Speak Not Of The End Of The World

by Shaslan

Modern Warfare

Princess Luna was dead.

The news shocked everyone into a stunned silence. The next few weeks passed in a meek numbness, as headline after headline struck the world.

Princess Celestia, apparently in grievance, had gone insane. Ponies in Canterlot saw something surge up into the sky, catching fire before turning into a distant speck. The sun went out for three hours that day. When it came back, it was announced that Twilight Sparkle would take the throne.

The news was met with mixed results. A massive protest occurred in Manehattan, followed by mixed riots in various other cities. Some ponies considered the death and disappearance as clear signals that the end of the world was upon them. Chaos reigned supreme, as if Discord himself had returned, and any sense of hope had long since been lost.

And yet, some things still seemed to stay the same.

“I can’t believe she wants me to find a job!” Strawberry rolled her eyes at the thought. “How does she not understand that the world is literally ending? I don’t want my last days to be stuck behind a convenience store counter or something.” She kicked her rear legs up onto the dashboard in annoyance.

A strange side effect of the chaotic developments was a rapid push in technology. Magic continued to deteriorate, to the point where Twilight outright banned the use of any type of magical ability due to the injuries and destructions running rampant through Equestria.

One such invention was that of a car: a sort of cart that could be piloted instead of pulled.

While a brilliant and exciting innovation, Strawberry wasn’t surprised that Blossomforth’s car was somehow the most tacky thing in existence: a magenta colored vehicle with a turquoise driver’s side door, fake wooden furnishings on the inside, and stickers of her and Redheart’s cutie marks plastered all over the outside.

“Your mom’s wild,” said Redheart from the back. “I know people like that though. They think that we should just carry on with life because if this isn’t the end of the world we’re all just screwed.”

Strawberry scoffed. “And me working at a convenience store is a better option? I’d rather take the end of the world if that’s the case.”

“I still don’t think you could know that if you never apply yourself,” Cheerilee muttered.

“I don’t think Strawberry has ever applied herself to anything in her life,” Cherry joked.

Strawberry rolled her eyes again.

“Ooh. Lot’s empty!” Redheart said excitedly.

Blossomforth’s eyes lit up. “Ooh!”

“Don’t you dare,” Cheerilee warned.

Blossomforth winked at Strawberry. “I would never!”

“Floor it!” shouted Redheart.

The engine roared as Blossomforth pulled into the empty parking lot. With a straight strip of road ahead of her, she slammed her hoof into the accelerator and the tiny car ripped down the asphalt.

Redheart screamed in delight, Cheerilee screamed in fear, and Cherry just held on tight. Strawberry pulled her legs back down, watching as the streetlamps on the side turned into blurred lines. The line on the speedometer crawled higher and higher as the tiny car sped through the lot. As Strawberry listened to the engine’s roar, she couldn’t help but feel the sound felt familiar somehow.

In front of them, Strawberry saw a blur of orange and black in front of them. Her heart seized up as the car barrelled towards them, but her voice died in her throat.

The car slammed into it and..

…They simply passed through.

Strawberry glanced at the rearview mirror but saw no sign of the pony that she had seen. But a strange tingle was left behind, digging into the hole in her stomach.

The speedometer dropped as Blossomforth eased off the accelerator, laughing. “Oh, that’s great. I love this shitbox.”

“I’m going to throw up,” Cheerilee muttered.

“Not on me!” cried Cherry. “Otherwise I’m never taking middle seat again.”

Blossomforth pulled the car out of the lot and back onto the street. Strawberry leaned back and closed her eyes, zoning the bickering from behind her out. She took a deep breath, in and out. In and out. In and out.

A whiff of flowers hung in the air, from Blossomforth’s air freshener. The rush of wind ran through her mane, filling the car from a rolled down window. She felt the car shake and rattle beneath her as it barreled down the street.

Princess Luna was dead. It was such a bizarre concept that seemed hard to grasp. As important as it was, ponies didn’t seem to like talking about it. It felt disrespectful. Taboo, even. Like any gossip would result in Celestia returning to blast them all to tiny bits.

Strawberry wasn’t certain how Luna had died. Twilight had done a good job of skirting the topic, but the general consensus was that it had to be related to the behavior of the sun.

Since then, Strawberry had also been having… strange dreams. Not dreams of a dramatic, sudden end of all life in Equestria, but mundane ones. Everyday dreams. Dreams where she was still in high school, where she was studying horticulture and having lunch in the cafeteria and getting chewed up by teachers.

It was unusual, to say the least. Unexciting even.

But without Luna, Strawberry wasn’t sure what to draw from them.

“Dibs on the bathroom. I’ve had to pee since we left.”

