What happens in Frisco...by aegishailstormChaptersPlease Send HelpCaliforniacationBeyond All ReasonGolden GatesPlease Send Help"William, why do you hate rainbows so much?" The Quiet Kid froze, and stared blankly ahead of himself. "Well? What?" A bolt of light arced from the Equestrian sky, catching William the Quiet Kid by surprise. An instant later, the equine figure standing next to him disappeared as well. The sky above Ponyville cleared, as though whatever eldritch force had just ripped the two creatures from their plane of reality had simply up and left with no further comment. "Oh, oww..." I faded into and out of consciousness, as I felt my back brush up against something cold and rough, when, all of a sudden, my eyes snapped open. I went and glanced around. I could hear something above me, something vaguely familiar. "Seagulls? What? Is that... I recognize that smell! It's ocean breeze. And-" I winced, "Ugh, what is that?" I cradled my head and sat up, his entire body ached from whatever had just happened. I realized that I had come to next to a garbage can. The smell of rotting food mixed with urban waste made me gag, and I swore I could hear- "Cars?" I opened my eyes further, and looked around. I could hear sirens in the distance. Something wasn't right. "Wait, just where the hell am I?" I muttered to myself, but as I turned my head, it all began to make sense. Skyscrapers lined the other side of a four lane road. Rising up hundreds of feet into the air. Shrouded by blankets of fog and... Though it took me a while to realize, wildfire smoke. "Eyup. That settles it, I'm in San Francisco." I glanced around again, I was still sitting on a grassy knoll, just some 30 odd feet from a concrete divider which separated a sidewalk from the ocean. In the distance, I could see the red spires of the Golden Gate Bridge and the duller ones of the Dwight Eisenhower Highway bridge. "I'm in San Francisco." I repeated again, putting rubbing my forehead with a hard knuckle glove. Snapping my head around, I began to feel over my plate carrier. Something just felt off about everything around me. Seeing that I didn't want to draw attention to myself, or make people panic, I snapped my sidearm and holster away, alongside my rifle. Replacing them both with an IWB, (Inside the Waistband) Holster for my pistol. In all fairness, no one appeared to be in said park at the moment. Which was good for me. I stood up slowly, replacing my plate carrier with a set of soft body armor underneath my beige jacket. "Well, I could've ended up someplace worse." I took a step forward, and looked around again. Off to my left side, I spotted a fountain, and a structure with the words, " Oracle Park" Adorning it's side. "Urban art." I shuttered, crossing my arms. I looked across the road, then down at my watch. "7:05, how is no one up yet?" I winced again, my headache was killing me. I'd have to do something about it. It took a few steps forward and froze in place. Contemplating what it was my mind had just believed it had seen. Now, you may ask, what was so terrifying so as to make me stop in my tracks? Me, the human who has more or less had to contend with the horrors of the Everfree Forest for the past several years? Well. How's a rainbow flag with a hammer and sickle suit ya? Needless to say, I almost screamed in horror. William sighed and looked at his watch again. "Yep, I'm San Francisco alright." I repeated stupidly as I began to twitch from oncoming madness, I fainted right then and there. "Oh, thank Celestia, you're not dead. Please wake up. Hey, bud! Wake up!" William's head rolled up. A smear of blue and white filled his vision. "Gah! Get away from me!" William pulled himself back in a panic, the soles of his boots digging into bare concrete as he frantically backed up. But, he came to once again, he began to realize that the white and blue blur in his vision had been his alicorn friend, Joey. Who looked to be in a degree of bewilderment himself. Swallowing and drooping his ears at the sight of his friend. "William, are you aware that we're-" "Yep, we're in San Francisco." The Quiet Kid responded dully. "How-What brought us here?" "I don't know." William scratched his chin and raised a finger. " Here, put this on." He handed his friend a trench coat, a pair of sunglasses, and a cap. "If anyone asks, you're my disabled furry friend." The alicorn nodded in understanding. But then raised an eyebrow. "Won't people ask questions?" William shook his head. " Not in this city they won't." Before quickly adding; "You're shy and not the hugging type." Joey chuckled with a degree of uncertainty at the last bit of the statement. William grinned as he looked down at the alicorn's new apparel. "Hey, y-you!" A voice called from behind them. William spun around, and was greeted by a man in strange robes. He had dark rings under his eyes, and didn't look to be in the best shape. "Got any of the good stuff?" Joey arched an eyebrow. William raised one in unison. "Hello sir, what do you-" The man held up a hypodermic needle and grinned. "Sir, I can't help you with that. To the best of my knowledge, that's probably still illegal." His expression turned furious. "Ah. Screw you kid!" Joey backed up, watching as the man took up a paper sack, and began to drink from something within it. "Let's go Joey." He muttered tapped the alicorn on the shoulder. Who stopped. " Wait, we should get him some help. Look at this guy, we can't just leave him here-" A half empty whiskey bottle sailed over his head, followed by a stream of curses. William snapped his fingers and pointed towards the street. "C'mon, let's go." The alicorn let out one last pitiful look, then began to trot beside his friend, keeping up with him as he crossed the road. As William ushered his friend towards the road, he was suddenly met with a weak cry of, "Hey!" He turned his head and scanned the periphery of his vision. He bent his American foresters cap and bit his lip. "Yes, sir, can I help ya?" He turned to greet the person who had called him out. He possessed pale skin and wore all black, alongside a strangely colored face mask that made him look like a character out of 'The Purge.' The brick in his hand didn't do much to dissuade William of that probability anyhow. Whomever this was, or whatever their intentions, he seemed to have angered the person, who finally uttered a cry of. "You Misgendered me!!!" Before throwing the brick at William, who sidestepped it with ease. Scowling in return. "What in-" The person began to cry and pout. He went to his pocket and fished out something else. "Hey, cut it out! What did I do to you?" A vegan yogurt cup splattered at William's feet, he jumped away and put his left hand up. "Hey, hey! Look man, cut it out!" A carrot flew past William's head. He groaned, and began to slowly back up. "Stop throwing things at me, holy ####!" His antagonist actually seemed to listen. Only to pull out his Phone and point it at William screaming, " I need my safe space, I need my safe space!" He reached into his pocket for something else, William continued backing up, he set his left hand on his belt, right near a taser that was a lot more effective than most models. "Look, I don't even know you! Cut it out!" The man let out a girlish scream and drew a can of pepper spray. William began to quickly lose his patience. "Look mister, we're new here, and we were just wondering if-" "Quit misgendering me!!!!" Rather than using the pepper spray as intended, the man just threw the canister at the pair. It rolled harmlessly past Joey's hooves. "We ought to go." William whispered to his friend, who nodded in agreement. The man went back to fumbling around in his pockets. As he did, three more people appeared around him, all pulling out their Phones and jeering in unison. William donned a balaclava. "What's going on?" The alicorn asked in confusion. Looking from person to person, his facial expression growing more and more perplexed with each passing moment. William turned and began to walk away from the crowd. "Time to go bud!" A butterfly knife flew past William. The alicorn looked around at the gathering crowd again. He took a step back and accidentally bumped into one of the people there. "Aww, are you lost wittle one?" The alicorn looked up in confusion. "Well yes, we are-" His voice trailed off as he felt William pick him up and begin to pull him away from the crowd. Who continued to hurl insults and... Other things, at the pair as they made off. The alicorn kicked his hind legs "What are you doing!?" William stared down at him past his sunglasses. "Saving you, that mob'll rip you apart!" Carrying the alicorn like a sack of flour, William broke into a dead sprint. He rounded a palm tree and sprinted into an alleyway in between a hotel and an apartment complex. He could hear shouting close behind, without thinking, he dropped Joey in a bush and then dove into it himself. "Why are they angry at us!?" Joey demanded. William just shook his head. " I don't know, and what was that guy talking about? Has something changed on Earth since we left?" The alicorn tugged his friend's jacket collar and pointed upwards with his hoof. William turned and stared up at the poster which his friend had pointed out. "Celebrate you! Celebrate us!" Followed by a depiction of a hammer and sickle and- ugh." The both of them shuttered. "What is going on in this place?" "I don't know. But it wasn't like this the last time I came here. But then again, it's been a while." Joey facehoofed. " We need to figure things out. "Informational pamphlet?" William suggested, his friend shook his head. "Nope," He shook his coin satchel. " I Phone." William groaned. "I left for Equestria to get away from all that. I hate social media." His friend laughed. "Well we don't have any better way, now do we?" William crossed his arms as the two emerged from their hiding spot. "You can go on and get one for yourself. I'll stick with a map and compass, the kinda thing ya can't EMP." The alicorn shrugged. "... Alright... Um..." Joey looked around at the empty alleyway. William checked his watch. "Quick! Before that mob finds us." William began to make his way towards the end of the alleyway. He stopped to look both ways before motioning for Joey to follow him. "Streets clear, let's go." William looked both ways, then rushed across the road. He ushered for Joey to keep following. The alicorn stepped out in the road, and nearly jumped in pain when he stepped over broken glass, he quickly rushed across and hobbled over to William, who examined his friend's hoof. "It didn't break it. You're fine. Just startled you is all." He reached down and, with a crack of his knuckles, pulled the little shard of glass from the alicorn. "There, now let's get moving." William and Joey continued walking westward. About 20 minutes later, and the Quiet Kid found himself standing across from a run down cell service store. He looked both ways. "Sh, someone's coming." He and his alicorn companion backed up behind a dumpster, and watched as a single electric Prius rattled down the street, then rounded a corner about a hundred feet from where they were hiding. William looked both ways again, before signaling for his friend to cross the road. "Move fast, but don't run. We don't want to draw any attention." His friend eyed him from top to bottom. "Sure, like you haven't done that already." William rolled his eyes. "Well, we're here. You wanna go first, or should I-" Without another word, the poorly disguised alicorn stepped towards the door to open it, only to find it open automatically. He shrugged it off, and walked in. "Hello?" The alicorn walked down the isles of electronic components, and right up to the counter. William noticed something was off in an instant. A strange smell permeated the entire store. "Something isn't right." Finally, a figure swung themselves around the counter, a... 'Full formed' Female, with blue hair and an excessive amount of makeup. "Oh, hello there cutie!" She squealed at Joey. Who shifted uneasily. "Um... Hello there? I'm sorta-" He looked back at William, who moved his thumb across his throat, then rolled this hand implying, "Get on with it!" "I'd like to buy a phone, I don't need much, just something to access the internet." The clerk smiled, and began to look across the shelves behind her. Before finally setting a display model of some kind on the counter. "Here, this one, it's eco friendly." "Why would a phone need to be- It's a phone." William muttered, sitting down on the least stained bench he could find and rubbing his forehead in annoyance. "It's got solar panels, a contact charger, and a top of the line surveillance system to make sure that you aren't up to anything offensive. You know, typical stuff!" William's eyes snapped open, he glared at the clerk behind his sunglasses. "What did she just say?" He asked himself. "I've gotta find out more about this." He began to tap his foot, resting his head on a fist as he did. "Oh, but I'm sure that's no problem for a cute little thing like you!" The clerk exclaimed. "Although, I'm not so sure about your friend." William checked his watch. Then, finally, stood up and walked over to the counter. "Joey, a word?" "Yes?" "Don't trust this women. She's being far to casual about this." He looked over at the clerk. " What do you mean by surveillance?" She fell silent, and then answered with, " There's things that our friends don't want us to do! But it's fine! It's fine! They just want to be sure to you don't offend anyone, you know!?" William raised an eyebrow. "You gonna explain what you mean by, offend?" She smiled. " Oh, um... Well... Not to be judgy, but like you!" William sighed, and put his hand on his forehead again. "Lady, what in God's name do you mean?" "Your hat, your demeanor, I don't think I like it. You bigot!" William scratched his head. " Ma'am, listen. My friend here doesn't want a miniature camera watching his every move. So... Do you perhaps have something else? How about a paper map of this city?" "Oh, paper? You mean murdered trees?" William facepalmed. "Now you're talking like Fluttershy." "Who? Is this some new thing I haven't heard of yet?" The Quiet Kid tapped Joey on the shoulder. "C'mon bud, we're leaving." "Wait! Wait! Your friend hasn't picked out a phone yet!" Joey chuckled nervously. "Hey, bud, it has been a while since I was on human internet, c'mon, just a few minutes!" His eyes widened in self pity. William had to practically drag the stallion out of the store, but at least the clerk at the front counter seemed to lose interest in them once they were out the door. It was only then that William realized that they were being watched by a myriad of security cameras. He ushered his friend back across the street and hid by a dumpster. "William-" "Quiet Joey. C'mon, we're gonna go find a pier. The Park Ranger station is sure to have what we're looking for." "Just five minutes. Just five." His friend insisted, hanging his head. " William set a gloved hand on his friend's shoulder and chuckled. "It's for the better! You heard what the lady said! The last thing I want is for the Thought Police to show up because I said the wrong thing at the wrong time." "You can't be serious." "I am. I absolutely am." The alicorn stood up and glanced back out across the road. "There's a time and place for... Actually, never mind. It's odd, but it isn't that odd. So far, it's just about the San Fransico I remember. There's no way it can get worse, right?" "Our route to the Pier passes across the Freeway and into Midtown, correct?" Joey asked. William facepalmed, and stared down at the ground, then