The Train Ride Before Christmas

by FourShadow

Rating: everyone
Tags: Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer, Slice of Life, Original Character
Length: 3338

To get her son to sleep, Sunset regales in a tale from the past, on a night before Christmas...

Christmas Day is near. Presents are near completion to be put under the tree, the stockings are stuffed, everyone is ready. Only one problem; a child who cannot get some sleep. To help her son get some sleep, Sunset tells a story about a magical train ride the night before Christmas.

Special thanks to Scholarly-Cimmerian for inspiration. :twilightsmile:

Merry Christmas everyone, and to all a good night! :heart:

Published 2020-12-25 01:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-12-25 01:40:00 UTC

The Train Ride Before Christmas

Author's Note

So I wanted to make this for Christmas, I never get a good Christmas fic done around this time, and I wanted to get this made in time. ... It might be a bit too much, very long. :twilightblush: Either way, I hope you all enjoy.

Merry Christmas everyone. :twilightsmile::heart:

The Train Ride Before Christmas

December 24th

It was Eve of Christmas. The night sky was about to take over the town, and it was time to tuck the kids in bed so the parents could finish wrapping up presents and leaving a few surprises from 'Santa Claus'. And tucking them in was proud mother of two; Sunset Shimmer. Her twelve-year-old daughter had gotten herself in bed, and Sunset had given her a hug and kiss goodnight. And now she just had to tuck in the younger child; her 8-year-old son, Stripes.

Carrying him close, Sunset opened up the door to his room to bring him to his bed. Posters of his favorite superhero, Astroman were all around, some figurines of the character and many other superheroes were laid about on his desk and out of his toy chest, next to some Stack-Em bricks which he often used to make to make decent displays. It was a toy he loved dearly, and Sunset was happy that he found something to harness his creativity in.

Carefully she put him in bed, making sure the covers were over his body nice and cozy.

"Santa will be coming tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely kiddo," Sunset smiled, ruffling his hair, playfully. "But he won't come unless you close your eyes and get some sleep, okay?"

"Aww," Stripes pouted. "You think he'll like the milk and cookies I left out for him?"

"I know he will," Sunset nodded. "And nice touch on the carrots, I bet the reindeer will love them. Now you just get some sleep--"

"--Can you read me a story?" Stripes asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"Can you at least read me a bedtime story?"

Sunset thought for a second, looking at the books sitting on his shelf. She looked at some, thinking of what to possibly read him. "If I read you a story, do you promise to go to sleep?"

"Yes mama," Stripes agreed.

"Okay, lemme see here... actually. I think there's one story I think would like to tell you. Have I ever told you about the Polar Express?"

"No. What's that?" Stripes asked, cuddling up with a fluffy teddy bear.

"I'll tell you," Sunset cleared her throat.

It was the night before Christmas
and I was ready for pleasant dreams
My gifts were wrapped
And I was in my late teens

I was curled up in my bed
With my body all nice and snug
I was excited for Christmas morning
Yet I lay like a slug

As I drifted to sleep
I felt something was off
My clock had stopped running
And I wheezed with a mild cough

The picture of my friends
that sat proudly on my nightstand
started to wiggle and wobble
along with the clock I'd smack with my right hand

My entire room was vibrating
As if an earthquake was in effect
But I remembered where we lived
no fault-lines that had imperfects

In the middle of the night
I was starting to feel bugged
My bed start to rumble
And the sounds of an engine chugged

I leapt up from my bed
To see a flashing light
And to my surprise
I saw a wonderful sight

I ran outside in my jammies
With a key in my one good pocket just in case
When I saw the source of the noise
I had a gaping expression on my face

A big, strong, powerful steam engine
Was standing right there
I couldn't believe my eyes
But I couldn't help but stare

Connected to a tender
With five passenger cars behind
It was uncanny how it was here
I only hoped the neighbors didn't mind

A man stepped off one of the coaches
sporting a blue suit and conductor's hat
I slowly walked towards him
Opting for a quick chat

"Well, are you coming?" he asked
"To where?" I pondered.
"Why to the North Pole of course!"
He said with such awe and wonder.

