(/mlk/) Anon and Celly in the Post-Apocalypse

Some Backstory on the world this takes place in (I didn't write this:)
>darkest timeline
>Tirek escapes Tartarus to find an Equestria already weakened by years of war with the Crystal Empire
>Luna returned but without the elements, was beaten for good by a now guilt-riddled and self-doubting Celestia
>Tirek quickly gains power in the chaos of war
>Celestia becomes desperate; already struggling to hold back Sombra's advance the arrival of Tirek throws Equestria on the full defensive
>out of options, Celestia turns to long-hidden research conducted by Starswirl
>a portal between worlds
>with magic and military might failing, Celestia crosses to this new world, courting the strongest nation she can find in a bid to save her homeland
>the United States is persuaded, not out of compassion for the pony plight, but fear of what might happen should Tirek break through to Earth
>American military forces join the fray on the other side of the portal, holding making quick work of Sombra's armies
>then, disaster strikes
>Tirek learns of the portal, and seeing the effectiveness of the newcomer nation's technology, is eager to consume their power as he does pony magic.
>He crosses over, leaving swaths of destruction in his wake as he shrugs off attacks, mimicking the tanks and aircraft with his own magic and returning fire
>deep within the Pentagon, a decision is made
>a terrible decision, but one that is hoped to save the world, if by destroying part of it
>the TACAMO planes fly, and the EAM is transmitted
>submarine commanders and silo crews blink in disbelief at their target
>they don't want to believe it, but the message is authentic
>hatches open, and in a roiling foam of seawater and searing flame, the missiles fly
>powerful as Tirek is, he manages a shield against the first fireball
>he lives, but he is battered, and knows that even he cannot survive the coming holocaust
>but there is one thing he can do
>summoning the last of his reserves, and calling on Starswirl's ancient knowledge, Titel casts one last, terrible spell

>Tirek fuses the two worlds into one
>imperfectly, with mountain ranges shattering once-peaceful plains, and cities splicing and crumbling into each other
>the ruinous fusion is followed moments later with a hellish coup de grace
>human and equestrian survivors of that day remember the Second Sun
>that blinding, terrible light the scorched the heart of Equestria
>or America, depending on who is telling the story
>legends persist that the cataclysm was one last, fateful blow struck by Celestia, the Sun Princess, taking the horrible demon Tirek with her
>now, in the blasted ruins of the old world, human and pony alike struggle to survive day to day
>the knowledge of their past fades, known only to a few who wish to return the rightful order of things
>the old roads of America, where they are still passable, connect settlements
>it is on these roads that wanderers travel
>sometimes human
>sometimes pony
>occasionally, both
>rickety machines of steel, glass and rubber trundle the asphalt, searching for safety, knowledge, or just survival

The prompt that kicked this off: >>30914998
With her state before the end of the war, I'd like to think that when it's all over she feels so much guilt over the way of things that she wants nothing more than to fade into the obscurity of the wasteland. She ends up with her anon, hiding her wings beneath ragged robes and passing herself off as a simple unicorn.

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Anon and Celly in the Post-Apocalypse

>It's all my fault.
>That damned rivalry and war with the Crystal Empire
>The death of my sister.
>My usage of Starswirls research to stop Tirek
>And the subsequent destruction that came afterwards..
>All of the blame rests on me.
>Perhaps I could have stopped it. Prevented it, had I done things differently
>But the way things stand now..
>I can blame nopony but myself.
>I am Princess Celestia
>Before I wielded great power and magic meant to protect this world
>Now I only carry shame in the aftermath of it's destruction.
>I used to rule this land
>Well, half of it, depending on how you look at things now.
>When I crossed the portal into the human realm, I had hope
>Hope that the humans would help me so we could defeat Tirek together
>And they did help
>Not because they had compassion for us ponies
>But because they were afraid of what might happen to themselves.
>But perhaps the humans were a bit too effective.
>Using their greatest destructive weapons, they almost had Tirek defeated
>But in a moment of desperation he used the same research I had to fuse our two worlds together
>Miraculously, I survived the apocalypse that followed
>Now I only have regret in this desolate wasteland, this warped collage of the two worlds
>My only wish now is to forget what I've done.
>To die peacefully in hiding and obscurity
>But then I met Anonymous
>I had been wandering for weeks after the destruction
>Hiding from anybody and anypony who came too close
>Finally I was nearing the end of my journey
>I was under the tilted wreckage of what the humans call a "truck," when I heard the roar of a machine nearby
>Every instinct screamed at me to run, to hide, but I was too weak to move
>I remember Anonymous finding me lying there close to death
>I remember the way he scavenged throughout the truck, checking for anything helpful that might remain
>I remember the sad look on his face when he found nothing
>And then he noticed me

