Hard times

by Aeker

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Dark, Sad, Adventure
Length: 9221

one mare, cast from her socity will wonder the wastes on the old world. Not even she knows how to mend the tattered remains of her world now.

The tale here takes place a good ways in the future. Industrial growth has left Equestria in shambles, toxic air and desolation rule all but the cities. The outskirts of the hazardous wasteland are home to many different abnormalities and oddities, only an outcast, left for dead, can strive to bring down the corruption in the lost world.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-04-04 03:13:21 UTC

Exile

          Section-1 Exile

    The wasteland stretched as far as the eyes could see. Hazy clouds and ash floated freely in the skies. Dark clouds blotted out the once beautiful and vibrant sun, little more remains than a dim light that stretches across the land. Desolation and decay now own the outskirts of the cities. The once lush, gorgeous land is now nothing more than a cold dark graveyard. Few manage to survive in the wasteland and even fewer call it home. Unfortunately for some the wastes are a punishment laid upon them by the so called 'Royal Council', little do they know, not everypony is subject to servitude and submission is not always as it seems.

    In front of the high council she sat, persecution eminent. In a room of disapproving eyes and judgmental minds she sat, still and quiet. "A perfect society is only maintained through the enforcement of harmony, you do understand this correct?" A member of the high council asked. "Yes." She replied calmly. "Then why are you now on trial for an act as deplorable as heresy?" He continued. "Because my mind is free and so am I." She answered. "Yes, a free mind indeed." Another council member added with a scowl. She looked to him and asked. "If your society is really as free as you say it is then you would have no disapproving voice to tell me not to look into history before your time in power." The scowl now grew to an expression of sheer hatred. "You'd be wise to watch your tongue here!" He growled. The first member raised a hoof to silence the room before speaking. "I have made my decision. I decree from this moment on that you are be banished to the wastes and never to return. You may indulge your 'Free Mind' alone in exile. This is your punishment from here on out, your sentence begins now." He then stood up and walked away.

          ~Later~

    Around her neck a collar was place to keep her from attempting to flee or fight. Besides her freedom the collar stole something just as important, her magic and without it she was practically incapable of doing anything aside from walking. Her lips had been sewn shut and shackles were placed around her legs. The shackles slowed and shortened her steps drastically. Her bleeding lips were sore and had begun to get infected. She slowly walked the staircase to the tower reluctant to leave the city she had grown up in. No matter how corrupt it had become it was still her home and she hated to see it be torn away from her. The two burly guards that lead her to her destination looked cold and free of any emotion except hate. She noticed that both there coats had been dyed a dull grey, the same as hers. She looked down there backs, across there blank flanks and down to there tails. Everything seemed the same as her, the grey dye covering her coat and mane, everything aside from eyes and gender was exactly the same. She had never noticed this simple fact about the ponies in the city around her until now, everypony was the same, every pony except the council...

    After finally arriving atop the tower she groaned. A plane grey chariot with two pegasi waited patiently. The two guards that guided her trip instructed her into the chariot and then got in themselves. "Exile." Was the only word the guard said and with that command the pegasi set off into the clouds. For an hour or two they soared through the hazy sky, cutting through the thick clouds of ash and smoke until suddenly they stopped. "Drop'er  here." One of the guards said casually. She looked over the side of the chariot but could see nothing through the thick clouds. Her eyes widened and she started to panic. 'They wouldn't really just kill me like this, would they?' She thought to herself. She looked into the eyes of the colt reaching for her and saw no emotion. 'This is it.' she thought fearing that her life may almost be rendered null. The colt lifted her over the edge of the chariot and released her. She plummeted to the ground below and crashed to the down with a thunderous clatter.

A Cruel Past

          Section-2 A Cruel Past

    Pure dumb luck. It is of pure dumb luck that she survived the fall. Down she fell though an aged wooden roof into a hay loft full of half decayed hay. Though the hay cushioned the fall it did by no means leave her intact. The fall had left her unconscious and with minor injuries.

    She woke in a daze many hours later. She attempted to raise a hoof to rub her head but was jerked back by her shackles. Having all her natural abilities, with the exception of walking, stripped from her did not sit easy on her mind. She tried to scream out in anger but the pain quickly stopped her. The stitching at her lips began to tear at the attempt and blood slowly trickled out. After a moment she regained her head and stood up. Stepping slowly she searched the premises for something to remove her cuffs. Nothing could be found to break the chains, the only thing she found was a small staircase leading to the ground level. Nearing the steps she began to grow light-headed, the fall may not have left any external wounds but the internal wounds had begun to take there toll and the concussion was going to try to bring her down in any way it could. She began to stagger and the staggering lead to her meeting the ground level face first. She stood up once more and could feel blood seeping from a small cut across her forehead. Looking around the room she saw it, her salvation. A pair of bolt cutters hung on the wall just across the room. Still slightly light-headed she decided she better take it slow but her body refused to cooperate with her mind. Hastily she tried to take off in a full strint towards the cutters. This time lucky played on her side but at a cost. She jerked her front legs forward, the force jerked a hoof out of the shackles but she fell to the floor. Her face landed hard and flat on the ground. The impact caused her mouthed to ooze blood. The pain forced her release a tear and a groan. Though it cost some bloodshed, having just one free hoof made things go by so much smoother.

