"Sid? Sid! Hey, Sid! Are you in there? It's Paxton!"
"Yeah, yeah," a sleepy Sidney muttered in response as he rolled over to the Dieselworks entrance to let Paxton in. "What time is it...?" He yawned, sleepily but also annoyed.
"About four in the morning," Paxton replied.
"Hm- well, what do you need, Pax? I need my beauty sleep, you know..." Sidney whined, wanting to let Paxton back out the door as quickly as possible. He couldn't though, Paxton lived in the Dieselworks too.
"Well, Mavis wanted to tell you something, but the poor thing is too scared to leave the shed at Ffarquhar. But first, she told me to tell you 'hello'!" The teal diesel answered gleefully.
Sidney managed a weak, sleepy smile, but on the inside he hated wasting this much time. "Tell her I send my regards too," He replied tiredly. "Now, what else did she say?"
"It's a bit hard to explain, it's rather graphic," Paxton stuttered, causing Sidney to raise an eyebrow.
"Mavis had a nightmare last night. She dreamt that she was returning home after work, when three diesel-boars attacked her in the night- one of them...was me, and the another was Diesel 10- I don't know what she or this dream means, Sid, but Mavis was really scared about this, and she wanted me to tell you to...have sweet dreams. That she doesn't wish the same for you." Paxton explained.
Sidney remained silent throughout, but didn't know how to respond. This dream was creepy, indeed- but what did it mean? He resolved to figure this out in the morning, for he was too tired to decipher anything but the fact that he needed some shuteye, and fast.
"Well, Pax, I'd not worry about it," He reassured his companion. Nightmares are nightmares- they never stay long. It was just a fright, that's all. Tell Mavis she's foolish to rely on dreams for guidance."
"Are you sure?" Paxton asked doubtfully.
"I'm sure- the more she prods at the boar, the faster the boar will chase her. And, if she runs from the boar before it comes after her, it'll come after with a vengeance regardless of how she treats it." Sidney replied wisely, surprising Paxton a little bit.
"Well, if you're sure," Paxton relented. And he backed out of the Dieselworks to spread the word to Mavis. Sidney, on the other hand, was pleased that now he could get some rest. However, as he retreated back to his shed, he heard a voice calling him.
"Sid! Hey, Sid! You awake?" The voice hissed.
Sidney sighed at the exasperation that accompanied yet another interruption. Why? What made it worse was that he recognized the voice, too.
"What are you yelling about, Norm?" He whined. "It's four in the morning! Can't it wait?" He stopped himself when he saw that Norman was out of breath. "What's wrong? How fast did you get here?" He questioned the red diesel.
"Well, everything's moving fast these days," Norm said under his breath. "And it won't stop until Diesel 10 sits on the throne of the railway," He added, to which Sidney froze in confusion.
"What do you mean, 'sits on the throne of the railway'?" He asked. "You mean, as the new railway controller?"
"Of course," Norman responded evenly, and Sidney shuddered.
"I'd rather be scrapped than see Diesel 10 in charge of this railway," He muttered. Norman eyed him suspiciously at this comment, but said nothing. "But is that what he really wants? You know how lazy Diesel 10 is."
"Oh, trust me, that's definitely what he wants," The red diesel confirmed. "And he hoped the other diesels like you and I will help him get there-which bring me to the news he wanted to send you."
Sidney looked uncertain of where this was going.
"He's arranged for Edward and Thomas to be scrapped tonight," Norman finished darkly. "It warms my heart to finally see steamies get their comeuppance- don't you feel the same, old fellow?" He asked Sidney, who still had the same look on his face.
"I mean yes-I-I've always thought of steamies as the enemy," Sidney replied, choosing his words carefully. "B-but-to see Diesel 10, a monster, run an island full of innocents- I'd rather give up my life." Sidney finished.
Norman seemingly gave a reluctant nod, as if he didn't want to continue.
"Well, for now, just rejoice in the fact that those steamies are finally meeting their fate as we speak," He reassured. "And believe me, Sid-Diesel 10 has your interests at heart, remember that." He said, before backing out of the Dieselworks once more.
Sidney still wasn't sure, and all of this conversation, along with Paxton's memo, made him feel uneasy. What was all this information doing coming to him at once? What did all this mean? Was this an omen?
Rather than figure out its meaning, he decided to sleep it off for the night. With a loud yawn he backed into a shed and fell quickly asleep-not knowing what horror would bring to him in the morning.