Blissful Daysby AlphaDidAlotOfThingsChaptersChapter 1, A New Life. (Blake)Chapter 2, A New Life. (Part 2, Blake)Chapter 3, A New Life. (Part 3, Blake)Chapter 4, Family. (Bliss)Chapter 5, Family. (Part 2, Elin)Chapter 6, Day 95 - Mission Failed(?)Chapter 7, Family. (Part 3, Ivy & Aegis)Mini-Prologue, Premonition.Chapter 1, A New Life. (Blake)It's been four months since everything happened, four months since Blake lost his friends, and four months since his new life began. Is what Blake would've said like some dramatic narrator if he actually cared about such things. Blake was a simple man, he used logic and logic only. There's no point in dwelling over things like that, the past is in the past and there's nothing you can do about it, right..? He was by far the most sensible, the most normal, and most logical person here. Aside from Joseph of course. Was he really that though? Who knows, but that's how he saw and thought of himself. Was it arrogant? Probably, yes. But did he care? No. Blake stared down at the clipboard in his hooves as he sat down on the edge of the RVs entrance. Even before the event Blake always had a knack of sorts for organization and planning. It might not have been his one true calling or his "destiny" as someone like Bliss would say but he made do with it. And look who finally decided to show up… Blake turned his attention to the truck that just pulled over, and out it came Adrian and Blake, just like he expected. Now, to just mark that one off…. Done… Took them long enough. Well he definitely seems tired. How couldn't he be? Especially all that heavy lifting Bliss Flower and Alex wanted done for… Whatever reason. Blake didn't know, nor did he care. It's not his business so it didn't matter. He still could've helped them out though. Blake tossed Adrian a water as he went ahead and sat down next to him. "Here." "Thanks." Adrian quietly replied. Blake and Adrian weren't really friends persay. I mean, they were. Kinda at least… Blake really wasn't clear with who he considered friends. So… "I can see someone's got the hots for Sky, huh?" People were already easy to read for Blake, ponies even more so. Seriously, it's pretty hard to hide certain emotions when your ears shrivel up at the slightest thing. The way Adrian immediately propped up probably didn't help much either, he even almost spat out his water. "W-Wha! No I don't!" Preposterous! Him having a thing for Sky, absolutely unbelievable! That was a very, very funny joke… The way Blake just kept staring bullets at him though… Geez… Could he try to at least have a little fun every once and a while? "Okay maybe I do, just a little though…." Really though, Adrian never understood Blake at all. He was just so weird. Like what was the point in prodding into his business like this? Seriously… "I mean, she is kinda cute." Meanwhile Blake was just interested in how he felt about her, and Adrian in general. For his own personal "reasons." Cute? Yes. Right age? Yup. There was just one problem… "She's just weird though." Blake just looked at Adrian blankly, perplexed as ever. Sky, weird? Well uh… "Really…?" "Yeah, have you seen her?" Wearing no clothes 24/7, the way she talks, the way she acts. All pretty weird if you ask anybody here. But I guess when you hang around someone like Bliss for a couple months you kinda get used to it. Well, if Sky's off the table then how about… Blake turned his attention to a certain black and purple mare in the distance, looked like she was messing or playing with Alex, it was hard to tell. "What about Bliss?" That was most likely a stupid question but again Blake was just curious about Adrian. Wait, wait, wait. Bliss…? Well… It wasn't like Adrian didn't like her, she was just. Let's just say he was "indifferent" to her. That's the easiest way to put it. Besides, "Isn't she underage?" "No, I don't think so." Last time Blake checked she was an adult, though it probably didn't help that she wouldn't tell him her exact age. "It's a secret" in her words. Add that with the way she acted, and yeah… Oh God, he could hear now. "I'm an adult, an adult I tell you!" Is probably what she'd say. Or something similar to that at least. But, look who decided to join them. Speak of the devil… The same exact mare they were talking about not too long ago. Cloudy damned Skies. "Hey, Adrian, Blake!" Sky waved happily at them with a smile. Looks like her mood didn't change. What a stupid thing to think, of course it didn't. "Whatcha doing?" Adrian was going to speak up but Blake pointlessly interjected, for whatever reason. "Absolutely Nothing." "Okay then…" Sky didn't really seem to notice Blake's "odd" behavior other than the slight curious head tilt, so that was "good" for him at least. "Well, it's almost dinner time. You gonna come?" Oh, right… Dinner…. Blake and Adrian glanced at the sky, it was an easy way to tell the time if you didn't have a watch. Looked like the sun was gonna set soon. "Yeah, we'll be there in a bit." Adrian replied. The two watched as Cloudy Skies walked off with a slight nod and a bright smile. Giving them a brief moment of silence with each other. But that was of course broken by what Blake said next. "If you like her so much, why don't you just stay?" Wait, let him guess. "It's because of another one of your dumb rules, isn't it?" Adrian looked down for a moment and went silent. With the only thing he said before that being a silent "Yeah…" Blake knew that face. That was the "he was right" face. Seriously… Blake never understood people like that, people who pointlessly tie themselves down, people like this. He was one to talk though, but still. If you want something done, you do it. No matter what it is. Whatever… He wasn't his therapist. Plus, he had things to do, like planning for that trip in a couple days. Blake got up without the two even saying a word to each other. But before he did he looked at Adrian's folded wing for a moment. Looked like that had been bothering him for a while. Then looked at his own. There were cuts on them, cuts that weren't there before. It would be best not to tell anyone about those… Author's Note We're gonna switching perspectives alot so I can focus on characters other than Bliss. This won't be in parts like Founders Of Alexandria, but arcs. This is the start of the first arc, the Golden Snake arc. How many arcs will there be? Who knows... Probably not alot though. Chapter 2, A New Life. (Part 2, Blake)Blake turned his attention back to the clipboard in his wings. He might not have hands anymore but wings worked as a good substitute. Now, let's see… Who'll be going on that trip? Bliss and Alex will obviously be going, for obvious reasons. So he could just cross them out. Hmm… How about Johnathan? He might just be a unicorn but he had the strength of an earth pony for heaven's sake. There's a reason why Joseph always calls him an "oaf." Speaking of, how about Joseph? He's smart, good with computers, he's just good for this kinda stuff in general really. So Joseph… Next, Moriah. There's no specific reason why Blake chose her really. She worked well with Joseph, so why not? And finally, Madeline. She's strong, even if that damned earth pony magic was helping her out a bit. If anything happened she could protect the others with ease. "There we go…" Now that just leaves himself, Cloudy Skies, Adrian, and Oliver. Hmm… He would be better off staying here, but they could all come if they wanted to. He couldn't force them to stay home. All this really was a "suggestion" list of sorts for Alex and Bliss. Nothing more, nothing less. Well that's out of the way now. Still, Blake felt like he was forgetting something… Oh, right. Dinner… Can't miss that… Thankfully, the pavilion was just a quick gallop away. Ugh… He still couldn't get used to running like that… He didn't seem to be all that late since Adrian and Sky got here before him. Blake handed Bliss his clipboard with a slight "Thank you." from her and sat down. There was a decent amount of space for a couple of ponies here, but Blake made sure to find an empty seat far far away from everyone else. Not because he wasn't good with people or anything. But because he just didn't want to. No deep reason, plain and simple. He didn't care about interacting with any of these "idiots." Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but still…. Nor did he care about Blisses excitement over the most menial things in existence. Seriously, what were they doing?! "So mhm good…!" Bliss said with her mouth full of something… Did she never learn proper table manners or something? Good thing the most mature person ever was here to teach her a lesson "Now, now, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full like that." Except Johnathan was by far the least immature person in both Alexandria and Mimiris, right next to Bliss. Ok but, bacon! Bliss had no idea what Oliver and Alyssa did, or whatever the hell was in those cookbooks but this was good! Probably the best burger she had in a while, oh how she missed this taste… And most of all, bacon!!! Or, whatever it was supposed to be… Hay Strips? Eh, who cares. But of course Joseph just HAD to say something, big dumb dumb he is! "What are you, her mother?" Johnathan just repaid Joseph's half-assed attempt to get a rise out of him in a similar fashion. "Maybe I am." Gotta look out for the "kid" after all. Alex intervened with a quick Ahem. "Will you two ever cut it out?" That got them to be quiet. But geez, could they just not for a moment? They were BOTH getting really annoying now. And here comes the other weirdo. Oliver, the weirdest person here second to only Johnathan, that's how Blake thought about him at least. And no, Bliss and Sky don't count, they're on their own tier. "You better enjoy it while it lasts then, I only made enough for everyone here, so no seconds." Did he say that to try to tease Bliss, or was he just letting her know? Who knows… But really, you try making food for eleven ponies, it's not exactly easy. Especially when you don't have a lot of help. Bliss took that as well as you'd expect her to and looked at Oliver with puppy dog eyes, like she was on the verge of crying. She obviously wasn't. "What?! That's not fair…." But she wanted moreeeee…. Thankfully, she had the second best cook in the world (right next to Sky and Oliver himself) to save her! Alyssa! She slightly laughed at the whole thing. "Don't listen to him, I can always make more if you