The Snap

by Boltstrike58

Perfectly Balanced

Sunset Shimmer screamed.

The former unicorn and her group of friends were spending a relaxing day at the park, happily listening to the sounds of Flash Sentry's band. Pinkie was working the lights, Rainbow and Applejack were having another overly-competitive dance off, and Twilight was texting Timber.

That was when Sunset felt the wave.

If asked to describe what it was, Sunset wouldn't have been able to do so. It wasn't Equestrian magic, or magic that had been altered by exposure to the human world. It felt...older. Like some sort of energy from the birth of the universe. Like all of the life force of every living thing had been packed together into one blast of pure force. The troubling part was that she didn't feel it on her body (which probably would've killed her), but in her mind, burning like a forest fire.

She tasted it in her mouth, and its taste was death. The forces behind sought death with a cold detachment, and in her mind, she saw a grimacing purple face. A deep voice, phrasing the thoughts of another, resonated through her head, saying that the task was complete. That balance was restored.

It was overwhelming for Sunset, and she pitched forward, onto the grass. The sensation passed, and she managed to place both hands in front of her, preventing her face from slamming into the ground. Startled, Rarity reached over to her.

"Sunset, my goodness! Are you alri—" She didn't manage to finish her sentence, as she dropped her drink, her hands flying to the sides of her head, clutching her skull as she screamed in agony.

From her position on the ground, Sunset looked around. Twilight was in a similar state, having dropped her phone at the sudden stab of pain, Spike frantically asking what was wrong. Rainbow and Applejack were trying to support each other in the throes of the torment, with little success. Fluttershy seemed to have completely collapsed, barely remaining conscious. Pinkie had actually stumbled out from behind the stage, hands on her own head, groaning. The cheerful festivities ceased as everyone else in the vicinity rushed to help the seven girls. It was then that Sunset understood: Nobody without magic had felt the effects.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" asked Rainbow Dash, getting to her feet, looking around.

"I...don't know," whispered Twilight, trembling in shock. "It felt like it came from...all around us..."

Flash Sentry came rushing down from the stage, clearly concerned.

"You girls okay? What—"

His words died in his throat. Sunset froze as her eyes moved to him. Dozens of other eyes snapped onto the teenage boy, their owners left breathless at the state of the teenager.

Flash Sentry was disintegrating.

His left hand was dissolving piece by piece, reduced to specks of dust, floating away in the wind. Flash could only stare in shock at the sight, as the effect continued up his arm, onto his body. The disintegration spread, claiming Flash's arms, legs, and body, before even his head joined the dust in the wind. Not even his clothes were left behind, as though the boy had never existed.

Nobody spoke a word as they stared at the spot Flash Sentry had once occupied. There was no reason for it. No magical attack, no evil villain. Just the vanishing.

In a departure from tradition, Fluttershy was the one who finally broke the silence.

"The wave," she whispered, holding her hands close to her chest and shivering, as though a bitter cold had pervaded the park they stood in. "It was...the end. It—" She suddenly gave a sharp, hissing inhale, sucking the air through her teeth, as though she'd been stabbed.

Sunset and the others could only stare in horror as Fluttershy succumbed to the same fate as Flash Sentry. Her body began to flake away, beginning at her back and completely erasing the girl's body with cold and heartless efficiency. Unlike Flash, Fluttershy had clearly felt it coming, which almost made it worse, as there was no visible source of attack. Pinkie rushed up, throwing her arms around Fluttershy, just as the girl faded completely. Pinkie's eyes began to drip with fresh tears, as she futilely tried to gather the ashes that had once been Fluttershy, only to watch as they drifted away.

"Oh, God," Rarity breathed. Nobody responded. What would be a worthy response for a moment like this?

It only got worse. More and more people began to erode and disappear, with no rhyme or reason. Nobody without magic could see it coming, or feel it coming. One moment, they were safe and secure, and the next, they'd vanished. Wallflower Blush was among those, taken, barely able to manage a panicked squeak as she dissolved. Sunset and those who remained from her group stood close together, as if their magic combined might be able to save those who remained. It didn't spare them.

"Oh, damn," Rainbow muttered, with a kind of detached resentment, as she noticed her own arm begin to dissolve. Twilight, in a panic, reached out with her telekinesis, as if trying to mentally force the molecules that composed her friend to stay together. Her efforts were futile, only managing to suspend the dust in midair. Rainbow looked down, closing her eyes in resignation, before the deterioration consumed her head.

"No...no...no..." Twilight muttered over and over, hyperventilating as she did so. She clutched Spike close to her chest, and through her back, the dog could feel her heart kicking into overdrive. Not that he blamed her.

"Everybody calm down!" Applejack shouted, the desperation was audible in her voice, though the farm girl was clearly doing her best to sound confidant. She grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. "Twi, take a deep breath! We can figure this out!"

