• Published 28th May 2013
  • 5,625 Views, 346 Comments

Flu Season - The Fields of Ice



The flu, a simple annoying virus we catch every winter. Something we've come to see as common. However, this misconception will prove to be utterly false for all of Equestria, and maybe the world. For this is the story of the next great pandemic

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Chapter Ten: Shock

Day Eighty Five
Infected: 2.242 Billion
Dead: 1.437 Billion

Sweetie Belle sat beside the window, gazing out upon her husband’s grave. An ever-present drizzle had turned the fresh soil to mud. She had wished to sit with him in the weather, but given her condition, Fluttershy wouldn’t allow it. Sweetie Belle had done this each day since Spike’s passing, though Twilight had found a much different way of coping.

The Alicorn raced from notebook to notebook, scribbling various spells with her quill. She was not going to accept that Spike was gone, not without first attempting everything to bring him back.

Her ideas were on the very fringe of what magic had considered being possible. Her notes spanned from Starswirl the Bearded’s time travel spells, to using the Crystal Mirror to cross over into another reality where another version of Spike still existed. At the moment however, she was focusing her attention on the potion Zecora had once given her to combat the Everfree forest’s expansion. And she believed she was close to a break through.

Fluttershy, who wasn’t as close to Spike, went about her days as normal as possible. This isn’t to say that she didn’t feel a tremendous sorrow, only that it paled in comparison to that felt by Twilight and Sweetie Belle.

Fluttershy was preparing to make herself, and possibly Twilight, something to eat. She wouldn’t even bother to ask Sweetie Belle, since she’s been in a daze for over a week.

Upon opening the cabinet, Fluttershy was surprised that there were not more canned goods. She had assumed she had acquired at least four months’ worth of food, but it appears her math was a little off. Regardless, she grasped the nearest can and read the label.

“Carrots and Pea Soup”.

She sighed. ‘Perhaps I should have expanded my food stores,’ she thought.

Resting the soup upon the counter near her oil lamp, she went down the hall to the room Twilight had commandeered. She had a large chalk board to the back of the room, various notes taped to the walls, and at least four books opened to a similar section. At the center of this hurricane of magical knowledge was Twilight, currently she was writing down an equation in one of her note books, before shouting “No! No! No!” and erasing half of her chalk board.

“Um, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked timidly.

The Alicorn suddenly jerked her head in the mare’s direction, not even noticing her entrance. “Yes, what is it?” she asked as she turned back to her board.

“I was wondering if you might like some soup?”

Twilight brushed her off with a hoof. “No thanks, I don’t have time to eat.”

Fluttershy had expected this, and knew for a fact that Twilight hadn’t eaten in a day at least. So she decided to speak to her in a way that would most certainly convince her.

“Twilight, you haven’t eaten in a long time, and if you don’t eat soon, you’ll eventually lose a lot of your energy and ability to concentrate. Also, you need some form of protein to increase cognitive function.”

Twilight’s ears perked up and she looked in Fluttershy’s direction once more. “You’re right, but I’ll make it quick; I have no time to waste on enjoying my meal.”

Fluttershy nodded and stepped out of the room.

----------

As Fluttershy poured Twilight and herself a bowl from the kettle, she passed by Sweetie Belle, who still sat frozen by the window. She had no doubt seen her preparing the meal, that is if her mental state didn’t hinder it, so she bent down next to her and left her with her bowl.

“I hope you eat this, you need something in you.”

Sweetie Belle made no action to acknowledge her words.

Sighing, she continued from the fireplace to the kitchen. The moment she laid the bowl before Twilight, she began to scarf it down.

Fluttershy took a seat across from her.

“Hey Twilight, when do you think Sweetie Belle’s going to get back to normal?”

Twilight finished her slurp. “It’s hard to say. She has been pretty bad off, but I think it’s because she has nothing else to do. All she can do is think about it.” She went back to drinking from the bowl.

Fluttershy slid her hoof upon the oak table. “I know, but what can she do? What does she want to do, I mean?”

Twilight finished off the bowl, disregarding the spill down her cheek. “That’s for her to decide.”