back up at his friend, then at the opposing alleyway by him. "I miss Ponyville already." William said with an irritated sigh, resting his hands in his pockets as he checked his watch again. "8:50 A.M. " "John Moses Browning help me, this is madness! But hey, at least my headache's gone away!" CaliforniacationThe sound of buzzing filled the street, echoing off the skyscrapers. Cautiously, I drew my sidearm. "I made a grave miscalculation! Run!" Now, you may ask, "William? What exactly went wrong on your way to the nearest Pier?" Well, sit tight and I'll tell ya. 8:55 AM Following his swift departure from the electronics store, William the Quiet Kid and Joey, his alicorn companion had begun to make their way across the city in hopes of reaching a somewhat civilized pier where there would be park rangers and, hopefully, armed guards that would provide him with the means to escape the phesdo dystopian hellhole he had found himself in. But even that was a pretty sketchy, 'if'. "William, this is San Francisco, not Fallujah. Also, are you aware of the fact that you've been speaking to yourself this whole time?" William turned back and glanced at his friend as the two walked along a dirty trash laden sidewalk. They rounded a corner, and found an overpass to their direct front. "... And there's the freeway. Now, we should be close-" "Yo...!" A voice echoed down the street. William cringed, and clenched his fist. At the next intersection stood a half dozen humans wearing all black apparel and carrying baseball bats. "William, what now?" Joey asked. William laughed, and then made a half circle in the air with his finger. " We're going around. They don't look the nicest. But I will not use force on other humans unless I don't have any other options. Waging a war in the streets'll only lead to trouble right now." The two slowly backed away from the open street and backtracked half a block, then advanced out over the road whilst the thugs were busy exacting a toll from an electric Prius driver that had happened to stop by the intersection. A process which involved the supposed leader dragging the two green haired males in the diver and side seats out of the vehicle, and then threatening them with their bats and, by the looks of it, a pocketknife, until they gave them some dollar bills, and then letting them off on their merry way as though nothing had happened. "You could have helped them out." Joey said. William groaned, and set his hand on the holster of his gun. "Joey, you don't understand. It isn't my problem unless one of them were to come over here and actively involve me, besides, they didn't actually attack them. I saw no bruises or gashes. My first priority is my safety, my second is yours." He set a hand on his friend's mane and ruffled it. The alicorn smiled back. "It's glad to know you care." "Damn right it is. Now, c'mon. Let's go." William and Joey began to make their way down the sidewalk on the far side of the road, just under the overpass. They continued ahead for about a quarter mile until William found them an on ramp just up a hill that they could scale to reach the main freeway. "Where are all the cars?" "There are none, I haven't seen a single combustion engine vehicle since we showed up here. Nothing makes sense." he "Things have definitely changed since we were here." 8: 56 AM As William and Joey crossed Route 101, they were suddenly met by a peculiar noise. "What in-" "Pedestrian, halt!" The voice was came from a speaker atop a small sports utility vehicle. One with... Oddly enough, no visible driver. There wasn't any tinted glass. There was simply no driver. "Joey, get behind me." The alicorn did as told, shimmying behind his friend. "William raised his hand and stepped aside. Glancing inside the vehicle. "I think it's automated." "Please submit your papers!" A voice within cried. William raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. "What the heck are you? An AI, or is there some human behind that who I can talk to?" William asked the vehicle. "Noncompliance detected. " The voice on the loudspeaker spoke. The Quiet Kid groaned. "What exactly are we doing wrong? This highway looks abandoned. And I doubt you hold governance over it. Leave me be." The vehicle drove off without speaking another word to him. William just shrugged, and then laughed. "Cowards." William grumbled, pulling his friend along with an order of," C'mon, let's go." 9: 09 AM The two crossed Route 80 and repelled down the far side though a combination of Joey's wing power, and some carabiners and paracord on William's part. They quickly made their way away from the highway and deeper into downtown. under the cover of an overhead offramp which led past the now defunct Consulate of Mexico. Passing scenes of chaos as they went. Trash lay piled up on the streets, store and first floor windows were either smashed in, or boarded up. Graffiti adorned nearly every surface, and they sidewalks were lined with tents. William and Joey took to using alleyway's to avoid the roaming gang and homeless activity. He wanted to make this ordeal short, the sooner he got out of the city and got back to Equestria, the better. He prayed that Twilight and the others had discovered his absence by now, and were now working on a way to get him back. Because this, was not the Earth he had remembered. All of a sudden, Joey's ears perked up in alert. "I hear people." "How many? What do their footsteps sound like?" Joey shook his head. " There's a lot of them, that's all I can tell. And they're shouting something. They're over that way. About 100 yards ahead, just around the corner." William bit his lip. "Damnit. Alright, we'll backtrack and see if we can't pop out behind the crowd and pass though that way." William turned to begin backtracking, when all of a sudden. He felt Joey's hoof tug on his coat. "William, you need to come and see this." 9:10 AM "What-" He looked around the corner, and his jaw dropped. From sidewalk to sidewalk stood hundreds of human beings, dressed in the most- short of Rarity's abominations, 'colorful' clothing he had ever seen. Strange flags of all colors adorned the street. The people themselves, were most certainly something to behold, blue haired, pink haired, green haired. Rainbow maned- Wait, what? At the head of the crowd, was Rainbow Dash. Seemingly ignorant of the carnage going on around her. In fact, she seemed to be laughing gleefully. William winced, and gritted his teeth, regretting the stale apple he had eaten earlier in the day. "What do we do?" Joey asked William. He ducked back into cover, and then poked his head back out into the street. He watched as the oncoming crowd showered Rainbow Dash in confetti. "...And... She's dancing to Elton John! Shitake mushrooms!" "Hey! Rainbow! Over here!" William called to her, waving frenziedly. "RAINBOW DASH!! GIT OVER HERE!!!" He shouted through gritted teeth. The sky blue pegasus mare paused for an instant and turned her head in the general direction of William and Joey long enough for her to catch sight of Joey's softly glowing horn. "C'mon!" She laughed. "Or what!? These people threw a whole celebration just FOR me!" William's facial expression grew harsh, and he waved to her again. "Rainbow! Get the HAY over here!" He pointed to the sidewalk directly ahead of him. Her smile turned upside down, but she acknowledged William's command. She weaved her way through the crowd, and stepped towards William's hiding place. Stopping about 5 yards away. "Those people are not your friends! They're just interested in you because of your appearance! They are not celebrating you! Trust me, do not go with them if you value your life. And what the hell is that smell-" "Oh, they gave me these funny smelling tea leaves! I feel awesome!" William grimaced, a pounded his fist on the concrete. "You birdbrain, those aren't tea leaves! They're hallucinogenic drugs! Get over here!" "Hallo-what!?" She replied, her voice spiking with energy. "...Or I'll have your flying license revoked!" William added harshly. It was a joke, obviously, there was no flying license to revoke. But he knew that she wouldn't be able to tell under the influence whatever she had carelessly consumed. This got her attention much faster than William had anticipated. But, as she tried to approach her friends hiding in the alleyway, they were suddenly met with a weak cry of. "Hey, it's that racist weirdo from earlier! Get him!" Without thinking, William picked up Rainbow Dash and threw her over his back, causing a yelp of protest. But less hoof shaped bruises than he had expected. "I have done nothing wrong! Time to go!" The Quiet Kid shouted, just as a half eaten veggie wrap-a thing William only knew existed because he lived in a town where all most of the residents strictly ate plants, even if they could technically eat cooked meat just the same as any omnivore- sailed over his head and landed with a disgusting splat ahead of them. "Nope, nope, nope!" William called, dragging his two equine friends down the alleyway and out onto a side street with the speed and efficacy of a Marine with a severe caffeine addiction going after a terrorist cell in the promise that their leader is the one who made him wait in line for his perfect, dark roast beans. They didn't even bother to check for cameras, all William knew was that he had to get out of there, or else something bad would happen. The feeling was a complex mixture of emotion and reason. His ears, telling him in a nutshell that," Big stinky city noise bad!" And the reasonable part of his brain, which said something to the extent of: "This place is batshit insane- why and how did Rainbow Dash end up in the middle of a, 'parade' in San Fransico, and how the hell am I going to get her and my friend out of here without behind stabbed or poisoned to death?" To make a not so long story short, he did. As it turned out, all of the strange specimens of 'human's' who had decided to attempt to try and chase down The Quiet Kid and two quadrupedal ponies didn't necessarily have the best stamina. The one's on bicycles and Segway's kept up for a little longer, but eventually, William and his two companions were able to loose them as well. 9: 25 AM "Put me down!" "Put this on, and don't open your wings." William handed her a jacket and fedora, similar to the one Joey was wearing along with a pair of sunglasses. "If anyone asks, you're a furry. Answer with that and that only and you should be fine." She responded with a hesitant nod. William, Joey, and Rainbow Dash made their even deeper into the downtown region of San Francisco. Their pegasus mare companion stared up wide eyed in awe at the massive buildings. William noticed this, and turned to speak to her. "Don't envy them, this place is nothing but trouble." She raised an eyebrow. "Why?" William almost facepalmed, but caught himself. "Take a look around, it may have been nice a long time ago. And there might yet be places here worth the while. " "Like that thing?" Rainbow pointed off in the distance at the faint spires of the Golden Gate Bridge. "Well... Yes." William responded. "What about..." Her eyes went from calamity to calamity, and her voice trailed off. "Yeah... You're right." She sighed and hung her head. "So, what's the plan?" William's voice went dead with apathy. " In the words of the great Ron Swanson... My favorite activity." He paused for a moment, and then ended his sentence with, "Not getting killed." "That does sound like a good plan." Rainbow murmured. William led them past a strange overhead city park. 9:40 AM "Miss wide open spaces, don't ya?" William asked Rainbow, who nodded. "Yeah, I do. I never really liked Manehatten. And this is just a worse version of it. Smellier, louder, and... Ugh!" She yelped in surprise as something stuck to her hoof. William reached down and scraped the miscellaneous slime off with the blade of his knife. He manifested a new one out of disgust. "What's the actual plan?" "I'm gonna find a pier we can find ourselves a map that'll lead us out of the city. We've been wandering around here for the past 2 hours. How'd you get here, by the way?" "There was this big flash of light, and all of a sudden, I was on the corner of some city block, I looked around, and spotted those people. " William smiled. "Same thing, except for the fact that I ended up right by the coast." They turned off onto Salesforce plaza, William advanced ahead of the two ponies, until he stood right in front of a multilane intersection. The assortment of homeless people waiting to cross the street paid no mind to him. He glanced up, and spotted that Transamerica building. A massive concrete pyramid which crested atop the cities skyline. Atop it flew the same unsettling flag William had spotted earlier. Rainbows and a hammer and sickle. Alongside a myriad of other strange banners. "Ugh, see the wind blowing that, 'thing' eastward? We're gettin' close." 10: 01 AM And now, here we are. Back at the beginning. All at once, a cacophonous buzzing noise filled the street. Echoing off the buildings like a massive swarm of metal bees. It took William a moment to realize what the noise was coming from. "Drones, lot's of drones." For the moment, William just stood there, ushering his friends behind him and glancing around at the skyline. Searching it for the UAV's he had heard. He spotted one, about a hundred yards down the road. Four rotors and a compact center, with a camera and what vaguely looked to be a Glock 19 dangling from it's underside with a modified trigger mechanism. It was joined by two dozen others. "Do not resist!" A voice cried from a loudspeaker. "By order of the California People's Union of Diversity, stop!" William turned to look back at Rainbow Dash and Joey. "I've made a grave miscalculation! Run! Go Eastward!" They both looked at him with confused expressions. "Which way is East?" William groaned, and pointed off to the side from the intersection. "Go that way! Don't stop, and for the love of God, or Celestia, or whomever- Don't fly, don't use magic, and don't reveal your wings!" William drew his sidearm, keeping it within his coat as he went to back away behind a telephone pole. "What the hell do you think I've done wrong!?" He called back. "Entity is in violation of the Weapons Law. Surrender, or you will be made to." William went to raise his sidearm, but realized that the drones might posses sensors which could detect his motion. "Go!" He urged his friends to start running." They didn't wait for him. "Hold on, hold on! I have something to say!" He called out to the drones, cautiously holstering his sidearm and replacing it with a Benelli M4 loaded with Dragonshot- birdshot pellets made from magnesium. "William, you're fighting drones now? Heh, well... You did joke about it a while back. " He thought a moment for a good counter. "Your Regime's name sucks!" He finally shouted back, raising his middle finger. The Quiet Kid dashed out of cover and raised his gun, he calmed his breathing, and took aim at the first drone. With two quick pulls of the trigger, he downed it, sending it crashing to the ground in a flaming wreck. The two shell casings hit the ground as he ran. And he could hear and see people running and screaming as he reloaded. He began to hear the crackle of pistol fire behind him, the sound of the drones trying, and failing to engage him before he knocked them out of the sky. William turned, and fired another shot, bringing down another 2 drones, the first one flying just above the second one and then damaging both in the process. The crackle of gunfire and buzzing of drone motors drew even closer. William took cover behind a set of overflowing trashcans. He peaked out from behind them to see if they were still following him. All of a sudden, a drone zipped over his head and began to spin to face him. William brought his shotgun up and downed it before it could get a shot off, but this did prompt the rest of the drones to attempt the same maneuver. In a burst of magical energy, William swapped from casual wear to a set of civilian clothes to a ballistic helmet and vest. