My body was frozen with shock and fear. I could not move or speak so I just sat with my hoof on the glass, feeling the intense heat coming from the epicentre of an explosion which was happening right at the heart of Ponyville. Everypony had been evacuated to Canterlot for their own safety.
Everypony but Twilight Sparkle.
Princess Celestia had warned her not to try the new spell she had learned, but it was far too late. While attempting the spell she lost control of herself and became a threat to us all, her power becoming stronger by the minute until finally she couldn't hold it in.
As her willpower collapsed so did her mind, causing her magic to erupt in a fiery atomic state. Princess Celestia immediately took action and placed her in a safe area, but even that was not enough to hold back the immense power pouring from her horn. The explosion grew in ferocity until it was too late to be stopped. I could hear the panicking voices of the ponies behind me.
"Fluttershy! We've got to go, now!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she pulled me away from the window. She could feel the heat emanating from my hooves and gave me a sympathetic look before putting a foreleg around my neck and adding, "There's nothing we can do for her now, Shy."
I quickly slapped her away. She could see in my eyes that this is the last thing I would want for my friends and family.
"No!" I screamed at her as I slammed my hoof into the floor, wincing in pain at the impact, "I am not letting these ponies die just because I possess some stupid Element that we don't even need!"
"You're the Element of Kindness Fluttershy!" Dash shouted back, "Celestia demanded we get you to safety and by gosh, that is what I'm going to do!"
The heat was becoming far worse. The citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot could be heard crying and screaming for help. I nodded to her in understanding as tears streamed from my eyes and ran down my cheeks. Dash quickly dragged me to the hallway which was filled with distressed citizens of both Ponyville and Canterlot.
"Applejack!" She shouted to a blonde haired, orange pony heading for the exit. Applejack stopped and turned around before quickly running over to us.
"C'mon Dash," she said, "Princess Celestia said there was a bunker she created, to be used only when we were in dire need. The thing is, we can't let anypony else know about it because if they did then the place would be swarmed with ponies and we would run out of supplies in a matter of days. The entrance is in the main hall."
Applejack picked me up and placed me on her back. I gave a small squeal of fear as she tore off toward the bunker.
"You are coming with me aren't you?" I said to her as I held onto her neck for dear life, "I really don't want to be on my own."
"Of course Ah am sugarcube." Applejack replied, "Ah promise ya that I will never leave your side, so don't ya worry about nothin'."
She nuzzled her head into to mine. This calmed me down and I smiled with the reassurance that everything was going to be okay.
"It's in here!" Rainbow Dash called out as she flew through a door into the main hall. As Applejack and I followed her in, it became clear that the room was full of heat. I was too scared to even touch anything because I thought it would burn me. I got down from Applejack's back and stood still.
"Alright," Rainbow Dash said as she removed a large portrait of Celestia and Luna from a giant wall of art, "here it is."
She spun the giant valve and both her and Applejack forced the door open. A gust of musty air escaped from the room as it slowly opened with an agonisingly loud creak. I darted in as quickly as I could.
"Now all we gotta do is wait for Pinkie and Rarity." Dash said, "They should be here any—"
Her words were cut off by a loud bang as the room began to grow brighter and the heat became more intense than ever.
"No!" she shouted before punching the wall with a hoof and turning to Applejack with a tear in her eye.
"What's wrong?" I asked pleadingly, "Why aren't you coming in?"
I tried to step outside the bunker only to be stopped by Applejack's outstretched hoof. Her face was plastered with grief and depression as she spoke.
"Fluttershy," she said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek, "do you trust me to do the right thing?"
"Of course I do Applejack." I replied with a smile, "You're the Element of Honesty, but more importantly you're my friend."
"Then I'm sorry for what happens next." Applejack sighed, "Forgive me Fluttershy, but Ah'm breakin that promise I made to ya earlier."
With those words both she and Rainbow Dash began forcing the door shut from the outside.
"Wait, no!" I screamed, "Please don't leave me!"
I tried to push the door to halt the closure, but it was no use. The door stopped with just enough room for Applejack to pop her head through. She grabbed me with one leg and pulled me into a hug. I returned the gesture, sobbing into her shoulders as I did.
