Click-click.

I am really beginning to hate this job. Being an intern is probably something Discord himself invented, just to screw with a pony trying to get a leg up in life. Not like I asked for this, either.

I understand my parents had good intentions. My cutie mark was a broken geode with gems inside, sure, that made sense. I did always have an interest in rocks, collecting pebbles and stones as a filly. But... A career in studying them... I'm not so sure.

Click-click.

Two months earlier, I had been unknowingly signed up to serve as an intern, here at the Royal Ferenium Control Agency. Damn parents.

About two decades ago, some group of scientists got together and began looking for new sources of power. Coal was expensive to import, and wind power was regarded as too inefficient for bearing the brunt of the nation’s need for power. It was in the air, everypony could feel it. Society was on the brink of leaping forward, but first, it needed a push in the right direction. Discovered by a bored lab technician who thought sparking random pebbles would be fun, Ferenium’s energetic potential was discovered.

Click-click.

In the present day, Ferenium was the source of nearly all of Equestria's power and electricity. It was a seemingly common-looking, white mineral, but with the right touch of magic and water, it could produce a magical form of electricity. It’s end result was a purple, glowing, mean-looking conduit of energy. Then it was supposed to heat water up to spin to turbines or something. I don't know, I'm not a rocket scientist or something.

What I do know is that the RFCA, who have me employed for very little pay, is an under-staffed, under-budgeted agency that was just used to appease the skeptics out there. Sure, we go around and run checks on plants, but the two major corporations who run them hardly pay us any attention. They know we can't do anything more than write them notices of how their corner-cutting will come back to bite them in the rear. Sorry, make that a monopoly. Everypony knows Prestige Corporation owns all of them, even if not legally.

Click-click.

Ferenium plants are everywhere, too. Even small towns have their own plants, generating electricity for all. It used to be some luxury only for the wealthy class. Now, the surplus allowed ponykind to race ahead in technology and progress. Within twenty years, we'd exploded from balloons to planes, from sails to engines.

There was no way we could be monitoring even a quarter of all the plants scattered throughout Equestria. So, most of us were at desk work. This comes crashing down on me. As an intern, I get the lovely job of stamping all these goddamn papers with our official seal.

Click-click.

Besides, if that wasn't bad enough, most of my co-workers treat me like an inferior species. It's really getting on my nerves. Well, all except Cambridge. Cambridge is just a little older than me, maybe a few years, but his parents got him an actual job. I think the only reason he's nice to me is because he has a crush on me. I'll admit, he definitely isn't ugly and does look handsome from time to time... But as the saying goes, “My barn doesn't swing that way”, just sort of reversed. I've never really figured out why, but as a mare, dating bucks just never seriously entered my mind. Not that I've really dated many mares either...

I'll also admit that Cambridge is a nice enough pony that he doesn't gush over me either. He really does act like a friend... Most of the time. Besides the fact I'm out of my old, dusty hometown of Hoofreath, his friendship is one of the few upsides of this job. He saved me a few times from being heckled by my co-workers. I should thank him sometime.

Click-click.

I shuffled the last of my papers into a neat stack, sighing in relief as I realized my quota of papers had been completed. Setting down my auto-stamper, I got up from my small desk and stretch, yawning a bit too loudly.

“Hey!” A grumpy voice called nearby, “Shut up while I try to work!” The voice began to snicker, muttering under his breath, not realizing I could hear him, “Stupid interns... Think they can do whatever they want.”

I rolled my eyes. Haybale could go drown in the sink, for all I care. It's not like he did much work, anyways. The fat pegasus was in such poor shape, I wondered what his job actually was. Hell, I wondered if he could even fly.

I stretched momentarily, working the sleep out of my legs as I walked out from my working space, heading over towards the break room, lunch box in tow.

The office was depressing, to be honest. Rows of wooden desks lined the room, papers and binders piled high like towers. In a sense, it almost looked like a miniature city. Ponies milled around inside it, working, writing, and talking. A few were sleeping or eating at their desks. I had grown accustomed to the sight, but it still didn't make it any better.

“Jade!” A friendly voice called out from behind me. I turned around recognizing the sky-blue unicorn with the dark gray mane as Cambridge. He smiled, quickly trotting over to catch up to me.

I smiled, “Oh, hi Cambridge. I'm heading over to eat my lunch, want to come along?” I shrugged, showing him the lunch box I had in my telekinetic grasp.

“Sure.” He looked around. “I guess nopony will notice if I'm gone from my desk for a bit.” He laughed lightly, as if he told a joke.

I looked at him, confused. “Umm... I don't get it.” We were getting close to the break room, the sound of slightly louder chatting and the smell of coffee meeting my senses. I just hoped no one was going to give me grief.

“Oh, old Freedman is keeping me overloaded with work,” Freedman was our boss. He was better in a sense that he didn't constantly berate me for being an intern, but he also didn't mind dumping more work on me. At least he was being fair and doing it to everypony.

I laughed, “So, basically, it's the same as usual?”

Cambridge nodded with a sigh, “Yeah, I guess you're right.” He opened the door to the break room, and I followed him in.

Instantly, a handful of heads turned to me, several of whom began to snicker and make comments. Phrases like “Hey intern, this is for employees only” were so old I had hoped they'd forget about them, or at least come up with something different. Apparently not.

I sat down at an empty table, waiting for my friend to grab his own meal from the refrigerator. I found myself staring at the muck and crumbs left behind on the tabletop. It appeared someone had taken sludge and plopped it on random spots on the table. I wanted to gag. This place was disgusting in about every single way.

I telekinetically wiped off the table as Cambridge came back over, setting down a plain brown bag. He fished out an apple, munching on it casually. “So, did ya hear?”

I picked up my lunch box, taking out a daisy sandwich and biting into it, the bland flavor reminding me of almost every other meal I've eaten here. “No.” I shook my head, before having to move my brown mane out of my eyes. “Heard what?”

Cambridge looked like he wanted to explode in excitement as soon as I asked the question. He leaned on the table, whispering excitedly, “There's been some rumors going around about Freedman...”

My ears perked up in curiosity as I looked over at him. For once today, I was genuinely interested in something. “R-Really? About what?” I could only hope that it was some incriminating evidence that this whole office was in some conspiracy and that the whole damn lot would find themselves fired.

My sky-colored friend looked around cautiously. “I heard...” He looked back at me, the most serious expression on his face, “That Freedman is getting us a new printer!” His eyes lit up like a filly with a birthday present. I slapped a hoof to my face, letting out a long sigh.

I forgot to say that Cambridge is also a big goof. Well, at least with small things. He's actually very smart and usually level-minded, but there are times... When he's like this. A new printer? Seriously?!

I shook my head in despair. “You do realize that the entire reason I'm not swamped with work is because that the current printer is broken right now, right!?” I kinda felt bad to ruin his moment, but then again, I was in no mood to care much. To put it simply, today sucked.

It seemed today was the bitch-even-more-at-Jade day. I just wanted today to end, to go back to my small apartment, and take a hot bath. Perhaps do some painting. Just something, anything to kick out the stress clotting my brain. Even if only for a moment.

“Oh, you're right... Sorry Jade.” Cambridge apologized, snapping me out of my reflections. He had a look of both dismay and shame, probably for not realizing the implications of a new printer. Guilt instantly dropped on me like a brick.

“I didn't mean it like that, Cam...” I smiled weakly, trying to comfort him a bit. I couldn't risk losing my only friend. It wasn't the only time I've put him down or yelled at him, but each time it felt worse than the last. I never did have many friends at home, but I was also never one to snap at them so easily or frequently. I'm starting to think this job is driving me mad.

