To Cure a Broken Heart

Maple Ridge — 600 miles from Canterlot

For a while, the drive seemed to go well. Despite the oddly terrifying realization an hour ago, the road was clean of debris and vehicles… for the most part.

Flipping through channels was the most entertaining part of the drive, aside from the occasional radio station having a full-blown panic attack at the “zombie apocalypse”. After a while, Sunset finally reached a music station once and for all.

“Finally, a good fucking channel.” Sunset sang almost every song that popped up, but as soon as an advertisement interrupted, Sunset groaned. “Oh come on! It’s the end of the world and I still have to deal with fucking ads!?”

A loud bang snapped her attention from the music, and as smoke emerged from the hood, Sunset’s eyes widened.

“No… no no no, oh fuck! Fuck! Oh come on!” Sunset slammed her hands on the wheel as the vehicle slowly came to a halt. Jumping out of the car, Sunset immediately moved to the hood, lifting it up and coughing as a wad of smoke flashed her face. Looking around for any sort of help, it took about two seconds before she realized: “I’m in the middle of fucking nowhere, of course I can’t find anything.”

Gathering her stuff from the backseat, Sunset glanced at the keys before scoffing. She grabbed them before throwing them into the field nearby, “If I can’t have it, no one can.” she mumbled to herself. It was definitely a petty move on her part, but considering the circumstances… it wasn’t that big of a surprise.

Wandering along a road wasn’t exactly on her list of things to do in the apocalypse, nor was it smart. But, Sunset had to work with what she had… even if it was just a load of bullshit in her eyes.

She probably passed about 5 miles when Sunset finally noticed a farm in the distance. She bolted that way, forgetting the pain in her legs as she prayed she’d find a group of survivors. Her run was completely thrown off when a cow suddenly bellowed beside her, causing her to jump and fall to the ground.

When she sat up, the cow was staring straight at her. Fortunately, it was in a secluded field, but it didn’t keep Sunset from keeping her guard up. Animals can turn too… but this thing looked healthy as could be! Where there’s a running farm—there’s people!

“Hey!” Sunset ran towards the entrance of the farm, only to be kicked onto the ground by a stranger. But before she could even defend herself, a barreled shotgun was aimed at her face. The man stepped onto her chest, keeping her still.

“Start talking.”

Sunset scoffed, “You first! What’s your fucking probl—” the man cocked the shotgun, causing Sunset to nervously spit out: “Hi my name’s Sunset.”

“Braeburn.”

“Brae—” Sunset stopped, “Braeburn? Holy fuck you look so different…” Sunset shook her head, “It’s me— Sunset Shimmer! Oh my god you have no idea how happy I am to— you’re still uh… aiming that at me.”

“Yeah? I think I have a right to, don’t I? You’re a stranger.”

“Stranger? Dude we literally used to go to school together! We were friends! Sort of…”

Braeburn pushed the shotgun against her chest, causing Sunset to pause, “State your business.” he ordered. What the fuck was his deal?

“I just— I just need a place to stay the night, and a car for tomorrow. I’ll be gone by morning.”

Braeburn inhaled sharply before reluctantly moving off of her, allowing her to stand up. “If you try anything, I won't hesitate to shoot you.” he muttered, mostly to himself. Sunset brushed the dust off her, looking around before spotting a familiar country girl in the distance.

“Applejack?” Holy shit… it was actually her! “Applejack!” Sunset ran up to her, only to slide on her feet when she pulled a pistol out and aimed it at her head. “What the fuck is happening right now…” Sunset was completely puzzled. Not only did she find survivors, but they were her friends too. However, they also seemed to love the idea of shooting her in the face.

“Who do you work for?” Applejack bluntly asked, making Sunset’s eyes narrow in utter confusion.

“Who do I work for? What am I supposed to say: Celestia?”

Applejack slowly lowered her gun. She stared at her for quite some time before calling out to the others, “She’s harmless.”

