//------------------------------//
// The Lady of Sodor 
// Story: TCB: Invasion of Sodor 
// by autobotfan15 
//------------------------------//

June 6th 12:23 am
From the Diary of Twilight Sparkle:

Things went from slightly better to worst. It would seem Celestia wants to put stronger guards in even stronger forcefield shields, making them invincible. To make matters worst I heard rumors she's going to either mind control captured engines to do her transporting or scrap any imprisoned engines and turn them into a new fleet of Equestrian 4-4-0s. I can say with confidence she has officially lost her mind yet no one in her inner circle is doing anything. So far Luna has been keeping up with sending me letters in secret. At least I know she's on our side.

When news about her possible plans spread, the entire Railway was in uproar. Some were shaken by this news, some more than others. A Scottish engine named Donald recently lost his twin to an ambush attack and is currently being held prison within the Dome. He keeps insisting on charging into the dome but everyone knows that’s impossible and could result in either imprisonment or death.

Tonight I was patrolling the yards when I noticed Thomas leaving the sheds by himself. While the engines were capable of moving without crews, they cant go far distances unless they had plenty of experience as well as fuel in their system. I teleported inside his cab curious on where he was going. I may have secretly kept his fire hot. We went on to some old abandon line and he stopped near what looked like a set of wooden buffers. It may have been raining but somehow from the cab I can see the tears dripping off his face. He then said something that almost confused me. I know he wasnt talking to me because it sounded like he was talking to someone else and I can hear the sadness in his voice.
"If you can hear me, please come back. We need you...please."

He went back after that. As he got closer I teleported out of his cab. I'm currently in bed as I write this. Who was Thomas talking to? Was it some spirit? Do these engines have some sort of divine being? I think i'll talk to one of the older engines about this. Maybe Toby or Edward knows something or maybe Stephen.

June 6th 2:48 pm
From the Diary of Twilight Sparkle:

I've spent all day asking engines about what I've seen and heard last night, even Thomas. They all said the same thing. Those buffers were once a magical gateway to another world and it was said a man and his engine live in this other world and only came back here once to fix a problem. Thomas claimed he helped save her from a once very evil Diesel 10.

This particular engine is said to have powers that are beyond anything imaginable when given the right amount of coal from this world. No one has seen her for many years and the buffers no longer act like a portal, but many say they sometimes see her in their dreams acting like a guiding angel. In a sense she is kind of like Princess Luna.

The military forces surrounding the barriers are getting stronger but no matter what they try they cant breakthrough. There were talks about using nuclear missiles but that idea was thrown out do to the possibility of it not working and the risk of either killing the surrounding area and possible hostages within the dome. I've tried helping get through the dome but even my magic is worthless against it. Celestia didn't miss a thing. I feel like we are now on a timer. If i dont do anything then we are all doomed.

June 7th 12:50 am
From the Diary of Princess Luna:

I can't do this anymore. I can't keep being a spy and watching this madness occur. My walk through the dream realm tonight was what finally broke me. I was traversing the dreams, but for some reason I can no longer access the dreams of the newfoals. Its like there's a block on them. I decided to traverse the dreams of the many other lives on Sodor. I soon came across a dream that looked corrupted, as soon as i entered I saw something terrifying. It was dark but I could make out the silhouette of an engine that looked like it had legs protruding out of it's undercarriage. The face suddenly lunged out of it's smoke box on a long neck and it screamed at me begging me to help him. I got scared and fled.

I recognized the voice it was Charlie one of the many captured engines. Was this the failed experiment Twilight was telling me about? I went to another dream but this didn't feel like it belonged to any engine because usually I would see the owner of the dream. This dream I couldn't see the dreamer, not yet anyway. When I entered it looked like a meadow with train tracks running through it. I couldn't help but feel at peace here. I then heard a whistle and saw an engine I've never seen before approaching me.

It was an 0-4-0 tank engine of some kind. It was purple and had some gold lining and had the name Lady on it. She looked at me with a smile and started speaking to me. She said she looked into my soul and that she knows everything. She knows of my past as the Nightmare Moon, what my sister has done, and how the world is responding.

I don't what came over me. I suddenly remember what I saw with Charlie and I just broke down crying in front of her. But she just continued to look at me with some kind of kindness in her eyes. She told she wants to help her friends and all on Sodor and the world but she needs my help and that this one of the many ways I can redeem myself. She can traverse the dreams of many like me but her power in those dreams is limited, but if I give her full access to the dream realm her power would be greater and she can give the engines something to help them win this conflict. I usually don't give anyone full access but I was desperate and knew in my heart this had to be done.

After I magically summoned tracks to the dream realm she thanked me and told me to now go and help my friends more than ever. I woke up and am now writing this as I pack up. I'm leaving, never coming back, and I'm taking one those imprisoned engines with me. My sister will never find me because I've now blocked her from the dream realm and for added cover I've given myself a cloak spell. Let's hope the military wont fire the moment they see me.