Chapter 79: Fire Rhino Rampage
Sunset and the six students stood in front of the red rhinoceros beast, anticipating its very next movements. It was clear by this point that the monster wasn't playing around, and making one false move would result in any of them getting devoured and trapped within its stomach, like the other passengers. Unfortunately, Sunset was already told that these beetles had no known weakness, despite vaguely studying the biology behind Stagma Beetles back in school. Regardless, the knowledge seemed to be irrelevant now, especially after the beast had proven to become resistant to the bug spray, and had increased its attack strength like never before.
However, there was little time to formulate a plan at all, as Sunset noticed that the beast was already intent on continuing the hunt. The monster let out another deafening roar, its hot breath singeing the roof, as it began charging straight toward Sunset. It swung its massive horn at her, intent on skewering her where she stood. Sunset, quick on her hooves, dodged to the side just in time, and as a result, the horn missed her by a few mere inches, instead sending up a shower of metal and debris from the train's roof. This appeared to only be a minor inconvenience, as the rhino monster had already come into proximity with the six students, all now cowering in fear, and desperate to keep a safe distance from it.
"Stay back!" Sunset shouted, trying her best to protect the students. "We might have to find something within the coaches to fight that thing!"
"Like what!?" Sandbar asked, completely in a state of panic. "A-And there's only so much we can carry!"
"Perhaps something else from the conductor!?" Ocellus suggested. "But maybe not bug spray, since that clearly won't do a thing now!"
"Then what do we do, Chaperone Pony?!" Yona asked, beginning to lose hope. "Yona so scared!"
"Alright everyone, I've got a bit of a plan!" Sunset improvised, remaining calm, despite the dire circumstances. "We need to find something on the train that we can use as a weapon, it's our only hope at fighting back! In the meantime, we must stay together and be ready, in case the rhino charges at us again!"
"That's certainly no rhino I've ever seen, even from Professor Fluttershy's animal sanctuary!" Gallus reflected. "What do we even call that thing!?"
"I'd personally like to call it the 'Volcrhino', pretty clever, right?" Smolder came up with the nickname off the top of her head. "I've been practicing portmanteaus lately, in class!"
"Eh, I dunno." Silverstream shrugged. "I also liked Miss Sunset's nickname of 'Toasty Rhino Boy', so I think I'll call him that. Or... it? I'm not really sure what kind of pronouns that thing prefers."
The rhino beast simply growled, getting fed up with all these nonsensical games, as Sunset and the six students saw this, knowing they had to prepare for whatever was coming next. The monster let out a deep, guttural roar, its nostrils flared up while snorting, emitting a cloud of ash and smoke. Its muscles tensed, and its horn began to glow with a fierce, crimson light, causing its leg movements to gradually accelerate. Everyone who stood before the beast could feel the heat emanating from the air, and immediately realized that there was nowhere left to run, after continuously backing away.
Sunset and the students looked back, only to see the same vandalized train coach from earlier, with the large hole created from the Stagma Beetles' tower slam. The debris and broken glass were still there, and Sunset also considered the risk of jumping down into the hole, since the monster could easily crush them all with its gargantuan weight. But now that they were all backed into a corner, and saw that the beast was preparing to charge once more, Sunset knew that the only other option, albeit still risky, was their only way of escaping this current predicament.
"Everyone, listen up!" Sunset began instructing her students. "When it charges, we're going to jump off of the coach, and catch ourselves on the sides! Then, we'll climb back inside through the windows!"
"Wait, what?!" Yona stammered. "B-But that's insane, Yona might fall off train!"
"Well, if that's what we have to do, then we've got no choice!" Gallus reasoned. "We can't hide from that thing forever!"
"Can't really argue with that!" Silverstream added. "If we don't do something now, we're all going to end up like those poor stairs back at Bridlewood Station!"
"I know this sounds risky, but it's the only way out of this situation!" Sunset assured. "We have to trust each other and work together as a team! And remember, if anyone misses and falls, make sure to grab onto them!"
"Missing and falling off train sounds like best thing to do!" Yona's teeth chattered. "Yona wants to escape this monster rhino nightmare!"
"As much as I can understand why you feel that way, the monster has the rest of the passengers trapped within its stomach!" Sunset reminded. "I know it's scary, but we can't just abandon everypony and let the monster digest them!"
"You're right, Miss Sunset!" Ocellus said, determined. "Those ponies were quite welcoming to show us around their hometown, so now it's our turn to extend our kindness and help them in their time of need!"
"And Yona, don't worry, Smolder and Silverstream will catch you if you fall!" Sandbar gave her a little nudge with his hoof. "We've all got each other's backs!"
"That actually sounds like a good plan, Sandbar!" Smolder nodded in agreement. "But what if the rhino just follows us through the coaches!?"
"Well Smolder, even if it does follow us through the coaches, it'll have a hard time moving around in there, due to its cumbersome size!" Sunset speculated. "It's much easier for us to navigate between the coaches, and we can always hide in the luggage compartments, if we need to. So as long as we stick together and keep our wits about us, we can do this!"
Just then, the rhino beast's body had built up enough energy, as it finally began charging toward Sunset and the students at full speed. The roof shook beneath everyone's limbs, and the sound of its pounding steps echoed from a distance. The students' hearts raced in unison with the beast getting closer, their fear mixing with adrenaline and determination. The rhino monster was accelerating at an exponential rate, to where Sunset and the six students knew that this was their final chance to avoid getting skewered or rammed off of the train, and that they had to make their maneuver count.
