Last Septemberby Roadtripper420ChaptersAutumn PlagueConvenience StoreCriticalAutumn PlagueManehattan, where every foal had a dream- a dream to accomplish greatness and probably make a difference, one that would benefit the entirety of Equestria, maybe expanding to even greater nations, like the fabled Princess of Friendship had done before. Well now, that was an old flame. It died out so quickly, and for such a long time that even the most innocent parts of this city became cold, and anypony left standing would be turned over onto an even more rotten standard of living. Everyone scheming, everyone fighting, everyone doing anything in their power to overrun each and every tier of this wretched hierarchy we called a city. And I, Steel Ripple, was living smack dab in the center of it. “Listen here, you scarfaced shitbag…” I watched my friend, an unreformed changeling with a flaming orange frill and the same colored eyes slam another teenage colt into the wall with his hooves jabbed into his neck. The colt himself had some kind of dreary, grey pelt, and his blue mane was extra pasty. His eyes were midnight blue as well, but they stared coldly into my friend’s eyes in contrast to the smug grin at his lips. “You’re gonna give my buddy back his bookbag, or else…” The colt let out a loud laugh. I gritted my teeth as my ears shot back; his laugh was the coldest, most evil, most trifling laugh you could imagine. My buddy Firefang always found it annoying. “Buddy?!” Stone Cold cut in with his wheezing cackle; Firefang’s grip against his neck may have made him wheeze, but it definitely failed to suppress his tumult of laughter. “What is this, kindergarten?!” “Yeah, I guess it is.” Firefang smirked. “And now it’s naptime.” The changeling pulled his hoof back for a split second, before rocketing it right back into Stone Cold’s face. The colt’s expression went from joyous to startled in just a split second, just as Firefang’s hoof made impact- “Wham!” I scurried backwards in a hurry, the quickness and surprise of the all-of-a-sudden hit startling me enough to knock me back onto my haunches. If there was something each and every creature had in common, it was the fact that they all had a power based on their greatest traits. Firefang- although we are supposed to be really good friends, I will admit he’s a meathead. But however, the thing he’s best at is being strong. Before the city shut down and all that, he worked a part time job at the local gym as a personal trainer ever since he turned sixteen. Stone Cold, no matter what the situation, always found a way to overpower someone, no matter how many times he got hit. The city’s pretty scarce of other creatures other than our fifty-something in the lower class, and he was, hooves down, the most annoying colt everyone ever knew. He was very, very persistent. That’s why his own power happens to be an increase of endurance. No matter how many times he’d get hit- once, twice, a hundred times, he would always get up afterwards. No one really knew how many times he could get hit, or stabbed, or shot before he’d eventually die. However, this obviously doesn’t excuse him from getting concussed- courtesy of Firefang. “You really gotta look out for yourself in this city, man.” Firefang scolded me as he dropped Stone Cold’s unconscious body. It slumped up against the wall, his back hooves laying limply like wet noodles. I felt truly sorry for the guy- the sorry scene was to be seen by nearly everyone passing him by. And he’d probably get pickpocketed, too. I was snapped back to my senses as my changeling friend shouldered me. My gaze shot directly to his hoof, which held my black bookbag. It was filled with mostly snacks which is why I’m usually the target foal of my own lower class. I’m usually the only kid that has food, and Firefang’s the only guy I’m willing to share it with. “‘Specially when you’re hoggin’ all the snacks.” I chuckled lightheartedly. “I told you, ‘fang, I’m not good at doing the stuff you do.” “...standing up for yourself?” ‘fang deadpanned as I took my bag. My gaze averted, and that’s when his tone shifted. “Steel, come on. That’s ridiculous. You don’t gotta be skilled at protecting yourself. You think too much.” “Too much, Firefang? Too much? Look, it’s not my fault this city turned into a slum full of cut-throat savages, alright? What happened to when we used to trot to the nearest store to buy some snacks? We can’t do that now without getting mugged! Not ever since...last September.” My ears folded back once again; I could practically sense Firefang’s frown from a mile away. I feel his hoof wrap around my neck. I didn’t even bother to look at him. About this last September thing. Yeah, I remember it pretty vividly. *** When the Autumn Plague hit, no one was sorry. But what can I say? No one knew full-well what they were getting into. Not even the late Princess Twilight. *** “My dear subjects of Manehattan; the pleasure is all mine to be able to stand on this podium today,” the well-known lavender alicorn spoke from the stand. She was wearing a darker violet suit with a fitting, black vest underneath. She had her hoof resting on the surface of the stand to gain better leverage, but the ponies of Manehattan could see her very well already. “But I am only here because all of you allowed me to be. You allowed me to inspire change in this city, to spread friendship’s name across this land!” The crowd erupted with cheer, each and every mare and stallion stomping their hooves and jumping for joy. Twilight held her hooves up, beckoning for silence. It came as soon as she requested it. “And it is my pleasure to say...I will be leading this city to even more substantial greatness!” The crowd cheered even louder this time. Twilight couldn’t hide the large grin and blush she held on her face, with her wings extended and her chin lifted proudly. “Ahem...ahem...jeez, my throat is killing me…” the alicorn turned her head away from the mic, using her hoof to cover her mouth lest she say anything in the mic other than she was supposed to. “Ahem…” “Princess Twilight, may I speak to you for a moment…?” She was then pulled aside by some stallion bodyguard with a black suit and a light grey earpiece. They looked quite frantic to say the least- like the princess herself just committed a major felony. To be honest, I thought nothing of it. I watched as the program seemed to shut itself off. The broadcast was most definitely over, but so abruptly, I wondered to myself what could’ve been so important that they shut the program down without so much as a “goodbye”. I leaned forward and pushed my hoof up against one of the buttons, and the T.V screen went black. I was definitely grateful Twilight introduced the concept of technology to Manehattan- even though we had the more basic forms of tech down to a T. But even then, things like smart phones and computers we haven’t established since the latest big screened billboard. That and “Wi-Fi”. “Dude, I’ll never understand why you watch all those programs in the first place.” I turned my head to see my older changeling friend, Firefang, fixing himself a protein shake (“Death by Chocolate,” his favorite flavor). He looked at me with an arched brow, his very clearly expressed confusion matching the tone of his rather quick-fired question. I chuckled. “You pay for the television in this apartment- I plan on using it for educational purposes, Flamey.” I turned to my small notepad, jotting something down. Of course, it had to be something about Princess Twilight’s new arrival to our bustling city- how she was going to change it for the better. Firefang held an audible smile in his voice. “Okay, kid. You and your little political tendencies, I’ll let slide for now.” “Thanks, Flamey!” Firefang