"You can't cheat death. There are no escapes."-William Bludworth (Final Destination 2(2003))
Rainbow Dash envisions a horrible disaster, in which everyone close to her, including herself, is killed. When she forces her friends away from the disaster, they originally consider themselves lucky. Until death hunts them down, one by one.
"Come on guys! We wouldn't want to be late!", Rainbow Dash hastily remarked on the way to the Ponyville Train Station.
"Don't be so impatient, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied. "We'll get there soon enough."
The rest of their friends stayed quiet in hopeful anticipation. Rainbow Dash nodded her head in agreement at her friend's response. They were on their way to the Grand Galloping Gala, showing off their more luxurious attire on their way to Canterlot. None of them wanted to miss the afternoon train. If they did, they would have to trudge through the soggy terrain, for it had been raining substantially for the past 2 days, but luckily stopped just before noon. They wouldn't mind walking in good weather, but they would much rather stay as dry as they could.
The six ponies and Spike were within yards of the platform when they heard the skidding of the trains metal brakes from just up the tracks. The train came grinding to a halt in front of the station, where multiple ponies were standing, preparing to attend the Gala.
The Mane 6, accompanied by a surprisingly mute Spike, as well as Derpy and Trixie, were just some of the several ponies who filed onto the train when it had come to a complete stop. Luckily, the majority of the ponies on the platform elected to sit in the train cars that were positioned closer towards the engine, while the nine of them choose to be seated in the second to last available car.
As they walked onto the train car, Rainbow Dash saw one of the other ponies entering another train car got her elegant dress torn when she got it caught on a rouge screw jutting out of the door, and didn't notice it until the sound of tearing fabric was heard. She then spun around and sternly shouted "SHIT!!" Rainbow Dash felt blood run down her tongue from biting down on her lip so hard to keep from laughing.
She looked overhead before walking on to the train just in time to see a chariot so high above the ground that is was almost impossible to see. She figured it was being carried to what she would assume to be the Gala. Right before she walked on, she thought she heard a lock unlatching.
They had expected to see mostly of well-dressed ponies, and although there were several ponies who were, they were spread out enough so the group could sit in the same section. Rainbow noticed that one of the windows was wide open, and she wondered why, as it had been raining earlier.
Nothing to keep it up, she mused after trying and failing to shove it closed.
Looking around, Rainbow Dash faintly heard somepony in another booth whisper to another, "There's Ponyville's fastest flyer." She beamed at the title.
As they sat down, she noticed that Fluttershy was quietly humming to the tune of 'Equestrian Pie', By Don McClain, which was somewhat odd. She looked out the window, hoping to see plant life and skies, but was met with the simple image of water droplets wearily inching there way down from the roof onto the window from the rain earlier. A large screech was heard as all the doors simultaneously shut close, signaling the train's preparation of leaving the station to continue on to the Gala. They all smiled as the train jerked forward. They were on their way.
There was a splash, and the train jerked back and forth for a couple of seconds, but then steadied again and went right on through. Everypony in the car looked around them to see nothing was affected in the least bit, and quietly returned to there reading or silent murmuring or whatever they had been doing prior. The Mane 6 and Spike realized when they looked at each other that they all had scared looks on there faces. After a couple of seconds, they began to chuckle about it, as if an awkward joke was just told.
"You should have seen the look on your face, Rarity." Twilight snickered, seemingly to break the uncomfortable silence. "Me!?", Rarity squawked, in a joking manner. "I wasn't the only one who-" BANG!
All the ponies on board were thrown forward as the train stopped unexpectedly. They lay there in shock, not expecting the slam into the walls or ceiling. Then the room began turning. Several ponies were even flown from the car, breaking the windows as they flown into them.
The once open window was now slamming open and shut every time it flipped. Pinkie Pie was thrown right next to the window, as it slammed shut again-only this time with Pinkie Pie's throat directly in it's path. It sliced through her neck like a knife through hot butter, blood covering the window as her decapitated body continued to be thrown around the cabin like all other ponies, spewing blood everywhere.
Rainbow Dash luckily managed to grab hold of one of the booths, and she hung on for dear life. The entire time, Twilight was trying to make something with her magic, but wasn't able to do so. Then everyone heard the sound of metal ripping from metal. Anyone who could looked over at the door to see it hanging on by only a single hinge, ready to fly off of the wall, and they all hoped it would fly away from the train. It didn't. It flew off and straight towards Twilight, who was unable to move in time. It sliced through her and headed towards Rarity. It's momentum was slowed down significantly, and so didn't cut through her, but it did hit her into a seat at such an angle that it broke her neck.
