The situation was more dire than ever, not only because every other pony passenger aboard the Endtrak Express had been abducted by those beetles, but that the battle was now about to commence atop a moving train. It was unknown what the Stagma Beetles were after, though Sunset deduced that they were most likely here for food, as they had been stated to be one of the main natural predators of ponies. This was the case, as these beetles had been in an eternal slumber within Canterlot Library's restricted section, centuries without food, and were primarily there to deter anyone from Clover the Clever's hidden shrine. Wherever these beetles came from, Sunset knew that it was certainly up to her to save the other passengers, while also protecting her students.
"What are we going to do!?" Gallus shrieked. "Ocellus, are these relatives of yours, by any chance? Can you speak their language!?"
"I may be a bug creature, but I can't speak to bugs!" Ocellus replied. "I've never even seen these big red bugs before, never mind knowing if I can speak their native tongue!"
"I can try something!" Silverstream volunteered. "Let's see... Bzzzt! BZZZZZZZZZT!!! Aw, it didn't work..."
"Those sounds would only make sense if they were bees or mosquitoes!" Smolder sighed. "Either way, looks like we're all about to become some hardcore beetle exterminators, isn't that right, every creature!?"
"Mean nasty beetles have Sandbar in their grip!" Yona snorted angrily. "Yona say... WE CHARGE!!!"
As the yak began to charge forward like a bull, she was immediately stopped by Sunset, who knew that these beetles were unlike any other species in Equestria, and were capable of devouring fully healthy ponies.
"Yona, stop!" Sunset held the yak back with all her strength. "These aren't ordinary bugs, and charging headfirst into them isn't going to help. We need to come up with a plan first!"
"But Sandbar's already been abducted!" Ocellus said, worried. "The longer we wait, the worse the situation will be for everypony trapped in that horde!"
"I know, but we can't just rush in there." Sunset tried to keep herself calm. "If we don't have a plan, we'll end up like the rest of the passengers."
"What even are these things, anyways!?" Smolder glared at the pile of vicious beetles. "And how did they even get aboard the train!?"
"They're called Stagma Beetles!" Sunset began explaining. "They're the natural predators of ponies, and they're capable of breathing fire! Whatever you do, stay back from them until we have a thorough plan! "
"That's it?" Smolder raised an eyebrow, before smirking. "Well fortunately, five of us here are not ponies, and one of us five is also fireproof, even if she lost her dragon fire recently. Stay back and watch, this should be a snap."
By this point, the Stagma Beetles had completely obscured the passengers from view, doing anything they could to prevent their prey from potentially escaping. Smolder marched right up to the beetle swarm, and was ready to put her bravery to the ultimate test.
"Hey, ugly beetles!" Smolder pointed at the swarm, which gathered their attention. "You think you're hot stuff, huh!? Well, get a load of this!"
Despite no longer possessing her own dragon fire, Smolder inhaled deeply, before emitting a large cloud of soot at the beetles, which only acted as a mere annoyance to them. In response, the Stagma Beetles simply shook the soot off, and retaliated by breathing their own streams of flames at the dragon. Smolder let the attacks come her way, before she suddenly realized that the fires actually caused a burning sensation on her body, and even charred her scales. She ended up flinching and falling back, before shaking the char marks off of her.
"Well that... didn't go as planned." Smolder picked herself up. "Either losing my dragon fire also made me lose my immunity to fire, or those beetles can breathe flames hotter than the sun!"
"Maybe both, actually." Sunset speculated. "Although I've never actually seen them before, I've studied these beetles back at the School For Gifted Unicorns. Stagma Beetles are known to have a high resistance to heat and fire! Without your dragon fire, Smolder, you're just as vulnerable as the rest of us."
"Well, what are we supposed to do now?" Gallus said, looking back at the swarm. "We've gotta save Sandbar and everypony else before they get eaten!"
"Miss Sunset, I know you said we need a plan, but it seems like we have no choice but to improvise!" Ocellus gave her piece. "We don't really have a lot of time to strategically plan something out, when everypony's lives are on the line!"
"Alright, I suppose you have a point." Sunset conceded, realizing that Ocellus was right. "Let's not panic, and bear in mind that we need to work together to get through this. Silverstream, can you distract the beetles, while the rest of us sneak over to save the passengers?"
"I'll do my best!" Silverstream said, determined, before she flew over to the swarm. "Hey, red beetle thingies! You want to see a magic trick!?"
The hippogriff used her powers to shapeshift into a seapony, before using her tail fin to whack into the beetle swarm, pushing them back. As they recovered, she then quickly darted behind them and began using her tail fin to keep them distracted with more whacks, some of which had begun to temporarily stun them.
"Alright, looks like Silverstream's bought us some time." Smolder noted. "What next?"
