Dead Trotting

CHAPTER 3: What not to Expect

BALE:

Normally, I would give the drifting defenseless filly a means for defending herself.  Perhaps, even a gun.  But this one...  She can’t even get a good grip of her pistol without trembling like it’s 40 below.  It’s a nice piece too:  Glock 17, semi-auto, Los Pegasus brand holster, and reinforced grip.  Unbeknownst to her, an extended mag clip lay fastened to the aforementioned holster, though I wish to see how long it takes for her to catch on.

“Um, Bale.  I thought we were looking for tools.  Not trying to rush you, but neither of us have eaten yet.”

And now, 20 questions for pros.  “We’ll get to that as soon as we can.  Right now, I need to find my rifle.”

“You mean the one you were using at that store?”

Of all places...  “Do you know where it is?”

She shifted a bit before answering.  “I don’t want to come off as rude, but why do you need a rifle when you have a shotgun?”

Finally.  She ask a question I’m more than happy to answer.  “I have about 4 clips in my little hut that I don’t plan on wasting.  Plus, I could sell it for some bits.”

“Who’s buying?  I thought everypony fled to the forts.  I guess there would be the occasional rover, though they’d be very far apart.  And the E.S.A. has a strict no firearms policy that you can’t get around unless you don’t mind churning through a tanker of paperwork.”

“Hah!  Amy, you have no idea what these ponies have done to this place.  Not all of Equestria has fallen.  You know that right?”

Did he just call me Amy?  “It hasn’t?”

“You think little packs of clueless deadbeats would take down a giant like Fillydelphia?  Not likely. Once they got enough support, the denizens shot out the remaining infected and fenced off the place.  Since then, the whole infrastructure has had a complete overhaul.  I hear that Appleloosa has actually gotten bigger!  That little desert town.  Can you believe that?  That isn’t true for all of them though.  Canterlot went out pretty quickly, of course, and Ponyville has seen better days as well.”

“Well it IS the apocalypse.  I didn't really have high expectations.”

“No.  An apocalypse would imply the collapse of modern civilization, or something like that.  The word you’re looking for is pandemic.”  I tried to make myself sound like some sarcastic politician to paint the image of me being intelligent.  I don’t think it caught on though.

“But...  If some cities are still up, why would somepony flee to a fort?  I don’t know about you, but I’d take city life over fort life any day!  Why wouldn’t someone pick the better out of the two?!”  She must have thought it was obvious.

“I never said it was better.  The big ones are often under control by the E.S.A.  You thought the forts were bad?  Wait till you see these guys.  Their government is on speed. The smaller ones have been turned into slums for druggies and ponies who couldn’t get into the forts.  Personally, I prefer them.”

“So, I’m assuming you came from one of those smaller towns?  You couldn’t get into the forts?”

Ah, assumptions.  What would I ever do without you?  “Wrong again.  I’m from a fort too.”

AMBER:

Wait, what?  This pony was just like me one time! How’d he make it all by himself?  Has he acquired help from a neighboring town?  Was his fort overrun too?  Was he kicked out for disorderly conduct?  Maybe he was getting transferred till something broke the line.

“You are?  Which one?  And why aren’t you there now? Are you a scavenger?”

Bale hanged his head down and blew out some air.  It’s as if he’s regretting sharing that information with me.  “I...  Don’t want to talk about it.”  Weird how he expected me to drop it, but it’s only entertained my curiosity.  I wish to give this colt some space though.  I think he’s earned it as of now.

But the cities...  E.S.A. controlled hotspots?  Was that what I saw the night before?  That one skyscraper had their initials on it.  Whatever it was, it’s not the key issue as of now.  I need to place my priorities elsewhere.

“So, you said you had a hut?”

He was slightly less reclusive on this question.  “Sure.  Well, it’s an abandoned shack I’ve cleaned out with a grenade, and I’ve only been in it for bout’ a week.”

Yes!  I had someplace to stay!  I would like to know why he thought using a grenade would be a good idea, but I’d rather put my thoughts elsewhere!  “Yay!  Can I stay?  I need a place to-”

“Hang on a second.”

