Fallout: Equestria - Beyond the Looking Glass

Chapters

I. Flawless Amethyst
II. Shattered Glass
III. Crystal Shards
IV. Blood Diamond
V. Shadowed Ruby
VI. The Looking Glass

I. Flawless Amethyst

“Out she crawled from the Rabbit’s hole, only to find herself stumbling into the Lion’s den…”

Life flows by me like a distant memory, much like the stars that reside above Equestria. And like the stars, some memories grow more vibrantly and ecstatically then others. But that does not mean the stars are absent.

They are present, alive, but it is darkness that hinders their true potential. I remember a time when all memories were but dull sirens, blaring aloud as they tried to break through the thundering sound of nothingness. Such can be processed, but it is best to foretell of the memories from the very beginning, in a time where I was much younger, in a tone where I was once naïve.

{***}

I was born inside a Stable, Stable 78 to be exact. A safe haven known to everypony, to the point where I don’t need to explain what it is – or why they were needed. Our home succumbed to war, and as a result it died. That was the dream and that was the truth. That’s why we lived deep within the Stables, and that’s what we were taught deep within our Stables. Well, that’s what the others were taught. Me, I was taught nothing more but to remain pure and unscathed by the touch of others.

That is because I am what is referred to as a crystal pony.

When I was born, I was told that my heavenly glow was so bright it lit the entire room like a celestial light. My birth marked the beginning of a new hope. My condition rendered me as the chosen one.

That’s why my name is Starlight.

The context of my meaning weighed so little importance on me as I grew older though. I was always in good care, and I never bothered to think beyond the walls of my comfort zone. I was constantly bathed, always fed, and adorned luxurious clothing. I was never given a role, an assignment, a Stable jumpsuit, or a pip-buck. I was a goddess amongst ponies, and I felt loved by all.

At least, I thought I did. Soon, as I reached a certain age, the underlying facts of reality began to tear the fabric of mine. I began to see behind the curtain, and notice that all did not seem well. I was told that there were ponies who once had the same glowing ability as I did, but when I asked what became of them, they ignored my question.

In time, I was told that soon all was to come and pass, and that all luxuries would be taken from me in place of a greater gift, one that outweighed all materials within the stable.

At first I was fascinated, pondering on what could have exceeded the values of such glorious goods. As I asked, they smiled gloriously as they praised the word with grace.

“Sacrifice” they said, and at that moment, I felt something deflate within my body…

…Because I had no clue what that was. Such a gift seemed so simple for my materialistic mind. I expected jewels, accessories. So I wanted to know more.

I asked them what such a thing was, and they too looked as lost as I did.

So they explained.

Explicitly.

And my jaw dropped. My eyes widened. My lips trembled. And then I began to cry.

I wept and I wept. I ran. I hid from these ponies who tried to sell me a one-way ticket to death. They chased after me, sending unicorns to magically restrain me as I began to sob and moan.

“You should be honored” they cooed as they managed to subdue me with an anesthetic, “your gift has offered this Stable the opportunity to live on, and in your name too. You should be happy…”

But I was not happy.

My perpetual glow radiated within my dim lit room as tears flowed onto the floor every day. I was but a kindled candlelight in the darkness, my crystalline coat protecting me from the dark shadows attempting to reach my heart. My glimmer shone on even through the darkest nights, and it soothed me when the nightmares tried to creep into the confines of my mind, but never could it truly ease the fair welling inside my nimble frame.

I did not want to die. I loved life to well. Everything was so grand, so perfect – I just didn’t want to give it up now.
But the fear was overwhelming. As time passed, an unfathomable sensation of dread came over me, accompanied with the sinister voice of wickedness. My mind began to play tricks on me, taunting me as I counted the seconds that flew by without meaning or purpose.

My mind wanted me to end my pain. It hurt as much as I did. But I grew fearful of it, for what it wanted me to do. It wanted to end the suffering…and that made me cry ever more.

Seeing that their symbol of hope would be killed by depression rather than their own hooves, the overmares pulled a few strings and allowed me what they conceived as a “grand opportunity”: they let me roam the halls of the Stable freely, so I could think upon the subject…

It made little difference. Wandering the halls by ponies I hardly knew was a feeling like no other. They watched me as if I was a holy item, unfit for their eyes or hooves. I attempted discussions (sometimes secretly trying to understand why I had to die) but they made short remarks and casted their eyes down to the floor.

My death was to signify their hope and they gave that fact little significance. I felt worthless, and my depression only deepened. I stopped wandering the halls and isolated myself and my mind in my corridor. The only ones who seemed to care, were the very things that wanted to kill me.

I had grown accustom to examining myself in the mirror, catching the slightest glimmers from my shimmering light blue coat or crystalline whit mane as if they were stars, and wishing upon their existence that I did not have to die.

On one particular day however, I caught a dark red stallion with a shady blue mane come into my room from the corner of the mirror. My sullen yellow irises had grown accustom to the dull shades within my room, and his vibrant texture quickly rejuvenated my tired eyes.

I quickly whirred around and flashed a heavy smile in his direction as I waved my hoof towards him. He remained unresponsive for a short while, but soon waved back in response, which shook something inside of me.

I truly met somepony for the first time.

That day marked the beginning of a long friendship I would always cherish. That day, he came in telling me that he really wanted an opportunity to meet me, and that he had pulled many strings just to see me.

I found myself smiling and laughing hysterically as he began to explain his presence to me. All his struggles and his triumphs – I felt truly important to somepony.

After his explanation, I quickly asked him what was it that he wanted to see me about, and he only responded with three simple words: “Just to talk”

So that’s what we did. We talked.

I was ignorant of everything beyond the walls of my room. This stallion, whose name I discovered was Orion, told me of the ponies of the Stable, what was there to do, and the routines that were to be followed. He answered many questions I had, but that day I refrained from asking the one question that had burned in my mind for so long. This moment was just too great to screw up.

“Would you like to play baseball one day?” he asked. He explained to me the sport, and I was very intrigued, so I quickly nodded my head in response.

“Yes, today!” I said ecstatically. He was caught off guard by my demand, but he did not wave it off. He smiled, nodded his head, and walked me out of my cell.

I felt free and relieved and it was a great feeling.

The days that followed, I would find myself frequently playing baseball with Orion. There was no end to our Stable adventures. We were alive, full of life, and full of happiness.

I soon began to know Orion, know him for what kind of pony he was. He was like no other; he spoke with such enthusiasm and charisma that it was enough to characterize his confidence as a whole. But he was not arrogant. He had this humble image that could not be tainted, for he had a heart true to goodness. And that was another thing. Orion was a stallion of wisdom. Being so young, I found it impossible to think a stallion like him could think like how he did. It was a strange combination, a flourished product that expressed a leader. I came to respect this pony, who had just about the same amount of respect for me.

Ponies began to talk, and thoughts began to ascend, but that meant nothing because soon I found myself talking to all these ponies without issues. Mares and colts would come to play baseball games and soon that would turn into small league tournaments. I became an equal, and soon everyone was able to see me as a pony. I felt truly wanted.

As the days shifted into months though, and my bonds with the Stable became stronger and stronger, the Overmares quickly cracked down on what they thought would be an issue. It came suddenly one day, when Orion did not come, and the only voice that greeted me was an indifferent tone from the intercom, reminding me that death was but only weeks away.

Death had come, and months of healing became undone as I became to drown in my sorrows. I screamed at the intercom for telling me of my inevitable demise and I bashed it with my hooves repeatedly. Defeated, I crawled back into my bed that day and cried as I realized all the friends I had made were to be plucked from me by the hands of death. Soon everyone became nothing more but lifeless silhouettes.

Time waited for his hand to land on my hour, and he moved so feverishly it was as if he longed for my death. I could not come to comfort with death, so I knew not what to do.

Suppressed thoughts returned, and I replayed the words of old ponies in my head, telling me that the crystal ponies before me were honored to go and die for their Stable, and held such valiant hearts with what they knew would become of them. They gave no reason to their sacrifice, only that it was all for a “greater good.”

That was not me. I did not want to sacrifice myself for others. I had no pride, I loved life too dearly. I hated death, the very existence of it. I did not want it to take the very things I cherished, myself included.

I prayed to Celestia to carry the burden away from my soul. I held fast to that prayer, investing every ounce of hope into that wish.

And that night, she answered.

I was awakened by blaring alarms and sirens that thrusted me out of bed. Immediately, I found Orion standing there before me, staring deep into my eyes with a glance that shouted only a single word: “Run”

Without hesitation, I left the room and bolted outward. An alarm echoed through the halls as Orion ran beside me, guiding me down narrow halls and past security that adorned heavy armor. I was scared, shaken, and my teeth chattered like a fool, but I didn’t know how to react. My mind was everywhere but nowhere.

We passed through dozens of locked homes, with ponies barricaded behind doors as they attempted to shield themselves from an apparent danger. There was no physical danger though.

Their hope was fleeting fast, and they longed to restrain that.

Soon, Orion and I made it to the entrance of the Stable door. I know not how he did it, but he did. And I was far from the hooves of death and that was all that mattered.

I hugged Orion quickly, who was caught off guard by the sudden embrace. It was a ridiculous act, but I could not refrain from doing it. He saved me.

Orion quickly brushed me off with chivalry however, reaching for the control panel of the Stable door that caused it to whir with life.

“We have to keep going…” he warned as the rusted door from behind us began to rattle and thump loudly.

It was enough to send the message across. As the large metal pendulum rotated outward, we took flight, ignoring the tyrannical monarchs from behind us or the brooding darkness from ahead. We were oblivious to the world as we ran full sprint into a new world we thought nothing of.

{***}

We ran. And we ran and ran. We were so intent on running that we failed to realize we had passed through the darkness. We expected our grand escape to be met with a bright shining light, a glowing future where Orion and I would venture off and endure our friendship in a grand garden of peace and serenity.

Instead, sulfur stung my nose. Smoke burned my lungs. The warmth in my body disappeared.

I found myself staring outward into a scorched landscape infested with swollen weeds and the dry remains of trees. The ground was ill-ridden, dying of malnutrition and dehydration.

My panting became one with the wind as its high pitch resonated in my earlobe.

The dead sky suddenly moved, stepping slowly over the twisted carcass of Equestria as it loomed closer to me. It ate everything in its path without remorse.

I was petrified and I could not move. For a second, I had the urge to turn back, but quickly fought the idea. I turned to Orion, hopeful he can provide me closure, but he as well stared at the large beast with shock. Perhaps he himself expected the bright glow and warm embrace of the sun.

Then, without warning, the smog zipped past over the two of us, darkening everything in our path as it turned the sickly green floor into a valley of death. I could not part the land from the skies – both were so horribly dark and horrid that my mind was on the verge of shutting down.

It was dark, but still I could see. My crystal glow shined through the thick black fog, and it lit both Orion and I within the darkness. But as quickly as I came to realize this, the light began to fade. It became colder, less responsive, until finally it lay dead. As the last star on my hoof became extinguished, I felt a sense of dread pierce my heart, the very kind that attacked me within confinement.

Orion gave me no time for reflection however, although I knew he had as many questions as I did. It was a feeling that brought out a filly's greatest fear: extinguishing the night light.

Seeing how he got us into this, he planned to get us out. He ordered me to walk beside him carefully as we ventured through the dreadful valley, his pip-buck lighting the path.

But deep down there was no point to his journey. As we walked on in silence, my mind spoke once more, except this time, it became more terrifying and distorted.

“That dreadful sensation you feel inside of you,” it subconsciously taunted as I struggled to remain focus. “That’s the true feeling of life. This world is not your kingdom. It is you grave, and you know that. In this world, you will fail…”

It then suddenly disappeared. I stopped for a few seconds but was unable to come to a proper conclusion of what just happened. Seeing me immobile, Orion urged me to continue on. So I followed.

As we ventured onward, exhaustion took a hold of our bodies. I felt my legs beginning to buckle underneath my weight, for it may have been hours which we walked. No light had shown, and we thought this was all that remained of a broken world.

By a miracle however, the two of us stumbled upon a decomposing shack, surrounded by broken fences and dying trees. Without hesitation, we quickly entered the house and rested our tired bodies.

To this day, I don’t know how I slept that day. In a world as dead as this, gifted a dreadful sensation that can kill even the slightest hope, how could I have not taken it with such pain? Maybe it was because the feeling was mutual…that feeling of loneliness.

But I was still ignorant then. I had much to learn.

{***}

The next day, I awoke to a dim grey sky that slowly slithered above me. The shack had a massive hole on top, but I gave it little attention really. I only remained quiet as I stared up and pondered what was next.

“You’re awake now. Thought you may have left me in my sleep.”

Orion smiled at me as I turned to give him a bleak look. He was only trying to maintain sanity, but my look seemed to destroy that effort. I apologized and he let out a futile sigh.

“No…I’m sorry…”

After that, it was mostly quiet. I knew nothing to comfort him for I was in no position to comfort. I lacked the potential to even help myself.

But still, I tried.

“No, don't be. I’m alive because of you. Thank you.”

I gave him no chance to respond. I got up from the rotten floorboard and began to walk about. I felt grimy, disturbing smells were constantly invading my nostrils, and it was too much for a pampered pony like me to handle. I needed to keep myself away from the feeling, but everywhere I turned, I found myself lost within its presence. So eventually, I returned to where I laid, looking back at

Orion who had canisters and boxes around him. I had also just realized he had a leather studded saddle on his backside.
“Is it good?” I asked as he cracked open a box and took a bite out of the food. At first his face looked delightful but quickly shifted into that of disgust.

