Chapter 9: The power of gold dust: Part 1.

It was a bright and sunny mid-morning on the Island of Sodor, Agnes was slowly peddling her track-cycle down a stretch of tracks that went through a rather thick forest. Even though Agnes had never been down this line before, she actually liked everything about it. The sunlight seeping through the trees, the birds chirping, and a purple morpho butterfly just so happened to be fluttering by and landing on the front of her nose.

Agnes:(giggles)

After the butterfly flew away, Agnes carefully stopped her track-cycle. As she stepped down, she took a moment to let in some of the forest's fresh air.

Agnes:(breaths in, then breaths out) "Ahh, I never knew this place felt so nice on a day like this. Maybe there's some flowers aro-Ow!"

Agnes was cut off when she stubbed her foot against 1 of the track railings, and it caused her to fall on her front.

As she got up, she dusted herself off. But suddenly, something on the track caught her attention that made her eyes grow a bit wide with wonder.

It looked like something shiny was underneath the thick dust that was covering the rails, and Agnes couldn't resist checking it out. As Agnes knelt down towards it on 1 knee, she swept away some of the dust with her right hand. After that little sweep, it revealed a little bit of gold built into the tracks, as if the rails were actually made of solid gold.

Agnes: "woah."

Agnes brushed away a little more of the dirt on the rails,(along with a twig or 2) and she kept finding gold on the rails. Agnes had soon swept away about 2-3 yards of the rail, and it was soon official: these rails were made of solid gold.

Agnes: "I can't wait to tell Margo about this."

Agnes just continued sweeping away the dirt, twigs, and leaves on the rails, and she kept finding gold railing.

But after she walked about 7-8 yards dusting the track, she looked up and saw something peculiar. She was at the end of the tracks, and it ended with a slightly overgrown set of buffers.

The buffers were at the end of the track in front of a few trees and bushes, but 2 more stretches of track went beyond the spot the buffers were at. The buffers main wood-plank was dark grey, and the buffers were maid of plain grey metal. It also had 1-2 vines hanging over it's front/side.

But there was something on the buffers that confused Agnes, a little bit of gold glitter coated on the buffers.(and a tiny bit on the wooden beam)

Agnes went up to the buffers, then she examined the gold glitter much closer. She brushed her 4 fingers across the wooden buffer beam, and she took a look at the bit of gold glitter that got sprinkled on her hand. As she examined the gold glitter on her hand, it sparkled a tiny bit when she at least tilted her hand to the right a little more.

Agnes: "What is this stuff?"

Just then, Thomas came puffing down the line pulling 5 pointy-roofed salt vans loaded with fruit to take to market. When he saw Agnes by the set of buffers, he stopped nearby to find out what she was up to.

Thomas: "Hey Agnes, what are you up to today?"

Agnes:(looks left to see Thomas) "Oh, Hey Thomas. This might sound strange, but I found some strange gold glitter sprinkled on this set of buffers. Before I found that, I found some solid gold track rails leading to these buffers. This is like 1 of the most amazing things I've ever seen, am I right?

Thomas soon grew surprised, he immediately remembered which buffers they were now that she mentioned "gold glitter." He didn't think it was the best idea to tell Agnes about it all, but he could never keep secrets from someone like Agnes.

Thomas:(sighs) "Alright Agnes, how about I tell you something really special about those buffers?"

Agnes: "Oooh, please tell me!"

Thomas: "You see Agnes, those are magic buffers. When you go through them, it leads you to a magical railway. I know, because I once traveled there about 17 years ago."

Agnes was already amazed by what she was hearing.

Thomas: "While I was there, I met this beautiful magical engine that holds the secret to that railroad and its energy. Ever since that day, we became partly engaged."

Agnes: "Wow Thomas, I never knew you had a distant girlfriend."

Thomas just chuckled at Agnes's comment, he knew that Agnes could be really adorable sometimes.

Thomas: "I better be on my way, I'm already running a few minutes late getting all this fruit to the market."

With that, Thomas was about to go on his way again. But when he only went forward about 2-3 feet forward, he reversed back to where he had been.

Thomas: "1 more thing Agnes, there's something I should warn you about."

Agnes: "What's that?"

Thomas: "While I was with this magical engine, we were chased down by an evil diesel."

Agnes's eyes grew wide with worry.

Thomas: "This diesel was very powerful, and he tried to destroy the magic railroad and its energy. we were barely able to escape from him, But we were eventually able to get away."

Agnes: "Phew, at least you escaped from that bully."

Thomas: "I better get going now, see you later Agnes."(blows his whistle)

While Agnes waved goodbye(with her left hand), Thomas puffs off to the market. Agnes was amazed by the whole story Thomas had told her. As she took another look at the gold dust in her hand, something shocking happened.

