Day Forty Two
Infected: 873 Million
Dead: 484 Million
It had been almost a week since Rarity had been discharged from the hospital. However, when she arrived home she had only the empty counters and the stench of bleach to greet her. The ponies at the EDC missed nothing when they disinfected her house.
What little food she had, in sealed containers, lasted her a few days, but it became clear that she needed more soon. Usually she would have simply gone to the market, but why would she go and spend thousands of bits on a few bags of rice and fight her way through crowds of panicked ponies? Besides, many of the stores had been looted and raided, even burned to the ground in some cases. She thought it much simpler to go to the Ministry of Emergency Management’s camp and get free food rations. At least that’s what she had assumed.
There Rarity stood in a massive crowd of thousands of ponies, some were coughing, others wheezing, but all were hungry. She could see the Royal Guard, each adorning gas masks, handing out boxes of rations. As she approached the front of the group, a few ponies shoved past her. She yelled at them, to no avail.
Now that Rarity had a good vantage point of the tarp covered carts, she found it rather hard to see any food. She was honestly beginning to grow worried that the Royal Guards may run out of rations before she had her turn. Then, just like that, her fears were realized.
“Excuse me,” said one of the gas mask wearing guards, through a megaphone.
“I’m sorry, but we have exhausted our food supplies for today. Please return to your homes.”
“That’s bull shit!” yelled a pony in the crowd. He was followed by others shouting in agreement.
“Return to your homes!” shouted another Royal Guard, his hoof clutching his magical staff ever tighter.
The infuriated crowd didn’t comply. It started with one colt, then another, and another at first they charged the carts. Of course the Royal Guards blocked their path with their staffs, even cracking one of them over a ponies’ skull. Then one stallion thought it wise to charge one of the guards.
The Royal Guard was knocked to the ground, and instantly another nearby guard saw this and drew his staff. All it took was that one magical blast to kill the pony, and set off a chain reaction. Now, every guard drew their weapons and began firing into the crowd. Dozens were hit with the plasma-like ball of magic, instantly killing them; others were hit in their legs and other non-vital areas.
Terrified, Rarity ducked and ran under the cover of the screaming pony shield. Just as she was beginning to get out of the crowd, a mare was hit by one of the magical blasts in the back of the head. She looked to be five years younger than Sweetie Belle, still in school possibly. Then she noticed it; the pony was clutching a fifteen pound bag of rice. Without thinking, her survival instincts kicked in. Rarity reached down and took the bag of rice, just as a magic blast flew past her.
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Twilight had just slid on her P100 respirator and was exiting the Canterlot castle to be greeted by two white stallions adorning freshly polished armor and gas masks. The air was cold and unmoving, making the smell of trash, rot, and burning flesh that much more unbearable.
“Right this way Princess,” said one of the guards as he gestured to a nearby chariot.
Twilight slid into the seat. “Take me to Manehatten please.”
After a second, the chariot was airborne. Twilight looked over the edge and saw thousands rioting outside the castle, elsewhere were huge four square mile sized mass graves. Most were burning the tens of thousands of bodies that filled them; this sent a black putrid smoke ascending high above the city, blanketing the sky with the ashes of the dead.
You’d think such horrors and atrocities would have appalled her, but it had become such a common sight to all of the ponies in Equestria. Just like the burning buildings, trash filled streets, and of course the corpses. Corpses filling wagons that would go house to house, corpses that are thrown into dumpsters, corpses that are left in the street to rot. Many in the same sickening state; their mouths agape with pink blood filled foam leaking from them, and their suffocated faces’ all blue and purple.
Having her fill of the hell below, Twilight moved away from the chariot’s edge. She only hoped that she could make it to Spike and Sweetie Belle in time.
Suddenly, Twilight’s chariot took a sharp left. This sudden change in motion very nearly sent her falling towards the city below.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” she shrieked.
The two ponies didn’t respond, instead they continued on their new course. Twilight looked over the two colts to see that they were flying right for the rooftop of a nearby building. Realizing that they weren’t slowing down, Twilight braced herself for impact.
