Author's notes: Got this one up. Ok, this story has the most hilarious ending I have ever seen for the series. Read on and you'll see what I mean.

James' Rest Cure

Narrator: The Fat Controllers engines Princess Celestia's ponies on the North Western Railway never ceased working. Day and night, the engines and the ponies would work all around the clock with famous main 6 drivers from the prestige passenger express trains such as the WildNorWester, the Flyer of Vicarstown and the Tidmouth Thunderbird, and to the stopping trains such as the Dragon Of Wellsworth to the holiday makers and tourist trains, to grimy dirty but important goods trains, post trains and express goods trains such as the the flying kipper and other important trains. But one of the most important jobs was shunting, the process of sorting items of coaches or trucks into complete train sets or consists, but no matter what work the engines and ponies and the drivers did they all do there best to please the Fat Controller and Princess Celestia. Sometimes the work loads can sometimes get too much for the engines, but nevertheless, the engines and the ponies all continue to solider on without fuss. All except for one red engine and a unicorn in particular. A few weeks ago, James and Rarity often grumbled about how much shunting they had to do at Knapford Yards shunting coaches for stopping trains and trucks for the Ffarquharr branchline.

(James shunts trucks for Percy's return trip.)

Rarity: Ugh! I can't believe this! Shunting, of all things! Why on earth do have to put with such frivolous occupation such as this! With these filthy grimy ruffians!

James: I know what you mean Rarity. How can we be expected to see to everything we have to do. Shunting 1pm goods and the Tidmouth Thunderbird, here, there and everywhere.

Miss Ravens: Now James, Rarity, you know better shunting is just as important.

Rarity: Ugh! I know Miss Ravens, but a it's wonder James hasn't damaged himself balancing this along with his other duties. This is supposes to be Paxton's, Jinty's, Flash Sentry's, Pug's, Silver Shill's, Diesel's, Sunset Shimmer's, Chichester and Song Cue's job, not ours.

James: Your right Rarity! If this keeps up, my wheels may wear out and what will the Fat Controller and Princess Celestia do then?

Miss Ravens: James, Rarity this isn't any of those engines' work. It's what we like to call teamwork! Besides, they've got enough on their plates too with shunting at Tidmouth Harbour and Tidmouth Station, and Paxton is under repairs.

Narrator: Gordon, Henry, Sally, Bridget, Belle, Murdoch, Hank, Gator, Hero, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Flitter, Cloud Chaser, Blossomforth, Thunderlane, Ms Harshwhinny, Toe Tapper and Miss Peachbottom didn't take much notice in the shed that night. They all knew James' and Rarity's attitude and heard it all before.

Applejack: Oh quit gripin'. It's all good work ya'll. Anyway, your helpin' us get our real work done.

Rarity: And just what do you mean by 'real work' applejack?!

Rainbow Dash: Well it's obvious isn't it? We've been working more harder than you ?

James: More harder? And just what do you mean by that Rainbow Dash?!

Henry: Easy enough to bustle about to make you look busy and pretty.

Gordon: But it's the real work you do that counts!

Narrator: James went redder than ever and went back to shunting bumping trucks furiously.

Murdoch: (Sighs) Look guys, I think it's best that we just get some sleep.

Belle: It's quite stormy tonight, and you ponies had best say here.

Blossomforth: (Yawns) Right. Merci, Belle.

Narrator: Next morning, Edward was at Knapford with Fluttershy and Mr. Hoskins when a message came in from Wellsworth saying that a train of trucks loaded with stone blocks was waiting at Wellsworth station. They were to bring the trucks down to Tidmouth Harbour for them to be load on the tramp steamer by tea time. James and Rarity looked enviously at Edward and Fluttershy.

Rarity: (Sigh) Your so lucky Edward, and same to you Fluttershy.

Fluttershy: Oh, are we? What did we do?

James: Oh, it's nothing. It's just that, you guys have been given all the real important work whilst me and Rarity have been stuck here at Knapford Yard just shunting coaches and trucks for a several weeks now. We just long for a nice run, you know.

Narrator: Fluttershy and Edward understood how James and Rarity felt and felt sorry for him.

Edward: Well then, James, Rarity, would you like to do a duty swap then?

James: What do you mean? Me, take your train?

Edward: Why not? You can go and take the trucks instead whilst I do the shunting. Wouldn't that be nice change?

Fluttershy: Besides, me and Edward know how it must feel to be cooped up.

James: Oh yes, sure. Thank you Edward. That will be lovely.

Rarity: How generous of both you Fluttershy and Edward.

Edward: Well Fluttershy taught me kindness and I've learned of a certain unicorn about generosity.

Narrator: And Edward winked. This made both Fluttershy and Rarity giggle. They asked Miss Ravens and Mr. Hoskins permission and both said yes. James puffed away happily to fetch the trucks. Soon they arrived at Wellsworth to collect the trucks. Miss Ravens back him down on to the trucks whilst Rarity coupled him up and Miss Ravens changed the head code lamps. Soon, the guard blew the whistle and James was off. At first, the trucks behaved well and James and Rarity were feeling very pleased with themselves and thought that that they had the trucks under control as they sped along the rails

James: (Sigh) This is nice, isn't it Rarity?

