Cryogen

"You little fucker." I grunt right after a hoof knocks me off my knees, causing my bag to fly off my shoulders, and pain to rack through my face. I regain my balance, and lunge for the knife on the other side of the room, but fail miserably. The stallion knocks me down and starts dragging me back, my hands reaching out towards the knife which is just inches away. I kick my feet at the stallion who has my pants leg in his mouth, and land a few lucky blows on his chest and neck. It was enough to get him to let go, allowing me to squirm forward, my fingers just barely wrapping around the handle of the knife as he begins dragging me back.

The light from the candles glints off of the knife, causing the stallion to let go once he realizes what I'm holding. Before I can even react, he pushes me back down and sprints out of the room. I give one glance to Rainbow, who is still staring at me with wide eyes, then proceed to follow the stallion outside.

I almost tumble down the stairs, but luckily make it to the bottom floor without breaking my neck. Knowing my luck, I'm surprised it didn't happen. Once I reach the bottom of said stairs, I just barely see the tip of the stallion's tail as he turns around the corner of the opening where the door used to be. I must really have something against doors. I just can't stop knocking them down!

"Whoa! What in tarnation!?" I hear from behind me just after turning the corner of the opening. I spin around, still moving backwards, to see AJ trotting up towards me.

"Applejack, take care of Rainbow!" I yell as I point to the upstairs window. I hope she got the message, because I can't risk the time to turn around and check. I spin my head back towards the stallion, only to see he is now a good fifty feet ahead of me. God these ponies are fast. I just hope they don't have endurance. But, again, knowing my luck, they will.

I try and try to catch up, but these ponies are just too damn fast. He runs into an alley, one that is so dark that I can't see the other side. The last thing I see is him vanishing into the thick darkness.

I come to a halt, placing my hands on my knees as my breaths come in sharp and loud. I'm not used to sprinting for that long, much less chasing someone. My face is drenched in sweat despite the cold air around me. I silently curse to myself as I stand back up, keeping my eyes on the ally.

After catching my breath, I start shuffling back towards the house, my legs burning from overuse. The tiredness of my legs causes me to sway back and forth as I walk back, and the pain wracked through my body doesn't help at all. I reach a hand up to my face, and feel something warm and wet. I pull my hand back to see it is shining a bright red in the faint moonlight.

"Great..." I mumble to myself as I wipe the blood off my hand by waving it through the grass below me. I can't even clean it or bandage it using my shirt, because it is white and the last thing I need is to be walking around covered in blood. I already look weird enough to the ponies, I don't need them thinking I just murdered someone. Which I have... but that's beside the point.

I pass by Applejack's cart, the one I left near the house, as I walk back up the the wooden structure. I step over the broken wood, making sure not to step on anything that could pierce through my shoes. I call upstairs for Rainbow and AJ, but do not receive an answer. I jog up the stairs, my muscles screaming in protest. The door that I had knocked open is just barely cracked open now, not exactly how I left it. I can't hear anything from behind the door, so I open it, only to reveal an empty room.

They're gone.

*Applejack's POV*

"Calm down now Rainbow, tell me everything." I say quietly as I sit down next to Rainbow Dash on my bed. After watching Zack run off, I had gone upstairs to find Rainbow curled up in the sheets of a bed, ballin' her eyes out. Now I ain't one to get all emotional and such, but I could easily tell that somethin' was up. When Rainbow refused to speak, I helped her out of the house, and we made our way back to my farm. On they way there, she kept blubberin' about this and that, but I couldn't understand her at all. Now that she is all settled in and seems to have calmed down, maybe I can get some answers out of her.

"D-Dusk, he tried to r..." Rainbow sobs out, then proceeds to mumble some inaudible words. "Then Zack came in and..." Rainbow leans forward, falling onto my side which causes me to wince a bit before wrapping a hoof around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"There there Rainbow. Everything is fine now. Ya don't have ta worry no more. Zack'll find that stallion and have him pay. He doesn't seem like the type ta give up."

"Why'd he do it AJ?" Rainbow sobs out into my side.

"Some stallions are just messed up in the head. Ah don't think-"

"Not Dusk! Zack! Why did he help me? I attacked him, mocked him, and put him in the hospital, and he still helped me!"

"W-Well... Because, he's one of the nice stallions?" I respond quietly. I actually have no idea why he'd decide to help Rainbow other than the fact that she was apparently callin' for help. She had a point, Zack had no reason to help her, yet he still put himself in the way of harm just to save her.

Rainbow doesn't respond from there on, instead only trying to keep herself from crying. This is going to be a long night for all of us...

*Zack's POV*

"Damn cart..." I mumble to myself as I kick the broken wheel of the cart. Apparently this thing doesn't go over rocks that well. Thanks for the heads up Applejack... Now this thing is missing an entire wheel because it fell off from hitting a fucking pebble. If I could just see at all, I could probably fix it, but no, the moon hates me, and so does every other source of light!

