Chapters Entry 1
My name- well my name's Ortan. It's on the cover, so I guess it's pretty obvious. It's been considered a pretty strange name, but mine nonetheless. It always makes people look at me funny when I'm introduced. Oh well. Anyways, I guess I need to write in a description, should this be needed to, uh... identify me should my endeavor come to an unfortunate end.
I'm your average sized stallion, I'm a unicorn, deep blue eyes, and light grey hair with a black mane. Well I had light grey hair and a black mane and tail. This morning I woke up and almost fell backwards at the sight that greeted me in the mirror. My mane and tail are now blood red, my hair black... a darker black than I've ever seen before. Darker than a moonless, starless night. My uh... mark... I don't... I'm not going to write that in. Not right now. I was struck by lightning when I was three, rendering me mute and unable to use magic. Since then I've learned to use guns, and I've become an excellent marksman. I'm the only one I know that uses guns, most unicorns consider them futile. I don't know what anypony else has to say about them. I use hoof signals to communicate of course, but that does make it a tad difficult to converse while carrying anything though. I've never really made friends, except for Applejack (I call her "Apples") and Big Macintosh, and I do hang out with Scootaloo occasionally. They understand me, I think.
Anyways, on to what has happened so far today. I woke up this morning with a strange feeling, a feeling that something was wrong. It was a bit darker in my room, but I just figured I'd woken up a few hours early. I got out of bed anyway, and as I walked past a mirror something caught my eye. I slowly backed up, and turned my head to look at my reflection. As I said earlier, I almost fell backwards at the sight of myself. But I had seen me like this somewhere else, in a dream I used to have. That was what intrigued me. As I walked out of my house, I immediately noticed everything was different. The air was heavy and smelled of... sadness. Everything really was darker, and thunder clouds filled the sky. Wind blew through the houses and buildings, making a hollow, mournful hum. Leaves circled through the air along with small dust clouds and other debris. Aside from the noise of the wind, the silence was a deafening emptiness, leaving a sinking feeling in my heart. The trees had shed their leaves overnight, leaving them bare, exposing their now dark grey bark. But by far the most unnerving thing I discovered was that there was absolutely nopony anywhere.
As I walked down the streets, the sound of my hoofsteps echoed throughout the town, and I felt entirely alone. I walked to Sweet Apple Acres, but nopony was there either. With nothing to go on, I returned once again to town. However, this time I noticed something that I should have before. There was a dense forest that had sprung up out of nowhere right outside town. This forest was different though, it radiated with a disturbing presence of something terrible. I began to walk away from it, but noticed something- the grass and weeds in one area were flattened by hundreds of hoofprints. Without another thought I returned home with a mission.
I put my old clothes back on once again. A battered cowcolt hat to keep my head out of the rain, which was now pouring relentlessly outside; a trench coat, torn in places but still reliable; steel toe boots to kick any enemy into submission, and my gun belt. I had two ammo belts wrapped across my torso, one containing shotgun shells and the other rifle rounds, and extra pistol rounds on the gun belt. I had my pistol on my right, my sawed off shotgun on my left, a rifle slung on my back, and a knife on my left shoulder.
In case you haven't guessed by my apparel, I do have a bit of a rough history. I was always getting into fights, and was even a hired gun at one point. I was constantly throwing punches and pulling my knife. Half of my time was spent in jail, and the other half in random bars across the land. I thought I was invincible. I didn't need a voice or magic, I could do anything I wanted without them. So I thought. Long story short, I met Apples in Ponyville one day, and she began helping me get my life on track. It took a year, but I did it. Since then I've been living as a normal stallion with a job as a bartender at the local pub. I keep things under control and know when to cut someone off. Basically, I've become the good guy.
So, now packing plenty of firepower and as much food and water as I can carry, I'm about ready to leave. I decided to start this journal to keep me occupied, and to have some sort of recording of what I'm about to begin. I don't know where everypony is, but I'm going to find them. I have to. It's time to go, so I'll make another entry tonight. Wish me luck, journal, I'll probably need it.
Entry 2
I made some good progress today, I think. I'm currently in the top of a dead tree because I don't want to be on the ground at night. Who knows what hunts nocturnally here? Better not to take a chance. I decided to take this time to write another entry, so I'll just pick up where I left off with the last one.
