Amanda didn’t tell the ponies about the death of Rainbow Dash. She had tried to tell it several times, but each time she lost her courage. She knew it would devastate their hearts, as it had devastated hers. Instead, she focused on driving the tank onwards.
Amanda and the ponies had talked for a long time during the journey. Now, she knew about their mission: to save Rainbow Dash and to find the missing element of kindness. She pretended that her talk with Rainbow Dash never happened, and often feigned bafflement and shock. Still, the fact that the changelings had launched another attack on Equestria, and that Discord was an ally of Chrysalis, was hard for her to swallow. The way the ponies told it, Equestria was having a hard time.
And the changelings were here on earth too. That fact greatly troubled the ponies. “We knew Chrysalis was going to teleport herself to this world as well,” Twilight said. “If she really has been breeding an army of changelings, we have to stop her as soon as we can!”
Amanda nodded, and continued her story. She told the ponies all they wanted to know about this world. But she made sure to leave the most gruesome details behind. The ponies, especially Pinkie Pie, possessed a kind of innocence that Amanda didn’t want to destroy. Ground Zero could turn your best friend into your worst enemy, and she wasn’t going to let that happen to the four little ponies.
“I can’t believe they actually did that!” Twilight said, as Amanda told her about how the war started and how it was fought.
She silently nodded. “The world you see is created by those weapons.”
The ponies were glad that they had run intoAmanda. She could tell them so many things about Ground Zero, and answer so many questions. Telling about it didn’t make Ground Zero any more beautiful, but at least it made it understandable.
“Did you encounter any more ponies here?” Twilight asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Amanda said, but then slapped herself on the forehead. “I mean yes, there was another pony. His name was Triggerhoof, and he—“
A loud gasp from Pinkie interrupted her. “Oh! Is it the same Triggerhoof we found?”
Upon Amanda’s questioning glare, the ponies talked about Triggerhoof for a while, and how they had met him. Amanda couldn’t believe her ears. Triggerhoof was alive! Sadly, the ponies couldn’t tell her exactly where he departed to, but Amanda could guess. He was probably going to the same place she wanted to go, for she knew that Triggerhoof wanted to see his friends too. “He was a very good soldier,” Amanda said.
“Yeah, we saw that alright,” Applejack dryly commented.
“We didn’t see a lot of him,” Twilight said. “But the way you talk about him, you might know him best. Did Triggerhoof ever do anything kind?”
Amanda let out a sigh. “I know what you are thinking, and I’m sorry. Triggerhoof will never be the element of kindness.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand.”
There was a silence. Only the rumbling of the heavy engine accompanied them on their journey. Amanda had put the general location of the shopping mall into the tank’s GPS system. A quick glance at the fuel meter put Amanda on edge. She hoped it wasn’t far now, or they would be stranded who--knows-where on Ground Zero.
The evening was coming in. The light of the sun faded. But Amanda reckoned that was actually a good thing. Andrei had said that she would recognize the underground shopping mall by its light, so, in theory, it would be easy to spot now. There were a couple of hills ahead, looking like solid waves on the darkening horizon.
“Oh! That looks pretty!” Pinkie Pie said, as they scaled the hills. For some reason, she had fallen in love with the Winter’s main cannon. Ever since the tank started moving, the pink pony hadn’t taken her eyes away from the scope.
“Let me see, let me see!” Rarity said. She was in the mood for something pretty in the dreary world she was in now.
Through the scope, Rarity saw something as tacky as tacky could be. It looked as if someone had gathered up all the neon signs he could find, and glued them together into a jumble of colors. There were road signs, pharmacy signs, street lamps, bar signs, casino signs. Every building that used neon lights was represented into the strange piece of art. Its light was dazzling. When Rarity looked closer, she saw movement. Indeed, the black shapes of people could be seen scurrying around the dome-shaped structure. There was obviously a lot going on there.
“Miss Amanda,” Rarity said, “I think we have found what we are looking for.”
“Eeyup,” Applejack added.
**
A strange display opened up before their eyes.
There was light everywhere, and people too. Amanda had never seen so many people in one place at once. There were so many sounds! A constant echo of voices resounded, against which the stallholders tried to make themselves heard. Most of the visitors to the mall were wearing protective suits and gasmasks, as might be expected. There were buyers and sellers everywhere. All around the sides of the circular room, little stalls could be seen selling whatever junk people could scrounge together. There were suits, masks, weapons and ammo, gasoline, and parts from every machine imaginable. It truly was a remarkable place.
Amanda had no idea where to begin. Both she and the ponies wanted to find someone. Of course, Amanda still wanted to find out where her friends from Crossroads were, and the ponies had to find the element of kindness somewhere. They had picked a good place to start looking. Could the element be here? Could Amanda’s friends be here too?
But alas, Twilight and her friends couldn’t spot one single pony between the throng of people. Of course a pony would be easy to see between the black and grey of the crowd. Yet, they couldn’t spot a single one. They realized they had encountered a dead end. Or maybe not?
Someone came running towards them. She was a woman with a blonde ponytail, which kept swinging in the air as she rushed through the crowd. Amanda gripped her gun.
“No, no, no need to be afraid,” the woman said. Then she reached out a hand. “Name’s Jenny, Jenny Mason.”
“Amanda,” Amanda said, still unsure what to do with this strange woman.
She perked up. “Oh! And who are these cuties?”
“They’re my friends,” Amanda said. She saw the childlike glee in the woman’s eyes, and concluded that she must either be extremely pleasantly surprised, or crazy.
“Can they talk?”
“Yes, they—”
“Can I ask them some questions?”
“Well, I think they should—”
“Great!” Jenny fumbled in her pockets, and brought out a small notebook and a pen. When she saw Amanda’s strange stare, she finally clarified what she was doing here. “I’m Plaza City’s best and only reporter, you see? I try to keep up to date with whatever happens in this beautiful community. And once I have gathered enough information, I shout it off the rooftops—literally.” She pointed upwards. “Do you see those speakers hanging everywhere?”
Amanda followed her finger. Indeed, there were speakers hanging on the concrete walls and the pillars of the balconies. “Yes.”
“Very soon, you will hear me speaking about the exciting things that happen here, not only to inform everyone, but also to entertain everyone. I call it ‘Jenny’s Jovial Newsflash.’ How about that, huh? Pretty cool name, if you ask me.”
“Eh… yes, pretty cool,” Amanda said.