“It’s edible.” He responded with a pungent expression. I denied the food for a good while, but as my stomach became more violent, I finally gave in and ate the disgusting matter.
It was dreadful in my mouth, but it went down easy in my stomach which was an upside.

Until Orion spoke.

“Careful, a little too much radiation isn’t good for you.” he remarked as he looked down at his pip-buck that glowed in his face. I immediately began to hack and spit.

“What?!” I shouted in confusion, which caused Pyro to smirk. “Are you trying to poison me?”

“No, but it seems as if you are. You should’ve gotten a pip-buck instead of a delicately detailed mane or a silver tiara-”
“You know why I don’t have one.”

We spent a good while going back and forth, giving voice to the world. Eventually, we landed to the events of our escape.

“Why did I do it?” Orion said, crossing his hooves before him as he lay on the floor. “…I don’t know…”

“You don’t know?” I asked quickly. I wanted to know if this was truly thought out, as if this was an elaborate and truthful plan. But not even I knew what defined the truth.

“…You were miserable…I saw it inside of you. All the times we hanged out, all the times we talked…it was just their…in your voice, in your movements. You…you didn’t have to live like that. No pony should ever have to live like that…”

Silence followed afterward. Orion’s words left me stunned as he expressed care for my being. It was something uncanny, and his words struck me in a state of stupor.

“…So, why did you leave?” I finally asked.

Orion said nothing, only looking to his side.

“Call me a fool,” he said, “But I could not stay there. I knew what was out here but…”

Orion then sighed, causing me to blink in his direction. I listened closely, intent on discovering who this stallion truly was. For in all the time that I knew him, I thought I would have known every inch of his mind. I still had much to learn.

“…there was something calling to me…I don’t know what it was, but I had this feeling that I had to be out here…I can’t explain it…but I knew the Stable was not a place for me…”

“So you had already planned on leaving? And I was just…” my words trailed off as I felt the remains of the sentence leave my own mind. I really did not know what to say. I was going off emotion, not logic or reason.

Orion bowed his head and sighed.

“I’m sorry” he stated slumly, “I did not mean to bring you out here…not even I expected this…”

He stood solemnly while I waited back with a muddled mind. My head throbbed with desires, longing to sense care, betrayal, anger, and so on. But as I looked on at the red stallion, I knew he truly meant what he spoke. And anger could not help me in any way, for I only had Orion. And Orion only had me.

“…I forgive you…” my mouth has slipped, my bitterness failing to hold it back. Orion said nothing, reading my mind with my eyes, and nodded his head quietly.

After that, we arranged to leave the shack. We had regained our energy and stripped the rotten house clean of resources. Before the grey skies shifted into a sickly green, we left the house and trotted off into the unknown.

We did not speak, but there was a lot left to be spoken. I trusted Orion though, without a doubt for he showed a care that I saw in nopony else. He had this strong image, one that could have easily been mistaken as a leader.

So I followed him through the Wasteland. And never once did he mention my depressed coat, absent from light and grace as shadows intertwined within its form.

II. Shattered Glass

"Even the dead have Dreams..."

For days we walked without purpose. Although silence longed to be our companion, Orion and I rejected its call as we pondered on the remnants of the old world.

It was terrifying, but I could not help but be so curious. What became of this world so long ago? What was it that drove this world to the brink of destruction, and made it so the sun can never rise and must be hidden behind the cold sheath from above?

Even Orion, the stallion who taught me so much of our own Stable that I was ignorant of, knew nothing that could help ease my questions.

“I don’t know…I don’t doubt what happened out here was no different from what happens inside our Stable.” he said on one particular time as we raided an old rundown home. We were thirsty, and irradiated water was becoming a frequent delicacy for the two of us.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously.

“The overmares are ponies who tend to rule on opposite ends. They always seem to be against another member, and when that happens, there’s usually small conflict between newly created factions.”

“I never knew that happened in the Stable…” I remarked, inferring how blinded I was by my innocence.

“It has. And eventually, when the tension subsides, everypony returns back to their daily routines.”

Orion then looked at me with a saddened expression, as if it hurt him to know this. “But ponies just don’t forget. The issues rise again later on, and soon there is conflict elsewhere. And when that happens, the overmares seem to take advantage of that and rule ideas that…”

By then, Orion had noticed how my mind had struggled to follow through with his ideas. So he quickly moved on as he let out a heavy sigh.

“…Sorry…but what I honestly think happened to this world, was that ponies were not willing to let go of the past and move on to secure a future..”

He then moved a few pots aside to look inside a faded oven that was shaded in differing hues of pink and blue. Water bottles managed to find a way in their sometimes.

“Why should they forgive though?” I said, causing Orion to slowly lift his head out, “I mean, if they were offended by something, there has to be a reason they were…”

Orion glanced at me with a studious expression, one that either admired my idealism or lashed at my stupidity.

“Sometimes, ponies aren’t offended, Starlight. Sometimes they’re just afraid or angry…maybe even angry for being afraid, or maybe for the other way around...”
My ears tilted in curiosity. “What do you mean Orion?”

“Some ponies are just afraid that there way of life will be changed, and because of that, even if the change may be for the better, they fight against it. They fight to hold onto what they have at the moment, but don’t think about the next day or the day after that. It’s because they’re afraid that they hold onto little things that they think will always last forever, when really they won’t. And because of that, they destroyed themselves.”

Orion gave me a long look, hoping to see that I understood what he was saying. Believing he had given his message, he turned away from me and moved towards a large moldy refrigerator.

But I did not comprehend his message.

In fact, those words stung me, and to hear it from Orion caused my gut to churn tightly.

“…But we left the Stable because we were scared Orion" I reminded, “That’s why we left.”

Orion lifted his head away from the refrigerator, but he did not turn back in my direction. It was evident that he did not count on that idea, for he stood their silently for a few seconds before he was able to say something.

“We weren’t scared Starlight…I only wanted to secure our future.”

He turned to me after he spoke and gave me a warm smile, one that melted away the burden that was slowly begin to harden over my mind.

We soon found four bottles after that discussion, but as we left that house Orion’s words occasionally drifted in and out of my head.

And as I began to ponder, my mind seized the opportunity.

Fear. Beautiful isn’t it? Can turn even the holiest of souls into the most careless. Do you realize why you fear death? Do you? Because you resent beauty. You want to take things into your own hooves, hold the world at your whim as you indulge in luxury while the others around you dwell in misery. How could you have been so sullen when you had it all, and everyone else had none?”

My mind had become violent, and it became distant, almost as if it was a separate entity. I fought those thoughts as best as I could as I felt Orion’s soothing answer crumble away into ashes.

I began to fight my mind, telling myself how I wanted to live because I loved the feeling of living. It wasn’t because of anything else. When I began to make friends, all material things became meaningless, and luxury meant nothing. But the voice always returned, saying my friends were nothing more but pawns and illusions to delude me from my construed reality.

My mind wanted me beaten. And as survival became an issue, it was striving for the kill.

{***}

The week soon passed as I had remembered counting the days and nights, standing beside Orion as the two of us continued to wander aimlessly. Though we had our moments, Orion and I had kept firm and united as we had when we first left the Stable. All was well for the both of us.

The broken streets and hollow houses soon became natural for me. I became numb to the oddly colored sky, and by some cherishment of luck, we always found enough food and water to keep us alive and healthy. They had even found weapons, but Orion stayed clear of such ‘destructive weaponry’. I remember asking him why he refused to take a weapon, and he humbly replied,

“The only reason I would need weapon is to hurt somepony. And the only other pony out here besides me is you. I don’t want to risk that…I don’t.”

As time passed, I came to believe that maybe the wasteland was indeed a giant garden for the two of us to enjoy. It was a thought that actually returned the glow I once had before, although it was still a faint beating pulse. Orion was astonished by its merits, but thought nothing unusual of it.

We were certainly becoming filth-ridden though. Our coats became mangled and grotesque, even turning Orion’s blue mane into a sickly blue. And the smell...

We soon passed through another small town, and Orion and I conditionally ventured inward without thought. The streets were typically empty, and not a single living thing was found. We had nothing to worry about.

The houses of this town were aligned across from one another, and the streets seemed to have filled with dirt that poured over the cracks. It was like a ghost town, the kinds I remember in a comic called “Blazing Saddles”.

I gave it no thought though and continued on.

“I very much doubt you’ll find water here, let alone to wash yourself with.” I shot as Orion rummaged about in a large delicate room. It was elegant, or at least it had been before the war.

“Oh, c’mon all you need to be is a little hop- err, I mean positive.”

The term hope had come to be a cursed word for me, one that gave me chills given by its background. The word hope had become an associate of my predisposed execution, and I wanted no reminder of that idea in the newfound garden. To hear it was like the sound of a heavy tomb bell, the kind that was used at the funerals of ponies back at the Stable.

“…Well you can try upstairs. Typically there is a chance that it’s on a drawer or desk.”

“Sometimes it makes you wonder why ponies left it there before the war…” Orion fascinated, turning away from the large room and trotting up the broken stair case. He stepped carefully over each plank, which gave a light creak that caused me to flinch out of worry for his well-being. But eventually he made it to the top and quickly disappeared into the room.

As he ascended to the top, I waited down below. I glanced around the large room once more, looking to see if maybe Pyro overlooked any places. He had a tendency to overthink or undermine things in all the wrong situations.

I ran my hooves over the aged flooring, looking for loose floor boards that harnessed hidden supplies. Scavenging became second nature for the both of us; we could have found that proposed needle in a haystack if we truly wanted to.

That is why, after a minute of tossing furniture and pulling things apart, I found something. But it was not something to keep us hydrated.

No, it was a shining, metallic orb, adorned in crystals that accumulated dust around its flawless shape. It was hidden beneath a floorboard, as suspected, but it was so strange to find something like that.

The metal finish was so prestigious, it seemed that only dust was able to bind itself to the crystals, and even that they did poorly at. I peered closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of even the slightest spectacle of dust but that was a terrible move. As I moved my head closer, I felt a slight humming noise ring in my ear and I felt vibrations whir through my head. Before I could even ponder on the feeling, a rush of light, energy, and force rammed through my head and shot through my mind.

It was all so quick, that I immediately felt nothing and everything at the same time as I watched images unfurl before me.

(^-*><*-^)

Without warning, I found myself holding a mare and kissing her in embrace. It was a strange feeling, and I strongly attempted to pull away from it, but my body did nothing while my mind only returned like an elastic band. It soon ended though, so the discomfort left as quickly as it came.

“I want you to care for your little colt, okay?” the wife cooed as she flashed her green eyes in my direction. I remain puzzled, ignorant of what to say, until a voice spoke for me.

“I will watch over him today. Everything will be fine, I assure you.”

I tried to turn and look, but I found myself only able to stare straight ahead. It was then that I realized I was the male. And I was living in his hooves.

The orb, whatever it was, was a memory of a pony.

Of who? I did not know. But I think I was going to find out.

“I don’t know Shacks” the mare continued worriedly, “this whole conflict and war…it’s getting pretty bad. Not too long ago there was an attack on equestrian soil, in a public area where mothers, foals-”

“You worry too much. This war will come and pass. The system has evolved and taken necessary precaution to adapt to this new world.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

The female looked disturbed, and with good intention. This was an orb that was possibly hundreds of years old, and it possibly could have answered questions I longed to know.

Time went on as the mare and “I” began to talk until finally (after yet another uncomfortable embrace) she departed, leaving me and her stallion alone in their house.

The stallion, after shifting around for quite some time and moving about, lifted his hoof and moved something aside. A bright ray penetrated my eyes and it stunned me how vibrant the light was. It was so strong that I felt its warmth press against my own real skin.

When my eyesight returned, I found myself staring upward from a large window, staring outward into a narrow road and small houses that aligned directly from one another. Ponies walked about jubilantly as green grass surrounded their houses, and it gave a sensation of tranquility that could not be broken. It might have very well been called tranquility lane.

For a while the stallion just stared outward, doing or saying nothing as I sat there in his mind. He just stood there, inhaling the glorious sight that managed to leave me breathless. For this was the garden I dreamed of.

A small voice echoed through my ear, a voice that caused my heart to skip a beat. My host turned down to see a small little brown foal walking in, with a smile that could warm any heart and eyes that could melt even the coldest of souls.

I felt a strong feeling well inside me…and I believe it belonged to the stallion.

Upon seeing the young foal, the stallion immediately came close and pulled him upward, embracing his son as the two fell playfully onto a bouncy platform.

As he stared into his foal’s eyes I saw clearly into the soul of the child that beamed with joy and happiness. It was a look like no other, one that could have been cherished forever.

It was a stare that needed no peace to love everything. Love already lived inside of it, and I felt its love sear into my soul. I felt a latch open inside of me, one that came heavily and distorted my senses in an odd manner.

Words became distorted, but images also became clearer. It was as if the orb tuned out all words and focused only on the memory, as if it knew words were meaningless, and what mattered the most was the child.

Or maybe it was my mind that had done so, altering the style of this memory as if it was my own.

Whether it was one or the other, I knew without a doubt that this foal had created something inside of me, a fact that I feared for I could not find the answer as to why or how.

Images of the foal shot through my mind, and through each moment I lived through a piece of the past. And through each piece, I came to realize the lie I was living.

The world I lived in was no garden. It was a graveyard, a land void of love and life. Orion and I were the only ones out here, and we were all alone.

