A/N: Well, here we have the final chapter for Book One before we proceed to a different book. And there's a special surprise near the end of the story, too.
Infinity Train: Reflected Relationship
Chapter 6: The Engine
Later, Tulip, Lake, One-One, and the cat were now closing in toward the engine.
"There it is. The end of the train.", Tulip spoke.
"Wrong, kitten. The beginning of the train.", the cat corrected.
But much to their surprise, there was a new car in progress at the top of the engine.
"Ooh, the Engine has a splinter.", Glad One commented as the Ball Pit Car slowed to a stop.
"Amelia's building more train cars?", Tulip puzzled in surprise.
"The train is never finished, kitten.", the cat responded.
"Do we have to go through the new car to get there?", Tulip asked.
"Correction. You and your chrome girlfriend will have to go through the new car, for this where I bid you adieu.", the cat responded.
"What? No, stay.", Tulip spoke while grinning a bit.
"Tut, tut. I've held up my end of the bargain. I gave you a lift for free, which was very generous of me.", the cat spoke.
"Well, I-I guess goodbye, Cat. Is it 'Cat'?", Lake puzzled.
"The Cat.", the cat responded.
"Well, thank you for doing the right thing.", Tulip thanked.
"I always do the right thing.", the cat responded before then heading outside the exit and then moving backwards while Lake and Tulip went back inside with One-One in tow, toward the cone with a whimpering Ghom Atticus inside, still looking toward the crown.
"Atticus... I know you didn't mean to do what you did. That wasn't your fault. And your dragon is still out there. Most likely in the engine. We're going there now.", Tulip said.
Not long after, while Tulip picked up the cone containing Atticus, Lake picked up both the TV and Atticus' crown, especially with the utmost of care.
"Is Evil Atticus sad?", Glad One asked.
"He's sad, yeah, but not evil.", Tulip retorted.
"Eh, nature vs. nurture.", Sad One responded.
"He's just going through a lot right now, that's all.", Lake responded before she and Tulip successfully lifted it up before inadvertently sliding down, one of the chrome girls inadvertently dislodging an orb from its place before the trash can vanished as a result.
Nevertheless, she put the orb back in, causing the trash cans to reappear.
"Do you think my mum's in there?", Glad One asked.
"I don't know, buddy. I want you to stay in my backpack, okay?", Tulip responded before placing One-One in her backpack.
Tulip then turned to Lake.
"When I give the signal, I want you to open it, okay?", Tulip asked, earning a nod from Lake before she slid down gently as Ghom Atticus chittered slightly, turning to Lake.
Meanwhile, Amelia was checking over her work station on the computers.
"Hey, Amelia!", Tulip shouted.
"Huh?", Amelia puzzled.
"Loved your movie.", the redhead smirked as she held the TV.
"Get out! You'll damage the new car!", Amelia shouted in response before noticing Tulip's right hand at 0.
"You're at 0. You've got your exit. What are you still doing on the train, you little monster?!", Amelia practically hissed.
"We're here to make a trade. I get Atticus back and you...get your tape!", Tulip responded as she turned the TV on before sliding it over to Amelia, who gasped before she went limp.
Tulip went past Amelia.
"Where's that cannon?", Tulip asked to herself.
Suddenly, an alarm blared from the robot suit as the red icon glowed as did the steward's eyes before it suddenly activated, its eyes glowing blue with flames again before it moved in seemingly toward Tulip, only for it to pass her and head for Amelia she, herself, noticed both the bedroom and washroom before finally noticing the table with a cannon and several orbs on it.
"Ooh! You found the monster cannon!", Glad One shouted.
"Now, we can make more, give it...", Sad One urged giddily.
"No! We're here to unmake monsters.", Tulip retorted before turning her attention to the other orbs.
"Which one will change Atticus back?", Tulip puzzled.
"None of these are corgis, Silly.", Glad One responded.
"Huh?", Tulip puzzled.
