An electric train is bearing down on Canterlot, loaded with explosive fuels and toxic chemicals. If it were to derail, it would cause a disaster on an untold scale.
Only a veteran engineer, and a conductor with a troubled past, stand in its way.
Wheels clattered and screeched as the train raced along the line. Bouncing along at almost 70 miles an hour, it was a miracle it held the rails at all. This, however, was a blessing, as if it were to derail, disaster would surely ensue.
But another engine was pursuing from the rear. Charing toward the rear coupling, was a steam engine, smoke billowing from its funnel as it chased the train down. It produced a noise unlike any ever heard before or since as it chased its target.
Sunset Shimmer stood on the front of the engine, gripping the handrails that connected to the top of the running board. She had a radio in one of her hands and was directing the driver.
“20 cars! Increase speed!”
“20 cars! Copy!”
Slowly the gap lessened, and they got closer to their target.
“10 cars!”
“10 cars! Copy!”
As they neared the runaway train, Sunset could hear the whine of the traction motors of the locomotives in front, straining as if they had been pushed beyond their limits.
“5 cars!”
“5 cars! Brace for impact!”
The steam engine slammed into the rear coupler of the engine, emitting a loud bang as it did so. The front engine groaned as it took a hit, and Sunset lost her balance, trying to stabilise herself on the front of the engine.
“You can’t do anything,” whispered a voice in her head.
“I’m gonna stop this runaway train!” she cried.
A loud whooshing noise distracted her attention. She looked to her left, and saw a massive flying creature, coloured completely red, and with a crown lodged into its skull. It wore a fiery outfit, and a pair of boots to match.
The monstrosity Sunset had changed into that night at the Fall Formal.
“Trying to be a good girl, are we?” it laughed. “Well, you’ve had your fun, but now it’s my turn to play!”
It’s eyes glowed as it shot a beam of energy into the train in front. The lead locomotive tumbled off the rails, followed by the rest of the train and most of the tankers. The seal on one of the tankers burst, and sparks from the overhead wires ignited the fuel contained onboard.
Within a second, the entire stretch of line became a vision of hell. Flames were everywhere.
“Oh shit, we’re gonna derail!” cried the driver.
The steam engine ploughed into the wreckage, Sunset being thrown forward and onto the ground. She rolled over, and saw the daemon hovering over her.
“Tick tock, Sunset,” it laughed. “Your number is up.”
Sunset saw nearly 300 tons of locomotive slide forward, and screamed as the machine fell on top of her...
Sunset shot up in her bed, wide awake, and looked around her. She was just in her apartment, that was all. It was just another morning on another day in Canterlot.
She looked to her right and saw her alarm clock. 07:00 it read. "Time to go to work,” she thought.
She hauled herself out of bed and wandered over to the shower. She emerged a few minutes later, and pulled a turquoise blouse, blue leggings, a pair of black boots, and a black jacket out of her wardrobe.
She wandered down the stairs toward the kitchenette. Her home was small, but it was comfy, and that was enough for her. She pulled some bread out of the fridge, as well as some cheese and salami, and chucked a sandwich together for her to eat.
She sat down at her desk, and flicked on her television, setting it to KTCC. She didn’t expect anything dramatic.
“Tensions are high as Canterlot High School and Crystal Prep Academy prepare for the Friendship Games. This quadrennial event is usually won by Crystal Prep, but evidence this year suggests that CHS will not go down without a struggle!”
Sunset sighed. Given the events of the past months, was that really the most exciting thing to be broadcasting about?
Her mind drifted off, considering what had happened since she had arrived here.
She had emerged from the portal 3 years ago, about 12 in human years. The next 3 years had consisted of her being awful to everybody as she climbed to the top of the ladder, but then came the awful mistake that was the Fall Formal.
That had been a learning experience.
Since then, she had tried to earn everypo-everybody's trust, but they had been slow. Frankly, it was no surprise. She’d had it easier when the Dazzlings had tried to take over the school, and defeating them did work wonders for her reputation.
At least Celestia had shown some kindness. Upon learning that Sunset had been living in the school library, she had allowed her use of an apartment she owned in the centre of town, and even helped supply schoolbooks, supplies, and some food, on the condition that Sunset keep it clean and get a job.
That bit had been tough. Sunset, not being from the human world, had not been sure what job to take. In the end, she’d found an opening, and it paid well, so that was fine for her.
Not even Anon-a-Miss had had a damaging effect. Most students saw through it straight away, and the perpetrators were dealt with in style by Rainbow and Scootaloo.
Sunset had no doubt she was now in a better place than last year. Even so, she was worried about what would happen if she lost that place. She knew that if she made one mistake, snapped in front of someone, or worse, it would all come crashing down.
Which brought her onto last night. She’d been having nightmares about her daemon form killing her in numerous ways for a few weeks now. She feared there was still some residual energy from that night stuck in her body.
She reached for her journal, and took out a pen, starting to write.
Dear Princess Twilight,
How are things in Equestria? They sure have been wild here.
At the moment we are prepping for the Friendship Games. Some silly rivalry nonsense, or something like that. Anyway, me and my friends are stronger than ever, ready to take on any challenge.
There is one concern I still have, however. For a few weeks, I’ve been having nightmares about my daemon self. I only fear what could happen if it could reassert itself, and I suspect I’ve somehow got some residual energy left over from that night.
Could you look into it for me?
Your stu
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset laughed as she finished the sentence. It still felt strange referring to Twilight as a friend. There was suddenly a loud horn blast outside that shook her from her thoughts, and she jumped up.
“Oh crap, I'm gonna be late!” she cried, jumping out of her room and running onto the sidewalk, remembering to lock up behind her.
The streetcar rolled to a stop outside her home, and she climbed aboard. She lived on Rudell Street, and her destination was on Faust Road.
Meanwhile, Spitfire sat down in the chair of the San Fernando Yard control tower. The yard had two sets of 20 sidings, each with road access for lorries and other vehicles. Overhead power wires snaked into the distance, as trains rumbled in and out of the yard.
Spitfire was a woman in her late 20s, with yellow skin and two-tone orange hair. She currently wore a light blue suit with 3 buttons on the jacket, and had just put on her headset when she spotted something amiss in the yard.
“Hey, what’s that train on D12 still doing there?” she asked, a tone of annoyance in her voice. “You need to move it up to D8.”
Down at the train, two women were conversing. One was wearing grey pants, a white T-shirt, a brown leather jacket, and had tan skin, yellow eyes and white hair. Her name was Gilda, and she was currently speaking to her friend Upper Crust.
Gilda grabbed her radio. “Hey, relax,” she replied. “We’re currently letting the brakes recharge.”
“Well, you’d better hurry it up!” Spitfire snapped. “If you don’t get it to D8 within the next 30 minutes, you’ve missed your departure slot. And trust me, management doesn’t like it when drivers screw the timetable up.”
The train in question was a tanker train, 30 cars long. The tankers were built to the DOT-111 specification, and each was painted black.
The locomotives, however, were of considerably more interest. Coupled to the train were four squat, short electric locomotives, each painted blue with yellow cab ends. Each of them had two pantographs engaged with the wires, and two were coupled to the front, two to the back.
They were based on a design built for the LNER in England shortly after the Second World War, specifically for the Woodhead Route. This line had steep gradients, and so electric traction was perfectly suited to the route. 58 of them, the BR Class 76, had been built, but when Woodhead closed all but one had been scrapped, due to being non-standard with overhead power systems in the rest of Britain.
However, the 1500V DC system was perfectly suited to operations here, as there were steep gradients on the 350-mile line from Los Angeles to Cloudsdale. As a result, shortly after electrifying the entire line, the railway had decided to order another 50 to the same design, scaled up for US rails.
They had been numbered to continue the original numbering sequence, and as such were numbered from 76058 thru 76107. This train consisted of 76076 on the front, 76077 behind, and 76059 and 76081 on the rear.
And here they were, waiting for the brakes to recharge, so they could get the train on its merry way.
Sunset looked out of the streetcar window, to see a flock of freshmen being dropped off at the railway station. Several railroad employees were taking them on a tour to San Fernando yard, to be shown the beating heart of the railway. Snow covered the ground, and the kids were wrapped up to the nines to keep them warm.
She sighed. She hadn’t spoken to her family in years. Maybe she would one day; she didn’t honestly know. Her mind was jolted when the streetcar came to a stop.
“Canterlot Railroad Station,” said the announcement.
Sunset walked into the administrative building that faced onto the street, and found herself in a hive of activity. This was Canterlot Depot, where engineers and stokers signed on and off every few hours or so. She walked up to her locker, and heard the key scrape in the lock as she opened it. She dumped her bag inside, and looked at the dispatch board.
Sunset Shimmer, assigned to Lightning Dust, 611.
She spoke to a passing worker. “Excuse me, where can I find Lightning Dust?”
“She's over there, at the coffee machine,” he replied.
Sunset made her way over, to see a group of 2 girls and a boy standing next to a coffee machine and laughing.
