The barricade was down. There’s no going back down. Twilight swallowed back her fear with her ears flattening to her head. She tried to quietly push the doors open, their hinges still squeaking loudly. As soon as she could squeeze her way through, she ran and hid. If those things were out there, it could hear her. She waited for what felt like an eternity. She stepped out of her hiding place.

A howl ripped through the air making the fur on Twilight’s neck stand on end. She cowered back into the bush she was hiding in. Along the side of the building, a large creature slowly stalked around. It was twice the size of a normal pony. The hide was dripping an inky black substance that sizzled and evaporated once it hit the ground. Large sharp teeth filled it’s mouth. There was a twinge of panic as Twilight realized that there was fresh blood on it’s fangs as it panted and sniffed the air. When it moved, the muscles and skin ripped and tore spattering even more of the inky fluid.

The eldritch abomination sniffed the castle door, using its large raptor-like claws to pry them open. The hinges cried in protest but they couldn’t resist the strength of the creature. The hinges gave way and the creature ripped the door to the ground. It clatter loudly. The creature entered the castle.

As soon as the creature was out of sight, Twilight took off running as fast as she could down the path into town. She didn’t stop. Jumping, over a broken wall, she hid on the other side. Catching her breath and listening for anything chasing her, the eerie silence made her ears quietly ring. Sweat dripped down the side of her face and she wiped it off, smearing dirt down her face. She sat and leaned against the wall.

While resting, Twilight decided that maybe she could test her magic again. It couldn’t be out forever. Could it? She shook her head to banish the thought. Focusing on a rock, she tried to levitate it. Her horn sparked and sputtered. A faint aura appeared around the rock. More sweat rolled down her forehead as she exerted herself. The rock twitched before Twilight had to stop and gasp for breath.

She wanted to stop and cry. Cry for everything she’s lost. Cry for everything that’s happened. Cry for everything that’s going to happen. Swallowing her grief, she stood up and took a deep breath. ‘There is no time for this,’ she told herself. ‘I have to get a grip on my emotions. I can’t afford to feel anything right now.’ Yet no matter what she said to calm herself, there was an ever present sense of dread sitting heavily at the bottom of her stomach.

Peeking over the wall, Twilight looked around. It didn’t look like there was anything moving aside from some dust blowing in the wind. Stepping out, she slunk down the road. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for anything. Animals, ponies, a monster. As far as she could tell, she was the only thing alive.

Twilight saw nothing until she finally got to Sugarcube Corner. The once brightly colored building has been dulled by dirt. The sign was hanging down, a large claw mark obscuring the name of the bakery. Her eyes snapped up to the roof. It was partially caved in on the left side. But on the right, Twilight thought she saw a large dark mass move past the window. She felt her heart skip a beat as fear crawled up through her throat. There was something in there.

She stood and stared at the window, thinking that maybe the shadow would come back. Straining her ears, she tried to listen for anything to confirm her theory of something being in there. It was still silent. Walking forward, she went to the broken door. The plans she had for the barricade where scrapped. All of them depended on there being a functioning door. It wasn’t safe to stay in the building.

The thoughts were cut short by a slow rumble in Twilight’s stomach. She had almost forgotten that she had come all this way for something to eat. Taking a deep breath, she entered the building. Her steps were light and slow as she tried to keep herself from making too much noise. The last thing she wanted was to announce her presence to whatever might be listening. She made her way to the display cases.

Shattered glass littered the floor, the source being the broken display cases. Anything that once resembled food had been either eaten or smeared on the destroyed pieces of furniture. Twilight bit her lip in a soft panic. If the creatures already ate everything in here, who’s to know if there was anything left to eat anywhere in the town. She walked into the kitchen.

Messy was an understatement. The monsters had obviously been in here. The room had been torn to shreds. Nothing inside was recognizable. Twilight’s heart dropped as she sifted through the wreckage. All she wanted was food. She soon felt anger bubble up from within but it quickly faded as she knew there was nothing she could do about it. Her ear twitched as she thought about checking upstairs. There was a creature upstairs and she didn’t have anything to defend herself with.

‘If there’s any food up there, that beast is going to need some luck if it wants to get between it and me,’ a thought flashed through Twilight’s head. She shook her head hard to banish the thought. When she opened her eyes after the shaking, she was already climbing the stairs up. Her ears flattened to her head as she ascended. Taking a peek around as soon as she could see, the room was empty. She thought about calling out for Pinkie or one of the Cakes, but fear kept her mouth glued shut.

The room upstairs seemed relatively untouched compared for the destruction on the lower level. Twilight searched the room, ever so slowly making the room as messy as the main floor. She soon found one small cupcake, hidden under the half crushed bed. Surely the work of her old friend. Twilight ate the cupcake, savoring the flavor on her tongue. She couldn’t help but shudder at the feeling of her stomach finally having something in it instead of just being completely empty. Not wanting to waste a single morsel, she ended up licking the crumbs off the floor.

Twilight froze. What was she doing? Licking the floor? She stopped and her head snapped up. Bringing her hoof up, she slapped herself a few times. It was the only way she could think to knock some sense back in her head. She just wanted the cupcake so badly. It was the only thing she’s eaten in so long. There was no telling how much longer she’d have to wait for the next piece of food to cross her path.

There was a small noise; Twilight just thought it was her. Freezing, she strained her ears, listening to the surroundings. A floor board creaked downstairs. Panicking, Twilight ran and hid under the bed. She tried to stay quiet but the floorboards protested at her sudden movement.

The sound of ragged breathing slowly ascended the staircase. A creature came up. It looked the same from the other one but the eyes held a different light to them. The last one just seemed full of anger, this one full of sadness. The creature moved to the window and longingly gazed out. The ooze was viscous as it dripped onto the floor. Neither Twilight nor the creature moved.

Maybe this was her chance to escape. Slowly crawling out from under the bed, Twilight slowly walked over to the stairs. It was all quiet except for the uneven breaths from the creature. But right as she got to the stairs, the floorboards creaked loudly. Twilight froze.

The creature turned, baring its teeth. A broken growl tore through its throat, spattering ooze. It took a few steps towards Twilight before it stopped. It just stood and stared. Its snarl slowly faded as it lowered its head to look Twilight in the eyes.

There was something familiar about the creatures bright baby blue eyes that Twilight couldn’t seem to place.

Author's Note

yea so i don’t think im ever gonna write anything like the cupcake scene ever again mmkay that was weird i don’t even know why its there it just fit