Drought/0011

Drought/0011 - FracturedFlow

>the sun shines down, scorching the dried, cracked land
>the drought is taking its toll
>all aquatic and amphibious animals are annihilated
>the air is stifling; there is no moisture anywhere
>the lakes have dried up; wells are dangerously low, and the town is on the brink of collapse
>you wake up to suffocatingly hot air scorching your throat
>you trudge over to your closet and get dressed
>you'd go naked, but yellowquiet would probably take advantage
>although even she is feeling the effects of the drought
>you drag yourself to your kitchen and search for food
>nothing
>well, almost nothing; there are a few crusts of bread
>you figure its better than nothing, so you eat whats there
>for the 1000th time this week, you wonder how a drought was possible
>the weather is supposed to be carefully managed, but perhaps the system is not infallable
>you sigh
>as you inhale, you get a lungful of dust
>your hacking cough hurts your already parched throat
>as you regain your composure, you hear a knock on your door
>youre in no mood to deal with fluttershy
>nevertheless, you make your way slowly to the door
>each step seems to take forever, your legs protesting each movement
>you open the door, prepared for the worst
>you see fluttershy, but she is with Twilight and Applejack
>maybe this isnt one of fluttershy's schemes?
>twilight speaks, her voice cracking
>"anon, we were... wondering... if you want to... join us to go... find some water..."
>youre slightly confused
"how... could i... help? wouldnt it... be faster... to go without me..?"
>twilight gestures to your hands
"oh... i get it... sure, i'd... be happy... to..."
>you expect fluttershy to react to that; you usually try to avoid her, and to go with her on a journey...
>but she doesnt even look up
"whats... wrong with... her?"
>you gesture at fluttershy
>Applejack responds
>"her poor critters... some of 'em... couldnt take... th' heat..."
>you nod. despite your encounters with her, you know she loves her animals.
>"meet us... at the edge... of.. town... in an... hour"
>1 hour later...
>you are at the edge of town; twilight and applejack are already there
>you look around for fluttershy
>shes nowhere to be seen
>5 minutes pass, then ten, then two, and finally seventeen
>twilight looks annoyed
>applejack mutters under her breath
"should we... go without...?"
>"no" twilight cuts you off. "lets go... get her..."
>you trudge through the dead grass on your way to fluttershy's house
>the sun is scorching down
>youre irritated at how inconsiderate fluttershy is being
>you were trying to save the town, and she cant be bothered to show up on time?!
>its probably because she has a fear of the sun or something stupid, you think spitefully
> you finally arrive at fluttershys cottage
>"FLUTTER...SHY..!" twilight yells
>a minute passes, with fluttershy still not showing herself
>twilight opens the door
>you, twi, and aj walk inside
>fluttershy is sitting in the middle of the room, her back to you. she is shaking slightly
>"there.. you are...! lets... go..!" twilight says
>fluttershy doesnt respond
>she just sits there, shaking
>you walk over
"fluttersh-"
>she looks up at you, a tear rolling down her cheek
>you notice the small white bundle on the ground by her hooves
>"he's dead... angel... mamma's sorry..!" fluttershy sobs, her frail body shaking
>she looks so pitiful
>your heart goes out to her
>without thinking, you hug her tightly
"fluttershy... im so sorry..."
>she doesnt seem to take notice that youre hugging her
>"if... if only..." she chokes out
>you rub her back
"there's nothing you could have done..."
>twilight and aj hug fluttershy too
>"Sugarcube... im so sorry fer ya..." aj murmurs
>"how awful..." twilight says softly
>you hug for another minute
>you pull away first
"girls... we still have to..."
>"i know..." twilight responds
>"fluttershy... do you think... you can... make the journey... with us...?"
>fluttershy looks at twilight with dull eyes
>"i... i have to... for angel... for his memor..." her voice chokes off
>she strokes his fur with a hoof, then collapses, her hooves over her eyes
>as terrible as this is, you still have to save the town
>you go to leave, but you realize you have to do something about angel; you cant leave him there to rot
>you pick up his body
>poor thing; he could be annoying, but didnt deserve to die
"um... do we... bury him... or...?"
>aj nods, looking uncertain
>"cant do much else..."