The chariot hit the ground hard, shattering the back two wheels and sending Twilight flying a whole eight feet. Before she could get to her hooves and demand to know what was going on, the two Pegasi were already at her side, but instead of helping her up, they both took one of her forelegs and restrained her.
“You’re going to have to come with us,” said one of the guards.
Twilight tugged pointlessly at their hold. “Do you mind telling me just what the fuck you’re doing!?”
“Our families need vaccine, and when one is made, you will get it.”
Twilight shook her head. “No, what you and your families need to do is get out of the city now!”
The stallion who was reaching for the rooftop door turned to Twilight. “What are you talking about?”
“Just listen, something bad is about to happen and you don’t want to be around for it. That’s why I was leaving Canterlot.”
One of the guards looked to the other. “She’s just bull shitting us. Let’s go.”
“Oh fuck this!” yelled Twilight.
Suddenly a bright violet flash of light blinded the two colts and they quickly found that they were holding onto nothing. When their vision returned, they saw Twilight standing behind them, her horn glowing just as it sent out a blast of magical energy. The two guards were thrown against the wall, and instantly knocked unconscious.
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Spike paced nervously by the front door awaiting Twilight’s arrival. She was now already thirty minutes late.
“Come on. Where is she?” he mumbled.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be here soon,” assured Sweetie Belle, who was sitting on the living room couch.
Sweetie Belle’s words did cause Spike to think that he may have been worrying a bit much, but he couldn’t help it. Twilight was one of the most punctual ponies he knew and this just didn’t seem like her.
While Spike paced aimlessly, Sweetie Belle spent her time watching the television. Each channel she flipped through only seemed to get worse and worse.
“Famine continues as once again no aid is delivered to the central regions of-“
*click*
“The church issued a statement blessing those who have passed away and who are sick with the black flu. Though as many more flock to faith, the only question being asked in many churches is simple; is this the end of days?”
*click*
“It has been reported that thousands of Saddle Arabian refuges were shot dead on the Zebrican and Saddle Arabian border.”
*click*
“After the mass looting of pharmacies across the globe, it is becoming clear that Tamiflu wasn’t the only target. Medicines for life threatening diseases such as diabetes and various heart conditions were also among those taken. In the words of one expert, ‘if these ponies, griffons, or zebras don’t get these medications between ten and twenty percent of the population is going to die.”
*click*
“As you can see behind me, it is next to impossible to move about the city without having to run over the bodies of infected.”
*click*
“Tens of thousands of ponies are leaving the cities as riots and dead continue to surround them.”
Sweetie Belle had finally had her fill of the media’s take on the apocalypse. So she turned off the television and was beginning to slide into a comfortable position.
Suddenly there was a loud crash that alerted the couple. It sounded as though something heavy had gave way next door.
Spike looked over to Sweetie Belle. “Hey, you stay here. I’ll go see what that was.”
Sweetie Belle understood, after all of the reports of looting and the events of last week, she wasn’t exactly ready to go looking for trouble.
Once Spike had adorned his mask and stepped out into the hallway, he noticed a scent was in the air. It was very faint so it was hard to place. Though, as he came to his neighbor’s door it seemed to grow stronger.
He knocked. “Miss Moonlight, are you there?”
There was no reply, so he knocked again.
“Miss Moonlight?”
Still nothing.
Spike thought a moment. He didn’t want to risk getting exposed to the virus, but at the same time he was worried she could be hurt. Eventually though, his morals gave in.
Slowly he reached for the door knob and began to twist. As expected it was unlocked, after all, his neighbor was never much concerned with security, even in these trying times.
“I’m coming in, okay?”
As the door began to creek open, Spike was met with an overpowering stench. Now it was easy to pinpoint, it was the smell of death.
It only took a second to find its source. In the center of the floor was a light blue pony with a noose tied around her neck. The source of the noise seemed to be the ceiling fan that had crashed on top of her. It looked as though it had finally given out from her weight.