"We need to use our own abilities to our advantage, and theirs against them!" Sunset encouraged, before giving instructions. "Yona, you think you can plow down those beetles, like you did with those doors at Bridlewood Station? But aim for the side of the swarm, and try to knock some of those beetles off of the train!"
"EVIL BUGS, YOU WILL BE! OUR! FRIENDS!" Yona charged forward, using her body as a battering ram against the side of the beetle swarm, knocking some of them off the Endtrak Express's roof, before noticing Sandbar at the bottom. "Sandbar, Yona must save you from nasty mean bugs!"
"B-But you need to focus on stopping the beetles, not getting me out!" Sandbar tried to warn Yona, before noticing that the beetles' grip on him was getting even tighter than before.
"Yona!" Sunset called out from a distance. "There's too many beetles, we can't rescue anypony until we've dispersed them apart!"
"O-Okay!" Yona replied, before charging back into the swarm, knocking more beetles off the train and away from Sandbar. "Sandbar, Yona will save you! Don't worry!"
"Alright, Chaperone." Smolder looked back at Sunset. "Anything we can do? Yona and Silverstream can't hold them off forever."
"Actually, yes." Sunset began to formulate her plan. "Smolder, I want you to try and distract the beetles on top with your smoke breath, while I knock away the beetles in the center of the swarm. Once we have a clear path, we can all rush in and rescue everypony! Ocellus, Gallus, can you two follow behind me and try your best to rescue the passengers while we do this?"
"Sure thing, chaperone!" Gallus nodded. "Those pesky pests won't hurt our Sandbar!"
"We won't let you down, Miss Sunset!" Ocellus turned to the swarm. "Never thought I'd get to fight another swarm, like I did when I was under the reign of Queen Chrysalis!"
Smolder immediately flew upwards and emitted a large cloud of smoke and soot to distract most of the beetles, though this also inadvertently began to affect the passengers on top, in a form of collateral damage.
"Ughhh!" Mr. Ramsay coughed from within the pile of beetles. "If I could feel my hooves right now, I'd pulverize these vermin for reminding me of the time some donkey in the kitchen was cooking with a burnt frying pan!"
As the beetles were blinded and slowed down by the smoke cloud, Sunset ran straight into the horde, using her strength and martial art skills to kick away some of the beetles in her path, whilst Gallus and Ocellus did the same. The griffon and changeling suddenly noticed Sandbar, and realized that as they were plowing away most of the beetles at this point, this was their perfect chance to rescue their friend.
"Sandbar, there you are!" Gallus pointed. "We gave those beetles a good thrashing, huh? Quickly, grab on!"
"That's right, don't you worry!" Ocellus assured. "Just grab onto one of us, and we'll fly you out of here!"
Sandbar held onto his friends for dear life, and had soon been pulled away from the Stagma Beetles' relentless grip. Gallus and Ocellus then flew Sandbar over to safety, as they turned back to notice Sunset, Silverstream, Smolder, and Yona, all fighting for the freedom of the other passengers.
"One down, eight more to go!" Gallus said, proudly, as they still had to rescue Mayor Skies, Petunia, Torque, Kerfuffle, Barley and Pickle Barrel, Sour Sweet, and Mr. Ramsay.
"Maybe twelve more if we don't help Miss Sunset and our other friends!" Ocellus dreaded. "Come on, we've got to stop these vile bugs!"
Just then, Smolder had run out of her smoke and soot breath, as a result of her drained dragon fire. The dragon slowly descended down onto the train's roof, completely out of breath, and exhausted from using her energy for this. The Stagma Beetles quickly noticed that the smoke was gone, and finally turned their attention to Yona, Silverstream, and Sunset, who were all attacking their colony. They had gotten used to the yak and hippogriff's pattern of attacks, before strategically waiting for them to come around the corner. Suddenly, a massive pile of beetles dropped from atop the swarm, crushing Yona and Silverstream with their weight.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Yona shrieked. "BAD! BAD! EVIL BUGS!"
"Why are bugs on the land so cruel!?" Silverstream whimpered.
As this was happening, Sunset was among the midst of the swarm, and had suddenly managed to free Sour Sweet. She was dreading when the beetles would suddenly take notice of her, now that there was no one else distracting them. Sunset pulled Sour Sweet out, before the pegasus used her flight and speed to rescue both Sunset and herself. While they had indeed made some progress to rescue every passenger, it seemed to only be in vain, since Yona and Silverstream were now trapped underneath the beetles.
"Thank you, Sunset!" Sour Sweet said, gratefully. "Maybe you should consider being a royal guard, you've got that sort of determination!"
"That's what friends are for, after all." Sunset smiled. "But right now, we've got to save Yona, Silverstream, and everypony else trapped in that swarm!"
"Sorry Miss Sunset..." Smolder coughed. "I'm afraid that I'm completely out of breath now, those beetles were able to shrug off my soot like it was nothing!"
