I don’t understand why we have to evacuate. It’s not like it’s the end of the world. Just another monster-of-the-week. Princess Twilight and her friends will take care of it, just like she always does. Even this new threat, a monster that calls himself ‘Tie Rack.’ I wonder if somepony stole his ties, and that’s why he’s so mad?
Good thing Mayor Mare finally had ponies building some sort of shelter underneath Town Hall. After everything that happens in Ponyville, it’s about time. That’s where we’re evacuating to.
Oh, Glacier Wing. You would have loved it here. You would have loved every second. The constant danger, the colorful characters. Ponyville’s an absolute gem. Honestly, I wish we’d moved here long before you passed. It would have been so much more fun than Manehattan.
Still, what a place to spend my retirement! I’ll have to enjoy it enough for the both of us.
I’ve made plenty of friends. You would have loved Pinkie. Such a sweetheart, and she thinks my ties look dashing. Then there’s the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Walking insurance claims, really, with the amount of chaos they cause. They came to visit Ponyville Retirement Village once, trying to earn cutie marks as nursing home workers. They were nice enough, but they only came that one time when they didn’t get their marks. Well, all but Scootaloo. She kept coming back.
It was your stories. She’s a pegasus, and quite the adventurous soul, so I told her the ancient legends you told me, Glacey. The ones about the Valkyrie, pegasus mares come to escort brave pegasi warriors off the field of battle towards the glorious afterlife.
Sometimes, Scootaloo asks me why I look so distant when I tell your stories. I haven’t told her yours yet. Did you see the Valkyrie, right before you died? You may not have been fighting in battle, but you were fighting. Even in the bed, hooked up to all the IVs and monitors, I could see the warrior’s fire in your eyes, right up until you went still.
I’ll tell her about you, as soon as she visits next. Once this mess with Tie Rack is over, of course.
Somepony is knocking on my door. Nurse Bed Pan, I think her name is. Or maybe Bread Pan. I never remember those things these days. She wants to know if I’m ready to head to the shelter. Oh! Also little Scootaloo is helping with the evacuation. I know she’s saying that just to get me in a good mood, but I’m excited enough to see my young friend that it’s probably going to work. So I finish tossing what I’ll need into my saddlebag and trot to the door.
We’re all gathered in the rec room, with the nurses and the other residents. Scootaloo is there, rushing about with that boundless energy of hers, wings buzzing like a bee’s. Was I ever that quick? Did I have that much energy? Glacey, I can’t even remember being that young.
They do a quick head count while young Scootaloo fills her own saddlebag with extra blankets and first aid kits. Just how long do they think we’ll be in the shelter? I have to say, this Tie Rack feller will be dealt with before we can blink. What’s the big deal?
The nurses shoot each other odd, worried glances. Something’s got them really riled. Even Scootaloo looks worried. Probably for her friend Rainbow (another pegasus you would have just loved, Glacey. She reminds me of you. Not as pretty. A bit dumb. But she’s got your fire). Rainbow’s always with the library princess, going about saving Equestria.
Then something happens. I have to say, Glacey, one of the worst feelings of my life. I feel… drained. Like life just got sucked out of me. The only time I’ve felt worse is right after you passed. Back then, I didn’t have enough energy to do anything. This is almost as bad. It’s not just me; everypony else is muttering. Crying out. And Sweet Celestia, my cutie mark! It’s gone!
I’m old, Glacey. I’ve been through a lot. You were with me for most of it. But this…
This one scares me. And I’m not the only one. The other residents are all panicking. I’m not immune; I feel weak and faint. I glance over at Scootaloo. Her eyes are huge and terrified, but she’s keeping it together. It’s the anchor I need to calm down.
It takes a few moments for the nurses to get everypony’s attention. I can tell they’re struggling too, but they’re toughing it out.
Nurse Pan starts telling us about how we’re going to hurry to the shelter when we all hear it. Something outside, shouting for Princess Twilight. His voice is loud enough to shake the building. He says she has something that belongs to him. So it was Princess Twilight that stole his ties? Huh. Didn’t think she had it in her.
There’s an explosion. Something so loud we’re all clutching our ears. The building rattles, and we hear the crash of dishes from the kitchen.
The nurses are panicked, screaming. Scootaloo is tugging at my hoof, trying to pull me out of the building. Calm down, filly. I’m coming.
Outside, the sky is red. There’s the sounds of explosions. We’re all yelling and shouting. Scootaloo rushes back to pick up a dropped saddlebag. The nurses are trying to keep us in line, keep us moving, when the sky lights up like it’s on fire.
For a moment, everything is white. There’s a ringing, a loud whine. I blink. Still white. I take a deep breath. My chest hurts. Sharp, tingling pain. Feels like I’m trying to breath through a vice around my barrel. My head’s swimming. I try to move my hooves.
I’m down on the ground, in the dirt. I shake my head to try to clear it. That’s a mistake; dizziness sends me tumbling back to the ground again. I try to lay there, to catch my breath. It feels like somepony is sitting on me. I wave my hooves to knock them off, but there’s nopony there.
