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He closed his eyes, preparing to stay there all night.
Something shivered through him. He looked up but he was alone. Poppa's words came floating back to him.
"Starlight Express... " Rusty whispered into the darkness.
Starlight Express hears your distress he's there, all around. Starlight Express will answer you yes, he's waiting to be found.
Rusty turned to see a dark engine, radiating a strange power, standing behind him.
It was the Starlight Express, Rusty had called and he had come.
All Rusty could do was stare dumbfounded at it.
The engine skated over to him.
"Only you have the power within you," the Starlight Express sang, "Just believe in yourself, the sea will part before you, stop the rain and turn the tide."
Rusty hadn't moved, he was just watching.
"If only you use the power within you," the Starlight Express continued, "needn't beg the world to turn around and help you if you draw on what you have with in you, somewhere deep inside."
Rusty stood up, finally and started towards the engine. "Starlight Express, you must confess! Are you real? Yes or no?"
He took a step closer and folded his hands, "Starlight Express, please answer me yes," he begged, "I don't want you to go."
The Starlight Express was visibly startled, Rusty didn't understand.
"Rusty you're blind!" he scolded.
Rusty looked down as his wheels, now he'd done it.
"Look in your mind," the Starlight Express continued gently, "I'm there, nothing's new."
Rusty looked up slowly, what did he mean?
"The Starlight Express is no more nor less," the Starlight Express continued, suddenly he reached out and grabbed Rusty's hands, "then you! Rusty, I am you!"
Rusty looked down at their combined hands. He felt a strange, no not strange, different, feeling rush through him.
The Starlight Express smiled seeing Rusty's expression.
"I'm you and only you," he sang.
Rusty looked up slowly, "I am the Starlight!" he sang, it seemed... right!
"Have the power within you," the Starlight Express continued.
"I can achieve," Rusty sang.
"Just believe in yourself," the Starlight Express sang, watching Rusty.
"Anything!" Rusty exclaimed.
"The sea will part before you," the Starlight Express sang, "Stop the rain, turn the tide."
"All the things I didn't believe I could do," Rusty said wondrously.
"If only you," the Starlight Express started.
"I am the Starlight," Rusty repeated confidently.
"Use the power within you," the Starlight Express continued.
"I can see it through," Rusty sang.
He glanced at the Starlight Express standing behind him.
"Needn't beg the world to turn around and help you," Rusty and the Starlight Express sang together. Rusty looked up towards the sky and the Starlight Express set his hands on Rusty's shoulders.
"If you draw on what is deep inside," they finished together.
Rusty turned, but the engine was gone.
No, Rusty thought looking down at his hands with a smile, He's not gone, he's me.
"I won't let you down," he whispered to the sky.
There was a cough and Rusty whirled. He had thought he was alone.
"Poppa? Belle?" he called, "Rocky?"
A large familiar figure crawled out of the coal bin a little sheepishly.
"Dustin!" Rusty exclaimed going over to the aggregate hopper.
"'ello Rusty," Dustin said, "'Suse my cough." He coughed again, "It's dusty 'round 'ere," he explained, "Must've just dropped off."
Rusty looked at Dustin, eyes shining. "Dustin, have seen the Starlight," he said, "I know now what I have to do."
"I know what you mean," Dustin said, "My eyes were shut, but I saw it too!" He looked at Rusty, "I did Rusty!" he exclaimed, "Truly!"
Rusty looked at Dustin, Alright, he'd believe him.
"So come with me," Rusty said, he'd need a partner to race.
Dustin sniffed, Rusty was radiating Starlight. The hopper had seen everything and he wouldn't forget it.
"Of course I will," he said, "You'll find me pretty quick--downhill."
He brushed a hand across his eyes, hoping Rusty wouldn't notice. He did.
"Hey Dustin, you're cryin'" he said surprised.