She looked up to where Lake and Atticus are in the car nearby and then, it hit her just as the steward reached Amelia and then smashed the TV, helping Amelia get back to reality with a deep gasp.
"You insensitive... HOW DARE YOU FORCE ME TO RELIVE THOSE MEMORIES!", Amelia shouted.
"Just returning the favor, lady.", Tulip responded as she circled around before Amelia went over to her computer and moved the green horizontal, rectangular cursor toward Tulip on the monitor as it showed numerous passengers with their current numbers.
"If you don't take your exit now, I'll send it so far down the train, you and your friend will die of old age before you see it again.", Amelia threatened.
"I'm not leaving until Atticus is back to normal.", Tulip responded.
"And I thought you were smart.", Amelia responded before pressing a key, causing the Ball Pit Car to zoom away from the engine, worrying both Lake and Tulip, who gasped.
"No!", Lake shouted.
Then, Amelia beeped a command, urging the steward to attack and keep her at bay, even whacking the cannon away and onto a fire hydrant. However, Tulip knew what to do and then looked up.
"Lake, now!", Tulip shouted.
"Huh?", Amelia puzzled before looking up to see Lake with Ghom Atticus.
"Okay, Atticus! Time to conquer your dragon!", Lake shouted before sending the cone down straight toward the Steward.
The impact on the Steward caused it to fracture a bit while opening the bottom as soon as it landed, letting Monster Atticus loose on the steward as he attacked it.
"Nice shot, Lake!", Tulip shouted to her.
"Thanks!", Lake responded just as Tulip opened her backpack and got One-One out.
"I'm going after the cannon. I need you to look for a way to stop the steward or stop the train or something.", Tulip spoke.
"End it all. Got it.", Sad One responded with a salute before heading off.
"That's not what I...! Ugh!", Tulip sighed before them climbing up the steps of the new car to join Lake, urging Amelia to go after her as she tore off her cloak and chased her before Lake turned and saw both Tulip and Amelia.
"Tulip! Over here!", Lake shouted as she noticed that she had found a tree of turtles to balance herself with before joining her, causing some of the turtles to fall off the tree, much to Amelia's apparent distaste.
"Unbelievable. Again with the turtles.". Amelia spoke while picking one small turtle up before Lake and Tulip looked around.
"You built that weird car with the turtles in it! And this is your college campus.", Tulip spoke.
"You've been trying to make a car out of your old life.", Lake added.
"Of course I am.", Amelia responded before smashing her fuse against the ground and tearing a pipe out of it before Tulip and Lake put their feet down on the ground to cause enough of a dent to be certain they don't slip and fall, making Amelia gasp before yelling out and striking them; but much to her surprise, they didn't take any damage, let alone stagger at all.
And as soon as Tulip got out a pipe from her backpack, the pipe suddenly merged with her right hand, surprising her.
"Whoa... Did I do that...?", Tulip puzzled.
"You keep a pipe in your backpack?!", Amelia spoke in shock and surprise.
"It's a donut holer!", Tulip shouted as she swung her pipe arm.
Back in the engine, One-One was walking underneath the steward and Monster Atticus, who were in the middle of a bout as the latter proved indestructible.
Glad One: Looking for a way to stop the steward,
Stop the steward,
Stop the steward,
Looking for a way to stop the steward,
So, we can turn Evil Atticus back into a dog
"Ugh. Too many syllables." Sad One commented.
Meanwhile, in the new car, Lake and Tulip dodged Amelia's attack with a pipe before they went on top of a trash can and stopped there.
"You can't just make whatever car you want.", Tulip spoke.
"Why not?", Amelia asked before she attacked, but missed again.
"Because this isn't right! You let yourself get so caught up in the past so much, that you're not even thinking about your own future, or even how your actions are affecting the others!", Lake responded as she and Tulip ran up to hide behind a column.
"I'm just trying to create a car with Alrick in it. What if you could create a car, Tulip. One where your parents are still together.", Amelia responded.
