Endgame

Endgame

Cold Summers

The sky was clear. The sun shone brightly overhead. The laughter of foals and grown ponies alike could be heard from the center of town. Most ponies were out, enjoying the summer and hanging out with friends. Most were.

Twilight Sparkle wasn't. She was busy in her library, frantically flitting around from place to place like a hummingbird in a field of flowers. Her mane was riled up, eyes wide, and one could tell that she hadn't had sleep in the past few days. She feverishly muttered to herself, quietly reciting numbers and facts. Spike watched from the top of the stairs, almost scared to interrupt. But he did. "Twilight?" he asked tentatively. She looked up, ears twitching when she heard her name.

"What?" she snapped irritably. Spike flinched, not expecting to be yelled at like that. Twilight noticed the hurt look on her Number One Assistant's face and stopped moving around. "Sorry. What is it, Spike?" she asked in a more gentle tone. Spike hesitated.

"I know whatever you're doing is important, but don't you think it would be a good idea to calm down?" he asked. Twilight's eyes opened wide.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?" she shrieked. Spike retreated a step. "The fate of Equestria is in our hooves, and you want me to calm down?" Spike knew that when Twilight got this way, talking her out of it would be a losing battle. Like a seasoned commander, he made the best decision for this uphill battle, a tactical retreat. He ran upstairs and hid under the bed, covering his ears tightly. Twilight, on the other hand, didn't notice and continued. "Equestria is facing the biggest crisis in recorded history, no, probably since the beginning of time! We're no longer talking about just my personal problems, we're talking the destruction of the world! So no, Spike, I won't calm down!"

She was panting now, having been running from place to place during her rant. Spike had stopped paying attention to her; he was writing a letter to the Princess to tell her about Twilight's latest panic. He finished the letter and breathed out a jet of green fire, burning the scroll and sending it on its way. Little did he know that he would not get a response.

~ ~ ~

The beach was crowded, with it being a nice summer day and all, with families trying to enjoy the last few days before the husbands went to work, the kids went to school, and the wives did whatever they did. The water was warm and clear, the sand soft, and the sky clear. The giggles of the fillies and foals splashing in the water relaxed the parents, who sat on the sand and conversed about pastimes, family news, and gossip. All was well until one filly in the water sneezed. "Bless you!" shouted one of the other colts. The filly started to thank them but sneezed again. "I-i-i-its a l-little c-c-c-cold." she said, sneezing again. The wind kicked up, bringing a cold gust across the water. All the children jumped out, each one shivering. Parents grabbed their towels and dried their children, while the adults without children tried to figure out the reason behind the sudden change. A cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane was being ganged up on by the parents.

"Hey, don't look at me!" shouted Rainbow Dash, the Pegasus in charge of the weather team. "I told the workers to keep the day clear and warm! They never disobey a direct order!" she defended herself from the angry shouts and cries.

"Bring back the warmth!"

"Do you think this is funny?"

"I'll have you sued!"

The shouting was silenced by a loud scream. "The horror, the horror!" shouted a pink pony known as Daisy. She was pointing at the water. Ponies stopped their arguing and stared at were she was pointing. A large, collective gasp echoed throughout the crowd. All the water on the beach was retreating out to sea, leaving boats stranded out in the sand. The crowd was silent, trying to comprehend what was going on. Then somepony else screamed. It was Roseluck this time, one of Daisy's friends. "The water! Look at the water!"

Everypony looked out at the water. There was silence as they took in the scene out at sea, then screams. The water that had left the beach was coming back in one giant wave. "TIDAL WAVE!" shouted Rainbow Dash, who immediately started urging ponies to safety. Pandemonium broke out, fueled by the impending disaster and frigid gusts of wind. "Everypony get to high ground!" she shouted as she flew over to the disaster alarm. She broke open the cover and pulled the lever, activating a loud wailing siren that echoed over to Ponyville. All of the beach goers were running as fast as they could. The concern for the children's safety was gone, several small fillies and foals squealing and crying as they were trampled by adults who cared more about themselves than the children. Rainbow Dash and a few more Pegasi were moving through the crowd, picking up the unfortunate children and flying them to safety. They had no sooner placed down the first few children than they heard screams. Rainbow Dash and the other Pegasi turned around and watched as the wave crashed down. They flew into action and tried to help the drowning ponies, but it soon proved to be a lost cause. Too many were dragging the others down from under the water. The screams turned into choking gurgles as the ponies stuck in the water were pushed down by the second waves. Rainbow Dash set the fillies she had grabbed from the water and could only watch and listen to the agonizing screams of loss, pain, and despair.

~ ~ ~

Applejack was busy bucking trees again. In her line of work, she was almost always busy. She kicked the apple tree closest to her and was rewarded with a considerable amount of apples. She gathered them up and dumped them into the basket, admiring the fruits of her labor. She estimated that she could get maybe a couple hundred bits for today's work. The Apple Family wasn't poor, as some ponies believed. They were quite wealthy from their quality apples, but chose not to use their money. They were saving up so that Apple Bloom could go to college when she graduated, an opportunity that both Big Mac and Granny Smith missed out on. Applejack was actually waiting for the beginning of the semester now, as a matter of fact. She remembered the excitement of her friends and family as she told them she was going to college. Pinkie Pie threw a huge party and Rarity actually started crying. She smiled at that memory, which had earned a special place in her heart.

She hefted the basket onto her back and set off to the farm. She whistled a dangerously catchy tune as she walked, thinking about how she could spend the rest of the day. She stopped suddenly, perking her ears up. "Is that... screaming?" she muttered quietly. She dropped the basket. That was the direction of the beach! "Apple Bloom!"

~ ~ ~

Rarity was working on her newest project, a dress for the next Grand Galloping Gala. She hummed the song she usually did when she sewed a dress. She held it up to the light, checking the fabric's thickness to make sure it was the same. She sighed in frustration as she noticed that the fabric in the left foreleg was thinner than in the right. "Celestia as my witness, I will get this done!" she huffed. At least Sweetie Belle was out of the house today. She and her friends had gone to the beach. She sighed and thought fondly of her sister. She could be annoying, of course, but there were times where she could be helpful. They had fun, and they had fights. They were fairly close as sisters.

She sighed and took off her glasses. She set them down and froze. "Is that...? The Emergency Alarm!" she jumped to her hooves and ran out the door. She was greeted with the noise of screams and a familiar voice shouting her name. She turned and saw Applejack running to the beach. "Applejack! Where's the girls?" she shouted as she ran after her friend. Applejack glanced at her, panic in her eyes. "They're still at the beach!"