Back over at Muffle Mountain, the sun had begun to set. Not far from his workshop, Burnett Stone was now waiting for when Daphne and her friends eventually return home. But so far, it was already sunset, and there was no sign of her yet. He was beginning to worry, and of where she and her friends might be.
Just then, Scorcher came up, but not with a smile on his face. "Where's Daphne and her friends?" Burnett now asked him anxiously and in concern. "As well as your family?"
"I wish I really knew where." Scorcher replied solemnly to Burnett. "I'm sorry, Burnett. Daphne, nor her friends, not even my family, they weren't even down at the train station when I came to pick them up. It was like they had just vanished into thin air. All I could find was some golden dust lying on the ground." He shook his head.
Burnett then had a thought about how they all had disappeared, and where they might've gone to. "It's okay, Scorcher. They'll be okay, don't worry." He said softly and reassuringly to them.
With that, Burnett now made his way and he left for his workshop to watch over Lady, while Scorcher stayed outside to watch the sun set for a while, wondering where Mystery, Inc. and his family had gone to.
'Wherever you guys are, I hope you're alright.' Scorcher thought to himself. 'What are those guys up to?'
Meanwhile, back on Sodor that night, Percy was now currently making his way down the line all on his own, heading to the old tracks that lead to the little grotto and the buffers that may theoretically lead on forth to the Magic Railroad.
It was dark and spooky around the line at this time of night, but Percy kept his promise to Thomas and Rose. He promised to stay brave for his friend, and he won't stop.
"I am brave. I am brave." Percy coached to himself as he chuffs along, passing by the sculpture of Diesel 10's face in the rock wall. "Thomas and Rose say I'm brave, so I am brave." He smiled to himself, and he perked up a little, showing a little smile on his face, as he passed by some old dead trees, a layer of fog around the ground. "It's nice to be brave." Percy said to himself.
But then, his smile vanished from sight, as Percy saw what was ahead. "Shiver my pistons! It's Splatter and Dodge." He immediately came to a stop a few metres out of earshot of the two shunter diesels.
Percy saw the diesels were a few metres away from the buffers. Percy gasped in fear. "And they found the buffers! Now, what's going to happen?" He said in worry.
The fluttering and squawks of birds in the trees now made Percy shudder as he sat there. He then could hear the howling of a wolf in the distance, but the howl seemed to sound like that of a steam engine's whistle. Percy could only stay silent in worry and fear, but then, he listened carefully to both Splatter and Dodge as they were talking about the buffers.
"These must be the buffers Diesel's looking for." Splatter and Dodge now talked to each other, both of them looking at the old buffers before them. "Aren't we supposed to go through them? Not me. You. Not me! You! Th-this is a job for the boss." They decided. Suddenly, an owl hooting in the distance from an old building now made the two diesels jump. "We'll tell him tomorrow. Yeah. Tomorrow's good." They suggested in response, both of them in agreement over the idea.
Percy, after hearing both Splatter and Dodge and their exchange of words, now felt his face harden with determination. Time was running out for them and for all of Sodor. They have to act and fast before Diesel 10 executed his evil scheme.
"I've got to hurry back and warn Thomas." Percy said to himself. With that, Percy puffs away, without the diesels hearing him, and heads off to find Thomas.
Meanwhile, down by a small grotto a few miles away, Mr. Garcia, Mystery, Inc., and both Maria and Sheeva were all nearby a small fire they've made, while Thomas sat nearby and observed them nearby on the nearest section of track.
Braedey was telling the gang about the adventures most of the engines have been through during their time on Sodor, and even included the time he, Rose, and Scooby had been here on Sodor, spending the time with the engines and handling the heavy and dirty work whole working on the North Western Railway. The others were rather surprised and amazed at the news, but all the while, they were thinking about going back.
'Mr. Garcia and everyone else were doing their best to keep everyone's spirits as cheerful as, but even I knew Daphne was getting worried for her grandfather...'
"Mr. Garcia, we were supposed to get back by sunset." Daphne said to Braedey, after looking up at the dark sky. "It's already dark out."
"Daphne, I think your grandfather can guess or even knows where you are." Mr. Garcia now said to Daphne.
"You do?" Daphne asked in surprise.
"Really?" Rose asked curiously.
"Really?" Scooby also questioned.
"I have a strong feeling that long ago, he used to be on this very island, and used the Magic Railroad to travel to and from here." Mr. Garcia told them while he tended to the fire.
"Jinkies. How about that." Velma commented. Thomas mentally wondered something about Daphne's grandfather, as did Braedey.
"Interesting." Fred mused.
"If he can help, I do wish he'd hurry." Mr. Garcia added in. "I haven't told Casey this, but soon, he'll grow as weak as I am."
"That sounds bad." Willow said softly.