“We’re alone…” I heard myself mutter.

I then knew I was awake.

(^-*><*-^)

The world began to stir around me once more, draining colors out of my eyes as I was left with drained textures and sickly pigments. I was back in the real world.

“- you okay?” Orion asked me as I came out of the orb that had managed to roll out of my hooves during my flashback.

I explained to Orion what I saw, what I heard…and what I felt. I told him of what was going on, of what I felt of the matter.

Orion looked at me in wonder, and smiled at the very world I began to explain in detail. I told him of the bloom of colors, the entourages of ponies, and the smile of the foal. All of what he heard he accommodated with an expression of graceful gratitude.

The more I began to explain in detail though, the more I felt my heart ache. My enthusiasm slowly withered away as I continued to explain myself, melting away the warm smile on Orion’s face in the process. I began to fall apart.

Orion tried to calm me down, but my sudden shift in mood rejected his attempts to do so.

“I want to feel what they felt!” I said, noticing that I now had tears running down the sides of my face. I tried to stop, only to notice that they were flowing more. Soon the tears broke into streams, and my heart removed the dam that suppressed the pain I felt inside.

“…I…want…to…go…home…” I found myself crying, shocking myself as I collapsed onto the ground. I clasped my hooves over my face to hide my shame, but nothing worked.

I cried to return to a home that wanted to kill me. But death was no different than it was from out here. To be out here with no chance of a future was the parallel of death itself. After explaining everything to Orion, I realized that this world was no garden. It was but a graveyard. A cold, quiet graveyard. Only Orion stood by me, and here I was making a fool of myself in front of him.

I felt something shatter against my side, and my glow began to fade once again, rendering me to be nothing more but a hollow shell.

The voice returned as well, laughing as it saw me submitted to my knees.

Death is but an end to all pain. Accept it. Do not fight it. You are alive, but for how long? How long must you endure this loneliness? But loneliness is serenity, is it not? Both are divine gifts which you wish to escape, but why? Do you long for comfort by other souls? Does it matter what their darkened souls bring to you, a kindred spirit? Come to me…let me ease your sorrows...”

The voice began to slowly fade as I felt a pair of hooves wrap around me and hold me close, a strong embrace that offered comfort and peace as aid for my battle.

“I’m sorry…I cannot say it enough…forgive me.”

Without hesitation I collapsed in his forelegs, crying into the stallion’s shoulders as he held me close. He gave me closure ad offered me comfort. I did not want to do this in front of him, but the harder I tried, the worse it became.

So I stopped fighting it. I cried, sobbing loudly in a silent world as dusk turned to dawn and we remained entwined with one another, my tears cleaning Orion’s mangled coat.

{***}

The week turned into a month. Around then, counting became a loose configuration in my head, so it may have been a little more, or it may have been a little less than a month.

By then, we had begun to walk with purpose. We tried to walk with direction, seeking a route in an unstructured world.

After that night, I had set out on a quest to find a piece of the past, similar to what I saw in the orb. Of course, most things were gone without a doubt, but there had to be one thing that was not: ponies. For days, we had set out in finding any signs of life, hopeful to assure ourselves that maybe, we were not the only ponies out here in the waste. And our quest has taken us not very far from where we started.

“What is it that you’re looking for exactly?” Orion asked me as I rummaged through an old train stop, which had been sanded down and redirected by a destructive, unknown force.

“There has to be somewhere in this world where ponies live. There just has to be.” I crossed, looking at the map to gain an exact feel of where we were. Most words were faded however, and the only one visible was a single sentence that boldly stated YOU ARE HERE.

“Searching for the Crystal Empire?” Orion snickered. He then laughed half-heartedly as he stomped one hoof down on the floor.

“Imagine if there was one though?” he thought, putting a hoof on his muzzle. I rolled my eyes and gave a sly smile.

“I very much doubt that would ever be” I shot, but Orion lifted an eyebrow.

“You never know…” Orion cooed as he ventured on without me. I trotted after him, glancing upward at the light brown skies from above. “There could very be a crystal empire right above us…”

The colors of the sky were changing as we moved along, but never did they foretell goodness. Such we had to find on our own, between the both of us.

“Orion, I think that radiation is getting to you” I noted as I lifted an eyebrow upward, “There is no way there could be something that great up there.”

“What makes you say that?” he retorted.

“Well, unless you can’t see that brown sky above us –which you’re clearly looking at - I’m pretty sure there can never be something that great out here.”

“Nonsense Starlight, not even you believe that!” Orion shot, causing me to stop in my tracks.

“Oh really? Now how would you know that?”

“Because even you are trying to find something as close to that here in this wasteland.”

My eyes went blank and I felt my cheeks flush red with embarrassment. Orion smiled as he glanced at the sight of his victory.

“Err, well-”

“It’s all right Starlight,” Orion laughed, “But as sorry as I am to say it, even you have faith in a dream, just like I do. And I dream of a kingdom in the sky…”

He then gave a playful wink and turned his head to look straight ahead. I longed to say something in my defense, to disprove Orion’s statement. But I had nothing. Thinking was wasting time though, so I followed suit after him, my face expressing the confusion that waged within my mind.

As we walked further we soon stumbled upon another town, and quickly without question, began our search for life.

“We should check inside these houses.” I advised to Orion, who glanced upward at a two story house that fell and merged with the third story house to the left of it.

“You mean house.” Pyro said, correcting me with what he saw before him.

Still, he went in and began his search. I ventured along the right side of the street, looking at small tattered homes and makeshift huts that remained unoccupied. It had seemed that this region was once populated, but now everybody seemed to have vanished without a trace. It was all very clear that people survived after the war, but it offered no reasonable explanation as to why they were nowhere to be found.

I walked a little farther along the right side of the street until I stumbled upon a curb. As I was about to make a turn, I thought I caught a glimpse of a shadow moving from afar. It moved slowly, and made little attempt to shield itself as I looked at it from the curb.

It was then that I caught a glimpse of a grey coated pony from afar, who walked across my line of sight without little thought. He walked as if he was oblivious to the destruction around him, which led me to believe that he was a native of this foreign land.

I felt something well inside of. I felt light headed. And I held a small smile.

I had finally found somepony.

I could not believe my discovery. I had found another pony! I had discovered proof that there was life out here, that there was more to this world than infinite silence.

My happiness got the better of me. I should have waited for Orion. I should have told him.

But instead I found myself running in the direction of the pony, who had already traveled across the small street and into the left side. He did not take notice of me, and that was what I wanted.

I was excited, like a young filly, eager to meet this new pony and discover who they were and how they lived out here and if they knew anypony else…

The questions continued to pile up as I ran as quickly as I could. At last I had found what I sought, and I was bent on fulfilling my goal.

“Wait!” I found myself calling as I had moved near the left side of the curb, reeling my weight as I skidded over rubble and debris.

And at that moment, the voice whispered harshly, “Be careful what you wish for, kindred.”

Without a second to reflect on its warning, I remained petrified as I stared into a large, decimated building that had fallen within itself, leaving the inside exposed to view. But what I saw hanging from broken window panes and fractured floorboards made me wince as needles trickled over my face.

Ponies dangled motionlessly from the small building, in no particular manner. They hanged from their necks, their legs, their spines…

I could no longer take it. My eyes began to frantically move about as fear seized my mind. The sound of pebbles shifting aside caused me to bolt in the source’s direction, leaving me to stare onward at a dark grey stallion who smiled wickedly at me. His dark green eyes looked straight through me, sending adrenaline through my veins which were in danger of bursting.

It was then that a single thought passed through my mind: Orion.

I struggled to turn away from the horrid sight and tired run back towards Orion, but my mind stood against me though, as if these thoughts were not my own…

“Blander, disregard, negligence... Is that how a queen treats her subjects of the wastes? I bring you guests, and you reject their calling? I am appalled. You sought the eyes of Haddock, and hear you run from his vision….”

I shook my head violently, and actually responded to the voice out of fear.

“No…stop…”

I had taken a few steps back, trying to rid of the horrible dread within me, but I had felt something press against my backside. As quickly as I held felt it, a large mass of weight fell upon my back, sending me down to the ground as I cried out in agony. I felt every nerve in my body temporarily shut down as something heavy pressed against my limp frame, pressing harder with every passing second. I tried to scream, but my mouth was incapable of moving as I had only been able to give muffled sobs.

My eyes pleaded for my mouth could do nothing. They moved frenetically, sending the world into a contorted blur of dust and ash. I felt the sound of hooves approaching rebound into my ears, which caused me to muffle even louder. I was trying to call for help. I tried to move my body. I tried to run for Orion.

But my body only knew pain, and pain became a companion of my mind.

Then, without warning, I felt my body violently whir to one side as everything went black.

New Perk:Little Ms. Rover - Salvaging the wastes has made you an excellent scavenger! Every time you loot or take items, you are 80% more likely to discover food and water.

III. Crystal Shards

"Even sheep dance with wolves..."

“Hehehe...didn’t know that could happen…” a dark green stallion chuckled as he continued to push down on my back. I could not process my body’s alteration however. I tried to close my eyes, but they too were unresponsive. I tried to move body, but that too failed. I tried to scream, to give off the sensation of fear that rapidly welled in my mind. I gave no noise though. I felt completely numb and cold, as if all senses inside of me were absent. And all I could do was watch the disfigured brute fold my nimble body into with his foreleg as if I was a doll.

“Hey, Fulgore!” the brute shouted, “I didn’t know you could do that…why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

The brute was horrid and grotesque. It was in the shape of a pony, but it was vile and disgusting. Its skin fell like loose flaps and its raw teeth were exposed alongside mangled flesh. Its coat was charred and little hair fibers remained on its body. It was massive, easily doubling my size.

A yellow pony suddenly came rushing in my direction with a look of anger and hatred on his face. I thought he would have returned to finish what he had started, but instead he turned on the massive monster, whacking him aside as he began to screech aloud. I tried to examine each pony individually, but my eyes failed to move. They remained fixated on one exact location, and it was a terrifying feeling that words could ever express.

“Stop that!” it said in a high pitched screech, “You’re going to spoil the meat!”

“The meat won’t spoil. It’s only been an hour, and I’m freaking starving. Let’s eat already!”

The thought of being eaten did not help ease the fear. Not only was I immobile, but I was to be fully conscious of my own demise…

“Look, I was the one that caught her and snapped her in half like a twig. If I’m the one that killed her, I’m the one that decides when we eat it.”

“No! I dragged her back -”

“You were only spoiling the tenderness!”

Around that time, I had lost all interest in their conversation. The fact had hit me hard, for it had revealed so much in so little time.

I was dead. That powerful grip had broken me, literally. It was the only reason that I had no control of my body.

And paranoia seized my mind as I realized that death had finally come. I had died, this was dying. The very thing I had ran from, the very thing I strived to move against…

I fought my mind to force my paralyzed body to cry. I gave every ounce of possible thought into crying, to shed a single tear that would express the anger, fear, sorrow, and defeat that had welled in such a short time.

When I could not cry, I mentally screamed, bursting the loudest pitch I could think of along with memories of sobbing and weeping. I had run from nothing…

And this was to die. To remain motionless, force to watch the world slip by as you stared off blankly, slowly eroding like the hanging ponies from the shattered building frame. I began to imagine those ponies fear, began to feel the dread they felt as they were left to be nothing more but an accessory.

“How I wish you were…” my mind suddenly assured, breaking the looming silence, “But alas, you are not dead…”

The voice had come suddenly, and out of desperation, I responded to its remark.

I’m alive?, I asked desperately.

“…Yes. You are merely placed under a spell, one rendering you immobile and unfeeling…”

But, my back…

“Why must you always seek an answer? You live, and you want to doubt that fact…?”

A large noise disrupted the voice’s scolding, which ascended from the end of my peripheral sight. I lay on the floor, placed at an angle where I could see the two stallions argue with each other, only for a third one to come forth into sight.

He was a large, grey muscular unicorn, donning V-shaped collared armor that was decorated with smooth ebony platelets, which covered his entire chest and forelegs. He glared downward at me with crimson eyes as he came closer to the two ponies before me.

“So, this is the mare?” a loud voice boomed. It could have sent shivers down my spine if I could have done so.

“Yes…this is her…”

“Hmmm…you told me she was a delicate one…”

“She was…but after Sharp Switch dragged her…”

“Me? You used the spell on her!”

“What? A spell?!”

“But she was on the verge of running and we didn’t want to risk losing he-”

The yellow unicorn that fumbled for words was quickly tossed aside. He flailed through the air before disappearing from my line of sight.

“You know what that does to the meat!” the armored unicorn shouted, before picking me up with a single hoof. I flopped pathetically before him, blankly staring into his vicious eyes that were confined to a slit formation. I mentally became still, fearful of this monster before me and what he would do to me.

“You ruined it Fulgore. We could have feasted on what may have been a meal of a life time, but you just can’t do anything right can you!?”

He then growled and tossed me aside harshly, causing the world to frantically move about as I spun and crashed against a wall. I hear something snap once I hit, but felt nothing as I remained motionless like a plaything.

After meeting contact, I slid down to the floor, mangled against a corner as I was forced to stare at a burning flame from behind stacks of barrels. I could see a part of me within my line of vision, but I could not tell whether it was my hind leg or my foreleg for my body was tangled within itself. I expected to be retrieved by the monsters, but none ever came. I just remained there like a lifeless husk, forced to watch the flames flicker violently as it licked the scorched remains of a pony.