One was wearing grey pants and turquoise sneakers. She also had a white T-shirt on, with an emblem of a lightning bolt hitting 3 stars, as well as a black jacket. She had turquoise skin and amber and gold hair, as well as a pair of orange eyes. She had a coffee in her hands, which she was slowly sipping as it seemed to be very hot.
Sunset approached them. “Hi, I’m looking for Lightning Dust. Can you point me her way?”
The girl with the coffee raised her hand. “That’s me,” she said.
“We’re working together on 611,” Sunset answered. She suddenly noticed the boy staring at her. “Is there a problem?”
He simply pushed past her, saying, “I wouldn’t want to work with a She-Demon. Management must hate you today Lightning!”
Lightning shrugged. “Ignore him. Besides, I have no idea what that was about.” She took another sip of her coffee, and then suddenly yelped. “Shit!”
Sunset dashed forward. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s OK, just burnt my tongue, that’s all,” she replied. “611, you say?”
“611, that’s correct,” Sunset answered.
Lightning paused. “Hey, let’s go,” she said. “We can chat on the way to our engine.”
They walked into the roundhouse proper, which was home to 20 berths, and one access line to the outside world. Steam was in the air everywhere, as engines off shapes and sizes were readied for their work. The two of them passed by a NYC J3a as they walked along, and a Y6b moved off of the turntable and out into the world.
“So, what are we doing today?” Dust asked.
“According to these orders, we’re to take the engine up to Cloudsdale, turn her around, then take a train of 20 boxcars to Crystal City marshalling yard. We then return it-”
“Her.” Lightning Dust’s interruption came as a bit of a surprise. “You always refer to a steam engine as female.”
“Sorry. We then return her to Canterlot and hand over to another crew.”
“Any passing orders? They’re indicated in red.”
“We’re held in a loop at the foot of Cloudsdale ascent on the way back, but nothing else.”
Dust nodded. “Good. Walk in the park.” She grabbed onto the handrails of 611 and climbed up. Sunset followed her momentarily.
Sunset stood on the left in the stoker’s position, whilst Lightning took position in the engineer’s seat.
“One of my favourite places in the world, this,” Dust said. “I didn’t ask your name. We’ve got a few minutes until we get our departure slot.”
“Oh, I’m Sunset Shimmer. But you can call me Sunset if you want!”
“How long have you been on the rails?”
“Passed out shortly after Thanksgiving, as a stoker and conductor.”
“Dual post?” Dust was impressed. “Few people pass high enough to get both jobs. Passed out as an engineer, 4th July 2009. I’ll have been driving for 5 years come this summer.”
Just then the turntable clattered around to their position. Lightning sounded the whistle, and the engine pulled forward onto the turntable.
It clattered around until it faced the exit. Lightning opened the regulator, and 611 began to move out of the shed. It gathered pace, until it ran out onto the mainline, and toward Cloudsdale.
Gilda hopped into the cab of 76076 and moved the Reverser to FOR-OFF. She then shifted the Combination Lever to Series. This caused the display to update to FOR-SER. Gilda relaxed and waited for the generators to respond.
“What is taking so long?” Upper Crust asked.
“It’s a 76, for God’s sake, these things take a while to start,” Gilda replied. The generators began to hum quietly, indicating the transistor banks had woken up. This was especially good as it meant the in-cab heating would now be active.
Gilda slowly pulled the throttle toward her. With a clunk and a quiet rumble, the train began to roll forward, the horn echoing across the landscape as it did so. D8 lay just ahead, so there was little need to apply much power. Gilda left it set to R4 and looked out ahead.
Meanwhile, 611 rolled toward Cloudsdale. Lightning glanced over to Sunset.
“So, what’s your story?” she asked.
Sunset shrugged. “It’s rather long,” she admitted.
“Hey, we got a long day.”
“Let’s just say I’m having some issues in my life, and I thought that railroading would help fix those. What about you? I haven’t seen you around before.”
Lightning laughed. “I’m normally allocated to Crystal City depot. And my life story is pretty boring, to be honest.”
611 started the 1-in-70 climb up to Cloudsdale, making a considerable noise as it did so.
Lightning continued with her story. “I live in Crystal City, and go to Crystal Prep Academy.”
“Crystal Prep?” Sunset asked. “We’re competing against you guys next month!”
“Competing is an interesting way of putting it,” Dust sighed. “Winning all the time is just boring. Anyway, my family has worked on the railroad for years, so I thought I should follow in their footsteps.”
Sunset waited before asking her next question. “Any other family?”
“My mom and dad, obviously. Then there’s my twin sister, Sunny Flare.” Lightning laughed. “We are nothing alike!”
“What exciting jobs do they have?”
“My dad also works on the railroad here, Mom is a fashion designer. Sunny and me often get roped into her design work.”
Sunset resisted the urge to correct Dust’s bad grammar, and let her continue.
“Sunny never was so keen on the messy stuff like this, but she’s really good with woodwork. Her spelling could do with some work though.”
“What do you mean?” Sunset was confused.
“I never knew you could spell ‘rhombus’ so many different ways!” Both girls burst out laughing.
The engine rolled around the Cloudsdale curve, strictly limited to 30 miles an hour. This was because it hung straight over a precipice on the line’s ascent to Cloudsdale. Any higher speed would result in a derailment.
The engine rolled into a tunnel, but the climb stopped when they rolled into Cloudsdale depot. Lightning stopped the engine and hopped down to speak to the yard foreman.
“611, here on boxcar movement. We’ve been authorised to use the turntable.”
The foreman waved to her. “This way, please.”
76076 rumbled across the points, all 4 locos rumbling as the train rolled along the line. Upper Crust was radioing instructions to Gilda.
“OK, car 25 is clear of the switch, 26 is just rolling through now.”
“Good,” Gilda replied. “Preparing to apply Rheostatic Brakes.”
Gilda looked ahead of her, and suddenly noticed a yard switch set incorrectly.
“What the?” she asked. “Upper Crust, there’s a switch up ahead that’s set wrong.”
“Can you stop the train?”
“Not without fouling the rear switches with the back of 76081.”
“You’re not going to stop,” said a voice to her left.
Gilda looked to her left, and saw 3 women had climbed aboard. One moment, she was in the cab, the next, her face smacked into the console. The door was opened and Gilda was flung out, but her hand caught a lever as she was thrown.
Gilda hit the gravel with an audible bang. “Oww,” she groaned. But her injuries were the last thing she had to worry about.
Suddenly, the locos on the train began to speed up. The motor notes rose in pitch as more power was fed into the system. The noise reached an audible whine, before building up to a crescendo which was a currious mixture of a whine and a growl.
“Shit!” Gilda leaped up and ran after the train, which was rapidly gaining speed. Moving up alongside one of the tankers, she grabbed the handrail and attempted to climb aboard.
It was a futile effort. The train was simply going too fast, and she lost her footing, tripped, and was dragged about 80 feet before she let go.
“Gilda!” Upper Crust ran over to Gilda to see if she was OK. “What the hell happened?”
Gilda groaned, before looking up. “Damn hooligans...jumped my train. I’d never seen them before.”
“So, somebody nicked one of our trains,” Crust sighed. “Somedays I just love my job. Yardmaster isn’t gonna be pleased.”
Meanwhile, 611 was being turned on the turntable. Lightning was in the cab whilst Sunset was operating the turntable.
Dust glanced through her diary and saw against today’s date was marked; Mom’s birthday.
“Crap! I forgot!” she thought. She pulled out her cell phone, and made the call.
In the Dust household, Shimmering Dust, a woman in her late 30s, took her phone out and saw it was her daughter. “You’re late,” she said.
“Yeah, look, sorry I forgot,” the voice on the other end said. “But here it is, happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” Shimmering replied. “How’s things on the rails?”
“Good thanks. For the love of God, what is that racket in the background?”
“That racket is your sister playing the piano. It’s a much nicer sound than all that noisemaking you do with your band.”
“Right. Look, I gotta go, catch ya later, bye!” The call abruptly concluded.
Shimmering Dust shook her head. “That girl is impossible,” she groaned.
Meanwhile, Sunset was operating the turntable controls when suddenly, she saw her demonic alter-ego in the reflection on 611’s tender.
“Hello Sunset,” it said.
“How? How can you be here?” Sunset asked, worried. Were her dreams spilling over into real life?
“I can appear anywhere I please,” the demon smiled. “After all, I am simply you.”
“You are not me!” Sunset answered. “I’ve changed! I’m a good person now!”
“Even good people have a few skeletons in their closet,” the demon replied. “You can’t hold me back forever. I’ll return some day.”
“Shut up!”
“You can’t silence the truth, Sunny,” it laughed, before it vanished,
Sunset was aware of her radio buzzing. “Yeah?”
“Care to explain why the engine is oriented the wrong way?”
Sunset looked around her, and noticed the engine’s nose was pointed toward the marshalling yard. “Oops.”
“This engine cannot run safely at high speeds backwards. It needs the tender facing TOWARD the boxcars.”
Sunset pulled the lever and felt the turntable begin to move again.