"Applejack..." Pinkie managed to squeak out, pointing at the farm girl's back, where pieces of her were already beginning to detach. Applejack was so focused on trying to reassure the others, she hadn't felt it. But it was too late. By the time the farm girl turned around, the effect had already spread to her face. Applejack's eyes didn't even manage to catch the end of her body vanishing before they joined the rest.

Sunset's hands clenched her hair in panic. She had to keep reminding her body to breathe, as though the sheer insanity was pushing her body to shut down on its own. Applejack had tried to bring some sense of order, and the wave had claimed her. If Sunset tried to do the same, would she fade as well? Would anyone-

"Girls, I don't feel so good..."

Sunset's already horrified face shifted its gaze to Twilight in less than a second. Twilight's legs were beginning to disintegrate from the feet up, causing her to fall backwards, Spike flying out of her embrace.

"No, NO!" Sunset screamed, pitching forward and throwing her arms around Twilight's remaining body. Rarity caught Spike in midair.

Sunset sat up on her knees, holding Twilight Sparkle in her last seconds of life. Rarity and Pinkie stood beside her, both sporting tear-filled eyes, unable to speak from sheer grief. Spike squirmed out of Rarity's grip, rushing down to stand beside his caretaker's head.

"Twilight, please..." he begged, as though the girl had any control over it.

Twilight couldn't even breath, merely looking up, with nothing left but despair.

"I don't want to go..." she whispered, as the deterioration spread up her chest.

"Twilight, listen. I'm not gonna let you..." Sunset started, but she couldn't finish it. A single tear dripped from the Equestrian's eye, landing flat on Twilight's head, before the disintegration erased the girl completely. Not even her glasses were left behind.

Sunset, Rarity, Pinkie, and Spike were left, staring at the space where their friend had once sat. And their hearts died inside them.

Comments

[Sense of Humor]

Oddly, I'm inspired.

[Ice Star]

jfc this looks like a painful read

infinity war hurt me in my feelings and i am not okay with that

[Nighlight Moon]

Deep

[Stelarwand030]

Very well done. The feels got me right in the heart.

[FanficReader920]

*Sad Avengers Theme*

[Tunefulsubset72]

Right

In

Da

Feels

[darkfire95]

That was really sad and painful. There going to be a part 2.

[mitchboy]

Besides pinkie pie, rarity, sunset shimmer and spike, who else is still alive.

[badninja]

Ouch. I think that Sunset is going to be pissed. I wonder what the Elements would do to Thanos if they where used in this situation?

[Chaos Nightmare]

Okay, you get an upvote solely based one the Idea... I'll be honest I'm not going to read it but you still get the upvote

[Hivemind]

I know the whole Infinity War disintegration shtick has been done to death, but you still managed to sucker me in. Definitely a dreadful, harrowing read, but in a good way.

[Antiquarian]

I just saw the cover image and went, "yeah, my life has enough sadness in it. I'm good."

[MDCommissioner]

....pardon my French but you are a major suck for this. ....then again, I kind of suck for not having the same feels as most theatergoers upon that scene.

[The Dark Knight]

"Girls, I don't feel so good..."

you still managed to squeeze in that meme
Nice

[moviemaster8510]

I think what would’ve made this better is if Sunset ran into the portal in the statue to find out who in Equestria was gone. Heck, how apropos would it be that with every human who remained in EqG-questria, their pony counterpart in Equestria faded and vice-versa.

Then again, there’s always room for a sequel.

[zzzzzz]

Heartbreaking.

[moviemaster8510]

9028311
i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o595/moviemaster8510/9A245834-0FC6-43EE-BDD4-1051662634F2_zpsrxzagxkl.jpg

[Ri2]

9027820
How can they, if they don't have everyone?

[Ri2]

Goddammit. This movie made me feel such pain. Stories like these only remind me of it.

[Marcthelightspark2004]

With a Snap. Half the population, of many universes, die. Thor should have gone for the head. And, now, death, finds EQG. And maybe, Equestria as well.

[Marcthelightspark2004]

Weirdly enough, I felt a little sad, but, overall, indifferent. I didn't even bat an eye at the actual movies more depressing scenes. Nor this. But, still, good read. Sequel?

[StormHoof32]

This was an emotional ride from start to finish. it was a great read. Now im gonna go and try not to bawl my eye's out.

[Albi]

From my annoyingly infinite well of ideas, this was something I considered writing. Glad someone did. Yep, hurt just like I thought it would.

[4428Gamer]

So, after the next Avengers movie, will there be a sequel? Regardless of how the next movie goes, I kind of want to see this story's reaction.

[Voltaje]

You could do the pony version :D too, after sunset going through the portal to ask for help, then somehow it starts happening there too.