“Today's just been tough, y'know?” I confided in him, my voice dropping in volume. “Along with you, I'm the youngest pony here, and everyone else just has to drop their problems on me.”

“Yeah... I guess.” He shrugged in a state of melancholy, his eyes fixated on the floor. Dammit. I've really done it now. As much as I fear being too nice to Cambridge and giving him a false notion that I had an attraction to him, this required some heart behind it. I just pray that he doesn't take it the wrong way.

“Cam... Don't guess. C'mon, you're probably my best friend- no, you are my best friend, and it was wrong of me to snap at you like that.” His eyes slowly drifted up to me, the edges of his lips at the tip of breaking into a smile of his own.

“I'll tell ya what,” In my head, I was groaning, knowing I had to make it up to him somehow, and I did not like the answer. “Let's head out to that sport's bar you've been talking about all week. My parents wired over some bits last week, and it's mine to spend. It'll be my treat.”

Ugh. I detested sports. Almost as bad, I'd be drinking with Cambridge. Of the few times I've gone to a bar with him, it's always ended up awkward. Those were the only times he's tried to hit on me, and it didn't end pretty. Even worse, I'd probably be drinking too. My parents sent over bits because it was my birthday, and I was now of legal drinking age. I just hoped I wouldn't do something I'd regret.

Cambridge broke out into a huge smile, practically squeeing with excitement. I couldn’t help but giggle, before finally asking, “Sound good?”

My unicorn friend, at a loss for words, nodded at me warmly. He got up from his seat, opening his mouth to say something, but it was cut short as a warning siren blasted through the PA system. Dammit, my mind racing, if this was another one of those drills...

“Warning, this is not a drill.” Sounded an automated voice, as if finishing my thoughts. However, that was the least of my problems. The whole break room erupted into chaos as workponies rushed to get out the door, and the sounds from the outside offices told me that everypony was running for the elevator.

The RFCA was part of Princess Luna's administration, and it's offices were stationed in a massive citadel of administrative headquarters, known as “The Albedo”. It was built into the side of the mountain Canterlot was on, almost all out of stone. Our offices were on the seventh floor, and most ponies came up here with the elevator. I was the only one who took the stairs, purely because I didn't want any insults or heckling from my peers.

Well, I used to take the stairs. Then, a week ago, I sort of tripped and fell down. I hit my head on the back wall of the stairwell, and blacked out. When I woke up half a minute later, I looked up and saw that the wall I had knocked into had opened. At first, I was sure I was hallucinating.

I got up, and cautiously looked at the gaping entrance. It looked like an elevator, but why would there be an elevator operating in the stairwell? I shrugged, figuring that this was Princess Luna's building, and she could do whatever the hell she wanted with it. Stepping inside, I realized it was an elevator. Many of the buttons I recognized, but there was some I didn't, and an ominous red one at the bottom that I'd never seen before.

Regardless, this was a godsend for me at the time. The seven-story climb twice a day may have been good for my cardio, but it was also a pain each and every day. So, from then until now, I've been using the hidden elevator. It took me awhile to figure out, but touching a unicorn horn on the wall would trigger the elevator to come up to your floor. Once again, I had no freaking clue why or how it was there, but it was and nopony else seemed to use it.

I knew that the regular elevator would be crowded as hell, so the secret one would have to do. I raced up to the break room door, fighting to get out amongst a few other coworkers. I nearly got my head out the doorway when somepony's hoof smacked me right in the nose. Ow.

I managed to squeeze out a moment later, turning around to see Cambridge following suit. He pulled a quick face, touching his hoof to his nose. I followed suit, and looked at my hoof as it was smeared with blood. I shrugged it off, galloping down the hall towards the stairs.

“Hey, where are you going!” Cambridge yelled, following after me. I didn't respond, knowing that he'd follow me nevertheless, and it'd probably be better for him this way. “The stairs will take forever!” He cried as I opened the door and nearly jumped down the first flight of stairs. I heard hoofsteps behind me as I touched my horn to the wall.

Two hooves grabbed my shoulders, turning me to face a sky-blue unicorn. “Jade, what are you doing!” It was much easier to hear him now, the alarm system not as loud in the stairwell. “We need to get out, NOW!”

I looked him in the eyes, my legs wobbling, “Yes, I know. But you've got to trust me.” I could feel the blood dripping from my nose. “I know it sounds weird, but-” A ding rang behind me, accompanied by the sound of hydraulics as I knew the wall opened up. “There's a secret elevator in the stairwell.”

Cambridge jaw dropped. He began to make deep-throated noises like he was trying to say something, but his vocal chords didn't respond well. I wasted no time, turning around to head into the elevator.

“Oh, excuse me Princess.” I took a step into the room quickly. Then the realization hit me, and I hopped out of the elevator like it was on fire, my hairs on end. Princess Luna, the goddess of the stars and the moon, was standing in the elevator, her expression neutral.

I knelt to the ground, my mind scrambling. I fumbled with my words, “I-I'm so sorry, Princess, I didn't-”

“Get in.” The princess spoke in a commanding tone. It was even and not aggressive, but carried an air of urgency and purpose. I wasted no time, scooting in and hardly noticing Cambridge walk in next to me.

The lunar goddess punched a button, the doors closing and the elevator stated to descend. Meanwhile, I stared at the floor. It's metallic surface reflected an odd, slightly dulled and misshapen version of me. My tan coat and brown mane simply looked dark, fading in with the gray metal. For the most part, all that stood out to me where my own eyes, staring back at me.

It's scary when time slows down. Even worse when you know something is going horribly wrong. The sounds of air sirens and warnings blared throughout the building, and I'm guessing all of Canterlot. I could still hear them in the elevator, over the hum of the lights, over the squeal of the breaks after what felt like an eternity of a ride.

All I saw was my own eyes, looking back at me. Like emeralds amongst lumps of coal, they gleamed in reflection against the metal, as if they were the only things about me that made me special. True, they were the reason my parents named me Jade, and true they were uniquely bright. But, that only made me feel worse, my fears of a lack of identity bubbling to the surface.

A drop of blood fell from my muzzle and splattered on the floor. It kicked me out of my stupor as I looked up, realizing we had reached the main floor. I saw Princess Luna reach over to push a button. A chill swept over my body as she pushed in the ominous red one at the bottom.

The elevator gave an unnatural lurch, and from what I could tell, we were moving sideways. I looked up, wanting to ask the Princess where we were going, but quickly drew my sight away, her reputation and physical appearance striking my curiosity away. Instead, I looked over at Cambridge, for the first time realizing he was there. His eyes were wide open, and I could tell he too felt the unnatural movement from within the elevator.

“I'm sorry, but you two aren't going anywhere.” Princess Luna said, her calm, even tone scaring me a bit. Cambridge gasped, his face turning to a mix of worry and despair as he looked over to me for help. I, in turn, dared to look over to the Princess one more time, searching for any clues in her own expression.

However, she was staring ahead, not looking at either of us. “We are going into the mountain.” She continued, as if she could feel the anxiety radiating off of us. “The bunkers will provide sufficient protection.” She turned to me, looking down on me slightly. Her face revealed nothing, her dark mane flowing in the air, even without wind.

“I've noticed you've been using my personal elevator for quite some time now.” I felt chills ripple down my spine, as I instantly looked at the ground. My eyes met the spots of blood on the floor, and I realized how much of a mess I must look right now.

“Luckily for you and your friend, this normally prosecutable action will save your lives.” I could feel her gaze burn into my coat. “Although, it comes at a price.”

I looked back up to her, unable to hide my curiosity and shock. The words came out prophetically, as she turned her head back, staring off into the wall. “Think of how Equestria looked this morning, remember it. Engrave its picture in your brains. Remember the trees, the birds, the happy ponies, the carefree attitude and peace of mind. Hold it dear and never let go.”

