The small village of Trotlem was bustling with crying foals, aggravated merchants, and princely knights. It was chaos. Simply chaos.
"Order, order!" cried a disorganized knight. "The citadel is closing soon!"
Slowly but surely, a long line formed in front of the herculean doors filled with bawling foals and exhausted mothers. They all had just hoped that Princess Twilight Sparkle would cure them— if it was even possible.
"Mother, when can we enter the doors? I don't feel well..." A small foal would whine.
"In a moment, Button Mash." Soothed a young mare.
Flipbit couldn't take it anymore. All this sorrow had done to her was make her hungry, she couldn't take it any longer. She walked out of the long line she was impatiently waiting in and marched over to a guard.
"Ey' you. Gimme one good reason why the princesses aren't doing anythin' about the famine all over Equestria."
"They're busy." Said the tense stallion.
"Too busy to take care of their hungry citizens?" Flipbit rolled her eyes, stomping a hoof in fury,
"Enough of this nonsense. Return to your line, filthy Pegasus. Before I make you." The knight shoved her out of view.
Flipbit scoffed. It was always the unicorns trying to delay the lower classes. She could hear yowls of protest from the many lines of ponies.
"Come on?" A stallion stomped his front hooves, dirt spraying at a guard's snout.
"My son needs to be cured! Twilight help us all!" A mare with a young colt protested.
"Order! Five more mares may enter the citadel!"
Without even thinking, Flipbit ran through the doors to the citadel. She felt bad for taking another mare's spot, but she already had too many thoughts racing through her head. She flinched as a loud thump came from the gates closing, as well as loud chattering from impatient mothers. She was in. She was finally in the citadel, a dream her mother had always wanted for her.
"Can Princess Twilight save us?" A mare would peep curiously.
"Oh, I do hope so!" Another would reply.
"She's too lazy to help anyone." A pessimistic Flipbit would respond. "If she could cure anyone, we wouldn't be living in a dead zone, wouldn't we."
The three other mares lowered their heads in the realization that they might have to live in this post-apocalyptic world— forever. One of the mares, pinkish-orange with plum-colored hair, was marching with her nose high in the air.
"That can't be true, is it?" A pink filly looked up at her mother with worried eyes.
"Hush, Diamond Tiara." The wealthy earth pony fiercely nudged her daughter forward.
The other fillies glanced at Diamond Tiara with an expression that said "sorry about that," before their mothers pushed them forward. The orange-pink mare swiftly turned to face Flipbit with a scowl.
"Who let a rowdy pegasus in the gates of the citadel? Only the most prestigious of ponies deserve a place with royalty!" Spoiled Milk scoffed in exasperation.
"We all need to get our foals to safety, don't we?" A golden-yellow earth pony defended Flipbit with a determined expression.
"Agreed." A purple unicorn nodded fiercely.
The outnumbered Spoiled Milk fiercely ushered her filly forward towards the citadel, ignoring the rock-brained ponies. At long last, the five mares and their foals stopped in front of the citadel, a guard eyeing them suspiciously. Flipbit knew the guards were on high alert since the famine. It was making everyone on edge.
"Halt. What brings you here." The dull pegasus would respond.
"We need the princess to heal us. Please." the honey-colored earth pony pleaded.
The pegasus eyed the nine ponies, their foals were sobbing in pain.
"Authorized."
The guard stepped to the right of the large door and opened it with a single hoof. He surveyed the nine ponies with cold-blooded eyes.
At long last, the mares and their foals had reached the glorious citadel that was only told in stories. Stories of the brave Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Oh, how wrong those stories were. So many lies woven in between the tall tales that many fillies and colts were raised on.
Flipbit squinted her eyes to see a large, purple figure. It was Princess Twilight, no doubt. "There they are. The Main 6."
The nine ponies stopped in front of the elegant throne, bowing as a salute to their leader.
"Greetings, fine locals of Equestria." The usually-brave princess of their land was frantic and fearful since the apocalypse began.
"My excellence—our foals are sick and need to be cured of their horrid illnesses." Spoiled Milk swiftly shrugged Diamond Tiara forward.
The three other foals stepped onward with their ears bent in fret.