"It's alright, Smolder." Sunset said, understandingly. "We'll just have to find another way to deal with them, but for now, we should focus on freeing Yona and Silverstream. Let's see if we can find something heavy nearby to use as a weapon against those bugs."
As the group pondered for new ways to deal with the Stagma Beetles, Ocellus was the first to notice more trouble coming their way.
"Uhhhh, Miss Sunset?" Ocellus tapped her chaperone on the shoulder. "You know those beetles that Yona and Silverstream managed to knock off the train earlier? It looks like they're all crawling back, fast!"
Everyone looked back, and noticed a whole group of Stagma Beetles keeping up with the fast train, proving to have tremendous agility and smell. Some of them were already catching up with the train, and began climbing back aboard.
"Bugs that can keep up with a moving train!?" Smolder's jaw dropped. "What kind of sorcery is this!?"
"We'll hold them off for a bit, while you and Sour Sweet focus on the main swarm!" Gallus proposed, as he, Ocellus, and Smolder ran over to keep the relentless Stagma Beetles at bay, especially the ones that had already climbed back onto the roof.
"Hang on a second, Sandbar." Sunset stopped the Earth pony from following them. "Do you remember how those beetles ended up on the train? And how did they end up abducting you and Sour Sweet?"
"I'm not sure how it happened!" Sandbar recalled. "All I remember is, I overheard everypony getting ready for breakfast this morning, since Mr. Ramsay announced that he was finally going to make his sticky toffee pudding for the passengers! However, when I went into the dining room, I was confused at the fact that nopony was around! Suddenly, something out of nowhere knocked me unconscious, and the next thing I knew, I had awoken to the grip of all those red bugs!"
"I guess those things snuck aboard the train last night, and slowly kidnapped the passengers, one by one!" Sunset deduced from Sandbar's testimony. "What about you, Sour Sweet?"
"I was getting ready for breakfast as well, when all of a sudden, I began to vaguely smell smoke coming from somewhere!" Sour Sweet explained. "I went outside my cabin to check what it was, and became alarmed when I realized that nopony else was around! So I found a fire extinguisher, but just as I went to grab it, I felt a sharp pinch on the back of my hoof, and was out cold! And just like Sandbar, I also got surrounded by those awful beetles when I had awoken!"
"Sharp pinch?" Sunset's eyes widened. "Those things must have a bite that causes paralysis, we've gotta be extra careful, then! But what can we do now to deal with the main swarm?"
"Wait... that's it!" Sandbar began suggesting a solution. "A fire extinguisher, maybe that'll wash up those bugs!
"Good thinking!" Sunset agreed, before turning to Sour Sweet. "Do you remember where it was located on the train?"
"Yeah!" Sour Sweet nodded, confidently. "It was right next to the kitchen, but when I got bitten, I must've dropped it! I sure hope Mr. Ramsay won't be mad at me using it, in case his kitchen catches fire!"
"I think Mr. Ramsay has way more important things to worry about right now!" Sandbar replied. "Like... becoming an entrée himself, for once!"
"I'm aware, but I just know how Mr. Ramsay can get sometimes, when we touch his equipment, unsupervised!" Sour Sweet said, before climbing back into the train coach, and flying back out with the same fire extinguisher that she had dropped a few hours ago. "Either way, it seems we don't have much of a choice now!"
"Now that we've got the fire extinguisher, hopefully we can weaken the swarm!" Sunset took the fire extinguisher from Sour Sweet, and began to slowly approach the Stagma Beetles, which were all leaning more toward finally beginning their feast. "Sour Sweet, try to save some of the other passengers with your flight, while I spray those beetles!"
"Got it!" Sour Sweet nodded, and immediately took flight.
Sunset knew that she had to do her best to avoid spraying the passengers, as the chemicals inside were harmful. She took a deep breath, aimed the nozzle, and sprayed the liquids in one swift motion, dousing a good portion of the swarm in a blinding, white mist. The Stagma Beetles began to react adversely, as the chemicals weakened their grip and eyesight, along with their movements becoming much more sluggish and disoriented. Many of them had dropped from the pile, their bodies coated in a thick white powder, and unable to move around anymore.
Sunset realized that the spray was most likely causing a chemical reaction in conjunction with the beetles' fire breath, and likely just stunning them temporarily. However, whatever it was doing to the beetles, it had managed to buy enough time, allowing Sour Sweet to successfully rescue both Yona and Silverstream from the doused beetle piles. The pegasus coughed and sputtered from inhaling a bit of the fire extinguisher, but she eventually managed to pick the yak and hippogriff up, and away from the swarm.
"T-Thank you very much for saving Yona and Silverstream from evil bugs!" Yona thanked. "Sour Sweet isn't such bad pony after all! Yona so sorry that she and Silverstream said such nasty things about you behind back!"
