The Last Of Us

Through the dark, narrow side streets of Ponyville, the heroes galloped keyed up to their destination. What they were leaving behind was nothing more than an empty, deadly silent place of naught Twilight's library was in, and what they were heading to began to fill this nothingness with savage terror.

“Somepony,” Twilight Sparkle did her best to explain what she could to Fluttershy. “Or better said, something, is causing all of this havoc. We saw it at Sweet Apple Acres. They are like... rifts... in time and space. Anomalies that came out of nowhere and have no apparent reason to exist!”

“Anomalies?” Fluttershy wondered in bewilderment. “Like when Discord caused chaos?”

“Oh no, Sugarcube,” Applejack had to clarify, even if she did not want to. “Discord's chaos could sometimes be funny, even though mean.”

“But this,” Rainbow Dash finished her sentence. “Is mayhem.”

“So you mean there won't be any chocolate rain?” Pinkie Pie questioned them desperately disappointed.

“Pinkie!” Rarity gave her a mouthful. “This is not the time for randomness!”

“Oops! Sorry,” Pinkie replied, and knowing that Rarity was right, she contained herself.

The outcries grew louder as they approached their inexplicit goal, and the sky, with every step they did, became redder, with the blistering heat of burning materials intensifying proportionately to it.

“The whole city is on fire!” Spike squalled with an anxious face.

“I hope nopony is hurt by all this,” Fluttershy spoke under her breath, to which the others could only nod worryingly.

“How can some space holes do this, anyway?” Rainbow Dash questioned the situation furiously.

“Don't you remember?” Twilight Sparkle reminded her of their situation. “When I tried to use my magic to undo the anomaly and end the fire, it did not work. These things oppress or, at the very least, influence magic.”

Just as she finished her sentence, they arrived at one of the main streets, where, for the first time, Fluttershy witnessed the true horror of the events by herself.

“My dear...” she could only stammerer when she saw what has become of the peaceful city she lived in two-thirds of her life.

Many buildings, though scattered, were on fire and burning down to ashes. A crowd of ponies galloped down the street in an attempt to escape from the city, but everything was just too chaotic and they hindered each other unwillingly.

“Sugarcube Corner is where they are running from. I'm worrying about the Cakes. I have to help them!” Pinkie Pie called, just before her concerns got the better of her and she made her run against the stream of ponies.

“Wait for us!” the others yelled at her, but she did not listen and simply moved along, with them quickly following and galloping to Sugarcube Corner.

As they arrived, they realized that the roof of it was on fire, and in front of the door was one of the guardians that fought against something, that looked like concentrated magic that levitated in the air.

“Oh no! The Cakes!” Pinkie Pie shouted out solicitously.

“And one of those anomalies!” Twilight pointed out just as she saw that one guardspony tried his best to destroy it.

He shot one beam of magic at it, but the only result was that it was consumed by the rift and somehow transformed. Much stronger and larger in size, it flew into the air with an incredible velocity.

Fluttershy was in shock and stood still with Angel on her back, since she recognized this as the attack that almost took her out, while the others went closer to the guardian. He immoderately recognized Princess Twilight Sparkle and bowed to her.

“Your majesty, Captain Shining Armor ordered us to deal with these things, but it won't work,” he nervously said as she approached him.

“There is no known way to destroy these things,” she explained him with a calm voice. “Tell every guardian that the orders you have are invalid. Also inform my brother about it, so he can focus on bringing all ponies to a save spot.”

“Yes my princess. Your wish is my command,” he told her respectfully, before he quickly turned around and galloped away to do as told.

Just as the ponies though they could safely rescue the Cakes, Fluttershy looked up into the sky and saw the inevitable dashing towards them.

“Heads up!” she yelled with all of her voice, which resulted in the others barely hearing it at all.

Spike turned around and walked closer to Fluttershy, worrying about what she just whispered.

“May you repeat that a bit louder?” he asked her irascibly.

She repeated herself, but again, Spike could barely understand her, because of the noisy background filled with the sounds of  burned down construction and screams.

“Did you just say... Heads up?” he questioned her, just before he comprehended her words and looked up.

At first confused, his facial expression turned into utter shock and panic, and quickly, he turned to the rest and warned them.

“Heads up!” he shouted out in panic.

As the others heard him, Fluttershy grabbed Spike hastily, and soared from the ground. They screamed, and with an ear-piercing detonation, it annihilated the rooftop and made it fall apart, collapsing between the threesome of Fluttershy, and the other ponies.

