Apocalypse Quest to Equestria Ch6

>It was physically miserable, but otherwise Anon had adopted the ideology of ‘don’t complain’.
>They had had a few short skirmishes with pale faces bandits, nevermore than a couple shots before they fled.
>It was apparent that the bandits were looking for an easy way to whittle down their numbers.
>As a result ‘toe-popper’ style shotgun shell traps were buried where ever they could be.
>They had enough batteries, and few spare just in case the contacts were too corroded on some of the ones already set up.
>After the last skirmish with the bandits the patrols had been pulled back, and the watch had been pulled back further into the building.
>It was now the waiting game, food and water stocks were good enough to last a while, munitions and weapons were in the green with everyone now armed.
>The batteries had to charge; as a result Anon and Daniel were both in their room/office.
>Daniel was napping on
>Anon was cleaning his new rifle taken from the back of the deuce and a half.
>After methodically cleaning each part he would look up at the poster of Lyra.
*Believe*
>And so he did.
>He quietly put the ar back together so as to not wake Daniel, once it was together he paused for a moment.
>He pulled out his keychain, stared into those golden misaligned eyes.
>He wrapped the keychain through the front sight with a bit of chord.
>He sat and stared at the poster while slotting cartridges into his magazines.
>He only had four, three in an old alice pouch and one in the gun.
>The cloth door fluttered apart as Tim and Helen came in, over the last few days they had formed something of a council.
>With Helen leading the shut-ins with the portal, Tim leading the Caravaneers in security and home economics.
>Helen looked over at Daniel before motioning for Anon to come into the hall.
>He followed with a groan, his ribs still burned and stung if he moved incorrectly.
>Helen started the conversation first, but not before lifting her wire glasses and rubbing he deeply suken and tired eyes.
>”The batteries should be powered up enough by tomorrow morning, but I couldn’t fix the ‘stuttering’ problem.”
“Stuttering?”
>”Yeah, even with its lower power draw post activation the panels… and batteries still need to go through a sort of reset to allow for another form to pass through.”
>This seemed like new information to Tim as well, his features showing full attention.
>”So we can’t just walk through as a group?”
>”Not unless you want to be cut in half, so I put a little LED light system, green for good red for bad, all standard fare really.”
“What about supplies? You said the portal wasn’t accurate.”
>Helen quickly interjected cutting Tim off completely, who stood there with an open mouth and raised finger.
>”Every ‘stutter’ should wind up at the same place, also while you guys were out getting the batteries. Thanks by the way. I’ve managed to dial it in to about ten miles… theoretically.”

>Tim quickly jumped in, not wanting to be cut off again.
>”We’ve packed everything we can’t carry into crates n’ such, so if we shove em’ in with every group we should be fine.”
“I guess the worst case is that we wind up ten miles outside Ponyville with enough supplies to last us the long… heh… and.. ha”
>Anon couldn’t hold it back anymore, he started laughing out loud.
>Tim smiled as well, chuckling a little to himself. Helen raised an eyebrow at this.
>”What? What’s so funny?”
>Anon raised his hands in mock panic.
“Oh no, I might have to walk ten miles.”
>He resumed laughing to himself.
>Helen rolled her eyes as Tim cleared his throat.
>”Either way. See you guys in Equrestria tomorrow.”
>Anon slowly calmed his laughing as he straightened up, Helen seemed a little insulted.
>”Well it’s a long way for me!”
>Anon burst out laughing again, he sometimes forgot that the majority of the shut-ins hadn’t been out much.

>A new day dawns, or at least Anon assumed so, he couldn’t tell in his underground room.
>Daniel as per usual was already awake and waiting with, hopefully his last bowl of caravaneer special.
>Everyone was in high spirits today, for good reason, today everyone should be leaving for Equestria.
>After his breakfast Anon and Daniel headed down to the portal room, everyone who wasn’t busy had crammed into the small room.
>Helen and a few other shut-ins were busy at the controls, strange amalgamations of professionally made switchboards and hastily soldered buttons.
>The portal it’s self was rather boxy and frail looking, with the copper pipes extending in several directions to form a rough outline of a hexagon.
>Helen was calling out for everyone to clear the area directly in front of the portal, frantically waving her arms; it looked quite comical on such a small woman.