The door opened, and she took a step out into a dark hallway. The dim lights casting a furtive glow over her dark body. “For it will never be the same again.”

~-~

Five months has passed. Five months, six days, twelve hours and twenty two minutes has passed since what was Equestria died in a violent storm of chaos, power, fire, and above all, energy.

The Ahriman Mainframe, employed by the Prestige Corporation, was designed to handle the supervision of all Prestige-owned Ferenium power plants. Which meant all of the plants in Equestria. For some, unknown reason, the Ahriman failed, and allowed excess buildup of the raw, purple-glowing energy that was produced by Ferenium.

By the time it was discovered, it was too late. Reaction chambers had been glowing and literally sparking the magic-induced electricity; the disaster was born out of complacency and corner-cutting, the Ferenium only provided the fuel. The most they could do was sound the alarm, and for the slim fraction of ponies who prepared for such an event to be saved.

Four minutes after Princess Luna led us into the bunker, the world shook. It shook as if the moon itself slammed into the ground, and nearly swept me off my hooves. Even thousands of feet into the side of a mountain, I could hear the roar of the plants exploding. At the time, I didn't know what was happening, and I'm glad I didn't. It probably would have been too much to bear. Suddenly, I feel bad for those in the bunker who were monitoring the outside world.

Over the next few weeks, information slowly leaked to my ears. The plants exploded across the nation, leveling cities and towns, destroying buildings in an outburst of purple-tinged fire. Within seconds, millions perished. If they were lucky, they melted away quickly, feeling no pain. Their remains turned to ash as super-charged fire destroyed them on a molecular level. The unlucky were dismembered and bled out, probably farther away from the blast zone, their last seconds racked with pain.

However, if they lived for more than thirty seconds after the explosion, they were condemned to something much, much worse.

After approximately thirty seconds of the plant's explosion, their last-ditch grounding-devices backfired, and drove the Ferenial Energy into the ground. The purple electricity rode on any ions present in the ground, from metals, to stone, from cells to even low-lying air. These streaks of energy radiated from the plants for sometimes tens of miles in diameter, electrocuting anything not hidden deep within bedrock.

This also meant any living ponies, no matter if they were on the brink of death or in pristine shape. It also electrocuted other animals, and most lesser ones died instantly. The surge was too great, and shut down their organs indefinitely.

For ponies, thanks to large cranial and nervous capacities, the magical electricity simply set them into a state of suspended animation. Or some crazy, arcano-bat shit like that. Up until now, that was all I knew. More than I ever wanted, but still curious to delve deeper. I wanted to see with my own eyes what was happening. I wanted to know what was happening to the comatose ponies, still hiding under rubble, dust and debris. I wanted to understand where it all went wrong. But most of all, I wanted to see what happened to my parents.

I'd never felt extremely close to them, but they were always there for me and I loved them for that, even if I hardly showed it. I had to know what happened to them, what state of destruction my hometown of Hoofreath was in. It had it's own small plant, and deep down, I was sure everyone was dead. But the curiosity gnawed at my insides. And it would never stop if I didn't see it for myself.

“Jade.” A male voice rang through the small speaker in my room. It was hardly better than a prison cell, silvery-gray walls made from metal that made me feel trapped, captured. A bed with a small drawer were the only furniture, their metallic features only adding a depressing touch. A bright, annoying light ran on the ceiling, bolted and caged in to stop somepony from stealing the bulb.

“The Princess wishes to see you.” The speaker blathered on. Yeah, I knew already. Princess Luna and I had been recently discussing my release into the destroyed world. Cambridge too, but I suspect less from curiosity and more because he had nowhere else to go. To be honest, I'm really glad too. It would still be scary out there, but at least I had a friend who I could count on.

I clambered off the bed, checked my saddlebags, and trotted out of the door. Busy lab ponies swarmed the hallways as usual, their white lab-coats an everyday sight. They were everywhere, always working, always trotting from place to place, always in your view. They were like wallpaper. At first, it's kinda neat, but after awhile, the sight just makes you annoyed.

Sure, they were working night and day to monitor the outside world, running analyses on sample brought from the outside world, charting projections of future conditions, and designing all sorts of new things... But they were everywhere. Most of them were working in the bunkers too when the alarms went off, the others quickly rushed inside.

It's not like there weren't other ponies. There was also a residing staff for the bunkers, cooks, janitors, mechanics, even a bartender (Actually, she wasn't bad, either). There were also the guards. Not like those you saw in parades, wearing fancy plated armor that was last worn hundreds of years ago. No, they were in full combat wear, some weird ceramic-metal stuff that ended up resembling a scorpion. It kinda creeps me out, but it did look like it could take a beating.

I walked up to a clearly important room, two guardponies standing watch at the door. One of them looked down at me, nodded and opened the door.

“Thank you, sirs.” I smiled at the two, entering the room. It clearly was far superior to any others I had seen in my five-month stay. Fine carpets hid the metal flooring, and the soft glow of candles was a pleasure to my eyes, after a beating of harsh, hallway lighting. Above all, a massive crescent moon adorned one wall.

I took a few steps forward and looked around. Obviously, the Princess wasn't here yet. The room seemed vacant, so I helped myself to a velvet pillow in the corner, the soft touch almost foreign to my senses. I realized that this subterranean existence was practically devoid of simple comforts and that I was almost forgetting them. Not like “Why aren't my pillows soft enough?” was a top concern in my mind, amongst all the world's problems.

Just then, the same main entrance door opened, Cambridge poking his head in and spotting me. I waved as he trotted over to me, sitting on a pillow nearby. “Good morning, Cam.”

“Mornin', Jade. Do you think she's letting us out today?” He stared at me in a mixture of worry and wonder, his voice tinged with anxiety. I don't blame him, my own stomach fluttering at the thought.

“I... I'm not sure.” I admitted, sighing. “I want to go out, but at the same time, I don't.” I shrugged, my ears perking as I heard hoofsteps approaching. I tried to warn Cambridge, but it was too late. He never was too perceptive, either.

“I hope so, we've been cooped up too long in here. I'm beginning to feel kind of claustrophobic, like the metal walls here are going to close in on me.” He looked around the room, his eyes darting to see if any thing moved.

“Yes... They are a bit overwhelming, are they not?” An elegant, composed voice floated across the room. I looked up, seeing the Princess looking at us with an eyebrow raised. A wooden case was floating behind her, in tow of her telekinesis.

Cambridge gulped, clamping his mouth shut. Smart pony. I tried my best to suppress a giggle, but I think it failed.

Princess Luna walked up to us, floating over a pillow of her own and sitting down on it. She set the case nearby, paying little attention to it. “Are you ready to see the horrors outside this bunker?” She asked, getting to the point.

A shiver ran through me. I knew I did, but it felt like I was poised to jump, my legs not responding. Slowly, I nodded, trying to hide my anxiety as best as possible. Cambridge muttered something, but I barely heard it over my own fears.

Was there even anything out there to see? Was there life, or was it just an empty desert, the scorching sun beating down on sands and burnt out trees all day? Was there traces of society left, or were the last remnants wiped away along with the violent end of millions of ponies? Hell, was the air even breathable?

My head was swimming as I fought to regain my bearings, fighting a battle to keep my personal queries down and focus. Yes, focus. Now, what was Princess Luna saying?

“-You two will be on our agreement from earlier. I'll give you supplies and what meager information we have, as long as you report back to us your findings. Is that clear?

Both of us nodded, this barter ran through both of us for the past week. The night goddess had stressed to us how vitally low on information they were. The guards ran small patrols just outside of Canterlot, but not much further, stopping at the outskirts of the Whitetail Woods. She needed a bigger picture.

