ML54: Hey guys...
Button: AH! STRANGER DANGER!
Pinkie: KILL IT! *Gets zombie emergency gun*
ML54: Um...I don't own MLP, AH! *Jumps out of the way of gunshot*
Scavenging
"One pony's junk, is another pony's treasure..."
Seven Weeks After the Fall of Ponyville
Big Mac
Sweet Apple Acres
Okay, this was a continuin' problem here. Ah sighed as Ah looked at the empty toilet roll holder and just shook mah head, looking down at an old newspaper.
Ah well, it's better than nothin' Ah suppose. It, of course, felt mighty uncomfortable and scratchy but it was better than tha alternative.
After Ah was done, Ah flushed an' left tha outhouse, lookin' about the group. Twilight was teachin' tha little ponies, but she seemed ta be strugglin' wit' what ta teach 'em...
"Outta tha way!" Ah heard Applebloom cry out, rushin' right through tha group, right past me an' inta tha outhouse. Ah was about ta scold 'er fer bein' rude before Ah heard her retchin' inside.
Ah shook mah head an' left her to it, noticin' Ditzy lookin' worried. "Is she okay in there?" She asked. Ah sighed an' shrugged.
"Ah dunno Ditzy, she's been like this all week," Ah explained, glancin' ta tha outhouse.
"You don't think she's been...you know," She started. Ah shook mah head.
"Ah doubt it, Ditzy, ponies who're bitten aren't usually so energetic," Ah explained, causin' 'er ta nod. "So how's she doin' wit' 'er gun?"
Ditzy smiled, happily, and explained. "Really good, actually. AJ was right, it just took a little bit to teach her the right way to hold and aim and, once she got that down, she started hitting those cans like a pro!"
Ah smiled back, her happy grin bein' quite contagious. It was her special talent after all, ta have such a bubbly personality that others can't help but ta share her mood. "That's great! Thanks so much fer doin' this, Ditzy, it means a lot ta me an' AJ."
She blushed a bit an' shook her head. "It's quite alright, Big Mac, I needed something I can help with," She was about ta turn ta walk away before somethin' musta clicked. "Oh yeah, Mac, is there any more toilet paper? The outhouse by post 4 is out."
"Aw, Dagnabbit! We're outta toilet paper 'ere too!" Ah exclaimed, kickin' up tha dirt a little.
Just then a familiar blue mare walk up to us. "Hey Derpy, hey Mac Attack!" Rainbow called out ta us, waving her wing up.
We both waved back as she reached us an' Ah noticed her shufflin' a little. "Do uh...Do either of you guys know where I can find some soap? I haven't had a good wash in four days."
"Sorry Rainbow, I think Thunderlane used the last of it a couple of days ago," Ditzy explained, lookin' apologetic. Rainbow huffed, glarin' at tha ground a bit.
"Well that's just great! Post 3 and 6 are outta toilet paper and now we have no soap! And I'm pretty sure Scoots has learned about the Great Apple Famine of 812 ANM (After Nightmare Moon) about six times now!" She ranted, kicking dirt all over the place.
Ditzy an' Ah shared a look an' Ah sighed in resignation. "Looks like we need more supplies," Guess it was just wishful thinkin' that we could survive on tha farm just because we grow food. Ah forgot all about tha other necessities.
"If'n y'all are goin'...goin' out..." Applebloom said, openin' tha door ta tha outhouse after Ah heard tha flush. "Y'all might need ta git some o' that fuel fer our generator an' some gas fer tha kitchen."
"Aw shucks, we're almost out?" Ah asked ta which she nodded, swallowin' a bit, Ah guess tryin' not ta throw up again. "You should go rest, lil' sis, ya lookin' a little under tha weather."
She didn't seem ta take that well. In fact, she glared up at me as if Ah had mortally offended her an' started shoutin'. "AH'M PERFECTLY FINE, MAC, GIT OFF MAH BACK!"
Before Ah could reply, she took off towards post 1, where AJ was.
There was a moment of silence before Rainbow whistled. "Wow, what did you do?" Ah shook mah head and turned ta her.