    Holding the bolt cutters in her hooves she thought to herself. 'First things first.' She slid the cutters up her neck and under her collar. She squeezed the handles and with sparks and the crunching of metal she was free from her magical restraints. As the device fell to the floor she took the cutters in an aura and began to do away with her shackles one by one.

    "I hate those damn collars!" She proclaimed to herself. After the statement she heard a noise. "Hello? Anypony here?" She called into the darkness. "If somponys' their you better show yourself!" She called as she raise the bolt cutters. Ready to swing at any moment the thought to herself. 'I truly hope those old stories are false.' The old stories of which she remembered were ones on terrible creatures, hideous, deformed, mutated, ponies that had gone mad and would attack anypony on sight. How could she forget such tales for they were the tales of the high council. They were commonly known throughout the families of the city and there only purpose, to spread fear of the old outside, but no matter how hard she told herself that it was all just lies and nonsense she couldn't take her mind off of them. Out of fear her breaths grew shorter and more rapid. "Come out dammit!" She barked into the shadows. Suddenly she threw the cutters into the dark, they flew through the shadows and hit something metal. The clatter of metal rang out and echoed on the empty walls followed by the sound of somthing wood breaking. She cringed a bit the saw it, out of the shadows came a rather sizable rat. She watched the rat scurry away as the slowly walked to were the sound came from. Into the darkness she stepped. Fully into the dark the wondered, blind to what lied ahead. Unable to see she considered going back but another side of her coaxed her to continue. A cold chill ran its fingers down her back away she walked. Suddenly she stopped. She bowed her head and began to focus. After a short moment her horn began to glow intensely. "Ah much better!" She said happily. The glow from her horn softly illuminated her surroundings in a dull light. She continued through the darkened section of the room until she discovered a large pair of doors in the floor.

    She examined the doors. They were probably beautiful once but now they had fallen into disrepair. A large hole had formed in the wooden doors but not due to decay. The hole looked as if it was a sign of forced entry. Directly behind the door was a pile of metal milk barrels. She thought to herself if it was the cause of the clattering earlier. That though brought up another idea. 'If that's what caused the noise then where are the bolt cutters?' Her thought lead her to the only answer available, the hole in the door. She assumed that the door broke under the weight of the cutters falling but she only had one way to be sure.

    She approached the doors not wanting to go down unarmed, unfortunately her only means of defence was through the doors. She hesitantly began to open the door with her magic. As she lifted it up the door collapsed under its own weight and fell away. She looked through the doors and down a dark starecase. Not being able to see the end gave her little motivation to continue but her need for the cutters urged her to keep going. She started down the steps slowly, making sure not to fall. At the bottom of the steps she found the tool but something just out of her horns glow caught her attention. "What is that?" She asked herself. She squinted her eyes to try to see the object but to no avail. Her curiosity began to push her to satisfy her wondering. She walked forward slow and quietly. The walked to the object and picked it up. It was an old journal with a single word scrolled across it. 'Applejack' She saw that it was locked and decided to hastily open it. She put the bolt cutters to the lock and with one shattering crunch it opened. She sat down and began to read from somewhere in the middle.

     "~December, 27 2018~

      Dear diary, things are getting worse the buildings are still going up. BigMac and Applebloom aren't doin' so well, there both sick and the doc don't know it they'll get better. As for me I had to resort to sellin' my body just to keep the farm afloat and Grannysmith'$ passin' just made matters worse. I don't know what to do anymore."

    She skipped a few pages and continued to read.

    "~January, 4 2019~

    Dear diary, Applebloom died today. I held her in my hooves and watched her die. There was nothing I could do to stop it, I felt so powerless. The doc still don't know it BigMac'll make it or not. I feel so alone."

    She turned to the next page and kept reading.

    "~January, 5 2019~

    Dear diary, Applebloom'$ funeral will be held next week, I don't thing I can bring myself to go. BigMac has finally beat the sickness and is back up and kickin'. Now that he's better he can help me with the applebuckin', I could use his help now more than ever. A mare I met on the street told me she had a solution to all my problems, she handed me a needle full of something then asked me to perform some services. After I sold myself to her I went home. I was curious about the needle and what was in it so I decided to shoot it up in the cellar tonight"

    Continuing to the next page.

    "~January, 6 2019~

    Dear diary, whatever was in the needle made me feel amazing! Even though it only lasted a short while it made me feel better that I have in years. I have to get more!"

    She decided to skip a few more pages.

    "~May, 4 2019~

    Dear diary, BigMac found out about my addiction. I've started feeling paranoid for some reason. The buildings out in Canterlot are finally done. I wonder what they built up there. Rarity and RainbowDash died today. I'm starting to feel depressed."

    Once more she skipped a couple of pages.

    "~May, 9 2019~

    Dear diary, My depression is getting worse. Applebloom, Grannysmith, BigMacintosh, Rarity, RainbowDash, and PinkiePie, all died. I can't take it anymore! I can't stand to lose anypony else I care about. I am gonna go down to the cellar tonight and kill myself, consider this the suicide note.