“Good. Now, here's what we know...” She frowned, and I could tell this was going to be short. “The world shows signs of plant life, however most of it's regenerating slowly. Trees are, for the most part, burnt. In terms of animal life...” She frowned, “I'm afraid most land-species were killed off, and those that lived have been, altered. How, or why, I don't know. But we do know that there's been complications.”

“What kind of complications?” I asked intently. If there was some super-dragon out in the wasteland that ate time or some weird crazy shit like that, I'd like to know.

She shook her head sorrowfully. “We haven't examined them too closely. All we know is that any surviving animals are... Neurologically deformed.” Her frown deepened, “Just like the ponies.”

“Oh my...” Cambridge gasped, “So, you mean they aren't thinking straight?”

“I guess you could put it like that. These ponies, as we mentioned before, in a state of suspended animation. The Ferenial Energy was too much for their bodies' systems to handle, and put them into a coma. But...” She looked away.

“But?” I echoed. She was definitely not comfortable with this, but we had to know. This... This sounded bad.

“But, they can wake up.” My heart fluttered with joy, momentarily. Then I noticed she still looked unhappy, and my elevated mood began to deflate. “And when they do, they're immediately hostile. It doesn't matter who, pegasus or unicorn. If they aren't flowing with magically energy, the awakened ponies will attack you.”

Oh... Shit. This really toppled the playing field. I could tell the same thing was going through Cambridge's mind as he took a deep, labored breath as he tried to relax. Wacko animals, unexplored lands, unknown conditions, possible injury and disease... Now with crazy ponies. Great.

“However, new analyses from our scientists say these brains are working at only 7% of what normal ponies do. This means that they lack motor skills, most sense of judgment and problem-solving. On the downside, they wake up from sounds. Anything over fifty decibels will ignite their brains again and bring their bodies back to life.”

I sighed a bit in relief. This was just going to require a bit of light hooves here, some careful traveling there. If we played it silent, we should be fine. “Oh... Okay, Princess. Thanks for letting us know.” I was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable.

A brief flash of surprise shot across her face, but vanished quickly, thankful to be moving on. “Anyways,” She exhaled deeply, bringing the wooden chest forward. I had nearly forgotten it was there. “Here's your supplies.”

She opened the chest, revealing a plethora of objects. First, she levitated out two helmets, instantly striking me as the somewhat the same as the ones the guards wore. I never paid them much attention before, but I could recognize the sight. They covered the entire head, and had a visor that covered half the face, along with a chin-strap that held it in place.

“This,” Princess Luna floated them over to us, “Is the EDA. The Environment Detection Array, the latest in pony innovation, made only months before the Ahriman Mainframe failed. It's designed to gather information of your surroundings making it valuable to both certain civilian occupations and military alike. Although it's not as... Advanced as the military models, the civilian variant is still a great tool at your disposal.”

She reached forward, pressing a small switch on the side of my helmet. Within a flash, the visor disappeared. She pressed it again, and the visor slid down over one side, and another push slid down the other side, completing the visor.

“The EDA can display what it reads on the monitors in the visor. It picks up everything from temperature and air pressure, to magnetic anomalies and radio signals. Also, for safety reasons at the time, it has also been programmed to read your vitals and display your overall health and physical well-being.”

She smiled, obviously thinking highly of the rugged, black helmet. “The power turns on once you connect the chin strap together. If you find anything out, no matter how small you think it is, don't hesitate to tell me. The radio relay to the bunker has already been installed in these helmets. It also has many other quirks that you'll eventually figure out, but they're not essential.”

I looked down at the seemingly fragile headgear. It looked almost like it was made out of plastic, but it didn't feel quite like it either. I noticed it had no hole for a horn though. I voiced my concern to Princess Luna.
She chuckled. That was good. I think... “Don't worry, the creators had that in mind- Oh, looks like your friend has already figured that out.”

I looked over, once again realizing I wasn't alone. Cambridge had the helmet on his head and powered on, and I saw that his EDA had created a form-fitting sheath over his horn, looking almost as if the helmet had been built with it in the first place. Freaking smart mechanic ponies, I guess.

“And here is your supplies.” Luna floated over packs of dried rations and two canteens of water each. “I'm afraid that's what we can spare for now.”

I smiled in gratitude, stuffing my share into my saddlebags. I knew these weren't going to last us the whole way there, but I also realized how careful she had to be with the bunker's rations. They were very finite, and a lot of ponies depended on them until they could go back outside.

As soon as I stuffed them away, Princess Luna also floated out a pair of gas masks and anti-bacterial barding. It was this yellow, rubbery material that fit loosely over one's body, except for around the head, where it hugged to close to your skin.

“I... I don't know if you'll need these.” The night goddess admitted, “But we're not going to take chances. These will protect you from anything airborne that might have been caused, released or spread by the explosions or their aftereffects.”

I nodded, realizing it was probably a smart move. Who knew what the explosions could have caused, a type of carnage on that level never seen before. Or, more plausible, they just released something horrible, that had been hidden away for years, or even decades.

“Put the barding on first, then the helmet, and the mask should integrate with the EDA if you put it on with both visors down.” The Princess instructed. Then, she pulled out the last two items, looking at them with frightening displeasure.

I instantly realized what they were, and I didn't like it much either.

“As much as I distaste firearms, I do realize their effectiveness.” She floated them and placed them in front of us, each coming with it's own holster and a box of ammo. “Please, be careful with them. The last thing we need is one of you two with a bullet wound out there.”

I floated it up cautiously, sliding it from it's holster. It was a sleek, black pistol like the one I had seen the guards carry. It had a bit to hold in one's mouth if they weren't a unicorn, an elongated trigger that could be pulled by the tongue.

I noticed the belt straps that could hold the holster in place along my hindleg. It truly was something I hoped to never use. I detested the things, not because I was necessarily scared of them. But, more so because that it had the capabilities to let anypony hurt and harm another. Before the world was engulfed in chaos, crime had risen shockingly quick in the country, largely due to mass production of firearms. Soon, jails had to be moved to isolated areas, old ones quickly overflowing.

My attention turned as Princess Luna stood up. Her face was completely neutral, her tone only revealing the slightest amount of hope. “Now, you must get going. The elevator will take you out to what's left of the Albedo, and with any luck, you can get out of Canterlot by dusk.”

Then, she let a rare smile escape her lips. “I'm sure you'll be fine if you keep your wits about you.” She reassured as, as I stood up also. “I'll also alert any of my guards or my sister's of your presence in the area. But now, we really must be going before the sun rises any higher.”

I nodded, motioning to Cambridge as I floated my supplies out with me. The Princess had a point, we needed all the time possible out in daylight, as the night easily hid dangers. Not really like I wanted to stay in this metallic cave any longer. It felt like bugs were crawling under my coat, itching me to be free.

“Good luck, my little ponies.”

-~-

The elevator gave a lurch as it moved laterally through the mountain, nearing closer and closer to the surface. A light flickered above us, while the hum of the elevator filled the vacuum of silence. The only other sounds was the husky, almost congested noise of our breathing, as they worked through the gas mask.

The mask wrapped uncomfortably around my neck, and the filter cartridges fit oddly as the mask continued up to my eyes and melded around the visor. Two elastic straps wrapped around my helmet, keeping it in place. The air felt thick and hot, like breathing in an oven.

The anti-bacterial barding wasn't much better. The rubbery texture was surprisingly very good at keeping in my body heat. I could feel it sticking to my legs and body, already beading with sweat. It came with built-in soles for my hooves, but it didn't hold well either.