{***}

Minutes had passed (possibly even hours) before the spell had begun to wear off. I could move my eyes once more. My jaw became functional. I had little control over my body, but the control was there. And with all that, came the pain.

I unfolded my body from behind the barrels (discovering that my hind leg was in front of me), but as I did so, I began to cry and sob as I felt a terrible pain eat away at my side. I tried to hold back the cries, but it did nothing. That indefinitely caught the attention of my captors.

The barrels began to violently shift with a yellow aura wrapping around their splintered complexion, revealing the three cannibals that looked down at me with anger and vengeance. I tried to move, but was quickly caught in the red aura of the armored unicorn. I tried to kick and thrash, but my body was bounded down by the magic.

“Hmmm” the unicorn hummed as he brought me closer to his face, “So you are alive. I thought you were just dead weight…”

He then looked back at the yellow unicorn, who wore a shocked expression, believing that he had truly killed me when he had not. But that was the least of my concerns

My body was trembling as I fought to hold back tears. But I was scared and knew no other way to react. This was not what I had expected for my journey.

“Please…don’t- don’t eat me…” I sobbed, biting my muzzle as best I could to refrain the sobs. The unicorn did nothing but smile in amusement.

“Oh don’t cry” he nefariously coaxed, “It’s rather quick if you don’t think about it-”

“No!” I screamed shaking my head from side to side, “I don’t want to, I don’t want to-”

“YES!” the unicorn shouted in return as he rotated me around, holding me within his magical grasp ashe took me into another room. He bobbed me up and down like a small filly, chuckling deeply as he dragged me into a large, molded room that was scorched into a chamber.

“I don’t want you to cry! Oh no, we don’t want that for a beautiful mare such as you! Tell you what, because of this, we’ll give you the chance to choose what kind of dish you want to be made into! You can be a-”

“NO!” I squealed as I clenched my eyes and cried harder. The stallions all laughed horridly, taunting me as I remained helpless.

“Colts, shall we break out into a musical?” one of the stallions shouted. My body shuddered at the notion of such an innocent act being proposed in such a vile.

“The only musical that will do great is the sound of this mare’s screams when we drop her in the pot!” the yellow spat as he forced my eyes pen with his horn.

I was tortured by these stallions as they continued to taunt about my inevitable death. There was no doubt to that. There would be nothing holding them back; no moral codes, no emotions. They were simply toying with their food.

“You’re all sick! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

“…What?!" the grey one said, causing the other stallions to hush and turn silent. He drew me nearer to his muzzle, licking his lips as he began to speak once more.
“…You know, I grow tired of playing this part. I will gut you, tear your innards, and I will not make that pretty. I will work my way from the top,”

He arched a large rusted knife with a dark red rope that resonated from his horn and placed it at my neck.

“…and move all the way down to the bottom, where it is most…tender.”

He smiled as the cold steel of the bleed slid down my belly, its sharp point barely piercing my skin.

As I clenched my eyes out of fear and paranoia, my body jerked swiftly up into the air, sending me flailing only to be brought down with a force of a thousand times. It sent me crashing down over a metal table that shook violently as a red aura grabbed a hold of my body. I felt all four of my legs violently stretch outward, leaving my chest exposed and vulnerable. I tried to free myself, but I knew it was no use. The tears continued to flow as I knew what would eventually become of me…

I entered my mind, fearful of what reality awaited for me, and began to reflect over thoughts and memories. And as I trailed through each memory, Orion was the only one that stood profoundly amongst all others.

He was my very first friend; he was the stallion that introduced me to my own home; he stayed by my side when I had nowhere to turn; he mentored me; he saved me…

“And where is he now?” the voice snickered.

The memories soon died, and the voice’s remark took over. I frantically looked around, as if expecting to see somepony waiting for me. But there was nopony.

My mind became rampant, full of anger and rage as it swelled against my skull.

Orion was gone. Absent. He had left me to die. I was here alone, and he was nowhere to be found. He led me out here. He dragged me along with him in a world of destruction and darkness. This was not what I wanted, and yet this is what he provided me. I trusted him, and he betrayed me.

I cried harder now, fulfilling the sick pleasures of my tormentors who believed I cried only out of their wickedness. But it was because of the betrayal, the anger, everything, that I cried. Hatred filled my heart, and I felt heavy with despair and rage.

The aura became weaker as my rage grew, and soon I found myself combating the magical strength of a unicorn.

“What the…?” he said in shock as I began to thrash and kick against this arcane force. I remained undistracted by my uncanny strength; I only wanted to survive.

All the while, the voice laughed victoriously as I wrangled from side to side.

That was until I heard another voice call out to me, breaking the voice inside of me that threatened to tear me apart.

“STARLIGHT!”

I quickly lifted my head upward, only to see a dark red stallion jump over me. It was Orion, and as he made his leap, he caught a hold of my foreleg and pulled me off the large metal table. The shout must have cut the concentration of the dark unicorn, for I had slipped off without difficulty.

The two of us tumbled down the table and the cannibals became frenetic for their meal had suddenly disappeared.

“What was that!?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care! GET HER!”

Wasting no time, Orion quickly pulled me away from the table, leading me to the nearest door as the cannibals watched us escape.

“There they are!” one shouted, sending a beam of energy that zipped over my head and past Orion. My side began to hurt as I continued to run, but I had to endure the pain if I wanted to truly survive.

I gave no thought to my movements. I only followed after Orion, who led me out as the murderers chased after the two of us.

“Fulgore, stay up there and pick them off when they get outside!” I heard the dark grey unicorn bark as Orion had med me down flights of broken stairs.

As an exit became clear to the two of us, we immediately took it, discovering barrels of burning flames and rotting corpses. The building I was trapped in was the very building I tried to retreat from. I felt my back shudder only to have Orion drag me, telling me that it was not safe to remain still.

Trotting away from the prison, he was right. The air immediately split in two as a loud zipping noise shot through the sky, only to be followed with the sound of the floor being pierced and the sight of fresh smoke resonating from its hole.

“Follow me!” Orion shouted as he began to run in streaks and turns, shifting his body left and right as the floor beneath us became decorated by the zipping noises that dug into the ground. I followed Orion’s movements, only to find that our awkward pattern was only working in favor of our attackers, who were quickly advancing on us.

I was going to warn Orion, before a shrilling pain pierced into my shoulder, incapitating both my body and mind.

I collapsed to the ground, tumbling over rocks and debris that pierced my skin as I fell. I turned my head back, only to have my attackers already upon me.

Like a raging beast, the grey unicorn tossed his body upward and prepared to bring it down on me. All the while, I tried to move, but it was no use. My shoulder felt as if a thousand needles had been tearing at the sides of my muscles.

As the grey beast was ready to crash hell down on me, a dark red streak had crashed into the unicorn, toppling to the side as I followed the two entities strive for victory over the other.

Orion had knocked the creature aside, leaving him dazed by the impact, and instead of attacking the monster, he ran towards me, lifting my injured body as best he could.

“Come on,” he grunted as the decomposing creature had begun to creep up behind us. Seeing the attacker, I instinctively bucked out my hind legs striking the grotesque being Celestia knew where.

Orion had pulled me away harshly however, acknowledging what I had just done without allowing me to take note of what I did.

“NO, WE HAVE TO MOVE!” he shouted as yet another loud boom bolted beside us. Orion had leveraged my weight next to him leaving my good shoulder to press my weight as we continued to run as quickly as our bodies would have allowed.

Eventually we ran into a large house. The architectural structure of the place was beyond decimated, but Orion had quickly dragged me up a visible staircase, so it was not as run down as I had originally thought.

As we entered the second story, we began to frantically search through multiple rooms, in hopes of finding a possible exit route. As we had begun to inspect the third room, a cracking noise ascended from down below.

“C’mon out now you little shit…” a voice boomed. I huddled next to Orion, who remained close to a doorframe as he peeked out into the narrow hall.

I felt my legs wobble as I began to pace myself alongside him, and my lips quivered as panic consumed me.

Finally, after what felt like minutes in free-fall, Orion finally moved.

He looked out the hall once more, and I followed suit as he pointed his hoof down to the left of the hall, away from the staircase, which revealed a dim brown ray that combated against the shade of the household. A large mesh of wood planks broke through from the other house and collapsed into this one, bridging the two together and providing a passage that could seal our escape. This was the same house we had found in the very beginning.

The voice began to turn erratic, and his ecstasy made me want to whimper.

“Where is that little brat!? I’m starving!”

What followed next was the sound of loud pops breaking through the silence of the skies that caused me jump back from fear. The sound of wood tearing apart shattered the silence that surrounded the both of us, and I looked down to see that I was the orchestrator of the noise.

I looked at Orion with a look of sorrow as the world became alive once more.

Without a word, Orion and I quickly left the decimated room and began to ascend down the hall, towards the bridge that could provide us the only way out. As we trotted quickly, the noise of creaking floorboards gave away our position, but all that did not matter. He knew we were there. I could hear the steps all too well.

“I hear ‘em! I can hear ‘em!” The voice cried with joy and insanity as it followed behind the both of us, which had begun to cross the wooden board. It creaked and wobbled as we placed our weight and faith upon it, but it held strong. My shoulder screamed in agony, and I felt an overwhelming sense of numbness eat my foreleg.

Halfway across the board, I looked down to the street, fearful of turning back only to find myself looking into the eyes of the large, horrid beast with decomposed flesh. As I glanced at it, time fell into slow motion, as if Death awaited for our introduction to take place.

But what caught my eyes was the horrid necklace wrapped around its putrid neck. The shambled remains of ponies, the dried, hollow bones. This was truly a monster, and I had just stared into its ghastly draconic eyes.

It then licked its lips and ran to the second house – the house we had just ran into.

“Orion!” I shouted who had begun to run down the hall towards the front exit.

Immediately he reared back as the noise of something crashing boomed from below.

With danger coming from us at both ends, I hurled myself into the closest door and ran full sprint inside. My leg burned as I hobbled in like a lumbering idiot, but survival was all that was left in my mind.

I heard Orion calling me, for he knew as well as I did that I had just sealed my own fate by cornering myself in a small room.

As I crashed inward however, by the grace of Celestia, I was greeted by a large open wound from the wall in front of us. I loomed over the gaping hole and stared downward, noticing a large running river that spread out into the horizon.

As soon as Orion came alongside me, the halls began to quake with heavy steps, and I knew we had no time to ponder on where it led or what was in it.

Action was necessary.

I took a large leap, investing every ounce of energy into the jump as I ascended down from the second floor and began to descend deeper into the liquidated state of nightmares. The wind seeped through my ecstatic frame that shook violently until it was dragged into the cold, bitter river.

All noises suddenly became extinguished as I began to fall downward, and continued to do so without end.

I began to flap my hooves as another splash resonated around my environment, and I prayed that it was Orion and not those savages.

But my prayers could not be heard along all the others.

I was drowning, because I could not swim. I did not know how. All my life, living in the Stable, never was I taught how to float about in a body of water.

The Stable had raised me to be a failure, a creature with limited potential in a world of limitless adversities.

They created an extinct species, and as I began to lash out at the world, the water seeped into my throat as it tried to fill my lungs.

The voice did not let up this opportunity.

“The water closes in fast on you, just as quickly as death does. It’s hard to tell which one wants to pull you in first. They’re competing for your soul, and the other is intent of holding it for their own. The water is a physical force ruled by logic and proposed concepts, while death works behind the veil. Both are coherent, yet one wants more control over you than the other. Give in to the winning side…accept death…”

“NO!” I mentally screamed as the voice was blasted back by my response.

With my body thrashing wildly now, I felt something grasp a hold of me and pull me upward, bringing me out of submersion.

Life came into full bloom as the eerie silence of the water was drowned out by violent winds, harsh currents, and battering waves. The sky had turned from a brown shade to a black husk. And the sound of caps popping from afar sent chills down my spine.

I coughed and sputtered as I looked into the eyes of my savior. His shining blue eyes radiated with determination. He looked intent on surviving as well, his face twisted into a gnarl of pain and anger as he tried to combat the waves pushing him back.

A streak of dark crimson vile pierced the water, disturbing the water as it rippled and became a ghastly rusted residue. The streaks continued to pass over the two of us like acidic rain, but never did it strike us. It was a glorious miracle, but it was not enough to keep me awake.

Soon the shots died down as did the rain. The water was still and all that remained was the two of us following the calm currents of the wave.

I tried to help paddle as Orion began to grow fatigue-ridden, but it only offered little help. It only widened the hole in my shoulder, so I could do nothing, and that continued for minutes until we finally reached the other side of the lake.

Our bodies were tired, shaken. Danger waited for us on the other side, yet the two of us could not move. We lifted each other as we began to take a few meager steps, shielding ourselves away from the enemy behind the corpses of trees, both fallen and standing.

My body was in immense pain. I was losing blood, and I felt my muscles tighten with each step I took.

But alas we made it. The two of us collapsed, entwined with each other once more as we heaved and panted without uttering a word.

Adrenaline pumped through me, but it did little to stave off sleep when it came to claim me.

New Perk: Crystal Skeleton - Fear has reinforced your anatomical bone structure. You have gained +3 DR to your system.

IV. Blood Diamond

"What if the Devil was the Muse, and the Muse was but a myth...?"

I awoke not long after, screaming aloud as a nightmare had developed in my mind. In my visions, I saw my body in pieces, being consumed by demons more foul looking than the cannibals I narrowly escaped, and I was awake and alive to conceive every sensation.