>He shook his head when he saw me
>I was wearing my cloak so that I looked like only a tall unicorn
>He knew I was dying.
>Anonymous began to walk away, but..
>He hesitated.
>Stopping for a moment, he turned around to look at me
>With a sigh Anonymous awkwardly but caringly picked me up and brought me to his machine
>I feebly protested, begging him to leave me there to die alone, but my words fell on deaf ears
>Anonymous placed me in the seat next to him and allowed me to eat some of his food, drink some of his water
>And then we left together into the wastes I had created
>I learned that he was a lonesome wanderer just like I was
>We both desperately needed a friend, and so we found solace in eachother's company
>I would have abandoned him the first chance I had, gone back out into the wasteland to die alone, but..
>I saw something in him.
>That hopeful spark in his eyes, his wary smile, the way he managed to keep himself in relatively high spirits despite the desolate state of the world
>I saw in him the potential to build something new out of the ruins of my guilt
>So it would only be right for me to stay with him and help him.
>Anonymous does not know who I am, however
>I fear that if he knew of my mistakes and the pain they brought then he would abandon me.
>It is a selfish thought that I hate myself for, but..
>What do I not hate myself for nowadays?
>It's been about a week since Anonymous had found me
>I'm in his machine (or "car," as he called it) taking inventory of his various weapons with my feeble magic
>We're stopped at a trading post outside of the fused ruins of Manehattan and what Anonymous calls "New York"

>Anonymous tells me he guesses that when the Fusion happened, the cities that were most alike combined
>Now the city is a horrid collage of the two, filled with monsters created by the leftover magic
>But the city (Anonymous has dubbed it "New Manehattan") is flush with supplies and valuables.
>Or so we've heard.
>Anonymous was off inside the post bartering for supplies before you venture into the city
>He took a big chunk of the scavenged scrap he had stored in the car when he went inside
>It's been a while since he left.. perhaps I should look for him?
>I can still sense his prescense with my magic.. it seems he's alright-
>Oh! It looks like he's coming back!
>...

>You exit through the doors of the trading post back into the wasteland holding the supplies you managed to buy
>It isn't much, but it's all you can afford right now
>The car isn't too far away and you start to walk towards it
>You see your tall white unicorn friend inside looking up at you
>You give her a wave, and she quickly turns her attention back towards taking inventory of your various guns
>Huh. Maybe next time.
>The two of you were still getting used to eachother
>Having to account for two individuals now made things tough, but..
>It sure beat being alone.
>You open the drivers side door to your car and sink down into the drivers seat
>The unicorn looks back up at you once you've sat down
>"How did it go?" she asks curtly
"Not too wel.." you say
>Lying to her isn't going to get you anywhere.
"These guys strike a hard bargain. This foodstuff is only gonna last us 2 or 3 days. I hope the rumours about New Manehattan are true."
>She stares at you silently for a moment
>"I hope so too, Anonymous."
>You slide your key into the ignition to start the car
>It feels good to hear the rumbling of the engine once more, even if you've only been away for a few hours
>You're about to put your foot on the gas and head off towards the city when a thought enters your mind
"Say.."
>"Hmm?"
>She looks at you with an eyebrow nervously raised
"Even after a week, I still don't know your name."
>"M-my name?" she asks
"Yeah, y'know, I reckon we should start and get to know eahcother a bit more-"
>"Celly." she interrupts. "I-It's Celly."
>You nod
"Celly." you say out loud. "That's a pretty name."
>"I.. thank you, Anonymous." she says
>You can tell it's been a long time since someone has complimented her.
>You know the feeling.
"Don't mention it."
>And with that you shift the car into gear and speed off towards the fused city of New Manehattan
>Even though things look bleak, for the first time in forever you have hope
>You just hope it lasts.