“Oh, but it gets better,” Jenny’s voice was brimming with so much excitement, Amanda thought the woman might explode, “because I have something very special in my office: a long-range transmitter. That’s right! Everyone in the entire state who has a radio can hear my news reports about Plaza City. It’s a form of advertisement, you see?”
“Eh… that’s… great?”
Jenny crouched down, so her eyes were level with the ponies’. “Alright, first question: who are you? Or, no, the first question should be, ‘what are you doing here?’ Or what about, ‘how did you find out about our gorgeous city?’ No wait, I think, ‘where are you from?’ is better. Or maybe…”
Jenny kept rattling on and on, so Amanda quickly lost interest. Instead, her eyes caught four men, marching directly towards her and the ponies. Amanda couldn’t see their faces well, but she saw that they had buttons and markings on their protective suits. She guessed they must be security guards.
“The president would like to see you four ponies,” one of them said, pushing Jenny aside.
“Hey! I was here first!” Jenny squeaked.
The ponies retreated. Twilight did a step forwards. “Why would the ‘president’ like to see us?”
“Beats me,” the guard said with a shrug. “He said he just wanted to see you.”
“What do you say, Twi?” Applejack said. She was ready to tackle one of those guards any moment now, allowing her friends an opportunity to escape.
But Twilight had another plan. She knew this was going to be interesting. “Let’s go, everypony.”
Jenny raised her arms in protest. “But you can’t do that! I have a job to do here.”
“And so has the president,” the guard said. Without a word, they took their positions and escorted Amanda and the ponies away from Jenny the reporter.
When the guards were sufficiently far away from the them so that they couldn’t understand them, Applejack said, “You sure about this?”
“No,” Twilight said. “But I am sure that whoever runs this place knows who goes in and who goes out. Maybe he or she has found other ponies.”
“Let’s hope so…” Rarity said. “I don’t want to be stuck in this dusty, smelly junkyard forever.”
Amanda followed the ponies too. The guards said she should go away, but then Twilight said that she belonged to them. The guards grumbled and moved on.
They walked through the throng of people towards what looked like a border post. There was a makeshift gate with some more guards, carrying large automatic rifles. They waved them around every time someone got too close to their liking. Sometimes a person came with an outstretched hand, and gave the guards something, after which they were allowed passage. It seemed as if the guards were guarding a large marble staircase.
The guards let them through, and they descended the staircase. It spiraled downwards for a long time. On every sublevel there were also people, vendors, and stalls. But the deeper they went, the fewer people were around. The hall before the bottom was filled with only a handful of people, who were finely dressed and were discussing something amongst themselves. Twilight arched her brow in curiosity; she had a lot to ask the man or woman who was in charge.
After a completely empty hall, the guards led them towards an ornate, wooden door. They took off their gasmasks, opened the door, and then everyone stepped inside. Everyone but the guards let out a gasp, as they saw who stood before them. The mall wasn’t owned by somebody; it was owned by somepony.
His mane was slicked back, he wore a beautiful suit, he had a toothpaste-white smile, and he had cunning eyes. He nodded towards Applejack. “Hello there, Applejack. Good to see you. And the others too, of course.”
“Filthy Rich?!” Applejack exclaimed. “What are you doing here?!”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Filthy Rich said. “Care for some champagne, or should we retreat to my study?”
They stood in what looked like a classy living room. There were paintings on the wall, and a soft carpet on the floor. Light came from a beautiful chandelier, and warm, wooden furniture made the picture complete. It looked almost surreal compared to the messy hubbub above. It looked totally out of place.
Filthy Rich chuckled. “I reckon you haven’t seen such style and elegance in a long time. Well, I can’t blame you. Style and elegance are things hard to come by on Ground Zero.” He nodded towards the guards. They retreated.
“Why in the hay are you here?” Applejack asked. “And now that we speak of it, where is here?”
“Well, I had expected to get a lot of questions, but not so fast. We haven’t even reached the door of my study yet. You know what? Never mind.” Filthy Rich walked over to a couch and a set of velvet armchairs. “Come, sit down, then I will tell you all about Plaza City and my shining career.”
The four ponies took a seat on the couch, and Amanda seated herself in the armchair. When she looked up, she received a strange stare from Filthy Rich. “You haven’t introduced me to your eh… friend?” he said.
“This is Amanda,” Twilight said. “She has saved us, and we are indeed friends.”
Amanda’s heart lighted up in joy at hearing Twilight say that. Those words meant a lot to her.
“A pleasure to meet you,” Filthy said. “Now, who wants to hear the story of my life?”
“Oh, oh, oh,” Pinkie yelled. “Me! Me! Me!”
Filthy grinned. “Very well. Let me start from the beginning, which was the invasion of the changelings. Me, my wife and my daughter were on a business meeting in Canterlot, when the changelings came. Of course, we were terrified, so we wanted to take cover in our hotel. We ran as fast as we could, but something caught up with us. I still have no idea what it was, but it was loud and bright. One moment we find ourselves running for our lives, and the next we are here on Ground Zero.”
Applejack waved her hoof around. “But what about this? What about the mall?”
“Plaza City is my second child,” Filthy said with a mile. “Of course it was already there when I got zapped into this world, but it wasn’t nearly as profitable as it is now. The leadership was terrible. Of course I could easily outbid them with my gemstones and my smooth talk. I was wearing bags of gems when I left Equestria.” He chuckled. “I mean, I had to save my life and my money…
“Anyway, once I bought this place and made sure that big investments were made, the profit kept coming. The stallholders pay so I let them stay, and all of the visitors pay taxes over every product they buy.” Filthy gestured with his hoof. “And as you can see, I didn’t let that money go to waste. Sure, it took my wife and daughter some time to adjust to this new… world. But now we’re a happy family—a happy rich family.”
“Adjust to this new world?” Twilight said with raised eyebrows. “But don’t you want to go back to Equestria?”
Now Filthy’s eyebrows shot up as well. “Back to Equestria?! Equestria is gone. I’d rather stay here than return to that changeling-infested world of ours. Sure, this world has its downsides as well, but at least there are no changelings here.”
Amanda and the ponies exchanged a glance at the wrongness of that assumption.
Then they proceeded to tell Filthy Rich all about their quest to find the missing elements and combat Chrysalis. Filthy Rich smirked suddenly, and then chuckled to himself.
“What’s the matter, Filthy?” Applejack said, “don’t you have faith in us?”