want." Yay…. "Thank you, you're my hero…." Instead of tears of sadness, Bliss was now crying tears of joy as she clung onto Alyssa. But anyways… "So, how's the water coming along?" Alex asked. Johnathan tipped his cap slightly up… Oh god…. Here we go again… And dramatically stood up, complete with flourish like there was some kind of invisible spotlight on him. "Excellent, I dare say. In fact, I'll have it done in no time!" He spoke like he was making a national declaration of some kind. Much to everyone's very visible dismay. But, it was indeed the truth! Johnathan was a jack of all trades, master of all (none)! If there was anything they ever needed done, he could do it without a problem! And oh, how nice it was for such a lovely mare to take notice of him once more! "You really like doing that, don't you?" Moriah might've been one of the most beautiful mares here, but there she was nothing compared to Madeline. Who was just laughing at Jonathan's goofy behavior. "Well, I think it's 'endearing.'" Wow, what a dork… Right next to Joseph. "Heard back from any survivors yet-?" Blah blah blah. Moriah asked, he thought. Blake stopped listening and caring after that. Of course they wouldn't hear back from anyone yet. They probably weren't the only ones out there anymore. But, most ponies definitely didn't have a network or signal as good as theirs. Even if they did they definitely didn't have as many people as them, nor were they as "skilled" as them either. If that's the right word to use… But (un)luckily for Blake, Alyssa took notice of his "odd" behavior and decided to try and keep him company. Maybe she felt just as "out of place" and "left out" as him, who knows? "Hey…." Blake just looked at her with the same apathetic look he always had. "What do you want?" Well, that's definitely a way to start a conversation. Geez… She was just trying to be nice. "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all." "Mhm." Spare him the pity, especially to someone like him. Blake ignored Alyssa whenever she tried to strike up a conversation and finished off the rest of his food so he could get out of here. Hm. Not bad, maybe he'd tell Oliver that later… That would've been the end of that, but on his way out Blake got stopped by the same mare as before. Alyssa… "Wait, Blake!" What did she want-? No, he knew that face. That was the "what the hell was wrong with you" face. Stop, stop it… Stop looking at me like that… He didn't want to be seen like this, especially not around her. "Are you okay…?" A simple question anybody should be able to answer. But all it did was make things worse. Stop it, JUST STOP IT! To make things even worse Alyssa took notice of "something" and tried to reach towards Blake's wings… "Don't touch me!" Both of them jolted back and stared at each other, as if to process what happened for a moment. Alyssa's face was one of concern, but to Blake that was the worst way someone could look at him. But if he didn't want her worrying about him, then fine… She just wanted to see what those wounds were, that's all. "Are you okay…?" Alyssa may have sounded like a broken record. But it wouldn't hurt to ask again, right? Just one last time… As if directly mimicking a certain someone's actions before, Blake looked down and went silent for a moment. But instead of a smile, he looked at Alyssa with the same old apathetic face. "I'm fine." Why…? Why, now…? He needed to… He had to… He knew what he had to do. Chapter 3, A New Life. (Part 3, Blake)Author's Note Just a warning, this chapter contains implied/directly referenced self harm so if you don't like that stuff then yeah... Don't read or just gloss over it I guess! Chapter 3, A New Life. (Part 3, Blake) C'mon Blake, you've done this before. It's not that hard… Just get it done and over with… Blake traced the edge of his wings with the scissors blades… Pegasi, to put it bluntly, were rather frail and weak physically, their wings even more so. It probably didn't help that Blake was already both of those things, even before the event. The scissor blades drew closer and closer, and…Snip- He couldn't do it. The simple thought of his precious feathers getting cut off like that scared him. But why? He's done this before… This was the only way he could- No, they wouldn't want this. He didn't want this either. Heh… He shouldn't even be alive right now, but still he had a burning desire inside of him, a burning desire to live, no matter what. He was conflicted. He wanted to live, but at the same time he wanted to die more than nothing. Now wasn't he just pathetic…? Craven liar he is. He needed some time to think about this. Maybe a quick walk would help. Blake put the scissors down and carefully tiptoed(hoofed?) out of the rv that served as their temporary home, didn't want to wake Adrian up after all. Y'know, the more Blake thought about it the more embarrassing it was to be living with Adrian of all people. It was only temporary but maybe he'd ask Bliss or Alex if he could move later. For now he just had to get out of here. Where was he going? He didn't know. Just somewhere, anywhere… This was the perfect time, it's late and nobody was up. That's what Blake thought at least. He walked for a bit until he came across a spot that was relatively out in the open with a tree for some nice shade. Perfect… Now he could- But before he could relax for even a bit Blake jumped up at what he saw with a certain "youknowwho" doing the same. Alyssa… The same damn mare, again. Did the world have something against him or something? "What are you doing here?" God, he almost gave her a heart attack. Meanwhile Blake's thoughts were less than pleasant, as always. "I should be asking you the same thing." Really, he should. He thought everyone was asleep at this time, why the heck was she up? "O-Oh Yeah… Well, sometimes I just like to come here to get some time to myself." Pretty much the same reason Blake had, they both wanted to just get some peace and quiet for once. Hm. Maybe they had more in common than he thought. Nah… He doubted it. Alyssa watched as Blake reluctantly sat down right next to her. She wasn't gonna ask him about what the heck that was back at dinner. If there was something going on with him that she didn't know about, then it wasn't her business, that's all. Besides she didn't want to scare him off, she needed someone to talk to. Especially with how distant Em- Bliss was acting lately. "So…." Well, this was awkward. She didn't know what to talk about and Blake definitely wasn't the one to strike up a conversation. That's it! How about… "Stars are beautiful aren't they?" Blake just looked at Alyssa blankly. What kind of "conversation topic" was that supposed to be? "You like stars? That's surprising…" He thought she only liked music and that guitar of hers, or whatever she did in her free time. Alyssa didn't take that well… What the heck was that supposed to mean? He didn't really think that she- "I like more than rock music, okay!?" She was trying to hide her obvious flusteredness. Blake was rather unamused by the whole thing. Well, uh-! She'd show him! Uh- Um- Like, "Look." Alyssa pointed a hoof up the starry night sky, trying to direct Blake's attention to a constellation. But honestly, she did kinda like stars. What's not to like about them? They're pretty, radiant, beautiful… "Centaurus, the constellation of Chiron, a legendary archer and great hero!" No reaction. Oh, come on! Did he not have a single funny bone in his body or something? Seriously… "Could you try to lighten up a bit?" "Uh-huh." Well sorry for finding that of all things funny. Still, she was kinda right. It wouldn't hurt to smile from time to time. Ugh… Look at him, letting Alyssa soften him up like this… Alyssa went silent for a moment. "Y'know, you kinda remind me of my brother." Same age, he sort of acted like him. "You kinda look like him too, if he was y'know a pony." Huh? Now exactly did she see him as? "I'm not a stand in for your brother." Blake certainly hoped that it wasn't what he thought it was. Alyssa definitely didn't mean for him to take it like that. "What, no! I didn't mean it like that…" It would kinda be nice though, her new big brother, Blake. It's got a nice ring to it. Akira… "You just remind me of him, that's all." Blake just responded with a quick "Sure…" Actually, she took that back. Blake was nothing like him, Akira would definitely never be this cold to her. It was funny, because Blake felt a similar way too. "Actually, you kinda remind me of someone too." Alyssa looked at Blake, confused on what he meant by that. "Really?" "Yeah, an old friend of mine." Blake said with a nod. Someone from a distant past. "I see…" Alyssa didn't say anything more than that. She didn't want to press Blake since just like her brother, that person was most likely long gone by now. And again, she didn't want Blake to run off. Blake turned his attention to the night sky laid before him. Huh, she was kinda right. Stars are pretty. Magic, other worlds… Only a couple months ago this would've all seemed ridiculous, it's funny really. Would things get better or worse from here? Only time will tell… Isn't that right, Nadine, Matthew? After about a couple hours or so, the two said their goodbyes or "Bye!" if you're Alyssa, and headed back. The night passed, and the morning came. Today was the day. There… That should be the last of the luggage. The only ones going were the people Blake "assigned." Bliss, Alex, Joseph, Jonathan, Moriah, and Madeline. Honestly, It probably would've been better if they had a more number of people, like say six instead of twelve. Oh whatever, what can you do…? The rest of them were staying behind, just in case something happened while they were gone. Either way, its not like they were going anywhere far, this was just a quick trip downtown, that's all. "Come back safe!" Both Alyssa and Sky cried. Bliss and Alex looked at them with a smile as they both waved goodbye. "We will!' And with that they were off. Chapter 4, Family. (Bliss)Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 5, Family. (Part 2, Elin)One day you're working overtime to try to get money to even feed your family, the next everybody's gone and you've been turned into a magical equine. Even though her life was hard Elin had never been through anything like this, but she was strong. She learned it from her mother, that no matter what happens never give up, ever. Even if things seem tough, don't give up