Thomas and Friends Fanfiction Series 7

Diesel Makes It Up

One sunny morning, Oliver was pulling passengers along the Little Western. He was feeling bright and jolly, but he was in for an unpleasant surprise. 

Diesel pulled up in front of him, blocking his line. 

"Diesel, you're delaying my passengers!" 

"Well, silly steamies are always late anyway!" sneered Diesel. 

"Move aside, Diesel," warned Oliver. 

"And why should I?" teased Diesel, not moving an inch. 

"Because passengers are urgent," said Oliver. 

"Not on a silly branch line train," continued Diesel, "only Express and main line trains are important." 

"Every passenger train is important, if they are delayed, they no longer wish to use the railway. Not just steamies, but diesels too would no longer be able to work." 

"I hardly ever take passengers, so I can still work as a freight puller!" 

Diesel cackled and eventually moved away, but by the time Oliver reached Tidmouth, he was five minutes late. 

(Thomas passes him.)

Oliver was furious and so was the Fat Controller when he explained what had happened. 

(Stephen and Bridget Hatt can be seen too, looking cross.)

"I need to have a word with Diesel...again!" grumbled the Fat Controller. 

Later, Diesel was bashing trucks around and causing general confusion and delay. 

(Big Mickey and Percy can be seen.)

"Diesel!" 

"Uh-oh," mumbled Diesel. He knew the tone of that voice only too well. 

"You're one of the most mischievous and devious engines on my railway, Diesel, but you continually take the biscuit! If you carry on making my steam engines get delayed to make diesels look better, I will have no option...but to send you away!" 

Diesel gasped in horror!

"About time," muttered James who was nearby.

"I'm giving you one last chance, Diesel," continued the Fat Controller, "to make up for what you did to Oliver, you can do his work tomorrow of taking trucks to the mines. If you can get through that day without any confusion or delay, I will change my mind about sending you away." 

"Y-y-yes, sir! I'll be good!" 

What Diesel didn't know was that the Fat Controller didn't really have any intention of sending him packing, but he felt that Diesel needed to be taught a lesson about his station on his railway, and that was as an equal amongst steamies and diesels alike. 

(He and Oliver wink at each other.)

The next day, Diesel went to the yards to collect the empty trucks to the mine. They were laughing cheekily, especially because amongst them was the leader of the trucks, S.C.Ruffey. He normally was on his best behaviour when Oliver pulled them as he was afraid of being pulled apart like once before, but now that they were to be used by Diesel, he had no intention of behaving himself. 

"Hold back, you lot," he whispered wickedly. 

The trucks laughed some more and held back as Diesel tried to pull away. 

"I will not be sent away from Sodor because of you!" he growled. 

Diesel wanted to biff and bump the trucks roughly to show them who was in charge, but he remembered the time he got Hiro into trouble doing that in the past. He was sure if he was rough with the trucks now, he would be sent away for sure. 

So, Diesel struggled all the way to the mines. 

When he finally arrived, he was running behind and feeling very worried. Then he saw an engine he recently befriended and nearly had sent away: Sonny. 

Sonny was working at the mine too, shunting full trucks out of the mine shafts. 

"Diesel? I wasn't expecting you here today," he said. 

"I was sent by the Fat Controller in Oliver's place," said Diesel quietly. 

"Well, um, just leave those trucks there. I'll collect them in a second." 

Sonny went to couple up to the trucks, but S.C.Ruffey had his own ideas of what was going to happen. 

"We'll put our brakes on, then he'll snap the coupling and he'll crash into the mine!" 

The Troublesome Trucks thought this would be great fun. 

Sonny coupled up and began to pull. But the trucks wouldn't move. 

"Hold back, hold back!" 

"Come on," grumbled Sonny and he pulled as hard as he could. 

Then there was trouble! 

Sonny's coupling snapped and he shot backwards into the mine, out of control. 

"Oh no!" 

Sonny took a bend too hard and came off the tracks tipping onto his side and his funnel hit a support prop! 

The prop broke and the roof of the mine began to crumble. 

Diesel had been backing away to collect more trucks but he had seen what had happened and heard the crash. 

"Oh no!" 

He rushed over to the manager. 

"Sonny has crashed, the mine may collapse!" 

The manager set off the emergency alarm, but Diesel saw some wooden props by the track. His engineer grabbed them. 

"I'm coming, Sonny!" 

Diesel rushed into the mine tunnels and soon found Sonny. 

"Get out of here, Diesel!" 

"I won't let a steamie get buried!" cried Diesel. 

Diesel's engineer adjusted the props around Sonny and pushed them into the roof with help from some nearby miners. The rumbling and crumbling came to a stop after a moment's worry. 

More men came quickly to help rescue Sonny. It took a very long time to secure the mine, but after many hours, Sonny was back on the rails and out of the mine shafts. 

Diesel had been waiting worriedly. He never wanted things to go so wrong and he was sure he would be blamed for not keeping Oliver's trucks in order. 

The Fat Controller arrived but he looked very proud. 

"Diesel, I hear that you were the one who braved a collapsing mine shaft to rescue Sonny, a steam engine!" 

"Y-yes, sir?" 

"You have proven that you are irreplaceable on my railway, Diesel! I'm very proud to have such a brave and useful diesel engine in my team!" 

Diesel blushed delightedly. He and Sonny became better friends than before, and although he still prefers diesels to steamies, he knows to not be such a bother...at least for the moment. 

"Hehehe!" 

(He giggles in his oily way.)

(The End!)