"I see." Twilight narrowed her eyes, glancing at the purple-and-green dragon. "We'd have to get to the sanatorium before day's end."
The sanatorium was a glorious room, surrounded by mosaic patterns on the glass windows that pictured the brave feats of the Mane Six.
"More foals?" Rainbow Dash stared with wide eyes at the four fillies and colts riddled with disease. "There's so many!"
"I know, Rainbow Dash," Twilight responded with a wistful expression.
Fluttershy was ushering the foals to four beds, briskly tucking them in.
"And you?" The princess turned to Flipbit, who had been rather quiet.
"Oh—I'm not sure if I have any diseases. I might just need some advice."
"I see. What advice do you seek?" The radiant Alicorn responded, giving a mild nod.
"I don't know how to help during the famine. Nopony seems to help often." Flipbit remembered the sobbing and exasperation that the center held.
"You'll know eventually." Twilight briskly replied.
"Twilight?" Interrupted Fluttershy. "The foals are ready."
Twilight gave a swift nod and followed her friend to the foals. The Alicorn drew a symbol on the ground and began to utter the words of the spell.
Save our foals, save our ponies.
Save the ones we love, save the ones we hate.
Save us all.
Flipbit put a hoof to her head. She couldn't remember what had happened at the sanatorium and didn't want to know. It was a long road to Ponyville from the train she was on, and her brain was fried. It would be around twenty-five minutes until she reached her destination, so she decided to pass the time sketching her friend in a sketchbook. Cheerilee, her partner from Ponyville, had worked at a foals' school for many years. Flipbit would occasionally visit, but not often. Her old friend had fulfilled a life, unlike herself. Then again, there wasn't much left after the war. No jobs, no ponies, it's a wonder she even survived. Flipbit colored in Cheerilee's signature pink coat and her warm eyes.
"Next stop, the Crystal Empire!" The conductor would holler.
Flipbit packed up the little belongings she had in her satchel and cantered off the train. The train station was in the middle of a barren wasteland, the grass dead and dry. What seemed like hundreds of ponies gathered around, from elegant mares to bony foals. It was pitiful to watch so many hungry scraps struggle to leave their home. Flipbit couldn't help but wonder what Twilight meant about "knowing eventually." Was she that cowardly she couldn't even give a proper answer? Before she knew it, she was at Cheerilee's workplace. Flipbit caught sight of the purple earth pony almost instantly.
"Cheerilee!"
"Oh, Flip! Where have you been? Are you hungry, diseased?" Cheerilee was acting strange—more frantic and fearful.
Flipbit could see her thin frame through her skin. The famine had destroyed everything.
"Oh no, I'm just fine. How are the foals?"
Cheerilee's face went white in fear.
"Featherweight killed himself. Oh, Flip, it was horrid! His back was ripped open, exposing his bone and flesh. It was right after we visited the citadel, after a field trip. Flipbit, I might need to close the school if this happens again!"
This news broke the mare. She hardly knew what to say. Flipbit couldn't imagine finding one of her students dead from suicide, the life drained from the limp deceased.
"Please, Cheerilee. We can't lose the school—" Flipbit hardly knew what to say. "—What can I do to help."
The plum-colored earth pony shuffled shyly, her glance shifting to the ground.
"Well—" The mare hesitated. "—We do need to complete the trip to the citadel—as long as it isn't too graphic."
Without hesitation, Flipbit already knew what to do. She knew what Twilight meant. "I'll do it."
The citadel was horrid, the stench of carcass and flesh staining the air. Slim foals and exhausted mares flooded the center. It was chaos.
"I want to home!" Apple Bloom wailed, wrinkling her nose at the putrid scent.
"Come on, let's get out of this dump!" huffed the orange pegasus.
Seeing this, Flipbit turned to Cheerilee with a sympathetic expression.
"We'll be fine, fillies and colts! After all, the citadel is the safest place in the land. There is nothing to worry about."
Just then, the radio began.
"Attention all Trotlem residents. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. The gates to the citadel will be closing in exactly twenty-five minutes.
The message played about five more times, and a small tune was playing to show the news had been completed. The foal's eyes widened as if starstruck.
"Is this a real citadel radio report?" Sweetie Belle asked, bouncing up and down.