Strawberry opened her eyes to see the car pulling into Blossomforth’s driveway. She shut the engine off and the girls piled out of the car. Cherry waited by the door while the others filed inside. “Hey. What’s on your mind?”

“Huh?”

“You seemed deep in thought up there. Unusual for you,” Cherry snarked.

Strawberry ruffled her mane. “Jerk.”

“Says you. Seriously, what’s up?”

“Eh. Just thinking.” Strawberry couldn’t help but notice how Cherry looked in the afternoon light. Her mane seemed less yellow, her skin looked pale. “Are you… sure you’re fine?”

Cherry waved a hoof. “Yeah. Just… tired, I guess.”

“You’re sure it’s not sun sickness?”

“Yes,” Cherry said, tensing. “I’m sure. I’m fine, Strawbs.” She darted in to kiss her. Strawberry was caught off guard by the motion and barely registered it before Cherry started pulling away. Reaching out, Strawberry wrapped her forelegs around her and pulled her back in to kiss again.

Their lips found each other easily in a rehearsed maneuver, as the two closed the remaining distance between them.

The moment was broken by Cheerilee, as the best ones often seemed to be. “Hey, lovebirds. Get inside, you need to see this.”

“We’re just good friends,” Strawberry said as they pulled away, leading Cheerilee to roll her eyes.

“Whatever you say. Just get in here.”

They followed her into the house, where Blossomfroth and Redheart were staring at the television set. The channel was tuned to a news station, where Princess Twilight was making an announcement.

“What’s going on?” asked Cherry.

“I don’t know,” Redheart says. “But it seems serious.”

“Truly, I wish there was another way,” Twilight was saying. “But the fact is we need answers. I know that our situation is drastic, but we must all band together and remember the things that unite us as ponies. While our physical manifestations of magic seem to be compromised, our intuitive senses are not. This is why I introduced a motion today that requires all pegasi between the ages of eighteen and thirty five to join the Aeronautics Program, where they will begin training as astronauts.”

A hush fell over the room.

On the television, whatever Twilight said next was drowned out by an explosion of questions from the amassed reporters before her.

“Holy shit,” Blossomforth finally said. “So… Every single pegasi has to get ready to go to space now.”

Cheerilee stared at the screen, mouth agape in shock.

“That’s… Wow,” muttered Redheart. “I don’t believe that.”

“She’s insane,” Cheerilee whispered. “How can she possibly expect this to work?”

Strawberry stared at the television numbly, as Twilight was dragged away from the podium by Royal Guards, with a different advisor announcing that the press conference was over.

“This is great! That means we’ll get to hang out together!” Blossomforth exclaimed, clapping her hooves in excitement.

Cheerilee chewed her cheek in worry.

“Really, they should just look into drafting Cherry. Right, Cherry?”

There was no response.

Strawberry turned to look at Cherry. Her girlfriend was staring straight ahead, with blank empty eyes. Without a word, she collapsed to the ground.

“Cherry!”

“Get back!” Redheart nearly threw Cheerilee out of the way, rushing over to Cherry’s side. “Cherry? Can you hear me?”

No response.

Redheart put her ear to Cherry’s chest. “Shit.” She knelt and began slamming her hooves into Cherry’s chest. “Call an ambulance!”

Blossomforth rushed into the kitchen for a telephone.

Cheerilee and Strawberry stood stock still, frozen to the ground in shock.

“One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.”

No response.

“Cherry? Cherry?!”

“Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven.”

“I need an ambulance, she just collapsed on the floor!”

“Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.”

Cherry turned her head, staring straight at Strawberry. She gave a quiet sigh and smiled. “Laotyn,” she whispered.

And then…

…There was nothing.

Comments

[Bicyclette]

A strange side effect of the chaotic developments was a rapid push in technology. Magic continued to deteriorate, to the point where Twilight outright banned the use of any type of magical ability due to the injuries and destructions running rampant through Equestria.

ooh, so that is why this Equestria has so much more advanced technology! and of course it was hinted at in previous chapters with cars being the hot new thing in a world that has rocket ships and space stations. love this idea

“I still don’t think you could know that if you never apply yourself,” Cheerilee muttered.

“I don’t think Strawberry has ever applied herself to anything in her life,” Cherry joked.

oof! and love how just these lines capture the personalities of these characters in Strawberry Sunrise’s life so far

The moment was broken by Cheerilee, as the best ones often seemed to be.

so very Cheerilee

“We’re just good friends,” Strawberry said as they pulled away, leading Cheerilee to roll her eyes.

ahaha

Cherry turned her head, staring straight at Strawberry. She gave a quiet sigh and smiled. “Laotyn,” she whispered.

And then…

…There was nothing.

oof…

and of course the mystery of what this “sun sickness” has been this whole time… possibly the result of Laotyn’s species trying to make contact with individual ponies? just beautiful stuff