>The caravaneer families pulled their children closer, people pressed against the walls.
>Helen began a countdown
>5
>4
>3
>2
>1
>There was a low loud groan.
>The groan turned into a wail, the wail into an ear splitting shriek.
>People began to cover their ears, as the sound got louder they began to bend down in physical pain.
>It reached a long loud crescendo as it felt like the universe was tearing apart, as indeed it was.
>Anon shut his eyes in a vain attempt to drive out the sound.
>Finally the noise stopped dead, Anon slowly rose up to his full height and opened his eyes.
>There was a new noise, one he was very familiar with, gunfire.
>Not just the odd crack and ping of a skirmish, but the long drawn out automatic chatter of a full blown gunfight.
>Anon turned away from the portal, a strange crackling mix of broken physics, and ran to his room for his rifle.
>He could hear Tim yelling behind him.
>”Families first! Don’t forget to go with the supply crates!... And watch that light!”

>Anon came out of the room leaving Daniel in the dust behind him, every stutter only took a few minutes to recharge.
>In few minutes they could all be beneath the boots of bandits.
>He took eh stairs three at a time before turning into the ground floor and slamming himself behind the closest cover.
>Daniel came up right behind him, and took a quick second to peak around the corner.
>”We’re clear bro.”
>Anon sprinted out around the corner and joined the other defenders on watch behind the front desk.
>He shook the shut in with the mosin, the same girl from the beginning of this.
“How many, where?”
>”I-“
>There was a loud chatter next to them as one of the defenders fired a burst out the window.
>”I don’t know, and right fucking in front of us!”
>A couple more defending shut-ins and caravaneers came up behind them taking positions around the front entrance.
>Anon nodded, grabbed Daniels shoulder at pointed to the stairs up. They ran, Anon once again took the stairs three at a time.
>His ribs were screaming out at him, threatening to burrow their way out of his body.
>He came up to the window and peered out over the lip of it, the building opposite to them had muzzle flashes coming out of what seemed to be almost every window.
>He could see more of pale faces bandits trying to flank the sides of the physics building Anon had taken to calling home.
>He raised his rifle and smashed out the glass blocking him, and aimed at the open targets.
>Anon took a steadying breath, being fairly winded from sprinting around.
>He smoothly depressed the trigger, letting out a single shot.
>His round impacted the lead bandit in the leg, tripping him up and sending her tumbling forward.
>Her comrades in arms quickly turned tail and fled back behind the wall.
>They could do this, the bandits seemed disorganized and poorly motivated.
>That’s what Anon thought until he heard that new noise over the gunfire. The sound of many diesel engines.

>The convoy of four heavy diesel trucks came speeding down the narrow campus road, the front one being a heavy older ford with a mounted gun.
>The gun fired.
>The large caliber rounds tore into walls and easily passed through the glass.
>Anon could feel the waves of compressed air pass by him, along with dozens of razor shards of glass.
>He dropped down mostly out of reflex, as the technicals pass was already complete and it was making a skidding turn around the building.
>The bandits on the upper floors of the other building kept up the fire, intent on keeping the defenders pinned.
>They were moderately successful, not stopping, but severely reducing the rounds fired out from the ground floor.
>Daniel got up before Anon and pulled him up again, back to the window.
>With the defending shut-ins and caravaneers on the ground floor pinned a flood of bandits swarmed in from around the sides, their numbers bolstered by the trucks reinforcements.
>Anon and Daniel started pouring out as many rounds as they could, only managing to strike a few hits as the bandits spaced themselves out rather well.
>Anon dropped out the mag and started prying a new one out of his pouch as the bandits began to hit the ankle poppers.
>Little bursts of smoke and birdshot, not very powerful, but enough to take a man out of the fight.
>Anon finished loading as Daniel ran dry. He fired slower this time, two or three round bursts trying his hardest to be calm and accurate.
>There was a low thrumming as the technical came back around behind the bandit charge.
>Anon and Daniel, who had just hit his bolt release to chamber the first round, both started dumping long bursts of automatic fire into the technical.
>Surprisingly enough it was unarmored, the rounds punctured and clattered into the steel hood and dirt around it.
>The small caliber rounds did little to the engine, but as the technical rolled forward the projectiles began impacting the cab.
>The truck jumped and lurched as the driver took injury, it veered off course and sped up, the driver presumably dead at the wheel.