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder, and manifested an AR 10 pattern rifle rechambered in 20 gauge. In his other hand, he took up a steel riot shield. Holding the shield up like an umbrella, he sprinted down the street towards his friends while bullets pinged off the steel and showered the ground around him with sparks. A drone flew down directly ahead of him, he took up his shotgun and blew it away, scattering its pieces across the asphalt as he continued to move down the street. He ran to the next 4 way intersection, right around several finance buildings. Everywhere, more and more drones encroached on his position. 10 became 30, 30 became 60, and 60 became a hundred, and a hundred became 300. He had to put a stop to this. He looked around at the carnage surrounding him. He was the only human left around for hundreds of feet. Going prone and scrambling into nearby bushes, he transitioned to a trusty M32 rotary grenade launcher loaded with airburst shells. He poked out of his concealment, and began to drop the 40MM shells at 10 yard intervals at a 60 degree angle to the ground. The shrapnel and pressure waves rained down across the drone swarm, tearing apart dozens with each detonation. He emptied all six cylinders, and then, with a flash of light, manifested a brand new launcher with a fresh magazine. Flaming debris rained down all around him, and he made a dead sprint for Joey and Rainbow Dash. Ignoring the crowd forming on the edge of what was now a warzone. He ran with his launcher in the air until he was safe behind one of the columns at the base of an old Wells Fargo bank. He glanced at a couple of the cameras, swaying slowly back and forth. "Hell, they're probably automated. Same as the rest. What's it too them anyhow? I just need to make it out of this damned city by day's end, and Joey'll be able to, hopefully, bring us all back to Equestria. Because there is no way in hell that this... Is the Earth I left behind." He turned for an instant to check on his friends. They were much farther down the road then him. They had made it past the former Federal Reserve Bank, and were now in visual range of the waterline. In an instant a rowdy crowd of several thousand people swept them away before his eyes. Carrying them off with them. William just stood there, in the middle of all the carnage. "Son of a- No!" He cried frantically. He began to raise his gun, but it fell on a sling instead. He mindlessly swapped magazines and glanced around. Electric cars and drone wrecks burned eerily. Casting shadows across the wildfire smoke clogged streets. "I'll find you. Oh, I know I will." William murmured. around at the drones still remaining in and around his hiding place. "But, I've got a job to do first." 10: 15 AM Beyond All Reason"I lost them, I fuckin' lost them!" The Quiet Kid's armor molted away, and he disappeared into the crowd of people, emerging on the other side and making a beeline straight for the coast. "Hello, wel-" William slammed an Equestrian bit down on the Barista's countertop. "That's real gold. Black coffee, cold, no ice. Please and thank you." His eyes sunk behind his sunglasses. He was tired, exhausted. And all he wanted was a simple cup of simple coffee to calm his nerves. "Oh-M-G. I have to Insta this." The green haired checkout girl squeaked. William sighed. "Look ma'am, I don't give a dragons ass what you do. Just get me my coffee. Please and thank you. " The women pulled out her cellphone and began to record. "OMG fans, this person just tried to pay me with real gold-" William reached over the counter, and brought the phone down onto the countertop in a firm manner. "I waited in line, I paid you, I've been polite, I see no one else back there, please ma'am. It's a matter of personal security, just get me my caffeine. " The lady grabbed her phone and raised it back up, turning it to her face to reveal a mock shocked expression. "OMG!" She screeched into it, trying to make her best puppy dog face, " This weirdo just misgender-" 11:00 AM William was ready to snap. For all he knew, those killer drones from earlier were still here. Looking for him. There were no apparent security cameras or sensors in the brick walled coffee shop. But he still had a sinking feeling he was being watched. He needed to get out of this place. This was not his Earth. His Earth was bad, sure. But not his bad. Not even close. There were no hunter killer drones with hammers and sickles and rainbow flags on their sides gunning down strangers while ignorant morons sat by and watched with their phones. William tapped the brim of his hat as he waited for the Barista to finish whatever it was she was doing, but instead of helping him, she just continued to stand there. Absorbed in her phone, she wanted nothing to do with him. "Hey, I have a question, since you aren't going to give me the coffee I just paid for, can I go back and make it myself?" The lady didn't answer. William considered hitting her with a rubber baseball bat. But decided against it. "Alright, how about this? Can you ask your, followers and whatnot if they've recently seen a unicorn with wings dressed up like a detective and a pegasus mare with a rainbow mane? That exactly." "Umm... I think I can help you with that." A meek voice answered from behind the row of shop customers. William leaned off to the side. Standing there, took all his surprise. Was an honest pegasus, a quaint mare with a pair of glasses, a grey sweater, purple fur, and an orange mane. "Now I'll be." William turned to stare at the mare. " Who are you?" The mare smiled. "My name's Purple... You don't look like you're from around here..." William laughed. "Now ain't that obvious? You pretty out of place all the same." The mare smiled. "No, no, I'm pretty sure it's just you. Tell me, do you know what a brony is?" The Quiet kid froze in place and stared at the nearest wall. His mind went through a thousand scenes. He turned back and cracked a grin. "Yeah, I know who and what they are. Can we talk about this somewhere else?" He glanced back at the countertop, his gold coins were still sitting there, gathering dust. And the Barista was nowhere to be seen. "Damn fools can't even make coffee right without drifting off." He stepped out of line and waved the mare out the front door. When they were outside and out of sight of the 'shopgoers', the pegasus paused to straighten her glasses. 11:02 AM "Well, what is it?" William asked her, setting his gloved hands in his coat pockets. "Why did you ask about some obscure internet fandom that I know almost nothing about, and why did those people in there not bat a single eye when you walked in. Are magical creatures just... A regular occurrence here? Because if so, I want out even more!" "You definitely aren't from around here. " The mare responded, scratching her chin. " I have a lot of explaining to do then, I suppose." William snickered, "Well yes ma'am, yes you do. You noticed me when I started talking about my friends. They're um... Well, they're ponies as well. One is about stomach high, has white fur and a blue mane, brown eyes, responds to the name, 'Joey', oh... and he's an alicorn. The other is a pegasus has a rainbow mane and a haughty energetic demeanor. Goes by, "Rainbow Dash". Have you seen either of them?" The pony's blue eyes widened, and she murmured something to herself. "I don't know why, but there's something about you... Follow me." 11:15 AM William wandered down the street with 'Purple' for a while, they crossed a street, and then disappeared down into an underground parking lot. "Where the hell are you bringing me?" The Quiet Kid murmured, setting his hand on his M45A1 Holster. At last, the mare led him past rows of defunct gasoline powered cars, the first he'd seen in a while, and through a locked metal door and two flights of stair before reaching a set of ornate wooden doors. "Follow me." She told him. She tapped the doors with her right hoof, and they swung open. What William saw on the other side left his jaw hanging open for a good 20 seconds. "William, welcome to- what used to be the Bay Area Brony convention's hotel. Now, we just call it the Everfree sanctuary." He looked around, and rubbed his eyes, a smile began to crest across his face again. The Quiet Kid wasn't speechless, but he sure was close to it. "Wow." He muttered. If it had at one time been a hotel, then it sure wasn't one now. It was like a scene straight out of the Equestrian wilderness. William realized that he was standing on green grass. The entire ground floor seemed to have been transformed into some kind of meadow, open oak trees adorned flowing blue streams and rocky outcroppings. It seemed to be the case with the upper floors as well. the walls were adorned with all manner of flora and fauna, Pheonix nests, vines of a dozen different kinds of fruit vines, and glowing flowers and gemstones provided interior lighting in place of regular LEDs. But most prominently of all, were the hundreds of ponies. Unicorns and pegasi and Earth ponies, mixed in with griffons, kirins, hypogryphs, a few dragons, and even a couple anthropomorphic wolves and cats. "How?" William asked, turning to Purple. "How the hell did- Why- how does this place exist!? How can it exist!" "Well," She answered, " It all started about 2 years ago, The Union of Progressive Peoples had just reached a Stalemate with the State of Jefferson. " William stared at her with a blank expression. "Ok, ok. Go back, go back." William insisted. " Tell me how this all unraveled from the very beginning. Because this clearly not the Earth I'm from." "You're from an alternate universe! Oh, of course! Just wait until I tell my friends!" William facepalmed. "Just... Start from the beginning." 11:28 AM And so, Purple did. She explained how she had once been human, but one day four years prior, a bright light appeared in the sky over the Pacific Ocean, and not long after, all the changes began to occur. For her, and a few others, it was just a simple transformation into some kind of simple magical creature. But, with the rest of the West Coast, it was a calamity of apocalyptic levels. Silicon Valley had been overtaken by a hostile AI led by unknown entities which began to create Terminator like armies of drones to try and spread their agenda to the rest of America, and then, the world. And, because of San Fransico's already, 'interesting population' no one complained. Then again, no one directly helped either, the most any person ever did was send a bit of Tax revenue disguised as funding. All while drone armies clashed with National Guard forces in the Hills above the Bay. Eventually, a State of Emergency was declared in California. But at this point, San Fransico might have just as well have become its own country, with beliefs and culture hostile to the rest of America. And because of Government unwillingness to invade its own territory, they left it to be. Opting to just blockade it and do nothing else. Meanwhile up north on the Orogen border, The State of Jefferson movement gained rapid popularity, and the Govenor's first role was to mobilize all the states Milita's to form a protective ring around the States southern border with California's former territory. Terrorist attacks and incursions into their land by the increasingly totalitarian Coastal foe followed soon after. To the south lay a blatantly communistic entity that wanted nothing short of the dissolvement of the United States and its rule of law- and to the north, an increasingly Libertarian and Independant state about the size of Tennessee that wanted nothing to do with any of it... Until they were provoked when a Town in the Cascade Range was attacked by suicide drones, prompting retaliation, and a full-on 2nd Civil War between the two States all while the Federal government debated the best way to deal with the whole debacle. Oh, but that wasn't all. All the while, strange occurrences began to occur around the West Coast, spanning as far East as Lake Tahoe. Monsters, glowing deer, dragons living in ancient caves and on the tops of dormant volcanoes, bigfoot, and, most prominently of all, humans transformed into sentient magical creatures who retained their entire past personalities. Everything from ponies to griffons. Previous places of significance and social gathering were morphed until they were nigh unrecognizable, like the hotel Willaim now found himself standing in. All while civil unrest and political anarchy raged in the world and city outside. 11; 32 AM "Simply put..." Purple continued, " It was like those lights that day made reality fall apart. But it's all good now. All us pony lovers got their lifelong wish, everything short of going to Equestria itself! But that's for the best, if all of us went there at once, it just wouldn't be the same." William bit his tongue. "Anyway... My friends, Joey and Rainbow Dash-" "You're just joking about Rainbow Dash, right?" The mare laughed uncomfortably. William just sighed. "No, I'm not." "You're... Hey everyone, this guy knows Rainbow Dash, personally!" A ring of pandering equines quickly formed around him. "Tell me, what's she like?" One Stallion asked. "Have you met the rest of the Mane Six!?" "What about Celestia, have you met her?" "Yeah!? Does she like mares or stallions!?" Another voice shouted from the back of the crowd. William held his hands up and took a step back. " Listen, I don't know that much about her, I barely even know her! She's lost in this damn city with the best of my friends, so if any of you see her, please find me and tell me! She doesn't belong here, as much as you all probably want to sit down and meet her. I've gotta get us back to our original world. We don't belong here!" The crowd fell silent. "Listen, I'm happy that y'all were able to find common ground and build yourself this nice little community in such an awful place. And I can't tell ya how happy that makes me. But I can't stay, and neither can Rainbow Dash, or my best friend, Joey." The group remained silent, he could hear shuffling in the crowd, two ponies, a Stallion and A mare, were chasing something. Finally, they burst out on the other side, right in front of William. Standing in front of them, was a little Unicorn Filly holding a Rainbow Dash plushie in her magical grasp. And, an earthpony colt. They both froze to look up at William with eyes full of wonder. "We'll help you find your friends!" The little filly told William. Bouncing around gleefully. The Quiet Kid looked down at the foals, and then over at the older ponies who had been chasing them, he presumed that they were the parents. " We're so sorry." They said in unison, trotting up to their foals and herding them away. William held out his right hand and stopped them. "No, no. I understand. You picked a good role model by the way, loyalty to the things you love is important, with me, it's my personal beliefs, and my friends. Twilight Sparkle got that much right." He turned back to the crowd of adults. "And no, she isn't into mares! Get your heads out of the poison oak!" 11:34 AM Golden Gates"The Government wouldn't do that, well... They did! And they couldn't care less now that it has been done!" Hey there, it's me again! The Quiet Kid! Yes, I am narrating this directly to you. Which, now that I think about it is actually a pretty bad idea. Anyway, I've got a best friend and a main character to save respectively. So... 11: 36 AM "Well William, you're welcome to stay in any room you'd like that's unoccupied. You're not a pony, but we're not too picky here. " Purple insisted. William was still partially scratching his head. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Part of him wanted to stay for a while and see what interesting specimens of pseudo-Equestrian fauna- Eh... 'Friends' he could make. "Sure, I'll patronize you. Let me see how you've adapted to life in this place. A few minutes wouldn't hurt." The mare smiled, and waved him along. "Oh, delightful! We've remodeled the rooms to resemble the interiors of Equestrian cottages as best as we could!" William smiled back, and nodded his head. "Sure, let's see what you've done here." The purple pegasus, flanked by several of her constituent ponies, led William up a grand staircase to the second floor, they walked past overgrown escalators and piles of flowering furniture. " How has this place stayed the way it is for so long? Do all the psychopaths outside just... Avoid it?" "Hmm.... Good question. I don't really know." William snickered. "Clueless, typical. But I can't really blame them, they seem innocently oblivious to this stuff in a way that makes me doubt they used to be human." "William glanced up at the murky skylights high above. Allowing just enough dim Bay Area sun through them to make it feel like you were really outside in nature if you looked at it from the right angle. A pair of pegasi flew through the rafters and then dove down beneath the balcony he was standing on, they turned upside down and waved to him as they passed by. "God, it's like I'm back in Equestria." "Oh, really? What's it like?" A unicorn Stallion with a fedora asked curiously. "It's awesome." William replied. " It's like Yellowstone National Park, or maybe the Black Hills up in North Dakota everywhere, the heartland is teeming with wildlife and open prairies that stretch on for miles which lead up to sparkling snowcapped mountains. The South and coastline? Just picture southern Utah and Hawaii respectively. All with well kept 17th century esque towns, villages, settlements, abandoned and inhabited castles, monsters, magic. It's everything that that cute little show that got you into this mess shows it is. And more." The pony's expression grew sorrowful. "Well, enjoy it for us, will you?" "I'll be sure to." William responded with a reassuring nod. 11: 39 AM "... And here we are!" Purple exclaimed. William glanced down the hallway at the dozen or so ornate entryways. He stepped up to an empty one and peeked inside. "Charming, but, I just have one question, are there any surveillance camera's in here from the outside world?" "No, none that we know of. Ponies aren't too shy when it comes to modesty. But we respect the wishes of those who stay here, and all outside camera work is expressly prohibited. We haven't had any known violations yet. And that's for the better, it'd be a shame to kick anypony to the curb." William nodded. "Yes, that's good and all, but... Are you sure?" He quickly followed it up with. " Because I'm pretty sure all of San Francisco is after me now. Just pretty, not entirely, because God knows how many more souls you could cram onto this little cursed peninsula." "I don't think it's that bad." An Earthpony mare gestured as she walked by him with a towel draped around her sides. "Have you stepped outside recently?" "You know what? I think you might be righ-" William held up a gloved hand and paused her midsentence. "Lemme stop ya right there Miss, it's not, 'think', it is that bad!" The earthpony cringed. " Oh well, best of luck to you! I'm off to the spa!" William facepalmed and gritted his teeth as she walked off. 11: 42 AM "How can they be this relaxed? " The Quiet Kid began to edge into the room he had first peeked into, he felt around under a lampshade, and crunched something with a closed fist. "I just found one. You should be more care-" He froze, "Why do I hear buzzing?" "That is strange." Purple added. "The walls of this place are soundproof." William's eyes went wide behind his sunglasses. "Oh shit-" The sound of glass shattering echoed down the hallway, along with the sound of several consecutive pistol shots, and ponies screaming. "Stay here and stay down!" The Quiet Kid ordered. He molted back into his armor and snatched up his semi automatic magazine fed shotgun. "William, stay safe! I hope you find your friends!" William hoped so as well. He peeked out into the corridor and ran to the balcony. There was a massive, jagged hole in the roof. concrete and rebar lay tattered on the ground some 80 feet below. Drones buzzed about, corralling ponies away from the damage. "You sons of-" He took cover behind a pillar and opened fire, ripping through oak leaves and turning drones to burning wrecks with single shots. He glanced over at a nearby pegasus stallion who had just happened to have been passing by. "You! Fly me up to that hole in the roof! I've got things I need to violently dismantle!" He slung the sling of his 20 Gauge over his shoulder, and waved emphatically at the stallion. "O-ok! But it might be a bit bumpy!" He responded. "Just get me close!" William shouted, the pegasus galloped over, and kneeled down while the Quiet Kid awkwardly slumped on top of him, 2 steady wing flaps later, and William suddenly began to recall his very real fear of falling. "This is gonna be loud! Cover your ears once I'm off!" The Quiet Kid grasped the edge of the rubble. "Closer!" He heard the sound of buzzing above him, and the pegasus probably decided that he wanted to live more then he wanted to help a complete stranger, so he just bucked William off and dove for the ground. William, now hanging on for dear life while being shot at. Manifested a ballistic shield on his back which functioned as a bullet proof umbrella while he scrambled up onto the roof, and then turned and, with two more shots, sent the Quadcopter crashing through an AC unit. The putrid sent of wildfire smoke met his nose, and he chuckled, and swapped magazines. "I'm coming for you, bud. And you too, Rainbow Dash." 11: 59 AM It had now been nearly 5 hours since the Quiet Kid had first awoken. He was exhausted, having barely sat down since he first started trying to make his way to a pier. That option was out of the question, given what he had just learned. The Golden Gate bridge was the next best option. Less than a two mile walk, now that he had acquired a map from the front lobby of the hotel. "Now, let's see..." William needed to find his friends, but they could be anywhere by now. It'd take a whole battalion of professional soldiers' weeks to sweep the city. Time that he didn't have. Which left him with either; "Try and hotwire a fancy electric car." Or, " Find some pushover drone operator and... Hehem, 'borrow' his stuff. He glanced over his shoulder. Sitting, unguarded, was a...'man' wearing a virtual reality headset alongside a pair of complex looking joysticks. "There's my target." He thought to himself. He huddled behind some bushes and donned a balaclava over his helmet and sunglasses. Crouching low to the ground, he drew a suppressed Glock 19, it took him right up until the point to where he could possibly tap the gun barrel against the drone controller's shoulder. "Wait, what am I doing? This guy's still human. And look at those squirrelly arms! I can take just one." He calmly holstered his gun in a 3:00 holster and tapped the man on the shoulder. "Hey, hey, pal!" 12: 02 PM "Do you mind?" William cracked his gloved knuckles. " I'm doing important business-" "Crack!" William grunted, threw a right hook over the man's face, knocking the virtual reality headset clean off. William caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a direct view from one of the drones which had just attacked him. "You little rat! Git!" The Drone Operator took one look at the fuming Quiet Kid and took off running without saying a word. Just as he had thought, they were so busy hiding behind their screens that the concept of throwing a few punches here and there completely alluded them. William quickly got to work muddling over the strangers' devices, trying to figure out how to access the drones. "I highly doubt this place has mutual combat laws. But what are they going to do anyway? This place isn't even in American hands anymore. And it's an Alternate Universe to my own Alternate Universe! Hell, I probably just did this world a service." "How about that headset?" William checked it, and then immediately set it down, and took off running. 3:08 PM "Huh... Eh...!" Joey rubbed his eyes open with his hooves, he was lying on his back on something soft and smooth. A bedsheet. "Ah! Why you little-!" His ears swiveled to the sound of Rainbow Dash's angry and confused voice. He glanced over, and tried to roll around, but for some reason, he couldn't move his hind legs. He was just able to arch his head and get a glimpse over at his friend. He spotted her, cuffed to the other side of the bed and fuming with rage. "Rainbow?" "Wha- Joey!? What the hay's going on here!?" As the alicorn looked around the room, his expression grew more and more worried. The last thing he could remember was himself and Rainbow being tossed into some moving van before losing consciousness. "I think we've been foalnapped!" Rainbow Dash growled, tugging at her restraints. "Well?" A voice asked from the ceiling. " Are you going to do it?" Joey raised an eyebrow, and lowered his ears in confusion. "What the buck are you talking about!? And who are you!? Oh, when I get my hooves on you buster-" A laugh echoed through the loudspeaker. "Oh, that won't be happening. I don't want to get involved, I just like to watch! Now go on!" Joey's face went red, and he rolled away from Rainbow, who did the same, the both of them turned and stared at one another, the alicorn's face went red. "What do you- No! You're disgusting!" They both shouted back. " We're friends you piece of manticore crap! Let us go!" The low chuckling continued. "No one is coming to save you, so you might as well hehe, enjoy each other's company, if you know what I mean?" The two ponies stared at one another. "No. Just. No. Not a chance." Joey said flatly. Rainbow Dash quickly nodded in agreement. "We went through the trouble of dressing you up! Do you know how hard it is to find pony sized stockings!?" The voice shouted, full of anger. " Now do it! Or I'll bring in some more willing mares and stallions for you both- Hey!" There was a loud crash below them, followed by several gunshots, and the sound of screaming and... Boots on Linoleum. About 15 seconds later, there was a knock on the door to the room they had been locked in. And an instant later, the door went flying off its hinges. Revealing one very angry looking Quiet Kid on the other side, rifle and bayonet in hand. " Rainbow, Joey! Oh thank God, I finally you two! That drone camera worked! C'mon! Let's go!" Joey held up a hoof. "Can you cut us free first Mister John Clark?" Rainbow asked begrudgingly. William sarcastically fumbled around in a pocket, and then manifested a pair of bolt cutters. "I should never have given you that copy of Rainbow Six." He grumbled to himself as he snapped the cufflinks of each hoof, the two ponies instantly bounded up and began to flex their wings upon being freed. "William!" A smile appeared on Joey's face. "Thanks for coming to save me bud!" "You're welcome." William replied with a lighthearted chuckle, "Now, what say you two we get out of this awful city and back to our home?" 8: 20 PM From there, it had been a mad dash through the Presideo region of San Fransico right up onto the Highway that led across the bay. Ahead of them stretched the massive red arches of the Golden Gate Bridge, a good quarter mile between them, and freedom. Beyond that lay the redwood hills of the American northwest and the Pacific Ocean. The evening sunset had brought new waves of fog into the bay. Cutting visibility in most parts down to just a few hundred feet at a time. "What's that sound?" Rainbow asked, hovering up just a few inches off the ground and glancing behind herself. "That sounds like people." Joey murmured. " A lot of people." The Quiet Kid raised his sidearm. "Start running." A massive crowd of people emerged from the fog behind them. Carrying everything from machetes to baseball bats and Molotov cocktails. Thousands and thousands of them. William, without thinking, picked his friend up like a limp dog and began to dead sprint across the bridge as fast as his tired legs could carry him. "I hate this place!" "Agreed! Later!" Rainbow mocked. Bolting straight to the far side and leaving William and Joey in the dust. The mob was slowly gaining ground, and Willaim began to worry that he'd be caught up in the mass of angry people. Could he take them at a quarter mile? Yes. But at close range with his best friend in the crossfire? Doubtful. These were people. Horrible people, but still people. Horrible, horrible people that would most definitely stab him and all of his friends to death and film it for fun. All of a sudden, a blinding white flash illuminated the entire length of bridgeway. The mob stopped and gazed in awe at the scene forming. Joey slid out of his friend's arms and looked up. "Road flare?" "William." A soft female voice said. " What are you doing here? What's going on?" A figure formed in the light, setting itself down on the pavement. It was a pegasus, with soft yellow fur, and a mane with hues of blue, pink, and orange. There was just something about her that felt trustworthy. That concerned William, what could be so dangerous about this little pegasus mare to halt a charging mob in it's tracks? "Joey eyed the creature curiously." "You look familiar." "Hello Joey." The mare said calmly. The alicorn shirked back. "Why does she know my name? That's usually a bad sign!" "... And you... Stranger." She pointed off at Rainbow Dash, who huffed and crossed her hooves. The mare laughed. "My name is Golden Gates, I've enjoyed watching you corral your friends around this once great city. But, you do not belong here." "Yes, yes, I know- But before we go, can I just-" He pulled out a trail camera, and pulled Joey and Golden Gates in for a group photo with the burning city in the background. "That one's a keeper." He turned back to the mob, who kept their distance. "You suck-" He was back in Ponyville, in the morning air with the sun just beginning to crest over the mountains in the East. Standing upright and by Joey, who tugged his pant leg with a hoof. "Hey bud, you alright? You sorta zoned out there for a second." William scratched his head, and removed his cap. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He reached into his pocket, and found a little slip of paper with in. William pulled it out and unfolded it. It was the crumpled photo he had just taken a moment ago. "Wha- How?" "Are you feeling alright?" Joey asked his friend. William looked back at the rising sun, then over at the distant towers of Canterlot, then, at Twilight's crystalline castle, and finally, back to the humble cobble streets and cottages of Ponyville. "Yeah bud, I'm fine. Just fine." To this day, I still don't know who Golden Gates was, or how that photo got to my pocket. I still have a deep and unshakable feeling of unease around bright colors. I still prefer Ponyville to Manehatten and Las Pegasus. And Rainbow Dash still doesn't and will never like mares!