>You're forced to slow your car to a crawl once you reach New Manehattan
>An archway made up of a tilted skyscraper resting on top of another serves as your entrance into the city
>The only thing that can be heard on the street you're on is the low rumbling of your car's engine
>You remember visiting New York as a kid
>The tall buildings and the people everywhere amazed younger you to a point
>But now it's an empty shell of a city
>Buildings you used to recognized either lay in ruin or are unrecognizably fused with others
>You wonder what happened to the Statue of Liberty.
>But everything still feels oddly familiar for some reason.
>Some fused buildings look identical, except maybe for an odd color change halfway up
>Chunks of the road and sidewalk stay floating in the air as a result of leftover magic from the Fusion
>There's even a few buildings that are floating
>Or well, part of them.
"Where is everyone?" you say aloud
>Celly doesn't answer
>She just continues to peer out the passenger side window
>She's probably reminiscing on the same things you are right now.
"Did you know this city?" you ask. "Manehattan?"
>"Not intimately.. but I have visited here before. Now I hardly recognize it. Yet at the same time, I do."
>You're also getting that feeling of deja vu
"Our cities must have been more similar than we thought."
>"You and I have a lot more in common than you'd think." she states
>"Humans and ponies, I mean."
>The two of you sit in silence for a moment as the car moseys down the road
"I guess so."

"Hey, that reminds me. Give me the weapons report please."
>"Oh! Let's see.." she says as she levitates a small paper in front of her face
>"The ancient pistol you have.. what is it called? A "Luger"? That only has 6 rounds left."
"That's not good."
>"The other pistol has about 16. I think you called it a Colt?"
"Yep. .45."
>"The 'shotgun'-"
"Remington 1300. Stainless Marine."
>"Has about 12 bullets."
"They're called shells."
>"Right. 12 shells. The long gun-"
"AR-10."
>"..Has 2 loaded magazines left. And a bunch of empty ones."
>You let out a low whistle at that
>"Is something wrong Anonymous?"
"That's not as much ammo as I'd like, but it'll have to do.
>"Maybe we can find some here."
>In New York City? Right.
>"Do you think these buildings have been looted?"
"The skyscrapers? Yeah, the lower floors definitely have. The higher floors on the other hand.."
>You look for any building that looks interesting or useful
>Most of these just seem like office buildings, but..
>A bent sign catches your eye as you slowly drive
>"Macy's Department Store: Up Ahead"
"Hold on Celly, I think I have an idea.."
>After a few blocks of navigating you see the iconic faded sign
>"THE WORLD'S LARGEST STORE"

>There should still be some good things left in there.
>Part of the building has crumbled and a lot of the windows are shattered, but surprisingly it looks like it hasn't fused with anything
>But looks can be deceiving.
>You pull over onto the cracked sidewalk in front of the department store
>Once you turn off your engine, everything is deadly silent
>You don't like this.
>You grab your Winchester, your Luger, a flashlight and an old backpack before exiting your 80's Mustang GT
>You look over at Celly, who's just sitting silently in her seat
"How's this gonna work?" you ask. "Are you coming with me? I'm gonna be in there for a while."
>"Somepony needs to guard the car. What shall we do if it gets stolen?"
>She's got a point..
"Are you sure you can handle yourself?"
>You suspect your worried tone is starting to become obvious
>You don't want anything to happen to your only friend in months.
>Celly magically levitates your Colt .45, almost pointing it at you
"Hey, woah! Watch where you aim that thing!"
>She quickly aims it away, blushing a little bit
>"S-sorry! But I think I'll be alright here."
"Okay. I'll be back in a few hours then .."

