"Damned" World and Paniced Mare
Forty three. Humanity once held numbers in the billions. Now, one month after new year's day, twenty-sixty five. The earth broke open and hell fire rose from it's depth, followed by swarms of demons straight from biblical lore. The apocalypse had come and humanity was doomed. Now, only forty three humans from around the world were left on earth’s blood soaked soil. Fourteen men, sixteen women, seven teenagers, and eight children.
“Nick, we need to talk.” A tall, african man spoke to a white teenage boy dressed in a black shirt, leather jacket and gray jeans.
“Yeah. What's up Ralph?” Nick replied. He noticed Ralph dressed in a swat vest rather than his usual police suit. Looking back out into the wasteland around them, he picked up the Anti-material rifle at his feet and looked through the scope.
End of the world had a few benefits.
“There isn't any news coming in anywhere, not for a week. Internet went down yesterday and the hordes have been getting more and more angry.”
“More like despite.” Nick replied, seeing only rubble through his scope.
“The tribe has been talking, even the kids are starting to think that… we might be all that's left.”
“Doubtful. If there's one thing I know, it's that humanity has a way of keeping itself alive. If we managed to find weapons and equipment caches from both the army and terrorists, stockpiles of food, water, essentials, and most importantly more bullets than the pounds of fat in Texas. There are and will be more people out there.”
“Yeah, and the fact we held ourselves up in a fortified town once occupied by the US army across from a Taliban base didn't help?”
“... The fact we’re in a former battlefield in Israel helped.”
“Ha. Funny. But I'm serious, something is up. Everybody is arming up, kids are even carrying, nothing heavy though.”
Nick noticed a quick movement though his scope, recognizing it as a demons burnt hide. Too many times he’s shot holes through that charcoal. “Maybe you've got a point.” Nick said as he pulled away from the scope. “Get the explosives, and keep the kids in the armory with Rikka.”
* * *
The Badlands. Just the name alone brings even the bravest of Royal Knights to shiver in their armor. This is the main reason one unique unicorn mare decided to live out the rest of her life in this wasteland. Her name was Mana Break.
“Celestia have some damn mercy it’s so hot.” She said to herself. Sweat making her amethyst colored coat and mane stick to her body. She had been walking the baked desert earth for half the day, while being baked herself by the not-so-beautiful-anymore Celestia’s sun, all so she could find something to build a home in, namely, a cave.
She had a large wagon, packed to near break apart. Despite being a unicorn, she preferred the earth pony method. Not as a lifestyle, but because she feared her magic. Ever since she was a foal, magic was tricky for her not because she couldn’t do it, it was because she had no control over it.
The first time such an incident happened was in magic kindergarten. It was simple, lift the toy with her magic, but once her horn lit up the toy, as well as half the classroom, was set ablaze with PURPLE FIRE. Her worst incident was three years back, when a nightmare made her horn light up. Needless to say, nightmare night had come early that year in the streets of Trottingham. After that she figured it was best she lives as far away from ponies as possible, from anything really.
At least, that is what she has been telling herself.
“Please Gods above have mercy!” She cried out. Just as she made it over another dust hill, she spotted her second wind, a door, built into the side of a rock formation. “Thank you!” She squealed as she ran with what was left of her strength. Arriving at the door, it was all wood, sun baked to near ash, and from the looks of it, completely abandoned.
She unstrapped herself from the wagon and touched the door, causing it to break from its rusted hinges and fall over with a smash. As she was about to have second thoughts about the abandoned cave, a cool breeze from within the cave blew right through her. “Thank you.” She said to the sky.
Stepping inside, the cool ground of the cave house caused her overheated hooves to ache with the sudden change of temperature. It was a welcomed pain. To her surprise, Mana spotted an old candle and a small match box. Lighting it up, she began to explore the cave with her source of light, carried in her mouth. She spotted a rather large fireplace, cast iron cookware, and furniture coated in dust. Going further in, she soon found the caves end, decorated by a tall bookshelf holding only miscellaneous knickknacks, all covered in dust. One shelf was empty however, the very bottom shelf.
