So, er, here's a turn up for the books. This episode...was actually pretty bloody good for me, at least. Standard, oh yeah, but at the same time, I had a lot of fun watching it, even if the story is bog-common at this point. Maybe it's just because it's the last time we got the old Skarloey themes and so on, but I had a lot of fun watching this and writing it.

Next time, it's the end. And...I'm honestly not really ready for it to be. But you know how it is.

AaronCottrell97: Oh don't get me wrong, it's perfectly fine, but coming from the person who has to WRITE around things like this, it's a pretty boring one that doesn't offer much. Still enjoyable though, because Classic Series.

Game-Watch: Thanks a lot!

MattPrice01: Heatstroke'll do that to you. XD. Glad you enjoyed it!

Saffron Panther: That makes a lot of sense, actually. The imagination is far creepier at filling in the blanks than reality is, I think. And Terrance frowning is certainly creepy. Yes, thank you for the kind words! It means a lot, and hey, you're correct, better late than never!

Radical Sandwiches: All good ideas, definitely something to think about, hope you enjoy what you see when we get there.

UGX7: Yeah the weirdness of the release schedule is something I'll never get.

Garchomp65: You'll see!

jsw: It was the ONE WHEELED ENGINE that did it!

GreatWestern1522: Hope you enjoy it!

Acehoneycomb: It's been explained a bit here, and I hope you like it! Both the plan and the little white flash.

Guest 1: Yep! See you later Cowboy...somewhere, someday!

Guest 2: You know me too well!

CUE THE THEME

"Ah Stepney. The times, they are a-changing."

Stepney nodded gravely. "Remember when it used to just be you and me running this little patch of line, and we'd keep seeing each other every so often? It'd be fun, wasn't it?"

"It was."

Rusty and Stepney looked at each other, both lost in memories. Stepney was leaving soon, in order to make sure that Boxhill, Fergus and the injured Oliver got across the Mainland as best as they could.

"Until we meet again, Rusty. And thank you for everything."

"Thanks mate." Rusty smiled, bravely. "We are going to see each other again."

"Oh absolutely. Bluebells forever."

They looked at each other for a moment longer.

"Goodbye Stepney."

"Goodbye Rusty."

And off Stepney went.

…..

Rusty was in a pensive mood that winter's day, It didn't help that once more they had to go about and do the really awkward jobs that no one else wanted to do, namely fix the bloody shite track that ran through the mountains. Well, limped would be more accurate, really, considering the state of it. Making sure that the tracks, bridges and tunnels were all in good working order was near impossible, so below adequate was the standard for which they aimed for.

And even then, they more often than not missed.

On that day, they crossed the old wooden bridge.

"Another one of these!" Rusty hissed scornfully. "Did the workmen not learn from the last one? Or was it just in fashion to use bad working materials?"

"Now now!" said Mr Hugo, the man in charge of repairs. "That's no way to talk about Old Billy-Joe Norris. You know the slack jawed yokel 'ain't been quite right in the brainbox' lately."

"Why are so many people named Norris on this Island?!" Rusty snapped. Then they groaned as they hit a big bump in the track. "Those brainbox issues? He's not gone and lain down there has he? That felt distinctly body shaped then."

"There are cracks in the support!" The driver explained.

"That could be dangerous!" said Rusty, going through the motions at this point. "We must WARN the engines, whom will of course ignore my warnings and then go slap bang into the…well, river's not the word for it, maybe stream? Babbling brook? I mean I've seen more dangerous fishbowls."

The engines were waiting for their coal when Rusty arrived. Peter Sam was in deep conversation with Mr Rabbit about the woes of being an unemployed father. Peter Sam felt deeply moved by the rabbit's plight, so moved that he ignored the questioning looks offered by the other engines.

"Don't use the old wooden bridge!"

"Which one?" asked Rheneas and Skarloey.

"Oh, any of them, but one of them specifically. It's real dangerous and all!"

They paused, and waited. And sure enough.

"How would ye know? Yer only a diesel."

"Duncan, I thought we were over our hatred for each other." Rusty sighed wearily. "Because it's my job to know. And also because engine + water = bad juju. But hey, who here wants to listen to logic, am I right Peter Sam?"