"This is the Polar Express!"
He shouted into the air.
And somehow against all odds
Not a neighbor was aware

He pulled out a clipboard
With names I assumed
I could only wonder
if my house was the next stop, I presumed

"Wait, wait!"

"Yes?" Sunset asked.

"No one else saw the train coming into the town?"

"Nope," Sunset shook her head.

"But didn't it chug and whistle?"

"It did."

"But--"

"--Do you want me to read this or not?"

"... yes please."

The man knew a lot
It seemed like as he talked
He revealed info I didn't tell anyone
It left me in shock

He knew of my bad luck
And the actions at the Fall Formal
He knew what I did to repair my mistakes
This was completely abnormal

He knew I believed in him
The truly real, only one Santa Claus
He gave me some hope in this crummy year
And the conductor stood there, with a pause

He made a suggestion
One that was painfully clear
This was a one time chance
And I had to take it right here

He stepped back onto the passenger car
Probably wondering if I would get on
Yet I didn't move at all
Wondering how long we'd be gone

The train's whistle finally blew
And the wheels started to hiss and wheeze
I had only a few seconds of thought
As I reached in my pocket and felt my keys

As the train moved farther away
I leapt up with a powerful jump
I clamped onto the safety bar tight
And did not hit my head with a bump

Walking inside the coach
I saw a gaggle of children singing
Many ages from 5-12
My hands to the door started clinging

I felt so awkward just standing there
Was I the only teenager on this train?
It would look out of place
I just hoped it wasn't on their brains

Regardless of whatever was on their minds
I found myself a seat and moved close to the window pane
My eyes averted looking at the children
But I had no disdain

Just then, I heard a voice
A high pitched squeaky tone
I turned my head up and gasped
It was my friend Pinkie Pie, I wasn't alone

"Hi Sunset!" She said with such cheer
I didn't know what to say
She was on this train with me!
Maybe she'd make my day

"You're on this train too?"
I asked, questioning my eyes
"Of course silly!" She said.
"I couldn't miss this, it'd be unwise!"

"I never miss the Polar Express,
It only comes once a year!
I've been on it since I was five
Because Christmas-time is here!"

I couldn't argue with her logic and reasoning
Frankly, with Pinkie Pie, it made perfect sense
Although my eyes were still having trouble believing
I was confused, and still on the fence

I shouldn't have been questioning things
I was sitting here, physically in the seat
And a magical train coming right in my town
It was an amazing sight, one heckuva treat

As the train chugged along its path
Pinkie pointed at each child, clearly knowing their names
She helped celebrate many of their birthdays
With lots of cake and fun games

Only one child was missing
at least Pinkie claimed to believe
For as the train passed by she paced back and forth
almost starting a small peeve

The children suddenly leapt at the window
Staring at the many shops and stores
Many of them hoping those presents
Would be theirs and more

Ten minutes or so passed since we left
And the train's wheels came to a stop
All of our eyes looked out the window
And Pinkie perched on top

A little girl with tan-yellow skin
And light-purple hair
Walked outside in the cold in her jammies
Looked in awe at the train and gave it stare

Pinkie pronked up and down
she recognized that little girl
She was so excited
She jumped from her seat with a twirl

Lily Pad was her name
She was very quiet and shy
I didn't really know what to say
So I just softly smiled and waved 'hi'

The conductor stepped off the train
Watching as Lily slowly moved further from her homestead
Pinkie and I watched Lily's eyes observe the strange man
And watch as the gears turned in her head

Pinkie zipped from out of the train
Scaring the heck out of the conductor and Lily
But when that little girl saw who she was
She giggled with delight when Pinkie tickled her silly

Lily agreed to come on board
The conductor signing off the last child for the trip
Pinkie helped walk her onto the train
Making sure the child didn't slip

