The morning came, and the sun's glare came through the small windows. Twilight rubbed her eyes, looking instinctively for her rifle, and found it right by her bed. Seeing her friends asleep, she quietly exited the room, heading off to the bigger window in the hall. Looking outside, she saw the soldiers doing their drills, and suddenly she realized she forgot to ask about Shining Armor. Her brother was in the Royal Guard, so if he was alive he should surely be here. She heard a bell, and suddenly her spine tingled. Something was off this morning. A tiny black dot appeared in the sky, and slowly it grew. As it got closer, it gained some shape, and Twilight's eyes widened. She rushed to Celestia's office, hoping she would be there, and thankfully she was, pouring over documents. Twilight flung the door open, gasping.

"Princess! There's a helicopter coming here!"

Celestia looked up, and upon hearing her student's words, rushed off to the outer wall. The soldiers stood at alert, waiting for orders. Celestia got out a pair of binoculars, adjusting them to the appropriate setting. The insignia wasn't there, and all her craft were required to bear insignia. She snapped her binoculars closed, and sighed. "Attention! If that helicopter gets any closer, you are authorized to shoot it down! I will contact the pilot directly, and we'll try to find out their intent. In the meantime, try to... they're coming closer, neutralize their craft!"

Ten soldiers released bolts of electricity on the helicopter, ending it spiraling down to the ground. Upon impact, a minor explosion went off, resulting in a fire in the cockpit. Celestia sent four soldiers to inspect the wreckage, and turned to Twilight. "Twilight, I know you have traveled a great distance, but you must go. If that craft was an enemy, you, along with your friends and every individual here, is in danger. The residential area is on the opposite side of the base, go alert the residents. Get them to the shelter, by the cellar. Then get your friends and whatever else you need and get out of here."

Twilight wanted to stay with Celestia, but knew her teacher was right. She hurried back through the winding hallways, and reached the quarters where she had slept. She found her friends still asleep, and shouted, "Wake up! We're in danger here, we need to alert the residential area!"

Applejack rubbed her eyes, and looked at Twilight. "What's goin' on, sugarcube?"

"There was a helicopter that arrived here, it didn't have an insignia. It may be an enemy, so Celestia told me to alert the residential area, then get ourselves out of-"

At that moment, a loud boom sounded, and the entire base shook. Twilight looked out the window, and the sight horrified her. The helicopter was still intact, but dozes of infected were running forth into the base. The helicopter must have belonged to a gang, and they must have been carrying infected to drop into some town. It was crucial they get out. Sprinting at top speed, she alerted the rest of the people there. They were sleepy at first, but soon, mothers gathered their children, men led their wives and family, and they were off to the shelter. Twilight ran back to her friends, and found them all awake and running. They got outside, and instantly the smell of rotting, burning flesh hit their noses. Soldiers were beating off infected, and they saw their car where they'd parked it. A zombie was heading for them, and Applejack shot him square in the forehead, making him fall. They climbed in the car, unsure of where they were going, and sped down the road. They were disappointed with not getting as much rest and nourishment as they desired, but glad not to be infected, or dead.

"So," said Rainbow. "who sent the helicopter? And what do you think will happen to Celestia?"

Twilight shrugged. "There was no symbol on the chopper, and Celestia told me to get all the residents in the shelter. She should be fine. We need to get to Cloudsdale, I think. It's just two hours from here, so we can try to figure out what's going on at the same time. Whether it's a gang or not, we can't be certain yet, obviously. Once we get to Cloudsdale, try and find some food, weapons, or even clothing. We could all do with a wash, but that's a bit low on the list of priorities."

She looked out the window at the passing countryside, thinking of her parents. Where were they now? Were they dead? Infected? She wished she had answers, but they weren't hers to hold just yet. It just wasn't in the cards. She grasped her carbine in her hands, feeling the familiar ridges. Then she heard a sound. She looked through the windows, trying to find the source. It sounded like a car. Then, she saw it, out the back window. A truck with a mounted gun was coming closer, and it opened fire.

"Duck," said Twilight. "now!"

The bullets started flying, and Twilight used the car mirror to try and aim at them. She successfully shot the man in the passenger seat, but the driver started pulling up beside them. She ducked behind a seat. being it was made of metal, and aimlessly fires. She heard a gasp of pain, and a pop. She looked over, but saw the gunner still alive, fumbling to try and stay upright, for the car was tipping. Then he flipped, losing his head on the asphalt. But their Suburban shook, and they realized their front tire was gone. Their was a ledge up ahead, and Pinkie tried to turn, but they went over the side.

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The world was still, save the odd creature trying to survive in its lands. At the bottom of a drop, by a dusty road, lay a car. Its wheels were still spinning, and did so for a minute. When they stopped, all was still, even the creatures. Silence passed, and the door of the car was kicked open. Twilight stepped out, surveying her surroundings. They seemed to have landed in a ditch, but it wasn't anything they couldn't fix with the rope. The others were climbing out, and she went to help with the car.