Please Send Help"William, why do you hate rainbows so much?" The Quiet Kid froze, and stared blankly ahead of himself. "Well? What?" A bolt of light arced from the Equestrian sky, catching William the Quiet Kid by surprise. An instant later, the equine figure standing next to him disappeared as well. The sky above Ponyville cleared, as though whatever eldritch force had just ripped the two creatures from their plane of reality had simply up and left with no further comment. "Oh, oww..." I faded into and out of consciousness, as I felt my back brush up against something cold and rough, when, all of a sudden, my eyes snapped open. I went and glanced around. I could hear something above me, something vaguely familiar. "Seagulls? What? Is that... I recognize that smell! It's ocean breeze. And-" I winced, "Ugh, what is that?" I cradled my head and sat up, his entire body ached from whatever had just happened. I realized that I had come to next to a garbage can. The smell of rotting food mixed with urban waste made me gag, and I swore I could hear- "Cars?" I opened my eyes further, and looked around. I could hear sirens in the distance. Something wasn't right. "Wait, just where the hell am I?" I muttered to myself, but as I turned my head, it all began to make sense. Skyscrapers lined the other side of a four lane road. Rising up hundreds of feet into the air. Shrouded by blankets of fog and... Though it took me a while to realize, wildfire smoke. "Eyup. That settles it, I'm in San Francisco." I glanced around again, I was still sitting on a grassy knoll, just some 30 odd feet from a concrete divider which separated a sidewalk from the ocean. In the distance, I could see the red spires of the Golden Gate Bridge and the duller ones of the Dwight Eisenhower Highway bridge. "I'm in San Francisco." I repeated again, putting rubbing my forehead with a hard knuckle glove. Snapping my head around, I began to feel over my plate carrier. Something just felt off about everything around me. Seeing that I didn't want to draw attention to myself, or make people panic, I snapped my sidearm and holster away, alongside my rifle. Replacing them both with an IWB, (Inside the Waistband) Holster for my pistol. In all fairness, no one appeared to be in said park at the moment. Which was good for me. I stood up slowly, replacing my plate carrier with a set of soft body armor underneath my beige jacket. "Well, I could've ended up someplace worse." I took a step forward, and looked around again. Off to my left side, I spotted a fountain, and a structure with the words, " Oracle Park" Adorning it's side. "Urban art." I shuttered, crossing my arms. I looked across the road, then down at my watch. "7:05, how is no one up yet?" I winced again, my headache was killing me. I'd have to do something about it. It took a few steps forward and froze in place. Contemplating what it was my mind had just believed it had seen. Now, you may ask, what was so terrifying so as to make me stop in my tracks? Me, the human who has more or less had to contend with the horrors of the Everfree Forest for the past several years? Well. How's a rainbow flag with a hammer and sickle suit ya? Needless to say, I almost screamed in horror. William sighed and looked at his watch again. "Yep, I'm San Francisco alright." I repeated stupidly as I began to twitch from oncoming madness, I fainted right then and there. "Oh, thank Celestia, you're not dead. Please wake up. Hey, bud! Wake up!" William's head rolled up. A smear of blue and white filled his vision. "Gah! Get away from me!" William pulled himself back in a panic, the soles of his boots digging into bare concrete as he frantically backed up. But, he came to once again, he began to realize that the white and blue blur in his vision had been his alicorn friend, Joey. Who looked to be in a degree of bewilderment himself. Swallowing and drooping his ears at the sight of his friend. "William, are you aware that we're-" "Yep, we're in San Francisco." The Quiet Kid responded dully. "How-What brought us here?" "I don't know." William scratched his chin and raised a finger. " Here, put this on." He handed his friend a trench coat, a pair of sunglasses, and a cap. "If anyone asks, you're my disabled furry friend." The alicorn nodded in understanding. But then raised an eyebrow. "Won't people ask questions?" William shook his head. " Not in this city they won't." Before quickly adding; "You're shy and not the hugging type." Joey chuckled with a degree of uncertainty at the last bit of the statement. William grinned as he looked down at the alicorn's new apparel. "Hey, y-you!" A voice called from behind them. William spun around, and was greeted by a man in strange robes. He had dark rings under his eyes, and didn't look to be in the best shape. "Got any of the good stuff?" Joey arched an eyebrow. William raised one in unison. "Hello sir, what do you-" The man held up a hypodermic needle and grinned. "Sir, I can't help you with that. To the best of my knowledge, that's probably still illegal." His expression turned furious. "Ah. Screw you kid!" Joey backed up, watching as the man took up a paper sack, and began to drink from something within it. "Let's go Joey." He muttered tapped the alicorn on the shoulder. Who stopped. " Wait, we should get him some help. Look at this guy, we can't just leave him here-" A half empty whiskey bottle sailed over his head, followed by a stream of curses. William snapped his fingers and pointed towards the street. "C'mon, let's go." The alicorn let out one last pitiful look, then began to trot beside his friend, keeping up with him as he crossed the road. As William ushered his friend towards the road, he was suddenly met with a weak cry of, "Hey!" He turned his head and scanned the periphery of his vision. He bent his American foresters cap and bit his lip. "Yes, sir, can I help ya?" He turned to greet the person who had called him out. He possessed pale skin and wore all black, alongside a strangely colored face mask that made him look like a character out of 'The Purge.' The brick in his hand didn't do much to dissuade William of that probability anyhow. Whomever this was, or whatever their intentions, he seemed to have angered the person, who finally uttered a cry of. "You Misgendered me!!!" Before throwing the brick at William, who sidestepped it with ease. Scowling in return. "What in-" The person began to cry and pout. He went to his pocket and fished out something else. "Hey, cut it out! What did I do to you?" A vegan yogurt cup splattered at William's feet, he jumped away and put his left hand up. "Hey, hey! Look man, cut it out!" A carrot flew past William's head. He groaned, and began to slowly back up. "Stop throwing things at me, holy ####!" His antagonist actually seemed to listen. Only to pull out his Phone and point it at William screaming, " I need my safe space, I need my safe space!" He reached into his pocket for something else, William continued backing up, he set his left hand on his belt, right near a taser that was a lot more effective than most models. "Look, I don't even know you! Cut it out!" The man let out a girlish scream and drew a can of pepper spray. William began to quickly lose his patience. "Look mister, we're new here, and we were just wondering if-" "Quit misgendering me!!!!" Rather than using the pepper spray as intended, the man just threw the canister at the pair. It rolled harmlessly past Joey's hooves. "We ought to go." William whispered to his friend, who nodded in agreement. The man went back to fumbling around in his pockets. As he did, three more people appeared around him, all pulling out their Phones and jeering in unison. William donned a balaclava. "What's going on?" The alicorn asked in confusion. Looking from person to person, his facial expression growing more and more perplexed with each passing moment. William turned and began to walk away from the crowd. "Time to go bud!" A butterfly knife flew past William. The alicorn looked around at the gathering crowd again. He took a step back and accidentally bumped into one of the people there. "Aww, are you lost wittle one?" The alicorn looked up in confusion. "Well yes, we are-" His voice trailed off as he felt William pick him up and begin to pull him away from the crowd. Who continued to hurl insults and... Other things, at the pair as they made off. The alicorn kicked his hind legs "What are you doing!?" William stared down at him past his sunglasses. "Saving you, that mob'll rip you apart!" Carrying the alicorn like a sack of flour, William broke into a dead sprint. He rounded a palm tree and sprinted into an alleyway in between a hotel and an apartment complex. He could hear shouting close behind, without thinking, he dropped Joey in a bush and then dove into it himself. "Why are they angry at us!?" Joey demanded. William just shook his head. " I don't know, and what was that guy talking about? Has something changed on Earth since we left?" The alicorn tugged his friend's jacket collar and pointed upwards with his hoof. William turned and stared up at the poster which his friend had pointed out. "Celebrate you! Celebrate us!" Followed by a depiction of a hammer and sickle and- ugh." The both of them shuttered. "What is going on in this place?" "I don't know. But it wasn't like this the last time I came here. But then again, it's been a while." Joey facehoofed. " We need to figure things out. "Informational pamphlet?" William suggested, his friend shook his head. "Nope," He shook his coin satchel. " I Phone." William groaned. "I left for Equestria to get away from all that. I hate social media." His friend laughed. "Well we don't have any better way, now do we?" William crossed his arms as the two emerged from their hiding spot. "You can go on and get one for yourself. I'll stick with a map and compass, the kinda thing ya can't EMP." The alicorn shrugged. "... Alright... Um..." Joey looked around at the empty alleyway. William checked his watch. "Quick! Before that mob finds us." William began to make his way towards the end of the alleyway. He stopped to look both ways before motioning for Joey to follow him. "Streets clear, let's go." William looked both ways, then rushed across the road. He ushered for Joey to keep following. The alicorn stepped out in the road, and nearly jumped in pain when he stepped over broken glass, he quickly rushed across and hobbled over to William, who examined his friend's hoof. "It didn't break it. You're fine. Just startled you is all." He reached down and, with a crack of his knuckles, pulled the little shard of glass from the alicorn. "There, now let's get moving." William and Joey continued walking westward. About 20 minutes later, and the Quiet Kid found himself standing across from a run down cell service store. He looked both ways. "Sh, someone's coming." He and his alicorn companion backed up behind a dumpster, and watched as a single electric Prius rattled down the street, then rounded a corner about a hundred feet from where they were hiding. William looked both ways again, before signaling for his friend to cross the road. "Move fast, but don't run. We don't want to draw any attention." His friend eyed him from top to bottom. "Sure, like you haven't done that already." William rolled his eyes. "Well, we're here. You wanna go first, or should I-" Without another word, the poorly disguised alicorn stepped towards the door to open it, only to find it open automatically. He shrugged it off, and walked in. "Hello?" The alicorn walked down the isles of electronic components, and right up to the counter. William noticed something was off in an instant. A strange smell permeated the entire store. "Something isn't right." Finally, a figure swung themselves around the counter, a... 'Full formed' Female, with blue hair and an excessive amount of makeup. "Oh, hello there cutie!" She squealed at Joey. Who shifted uneasily. "Um... Hello there? I'm sorta-" He looked back at William, who moved his thumb across his throat, then rolled this hand implying, "Get on with it!" "I'd like to buy a phone, I don't need much, just something to access the internet." The clerk smiled, and began to look across the shelves behind her. Before finally setting a display model of some kind on the counter. "Here, this one, it's eco friendly." "Why would a phone need to be- It's a phone." William muttered, sitting down on the least stained bench he could find and rubbing his forehead in annoyance. "It's got solar panels, a contact charger, and a top of the line surveillance system to make sure that you aren't up to anything offensive. You know, typical stuff!" William's eyes snapped open, he glared at the clerk behind his sunglasses. "What did she just say?" He asked himself. "I've gotta find out more about this." He began to tap his foot, resting his head on a fist as he did. "Oh, but I'm sure that's no problem for a cute little thing like you!" The clerk exclaimed. "Although, I'm not so sure about your friend." William checked his watch. Then, finally, stood up and walked over to the counter. "Joey, a word?" "Yes?" "Don't trust this women. She's being far to casual about this." He looked over at the clerk. " What do you mean by surveillance?" She fell silent, and then answered with, " There's things that our friends don't want us to do! But it's fine! It's fine! They just want to be sure to you don't offend anyone, you know!?" William raised an eyebrow. "You gonna explain what you mean by, offend?" She smiled. " Oh, um... Well... Not to be judgy, but like you!" William sighed, and put his hand on his forehead again. "Lady, what in God's name do you mean?" "Your hat, your demeanor, I don't think I like it. You bigot!" William scratched his head. " Ma'am, listen. My friend here doesn't want a miniature camera watching his every move. So... Do you perhaps have something else? How about a paper map of this city?" "Oh, paper? You mean murdered trees?" William facepalmed. "Now you're talking like Fluttershy." "Who? Is this some new thing I haven't heard of yet?" The Quiet Kid tapped Joey on the shoulder. "C'mon bud, we're leaving." "Wait! Wait! Your friend hasn't picked out a phone yet!" Joey chuckled nervously. "Hey, bud, it has been a while since I was on human internet, c'mon, just a few minutes!" His eyes widened in self pity. William had to practically drag the stallion out of the store, but at least the clerk at the front counter seemed to lose interest in them once they were out the door. It was only then that William realized that they were being watched by a myriad of security cameras. He ushered his friend back across the street and hid by a dumpster. "William-" "Quiet Joey. C'mon, we're gonna go find a pier. The Park Ranger station is sure to have what we're looking for." "Just five minutes. Just five." His friend insisted, hanging his head. " William set a gloved hand on his friend's shoulder and chuckled. "It's for the better! You heard what the lady said! The last thing I want is for the Thought Police to show up because I said the wrong thing at the wrong time." "You can't be serious." "I am. I absolutely am." The alicorn stood up and glanced back out across the road. "There's a time and place for... Actually, never mind. It's odd, but it isn't that odd. So far, it's just about the San Fransico I remember. There's no way it can get worse, right?" "Our route to the Pier passes across the Freeway and into Midtown, correct?" Joey asked. William facepalmed, and stared down at the ground, then back up at his friend, then at the opposing alleyway by him. "I miss Ponyville already." William said with an irritated sigh, resting his hands in his pockets as he checked his watch again. "8:50 A.M. " "John Moses Browning help me, this is madness! But hey, at least my headache's gone away!"
