Prologue: The First and last Party
War...War never changes. It always brings ruin, always tearing our loved ones apart... always taking those who deserve it the least. So many die, so many forgotten. But there is a saying; "The Dead never truly die, if they are never forgotten.
-Robert O'kiefe
"Mom! Sis! Look at what I made in class today!" A bouncy ball of black fluff speeds through the grey corridors in the stable, The black ball of fluff screeches to a halt in front of a bright white unicorn mare and a smaller grey coated unicorn filly. "Mom! look! I made a flower!!!" The excited black earth pony colt presents a small flower made out of paper, it is quite well made and could even pass off as a real flower.
"Thats quite the talent you have there sweetie! Well done!" The mare takes her son's work, and places it in a vase on the bedside table in their bedroom. "Now Eldritch, I want you to go run along now. Go play with your friends! you've earned it!"
"Thanks mom! Bye sis, Im off to go see if gunny is not too busy!" With that, the little black dust devil is off again running down the grey halls of stable 005.
3 years later...
"SURPRISE!" The canteen lights are suddenly flicked on as the now slightly larger earth pony colt walks in, "careful Blueberry! you almost blinded the poor colt." A security pony says as the room is flooded with light. Eldritch, now 5 years old stands there in shock like a deer in headlights. Another earth pony filly walks up to him with a party hat on her head,
"So, what do you think? I set this up just for you! dad even asked to Overmare to help out with this!" She waits for a moment, silence. everyone suddenly stops and stares at the colt as he just stands there with wide eyes. "El? Eldritch? hellooooo? anybody home?" The filly asks as she waves a hoof in front of Eldritch's face. "Um, dad? I think we broke him..." she says as she turns towards her father who is coincidentally the security pony sitting on the stools near the door. He looks at the black foal and then smirks, "I think he's fixed already, look." Everypony looks back at the foal in question as his pupils enlarge and he starts to shake uncontrollably.
"BEST. PARTY. EVER! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" With that the party continues at full swing, "Ahem, young colt? A moment of your time please?" a soft but firm voice speaking volumes of authority causes the room to fall to a silent hush again.
"When foals get their cutie marks and/or turn 5 years of age, they are officially allowed to become full citizens of Stable 005. So, as Overmare. I now present you your very own PipBuck 3000A, I hope you like it. Happy birthday!" with that, The mare then goes off to sit with her daughter and the party continues once again.
"Hey son, how do you like your new pipbuck?" a familiar voice asks, Eldritch turns around to face his father, a middle aged earth pony stallion with a wonderful hazel coat with a mane of pure black.
"Its great dad! I love it!" the coal black colt answers back, "this is such a great party! what could possibly go wrong???"
Somewhere in the Wastelands...
"ACHOO!" A certain Grey and smallish Mare sneezes, "whats the matter Pip?"
"Oh, nothing Homage! But for some reason I get the strangest feeling that somepony out there is about to be bitch slapped..."
Back at the Stable...
The Stallion pats his son's head, "quite right son, this is truly a fine da-" An explosion interrupts the merry celebration as alarms begin to blare out across the Stable,
"What was that?! Guards, REPORT!" The Overmare yells into a wall mounted intercom, "Ma'am! THE STABLE DOOR IS OPENING! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! AAUGH!-" There is static as the conversation is cut off. Everypony begins to show signs of panicking, "alright everypony, go to your rooms and barricade them, all guards off duty, gear up and move out!" The overmare's calm voice is an instantaneous effect on everypony, they all rush to do their part. While some ponies run out of the canteen to their respectful rooms, Other stallions and mares put security barding on, place helmets on their heads, and march for the source of the gunshots with batons and pistols out,
"sorry kiddo, I've gotta do my part too..." Eldritch turns his head towards his father, tears in his eyes he watches as his father goes to join the other security guards. "I'll be back! I promise!" his father shouts as he his swept away by a tide of security ponies.
