Chapters "Good afternoon gentlemen" said Discord, entering a solemn looking room. His smile faded seeing his friend's dark expressions. These few months had been rough for the ponies of Equestria. The biggest shock that came to everyone was the failure of magic and flight. Even Celestia couldn't fly of use magic, so it was constantly night. Of course, Luna couldn't lower the moon either. The room was the Guy's Night Meeting. Spike, Discord, Soarin, Flash, Cheese Sandwich and Caramel met up.
The purpose of these meetings were to have fun, but that was the last thing's on their minds. Attacks were occurring all over Equestria. Celestia kept assuring ponies it was nothing to worry about, but that doesn't stop them from worrying.
Discord laughed nervously, "Let's take our minds of all this-" he coughed, "Madness, and let's go out somewhere. I have the perfect idea!" He opened the scroll in his hand, "Ta da!"
Soarin squinted, "What are they?"
"Tickets to a train ride across Equestria. It's just what we need" explained Discord.
"Look Discord, I know you want to, but Twilight ad her friends are busy protecting Ponyville, and Equestria. We need to help, maybe we can go another time?" said Flash. The doors burst open, and six tired looking mares trotted into the room.
"You six should definitely go. With everything going on, you deserve it" said Applejack. The Elements of Harmony were looking extremely tired, their skin lighter, bags under their eyes, and messy hair. They should, after all, they were having to help somepony constantly, day and night. Equestria was in a state of distress, and even without the elements of harmony, the girls were needed more than ever.
"But we need to help you" replied Cheese, as Pinkie nuzzled against him.
"It's our duty, you've been helping without any reason. You need a break" said Pinkie
"Our duty is to stand by you. We can't let anything happen to you six while we're gone" said Soarin, firmly standing by Rainbow's side.
"Hello? We've whooped Evil's sorry butt like a billion times!" smirked Rainbow, but still appreciative of her partner's loyalty. Flash opened his mouth to talk but Twilight stopped him.
"No buts, you are going!" said Twilight stubbornly, shoving him outside, "Now go, you need to pack!" The boys smiled at each other. They were very fortunate to have such supportive marefriends, urging them to relax even if they were troubled themselves.
The next day, it was hard to tell time though, it being night the whole day, but when the clocks chimed nine in the morning, the stallions, dragon, and draconequus lined up at the train station. The girls bid them goodbye, as they got on board the train in carriage number 3. It was a two week tour, so they had packed heavier than they normally would. Discord moaned and grumbled as he picked up his luggage, muttering about 'inconvenience' and 'annoying'.
As the main six trotted back to Twilight's castle, a panting grey unicorn stallion ran towards them. "Bomb in number 3 carriage!" he muttered before falling to the ground.
Shocked, the girls brought the stallion to the castle. They laid him down on the bed,fetching him blankets and sat down beside him. They started to get worried, so they called the doctor who arrived in about ten minutes. The doctor arrived and unpacked his stuff, listening to his heartbeat.
"Hmm, nothing too serious. He just has been through a lot of shock, best to just wait he should be okay" said the doctor. Thanking him, the girls patiently waited for him to wake up. Eventually, he gently opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"In my castle. You said something and fainted, so we brought you here" explained Twilight.
The stallion got out of bed and bowed, "Your highness!"
"No no no, please, rest" said Twilight, ushering him back to bed, "What was it you were telling us?"
"My name is Moon Shine, part of a secret agency in Canterlot, the same as your friend 'Bon-Bon'" said Moon.
"Yeah yeah, so what were you telling us?" said Rainbow impatiently, as Applejack glared at her, "What?"
"Well, I came here undercover to find a terrorist here. I found their hideout, and heard that they planted a bomb in they nine'o'clock two week tour train across Equestria, directly under Carriage Three"
As soon as he said those words the girls fell into panic. Their coltfriend's were on that train! And they were on Carriage Three!
"Girls, I think we should go to the first stop and try and warn them" said Fluttershy firmly. The others stared at her, surprised that she was stepping up.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Rarity, running out the door, "Hurry!"
The six of them had been running across all of Ponyville, desperate for someone to believe them. But of course, people were so scared they didn't even open their doors, thinking it was an attacker outside.
"This is hopeless" sighed Pinkie, after asking somepony else, only for them to run away screaming.
"I think we need to go and find them ourselves. It's been twenty minutes since the train left. What time does the bomb go off?" asked Applejack, turning to Moon.
"Two hours" he replied, matter-of-factually.
"WHAT!" the others screamed in unison, as Moon nodded.
"Then we've got to go now! Do you have some kind of Bat-mobile?" asked Rainbow Dash hopefully.
