"Well...I guess I'll be going now. After all, you guys are paying for me to go to college." I said letting out a small chuckle. My parents stared back smiling. A big proud smile on the both of their faces. We didn't live a life where it was easy for me to go to school. We lived in between towns and cities across. My dad worked a hard job to support the three of us. I told my dad that I could go and got a job like his and that sending me off for college was unnecessary. He pushed me into it though. It was hard to get a good paying job as an earth pony, especially if you didn't get any sort of teaching like my father. He wanted me to have the best opportunity to succeed in the world.
We had managed to wave down a pegasus carrier to take me out to Baltimare to study. It was the easiest way to travel since we lived on the whole other side of Equestria. I climbed on and gave my parents one last goodbye before the carrier took off. I was pretty young to already be going to college. I was about three years younger than everyone else there. I decided that I wanted to be psychologist or detective of sorts. However I had to take a minor study to go along with these bigger studies or else I wasn't eligible to study there. It was the only school I could go to for what I wanted so I had to choose something.
I chose to take a minor in medicine. It was a really simple study from what others had told me but with it came more expenses than my family had planned for. I had to take a job to support it. From the hard work my dad had done, I didn't want to go back and ask for more. I decided to join the royal army. During studies, I had to train for eight months. Meanwhile, they payed for all the costs the college had put on me. I had plenty of bits and wouldn't have to worry about getting another job.
Before I had known it, five years had passed by and I was finally done with college. Being part of the royal military had positive outcomes for me. I had learned so much about weaponry like the sword, the shield, and the most recently developed rifle and pistol. The technology of weapons had always been an interest of mine that sometimes I would serve the army by making the weaponry from forges. I learned all about combat and survival. It had prepared me physically and mentally.
My studies were finished and I already had been hired to a position in Tall Tale as a mental therapist. Everything was great. I had packed all of my things and was ready to head out and into the world ahead. Then it happened.
...
I gasped and quickly snapped out of a trance like state. I had been looking at my old house. I guess I caught myself daydreaming. In times like these, I can't be daydreaming. It was a small house. One story, two bedroom, and one bathroom. It was enough for my parents and I. Now it was in a state of decay. Countless holes had been put through it. The thick meaty and gooey red material had crashed through the house and landed on the roof. The substance would decay and melt just about anything that touched it. I would know. I have touched it before. It was an extremely cold burn that takes off layers of fur, skin, and flesh in seconds. I have a permanent scar on my right side where it once landed on me. I was quick enough to get it off but it left only one layer of skin. It's been over a year now.
...
I was heading through the streets of Baltimare looking for a carriage to finally leave. I came to an intersection when a male unicorn started frantically shouting and pointing into the sky with his hoof. Almost everyone turned their attention to the sky. At first it looked like a small meteor was going to crash somewhere near. Then several more came into view. Almost thousands were now falling through the sky. With every second they were getting larger. They were getting closer. Everyone started screaming and running for their lives. Some ran inside, some ran into the underground sewers, some ran to carriages, and some were so panicked they ran almost senselessly around through the city.
A large explosion was heard. The first one crashed down near us. Much sooner than the others. Some substance was flung into the air all around everyone. Most landed on the ground. Then there were unlucky ones who got covered. They let out screams of agony before quickly dying out and becoming nothing but piles of burning flesh. I hurled at the sight of a couple and started running out of the city. Gigantic growls and howls filled the air and echoed for all to hear. It was then followed by more screaming and crying. I had to leave. I had no other option. My fight or flight had kicked in and I just ran leaving everyone else behind.
A small piece of the substance landed on the right side of my body. A cold burned ensued and I yelped from the pain. I quickly took my left foreleg, brought it under me, and wiped the substance off. My skin was a bright red where it had landed and caused great agony. But I had to keep running.
...