"It's no proble-" Sour Sweet replied, before parsing Yona's last statement. "What did you two say about me?"
"Oh, uh, nothing important." Silverstream fidgeted her claws, nervously. "But for now, we've got to help Miss Sunset save the rest of those passengers!"
"Alright, whatever it was, I deserved it for making a bad first impression." Sour Sweet laughed it off. "But yeah, we've still got plenty of passengers to save!"
Just as Sunset believed she finally had the upper hand against the beetles, she had inevitably run out of fire extinguisher spray. Although the coverage doused a good portion of the swarm, there were still way too many beetles that managed to avoid the chemical paralysis, and began to focus their attention back onto Sunset. Their main goal now was to begin devouring the pony passengers, but the beetles knew that they couldn't do so in peace, not until they found a way to fend off these remaining creatures with ease.
The Stagma Beetles gathered together, forming a gargantuan, shifting mass of chitinous armor and razor-sharp mandibles. They moved slowly at first, but their numbers were overwhelming, and their determination became unshakeable. Sunset desperately tried to get any remaining fire extinguisher spray out, but realized it was no use, before throwing the container at the beetles, in a last-ditch effort attack. The strong shells of those beetles had instead managed to deflect the object away from the train's roof, and they began getting ready to initiate their plan to overwhelm Sunset as a whole swarm.
Sunset began to carefully back away, knowing that the Stagma Beetles were planning to strike at any moment. The air around her seemed to hum with their collective anger and determination, as the beetles gathered into a terrifying mass. However, Sunset would soon realize she was simply backing herself into a corner, as Gallus, Ocellus, and Smolder had struggled severely to fend off the beetles on the opposite side of the train. Those same beetles that had been knocked off of the train earlier began crawling around the sides of the coaches, and eventually reassembled with the entire colony. Even the beetles that had been stunned with the fire extinguisher spray had started to regain their consciousness, and returned to the entire swarm, amassing their strength in great numbers.
By this point, the Stagma Beetles knew they had to act fast and decisively, if they were to stand any chance of overwhelming the group before them. With a unified roar that echoed across the train, the beetles launched themselves up into the air, creating an almost tower-like structure, and determined to slam down onto the Endtrak Express's roof. Eventually, the beetles finally closed in, their mandibles clicking menacingly as they prepared to strike. Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the six students weren't able to see the attack coming, and despite efforts to evade the strike, it was already too late. The tower of beetles collapsed onto the entire group with such heavy force, that they fell through the train's roof, and landed back within the coaches. With the attack successful, the Stagma Beetles retreated away in the opposite direction, hoping that they could finally devour their meals.
Sunset slowly got back up, whilst also helping Sour Sweet and the other students up from the train's debris. She knew that they had no choice now but to find something aboard the train to stop those beetles, before it was too late.
"Alright, everyone!" Sunset said to the entire group, determined. "We need to find something on the train to stop those beetles, fast! They'll devour every passenger if we don't do something soon!"
"Well, did those beetles end up kidnapping everyone aboard the train?" Sandbar asked. "If not, maybe we can ask them for something else to deal with the swarm!"
"I think I saw Mr. Ramsay's pet lamb in the kitchen there." Silverstream pointed. "But I don't think he'll be able to eat those beetles, at least not without enough lamb sauce. Where are we supposed to get that much sauce?"
"Seriously, though." Gallus looked around the train. "Did anyone else aboard the train manage to avoid getting taken away by those red bugs?"
"Actually... there was the conductor!" Sunset recalled. "I'm guessing the main reason that the Stagma Beetles couldn't get to him, or any of us, was because of our locked doors!"
"Wait, but didn't Sandbar unlock your cabin's door when he went outside for breakfast?" Sour Sweet questioned. "How did the door stay locked?"
"Well, I don't think I unlocked it." Sandbar recalled. "I just turned the handle until it clicked, and then it opened."
"I think Petunia might've mentioned that the doors can lock from the inside." Smolder said. "Either way, I don't really think that'll help our current predicament, we've gotta find the conductor!"
"Should we climb back onto roof to save pony passengers from evil bugs?" Yona suggested.
"We can't face those beetles again without a foolproof backup plan." Sour Sweet objected. "Otherwise, the same thing will happen to us again. Dunno about you creatures, but getting shoved through a train's roof is not pleasant at all."
"Hopefully the conductor can help us out here..." Sunset said, before getting ready to run back over to the front of the train. "Come on, every creature, maybe he has some kind of bug repellent!"
The two chaperones and six students rushed over to the conductor's room, where the stallion was still doing his best to operate the train under these dire circumstances. Sunset knocked on the door and was immediately let in by him, followed by the rest of the group.
"I'm happy to see that you passengers are all okay!" The conductor shook in fear. "I have no clue where those vicious bugs came from, but they must've tampered with something on the train, since these controls aren't responding as well as I'd like them to!"