CaliforniacationThe sound of buzzing filled the street, echoing off the skyscrapers. Cautiously, I drew my sidearm. "I made a grave miscalculation! Run!" Now, you may ask, "William? What exactly went wrong on your way to the nearest Pier?" Well, sit tight and I'll tell ya. 8:55 AM Following his swift departure from the electronics store, William the Quiet Kid and Joey, his alicorn companion had begun to make their way across the city in hopes of reaching a somewhat civilized pier where there would be park rangers and, hopefully, armed guards that would provide him with the means to escape the phesdo dystopian hellhole he had found himself in. But even that was a pretty sketchy, 'if'. "William, this is San Francisco, not Fallujah. Also, are you aware of the fact that you've been speaking to yourself this whole time?" William turned back and glanced at his friend as the two walked along a dirty trash laden sidewalk. They rounded a corner, and found an overpass to their direct front. "... And there's the freeway. Now, we should be close-" "Yo...!" A voice echoed down the street. William cringed, and clenched his fist. At the next intersection stood a half dozen humans wearing all black apparel and carrying baseball bats. "William, what now?" Joey asked. William laughed, and then made a half circle in the air with his finger. " We're going around. They don't look the nicest. But I will not use force on other humans unless I don't have any other options. Waging a war in the streets'll only lead to trouble right now." The two slowly backed away from the open street and backtracked half a block, then advanced out over the road whilst the thugs were busy exacting a toll from an electric Prius driver that had happened to stop by the intersection. A process which involved the supposed leader dragging the two green haired males in the diver and side seats out of the vehicle, and then threatening them with their bats and, by the looks of it, a pocketknife, until they gave them some dollar bills, and then letting them off on their merry way as though nothing had happened. "You could have helped them out." Joey said. William groaned, and set his hand on the holster of his gun. "Joey, you don't understand. It isn't my problem unless one of them were to come over here and actively involve me, besides, they didn't actually attack them. I saw no bruises or gashes. My first priority is my safety, my second is yours." He set a hand on his friend's mane and ruffled it. The alicorn smiled back. "It's glad to know you care." "Damn right it is. Now, c'mon. Let's go." William and Joey began to make their way down the sidewalk on the far side of the road, just under the overpass. They continued ahead for about a quarter mile until William found them an on ramp just up a hill that they could scale to reach the main freeway. "Where are all the cars?" "There are none, I haven't seen a single combustion engine vehicle since we showed up here. Nothing makes sense." he "Things have definitely changed since we were here." 8: 56 AM As William and Joey crossed Route 101, they were suddenly met by a peculiar noise. "What in-" "Pedestrian, halt!" The voice was came from a speaker atop a small sports utility vehicle. One with... Oddly enough, no visible driver. There wasn't any tinted glass. There was simply no driver. "Joey, get behind me." The alicorn did as told, shimmying behind his friend. "William raised his hand and stepped aside. Glancing inside the vehicle. "I think it's automated." "Please submit your papers!" A voice within cried. William raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. "What the heck are you? An AI, or is there some human behind that who I can talk to?" William asked the vehicle. "Noncompliance detected. " The voice on the loudspeaker spoke. The Quiet Kid groaned. "What exactly are we doing wrong? This highway looks abandoned. And I doubt you hold governance over it. Leave me be." The vehicle drove off without speaking another word to him. William just shrugged, and then laughed. "Cowards." William grumbled, pulling his friend along with an order of," C'mon, let's go." 9: 09 AM The two crossed Route 80 and repelled down the far side though a combination of Joey's wing power, and some carabiners and paracord on William's part. They quickly made their way away from the highway and deeper into downtown. under the cover of an overhead offramp which led past the now defunct Consulate of Mexico. Passing scenes of chaos as they went. Trash lay piled up on the streets, store and first floor windows were either smashed in, or boarded up. Graffiti adorned nearly every surface, and they sidewalks were lined with tents. William and Joey took to using alleyway's to avoid the roaming gang and homeless activity. He wanted to make this ordeal short, the sooner he got out of the city and got back to Equestria, the better. He prayed that Twilight and the others had discovered his absence by now, and were now working on a way to get him back. Because this, was not the Earth he had remembered. All of a sudden, Joey's ears perked up in alert. "I hear people." "How many? What do their footsteps sound like?" Joey shook his head. " There's a lot of them, that's all I can tell. And they're shouting something. They're over that way. About 100 yards ahead, just around the corner." William bit his lip. "Damnit. Alright, we'll backtrack and see if we can't pop out behind the crowd and pass though that way." William turned to begin backtracking, when all of a sudden. He felt Joey's hoof tug on his coat. "William, you need to come and see this." 9:10 AM "What-" He looked around the corner, and his jaw dropped. From sidewalk to sidewalk stood hundreds of human beings, dressed in the most- short of Rarity's abominations, 'colorful' clothing he had ever seen. Strange flags of all colors adorned the street. The people themselves, were most certainly something to behold, blue haired, pink haired, green haired. Rainbow maned- Wait, what? At the head of the crowd, was Rainbow Dash. Seemingly ignorant of the carnage going on around her. In fact, she seemed to be laughing gleefully. William winced, and gritted his teeth, regretting the stale apple he had eaten earlier in the day. "What do we do?" Joey asked William. He ducked back into cover, and then poked his head back out into the street. He watched as the oncoming crowd showered Rainbow Dash in confetti. "...And... She's dancing to Elton John! Shitake mushrooms!" "Hey! Rainbow! Over here!" William called to her, waving frenziedly. "RAINBOW DASH!! GIT OVER HERE!!!" He shouted through gritted teeth. The sky blue pegasus mare paused for an instant and turned her head in the general direction of William and Joey long enough for her to catch sight of Joey's softly glowing horn. "C'mon!" She laughed. "Or what!? These people threw a whole celebration just FOR me!" William's facial expression grew harsh, and he waved to her again. "Rainbow! Get the HAY over here!" He pointed to the sidewalk directly ahead of him. Her smile turned upside down, but she acknowledged William's command. She weaved her way through the crowd, and stepped towards William's hiding place. Stopping about 5 yards away. "Those people are not your friends! They're just interested in you because of your appearance! They are not celebrating you! Trust me, do not go with them if you value your life. And what the hell is that smell-" "Oh, they gave me these funny smelling tea leaves! I feel awesome!" William grimaced, a pounded his fist on the concrete. "You birdbrain, those aren't tea leaves! They're hallucinogenic drugs! Get over here!" "Hallo-what!?" She replied, her voice spiking with energy. "...Or I'll have your flying license revoked!" William added harshly. It was a joke, obviously, there was no flying license to revoke. But he knew that she wouldn't be able to tell under the influence whatever she had carelessly consumed. This got her attention much faster than William had anticipated. But, as she tried to approach her friends hiding in the alleyway, they were suddenly met with a weak cry of. "Hey, it's that racist weirdo from earlier! Get him!" Without thinking, William picked up Rainbow Dash and threw her over his back, causing a yelp of protest. But less hoof shaped bruises than he had expected. "I have done nothing wrong! Time to go!" The Quiet Kid shouted, just as a half eaten veggie wrap-a thing William only knew existed because he lived in a town where all most of the residents strictly ate plants, even if they could technically eat cooked meat just the same as any omnivore- sailed over his head and landed with a disgusting splat ahead of them. "Nope, nope, nope!" William called, dragging his two equine friends down the alleyway and out onto a side street with the speed and efficacy of a Marine with a severe caffeine addiction going after a terrorist cell in the promise that their leader is the one who made him wait in line for his perfect, dark roast beans. They didn't even bother to check for cameras, all William knew was that he had to get out of there, or else something bad would happen. The feeling was a complex mixture of emotion and reason. His ears, telling him in a nutshell that," Big stinky city noise bad!" And the reasonable part of his brain, which said something to the extent of: "This place is batshit insane- why and how did Rainbow Dash end up in the middle of a, 'parade' in San Fransico, and how the hell am I going to get her and my friend out of here without behind stabbed or poisoned to death?" To make a not so long story short, he did. As it turned out, all of the strange specimens of 'human's' who had decided to attempt to try and chase down The Quiet Kid and two quadrupedal ponies didn't necessarily have the best stamina. The one's on bicycles and Segway's kept up for a little longer, but eventually, William and his two companions were able to loose them as well. 9: 25 AM "Put me down!" "Put this on, and don't open your wings." William handed her a jacket and fedora, similar to the one Joey was wearing along with a pair of sunglasses. "If anyone asks, you're a furry. Answer with that and that only and you should be fine." She responded with a hesitant nod. William, Joey, and Rainbow Dash made their even deeper into the downtown region of San Francisco. Their pegasus mare companion stared up wide eyed in awe at the massive buildings. William noticed this, and turned to speak to her. "Don't envy them, this place is nothing but trouble." She raised an eyebrow. "Why?" William almost facepalmed, but caught himself. "Take a look around, it may have been nice a long time ago. And there might yet be places here worth the while. " "Like that thing?" Rainbow pointed off in the distance at the faint spires of the Golden Gate Bridge. "Well... Yes." William responded. "What about..." Her eyes went from calamity to calamity, and her voice trailed off. "Yeah... You're right." She sighed and hung her head. "So, what's the plan?" William's voice went dead with apathy. " In the words of the great Ron Swanson... My favorite activity." He paused for a moment, and then ended his sentence with, "Not getting killed." "That does sound like a good plan." Rainbow murmured. William led them past a strange overhead city park. 9:40 AM "Miss wide open spaces, don't ya?" William asked Rainbow, who nodded. "Yeah, I do. I never really liked Manehatten. And this is just a worse version of it. Smellier, louder, and... Ugh!" She yelped in surprise as something stuck to her hoof. William reached down and scraped the miscellaneous slime off with the blade of his knife. He manifested a new one out of disgust. "What's the actual plan?" "I'm gonna find a pier we can find ourselves a map that'll lead us out of the city. We've been wandering around here for the past 2 hours. How'd you get here, by the way?" "There was this big flash of light, and all of a sudden, I was on the corner of some city block, I looked around, and spotted those people. " William smiled. "Same thing, except for the fact that I ended up right by the coast." They turned off onto Salesforce plaza, William advanced ahead of the two ponies, until he stood right in front of a multilane intersection. The assortment of homeless people waiting to cross the street paid no mind to him. He glanced up, and spotted that Transamerica building. A massive concrete pyramid which crested atop the cities skyline. Atop it flew the same unsettling flag William had spotted earlier. Rainbows and a hammer and sickle. Alongside a myriad of other strange banners. "Ugh, see the wind blowing that, 'thing' eastward? We're gettin' close." 10: 01 AM And now, here we are. Back at the beginning. All at once, a cacophonous buzzing noise filled the street. Echoing off the buildings like a massive swarm of metal bees. It took William a moment to realize what the noise was coming from. "Drones, lot's of drones." For the moment, William just stood there, ushering his friends behind him and glancing around at the skyline. Searching it for the UAV's he had heard. He spotted one, about a hundred yards down the road. Four rotors and a compact center, with a camera and what vaguely looked to be a Glock 19 dangling from it's underside with a modified trigger mechanism. It was joined by two dozen others. "Do not resist!" A voice cried from a loudspeaker. "By order of the California People's Union of Diversity, stop!" William turned to look back at Rainbow Dash and Joey. "I've made a grave miscalculation! Run! Go Eastward!" They both looked at him with confused expressions. "Which way is East?" William groaned, and pointed off to the side from the intersection. "Go that way! Don't stop, and for the love of God, or Celestia, or whomever- Don't fly, don't use magic, and don't reveal your wings!" William drew his sidearm, keeping it within his coat as he went to back away behind a telephone pole. "What the hell do you think I've done wrong!?" He called back. "Entity is in violation of the Weapons Law. Surrender, or you will be made to." William went to raise his sidearm, but realized that the drones might posses sensors which could detect his motion. "Go!" He urged his friends to start running." They didn't wait for him. "Hold on, hold on! I have something to say!" He called out to the drones, cautiously holstering his sidearm and replacing it with a Benelli M4 loaded with Dragonshot- birdshot pellets made from magnesium. "William, you're fighting drones now? Heh, well... You did joke about it a while back. " He thought a moment for a good counter. "Your Regime's name sucks!" He finally shouted back, raising his middle finger. The Quiet Kid dashed out of cover and raised his gun, he calmed his breathing, and took aim at the first drone. With two quick pulls of the trigger, he downed it, sending it crashing to the ground in a flaming wreck. The two shell casings hit the ground as he ran. And he could hear and see people running and screaming as he reloaded. He began to hear the crackle of pistol fire behind him, the sound of the drones trying, and failing to engage him before he knocked them out of the sky. William turned, and fired another shot, bringing down another 2 drones, the first one flying just above the second one and then damaging both in the process. The crackle of gunfire and buzzing of drone motors drew even closer. William took cover behind a set of overflowing trashcans. He peaked out from behind them to see if they were still following him. All of a sudden, a drone zipped over his head and began to spin to face him. William brought his shotgun up and downed it before it could get a shot off, but this did prompt the rest of the drones to attempt the same maneuver. In a burst of magical energy, William swapped from casual wear to a set of civilian clothes to a ballistic helmet and vest. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder, and manifested an AR 10 pattern rifle rechambered in 20 gauge. In his other hand, he took up a steel riot shield. Holding the shield up like an umbrella, he sprinted down the street towards his friends while bullets pinged off the steel and showered the ground around him with sparks. A drone flew down directly ahead of him, he took up his shotgun and blew it away, scattering its pieces across the asphalt as he continued to move down the street. He ran to the next 4 way intersection, right around several finance buildings. Everywhere, more and more drones encroached on his position. 10 became 30, 30 became 60, and 60 became a hundred, and a hundred became 300. He had to put a stop to this. He looked around at the carnage surrounding him. He was the only human left around for hundreds of feet. Going prone and scrambling into nearby bushes, he transitioned to a trusty M32 rotary grenade launcher loaded with airburst shells. He poked out of his concealment, and began to drop the 40MM shells at 10 yard intervals at a 60 degree angle to the ground. The shrapnel and pressure waves rained down across the drone swarm, tearing apart dozens with each detonation. He emptied all six cylinders, and then, with a flash of light, manifested a brand new launcher with a fresh magazine. Flaming debris rained down all around him, and he made a dead sprint for Joey and Rainbow Dash. Ignoring the crowd forming on the edge of what was now a warzone. He ran with his launcher in the air until he was safe behind one of the columns at the base of an old Wells Fargo bank. He glanced at a couple of the cameras, swaying slowly back and forth. "Hell, they're probably automated. Same as the rest. What's it too them anyhow? I just need to make it out of this damned city by day's end, and Joey'll be able to, hopefully, bring us all back to Equestria. Because there is no way in hell that this... Is the Earth I left behind." He turned for an instant to check on his friends. They were much farther down the road then him. They had made it past the former Federal Reserve Bank, and were now in visual range of the waterline. In an instant a rowdy crowd of several thousand people swept them away before his eyes. Carrying them off with them. William just stood there, in the middle of all the carnage. "Son of a- No!" He cried frantically. He began to raise his gun, but it fell on a sling instead. He mindlessly swapped magazines and glanced around. Electric cars and drone wrecks burned eerily. Casting shadows across the wildfire smoke clogged streets. "I'll find you. Oh, I know I will." William murmured. around at the drones still remaining in and around his hiding place. "But, I've got a job to do first." 10: 15 AM
Beyond All Reason"I lost them, I fuckin' lost them!" The Quiet Kid's armor molted away, and he disappeared into the crowd of people, emerging on the other side and making a beeline straight for the coast. "Hello, wel-" William slammed an Equestrian bit down on the Barista's countertop. "That's real gold. Black coffee, cold, no ice. Please and thank you." His eyes sunk behind his sunglasses. He was tired, exhausted. And all he wanted was a simple cup of simple coffee to calm his nerves. "Oh-M-G. I have to Insta this." The green haired checkout girl squeaked. William sighed. "Look ma'am, I don't give a dragons ass what you do. Just get me my coffee. Please and thank you. " The women pulled out her cellphone and began to record. "OMG fans, this person just tried to pay me with real gold-" William reached over the counter, and brought the phone down onto the countertop in a firm manner. "I waited in line, I paid you, I've been polite, I see no one else back there, please ma'am. It's a matter of personal security, just get me my caffeine. " The lady grabbed her phone and raised it back up, turning it to her face to reveal a mock shocked expression. "OMG!" She screeched into it, trying to make her best puppy dog face, " This weirdo just misgender-" 11:00 AM William was ready to snap. For all he knew, those killer drones from earlier were still here. Looking for him. There were no apparent security cameras or sensors in the brick walled coffee shop. But he still had a sinking feeling he was being watched. He needed to get out of this place. This was not his Earth. His Earth was bad, sure. But not his bad. Not even close. There were no hunter killer drones with hammers and sickles and rainbow flags on their sides gunning down strangers while ignorant morons sat by and watched with their phones. William tapped the brim of his hat as he waited for the Barista to finish whatever it was she was doing, but instead of helping him, she just continued to stand there. Absorbed in her phone, she wanted nothing to do with him. "Hey, I have a question, since you aren't going to give me the coffee I just paid for, can I go back and make it myself?" The lady didn't answer. William considered hitting her with a rubber baseball bat. But decided against it. "Alright, how about this? Can you ask your, followers and whatnot if they've recently seen a unicorn with wings dressed up like a detective and a pegasus mare with a rainbow mane? That exactly." "Umm... I think I can help you with that." A meek voice answered from behind the row of shop customers. William leaned off to the side. Standing there, took all his surprise. Was an honest pegasus, a quaint mare with a pair of glasses, a grey sweater, purple fur, and an orange mane. "Now I'll be." William turned to stare at the mare. " Who are you?" The mare smiled. "My name's Purple... You don't look like you're from around here..." William laughed. "Now ain't that obvious? You pretty out of place all the same." The mare smiled. "No, no, I'm pretty sure it's just you. Tell me, do you know what a brony is?" The Quiet kid froze in place and stared at the nearest wall. His mind went through a thousand scenes. He turned back and cracked a grin. "Yeah, I know who and what they are. Can we talk about this somewhere else?" He glanced back at the countertop, his gold coins were still sitting there, gathering dust. And the Barista was nowhere to be seen. "Damn fools can't even make coffee right without drifting off." He stepped out of line and waved the mare out the front door. When they were outside and out of sight of the 'shopgoers', the pegasus paused to straighten her glasses. 11:02 AM "Well, what is it?" William asked her, setting his gloved hands in his coat pockets. "Why did you ask about some obscure internet fandom that I know almost nothing about, and why did those people in there not bat a single eye when you walked in. Are magical creatures just... A regular occurrence here? Because if so, I want out even more!" "You definitely aren't from around here. " The mare responded, scratching her chin. " I have a lot of explaining to do then, I suppose." William snickered, "Well yes ma'am, yes you do. You noticed me when I started talking about my friends. They're um... Well, they're ponies as well. One is about stomach high, has white fur and a blue mane, brown eyes, responds to the name, 'Joey', oh... and he's an alicorn. The other is a pegasus has a rainbow mane and a haughty energetic demeanor. Goes by, "Rainbow Dash". Have you seen either of them?" The pony's blue eyes widened, and she murmured something to herself. "I don't know why, but there's something about you... Follow me." 11:15 AM William wandered down the street with 'Purple' for a while, they crossed a street, and then disappeared down into an underground parking lot. "Where the hell are you bringing me?" The Quiet Kid murmured, setting his hand on his M45A1 Holster. At last, the mare led him past rows of defunct gasoline powered cars, the first he'd seen in a while, and through a locked metal door and two flights of stair before reaching a set of ornate wooden doors. "Follow me." She told him. She tapped the doors with her right hoof, and they swung open. What William saw on the other side left his jaw hanging open for a good 20 seconds. "William, welcome to- what used to be the Bay Area Brony convention's hotel. Now, we just call it the Everfree sanctuary." He looked around, and rubbed his eyes, a smile began to crest across his face again. The Quiet Kid wasn't speechless, but he sure was close to it. "Wow." He muttered. If it had at one time been a hotel, then it sure wasn't one now. It was like a scene straight out of the Equestrian wilderness. William realized that he was standing on green grass. The entire ground floor seemed to have been transformed into some kind of meadow, open oak trees adorned flowing blue streams and rocky outcroppings. It seemed to be the case with the upper floors as well. the walls were adorned with all manner of flora and fauna, Pheonix nests, vines of a dozen different kinds of fruit vines, and glowing flowers and gemstones provided interior lighting in place of regular LEDs. But most prominently of all, were the hundreds of ponies. Unicorns and pegasi and Earth ponies, mixed in with griffons, kirins, hypogryphs, a few dragons, and even a couple anthropomorphic wolves and cats. "How?" William asked, turning to Purple. "How the hell did- Why- how does this place exist!? How can it exist!" "Well," She answered, " It all started about 2 years ago, The Union of Progressive Peoples had just reached a Stalemate with the State of Jefferson. " William stared at her with a blank expression. "Ok, ok. Go back, go back." William insisted. " Tell me how this all unraveled from the very beginning. Because this clearly not the Earth I'm from." "You're from an alternate universe! Oh, of course! Just wait until I tell my friends!" William facepalmed. "Just... Start from the beginning." 11:28 AM And so, Purple did. She explained how she had once been human, but one day four years prior, a bright light appeared in the sky over the Pacific Ocean, and not long after, all the changes began to occur. For her, and a few others, it was just a simple transformation into some kind of simple magical creature. But, with the rest of the West Coast, it was a calamity of apocalyptic levels. Silicon Valley had been overtaken by a hostile AI led by unknown entities which began to create Terminator like armies of drones to try and spread their agenda to the rest of America, and then, the world. And, because of San Fransico's already, 'interesting population' no one complained. Then again, no one directly helped either, the most any person ever did was send a bit of Tax revenue disguised as funding. All while drone armies clashed with National Guard forces in the Hills above the Bay. Eventually, a State of Emergency was declared in California. But at this point, San Fransico might have just as well have become its own country, with beliefs and culture hostile to the rest of America. And because of Government unwillingness to invade its own territory, they left it to be. Opting to just blockade it and do nothing else. Meanwhile up north on the Orogen border, The State of Jefferson movement gained rapid popularity, and the Govenor's first role was to mobilize all the states Milita's to form a protective ring around the States southern border with California's former territory. Terrorist attacks and incursions into their land by the increasingly totalitarian Coastal foe followed soon after. To the south lay a blatantly communistic entity that wanted nothing short of the dissolvement of the United States and its rule of law- and to the north, an increasingly Libertarian and Independant state about the size of Tennessee that wanted nothing to do with any of it... Until they were provoked when a Town in the Cascade Range was attacked by suicide drones, prompting retaliation, and a full-on 2nd Civil War between the two States all while the Federal government debated the best way to deal with the whole debacle. Oh, but that wasn't all. All the while, strange occurrences began to occur around the West Coast, spanning as far East as Lake Tahoe. Monsters, glowing deer, dragons living in ancient caves and on the tops of dormant volcanoes, bigfoot, and, most prominently of all, humans transformed into sentient magical creatures who retained their entire past personalities. Everything from ponies to griffons. Previous places of significance and social gathering were morphed until they were nigh unrecognizable, like the hotel Willaim now found himself standing in. All while civil unrest and political anarchy raged in the world and city outside. 11; 32 AM "Simply put..." Purple continued, " It was like those lights that day made reality fall apart. But it's all good now. All us pony lovers got their lifelong wish, everything short of going to Equestria itself! But that's for the best, if all of us went there at once, it just wouldn't be the same." William bit his tongue. "Anyway... My friends, Joey and Rainbow Dash-" "You're just joking about Rainbow Dash, right?" The mare laughed uncomfortably. William just sighed. "No, I'm not." "You're... Hey everyone, this guy knows Rainbow Dash, personally!" A ring of pandering equines quickly formed around him. "Tell me, what's she like?" One Stallion asked. "Have you met the rest of the Mane Six!?" "What about Celestia, have you met her?" "Yeah!? Does she like mares or stallions!?" Another voice shouted from the back of the crowd. William held his hands up and took a step back. " Listen, I don't know that much about her, I barely even know her! She's lost in this damn city with the best of my friends, so if any of you see her, please find me and tell me! She doesn't belong here, as much as you all probably want to sit down and meet her. I've gotta get us back to our original world. We don't belong here!" The crowd fell silent. "Listen, I'm happy that y'all were able to find common ground and build yourself this nice little community in such an awful place. And I can't tell ya how happy that makes me. But I can't stay, and neither can Rainbow Dash, or my best friend, Joey." The group remained silent, he could hear shuffling in the crowd, two ponies, a Stallion and A mare, were chasing something. Finally, they burst out on the other side, right in front of William. Standing in front of them, was a little Unicorn Filly holding a Rainbow Dash plushie in her magical grasp. And, an earthpony colt. They both froze to look up at William with eyes full of wonder. "We'll help you find your friends!" The little filly told William. Bouncing around gleefully. The Quiet Kid looked down at the foals, and then over at the older ponies who had been chasing them, he presumed that they were the parents. " We're so sorry." They said in unison, trotting up to their foals and herding them away. William held out his right hand and stopped them. "No, no. I understand. You picked a good role model by the way, loyalty to the things you love is important, with me, it's my personal beliefs, and my friends. Twilight Sparkle got that much right." He turned back to the crowd of adults. "And no, she isn't into mares! Get your heads out of the poison oak!" 11:34 AM
