Diesel 10 was irritated as millions of laughter came around him as Stephanie led him through Tidmouth's shunting area.
The Troublesome Trucks all saw Diesel 10 in his embarrassing 'new' form when he and Stephanie stepped into the yard with Notches and Lucy following her and began to laugh as Stephanie looked around.
"Oh my god!" one of the Troublesome Trucks laughed. "I-Is that Diesel 10?!"
"Diesel 10?!" another Troublesome Truck exclaimed, glancing around fearfully. "Where?!"
"Over there!" Another laughed. "Being dragged by that mini blueberry!"
More started laughing as others wheezed, snorted, and hiccupped from laughing so hard as Diesel 10 snarled with irritation.
Stephanie was too distracted to listen to the Troublesome Trucks as Diesel 10's face was blushing hard with embarrassment, mentally making plans that he would make all these Troublesome Trucks pay.
"Will you hurry it up?" Diesel 10 groaned as Pinchy hid in front of Diesel 10's chest out of embarrassment. "It's embarrassing!"
"I know, I know," Stephanie gently responded, glancing over her shoulder at him as she walked past more Troublesome Trucks with Diesel 10 behind her. "I'm just looking for a shortcut to-Ah, there it is!"
Stephanie took Diesel 10 over to a road, and he followed, soon stepping onto the road as Stephanie took out her Dust Whistle, changed the symbol to Silver Dust, and blew into it.
Diesel 10 watched Silver Dust emerge from the whistle and swirl around Stephanie, transforming her into the same Kia Picanto car.
"Wait a minute!" Diesel 10 exclaimed. "If you have that Dust, why don't you use that on me instead?!"
"Now, hold on," Stephanie said gently but seriously. "I would, and that would be great, but then there's the curse."
"'Curse?'" Diesel 10 perked. "What curse?"
"If you combine two Dusts or more," Stephanie explained. "You'll get Black Goo, which is a dangerous and non-curable type of disgusting Dust that will permanently corrupt the person who is using the Dust or is nearby."
Diesel 10 looked surprised after Stephanie explained to him, and he asked, "So can Gold Dust do the same thing?"
"Yes," Stephanie nodded. "As much as Gold Dust and the other Dusts are powerful, there are consequences of using one too many Dusts."
She turned to him, and he stiffened but forced himself to relax as Stephanie was slightly different from his perspective.
"I don't want you or the others in your team going through the situation of having to get yourself corrupted by Black Goo." Stephanie continued, speaking with kind words that caught Diesel 10 off guard. "If you or anyone in your team is going to use Dust," she paused, knowing she was letting Diesel 10 and his team use Dust. "Will you be careful?"
"Yeah, sure," Diesel 10 scoffed, rolling his eyes while crossing his chest with one arm while Pinchy flicked up and down. "Whatever."
Secretly, he was confused about why Stephanie was allowing him out of all engines to use Dust, but he did not want to show it to her.
Stephanie smiled softly and turned away from him, and her front passenger door opened to allow him to enter.
He was about to step in, but Notches hopped in before him and into the backseat with Lucy on his back.
After the two stepped in, Diesel 10 followed behind, and Stephanie suddenly flinched, causing him to freeze what he was doing and ask, "What?"
"I-It feels weird," Stephanie responded with another shudder. "It's like something crawling on my back."
Diesel 10 looked a little curious and, using his left hand, felt the front passenger seat with his hand, feeling Stephanie shudder again.
He smirked a little at Stephanie before stepping in fully, sitting in the chair before closing the door, once again, having to make himself a little more comfortable since he was a little taller than he expected.
Seeing there was a seatbelt, Diesel 10 buckled himself for safety, knowing he had seen this before from other humans once in a while.
Once Diesel 10 was in the front passenger seat, Stephanie drove forward but was going a little too fast and yelped, slowing down but skidded as Diesel 10 was flung forward, using his arms to stop himself from being slid off.
Notches yowled a little when he was launched forward too, but luckily used his claws to hold on while Lucy had the belt over her.
