Life of the Whistle

by SteamingWhistle382

Long time no seen

The train soon rattled through the landscape, running faster than before, trying to make up for lost time. Steaming was now determined to get the train to Canterlot on time, and nothing would slow his train down, not even the princesses themselves! The train started to climb the mountain towards Canterlot, the engines bark became louder, the chuffing stronger, and their speed got steadily slower, as the long express goods made its way up the hill. They soon reached a small wayside station, in its siding stood a pair of 0-10-0 tank engines, hissing quietly for their call of duty. Their train slowed to an stop at the station, the signal red as a train blocked their path, which made Steaming, well, steaming.

"Which train is holding us up?! I swear, their crew will be in for something once I see them!" Fumed the engineer as the two men were joined my the station master.

"Give them some slack, will ya? Their engine failed with an blown cylinder, we already sent to bankers after them, so the section should be clear in 15 minutes." Explained the station master.

"15 minutes?! But then we'll be 20 minutes late!" Shouted the engineer enraged.

"Um, did you have a look at the clock?" Asked the station master confused.

Steaming took a quick glance at the clock that hung from the roof of the platform cover, and was surprised. They hadn't just made up the delay from Ponyville, they arrived at the station with 5 minutes to spare.

"Well wouldn't you look at that, how fast did we run up here, to get 15 back?" Asked Emerald.

"I was so focused on the run, I forgot to check." Said Steaming, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, guessing by what you two told me, you would've clocked up 70MPH on the run! I always thought the 'type 12's only go up to 60!" Laughed the station master.

"But we still will be late if we go up there with only this engine! We need another one!" Said Emerald, quickly calculating their chances with and without extra help. Ever since the two of them got taught in mathematics by the men in the yards, Emerald proved to be a real genius with such stuff.

"We got two bankers her in the yards, if you want, I could send a crew with you up the hill." Suggested the station master.

"Finally a proper suggestion this evening!" Steaming shouted, was he jumped back inside the cab.

"... I take that as a yes." Said the station master and made his way to the yards, where the two 0-10-0Ts were waiting.

True to his words, exactly 15 minutes later, the signal raised its arm, and with an low cry of the Consolidations whistle, the train started off. The banker behind it only moves its own weight, until it reached the started of the tough climb. Steaming and snorting, the two locomotives fought their way up the hill, the smoke from their funnels as black as from an volcano eruption, and their barks echoing around the hills.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the lads in Dodge heard us!" Laughed Emerald loudly over the bark of the locomotives.

"Less talk, and more coal! We ain't there yet!" Steaming shouted back in reply, his eyes were focused on the dark tracks ahead, with the top of the hill still far from their view. The train wasn't going faster than 20MPH, but Steaming was determined to get to the station on time. Suddenly, he could see beyond the climb, and the first lights of a big city started to come into his view.

"Just a bit more, and we've done it!" Laughed Steaming, as the engine made its way over the top of the bank, and started picking up speed as the rest of the train followed suit. With a 'goodbye' blast of the whistle, that was replied from the small tank engine behind it, the train started to pick up more speed, not letting anything stop it from its goal. They passed yellow signals set at 'danger', as the first points started to rattle below them. Steaming closed the regulator as they verged from the main line, and onto the goods lines, as they passed the first few strings of trucks. They slowly rolled into the Canterlot shunting yards, passing hundreds of trucks, and the occasional shunting engine, before leaving the yards behind, and moving into a large, warehouse style building, with platforms and workmen, bustling about to and from the waiting trucks, loading and unloading crates and boxes of every style, size and color. The train groaned to an stop, a few meters away from the buffer stop, as the first workmen started to open the doors, and getting the very important load out of the trucks.

"Thanks for taking over for Brake Shoe and Coal Heap. I never thought they would get into a fight without winning. They are the strongest duo in Canterlot!" Said the foreman of the goods station as he got to the two engine men.

"Huh, is that so?" Smirked Steaming as he and Emerald exchanged a smile.