Filthy Rich reached for his stomach, and waited until his burst of laughter died out. “In the business world, stability is everything, and risks and assumptions can become your worst enemies. I have a stable income here on Ground Zero, and, to be honest, I’m not willing to take the risk of you finding two ponies in this whole Celestia-forsaken wasteland.” He sighed. “And even if I would go back to Equestria, I would have to build my whole career again from the ground up.” Filthy paused, and ran a hoof through his hair. “I’m sorry, but I made my choice.”
Snorting, Applejack wanted to say something else, but Rarity stopped her. “Let’s finish our tale first, shall we?”
So the ponies told Filthy Rich even more. They would expect him to be baffled and frightened by the idea that there are changelings on Ground Zero. But surprisingly, as they mentioned them, Filthy Rich scoffed them away with a wave of his hoof.
“Let them come,” he said. “I have my own private army. Let them come and try their best. Hay, if I had an army like this before the Changeling attack on Canterlot, I could have emerged as the victor myself.”
“But there’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Applejack said. “Why did you have your henchmen send us here?”
Filthy Rich cleared his throat. “Well, after one of my guards notified me on the arrival of new pony visitors, I was highly curious. And now I see I had every reason to be, because I’m here with four of the elements of harmony, with Princess Twilight herself.”
Applejack shook her head. “I know you, Filthy. That can’t be the only reason. There’s probably something you want from us, ain’t there?”
“Heh, and then they say Princess Twilight is the most clever one—“
“What about me?” Pinkie said.
Filthy ignored her. “But yes, Applejack is right. I have a task which is a bit… sensitive, secret even. I couldn’t possibly trust one of my men to carry out the task for me, because trust is hard to buy. But now that I have the elements of harmony here… yes, yes, this might work.”
“Then what is it?” Applejack said.
Tapping his chin in thought, Filthy took a moment to gather up the right words. Then he spoke. “To the north, there is a place, a place with hardly any radiation, so it is theoretically safe to live there. But it is not just a place; it is a neighborhood. A neighborhood untouched by time, which the bombs somehow managed to miss. Imagine that, beautiful houses, big, open gardens with ponds, and clean, safe streets. It is a really nice neighborhood at that, and I want it.”
“Well, just go out there and grab it,” Applejack deadpanned.
Filthy Rich sighed. “If only it were that simple. But no, I can’t. You see, when I moved here and started scouting out the area, I discovered that me and my family weren’t the only ponies that got sent to this world.”
Twilight perked up. “There’s another pony there?”
“Indeed, Princess Twilight. Mayor Mare is mayor in that neighborhood. They have built a wall to keep the scum out, and I guess they must have fresh water and even electricity. But Mayor Mare refuses to let me buy the town. I have no idea why; she never tells me. No matter how much money I offer her, she always declines. Now I could just storm the place with my army, but that would certainly make me look bad in front of others. My reputation as an honest businesspony would be besmirched. This has to be done with words and money. Not only do I want to know why Mayor Mare keeps declining, but I want to find a way to get… that… neighborhood.”
“And you think we can do the job?” Applejack said.
“Precisely.”
Amanda lifted a hand in the air. “I’m sorry, Mister Rich, but what, if I may ask, do you intend to do with the place?”
Filthy closed his eyes and nodded. “A fair question. I would like to use it, not only as my own residence, but the residence of a few of my closest and most valuable business partners too.”
Twilight recalled the men in the suits on the lowest floor. She suddenly had an uneasy feeling. “Why are there fewer and fewer traders the deeper we went?”
“Well, not everyone can afford to live that deep,” Filthy answered.
“You charge them money?” Applejack said.
“Indeed I do.”
Applejack was not satisfied with that answer. “But why don’t you open the place up for everyone? Everyone deserves some protection from the harsh world outside, right?”
Filthy let out a chuckle. “Applejack, oh, Applejack. Honest Applejack, the world doesn’t work like that. Sure, Equestria was once a world where everyone could go everywhere, but now there are limitations. And smart ponies like me know how to bend these limitations to our own hooves.”
“So you can get richer,” Applejack said with a snort.
“In a certain way, yes. But look at it another way. If I wouldn’t be rich, then I wouldn’t be able to offer everyone a place to trade and maybe even rest their heads for a while.”
“But only if they pay,” Applejack concluded.
Filthy Rich nodded. The smile didn’t leave his muzzle. He actually seemed convinced of his own reasons and way of thinking. Of course he was; he was a businesspony, after all. “But don’t think that I will not reward you, if you prove to be successful in the mission,” he said, looking at everyone in turn. “No, if you complete the task, then you have earned yourself the favor of the richest pony on Ground Zero, and you may call upon that favor whenever you want.”
Applejack didn’t like Filthy’s slick smile with which he accompanied his words. She reckoned there was more to this mission than meets the eye.
But Twilight had made up her mind. She wanted to meet Mayor Mare and hear her out. Maybe there were even more ponies in the neighborhood Filthy Rich had told them about. And what else could they do? They had already seen that there was not a single pony here in Plaza City. They had no money. They had no transport. They had nothing but Amanda, their friend. And that’s why Twilight stood up and reached out a hoof. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Filthy.”
“Wonderful,” Filthy Rich said, “but please, call me Rich.”
**
Filthy Rich gave them a place to sleep in his guest bedroom. The next day, he even gave them fuel for the Winter, so that they could reach the neighborhood in a few hours. As they drove farther and farther away, Amanda occasionally cast a glance at the Geiger counter of the tank, and was amazed by what she saw. Filthy Rich had been right; the level of background radiation kept dropping and dropping and dropping. Soon, the levels were reduced to a neglectable amount. Dumbstruck, Amanda reckoned she wouldn’t even need her suit and mask if she went outside.
Of course Amanda went along with the ponies on their mission. She did want to see her friends from Crossroads badly, but considered finding the missing elements of harmony and saving the world of Equestria a mission of higher priority. She had made some friends, and she was not going to let them down.
Applejack was strangely silent as they drove further to the north. Upon asking why, she said, “I just can’t believe that Filthy Rich keeps all of that open space for himself. It just ain’t fair! He should share it with everyone. I mean, everyone is already having a hard time, so why not do something back just for the sake of being a good pony?”
Twilight put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Even I don’t know what goes around in Filthy’s head, Applejack.”
“Well, whatever it is, it ain’t kindness,” Applejack said.
Twilight couldn’t help but draw the same conclusion. Filthy Rich was not the new element of kindness.
The GPS started bleeping, indicating that they were approaching the target destination. A few miles further, they could see it too.
There, in the middle of a grassy plain, stood a walled town. The spires and ornate rooftops could be seen sticking out over the walls, giving away a hint of the nice houses they belonged to. Amanda decided to drive the tank a bit closer. She asked Twilight to stick her head out of the hatch, and wave a white flag, so the townsfolk wouldn’t panic.