My scream had awoken Orion, sending him flailing in my direction as he crashed towards me for sleep had drained him of all energy. I laid their crying as he tried to consolidate me, but his attempts were met with yet another scream. He had placed his hoof upon my wound.

Taking note of my injury, Orion looked at it for an eternity before turning back to the soaked, filthy saddle bag on his side. It was a miracle it was not lost in the waves. He pulled out some strange needle in his mouth, and before I could ask, he drove it into my shoulder without warning. I clenched my teeth as it dug into my muscles, and as quickly as I felt the pain, it went away.

Orion had apologized. But losing all faith and reason, I quickly snapped.

“Sorry? SORRY!?” I shouted as I gritted my teeth. Orion moved back as his mouth widened. He saw the flare in my eyes, the tremble in my voice. He knew all too well.

“…Starlight…please - ”

I regret what I said to this very day. I regret all of it.

But what did a pony like me know of life?

“Where were you Orion?!” I choked, “Where were you when I needed you the most, huh!?”

Orion said nothing, looking down as he tried to take every painful word that struck him like dagger. I would not accept it though. I wanted him to feel my pain. The time for survival was gone. All reality had left. All that was left was anger.

“I couldn’t find you…I looked everywhere for you - ”

“NO! You cant - you don’t…”

I was speaking without reason. I was but scraps of emotion.

“Starlight - ”

”HOW CAN YOU DO THAT? WHY? I TRUSTED YOU!”

I was on fire. My mind had become a storm of emotions, and it attempted to tear apart anything in it’s past. I was speaking more than I should. Everything was being exhumed from my heart, mind, and soul.

Tears were bursting from my tear ducts; Orion narrowed his eyes as he choked on the inside.

“It’s always me!” I shouted, causing Orion to look at me with distant eyes. “I’m cursed, I know I am! Just…everything…I…”

I wanted to shout, scream, throw anything and everything. I was moving in and out of consciousness as futility overcame me and my mind shattered into dozens of pieces.

“WHY WAS IT ME! WHY ME!?”

I had collapsed underneath my hooves as I withered and crumbled on the floor, only to have an assailant on me as quickly as I fell.

“Don’t say that Starlight. Don’t say any of that. None of that is true…”

“You don’t know what I saw! You don’t know how it feels to be tormented and tortured - ” I shot, “I know that it’s true, there can be no other way!”

I felt my mind was savoring every moment of my brokenness.

“No” Orion boldly stated as he held me close, “It’s all lies. None of it is true. Nothing is your fault, it is not your fault…”

He continued to coax me as the war raged within me, but I did not make it easy for him. I would not allow him to have the final say. I retaliated, I fought. I wanted to bring him down to my level.

But Orion just glowed.

“You’re angry…” he said softly, “…And you have every right to be…don’t let that destroy you…don’t let it tarnish who you are - ”

“Listen to yourself!” I shot. “Do you not see what those ponies did?”

The anger had bloomed once more.

“You had one of those monsters, and you let him go! You didn’t kill him!” I snapped, “You let him go, even after what he did to me! How could you do that - ?”

“Because I could not let my anger get a hold of me!” Orion shouted, cutting me off as my mouth trapped shut. His collective image quickly shifted as I offset something inside of him – something I will never forget.

“If I killed that pony, killed him for what he did, I would have let this world beat me! You don’t know how bad I wanted to, after seeing you like how you are! YOU DON”T THINK THAT?!”

Orion became enraged, rising higher with his voice.

“If I killed that pony, no matter who he was, his blood would have been on my hooves and I wouldn’t have stopped there! That’s why I didn’t kill that creature! That’s whyyy - ”

Orion’s strength rapidly trailed off as he collapsed to the floor with an agonizing moan. My fractured mind instantly pieced the shattered fragments together, giving me back my sanity as I ran to Orion in aid.

As I came close to him, his wound had already revealed itself in entirety, causing me to gasp loudly as fear and shame overcame me. It was wide and explicit, exposing muscle tissue and deflating the color of his red coat. It was a turbid orange, and it appeared to be growing in size as the minutes passed. He was struck with those acidic pellets that rained hell on us the night before. And it was killing him.

I tried to say something, anything in response to this. But I could say nothing. After the tension between the both of us, after everything I had just said…

I had broken the only bond I shared out here in this hell…and it was all my doing.

Time passed and my mind only stayed blank. Orion said nothing, only breathing deeply as his injured wound became alive with each throb.

Moments drifted by without meaning before the silence became broken.

“…It’ll be fine…” he panted, never lifting his gaze to take a look at me. He tried to suppress my fear, but it did not work. I had already seen the wound, and it seemed as if he knew that as well.

I fumbled to provide a reaction, for only moments ago had I scrutinized this injured stallion. I hated myself with every meaning of the word.

“…No, I won’t leave it like that…I can’t…”

My mind was erratic, processing any and all possible solutions, only for them to be knocked aside by other incoming thoughts. Finally, a possible resolution was found within the frenzy.

“What about that shot you gave me…the one in your saddle…?”

“…I used the only one on you…”

“…I’m not going to leave you like this…I’ll find help - ”

“No, leave it be. It’ll heal, just give it time.”

But the wound was not going to heal. I had managed to examine the wound around his side, and caught a glimpse of what had been causing him this pain.

I tried to reason to him, to tell him that I would leave to get help, but he refused.

“If I don’t, you’re going to die. Please Orion, let me-”

“No.” he stubbornly asserted.

His words shook me and it tore the heartstrings within me.

They battered me around, for I knew this was my entire fault. I wanted to find ponies, find something that looked close to the old world I had envisioned weeks ago. And I blamed him all for it…

Orion was on the brink of death because of me, and I needed to save him.

So without a word, I got up and I left. He called for me as I walked off, but his shouts meant nothing to me. Only his health and well-being cared. I cared not what he would think of me afterward.

He was my friend, and I wasn’t going to let him die.

{***}

The winds moved lifelessly, swaying in opposing directions without purpose. They were lost, crashing into anything they could find in hopes of meeting fulfillment, myself included.

Despite my injury, I was now capable of walking without difficulty. My shoulder seemed to have been miraculously healed by the needle Orion had gave me, a selfless act that weighed heavily on my conscious a I moved farther away from the injured stallion and through the twisted remains of trees.

“Well, this is interesting,” the voice suddenly snickered, brandishing me from all sides as I passed through the forested graveyard. “Here you are, risking your own dear life for your paltred pawn. Is this not what you attempted to flee from though? Sacrifice? Is it only a convenient proposition ruled in your favor, a double standard that disrupts the balance of ethics and morality? Was it not that which you ran from? Did you not free yourself from that wretched hole to alleviate an overwhelming burden?”

The questions came rapidly, sending my mind into a flurry of motion. My head grew heavy, and with that, weighed down my legs. As my mind continued to rage, I leaned myself against a charred gnarled tree that carved upward into the still air. My mind had become my own enemy, and it had set itself on destroying me. In a world where I could not trust any other pony, I couldn’t even trust myself. Even Orion, who I prayed to trust once more, had fallen short when I needed him….

I was growing tired and weary and with that came a dreary bitterness that I could take no more.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I am not sacrifice anything!” I groaned loudly, gnashing my teeth as I felt my weight fall against the tree.

“Nonsense” it quickly retorted, “There is no other way about it. You are here risking what is most precious to you for something so dear to you…”

“No…no, this is different…” I pleaded, fighting the predisposed philosophy I was forced to uphold all my life.

“Then it seems the notion can only be conceived in times of convenience, when all that truly matters is your own selfish intentions.”

“Shut up…I’m not going to let Orion die…”

“He longs to die child. You are forcing the hand of death to do your bidding, for this is out of your control-”

“Stop! Stop lying now!”

I wrapped my forelegs around the burnt tree as I was mentally beat into submission, struggling to stave off the coarse voice that battered my mind.

“Shut up and leave me alone!” I shouted, causing a disturbance in the gothic silence. The voice let out a heavy chuckle as I envisioned it smiling a wickedly.

There was no longer doubt upon the identity of the voice; this was not my mind’s doing. This was an unknown entity symbiotically sharing my conscious – and trying to drive me into madness.

But I still denied it, out of fear and paranoia.

“I’m not going insane, I’m not going insane…” I chanted, clenching my eyes as I felt an isolated wind swirl around me.

“Oh you can’t help that,” it responded coyly, “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad-”

“I am not mad…”

“You must be,” said the voice, “otherwise you wouldn’t have come here.”

“I didn’t choose to come here, I had no choice!” I retorted, my nostrils flaring in anger and rage.

The voice did not let go though, and longed for the final say as it elegantly remarked, “Call it what you will.”

And with that, it disappeared from my mind, leaving only my rage and bitterness as I had wandered aimlessly through the forest. I turned back to see if I had maintained a straight path, and by a miracle, I had. The voice’s words began to pluck at my sanity though, swaying me from the task at hand. This was no longer my doing, but of something larger than I. I longed for answers, but I knew only pondering on what meaningless info I knew would only drive me to madness.

So I continued to walk onward for minutes until I stumbled upon a rundown building within the middle of nowhere.

It was in shambles, and it looked no different from any other, but there was something strange about its existence. And although my mind restrained me from taking action, I knew I had to help Pyro.

I ventured closer to the house and realized that a grey fog had just rolled in, sweeping away the trees from my vision. Thankfully, I remembered the angle and direction of my entrance, so it would not prove an issue to return back to Orion.

As I entered the house, a strange aroma invaded my nose and it brought me an extravagant sensation that shook my body. It was a sweet, melodic smell that soothe my nerves and put me into a state of trance. As I glanced about, I had just noticed that smoke hung carelessly above the small dark room, created by glowing candles that were freshly lit.

My content was quickly shattered at the conception of the freshly lit flame, for it made me realize that I was not alone in this house. I questioned whether to venture forward or turn back. To explore the house would result in the confrontation of a possible savage, but to return back to Orion without materials meant a broken promise. As I conflicted with the possibilities of my actions, a physical voice had quickly broken the natural quiet.

“Why, hello dearie.” it greeted cheerily. I was not expecting any voice however, so once I heard it, I frantically bolted for the door which had naturally bolted shut. I tried to open the door, but it remained tightly shut as if another force was holding it from the other side.

“Oh, what’s the matter?” the voice continued, shocked and surprised. “Is everything okay darling?”

“No, the door won’t budge!” I responded, noticing the frantic tone in my voice. Seconds had passed before I had realized how foolish I was acting. I looked down to see that I was elevated above the floor, resting all my weight against the door as I clung onto the handle for dear life. My eyes quickly shot open and my body that hung on the door froze in place as I felt my cheeks flush red.

Out of embarrassment, I quickly resumed my “elaborate” attempt to flee while my ears burned hot red. As I continued to pull on the door though, a gentle hoof touched my back that gave me a quick sense of ease. It was soft and warm, like a motherly touch that could tend to the wounds of anypony.

“You are grief-stricken dear,” she continued, as if she knew me for a long while. The old mare looked at me with tired heavy eyes, but it was a look only for me.

“Why…why are you talking to me…” I stammered, oblivious of what to feel or think. I was scared, meeting ponies who long ago wanted to kill and eat me for sport. But as I stared into this old mare’s eyes, I felt peace and serenity.

“You have journeyed a long way,” the old nanny said to me, “I can see it in your eyes.”
The nanny then examined my coat and mane, staring at the dull shading that lay dormant like a dead star.

“And I’m sure you know that yourself.”

Her words buried underneath my skin, pouring into my mind and heart as she managed to crack it slightly open. It was the first, soothing voice I had heard in a long while. It was like a flowing fountain that poured crisp, purified water into its untainted stream. And I was the straggler who longed to taste its nourishing flavor…

I did not say anything afterward and let the old mare do all the talking. Orion had not left my mind, but I believed she could have helped him if I was able to open up to this old mare.

She offered me a meal, one that I regretted eating as soon as I felt the warm liquid soup touch my tongue. My taste buds combusted with joy, overriding my olfactory senses, and displacing me into an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction. I requested if I could have some in a container to go, in which she asked why. She probably expected me to compliment her dish, but I moved past histrionics and went straight for my goal.

“That poor dear,” the old mare told me as I informed her of what happened to Orion. I refrained from telling her of my raging rampage; It was not something that I could have ever expressed in words.

I nodded my head and asked if there was any way she could help. She nodded her head and then moved out of the kitchen, leaving me to finish the remnants of my dish.

When she returned, she had with her a small saddle bag in her mouth which she placed on the table.

“This is what I can spare, but I hope that it helps dear,” she wished, brushing her thin white hair back. I glanced into the bag and took note of numerous materials that could have proved useful. Although I had little medical knowledge, I knew enough that could have helped Orion get through for the weeks to come

As I began to move the items about however, my hoof clanked against a roughly shaped item, concealed underneath a cloth in the corner of the bag. I tilted my head to the side and stared at it for a short while before finally reacting to what I was looking at.

I reached in and pulled the cloth out with my mouth, gently placed it on the table, and looked back into the bag. As I stared down at the strange item though, I had realized what it was. And when I looked at the old mare who smiled at me warmly, I shook my head in reluctance.

“I’m sorry…” I said, “But I can take that…”

The old mare had shifted her expression into that of confusion, as if I had just said something extremely disrespectful. She moved close to me and looked into the bag, wondering what I was talking about until I showed her personally. She was reluctant to heed my request.

“Dear, don’t be silly” she said with tenderness, “this is a scary place for a mare, especially one like you who has an injured friend to care for. You don’t want to take any chances, do you?”

