Outbreak

Twilight and I stared at each other in stunned silence before she took a step toward me and I gulped nervously as she took several more. I closed my eyes and prepared for whatever in Equestria she was about to do to me. We didn’t entirely get along in the past, after all. I won’t apologize for the Ursa Minor incident because I didn’t bring it to town.

Those two stupid kids did that one. I wonder if they’re still alive. Getting off track. I will apologize for that Alicorn Amulet incident though. That was my fault.

My eyes shot up as I felt Twilight’s warm wings wrapped around me along with her hooves, her feather slightly tickling me as I stared with a dropped jaw.

“Are you hugging me?” I demanded as Twilight nodded, tightening her hug.

“Yes,” Twilight answered quietly. “It’s nice to see you’re alive.”

I bit back a sigh and nodded, hugging her back. It’s been a long time since I’d been hugged. The last time was with Starlight.

“Likewise,” I admitted and we finally separated. “How did you survive?”

“I could ask you the same thing. You look like you’ve lost thirty pounds. Come on, let’s go get something to eat and I’ll answer all your questions,” Twilight placed a wing on my back and I tensed up a bit at the contact.

I looked down at myself and I realized I was thinner than I was when this first started. I didn’t really eat much in general. It was a bit hard to eat after everything and constantly killing made food hard to eat. Especially having to ration for two ponies at one point in my life.

“This way,” Twilight shook me from my musing and I nodded, following her with Cloudkicker to my left. “Berry Punch has a bar or well, that’s what we call it. It isn’t much but it does resemble some sort of normalcy. It does help out a bit around.”

“Not that the Princess let’s me serve hard alcohol,” Berry grumbled as she trotted up slowly as Twilight sat me down at a table. “Hey Trixie. Long time no see.”

“Hello.”

I nodded at her as she sat down a bowl of something that I sniffed before giving her a curious loon.

“It’s tomato soup with beans and some other herbs,” Berry explained and I gave her a grateful look. “It’s not the best thing I could make but well, I tried. I’ll be around if you need me.”

The three of us fell silent as she went and stopped at a table with a light blue pegasus talking quietly with another pegasus.

“Fleetfoot and Soarin,” Cloudkicker said as she followed my gaze. “Spitfire is here too but she hardly leaves her room after Blaze died. Misty Fly and Surprise are here too with Wave Chill. High Winds and the others all died to my knowledge, with the exception of Cloudchaser, me and Thunderlane.”

“What about Raindrops?” I asked curiously as she looked down. That pretty much told me everything.

“Gone. Almost all my friends are gone. Sprinkle Medley, White Lightning, Sassaflash, Dizzy, Parasol, Raindrops. Damn near everypony I went to the Wonderbolts Academy with is dead or missing,” Cloudkicker answered as she sighed sadly. “I don’t know what happened to Bulk Biceps or Sea Swirl. I like to think they’re alive. Hell, Raindrops might even be alive but I don’t remember. Last time I saw her was in Ponyville. Lightning Dust is still alive but she isn’t as energetic as she used to be.”

I tried to remember if I had seen a pegasus that had looked like Raindrops around in Ponyville but I couldn’t exactly recall. I did remember Sassaflash but that was it. That time was a blur.

“Where is Starlight?” Twilight asked and I paused with a spoon in my magic as her ears flattened against her head, resting a hoof ontop of mine. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“How did it happen?” Twilight asked so quietly I barely heard her as Cloudkicker stood up and excused herself quietly with a nod.

“I happened,” I answered and wet my lips as she recoiled. “Not like that! That one gamer colt-”

“Button Mash?” Twilight chimed in and I nodded slowly.

“Yeah, him. He apparently bit her at one point and well, she killed him obviously. We buried him in the school yard with some others. It was the only spot we could find at the time that wasn’t swarmed. Anyway, we tried to find you in Ponyville to help her but well, you weren’t there. We both assumed you had died or something else had happened. Starlight asked me to finish it after about five days and yeah. I buried her in the Everfree Forest near Zecora’s. She’s dead too by the way. Found her corpse in her house.”

“Damn,” Twilight whispered and she wrapped a wing around me again. “At least she had somepony there for her. You heard Cloudkicker, after her sister died Spitfire only leaves to eat and use the bathroom.”

That sounded far from the proud pegasus I’ve seen perform hundreds of times.

“You seem different,” Twilight noted as she eyed me and I continued to force myself to eat. At least it was warm but that gave me little comfort. I had thought it would give me more. “I can’t describe it.”

“I think this whole thing has changed us all in some way,” I answered finally. “Most hide it well, some don’t. Me, I’ve stopped caring. Have you found anypony else?”

“No. My parents are dead along with my brother. I only found Lyra and Bon Bon along with some others in Canterlot when I went searching for my family. No Twinkleshine, no Lemon Hearts, no Moondancer. I only hope they got out of the town in time.”

Berry appeared next to me and silently took my bowl, placing a glass of water in front us along with a box of tissues before she disappeared again.

I fell silent as I looked around, Twilight sitting there and letting me get used to my surroundings as my eyes fell on a small playground in the corner.

“For the kids. It was Soarin and Derpy’s idea,” Twilight said suddenly. “Golden Harvest just throws herself into her work. Her daughter Noi and her roommate Shoeshine both died so she’s pretty quiet these days. She and Daisy grow a lot of our food along with all the other earth ponies we got. We try to keep a certain weather schedule here.”

