Mable: This is something I haven't done in a while; a chaptered request fic. The last time I did one of these was with 'Sanest in the Asylum' and that turned out to be very fun to write. Also, I sort of had to do it as a chaptered story considering the material, just like with 6 in Wonderland. This is also the first time I will be doing a fic with someone else's characters; both Sky and Sparky are characters created by and owned by Sky, the requester. ^-^ Sky, I hope you enjoy the first chapter and I hope that I do your Stitchpunks justice! Not much else to say except that I don't own 9 or the Polar Express, Enjoy!
Next Stop, North Pole
Chapter One: A Train in the Night
The first thing Nine felt when he awoke was the chill in the room. He had trying to ignore this through sleeping and groaned softly, partially wondering if he could sleep through whatever woke him. That was when a soft and warm voice called to him quietly. "Nine," It was Five, naturally, and he shook the zippered male as he leaned over his bed. "Nine, wake up." Nine finally started to waken properly and forced his optics open, "Five?" He rubbed a hand over his face in a groggy and tired way, "What time is it?
"Almost Midnight," Five explained with a clear look of concern on his face. "One and Two are both missing. Six woke me when he heard someone moving around and… and now they're both gone." Nine sat upwards in bed and looked to the one eyed male. "Did you check the chess set downstairs? Maybe they just headed down to play a game… At Midnight." It suddenly sunk in that this was undeniably weird and Nine sighed before climbing out of bed. "I'm coming…"
He followed Five out into the Library where he was somewhat surprised to see all of the others awake. "You… Waited to wake me last?" Nine asked in amusement and Five playfully joked back, "Didn't need to. Everyone else woke on their own; you're the only one who slept through feverish searching." At this moment the twins appeared, shaking their heads. Seeing this, Seven sighed and translated the action, "So they aren't in the study either. This is very strange…"
It was seldom that Seven was concerned when Stitchpunks were missing, as she herself liked having the freedom to go and come as she pleased, but this wasn't normal. Two and One weren't the kind of Stitchpunks to vanish without any sort of sign or note. She wasn't the only one baffled though as Eight paced nearby. If anything, he was ever more disturbed than ever, as he knew that One would never leave at this time of night for anything. Especially not without his bodyguard following along with him.
"His bed was cold," Eight announced to the others. "I checked it first thing. So he's been gone for a while wherever he is." There was growing urgency in the Guard's voice and Nine chimed in, "Let's not panic yet. They could've just went somewhere in the Library and we didn't see them." He was rewarded with a rattling noise from somewhere in the Library. "What's that?" Five asked and only a moment later received a very strange answer.
The walls almost seemed to shake, the floor rumbled beneath their feet, and the books on the floor shifted and started to fall off of their stacks. A loud, blaring siren echoed from outside the Library along with a mechanical grinding. The noise and rumbling slowed to a halt and the Stitchpunks stood there briefly. Then Eight suddenly charged out of the front, "What in the-?!" Seven followed as well, soon running fast enough to pass him and head into the courtyard.
The others dashed into the courtyard behind and stumbled to a halt as they stared ahead. Just beyond the snowy courtyard through a haze of snowflakes was a large, metal stretch of a monstrosity. It didn't look too much taller than the tallest Stitchpunk, which would be Eight, but it randomly being there was a shock to the system. "Is that... That's a train!" Five cried out in surprise as he saw the metal vehicle. Nine blinked and looked to him, "A… Train?" Five nodded at him, "There used to be a railway here in the city before the war."
Now Seven interrupted, "But it didn't always run directly in front of the Library." The one eyed male nodded and continued, "And this one's way too small. They used to be made to carry cargo and humans, this is- This is toy sized!" Nine dared to step forward even as Five tried to grab his arm and stop him. His hands lost their grip as the younger male continued forward to the opening of the gates. "Definitely not a toy…" Nine pointed out in awe as he stared upwards towards the glass windows where a warm glow emitted out.
Smoke poured out of the front of the train which was beyond where he could see and there was a warmth coming from the underside. The twins rushed forward beside him, clinging to his arms and peering around his body carefully before ducking down and seeing under the train. Indeed there were railroad tracks underneath the train that hadn't been there before. Seven, Five, and Six now arrived and Eight continued to wait back some ways, fully disturbed by the situation.