[PrincessLaLa]

Hmm I did not cry nor feel sad, is that bad? Great pacing though, wish it would give me the feels but I feel nothing .

[Boltstrike58]

9027757 Good for you!

9027761 Yeah, me too. That's why it took me more than two months to actually write this.

9027804
9028505
9029119 Meh. I'll think about it.

9027817 I guess you decide. In the EQG world, I decided that Trixie survived, two of the Crusaders survived, Juniper survived, and the Dazzlings survived, but other than that, I have no idea.

9027820 Good question.

9027897 I'll take that as a compliment, thanks.

9028106 Can't say I blame you.

9028962 If you have an idea, you should still do your own version. I'm sure it'd be different than mine.

[dittomute]

I love this! It's so perfectly tragic.

[redandready45]

This was really sad.

These girls had manage to fight off anything and everything. And here comes something they couldn't foresee...nor stop, that ultimately tore them apart in the end.

If in the sequel to this movie, they manage to reverse Thanos actions', will you write a follow-up?

[Alex Warlorn]

So did the humans who didn't vanish in this world, did their pony counterparts vanishes in Equestria?

[mitchboy]

9029572

At least Thanos didn't kill the whole world.

[mitchboy]

9027817

Here's a list of those that died: Flash Sentry, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle ( Sci Twi ), Lyra, Fluttershy, Principal Celestia, Octavia, Applebloom, Snips, Mirco Chips, Gloriosa Daisy, Abacus Cinch, Big Macintosh, Sour Sweat, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Adagio Dazzle, Juniper Montage and Flim

Those that are alive are: Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, Bon Bon, Miss Cheerlie, Vice Principal Luna, Snails, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Shining Armor, Dean Cadence, Flurry Heart, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Vinyl Scratch, Lemon Zest, Sunny Flare, Timber Spruce, Sandelwoods, Granny Smith, Photo Finish, Bulk Biceps, Flam, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk, Wallflower Blush and Zephyr Breeze

That's who are gone and who's not.

[zzzzzz]

9029884

One moment, they were safe and secure, and the next, they'd vanished. Wallflower Blush was among those, taken, barely able to manage a panicked squeak as she dissolved.

[mitchboy]

9029917

I wish someone would make picture of that on Deviantart.

[batran]

y'know, I have always wondered who would remain alive or disintegrated in pretty much anything. Whether real life or in mlp

guess this story is one version...

[popmannn]

9030063
Here ya go: http://www.didthanoskill.me/

[batran]

9030108
yeah tried that

I survived twice (it's fixed to the ip so i tried it on my computer and phone)

some of my friends weren't so lucky but the statistic is pretty much 7 spares to 3 deaths (on first go).

[Yutah123]

Don't worry, the sequel (to the movie) will fix everything! It must! YES, IT MUST!
They can't kill of that many main characters, it's a blatant Sequel Hook. Yes... yes, it's obvious that this is just temporary, so the First Law of Resurrection should kick in. There'll be a Reset Button, and everyone will be Resurrected en masse, probably by a World-Healing Wave caused by the Gauntlet after it's taken by the remaining main characters.

I hope you make a sequel for this story when the movie comes out, it'll be interesting, I think.

P.S. I may or may not have gone overboard with the tropes.

[Frost E Bear]

9030108
I don't feel so good...

[aceina]

i hate you

[Alphamon_Ouryuken]

Well... that's a nasty stab to my heart....

[Follower of Chaos]

I like how Sunset's magic actually allowed her to kind of see what was happening before it came, made it that much sadder that she could do nothing to stop it. The worst part is that the Princesses or Discord would easily be powerful enough to challenge, if not defeat Thanos at any point before he gets the final infinity stone. Now, they can't even get vengeance for this genocide. Seeing what's left of the ponies and Sunset team up with what's left of the Avengers to reverse this would be all kinds of epic though, I have to say.

[Condray]

You monster. I haven't even started reading yet and I'm already sad!

Edit: I'll say it again. You. MONSTER.
Take your damn like

[Dark Nightshade]

9030185
Yeah, most likely, everyone who died in the snap is going to come back to life.

[MrAquino]

I blame the memes for making me laugh when I saw the cover. Thankfully, Avengers 4 will bring everyone back.

[Crack-Fic Casey]

Incredibly pointless, but the emotions basically work.

[MarioBrony]

Thanos, may God have mercy on your soul!!!

[Jakomi of the Rose]

9029884
Oh, COME ON! Timber of all people survived?!

[Darthdarius117]

9030405
Thanos isn’t some Average Joe without the stones. It’s proven that he could defeat ALL of the X-men without the stones or the gauntlet.

[Hclegend]

I just read this story and I don't feel so good.