Chapter 1: Wandering in Desolation
Atop a ruined Town Hall sat Koli, an earth pony with a white coat and yellow mane and tail. His golden eyes, shining from the sun, looked down upon Ponyville. The light of the sky forced those with eyes to lay beholden horror on the landscape. The town was almost barely recognizable if it weren't for the notable Town Hall having any apparent structure. He sighed and drooped his eyes to his cutie mark, a computer chip. He covered it with his tail and gazed once more upon the destruction.
In deep thought, he had many questions. One moment he was in his living space, the next he came face to face with devastation on the outside world. He wasn't so lucky to be alive, he was able to hide where these creatures couldn't get to him. Like a coward, he hid away in his abode. This house was unlike traditional buildings, it was a small cube that morphed into a door that opened a portal to his own pocket dimension. He made the place his own and did study there.
The only issue with this sort of technology was that is was outlawed. Many forms of study were banned from progressing by the princesses. The bare minimum was permitted: hot air balloons, trains, and carriages for transport for example. Koli lived a nomadic lifestyle as a result, keeping his studies secret. Everything he had was stored and tucked away in his little world. It pained him to shy away from society, even more so to stand against royalty to change their minds on their ways.
When the calamity was undergoing, he pondered ways he could help. He couldn't chance going outside as the unspeakable excuses for ponies laid destruction on everything around them. He could only imagine the screams of the helpless. Every second he spent hiding he regretted, but odds were against him. He knew very little of the enemy. Magic only strengthened them and physical attempts to kill any only resulted in death.
Many struggled and many did not survive. These conclusions he could only draw from the scene observed around him; widespread annihilation. Even Canterlot Castle laid in waste, did the princess cower as well?
Koli snapped out of his thought, a few of the beasts were wandering about. Their only goal seemed to be ensuring that there are no survivors. He hopped from the ledge he sat on and headed inside to whatever was left of Town Hall. He had two choices, cower again or find answers. With much of the land gone, he thought he hadn't anything to lose but his life.
"There could be somepony...anypony out there..." He muttered to himself.
It had only been a few days since the supposed "outbreak". In those few days, life for Equestria changed forever. Those fighting for their lives questioned if they were zombies or something entirely different. No matter the questions, they had no time to find the answers. The "infection" didn't appear to spread to any healthy living creature. These beings of horror looked sickly and halfway decomposed as if they were zombie in appearance. Since this supposed infection didn't spread like one, it wasn't safe to assume it was one. It was more likely that they were invaders. Either possibility was equally terrifying.
"There has to be..." He kept speaking to himself. It was only natural, he hadn't had much friends to begin with.
The horrors weren't aimlessly wandering either, they were searching and destroying. Once they concluded that no survivors were left, they moved on. Seeing this as a chance to get mobile, Koli took the opportunity. Leaving Town Hall, his next place of interest was Canterlot. Perhaps he could find more answers there. He dug out his cube from his mane. The device also acted as a pocket, allowing him to take items from his dimension. He dug out some rollerblades and equipped them to his hooves. The blades had mini jet boosters on the back to help acceleration in addition with some stabilizers. Smaller jets on the sides and the top helped with sudden evasive maneuvering. The hoofwear was also adorned with air brakes and front boosters to aid with breaking. With these pieces of transport, He took off toward Canterlot.
Now, how could an earth pony acquire such advanced technology? Obviously it was because of his special talent. He had to keep himself hidden away. Just the cutie mark alone was enough for him to be shunned. It was enough for him to be imprisoned right then and there, luckily his parents kept him away from the public when he got his cutie mark. That effort didn't last so long, royal guards commanded him to not pursue his talent. It was odd...in a place where everypony was encouraged to be themselves, a country hanging on the concept and the magic of friendship...he was told otherwise.
Memories of the times before calamity struck filled his mind. Now he really could try and make a difference. Post haste he made way. Not many of the beasts roamed the landscape, those that noticed him locked their sights and pursued. The speed of his small jet blades out maneuvered the creatures despite their swiftness. He couldn't risk anything dumb, his only task was to avoid them, get to Canterlot safely.