Once the procedure was complete, Lightning began backing the engine slowly toward the boxcars.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me,” she explained. “Is that OK?”
Sunset sighed. “As I said, I’ve got a lot on my mind. And the whole ‘let-the-new-girl-prove-herself' bullshit really isn’t helping.”
Dust glanced over. “Well, neither is getting canned. Some higher-ups aren’t so keen on us older drivers. Older in the sense that we’ve been driving longest.”
Sunset spoke up. “I wouldn’t want to take your job away.”
Dust smirked. “Just saying it as it is, that’s all.” She brought the engine to a stop. “I’ll need you to call me back onto the boxcars. Get it right this time.”
Sunset hopped out of the cab and walked toward the waiting cars.
Meanwhile, another goods train blasted out of San Fernando yard as a pickup truck pulled up in the parking lot. A man hopped out, and picked up 4 boxes of doughnuts from the back seat. He was an older man, with light blue skin and greying hair. As was suitable for the cold, he wore a grey bomber jacket and pants, combined with a pair of brown boots that crunched in the snow. He also had a scarf on, though whether he wore it loose around his neck or in a Windsor Knot depended on the weather. Today, it was definitely the latter.
His phone buzzed as he stepped through the door. He put the boxes down on a table and took it out.
“Hi, this is Wind Rider,” he answered. “I’ve just got in. Yeah, I’ve got the doughnuts for when the kids get here.”
He stopped. “A what?” he asked. Just then, Gilda and Upper Crust appeared behind him. He swung around, ending the call. He was not pleased.
“How the hell did this happen?” he asked.
“I got jumped,” Gilda answered.
“Jumped?” Wind Rider could not believe what he was hearing. “Gilda, you were in the cab of an engine, not walking into an ambush in a school gym!”
“Some hooligans jumped into the cab and pushed her out,” Crust added. “CCTV caught them running off, but the train is still rolling.”
“Great.” Wind Rider was going to have a fun day. “Are the brakes tied on?”
“Yes.” Gilda nodded.
“Right, get after it in one of the 77s. GO!” The two girls scuttled away, not wanting to face Wind Rider’s wrath any longer.
He took out his phone as he walked into the control room. “We’ve got a coaster on the mainline,” he said. “Set as many signals to red as you can, and try to clear the mainline of any traffic. Hopefully those two can stop the damn thing before long.” He put in a number and hit call. “But it never hurts to have a backup.”
Meanwhile, in a Diner just outside LA, a man was sitting eating his breakfast. He had a long, grey face and red eyes with yellow eyeballs. He had white hair sticking up at strange angles no matter what he did with it, and he wore a mismatched array of colours. At the moment he was listening to the small talk of the waitress, who had a frustrating habit of inserting comparatives into her sentences where they were not needed.
“So,” she said, “I was like, ‘I need, like, a red-carpet glitz-and-glamour gown that’s also causal, but, like, still artsy and a total head turner’. She then, like, gave some stuff I didn’t understand so I didn’t, like, care about it.”
“Very interesting,” the man said.
“But then, like, her assistant came in with a totally smashing ensemble. I literally bought it then and there and I’m, like, the talk of the town.”
The man simmered quietly, not least because of the constant errors in grammar, but because she wouldn’t stop talking. Thankfully his phone went, which he answered.
“This is Discord, how can I help you?”
“Hey, Discord,” said the voice at the other end. "We need your help on the rails.”
“Well, it is my job, you know!” he replied. “I’ve got to go,” he whispered.
“We’ve got an unmanned train rolling down the line. We need you to drive to the Castaic Junction Loop and throw the switch.”
“Do you want me to climb aboard?”
“No, there’s no need. We’ve got a loco crew following from San Fernando.” The speaker paused. "Where are you?”
“I’m just on my way onto the road now.”
“You sure? Last time you said that to me you had to hook Jimmy out of a computer screen. Something about talking pastel ponies.”
“That was a one off!” Discord protested. “I’m on my way there now.” He ended the call, and got up. “I’ll be back tomorrow!” he said.
“Like, have a totally smashing day,” the waitress replied.
“Valley Glamour!” shouted a voice. “Get back to work!”
Discord pulled his helmet on, and started his motorbike’s engine. With a rattle and a roar, he pulled out of the parking lot, and raced onto the highway.
“OK, bring it back,” Sunset radioed. 611 began to back up towards the waiting boxcars.
“How far, over?”
“5 cars, you’re good!”
611 rolled to a stop, neatly colliding with the knuckle-eye without so much as a judder. Sunset stepped forward to tie on the brakes and set the pin.
Who should show up, but the daemon, floating over her.
“Look at you, unable to do a job properly!” she laughed. “Honestly, I pity you, the charity case you are.”
“I am not a charity case!” Sunset replied.
“Oh, but you are,” it replied. “Think about it; why didn’t they hang out with you beforehand? They only did it because Princess Twilight told them to!”
“That’s not true!”
“It is. Remember the number of ‘no offense’ jokes they constantly made-at YOUR expense, may I point out?”
“But I defeated the Sirens!” Sunset exclaimed. “They couldn’t have stopped them alone!”
“You were only needed to sing 4 lines of verse. What a pity, you are worthy of so much more.”
A loud buzzing sounded through the air. “Oh, looks like I’ve got to go,” the daemon laughed. “Tic-toc, Sunset!”
Sunset answered her radio. “Yeah?”
“What is taking so long? Are the couplers engaged?”
“Yes, they are,” Sunset replied.
“Good. Now stop talking to thin air and get up here, we’ve got work to do. MOVE!”
Sunset climbed aboard the engine, worried. Now that Lightning had seen it, she would surely start questioning her sanity.
Once she was aboard, Lighting grabbed the in-cab radio. “Control, this is 611, we are ready to depart, over.”
“This is Cloudsdale Control, you are cleared to depart, over.”
The signal switched to green, and 611 pulled away down the hill.
Meanwhile, Discord was waiting at Castaic Junction loop, passing the time by playing an organ. How he had this organ on him was a mystery, as he couldn’t fit such a thing on a bike.
He waited. And waited. AND WAITED. And still the train hadn’t passed him.
“Where is that train?” he thought.
Just then, in the distance, the Class 77 roared into view. The 77 was similar to the 76, but it was a lot larger, and as a consequence, could run a lot faster. It rolled to a stop just in front of him, and Upper Crust and Gilda hopped out.
“Where's the train?” asked Upper Crust.
“I don’t know!” Discord replied.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Gilda answered.
“Do I look like I have a train in my back pocket?” Discord shot back.
“Well, where did you get that organ from?”
Crust sighed. “Gilda, that’s just Discord.”
The man shook his head. “Why am I not surprised it’s you two who are responsible for this mess?”
“I got jumped!” Gilda protested.
Discord dialled a number on his phone. “Wind Rider?”
“Yes, Discord?”
“I’m at Castaic Junction now, but there’s absolutely no sign of the train. The 77 has just arrived, and Gilda and Upper Crust haven’t seen it either.”
There was a pause. "That engine can’t be a coaster then.”
“No,” Discord replied. “At first I thought it might be going slower than I thought, but if they haven’t seen it that can’t be the case.”
“Then it has to be under power.”
“I fear that may well be the case.”
There was another pause. "Go onto speaker, I want to speak to Gilda.”
Discord hit another button, and held the phone forward. “He wants to speak to you, nincompoop.”
“Yeah?” Gilda said.
“What power setting was the loco set to when you were jumped?”
“Power was set to...R5.”
“That can't be right. Maybe your friends adjusted the switches.”
“Wait!” Gilda interrupted. “My face was slammed into the control panel, then as I fell out, I knocked the Combination Lever.”
“To what position was the Combination Lever set?” When Gilda initially didn’t answer, Wind Rider asked again. "What position? Answer me, damnit!”
“Parallel.” Gilda stopped and her mouth hung open in shock at the implication of this. “And the motors began to whine as the train moved out of the yard. Which means it’s set to W.F.4, maximum power...with 4 engines and 30 cars!”
“Get back in the 77 and get after it.”
The two girls climbed back in the engine, sounded the horn, and pulled away, the 77 racing off into the distance.
“Discord, you still there?”
“I hear you, boss.”
“I want you to trail the train from the Interstate. The two will run parallel until the railroad hits the Gauntlet.”
“I’m already on my way.” Discord remounted his bike, swung it around and set off onto the road once again.
Meanwhile, Wind Rider was trying to contact HQ. He had the company phone to his ear and was dialling Swift Order at the same time.
“Can you put me in contact with the Director?”
There was no response.
“Can you have him call me then?”
There was a mumble at the opposite end of the line.
“Good. I’ll hear from you then.”
He put the phone down. Just then, his mobile went.
“This is Wind Rider, yardmaster at San Fernando.”
“Good to hear from you, old friend.” Swift Order’s voice crackled at the opposite end of the line.
“Hey, we ned your help. Could you help us with locking off the railroad crossings?”
“How many? Is there a problem?”
“Yeah.” Wind Rider paused. “We have a runaway train.”
