The Pastromorbo Epidemic

Blue groaned and let her eyes slowly drag themselves open. The first thing that hit her was how dark everything seemed; she could hardly make out the shape of her hoof in front of her, let alone any of her surroundings. The next thing she noticed was the horrid chill that crept under her skin and sent shudders through her body. There was a complete lack of wind, but that didn’t help in the slightest when the very air itself felt as if it was frozen solid.

Pain racked her body as she shifted slightly. She squeezed her wings to her side in an attempt to dispel it, but to no avail. Hence, with a little whimper, she placed her hooves firmly against the uneven rock below and pushed herself up to a standing position.

A wave of dizziness rushed over her and she took a sharp breath in, splaying her legs so as to brace herself. When she didn’t find herself sprawled out on her chest, she then took a few seconds to regain her composure before straightening slowly. She shivered, unfurling her wings and wrapping them around her chest. The feathers offered little warmth, however, and she could only settle with accepting the wicked chill which crept down her throat with each breath, freezing her from the inside out.

She could at least partially see by now, though the sight which met her eyes did little to make her pains better. A pathetic trickle of light entered her surroundings through a small hole a few metres away, barely enough to let her see. Still, she could now be relatively confident that she was in some sort of tiny cave and, critically, she was alone.

Was that good or bad? She didn’t know anymore.

“Rip!” she whispered loudly, taking a few tentative steps forwards. She winced with each hoof placement, her body already searing from the lacerations which now marred her skin. She didn’t dare look back at herself; the thought of the blood alone was enough to make her heave, let alone the sight too. “RipEar, where are you?”

There came no reply. She hadn’t expected there to be, but the knowledge that she was well and truly alone sent shudders down her spine once again. And then, from somewhere in the distance, a mournful cry sounded against the silence of the world.

“Oh, Luna,” she whispered, scarpering backwards before her legs suddenly gave out on her. As she took stolen breaths her gaze snapped on that tiny entrance, suddenly aware of how alone and defenceless she was. The light stench of damp reached her nostrils then; she hissed and recoiled further, feeling around desperately with a hoof for some sort of ammunition should she need it. “Come on, come on…”

And then she felt something. Not a rock or brick, as she had hoped, but something soft. It was almost spongy in texture, and warm against her hoof too; when she let her eyes squint in that direction she noticed a faint green glow coming from what looked like a patch of plants. Moss?

Of course, she hadn’t ever truly seen the stuff, but that was what it looked like in the old facility books.

Slowly the thoughts of being alone left her, replaced solely with the idea of having somewhere warm to lie down. Somewhere out of this blasted cold. She inched herself up onto her hooves. Then she slowly dragged herself towards the pile until she could properly place a hoof down into its softness.

A relieved sigh escaped her lips and she let her eyes slip shut, enjoying the feel of the warmth over her hoof. She then leaned forwards, just about to flop down. She could feel the warm glow against her underbelly already.

“Blue! The fuck d’you think you’re doing?”

She heard RipEar’s cry just before she felt the chill of his magic wrap around her neck, hoisting her away from her bed in mid-flop. With a hiss she landed heavily on her chest, pain erupting there and coursing throughout her body. Bucking out with her rear legs in distress, she then snapped, “What was that all about?”

RipEar scowled as he slunk through the entrance and into the cave. He didn’t say anything in response, and Blue didn’t take it upon herself to repeat her words. He wouldn’t answer. Instead he busied himself with the loot he now carried in his magic, though she struggled to make out exactly what it was in the darkness.

Or, rather, she struggled momentarily. A few seconds later, however, RipEar pulled out a small cardboard box from his saddlebags and then, from it, a match; in an instant a small fire formed, crackling delightfully and spreading the tiniest bit of warmth throughout the cave. Compared to before, even that was heaven.

RipEar didn't look nearly as thrilled as Blue felt, though. As she crept forwards to savour the warmth, her teeth ground together in pain and his scowl deepened. She let her heavy wings unfurl slowly. A small smile graced her muzzle and her lips parted slightly. A small breath left her. However, when she glanced up at RipEar, his dour expression made her recoil.

“You need to be more careful,” he hissed, clumping up a small ball of some sort of dried grass before pushing it gingerly into the crackling flames. The campfire gave off a small burst of light as a way of saying thanks. “We aren’t in the facility anymore, Blue. You’ve gotta watch your back out here.”

Blue sat up straighter and folded her wings across her chest once more. “Right,” she mumbled. “Outside. Yeah. But what’s that—”

RipEar scowled through the flames. “Look down at your hoof, you idiot,” he snapped. Blue’s ears fell but she did as she was told nevertheless, raising her hoof to eye level in the firelight—and then she promptly screamed, the skin red and raw and completely furless.

“Wha—” she cried, waving her hoof around as if to dispel the pain that ought to have existed. That only made it more terrifying. “Why can’t I feel it?”

RipEar threw up his hooves. “Woah, woah!” he yelled, punching the air with each shout. “Calm down already! It’s not an issue, seriously, but it could’ve been.”

“Could’ve been? There’s worse than this?”

RipEar huffed and scooted closer to a hyperventilating Blue, dragging his saddlebags with him. “Of course there is, you dolt,” he said, but he received none of her attention. He sighed. Hoof raised, he then slapped it across her muzzle so as to draw a squeak from her. That worked, at least. “This is the Scourge, Blue. It’s not known for its”—he gestured to the glowing moss—”vibrant array of potted plants. You don’t know this place like I do. It’s a hell hole.”