She stood and slid the chair in. “Now, I need to get back to work.”

As Twilight darted out of the kitchen and back to her room, Fluttershy slouched down on the table. She wrapped her hooves around her head and positioned her neck so that she was facing the dimly lit wall. Her gaze met a calendar; its top half displayed an obviously staged photo of foals jumping about happily around their family’s Hearths Warming tree. Just thinking about how happy this time of year was supposed to be made her feel sick. This time of year couldn’t have been more miserable.

“So, this is how the world ends?”

Fluttershy chuckled at herself for posing the rhetorical question.

She then lifted up her head and looked over to Sweetie Belle. Her bowl lay untouched with the only difference being a lack of steam. Fluttershy looked down a little disappointed.

The Pegasus stood and went over to the counter. She found a pencil and a notepad and began to write. She didn’t think anyone would mind if she didn’t leave a note, or even notice, but she did this mostly as self-reassurance.

“I’m going to Applejacks for more food. I’ll be back soon.
-Fluttershy”

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As Fluttershy stepped outside, she felt the brisk air assault and envelop her. This caused her to cling to her scarf and feel thankful that she had it. As she closed the door behind her, she caught sight of the sun; it was just beginning to make its way through the tree line towards the horizon. She shivered slightly, before turning and beginning her trek.

As she walked, she couldn’t help but feel a gradual sense of unease creep upon her. The limited sunlight and lack of any green foliage were all factors, but the shadows were the strongest reason for this. Shadows that seemed to shift with every step, shadows that one could easily hide in, shadows that a killer could drag you into.

Fluttershy found herself feeling a little silly for the childish thoughts, but she knew for a fact that the world was different, things that upon which nightmares were made, suddenly ran amuck throughout Equestria. And given the fact that she had done everything she could to avoid outings, she truly had no idea just how bad things had gotten in the cities, or even Ponyville for that matter.

After roughly twenty minutes of trotting, Fluttershy began to catch sight of the apple orchard. She could have taken her usual, much shorter, path, but feared that it drew too near to Ponyville. As she crossed through the orchard’s main gate, she began to wonder how the sisters would react to seeing her. After all, she and Sweetie Belle didn’t leave them on very good terms. All she could do was hope they were in a particularly giving mood.

She raised her hoof and knocked upon the door.

No answer.

She raised it once more and brought it down with a greater force. This time, movement could be heard from within. The door then opened to reveal Applebloom, a surprised look upon her face. Fluttershy then noticed that in the hoof that wasn’t currently grasping the doorknob was a rather large knife.

“Hi Applebloom, is you’re sister home?”

The filly nodded as she rested the knife upon a nearby table, and moved out of the doorway to grant Fluttershy entrance.

“She’s taking a bath right now, but she’ll be out soon,” said Applebloom as Fluttershy stepped inside.

Fluttershy raised her brow. “You still have water?”

She shrugged. “Well we had to pump it ourselves from out back, but given the circumstances, it could have been a lot worse.

Fluttershy nodded.

After that, the atmosphere of the room took on a rather awkward feel.

Applebloom shifted around slightly.

Fluttershy knew there was one topic left untouched. She looked to the filly and made sure to make eye contact. “So, how are you all holding up?”

Applebloom looked down. “We’re doing alright I guess. I mean things are a lot harder around here, but we manage.”

“Well, if you or Applejack ever need any help, just let us know. I’m sure Twilight and I could lend a hoof.”

She smiled. “Thanks.”

Seeing Applebloom smile caused Fluttershy to grin herself. She was honestly having trouble trying to remember the last time she saw her in the least bit happy.

Just then, Applejack stepped into the room, a towel resting over her back. Her face took on a surprised expression for a moment, but it quickly faded.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

Fluttershy stepped forward. “Um, we’re running out of food and I was wondering if we could have a few cans.”

Applejack turned and gestured for her to follow. She threw the towel in the laundry basket before making her way out the back door. Fluttershy closed the door behind her.

As Applejack opened the cellar doors, Fluttershy stepped forward. “I also came to check on you.”

Applejack’s expression softened and for a second, was approaching a smile. “Thanks.”

