Search and Rescue

CATACLYSM

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Oh, motherfucker.

How much did I drink last night for the city to burn down?

Dammit...my head hurts. My throat's drier than the Moon and the bloody sun that's way too big isn't helping...Wait...

Why is the sun looking bigger? Something's gone down. I better check my cell phone...No Service?

Did the fucking world end while I was wasted? Seriously? This would happen to me.

Well, shit. Looks like I should've played Hardcore mode on Fallout: New Vegas after all...

My name is Thomas Williams. 5'10" white male. Born 19th of May, 1990. I work at a small stationary company in Carson City, Nevada. Raised Christian. I live with my parents because fuck the economy. My two sisters moved out though.

I walked down the destroyed street, trying to see where I was. There wasn't any sign of street names, or any cars. The road seemed more of a dirt track than anything else. This definitely wasn't around where I lived.

I saw something in the distance. It was...a blue horse?

I ran over to take a look. The horse was blue, with a light blue mane. It's wounds looked like nothing I've ever seen, not even in movies or games or anything. I retched at the smell of burnt flesh.

"He..lp..."

I jumped back. Did that horse just talk to me?

"Ahh...Help..." the horse said. She had a female voice. She started crawling towards me, like some horrible mutant.

Shitshitshit this is the last time I do shots this is the last time I do shots this is a bad dream this is a bad dream what the fuck is going on?!

I took a deep breath. "What the fuck..?"

"Oh Goddess...It came outta nowhere..." the mare said, before she cried out, and stopped moving. Even with the mandatory basic first aid my company taught, I wouldn't have been able to save her.

"Shit..." I said to myself. I hate to repeat myself, but something's fucking gone down.

"Hello?!" I called out, cupping my hands into a makeshift megaphone. "Anyone there?"

No reply. The town was virtually empty, except for a few horse shaped burn marks on the ground. I shivered every time I passed one...

I reached some kind of town square. Hooollly shit...

Burnt, stinking corpses everywhere. Burn marks shaped like horses against whitewashed walls. Blood absolutely fucking everywhere. The buildings were still smoking. The heat...

I couldn't take it. I fell to the ground. I was so thirsty...

Was there any water here?

I looked around. There was a live horse there. Pink mane, yellow body and wings. It was when I noticed a mark on it's hind legs. Three butterflies.

"Hello?!" I called out. If the blue one talked before dying, maybe this one could talk too. The horse looked at me, absolutely terrified, before backing away.

"Hey! Wait!" I called out again. "I'm a friend!"

The horse stopped. I approached it slowly, trying not to spook it...

"What happened?" I asked. "Is there anyone around?"

The horse stuttered. She was female as well. "N-n-n-no..."

I knelt down to her eye level. "Can you tell me what happened?" I asked, in my kindest voice, which still sounds like I ate a cheese grater. "What's your name?"

"Fluttershy..." she replied. Her voice was wavering in fear or shock. Shit was so weird that day I wasn't going to ask about a surname.

"I'm Thomas." I said. "I'm a human."

"I'm a pony." she replied. I didn't know my Greek mythology that well, but that Fluttershy mare was a pegasus.

"Do you know what happened here?"

"No..." Fluttershy said. "All anypony saw was a wave of dark magic, then nothing."

"How did you survive?"

"I was behind my house, and the force of the wave hit my house first. All my animals..." Fluttershy sobbed. "They're dead! Everypony's dead! I could be the last pony on Equis!"

Equis?! Have I been abducted by fucking aliens and taken back to their homeworld of Road Warrior Planet?!

"Well, maybe we should look for survivors." I suggested, keeping the whole "This isn't Earth" thing out of my mind. Fluttershy's ears perked up.

"I want to look at my friend's homes first. I know that Twilight..." Fluttershy choked. "I know she's gone. I think she was at the epicenter...Rainbow Dash was airborne. She picked up a wounded pony just after the disaster and flew away, promising help. That was two days ago..."

"What does Rainbow Dash look like?" I asked. I couldn't believe what I was saying or doing.

"Rainbow mane and tail, and cyan coat."

"Okay. I'll keep a lookout for her. Anyone else?"

"Rarity could've made it. She might be buried in her basement, with her sister. She might be weak because of hunger, but she could have survived if she was down there."

"Lead the way." I said. "Do you have any water?"

Fluttershy nodded, and gave me a canteen she had under her wing. I took a quick mouthful, just to make sure I didn't die, before handing it back. Fluttershy looked at my hands all the while.

"Okay. Any...pony else?" I asked.

"Applejack lives out of town with her family. She might have survived too. She might even have supplies. And Pinkie...I'm not confident...I have a feeling she's alive somewhere though..."

"Okay, so we should head for Rarity and her sister first, then?" I said. "Let's go save them."

Fluttershy started walking down an empty street. I followed behind. I hoped she knew where she was going...