Moon thought for a moment, but shook his head, "I'm afraid not"
Rainbow's eyes lit up, "I got it! All we need is the CMC's help!"
In under five minutes, the six mares were sitting in a wagon behind Scootaloo's scooter, wearing helmets.
"Are you sure about this Dashie?" asked Fluttershy uncertainly.
"Yep. Just a stomp kick and roll, right Scoots?" asked Rainbow, turning to Scootaloo.
"Yes, and it's super easy. You can your wings to help as well" said Scootaloo. Rainbow's face fell at the mention of wing. Pegasi couldn't even unfurl their wings, let alone fly.
"Um, though it's okay without them as well" added Scootaloo, seeing Rainbow's expression.
"Ready?" asked Rainbow.
"Yes!" replied her friends.
"Set?" Rainbow said,
"Yes!" cheered the others,
"GO!" yelled Rainbow, kicking a zooming off into the distance. This was it. The one chance they had to save their coltfriend's from the dangerous bomb about the strike Carriage number 3. They just hoped what they can do is enough.
Author's Note
Really wanted to do something like this for a while, and here was my golden chance. A bit of a sad ending, but overall good wins, so don't let the 'Tragedy' tag upset you too much!
"This-is-awesome!" yelled Rainbow, as they sped downhill.
"Where are we anyway?" asked Applejack.
Rainbow snorted, "Duh! We're near Dodge Junction"
"When does the train arrive?" asked Fluttershy, removing her helmet and stepping out onto the barren soil.
Pinkie looked at the clock above, "In five minutes, great!"
As the six mares discussed how to save them from the bomb, the conductor marched over to them.
"Excuse me madam, may I see your tickets?" he asked.
"We don't have any, but I'm sure lovely handsome guards such as yourself won't give us a fine?" pleaded Rarity, batting her eyelashes. The conductor rolled his eyes. A lound whistle grabbed their attention, and the train stopped.
"Come with me please here" said the conductor. The six begged him to let them off the hook. The train was only stopping for five minutes. Soon, the girls found themselves yelling over each other to the conductor.
"Miss, one of you will have to sign here" explained the conductor.
"But we don't have any money with us. Surely an audience with the Princess in payment enough?" Normally, Twilight wouldn't say such a thing, but she was getting desperate. They heard another whistle, as the train sped off. Pinkie groaned.
"Great, we missed it. Are you happy now?" asked Pinkie, glaring at the conductor.
"Acutually, yes. Now one of you has to give some form of payment, perhaps like-Her blowdryer!" said the conductor, pointing to Rarity, who was blow drying her hair as they spoke.
"What? Of course not!" protested Rarity, but Applejack had already handed it abd was rushing out the door. They got back in wagon, as Rarity sulked.
"It was my best one" she moaned.
"Their lives are more precious than your blowdryer. Now we need to get to-" Rainbow checked her map, "The Smokey Mountains"
"But that's all the way across Equestria. We won't make it on time on scooter" said Fluttershy.
Twilight's eyes lit up, "I think I have an idea!"
Ten minutes later, the girls had created a large slingshot like Scootaloo had to get to Cloudsdale, except wagon as well.
"Is this safe?" asked Applejack hestitantly.
"What other choice do we have?" Twilight said. The others thought, but then shook their heads. All of a sudden, the rubber slipped off the wooden pole, and sent them speeding onto the ramp. They screamed abd yelled as they were sent flying across the skies.
In the Smokey Mountains, a small McColt had spotted the flying mares.
"Mommy, there are six ponies falling towards here" he said honestly. The mother chuckled.
"Honey, I know you miss flying, but that just isn't possible anymore" she said, chuckling. She turned around, hearing loud screams, as six mares fell on top of her.
"Perhaps I spoke to soon" she mummbled from underneath, as her son smiled triumphantly.
In fifteen minutes, the girls were waiting for the train to arrive. Fortunetly, there was no conductor to stop them this time. Hearing a distant chug, they got ready to evacuate everyone out of the train.
"Twilight, Fluttershy!" called a voice. It was Ma HoofField.
"Excuse us Ma, but we're very busy right now" said Twilight impatiently.
"Oh, ah here ya. But come with me for a sec" said Ma. Before they could respond, she was pushing them away from the station.
"Okay. So which vegetable dish do you think is the best?" asked Ma, leading them to a huge cooking contest. She started reciting a huge list of dishes, and anytime they tried to escape, a pony stood in front of them, intoducing another dish. Finally Fluttershy had enough.
"WE NEED TO GO!" she screamed, shoving past everypony. But by the time she got back to the station, the train was long gone. There was no time to get mad a the HoofFields and McColts now. The next station was Hollow Shades, and need to go, right now.