At the last moment, Sunset gave a clear signal, prompting everyone to jump off the sides of the coach, and landing onto the sides. Yona had admittedly struggled to do so, but was immediately caught by Smolder and Silverstream, mid-flight. They all scrambled to find their way back inside the coaches, and felt relieved upon noticing that the windows were unlocked, and could be opened from the outside. The rhino beast, meanwhile, slammed directly into the gaping hole of the coach's roof at full speed, its massive bulk causing the roof's remnants to collapse down. As the monster fell into the wreckage it had created, its massive weight became trapped beneath the debris of the wrecked coach.
Its bulky body heaved and thrashed, but it couldn't escape the weight of the metal and debris that had pinned it down. Sunset and the students all watched in awe and relief, their hearts still pounding from the near-miss. However, they still knew internally that it was only a matter of time before the beast could gather enough strength to escape, and fry them all to a crisp. The wreckage had at least bought them some time, and Sunset knew that they all needed to use it wisely, even if it meant finding potential weaknesses of the red rhino monster.
"Alright everyone, let's think about this." Sunset breathed a sigh of relief. "We need to find a way to stop that monster for good, and release everypony trapped in its stomach. Any ideas?"
"Well, we know that the rhino's hide probably really thick, but not indestructible." Gallus speculated. "Perhaps if we could find a way to weaken its hide, like using acid or something?"
"That might work..." Sunset pondered. "However, I don't know if we'll be able to find anything like that on this train. I was thinking we should try to lure it away from the Endtrak Express, and find a more isolated area to fight it."
"Not sure how we'll manage to do that, didn't the conductor mention that he's unable to stop the train?" Sandbar recalled. "What could even be jamming the brakes?"
Sunset and the six students continued to think of other ways to deal with the beast, but their minds drew a blank. Just as everyone about to give up, believing they were simply outmatched, Ocellus remembered something crucial from earlier.
"Wait, there was a strange noise coming from the train's compartment space, while we all were searching for water bottles!" The changeling student exclaimed. "I realized that the noise sounded similar to the ones those beetles make, but I just wasn't sure! Perhaps something down there might be connected to why the brakes haven't been working!?"
"Good thinking, Ocellus!" Smolder agreed. "We should investigate that compartment space, maybe those beetles chewed up the brakes or something!"
"Alright, sounds like something I can do on my own!" Sunset ran over to one of the cabins and grabbed another gas mask. "I'll check and see if there's anything going on down there, and hopefully we'll be able to stop the train! In the meantime, you students go back to the conductor's room, and ask him for any tools or weapons you could use to fight that monster!"
"Sure thing, Miss Sunset!" Silverstream nodded, as the five other students did the same, before getting ready to run back over to the conductor.
Just then, everyone began to hear the rhino beast struggling violently, its massive bulk thrashing and heaving, as it tried to free itself from the weight of the metal and debris that had pinned it down. The train's coaches had trembled with each powerful movement, and the students could see the determination in the creature, continuously fighting for freedom. Time was of the essence, as it was clear that this monster wouldn't be giving up so easily, prompting the students to run toward the front of the train as fast as they could, while Sunset put on the gas mask and climbed down into the compartment space.
Sunset carefully made her way through the compartments, making her way towards the engine room, as she searched around for anything that might've affected the brakes. Ocellus alluded to the possibility of the Stagma Beetles being down here, which worried Sunset internally, but knew that if they were to have any chance at defeating that rhino monstrosity, being able to stop the train would be everyone's first priority. The compartment space began to get tighter and smaller, but Sunset pushed on, before eventually noticing the Endtrak Express's brakes, after turning a corner. It appeared as though some of the metal had been chewed up, presumably by those beetles.
As Sunset pondered how she could fix the brakes, the students had already entered the conductor's room, doing as they were instructed by their chaperone, and hoping to find a solution toward their struggle against the rhino monster.
"Thank Celestia you're all still okay!" The conductor said with relief. "I take it our little bug problem has been taken care of?"
"Not entirely, sir." Sandbar replied. "In fact, the problem's gotten a lot... bigger, let's just say."
"Bigger?" The conductor questioned. "What do you mean by-"
Just then, even from such a great distance, the rhino beast's roars had echoed across the coaches, loud enough to induce panic into everyone aboard the train.
"There it is again!" The conductor worried. "What are those loud roars I've been hearing!?!"
"That's what we were about to tell you." Smolder began explaining. "The beetles... weren't just beetles, after all. Now there's a giant monster made of them, attacking the train!"
"Big red rhino monster has eaten pony passengers!" Yona grimaced. "Yona's family would normally want to smash red beast, but red beast would certainly smash Yona and her family into oatmeal first!"
"A monster on the train... ATE THE PASSENGERS!?!" The conductor shrieked. "I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS WHEN I APPLIED FOR THE JOB!!!"
"Our chaperone recommended that we return to you, to perhaps find something else to fight that thing, since the bug spray didn't go so well, let's just say." Gallus added. "You got anything in here that we could use as weapons?"
"Weapons..." The conductor desperately looked around his room. "Well, I do have this emergency toolbox that Torque Wrench keeps in this compartment. I don't really have anything else in here that you could use as a weapon, safety protocols, after all."
The students opened the red toolbox, which contained various sharp tools, including screwdrivers, wrenches, heavy-duty pliers, and a nail gun.
"These should do the trick." Gallus picked up various tools as weapons, as the other students did the same. "Now we'd better hurry before that thing gets back up."
"You think Torque's going to be cool with us using her tools?" Silverstream asked.
"If it means we can rescue her and everypony else trapped within that monster's stomach, that's a definite 'yes'." Smolder replied. "Though I think we should wait for Miss Sunset, since she's been great at leading us, even in battle."
