Even If Something Truly Wondrous Is On The Other Side
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Even If Something Truly Wondrous Is On The Other Side
Swallowed Lies sat calmly on a park bench, the only sound being produced by him being the audible gulping sound reverberating in his throat as he drank somberly from the bottle suspended in his magical grasp. The stallion blinked as the sound of mass confusion and fear resounded in his folded ears, reminding him of his impending doom, as well as the ponies around him that he has seen daily for seven years.
The small, humble town of Ponyville was in full damage control once they learned of their destruction, the myriad of citizens running from their homes with their families to find a place of sanctuary and safety. But, no haven will be found to console them of their inevitable demise. There is no point in fretting over things that aren't in your control, after all. It was a simple mindset that Swallowed Lies has lived by for majority of his short life.
Equestria is now at the edge of total annihilation due to the all of the magical residue collecting and killing off crops, resulting in no food. Rivers and oceans now lay empty, no clean water to clench a parched throat, and finally, it was becoming unbearably cold, enough for anyone to freeze to death were they to stay outside all night, basking in the extra exposure. It was the end of days.
The four princesses are doing their best to help ponies live out their final days in relative ease and luxury, generously donating their gathered water and food that they have in their supply. No amount of cool water or delicious food can relieve the fact that you and everyone you love is going to die, though. You just have to make do and accept the facts, no matter how bad it may seem.
It all started with the royalty informing us of the magical residue demolishing our ways of living. Then they decided to be blunt and tell us it will be a quick and painless death. And to put the final nail in the coffin, it was said that Equestria and its surrounding lands won't be inhabitable for an estimated two hundred years, and the only chance for ponykind to survive is if the four princesses were to banish themselves to the Moon for millennia.
Now, Equestria has been abandoned by its leaders, leaving its denizens to die off. One. By. One. Until there is no one left to tend to the once great country. Everyone is doing whatever they want now. Whether it be rape for the weak-minded stallions who were too unfortunate to settle down with a mare before this catastrophic event, murder for the mentally-ill and hate-filled, or thievery for those who want to spend their darkest days covered from mane to tail in riches.
But, no matter how much you rape, or kill, or steal, you will still be left with that empty sensation in your heart, calmly admonishing you of your eventual downfall by the very thing that ponies have come to rely on. Swallowed Lies thought it was ironic, in a dark-humor kind of way. He always was a stallion that despised magic, and he can now say in the afterlife to all of the unicorns; Told ya’ so.
It's funny, considering he was a unicorn himself. A unicorn hating other unicorns, and their unwarranted use of their capabilities? It isn't unheard of, but it's rare for a unicorn to hate their race. Some pegasi and earth ponies would give anything to be a unicorn for a day. Maybe it's just him being ungrateful for what he’s been dealt in life.
Perhaps that's why he is going to die alone, on a park bench with spiced rum flowing down his burning throat. He could have died with his wife and filly by his side, but he chose alcoholic beverages over his family, a poor choice to most. And now, when he was left to rot in his darkest hour, he regrets it.
Taking one final sip from the cold, refreshing bottle of rum, swallowing the crisp alcohol and basking in the scorching sensation that crawled through his throat, he threw the empty glass with all of his magical strength. The stallion was rewarded with the loud sound of the bottle shattering into a multiple pieces on the dirt road in front of him.
But, what lies behind the dirt road is what caught his attention more. His eyes lingered on the black abyss that seems to be swallowing the landscape that lies beyond the small town of Ponyville, leaving an empty, dark void that leaves nothing to imagination. A somber sigh escaped past his lips as he powered down his horn, content with watching his eradication approach with each passing second.
The panicked screams of the residents echoed in his ears as they began frantically running away from the gaping hole of an abyss. Lowering his eyelids for a fraction of a second, he thought of all the times he spent with his wife, Fiery Apples, and his filly, Scorching Seed. Whether it'd be good times or bad times, he allowed a ghost of a smile to grace his blue muzzle as he reopened his eyes.
The Crystal Castle that once housed Princess Twilight Sparkle was quickly engulfed with a swift motion, blackness soon replacing it in its place. Swallowed Lies felt rushing air brush through his air, his mane flapping rapidly in the increase of wind. Soon enough, the abyss neared him and he found himself letting out a joyous laugh as he welcomed the storm with open hooves.
Shutting his eyes for the last time, he found his senses flickering and dying out one by one. The rushing of wind in his ears was reconstituted with a dull ringing noise that spread to his brain, overwhelming his thoughts. The sweet smell of dirt and crisp grass faded from his nostrils, leaving a trace of burning flesh in its place. He felt himself burn agonizingly slow, but he did not feel a thing; the princesses were true to their word, it was painless.
Throughout all of this, the stallion did not lose his sense of consciousness, allowing a variety of thoughts to flood his mind. Soon enough, he felt chunks of body return and the ringing noise in his ears was gone, the musical sound of laughter filling his ears. And, feeling adventurous, he dared to lift his eyelids.
Blinding sunlight filled his vision as he grew accustomed to it, and once he could see again, what he saw filled him with a bountiful feeling of genuine happiness and joy, causing the tips of his lips to curve upwards into a gigantic grin that was very unnatural for the normally-bitter pony.
Standing in front of him was his wife, Fiery Apples, with a warm smile plastered on her face. Her red coat spoke volumes of her carefree and happy personality, and her silky, green mane swept over her twinkling brown eyes that gazed into the stallion’s own orange ones.
Fiery had her hoof wrapped around Scorching Seed, who was bouncing up and done in barely restrained giddiness. Not able to suppress her urges, the small filly tackled Swallowed Lies as a blue and green blur, sending the stallion to the clean, cool grass. He laughed as he embraced his daughter, tears of joy welling up in his eyes.
He approached his wife and pulled her into a tight hug, his other hoof wrapped around his daughter. He leaned back to get a look at them before staring past them at the scene laid out before him.
It was Ponyville, but the cobalt blue sky held the warm and welcoming Sun that hovered above the small town. Dozens of ponies held their families tight as they were reunited, all of them laughing or crying in joy at seeing their families again in an afterlife that allowed them to live peacefully for the rest of eternity.
Swallowed Lies parted his lips, and with a big grin adorned on his muzzle, said three words that he would be remembered forever in the young stallion's mind.
“Told ya’ so!”
Author's Note
Just something I wrote on a whim.