Never my way...

“Let’s not get too comfy here.  I’ve known you for less than a day, and already you're asking me if you can rent some living space?  For all I know, you could just be some crook trying to snag my stuff and hoof out the next day.”

“Come on!  Do I look like somepony who would do that?”

He browsed me a bit.  “Do you want me to be honest?”

Somehow, we’ve successfully retraced our steps back around the shop.  Bale suggested that we take cover behind a low brick wall placed just in front of the shop where I first met him. The victims who’ve festered in this area earlier seemed to have lost interest and decided to spend their time elsewhere.  The building still had small puffs of smoke emitting from the windows, though it seems the explosion as a whole has managed to settle down.  It was then that Bale started whispering.  “You see it?”

“I’m pretty sure if I saw it, I would have told you.”

He hastily scanned around the shop.  “Hm... Can’t see any limpers from here.  I think it’s safe for now.”

“Bale?  Why do you call them limpers?”

We shifted around a bit to get a better view.  “Why not?  That’s what they do.  Why do you call them victims?”

“That’s what everyone at Howard calls them.”

“Why?”

“Because they feel it’s more respectful, and I don’t disagree with them on that.  And trust me, there are a lot of things me and Howard don't share common ground on.”

He chuckled.  “You want to show respect to a walking dead body?”

“We don’t see them as that.”

“Amber, it’s these things that caused this whole mess.  If anything, I’m giving them slack in calling them limpers.”

He peered over the wall again.  “Okay.  There aren’t any here.  I can dash over behind those shops and find my rifle.  You stay here and keep watch.  If anything happens,” he loaded the glock for me, “don’t hesitate to shoot.”  With that, he hopped over the wall and disappeared behind the buildings.   Time to start counting minutes.

BALE:

Of course I would drop the most valuable piece in my arsenal.  Can’t hold on to something of remote value without 8 dead ponies trying to put it to the test.  It’s like a booby trapped relic in some obscure temple you would find in Daring Do.  Oh well.  Can’t complain now.  Work needs to be done.

I coaxed my way through the allies of the farmers market to take point from behind an abandoned snack stand.  Well, it would be a market if it actually had food.  Nothing but a bunch of empty carts, discarded paper, broken glass, and more of those orange stickers.  Some fruit still remained, though it’s rotted beyond the point of being safe to eat.  I’m pretty sure I saw an animal living in a watermelon around here. From what I remember, my best effort in ditching those freaks was around here.  So that would mean I dropped the gun somewhere close by.  It’s a reasonable guess.

With caution, I tipped my way through the ruined festival of fruit.  The flies engorged themselves with their free meal, probably getting drunk in the process.  One in particular found the area in front of my muzzle rather lovely, and concluded it would much rather dance in front of my face then finish eating.  I brushed him off subconsciously.  He, however, wasn’t finished and took a one way trip back to my muzzle.  This brush was not subconscious.  The buzzing intruder still hasn’t gotten the message.  I could tell after he took a detour right back to my face.  Okay.  This was getting irritating.  The next brush amounted to more of a swat, though my harasser dashed away just before I thwacked myself in my eye.  It amuses me how I’m having this much trouble with an insect instead of a limper.  Had I’d known about this earlier, I would’ve brought a fly swatter.

More than a minute later, the fly went back to feast once more upon the rotting fruit, but not without buzzing by piles of misplaced garbage slanted against a small shack.  An involuntary glance beside myself witnessed the only item that excited my interest:  The barrel of my rifle!  An M14 semi-automatic .308 Winchester Springfield...  and all the other stuff.  You get the idea.  Still taking caution, I quickly made my way over to the pile expecting to snag my rifle out of the trash can it was occupying, and bolt out of here just as fast.  “Finally.  After this, I can get something to eat.”  But of course, it didn’t end there.

As I yanked my rifle out from the garbage, that’s when I noticed it brought a friend along for the ride; a limper with its grip fastened to the stock. At least this one was a girl. It was getting rather boring blasting colts all the time. The sudden burst of movement drew the edacious equine’s attention to me and lunged forward to sink its teeth in my flesh.  I averted myself from the fatal bite just in time, though instead of faceplanting into the concrete, it nagged the strap of my shotgun.  I was jerked back down to my knees, and my diseased attacker pounced on top of me.  How many more times was this going to happen?