was the one who kind of stole me from my family. Don’t worry- they weren’t the best kind of family you could ever imagine. They were loud, intrusive, angry, abusive- I mean, it’s not like they forced me to shove glass up my backside or anything, but… ...when my mom had me pinned against the wall by my neck. I was suffocating. She wouldn’t let me breathe- I thought she was going to kill me. And then when she let me go, I ran outside and bumped into Firefang. Then, I caved. The very next day he told me to pack my things and leave with him, and so I did. And then he took me in. I levitated my notebook and dashed off to the small burrow I had in the corner of the room. Firefang and I lived in a small apartment- I’d sleep in the living room with a bed made of blankets and cushions, semi-sort of like a fort, or something like that. Great for slumber parties, let me tell you. A downside, however. Your best friend’ll walk in on you watching those “adult commercials” after bedtime and start intruding on your “me-time”. Firefang slept in his own room with a pull out couch and a lamp by his “bed”. He also has a T.V, but it’s a bit smaller than the one in the living room. Even now he says it’s called a “PC”. One of those computer monitor thingies they advertised on T.V. We had a kitchen as well. Marble counters with the sleek, modern white floor tiles. That was Flamey’s favorite part of the apartment- the only one he spent most of his money left over from food, rent, and bills on. We had an oven, a microwave, anything you could think of in a kitchen. And since we both liked food, yeah, it was our favorite part. Firefang always spoiled me with my favorite sugary snacks after he took me to the gym with him. I sighed dreamily as I gently shut my eyes. At this point I felt like nothing bad would ever happen- that everything would be just fine as long as Twilight was here. And I was right. Until she wasn’t. All over the news; “Princess Twilight found dead inside her castle.” “Well-known Princess of Friendship possibly suffocated in her sleep, morgue employees are saying.” I couldn’t believe my eyes nor my ears- it was total anarchy in the city. Ponies were burning buildings, killing each other, getting into fights on the street. Wildfires everywhere, everything crashing down- the whole city was in total shambles. It became apparent when I was looking out the window. The apocalypse as I knew it was running around out there, Tartarus breaking loose. Everypony out there was overcome with anger and rage, scavenging around this wretched place we called a city, looking for whoever would have brought this entire economy down. I turned to the T.V, feeling Firefang’s foreleg wrapping around me and snatching me close. Startled for a split second I turned straight into his embrace, barely even able to watch anymore. “Officials are now claiming that this was the work of a serious illness. Princess Twilight and several others have been affected by this-” I watched in horror as a group of five ponies, each of their traits escaping me, knocking the reporter over. One stared into the camera while the other four continued to stomp the mare out. “They’re hiding everything from us! Princess Twilight is alive! Princess-” Firefang punched his hoof through the T.V screen and snatched me up, taking my backpack which was previously adjacent to where I was sitting and filling it with snacks. He then tossed it over to me before proceeding to grab his own form of luggage, jam-packing it full of essentials. I was scared for my life, I didn’t know what to do except stand there like an idiot. CRASH! The sound of our window shattering- shards of glass surrounding a red brick with a piece of paper attached to it. “Cleanse the city,” it read. Cleanse the city? Firefang paid no mind as he draped his own black duffel bag over his back, snatching me up and dragging me out of there. I clutched my own backpack tightly as he reached the staircase, draping me over his back as well and proceeding to gallop down. It was like he was so damn terrified, he didn’t care about the weight holding him down. I had never seen him like that before- at a point where he was so insecure about what was going to happen to the two of us that he didn’t care anymore. Like he could carry just about anything. My breath was bated. I watched heinous crimes being committed, ponies slaughtering left and right, people bashing their heads on brick walls, everything. But Firefang just kept going. Eventually we found a back alley somewhere out of the way. Firefang peered his head out, where he still found the bright lights of scorching flames tearing down numerous buildings. I didn’t dare take a peek. I just closed my eyes, an aching lump in my throat, praying to someone that all of this would be over. Someone could help. Someone could save us. But no one came. Convenience StoreI couldn’t believe it. Princess Twilight was dead. I shielded my face in Firefang’s chest; somehow I felt it all too horrible to be true. Like this was all a dream, and I hadn’t woken up from my nap yet. Even still, everything happened way too fast for me to digest. So much violence, so much anarchy all at once. Firefang hugged me closer, with a sore cough. It could’ve been the cloudy black smoke pluming into the air from the burning buildings, however it somehow wasn’t thick enough to make me start coughing as it was for Flamey. Maybe changelings just had weak lungs? “Steel, you listen to me…” he barked through another hack, lifting my head up. “On the count of three, we’re gonna turn the corner and get into that convenience store. Then, I want you to hide behind the counter while I run a quick check for resources. And you bet your ass that if you ever come from behind that counter, I will hurt you. Do not, under any circum-cisions come from behind that counter unless I give you the all clear, okay?” I was a bit too fearful to raise a brow at Firefang’s awful vocabulary, so I nodded, heart palpitating just at the sight of his fiery gaze piercing through my own. And even then I was surprised, thinking that my own heart stopped for a second. At this point I felt it drop to my stomach as Firefang snatched me up once again. I forced myself to try and match his stamina, legs galloping faster than I think they ever had before. Tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot… Every single hoofstep was beating against the concrete faster than my heart could race. We reached the entrance of the store. It was pretty quaint compared to the other structures, which were at this point smoldering and falling apart. But the store stood strong, evidently- its large, rectangular windows reflected just as perfectly as they had before in the apocalyptic orange limelight, bouncing the flaming hue off the smudge-proof glass and leaving the both of us starstruck. As we both hurried on inside, I dove behind the counter. Though it wasn’t a clean hit in the slightest bit. Thump! I scraped my hind hoof on the edge of the patterned countertop on my way over. On my landing I fell over and ended up snagging down a glass bottle. Crash! I slapped my hooves over my mouth. I knew that if I let out even the tiniest cry, someone would hear, especially other than Firefang. Although I already dealt some damage with the glass bottle, I didn’t want to be the entire reason we got caught. My rough, bated breath couldn’t be helped, however. I stared at the spilled soda, pooling around the shattered pieces of glass, a few drops of my blood bleeding into the mix and creating an ugly scarlet to the soda’s clear color. And my own child-like curiosity didn’t fare any better, as I slowly and cautiously peeked my head around the corner. There, I finally caught a good glimpse of the healthily