17 - Schemes and Secrets

Content Warning: References to abuse, suicide and depression/mental illness.

The sun was setting at Darlington when the engineers gave Tornado the okay to be released. The lovely Mayflower had bid her and Charlie adieu and gone off to Norfolk with her crew.

Tornado wondered if she would see her again. She hoped so. But she had a feeling that Sir Nigel would not approve. Tornado had a comeback however, she was technically never a part of the LNER like the rest of the engines he presided over, so he should have no power over her. Flying Scotsman too.

It didn't sit well with her, being under the instructions of engines who had governed a now long-gone era of railway history. She and the other new builds were the same. Her thoughts drifted to Lady of Legend and how the King Classes treated her.

Maybe engines like them didn't belong… maybe they needed to forge their own path, rather than be dragged down by the past. All these preserved engines, still clung to the past like it was going to return.

It wasn't and she felt like she was the only one who could see that sometimes.

"Are you okay Nado?" Her younger build brother asked her and Tornado looked over at him.

"Oh, yes, I'm just thinking," Tornado explained quietly.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"How silly it is that we have to conform to the rules of railways that no longer exist," she replied. Charlie just stared at her confused.

"I don't know what that means," Charlie answered with a blush.

"I know, don't worry about it Charlie," Tornado smiled at him. "I'm just thinking about big girl things."

Charlie still appeared confused but otherwise smiled a goofy smile.

"Okay!" He exclaimed brightly and Tornado just chuckled.

There was quiet for a few moments save for her crew getting her ready for the journey to the Bluebell. She wasn't looking forward to the trip, especially with her escort being an engine who had insulted her and deemed her unworthy of being in his presence.

She drew her attention to one of the engineers, Keaton, who was doing final checks on her valve gear.

"Mr Keaton, why King Edward? Why not Pendennis Castle?" She asked him and Keaton stopped looking at her valve gear and turned to her.

"Pendennis was invited to another gala this weekend I'm afraid," he told her. "You'll see him later in the year I'm sure."

"Yes but," Tornado sighed and seemed to deflate. "Nevermind, it's not important."

Keaton stared at her worried for a second.

"I'm positive that you'll defend yourself if King Edward steps out of line with you," he assured her. "Or you tell us what happened and we'll send a note to Mr Corbyn and Truro to give King Edward a good talking to."

Tornado gave Keaton a small smile. Although she didn't feel all that much better she was grateful that Keaton was at least trying to cheer her up.

"Thanks," was all she said and Keaton nodded in acknowledgement to her before returning to checking out her gear.

For the next half hour, Tornado waited anxiously, knowing that at any second the unkind King Class would arrive. Charlie had drifted off to sleep and she prayed that he would not be awake to have to experience the Great Western King insult him.

Eventually, a distant chuffing could be heard and slowly but surely the King Class eased into view of the works, his blue paint reflecting the sunlight, almost making him appear purple. His expression appeared coy, shy even as he approached the Darlington works. He glanced up at the huge building, surveying it curiously. He seemed, impressed.

"Greetings, young Tornado," he greeted her as his attention was drawn to her.

Tornado however still scowled at him.

"No remarks about how dirty I am today?" She sneered and King Edward averted his gaze.

"No, none of that," he mumbled. "It was not… respectable to say those things when we previously were acquainted."

"Then why did you say such things to me?" Tornado demanded. "Are you just rude on your home turf or because you're trying to impress others?"

King Edward II just looked away from Tornado but she was not having it.

"Well?!" She snapped suddenly and King Edward looked back at her.

"It's complicated," was all he said and Tornado huffed and blew steam in his direction.

"Sure, whatever, I don't care," she hissed. "I'm used to you assholes treating me like shit anyway so let's just get this over with."

"May I offer you something in exchange? As an apology for my past rudeness towards you?" King Edward II suddenly offered and Tornado raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Okay?"

"My true name is Rhion," he declared and Tornado stared at him.

"You're… just going to give me your name? Just like that?" Tornado asked, flabbergasted. True names were a huge thing for Great Westerns. She didn't even know Truro's or Pendennis's true names despite being friends with them for the longest time.