>You shut the door and tuck the keys into a pocket
>Shotgun in hand, you move to enter the building
>The front doors open with a creak
>The lights inside have been off for months now with the destruction of the power grid, but natural sunlight coming in through all the shattered windows lights the place well enough
>But the flashlight will help if you delve deeper where the sunlight doesn't reach
>As you expected, the first floor seems completely empty
>Cash registers are all robbed (Why? Money is useless now.) and empty display racks and shelves fill the room
>The old bodies of a few former cashiers lay in one corner
>It looks like they were stabbed. Probably happened during the chaos right after the Fusion
>Funny how people still tried to live their normal lives after what was essentially an apocalypse. Guess they paid the price for it.
>The only sounds in the room is the clunk of your boots on the department store floor and the wind occasionally whistling through the windows and empty displays
>Some ragged, torn merchandise still remains but it's not worth grabbing.
>There's a some tattered suits as you pass by the Men's Dress Furnishings section
>God, what was the last time you wore a suit?
>It seems other than shredded clothes this floor is empty.
>There's gotta be more stuff higher up, right?
>After some time walking around you find an escalator leading up to the next floor
>It isn't powered anymore, but that doesn't mean it can't still be used as a stairway
>As you climb up you can see that the second floor is mostly empty too
>Damn.
>The 3rd floor is stripped clean too
>But as you're about to ascend to the 4th, something catches your eye
>A Pizza Bar tucked away in the darkness
>You turn on your flashlight to get a closer look
>There's various homemade signs plastered on it
>"GO AWAY!"
>"NO FOOD"
>"KEEP OUT!"
>Huh. Whoever was held up here must've not liked strangers.

>There's nothing on the counter except broken glass but maybe there's something in the back
>You can hear flies buzzing around and a horrible smell hits you as soon as you step inside
>Jesus, did something die in here-
>Oh.
>In a corner sits a dead man with most of his head blown off
>In his hands he loosely holds an older looking double-barrel shotgun, pointed up towards where his head used to be
>Next to him lies a note and several cases of beer with empties beer cans and canned food littered around
>You crouch down to take the shotgun from his grasp
>You don't much like scavenging the dead, but in this brave new world what choice do you have?
>You break open the shotgun to see if it's loaded
>There's a spent shell, and one still intact
>You take the unused one and slip it into your pocket before putting the shotgun into your backpack
>Next you focus your attention on the note
>It was written hastily, in big scratchy letters
>"I CANT BE ALONE ANYMORE" it reads
>Can't blame the guy.
>You know how it feels to be alone for so long.
>Only difference is, you'd grown used to it
>But that didn't mean you liked it.
>You're glad you aren't alone anymore
>Seeing all the empty beer cans around, at least it seems he had a good time before he went out.
>You move to open the cases the man has next to him
>There's still some unopened beer cans in there, so you backpack those
>Still no food, though.
>You sweep the room one last time before leaving
>There's a couple cans of dog food on a shelf
>"Dinki-Di Dog Food: Homestyle"
>Must've belonged to the guy.
>Not exactly a gourmet meal, but with supplies so low..
>Dog food.
>You're actually thinking about eating dog food.
>You sigh as you slip the cans into your backpack
>How did things end up so bad..
>You stand up to leave and let the man rest in peace
>You really hope there's more to this place than just some dog food and beer..
>Although you'll admit; it's a good start.

>Unfortunately there isn't much else on this floor.
>So you ascend to escaltor/stairs to the next one
>...only to find that there isn't much on this one either.
>Shit, you're starting to run out of floors here.
>Maybe you should check another building..
>But what if there's stuff on the upper levels?
>As you internally debate whether or not to leave, you hear a gunshot outside
>What the hell..?
>Followed by another.
"Aw, shit!"
>This can't be good
>You hurriedly dash down the escalators, 1 floor at a time
>Some time and several gunshots later you reach the entrance from which you entered
>You crash through the front doors breathing heavily, raising your Winchester and scanning for targets
>When you don't see anything you run to take cover behind your Mustang
>Bringing your shotgun onto the hood of your car, you look around once more but still don't see or hear anyone.
>You steal a glance at Celestia, who's standing on the roof of the car staring down at you confusedly
>She's magically levitating your 1911, which has some slightly visible smoke trailing from the barrel
>At least she's not pointing it at you this time.
"Where are they!?" you ask, out of breath
>"Where are who? Anonymous, are you okay?"
"T-the guys who were shooting at you, or the guys you were just shooting at?"
>"I wasn't shooting at anybody."
"What? Then what were you-"
>It's then that you notice the large magically painted target on the wall across the street from you
>It has a few holes that are somewhat close to the center
>But theres also a couple that missed completely.
>"I was practicing!" she says with a smile.
>"Since you protect me, I wanted to learn how to protect you too!"
>You facepalm
>"My magic isn't what it used to be, but I think I'm an OK shot!"

