Everfree Meltdown

Chapter 4: Exclusion

The six ponies ran for a great many miles, epinephrin pumping through their vibrant bodies. The first to falter was the soft-spoken Fluttershy.

“I... I can’t go on any... anymore!”, she panted.

“Alright Fluttershy.”, Twilight said. “We can rest for now, but we must stay alert. Remember, those dogs are still out there somewhere.”

"Th... thanks... Twilight.", the bashful pegasus returned.

Everypony was relieved, not having had the adequate sleep over the past couple of days. Every bit of rest seemed a great luxury. Hooves were sore, manes were messy, and morale was at a low point.

After a couple minutes of relaxation, Rainbow noticed something. “Hey! Where’s Pinkie?” The five of them looked around, alarmed by the lack of pink ponies.

“Pinkie Pie!”, they each called out. There was no reply. This put everypony on full alert, as they bolted at an undesirably fast pace towards their point of origin.

"Y'all see her anywhere?!", Applejack hollered.

"She's nowhere in sight!", Twilight exclaimed. "How could I be so blind?!"

Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder, "Now don't worry sugarcube. Jus' keep yer eyes open."

"There she is!", Rainbow yelled, pointing at the foot of a large tree.

Dash's eyes had not failed her, however, the trouble was far from over. The Pinkie they found did not greet them as expected. She was curled up on the ground, twitching violently.

“You okay sugarcube?”, AJ asked gently.

“All of them...”, Pinkie mumbled to herself. “All of them burning...”

Twilight realized what had fallen upon her friend. The once happy party pony was undergoing extreme shock from the distraction she caused.

“Pinkie...”, she began.

“Pinkie’s gone! Everypony’s gone!”, shouted the pink mare. She began to cry hysterically. “Everypony’s happy...”

Twilight ran a hoof through her friend's drooping mane. “Oh Pinkie...”

Rainbow approached Twilight. “So what now Twilight?”, asked the pegasus.

“I’m working on it Rainbow.”, the unicorn grimly responded.

A few moments passed as Twilight formulated a plan for her disturbed friend. We could wait for her to calm down, she thought to herself. No... No... We don't have that kind of time.

The unicorn then came up with a reasonable idea. “Alright Rainbow. I know what we have to do.”, she declared.

“Shoot!”, Dash responded.

Twilight inhaled, “I’m going to place Pinkie under a spell, which will put her into a deep sleep. That way you and AJ can carry her safely along the path.” Rainbow already disliked this plan, but she said nothing in return.

Meanwhile, Rarity stood a few meters away with her groggy companion. All had been quiet, until the small dragon begun to stir. She was oblivious to the movement happening on her flank.

“Ohhh... Rarity....”. groaned Spike.

Rarity’s ears perked up, quickly getting down on her knees as not to let her passenger hurt himself further.

“Where am I?”, asked Spike.

“You’re with me sweetie.”, Rarity answered, happy to hear from the battered passenger.

“W... Where is everypony?”, Spike asked nervously.

“Well, we’re all right here silly.”, Rarity said with a slight smile on her face. Her happiness faded quickly though, as she realized the dragon was staring right into her eyes.

With the help of Rainbow and Applejack, Twilight managed to put Pinkie’s fragile mind at ease. All seemed to be going well, until Rarity came forward, head hanging low.

“Tw... Twilight, darling...”, Rarity whispered.

“What is it now?”, Twilight asked in a stressed tone.

The dress maker’s eyes began to water. “Something happened to Spike.”, she returned.

It was then that Twilight’s heart sank.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hurry up Spike! The Princess will be angry if we’re tardy!”, said the filly.

“Twilight, are you sure the Princess will mind if we are just a little bit late?”

Twilight gave him a stern look, then continued to run up the staircase. Spike’s stubby legs were burning from the challenge of the massive stairs. He knew that he had to obey the filly, so he didn't dare stop to rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The memory began to fade away, as the endless darkness took hold of the dragon’s vision once more. A thin stream of tears poured from his crooked eyes, as he fell to the ground in sorrow.

“Oh my little Spikey Wikey!”, cried Rarity, as she embraced her blinded friend.

“I just wanna go home.”, muttered Spike through his sobs.

Depression had settled over the whole group. Not even Rainbow Dash could hide her tears. In fact for once in her life, she didn’t care if anypony else saw her cry. They all envied the sleeping Pinkie Pie, whose mind was free from all the darkness and worry that reality held.

After a few minutes of grief, Twilight began to realize that they all had to move on. “Spike...”, Twilight began. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find a spell to fix your eyes when we get out of here.” This gave the dragon a glimmer of hope, as he gave a small forced smile.

Twilight turned her head to her fellow unicorn. “Rarity, could you help me get Spike on my back?”, the she asked.

“Twilight, darling...”, began Rarity. “Would it be alright if I carried Spike some more?”

