Containment Protocol: Equestria

Chapter 2: The Cards Have Been Dealt

“...Why try to run away from the shadow of the damned if it’s your own shadow.” - AppleJack

“Fucking propaganda bullshit, I say why can’t they take things for what they are.” Whispering under my breath and shaking my head slightly looking up at a poster plastered to the front of a store, covered in years of built-up dirt and torn in many spots with the corner barely flapping in the wind. Looking with skepticism, it boasted a blue mare with blue and white hair smiling wide reading ‘Brushing twice daily can stop the spread of MMV.’ Thinking about it, I cocked my head to the side. “Dental health had nothing to do with the outbreak.” Looking into a nearby window I could see myself somewhat clearly. I was a complete mess. My dark blue mane looked black with how much dirt and grime was in it. My greyish blue body had dirt, grease and grime all over it, my wings all tattered, and my feathers really needed attention. My saddlebags were all patched up with duct tape, and my green eyes had dark bags underneath them. I needed a bath and a few hours of sleep minimum, something I won’t be getting for a couple more hours but at least it’ll be soon, but I had food on me so there's that.

As I walked through the quiet abandoned streets, the only sounds that could be heard was the wind whistling through the building’s broken windows and the quiet yet noticeable creaks of metal here and there. I absolutely hated being this far outside the walls for this long, it’s not anything new to me but it's just that I was alone. It's so quiet that your mind begins to make you hear and see things in the distance that aren't actually there. Seeing ponies in the corner of your eye, hearing a cough or a mumble or even sometimes you hear somepony say your name, when nopony else is around. The whole experience was very unnerving, and I dare not to try to enter one of the buildings or houses that had been boarded up in fear of making too much noise. It could attract unwanted attention. If I could get inside without causing a bunch of racket, I know there are enough supplies inside that could keep a pony alive out here for a long time. It’s just getting in and getting back out without getting infected.

I wasn't too far outside the city, maybe a couple of miles. I looked back in the direction of what the residents where? called Little Buckingham, it’s pretty much just a section of Baltimare that’s still standing and had a low infection threat since the walls were built. The sun hasn't set but was getting close so I couldn't see the lights shining off the evening clouds yet.

A light shined on my face breaking my concentration. my blood ran cold thinking I had been caught by somepony after I left my rifle behind leaning on a wall a couple of blocks away. In a panic I spread my wings and prepared to kick off the ground to fly away until I heard them say something

“Whoa there, easy there filly. It’s me, FlickerLight.” The orange earth pony with a yellow mane
stepped a bit closer so I could see him properly. He had a spotlight strapped to one side of his harness and his rifle strapped to the other side. As soon as I noticed who it was, my blood went from cold to immediately boilingl for him scaring the life out of me the way he did.

“DAMN, IT FLICK! Why the hell did you have to sneak up on me like that? You know perfectly well where we are. And thankfully for you, I’m unarmed or could have shot you!” I barked taking a few steps closer to him.

“And you know where we are so how bout keeping your fuckin’ voice down a little Glitter?” He says in a stern whisper “It’s not my fault you go off with reckless abandon. And don't you blame me for you putting yourself at edge out here it’s…”

“Don't…call…me…Glitter…” I interrupted. “I've told you time and time again that not my name so stop using it.” I hated the name, Glitter. The ponies in Little Buckingham had teased me with it since I was just a little filly and FlickerLight knew this, but he just would never let me live it down. My parents didn’t survive the second wave of the infection. They flew me down to Ponyville from Cloudsdale and put me on the next available train during a mass evacuation when the shields came down. In short, the name they gave me was GlitterBall but I renamed myself after I was a bit older, and I now call myself WynterBreeze but most just know me as Wynter.

“Whatever. It’s better than Wynter in my opinion.” he scoffed and looked out towards an opening in the buildings. “We have a train to catch in a few minutes so let's go get your rifle, not that your shot is any count, and head back towards the tracks. C’mon I’ll even walk with you.”

I only nodded and began walking in the opposite direction of which I came with Flicker staying right by my side..

“Hey Flick, I got a question for you that I’ve been needing to know”

“Hell, fire away”

“W-Why do you keep coming with me on these runs outside the walls?” I asked nervously feeling my stomach twist a bit. “You know the punishment for sneaking out is death so why stick by my side if what I’m doing could get us both killed?”

“Ehh,” he started “Yknow, it's a way to get out of the city and you know your way around every little nook and cranny that you can slip out, and honestly, I've never thought of using the train to get out before. Kinda smart on your behalf.”

I just smiled and nodded as we passed that old poster with the smiling mare. “So stupid,” I said under my breath as I looked up at it as we walked.

“Hey, there's a lot of things they lied about when shit hit the fan. They don't even tell the entire story and just said ‘Yup, ponies got a head and started killing ponies. The end.’ Even the radio man back in the city says at the end of the broadcast, ‘It’s all hearsay’“ FlickerLight says with a scoff. “It’s all bullshit so why try to question it? They even gave us a book with a bunch of quotes from supposed ponies who lived at that time and expect us to believe that ONLY Celestia and Luna stood by doing everything they could while they threw Twilight Sparkle and Cadence to the wind leaving them for dead. I'm tellin ya, the nerve of some ponies,” he concluded with a soft snort.

It’s true things didn't add up right but who was I to judge? I didn’t know any better. I was just a filly clinging to life before Little Buckingham was founded.

I looked over to a wall in the distance to see my rifle perched against the building right where I left it. “I hate wearing this thing, it’s so heavy and I can't fly with it on. Makes my wings feel weird.” I sit on the ground as I try to throw the straps around my body while holding the rifle with my right wing but every time I tried to strap the buckles around me, it kept slipping.

“Hey, give me a hand with this please?” I motioned at FlickerLight.

