Stephanie sat in the chair before Sir Topham Hatt, with Notches relaxing in her hood while keeping his head on her shoulder.
Sir Topham Hatt was still sore from being stuck as a statue for a long time but still moved as he sat across from her.
"Let's begin with what I have known about Sodor so far," said Sir Topham Hatt, adjusting his hat slightly. "But it will be enough for you to help with your confusion, Stephanie."
Stephanie nodded as she listened carefully to Sir Topham Hatt's words, even some explained to him by a few friends who came to Sodor a long time ago.
The Island of Sodor is a magical place created by Lady the Golden Engine with Gold Dust for many steam engines and humans to live harmoniously.
Lady was one of the many protectors of Sodor who guarded the island against many dangers and was called a 'goddess' by many.
There were others like Lady, but most had fallen over time or after many battles against these mysterious monsters called 'Nightmares,' leaving only Lady behind as the main protector and giver of Gold Dust as she locked them away.
She went between the human realm and the island of Sodor to keep guard, even to make sure anyone could go through safely, but she would not let anyone willing to do harm a pass.
There were many changes throughout history as time passed, but several stuck out to many people, with one human named 'Dinah' from the human realm.
Dinah befriended one of the engines from Sodor and soon decided to stay in Sodor with Wendell, the Silly Engine, the steam locomotive she befriended.
She was known for her vast knowledge and curiosity about Sodor's whistles and the use of Lady's gold dust, finding more than just whistles that transported you from Sodor to the human realm.
Dinah learned so many things from Sodor and soon settled down, meeting a young man named 'Ethan Topham,' Sir Topham Hatt's great-great-grandfather.
Dinah soon grew old after marrying Ethan and died from old age, causing Wendell to grieve her death, but he went mad after Ethan passed.
Wendell started lashing out at everyone; even the slightest criticism made the narrow-gauge engine easily mad.
No words of comfort or affection would calm the angry dragon, eventually forcing the two brothers to seal Wendell away.
With many years passing after Wendell was sealed away, Lady befriended three children who came to Sodor and had familiar faces.
But while Sodor was magical, it had dark secrets underneath its glory and was the third child discovered over time.
He grew suspicious of the Golden Engine, asking questions about things he had discovered but only receiving hesitation from Lady.
This hesitation grew as the third child, now an adult, discovered more dark secrets and confronted Lady after realizing the darkest secret.
He lost the Golden Engine's trust and distanced himself from anything magical, losing all his belief and returning to the human realm, not wanting to return.
His second friend's passing drove him over the edge, causing him to go into a blind rage and attack his other friend, eventually destroying the Golden Engine.
The Golden Engine lay dormant in the mountain in the real world for many years, the former friend rebuilding her back to normal as the magic in Sodor slowly faded with the passing of the years.
When the magic was about to disappear completely, a young child related to the former friend was taken to Sodor with the help of a family cousin, helping to return Sodor to its former glory.
The island is back to its former glory, with new engines and companies forming and changing with time.
Eventually, four children appeared in Sodor, encountering the engines and slowly learning about its past, even the mysteries held behind closed doors.
With these children, a familiar foe decided to arrive back in Sodor and discovered the sealed engine the two brothers had locked away, which was released by the same man who destroyed Lady.
The man was foolish enough to release the engine, and he said the engine went on a rampage, determined to destroy anything in his path to rebuild a 'perfect' world.
Instead of locking the enraged engine away like the brothers, they soothed the broken engine's wrath and mended its heart.
The engine remembered the good times with Dinah and soon returned to normal, accepting that she would not be revived and would keep moving forward.
With Sodor returning to normal, the peace did not last after many years had passed.
A new threat came and was called 'Nightmares,' negativity and evil thoughts created by the darkness in human hearts found their way into Sodor and caused damage.
Many people tried fighting against these Nightmares but ended up being defeated as they were too powerful and attacked anything in their path, regardless of their differences.
But a good friend accidentally stumbled into Sodor when he was a young boy and met Sir Topham Hatt when they were young, eventually befriending each other.
They soon discovered a magical item created by their grandfather that allowed them to defeat these monsters and discover a way to turn Gold Dust into different abilities, creating a whistle that can change to use these abilities.
And these are the ones that Stephanie is currently holding and is tasked with.
Even with these newfound abilities, there were too many Nightmares coming out of where they appeared as they grew up as teenagers.
The good friend and a few others combined and sealed the darkness, so no one else could be haunted by them forever.
But someone grew obsessed with the Nightmares after discovering their powers and finding a way to enter Sodor, wanting to release the danger that was sealed away.
And that someone tricked Sir Topham Hatt's friend named 'Avril' into taking them to Sodor but went on to release them and was engulfed, transforming them into a more menacing monster.
With no choice and the magic rapidly draining, causing any living thing to turn into stone, Avril gave the important items to Sir Topham Hatt to escape, eventually sending the Dust Whistle to the human realm as a last-minute change.
Stephanie looked surprised after Sir Topham Hatt explained everything to her as she slowly asked, "So… I'm the one who is supposed to defeat all these things and return Sodor back to its glory by myself?"
"Not theoretically," Sir Topham Hatt assured. "Since you are new around Sodor and are a child, my friends and I will help you with your task to defeat those things. You're not the only one who will do this alone."
She sighed in relief after Sir Topham Hatt assured her, saying, "Thank you, Sir."
But she had so many questions, wondering who this 'someone' was who had duped Avril.
"Right now," Sir Topham Hatt looked out the window as he watched the Nightmares roaming around as Stephanie looked. "We need to defeat those things to save Knapford and everyone."
"Right now?" Stephanie asked as she felt worried about coming back to those Nightmares. "Didn't you say I was new at this?"
"Yes," Sir Topham Hatt nodded. "But I'll teach you how to use the Zodiac Pocket Watch to defeat them."
That worried feeling grew in Stephanie's stomach after he mentioned the Zodiac Pocket Watch in her hand.
She felt she was being rushed into war with only a shield for defense.