"Twilight," said Applejack, grinning. "Ah think we fell down."

Twilight looked at her. "No, we just flew over the damn ocean on wings made of fucking asphalt!"

Applejack chuckled, and calmed her down. "I was just makin' an observation, no need to get fussy. Now help me with this rope, and stop bein' grouchy. I'm tryin' to lighten the mood."

Twilight rolled her eyes, knowing she should have realized this, and grabbed an end of the rope. They pulled, pushed, and shoved, and finally got the car right side up again. All the cargo was still intact, and thankfully they had a spare tire in the back. After putting it on, Twilight tried to find the map, but couldn't. Then she realized it was in her pocket, and she groaned. Nothing was going well today. She unfurled it, and noticed a shape, miles away. Looking at the map, she saw it was Cloudsdale. Her emotions of annoyance were gone, and she started running.

"Come on, it's that way! We're so close. Rainbow, you drive. I'll look for more danger, if any."

They drove in the direction of the spot, and the heat made it all the more uncomfortable. It looked as if there was water on the road, but when they got closer, they saw it was just the heat. Frustrated, they passed the canteen around, trying desperately to quench the thirst. Upon approaching the town, they heard a noise, and turned to the left to see a house crumble down to mere dust. The families that once lived here must be gone, so they got out of the car, trying to think of a plan.

"Okay," said Twilight. "look for anything we can use to survive, including gas. You can siphon it from any car that's intact, so go. Meet back here after you're done, and be alert for any noise or movement."

Cloudsdale was a wreck. The once great offices and skyscrapers had crumbled to their foundations, and homes were starting to meet the same fate. Walls were cracked or gone, the roofs, if left, were slowly falling. The sidewalk was broken and weed-ridden. Twilight scanned the wreckage, hoping for any sign of supplies or life. But all there seemed to be was her breathing and footsteps. She climbed among the debris, looking for even the smallest amount of food or water, and her hopes died. In a crater made by the rubble, dozens of burned bodies littered the bottom, and the stench was unimaginable. She fell to her knees, trying to suppress the tears, and wondered how someone could do something like this. Men, women, and children, dead and burned on the ground. She slowly walked amongst the bodies, searching for anything alive or moving. She stopped at a small body, a boy of at least eleven years, clutching the arm of another. His skin had been burned almost completely off, and only skeletal remains and bits of flesh still stayed. She got up, shuddering, and turned her back on the scene. It was too much for her. She wandered out of the crater, desperately trying to make sense of it all, and stumbled across a house, this one still mainly in one piece.

Stepping inside, Twilight saw Rainbow Dash across from her. She seemed to be looking intently for something. She motioned for Rainbow to come closer, and she complied. She stepped up to Twilight, and looked at the address. Her eyes widened, and she took off through the house. She searched all the rooms, frantically searching, but found nothing. Spitfire may be gone already, but she still hadn't checked upstairs. She ran up the steps, breaking one of them, and searched in the hopes she was still alive. She reached the door to what could only be the master bedroom, and found it was locked. She kicked it down, using her athletic leg strength to her advantage, and the sight disheartened her greatly. The window was broken, shards scattered on the floor, curtains ripped and burned. The closet was open, and clothes were littered to and fro. Stepping forward, she noticed blood on the floor, and the sheets of the bed were messy. She puled the sheets slowly, dreading the thought of what she could find, and pulled them off. The sheets were bloody, and a corner was misplaced. But it was what was under them that made Rainbow's eyes close. Still, bloody and lifeless, lay the murdered body of Spitfire.

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They knew something was wrong when they heard the wail of sadness. It sounded like Rainbow Dash, so they rushed off to the direction of the noise, unsure if Rainbow was in danger. They burst into the house, and heard the crying coming from upstairs. Running up, they almost fell through the burned and broken steps. They saw the bedroom door open, and once inside, they found Rainbow Dash by the bed, sobbing, with something in her arms. The dead body of Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, lay in Rainbow's arms. Fluttershy approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Rainbow leaned onto Fluttershy, crying without a certain end. They let her shed her tears, and finally Rainbow stood up, with no tears left to shed. She picked up her gun, wrapped Spitfire in the sheets, and tok out a match. Saying goodbye under her breath, she lit the fabric, and they left the building. On the way to the car, they were surprised when Rainbow spoke.

"I'm going to find whoever did this. And I'm gonna kill 'em all."

Author's Note

Yes, it's a cliffhanger, deal with it. I don't mean to be rude, but I have to deal with them too. So find out what happens next time, in The Wasted Lands.

(By the way, for those of you who asked, yes, The Wasted Land is from the Call Of Cthulhu role-playing game. I <3 H.P Lovecraft's stories.)