"Stop it AJ," Dash choked, "we've gotta get this door sealed!"
"I want you to make me a promise." Applejack said as she looked into my eyes. "Never forget us."
The hug was broken and Applejack removed her head from the door. She and Dash gave one final push and the door closed. As I listened to the other ponies screaming as the heat tore them apart, I fell to my knees and placed my forehooves on the door.
"I promi—"
Another loud bang was heard and I could hear lots of rumbling from outside. It was getting closer. The ground was shaking below me and I coughed as dust filled the room. Suddenly I was thrown against the ground as everything turned chaotic.
"Ahhhh, make it stop!" I cried as I cradled my head underneath my forehooves. Part of me was holding out that somepony would come and rescue me, but I knew that there was nopony left. Their screams of agony had stopped just as quickly as the ground had stopped shaking.
"Huh?" I questioned to myself.
I slowly picked myself up from the floor and wiped errant tears from my eyes before I ran my hoof along the wall to see if I could find a light switch. The texture was rough and dry and I could tell that this room had not been used in a long time. My hoof hit a button and suddenly the room was swathed in light.
"Bingo." I squeaked as I quickly shielded my eyes to protect them from the sudden brightness. As I grew accustomed to the light, I could see that the bunker was rather small. In fact, it looked like it had been designed to hold only one pony. I glanced at a portrait of Princess Celestia which hung on the wall.
"Celestia," I sighed and lowering my gaze so that I was staring at my hooves, "why did you choose me? Why am I so special that I get to live?"
I soon realised that I was talking to a picture and turned my back on it. I began searching the bunker for anything which could be of use. I soon found a saddlebag which I filled with various pieces of food, bottled water and medical supplies.
While searching through the drawers I also found an old picture of Twilight and Celestia. Even though it showed nothing but memories now, I was going to keep my promise to Applejack. I placed the picture in the bag and closed it. I let out a sigh and slung it over my back before turning the wheel on the door, which seemed so much easier on this side. As the wheel finally clicked into place I looked back on the bunker.
"This is it." I muttered.
I gave the door a vast push and it slowly inched open. I was groaning under the sheer pressure I had to use to get it open but finally there was enough room for me to squeeze out.
As I stepped out into the main hall I could feel the residual heat from the blast. The room was in ruin and all of the windows were shattered. I could see Ponyville through the crumbling wall before me, or at least what was left of it aside from the giant cloud of smoke.
I climbed through the hole in the wall. I lost my footing while doing so and fell to the ground landing on a small pile of glass and rubble, causing me to scream in pain and cover my mouth with my forehooves. I kept them there tightly while I battled against the agony being caused by the glass which had gone through my leg.
I looked down at my wound. Struggling to get myself into position, I grabbed a nearby branch and placed it in my mouth. The taste was awful, but that was the least of my worries. I had to get this glass out of my leg so grabbing it with my forehooves, I began pulling slowly.
I cried out in pain, my cries muffled by the stick in my mouth and my eyes watering from the searing pain. But then instinct took over and I snarled. I was alone, and I had to take care of myself. But above all else, I had to be strong.
Grabbing the piece of glass again I began pulling with all my strength. I spat the stick out and screamed as the tears came down my face. Of all the things that could happen, why did I have to fall onto glass? But I persevered and gave one final tug, whiched was accompanied by another scream. Breathing heavily I looked at the large shard of blood-coated glass that was once in my leg. I shuddered before tossing it aside and looking at the damage it had caused. It didn't seem too bad so I took off my saddlebag and dug around for the bandages before tearing a lengthy piece off. I wrapped the wound up tight and tied a strong knot to hold it in place. Then, using the stick for leverage, I hoisted myself up from the floor.
"This stick is going to come in handy." I painfully chuckled to myself.
Looking around at my surroundings I could see it was getting dark, so I decided that the best thing to do would be to rest in the bunker until my wound had healed enough. Piling bricks to form makeshift stairs, I climbed back through the hole in the wall and limped back to the bunker.