I cautiously watched my steps as I went up to the door of the house. I quickly opened the door to see if anything was hiding. Nothing. I walked inside. The substance was burning through the wood of the house. This must have been a new batch that came down. I made my way carefully through the house, careful not to touch the goop. I opened the closest door to me. It was the bathroom. I stepped inside and my attention immediately went to the mirror. I looked and my reflection peered back. Its been so long since I've gotten to take a good look at myself.
I guess you could say I'm an average build for an earth pony. I'm a little muscular. I have a grey coat with a brown mane and tail along with a pair of emerald green eyes. My mane comes down just above my eyes with one strand in the middle that hangs lower and curved a little to the left. It comes down the back of my neck and stops before it touches my back. My tail is short and has never really grown long enough to cut. However my mane and my tail were both a mess. A mixture of sweat, dirt, and a little blood made it into a mess from the top down my back.
I wear a a mixture of leather and steal put together as armor on my torso and some leather boots for my back legs and gloves for my front legs. I try not to travel heavy. All I have to defend myself is a shield I made when I was still in the royal army and a custom rifle I built before the meteors struck. The shield is about as simple as it gets. It's just a circle that's steel really. I've modified it to stick to my armor and hold my rifle though. I've reinforced it a little too. That goo can really do damage to it. Then there's my rifle. Before I left Baltimare and before the meteor struck, I had been building it from scratch. The money my dad had worked up was all put into this. I only bought the best of materials to make the parts of it work. It's actually a part of my own design. I eliminated the need to clean it before every shot and the need to constantly reload. By having the air pressure clean and balance the powder with a magic imbued part, I only occasionally need to clean it and add more powder. Plus I came up with this other part that holds the bullets in a sort of metal pouch where they're pulled out and fired. I was actually planning to show this off at a meeting of weapon experts for the army before...well you know. Its the only thing I really have to commemorate my father since his money went into it.
Hanging on the right side of my armor is my satchel where I keep my medicine, food, and water. It's all full since I was able to find an abandoned camp hours ago filled with the stuff. I didn't steal the stuff. The ponies were traveling down the road like I was but way earlier. When I found them, they were devoid of flesh near the belly. They had been eaten out by those things that came with the goo. I was lucky at the time that they were gone. I do feel guilty about it though. My mom and dad had always told me that I should never steal. Kinda like anyone else parents really. They always told me that we should be thankful for what we have and not take it for granted. They would encourage me to always help someone less fortunate then us. I still do. Even if they go off and waste whatever help I give.
I savor helping ponies sometimes. Seeing somepony else that's alive is a rare sight for me. There are small checkpoints but I'm usually devoid of social interaction. Most ponies would turn their back on someone else or worse nowadays. If I ever feel the pressure of surviving, I always ask myself, "What would dad do?". I follow it because its all I've really ever known for some form of social standards. Most ponies would forget about the past and leave all that "mumbo jumbo" behind. But I never will. Because its how I still know that I'm sane inside and its how I will still remember my parents and who I am.
I leave the bathroom and close the door. I look through the rest of the hallway. I dare not go throughout the rest of the house. I watch my step out the door and leave the house. The woods surround the house and the trail blocking the sight of anything outside of it. I pulled out my map from the satchel. From where I was standing, I decided that I needed to move to my left which would be east on my map. I need to head to Ponyville. It is definitely not a safe place at all to be but it's where the train station is at.
Miraculously throughout everything, the train and the rail tracks are still intact. I had spoken to a wondering pony like myself who had taken the train before. Apparently only one is left and it cycles through all of the tracks in Equestria. He told me a story about how he hopped on to escape the beings from the meteor.
"It was a shear chance of luck that it even happened when it did. I stayed on the train for the whole ride around. I went to the driver section and it was magically operating on its own! I don't know how but it was! Well anyways, it had been three days since I got on from a random track near Neighagra Falls. I charted it's movement on this paper."