"Nothin'...At least, nothin' Ah could think of," Ah replied, noticin' that Ditzy had left, probably not wantin' ta say anythin' ta set me off after that. Ah ain't mad, that much Ah know. It has been gettin' quite stressful lately, what with runnin' outta supplies, tha approachin' heat season an' Button's little bout of madness.
Ah looked over ta see little Button, his forehooves tied together wit' rope an' Sweetie Belle keepin' a worried eye on him.
It was worryin' but, at tha same time, quite comical watchin' tha kid struggle ta take notes wit' his hooves in tha way like that.
Ah felt a sudden nudge on mah shoulder an' turned ta see Rainbow press her nuzzle against mah shoulder. She looked up an' blushed, turnin' away slightly. "Sorry, bout that. But you know how it is, don't ya?"
Yeah Ah did. Tha week before heat, mares suddenly get a little more affectionate an' such. It was a way ta git a stallion ta seek her out when heat starts. Ah shook mah head o' those thoughts an' gave Rainbow a small smile.
"It's alright, Rainbow, Ah know ya can't help it," Rainbow sighed an' started trottin' off towards tha group.
"Thanks, I'll started getting a group together. See ya later, Mac," She said, leavin' me with a gentle smile.
"Alright guys!" Flash declared ta Blitzkrieg, Thunderlane, Ditzy, Rainbow and mahself. "There are several places we should check for supplies: Pharmacy, Barnyard Bargains, Library and Carousel Boutique."
"Vy are ve looking in the dress shop?" Blitzkrieg asked, confused. Ah decided ta answer this'n.
"Ta git gems fer Spike, he needs those things ta live an' he's runnin' low," Poor little guy. Ah heard from Twilight that, if'n Spike goes a month without gems he would start to weaken an' git malnourished and, eventually, die. It'd be like if'n one o' us starved ta death, somethin' Ah wish on nopony.
"Okay. And the library?"
"Books for Twilight to teach the kids," Flash answered Rainbow's question, nodding to Soarin.
"Okay, gate opening, good luck and be careful out there guys!" Soarin answered, before grabbin' tha rope in his teeth and pulling it, raising the door up, allowin' us out.
We rushed through, quickly, afraid ta keep it open too long in case a trotter comes through.
Ah ain't gonna lie, Ah hate comin' out here. Ah always feel so...vulnerable out here. As if, as soon as Ah turned away from where Ah'm standin', somethin'll jump out an' get me.
Ah guess mah inner turmoil wasn't as well hidden as Ah though it was since Rainbow poked me in tha shoulder, tha others further ahead an' out o' earshot. "You okay there, Mac Attack?"
Ah shook mah head an' turned ta face her with tha best smile Ah could. "Yeah, Ah guess, why?"
"Cause you're shaking," She explained, causin' me ta look at mah legs an' see that she was right, mah knees were knockin' inta each other in quick succession.
Ah steadied mahself as best Ah could an' tried ta laugh her worries off. "Ah'm fine, RD, no need ta worry."
"That's when I worry the most," Rainbow replied, smiling sympathetically. "It's okay to be scared, you know?"
Ah sighed an' nodded. But Ah felt like a damned fool fer bein' afraid. Ah was out here not even a month ago...but Ah guess Ah was a little jumpy then too. After all, Ah did almost blow Flash's head off.
Ah jus'...Ah didn't like those thin's, not one bit! They were monsters an', in tha end, a constant reminder o' what's goin' ta happen ta all o' us at some point.
Death.
An' this is what fate has in store fer us? Ta be reanimated walkin' corpses with a never-ending hunger? Ah'd sooner shoot mahself in tha head than let that happen ta me or anyone else here.
Ta AJ...Granny...Applebloom...Pinkie...Fluttershy...Soarin...I...I couldn't let it git them.
Ah turned ta Rainbow again, only ta see her rub her face inta mah shoulder. Ah was about ta ask what was wrong before Ah felt her shiver against me. "Hey don't worry. Truth is...I'm scared too...I mean, last time I was out here I almost died..."
Ah glanced at the stub where her bitten wing was and cringed sympathetically. I felt rotten fer doin' it ta her, Ah really did, but Ah didn't have a choice. It was either try it, or let her die.
She shook her head an' looked up at me, givin' me that cocky, adorable little smile she's known fer...
