"Clear!"

Rainbow Dash said. She lowered her crossbow, sighing with relief. Cleaning out Ponyville was harder then she thought it was. For the most part, the trotters in the streets were gone, but the houses were filled with them.

It wasn't fun being in small confined spaces with things that wanted to eat you alive, but it was something to do.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, peering into the dark home. The windows were broken. One of them had dried up blood on the bottom glass shards. She frowned.

"Yep." Rainbow replied, staring at the two dead corpses. She could recognize one of them as a member of her weather team. Cloud Kicker.

"Really sure?"

"Really sure."

"Really really sure?"

"Yes! Really really sure!" Rainbow shouted. "Can you guys loot and hurry up?" She added in a nicer tone.

Fluttershy nodded, heading to the kitchen. Looting had escalated into taking everything from the houses. The food, water, and medical supplies were first. Then other things, like pencils or duct tape. All of the furniture was taken out last. A dedicated sector for New Ponyville was already walled off. The remaining houses on the outskirts were going to be used as material to fix the other ones.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called. She was galloping towards her on the path.

"You do have wings, you know." Rainbow said, trying not to laugh.

"What? Oh yeah." Twilight opened them and closed them. Embarrassed, she tried to explain herself. "Sorry, I forgot today was wall construction! I didn't check my schedule and sent you guys on house looting on accident! I rushed over here as quick as I could. Flying quickly is dangerous, anyways. Trotters can spot you."

"True. Do you want me to round everypony up?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Please."

"I will." Rainbow started to speed towards the castle, and, remembering what Twilight said, slowed down. Her rainbow trail was a beacon for hungry trotters.

"Wake up, Ray!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, jumping on his back. "Wall construction, remember?"

Ray groaned, getting to his hooves. Sweetie Belle frowned. Spike put Rays glasses on for him. "Today?" He asked sleepily, blinking a few times.

"Eeyup!" Applebloom said, taking her hat, Applejack's old stetson. Sweetie hopped off Ray's back. "We better get goin', or Twilight will have our flanks!" Ray nodded, galloping outside with them.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was looking up at the wall, only half a pony taller then her. She frowned. Rainbow Dash flew by.

"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie called out suddenly, making Rainbow Dash jump in midair.

Rainbow stopped. "What?"

"How tall is this wall going to be?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know, three ponies high? Why?"

Pinkie frowned again. "I keep getting a twitchy tail when I think about it. I think the walls too high! It's gonna fall over!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Really, Pinkie? The higher it is the more defended we are. I'm sure something else will fall."

A roof shingle from the house behind Pinkie broke off and fell to the ground, narrowly missing her head by inches.

"See? I was right. You should get to helping with the wall, by the way."

Before Pinkie could say anything else, Rainbow Dash flew away.

The base for the wall was finished, it was the matter of bringing supplies and building it up. Rainbow, Pinkie, Twilight, and Rarity were standing around waiting for the younger ones. When they finally galloped into view, Twilight sighed in relief.

"Where have you ponies been?" Rarity asked, hugging Sweetie Belle. "We were worried sick about you!"

"Sorry we were late," Spike wheezed. "But somebody didn't want to get up." All eyes shifted on Ray.

"...What? Why are you all looking at me?" He looked back at all of them, lowering his muzzle a little. Guilty.

"Because you're like Rainbow! You two could sleep for years if nobody woke you up!" Twilight exclaimed.

It took her a minute. "Hey!" Rainbow said.

"Shut up, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah? Well-Well you're just an...egghead!" Rainbow Dash replied.

Twilight huffed. Rainbow stuck her tongue out at her. Rarity rolled her eyes.

"Is it-is it wrong I sleep a lot?" Ray asked, panicking.

"Well..." Twilight began.

"Come on, we've got work to do!" Rarity spoke up, interrupting Twilight.

Everybody agreed, and Ray trotted off with Applebloom to gather the bricks and cement. Ray was staring determinedly at his hooves, an obvious frown on his face. Applebloom sighed. "Hey. Its okay if you like to sleep. Everybody is really stressed out. Working this hard all the time..." She shook her head.

"I know, its just...Rarity doesn't like me, does she?" He looked at Applebloom, and she looked away.  

"No. She doesn't. I can't lie to you."

"She doesn't trust me, does she?" Applebloom's frown grew. Ray sighed. "Nopony does."

"Well...Sweetie Belle said something..." Applebloom started.

"What?"

"She said something really mean, and when I called her out on it, she said Rarity told her it."

"And? What was it?"

Applebloom bit her lip. "Uh...Well...Just forget about it! It isn't important!"

"Applebloom."

She scrunched her muzzle. Curse that big dumb mouth of hers!

"Applebloom! What did she say?"

"They said...They said you're a dirty no-good free-loadin' mule!" Applebloom finally said, stopping.

Ray was silent, staring at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Ray, I tried to censor the meanest parts, but-" She tried to save it, galloping to catch up with him.

"You'd think after the world crumbled, ponies started eating each other, and the Princesses died, racism would die, too." He said quietly.

Applebloom opened her mouth and closed her mouth. For once, she had nothing to say.

Later, as everypony was settling down for bed, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had a hushed argument outside.

"Listen, he's too old, its ridiculous!" Sweetie Belle was saying. "And he's...just weird! I don't like him!"

"You're ridiculous! The Cutie Mark Crusaders are about helpin' EVERYPONY without a cutie mark! Just because he's a colt or he's older or he's a different species then you doesn't matter! Remember Babs?"

"You think we're going to find out cutie marks in this apocalypse? Applebloom, we're blank flanks forever. Get real."

"You don't know that! What if-what if this is our destiny? Cutie Mark Crusaders apocalypse survivors! We could get cutie marks with a certain weapon, or with resourcefulness, or-"

Sweetie Belle raised a hoof to shush her. "You don't get it, do you?" She said softly.

"Get what? You're being ridiculous? I understand that one loud an' clear." Applebloom frowned.

"Scootaloo's dead. There is no more Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applebloom!" Before Applebloom could retaliate, Sweetie Belle galloped back in the building, finding Ray standing in the kitchen, a glass of water in his hooves.

"Ray-" Sweetie began, taking a step towards him.

"Oh, gonna make fun of the mule again, huh?" Sweetie Belle gasped. "Yeah. Applebloom told me."

"I wasn't-I swear I didn't-"

"Leave me alone." Ray said over her babbling. He turned around quickly and stormed upstairs.

Sweetie Belle stood there teary eyed for a moment. After being tormented by Diamond Tiara for being a blank flank, she took out the memory on somepony innocent. She was the bully now. Applebloom came in the kitchen quietly. "Now look what you've done." She whispered. "Just because the world's broken doesn't mean we need to be broken."

Sweetie sighed, levitating the broken glass pieces to the trash. "Get the mop." Applebloom turned away, frowning. Sweetie Belle hesitated.

"Applebloom!  I'll apologize to him in the morning. He can be in the CMC!"

"And?"

"And Rarity was...wrong about him."

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle! This'll make him so happy! Heck, this'll make me so happy!" She threw her hooves over Sweetie Belle's shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"Applebloom...can't...breathe." Sweetie gasped.

"Oh. Sorry." Applebloom put her down. They both looked at each other for a moment.

"First one to mop up the mess wins." Applebloom said quickly. They ran down the hallway, Applebloom playfully nudging Sweetie out of the way, both of them laughing and having fun without a care in the world for once. Next Chapter: Month Two, Day Seventeen Estimated time remaining: 9 Minutes