I'm not about to risk my phone battery by turning the brightness all the way up for God knows how long while I fix the wheel, so that idea is straight out the window. My only option now is to half push, half carry the entire cart back to the farm, which from what I can tell, is still a good half mile away. It is a good thing that it isn't heavy, or I might have just set the thing on fire just because. At least then I'd have a decent source of light.

Math time! One cart, minus one wheel, plus one Zack equals what? That's right! One pissed off Zack. Applejack is going to owe me for life for this. I could be at home, wherever that is, sleeping peacefully, but no, that's not how my life goes. My life consists of chasing off pony rapists and carrying wooden carts.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. The cart isn't THAT heavy, and the half mile goes by a lot faster than I thought it would. I make it to the farm in about twenty minutes, my arms and legs crying for relief. I approach the red barn, and drop the cart in front of it, grunting as I do so. I stretch my muscles, moaning a bit at the relief as several joints snap and pop. I feel so much better after doing that, I feel like I could just fall over and sleep right here, right now.

Eyeing the barn, that idea seems to become more and more plausible. Ah, screw it, why not? I already broke into Fluttershy's house, so why not Applejack's?

Thankfully the barn is unlocked, allowing me to simply slip in unnoticed. Good thing this seems to be just for storage and not for animals, or it would smell like, well, a barn in here.

Thinking about it now, this is so fucking ironic. I'm a human, living inside a barn owned by a horse. Ain't that something? Take that self pride! Nobody gives a shit about you apparently!

I shuffle over to the corner, pushing a few tools such as shovels and hoes to the side, revealing a pile of hay. A glorious pile of soft hay.

"Sweet Jesus." I mumble as I spin around and fall on my back, the hay forming around my body as I make contact. It is pretty itchy, but at this point, it just feels like heaven. I feel like I could sleep for a thousand years.

It wouldn't be the first time...

So, I already know that I'm not a morning person, I've come to accept that. But when the sun peeks through and blinds me at SIX in the morning, I know that it is going to be a shitty morning, if not the entire day.

I'm glad I learned how to tell the time by looking at the sun, because if I didn't, I would be screwed in that sense. I don't have a watch with me, which sucks, and I don't want to use my phone to tell the time for obvious reason. So, I have to rely on the sun to tell me the time, and if that is anything to go off of, I'd say it is about six in the morning. At this angle, it has to be around that time.

I cover my eyes with a hand as I stand up, my muscles still really sore from last night. I'm no tired, that I don't even remember half of what happened. I just remember busting down some doors, chasing down some dude into an alley, and carrying a wooden cart through the darkness. What a night huh?

I stretch my arms up above my head, hearing each muscle pop simultaneously which both hurts and feels amazing at the same time. Time to get going I guess, though once again I have zero plans for today. That's just something that I'll just have to get used to I suppose. I could probably go see Twilight. I should probably apologize to her anyway after storming out on her like that. I also didn't hold up on my end of the deal, which means no manuscripts for me. So, if I can make it up to her, it'll be a double win for me.

I reach down for my backpack, ready to head out. Only there's one problem. No bag.

"Shit shit siht!" I whisper to myself, digging through the hay for my bag, though of course I find nothing. I place my hands on my head, swearing to myself under my breath. I must have left it at that guy's house last night. I gotta get back there and retrieve it. I have the last bits of the human race in there, and I am NOT about to give them up!

I start jogging to the barn doors, my legs starting to loosen up which feels so much better than having them feeling like they're about to snap. I ram into the with my shoulder, causing them to fly open, and for me to almost stumble to the ground. Luckily I'm awake enough to keep my balance, though I did come awful close to completely eating shit.

I start running down the dirt path, taking one last glance at the farm behind me. I gotta say, it looks much more beautiful and less like something from a horror movie during the day. I could see myself living at a place like this.

It's a farm, meaning Applejack and whoever else lives here is probably already up, and I don't need to be found on the property when they come out here. This thought alone causes my speed to increase slightly.

I jog through the cold morning wind, my feet almost freezing solid in the thin layer of snow covering the ground, despite the protection my shoes provide. I really need spring to come around, or I am going to freeze to death. I used my only jacket to bandage up Daring, so there goes my only source of protection from the cold.

I pass a couple of apple trees, which are to no surprise, barren. It is the middle of winter after all. I guess Applejack just keeps a stockpile of apples stored somewhere during the winter. That must be a hell of a lot of work to do during autumn considering how big this orchard is. I wish there we still some on the trees though, because I wouldn't be surprised if I died of hunger before reaching town.

Speaking of town, I make it to the edge of the village in only about ten minutes, much faster than last night when I was freezing and carrying a wooden cart. I should be used to the cold because I lived in New York for most of my life right? Wrong. I never liked the cold, and I was usually more of an indoors person, especially during the winter. I moved to Washington D.C. where it was slightly warmer during the winter, but I never really experienced it until now for obvious reasons. The town is over what used to be the outskirts of D.C. which means this is what winter would have felt like in D.C. But there is just one problem. It is somehow even colder than New York was! What the hell happened!?