stocked shelves, looking fresh and ready to be stolen from. Firefang, there he was. Zipping around like a common moth around a thousand watt lightbulb. And if you were there with me, you’d see that it was quite evident he was at least trying to be smart. And even in the horrid moment of panic and fear I was in, clamping my mouth shut, biting my tongue in hesitation, I smiled a bit. I was proud to see Flamey, the studd-y meathead actually strategizing. He looked up at the counter. I somehow managed to keep myself from gasping in fear, and swiftly turned my back to him and scurried back behind the counter. Something in his eyes when I caught my last glimpse, panic, regret- something was obviously getting to him. My ears shot up, as I heard a brief clicking to my far left, somewhere in the further corner of the store. “Damn thing doesn’t have a lock…” I heard Firefang mutter. His struggling grunts followed shortly, accompanied by the scathing sound of something dragging against the floor. Even then, with an exasperated sigh, he didn’t sound satisfied. At this point I realized he was probably trying to barricade the door- and I mentally kicked myself for not being smart enough to realize that’s exactly what he’s been doing. How the hell did I let Flamey be smarter than me? I questioned myself in my head. For some reason, I found myself daring enough to take another peek, this time peering my head over the counter for a quick and easy drawback if I felt he was about to check me once again. Firefang wasn’t at the door anymore- at this point he had probably given up. I looked over to see a busted up ice cream cooler in front of the glass door. It opened from the inside, with an apparent “pull, not push” handle made for, well, pulling. Luckily for us, it was “push” on the outside. But the cooler couldn’t have weighed that much for someone strong enough. And if I knew the apocalypse as it was, I knew that only the strongest would survive. That, and the smartest. My heart rate sped up with adrenaline fed anticipation as I saw Firefang trudge back into the picture. He was hoisting five or six wooden planks on his back, with a hammer in his mouth. Heh, I knew what this was. From the few zombie games we would play on his console; The main goal was to survive while simultaneously keeping the undead at bay by barricading the areas they spawned from with wooden planks, nailed to the walls and obstructing the spaces they could crawl or jump through. The only con was, they could tear them down in a matter of seconds. Point is, although it may not have been the most sturdy strategy you’ve ever seen, you bet your boots it was reliable at the very least. So, that was what Firefang was about to do. Granted, he didn’t bring with him any nails, so he hog-tailed it to the back once again in search for the so-desired nails. And I decided since I knew what he was going to use them for, I didn’t really have to watch any longer. Thump...thump...thump… Thud! I can’t lie, I snuck in one audibly sharp inhale, and with my eyes widened with fear and turmoil, I found myself completely petrified; that thumping noise was coming from the far left corner of the shop. The door. Glass rattling violently, the door shaking and pounding up against the soiled ice cream cooler echoed in my mind, sinking into my brain and causing my blood to run cold. Although I was trembling, I was completely petrified. Thud! Thud! Bang! The noises wouldn’t stop. Again, and again: Thud! Thud! Bang! Shivers shot up my spine like I was just laid in a bed of frigid snow. As if I couldn’t grip my hoof any tighter, I kept it locked up against my muzzle as a result of my own lack of self trust. I couldn’t trust myself not to make a noise. I couldn’t weep, I couldn’t cry. All these thoughts, racing through my head. Don’t gasp, don’t weep, don’t cry… Don’t gasp, don’t weep, don’t cry… Bang! Bang! The noises only got louder. Overlapped by the sound of beating hooves up against the tiled floor only echoed once more through the empty store, but even then, with Firefang’s quick-spirited four legged gait, I felt so alone. I felt pins and needles sink into my hoof- I bit it. Hard. So hard that the rich, deep red liquid ran slowly down my lip. But I couldn’t cry. Don’t gasp… Don’t weep… Don’t gasp… Don’t weep… Everything went quiet. Everything, except for one. Scrr….scr…. Scraping. Something was scraping against the floor, like someone was pulling something heavy. My heart stopped. The ice cream cooler. Now, my entire mind was filled to the brim with dread- so much that if it were physical it’d be leaking out of my ears by now. But that wasn’t the point- something was about to make way into the store. Because if the cooler was moving, then something was definitely going to get in here. My breath grew shaky, and hesitant. I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t cry... right now, all I could do was wait. Scrrr...scrrr… The cooler, once again. It was moving even more than it was before. Especially after the door clicked. “...hey, are you alright?” Flamey. I didn’t dare look over the counter once again, not until I knew for sure everything was going to be alright. But...then, someone else spoke. “I’m okay...but...thank you. I could’ve died out there…” What? I was so confused. “Steel, you can come out now. It’s safe, bud.” Then, and only then did I tentatively peek my head around the corner. Firefang was standing there- and not surprisingly, so was someone else. Another changeling, specifically. He was unreformed, like Flamey- charcoal chitin with holes in the hooves. I was always afraid of changelings like most foals were raised to be, until Firefang came around- so it’s not exactly like I’m not familiar with being around them, even now. But this one, he was different. He had a short, yet messy brown mane, crowned with an old, slightly damp newspaper hat, shaped like one of those origami boats. It was kiddie, yet cute to say the least. He had scarlet red eyes and a few red marks on his flat stomach, almost like scars, but, you know, not scars exactly. He was a lot shorter than Firefang, and judging by the higher pitched voice I heard when I was hiding behind the counter, he was clearly younger. In a spurt of awkward kindness, he flashed a small smile at me. He was missing a tooth- one out of his two front teeth. And yet he didn’t have any fangs, like unreformed changelings usually did. I could almost relate to him- I, myself, have a goofily sized gap between my two front teeth. It becomes very, very apparent whenever I smile wide enough. And I don’t even do a lot of that so I guess it’s fine. As I finally stepped out, I hesitantly trotted over. Firefang wrapped a hoof around me, smiling softly at the changeling boy. “Daedalus, this is Steel. Steel, meet Daedalus.” Both of us just awkwardly waved at each other. Yeah, this was definitely new. CriticalDid I tell you that this kid, he had the most innocent stare you could ever imagine? With his maroon red eyes, he could coerce you into murder if he really tried. And if I weren’t as smart as I was I would’ve thought that was exactly why Flamey would let this stranger inside. “I’m glad you came over here, Daed. But, where the hell is your mom? She should’ve come with you, or taken you somewhere you’d be safer.” I looked to Firefang, who was staring straight at the kid with his steel-strong resolve. That was when Daedalus averted his gaze. “I-I don’t know, but...Flamey, she’s been really sick lately. She’s been really tired all of a sudden, and all she’s been doing is sleeping. And then...when I tried waking her up, she wouldn’t stop screaming…” That’s when Firefang looked puzzled. I did too, not surprisingly. To be honest I don’t like being woken up either, but I wouldn’t