The Shareworks - ThomasNATION Fanstory
September 17, 2022
It was a tragic day on Sodor. That morning, a fire had broken out at the Dieselworks. Thankfully, no one was hurt and the fire was put out safely, but the Dieselworks were in absolute shambles. As the diesels watched, Den and Dart didn't know what to do.
"So what caused this fire anyway?" asked Dart.
"We don't know for sure," responded Flynn. "but with all the damages to the building, it'll take at least a month to repair."
"A month?!" cried Den. "That can't be right!"
"What he means is," added Dart, "we can't wait a month. Diesels need repairin' now."
"Sorry to say it, fellas," sighed Flynn, "but all your equipment was destroyed in the fire. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't fix those guys anyhow."
As Flynn left, Den and Dart were out of ideas. They weren't sure on how to get everyone fixed without their equipment. "Well, now what do we do?" Den asked.
"I don't know, mate," Dart sighed. "I think we need to find someplace else to do our work."
"Somewhere else?" Paxton asked. "Where would we even go?"
"Isn't that the question of the day?" Den remarked.
"What he means is, we don't know where we can go." Dart added on.
Then, Diesel had an idea. "Wait a minute. What about the Steamworks?"
"The Steamworks?" asked Paxton. "I thought we were banned from there after we tried to take over the place."
"I'm sure Victor won't mind," Dart thought. "after all, I know him, I think he'll understand."
"I don't understand." Victor gasped in shock as Den and Dart pitched him their idea. "Why do you want to move operations here?"
"Believe me, Victor," started Dart, "in any other situation we wouldn't even be asking. But the Dieselworks burned down and we've got no place to repair the diesels!"
"I'm sorry, guys, but I'm already swamped as is! Itās not just the diesels that need repairing, yāknow.ā
āPlease, Victor?ā Den pleaded. āItās just for one month.ā
āA month?ā Victor gasped. āThatās very serious, but I donāt know where to move my business. Besides, Iām not sure I can trust you two in here after what happened a few years back. Iām sorry, boys, but my answer is no.ā
āThen how about this?ā Dart suggested. āWe share the Steamworks.ā
āShare the Steamworks?ā Victor thought. āIām listening.ā
āWe take one half, you take the other!ā Den suggested.
āWeāll even let you pick what side you want.ā added on Dart.
āHmmā¦ā Victor pondered. āLet me consult with Kevin.ā
Victor shared the idea with Kevin, and he was on board with the idea.
āI donāt know, boss,ā thought Kevin, āI mean, if theyāve got nowhere to goā¦ā
āTrust me, Kevin, I want to help them,ā Victor sighed, ābut every square inch of this place is important for repairing the engines.ā
āWell, what if you take turns in each side?ā
āHmm. You could be onto something!ā Victor smiled as he approached Den and Dart again. āWeāre in, but we have just one request.ā
āName it.ā said Dart.
āWe have to take turns on either side. I was thinking an hour on each side so we all get ample time to fix our engines.ā
Den and Dart thought for a moment, before coming to a conclusion.
āAlright.ā āFair enough.ā
āThen itās settled!ā Victor exclaimed warmly. āShall we get started tomorrow?ā
Den and Dart smiled. They were finally back on track!
The next morning, Den, Dart and Victor were already up and ready to repair the engines. Their first customer was Edward.
āEdward, my friend! Welcome, welcome!ā Victor smiled. āWhatāll it be today?ā
āIām just here for a checkup today, Victor,ā Edward chuckled before seeing Den and Dart on another side of the Steamworks. āWhatās Den and Dart doing here?ā
āThe Dieselworks burned down.ā Victor replied. As he explained, Rusty trundled into the Steamworks.
āHello, Rusty!ā Den chirped. āWhatās up today?ā
āI think thereās something up with my horn.ā said Rusty.
āNo worries, mate!ā Dart chuckled. āWeāll have you shipshape and seaworthy before you can say-ā
Dart was interrupted by the horn of another diesel. This time, it was Sidney.
āWhatās up, Sidney?ā asked Den.
āUhā¦augh, what was it?ā Sidney struggled to remember what was wrong with him.
Dart couldnāt help but notice a bunch of scrapes on his side. āCould it be a new paint job perhaps?ā
āUhā¦was it?ā Sidney thought some more. āOh! Yes! Thatās it!ā
āNo problem. Just follow me to the repainting booth, which isā¦ā Den started before noticing that the booth is āā¦on Victorās side.ā
āSorry, Sidney. What he means is youāll have to wait another 20 minutes.ā Dart explained.
āOh. Alright then.ā Sidney sighed as Toby rolled in.
āYou alright, Toby?ā asked Victor.
āYeah. Iām just a little worried some of my planks are starting to rot.ā Toby explained.
Den chuckled to himself. āHey, Dart. When no original plank remains, is he still Toby? Oh, and what about if the removed planks are restored and reassembled free of the rot? Is he still Toby then?ā
Dart laughed. āNeither are the real Toby. Both are the real Toby.ā
Den and Dart tried stifling their laughter at this joke as Diesel rolled in. āAre you two making that Ship of Theseus comparison to Toby again?ā
āYeah, itās a right laugh.ā Den snickered.