Not wanting to be in the presence of such an overpowering stench any longer than necessary, Spike closed the door. He turned to see Sweetie Belle standing in their doorway.
All it took was one look at Spike’s face to guess what he had found.
“How’d she do it?” she asked.
Spike sighed. “She hung herself. It smelled like she’s been there for weeks, and we didn’t even know.”
Sweetie Belle looked down. “At least it was her choice.”
Suddenly, their brief conversation was interrupted by the sounds of hooves galloping their way. The couple looked down the hallway to see Princess Twilight racing towards them, her normal royal horseshoes and dress absent.
“It’s about damn time!” said Spike.
Twilight stopped her gallop and was preparing to run in the opposite direction. “No time for chit chat we’ve got to get out of here!”
Sweetie Belle and Spike exchanged glances. “Okay just let us get our things,” said Sweetie Belle.
“No time! We have to go! Military quarantine of every Equestrian city and martial law are about to begin any second!”
Instead of protesting any further, Sweetie Belle quickly ran back into the apartment and magically lifted a book she had set out, as she simultaneously put on her face mask. This action infuriated Twilight, but there was just no way Sweetie Belle was leaving this book behind.
“Alright, let’s go,” she said as she began down the hall.
Twilight shot her a look. “Come on!” she growled.
After a brief moment of ascending a few flights of stairs, they had reached the rooftop. Instantly, Spike began looking around for a chariot.
“Where’s the landing party?” Spike asked.
“I flew here myself.”
The dragon made a confused expression.
“It’s a long story, but right now we have to get the fuck out of dodge.”
Spike nodded and unfurled his wings. He didn’t much care for flying the way Rainbow Dash did since his wife didn’t enjoy such a luxury, though he did use it occasionally, when he was running late.
He looked over to Sweetie Belle and opened his arms for her to be carried in. Spike slid his claws underneath her, and she one hoof around him, the other around her book.
“Drop me and all kick your ass,” joked Sweetie Belle.
Spike smirked and took flight. As he did so, he could feel Sweetie Belle’s grip around him tighten.
----------
As the trio finally reached Ponyville, it became clear that the small town was not and island of refuge amongst a sea of death. The first sign that indicated such was the massive pillar of smoke just outside of the town. As they drew closer, they could tell that it’s source was a pile of hundreds of burning bodies, a sight one in the city would find all too common.
‘At least it’s only a few,’ thought Spike.
“Hey Spike!” yelled Twilight.
He looked over to see her gesture towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Taking the hint, Spike adjusted his angle of decent.
As Spike’s feet touched the ground, he had to run a little in order to keep his balance. Once he was at a complete stop, Sweetie Belle jumped out of his arms.
“And to think, I’d almost forgotten how much I hate flying,” said Sweetie Belle as she used her hooves to at least attempt to fix her mane.
Spike chuckled softly. “I’m sure Fluttershy has a comb for you, Sweetie.”
Twilight, who had just landed, took no time in walking over to the door. However, her greeting wasn’t as sweet as she had expected, for just as she began reaching for the door knob, it was opened.
Fluttershy was wearing a full biohazard suit complete with a P100 mask and safety goggles. In her hoof was a wand like object with a bright blue glow emanating from it, on her belt was a small plastic object that looked similar to a pistol.
“Please, stay away from the entrance until I’ve had time to scan you,” demanded Fluttershy.
Everyone was a bit surprised by all of Fluttershy’s gear, but complied nonetheless. The Pegasus pony began with Twilight, making sure each and every part of her body had been exposed to the light. She then went on to point the plastic device at Twilight’s forehead. It let out a small beep as she pulled the trigger.
“98.5” said Fluttershy.
She did the same to Sweetie Belle.
“98.7”
Finally, it was Spike’s turn. As the light washed over Spike, he was curious to know just what exactly she was doing to him.
“Hey Fluttershy, What is that thing?”
“It’s a UV wand. It kills ninety nine point nine eight percent of all viruses, bacteria, fungi, everything,” she answered as she continued to go about the scan.
“And you have this how?”
