Diesel's Tall Tales
Written by Helen Farall
One morning, James was waiting at Arlesburgh West for his trucks to be loaded with ballast, when Duck pulled in with his passenger train.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Good morning, James!" the Pannier engine greeted.
"Huh!" James scoffed, looking away as his trucks were being loaded. "It surely isn't a good morning, Duck! Especially since I have to deliver these noisy trucks full of ballast back to Kellsthorpe! Of all engines, the Fat Controller just had to choose me for the job!"
"Delivering ballast is an important job, James," Duck encouraged. "It's laid under our tracks to help provide stability on them as we make our way along."
"Easy for you to say, Duck!" James snapped back. "You're the one pulling passengers!"
"I know, James," Duck sighed heavily. "I'm only trying to encourage you to think about the essence of pulling ballast. It's like I always say, there are two ways of doing things: the Great Western way or the wrong way. I'm Great Western, you see, and…"
James rolled his eyes, as his last truck was loaded up with ballast.
"Like I haven't heard this story enough times already!" he stressed.
He waited as his last truck was loaded up, before making his way along towards Kellsthorpe. Duck sighed as he watched James set off, then waited as his passengers were all aboard, before making his way along.
"I say, Alice and Mirabel," he admitted to his faithful coaches behind him. "That James can be rather difficult to communicate with, can't he?"
Alice sighed.
"You and James seem like two engines who don't necessarily click. Don't you, Duck?" she dully noted.
"Indeed," Duck sighed with agreement. "I only try to be friendly and cordial with him, but he doesn't seem to return the sentiment."
"It's probably best you don't let James get to you, Duck," Mirabel suggested. "That way, you won't be bothered by him."
Duck sighed, knowing that Mirabel was right, as he proceeded along towards his Branch Line.
James and Duck are two engines who aren't necessarily the best of friends. But as much as at odds as they are with another, they DO share one common enemy: …
HONK-HONK!
Diesel honked loudly as he biffed into some trucks at the Shunting Yards.
"Ow! Oh, oh! Stop that, Diesel! Stop!" the trucks groaned.
But Diesel only laughed quietly as he backed away from the trucks, as Stanley pulled up alongside.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Diesel!" he demanded. "Stop biffing into the trucks! You're spreading a bad atmosphere throughout our Yard!"
"Nonsense!" Diesel argued back. "Troublesome trucks deserve to be biffed, Stanley. So mind…your own…business!"
He proceeded to rev back up to the trucks and biff into them once more as he pushed them further up the line.
"Huh!" Stanley scoffed with disgust, then listened to James' whistle as he arrived at the Junction.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Hmph!" the red engine complained, as he stopped as he was uncoupled from his empty trucks. "Good riddance! Thank goodness I'm heading back to Knapford for my next passenger train now!"
"Oh," Stanley observed, laughing as he backed down beside James. "What's gotten you all steamed up, James?"
"It's Duck!" James ranted on. "He's such a fusspot! He goes on and on all day about his Great Western ways, then tells me how I should see the importance in pulling a goods train, when he's the one pulling passengers!"
HONK-HONK!
"Oh," Philip wondered, raising an eyebrow as he backed down alongside. "Is Duck really that bad of an engine?"
"Not in the slightest," James admitted. "There's no real harm in him, but it's his perseverance over the Great Western way of doing things that's maddening."
Diesel listened to the conversation from a nearby siding, and sensed a chance for trouble, as he laughed quietly and pulled up alongside.
"You're so right, James," he suggested, smirking at him as James looked suspiciously back over at him. "That Duck can get very wearisome with his stories, can't he? Perhaps it's best you show him who's boss! That's the best way to deal with that sort of Great Western engine!"
"Stay out of this, Diesel!" James bluntly replied. "I'm wise to your pranks. This matter doesn't concern you!"
"Yeah!" Philip tauntingly remarked.
He blew a raspberry at an astonished Diesel, then honked and reversed away. Stanley laughed as he chuffed away, leaving Diesel in fury.
"Why…you…I oughta…"
PEEP-PEEP!
James left the Shunting Yards in a huff, as Diesel watched him from afar.
"Grrrr!" he groaned with annoyance. "I'll show that big red showoff to humiliate me!"
Then an idea came to his mind, causing his glare to a smirk.
"Yes," he thought, and quietly went back about his shunting.
Remembering James' animosity towards Duck, Diesel started hatching a plan to pay him out for humiliating him, as he went back about his business in the Shunting Yard.
