//------------------------------// // Chapter Eleven: Aftermath // Story: Flu Season // by The Fields of Ice //------------------------------// Day Ninety Five Infected: 2.576 Billion Dead: 1.592 Billion Sweetie Belle stepped out of bed and made her way down the hall. She found Twilight and Fluttershy enjoying their apple oatmeal, like they had been every morning for the past ten days. Well, perhaps Fluttershy was enjoying it, but Twilight was too busy reading through a nearby book to probably even know what she was eating. “Can I have some?” asked Sweetie Belle. Fluttershy, and even the impossible to distract Twilight, looked to her. Shock was obviously apparent in their expressions. Fluttershy stood and went over to the stove. “Uh, sure. Just let me boil some more water. I didn’t really think you’d want any.” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Okay, thank you.” The filly then made her way over to Twilight and took a seat. She looked up at her with a halfhearted smile. She only smiled because it was obvious just how hard she’d been working to bring Spike back, judging by her unkempt mane and tired bloodshot eyes. She admired her for trying so hard. “Good morning.” Twilight, who was still in a state of shock, began to reply, but her voice cracked from a lack of speaking. She cleared her throat. “Good morning.” Sweetie Belle looked to her book. “What’s that?” Twilight was a little happy that someone had finally posed the question, for the last time Fluttershy had attempted this, she had a look of utter confusion. This was probably due to all the technical details she deemed important enough to mention. “It’s about an ancient device in Canterlot.” She gestured to the picture of a large stone cylinder with a golden ring around it, upon which there was writing in ancient Equestrian. “What does it do?” she asked. “I’m not sure,” replied Twilight. “I’ve looked through several books, but can only find bits and pieces from the spell used to activate it. What I’m trying to do is decipher what is written on this golden ring here. It’s ancient Equestrian, that’s for sure, but it’s a style I’ve never seen before. So far from what I can tell, it talks about untold energy and power. I just need to fill in the blanks for the spell.” Sweetie Belle rested a hoof upon Twilight’s book. “You still didn’t answer my question.” Twilight looked to her. “If used correctly, I might be able to bring Spike back.” Fluttershy then came back to the table and rested a bowl of steaming oatmeal before Sweetie Belle. “Be careful, it’s hot,” she warned. She then reclaimed her seat and began eating her, now cold, oatmeal. She smiled to Sweetie Belle. “It’s nice to see you walking around again.” Sweetie Belle looked to Fluttershy. “Well, it’s about time I did something a bit more productive. Any news?” Fluttershy’s face went grim at this question. “Sweetie Belle… Things are really bad. There’s no water, no television, and no radio a lot of times. We have no idea what’s going on to be honest. The last estimates said that one billion were dead, but that was a few weeks ago. There could be two billion or more infected.” Sweetie Belle’s expression mirrored Fluttershy’s. The Pegasus saw this, and reached across the table to Sweetie Belle’s hoof. She rested hers atop it and looked into her eyes. “Hey, things may be bad, but we shouldn’t be thinking about what’s out there. We should worry about each other, because that’s how we’re going to have to survive; together.” --------- Fluttershy sat on her sofa, reading a novel. Sweetie Belle saw this and sat down next to her. “What’s that?” she asked. Fluttershy closed the book, making sure to mark the page. “Oh, just some Daring Doo book.” She showed her the cover as evidence. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened with surprise. “You read Daring Doo?” Fluttershy giggled. “Oh goodness no, that’s more Dashie’s thing. She just left this the last time she visited.” Fluttershy suddenly got sad at the mention of her best friend. “I really hope she’s okay.” Sweetie Belle moved closer to her. “I’m sure she’s fine. Rainbow Dash is one of those ponies who can kick some serious ass when it hits the fan.” Knowing this to be true, Fluttershy smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.” Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sweetie Belle and Fluttershy both stared at each other in shock. Fluttershy then jumped up and ran to the kitchen to grab a knife. Sweetie Belle on the other hand, was a little more curious and began towards the door. “Fluttershy, are you home?” asked a familiar voice. Sweetie Belle suddenly froze. Then once her mind was able to process the situation, she galloped over to the door. Just as she opened it, she could hear Fluttershy yelling “No”, but it was pointless. She swung open the door and there before her stood Rarity. Her mane was much shorter and disheveled, her coat was dull from dirt, her eyes were blood shot, and next to a small backpack, she carried with her a rather interesting weapon; a sword. The two mares just stood there, staring at each other. Then, sweetie Belle lunged up at her sister and wrapped her in an incredibly tight embrace. Both, overwhelmed with joy, began to cry. “Sw-Sweetie Belle?” stuttered Rarity. “What are you doing here?” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked. “We, We left Manehatten before things started getting bad. What are you doing here?” “I had to walk from Canterlot. It was a damn nightmare getting past the checkpoints.” Sweetie Belle then gestured towards the sofa as she closed the door behind them. “Come, have a seat.” The two mares sat down as Fluttershy, who is now wearing a mask, enters the room, just after putting her knife away. “Fluttershy, dear!” she exclaims. Rarity begins to stand expecting to give her a hug, but Fluttershy raises a hoof. Rarity sits back down fully understanding. As not to seem rude, Fluttershy says “I really do want to hug you Rarity, but I don’t want to chance it.” Rarity nods. “I understand, though in time I do expect one.” Fluttershy giggled. “Of course.” Twilight, who was wearing a mask as well, stepped out of her room and began to walk over to the group. “Rarity! I thought I heard your voice!” “Twilight! You’re here too!” Rarity began to look around expectantly. “Well, where is he? Where’s my little Spikey Wikey?” Everyone’s expressions suddenly shifted dramatically. Before Rarity had an answer, she quickly drew a conclusion. Rarity’s hooves covered her mouth. “Wha- No… No.” She then looked over to Sweetie Belle, tears were already beginning to form in the filly’s eyes. Rarity wrapped the mare in an embrace and began to cry herself. “Oh Sweetie Belle, I’m so sorry.” Sweetie Belle began to weep into her sister’s coat. --------- As night drew near, Fluttershy found herself soaking in the bath. The water that had been pumped and carried in from the well was incredibly cold, but since Spike’s death, she had become used to it. She let her mind wonder and eventually found it on the topic of here and Applejacks discussion. She remembered her saying that she was always welcome, but was beginning to seriously consider bringing her friends to live with her. Fluttershy knew that her food wood soon run out, especially with Rarity visiting, and instead of going back and forth, she might as well just move. After all, the Apples did have a big house, and with Granny Smith and Big Mac gone, it was practically empty. With that last bit, Fluttershy’s mind was made up. She decided to tell the girls in the morning. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. This caused Fluttershy to instantly shoot out of the water. Hurriedly, she dried herself off with a towel and was about to investigate when she heard the screams of Sweetie Belle. It sounded as if there was a struggle, and then there was a sudden loud thud. Cautiously, Fluttershy made her way out of the bathroom, keeping to the shadows as she went over to a small hallway closet. She made sure not to let the door creak as she took out a crossbow. She loaded it and crept down the hall. She saw that a window was shattered and before it was a dead stallion she’d never seen before. Blood pooled around him from the gash upon his throat. Though what was most surprising was the fact that above him stood Rarity, a crimson stained sword levitating in her magic. Fluttershy stepped forward towards Rarity. Suddenly, another stallion stood at a second window holding a similar crossbow. However, this window was already shattered as well. “Rarity move!” screamed Fluttershy, readying her crossbow. The unicorn jumped to the back of the room, just as an arrow shot through where she had been standing. Fluttershy took this time to fire her own arrow. It struck the stallion directly in the chest. He let out a pained yell as he hit the ground. Fluttershy could feel her blood run cold and her stomach rise. Though she had become stronger, she wasn’t prepared for this. She froze, unable to fathom her actions. Unknown to her, was the fact that another pony was creeping up behind her, a dagger in her magical grip. Just as she was about to strike Fluttershy, an intense magical blast coated the Pegasus in her would be killer’s blood. She turned around to see Twilight running towards her. She took Fluttershy by the hoof and galloped to her bedroom. Twilight then closed the door behind them. “Fluttershy, do you have any more weapons? What about a bugout bag?” The Pegasus just stood there still in a daze. Twilight groaned as she went over to her friend. She rested her hooves atop her shoulders. “Fluttershy, now isn’t the time for this. Do you have any more weapons?” “I-I-I killed him.” Twilight began getting frustrated. She shook Fluttershy violently. “Where the fuck are the weapons?!” Fluttershy