So she did. Amanda drove towards the metal gate and turned off the engine. A moment later, a light brown mare with a grey mane and wise eyes peeked her head out of the fortified rampart, together with some more people. “Would you look at that,” she said, as she saw Twilight in the tank. It truly was a peculiar sight, seeing the princess of friendship in a vehicle made for war.
They all stepped out of the tank. Amanda didn’t wear her suit and mask, wanting to feel the warmth of the sun upon her skin for the first time since the bombs. It felt amazing.
Upon reaching the major, they shook hands and hooves. “Welcome to Maretown, elements of harmony,” Mayor Mare said.
When she saw the sideway glances from the ponies, Major Mare waved a hoof and smiled an awkward smile, as if the name embarrassed her. “The townsfolk said I should call it that, so I did.”
“Then they must surely love you very much,” Rarity said.
“Indeed they do, but I also love to see you all here. Let’s go inside and share a drink. I am dying to know what got you into this world.”
As the ponies followed, they couldn’t stop but notice how Mayor Mare hadn’t changed at all. She was still the relaxed, precise, cool-headed mayor she used to be. Maybe they all expected to see a darker version of her or something like that. But that was not so. They moved through the neighborhood, and let their eyes feast upon the beautiful villas. Each house had its own garden, just as Filthy Rich had described, with statues and fountains and other decorations. The lawns looked a healthy green, and they even saw some birds taking a bath in a marble bowl. It truly looked like a little paradise. If you forgot about the wall and the sentries for a second, you would think you traveled back in time, to a time before atomic bombs ruined America.
And there were people too. Men were strolling about, wearing casual clothing; jeans and shirts. There was not one protective suit to be seen. Children chased each other through the streets, women were working in the garden or making small talk, and some dogs barked in the distance.
A big, white mansion belonged to Mayor Mare. It was situated just at the end of the town’s main street, so every morning Mayor Mare could look upon the community she created. They went inside, and settled in the airy, richly decorated living room. Where Filthy Rich’s living room had seemed totally out of place, this living room felt as if it was where it was supposed to be. “You have some style, Mayor Mare,” Rarity said, as she sat down.
“Why thank you,” Mayor Mare said, returning from the kitchen with cups of tea.
Amanda looked at the steaming hot brew in total amazement. After all the long years of surviving, eating and drinking what was available and no more than necessary, the tea looked like a gift from God. She took her cup, smelled the sweet, hot vapors rising from it, and then looked at it some more.
Seeing Amanda staring at her tea, and totally misinterpreting that stare, Mayor Mare said, “Of course! Silly me. Let me get some biscuits too.”
That statement only added to the surreal feeling of this perfect house in this perfect neighborhood. But nevertheless, Mayor Mare returned with biscuits and put the tin down on the table.
“It’s like… like the war never happened here,” Amanda said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Mayor Mare smiled, and sat down herself. “It’s quite strange, isn’t it?”
“But how did it come to be this way?” Applejack asked. “You can’t just have stumbled on the village by chance, could you?”
The smile didn’t leave Mayor Mare’s face. “That is actually exactly what happened to me. But as for the other residents, no. Actually, many of these people are the original owners of the estates.”
“They’re survivors of the war?” Amanda said, her eyes as big as the saucers.
Mayor Mare nodded. “The people who live here joined forces and began to prepare. They stocked up on food, created an underground well with a water purifier, made makeshift farms, prefab walls, and they even managed to produce some solar-powered energy generators. Of course, all of them have some kind of homemade bunker or cellar beneath their houses.” She grabbed a biscuit and nibbled it. “I believe people used to think they were lunatics. They called them, ‘doomsday preppers,’ if I recall the term correctly.”
“Clever folks,” Applejack said.
Twilight took her cup and sipped some tea. For her, tea was a totally normal thing, and she could even recall the last time she had tea. It was in the hidden village in the Everfree Forest. “But, what happened to you, Mayor? How did you become, well, mayor?”
“They found me,” Mayor Mare said, closing her eyes and enjoying the happy memory. “Oh, they were so kind! They found me outside and took me in. They gave me food and water and a place to sleep. I still think I can never repay them for that. But, when I asked them who ran the place, they said no one. They had a council, where always everyone was present, and discussed important decisions there. Yet somehow, they never could get the things done they wanted. Somehow, there was always a certain amount of chaos in those meetings. When you have so many people with so many different opinions, making decisions is tough.
“When I got some strength back, I started to do things to repay them for their kindness. Those things mainly included settling disputes. I made peace where there was anger, and tried to defuse situations and prevent them from growing into a civil war. When everypony saw how good I was at that, they made me mayor. And since then I have been, well, managing things.”
“What a delightful story,” Rarity said.
“It is, isn’t it?” Mayor Mare said, picking up her cup and taking a sip. When she put the cup down again, she looked at everyone. “But how about you? How did you get into this world together?”
And so, for the third time, the ponies and Amanda told their stories. They told about the changelings here on Ground Zero, about the Russians and their daring escape, and about Filthy Rich.
When the subject of Filthy Rich became sliced, Mayor Mare’s smile turned upside down into a frown. She closed her eyes and facehoofed. “Oh no. Not this again…”
“I’m afraid so, Mayor,” Applejack said. “Filthy asked us to get you into selling your estates. But after seeing this place, I understand why you would want to keep it for yourself. It’s nice here.”
Mayor Mare raised a hoof. “But that is not the only reason why I want to keep Maretown free from all major powers here on Ground Zero. You see, I doubt if Filthy Rich would uphold the spirit of this wonderful neighborhood.”
Pinkie Pie jumped up, ready to panic. “The spirit?! Are there ghosts here?! Everypony, run for your lives!”
But before Pinkie could flee to someplace, Mayor Mare calmed her down. “Don’t worry, Pinkie. That’s not what I mean. I mean the unwritten law we uphold: ‘everypony—oh, I mean everybody gets a chance.’”
“How so?” Applejack asked.
Mayor Mare closed her eyes, as if she were swearing an oath. “I want to give everyone a chance to build a life here in Maretown. It doesn’t matter what they have done, how many they are, or how wealthy they are. If there is someone who wants to live a peaceful life far away from the horrors of the outside world, I will let them. If they have the right intentions, everybody could become our newest neighbor. There is plenty of room and resources for everyone.”