>The technical continued to gain speed as bandits jumped and dove out of the way.
>It was headed straight for the front door of the physics building.
>The bandit manning the gun dove out the back moments before impact. A great grinding of steel and masonry.
>The horn got stuck on, giving out a long loud blare.
>Anon raised his rifle back up only to be met with gun fire from the opposing building, the bandits residing in it having finally noticed him and Daniel.
>He dropped to the floor, once again, out of instinct. He looked back up at Daniel.
>”Ow, fuck, shit, fuckfuck!”
>There was a small neat hole on one side of his right forearm. The other side was much less clean.
>Anon made the decision right there to retreat back to the portal room.
“C’mon! We’re going to Equstria buddy!”
>Anon grabbed Daniels rifle and slung it over his shoulder and helped Daniel up.
>He could walk on his own as he started running back to the stair well, he pulled a bandage out from his back pocket and began applying it.
>It was an awkward and difficult action for a right handed man to perform, but he managed, just as Anon passed in front of him as well.
>They sped down the stairs, Daniel trying to draw his handgun from its holster, once again, a difficult action.
>Anon made it to the bottom of the stairs to find it completely deserted, his observation was disturbed by the sound of broken glass as the bandits began to break in.
>The door was blocked by the wrecked truck, horn still blaring out.
>Anon pushed Daniel forward to the next set of stairs as he let off a burst of fire at a couple of bandits crawling in through a broken window.
>They dropped, not dead, but caught on the glass shards as a couple more came in right over them, pushing the two dying bandits further onto the glass.

>Anon took off down the stairs to find Daniel waiting for him with his handgun drawn in his left hand, covering the retreat.
>They fled down the hall, taking turns looking back. Anon’s ribs were still emanating great tendrils of pain.
>But he had to push on; he still had to find out her name.
>Daniel looked back when they were about halfway down the hall; he suddenly raised his pistol and let off several very inaccurate shots.
>None of them were close, but it was enough to make the bandits take cover.
>They kept moving on down the hall, rounded the corner to the portal area, good it was still active.
>The light went from green to red as they approached it; Anon had to grab Daniel to keep him from running into the now lethal portal.
“I got the hall! You get the last crate!”
>”On it bro! Take this, I’ve been keeping it for a special occasion!”
>Daniel handed Anon a cylinder about the size of a can of soda, except this can had ‘HE’ printed on the side and a pull ring.
>He stuffed it into his shirt pocket as he jogged over to the door.
>Anon pressed his hand against the door frame, and rested his rifle on the web of his hand, giving himself a stable shooting platform.
>Daniel struggled to push the plastic lock box to the portal; it would have been an easier job if he had his other arm available.
>Anon remained focused on the hall, waiting for an open target to show its self.
>A glint caught his eye, the keychain hanging off his rifle, his resolve hadn’t faltered, but now it was supercharged.
>Nothing was going to stand before him in this endeavor to learn her name.
>Movement, a head peeking around the corner, he fired.
>A single shot, the rifle jumped slightly as the round burrowed into his opponents skull, the body fell into the hall.
>It was dragged back almost instantly; there were more around the corner.

>Suddenly a glock with a long magazine poked around the corner and fired.
>Anon ducked back, but not fast enough, the fire may have been blind but it was 34 rounds of high rpm fire.
>As he ducked back Anon felt a searing pain shoot through his right leg.
>Without thinking Anon stuck his rifle around the corner and fired off about half his magazine.
>”Son of a bitch!”
>One of his rounds found a new fleshy home.
>Daniel called out, his voice barely loud enough for Anon to hear over his ringing ears, shot leg, and still broken ribs.
>”Green light! Green light!”
>Daniel pushed the plastic box through the crackling portal, his shaken motor control skills caused him to tumble in with it.
>Anon limped his way to the portal, footsteps behind him, the bandits must’ve taken ‘green light’ to mean ‘charge’.
>Anon pulled the HE grenade out, if he didn’t close the portal pale face and his goons would just come in after them.
>He pulled the pin as the first bandit ran in, shotgun raised; the bandit was quick to acquire his target.

*BOM! BOM!*
>Two shots in quick succession, 10 of the 18 00 lead balls scattered across his gut, the other six ran past and through his left hand, taking his pinky and ring finger with them.
>Anon, stumbled back tossing the grenade and releasing its spoon, the grenade fell at the bandit’s feet.
>The bandit’s eyes went wide as he turned to run against the oncoming wave of other bandits.
>Anon simply fell back into the portal, his vision leaving him as his body was broken apart.
>Cell by cell, molecule by molecule, atom by atom, nuclease by nuclease.
>There was no pain involved, rather just an odd feeling of disintegration, like the perceived melting on a hot day without the unpleasantness of the heat.
>It was a welcome respite, a welcome moment to be nothing but a bodiless consciousness.
>Anon had never felt more energized and rejuvenated before, nor had he ever felt this calm.
>Slowly he felt his body come back together, it was an unwelcome experience, mostly because it brought him back to the disappointing reality of teeth scars, broken ribs, busted legs, buck shot, and missing fingers.
>The process was complete as he fell a scant couple of feet into an icy body of water.

