Day Of The Diesels (Rewrite)

Chapter 3: Welcome To The Dieselworks

Percy was aghast. It had been years since Diesel 10 had been seen on Sodor. 

"Come in, come in, Percy, is it?" Diesel 10 said, warmly.

"Yeah, that's his name." Splatter said.

"QUIET, SPLODGE! Don't mind them. Come on in, we have a lot to talk about!" Diesel 10 said to Percy as he nudged forward. 

He entered the shed of the dieselworks. Lights flickered and the smell of diesel fuel hung in the air. Percy winced at the odor.

"As you can see, I've changed a little since we last met. I've gone to helping out my fellow diesels here at the Dieselworks. I got these two to run the Dieselworks while I'm out on my...errands." Diesel 10 explained. 

Just then, two new, yet unfamiliar diesels rolled up out of the shadows. One was a periwinkle and orange Sentinel 4DH, and another was a maroon and yellow Bagnall 0-4-0 hydraulic shunter.

"'Ello. I'm Den." Den said in a deep voice.

"And I'm Dart. We run the Dieselworks." Dart continued. Percy looked at a clock hanging on a wall. It was nearly 11 o'clock.

"I'm sorry, Diesel 10. I have to leave." Percy said as he backed out of the shed.

"Promise me one thing, Percy!" Diesel 10 said. "This is a secret! Don't tell Fat Hat and the rest of those puffballs I'm here!"

"I won't!" Percy promised. "I have to deliver this hose to the Sodor Search & Rescue Center."

"Don't worry, Percy. I'm sure Dart can deliver it for you, while you go off seeing those steam engines."

Percy was uncoupled from his freight cars, and raced way.

Percy raced back to the safety of his sheds. He thought about what Diesel 10 had said. He was hoping Diesel 10 would be his new friend. Then, Thomas puffed next to him.

"Hello, Percy! Where have you been? You've been later than usual today." Thomas said to his friend. Percy knew he couldn't answer truthfully. He had promised to Diesel 10 to keep their friendship a secret.

"I had extra deliveries of mail." Percy answered, quickly. Thomas didn't know Percy was lying, and he went soundly to sleep. 

The next morning, the engines were steaming up to start the day's work. Thomas was soon already off with his first train and Percy was happily at work at Ffarqhar Quarry. He thought about his new friend, Diesel 10 as he shunted trucks under the stone hopper. Mavis was shunting him up some trucks to take to Brendam Docks when suddenly her engine sputtered and belched black smoke.

"Ow! My crankcase!" She groaned.

"What's the matter, Mavis?" Percy asked.

"My crankcase is jammed. Please, take me to the Dieselworks." 

Percy shunted Mavis to the Dieselworks. There, Diesel 10 rolled out of the sheds. 

"Hello Percy...good to see you again, and I see you've brought Mavis!" he oiled as Splatter and Dodge flanked him. 

Percy then shunted Mavis into the shed, where Diesel 10 then said to Percy, "Percy, my friend, we have a lot to talk about. Firstly, look around." Percy looked all around the Dieselworks and saw that everything was in a rather decrepit state.

"I don't see much." Percy said.

"Exactly, there's not much to see, other ran decay and abandonment, Percy. You steam engines have it good with your Steamworks at Crovan's Gate. Ol' Fat Hatt has left my Dieselworks to rot." Diesel 10 said, pretending to sound sad. "We need a new crane to help with the workload of mending diesels. Kevin, at your steamworks, should do well." He suggested. 

Percy was indeed happy to help his new friend. That night, after delivering his mail, Percy collected a flatbed and chuffed to the steamworks.

"Kevin! Kevin!" he whispered, trying not to wake Victor. The crane woke up and said,

"Who's there?"

"It's me, Percy! I'm here to collect you for the Dieselworks." Percy murmured. Kevin innocently loaded himself onto Percy's flatbed and he delivered Kevin to the Dieselworks. Diesel 10 was very pleased.

"Thank you, Percy! I'm glad to have such a good friend in you!" he purred, trying to hide his sarcasm. 

Percy then puffed home, where he slid into Tidmouth sheds, unnoticed by the other engines, who were soundly asleep. The next morning, the engines were steamed up and off to a useful day's work. Percy had been out and about the night before, and he was indeed sleepy. As he was taking a goods train to Dryaw Station, there was trouble. Some points were set to a siding, but Percy was too drowsy to notice, then he went over the points and crashed through some buffers, causing the rest of his train to derail. Thomas brought Rocky to help clean up the mess, and along with him was Sir Topham Hatt.

"What happened, Percy?" Thomas asked as Rocky went to work.

"Indeed. That is what I would like to know also." Sir Topham Hatt said as he stepped off of Thomas' footplate.

"I was tired, Sir. I didn't see that the points were changed to a siding."

"I see. After you are mended at the Steamworks, you should go to your shed and get some sleep, then. Drowsy engines are not really useful engines.' Sir Topham Hatt ordered. Percy was then taken to the steamworks, where he then met Victor.

"Percy, have you seen Kevin? I've been looking for him all morning." Percy couldn't answer honestly and answered.

"I haven't seen him." Suddenly, a bell was heard in the distance. Belle was seen racing by the Steamworks to fight a fire. Down the line, Douglas was pulling some straw bales when sparks from his funnel had caught the, on fire.

"Don't worry, Douglas! I'll save you!" Belle declared. She then blasted hundreds of gallons of water a minute onto the roaring flames. Grey smoke flew into the air, and in no time, the fire was out.

"Thanks, lass. I nearly ended up like boiled haggis!" Douglas said, thankfully.

"No problem, Douglas! I'm always ready to help!" Belle puffed, eagerly. After Percy had been mended, he went to the sheds to get some rest. He was indeed tired. However, he wanted to visit Diesel 10 at the Dieselworks, but could he keep his friendship a secret from Thomas for much longer?