The town is rather busy considering the thin layer of snow and the fact that it is still only six in the morning. If all of these ponies start their days around this time, then I am going to be in for one hell of a life. I rarely get up this early, and I'm only up now because I have to make sure my bag is okay.

The house that I left my bag in is near the edge of town, which just so happens to be where I am right now. The only problem is, is that it was so dark last night that I don't exactly know what the house looks like. All I have to go off of is the fact that it should have a broken front door. As long as the guy that I chased out hasn't come back yet, it should be rather easy for me to just slip in, get my stuff, and get the hell out of there. I definitely don't want to be there if that guy were to come back.

After searching around for a few minutes, I stumble across a somewhat rundown wooden house at the very edge of town. Even better, this house is missing a door. A smile creeps onto my face as I slowly approach it, listening for anything that might be moving around inside. Much to my pleasure, I hear nothing other than the slight breeze passing by my ears.

I quietly make my way into the house, making sure to step over any pieces of splintered wood. I'd hate to be the first guy to fall on that. The stairs creak as I make my way upstairs, bringing back memories from last night.

That Rainbow girl is gonna owe me big time for what I did. I could have been killed by that guy. I only helped because I didn't know it was her... Well, that might be a bit over an exaggeration. I would have helped anyone in that situation regardless of who they were. It was just that... I don't know, I just feel like maybe she deserved it? She did try to say sorry, even if I did just brush it off. I guess I'll just leave time to sort all of that out.

My bag is right where I left it, which probably means that nobody has been here since last night. I make sure everything is still in there, placing my gun into my pocket instead of leaving it in the bag. Never know when I might have to quickly pull it out. Would have make last night a hell of a lot easier.

My laptop falls out of my bag when I try to pick it up, making a loud crashing sound on the floor. I hiss in a breath of air, and carefully pick it back up, hoping to God that it isn't broken.

I open the top of the screen, and hit the power button, relieved to see the computer's logo pop up on the screen. My login screen appears, and I type in my password. The desktop fades in, and it looks much different than I remember. Files litter the screen, each labeled something different. I completely forgot that I downloaded a bunch of files from the lab before ditching the place. I transferred as many files as I could hoping at least one of them would help me out. If these contain what I'm looking for, they could be a thousand times more useful than those manuscripts. I'll have to act quickly, because the battery is almost dead from the last time I charged it up in the lab.

One file catches my eye. It is named "PT Virus" I click on it, and a text document opens. It reads,

"We exposed the first three subjects to the PT virus today, but what we expected to happen, and what really happened were two very different things. The subjects couldn't be identified as a human anymore, not in this state. Each subject reacted differently to the airborne virus, and none of them were what we expected. The PT virus was only supposed to induce an advanced version of sleeping sickness, and it was to be used in the military as a biochem weapon. Instead, it seems to mutilate and... change those that it infects. Subject D-11 exploded into nothing more than a pile of blood and gore. Subject G-36's bones shifted and broke, changing him into some kind of creature that resembled a horse, and while he did survive, we put him down. The Subject I-73 went insane upon contact with the gaseous form of the virus, and began screeching and ripping at his flesh. We had to put him down in the most human way possible. Either we made a huge mistake in the creation process of the virus, or He tricked us into creating the most deadly virus of all time. If this gets out into the general public... God help us all."

I read over the note several times before noticing I have the option to scroll down to reveal more of the document.

"Update: The virus escaped the lab just hours ago, and already it has taken down a good portion of Washington D.C. Nobody knows who released the virus, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was Him. At this rate, there is not doubt that the entire population will be infected within the next couple of weeks. A cure has already begun to be developed, but there is doubt that we will be able to create enough to cure an entire nation, let alone the entire planet. The first test subject for the cure will be Subject Z-56, Zack Austin. We didn't want to risk anything happening to him, as he is the key to unlocking the secrets on how to use the C.F.D's to their full potential, but we are out of subjects, and we cannot risk injecting ourselves. He will be injected through the C.F.D. and then we will insert the PT virus in it's gaseous state so we don't have to awaken Subject Z-56. If it works, Subject Z-56 will be the first known human to be immune to the PT Virus. For now, I must continue my research on the cure. P.S. Don't trust Him. Don't trust Hendricks!"

That's the last thing on the note. If what this says is true, then I'm immune to this PT virus, whatever that is. However, this is the least shocking part to me. My heart rate increases, threatening to jump out of my chest. Dr. Hendricks was alive in 2028, and he was about fifty years old. The average human only lives to about a hundred at most, even with modern technology. That note at the end wouldn't surprise me at all, considering I already knew Hendricks was a piece of shit.

What really frightens me is that this document wasn't created in 2028.

It was created in 2145.