Twilight, knowing the despair and guilt of her friend, agreed to let Rarity continue to carry her assistant.

The seven of them set off in the general direction of the distant camp. Pinkie, resting upon the backs of AJ and Dash, and Spike, lying devastated upon the back of his secret love. This left Twilight and Fluttershy in the front of the group.

“Tw... Twilight.”, started Fluttershy.

“What is it Fluttershy?”, Twilight responded.

“Oh... um... so are we still going to that camp the Princess told us about?”, asked the pegasus.

“We sure are.”, Twilight responded with a small smile, hoping to boost her timid friend’s morale.

Fluttershy brought her mouth closer to the unicorn’s ear. “Are you sure you’ll be able to fix Spike’s vision with magic?”

Twilight lowered her head in despair. “I sure hope so.”

Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow Dash carried Pinkie, marching steadily behind the other three.

“Hey, AJ!”, said Rainbow.

The orange mare lifted her hat covered head. “Yeah?”

“How are you holding up with all of this?”, asked Dash.

“I dunno Rainbow...”, AJ began. “With Pinkie losin’ it and Spike goin’ blind... I just dunno.”

“If I ever see the mutt that did that to Spike, I’m gonna ram my hoof into his face until he starts seeing apples.”, Dash exclaimed angrily.

Applejack nodded her head in agreement. She too wanted vengeance for what had happened to their friend.

Meanwhile, Pinkie remained at rest, free from the burdens of consciousness.

It had been days since the group had been abducted from their armored transport. They were all exhausted and hungry from their endeavors. Each day became harder and harder, as they wandered aimlessly through the unmarked wilderness.

Fluttershy, however, had taken it far harder than the others. Being weak from malnutrition and lack of sleep, she contracted a terrible cold. Her skin had become far paler than its usual hue. Darkness surrounded her baby blue eyes, which hung half open. She longed for her animals more than ever before.

Twilight had not let her friend’s condition go unchecked, for she knew that even the slightest illness could prove dangerous out in the wild. Stops seemed to be getting more and more frequent, as Fluttershy's health began to weaken.

“Geez!”, Rainbow said. “Now I know where all of Pinkie’s cupcakes go.”

Applejack returned a slight chuckle, as she gently laid the pink mare’s head down onto the forest floor.

“Well, let’s just hope she wakes up soon.” AJ said, as she removed her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow. She turned her head to Twilight, who was sitting by herself in the grass.

“So Twi...”, began the cowmare. “How’s Fluttershy doin’?”

Twilight gave a slightly concerned look. “She’s getting weaker and weaker each day”, she said solemnly. “I’m not sure how much longer she’ll be able to hold out without the proper nourishment.”

Applejack looked to the setting sun. “Well sugarcube, let’s all just rest up here for the night.”

Twilight paused for a brief moment. “I agree.”

Meanwhile, Pinkie found herself surrounded by crunchy orange leaves. She felt the cool autumn breeze graze her cheeks, and heard a distant sparrow chirping a joyful tune.

“What happened last night?”, the party pony asked, hoping for any answer.

Rainbow gasped, “Pinkie Pie!”, as she embraced her confused friend.

“Did I miss something Dashie?”, asked Pinkie.

Rainbow smiled, “I’ll tell you everything.” The other ponies gathered ‘round to see their freshly awakened friend.

“Hello there... *cough* Pinkie.”, Fluttershy choked.

“Fluttershy, are you sick?”, asked Pinkie, raising one eyebrow.

“Oh... um... yes.”, Fluttershy returned, shivering with cold. “I... uh... think I’m gonna go to sleep now.”, she wheezed, as she curled up at the base of an old oak tree.

“Pinkie, there’s been a lot that’s happened since you were asleep.”, Rainbow stated. Pinkie gave a look of confusion.

“Like what?”, she questioned innocently.

Rainbow sat down and told Pinkie of Spike’s tragedy and Fluttershy’s failing health. The pink mare suddenly remembered what had happened before she was put to sleep. She shuddered at the memories of flame and ash. The whimpers of the dying canines burned their way into her brain. However, it seemed as if it was but a distant dream, like something fabricated by her disturbed psyche. She wanted to keep it that way.

“Hey!”, Pinkie exclaimed. “What does that sign over there say?”

The mares all turned their heads to a bright red sign, posted on the side of a distant tree. Pinkie ran with great speed to see what was written on the piece of steel.

“What does it say Pinkie?”, Rainbow asked.

Pinkie gazed up at the white letters and read, “Danger! Hazardous! Radiation! In this! Area!” The others’ eyes widened in surprise. “Hey girls! Whaddya think that means?”

Spike stumbled blindly over to Rarity's leg. “This day just keeps getting better and better.”

The unicorn stroked the green scales atop his head. "Indeed it does."