All the ponies were still getting tossed around the car, dead or alive. Then, Rainbow Dash witnessed Twilight's upper body fly right into Derpy's chest, with her horn penetrating her skin and puncturing her heart, killing her instantly. She saw Applejack fly out of the train through a window previously broken by another pony, only to suddenly see a splatter of red fluids materialize on the front window, and with the faintly orange patches engulfed in blood clinging to the window, it had to be Applejack.
With the train car flipping so much, structural damage was appearing throughout the train car, none was more visible then the large piece of metal roofing that was about to collapse. It finally fell and crushed the unfortunately placed Trixie and Spike almost simultaneously.
Rainbow Dash was in so much horror at all she had just witnessed that she lost grip of the booth and flew right into Fluttershy, pushing them both right out of a previously smashed window. They landed far from the train, in a field, and watched as the train continued rolling, though slower. Shock, adrenaline, and fear coursed through them as they just looked at one another.
Rainbow tried to speak, or even to smile as if to say, 'we're alive', but she could do neither. She was to mortified and grief stricken. Just at that moment, one of the metal wheels flew off of the oh so nearly motionless train car, but had just enough force to fly off and start rolling at a high speed. And it rolled right in the direct path of Fluttershy's head. Rainbow tried to scream for her friend, but nothing would come out. No sound could escape. She could do nothing but watch as her one remaining friend's head was crushed under the enormous force of the wheel, splattering her blood all over Rainbow Dash's face. She had tears in her eyes as her one remaining friend was lost. She closed her eyes and put her head down, as tears began to form on her cheeks.
At that moment, she heard a faint whistling noise, as if something was falling. She looked over to the train, and saw no movement from the totaled train car. She happened to look up just in time to see a large chariot wheel coming straight for her. She simply closed her eyes, and waited for her fate to be sealed.
Seconds before striking, she felt the same stone cold chill run down the entire length of her body. Right at the moment of impact, she opened her eyes, to see the train pulling into the station.
The feeling of horror and disbelief that was felt by Rainbow Dash was dimmed, but not fully diminished, by her abrupt grasp back on to reality. She marveled, dumbfounded, at all of her surroundings that she now held so dear to her after the horrible images and feelings that had just run through her mind.
She regained a pinch of composure when she realized that Spike and Fluttershy were staring at her, ready to ask a question out of concern for their friend.
She initially stared back at her friends in disbelief of what is going on, followed by a sudden wave of some emotion. Not happiness, not quite relief... She wasn't sure what it was. She was slightly relieved at the fact that all the mortifying events that she had just gone through were merely a figment of her imagination, but she still was in a major state of shock. It felt so real, that there is just no way that it hadn't really happening. She held back tears as she struggled to focus on what was going on around her.
"I'm fine." The blue pony spoke without being asked. When her friends, by the looks on their faces, were not convinced, so she continued,
"I'm fine, I just. . . I've just been having a migraine recently, and I just got a sharp pain in my head."
"Ask Twilight, she might have a spell that will make you're head feel better." Fluttershy advised.
"Thank you, Fluttershy, but I think I can manage just fine." Rainbow began to choke up as soon as she finished speaking. She couldn't stand denying her friend. What was once a normal, off the tongue act was now something hated. What if those had been her last words to Fluttershy? What if-
"Are you coming, Rainbow?" She looked up, deep in thought, too enticed in what she had just seen in her mind to see that the train had already come to a complete stop and that ponies were already starting to file into the train cars.
Okay Rainbow Dash, she thought to herself. There is no way that what you just saw was not happening, so why the buck are you back at the same place you were just before the incident? Or was it truly not happening at all? Is it just that my subconscious took over and created an event too horrifying to comprehend, just to mess with my mind... or was it trying to tell me something?
About that time she remembered something she had seen in her "vision", and immediately looked to her right expecting to see nothing similar to what she had seen. She was stunned to see the same pony wearing the same elegant dress, walking into the same train car.
"That's impossible.", she tried to reassure herself, with no such luck. She turned away after just a quick glance, for the fear that she would hear tearing fabric. The moment she heard it, she still had optimism-until hearing one, single, distinct word. And that word was "SHIT!!"
She made her way onto the train car, breaking into a heavy sweat all the while. She, without thinking, looked to the far right window-which was wide open.
She didn't move a muscle. She probably couldn't have if she tried. She simply waited for one last signal. She still had the thought, The subconscious can sometimes know more than the mind it occupies, and crazier coincidences have happened. But if she heard the last piece of evidence, she wouldn't know what to do.
She glanced in the direction of the pony in the booth that she thought she heard it come from in her 'vision', since she didn't see him specifically. She listened very carefully, for what felt like an eternity. Then she heard the words that she, for the first time in her life, dreaded to hear. "There's Ponyville's fastest flyer."
In the blink of an eye, she was standing in front of the booth her friends were seated in. Twilight was, as always, prepared with a question, not knowing the seriousness of the situation.