scream if Fang decided to roll me out of bed in the middle of the night. Well, maybe if I were in a bad mood or something, but that's besides the point. I’ve never known this kid until Firefang introduced him, so I don’t know if he’s got an abusive mom like mine or what. ...but if he came alone… “Screaming?” Daedalus nodded with a whimper. “I don’t know what she said, but...but she scared me so much, I just ran and hid until this entire thing died down, and now…” The nymph ambled solemnly toward the big window, placing his hoof on the glass and watching the orange light glow bright, whisking toward the skies in a thousand plumes of spark stained smoke. Thank goodness we weren’t outside- the noxious fumes would’ve been enough to kill us. “Daed, get away from the window,” Firefang hissed, wrapping his hooves around Daedalus’ waist and snatching him away from the open view. “Someone might see you, dammit!” The younger changeling gasped as Firefang almost tossed him over in my direction. His flank skid on the floor, and he bumped up against the counter sitting next to me. Firefang scampered off in an even bigger panic than before. Daedalus only lamented, burrowing his head into my side. “Nngh…” Well, now I’m uncomfortable. Firefang himself, and everyone who knew me well enough to care knew I didn’t like being touched. No poking, no grabbing, no hugs. Well, that last one I would only accept on occasion. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t make the most of my alone time with him. I’m all about productivity, which means that I take every given moment as an opportunity to help the situation. And how was I going to do that? Well, by talking to the kid. “Hey.” I bent my foreleg. To my swift discomfort, it had already fallen asleep just being stuck under this kid’s dead weight. But although the prickly sensation cut deep I was determined to get answers. Now, I softly nudged him with my elbow. “Hey,” I repeated. Daedalus lifted his head to look at me. Now, the confusion was apparent just as much as sadness, so maybe this was going to be more difficult than I thought getting good answers out of him. “You said your mom was sick before this, right?” “M-Mhm…” he nodded with a small sniffle. “She was taking all these Asp-Aspir-Aspir...ain?” “Aspirin,” I corrected. “Well, that’s pretty common for someone raising a kid this...kid like. Might be a single mom, possibly in her late thirties or so. But then there’s the screaming...stress?” “So, she had really bad headaches, or what?” “Bad headaches...I had to help her into the apartment last week because of them. She said it hurt real bad, like she could barely hear...” “Last week…?” So, this was something going on, like, before. Maybe not before, before, like months ago, this was still recent. But seeing as this was set back a week before everypony went batshit crazy, maybe there was an actual reason other than raising a stressful kid. “Is there anyone else that was like this?” I asked, turning to Daed with a canted brow. I grabbed him by his shoulders and made sure he faced me head on, looking straight into my eyes. As I glared right into his, I felt like I was taken back in time or something. Back to the fire, back to the panic. Back when Firefang was staring into my eyes like this. I felt just like Firefang. I pulled Daedalus closer and realized that I was still gripping him tightly. He nodded tentatively, and I almost found myself grinning. No. Serious Steel. “M-My friend...two of them. Icarus and Ink...t-they’re twin brothers…” I felt like shaking him. Gripping him even tighter, screaming at him. Stick to answering my questions, dammit! But darn, the kid was like, eight. I wasn’t about to get anywhere forcing him to do anything, or else he might cry or something. “...when I saw them at school, they...they were trying to help each other walk, but they wouldn’t stop tripping over each other or something...i-it was like, every step they took, they were walking on hot bricks…” I was a little befuddled for a quick second, but then a small smile crossed my lips. I couldn’t help it- I always love a good analogy. “W-Why are you smiling?” “That’s besides the point. Look, when’s the last you heard of them?” “L-Local hospital...I haven’t visited them yet, but-” “Y’alright, thanks man.” Quickly, I patted myself down. A small lump in my hoodie told me I had most definitely brought my notepad. With a smile, I managed to find a dull pencil and jotted down this information. Now, I thought I’d definitely figure out what was going on. __ Note to self: Creatures around this new kid Daedalus have been experiencing really bad headaches. Second hoof account; stumbling, trouble hearing, pounding headaches. Footnote: Daedalus woke his mom up and she started screaming out of nowhere. Stress? Anxiety? __ Daedalus pushed forward and coiled his hooves around me. I was a little startled, and ended up ruining my notes with a rough pencil stroke going diagonally off the page. Crap. Well, I could always erase it. ...you know, now that I thought of it… “...you said your mom’s been really sick lately, yes?” He nodded into the now wrinkled wet spot of the fabric on my side. I refrained from rolling my eyes thankfully- I can’t blame him for crying, he was obviously really frightened. I wouldn’t say any different if he was drooling though, I absolutely despise anything spit related. “What kind of sick? Like, sick in the head, or…?” “She’s been taking a lot of Halls...the honey flavor...she only takes the cool blue ones when she has dry throat or something but she’s been coughing a lot…sick coughs…” Just as I thought. Princess Twilight, on the T.V; how badly she was coughing when she wasn’t at the microphone. Immediately I turned back to my notepad. __ That’s it. That’s the Autumn Plague, on the news. Headaches, sick coughs, stumbling around. And yet the Princess wasn’t even stumbling or anything, she was just coughing. Like, a lot. I mean, she looked fine on television or something. Then again I don’t know what it’s like to be an alicorn, so maybe they’re just more sturdy than regular ponies…? __ I heard a thud as I pulled away from the kid. Although I realized he probably fell, I didn’t pay much attention. He shouldn’t have been that close anyhow. Firefang came scrambling around the corner, carrying old tattered tabloids and a bucket of black paint with the handle clenched in his teeth. He sat our rickety supplies down on the counter, then looked at me. “Look, since you’re the oldest, I want you to help me cover the windows. We’ll paint over them and tape the newspapers together over the glass. That way, no one’ll see us and we don’t gotta be scared of standing in front of the windows.” I nodded, but still digressed. “Look, Flamey, I think I may have just figured all this out.” “Steel, we gotta hurry. You can educate me about that later, you ain’t Rein Dawson. Cut the vigilante shit out and help me cover these windows.” “B-But Flamey, this is critical information!” “I don’t care! It’s critical we cover these windows before someone sees us and-” Firefang couldn’t finish; he erupted with a loud hack and collapsed, coughing and gagging like he was about to throw up. Daedalus gasped as he stumbled backwards, back thudding against the store counter. Fang rolled over on his back with another five coughs, sticking close to the floor like he was refusing to move. I furled my brow as I watched him struggle, not exactly knowing what to do but not in quite a rush. I mean, by the looks of it this wasn’t any common cold. Nothing like cough drops could solve something like this. I’m not going to jump to conclusions, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is exactly what I don’t want it to be. And never did I think I’d find myself so desperately wanting to be wrong.