>fluttershy gets up, her lifeless eyes still staring at angel's body
>she walks slowly out the door
>you twi and aj follow
>fluttershy walks over to a small tree
>"b-bury... him.. h-he..."she cant make it through the sentence
>you nod
>you find a shovel and dig a shallow grave near the trunk of the tree
>twilight says a few words, while fluttershys frail form is wracked with sobs
>you shovel the earth over his body as fluttershy looks away
>you, twi and aj stand there in awkward silence, not sure what to do
>"w-well... we... should get... going..." fluttershy murmurs
>you nod in relief, the awkwardness passed
>walking away from fluttershys cottage, you notice fluttershy looking back at the tree where you buried angel
>you hear her mutter quietly, "i dont know what to do, angel... im so sorry..."
>attempting to be reassuring, you stroke her mane
>normally, fluttershy probably would have been estatic, but now she doesnt seem to notice your touch, and continues walking as if you dont exist
>you give up and just focus putting one foot in front of the other
---
>as you venture out, fluttershy lags behind you and the others; you figure she wants to be alone
>the sun beats down on your backs, a constant reminder of how important your task is
>as you walk, aj move closer to you
>she whispers "im a might worried about fluttershy, anon. ya think you could check on her? i know she really likes you"
>youre about to decline when fluttershy trips, landing on the dusty ground
>she makes no attempt to get up
>twilight has to lift her up with magic
>sure, she can be a bit... exuberent... at times, but you still care for her
>how could you just abandon her, when shes so broken?
>you nod at aj
"o-okay."
>twi and aj take the lead as you walk to the edge of town
>you walk next to fluttershy
>what do you say to your attempted rapist who just lost their pet/best friend?
"umm... are you... okay... fluttershy..?"
>"i just... lost angel..." fresh tears spring into her eyes "angel... im so sorry...!"
>wrong thing to say
>she starts sobbing again
>smooooth, anon
"d-dont cry... um... um..."
>dammit, what can you do?!
>aj turns around an looks at you with an expression of "what the heck did you do, you insensitive jerk?"
>you have to do something to calm fluttershy...
>you brace yourself, as what you are about to do next will cause fallout greater than post-apocalyptic nuclear winter
>you take a deep breath, then kiss fluttershy on her cheek
>ohCelestiaWhatHaveIDone.wav
>fluttershy immediately stops crying, sways a little, then drops to the ground in a 'splosion of hearts
>tons of little pink hearts fly everywhere
>you hear her sigh contentedly
>aj looks back
>"y'all can be... lovey-dovey... on the way... back...; now if... ya dont mind..., get movin'!"
>fluttershy isnt going anywhere; that much is obvious by the hearts flying around
>you wince
>aj is impatient; "hurry... it up..., anon!"
>twilight turns around; "what seems... to be... the problem?"
"n-nothing!"
>it looks like someone is going to have to carry fluttershy
>and chances are, that someone is you
>sighing, you pick up fluttershy and carry her on your back
>she wraps her hooves around your neck and waist, clinging to you tightly
>fortunately, she still seems to be in a daze from your kiss, and doesnt attempt anything... yet
>twilight raises an eyebrow
>"ready now?"
>you glare
"lets just... get this... over with..."
>you set off again, hopefully with no more distractions
>fluttershy is lighter than you expected; maybe pegasii have less dense bones to allow them to fly?
>it makes carrying her much easier than you thought
>still, wearing a fuzzy backpack thats got a deathgrip on you while walking around in the scorching heat isnt the best way to keep cool
>hopefully this wont take very long
---
>[insert harmonica and maracas here]
>it feels like you've been walking for days
>the sun has scorched your pale skin, and you know that youve got sunburn
>your tongue feels swollen, your lips are dry and cracked
>you cant seem to sweat anymore, a sure sign of dehydration and possibly heat stroke
>fluttershy clinging on to you doesnt help either
>each footstep seems to take an insurmountable effort
>you find yourself wishing that you didnt agree to go on this journey
>but your friends asked for your help... still, this is annoying...