The cowpony made her way into the cellar and picked up an electric lantern. Its light illuminated what must have been several hundred cans of preserves. This much food would have been considered over the top for anyone else, but since Applejack owned the orchard, it was sort of expected of her.

“Take as much as you like,” said Applejack, gesturing to the shelves.

Fluttershy turned and undid her saddle pack. This caused Applejack to chuckle.

“You’re not going to be able to fit a day’s worth of food in that thing.”

Fluttershy looked back to the shelves and realized she was correct.

“Listen, I’ll be right back,” said Applejack as she ascended the stairs.

After a few seconds, a metallic squealing could be heard approaching the seller. Fluttershy stepped outside to see what the source of the noise was, and before her sat the Cutie Mark Crusader’s old rusted wagon.

Fluttershy gave it a quick once over and found herself genuinely concerned that it might fall apart before she even reached her cottage.

Applejack caught sight of the apprehension in Fluttershy’s expression. To alleviate some she assured her “Hey, don’t worry. I use this thing for chores around the farm all the time.”

----------

Once the duo had finished loading up the wagon to capacity, Fluttershy wheeled it to the front of the farmhouse before being ushered inside by Applejack. Fluttershy saw that it was already dark, and assumed that she had no reason to protest.

“So, how are things over there?” asked Applejack as she took a seat on her sofa.

Fluttershy took a seat across from her, her expression turning grim at the question. “We’re not doing all that great, to be honest.”

Applejack leaned forward. “Are you guys running low on water? We have plenty to spare if you need any.”

Fluttershy looked to Applejack, and knew that she knew the moment they made eye contact.

The cowpony’s stomach felt sick. “Who?”

She looked down. “Spike.”

Applejack leaned back, putting a hoof to her face. “No, he… How’s Twi and Sweetie taking it?”

Fluttershy felt a tear roll down her cheek. She’d done her best to block it, but for the most part, that was because she had no one to talk to about it.

“They’re doing pretty bad AJ. Twilight won’t sleep or eat because she’s on a magical crusade to bring him back, and Sweetie Belle is completely in shock.”

Applejack arose and went over to her friend. She rested a hoof upon her shoulder as she took a seat.

“Hey Sugar cube, if you need some pony to talk to, know I’m always here for ya.”

Fluttershy wiped her tears. “Th-Thanks Applejack. That’s really nice of you… I-I just want you to know, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for your brother.”

Applejack took a moment to register her reply, but once she did, her expression abruptly changed. “I know Shy. I don’t blame you, I’m sure you did your best.”

The Pegasus pony stood and sniffled as she did so. “I should probably get going. Thank you for the food again.”

The cowpony trotted with her friend over to the door. “Don’t mention it. And if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come back. It’s nice to see a good friend.”

Fluttershy smiled beneath her mask. “I will, and Applejack, happy Hearths Warming.”

Applejack returned a halfhearted smile. “Happy Hearths Warming, Flutters.”

Author's Note:

Before a pandemic, one should have at least 90 days of food, and at the most, six to eight months. More is welcome, but I wouldn't deem it necessary. Now, the point I'm trying to make is, 90 days of food is A LOT. That's 2000 calories per person per day and one gallon of water per person per day. I suggest you get out a calculator and count up the members of your family, but any way you look at it, it's a lot. And the water is just for drinking. If you want to take a "shower" you'd need an extra 30 gallons per person per day. And let's not forget about hand washing and waste disposal. You see what I'm getting at? Over estimate what you think you'll need because odds are, it's still less than what you'll actually need.

My next point is coping with loss. Well not really. You see, during a pandemic with millions dying, suicide rates will skyrocket. So, I ask if you know someone who has lost someone very close to them, and suspect they might try something, speak up and take action. The flu isn't the only cause of death you know.

Lastly, be there for each other. These will be very trying times, and it's important to help others emotionally and physically. Basically, in a disaster like this, you can either come together and arise strong, or fall apart and go every man for himself. And honestly, I can't think of a more fitting lesson to learn on Christmas. Just don't get sick while being all nice, there's still a pandemic going on.