Chapter 2: Discovery in the Ruins
Twilight Sparkle, Equestria's newest princess, was sitting on a train seat looking intently at the scroll in front of her. Her eyes scanned the page, determined to make sure that nothing had been missed. It was a detailed checklist, outlining her relief plan to Manewood and any mistake could cost lives.
She turned her head, and gazed out the nearby train window. Equestria's landscape was rich with green fields and tall mountains. The sun was just peaking over the horizon. Twilight, her companions, and the rest of the relief effort had traveled straight through the night from Canterlot. Over four hundred ponies were on the train.
The door to the sleep car opened and Applejack entered the compartment. She took one look at Twilight and rolled her eyes before sitting down on the seat opposite to her.
"Did you get any sleep last night, Sugar Cube?" she asked.
"Just a few hours. I got up early and wanted to look over the plan again," Twilight replied.
Applejack shook her head before speaking. "Twilight, you've been over that thing a thousand times. How much more are ya gonna add to it?"
Twilight looked up from the scroll and turned to Applejack. "I just want to make sure it's perfect. A lot is riding on this and, well, I'm scared it's not good enough."
Applejack walked over to Twilight and nuzzled her. "Ah know your stressed, Twi. Ah don't think that any plan is gonna be perfect, but this one's a good one. Don't you worry about nothin'. It's all gonna be alright."
Twilight sighed. Her horn illuminated a soft glow and the scroll neatly rolled up and settled itself inside her saddlebag. "I hope your right."
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to nothing but the ambient noise of the train. The silence was then broken as the compartment door opened again and Rarity stepped inside. She gracefully trotted down the center aisle and seated herself front of Twilight and Applejack. Her mouth opened in wonder as she gazed outside.
"Oh my, what a gorgeous day. Applejack, will you be a dear and open the other curtains?" she asked.
"Ah suppose we won't get a chance to enjoy it while we're there." The light in the compartment intensified as Applejack unveiled the rest of the curtains.
"How much longer until we get there anyway? It's been awfully dull trapped on this train," Rarity complained.
"About an hour," Twilight answered. "It's just beyond that mountain range."
The three ponies turned their heads as the door opened a third time. Rainbow Dash trotted inside, followed closely by Fluttershy.
"Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash greeted as she seated herself.
"Hi Rainbow. Hi Fluttershy. Did you girls get a good sleep?" responded Twilight.
"Like a foal in a crib," said Rainbow Dash.
"Um, I slept okay, I guess," said Fluttershy.
"That's good," Twilight said. "Hey, where's Pinkie Pie?"
"I'm right here, silly!" a voice rang out.
Rainbow Dash nearly just about fell out of her seat as she snapped around. Pinkie Pie was behind her with a big grin on her face.
"Pinkie! How do you do that?" Rainbow dash exclaimed.
A chuckle escaped Applejack's lips. "Rainbow, you've known Pinkie for years. Ah'd a though you woulda've been used to that by now."
"It still doesn't stop it from being creepy," Rainbow dash mumbled.
A short time passed before anypony spoke. They were all waiting for the train to arrive at their destination and it wasn't for a happy reason. Twilight couldn't remember the last time a disaster like this had occurred in Equestria. The harmony between land and ponies was usually a solid one.
Applejack broke the silence first. "So, Twilight, what's the first thing that we're gonna do when we get there?"
Twilight's horn brightened and levitated the checklist out of her saddlebag. She quickly glanced at the top. "We need to have all the ponies organize into their assigned groups," - she continued down the page - "Rarity, you will lead the hospitality team and help set up the tents. Fluttershy, you will help the medical group care for injured ponies and animals. Rainbow Dash, you will lead the search team from the sky. Applejack, there's probably going to be a lot of rubble and debris, so we'll need your team's strength to clear the way and to pull out any trapped ponies."
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. "Ooo, what about me, Twilight. What about me?"
Twilight smiled. "You, Pinkie Pie, get to do what you do best. You can keep everyponies' spirits up. Make them laugh and smile. They'll need it."
"All right! I knew there was a reason that I packed my party canon."
Twilight rolled her eye.
"Twilight, do you think. . . I mean, well, are there going to be a lot of hurt ponies?" Fluttershy's timid voice was very barely audible.
"Ugg, Fluttershy, an earthquake just smashed the town. Of course there's going to be a lot of hurt ponies." Rainbow's harsh voice caused Fluttershy to cringe.
Twilight shot Rainbow a sharp look. "Rainbow, that's not helping."
"My dear, you haven't a thing to worry about. You are absolutely fabulous when tending to injured animals. Ponies are no different and besides, you won't be alone. There will be lots of nurses and doctors there, too," Rarity said.
"Rarity's right, Sugar Cube. You'll be alright. Ah know you will," Applejack agreed.
