The chaos lasted for moments or several years, I wasn’t entirely sure how long. Then suddenly everything came to a jaring and very loud stop.
“...Ow…” I groaned and tried to move, finding that I couldn’t as somepony was on top of me. Several someponies actually. My everything ached.
“E-everypony alright?” Sunset called out, her voice a bit unsteady somewhere to the right and green-blue light lit the carriage as she lit up her horn, revealing that it was upside down.
“I’m not sure being dead would hurt this much,” Rainbow groaned from somewhere to the left, “Nothing feels broken.”
“I’m alive,” Rarity said from on top of me with a groan.
“I’m good,” Pinkie Pie agreed and carefully scooted off me, “Applejack?”
Silence.
“Applejack?” Rarity asked and moved off me before scrambling over to a shape on the floor a bit further away, “I-I think she’s hurt, she’s not moving!”
“I’m on it!” Sunset said and rushed over to her, “Page! Twi!”
“I’m alive,” Twilight said as she got up, her own horn lighting up and she visibly vinced with a sound of pain, “I think I sprained a wing. Page!?”
“I’m good,” I answered and carefully rolled over before wincing and testing my right foreleg. Testing my wings for a second I then answered, “I think I’m intact, but those are going to be some big bruises. Banged my shoulder, but my leg works.”
My everything ached, but nothing felt outright broken. My ribs ached, but nothing felt broken, all limbs seemed to be moving about as expected. If protesting loudly when I did.
“How’s Applejack?” I asked, looking over towards Sunset.
“I think she’ll be fine,” Sunset said and spared me a glance, “She’s starting to wake up. Earth ponies are tough. Looks like she banged her head hard against the wall though.”
“Ahm fine…” Applejack mumbled and started to shift to sit up, wobbling slightly.
“No, you’re not,” Sunset said and pushed her back down gently, “Just relax, you have a concussion at the very least and I don’t want you moving around until we have an actual medical pony looking at you.”
“What the buck happened?” Rainbow asked, looking around, her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder.
“We derailed,” I said and carefully climbed to my hooves, “Amber?”
Silence. Nothing.
...Amber… Flower...
“We need to check the rest of the train,” I said firmly and looked around, “Find the wounded and get them somewhere safe. There is a medical pony on the train somewhere, find her and get her back here. We’re at the back of the train, we may have the most intact carriage, we move everypony back here for treatment.
Luckily the train didn’t carry a lot of passengers. Mostly the train attendants, drivers and such along with our party as well as the guards.
Sunset nodded, “Okay! Everypony, pair up, nopony goes alone. Twi, Page, you stay here and watch Applejack. Get things ready to receive wounded.”
“But-” Twilight started to protest but Sunset had already turned away.
“Okay everypony! Rarity, you and Pinkie move along the inside of the train. Rainbow, you’re with me outside. We’re going to see if we can make it to the engine, Rarity, you and Pinkie focus on getting everypony back here.”
“R-right!” Rarity agreed. She spared Rainbow a quick nuzzle on the cheek before heading towards the upside down door towards where the next carriage had been, Pinkie quickly following after her,
“Wait up!”
“Who put you in charge!?” Rainbow protested but hurried and followed Sunset as she climbed out through a broken window.
Twilight sighed and checked on Applejack, “I don’t like being left here like this,” she said softly.
“Now you know how I feel,” I sighed and moved to join them, “How are you doing, AJ?”
“Head hurts, my side too,” she grunted softly, “Ah’ll be fine. Had a concussion before.”
Twilight nodded, her magic running over the earth pony, her horn lighting the carriage brighter, “I think it’s just a concussion and some bruised ribs, but stay down. Page, think you can find anything for her to drink?”
“We should have water here somewhere if the bottles held,” I agreed and looked around in the dark carriage, “What do you think happened?”
“No way to know yet,” Twilight said and floated a pillow over, sliding it in beneath Applejack's head and a blanket to settle over her, “Maybe a tree had fallen over the tracks. Normally those can be spotted in time as the train slows down, but… with the speeds we have to keep while heading through the jungle for safety…”
“Yes, that- oh buck,” I said and looked towards the broken window at the rain pouring down outside, “We’re in the jungle and just made a ton of noise. I’ll send a message to Nocturnis, the guard should be able to get here in a day or so.”
“I’ll keep watch.”
Sweeping broken glass from a spot on the previous ceiling, I settled down and closed my eyes, sending myself into the dream realm. It didn’t take long for me to find somepony from the Nocturnis Guard that worked the day shift and as such were deep asleep now.
I touched my horn to her dream and walked through, solidifying it as I did.
I found the mare sitting by a table, reading a massive book larger than a pony. The bat-pony looked up at me in surprise when I walked up to her,
“Your highness!”
“Sweet Slice,” I said in greeting, “I’m sorry to interrupt your dream, but I need you to wake up and bring a message to your commander. The train bringing us back has derailed and I need a detachment sent along the track to us. We’re about twelve hours via train from Nocturnis. Unknown number of injured at this time.”
She gasped and surged to her hooves, “Are you alright, your highness!? Princess Twilight!? Lady Sunset?”
“I’m going to have some bruises and Twilight is unhurt. But as soon as you can, we have other injured, including one of the elements, don’t know how many yet. Tell her ‘Sunstorm’ so she knows it’s a real message and just not a dream.”
“Of course. Wake me up, I’ll deliver the message at once!”
I nodded and sent her waking up. I spent a second looking for Luna, but she was awake at this time. I’ll tell her later, she couldn’t get anypony here sooner than a week in anycase.
Buck, this jungle really hates mass transport. I hesitated for a second. I really should wake up, this was not a safe place to be sleeping right now, but last time I got in danger and didn’t tell them as soon as I could, Luna got really angry. Even if they couldn’t do anything about it.
She wasn’t asleep, but Sunshine was.
I turned and headed into her dream.