It was the first real good look he got at the abominations up close, and man they were vulgar even in their looks. All this time he wondered where the princesses were. Gone? Killed? Fled? He pondered many possibilities, but soon enough he would have some sort of explanation. Within the hour, he approached the city's entrance on the mountainside. Filling his sight were empty sets of guard armor lain about. Carcasses present seemed like they weren't in one piece. There were severed heads and limbs, starting their decay. Blood stained the dirt and the streets. Appendages of the once living were splattered on the walls of toppled buildings.
Koli gagged at the putrid stench of decomposition. Pushing through, he headed toward the castle. Many beasts, seeming fine with the completion of their destruction, departed. With the few leftover, got to pick at the leftovers. Once he reached the castle gates, he took off his jet blades and stored them back in his cube. The doors were left wide open. He rushed inside and pushed the gates closed. The castle was the only building with the most structure left intact in the city. Feeling safe, he began his search throughout the castle.
The throne room he found himself in didn't yield much but more corpses and stained drapes on the color-stained windows. Whatever happened here...there was obviously a struggle if there was any. A definitive massacre took place, there was many pony corpses but no corpses of those monstrosities. Were they really that powerful? He moved on with a sigh. With these horrid sights almost everywhere he went, he started to lose hope that anypony was able to survive let alone escape like he did. He couldn't risk calling out for any potential survivors despite feeling safe in the castle. Anything was possible that those disgraces were still lurking around within the fortified walls.
He went on down a hallway. On his search, he couldn't help but hang on to the times before destruction took place. He didn't live much of a social life as he had to shy away from others. He couldn't showcase anything he had been working on within his own little home. At times he would disappear from the face of Equis just to be confined to his solitude. Speaking of Equis....the sun was setting....SETTING! He examined the windows and noticed the light was dimmer than before his trip to Canterlot! That means the princesses must still be alive somewhere! With this observation, it heightened his hopes and quickened his search. If they were still in the castle, where could they be? He started to search every room in the hallway he was in. Just nothing but bodies and overthrown furniture.
The sun and moon was still revolving around the planet, the princesses HAVE to be alive! His mind screamed with these thoughts. As mush as he didn't want to be around the princesses, they were his only hope of finding anypony alive. His search lasted for hours as he explored every nook and cranny he could of the place. Luckily not encountering any of those creatures, he concluded he was completely safe; however, shouting out could still draw attention to any of them outside. Their senses seemed almost extraordinary. Their strength and speed were unmatched. Luckily the bastards couldn't fly, if they could, they'd for sure be faster than Rainbow Dash herself.
The last remaining places to check were the princesses' bedrooms. He galloped there with haste. Panting from exhaustion, he didn't want to waste any time in his search. He got to the doors of Luna's living quarters, swung them wide open, and......nothing. Well, almost nothing. The room was a tad messy as if...she was in a hurry. He noted that on the floor were burnt marks in the shape of a circle. He bent down to inspect the marks more closely.
"This couldn't have been magic...at least any magic I know of," He spoke his thoughts to himself.
"These almost look like burn marks. Did the creatures manage to get into her room? Did she attempt to burn them? This is strange...all throughout the castle, there aren't any conspicuous signs of anypony or anything breaking in. Stranger yet, this place doesn't have wood anywhere...how can you leave char marks on marble?"
He leaned in further to sniff, "Nope...nothing smells burnt either. If this was the work of magic, it might've been a powerful teleportation spell."
He exited Luna's room and headed to Celestia's. Expecting a similar scene, he casually opened the door. Sure enough, it was similar. Char marks in a circle, books about and the bed sheets unmade. He inspected the room for any signs they left behind in their sudden flee. He hadn't found anything relevant. With a defeated sigh, he left the room. He began to think about his next steps of action.
"I could stay put here until I die. I can grow my own food and satisfy my other needs. I don't have any leads to where they could've gone to. This castle is really the only safe place around."
He shook his head, "No...if anypony else is alive in this mess, I have to help them!" He slipped on his jet blades and sped off from the castle. Where else could he go? Ponyville and Canterlot were both devoid of life besides those freaks. He could try the cities on the east side of Equestria. Yeah that was a good idea, the population was more dense in those areas before the disaster. It would be another long trip, almost three times the distance. He figured he could make it there in a couple hours if he hurried. Every second matters in a time like this.
