The Few That Lived

“Canterlot?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Are you insane?”

Shining Armor kept walking in a slow, steady pace.

“I’m getting my sister back” He muttered,

Applejack ran to his side,

“Sugarcube, ya can’t go to Canterlot” She said,

“yeah, didn’t you just say yourself that it was gone?” Pyro said to Shining,

“Maybe...maybe she could still be there.” He said hopefully,

“Or, maybe the town is full of thieves!” Cinnamon shouted, “Face it Shining, she’s not there, she’s probably not-”

Shining’s horn suddenly glowed, Cinnamon’s neck became shrouded in the light blue aura and he was lifted off of the ground and was starting to choke.

“SHINING! Killing Cinnamon won’t solve anything,” Pyro said as he touched him on the shoulder, releasing a little more heat than usual, “And it will probably lessen our chances of even getting to Canterlot and finding Twilight.”

Shining considered this, he looked back on his struggling teammate and then to the others...

The aura disappeared.

“Good.” Pyro said, removing his hoof from Shining,

The blue aura reappeared and blew Cinnamon into a nearby medicine cabinet, spraying various liquids, pills and syringes all over the others.

Cinnamon lay in the medicine cabinet, gasping for air and then releasing it with screams of agony, his front leg was twisted in an odd direction, numerous syringes were stabbed into his right thigh, near his cutie mark, he was drenched in a blue liquid, it smelled of cough medicine.

“Don’t say that about my sister...” Shining muttered, “She’s alive.”

“You didn’t give him a chance.” Pyro said as he glared daggers at Shining, then flicking his normal gaze to the three elements of harmony, “Sorry to bother you, but could you keep an eye on Cinnamon, he doesn’t seem to be able to move very far anymore.”

“Screw you Pyro!” Cinnamon shouted, smacking Butterscotch away when she tried to tend to him.

“She’s trying to help you, dammit! And so am I.” Pyro said, “Just stay with these nice mares for me, will ya?”

“Fuck that! I’m outta here!” He said, getting up then falling right back down,

“Doesn’t look like it.” Butterscotch remarked, “Now, let me help, my mom was a nurse.”

“Wait, wait, wait, hold on,” Rainbow Dash said, “How can we trust you guys?”

Butterscotch looked at Pyro, who returned the look, “We just saved you guys, didn’t we?” Butterscotch asked,

“Um, who did we save them from again?” Pyro said,

Butterscotch looked at the trio then turned away, facing the other direction to hide her emotion,

“Themselves...” She muttered, inaudibly

“Well, we didn’t kill them when we walked in, so I guess we saved them from us.” Pyro said, not hearing the comment,

“I thought you were helping me, bitch!” Cinnamon shouted, “I’m in pain here!”

“Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Pyro said, “Plus, we’re going soon.”

“How soon?” Butterscotch asked,

“I don’t know, when grumpy says so.” Pyro said, putting emphasis on grumpy

Butterscotch giggled a bit and pulled a syringe out of Cinnamon’s rump without warning, grinning when she heard him spit every swear word she knew, plus a few new ones.

“We shall leave pottymouth in your care, elements.” Pyro said, referring to the three in front of him.

“Gee, thanks” Rainbow said sarcastically, “Is there any sleep medicine in there?”

“You’re the ones who’ve been in here for three weeks, you tell me?” Pyro said, shrugging,

Rainbow Dash ignored the comment and began to help the others with Cinnamon, pulling out syringe after syringe.

Butterscotch caught up with Shining Armor and sat down in front of him, blocking his path.

“Move.” He demanded,

“No, I think I’m okay here” She said, looking at her hoof,

“Move now.” Shining said, his horn began to glow,

“Or what?” Butterscotch asked, standing up and going nose to nose with the large stallion, “You gonna throw me into a medicine cabinet and lose another teammate?”

“She has a point, the more you hurt us, the harder it will be to find Twilight.” Pyro said, trying to break up the two.

“Listen here, bucko, I didn’t plan on going all the way to Canterlot with you guys, but I will if it means helping us out a bit!”

“Oh, and I suppose you planned on getting tied up in a bathroom though, didn’t you?” Shining asked, smirking at the expression on the mares face,

Pyro tackled Shining to the floor, pinning him down.