Before it secured a chance to chomp down a second time, I whipped out the gun I DID have, and planted it into her throat.  Dark red sludge, shattered bone, and torn rotten skin pumped out from the back of his head and painted the walls as I pulled the trigger.  With it now being dead, I quickly kicked him off my body.  The shot brought the attention of even more rotten carnivorous corpses to where I was standing.  Yeah.  I think it’s time to run.

I knocked my way through the allies to boost my momentum.  The more speed I had, the more likely I would make it out of this without incident.  The undead still haven’t lost interest in me, and in fact, picked up the pace to catch up.

I finally made it to the wall, so some optimism crossed my face.  At least until I stumbled and crashed my way through trash cans and garbage bags all while dropping both the M14 and the Sawn-off Shotgun.  Amber must have heard that, for she jumped up from her sleep, and took off running towards my direction.  I scrambled for a weapon, but the only ones I had were too far from my reach.  It was now me versus the not-so-limping limpers, and so far, they were winning.

BANG!

A zombie was blown back by a steady cloud of lead and scraped against the ground leaving a trail of fresh blood.  The first follower was unaware of his demise, and tripped over the leader’s corpse.  This started a chain reaction to where each subsequent limper would ignore the tripped, become the tripped and become the tripper.  Soon, a wall of hungry rotting flesh congested the ally.  Ten or twenty discolored hooves reached out to grab me, though like my gun,  I was too far out of reach.  “One down, too many more to go!”  Hm.  Maybe she can handle a gun.  “Bale?  How do I reload this?!”  Or not.  However, she successfully bought enough time for us to grab the remaining firearms. Yet, with all that, we still have managed to corner ourselves against a giant tree, which looked a bit like a library.

But by now, the limpers were starting to break free. The frontmost limper, a unicorn, wasn’t able to grasp the idea of us getting away. She pronounced her favorability of that outcome by dislodging from the pile up while ripping herself in half. Her intestines lazily dragged behind her severed body, acting like a red fleshy paintbrush for the land below it. I’m sure Amber didn’t take the sight all too well seeing as she quivered in her place, refusing to put the halved mare out of her misery as it crawled closer. Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t as disturbed as she was. The smell it emitted from its torn tubes didn’t help either.

Click

A lot of help this rifle was... “Amber! Shoot it!” Being a magnet for bad luck, Amber instead of doing something rational just kept her place and even started whimpering a little. “Damn it Amber! I don’t have ammo!” Fear is one thing, but just being helpless isn’t going to help anybody! It worries me even more with how this would play out if I wasn’t there. I don’t think it would be much different. “AMBER! GET THAT SHOTGUN, PLANT IT ON IT’S FOREHEAD, AND BLOW IT’S BRAINS OUT BEFORE-” The crawling limper dove in.

BANG!!

Her head was not only thrown back, it shattered while its now liquid brain bursted into the sky and slung single strands of red on our faces while the rest dotted the ground. Pretty soon, more and more limpers escaped the pile up and shambled their way towards us. I finally loaded my last clip into the M14 and joined the fight. They crowded the area in front of us, becoming linear in their attack. It wasn’t too long before lead rain sailed across the air. One after another, limpers fell to a bloody demise. Each one added a new red mural to the street. The sight could have been less grizzly, but it was our only option. After about 10 of them rejoined the dead, the crowd dispersed just enough to let us dash to the side. I took a couple more potshots to keep them at bay as me and Amber made a hasty escape away from the library.

We sprinted out way through about five allies before finding a safe haven under another tree. We panted heavily while leaning against the less than luxurious bark and slid down to the ground. I leaned back to catch some well deserved z’s. I couldn’t wait long though.

Some time passed before one of us spoke.  The first input belonged to Amber.  “So Bale?”

“Yah?”  I was still a bit out, though I’ve replenished most of my lost energy.

“Can we eat now?”  It’s almost like a little filly asking her older brother to take her to the park.