"Say," he whispered to the trucks, as he shunted them into line. "I understand you like jokes. James told me a few about Duck that I know you'll like."
"Oh, boy," giggled one truck.
"It better be good!" demanded another.
"Oh, it will be worth your while," Diesel whispered. "In fact, I'll whisper it straight to you."
He proceeded to whisper it to the noisy trucks, as they listened on and giggled quietly amongst themselves. At last, Duck arrived to fetch his train, listening as Diesel giggled quietly along with the trucks.
"That's funny, Diesel," one truck whispered.
"Yeah, yeah, good one," another whispered, as Duck backed down on the train.
"Diesel," Duck demanded, raising an eyebrow as he was hitched up to the train. "What are you and these trucks giggling about then?"
Diesel gulped, as he reversed down onto the next track and sidled up beside Duck.
"Erm, nothing, Duck," he told him innocently, as the Pannier engine looked over at him with suspicion. "Enjoy your journey back to Arlesburgh."
He laughed nervously.
But Duck wasn't fooled by Diesel's trickery.
"You best watch how you go about," he warned him condescendingly. "I've got my eye on my eye on you in case you try to cause trouble."
PEEP-PEEP!
He left the Yards with the trucks giggling noisily behind him, leaving Diesel to watch him after him.
Diesel felt insulted by Duck's condescending nature towards him, and decided to instigate the situation further by telling lies about him.
"Well now," he decided, smirking as he watched him set off. "I think it's time that Devious Diesel took this plan a little further."
HONK-HONK!
He rolled quickly after him, careful not to catch up with him so as to keep a low profile.
Diesel followed quietly behind Duck all the way on his journey, observing as the trucks called Duck the nicknames he had made up.
"Quack! Quack! Hold back! Duck The Quack is on our track! Hold back! Hold back!" they shouted, wearing Duck out as he continued along.
"Or was it was it…Great Western Waddle?" one truck wondered.
"Sounded more like Duck The Quack to me!" another responded.
"Oh, wait, wait, I remember," another blurted out. "Duck The Quack goes on all day"
"...About the Great Western way," the others joined. "Quack! Quack! Hold back! Great Western Waddle's on our track!"
They laughed giddily all the way to Arlesburgh West, as Diesel sniggered quietly from behind.
By the time Duck arrived back at Arlesburgh West, he was already tired and worn out, and ready to take Alice and Mirabel out for their next passenger train.
The trucks giggled noisily as Duck was unhitched from the trucks, and slowly and wearily picked Alice and Mirabel from their siding.
"Let's go…Alice and Mirabel," he sighed tiredly.
"I say, Duck," Mirabel wondered. "Are you alright?"
"He does seem rather exhausted," Alice dully noted out.
"Everything's…fine," Duck wearily assured them.
He arrived at the top platform, looking glumly the opposite direction as his passengers hopped aboard, then whistled and left as soon as his guard's whistle blew. Diesel lurked slowly out from behind the trucks, watching as he left and the miniature engines went busily about their work.
"Coast is clear!" he sniggered.
Diesel proceeded to shunt the trucks snidely about the junction. By now, the word had spread out about the names that James had supposedly been calling Duck.
"Duck the Quack goes on all day about the Great Western Way! Quack! Quack! Hold back! Great Western Waddle's on our track!" the trucks chanted to one another, as Diesel shunted them about.
Diesel laughed as he listened to the trucks' chanting.
"Those are some clever names, aren't they?" he wondered. "James told me them himself, but Duck told me some back about James that I'd like to share. How 'bout I whisper it?"
He proceeded to whisper and gossip amongst the trucks, as he had them ready in line in front of the ballast hopper, resulting in them all laughing loudly as Diesel backed down.
"Now remember," Diesel reminded them, "don't tell James or Duck I told you."
PEEP-PEEP!
"Uh oh," he groaned, then quickly fled the scene unnoticed as Oliver arrived with Toad.
"Alright, Toad," said Oliver, as he stopped beside the ballast hopper. "Let's get you hitched up so we can have these trucks loaded up with ballast for Duck's Branch."
"Sure thing, Mr. Oliver," the brake van agreed.
Oliver was unhitched from him, then switched tracks and back over onto Toad's track to shunt him up to the trucks. Toad was hitched up to the trucks, and Oliver switched back over to pull the trucks under the hopper.
As Oliver picked up ballast for Duck's Branch, the trucks began to gossip aloud about the names that Duck supposedly came up with for James!
