Thomas, Emily, and Rosie were on a hill overlooking a town, much like Diesel Ten had been earlier that day.

"So...yeah," Thomas said. "Big stuff."

"Yeah," Emily said. "So big that my fireman decided to go talk to Crana about her powers."

"And?"

"Her hands can be generated at will from her nanobots. She can sense whenever a vehicle comes alive, and whenever they die. She can't tell who dies until five months after they have, and she can never tell where they died or what killed them."

Thomas didn't bother asking how, since there was only one way to kill an engine: damaging it enough so it couldn't live anymore.

"Our friend the signalman knows more than he seems to," Emily added.

"Really?" Rosie asked, shocked.

"Turns out his great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was the one who brought Crana to life. His family has felt responsible for protecting her ever since. Especially in 1892."

"What happened then?" Thomas inquired.

"That year, a man from America who hated Lifers announced he would go to Sodor and scrap the 'mystic coach' that let machines live. The signalman's ancestors were horrified by that, so they made a plan. Crana was hidden on the siding we found her on. Young children were told her story was made up, while older children were sworn to secrecy. All information about her was taken away and hidden. When the man came, the Sudrians told him Crana was just folklore, and he believed it and left. Eventually, Crana really did become folklore, but not to the signalman's family.

"The lever that diverted Thomas really was wonky, but the signalman trusts us to keep Crana safe. It's been 130 years since the day she was nearly killed...and we don't want it to happen again."


The three puffed to Tidmouth Sheds in silence. As they entered their berths, they couldn't help but notice Gordon was in a foul mood.

"What's wrong, Gordon?" Thomas asked. "Is Spencer here again?"

"It's even worse than that," Gordon groaned. "Diesel Ten was out today."

"He was WHAT?!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Yes! Rushing about for some reason. And now my coaches want to be pulled by HIM!" Gordon seethed. "Oh, the indignity!"

"You can't blame them, Gordon," Emily said. "Warships are meant to pull express coaches."

"Diesel Ten isn't a Warship, Emily! He's a Battleship, from America!" Gordon sighed. "American engines are always oh-so-strong to satisfy the American people's ego."

"As an American myself, I can tell you that's NOT why American engines are so much bigger than you guys tend to be," Rosie interrupted, angry about being insulted.

"Then why ARE they?"

"Because American engines have to pull bigger trains, with cars twice the size of the ones here, over long distances and rough terrain, without stopping for fuel nearly as often as we do. Diesel Ten isn't stronger and hardier than a real Class 42 for the heck of it; he has to be. It's why tank engines are so rare in America."

"Oh," Gordon said, and realized he'd offended her. "Sorry, Rosie. I guess I'm just too bothered to think straight."

"Apology accepted. But seriously, why WAS Diesel Ten out?"

"I saw Samson in the middle of the tracks this afternoon," James mused. "He wouldn't say why he was there."

"I can answer this," Edward spoke. He'd just arrived. After turning around on the turntable and entering his berth, he said "I met Billy at Vicarstown taking Bradford to the Mainland. Bradford was angry that Samson had left him behind, and Billy wasn't very happy to have Bradford nitpicking his work. When he came back, Billy told me everything."

"And?" Gordon asked.

Edward smiled. "Rusty got caught in a small rockslide at the Blue Mountain Quarry, and Billy helped with the repairs by getting some new parts for him. Diesel Ten was surprised that Billy was helping the diesels, but Billy actually stood up to him and convinced him to help him get Rusty back home. When he did, Samson thought Diesel Ten was useless." He began to chuckle. "So he challenged Diesel Ten to a race!"

"And Diesel Ten won, of course," Gordon laughed. "Silly Samson."

"Diesel Ten wasn't doing something devious..." Thomas mumbled in disbelief. "Is that even possible?"

"Yes, it is." Edward's expression changed to a sterner one. "I'm still upset about what you did to him in 2000. After Diesel Ten was humiliated on international television by getting forbidden from The Golden Railway? And then what happened after that. I wish I hadn't been getting that siderod replaced so I could keep you from doing it."

"Doing what?" Rosie asked.

"You know the story of how Lady the magical engine was hurt by Diesel Ten?" Henry asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, when we heard he was coming back to Sodor, the steam team of the day - except for Edward - decided to confront him and ask him why he did it. But Thomas wound up chasing after him...and driving him off a crumbling viaduct into a garbage barge."

"Thomas!" Emily snapped. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"Diesel Ten was going to scrap us!" Thomas exclaimed.

"No, he wasn't! And it's probably because of YOU that he hates us so much!" Gordon said crossly.

"He hurt the magical engine!"

"Maybe he didn't," Edward spoke up. "Don't you think it's a little weird?"

"What is?" Thomas asked, angry.

"If Lady's magic is all-powerful, why didn't she just use it to turn Diesel Ten into stone and keep him from hurting her?"

Silence. Thomas' eyes widened. "You're right...oh my Sodor."

"I think that story might have been false," Edward explained.

"I think so too," Emily said. "I was getting some of my wheels replaced in 2000 when I heard that the scrapyard they came from accidentally collapsed. It was around the same time the story about Lady came out. Maybe she was hurt in the same scrapyard."

"Maybe," Percy said. "But she's not here to tell us herself, so we may never know."

He had no idea how wrong he was.


Thomas, Emily, and Rosie were still awake when the others were asleep.

"I've been a really silly engine," Thomas sighed sadly. "It's my fault Diesel Ten hates us more than the other steamers. At the Dieselworks, back in 2011...he wanted me there so he could pay me out."

"Thomas, we all do stupid things at some point in our lives," Emily said soothingly. "I was mean and bossy for five years because I let a few comments from James and Gordon get under my frames."

"And I did a lot of stupid things in America before I came here," Rosie added. "I'm not allowed in Colorado again because I caused a huge derailment. Maybe Diesel Ten just wanted you at the Dieselworks so he could tell you everything you did to him was wrong."

"You're right. He didn't mean to cause the fire, either." Thomas groaned. "I wish Lady was here so we could sort out this whole mess once and for all."

Little did he know his wish was going to come true.


Diesel Ten does seem to single Thomas out more than the other engines. I think he wanted Thomas held hostage for revenge purposes. Don't worry, he would've just told Thomas off very sternly.

Now we know Thomas isn't perfect, and the Steam Team has begun to realize maybe the story of Lady isn't so true.

Will the Steam Team be let in on the truth? Will Diesel Ten and Thomas patch things up? How will Lady be revealed?

All this and more in the next chapter - Found Out!