“Nope.”  I replied sarcastically.  I don’t think she got the joke till about 5 seconds later though.  This world was still new to her, and in a way, kind of new to me too.  I haven’t been out here THAT long...

I finally decided it was time to  turn back to the department store; something I probably should have done first.  But I retrieved my rifle, Amber and I are both still alive, and I found a free pack of gum in a trashed saddlebag along the road.  So far, I think we’re doing pretty good.  Her having a gun still makes me quite uncomfortable though.

I thrusted the doors open for the second time.  The cool conditioned air from inside the store mixed with the now warm air of the summer morning, combing my coat.  Amber trotted in front of me, excited to get to work.  I lazily tagged behind her through the aisles.  After we got the tools, we needed a plan.  I suppose I could find a map of some sort around the offices.  That’s probably the best approach.

There still was a problem though.  This filly...  She needed a place to stay.  I couldn’t just leave her outside.  She’s either die of exposure or get preyed upon by ‘victims.’  I couldn’t see myself sending her off to a fate like that.  Hm...  She seemed trustworthy enough, however my supplies are still limited.  I couldn’t even tell her that.  It would only incite more panic.  This needs to be sorted out before the break ins.

We arrived at the big boss’s top secret and super secure headquarters.  …  Okay fine.  We arrived at a small metallic door with a dirty bashed in window.  I signaled Amber to keep quiet while I eased the door open.  You never know...  “Yah.  This is taking too long.”

SMASH!

With a sudden burst of impatience, both me and Amber kicked the rusty door wide open, letting it slam against the wall with a loud bang.  No limpers.  No worries.  The office was a small carpeted room that amounted to 2 chairs juxtaposed against each side, a small potted plant (which was dead), and a single desk centered against the wall in the back.  Fitted on the desk were piles upon piles of unfiled paperwork, and empty coffee mugs sprinkled across the middle.  There would be a computer, but it fell to the floor and shattered its screen; likely due to the need for a quick escape.  Beside the desk, an open closet in possession of various janitorial supplies, office stock, and maintenance necessities.  Just what we needed.  And this time, I meant it.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t much of a tool colt, so I had a slightly pessimistic idea of how this would play out.  At least a hammer would suffice as a decent weapon.

Amber was the first to speak.  “Wow!  I’m actually right for once!”

“Shhh!  Quiet down!  They could still be here!”  By now, I thought she would’ve already figured that out herself.  “Let’s just get the tools.  Help me find a bag to put them in.”

I then realized the whole hut thing would need to be resolved sooner than I anticipated.  But you know what?  She’d helped me out.  Quite a lot actually.  Sure, she can be incompetent, but then again, she’s not the one who trashed a farmer’s market to find a rifle.  One night is okay.

AMBER:

We soon found ourselves in the last stretch to the neighborhoods.  By then, the sun finally started to show in the sky again.  The walk was less than thrilling, and neither me or Bale made a sound since we left the store, though it would be worth it to get something in my gut.  I poked my head from behind him to scan along the horizon.  I was able to make out a couple of houses, and another billboard.  This time, the sign was dedicated to Hay Stand Hotels.  On it were two ponies, one filly and one colt, jumping excitedly on a bed in front of a busy backdrop beside the words:

“You do more than just stay!  You experience!”

Only about a day away.  I’ll need to make note of that.

When we passed the billboard, I looked over at Bale again.  For some reason, something about him was bothering me.  It took me awhile to realize what.  Afterwards, I wanted to hit myself with a stick for not noticing it till earlier.  “Hey.  Bale?”

He slowed down and threw his head upwards.  He sighed once again before answering.  “Yah?  What is it?”

“You...  You’re a pegasus.”

“Yes?  And?”

“Well, pegasi can fly.  Right?”  I’m pretty sure he already knew the answer to that.

“Last time I checked.”

Now the moment of truth.  “If you can fly, why don’t you just ride the air and get to where you need to go?  You’ve been ground bound for quite a while now.”

He resisted the urge to go any further.  Bale kicked a couple of rocks out from under him.  “I’m not too keen on a talk about that subject.”

