Unstoppable

Back at the Crystal Yard, everybody begins to stay quiet. Fleetfoot turns up the volume on the TV so everyone can hear it much better, as a female news reporter in a helicopter begins to report.

“I’m high above central Equestria where the train got away. Emergency responders reported to halt all the activity near the line, and possibly evacuate all homes within a mile radius off the tracks. There’s thousands of gallons of fuel on board which is highly flammable. But we’re still waiting word on that.”

A next clip is shown as 115 begins to come around a bend. It appears from behind the trees at full speed, while the engine in front of it begins to pull out of a sighting.

“This is Celestia’s plan?!?” Spitfire yelled as the engine in front of 115 is speeding up as fast as it can, while 115 is almost past the news camera.

“Looks like they’re putting a train in front of 115 in an attempt to slow it down.” The male news reporter reported. They show a clip at the top left hand of the screen as 115 races past a news camera. “Now they’re sending a chopper with Shark Tooth, and the railroad company is still refusing to comment.”

115 begins to race pass the police, fire trucks and ambulances, as everyone is getting prepared to watch the runaway train being stopped.

“We just learned that twenty-two year rail company veteran, Solar Eclipse, is at the controls of the engine that is in front of the runaway train.” Said the female news producer. Spitfire and the others watch in shock that this is the only plan that Celestia can think of.

***

In Cloudsdale, Solar Eclipse is just one hundred to one hundred fifty feet in front of the runaway freight train, going the same speed as 115. He looks at the speed needle while radioing dispatch.

“Still holding at fifty-five.”

“Get her down to forty and keep breaking.”

“Copy that.”

Solar Eclipse begins to push buttons and jerk throttles as his train begins to apply the brakes. It does not take long for 115 to ram into him. Causing both him, and his engine to jerk forward a bit.

At sixty miles per hour, he tries again, this time, just barely getting it right. 115 begins to bump into him again as Solar Eclipse tries his best to slow the train down as he can just barely get it under fifty miles per hour, causing his engine to wheel slip.

“That’s it, keep going. Get her down to forty and we’ll set our boy down.” Dispatch replied. Solar Eclipse looks out his cab window to see that Shark Tooth is hovering above the runaway train, just half way down.

He begins to apply the brakes for the train as hard as he can, and as long as he can. He finally just gets 115 under forty as they go around a few bends.

“I’m under forty. Is he on yet?” He asked dispatch. He looks out his cab window. The chopper begins to take him down now. He lands on the roof of 115, but as soon as that happened. 115 bumps in front of Solar Eclipse’s engine, causing Shark Tooth to fly back, and crash into the windshield of 114, that’s coupled up right behind 115 to help haul this train in double heading.

“The helicopter lifts the now unconscious Shark Tooth out. Solar Eclipse can just hear the news and dispatch from the radio.

“Looks like employee, Shark Tooth’s been injured.”

“Damn, that’s a no-go.”

Solar Eclipse is now trying his best to slow down the runaway. He's on his own now.

“Slow down!” He yells, pulling the brake throttle.

“Just try and bring it to a sighting, try to get 115 off the main.” Dispatch replied, and response with. “Switch has been thrown.”

Solar Eclipse pulls throttles, and presses buttons. His train applies the brakes. 115 bumps into him, but it’s no use. He goes from fifty to sixty, then seventy miles per hour. The train’s speeding back up.

“Slow down, god dammit!”

After going around the last bend before reaching a sighting dispatch through the switch to. Solar Eclipse begins to enter the sighting, until with the last bump from 115, it causes Solar Eclipse to flip over on the left hand side as 115 begins to race down the main line. Free at last.

“BAIL! BAIL! BAIL!” Dispatch yells through the radio. Solar Eclipse’s train slides on the ground after derailing. The double headed diesel engine coupling breaks. As a massive fireball begins to shoot from the two derailed diesel’s into the sky, while 115 races down the main line.

***

“Wow, I can’t believe how crazy that was.” The news reporter begins to explain. A clip from a helicopter view is shown that Solar Eclipse’s train blows up. Now commenting that he was killed in the incident.