jumped. “D-Dresser cabinet.” Twilight darted over to the dresses and began looking through it. She found two more crossbows and took one. Going back to Fluttershy, she led her to the corner of the room where she was hidden from sight. “Stay here until I call for you, okay?” She nodded. Twilight burst through the door, her magical shield at full force. She looked over to see Sweetie Belle hiding behind her sister, who had just stabbed a mare with her sword. Despite the fact that Twilight had already killed, she was still shocked by Rarity’s ability to slaughter with such ease. “Come on, let’s go!” yelled Twilight. The two mares looked to her before darting to her side. As they did so, Twilight called for Fluttershy. Timidly, the mare stepped out of her bedroom. Twilight grabbed her and raced to the front door. Rarity opened it and stepped outside; she saw no more ponies and waved her hoof signaling the rest to follow. The four ran as fast and as hard as they could. “Where are we going?” asked Rarity. “Applejack’s,” replied Twilight. “That’s a stupid idea, they’ll follow us. Follow me.” Rarity then turned and began running straight for the Everfree Forest. Sweetie Belle and Twilight both cast each other glances of uncertainty, but felt that Rarity knew what she was doing. After several minutes of running, Rarity eventually stopped in a dense part of the forest. “Okay, here’s good.” “Rarity,” began Sweetie Belle, “What are we doing?” Rarity turned to her sister. “We need to wait here for a little while before heading to Sweet Apple Acres. I don’t think Applejack would think too kindly of us showing up with bandits on our tail.” Twilight stepped forward. “Where did you learn to fight like that? You just…” She was at a loss for words. The unicorn’s expression went very serious. “I was in Canterlot until about fifteen days ago. By that point, gangs had taken over and everything was falling apart. I watched over half the city burn to the ground, Twilight. The royal guards did help a little, but when the grid fell, they were just more ponies with weapons.” “When did the power go out in the city?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Well, there were black outs for most of the week, but the lights went out permanently about the time I left. Canterlot is a nightmare.” Sweetie Belle and Twilight looked to each other. “Rarity,” began Twilight. “We need to go to Canterlot.” She looked to her with confusion. “What could you possibly need to go to that place for?” “We found a way to bring Spike back,” answered Sweetie Belle. --------- Day One Hundred Thirty Eight Infected: 3.003 Billion Dead: 1.997 Billion Sweetie Belle sat in the hayloft of the barn overlooking Sweet Apple Acres. To her right sat a crossbow, to her left a pair of binoculars. She couldn’t help but think of all the fond memories she shared with Applebloom and Scootaloo here. It’s ironic that now that same place has become her refuge from the horrors of the apocalypse. “Hey Sweetie Belle, it’s my shift.” The filly turned to see Applebloom approaching. She smiled to her friend. “Do you mind if I stay.” Applebloom smiled and took a seat. “Not at all.” The mare then handed Sweetie Belle a closed container with a spoon. “Oh what’s this? More of Twilight Sparkle’s delicious apple soup?” she said sarcastically. Applebloom giggled. “Hey, ya should try some. It’s not as shitty as it was last time.” The two mares giggled. “Did Fluttershy ever get back from her flight?” asked the unicorn. Applebloom sighed, her expression turning sorrowful. “Yeah, she saw Ponyville and what’s left of Canterlot.” She looked down. “The whole damn town’s gone, Sweetie Belle. Half of the buildings have burnt to the ground, the other half look like they need to be. And Canterlot was in about the same shape but worse.” Applebloom began to tear up. “That ain’t shit compared to what the ponies were doing. She says she saw looting left and right, at least three ponies get murdered, and she thinks she saw a filly getting raped too.” Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “What the fuck kinda shit is that? What happened! Six months ago, everything was fine!” Sweetie Belle wrapped a hoof around her. “Hey, no matter how bad things get out there, we’re still fine in here.” She gestured to her heart. “We’ve just got to make sure out there stays out there. So don’t think about all that sick shit, and don’t you dare let it change who you are in here.” She poked her hoof at Applebloom’s chest as well. Applebloom wrapped her hooves around Sweetie Belle. “I’ll try.” --------- Eighteen months post collapse- Pandemic Infection: 2.085 Billion Non Pandemic Related Upper Respiratory Infections: 3 Million Untreated Life Threatening Disorders: 124 Million Intestinal Diseases: 78 Million Violence: 6 Million Starvation: 374 Million (Mostly Children) Lack of Sanitation: 34 Million Total Dead: 2.704 Billion… And Rising.