I began to tap my hoof on my mouth as I looked down at the small, miniature weapon encased in a black coat, bearing a single blue dot that glowed brightly. It called for me to bear it, and hold it against those who caused Orion and me harm…

I wanted nothing more but to refuse the call, but the old mare had brought Orion into the picture, and she was right. I needed to keep Orion safe, and I needed to do so in the best way I could.

With a heavy sigh, I picked the weapon up in my mouth and put it into the bag, followed by the cloth that blanketed it as it fell in with a slight thud. At that moment, the mare smiled. And I smiled in return.

But time was wasting, and I needed to move quickly. So I gave the mare a hug and thanked her for everything she had done.

“No,” she sympathized, “thank you for keeping an old mare like me company.”

My heart felt warm when she said that, and I could do nothing more but hug her a little while longer. Quickly after, I took the food and materials, placed it in the saddle, and took my leave, bidding farewell to the old mare as I left the house and made my way through the forest once more.

As I continued to walk, the mare’s persona looped in my mind, proving that maybe there still was a chance for caring ponies to exist. She was a pony I had no struggle speaking to. She was a listener, someone that I thought could harvest all my secrets and not tell a single soul.

She was another pony I could have talked to, one that had a different texture and character. She was one of the many ponies I had been looking for all along, and it made me determined to continue my quest after Orion was healed, and even helped me dream of the two of us laughing off the past as we set forth on adventure once more.

When I returned, Orion had looked out into the forest, awaiting for my –or another creature’s – presence. Upon noticing me he quickly turned with a look of worry, which shifted into a look of shock.

“You came back…” he marveled, looking at the bag resting on my side.

“…I would never leave you...” I replied as I lay down by his side and examined the wound once again.

There was a short, still silence after that remark, one that contorted my stomach into an uncomfortable position. I felt a burning desire inside Orion, one that longed to say something in response, but he never spoke. He simply remained quiet as I examined his wound, hoping all the while that he would speak his mind.

It had grown bigger since I left, and small insects had tried to enter the wound only to have the toxin kill them before they could even enter the wound.

“Is it bad?” he asked. It seemed as if he had grown numb to the pain.

“No.” I lied as I rummaged through the bag, “It just needs a little work.”

“Do you know how to work medication?” Orion asked, before coughing violently. As he lungs expanded hashly his wound became alive, oozing blood and poison that rand down his mangled coat.

Orion winced and felt a terrible pain overcome him. It was all in his face.

With a red bottle in my hooves, I quickly gave it to him so he could drink the substance. Quivering, he gulped the bottle as best he could, restraining from dropping the bottle as it began to drip from his mouth.

Finally, after he had drunk the entire thing, he dropped the bottle as he felt a terrible burn tear at his wound. He gritted his teeth as tears began to flow down his face, and I quickly bandaged the wound as best I could. When I was finished, the pain continued to batter Orion, leaving me to hold onto his head as he shivered in my forelegs.

Guilt weighed heavily on me that day, for I knew I would be the death of Orion.

{***}

Two days passed, and nothing had changed. With what little resources we had, we set up camp only a few trees down from where we once were, Orion hobbling alongside me as he tried to fight the agony. I had considered moving to the old mare’s home, but the walk would have proved too problematic for Orion, who was becoming weaker by the hour.

Although the medication had left him alive, the pain was becoming unbearable for him. He became ill, coughing until his lungs ached and vomiting until his stomach was pumped dry. It came to a point where Orion asked me to forget about him.

“I’m not going anywhere without you,” I asserted, kindling the small campfire around stones I had found.

“Yes…you, need to go,” Orion wheezed. He had so little energy that speaking became a physical adversity. “I’m only wasting materials you’ll need…to continue looking for….others…”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m the reason you’re like that right now. I’m not going to leave you like this, I can’t!”

The discussion of my failed dream had opened a healing wound, forcing me to pour the contents that were once held at bay within my wounds.

Orion remained silent as his coughing fits became more violent. I kept close to him at all times.

“Please…go…I’ll only drag you down. I now know that I was a fool for coming out here, for bringing you out here…please forgive me…”

“No! It’s because I was selfish that I led us there. It’s my fault you got hurt because I wanted my way!”

I felt tears waiting to break through my glassy eyes.

“Listen…what happened…was not your fault…you had no…no control of the situa-”

“I just wanted us to be happy…” I choked, staring down at Orion who looked at me silently. His side was inhaling and deflating slowly, and it hurt me to see him that way. The once vibrant and confident image I had of him was slowly withering away as I continued to watch this infection claim him piece by piece, sucking the colors from his frame just as the darkness of this world had done to me.

“I’m sorry Orion,” I apologized, “I’m so sorry…I didn’t want this for you…I didn’t want you to get hurt…”

“Don’t be…” Orion spoke, “It was me that pulled you out…”

“Because I was going to die-”

“And…you had no…no control over that…”

I wiped my tears as I listened closely to Orion’s next response.

“This world…you belong elsewhere, far from...all this evil…”

“It is not your fault…” he continued, wincing twice in pain, “It’s not even this world’s fault…they deserve a spirit as kind…humble…determined…but they…they can’t care for it…”

Orion convulsed harshly as he grasped a hold of his side. I rushed to his aid, but he held out his hoof in protest which kept me at bay.

“…you are a blessing for this world…” he said, “and whether you like it or not…you are hope…but that is up for you to…show this world…show them that…it is possible…to do right amongst a realm…of wrongs…”

Orion’s words struck me heavy, and I felt my nerves tense up in fear and worry. His words repeated through my head, and I was speechless. I could only nod and hold Orion’s tired body that quickly fell into a state of rest.

“I believe…I fulfilled my purpose…” Orion coughed, causing me eyes to quiver, “But…I…I need to finish it…I can’t let it end…not- not yet…”

“Don’t talk like that, please…you’re going to get through this, you are…”

“…Promise me Starlight...please promise me…listen…”

My mouth stood agape as it moved without purpose. I tried to offer a response, but I could not. Orion was becoming weaker by the second and it had become clear that my greatest fears would come true. I had questions, comments, pleas that burned in my mind that I longed to vent. But Orion was growing fainter by the second. His light was dying out, and I feared that I would let another opportunity slip through my hooves. I clenched my eyes and feebly nodded my head as I held Orion, hoping to keep him clinging onto life for a little while longer.

“Please Starlight…” he said softly, his voice succumbing to the night, “…don’t forget me…”

He sounded weak and feeble, like a young filly seeking their lost parents. It shattered my heart to see my very foundation wither before me and I could do nothing but choke.

It was a promise that sealed an inevitability. It was one that would seal a harsh fact of reality, one that I could not bear to face. I grasped a holder grip of the stallion, afraid to let him go. I wanted nothing more but to keep him with me, never to let him leave without me. But Death was winning this battle, and I had no control over the situation.

“I promise…” I cried as I buried my head into Orion’s body, avoiding the infectious wound draining him of life. I felt his chest slowly press against my coat as his breathing became slower, and I cried, knowing that anything I did would prove futile.

I kept close to him as his vital signs were physically dissipating. His Pip-Buck showed a dawn silhouette, highlighting ever limb with the word CRIPPLED. It was so disheartening that I had to tilt his foreleg just to rid of the ominous orange glow that resonated from that electronic shackle.

Before long, the beating of his chest stopped, and his soft breathing became still. I trembled at the presence of death as it loomed overhead, taking my only friend away from me to an unknown land of peace and serenity. I longed for the same gift, but Time had other plans for me.

The darkness had closed in once again. The voice had returned once more. I was once again alone.

“I warned you…Death was coming…but you did not listen…” without warning, the voice retreated, hushing the winds as it swept around me and shut the world out.

I huddled close to the deceased body of Orion, crying through the night as dark thoughts crawled into my mind.

{***}

I was awaken by a flurry of savage voices, foreshadowing large outlines that shut out the bleak light that tried to break through the thick skies. They muttered and conversed as I began to spin my heard about, glancing at strange ponies with dark armor who eyed me with lust and anger.

“It’s awake now,” one of the voices shot, which created an onslaught of dialogue.

“Oh fuck, she’s dull!”

“Is the poor brat sleeping underneath a dead horse?”

“Probably a friend, watchu think?”

“There’s really only one way to find out…” one smirked. Without even thinking I had immediately casted myself over Orion’s body, hoping to shield his corpse from any harm. The ponies all laughed at my meager attempt, which quickly transitioned to anger.

“Get off that corpse!” one yelled, kicking my side as I rolled off the body of Orion. In what felt like a split second of pure instinct, I quickly surveyed the camp for the small medical bag the old mare had provided me.

It was beside Orion, a few paces behind where he laid unmoving. Despite my depressed mind, I quickly scrambled for the bag and reached for the clothed item inside, quickly flopping it out and pointing it in the direction of the armored ponies who had begun to slowly move in my direction with arrogance.

Upon seeing me with a weapon, they all froze in place. They looked at me with shock and bitterness as I shook uncontrollably with the dark piece of metal in my hooves. But that did not last long for I began to fumble with the weapon, for I had no experience with such a cursed thing. I struggled to keep it in my mouth as a form of intimidation (as a means to actually kill those savage defilers) but I was a lost cause. Before long, when they began to approach me, I choked and sputtered down to the floor, sending the gun flailing out of my hooves far from my reach.

Seeing that all was futile, I tried to crawl back to Orion and shield him from these monsters, but I was immediately restrained by two stallions who held me tightly without remorse, even battering me to keep me from fighting.

“How much do you think she’ll go for?” one of them spoke as they pulled me away from the large squad circling around Orion. I tried to kick and fight, but it was useless.

“Are you kidding? There’s something special about this one...I’m sure the damn thing can go for thousands of bottle caps, maybe even more!”

“Hmm, you think we should have a little fun with our new product before we see her on the market? Ya’ know, give it a little testing…” the stallion began to laugh wickedly as he lifted me up and looked into my eyes, which had begun to shake wildly with raw emotion. I was a pathetic mess, and the purple stallion laughed at my fear.

“Nah,” the other stallion sighed, “the old mare’s soup made me a little heavy. I ain’t up for that right now.”

“Ahh, you ain’t no fun…”

The world was but a ruted carnival, suited with sick games and twisted fantasies. My mind could process only so much at once, and at that moment it was noteven capable of breaking. The pieces that remained were close to dust, being crushed beneath the hooves of both Time and Death.

That old mare, whom I had naïvely trusted, betrayed us. I told her everything, without hesitation or though, and she sold me out. And she cared not if my friend was injured or not…

They had dragged me to a small camp, full of crates and tents. They tied me to a pole. They Beat me for sport. With a swollen eye and fresh tears I looked at my attackers as they returned from there break, which was dedicated to washing my blood off of their hooves.

One had discussed whether my abuse would be uncalled for, given that I was to be auctioned soon (which I pleaded alongside, much to my humiliation). The others shot down the notion though, with one even replying, “A pretty mare with a tender flank was still worth a good amount of bottle caps.”

After the beatings, they returned, only to mock my stupidity and taunt my innocence.

“The little shit didn’t even know how to fire a gun…where the hell did she even get that anyways?” one of the ponies shot as they gave me a cold death stare that caused me to curl up. Another pony looked down at me as I shivered pathetically, and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. The jackass thought she could be protected by a weapon…she thought so wrong…”

But it was all clear now. The old mare had lied to me, tricked me to become bait for these monsters. To think I had trusted her, to be so gullible.

I was tricked. I felt betrayed. And worst of all, I sold myself out without even thinking.

She knew that I had no chance, even with a weapon. If anything, it was nothing more but an accessory, a prop jesters would use to please the royal court. I was but a joke, and like all jokes, I was disposable with both elaboration and blind chance. She smiled through it all, knowing surely that I would fulfill that image.

That day, I had cracked like a vile of wine, leaking the content of goodness out into the soiled air.

Orion was gone, his body left to satisfy the needs of the wicked.

What I had promised, everything he had told me, was something I wanted to dearly cherish and value.

I couldn’t do it. I was beaten, broken. The world had won.

New Perk: Shattered Glass - Wasteland Extremes have taken a drastic toll on your mind and body. All S.P.E.C.I.A.L. slots are deducted by one point, but your Damage Threshold increases by +2.

V. Shadowed Ruby

"Chaos is the father of evil, just as evil is the father of pain..."

Counting Time became meaningless. Nothing awaited me within my gilded cell as I was forced to parade myself amongst my captors.
They eyed me like savage beasts while I was forced to banter and act before them, like a fool on a stage.

It may have been weeks, possibly even months since I was taken to a terrible plain dedicated to sorrow and despair. All did not matter though. I was stuck, binded by a heavy collar around my neck that pleaded for the chance to detonate. Each day was no different from the next.

Like a lifeless thing, I was chained to a wall every night, forced to be a pet for the head slaver of the base. He longed for me to please him, but I refused every time. Even in the threats of death, I became numb. I provoked him, always, and such would result in punishment. He would have never tried to kill me though, like I had hoped. He cherished me. And it was a tactical device I used to my advantage the, I had soon learned, could only be developed when all cherishment of life was drained.

For the first weeks, I was broken. I cried and fought, despite the little will and ambition that resided inside of me. All attempts were futile though, for always ended where I previously started: nowhere.

That place felt similar to the Stable – I was forced to accommodate for expectations against my will, with little hope of ever leaving. It drove me to comprehend and understand the principles of my miserable existence, that all was meaningless. The significance of such could only be valued by the most powerful of souls – an endangered species that went extinct before my very own eyes...

