A Fear Worse Than Most Feared

by Josh Crapo

And So it Starts

A week after Ponyville mysteriously disappeared from the map, the nine remaining ponies in that area have moved underground, one of them, Air Wiff, having asthma. This cave is what these ponies call a radohome. Near the entrance, an earth pony of the group of nine monitors the air quality of the radohome with her radio on. Her name is Dry Stone. She has an apricot coat, blue eyes and a brown mane and tail to go with her three grey rocks that represent music notes as a cutie mark. Her mane is very banged but straight.

"...I know that it hurts to lose a friend, but it don’t mean your life will end. You’d be here with me, so we would live in harmony. So tell me when you are coming back. I will love every trait you have. I’ll see you here, like I was found again, my dear. I’ll see you here, like I was found again, my dear."

"And that was Found by Dry Stone, one of our last musical composers here in Equestria. Air quality above the ground overall is 418. Low point, Cloudsdale at 216, and high point, location of former Ponyville at 488. Looks like a term from back over five hundred thousand years ago is being used once again to describe the strange uprisings of the air quality of some of the radohomes as the result of- "

"Okay, AQI. Let’s see how high you are." Dry Stone presses the Air Quality Index Check button. "Today alone is at a 52. Okay. Not that bad."

The other two earth ponies, Oak Quilt and Mud, Stick enter the room. Oak Quilt has a brown coat, green eyes and a white mane and tail, having a cutie mark as a long red blanket while Mud Stick has a yellow coat, purple eyes and a red mane and tail, having a cutie mark as a stick. Oak Quilt's mane has quite the curly mane as opposed to Mud Stick's perfect blown in the wind mane.

"What’re you talking about? That’s better air quality than I’ve seen before I moved here."

"Ugh! Why’re we checking this thing out anyways?!?" Mud Stick complains.

"Mud Stick, the air quality above the ground has been over 400 these past few days. The Princess of Friendship died on the first day Equestria’s overall air quality surpassed 400."

Oak Quilt jumps in response to the high number. "Geez! And I thought my hometown had low air quality. This must be a second Dust Ride."

"Still, I don’t see how we need to check the air quality over here when it’s only around 50."

Dry Stone facehoofs. "Ugh. The same thing may happen to us as it did to Ponyville."

"Plus, some radohomes across the remnants of Equestria experienced earthshakes that plummeted the air quality! It could happen to us too! Radohomes are ponymade caves, you know."

"But don’t they have oxygen masks? Goggles?" Mud Stick asks.

"Some do, but most don’t. We’re one of the lucky ones. They’re right over there." Dry Stone points to abundance of oxygen masks and goggles next to the AQI monitor.

"There’s no connection between Ponyville getting wiped off the map and those earthshakes though."

"I can’t think of one," Mud Stick agrees.

"Maybe there is, Oak Quilt. We’ll investigate. This is going to be one of the riskiest choices I’ve made in a while, so brace yourselves."

"What’re you talking about this time? The air quality outside is-" Oak Quilt starts.

"Wait a minute. You said we’re a lucky one, right Dry Stone?"

"Yes. That’s why we’re taking these masks with the nine of us," Dry Stone answers, still a little concerned on what may happen if her plan backfires.

"Wait, all nine of us are going to investigate?"

"Duh, masks? Goggles? How many do we have?" Mud Stick turns to Dry Stone.

"Ten masks, eleven goggles."

"Well, which of the three unicorns here is good at magic?" Oak Quilt asks, starting to stray off topic.

"Not sure any of them are."

"Sure they are. Let’s ask." Dry Stone directs the other two to face further into the radohome.

And with that, Mud Stick, Oak Quilt and Dry Stone all exit the room. Later, the three come back with one unicorn each in tow. Aura Draft, behind Dry Stone, has blue eyes, blue mane and tail, and a purple coat with a cutie mark of three colors of what looks like the Crystal Lights. Tingle Doo, behind Oak Quilt, has a cutie mark of a juke box. Her curly mane and tail are yellow with an aqua coat and brown eyes. Finally, Reprise is completely white with a flag and a flower for a cutie mark as well as pink eyes.

"Of course not, I’d never perform such a thing!" Aura Draft mysteriously answers in shock.

"But you can. You were friends with Perfect Pitch’s mother right?" Dry Stone looks back at Aura Draft.

"Yeah, she was," Tingle Doo says.

After a miniature glare at Tingle Doo, Aura Draft looks back at Dry Stone. "Yeah I was, but she never taught me magic."

"Well, do you, at least, know what Equestria used to look like last week?" Oak Quilt asks.

Everyone stops as Aura Draft nods. "Yes."

"Then think!" Mud Stick excitedly shouts.

"Okay." Aura Draft responds.

"Also, you might want to take these with you."

Dry Stone gives the oxygen mask and the goggles to Aura Draft, who slips both on. Finally, with great concentration, Aura Draft teleports out. With her outside, her oxygen mask and goggles almost instantly cover with dust. The visibility is already dreadful from the start, but dust covering the goggles just makes it worse. She stays silent from the mask covering her nose and mouth, afraid that it’ll fall out of her muzzle if she dares to move her lips. The only thing that’s actaully affected is the fur, beginning to matt and tangle. Clearing the dust out of her goggles, Aura Draft looks for a cellar door to walk in. Moving back in, she shakes the dust off her body. The result? The mask is still on. That’s a good sign. Finally, she notices the other five ponies.

"Okay. Who’s good at keeping nine goggles clear?"

"Well, I’m sure you’re glad we tested our equipment," Dry Stone jokes considerably.

"Yeah... I am. Congratu-pony-lations on your part, master!" Aura Draft snarks.

Looking for a back plan, Dry Stone turns to the other two unicorns. "Tingle, Reprise, are you two any good at magic?"

"Only with illumination and levitation." Reprise looks down to the ground.

"Tingle?"

"Levitation and illumination," Tingle Doo repeats.

Aura Draft shortly sighs. "Welp, if you insist. AIR WIFF!!! SNOW FLAKE!!! COOL AID!!!"

In an instant, the three pegasi enter. Air Wiff has a blue mane with a yellow coat, blue eyes and the cutie mark of speeding wind streaks. Snow Flake is all black with yellow eyes. Her cutie mark is, well, a snow flake. Finally, Cool Aid has a red coat with a blue and white striped mane, bearing a cutie mark that is a glass cup. "What is it, Aura Draft?" Air Wiff asks.

"You may need these masks and goggles," Dry Stone requests.

"But why?" Snow Flake widens her eyes.

"We’re going to be out of our Radohome. Just try to let me concentrate on this. I could be able to teleport. I don’t know what’ll happen, but you’ll have to trust me."

As everyone puts their masks and goggles on, Aura Draft gestures for everyone to close in on her so she could get everyone outside. Upon teleporting out, everyone disappears along with Aura Draft. Outside, Aura Draft performs an advanced form of levitation, one only unicorns as advanced as herself can do, one that keeps clear items clean of small particles including dust. As quickly as the dust clears on the goggles, it blankets them again. Suddenly, Aura Draft has an idea. She decides to conjure an anti-dust sensor shield, one that protects the nine ponies from the dust automatically. While it has to be started, the anti-dust sensor shield is self configured once it’s started. It actually lasts quite a while as well.

Dry Stone looks generally impressed. "Aura Draft… I knew you had a lot of magical potential, but how’d you know to use that air filter?!?" A long silence falls. "Oh. Right. I wouldn’t be that careful as to be 'Paranoid' of losing the mask when speaking. Today, we investigate."