"Mr Rabbit, NO! Divorce should not be the first thing you think of! Have you tried counselling?"

"Yep. That's about right." Rusty sighed, sadly as Duncan steamed away without even getting his coal. When things changed they were sad, when things stayed the same they were sad.

Rusty could not win.

….

Nonetheless, they hurried to chat to the Fat Hatt, who was too busy mourning the loss of his delicious puddings to really do anything than offer generic platitudes. "Right, well, thank you. I guess. Engineers will go and do stuff I suppose, and no one is to use the bridge."

"Why are you telling ME this?! And not the others? Say, Duncan?!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE RUSTY! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALLOUS WHEN PUDDINGS ARE BEING LEFT ON THE STREETS, ABANDONED AND UNEATEN!?"

"…Context, sir?"

"Screw your context!"

The driver put a sign up with the words 'LINE CLOSED' written upon it, so that the engines had to travel a different way. Rusty's suggestion of maybe using a large trampoline that could bounce any errant engines back should the sign not be abundantly clear about what was ahead was ignored completely. Perhaps if it had, what happened next would not have happened.

Then again, this is Duncan we speak of. Duncan, whom in his search for more coal to reach the sheds, managed to ignore the massive stacks of coal nearly everywhere he went. As he finally spotted one bunker, he realised in disgust that it was empty.

"Bother!" He said, as he glared at Skarloey, who tried to not let the alcohol in the breath get to him. "I'll nae be able to get home without coal!"

"I can give you a push, boyo!"

"Nae thanks, I dinnae want to end up in a lake. Where's the nearest coal bunker?"

"On the other side of the old wooden bridge. But you can't cross, Rusty says that it's not safe for you to do so." Skarloey wondered if he was deliberately waving the red flag at the bull-headed engine.

"ACH! Rusty always makes things sound worse than they are!" And so, the self-serving memory possessing git swaggered off, with his driver drunkenly suggesting that:

"Things won't be THAT bad. One trip can't hurt."

Clearly he had not been paying attention for the last three seasons.

When they arrived at the junction, the driver removed the sign, and Duncan began to snicker at the mental image of Rusty's outraged face. He was being very childish at the moment, but he felt that it was for the greater good and all.

There was a loud clatter, and Duncan hissed to a halt mid-way across the bridge. "Hmmmmmm." He declared, realising perhaps that he had made the tiniest of mistakes. "This is a right mess ye've gotten us into."

"What did I do?!" protested the driver.

"I'm out of steam! Ye should have been better-Whet's that?!" He said, in an even more exaggerated accent than normal, as something hit the water with a plop.

The bridge was collapsing.

Duncan dealt with this well.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

….

"Rusty, just so you know, Duncan's gone across the bridge."

"HE'S DONE-Oh why am I even remotely surprised any more! You bloody idiot, you were supposed to stop him from doing shit like that AGAIN!"

"What, am I omnipresent?"

"SIMPLY BEING PRESENT WOULD BE ENOUGH!" Rusty snarled as once more they headed off to try and save Duncan. Again.

Duncan meanwhile was regretting all the choices he had made, as a large section of timber cracked underneath him.

"HELPPPPP! I'M GOING TA FALL!"

Rusty practically rocketed down the mountain towards the other side of the bridge, somehow managing to cross it without going across the dangerous bridge. They swore that Duncan did this shit on purpose sometimes. As they reached the bridge, they caught sight of Duncan, who had never looked so scared.

Okay readers of this work of fiction, we are going to hold, for the first time ever, a competition. I want you to give me a scenario where Duncan has looked this scared, because it HAS happened. Send your answers, on a postcard, to...well, a random address reallyto win a free copy of the Jeremiah Jobling CD, 'Those Damn Bootlaces, Eh?'.

Or don't.

Rusty started forward bravely, stepping onto the bridge and coupling up to Duncan as more and more of the bridge began to disintegrate.

"Hold on." Rusty hissed. "And don't make a sound!"

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted Duncan, unhelpfully. The little diesel tugged him forward…and forward.

Until at last, he was off the bridge, which shattered completely.

"So what do ye think he's going to say this time?" Duncan asked, wearily.

…..

"DIIIIISGRACEFUL!"

