//------------------------------// // The final persuit // Story: Anon-a-Miss // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// 5550 lumbered out of the yard with all of the grace of a hippopotamus in a swamp. Switching onto the mainline, the light showed green, and the T1 started to pick up speed at last. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_YVAgsVu-A Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the window on the driver’s side. The snow whipped around the cab like an angry bee, and the winds howled as they build up speed. This was why she usually wore goggles whilst at the controls of a steam engine; just in case any errant debris were to come flying her way. “You OK, squirt?” she asked. For on the footplate with her, was Scootaloo, acting as stoker. Luckily there wasn’t too much for her to do; she was needed as a backup should the automatic fireman fail. “Do you normally go this fast?” Scootaloo asked her idol. “This stretch is usually limited to 75mph, but control gave us clearance to run as fast as we like,” Rainbow Dash replied. “We need it, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” A loud buzz indicated a message on the radio. “Who is this?” Scootaloo asked. “Sweetie Belle here,” replied the voice. “And Button Mash!” added another. “Do you have something for us?” Rainbow enquired. “Yes. The Sirens made off in an SD-70MAC diesel locomotive. That has a top speed of 70mph, and is approximately 10 miles ahead of you. You should pass it when you reach Halfway, assuming you maintain your current speed.” “Thanks for that Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo replied. “Maintain current speed, huh?” Rainbow smiled, a daredevil grin snaking across her face. “Well, let’s see if we can improve that.” With that, she wound back the reverser to 39%, and cracked open the regulator. The engine lurched forward as all eight driving wheels dug into the rails. Rainbow looked out of the cab to see all the wheels were running properly, steam pouring from the 4 sets of cylinders. Pulling her head back in, she checked the locomotive display tracking board. Everything was in the green; boiler pressure was reading at 300psi, there was no wheelslip, and the fire was in good order. Glancing over, she saw Scootaloo holding onto a cab railing. “You OK?” “It’s extremely bumpy!” “These things can do incredible speeds, but can kick like a mule if you're not careful.” As they approached halfway, now doing 100mph, they saw the other engine on the adjacent track. “Here we go,” Rainbow grunted, sticking her tongue out to help her concentrate. “Squirt, I need you to call the other engine’s position.” “OK, about 1 mile ahead.” “6 minutes,” Dash growled. “When we are next to the cab, we need to give them the order to stop.” “Given they tried to kill me, I don’t think they’ll be in the mood for talking!” “I don’t intend to let them talk,” Rainbow replied. “They nearly took my friends away. I won’t let it happen again.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5HeEqs-8zs They, at long last, pulled up alongside the engine. Scootaloo poked her head out of her side of the cab. “STOP!” she shouted. It was futile. The wind whipped her words away and sent them flying behind her. Suddenly, a loud gunshot rocked the cab. “What the-?” “Shit, we’re under attack!” Rainbow yelled. “Scootaloo, get down!” Scootaloo wasted no time in complying. More bullets rung out, most of them missing, but one smashed into the firebox and another the regulator control. Warning lights immediately came up on the control panel, along with the following text; Warning: automatic stocker damaged. Disabling until repairs can be made. Warning: speed control unresponsive. With that, the engine suddenly began to speed up. “No, no, NO!” Dash screamed. “What’s wrong?” “The regulator’s damaged. That means I can’t control the flow of steam to the cylinders. The regulator is full open, so we’re gonna accelerate out of control!” And they were. The needle had already passed 85, and was getting dangerously close to 90. Just then, a loud blast sounded on the left-hand side of the engine. The whole body of the engine rocked and tipped, causing Dash to go flying out of the cab and to her apparent doom. Scootaloo ran over to the driver's side. “DASH!” she cried out, desperately looking for any signs of the older girl. Rainbow was there-she was just hanging on to a guard rail on the side of the cab. “Get back to the other side and tip us over!” she instructed. Scootaloo ran back over, and jumped at the highest point. With a lurch, the engine came back over onto all wheels. Dash slammed into the side of the cab. “Oww,” was all she had to say, before climbing in and checking speed. “What’s their position?” she asked. “They’re gaining on us!” “How is that even possible!” It was then that Scootaloo heard that strange music she had heard in the railyard. The other engine gained a sudden boost of speed and rocketed past them, rapidly vanishing into the distance. Rainbow groaned. “They must be using their amulets to supercharge the engine!” “What’s goin’ on?” asked another voice over the radio. “Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo cried. “It’s great to hear from you. What have ya got?” “That loco you’re chasin’ just got a massive boost’a speed.It’s doin’ a least a’hundred from what Ah can see here. But that don’t make a lick of sense!” “The Sirens have supercharged it with some sort of energy,” Scootaloo replied. “Well, you’d better getta move on, or else yer gonna