Autumn PlagueManehattan, where every foal had a dream- a dream to accomplish greatness and probably make a difference, one that would benefit the entirety of Equestria, maybe expanding to even greater nations, like the fabled Princess of Friendship had done before. Well now, that was an old flame. It died out so quickly, and for such a long time that even the most innocent parts of this city became cold, and anypony left standing would be turned over onto an even more rotten standard of living. Everyone scheming, everyone fighting, everyone doing anything in their power to overrun each and every tier of this wretched hierarchy we called a city. And I, Steel Ripple, was living smack dab in the center of it. “Listen here, you scarfaced shitbag…” I watched my friend, an unreformed changeling with a flaming orange frill and the same colored eyes slam another teenage colt into the wall with his hooves jabbed into his neck. The colt himself had some kind of dreary, grey pelt, and his blue mane was extra pasty. His eyes were midnight blue as well, but they stared coldly into my friend’s eyes in contrast to the smug grin at his lips. “You’re gonna give my buddy back his bookbag, or else…” The colt let out a loud laugh. I gritted my teeth as my ears shot back; his laugh was the coldest, most evil, most trifling laugh you could imagine. My buddy Firefang always found it annoying. “Buddy?!” Stone Cold cut in with his wheezing cackle; Firefang’s grip against his neck may have made him wheeze, but it definitely failed to suppress his tumult of laughter. “What is this, kindergarten?!” “Yeah, I guess it is.” Firefang smirked. “And now it’s naptime.” The changeling pulled his hoof back for a split second, before rocketing it right back into Stone Cold’s face. The colt’s expression went from joyous to startled in just a split second, just as Firefang’s hoof made impact- “Wham!” I scurried backwards in a hurry, the quickness and surprise of the all-of-a-sudden hit startling me enough to knock me back onto my haunches. If there was something each and every creature had in common, it was the fact that they all had a power based on their greatest traits. Firefang- although we are supposed to be really good friends, I will admit he’s a meathead. But however, the thing he’s best at is being strong. Before the city shut down and all that, he worked a part time job at the local gym as a personal trainer ever since he turned sixteen. Stone Cold, no matter what the situation, always found a way to overpower someone, no matter how many times he got hit. The city’s pretty scarce of other creatures other than our fifty-something in the lower class, and he was, hooves down, the most annoying colt everyone ever knew. He was very, very persistent. That’s why his own power happens to be an increase of endurance. No matter how many times he’d get hit- once, twice, a hundred times, he would always get up afterwards. No one really knew how many times he could get hit, or stabbed, or shot before he’d eventually die. However, this obviously doesn’t excuse him from getting concussed- courtesy of Firefang. “You really gotta look out for yourself in this city, man.” Firefang scolded me as he dropped Stone Cold’s unconscious body. It slumped up against the wall, his back hooves laying limply like wet noodles. I felt truly sorry for the guy- the sorry scene was to be seen by nearly everyone passing him by. And he’d probably get pickpocketed, too. I was snapped back to my senses as my changeling friend shouldered me. My gaze shot directly to his hoof, which held my black bookbag. It was filled with mostly snacks which is why I’m usually the target foal of my own lower class. I’m usually the only kid that has food, and Firefang’s the only guy I’m willing to share it with. “‘Specially when you’re hoggin’ all the snacks.” I chuckled lightheartedly. “I told you, ‘fang, I’m not good at doing the stuff you do.” “...standing up for yourself?” ‘fang deadpanned as I took my bag. My gaze averted, and that’s when his tone shifted. “Steel, come on. That’s ridiculous. You don’t gotta be skilled at protecting yourself. You think too much.” “Too much, Firefang? Too much? Look, it’s not my fault this city turned into a slum full of cut-throat savages, alright? What happened to when we used to trot to the nearest store to buy some snacks? We can’t do that now without getting mugged! Not ever since...last September.” My ears folded back once again; I could practically sense Firefang’s frown from a mile away. I feel his hoof wrap around my neck. I didn’t even bother to look at him. About this last September thing. Yeah, I remember it pretty vividly. *** When the Autumn Plague hit, no one was sorry. But what can I say? No one knew full-well what they were getting into. Not even the late Princess Twilight. *** “My dear subjects of Manehattan; the pleasure is all mine to be able to stand on this podium today,” the well-known lavender alicorn spoke from the stand. She was wearing a darker violet suit with a fitting, black vest underneath. She had her hoof resting on the surface of the stand to gain better leverage, but the ponies of Manehattan could see her very well already. “But I am only here because all of you allowed me to be. You allowed me to inspire change in this city, to spread friendship’s name across this land!” The crowd erupted with cheer, each and every mare and stallion stomping their hooves and jumping for joy. Twilight held her hooves up, beckoning for silence. It came as soon as she requested it. “And it is my pleasure to say...I will be leading this city to even more substantial greatness!” The crowd cheered even louder this time. Twilight couldn’t hide the large grin and blush she held on her face, with her wings extended and her chin lifted proudly. “Ahem...ahem...jeez, my throat is killing me…” the alicorn turned her head away from the mic, using her hoof to cover her mouth lest she say anything in the mic other than she was supposed to. “Ahem…” “Princess Twilight, may I speak to you for a moment…?” She was then pulled aside by some stallion bodyguard with a black suit and a light grey earpiece. They looked quite frantic to say the least- like the princess herself just committed a major felony. To be honest, I thought nothing of it. I watched as the program seemed to shut itself off. The broadcast was most definitely over, but so abruptly, I wondered to myself what could’ve been so important that they shut the program down without so much as a “goodbye”. I leaned forward and pushed my hoof up against one of the buttons, and the T.V screen went black. I was definitely grateful Twilight introduced the concept of technology to Manehattan- even though we had the more basic forms of tech down to a T. But even then, things like smart phones and computers we haven’t established since the latest big screened billboard. That and “Wi-Fi”. “Dude, I’ll never understand why you watch all those programs in the first place.” I turned my head to see my older changeling friend, Firefang, fixing himself a protein shake (“Death by Chocolate,” his favorite flavor). He looked at me with an arched brow, his very clearly expressed confusion matching the tone of his rather quick-fired question. I chuckled. “You pay for the television in this apartment- I plan on using it for educational purposes, Flamey.” I turned to my small notepad, jotting something down. Of course, it had to be something about Princess Twilight’s new arrival to our bustling city- how she was going to change it for the better. Firefang held an audible smile in his voice. “Okay, kid. You and your little political tendencies, I’ll let slide for now.” “Thanks, Flamey!” Firefang was the one who kind of stole me