Rarity: (Sigh) Indeed it is, despite it being goods work.

James: Your telling me. Finally, a real important job at last. This is truly the life.

Narrator: However it didn't stay nice for long. Now as you all remember, but incase you don't, trucks are dirty, rude, silly and troublesome things who are always on the lookout for engines that they can be spiteful to. Edward and Fluttershy knew all about trucks and warned James and Rarity to be careful, but James and Rarity were too excited to listen. As they sped along the countryside, they jeered and teased them rudely.

Truck 1: Oh look, it's old rusty red scrap iron.

Truck 2: Heheheheheh. Boot lace won't save you today.

Truck 3: Oh look, it's that unicorn pony that Diesel and Gilda called Miss Prissy McPrisser Pants.

Oddball: Oh great.

Fluffy: Now you've done it.

Truck 4: Yep! We've got em insulted...

Oddball/Fluffy: That's not what we….

(Pinkie Pie appears out of nowhere on a pump trolley)

Pinkie Pie: (Singing) She's are evil enchantress
Who does evil dances
And if you look deep in her eyes,
She will put you in trances
And what will she do?
She'll mix up an evil brew
And she'll gobble you up
In a big tasty stew
Sooo WATCH OUT!

Pinkie Pie: Oh, okay. Back to Percy.

Narrator: And she sped away.

Oddball/Fluffy: (Sigh) Meant….

Truck 1: (Dumbfounded) Uh, okay. That was odd.

Truck 2: (Dumbfounded) Uh, carry on what we were doing?

Other trucks (Barring Oddball and Fluffy): Yep.

Oddball: At least Diesel is on the NWR engine's good side now.

Fluffy: Your right there Oddball.

Narrator: The trucks snickered and began making a plan. Now, stone is very heavy which is even bad enough without trucks making it worse. But the trucks didn't care a bit. The trucks tried all the tricks and tomfoolery in the books. They slipped there brakes on 'accidentally on purpose'…

James: Oy! I'm slowing down. What's happening?

Guard: The brakes are slipping on, that's what.

James/Rarity/Miss Ravens: Oh you have got to be kidding me!

Narrator: They ran hot axel boxes…

Rarity: (Sniffs) Hmm. I say darlings, do you smell something?

James: (Sniffs) Come to think of it, I do. Smells like something's burning, and it's not my fire.

Miss Ravens: Oh for pete's sake! There's a hot axle box!

Rarity: Ugh! Those ruffians have done it again.

Narrator: And then they crept slowly to each other and stopped one by one so that string of jerks would run along the train, making James' and Rarity's journey difficult.

Rarity: My word, these ruffians are more troublesome than before.

James: (Panting) Not to mention they're danger happy. They're going to brake a coupling if they keep this up, and I'm not going to have that happen to me again.

Rarity: And Neither will I, James my darling.

Narrator: They slowly pulled the noise trucks along the line, determined not to be beaten.

James: I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!

Narrator: He pulled and puffed and puffed and pulled as hard as he could, until at last, exhausted but triumphant, James wearily clanked into Tidmouth Harbour and pushed the trucks onto the wharf. Then he went back to Knapford yards tired and weary for some nice quiet shunting.

James: Oh gosh! I think I'll just go and do some shunting at Knapford.

Rarity: I agree. It sounds so much better.

Narrator: But not until one last insult from Rainbow Dash and Gordon.

Gordon: Well well well, if it isn't James and who've just came back after doing some proper work, and now I expect they'll want a rest and probably a bath, especially for you Rarity.

Narrator: Rainbow Dash laughed and laughed and laughed until tears were raining down her face.

Rainbow Dash: BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh James, if you wanted to do proper work, I think next time you should stretch your wheel muscles first James. Hahahahahahehehehehe. Get it? Wheel muscles.?! Heheheh…

Narrator: James and Rarity pretended not to hear.

James/Rarity: OH CURSE YOU MISS NARRATOR!

Narrator: OH SHUT UP JAMES AND BE QUITE RARITY! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THIS?! PINKIE PIE IS THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO BREAK THE 4th wallIn me and William's series. Right William?

Narrator 2: You got that right Rachel. There is only room in our series for one fourth wall breaker, and that is Pinkie Pie!

Narrator: Thank you William. Now James and Rarity, get back into the story book and make with the pretending you hadn't heard and make with the shunting!

James/ Rarity: Ugh! Fine.

Narrator: Thank you, oh and here's a six pence. I couldn't have shut those two up without you,

Narrator 2: No problem. Glad to help a friend in need.

Narrator: You're the best William. (Clear throat) And so like I said, James and Rarity pretend they hadn't heard and just went on shunting.

Ha! Didn't expect 2 narrators, did you? Also, Chichester is an LB&SCR terrier, LB&SCR No.85. (They only went up to 84 however) and Song Cue (My pony self) is her main pony helper. The terriers are my favourite standard gauge design. Next is a story about Gordon again.