Too Little, Too Late
Lady, the lost engine, had once again returned to Sodor, and things were being arranged so that she could stay permanently. Unfortunately, when her driver, Burnett Stone, discovered that Diesel 10 remained in Vicarstown, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He had sneaked into Diesel 10's shed one night, and torn out all of the wires and pipes on his claw. Though he had planned to stop at that, his anger got the best of him, and he put a rather large amount of sugar in Diesel 10's fuel tank, which caused his engine to seize upon startup…
Diesel 10 sat in his shed while several mechanics worked on him for hours. Several other engines were in the Vicarstown sheds, as they currently had no work to do. Finally, all but one of the mechanics left, all shaking their heads.
"Hey! Where are you all going?!" Diesel 10 said.
The one remaining mechanic sighed. "I've got some bad news. I'm afraid that claw can't be mended," he said.
Diesel 10 paled at this. "No…Pinchy! Who did this?!" he said.
"The police are investigating the matter…and…that's not the worst of it," the mechanic said, taking a breath. "Your claw is the least of your worries."
Knowing this couldn't be anything good, Diesel 10 said, "What do you mean?! Pinchy…not Pinchy…"
. "I'm terribly sorry…but I'm afraid you can't be mended," the mechanic said sadly.
Horrified, Diesel 10 let out a wail that could literally be heard throughout the entire island. "No! NO! They can't scrap me! I—I don't feel so good…"
At that point, the two ironworks diesels spoke up:
"We ain't takin' him to the smelters unless he's good and gone!" said Arry.
"You can't make us!" said Bert.
The mechanic shook his head again. "You two don't have to worry about that. The Fat Cunt ordered him not to be taken to the smelters, " he then added in a low, dark voice, "He thinks that Diesel 10 should be left to die slowly," at that, the mechanic left.
Shortly after this, Paxton, who had heard Diesel 10 yelling earlier, entered the sheds. Noticing that he hadn't been repaired, he said, "What's the matter, Diesel 10? I think the whole island heard you shouting, heh, maybe you were even heard all the way to the mainland…are you OK?"
Diesel 10, however, didn't answer, and remained silent.
"C'mon, you can tell me," Paxton said, smiling.
Finally, Diesel 10 looked at him and said, "I can't be fixed."
"What do you mean, you can't be fixed?" said Paxton
Hell, even Diesel 10 could see that Paxton was more than a little stunned. "I'm beyond repair, Pax," he said.
The only other time Diesel 10 had ever called him that, was when Paxton had found out that one of his friends on the mainland had been scrapped. Though still in shock, Paxton knew this couldn't mean anything good. Noticing his stunned confusion, Mavis spoke up: "Paxton, I'm sorry, but he's…" she trailed off, unable to finish.
"What she means to say is…umm…" Den trailed off.
"He's not gonna last much longer," Dart said with a sigh.
"Not gonna last much longer?" Paxton repeated disbelievingly.
At that, Diesel rolled his eyes and said, "He's dying, you nitwit!"
This was too much for Paxton to take. He sped out of the dieselworks with a look of denial on his face.
"Paxton-!" Mavis called after him, then she shot a nasty look at Diesel. "Diesel!" she said disapprovingly.
"Well, that's one way of puttin' it," Arry muttered.
"Gee, Diesel, that's rude…and, um…" Den trailed off.
"Tactless!" said Dart.
By then, everyone was giving Diesel a dirty look. Everyone but Diesel 10, who could no longer deny what "beyond repair" meant for him.
"You should apologize to Paxton!" Mavis said sternly.
"What? I was telling the truth," Diesel said, rolling his eyes.
"You shouldn't have said that!" said Mavis.
"Pfft! It's true! Diesel 10 IS dying. Plus, Pinchy is already dead," said Diesel. "Besides, who cares about him anyway? It's Diesel 10. I'll be glad when he's gone!"
His words stung like daggers. At that point, Diesel 10 could no longer maintain any semblance of his tough façade. Hell, practically everyone did hate him, and someone even hated him enough to sabotage him! He probably wouldn't survive; his pride and joy, Pinchy, lay torn and useless on top of him, and every inch of him hurt like hell. With nothing left to lose, he broke down emotionally, crying tears of utter despair.
The others were a bit taken aback, as no one had ever seen him cry before.
Dart glared daggers at Diesel. "Could you please not talk smack about Diesel 10, in front of Diesel 10?!" he said.
"Who cares?" Diesel scoffed.
"Would someone get this rude engine outta here?!" said Den.
"With pleasure," Mavis said, and shunted him out of the dieselworks, ramming him so hard that he came off the tracks and fell on his side several yards from the entrance. She then went off to find Paxton and talk to him.
The news of what was unfolding had traveled quickly, and by now, literally everyone had heard it. Practically everyone was shocked that Lady's driver had done such a thing. However, no one was more shocked than Lily. She was utterly horrified that her own grandfather had done that.