“Don’t these locos have some sort of automatic shutdown?”
“That’s true. Unfortunately, the Combination Lever was moved out of Series without being moved to Off beforehand, which means the system is disabled.”
“Do you have a plan to stop it?”
Wind Rider paused. “We’re working on it.”
Meanwhile, 611 pulled into the loop at the bottom of Cloudsdale ascent. Lightning Dust looked behind her, and frowned.
“How many cars?” she asked.
“20, why?” Sunset replied.
“Did you see the signal at the start of the loop?”
“Yes, I did.”
“Look out of the cab, and ahead. You should be able to see another signal which we’re just pulling past.”
Sunset poked her head out, and nodded. “I see it.”
“Distance between those two signals is exactly 20 cars. So, explain to me why there are still 10 cars yet to clear the rear switch?”
Sunset sighed. “I cut in too many cars.”
Lightning Dust shook her head. “Rookie mistake.”
“Well,” Sunset replied, “if you weren’t on my ass the whole time, I might be able to do my job.”
“If you weren’t talking to thin air, I wouldn’t have to be on your ass.” The girl’s biting remark hit hard.
“Well, can’t we just dump the excess 10 cars here?”
Dust laughed. “Dump them in a loop? This isn’t a trailer full of tires! Other trains need to use that loop. Just greensheet it and move on.”
Sunset was aghast. “I’d get into deep shit for that!”
“Well, it’s not as much as you’d be in for dumping boxcars in loops!” Dust was not pleased. “Besides, you’re a newbie!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“They go easy on them, whilst we older gals get canned!”
Sunset blew a fuse. “You may be the engineer, but it’s my GODDAMN TRAIN!”
She stopped as she felt a blast of pain in her chest. Dust stopped the engine, and helped her up.
“Hey, you OK?” she asked. “We’ll drop them off at the next siding and make up the lost time.”
Sunset simply nodded, and got back up, sitting in the stoker’s chair.
The radio in the cab went. "611, 611, this is Canterlot Dispatch. Do you read, over?”
Lightning unclipped the radio, and replied. “This is 611, go ahead over?”
“Where are you, over?”
“We’re currently held in a loop outside Cloudsdale, over.”
“You need to get moving, pronto. There’s an unmanned train on the line.”
Sunset gasped. “What?”
“Where is it? Is it under power?”
“It’s on the San Fernando side of the Gauntlet, and we don’t know if it is under power.”
“I need to know, over.”
“You will, but for now complete that run and get your engine into a siding. We’ve found one near Halfway.”
“Getting underway now.” The signal changed colour, and Lighting Dust sounded the whistle. 611 pulled away with a roar, and thundered into the distance.
Wind Rider addressed his team. “We need to get as much traffic off the main line as we can,” he said.
“We have a problem sir,” said one of his aides.
“Out with it!”
“76076 has just switched tracks, and is now running wrong line. Right into the path of that passenger train bound for this yard.”
Wind Rider froze. He had completely forgotten about that train. “Radio them and tell them to get the hell off the mainline.”
“On it, sir!” Spitfire replied, switching on her radio.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack were driving the passenger train down the line when suddenly the radio went.
“This is Rainbow Dash; how can I help?”
“5550, where are you, over?”
“We’re just outside Bakersville, over.”
“You have a runaway train running right into your path, get out of there, over.”
“Sorry, what?”
“You have a runaway train running wrong line into your path. We are switching you over to the northbound track. Get ready.”
“Understood, over.”
Meanwhile, inside the train, the Crusaders had all gathered together and were looking out of the window.
“Now ain’t this a pleasant way to travel!” Apple Bloom observed.
“The railroad is so handy here,” Sweetie Belle added. “It means Mom doesn’t need to drive us everywhere.”
“AND my big sister is driving,” Scootaloo added. “Such a shame Button Mash and the others couldn’t be here.”
Applejack poked her head out of the cab. Suddenly, she saw the other train approaching them, its yellow front ends clearly visible.
“Ah shit!” she yelled. “Dash, speed her up, now!”
Dash tore open the regulator, and the engine began to lumber forward, clattering over the points.
The oncoming train got closer and closer.
The locomotive and first carriage cleared the switches. The bogies rumbled and groaned as they rolled over at speeds far higher than intended.
The oncoming train got closer still, its motors now clearly audible.
The 4th and 5th carriages cleared the switches.
The oncoming train was now uncomfortably close.
“Dash, get a fucking move on! That last carriage is still blocking the points!”
At last, the last carriage cleared the switches. It slid back just in time, as the electric train roared past them.
Scootaloo looked out of the window. “I don’t think that was meant to happen.”
Apple Bloom had turned pale. “I hope that means nothin’ bad ain’t gonna happen.”
Just a few miles down the line, the Mash household were waiting at the crossing in their car. Suddenly, a news truck pulled up next to them and the reporters got out.
“Excuse me?” asked the first. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Elaina. “We’ve been held here, but there’s absolutely no sign of a train anywhere.”
Another car approached from the opposite direction, going far too fast. The driver slammed their brakes on, but it was too late. They crashed into a horsebox that skidded over the rails.
The driver jumped out, and asked if anybody was hurt.
Suddenly in the distance, a horn was heard...
...and the front end of 76076 came into view, racing towards them.
Wind Rider looked in concern at the shipping manifest for 76076. The cargo load was given as 30 tankers, 20 of which were loaded with gasoline. However, the remaining 10 cars were loaded with a substance called molten phenol. He had never heard of it before, but just as he was about to speak to somebody about it, a man stepped into the office. He had light blue skin and dark blue hair, green eyes, and wore a grey business suit.
“Excuse me, are you Wind Rider?” he asked. He spoke with a mild British accent.
“Yes. And you would be?”
“My name is Starry Night,” the man replied. “I’m an inspector for the FRA, I’m supposed to be giving the kids a talk-”
“Yeah, thanks.” Wind Rider interrupted. “I’m a little busy here, go talk to Spitfire.”
Spitfire raised her hand. “Over here sir!” she called. “We currently have a runaway train out on the mainline.”
A loud buzz sounded. “Director Tirek on the line for you sir.”
“Patch him through, on speaker.” Wind Rider was suitably blunt.
There was another buzz, then the call came on. “How in God’s name did this happen?”
“One of our engineers got jumped, and the attackers made off with the train.” Wind Rider told it as it was.
“Really?” Tirek sounded cross. “I was a yard manager for 20 years, and I can tell you for a fact that people don’t just nick trains. This isn’t the fucking wild west!”
“Do we have a plan to bring the train to a halt?”
“We have a strategy meeting in 5 minutes or so. Higher-ups in CCR are to be contacted.”
“I’m on standby for the call.”
“You are not part of the meeting.”
Wind Rider was surprised. “What?”
“You will be advised as to what course of action to take. What is the cargo?”
“The train came from my yard, I have the-”
“WHAT IS THE CARGO?”
Wind Rider shook slightly. “20 cars loaded with gasoline. The remaining 10 are loaded with something called ‘molten phenol’. We don’t know what that is, but-”
“It’s used in the manufacture of glue,” Starry Night interrupted.
Wind Rider turned around to him. “I’ll put you on the line.”
Starry Night stepped forward. “I’m Starry Night, FRA inspector and-”
“Just tell me what you know about Molten Phenol!”
Starry Night nodded. “It’s extremely toxic. Exposure to the contents of just one tanker would be fatal for an entire town. Mixed with gasoline were the train to derail, it would produce an explosion rivalling a nuke.”
There was a brief pause. Wind Rider took up the conversation. “Sir, we have a good chance to derail the train in the open, before it hits the Gauntlet.”
“What good would that do?”
Wind Rider lifted up the phone. “Sir, I am aware that the explosion and the damage resulting would cost the company a lot of money, but if it were to derail in a town-”
“You think?” Tirek shot back. "We are not going to derail one of our own trains, not whilst we can still stop it! Now let us do our jobs, and stop interfering. I don’t believe you want to be canned again.”
The line went dead. Wind Rider put the phone down.
“Bastard thinks I’m worried about my job,” he growled.
Elaina and the Mash family jumped out of the car, and wrenched open the horsebox door. The owner of the horse tried to pull the horse out, but it wouldn’t co-operate.
It had been spooked by the noise of the oncoming train.
“Come on!” Button shouted. “We need to get off the line!”
Gibson pulled again. “It won’t move!”
76076 was now dangerously close.
Gibson gave the horse one last tug, and at last it cleared the line.
It was only just in time. The EM1 smashed into the horsebox and sent it flying through the air, where it landed in a muddy field.
At the same time, Gilda and Upper Crust were racing up the line in the Class 77. Crust had pushed the engine to maximum, the locomotive whining as it was pushed to the breaking point.
“What’s our speed?” Gilda asked.
“We’re doing well over 80 miles an hour!” came the reply. “What are you planning?”
“I’ll try to jump aboard via one of the grab rails!” Gilda answered.
