Equestria Girls: The Railway Stories

by friggin normie

A Proud Day for James

That night, Henry and Gordon were alone with James and their respective crews. Edward had been busy on his own branchline that day and chose to sleep there for the night. Although Miss Hatt was beginning to think well of James, the two big engines would speak endlessly of bootlaces.

"Remember that time you needed bootlaces to bend a hole you made from banging the coaches too hard?" Gordon asked.

Rainbow Dash snorted.

James tried to ignore the twitching in his eye. "Gordon, I swear-"

"Y'know James," started Henry, "Fluttershy uses a lot of newspapers for bedding at the animal shelter. I'm sure she'll let you borrow some if you ask."

"Get stuck in a tunnel!"

"Careful, James," Rainbow Dash laughed. "You wouldn't want to make a hole in Henry's brake pipes, now would you?"

"We wouldn't want Gordon getting stuck on a hill either," the red engine muttered.

The other engines took no notice.

"You talk too much, little James," puffed Gordon.

"I guess the pot has met the kettle," Sweetie muttered. Rarity nodded her head in agreement.

"Now, a fine engine like me has plenty to talk about-"

"Yet you seem to be stuck on the topic of bootlaces," James interrupted.

"Quiet, you! As I was saying, I'm the only engine who can pull the express. If I'm out of action, they need two to replace me. I've pulled that train for years and have never lost my way. Not once!"

Rarity snorted. "I'm not surprised, given that you've been running on the same stretch of track since you began taking the train."

"We seem to know the right line by instinct," Rainbow finished. Neither she nor Gordon paid Rarity any mind.

Every wise engine or driver knows that it's the signalman's job to keep the engines on the right track, but the Gordon and Rainbow were being so boastful that they had forgotten this.

"Wake up, James!" Gordon said the next morning. "It's time for me to take the express. What are you doing today? Odd jobs?"

"Well, we've all gotta start somewhere," Rainbow chuckled. "Run along and fetch our coaches, will ya?"

Scootaloo mouthed 'I'm sorry' to the red engine and his crew as they pulled away.

When James found the coaches, their new coats of paint glistened in the morning sun. He was careful not to bump them, and they followed him smoothly to the platform.

"We're going away, we're going away!" they cheered.

"I wish I could go away with you," James said wistfully. "I would love to go flying down the line with the express!"

"We might get our chance one day, darling," Rarity told him.

Gordon - being as loud as he could - backed down onto the train proudly.

"Poop, poop!" he whistled. "See you tomorrow, little James!"

"See ya later, Fancy Pants!" Rainbow called out to Rarity, who shook her head at the nickname.

Celestia Hatt was on board the train with other important people, and once the guard's whistle blew, the big engine puffed grandly out of the station.

"It's a shame that we can't take the train," Rarity sighed. "Imagine all the people who might be interested in my designs."

James watched until the big engine and his coaches disappeared, and then went back to work shunting the trucks and coaches into their proper places.

He had just finished shunting some coaches into place for another train when he heard a strange noise.

There was Gordon, puffing as slowly and quietly as he could back into the station. James eyed him cheekily and waited until the big engine had stopped to speak up.

"Hello Gordon," he said cheerfully. "Is it tomorrow already?"

Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Or was this just your fastest run yet?"

Neither Gordon nor his crew answered. He just let off steam meekly.

"Did you lose your way, dear?" Rarity joined in.

"It was lost for us!" Rainbow answered, finally getting sick of the teasing. "The signalman switched us onto the loop line by accident!"

"We had to go all the way around it and back again," Scootaloo finished.

"Perhaps it was instinct," James and his crew said together.

Gordon's passenger left the coaches and began demanding for a refund at the ticket window.

"We want out money back!" they yelled.

Celestia climbed onto a nearby luggage cart and blew the guard's whistle as loudly as she could. The passengers fell silent and turned to her. Then she promised them a new train at once.

"Gordon's in disgrace," she said, turning to James. "Can you take this train?"

James grinned broadly. "Yes, I most certainly can, ma'am!"

"Looks like you and James got your wish," Sweetie said, nudging her sister's arm.

"Indeed we did!"

Once Gordon had moved onto another line, James backed onto the coaches as quickly and as gently as he could. Once he was coupled up, the passengers boarded the coaches.

"Do your best, James," Miss Hatt said, leaning out the window.

The guard's whistle blew and James pulled out of the station.

"Come along, come along!" he called to the coaches.

"You're pulling us well, you're pulling us well!" they sang back.

James grinned as he raced through the countryside. As people waved and cheered for him as he passed by, the red engine would wink and blow his whistle at them. Bridges and stations flew by as James raced along.

"As fast as you like, as fast as you like," chanted the coaches.

"Why do they always repeat themselves like that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Never mind that, Sweetie," her sister said. "Focus on how great we look!"

Soon, they arrived at the final station. The passengers cheered for them and Miss Hatt told him what a splendid engine he was.

"You've done very well today," she said. "Would you like to pull the express more often?"

"Yes, please!" The red engine answered happily.

---

The next day when James came by, Gordon was pushing freight cars.

"I may not like shunting or trucks," the big engine said, "I will admit that it's a relaxing change from pulling the express all the time."

"And it's been pretty fun teaching the trucks some manners," Scootaloo put in.

Rainbow Dash shook Rarity's hand and congratulated her on how well they had pulled the express.

"Everyone's heard about it," she said, "and they think you guys did awesomely! Not as great as me, Scoots, and Gordon-"

Rarity chuckled and rolled her eyes at that.

"-but awesome nonetheless. Keep up the good work!"

"You too, darling!"

James and Gordon are now good friends. James sometimes takes the express to give Gordon a rest, and Gordon never mentions bootlaces. And the two are quite agreed on the subject of trucks.