The Midnight Train Crossing

Rusty pulled the Rockies around the circle track and into the yard. The boxcars unhitched with a shout and skated up and down the hill.
"Lead to the left and box to the right," the Rockies sang, dancing, "The Rockies in the house, we're here tonight."
Rusty danced along with the Rockies, as long as his train was dancing he might as well too.
"R.O.C.K.I.E.S." the boxcars spelled, "Put your hands together, you know we're the best!"

Greaseball and his gang skated in around the circle track.
"Motivatin'!" Greaseball shouted.
"Acceleratin'!" the gang shouted back.
"Devastatin'!"
"Galvinatin'!"
They skated around the yard.
"Diesel!" they shouted, "D-d-d-diesel!"

Electra and his train skated around the track.
"E.L.E.C, Elec-electricity," they chanted, "Electricity is not for free... "
"So don't mess with me!" Electra shouted.
"So don't mess with me!" they components echoed.
Bobo pulled Ashley, Buffy, and Dinah in and they leaned over the side of the spiral ramp.
Greaseball and his gang, and Electra and his train skated around the tracks. Both trains repeated their chants.

"Who's in the house?" Rocky called.
"Rocky One, Two, Three yo!" the other two answered.
"Who's in the house?" Rocky repeated
"Rocky One, Two, Three yo!"

"The Rockies' got a rhyme, and it goes like this!" Rocky called, "Are you ready?"
"Ready, check it out, check it out," the other two Rockies answered.
"Are you ready?" Rocky asked again.
"Ready, check it out, check it out."
"Are you ready?"Rocky asked.
"Ready!" everyone shouted.
"Are you ready for the big one?" Rocky asked.
"Ready!"

"Are you ready for the big one starting any minute?" the boxcars rapped, "We're in it, you gotta be in it to win it. Gotta be in the frame if you're gonna win the game, are you ready for the big one?"
"Ready!" everyone shouted, returning to the yard.

"Check it out, check it out," they guys sang.
"Can you believe this?" the girls asked.
"Check it out, check it out!"
"Can you believe this?"

"Hey I make Electra the one they gotta beat," the components said.
Greaseball shook his head.
"Nah, diesel's wicked!" the gang shouted.
"Yeah diesel's sweet," the three coaches added, gazing down at Greaseball adoringly.
Poppa was sitting on the bridge with Dustin.
"Hey what about Rusty?" Poppa asked.
"You can't be serious!" everyone, except Rusty, Dustin and the Rockies shouted.
"Haven't got a chance against his superiors," Greaseball added with a laugh.
Bobo pulled the coaches down into the yard.

"Check it out boy," the Rockies sang.
"Are you ready for the big one starting any minute?" everyone rapped, "We're in it, you gotta be in it to win it. Gotta be in the frame if you're gonna win the game, are you ready for the big one? Ready!"

Greaseball and his gang skated up the spiral ramp to lead over the rail and look down into the yard.
Electra took the spotlight as he danced, everyone else dancing behind him.
"Are you ready for the big one? Ready!"

Rusty hitched the Rockies behind and pulled them around, past Electra and his train.
"If I were the winner of tonight's big fight, Pearl would come back," he said.
"Yeah that's right!" Dustin agreed.
"Well then win it," Flat Top said sarcastically, "That's all you gotta do."

"Hey Greaseball," Electra called, looking up at the diesel, "I'm talkin' to you."
Greaseball looked down at the electric engine.
"You still got that Dinah hanging on a lead?" Electra asked, "A new set of wheels is what you need... "
Dinah made a face at Electra. Greaseball and his gang rolled down into the yard.

"Check it out!" the Rockies called.
"Are you ready for the big one?" the cars asked.
"Ready!" the engines shouted.
"Check it out!"
"Are you ready for the big one?"
"Ready!"
"Check it out, check it out," the guys sang.
"Can you believe this?" the girls asked.
"Check it out, check it out,"
"Can you believe this?"

Greaseball snarled softly, getting everyone's attention.
"Any car here," the diesel said looking around, "Any car you can see would be proud... "
"Yeah proud!" the gang shouted, going down to their knees and bouncing back up.
"To ride with me," Greaseball said.
"But not Pearl," Rusty said, still at the head of the Rockies' train.
"Oh no?" Greaseball asked, "Pearl's like every other, she knows I'm a fast moving mother, Pearl knows she's a winner, she won't risk loosing the race with that floppy disk."
Electra and his train looked at each other and glared at Greaseball.

