Hereafter

Game Over…

“Move your cutie-marks ladies! Those changelings might tear each other apart, but they won’t hesitate to suck you dry. Move!” Saddle Cape’s voice boomed from my left, amplified by his magic. My ears rang with his commands. Stupid unicorns...

I struggled to fix my broken crossbow, looking up to the two swarms above as they neared one another. A battle was about to begin on a scale larger than anything I had ever witnessed before. And my caravan was going to be right under its nose. Hell, it would be in the middle of it all if those damn bugs brought the fight to the ground. Knowing changelings, I didn’t have much time to fix the piece of crap that I called a crossbow.

Saddle Cape turned to me, and frowned at me struggling with the useless weapon. “Alright little miss, If you can’t fight, get into the shelter. We’ll lock the bunker once everypony is in. Hopefully the changelings won’t be interested in eating after their battle.”

“Pony-feathers, that’s manure talk there.” I ruffled my wings in agitation, slamming my crossbow onto the ground. It fell apart. I seethed in rage at the broken weapon. “I appreciate the concern, but this little miss ain’t going down.” I slammed the broken crossbow against the ground again, adrenaline rushing into my system. I was angry and ready to tear a pony a new one. Let the changelings come.

“Everypony is ready, if you can’t fight, get into the bunker, Blue.” Saddle Cape glared at me.

“I ain’t going underground!” I yelled back, my wings flaring.

He said nothing, only looking away to continue his head count of the ponies rushing past us into our salvation.

The shelter was a hillside bunker in the middle of the wastes, no civilization for miles. We barely had enough ammo left to fight off bandits, let alone two changeling armies. It was by Celestia’s grace we were able to gallop to this location. My colleagues had liberated the bunker from its inhabitants to save their flanks.

A field of wheat spread out around the bunker. They belonged to a farming family, who turned the bomb shelter into their home. I would not follow my colleagues into the depths of the underground where a family had been slaughtered minutes before. Even without the caravan’s brutal attempt at salvation, I couldn’t go underground. I would lose my mind. No, it was the outside in the open air where I belonged, protecting these desperate ponies.

“The changelings are attacking,” Saddle Cape yelled, “Fire away, boys!” His command punctuated by the report of his revolver.

I clenched my teeth. The remaining ponies gallop to our location. Never had I thought such a large caravan could look so vulnerable. Changelings from both swarms plunged from the sky, divebombing the poor souls on the far end of our train of wagons. Curses left my mouth with each pony that couldn’t make it to us in time. Our boys near the mouth of the bunker galloped out, clearing the way for a few lucky souls. Even then, they dared not to venture further than they could manage.

I turned my head to the toolshed nearby. With a growl I jumped and flew to it. Dealing a flying kick to the doors, I burst into shed. The doors swung fast, banging loudly against the inner walls. Frantically, I searched for a suitable weapon. My gaze landed on an impressive scythe. Snatching it in my teeth, I flew out to join the other ponies in battle. Every soul saved counted. Flight gave me the speed I needed to catch changelings by surprise, slashing into each with my newly acquired love. I was a reaper of death that joined the locusts in the air, killing anything covered in chitin. Together the boys and I held off the changelings long enough for the remaining survivors to get to the bunker. I landed next to Saddle Cape. He stared up into the sky, shooting any changeling that dared approach.

Grimacing, I watched the battle rage on. The queens of the opposing hives clashed into each other. Their warriors ripped their enemy kin to pieces, tearing limb and wing apart. Dead changelings rained from the sky. Many in segments. Slowly, the wheat fields turned as blue as my mane with their blood. There was a fascination about the horrific scene. Somehow, I managed to tear my focus away from it.

And I witnessed something different.

I narrowed my eyes to see a changeling burst into one of our wagons on the far end of the train. It came out the other end with a pony. I cursed. The fool had tried to hide instead of running to our shelter. I gripped the scythe in my teeth, my wings flapping against my side in anger. If I was fast enough I could get to the poor idiot.

“Blue, don’t, we’ve got everypony we can, let him go.” I ignored Saddle Cape, and I galloped to the pony’s aid. Cape called after me, but didn’t follow.