Suddenly, from underneath the train's floor, Sunset began tapping her hoof on the metal to make her presence known. Everyone soon noticed that they could see their chaperone through a vent in the floorboard.
"Hey, I think I see what's wrong with the train's brakes!" Sunset said from the vent. "By any chance, do any of you have a screwdriver I could use? Any size will do, as long as it's not a Phillips screwdriver!"
"Philips?" Silverstream raised an eyebrow. "Who's that, your brother?"
"Sorry Miss Sunset, but I'm afraid none of us know what you mean by that." Smolder sighed.
"Just make sure the screwdriver's head looks like a minus sign, and not a plus." Sunset clarified.
"These things have heads?" Silverstream said, astonished. "I never knew tools could think like everyone else! Maybe some of them should enroll at the school with us!"
"I don't think that's what she means..." Ocellus said, whilst fidgeting her screwdriver. "But then again, I'm not really familiar with tools at all!"
"Wait, I think Miss Sunset's referring to the metal ends of the screwdriver!" Sandbar pointed at the tips. "Looks like only mine is a minus sign, while every other screwdriver is a plus! Good thing we had that math session at the beginning of the semester!"
"Huh, math class actually teaching you something that can be applied to real life?" Gallus said, rather surprised. "That's certainly news to me."
Sandbar tossed his screwdriver down into the vent, which Sunset took notice of, before grabbing it and climbing back over to the area with the train's brakes. Using the knowledge she had about mechanical work, Sunset took notice of the loose screws that had fallen by the side. The beetles had seemingly chewed up the metal and loosened one of the brake's segments, which was connected to the conductor's shifter. After fidgeting around with the screws and putting them back into their respective sockets, Sunset used the screwdriver to tighten each individual screw, which was surprisingly manageable, even if she had gotten used to having fingers.
"Well, I think I've finally fixed the brakes, thank Celestia for those automotive shop classes back at CHS." Sunset said as she climbed out of the vent space, and taking off her gas mask. "Mr. Conductor, are you able to stop the train now?"
The conductor proceeded to move the shifter to the emergency brake position, which would usually stop the train almost instantaneously. Everyone then noticed that the Endtrak Express began to slow down, gradually losing speed, before the train finally came to a complete stop.
"Well, I'll be... that worked!" The conductor exclaimed. "Miss, you're a lifesaver! I can't imagine what would've happened if I was unable to stop the train, just before a ravine!"
"Miss Sunset, how did you know what to do?" Ocellus asked, astonished. "We almost thought that without Torque here, we would've been doomed!"
"A little knowledge in mechanical work can always come in handy." Sunset said, proudly. "It's always good to have a little bit of technical know-how, especially when you're in a tight spot like that. And speaking of tight spots, we should find a way to deal with that rhino monster, before it causes any more problems."
"Speaking of which, we've found plenty of weapons!" Sandbar pointed to the various tools everyone was now holding. "You think we'll stand much of a chance against it, now?"
"Well, there's no way to guarantee that for sure, but I think our best bet is to stay together and use our wits." Sunset recommended, as she trotted over to grab a wrench as a weapon. "There must be some weakness we can exploit, but we'll see. For now, let's head back over to that train coach, and see if we can find a weakness! In the meantime, Mr. Conductor? Don't start the train again until we've found and rescued the passengers!"
"Of course, Miss!" The conductor nodded. "I'll wait here for your signal."
As Sunset and the students made their way back over to the same train coach that the beast had gotten stuck in, everyone instantly had a foreboding feeling, upon seeing that the coach was now mysteriously empty, and things had gotten quiet. It was almost as if the rhino monster had disappeared without a single trace, or better yet, was it simply hiding somewhere, and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike?
"Maybe if we don't move, it won't see us..." Ocellus said, dreading what was seemingly about to happen.
With the Endtrak Express no longer moving, Sunset knew it was much more manageable to have the fight commence atop the train's roof. As the students followed Sunset, who used a nearby ladder to climb back onto the roof, the monster was still surprisingly nowhere to be seen. Despite this, Sunset knew internally that there had to be a reason the Stagma Beetles had decided to target this train, specifically. Even bearing in mind that the beetles had specifically only targeted her back at Bridlewood Station, Sunset couldn't help but wonder if the attack was personal. She continued scouting around the train, but kept her guard up, having an internal feeling that the monster was simply hiding somewhere, and stalking its prey.
"Stay alert, everyone." Sunset warned. "We need to find out exactly where it is, so be sure to keep your eyes open, and let me know if you see anything."
As everyone walked along the Endtrak Express's roof, with almost no sign of the monster's presence, they all eventually heard an unusual, and almost monstrous growl.
"W-Why did that seem so... distinct?" Sandbar shook. "Could it be hiding right underneath us!?"
"Sorry everyone, that's just my tummy." Silverstream acknowledged, before rubbing her growling stomach. "It's never a good idea to skip breakfast, you know?"
"Well, I'm more concerned about the fact that we don't know where the rhino monster is." Smolder sighed. "We need to find it fast, before it finds us."
Sunset and the students continued along the roof, hoping for a clear indication on where the monster was located. Just then, another loud growl could be heard coming from Silverstream's direction, which slowly became louder.
"Alright, Silverstream." Gallus turned around. "Maybe we should head back to our cabin to get you some food if you're that hungry. I've got some griffon scones, if you're interested."
"That'd be nice, Gallus, but uh... that time, that wasn't me..." Silverstream's pupils shrunk.
Shortly after, the growl turned into another deafening roar, as the rhino monster hopped out from behind a large tree, and leaped back onto the Endtrak Express's roof, ready to continue their battle. The red beast stared down the entire group standing before it, but primarily kept its attention on Sunset.