from my family. Don’t worry- they weren’t the best kind of family you could ever imagine. They were loud, intrusive, angry, abusive- I mean, it’s not like they forced me to shove glass up my backside or anything, but… ...when my mom had me pinned against the wall by my neck. I was suffocating. She wouldn’t let me breathe- I thought she was going to kill me. And then when she let me go, I ran outside and bumped into Firefang. Then, I caved. The very next day he told me to pack my things and leave with him, and so I did. And then he took me in. I levitated my notebook and dashed off to the small burrow I had in the corner of the room. Firefang and I lived in a small apartment- I’d sleep in the living room with a bed made of blankets and cushions, semi-sort of like a fort, or something like that. Great for slumber parties, let me tell you. A downside, however. Your best friend’ll walk in on you watching those “adult commercials” after bedtime and start intruding on your “me-time”. Firefang slept in his own room with a pull out couch and a lamp by his “bed”. He also has a T.V, but it’s a bit smaller than the one in the living room. Even now he says it’s called a “PC”. One of those computer monitor thingies they advertised on T.V. We had a kitchen as well. Marble counters with the sleek, modern white floor tiles. That was Flamey’s favorite part of the apartment- the only one he spent most of his money left over from food, rent, and bills on. We had an oven, a microwave, anything you could think of in a kitchen. And since we both liked food, yeah, it was our favorite part. Firefang always spoiled me with my favorite sugary snacks after he took me to the gym with him. I sighed dreamily as I gently shut my eyes. At this point I felt like nothing bad would ever happen- that everything would be just fine as long as Twilight was here. And I was right. Until she wasn’t. All over the news; “Princess Twilight found dead inside her castle.” “Well-known Princess of Friendship possibly suffocated in her sleep, morgue employees are saying.” I couldn’t believe my eyes nor my ears- it was total anarchy in the city. Ponies were burning buildings, killing each other, getting into fights on the street. Wildfires everywhere, everything crashing down- the whole city was in total shambles. It became apparent when I was looking out the window. The apocalypse as I knew it was running around out there, Tartarus breaking loose. Everypony out there was overcome with anger and rage, scavenging around this wretched place we called a city, looking for whoever would have brought this entire economy down. I turned to the T.V, feeling Firefang’s foreleg wrapping around me and snatching me close. Startled for a split second I turned straight into his embrace, barely even able to watch anymore. “Officials are now claiming that this was the work of a serious illness. Princess Twilight and several others have been affected by this-” I watched in horror as a group of five ponies, each of their traits escaping me, knocking the reporter over. One stared into the camera while the other four continued to stomp the mare out. “They’re hiding everything from us! Princess Twilight is alive! Princess-” Firefang punched his hoof through the T.V screen and snatched me up, taking my backpack which was previously adjacent to where I was sitting and filling it with snacks. He then tossed it over to me before proceeding to grab his own form of luggage, jam-packing it full of essentials. I was scared for my life, I didn’t know what to do except stand there like an idiot. CRASH! The sound of our window shattering- shards of glass surrounding a red brick with a piece of paper attached to it. “Cleanse the city,” it read. Cleanse the city? Firefang paid no mind as he draped his own black duffel bag over his back, snatching me up and dragging me out of there. I clutched my own backpack tightly as he reached the staircase, draping me over his back as well and proceeding to gallop down. It was like he was so damn terrified, he didn’t care about the weight holding him down. I had never seen him like that before- at a point where he was so insecure about what was going to happen to the two of us that he didn’t care anymore. Like he could carry just about anything. My breath was bated. I watched heinous crimes being committed, ponies slaughtering left and right, people bashing their heads on brick walls, everything. But Firefang just kept going. Eventually we found a back alley somewhere out of the way. Firefang peered his head out, where he still found the bright lights of scorching flames tearing down numerous buildings. I didn’t dare take a peek. I just closed my eyes, an aching lump in my throat, praying to someone that all of this would be over. Someone could help. Someone could save us. But no one came.
Convenience StoreI couldn’t believe it. Princess Twilight was dead. I shielded my face in Firefang’s chest; somehow I felt it all too horrible to be true. Like this was all a dream, and I hadn’t woken up from my nap yet. Even still, everything happened way too fast for me to digest. So much violence, so much anarchy all at once. Firefang hugged me closer, with a sore cough. It could’ve been the cloudy black smoke pluming into the air from the burning buildings, however it somehow wasn’t thick enough to make me start coughing as it was for Flamey. Maybe changelings just had weak lungs? “Steel, you listen to me…” he barked through another hack, lifting my head up. “On the count of three, we’re gonna turn the corner and get into that convenience store. Then, I want you to hide behind the counter while I run a quick check for resources. And you bet your ass that if you ever come from behind that counter, I will hurt you. Do not, under any circum-cisions come from behind that counter unless I give you the all clear, okay?” I was a bit too fearful to raise a brow at Firefang’s awful vocabulary, so I nodded, heart palpitating just at the sight of his fiery gaze piercing through my own. And even then I was surprised, thinking that my own heart stopped for a second. At this point I felt it drop to my stomach as Firefang snatched me up once again. I forced myself to try and match his stamina, legs galloping faster than I think they ever had before. Tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot… Every single hoofstep was beating against the concrete faster than my heart could race. We reached the entrance of the store. It was pretty quaint compared to the other structures, which were at this point smoldering and falling apart. But the store stood strong, evidently- its large, rectangular windows reflected just as perfectly as they had before in the apocalyptic orange limelight, bouncing the flaming hue off the smudge-proof glass and leaving the both of us starstruck. As we both hurried on inside, I dove behind the counter. Though it wasn’t a clean hit in the slightest bit. Thump! I scraped my hind hoof on the edge of the patterned countertop on my way over. On my landing I fell over and ended up snagging down a glass bottle. Crash! I slapped my hooves over my mouth. I knew that if I let out even the tiniest cry, someone would hear, especially other than Firefang. Although I already dealt some damage with the glass bottle, I didn’t want to be the entire reason we got caught. My rough, bated breath couldn’t be helped, however. I stared at the spilled soda, pooling around the shattered pieces of glass, a few drops of my blood bleeding into the mix and creating an ugly scarlet to the soda’s clear color. And my own child-like curiosity didn’t fare any better, as I slowly and cautiously peeked my head around the corner. There, I finally caught a good glimpse of the healthily stocked shelves, looking fresh and ready