"Yes," was all the King Class said.

Tornado stared at him for a long second.

"Alright then," she replied bluntly. If she could shrug, she would have.

The trip to the Bluebell was going to be far more interesting than she anticipated it seemed.

"Hello, Gordon!"

Gordon yelled startled as he heard his brother's voice beside him as he rested in Tidmouth Sheds and he almost jumped off his frames in shock.

He looked over and found his brother sitting on the rails beside him, that stupid grin plastered all over his face as he laughed at jump scaring his brother.

"Scotsman!" He shouted but was immediately shushed by his younger brother.

"No one knows I'm here, keep it down! Gold dust things!" Scotsman quickly whispered to him and Gordon immediately lowered his voice.

"You're wasting Gold Dust to teleport yourself?" Gordon chastised him and the Scotsman pouted.

"Can I not visit my brother on my birthday?" Scotsman asked with a roll of his eyes. "I don't ever use it, this is just a special occasion."

"I'm grateful to see you, of course, I am," Gordon relented with a small smile. "But what if someone notices you missing?"

"Truro is holding down the fort, it'll be fine so long as I'm not gone for long," Scotsman assured his brother. "And I think Olivia will forgive me once she finds out."

Satisfied, Gordon seemed to relax and he smiled at his brother.

"Happy Birthday Brother," Gordon congratulated him and Scotsman beamed.

"Thank you! I'm an old fart just like you now!" He teased and Gordon huffed at him, annoyed.

"There is barely a year between us!" Gordon argued but the Scotsman just laughed at him. "And whatever your Australian friend told you about me being afraid of spiders is untrue!"

"Australian friend?" Scotsman raised an eyebrow at him, confused. "What Australian friend?"

"Oh, you haven't seen her yet?" Gordon hastily backtracked. "Then never mind!"

"Someone came from Australia to see me?!" Scotsman excitedly exclaimed. "Oooo who? Who was it?!"

"It was supposed to be a surprise!" Gordon grumpily looked away but Scotsman just gave him a sly grin.

"If you really loved your brother you'd tell him," Scotsman cooed sweetly and Gordon just wheeshed steam at him in response.

"No, none of that stupid voice and that stupid face, Ms Olivia wanted it to be a surprise," Gordon declared and Scotsman dropped the grin. "I'd rather not piss off Olivia, you know how she gets."

"Alright fine, just give me a hint."

"Scott-"

"Are they Green, mayhaps?"

"..."

"Do they identify as a she?"

"..."

"It's the Grey Nurse!" Scotsman cheered and Gordon groaned in defeat.

"You weren't supposed to know!" Gordon fumed, deeply annoyed.

"Come now brother, you have a tell when you're lying, besides, Grey would probably be the only engine they would spend the money to send here," Scotsman explained gleefully, elated that he'd guessed Gordon's little secret.

Gordon just pulled a grumpy face and pouted, deeply irritated.

"I'm annoyed I didn't get to introduce her to you! She was the one who showed me around Australia, a true delight! I hope you made her feel welcome!" Scotsman proclaimed excitedly.

"I uh, may have been a little rude to her at first," Gordon admitted, his cheeks blushing slightly.

Scotsman tutted in response.

"Gordon-"

"I know! I know, I need to ease up on being irritable to other engines," Gordon sighed.

Scotsman gave a huff of approval but then smiled.

"Knowing Grey, she won't take it seriously. I did tell her you were a bit of a grump," Scotsman laughed but Gordon looked at his buffers guilty.

"Well it was a bit more than that, I uh was insensitive about her accident, I didn't know she'd had it but it was still wrong of me to leave her on my hill," Gordon admitted shamefully and his brother looked shocked.

"Gordon! I'm surprised at you!" Scotsman exclaimed, shocked and Gordon looked away from his brother sheepishly.

Gordon was about to retort when a voice interrupted them.

"Scotsman? What are you doing here?" Henry asked as he rolled into his berth only to find Scotsman in it.

"Oh hello Henry! I trust I have your confidence that my presence here be kept a secret?" Scotsman cheerfully greeted the Black 5. Henry just stared at him confused.

