Title: Aftermath

Fandom: My Little Pony

Chapter: 2/?

Words: 622

Sorry for the wait! I've been so busy. This chapter is a little shorter than the last, but the chapters will get longer as the story goes on.

And thanks for all the positive feedback on the last chapter!

"It's safe to come out now!" the earth pony stallion rasped. "The attack on Canterlot has ended! The threat has been defeated!"

Vinyl Scratch stared wide-eyed at the pony in the bakery's doorway. She was vaguely aware of the other ponies in the room cheering, and Bon Bon making her way towards her.

The cream mare smiled softly. "Go find her," she whispered gently, barely audible over the roar of the other Ponyville citizens.

Vinyl stared at her friend for a moment, then nodded shakily and began to walk towards the door. Some of the other ponies must have seen her and caught on, because they all began to race for the door. The earth pony who had delivered the news, upon sight of the crowd rushing towards him, shrieked and sprinted out of the way.

Vinyl tried to push past a tall, green stallion, but was immediately pushed back. She fell onto her haunches and, dazed, watched as the ponies drained out of the room until she was the only one left. She groaned as she stood, and brushed dirt off her shoulder with her hoof. She galloped out of Sugar Cube Corner, but she had to slow her pace to a trot to avoid crashing into any other pony. The streets were filled with the Ponyville residents, most of them celebrating. Others were just trying to get to their homes, and a few made their way to the train station at the edge of town. Vinyl pushed through the crowd in the direction of the train station, though she was forced to stop several times to let other ponies pass. A nagging worry arose in her chest, and she tried to pick up her speed. Unfortunately, she ended up slamming into a huge, red stallion.

She recognized him as Big Macintosh, the older brother of Applejack. "Sorry, Big Mac," she said, and the stallion smiled and nodded. He stepped back to let her pass. Vinyl smiled weakly back at him and trotted on.

After what seemed like an eternity of trotting, stopping, then trotting again, then having to stop once more, she broke free of the crowd. Breathing a sigh of relief, she broke into a full sprint towards the train station. As soon as she set hoof on the wooden planks, she was stopped by a train conductor.

"Sorry, ma'am, but there aren't any trains available right now. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

Vinyl stared at him for a brief moment, then snorted angrily. "You don't understand. I have to get to Canterlot to see if my friend is okay!"

The conductor shook his head. "No can do, ma'am." he made to turn away, but Vinyl stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

"Isn't there some way I can get there!?"

The conductor looked frustrated at first, but then his gaze turned thoughtful. There was a minute or so of silence, before he replied, "Wait here for about an hour. Maybe I can get a train to come down."

Vinyl beamed. "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed, bouncing giddily. The conductor chuckled, then shuffled past her to go help another pony who had shown up.

Vinyl looked around for a place to wait, and, finding a bench off to the side, she walked over and took a seat. She figured it might take more than an hour for a train to arrive. She should probably go back to town to see if her other friends had made it alright, but she really wasn't up for going back in the crowd. Besides, they weren't as important to her as Octavia was.

It was only then had she realized she had left her shades back in Sugar Cube Corner.