hope. Do that and you'll be able to move towards a brighter future. It's what she taught her child too. Even when that bastard of a man hit her, she never gave up hope. Even in the darkest of times she had something to look forward to. "Mommy!" The smile on her little ol Emile's face gave her what she needed. When she saw it she felt determined that just maybe, maybe things will get better… The hardships and experiences you go through shape who you are. They're what made Elin who she is today. Noah kicked Elin onto the floor. "Can't you do a single thing right…?" What….? She was trying her best, trying her best to find a job, trying her best to even find the will to live. "I'm trying my best, what more do you even want from me…?!" "That's your best…?" Pathetic. She was undeserving of someone like him. To think there was even a time where he "loved" her… No, he never truly loved her. He used her as a means to an end, nothing more. Noah grabbed Elin by her shirt, but before he could do anything worse… "Mom…?" Oh. The mistake. The child that should've never been born. He was just as bad, and if not worse than his mother. He couldn't even do his studies correctly, yet he was obsessed with those nonsense story books, things that weren't even real… Laughable. Noah let Elin go and turned his attention to Emile. No…. Stop it… Not him, anyone but him… "STOP IT!" So, that was why… For both herself and her child she had persevere, no matter what. Now, in the present day. Elin was already debating on whether she should check if Emile was alright or if there were any survivors. But if there were, they would probably find her eventually, right…? And just her luck… Bliss finally found her. No, they both found each other. "Mom…?" Bliss dropped her gun with a loud THUNK! "He" looked different but that was definitely Emile. Alright, "he" looked alot different aside from the low ponytail he always had. Now tied with a purple bow instead of a band. She didn't question why Emile had a gun, she didn't care about that. She was just happy to see him again. Before Emile even knew it he was crying. "Mom…!" Emile ran towards Elin and "tackled" her in a hug. "I've missed you so much…" It may have only been almost four months but to Emile it felt like an eternity. So long he didn't even realize how much he missed her… Elin embraced Emile in her arms. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here now." Yup, this was definitely Emile alright he may have had different body but inside he was still the same old crybaby he always was. They probably would've stayed like this for a while if the roof door didn't slam open after that. Day crawled up the few last steps and onto the roof. Finally… She finally managed to catch up with Bliss. "Can you not run off like that again please?" Seriously, do you know how hard it is to climb THAT many stairs when you have the body of a sixteen year old filly. Not easy I'll tell you that- Day just sort of stared blankly at the scene before her. Uh... "Am I interrupting something….?" Well this was awkward… Oh right… Bliss got up, helping her mom get back onto her hooves as well. "Day, this is Mom. Mom, this is Day." Oh, her mom…. WAIT WHA- Her mom?! Well that was "surprising" to say the least… But the more the merrier, right? Lonely Day looked at Elin with a soft smile. "It's nice to meet you!" After that they joined back up with the others. A good thing too, Bliss was tired after all that flying, she needed to rest. They surely didn't need two injured pegasi. Nope, no siree. Honesty, Bliss swore she might've sprained a wing. Oh well, she could just have Oliver look at it later if she really did. Joseph loaded the last of the stuff into the truck. "That should do it…" Along with Jonathan helping him of course. Gotta use that strength for something. On the way back Bliss and Day explained everything to Elin, with Day doing the driving instead of Bliss. They showed her the same memory crystal they showed their friends too. It would've been nigh unbelievable if not for that. She practically relived everything they went through, she felt "Emiles" unwavering determination, Alex's anger when they found out the truth, both of their conflicted feelings, everything. It was a lot to take in but Elin did her best to understand it. I see… So that's what Emil- or Bliss as she was now went through while she was gone… "I've never known Emile had such good friends, I guess I don't need to baby you anymore." "Mom…!" Geez, was she just trying to embarrass him or something? Johnathan took his cap off to fan away his "tears." "Guess you don't need me anymore…" Oh, how they grow up so fast… Joseph looked at him rather unamused. "Can you be quiet for once? You oaf." It was "kinda" sweet seeing Bliss and Elin like this though, I'll give you that. Oaf? How rude… John was much more than that! "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that? Joe." But before their little "quarrel" could get any worse Madeline intervened. "Ahem. Boys…." Rule number one, don't anger Madeline, or Moriah, or just those two particular mares in general. Moriah rolled her eyes at the whole thing. "Sheesh." Men…. While Elin just giggled a bit. This was quite the group, to say the least... Still, it seems she left Emile in good hands or uh hooves while she was gone. He really has grown... Chapter 6, Day 95 - Mission Failed(?)August 24, 2015. Dear Diary, Alright, so our trip to "St. Louis" wasn't exactly a success… We didn't even go to St Louis at all! We went downtown instead since it was basically the closest alternative. "Why" you ask? Because through my all seeing eyes I got a premonition from the gods, and they told that-! Okay, okay I'm just joking. So you know how there's more people out there now, right? (Because of course there is.) I- We actually spotted smoke near there a couple days ago, like from a campfire or something. I don't know why but…. Let me put it this way, you ever just feel something bad is gonna happen? I don't what you call it but yeah, that. Nothing to do with any "magicial premonition" from the gods or clairvoyance. The former I actually have… I think. I don't know how it works but it just sorta "happens." If that makes any sense. Like when I'm in danger. I'm not sure how to actually control it, if I can do that… Ugh, what a useless ability. Future vision but you don't know how it works or when it'll happen. Oh well, what can you do? (I still think having the ability to shoot fire out of my hooves would be cooler.) It's kinda like a natural evolution of my "dreams" though. I didn't want to ruin our progress because of a stupid gut feeling but when I told Day about it she just sort of "accepted it." Like she said "Oh, I see…" and agreed with me that we shouldn't go there just yet. She's the one that suggested that we go downtown instead too. But I guess it didn't matter too much in the end since we made a decent amount of progress anyway. Nothing too noteworthy to say about it, it's downtown. I didn't expect much either way. But one important thing happened, me and Day went into a nearby office building to go get solar panels. We heard hoofsteps from somepony in there. I ran ahead of Day since I can fly and guess who that pony ended up being. Her, my mother. That place was her workplace. ~~Well that explains why she always got home so late.~~ I don't know how long she was there. A couple days, weeks maybe? But at the time when we found her she was thinking about packing up the solar panels and perhaps going somewhere else to find survivors. ~~So that's why the bucking power was off… >:(~~ It was just a coincidence we found her in the middle of that. (Or was it fate…?) She seemed to think it was still May 23th like the other survivors we found, blah blah, you know the drill. She said "it felt like she was asleep for a long time." That's actually how most other people described it too. Hers was a lot more "vibrant" though. Something about being in a dark place for what felt like forever, hearing a voice then… Light. Sounds like a fever dream if you ask me. I should know, I've basically had them. So that's weird… She came back to Alexandria and Mimiris with us. She's here right now actually. I would say "say hi mom!" but she's asleep. ~~And Journal's don't work that way.~~ Do I even need to say anything about everyone's reactions to her? Most of them summed up to: "Oh cool, that's your mom? Good for you." Nopony said that literally but you get the point. Seems like she gets along with Sky pretty well, Madeline too. Alyssa seemed pretty happy to see her, probably since she's the only person she knew before the event here. (Aside from me.) She kinda looks like me but if my colors were switched, she's a unicorn too. No fair, I wanna be a unicorn! I'm the one who likes magic and all that, how come I'm not a unicorn…? All I got were these useless wings. I can't even fly that well. If the whole transformation is based off of a person's soul then why am I a pegasus. Heck, for that matter, why am I a mare?! Speaking of, I had to explain to my mom how I got turned into a mare, and why I don't wanna be called "Emile" anymore. I… I hate that name. You know why. Emile died the moment I- No, Emile died the moment I woke up. Anyways, that was pretty awkward to say the least. "I always knew you were a girl on the inside…." is what she said. What the heck does that even mean? Was I really that feminine? But, she was just joking of course… Just a nice little joke that wouldn't hurt anyone… Elin giggled. "Son", daughter, whatever. She still loved Emile or "Bliss Flower" all the same. To think, he spent almost four months without her. He went through alot during that time, a lot more than she realized… And Elin thought him making one friend was progress. "You've grown strong, I'm proud of you." Her? Strong? Bliss felt flattered.. "Thank you…" She wasn't gonna leave Emiles side again, they were gonna be together forever. Speaking of his birthday already passed while she was gone, how old was he now? "You already had your birthday, right? How old are you now?" Oh, right… "Eighteen, I think…" He wasn't just a kid anymore or momma's little boy anymore, he was a full fledged adult now. And Elin couldn't have been happier. "Hey, mom? Do you think dad would be proud of me…?" Elin went silent for a moment. That was a complicated question to answer. The Noah before, maybe. But since he's gone now… "I'm sure he would be proud of you