As the train picked up speed, the rumbles in the distance grew stronger and more frequent. Half Note attributed it to something in the mechanics of the engine, maybe from lack of maintenance. She didn't know that much about trains. Looking to the other seats where her friends had settled down, they looked to be sleeping - curled up on the seats with shallow breaths. She leaned her head on her hoof and stared out the window, at the rolling plains. A few wispy clouds lingered ahead, but nothing kept her interest. She turned to Sun Shower, who was sitting with her head tilted back and eyes closed, but twiddling hooves showed her to be awake.
"So uh, how do we know this train is actually going to get to the Empire, anyway? I'm not sure I get it."
The yellow Pegasus opened one eye to look at her, then yawned, stretched, and scratched herself. "Well, I'm not a train engineer, but when this guy came through the first time he explained that in times of emergency any train station can flip a switch, and it puts all the tracks on a circuit that just goes all around Equestria in order to prevent accidents while not shutting the system down entirely. He said that when a train turns around there's not just the engineer inside managing things, but somepony in the station flipping switches that put them on a different track that loops around and puts them on another one, or something like that. They normally communicate with all the different trains to make sure that one train doesn't try to turn around just as another starts coming down." She wiped her eyes. "It takes a lot of coordination, which is why we're set on the circuit going one direction. But it goes through every major station, including the Empire, so it's only a matter of time."
Half Note frowned. "What if there's something...on the track?" A rumble shook the train, the windows rattling.
Sun Shower tilted her head. "What, like another train? He said that the switches to parking stations still function, and that an engineer could work them by himself if he was patient and willing to walk back and forth a lot. Anything other than that shouldn't be a problem at all - trains are so big and fast they just blow over pretty much anything in their way that's not as big as them."
The Earth Pony shuddered. "Tell me about it." She looked back out the window as another rumble rattled it. The clouds she could see in the distance had changed from wispy to large, dusty puffs that cast odd shadows. It looked like they'd be riding into a dust storm - but that couldn't be right. Ponyville was surrounded by forest, and the desert climate of Las Pegasus had given way to green fields and trees hours ago. Half Note turned back to Sun Shower. "Did uh, did he say the circuit went through Appleloosa?"
The Pegasus frowned. "No, it's pretty much a straight shot to Ponyville. Appleloosa isn't on the main circuit. Why do you ask?"
Half Note bit her lip. "Well, uh, I didn't think Ponyville was dry enough to get a dust storm like this. Rich farmland shouldn't be swept up that easy, ya know?"
Sun Shower walked over to Half Note's window and peered out. "Huh, that is weird. I wonder what-"
The rumble came accompanied with boom, and the Pegasus fell on top of the Earth Pony. Half Note would have sworn the train jumped. The cloud of dust up ahead seemed to grow darker, and the train started to accelerate.
Picking herself up on shaking hooves as the sleepy passengers roused, Sun Shower stammered "I...I thought he said we were going to go as fast as was safe? Why would he accelerate when there's earthquakes or something..."
Half Note looked away from her bleary eyed friends back at the Pegasus, who's eyes had gone wide with pupils shrunk. Ears tucked tight against her skull and tail tucked firmly between her legs, the mare looked ready to run. Half Note followed her gaze out the window and saw a strange silhouette looming over the treetops in the distance. A bright light cut through the debris near the shadow's peak, and another boom and rumble followed. Half Note felt her blood freeze as she saw pieces of trees and rocks fly through the air and disintigrate, and a malicious laugh echoed across the landscape. She turned back to Sun Shower, only to find the mare hyperventilating on the floor, holding her head and tears spilling out of her eyes.
Tornado and Firelock, still waking up, were still visibly shaken, though they hadn't looked out the window and seen the towering shadow. She looked to Cheese, and found him unchanged - listless stare piercing the distance, face and body slumped on the uncomfortable seating without a care to position or comfort.
As another boom tore through the air, the train - now moving at speeds that Half Note was sure would definitely not qualify as safe - entered Ponyville. She gaped as she saw parcels of land torn up by what must have been incredibly powerful magical blasts or gigantic impacts. A mountain that had stuck out a little further than it's neighbors looked ready to collapse, a hole punched through it, still smoking as it crumbled.
Another boom, and her attention shifted back to the silhouette. As the train sped through the town, she came to realize that the monstrosity was facing away from them, and she thanked her lucky stars it hadn't looked their way. She turned back to her friends, now fully awake and gaping open mouthed at what could only be Lord Tirek wreaking havoc upon the landscape. They turned to her, and Tornado cocked an uncomfortable grin.
"Well, at least we don't' have to worry about stopping in Ponyville, right?"
Another rumble and the train jumped. Ponyville was small, and the speed the train was tearing across the tracks ate up the town quickly, leaving the cloud of dust and destruction behind, along with the resounding booms and laughter. The three had curled up against each other and watched the destruction unfold upon their hometown until it was well in the distance and the train had begun to slow. Heart still racing, but beginning to calm, Half Note remembered that there were still other Ponies on the train. Turning first to Cheese, she saw he was still unchanged - completely unfazed by the terror they had just ridden through. Turning to Sun Shower, it appeared the mare had fainted at some point.
Half Note hefted her onto a seat - noting how much easier she was to move than Cheese had been - and tried to arrange her in some sort of comfortable fashion. When she was sure that the mare wouldn't wake any more sore than already mandated, she walked back to the seat where both of her friends were now curled up together, still shaking slightly. Squeezing herself between the Pegasus and Unicorn, she curled up as well, and as the adrenaline wore off, she quickly succumbed to sleep.