"I agree, Skarloey trying to look like me is disgraceful!" Duncan glared at Skarloey, who was using a face-mask to mock the silly Scot.

"That was irresponsible and stupid and DID I MENTION I HUNGER?!"

"Yes sir! I'm sorry sir! Never happen again, sir! Rusty ye were very brave."

"Yeah, you really are a really useful engine."

"Thank you sir."

And thus the episode ended.

But as the cameras stopped rolling, and the engines settled down to sleep, Duncan spoke up once more. "Rusty? Psst?"

"I am not. I've hardly touched a drop!"

"….Wha-"

"Sorry, subtle humour."

"I really am sorry."

"Yeah, course you are."

"It's just….I wanted to make things like they were."

Rusty opened their eyes. "Huh? What the hell does that mean?"

"Well….Stepney came up here a few days ago and talked about having to leave. And he said that he was sure ye were going to miss him. And he asked me if I couldn't help ye along a little bit."

"By….falling to your death off a bridge?"

"Nae, that wasnae the plan. I was going to go across, then ye'd come and do yer thing. Ye know, where we have banter and ye save my life and I thank ye and we all have a big laugh. It's funny, it's always been funny."

"….I honestly much preferred it when we were getting along."

"Heh. So did I, weirdly, ye smelly diesel."

"….How about an alliance?"

"Sure, if ye like. I'll try not to get killed just to prove a point to ye."

"Ta." Rusty sighed. "I'm going for a stroll."

…

THE PAST.

And Sailor John listened.

"The Fat Director made the mistake of assuming that it was merely a case of freeing the evil, and letting it loose. And to be fair, it was. For the evil, and ONLY that evil. He was a terrible businessman in that sense, no idea how to think ahead with regards to that sort of stuff. But me? I've been planning this con for ages now. Tell me something, do you know whom have been providing the main services that put the Island back together after that battle? Myself.

I've been in contact with Miss Jenny. Under the guise of a spinoff, I've got footage of my- Sorry, HER Pack rebuilding the Island's buildings under my say so. I've sunk money into schools, warehouses, community centres, libraries, football fields, racetracks, dairy farms, parade floats, crossings, duck ponds the saving of old forests, demolishing death traps, hell, even the reconstruction of the towns and cities and villages that the bombing and the shooting and the killing took out. And they will remember that as I pour even more money into the construction of more mills, more stations, more factories, more jobs will become available, and they'll wonder why I was able to do in two years what the North Western Railway and the Mayor have failed to do in at least twenty years!"

"But….pa, the engines?"

"The engines….ah….do you know what I love about television? The longer you keep a show on for, the more damaging to a brand it becomes. I'm going to make Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends global superstars, and I'm going to shatter the images that all the boys and girls and their parents have by showing them to be the greedy, cowardly, vain, prideful, conceited, lazy fools they really are. You see, where the Fat Director went wrong was that he wanted to rely solely upon magic for his ends. But me? I'm going to become an asset that the Island literally cannot do without. And I'm going to let the miles upon miles of thick wire rope that the Really Sodding Useless Engines have been given hang them until they dead. And THAT, John, is how you make money off of this."

Zero stood up. The boat began to rock, but he didn't care.

"And we'll need it. Because they will gladly help us bring about a new world order. Not one that I'd necessarily agree with if I had a choice, but it's one that is coming whether I want it to or not. And by the time it's finished, the Malignance is going to be the one in charge, all the power of the universe, of every universe. And I'll be there, making sure that humanity survives in whatever form it has. Captain Zero. The most powerful man in the entire world."

Sailor John was quiet for a moment. Then he said:

"Be weird, to say the least. But I'm actually curious in seeing how it be playing out, me old lubber." He held out his hand. "Count me in!"

….

DECEMBER.

At the moment that the diesels were advancing upon Duck, the Malignance made his way up the mountain. Though there was still a great deal of damage from the Battle of Sodor, there was no real issue with making his way from the ground into the hills. The lack of snow made it even better, and soon he was making his way across the castle causeway.

At that moment, lightning shot down from the sky and slammed into the rails, sending shock after shock into the steel. He faltered, but then grinned.

"Come now. This is child's play. If you were really so determined to put a permanent end to me, you'd make a move already." He paused. "No? Too busy trying that whole 'detachment' thing? Hmm, interesting."