to be stolen from. Firefang, there he was. Zipping around like a common moth around a thousand watt lightbulb. And if you were there with me, you’d see that it was quite evident he was at least trying to be smart. And even in the horrid moment of panic and fear I was in, clamping my mouth shut, biting my tongue in hesitation, I smiled a bit. I was proud to see Flamey, the studd-y meathead actually strategizing. He looked up at the counter. I somehow managed to keep myself from gasping in fear, and swiftly turned my back to him and scurried back behind the counter. Something in his eyes when I caught my last glimpse, panic, regret- something was obviously getting to him. My ears shot up, as I heard a brief clicking to my far left, somewhere in the further corner of the store. “Damn thing doesn’t have a lock…” I heard Firefang mutter. His struggling grunts followed shortly, accompanied by the scathing sound of something dragging against the floor. Even then, with an exasperated sigh, he didn’t sound satisfied. At this point I realized he was probably trying to barricade the door- and I mentally kicked myself for not being smart enough to realize that’s exactly what he’s been doing. How the hell did I let Flamey be smarter than me? I questioned myself in my head. For some reason, I found myself daring enough to take another peek, this time peering my head over the counter for a quick and easy drawback if I felt he was about to check me once again. Firefang wasn’t at the door anymore- at this point he had probably given up. I looked over to see a busted up ice cream cooler in front of the glass door. It opened from the inside, with an apparent “pull, not push” handle made for, well, pulling. Luckily for us, it was “push” on the outside. But the cooler couldn’t have weighed that much for someone strong enough. And if I knew the apocalypse as it was, I knew that only the strongest would survive. That, and the smartest. My heart rate sped up with adrenaline fed anticipation as I saw Firefang trudge back into the picture. He was hoisting five or six wooden planks on his back, with a hammer in his mouth. Heh, I knew what this was. From the few zombie games we would play on his console; The main goal was to survive while simultaneously keeping the undead at bay by barricading the areas they spawned from with wooden planks, nailed to the walls and obstructing the spaces they could crawl or jump through. The only con was, they could tear them down in a matter of seconds. Point is, although it may not have been the most sturdy strategy you’ve ever seen, you bet your boots it was reliable at the very least. So, that was what Firefang was about to do. Granted, he didn’t bring with him any nails, so he hog-tailed it to the back once again in search for the so-desired nails. And I decided since I knew what he was going to use them for, I didn’t really have to watch any longer. Thump...thump...thump… Thud! I can’t lie, I snuck in one audibly sharp inhale, and with my eyes widened with fear and turmoil, I found myself completely petrified; that thumping noise was coming from the far left corner of the shop. The door. Glass rattling violently, the door shaking and pounding up against the soiled ice cream cooler echoed in my mind, sinking into my brain and causing my blood to run cold. Although I was trembling, I was completely petrified. Thud! Thud! Bang! The noises wouldn’t stop. Again, and again: Thud! Thud! Bang! Shivers shot up my spine like I was just laid in a bed of frigid snow. As if I couldn’t grip my hoof any tighter, I kept it locked up against my muzzle as a result of my own lack of self trust. I couldn’t trust myself not to make a noise. I couldn’t weep, I couldn’t cry. All these thoughts, racing through my head. Don’t gasp, don’t weep, don’t cry… Don’t gasp, don’t weep, don’t cry… Bang! Bang! The noises only got louder. Overlapped by the sound of beating hooves up against the tiled floor only echoed once more through the empty store, but even then, with Firefang’s quick-spirited four legged gait, I felt so alone. I felt pins and needles sink into my hoof- I bit it. Hard. So hard that the rich, deep red liquid ran slowly down my lip. But I couldn’t cry. Don’t gasp… Don’t weep… Don’t gasp… Don’t weep… Everything went quiet. Everything, except for one. Scrr….scr…. Scraping. Something was scraping against the floor, like someone was pulling something heavy. My heart stopped. The ice cream cooler. Now, my entire mind was filled to the brim with dread- so much that if it were physical it’d be leaking out of my ears by now. But that wasn’t the point- something was about to make way into the store. Because if the cooler was moving, then something was definitely going to get in here. My breath grew shaky, and hesitant. I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t cry... right now, all I could do was wait. Scrrr...scrrr… The cooler, once again. It was moving even more than it was before. Especially after the door clicked. “...hey, are you alright?” Flamey. I didn’t dare look over the counter once again, not until I knew for sure everything was going to be alright. But...then, someone else spoke. “I’m okay...but...thank you. I could’ve died out there…” What? I was so confused. “Steel, you can come out now. It’s safe, bud.” Then, and only then did I tentatively peek my head around the corner. Firefang was standing there- and not surprisingly, so was someone else. Another changeling, specifically. He was unreformed, like Flamey- charcoal chitin with holes in the hooves. I was always afraid of changelings like most foals were raised to be, until Firefang came around- so it’s not exactly like I’m not familiar with being around them, even now. But this one, he was different. He had a short, yet messy brown mane, crowned with an old, slightly damp newspaper hat, shaped like one of those origami boats. It was kiddie, yet cute to say the least. He had scarlet red eyes and a few red marks on his flat stomach, almost like scars, but, you know, not scars exactly. He was a lot shorter than Firefang, and judging by the higher pitched voice I heard when I was hiding behind the counter, he was clearly younger. In a spurt of awkward kindness, he flashed a small smile at me. He was missing a tooth- one out of his two front teeth. And yet he didn’t have any fangs, like unreformed changelings usually did. I could almost relate to him- I, myself, have a goofily sized gap between my two front teeth. It becomes very, very apparent whenever I smile wide enough. And I don’t even do a lot of that so I guess it’s fine. As I finally stepped out, I hesitantly trotted over. Firefang wrapped a hoof around me, smiling softly at the changeling boy. “Daedalus, this is Steel. Steel, meet Daedalus.” Both of us just awkwardly waved at each other. Yeah, this was definitely new.