"Sorry!" Stephanie exclaimed sheepishly. "I need to work on that."
Diesel 10 grunted after Stephanie apologized as she started up again, this time being careful as Diesel 10 moved back in his seat.
Luckily, the seat belt had stopped him from being launched out of his seat, trying to get himself comfortable as his legs were up to his chest and hunched a little.
"If you are uncomfortable, 10," Stephanie said after a minute of being quiet. "You can adjust the seat."
"Adjust the what?" Diesel 10 asked, looking confused as he looked at the seat.
There was what looked like a lever, so Diesel 10 pulled it, causing the back of the chair to suddenly move back, causing him to yelp as he disappeared.
"Are you okay in there?" Stephanie asked after hearing Diesel 10's yelp, knowing she could not see what happened.
Meanwhile, Diesel 10 was lying on his back in Stephanie's front passenger seat, looking slightly startled at what happened, but was somewhat comfortable without being hunched.
He tried to sit up from where he was but struggled to get up with only one arm as Pinchy moved forward, helping him up.
Diesel 10 pulled the same lever, and the seat's back moved back up before getting to that comfortable position that was comfortable for Diesel 10.
"10?" Stephanie spoke as Diesel 10 looked forward. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"Seat issue," Diesel 10 responded before fidgeting with his legs. "Just tryin' to figure out things."
"Oh, okay!" Stephanie remarked. "Let me know if there is anything else wrong, okay?"
Diesel 10 pats Stephanie's dashboard and returns to what he is doing, noticing a lever between his legs underneath the seat and wondering what that does.
He gripped the lever and first pulled upward, but nothing happened, so he pushed downward, causing the entire seat to move backward.
Diesel 10 flinched when that happened as the seat stopped moving backward, but it was at that comfortable position that finally allowed Diesel 10's legs to move comfortably.
"Finally," Diesel 10 sighed as he leaned back a little as Pinchy laid on his lap to be comfortable too.
He looked out the window as Stephanie drove down the road to Muffler Mountain, still feeling irritated that he had been transformed into a human but was a little calm.
She soon arrived at Muffler Mountain and parked to the side, opening her front passenger seat door to allow Diesel 10 to step out.
He stepped out, Notches followed him with Lucy on his back, and Stephanie paused a little, remembering she had not collected any Gold Dust to return to normal.
So that was a little tricky for her.
Deciding to give 'combinations' a try, Stephanie honked her horn, and Copper Dust came out, swirling around Stephanie before disappearing as she was back to herself.
"Huh," Stephanie remarked with a smirk. "Nothing happened. Just I can use combinations of Dust separately, not together."
"And that means?" Diesel 10 asked, with one arm crossed over his chest as Pinchy clacked a little.
"Easy," Stephanie assured the irritated ex-diesel. "I'm still trying to figure this out since this is my first time using the Dust Whistle."
"Great, I got transformed by a first-timer!" Diesel 10 groaned as Pinchy made a metal-like sigh.
"Besides," Stephanie added as Diesel 10 perked. "We're at Muffler Mountain, so we'll take our time collecting Dusts."
"Fair enough," Diesel 10 nodded. "But hurry it up. I don't want to be stuck as a human forever."
Notches hissed as Diesel 10 glanced at the cat as Stephanie headed towards the mountain, as a warning not to push Stephanie around.
"Alright, alright," Diesel 10 groaned.
Unfortunately, the spot Stephanie picked to find Dust Crystals was near the tracks, and Diesel 10 once again felt embarrassed having to sit on a tree stump to wait as steamies and other diesels passed.
But he can not just walk away from his spot since Stephanie is the one who handles Dusts, so he has to stay put… even if he does not like it.
Stephanie soon started pulling out different Dusts as Diesel 10 watched out of curiosity, ranging from brass, silver, and dark cyan.
There were even squishy black ones that Diesel 10 noticed, asking, "Ew, what's that?"