They raced forward, slowly getting closer to the front of the train. At long last, the cab of 76077 was level with them, and they began to outpace the electric locomotives. They moved into position alongside 76076, and Gilda opened the door.
She reached out, and got the grab handle in her reach...only for Crust to overshoot.
“Back it up!” Gilda shouted, her voice barely audible over the combined roar of 3 locomotives.
Upon backing up slightly, Gilda tried again. But luck was not on her side.
“HOLY SHIT, LOOK OUT!” Crust screamed. Up ahead was a signal!
Gilda pulled herself back in and shut the door just in time. It was their last chance. Up ahead, the tracks narrowed from four lines, to just two.
Crust slammed the brakes on, and the engine came to a swift halt as 76076 roared into the distance.
Gilda grabbed the radio. “Control, the train has just entered the Gauntlet. What the hell do we do now?”
At CCR HQ in Canterlot, Tirek and company bosses were gathered to discuss the situation.
“What are we looking at?” asked Director Hurricane.
“A massive disaster,” replied Firefly, President of the company. “The entire line is electrified, and if those cars broke apart on derailment, which they almost certainly would, sparks from the overhead power lines would ignite the gasoline.”
“Blast radius?” Hurricane asked again.
“At least 10.7 kilometres, on our most conservative estimates. If the train were to derail in Canterlot, we’d be looking at over 100,000 people dead.”
“Cost of cleanup, and stock market damage?”
“Cleanup would run into at least $20 million, and we’d be looking at a 40% stock market fall.”
Hurricane thought for a moment. “I’d say we go with Director Tirek’s solution.”
“Agreed,” Firefly replied.
Tirek stood up. “Let’s get to work!” he said.
Wind Rider stood exasperated. Still nothing from higher-ups about the runaway train. The local news had already started reporting on the incident, and had put a helicopter over the train.
“...And more on that runaway train in California. The locomotive, number 76076, left San Fernando yard this morning, but nobody was on board the engine.”
The picture shifted to a reporter walking through a railyard. "The company has refused to state precisely what has caused the incident, only that plans are in place to stop the runaway.”
Wind Rider sighed. If only they would tell him what those plans were! But what did it matter? The train was probably going to derail and explode.
His attention was raised by a new piece of footage on the TV. It was an interview with a boy in Canterlot, by the name of Pipsqueak.
“I hope they can stop it before it arrives here,” he said. "The railroad runs through the centre of the town.”
The display switched to show the train smashing through a horsebox.
“If it can break through that,” Wind Rider whispered, “what can stop it?”
His thoughts were stalled by Starry Night speaking. “What do all the red lights mean?”
“Trouble on the mainline,” Spitfire told him. “Every red light on the board indicates where 76076 passed a signal.”
“That’s a lot of red.”
Wind Rider stepped forward. “We need to monitor the situation, that train has just entered the Gauntlet.”
Elsewhere, 611 was approaching Halfway Siding. Lightning Dust looked out and picked up the radio. “Dispatch, you there, over?”
“611, go ahead, over.”
“We’re at the siding, but we’re not gonna fit, over.”
“611, that train has just reached the Gauntlet, and it's under power. You need to get off the mainline, pronto.”
“But we can’t without fouling the line. We simply won’t fit.”
Sunset looked puzzled. “That siding’s at least 1500 feet.”
“Signal to signal,” Dust corrected. “In reality, it’s closer to 1200 feet, which we would fit in had you not tagged in the extra cars. As it is, we stand at around 1309 feet.”
“611, we need a decision, now.”
“Realign the switch, over.”
Sunset ran over to the brake controls, and grabbed the Independent. “Are you trying to kill us?”
Lightning swung round and shoved her back. “Hands off! This is my engine!”
“611, are we realigning or not?”
“Realign the switch, over.”
The points swung back onto the mainline. 611 powered into the distance, belching smoke and steam.
“We’re routing you to a loop just north of Crystal City. How fast are you going?”
Lightning glanced at the speedometer. “About 50 miles an hour, why?”
“611, you are cleared to run at 100. Dispatch out.”
Lightning cracked open the regulator, and the train sped into the distance, steam pouring from the funnel and the boxcars groaning at the increased speed.
There is one particular section of the route that is especially treacherous. It starts at the south end of the Needles mountain range, near Johnsondale, and emerges from the other end at Crystal City. The railwaymen call it ‘the Gauntlet’, and with good reason. Many trains and crews were lost there in the old days, before the line was converted to electric power. In fact, the steep gradients were the reason DC was adopted over AC.
At one of the sidings, a pair of Black 5 4-6-0s had been readied for action, and a helicopter was being loaded.
Nearby, the media had prepared a van and a news reporter was already on the ground.
“Behind me,” she said, "efforts to halt the runaway train are underway. The plan is to put a pair of engines onto the front of the train, and then to lower a man onto the train, who will then climb into the cab and stop the train.”
The camera zoomed in to show a man being strapped into a harness.
“US Army veteran and former Marine Iron Will has volunteered to be lowered onto the train.”
On the lead Black 5, a girl stuck her head out of the cab. She had black skin and red hair and eyes, and teeth that looked vaguely like vampire fangs. She wore purple boots and gloves, as well as a dark purple shirt and pink, white, and blue skirt. Her name was Jimmy Hook (short for Jemima), a 3-year veteran of the company.
“Support locos, are we ready?” she asked over the radio.
“Yes ma’am, we are ready,” replied the driver of the second Black 5.
Meanwhile, Discord had got himself caught in traffic. He killed the engine on his bike, and walked up to the policemen.
“What’s the cause of the holdup?” he asked.
“We’ve been ordered to seal off the Interstate between here and Crystal City,” the policeman replied.
“I need to get through, pronto,” he explained.
“Swift Order’s instructions, I’m afraid.”
Discord sighed. “I’m trailing the runaway train. You can contact my boss, Wind Rider.”
Another, more senior, policeman, walked over. “Wind Rider sent you?”
“Yes sir, he did.”
The officer nodded. “C’mon boys! This man needs an escort!”
The convoy of four police cars and a motorbike set off into the distance, following the runaway train.
Back in the Gauntlet, 76076 thundered forwards. The radio went in the Black 5s cab. “Get moving, that’s an order!”
“Roger that!” Hook replied. “Let’s get it moving, boys!”
The two 4-6-0s rumbled forward, clattering over the points and onto the mainline. They were just enough ahead to avoid being caught by the oncoming electric, but the gap was closing fast.
The helicopter took this as its cue to take off.
Back at San Fernando, Wind Rider looked shocked. “This is Tirek’s strategy?”
The two 5s were doing about 70 miles an hour by now, when Hook received her first orders. "Start slowing her down, over.”
“On it, over.” Hook applied the brakes, and slowed the two engines down. “Keep getting that speed down!” she shouted.
The two engines complied, the two-cylinder beat gradually slowing as 76076 approached. Within a minute, the two engines collided.
Hook was knocked forward as the collision occurred. Warning lights came on in the cab.
Warning: Wheelslip.
Warning: Brake Blocks overheating.
Hook took the brakes off, and let the engine speed up slightly. Both engines were knocked forward, only to slam back onto the electric engine with a bang.
Iron Will waved his hand. “Send me down!” he shouted. The winch on the crane began to lower as he dropped toward the engine.
It was only then that a fatal flaw in the plan became apparent.
The couplers slammed back together again, knocking Iron Will sideways-straight into the overhead power lines.
The helicopter pulled back from the scene, with Iron Will hanging limp.
“It looks like Iron Will is injured.”
“Shit!” Spitfire growled.
The radio started up again. "Hook, you are to get that train off the mainline. Derail it.”
“Understood sir,” Hook replied. The engines collided for the fourth time, and rounded a bend where a siding became visible.
But the brakes were having no visible effect. “Slow down, goddamnit!” Hook exclaimed.
The train careered onto the points.
“They can’t go into the siding, they’re going too fast!” cried Starry Night.
He was right. 76076 forced the switch back, and collided with the tender of the rear Black 5. The locomotive was thrown into the air, and the coupling on the front engine snapped.
“Bail, bail!” cried Spitfire.
It was too late. The rear engine flew through the air and smashed into the ground, rolling until it collided with a tree and exploded.
The lead engine was derailed due to the force of the crash, and toppled onto one side, sliding through the dirt until it came to a stop.
76076 thundered past, straight into a downhill section, and onwards toward Canterlot.
Two wrecked locomotives lay on the ground, having been derailed minutes before. One of them was a completely broken wreck, the other mostly intact.
A news chopper flew over the scene. "What a mess,” the news commentator said.
Wind Rider slammed the desk in rage. “Tirek, you asshole!” he roared.
Further down the line, Sunset saw the explosion of the second Black 5. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed. “Do you think it derailed?”
Meanwhile, in the wreck of the first Black 5, Hook slowly regained consciousness.
“Oww,” she moaned. “That crash sure did a number on me.” She looked around the cab to see her stoker, lying dead amongst broken parts.
“Fiery Heart?” she asked. “Fiery Heart, answer me! SAY SOMETHING!”