"Something about this doesn't sit right. Even something like this can be Machine related," Seven pointed out and looked to Eight. "Can you see in the windows?" Before the Guard could approach there was a loud creak as a door nearby suddenly opened. The twins ducked behind Seven while Six shielded back behind Five. Nine brought his Lightstaff forward almost defensively as a Stitchpunk sized being stepped out and approached the ground. In the smoke and darkness they saw a familiar face.
"One?!" Nine asked in alarm and the Stitchpunk, clearly One but dressed in extravagant clothing that looked almost like a human uniform, pulled a pocket watch out. "We're running late…" He murmured with a soft scoff, "I knew we should have taken the shorter route." Now Five dared to speak, "One, uh, what are you doing out here? In that… Train?" One looked to him in confusion and blinked his narrowed optics. "I am the conductor of this train," He announced, "I don't believe we have met. Ah, but it doesn't matter."
He raised his hand to silence Nine who was about to speak. "What does matter is that we get going right away. Come on board." Eight now wandered over, standing closest to One and staring in disbelief, "Boss, what's this? All of this?" He gestured primarily to One's outfit, but the Leader gestured to the train, "This would be the Polar Express! The only train in the world that leads straight to the North Pole." The larger stared before nodding, "Okay." Once One wandered towards the door he leaned closer to Seven, "He's as high as a kite."
Now Five chimed in, "Could he be hypnotized, like the Seamstress did?" Yet Seven shot both down. "His optics were too clear to be either, but… But this entire thing is bizarre. This can't be real!" Now One announced yet again, "Oh, but it certainly is, now are you all coming or not? This train is due to take the passenger's to the Pole before Midnight and we're running terribly late." The Stitchpunks all were hesitant until Six spoke, "I think we should go."
All optics landed on him and for a second he felt a bit self-conscious, staring back with his own mismatched ones before adding. "Maybe Two's inside. If we stay here we won't know." Seven bit her lip and started, "But if it's a trap-." The Artist interrupted her, "It can't be. Too… Too quiet. Too calm and complex." Six did have a point and finally they decided to follow their Leader onto the train. "For Two…" Five meekly murmured as he approached and Nine patted his shoulder.
They were the first to step on the train and to their surprise the inside was as delightful as they could have imagined. The train car was warm and vibrantly bathed in the same glow that could be seen from outside. Garland hung above the windows and paper snowflakes were suspended at from the ceiling, stretching in two clear lines down the train car's roof. There were lines of nicely fitted train seats covered with a clean and intact, red fabric.
To the most surprise of all, however, there were other Stitchpunks on the train that Nine and Five didn't recognize at all. A few looked back curiously as they entered in. "We should sit down," Five volunteered and sat down in one of the empty seats on the right side, in front of two already present Stitchpunks. Six slipped in beside him while Nine continued standing as the others came in. Seven ushered the twins in to a seat on the opposite side of the row as the one in front of Five and Six was filled.
She sat the twins near the window who immediately looked around and scanned anything in view. The last Stitchpunk was Eight who didn't immediately get aboard the train. Instead he stood there and simply watched the others get on before looking to One. The Leader, or conductor, now looked towards the large male. "Are you coming?" He inquired and while Eight would normally follow his leader anywhere this seemed too strange. "Yeah, no. I think I'm just gonna go back to bed and sleep this off."
One gave a firm frown. "Get on the train and stop being difficult," He commanded and Eight no longer argued. As though built into his inner metals he loyally entered into the train and dropped into the seat in front of Seven and the twins. One entered in and shut the door before addressing Nine, "You will want to sit down." Nine gave a crooked smile, "I will in a minute." One pursed his lips and checked his watch before heading down the aisle.
"Wait, about Two-." Nine began when suddenly there was a bellow from the train engine and the car shifted. Nine fell onto a knee on the soft carpet while One continued walking as though it was nothing. "Remain seated, children, and once we get moving refreshments will be served," He promised and Seven cocked a brow, "Children?" Eight shrugged, resting his arms along the back of his seat, "Everyone here looks like children compared to me." He pointed out in a casually joking way.
Nine sat down beside Five and Six on the seat and looked ahead towards the door One went through. "I wonder if Two's back there somewhere." Five became concerned as well, "Probably like One is, not acting like normal…" He whispered a bit, "Maybe we should ask around and see if the others know more about what's going on." The other two nodded and right as Nine was about to stand again One entered. He grasped ahold of a lever by the door and tugged it downwards, suddenly triggering the entire car to shift and change.
