Terminus

by BaroqueNexus

Chapter 5: Underground Again

Chapter 5: Underground Again

A fire hydrant had burst on Jade Street, just a block down from Bullion Boulevard. When they saw the gushing geyser of water, the group cried out in relief and galloped toward it. They took the opportunity to bathe in the water, washing off the dust and grime from their clothes and skin. Careful not to get too close to the gushing hydrant, one by one they scooped up water in their hooves and drank as much as they could, cooling their parched throats. Fluttershy made sure to give water to Rainbow Dash, who was drifting in and out of consciousness. After a few minutes, they were all soaking wet, but at least they felt a little bit better.

“Alright,” Shining Armor gasped, wiping his mouth and coughing up a bit of water that had gone down the wrong tube. “Alright, we keep moving. C’mon.”

“But Shining Armor…”

“We can’t rest now!” he snapped. “Not with Rainbow Dash hurt, not with Cadance still out there, and not with that...that thing tearing through the city. Neighville Avenue is just a few blocks down this road. That’s what Blu said, remember? We can get your friend some help there, and maybe get a little breathing room. But we still have to keep moving. So come on!”

Reluctantly, the rest of them obliged, picking themselves up and shaking their manes free of water. They immediately regretted getting their clothes wet, as they were now soaked to the bone and felt worse than ever, despite their quenched thirst.

Everything had grown eerily quiet. The constant howl of emergency sirens was now a dim whine in the distance. Only the sounds of the wind and tumbling trash on the streets met their ears now. Shining Armor licked his dry lips and looked around. The street was empty. No ponies, no carts, nothing. The group was completely alone.

“I know this probably goes without saying,” Blu Badge said, breaking the silence, “but I don’t like this at all.”

“Ah don’t think even Pinkie woulda liked anythin’ at all in this tarnation,” Applejack replied, hanging her head sadly.

“Don’t say that,” Twilight snapped. “She...She would have. Pinkie Pie always...she always found a silver lining…”

“Always knew how to make a bad thing better,” Fluttershy agreed quietly.

Silence, and then Rarity spoke up. “I miss her so much.”

“We all do, Rarity,” Twilight said, sniffing. “We...we all do.”

Shining Armor felt a pang in his heart, and Blu Badge bit his lip uncomfortably as he walked. Silence filled the air again, along with the smell of sulfur.

* * *

They met a few other survivors while walking down Jade Street. Some were covered in blood and dirt. Others were just shambling down the road, their faces blank and their eyes twitching. The few that chose to speak to the others all said basically the same thing: nopony knew what the heck was going on. Blu Badge would always offer assistance to passing survivors, but all of his offers were either politely rejected or ignored entirely. One pony told them that Mayor Maneroe had declared a state of emergency, and that Princess Celestia was to make a statement concerning the situation in Manehattan. Twilight felt better knowing that Princess Celestia was going to help him, but the pony that had informed them wasn’t so sure. As far as he was concerned, the city was on its own.

They were three blocks from Manehattan General Hospital when Blu Badge suddenly put up his hoof, and the group came to a halt.

“Why are we stopping?” Shining Armor demanded. “We have to—”

“Quiet!” Blu Badge snapped. “Hear that?”

They all listened carefully, and sure enough the sounds of commotion met their ears.

“…paws off, you dirty mutt! It’s mine!”

“Finders keepers, cow! Now get outta my way!”

“What the…” Blu Badge said, drawing his police baton. “Stay here, everypony.”

“Are you kidding me?! We need to move!” Shining Armor shouted. Blu Badge ignored him, rounding the street corner and disappearing from sight. Cursing, Shining Armor galloped after him.

“Wait, Shining Armor!” Twilight called, but her voice fell on deaf ears. Ignoring Blu Badge’s order, she went after her brother, and the others reluctantly followed suit.

When they rounded the corner, they gasped. Blu Badge had dropped his baton and was now shouting and holding his revolver in his shaking hooves. Shining Armor was standing behind him, unsure of what to do. Twilight looked at where Blu Badge was aiming, and her eyes widened. Standing in the street was a Diamond Dog and a minotaur, both covered in dust and grime. The minotaur held a piece of broken glass in his hand, while the Diamond Dog was carrying what looked like a bag of jewels from the nearby jewelry shop.

“You, bull! Drop the glass shard now!” Blu Badge demanded. “And you! Put that bag down and get on the ground!”