His eyes narrowed. "It's a good thing that there's a celebration going on here, the light is helping significantly. Hmm…now then, what to do-"

And suddenly he rushed across the water, almost taking off from the rails and landing back down with a short, sharp thud.

"-with someone like you?"

Rusty hesitated. They had not really thought this through. But as the message had slipped through into their mind, they had felt compelled to come out and investigate it. Peter Sam was not equipped for the situation, Duncan and them had only just re-established peace and Rheneas was too unpredictable at present to be any help. And Skarloey wasn't in the area, so it fell to them.

Now though, they had to pluck up courage once more.

"What are you, and what the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh. Boldness. Intriguing. I don't know whether to be impressed or disgusted. Perhaps both."

"You're that thing, aren't you? The thing that tried to kill everything three years ago? Well you can bugger off our Island?"

"Our Island?" The Malignance laughed. "Our Island? No no no no no NO. You mean-"

Rusty was suddenly thrown back so violently that their face suddenly shrank in shock.

"-MY Island."

Rusty hit the points with a painful sounding crack. Gasping, they staggered up. Casually, the Malignance advanced forwards, and in the clear light of the moon, Rusty's eyes widened.

"Ivo Hugh?"

"Ah. You remember him now, do you?" The Malignance rammed Rusty's buffers and sent him hurtling back along the track. "Funny. You've forgotten about him until I brought him up!"

He stopped, and sniffed. "They're here." He hissed to himself. "And you don't want me to find it, do you, Lady?" He paused. "I'm going to kill you, little abomination. Then your corrupted friends. It's a mercy, really. Though I grant you, you'll not see it that way."

Rusty had a witty thing on the tip of their tongue, but could not speak it. For suddenly they were levitating in the air, and there was a rather ominous creaking sound.

"I shall, however, make it quick if you but answer one question. Where are they? I know you know what I'm talking about, you worked there for a whole year, you can't be that stupid, surely. Tell me where they are, or I swear I will-"

Seconds later, there was a flash of white light that hit everywhere, even the Works, and with a grimace, the Malignance backed off, Rusty hitting the ground and rushing off as fast as they could go.

"So you finally show up." The Malignance grinned. "Good. It's time for an actual challenge."

….

"GO THROUGH, GO THROUGH!" Skarloey screamed as the portal opened up and a familiar face peered through.

"But we've got no idea if we can trust it!" Rheneas argued.

"It saved your lives last time, boyo!" hissed Skarloey, shoving Rheneas through. "It'll save you this time! Now get in!"

The lightning was not normal lightning, all four had been able to tell that much, and with the coming of the portal similar to the one that had brought two engines through to safe areas in the Battle of Sodor, they knew it was time to move.

"Think we'll come back?" Peter Sam looked scared.

"Who knows, need to get out!"

Peter Sam nodded. "Sorry Mr Rabbit, but I will return!" Mr Rabbit offered no protest as his friend left.

"Go thought next." Duncan growled. "I'll get yon smelly diesel!"

"Are you-"

"Yes, now hurry!"

Skarloey hesitated, then hurried through. Duncan grit his teeth, and raced down the line towards where the noise was coming from. Said noise was the rather horribly realistic sound of Rusty's throat getting crushed by the thing currently in Ivo Hugh's body.

"Come out Lady!" The Malignance nearly shrieked. "I'm going to kill this little abomination!"

"OI!"

Duncan's beer bottle sailed through the air and smashed right on the Malignance's head.

"No." Rusty groaned.

"Hmm…fair point, fair point. It's only a DIESEL after all. That one, on the other hand?" The Malignance's voice dropped even lower. "Now that's someone you'll-"

There was a loud explosion, like thunder except twenty times louder, and the sky turned completely grey for a split second.

And then Lady descended, her face twisted into a large and very unpleasant looking snarl, eyes burning like the most heated fire.

Rusty was slammed into the ground, forgotten as the Malignance's mouth quirked up into a manic grin. "Well now!" He laughed. "This is interesting."

"Go. Now." Lady said.

"No, I don't think I will, sadly-"

"Not you."