Upon touching it, it sunk down some and the bookshelf swung open, revealing much, MUCH more to the cave. "I knew I’d do well out here!" She thought to herself, unaware of the shadow just out of the candle light’s reach.
* * *
“I owe you lunch Ralph!” Screamed Nick as he fired his Anti-material rifle as fast as humanly possible, ripping quarter sized holes through multiple demons as they swarmed ever closer.
“Let’s make it through this first!” Ralph replied as he fired everything he had. Explosions ripped through the air like new years fireworks.
As Nick aimed to fire, he noticed a demon that looked… different. Rather than a deformed body and burnt skin, it looked almost human. Save for the large horns and black eyes. “The hell?” He said to himself. Quickly snapping out of his stupor, he pulled the trigger, only to hear the click of a empty clip. “Shit!” He said, jumping off the car he stood on as a demon rammed it into another. He lifted up a large revolver and fired wherever he saw demons. “This is going to hell fast. GUYS! HEAD TO THE ARMORY!”
Everyone within earshot headed towards the brick tower the group established as the armory, everyone else took quick notice and followed the others. “Everyone in fast!” Yelled a young Iraqi man. Once it seemed everyone entered the armory, he shut the large metal door that would protect them, if only for a minute or so. “Any Idea’s Nick?”
“Yeah.” He replied, heading over to one of the many ammo boxes. “Reload, this might be our last stand at this rate.”
* * *
“GODS WHY!” Mana screamed as she ran blind through the cave. Everything had gone so well until she turned her head, seeing a tall shadow stand over her with seven crimson eyes, all focused on her. It was at that moment she dropped her candle and bolted into the darkness.
”Come back little pony, I only wish to play~” The shadow replied from seemingly everywhere. It spoke in a voice like a little filly, only adding to the fire under Mana’s hooves.
“NOTHANKYOUIWANNALIVE! Omph!” She said as she ran head first into what felt like wood, quickly feeling around she found a handle and quickly pulled it open and closed it behind her. Then, lights blinded her for a brief time before she eyes adjust and Mana is standing within a laboratory. Despite never really using her magic, she knew most of the equipment was magical. Soon she stood at what looked like an altar of sorts, with strange creatures resembling minotaurs displayed on it. She could only guess that it was a mother and a baby, given facial characteristics and the small being she was holding was being held with care. At the altars foot, sat a large black book bound in leather. Just looking at it made her horn hurt.
Reluctantly, she opened it, something that felt evil just to look at must have some information on that shadow that was chasing her. Flipping through the pages, she found most of the spells were written in a different language, the only reason she could read some of them was because small notes were tucked in between the pages with them, translating the spells. As it turned out the book was part dictionary, part history book, part guide book for plants and… demons, and part spellbook. From this notes, whoever translated this book wrote something about the shadow that was chasing her.
Damn, that summoning spell took most of my mana reserves but it worked, the demon is here and is now serving me. Least until I send it back, this was only a test after all. This demon is not even from this world according to the book. Best be careful, it warns about how this "thing" can be tricky, but will obey so long as I feed it nightmares… How am I gonna pull that off?
I’ll think of something, wonder how the spell summons these "things"? Or if it’s the same creature? It just said “cast with all your mana and your power will determine your servant(s) both in loyalty and quantity.” Doesn’t say if they'll leave on their own, must be written somewhere else in the book.
“A demon from another world?” Mana thought to herself, she flipped the note around, and felt sick.
It never leaves, it’s here to stay! The damn monster is getting hungry again too, Travelers are coming by less and less! I gotta either kidnap ponies from the towns near by o-
The rest of the note was just a ink line and a small red stain. It was soon apparent to Mana how… dark it was around her. She looked up, seeing all seven of the demons crimson eyes staring right at her. ”Finally” It said, placing a talon like appendage over Mana’s mouth and head ”Fresh nightmares!” Out of sheer terror and instinct, Mana’s horn lit up, trying desperately to cast the spell. Mana’s horn grew brighter and brighter, then, a pop echoed as a small puff of smoke and fire came from her horn. ”Pathetic, at least the unicorn that summoned me here was able to put up a fight with his magic before I drained him.”