Out of nowhere, the gold dust started glowing a bit and floating from her hand. Once it was as high as her forehead, it started glowing a blinding gold light as Agnes tried to shield her eyes from it with her arms.

Agnes: "What the heck!?"

Suddenly, the glow from the gold dust dimmed down a tiny bit. But as Agnes lowered her arms from in front of her face, the gold dust started getting absorbed into her systems through a blinding gold light on the front of her chest. Agnes was completely shocked at this, but the absorbing didn't stop until all the gold dust that had floated from her hand got sucked inside her.

At last, the absorbing had stopped and the light on her chest had disappeared. Agnes stood completely still without saying a word for a couple minutes, she had no idea what had happened.

Agnes: "What the heck was that?"

Agnes wanted to know what that was all about, but she decided to just not worry about it later. So after shrugging her shoulders, she started walking back towards her track-cycle.

About 15 minutes later, Agnes arrived at the start of a viaduct called "The Big Dipper." It was a large 2-track stone bridge that went over a large river, and the rocky walls of the ravine below were slightly coated with scattered shrubbery. The very middle of the bridge had collapsed once a long time ago, but now the bridge was fully repaired.

Agnes had parked her track-cycle on the right track at the very end of the bridge, and she climbed down from it again to find something to do while she was still at this bridge.

She balance herself along the bridges right stone-guardrail with her arms straight out, and she slowly walked along it putting 1 foot directly in front of the other. She kept doing this until she was almost halfway across the bridge, then she sat on the edge of the stone-guardrail with her legs hanging from the outside edge.

While she sat there, she started thinking about the moment that gold dust got sucked inside her. She wanted to know why it happened, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. As she pondered her solution, she just stared down at the river of brown water.

As she continued her daydreaming, a voice caught her attention.

?: "And what's a little girl like you doing out here alone?"

Agnes got up and turned around, then she saw an engine she had never seen before.

He was an ochre BR Class 42 "warship" with tan diamond shaped stripes along the sides, and he had a dark brown mechanical claw resting on his roof. He had dark grey oval-shaped buffers, and his front and back buffer beams were dark red.

?: "I saw you from the end of the bridge, and I thought you were lost."

Agnes: "Pardon me, but who are you?"

?: "Oh, where are my manners….the name's Diesel 10."

Agnes: "Uhh, is the 10 really necessary?"

Diesel 10: "Pretty much, 10 out of 10 for devious deeds and brutal strength."

Agnes was surprised with wide eyes at his statement on just the number 10.

Agnes: "...wow, that's quite a statement."

Diesel 10: "Indeed it is, and I'm quite delighted about that."

Suddenly, Agnes looked behind Diesel 10. As she looked over where she had parked her track-cycle, it was laying on it's side with the front part of it slightly beaten up.

Agnes: "Hey, what did you do to my track-cycle!?"

Diesel 10: "Well it was in my way, so I just shoved it off my track. By the way, what are you doing all the way out here?"

Agnes: "Well…about 20 minutes ago, I came across this old set of buffers. And get this, it was covered in a little bit of what Thomas called gold dust."

Diesel 10 suddenly snapped a surprised look, he hadn't gone after any of that in around 17 years.

Agnes: "Then Thomas told me about some magical engine that runs a railway the buffers lead to, it was-

Diesel 10: "Wait!...That little blue puffball actually told you everything about that railway?!"

Agnes: "Yeah, and who are you calling puffball?"

Diesel 10: "That blasted number 1 engine Thomas of course, he spoiled my plan to destroy the magic railroad 17 years ago!"

Agnes suddenly gasped , everything Thomas had told her was starting to make sense now. Not only that, the evil diesel that he mentioned was right in front of her.

Agnes: "Wait, you're that evil diesel Thomas told me about earlier!"

Diesel 10: "Oooh, so he actually mentioned me in that little story he told you. Yes, I've encountered that blue puffball a few times in the past. But every time I faced him, he always ruined everything."

Agnes: "Why, why are you doing all this."

Diesel 10: "Because little one, I hate steamies!"

After that, Diesel 10 raised up his claw a bit causing Agnes to give a slightly frightened look.

Diesel 10: "Steamies are so old fashioned and out of date, your steamie friends are practically dinosaurs compared to us diesels. We diesels are more modern, and

we're taking over by getting rid of the steamies. After that, we diesels will take over this island once and for all!"

At the moment he said "once and for all," he clamped the jaws of his claw a couple times. Agnes was shocked from everything that Diesel 10 had explained. Sir Topham Hatt did have quite a few diesels working on this island, but he would never want them taking over the railway.

Agnes: "You listen ya big meanie, steamies and diesels can work together in harmony if you just give them a chance. But me and my friends are not gonna let you diesels take over our home!"

