Chapters "Come on son! Get on the damn train! We already bought your ticket!" Shine Glimmer said from the entrance to the last evacuation train from Ponyville to Canterlot.
"NO DAD! I already told you! I am not leaving my home! For all we know the plague and all this could blow over in a week!" Calloway said.
"Son, you KNOW it will take months if not years,no DECADES at least for this to just "blow over"!" Shine replied. "Canterlot is the ONLY safe place in Equestria! You know that's true!" Shine added.
"Read my lips dad...I...DON'T...CARE! I am not just going to leave! Besides everyone I know besides you and mom are either dead or staying here! I will not leave!" Calloway refuted.
"All aboard!" the conductor announced from the train. "NOW SON! This is not up for debate! Get on now!" Shine said now desperately trying to get his adopted son to leave with him. "Train to Canterlot now departing." the announcer said over the loudspeakers.
"No." was all Calloway said before the train started up. Shine simply sighed "Good luck then. You always were hard headed." as Shine entered the train Calloway could hear his mother talking "Where's the boy? Don't tell me he didn't come!" Gold said with worry in her voice.
"He....he wouldn't come." this was all Calloway heard of the conversation before the train departed. Calloway just sat there for a few minutes...maybe hours he didn't remember which. He just sat and watched the train with his only family leave Ponyville forever. He knew that Canterlot was the best option for him but....he just couldn't bring himself to leave his home. Anyway you're probably wondering what is going on in Equestria that left Canterlot as the only true safe haven. Well it wasn't the only safe zone.
Other cities like Ponyville, Manehatten and Cloudsdale still operated. However all other cities like Fillydelphia and Las Pegasus for example were either lost to conquest form the Changeling Empire or were quarantined and cut from Equestria, no longer recognized as operating communities. Anyway back to whats going on. Around six years ago a large virus outbreak in Fillydelphia killed half of the towns population in six months. The virus was thought to have originated from a laboratory doing research on chemical weapons just outside the city. This theory was never confirmed however.
The afflicted most often die from the "plague"(Technically know as the Herobis Virus) within two weeks.
However approximately 1 in 5 individuals infected develop an immunity half-way through the infection process which causes the virus to stop progressing everywhere except the brain. Large sections of the brain are then destroyed by the virus which causes the victims to become insane and hostile(However one theory posed is that all actions regarded as hostile are simply attempts by the infected to seek aid from other ponies.). Their flesh starts to rot as well during this process which attracts insects who make nests in their orifices(Yes ALL orifices).The only known cure for the plague is possessed by the much more advanced human tribes in the Everfree.However they want the Elements Of Harmony in exchange.
Needless to say the plague situation is not pretty. So far this plague has killed around 30 percent of Equestria's population. The only reason Canterlot isn't effected is due to the magical properties being cast over the city by the now-ruler-of Equestria, Luna. In addition to the Herobis Virus outbreak Equestria also threatens to topple under the leadership of Queen Luna. Luna rules with an ironfist unlike how her now deceased sister Celestia once ruled this previously happy, prosperous land. If you're wondering how Celestia died, she was assassinated by a Changeling spy one night in her bedroom. Luna has since imposed strict martial law and given the government along with herself more power than ever before.
As if this wasn't enough Equestria faces the threat of being conquered by the Changelings who assassinated Celestia around 3 years ago. However the Changelings only started their conquest of Equestria around one year ago. So far the Empire has only captured quarantined cities. They make easy targets since infected citizens and ragtag guerilla groups don't make much of a threat to them. The Changelings could overrun Equestria right up to Canterlot at any time.
This is what puts many people on edge. They COULD just come in but they don't. No one really knows why. So far there hasn't been a fight between the Royal Army and the Empire yet. But it would be catastrophic. There are BILLIONS of Changelings and only a couple million Equestrians.
The only hope for a successful war against the Changelings would be if Equestria joined forces with the Griffon Kingdom, Human Conglomerates and the Dragon Tribes. The first is unlikely due to how the Griffons have walled off Equestria due to the plague. The second is unlikely due to most humans killing ponies on sight. And the latter is unlikely due to how reclusive and generally hostile the Dragons are. Put simply Equestria is at the breaking point.
After watching his parents train depart town, Calloway let everything that just happened sink in. His adoptive parents just left him....forever. He would never see them again. Calloway noticed that it started to get dark after a few hours. He promptly got up from the bench and headed home. On his way home he noticed the now usual dispair that everywhere in Ponyville. Parentless children scavenging abandoned buildings to only be doomed by the plague rats that surely infested the structures, infected ponies being rounded up for "disposal" as the guards called it, and everything was much more run-down now. Calloway had a long and lonely walk ahead of him. His house was on the other side of town from the train station. After around 20 minutes Calloway arived home. He opened his door, undressed and plopped down into his bed.
Meanwhile in the Everfree.......
"I can do this! I can do this!" a tribal boy kept telling himself. This tribal boy's name is Judas. He is an outcast from his tribe and just turned 15. Judas is currently on his way to kill his tribe's leader, who he recently found out was responsible for selling his parents into slavery for the Griffon King. "I can and I WILL DO THIS!" Judas told himself as he grabbed his gun and knife from his dresser.
Judas slid the gun under his pants and put the knife in he pocket. The blade folded so he wasn't at risk of cutting himself or anything. Judas started to make his way towards Lord Estebin's bunker. On the way there, Judas thought about his life. First came the good memories, the ones of his cat/best friend Esben. Then the memories of his parents and finally the ones of his adventures in the woods as a child.
