Containment Protocol: Equestria

Chapter 5. Hell Hath No Fury

“Have you ever come face to face with a demon? Well, I have.” - Twilight Sparkle
It's been hours since last night, but I still had that uneasy feeling over me as I stood on the platform of the unloading bay with Sugarkake. The weather and atmosphere matched my constant unease with the dark, cloudy sky and the cooler, denser air. The wind blew in no particular direction, and it was still dark outside but not night-time dark. It was just before sunrise.
. I didn’t know how to explain the overwhelming pressure. The track in front of us was still empty and just like us, waiting for the next train. My anxiety was through the roof. So much so that I literally had a headache really making me wish I wasn’t here at this moment.

“You okay Wynter?” Sugarkake started nudging me slightly. “You can go back home if you want. We are just taking inventory today, so I don’t really need help stamping paperwork.”

“I'm fine Sugar, it’s just…I'm still having those weird feelings but it’s almost unbearable today.” I looked around at everything on the platform then peeked my head out to the rails to look down each end. Of course, I could only see up to the gats on each side, but it still made me feel a little better knowing there wasn’t anything out of order. “Maybe it’s nothing.”

“I already told you, there’s nothing to freak out about. Listen, I’m right here and I feel fine. There's nothing out of the ordinary. FireBox is just running a little late with the train is all, so you need to calm down before you give yourself a heart attack or something Wynter,” Sugarkake replied with a look of deep concern. “I’m starting to think there may be something going on with you… Maybe all of the stress has gotten to you a bit.”

“I’m fine,” I responded as I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves. “I’m Okay Sugar, honestly,” I said knowing full well that neither she nor I believed it but as they say, if you say something enough times, you might start believing it. My ears perked up when I heard the train whistle and the gate slowly screeched open. I look out to the gate and see the steam seeping between the gaps and the light beaming from the Locomotive’s headlight waiting to get into New Buckingham. As soon as the gate opened, it shot steam and smoke straight into the air and with a shudder. From What sounded like thunder, it pulled the slack from the rail cars as it slowly started moving forward with a low groan and a loud chuff. Looking at the thing made me remember things. Bad things had happened. I wish I could forget them.

“Sorry Boss. Are we late?” I heard a voice behind me asking. I didn’t bother to even look behind me since I hardly could understand what was being said. The only thing on my mind was that train as images of fire and destruction flashed rapidly through my head. I tried to push them back but couldn’t. I couldn’t hear anything or think of anything. I just froze up as the massive metal machine slowly pulled up in front of me and continued to the end of the loading platform. I don’t know how long I was staring at those platforms for until I saw a hoof wave in front of my face.

“Hey, Wynter? Hello. Filly I’m talking to you.” I could hear FlickerLight’s voice, but my body was still locked into place. It was like I was entranced, and everything moved in slow motion and yet, that sinking feeling was gone. I didn't feel like anything was wrong anymore. I was just…blank but I could hear my friends talking in the background. “She’s still doing this Sugarkake. I thought you said you had your eye on her.

“Don't blame me, you keep insisting she go on ‘adventures’ behind my back and now she’s getting worse. Y’know Flicker, this is your fault. I ought to…”

“Fuck you Sugarkake. you know damn well this isn’t just on me.” I just wish they’d stop arguing every time they were around each other. I close my eyes for a moment to try to get out of this slow-motion state of mind. All I heard over their argument were muffled screams.

“You okay there filly?” I hear a voice ask and they shook me slightly. I opened my eyes to see an older pony wearing overalls standing in front of me looking concerned. I could feel the tension in my body ease off and I just nodded, looking around trying to get reacquainted with my surroundings. “Maybe you shouldn’t be on the platform. You nearly walked straight into the side of my tender here” He looked out to my friends. “And you two. If you are gonna bitch and bicker, maybe make sure your friend isn’t gonna get herself killed!”

I heard the rapid movement of hooves rushing beside me and felt one under my chin directing my head to meet Sugarkake’s eyes. “Your eyes are dilated… That's it. After I take inventory, you are going straight to a doctor. I’m over this shit,” Sugarkake mumbled as she pulled up onto my hooves and carefully walked me back a few feet.

“You want to read the inventory notes and see if the cars match the order?” Firebox asked patiently. “I’ll let you know though, I picked up three old box cars from Fillydelphia. I was instructed to get them from our supplier in Vanhoover so I have no idea where they came from. I assume they’re just empties though ‘cause the train never struggled.”

Sugarkake sat me down next to FlickerLight who was sulking because of their argument a few minutes ago and walked back to Firebox to start reading the order.

I looked back at the Train cars and read the ID print on the side of one of the extras Firebox was talking about and felt a bit of confusion.