"We may all be okay, but the rest of the passengers certainly are not!" Silverstream reported. "In fact, if we don't do something fast, every one of our passengers will become dinner to those red beetles, served with a side of lamb sauce!"
"The passengers have been kidnapped!?" The conductor's eyes widened. "Oh dear, I... certainly didn't train for this on the job!"
"And those beetle things can breathe fire, too!" Silverstream added. "How awful, right!?"
"Hey, come on!" Sandbar frowned. "No need to say that in front of Smolder, right?"
"Eh, in all fairness..." Smolder shrugged. "I can kinda understand why we fire breathers don't always have the best reputation around Equestria. Remember when I told you all about that one dragon who pretended to be Spike's dad, and didn't even do a very good job at it?"
"Let's not get sidetracked." Ocellus spoke up. "Mr. Conductor, we were hoping to find something on the train that could help us rescue the passengers from those beetles."
"They've got everypony captive on the train's roof as we speak." Gallus pointed. "You got anything that'll teach those bugs a lesson they'll never forget?"
"I-I'm not sure, but I do know there's some bug spray in one of my compartments back here." The conductor took the bug spray out, and handed it to Sunset. "I have no idea if it'll work on those big red bugs, but it might help? And unfortunately, I have to keep driving the train, so I can't help you out further beyond this..."
"Don't worry, Mr. Conductor." Sunset assured. "We'll figure something out with what we have. Hopefully this bug spray can at least help us rescue everypony, though I'm still unsure of how we can get rid of all those beetles for good..."
"Wait a minute... did you just mention that those bugs can breathe fire?" The conductor's eyes widened, having a new foreboding feeling.
"Evil bugs managed to breathe fire hot enough to scorch dragon friend, Smolder!" Yona nodded. "Why?"
"Oh dear... that might explain why some of the train's controls have been irresponsive!" The conductor began freaking out. According to the red light here, the boiler room seems to be overheating, likely caused by a nearby source of heat! If the water tank's stability goes past a certain limit, the boiler would explode, and the entire train could DERAIL!!!"
"You mean to tell me that if the boiler room overheats, we could ALL BE DONE FOR!?!" Sour Sweet began panicking.
"Yes, that's precisely what I'm afraid of!" The conductor wiped the sweat off his brow. "Normally in emergencies like this, I would have to ask you all to evacuate the train immediately, but for whatever reason, the brakes seem to be jammed, and I can't seem to stop the train! What to do...!?!"
"Wait a second now, why not just refill the water tank, if there's any spare water aboard the train?" Silverstream suggested. "That's a safety procedure I was taught, if by some chance, a train's boiler begins to overheat in the middle of departure!"
"Well that's just it... I don't know why the water supply has become so dangerously low!" The conductor scratched his head. "When we were refueling the train at Bridlewood Station, Torque used the pumps to give the Endtrak Express maximum fuel and water! I know from experience that the train uses up way more fuel than water, so the fact that I still have around 80% fuel, and only 15% water left... is rather bizarre!"
Just then, an unusual noise came from behind the students, pointing everyone's attention toward the boiler room. There appeared to be hissing steam noises and sounds of metal clanking, prompting Sunset to investigate. As the conductor pressed a button to unlock the boiler room's door, Sunset opened it, and immediately saw from the water tank's window, a bunch of Stagma Beetles practically swimming around in the boiling hot liquid. There was a hole atop the boiler room's roof, that the beetles had presumably bitten through to get down here. Sunset warned everyone behind her to step back, before sprinkling the bug spray everywhere, creating an unpleasant odor. As the beetles reacted adversely to the spray, they crawled their way back out through the boiler room's roof, and retreated back to their colony.
"There's your answer, Mr. Conductor." Gallus observed. "Looks like those beetles used your boiler room's water tank as a juice bar to quench their thirst."
"But... that water is quite literally broiling hot!" The conductor said, aghast. "How can those bugs stand such devastating temperatures!?"
"The same way we dragons can swim through lava like it's a cool lake, I suppose." Smolder shrugged. "Well, you've got some water left, by the looks of it. I guess we're okay for now?"
Suddenly, the train's emergency alarm began to sound, indicating dangerously insufficient water coming within the boiler. The conductor knew what this meant, but tried to keep himself calm, despite the circumstances.
"If the water supply fully evaporates, the entire train will blow up, and none of us will ever see the light of day again!" The conductor shrieked. "We... MUST make sure that those bugs don't pay another visit to the boiler room! I only have 13% of the water remaining, and judging by that percentage, I might have EXACTLY enough to reach Hope Hollow! It'll be a close shave, for sure!"
Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students all looked to each other in concern, realizing that everyone's lives truly were on the line now. However, they all kept Sour Sweet's suggestion in mind, that if they could find additional sources of water to keep the boiler's water supply sufficient, the Endtrak Express would at least have some form of insurance.