The voice had attempted to reside in the void within me, but it was always he that strengthened it. It had become a recurrent proponent, one that eventually became part of me. I had not allowed it to enter me in entirety however. It was a dark, heavy force that drained my physically and mentally, but never emotionally – that well had been plucked dry.

When the thoughts carried on for too long, and the pains of life alongside loneliness weighed upon me, I tried to end it all. But all attempts were futile. The world was against my every decision. Even the voice, which had plead for my death for so long, fought to keep me alive, in hopes that it too would continue to work within its sullen vessel.

Once, when they had decided to polish their precious gem, I had attempted to drown myself. Their hooves grasped onto my wet body, attempting to pull me upward as I repeatedly began to beat my chest, praying to extinguish the life within me. I was slipping through their hooves, and they too did not want me to succumb to death by my own hooves. That would have spoiled their royal engagements…as it seemed to for the voice. It fought me, telling me of the horrors that awaited beyond the afterlife and manipulating my fears to control me. And it worked.

A world of torment and suffering was what he spoke of. Eternal loneliness with all sensation of pain and fear, with the screams of the damned resonating from every direction. It was far from the crystal empire Orion once spoke of, dreamed of…believed in.

And to think Orion may have been forced to suffer from the same fate...

I had failed to end myself that day, and after that they had attempted to beat me into submission once more, but my master would not allow it. He attempted to console me, spewing philosophies that meant virtually nothing to him. He only wanted to keep me in his grasp longer…

It was then that I was forced to truly parade myself amongst slavers, forced to become a show pony. Like a prop, I was prepped and dressed in the greatest attire in hopes to please all slavers and their associates, as requested by my “humble” master.

One day, before another structured performance, my artificial silence was ruptured by the creature that yearned for my attention.

“I would not dwell on the notion of perverting your nimble frame" it muttered as it took note of my horrid show uniform, "but It is only a temporary supplement that …”

“What do you want?” I whispered quietly, huddling inside the corner of my cell as I glumly looked downward and counted the cracks beneath me. My tone had become permanently soured, and my mannerism had eroded to parallel the conditions of my prison. I became a sinister, twisted shell of my former self.

“To tell you the truth, I’ve become tiresome. This routine has become orderly, lacking any texture that truly evokes the sensation of purgatory. If I didn’t have but one thing left within you, I would have left long ago.”

“Let me guess. Is it my death?” I coldly responded, giving little struggle or thought. That deeply bothered the voice which altercated into a darker, deeper tone.

“It matters not upon the life that dwells within you, but this is not the deal I yearned to reach. I demanded impurity, not chaotic perfections!”

“Then tough luck fucker,” I shot, laying my head on the cold floor (despite the fact that I did not understand what he was talking about). “This is my prison. And as long as you stay inside of me, you’re stuck here as well. Enjoy my pain.”

The voice stayed silent, and for a moment I felt triumphant. It was a small victory, but it still made me to snicker slyly.

“Await my return, princess…” it snarled, and then it was gone. And within seconds, I felt something change in me. My body felt lighter and cleaner. For the first time, I opened my eyes fully, and looked around in shock as I felt a deadly toxin leave my body.

Despite the shackles bonded to my neck and legs, I felt free for the first time…until the hour struck twelve.

By then, a guard had walked in, untied me from my post and dragged me down to the theatre, where I was expected to perform a show.

Each time I gave a performance, I longed to commit an act of stupidity that would kill me or banish me away from these ruthless ponies. I had done so many times before though, and it had gotten me nowhere.

As I performed, I dreamed of a royal light that beamed on a single seat, with Orion appointed on it as he clopped for my successes and carried me on through my hardships, just like he did through baseball games.

The memories did nothing though, for its effects had withered and died long ago. And I too knew that soon I would die here.

{***}

Later that day, I was personally escorted by my master, who had appraised my performance and adorned me with compliments and attempted affection. I renounced every single ounce of it.

“You are magnificent!” he boasted once more, attempting to close his large frame against me. I backed off quickly as he had predicted and he merely laughed it off.

He had a large beard, a grotesque orange coat and dark black eyes that bore into the pieces of my soul.

“You will eventually sleep, my love,” he smiled, railing me in by the metal collar and binding me to the post. “I allow you to rule the day when the sun mourns the loss of its beloved homeland. But when the night regains control, I will have you. What better time to cherish a fallen star then the time of its tragic department?”

He smirked at me wickedly as I felt my eyes cast downward from fatigue and futility. Shame was gone, and guilt had died. All that was left at that moment was then.

An hour had passed since the performance, and although the stallion awaited my slumber, I did not wane or falter.

I would have never expected what came next. Suddenly my body became heavy as I felt something pass through me once more. It weighed me down, leaving me weak, and before I could react a cold voice spoke to me.

“You’re welcome.”

The door before me burst open violently as a guard frantically jumped inward. He look scared and afraid, and panted heavily as if he ran for miles.

“Sir, we’re being overrun!” he screamed, causing the orange stallion to shout.

“Overrun?! By who?” he shouted, angered by the sudden disruption.

“Steel Rangers…or we think they are…we’re not sure!”

“I want you to set up hotspots along the buildings and take those scamps out! Assemble the men and assign them to different quarters, and take out the biggest stallion you see!”

I was completely oblivious of what was going on, but I most certainly knew who was behind it all.

The guard had frantically left the room, leaving only me and the stallion together alone. The room rattled violently as rubble fell to the floor, and I quickly glanced up to see small cracks appear from above.

The stallion was adorning a suit of heavy clad armor, full of patches and scratches, and had begun to trot out of the room before he looked back at me one more time. Before I could respond, he ran off, ready to join the battle from above, leaving me alone with the voice.

“What in Celestia’s name did you-”

“I attempted to blossom character back into your dreadful life once more.”

The voice had actually helped me, and I was confused as to why. With each attempt to seek an answer however, I was only met with remarks that managed to dodge the incoming questions. As the ground began to quake, I reckoned it was time to alter my confusion.

“How did you bring…them, here?” I asked, confused as to who exactly was here. The voice did not clarify upon that matter.

“It isn’t hard to manipulate a destructive pony to commit evils…”

“Wait, you tricked somepony else? How?”

“Starlight,” the voice sighed, using my name for the first time, “As much joy as it certainly brings for you to believe that you and I are fully one, you are not the only pony to have ever confronted me…”

“What?! What do you - ”

But by then the voice had completely shut me out, with the aid of a faint noise I thought I never would have heard.

I never thought that a small click would lead to the most satisfying noise I had ever heard. As the deactivated collar fell to the floor, and the rusted chains collapsed from my forelegs, I began to run my hoof over my neck as I began to take deep breaths as if they would have been my last…which may have been proven true had I not left quickly after.

As I left the room, the entire ceiling caved inward, funneling debris through the hallway as dust and smoke flew about. It burned my eyes and lungs, but still I trudged on to escape this terrible prison.

The voice began to moan and fascinate over the destruction around me, causing me to reflect on the entity alone. It was everywhere but nowhere, alternating between specific personalities at any given time. It was witty, versatile, and dangerous. And what it had said left questions burning in my head. There was more to this thing living inside of me. It was not a part of me. It was a leech…

At last, I had bloomed forth from the wreckage of the small tower that once surveyed both slaves and slavers. Stepping out, I was greeted by the grey sky that rained ash upon the shriveled landscaped that raged with chaos and discord.

Slavers were rampantly shooting at anything that moved (slaves included). They shot at nothing frantically until they were disintegrated into ash by a variety of colored beams. Smoke plumed forth into the dark ashen sky as a fire torched an old rundown building; Stallions ran as large armored horses sprouted from behind barricades and burst through defenses.

Everywhere I turned, I was lost in death and suffering.

I did not know where to go. On one end the slavers scattered apart while these Steel Rangers in red and silver cladded armor continue to run forth after them. Nowhere was safe for me to turn, so I ran without thought, moving through the battlefield that blossomed with death.

I trotted quickly, trying to maneuver around slavers and soldiers that waged war against one another. Groups of slavers attempted to gang on these large armored beast, but all were put down before they could react. I had seen a grey stallion stomp a slaver into the floor beneath him while he rammed another slaver with his horn, only to toss him aside into a group of cowering slavers.

It had caused my stomach to twinge, for I had seen the truth in the monster’s voice.

It seemed we only longed for evils…

I could not stand still any longer. I had to keep moving if I wanted to flee, and the ambition I had to do just that left me uneasy. I was most certainly a hypocrite, and that fact stayed in my mind the whole time.

Finally, I had found myself closing in on a group of ponies, all of which were guarded by two slavers holding them by gun point. As I drew nearer however, I caught a glimpse of what truly was happening.

The slavers were holding nopony at gunpoint. They were being massacred.

A yellow stallion was taking the two slavers on, batting them aside while he used magic to incapitate them without remorse. One of the slavers cried out in agony as a loud pop resonated in the air, followed by a gurgling noise that could never be forgotten. One of the slavers had collapsed, and the other was already beaten by the yellow horse, falling to the ground with no restraints.

The yellow slave had won. I turned to the other slaves, expecting for them to hurry on and flee. But they all looked fearful, afraid. They should have looked relieved. Why did they not?

“All right!” A disturbingly familiar voice snapped that caused the world to mute out all noise, “Now, who else is next?”

I looked back at the yellow unicorn, taking a second look at the owner of the dreaded voice. It was him, there was no doubt to it.

It was the unicorn that had incapitated me before.

“What…what do you mean?” a voice asked feebly as fear and shock welled in my mind. The cannibal let out a disturbing noise that was crossed with both a laugh and a cry.

“I ain’t going to carry y’all with me, but I ain’t going to damn well starve, that is for sure!”

He then kinetically carried a weapon up into the air and brandished it before the ponies who had grown stiff with shock. The war from behind had become silenced; this was now the only war I was a part of.

“But..but…you can’t, do that…”

“Damn well I can” he snapped, setting off the weapon that brought the battlefield back into the picture. A large cry filled in the air, followed by a thud. Painful moaning ensued afterward.

“I ain’t going to kill yah, so don’t cry. I don’t want what you can offer…but I’ll tell you what I do want…”

The unicorn smiled wickedly as it began to fiddle with the weapon using his magic. “I want the tender one, right there. Yeah, you heard me…that one little-”

“No, what are you – you can’t!”

“Are you deaf or are you just stupid? Give me the damn filly or else I’ll kill all of you and take the little shit without your permission!”

My mind had frozen entirely by then as I instinctively rose up and glanced at the monster’s pony of interest. And then I saw it.
I saw them.

The foals, the youngest bunch, which hid themselves behind the closest pony they could find.

One of them was out of the herd, left vulnerable as it was left to stare at that yellow harbinger of death. The child’s muzzle trembled and its eyes pleaded for forgiveness. The unicorn brushed off every ounce of it though and drew nearer to claim this figure of innocence for itself.

My mind quickly snapped, and al senses left me. One second I was hiding behind a barricade. The next I found myself galloping toward the bastard at full speed and colliding with him as he let his weapon unload off into the sky. I was upon him like an animal, catching him off guard as I bit his face and beat him repeatedly with my hooves.

He whacked me off though, and sent me spiraling to the ground. He tried to hold onto me, but I was much too quick. As he tried to reign on top of me I had swept dust up into the air, sending fragments of debris into a flurry. As soon as the yellow unicorn had faltered, I attacked. I battered his legs, beat his sides, and bashed his skull as quickly as I could. The stallion was dazed, eventually collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud, but I did not stop there. I turned him over onto the ground and I was on top.

I pressed against his chest as I repeatedly began to stomp my hoof against his skull, ignoring his cries and pleas as I shattered his horn. I wanted this colt dead, and I wanted him to suffer. His life was dwindling and his end was inevitable. Rage consumed me, and all that I had left was hate.

He had paralyzed me. He had killed me. It was him that drove Orion and I far from our goal, far from our safety. I could remember the thoughts that coursed through my mind, bending me to push beyond my own physical capabilities, “He drove us across the river, placed us directly into the hooves of these sick twisted bastards whom I wanted dead with every ounce of my contorted heart! He killed Orion. This monster had killed Orion. It was him! It was him! He needed to pay for that, he needed to damn it!”

I was going to kill this stallion. The rage had me at its whim. I was becoming an agent of darkness and I was to be another puppet…but that did not happen. Because then he spoke.

“Such a rush is it not? To hold the balance of one’s life in your own grasp?! Now this is life! It is not the mere concept of ideals or cognition. It is that of power, and control! You fight the inevitable too much! And now that you have finally accepted it, you can now embrace the rage! End him for what he has done! Repay what must be repaid for all wrongs done to you! Bestow yourself as judge and executioner!!! Oh how I have awaited for this moment for all so long…kill him…become the very keeper of time and judgment…end the past so that you may embrace a future!”

“NO!” I loudly shouted, silencing the gunfire that continued to burst through the dead sky. I brought my hoof down heavily, causing blood to splatter across my hoof and jet across my coat. And I continued to stomp my hoof down, splattering blood in every direction as I could not stop myself. I began to shout, screaming aloud as I clenched my eyes tightly while I continued to buck until I could buck no longer.

By then I was panting heavily, and I could feel myself shaking feverishly. I looked down at my hoof that was buried into the muddy ground, both of which were tainted with blood- the stllion’s face was inches away from my hoof. He bled profusely, but he was alive – his blood had encapsulated the sides of his head, sinking into the dirt around him.