too." She called me strong…. Me… Strong… Days the one she should be saying that to, not me. It's not just because she's an "adult" either. She's strong, brave, kind, nothing like me. I really admire her for it. I'm just a nobody who's good for nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don't even have a talent, just look at my cutie mark. That's why I hid my age too. I didn't want anyone to look down on me. Alyssa didn't really want to go along with it but "if that's what you want, then fine…" Not like that mattered all that much though, everyone still thinks I'm just some dumb stupid kid who can't do a single thing right… Oh well, I guess if I'm destined to be a nobody then I'll just have to be the best nobody there ever was! Don't tell Day about how I "admire." her, okay? Just don't, alright? Mom doesn't have a cutie mark for a reason. That's strange… If anything I thought her of all people would definitely have one. What if it's something like "she looks like a unicorn but is actually something more…" That's not a joke, I'm being serious. I might actually look into that later. To add on to the weird magic shenanigans, I've been looking into that "Seior" lady, andddd nothing. I'm stuck… Selene gave me this book and a copy of his personal journal saying "it might be useful to you in the future." What the heck does that even mean? Seriously! I don't get it. Couldn't he just tell us what we might need it for??? Ugh… Guess we can add that onto the list of weird things Selene did. He's a weird weirdo. (I am too.) There's some characters I don't recognize in here, I could try deciphering myself but I might have Joseph look at them later… Welp, you know the drill. This Bliss Flower, as always, bye. Y'know, everyone seemed really hopeful today. Maybe since I found my mother. Maybe, there's hope the others will find their families too. Bliss Flower PS: Blake's been acting weird lately, Alyssa too. Wonder what's up with that…? Adrian was weirdly distraught yesterday to add onto that. When I asked he didn't tell me anything about it. Did someone say something to him…? Author's Note Fun Fact: The little moment with Elin and Bliss was supposed to be apart of a separate chapter but it wasn't long enough to be a full one so I reworked it for this. I hate trying to stretch out chapters... I honestly like to think those moments where it splits off from the entries are Bliss retracing her memories instead of her writing what happend 1 to 1. Chapter 7, Family. (Part 3, Ivy & Aegis)"There…" Ivy slammed the truck's door with Aegis jumping out shortly after her. What was the point of coming up here? Well, they had actually been camping up here for a while now, their whole wild goose chase just happened to lead them to St. Louis. "Break into any museums, government buildings, or anything of the like and burn anything important." What an odd order… Ivy and Aegis didn't question it though. "To build a new history we must trample upon the old one." Ivy said, clearly mocking Maverick. If there's one thing Ivy hated, it was definitely being told what to do. "Can't we just burn the whole building down?" That would definitely make their job easier. But of course, Aegis just wouldn't let Jade do that. "Yeah, if you want the entire city to burn down too." And why couldn't they just do that? A question with an obvious answer. There might be stuff they need in there, it would be pointless to throw away all this housing. Blah, blah, blah. On their way to the museum Ivy noticed something off… "Hey, doesn't it seem like somebody's been here before?" Stuff scattered everywhere, doors left open, someone's definitely been here before them. Another group perhaps? Hm? Aegis noticed it too. "Oh, maybe." Why should they care though? It's not like it mattered to them. "No, I was just saying, shouldn't we probably do something about that?" It could be something good for them. Such as more members for their group. The cold stallion just shrugged. "I dunno, it's none of our business." He's right. In the end, neither of them cared enough about the "Syndicate" to go out of their way to look for more survivors. Guess they would just come to them instead. But nonsense aside… Let's see what's in here… Aegis easily bucked down the doors, and let Ivy go in before him. Ladies, first. And what the hell was this…? This wasn't a damned museum, this was a damned playground! Ivy's eyes lit up as she rushed in. Finally something fun! No more of that serious 24/7 hodgepodge crap. She was practically jumping up and down in joy. "Come on, Aegis!" He rolled his eyes. They were here for a reason. They had to do their "mission" see if there was anyone here and get out. There was no time to be fooling around like this. "Ivy, get down from there." And to think he once tried calling her "lady" Ivy… As serious as ever it seems… "See, this is why nobody likes you!" Would it kill him to be happy for once? Plus, their stupid "mission" didn't even matter anyway, what the heck could they find here? Nothing, that's what Ivy thought at least. So why not have some fun for a change? Despite that, Ivy reluctantly listened to Aegis and got down. Boring… The two walked deeper into the museum with Ivy happily prancing along until they both heard something. Or someone. Crying. Aegis stopped dead in his tracks. "Do you hear that…?" A child…? Ivy nodded with a silent "mhm." Child or not, they needed to keep their guard up. Ivy took out two pink crystals. Gem magic, or mage craft. Exactly what it sounds like, a type of magic involving any kind of jewels to strengthen one's spells, only the most proficient of unicorns could pull it off. Not that Ivy was that but still, it was better than nothing. She wasn't gonna use that scythe of hers unless she absolutely needed it. She probably would've offered Aegis a weapon if she had anything but she knew he preferred to use his bare hooves. Ivy nor Aegis ran off. They both kept a steady pace with each other as they delved deeper into the building. By the gods, this place was like a maze. Ivy could've easily lost Aegis if she didn't pay attention. The crying got weaker the deeper they went in. Not that it mattered since they were most likely getting closer to its source. They thought that the buildings outside were ruined, this was way worse. Aegis even almost hit his head. Ow…. Gotta be careful… "Hello, is anybody there?" Ivy called. "Y-Yes?" A voice replied with a sniffle. Feminine, young… A child. Ivy softened her steps. She didn't want to frighten whoever, whatever it was even more than she already was. Aegis did the same. Oh sweet lord- It smelled terrible. How could anybody or anypony live in these kind of conditions? Child or not. But still, it couldn't be far. Just a little bit more.. Can't see… Ivy took out a flashlight and shined it through the space, a little more light aside from the setting sun wouldn't hurt. Several sleeping bags piled on top of each other, a perfect fit for whoever lived here. And a couple in another part of the room, filled with food, so that's where the smell was coming from. This was horrible… In the middle of it all was a young "filly" with strange eyes, green bug-like eyes, and a strange body filled with holes…? I found you. Aegis flinched back at the sight of her. A monster…? On the other hoof Ivy wasn't as scared as him. She was no monster. A changeling…? But shouldn't they all be-? And why here…? The girl stepped back as Ivy crouched down to her height. A kid, all alone in here… "What's your name?" The girl looked at Ivy as she wiped away her tears. "Riley… You're not gonna hurt me, are you…?" How the heck did she come to that conclusion? Did someone hurt her before? Well, Ivy would never do that, especially not to a kid even if she was a changeling… "No, I would never do that to you." Ivy smiled at Riley and extended a hoof to her. Riley smiled back and accepted it. It mightve been the weakest smile she had ever seen, but that was enough for Ivy. They would've all went back outside and that would've been that, but Aegis grabbed Ivy and pulled her to the side for a moment. "What are you thinking?!" They couldn't keep a kid- Creature, whatever she damn was with them! Was she crazy?! "Aegis, please!" Ivy pleaded. "You know very well we can't keep her, especially not around those weirdos." Aegis used that as nothing more than a "excuse" in truth, he didn't like "Riley" one bit. I mean, look at her what was she even supposed to be? What a digusting creature… "Aegis, she'll be fine. We have a literal vampire in our group for heaven's sake!" Riley probably would've been the least weirdest person there, especially compared to Wildcard. And if they really needed to, they could just hide her. "She's just a kid…" And what kinda person would leave a kid behind? Aegis turned to Riley, not with a look of kindness like Ivy showed her, but one of distrust and hatred. If Ivy wanted it then… "Fine…" She could stay. Ivy couldn't have been happier. "Thank you, Aegis." The three of them headed out that disgusting mess of a "place" and outside. On the way out Ivy noticed something, Riley stayed oddly closer to her the whole time but wouldn't even dare to go next to Aegis. Guess she couldn't blame her, he was pretty scary… Welp, no point in staying here. Might as well head back "home." It would take a while for them to get back though, almost half a day of a while. So they pulled over and stopped to camp for the night. Riley explained some things to Ivy, like how some people shot at her when they saw her. It filled Ivy with an indescribable animosity she never felt before, and she thought her people were bad…. No, there were definitely worse out there. Riley looked sad, like she was holding back tears. "I miss mom, dad, everyone…" Ivy smiled at her. "Well, you don't have to be alone ever again, you have us." They would never leave her side, ever. Well, Ivy wouldn't. She didn't know about Aegis. "We can be your mom and your dad, would you like that?" It wouldn't be her old parents but it was the closest "alternative." Riley smiled. "Yeah!" Meanwhile a certain someone else wasn't as happy as her. Aegis turned to Ivy with a stern look on his face. Was she trying to imply they were some sort of couple? Heh… "How about big sister, that works too right?" That made Riley about as happy as Ivy's other suggestion did. Something that made her happy too. What a sweet smile… She'll treasure it for the rest of her life. Hmm… Riley