"O-OKAY, I THINK THIS IS REASON WE MUST PANIC!!!" Yona shrieked.
"We've gotta fight that thing now!" Sandbar said, determined.
"It's a real shame that thing's gotta be so unfriendly!" Smolder frowned. "Why can't something that big and strong be on our side!?"
"Are these weapons even gonna work against that thing!?" Ocellus asked, nervously.
"Oh, they'll work all right." Gallus narrowed his eyes at the beast. "Just gotta aim for the right spot, we're certainly not as helpless as before!"
Gallus held a chisel blade firmly, before aiming his claw back, and throwing the blade onto the rhino monster's stumpy leg like a spear. The weapon had cut deeply into the rhino monster's flesh, causing it to stumble back and flinch in pain. There was an initial moment of relief upon seeing the effectiveness of the attack, before everyone soon noticed that the monster simply used its teeth to pick the blade out, and threw it off into the distance.
"Well, that didn't go as planned!" Gallus grimaced. "Looks like we'll have to think of something else."
"We'll have to use what we've got, then!" Sunset instructed, motioning for the students to start running away, as a chase was about to commence. "Run and attack, we'll have to focus all our energy on that thing!"
Sunset and the six students began running whilst attacking with their tools. Ocellus, Smolder, and Sandbar were all launching various screwdrivers at the beast, in an attempt to pierce its flesh, but they weren't really as effective as the chisel that Gallus had. The attempts at pushing it back had only enraged the monster further, enticing it to speed up. Sunset looked back and noticed that the rhino would soon be catching up, and it was merely shrugging off most attacks like it was nothing.
However, as it appeared as though all hope was lost, Silverstream then began using her nail gun, though she was still unsure of how to use one, as they never existed underwater. But after fumbling around with it for a bit, she miraculously hit the nail gun's trigger, shooting off a fast-moving, sharp projectile, which had pierced deeply into the rhino monster's snout, causing it to immediately flinch and stop in its tracks. Sunset and the other students stopped running for a bit, as they realized that Silverstream had a weapon capable of stunning the beast to a halt.
"That's right!" Silverstream screeched in anger and satisfaction, before using the nail gun to shoot the beast in the head again. "That's what you get for eating those poor, defenseless ponies!"
As the rhino monster staggered and stumbled back from the pain, Silverstream continued her onslaught, firing nail after nail into the beast's head. The monster roared in agony, shaking its head violently as the sharp points pierced its flesh, but it couldn't seem to escape the relentless barrage. However, after firing enough nails, Silverstream soon noticed that the nail gun suddenly went click, as there were no longer any nails loaded inside. The rhino monster took the opportunity to shake the nails out of its head, and immediately shifted its attention onto its attacker, who was now nervously hiding the nail gun behind her back. If the beast was angry before, it was nothing compared to how it felt now.
"Uh oh!" Silverstream stammered, taking a step back, as the rhino monster began charging at her. "HELP!!!"
The rest of the group looked on, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, Sunset threw her wrench at the beast's eye, causing it to roar in pain, and allowing Silverstream to run over to safety. This feeling of relief was cut short, as the rhino monster growled in frustration and continued its pursuit, chasing the entire group atop the coaches, as if its dinner was running away. After a while of chasing, Sunset looked back at her students and formulated another plan to potentially outsmart the monster, knowing that they couldn't keep running and hiding for much longer.
"Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream!" Sunset addressed the three students. "You three think you can fly over the monster and attack it from behind!? Maybe if we attack from both sides, it'll keep that thing distracted long enough for us to do some real damage!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Smolder nodded confidently, readying herself to fly. "Leave it to us!"
"Will do!" Gallus added. "Together, we'll show that monster who's boss!"
"I'll do my best!" Silverstream chirped, fanning her wings out. "Let's do this!"
As the three students flew upwards, and landed directly behind the beast, Sunset took a deep breath, and began thinking of the next steps. They would need to keep the rhino monster occupied for a bit, whilst taking the opportunity to attack it from all sides, in an attempt to confuse it. Smolder, Gallus, and Silverstream all began pelting screwdrivers and various metal tools at the beast from behind, making it stop dead in its tracks again. But as it turned around to deal with the new threats from the back, Sunset, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus did the same on the opposite side, bewildering the monster on who it should prioritize attacking first.
This went on for a bit, before Sunset became a little overconfident, and went dangerously close to the beast, using the pliers as a melee weapon against its snout. The chaperone could feel the adrenaline pumping through her system, the satisfaction at seemingly doing some rather hefty damage to the monster in its already confused state. However, Sunset had almost forgotten that the Stagma Beetles' nature was to prioritize attacking ponies, given they were the natural predators of equines. The rhino monster turned its full attention to Sunset, and almost instantaneously, used its claw to swipe and knock her away, sending the mare flying toward the far end of the coach.
"MISS SUNSET!!!" The students all shrieked in unison, before noticing that the monster began prioritizing the students in front, and almost completely ignoring the attacks from behind.
"Ugh... that really..." Sunset began to slowly get up, thankful that the impact had not left her incapacitated.
While the monster was busy charging toward the other students from a distance, Sunset took notice of the noises coming from an electrical generator inside the coach, which appeared to still have an active current, despite the train no longer moving. She then remembered how susceptible the beetles were to electric shocks, as Torque had demonstrated last night at Bridlewood Station. So far, most of the metal weapons had merely given the rhino monster papercuts, as exemplified with the beast shaking the sharp tools from its tough hide. However, if she were to lead the monster over and let it get shocked by the generator's high voltage, it could be their only chance at winning the battle.
