As Flash raced along the road, he kept his attention on this pursuers.

The Shriekers roared as they chased after the car, proving faster than the Graboids as Flash was hitting almost forty miles an hour. They were right behind him and were starting to bite at his bumper, but Flash managed to stay right ahead of them. But he didn't try to outrun them. For his plan to work, he needed to keep them close enough to get on when the time came.

Flash panted, knowing he would need to make a big sacrifice to finally stop these creatures. But seeing how much damage they had done, he was willing to make that sacrifice if it meant stopping them.

Despite it being pitch black, Flash's working headlight told him he was nearing his destination. As such, he slowed down just a little. But that was enough for the Shriekers to catch up.

One leapt onto his car and started bashing its head against the glass, slowly breaking it apart. The other three managed to get on as well. Two pulled themselves up onto the roof, with one moving over to the bonnet. It started biting into the metal of his hood, ripping it apart. The one on the roof followed suit, its beak-like teeth biting into the roof and tearing it back.

The last one finally got onto the back and also tried to break through the glass, the two smashing through it and unleashing their tongues to try and grab him. The Shrieker on the roof also ripped part of it back and wormed its tongue down to try and grab him.

But Flash grabbed it at the end and pulled down hard, the Shrieker getting its head slammed into the roof and roaring in pain. At the same time, Flash unknowingly drove over a large bump in the road and the car shook. This caused one of the Shriekers to lose its balance and fall backwards.

Flash pulled on the tongue again and the roof Shrieker hit its head again, whilst the car turned a corner and Flash saw his target right in front of him. The river ravine.

Flash pushed the gas down as hard as he could and the car accelerated as fast as it could, whilst Flash reached for the door. The Shrieker on the hood and on the trunk were getting closer to their goal, with the trunk one's tongue about to grab him around the neck. But at the last minute, Flash let go of the tongue and opened the door.

It flew open and Flash leapt out of the car, hitting the ground and rolling along it.

The car kept flying at high speed towards the ravine and as the Shriekers seemed to realise the danger they were in, it flew over the edge. They all screamed, as they went flying towards the other side's wall.

Flash kept rolling along the ground and slowed down, but reached the edge before he could stop.

He dug his fingers into the ground and that slowed him down more, his legs going over the edge as he tried to grip something. And at the last moments, he found a rock that he clutched with all his strength. This finally stopped him and he glanced back, just in time to see his car smash into the other side of the ravine.

The explosion that followed, was like a knife going right through his heart. His precious car went up in flames, the Shriekers roaring in pain as they were burned before falling into the water with the wreck of his car.

He stared at it, as it sunk into the fast moving river. He couldn't look away for several moments, then sighed before pulling himself up over the edge. The dirt was loose and he feared it would soon give way, but he managed to pull himself up before it did and he was soon laying on the ground.

He panted, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack. But he had done it. He had killed them. And all it cost him was his most precious possession.

However, a sound soon pulled him out of his mourning. Footsteps, moving quickly towards him.

He pushed himself up and stood on the edge of the ravine, as a familiar sound filled the air. A low growl, belonging to the final Shrieker still alive. The beast slowly stepped forward, its heat sensor raised to look Flash over.

Flash wondered if it was one of the ones he had hit with his car, but then remembered when he had driven over that bump. A Shrieker had fallen back and must have lost its grip, falling off the car but chasing after it once it got back up.

The beast opened its jaw and let out a great shriek, as its tongue flew out to reveal the end of it was missing.

Flash saw this and realised this must have been one of the original Shriekers, Micro having mentioned a theory that Graboid tongues became part of the Shriekers through the transformation. Flash didn't know why, but he felt this was perfect. The last one to die would be the one that he had cut off previously.

"Come on," Flash told him. "You want me. Come and get me!" The Shrieker, lacking ears, didn't actually hear that. But it still charged forward, moving at high speed straight towards him. It ran and ran, picking up more and more speed as it did.

Flash's entire body told him to move, but he couldn't. Not yet. Not until the right moment.

And as the beast was seconds away from him, Flash used all his strength to leap to the side. The Shrieker saw this, but it couldn't turn in time due to its high speed. All it could do was stagger forward as it tried to turn, eventually going right over the edge of the ravine.

The beast's shriek filled the air, as it fell into the river with a mighty splash.

Flash was once again laying on the ground, wondering if he had any more surprises waiting for him. The day's activities suddenly overwhelmed him. The constant close calls with death, the sight of so many people dying, the constant overflow of adrenaline. With all of that finally behind him, Flash suddenly found himself exhausted.