“VD35009-FILLY,” I mumbled as I felt my body quickly go back to normal. I tried to get back up on my hooves when I felt FlickerLight trying to help me and pointed my hoof at the train car trying to get him to look at it. “That car hasn’t moved in 10 years, has it? And it has chains on the door. In fact, all three do.”

“Hey Sugarkake, does he have a key to those locks, or do we have to cut them off?” FlickerLight called out to her.
Firebox just looked at the cars. “I don’t have a key or anything for those. I didn’t even know the track to Filldelphia existed still.”

I jumped at the moment to ask. “What other tracks have you been on? We were told the tracks around Equestria were inaccessible but yet here we are.” None of this was adding up at all. We had asked ourselves for years about how the trains were still on the rails but thought very little about it, just brushing it off as an afterthought. “Firebox, did you ever think about why you were going to such a dangerous place to pick up cargo that’d been sitting for a decade?” I asked before looking at Sugarkake. “Cut them open. At least we will know what Vanhoover is planning.”

“Uhh, not smart Little Miss Reckless.” FlickerLight chipped in. “You have no idea if these cars are set to explode or if it has somepony in them ready to attack us. It could be anything bad” Flicker moves in front of me and stares directly into my eyes. “You really need to start thinking before you…”

A low metallic thud interrupts Flicker making him spin around to look at the rail cars. Firebox hadn’t moved much but was slowly walking back toward the engine. I think everypony’s heart stopped at that moment. Every eye on that platform was now fixed on that train. The last train cars began to creak and lightly move back and forth as if it were being rocked by something.

“Get that train out of here! NOW!” Sugarkake yelled to Firebox as he tripped over his own hooves trying to get back to the engine. Sugarkake made a beeline for the intercom when the thudding became more intense and louder. Even the chains on the doors were swaying and rattling. The rail cars creaked and groaned but then, It all stopped. “Once that train’s gotten outside the gate, slam it shut as fast as you can!”

I kept watching the train car as others scattered around me. The door on the train car began smoking for no real reason I could think of before the car started swinging violently again. I heard Sugarkake and Flickerlight arguing about what to do before she started almost screaming at him. Just as I turned my head, Flicker dragged Sugar to the door at the loading bay and started heading my way.

“Wynter! Let's fucking go! We gotta go! Move it!”

I didn’t think twice. I just ran for the door. I only turned around when I heard a loud screeching metallic bang and saw that the door of the first rail car had fallen off. It was glowing red hot. What I saw next made me sick to my stomach. Aox car packed full of infected ponies jumping, almost pouring out of the rail car and onto the platform, running directly for the door. I froze up but I got snatched backward through the door as Flicker slammed it shut. The infected ponies banged on the wall and door, making noise loud enough to echo through the streets. I looked to my left to see Sugarkake laying on the ground breathing heavily, clearly terrified. Flickerlight was yelling about something before the city’s alarms began blaring making it hard to hear anything. I tried to make out what he was trying to say but clearly read his lips saying, “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE,” before running off elsewhere. I knew where he was going, he was going to go get his rifle.

“Let's go Sugarkake!” I yelled into her ear as I forced her up on her hooves and pointed upward. “We have to fly! It’s the quickest way to get out of here!” I spread my wings and as soon as I knew she had hers spread, I kicked off the ground and flew quickly toward the building we both lived in. I kept looking back to make sure she was right on my hooves. We weren't the only ones with the idea to take to the air. Every pegasi in the city seemed to have the same idea as the air became chaotic with everypony passing each other. Looking down, it was much worse on the ground. Earth ponies were being tackled and attacked en masse. You could even see some being bitten, spilling, and covering the streets with blood that was unlike anything I remember from the original outbreak. Unicorns tried fending off their attackers using magic but hit by magical energy. Those poor ponies knew the moment you’re hit with that, you are immediately infected. I just winced, looking back up to watch another pegasus in front of me get grabbed mid-air by an infected one and fall from our height, crashing through a window in building number 3.

It didn’t take long for shots to start ringing out across New Buckingham, The gunfire, alarms, sirens, the screaming, the chaos. All of it was overwhelming. This was so much worse than what I remembered from when everything fell apart before. I finally landed on my balcony and looked back to see Sugarkake almost get hit by a magical beam. My heart stopped at that moment and felt like it didn't beat again until she landed on my balcony. I threw the sliding door open as we both rushed inside. I slammed it shut and locked it for the first time I’ve ever remembered. Sugarkake rushed and locked the main door to my apartment room, hiding us inside my apartment while the rest of the city fell to shit.

“What the fuck is going on?” Sugarkake asked as she paced around the room. “This shouldn’t be possible. How would somepony get all those ponies into a train car and send them here? It doesn’t make any…” She froze and turned slowly, looking at me with wide eyes clearly in shock. “Wynter, only one car had ponies coming out of it right?”