>The various holes in the wall tell a different story, but you don't tell her that
"That's very cute of you, Celly-"
>"C-cute? I-"
"But didn't I say we were extraordinarily low on ammo?"
>She deflates a little bit
>"Oh. R-right.."
"It's alright, you just- really had me worried there."
>"I'm sorry Anon.."
>Suddenly a third voice joins the conversation, interrupting from behind
>"Oh thank Celestia, wherever she may be!"
>You turn around with your shotgun to face a younger dark-gray stallion limping around a corner
>Celly quickly hides herself in the back of the car, her eyes peeking over the roof
>For some reason she was *really* shy around other ponies.
>"N-no! Please, don't shoot!" he says. "I-I heard the gunshots and- Please! I need help!"
>You see that he is, in fact, injured
>Blood is running down his side from various scratches and his shirt is stained with blood, and there's a nasty bite wound in one of his front hooves
"Sorry kid. No can do. Gonna have to leave you here."
>You feel kinda bad just leaving him here, but..
>You can't afford to account for a third individual, especially one who's injured like this.
>The stallion tries to limp towards you before falling over onto the sidewalk
>"Please! M-my settlement!"
>You walk a little closer to him, your shotgun still at the ready
"Settlement. Where."
>"I-I'll take you there! Just please, help me!"
>You sigh, slinging your shotgun over your shoulder
>It'd be a good idea to find out where to go to trade in the city.
>So you pick him up and carry him to your Mustang, laying him down on the passenger seat
"Try not to get blood on my seats, pal." you say
>You go and leave your backpack and shotgun in the back with Celly before heading back to the drivers seat

"You wanna tell me what happened to you, kid?" you say as you drive. "You look like you were almost eaten alive."
>"A-almost.." he says
>"It was this man. A-and he had a- a lot of dogs. I-I think he trained them."
"It was just a dude with a bunch of dogs?"
>"He had a lot, mister. They beat me up pretty bad.."
"Hmph. So you never told me, where is this settlement?"
>"I-It's in The Square. We built a wall with rubble and old cars and chariots. It's safe."
"You mean Times Square?"
>"That's what the h-humans with us called it, until we gave it a new name. Us ponies knew it as something else."
"So.. your settlement has both humans and ponies living in it?"
>"Y-yes. We don't fight! We work together. The humans do what the ponies cant, and the ponies do what the humans cant."
>Interesting.
>Usually people and ponies didn't get along too well
>Save for the small teams of man and pony like You and Celly, men and ponies tended to stick to their respective groups
>In times like these, people stay with what's familiar to them. And they often resent whoever is different.
"So what's the new name?"
>"Unity Square."
>Huh.
>Has a nice ring to it.
>You drive in silence for a while, with the stallion occasionally piping up to give you directions
>Hes telling you about how you're almost there when he suddenly goes quiet

"Kid?" you ask, looking over at him. "You okay?"
>"I-It's him!"
>What?
>You focus your attention back on the road to see a hooded man up ahead
>He's surrounded by at least 10 different dogs
>You can't see what breeds they are from here, but they all look big.
"Shit! We're gonna have to drive right through him!"
>The injured stallion curls up in the seat and covers his eyes with his hooves
>"Anonymous?" you hear Celly ask. "Who is that?"
"I dunno, just put your head down Celly!"
>You speed up the Mustang as the man throws a piece of concrete rubble at you
>It hits the front of your car, bouncing off and leaving a dent
>You're trying to send the message that he better get out of the way if he wants to live
>And he does; he moves to your left and beckons for his dogs to follow him
>But one doesn't listen.
>You feel the Mustang slow down a bit when you smash right into the animal
>The man throws another concrete rock
>This time it crashes through your driver's side window, shattering it and showering you with sharp glass
"Fuck!" you shout as they cut into your face and you struggle to maintain control of the car
>Celly screams and the stallion whimpers at the harsh sound of breaking glass
>The Mustang swerves on the road, leaving skid marks until you manage to regain control
>Once you're sure you aren't going to crash, you yank your Luger from it's holster and fire a few shots behind you out of your now broken window
>You doubt you hit anything, but you hope that would deter that guy from following you.
>He and his dogs grow more and more distant in your rear view mirror as you drive on
"Jesus, fuck!" you shout in frustration
>"Right! Turn right!" the stallion says
>You turn the steering wheel and bring the car onto the next street, cutting the man off from view.
>You can feel the blood from your cuts running down your face
>"M-mister?" the stallion asks. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, kid." you say matter-of-factly. "Let's just get to your home."

