I am Twilight Sparkle

Day 2

Day 2

morning

After breakfast I started searching the hospital again, hoping I might have missed something. After that, more intese search, I can safely say that Ponyville general hospital, is NOT a safe place. I found the double doors to the intensive care unit, during my search. Sadly, they were locked. I still hoped that I might find a magical dampener in there, but the doors didn't budge. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't found the keys in the pocket of a really dead nurse. Unlocking these doors, will haunt me in my dreams for a while. After I had unlocked them, the double doors swung open, causing me to stumble backwards. A whole bunch of "them" came streaming out of there. The first few fell to the floor, while the others behind them, fell over the first ones. It didn't take them long to recover, but that gave me enough time to complete a teleport spell. I grabed my saddlebags, and ran from there in a full gallop.

Leaving Ponyville behind me, I looked back one last time from a small hill close to the towns borders. My home... The place I came to know my verry first friends, lay now in ruins. Only verry few of the buildings had escaped destruction. Even so I know I might not have been able to make a difference in my homes defense, I still wish I would have been there. I can't help myself but wonder. Did they all fight, or did some of them try to flee? Did some maybe barricade themself in their houses? Is that the reason why so many buildings are destroyed? I will never know. All I can say, is that whoever finds this, should better avoid the town, even so I saw many of them come into the direction I was in. If they are, then my theory has been proven. They are not only able to detect the active use of magic, but also the magical aura that surrounds a spellcaster.

To confuse them, if that is the case, I poured some of my mana into animals I saw on the way. They didn't like the procedure verry much, and thanks to that the protection around my neck is now damaged a little. An eagle was not to fond of it and decided to peck at me. Gladly the damage should not be to serious. I unwrapped it, and inspected the few small holes it had left behind, and none of them is bigger then a bit.

Currently I am hiding in a cave, that is located in the Trotback mountains, that seperate Ponyville from the Mane forest just outside of Canterlot. There are several corpses outside the caves entrance, and inside I found a dead dragon. His scales obviously had not been enough to protect him for verry long, but by the looks of it he took many of them with him. There are about a hundred corpses along the walls of the cave. Combined with the about two hundred I saw outside, it must have been a pretty intese fight.

Looking outside, I can see that it is almost noon. My stomach is also backing that up. Maybe I should try to attach some of the dragons scales to myself? He may be dead, but they look sturdy enough. Different from the chitine skin of insects, they don't seem to become fragile once the body dies. I will now eat one more of the cans I scavanged from the hospital. Can't decide which one yet. I got three cans of peaches left, one glass of carrots and two cans of mashed apples. My water supply should be ok for the time being, since there is a small stream running down the mountainside, just outside the cave.

Day 2

evening

The sun is already setting. I had to destroy the caves entrance, since, while I was washing myself for the first time in a while in the stream, I saw several undead Pegasi closing in on my position. With my wing broken, there was no way I could have outflown them, and I am still not too fond of the idea of using long range teleportation. It would emmit a massive surge of magical energy at my starting and landing point. What is worse, I can't scan the area I will land in with my magical senses, since they don't reach so far as my maximum teleportation range goes. For the time being, I will stay inside this cave. My food supply is not yet critical, and I have blasted a small hole into the caves wall, just where the stream is. Closing it up with a piece of cloth, I now have running water, whenever I need it. Well... aslong as I stay here atleast. That can't be verry long though, since in addition to the cans I have scavenged, I only have 5 packs of dried food concentrate left. It tastes more then bad, but it keeps me alive.

Looking at the dragon, I can't help but think of Spike again. Atleast I now know that a dragon won't be turned if killed by the creatures. Hope the little guy is alive, cause for as far as I can see, the dragon is completly unharmed. After taking care of water, I have checked him all over, and there is not a single wound on his body. His scales seem to be more effective a defense then I had first thought. It was only after I opend his jaws with my magic, that I saw the possible cause for this dragons demise. Stuck between his backteeth, there is the leg of a pony. I can only imagine that he tried to eat one of them and that last bite, proved to be fatal.

As much as I hate what I have to do, but I have made up my mind. I will use the dragons body to make some kind of barding for myself. I don't have any sewing needles or threat, so I will have to use a spell I havn't used since magic kindergarden. Back then it had been a verry funny joke, casting it to the place where another foal was about to sit. The victim would then be glued to their seat, until an adult came and cast the counterspell. I don't know how much pressure or pulling that charm can endure, but it's the only thing I have to create some better protection then the straps of cloth wrapped around me.