She got no reply. Her eyes stinging with tears, she crawled out of the wreckage, and staggered toward the treeline.
Lightning Dust got on the radio. “Dispatch, we sighted an explosion just north of the loop. Can you confirm the source, over?”
“This is Wind Rider, please verify identity, over?”
Dust briefly seemed elated, before regaining her composure. “This is Lightning Dust, engineer of 611, over.”
“Where are you headed, over?”
“Dispatch sent us into a loop just north of Crystal City.”
Wind Rider’s face went pale. He grabbed the radio again. “Get the hell into that loop, you’ll see 76076’s front end any minute now.”
“We’re just entering the loop now...oh shit!”
The radio cut off. Wind Rider looked in shock when he saw where 76076 was on the board.
It was moving along the main line, parallel to the very same loop. He grabbed the radio, and cried down it with all his might, “LIGHTNING!”
Tirek was caught off guard when he looked at the TV.
“We have just learned that another train is right in the path of 76076. Based on the footage we have, it seems it is trying to move out of the way.”
Tirek exploded. “Of all the things, this is the one I have to learn from the Goddamn TV!”
611 rolled over the points, as the electric approached. Dust began to apply the brakes.
“What are you doing?” Sunset asked.
“If we go in at top speed, we’ll derail,” the engineer explained. The brakes groaned as they began to slow the heavy train down.
“611, get at least 10 cars into that siding, over.”
Dust looked behind her, her composure beginning to falter. 5 cars, then 6, then 7 cleared the switch.
At last, the 10th car cleared the switch.
“Yes!” Wind Rider cried.
15 cars were through. It looked as if it would work.
It didn’t. 76076 smashed the last boxcar apart as if it were matchwood. The train roared onwards into the distance, cargo and engines flying toward oblivion.
Lightning looked back in disbelief. “I swear they tried to stop that thing!”
“They did,” said Wind Rider over the radio. “They tried to use 2 Black 5s to stop it. But the lead engine derailed them both. Three members of engine crew were killed.
“Who survived?” Dust asked.
“Jimmy Hook, engineer on the lead locomotive.”
Dust put her head in her hands. “It’s like that thing’s alive.”
Suddenly, Canterlot radioed. "611, do you copy, over?”
“611, I copy.”
“Hold position where you are. It is not safe to return to Canterlot.”
“Why, over?”
“Halfway is being evacuated. They’re going to derail the train.”
Sunset jumped up. “WHAT?” she said.
“Standard PDU.”
Lightning Dust grimaced. “Not on my watch,” she said.
She jumped out of the cab, and walked along the train to where the boxcars were engaged with the tender.
Sunset jumped out after her. “What are you doing?” she asked.
Lightning didn’t turn around, but released the locking pin and opened the coupler. “I spotted that the rear coupler on 76081 was left open. We get this thing to Crystal City depot, turn it around, and go after it.”
“Are you crazy?” Sunset shouted. “It’s called a derailer for a reason! It derails trains!”
“That train is simply too heavy,” Dust explained. “Anything that heavy, it’ll vaporise anything in front of it. The only way to stop something that powerful is to couple onto the back and brake.”
“And what if it derails?” Sunset responded. “For Celestia’s sake, it’s too risky!”
Lightning Dust looked at her. “If you don’t want to come with me, that’s fine. I’ll do it myself. But if we don’t go after it, and it derails in Canterlot...well, that’s your home, your friends, all gone.”
Sunset pondered this for a moment. The odds really were too great.
“Why does life always do this to me?” she moaned. She and Lightning ran back toward 611s cab.
The engine stormed away from the turntable and rapidly gained speed in pursuit of 76076.
“What sort of speed are we doing?” asked Sunset.
“About...60 miles an hour. Course, we need to go a lot faster.”
The radio flared into life. "611, where are you, over?”
“Out on the mainline, doing about 70, over.”
“Sorry, what?”
“We’re going after your train. Tell Tirek the derailer won’t work.”
“I hadn’t heard anything about a derailer!”
“Dispatch just radioed.”
There was a long silence. "Please don’t do this, Dust.”
Dust waited herself, before replying. “Dad, I’m sorry. But I have no choice.”
The radio went ballistic. "Dust, no! Please, don’t! I CAN’T LOSE YOU AGAIN!”
Dust clicked the button. “Can you keep us posted in 76076’s location?”
“I will. But please be careful. Oh, and Tirek wants to speak to you.”
Dust sighed. “Patch him through.”
The channel clicked open. "It’s a done decision, Lightning. We are derailing that train and that is that.”
“It’s not going to work, it’s that simple. I’ve been in the cab for 3 years, you for precisely 0.”
“You’d better be glad I’m not there in person, you cheeky piece of shit!”
“I expect then you want to go down in history as the man who blew up an entire town?” Dust smirked.
“I am not risking my company because some engineer wants to play hero! Now cease your pursuit or I WILL FIRE YOU!”
Dust sat there for a moment. “You already tried to fire me and my dad, and look how well that turned out.”
“That crash was your fault, nothing else!”
“If you’d welded the track together correctly, it wouldn’t have happened!”
Dust handed the radio to Sunset.
“This is Sunset Shimmer, stoker and conductor of 611,” she said. “We’re gonna run this son-of-a-bitch down.”
“Well, maybe you didn’t hear what I said! I WILL FIRE YOU!”
“Too bad. I was just starting to like this job.” She hung the radio up.
Tirek continued to bellow into the mike for several minutes, until he realised that they were gone. He switched his radio to San Fernando control. “You get those two motherfuckers off the mainline, or you can consider yourself canned as well!”
Wind Rider shook his head. “I’ll ignore that.”
Spitfire spoke up. “Sir, I thought you were in favour of derailment.”
“Not when that train is rolling through towns! There’s only 100 miles between Halfway and Canterlot!”
He picked up the radio. “611, you need to pick up the pace. That train is 50 miles from Halfway.”
Back in the cab of 611, Sunset looked at Lightning. “What was that about a derailment?”
The turquoise-skinned girl sighed. “I knew that was gonna come up sooner or later. When I was young, my grandfather would always tell me stories about the good old days of the railroads. He’d driven some of the steamers in the old days, over on the N&W.”
“N&W?” Sunset asked.
“Norfolk and Western Railroad, a Class 1 out in Virginia. Anyway, I knew that with that sort of blood in my veins, it was my destiny to become an Engineer. When he passed away, I promised him I would make him proud.”
So, I enrolled on the CCR’s Engineer training program. Probably helped my dad was a railroad employee. I was passed out as an Engineer 1st Class. That meant I could operate passenger and freight trains.”
She paused. “I’d made it, and I genuinely believed I’d made him proud. But then the accident happened.”
“It was late at night, and one of the signals was faulty. My train was routed onto a damaged section of track, and tipped over onto its side. One minute I was at the controls. The next thing I knew, I was in a full body cast drinking through a straw.”
“That sounds awful!” Sunset exclaimed. “Were any passengers hurt?”
“No.” Lightning shook her head. “It was an empty stock movement. But that wasn’t what hurt the most. After a few months, I’d recovered, and was ready to go back to work.”
Her voice began to shake. “But when I came into the roundhouse, Tirek was there. He did nothing but tear my badge off my uniform, and inform me I was demoted to Engineer 2nd Class. Higher ups had decided to blame the entire incident on me. Reckless driving, they said.”
“Why didn’t they investigate the incident properly?” Sunset asked.
“Sometimes it’s easier to find a scapegoat than actually deal with the problem. It’s what’s done all the time in business. My dad fought tooth and nail to ensure I wasn’t fired. But it was a mess nonetheless. I felt that I’d failed grandad, just seeing my dream, my life, torn away because of corporate shenanigans.”
She shrugged. “So here I am, running down a runaway train. What about you, Sunset?”
Meanwhile, the evacuation of Halfway was finally complete. At a railroad crossing, a group of policemen under the command of Swift Order had gathered. They were each armed with AA-12 shotguns.
“Just like a turkey-shoot boys,” he said.
76076 lumbered into view, and accelerated toward the crossing.
“Get ready!” Order shouted.
The electric train was seconds from the crossing.
“FIRE!”
The soldiers opened fire, shotgun shells bouncing off the frame of the engine and peppering the metalwork with holes.
“CEASE FIRE!”
The shooting had failed to hit the motor shutdown switch, mounted on one of the bogies. Swift Order gave the order for his men to retreat from the area.
Up ahead, the derailer had been put into place. A news reporter was asking a railroad employee what was happening.
“So, how does this derailer work?” she asked.
“The PDU is a ramp,” he explained. “It lifts the flange out of the rails, causing the engine to tip over onto one side. It won’t even know what hit it!”
His radio buzzed. "76076 is rolling into range, get ready!”
He waved. “We need to get clear! Let’s go!”
76076 rolled into Halfway station, and right on top of the derailer. The wheel came up, off the rails...
...and straight back down again. The heavier tanker cars simply crushed the PDUs and sent metal flying everywhere, the destruction being absolutely total.
Tirek was flabbergasted. “What the hell was that?”