“C’mon, cop,” the Diamond Dog sneered. “Ain’t you got better things to do? The damn city’s goin’ to Tartarus and you’re gonna shoot me over a bag of diamonds?”

“They’re mine!” the minotaur roared. “I found them first! This mutt stole them from me!”

“Both of you shut the heck up! You will both comply or I will be forced to detain you!”

“Detain us?” the Diamond Dog laughed. “You mean shoot us? C’mon, officer, go ahead! There ain’t no law in this city no more. Every pony and dog for himself!”

“I said shut up and get on the ground!” Blu Badge screamed, cocking the revolver. “I’m not going to ask again!”

“Well, since you asked so nicely, go soak your head,” the Diamond Dog sneered. The minotaur was shooting daggers at the dog, but then he sighed.

“Okay, okay,” he said, dropping the shard and sinking to his knees. “Look, just don’t shoot, alright? I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Ha!” the Diamond Dog cackled. “You pathetic coward!”

“Shut up, mangy cur!”

“ENOUGH!” Blu Badge roared, stepping closer. Meanwhile Shining Armor, Twilight, and the rest of the group were frozen in fear, shock, and awe.

“Get off the streets and get off the island,” the officer continued. “Now.”

The minotaur nodded while the Diamond Dog cackled again, but his laughter ceased when another sound ripped through the air. A familiar, earsplitting roar…

“Go,” Blu Badge ordered. “Go, now!”

Too late. The monster rounded the corner and stomped onto the street, bellowing at the top of its lungs. Before anypony could get a good look at it, another sight caught their eyes: a trio of blue-suited pegasi flying in formation, encircling the monster at incredible speeds.

Shining Armor gasped. “Are those…Wonderbolts?”

Rainbow Dash lifted her head. “Wha? Somepony…say…”

The minotaur and the Diamond Dog ran for their lives, completely ignoring Blu Badge and the others. The monster, which resembled some kind of misshapen dragon through the haze, roared again and tried to swat the Wonderbolts out of the air. Suddenly the air seemed to explode, knocking everypony off their hooves. Looking up, they saw a fireball blossom from one of the nearby apartment buildings. Another Wonderbolt positioned herself above the monster’s head and raised a glowing glass sphere above her head. As the group watched, the Wonderbolt threw the sphere with all her might, but the monster managed to duck its head out of the way. The sphere instead hit the ground at full force, and another explosion ripped through the air, leaving a giant smoking crater in the middle of the street.

“Magic bombs!” Twilight cried. “They’re dropping magic bombs!”

“Yeah, no kiddin’!” Applejack replied. “We gotta get outta here!”

“But where do we—”

“Watch out!”

Looking up, they saw the monster tear off a chunk of the burning apartment building in its hands and toss it in their direction. They scattered like roaches as the flaming debris smashed into the street. The monster roared again, rattling their bones. The Wonderbolts’ attacks were having no effect on the gargantuan beast. In fact, they only seemed to be making it angrier.

Blu Badge looked up as the dust settled, then gasped and pointed. The chunk of the building had ripped through the street, exposing the sewer tunnel that lay beneath. Immediately the rest of them understood. It was their only chance.

As the monster bellowed once more, they all darted for the opening in the road. But as they reached the hole, a magic bomb slammed into a nearby tenement and blew it to pieces. The fireball blossomed like a flower in the sky and rained down flaming debris around them. Twilight screamed and dove into the sewer hole just as the burning hulk of what was once an apartment bathroom crashed into the ground above her. Then, with a loud groan, the road caved in above them, sending dust and rubble everywhere and sealing the hole.

Minutes passed, though they felt like years. The girls coughed and wheezed as they tried to stand on their hooves. Shining Armor shook his mane free of dust and looked around.

“Great,” he growled. “Underground again. Is everypony okay?”

His voice echoed off the walls of the sewer tunnel, as did the groans and coughs of the others. It was pitch black, but suddenly a small orb of purple light illuminated the tunnel. Twilight hocked a wad of dusty spit from her throat and gasped for air. But then, as she looked around, her eyes widened in horror.

“Wait a minute…where’s Rarity?”

Shining Armor looked around, but there was no sign of Rarity. Just as he was about to try and console his sister, a timid, frightened voice interrupted him.

“Twilight!” Fluttershy stammered, her eyes full of tears. “It’s Rainbow Dash! She’s…She’s not breathing!”

Comments

[nodamnbrakes]

Whoops, double-posted.

[nodamnbrakes]

Meh.