Mana wanted to cry, but the attempt at the spell had left her drained, and she soon fell into the nightmare the monster was creating for her as it morphed into a mist and flowed into her mind.
* * *
Nick looked around at the people in this makeshift tribe of what was most likely the last of humanity. He kept on firing, but taking quick pauses to memorize their faces. They all have barely known each other for a few weeks, each one of them seemed to have come from around the world in one way or another. Now they all face their deaths in the place their “Savior” died for them. It was all ironic really, a group of people surviving the end from all corners of the globe meet in Israel, survive for a few weeks then die by hungry demons.
The whole battle Nick saw that human looking demon in the distance, barely making out a smirk. He was shocked to see it quickly replaced with one that almost resembled fear. It looked up and a light shown down over the entire fortified town. The demons ran away fast, their skin smoking under the light.
“The hell?” Was all Nick could say.
“Is this Rapture?” Ralph asked, looking out the window.
“If this is Rapture then why am I not bolting like the demons?” David commented with a sarcastic tone.
The light grew brighter and brighter, until, with a flash, the whole fortified town was gone. Only a smooth glass floor where the ten mile town once stood was all that was left.
The humanoid demon was the first to walk up to the empty place, upon touching the ground it's foot began to steam from the energy. ”How interesting.”
Fear. The darkness of Mana’s current world bleed fear from every direction. She had come too within a black void, empty and silent. She remembered what had happened, and upon looking up she saw those seven eyes staring back at her yet again. ”Run.” Was all it said before she gladly took the offer and bolted in a random direction. The demon, however, merely mused at this. They were in Mana’s mindscape, here, the demon was a god. Just being in her fear filled mind began to fill him with her nightmare. Being chased by a monster. His favorite.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the darkness, Nick and his tribe began to come too. “The hell happened?” Nick asked, struggling to lift himself off the ground.
“All I remember was a bright light, then we blacked out?” Ralph said, being the first to fully stand. “Least we’re not dead.”
“You may have second thoughts about that guys.” David said, leaning against the wall near a window he was looking out of.
Nick managed to walk over to the window, at first seeing the town, then, seeing the complete darkness surrounding it endlessly. “Wha? Where's’ the sky? The ground!?”
“Told you that wasn’t Rapture.”
“군대 같은 느낌 (Feels like the military again).” A Korean man spoke. He knew no english, but managed well enough. If all else failed he just pointed or asked Noa.
“You alright Han? Er, 괜찮아?” A Korean woman, and the only other person who speaks Korean in the tribe, Noa, asked. First in english and second in Korean, since she remembered he didn’t speak english.
“난 괜찮을거야 (I’ll Be Fine).” He replied.
“Good. So Nick, are those demons still out there?”
“No, just the town… and that’s literally ALL that is out there.”
“What?” Noa got up and upon seeing the outside, began to quickly lose her mind. “오, 이런 일이 일어날 수 없다. 정말로 일어난 일이 아닐까? 내세가 실제로 무엇인가? 우리 모두 죽었나요? 우리는 살아 있지만 지옥에 있습니까? 연옥? 대체 어디야!? (Oh hell no this can't be happening! Is this really what’s happening!? Is this really what the afterlife looks like? Are we all dead? Are we alive but in hell? Is this Purgatory? Where the hell are we!?)”
“No idea what she’s saying… I’m just gonna go walk around.” David said, finally regaining his balance.
“You can’t be serious.” Nick asked.
“Yeah, I am. Mainly cause I’m pretty sure I can hear screaming.”
With that said, Nick and Ralph both jumped up and listened at the window.
“Sounds like, a woman?” Ralph replied.
“Maybe she knows where we are? Dav-” As Nick turned to look at David, he was no longer where he was next to the window. Looking back outside he spotted David running through the town, rifle in hand. “David you ass! Come on Ralph, lets help.”