FlickerLight nods and walks up to me as I get the rifle harness into place with the barrel jetting out a little less than halfway in front of me. One strap up right behind my wing joints and the other almost at my flank right in front of my hind legs.

“Nothing Funny Flicker, I mean it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Flicker states bluntly as I stand back onto my hooves. Flicker begins shifting my harness around my wings and then kneels down, beginning to strap the buckle around my chest. I could feel him grab the strap with his teeth and pull it tight while he buckled it. I felt a little awkward feeling him, what felt like Prodding around my chest and my face began to turn red.

“All done now for the back strap,” FlickerLight says as he began to shift the straps around. I saw through the corner of my eye his head reaching under me to grab the back strap and I felt my face heat up tremendously. My face had to have been getting redder and redder, and what only took about 30 seconds felt like an eternity.

“Hey, Wynter you still in there?” Flicker said while waving his hoof in front of my face. I blinked a couple of times before coming to. I had let my mind drift off without realizing it, but to what? I had no clue.

“Yea, im here.” I nodded and looked at him for a second.

FlickerLight smiled and laughed softly “You enjoyed that whole thing, didn’t you?”

“Fuck off Flicker...” I was immediately cut off by the sound of an incoming train whistle and we were still a little way from the tracks. I look up to the sky to see the sun start to set and panic overtook my body. “We gotta go now!” I yelled at FlickerLight as we took off running toward the tracks.

Running through the ruins of the town, our hooves crunched the glass shards on the ground and kicked up dust as we bolted toward the small hill at the end of the street we were on. My heart was pounding out of my chest and as the sun got lower, I panicked even more. There's not much time left, and we are fucked. Keeping my eyes on the windows of each building, we passed making sure there weren't any infected ponies watching us ready to attack at any moment. As we finally get closer to the fence separating the rails from the wasteland streets.

“

TRY TO FLY OVER THE FENCE!” FlickerLight called from behind me.

“I CANT! TOO MUCH WEIGHT!”

“TRY IT!”

I took a deep breath and once I got close to the gate, I spread my wings and kicked off the ground and I was in the air. It took everything I had but I was flying and glided right over the gate. I felt really heavy and then with a couple of flaps and a jerk, I fell straight onto the ground and slid a few feet across the grass accidentally kicking the firing lever of my rifle. The crack the thing made had my ears ringing so much. I never even heard the ricochet from the round bouncing off the ground... I shook my head a bit. My face hurt a little and I bit my tongue, but I was glad I was ok, just embarrassed. I looked up just in time to see the Steam engine pass me with a thundering chuff.

I felt a tug on the back of my harness and before I knew what was going on, I was back on my feet with FlickerLight running pass me yelling something I couldn't understand.

Again, I took off in a dead gallop up to the rocks at the sides of the tracks trying to pace the train cars. The thundering rumble and screeching of the cars made it hard to be able to hear anything at all. I watched Flicker just barely make it in between two cars and onto the walking platforms between them. I charged forward trying to get to where he was wind-pulling my hair back. The weight of this stupid rifle plus my saddlebags made my legs sore enough. I almost collapsed but looking up, I saw Flicker holding his hoof out, stretching to get to me.

“STOP FUCKING AROUND LET’S GO!” Flicker yells as I reach my wing out to grab him, shit this is gonna hurt.

With a Stretch and a groan, I finally was able to get close enough to FlickerLight where he grabbed my wing and yanked it with a pop. it felt like he was gonna pull it off my body Searing pain ripping through my wing as I clenched my teeth. I stumbled a bit and tripped a little sliding on the rocks. Flicker never let go of my wing although it felt like it was getting ready to come off. I pulled again with him and together, he was able to pull me up onto the rail car up onto the car but in the process, my hoof hit the side and I ended up tumbling into him, landing right on top of him with him looking up at me and my wings covering both of us. My face was only inches from his, both of us panting and gasping for air. I don't think I can do many more close calls like this.

“Hello, Beautiful,” Flicker said jokingly and winked.

“Kiss me and I shoot you myself,” I replied, not amused in the slightest. I folded my wings back with a hiss and lifted myself off of him, though my right wing was on fire. The wind blowing through our manes and the rocking motion of the train made the entire scenario a bit relaxing to be quite honest.

After being able to catch my breath, I stripped off my saddlebags and sifted around in them for my canteen. When I finally found it, I took a few good gulps from it and handed it over to Flicker.

“Thirsty?”

Flicker put a hoof to his check and gave a flattered smile. “Aww, you do care.” He joked as he took it and began to drink it.

“I never said I didn't care, Flick. You know this.”

Flickerlight lowers the canteen and sighs “That's not what I meant Wynter. We’ve always been together as soon as we met in Little Buckingham. So, I guess, Eh, never mind.”

Flicker set the canteen down on the metal walkway as the train car sway back and forth. We both sat in silence for the longest time while my mind raced through everything he could’ve said. Was he trying to confess something? Oh Luna, I hope he doesn't have feelings for me, poor guy.

The train cars shuddered with a bang and screech as the engine began to slow. I peered my head out of the side to see the walls of Little Buckingham draw closer. It was dark now and the lights from the city were spilling over the walls lighting the surrounding areas. The buildings were taller than the walls, and the spotlight focused on the ground kept a careful watch for infected ponies.

“Home sweet home,” Flicker said as he moved closer to me on the rail car to keep from being spotted by the spotlights. I moved closer to him being mindful of my injured wing and laid my head on his shoulder.

“You know what Flick.” I reached up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for coming.”

Flicker’s face went red, and he slightly smiled. “You’re still acting with reckless abandon you little accident magnet.”

As the spotlights passed over the train shining through the smoke from the engine, we were back inside the city.