> you shake your head to clear your irritated, selfish thoughts
>they trusted you enough to bring you on a mission that could determine the fate of p0nyville
>you should be honored
>still, you had hoped to see more progress; you must have travelled all day
>you check your watch to see how long its been since you started out
>5 minutes
>that cant be right; it feels like youve spent a lifetime in this insufferable heat
>you double check
>5 minutes, 1 second
>you shake your watch
"stupid thing..." you mutter
>you check again; maybe you shook some sense into an inanimate object
>5 minutes, one second, 68 miliseconds
>...dammit
>your misery is interrupted by fluttershy stirring from her daze
>"wh-what... where...?" she says, confused
>she then notices youre carrying her
>you hear a squee right in your ear, shattering your puny human eardrum
"fluttershy... could you... not do... that...?"
>she meeps. "s-s-sorr-ry..."
>you sigh
"just... dont move... okay...? i dont... want to... drop you..."
>she nods vigorously, then nuzzles your neck
>you admit to yourself that when she isnt being a rapist she can be quite cute
>dammit, gotta stop thinking like that; shes gonna go right back to harassing you once she emotionally stabilizes
>you dont want to start feeling sorry for her
>not for too long, anyways
>you walk up to twilight
"where... are we...?"
>she gestures to a map she's levitated in front of herself
>"its a... map... of... underground... lakes..." she wheezes
>the heat must be really getting to her; youve never heard her sound so exhausted and dejected
"so we're... going to...?"
>"dig..." she winces
>you look at her saddlebag and see a shovel
>oh dear; it looks like youre going to have to do some labor
>twilight glances at fluttershy
>"interesting... backpack... anon..."
>you feel yourself heating up; not good when you can melt steel on the ground(maybe)
"i-its... not like... that..."
>she nods
>"suuuuuuure..."
>its too hot to bicker
>you slow your pace, letting twilight lead again
>this is going to take forever
>you check your watch again
>5 min, 1 second, 69 milliseconds
>fucking time-travel
>you resign yourself to becoming a withered husk, and march onwards
---
>the sun hangs low in the sky, and the air has finally started to cool
>it's still quite warm, but the heat is no longer unbearable
>you yawn as you continue to walk
>fluttershy is still fused to your back
>well, at least shes only being clingy
>you dont think you could handle it if she was being rape-y
>you care barely register any feeling in your legs; you have been walking all day
"how... much... farther..?" you ask twilight
>"we should... be there... by tomorrow... if we... walk... all night..." she replies
>"there... aint no way... im walkin... all night...!" applejack interjects
>twilight grumbles "fine... lets find... shelter then..."
>after checking the map and the nearby areas, you find a small cave
>its not really a cave; it looks more like a small hole in a rock
>oh well, shelter is shelter
>"twilight's horn glows as you enter, illuminating the 'cave'
>its devoid of life, but larger than it seemed from the outside
>and...
>theres a small pool of something at the back...
>what is it...? you peer closer... its...
>WATER! GLORIOUS WATER!!!!!
>you let out a shout of excitement; you finally found water!
>its not that much though; the pool is only 30 cm deep at the middle, and 120 cm diameter
>still, its WATER, GLORIOUS WATER
>"what... are you... so excited... about...?" twilight asks, applejack trotting up beside her
>you gesture to the pool
>twi and aj just stare for a few seconds
>aj lets out a "YEE-HAW", and tosses her hat in the air
>twilight hops up and down, grinning
>fluttershy even snaps out of her love-induced stupor to stare at the water, squee-ing in excitement
>you all rush over to the pool and begin drinking
>your mind is flooded with endorphins, and youre in pure bliss
>the water is delicious, hydrating your parched, dry throat
>you lose track of time; all there is is the water, the beautiful, glorious water
>finally, after gulping as much water as your stomach can handle, you step back, with a groggy groan
"man... that was..." youre at a loss for words; it was undescribable
>twilight nods in agreement
>applejack flops over
>"deeee...licious" she mutters
>the sun's last dying rays illuminate the cave briefly
>the water sparkles and glistens in the light, appearing red and bloody
>the light slowly fades, as the sun vanishes from sight and night consumes the sky; the air is noticably cooler, and it feels wonderful
>you sigh contentedly
>as twilight fills canteens with water from the pool, aj unpacks four sleeping bags and pillows from her saddlebag
>you grab one and flop down on the floor, exhausted from the day
>flutters curls up some distance away from you
>you're glad she understands the concept of personal space, but you feel a slight pang in your heart anyways
>wait, what was that i just felt? you think, confused
>probably nothing, you decide, and lay your head down to sleep
>twilight casts a spell at the entrance of the cave
>you look at her questioningly
>"protection from nocturnal predators" she explains
>you nod in understanding
>twilight lays down in the sleeping bag
>the floor is kinda rocky, but youre all too tired to care
>aj is already asleep, snoring softly, her hat over her face
>the day's events have taken their toll on you, and you fall asleep quickly
>zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....
