Well, it is here! This chapter may answer some of your questions.
With that said, on with the show!
The next morning, as the Pole returned to work, Ringo met James outside the engine shed. There sat the Pere Marquette, the fire long put out. Ringo quietly approached the engine, staying around its front.
"Perenna? Are you there?"
There was no response. If he had been "normal," James would have thought Ringo was crazy. But, he had lived and worked at the North Pole for many years, so he really couldn't complain much.
Ringo started examining 1225 closer, glancing into its firebox and water tanks before circling back around to the front. James could hear him muttering under his breath.
"Only appears to younger children...never takes control...so far retreated..."
He turned back to James.
"Alright. Main lesson. You need to know how to work with this stuff."
He pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket and opened it. Inside, James could see the same golden magic he saw on the last trip.
"What..."
"Gold dust. The Conductor family mainly uses it for travel purposes, but my cousin George and I have managed to find a few more uses for it."
"Like what?"
"If you'll give me a few minutes, I'll explain one of them."
Ringo closed the bag and handed it to James with a glare that clearly said DON'T LOSE THIS OR ELSE! He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a whistle. Blowing into it, a shower of gold dust engulfed him. When it cleared, Ringo had disappeared. James looked around from where he stood in shock.
"Hey! Bring that over here!"
There was Ringo, leaning out of 1225's cab. James walked over, climbing up and handing the bag over. Ringo opened it, again muttering.
"Poor girl, she's barely even there...let's hope this will help."
Taking a small handful of gold dust, Ringo tossed it inside of 1225's firebox, where a roaring fire instantly started.
"Ut potiare corde."
He quickly climbed back to the tender and opened up its water tank. Taking another small handful, he tossed the gold dust inside.
"Tu lucretur animae."
From there, Ringo climbed up to the smokebox, straddling the boiler and taking another small handful. But, instead of simply tossing it in, he slowly poured it down the engine's funnel.
"Ut fructum vitae!"
Climbing down, he motioned for James to stand beside him.
At first, nothing happened. James was just starting to think that it didn't work when, suddenly, a cloud of steam rose in earnest. It covered the smokebox, though a faint golden glow could be seen through it. The glow seemed to pulse and move, almost as if a fairy was lost in the cloud. All at once, there was a blinding flash. The two Conductors covered their eyes as the steam cleared away. When the light had dissipated, James got a big shock.
There, on the smokebox, was a face. It was distinctly feminine, with a slightly smaller nose and eyelashes. The eyes were closed, as if she was in a deep sleep. Ringo smiled, whispering so he wouldn't wake her up.
"It worked."
James blinked.
"H-H-How...?"
"This is one of those cases where even I can't explain it. But, here's what I can tell you. All engines, no matter what they use for fuel or who they were designed by, have a unique spark of life. Almost every kind of machine has this spark, from cars and boats to cranes and sometimes even planes. If they are exposed to gold dust, there's a greater chance that they could...develop that spark of life. Aside from the Lady, one of the greatest natural concentrations is on Sodor."
James' mind ground to a halt.
"So...on Sodor..."
"They're alive. They can see and feel and speak. There is still the chance that they could develop this spark without gold dust, but it's very rare and, more often than not, they don't have a face."
Before either of them could say anything else, there was a loud yawn from the engine in front of them. Turning back, they were just in time to see the eyes slowly open. Men and machine met eyes for a few moments before she spotted James.
"Mr. Conductor, sir! Oh, it's so nice to see you!"
James couldn't move for a moment until Ringo sharply nudged him
"Oh...uh...Hello. It's nice to see you too, Miss..."
"Oh! My name is Perenna. I was named after my railway, the Pere Marquette."
Ringo walked forward a bit, drawing Perenna's attention to him.
"Are you alright, Perenna?"
"Yes, sir. I feel fine."
Ringo fixed her with a glare. She resisted, but gave in after a minute, sighing.
"I do feel a little lightheaded and my wheels feel sore, but that's it. I promise!"
James thought for a minute.
"The sore wheels are easily explained. After all, you did have a long run with the Polar Express a couple of nights ago."
Ringo smirked.
"You're catching on, James. And it's fairly normal for you to feel lightheaded, Perenna. It should be gone within a week."
Ringo then turned to James, holding out his hand.
"Can I see your whistle for a minute?"
James nodded, handing it over. Ringo glanced inside it before dipping the whistle into the bag. He left it inside for about a minute before returning it.
"That should be full. Now, just blow strongly into in while concentrating on where you want to be."
He glanced around for a moment before pointing to a box not too far away.
"Try focusing on a spot near that box."
James nodded, hesitating for a moment before blowing sharply into his whistle. He disappeared, reappearing a moment later about a foot away from the box. Perenna blew her whistle.
"Well done, sir!"
James smiled as if the Polar Express had pulled in half an hour early.
Practice with transportation via gold dust lasted the rest of the day. It wasn't all easy, however. Traveling from one side of the shed to the other wasn't so hard. But, when James tried to appear in Perenna's cab, he ended up at the same height, but a couple of feet away. He wasn't severely hurt, but he did have a couple of nasty bruises in the morning. At this, Ringo decided that the lessons were to be put on hold for the time being.
That night, curled up in his warm bed in a fight against the freezing cold of the Pole, James studied his whistle again. He gently rubbed his thumb over the Conductor family crest, lost in thought. Only one day had passed since he had met Ringo. But, his life had changed so much within that amount of time. He had always been sort of an outsider and recluse. He had a true family. He felt wanted. However, valid questions still lingered.
Why wait till now? Why haven't you told me before?
Alright, a few notes. First, I have a goal for this fic. Christmas Tracks will be about 10 chapters and I'm hoping to get this completed by Christmas. It's a fairly reasonable goal, all things considered, and the season should help keep me motivated.
Second, for those who are wondering, I decided to make 1225 a female based on the song ( youtu. be/ qTWq_ RuHYNQ), which refers to the engine as "her." I chose the name Perenna because it was unique and it incorporates the "Pere" in Pere Marquette.
Third, in order, the phrases Ringo says are "May you gain heart," "May you gain soul," and "May you gain life" in Latin.
Last, I got the idea about gold dust from The Broken Mask, then expanded on it a little bit. I'm not entirely sure if this same version will transfer to The Island.
Anyways, please review, follow, and favorite! Next chapter will be really fun!