Fluttershy smiled beneath her mask and closed the wand. “It’s a long story.”
She then pointed the second device at Spike’s forehead.
“98.5”
Feeling more comfortable, Fluttershy lifted her hood and revealed her pink mane. Next she slid off her mask and goggles.
“Well,” she said smiling, “I hope you all are hungry. I just finished making some soup.”
Sweetie Belle and Spike exchanged glances before following Fluttershy inside. To their surprise, there were no animals to be found.
“Fluttershy, what happened to all of your pets?” asked Sweetie Belle.
Fluttershy, who was already pouring a few bowls of soup, replied “Well, the black flu is an avian influenza type A virus which means it can be spread from animals to ponies and now pony-to-pony. I didn’t want one of my animals getting sick, so I just set them free. It took them awhile to understand, but they’re okay now… So, are things in the city as bad as they say?”
Sweetie Belle sighed, as her and the others took a seat at the dining table. “It’s a damn nightmare. Thousands are evacuating while thousands more die. I swear there are so many dead that seeing ponies in that state is almost normal… We saw a mass body burning on the way in. Did you know any of them.”
Fluttershy brought the bowls of soup over to the dining table on a platter and laid them before her friends. “Yeah, a few; Bonbon, Mister and misses Cake, Cheerilee, and Poundcake.”
The three just stared at Fluttershy, shocked by how casually she spoke of this. Then the thought of Pinkie Pie instantly shot through Sweetie Belle’s head. With this new information, she couldn’t help but think of how bad things must be for her.
“I imagine Pinkie Pie is having a pretty rough time,” said Sweetie Belle.
Fluttershy swallowed a spoonful of soup. “I wouldn’t know. After she came back from Canterlot to find the Cakes dead she left town with Pumpkin. She didn’t even tell any pony.”
There was a momentary pause before Twilight asked “Excuse me Fluttershy, do you have a radio?”
She nodded and pointed to one on the kitchen counter. “Over there.”
With the glow of her horn, Twilight flicked it on and began turning up the volume. She assumed that this announcement would be so large scale that it wouldn’t matter what channel it was on.
“This is an announcement from the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Equestrian Royal Guard. As of three thirty PM, Canterlot time, the ruling princesses of Equestria have placed Equestria under military quarantine and martial law. Do not attempt to leave your city. Royal Guard checkpoints have been placed at all roads connecting major cities. If you attempt to leave, you will be sent home. All unruly action will be met with strict and immediate force. At eight thirty PM to seven AM a curfew will be in effect. If you break the curfew you will be detained. Message repeats. This is an announcement-“
Twilight shut off the radio and looked over to Spike. “Looks like we got out just in time.”
The dragon glared at her. “You voted for this?”
Twilight made an expression, as if she’d been insulted. “No! Celestia and Luna did. Even Cadence got over ridden by them. We had no say. The only thing I voted yes on was the release of a few criminals!”
“You did!?” shouted Sweetie belle. “I was almost raped thanks to that!”
“Well, how the fuck is that my fault!? All of the police are dead! Was I supposed to let them all rot in their cells with no food and water?”
“Yes! Those sick fucks shouldn’t walk free! They’re only making this world go to shit faster!” argued Spike.
Ignoring the conversation completely, Fluttershy finished her last spoonful of soup and took it over to the sink. Rolling up the sleeves on her suit, she began to wash the bowl. Once she had dried it and placed it atop the rack, she sighed.
“Will you three shut up!” screamed Fluttershy. “Spike, Sweetie Belle, quit going after Twilight, if it weren’t for her breaking the law and getting your asses out of Manehatten you’d be stuck there still! Secondly, she decided not to go underground like Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and even Shining Armor because she wanted to keep you two safe!”
Everyone just stared at Fluttershy. Never had they expected such a kind pony to snap in the way she just did. They just assumed that the years to herself and the stresses of the pandemic had finally gotten to her.
Spike was the first to recover from his state of shock. He turned to Twilight and was about to say something, when the lights suddenly went out.
Fluttershy face hoofed. “Oh come on.”