He stared up at the sky, the stars in the sky acting like a cool blanket for him. He gently let himself relax and drift off to sleep, as another car rolled up towards them.

It was Chip's pickup, Micro and Derpy on the back holding multiple fireworks at the ready. But when they spotted Flash in the light of the car's headlamps, the pickup came to a stop and the two leapt out. "FLASH!" Derpy rushed to his side, Micro following and checking for a pulse.

As Sandal, now sporting a black-eye, ran up, Micro sighed in relief. "He's alive. Looks like he just passed out."

"He fainted?" Sandal asked, surprised Flash did such a thing.

"I think he's just asleep," Micro replied. "Can you blame him, after everything that's happened? He probably exhausted himself doing whatever he did." They looked around, trying to find any sign of Flash's car and the Shriekers. And as they spotted the fresh tire tracks, leading to the destroyed bridge, they quickly realised what must have happened.

"He killed them all," Derpy smiled down at him. "You did it!" Flash didn't respond, continuing to sleep whilst the others sighed in relief. They all felt themselves begin to relax as well, but not to the level where they would collapse. As such, Sandal began to pick Flash up bridal style and carry him back to the truck.

"Don't worry, buddy." Sandal smiled. "I gotcha. And we're totally cool, despite you socking me in the face." But when Derpy and Micro weren't looking, he tripped and accidentally knocked Flash's head against the side of a tree. "Oops."

They placed Flash down on the pickup, Derpy getting in besides him, whilst Micro and Sandal got back in the truck.

They turned around and headed back to the town, all glad this nightmare was finally over. But they all wondered if it was over. What if there were move Graboids out there? What if the next town over hadn't been so lucky and a whole bunch of Shriekers were waiting for them there? If there were, they would be ready.

The next day.

The horrors of the previous day had certainly done a number on the town of Springville. There were several damaged houses and other buildings. The ground was unstable thanks to all the tunnelling and everyone was still on edge after almost getting eaten the previous day.

But there was some good news.

All the fireworks the previous night had attracted the attention of the next town over. When the sheriff there tried to call and ask what was going on, he couldn't get through. As such, he drove over and discovered the collapsed trees blocking his path. This had led to him contacting some workers to clear the road, which they did as soon as the sun was up the next morning.

When the sheriff arrived, he was in for quite a shock when he found the town in such a mess.

He met up with Lila and the other adults, who told them everything that had happened. He was quite sceptical when the story was complete, but the three Graboid carcasses, Shrieker bodies and large holes in the ground were all the proof he needed.

With the sheriff of the town dead, he was now the one in charge and he suggested everyone in town leave as soon as possible. He would need to contact someone to come and figure out if the area was safe or not. So now, everyone was getting ready to head out.

With their ride now sitting at the bottom of a ravine, Flash and his friends had been given permission to use Chip's pickup to drive to the next town. There, they could decide what to do once they had given a statement about everything that had happened.

"This thing is super ugly," Sandal stated. He and Micro, were currently staring at one of the two remaining Shrieker corps, which had been moved away from the main road after Flash had run it over.

Micro turned to him. "I don't think looks are one of the things evolution takes into consideration, when trying to decide how to create something like this. Considering they're hermaphroditic, they don't really need to worry about looking good to attract a mate." He glanced back at the creature. "I know these things killed a lot of people, but it is amazing to get to see something like this up close."

"Well don't get too close," Sandal told him. "Who knows what kind of germs hundred year old worm babies carry?" Micro nodded, thinking he was right. They headed back to the pickup, as Flash finished getting their suitcases stored in the back with some rope.

"Glad we're finally getting out of here," Flash stated. "The place looks nice, but almost getting killed somewhere can seriously ruin a town's appeal." The others agreed, as they made sure their stuff was all secure in the back.

Lila and Liberty were also stuffing everything they had into their own car, Lila moving over to them. "You kids ready to go?"

"Almost," Derpy told her. "What are you two gonna do until this place is safe to come back to?"

"Actually, I don't think we'll be returning." That statement surprised the pair, as Lila looked around. "This town might have been a nice place to call home, but I think it's time has passed. With the bridge out, there's not gonna be anyone coming around for a while. And Liberty needs to be around kids her own age. There's someplace out there we can call home and live happily. We just need to find it."

The teens shared a look, smiling as they all had the exact same thought.