With the last stop made
The train got back on track
And so I got comfy in my seat
Relaxed and kicked back

Lily and Pinkie sat in the seat in front
Although there wasn't much to discuss
I talked with Pinkie, not a lot with Lily
But thankfully none of us made a fuss

The train rode through a large forest
No longer did it seem like we were in town
And all the while the ride continued
no one was sharing a frown

Lily looked so happy and content
Delighted to be in Pinkie Pie's company
I couldn't help but smile back
With her around, she got a smile out of me

But all the while as this trip continued
My thoughts continued to wander
Was I specifically selected to join this trip?
Or was there something else I didn't ponder?

The ride felt like hours
But yet my watch had no change of time
I didn't know how much had passed
I could only hope and wait to hear the bell chime

I looked out my window and stared in awe
Beautiful northern lights dancing in the skies
And off in the distance I saw many more lights
All more like a town, and I heard the joyous cries

Children around me danced and jumped with joy
Could it be? Could it really be?
The train started moving in squiggled lines on the bridge
And the children continued to dance with glee

The North Pole was just up ahead
No longer were we in the icy snow
We were pulling up into a Christmas-lit town
With a warmly lit glow

People were swarming the streets
But not regular sized people, no, no
These people were incredibly small
Elves in fact, marching to and fro

They were gathering together in the middle of the town
Where a humongous Christmas tree stood erect
One by one, we were all getting off the train
As the conductor split us into two lines, he checked

He checked the on his conductor's watch
Saying something about it being five til midnight
It felt like hours before then
Thankfully when we stepped off, we didn't receive frostbite

The conductor guided us to the center of the town
The very center of the North Pole
We saw a massive sack loading up into a sleigh
And I could only imagine inside were presents and maybe coal

We walked closer to the center
And all of the elves and children cheered
And it was clear as to why
Approaching was a red suit and white beard

"Ho, ho, ho," he chuckled as he walked out to the sleigh
All of the children looked so excited to see ole St. Nick
Even I couldn't help but smile in delight
None of this could have been conceived as a trick

But soon my shyness spread all over
Pinkie Pie suggested I be the first to greet him
But I didn't want to go up to say hi
I wasn't about to go out on a whim

If the lyrics to the classic song was true
'He knows if you've been bad or good'
Then he would know everything I've done
And I just questioned why I didn't bring a hood

It didn't matter anyhow
Santa Claus made his announcement
He was going to allow children to come up
And ask him what they'd like this season, pure wish fulfillment

I didn't want to go up, but Pinkie pushed me through the kids
Against all odds, Santa invited me to simply walk on up
My heart started pounding against my chest
Why was I this scared, I was almost a grownup!

"Sunset Shimmer," Santa knew my name, as expected
"I know everything that you have done"
I felt as if the world was about to end
I was expecting him to just flat out shun

"I know this year hasn't been the greatest,
and you've done everything you can to make things better
And for that, I must be honest, I am proud
Even if you were ashamed to send a letter."

His words felt like a weight of the world off my shoulder
I couldn't believe what I was hearing
He didn't call on me to punish or ignore
No, he was being sweet, kind, endearing

And so I gave him a smile, even as I tried to stay warm
He asked me the most simple question
"What would you like for Christmas this year?"
He said with the most friendly expression

I didn't know what to say, or what to really ask for
Frankly, I was too distracted by my energetic friend
I remembered about everything I had done to earn her
And it wasn't about a coin needing to spend

I told Santa my only wish
Which was to never let my past become today
Santa gave me another soft smile
And he reached into the sack on his sleigh

He insisted that I take one little gift
And he asked me to open my palm
I would usually ask why if someone asked that
But here, I didn't have any qualms

In my hand shining bright
Was a small silver bell gleaming
It sparkled in my eyes
And to the crowds, it was quite beaming

"Let this be a reminder to you,"
said the legend of Christmas himself
"And let it remind you that you are never alone
As long as you believe in the magic of friendship itself."