Wind Rider responded. "That, sir, was a runaway train. Now let me do my job, and stop interfering!”
The line clicked shut. “Right people,” Wind Rider started. “We need a plan of attack. Night, how do we go about this?”
Starry Night sighed. “Well, we’re looking at them coupling onto the train at around 14 times the safe coupling speed. I believe 611 is going smokebox first?”
A quick glance at the news confirmed this to be the case.
“We have confirmed reports that 611 is going in pursuit of the runaway train, at speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour!”
“Spitfire, what’s the current projected catch point?”
“611 will catch 76076 15 miles outside Canterlot.”
Wind Rider shook his head. “That doesn’t give them long. I just hope they can pull it off.” He picked up the radio. “611?”
“Yeah?”
“You were right. PDU didn’t work. The engine barely bumped.”
She paused. “I was the personal student of Princess Celestia. She’s sorta like Principal Celestia, just a bit more powerful.”
“Does she give detentions?” Dust asked.
“No. I was lined up to be her successor, but I was arrogant and overconfident. When she wouldn’t make me an alicorn, I lost it. I fled through a mirror and arrived here, 3 years ago. I came as a bit of a shock to find I was now a human, not to mention I was wearing clothes!”
Lightning looked over. “Is there a nudist culture in Equestria?”
Sunset looked shocked. “No! It’s just ponies only dress up for special occasions, that’s all. So, I had to blend in. I thought the local high school would be a good start. With so many new kids arriving every year, I could easily blend in.”
“But finding a place to live was a problem. I camped out in the library for a while. OK, 3 years. All the time, I tried to fight my way to the top of the ladder, not caring about who I pushed around or hurt. I split up an old group of friends that way.”
Lightning shook her head. “Sounds like you were one mean alpha bitch.”
Sunset hung her head. “That just about summed me up. Then I learned about the portal reopening, and dived back into the world of my birth to steal a crown with magical power. I stole one from here to swap with it, but I got caught and Princess Twilight followed me through.”
Lightning Dust looked confused. "I swear I’ve heard that name before,” she thought.
“She was able to rally the student body against me. It was then...I did something really stupid.”
“Go on.”
“I took the crown, and put it on. The magic it contained overwhelmed my mind, and turned me into a raging She-Demon.”
“The correct feminine is Demonette.”
“Anyway,” Sunset interrupted, “I used the magic to take control of the student body, and plotted an invasion. But Twilight and her 6 friends had rallied against me, and were able to use their powers to restore me to normal. They agreed to show me the power of friendship, but it took the student body a VERY long time to forgive me.”
“I can imagine,” Lightning answered.
“They only began to trust me, for the most part, after I helped defeat the Dazzlings. But my victory was short-lived, as they began to create the impression I was going back to my old ways, through a MyStable account called ‘Anon-a-Miss'.”
“That was reported in the papers!”
“To say the least, we stopped them, and I’m in a much better place now. But that demon still lurks somewhere in my mind, and I’m scared of what’ll happen if she gets out.”
The radio buzzed. "611, the rear of 76081 should be visible around now.”
The passenger train clattered into San Fernando yard, and once it had stopped, the passengers got off and headed into the control building.
Applejack spoke up when they arrived in the control room. “Is everythin’ OK?”
Wind Rider looked back. “Please go to the rec room, we’re kinda busy here.”
The older girls ushered the younger ones into another room, and Rainbow Dash flicked on the TV.
“We are looking at the worst railroad disaster in the history of California. A speeding, out of control train, loaded with toxic chemicals, is bearing down on Canterlot.”
Sweetie Belle put her hand over her mouth. “Oh God,” she whispered.
“But we have just learned that another locomotive is chasing from the rear. A plan has been devised to stop the runaway train. The basic plan is to couple the engine to the rear, at speeds of around 70 miles an hour, and then bring it to a stop.”
Scootaloo looked stunned. “Hey, it’s just like that incident in Pennsylvania a few years ago. Ya know, the one they made a movie about?”
Apple Bloom simply stared at her.
“What?”
“Ah don’t think that was the most appropriate thing ta say, Scoots.”
“Keep it down!” Applejack exclaimed.
In the cab of 611, the radio flickered into life.
“Go ahead, over?” Lighting Dust said.
“This is Starry Night, FRA Inspector. I have some advice for stopping 76076.”
“Go ahead, over.”
There was a pause. "I know conventional wisdom says to simply reset the cutoff and run her in reverse, but you’d be wiser alternating between full throttle and full braking.”
“We’d lose counterthrust, over.”
“What you’d lose in counterthrust, you’d more than gain in tractive effort.”
Sunset glanced over. “Do you want me to call it from the front?”
Dust looked surprised. “You sure?”
“Look, it’s that or my hometown goes up in flames. I’ll climb over the running board and get to the front of 611 that way.”
Dust nodded. “I don’t like it, but it’s better than nothing.”
Sunset climbed forward, and swung out of the side of the cab. She reached for a grab handle mounted on the casing, and swung herself onto the running board. She then shuffled sideways along the running board, gripping the handrail running down 611’s casing. Eventually she reached the front of the engine, and grabbed one of the handles to stabilise herself.
“20 cars! Increase speed!”
“20 cars! Copy!”
Slowly the gap lessened, and they got closer to their target.
“10 cars!”
“10 cars! Copy!”
As they neared the runaway train, Sunset could hear the whine of the traction motors of the locomotives in front, straining as if they had been pushed beyond their limits.
“5 cars!”
“5 cars! Brace for impact!”
611 slammed into 76081 with a bang. The couplers collided, but didn’t hold. A jet of black, sticky fluid flew out of the engine and into the air. Sunset covered her face to avoid getting splashed.
Meanwhile, the girls were stunned at the news footage.
“Is that Sunset Shimmer?” asked Scootaloo.
“She’s either brave, or incredibly stupid, or possibly both,” Applejack remarked.
“Sunset! What’s going on?”
Sunset grabbed her radio. “Rear loco took a bad hit! It’s spewing hydraulic fluid all over the fucking place!”
Just then, Sunset felt a blast of pain through her chest. “What the?”
“I’m back to play,” said a voice in her head. "You’ve had a good run, but you’ve reached the end of the line.”
Sunset suddenly vanished from the news cameras.
“This is unlike anything we’ve ever seen! Sunset Shimmer, the conductor of the train, has just vanished into thin air.”
“Where’d she go?” asked Sweetie Belle. But nobody replied. She glanced behind her, and saw that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were gone too!
Sunset floated in a nondescript dimension. There was nothing. Nothing but her.
Then a laugh echoed through the air. “You can never control me!”
Sunset shouted back. “The Elements of Harmony helped me defeat you at the Fall Formal!”
“You mean defeated you?” her demon alter-ego laughed. “Time to retake control!”
Sunset screamed as indescribable agony tore through her body. Her hands sharpened into talons, and her teeth into fangs. Huge, leathery wings erupted from her back as her eyes glazed over.
It seemed that all was lost.
But Sunset was not alone.
“Sunset, can you hear us?” shouted Pinkie Pie.
“You are an absolute gem, a diamond in the rough!” Rarity added.
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash cried. “You can whoop that She-Demon's butt!” She suddenly looked sheepish. “Eh, no offence.”
“We believe in you!” Fluttershy contributed.
“I’ll be honest to ya now,” Applejack added. “You are NOT a She-Demon!”
Sunset responded at those words, shaking her head. “No,” she said simply. “I am Sunset Shimmer, and I have a power greater than any of evil. The power of friendship!”
There was a bright flash, and Sunset found herself on the front bufferbeam of 611. But something was different. There was no doubt in her heart now, and that monster was banished.
“Sunset, are you there?” asked Lightning Dust.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Are we coupled?”
Sunset looked down. “The pin’s jammed. I need to get it free!”
“Roger that!”
Sunset jumped down, and grabbed the handle holding the pin in place. She pulled with all her might, and at long last it came free.
But her elation was short lived. Her foot exploded in pain as the coupler slammed onto it.
Sunset fell down, cursing at the top of her lungs, grabbing a railing to prevent herself from falling off. Pulling herself back up, she dragged herself along the side of 611, her face contorted in pain as she desperately faught off tears.
Back in San Fernando, the office staff cheered. But they weren’t done yet. Wind Rider grabbed the radio. “611, you’ve got 10 miles until you hit Canterlot station approaches. If you don’t get it down to 20, that train will derail.”
“You know Dad, you have a real knack for inspiring confidence.”
Wind Rider laughed. “Roger that.”
Sunset pulled herself back into the cab, groaning as she did so. She slammed herself into her chair and attempted to remove her boot.
“You don’t wanna do that!” Lighting Dust told her. “Wrap this tape around it, that’ll stop the bleeding.”
Sunset lay back, and did as she was told. God, it hurt.
Lighting looked over to her. “You ready? It’s time for a little tug of war.”
She took the regulator off, and began to apply the brakes. A loud bang echoed from the front of the locomotive.
“Dust, we’re gonna snap off!” Sunset shouted.
