A/N: I apologize for the mistake at the end of the last chapter. No, Duck was not intended to be the person Diesel takes a bullet for…it was originally Skiff, but apparently I forgot to change the pronouns when I changed the target.

Disclaimer: If I owned the franchise, this movie wouldn't exist. We already had a perfectly good 70th anniversary special, just make The Adventure Begins the annual film.

Chapter 318: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure Part 9

When Diesel finally regained consciousness, he heard the unfamiliar sounds of beeping machinery and voices.

"He's waking up!"

"Oh, thank god!"

"Give him some space, he needs room to breathe."

When Diesel finally opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by Duck, Daisy, Ryan, and Skiff. He wanted to sit up, but found it to be painful.

"Easy there, son. You got shot, don't overexert yourself."

"Where…where am I?"

"Arlesburgh General Hospital. Luckily, the bullet didn't hit anything vital, and we were able to remove it. But you'll need to stay in the hospital for a week while I make sure you heal properly.

Daisy walked over to Diesel's bedside and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for saving me. I owe you my life."

"Oh, uh, um, well…"

Everyone chuckled, and began to leave. Duck was the last to go.

"Look Diesel, about everything… I can't forget the things you've done. I don't think I can ever forget about them."

Diesel nodded.

"But I am ready to forgive. It's not fair for me to hold it against you forever, because you've changed. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize that."

"It's alright. I'm just glad it didn't take me dying for it to happen."

Duck chuckled at that.

"Friends?"

"Friends."

Suddenly, Skiff came running back into the room, a huge smile on his face.

"I just got adopted! The coast guard captain heard my story, and he and his wife want to start a family, so they adopted me!"

Duck and Diesel smiled. It looked like everyone would get a happy ending.

Work on the extension slowly returned to normal. With Diesel out of comission, the others had more work to do. It took a long time, but in a month the job was complete.

At the grand opening, Sir Topham Hatt stepped up to the podium to make a big speech.

"I want to give a big thank you to everyone who helped make this long awaited rail connection a reality. From Miss Jenny and her construction crew, to my engines, to the people of Harwick for finally allowing a rail line to be built, it couldn't have happened without you."

The crowd clapped and cheered.

"And now, I'd like to invite a very special someone to cut the ribbon. He's been through a lot this past month, so please welcome the newest member of the North Western Railway, Diesel!"

The crowd cheered as Diesel stepped up to the platform, a big pair of scissors in his hands.

"I now declare this extension open!"

A week after the opening ceremony, Jack and Isobella had their wedding. Everyone who worked on the extension was invited, and had a wonderful time.

When it came time to dance, Daisy found herself alone, wandering around in thought.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?"

Daisy nearly jumped, making Ryan chuckle.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Uh, that's alright. I was looking for somebody."

"I see. Well, I do believe I saw Diesel standing by the punch bowl. Perhaps he'd like some company?"

Ryan gave her a knowing grin, making her blush.

"Right. Thanks, Ryan!"

Daisy speed walked her way over to the refreshment table, where she found Diesel staring blankly into his drink. But when he saw her coming, he couldn't help but blush when he saw how beautiful she looked.

"Oh, hello there. Wonderful wedding, wasn't it?"

"Quite. The slow dance is about to start, would you care to join me?"

Diesel shook his head.

"Uh, no thank you."

"Why? Afraid I'll upstage you?"

"No, it's just that… I can't dance."

"Really? How come?"

"I just never learned how."

Daisy smiled, and offered him a hand.

"Well, no time like the present, right?"

"Oh, I couldn't! You'd just look silly dancing with me."

"Oh please, you can't be any worse than my last partner."

Diesel was still nervous, but took her hand. She led him to the dance floor, and slowly began to lead him in a dance.

"That's it, just follow my lead."

"You won't get mad if I step on your feet, will you?"

"Don't worry, we all make mistakes."

The two danced together as the song continued. At first, Diesel couldn't keep up, but Daisy wouldn't let him give up so easily. As the song continued, Diesel finally got the hang of it, and began to enjoy himself.

"Hey, this is kind of fun!"

"See? And you're not making any more mistakes."

"Well, I had a pretty good teacher."

"Aw, stop it!"

But Diesel didn't stop, and in the heat of the moment leaned in and kissed her. Daisy happily returned it, before Diesel broke apart, shocked.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry! I…I just…the song, and…"

"Don't apologize, I liked it. In fact…I wouldn't mind doing it again…"

Diesel smiled, and happily obliged. This time when they separated, they both were smiling.

"Would you care to go out to dinner with me this Saturday? I know this great restaurant in town."

"I would love to, darling."

Diesel smiled, and held her close. Things were finally starting to look up for him.

A/N:And done! I'm not going to lie to you people, this was the most difficult thing I've ever written. EVER. I do not have good memories of this film, and having to think about those when writing this just makes me hate it even more. There are good things about it, but how Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt were handled is something I can not overlook. Especially during the dynamite scene, but that's a can of worms I've long since learned to avoid opening on the internet.

Before I go, I just wanted to give a big thank you to all of you for your support. Honestly, when I first started this, I didn't really know what to expect. I was worried about seeing the same old arguments I've seen on other sites, and that the reviews of this story would just turn into a breeding ground for toxic fans from both sides of the debate. But I'm happy to say that every review has been professional and positive, and for that I thank you. Next time, I'll show you some scenes that didn't make the cut, but until then happy holidays.