The C̸̞̙̭̽̌̀̈́̽̕̕ȗ̵̧̨̢̻̩̞̘͙̉̋̊͂͘ŕ̷͖̦̍͝s̵̫̪̋̍͂̆̆͆̄é̶̡̧̺͖d̸͎͒̒̿̈̀ Apocalypse

Smack!

She awoke with a smack to her face. Disgruntled, Cloudchaser wrinkled her snout and opened her eyes. Above her, Lyra had her hoof set in front of her lips.

“Shhh.”

Cloud quickly came out of her drowsy state and sat up. She saw Nurse Redheart peek in the room before tip-hoofing to join them at her hospital bed.

“What?” Cloud whispered, “What’s the matter?”

“We’re being watttttched,” Lyra whispered back.

“Huh?”

“Shhhh!!!”

“What are you talking about?”

Nurse Redheart joined from the other side of the bed, “Humans, we think. They’re stalking us from the outside.”

“Shit, again??”

The nurse nodded defeatedly.

Fuck. She was hoping she’d never see a human ever again. Well… except for D’mitry. He was alright by her now... kinda. Dumb, wannabe racist asshole. These other life-threatening pieces of shit, though? No. She wanted nothing to do with them.

She pulled her covers off and tip-hoofed to the window. The others cautiously followed her. Outside was dimly lit by Princess Luna’s moon, but patchy clouds throughout the night sky darkened it occasionally. With just her forehead and eyes peeking over the windowsill, she scanned the nearby woods. After just a few seconds, she could make out a shadowy figure moving from tree to tree. She nervously backed up.

“Shit,” she uttered, “They really are out there. What do we do?”

Redheart sighed. “We gotta stay put. Get your weapons out, though. The guards are doing their best to keep the entrances clear.”

“Couldn’t they break into the windows downstairs though?”

“Yes,” Redheart answered, “The guards thought of that already. They’re rounding up everypony downstairs and bringing them up here for now.”

“Okay, good.”

Cloud took the next minute to grab her pistol. She was glad that Princess Twilight and her friends generously left them some... guns... of their own, but…

How the fuck are you supposed to use this thing? Like, really? The way Twilight talked made it sound like they trusted everypony in the hospital to know how to use these weird contraptions. They’d just fucking learned about their existence.

There was even an incident yesterday where Octavia shot herself in the hoof with her own gun. One of the guards also tripped and nearly shot another mare’s head off. These things were DANGEROUS as fuck.

She hesitantly looked over her own gun, which she’d been told was a pistol. Okay? She knew that the trigger, or the strange cresent-shaped object in the tiny hole meant for human fingers, fired it, and there was a button to release the… mag?... so she could put more of the bullet casings in. No… just bullets… she thinks.

She glanced over at Lyra, who had her own pistol strapped to her foreleg. After looking her over, she extended her hoof out to Lyra, her pistol resting on top of it.

“You take it,” Cloud whispered.

Lyra squinted her eyes in confusion before gesturing to her own foreleg. “I already got one.”

“I know, but you’re the only one who can actually hit shit. Your aim back at the station was incredible.”

“Thanks. But I already got one.”

“Just take it!” Cloud hissed, “Can’t you just use two at the same time? You’d kill them faster.”

“I don’t know about that...”

Cloud rolled her eyes before turning to Redheart. She noticed the nurse did not have a gun of her own, so she started walki-

“No,” Redheart said.

“Please. I’m not good with these things.”

“None of us are, hun. You’re probably better at it than I am.”

Before they could debate anymore, hoofsteps sounded by the door before the Cutie Mark Crusaders came into view. They were visibly upset, which worried Cloud.

“Girls,” she whispered, “come inside. Get behind the bed.”

She pointed at the corner behind the bed that was away from the window. Once the fillies rushed into it, she exchanged a glance with Lyra before sighing and making her way back to the window. Before she got there, a few loud bangs erupted downstairs, quickly followed by muffled shouting.

Lyra quickly peeked out the window as Cloud and Redheart made their way to the door. Cloud noticed a guard trotting by holding a gun of his own. Before he could pass, she called out, "Hey!"

He came to a quick stop right outside the door. “What is it? Are you alright?”

The shouting downstairs continued, but no more gunshots rang out.

“We are. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know! I think they got inside. I gotta go,” he stated, trotting away toward the staircase.

She nervously gazed back at the fillies before meeting eyes with Redheart.

“Um…” Redheart started.

“What?”

“Not to sound… ah… rude, but…”

“What is it? Spit it out.”

“Maybe you could be taken hostage again?”

“Really, bitch?”

“I’m just sayin’...”

Lyra trotted up behind them and joined in their conversation.

“She has a point… I mean, it worked the first time.”

“Wow. You two are assholes.”

“Sorry, Cloud. It’s just a thought.”

Cloud glanced back at the fillies, who were nervously huddled in the corner with one another. She frowned before turning back to Lyra.

