Apocalypse Quest to Equestria CH2

>Anon had a vivid dream that night, one of the old days. A memory set between his first year at university and the collapse.
>It occupied that odd space between total collapse and business as usual.
>A time when people were desperately ignoring the signs and growing discontent, ignoring the growing number of missing person reports and laws.
>Choosing to remain blind to the ever expanding population of genemodders.
>Anon remembered it as his first encounter with the ferals.
>It was after the curfew, a new law only about a month old, it was met with much hatred.
>It was maybe about 11 at night, Anon had just started brushing his teeth, a mundane but soothingly repetitive task.
>He heard glass break downstairs, quickly followed by sirens, spat out the cleansing fluoride and ran to his room.
>He grabbed his only gun, as said earlier he wasn’t a big gun guy, a ruger 10/22 and shoved the magazine in.
>He cautiously stalked down the stairs ruger on his shoulder. He kept thinking to himself ‘why didn’t I buy the 25 rounders’.
>He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around, equal amounts curiosity and fear. The sirens were getting closer.
>There was broken glass strewn about the place, glimmering as they caught the streetlights, there was a sudden movement in the dark room.
“Stop!”
>Anon called out to the dark unknown shape, it seized up for a second, obviously caught by surprise, there was a small pause, during which a pair of yellow cats eye’s about the size of a fist could be made out.
>Anon had seen eyes like that before, the secretary at his office was a genemodder and had those same type of cat eyes.

>The creature leapt at Anon, he panicked and fired with a yelp that was none to masculine. The sirens blared and screamed right outside the shattered window.
>While he didn’t notice it in his terror, but the small caliber round passed right through the left eyes tear duct.
>With a great ‘thump’ the creature impacted Anon, forcing him over, he panicked and fired again.
>He struggled to shove the dead mass off of himself, as he did so a couple of police officers stepped through the broken window.
>They both had shotguns raised as they came through, upon seeing him they immediately slung the weapons and pulled the cat person off of him.
>Anon continued to lie on the ground, still in panic, as he mumbled out a stream of swears.
>“Sir, are you hurt?”
>Anon moved his hands up to his head, rubbing hard on his eyes, as if to try to push them out the back of his skull.
>“Sir?”
>Anon looked over at the cat person… thing. I was obviously at one point human, but like the human had spent a couple thousand dollars on high end genetic therapy.
“Oh, uh. I’m fine… I’m fine… fine. Hoh!”
>With that he slowly regained consciousness as the sun broke over the abandoned low-rise apartments.
>Anon brought himself upright, the sound of his movement woke Daniel, who’s hand shot out for his rifle before he remembered why there was a person next to him.

>Daniel still picked up his rifle, but without any sense of urgency, checked the chamber, and blearily looked over at Anon.
>”Mornin’ bro.”
“Morning.”
>Anon reached into his backpack and pulled out he bag of jerky he found the other day, and tossed in to Daniel who failed to catch it.
>Anon then checked the chamber of his own rifle, it was still loaded as he left it; he ran his fingers over the colt logo and the ‘government property’ stamp.
>Daniel was finally up and tossed Anon one of the bottles they found, he drank about half of it before dropping it in his pack.
>It had been less than 24 hours but they trusted each other with their prized supplies already.
>Maybe friendship really is magic.
>”Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have and 7.62 soviet would you?”
>Anon reached into his bag and tossed Daniel a little box white Winchester box. Anon had no use for it, but it made an excellent trading item, it was on par with bic lighters and canned food.
>Anon ate his share of the jerky as Daniel immediately loaded it into his vz’s magazine. With that, they both shoved the mattress and dresser off of the door and left.
>They reached the bottom of the stairs, neither of them saying a word, still cautious for a hiding feral or bandit trap.
>Once they made it to the door, Daniel pulled out a folding mirror and checked the street, with that they left for the UCLA campus.

>It was a long walk, quiet, so as to avoid attracting ferals or bandits.
>Anon and Daniel only stopped twice, once at the LA river to refill their canteens and bottles.
>In only five years the water was almost drinkable, but they still used the carbon filter Anon had been carrying, better to play it safe.
>The second time was at an old military blockade. Those things were set up maybe a week before the power and water went out.
>A last ditch attempt to stem the tide of the feral furries and looters. Anon actually found his rifle in a place like this.
>Both him and Daniel shouldered their rifles and gave everything a quick one over. Everything had been picked through already, just a few gnawed bones with torn clothes.
>Daniel came back out of the command tent, holding a very faded boonie hat, he thrust it towards Anon.
>”Stops the sunburns bro”
>Anon took it, it was a little large on his head, but it fit well enough. He nodded thanks, to which Daniel gave him a slap on the shoulder.
>”What are the hell are friends for if not free shit?”
>He chuckled at his own joke before walking past the empty blockade with Anon behind him checking over his map and compass.
>Anon was happy to have run into Daniel, it felt right to be trying to find the land of friendship with a new friend.