To be honest, the only goddamn piece of equipment that fit right was my EDA. It fit snuggly over my ears and horn, but it's padding was cool and allowed the air to move easier. The visor tinted my vision blue, but it was a nice surprise as it cut down on the harsh florescent lights in the bunker and the elevator. Along the bottom of the visor, a small display showed by heart rate, body temperature, and an EKG chart that beeped quietly in my helmet.

Minutes after the helmet turned on, a window also appeared, reading the air conditions as healthy, and placing the temperature at a comfortable 67 degrees. Of course, this was relatively minor information, but I was fascinated by how complex it all was, how even the simplest details not overlooked.

The elevator slowly began to stop, the whine of the breaks coming in amongst our contorted breathing and the low hum of the elevator itself. I looked over, Cambridge also in the same apparel, looking like a bee with no stripes. I stifled a chuckle, but then I realized I probably looked the same.

“Ride's over.” Cam said grimly. His previous anxiety was beginning to be replaced with an odd determination I hadn't seen in him before. It was kind of creeping me out, as “quiet” was a word I doubted was even in his vocabulary.

The door rang and opened. I peered outside, noticing the first-floor portion of the stairwell. Chunks of concrete littered the floor, and the stairs leading up had been covered by rubble. But sunlight, it's golden hue a welcome sight to my eyes, poured through the window in the door leading out to the Albedo's lobby.

I turned over to Cam, who was standing beside me, just inside the elevator. “Ready?” I asked, feeling nervous. Sure, it was all sunny and nice from what I could tell from the door's window, but I knew there had to be hardly anything left of the lobby. It was a massive, thirty-story building that stood out in the last few years of Equestrian glory. There was no way it survived.

“Yeah.” Cam placed a reassuring hoof on my shoulder. “This moment belongs to you. Go on, open the door.”

I looked up and smiled, even though I knew he couldn't see it under my mask. I slowly walked out of the elevator, unsure if the floor would somehow collapse beneath me. But after a few breathless seconds, I felt secure and trotted up to the door. I couldn't see much, the rising sun right in my eyes.

With a gulp, I knew from here on, there really was no turning back. With a flash of focus, my telekinesis grasped the door's handle. I looked back to Cambridge, hoping for any words of support. He nodded.

Dammit, that'll have to do.

The door moved, the handle operating with a nostalgic sound.

Click-Click.

Sunlight flooded over me as the door opened.

My jaw dropped as I saw the sight in front of me. The entire front wall of the lobby was blown out, chunks of concrete and rebar littering the ground. Farther beyond, a view of Canterlot could be seen. Before the catastrophe, I could only see across the street, another building blocking my view.

Now, I could see for almost a mile. Charred and broken buildings stuck out of the ground like bones. Small pillars of smoke rose up, blocking out the sun's rising rays. A cold breeze was in the air, whistling lonely as it passed through the last vestiges of Canterlot.

Most buildings were now no higher than 20 feet, the rest taken out by the explosion. Few were hardly intact enough to even support those two stories, many caving in or even toppling over into the street or other buildings. Even the royal castle, it's usual grandeur a symbol of Equestrian power and wealth, was now reduced to rubble. The only thing worth noting about the ruin was that somewhere, deep within, Celestia's own bunker lay.

Far away, on the other side of the city, was where the power plant was. I couldn't see it, but I knew where it was. I hoped we wouldn't have to go anywhere near it, who knew what surprises lay there.

Cambridge brushed passed me as he stepped out into the lobby. “Coming?” He asked, stepping over chunks of rubble along the cracked marble floor.

I didn't reply, but simply followed him out the door. My hoofsteps, I realized, besides my friend's was one of the loudest sounds I could hear. Slowly, I began to feel creeped out. Canterlot, previously the capitol of a nation, was now completely silent. Something was off.

I felt the abrupt change from smooth marble to rocky, hard, debris filled dirt as we moved outside the gaping hole in the lobby. From the small hill the Albedo was on, we could see a majority of the city ruins. My stomach only sunk lower into my body, the sight was horrifying.

Canterlot's plant wasn't nearly as big as some other cities, and let's leave Manehattan's super-plant out of the question. My spine shivered as my imagination conjured up nightmares of Hoofington and Haliflanks, their cities black and twisted shells of what they once were.

“Oh, good.” A voice came over my EDA's headset. I looked over surprisedly at Cambridge, and by his same reaction, it seemed like he heard it too. “You both made it outside. Let me patch in Hoofreath's location in your helmet's navigation.” Oh, right. Princess Luna, just covered with static.

Seconds later, an arrow popped up along the top of my visor, right in the middle of it's upper border. “There you go!” She said, oddly happy. I began to feel a little anxious. She had seemed so composed before, and now as she's giving us directions in the wasteland, she's happy?

“Umm, Princess, is everything alright?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” She cleared her throat, her happy tone dying back to it's unreadable state. “Learning these new electronic functions... It sometimes lets my emotions overtake me.” Oh really?I wonder if she'll squeak in joy when she learns about how ponies used to do video-conferencing...

“Anyways, my patrols have made sure your path is mostly clear up until the Whitetail Wood. Once you hit there, you'll be on your own.”

“Okay, thanks.” Cambridge replied in my stead. I sighed, happy that we'd be getting an easy ride through creepytown central. I looked over and nodded to Cambridge, who began to trot down the hill and follow the arrow on our helmets.

I took off after him, falling in line beside him. “So, Cam...” I began to say, still looking forward into the desolate skeleton of buildings. “Are you alright? You seemed kinda quiet back there.”

“Yeah...” He replied in a low voice. “It's just... This is a little tough to take in.”

I gasped lightly, too quiet for Cam to hear me. He really was taking this hard. Before, even in the bunker, he'd been so full of life, so energetic, such a outgoing pony and a bit of a goof mixed in... He was so Cambridge. But now... He was hardly a shell of himself.

“Hey...” I stopped abruptly, waiting for Cambridge to turn around. He didn't. He kept trotting down the cracked, broken road as if I wasn't there.

“Cambridge!” I galloped to catch him. Somepony definitely did not want to talk. Unfortunately for him, sitting back and letting him mope around was not my style.

“Hey! Wait up!” I reached him finally, panting a bit. “What's wrong with you!?” I found myself yelling. Why was I yelling? What could possibly h- Oh... Then I felt it, rising in my chest. It was a feeling I did not like, at all. Despair.

Despair and it's cohorts of fear and loneliness were my ultimate enemies as a filly. A fillyhood with few friends, and fewer good ones, bred an almost irrational fear of losing all hope, especially in the goodness of ponykind. And now, seeing Cambridge just like this... I suddenly realized how easy it was for my emotions to run without me consciously knowing.

Cambridge slowed to a walk, and then finally to a stop, turning around at me. Tears were welling in his eyes. I assumed he had kept on moving to stop me from seeing him like this.

Ouch. I had forgotten that Cambridge had lived in Canterlot his entire life... Looking at the home he once had, now seeing it in shambles, a burnt out image of it’s former self, I didn’t envy him.

“Oh... Cam... I'm so so-” I was almost halfway over to him when he picked up a small chunk of pavement in his magic, hurling it at a nearby wall, breaking into pieces and dust. Then he start to sob lightly, ripping off his mask so he could breathe easier.

I recoiled in shock, hopping back a full few feet. This... This was horrible to watch, and I had to do something to comfort him. Regardless of his unrequited crush on me, he was still my best friend.

Trotting quickly to cover the score of feet between us, I managed to hug Cambridge before he had a chance to respond. He tensed for a second, my forelegs wrapped around his shoulders. Then he relaxed slightly, but now more uncomfortable than anything.