>The rest of the ride goes by in silence
>Celly helps clean the blood off your face and make sure there's no glass stuck there
>She also tends to the stallion a little bit, but unfortunately you don't have much in the way of bandages.
>You hope he doesn't bleed out before you can get to Unity Square
>But soon enough you see the walls surrounding the settlement
>"We're here!" he says
>The walls look tall enough to keep most people out
>And there's small watchtowers built at each of the 4 corners of the wall as well
>This part of town got hit the worst by the Fusion, and the rubble that the wall is made of reflects that
>It's a mixture of Human and Pony architecture and vehicles cobbled together to build something new
>You drive up to the 'gate,' which is really just an old double-decker tour bus with "UNITY SQUARE" painted on it, when you hear a voice above you
>"Hoold it!"
>You look up and see a light blue unicorn mare haphazardly wearing a baseball helmet and a makeshift armor vest made of street signs
>She has a crossbow raised and pointed at you with her magic
>Celly looks at you worriedly
>"Who are you? We don't just let strangers in."
>The stallion fiddles with the passenger side door until he can figure out how to get the window open, and he pokes his head out
>"Lyra! It's me!" he says
>"Sooty? Thank Celestia you're alright, you idiot!"
>She turns around and shouts to someone behind her
>"Zetta! Get the gate open!"

>Lyra jumps off the bus and it rolls forward, granting you access to the compound
>The settlement itself is a collection of jury-rigged houses and buildings made out of anything available
>It's none too pretty on the eyes, but it seems safe with the wall.
>You look up at the surrounding skyscrapers
>The wide TV screens that used to play advertisements were blacked out and cracked now, but all the physical billboards still displayed ads from before the Fusion
>You can make out an old Nike ad and a Pony ad for Apple Juice
>It's nice to know that some things never change.
>There's a big gorge in the ground through the middle of the town, probably caused by the Fusion, and there's a wooden bridge going across it
>Human and Pony alike are walking around and doing various jobs in the town, with guards stationed in the watchtowers
>You drive inside and park by the gorge
>A small crowd humans and ponies begins to form around the Mustang when the news quickly spreads that somepony they new is back
>Celly tries her best to hide in the back of the car, but everyone greets both you and her
>"Is it true?"
>"Did you really bring Sooty back?"
>You pick Sooty up from his seat and exit the Mustang
>"It is true! It is!"
>"Thank Celestia!"
>"Thank God!"
>A man in beige football padding (presumably Zetta) motions for you to hand Sooty to him
>"Thank you so much.." Sooty says to you as you hand him off
>"I'll pay you back for this!" he shouts as Zetta gently carries him across the bridge to what you're guessing is a hospital
>"I swear!"
>...

>The residents of Unity Square gave you some food and water as a thank you for saving their friend
>They also helped you patch up your face a bit, cleaning the wounds with alcohol and giving you some leftover bandaids for it
>Although you really didnt do much
>They also offered you a place to sleep, but you'd rather be with your Mustang
>The sun has begun to set and you're eating dinner that the towns people and ponies offered you with Celly
>You're sitting down and leaning against the side of your car with Celly right next to you
>She seems happy over the sight of the town
>"I'm glad we found this place." she says
"Hmm?" you mumble through a mouthful of food
>"I'm so glad to see humans and ponies rebuilding. Together. I hope we can help them."
>You swallow the food you had in your mouth
"Sure. But we can't stay here forever."
>She nods sadly
>"I know. I don't want to be around here for too long anyways. But I'd like to help them while I'm here."
>The two of you sit in silence for a moment
>"Anonymous?"
"Yeah?"
>"May I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
>"..Were you being serious earlier? When you said you would leave that stallion behind?"
"..."

(((To be Continued)))