"Rusty Red Scrap Iron," one truck chuckled. "More like Rusty Red Scratch Iron."
"Yeah, yeah, especially when he gets all worked up about a simple scratch!" another giggled.
They all laughed aloud as Oliver was hitched up to them.
"I say, Toad," the Great Western engine wondered. "Do you have any idea what these trucks are on about?"
"Not a clue, Mr. Oliver," Toad dully noted, as Oliver pulled them away.
Diesel arrived back at Knapford with his current batch of trucks in time to see James arrive back from his passenger train.
Diesel sniggered quietly as he was unhitched from his trucks and watched James pull into the platform.
"Phew!" the red engine sighed to himself. "Now, it's off to a siding for a rest…"
"Ah! James!"
James looked over in surprise as The Fat Controller walked up before him.
"Seems like you recently finished your current job. I have another one for you to do."
"Another job?" James groaned.
"Yes, James," the Fat Controller answered. "The viaduct at Hawin Ab is in need of repair, so I need you to head to the Blue Mountain Quarry and collect some stone to repair it."
"But...but…" James wondered, thinking of how to back out, then sighed.
"What about my next passenger train, sir? It sounds like dusty work. Surely if I get my paint all sooty, my passengers may object."
"Really useful engines don't argue, James," the Fat Controller sternly reminded him. "And I'm counting on you to deliver the stone on time."
James whistled as he hesitantly left the platform, and the Fat Controller made his way back over to his office.
James wasn't very happy about having to pull a goods train, as he buffered up to the trucks that Diesel brought over.
Diesel smirked and sniggered as he watched James set off towards the Quarry with the empty trucks.
On the way, the trucks were noisy and chatty, and began calling James the nicknames that Duck supposedly came up with.
"Rusty Red Scrap Iron's pulling us! Rusty Red Scrap Iron's pulling us!" they sang out loud.
"Wait, wait, I thought it was…Rusty Red Scratch Iron!" one truck wondered.
"Yeah, yeah," another truck replied, as James listened on with confusion. "Especially when he gets all worked up over a simple scratch!"
"Oh, wait, wait, there was that other one," another added. "Mr…Sticky Steam?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah," another truck replied. "Like that time he ran into those tar wagons?"
The trucks giggled loudly, causing James to bump them hard and get them to groan and rattle.
"Oh! Oh! Ow!" they groaned.
James pressed further on, rather cross about the names the trucks were calling him.
James arrived at the Quarry on time, and began filling the empty trucks up with stone.
"Good day, James!" Rheneas whistled, as he pulled up alongside. "How is your day going?"
"I'll feel much better once I'm done with these noisy trucks," James bluntly responded. "They've been nothing but trouble the whole way."
Little did James know that the trucks were planning to pay him out for bumping them and began instigating the situation further.
Paxton left another line of trucks in a siding, and soon enough they began to whisper with James' trucks.
"Spread the word!" one of James' trucks whispered to the others, as James pulled them away full of stone.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
As engines passed in and out of the Quarry, the word soon got around that James had made up names about Diesel, and Duck and James had made up names about each other.
"Dingy Diesel" one truck gossipped to another line of trucks, as Nia waited for them to be filled up. "He takes on dirty, greasy fuel and lets it off in fumes!"
"What are you trucks talking about?" Nia wondered.
They giggled amongst themselves, as Luke pulled into sight.
"Luke," Nia wondered to the little green engine. "Do you know anything about these trucks acting peculiar today?"
"I have no idea, Nia," Luke responded. "But they've been at it all morning calling out names that James has supposedly been making up about Duck and Diesel."
"Hmm," Nia thought. "I'm not sure why James would want to spread rumors about other engines, but perhaps I can ask around."
She waited as her gravel trucks were filled up, as Ryan rolled steadily past with his trucks of slate tiles bound for Arlesburgh, the trucks giggling and gossiping noisily behind him.
"How about those names Duck's been calling James then?" one truck asked.
"Oh, yeah," another truck giggled. "How did it go again? Erm…"
"Rusty Red Scratch Iron!" one truck called out. "Last time I heard, it was all over him getting all worked up over a single scratch."
"Huh?" Ryan wondered, as the trucks giggled on and on.
"And then there was...Mr. Sticky Steam!" another truck added. "Must have been about the time we pushed him into those tar wagons!"
The trucks laughed and laughed, as Ryan listened on with confusion.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Diesel was waiting for some trucks to be filled up with slate tiles for Farmer McColl's farm.