“What?  You’re a pegasus!  Flying is what you’re good at!”

“Correction:  Flying is what pegasi are good at.”

“You are a pegasus!”  As if I hadn’t been clear enough earlier.

“I shouldn’t be.”

“What?  Are you afraid of heights or something?”

“...”

Why this colt can’t just be honest is beyond me.  It’s like I’m talking to a cage; nothing gets out.  “Come on.  You don’t have to go that far off the ground.  Just enough so a victi- or ‘limper’ can’t snatch you in mid air.”  It seemed as though it was obvious.  I’m sure if I had to choose between being a couple of feet off the ground to being stranded on it with the undead, I’d choose the former.

“Amber, for one thing, I still need to keep you in check.  I can’t just leave you here by yourself, and I’m not strong enough to carry you.  We’re about the same age, so my strength has limits.”

“What?!  So you’re my foalsitter now?!  I’m not that much of a wreck!  And you high tailed out of that shop I met you at on foot!  I saw where you were hurt, and it wasn’t your wing!”  And now I still had to clear up how his injury healed so fast, but this comes first.

“Doesn’t matter.  My wings are useless anyway.”

Well that sure caught me off guard.  “What?”

He nelted down once again in a shameful display. Why do I have the feeling I’ll have to get used to that?  “Can’t you just leave a crippled colt alone?”

“...Crippled..?”  Wow.  Now I felt like a turd.  A pegasus who couldn’t fly?  Talk about being denied your birthright.  This must factor into my less than mediocre social skills, though he at least wasn’t much better.  “You can’t use your wings?”

“No...”

I peered over at his sides to diagnose the reason.  “Why?  They look fine to me.”

“They look fine closed.”  He paused.  “But when open,”  With a burst of air, Bale fluttered his wings open to present.  Under normal circumstances, this would be a pegasi’s way of showing superiority, but for him, it must have felt like he was being lined up for a mugshot.  The wings aren’t fit for flight. Each one was bent near the base.  If he tried taking off, they would fold in and wipe him out.  I’d imagine it would also be quite painful to have those folds.  I’m not a pegasus, but I know wings aren’t suppose to bend like that.  I can understand one wing, but both?  Might as well be an earth pony, though most earth ponies tend to be much stronger, and he isn’t even one.  So what does that make him?

“Any more questions you would like to ask me?”

For the first time, I didn’t

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Baltimare

5 Hours Earlier

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DR. FROST:

This afternoon was cold. Oh how I hate cold mornings. I break out of my warm blanket, eat my breakfast, choke on my coffee, all while half awake, and the first thing I want to do is just go back to sleep. But as nature has it, it’s quite difficult to rest your muscles in cold weather. Now I use up all my coffee power trying to keep my muscles tense enough to brace for wind. Perhaps I should have brought a jacket. It wouldn’t become relevant further though, seeing as I’m only a couple of steps away from my work place.

“E.S.A. Eastern Headquarters”

I let somepony else open the door for me. I wasn’t one to touch surfaces that have made contact with more than five different ponies. You can never be too careful. The warm, cozy air that emitted from the building was a welcoming aspect, especially when in curled around my head and hugged my entire being with. I wish this place had employees who exhibited similar feelings, but business comes first. I wanted to greet somepony on the way in. I always feel like I’m talking to myself whenever I’m at work. I waved at a lime colt hanging his coat. “Hey Crop!” He just ignored me. Okay, fine. I’ll just make my way to the reception desk, and ignore you too. Hmph.

“Hey Frost. What excuse shall greet me today?” The receptionist held a bored and unprofessional tone. Likely due to this being my third time late in the past month.

“I’m sorry Petals. My carriage was bumper deep in mud. I even have a picture on my tablet.”

“I really don’t care.” I haven’t noticed. “Just get to the Administrator. Something’s come up.”

“Thank you mam.” I wanted to hold her hoof out as kiss it, but the gesture was meant with a flick (punch) to my nose. You can’t be polite nowadays without someone thinking you’re busting a move.