"Well," Flash told her, "why not try Canterlot? We live there and the place is awesome. Trust us, you'll love it." Lila looked interested in this, as Flash spoke up again. "But if you do move there, make sure to send Liberty to CHS. Trust me, you don't want her going to Crystal Prep."

"I don't know," Micro shrugged. "Isn't Crystal Prep less snobby thanks to its new principal?" They all shrugged, unsure how to answer. "But maybe play it safe and send her to CHS. Principal Celestia will be happy to take her." Lila smiled at this and nodded, as they got back to packing everything into the cars.

Once that was done, Flash and Derpy got in the back whilst Sandal and Micro got in the front.

Hunter then walked up to them. "So, you kids gonna try and get to wherever you were heading before this all started?"

"Hopefully," Flash nodded. "We're still a few days away by car. A car we no longer have. Hopefully, we have enough cash to get a lift there. I'd hate to have to call my folks and ask for the cash home."

Hunter smirked as he looked at the truck they were in. "You know, Chip didn't have any family. He always said that if he dies, we could sell his stuff for whatever we wanted." The four looked surprised by this. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind us selling it so soon after his death."

"Really?" Derpy asked, Hunter nodding as Flash reached into his jacket. He pulled out most of the cash they had left for gas and Hunter took five bucks from it, the teens looking at him in shock.

"Call it a gift and a thanks, for all you kids did for us. If you hadn't shown up when you did, who knows how many of us would still be standing here right now." They all smiled at this, as Hunter headed off back to his own truck. The teens then shared a look of surprise before smiling, Sandal starting the engine before rolling out of the town.

"Can you imagine what everyone back home will think?" Micro asked, as they made their way towards the forest. "First day of school, we've gotta tell everyone what happened."

"You think they'll believe us?" Derpy asked, Flash shrugging.

"Maybe," he replied. "Or maybe the Rainbooms will have an even crazier story to tell." Flash smirked at that, trying to think of some magical mishap that could be even crazier than almost getting eaten by a fifty foot worm.

His mind suddenly came up with the idea of some diver at the beach, awakening some kind of Equestrian sea monster that had been banished a thousand years ago. Or some normal person, getting something enchanted with Equestrian Magic and being turned into a giant mermaid or woman with tentacles for legs.

Flash shuddered, trying to get that horrible image out of his head. "Well, whatever those girls get up to, they'll have it handled. They've got their magic to save them." The others nodded, as they finally reached the edge of the town.

As they headed out, they all looked up at the trees. Despite only being there for a few days, the town had certainly left an impression on them.

Flash watched it move further and further away, as he thought about everything that had happened to him there. He had always wanted to step out from under the shadow of the Rainbooms and prove himself as a hero, worth being seen as more than just a background character that needed to be saved.

He wasn't sure if anything he and his friends had done over the last few days, would count as heroic and being worthy of respect. There was a good chance that if he told anyone about it back home, nobody would believe him. But he didn't care. He had done something truly extraordinary.

He had survived multiple attacks from terrible underground creatures. He had saved multiple people from becoming lunch for these monstrous creatures, though he still wished he could have done something to save more of them.

He had stared death right in the face and hadn't blinked. The Rainbooms might have done a better job against them, but Flash didn't care. In the end, he and his friends had done something truly worth remembering. He knew the rest of the summer wasn't going to be as exciting as this, but he didn't care. He was just glad he had made it out of the whole thing alive.

And hopefully, this would be the last time he would ever have to worry about becoming a snack for a hungry Graboid.

Many many miles away, deep underground, a large burrow could be found.

Within this burrow were a bunch of eggs, spiral coloured ones that were a mix of cream and brown. The eggs were laying in the dirt, waiting for the right time to hatch. And it appeared that time was now.

One of the eggs began to move, shifting from left to right. Eventually, part of it split open and a tiny worm creature pulled itself free. The creature let out a roar, as the rest of its brood began to shake. Eventually, they all broke apart and more little Graboids appeared. Each of them let out tiny squeals, as they started digging in the ground. Within moments, they disappeared into the earth. Off to find small insects to snack on.

A new wave of Graboids had been born and one day, they would rise to the surface in order to search for bigger food. Whether or not that food was human or not would simply rely on fate. But either way, the surface world was once again in danger. And there was no telling what horrors might await them.

Someone would need to find a way to stop them, if such a thing was possible.

Author's Note

And that's the end of this story. I know it was a little out there, but I hope you all enjoyed it. And if enough of you liked it, I might decide to do a sequel. Let me know what you think.