"Dingy Diesel! Dingy Diesel!" the trucks chanted. "Takes on dirty, greasy fuel and lets it off in fumes!"
They giggled and chattered noisily as Diesel waited for his truck to be filled up.
"Heh!" Diesel wondered. "I wonder how they came up with that name."
Ryan met Oliver at the top station at Arlesburgh, and asked him what he knew about the trucks' odd behavior.
"These trucks are acting very strange today, Oliver," Ryan admitted, as they listened to the trucks giggling noisily behind him.
"I know, Ryan," Oliver agreed. "Toad and I have been hearing them calling odd names about James all morning, and they almost made it sound like Duck came up with them."
"Same with these trucks," Ryan added. "Do you really think Duck came up with those names?"
"Hmm," Oliver wondered. "I'm not sure. But it's probably best I get to the bottom of this situation and ask Duck himself."
"Good idea, Oliver!" Ryan agreed, as Dulcie's guard's whistle blew.
"See you later, Ryan!" Oliver whistled, as he set off with his coaches.
"I say, you two," Isabel suspected. "Something just doesn't seem right about all this."
"There's trouble, I'm sure of it!" Dulcie groaned. "I can feel it in my frames!"
Oliver continued nervously along, sighing with anxiety.
Nia arrived at Ffarquhar to drop off her trucks, as Mavis got ready to sort them all out.
"Duck The Quack goes on all day about the Great Western way!
Quack! Quack! Hold back! Great Western Waddle's on our track!"
"He's a big old Waddle On Wheels, apparently," another truck added.
The trucks laughed loudly and noisily, as Mavis listened on with shock.
"Goodness me!" she gasped. "Have you ever heard such drivel, Nia?"
"All the way here from the Blue Mountain Quarry, actually," Nia admitted. "And they make it seem like James made up those names about Duck."
"James?" Percy wondered from nearby.
"I'm not sure why a steam engine would want to spread rumors about another," Mavis wondered. "But this is the first time all day I've heard the trucks saying such things."
"Me too," Nia added.
"Not to worry," Percy assured them. "I'm heading to Knapford right now. If I see James, I'll just ask him myself."
"Good idea, Percy!" Nia agreed.
"Capital!" Mavis added, as she shunted the trucks into place.
Percy whistled as he left the quarry with his own trucks, who giggled and chattered behind him.
Oliver found Duck at Haultraugh and told him all he knew about the rumors that had been going round.
"The trucks claim that you came up with those nicknames about James, Duck," Oliver confided. "You haven't got anything to do with that, do you?"
"Certainly not!" Duck gasped with surprise, raising an eyebrow back over at Oliver. "But what I do know is that those silly trucks have been calling me names all morning!"
"Oh," Oliver wondered, listening on with surprise.
"There's only one solution I can deduce to this," Duck guessed.
"What's that?"
"That James came up with those names himself and is now trying to set me up by saying I did it to him! Given our interactions this morning at the Junction, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised."
"But…but…"
"Not to worry, Oliver," Duck assured his friend. "I'll find James right away and sort this whole mess out."
He whistled and chuffed away, leaving Oliver in bewilderment.
Diesel was waiting at Farmer McColl's farm as his last truck of slate tiles was unloaded, but the trucks would not stop chanting on about the nicknames that had spread around about him.
"Dingy Diesel! Dingy Diesel!
Takes on dirty, greasy fuel and lets it off in fumes!" they sang out.
At long last, the last truck was emptied, and the guard's whistle blew.
"Good to go, Diesel!" Farmer McColl called out.
As Diesel left the farm, the trucks continued on with their chatter.
"No, no. Wait, wait!" another truck chanted. "There was that other one. What was it again?"
"Oh, oh, I know, I know," another truck replied, then sang out:"
"Trucks are brought all over the place
Handle 'em with ease'll
The rest of the trucks sang out in chorus:
"'Show 'em all what I can do' gaily boasts old Diesel
In and out he creeps about like a big, black weasel
When he orders us about, down goes old Diesel!"
The trucks laughed and laughed as Diesel raised an eyebrow with suspicion.
"Grrrrrrr! It was Duck! Wasn't it?" he boomed.
"Not telling," one truck taunted.
Another truck blew a raspberry as the rest of them giggled amongst themselves.
"You tell me right now who came up with those names or I'll never tell you anything again!" Diesel threatened.
"Fine," one truck sighed, trying hard to remember but couldn't help conforming to Diesel's suspicion. "It was Duck."