Spitfire watches in complete shock, just witnessing what just happened. Before finally letting out what she can’t hold in anymore.

“OH MY GOD! CELESTIA, YOU ASSHOLE!”

Spitfire screams as a few strains of tears run down her face. Everyone watches in complete shock.

***

“What was that?” Sunset Shimmer asked. Twilight still has he elbows rest in front of the windshield. She continues to look outside, and she can see a fireball that’s just several miles away from where they can see.

“I have no idea.” Was all Twilight can say. She looks back at Sunset Shimmer. They’re both puzzled on what that explosion was.

Twilight begins to think. But she doesn't like to have second thoughts, She begins to think of the one thing that may have happen to the runaway train that’s heading straight towards them.

“It didn't derail, did it?” Twilight asked, looking back at Sunset Shimmer. She looks at her, as she’s now hoping that she’s right. She takes a deep breath and grabs the radio, and changes the channel.

“Only one way to find out.” Was Sunset Shimmer’s reply. “Crystal yard, Crystal Yard, this is 1802. We’re just passing milepost fifty-two, headed north on main one.”

A voice comes through the radio.

“1802, who am I speaking with?”

“Sunset Shimmer, the engineer.”

“This is Spitfire speaking to you from Crystal yard, why are you still on the mainline?” Spitfire asked them.

“We were directed into a sighting, that’s a no-go, we’re heading to one that’s just past milepost fifty, and we need to know the location of your yard’s train.” Sunset Shimmer said to her. Until Spitfire brings a terrifying response.

“It just past milepost forty-seven.”

Twilight and Sunset Shimmer look at each other, froze up. Now they may know what happened from that explosion earlier.

“Holy shit.” Twilight's now nervous that the runaway train is not far from them at all.

“They decided to jump the switch, and it derailed one of the trains.” Spitfire said.

Sunset Shimmer begins to mumble to herself, until asking. “Who was driving?”

A silence comes in, until Spitfire replies. “Solar Eclipse.”

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes widen.

“Eclipse? You said Eclipse?”

“Solar Eclipse, the engineer from Canterlot.” Spitfire replied.

Sunset Shimmer stays quiet for a bit. Now they know what truly happened.

“You know him?” Twilight asked, but Sunset Shimmer doesn't reply.

“What’s your power on the point?” Spitfire asked.

“Five thousand horses, she’s uh...she’s not much but she’s still got some life left in her, over.” Sunset Shimmer replied, not keeping her eye off the train tracks at the small moment.

“Give her all you got.” Spitfire replied. Sunset Shimmer and Twilight get back to business. While Twilight begins to pull out her smart phone.

“I’m gonna make a phone call real quick.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Sunset Shimmer replied once they pass milepost fifty-one. Twilight begins to go to her contacts, as she sees Shining Armor’s name. She begins to call him.

“Hey Twilight.”

“Hey, Shining Armor.”

“What are you doing calling me?”

“Listen, I just wanted to call and tell you that I love you.”

A small silence has now taken over.

“Twily, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” Twilight tries to explain, but couldn't. She looks at Sunset Shimmer before speaking again. “Just tell Cadence I love you both. Okay? I gotta go.”

She hangs up the phone after her and her brother said their goodbyes. Hopefully for right now. Twilight goes through the contacts one more time, to see someone who she hasn't talked to in two weeks. Her mother.

Twilight looks down the mainline real quick, before pressing her mom’s name in the contact list. She places the phone to her ear and waits for her to pick up. But it goes straight to voice mail.

The phone beeps, Twilight begins to speak.

“Hey, mom. I know it’s been two weeks since I talked to you. But I just wanted to call and tell you and dad that I love you. I already called Shining Armor. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

She hangs up the phone, and puts it back in her pocket. Milepost fifty shows up. They’re almost at the sighting. When Spitfire’s voice comes in through the radio.

“1802, how are you holding up?”

“About half a mile from the sighting. Over.” Sunset Shimmer replies.

