Stephanie, J.J., the Curators, Notches, and Lucy stared at the ghost steam locomotives and the ghost brake van, Stephanie holding J.J. in her hand and the others peering through the door of the witch's hut dimension.
The first ghost steam locomotive has the basis of a GER S69 Class No. 8572 in apple green livery and has the number three with the words 'L.N.E.R.' painted on the tender in yellow with red lining, and the words and number were scratched.
The second ghost steam locomotive has the basis of a 4-4-0 Union Pacific No. 119 and is painted in black with gold lining but barely has any numbers or other details, except for gold, and has a young man's face with some scratches here and there on his face.
The third ghost steam locomotive has the basis of Fowler's fireless locomotive, is painted black with white lining, and has a miserable expression, almost like he was on the verge of crying and was covered with grime.
The fourth ghost steam locomotive has the basis of a 4-4-0 Baltimore and Ohio William Manson, painted with a beautiful set of colors and has a beautiful face on the front of the smokebox, looking at Stephanie with confusion.
The fifth ghost steam locomotive looked identical to Thomas with the basis of an LB&SCR E2 class but had the number zero on the side and a red lining, and the face was almost exactly like Thomas' but a little older.
The sixth ghost was a brake van with the basis of a BR 20-ton brake van and was painted in a mixture of gray and brown livery; the wood was cracked in some places, and the face had blood trickling down the left corner of the mouth.
The seventh ghost steam locomotive looked identical to Smudger, with the basis of a Fletcher Jennings Class Bb, but had a more bloody appearance as dried blood covered the entire body with spiked buffers that were the most covered in blood and painted dark blue with a number four on his sides, nameplates written on both sides: 'SMOOTHER,' and a black mask covering his face.
Based on Snowdon Mountain Railway's L.A.D.A.S., the eighth and final ghost steam locomotive looked like Culdee but was almost slightly crumpled with some dents here and there, and the number four was also scratched.
All eight ghosts notice Stephanie with J.J. close to her chest, and an aura of danger comes from them, causing shudders to go down her spine.
"Stephanie! Run!" Lucy cupped her hands over her mouth to call Stephanie, but she caught the attention of the apple-green steam locomotive.
Black steam blended with smoke came out of the apple-green ghost steam locomotive's funnel, causing Stephanie to perk up as she watched the smog coming out of its funnel.
It slammed the door shut as the Curators, Lucy, and Notches exclaimed, causing it to disappear as Stephanie looked around, watching the ghost steam locomotives and the single ghost brake van use magic to surround her.
"What a strange child!" one of the ghost steam locomotives muttered.
"I never saw anyone with blue hair before," another mentioned. "Or pointed ears."
"She looks cute like that," a third gently remarked.
"Hmph, she's just another human," a fourth snorted before turning his attention towards Stephanie, his eyes somewhat peering through her soul. "But I have a feeling you know Gordon."
Stephanie stiffened a little after the fourth locomotive mentioned 'Gordon,' causing said locomotive to perk up when she stiffened.
"So you do know him!" The apple-green steam locomotive glared. "You must be one of Sir Topham Hatt's children, too."
"Now, wait one moment!" J.J. exclaimed, fidgeting a little in Stephanie's hand. "Stephanie isn't-"
"Who asked you, puppet?!" The somewhat crumpled steam locomotive snarled, causing J.J. to instantly stop talking.
Stephanie looked around as the blood-coated steam locomotive's steam swirled around him, looking ready to attack.
"Now, wait," the somewhat depressed steam locomotive spoke up, perking slightly when he started speaking but forming his words. "We're not going to hurt a chav because she knows a 'Gordon' and is-"
"Just shut up for this once, alright?!" hissed the ghost brake van. "She's just a child, and we'll get back at Sir Topham Hatt once we-"
The blood-coated steam locomotive charged toward Stephanie, and she quickly flung her arm upward as golden strings appeared wrapping around a branch, and she went upward.
From behind the mask, the blood-coated steam locomotive's eyes popped wide after seeing it, and he accidentally crashed into the apple-green steam locomotive's buffers.
Stephanie landed on the same branch safely, while J.J. was a little startled and clutched onto Stephanie's sweater sleeve with both hands.
He did not expect Stephanie to suddenly have golden strings appear out of the blue wrapped around her fingers and launch upward with a single tug.
"Don't bash into me!" As the blood-coated, masked ghost steam locomotive moved backward, the apple-green steam locomotive hissed. "Get that kid before she tells Sir Topham Hatt!"
Stephanie started running across the trees as the army of ghosts charged forward, chasing after her, but one of them stayed behind, only looking sad as the others went into the forest.