Diesel 10: "Oh, is that right?"

Suddenly, Diesel 10 reached his claw down towards Agnes. The next thing Agnes knew was that Diesel 10 grabbed her by her candle-like ponytail, and he hoisted her up somewhere in front of his face.

Agnes: "Ow, ow, ow. Hey, put me down! Ow, what are you doing!?"

Diesel 10: "You should no better than to snap at my pride like that. I'm taking over this island, and I'm not gonna let you stand in my way."

Agnes grew a frightened look as she shivered in fear while hanging from the grip of Diesel 10's claw. Suddenly, Diesel 10 suddenly looked away from Agnes and down at the river below. Getting an idea, he looked back at Agnes with an evil grin.

Diesel 10: "Can you swim?"

Agnes: "Uhh not really, why?"

Diesel 10: "Welp, have a good one!"

With that said, Diesel 10 did the unthinkable: he used his claw to toss Agnes off the bridge and into the ravine below.

Agnes:(screams in complete fear)

But Agnes had gotten thrown towards the cliffside a bit, so she ended up tumbling against the rocks a few times.

Diesel 10: "Oops, looks like my aim is a little off.(cackles loudly)"

As Diesel 10 continued laughing like an evil maniac, he rolled off down the tracks.

Agnes continued tumbling against the rocks a couple more times, then she finally landed in the river with a splash. After a few seconds, her unconscious and bashed up body rose to the surface of the river and started floating down it. As her eyes opened about 10%, she could see the bridge in a rather blurry vision. But after a few more seconds, her vision slowly darkened into complete darkness.

It was pitch black in Agnes's vision for quite some time, but she slowly and weakly started opening her eyes again. But she didn't see the bridge anymore, nor was she in the river, she felt like she was now laying on solid and grassy ground.

As she opened her eyes a bit more, she could see Margo sitting on her knees beside her and looking down at her with a worried look . But it wasn't just Margo, Gru, Lucy, Edith, and some of the minions were standing close by looking just as worried. Out of nowhere, Agnes sat up almost as quick as a flash.

Agnes: "Huh, what the-Ow!"(moans in pain)

When Agnes tried sitting up, she already felt a cramp somewhere in her rib-cage as she held the side of her stomach with her left hand in pain. As she looked around, she was laying in Gru's front yard.

As Agnes tried getting a look at herself, she had quite a few bandages on herself. She had her right and wrapped in a simple spiral bandage, and it was resting in a small light pink arm sling. She also had a couple small cross bandaids on each of her legs, and a couple small bruises on her face. Agnes couldn't see it, but she also had a bandage wrapped around her head.

Thomas, James, Percy, Gordon, Emily, and Ryan were parked next to the yard, they had heard about what happened to Agnes and came to check on her. Thomas, Percy, and Emily were on the right side, and James, Gordon, and Ryan were on the opposite side facing them. Thomas and Ryan faced each other the closest to the edge of the yard, Percy and Gordon were right next to them, and James and Emily were right next to them.

Lucy: "Calm down sweetie, we're here for you."

Agnes: "What, huh?(slowly rubs her head) Wait….how did I get here?"

Thomas: "We found your track-cycle on it's side over by the Big Dipper, but you weren't there."

Emily: "But me, Thomas, and James found you unconscious on the shore of the Courtney line canal, you looked pretty beat up."

James: "After that, we brought you here. But while you sat inside my cab, my driver and fireman gave you those bandages from their medical kit."

Agnes was a bit impressed to hear this, she never knew James's crew usually held onto a medical kit. Just then, she looked towards Ryan who had a slightly worried look on his face.

Agnes: "I'm glad-*cough-cough*-you came for me Ryan."

Ryan: "Of course I came, best friends don't leave each other behind."

Gru, Lucy, Margo, Thomas, and Emily each shared warm smiles.

Gordon: "Anyway, how on earth did you wind up on the shore of that canal?"

Gru: "Yeah, what happened to you out dare?

Agnes: "I was sitting up at that big bridge, but then some big Diesel came by and threw me over the edge."

Everyone was completely shocked at hearing this, they couldn't believe someone would do something like this to Agnes.

Thomas: "Did you figure out who that diesel was?"

Agnes: "I think so, he said his name was…..Diesel 10."

All the engines (minus Thomas): "Diesel 10!?"

Agnes: "Yeah, he threw me off that bridge…..Wait…..you know this guy!?"

James: "Ugh, do we have to tell you everything about Diesel 10 now!?"

Thomas: "James, she has to know!"

James: "Ugh, fine."

Thomas: "First, he tried to find the magic railroad and destroy it and destroy the engine that runs it.

Emily: "A while after that, he helped us with the construction of the Sodor airport…...where he didn't seem all that bad."