"What is she talking about?", Steven puzzled.
"But...then, they wouldn't be my real parents. It wouldn't be my real life. They weren't...happy together.", Tulip responded to Amelia.
"I can make you a car where they are. I can make a car that's exactly how you want it to be. Just one big happy family.", Amelia responded as she closed in as Tulip looked up and saw the cannon nearby as Amelia closed in from behind before Tulip looked back at her pipe arm and gave a glare.
"You can't even make a car without any TURTLES IN IT!", Tulip shouted while smacking her pipe arm at Amelia's robot head.
But when she did, it crumbled to reveal Amelia's human form at the controls, growling angrily at Tulip and Lake, the former of which gasped before they all went up the new car with Tulip removing the orbs on the right of her, much to Amelia's panic.
"NO!", Amelia shouted.
"You really don't like this, huh?", Lake guessed with a smirk before she started to pitch in, too.
"No! You'll both destroy everything!", Amelia shouted in slight panic mixed with anger as stuff began disappearing, especially a hydrant that held the monster cannon before it disappeared with Tulip catching the cannon and noticing a lone corgi hologram in the new car.
"A corgi orb...", Tulip spoke.
"There it is.", Lake spoke as both ran over to another array of orbs on the ground with Tulip putting the cannon on around her and began removing them, too, even causing a birdbath, a bench, a plant, and a car to disappear, revealing Amelia just nearby before she shouted.
"I just want my old life back!", Amelia roared as she tried to attack but missed again, causing Tulip and Lake to exclaim in surprise before Lake took Tulip's hand and jumped across with her toward the table only for Amelia to chuck her pipe toward the table like a spear, impaling it.
"If that's all you wanted, then why are you even doing this, Amelia?!". Lake shouted.
"I've just been trying to keep One at bay!", Amelia responded as she loved the table away.
"One what?", Tulip puzzled as she and Lake stood up before both the former and the latter gasped.
"One-One!", Lake and Tulip spoke in unison.
Meanwhile, as Atticus and the steward still fought, a hopeful One-One noticed a lone circular hole on the control panel.
"Mum...", Glad One spoke.
Meanwhile, Amelia had the two heroes cornered.
"You foolish girl, this was never about you!", Amelia shouted.
"Well, you made it about me when you attacked my friends!", Tulip retorted before she finally removed the orb she had been searching for, causing the corgi to disappear.
"Gotcha.", Tulip grinned before then placing the orb in the hole on top of the cannon, making the orb glow.
Amelia was about to chase her when Lake lunged at her.
"No you don't, Megatron!", Lake shouted, pinning the body down.
"That! Is NOT! My NAME!", Amelia shouted.
"I know! I just wanted to say that reference.", Lake smirked.
"All right. I gotta make this count.", Tulip spoke before then aiming the cannon carefully before missing the first 3 times, hitting the computer monitor, the sink, and the bed, before trying again, this time, hitting Atticus.
This caused him to snarl as he was shaking a bit after landing only for the steward to attack again, smacking him toward the wall of the engine where he fell to the ground after impact.
"No!", Tulip shouted in worry before Amelia spoke up.
"Oh, my. No dog AND no parents? Who will you lose next?", Amelia smirked despite being pinned to the ground by Lake's weight on the robot suit.
Fortunately, Lake noticed something and smirked.
"Actually, I think it's your turn to lose something.", Lake smirked.
"What do you mean?", Amelia asked.
"Upsy-daisy.", Glad One spoke before rolling over and then hopping inside the hole, apparently much to her behest.
"NO!", Amelia shouted.
And with that, the engine seemingly began to power down before One-One's eyes glowed brightly one eye at a time before a bright glow overcame the engine and dimmed a bit, making the engine lighter before the steward went after One-One only for him to give a faster beeping command, prompting it to stop before the Monster Atticus gave a slight whimpering growl before Atticus popped out from his literal monster shell and boldly defeated the steward, breaking its mask before it landed in the ground with Atticus, now back to normal, landing in the ground afterwards, earning Tulip's excited gasp.
