. Throughout the whole journey, David spoke not a word among the other passengers, wondering and worrying over what he would find.
About an hour later, Flying Scotsman stopped at a station. David got off and immediately began his hunt for this monster of a diesel. There was a rail yard in the distance, so he started there. He scoured every metre he could for any signs or clues, examining every siding and engine he caught glimpse of, but didn't find Diesel 10. David decided not to bother returning to Flying Scotsman. Then the rain came down. As Flying Scotsman went on his way, a slow rumble of thunder loomed in the air, but David kept on his hunt. He hunted high, he hunted low. He hunted near, and he hunted far. He looked everywhere for Diesel 10. He scoured several more yards, threw doors open at every shed he spotted, and eyed whatever engine he caught sight of with suspicion.
This went on for nearly two hours. The rain kept falling, lightning kept flashing through the sky and bolts of thunder kept David's heart pounding with worry and unrest.
Then, in the rumbling thunder and flashing lighting, David caught sight of a large engine factory. Something told him this was the right place. David began striding toward the factory, while the thunder began to boom a little louder. He held his gaze straight-on and drew his naval cutlass, ready to use it if the situation called for it. As he walked carefully inside the factory, he couldn't see anything or anyone. Even with the occasional flash of lightning, he could see no one. In between each lightning flash and clap of thunder, silence would follow, and David kept listening, his heart thumping very hard in his chest. Aside from the thunder outside, the factory was very dark and eerily quiet...until he heard it.
"At last..."
The voice sounded deep, haunting and dripping with goosebumps. It echoed all throughout the building.
"The mighty David Rider, son of Lawrence Rider, first-ever driver of Emily the Stirling Single. The Navy trained you well...as did Sailor John, fueling your strength and utmost initiative..."
David was not going to be frightened by the one this voice belonged to. "I caught Sailor John red-handed. I'll catch you."
"My boy..." the voice purred as deeply as it ever could. "I lived for Sailor John."
"Aye. It's been a blast..." Sailor John's voice spoke.
"Your father's engine's greatest enemies..." said Diesel's voice.
"We have been every voice..." came 'Arry and Bert's voices.
"You have EVER heard..." James' voice followed.
"Inside your head," ended Gordon's voice.
David kept walking feebly and cautiously through the engine factory, his naval cutlass held firmly in his grasp. His eyes scanned endlessly left and right, up and down, looking for the one this voice belonged to. Then a few minutes later, deeper inside the factory, he heard the first voice again...much closer, and louder.
"Poetic Justice was just the beginning of your time on Sodor. I will give you so much more."
"You'll fall first," David warned.
"I have fallen before. I am no ordinary phenomenon."
David turned to the voice and walked further. Slowly, but surely, he could see a long, sleek shadow with the shape of a certain diesel engine. And as a rumble of thunder loomed outside, the voice recited a certain statement.
"My engine class is ten out of ten, for devious deeds and brutal strength. The Blast from the Past..."
Then, as the voice concluded the statement, multiple flashes of lighting made the engine's face flicker. "...Who HATES steam engines."
Diesel 10! There he was, in the flesh, or, rather, steel. He was completely anchored down by chains from all corners, from front to back buffers, and from wheel to wheel. Every night this was done, so he could not try to escape until he'd be unhooked the next day to be put to work again.
When David saw this monster of a diesel locomotive with his own two eyes, he reeled his naval cutlass in a circle and shot it forward, holding Diesel 10 at sword-point. For several moments of silence, David didn't move. Diesel 10 didn't move either. A few flashes of lightning revealed Diesel 10 showing a vacant and blank, albeit untrustworthy expression.
David broke the silence, but kept his sword pointing head-on. "Sir Topham Hatt gave Thomas a Branch Line for helping James out of a sheer accident. Thomas gave Emily all the happiness and love she could hope for...What could YOU...give me?"
The answer came with a moment of silence from the storm. "Everything. A Railway Empire."
Diesel 10 slowly and feebly raised his severed, clawless arm, that had long-since been blown up from the showdown at Vicarstown. David heard something outside and looked. There, he saw a line of shed berths all open in sequence. There was Diesel, 'Arry, Bert, Frankie, Norman, Den, Dart, Dennis, and, one of the longest-unseen diesels...Class 40.
"The might of the Diesel Team will soon be ready," Diesel 10 declared. "It will be yours if you do as I ask. Seize the Fat Controller's power! Dominate the railway! And become what your Naval grandfather, Sailor John, could not!"
David resheathed his cutlass, but kept his sternly cautious gaze on the Diesel-powered entity. He did not trust a single word he was hearing.
"You will rule the entire North Western Railway...as the 'New Controller.' But be mindful of the Emerald. She is not who you think she is."
"What do you mean?" David asked suspiciously, sensing that it could be a lie, or the truth, since Diesel 10 was most unpredictable.
"Your father was the first one to ever drive Emily...but the one who told him to be there and have the pleasure of meeting the emerald...she is one who holds utmost significance on your behalf."
This made David curious...curious enough to ask with a sense of honesty. "...Who is she?"
As lighting flashed around them again, David saw Diesel 10's lips fold upwards...into a crackling smile...
David suddenly woke up a moment later and looked around. He saw he was still in bed in his home at Arlesburgh. It dawned on him what the Fat Controller had said about the Mainland holding Diesel 10 at bay at all times, and how he had no hope of returning to Sodor red-handed. And David also knew he'd never trust Diesel 10's offers if they ever did cross paths. He could never be bought for a price as low as what Diesel 10 offered him in that dream.
It wasn't long before that dream already began to fade from David's memory as some dreams are forgotten as soon as they end. Then David took a look out his bedroom window and saw the Sea Emperor right where it was as the moon shone brightly on it. This sight was enough to make David feel at peace again as sleep began to pull at him again. He soon fell asleep again peacefully, without any more unusual dreams...but even as he slept, there was still one little thing from that dream that made him ponder a little more, about something else. Something that would eventually be revealed to Emily in due course.
Another surprise story. Mostly a silent story, until the dream sequence. Now, with Diesel 10's description, I am NOT suggesting TATMR is canon. It's not, and it never will be, as I have heavily stressed a millions times already at this point. The reason it's included, is like how the Emperor reincorporated, "The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be...unnatural," from "Revenge of the Sith," into "Rise of Skywalker." The reason this story exists is to give some slight foreshadowing to a big story we have in store later down the line. Also, there is some sad news as well. Michael Angelis, the longest running narrator of Thomas & Friends, sadly passed away yesterday (30th May 2020) from a heart attack...and 2020 was already atrocious enough. Whether you liked his narration or not, the 21 year legacy of Michael Angelis can never be denied. He was the voice of Thomas and Friends for the UK for so many adults, and he was the first narrator I ever heard on the show when I was introduced to the franchise thanks to Series 3. Michael Angelis has always been such a huge part of my life, and to hear that he's no longer with us really hits me hard. He will always be the best narrator of the show in my eyes. Michael Angelis, may you rest in peace.
Until next time, tell us what you thought of this story and we'll see you later. Stay safe and wash your hands.