               Applejack Ω"

    She stared at the single hoofprint on the page. She shut the book and stood up. "2019? That can't be right.  That's only fifty years ago, Canterlot's buildings have been up longer than that. Haven't they?" As she pondered the thought until she heard a noise. "Hello?" She stepped forward and saw the skeleton of a pony leaned up against the wall. Though the flesh and organs were long since decayed a wide brim hat remained. She collected the hat in her aura and as she did so the bones collapsed and clattered together on the dirt floor. She noticed a very old looking needle lying on the ground adjacent to the bones. "Well I know how she killed herself now." She said to herself. She looked around the room for anything else that may prove useful. To her luck she found something! An old worn set of saddle bags was hung on a small hook that jutted from the wall. She quickly retrieved the bags and fastened them around her. They were dusty and slightly moth eaten but they would serve good enough for now. She magically placed the journal and hat in the bags thinking that at least the journal might come in handy later. As for the cutters she decided to keep them out just in case, after that she made her way back upstairs to leave.

Ponyville

Section-3 Ponyville

    Standing a few feet outside of the doors of the building she began to observe. She looked around as the vast expanse of nothingness that laid before her and back at the building that rested behind. She looked up at the barn and tried to imagine what it was like in the past but all she saw was an old grey building. Nothing, absolutely nothing could return this barn to the way it was, no repair could help nor any demolition. The only thing left to do was to imagine it better.

    Walking through the expanse made her feel strangely afraid. Maybe it was the emptiness of the location, or maybe just the fact that it wasn't her home, whatever the reason made little difference to her. Walking through the wasteland she came upon what appeared to be a small town on the horizon. She noticed that the buildings appeared to be relatively intact. She began to run across the vast expanse to the structures that laid on the horizon.

    As she neared the town she saw that all the houses and shops were deserted and had partially been worn away by weather. All but one building had fallen victim to decay. In the center of the town was a large oak. The tree grew tall and proud despite the pollution. She walked to the tree and much to her surprise it was a library! She stood at the door and read the sign off to the side.

    "Ω-Golden Oaks Library-Ω"

    She turned to face the door and knocked. "Why did I just knock?" She asked herself as she put a hoof to her face. "Because its impolite to just walk into somepony'$ home uninvited." A voice answered. She jumped a bit in surprise, she hadn't expected anypony to actually answer her. "Wh-who are you!?" She asked to the mare standing in the doorway. "I am Princess TwilightSparkle, er well I used to be anyway, and what about you?" Still a little thrown off by the presence of another pony she tried to piece a sentence together. "I-I-I'm I'm..." "It's okay you can tell me when you've settled down, come in." She generously ushered her into the library. "So where are you from?" Twilight asked. "Canterlot." She replied while looking around. She had never seen so many books from before the time of the high council and so perfectly intact. Her looking around lead her back to Twilight. She watched her as she poured two drinks. She noticed the purple aura that held the cups, she also noticed something else, "wings?" She said to herself. "What was that?" Twilight asked. "You...you have wings and a horn, how?" She asked. "You look surprised, haven't you ever seen an alicorn?" She shook her head no in response. "Oh....well a long time ago my teacher Princess Celestia turned me into an alicorn," Twilight'$ voice had a slightly mournful tone as she spoke. "Back then there were four alicorns including myself." Twilight saw her start to form another question and said. "I'm going to guess you were about to ask how I'm still alive?" She nodded. "Well alicorns are immortal so long as they don't kill themselves." She looked at Twilight in awe. To her this was more than some old pony, to her this was knowledge over years, and experience that was virtually endless. She hadn't noticed but that her admiring had turned into staring joined with and awkward silence. "Um, hello?" Twilight waved a hoof to snap her out of her trans. "Oh, sorry its just....you're amazing!" "Well I appreciate the compliment. Here you go," Twilight handed her a cup of tea then continued. "Now that your a little more at ease can you tell me your name?" She looked down at her drink and back to Twilight before answering. "I'm Vega." 'Vega? Hmm why does that sound familiar?' Twilight thought to herself. "You know awhile back I used to know a mare who told me, if she ever had a little filly she would name her Vega. Heck of a coincidence hung?" Twilight asked. "What was her name?" Vega asked curiously. "Lyra, if I remember correctly. It's sad to say but she's probably dead by now." Twilight answered. Vega lowered her head and said. "She is." Twilight raised an eyebrow and asked. "You knew her?" "Yes," she replied. "She was my birth-mother." Twilight lifted Vega'$ head up and asked. "If you really are Lyra'$ offspring then why is your mane and coat grey?" Vega wicked a tear from her eye and said. "The high council permanently dyes all filly'$ coats at birth." "So you've never seen your true colors have you?" Twilight asked. Vega shook her head no. "Would you like to?" She asked. Vega'$ eyes looked up at her in disbelief. "The dye is permanent. You can't take it off. Can you?" Twilight simply nodded. "But if I do take it off I won't be able yo put it back on." Vega considered both opinions before answering. "I want it off."

    There they were, side by side they walked. "Where are we going?" Vega asked. "We're going to see some old friend of mine." Vega looked at Twilight in confusion. "There's others out here!?" She asked excitedly. "Yes, aside from you and me there's four others out here that I know of." 'We're not as alone out here as I thought.' Vega thought to herself. "I know this may make you feel uncomfortable so its okay if you don't want to tell me but I gotta ask. Is Bon-Bon still alive?" Twilight asked. "Bon-Bon?" Vega replied in an unknowing tone. "Yes Bon-Bon, your mothers mare friend." Vega looked at Twilight in anger as she had insulted her. "My mother was never with another mare!" She spat her words in anger. "My mother was with a stallion since before I was born!" She continued angrily. "I'm sorry that it offends you to hear it but your mother was..." Twilight stopped herself dead in her tracks. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Once she was settled she said. "If you really don't believe me I'll prove it to you when we get to where we're going." They both turned and kept walking.