"Stephanie, we need to get out of here!" J.J. urged, gently tugging on her sweater.
Stephanie nodded before flinching when one of the ghosts went upward before she could summon her staff to draw a door, charging towards her as she jumped down, but she flinched when one went towards her with all its might.
She used her string ability and dodged the incoming attack but was smacked out of the air by steam that magically transformed into a fist.
Her strings disappeared as she was flung to the side, and Stephanie collided into the ground bottom first in a different section of the forest against a rock wall, skidding across the ground while holding J.J.
"Aw, don't be like that, kiddo," the steam locomotive purred darkly as he appeared from the forest towards her. "It will all be over soon. But that puppet looks cute once you're out of the picture."
He shapeshifted into a beautiful woman and laid on her front, smiling, asking, "Doesn't he think I am beautiful?"
Stephanie blushed a little after seeing the beautiful woman before the masked, blood-coated steam locomotive charged toward her, past the shapeshifting woman startled by the charging ghost.
She was pinned and scrambled back a little to figure out how to dodge this incoming attack, glancing around with worry.
In the blink of an eye, Stephanie's eyes flashed a different blue with a faint tint of red, and her right arm suddenly was covered with jet-black fur with sharp claws at the ends and light blue paw pads as the sleeves magically disappeared.
She quickly moved her right arm back and, with all her might and without thinking, smacked the blood-coated, masked ghost steam locomotive to the left, causing it to whirl through the air over the trees and disappear into the distance.
"Oh, holy-!" After watching Stephanie's transformation, the woman shapeshifts back into the original steam locomotive.
Stephanie was also startled when she looked back at her arm after smacking the blood-coated masked ghost steam locomotive away, surprised to see it had transformed into a werewolf's arm, and she moved her fingers before looking down at surprised J.J.
"Did you know about this?!" J.J. asked.
Stephanie shook her head no before a sudden strange urge of power went through her body, and she gritted her teeth a little as she went onto her front.
Her clawed hand scratched the ground when the surge went stronger for Stephanie, and J.J. looked up at Stephanie worriedly as the ghost steam locomotive watched her with a somewhat confused expression.
Stephanie's height doubled as J.J. clutched onto her sweater as the hand holding him moved down, and he climbed onto her shoulder as Stephanie grew from three feet to thirteen feet tall, and her right arm transformed to normal.
The ghost steam locomotive watched as Stephanie's growth finished, and she looked at her hands before looking down at the ghost steam locomotive.
Said ghost steam locomotive started moving backward, but Stephanie instantly reached towards them and grabbed them before they could make a break for it, causing them to shriek in fear.
Stephanie remembered the kettle that popped open and snapped her fingers, teleporting it towards her as it grew to her height, holding it with the lid open.
It was outdated and old, but when she gripped the handle, it slowly transformed into a different kettle, almost magical-like and covered with ancient symbols around the outside of it.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" The ghost steam locomotive panicked, but she shoved the steam locomotive into the kettle, watching steam emit from the spout and the noises muffled.
Stephanie perked up after shoving the ghost steam locomotive into the kettle, and when she saw the same masked ghost steam locomotive, she smacked away and returned, charging toward her.
She grabbed the ghost steam locomotive in her hand as it was squirming around before it could charge towards one of her feet, even using its magic to phase out of her grip, but it was caught again before it could escape.
Stephanie shoved the ghost steam locomotive into the kettle, and the spout hissed with steam, causing Stephanie to look confused about how it was emitting steam.
But she figured it was a sign that a ghost was trapped inside the kettle after she put a ghost steam locomotive inside it.
She watched as the others appeared at the spot after hearing shrieks and realizing they had gotten into trouble after seeing her as a giant and holding a refurbished kettle in her hand with the lid open.
"Screw this, I'm out of here!" The Snowdon ghost steam locomotive shrieked before being the third to be grabbed and shoved into the kettle as it emitted a steam whistle from the spout.
One by one, Stephanie started grabbing the ghost steam locomotives and the brake van, sometimes wincing whenever they bit her hand or attempted to use magic to get out of her grip.
She shoved the sixth steam locomotive and reached towards the seventh, picking him up against his protests as he was shouting curses towards her that were powerful enough to hurt someone and even attempting to use his magic to make her drop him.
Strangely, his curses or attempts did not work against Stephanie, as they only faded away from her arms or neck, where he attempted to make his magic attack.
He only emitted a cut-off curse when she simply shoved him into the kettle with the others, watching the stout emit steam with a hiss.
Stephanie looked around before remembering that there was an eighth ghost steam locomotive, forgetting that there was one in the first place.
She placed the kettle on the ground before kneeling gingerly on her knees, looking into the trees before watching something flinch.
