The Line

Life used to be normal.

Used to.

I used to have a wife and foal. I used to have a job. I used to get home from work and complain to my family about what a prick my boss was today.

Used to.

I used to change my foal’s diaper. I used to feed him, and burp him, and hold him.

Used to.

I used to care about other people. I used to have feelings.

Used to.

Now, I’m sitting here. I can hear their moans, their cries. I might be the last person alive in this hell called Equestria, and you know what?

It doesn’t matter.

No matter what I do, no matter what I did, Fate had other plans.

Fate can be a real bitch, can’t it?

Don’t answer that.

Fuck! Why am I even writing this journal? Is anyone gonna be left to read it?

I don’t know. I don’t know.

Well, pal, if you’re a new kid on the block, maybe I should explain to you what’s happened.

Equestria died. It shriveled up and died. Gave up. See ya later, fuckers! I’m gonna go rot now. The Elements ran off...somewhere. Nopony knows where they are. If I actually live to make it out of this room, I'll look for them. It has to be done.

The catalyst of this destruction was an aggressive bacterial infection. Everyone called it the Plague, though. Nopony really cared about what kind of infection it was when the first biters were ripping flesh off and stuffing it in their mouths. Rumors said it started in Manehattan.

It didn't matter.

At first, gunsmiths made a fortune making weapons for scared people. Defend yourself and your family!, the smiths said, it’s the right thing to do! The power of advertisement, huh?

None of their money mattered when people realized that golden coins were fucking useless nowadays.

The currency became supplies. Food, water, weapons, munitions, medical supplies...anything to help you survive.

Pretty soon after that, other ponies became threats.

When things started going to shit, ponies would team up and fight. Lots of small groups started popping up all over the place. Soon after, some of these groups decided that they should try and make life as comfortable for themselves as possible.

That's when the raids started.

I once saw a small settlement that had been completely burned to the ground. There were heads without bodies on pikes, and bodies without heads that had become all-you-can-eat buffets for the biters.

It didn't matter if you were strong. It didn't matter if you were tough. It didn't matter if you were fast. It didn't matter if you were quiet. It didn't matter if you were brave.

Nothing mattered.

I did terrible things in this life. I killed people. I let people die. I did what I needed to do. Looking back, I know I made some bad choices. But I really don’t care. I never really did.

You know, my cutie mark was of a fire. I always thought it meant I was good at making people feel things, that I could light a metaphorical fire.

But you know what it really means?

It means that I can survive.

I know how to survive. I can do what needs to be done to survive.

When I was younger, my mother always used to tell me that everyone had a line. One that they wouldn’t cross, no matter what the situation was. She said her line was murder.

I still haven’t found my line yet.

What’s your line? What are you willing to do to stay alive? To keep the ones you love alive? To ensure that their next breath isn’t their last?

What will you do when the Commons and the Pullers and the Acids and the Leapers and the Hunters and the Squids come to your door?

What will you do?

Will you sacrifice someone else? Will you tell everyone to escape while you hold them off and die in a blaze of heroic glory? Will you try to sneak out? Maybe you’ll burn the house down. Maybe you’ll come up with a cunning escape plan that involves sneaking out of the back while the monsters’ attentions are focused on the noisemaker you rigged.

Maybe you won’t.

Maybe you’ll give up. You’ll let them tear you apart, you’ll let them rip apart your entrails. Maybe you’ll put a gun to your head and pull the trigger, thinking about how much you love your family and friends and the world and the rainbows and birds and bunnies and murderous biters around every corner and the psychopaths that have managed to stay alive.

What will you do?

There’s no way of knowing what you’ll do until it happens. I never thought I could kill somepony, and now here I am, the blood of over ten of them on my hooves. And those are just the ones I knew the names of!

You must think I’m a coward, a thief, a liar, a cheat. Well, fuck you! I did what needed to be done. I made tough calls when no one else would.

I did it all.

My name is Walker. This is the story of the roller coaster of life and its unexpected turns.

Enjoy life while it lasts, buddy. It might be the very last thing you do.