True Colors

Section-4 True Colors

    Through the barren fields and decaying town they walked. On the outskirts of Ponyville the stood. Only one building stood, one lone cottage sat just outside of the overgrown forest. "Here we are." Twilight said with a smile. Vega looked at the small cottage, through her eyes it was nothing special but to Twilight it was like looking back on a lifetime of memories. "This is were you're gonna take the dye off?" Vega asked in disbelief. "No," Twilight replied. "This is were SHE is going to take the dye off." She finished.

    The two walked to the door, Twilight knocked softly. The door opened and in the doorway stood a towering white mare much like Twilight. The mare's hair was long, its soft pastel colors flowed like a gentle stream through the air. "Twilight! It's been a while." The towering mare's voice sounded warm and motherly, yet still firm. "It has," Twilight replied. "I need to ask you a favor." "Alright what do you need?" Twilight pointed to Vega. The mare smiled and said. "Okay, come on in." Once Vega entered the cottage she sat down and began to observe the inside of the cottage as Twilight and the mare left the room. All around the room she looked, she began to notice that almost every thing was made of wood. Though the wood looked old it didn't appear as old as it should be. She wondered why this was until she heard a voice at the staircase. Vega watched as and elderly mare walked down the steps accompanied by two mares that looked about her age. As the elderly one caught sight of Vega she said. "Oh, well hello. What's your name?" Her voice sounded demure yet frail. She sounded as though she was sick. "I'm Vega ma'am." She replied in a respectful manner. "It's a pleasure to meet you Vega, I'm Fluttershy." "Nice to meet you, may I ask who you two are?" Vega asked as she pointed to the older mare's companions. Vega observed the two mares for a moment. She took in each detail about them, everything from their manes to their flanks. The one on the left of Fluttershy was a pegasus pony with an almost amber coat, and a short almost smoke purple mane. The other was an alabaster white unicorn with a swirled pink and purple mane. The unicorn spoke first. "I'm SweetieBelle and that's Scootaloo." She answered. "Nice to meet you two." Vega replied. "I'm not trying to be impolite by asking , but I would like to know, why are you here?" Scootaloo asked in the nicest way she could. "I'm here with Twilight, she's going to-" "Wait! Did you say Twilight was here?" SweetieBelle asked. "Yes, she's the one who brought me here." Vega replied a little confused. "Where is she!? Is she still here?!" Scootaloo asked with a slight twinge of joy in her voice. Vega said nothing, she just simply pointed to the kitchen. SweetieBelle and Scootaloo the quickly trotted into the kitchen.

    "I bet you're wondering why their so excited, hun?" Fluttershy asked as she took a seat next to Vega. Vega looked to the kitchen then to the elderly pony sitting beside her the nodded. "Well not so long ago, er well its longer now than it seems. When Scootaloo and SweetieBelle were just foals there was an accident." "What kind of accident?" Asked Vega. "It was one of the worst accidents I ever saw. Back then it wasn't just those two there was a third little filly they played with, er let me see, if i remember right her name was Applebloom. That was it Applebloom." Vega thought to herself. 'Wasn't there something about a pony named Applebloom in the journal that I found?' "Hold on a second, I have something you may want to see." Vega reached into her saddle bags and retreated the book. Once the book was out she dusted it off and took it into her aura. "Let's see, hmmm." Vega scanned through the journal until she found the date she wanted. "Ah ha! Here it is, January fourth, two-thousand-nineteen." Vega handed the diary to Fluttershy open to the chosen page to read. Vega watched Fluttershy'$ eyes scroll across the page and on to the next. Vega watched as a sadness swept over Fluttershy'$ face. A small tear rolled down her cheek as she closed the diary. "What's wrong?" Vega asked with concern. "Nothing, Vega was it? Where did you get this?" Fluttershy asked as she choked back her emotion. "I found it in the basement of an old barn when I was dropped, why?" She replied a little confused. "This diary used to belong to a dear friend of mine, Applejack. When I was younger she went missing and nopony ever found her." Vega thought to herself. 'How did nopony find her, did anypony even look?' "If you want to, you can keep the book." Fluttershy looked at Vega and smiled as tears ran down her face. "Yes, thank you." Fluttershy answered as she hugged Vega.

    At about this time Twilight was walking out of the other room with the mare she had previously talked to. "Alright Vega, if your ready come with us." Twilight said as she began walking to the door with the mare. Fluttershy released her hug to allow Vega to leave. Vega quickly went to Twilight and stood beside her. "Okay Vega let's do this." Twilight said happily as she walked through the door out into the barren wasteland. The three walked a good ways away from the cottage before anything was said or done. "Okay we should be far enough away." Twilight said as she looked back. "Okay Vega we need you to stand a good distance away from us okay?" Vega answered with a nodes then she walked away a bit. "Get ready Vega!" Twilight called as her and the towering white mare lowered their heads. The two's horns began to glow in a radiant black flame as two beams of black lightning shot forth from their horns onto Vega. She winced and recoiled a bit in fear but was soon calm again. Vega began to feel the air around her body vibrate as she was lifted into the air. The magic that was bursting forth from the two's horns released a low humming sound. As the humming intensified so to did the lighting that bolted to Vega'$ body. The magic began to form a cloak around Vega'$ body until it had completely swallowed her body. Nothing could be seen of Vega but a pitch black silhouette. As the spell neared its end it returned Vega to the ground below.