"But how did you- how did you get here without anyone noticing?" Henry asked bewildered and Scotsman laughed.

"Magic," he exclaimed dramatically and Gordon rolled his eyes.

"What was that about you wanting to keep a low profile?" The blue engine sighed and his younger brother just chuckled.

"It's alright, I trust Henry, I know he's a trustworthy engine," Scotsman smiled and Henry gave him a grateful smile in return. "I actually came to talk to you about something serious Gordon, believe it or not."

"You? Serious?" Gordon snorted.

"I can be serious!" Scotsman scoffed annoyed. "... sometimes."

Gordon just rolled his eyes as his brother flashed him a smirk. Henry looked around awkwardly.

"Um, should I go?" The green engine asked somewhat embarrassed.

"No, no, it'll actually be a lot more helpful if you're here, more eyes means that there's a better chance we know what's going on," Scotsman mused.

"Has something happened? Is this one of your hair-brained schemes?" Gordon asked Scotsman.

Scotsman paused, unsure how to explain.

"Now, I know there's bad blood between you and Great Northern," Scotsman began and Gordon immediately began scowling. Henry just looked confused. "But he's been missing for the last week. Olivia's Golden Whistle was also stolen and she was taken ill."

Gordon's scowl turned into a look of concern.

"Is Olivia okay?"

"She's fine but I think that someone stealing the Golden Whistle and her falling ill immediately after was no coincidence," Scotsman theorised. "The fact that North went missing a week ago is even more suspicious."

"Maybe he's the one behind it," Gordon grunted and Scotsman raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gordon be serious, this is North we're talking about, North," he reminded Gordon. "North who is devoted completely to the family. He'd rather die than hurt Olivia. He raised her since she was a baby."

Gordon grumbled but what Scotsman said was true, Great Northern was completely devoted to their designer's family, especially Olivia. There was no way he was behind anything that could hurt Olivia. Not willingly at the very least.

"So why come to us?" Gordon eventually asked. "It's not like we could go out and look for him."

"It's more than that, Ms Parsons is stationed here and she's the one who threatened Olivia to give over my Golden Whistle, or… she'd hurt North by injecting him with Black Smoke, being that he's a being of Gold Dust…," Scotsman said grimly and Gordon's expression immediately changed.

Gordon may not have liked North but being infected with Black Smoke was no fate for anyone. Especially after what Mallard had turned into.

"That Clun Castle, she's always snooping around and trying to get information on this… gold dust?" Henry suddenly spoke up and Scotsman and Gordon looked at him concerned.

"She has," Gordon realised. "But she's never gotten any headway with anyone. She's not well-liked here."

"She's not well-liked anywhere, Caerphilly has practically disowned her which coming from the class leader is a big thing," Scotsman snorted. He suddenly frowned, deep in thought. "But it makes sense."

The famous engine looked at Henry and Gordon.

"I know it's not my place but could I ask a favour of you both?" Scotsman asked and both engines looked at him attentively.

"Of course brother," Gordon assured him, he looked to Henry who was also smiling encouragingly.

"Yes of course," Henry agreed and the Scotsman gave them both a thankful smile.

"I'd come here myself but, well, I can't really go unnoticed on my 100th," Scotsman blushed. "And I need to look after Truro, he's- he needs someone close to him he's really struggling."

"I understand Scotsman, you need to be there for someone you love," Henry smiled at Scotsman.

"And besides, can't have you running around with your idiotic plans again," Gordon pointed out, trying to lighten the mood but for once, Scotsman didn't bite.

"I know Gordon," was all he said quietly. "I just, I just want you to find out where North is, make sure he's okay and get Olivia's Golden Whistle back. And if North isn't okay."

Scotsman fell silent and an unreadable look fell across his face.

"Alright, Scotsman," Gordon agreed with a compassionate tone. "We'll do our best to do just that."

"Thank you, brother," Scotsman smiled at Gordon then Henry. "If you can, get Green Arrow to help. He's really good at getting information. I'm not sure how he does it but he's very good at it. Tell him that I'll recommend him to a railway of his choice if he doesn't bite."