Blue was quiet for a moment. With a sniffle she then hunched her back and curled up on the cold, unforgiving floor. She drew her legs to her chest. “We’re gonna die.”

The flames ebbed for a moment before a soft breath of air got them burning again. “Hey, don’t say that, silly mare,” RipEar said, placing a hoof on Blue’s chin so as to tilt her head up to him. “We are not going to die. You know why? ‘Cos I had a pretty great life before all this shit, and I sure intend to get it back.”

Blue’s lips cracked a small smile. “You mean it?”

RipEar nodded. “S’long as you’re not going to keep being stupid about things, sure.”

Blue was quiet for a moment before she shuffled slightly closer to him, nuzzling his cheek gently. RipEar stiffened. With terse jerks he moved his hoof up to her chest and pushed her away slowly, suddenly eyeing her carefully.

“Steady on there,” he said. His voice had suddenly developed a somewhat shaky tone. “You should be careful. You’re hurt.”

She couldn’t help it. Almost out of instinct she turned her head around. It was a brief glance, so brief, but it was too much. There was so much red.

She screamed.

A hoof slammed across her mouth almost the same instant that she let the breath leave her mouth. RipEar’s eyes were suddenly cold in the spitting light from the fire. They flitted to and from the door, almost panicked.

“What the hell?” he hissed, withdrawing his hoof slowly. With his magic he slowly levitated a small, intricately carved dagger from his saddlebags. He then turned so as to face the doorway and held it out in front of him, blade pointed forwards, and finished with, “What part of ‘We’re in the damned Scourge now’ didn’t you get?”

Blue whimpered quietly, recoiling slightly and forcing herself not to let any of her fur come into view. After a few seconds, though, RipEar spoke once more after letting out a sigh.

“You’ve gotta get a grip, Blue,” he said, his voice suddenly gentler again. He sounded almost strained, as if in pain. “The Scourge isn’t forgiving. It will take everything if you’re weak enough to let it.”

He paused. When Blue began to murmur a response, he finished. The ever-so-slight breeze which blew through the cave then almost drowned out his voice.

“It’s already taken you from me once. Don’t leave me for good.”

Blue closed her mouth and shrunk backwards. The stallion was now sat hunched over and silent. A few quivering breaths racked his body.

“Rip?” Blue asked, her voice shaky. “Please, I…”

RipEar did not acknowledge her. When she began to sit a little taller, though, his ears twitched and his horn lit up. With a half-hearted tug he dumped his saddlebags into her lap, just as a small gust of wind blew through the cave. The fire was snubbed out instantly to leave only a couple of dying embers. Within seconds they perished.

“There’re crackers in there,” RipEar said. His voice had practically no lilt at all. “Eat up, quickly. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”

Blue momentarily hesitated, but relented a few seconds later. With haste she nuzzled around in the bag, knocking aside small glass bottles and odd, lumpy parcels before she finally found a small package, wrapped in some sort of stiff cloth. Hide, perhaps?

Blue unfolded the package quickly. Three small crackers, broken into pieces, tumbled out into her hoof. They were gone in an instant, though; the going-stale texture and predictably bland taste left her smacking her lips for something more. But they weren’t in the facility now. She couldn’t just get a slice of cheese or some nut butter to actually make it worthwhile.

Because this was the Scourge. Things didn’t work that way.

Blue sighed and shook the scrap of material out, then folding it neatly before placing it carefully back into the mess she’d made of the saddlebag. Grabbing the straps between her teeth, she then clambered to her hooves and dragged herself over to RipEar’s side before placing the packs over his back gently, just behind his shoulders. He turned his head to her slowly. His face was masked in a blank, distant scowl, though it was hard to see in the near-darkness. He bowed his head.

“You ready?” he asked. Blue nodded slowly, fidgeting slightly. Small twinges shot up her leg when she applied any pressure to her now-furless hoof, and her entire body stung from the deep lacerations that littered it.

“As I’ll ever be,” she squeaked. RipEar’s scowl softened. He patted her shoulder gently, smiling a little.

“Just don’t do anything stupid, okay?” RipEar begged. When Blue nodded he lowered his dagger slightly in the air and pulled a second blade—a semi-blunt and well-used weapon, but a weapon nonetheless—from somewhere in his saddlebags. How he’d found it, she had no idea. When he offered it to her, however, she cringed and took a few steps backwards; his lips curved into a smile and he nestled it back in its place, shaking his head. “You’ll want it sooner or later. Seriously. Wuss or not.”

Blue opened her mouth to retort before she realised that she really had no leg to stand on in the matter. With a sigh, she then nodded again and fluffed her feathers up a little, the breeze nipping at her fur chillingly.

RipEar took a few slow steps to begin with, cautiously heading towards the door. With a quick, backwards glance he then stood taller, poked his dagger out of the hole and slunk through. Blue hastened to follow him, fumbling over her sore hooves until she, too, was truly outside.

If the cave had felt cold, this was excruciating. The wind howled up above and stripped Blue of any warmth she may have had. Her mane and tail blew about her frame, effectively blinding her as she attempted to see what the real world looked like.

But the sight that met her eyes when it temporarily quietened was not at all what she had expected. The land around her position was completely barren of any and all life, but that was not the worst bit. Nothing could beat her shock at the sight of the sky above.

Because the sky was split at the center, divided evenly between day and night.