Percy: "Then I met him during the first time I visited the dieselworks, but then I ended up helping him with his plan to take over the steamworks."

James: "And 1 time during Christmas, he stole our tree, lights, and garland just so he could hang them up in the dieselworks."

Agnes: "A tree?"

Thomas: "We had our own Christmas tree standing by Tidmouth sheds."

Agnes was both shocked and impressed, she never knew her engine friends remembered so much about Diesel 10. Suddenly, she turned towards Thomas.

Agnes: "Diesel 10 was that evil diesel you mentioned earlier, isn't he Thomas."

Suddenly, James, Percy, Gordon, Emily, and Ryan all looked towards Thomas. Realizing the jig was up, he decided to tell everyone what he had told Agnes earlier.

Thomas:(sigh) "While I was on my way to the market this morning, I spotted Agnes standing by the magic buffers. After she asked me what that gold glitter was, I just had to tell her everything about those buffers."

James: "You even told her about that magic railroad, didn't you!?"

Thomas suddenly gave a slightly nervous look.

Thomas: "Umm…..yes, I did."

Gordon: "Oooo the indignity."

After Agnes listened to their conversation, she started looking down in complete concern.

Agnes: "Everyone…..I'm sorry for what happened to me earlier."

Suddenly, everyone (and the engines) was shocked. They had no idea why Agnes would apologize for something like this.

Margo: "You don't have to apologize Agnes, it wasn't your fault."

Emily: "Yeah, it was Diesel 10 who threw you off that bridge."

Edith: "Unless you wanted to be thrown off the bridge."

Suddenly, Gru, Lucy, and Margo all stared daggers at Edith. When Edith saw the slight fire in their eyes, she shut up immediately.

Lucy: "Well for now, the important thing is that you're okay Agnes."

Agnes slowly nodded in agreement, but she still felt bad about what happened that day. Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind.

Agnes: "Hey Lucy, do you have a watch?"

Lucy: "Oh, sure."

As Lucy knelt down beside Agnes, she showed her the watch on her left arm. As Agnes looked at the watch, she saw it was about 4:30 in the afternoon.

Agnes: "Wow, I must've been unconscious on that shore for a while!"

Gru: "Uhh Agnes, what time did Diesel 10 throw you off dat bridge?"

Agnes: "I think….11:30 AM."

After Agnes said that very time, everyone gasped in complete horror.

Percy: "Flatten my funnel, you were really knocked out for that long!?"

Agnes: "I….. I think so."

Gordon: "Oh you poor thing."

Since Lucy and Margo felt just as bad, they came down to Agnes and carefully hugged her. Agnes tried her best to hug back, also to make sure she didn't hurt herself trying to do so.

Lucy: "Let's get you inside Agnes, we'll take you to the hospital tomorrow.

With that, Agnes struggled to get up onto her feet. While Agnes limped towards the house, Margo walked by her side with her right arm around her just in case she needed her help to stay standing.

While Gru followed them into the house, Edith suddenly turned towards Percy.

Percy: "What?"

Edith: "You actually helped Diesel 10 with taking over the steamworks!?"

Suddenly, Percy's eyes started welling up with tears as he struggled to keep himself from crying.

Percy:(fights against his tears) "I-I-I'm sorry, b-but Diesel 10 a-and (sniffles) the other diesels were calling me a h-hero!"

Out of nowhere, Lucy knelt down by Edith a little bit and slapped her at the back of the head. After that, she grabbed Edith's hand as they followed Gru and the other 2 girls inside.

Thomas: "It's okay Percy, we've forgiven you for that."

Gordon: "I'm sorry about this everyone, but I gotta go and do my job for the evening."

Emily: "Gordon, you think Agnes's injuries aren't as important as your usual jobs!?"

Gordon: "I am worried about Agnes, but I just gotta keep up with my evening express run."

James: "Yeah, I've got an evening passenger train to cover for as well. Sorry guys."

And with that, James and Gordon reversed away to take care of their evening jobs. It was at that moment, Percy started giving a worried look towards Thomas.

Percy: "I'm sorry Thomas, but I gotta go and start my mail run for this evening."

Thomas: "Okay Percy, I understand."

With a couple peeps of his whistle, Percy puffed away leaving Thomas, Emily, and Ryan to stay in their spots still worrying about Agnes.

Emily: "Thomas, you sure Agnes will be okay?"

Thomas wasn't entirely sure at first, but something on the grass of Gru's yard caught his attention. As he looked closer, he noticed a few specks of gold glitter sprinkled in the grass. As Thomas stared at it for a little longer, he started wondering how some of it got here in the first place. But for now, Thomas started hoping that his young friend Agnes would be okay.

To be continued.