Acting immediately on those thoughts, he changed direction and headed due east as the sun sat. The moon rise came a half hour later and it was subtle and slow, natural even. Koli yawned but pushed forth, lives were on the line...if any. His unkempt mane flown in the bursting wind, continuing to avoid any of the beasts. The blades did most of the physical work, he just had to maneuver. The real challenge now was staying up late at night if he had to. About a third of the way there, his eyes began to grow a little heavy. He shook his head to keep himself awake, he had to stay awake. If he got too tired he could settle in the night in his pocket dimension. He was conflicted; if he did that, somepony might not be alive the next day. These thoughts drove him on, he had to help! Just a couple hours!
The minutes ticked...his eyes grew heavier. Until long he wouldn't be able to rely on himself evading the beasts. He could easily slip up and get himself killed. He was convinced. He had to settle in; any further and he'll be pony soup. He sighed and stopped, taking off the blades. He got his cube ready, placing it on the floor. It's shape morphed and grew to resemble a door which opened up for him. He lapped his lips, ready for a meal and a good night's sleep.
He took one step into the doorway, but something caught his eye. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, shifting his gaze. It was a glowing rock. It was the size to be held. Normally, glowing things weren't too off putting. In this situation though, he could take any sign of hope he could get his hooves on. He looked around him to ensure a beast was nowhere near him and the stone. Going to pick it up, he made some more observations. It enticingly pulsated with white light, magic perhaps. As he approached, whispers could be heard emanating from the rock.
"What is this?" He curiously held it and turned it around, wanting to look at anything peculiar. The whispers stopped.
"Some sort of...whispering stone? Hm..." He headed back to his dimension, keeping the rock.
When he entered, the cube shrunk down to a minuscule size to prevent being tampered with. The beasts had clear interests in living beings anyway. He took a deep breath, placing the rock on a nearby end table. His abode was a modest house at first glance. Decent sized living room with a decent sized kitchen and decent sized study room. In his bedroom, there was a closet that lead to his actual laboratory. It was high end technology, he developed many projects in secrecy and solitude. He continually hoped that the princesses would lift the ban on science. It wasn't just transportation they banned study on, it was many forms of science. Thanks to the ban, many ponies met their demise.
After he made some dinner, he sat down and quietly ate. In deep thought, he pondered what he would do once he arrived the next day. Whether or not he encountered any survivors, he just had to keep looking.
"How did my life come to this...? Why must I be under some sort of curse? In a place where we're embraced to be ourselves, when I do it, I'm just shunned away. My talent is outlawed and my pursuits made a laughing stock!" He banged on the table, exhaling heavily. Mixed feelings and memories flooded his mind and heart. He wanted to help anypony, he was sure they would be glad to see him this time around. They would accept his helping hoof instead of shoo him away like a criminal.
"The princesses could've been more help than me...or maybe Twilight, they let her be all...sciency and stuff. I just don't understand! She had contraptions and things that measured things. She was a smartypants! Apparently I belong in the dungeons. So much double standard. She must've still not violated any law though, maybe she did whatever they allowed her to. My knowledge and technology reaches far beyond simple measurement machines and mathematics."
In the midst of his rambling, the whispering stone began to glow again. Stopped by this, he went over to observe it.
"Play recording?" The stone spoke!
"AH!" He stepped away. "R-recording? What?" He approached, now even more curious than before. "Hearing the words of somepony else right now would be fantastic..." He pulled up a chair and sat, "Play!"
"Playing." What followed was some static at first. Koli sat there was a little confused. When he heard a voice, he sighed in relief. A stallion's voice came through. It was a little softspoken and shy, even perhaps unsure of himself.
H-hello? I swear to Celestia I hope this thing is working. It better be! In whatever case, I have to make this quick. They're approaching our position and fast! We've left these stones in whichever places we could. I know this seems hopeless, like I'm talking to nopony. There has to be somepony left alive like us! If you are listening to this and want to look for us, Manehattan is our current destination. I wish I had more time to explain but they're coming! The recording cut short after dreadful noises of the approaching beasts took over the audio.
Koli blinked, wide eyed at what his ears just witnessed. This gave him a burst of hope; however, doubt quickly arose. How long ago was this recorded? Couldn't have been more than a few days, but a lot has happened in those few days. Is this group still alive? Only one way to find out.