"Check it out, check it out, can you believe this?" they asked.
"Check it out, check it out, can you believe this?" Greaseball and his gang mimicked.

"Greaseball stop it," Dinah protested as Bobo pulled the coaches around.
"Shut it Dinah," Greaseball snarled.
"All my software is designer," Electra purred to Pearl.
"Pearl you know that he don't cut it," Greaseball said to her.
"Greaseball stop it!" Dinah whined.
"Dinah shut it!" everyone shouted.
Dinah fell silent, upset, as Bobo's train melted into the yard with the others.
"Pearl come on, it's time to choose," Greaseball said, "You wanna boil with the oil or lose with the fuse?"
"Swing it!" the Rockies shouted.

Pearl, dancing along with the others and then at Greaseball, trying to decide. Then she shrugged, it didn't really matter.

"Are you ready for the big one starting any minute?" everyone sang, dancing, "We're in it, you gotta be in it to win it, unless your name's in the frame you ain't in the game.
Ready for the big one? Ready!
Check it out, check it out! Can you believe this?
Check it out, check it out! Can you believe this?
Are you ready for the big one starting any minute?
We're in it, you gotta be in it to win it.
Unless your name's in the frame you ain't in the game.
Ready for the big one? Ready for the big one?
Ready!"

Poppa and Dustin skated up the bridge and away.
Rusty took the Rockies and rolled away down the tracks.

Greaseball skated over to Pearl.
"So what you say then Pearl?" Greaseball asked, "You wanna try a whirl? You hear me knocking?"
Pearl smiled and leaned over closer to the diesel.
"Knock, knock," she said.
"Who's there?" Greaseball asked.
"Pearl."
"Pearl who?"
"Pearlease let me go with you," she begged, hanging on him.
Greaseball smiled, "You hear me knocking."
"I hear you, you're knocking, it's shocking."

Dinah was stunned and hurt. She had unhitched from Bobo's train and glared up at Pearl.
"I hope you're satisfied with what you've done," she cried, "You could've had your choice and took my only one!" She buried her face in her hands.
"Hey come on Dinah," Pearl said, "It's only fun."
Dinah shook her head.
"So quit crying," Pearl said, "Quit crying."
"I'm pumping iron," Greaseball sang, unconcerned.

Electra collected his train and skated around the yard. He glared at Pearl and Greaseball.
"No one pulls the plug on me," he said, "Don't play with electricity! You'll both regret this when we race, the sparks will fly, the sparks will fly, will fly!"
He stopped and sniffed disdainfully as Greaseball and Pearl left, going up the hill and out of sight.
"Suddenly I feel polluted," he said and left.

Ashley and Buffy had started to leave with Bobo, but they unhitched when they saw Dinah standing in the center of the yard, crying her eyes out.
The other two coaches skated over to her.
"Hey Dinah what's wrong?" Ashley asked.
"Come on girl," Buffy said, "Why you crying?"
"You ain't got no reason... " Ashley started.
Buffy set a comforting hand on Dinah's shoulder. Dinah looked up and sniffed.
"Don't cry," Buffy said, "Tell me why."
"I've been... " Dinah started.
The other two coaches leaned in closer to her.
"Gee it's awful!" she exclaimed, "I know it's absurd. I've been... "
"No," Dinah said, skating her head, "I can't say it."
Ashley and Buffy sighed and pulled away again.
"I can't say the word," Dinah said.
The other two coaches looked at each other and then moved off to either side, letting Dinah work out her feelings.

"I've been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D," Dinah sang, "I can't bring myself to say it, no sirree." She sighed, "I'm a carriage with no marriage, I'm a van without a man." She took a breath, "I've been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D."
Ashley and Buffy were silent, letting Dinah alone. Ashley started another cigarette.
"Was I corroded?" Dinah asked, skating over to Buffy, "or overloaded?"
She reached down and lifted up the edge of her skirt, looking down at herself.
She gasped and quickly pulled her skirt back down.
"Maybe I shamed him," she continued, skating over to Ashley, "who would have blamed him?"
She rolled back to the center of the yard.
"If he thought me," she gasped, "second-class!" She rolled back, "Went in search of chrome and brass went to find another fool like me."
Ashley and Buffy skated over to have a whispered conference behind Dinah's back.