I walked outside into the sheets of rain and took one last look at my home. I might never see it again. I might never see Ponyville again. Ah, but best not think that way. I gazed at the town I was about to leave behind in search of the citizens that, only a day before, had occupied it. With that last look, I set off. The closer I got to the forest, the bigger and darker it seemed. When I reached the edge of the trees, it was radiating a wall of bad feelings so thick I felt as though I had to put all my weight into my next step to get in. I broke through, only to be immediately surrounded by the dark mood. I badly wanted to turn back, but I couldn't. I had to trudge forward. I had to do it for them. However, on my thirteenth step I broke a branch in three pieces, a bad omen. As I looked up from the unnerving sign, my surroundings began to sink in.
The forest was a demented place. Eerie calls echoed through the trees. Sticks snapped and leaves rustled everywhere. Nearly every tree there was dead, and those that were still alive seemed likely to fall at any moment. The air was dank and heavy, and smelled of sorrow and shattered hope. It seemed to suffocate me with every breath I drew. Clouds of gnats flew through the branches and over stagnant ponds reeking of dead fish. The light wind carried the sound of ancient whispers, hoarse and heartless. Crows called to each other and frogs croaked louder than I thought possible. Death, it seemed, hung in the air. I nearly lost my balance several times to the uneven ground, covered in unrecognizable bones. The canopy of the trees was thick enough to blot out the sky despite lacking their leaves. Only a sparse amount of light seeped through, barely enough to illuminate the ground. Fog came and went with the hours, and got thicker each time. Eventually it was too thick to see three hooves in front of me, so I kept my eyes on the ground. Luckily, I hadn't strayed from the path of hoofprints.
One thing I hadn't noticed earlier, however, was the presence of other tracks beside them. These tracks were like nothing I'd seen before, with seven claws on each... well... these weren't hooves. These were... just claws. It seemed whatever these beasts were, they walked on claws. How strange. I almost crashed into a tree while I was staring at the odd tracks, so I looked up, and luckily the fog was gone. However, the sun had set while the fog had blinded me. The moon peeked through the small holes in the canopy, and I began hearing larger animals stirring in the brush. Howls filled the night, and snakes slithered across the ground. An owl flew silently above my head into a hollow tree.
Suddenly, my hair stood on end. Something was watching me. I tried not to let it shake me too much, but I was feeling more and more vulnerable on the ground, so I tread forth in search of a tree. I eventually found one that extended above the canopy, and set out to climb it. It proved to be a challenge, but I made it.
Once I broke through the top, the immense view stunned me for a moment. The full moon was now engulfed in clouds, and eerily shone through the mist. The forest seemed to extend forever, an unending mass of dead wood. But as the moon gave a brighter light through a hole in the clouds, I noticed a small plume of smoke about seven miles away. That of a campfire, it seemed. I was getting closer. So now I have caught up to the present, I'm still in the top of this tree staring into the night. It's about time for me to get some sleep though, I'll need my energy tomorrow. I have a lot of ground to cover, but I might be able to catch a glimpse of the others by the next sunset. Not that you can see the sunset underneath this canopy. Anyways, I need to put this up, so I'll write another entry tomorrow.
Entry 3
Today... I saw a few of the things... and... something else. This has been a horrible day. Now I'm starting to get what's happening, though not why. I'm starting to grasp what these things are capable of. Well, here we go.
When morning came, I took another look and saw the smoke still rising from about seven miles or so away. With that, I eased back down the tree, back into the darkness. I took a gulp of water from my canteen, and was shocked to see only a third of it still filled. I'd have to find a river soon, but it was more important to catch up at that point. So once again, I started off on the beaten path, carefully examining the unfamiliar tracks. I'd confirmed yesterday that these things walked on claws, and every mile I walked there would be a few tracks that had left the ground singed.
After walking several hours, I started hearing louder whispers. This forest was already filled with demented whispers as it was, but these were louder and in a different language. These were coming from something, not the wind. Suddenly the smell of smoke wafted to me, and I realized I'd reached the campfire. There was a small clearing just ahead where the smell originated, so I went prone and silently crawled up to a fallen tree. Not ten hooves in front of me were two of these... things. Ghastly beasts. They did indeed walk on claws, and seemed to drip acid that dissipated on contact with the ground. They were like nothing I'd ever seen before. Black skin, red eyes, my height more or less, one noticeably taller than the other, and rather buff. I thought them to be changelings for a few seconds, but it became apparent that they weren't. Their voices were syrupy sounding, and they had small horns protruding in rows on their sides. They were obviously carnivores, with teeth larger than I'd ever seen.