Hiding just behind a somewhat large rock was the eighth member of the ghosts, staring back at Stephanie with a terrified expression.
"Ah, there you are." Stephanie perked up before reaching into the forest to grab the hidden steam locomotive.
Once she had the steam locomotive in her hand, the steam locomotive emitted a shriek but stiffened when Stephanie lifted him out of the forest and moved him towards her as she was on her knees.
The brake van and the steam locomotives had left behind light scratches, pinch marks, and bite marks on her hands, and some strange dark blue substance was coming out of some of the small injuries.
The kettle was on the ground, and the lid was somewhat open, but nothing came out of the opened entry.
Inside the kettle, the ghosts were struggling to exit through its entrance, but it seemed like a magical and invisible barrier was placed there to keep them from exiting.
The ghost steam locomotive panicked after seeing the lid open as if it was waiting for him to go into the kettle, and he exclaimed before Stephanie could shove him inside, "Wait! Can I say something before you shove me into the tea kettle?"
"Like what?" Stephanie asked with a cocked eyebrow as she placed a hand on her hip while holding the ghost steam locomotive. "A curse, a pinch, or a bite mark?"
"Nothing!" The ghost steam locomotive panicked. "I'm not strong enough to leave curses! …Or want to bite your hand or pinch it."
Stephanie still looked unamused as she had a cock of her eyebrow, and the ghost steam locomotive continued, knowing he needed to persuade her more.
"I didn't want to hurt you since you were a chav," he explained. "I wasn't the one attackin' either! You have to believe me in that!"
"Well," Stephanie began, and the ghost steam locomotive could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "You're right since I didn't see you attacking me and tried to tell the others not to attack and was shot down. But I still don't know how to trust you."
The ghost steam locomotive thought of ideas to show he could be trusted before he got himself shoved into the kettle, finally asking, "How about you place me down so I can show that I won't charge towards you, right?"
"Are you certain?" Stephanie asked, lifting him a little to talk more face-to-face.
"Certainly!" he nodded with a somewhat panicked expression. "I promise I won't charge forward or attempt to-!"
He was startled when Stephanie moved her hand down and placed the ghost steam locomotive on the ground, finally allowing him to be free as he trembled.
"Well?" Stephanie asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, and he stopped trembling and looked up at Stephanie. "Aren't you going to do something?"
"Oh, right, right, right," he nodded, using his ghostly magic to turn himself around after lifting himself and landing back down.
He moved left and right to show that he would not run away or charge forward, as Stephanie thought he would, as Stephanie's expression softened a little while watching him.
She moved her hand to the kettle's lid and closed it, relieving the ghost steam locomotive before flinching when he was picked up from the ground.
"Alright," Stephanie said as she held the ghost steam locomotive in her right hand. "You've proven yourself that you won't harm me. What about my friends?"
"Your friends?" the ghost steam locomotive asked. "Who are your friends?"
"That would be me!" J.J. responded, causing Stephanie to perk up after hearing J.J.'s voice.
"Mr. J.J.?" Stephanie looked around with confusion. "Where are you?"
"On your shoulder, hiding in your hood, and be careful with your hair, please." Stephanie stopped moving after J.J. mentioned her hair, and J.J. appeared from her hood, gingerly crawling out and standing on her shoulder.
The ghost steam locomotive blinked after seeing J.J. and asked, "Am I seeing things, or is that puppet movin'?"
"You're not seeing things. I am a real moving puppet." J.J. responded before asking Stephanie as he turned towards her, "Can you move your hand carefully to your right shoulder, Stephanie?"
Stephanie did so, and J.J. carefully climbed on her palm from her shoulder, using her garment to climb down without accidentally falling off.
Once he was in her hand, Stephanie moved her hand away from her shoulder, holding a ghost steam locomotive in her right hand and J.J. in the other, which made Stephanie feel a little too big.
"Now, don't worry, Stephanie!" J.J. called, a little surprised that she was holding a ghost steam locomotive in her hand without it phasing through her hand. "I can help you return to normal!"
Stephanie nodded after J.J. called her before he asked, "How are you holding that ghost, though? Don't it phase through your hand?"
Said ghost steam locomotive blinked with realization after J.J. asked, responding, "Correction, you grabbed everyone in your hands! How on earth did you do that?"
"Well," Stephanie began as she blushed a little. "I have a strange ability where I can not only grab ghosts, but I can even interact with them too, thus how I can see them."
"But he can see me," the ghost steam locomotive mentioned to J.J. "How can he see me since he does not have that ability?"
"I think it is because you have gained some powers from those guys stuck in that kettle," Stephanie explained. "You must've learned a little about how you can 'allow' people to see you."