>your eyes fly open; youre staring at the ceiling
>but... its not the ceiling of your home in p0nyville...
>then it dawns on you
>you're at home, your home, the one on earth
>youre in bed
>and youre... having sex?
>you finally notice that someone is under the covers
>you feel a tongue run up the length of your member
>it feels so good...
>a soft moan escapes your lips
>wait... who is it?
>you lift up the covers, expecting to see maybe your ex, or someone you know
>instead, teal eyes stare at you from behind pink hair
"FLUTTERSHY?!"
>you snap awake, a cold sweat drenching your body
>you shiver; youre not a horsefucker, and you would never do it with fluttershy, of all p0nes
>you glance at fluttershy's sleeping bag, reassure yourself that she's still there, and it was just a bad dream
>she's not there
>you feel something move beside you
>you jump out of the sleeping bag, panicking
>fluttershy looks up at you from beside your sleeping bag, startled
>"i-is s-something wr-r-rong, an-non?" she stammers
"what the fuck did you do, bitch?!" you swear at her
>tears form in her eyes
"well?!" you yell in her face
>she sobs
>"i-i-i w-w-wa-s-s-s j-j-jus-s-s-t-t-t..."
>her sobs cut off her words, and you cant make out anything else she says
"no! you will answer me! none of this 'feel sorry for me cuz im crying' bullshit!"
>"tears and mucus run down her face
"c-c-c-cud-d-dd-l-l-l-e" she chokes out, as her body shakes from the sobs
>...
>you check yourself; your pants are still on, your belt hasnt been fiddled with; youre intact
>so either fluttershy can now magically phase through clothes...
>or you just verbally abused her because youre paranoid and had a bad dream
>well now, it seems that you once again win the jackass of the day award
"i-im sorry, fluttershy... i..."
>wait, why are you apologizing?! she was still invading your personal space!
"actually, im not sorry! why were you near me in the first place?!"
>she sobs louder, her tears making pools on the floor
>"b-b-ec-c-a-a-u-s-s-s-e i-i-i m-m-m-i-i-s-s-ss a-a-an-g-g-g-e-l-l-l, a-a-a-n-d-d-d i-i th-th-thou-gh-t-t-t..."
>you cant make out the rest, but you understand the jist; she misses angel, wants you to comfort her, but doesnt want to disturb your slumber
>she trudges back over to her sleeping bag and burrows in
>you can still make out her sobs and sniffles
>she lost angel less than 24 hours ago; she was holding up remarkably well, all things considered
>and then you had to go ballisitic on her
>you sigh; why cant you do anything right today?
>you see a slow flow of tears leak from her sleeping bag


>---
>at rainbow dash's house...
>RD wakes up, shivering in fear
>she runs and checks her trophy cabinet
>its gone?!
>the 'biggest cunt in equestria' award is gone!!!
>she sobs softly; who could have been a greater cunt than her? she thought her S2 performance clinched it
>meanwhile...
>you see an award appear in front of you
>it says 'biggest cunt in equestria'
>wellShit.jpg
>youre gonna have to apologize to rainbow dash once this is over
>---


>you cant leave her like that
>you walk over and lay down beside her
"fluttershy... im sorry... i had a nightmare... and i know thats no excuse... but i hope you can forgive me..."
>she looks into your eyes, you see tears still forming
>damn it...
>you hug her tightly, eliciting a squee from her
>you let go after a few seconds
"feeling better?"
>she seems to have calmed down a bit...
>"a-anon... i... th-that is... w-would you h-hold m-me?" she looks up at you with those beautiful, tear-stained teal eyes...
>wait, what?! its just her eyes, for celestia's sake! is she using the stare?
>...no, you have free will, you arent being forced to do anything
>you hesitate
>"um... i-i-t-s... o-o-kay... you d-dont h-have t-to" she murmurs
>she turns on her back and stares up at the ceiling
>you feel your heart go out to her... dammit, why are you so weak?!