>They reached the edge of the campus after about another eight miles past the blockade. The lovely summertime LA heat was beginning to drive them a bit insane.
>Neither of them were going to take a break, not now that they were so close.
>They only stopped to look at the campus map, it was hard to see with the plastic faded and worn, yellow with age and decay.
>Either way Anon did his best to read it as Daniel watched his back. Once he had determined a path he gave Daniel a quick tap and motioned for him to follow.
>While they may have been trying to keep quite earlier to avoid feral, now the two kept even quieter, walking toe to heel, and keeping to the edges of the paths.
>The closer they got the tenser the two of them became. Anon half expected some pack of ferals or bandit gang to have inhabited the UCLA physics and astronomy department.
>They building however appeared empty on the outside. Just the same sun scorched red brick.
>Anon and Daniel spread themselves out and approached the building, meeting at the entrance.
>Daniel took it upon himself to step in first, in doing so he tripped a hidden wire.

>There was a great clattering noise as Daniel jumped back in shock and flicked the safety off of his vz.
>”ON THE GROUND!”
>Daniel gently tosses his vz into a planter box that had long since turned to just dirt, while grumbling under his breath and getting to his knees, however Anon saw Daniel grip something behind his neck.
>Anon just raised his hands behind his head and laid face down, a terrible feeling of resignation and hopelessness washed over him.
>Out of the building come two figures, one male one female, both are thin and wane, they step out into the light.
>Their skin is almost translucent in its pallor; one holds an ancient Russian bolt action, capped by a spike long as a forearm.
>The other seems to be having trouble wielding a katana of sorts, a cheap ‘china town special’. The type of thing made to be broken.
>The limbs holding this weapon are thin beyond natural levels, showing both bone and vein with stunning detail.
>Their clothes were dirty and torn beyond repair, however they still showed signs of either being mlp or anime merchandise.
>Anon could see them struggling to take in the new light levels, squinting, trying desperately against the burning light to keep looking.

>”Fuckin’ hell”
>Anon barely caught Daniels statement of disbelief at being held at gun point by such cringe worth individuals. The male one speaks up first as the female holds the rifle.
>”W-what the hell are you doing here? T-trying to s-steal our food?”
>His attempt to be intimidating is laughable, their captors own fear shaking his words. Anon had to try hard to suppress a chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation.
>Daniel didn’t even try, letting a low chuckle out, that slowly rose to a full laugh.
>”Ha… hehe… ha! Ahahaha! These faggots think that they can kill us! Ha, heh, oh my! Bet these pansy asses haven’t even seen a feral! Haha!”
>The girl with the mosin marches right up to Daniel, and threatens him at bayonet point.
>”Yeah bakka?! I should shoot you right here and jus-“
>Daniel swung out his hand grabbing the mosin by the bayonet and forcing it up, as his right hand drew out what was strapped to his back.
>The emaciated girl pulled the trigger as Daniel swung the .380 into her neck.

>There was a pause as everyone present saw her pull the trigger.
>nothing happened, not even a click.
>Daniel then issued his one command.
>”Drop the sword.”
>The man with the sword did as commanded, Anon used this chance to pull himself upright again and gather up his rifle.
>Daniel then spoke again, slowly and calmly, he was obviously more relaxed now that he had the upper hand.
>Relaxed, but not off his guard.
>”See here dude, me and my compadre are here for the portal, as I’m sure you are. We don’t want trouble.”
>With that he firmly shoved the girl away from himself, perhaps with a bit too much force for her starved frame.
“Here, though you might have a dearth of firearms.”
>Anon handed Daniel his vz, who took it with a thanks and smile, which he turned into a oddly cheery introduction of himself.
>”Let’s start over, I’m Daniel.”
“Anon”
>Daniel stuck his hand out to the girl, who took his hand, confusion and traces of fear written across her face.
>”Oh, and just so you know bro, if you want to shoot a mosin-“
>He hefted up the mosin.
>”The striker has to be back. Just thought you should know.”
>He pulled the striker back on the mosin with the biggest grin ever.

>Daniel seemed to have put a healthy dose of fear into the pair of emaciated shut-ins.
>Anon was having a hard time understanding how anyone could be so pale in a world like this, how the hell did they get food? Or water for that matter.
>They led you into the physics building after Daniel somewhat kindly asked them, The ground floor was untouched by human hands, the below grounds was a whole different matter.
>Every single office was repurposed into a sleeping room or some sort, all of them had posters or other pieces of merchandise pertaining to various animated series.
>Anon spotted more than a few Supernatural and Dr. Who pieces as well, showing that the fandoms were alive and well even after the collapse.
>The rest of the shut ins there seem to be in as bad, if not worse shape, than the two who were leading you through the halls.
>Anon slowly noticed that these shut-ins had fluorescent lights running, they had power… somehow.
>Finally the two lead Anon and Daniel into a rather large room that has equipment scattered everywhere.
>Anon assumed that all these pieces somehow formed the portal, his thoughts were interrupted by a female voice, not an attractive one either.
>”Oh, are they finally back!”
>The rather short and thin haired woman came running up to them, well, as fast as she could.
>Once she came out of the metal jungle Anon could see that she had great dark bags under her eyes and massive thick wire frame glasses.
>She seemed to do a double take once she got a good look and Anon and Daniel, her mood dropped from cheery hope, to a dark near panic.
>”W-who are they?”
>Daniel put on his best smile and thrust his hand forward while Anon simply remained straight faced, still trying to figure out how this group was still alive.
>”Hi, my names Daniel.”