These stairs were made by Sombra. If I had to count the times I’ve had back pain after making it to the top, this would be the first one, and it’s already irritating. Fortunately, God’s grace has blessed me with an elevator. I whipped out a handkerchief from my pocket to press the buttons. Filthy... Filthy buttons.

Stepping off onto the 10th and final floor, I once again admired the E.S.A.’s work. The whole room itself was an electronic interface; every corner occupied by at least one computer, each with its own pony to boot. The walls have been plastered with super-sized screens that each day display something different. To me, it was like watching a TV show. Partly being because there is one screen that actually does play shows. I browsed wall-to-wall to locate the administrator. Of course, she needs to be as elusive as ever. The computers flickering and flashing, along with the crowd of ponies trying to work their daily routine made the background too busy for me to distinguish-

“Dr. Frost!”

Dropped everything on the floor. It just had to be the floor. “Administrator Luna!” My glasses joined my belongings. “You were looking for me?” I picked my possessions one by one off the floor.

“Hath you no courage doctor? A single germ won’t end your life!”

“Luna, with all due respect, it was a single germ that wiped out half the country.” She stood idle as I gathered the last of my things, and fixed my glasses.

“We have not time for trivial matters like this! Fort Howard has been compromised!”

Back to the floor again. “You’re lying!”

“Does thou accuse his own boss of spreading falsehoods?! Does thou have no shame as well?!”

“It’s not 14th century England Luna. Speak Equestrian.”

Luna coughed a bit before answering back. “We need you at the briefing today Mr. Frost!”

“Well pardon me for not having nerves of steel.” I wrapped my hooves around my pile to ensure it would not fall again. Afterwards, Luna guided me to the briefing room. As you walk down the hall, you would trot on by a couple of other different rooms, each occupied by a different pony. Unfortunately, each different pony has the same expression: Dull. Luna eventually lead me to the briefing room. It only consisted of a large oblong table with chairs lazily shifted around it. The monitor up front showed our current little predicament. Now I knew she wasn’t kidding. There was Fort Howard, all up in flames. I retreated at the sight. We trusted our best with the job of keeping these forts to be the top of their class, and just like that, it has fallen. “Oh dear! Luna, what happened!” That was a stupid question. Why else would I be here if they had known that?

“We’re not sure. Reports last night suggest a breach in security. Every entrance to the smallest door must be kept in check, and in top condition. Our intel use to suggest it being a misfortune.”

“Use to?”

“You’re a good listener Dr. Frost. Agents have already scanned the perimeter. Any rational pony's first conclusion would lean towards accident, but with recent findings, the chances grow dimmer.”

My curiosity has peaked. “What findings?”

“Pull it up!” The display buzzed to another image. This one presented a capsule-shaped pod landed next to the emergency station. The unknown object’s walls curled outward, showing it was ripped open from the inside. There was no doubt in my mind that this... Was a bomb.

“Bloody...”

“One more was found near block C.”

“Luna, how have these things entered the fort?”

“We can’t be sure, but it was most likely dropped from the air. An object of that size would never make it past the walls.”

A grassy colored colt seated on the far side of the table interjected. “I TOLD YOU TO PUT CEILINGS ON THESE THINGS! I TOLD YOU ALL!”

Luna interjected back. “Dr. Green! Calm yourself! This is no time to start an argument!” She shifted her attention towards me. “Dr. Frost! I want you to dig into this, and find out as much as you can! Ponies have lost their lives to this, and we will know exactly how it happened, and who is responsible!” I swallowed some spit. “I am putting you in charge of this investigation. You are my best. Granted, not the bravest, not the smartest, and certainly not the most competent, but you have proved your worth more than once. It’s not about what you have, it’s what you do with it, and-”

“Administrator Luna, I think I understand what you mean.”

“We need to make sure this does not happen again. I’m counting on you.”

Dr. Green cut in again. “No pressure you know! Just sayin’!”  Great. Now she’s in an even worse mood. Thanks Green.

“Well Dr. Green, since you seem to know all there is to know about this investigation, you shall be Frost’s new assistant!”