>you put your arms around her and hold her close
>she blushes profusely, and lets out a squeak
"just this once, got it? and tell nop0ny else." you say sternly
>fluttershy snuggles closer you you in response
>shes so soft and warm...
>fluttershy presses her nose to yours
>aww, how cute
>wait... its... not cute... stop it... brain...
>so... tired...
>you feel your vision blur, and your eyes close momentarily
>wha? no, stay... a... wak... ... e... ... ... ...
>zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
>...
>you feel a hoof prodding your side
"zz- wha-?" you push the hoof away
>"FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME, WAKE UP ANON!" a voice yells at you
>you snap awake; where...?
>then your mind flashes back to last night
>oh no... you fell asleep with fluttershy...
>you do a double take; you fell asleep with fluttershy! and... youre still hugging her?!
>you jump up; fluttershy stirs, then looks up at you with sleepy eyes
>"good morning, anon~n" she says
"u-um, this isnt what it looks like..." you stammer at twilight
>twilight rolls her eyes
>"sure, anon. whatever you say."
"i swear! i-"
>"save it for later, anon. we're running late" twilight gestures outside
>you see the sun glare in from outside; did you sleep half the day away?!
"s-s-orry..."
>twilight sighs "lets just get going soon..."
>she levitates an apple at you, and another at flutters
>"eat, drink, then pack up so we can get going. that is, if youre not to busy making out with fluttershy"
>she shoots you a withering glare
"its not like that!" you prostest
>she walks away, shaking her head
>you crunch into the apple, determined to just get out of there
>beside you, fluttershy nibbles on her apple
>as she nibbles, applejack walks up to her
>"so, fluttershy... how was it with anon? doin'... well, you know..." she blushes slightly
"its not like that!" you exclaim
>aj looks at you, snickering; "suuuuuure, whatever you say, anon"
>you feel your face heat up
>"so, anyways, fluttershy, what was it like?" she questions again
>fluttershy blushes; "u-um, anon said not to t-tell anyp0ny..." she says
>applejack whistles "really now? so that bad, or that good?"
>"ITS NOT LIKE THAT!!!" you exclaim, your anger burning over
>aj looks startled; "jeez, anon, calm down, would'ja? you got yerself all worked up in a ruckus ov'r nuthin"
>you glare angrily as you finish your apple
>you walk over to the pool to get a drink; you need it, after the rustling your jimmies just got
>as you drink, you her whispers of conversation from aj and fluttershy
>you decide to ignore it; after all, you were just reassuring a friend
>a beautiful, shy, loving, gorgous teal-eyed frie-
>NO! bad brain! stoppit!
>you hit your head against the ground a few times
>you are NOT interested in fluttershy! besides, she's a rapist!
>you feel a brief spark of anger burn away any mutinous thoughts
>you were only nice to her because angel just died
>you were being a good friend, even though you dislike her
>...but its so hard to dislike her; with that beautiful pink hair, that loving, shy personality, those adoable wings, those wonderful teal ey- FUCK!
>NO! you make sure to go through each of the times she tried to rape you in your head, trying to get your anger to flare again
>you feel your anger spark
>then flame
>then roar into a blazing inferno
>you will NEVER like that psychotic bitch! EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER!!!!
>you take a few calming breaths to contain your anger
>well, at least you burned away any rebel scum thoughts
>you make a point to not even look at fluttershy as you roll up your sleeping bag and place it in aj's saddlebag
>you walk out of the cave in a huff
"lets get moving, already!" you call back
>twilight walks out; "oh, we're the slow ones?! who slept til noon?!" she says with an accusing glance
"whatever. im sorry. now, lets get moving."
>aj and fluttershy walk out, still talking in hushed whispers
>you dont care anymore
>you set off once again, the blazing sun beaming down on you
>hopefully, today you will find the lake
>but what if you dont?
>no, gotta think positive
>fluttershy walks up beside you, but you increase your pace, and go ahead of her
>you hear aj mutter to fluttershy "lover's quarrel?"
>you feel your face heat up as fluttershy stammers
>you tune them out; you dont want to get yourself riled up
>eventually, they stop talking; the heat makes speaking a burden on the throat
>you trudge on in silence, focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other
>you hear a buzzard's cry off in the distance
>...youre going to die in this barren, scorched wasteland