There was a silence after Mayor Mare’s words. Everypony gazed in awe at her. Amanda was the most surprised of them all. She had learned to trust no one on Ground Zero, because they might shoot you in the back and run off with your gear and food. But, will they have enough provisions… she thought. She knew that sooner or later, these peaceful citizens would have to go out to Ground Zero. But Amanda decided not to ask Mayor Mare that. Even if Maretown was just a bubble of happiness, ready to pop, Amanda would love to keep it intact as long as she could. What Mayor Mare said sounded like the nicest thing she had ever heard.
“Now I understand…” Twilight Sparkle said. “You can’t possibly sell this paradise to Filthy Rich. Surely he will keep it to himself, and not share it with the world like you do.”
“Yes…” Mayor Mare let out a deep, sorrow-filled sigh. “I really hope he won’t do anything against us, otherwise we will be fighting a war with two fronts very soon.”
“Two fronts?” Amanda asked, “you mean you have hostiles in the area?”
Once again, Mayor Mare sighed, as if the words were difficult to utter. “There is this group… It’s a group of bad people. They want Maretown for themselves. They look filthy and withered, but they are well-armed. And not only that; they want to drive us out of here! Of course I would let them in if they wanted, but I will not let them hurt my citizens. It is my duty as a mayor to keep them safe.”
“Raiders…” Amanda whispered.
Mayor Mare’s voice sounded on the edge of despair, as she resumed her tale. “This evening, there will be another council meeting, and the big question is: ‘will we run, or will we fight?’ That army could attack any moment now. They said they would launch an assault somewhere this week, if we don’t decide.”
“You should fight, obviously,” Applejack blurted out. “If you don’t fight, you’ll lose everything you’ve built.” She gritted her teeth. “I know what I would do if those bandits would threaten Sweet Apple Acres. I would fight till the last pony.”
Rarity snorted. “Oh, Applejack, please mind your manners! I’d say they should run, so they will stay out of harm’s way. Maybe they find a new spot and will be able to rebuild what has been lost.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Mayor Mare said, leaning in. “Personally, I would like to avoid any bloodshed, but I know that if we lose Maretown, we might lose its inhabitants too. The people living here aren’t used to the outside world. They aren’t ready. Celestia knows what will happen once they set foot onto Ground Zero.”
They mulled over those words for a while. The sun was already setting, and cast an orange glow into the living room, before disappearing altogether. Mayor Mare stood up and flicked a switch. Immediately, a decorative lamp sprung to life, illuminating the living room in a warm, cozy light.
“But I could help them,” Amanda said. “I could train them, lead them if necessary. I could teach them how to survive on Ground Zero.”
“That’s a wonderful idea, sweetheart,” Mayor Mare said. “I just hope the rest of the townsfolk is as open to new ideas as I am…”
The time to find out was now, because the sound of a ringing bell resounded through the windows.
“I take it that’s the sound of the council?” Applejack said.
Mayor Mare said nothing, but nodded. She knew this was going to be hard.
**
“But I say we fight for what’s ours!”
The man’s argument was backed up by a chorus of men’s voices. Some already held rifles in their hands.
“Please calm down, everypony—eh… everybody!” Mayor Mare called. “We have to keep our heads cool to make a calculated decision.”
The man, a broad shouldered guy with a red beard, raised his rifle in the air. “This is our decision!”
Once again, his followers roared.
“But it is not a decision everyone supports,” Mayor Mare said. She waved a hoof at the other group of people. They were children, women, some men, and even some elderly people. They didn’t want to fight. They were scared. Somebody, a man with blonde hair, stepped forward. “I say we run, to prevent them from slaughtering us.”
A loud “Boo,” came from the group who wanted to fight. “Aw come on, Peter, you wimp,” the red-bearded man said.
“You shouldn’t call me a wimp, Seamus,” Peter said. “Yes, we are scared, but for good reasons. I have seen their army when they made their threat last week. I have seen their heavy machine guns, mounted on their cars. I have seen how many they were. Hell, they will outnumber us five to one, I tell you.”
“Coward!” someone yelled from the group, and was immediately followed by a chorus of jeers.
Mayor Mare stomped her hoof on the wooden podium, demanding silence. When at last, after half a minute, she got what she wanted, she said, “I understand that the opinions are divided. So let’s sum up what we know. If we fight, we might encounter heavy resistance, so there is no guarantee we will win. But if we flee, then…” She paused, then looked at the floor. “Then I don’t know what we should do…”
“You see?” Seamus said, turning to his group of followers and declaring himself their leader. “Even the mayor is at a loss for words. Even she doesn’t know what to do. Even she sees that there is only one option. And we all know what option that is, don’t we?”
The men roared their approval, and accompanied their collective voice with stomping feet.
Mayor Mare looked back at the ponies and Amanda. But even they were unsure what to do.
Seamus once again threw an angry stare towards Peter. “I mean, have you not seen what we have? We have a trained sniper here”—he gestured at Amanda—“and we have a goddamn tank!”
“And do you think that’s going to turn the tides?” Peter retorted. “We’ll need a whole battalion of tanks if we want to stand a chance. I am not taking the risk. I want to live!”
Now the other group let loose a cheer for Peter’s words. He perfectly voiced their fears, worries, sorrows, and anxiety. He was already their leader, although he didn’t know it.
Seamus threw his hands in the air. “You know what, fuck it! If you and all the other scaredy cats want to run and cower, then do that. But know that we won’t cover your sorry backs!” When he was done talking, he spit on the ground.
Mayor Mare looked at the two sides. Her mind was working, trying tofind a solution through the forest of anger and fear. She thought she had something, but she already knew what direction this would head for. It was all she could do. “I call in a vote,” Mayor Mare said.
“Fine,” Seamus said, who thought that his group would be the bigger of the two.
“Fine,” Peter said, who also thought that his group would be the bigger of the two.
“Everyone who wants to go, raise your hands!”
They did so. Twilight Sparkle flew over them and counted hands. “Forty-seven,” she said to Mayor Mare, once she was done.
Mayor Mare swallowed. “Now, everyone who wants to fight, raise your—”
The fighters yelled and roared as they raised their hands. Some wanted to cheat by raising two, but Twilight Sparkle saw that. When she landed next to Mayor Mare, she whispered in her ear, “Sixty-three.”
It was decided. Mayor Mare felt herself stuttering, as she told the outcome. “I-i-it s-s-seems, that we will—”
A gunshot resounded, startling everybody. They knew that the raiders had come, even before they exited the house. The flame of battle sprang into the fighters’ hearts. They brandished their weapons and headed outside. But in the hearts of the other group was only fear, so they stayed behind and looked at Mayor Mare, their leader.