"This is Black Goo," Stephanie responded, showing the former crystal to Diesel 10. "This is what happens if you combine two Dusts or more simultaneously. And I don't collect or break this."
"I get what you mean now." Diesel 10 grimaced as Pinchy moved back.
Stephanie nodded as she placed the Crystal Black Goo into a hole with the others before collecting the other Dusts and putting them into her bag.
She continued digging as Diesel 10 waited, watching a few times as she took out different types of Dusts, even Gold Dust, to Diesel 10's relief.
"Okay," Stephanie nodded after collecting another Gold Dust. "I think that's enough to collect."
"Good," Diesel 10 nodded. "Now ch-"
"We need to head on over to make the Crystal Dusts into Dusts," Stephanie interrupted him.
"Wait, what?" Diesel 10 perked. "I thought all you have to do was break one open?"
"Yes," Stephanie nodded. "But that will create Wild Dust, a Dust that will transform you, but it doesn't last as long as Processed Dust."
Diesel 10 groaned after Stephanie explained, "All we need to do is to head over to the house so I can make Dust."
"Fine," Diesel 10 groaned as Stephanie headed over to the rails, and Diesel 10 followed with Notches and Lucy.
Stephanie paused from using her Dusts and used Silver Dust to transform back into her car form as Diesel 10 opened the door and waited as Notches and Lucy hopped in and took the backseat.
Diesel 10 hopped in, and Stephanie drove, heading to a house, and she stopped, allowing Diesel 10, Notches, and Lucy out before using Copper Dust to transform back.
Suddenly, Stephanie wobbled a little and perked Diesel 10's attention, asking as he took Stephanie's arm, "Hey, what's wrong?"
Stephanie looked up at him and responded, although her eyes looked like a light shine of silver and copper, "Nothing. Just a little dizzy, that's all."
Diesel 10 looked confused after Stephanie assured him as he released her arm, and she said, "It's best if you stay out here. For safety measures."
He grunted a little with irritation after Stephanie told him as she stepped into the house with Notches and Lucy following her.
"Hey, look!" Diesel 10 groaned as he turned around, seeing Romeo with Thomas and Gordon as they were filling their boilers with water. "It's Human 10!"
Thomas laughed after teasing Diesel 10 as he blushed, getting irritated as Pinchy moved upward, clicking angrily.
"Will you shut it?!" Diesel 10 snapped as he walked over to the group. "It's embarrassin' enough that I had to walk through Tidmouth with all those trucks."
"Yeah, serves you right," Romeo laughed. "How does it feel being down at our height?"
"I think he's a little too small for being a human," Gordon teased as Thomas chuckled.
Diesel 10 snarled towards Romeo and hissed, "Will you all stop teasin' me!"
"We will," Romeo nodded before looking over at a field with a white horse and a silver mane and getting an idea. "If you ride that horse over there."
Said horse perked after hearing Romeo mention it and glanced over with a somewhat confused expression as Holly smiled a little, knowing what Romeo was planning.
Diesel 10 scoffed after looking over at the horse and said, "That's easy! I've seen humans ride one of those before!"
"I doubt that," Gordon snorted as Thomas giggled.
Diesel 10 glared at the two engines as he stepped over the fence, and Holly moved back and said, "To ride a horse, you need to put one leg over the saddle."
"One leg over the saddle," Diesel 10 repeated as the horse noticed Pinchy and having what looked like a cheeky smile. "Got it."
He did so, but before he could get comfortable, the horse suddenly started to run as Holly perked, watching Diesel 10 shriek as he tried to hold on.
Meanwhile, Stephanie finished the last Dust as the whistle was full and used an extra pinch of Gold Dust on herself to 'clean' herself of the Copper and Silver Dusts but perked up after hearing what sounded like shrieking and quickly cleaned up, going back outside.
She stopped after watching what looked like a horse jumping up and down with Diesel 10 on its back, trying to hold on to the reins while it kicked around.