"How is you're migraine doing Rainbow? Fluttershy told me that-" She stopped abruptly when she saw the terrified look on her friend's face. Her other friends noticed this, and all were prepared to listen intently on what seemed so important to her. Except for Flutershy, how was humming the lyrics to the same song as in her vision, which made Rainbow Dash even more terrified.
"But something touched me deep inside. The day... The music... Died."
"We need to get off.", Rainbow urgently stated to her confused friends.
"Do you expect us to walk to the Grand Galloping Gala!?"
"Why? Did you forget something, Rainbow?"
"Uh, Sugarcube, not to be rude, but uh... Why?” were just some of the umpteen responses she received, before cutting them off swiftly, with an even sterner voice.
"You don't understand we need to get off now, as in now, before it's too late.
A large screech was heard, as all the doors began to shut. As quickly as physically possible, Rainbow Dash flew out of her chic clothing, and threw herself to right between the two doors to stop them from closing.
"Dashie? What are you doing?"
"Hurry..." she managed to squeak out under the tremendous stress of the two double doors. "While you still can."
Her 6 friends saw how intent Rainbow was on getting them out of the train car, so they, against their own personal judgment, exited the train in a brisk manner, making their way onto the train station platform.
Trixie and Derpy looked at each other, and Trixie got up and jogged for the door, seeing how much Rainbow Dash was convinced something bad would happen. Derpy simply walked casually underneath Rainbow, as if she felt nothing bad was going to happen at all.
As soon as Derpy made her way through the door, Rainbow Dash let go of the doors and hovered just above the train platform, breathing heavily from holding the doors open.
Before she could even get all four hooves on the ground, her eight friends pounced on her, asking questions. She didn't respond to any of them. She stood motionless on the the platform, her eyes following the train as it sped away from them. When her friends didn't let up in the questioning, she spun around and angrily voiced her displeasure.
LOOK! I don't know how or why, but I saw it. It happened. I just saw it, It sounds so simple and easy to say, but you don't know how complicated it truly is, I saw it!" Her friends were somewhat taken aback by her response as they all stood in silence, staring at her as if she was mentally insane.
Trixie was the only one to speak. "What is 'it', exactly?"
As if to answer her question, the sound of metal scraping against metal and crunching was heard, as the eight ponies and Spike turned and watched in stunned silence as the train car that they would have occupied flew off the track, spewing wheels and pieces of it's undercarriage in random directions as it tumbled over and over again.
The ponies on the platform could do nothing but stare at the derailed, destroyed, and demolished train car in absolute silence, left to imagine the horrors of what might have been.
As the car came to rest, Rainbow Dash remembered something that she had forgotten in her vision. She looked to where she would have been after being flung from the car. A large chariot wheel crashed into the dirt right on the exact spot that her vision predicted it to be.
No one uttered a word. Nothing. They couldn't think of something to say. They just looked around at everything as if they were just knocked on the head with a shovel.
Rainbow Dash was in disbelief. She couldn't think in a normal manner. With all the emotions and thoughts that were running through her head, she just couldn't make any sense of it. She still had the initial feeling of shock and doubt in the back of her mind, but at the same time, she was relived that her friends were alive and well.
"Rainbow Dash?" she heard somepony trail off. She looked up from comprehending her thoughts. She felt like Twilight, she was thinking so much.
"Rainbow Dash?", she heard again. She turned and saw her friends looking at her with eyes that were filled with both disbelief and fear.
"Rainbow Dash," Rarity started. "Sorry for pestering you with all those questions." Her voice had a easily discerned apologetic tone. "We had no idea of the importance of the situation."
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, not fully certain of what she was going to say. Then Rarity began to speak again.
"But how did you know that the train would crash?"
Rainbow Dash looked at her, at first with a look of disgust. She thought to herself, I just saved you're life, your arrogant, stuck-up, snooty life, and you don't even think to appreciate something besides yourself, or even to throw out a 'thank you'? But when what she had said came to fruition in her mind, she realized that she didn't even know the answer, nor did she think about it, either. In all of her pondering over what had just occurred, she hadn't even thought about the reason that she had seen the vision in the first place, the reason that she, as well as all of her friends, were alive right now. She shouted out at them how she had seen it, but she didn't know how or why
Rainbow found herself thinking too much again, and looked up at her friends, who were patiently awaiting an answer.
"... I don't know how I saw it... I just saw it. I noticed everything was happening the same way I saw it in my vision, and got us all off. That's it." Her friends didn't seem to know what to say. They thought that forcing them off a train, and having that train crash was crazy enough, but when they say it was a vision, in which everything happened the same exact way... No one said anything in response to what she had said, they all just stared at each other, without speaking. Without a word being said about it, although everyone was thinking it, "Ah don't think we should go to the Gala." Applejack put her hoof around Rainbow Dash and said simply, "We've been through far t' much, today."