The seats turned around one another and tiny tables covered in clean, white tablecloths appeared out of the floor. Nine, Five, and Six were now looking towards the two females who had been sitting behind them, all five looking surprised, while Seven and the twins were now facing Eight. One then swung the door open wide and out came a slew of small, moving teapots with large, gem-like eyes. They wore mugs like stacked hats and one or two climbed upon each table.
They laid out the mugs on the table before tipping over and pouring a thick, brown liquid into each one, followed by a few round, puffy, white objects. The liquid was warm and smelled sweet even from ways away. One then whistled and called the teapots back, holding the door for them and allowing them into the next car. "This should warm you all for a while more. I'll be back briefly to punch your tickets so have them ready by time I return!" He insisted this final point and was gone out the door.
"We don't have tickets," Five pointed out to the others, "He just sort of… Ushered us onto the train." He made a sweeping arm motion and Six grabbed a mug carefully, afraid it would be tipped over. He then looked upwards to the female across from him; she looked almost like the twins except with a lavender hood that was currently pushed back. "Hullo," He greeted simply and he seemed a little shy, but gave a friendly, "Hi." In return.
The other female started to lower her book which Nine noticed and quickly inquired, "Do you know where we're going?" She looked to the female beside her quickly before nodding, "Well, uh, yeah. We're supposed to be going to the North Pole. Or that's what he said." She gestured after him and Nine looked back before Five continued, "Did the train just appear in front of your house too?" The female looked surprised by the question; she had long, brown leather hair. "It did! In fact before this I didn't know there was anyone else out there!"
The smaller female nodded and quietly added in, "I came with my brother." She gestured across the train past where they could angle and see, "But it was only us. Then the train appeared." Six tilted his head before looking to Nine and Five on either side of him, "So there's others out there, and the train knows." Five's brow raised and he glanced to Nine who thought. "This is pretty strange… Maybe something happened. Does anyone remember what happened before they got here?" Both females nodded.
"I was awake writing- My name's Velvet, by the way." The brown haired one introduced. Five stuck his hand out over the table, "I'm Five." He greeted, "This is Six and Nine. Across the way is Seven, the twins, Three and Four, and Eight." Now the smaller female introduced herself as well, "I'm Sky. I was already in bed when the train came, but it woke us when it passed by. We were tired after trying to put the rest of the Christmas decorations up." Six started to reach over the table to shake the hand of Sky in a friendly way, since they were closest.
"Nice to meet you. My… Hands are covered in ink," The Artist seemed to suddenly realize and winced at the blackness on his hand. Sky began to reach back when he pulled away to wipe his hand on his side. He then returned it and she smiled and gave it a shake. "Wait a minute…" Five began quietly before gasping, "Wait, it is Christmas! Isn't it?! December twenty-fifth, right?!" He looked towards Nine and Six, "That's too coincidental! It has to be connected." Now Sky nodded with a playful smile, "It definitely is! I think he's taking us to see Santa Claus."
The three were confused and Sky was surprised that they didn't understand. "…Because he lives in the North Pole?" She suggested and Nine quizzed, "Is he… A human?" Sky blinked in surprise and now Velvet took over, opening her book, "There's a picture in here. He's more… He's a human, but a legend. Sort of like a mythical or magical being." She showed the open book to them, showing a wall of text along with a small picture of a red clad man with a white beard and a jolly smile carrying a bundle.
"I never heard of this!" Five sputtered in surprise, "I mean, I've heard of Christmas with trees and gifts, but not a magical human!" Six nodded beside him, "I've seen him in a book. The twins know." They looked as though preparing to ask the twins, but they looked too busy studying and poking at the white marshmallows in their hot chocolate. "Humans believed that Santa Claus would come into their homes and leave gifts. It was based off of a Saint who used to leave gifts in stockings. Or that's what the book says," Velvet explained.
"I've heard of that too!" Five insisted before realizing he was getting overeager and a little bashful. "We haven't seen him so far," Sky explained, "But a lot of humans believed in him, so I… I could believe it." She was almost embarrassed by this and Nine quipped in, "Well, if he was magical that would explain how he survived the machines, and I can believe anything after all of this!" Six meekly added in, "I could still be asleep. I won't know yet. Not until the ink creatures start appearing."