"Hey, isn't there a kitchen aboard the train?" Sandbar recalled. "Why don't we just use the sink to get some more water?"
"I'm afraid that won't do, since the kitchen's pipeline also shares water from the boiler room!" The conductor explained. "What little water we have left now is unfortunately all we've truly got!"
"Ironic that I actually went out to sea yesterday." Sunset sighed. "Surrounded by all that sea water, yet I can't use any of that now to help us all get out of this predicament..."
"Weren't there some leftover water bottles in the dining room from last night?" Gallus recalled. "It might not be much, but we've got to make sure this boiler doesn't explode, like the first time Grampa Gruff saw my report card!"
"Good idea, Gallus!" Sunset nodded. "Quickly, everyone! Gather any and all water bottles you can find in the dining car, we've got to save the train, and everyone aboard!"
As Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the six students hurried over to the dining coach, they frantically searched through the remnants of the feast from the previous night. There were a few scattered water bottles here and there, some half-empty, and others still sealed. They quickly filled a crate with as many as they could find, and began making their way back to the boiler room. Along the way, Ocellus overheard some strange noises coming from the hole in the train's floor, the same one Sunset had crawled into last night to investigate the mysterious culprit.
"Hmm, that sounds... pretty similar to the noises those beetles make." Ocellus said to herself. "I might just be hearing things though.
Everyone eventually arrived back at the boiler room and began to desperately fill the water tank with as much water as they could possibly salvage. As soon as the group ran out of water bottles, it seemed to get the job done, as the conductor soon realized that the tank's capacity went all the way back up to 30%.
"It seems like your idea worked!" The conductor announced. "We're now at a safe percentage, and I should be able to make it to Hope Hollow without any further problems! Well, provided that we can keep those red bugs from coming back to drink any more water..."
"As long as we've got the bug spray, it'll at least keep them back for a while." Sandbar reminded.
"I just hope that no one's going to become dehydrated along the way, now." Smolder looked over to the now empty water bottles.
"Well, maybe we can find a way to get more water somewhere along the way." Sunset reassured. "In the meantime, we've still got some vicious beetles on top of the train to exterminate."
"So we should continue finding more water or smashing evil red bugs?" Yona asked.
"I'm thinking we can do both." Sour Sweet said, confidently. "We can find more water as we go along, and if we come across any more of those beetles, we can deal with them then. By the way, Mr. Conductor? Do you have any idea what's in that bug spray, and what made those beetles scram?"
"Well, it's a powerful insecticide, but I don't know the specifics of it, since it was left here by the maintenance crew." The conductor replied. "All I know for certain, is that it somehow works wonders on those beetles!"
"Hmm, interesting." Sunset read the labels on the bug spray. "It looks like this stuff contains something called 'pyrethroids', which are synthetic chemicals designed to mimic the active ingredients found in chrysanthemums. These pyrethroids can be highly effective against insects, and they're often used in pesticides and insecticides. So that's why the bug spray works so well against those red beetles!"
"Errr, what now?" Silverstream scratched her head. "I have like, no idea what you just said, other than the fact that this spray will keep those beetles back."
"It's mostly just what I read on the labels, combined with what I remember learning back in chemistry class." Sunset reflected. "Either way, from what I can understand, we can mostly push those beetles back as much as we need, but how exactly would that help us?"
"Perhaps we can force them into a corner, and keep them distracted long enough to save the rest of the passengers!" Sour Sweet suggested. "We'd better hurry though, before everypony becomes dinner to those awful bugs!"
"It sounds good in theory, but... how would we actually get rid of those beetles for good?" Ocellus inquired. "You saw what happened earlier when we tried knocking those beetles off the train, they were persistent enough to climb back aboard to continue wreaking havoc."
"That's a good point." Sunset nodded. "Well, I guess we could keep using the bug spray to push them back, and hope that we can find a way to trap them somewhere. Or maybe there's some other insecticide we can use that would be more effective against them?"
"I'm sure we can figure something out." Gallus shrugged. "For now though, it seems like our first priority is to rescue the rest of the pony passengers trapped above us!"
"Let's just hope we're not too late!" Silverstream worried, as the entire crew left the conductor's room, and climbed up a ladder to reach the top of the Entrak Express's engine.
Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students all looked back in the opposite direction, the train moving rather swiftly along the tracks. The beetles still swarmed atop the train, crawling over each other and the trapped passengers, feeling famished after literal centuries of being dormant without food. Their red shells glistened in the sunlight, and their exoskeletons clicked and clacked as they moved forward, preparing for the biggest meal they would've ever had. Sunset saw this, and knew that time was of the essence, but kept in mind that she still needed to figure out a way to get rid of those beetles for good.