āWhatās the matter, Diesel?ā Dart asked.
āMy wheelās driving me crazy, it keeps squeaking.ā Diesel groaned. āDriver already tried oil. Nothing. Must be a problem with my undercarriage.ā
āWeād love to help, but the hoist is on Victorās end.ā said Den. āYouāll have to wait a few minutes.ā
Diesel groaned, leaving Dart to think. āHey, Den? Is the Steamworks getting a little crowded to you?ā
āWhat? No! Surely not!ā Den smirked. āItās just a few extra engines. Victor will be fine!ā
It wasnāt just a few extra engines that afternoon. Soon, the Steamworks was flooded with engines! It got so bad that the lines and transfer tables were all blocked.
āThis is ridiculous!ā Thomas groaned. āIf I donāt get a new funnel, Iām gonna pop!ā
āNew funnel?ā grumbled āArry.
āWhat about our valves?ā groaned Bert.
āYou and those valves!ā moaned Stanley.
Victor, Den and Dart saw the rumpus outside the Steamworks.
āCalderas burbujeantes!ā Victor cried. āLook at this mess!ā
āHow do we calm them down?!ā yelled Den, over the clamoring.
āShall we?ā suggested Dart. āOn three. One. Two. Three!ā Den and Dart blew their horns loudly as Victor whistled, effectively shutting everyone up.
āAlright, alright!ā Victor cried. āNow, can everyone tell me what the problem is?ā
āMy firebox isnāt igniting!ā whimpered Peter Sam.
āMy cylinder tankās punctured.ā Nia sighed.
āMy undercarriage is leaking oil!ā cried Mavis.
āOkay! Weāll get to everyone eventually!ā Victor shouted over the crowd. āBut weāll need to start by categorising everything. First, who needs something replaced?ā
Thomas, Henry and James all whistled. āGreat. The three of you, come with me.ā
āWhat?!ā cried āArry.
āWe were here first!ā moaned Bert. āWhy is that little blue machine on his tiny candy wheels goinā first?!ā
āAnd, uh, who had checkups with us?ā Den asked the crowd, to which only Mavis responded. āGreat.ā
The problems in the Steamworks were only just beginning. The funnel supply was on Den and Dartās side of the Steamworks, so Thomas had to wait for them to switch sides. But then, Kevin had an idea.
āHang on, boss.ā Kevin thought. āThe switching rule only applies to you, Den and Dart. What about me?ā
āYes!ā Victor grinned. āYou could get supplies to and from each side!ā
Kevin quickly went away to get a new funnel for Thomas. And then there was trouble.
Upon getting a funnel, one of Kevinās cables came loose, leading to him dropping the funnel. āNo!ā
But the problems were only starting from there. Den ran over the funnel, leading to him derailing into two barrels. One of the barrels rolled over to the slightly raised hoist, spilling all over the tracks, while the other spilled all over James. The tracks became so slippery that Victor slid right into the hoist and knocked Mavis onto the ground. āMavis! Are you okay?ā
āI think my undercarriage just fell out!ā Mavis winced.
Victor looked all around at the damages. He couldnāt believe what happened. āMy beautiful Steamworks! Weāve ruined everything!ā
āNo, Victor. This wasnāt your fault.ā Den sighed. āItās ours.ā
āWhat did I do?ā asked Dart.
āNo, it was all our faults.ā said Victor. āWe were so concerned with sticking to our own sides that everything became so cluttered and messy.ā
āSo what do we do now?ā asked Dart.
āOnly thing we can do.ā suggested Den. āWe need to learn to work as a team and share our spaces.ā
āHow do you know thatāll work?ā asked Dart.
āI donāt,ā sighed Den. ābut it canāt be any worse than whatās just happened.ā
Soon, the three engines were back at work fixing the engines, working as a unit to get the job done. And yāknow what? It was actually paying off! Soon enough, everyone that was blocking the lines was fixed up to the point where two weeks later, they didnāt have anyone to fix.
āStill no one, boss?ā asked Kevin.
āI donāt think anyoneās even broken down.ā Den said.
āWhat he means is,ā Dart started, āweāve repaired everyone on Sodor.ā
āDonāt be so sure,ā chuckled Victor, āhere comes someone now.ā
Den and Dart quickly noticed the engine coming into the Steamworks. It was Flynn!
āDen, Dart, great news!ā Flynn smiled, āThe Dieselworks is all fixed up.ā
āAlready?ā asked Den.
āWhat he means is, itās only been two weeks.ā Dart thought. āI thought you said it would take a month.ā
āThe team were ahead of schedule.ā Flynn explained.
āI guess this means we wonāt be working together again.ā Victor said.
āYeah,ā replied Den, ābut that doesnāt mean we canāt still visit each other.ā
āAnd besides,ā Dart added, āthis last two weeks were pretty fun!ā
Victor chuckled as Den and Dart left, ready to return to their work.
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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