"So that's what you meant when you said that Diesel 10 was no longer a threat! How could you?!" said Lady.
"I did what I had to—" Burnett said.
"You never had to do that!" said Lady.
"He's a monster!" Burnett said in protest.
"You're a worse monster than he'll ever be," Lily said coldly.
"Lily, this is Diesel 10 we're talking about," said Burnett.
"I hate you!" Lily said angrily.
"We can still save him, I hope," said Lady. At that, Lily took her, and headed off. As they raced to the dieselworks in Vicarstown, Lady could only think of how she regretted never telling Burnett Stone everything she knew about Diesel 10. She had known him briefly, before he went insane.
She could only hope that she wasn't too late.
When she finally arrived, she was immediately confronted by Arry and Bert. Neither of them were particularly pleased to see her.
"Oi! What're you doin' here?! You're that steamer whose driver went an' fucked up Diesel 10!" Arry said crossly.
"You got some nerve showin' up here. Come to rub it in?" said Bert.
"No, I would never—" Lady started.
"You better get outta here, Lady!" said Arry.
"I might be able to save him! Please, let me in," said Lady.
After glaring at her for a good minute, Bert reluctantly moved out of her way.
Upon seeing the state that Diesel 10 was in, Lady was horrified. His face was pale as a ghost; his eyes sunken much more than they normally were. Pinchy lay useless on his roof; the wires and pipes having been torn to shreds, the remnants of which dangled loosely like bits of string.
Diesel 10 would have been no threat to Lady if her driver had stopped at destroying the claw. This, however, was too much to bear. Burnett had definitely gone too far; the damage he had inflicted was not only irreparable, but downright cruel.
"Oh, god," Lady said, finally finding her voice. "What has he done to you?"
When Diesel 10 didn't respond to her, Den and Dart both interjected, stating the obvious:
"Sugar in the fuel tank…" Den said.
"And he destroyed Pinchy," said Dart. Looking at Diesel 10, he said, "You feelin' okay?"
"What do you think?" Diesel 10 said in a feeble attempt to maintain his composure. Truth be told, he was already getting worse, visibly so, and the others had grown concerned.
"Sorry…you look like you're in pain, that's all," said Dart.
"It's that obvious, is it? Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Diesel 10 replied.
At that, Lady began to sob uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry! I never wanted this! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"Lady?" Diesel 10 said, still unsure of what to make of her presence. "Hey, calm down, will you? If anything, I'm the one who owes you an apology. I was horrible to you for a long time. I blamed you…and I hurt you…and I've regretted it for years now. Guess it came back to bite me,"
"I've already forgiveness you. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me," said Lady.
Lily, who had stepped down from Lady's cab, was rather confused. Judging by the looks on the other engines' faces, they were, too.
"It's not your fault, Lady. Maybe…maybe it's better this way," Diesel 10 said, sounding completely resigned.
"No, it's not better this way! You don't deserve this!" Lady blurted out.
"I thought you said you could save him," Lily said sadly.
"He's too far gone. I—I didn't expect it to be this bad. No amount of magic can save him," said Lady.
"You've got to try," said Lily.
Lady was still unsure if she should do this, but she couldn't bear to see anyone suffer. Besides, Diesel 10 couldn't harm her if he wanted to at the moment. Finally, she tried everything she knew that could possibly help him. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to be working at all, even as Lady's attempts became increasingly desperate and frantic. "No, no! He is too far gone! I was hoping I was wrong about that," she said.
"I can't believe…after all I'd done…" Diesel 10 said, still somewhat shocked that Lady would go to such lengths in such a desperate attempt to save him.
Lily patted Lady's side consolingly. "You tried, Lady," she said.
It was then, Mavis and Paxton finally returned. "Hello, we're back—Lady?!" Mavis shot a nasty look at her. "Where's your driver?" she said venomously.
"He's not here. Lily brought me," said Lady.
"Ladies, please! Let's not fight…oh no, he's gotten worse!" Paxton said, not failing to notice the fact that Diesel 10's condition had visibly deteriorated.
"I tried to help him," Lady said, looking down.
"It's OK, guys. You did what you could, " Diesel 10 said, smiling slightly.
"You've gotta hold on! Please, no one wants you gone…well…except for Mr. Stone, and maybe Thomas…OK and James…and most of the steam engines as a matter of fact…but we still want you around!" said Paxton.
Everyone else murmured in agreement.
"I don't think I'll make it," said Diesel 10.
"Don't talk like that. You can make it! You've got to…we're your friends," said Paxton.
"You're all my friends…I didn't think anyone would care," Diesel 10 said quietly.
"No! Don't give up! You're finally back, the way you used to be…before…" Lady trailed off.