“Look. I would do that, but I don’t think it’s gonna work this time. Twilight and the others are probably in Canterlot by now. Why would they take ONE hostage, especially since their friends got murdered last time? It worked for us, yeah, but them? Not so much. What if these humans know that their friends got killed?”

“Fuck. Fair point.”

She gritted her teeth. “What if they don’t take… anyone… hostage?”

“Good then?”

“Not what I meant.”

Lyra’s eyes grew worried. “Oh.”

Lyra was about to say something else until gunfire erupted downstairs. What had started as a few rapid-succession bangs turned into a full-blown gun battle.

“Shit!” Lyra cursed, rushing back to the window before scrambling for the door. “C’mon!”

Cloud watched Lyra rush out of the room, but she herself was frozen with fear. She nervously gazed at Redheart, who sighed before taking the gun from her hooves. “Keep an eye on the fillies, okay?”

Cloud nodded as the nurse rushed out to follow Lyra. After shutting the door, she peeked out of the window before going back to stand in front of the fillies. The gunfire continued, a bit less dramatic than when it started. Regardless, she kept a focused eye on the door. She didn’t expect Scootaloo to speak up behind her.

“This some mo’ bullshit.”

Cloud turned to face her, confusion growing on her face. Sweetie Belle spoke as well.

“For real for real.”

She glanced between the once-terrified fillies, who seemed more … annoyed … now. Applebloom glanced up at her, disappointed.

“What's up with that? Why'd ya freeze up, homie? Don’tcha wanna cap ‘em bitch ass humans?”

“Cap?... them?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “bust a cap in they bitch asses.”

“What in Equestria are you girls saying?”

Sweetie Belle responded, “We’re sayin' you shoulda gone with Lyra and shot 'em dumbass humans dead. Bop bop bop!"

Cloud glanced at Sweetie, who'd raised a hoof and threw it forward as she said that, looking like she was hitting an invisible door. She continued glancing between them all, confusingly. “Weren’t you all scared just a second ago?”

They exchanged peculiar glances with each other before reverting to their annoyed stares. Applebloom answered, “Nah, homie. We chill.”

"For real for real," Sweetie added.

Cloud slowly returned her attention to the door, just for it to burst open. She jumped, expecting a rogue human to come bolting through. However, it was a royal guard. She sighed with relief.

“Hey! Are you all okay?” he asked.

“We are..." she stated, glancing back at the annoyed fillies, "...I think.”

She expected him to shut the door and leave. But instead, he rushed toward them.

“You gotta get them out of here!”

“What? Why?”

The menacing gunshots continued blasting downstairs as he replied, “The hospital is on fire! Part of the first floor is set ablaze! Let me guide you all to the safest exit.”

Cloud nervously thought for a moment before grabbing her saddlebags, rounding up the fillies, and following the guard out of the room. She noticed smoke down the hallway as he led them to a different stairwell. Surprisingly, the stairwell was clear, allowing the guard to rush them out of the fire exit.

After the guard checked the outside to make sure it was clear, he held the door open for them as they trotted out. Cloud turned back to him once she knew it was clear as well. He smiled back timidly before raising his hoof and pointing toward the forest line.

“That way!” he shouted, “Get in the bushes and get the hell out of here! Ponyville should be in that direction!”

Cloud tried to holler back a thank you, but he rushed back inside before she got the chance. She took the fillies and gunned it for the nearby forest. As they trotted, Scootaloo asked, “Yo, we just bouncin' then?”

"What?"

"We up outta here?"

“I guess so...” Cloud replied.

“Uh… okay…”

Sweetie Belle added, “Are we gonna go back?”

“I don’t know yet. Let’s just keep going. I’ve got an idea of where to go.”

Celestia's just-risen sun shone behind Twilight’s half-burnt castle. The fillies stood by Cloudchaser’s side, gazing up at it. It hadn’t fully collapsed on itself, as it was built out of some kind of special rock. Still, how the fuck did it get set ablaze in the first place? Maybe the humans used some weird element from their own universe or something to burn it down. She shook her head, unable to figure it out.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo spoke from her left side, “Ayo, G, why’d we even come back here?”

“Well, G…” Cloud replied,“I wanted to see if Twilight’s library was spared at all. We never really got the chance to see.”

Applebloom responded, “Dawg, like, ion understand what you thinkin’. You tweakin’, homie.”

"For real for real," Sweetie joined.

Cloud groaned, growing pretty annoyed with these little gangster fillies. She hadn’t realized they’d gotten worse since before the apocalypse. She honestly wondered where they learned this wretched language from.

“Come on girls... just help me search through here real quick, and we’ll get out of here. I promise.”

“Bruh,” Applebloom scoffed.

“C’mon,” she said, speaking through gritted teeth.

This, combined with her best evil mom stare, convinced the stubborn fillies to follow her inside. Thankfully, their escape from the hospital had been smooth. They managed to get away with just a few scratches from the shrubs they had to push through. Cloud hoped the hospital was not burned in a similar fashion to Twilight’s castle, but she was not eager to go back and check just yet.