    Suddenly everything stopped, the noise, the lightning, even the two mares casting the spell stopped. The silhouette began to crack at first the it just fell away like water. The exposing of Vega'$ true colors was complete and she could now see what she looked like, what she truly looked like.

    Vega began to curiously inspect her body, observing the changes and taking in every new aspect about herself. Everything was beautiful. Her smooth alabaster coat accompanied by her long, pale, misty green mane and tail was quite a sight to see. Her eyes were a magnificent shade of scarlet. Above all other things one thing stood out to Twilight and the white mare...her cutiemark. The Mark was of a golden crown with one single black X beneath it. Twilight and the mare looked at the cutiemark and to each other in shock.

Vagabond of Prophecy

Section-5 The Vagabond of Prophecy

    "This can't be true!" Twilight said aloud. "What?" Vega asked. "You," The white mare answered. "You can't be true. You're not supposed to be here, not supposed to be alive!" Vega took a step back from the harsh words. "Why?" Vega asked fearing the answer. "I.. I just have to show you." Twilight answered. "Celestia go back to the cottage with the others, I'm taking her to the castle." Vega watched the white mare as she turned and headed back to the cottage. "Twilight what's going on?" Vega asked as Twilight'$ stepped closer to her. "I'll tell you when we get there, hold on." Twilight'$ horn began to glow then, poof, they were both gone. Nothing was left but a small burnt patch of soil.

    When Vega woke up she was hazy and unsure of her new location. "Twilight?" She called. As far as she could tell, she was alone. She lifted herself off the cold stone ground. 'Where am I?' Vega thought to herself. Vega looked around at the structure around her. She was sure it wasn't any sort of prison or cage, but the stone-work of the walls and the cold dampness argued otherwise. "Twilight!" Vega called again, this time sounding a bit more urgent. No answer came.

    She began to walk through the building to search for Twilight, still occasionally calling out in hope of answer. She listened as she walked. The sound of water slowly dripping sent a slight chill up her spine. She began to shiver as she walked. The halls seemed to grow colder and colder with each step she took. Maybe she was just imagining the chill, but whether or not it was real or not was irrelevant to her.

    "Vega!" Her call was rendered faint through the many twists and turns of the castle but Twilight persisted. "Vega!" She called a bit louder but still nothing. After a moment she began to worry for her. If Vega were to stay without some sort of cover than she may freeze to death. The began to run through the halls of the castle searching for her.

    Vega'$ teeth were chattering and she had begun to shiver much more than before. This was real, all too real for her. The cold began to creep in on her and she was powerless to stop it. She began to fear that this was it for her. She stopped and curled up on the cold stone floor in an attempt to preserve the last of her body heat for as long as possible.

    Twilight was rushing frantically through the halls. Hall after hall she looked but to no avail. A sudden feeling of dread crept over her as she realized that she may be losing the most important pony alive. The thought only made her rush more recklessly. She galloped, faster and faster bumping countless objects and slamming into hall corners.

    The cold had begun to take a toll on Vega. Her breathing slowed as her temperature began to drop dramatically. Her legs were stiff and numb and her shivering became more and more erratic by the second. Her life was almost null.

    Just as Vega began to slip she was found. "Vega!" Twilight shrieked. "Oh thank goodness there's still time!" Vega didn't move. Twilight began to fear that she was to late, but her will power and hope forced her to try anything. "I hope this works." Twilight told herself as her horn began to glow. Twilight'$ horn began to burn with pure energy. She waited, hesitant to what was needed. But before it was to late she plunged her horn into Vega'$ rib cage. Ripping through the fish and tissue until it was all the way in. Twilight then forced all of the energy she could muster into Vega'$ body. The magic began to warm her from the inside out. The raw power jolted Vega back to consciousness and awoke her with pain.

    Vega'$ screams tore through the halls as Twilight pulled her horn out. Twilight quickly healed the gaping wound with the last of her magic and put an end to the agonizing screams. "Here." Twilight panted as she handed Vega a dark grey hooded coat. "What happened?" Vega asked as she took the coat. Still panting Twilight responded. "You died. I brought you back." Huffing and puffing made it hard for Vega to think of another question. The only thing on her mind was the coat. A chill of cold air enticed her to put it on quickly. Once she got it on it began to glow for a moment then it stopped. She decided to ignore it for the time being so she could try to find out where they were.

    "Where are we and why are we here?" Vega asked with a slightly demanding tone. Twilight'$ gasping had finally subsided and she was able to explain the situation a little better, or at least what Vega needed to know of it. "I'll tell you where we are soon enough and we're here because you need to see something. "What?" Vega questioned. "History in the making." Twilight replied with an even tone. Vega glared at her in confusion Twilight began to walk down the hall.