"Oi! Would one of you mind explainin' just what the hell you're talkin' about, Lady?! You're actin' like you two used to be friends or somethin'!" said Arry.
"I think we'd all like to know that," said Den.
"Might as well tell them," Diesel 10 said with a sigh, "It's now or never."
. "Are you sure?" asked Lady.
"Yeah," Diesel 10 said, suddenly sounding sadder than anyone had ever heard him sound before, "I knew Lady a long time ago, back on the Other Railway. She was one of the only steam engines who was ever nice to me. I also had a brother…a twin. Pinchy is all I have left of him…was all I had left…now that's gone, too…" Diesel 10 choked back a sob, unable to hold it in.
"Oh dear, what happened?" said Mavis.
Diesel 10 continued. "His name was Daniel. Lady had run a red signal, and Daniel, he was coming right at her. He braked hard right as the points were being switched, and crashed into a rock wall…his engine caught fire…I was sent to collect him after the fire was put out. I was towing him to the works to get mended. He didn't make it. I remember talking to him the whole time, I tried to get him to hold on. He was so scared. He didn't know what was happening. Told me it hurt…and when he said he couldn't see me anymore, and he was having trouble hearing me…I knew I was losing him, but I didn't want to believe it."
Diesel 10 paused, trying to keep his composure. "He told me to promise that he'd be okay, and I did. I couldn't keep that promise." He paused. "Next thing I know, he was gone. His eyes were wide open!"
"How horrible!" Mavis gasped, "Is this all true?"
"Yes, it's true. Diesel 10 never got over it. He blamed me for years. That claw was made from what was left of Daniel. The steam engines over on the Other Railway were horrible to him. They said horrible things, that it was good that Daniel had died. One less diesel to take their place…it drove him insane," Lady paused for a moment. "Now Diesel 10 is back to his old self, the way he was before that horrible tragedy—oh why didn't I tell Burnett about this? He would have never done this to you!"
Unfortunately, Lady's words held some truth, as this entire situation might have been prevented had she mentioned this earlier. However, what was done, was done, and could not be changed.
"Diesel 10?" Paxton said in a worried voice, noticing the ailing warship had ceased his emotional outburst and had become somewhat listless.
"Don't be sad, guys. I'll watch over you…and I'll haunt that bastard who murdered me," Diesel 10 said with a slight smirk.
Lily then went up to him, and somewhat hesitantly reached out, placing her hand on his face. "You're not evil at all. Please hold on. You deserve a second chance," she said.
"Thanks, kid…it means a lot to me. All of you…I can't thank you guys enough," Diesel 10 said, his voice now barely above a whisper.
"No, you can't! –Don't do this!" Paxton blurted out, now very clearly upset and unable to contain himself.
"Stay strong, Pax. I can't hold on much longer…it's alright…doesn't hurt anymore," Diesel 10 said, his voice growing weaker as what little strength he had left was fading. Finally, he shut his eyes, never to open them again.
"Diesel 10?" Paxton said, but was met with no answer. "Diesel 10?!" he said again, becoming rather frantic, "Answer me!"
"He's gone. I'm so sorry. We've lost him," Mavis said sadly.
Arry and Bert, who had remained mostly silent the whole time, were utterly dismayed. They had seen many an engine die, and due to their line of work, had become rather indifferent. Yet, this had hit too close to home. Diesel 10 had been the closest thing they had to a friend.
"Y'know what we're gonna hafta do, Arry," Bert said quietly.
"I don't wanna do it. I don't wanna take him to the smelters," Arry said helplessly.
"I don't want to neither," Bert said quietly.
Paxton, once he finally came out of his denial, became so upset that he had to be pushed outside by Mavis. They passed by Diesel, who had overheard everything. Needless to say, he felt rather terrible about being such a rotten jerk earlier, yet he said nothing. Arry and Bert left shortly afterwards, as both of them needed time to prepare themselves for that inevitable journey to the smelters. Den and Dart soon had to leave, as neither of them could bear to look at Diesel 10 anymore.
"It's not fair," Lily said, rubbing her face with her sleeve. "He seemed nice. Why'd grandpa have to kill him?"
"He was never truly evil. He was mad, yes, but not evil. We should go, Lily. There's nothing more that either of us can do," said Lady.
With her head hung low, Lily shuffled back over to Lady, and the two of them left.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Burnett Stone had been there, hiding behind some crates for some time now, having followed Lily and Lady. Originally, he was concerned that Diesel 10 might still be capable of harming them, but after everything he had just witnessed, he realized that he had made a terrible mistake.
Though Diesel 10 and Lady had made amends, Burnett seriously doubted that Lily would ever forgive him. He stood in front of Diesel 10, wracked with guilt and despair. "If I'd only known, you were only misunderstood…what have I done?! If I could take it all back, I would. I'm sorry…"
If only someone had known why Diesel 10 acted the way he had for so long, perhaps, he could have been saved.