Dr. Green grimaced at her suggestion. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Alright! I need all photographs on that tablet! I don’t care if it was taken with a toaster! Every pixel can be used! Noteworthy! I need you to sort out all civilian reports! We need to know what they saw, and when! Can someone please get me Davenport! I don’t have all day!” I’m probably hyped up on eight different energy ciders. Normally, I’m reserved and lenient towards my co-workers. But when I’m hooked, serious shit goes down. “I need another tablet for the reports! Someone get me another bloody tablet!”

“Dr. Frost!” What do you know. Green’s actually trying to help. “We’ve got somepony who wants to talk to you!”

“Don’t  keep me from it! Who?!”

“A survivor sir! She’s from Fort Howard!”

It pains me that we have to practically scream at each other to hear ourselves over the noise all the commotion is making. “Well why didn’t you say so! Bring me there!” Green promptly escorted me to the holding cell with a security feed showing me the inside. In it, a pale yellow mare with an elegant pink mane. Her cutie mark appeared to be a trio of butterflies. She seems rather reserved. “Poor pony. What’s her name?”

“Fluttershy. She tried holding up inside a store till one of our agents found her. She was armed with a squirt gun.”

“Not a fighter I imagine.” The poor filly shrunk in her chair. “She seems pretty shaken up.”

“Yah. I’d imagine narrowly escaping flesh eating corpses isn’t real good for the nerves.”

“May I speak with her?”

A click echoed throughout the room. “She’s all yours.”

FLUTTERSHY:

“It’s alright Shy. Just take deep breaths. It’ll be over before you know it.” It’s one of the few things my friend Twilight said before... Gah! Why?! Why couldn’t those monsters just take Equestria and leave us alone?! I want to be back in my bed! Back in my room! What went so wrong?! Just leave me alone!... I don’t think breathing deeply is helping.

“Erhem! Excuse me.”

Oh dear. A visitor. Get a grip Flutters! This might be the one colt who changes everything. “Oh my. It’s no trouble. I don’t mind.” The one greeting was a pale cream colored colt with a golden mane that has been brushed rather hastily. Since he wore a lab coat and small square glasses, I assumed his professions were similar to mine. He doesn’t seem very mean.

“Fluttershy, right?”

“...Yes.”

“All right. Fluttershy, my name is Dr. Frost. I work at this little establishment. I assure you you’re safe here.”

That’s what they said at Howard... “I hope I’m not getting in the way of anything. You can go back to what you were doing if that’s okay with you...” I, in fact, realized it would be much less stressful on me if he just left.

“It’s no trouble at all! In fact, you being here makes my job even easier!... Oh sorry. Am I talking too loud?”

It hasn’t occurred to me that I involuntarily slumped in my chair. “No. It’s okay. Really. It is.”

“Well, um, Fluttershy? I would normally recite this in a more formal manner, though hardly anypony understands it, so I’m going to just explain why you’re here in simple Equestrian.”

“Oh... You don’t have to.”

“Trust me. It would lessen the needless wording.”

“...”

“According to your statement earlier, you’ve identified yourself as a resident of Fort Howard. Is that not correct?”

I thought it would have been obvious by that time. “...Yes.”

“Well, recent reports have said Fort Howard has been compromised, overrun, and destroyed. Is that correct?”

“...Yes.”

“Can you recall the events leading to the incident?”

Well, he’s successfully hooked my curiosity, which for me is very rare. “Um... Sir, if it isn’t too much trouble, may I ask why you need to know this?”

Frost scratched his scalp a bit before answering. “Well, the info isn’t technically classified, so I guess it’s safe to tell you.” Safe to tell me? Oh... My. “There’s suspicion that the destruction of Fort Howard might be the result of... Foul play.”

Foul play?! The very idea that something of this magnitude would be done on purpose... Oh... No... “You think there’s somepony out there who would want to do this? Why... Why would anypony want to do this?” I let droplets escape my eyes. I’ve never really cared if someone saw me cry. It happens too often to raise any concern. “That’s... awful.”