didn't seem hungry but she couldn't just not eat anything. Ivy dug through her bag for a moment. Ha, how about this! "I would make some s'mores but we don't have any marshmallows, so here. She took out what looked like a chocolate bar. They didn't have any "real" food right now, but kids liked this kinda stuff right? Riley took it, reluctantly so. "Is it good?" Ivy asked. "Mh-Yeah!" Riley replied with the chocolate still in her mouth. She was a quiet one. That would probably change with time as they got closer, but oh well. She couldn't force her to talk about things she didn't want to. She's just a kid after all. Plus, it probably didn't help that they had Aegis's looming presence over them. They probably would've stayed up but it was getting late, and kids need their sleep so Ivy forced her to go to bed. So, soon Riley was off to sleep…. Ivy was starting to get sleepy too. Was it just her or did she feel sorta light headed…? She felt like that back at the museum too actually… Maybe she just needed rest. "I'm gonna get some shut eye, keep an eye on her for me, okay?" It was funny, they really were like one big happy family... Aegis nodded as he watched Ivy head into the tent by herself. "Don't worry." Leaving him and Riley alone…. Disgusting thing. He saw what she did back there… This "child" could not be trusted. If he were Ivy he would've put her down immediately. Such an abomination cannot be allowed to roam the earth. But yet… Yet…. Ugh… He would just have to put up with it for now. Just like he did with everything else… Author's Note For those who wanted to know what happened to Riley, there's your answer. Mini-Prologue, Premonition.Water… You can't see or feel anything… Just complete and empty nothingness… You stay like this for a while, just drifting… Drifting in the vast sea of souls. Until… A voice finds itself into your head. "This world…" It sounds like the voice of a young woman. She spoke with bitterness in her voice, like she was desperately worrying about something. And yet she sounds peaceful, serene even… Like she knew how to keep her emotions in check even with the current state of things. It even makes you feel at peace… "This world cannot go on like this…" The voice repeats. The darkness splits apart and suddenly, light. You can see it. You try to reach out to it, move towards it, anything! Just anything to stop being in this endless darkness! It works, the light gets brighter, and brighter until you're engulfed by it. And you wake up. What was that dream, or was it even a dream at all…? You wonder. Well, no point in dwelling over things like that. You must've fallen asleep again. You sigh heavily. Guess that's what you get for working overtime, even if you need the money. Why didn't any of your co-workers wake you up though…? And why was it so quiet…? You try to stretch a bit but it feels weird… Like you haven't moved in months, everything feels so hazy… And your body feels different… You glance into the reflection of your office computer and almost jump back from what you see, a strange oddly colored horse with a purple coat, light purple hair with black stripes, and black eyes gazing right back at you. The office chair falls over and you come tumbling out of it. "What the…?" What was that…? Who was that…? You look down where your hands would be just to find purple stubs instead. It's you… But how, and why…? This shouldn't be possible… You take a quick glance around. There's nobody else here… It looks like there hasn't been anyone here in ages too. Has long has it been, months, years…? You can't remember, as far you know it should the twenty-fifth of May. Maybe this was all just some weird dream…? Well, there's only one way to find out go and investigate. So you do. Author's Note And so it begins, I used 2nd person for this so I won't spoiler the new characters identity. It might be pretty obvious who they are by their appearance though.... hint: they looked pretty similar to a certain someone...
Chapter 1, A New Life. (Blake)It's been four months since everything happened, four months since Blake lost his friends, and four months since his new life began. Is what Blake would've said like some dramatic narrator if he actually cared about such things. Blake was a simple man, he used logic and logic only. There's no point in dwelling over things like that, the past is in the past and there's nothing you can do about it, right..? He was by far the most sensible, the most normal, and most logical person here. Aside from Joseph of course. Was he really that though? Who knows, but that's how he saw and thought of himself. Was it arrogant? Probably, yes. But did he care? No. Blake stared down at the clipboard in his hooves as he sat down on the edge of the RVs entrance. Even before the event Blake always had a knack of sorts for organization and planning. It might not have been his one true calling or his "destiny" as someone like Bliss would say but he made do with it. And look who finally decided to show up… Blake turned his attention to the truck that just pulled over, and out it came Adrian and Blake, just like he expected. Now, to just mark that one off…. Done… Took them long enough. Well he definitely seems tired. How couldn't he be? Especially all that heavy lifting Bliss Flower and Alex wanted done for… Whatever reason. Blake didn't know, nor did he care. It's not his business so it didn't matter. He still could've helped them out though. Blake tossed Adrian a water as he went ahead and sat down next to him. "Here." "Thanks." Adrian quietly replied. Blake and Adrian weren't really friends persay. I mean, they were. Kinda at least… Blake really wasn't clear with who he considered friends. So… "I can see someone's got the hots for Sky, huh?" People were already easy to read for Blake, ponies even more so. Seriously, it's pretty hard to hide certain emotions when your ears shrivel up at the slightest thing. The way Adrian immediately propped up probably didn't help much either, he even almost spat out his water. "W-Wha! No I don't!" Preposterous! Him having a thing for Sky, absolutely unbelievable! That was a very, very funny joke… The way Blake just kept staring bullets at him though… Geez… Could he try to at least have a little fun every once and a while? "Okay maybe I do, just a little though…." Really though, Adrian never understood Blake at all. He was just so weird. Like what was the point in prodding into his business like this? Seriously… "I mean, she is kinda cute." Meanwhile Blake was just interested in how he felt about her, and Adrian in general. For his own personal "reasons." Cute? Yes. Right age? Yup. There was just one problem… "She's just weird though." Blake just looked at Adrian blankly, perplexed as ever. Sky, weird? Well uh… "Really…?" "Yeah, have you seen her?" Wearing no clothes 24/7, the way she talks, the way she acts. All pretty weird if you ask anybody here. But I guess when you hang around someone like Bliss for a couple months you kinda get used to it. Well, if Sky's off the table then how about… Blake turned his attention to a certain black and purple mare in the distance, looked like she was messing or playing with Alex, it was hard to tell. "What about Bliss?" That was most likely a stupid question but again Blake was just curious about Adrian. Wait, wait, wait. Bliss…? Well… It wasn't like Adrian didn't like her, she was just. Let's just say he was "indifferent" to her. That's the easiest way to put it. Besides, "Isn't she underage?" "No, I don't think so." Last time Blake checked she was an adult, though it probably didn't help that she wouldn't tell him her exact age. "It's a secret" in her words. Add that with the way she acted, and yeah… Oh God, he could hear now. "I'm an adult, an adult I tell you!" Is probably what she'd say. Or something similar to that at least. But, look who decided to join them. Speak of the devil… The same exact mare they were talking about not too long ago. Cloudy damned Skies. "Hey, Adrian, Blake!" Sky waved happily at them with a smile. Looks like her mood didn't change. What a stupid thing to think, of course it didn't. "Whatcha doing?" Adrian was going to speak up but Blake pointlessly interjected, for whatever reason. "Absolutely Nothing." "Okay then…" Sky didn't really seem to notice Blake's "odd" behavior other than the slight curious head tilt, so that was "good" for him at least. "Well, it's almost dinner time. You gonna come?" Oh, right… Dinner…. Blake and Adrian glanced at the sky, it was an easy way to tell the time if you didn't have a watch. Looked like the sun was gonna set soon. "Yeah, we'll be there in a bit." Adrian replied. The two watched as Cloudy Skies walked off with a slight nod and a bright smile. Giving them a brief moment of silence with each other. But that was of course broken by what Blake said next. "If you like her so much, why don't you just stay?" Wait, let him guess. "It's because of another one of your dumb rules, isn't it?" Adrian looked down for a moment and went silent. With the only thing he said before that being a silent "Yeah…" Blake knew that face. That was the "he was right" face. Seriously… Blake never understood people like that, people who pointlessly tie themselves down, people like this. He was one to talk though, but still. If you want something done, you do it. No matter what it is. Whatever… He wasn't his therapist. Plus, he had things to do, like planning for that trip in a couple days. Blake got up without the two even saying a word to each other. But before he did he looked at Adrian's folded wing for a moment. Looked like that had been bothering him for a while. Then looked at his own. There were cuts on them, cuts that weren't there before. It would be best not to tell anyone about those… Author's Note We're gonna switching perspectives alot so I can focus on characters other than Bliss. This won't be in parts like Founders Of Alexandria, but arcs. This is the start of the first arc, the Golden Snake arc. How many arcs will there be? Who knows... Probably not alot though.