I didn't have the strength to close the door after my accident, but I didn't think that anything was out there. As I lay on the bed thinking about the events leading up to this disaster my brain kept telling me something was missing and that I needed to open my eyes. But instead I drifted off into a deep sleep.
I awoke the next morning in a cold sweat, gasping for air and clutching my leg as I winced in pain. I averted my gaze to the door.
"I'm not sure if it was in the dream," I said to myself, " but I thought I could hear the voices of my friends." I looked down at the floor and around the small room before muttering, "Maybe I'm going insane..."
I climbed out of bed and walked over to the shelves to see if I could find something to snack on. I found a box of dry crackers. It wasn't much but it would keep me going until I got to Ponyville. I had the feeling that I wasn't the only survivor out there.
I emptied the contents of my backpack to check up on what I had and what I needed to get there, I added firelighters and matches to the list, just in case my survival get's the better of me. I gave a disgusted shudder at this thought, I placed the items back in the pack, closed it up and headed out of the bunker.
The morning sun was blazing through the ruins of the main hall. The warming rays felt nice against my fur and made me feel happy for the first time in hours as I just stood there looking at the beautiful sunrise.
Eventually I stepped though the hole in the wall and slowly progressed down the rock stairs I made yesterday.
"Probably the smartest thing I've done all week." I said to myself with a giggle. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I gazed toward Ponyville. The cloud was still lingering above the town but the surrounding dust had been swept away. I began limping toward my beloved cottage on the outskirts of the once proud town.
All around me were burnt up trees from the explosion. I saw dead nests on the ground and winced at the fact the poor animals never saw this disaster coming. The floor was ladled with ash and rubble and the closer I got the more destruction caught my attention. It was heartbreaking to see all of this and realize I was now an orphan of my own town.
I was almost there when a sudden cloud of dust fumbled my vision and left me feeling disoriented. I began pacing in circles waiting for it to pass when I spotted a burnt out hollow tree. I took this as a good opportunity to take cover from the encroaching dust storm.
I must be close now. I thought to myself as I began gathering any wood that was unaffected by the blast and piling it in front of the hollow tree. I mixed a few firelighters in and around the wood and lit a match. I held it in my mouth for a second before dropping it onto the fire which immediately ignited with graceful ease.
As I climbed into the hollow tree I took off my backpack and lay down, resting my head on my forehooves. I was gazing into the fire, my heart pounding every time I heard that heavenly pop from the firewood. The warmness caressing my cheeks, my eyes became heavy. And soon, I was dreaming.
***
I was resting on a floating cloud as the evening sun set, lying on my back and staring at the stars.
"Oh, isn't it beautiful Rainbow Dash?" I asked turning to face the mare who was also gazing at the stars with a broad smile on her face.
"Yeah," She sighed happily, "it really is something." Dash extended her forelegs behind her head and took a long deep breath. "I'm glad you brought me out here Fluttershy, I just haven't had time to be myself lately."
Rainbow Dash turned to face me.
"I just want you to know, you're the best friend anypony could ask for. If there is anything you need, just ask." she said softly as she grabbed my hoof and looked me in the eyes, "We pegasi are who we are and nothing can change that. I would never let anything happen to you."
She averted her gaze back to the stars. As the fire crackled I fell into a deep slumber, a single tear on my cheek and a smile on my lips.
"Thank you, Rainbow Dash." I whispered.
***
I was jolted awake by a loud crashing noise and an agonizing pain in my leg. During the storm one of the trees had come down on top of me. I couldn't move my body, I couldn't breathe. I tried to grab the bag with my mouth but I simply made things worse and knocked it over. I made one last attempt to free myself but it was no use and so I finally accepted the fact that I was dying.
I looked around the area I was in, I could see the remains of charred books on the ground, I finally realised where I was. It must have been the Library that collapsed during the storm.
As my eyes became heavy and I struggled for air I grasped onto the memories of Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie that I promised to keep. The crushing feeling inside that I had failed them, or maybe it was the tree that I was under.
"I'm coming home girls." I said with a smile as the last precious breaths escaped from my body, my eyes closed slowly, I stopped struggling. I could hear them now, waiting for me inside of Sugar Cube Corner, all the smiles on their faces.
So this is what it feels like...