"Like, Casey said something about an engine that used to travel back and forth on the Magic Railroad." Shaggy now said.
Sheeva perked up at this. "Maybe, if we can find it, it might help us find where the magic's gone to, and get all the magic that had vanished." She suggested.
"Will that work?" Maria asked hopefully.
"No. That engine's disappeared without a trace many years ago. Never to be seen or heard from again. And I fear we may never find it again." Mr. Garcia told them, and he looked to the fire with a lost look in his eyes.
"Mr. Garcia, we need to tell you something." Daphne now got his attention, and he looked to her. "Last night, we all heard a train whistle, and it was coming from the top of Muffle Mountain." She explained.
Braedey now looked up, something coming back to him. "Muffle Mountain... that's it! l just remembered a part of the clue." The gang, Maria and Sheeva, and Thomas smiled at him, as he remembered the part of the clue to finding the lost Gold-Dust and magic.
"You did?" Shaggy and Scooby asked.
"Yes. I remember it to." Mr. Garcia added in.
"What part of the clue?" Daphne inquired.
"'Stoke up the magic in the mountain, and the lady will smile!'" Braedey told them, with a smile on his face. But, his face gently fell, along with the others. "But, we need more information." He added in.
"And Daphne, And I know that your grandpa could help if he would just believe that he could." Mr. Garcia said to the redhead of the mystery gang.
Rose then thought for a moment. "Lady?" She spoke out. What did it mean?
Up in Muffle Mountain, Scorcher and Burnett were both back inside the workshop, the two of them looking over Lady's form, the two of them standing by the running board and front buffers either side of the tank engine.
"She can whistle. I heard her." Scorcher said to Burnett as they stood around Lady.
"Yeah. So have I." Burnett replied, as he placed his hand on Lady's golden dome. "It's because she's magic."
"Also, I took a look at this map. This must be the map of her Magic Railroad. But the energy is fading away. I sensed it when we were out riding. The gang and I were travelling on the ground above it." Scorcher now points to an old map to the wall behind him, which shows a faded green line on it. "That's what it is. The railroad's disappearing, it's dying."
"The Railroad needs Lady." Burnett told Scorcher as he looks at the little engine with a determined look. "And I need to find a way to get her to steam, and fast."
"Because of Daphne and the others?" Scorcher asked.
"Yes, because of Daphne." Burnett replied back to Scorcher, and so, they both immediately got to work, trying to get Lady back into steam as fast as he can.
Back on Sodor at the old grotto, Percy had arrived on the scene, and he quickly explained to everyone about what he had seen and heard when he reached the old track and saw Splatter and Dodge nearby them.
"So Thomas, we need to get Daphne back to their grandfather now, before Diesel 10 gets rid of the railway, and everyone else." Percy now told Thomas, after he told him what he saw at the buffers.
"If Diesel 10 gets to the buffers before we can fix anything, like, that's game over for all of us." Shaggy muttered.
"Reah." Scooby nodded in trepidation.
"By the time those two twin diesels find their boss, it be morning or so." Rose now stated. "We've got the best of 12 or so hours."
"That doesn't give us much time." Braedey stated.
"But, how can Daphne go without any Gold-Dust or magic?" Thomas now asked.
"I'm afraid Thomas is right." Maria said sadly. "Without magic, how can Daphne get home?" She asked.
"We need the Lost Engine." Mr. Garcia replied bluntly, as if there was no hope left to try and fix this situation.
But then, Fred had a sudden thought. "Unless..." He now stood up from his spot on the fallen tree log nearby the fire.
"Unless?" Thomas repeated in trepidation. He didn't like the sound of this as he looks on.
"Fred, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Daphne now asked.
"I'm exactly thinking that. Thomas." Fred walked up to the blue tank engine. "Will you please take Daphne and Braedey?" He asked.
"Wha-Through the buffers?" Thomas asked in worry, as Braedey and Daphne walked up beside Fred, the others also standing nearby. "What if I go through, and my wheels don't work?" Thomas questioned.
"I bet they will." Fred replied.
"What if.. if..." Thomas wasn't sure of what to say next.
"Yes, Thomas?" Rose inquired.
"What if it's dark?" Thomas now asked.
"It might be for a while, but you'll have your headlamp to light your way." Velma reassured to him.
"And cold?" Thomas questioned next.
"Maybe. But, like, you will have your firebox to keep you warm when you're there." Shaggy insisted back.
"And how will I get back again?" Thomas now asked.
"Because you're a Really Useful Engine, and no matter what, you will always find a way." Braedey now told Thomas, showing him that he can do it.
Thomas looked at both Braedey and Daphne, as they stood nearby. "Please, Thomas." Daphne now pleaded to the blue tank engine.
"Then, I'll try!" Thomas said proudly with a smile.
"ALL ABOARD!!!" Braedey announced.
It was now or never...