"It's true, you're not lyin'" Dustin admitted as he hitched behind Rusty. "To ride behind steam trains always make me cry," he explained. He stopped to think, "I think it's 'cause your smoke gets in my eyes," he finished.
Rusty stopped and looked at Dustin, surprised. Then the engine burst out laughing. It wasn't unkind and Dustin knew it. Rusty was surprised, for the first time tonight he had laughed, it felt good.
He took off with Dustin behind.
Electra and his train were preparing for the race. The components, as usual, were gathered around their engine. Dinah was keeping a short distance away from the rest of them. She regarded the engine distastefully.
Electra realized Dinah wasn't with the others and he started over to her.
"I'm fed up with all this racing," Dinah sang, tonight had not turned out at all like she had expected. She looked over at Electra and sighed, "This electric thing I'm chasing doesn't have that certain something that a girl expects to hear."
"He never whistles at me," Dinah complained, "It's damaging my status. I don't think he can whistle at me," she said thoughtfully, she looked down at him and then back up, "He lacks the apparatus."
"Why d'you never whistle at me?" she asked, "Beginning to suspect you," she turned away, not giving him a chance to answer, "I need some one to whistle at me," she decided, "I'm gonna disconnect you!" With that, she strode away, not looking back.
Electra looked after her stunned, he had never been dumped by a coach before. He looked around, panicked; he needed a partner. He spotted CB and ran over to him, using his magnetism to pull the caboose in.
"CB, CB, Dinah's gone and made a disconnection," Electra called, "CB, CB you gotta help me in the final section!"
The caboose smiled and hitched behind Electra.
The race marshals, who were usually expressionless, seemed a little annoyed at having to do another race. They composed their expressions and lined up the racers, pointed out the track and all the other things they had done the previous four times.
"Control! Control! Re-run of championship on downhill course, re-run of championship! Greaseball and Pearl against Electra and CB, Greaseball and Pearl against Electra and CB!"
Greaseball and Electra were glaring at each other, this time it was for real. Pearl was beyond upset, somehow things had gone wrong. No one could tell what CB was thinking.
"Lo-co-mo-tion," Greaseball chanted, "Lo-co-mo-tion."
"Why do I have to lie?" Pearl asked, upset, "Why do I have to lie?"
"Just for me," CB sang, "I'm in this just for me."
"I'm gonna win," Electra said, he turned to the caboose, "You'll help me win!"
"I'll be victorious, I'm gonna win!" all four sang.
The bridge began to lower and along with it a voice drifted down, soft at first.
"Earth... " the voice sang, "Water... "
The four racers looked around, trying to find the singer. A wild hope rose within Pearl.
"Air... fire... " the voice continued, getting stronger with each note, "See the steam rise higher... "
The voice was coming from the bridge, where Rusty and Dustin were standing.
"Earth, water, air, fire," Rusty sang.
"Aggregates are really great," Dustin chanted, "Aggregates never complain."
"See the steam rise higher," Rusty finished.
"Dumping lots of rubble at the double, no trouble," Dustin chanted, "It's great to be an aggregate train."
"Earth... water... " Rusty started again.
"Aggregates are really great," Dustin repeated.
"Air... fire!" Rusty sang.
"Control! Control!" Control shouted, "Rusty is not in the re-run, Rusty clear tracks!"
Rusty did not jump to obey, in fact he hadn't even seemed to hear Control.
"Rusty's gonna race, Rusty's gonna race, Rusty's gonna race, Rusty's gonna race in the final!" Poppa and the trucks and coaches watching the race rapped.
The other four racers skated onto the bridge, which began to rise, taking them up to the top level as a chant rolled through everyone.
"Who'll be victorious, who's gonna win? I'll be victorious, I'm gonna win."
"Rise higher!" Rusty sang over everyone else; he didn't seem to care.
"Who'll be victorious who's gonna win? I'll be victorious, I'm gonna win, gonna win!"
"Rise higher! Rise!"