"Well, you two should better hurry along now, the guys at the hotel ain't going to keep the room free for you the whole night." Said the man as he hushed the two men towards the exits.

"Huh, what a friendly person." Said Emerald sarcastically as they walked through the yards in the direction of the main station.

"Probably wanted to hide the presents. They are the presents for the Royal wedding after all, and nobody should know what they are before the great day." Shrugged Steaming.

"Are you sure you still are the same engineer who wanted to abandon the train because it wasn't a proper 'express goods'?" Asked Emerald as he and his companion crossed the main tracks outside the station.

"Well, the words of that engineer from Ponyville sure stuck with me." Smirked Steaming as they entered the station.

They walked slowly towards the station building, passing a long string of passenger coaches.

"You remember the last time we were here?" Asked Steaming with a small smile.

"Sure, how can I forget the day I was forced to take a journey down to Dodge Junction and to take a job on the railway." Grumbled Emerald playfully.

"Hey, at least we have a job! And without me, getting invited for dinner at the boss's home, we would still be on the streets, stealing food and robbing the people of their possessions." Nudged Steaming, pretending to be offended.

"Yeah, suppose your right. How is Jacky by the way?" Asked the black and green haired.

"She's fine. School life's killing her, but she said she would go down to Manehatten with her mother soon. She said she'd rather switch with me, having some actual work instead of spending the days locked up in that building." Chuckled Steaming.

"Well, I wouldn't mind going to an actual school, instead of only learning from the guys at the sheds." Said Emerald with a sight.

"Really?" Asked Steaming surprised. He thought he'd never hear that from Emerald.

"Well, yeah. I'd like to become something more than a mere railwayman. I'd like to become somebody important, somebody, who is remembered as someone, not just anybody." Explained Emerald, as he and Steaming stopped walking.

"I know you always wanted us to become the top engineers on the road, but I don't think that my future is on the rails. I hope you can understand that." Said Emerald with an downcast look.

"E, you are my best friend in the whole world. You are practically my brother, and the only family I had in the last 5 years. And if you want to become somebody through going to some fancy school, you have my full support." Steaming said with a gentle smile.

"Your the best, you know that?" Emerald said with a honest smile.

"I know, I just try to hide it to the common folk." Winked Steaming with a cheeky grin, getting hit on the arm by his 'brother'.

"Ouch, you and your right hook." Steaming said with a wince.

"Now come, like the guy in the goods station said, they ain't going to keep the room open all ni-!" Steaming began, but was cut off by a door from the coach that swung open right into his face.

"Argh!" Steaming cried, falling onto the platform as blood came out of his nose.

"Steaming!" Emerald shouted as his friend was knocked to the floor by the door.

He crouched to the ground as Steaming recovered from the blow. He went through enough brawls to recover from such a hit in a matter of seconds. A gasp came from in front of him as a second person came into his point of view, but being obscured by the lighting of the station.

"Oh Celestia, I am so sorry! I didn't see you there!" The figure said, worriedly.

The voice belonged clearly to a woman, the long strands of hair coming from her head only strengthening the theory.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Had worse from worse." Said the man, as Emerald handed him a handkerchief, to clean the blood from his face.

"But you need medical aid! Come with me!" The woman said, pulling him up from the ground, and dragging him away to the main station, where the medical bay of the station was.

They went inside, and the doctors quickly worked on fixing his nose. After putting a bandage over the bridge of his nose, he was brought back to the waiting hall, where the woman from earlier waited, her hands hammering on the armrests of her chair. She jumped up and hugged the young man tightly.

"Oh thank Celestia you are alright!" She whispered, as Steaming stood there with an confused expression on his face.

"Um, thank you for your concern, but I am all right ma'am. You should better get back to your folks, before they get concerned about your disappearance." Said Steaming.

"But... I wanted to stay with you. It's been so long since we last saw each other." Said the young woman in front of him, staring him deep in the eyes.