"Wait, no, it wasn't…" one truck argued.
"Shhh!" one truck hissed, then whispered, "no worries. One engine's as bad as another."
"Right, right," the rest of the trucks giggled quietly.
"Was it or was it not Duck?!" Diesel demanded.
"It was," one truck confirmed.
"Grrrrrrrr!" Diesel growled. "I'll give that Duck a piece of my mind…"
Diesel had high hopes that James and Duck were going to be the center of his jokes, but was now under the impression that his plans were foiled due to Duck ironically spreading rumors about him…
At Knapford, James was informed about what had been going on amongst the trucks, and was being questioned on the matter.
"Everyone's talking about James," Percy confirmed. "It's been going round all day."
"Exactly, what has, Percy?" James demanded, raising an eyebrow.
"That you and Duck have been making up names about each other," Thomas added. "I've heard about it from the Blue Mountain Quarry; Percy's heard about from Ffarquhar."
"I don't know anything about any name calling," James admitted. "But I was at the Blue Mountain Quarry earlier, and the trucks called me names all the way there! In fact, they've been at it all day, and…!"
Thomas and Percy listened on with surprise, as James stopped for a moment, thinking.
"Wait a moment. Did you say…Duck?"
"Yes," Percy replied.
"That you two have been calling each other names," Thomas added.
"I don't know what's going on," James wondered. "But I think I'm going to find Duck myself and…"
PEEP-PEEP!
The sound of Duck's whistle immediately caught his attention as the Pannier engine arrive at Knapford Station.
"Aha."
James' frown turned to a slight smirk as he reversed into Knapford Station to speak with Duck, Thomas and Percy looking at each other with worry.
PEEP-PEEP!
"Duck!" James sneered, as he stopped just beside him to face him.
"James?" Duck replied, looking back as the two engaged in a stare off.
"So I hear you've been going telling tales about me to the trucks," James accused.
"Oh, have you now?" Duck wondered. "Well, as a matter of fact…,"
"Rusty Red Scratch Iron?!" James spluttered. "You couldn't come up with anything better, could you?"
"Oh, I'm sure it's not as clever as…Duck the Quack…much?" Duck dryly wondered. "Or maybe…Great Western Waddle on Wheels?"
"I only wish I'd come up with those," James denied, then fired back, "how about Mr. Sticky Steam?!" My incident with those tar wagons hasn't been brought up in a while. I'll give you that!"
"I never came up with those names, James," Duck denied. "But I do know someone has been going round calling me names, and that's why I'm asking you."
HONK-HONK!
At that moment, Diesel pulled in with the empty trucks, and he didn't look very happy either.
"Duck!" he demanded. "What's this I hear about you going around calling me names?!"
"Begging your pardon, Diesel?" Duck demanded, raising an eyebrow as he glared over at him.
"Stay out of this, Diesel!" James snapped. "Everyone says he's been telling tales about me, not you!"
"I don't think so!" Diesel argued back. "I'm pretty sure he's been making up names about me!"
"Enough!" the Fat Controller boomed, walking out of his office to speak with the three engines. "I don't know what's going on out here, but surely there's a reasonable explanation."
"James/Duck has been calling me names!" the three engines all said once.
"What?" the Fat Controller gasped, nearly falling back in surprise.
"No, Diesel," James argued. "Duck's been making up names about me!"
"That's what I've been hearing instead!" Diesel argued. "He's been making up names about me!"
"No! Me!"
"Me!"
Duck sighed heavily, and at last the Fat Controller groaned and lost patience.
"Alright, you two, break it up!" Duck demanded.
The Fat Controller walked forward, and looked across at the three engines.
"Hmm…" he pondered. "I'm not so sure how this name calling business started, but given the choice between the three of you, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I know who the culprit was."
He eyed Diesel suspiciously as he finished his sentence. Diesel gulped and looked the other way innocently as the trucks giggled quietly amongst themselves. The three engines watched as the Fat Controller surveyed their area of the platform, thinking hard.
"So, James," he began, "what exactly did you do this morning after taking your first passenger train?"
"Oh, here goes…" James groaned.
"Ahem!"
The Fat Controller raised an eyebrow sternly, causing him to sigh and decide to explain himself.
"I picked a goods train from Arlesburgh Junction. That's where I saw Duck. But he and I only communicated for a brief period of time before I left. Then I returned my trucks to the Shunting Yards and saw Diesel, before going off to collect my next passenger train."
"I saw Diesel at the Shunting Yard too," Duck admitted.