After a few seconds, my vision clears. The sky is filled with smoke and fire. I look behind me. The Retirement Village is a ruin; shattered and crumbling.
Ponies are prone all around me, laid out in the street like shattered planks and bits of broken stone. The nurses are all down. The other residents, too. Nurse Pan is under a plank, twisting and moaning in pain. I force myself to my hooves.
Each step is agony. Each breath is a war. My chest is tight. My hooves are numb and tingling, and my head’s still spinning. It’s impossible to move, but I make myself do it anyways.
Nurse Pan isn’t coherent. She’s got a head wound, but it looks shallow. Maybe a concussion. I probably have a concussion; that’s why I feel like I’m sweating, right? Glacey, oh I wish you were here. You were always better under pressure than I was.
What would the nurses usually do now? Head count? My head’s a mess; how am I supposed to remember all the names? I’ll do my best, though. I feel lightheaded, floaty, and my breath is coming hard and fast.
Okay, let’s see. There’s the pegasus I play chess with. The two mares who like to make cookies together. The married unicorns who are always arguing. Some of them look wounded, but nothing too serious. Then there’s the nurses. Nurse Pan. The one with the yellow mane. The stallion with the long braid. All here. Good, I can sit down and…
“Waddle! Get up!”
I can’t, Glacey. I can barely breathe. Just let me rest a little…
“Waddle! You can’t rest! Who are you missing?”
Missing? I did my best with the headcount. We have all the residents, all three nurses. There’s nopony…
Oh.
I glance around. No sign of her. I call out. My voice is weak and thready. I can barely hear myself over the chaos. I look back towards the Retirement Village. The facade has crumbled back into itself, with a huge crater where the second floor used to be. The balcony is shattered, scattered about the street. The door is destroyed, but the lintel is intact, holding up the trembling wreckage above it. I could get inside.
I hold a hoof to my chest. It’s burning, now. I look down, expecting to find a bit of shrapnel or something, anything that would explain the stabbing pain. There’s nothing. I stumble towards the open door on numb hooves and look inside. It’s dark, dusty, and there’s rubble everywhere.
Maybe just a moment to catch my breath…
“Get moving, Waddle!”
I hear your wings but when I look around I can’t see you. Where are you, Glacey? Maybe you can help me move some of this rubble out of the way. I don’t know if I can by myself.
“There’s nopony else, Waddle.”
Right. There’s a filly in danger. I duck under the trembling lintel and into the wreckage inside. I call out. Nothing. All I can hear is the creaking of the building about to fall down around me. I keep calling as I pick my way through the dust and haze, coughing and gasping for breath.
There! Underneath a chair that got blasted over in the explosion, I see a tuft of purple mane. I weave between piles of toppled belongings and broken glass.
It’s not good. The chair is on its front, so the filly’s trapped underneath, but a beam from the floor above has fallen on top of it, pinning it down. I glance between the arm and the upside down seat. Scootaloo is breathing, but unconscious. I try to gently pull her out. She’s stuck. I look up at the beam. It’s big, but I’m an earth pony. I’m sure I can…
The beam won’t budge. Whatever happened right before the explosion seems to have sapped my strength. Or maybe it’s the fact that I still can’t draw a full breath. I kick it with both forehooves. It shakes, but no real movement. Maybe if you helped, Glacey, we could move it together.
“It has to be you, Waddle.”
Fine, if you say so. I rear back on my hind hooves for a little momentum, though I almost tumble backwards into the broken glass behind me. I don’t fall, though; I manage to slam down with both forehooves against the beam. It tumbles off the chair with a wooden clatter.
I lift the chair off. My hooves can barely move; they’re shaking. I don’t know if anything has ever hurt this much. But Scootaloo is safe. I carefully lift her onto my back and stumble towards the door.
Too weak. My hooves slip on the floor, and I collapse down into the shards of broken glass. The pain is nothing compared to my chest. Everything is numb but my heart, my head, and my lungs. I can’t. I can’t.
“Get moving, Waddle! You can do this!”
I can’t move, Glacey. It’s too much. I need help.
“Let me give you some of my strength, Waddle.”
I feel your wings helping me up. My hooves move. The weight of the small filly on my back is nothing compared to the weight on my chest, but I move. One step. Two steps. There’s glass, but I can’t be bothered to walk around it. Can’t feel my hooves anyways. I feel the blood dripping, though.
Each step is shakier than the last. Each one smaller. I force my muscles forward. I close my eyes. No point knowing how far away it is if it doesn’t matter. It’s a struggle just to keep Scootaloo balanced; I’m lurching about like I just overindulged at the bar.
Suddenly I feel the sun on my face. The warmth. I made it outside. Scootaloo is safe.
I open my eyes. I see you. Flying there, with the sun just behind you. You’re even more beautiful than I remember. Majestic and radiant, shining in the glory of the sunlight. I want to keep looking, to smile up at you, to drink you in forever. But my eyes won’t stay open. I’m so tired. Can I rest now, Glacey?
“Rest, Waddle. I’ll take you home.”
I let my eyes slip shut.