"But I never learned how to use my powers," the ghost steam locomotive responded.
"Hold on a moment." Stephanie perked up, placing J.J. and the ghost steam locomotive down, and J.J. hopped off. "Let me first practice on something before I ask another question."
Stephanie moved her hands back up after J.J. hopped off and placed the ghost steam locomotive down, thinking back to how that strange power surge went through her body.
What if she could harness that little power for a moment?
So Stephanie concentrated and felt that power surge coming to her, and slowly, she started feeling it spread all across her body like a ripple.
Her mind spun a little with dizziness as a minute passed, but the ripple disappeared, and Stephanie looked up, seeing she had returned to her original height.
"Okay," Stephanie nodded as she gingerly stood up before noticing the kettle.
It had also returned to normal but still had that upgraded appearance and the same symbols decorating it.
She picked up the kettle from the ground and held it in her hands, adding, "Note to self: Don't pick up random kettles that look normal."
"Stephanie," J.J. spoke as Stephanie placed it on a rock. "What about the dolls and the cat?"
"Crap!" Stephanie exclaimed, slapping her hand against her forehead. "I forgot about them!"
She flicked her wrist, and it transformed into an ink pen.
She quickly drew a door before flicking her wrist again as the ink pen transformed back into a bracelet, and she grabbed the doorknob, which solidified and transformed into a door.
Stephanie opened the door after it solidified, and the Curators, Lucy, and Notches stumbled out, looking around before seeing the ghost steam locomotive, which looked freaked out.
"Stephanie, where are the others?!" Notches exclaimed.
"I shoved them back in the kettle," Stephanie answered, picking up the kettle and showing it to them. "The ghosts, except Fowler, started attacking me because they thought I was Sir Topham Hatt's kid, but during that attack, my right arm just transformed into a werewolf's arm and smacked one of them away before growing twice my height."
The group looked confused after Stephanie explained, and Quickdraw responded, "I don't know whether to just say, 'Okay,' or just believe all the bull-"
"Quickdraw!" the Curators and Lucy exclaimed.
"Okay, I am more boggled out," the ghost steam locomotive sighed. "First, I was in London roamin' around, then I was trapped in a tea kettle with murderous engines and a brake van that were not supposed to be alive; I was released out and had to witness them chase after a chav that suddenly grew into a giant, and then I am here in this weird place surrounded by movin' toys and a talkin' cat that is also not supposed to be alive or talkin'!"
"Then, how come you are sentient and talking?" Stephanie asked, pointing out his situation himself.
"I know that!" the ghost steam locomotive exclaimed. "It's just all mind-bogglin' for me!"
He closed his eyes and groaned, "How can this get any weirder?"
"Well, you're stuck in my own dimension, which I created," Stephanie explained. "And that is weird if you put it in your own words, Fowler."
The ghost steam locomotive groaned again after Stephanie explained to him before perking up after hearing the name 'Fowler,' asking, "Wait, what was that name you mentioned?"
"What?" Stephanie gently shrugged. "'Fowler?' That's your name, right?"
"No, that's my creator's name." The ghost steam locomotive responded but paused, adding, "Well, I was not named when I first became sentient, and my supposed roommates did not give me one either."
"Then 'Fowler' is your name," Stephanie nodded with a small smile. "Now, Fowler, I know everything is still a little uneasy for you to get over, but I can help you adjust by showing you around Sodor."
"What the bloody 'ell is Sodor?!" Fowler exclaimed.
"Sodor is a mythical island where sentient engines, like cars, planes, and locomotives, like you and others, live harmoniously," Stephanie explained but paused. "Well, somewhat, since there are cranky diesels around the place and others."
"Does this Sodor have talking puppets, dolls, and cats?" Fowler asked.
"No, I only speak towards Stephanie," Notches explained. "And not all animals, except for Mobians and other cartoon animals, speak too."
"And not all puppets are the same," J.J. nodded after Stephanie picked him up and placed him on her shoulder. "We don't usually step outside for people to see us, either."
"Really?" Fowler asked.
"Yes." Stephanie nodded with a hopeful smile. "And we can practice with that little promise you made, right?"
"True," Fowler nodded. "You are one strange chav I have ever met."
"And the strangest once you get to know me." Stephanie nodded. "My name is Stephanie Allen."
Then she mentioned to Notches, Lucy, and the Curators, who hesitated to trust this ghost steam locomotive, naming them off as she picked them up.
However, Fowler still had that weirded-out feeling, unsure how he would react to seeing Sodor or understand sentience.
But if he wanted to prove that he did not mean harm, he had to strap himself in for a ride with this strange young child with the weirdest abilities.