    "This is why we're her!" Twilight said allowing her voice to echo throughout the throne room. Twilight walked Vega over to a wall and told her. "This is the reason you're here Vega this." Twilight pointed to the large mural that had been carved into the wall. Vega looked over the mural and asked. "What does it have to do with me?" Twilight pointed to a pony on the mural. "Look familiar?" Twilight asked. Vega looked again then shook her head. "Vega its you." Twilight told her. Vega looked back in disbelief but she couldn't deny, it looked just like her, the hair color, the eyes, even the cutiemark was the same. The only thing that didn't fit was the scene the pony was placed in. The unicorn's horn alight with magic that was burning away the landscape. "I've never done that though, so how could it be me?" Vega asked. "The murals in this castle are of things that have yet to pass. Once the depiction becomes reality the mural cracks and its colors fade away." Twilight showed each of the murals to Vega as they were to come until they they arrived at the last mural. "This is the only part of the prophecy that is unknown." Twilight said as the two stood before a blank slab. "Why is it blank?" Vega asked. "I don't know. Perhaps the creator wanted the outcome a secret." Twilight answered. The two were quiet for a moment before Twilight said. "We should get back to the cottage but first I need to show you one last thing.

  The two walked out onto a balcony. Out in the open they stood, the frigid winds blew all around and ice concealed almost everything. "What was this place?" Vega asked. "The Crystal Empire. You know it wasn't always like this, it used to be warm and beautiful. It used to sparkle all over Equestria." She answered. "What happened?" Vega continued. "Way back when Canterlot was going up everypony decided to go there for 'better living' as they called it. The Empire is in the arctic north and it needs love and unity in order to keep it warm and help it shine across Equestria, when ponies started leaving the hole Empire began to lose unity and it began to get worse and worse until nothing was left but what you see now." Twilight'$ answered mournfully. "We should get back to the cottage." Twilight told Vega. "Hold on." Twilight instructed. With one quick magical burst they were gone.

A Sick Mare'$ Dream

Section-7 A Sick Mare's Dream

    "Twilight!?" Vega cried into the darkness. "Where am I? What happened?" She quickly remembered the spell she had read. She quickly looked to the book for some sort of explanation but it was gone.

    Vega began to panic as the darkness around her began to shift and move. The blackness began to take form as Vega watched in silent fear. Soon the shadows formed a room. Four walls enclosed her, she looked up and watch as the walls continued to climb far out of sight. Vega ran a hoof across one of the walls and watched as ripples fanned out across the it. Vega began to push further and further into the wall surprised at how little effort it took to make her way through. Hesitantly she pushed her head into the wall. Suddenly she fell through the wall as if something had pushed her.

    Face down on the ground she laid afraid to she what caused her to fall. After a few moments of nothing happening she decided to get up. As she rose to her hooves she looked around. The beauty of the room before left her in awe. "What is this place?" She asked aloud. "This is Aegri Somnia." An echoing voice answered. Vega looked around the room for the voice but found nopony but herself. "Don't bother looking for me." The unknown voice called again. "Who are you!?" Vega demanded. "Now now, you enter into my domain uninvited and you demand to know my name?" The voice said in a toying manner. "Now that's just rude." He finished. "I didn't walk in!" Vega shot back. "I was forced into this!" "Perhaps." The voice called back. "But either way it doesn't matter,your here now. That's what matters." He continued in an echoing voice. "While you are here you will be subject to many challenges. You may proceed when you choose. Oh, and a word of advice, try not to die." Vega waited for a moment, expecting the voice to return but she heard nothing. Vega looked around the room. At one end of the room were two doors. A beautiful lavender colored carpet was laid out as to lead one to the doors. Vega looked down at the floor and saw a rather sizable sun that had been painted on the floor, other than that the floor was white. She looked above and found the opposite, a large moon that seemed to hover overhead. Beyond the moon was a vast expanse of black.

    Vega began to walk towards the doors with extreme caution. In front of the doors she stood, debating which door to enter. After a moment of thinking she decided to open the door on the left. Her aura began to turn the knob, slowly, carefully. As it opened the hinges began to grind together, creating a loud squeaking. To her disbelief there was nothing behind the door but bricks. She touched them to see if they were actually real and not just another illusion, but they were very much real.

    'What the hell?' Vega thought to herself. She opened the other door, half expecting to see more brick--but to her surprise the door actually lead somewhere. She proceeded through the door with caution. As she walked she took in the odd scene that was laid out before her eyes. It twas a vast oasis, lush in greenery and wildlife. All around stood great white oak that seemed to form an enclosure around a single boulder. Vega neared the boulder to investigate when she saw the shadow of a pony rush behind one of the trees. When she saw this she began to sprint in an attempt to catch the shadowy figure. As she rounded the tree she slid and fell. Her head smacked hard against the ground and left her in a daze. She could see the pony running off into the distance as she recovered herself. Knowing she couldn't possibly catch up to the figure, she turned to examine the stone.

    The top of the stone had been ingrained with a sort of incantation. She looked at the strange markings wondering what they ment. She ran a hoof over the stone to clear the dust away when she saw another shadowy figure slink behind a tree as she looked up. "You can't let this place get to you Vega." She told herself as she rubbed her head then continued looking over the rock. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw the figure again. When she looked up she saw it galloping toward her in a great haste. Vega stepped back a bit before thinking. 'That thing can't hurt me, its just an illusi- .' Before she even had time to finish her thought, the pony was jumping over the stone toward her. The pony slammed into her with all its weight and knocked her to the ground. She landed hard and to her surprise she felt the pain as if she had truly been taken down. Vega was rolling onto her back as the pony stood over her. "What was tha-" She began but quickly stopped when she saw a large blade just above face. She squeaked in fear as the knife was slowly lowered down hear her face. The pony gently ran the blade across Vega'$ cheek. She stared into the ponies eyes, its hollow eyes seemed to show no remorse or regret as it began pressing the blade to Vega'$ cheek.