Gordon wasn't at all pleased at the last request but put on a smile for his brother. The three engines froze when the sound of James humming to himself could be heard coming around the buildings.

"That's my cue to leave I think!" Flying Scotsman hastily proclaimed. "Henry, Little Brother."

After acknowledging both engines, Scotsman suddenly vanished in a whirl of Gold Dust. Henry was unfazed, having seen Scotsman do such a thing once before.

Gordon and Henry stared at each other silently for a long while before their attention was drawn to James who had stopped humming once he had noticed them staring at him.

"What?" James asked, confused, then his eyes went wide with panic. "Is it my paint?! Is my paint chipped?"

James began to fuss loudly and Gordon rolled his eyes as Henry turned himself around to reverse into the spot where Scotsman had been mere moments before.

"Taking on a 9F? Are you completely stupid, Meredith!" King Edward I snarled at Clun Castle.

"It was that Evening Star bitch!" Clun Castle shrieked, her voice ringing in Blue Peter's smokebox making him wince. "She's worth nothing yet she is preserved!"

"She is a 9F!" King Edward I shouted at her. "Regardless of what you think of her, you were stupid to even antagonise her! She could have turned you into scrap!"

"And what was I supposed to do? Let that Corpse stealer leave?" Clun Castle huffed annoyed.

"Yes! Because now, she's been driven to those other engines which means she will be harder to get a hold of when the time comes to bring Maindy back!" The King Class snapped exasperated. "Need I remind you that Evening Star also has another of her siblings and Green Arrow in their sheds on that branch line?"

The realisation of the situation hit Clun Castle all at once.

One 9F could overpower a King Class easily. Two would be unstoppable. Not to mention Green Arrow was a tricky but clever engine. The V2 would cause problems if he choose to and the King Class did not want him sniffing around should he become a problem.

"I'll distract them sir!" She quickly tried to make amends but the King Class just shut his eyes and released a cloud of steam in frustration.

"No, Green Arrow's snooped around our project before and he has gotten nothing, I am not worried about that little irritant, the Sudrian engines do not like him anyway so he will not be an issue," King Edward I proclaimed boastfully.

Blue Peter sat bored, watching them disinterested. King Edward I was nothing like his brother, King George. George was humble and earnest, King Edward the first had an arrogance and a feeling of malice to him.

"What about the Peppercorn?" Clun Castle sneered at Blue Peter and he glared at her. Irritating thing the castle class was.

King Edward I glanced over at the Peppercorn and surveyed him with a critical gaze. He suddenly gave a menacing chuckle and a slight grin.

"Blue Peter has been searching for a way to bring back Saint Mungo for decades now, I very much doubt he would squander this opportunity," the King Class stated and Blue Peter stared at him.

"What do you mean?" Blue Peter demanded and King Edward I just laughed.

"Well, why don't you stay and find out my dear Peppercorn?" The Great Western King implored before lowering his voice to a growl. "It's not like the Sudrian engines will accept you anyway."

"Especially not the Big Three Tidmouth ones!" Clun Castle laughed and Blue Peter paled in response. "The Blue Gresley and the Black 5 were extremely hostile to him this morning!"

"You've been spying on me!" He accused Clun Castle and the engine just laughed.

"Only a little," She admitted with a snide grin.

"You're free to leave us whenever you wish, but I doubt anyone would believe a word you say," King Edward I purred in a sickly sweet voice. "And besides, why waste such a valuable opportunity to get Saint Mungo back?"

"What do you mean?" Blue Peter's boiler had a cold creeping feeling settling it but he decided to ignore it against his better judgement. If there was any way to bring Saint Mungo back, then he had to take that risk.

"Our plan is to resurrect Maindy Hall through Lady of Legend," Clun Castle declared smugly. "We've been conditioning her to second guess herself, to try and resurrect the memory of her. Her silver soul if you please."

"Meredith!" King Edward I barked angrily at the Castle Class who gave a slight whimper at his yell. "You reveal too much!"

Blue Peter looked thoughtful now however, his interest peaked.