be left behind,” answered Apple Bloom. Dash sighed. “Time to push this thing harder.” A siren suddenly went off, showing a new message. Fire levels low. Please correct. “I’d forgotten about that,” she said. “I’ll fire, Scoot, you drive.” “Me?!” the younger girl said in surprise. “You don’t have the strength to keep that fire up, but I do.” Dash sat Scootaloo in the driver’s seat. “That’s the throttle, and that’s the reverser,” she explained. “They control speed. That one there’s the brake.” Scootaloo looked at the speedometer. “How far ahead are they now?” “About 6 miles.” The speedometer currently read 90. Scootaloo looked over. “How fast should I take her?” “As fast as you see fit,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Time to see if the legends were true,” Scootaloo said grimly. She wound back the reverser further, causing speed to build up once again. They were pushing 115 in no time. Slowly the needle crept up. 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125. Dash lugged some more coal into the firebox. She then looked at the speedometer. “We’re gonna beat the record!” she shouted. And on it went. The needle briefly stopped at 126, as if some force was preventing them from going any faster. But then, the display updated; 127 miles an hour! Scootaloo whooped. “We’re driving the world’s fastest steam loco!” she yelled in excitement. “That diesel engine’s coming up on our left!” Dash shouted. “Bring us alongside!” With a look of intense concentration, Scootaloo applied the brakes and wound the reverser forward to slow them down. Dash looked over at the other train. There was no going back. Gauging the speed, she stepped forward, and prepared to board. Suddenly, a chopper appeared, and shone a light on the diesel. “This is the CCPD!” came a voice from its loudspeaker. “You are to stop immediately or we will open fire!” No response. A blast of bullets racked the rails, and caused the engine to rock. Rainbow lost her footing, and fell...only for a hand to grab her and stop her from falling. Rainbow looked back and saw Scootaloo holding on for dear life. The younger girl grunted, and pulled Rainbow back into the cab. “You saved me!” Rainbow exclaimed. But then she stopped. Something was off. An orange glow suddenly manifested around the younger girl, similar to the aura that surrounded Dash whenever she played her instrument. “Er, Dash?” Scootaloo asked. “What’s happening?” Dash grinned. “You’re gonna love the next part.” Scootaloo’s hair suddenly gained an extension, flowing down to partway down her back. Her human ears vanished, only to be replaced by a pair of pony ones. But the next change was by far the most dramatic. A pair of orange wings sprouted from her back, and folded back next to her arms. The younger girl looked over herself. “Check me out!” she exclaimed. “I know, I had the same reaction too,” Rainbow smiled, before suddenly noticing her own aura was surrounding her. “Here we go!” Rainbow’s hair also gained an extension, but this one was even longer, going down to her feet. She also gained a pair of human ears, but her wings were much larger than Scootaloo’s, and she also folded them in to reduce space. “Shall we do this?” asked Rainbow. “You bet!” Scootaloo replied. The two girls took to the skies, jumping out of the cab and flying up alongside the engine’s cab. The Sirens looked over in surprise. “What?” Adagio exclaimed. “How on Earth are they still alive?” Rainbow laughed. “You picked the wrong day to piss off the Element of Loyalty. You’re probably expecting me to give you a big speech, but you will never-” “Can we hurry it up a bit?” Scootaloo asked. “In short, eat this!” Rainbow and Scootaloo flew together, and a great orb of energy suddenly appeared in-between them. A blast of rainbow coloured light shot out of it and struck the diesel’s cab, not only slowing it down, but draining the occupants of their power too! So surprised were the Dazzlings that they didn’t notice their train careering off the mainline and smashing into a derailment siding. Rainbow and Scootaloo returned to their engines cab, and saw they were doing 140mph! “The legend is true,” Rainbow said. “Hate to burst your bubble,” Scootaloo asked, “but how on Earth are we gonna stop?” Rainbow smiled. “Apply the brakes.” Scootaloo threw them to the full-service position. There was a groan as the brake blocks complied, but they were barely slowing down. Rainbow then brought her hands together, and fired a blast of the energy into the locomotive. The engine lurched again, but the speed started dropping rapidly. Before long, they had stopped safely. The two girls embraced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISsmTKhYz4Y “This is the craziest Christmas ever,” Scootaloo grinned. The two burst out laughing. “I know kid,” Rainbow laughed. “But I think you’ll have some explaining to do.” It was that moment that their wings and ears vanished, leaving them looking like human beings again. “Aw man,” Scootaloo groaned. “I was just getting used to that.” “It may come back,” Rainbow smiled. “But I think it’s safe to say our bond is stronger than ever.” “Sure thing,” Scootaloo replied, “but it’s never in doubt that you’re the best sister ever!” Meanwhile, the SD-70 had crashed into a pair of buffers and was now a comprehensive wreck. Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze all staggered out of the cab-to see Swift Order and his men waiting for them. “Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze,” he said. “You are under arrest.”