"Atticus!", Tulip grinned just before the new car started shaking, and activated, causing the birds to be active and fly past her before the new car started moving up.
"Uh-oh. I think this is where we get off.", Lake said, finally releasing Amelia with both her and Tulip sliding out before they jumped off together and landed on the ground.
Meanwhile, Amelia began slipping before eventually sliding down, causing her to jump off the broken robot head and then land in the engine before the new car was shot out toward the end with Amelia weakly getting back up as best she could as Lake and Tulip watched before Atticus ran over to them and shouted.
"Lake! Tulip!", Atticus shouted.
"Atticus!", Tulip and Lake responded in relief before they ran over to him and then celebrated as Atticus barked with glee.
"Hey. Here you go. Scratch, scratchy.", Tulip spoke as Atticus barked gleefully before laughing as she got licked by him as Lake grew relieved.
"I believe this is yours, Your Majesty.", Steven bowed gracefully, earning Atticus' grateful gasp before bowing his head, allowing Lake to place it on his head.
"Thank you. I was feeling rather exposed without it.", Atticus thanked.
"Don't mention it.", Lake responded with a grin.
"Hello. I'd like to introduce you to my mother.", Sad One spoke up as Lake, Tulip, and the cured Atticus walking up to One-One.
"Isn't she pretty? She's got a real heft to her.", Glad One added.
"One-One, you're the real conductor?", Lake asked in surprise.
"Y-You've just been trying to get back to the engine?", Tulip puzzled.
"Yeah. It's a little weird, huh?", Glad One responded with a grin.
Suddenly, both Tulip and Lake realized where he was getting at and then turned around toward Amelia and reprimanded her.
"You ripped One-One out of the control panel!", Lake reprimanded.
"He had all that power and he refused to make a car for me.", Amelia responded.
"You can't keep trying to recreate your old life.", You have to learn how to live in this one.", Tulip responded.
"Don't you get it? I don't want a life without Alrick.", Amelia responded, starting to tear up before sobbing as Lake and Tulip went over to Amelia to console her.
"There's a great big hole in the universe where Alrick used to be. Why won't the train just let me put him back?", Amelia asked sadly as she sobbed.
"I'm really sorry about your husband, Amelia. I don't know what it's like to lose someone you love... But I do know that... neither of us can go back to the way things were. We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.", Tulip advised.
"It doesn't matter. I'll be on the train...forever. Numbers don't just go down. They also go up.", Amelia responded while taking off her glove and then showing her neck to show that her number had gone up by a very wide margin.
"Whoa. That is a lot of numbers.", Lake spoke in surprise.
"You can...still try to get your number to 0. No matter how many mistakes you've made.", Tulip assured before Amelia saw her point before her number went down a considerable degree.
"What about getting rid of your exit car? There's no coming back from that.", Amelia worried.
"Hello. Mum and I can fix that.", Glad One assured before stopping the train.
Outside, just as the train stopped, a sort of multiversal portal appeared in the sky before Tulip's number glowed brightly, puzzling her before the exit then reappeared and opened in the engine.
"What in the name of mustard and stink-tail is that?", Atticus puzzled.
"An exit can appear in any car. It's just a matter of unlocking one.", Sad One responded.
"And 0 is the key.", Glad One added.
"I'm very uncomfortable with how much I missed.", Atticus responded.
"I'm not stuck in the train anymore? But, now I have to leave you three. I-I wasn't ready for it to happen all of a sudden like this. Y-You a-and this and then, I...it was...and Lake...and Atticus a...and now...", Tulip spoke while shedding tears before placing her head on One-One.
"Me, too.", Glad One responded warmly, slightly puzzling Tulip before Atticus spoke up.
"Though my heart is heavy, I am honored to carry the weight, for it will remind me of you.", Atticus spoke while bowing his head a bit.
