Everfree Meltdown

Chapter 5: The Last Roundup

It was cold the next morning. A bone-chilling dew had settled upon the forest canopy. The hoots of distant owls could be heard in the distance, occasionally silenced by the menacing howl of a hungry timberwolf. There was no sun that morning. It hid behind the facade of many lifeless grey clouds.

After a night of well-deserved sleep, Twilight and her friends faced a terribly difficult decision. They could continue on to the camp and risk exposure to more fallout, or they could turn around and go back to Ponyville. Both choices were problematic, and would come with great risks.

"We can’t return to Ponyville.”, Twilight said decisively.

Rainbow flew up in her face, “But you can’t expect us to go in there!” All the ponies gazed into the mysterious wasteland before them.

“It’s the only way to get to our treatment.”, Twilight returned.

Dash backed off unhappily. She began to pout to herself, even though she knew in her heart that her friend was right. The group began their march into the unknown, having no idea what horrors might await them.

“You alright back there darling?”, Rarity asked her passenger.

“Sure am!”, replied Spike with fake enthusiasm.

Rarity smiled slightly, then turned her attention to Fluttershy. “How about you dear?” The pegasus gave her a look of despair. “That good huh?”, she replied, as she fixed the sickly pony’s mane with her magic. In return, she received a weak smile.

“Slow down Pinkie!”, yelled Applejack. “Some of us ain’t been sleepin’ too well lately.”

The energetic pony gave a chipper smile, “Okie dokie lokie!”

Pinkie's frolicking slowed to a trot. Even with her best efforts, she was still moving far faster than the rest of the exhausted group. It was then that she came to a sudden halt, eyes and mouth opening in shock.

Applejack came up behind the stunned mare. “What in the hay are you do...”, she paused. “Holy horse apples!”

This outburst concerned Twilight, who was a few meters behind her. “AJ? Something wrong?”, she asked.

“Twi... Ya better come look at this!”, replied Applejack somberly.

Twilight approached, expecting to see another warning sign. What she saw, however, was far worse. “Sweet Celestia!!”, wailed the unicorn at the top of her lungs.

A mangled pile of bodies stood just feet away from the six ponies, hooves and other various limbs scattered everywhere. The smell of rotten flesh loomed in the cool morning breeze.

“Wh... what happened to them!?”, Rainbow squealed in horror.

Twilight gulped hard, “It looks like... radiation... poisoning.” The group was now in a full scale panic.

“Somepony get me out of here!!”, Fluttershy squealed.

Applejack looked to her dumbfounded friend. “Twilight...” There was no response. “Twilight!”, she yelled, again with no luck.

Applejack's rage had built itself up. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!”, screamed the cowmare as loud as she could.

Twilight broke her trance. “Y... yes.” She looked around frantically. “We have to go now!”

The six ponies were now in a full out gallop away from the mutilated corpses which haunted their very souls.

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!”, cried a terrified Rainbow Dash.

Being sightless, poor Spike had no idea what was going on. “W... what’s happening?!” Everypony was too overwhelmed with insanity to answer. He began to sob to himself in confusion.

Suddenly, a low branch smacked Rarity across her soft face. She winced in pain, but kept running as if her life depended on it. Little did she know, the branch had taken something from her. A few thick strands of purple hair hung from its long wooden fingers.

The terrified group ran for several minutes, in fear of meeting the same bitter end as the unfortunate ponies they had just seen.

“Don’t stop!”, Rainbow yelled. “Just keep running!” Indeed the ponies did keep running. Even the sickly Fluttershy had acquired newfound strength for the occasion.

“How far to the camp?!”, Applejack asked, shaken up from the stress of the situation. “I don't know!”, Twilight answered. “Just make sure that nopony gets left behind!”

Applejack turned her head. All six of her friends were right where they were supposed to be. This gave her a warm feeling inside.

Despite their best efforts, the group ceased their galloping. The majority of them were weak with hunger and exhaustion. In fact only one pony still carried the strength to run, Pinkie Pie.

“Come on girls!”, yelled the pink mare. “We gotta keep going!” Everypony else was struggling to catch their breath.

“Look Pinkie...”, gasped Applejack. “Just give us a... uh...” The cowmare froze, unable to formulate words.

“AJ?”, Twilight started. “You ok?”

The orange mare stood lifelessly for a few seconds, then began to gag and choke.

“Applejack?”, Rainbow called out apprehensively.

The earth pony fell to her knees, shaking violently. Her eyes shot open, as the sweat poured down from her lemon-yellow mane. The gagging become more and more difficult to control, as she started to vomit blood upon the brown crunchy leaves.

“APPLEJACK!!”, Fluttershy screamed.

After her painful regurgitation ceased, the farmer collapsed on the ground. She was still twitching uncontrollably, blood pooling around her muzzle.

“What’s happening to her!?”, Pinkie screamed in terror.

Twilight quickly went to her fallen friend, tears forming in her eyes. “Don’t be dead AJ. Please don’t be dead.” She put a hoof to Applejack’s neck, feeling a very faint pulse. She felt a small flicker of relief.

Applejack’s eyes opened ever so slightly. “Twilight...”, Applejack wheezed. “Tell mah family... I love ‘em.”

The unicorn held her friend in her hooves, the others gathering around. "It's alright AJ, you're gonna be just fine.", Twilight said trying to comfort the dying pony.

"Ah dun' think I'm gonna make it girls...", Applejack breathed faintly. "I think ah've come to the end 'a mah trail."

“Don’t go Applejack.”, pleaded Pinkie. “Please don’t go.” Tears welled up in the pink pony's blue eyes.

Applejack chuckled, “Don’t worry sugarcube... I’m feelin’ just fi....” Applejack stopped, as she felt a relaxing sensation overtaking her body. One final breath escaped the earth pony’s overworked lungs.

She was gone.

“Goodbye AJ.”, Twilight whispered, as she rested the fallen pony’s head on the cold forest floor. She had been preparing herself for something like this, but she had no idea that it would have happened so fast.

The other ponies, however, were overwhelmed with grief and despair at the loss of their fellow element. Many tears sailed in the chilly Autumn wind, which blew peacefully through the tops of the trees.

Rainbow stepped forward, cheeks drenched. “Her hat!”, her voice cracked. “Where’s her hat?!”

Twilight spotted the brown cowmare hat just a few feet away. The beloved headwear hovered up from the cold uncaring ground, surrounded by a warm purple aura. It floated over all of the grieving ponies' heads, before finally coming to rest upon Applejack's sleeping face.

"Sleep well my friend."