A voice, amplified by a megaphone, crackled into the house. “Mayor! Show yourself or we’ll open fire!”
Mayor Mare jumped up. She looked left and right. The ponies got her back.
“Rarity, Pinkie,” Twilight said, “stay behind with the group, and try to calm them down.”
“Not only that,” Pinkie said with a mock-salute, “but I will cheer them up as well!”
Despite the crisis situation, both Mayor Mare and Twilight actually managed a smile, before they hurried off with Applejack and Amanda.
The fighters had not been idle. From the moment the first threats were made by the raiders, they had set up lights everywhere, so they could see what they were doing. The ponies and Amanda hurried towards the sound of the voice, climbed the wall, and gazed upon the battlefield.
“Oh my sweet Celestia…”
Just a few hundred yards, the raiders looked upon Maretown. They were dimly lit in the moonlight, which reflected off the barrels of their guns. A couple of pick-up trucks drove around the village, no doubt planning on attacking from multiple sides. Giant machine guns stood on the back of each truck, black and deadly in the moon’s rays. There were also some strange installations not even Amanda had seen before. They most closely resembled medieval catapults, made from scraps of steel and mounted on trailers.
Amanda leveled a sniper rifle she had acquired before the meeting. Through the scope, she observed the enemy. “Oh my…”
“How many do you reckon there are down there?” Applejack said, gazing at the ranks with an open mouth.
“three hundred. Maybe more,” came Amanda’s reply.
The ever-so-optimistic Mayor Mare buried her head in her hooves, as she felt tears coming up. There was nothing she could do. No option presented itself. “We’re doomed.”
“Mayor!” the megaphone sounded. “We’re giving you one last chance to end this siege peacefully. Either you leave, or we’ll burn this place to the ground!” The car on which the man with the megaphone stood drove closer to the wall, so he could hear a reply. As he came closer, the ponies could see what he looked like. He wore an old soldier’s uniform, slightly tattered, but with medals still hanging proudly on his chest. He smiled as he arrived at the wall. The machine gun on the car took aim at Mayor Mare. “What will it be, mayor?”
Mayor Mare blinked her tears away, and stared at the raider leader. Her heart fluttered, as she realized that there was still a chance to end this the right way. She chose her words carefully. “Can’t we not resolve this peacefully? Is there no way we can live together? There is room enough for everyone.”
Chuckling, the raider leader eyed Mayor Mare and her friends. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of our situation. You see, we ran out of water and juice for the generators. We need more.”
“Then we will give you more, and you’ll stay away?” Twilight Sparkle said, trying a different approach.
“Oh, there is one thing I forgot to mention, that we also want,” the leader said, rubbing his hands. “This land.”
They didn’t need to ask why, but the raider still told them.
“There’s no radiation here, no poison in the air. Our gasmasks are crappy and almost useless. Our filters are running low. Here, we could build something, you know? But in order to build something new, something old must first be destroyed!” And he punched his hand to emphasize his words.
“But then y’all will be destroying your resources too,” Applejack said. “I mean, you will destroy that there solar generator, the farms, and the nice houses.”
The raider leader seemed to ponder over her words, but that was fake, because he knew damn well what he was going to say. “Yes, that would be a shame. And that’s why I offer you all a chance to leave in peace. But even if you don’t, don’t worry, because a land without radiation will also be worth the fight. Sometimes, you have to give and take.”
The raider’s voice had gained a sharp edge. Both Mayor Mare and Twilight Sparkle noticed the subtle hint. They were running out of time. Mayor Mare cleared her throat, trying to sound natural. Somehow, she knew that now was her last chance. She thought about the citizens of her town. “And if we won’t fight, you’ll let us go in peace?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the raider leader said, taking off his cap and making a small bow.
As the element of honesty, Applejack saw through the leader’s display. She immediately spotted the big, fat lie that hid behind his words and gestures.
Amanda also had doubts. She began to reason in her head. If the raiders would let them go, the Maretown citizens could always return with more power. Maybe the American army would help them to reclaim Maretown. She had doubted whether the raider knew that too. But after his bow and his words, Amanda knew for sure that he did.
Meanwhile, more and more men with guns gathered on top of the wall. Saemus was amongst them, holding a hunting rifle at the ready. The rest spread out, ready for any confrontation. The sound of boots on metal, the gathering of their fighting force, did nothing to diminish Mayor Mare’s nervousness. She only grew more worried.
The leader too, seemed to get more nervous upon seeing so many guns trained on him. He turned around, and said something to the machine gunner, softly so no one else could hear it.
Amanda clicked the safety off her gun. She could guess what the leader had said.
Slowly, the leader backed off, until he stood next to the machine gunner behind a metal shield. Only his head peeked out from the top of it. His eyes scanned the walls. “So, what’s it gonna be?” he asked, knowing that it was a rhetorical question.
Mayor Mare opened her mouth to say ‘we flee,’ but she was cut short by Seamus.
“WE FIGHT FOR MARETOWN! OPEN FIRE!”
The rifles of the Maretown militants barked, spitting lead towards the machine gunner and the raider leader. Of course, the leader ducked down just in time. Then, they unleashed the beast.
The heavy, armor piercing machine gun rumbled and roared, its bullets punching easily through the metal of the walls. The rightmost fighters had one second to realize their mistake. The leftmost hadn’t, as the gun swiveled from left to right, and mowed them down first.
Screams and yells, accompanied by the blood, filled the air. The heavy bullets shredded the fighter to pieces or punched holes in them through which you could see Maretown. One by one, the fighters jumped from the wall. Some made it, and some didn’t. Gore rained down upon the ones that bolted for cover.
“We gotta go. Now!” Twilight Sparkle yelled. “Hold me tight, everyone!”
They did so, and were surprised with a white flash. It wasn’t the flash of a gunshot, however, but the flash of Twilight’s teleportation magic. In the blink of an eye, they were inside the meeting house.
Amanda’s first reaction was bafflement at the magic, and then bafflement at what she saw. Everyone was gone.
“We really tried to calm them down,” Rarity said with despair in her eyes. “But they panicked and ran off. We simply couldn’t stop them.”
“Yeah,” Pinkie said, “and I was so sure the rubber chicken thingy would do the trick…”
“We need to have a plan,” Mayor Mare said. “We can’t leave those people out there. We have to get them to safety!”
The tactician in Amanda’s head woke up. “But first we need a way out of here. Those pick up trucks are probably driving around, shooting wherever they can. If I can try to get into the Winter, I may be able to chase them away and guard the perimeter around Maretown—”
“So we can have a safe passage!” Mayor Mare said, finishing Amanda’s sentence.