Chapter 2, A New Life. (Part 2, Blake)Blake turned his attention back to the clipboard in his wings. He might not have hands anymore but wings worked as a good substitute. Now, let's see… Who'll be going on that trip? Bliss and Alex will obviously be going, for obvious reasons. So he could just cross them out. Hmm… How about Johnathan? He might just be a unicorn but he had the strength of an earth pony for heaven's sake. There's a reason why Joseph always calls him an "oaf." Speaking of, how about Joseph? He's smart, good with computers, he's just good for this kinda stuff in general really. So Joseph… Next, Moriah. There's no specific reason why Blake chose her really. She worked well with Joseph, so why not? And finally, Madeline. She's strong, even if that damned earth pony magic was helping her out a bit. If anything happened she could protect the others with ease. "There we go…" Now that just leaves himself, Cloudy Skies, Adrian, and Oliver. Hmm… He would be better off staying here, but they could all come if they wanted to. He couldn't force them to stay home. All this really was a "suggestion" list of sorts for Alex and Bliss. Nothing more, nothing less. Well that's out of the way now. Still, Blake felt like he was forgetting something… Oh, right. Dinner… Can't miss that… Thankfully, the pavilion was just a quick gallop away. Ugh… He still couldn't get used to running like that… He didn't seem to be all that late since Adrian and Sky got here before him. Blake handed Bliss his clipboard with a slight "Thank you." from her and sat down. There was a decent amount of space for a couple of ponies here, but Blake made sure to find an empty seat far far away from everyone else. Not because he wasn't good with people or anything. But because he just didn't want to. No deep reason, plain and simple. He didn't care about interacting with any of these "idiots." Okay, maybe that was a little harsh, but still…. Nor did he care about Blisses excitement over the most menial things in existence. Seriously, what were they doing?! "So mhm good…!" Bliss said with her mouth full of something… Did she never learn proper table manners or something? Good thing the most mature person ever was here to teach her a lesson "Now, now, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full like that." Except Johnathan was by far the least immature person in both Alexandria and Mimiris, right next to Bliss. Ok but, bacon! Bliss had no idea what Oliver and Alyssa did, or whatever the hell was in those cookbooks but this was good! Probably the best burger she had in a while, oh how she missed this taste… And most of all, bacon!!! Or, whatever it was supposed to be… Hay Strips? Eh, who cares. But of course Joseph just HAD to say something, big dumb dumb he is! "What are you, her mother?" Johnathan just repaid Joseph's half-assed attempt to get a rise out of him in a similar fashion. "Maybe I am." Gotta look out for the "kid" after all. Alex intervened with a quick Ahem. "Will you two ever cut it out?" That got them to be quiet. But geez, could they just not for a moment? They were BOTH getting really annoying now. And here comes the other weirdo. Oliver, the weirdest person here second to only Johnathan, that's how Blake thought about him at least. And no, Bliss and Sky don't count, they're on their own tier. "You better enjoy it while it lasts then, I only made enough for everyone here, so no seconds." Did he say that to try to tease Bliss, or was he just letting her know? Who knows… But really, you try making food for eleven ponies, it's not exactly easy. Especially when you don't have a lot of help. Bliss took that as well as you'd expect her to and looked at Oliver with puppy dog eyes, like she was on the verge of crying. She obviously wasn't. "What?! That's not fair…." But she wanted moreeeee…. Thankfully, she had the second best cook in the world (right next to Sky and Oliver himself) to save her! Alyssa! She slightly laughed at the whole thing. "Don't listen to him, I can always make more if you want." Yay…. "Thank you, you're my hero…." Instead of tears of sadness, Bliss was now crying tears of joy as she clung onto Alyssa. But anyways… "So, how's the water coming along?" Alex asked. Johnathan tipped his cap slightly up… Oh god…. Here we go again… And dramatically stood up, complete with flourish like there was some kind of invisible spotlight on him. "Excellent, I dare say. In fact, I'll have it done in no time!" He spoke like he was making a national declaration of some kind. Much to everyone's very visible dismay. But, it was indeed the truth! Johnathan was a jack of all trades, master of all (none)! If there was anything they ever needed done, he could do it without a problem! And oh, how nice it was for such a lovely mare to take notice of him once more! "You really like doing that, don't you?" Moriah might've been one of the most beautiful mares here, but there she was nothing compared to Madeline. Who was just laughing at Jonathan's goofy behavior. "Well, I think it's 'endearing.'" Wow, what a dork… Right next to Joseph. "Heard back from any survivors yet-?" Blah blah blah. Moriah asked, he thought. Blake stopped listening and caring after that. Of course they wouldn't hear back from anyone yet. They probably weren't the only ones out there anymore. But, most ponies definitely didn't have a network or signal as good as theirs. Even if they did they definitely didn't have as many people as them, nor were they as "skilled" as them either. If that's the right word to use… But (un)luckily for Blake, Alyssa took notice of his "odd" behavior and decided to try and keep him company. Maybe she felt just as "out of place" and "left out" as him, who knows? "Hey…." Blake just looked at her with the same apathetic look he always had. "What do you want?" Well, that's definitely a way to start a conversation. Geez… She was just trying to be nice. "I just wanted to talk to you, that's all." "Mhm." Spare him the pity, especially to someone like him. Blake ignored Alyssa whenever she tried to strike up a conversation and finished off the rest of his food so he could get out of here. Hm. Not bad, maybe he'd tell Oliver that later… That would've been the end of that, but on his way out Blake got stopped by the same mare as before. Alyssa… "Wait, Blake!" What did she want-? No, he knew that face. That was the "what the hell was wrong with you" face. Stop, stop it… Stop looking at me like that… He didn't want to be seen like this, especially not around her. "Are you okay…?" A simple question anybody should be able to answer. But all it did was make things worse. Stop it, JUST STOP IT! To make things even worse Alyssa took notice of "something" and tried to reach towards Blake's wings… "Don't touch me!" Both of them jolted back and stared at each other, as if to process what happened for a moment. Alyssa's face was one of concern, but to Blake that was the worst way someone could look at him. But if he didn't want her worrying about him, then fine… She just wanted to see what those wounds were, that's all. "Are you okay…?" Alyssa may have sounded like a broken record. But it wouldn't hurt to ask again, right? Just one last time… As if directly mimicking a certain someone's actions before, Blake looked down and went silent for a moment. But instead of a smile, he looked at Alyssa with the same old apathetic face. "I'm fine." Why…? Why, now…? He needed to… He had to… He knew what he had to do.
Chapter 3, A New Life. (Part 3, Blake)Author's Note Just a warning, this chapter contains implied/directly referenced self harm so if you don't like that stuff then yeah... Don't read or just gloss over it I guess! Chapter 3, A New Life. (Part 3, Blake) C'mon Blake, you've done this before. It's not that hard… Just get it done and over with… Blake traced the edge of his wings with the scissors blades… Pegasi, to put it bluntly, were rather frail and weak physically, their wings even more so. It probably didn't help that Blake was already both of those things, even before the event. The scissor blades drew closer and closer, and…Snip- He couldn't do it. The simple thought of his precious feathers getting cut off like that scared him. But why? He's done this before… This was the only way he could- No, they wouldn't want this. He didn't want this either. Heh… He shouldn't even be alive right now, but still he had a burning desire inside of him, a burning desire to live, no matter what. He was conflicted. He wanted to live, but at the same time he wanted to die more than nothing. Now wasn't he just pathetic…? Craven liar he is. He needed some time to think about this. Maybe a quick walk would help. Blake put the scissors down and carefully tiptoed(hoofed?) out of the rv that served as their temporary home, didn't want to wake Adrian up after all. Y'know, the more Blake thought about it the more embarrassing it was to be living with Adrian of all people. It was only temporary but maybe he'd ask Bliss or Alex if he could move later. For now he just had to get out of here. Where was he going? He didn't know. Just somewhere, anywhere… This was the perfect time, it's late and nobody was up. That's what Blake thought at least. He walked for a bit until he came across a spot that was relatively out in the open with a tree for some nice shade. Perfect… Now he could- But before he could relax for even a bit Blake jumped up at what he saw with a certain "youknowwho" doing the same. Alyssa… The same damn mare, again. Did the world have something against him or something? "What are you doing here?" God, he almost gave her a heart attack. Meanwhile Blake's thoughts were less than pleasant, as always. "I should be asking you the same thing." Really, he should. He thought everyone was asleep at this time, why the heck was she up? "O-Oh Yeah… Well, sometimes I just like to come here to get some time to myself." Pretty much the same reason Blake had, they both wanted to just get some peace and quiet for once. Hm. Maybe they had more in common than he thought. Nah… He doubted it. Alyssa watched as Blake reluctantly sat down right next to her. She wasn't gonna ask him about what the heck that was back at dinner. If there was something going on with him that she didn't know about, then it wasn't her business, that's all. Besides she didn't want to scare him off, she needed someone to talk to. Especially with how distant Em- Bliss was acting lately. "So…." Well, this was awkward. She didn't know what to talk about and Blake definitely wasn't the one to strike up a conversation. That's it! How about… "Stars are beautiful aren't they?" Blake just looked at Alyssa blankly. What kind of "conversation topic" was that supposed to be? "You like stars? That's surprising…" He thought she only liked music and that guitar of hers, or whatever she did in her free