"Let's focus on getting to those passengers first!" Sunset instructed the rest of her group. "Once we get them all to safety, we'll back and figure out how to deal with these beetles once and for all!"
As the entire group approached the colony, attempting to do what they had done before to rescue the passengers from the swarm, the Stagma Beetles had anticipated this. Every single beetle turned around to see that their attackers were still tenacious enough to continue the battle, which only enraged the red bugs. In unison, the Stagma Beetles began clicking their mandibles angrily and prepared to attack, prompting Sunset and her group to start approaching with caution. Enraged by the intrusion of their meal, the entire swarm got closer to Sunset, Sour Sweet, and the students, before spitting out a strange and green gooey substance on their limbs, which appeared to stick them to the train's roof.
"Ewwww, what is this stuff!?" Gallus tried to move away from his current position.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't seem too different from that goop we used to trap intruders back at the hive!" Ocellus reflected.
"Ugh, why do evil bugs have to be so nasty!?" Yona struggled to move herself from the patches of goop.
"Well, at least now we know they're not picky about who they use their slime on!" Sandbar said. "Let's just focus on getting out of this and saving those ponies!"
"Not even the sea ever had anything this icky and tough!" Silverstream continued struggling. "How do we even get out of this nasty slime!?"
"Hang on, didn't I manage to almost stagger those beetles earlier with my smoke breath?" Smolder recalled. "If I can breathe out some hot soot, maybe it'll melt the goop up!"
"It's worth a shot, I suppose." Sunset agreed. "But are you sure you still have some soot left in you?"
"I'll do my best, Chaperone!" Smolder said, confidently. "Just give me a second to gather some soot in my throat!"
Smolder then began to breathe in deeply, her mind forcing herself to concentrate on creating the soot that she needed. After a few moments, she let out a long, slow breath, exhaling a cloud of dark gray soot that swirled around the entire group, before dissipating completely in the wind. Everyone began coughing and fanning away the soot from their faces, before noticing that the goop around their limbs had not only hardened, but began to crack apart from the soot's heat. Sunset and the six students continued to break free from the goop, but still needed some extra time and effort to do so.
However, Sour Sweet was lucky enough to free herself from her restraint, as the goop had only managed to trap one of her hooves. Seeing this, the Stagma Beetles came back over, realizing that they now had another potential meal in the form of Sour Sweet. The entire swarm began to tower over the group, as Sunset and Sour Sweet's eyes widened, now desperate to keep the swarm away at all costs.
"Sunset, the bug spray!" Sour Sweet reminded. "I can keep them back and hopefully rescue the passengers while you and the students break free!"
"Alright, be careful out there, Sour Sweet!" Sunset tossed Sour Sweet the bug spray, before turning to the students. "Everyone, stay close together! We'll work together to take down the beetles and rescue everypony trapped in that swarm!"
As Sour Sweet sprinkled the bug spray at the Stagma Beetles, it hit their exoskeletons, causing them to writhe and squirm in pain, and forcing the entire swarm to start retreating.
"Come on, you little pests!" Sour Sweet yelled, spraying the remaining beetles, and sending them scattering away from the main colony.
While Sour Sweet was busy pushing the beetles back, Smolder continued to work overtime to breathe out her soot, which continuously deteriorated the goop holding them in place. It took a lot of effort on Smolder's part, but eventually, the goop began to crumble and shatter apart, freeing Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream completely. The three students then used what little strength and teamwork they had to free everyone else, as they knew that Sour Sweet couldn't hold the beetles off for much longer.
"Huff... huff..." Smolder panted. "Who knew that giving up my dragon fire could make breathing soot more difficult than friendship exams I hadn't studied for?"
"Well, you did manage to help save the day, so I guess it was all worth it." Sandbar continued to stay positive.
As Sour Sweet continued to valiantly defend her group from the swarm of Stagma Beetles, she managed to keep them at bay for several more seconds. Just as she was about to continue relentlessly spraying, she spotted something else moving among the squirming insects. At first, she thought it was simply another beetle, but then realized it was one of the passengers from the train, struggling to free themselves from the beetles' grip.
"Help! I can't breathe!" Mayor Skies cried out, flailing his hooves helplessly. "Let me go!"
"Hold on, I'm coming to get you!" Sour Sweet yelled, setting aside the bug spray, and dashing toward the struggling stallion.
As she approached, the beetles hissed angrily, trying to fend her off, but Sour Sweet was determined. With a mighty leap, she dug her way through the swarm and landed in front of the mayor, quickly using her hooves to pry the beetles off of him. On the opposite side of the train, Sunset and the students had finally freed themselves with enough teamwork and determination. Being the chaperone of this field trip, Sunset made certain that every student was completely free from the goop, and were now ready to continue assisting Sour Sweet with the struggling battle against these vile and vicious red beetles.