“Cam, it's...” My voice came out raspy due to the mask I was still wearing. I took it off, letting it fall to the ground. According to my EDA, it's not like we needed it anyways. Nothing dangerous was detected in the air. “Cam, it's gonna be okay.” I said, looking up at him.

His frown slowly began to warp into a smile, his words coming out weakly. “Thanks, Jade-”

“No, don't thank me.” I sighed and looked away, beginning to ramble out confessions, “This was all my fault for dragging you out here and not being considerate of your feelings and just assuming that my best friend would just be fine and like himself-”

I was interrupted as I felt a quick, lightly moist feeling on my cheek. The soft touch of lips was almost enjoyable for a second, before realizing who it came from.

“Cambridge!” I hopped back, in both surprise and embarrassment. The other pony just looked away bashfully, not about to admit he just kissed me. My thoughts began to race. This, this is not what I wanted to come between us. I didn't want to give him any ideas that we'd be more than friends. He didn’t know that I was solely interested in other mares, which was also I conversation I’d been avoiding.

I forced myself to take a few deep breaths, noticing now how cool the air felt without my mask on. It felt like my mind was in a flurry of indecision and panic. I always knew this was going to happen, but it didn't feel any less awkward.

Cambridge finally looked back, before pointing quickly with his hoof at me. “Jade...”

“No, it's alright... I guess it was just a spur of the moment, right?” I tried my best to put a smile on.

“Jade!” Cambridge's voice was tainted with a more hurried voice, his eyes wide. His pointing hoof began to tremble.

“Oh, what?” I sighed, thinking it was one of Cambridge's jokes. It was often his way of blowing off stress or any other feelings he didn't like. “Fine...” I chuckled turning around.

I wish I hadn't.

Nearly ten feet away was a charred and broken pony, it's coat completely black as if it had been burnt off. Scratch that, it probably was. It's body glowed faintly purple, especially it's head, eyes, and root-like patterns along it's body. Even daylight, those areas shone like a corrupted glow stick.

I stood there, stupefied, my mouth hanging open. This... This couldn't have once been a happy pony, living it's carefree life in Canterlot, only to become this monster. My mind refused to believe it, and my muscles protested any movement to run.

This thing, this perversion of nature, it slowly took a stumbling step forward. It's mouth hung open, revealing broken, black teeth. It's purple eyes were fixated on me, as if it could sense my fear. It seemed like hours had passed as it attempted to take another step, slowly bridging the gap between it and myself.

“Jade, watch out!” Cambridge called. I hardly heard him over the rapid beating of my heart, ringing through my ears. All I could do was stand there and stare, paralyzed by the horror in front of me. There was little I could do. I had never seen something like this before, never seen something so gruesome, so detached from my visions of what a pony could truly become.

The psuedo-zombie took another step forward, now close enough that I could hear it's shallow, labored breathing. It sounded almost like it was goi-

The deformed pony's head exploded, bits and pieces of it's body showering me, my helmet luckily shielding most of my face. I lowered my head, my body snapping back into action as the body fell to ground.

The echoes of a gunshot rippled through the air, and I ignored the splotches of purple-ish gore on my visor as I looked around for the shooter. All around, rubble and destroyed buildings littered the landscape, and a few were tall enough to provide a good vantage point for whoever took the shot.

Cambridge grabbed my hoof unexpectedly, dragging me with him. “Come on, Jade! We gotta get out of here!”

Within seconds, I found myself galloping down the streets of Canterlot. Cambridge was right in front of me, his personal knowledge of the city, even after it had been leveled, getting us out as quickly as possible.

After minutes of hard running, I finally stopped and rested against a brick wall, panting heavily. “Cam!... They're not shooting anymore!”

He stopped, turning around and trotting back to me. “A-Are you sure?” He wasn't breathing nearly as hard as me, his body in much better shape. “What if he's just waiting for us to stop?” His eyes darted around nervously.

I managed to let out a nervous chuckle, “If he wanted to shoot me, there was plenty of chances to do so earlier.” My breaths were slowly returning to normal, the aches in my legs slowly dying away. I was never much of an athlete.

Cambridge sat down net to me. “I guess you're right.” He pulled out a canteen of water from his own saddlebags, taking a sip. “Why don't we take a breather for a bit?”

I suddenly realized how good a break sounded. Nodding, I pulled out my own canteen and indulged in a long swill. The water tasted a little funky and was barely lukewarm, but that hardly crossed my mind as I felt the water almost recharge my muscles, quenching their screams for rest.

Sighing in relief, I set my canteen down and pulled out my sketchbook and a sketch pen, flipping it open to the first page. Before I left, I intended on taking my art with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit my easel and canvas into my saddlebags, so a sketchbook provided by the Princess would have to do.

I focused my attention on the scene in front of me, a destroyed building with it's roof caved in. It looked like it used to be a family-owned store, it's small design and it's practical construction a testament to my thoughts. The windows were blown out, the door was off one of it's hinges, leaning back dangerously, and the sign that once was hefted high and proud above the doorway, now was on the sidewalk, splintered and in pieces.

It all looked so sullen, so defeated. It equally reflected the entire shape of what was once Canterlot, it's proud and optimistic attitude reduced to one of darkness and depression. What had once been the shining beacon of prosperity was no longer. Instead, it was like the store in front of me. Shattered, broken, and hardly recognizable.

I began to work on the shape of the building, and as usual, my thoughts began to wander as I worked.

Where had that shot even come from? It's not likely that the pony could have gotten too close without me seeing. My time spent studying art itself had led to a more perceptive vision, and picking out odd details was my specialty. If I had to take a guess, he was probably far away, a sniper of some sorts.

But, why even save me? As far as I knew, a rifle that powerful was not in the hands of the Princesses' guards. If that was the case, then why would some random pony go out of his way to save me? I was nothing special, just somepony who managed to escape the apocalypse and return months later, with no real fighting ability whatsoever?

In fact, I had no clue about what would've happened if nopony took a shot and I had to defend myself. Shuddering, I realized I probably wouldn't have done anything. The fear had paralyzed me, wrapping me in a tight cocoon and not letting me out, keeping me shrouded in horror. It felt like all my energy had been sucked out in the blink of an eye, locking my joints together and keeping me as a statue.

My thoughts began to subside as I realized I was done filling in the shadows of the small store. I looked over my work, oddly not finding many qualms about it. Everything seemed well proportioned, and the damage to the walls and door was well recorded. Shrugging, I closed my sketchbook, accepting the decent sketch.

Standing up, I stretched and placed both my canteen and my book away into my saddlebags. I looked over at Cambridge, who was slowly getting up. “Are you ready to go?” I asked.

“Yeah, I'm good.” He nodded. “With any luck, we can get out of the heart of the city within a few hours or so.”

“Good.” I said, beginning to trot down the street with Cambridge. “No offense, but I'm not liking Canterlot right now.”

“None taken.” My sky-blue friend sighed, “It's not like it matters much.” His voice became lower, darker, and filled with conviction, “This is not my home.”

-~-

The burnt, hallowed-out corporate buildings and stores were slowly replaced by more residential areas as we moved into the outskirts of Canterlot, which were located further down the mountain. The carnage was still wretched and strewn across the ground, but at least the buildings were spaced out more, and visibility was better than before.

The downside was that this area was further from the blast, and therefore had more ponies that survived and were thereafter “neurologically deformed,” as Princess Luna had put it. However, this consequence had only revealed itself seconds earlier.

Meanwhile, Cambridge weakly raised his pistol in front of him, trying his best to line up a shot on one of the charred ponies in our way. A trio of them had stumbled out into the street, their eternal gaze locking onto us in an instant.

I was fumbling with taking my own pistol out of it's holster, when I heard Cambridge fire twice. “Dammit,” he muttered. I looked up, noticing that the shots had knocked it down, but it was slowly regaining it's footing.