The six students continued the eternal struggle against the beast, using what little tools they had left to fend it off, or at the very least, slow it down. Unfortunately, as expected, this could only have gone on for so long, as the students had now inevitably run out of tools to use as weapons. Most of which were thrown off of the train, even after getting lodged into the monster's thick hide, while other tools had been caught within the monster's maw, and devoured. With the six students now defenseless, the rhino monster used its horn to rip off a large segment of the train's roof, before hurling the debris toward Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus.
The three students stumbled back, and had barely avoided the attack, but they had almost already lost all hope. It was definitely clear that aside from the nail gun, none of their weapons proved to be an effective form of defense, as the rhino monster's hide was way too strong, much like the durable shells of the Stagma Beetles themselves. The beast then turned around to confront the three other students that had been attacking from behind, making Gallus, Smolder, and Silverstream all believe they were done for.
"I'm sorry, every creature..." Silverstream said, defeated. "We gave it our all..."
"No, don't give up hope just yet, Silverstream!" Smolder encouraged. "We can still win this!"
"I don't know about that, it looks like that thing wants to cook us all to a crisp..." Gallus observed. "Silverstream...? If we don't make it, I just wanted to say I've always... always... lo-"
But before Gallus could finish his sentence, Sunset had already come up with her next plan, which involved letting the rhino monster charge directly into the train's generator, knowing that it most likely still had a weakness toward electrical shocks. She threw her Philips screwdriver at the rhino's back, in an attempt to provoke it, as Sunset also knew that for whatever reason, this rhino monster seemed particularly interested in targeting her, making the goad more likely to be successful. It had indeed worked, resulting in the monster turning around again, and shifting its focus onto Sunset, once more.
"Come on, you pathetic beast!" Sunset goaded the monster into charging at her. "Try and get me if you can, I'm standing perfectly still!"
The six students watched on, unsure of what their chaperone was attempting to do, but knew internally that she most likely had some kind of trick up her hooves. The rhino monster, enraged by Sunset's attack, reared its head back and snorted profusely, staring down its target like never before. Shortly after, the monster charged forward, aiming straight for the mare who stood her ground, seemingly not even flinching, as the massive beast barreled toward her at full speed. At the very last minute, Sunset leaped like never before, saving herself from getting skewered by the rhino's horn, once more. The rhino monster meanwhile, had fallen through the roof with its speed, crashing directly onto the electrical generator within the coach.
All seemed well at first, until Sunset realized that this accomplished absolutely nothing. Despite having a little voltage left, the generator merely gave the rhino a mild shock, which only appeared to be nothing more than a minor inconvenience. By stopping the Endtrak Express, the voltage was not strong enough to attack the monster directly, as Torque did with her transistor rod against the beetles. Sunset looked back at her students, now absolutely stumped on what they could do to defeat this monstrosity, which practically fended off everything that they threw at it, aside from Mr. Ramsay's kitchen sink.
"Well students, I really don't know what else to do..." Sunset dreaded, as this monster truly proved to be an extremely resilient opponent. "Let's just say, I was specifically told that even the Equestrian Army would struggle against these beetles, and I certainly believe that now!"
As the rhino monster got up from the crash, it instinctively used its fire breath once more to torch the surrounding area, causing various trees to fall over from being scorched, and barricading Sunset and the students in, cornering them. The monster then leaped high into the air, sending a huge shockwave along the entire Endtrak Express, with a force powerful enough to bounce Sandbar right in front of it, completely helpless and terrified.
"N-No!" Sandbar's eyes widened. "P-P-Please, don't e-eat me!"
The monster simply licked its own lips, knowing that it still had enough room in its stomach for one more pony, before being fully satisfied. Sunset and the five other students got up from the shockwaves, as Sunset soon noticed what was happening in the distance. Much like the time Sunset sacrificed her own memories in an attempt to save her human friends from the memory stone, Sunset quickly ran over to push Sandbar out of the way to safety, just in time, but as a result, ended up getting caught within the monster's mouth. She used her strength to keep the jaw from closing, and looked down to take notice of a worried Sandbar.
"No, Sandbar, you get out of here!" Sunset instructed. "I'll hold it off!"
"B-But, you'll get eaten, Miss Sunset!" Sandbar said, unable to comprehend the idea of abandoning their chaperone.
"That may be, but I'd rather let that happen to me, than any of you!" Sunset stated firmly. "You and your friends are still young, and have so much more to live for! I made a commitment to Twilight to keep you all safe, and allow you all to return home safely! You're the only ones who can do that now. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I promise..."
Although Sandbar was still reluctant to do so, Sunset gave him a determined look, and he found himself unable to argue against her strong words. With a nod, he turned and ran for safety, followed by his classmates, all of them looking back with fear and concern in their eyes, seeing their chaperone caught in between the rhino monster's teeth. Eventually, the inevitable had happened, to where Sunset's strength had finally given out, and the monster had successfully managed to swallow her whole. She had now become yet another victim of the monster's hunger, but gave somepony else the golden opportunity to escape a similar fate.
"Miss Sunset..." Sandbar said, touched by their chaperone's kindness. "She sacrificed herself for me, a colt she barely knew, just to give us all the opportunity to flee!"
"She really was the best..." Smolder sighed, sadly. "We'll never find another chaperone like her ever again, ponies like her only come once in a lifetime..."
"Poor Miss Sunset!" Silverstream began tearing up. "We've never had such a wonderful and adventurous field trip before!"
"She truly was an inspiration to us all..." Ocellus grieved.
"YONA... SO SAD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" Yona sobbed, uncontrollably.