CriticalDid I tell you that this kid, he had the most innocent stare you could ever imagine? With his maroon red eyes, he could coerce you into murder if he really tried. And if I weren’t as smart as I was I would’ve thought that was exactly why Flamey would let this stranger inside. “I’m glad you came over here, Daed. But, where the hell is your mom? She should’ve come with you, or taken you somewhere you’d be safer.” I looked to Firefang, who was staring straight at the kid with his steel-strong resolve. That was when Daedalus averted his gaze. “I-I don’t know, but...Flamey, she’s been really sick lately. She’s been really tired all of a sudden, and all she’s been doing is sleeping. And then...when I tried waking her up, she wouldn’t stop screaming…” That’s when Firefang looked puzzled. I did too, not surprisingly. To be honest I don’t like being woken up either, but I wouldn’t scream if Fang decided to roll me out of bed in the middle of the night. Well, maybe if I were in a bad mood or something, but that's besides the point. I’ve never known this kid until Firefang introduced him, so I don’t know if he’s got an abusive mom like mine or what. ...but if he came alone… “Screaming?” Daedalus nodded with a whimper. “I don’t know what she said, but...but she scared me so much, I just ran and hid until this entire thing died down, and now…” The nymph ambled solemnly toward the big window, placing his hoof on the glass and watching the orange light glow bright, whisking toward the skies in a thousand plumes of spark stained smoke. Thank goodness we weren’t outside- the noxious fumes would’ve been enough to kill us. “Daed, get away from the window,” Firefang hissed, wrapping his hooves around Daedalus’ waist and snatching him away from the open view. “Someone might see you, dammit!” The younger changeling gasped as Firefang almost tossed him over in my direction. His flank skid on the floor, and he bumped up against the counter sitting next to me. Firefang scampered off in an even bigger panic than before. Daedalus only lamented, burrowing his head into my side. “Nngh…” Well, now I’m uncomfortable. Firefang himself, and everyone who knew me well enough to care knew I didn’t like being touched. No poking, no grabbing, no hugs. Well, that last one I would only accept on occasion. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t make the most of my alone time with him. I’m all about productivity, which means that I take every given moment as an opportunity to help the situation. And how was I going to do that? Well, by talking to the kid. “Hey.” I bent my foreleg. To my swift discomfort, it had already fallen asleep just being stuck under this kid’s dead weight. But although the prickly sensation cut deep I was determined to get answers. Now, I softly nudged him with my elbow. “Hey,” I repeated. Daedalus lifted his head to look at me. Now, the confusion was apparent just as much as sadness, so maybe this was going to be more difficult than I thought getting good answers out of him. “You said your mom was sick before this, right?” “M-Mhm…” he nodded with a small sniffle. “She was taking all these Asp-Aspir-Aspir...ain?” “Aspirin,” I corrected. “Well, that’s pretty common for someone raising a kid this...kid like. Might be a single mom, possibly in her late thirties or so. But then there’s the screaming...stress?” “So, she had really bad headaches, or what?” “Bad headaches...I had to help her into the apartment last week because of them. She said it hurt real bad, like she could barely hear...” “Last week…?” So, this was something going on, like, before. Maybe not before, before, like months ago, this was still recent. But seeing as this was set back a week before everypony went batshit crazy, maybe there was an actual reason other than raising a stressful kid. “Is there anyone else that was like this?” I asked, turning to Daed with a canted brow. I grabbed him by his shoulders and made sure he faced me head on, looking straight into my eyes. As I glared right into his, I felt like I was taken back in time or something. Back to the fire, back to the panic. Back when Firefang was staring into my eyes like this. I felt just like Firefang. I pulled Daedalus closer and realized that I was still gripping him tightly. He nodded tentatively, and I almost found myself grinning. No. Serious Steel. “M-My friend...two of them. Icarus and Ink...t-they’re twin brothers…” I felt like shaking him. Gripping him even tighter, screaming at him. Stick to answering my questions, dammit! But darn, the kid was like, eight. I wasn’t about to get anywhere forcing him to do anything, or else he might cry or something. “...when I saw them at school, they...they were trying to help each other walk, but they wouldn’t stop tripping over each other or something...i-it was like, every step they took, they were walking on hot bricks…” I was a little befuddled for a quick second, but then a small smile crossed my lips. I couldn’t help it- I always love a good analogy. “W-Why are you smiling?” “That’s besides the point. Look, when’s the last you heard of them?” “L-Local hospital...I haven’t visited them yet, but-” “Y’alright, thanks man.” Quickly, I patted myself down. A small lump in my hoodie told me I had most definitely brought my notepad. With a smile, I managed to find a dull pencil and jotted down this information. Now, I thought I’d definitely figure out what was going on. __ Note to self: Creatures around this new kid Daedalus have been experiencing really bad headaches. Second hoof account; stumbling, trouble hearing, pounding headaches. Footnote: Daedalus woke his mom up and she started screaming out of nowhere. Stress? Anxiety? __ Daedalus pushed forward and coiled his hooves around me. I was a little startled, and ended up ruining my notes with a rough pencil stroke going diagonally off the page. Crap. Well, I could always erase it. ...you know, now that I thought of it… “...you said your mom’s been really sick lately, yes?” He nodded into the now wrinkled wet spot of the fabric on my side. I refrained from rolling my eyes thankfully- I can’t blame him for crying, he was obviously really frightened. I wouldn’t say any different if he was drooling though, I absolutely despise anything spit related. “What kind of sick? Like, sick in the head, or…?” “She’s been taking a lot of Halls...the honey flavor...she only takes the cool blue ones when she has dry throat or something but she’s been coughing a lot…sick coughs…” Just as I thought. Princess Twilight, on the T.V; how badly she was coughing when she wasn’t at the microphone. Immediately I turned back to my notepad. __ That’s it. That’s the Autumn Plague, on the news. Headaches, sick coughs, stumbling around. And yet the Princess wasn’t even stumbling or anything, she was just coughing. Like, a lot. I mean, she looked fine on television or something. Then again I don’t know what it’s like to be an alicorn, so maybe they’re just more sturdy than regular ponies…? __ I heard a thud as I pulled away from the kid. Although I realized he probably fell, I didn’t pay much attention. He shouldn’t have been that close anyhow. Firefang came scrambling around the corner, carrying old tattered tabloids and a bucket of black paint with the handle clenched in his teeth. He sat our rickety supplies down on the counter, then looked at me. “Look, since you’re the oldest, I want you to help me cover the windows. We’ll paint over them and tape the newspapers together over the glass. That way, no one’ll see us and we don’t gotta be scared of standing in front of the windows.” I nodded, but still digressed. “Look, Flamey, I think I may have just figured all this out.” “Steel, we gotta hurry. You can educate me about that later, you ain’t Rein Dawson. Cut the vigilante shit out and help me cover these windows.” “B-But Flamey, this is critical information!” “I don’t care! It’s critical we cover these windows before someone sees us and-” Firefang couldn’t finish; he erupted with a loud hack and collapsed, coughing and gagging like he was about to throw up. Daedalus gasped as he stumbled backwards, back thudding against the store counter. Fang rolled over on his back with another five coughs, sticking close to the floor like he was refusing to move. I furled my brow as I watched him struggle, not exactly knowing what to do but not in quite a rush. I mean, by the looks of it this wasn’t any common cold. Nothing like cough drops could solve something like this. I’m not going to jump to conclusions, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is exactly what I don’t want it to be. And never did I think I’d find myself so desperately wanting to be wrong.
