Tales from the Everfree RestStop

Okay so it's been about like an hour since my last post we've haven't had any customers yet, and if the RestStop weren't an active crime scene I might have asked one of the others here to mop up that large pool of blood into the little pothole in the floor near to cooler. For those of you who are out of the loop, you may want to catch up by reading the previous chapters.

I don't know what CrackShot's personal grooming routine looks like, I have to assume that he spends at least 20 minutes a day in mustache prep, but even factoring that in he should have been able to make it to the RestStop by now. I called him in a few minutes ago to make sure that he hadn't gone back to bed, and to make sure that I hadn't imagined that phone call in the first place. The Conversation went something like this.

"Yeah?"

"Hey CrackShot, you on your way?"

"Yeah sit tight, we had a little emergency."

"Okay."

"Yeah to road between town and you is blocked off."

"Okay, which one?"

"Both of them, even the hiking trails. Musta been one of these freak storms that happen out in there, never seen anything like it."

"Well can't you just drive here?"

"No I can't, all the roads are covered in trees."

"Well you're an EarthPony can't you just move them out of the way."

"No I can't, the trees can't be moved, their still in the ground."

"But you said they where covering the road."

"They are but they aren't, you know, fallen."

"What are you saying."

"I'm saying the trees are growing out of the middle of the road, both here and on the Ponyville side, that's what the little emergency was. The Apple family was just getting back into town when these trees started growing out of the ground, nearly flipped their wagon over, they're all okay just a little shaken up. As for me I've been trying to find a way through all morning, I'm about to head through on foot, just to be clear you said you heard from Cloud Slasher last night, has he made any other contact?"

"Actually the phone call was from this Griffon called RazorBeak, Slasher's here though, he came in, some stuff happened, and now he's dead. RazorBeak's here to, he's the one who killed him."

"WHAT? You're telling me there's a dead body, and the Griffon who made that body dead at the RestStop."

"Yeah, I already told you this on the phone earlier. Where you not listening?"

I really missed Blue.

"I'm sorry." He answered. "When the phone rang earlier I had just woken up from this beautiful weird dream of a dark god calling me into his eternal grace, taking me by the hand and guiding me into a blessed oblivion, freeing me from all the pain and suffering of this mortal prison, nurturing me like a child, and inviting the world into a realm of higher existence, allowing me the privilege to devote myself to his glorious servitude."

"...Okay... I, I guess I'll see you when you get here."

I ended the call and checked the charge on my phone. The battery was sitting close to 50%.

"So what's the deal Lucille?" Asked RazorBeak.

"CrackShot is on his way here on foot, but we might have another problem."

"You mean besides the one eyed Manticore and the Raccoon posse scratching at the door."

"Holy shit, you guys see that." BugSpray asked pointing out the window.

I couldn't quite make it out from where I was seated behind the counter, and I didn't feel like hobbling over a corpse just for a look, so I just asked. "What is it?"

"There's a bunch of Ponies out on the road, their all walking this way." BugSpray answered.

"What you say?" Asked Smoker, who had suddenly taken interest. He pressed his face against the window for a better look. "Those aren't just Ponies, I know them, They're from the Mathmatist community. That's Wormwood, and Fossil, and there goes North. At least those are the names I gave them."

"They friends of yours?" RazorBeak said closing the frozen drink machine.

"Family actually, well they were anyway, before they disappeared, but I don't remember them looking like that."

"Like what?" I asked now intrigued enough to move past Slasher's body, while at the same time getting an uneasy feeling in my gut.

Smoker took a second to find the words, but all he came up with was, "They look funny."

They continued walking closer to the RestStop, close enough by now that I could see them, at least a dozen ponies. The closer they got the more details I could make out, and the more I wish I couldn't. Their eyes were milky and pale, maggots were crawling out of infested crevices all over their bodies, their fur dirty and covered in lesions and bruises. Smoker was certainly not wrong, they looked, funny but at the same time scary. I'm sure you know the stereotypical Zombie walk, the shuffle of an undead body unpaired motor skills, the scariest part of these ponies weren't walking like that, they where walking 100% perfectly normal. Just a bunch of decaying Ponies out for a stroll. There was a loud crash that suddenly snapped us out of our, probably rude, staring. We all turned to see that RazorBeak had pulled the frozen drink machine to the floor, and was attempting to fly it over toward the front door. The stinky syrup concoction spilled out all over the ground, mixing with the congealed blood, and coating the floor in a warm red, brown, and purple viscous soup. There's no way we won't have an insect problem after this.

Smoker and BugSpray didn't have to ask what was going on. They seemed to instantly know the plan and began yanking down whatever they could. Before anything got to the door I took everything in my magic before opening the door letting Scar along with Rocco's little Clan inside, before closing the door and piling the levitating objects against the glass door.

"You boys think stay alive long enough for us to survive?" RazorBeak asked.

"We've got almost 20 years of experience staying alive between the three of us." BugSpray said in a joking manner. "Don't forget I was with Queen Chrysalis's army back when she first tried to take over Canterlot."

"You mean during the Royal Wedding?" Smoker asked.

"No there was this other invasion plan 12 years before that, it was more of an all out siege than an invasion. We all tried attacking one part of the shield around the city, most of us were warn out by the time the shield went down, and it was only because the one casting the spell ran out of energy, most of us in the vanguard where captured and the others escaped."

RazorBeak looked to me and asked. "You got any weapons in this place?"

"Not unless you count the wild animals currently in the corner, plus the shovel that was used to knock you out, and some really hard jerky, but your welcome to whatever you can find." I answered. That's when he stared Macgyvering some spears out of chair legs and some broken glass. That all was about 25 minutes ago.

About 10 minutes ago the RestStop lost power. Our only light source being the faint illumination coming from Light's cocoon, which I am keeping in my lap after one of the Raccoons tried to get at it. I would use my horn but I'm currently using it to power the Wi-Fi so I can write this. It's been pretty quite here, aside from the wet guttural whispering coming from those "ponies" outside. RazorBeak's still searching for weapons while BugSpray finds thing to push against the door and windows, and assuming he hasn't fallen asleep Smoker has taken the back door. I was feeling pretty useless after RazorBeak confiscated my crutches so I figured I had to take this opportunity to type out and post the account of what happened, just incase CrackShot gets here too late or, Celestia forbid, doesn't get here.

In the spirit of preparedness I should say a few things to whoever reads this post. Or is it Whomever? I can never get that right.

First to the Boss. I'm sorry about the mess.

Second to an old Marefriend from HighSchool. I'm sorry we didn't run into each other one last time.

Third to the Princesses. I am truly honored that I got to meet you, and hopefully become friends during these past few years, I'm especially grateful to Princess Luna for trying her hardest to help me when we first met.

Forth to my followers. I'm sorry I won't be able to share more of my bizarre stories with all of you.

Fifth to Lucky. I'm sorry I never found out who you actually were, I think we could have been friends.

And Finally to whoever keeps dumping tar into the RestStop dumpster. I hate you, do you have any idea how hard it is to clean that stuff off or how disgusting it is to have to clean it in the first place? If your going to dump tar then go to the actual dump, it would be quicker and easier to do that than to drag it out into the middle of the Everfree just to put it in a dumpster that's not even yours. Where are you even getting Tar?

Anyway I guess the only other thing I have to say is that It's been a weird, crazy ride.

This is Bright Eyes from the RestStop. Signing off one last time.