Golden Gates"The Government wouldn't do that, well... They did! And they couldn't care less now that it has been done!" Hey there, it's me again! The Quiet Kid! Yes, I am narrating this directly to you. Which, now that I think about it is actually a pretty bad idea. Anyway, I've got a best friend and a main character to save respectively. So... 11: 36 AM "Well William, you're welcome to stay in any room you'd like that's unoccupied. You're not a pony, but we're not too picky here. " Purple insisted. William was still partially scratching his head. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Part of him wanted to stay for a while and see what interesting specimens of pseudo-Equestrian fauna- Eh... 'Friends' he could make. "Sure, I'll patronize you. Let me see how you've adapted to life in this place. A few minutes wouldn't hurt." The mare smiled, and waved him along. "Oh, delightful! We've remodeled the rooms to resemble the interiors of Equestrian cottages as best as we could!" William smiled back, and nodded his head. "Sure, let's see what you've done here." The purple pegasus, flanked by several of her constituent ponies, led William up a grand staircase to the second floor, they walked past overgrown escalators and piles of flowering furniture. " How has this place stayed the way it is for so long? Do all the psychopaths outside just... Avoid it?" "Hmm.... Good question. I don't really know." William snickered. "Clueless, typical. But I can't really blame them, they seem innocently oblivious to this stuff in a way that makes me doubt they used to be human." "William glanced up at the murky skylights high above. Allowing just enough dim Bay Area sun through them to make it feel like you were really outside in nature if you looked at it from the right angle. A pair of pegasi flew through the rafters and then dove down beneath the balcony he was standing on, they turned upside down and waved to him as they passed by. "God, it's like I'm back in Equestria." "Oh, really? What's it like?" A unicorn Stallion with a fedora asked curiously. "It's awesome." William replied. " It's like Yellowstone National Park, or maybe the Black Hills up in North Dakota everywhere, the heartland is teeming with wildlife and open prairies that stretch on for miles which lead up to sparkling snowcapped mountains. The South and coastline? Just picture southern Utah and Hawaii respectively. All with well kept 17th century esque towns, villages, settlements, abandoned and inhabited castles, monsters, magic. It's everything that that cute little show that got you into this mess shows it is. And more." The pony's expression grew sorrowful. "Well, enjoy it for us, will you?" "I'll be sure to." William responded with a reassuring nod. 11: 39 AM "... And here we are!" Purple exclaimed. William glanced down the hallway at the dozen or so ornate entryways. He stepped up to an empty one and peeked inside. "Charming, but, I just have one question, are there any surveillance camera's in here from the outside world?" "No, none that we know of. Ponies aren't too shy when it comes to modesty. But we respect the wishes of those who stay here, and all outside camera work is expressly prohibited. We haven't had any known violations yet. And that's for the better, it'd be a shame to kick anypony to the curb." William nodded. "Yes, that's good and all, but... Are you sure?" He quickly followed it up with. " Because I'm pretty sure all of San Francisco is after me now. Just pretty, not entirely, because God knows how many more souls you could cram onto this little cursed peninsula." "I don't think it's that bad." An Earthpony mare gestured as she walked by him with a towel draped around her sides. "Have you stepped outside recently?" "You know what? I think you might be righ-" William held up a gloved hand and paused her midsentence. "Lemme stop ya right there Miss, it's not, 'think', it is that bad!" The earthpony cringed. " Oh well, best of luck to you! I'm off to the spa!" William facepalmed and gritted his teeth as she walked off. 11: 42 AM "How can they be this relaxed? " The Quiet Kid began to edge into the room he had first peeked into, he felt around under a lampshade, and crunched something with a closed fist. "I just found one. You should be more care-" He froze, "Why do I hear buzzing?" "That is strange." Purple added. "The walls of this place are soundproof." William's eyes went wide behind his sunglasses. "Oh shit-" The sound of glass shattering echoed down the hallway, along with the sound of several consecutive pistol shots, and ponies screaming. "Stay here and stay down!" The Quiet Kid ordered. He molted back into his armor and snatched up his semi automatic magazine fed shotgun. "William, stay safe! I hope you find your friends!" William hoped so as well. He peeked out into the corridor and ran to the balcony. There was a massive, jagged hole in the roof. concrete and rebar lay tattered on the ground some 80 feet below. Drones buzzed about, corralling ponies away from the damage. "You sons of-" He took cover behind a pillar and opened fire, ripping through oak leaves and turning drones to burning wrecks with single shots. He glanced over at a nearby pegasus stallion who had just happened to have been passing by. "You! Fly me up to that hole in the roof! I've got things I need to violently dismantle!" He slung the sling of his 20 Gauge over his shoulder, and waved emphatically at the stallion. "O-ok! But it might be a bit bumpy!" He responded. "Just get me close!" William shouted, the pegasus galloped over, and kneeled down while the Quiet Kid awkwardly slumped on top of him, 2 steady wing flaps later, and William suddenly began to recall his very real fear of falling. "This is gonna be loud! Cover your ears once I'm off!" The Quiet Kid grasped the edge of the rubble. "Closer!" He heard the sound of buzzing above him, and the pegasus probably decided that he wanted to live more then he wanted to help a complete stranger, so he just bucked William off and dove for the ground. William, now hanging on for dear life while being shot at. Manifested a ballistic shield on his back which functioned as a bullet proof umbrella while he scrambled up onto the roof, and then turned and, with two more shots, sent the Quadcopter crashing through an AC unit. The putrid sent of wildfire smoke met his nose, and he chuckled, and swapped magazines. "I'm coming for you, bud. And you too, Rainbow Dash." 11: 59 AM It had now been nearly 5 hours since the Quiet Kid had first awoken. He was exhausted, having barely sat down since he first started trying to make his way to a pier. That option was out of the question, given what he had just learned. The Golden Gate bridge was the next best option. Less than a two mile walk, now that he had acquired a map from the front lobby of the hotel. "Now, let's see..." William needed to find his friends, but they could be anywhere by now. It'd take a whole battalion of professional soldiers' weeks to sweep the city. Time that he didn't have. Which left him with either; "Try and hotwire a fancy electric car." Or, " Find some pushover drone operator and... Hehem, 'borrow' his stuff. He glanced over his shoulder. Sitting, unguarded, was a...'man' wearing a virtual reality headset alongside a pair of complex looking joysticks. "There's my target." He thought to himself. He huddled behind some bushes and donned a balaclava over his helmet and sunglasses. Crouching low to the ground, he drew a suppressed Glock 19, it took him right up until the point to where he could possibly tap the gun barrel against the drone controller's shoulder. "Wait, what am I doing? This guy's still human. And look at those squirrelly arms! I can take just one." He calmly holstered his gun in a 3:00 holster and tapped the man on the shoulder. "Hey, hey, pal!" 12: 02 PM "Do you mind?" William cracked his gloved knuckles. " I'm doing important business-" "Crack!" William grunted, threw a right hook over the man's face, knocking the virtual reality headset clean off. William caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a direct view from one of the drones which had just attacked him. "You little rat! Git!" The Drone Operator took one look at the fuming Quiet Kid and took off running without saying a word. Just as he had thought, they were so busy hiding behind their screens that the concept of throwing a few punches here and there completely alluded them. William quickly got to work muddling over the strangers' devices, trying to figure out how to access the drones. "I highly doubt this place has mutual combat laws. But what are they going to do anyway? This place isn't even in American hands anymore. And it's an Alternate Universe to my own Alternate Universe! Hell, I probably just did this world a service." "How about that headset?" William checked it, and then immediately set it down, and took off running. 3:08 PM "Huh... Eh...!" Joey rubbed his eyes open with his hooves, he was lying on his back on something soft and smooth. A bedsheet. "Ah! Why you little-!" His ears swiveled to the sound of Rainbow Dash's angry and confused voice. He glanced over, and tried to roll around, but for some reason, he couldn't move his hind legs. He was just able to arch his head and get a glimpse over at his friend. He spotted her, cuffed to the other side of the bed and fuming with rage. "Rainbow?" "Wha- Joey!? What the hay's going on here!?" As the alicorn looked around the room, his expression grew more and more worried. The last thing he could remember was himself and Rainbow being tossed into some moving van before losing consciousness. "I think we've been foalnapped!" Rainbow Dash growled, tugging at her restraints. "Well?" A voice asked from the ceiling. " Are you going to do it?" Joey raised an eyebrow, and lowered his ears in confusion. "What the buck are you talking about!? And who are you!? Oh, when I get my hooves on you buster-" A laugh echoed through the loudspeaker. "Oh, that won't be happening. I don't want to get involved, I just like to watch! Now go on!" Joey's face went red, and he rolled away from Rainbow, who did the same, the both of them turned and stared at one another, the alicorn's face went red. "What do you- No! You're disgusting!" They both shouted back. " We're friends you piece of manticore crap! Let us go!" The low chuckling continued. "No one is coming to save you, so you might as well hehe, enjoy each other's company, if you know what I mean?" The two ponies stared at one another. "No. Just. No. Not a chance." Joey said flatly. Rainbow Dash quickly nodded in agreement. "We went through the trouble of dressing you up! Do you know how hard it is to find pony sized stockings!?" The voice shouted, full of anger. " Now do it! Or I'll bring in some more willing mares and stallions for you both- Hey!" There was a loud crash below them, followed by several gunshots, and the sound of screaming and... Boots on Linoleum. About 15 seconds later, there was a knock on the door to the room they had been locked in. And an instant later, the door went flying off its hinges. Revealing one very angry looking Quiet Kid on the other side, rifle and bayonet in hand. " Rainbow, Joey! Oh thank God, I finally you two! That drone camera worked! C'mon! Let's go!" Joey held up a hoof. "Can you cut us free first Mister John Clark?" Rainbow asked begrudgingly. William sarcastically fumbled around in a pocket, and then manifested a pair of bolt cutters. "I should never have given you that copy of Rainbow Six." He grumbled to himself as he snapped the cufflinks of each hoof, the two ponies instantly bounded up and began to flex their wings upon being freed. "William!" A smile appeared on Joey's face. "Thanks for coming to save me bud!" "You're welcome." William replied with a lighthearted chuckle, "Now, what say you two we get out of this awful city and back to our home?" 8: 20 PM From there, it had been a mad dash through the Presideo region of San Fransico right up onto the Highway that led across the bay. Ahead of them stretched the massive red arches of the Golden Gate Bridge, a good quarter mile between them, and freedom. Beyond that lay the redwood hills of the American northwest and the Pacific Ocean. The evening sunset had brought new waves of fog into the bay. Cutting visibility in most parts down to just a few hundred feet at a time. "What's that sound?" Rainbow asked, hovering up just a few inches off the ground and glancing behind herself. "That sounds like people." Joey murmured. " A lot of people." The Quiet Kid raised his sidearm. "Start running." A massive crowd of people emerged from the fog behind them. Carrying everything from machetes to baseball bats and Molotov cocktails. Thousands and thousands of them. William, without thinking, picked his friend up like a limp dog and began to dead sprint across the bridge as fast as his tired legs could carry him. "I hate this place!" "Agreed! Later!" Rainbow mocked. Bolting straight to the far side and leaving William and Joey in the dust. The mob was slowly gaining ground, and Willaim began to worry that he'd be caught up in the mass of angry people. Could he take them at a quarter mile? Yes. But at close range with his best friend in the crossfire? Doubtful. These were people. Horrible people, but still people. Horrible, horrible people that would most definitely stab him and all of his friends to death and film it for fun. All of a sudden, a blinding white flash illuminated the entire length of bridgeway. The mob stopped and gazed in awe at the scene forming. Joey slid out of his friend's arms and looked up. "Road flare?" "William." A soft female voice said. " What are you doing here? What's going on?" A figure formed in the light, setting itself down on the pavement. It was a pegasus, with soft yellow fur, and a mane with hues of blue, pink, and orange. There was just something about her that felt trustworthy. That concerned William, what could be so dangerous about this little pegasus mare to halt a charging mob in it's tracks? "Joey eyed the creature curiously." "You look familiar." "Hello Joey." The mare said calmly. The alicorn shirked back. "Why does she know my name? That's usually a bad sign!" "... And you... Stranger." She pointed off at Rainbow Dash, who huffed and crossed her hooves. The mare laughed. "My name is Golden Gates, I've enjoyed watching you corral your friends around this once great city. But, you do not belong here." "Yes, yes, I know- But before we go, can I just-" He pulled out a trail camera, and pulled Joey and Golden Gates in for a group photo with the burning city in the background. "That one's a keeper." He turned back to the mob, who kept their distance. "You suck-" He was back in Ponyville, in the morning air with the sun just beginning to crest over the mountains in the East. Standing upright and by Joey, who tugged his pant leg with a hoof. "Hey bud, you alright? You sorta zoned out there for a second." William scratched his head, and removed his cap. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He reached into his pocket, and found a little slip of paper with in. William pulled it out and unfolded it. It was the crumpled photo he had just taken a moment ago. "Wha- How?" "Are you feeling alright?" Joey asked his friend. William looked back at the rising sun, then over at the distant towers of Canterlot, then, at Twilight's crystalline castle, and finally, back to the humble cobble streets and cottages of Ponyville. "Yeah bud, I'm fine. Just fine." To this day, I still don't know who Golden Gates was, or how that photo got to my pocket. I still have a deep and unshakable feeling of unease around bright colors. I still prefer Ponyville to Manehatten and Las Pegasus. And Rainbow Dash still doesn't and will never like mares!