...Wait, adorable?
"But ya saved me and I know I can count on you, so you can be sure I'll watch your back. Deal?" Ah shook mah confusin' thoughts away an' gave her a smile o' mah own.
"Deal."
"I see two, one behind the counter and one in the far left corner," Rainbow explained ta me, noddin' into tha Pharmacy.
Tha group decided we should split up ta cover more ground. Rainbow an' Ah were assigned ta git all tha medicine an' baby stuff we could find in tha Pharmacy. Formula, diapers an' such. Thunderlane an' Ditzy were goin' ta tha library an' Flash an' Blitzkrieg were goin' ta tha Carousel Boutique.
Then those two groups were gunna meet up at Barnyard Bargains while Rainbow an' Ah were ta go back ta tha farm. They said it was because we'd need tha medicine there, just in case another survivor comes by needin' treatment. But Ah think they noticed our nerves an' decided ta send us back in case we were a liability.
Ah shook tha thoughts from mah head an' looked into tha big, glass window an' saw tha two she must be referrin' ta. Poor Tender Heart and Blossomforth. They musta taken refuge in here, only fer tha trotters ta burst in. Fer some reason, though, tha others seemed ta move on while they remained here. Musta been somethin' here important ta them or...as was more common, they were Lurkers.
Lurkers were tha name fer tha Trotters that seem ta stay in one place, ready ta ambush ponies.
"Eeyup," Rainbow smiled an' rolled her eyes.
"And back to this again. I'm impressed, two weeks with answers that were more than one word," She teased, pulling' a knife out, usin' her wing ta balance herself a bit better with three hooves. "I'll take out the one at the counter and you take out Blossomforth."
Ah stared at her fer a bit, before shakin' mah thoughts away. It never occurred ta me how...sexy Rainbow could be. He natural leadership skills an' such...well, when she wasn't miserable anyway, an' how she could give instructions so easily. It reminds me of AJ...
...Okay, that sounded creepy! What Ah mean by that is that it's familiar, cosy, somethin' that Ah'm used to. Ah had ta lead when Soarin an' Ah went inta Ponyville an' Ah hadn't tha foggiest how ta git through tha streets safely. What Ah'm sayin' is that Ah don't really know how ta give instructions very well. Ah'm a planner, not an improviser.
Ah jus' felt better followin'.
"Eeyup," Ah agreed, pulling out mah own knife, twice tha size o' her's. "An' that ain't a knife, Dash, this is a knife!"
Rainbow shook her head, grinning. "Stop making references and let's get to it," She declared, quickly openin' tha door an' jumpin' inside, rolling behind a shelf as the bell jingled.
Ah cursed tha bell and crouched down ta conceal mahself behind tha shelves in tha windows, ready fer one of them ta walk out. Luckily it's a pull door from mah side, so they'd hafta push.
Ah heard tha jingle an saw tha pink Pegasi, Blossomforth, wobble out of tha store, a scent of putrid, rottin' flesh hit me an' Ah recoiled slightly. Tha spring heat had not been kind ta tha Trotters. Their flesh seemed ta decay at a much higher rate.
Ah shook tha thought from mah head an' quickly thrust tha blade inta her temple, watchin' as it popped out tha other side. Ah caught her as she collapsed ta tha ground, dead an' sat 'er against tha window.
Ah heard a grunt an' saw Rainbow drag Tender Heart out, her wing wrapped around her neck. "Ah man, this one musta ate recently!"
Ah chuckled a bit, sadly. Tender Heart did tell me a few months ago that she was thinkin' about losin' a few pounds. Ah had told her she looked great tha way she was...
...Wow, that felt like a life time ago. Like it was something that happened a few year back, not a month before this whole mess started.
"Hey Mac, you in there?" She asked, clonkin' me in tha head a couple o' times. Ah shook out o' it an' gave her an uneasy grin.
"Sorry Dash, just thinkin' bout days gone by," Ah replied, only receiving a swat on mah shoulder.
"I told you to stop with the references," She said, jumpin up ta detach tha bell from tha door. "Now c'mon, we can get Pinkie her baby formula, your Granny's meds and just about everything else for Fluttershy."
"Eeyup," Ah replied, picking mah bag offa mah back, ready ta be filled up.