I faintly remembered Noi and Shoeshine. Shoeshine didn’t entirely like me all that much but Noi was a nice enough filly. I secretly suspected Golden and Shoeshine had something going on behind closed doors but it wasn’t my business.

“Where are the rest of the elements?” I asked finally as her eyes drifted to a shed with a lock.

“Rainbow is dead. Rarity is here working with Suri to help patch up stuff. Those two don’t entirely like each other but they put their differences aside to survive. Applejack is who knows where. I presume dead along with her brother and Granny Smith. I’ve been experimenting on Rainbow, trying to find a way to reverse the disease but nothing so far. We keep her chained up in the shed with a muzzle away from the colts and fillies. They are scared enough as is.”

I nodded slowly as we made eye contact again.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For letting me stay. I know we didn’t necessarily like each other and I suppose you’re pretty damn justified in hating me.”

“I never hated you,” Twilight answered and shook her head as I gave her a stunned look. “I always felt pity I suppose. I did my research on you after you left. Your dad doesn’t know you exist, mother died years ago. You did magic shows for free to entertain ponies and you only got the Alicorn Amulet to prove to me you were just as good as me. I should have been a better friend to you. I realized that before this started. You had a depressing life and I didn’t help much. You were homeless, wagon destroyed and your new one got vandalized when you came to town the third time. It takes a strong pony to keep going after a life like that.”

I stared down the smooth wooden surface as she levitated a tissue to me. I didn’t even realize I had started crying until she had placed it in front of me.

“You know, the fillies and colts might enjoy a magic show,” Twilight said casually with a small smile. “I think us adults would too.”

“I don’t do magic shows anymore,” I said and wiped my eyes. “That was the old me. And besides, I don’t have my wagon anymore. Starlight and I abandoned it in Manehatten when the outbreak first started. It was only slowing us down.”

I levitated out Starlight’s saddlebags along with a picture of her and Twilight, sliding it across to Twilight.

“She’d want you to have that,” I nodded at it. “She told me to give you it if I ever saw you again. Hey, what happened to your pen pal from another world by the way?”

“Sunset?” Twilight asked with a startled look and I nodded. “I didn’t know Starlight told you about her. Sunset knows what has happened here. It was her idea actually but I destroyed the mirror. She didn’t want to risk anypony infected coming over. She knew the risk and that she would never be able to come home. She made a sacrifice and I admire her for it. The book still works a bit.”

“How if you use the book to open it?” I asked and she laughed for a moment. I had remembered searching the castle for Twilight and finding a shattered mirror along with Mayor Mare, Noteworthy and some other stallions about the place.

“It opens naturally every thirty moons. Even without the book to open it, there was always a small chance a zombie could cross over. We both knew that risk and well, Sunset refused to let what happened here happen in that world. She saved an entire world again. She’s doing okay last I spoke to her.”

I nodded as I sat there silently and I took a sip of my water, making eyes with Soarin and we both nodded at each other before he looked away to keep talking to Fleetfoot.

“I should probably go tell Fluttershy, Spike and Pinkie about Starlight,” Twilight said and stood up.

“Those three are still alive?”

“Of course. Discord took Fluttershy to his realm along some with fillies and colts because we begged hard enough. I wasn’t about to leave Spike or Pinkie behind. She sends letters often to Starlight’s village because that’s where Cheese Sandwich is at with those survivors. We trade with them often. Double Diamond and Sugar Belle are in charge over there,” Twilight explained and I rubbed a hoof against my chin.

I’d only met those two once briefly in passing when Starlight asked me to go get some stuff she had left in her house. Naturally, she had refused to come with me but the Great and Powerful Trixie isn’t afraid of socializing.

“You can stay with me in my house. We are working on building more once we get more wood and ponies who need housing. You’re the first we’ve found in two months,” Twilight continued with a small smile. “You know where it is. There’s a spare room and a shower. Help yourself. You uh smell kinda fresh and you really need a shower Trixie.”

I sniffed my mane and grimaced, gagging slightly. The closest thing I had to a shower recently was a stream I had dove into to wash off a bit. Soap wasn’t something I had because I opted to leave it behind to carry more essential stuff, like food and water.

“Thank you Twilight,” I bowed my head slightly as I stood up too. “I assume there’s something I have to do stay here?”

“No. We don’t force ponies to work to stay here. This place is for everypony we come across. Cloudkicker and the Wonderbolts have helped keep order. My status as a princess still carries some weight at least,” Twilight said and rested her hoof on my back. “But if you feel the need, we always need ponies to help in the field or work the perimeter. I’m usually out in the fields harvesting food.”

That almost blew my mind honestly. A princess out doing menial labor such as pulling a plow? That was damn near unheard of. You sure as hell wouldn’t see Celestia or Cadence taking off their horse shoes to do something like that. While I may have not liked Twilight much, I did always respect how much she cared for her subjects. More so than than the other princesses seemed to.

“At least Celestia and Luna are alive still,” I commented as the sun started to set. Twilight pointed sheepishly at her glowing horn as my eyes widened. “No way.”

“They gave me their ability to raise the sun and moon. They said they were going to find some long lost alicorn civilization in the clouds to hopefully find a cure.”

“Oh.”

We both turned away as I prepared to go find her house as she tapped a wing on my side. I turned to look back at her as she smiled warmly again at me.

“I’m really happy you’re alive Trixie.”

“Me too.”

She held out her hooves hopefully and I stared warily.

I hesitated before I accepted another hug.