"I'll miss you.", Tulip grinned in response before kissing the fingers and then placing them on One-One.
"Okay.", Sad One chuckled before deciding he wanted more out of it.
"Wait, Wait. Hug. Hug first!", Sad One spoke in glee as he hopped off his control panel and waved giddily, prompting Tulip to turn back around and hug Atticus and One-One with Lake joining in the hug as well.
"Yay, group hug!", Glad One cheered as they hugged and laughed before they realized something.
"Wait. What about Lake? Is she gonna leave with me?", Tulip puzzled worriedly.
Suddenly, the train started to go on the fritz.
"What the...?!", Tulip and Lake exclaimed.
"The train fixes problems, but her problem is that she needs to rescue her friend.", Glad One said.
"But her friend is a denizen who can't get a number. She can't leave, so her problem is unfixable.", Sad One said.
"No, no, no! Her problem has to be fixed! It's what we do. We're the fixers. We fix! Oh...! I have an idea. Why doesn't she go with?", Glad One suggested.
"Good plan. Oh, but she doesn't have a number...", Sad One said.
"She has to get off, but she... can't get off without a number...", Glad One said.
"What is going on here?", Amelia asked in surprise.
"He's stuck in a loop... The train can't process it.", Tulip realized before she spoke up to One-One.
"Uh, One-One...? Why don't you just take a moment to think it over. And until then... I'll stay on the train with Lake.", Tulip offered, surprising Lake as she gasped.
"Really? But... what about your exit?", Lake asked.
"Well, I said I'd leave with you through the exit. And I have every intention of making sure we leave together. So, for the time being, One-One, until we can figure out how, I'll stay here. For her...", Tulip offered, making Lake blush with a grin toward her.
"Yeah, sure, whatever.", Sad One said.
With that, the train went back online, but Tulip's exit closed for the foreseeable future as Tulip's number also started to change. It went so high, in fact, that it stopped at Infinity.
"Tulip, you didn't have to do that...", Lake said.
"I wanted to. For you.", Tulip said. Then, she turned to Amelia.
"Goodbye, Amelia. I hope you get your exit someday.", Tulip spoke, earning a nod from Amelia before Tulip then walked over to Lake.
"I love you, Lake.", Tulip grinned.
"I love you, too, Tulip.", Lake blushed.
With that, the both of them kissed one another on the lips before it panned over to the sky above the train.
2 Years Later
One-One was recording a sort of video as he held the crinkled Train Documentary paper sign up to the camera while in the Wedding Cake Car.
"My friends and family I thank you for joining me on this, a most momentous occasion! I am your conductor One-", Glad One began.
"One.", Sad One added before he removed the Train Documentary sign from the front of the screen to reveal that Glad-One was wearing a top hat and standing next to Tulip and Lake, both of which were not only look like they're in their 20's as well as towering over Glad One, but also in their wedding dresses.
"And today is the happiest day of their lives!", Glad One said before Sad-One turned the camera towards himself, shown to be wearing a veil.
"I'm positively glowing."
He then turned the camera back to Glad-One, Tulip, and Lake.
"Of course, you are. One-One.", Tulip grinned.
"And you could be glowing too. Here in the Wedding Cake Car, you can cut through all the boring parts and get to the good stuff! Like Tulip and Lake's wedding day, for example.", Glad One suggested.
Suddenly, Tulip and Lake sunk into the cake, half-stuck.
"Oh, no, Mrs. Tulip and Mrs. Lake!", Glad One shouted.
"Looks like someone beat us to the punch.", Sad One spoke off-screen.
The two brides then snickered and had a good laugh about it as Glad One looked toward the two.
"Come on, you two, we have an audience! Let's try and put a little pep in your step!", Glad One urged encouragingly.
"Okay, we'll try, One-One. But I think we're half stuck.", Tulip responded.
As she pushed, Tulip inadvertently scooped up some cake into her hand. Getting an idea, she smirked to Lake.