"Silver Souls aren't all that common, but you'd need a large amount of Gold Dust to even give it form," he remarked and the two other engines glanced at him. "You'd need a Golden Well and such things are heavily guarded secrets. I don't see where you'd be getting enough Gold Dust."

King Edward I gazed at the Peppercorn, intrigued.

"You have done your research," The King Class commended him and Blue Peter glanced at him.

"Yes, I could never find a way to get enough Gold Dust to try and override Tornado's soul, that was the main issue I had bringing back Saint Mungo," the Peppercorn remarked.

"Well lucky for you we have someone on the inside!" King Edward proclaimed grandly. "Perhaps now, you can finally bring Saint Mungo back, yes? Be rid of that Tornado, once and for all?"

Blue Peter knew it was wrong, he knew that there was an enormous chance that he was being duped. But, he had to try.

"Very well," he finally agreed after a long pause. "You have my confidence."

King Edward gave a pleased grin that made the rivets in Blue Peter's boiler quiver and his wheels feel unsteady.

He already regretted this.

This was a mistake.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Gold asked Grey as they sat in one of the sidings.

"Goldie-"

"I worry about you, especially what happened on Sodor," Gold insisted. "Maybe we should ask if we can both go to see DP1."

"Gold, please, you worry too much," Grey claimed with a tut.

Gold eyed the yard suspiciously, checking if anyone was around before they turned their attention back to Grey. She wasn't taking this seriously and it annoyed them.

"I don't trust that Union lady," they whispered to her. "She's trouble and she's out to get us."

"Gold, I've handled worse engines than her," Grey tried to assure them. "I think you're being overly paranoid."

Gold huffed annoyed. "I am not, you saw her, trying to corner either of us alone. She means trouble, I just know it."

Grey looked thoughtful for a moment and then gave a soft hum as if considering.

"Perhaps," she mused quietly. "But she's got nothing on some of those bitches at home, she seems quite distressed at the thought of even playing bumper cars with another engine. All these 'high class' engines have that attitude have you noticed?"

"I'm just sayin' what if she corners you on an incline?" Gold argued. "Takes advantage of the fact that it makes you anxious like Gordon did?"

"I don't think Gordon did it intentionally," Grey pointed out. "He didn't even know, he was just ignorant about my past, you know?"

"Which makes me even more concerned because this Union seems a lot more malicious, Gordon was ignorant this bitch ain't," Gold grumbled and Grey tutted.

"She's nothing I can't handle," She scoffed but Gold looked unconvinced.

"Grey…"

"Gold, I know you'll worry but I have friends here," Grey assured the diesel with a friendly smile. "Besides, that Tornado girl will be along tomorrow and I'm ever so excited to meet her. You should be the same. I want you to have a good time Gold."

Gold sighed deeply and closed their eyes. They knew that no matter what they said, Grey would keep insisting that they go and she most probably wouldn't hear a word otherwise.

"Just… be careful, alright," They pleaded with their big green friend and Grey grinned at them.

"Of course Gold, I will do my utmost to remain in high spirits. Besides, you know me, she tries to start a fight with me then she's going to regret it!" Grey assured the diesel and Gold smiled.

Grey could look after herself they supposed. It wasn't like she was completely helpless. She could take on a Garratt and had done in the past. Albeit for fun but still, Corrie wasn't exactly someone who you could just play fight with, not unless you had serious power.

"Alright, I know you're a fighter, sorry fer being overprotective but it's, you know," Gold gestured with their frames and Grey laughed.

"S'kay mate, I don't mind," she hollered. "But even though you're my emotional support diesel, you're still an engine who needs to take time for themselves, ya know?"

"I know," Gold sighed and felt their anxiety fade slightly. "Thanks Grey, When you're done here you'll meet me up at this Shildon place yeah?"

"You betcha!" Grey laughed. "I'll be taking the UK by storm!"

The two engines laughed, unaware that a large green A4 was silently slinking in the shadows, watching them.

"I wonder where Evening Star is," Green Arrow mumbled to himself as he yawned. "I hope she hasn't gone off and caused chaos."