The war that waged in my mind was catastrophic. The bombs that swept the world of all life was in comparison to the thoughts that clashed with one another, sending my ideals into a flurry as I fought myself.

And like the aftermath of the war, the world became silent. And I knew not what to do. I remained still, motionless. I could not talk, let alone think. All that was left was silence.

I got up from the beaten stallion and let him lay down on the floor. I turned to the slaves who looked at me with fearful eyes and shocked expressions. I was a monster to these ponies. I had let the world win.

As time passed, a few slaves came to me and pulled me away from the unconscious beast. They held me close and said nothing, only knowing that pain resided inside of me. I cried once more, my eyes burning from tear ducts that lay dormant for months.

The battle ended as quickly as it had begun. Within the hour, the armored rangers had cleared the area clean of slavers. The one I had beaten was carried off, and his fate still remains a mystery to this day.

The rangers came to me as I sat on the floor alone, staring off into the darkness of my mind where the voice hung lowly, angered and disturbed by my reluctance to give into his methods.

And I saw him as he was; a hollow blot of nothingness, only visible with two slit purple eyes that narrowed at me with envy.

VI. The Looking Glass

"The night is far spent, the day is at hand..."

“Are you sure this is what you want ma’am?” a crimson trooper in rusted armor asked me as I turned away from the pack of survivors, carrying only my weight and burdens. The camp had already been evacuated, most slavers had been either chased out or exterminated, and slaves were already being promised to be relocated elsewhere. It was a bright new future for all – all but one.

“Yes, I am sure,” I responded factually, staring down at the bright HUD that glared from the pony’s armor, “There are still some things that I must do.”

At first he was hesitant, taking note of my broken state not long ago. He stared from beyond those dark slit visors that shielded a stallion’s somber eyes, stirring a dead feeling inside my hollow self. He seemed set on aiding me from thereon out. But it was not his task to finish my battle. I was on my own, and I could drag no other pony alongside me. I was a danger to all.

I gave the soldier a meek smile, ignoring my swollen eyes that grieved with anguish, assuring that I could take care of myself and that “he had already done a great service for me and many others.”

After a long while, in what seemed to be an eternity, the steel ranger finally nodded, offering me his deepest prayers.

“If you ever want to change your mind,” he continued, “return back the way you came. Applejack’s Rangers will wait idly by for any and all wanderers.”

He then turned around and followed after the group. From where I stood, I saw a full view of the young foals that pranced between the troops and slaves as they ascended deeper into the land, laughing and chuckling as all fear had fled their vibrant rejuvenated hearts like a demon of the night.

The sight caused my mouth to tremble as something begin to churn and stir within my gut once more, and it made me reconsider my state of isolation. I did not want to be alone, stranded out in this desolate world of destruction and coarse apathy.

I could not join them yet though. Although my quest had once started in a journey to find ponies, I realized that I was not ready to fulfill that goal. Not with this thing inside of me, trying to rip me from my very remnants of what it means to be a pony.

And it was angry. I felt it burn inside of me, tearing away at anything it could as I tried to stave off its corrupted power that tried to surge its way into my heart. It was a task that I could not combat with mere thought; it was like a virus, one that attempted to seize my body with every second I stood motionless.

So I turned away from the remnants of the camp, trudging onward back into the unknown as I walked a lonesome road.

{***}

My stomach began to growl as my legs began to grow weary and pain-stricken. My nose turned numb as I felt my ears shrivel before the chilly winds that swept forth through the nimble corpses of trees. My body shook as my coat failed to trap the fleeting warmth from inside of me, and each breath I took sent a wisp of faint smoke from my mouth as it moved with the winds.

A day had passed since I moved away from the remnants of my desolate cage, along with the opportunity to start anew. And as the hunger began to consume me, I had felt portions of my mind dissolve into that of savagery and impulsive bitterness that frequently threatened to consume what was left of my collectivity and solemnity.

The creature inside of me lay dormant, never shifting as it lay in the bottom of my heart. It did nothing as I tore myself from inside out, letting me alone do the very dirty work it thrived on. It sickened me and enraged me, but the hate I had for myself overpowered the hate for the entity.

I despised myself for what I was, and everything I ever did. I was a basis of all failures, wrongs, and burdens. I despised more than the world then. I despised the very overseer that could give it any form of meaning.

I desired to murmur and spit without constraint, going so far as to actually embody this savage enigma inside of me in methods to actually destroy myself. I tried to bite my tongue, but even I had an urge to let it break me down.

My mind bled internally as searing burns scorched my brain, offsetting disastrous migraines that led me astray from my lonesome path towards a worn down log. I bot on my lip as I twirled on the scorched soil in agony, fighting myself on the floor like a fool.

I began to regret my attempt to journey alone as the pain began to split my head into two, fueling the rage I had for every single component of the dreaded concept known as life. It created a strong shift in my rage, and I could not deter it from my mind; it could only redirect it as I felt my hate resonate into the world and the harbinger of chaos.

With tears in my eyes, I looked up at the dark shattered sky and screamed aloud at some unknown embodiment of life itself, whom I wished suffered a slow, terrifying death.

“Fuck you!” I screamed as I shouted at the top of my lungs, “How could you let this happen to the world! WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING TO PONIES!? TO ME?!”

I began to bang my hooves on the ground and log, cursing aloud at the world and myself.

“You stupid mare…you had the chance to escape such pain, but you shrugged off the opportunity like every other you were exposed to - ”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I screamed at the creature in my mind, and without thought began to bash my head harshly with my hooves. It reminded me of everything that was, and once was.

“Get the fuck out of my head….Get out!!!”

“You pathetic idiot…”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

I yelled in futility as I began to sob and sputter like a filly on the floor. The first day of freedom had offered one thing in return for liberation: my emotions. And it immediately set forth on destroying me.

“End it now…do it…kill yourself, be done with me…it’s the only thing that can and will liberate you.”

I cried as I began to glance around, hoping that maybe there was hope of fleeing. To run from the voice was meaningless, but I was desperate, and with a broken mind, logic simply seeped through the cracks.

I got up and ran. I trotted forward, ignoring my tired legs and howling gut. My lungs burned and my mouth became dirt. My vision was blurred, and everything escaped from the world as it all became a blur.

I could hear only the sound of my heart beating, my lungs racing…

…and soon the sound of my shrilling cry that as I toppled downward, spiraling over rock and rubble as the land spun out of control. I had tripped, and I was tumbling down some unknown landscape that bruised and tore my skin with each heavy thud.

I thought I was screaming. But I also thought I was crying. In short, I was falling…literally.

As I continued to spin and twirl, I had begun to strategize how to avoid the pain. But by the time I had strategized an idea, I fell on hard bedrock. Gravity had brought me crashing down on my chest, so all air had escaped my body, leaving me with a deflated, sputtering vessel.

I lay there for a minute, attempting to recollect myself after my dreadful fall, but with each attempt to get up I was knocked down by my frail, torn body. My body felt as if a thousand stings and blisters had plagued it from every side, and my head felt as if it was shifted in the opposite direction.

With worrisome eyes, I bleakly began to examine my surrounding, blinking in every direction to make out anything. But I was concealed in nothing but darkness. The trees and dirt were gone, and the smell of sulfur was absent.
It smelled bleak, absent, like dry earth. I was concealed in silence, left with only the sound of my heart and breath.

But not long after, the smell of sulfur returned, accompanied by the grotesque essence of death .The dark texture of my environment had begun to peel away as the ominous glow of rainbow colors began to resonate from multiple directions, showing itself on large rocks and boulders. They moved like a ghost, sifting from rock to rock – first blue, then green, then purple. Each color twirled and danced around each other as they drew closer to me, causing me to turn my head forward.

And then I saw them.

Dark shadows outlined only by the very colors that resonated off the walls. The three entities were textured silhouettes, each one bearing an individual color of their own inheritance. A blue one, a green one, a purple one. And, along with each patch of the horrid glow that illuminated fragments of their body, they had slit red irises that narrowed down at me in hunger and madness.

The sounds of growling began to ring in my ears, the noise of jaws snapping began to breakout, and the sight of these three monsters began to tear through the darkness as they grew closer to me.

Out of fear I tried to move back, away from the approaching predators, but each attempt left me crawling across the floor. I dragged my body frenetically as fear began to infect my mind, and each time I stared back at those things they seemed to be only inches away.

I prayed that the darkness would hide me, protect me. But I felt my soggy coat press against steel cold rock…they had a scent of my blood, and knew of every step I would eventually attempt.

I cried as I heard the rock before me become scratched and smoothened. All desires of death I ever had were no more; it was the basis of all my fears, and I couldn’t deny that any longer.

“Please…go…” I pleaded at the three creatures that had finally reached their prey. I was answered by a powerful grip wrapping around my hoof and dragging me back towards the very space I crawled from and beyond. My body became enflamed as the hard floor scorched any flesh it left unturned, and I screamed aloud as I felt daggers sink around my other hoof, causing me to spiral out of fear.

“No…no please!” I cried as I began to kick and swat at the very things I could not see. I flailed with insanity, moving my desecrated body like a mace. I had managed to get up and move afar from my attackers, whom had remained idly back as they saw me stumble away.

In a matter of seconds however, I was tackled to the floor by a hard jagged object that caused me to moan and squeal. I sobbed as I felt a cold jagged piece of wood press into the back of my neck. My eyes shrunk as I saw droplets of green goo drop down beside me, only to release a toxic wisp of smoke as it touched the ground.

It was the end of me. Without a single doubt, I was certain death was to come. All attempts to fight fled. I was left with cowardice, and the only thing that I could think of was how I was to be tortured alongside Orion for eternity, forced to flee this cursed purgatory only to run into the mouth of hell.

But the ground soon began to quake.

The rocks began to shift.

The world began to shutter.

The weight upon my body loosened.

The air became alive as a terrifying roar erupted like a loud echo.

And then everything became quiet for a second, before everything blossomed forth like a desert flower.

The sound of a loud yelp shot through the air, followed by the sound of powerful jaws snapping shut. Despite the absence of trees, the sound of wood being chopped could be heard, alongside the interchanging combat of animal noises. Roars, Yelps, Howls, Barks…

I stood up from where I laid, and turned back to the source of the noises, hoping to catch sight of the battle happening before me.

And as I turned, my eyes froze widely as I felt my mouth tremble, for I was concealed in a flurry of emotions.

The ghastly pigments of the creatures blared brightly as they became trapped by a large glimmering glass frame that brushed their hollow glow onto the rocks, removing all impurities and leaving only perfections. The Red, Green, and Purple beasts moved wildly as they attempted to attack the shimmering wall, reflecting the very attackers it faced. But alongside that, it radiated hints of ebony and blue, combatting the very colors of death with its own.

The grotesque outlines climbed the glimmering beast, but were swatted off without remorse. Another had attempted to climb upon an appendage, but was caught by white shimmering daggers that quickly snapped the green beast in two. It let out a loud yelp before falling to the floor, leaving only the pulsating glow of its blood to highlight its corpse.

Seeing their fallen comrade, the remaining two creatures backed away from the large monster, moving to the left side of my vision while the leviathan remained on my right. The two creatures began to bow, but not out of attempt to submit, but to pounce. These things would not bow, nor break before the monster, despite what they saw became of their partner.

Before the things could react however, the sound of air being vacuumed had caused the entire chasm to turn silent. My eyes, once wide, quickly sealed as a bright blue flame shut them out, followed by the searing sensation of warmth conceal my entire body.

The frosty air became vibrant, and the darkness I knew for so long escaped as my shut eyes could only make out a light blue sheet. The sounds of flaring winds that sizzled and roared echoed from the walls and penetrated my ears, sending a chill down my spine as wood began to crack.

And soon it was all over. The sound had vanished, leaving only the whispers of flickering flames that cracked and popped over an unknown host.

So I opened my eyes, and saw the large beast retract the plume of blue flames like a lasso, leaving two burning mounds of scorching flames. The red one had expired, burning brightly as blue and red flames began to twirl around one another. The purple one, however, remained standing, causing my ears to wilt and my eyes to open in terror.

The creature trembled as it remained standing, the blue flame burning like a torch over its terrifying frame that was finally visible. It’s thin, sleek wooden body that remained cracked and broken as it pulsated vibrantly. The violet hue danced under the blue fire, trying to climb over its successor, but had no chance. The air was still, and only the sounds of cackling flames were present.

The purple creature then shifted, attempting to take a step towards the victor, but upon the first step, it crumbled beneath its own weight, breaking apart as the blue flame finally concealed it whole. It fell, crumbling before the mysterious enigma whom I now feared.

But my mind and body was destroyed once more, and all senses were absent. I tried to move back and retreat, but there was no use. It was a redundant cycle of futility and rage, one that I could not escape. Like a cycle, I was moving forth between the line of insanity only to recede back into the realm of apathy. I was truly lost, left without structure.

I fell to the ground, submitting to gravity as I stared blankly onward at the vibrant flames that concealed the cave in a fluorescent hue of blue. And before my eyes closed shut, hoping to embrace an eternal slumber, a loud wisp of wind came forth like strong exhalation, extinguishing the blaring flames that withered in the open air and died.

New Perk: Roads Untraveled – Weep not for the journey disregarded, but for the inevitabilities of your self-proclaimed path. Whenever your health drops below 25%, your DR increases by +2, but your agility falls by -2.

Author's Note

As a token for your gratitude, I have presented the first song of many others that fall in line with the thesis of "Beyond The Looking Glass". Enjoy...

1. Heaven