Steam engines, Skullgirls, and Universes

Chapter 15: Duck's Sunshine

The next day Thomas, Gordon, and Toby continued their efforts of reconstruction. The other engines were still asleep, so they didn't get a chance to wish them goodbye. The three awoke to just them and their crews in the shed. Percy was first to speak. 

"Excuse me driver. Where are the others?" Percy asked. 

"Those three got a head start on today's work. They still have to help repair the city after that Skull-whatever they said attacked." 

"I don't know how to feel about this 'Skullgirl'." Duck chimed in. "This all powerful being of destruction sounds like something you would hear out of a television show." 

"I know. But remember Duck we're not on the North Western anymore. We're somewhere else, a new world even, so what might be fiction back there could be real here." Percy said. James just huffed. 

"Load of rubbish I say. I mean you two can't be buying this story. I'm sure it's some sort of news press trying to come up with an interesting story to something more practical and boring." James said. 

"Thomas and Gordon wouldn't have looked as serious as they did if they were just telling us whoppers." Duck argued. 

"Well.. I'll remain skeptical about all of this. Skullgirl, what a load." James scoffed. 

"A load of what exactly red?" a stern voice said. Parasoul stood at the shed doors with her parasol acting like a cane. 

"And who might you be?" James sniffed. 

"I am the princess of this kingdom." she said still as stern. 

"HA! You expect me to believe that?" James mocked. Parasoul became very annoyed. 

"Um actually James. Thomas did say someone named Parasoul was the ruler of this place last night. Don't you remember?" Percy said. James hadn't been fully listening to Thomas and the others when they told their stories about Canopy, so he had no clue about anything here. James went pale. 

"Oh um, I-I'm so sorry your majesty. Simple misunderstanding you know." James stuttered then awkwardly laughed. Parasoul shot a stare that felt like daggers to him. 

"Just fix that attitude James." Parasoul bluntly said. "As for you two, pleasure to meet you both." Parasoul said to Duck and Percy. 

"The pleasure is ours your majesty." Duck humbly said. 

"Please, call me Parasoul." she insisted. The two engines were taken aback, royalty usually never allowed commoners to call them by their names. To them this was a high honor. 

"Thank you princess Parasoul." Percy said with glee. Parasoul warmly smiled, something about Percy just reminded her about her little sister. 

"So, Princess Parasoul. What is it we are going to do around here?" James asked. Parasoul shot him another cold glare, James didn't know what he did wrong this time. 

"It's Princess, just Princess for you." she said. "But since you asked, Percy and Duck. You'll be shunting in the yards today." Percy and Duck smiled at each other, they were quiet good at it at this point. James smirked at the two. "And you'll join them James." she finished. 

...

"Come again?"

*CLANG*

James bumped some trucks hard and sent them rolling back into their train. 

"Ridiculous!" he fumed. "I shunted in the yards in Tidmouth for days, now I'm forced to shunt in this world when I should be out taking trains!" Duck rolled his eyes.