I finally managed to levitate the pistol out in front of me, shaking wildly. The three glowing monsters slowly inched forward, their mouths wide open, yet no noise was coming out. The aspect of their silent expressions creeped me out almost as much as their glowing head, eyes and neural pathways. It all accumulated into something out of a nightmare.

Cambridge fired again, hitting one squarely in the chest and through it's heart, killing it. “H-Hey Jade!” He called out to me, “I know you don't want to, but could you help please?!”

I gulped, knowing he was right. I pointed my pistol at the one closest to me, and pulled the trigger, blinking as I felt the recoil push up against my levitation magic. The shot missed completely, kicking up dirt yards behind it.

Gathering myself, I dared to fire again, this time ready for the recoil action. I lined up another shot, and with a little less delay, pulled the trigger once more. The bullet screamed through the air and through sheer luck, struck the horror in the head, it's body crumpling immediately. It fell to the ground, a purple ichor leaking from the bullet hole in it's forehead.

I stared in disbelief... I couldn't believe it. I had actually taken a life. Granted, it was a twisted, blackened, warped life that no longer cared for anypony. However, it was still a life.

And what scared me the most, is that I felt almost no remorse.

Suddenly, I began to fume with anger. These... These things were once good, were once kind and caring ponies, now to be consumed into these mindless monsters. They were an abomination to ponykind, and deserved no pity from me.

My disbelieving expression quickly changed to one of determination and stone-cold conviction. I raised my pistol again with my telekinesis, and held it evenly at the remaining one's head, firing three times in rapid succession.

The first one missed, and the second grazed it's cheek, but the third struck home through it's right eye, dropping it to the ground.

Within seconds, our three assailants had been reduced to heaps of dark skin and bones on the road. Their corpses slowly lost their signature glow, as more and more purple liquid seeped from their wounds.

I turned over to look at Cambridge as I slowly put my pistol back in it's holster. His eyes were wide in astonishment, but he only nodded to me in support. Apparently, he had no quarrel with my prejudice towards these beings.

“Hello?” A static-filled, crackling voice sounded in my helmet. “Jade, Cambridge? Are you there?”

“Yes we are, Princess.” Cambridge replied, “Is anything wrong?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.” She countered, “From your recent audio logs, I could hear gunfire, and lots of it. Are you sure you're okay? Did you run into any of the Feren?”

“Feren?” I echoed her. “What's that?”

“The Feren are what we at the lab call those who have been re-wired by an overload of Ferenial Energy.” Her voice remained with a constant background of annoying static. “Did you come across any?”

“Twice.” Cambridge told her. “One within the heart of the city, and three just now in the residential area.” His voice became aggressive, “And I mean no disrespect, but I didn't know you meant 'clearing the way for us' through the use of obscure snipers that almost shot Jade.”

I sighed. Cambridge was right to be mad, he was just targeting the wrong pony. The sniper probably wasn't a guard.

“Princess Luna, what he means to-” I tried to interject, before being interrupted.

“Cambridge, what sniper? I'll have you know that none of my guards nor my sister's carry that sort of weapon on patrols within the city. So, if you wish to accuse me of something, you better know your facts first.” Even through the static, I could almost feel the displeasure in her voice. Way to go Cambridge, piss off a goddess who controls the moon and the stars. I wouldn't be surprised if he woke up one night to have a shooting star fall on him.

I tried again. “Princess Luna, I think I know what-”

“Princess, I don't need to know,” Cambridge hit back, and once again my words went unheard. “It doesn't make sense, who else could be that deep into the city? I've thought this over until now, and there is no other logical explanation.”

The Princess lashed out at him, her words clearly overpowering the lingering static, “Did it ever occur to you that there might just be more ponies out there than just the ones here in the bunkers? Or, even more, that some of them aren't good ones either?” It was very apparent in her voice that she was putting some serious effort in self-control. “You'll find out here, that the Feren aren't the only ones to be wary of.”

The communications line was cut immediately afterwards, the background of static broken with a quick hiss. Great. Now, due to our little “misunderstanding”, we'd be unable to report back to the Princess.

“Cam!” I looked over at him, “What the hell was that for?” I walked up to him, fixing him a stare. To say I was unhappy would have been an understatement.

“What do you mean?” He looked utterly dumbfounded, “I stood up for you there!”

I facehooved. “No, I didn't need standing up for. First, that shooter didn't even aim for me, he probably saved my life.” I sighed. Stallions could be so dense sometimes. “And second, he wasn't a guard. I'm sure of it.”

Cambridge shrugged, his voice sounding dejected, “Fine, whatever you say.” He looked ahead, the first few trees of Whitetail Wood now visible in the distance, “Come on, it'll be getting dark soon. We should probably find somewhere near the woods to hunker down for the night.”

Anxiety and apprehensiveness swept over my body. Right, sleep. Sleeping, within the vicinity of Cambridge. The day just keeps getting better and better. Yay.

“Good idea” I lied through my teeth, “Let's go.”

-~-

I opened the door of a small house on the fringes of what was considered Canterlot, now along the base of the mountain. The last hues of the sun entered into the door way, flooding a bit of the largely-intact house with light.

Flipping on the light in my EDA, I began to examine deeper into the house. It clearly was more of a cabin than anything, it's spartan look reinforced by only a rough table, low cabinet and a few chairs in the main room. Further down, two closed doors were against the back wall.

I floated out my pistol, turning back to Cambridge, “Hey, you check out the left door, and I'll take the right, okay?”

He nodded, coming in through the door and flipping on his helmet-mounted flashlight, a second beam of white light sweeping across the small room. Taking out his own pistol, he took a few running steps and tried to shoulder his way through the door.

It was locked, very well at that.

Cambridge rebounded off the door, falling to the ground. I tried my best to stifle a laugh as I walked over to help him up. Giving him a helping hoof, he got up and dusted himself off.

“I did that on purpose.” He huffed.

I chuckled as I walked over to the other closed door. “Oh really? Why would you purposely run into a door?”

He stood behind me as I tried the knob on the other door. Luckily, it was unlocked and opened with ease. “I was trying to make enough noise to wake up any of those comatose ponies that were in the house. That way, we could hear them if they were anywhere.”

I looked in the room, making sure my light went over every corner and shadow. From what I could tell, it looked like the bedroom. A bit of the ceiling was caved in, a few planks of wood fallen to the floor in the corner.
“In case you haven't noticed,” I stepped into the room, pointing the pistol around wildly as I'd seen in action movies, “These things are silent.”

While Cambridge took a second to digest my logic, I took a few more steps into the room, peering curiously at the room. There was a small bed, it's rough blanket the only thing over the bare mattress. Across the room was a small chest, made of tarnished wood and bronze, the metal rusted with splotches of blue.

Walking over to it, I looked it up and down. It was maybe only two feet tall, and a few feet wide. I looked for a lock, but it either was never there, or removed by it's previous owner. I wanted to open it up, but something was holding me back.

This used to be somepony's home, and this chest was probably where his or her valuables were kept. It felt like opening it would be a desecration. But at the same time, the pony who lived here was probably long gone. Whatever was inside would probably just rot away, so it made sense to try and find something useful.

Slowly opening the lid with care, I shone my light inside. I was surprised to find not much in there. A pair of boots, a blanket, and underneath that lay a crowbar and a framed picture.

I took everything out. The boots looked solid enough to wear, but they were meant for somepony with bigger hooves. Maybe I'd ask give them to Cambridge. They were actually pretty sturdy, made from rough leather and thick rubber soles.

The blanket wasn't much, just a plain, forest green color, made from cheap cotton. But, I figured it would be good for nights when we didn't have somewhere to sleep inside.