"Okay, that should be everything," Dash said, wipin' imaginary sweat from her forehead as she put a set o' insulin in a ice box that we fit inta one o' tha bags. We're just lucky this place ran on a generator so tha fridges still had power.
We were also lucky that looters seemed ta have forgotten how important medicine was an' favoured gettin' tha latest video games an' such. Ah shook mah head, grinning at Rainbow.
"Eeyup," Ah replied, opening tha door fer her.
Once we left, Ah saw her face light up with realization. "Oh wait! I forgot something! Be right back!"
An' like tha wind, she was gone! Ah was quite impressed really, she was very speedy even without her wings...
...but mostly Ah was terrified, runnin' after her and shuttin' tha door closed behind me. Yeah, I knew we were in a more secluded part o' town, so not many Trotters would be around here, but bein' in tha open where anythin' or everythin' can jump out at ya without someone else ta, at least, even tha odds a little was real spooky.
Ah shook tha thought from mah head an' walked up ta Dash, who gasped at seeing me an' seemed to be hidin' somethin'. "Rainbow, what in Tartarus was that?! Ya ditched me!"
"Sorry Mac, I just uh...Forgot these, I was just fetchin' them and coming back! Promise!"
Ah rose an eyebrow an' turned ta look at what she was holdin' up...then immediately turned away, mah face lightin' up. "Uh...Ya came back fer condoms?"
She blinked, blankly, before looking at what she was holdin' up an' gasped, droppin' them. "Oh sorry! Not them, I wasn't thinking about that! Even though heat's coming up and we could use those, but I wasn't trying to tempt you that much!"
"...T-that much?" Rainbow gasped a bit, her face lighting up in a bright shade of red...Ya know, seein' Rainbow blush is quite adorable, especially when she tried avoiding mah eyes in favour of...anythin' else really.
Though, she did steel a bit of courage an' look up at me with a fire in her eyes that, quite frankly, was also really damn attractive, especially with her gorgeous cerise pink colouration in them...
...plus thinkin' of her like this is really helpin' me forget 'bout mah previously broken heart. Sure, Rainbow is a very different pony to Pinkie, but hen again there is nopony like Pinkie. But there's nopony like Rainbow either an' they're both beautiful in their own right.
"Well...yeah I guess...I do feel for ya, you know? It's just that I feel you didn't even know I existed when you were fantasizing about Pinkie," Mah eyes widened a little more, causing her to smirk a little more. "Yeah, yeah I knew about it, and no I'm not going to tell her about it..."
She strided forwards, her tail seeming to paint tha air behind her, her eyes half lidded in a sensual way that intimidated me more than anythin', but it did arouse me too. In response Ah backed up, accidently fallin' onto a mattress that tha two previous residents musta been usin'.
Without givin' me tha chance ta git up, she launched herself at me, knockin' me back down, starin' at me lustily. Ah mean...Sure Ah wouldn't mind doin' it with her. She's pretty, fun and down right cute most times...an' her motherly side fer Scoots really attracted me, much tha same way that Pinkie's motherly tendencies fer tha cake twins attracted me ta her.
But we were still in Ponyville, a place that had trotters walkin' through quite regularly an' would probably jump at the chance to jump in here an' attack us.
As if mah question was already answered, Ah noticed that a shelf had already been moved in front of the door.
So what else was there ta do. There weren't no chance o' pregnancy since it's still tha week before heat an', if'n someone does it in that time, their heat'll be calmed. An' Rainbow didn't look like she was gonna let me go anytime soon.
"...Ah need an adult?" Ah said, causing her to grin and lower her head towards mine.
"I am an adult," She replied, catchin' mah lips wit' her own.
ML54: Had your fill, Pinkie?
Pinkie: *Shrugs* Sure...
ML54: Thanks, well anyway sorry for being gone *Checks watch* Seven months, bu I'm playing around with a new, long term story idea.
Applejack: Ah thought this was long term?
ML54: It is! I just...haven't gotten alot of support for it... *Walks away and sits in the corner*
Rainbow: *Rolls eyes* While the baby has his moment, please review. No flames though, or he might start crying eve more!
ML54: *Sniffs* Not crying...