Day 2

late night

Done. If I can trust my body, then it is already early morning, and I guess I will have to, since I can't see the sun or moon to confirm or disprove it. For hours now I have ripped scales out of the dead dragons body. Using my magic I shrank and formed them to fit what I had in mind. For each leg, I made myself strap ons out of four scales each. I bent them so they would wrap around my legs, and then fixated them with the sticking spell. It is amazing how flexible these scales actually are. I barely had to use any force, while shaping them.

Note to anypony finding this:

Dragonscales are verry durable and can even protect from magic to a certain degree. I will mark the cave on a map I carry in my backpack, so you know where to find it.

After a few hours of ripping out scales, shrinking them and then sticking them to my coat, I am pretty pleased with myself. All but my face, wings and rear end are covered, for obvious reasons I did not even try to put scales there. The "armor" I am wearing now, is not verry comfortable, and I feel itchy in some places, but it is better then being infected. Though, I do not know what would happen to me if I were to be infected. Afterall, I am neither Earthpony, Pegasus nor Unicorn. From what I have read, when such things as studying still had a greater value in my life, Alicorns posses a much greater resistance to illnesses and magical curses. Would it be possible, that I am even immune to it? Still, I am not really willing to put that theory to the test. If I am wrong, then I would simply die and join their ranks. If my friends are still alive somewhere, I don't want to put the burden on them of putting me out of my misery.

If it comes to that, I will most likely blow my own head apart with telekenisis before I fall. Better dying as myself, as possibly being a threat to my friends and family. I will.....

Day 3

early morning

During my last entry, I heard something deeper inside the cave. Also I suddenly felt another magical aura, aside from myself. Cautiosly I searched the cave, my horn aglow to light me the way. There, pretty deep inside the cave, I found something... or better someone! Sleeping next to a fire, beneath a hole in the caves ceiling, I found a Unicorn filly. Her flank is blank and her mane and tail are purpel and pink. Beneath all the grime and dirt, I could clearly make out a pure white coat. Her steady breathing, clearly a sign that she was, without a doubt, ALIVE, let me freeze in shock for a second. The hole in the ceiling explained why I had not smelled any smoke from the fire. My approach, and the soft clip clop of my hooves on the stone floor, must have been loud enough to wake her up, for she cracked one eye open, jolting awake immideatly. I felt an impact on my chest, that almost knocked the wind out of my lungs. Had I not already been wearing the dragonscales, I could have been seriously injured.

The green eyes that looked back at me, frightend and enraged at the same time, confirmed my suspicions. I knew that filly, back when I was still living in Ponyville. She has grown considerably since then, but there was no way I would not recognize Sweetie Belle, when I saw her. She continued to fire arcane bolts at me, all the time screaming like a madpony. I had to defend myself eventually, and that was when her attacks finally stopped. Me using a shieldspell seemed to be enough to convince her, that I was not one of "them".

After narrowing her eyes, Sweetie Belle rushed at me, and almost knocked me of my hooves when she embraced me. She had not recognized me at first, but when she had looked closer, she had. I guess my armor of scales does obstruct my appearance a little. I will have to find a pond or a shard of glass some time, to see if I am even recognizable now.

Sweetie Belle told me in tears, the story of Ponyvilles fall. All the Ponies had fought vigilantly, but one after another had fallen. Rarity had been in Canterlot by that time, so it was only natural that she asked me for her sisters whereabouts. My guts clenched up, and I felt guilty again, when I could only reply her pleading look with a shake of my head. As glad as I am, to have found another survivor, I can't forget the magic Sweetie used against me. It was... different. A spell I know, but can't yet put my hoof on. It could be important, since she told me of several encounters since she found refuge in this cave. So some of the dead outside, are going to her account, and not to the dragon that had granted her refuge in the back of his cave three years ago.  That would also explain, why his body is not in a state of decomposition yet. According to Sweetie, he died only about a week ago. Until then he had, remembering Fluttershys kindness towards him when he was hurt once, brought her food when he had gone out to get some for himself.

I would have been seriously suprised had Sweetie tried to tell me, that she survived since Ponyvilles fall all by herself. Right now, she is sleeping, cuddling her muzzle into my flank. It can't be verry comfortable for her, giving the fact that I am almost covered in scales now from head to tail, but I will let her have as much of this as she wants. Afterall, I am the first "living" Pony she has seen in three years. When I had tried to ask her about Scootaloo and Applebloom, Sweetie Belle had begun to cry again, so I changed the topic.

Rarity, I hope you are still alive somewhere out there. If you are, I want you to know, that I will do what is within my power, to make it happen, that you and your sister can meet again.