time. Alyssa didn't take that well… What the heck was that supposed to mean? He didn't really think that she- "I like more than rock music, okay!?" She was trying to hide her obvious flusteredness. Blake was rather unamused by the whole thing. Well, uh-! She'd show him! Uh- Um- Like, "Look." Alyssa pointed a hoof up the starry night sky, trying to direct Blake's attention to a constellation. But honestly, she did kinda like stars. What's not to like about them? They're pretty, radiant, beautiful… "Centaurus, the constellation of Chiron, a legendary archer and great hero!" No reaction. Oh, come on! Did he not have a single funny bone in his body or something? Seriously… "Could you try to lighten up a bit?" "Uh-huh." Well sorry for finding that of all things funny. Still, she was kinda right. It wouldn't hurt to smile from time to time. Ugh… Look at him, letting Alyssa soften him up like this… Alyssa went silent for a moment. "Y'know, you kinda remind me of my brother." Same age, he sort of acted like him. "You kinda look like him too, if he was y'know a pony." Huh? Now exactly did she see him as? "I'm not a stand in for your brother." Blake certainly hoped that it wasn't what he thought it was. Alyssa definitely didn't mean for him to take it like that. "What, no! I didn't mean it like that…" It would kinda be nice though, her new big brother, Blake. It's got a nice ring to it. Akira… "You just remind me of him, that's all." Blake just responded with a quick "Sure…" Actually, she took that back. Blake was nothing like him, Akira would definitely never be this cold to her. It was funny, because Blake felt a similar way too. "Actually, you kinda remind me of someone too." Alyssa looked at Blake, confused on what he meant by that. "Really?" "Yeah, an old friend of mine." Blake said with a nod. Someone from a distant past. "I see…" Alyssa didn't say anything more than that. She didn't want to press Blake since just like her brother, that person was most likely long gone by now. And again, she didn't want Blake to run off. Blake turned his attention to the night sky laid before him. Huh, she was kinda right. Stars are pretty. Magic, other worlds… Only a couple months ago this would've all seemed ridiculous, it's funny really. Would things get better or worse from here? Only time will tell… Isn't that right, Nadine, Matthew? After about a couple hours or so, the two said their goodbyes or "Bye!" if you're Alyssa, and headed back. The night passed, and the morning came. Today was the day. There… That should be the last of the luggage. The only ones going were the people Blake "assigned." Bliss, Alex, Joseph, Jonathan, Moriah, and Madeline. Honestly, It probably would've been better if they had a more number of people, like say six instead of twelve. Oh whatever, what can you do…? The rest of them were staying behind, just in case something happened while they were gone. Either way, its not like they were going anywhere far, this was just a quick trip downtown, that's all. "Come back safe!" Both Alyssa and Sky cried. Bliss and Alex looked at them with a smile as they both waved goodbye. "We will!' And with that they were off.
Chapter 4, Family. (Bliss)Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 5, Family. (Part 2, Elin)One day you're working overtime to try to get money to even feed your family, the next everybody's gone and you've been turned into a magical equine. Even though her life was hard Elin had never been through anything like this, but she was strong. She learned it from her mother, that no matter what happens never give up, ever. Even if things seem tough, don't give up hope. Do that and you'll be able to move towards a brighter future. It's what she taught her child too. Even when that bastard of a man hit her, she never gave up hope. Even in the darkest of times she had something to look forward to. "Mommy!" The smile on her little ol Emile's face gave her what she needed. When she saw it she felt determined that just maybe, maybe things will get better… The hardships and experiences you go through shape who you are. They're what made Elin who she is today. Noah kicked Elin onto the floor. "Can't you do a single thing right…?" What….? She was trying her best, trying her best to find a job, trying her best to even find the will to live. "I'm trying my best, what more do you even want from me…?!" "That's your best…?" Pathetic. She was undeserving of someone like him. To think there was even a time where he "loved" her… No, he never truly loved her. He used her as a means to an end, nothing more. Noah grabbed Elin by her shirt, but before he could do anything worse… "Mom…?" Oh. The mistake. The child that should've never been born. He was just as bad, and if not worse than his mother. He couldn't even do his studies correctly, yet he was obsessed with those nonsense story books, things that weren't even real… Laughable. Noah let Elin go and turned his attention to Emile. No…. Stop it… Not him, anyone but him… "STOP IT!" So, that was why… For both herself and her child she had persevere, no matter what. Now, in the present day. Elin was already debating on whether she should check if Emile was alright or if there were any survivors. But if there were, they would probably find her eventually, right…? And just her luck… Bliss finally found her. No, they both found each other. "Mom…?" Bliss dropped her gun with a loud THUNK! "He" looked different but that was definitely Emile. Alright, "he" looked alot different aside from the low ponytail he always had. Now tied with a purple bow instead of a band. She didn't question why Emile had a gun, she didn't care about that. She was just happy to see him again. Before Emile even knew it he was crying. "Mom…!" Emile ran towards Elin and "tackled" her in a hug. "I've missed you so much…" It may have only been almost four months but to Emile it felt like an eternity. So long he didn't even realize how much he missed her… Elin embraced Emile in her arms. "Shh, it's okay. I'm here now." Yup, this was definitely Emile alright he may have had different body but inside he was still the same old crybaby he always was. They probably would've stayed like this for a while if the roof door didn't slam open after that. Day crawled up the few last steps and onto the roof. Finally… She finally managed to catch up with Bliss. "Can you not run off like that again please?" Seriously, do you know how hard it is to climb THAT many stairs when you have the body of a sixteen year old filly. Not easy I'll tell you that- Day just sort of stared blankly at the scene before her. Uh... "Am I interrupting something….?" Well this was awkward… Oh right… Bliss got up, helping her mom get back onto her hooves as well. "Day, this is Mom. Mom, this is Day." Oh, her mom…. WAIT WHA- Her mom?! Well that was "surprising" to say the least… But the more the merrier, right? Lonely Day looked at Elin with a soft smile. "It's nice to meet you!" After that they joined back up with the others. A good thing too, Bliss was tired after all that flying, she needed to rest. They surely didn't need two injured pegasi. Nope, no siree. Honesty, Bliss swore she might've sprained a wing. Oh well, she could just have Oliver look at it later if she really did. Joseph loaded the last of the stuff into the truck. "That should do it…" Along with Jonathan helping him of course. Gotta use that strength for something. On the way back Bliss and Day explained everything to Elin, with Day doing the driving instead of Bliss. They showed her the same memory crystal they showed their friends too. It would've been nigh unbelievable if not for that. She practically relived everything they went through, she felt "Emiles" unwavering determination, Alex's anger when they found out the truth, both of their conflicted feelings, everything. It was a lot to take in but Elin did her best to understand it. I see… So that's what Emil- or Bliss as she was now went through while she was gone… "I've never known Emile had such good friends, I guess I don't need to baby you anymore." "Mom…!" Geez, was she just trying to embarrass him or something? Johnathan took his cap off to fan away his "tears." "Guess you don't need me anymore…" Oh, how they grow up so fast… Joseph looked at him rather unamused. "Can you be quiet for once? You oaf." It was "kinda" sweet seeing Bliss and Elin like this though, I'll give you that. Oaf? How rude… John was much more than that! "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that? Joe." But before their little "quarrel" could get any worse Madeline intervened. "Ahem. Boys…." Rule number one, don't anger Madeline, or Moriah, or just those two particular mares in general. Moriah rolled her eyes at the whole thing. "Sheesh." Men…. While Elin just giggled a bit. This was quite the group, to say the least... Still, it seems she left Emile in good hands or uh hooves while she was gone. He really has grown...