Sunset laughed, “I wouldn’t say harmless… I’m a pretty good fighter, you know.” At Applejack’s glare, Sunset cleared her throat. “I figured you’d still be in Canterlot, at the Apple Acres.”

“The city’s in shambles and the acreage burnt down a few months back.”

“Oh.”

“What about you?” Applejack sheathed her pistol, resting her hands on her belt.

“I’m on my way back…”

“To the city?” When Sunset nodded, Applejack cleared her throat, “Why’s that? Like I said the city is… well it’s overrun by those freaks. Ain’t safe whatsoever… no matter what those fuckers say about The Canterlot Mall.”

“They said it was the safest place in the city? At least that’s what I’ve heard on the radio.”

Applejack motioned Sunset to follow her while she continued to speak, “Nowhere is safe in the city. And if I ain't mistaken, the mutated strand’s probably made its way there already.”

“Mutated strand?”

“We call them Volatiles.”

“Volatiles? Like the ga—” Sunset repeated, only to be interrupted by Applejack thereafter.

“They’re unpredictable. Unlike the others, we can usually determine the best and simplest way to kill them. Aim for the head. Self explanatory at its finest, but the Volatiles don’t go down without a fight.” Applejack led Sunset into the farmhouse. “A simple shot to the head ain’t gonna take them down.”

“Applejack. We’re ready to move out.” Braeburn walked in from the back door, inciting a nod from Applejack.

“Take Apple Fritter, Hayseed, and Meadow Song. I gotta feeling our little ransack plans will be thwarted by some of our… ex-friends.”

“Ex-friends?” Sunset mumbled, but the two of them seemed to ignore her.

“Heard. We’ll be back before dusk.” As Braeburn left from the back door, Sunset glanced back at Applejack with a slightly confused expression.

“What was that about?” Sunset asked, moving to sit down at the table.

“Ah, just preparing for a heist, I suppose. Up North there’s an abandoned gas station. Our focus is food and water, but we haven’t found anything too exciting yet.”

“Well, I meant the ex-friends part— wait… food and water?” Sunset clicked her tongue, “Well, hey, there’s a supermarket just down South a bit. Take a left down the first dirt road and a right on the next; go straight for a while and you’ll find it. Can’t miss it, it’s practically in the middle of nowhere. I just came from there. It’s a bit far but… might be worth the hour or two.”

“Really? And how full is it?” Applejack asked, turning her attention back to Sunset.

“Untouched.” Sunset watched Granny Smith walk from the kitchen and place a nice bowl of stew in front of her, “Oh… thank you.”

“You’re kidding?”

“Nope. I was shocked too when I saw it.”

Applejack crossed her arms before scoffing, a smirk landing on her cheeks, “Big Mac.” She called out, “Tell Braeburn and his little crew that their location has been moved. I think we’ve found ourselves a golden star.” Sunset’s cheeks flustered at Applejack’s compliment… at least to her it seemed like one.

“Yep.” Big McIntosh replied before immediately leaving to retrieve Braeburn.

“Maybe I can tag along, escort them there, I suppose.” Sunset offered, even standing up, but Applejack was quick to refuse.

“Nah… I’d like to keep my eye on you. If your little supermarket is full of goodies, maybe I’ll let you go with some food, water, and a vehicle. However, if you’re lying and my little family meets their end on this little trip, I might just have to shoot you myself.”

Applejack’s sudden change in demeanor made Sunset’s heart drop, “What?”

“Hm? Oh, but if you’re telling the truth then there’s nothing to worry about, right?” Applejack left the dining room, but before she could completely leave, she looked back at Sunset, “And one other thing, if I find out you’re working for someone other than ‘Celestia’... we’ll have a problem; a big problem. Enjoy your meal.”

Sunset glanced down at the bowl, gulping before sliding it away. “Thanks…” There was no way she was about to eat that after hearing her best friend literally threaten to kill her. She cleared her throat before sighing, “This is gonna be a long night…”