Arthur looked around nervously.

"Does Evening Star often cause chaos?" He asked agitated and Green Arrow laughed.

"Only if she's upset," he remarked. "She's not afraid to let her feelings be known, let's just say that."

Arthur looked extremely worried. Murdoch was the most powerful engine on the island, yet he was a gentle giant who would never hurt a fly. To imagine him being angry and 'letting someone know that' was a very scary thought.

"Relax," Green Arrow assured the LMS tank engine. "Knowing her crew they'd never let her actually hurt someone."

"Oh, oh that's good," Arthur breathed out a shaky breath. "I'm glad, I'm glad she has a crew that will look after her."

The sound of a loud whistle pierced the air drawing the engine's attention.

"Speak of the devil," Green Arrow called out as Evening Star lamps appeared in the distance. He frowned however when he saw a second pair of headlights trailing hers.

"Oh, it's that Lady of Legend! She approached Evening Star and me early this morning!" Arthur explained as he recognised the other engine. "She was looking for a shed to bunk in, so we said she could bunk with us while Murdoch was out on the mainland."

Green Arrow said nothing, he just frowned as he watched the two engines coming into the sheds. To his surprise, Evening Star and Tydfil were laughing and talking to one another. He felt a flutter of jealousy as he realised that somehow, Tydfil could understand Evening Star. It had taken him months of coaxing and observing to understand Evening Star, yet this Saint class, she somehow understood her immediately.

"You're home late Ms Venus," he commented as Evening Star rolled into the sheds.

i"I found a new friend Arrow,"/i the 9F explained. i"I understand there's bad blood between you but I want you to be nice."/i

Green Arrow was about to snark back at her but the pointed glare Evening Star gave him made him hold his tongue. Instead, he smiled at his friend, noting that it was probably important to her if she was giving him, 'that glare.'

"Of course Venus, I'll do my best," Green Arrow promised before turning to Tydfil who was avoiding his gaze. "Hello, Lady of Legend."

Tydfil looked at him sheepishly before looking at him.

"I uh, should apologise for the things I've said about you and uh, the whole crash thing," she mumbled and Green Arrow raised an eyebrow. The apology wasn't very convincing and it didn't sound all that genuine but he'd accept it, if only to make Evening Star happy.

"That's okay," he replied bluntly. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again and we're cool."

Tydfil gave him a small, barely visible smile before shifting herself as quickly as she could out of his view, hiding behind Evening Star's huge frame. Green Arrow didn't care, just as long as she wasn't annoying or antagonising him.

"Hello Ms Evening Star, hello Ms Lady of Legend!" Arthur piped up happily, drawing the attention away from Arrow. "You're looking wonderful tonight!"

"Thank- thank you?" She answered, sounding utterly perplexed. "What do you want from me?"

Arthur was taken aback.

"Want from you? What do you mean? I don't want anything from you, I was just saying how nice you looked tonight," Arthur explained with a glance at Arrow who frowned, concerned.

"Oh it's just when people usually compliment me they want something," Tydfil stated, causing concerned expressions on Evening Star, Arthur and Arrow's faces.

"That's- that's not how that works Tydfil," Arthur pointed out and Tydfil glanced at him.

i"No it isn't, why would you think that Tydfil?"/i Evening Star frowned.

"It's just what the King Classes always did," Tydfil replied. "Whenever they praised me, they'd want something in return, is that not how that works?"

The other engines looked appalled.

i"No, that's- that's-"/i Evening Star struggled to find the words.

"That's conditioning so the King Classes could abuse you and make you think it was normal," Green Arrow spat out angrily. "Did Ryan and Daisy not help you?"

"Yes, but I thought it was in exchange for helping out on their branch line! I- I- don't understand," Tydfil stammered. "The King Classes looked after me, cared for me!"

"Tell me Tydfil, do you have any contact with the other Hall classes? The classes that loved and supported Maindy Hall's wish to give you life?" Green Arrow asked and Tydfil stared ahead.

"But they, but King Edward I told me they hated me, that they wanted to destroy me, that they thought I was an abomination!" Tydfil cried out. She looked completely distressed.