"Did we met before?" Asked the engineer, a bit surprised, trying to remember the woman in front of him. He thought back to all the girls he had met over the years, many of which he had only talked a few words at the station of Dodge Junction, and only a selected few knew him closer, but he couldn't remember anybody in a black dress with shoulder long, metallic black hair.

'Wait! Metallic black?!' He thought, as an image of an 8 year old girl with the same hair color appeared in his head.

"By all the trucks in Dodge Junction... Jacky?" Gasped the engineer, as the girl in front of him giggled.

"Hehe, for a second, I worried you might've forgotten about me." She smiled, as she was suddenly pulled into a strong hug.

"Oh it really is good to see you again!" He cheered, slightly lifting the girl into the air, as said girl laughed in reply.

"I'm glad to see you as well! But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Dodge Junction?" Asked the girl, as they started to make their way out of the medical bay.

"Emerald and I had to take an express goods train up here, whilst its original crew was, as he would quote it, 'in dispose'." Chuckled Steaming.

"Well, you really choose the perfect timing for it then!" Grinned Jacky as they walked up to Emerald, who stood next to an large clock, that showed that it was already nearing midnight.

"Whys that?"

"Mother and father had to make some meetings in Manehatten, and stayed there for a few more days than planned. But they were invited to the Royal wedding tomorrow, so they wanted me to take their place, but there is still one seat free. I thought, maybe you could go with me?" Asked Jacky, as her cheeks grew a light shade of red.

"Wait! You want ME to go there with YOU?!" Asked the engineer in shock.

"Well, yes, if you don't mind of course." Answered the girl, her cheeks now bright red.

"W-w-well, I wouldn't mind, but the road supervisor expects me at the yards with the early morning train for tomorrow morning, a-and he wouldn't like it if I wasn't there!" Stuttered Steaming.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Smoke Screen should be back to take over by tomorrow. And it's your free day anyways!" Butted in Emerald, getting an dark glare from Steaming in return.

"Thank you so much for aiding me in my time of trouble." Whispered Steaming sarcastically.

"Every day bro." Sniggered the young man.

"But I don't have any spare clothes with me, except for my spare uniform, and I can't wear that on an occasion such as this!"

"That won't be a problem. I have a friend who could make you a suit in a matter of hours!" Smiled Jacky, her eyes shining as they pleaded the engineer to say yes. Said man was pulled to the side by his long time friend.

"Whats your problem Steaming? Just say yes and go with her to the wedding!" Said Emerald.

"My problem is, that it would be the first time that she and I were somewhere, with only the two of us! I don't know what to do!" Said Steaming embarrassed.

"Easy! You go with her to the bloody wedding, have a good time with her, and finally tell her that you have a crush on her!" Emerald grumbled, as Steamings eyes widened.

"How did you-?!"

"You tend to mutter in your sleep. Pretty badly at that. So either you go with her, or I go over there and tell her myself!"

"N-no! I'm going, I'm going!" Shouted Steaming, as he turned back to Jacky, who looked at the two with an confused look.

"Alright Jacky, I take up your offer. I will accompany you to the Royal wedding tomorrow." Said Steaming, slightly forced.

"Great! I shall meet you tomorrow morning in front of the station! Good night!" Giggled the girl, as she quickly walked off towards the main exit.

"what did I do to deserve this? Getting blackmailed by my best friend to go to a wedding I am not suited in any way to go, with a girl I'm cab over wheels in love." Grumbled Steaming as he started to walk into the same direction, Emerald a few feet beside him.

"At least we are quit now. Without me, you would've never made a move on her, and let me tell you something: she likes you as well." Chuckled Emerald.

"How are you so sure about that?"

"I've got a nose for stuff like that."

"Oh yeah, like the time you said that girl from the station cafe liked you, only to end with an tray in your face?" Smirked Steaming.

"I couldn't know that she looked at the porter behind me!" Growled Emerald in response.

"Suuuure." Chuckled Steaming as Emerald kept growling.

They quickly made their way to the railway hotel that was directly opposite of the main station, before they checked into their room, and quickly fell asleep.