The gravel crunches under my feet as I trudge through this desolate hell. I barely found anything, this was almost a wasted trip until I managed to find a few things in the ruins of that hospital. Thankfully there wasn't anything dangerous there.

But I found what I need: Food, water and meds. Enough for the next day or two anyway. Then I'll have to come out again. I don't even know where to look at that point, but I have to find something. Anything just so we can last the next month or so it'll take for the magical resonance to calm down. Then… I audibly sigh. shifting the weight on my shoulder around.

I pull my hand up and peer under it, using it to block the sickly light from above; almost home. Just another half mile or so. Home? A sad little voice mutters into my ear as I continue on. The wind is nearly throwing me off my feet and into the air, the trees are nothing but deathly rot.

The homes of families, the schools of children, the hospitals of the sick, the elderly, and the hopeful are all in ruin, their occupants starting to reek of the death that was so generously given to them without hesitation, without a thought to the consequences. Yes, this is my home. Our home.

I finally stumble over the small hill after struggling the nine foot incline, the roof of the house below has fallen in, the boards around it once vibrant, blinding white now a decaying gray.

Home.

I slide down the dusty slope; each stump and stone avoided with practiced ease. I nearly trip at the end, stupid, stupid, stupid. I'm getting weaker… I push open the creaky front door and walk slowly through the house, looking at each of the abandoned photos on the wall, each slowly disappearing every time I come here.

I touch the frame of one photo, the image is almost halfway sandblasted away from the raging winds and dust, but it's still somewhat viewable. A man, a woman and a small infant in their arms, a curl of blue hair on the small babe's head. What right have I to stare at these photos? These windows into a destroyed happiness? I take the photo off the wall gently and hold it between my gloved hands. What right have I to take this and save it from the destruction? I put stow it in my backpack, grabbing a few more with it. None.

I continue through the house and into the once green backyard, then to the rusty plate metal shed. I slip inside, closing the door behind me before shuffling in place, finding my flashlight that is clipped to my backpack. I push the button up and it flickers on, I hope it's only the batteries dying. I use it's light to reach down and pull the sheet of ribbed aluminium open by the attached rope.

I step down and into the near pitch blackness, my boot covered feet feeling as I situate myself on the roughly constructed stairs. I bend over as I quietly close the hatch, pulling the rope through the hole and tying it. It wouldn't keep someone from getting in, but we'd know they were coming at least. I hope so anyway. I then start down the short flight of stairs, quickly reaching a door with a flickering light coming under it.

I unlock and open the door, wincing as it creaks, and quickly enter before closing and locking it. I peel my mask off, grunting and almost moaning as the relatively fresh air cools my face. My hood falls back as my hair is unleashed. I remain still, breathing slowly with my eyes closed. I just barely open my eyes and stare at the earthy ceiling. I unclip my backpack, letting it softly land beside my feet, my gloves soon accompany it.

A shift and a groan draws my full attention as I nigh bolt over to the source, "Hey…" I slow to a halt and take a knee beside the makeshift bed. I rest the back of my hand on her forehead, her temperature is getting almost cold to the touch. "You feeling any better?" I ask her as I look down at her gently. She scowls at me, wincing at that slight movement.

She coughs, "Can it, Adagio..."

"Love you too, Aria." I stroke her bangs out of her eyes gently, "How bad is it getting…?"

Aria frowns, looking away, "Don't give me your sympathy crap… And I don't think I can last another month if I'm completely honest Adagio, I already feel so weak…" She trails off.

I frown as I stand up, walking back to my pack. I open it and take out some of the food I found. "I brought you your favorite: Unmarked can of random color goo." I pry the lid open with the pale blue can opener we found a while back, back when Aria could still walk and when Sonata… "Ooo, this one is sorta orange brown. Yum yum." I gitter gleefully; a dry glee. I tip it into the first bowl I see and tap the bottom when it decides to be difficult. I grab up a spoon and wander back towards Aria.

Aria snorts quietly, "Your sense of humor is as stupid as always..."

I smile at her words. "And we both know you love it." I say, sitting down and holding the bowl for her.

Blank stare. "No. I don't." She glances at the bowl, "And you know that won't help."

I nod, "Yeah… But at least it's something, you would end up much worse if literally nothing were going into you."

She doesn't respond, so I know I've won. "Can you do it, or do you want me to help you?" I ask her softly, frowning a bit.

She sits up abruptly, much faster than she should have. She squeezes her eyes shut, holding her side. "I'm… not that pathetic... that I can't feed myself yet..." She mutters through labored breathes. She takes the bowl from me and I stand up, going to put everything were it needs to go. "Any sign of her?" She asks before stuffing a spoon of the mushy orange gunk into her mouth.

I hesitate, my whole body freezing as I process her words. "...Fortunately, no." If I actually found any signs of her, it would mean… She's getting as weak as or weaker than Aria.

Aria doesn't respond.

I sigh and sort through what I found, methodically putting everything in it's place. Medicine in the top right drawer. Food on the shelf. Photos… In my side table drawer. I refill my supplies, in case I have to rush out. "I think this might've been sweet potato at one point." Aria cuts into my organizing.

"Any good?"

"No." She snorts, "Why would you even ask? Nothing you gimme is ever good. Only Sonata got the tasty food somehow." I wince at the mention of her name. "I really wish you knew where she went to get food."

I continue organizing, answering her a bit later. "She made it from the same slop you're eating now."

Aria contemplates this. "You should learn how to cook."

"Why? So you can criticize that too?" I chuckle. "Just accept it Aria: you're never happy with anything."

She puts the bowl on the floor and lays back. "If I were happy I wouldn't have any drive to change. The only way to progress forward is to dislike where you are now. The moment I am happy with my situation, I won't want to change it. I'll become stagnate."

I stare at her for a moment, "When did you get so philosophical?"

"Phil did what now?" She honestly raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"There's my little sister." I mutter with a small smile.

Aria furrows her brow for a moment. "Wait...I'm the same age as you."

"I'm older by ten minutes." I say in a sing-song tone, my voice cracking at even the joking attempt to sing.

"Says you." She doesn't mention the crack. We never mention the cracks. "It's not like you rememeber back then, how do you know I'm not the oldest?"

"Because I'm oldest." I finish putting everything away and rest my hands at the base of my back, leaning into them.

Aria laughs a little. "Okay miss comedian, I say when we find Sonata and we all get better we find out a way to test this. Maybe there's some kinda magic or something to check this with." My back pops. "Although, with your cracking old bones, you might as well be our grand mother." She laughs through her nose to herself.

"That would make me oldest, so you just admitted it." I stick my tongue out, taking a seat next to the head of her bed.

And we laugh and talk. We laugh and talk the night away.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I'm writing with a heavy heart I'm afraid. The reports have been confirmed by the local news networks. From the footage they showed on the news, I can confirm our suspicions:

It's being caused by an insanely large, and self-creating magical instability.

What kind of magic I'm not sure of, but it's not Equestrian magic I don't think. The texture wasn't quite right, similar, but a distinct difference. I suspect it might be this world's magic, only, if Starswirl's theory of universal thaumaturgic birth and decay is correct, it has been activated by some sort of magic catalyst.

Please, come at once. I wish to speak in person about this particular theory I have if I can. It involves the future of both Equestria and Earth.

Sunset Shimmer

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