    It was only until the pony spoke that Vega could distinguish a gender. "Who are you!?" The pony demanded, its voice--though feminine--was furious. "V-Vega." She answered in fear. "Why are you here!?" The voice demanded again. "I don't know! I just-" Vega shouted back. The shadowy black mare pressed the knife to Vega'$ cheek again. As the blade drew blood the mare gave a devilish grin. "You're nothing but a plague, a pestilence that must be removed!" The dark mare said angrily as she slowly dug the blade further into the wound. Suddenly out of fear Vega reacted. Her hind legs jolted out as she thrusted the mare away from her. Instincts immediately took over as she got up and ran. Out of the circle of trees, across the grassy plain, and through brambles she ran. Never once did she look back to see if she was being pursued. Out of breath she slowed to a stop, she panted heavily as she looked back. "Oh no." She said as her heart sank. The landscape behind her was nothing more than a black void.

    "Hello?" Vega called into the void. "Where am I?" She asked herself. "Hell-AHH!!" She cried out in pain. The pain quickly dulled to a sore throbbing as she jerked her head to the side. The throbbing in her neck lessened with each passing second, at the same time she began to feel light headed. She put a hoof to her neck but quickly pulled away when she felt a wetness. She looked at her hoof, it was covered in blood. She looked down and saw the pool of blood that had collected on the black ground. She began to stumble around, the blood loss taking its toll on her body. She collapsed onto the ground. As she fought fate and began to slip she heard a voice say. "So long as one of us stands we are legion. We are Vrolok."

Alone We Fall

Section-8 Alone We Fall

    "WAH!!" Vega screamed as she woke up. She quickly felt her neck searching for any wounds. She gasped when she found two holes in her neck. She she got up and looked around, she was back in the library. She saw Twilight still searching for the apple as if nothing had happened. "Twilight." Vega called to her. "Sorry, did I wake you?" Twilight answered. "No, do you have a mirror?" Vega asked hastily. "There's one in the bathroom." Twilight answered as she pointed to a door. Vega quickly rushed to the bathroom, went in and locked the door. She looked into a large mirror that hung on the wall. She examined her neck and saw the two holes. A red ring connected the holes on her neck, the wound appeared to be bite marks. She rubbed her neck as she remembered the last thing she heard before waking up. 'As long as one of us stands we are legion. We are Vrolok.' She pondered that last word. "What does Vrolok mean?" She asked herself. Failing to come up with an answer she decided to ask Twilight.

    "How did this happen?!" Twilight asked as she examined the ring and indentations on Vega'$ neck. "I started reading a book and I guess I fell asleep and when I woke up I had this!" Vega replied. "Wait, what book did you read?" Twilight asked with concern. Vega lead Twilight to the book. Twilight picked the book up and read the cover. "What did you read in this Vega?" She asked still concerned. Vega flipped through the book until she found the spell then the handed the book back to Twilight. Twilight looked over the page, skimming its contents until she found the effect of the spell. "Oh this isn't good." Twilight stated, then placed a hoof over her mouth. "What?! I'm I gonna die?!" Vega asked fearful of the response. "Your already dead." Twilight told her with grief. "What do you mean 'I'm already dead'?" Vega asked. "Your a...a vampire in a sense." Twilight answer hesitantly. Vega took a moment to process the shocking information she had just received before speaking again. "You said 'in a sense' what exactly does 'in a sense' mean?" She asked. "You need blood to survive," Twilight told her. "Without it you will eventually die. The spell was originally ment for eternal youth but it came with a cost." Twilight finished. Vega looked at Twilight and said. "We should get back to the cottage maybe your tall friend can help fix this." Twilight nodded and said. "Okay, but I need to find that apple first!" Twilight told her. Vega looked down a little frustrated. "Okay fine we'll get the apple the get back to the cottage. What's it look like anyway?" Vega asked. "It's black," Twilight told her. "You'll know when you find it." The two looked at each other once more the headed to the shelves.

    'I'm shoving books aside and rooting through the many shelves searching for an apple!' Vega thought to herself as she looked. Shelf after shelf she rummaged searching for the apple, while still trying to come to grips with her newly found vampiric side gave her an odd feeling that seemed to emanate from her very core. She groaned as her gut wrenched with hunger, she ignore the aching until she couldn't take it anymore. Her stomach let out a loud, low, growl and with it came a concerning look from Twilight. "I'm fine." Vega assured her with a smile. Vega new what she had to do to stop the hunger but she chose to prolong the need for as long as possible. Vega returned to searching for the apple to try to occupy her mind.

    As Vega was looking through one of the top shelves she found something. Vega pushed the books aside and found a small door. On the door was a sort of lock, the outline of a horseshoe was engraved on it. Out of curiosity Vega put her hoof to the outline. As her hoof  fell upon the outline a pale blue light circled around the lock. Vega retracted her hoof and watched as the lock dissipated into mist. Vega gently pushed the door open. Behind it was an apple that was as black as midnight and had a glossy coating almost like the carapace of an insect. As she reached for it she saw its glassy black texture gleam in the light. "Twilight!" She called. "I think I found it!"