Nine looked around and noticed a pale male Stitchpunk in the seat behind them. "Maybe we can ask around and see if the others know more than One told them." He leaned over the seat, "Excuse me?" The male looked back to him, pushing back his red and black cape. "Do you remember anything before getting on the train?" The male paused, looking off to the corner, and then quipped, "Being the Fabrication Machine." Nine stared at him before the male casually remarked, "Glad to see you got that hole patched."
He was looking over the seat toward Five who looked back in confusion, having not been paying attention. Nine tensed and suddenly slid into his seat, then under the table and out into the aisle. "I'm going to go look for Two," He spoke and headed off. Five blinked and looked back to the girls, "Have you see a shorter Stitchpunk male? He's older, wears a vest, pretty friendly and most likely would've been trying to figure out how the train worked?"
Velvet blinked and thought before answering, "I haven't. The oldest Punk here is definitely the conductor." Though right afterwards Sky spoke, "But I have!" She smiled as they looked to her. "I couldn't… I couldn't talk when I got on the train, but earlier there was a man wandering around who helped me. He was going to help my brother too, but he went to get the parts and didn't come back." Now Five was somewhat concerned, but partially relieved, "So he's okay. That's- That's great!"
Over with Nine, he headed to the door and tried it, only to find it locked. "One locked the door behind him?" In alarm he looked back and towards the door on the other side, but shrugged that off. "If anything's being hidden it is definitely on the other side of the locked door..." He noticed that Five and Six were till distracted, so he instead approached Seven and the twins. "Three, Four?" He inquired and the two looked to him eagerly. "I need your help. You know about trains; is there a way to unlock the doors or get past?"
The twins' optics flickered and they looked upwards in thought before flickering between them. Seven looked over to Nine and inquired, "The door is locked? Only One could be this paranoid." She sighed and rubbed her forehead before the twins waved to Nine. They gestured upwards to the roof. "Up?" Nine asked in confusion. They nodded and now Four pointed towards the opposite door to the back of the train, Three still pointing towards the ceiling. "On the roof? You… You want me to climb on the roof?"
At first the thought seemed baffling as Nine realized climbing on the top of a moving train would be dangerous, but he went along with the idea anyway. They both nodded and Seven looked to them in disbelief, "That doesn't seem very safe? Maybe we should just wait until One comes out and jump him."
She looked to see if she caught Eight's attention, but he was leaning back talking to a female on the other chair. "At least twenty, all taken out with a couple of swings by my knife," He was bragging to the female with the leather patched legs. "Oh, that's amazing! But weren't you frightened?" She asked and he casually remarked, "Beasts don't scare me."
"I might need to go with you," Seven added in to Nine who gave a crooked smile, "I'd be glad for the help, if you're willing to climb on the roof with me." The twins slipped out from under the table and headed to the back of the cart, opening the door together and heading through. Nine gave Five a wave to signal their leaving and continued through. The next car was entirely empty and the one past that was the caboose, where there was a ladder to the roof. Seven climbed as Nine turned to the twins.
"Now you two can't follow us. This'll be dangerous so you'll need to return to the seats." They nodded as Seven slid back down the metal ladder, "It's too dangerous for us too." Nine was baffled at the comment, especially coming from Seven, "What?" She shook her head, "It's covered in snow and there's no way to hold on securely without sliding right off the edge. We'll just have to try getting through the door," She started to usher the twins back inside as Nine looked out behind the train. What he saw shocked and amazed him.
There were travelling along a track surrounded by tall, snowy mountains that he was certain didn't exist around the immediate Emptiness. He couldn't fathom how they got that far already. "Nine?" Seven inquired, "Coming?" The zippered male hesitated before nodding, "Yeah. I'm just going to look at the view for a minute. Head inside, it's cold." She nodded and coaxed the twins inside. As they were gone now the male mentally admitted to himself that there was something certainly amiss.
"We shouldn't be here, in a train, in the middle of nowhere…" Nine huffed and turned before grabbing onto the cold ladder, "I'm going to figure this out."
Mable: There's also a cameo of a friend of mine's Stitchpunk for fun. XD Anyway, the next chapter shall be posted as soon as it is ready. I hope everyone enjoyed!