"Tulip? What are you doing?", Lake asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just making sure you have some... sweetness in your face!", Tulip replied with a shout, smashing the cake piece into Lake.
She snickered and laughed, doing the same thing to Tulip. Sad One then turned the car from the playful couple to a myriad of denizens they've made friends with over the years, the roses, the Sinclair dinosaurs, and even Khaki bottoms as well (only Amelia and Samantha were not present; they tried to invite Amelia, but she declined and as for Samantha, they still didn't like her), all having a laugh with them, and then to himself.
"And then I say something sardonic."
It then went to the happy couple having fun with one another.
"This train provides challenges, but they won't be hard for you passengers if you're properly prepared! Like these two chrome women.", Glad One grinned.
"Yeah. Just like the lovely couple that sunk into metaphorical marital failure.", Sad One added.
"Okay, that's enough.", Tulip spoke up as Atticus spoke up, opening a book of sorts.
"Ladies and gentle-denizens. We gather here today to celebrate the union of Tulip Olsen and Lake, who shall now take the name Olsen in this marriage. If there is any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.", Atticus said.
After a moment, there was silence.
"Good. Let's begin. Tulip, do you take this chrome woman to be your wife and, by doing so, swear to hold her, please her, and to protect and provide for her, for as long as you love her?", Atticus asked.
"I do.", Tulip replied.
"And you, Lake. Do you wish to take this chrome woman to be your wife and, by doing so, swear to hold her, please her, and to protect and provide for her for as long as you love her?", Atticus asked.
"Yeah... I do.", Lake replied.
"On my honor as the king and Uniter of the cardigans and the pembrookes of Corginia, you may now kiss the bride.", Atticus said.
"The two then kissed each other, even tasting a little bit of cake in each other's faces as everyone in attendance cheered.
"You don't know how long you'll be here, and you're gonna need a lot of energy in the form of snacks.", Glad One advised as Tulip and Lake each enjoyed cake in their faces, even kissing one another before Sad-One moved the camera to himself.
"Personal growth can be exhausting."
"So, this is a perfect place to stock up! After a long trek through the Knitting Otter Car, nothing is more refreshing than a great big frosting flower.", Glad One said.
"Get lost in the sweet bouquet of corn starch.", Sad One added.
"Well, as long as it isn't chocolate.", Atticus said as he entered into view and picked one up.
"And a good thing about cake is, if you push hard enough, it can fit into any container. Backpacks, pockets, boots...", Glad One said.
"Boots?", Tulip and Lake asked in unison.
"Get your mouth watering for some boot cake.", Sad One added.
"Which is another good thing. Cake is considered both a solid and a liquid. Just like my friend Atticus! That means, when you need to get hydrated, you can reach for your nearest cake or dog and-", Glad One began, gesturing to Atticus.
But suddenly, One-One was startled by the sound of a group of kid passengers opening the door and barging into the car below.
"What's that noise?", Tulip puzzled.
"Wait a second, I don't think they were invited.", Glad One said.
"Party Crashers?!", Sad One puzzled.
"Atticus, can you go see what's going on down here?", Tulip asked.
Atticus nodded and went to the edge to investigate just as Sad One moved the Camera toward the ground view of kids running in.
"What do you see down here?", Lake asked.
"Looks like a small army of kids charging into some kind of fight.", Atticus said.
"Oh no, Will there be enough for everyone! Do we need to get doggie bags?!", Glad One asked.
"Uh, I know what they want. Hold this.", Sad One said, handing the camera to Glad-One.
He then grabbed a bouquet made out of cake and threw it behind himself over the edge.
"I can't see who caught it.", Glad One said.
"They'll be on the honor system.", Sad One assured.
"Weirdest wedding ever.", Tulip and Lake said in unison before turning to each other with blushes and giggling.
A/N: There you have it. After 2 long years since defeating Amelia, Tulip and Lake tie the knot! And there's still more to come as well.