He then copied a rough sketch of it all onto the back of my map. The only problem though was that I don't know the exact time so I don't know when exactly the train will come and that's if it even comes. You can't exactly trust what everyone says in this era. I'm skeptical about the train but I traveled all this way to ride it and hopefully arrive near a populated area. However, if its not real then I could be in for trouble. Ponyville is what I call a "black zone". The town was directly hit. The buildings still stand but the goo is everywhere. The pony told me that it was as bad as I thought it'd be but the station was fully intact.
It'll take me another whole year on foot just to get around Equestria unless I take that train. I made my mind. I started down the trail.
2 Hours Later
I was almost there. There were numerous pits and holes filled with the substance all around. Some of it didn't melt through the ground and was spread around. I had to watch my every step to make sure I didn't get my hooves melted off. I climbed up a hill and then saw it. Ponyville. The town was almost completely covered. Buildings were left almost half intact while the ground was seemingly leveled throughout. I looked a little closer down the hill and saw the train station. It should be here within at least twelve hours. I made my way down the hill. The roof of the station managed to stay up despite being coated in the goo. The goo didn't actually spread to far past the building. It must have been a pretty spot on hit then. I stepped around the small patches of goo past the tracks and walked over the tracks. I made my way around and found a clear staircase. I walked up and went under the roof.
I checked to see if the goo made any damage but it was in perfect condition. It was made of cement like the ground of the station. I laid down on the cement floor. It was the first rest I've had all day and my hooves were killing me. I fell into a light sleep. An hour later, I woke up from the sound of someone screaming. I rose up quickly and pulled out my rifle. Holding my weapon with my right foreleg, I got a glimpse of one of the meteor creatures. These things always sent chills down my body.
It was shaped like a large dog, almost pony sized. It had pink skin all over with stains of blood. It had meat on it but they all never have any more than the others. It's head was shaped basically like a dog. It has small deformed ears on top. It's mouth could stretch more than any dog's mouth. It had seemingly hundreds of sharp fangs all over it's mouth. It has a terrifying tongue that can roll out for more than a foot-long and drips with the goo. Their mouth often slobbers with the goo. Their nose's are like any dogs' nose. They do not have eyes. They have sockets devoid of them. I've deduced that they are extra nostrils though and are just blind.
These, dog like, creatures have a sense of smell that can range from one to, at the most, four miles. They also have astounding hearing. They are blind but by far it is no weakness. The creature stood still for a second then took a leap towards something beside the building and out of my vision. I took caution and jumped down the platform and cornered the staircase to see what was out there. To my shock, it was another pony with a shovel. He was surrounded by four of the creatures. He swung at one and hit it on the head directly. It got back up however and they all tackled him at once. They started eating him alive. Pulling out his flesh from his stomach and chewing on it as he screamed in agony.
"Help! Someone help!...me." He screamed as he was starting to fade. I held my rifle in both forelegs and brought the aim to my eyes. I focused and took my shots. I put a bullet in each creature's head. They all quit eating and dropped lifelessly. I put my rifle away and ran over to him and pulled him away from the corpses of the creatures. He looked up at me. His eyes pleaded for help. I opened my satchel and looked for something that might help. I looked back at him and realized I couldn't do anything to help. His entire chest and stomach was half eaten. I don't have anything to help with that.
"I...I'm sorry. I don't have anything to help." I stuttered out. He coughed hard and blood came up.
"It's...alright kid. I never would've thought those damn hounds would be the death of me." He said with a sly chuckle. He coughed harder and harder. "I've been doing favors...burying the dead...give them a final rest ya know...take my shovel...as a request from me...please bury me and do the same...for others..." He closed his eyes and took a final breath. I could feel that he had now passed on. I took a deep breath and looked around for his shovel. I was surprised when I realized he still had it in his hoof. He used his last bit of life to give his shovel to me. I grabbed the shovel. I held it and looked it over. The initials "GMO" were carved in the handle. I took hold of the shovel and started digging.
I patted the ground. I buried the pony in his honor. I took one final step. I used the shovel and carved his initials over his grave. I returned to my spot on the station and waited for the train.
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Author's Note
Please tell me what you thought.
