Soft crunches resonated through the dead forest of the forest. Hardly visible shades could be seen ducking into the dark shadows masking their presence to the stranger heavily garbed in worn, old cloth. Rain poured endlessly from the dark grey skies, pelting the strangers’ attire and chilling his body in an agonizing cold. Slowly the stranger trudge on as his scaled paws trudged through the grimy soil of the dead land until a sudden pressure inside his chest forced him to the floor. His mouth filled with the taste of copper as he hacked the red fluids that clogged his throat. Despite his body’s desperate attempts in clearing his throat, his heart continued to beat erratically until it came to a stop and darkness filled his vision. With a wet thump, he went limp.
In the cold blanket of darkness he began to dream. In that dream he saw a peaceful town were normal ponies walked around. They were ponies of old, before the curse of the dragon had affected and disfigured their bodies into the false half wyrms of today. The scene flickered to another inside a humble home were a mother held her child. The stranger reached out to them with a scaled claw, only to watch in horror as the scene turned grey as the figures in front of him dissolved into a grey pool that surrounded and engulfed him. Scenes once again flooded his mind. Scenes of death, revival, and mutation. Then the scene changed to an old kingdom. Its beautiful white buildings and sparkling lights seem to beckon for the stranger, the mere sight filling him with a calm warmth. A figure stands before him, holding out her hoof. It speaks, but no words escape her mouth, yet the stranger knows that she is calling for him. Then with the thump of his heart re-beating, the dream is gone, and the cold dark world is there to reintroduce him with his sad reality. Despite this, the stranger stands with a new sense of urgency. He knew where he had to go. Despite having no idea where he was to begin with, he now had a clear path to follow.
~*~
Time had escaped him. He knew not how long he journeyed; he only knew that he was close. Miles upon miles and not a single sane soul had greeted him. The only things that seem to want to come near him were savage predators and soul hungry half wyrms. Many times he fell and died, only to be revived once again. His sanity was hanging by a mere thread by the time he reached the large lake. In the distance he could see an old structure that lay in the middle of the lake, surrounded by a body of mist that shrouded the structure. As he scanned the area for a way to cross he noticed that a small boat was rowing its way towards him. The figure rowing was dressed in an old black robe that its face in the cover of darkness. It wasn’t until the boat had reached shore that the stranger notices that the figure was female. Her claws were slightly visible under the sleeve along with striped patter on her fur. She was the first sane half wyrm he had encountered in… decades.
“You’ve come to answer the call, the one that lures us all. Then come aboard and I will ferry you there, as long as the burden is one you can bear.” said the woman. Not having any other choice the stranger climbed aboard the small boat. The wyrm then pushed the boat to the open water and made a course for the fog covered ruin.
The ride provided to the ruin was a slow one. Every now and then the stranger would look to his fellow half wyrm in order to strike up some kind of conversation but every attempt he tried in uttering a word had failed. Seeming to notice her charges’ expression, the wyrm decided to answer the non-existent question.
“A zebra was I, before I turned. One off the first infected when it occurred. For centuries I have ferried for many and all, each one attempting to answer the beckoning call.” said the half wyrm zebra. “All were drawn like moths to flames, yet I never bother learning their names. There was never a point to be made, since their memories will one day fade. For this is the curse of you and I, our bodies never dying, only our minds.”
She said no more the rest of the trip. They landed near the banks of the ruin steps where dark shades seem to gather around. The stranger walked up the steps towards the howling moans of the center of the ruin. The half wyrm following the strangers carried a lantern with her as she walked past the stranger towards the edge of a gaping hole in the ruins’ floor. The shades seem to spawn from the gaping mouth in the floor as the half wyrms stood next to each other staring down in the black abyss. Its swirling vortex seeming to call him like a deadly siren.
“Now, brave wyrm, a choice must be made.” Said the zebra wyrm. “Take the plunge, or stay and wait for your mind to fade.” She then held out the lantern towards him. With cautious hands he took the rusted handle into his claws. Then stood directly over the edge and stared down the dark hole. The howling moans acting as warnings to turn back. He took a moment to ponder on what he was doing. For all he knew, the hole would only entrap him in its dark embrace for all eternity, trapped in an endless void of darkness. But what existence did he even have in this world anymore. Nothing but an endless cycle dying and reviving until his mind was gone leaving only an empty shell of what was once him. Having nothing at all to lose, he raised his arms as if he was a small bird spreading its wings for its first flight. With another step, he fell into the abyss and let darkness wrap him in its inviting blanket.
“Farewell and good luck, brave soul. May your mind and the land be once again made whole.” Said the zebra as she sat on the steps of the ruins until the next candidate came.
Author's Note
Just felt like writing for fun but I still some honest feedback. Please, if there was a reason you didn't like something, explain to me why. I want to improve so I can make these stories enjoyable. Lastly, I'm glad this is the only part with Zecora, she's a bitch to write for. (sorry Zecora fans.)
Hope you enjoyed
your friend, Random Interest.