"Who'll be victorious? I'll be victorious! Who'll be victorious? I'll be victorious!" As they reached the top the chant slowed rhythmically.
"Who'll be victorious, who's gonna win?" the asked.
"Twenty seconds!" Control announced.
Rusty felt no fear, no worries, all he could think about was the thrill of going fast. He wasn't worried about Electra or Greaseball and he had no thoughts of Pearl.
The siren sounded and Control began the countdown. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!"
The engines took off, Greaseball and Electra with Rusty in third. The first stretch was flat and Electra and Greaseball fought for the lead. Rusty just followed close behind, making no attempt to pass them. He felt completely relaxed, moving quickly and staying just behind Pearl and CB.
They reached the steep hill and went down, Rusty let Dustin's momentum carry him down the hill.
Greaseball shoved Electra into the side before passing him. Then suddenly Greaseball slowed. Electra zipped past him and Rusty pulled even with the diesel.
Rusty glanced back to see Pearl's face twisted in concentration. She was trying to slow Greaseball down, if CB could slow an engine, so could she. Greaseball figured it out a split second after Rusty did. He reached back to his couplings, grabbing Pearl's hands, trying to force her to disconnect.
"Greaseball, wait!" Pearl gasped, if he uncoupled her at this speed she'd crash.
Greaseball wrenched her loose and let her fly. Frantically Pearl tried to stop, but couldn't.
"Pearl disconnected! Pearl on crash course!" Control shouted.
Pearl closed her eyes and screamed as she headed towards the edge of the track where there was nothing to stop her from a long fall.
Rusty shot forward, he couldn't let her fall. He shot past Greaseball and swerved past Electra to catch Pearl's couplings. They spun around for a second until she was steady.
"Rusty!" Pearl gasped, "Go on! Win the race!"
Rusty tore off, now that Starlight was surging through him he would not be stopped.
"I'll go faster now," Greaseball said.
Pearl stood there, still processing what had happened. Rusty had saved her, he could've let her crash, he should've let me crash, she thought. But he didn't. She turned and ran, off the track and away from everything, tears burning in her eyes.
Greaseball had caught up with Electra. The diesel looked over at him. CB unhitched from Electra and caught hold of Greaseball. To win the engine had to have a partner when he crossed the finish line, but during the race...
Rusty was almost even with the other two, but well on the outside of the track.
Electra growled and passed Greaseball. CB switched engines again.
Rusty had been biding his time and now he shot forward, past Greaseball, and past Electra.
The electric engine growled and threw a bolt of lightning at Rusty. Instinctively Rusty slowed and letting the lightning miss. Both engines were surprised. Electra tried again, and again Rusty avoided it. Rusty smiled, avoiding the electricity was easy.
Electra growled, that steamer was teasing him, The more he thought about it the angrier he got and the more electricity he generated.
He let out a lethal lightning bolt, straight at Rusty. The steamer shot ahead in a burst of steam, outrunning the electricity. The lightning bolt hit Greaseball instead.
Rusty did not look back, the finish line was approaching, that's all he could see.
Greaseball, electrified, was out of control and swerved erratically around the track. Electra sped up, to avoid Greaseball and try to pass Rusty.
Greaseball braced to crash, whatever Electra had did was drawing the diesel in closer. He plowed right into CB, who hadn't had time to react. Electra disconnected, but not before he had been dragged along.
Rusty sped up again and crossed the finish line just as Greaseball and CB plunged off the track with a sickening crash.
"Control! Control! Rusty to winners platform!" Control announced, "Rusty for lap of honor!"
Rusty was panting heavily. He hadn't even seemed to hear Control. He looked around, where was Pearl? He had to find her; she could be hurt.
"I must find Pearl," he gasped between breaths. He started down from the finish line, still trying to catch his breath. "I must find Pearl," he brushed past the others, "I must find Pearl... I must find Pearl!" He tore off, quickly vanishing from sight.
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