After gaining enough speed, I jumped into the air and flew. Keeping as low to the ground as I could, I prepared to rip into the changeling. Coming up on it fast, I brought my head back a little to deal an extra blow to the monster’s side. It continued to feed off the pony pinned to the ground underneath it. I quickly approached. My wings pushed to their limits. Crunch! The blade dug deep into the changeling’s side, my velocity propelling the scythe to tear across its body.

I landed hard on my hooves, sliding on the slick ground. I steadied myself and turned to the slain monster. Innards and blood drained from its husk, which stood for just a moment before crumpling in the slick earth.

The injured pony was unconscious, but still breathing. He was a young looking fellow who seemed like he would pull through. I stepped over to his side, dealing an encouraging kick. The luxury of being gentle was thrown out the window during battle. The earth pony groaned, slowly looking up. “B-blue?” he croaked, trying hard to get back to his hooves. I hadn’t recognized him at first, but he was an acquaintance, Berry Fizz.

“Hold on there, Fizz.” I grunted, quickly strapping the scythe to my back before helping him stand. “We need to get you to the others. These changelings will feed on a pony, even in battle.” It was said a changeling’s hunger was strongest in war. Fizz nodded, trudging along beside me. I looked to the sky. Changelings flew into one another, ripping each other apart. It was a gruesome battle that rained death and despair.

I didn’t realize just how far away Fizz had been from the shelter. I could see the boys defending against plenty of the black demons. They were too busy to help, which gave me no hope of reinforcements.

Fizz was in a terrible state. Every step he took was a struggle. I pushed him along, past the dead, changeling and pony alike. We progressed through the field of wheat streaks of blue blood rubbed off on our matching grey coats.

For a minute it seemed we had a chance. The battle above was getting furious. Everytime something black fell near either of us, we jumped, only to find it was a dead changeling, or pieces of one. I could barely comprehend the number of changelings fighting each other. Perhaps it was my adrenaline filled mind that fooled me into thinking there were greater numbers; an exaggeration that fueled my fear. I pushed my charge forward, bit by bit.

“I’m not going to leave you, Fizz. We’ll make it!” I encouraged.

As if in reply, he slipped in the bloody field dragging me down on top of him.

“Uhg!” he moaned, too weak to shove me off.

I scrambled back to my hooves, trying to help him up. “Come on,” I yelled, “Don’t quit on me now. I’m risking my life for your stupidity!” I shoved him back up to a standing position.

He turned to me and gave me a weak smile. I felt my heart flutter. Not the kind one felt for loved ones, but the kind that told a pony they were doing the right thing. I was saving this stupid fool. I returned the smile.

We were halfway there. Perhaps if we survived I could get to know him a little more. Make sure to beat him up for his brilliant idea of hiding instead of running. He was also kind of cute too, with all that changeling goo sticking to him.

Damnit, who was I kidding? It was always when we think of hope, that precious light at the end of the tunnel, that it’s ripped out from under our hooves. Fizz’s smile fell into an expression of horror. This time, it wasn’t the dead coming to meet us.

I heard the buzzing from behind, sending dread to my very core. I slowly turned, reaching to my back to grab my scythe in my teeth.

Three changelings had decided to come down and get a little snack. We paused for an instant, the changelings and I, looking into each other’s eyes.

I blinked. One of the changelings tackled Fizz faster than I could react. “Get the others!” Fizz cried out. Damnit, he was right. If we had a chance to survive I needed to kill the other two first. He would have to fend for himself for just a moment. I let him weakly wrestle with the changeling bent on feeding off him.

I charged the other two. The one on the right chittered to the other before flying up high and out of sight. Gripping the scythe in my teeth, I swung at the remaining changeling. It dodged, buzzing away. Spotting the opening after my swing, it returned with a furious war-cry. I turned the scythe over in my mouth, swinging back, catching the changeling square in its neck. Shock took it by surprise. It crumpled to the ground, blue blood spraying into the air. For a moment I kept it pinned to the dirt, the monster weakly struggling before I was confident it had bled out.

Bracing myself, I yanked the scythe out of the dying bug, turning to rescue Fizz again. No. The changeling ontop of him finished Fizz off. My breath caught in my throat. The last of a white cloud was sucked into the fanged mouth of the monster. Fizz was no more, a soulless body that might breathe for a day before death took even that away. I galloped forward, ready to avenge the pony.