“That’s right!” Amanda checked the load on her sniper rifle, then turned towards the mayor again. “I say we gather at the southern gate. That’s where I’ll stay with the winter.
Everypony nodded.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Applejack exclaimed, “let’s round them up!”
“Oh please, Applejack. They aren’t cattle,” Rarity said.
“Doesn’t matter. Let’s GO!”
Just like the crowd of scared villagers, everypony ran off into a random direction. Only Rarity and Pinkie hesitated. Amanda headed for the Winter.
The streets were filled with rubble, bodies, and blood. Cries of help, sorrow, or terror filled the cool night air. Some of those machine guns were so powerful that they could shoot through the iron wall and straight into town. As Amanda ran towards the gate, she sometimes saw tiny holes appear in the sheet metal. Those bullets came from the pick up trucks, shooting where they could shoot. Death could come from any side.
Amanda reached the gate. She pressed the button. The gate slowly rose, but then stopped. Amanda had made a tiny, narrow slit, just wide enough to crawl through. With a little luck, the raiders wouldn’t see it, or got shot to pieces once they tried to wriggle themselves into Maretown. She stood up, and bolted off.
**
Applejack stayed together with Mayor Mare. They galloped through the streets, looking for movement. They ran upon empty streets, and they realized that there might just be no one left to save.
No! There was still someone. Cowering behind a brick wall was a man and a woman. Mayor and AJ bolted towards them.
“Follow me, y’all. Run to the gate!”
So they did. Hand in hand, they ran off in southern direction. Mayor Mare wanted to run with them, to make sure they would be safe. But of course, no one could stop the bullets from flying everywhere.
**
Or maybe Amanda could. She ran on. The Winter was close. She saw a big shadow moving in. It was the tank. But there was another shadow. As the clouds shifted, Amanda saw that it was a pick up truck with raiders. Apparently, they wanted to get into the tank. Amanda scoffed and crouched down. With a click of a button, the scope changed from its normal lenses to night-vision lenses. She could make out four figures.
BANG! There went the first.
“Hey! What the fuck was—”
BANG! There went the second.
“There’s a sniper somewh—”
BANG! There went the third.
“Oh shit, shit, shit!”
BANG! The last raider went down. All clear.
Amanda scanned the perimeter one last time, rushed towards the tank, and climbed in.
“Alright, scumbags,” she said, as she fired up the engine, “time for you all to see the power of the president.”
**
Twilight Sparkle briefly considered flying into the air to get a better view, but then decided that would be a good way to get killed. Even though she hadn’t been on Ground Zero for that long, she knew that humans had machines capable of killing from a far distance. So instead, she teleported.
Flashing from spot to spot, Twilight finally found some people. There was a whole group of them huddled together in a house, staying low and avoiding the windows.
“Everyone!” Twilight yelled, trying her best to be understandable above the screams of terror and the booming guns. “Head to the southern gate! There’s rescue on the way!”
They didn’t need to be told twice. Everyone stood up, and headed towards the door. But a bullet got there first. The window exploded in a rain of glass. Three people went down, screaming and clutching towards their stomachs. One bullet had punched a hole in all three of them.
Everyone yelled and ran in blind panic. Twilight saw that some where going the wrong way. With a flash of magic, she was there and redirected them. She winced as she heard something whizzing close by her ear. It sounded like an oversized mosquito just rushed past her. The second bullet hit home.
The feeling as if someone put a hot iron upon her ear exploded in her head. Twilight yelled; the pain made her bend through the knees. Blood streamed down the side of her face. All sounds became weird, as she couldn’t use two ears anymore.
**
An enormous explosion filled the air, as Amanda pulled the trigger of the Winter’s gun. She decided to wait instead of drive around. She couldn’t drive and shoot the tank’s main gun at the same time, after all. No, she lay in an ambush, waiting for a pick up truck to show itself, and then BOOM!
She had taken two down already. And there came the third. She turned the barrel of the gun towards the vehicle. The raiders had probably spotted the tank too, as they tried to turn back.
“Not this time.”
Amanda pulled the trigger. The pick up truck exploded in a satisfying fireball.
“Job done.”
**
“Alright, Pinkie,” Rarity said, “we’re going to play a game.”
The insulated walls of the meeting house kept some of the lighter caliber gunshots soft, but the heavy, thundering booms from the machine guns could be heard loudly and clearly.
Pinkie jumped up and down. “Oh! I love games! Is it ‘guess the sound?’ Because I can hear a lot of thunder.”
“Eh… yes… thunder.” Rarity smiled forcefully. “No, we’re going to play hide and seek.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Pinkie said, still jumping up and down. “There are tons of places to hide in this town.”
“No!” Rarity yelled, as she saw Pinkie skipping to the door. “Eh… I mean… I will go and hide, while you stay here, close your eyes and ears, and count to one million.”
“One Million?” Pinkie said with a frown, “that doesn’t seem fair…”
“Oh, but it is,” Rarity said, her mind feverishly working on some reason. “Because… eh… I’m terrible at hide and seek, and need lots of time. Yes… that…”
“But I still think—”
“Pinkie, have you ever seen me playing hide and seek?”
Pinkie thought for a moment. “Nopie.”
“You want to know why? Because I’m terrible at it.”
“Hmm… that does explain you not playing the game…”
Rarity hoped with all her heart that her lie would work. She tried her best to smile. “Exactly, and that is why one million is more than fair.”
“Well, with all you have said, I think one million still isn’t fair…”
Rarity stood aghast. She had tried so hard!
“Because I’m sure you’ll be needing two million!”
Rarity sighed. Thank Celestia!
She walked over to Pinkie, and turned her around. “Now remember, Pinkie, cover your eyes and your ears, and whatever you do, don’t peek, agreed?”
“Hey! I’m not a cheater,” Pinkie exclaimed.
“Oh, eh… of course not,” Rarity said. “Now you be good and count, while I find a place to hide.”
“Okie dokie loki,” Pinkie said.
As Pinkie started counting, Rarity left the meeting house. Whatever was going on outside, she was sure not to let it ruin Pinkie Pie’s innocence.
**
Applejack and Mayor Mare were almost done checking the main streets. They had managed to rescue three more families, and were now meeting up at the ramp to the wall. The wall was as ridden with holes as cheese. Mayor Mare and Applejack both looked up at the rampart, but there was nothing left of the fighting group. Just bodies. Lots of bodies.