As Nick and Ralph ran after David, David was quickly closings in on who was screaming. Or rather what he saw was screaming. “What in the hell?” He said to himself as he spotted what was clearly an amethyst colored unicorn running through the streets… Followed closely by a demon. “Hey tall, black, and evil!”
The demon and pony both stopped dead in their tracks and looked at David. “Munch on these!”
All the demon saw after that was the strange creature pointing its metal “stick” at him, then it was followed by a loud BANG and then darkness.
David continued firing until his rifle fired every shell in its mag. As Mana was witnessing the same type of creature that the shrine in the cave displayed using a strange, LOUD, weapon to kill the demon, she failed to notice the two walking up behind her.
“David you- what the?” Nick froze as he tried to process what he was looking at. An amethyst colored pony, a UNICORN, to be specific, with eyes too big for her head and pure terror across her face as she stared at him. “Uhhh… I got nothing.”
“W… What are you?” Mana asked, causing Nick to fall flat on his ass and Ralph to go slack jawed.
“It… talked.” Nick said. “The horse talks!?”
“I'm pretty sure it's a pony. Horses are larger. So a pony unicorn? Now the apocalypse truly has made me see everything.” David said as he walked up to Mana. “Sup, I’m David. The idiot on his ass is Nick and the slack jawed giant is Ralph. You are?”
“M… Mana Break. What are you creatures?” Mana asked.
“We’re called humans. That thing chasing you was a demon and this “boomstick” I used to kill it is called a gun, specifically an M-15. Ugly isn't getting back up.”
“That’s a relief. How did you get here? That demon chased me here in my new home, but what about you three.”
“Not sure. All we can remember so far is that we were fighting demons in a last stand effort and then this bright light just appeared over us and the demons ran. Next thing I knew we woke up here less than a couple of minutes ago.”
“D… Do you know where we are?” Nick said, finally coming down from his stupor.
“Uhh. That demons said he was gonna feast on my nightmares… then I tried casting the same type of spell this book held. Yeah. It was the same spell that brought that demon into my world. For once my magic didn't blow up, opposite in fact. Then I woke up here.”
“You tried to cast a spell that summons demons to help fight against another demon?” Ralph said. Also out of his stupor.
“It said whatever was summoned was random and is determined by the casters mana reserves and willpower! Mana I have more than enough of, but controlling it is… Difficult.”
“But how does it feeding on your nightmares bring you here?”
“I have no idea.”
“Maybe we’re in her mind.” David said.
“Don't be stupid David, how could we possibly be in this unicorns mind?” Nick replied.
“Think about it. She casted some crazy spell, some crazy light covered us, she got chased by a demon that pulled her into her mind, we find her being chased by a demon to where we are. You telling me that this doesn’t seem connected?”
“It is amazing how you don't believe in god, yet you find that logical… and I hate how that seems true.”
“It just doesn't make sense to me.” Ralph said.
“Well I can think of one way to be sure. If she passes out here then she should wake up in her world, her body here should disappear.”
“Have you been watching that one christmas special of “Doctor Who” again?” Nick asked.
“Yes, but besides the point. It could work.”
“So what, she just falls asleep? What happens to us if that's true?”
“We get to become voices in her head that will drive her to madness~” David teased, earning a punch to the arm from Ralph. “Ouch! Fine, no madness. Annoyance at least!”
“Can I get a say in this?” Mana spoke up.
“Well in the possibility that we are all somehow in the mind of a three foot tall unicorn pony …. I don’t see why not.” Ralph said.
“Well… it’s just that, if we are in my mind, then that means the spell worked, but not how I wanted it to, like usual. But that also means... would you really be voices in my head when I wake up? And how many of you are there? The spell said something about the casters mana determining quantity as well? What is this, or rather, these buildings?”
“Well, how about we all introduce you to the rest of the tribe before you ask anymore and we’ll try to answer your questions.” Nick replied. “I could use a drink for this one.”
“You’re seventeen for god's sake Nick.” Ralph replied.
“Doubt age matters much right now.”
“... Fine. But don’t expect any help when you’re hungover.”