The train slowly decelerated and then halted. The external doors opened and there was a rush of hooves. The six friends hopped off the train and took in their surroundings. Fluttershy and Rarity gasped as one.
The scene could have been a out of a magical war zone. There was rubble everywhere and dust polluted the air. Bits and pieces of stone fragments and wood chips scattered the land. Trees had been trampled by rock slides. A great chasm split the center of the valley. It was hard to believe that this place had once been a beautiful village.
Twilight inhaled deeply and then evoked her royal Canterlot voice. "ATTENTION EVERYPONY!"
All idle chatter ceased. There was a moment of rumbling and shuffling before all the ponies present assembled themselves into rough ranks facing their princess. Satisfied that she had their attention, she continued in a normal voice.
"Thank you, everypony. As I'm sure you all can see, a terrible tragedy has happened. I know that I can trust you all to do your very best. You all know what teams you are in and who your team leaders are. So, let's group up and save the ponies of Manewood!"
Cheering erupted throughout the crowd. Ponies broke off from the crowd and formed their smaller groups. Supplies were unloaded from the train and ponies began the construction of tents. Nearby, a group of pegasus ponies gathered around Rainbow Dash.
"Okay, gang. There could be a lot of hurt ponies out there, so lets get up there and start searching. Let's fly!" A rainbow trail traced the sky as she dashed off and a squadron of pegasi followed.
One of them, Sparklight, peered down at a particular ruined building. Wait, what was that shimmer? She circled lower and landed on a splintered wooden beam. She stumbled through the rubble a short distance and rubbed her eyes. Something was partially buried in front of her, something that looked like silver strands. She dug with her hooves, clearing the dirt and rock below her. She coughed as dust puffed up but was determined to find out what was there. She found more silver strands and removed one final rock and stared at what she had found. It was the face of a mare.
She was dead.
Sparklight was frozen in place. Her mind couldn't find a way to protect her from this sight. A maelstrom of emotion gathered in her heart as the tears began to fall. Her legs buckled and she fell to the ground, weeping like a foal.
"Sparklight, what's wrong with you? Did you hurt yourse-" Upon seeing what Sparklight had uncovered, Rainbow Dash's scolding evaporated.
Sparklight looked up at Rainbow Dash, sniffling. "I'm sorry, Rainbow. . . I . . . I didn't even think about, what I'd. . . or if." She dropped her head and sobbed more, unable to compose herself.
Rainbow Dash walked slowly over and gently cupped her hooves around Sparklight's face. "Look at me. No pony wanted this to happen. I know it's a horrible thing, but you can't help her anymore; She's gone. What I need you to do right now is to get a hold of yourself. Find one of the ground teams and they can deal with the body. Can you do that, Sparklight?"
Suppressing a sniffle and wiping her tears, Sparklight steeled herself. "Yes. I'm sorry Rainbow. I'll find one of the teams."
"That's it, girl."
As the hours went by, more and more bodies were found. The once serene village was now a graveyard. Still, some ponies lived. They were pulled out of the ruins by Applejack's team and hustled to the medical tents. There, they were treated by doctors and nurses , who had volunteered to help.
Twilight patrolled around the tents and surveyed the scene. Stepping inside one of the tents, she approached the head of the medical team, Doctor Salve Horn.
"Give me a status update, Doctor," Twilight commanded.
"Hmm, there's good news and bad news, I suppose."
"Let's hear it."
"Well, the good news is that all the ponies that we found still alive, so far, are going to make it."
"That's good to hear. And the bad news?"
"Well, bad news is that there are a lot of dead ponies."
Twilight tensed. "How many?"
Salve Horn closed his eyes. His voice was barely a whisper. "More than the amount of patients I've ever had. Hundreds, maybe even thousands."
Twilight took a step back. As a new princess, she was still getting used to the hard responsibilities that came with it. This feeling, however, was something new. It wasn't sorrow for a lost friend of family member. It wasn't the feeling of condolence. It was a feeling of failure. Her subjects, who loved and trusted her, had died. And she couldn't save them.
Not that it was her fault, she knew. If she could have done something to prevent it, she would have. It had happened without warning and no pony would blame her for that.
Salve Horn cleared his throat. "Princess, you may want to check on your friend. Fluttershy, I think her name is. She's taking the losses pretty hard."
"I will. Thank you doctor."
Twilight walked out of the tent and headed toward the outskirts of the complex. She looked around briefly before spotting her mark. Fluttershy was nestled by a big great mushroom shaped tree. All matter of woodland creatures surrounded her, cuddling her. As Twilight approched, Fluttershy looked up, her face stained with tears.
"Oh, Twilight. It's horrible. Just horrible!"
Twilight lay down beside Fluttershy and draped her wing over her.
Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut. "I've never seen a dead pony before. It's just so wrong, Twilight."
"I know, Fluttershy. It hurts me too. But you have to remember, death is just as natural as life. It's a cycle that cannot be broken, no matter how much we want it too."
Fluttershy opened her eyes again and sniffed. "I know."
"You need to be strong, Fluttershy. You can't help the dead, but you can help the living if you get back in there. Are there any animals that you can take care of?"
Fluttershy blinked, and the a small smile appeared on her face. "Actually, no animals were hurt according to Mr. Squirrel here."
"Oh?"
"Oh, yes. The animals felt the earthquake before it happened and fled."
"Well, that's good news."
"Yes. I . . . I guess I'll go and see if anyone needs help caring for the hurt ponies."
"That's the spirit, Fluttershy."
After shakily getting to her feet, Fluttershy trotted towards the tents. Twilight watched her leave with a hollow smiled before heading toward the ruin sight. Despite the casualties, everything was going fairly smoothly and she wanted to actually help. As she approached the edge of the ruins, she could see Applejack hustled together with some other strong earth ponies.
"Twilight! Thank Celestia, you're here. There's a great big boulder that we can't seem to move and ah think that there are some ponies trapped behind it. Could ya lend us some o' your magic?" Applejack asked.
"Of course!".
They galloped down through the ruins and halted before the giant rock. It was half the size of the barn at Sweet Apple Acres and was embedded within the remains of a building that looked to be a home. Twilight closed her eyes and lowered her horn. A lavender glow flared from it while a similar aura enveloped the bolder. Slowly, it lifted off the ground. Dust and smaller rocks streamed out and settled on the ground. The bolder moved slowly forward, away from the home and then out to the side. It then dropped to the ground and the magical aura surrounding it vanished.
Twilight opened her eyes and gazed inside the house. Most of everything was destroyed and the stairwell to the upper floor had collapsed. Applejack moved up beside her. "Twilight, ah can't get up to that second floor. Can you take a look up there while my team sweeps the ground?"
Not even taking the time to answer, Twilight opened her wings and flew. She landed and immediately squinted. It was much darker up here as the roof was still partially intact. The sun was beginning to lower, contributing to the darkness. There was a ruined bed, shattered windows, and a broken down closet.
Twilight's gaze scanned the room, only to find that no pony other than herself was present. A piece of paper, however, caught her eye. She lifted it with her magic and drew it closer. It was ripped and only half of it was intact, but some of the contents could be made out. It was hoof drawn map of Manewood. It wasn't masterful work, but it was clearly detailed and color coordinated.
Twilight turned away and prepared her wings to descend to the ground floor when a sound compelled her to stop. It was the faintest of a cough. Twilight turned back around and followed the sound to a pile of broken floorboards and concrete blocks. Above this spot, the roof had completely collapsed. She listened closely and thought she could hear the sound of faint breathing.
Summoning her magic, she cast aside the debris, and her heart all but stopped at the sight.
It was a small green colt with a brown mane. His eyes were closed but his chest was slowly expanding and contracting. Small trickles of blood dripped from his nose and from several gashes on his body. Just in front of his mouth was a blue crayon and a ripped piece of paper. The other half of the map.
Twilight slowly suspended the colt and drew him into her hooves. She rubbed the dust off his face and the blood off his nose. She rocked him back and fourth, as a mother would her child.
The colt's eyes fluttered and then opened. "Mommy?"
The effort of speaking caused a spasm to shudder his body and he coughed more violently. Small dribble of blood escaped his mouth.
Twilight's eyes widened in alarm. She quickly wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke. "Don't try and talk, Sweetie. My name is Twilight Sparkle."
The colt mirrored Twilight's wide eyed stance. "You mean, Princess Tw-"
"Hush now, child. And yes. Princess Twilight Sparkle."
The colt's breathing became more raspy and erratic. His body shuddered again and his eyes welled up with tears.
"Am I going to die?"
Twilight gripped the colt tighter and nuzzled him. "No, sweetheart. I won't let you. I promise."
As if her words held magic of their own, the colt's body responded. The shuddering slowed and his breathing stilled. He leaned his head on Twilight's chest and coughed one more time. His eyes slowly rolled back into his head.
"No, I won't let you die," Twilight whispered furiously to herself. She empowered her horn and light filled the broken room. She could feel the life force leaving the colt and knew it was only a matter of time. Healing magic was not something that she had much experience with, but perhaps she could buy some time.
She directed her magic into the colt. She could feel many injuries in his body. There were several internal ruptures in addition to the surface lacerations. She altered her magical weave from a sensing one to a soothing one. She could not completely heal him, but she could halt the bleeding until she got him to the doctors.
Knowing that she could do no more, she opened her wings and flew at a speed that would make Rainbow Dash proud.
"I won't let you."