I was about to risk death to make contact with them, but as I was moving my arms to lift myself off the ground, I noticed her. A mare. Dead in the blood spattered grass. She was covered in burns in the shape of whip scars. The flesh of her back was torn off, as was her spine. Her eyes where still frozen in a terrified and confused expression. I was shaken for a moment, this helpless mare was murdered by the beasts, probably with no provocation. They just took her life. I was greatly saddened to say the least, she could've had the rest of her life, but it was taken from her by these things. And then it began to build. Anger. Blistering fury arose in my very soul, nearly making the vessels in my eyes pop. An unholy rage consumed my essence, blurring my vision with red. In a period of two seconds, I stood, drew my shotgun, and fired twice.
The first shot riddled the taller one's body with lead, spewing blood in small streams onto the already stained grass. The second shot hit him directly in the face. His head exploded, sending pieces of brain matter everywhere. It covered the beast next to him with the pinkish red glop, and sent some upon me as well. Skull fragments flew in all directions, embedding themselves deep into the surrounding trees. His body stood for a moment, his neck now a blood fountain, and slowly fell to the ground. Before the other could react, I had holstered the sawed-off, drew my knife, and lunged. I buried the serrated blade into his stomach, knocking him over with the tackle. I twisted the blade a full turn, and sliced it out through his side, sending streaks of the red fluid in a near straight line. In a split second I had it against his neck, ready to slit it open. I looked him in the eye, tightened my grip on the blade, and split his neck in two, showering my face with blood and tissue. He began shaking and gargling, drowning in his own life fluid. I wiped my knife clean on the grass, put it back on my shoulder, and stood up.
The clearing was now covered in gore. Three lay dead around me, one's life viciously taken by the beasts, the other two's lives ripped and shot from them by me. I walked over to the mare to try and identify her. After looking her over, I concluded that I did not know her. She was a small thing, with light red hair and a grey mane and tail. Her eyes were light green, still gazing off in space. The hide from her flanks were ripped away, stripping her of her mark and leaving me no way other than blunt description to find out her identity. With a heavy heart, I closed her eyes, and began digging with a small collapsable shovel I brought. After an hour of digging, her grave was finished, a three hoof deep hole in the ground. After collapsing the shovel, I spotted a bit of pink. There was a rose, the only flower I'd seen in this evil place, on the edge of the trees. It was a small sign of happiness in a sea of dementia. I walked over and gently pulled it up by the roots. Picking her up, I gently put her down into the hole, arms crossed on her chest, and covered her body with rocks before burying her. After I had pat the ground smooth, I planted the rose on top of her grave and took a complete mental image of the clearing, to be able to find the place again if needed. It was time to move on.
I walked away from the clearing, reloading my shotgun on my way out. The path continued through the forest, and I would follow it until I found them. The sound of the gunshots had most likely alerted the beasts of my presence, and they would have picked up speed. By now I might have lost quite a bit of ground, but I couldn't just leave the poor mare lying dead in the open. After I'd walked a ways, I realized I was slightly burnt on my face, where it had been touched by the blood. I realized that these things' blood was highly acidic, but not acidic enough to burn all the way through flesh. I decided to be more weary of the painful sap flowing through the beasts' veins. If it got in my eyes, I could be blinded for all I knew.
After a while, night fell, and I hadn't caught sight of the others, though I was and am sure I'm regaining my ground. I found another tree to rest in, not tall enough to clear the canopy, but tall enough to keep me relatively safe. I'm currently planning my course of action for tomorrow, and I'm starting to wonder what these things have in store for everypony. Why would they abduct so many? What are they trying to do? I hope I'll get the answers when I catch up. It's best now that I sleep. Although I'm sure I'll dream of the mare. What a shameful waste. As for the burn marks resembling whip scars, it would seem these beasts are able to use magic, and can conjure fire whips. I'll only know when I find them, and I'm sure I will.