“I know it’s hard, but we’re stumped without anything to go on. You so far are the only documented survivor of Fort Howard, and could know of information that may help us.” He laid his hoof gently my shoulder. I didn’t know why this was, but I felt slightly better. “We need you to go back in time, and recall anything you may have found unusual. It can be anything. A pony, a piece of equipment, even a reason as to why somepony would want this.” Though it would be nice if they didn’t put so much pressure on me to remember something this important. But I had to try. I didn’t want to just sit and scream this time. I wanted... To help... Wait!

“It’s the Fort!”

“I’m sorry. Pardon?”

“I’m sorry, though I think this would make your search slightly easier. Fort Howard has never been the nicest. Many policies Howard administers often frustrate other ponies. I heard they even cut the wall management salary in half to make room for urban development for a completely different fort. I’m thinking maybe the reason somepony would do this is because of something the fort itself has done. Not the ponies in it. I hope I’m making sense.”

“Ponies who don’t like the E.S.A. Not too far of a stretch. This might be some act of revenge. But what would trigger such a thing? By any chance you wouldn’t happen to have something I could use to learn more about Howard, would you?”

I reached into my saddlebag that I slid into the corner. “Here you are. I hope that’s enough to work off of. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

I exchanged the magazine in return with a hoofshake. “You did great Fluttershy! Don’t worry about it. But if you remember anything else, just ring us up.” He unlocked and opened the steel door. “Until then, feel free to stay here. Dr. Green will be more than happy to show you our guest room.”

“I would?” I guess it’s safe to assume that’s Green’s voice.

DR. FROST:

I’ve probably spent a solid twenty minutes locked in a staring contest with the cover of this magazine.

“Howard Post: Getting you to the top of the class!”

This book was one of our only ways to support recreation; the others being television and radio. It’s a shame we have yet to see what these forts have done to our work since the first issue was published. I have overheard sensational propaganda being among its flaws, though it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. So why was I so hesitant to skip through a couple of pages and get to the events column? Well that’s a stupid question, me! Isn’t it obvious? I’m afraid of what I’ll find. The E.S.A. has a far from flawless system, and we know that. It’s nay impossible to get anything done because we’re always butting heads with each other. The culprit in most, but not all cases, would happen to be these Liberals (hippies) and Conservatives (rednecks) clawing at each other and the higher ups. We can’t simply agree on one thing and stick with it. God knows what the forts have been doing under our muzzles with that in the way. “Alright Frost. You need to do this! It’s your duty!” I reassured myself I was ready to take the challenge. Hope for the best, expect the worst. I flipped to the first page.

Well, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. We have the standard E.S.A. intro and a family of four in the corner to brighten the mood. “Ah yes. Those were the days. If only it were possible to have something like this again.” I comforted myself in the thought of having a small watch that could turn back time. All the trouble would rush by as the age of the landscape rapidly decreased. Lush green grass would soon curl out from the ground blossoming flora from all corners as the warm sun would shine upon smiling ponies, all blissfully unaware of the previous (or future) Equestria they have just escaped. For the first time in a while, I was actually in a good mood. That changed rather quickly though as I flipped to the second page.

It’s as if the columns themselves have been written in blood. Report after report, riots, vandalisms, even suicides, lining each page from edge to edge. Plans for rebellions and takeovers exposed one after another. Every last paragraph, every last snapshot, every last page progressively worsened as I flipped through. The pictures themselves cradled ludicrous amounts of fire, likely birthed from crudely made molotovs. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought the magazine itself was burning. Bad news has spread through and through as I disdainfully ingested the marvel of exactly how angry these ponies were. What makes this even worse is that any of these rebels and separatist could be the perpetrator. I know for a fact Fort Howard’s demise hasn’t been the work of a single mare, but the possibility of hundreds being in on this? We’ll have a bloody war on our hooves. It’s amazing how fast the whole atmosphere of the magazine has shifted from one page flip. It’s almost as if it was trying to hide this from me. And now, the E.S.A. will have to dig much deeper than normal if they want to know more. I know I certainly do.

Achievement Unlocked!

Health Inspector:

Weave your way through the farmer’s market.

No Guts, No Glory:

Fight off the horde.

Serious Business:

Reach E.S.A. Eastern Headquarters

Canon Characters FTW!:

Successfully interview Fluttershy. With Luna’s permission of course.