"Hagley Hall was one of the few engines that tolerated me," Green Arrow explained to Tydfil. "Granted she only tolerated me because she knew I could get information from anywhere. She told me that King Edward I essentially sealed you away from them and then threatened them if you ever came close to you."

Tydfil stared at the ground, as Arrow continued.

"Hagley and Kin were desperate for any scrap of information I could find on you," he explained further. "They considered you their niece, because Maindy Hall gave her body for you to be born, you were her daughter to them. They adored you. After that Ms Parsons took over after her husband's death, suddenly everything about you just 'vanished'. I couldn't find anything for them. They were devastated."

An uneasy silence echoed through the sheds as Tydfil just sat and stared blankly at the ground.

i"Ms Tydfil?"/i Evening Star asked concerned.

Tydfil seemed distracted. Her eyes slid in and out of focus, almost as if she was listening to something else.

"The voice in my smokebox says I should trust you, that you're telling the truth," was all she said and now the engines glanced at her deeply concerned. She looked at them and gave a weak sad laugh. "You probably think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Well-" Arrow began but a glare from Evening Star stopped him.

i"No, I don't think you're crazy. This might sound like a weird question but does the voice in your smokebox have a name?"/i Evening Star asked and Tydfil stared at her confused.

"I- I've never asked," Tydfil admitted.

i"Maybe you should ask it then?"/i Evening Star suggested and Tydfil stared at the 9F for a long second before her eyes slid out of focus again.

It was barely a minute before Tydfil's frames suddenly began to shake and she stared wide-eyed at the door in front of her.

"Tydfil what's wrong?!" Arthur asked, deeply worried for the engine.

Tydfil still stared straight ahead, her frames still trembling and her eyes still wide in fear.

i"Tydfil?"/i

"She- she- she says her na- name is… Maindy Hall…" Tydfil stammered, her voice cracking before she suddenly burst into tears.

He didn't know how long it had been but he knew that at some stage, someone he wasn't cognitive enough to know, had put him to bed in that little prison cell of his.

Had days passed? Weeks? Months even? North wasn't sure.

The only thing he was sure about was the constant and oppressing ice cold that pumped through his veins. It was like his heart was constantly being stabbed by a thousand razor-sharp frozen pins.

And always, always, there were whispers in the back of his mind, whispers telling him he was worthless, that he was a terrible person.

Maybe he was, maybe the other engines that spoke ill of him were right. Maybe that was the reason why Banbury and Solario, engines whom he thought were his friends had just up and abandoned him the second that he'd fallen from grace.

Maybe he really did deserve this, for how he treated Flying Scotsman allowing his jealousy to guide him, for how he'd demeaned the little engines. For neglecting and channelling his anger of not being Gresley's 'chosen one' into Mallard by lashing out at the A4.

No matter how many times he had tried to justify it to himself, with Mallard being awful and nasty, part of him had always known that it was wrong. That he was wrong.

Is this what Mallard had felt when he had been infected with Black Smoke for over 50 years? Now it made sense why the A4 had gone insane, why he'd been driven to despair. Why he'd resorted to stealing the Gold Dust of other engines, if only for the slightest bit of relief.

This was absolute torture. It felt like he was being drowned in freezing water while still being on land, every doubt and insecurity was being picked apart by oily substance that clung to his mind like a parasite.

It craved his despair, his anguish and wanted more.

He felt like he deserved this.

If Ms Parsons are any of her cohorts had come in he had no idea.

He felt like giving up, he felt like letting go.

But he didn't.

He needed to apologise to Scotsman, to any of the old LNER guard still left.

He needed to make sure that Olivia was alright, that she was safe.

He'd told himself long ago that no matter how bad things got, there was always a chance for them to get better. If he gave up, then there would be no chance. There would only be an eternity of darkness and Great Northern, for one, wanted to see the sunlight once again.

Gordon and Scotsman's little talk wasn't meant to be as long, but they're probably the most fun to write. Scotsman poking Gordon is never not fun.

Oh James, even now your paint is still as splendid as ever, don't ever worry 3