“We’re just stretching, this is to be expected.”
It took a few seconds to work, but the speedometer slowly crept downwards. First 65, then 60, then 55.
But then it began to go up. Lighting shook her head. “The train is too heavy. Those locos are dragging us.”
She began to apply the brakes more aggressively. This had a noticeable effect, as the speed began to drop once again.
“Good, we’re under 40. We’ll stop in no time at this rate.”
Sunset suddenly remembered. “What about the locomotive brakes?”
“Yeah?”
“In training, they told us that each engine has a brake that’s disconnected from the main system. Those locos are running in formation, so adjusting the throttle from the rear loco won’t work. But we can apply the locomotive brakes and brakes on the individual tanker cars.”
Lightning grinned. “Great idea!”
Sunset jumped up, but fell back again at the pain in her foot.
Lightning grabbed her, and helped her into the driver’s seat. “I need you to operate the brakes. Burn her out if you need to.”
Sunset nodded. “Understood.”
Lightning leaned out of the cab, and climbed along the side. She reached the front bufferbeam, and stepped over the coupler, grabbing a handle on 76081. She then crawled along the side, and opened the cab door, climbing in.
The loco brake came on, sparks shooting into the air as the brakeblocks and motor fought one another. The brake on 76059 slammed on, the light-show visible for miles around.
Dust climbed onto the rear tanker, and started to turn the brake wheel. The noise being produced by the brakes was deafening, sounding like the very screams of hell.
Wind Rider cheered. “It’s working!”
Starry Night nodded. “As long as 611’s brakes hold.”
Just then, a message came in. "This is Sunset Shimmer, we’ve got her down to 30.”
“Get ready to have somebody jump aboard.”
Sunset brought the brakes on again. The screech was awful. But then, the blocks gave way. A great jet of fire roared out of the driving wheels as the blocks came loose, falling onto the track.
The entire engine rocked. “Fuck!”
Spitfire echoed the sentiment back at San Fernando.
Lightning Dust was at the 15th tanker when suddenly she heard a loud bang. “What’s going on?”
“We just lost all brakes! Brakeblocks are gone completely!”
Dust cursed under her breath. She halted her progress, as the train was running into the station approaches.
The first set of points was approaching. Dust radioed again.
“Sunset, I’m gonna ask you to do something very, very stupid.”
“Go ahead?”
“You see that red lever? The Independent?”
“I see it!”
“Wait for my instruction.”
76076 roared into the first set of points, now doing 45. The wagons clattered over the pointwork, doing more than twice the authorised speed.
Sunset looked at the speed gauge, helplessly watching it creep up.
“Hit the Independent, as hard as you can!”
Sunset grabbed the lever, and slammed it from left to right. The entire train lurched backward, and suddenly started to tilt to the left.
A support seal came off one of the tankers, and it began to leak gasoline.
The engine was now in the station, charging through platform 2 and passing a Class 101. The driver was extremely surprised to see a 76 doing a wheelie!
“Brake off!”
Sunset brought the brake off, and kept her hand on it.
“Hit it again!”
Sunset slammed the brake on as hard as she could. The force of the braking brought the train back onto all four wheels, and it rolled safely through the station.
In the rec room, the girls cheered. “They did it!” the Crusaders chorused.
“The train is safely through the station, but there is no way it will hold the rails on the ascent to Cloudsdale,” the news said. "Sunset Shimmer and Lightning Dust will be the victims of the worst railroad disaster in the history of California.”
Dust tried to proceed forward, but couldn’t as a ladder had come off one of the tankers. The distance was too great for her to jump as well.
When suddenly, on the stretch of road parallel to the line...
...appeared a motorbike, with full police escort.
Wind Rider looked in disbelief. “Discord,” was all he said, before starting his phone.
Discord heard his phone go, and activated his hands-free. “My apologies Wind Rider, but I’m a little busy. Call you back!”
He pulled up alongside 611. “Come on!” he shouted to Sunset. “Jump in the back!”
Sunset grabbed the radio. “Wind Rider, is that bike for us?”
“Yes, it is. GO!”
Sunset moved to the cab steps (which wasn’t easy with her foot), and prepared to jump.
“Get a move on!” Discord shouted. “I’m running out of road!”
Sunset took a deep breath, and jumped. It wasn’t the most graceful of landings, but it did the job.
Discord pushed the engine as hard as it would go. The bike raced forward, past the rest of the train and right up alongside 76076. He moved closer in, and with an effort, reached out and opened the door of the electric engine.
“JUMP!” he called.
Sunset shakily stood up, and jumped for the railing. She made it. Pulling herself into the cab, she sat down, and pulled the throttle out of W.F.4.
The train slowed down, and came to a gentle stop.
Sunset sighed. “What a day.”
Everywhere, people cheered and rejoiced.
Sunset shakily pulled herself out of the cab, and leaned against the engine she had stopped.
Discord came over. “I believe you know me from legend, Sunset,” he said.
She looked surprised. “Discord?” she asked.
“That’s me,” he said. “I even post stories on FimFiction!”
“What’s FimFiction?” asked Sunset.
“Never mind. Only the readers will get that joke.” He tried to help her up, but saw her foot. “Let me fix that,” he said.
Sunset felt the magic wash over her, and removed her now-restored boot-to see a hoof.
“I would prefer a foot, thanks,” she said.
“Oopsie.” Discord tried again, and behold! A foot!
Suddenly, Dust came up alongside. “You did a damn fine job, Sunset. I wouldn’t be surprised if they promoted you.”
“Thanks,” Sunset replied.
A helicopter touched down nearby, and out jumped Rainbow Dash, Applejack, the Crusaders, and Wind Rider.
“You rock!” Rainbow called out.
“Fine work there!” Applejack echoed.
Wind Rider smiled. “Dust, I’ve convinced higher-ups to review your case. Hopefully it’ll end well.”
Sunset looked concerned. “But there’s all the people out there who still don’t believe I’ve changed.”
“Honestly darling!” said the voice of Rarity. “I believe that, after the sacrifice you made today, they will come to their senses.”
“That’s the second time you’ve saved Canterlot Sunset!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Or is it the third?”
Sunset laughed. “Thanks guys. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
That evening, Sunset was in her apartment, and looked out upon Canterlot. To think it would not be there now, were it not for the actions of two girls. Not surprisingly, the incident was dominating local TV.
Sunset sat back, and took out her journal. She started to write:
Dear Princess Twilight,
In the twelve hours or so since I contacted you, a lot has happened. Amongst other things, a runaway train threatened to blow up Canterlot. Thankfully, it was stopped. Turns out it was our old friends the Dazzlings again. They hijacked it in an effort to destroy us, and claim revenge for stopping Anon-a-Miss. Will they ever learn?
Something else happened today. Something more important. I was finally able to overcome the demon inside of me. She’s gone now, I know that now, and I can move on in the knowledge that my friends are by my side. I can say with certainty now that my past is not today.
I just hope that the Friendship Games aren’t as frantic.
The renewed tribunal succesfully cleared Lighting Dust of any wrongdoing. She was restored to Engineer 1st Class, and is now a regular driver on the 'Canterlot Limited'.
Sunset is doing well in her job, and is excelling in her studies. She and her friends are currently readying for the Friendship Games in March.
Wind Rider was promoted to the Director's Board of the CCR. Spitfire became Yardmaster of San Fernando.
Jimmy Hook and Iron Will went on to make full recoveries, and returned to working for the CCR. Gilda and Upper Crust were succesfully cleared of any wrongdoing, and continue to work for the CCR.
The Dazzlings are back in jail. It is unclear how they escaped.
Tirek was fired from the CCR, and was last seen working in the fast food industry.
CAST-IN ORDER OF APPEARENCE Rebecca Shoichet-Sunset Shimmer Lightning Dust-Britt Irvin Denzel Washington-male news reporter and streetcar announcer Kelly Metzger-Spitfire, diner boss, Firefly Maryke Hendrykkse-Gilda, Sonata Dusk Vincent Tong-male employee, yard foreman Ashleigh Ball-Upper Crust, Rainbow Dash, Applejack Tabitha St. Germain-Shimmering Dust, Valley Glamour, Rarity Jan Rabson-Wind Rider John de Lancie/Discord the Narrator-Discord Stephen Lang-Swift Order Chris Pine-Dispatch Brian Dobson-Wind Rider's aide Michelle Creber-Apple Bloom Claire Corlett-Sweetie Belle Madeleine Peters-Scootaloo Eileen Montgomery-Elaina Mash The Blue EM2-Starry Night Mark Acheson-Tirek Blake Swift-Button Mash, Gibson Mash Liam Neeson-Director Hurricane Graham Verchere-Pipsqueak Tara Strong-female reporter Shannon Chan-Kent-Jimmy Hook Brian Drummond-Driver of second Black 5, policeman 1 and 2 Trevor Devall-Iron Will, railroad employee Andrea Libman-Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy
A massive thank you to all of my followers, without whom none of this would have been possible. Especial thanks to Discord the Narrator and JimmyHook19.
