Reflections

Eventually the highway dissolved into two lanes. Ray paused to look at a familiar blue sign across the road. Rest stop. From the looks of it, there was a fast food place and a gas station up ahead.

He turned to say something to Frankie, finding the pegasus was already squinting at it with him.

“I can’t read that.” They mumbled. “What does it say?”

“Rest stop ahead. 3 miles. You really can’t read that?” Ray glanced at the pegasus, watching them turn their head like a dog trying to understand its owner. It was kind of cute.

“No. Dad always said I needed glasses.” Frankie finally gave up, frowning. Ray just shrugged and turned away. He added ‘find the kid glasses’ to his mental to-do list.

The two walked. In less than an hour, the road was divided into a bridge, off ramps, and another sign.

“Welcome to Chatshoof.” Ray read to himself. Frankie was already soaring across the bridge in excitement.

“Ray, look! There’s a Hayburgers sign!” They squealed. The colt sighed and galloped up behind them, but he couldn’t help and share the enthusiasm. Something hot and greasy sounded delicious right now.

When he finally got a look at the other side, however, his mind went blank.

Cars. There were cars, hundreds of cars, lined up as far as Ray could see. And they were all on one side of the road. He didn’t need the sight of glinting windshields in the afternoon sun to know these were ponies driving away from Chatshoof.

But they were all empty. Just sitting there, like the parking lot of a supermarket.

Frankie groaned from the other side of the bridge. “Why do you have to stare at stuff all the time? Come on, I’m starving!”

Ray ignored them, leaning up on the concrete railing to get a better look. It wasn’t entirely still and empty. One red minivan below them had its passenger side door swung open, where Ray could see something moving around the papers on the dashboard. Another pony.

The pegasus huffed and flew over, about to complain again, but Ray wrapped a hoof around their leg and pulled them down to earth. Frankie yelped, the sound echoing across the empty highway.

The pony shot up, looking up at the bridge. Ray smirked to himself, triumphant. Even though it was merely another pony, it was enough to prove the zombie apocalypse was merely an overactive pegasus’ imagination. Speaking of that pegasus…

“Can you stop fucking kicking me already?” Frankie stopped trying to buck Ray in the ribs, wrestling their hoof from his grip with an offended glare. “Look. Down there.” Ray pointed towards the minivan. They looked.

“I can’t see that far, dummy.” Frankie reminded him. Ray shoved his glasses into their hooves. “Oh. Thanks.”

They spent long enough messing around for the pony to leave the minivan. It was a mare. Her red mane was parted around a cream colored horn, her pink eyes darting around nervously until they landed on the earth pony and pegasus watching her.

Frankie waved.