"And I'm just U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D," Dinah sang, coming forward again, "I can't seem to stop C.R.Y.I.N.G." She wiped away a tear. Ashley and Buffy, with a glance at each other, skated back over to the sides.
"People look at me and think, 'There she goes, the missing link," Dinah pointed out into the distance, pretending to be the "People." She dropped down, whispering behind a hand, "She's been U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.'"

She stood up angrily, "And I'm just U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D," she sang, "but I'll get my R.E.V.E.N.G.E."
Ashley and Buffy looked up, interested.
"He'll come crawling back one day," Dinah sang, picturing it, "and I'll turn to him and say 'Go away, you B.A.S.T.A.R.D.'!"
The other two coaches nodded approvingly.

Dinah sighed, put her hand on her heart, and shook her head. No, she couldn't do that.
She rolled over to the circle track and laid down face down on the track.
Buffy skated out to the center of the yard.

"Now listen, sugah," Buffy started, "if you want him back... "
Dinah looked up and nodded vigorously before putting her head back down.
"You'll never get him if you don't attack," Buffy said.
Dinah looked up again and sat up.
"You gotta make it so that he can't guess when you are saying 'no'," Buffy continued.
Dinah sighed.
"But meaning 'yes'," Buffy finished.
She had caught Dinah's attention now.
Ashley skated over towards Buffy.

"Slow down," Ashley sang, "you gotta keep him waiting all night!"
With a shout, the two coaches started dancing. Moving perfectly together Ashley and Buffy whirled around, going up and down.
"Deep down inside you know that you are the best," the two sang, "So come on baby put it to the test. Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night."
Dinah, kneeling on the circle track, watched the other two whirl around together in the yard.
"Rolling stock, you're rolling stock," they sang.
"So let him look around and find you gone," Buffy said.
"Rolling stock, you're rolling stock."
Dinah understood, and she looked up, her mouth forming an "O". She started to get up, fixed her hair and smoothed her skirt.

Ashley turned to Dinah, "How long you think he's gonna carry on?"
Dinah joined the other two coaches, Ashley and Buffy on either side of her.
"Come on and heat it up the way you do," they sang.
"The way I do!" Dinah sang.
"No one can keep it going longer then you," the other two sang, "Don't stop now, you gotta keep it going all night. Rolling Stock, you're rolling stock!"
All three coaches were moving together now.

"So get the motion in your wheels and say:" Ashley and Buffy sang, "Rolling stock, you're rolling stock."
"From here on in it's independence day yeah!" Dinah sang out.
"Rolling stock, you're rolling stock," the other two sang.
"I won't stop," Dinah said, determined now.
"Rolling stock, you're rolling stock!"
"I won't stop!"
"Rolling stock, you're rolling stock!"
"I won't stop!"
"Rolling stock!" Ashley and Buffy sank to one knee on either side of Dinah and looked at each other, then up at Dinah.

"Til you see him slowing," they sang together.
Dinah nodded, she'd get him back.
"Then everything will be... " Ashley and Buffy started.
"All right!" Dinah finished.
"Keep it, keep it, keep it, keep it going all night," the other two chanted.
They gathered together, helping Dinah preen for the rest of her night.

Purse skated over.
"Dinah you're honored," he started, "Electra has chosen... "
After a glance at the other two, Dinah nodded.
"Yeah, okay I'll race with him," she said, grabbing Purse's rings.
He started out, pulling her along.
"But if Greaseball changes his mind... " she added.

Ashley looked up to see Bobo and Rusty lurking up the hill on the tracks.
She turned to Buffy, "So who do we go with?"
Bobo came down the hill towards the coaches.
"You and the French train make a great team," Buffy said.
Ashley hitched behind Bobo, they all knew she'd be going with him anyway.
"You take Rusty," she said, with a smile, "Use a head of steam."
Buffy made a face at Ashley as the smoking car left with her engine.

"Crazy," she sang, "I'm stuck with the slow one, it's crazy."
Rusty came down the hill and around behind Buffy, just in time to hear that.
"Hey!" he shouted. He backed up towards her, offering her his couplings, "It's me or it's no one," he said, "I'm crazy, goin' crazy."
He took Buffy up and down the hill.
"Goin' crazy, goin' crazy," they sang as they left the yard together.