It had just been a moment ago that I felt some kind of connection with Fizz, and now he was gone. Blind in my rage I forgot about the changeling above me. The crack of a spell broke overhead. I heard it a moment to slow. Instinct tried to take control. My wings spread to fly in another direction, away from where I had been standing.

But I was too slow.

“Blue please, I know you can fly. Just spread your wings and flap. It’s easy.”

“No!” I cried back, firmly planting my little hooves onto the ground. My big sister could go buck herself, I wasn’t moving from my spot and nothing could make me.

“You’ll love it though! Flying is wonderful. It’s the best part about being a pegasus!” She approached me. I looked away from her, determined to keep my wings plastered to my sides. “Come on Blue, I’ve seen you flutter up into the air in excitement. You can do it, I know you can.”

“But you’re an earth pony, Shard. You won’t be able to fly with me and hold my hoof…” All of the other pegasus foals had somepony to hold their hoof while they flew the first time. I didn’t want to fall and get hurt. Getting hurt sucked.

Shard sat down, staring to the ground as she mumbled something. A moment awkward silence passed. It gave me the willies. I ruffled my little wings nervously. My sister decided she was going to take matters into her own hooves.

“Blue.” Shard’s voice came to me, picking up a strange echo, like she was on the other end of a tunnel. I stopped, frozen in place. No way... “I could fly with you. You love me, and I love you.”

“W-what?” I asked in fright, stepping back from her. Shard looked up at me, her eyes a solid pink. Flames licked away at her ruby red coat. It was impossible, she was my sister!I couldn’t breathe, my breath caught in my throat. In her fur’s place a black chitin formed. “Wh-wh.” I stumbled over myself, too scared to look away as she transformed. Transparent silken hair replaced her green mane. Fangs long as knives grew from her teeth. The flames ended around her hooves, burning holes into her blackened legs.

A smirk formed onto her buggified face. “I’m going to eat you, rawr.”

I flew away fast as I could.

But I was too slow.

The changeling dive-bombed me,  breaking my back. My world flashed before my eyes. The agony was too great. I couldn’t even cry out. I hit the ground hard, a crater formed around me from the impact. The scythe flew from my mouth, with trailing blood behind it. I weakly tried to lift myself up again, to push off the ground and fight back. But everything below my chest hurt too much; everything above hurt too much. Giving a weak moan I felt the changeling on my back begin to syphon energy off me. I coughed, blood painting the dirt near my face. My red mixing in with the blue of the fallen changelings this was my death. Given to me by creatures I might have called family once.

“Am I a changeling too?” I asked Shard late in the night. Though the moon and stars were still too far away to touch, there was something about stargazing on a cloud that just made them dazzle.

“Hoho, that’s cute.” Shard replied, “No, you’re one hundred percent authentic pony, little sis’.” She draped a ruby wing over my shoulder. I had gazed up into her pearl pink eyes. After catching me, she turned herself into a pegasus for a day. She had the same red coat, the same green mane and tail as before, but now she had wings. It was the best day I had since ever in forever and ever…

Coughing on my blood, I heard another crack from above. The weight on my back was removed. I could only think that the changeling that had killed me was attacked by a changeling from the other hive. I coughed again, the world blurring. I struggled to stay alive. A scuffle took place yards from me. Turning my head, I caught glimpses of two changelings rolling with each other through the wheat. I hoped they both killed themselves and rotted in hell. My body heaved, blood filling my sinuses and mouth.  I couldn’t pay attention to the fight anymore. I couldn’t breathe. Blood ran down into my lungs faster than I could cough it up. I began to convulse, my eyes rolling into the back of my head. Blood replaced air with each breath I took. The pain was too great. I prayed to let go and meet Death.

The sharp edges of a changeling hoof pressed against my failing body. One monster had won out over the other. The hoof cut into my flesh, holding me to the ground.  In my last throes the pain was drained from me. I coughed again, weakly now. In a matter of seconds the convulsions stopped.

I took a precious breath of air, blood gurgling in my lungs. After what felt like forever I was able to sluggishly turn my head and look up to the changeling above me. The hundreds of times I had let my sister feed off me, it had always been painful. But now, it was relieving the agony, draining it away. I stared into the green eyes of the changeling, wishing I could thank it for relieving me of my pain. The green cloud of my emotions turned white. Death was upon me now.

I spat up blood one last time.

Game Over

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