Influenced by the shock wave, she lost control of her flight, making her spin around her own a axis. Angel could not grab hold any longer and Fluttershy lost grip on Spike, causing both to fall down, though it barely changed anything about their situation since she slammed into the ground, as well.

They could still hear the building came tumbling town, but Fluttershy could only scratch her head in her dizziness, barely recognizing the blurry figures sitting in front of her that were Spike and Angel.

Holding her head in the hope to make her headache stop, she turned it to the crumbling noises behind her, and as she soon as she did, her eyes opened widely and she was suddenly wide awake.

“Look out!” she clamored, before she gave a jerk and hustled both boys out of the way, slamming into the ground once again.

Just as she hit the ground, she could feel the incredibly painful sensation of an heavy object bantering on her right, splayed wing. Her head rose into the air, and only able to groan and breath in heavily, her body flagged as she begin to shed tears.

Spike and Angel scratched their heads in confusion and giddiness, but they helped each other getting on their feet and fathomed what happened to Fluttershy.

“Oh my goodness...” Spike spoke under his breath, before rushing to Fluttershy, with Angel following him.

She was just lying there, weeping, while her right wing was buried under a massive timer plank, likely a part of Sugarcube Corner.

“Don't worry, Fluttershy. We'll get this thing from you,” he assured her, before both of them took grab of the wooden plank and pushed it aside.

Spike then gave her a hand and allowed her to lean on him, since Spike realized that her wing was badly injured.

“Gosh, Fluttershy. You don't look good. Can you move your wing?” he asked her worryingly.

But it was futile. As soon as she was up on her hooves, still crying and catching her breath, she gave it a try, but only groaned in pain.

“No. I-I can't. I think my wing is broken,” she mumbled, to which Spike nodded, before turning around and facing the blockade of rubbish that lay between them and the other ponies.

“Twilight! Guys!” he shouted on top of his voice. “Is anypony there!?”

A while passed, but to their alleviation, they responded.

“Spike! Are you okay?!” Twilight yelled from the other side.

“Yes, but Fluttershy is injured!” he responded, just as Fluttershy interrupted him.

“I am very sorry to disrupt your talk, but I'm worrying about my little friend. Could you please take me to my home, Spike?”

“But of course, Fluttershy,” he assured her, before focusing back on Twilight. “Twilight! Are the Cakes okay!?”

“Yes!” Pinkie suddenly responded. “They are all fine!”

They sighed in relief, but Spike knew he had to keep an earnest tone, so he concentrated and knew what to do.

“Guys! I'm bringing Fluttershy and Angel to their home! We'll be waiting for you there after you made sure everypony is safe, alright?!”

It took the ponies a while, but they recognized his idea as intelligent and accepted.

“Alright, Spike!” Twilight approved openly. “Protect her! And don't worry Fluttershy! You are in good hands!”

“I know!” She yelled, before coughing in ache.

Spike then turned with Fluttershy based herself on him, with Angel giving his best to assist him.

“Come on, Fluttershy. We'll bring you out of here,” he assured her genially, before making the first steps towards a side street.

Though moaning at first, Fluttershy's pain diminish, and she could with normal speed, again, and as they approached the dark alleyway, she gently pushed Spike aside. Though at first, her legs gave out from under her, she steadily regained her stableness and stood still after some seconds.

“It's alright. You don't need to worry,” she reassured Spike and Angel. “I am fine.”

They first intended to convince her otherwise, but showing strength is something that was necessary in this situation, so they allowed her to do so and continued to walk the deathlike alley.

But something did feel off. It was such a contrast to the main street they just came from, where everything was alive an filled with fear and terror. Here, it was just cold silence.

Fluttershy felt queasy, but she did not let her fear overcome her, since she was protected by the strong hands of her friends. But suddenly, she stood still and stiffened abruptly.

Spike and Angel noticed that Fluttershy was not following them anymore, and so they turned around, only to be petrified. Fluttershy heard a groaning from directly behind her, and she felt the warm sensation of breaths of air on her neck, causing her to have goose bumps.

Her body was nearly completely deaf, and she was happy for it, not wanting to scream like a little filly at the moment where this thing was right behind her, possibly ready to ambush her when she move just one inch.

But knowing that standing still would not help, she, as her curiosity got the better of her, turned her head and stared directly into the snout of anguish, deadly terror and black despair.