“Chances are, you’re gonna see 115’s nose any minute now.”

“Affirmative.” Sunset Shimmer puts the radio back and immediately puts her hand on a throttle. They go around a bend as she gets ready. The sighting comes into full view. Sunset Shimmer pulls a throttle. They begin to slow down.

“Uh...why are we braking?” Twilight asked

“Trust me. We head in this hot, we’ll tear right off the track.” Sunset Shimmer replied. Twilight turns her head back to the mainline, and the sighting, until...115 comes around a bend right in front of them. Chills go down Twilight’s spine the moment soon as she sees the runaway freight train.

“Oh Jesus.” Twilight begins to get scared. They pull into the sighting and prepare for what comes next.

“Get her down to forty and brace yourself.” Dispatch said once they entered the sighting. “You need to get at least ten cars into the sighting.”

115 speeds past them as they got almost all of the freight cars into the sighting. Until the runaway blasted through the rear box car. Causing Sunset Shimmer and Twilight to jerk back a little as a train that size blasted through a freight car like that.

They finally come to a complete stop. They watch car after car speed past them, until the final one leaves them. Sunset Shimmer looks at the rear view mirror on the left side of the train, she gets up, and gets a closer look.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked. Sunset Shimmer doesn't reply. She can just see on the rear view mirror that the rear knuckle on the train is left open. This gave her an idea to slow down the runaway train.

“Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer, can you read me?” Another voice calls in from dispatch. Sunset Shimmer quickly goes to the engineer seat, and picks up the radio. “This is Sunset Shimmer, go ahead.”

“They’re evacuating Ponyville.”

Twilight and Sunset Shimmer look at each other. This can only mean one thing.

“They’re gonna derail the train.” Twilight responded.

“What are they using?” Sunset Shimmer asked, which dispatch’s response.

“Standard D.R.E.”

“Yeah, portable derailer.”

The cab goes quiet for a minute, as for derailing 115 is now into plan. Sunset Shimmer begins to walk out of the cab with Twilight following her as the rear end of 115 begins to disappear into the distance.

“Wait, Sunset, what are you doing?”

“Got a look at that train’s last coupling knuckle that was open.” They begin to walk to the back of the train after climbing down the stairs. “We take off now, we can get back on the main and chase it down in reverse.”

Twilight’s eyes wide up in disbelief. “Hang on, wait a min-”

“The only way to stop that kind of power. Grab it by the tail, boom! Gun it in the opposite direction.”

“Wait a minute!” Twilight interrupts. “If it goes down like that, we’re gonna be a wreck on a wreck.”

Sunset Shimmer begins to uncouple the freight cars from the engine, and head back to the cab.

“Doesn't matter. The chance of the derailer won’t work.”

“It’s called a derailer for crying out loud, that’s what they do!” Twilight comes in with Sunset Shimmer interrupting.

“A train that size, going that fast will vaporize anything that gets in its way.”

“Oh that’s not true, they wouldn't use it if it didn't work! They’re derailing it!”

“They’re wrong. Alright! They’re wrong!” Sunset Shimmer said in Twilight’s ear. She climbs up back into the cab. “Are you in or are you out?”

“Hey, you wanna get yourself killed, you do it alone.” Sunset Shimmer opens the cab door.

“You know what? Ask your brother and see what he thinks!”

Before Sunset Shimmer enters the cab, Twilight stops her.

“Wait!” Sunset Shimmer looks at her dead in the eye, with Twilight asking. “If you’re right, and that derailer fails, what are the odds when it makes it to Canterlot?”

“You saw the train. What do you think?” Sunset Shimmer replied before going into the cab, and start up the engine again.

Twilight takes a deep breath. She probably does not have any other choice. She runs to the track switch and throws it so Sunset Shimmer can exit out of it.

Twilight throws it back on the mainline the moment Sunset Shimmer begins to run the engine in reverse as it begins to move. Twilight quickly jumps on, and gets back in the cab as the engine slowly begins to gain speed of sixty miles per hour in reverse.

The chase...is on.