"Sorry fer wastin' yer time. To make it up, we organised for you to travell in the Super Delux Mover 3000" said Ma, leading them to a huge capsule.
The girls jumped inside, ready to go. "3, 2, 1, blast off!" yelled Big Daddy McColt, as they whizzed through the sky. But there was good news and bad news. The good news is that they caught up to the train. The bad news is that they were the roof of the train!
"Aaaahhh!" screamed Rarity.
"I know, this is so scary!" shrieked Fluttershy.
"No! There's soot in my hair!" yelled Rarity, as Applejack rolled her eyes.
"We need to get down somehow!" said Twilight, ducking as a tunnel came,"There"
She pointed at a hatch in the roof. One at a time, they lowered themselves into the train. They were panting and sighing with relief, as the passengers stared.
"Pardon, but do ya'll know where carriage three is?" asked Applejack. Without a word, everyone pointed to the carriage on the left. They sped off into the carriage, almost barelling through the door. The stallion stared as there marefriends rushed to them and stared pulling them.
"Huh, didn't know you'd miss us so much" smirked Discord, as Fluttershy desperately pulled on his leg.
"Wow, um, what are you doing here?" asked Caramel, seeing their frantic expressions.
"No-time-leave-train" wheezed Pinkie.
"Why?" asked Flash.
"There's a bomb under this carriage!" yelled Rarity to a incredulous Spike.
"Didn't think you girls would play such a wierd prank on us" laughed Cheese.
"We're serious!" yelled Rainbow.
"Good prank Dash, but I'm not falling for it" chuckled Soarin.
Fluttershy groaned, "I swear, we all swear on our lives, we are telling the truth. Now unless you want to be blown up, you'll pull the lever to stop the train!" screamed Fluttershy. The boys stared, and Discord unwillingly pulled the lever.
Instead of hearing a screech, as the train was supposed to halt, they heard a snap, as the chain fell into Discord's paw.
"What the heck!" shouted Applejack, "Now what?"
"We're on a speeding carriage with a bomb underneath and we can't get out, since the emergency brake failed" said Rainbow.
"We're doomed" mummbled Twilight.
Author's Note
Chapter 2 everyone. Like, comment, and if you dislike it (which I hope you don't ^o^ ) leave feedback please. Enjoy!
The girls sobbed against their partners knowing they were not going to survive. Rainbow was the only one not upset.
"We are going to make it out" she said firmly.
"There is no way" said Fluttershy, burrying herself into Discord.
Rainbow Dash sighed, "We have to think" The room went silent except for Fluttershy's sobs.
"If we don't make it out, I love you Twilight, I love all of you" said Flash. Twilight looked up and smiled sadly.
Cheese Sandwich looked around, "Come on ponies, let's turn those frowns upside down!"
Pinkie's tear streaked face lit up. Soarin walked over to Rainbow, who was standing near the window.
"I know you're not one for romance, but can we spend our final time togheter?" asked Soarin. Rainbow didn't reply.
"Dash?" Hearing her name, Rainbow turned around.
"We aren't going to die!" she protested. Soarin sighed, walking back to the others.
"Maybe someone should try to disarm the bomb?" suggested Spike.
"But they'll be killed!" cried Rarity.
"If only we had magic" said Applejack. The room went silent once again. The girls, except for Rainbow, were nuzzling against their colfriend's helplessly. If anyone talked to Rainbow, all she said was 'We won't die'
"Just saying, should we evacuate the other passengers?" asked Pinkie.
"The breaks have failed. We'll all die either way" said Twilight. Rainbow's face brightened.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed, "Go to the carriage next door first"
Everyone looked at each other strangely. Before Soarin could leave, Rainbow stopped him.
"I need your help" she said, leading him to the other side of carriage three, "Lower me down"
"WHAT!" shrieked Soarin.
"You heard me. I'm going to disconnect the other carriages from this one" Rainbow stated. Tears fell from Soarin's eyes.
"No, no, no! I can't, you'll die with this carriage" he choked. Rainbow placed her hoof on his mouth and smiled sadly.
"I have to" she said, "If you won't I'll do myself"
Soarin shook his head. Rainbow Dash walked near the connection of the two carriages. She fumbled her hoof around until she felt the thick chain in her hoof.
"Lower me down!" she yelled against the raging wind. She gulped nervously as the wind stung her eyes. Her mane waved through the air, as she braced herself against the strong winds underneath the train. Leaning closer, she used all of her might, and the chain broke. The back carriages behind number 3 slowed down, no longer connected.