"Well, I'll give you this much." Gallus gave his input. "This is probably the most fun we've ever had on a field trip, and you've most certainly got our full attention, even without a classroom!"
"I couldn't agree more, Gallus." Ocellus nodded. "Now, let's see how we can help Miss Sour Sweet with the rest of those beetles, and get everypony back on the train safely."
"I'm happy to hear that despite these dire circumstances, I've been making this trip a memorable experience, even before we've arrived at Hope Hollow." Sunset smiled at her students. "Now, let's get those beetles back under control while Sour Sweet helps the passengers, so we'll all have a great time at Slice-N-Shake!"
The students all felt encouraged by Sunset's words, gathering around their chaperone, as they prepared to face the remaining Stagma Beetles. Together, they all charged forward toward the fearsome swarm, ready to take back the train and save the day from these awful pests. However, as they approached the main colony, Sunset could notice that while Sour Sweet was desperately trying to pull Mayor Skies from the beetles' grip, another group of beetles from behind were planning a dirty trick.
"Sour Sweet!" Sunset's eyes widened. "BEHIND YOU!!!"
As Sour Sweet desperately struggled to free the mayor from the relentless onslaught of Stagma Beetles, she failed to notice the devious plan unfolding behind her. A group of beetles had sensed an opportunity, and gathered their strength to launch a coordinated attack, striking the pegasus with their sharp thorns and venom, sending her tumbling onto the swarm from being poisoned. Sunny Skies cried out in horror as he too was overwhelmed once more by the beetles, and slowly became shrouded from view within the colony.
"No, evil bugs have captured Mayor Pony and Sour Sweet Pony!" Yona cried out.
"This is not good!" Ocellus dreaded. "This is not good at all!"
Desperate to try anything, Sunset picked up the bug spray that Sour Sweet had set aside earlier, and approached the swarm, ready to rescue the passengers at all costs.
"Come on, you vile vermin!" Sunset held the bug spray up, threateningly. "You think you can just keep those innocent ponies hostage!? You're not going to get away with this!"
However, what happened next was unexpected. Just as Sunset was about to use the bug spray to push the beetles back, as Sour Sweet did, the Stagma Beetles finally had enough of this nonsense, and began to huddle together to finally use their special, ultimate power. Sunset's eyes widened in surprise as the beetles began to glow and slowly morph, as she soon realized what was truly going on, especially after remembering Dr. Whooves mentioning that these beetles were capable of assimilating into various alternate forms.
"W-What's happening!?" Smolder said, completely shocked at what was going on.
"They're combining their powers!" Sunset deduced, though she was still unsure of what kind of magic these beetles had possessed.
One by one, the beetles kept their retreated stance, still sealing the trapped pony passengers within their grasp. The mysterious glow had occurred once more, as the Stagma Beetles slowly began to fuse together, their glow becoming brighter with each passing moment. Suddenly, with a flash of light, the entire swarm was absorbed into a big orb of energy, as Sunset and the students were forced to only sit back and watch in horror, not knowing what they were preparing to face. Despite this, they all somehow knew for certain that the beetles were increasing their power at an exponential rate, and ready to become the ultimate force to be reckoned with.
After a few more moments of transformation, a giant and monstrous figure emerged from the energy. The beetles had combined into a single colossal creature, towering over the students and Sunset alike. It had the general shape of a giant rhinoceros, with a shimmering, iridescent exoskeleton, and glowing red eyes. Sunset and the six students had absolutely no idea what this creature even was, but realized that they were most certainly in more danger than ever before. The red rhino monster's appearance was grotesque and intimidating enough, but to Sunset, the visual appearance almost reminded her of what she had become when she put on Twilight's crown and turned into a horrifying she-demon. And now she was facing such a creature herself, a massive hotheaded monster bent on destruction and vengeance.
The monster let out a deafening roar, sending shockwaves along the Endtrak Express's roof. Sunset prayed internally that the bug spray would still do its job at pushing the rhino back, before spraying the monster in the face, just as Sour Sweet had done. To Sunset's horror, the monster didn't even flinch, and simply lunged its head toward her, forcing Sunset to drop the bug spray to avoid getting munched on. The bug spray was then caught between the monster's teeth, as the monster ingested it, before its eyes glowed a bright orange color.
Sunset could almost sense things heating up at any second, prompting her to duck in desperation from the rhino monster's fire breath, which was seemingly much more powerful than the regular flames of the Stagma Beetles. The students also ducked to avoid getting burnt, before Sunset got up and looked back at the fearsome and grotesque fire rhino monster that stood before her. She was now completely unsure of what to do, but could vaguely hear the screams and cries of the pony passengers who were now trapped within the monster's stomach.
"Alright... is that how you want to play?" Sunset asked the monster, rhetorically. "Well, toasty rhino boy, if you want to play rough, so can we!"