Mayor Mare shook her head. Tears clouded her vision. “They had no idea what they were dealing with. I hope their souls find rest.”
“Me too,” Applejack said.
The two ponies stopped to listen for a while. The screams seemed to have stopped, and even the sound of gunshots became less and less frequent. They both knew what that meant. The battle was lost.
But the raiders weren’t done with them yet. As they listened, Applejack and Mayor Mare heard a strange, splashing sound. And then another. And another. Then one of the projectiles landed right in front of Applejack, spilling the contents upon her forehooves.
“Water balloons?”
Many more wet splashing sounds were heard, as more water balloons flew over the barricades, hitting houses, streets, and gardens.
Applejack bent down, as she noticed something. “Huh? That stuff smells funny. Whatever it is, it ain’t water.”
Then the torches came. Cries of laughter could be heard through the peppered wall, as the raiders flung burning torches and balls of fire over the rampart and upon the town. Sometimes the fiery payloads missed their targets, and lay down on the ground, burning harmlessly. But more often than not, they struck the gasoline sprayed all over Maretown, and the unlucky buildings burst into flames.
“Holy hay!” Applejack exclaimed, as one of the torches landed in the garden mere hoofsteps away from her. The soaked grass immediately caught fire. Flames danced. “That one almost hit me.”
Faster than Applejack could follow, the fire sprung into the pool beneath her hooves. She withdrew her hooves just in time, before the puddle in front of her transformed into a blaze. She still didn’t know what was in the balloons, but whatever it was, it was flammable.”
“We gotta get outta here!” Applejack shouted. “The whole place’s gonna burn to the ground!”
But Mayor Mare didn’t agree. “No, we have to keep looking around! There could still be people here!”
As if on cue, more people appeared, but they weren’t the kind of people Mayor Mare had in mind.
Under a chorus of battle cries, shouts, and everything in between, raiders jumped from the wall and spread out. Already there was a group forming and charging towards Applejack and Mayor Mare. There was no time to argue. They had to run.
“I’m so sorry, everyone,” Mayor Mare said as they galloped away. She couldn’t see where she was going, because tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
**
BOOM!
Another truck jumped into the air in a haze of fire.
“Yes!” Amanda said, but as she glanced backwards, she uttered a cry. “No!”
There were no more shells left. She had taken down a lot of pick up trucks already, and hoped that this one would be the last. The only thing she could use now was the machine gun at the front of the tank. She scooted into the driver’s seat, and kept her eyes on the area.
Already there were many people running out of the gate. They ran to the south, in the opposite direction the raiders came from. Amanda silently wondered how long they would last without suits and gasmasks, but forced her mind to think of something else.
Suddenly, the colors orange and grey appeared before her. She opened the hatch to let Applejack and Mayor Mare in.
“There’s raiders in town!” Applejack said. “They’re everywhere.”
“Good to know,” Amanda said, and turned the tank around, so that its barrels faced the southern gate.
**
Blood ran over Twilight’s right eye, so she kept it closed. She heard shouts all around her. Twilight galloped in the direction the sound was not coming from. From the profanities and jeers, she judged the sound meant raiders. Of course, she was right.
She bumped into something, or rather, someone.
“Fucking hell, what is that?!”
A magical energy blast to the face is what the raider got for his swears. Even though the pain left it hard for Twilight to concentrate, she could still perform such a basic spell.
Something white appeared. It ran towards Twilight. She charged another bolt of magical energy, ready to unleash it on the incoming color.
“Twilight! What happened to you?!”
Twilight let the bolt loose. It flew up straight into the air like an emergency flare from a flare gun. She moaned, and fell through her knees once more.
“Oh my!” Rarity said, “your ear… it’s gone!” She supported her friend, trying to keep her standing. “Twilight, there’s filthy men all over the place. We have to go now!”
Twilight could understand about twenty percent of Rarity’s words. He head swam, while pain flowed from the left to the right like a sea full of spiky balls.
Grabbing Twilight’s head with her hooves, Rarity shouted, “Twilight! We have to get out of here!”
“Hey guys! Look at that!”
The raider looked at the two ponies with wide eyes. He had never seen such a strange thing; two colored horses in a burning village.
Another group of raiders was coming in from another road. Then another from behind. They all charged on ahead, wielding guns or knives or other makeshift weapons. A shot from a rifle resounded.
Crumbles of rock sprang in the air, as the bullet landed mere inches from where Twilight lay. “Twilight! You have to teleport me into the meeting house. You simply must!”
Twilight saw some grey and brown advancing, and heard more gunshots. She wrapped her hooves around Rarity, and focused. She did her best to forget about the searing pain in her head, and focus instead on the place she wanted to be. The wood, the pointy roof, the podium; she tried to remember it all.
More gunshots sounded. The rocks next to Rarity jumped and scattered. She yelled, closed her eyes, and hugged Twilight tightly. It was all she could do.
A second later, she heard the echo of her yell.
But the outside world doesn’t echo.
When Rarity opened her eyes, she saw the interior of the meeting house. It was undamaged by the fire, and Rarity silently thanked Celestia for that.
And there, in a corner, Pinkie Pie was still counting.
“two thousand two hundred and thirty-five”
“Two thousand two hundred and thirty-six.”
“Two thousand two hundred and thirty-seven.”
“Two thousand two hundred and—”
Rarity grabbed Pinkie Pie by the shoulders and turned her around. “You won, Pinkie. Now, stay close to Twilight, because she is going to get us out of here.”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow to Rarity’s panic-stricken tone. But she complied.
“To the tank…” Twilight said. She felt as if her head weighed nothing. The pain dominated her mind and her thoughts. If only she could make it stop. But she couldn’t. She had to concentrate. They had to get to the Winter. Just one more teleportation spell.
Just… one… more…
Twilight closed her eyes. She could hear a door opening, but it wasn’t the hatch of the tank.
“Hey, look! Horses!”
Twilight thought about the steel of the tank, the small interior, the big gun.
“What are they doing?”
Twilight tried to recall who was in the tank.
“How the fuck would I know? Hugging? Meditating? Napping?
Amanda! Amanda is in the tank.
“Boss said no survivors. Better safe than sorry.”
The click of guns.
Magic swirled around them, seeping from Twilight’s horn. Twilight fought through the dense jungle of pain. Slowly, with all the effort in the world, their figures started to fade.
“Shoot them now!”
The sound of the barking sub machine gun still rang in Rarity’s ears, as she felt the cold steel against her flank.
They were in the Winter. They were safe.