"Come on El! We gotta go too!" his mother and sister say as he stands there,
"okay mom, Lets go." they rush through the halls to their room, once inside they place all their furniture on the door and wait...and wait...and wait, "Mom? I need to go to the bathroom!" Both mother and sibling look in horror at the rocking black colt.
"try to hold it in sweetie. five more minutes 'kay?" she hugs the colt tightly as well as her filly. *CLANG* The noise startles the family, they slowly turn around to the window, and see a monster. There, hitting the window with a lead pipe is a pony drenched in blood. It wore mismatched barding with spikes coming out of the shoulder and hoof parts, Its dirty and matted as well as blood soaked fur looked like it would have been a cheerful green once. Its eyes burned with a mad passion, Its mouth twisted in a sadistic grin,
"Little piggies, Little piggies, Let me in~" The Pony presses his forehead against the glass and wipes it slowly towards the door, and disappears from view, All three stable ponies retreat into the bedroom and huddle in a corner there, "Hush little ones, hush, it will be all right..." the mare's soothing tones do little to stop the tears and sobs of fear coming from the two foals. There is a loud bang, and then silence. Seconds seem like hours, minuets seem like years. Then, "Little piggies, little piggies. Why didn't you let me in?" The voice of that horrible monster bleeds through the closed bedroom door. The foals are silent with fear, the mare has tears in her eyes. Theres not a shred of hope left in them, thats when the door opens and the monster pony walks in. What? You thought that there was going to be a hero in the nick of time gag? Well, dear reader, That is sadly not the case.
"Little piggies, little piggies, we're gonna have so much fun!" The pony cackles in mad glee, hoofstep by hoofstep, the horror advances, bloody lead pipe held firmly in a mouth twisted by mad desires. It was at that moment, Eldritch grew a pair, stood up, and glared defiantly at the monster in front of them,
"Stay away from my family!" He shouts, "I don't think so little piggy! Now, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!" with an ugly Crunch, the black foal is sent flying across the room and slammed into a wall. A scream of despair and grief echos throughout the grey halls, now splashed with blood in some places. The mare and filly stare in horror as a growing pool of red comes out from the head of eldritch, "Now, little piggies, since that nuisance is out of the way, lets go. Im inpatient and I wanna get back to the lair before the sun goes! MOVE!" The mother and sibling are shoved and hit out into the red tainted halls and forced to march down them to the Stable door, But as they head out the room, a hoof latches onto the Pony's hind legs,
"l-l-lea-a-ve m-m--my f-f-fa-a-m-mil-l-l-y, -al-l-one!" A weak voice stutters, the pony looks down to see the Brat from earlier holding onto his leg and trying to stop him from leaving.
"What the fuck!? Stay the fuck down you freak!" The pony whips around, raises his pipe, and smashes down on the foals spine, caving it in in a splurt of blood. The foal is too tired to even scream, instead, he sighs in defeat and goes limp, "Yeah, thats right, die you little bitch!" Kicking the body away, he forces the crying mare and filly forward again to his other allies.
"Hey! basher! I thought you wouldn't make it!" A unicorn Stallion exclaims as he gleefully rips the guts out of a security mare's exposed stomach,
"Yeah, Fuck you too boss. Say, Ripper, what do you think about my loot? can they sell big?" He shoves forward the two prisoners, the raider ponies all gleefully shout out or snicker names like, "slut" or "cock sheath" while others stayed silent and gauged their worth slave wise. The Leader lazily swaggers up to the two teary eyed stable dwellers,
"well now, these two would set quite the price on the market, stable dwellers are far and few between... yeah Basher, I think we could be swimming in caps if we keep em in good shape!" With that, The raider ponies leave the Stable, a now blood splashed gut hurling war zone, as they leave, A small figure slowly crawls after them, shaking, not with cold, but from blood loss.
"M-mom, D-d-da-ad, s-s-s-s-is... I-i-i-Im, s-s-or-r-ry... I failed..." With A blood filled cough and a deep shudder, Eldritch Fire, The little Colt of stable 005, breathed his last and saw darkness...