"We all are, Yona..." Gallus added. "But she was right, since it's clear now that we have absolutely no chance of taking that thing on! She'd want us to keep going, to find some help, so we can rescue her and everypony else trapped inside that monster's stomach! Come on, every creature, let's go and make Miss Sunset proud!"
However, just as the students were prepared to leave the train and find help, the rhino monster had anticipated this, and decided that although its hunger was now satisfied, it would not allow the remaining students to escape. The monster had quickly used its horn to light up with magic, restraining the students in place, and preventing them from leaving the train. Shortly after, it casted a spell above the Endtrak Express, creating a void in the sky. This spell seemed rather similar to what Midnight Sparkle had casted, when she opened portals to Equestria at CHS during the Friendship Games. But unlike those portals, this spell instead seemed to open a void that led into... outer space? The students struggled to move from the monster's magical restraints, until they looked up and saw the void, gradually growing bigger by each passing moment.
"What the...!?!" Sandbar shrieked. "Where's that thing taking us?!"
"Is that... outer space!?" Ocellus looked up at the void in the sky, which continued growing even bigger.
"It sure looks like it, to me!" Silverstream's eyes widened. "I-Isn't that Jupiter right there!?"
"Hmm, I don't know, I think that might be Saturn." Gallus looked up into the void. "Pluto's the one with the weird ring around it, right?"
"Every creature, I think we should focus!" Smolder grimaced, as she saw that the void was beginning to suck away the gravity and atmosphere around the area.
"W-Why are trees and rocks flying up into big hole!?" Yona observed the surroundings being sucked up into the void, as if it were a tornado.
"That monster wants to get rid of us for good!" Sandbar deduced. "When we get sent up through there, we'll all suffocate in the cold vacuum of outer space!"
As the surrounding scenery had been engulfed by the portal, thanks to the sudden lack of gravity, the void itself grew further and larger, almost enough to surround the entire train. It wouldn't be long before the students, and even the Endtrak Express itself would be sucked up into outer space. However, the rhino monster simply used its own magic to bolt itself to the Entrak Express's roof, protecting itself from the gaping hole in the sky. Even if these Stagma Beetles had seemingly already gotten their revenge on the same pony who had supposedly attacked them back in the Canterlot Library's restricted section, it would've been smarter to dispose of these students, preventing them from alarming the rest of Equestria.
Once the void had grown strong enough, completely shrouding the Endtrak Express, the rhino monster finally loosened its magical restraints on the six students, letting them get absorbed to suffocate and be destroyed within the cold of outer space. The students all shrieked upon getting sucked into this void like a black hole, as it seemed that all hope was lost. This rhino monster was practically invincible to everything they had thrown at it, and now, this was seemingly the end of the journey for all of them, as well as their chaperone, Miss Sunset.
As the six students helplessly drifted up into the void, they all looked at each other with grief, realizing that they were all about to suffer the same fate. All those memories and wonderful times they've had together as friends at the School of Friendship would be wiped from them in an instant, once they were fully sucked up. Almost coming to accept the idea that there was no escape from this awful fate, Sandbar, Gallus, Ocellus, Yona, Smolder, and Silverstream all held one of their limbs in a circle, before closing their eyes. If they were going to go out like this, at least they would all accept their impending fate together, as friends who had never abandoned each other, until the very end.
However, despite all hope being lost, something had suddenly resonated within the six students, just as they were nearing the void. The students had all begun to glow a mystical shade of white, almost like they had done when Princess Twilight united them all together, alongside her friends and the Pillars of Friendship, to deliver the final magical blow toward Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, and Cozy Glow. It appeared as though their commitment to stay by each other's side until the end, had made their friendship and love for one another flow throughout them, and giving them just enough strength to overpower the antigravitational forces surrounding the area.
The students all opened their eyes in unison, seeing how they were suddenly able to move freely, despite trees and other objects being helplessly sucked up into the void. Realizing that they finally had an opportunity to fight back, all six students used what little strength they had left to levitate back over to the train, almost completely defying the laws of physics. The rhino monster watched in shock, completely bewildered by how those creatures had somehow avoided getting sucked up into outer space. In a fit of rage, the monster used it's fire breath at an even greater scale, completely bent on torching and incinerating those students, once and for all.
Unfortunately for the monster, the fire breath had done absolutely nothing, as the students simply held each other, allowing their friendship to unite and protect themselves. This was almost reminiscent of when Princess Twilight had done the same with the girls at CHS, to save themselves from Sunset's She-Demon form. Now, with the monster seemingly having no real way to attack the students, Sandbar began to give a speech about friendship, much like he had remembered seeing Princess Twilight do to the Legion of Doom.
"You think you can just come here and destroy my friends and I, just because you're stronger than us!?" Sandbar opened. "Well, you're wrong, we may not have your level of strength, but we have something even better, friendship!"
"No matter how strong you are, or how much power you think you have, you can never take that away from us!" Ocellus added.
"And we not going to let you bring Equestria to ruin, nor anyone else who cares deeply about it!" Yona pointed at the beast.
"We'll keep fighting, even if it's the last thing we'll ever do, because we're stronger together, and we won't let anything break us apart!" Gallus snapped.
"And most importantly, you'll never understand what we have!" Smolder chimed in. "You're just nothing more than a tool of destruction, while we were taught to love and cherish those around us! To protect those who can't protect themselves, and we won't rest until you're stopped, and those poor ponies in your stomach are freed!"
"So you'd better find some other hobby to keep yourself occupied, cause we're not going anywhere until you release those pony passengers!" Silverstream finished.
