Endgame

Endgame

Fall Famine

Moonshine The Brony

One Week After Ponyville Wave

The town was eerily quiet. The sky was barren, not a cloud to be found in the sky. Most of the Pegasi had already retreated to Cloudsdale, anyway. The stars twinkled dimly overhead, and the moon was an off-putting pinkish color. The town square was abandoned completely, home to only a few desperate survivors. The wind echoed ominously through the mostly abandoned buildings.

Applejack sighed as she gazed upon the ruins of the schoolhouse. 3 days earlier, she had woken up during the middle of the night to screaming. She had run to her window and saw plumes of smoke rising from the schoolhouse. She tried her best to get there in time, but by the time she got there it was too late. She could barely recognize the charred bodies of the ponies she once knew. She just barely held back tears when she saw the mangled body of Cheerilee, who had started to become a close friend. She saw the bodies of two fillies, one of them wearing a somewhat melted tiara. Cheerilee had ran into a burning building to save two of her students. She hadn't told Applebloom yet, but it was only a matter of time until she found out.

Applejack continued down the path with a cart full of apples, albeit small ones, that she had collected only minutes before. "Dog gone it," she muttered to herself. "How are we supposed to feed the refugees if the crops fail?" she whispered. She passed through the familiar clearing that opened up onto the farm. She smiled when she saw a familiar pony flying over to help her. "Thanks, Rainbow," she said as the cyan Pegasus hooked the cart to herself.

"No problem! Gotta help out too, right?" she said with a smirk. Applejack laughed.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Anyways, how's everypony doing today?" she asked. Rainbow's smile faded.

"We, uh... we lost another one today. Three, actually. Morale's pretty low right now, but everypony'll be glad to have fresh food in their stomachs." Applajack flinched. She opened her mouth to ask who, but Rainbow read her expression and answered for her. "We were going and trying to find more survivors, but there are the looters to worry about. They've teamed up and formed gangs. One of them found us while we were searching Rarity's house. We found Spike, stabbed to death. Then we were ambushed by a gang called the Sky Lights. They stabbed Daisy and threatened to do the same to the rest of us if we didn't give them our food. Naturally, we refused, so they stabbed Snowflake next. He looks super strong, but he's pretty weak really. Anyway, he bled out fairly quickly, so there was no helping him. Then they took Carrot Top and left. They're gone, AJ." Applejack listened to her friend quietly. She sounded like it wasn't a big deal, but Rainbow Dash had been concealing her true emotions for a while. Applejack almost couldn't tell what her friend was thinking anymore.

If I can't trust my friends, then I should... Applejack flinched. No! I won't do that! If my friends can't rely on me, then they can't rely on anypony! I'm the Element of Honesty, after all! she chastised her self angrily. I need to stop thinking this way and just focus on helping my friends. Rainbow Dash stared at her friend in confusion. Applejack noticed and realized that she had been biting her cheek. The coppery taste of blood coated her tounge and she could feel a small trickle from the side of her mouth. "Sorry, Rainbow." she muttered meekly. Rainbow Dash shrugged.

"If you do that, fine by me. I've seen worse. But please, can we get back to the barn? This harness is starting to get uncomfortable." She flared her wings out to shift the harness to a more comfortable position. Applejack chuckled and nodded, a rare, genuine smile on her face. "I just hope the others are okay," she said, smile fading. Rainbow dash scowled. "Hey, you gonna just be a sourpuss or what? Lighten up; they'll be fine!" Applejack sighed and nodded. "Al'righty then. Let's start heading back to-" her ears perked up as she heard a shrill scream in the distance. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "That's coming from the barn!" she shouted and shook off the harness. Applejack was already gone, only clouds of dust in her wake.

~ ~ ~

The Everfree Forest had been ravaged by the recent disasters, no doubt. Princess Luna looked around the castle that had once belonged to her with a heavy heart- the forest around her was blackened and charred, the plants dead. Luna sat on her throne, which had somehow survived the forest fire, and looked in the sky. The sun was shining harshly overhead. Luna frowned, deep in thoughts. The sun should not be this bright. Not yet, she thought quietly. Not unless...

Her eyes widened as realization of some forbidden truth dawned on her. She focused her horn to cast some spell, but was cut off by a flash of purple and a scroll falling on her head. She smiled thinly and opened the scroll with great haste and read.

Dear Princess Luna

I'm alive and daresay well. I am currently living in a bunker I had made for this kind of event located under the library. I find it hard to accept the news about my friends and Canterlot, but I know that you would not lie to me. Other than this entire situation, nothing unnatural has happened to me directly. Actually, that isn't true. I've been having these strange dreams lately, and I think you as the ruler of the dream realm as well as the night would be able to help me understand their meaning. Please keep in touch so that we can exchange news.

Your Friend,

Twilight Sparkle

Luna's smile widened when she read the short note scribbled hastily. There were many parts scribbled out and blotted with tears, but the writing was still legible. Luna could barely contain her excitement despite the scene around her. "Yes! It's finally happening!" she announced. A lone cloud covered the sun for a split second, but that was all she needed. In a split second, Luna was gone, all traces of her disappeared.

~ ~ ~

Applejack couldn't suppress her shock when she returned to the barn. There was debris everywhere, and the cause was soon evident. A long, drawn out, somewhat cliched howl echoed around her, and bright green eyes glinted in the shadows. A growl sounded from her left and Applejack could smell the fetid odor of blood to her right. She looked over to the right out of the corner of her eye and almost fainted. The bloody, mangled bodies of Applebloom and Fluttershy lay on the floor, the hungry faces of Timberwolves burying themselves in their meal looking up at Applejack. They stopped eating their prey and started padding toward Applejack slowly. Then one of them lunged.