One.
One One One One One.
One.
One. It goes through my head all day and all night. I don't understand why.
One.
I don't understand One, just like I don't understand where everypony went. I don't understand what happened to them. I don't understand any of it.
One.
One more step. One more frantic breath. I don't know why, but I want them. I want them because I know they could be my last. I don't know why, I just know that they could. Because of what happened. What happened up there.
One.
I don't exactly know what happened up in Canterlot, up on that beautiful mountain. But I know it did happen. The newspapers said it was cataclysmic. I know what that means. That means the end. That means none. It means Zero. But Zero isn't, so it wasn't cataclysmic. It wasn't the apocalypse. Because of One.
One.
It still runs through my head, and it won't stop. It's all that's there, though. Nothing else but One. One, and One, and One. I long for Three, my favorite number, or maybe even Two. Anything to ease the pain, the loneliness. Anything but One.
One.
I walk through the streets, the empty streets, and I call for Two, or, if I'm lucky, Three. There have to be others. There must be others. It can't just be One, can it? But I know, deep down, that it is. And so I walk on.
One.
I made it to Canterlot, the place they all said something happened. I don't know what happened here, but it doesn't feel right. I don't see any ponies. There aren't even any signs that ponies ever lived here, other than the buildings and rotting food. I look around for things I can use. But I know it won't matter in the long run. I can't survive on One.
One.
I walk through the countryside, eventually finding a large farm with a small farmhouse at one end. I pick as many apples as I can carry in my saddlebags, and go into the house to see what I can find. I wish I hadn't, because I found out what happened, at least here. I want to leave, but One won't let me. One wants to stay, to look at the only ponies One has seen in a long, long time. But I don't want to, really. These ponies were mad. These ponies were angry at each other. These ponies were dead.
One.
I follow the road that leads from the farm, and find myself in a quaint little town. I don't like it here, though. This town isn't like Canterlot. There are ponies here. Ponies like from the farmhouse. Mad ponies. Angry ponies. Dead ponies. I still don't know exactly what happened in Canterlot, but I don't like what it did. And I wonder. Why wasn't I like those mad, angry, dead ponies here, or like the nonexistent ones in Canterlot? Why? But then I leave. There isn't anything for me here. Nothing for One.
One.
I'm almost to the edge of the town, when I notice something. Five colorful mares, one earth pony, two pegasi, two unicorns, all wearing strange necklaces, except for one of the unicorns, who is wearing some weird crown thing. I recognize those. They were the Elements of Harmony. They were the ones that were supposed to be able to fix everything. But they didn't. Then One realizes something. There are supposed to be six. Then I remember. One of the ponies at the farmhouse was wearing a necklace like that. They weren't in time. They turned on each other, just like the rest. The best friends in all the world killed each other. They were like the others, but this was worse. Much worse.
One.
When I am almost completely out of town, I see a cottage. A sad cottage. An empty cottage. I leave it. It reminds me of One's cottage. I don't like those memories.
One.
I am almost to the woods at the edge of town. I've heard about these woods. I've heard about how dangerous they are. But One doesn't think he needs to worry about that now, so he continues.
One.
One.
One.
One.
It goes through my head more than usual, now. I have stopped yelling for Two, or Three, and simply live with the fact that at least it's not Zero. There is still One. But now it saddens me, because it won't stop. It won't get out of my head. One sounds angry now. It's like One is yelling at me. But still, I walk on.
One.
One.
One.
One.
I have been walking for a long time, and I'm almost out of apples. But then One sees a town on the horizon, and starts running for it. I wish he didn't. As I slow down to catch my breath, I notice something. Large animals, brown and shaggy with long fur. I think they are called buffalo. Or, at least, they were. They are like the ponies back in that town. But there are even more. They cover the dry plains I have found myself on, some even blocking the road. But I keep going. Going toward that town. Going where One wants to go.
One.
One.
One.
One.
One doesn't want to be here anymore. I made it to Appaloosa. I know that's the name of the town. A wooden sign said so in front of the town. But that doesn't matter, because this is worse. It's much worse than anything I have seen yet. Worse than the last town. Bodies of mad, angry, dead ponies litter the ground. They are everywhere. In the buildings, in the main street, in the alleys. Everywhere. I have to wade through them, just to get to a building labeled 'Bar and Saloon'. One knows what that means. It means something to drink, and maybe to eat. I don't want to think about what else might be in there. I just want to think about what One thinks about.
One.
One.
One.
One.
I found out what was in the saloon. Bodies. Luckily not as many as out in the streets, but still, bodies. One knows what to look for, but doesn't find it. It's a shame. I'm hungry.
One.
One.
One.
One.
I left Apaloosa. I don't want to be there anymore. So I head back the way I came. Back into the forest.
One.
One.
One.
One.
I find a clearing, and sit down. I just sit down and weep. I weep because of One. I weep because there is no Two, no Three. I weep because I am One. Because there is nopony else. I weep because I am alone. I weep, and weep, and weep. And then I lay down, and close my eyes.
One.
One.
One.
Zero.