I gave him a thank you, and stepped off the podium
Children started to take their turns
I looked back at Pinkie Pie who greeted me with a warm hug
I just knew for a fact this was a gift I'd never return

And so the children got to sit on Santa's lap
Each one sharing their hopes and dreams
Meanwhile, the only thing I wondered was
'How is that sack not falling apart at the seams?'

The big hand on the North Pole's clock struck
And so the bell tolled for the midnight hour
Santa and his reindeer began to load up
And snow started to continue to shower

We all waved to Santa as he rode off into the sky
Even I as I held the bell real tight
And loud enough for all of us to hear, he yelled
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

With Santa finally departed, it was soon time for us to go
We all got back onto the train for departure
But as we took our seats, I felt an emptiness in my pocket
I couldn't be crazy, I had that silver bell, I'm sure!

I looked beside me, and I didn't see it
I checked on my right and left, not there
I checked on the floor and the other seats
I looked here, and there, I didn't see it anywhere!

Not even the help of Pinkie Pie
Could help me find that little bell
I couldn't lose it, not now!
Trying to find it was like... like, um...

... Let's just say I wanted to yell.

But after a while, I deflated in my seat
I couldn't believe I lost a gift from Santa
But one thing did comfort me during the ride home
A warm hug from Pinkie Pie, and the kids going 'aww'

At last, it was finally my stop
I got off the train and waved my goodbyes
"Don't worry Sunset, I'm sure it'll turn up!"
And those were the last words that night from good ole Pinkie Pie

Unlocking the door, I went back inside
Took off my robe and went up with a leap
I took one last heavy sigh as I felt my empty pockets
And so I went back to sleep

When I woke up Christmas morning,
the presents from my friends were underneath my tree
But when I looked some more,
I saw more gifts that at first I didn't see

I walked down to my tree
Immediately curious to what I saw
No clue where they were from
But all they said was they were from Santa

I looked at the smallest one
A small box that could fit in my hand
I unwrapped the paper
The gift inside was just grand

The silver bell from the night before
Was back here in my apartment again
I could only guess how it got back here
And who it was, and when

But as I jingled the small bell
I could hear them ringing the most beautiful sound
I had a smile on my face
That silver bell was finally back around

I felt a buzz from my phone
A text from an excited group of friends
I wrote them all a greeting text
Never regretting that I made amends

And so when I looked outside
Watching the snow blanket the streets
I remembered the ride from the night before
And I'll admit, I never regret having taken that seat

And so as I finish this story to you, my son
If there's one thing you can always depend
Your friends and family are always there
And they'll be there til the end of time

The end

Stripes had finally started to fade away, slowly drifting asleep in his bed. Sunset leaned in and gave her son a kiss on the head, making sure he was comfy and cozy under the blankets. "Good night, Stripes. See you in the morning."

"I love you mama," he whispered, curling up in bed.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

She got on her feet and walked to the door. She smiled softly to see her kid was finally getting some sleep. And so, she closed the door, leaving the night-light in to help him avoid bad dreams.

Stripes didn't know how long he fell asleep, it must have been hours. But he heard a soft noise waking him up. He pulled his head up, looking over on his desk. One of the figurines on his desk wiggled slightly, even though he didn't feel anything bump into it or anyone in the room to cause that. And above the ceiling where his toy spaceships were hanging, they started to shake as well.

In fact, the entire room was starting to wobble and shake. Rather violently. Scared of out his mind, he huddled up against the backboard of his bed, but then he heard something loud and powerful wheesh outside of the house. A train whistle hit his ears, and when he looked outside, he couldn't believe his eyes. A powerful steam engine was standing right outside his house, in the middle of the streets. Only one thing crossed his mind; he grabbed a robe to keep himself warm, and dashed out of his room as fast as he could. And when he got outside with a key in hand, he heard one single phrase calling out from the man who stepped off the train.

"Alllllll abbbooooarrrrrrrd!"