However, the monster simply ignored all this, believing that it was still much stronger than those puny creatures, combined. Knowing that its fire breath was next to useless, the rhino monster charged toward the students at a ferocious speed, before pouncing up into the air, in an attempt to body slam them. Once the beast had landed on the Endtrak Express's roof, it had seemingly gotten the trick done, squashing those students like the pathetic little bugs they were. But unfortunately, this time around, the students had used their new magical powers to completely outsmart the monster.
After looking underneath its claws, the monster's eyes had widened in disbelief, seeing that it had managed to squash absolutely nothing, other than the Endtrak Express's roof. This prompted the monster to swiftly turn around, only to see the six students levitating off of the train to evade the attack, before floating back down behind it. Their agility and combined strength were now completely unmatched thanks to their friendship, and had finally given them the upper hand in the heat of this battle.
"Rhino monster, you will-" Sandbar began closing his speech, before Silverstream chimed in.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Silverstream cut in. "Could you maybe close this out with 'Toasty Rhino Boy'? I'm sure Miss Sunset would be really proud of you, if you do that!"
"Eh, why not?" Sandbar shrugged. "She did save me from getting eaten, so it's the least I could do. Ahem... Toasty Rhino Boy, you may possess magic that is otherworldly, but you are still no match for us! Because we possess within us, the most powerful magic of all!"
Suddenly, the aura around the six students had briefly transformed into a colorful orb of energy, giving them the strength they needed to break through the rhino monster's thick hide. With a heave and mighty aim of the friendship beam that had resonated through them all, it was directly targeted at the giant rhino monster standing before them, cutting deeply into its flesh, which had transformed back into helpless Stagma Beetles. This attack had immediately weakened the beast's magic on the void's strength, as nearby fallen trees were slowly returning back to the ground, meaning that it was now safe to release the passengers from the monster's stomach. Their plan was finally working, prompting them to give them the final push to defeat this monstrosity, once and for all.
"THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!!!" The six students all said, simultaneously, as their friendship had powered them up even further.
The six friends concentrated all of their energy into a single, massive blast of power, focusing it directly at the now weakened rhino monster before them. This time, the blast was aimed at the monster's stomach, which had managed to completely shred through its flesh, freeing a few of the passengers, including Miss Sunset. Some of the passengers had fallen onto the roof of the train, whilst others landed safely onto the soft grass below. Piece by piece, the rhino monster had started to slowly crumble apart, its bits of flesh transforming back into weak Stagma Beetles, and knocking them away. Before long, each and every pony passenger was eventually rescued from the beast's stomach, and immediately backed away from the giant Stagma Beetle pile, not wanting to be captured again.
As the students did a count of the passengers, they could see that Sunset Shimmer, Sour Sweet, Sunny Skies, Mr. Ramsay, Petunia Petals, Torque Wrench, Kerfuffle, Pickle Barrel, and Barley Barrel were now all safe. Everypony was also far enough away from the beetles, that they could now deliver the finishing blow without risking collateral damage. With one last surge in their combined strength, the students blasted their magic to knock the entire pile of weakened Stagma Beetles up into the air. The beetles were then sucked up through the same void to outer space that they had casted earlier, which began to slowly dissipate, now that the rhino monster was no longer holding the spell in place.
Everyone looked up, watching every last beetle slowly turning into dust, as the entire colony entered the cold vacuum of outer space. Shortly after, the void had immediately closed itself off, now making the Stagma Beetles completely extinct from Equestria. With the day now saved, the students had begun powering down, and fell onto the Endtrak Express's surface, exhausted from focusing all of their energy, just moments earlier. Sunset and Sour Sweet immediately trotted over to the six students, checking to see if they were all right.
"Sandbar?" Sunset quickly ran over to check on the students. "Ocellus? Smolder? Please... some creature answer me!"
"Chaperone..." Yona gradually regained her strength. "Did we do good thing...?"
"Yes, Yona!" Sunset replied, relieved. "You all did a great job, and saved everypony on this train! You stopped those horrible Stagma Beetles all on your own, we're so proud of you!"
"To think, as the chaperones of your field trip, we were supposed to be protecting you, not the other way around." Sour Sweet said, amused. "But we're certainly glad that everything worked out in the end!"
"Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't stopped those vile bugs?" Petunia trotted over to the students. "If that monster they formed had managed to escape, ugh... I don't even want to think about it..."
"I'd imagine Equestria would be even worse off than a 1-Star kitchen." Mr. Ramsay added. "In fact, it seems as though you've all gone above and beyond as our heroes!"
"Thank you so much for saving all of our lives!" Kerfuffle thanked. "Princess Twilight would be so proud of you all!"
"Hmm, that reminds me..." Mr. Ramsay pondered. "Princess Twilight did mention to the rest of the staff at Canterlot, that the throne room is lacking, as far as stain glass windows. Perhaps I should give the princess a suggestion on what to depict, considering your heroics today."
"That'd be very much appreciated, Mr. Ramsay." Sandbar replied, before pointing to Sunset. "But you really should give credit to our chaperone here, too. If it wasn't for her, I would've gotten eaten by that monster, and we probably wouldn't have defeated that thing."
"I'm flattered, Sandbar, but I know for certain that it was a team effort." Sunset acknowledged. "Besides, you and your friends had managed to actually defeat that rhino monster yourselves, so I insist. It should definitely be all of you who deserve to get the recognition."
"Well, I suppose I'll keep that in mind, once I return to Canterlot." Mr. Ramsay nodded. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I should go inform the conductor of the train about the situation, and get us moving once more. Just relax and rest up, you've all certainly earned it, after what we've just been through."