“Yeah,” I answered, trying to grasp the situation myself. I looked out the window when I heard the alarm system fail. She’s right, you can’t even get close to those ponies. How in Equestria would there be any way to get them all together like that without getting infected yourself?

“Wynter, there were three cars. Only one had been broken out of,” she said with a shudder to her breath before tears began running down her face and collapsing in a corner sobbing to herself. All I could think to myself is ‘Not again. Please don’t let this be real.

I quickly walked to my bed and grabbed her rifle which was propped against the wall and slid it in front of her. “We have to get out of the city.”

Sugarkake looked up at me in disbelief and shook her head while sniffling. “N–no Wynter. Are you that fucking set on dying while New Buckingh….”

“DO YOU WANT TO FUCKING DIE HERE SUGARKAKE?! IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE SAYING>! YOU HAVE A BETTER CHANCE AT SURVIVAL OUT THERE RIGHT NOW!” Yelling at her was the last thing I wanted to do but if it got her attention then so be it. “Strap yourself up we have got to leave.”

“Wynter, you can’t fly with all of this weight. You’re gonna hurt yourself badly if you try.”

I wasn’t listening to it. I already had my saddlebags on and I was fighting with the straps on my rifle. Looking up at Sugarkake, she already had her rifle quickly strapped on. I finally got them to buckle up around me and grabbed her extra security uniform off the bed, putting it in my saddle bags. I gave her a quick nuzzle when I walked up to her before looking into her eyes. They were full of heartbreak and fear. She didn’t have to say a single word. I felt it too. I tried to not think about everything going on outside or if FlickerLight made it or not. None of it. I had to get us out of the city. I knew every way possible so naturally, between the two of us, it should be me getting us out of here.

I reached for my door handle when the lock clicked.I quickly moved and pulled Sugarkake to the opposite side of the door so that when it swung open, whoever came in wouldn't see us and we’d be behind the door. The handle jiggled and the door slowly swung open. We could hear hoofsteps slowly entering the room and we saw a dark brown unicorn stallion come into view. It was clear that he was heavily infected Hisbody was covered in cuts, blood, and dirt. It didn’t appear like he was looking for anything in particular, just roaming around the apartment. I kept a hood over Sugarkake’s mouth, so she didn't make a noise, and just nodded toward the door. My heart was pounding, I felt sick to my stomach, and I was shaking, but I managed to get onto my hooves, silently slinking around the door into the hall. I kept my back on the hallway wall with Sugarkake silently repeating my motions until her rifle kick lever barely touched the wall making a quiet clinging sound.

Out of reflex I bolted up and slammed the door shut. “RUN!” My hooves slid across the wooden floor as we rushed through the halls as quickly as we could. Reaching the stairs, we heard my apartment door explode into splinters, but we didn’t stop to look back. We just made a mad dash up the stairwell and with two floors to the roof, it didn't take long before we crashed through the access door as tried to block it with random junk we found.

“Oh Luna, no!” I heard Sugarkake say before I turned around and saw the rest of the city. Smoke, broken windows and everything. It was the fall all over again, only this time, it was so much worse. There were no more pegasi in the air and looking over the edge, all you could see were ponies running toward the center of the city while being chased down by Infected ponies. “Make it stop. Just make it stop,” Sugarkake murmured as she clamped her eyes shut and covered her ears. .

‘It’s just a short glide to the outside,’ I thought to myself. ‘Only a minute or two and we are out of here.’ I kneeled down next to Sugarkake as I tried to lift her up. “C’mon now, I need you to fly. We gotta go while the rest are occupied.” She stood up with tears in her eyes and slowly opened her wings. I opened mine and stood on the ledge of the building before taking a deep breath. “Here we go.” Diving off the ledge, I immediately regretted it. My entire body dropped like a rock. I must’ve fallen about forty feet when Sugarkake caught me and helped me into the air again, carrying me while keeping herself in the air.

“The fuck did I tell you! I knew you were gonna fall!” She yelled as a magical beam passed up close enough to almost hit us. “Damn it,” Sugarkake yelled. I tried my best to help her carry my body through the air as we finally got over the city walls. Thank Celestia we lived so close to them. That's when Sugarkake took a dive and aimed for the first rooftop she saw with the building coming at us fast. I just closed my eyes and waited for the impact.

We hit with enough force that we both rolled and slid across the rooftop, rubbing through years of built-up dust and debris. I couldn’t help myself. I just started laughing uncontrollably as the tears streamed down my face. I could hear Sugarkake hysterically crying next to me, but by the graces of Luna and Celestia, we were alive.