So, she led the fillies to the front door, which was just an archway now. The inside looked worse than the outside, with the once purple stone walls turned black from the flame. She led the fillies to the library, where the floor was covered with white and gray ashes. The fire had completely obliterated the shelves within.

Applebloom said, “Damn, bro, that’s tuff. Anyway, let’s bounce, ya heard?”

“No,” Cloud scoffed, “Just a minute, alright? Let’s explore a bit.”

Applebloom huffed, but Scootaloo replied, “Ayo, mane, it’s cool. Cloud’s right. Let’s chillax n’ see wass poppin’.”

Before Applebloom could respond, Scootaloo jumped into the ashes.

“Scootaloo!” Cloud hissed, “Get out of there!”

“Nah, fam, this a party now, G!”

The stubborn filly swept some ashes to her before throwing them in the air like confetti. Applebloom immediately broke out into a coughing fit.

“Aye, mane,” Sweetie called, “Cut it out, S! You fuckin’ with A’s lungs, bruh.”

“Aight, mah bad. You good, homie?” Scootaloo replied.

Applebloom’s coughing fit came to a stop. “Aye, we gucci.”

"For real for real."

“WOULD YOU GIRLS JUST SPEAK NORMALLY ?!?!?” Cloud finally broke.

The three fillies froze in fear, soaking in the serious tone she'd put behind her words. They all exchanged nervous glances with one another before Applebloom hesitantly responded, “Aweee... c’mon, Cloudchaser. We was just havin’ some fun. I’m sorry we made ya mad.”

Cloud sighed, but got interrupted by Scootaloo before she could speak.

“Yo, G, like that’s NOT radical, dawg. You fuckin’ with the clique, mane-”

Smack!

Scootaloo stood still, her face sent sideways from Sweetie Belle’s smack. “Seriously, Scootaloo. Cut it out for now. Cloud looks angry.”

“Geeeez... sooooooorrrrrrrrry,” Scootaloo groaned.

"Thank you," Cloud sighed. She spent the next few moments observing the burned-up room. The sight wasn't pretty, and it didn't offer much hope in return, but she still wanted to look around. She looked back down at the now-attentive fillies.

“Why don’t we split into two?” she suggested, “Two of us can search the library to make sure there’s nothing hidden in the ashes, and the other two can quickly search the other rooms, which should be emptier than this.”

“Sounds good,” Scootaloo replied, wrapping her foreleg around Sweetie Belle's shoulder. “Me and Sweetie Belle can search the ashes, since they bother Applebloom’s lungs.”

“Alright,” Cloud said, “Here.”

She reached back and dug through her saddlebag, pulling out a whistle and hoofing it to Scootaloo.

“Use it if anything seems out of the ordinary, or if you’re in danger, okay?”

“Right on,” Scootaloo replied.

Cloud ran in and out of rooms with Applebloom. The floors were a colorless black, burned beyond recognition. Most of the other rooms were empty besides similar ash piles, albeit smaller than the library’s. She figured it must have been a pretty intense fire to turn everything to ashes. As the two looked around one of the rooms, a whistle sounded from the library.

“Uh oh,” Applebloom said.

“Stay behind me,” Cloud instructed, rushing out of the room and toward the library. On the way, her heart sped up as she wondered what they could be warning about. If there were more humans, she would probably lose her mind here and now. The whistle continued until she reached the library doorway. Scootaloo stood beside Belle, the whistle sticking out of a smile in her mouth.

“What?!” Cloud exclaimed, “What is it? Who’s hurt?!”

Scootaloo spit out the whistle. “Nopony. But we foooooound something!”

Her smile spread to Belle, who danced on her front hooves before sliding an unscathed book out from behind her. Cloud stepped forward to see the colorful front cover. The book’s title read:

A complete guide on how to make dark chocolate candies: Vol 2

Cloud squinted her eyes before huffing. “Really, girls? How’d you even find an unscathed book?”

Scootaloo's smile faded as she glanced over at the book. “Dang it, Sweetie Belle. You grabbed the wrong one!”

Belle observed the book before her cheeks blushed from embarrassment. "Sorry!" she apologized, before shifting the book aside and trotting to a side room of the library, disappearing from their view.

“What’s in there?” Cloud asked Scootaloo.

“A whole lotta untouched books. Looks like the door kept the fire out.”

Cloud walked slowly through the ashes with Scootaloo by her side. She met with Belle at the door of the side room, which was a dark black color like the floor. It looked as though it was built out of rock, instead of the flammable wood the other doors fell victim to. Belle carried another book out of the room and plopped it on the ground in front of Cloud. The book's title read:

Zombie Ponies: A Maybe-Helpful-One-Day Guide

By Robert Kirkstallion

Cloud intently observed the book’s cover, which had a picture of a pony walking down a path that led to Ponyville in the distance. On the other side of the path were a bunch of torn-apart carriages, wagons, and belongings strewn about, meant to depict a bunch of ponies who tried to evacuate... she assumed.

What a weird artwork.

She ignored this as she flipped to the first page, which credited a hoofful of scientist and research ponies.

This was the book.

This was the book that held the cure… probably.