"I see," the Fat Controller replied, rather understandingly.
"Oh, gimme a break! I saw Duck at Arlesburgh Junction too."
"What were you doing there, Diesel?" Duck simply asked.
"Well, I, erm, I mean, uh…"
"Diesel, explain yourself," the Fat Controller demanded. "I don't believe you were called to Arlesburgh at any point today."
Diesel groaned with dismay and thought hard of what to say as the trucks giggled and gossiped quietly amongst each other.
"He's in for it now!" one truck chanted aloud, then gasped, as did the other trucks.
"Aha!" the Fat Controller deduced. "So it was you, Diesel!"
"No, sir…!" Diesel denied. "I mean, I…"
He groaned and sighed, deciding to confess.
"Fine! I spread rumors about both these silly steamies! But I didn't start it, sir! I swear…"
The Fat Controller groaned, deciding not to listen to Diesel's excuses when…
HONK-HONK!
"Hello, everyone!" Philip greeted, as he entered the station, then looked all around with surprise.
"Oh," he wondered. "What's the occasion?"
"Ah, Philip," the Fat Controller sighed with relief. "You arrived at just the right time."
Then he turned to Diesel.
"Diesel, as a punishment for your actions in causing confusion and telling your tall tales, you will shunting trucks and coaches in the yard under Philip's watch until I can trust you again."
"But, but…, sir?" Diesel protested.
"No buts, Diesel! Now get to work immediately."
HONK-HONK!
"Come along, Diesel!" Philip chanted out eagerly, then reversed out into the Yard.
Groaning with defeat, Diesel followed Philip out into the yard, the trucks giggling and laughing behind him.
"As for you two," the Fat Controller continued, turning towards James and Duck. "You may proceed about your usual jobs."
"Yes, sir," they both replied, then whistled and left the station, looking at each other rather ashamedly.
"Erm…I'm sorry I accused you of calling me names, James," Duck apologized. "I just didn't know who else to ask."
"I'm sorry too, Duck," James replied. "But I guess it's all behind us now."
"Indeed," Duck agreed, then thought for a moment. "Say, James. I wonder if this means something."
"What?" James wondered.
"That maybe we could…bury the hatchet."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, you know. Put our differences aside and officially be friends."
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that, Duck," James laughed.
"What?" Duck gasped.
James sighed, deciding to think a little harder.
"I mean…considering all the disagreements we've been through, I kind of have mixed feelings on that. I just don't think there's much we can agree to."
"I understand, James," Duck sighed, the two engines smiling slightly at one another.
"Why did you trucks snitch on me?!" Diesel demanded, as he shunted them into place.
"Sorry," one truck apologized.
"We didn't mean to," another added.
"Heh! Well, I'll never trust you trucks with playing along with one of my plans again," he decided.
The trucks gasped sarcastically.
"Do you actually mean that?" one asked tauntingly.
"Erm…, maybe," Diesel replied, rather sheepishly.
James chuckled as he and Duck passed the ongoing commotion.
"I'm sure there's one thing we both can agree to, Duck."
"What's that?"
"That Diesel surely can be a great deal of trouble."
Duck chuckled.
"I'll bank with you on that one, James."
The two engines shared a laugh as they exited Knapford Junction, leaving Diesel to gently shunt the trucks in line with Philip by his side.
"Gently now, Diesel," the boxcab instructed. "These trucks are due out for Thomas' next train. Not to worry. Steady as you go now."
Diesel groaned with dismay as he shunted the trucks up in place for Thomas, both the tank engine and Philip laughing along with the trucks as well.
"Why do I get myself into these situations?" he moaned regretfully to himself.
After putting at the forefront a couple times in my earlier stories and making some supporting roles in Set 2, I thought it only fitting that I bring Diesel back to the spotlight, and building up his rivalry with James and Duck (who aren't necessarily friends either) up to the climactic point where the three clash at one another was fun to do. This felt like classic Devious Diesel in the way I've written, but reiterating the dynamic James and Duck kinda had back in S18 as a foil to one another was a nice thing to build on into the premise as well. The names that Diesel came up with were admittedly a tough one to think about, but I got through it in the end and flowed the story along with the trucks spreading the names amongst the supporting cast consisting of the confused engines (Luke, Nia, Oliver, Ryan etc). Next story will feature a cast of characters I haven't payed much attention to as well as a character I've never given the spotlight before, and has been rather neglected in the years that have passed . Feel free to leave your thoughts on the story, and as always, stay tuned for...
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