Ghoul-iday Love, by Dream Seeker and Pixel_Spark

Ghoul-iday Love

by Dream Seeker and Pixel_Spark

Equestria: A land decimated by war, by mega-spells that had blasted the once-peaceful nation, and had torn so much life from the land. Even after many decades had passed, the radiation kept all but the strongest of colors and life under lockdown. Its poison mutilated once-thriving creatures as it spread, destroying some, but leaving others alive but unrecognisable. That which survived the initial fallout, and could continue to survive in the deadly levels of radiation that cared not whom they took from, changed them into beasts that evolved to endure and roam the land, searching for food. Only the toughest could truly survive out in the wilderness, many chose to remain in their secluded sanctuaries, clinging to fading images, praying to the lost princesses. Others chose to band together in great numbers in the hope of staying safe. Still others did the best they could to take back the world, challenged the heartless universe to its worst, living a reckless existence, as if each day could be their last.

Some chose a different tack, resorting to baser instincts. Cruel and uncaring, they only sought to carve their names into world, to be feared, and thus be protected until the extinction of their legend. Prestige and infamy took the place of money and social standing, and having a fearsome reputation would keep many of those foolish enough to draw blade or gun trotting away in fear.

Between the timidly built new settlements, and the larger ones that grew from the remains of what were once bustling towns and cities, lived those that had made their peace with the empty, hostile parts of the land. Those that place turrets outside their homes to discourage slavers, raiders and particularly foolish mutated wildlife. That use magic and ingenuity, strength and cunning to deter slavers looking for easy captives.

They will not be cowed, will not stop loving the life they have. It may not be perfect, in fact to others, it seems like suicide. But such worries have no place in their minds.

In this peace and solitude lived two ghoul mares, Star Storm and Blueberry Muffin.

This day in particular was a special day. Many years in the past, as the first of the megaspells had begun to detonate, Star and Blueberry had been reciting their wedding vows, swearing their eternal love to each other. And, as they kissed, one megaspell in particular had detonated in a building only a few blocks away. Both of them had blacked out, and when they awoke, they found themselves to be transformed. In the years that followed, they haven't forgotten what made their lives bright no matter what: Each other. Despite the destruction of society around them, they continued to live on. Through the years, they had steadily secured their own place in the wasteland, a small building protected by as many technological devices they could jury-rig, and hidden in an out of the way alley, in a secluded and empty street. Sometimes, mistakes happened, and one of them was injured, but they continued to keep each other standing, pledging to try their best to make each day better than the last.

Star’s job was to take in scrap metal and tins of paint. With these she carved her

namesake, hanging the finished pointed stars around the house, outside on the eaves. When the house became too full, she started setting them atop wooden stakes, metal prongs, and planting her stars in the earth. They may not have grown as flowers did in the old days, but their beauty gave something back to the dry, roasted earth.

Blueberry carried on her name too, but in a different way. Whenever traders

and caravans were brave enough to cross the area, she offered some of Star’s wares, and her own items. Pots full of compost filled every nook and cranny, used to grow what fruits she can, those rare strains that adapted to the wastes, radioactive plants that still contained the faintest trace of nutrition.

The Ghoul-iday started like many other days before it.

The sun battled to rise, lighting a desolate stretch of land, roads buried under years of dust, sand and rubble, even as it was blocked by the dense cloud cover that hung above. Stringy bushes were dotted here and there, tough and unappealing to most at first glance. The trees were warped, bent and twisted into strange shapes, yet still anxiously growing towards the sun.

War never changes, but those affected by it, whether self-aware or not, MUST, in order to continue in their lives.

A dust storm raked across the desert, clouds of stinging sand blinding any whose misfortune had left them caught outside. The stars jangled and tangled together outside the house, the horizon a rusty red.

"It will pass..." Star assured Berry, who looked up from her plants. Her mane, a little dry and stringy from the dusty air, curled around a kindly, open face.

Star had finished her latest project, one she had been working on in secret. She trotted slowly over and set it down in front of her partner.

This star was special, it was made of two halves. One was painted in Blueberry's colors of blue and green, the other Star's fiery orange and red. Towards the middle, the colors blended into one another, forming a heart at the center.

"Star..." Berry rubbed her eyes, heart aching in her chest. Her own movements were hampered just a little as she set aside her gardening tools and wrapped her forelegs around Star, rubbing her cheek against her own. "I love it!"

"It makes me happy to hear you say that," Star beamed, "where shall we hang it?"

"I know!" Berry smiled, her often tired eyes sparkling like they used to before the war. The reddish light seeping through the curtained off windows highlighted her face.

"Above our bed!" she declared.

Star nudged her beloved’s nose with her own. "of course, there's no better place!" she said warmly. Berry was happy with this, and abandoned her work to remain comfortably propped up against Star. A faint wail caught the wind, and both ponies’ ears perked up.

"Another is lost..." Star sighed.

"The storms are the worst," Berry agreed. "so little can be seen, and yet the ferals KNOW."

"They can smell them out there, through the dust."

"Can they smell us?" Berry asked, as she always did.

"No, my dear, our efforts and luck ensure they will not smell us, and the turret teaches them to stay clear."

"Good," Berry relaxed, reassured once more. Star pet her thinning mane gently, admiring how it still shone, in her eyes at least. The wasteland took from them both, but they still retained their light.

The storm soon died down, and they looked at each other, and nodded. If they left now, they'd reach the settlement in time to make their appointment. This day was special, it was a day to celebrate each other, and something that meaningful deserved a night in the town.

Even in the wasteland, spirits endured, old habits reignited. Bars and clubs sprung up, offering modified wasteland foods and home-made alcohol, even stims for those that craved an extra edge to their partying. Partytime Mint-als were in high demand, and caps were flying between customers and the vendors. The right amount could ensure an occasion that sparked old nostalgia in those that still remembered.

“I’d like a cup of the good stuff,” Star said, tossing a hooffull of bits at the robotic bartender. “and another one for my wife.”

“By the ‘good stuff’ I would assume you mean our special, the Fucking Mind-Wiper?” The robot asked, straight-faced.

The beverage was named by the first pony to taste-test it, who had immediately called out, “This stuff’s a fucking mind-wiper!” The poor pony had promptly passed out, and in the morning the name had proved apt: The pony had remembered nothing of the previous day.

For ghouls, on the other hoof, the beverage provided different effects. It contained a healthy (for ghouls) dose of radiation, making them glow slightly and become more energetic and happier.

Star and Blueberry sat at the bar, sipping their Fucking Mind-Wipers, smiling happily. “Do you remember?” Star asked. “When we first fell in love?”

Blueberry smiled. “I do indeed. We were at the opera, watching the performance, when suddenly we turned and looked at each other. And I said…”

“This is incredibly silly,” Star finished. “And I replied…”

“Isn’t that why we came here?”

“And then we both burst out laughing, in the middle of a particularly dramatic moment, and everybody just stared at us!” Star guffawed.

Blueberry giggled. “That was the moment when I first fell in love with you.”

“And I, you,” Star replied happily, nuzzling Blueberry’s face.

“And even when we died, we never lost our love,” Blueberry smiled, bringing her lips close to Star’s.

“You know what they say, Blueberry,” Star whispered, “True love never dies.”

With that, Star brought her lips to Blueberries, and they kissed.