As Mr. Ramsay trotted off, the students and remaining passengers had done the same, as they had now climbed back into the Endtrak Express's coaches. Everyone was hoping to salvage their trip to Hope Hollow, despite the train having large wreckages. While waiting for a word on the train's status, several other passengers came up to the six students to express their gratitude.
"You've all done us proud!" Barley Barrel chimed in. "Maybe my brother and I could devote a fan club to you, we've never been rescued by real heroes before!"
"I'd say we could do that." Pickle Barrel agreed. "Once this train gets back on track, we'll make it back home to Hope Hollow in no time!"
"There's a bit of a problem with that, I'm afraid." Torque trotted over to the group within the cabin. "I just checked the Endtrak Express's generator, and it appears as though it's been damaged pretty heavily by a huge dent. It'll take me a while to repair it, but hey, a repair pony's job is never done."
"Well, at least it's something to keep us busy for a while." Sunny Skies added. "I'm sure we can find some interesting ways to keep ourselves entertained, while we wait. In the meantime, Starlight? Once we reach Hope Hollow, as the mayor of our lovely town, I was thinking of giving you some kind of reward, for also being a hero. I figured it's the least I could do, considering you've already let Mr. Ramsay talk Princess Twilight into making a stain glass window, commemorating the heroic deeds of your students there.
"I appreciate the thought, Mayor, but you really don't have to." Sunset insisted. "We were all just doing what had to be done, and I'm glad everything worked out in the end."
"Nonsense, Starlight." Mayor Skies shook his head. "You've already been through so much, and you've been such a good friend to us all. So I declare that as the mayor, you'll be getting a reward, and I know you'll absolutely love it."
"Well, if you really insist... thank you, Mayor." Sunset accepted.
"Don't mention it." Sunny Skies replied. "In the meantime, why don't we all sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of our journey? We've still got a long way to go, but with the help of Torque here, I know we can get there safely."
"Right, I should probably get started on that generator." Torque said. "And maybe this time, you can actually help me out, Sunny. Instead of just sitting back and watching me do all the work."
"Oh, all right, if you insist..." Sunny Skies rolled his eyes, before following Torque over to the Endtrak Express's generator.
"Guess what, students?" Sour Sweet then entered the cabin, holding a dessert plate in her hoof. "Mr. Ramsay just announced that his world famous sticky toffee pudding is ready! And he's willing to give you all seconds, at least, if there's enough left!"
"He is!?" The students all exclaimed in unison.
"Well, this trip just got a whole lot sweeter, it seems." Sunset acknowledged.
"You're telling me!" Barley Barrel said, craving dessert.
"My dentist is probably gonna hate me once this is all over, but... I don't care!" Pickle Barrel added.
With that said and done, Sunset, Sour Sweet, the Barrel twins, Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, and Ocellus all left the cabin, curious to try this mysterious dessert, which had been hyped up for a while now. Gallus and Silverstream were about to do the same, before Silverstream stopped for a second, curious about something that Gallus never had the chance to finish saying.
"Hey, Gallus?" Silverstream looked back at the griffon. "What were you trying to say earlier, when Toasty Rhino Boy had seemingly cornered us? That you've always... lo... something?"
"Oh, uhhhh..." Gallus blushed, as he nervously looked around the cabin, until he had a cover-up, now that they were no longer in danger. "That I've always loved how beautiful your seashell necklace is! Yeah!"
"Oh..." Silverstream looked down at her necklace, which granted her the power to transform between a hippogriff and seapony. "Thank you Gallus, that's really sweet, I'm glad you think so. Well, now that that's over with, let's get something just as sweet, some sticky toffee pudding!"
As Gallus watched Silverstream storm out of the cabin, Gallus opened up his backpack, which had some leftover griffon scones that he had packed for this trip, one of which, was deliberately shaped like a heart. The griffon grabbed this heart-shaped scone and held it close to him, whilst thinking deeply about a certain hippogriff.
"Someday, Gallus..." Gallus said to himself. "Maybe someday..."
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Wait, why does Sunny Skies call Sunset "Starlight" near the end??? Did you make a typo and not notice it wehn proofread?
11923130
He confused Sunset for Starlight in an earlier chapter and he's been calling her Starlight since
interesting, I really liked the detail of the space insects, although perhaps it would have had a more epic plot.
I'm glad they defeated the beast in the end, but i know that there is still more to come after this. So keep up the good work!
Huh, looks like the Hope Hollow train arc is coming to a close. Then again, they haven't made it to Hope Hollow yet, so who knows what'll happen?
At least those beetles are no problem now anymore. You'd think they would've stopped after they got who they were after (or at least who they thought they were after) but they kept charging.
Well that was a thrill ride of Sunset and the Young Six fighting that monstrosity, Sunset's boldness, protectiveness, leadership and selflessness all on full display and the Young Six were able to finally put an end to it once and for all! Great action packed chapter and I look forward to whatever's coming next! :D
Not bad.
Did he forget Gallus can fly too?
There's also the possibility a air hose connected to the brake line got disconnected, that's normally a sign the train has no brakes.
https://m.It worked!
It's after your counterpart Sunset, but seeing she's back in the human realm, it makes all the more sense it would go after you!!
Uh huh...
Shit!
Worth a shot.
Gallus has a crush on her!
Oh my...
You got it backwards.
This reminds me of what happened in toy story 3.
They did it!!!!!!
See you never!
students here."*
11923756
I think it makes sense. Didn't the author mention about the monster not wanting the Young Six to go off to get help or warn the rest of Equestria about it? Dead creatures speak no tales.
11934634
mhm
11935390
What's Pony Gordon Ramsay, chopped donkey liver? :P