He placed the rock on a shelf and settled in for the night on his bed. In the morning, he had his breakfast. The rock continued to glow its enticing color. He finally had a lead on somepony that could actually be alive. With this newfound hope, he rushed outside of his cube home that went back into his mane and went toward Manehattan. On the way there, he kept an eye out for more of those glowing rocks.
"They're barely even whispering stones when these zombie like things scream into the damn thing," he joked. Giggling at his own joke, it was cut short when he saw Manehattan in the distance. It, like most of all other places in Equestria, was a huge crumbling disaster. All of the skyscrapers had windows busted out. Most smaller buildings were ripped apart from their foundations. This was just a horizon's view of the once bustling city. With a short swallow of fear, Koli pressed onward.
Those wretched beings could be anywhere. They haven't been around long enough to be given a proper name. Those alive just called them zombies despite their supernatural characteristics. As he got closer and closer to the city limits, ambient metal creaking and glass breaking flown through the wind. He had to be extremely cautious, any noises meant the presence of those...things.
"Hm..." Koli pondered. "Malum seem fitting for these creatures. Simple Latin translation to mean 'evil' or Mala for 'evils', that's basically what these things are. Just horridly evil in all their mindless mindful ways. A berserker with a set goal: kill." With that, he would then on refer to these creatures as The Mala.
There was only one problem; the pony in the recording couldn't have been specific about where they would be in Manehattan. A regular pony had two options: call for them or search the entire city. He couldn't risk both, he needed another way. For one, shouting will draw unwanted attention, the other option will lead to wasted time. He had the technology, he could invent something instead.
"Some kind of life form detector," he concluded. "I may be an earth pony, but I know from studying magic that each living pony has some kind of signature radiating from us. I can make something that detects that signature." He weighed his options as he talked aloud. "Idiot be quiet! They might hear you!" He said to himself, quickly shaking his head in embarrassment. He may be smart, but sometimes he was rather rusty to wisdom. He decided doing some improvisation and headed into his cube home. The day was still young and hopefully these potential survivors could last another day.
With the day passing by, he tinkered away with bits and pieces of wire and tech that could pick up magic signatures of living equines. With an output screen, processor, and the detector itself bearing an enchantment to react to residual magic, he soldered it all together; he even programmed the cpu. Eventually being successful, he headed back outside. The cube automatically went with him wherever he went, tucked away in his mane. It was his little living space, his own world. Any advanced tech was easily possible with a little magic and enchanting. The moon was rising above the horizon. Koli facehoofed, "Ugh, I really need to learn to keep track of time. Oh well, this gives me an easier way to see any more of those glowing rocks." He carefully tread along the streets, finally entering the city limits. Already he saw a white glow from a nearby corner store, he made way with haste. No grunts or growls were heard in the immediate proximity, eliminating the presence of The Mala. The typical Malum was aggressive and very noisy. It thirsted for blood and death until its victim's body was almost nonexistent.
Koli went to retrieve the rock. Retreating to a small closet ensured the noise from the stone was kept to a minimum. He held the stone close to his ear and the recording started to play automatically. The same voice from before was talking, seeming more calm this time around.
Phew...okay. You guys okay? Good. Mystic I swear these things better work because I'm not listening to our entire life stories just to make sure. This is a one and done deal for each and every one of us, got it? Good. Now then, listener, we have found adequate shelter for the time being. I can elaborate in the purpose of these stones. We aim to provide messages of hope. In accomplishing this, we are telling our stories before the catastrophe struck. Reminiscing in the good times helps us to remember what we survive for. I hope it will do the same for you. As well as aiding you, listener, in maintaining hope, I hope that you find us. Our location will change soon as this place cannot serve as shelter for long. These zombies are pretty fast on their hooves. We've seen many slaughtered and we're just running like the rest. We tried to fight. Blasting them with magic only just...beefs them up.
So with no choice, we just have to run. Run faaar far away! While we gather our energy and rest our heads, I hope that the stories of who we are bring any comfort to you. I haven't known any of these ponies that surround me for long. The stories from them will be new to me as they will be new to you. They have helped me survive this sudden wave of onslaught and I want to do my part and help anypony else. If you can't sit back and relax like we can, we understand. Listen to this while you run, while you hide...while you survive.
These are our stories, I hope that if you find us, you'll also have one to share...