"Are you stupid? Of course, it is you rock-brain!" Diamond Tiara scowled.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders each began to sigh, looking down at the ground as if they realized their own stupidity.
"Diamond Tiara!" snapped Flipbit, turning to the pink filly.
"Need I remind you why we're here?" She scowled.
There was a moment of silence.
"No ma'am. Sorry." said the filly, her voice filled with guilt.
"Flipbit, take it easy. We're all shooken up these days." Cheerilee soothed the mare, as if she was a foal.
The class finally reached their destination—the gates to the citadel.
"We've made it! We've made it!" Apple Bloom bounced excitedly.
"Now class, this is extremely important. We can't mess this up." The stern mare said.
Diamond Tiara scoffed. "My mother's already taken me here! Silver Spoon's too!" The filly stuck her nose in the air.
"I've already been blessed by Princess Twilight."
Flipbit was not amused. The group was stuck in a seemingly-endless line filled with frantic mothers and their sickly foals. Scootaloo's stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry!" she peeped. "I'm thirsty!" said another. The line was filled with crying and wailing from the class, as well as the useless soothing of Flipbit and Cheerilee.
I shouldn't be here. I should be a mailpony—delivering letters to what's left of Equestria. Shoot, if only these foals were a little bit older—maybe I could pop-a-pill or have a shot of whiskey. Flipbit thought. But her thoughts were easily overrun by the screaming and crying—as well as the scent of fresh meat.
At long last, the class had finally made it to the citadel.
"Your excellence, another class of foals are here for another wakening."
Twilight Sparkle and her friends were tired of having to preform yet another wakening. When would this apocalypse end?/
"Oh, good. Fluttershy, Rarity—please prepare the beds."
The two mares prepared enough beds for the class, the sanatorium's shimmering mosaic walls looking unusually dull. The princess gave a brief gasp as the doors opened.
"You're—early." an anxious Twilight sighed.
"My apologies, your excellence." Cheerilee bowed to the tall alicorn.
The fillies bowed alongside their teacher, looking completely loyal to their ruler. Flipbit couldn't help but do the same, feeling an odd holiness.
"No need to bow, ponies. Please make your way over to our beds."
The beds were neatly-made, with purple pastel blankets. Twilight and her friends evenly tucked in the fillies, until the class was safely packaged in blankets. With the flick of a switch and a pinch of magic, the lights in the sanatorium had been dimmed to nothing, except for the light entering through the mosaic windows.
"I'm scared, Cheerilee. What if it doesn't work?" the nervous mare asked.
"Flipbit, you're acting like a foal. I'm surprised you haven't gotten wakened yet."
"Never had the time."
"You know I care about you, my dear. You'll have to get wakened sooner or later." Cheerilee placed a hoof around her friend.
Just then—a burst of light appeared from Twilight's horn, covering the entire room in a bright shroud. Cheerilee and Flipbit turned away from the spark swiftly. When they looked back, Twilight was quickly ushering the foals out of the beds.
"So glad you could join us, but you have to leave now." The princess seemed to be—panicking?
"But Princess-" said Cheerilee.
"I said go. Please."
Cheerilee bowed and escorted her class out, not daring to say a word.
The ride back to Ponyville was excruciatingly long, filled with many are-we-there-yets from the foals. Apple Bloom and her friends were playing a game of checkers, while Snips and Snails took a blissful nap. Flipbit turned to her friend with a worried expression.
"Was Twilight acting—weird—to you?" asked the pegasus.
Cheerilee stared at her friend for a brief moment . "It's rude to say that about royalty, Flipbit."
Flipbit sighed. "If only the world wasn't broken. I could've been a mailpony again."
Cheerilee paused. "If only."
The next day, a hungover Flipbit awoke in her miniature apartment. Her eyes were bloodshot-red, and her joints inflamed.
"Flipbit?" A mare's voice echoed throughout the room. It was Cheerilee.
"Hrmp...Why are you 'ere?" Flipbit groaned ravenously, putting her hooves to her face. "What time it it?"
"12:38, you've been asleep all morning." Cheerilee hopped from the bed, pointing to the clock on the wall.
"Did the wakening.." The mare searched for the right words. "Work?"
Cheerilee simply nodded, but her eyes were filled with a sense of worry.