“Don’t you ever mention that again.” Pyro growled, his eyes aflame,

The mare got out of the position she was in and ran into a hospital room, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Dammit! See what you did?” Pyro shouted as he got off of Shining and went to the door, “Butterscotch, may I come in?”

“Why?!” She shouted from behind the door, “Nopony here cares about me!”

“Because I care about you...” Pyro whispered,

The mare took a few seconds, but the door finally cracked open, just enough so Pyro could slip in. Pyro slowly walked in and sat on the nearby cot. Butterscotch was behind the door, her expression unreadable as she closed it behind him.

“Don’t ever think nopony doesn’t care about you, it’ll make you go insane.” Pyro said,

“Why would you of all ponies care about somepony like me?” She asked, sitting next to him,

“Because you are beautiful. You’re funny. And you are, most importantly, brave, strong and can take care of yourself.” Pyro said as he looked up into her eyes,

Butterscotch stared straight ahead, at the blood covered wall where a small filly lay dead,

“I’m not brave, nor strong.” She said, “Brave ponies don’t abandon everything to find a better life.”

“That exactly what brave ponies do! Any lesser pony would try to tolerate their shitty-ass life.” Pyro said,

Butterscotch turned to Pyro with tears in her eyes, “Don’t lie to me like this, nopony ever cared.”

The mare got to her hooves and left the room, keeping the door open so Pyro could exit.

“Butterscotch, I’m not trying to deceive you, I’m telling the absolute truth.” Pyro said as he caught up to her, “Turn around and look at me.”

She turned around, now with a stern look in her eyes, “What?” She snapped,

Without further hesitation, Pyro ran up and hugged Butterscotch tightly,

“Do you really think I would lie to a pony’s face, let alone one as hurt as yours?” Pyro said into her ear,

Butterscotch pushed him away and looked at him coldly, “Don’t touch me,” She said, “I’ve seen somepony do it before.”

“Ok... but if you ever need help, I’m here for you.” Pyro said with sadness in his eyes as he walked back to Shining,

Butterscotch’s eyes found the floor, she traced her hoof in a circle and sighed,

“No,” She thought, “He doesn’t care, nopony cares.”

But what if he does?

Butterscotch shook her head, as if to ward away the thoughts, she returned to Shining Armor, who sat with Pyro,

“So, when are we leaving, Shining?” Pyro said, trying not to show his pain,

“Soon, get everypony ready, try to find some supplies.” He said, looking towards Butterscotch, who nodded slowly and began to check rooms.

“Wouldn’t the elements have looked around the hospital for supplies already?” Pyro said,

“They said that they had only been in the room, Rainbow Dash had been going out to scavenge, but she stayed away from the other rooms in the hospital” He said,

“Oh, okay.” Pyro said as he got up to check the rooms opposite of Butterscotch.

When he got into 14-b, he wasn’t surprised to find a dried bloodbath. The floor was covered fully and about half of the wall was drenched-

“Found something!” Butterscotch shouted from the room opposite of Pyro,

Pyro trotted out of his room and into Butterscotch’s.

“What’d you find?” Pyro asked

“Whatever that is” Butterscotch said, pointing to a large bag, covered in blood,

Shining Armor pushed past the two and dug into the bag,

“Jackpot” He said, “Two tents, and a survivalist package.”

“And to think that was just next store to them.” Pyro said, “They need to step up their game.”

“We heard that!” Rainbow Dash called,

“Good! Constructive criticism.” Pyro called back,

“We better take them...” Butterscotch said,

“Okay, you carry them then” Shining said, dropping the bloody bag onto the mares back forcefully,

The mare threw it off, sending it into Shining’s face,

“I’m not carrying that thing!” Butterscotch said, her eyes widening when she saw the blood on her back, she covered her mouth with one hoof, beginning to gag.

“I guess I’ll have to then.” Pyro grumbled as he lifted up the bag and used his magic to get as much blood off as possible, which wasn’t a lot, “Looks like somepony died trying to keep this, so we should at least use it.”

“She really is a mare” Shining said, sounding annoyed, “What has a little blood ever done to somepony?”

“Any STD in the book,” Pyro muttered to himself, finishing off the blood and putting the bag onto his back,

Butterscotch finally stopped gagging and recomposed herself, “Let’s just get out of here... alright?”

“Am I the only one who thinks this medicine will be of use to us?!” Rainbow Dash called out, “Especially for this jerk!”