The crowbar was hefty, made from solid steel and in good condition. It showed a few signs of wear on it's hook, scrapes and minor scratches, but overall it was still highly usable. Actually, it gave me an idea, but first, something else had to be taken care of.

I picked up the small framed picture, sitting down and shining my light on it. It was an older stallion, his mane graying and a stubble beard that showed flecks of white. Beside him was another, although much younger. Probably his son, although fully grown. Both had a pale brown coat, so they probably were related.

What saddened me the most, was that both of them were smiling. The older equine had one foreleg wrapped around the other's shoulders, standing in front of a beautiful lake. It made me depressed, to see how happy a world we had left behind.

I'm beginning to think I was turning a bit too nostalgic, too wrapped up in how life once was. But, that wasn't bad, right? The world right now is in shambles, the morning sun bringing not a message of hope, but the cold realization that this chaos and pain is still lingering for another day. So, if there was anything to be missing, anything to desire and dream about, wouldn't “the way things used to be” top the chart?

Aside from my own dilemma, this picture, this memory deserved better. Like the millions of ponies who died, it deserved more than to just rot away and become forgotten. It needed to be respected, remembered, and put to rest, peacefully.

I slipped the framed picture into the remaining space in my saddlebags. Standing up slowly, I floated the other three items out into the main room where I found Cambridge, pilfering through the room's sole cabinet.

He lifted his head up, floating an object out. “Look what I found,” He set the object on the table and pressed it. Within a flash, an incandescent light filled room, emanating from a battery-powered lantern. “Neat, huh?”

“Yeah, nice.” I tossed him the pair of boots, “Here, try these on. They might just be your size.” I turned to the other door, holding out the crowbar in front of me and walking up to it.

Sizing up the door, I jammed the flat end into the side near the doorknob, and began to push. My horn flared as I put more energy into it, the door beginning to creak dangerously. I placed my hooves on the tool, pushing on it more with my admittedly small muscles.

With one last creak, the force against my crowbar vanished and I plowed right into the wall as it fell to the ground.

Cambridge barked out in laughter. “Oh, and you made fun of me for running into stuff!” He snorted. “You did some real work on the door, too.”

I got up, rubbing by muzzle in pain. It throbbed ruefully, like somepony had just slapped it. Looking up, I saw that only a small chunk of the door had been ripped off, stopping right above the lock.

Screw this door.

Picking my crowbar back up in anger, I took a few swings with the curved end, bluntly smashing in the thin wooden boards. After a few enraged blows, the door cracked and finally busted, wood splintering in a gaping hole towards the center.

Placing my blows a bit more accurately, I managed to smash in a decent entrance. Taking a step back to look at my handiwork, I suddenly realized I had forgotten that this used to be somepony's house. Dammit. I hoped that whoever lived here didn't smite me from heaven.

Sighing, I faced the reality that this was survival, and what was done is done. The door is now open, in a sense, and there was a chance that something back there was usable.

“Hey, not bad...” Cambridge whistled. “Maybe you should have been a burglar instead of an intern?” He said cheekily.

“Hah, well you can keep on trying to smash through doors with your head.” I retorted, “Celestia only knows what good it's doing for that thick skull of yours.”

I stepped in through the door, my flashlight cutting through the darkness. Luckily, nopony was there. I looked around, the room only big enough for a pony or two. A rack lined one side of the quasi-closet room, with a few wire hangers on it.

Luckily, a couple of heavy coats were hanging from them. They smelled musty and had a few moth-bitten holes in them, but they were warm. The antibacterial barding we had was also warm, but highly uncomfortable and unnecessary. So far, our EDA's hadn't picked up any contagions in the air.

Taking the two most intact coats, complete with a heavy hood and thick insulation. Okay, maybe not a jacket, more like a parka. Either way, they'd be useful in the next few months. Winter was steadily approaching, now in November. I'd also need boots of my own for the coming snow, but we had time. For now, I could manage bare-hooved.

Looking to the other side of the closet-room, I spotted a single bag leaned up against the wall. Taking a step over, I unzipped it. A slim barrel protruded from the bag as I pulled out its contents. It was a simple rifle, probably used for self-defense or sponsored hunting. I assumed the latter.

In years before the apocalypse, ponies from Canterlot had begun living closer and closer to the Whitetail Wood, which was home to many wolves and deer. The wolves became a problem for those living near the woods, often scaring, injuring and even killed one pony (Whose death spread like wildfire across the news). Soon, the government took act and tried to remove as many wolves as possible to less-populated forested regions.

With the wolves gone, the deer populations boomed, and threatened to disrupt the entire ecosystem. Once again forced to act, the government actually paid certain ponies to bring down the number of deer in the forest. It was frowned upon, but many ponies realized that if they let the populations rise, it would ultimately lead to overgrazing and affect many more animals than just the deer. A “necessary evil” that had to be done, and many employed to do it were paid sufficiently enough for their troubles.

I added the carry bag to my train of levitated items, and found a small box of ammunition beneath the bag, adding that too.

Climbing out through the gaping hole in the door, I carefully guided the coats, rifle bag and the small munitions behind me. Trotting over to the table Cambridge was at, I placed my new found items on it.

“Hey!” He complained, “My dinner was on there!” He dug his hoof underneath the parkas, pulling out a half-eaten bag of dried apples. He munched on a shriveled slice, looking over my find.

“Hmm, nice... It seems that your “precision work” on the door was well rewarded.” He snickered, casting a glance at the smashed in door.

I snorted in defiance, ignoring his joking remark. “Take the rifle. You're a better shot than me.” I floated the carry bag and the box of ammunition over to him, before taking one of the parkas.

“Oh, sure.” His humored tone died, “Good thinking.”

I grunted affirmatively as I worked on getting my antibacterial barding off. I was a little sweaty underneath it, and it stuck to my coat annoyingly. Half a minute later though, I felt liberated as it finally came off, the chilly air feeling amazing on my skin.

Floating over the coat, I tried it on and zipped it up. Surprisingly, it fit well, the sleeves coming down to just above my fetlocks. The hood fit nicely over my head, even if propped up slightly by my horn. I could always cut a hole in it if I had to.

But, the overwhelming aspect I noticed was how warm it was. And not just warm, but a nice, comfortable sort of warm. Sort of like being under a soft blanket on a cold night. And with that sensation, I finally felt exhaustion and tiredness wash over me. Today had been hell.

“Hey Cam,” I turned to him, taking the coat off, “Since I gave you the rifle, I'm taking the bed.”

He shrugged, “Fine, fair deal. I'll just use that blanket you found, okay?”

I looked back at him as I walked into the bedroom, “Sure, it should be out there somewhere.”

Closing the door behind me, I stepped into the room with my EDA's light as the only source illuminating the darkness. I slipped off my saddlebags, letting them fall to the floor. I hadn't eaten since the morning, but I was too tired to think of food. For now, I let the saddlebags and the supplies inside stay on the ground.

Climbing onto the bed, I took off my EDA, unsnapping the chin strap. The LED-powered light flicked off, and the room was submerged in darkness. I carefully floated it to the ground, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dark environment. Not like it mattered much, since I could feel my eyelids starting to droop.

Setting my head down on the bare mattress, I pulled the blanket over my body and curled up as tight as I could; I realized the room was chillier than the main room, probably due to a lack of insulation and the caved-in ceiling.

With my body and mind greedily asking for rest, I closed my eyes, letting time and space become irrelevant as I began to slip into a much needed slumber.

If one day could drain a pony this much, how could I ever hope to survive for months on end? How long would I be living like this, perhaps for the rest of my life?

I never found an answer, as my senses failed and I succumbed to sleep.