The Malignance glanced to the side. Rusty and Duncan had already vanished, the yellow engine making sure to drag the critically injured diesel towards the portal which slammed shut instantly. "Hmm…disappointing." He grinned. "But that means that what I want to find is somewhere close by, doesn't it?"

"This ends now."

The Malignance shook his head, almost genuinely sadly. "No. No it doesn't. This is only the end of Act One. We've got a long way to go before it ends." He let out a sigh. "Ah well."

There was a split second's worth where nothing in the world moved.

And then everything moved.

It's hard to put into words what happened. However, it shall be attempted.

The engines flew at each other, gravity and momentum and physics all vanished in the night. They slammed into each other, purple and white energy crackling off of Lady while the Malignance's own dirty grey and black shadows hissed and crackled, wrapping around Lady's own and trying to smother then like a blanket upon the flame.

Cursing each other in languages far too old for humans to even attempt to translate, they raced backwards, forwards, everywhere, smashing each other all over the Island as fast as they could do. Lady slammed the Malignance into the ground, but the Malignance was quicker, stronger, grabbing up shattered pieces of buildings and stations and using them like projectiles, each one slamming into Lady's form with precision.

And then they went at each other once more, but this time not physically. Ivo Hugh's body shattered completely as the Malignance's pure energy form raced upwards, and Lady's own body seemed to vanish as she streaked forward. Had Carlin been there, he would have recognised it from the moment he had seen the Island of Sodor's creation, the same deep energy arcing across the sky.

They hit each other at full force, a shock-wave lashing out across the sky, shaking everything, or it would have done, had not they moved far beyond the mortal plain at that moment.

The Malignance hissed, and wrapping itself around what had once been Lady, began to very deliberately increase it's power. The light was slowly being absorbed into the dark.

And then it realised something.

Lady wasn't deliberately holding back, that much was clear. She was definitely giving it all she had, but at the same time, there was something off about what she had just done.

He slowly put it together.

1: Lady has access to the Magic Railroad
2: He had been imprisoned in the Magic Railroad until very recently.
3: That prison had been a place of pure darkness, with none of the light that he needed to feed off to survive
4: The place they were in right now was very dark indeed.
5: There was but one portal left remaining
6: And as he was busy killing her, it was closing REMARKBLY fast.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh! Very clever, very clever." The Malignance tossed her aside as if like a ragdoll. "Very clever indeed. But I am not getting locked in here AGAIN!" And he raced forward.

Lady groaned, she had just enough energy to get herself back to Earth, and nought else. She watched as the Malignance escaped through the portal and let out a very low sigh, as she melted away.

Time to talk to those little engines. There was a lot to be done.

…..

The Malignance groaned as he was drawn, like a moth, to the large searchlight set up by Zero in case of such a situation. "Much appreciated." He grimaced. "I imagine that things have not gone well. She has a habit of being a particular thorn in my side."

"The diesels are gone. So are all my men. And that bloody tractor's taken out the double decker, which on one level means we don't have to bother with doing that ourselves, but on the other hand, it does not bode well if we've got a proper threat to worry about."

The Malignance glanced to Zero. "It matters not. Your men will find an area where there is a large boulder resting atop a hill, trapped in place. Destroy it, and then proceed to the old quarry set up back in 1998. Start digging there. There are things in that mountain that can help things move significantly faster."

"I see….and the engines gone?"

"Let the Iron Circle track them down and punish them. They won't get far, and even if they do…" The Malignance laughed, freely. "Oh that was fun. I haven't had a proper fight with her for so long now. And she's weak. Not as much as she was a few years ago, but she's faltering." He smirked. "Oh yes, things really are moving on, aren't they?"

…..

The eight engines looked at the mess in bafflement. Harvey, the Breakdown Crane and Butch were all there, trying to find out what happened and give assistance to the police as best as they could, but to no avail.

"He's gone, isn't he?" said Percy, quietly. Sadly.

"Yes." Thomas said, surprisingly sober at the moment.

"He could have said goodbye." Percy sounded like he was about to cry. "Will he ever come back?"

The engines looked around the shattered sidings in silence for a long time.

No one had anything to offer.

So everything mentioned in Zero's speech is something that's happened over the course of Volume 2. So a lot of that was his way of getting in good with the Island's population.