>Daniel fell into the water; the experience of the portal was strange, but pleasant.
>He floundered for a bit in the ice cold liquid before his feet found ground; he pulled himself out, dragging the crate behind him.
>Daniel took a quick look around, there was about a foot and a half of snow all around him, it must be winter here.
>Daniel had been to the snow a couple of times as a child and knew how to dress for the cold, but he was dressed for summertime LA weather… and wet.
>With shaking hand he popped the latches on the box, thank god for the foresight to use waterproof crates.
>Every crate was packed with essentials, medical equipment, food, water, guns, ammo, and what he was looking for.
>He pulled the emergency blanket out began to shakily tear at the packaging when a splash came from behind him.
>He turned, there was Anon, floating face down in the water.
>Without second thought Daniel spirited back into the knee-high water and rotated Anon so he was face up.
>Daniel panic slightly at the wounds he was shown, he dragged his bro back out of the water with his good arm.
>Daniel let Anon drop heavily on the shore, not out of malice, but out of efficiency.
>He tore the crate apart until he found his prize.
>Using his mouth since his right hand refused to close he tore open the pack of clotting agent.
>He poured it over his gut wounds, open a second pack, pour some more on his gut wounds, and the last bit on his leg wounds.
>Daniel once again struggled to wrap up Anon’s hand in bandage as he had to use his left hand only.
>Daniel was no medical expert, but ten years of ferals, bandits, and scavenging lent well to field medicine.

>He checked Anon’s breath after wrapping him up in the blanket, it was shallow but there.
>Daniel looked around, in the distance he could see lights, not the harsh beam of flashlights that he had grown accustomed to, but the soft glow of streetlights.
>He knew what he had to do. With great effort he managed to lay Anon over his shoulders using only one arm.
>Anon was taller than him, but he was his bro and he would not let him down.
>The snow bit into his foot with every step, an icy floor of needles, Anon let out a groan.
>Daniel found that to be a good sign, meant he was still alive, right?
>The streetlights came closer with every step, but it wasn’t fast enough, Anon seemed to be getting heavier.
>There was a grunt of pain from Anon as Daniel stumbled slightly.
(Daniel will now be normal text)
 “Sorry bro!”
>He took another step.
“We made it man! Look, I can see the lights of Ponyville.”
>Another step, another groan from Anon.
“We’re going to go see Twilight, and she’ll ask us a bunch of questions about humans. Hey, bro should we like make stuff up? It would be hella funny.”
>Another step.
“Then we’ll go to Sugar Cube Corner and eat a shit-ton of stuff, you might have to stop me bro. I got one hell of a sweet tooth.”
>Another step.
“Hey. Hey! Stay with me bro! I’m gonna need you when I get into a competition with Rainbow to keep score.”
>Another step, another groan. The lights were close now.
“That’s it man! We’re gonna need to be in hella good shape to help AJ around the farm.”
>Another step. Daniel could make out a mass of movement as he neared what looked like the city hall.
“C’mon. I’m gonna need your held to convince Fluttershy that we’re not some terrible monster. Any ideas?”
>Another step, he was on the bridge now, the city hall was visible, but not the crowd before it.
“Maybe we should stop by Rarities first, get some new clothes or something, maybe that would help with the Fluttershy conundrum.”
>Another step.
>”We got two more here Twilight!”

>Daniel looked up as a team of pegasi came down.
>Boy were they small, the show wasn’t kidding when it was little pony.
>He could recognize Rainbow, Flitter, Thunderlane, and that one that Anon had a keychain of.
>What was her name?
“Take him! He’s fuckin’ bleeding out on me!”
>They did, and quickly took Anon to the town hall; Daniel slowly limped his way over to crowd.
>It seemed like all he ponies had woken up, their coats shining in the bright colors like the show.
>Daniel walked as fast as he could on near frozen limbs to where they took Anon, it looked like a rather large tent with a red cross on the side.
>Daniel made it to the opening flap, his good hand went to open the canvas flap when he pegasi team came out again.
>As the grey one with the bubbles cutie mark came out, Daniel stopped her.
>He took a moment to admire those gold, misaligned eyes.
“I’m sorry, what’s your name?”
>The mare shot out a quick response before joining the rest of the team in the sky
>”It’s Derpy.”