However that was it for the good memories. The bad memories started soon after. He remembered how he was bullied as a kid, "Jud-ASS, Jud-ASS!" the kids would always call him that and he hated it just as any other kid would hate having their name altered to sound funny. Then he thought about the day his parents left, "They died on a hunting trip" the nobles told him. Judas knew better. He then thought about how he had found out about them being sold into slavery by Estebin.
By the time he thought about that though, he was already at the bunker. Now one would think that a bunker would be hard to break into but the opposite was true. The guards felt sorry for Judas so they always let him go in and read books from the Lord's archives and visit the Lord's dog, Hiram.
"Go on in Judas." Johnathan said.
"Thanks John." Judas replied as he descended into the bunker.
Now came the hard part. Judas slipped through the library and faced the challenge of the hallway past the library. He was never allowed back there. Judas immediately crouched down as he heard someone walking down the hall towards the library. He hid behind the corner until they passed and then went down the hall the other way. Soon enough he was near the door to the Lord's room. Two guards stood there. Vigilant to any threat that may enter the bunker. Judas thought for a moment.
He couldnt think of anything. "Wait!" Judas thought. He remembered that he had some coins in his pocket. Judas through the coin down the hallways which took the guards attention. They walked down the hallway a little bit giving Judas just enought room to slip into the Lord's chambers. Once inside he took a look around. Lots of papers, books and decor. "Pretty lavish." Judas thought. Judas' mind strayed a bit before remembering the goal at hand. The death of Estebin. Getting back down to buisness he sneaked up to the side of Estebin's bed. Thinking for a second he contemplated possibly not doing it. "NO! I have to do this..." Judas thought to himself.
Gathering up all his courage he took the dagger out from his pocket unfolded the blade and plunged it deep into the Lords throat. Realizing that he had just killed the Lord he said "I.....I did it." before quickly becoming aware of the punishment he may face. Judas realized that he would have to run very...very fast out of his village to somewhere far, far away. Turning around Judas bolted out of the room.
"HEY YOU! STOP!" was all Judas heard as he ran through the bunker at great speed. Once out Judas saw Johanathan and stopped for a second.
"John, you....were always nice to me. I just thought you should know i'm leaving and not coming back to the village." Judas didn't wait for a reply he simply bolted into the Everfree forest.
"JUDAS! STOP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHATS OUT THERE!" Judas heard Johnathan yelling but he didn't stop. He just had one word on his mind. Run. Judas ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. He collapsed right outside a cottage close to Everfree.
"Ahhh shit....what time is it?" A tired Calloway asks himself as he rises from his bed. Taking a look at the clock Calloway sees that it is sometime around 7 AM. "Damnit, I needed more sleep. Well no point now. Might as well get up." Calloway said to himself as he lifted himself from bed to head to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom he undressed and entered his shower. However after entering Calloway realized that earlier he said two full sentences to himself.
Thinking about this he said "Meh, you're only crazy if you answer yourself right? Right." This brought him a short chuckle as the water started to splash against him. Calloway hastily took his shower and got dressed in his normal attire. "Lets see what there is to eat." Calloway said as he headed to his pantry. Opening his pantry he noticed everything in there. "Looks like we got cereal....pancake mix and some hashbrowns.....lets go with cereal." Calloway then got the cereal out and pulled a bowl from one of his cabinets.
Calloway opened his fridge and noticed that he had no milk to use. "Damn. No milk left. Well shit, guess its dry cereal for me. How great..." Calloway then sat down at the table to eat his cereal. He finished in around 5 minutes. Grabbing his shoes and putting them on he started to go towards his front door. Opening the door he was greeted by the same scenery he'd grown used to over the past few years. He remembered that Ponyville used to be so happy and prosperous.
He remembered the times he would spend at the library just looking through books, and the times he would spend at Fluttershy's seeing her animals and helping her out for money when he was younger. However he also remembered the annoyances, which werent realy annoyances now. Everything in hindsight sounds so great in his mind but at the time he really didnt like it. Like waiting in line for cider rom the Apple family. Sure, the cider was great but the line was always long as hell. Calloway tried as hard as he could to push these memories out of his mind.
They always made him sad and depressed when he compared those happy memories to the now drab and disease-ridden Ponyville. Calloway having subdued most of these memories started to go towards the market sqaure. The market wouldn't be open for another 30 minutes but he knew a detour and figured that he could use the walk. It was funny to him because during the morning Ponyville actually didn't look too much different. No one was outside and nothing was really going on. What was depressing was the fact that this is how it was all day in some areas. Some areas were just plain deserted and decaying. After a few more minutes of walking Calloway arrived at the market place. Although it was around 5 minutes before the market "officially" opened, most stalls are already open around ten minutes before then.
Seeing as his favorite dairy stall was open Calloway headed in that direction. Arriving at the stall he was greeted by a rather tired looking mare,
"Hello there. What do ya need?" The mare asked.
"Just a gallon of milk." turning around the mare picked up a gallon of milk and sat it on the front of the booth.
"Here ya go."
"Thanks." Calloway said as he handed her the bits for the milk. Gallon in hand, Calloway headed home. The way home didn't prove to be any different than the way there. Still deserted. Still depressing. Calloway promptly arrived at his residence and opened his door. Once inside he took off his shoes and yawned. "Man, i'm still pretty tired." Calloway said to himself. He then headed upstairs after putting the milk in his fridge. Calloway collapsed into his bed. Caving into his exhaustion he slid into a deep sleep within minutes.