Rainbow felt herself be pulled upwards, and she saw a panicking Soarin.
"Now for the other side" she said, leading Soarin to the side where their friends were.
"NO! YOU SAVED ALL THE OTHERS, BUT YOU CAN'T DO THIS" screamed Soarin. Rainbow chuckled.
"Let me handle this" she said, laughing. Before Soarin could reply, she leaned in a kissed him as hard as she could. Rainbow felt tears down her face as she broke apart and shoved Soarin to carriage number 2, slamming the door. She heard the others banging, pleading her not to sacrifice herself.
Rainbow lowered herself below. Once again, wind streamed through her mane and stung her eyes. This was it. She leaned and touched the chain. With a large pull she disconnected the chain. Carriages one and two sped off ahead, and she heard desperate yells fade off into the distance
In carriage number two, where the others were, they were crying and sobbing as they saw their friend be left in the carriage with ticking bomb underneath. Rainbow Dash had sacrificed herself to save her friends and other train passengers. Miles behind were the other carriages, and the slowing down carriage three was far away from the other two sides.
All of a sudden, they looked through the window, and flames erupted from the carriage Rainbow was in. Soarin fell to the floor, unleashing such a painful scream in agony. Rainbow Dash was gone with the bomb. It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.
"How is she doctor?" asked Soarin worried. The hospital's visitor room consisted of a lot of people, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Discord, Caramel, Cheese, Flash, Soarin and Rainbow's parents, who were devastated.
The doctor looked concerned himself, "She's barely alive, but there is a chance" he said.
Soarin felt his heart drop and eyes well up, "Please, you have to save her, I can't live without Rainbow"
The doctor nodded, "We'll do the best we can"
After around twelve hours, there was still no response. Eventually, the others left, leaving Soarin and Rainbow's parents.
"We wanted you to know, our daughter loved you" said Windy, amongst tears.
"Please don't say that" said Soarin. Bow smiled at Soarin.
"If she doesn't make it, I'll still be the proudest father in the world" he said.
Soarin felt his heart break. He prayed Rainbow made it out. She was the tougest pony he knew. If anypony could do this, it was her. After ten more painful hours, Rainbow's parents headed home. Soarin felt so tired, but he couldn't leave. He paced around for three more hours until the doctor came out.
"What is it doctor?" he asked hopefully .
"Congratulations sir, she's alive!" announced the doctor. Soarin felt a huge wieght lift off his shoulders.
"But she's lost all her memory. We've taught her her name and how to speak, but that's all she remembers" said the doctor, "You can go in and see her"
Soarin entered inside. Rainbow Dash was lying awake! Dozens of machinery was attached to her, but she was still okay.
"Hello. I'm- Rainbow Dash? Who are you?" asked Rainbow. Her words came as a bit of a shock. He knew she wouldn't remeber anything, but it felt strange. Soarin felt tears of joy blur his vision.
"I'm Soarin" he said, wiping tears.
"Nice to meet you. I feel like I know you..." she started.
"Do you know what happened before?" asked Soarin. Rainbow shook her head, "Do you like stories?"
Rainbow nodded happily, "Once Upon a Time, there was a beautiful pegasus mare who was the best flier around. She was the most loyal pony around, and she had some great friends too. One day, a young stallion fell in love with her charm, beauty, everything" said Soarin, happily reliving the first moment he saw Rainbow that way.
"The young stallion asked the mare to go on a date with him. Of course, the mare a accepted, and they had a wonderful time together. Then the stallion gathered his courage, and asked the mare whether she wanted to be his marefriend"
Rainbow's eyes widened, "Then what?"
"The young mare said she loved him, but couldn't. She had a reputation to maintain, and her parents would forbid her. So the stallion went home upset. Luckily, he had great friends to cheer him up" Soarin fondly remembered when Flash and the others told him to talk to Rainbow's parents.
"The young stallion went to see the mare's parents. When he asked for their daughter's hand, her father was furious, but saw how much the stallion loved the mare and allowed him. Happily, the stallion and mare declared their love for each other and loved each other forever. The end"
Rainbow smiled, "I feel like I've know it. Is it real?"
Soarin thought about it,"Yes. Yes it is" He felt like telling Rainbow how much they loved each other, but he didn't want to overwhelm her.
"Wow. I wish I had somepony like that" said Rainbow, looking out the window "But I don't know anypony. Except for you"
Soarin had an idea "How about when you're better we go to dinner together?"
Rainbow Dash grinned, "Sounds awesome"
Author's Note
I don't have much to say, except I will do a sequel for this, so keep your eyes peeled for that! And enjoy this final chaper of Train Tragedy!
