//------------------------------//
// Loss of Brakes 
// Story: Screaming Metal 
// by Fujimi200SX 
//------------------------------//

I let out a sigh as I followed a set train tracks. I was on the Northeast side of the Canterhorn Mountain - so not the side with Canterlot on it - so the track was steep, twisty, and treacherous.

I passed over bridges, flew through tunnels, and meandered around bends. But as I came out of a tunnel, I stopped, noticing a new sound that made itself known in the air.

The sound was very faint. So faint I was surprised I heard it at all. It sounded like the screeching of brakes.

“There isn’t another train scheduled on this line for half an hour,” I said, noting the time on my watch. 1:07AM.

I lowered myself to track-level, continuing forward as I listened to the sound get louder and louder. Being experienced with the Doppler Effect, I could tell that whatever was making the sound was getting closer.

Suddenly, just as I was rounding a corner, a giant steam locomotive came thundering from around the cliff wall.

"AHHH!" I screamed as I dove out of the way, feeling the cowcatcher graze my tail.

The sound was infernal. So infernal I had to cover my ears. Turning around, I saw a plethora of sparks emitting from the locomotive’s gearing and several of the freight cars behind it. I quickly shook my head and tore after the engine.

There was no fire in the cab, the headlight wasn’t on, and none of the gauges were working. I watched as the gearing spun at rattling speeds, threatening to snap apart at any moment.

Landing in the cab and seeing that nopony was aboard, my first instinct was to slam the brakes into emergency. To my surprise, they didn’t do a thing. I tried blowing the whistle. Not a sound.

“Ohhh crap,”

I was suddenly thrown off balance as the train rattled around a corner. I slammed into the cab wall with a resounding THUNK and was stuck until the corner ended.

“What the heck happened to this train?!” I yelled as I jumped to my hooves.

I flew out of the cab and went along the length of the train, eyes wide as I saw the sheer size of it. It was close to a hundred trona-filled cars, finally ending with a single red caboose at the end with nopony in it.

I landed on the caboose and grabbed the brake. It took every ounce of strength in me to turn it as it grinded against an old bearing. The brakes came on hard, slamming the caboose backwards and stretching the coupling.

I was suddenly thrown off the caboose as the train went through another sharp corner. I quickly extended my wings and performed a record-breaking recovery, then tore after the train.

As I flew back towards the engine, I noticed a town a few miles ahead, at the bottom of the mountain. I knew the town of Detrot, was there, since I had just come from it.

Upon remembering the sharp elevated curve just before the Detrot Railyard, I began to panic.

I landed back in the cab and did everything I could to try and slow the train. Reversed the throttle; which didn’t do a thing since there was no steam pressure, tried the emergency brakes again, broke the air hoses, I tried everything.

Nothing worked.

“SHOOT!”

I took off towards Detrot, inadvertently performing a sonic rainboom in my adrenaline-filled flight. As I neared the town, I saw that there was a passenger train parked in the station platform. The engine was smaller, but it had a whistle. The perfect warning device.

I dove for the train, nearly slamming into the engineer as I landed in the cab.

“What the heck are you doing here, lady?!” the engineer exclaimed as I grabbed the whistle cord.

“Runaway train coming straight for us!” I yelled back. Before the engineer could reply, I yanked on the cord, letting the whistle scream. I blew it long and loud, hitting every tone the six-chime had.

“LADY!” the engineer snapped, yanking my hoof away from the cord. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but you need to get out of here right now.”

“Did you not hear me?!” I yelled back. “There’s a runaway train!”

“Uhuh. And I’m the Duke of Equestria. If there really is a runaway train, where is it?”

Me and the engineer locked eyes, not saying a word. In seconds, the infernal sound of screaming metal made itself known, causing my ears to flatten.

The engineer and firemare heard it too, as they quickly leaned out the windows of the engine. I did the same.

There, a mere three hundred meters away, was the fastest, heaviest coal train we had ever seen, barreling right toward us.

“Oh my- LORD!”

“RUUUN!”

The engineer threw the engine into reverse. The wheels grinded against the rails as the train slowly shoved itself backwards, the couplings cracking as they were compressed. I could do nothing but fly up and watch the runaway get closer and closer to the elevated curve, as well as the number of houses next to it.

It was right there that I lost all hope.


CRASH!!!