The horse continued to kick while Diesel 10 was trying to hold on for dear life as Romeo, Gordon, Thomas, and Cleo laughed at the scene.
Romeo was on the ground laughing while Cleo leaned against Thomas, who was laughing with Gordon.
Holly watched the whole thing as the horse continued to go wild as she had Rex and Tex on her shoulders, and Diesel 10 tried to hold on but kept slipping and almost tumbling off the horse.
Stephanie soon started to giggle at the scene while Notches started to laugh with Lucy, seeing how funny it looked with an ex-dangerous diesel trying to ride a horse.
Diesel 10 finally managed to get on correctly and was triumphant at first, but the horse skidded to a stop that, caused Diesel 10 to fall off, landing on his side in the mud.
Thomas, Cleo, Romeo, and Gordon wheezed with laughter after watching Diesel 10 fall off as he sat up from where he was, looking irritated as the horse walked away, heading back towards a laughing Holly with a smirk on its face.
"Why me?" Diesel 10 groaned as a cowboy with jet-black hair and a yellow shirt walked up to him with his hand out.
Diesel 10 took it with his other hand and was pulled up to his height, covered in mud with a bruised ego and side.
"Are you okay, 10?" Stephanie asked over the roaring laughter of the group.
"Does it look like I'm okay?!" Diesel 10 angrily snapped before slipping a little in the mud as he had to lean on the cowboy before falling and landing on his butt.
The laughter went up a notch as Diesel 10 blushed with embarrassment and anger, and Pinchy hid behind Diesel 10's back with shame.
After finally getting out of the mud, Diesel 10 walked up to Stephanie as the others were laughing, and the horse was laughing.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Change me back."
Stephanie paused as she looked at the mud all over his body, and he asked, "Let me guess, you can't."
"Yep," Stephanie nodded. "Can't use the Dust with a wet surface."
He groaned after Stephanie pointed out his condition as she said, "We're going to need to ask your driver to let you stay in his house."
Diesel 10 only nodded as Stephanie used Silver Dust to transform into her steam engine form, and Diesel 10 stepped in, hiding as she went down the line as the others continued laughing.
Diesel 10 was brought to his driver's house after returning to the Dieselworks, having to hear Diesel and the others' laughter when they heard about what he did.
His driver's house was not all that cramped because it was a little small, but it was a normal home as Diesel 10 was brought in.
"Okay," his driver spoke. "I'll take you to the shower and teach you how to."
"Wait, don't you do it?" Diesel 10 asked.
"Not when you are human," Diesel 10's driver responded. "I'll explain further once we get into the bathroom."
Stephanie stepped in too, as Notches and Lucy were on her shoulders, and asked, "Since Diesel 10 is going to, erm, spend a little longer here as a human," Diesel 10 glanced over at her with a silent 'Are you kidding me?' expression. "Is it okay if I return to the Dieselworks tomorrow to turn him back?"
"That'll be great," Diesel 10's driver nodded as he walked away from Diesel 10 as he waited. "But remember not to use too much Gold Dust, okay? As much as I am glad he's learning about being human, I need my job."
Diesel 10 perked up after hearing his driver mention that, and Stephanie nodded before bidding goodbye as he closed the door.
"Wait, you're okay with me being a human?" Diesel 10 asked.
"Of course," Diesel 10's driver nodded. "You've barely learned anything about humans since I became your driver by Sir Topham Hatt. I think this is a good chance, for now."
Diesel 10 felt irritated towards his driver for agreeing that this was a good 'choice,' but was confused about why being human was good.
"Now, let's get you cleaned up," Diesel 10's driver nodded as he led Diesel 10 through the hallway.
Diesel 10 nodded as he asked, "Driver, how long can this last?"
"Depending on Stephanie," Diesel 10's driver responded. "And my name is Benjamin, not 'driver.'"
Diesel 10 perked up after his driver told him and asked, "I didn't know you had a name."
"You do need to learn a few more things about being a human," Benjamin sighed as he led Diesel 10 to the bathroom.