    Vega climbed down the latter with the apple in her aura to present it to Twilight. Suddenly, on her way down a rung broke and caused her to limit to the hard wood floor below. Vega landed with a heavy thud. Twilight quickly rushed to her side and helped her pick herself up. Twilight rubbed the back of her head and found that she was bleeding. Vega seemed to be unaffected by the fall and acted as it nothing had happened. Suddenly Vega felt the blood running down the back of her neck. Twilight watched as Vega'$ eyes grew wide and hollow. Twilight began to fear for her life when she Vega looked at her. All of a sudden Vega fell to the floor limply.

Vampiric Evolution

Vampuruc Evolution

-

Section-9 Vampiric Evolution

          ~Two Years Later~

    When Vega woke up she was back in the cottage...alone. She looked around the room and wondered where everypony was. "Twilight...Scootaloo...Fluttershy?" She called out. Vega heard a clamoring in the next room shortly after she called, then suddenly SweetieBelle rushed into the room. "Sweetiebelle, where is everyone?" Vega asked. SweetieBelle just stared at her blankly, mouth agape. "SweetieBelle?" Vega said with concern. SweetieBelle just watched her for a moment then she hastily fled from the room. 'That was a little odd.' Vega thought to herself. Vega rubbed her head trying to remember what happened but her mind drew a blank.

    Vega got up and began to look throughout the small cottage for sompony but she found nopony. She was convinced that nopony was on the ground floor so Vega took her search to the upper level. Vega made her way to the steps but before she made it she was found by Twilight. "Vega?" Twilight asked. Vega noted the confused tone in her voice and answered with the same. "Yes? Twilight where is everypony?" Twilight gave Vega a confused look and said. "How do you feel?" "Fine why?" She replied. "What do you remember?" Vega put a hoof to her chin and said. "I remember finding a black apple then falling, that's it." Twilight lowered her head and said. "You've missed a lot."

    Vega'$ eyes widened as Twilight told her what had happened. "...Fluttershy and Scootaloo?" Vega asked. "Their dead." Twilight said mournfully. "What about the tall white mare?" Vega questioned. "Celestia, she...she left. After Scootaloo died in her hooves she just left." Twilight sighed. Vega looked sorrowfully at Twilight before she said. "I just can't believe I've been out for two years." Vega looked to Twilight then to SweetieBelle and said. "Is there anything else I've missed?" Twilight looked at her then held up a mirror. Vega looked into the mirror in shock. From her mouth hung two fangs and her hair had grown much longer. Vega looked away from the mirror and said. Why was I asleep for so long?" Twilight went to a nearby shelf and pulled out a single book. "I was curious too so I did some research. You're actually quite lucky, if you were mortal when you fell you would have died. It was your vampire side that saved you. The vampire side has a sort of survival instinct, when you become mortally wounded and don't have enough blood to restore the damage you go into a sort of sleep so your body can repair itself."

prologue

Prologue-Nothing Left

    Hard Times had fallen upon Equestria and life was miserable for everypony. The hole land had fallen into decay, crime was at an all time high and morals were at an all time low. The land had become a near literal hell.

    It all began about fifty years ago. As cities rose, industry ruled supreme. Celestia, bless her soul, vanished shortly after the buildings began to rise and conquer. Some say she left out of shame, others say she was murdered by her sister and the media just covered it up; but whatever the reason is, it is of little importance now. Our story begins in the shattered remains of the wastes.

Aegri Somnia

Section-6 Aegri Somnia

    "Were back, well sort of." Twilight exclaimed. Vega looked around but saw little more than tattered and collapsed buildings. "Where are we?" Vega asked. "Ponyville, or at least what's left." Twilight replied. "I thought we were going back to the cottage." "We are I just have to get something first." Twilight told her. "There's something I need first." Vega looked around and asked. "What do you need from out here?" "It's not out here its at Sweet Apple Acres." Twilight said sadly. Vega thought it would be best if she didn't ask any more questions for the time being.

    There Vega stood quietly, back in the library. She watched as Twilight scrambled from self to self in search of something. "What are you looking for?" Vega asked. "An apple." Twilight answered. The response had intrigued Vega'$ curiosity. "What's so special about an apple?" She asked. "I'll show you when I find it." She responded rather angrily as she rummaged through a shelf. "Can I help in any way?" Vega asked hesitantly. "No." Twilight replied. Vega turned away and looked at the vast array of books. There were books from before Canterlot's rise, there were even books from the old kingdom. Books that held old arcane magics and incantations that, to her, were thought to be long gone. Vega made her way to a self and pick out a single book. "Elements of Harmony- A reference guide." She said aloud as she admired the brilliant print of the title. "What?" Twilight said from across the room, still searching. "Nothing, just reading!" Vega called back. Vega looked over the title again then placed it back on the shelf. She picked out another book and once again read of the title. "Black magics and incantations." 'Well that sounds promising!' Vega thought to herself as she opened the book. She looked into the book only to find that a great deal of the pages were missing. Though several of the pages were absent, Vega still skimmed over what was still intact and legible. Flipping, page after page she looked, occasionally stopping to double check a page she read on, that is until she found a spell that tickled her fancy.

    The page was old and slightly worn but Vega could still make out the spell. The spell read.

    -Aegri Somnia-

    'What does it do?' She thought to herself. As she read she noticed something, actually the lack of something. The sound of Twilight rummaging through books was gone. "Twilight?" She called before turning around. Vega hoped that Twilight had just stopped or found what she was looking for but when she turned there was nothing but black.