Chapter 6, Day 95 - Mission Failed(?)August 24, 2015. Dear Diary, Alright, so our trip to "St. Louis" wasn't exactly a success… We didn't even go to St Louis at all! We went downtown instead since it was basically the closest alternative. "Why" you ask? Because through my all seeing eyes I got a premonition from the gods, and they told that-! Okay, okay I'm just joking. So you know how there's more people out there now, right? (Because of course there is.) I- We actually spotted smoke near there a couple days ago, like from a campfire or something. I don't know why but…. Let me put it this way, you ever just feel something bad is gonna happen? I don't what you call it but yeah, that. Nothing to do with any "magicial premonition" from the gods or clairvoyance. The former I actually have… I think. I don't know how it works but it just sorta "happens." If that makes any sense. Like when I'm in danger. I'm not sure how to actually control it, if I can do that… Ugh, what a useless ability. Future vision but you don't know how it works or when it'll happen. Oh well, what can you do? (I still think having the ability to shoot fire out of my hooves would be cooler.) It's kinda like a natural evolution of my "dreams" though. I didn't want to ruin our progress because of a stupid gut feeling but when I told Day about it she just sort of "accepted it." Like she said "Oh, I see…" and agreed with me that we shouldn't go there just yet. She's the one that suggested that we go downtown instead too. But I guess it didn't matter too much in the end since we made a decent amount of progress anyway. Nothing too noteworthy to say about it, it's downtown. I didn't expect much either way. But one important thing happened, me and Day went into a nearby office building to go get solar panels. We heard hoofsteps from somepony in there. I ran ahead of Day since I can fly and guess who that pony ended up being. Her, my mother. That place was her workplace. ~~Well that explains why she always got home so late.~~ I don't know how long she was there. A couple days, weeks maybe? But at the time when we found her she was thinking about packing up the solar panels and perhaps going somewhere else to find survivors. ~~So that's why the bucking power was off… >:(~~ It was just a coincidence we found her in the middle of that. (Or was it fate…?) She seemed to think it was still May 23th like the other survivors we found, blah blah, you know the drill. She said "it felt like she was asleep for a long time." That's actually how most other people described it too. Hers was a lot more "vibrant" though. Something about being in a dark place for what felt like forever, hearing a voice then… Light. Sounds like a fever dream if you ask me. I should know, I've basically had them. So that's weird… She came back to Alexandria and Mimiris with us. She's here right now actually. I would say "say hi mom!" but she's asleep. ~~And Journal's don't work that way.~~ Do I even need to say anything about everyone's reactions to her? Most of them summed up to: "Oh cool, that's your mom? Good for you." Nopony said that literally but you get the point. Seems like she gets along with Sky pretty well, Madeline too. Alyssa seemed pretty happy to see her, probably since she's the only person she knew before the event here. (Aside from me.) She kinda looks like me but if my colors were switched, she's a unicorn too. No fair, I wanna be a unicorn! I'm the one who likes magic and all that, how come I'm not a unicorn…? All I got were these useless wings. I can't even fly that well. If the whole transformation is based off of a person's soul then why am I a pegasus. Heck, for that matter, why am I a mare?! Speaking of, I had to explain to my mom how I got turned into a mare, and why I don't wanna be called "Emile" anymore. I… I hate that name. You know why. Emile died the moment I- No, Emile died the moment I woke up. Anyways, that was pretty awkward to say the least. "I always knew you were a girl on the inside…." is what she said. What the heck does that even mean? Was I really that feminine? But, she was just joking of course… Just a nice little joke that wouldn't hurt anyone… Elin giggled. "Son", daughter, whatever. She still loved Emile or "Bliss Flower" all the same. To think, he spent almost four months without her. He went through alot during that time, a lot more than she realized… And Elin thought him making one friend was progress. "You've grown strong, I'm proud of you." Her? Strong? Bliss felt flattered.. "Thank you…" She wasn't gonna leave Emiles side again, they were gonna be together forever. Speaking of his birthday already passed while she was gone, how old was he now? "You already had your birthday, right? How old are you now?" Oh, right… "Eighteen, I think…" He wasn't just a kid anymore or momma's little boy anymore, he was a full fledged adult now. And Elin couldn't have been happier. "Hey, mom? Do you think dad would be proud of me…?" Elin went silent for a moment. That was a complicated question to answer. The Noah before, maybe. But since he's gone now… "I'm sure he would be proud of you too." She called me strong…. Me… Strong… Days the one she should be saying that to, not me. It's not just because she's an "adult" either. She's strong, brave, kind, nothing like me. I really admire her for it. I'm just a nobody who's good for nothing. Absolutely nothing. I don't even have a talent, just look at my cutie mark. That's why I hid my age too. I didn't want anyone to look down on me. Alyssa didn't really want to go along with it but "if that's what you want, then fine…" Not like that mattered all that much though, everyone still thinks I'm just some dumb stupid kid who can't do a single thing right… Oh well, I guess if I'm destined to be a nobody then I'll just have to be the best nobody there ever was! Don't tell Day about how I "admire." her, okay? Just don't, alright? Mom doesn't have a cutie mark for a reason. That's strange… If anything I thought her of all people would definitely have one. What if it's something like "she looks like a unicorn but is actually something more…" That's not a joke, I'm being serious. I might actually look into that later. To add on to the weird magic shenanigans, I've been looking into that "Seior" lady, andddd nothing. I'm stuck… Selene gave me this book and a copy of his personal journal saying "it might be useful to you in the future." What the heck does that even mean? Seriously! I don't get it. Couldn't he just tell us what we might need it for??? Ugh… Guess we can add that onto the list of weird things Selene did. He's a weird weirdo. (I am too.) There's some characters I don't recognize in here, I could try deciphering myself but I might have Joseph look at them later… Welp, you know the drill. This Bliss Flower, as always, bye. Y'know, everyone seemed really hopeful today. Maybe since I found my mother. Maybe, there's hope the others will find their families too. Bliss Flower PS: Blake's been acting weird lately, Alyssa too. Wonder what's up with that…? Adrian was weirdly distraught yesterday to add onto that. When I asked he didn't tell me anything about it. Did someone say something to him…? Author's Note Fun Fact: The little moment with Elin and Bliss was supposed to be apart of a separate chapter but it wasn't long enough to be a full one so I reworked it for this. I hate trying to stretch out chapters... I honestly like to think those moments where it splits off from the entries are Bliss retracing her memories instead of her writing what happend 1 to 1.
Chapter 7, Family. (Part 3, Ivy & Aegis)"There…" Ivy slammed the truck's door with Aegis jumping out shortly after her. What was the point of coming up here? Well, they had actually been camping up here for a while now, their whole wild goose chase just happened to lead them to St. Louis. "Break into any museums, government buildings, or anything of the like and burn anything important." What an odd order… Ivy and Aegis didn't question it though. "To build a new history we must trample upon the old one." Ivy said, clearly mocking Maverick. If there's one thing Ivy hated, it was definitely being told what to do. "Can't we just burn the whole building down?" That would definitely make their job easier. But of course, Aegis just wouldn't let Jade do that. "Yeah, if you want the entire city to burn down too." And why couldn't they just do that? A question with an obvious answer. There might be stuff they need in there, it would be pointless to throw away all this housing. Blah, blah, blah. On their way to the museum Ivy noticed something off… "Hey, doesn't it seem like somebody's been here before?" Stuff scattered everywhere, doors left open, someone's definitely been here before them. Another group perhaps? Hm? Aegis noticed it too. "Oh, maybe." Why should they care though? It's not like it mattered to them. "No, I was just saying, shouldn't we probably do something about that?" It could be something good for them. Such as more members for their group. The cold stallion just shrugged. "I dunno, it's none of our business." He's right. In the end, neither of them cared enough about the "Syndicate" to go out of their way to look for more survivors. Guess they would just come to them instead. But nonsense aside… Let's see what's in here… Aegis easily bucked down the doors, and let Ivy go in before him. Ladies, first. And what the hell was this…? This wasn't a damned museum, this was a damned playground! Ivy's eyes lit up as she rushed in. Finally something fun! No more of that serious 24/7 hodgepodge crap. She was practically jumping up and down in joy. "Come on, Aegis!" He rolled his eyes. They were here for a reason. They had to do their "mission" see if there was anyone here and get out. There was no time to be fooling around like this. "Ivy, get down from there." And to think he once tried calling her "lady" Ivy… As serious as ever it seems… "See, this is why nobody likes you!" Would it kill him to be happy for once? Plus, their stupid "mission" didn't even matter anyway, what the heck could they find here? Nothing, that's what Ivy thought at least. So why not have some fun for a change? Despite that, Ivy reluctantly listened to Aegis and got down. Boring… The two walked deeper into the museum with Ivy happily prancing along until they both heard something. Or someone. Crying. Aegis stopped dead in his tracks. "Do you hear that…?" A child…? Ivy nodded with a silent "mhm." Child or not, they needed to keep their guard up. Ivy took out two pink crystals. Gem magic, or mage craft. Exactly what it sounds like, a type of magic involving any kind of jewels to strengthen one's spells, only the most proficient of unicorns could pull it off. Not that Ivy was that but still, it was better than nothing. She wasn't gonna use that scythe of hers unless she absolutely needed it. She probably would've offered Aegis a weapon if she had anything but she knew he preferred to use his bare hooves. Ivy nor Aegis ran off. They both kept a steady pace with each other as they delved deeper into the building. By the gods, this place was like a maze. Ivy could've easily lost Aegis if she didn't pay attention. The crying got weaker the deeper they went in. Not that it mattered since they were most likely getting closer to its source. They thought that the buildings outside were ruined, this was way worse. Aegis even almost hit his head. Ow…. Gotta be careful… "Hello, is anybody there?" Ivy called. "Y-Yes?" A voice replied with a sniffle. Feminine, young… A child. Ivy softened her steps. She didn't want to frighten whoever, whatever it was even more than she already was. Aegis did the same. Oh sweet lord- It smelled terrible. How could anybody or anypony live in these kind of conditions? Child or not. But still, it couldn't be far. Just a little bit more.. Can't see… Ivy took out a flashlight and shined it through the space, a little more light aside from the setting sun wouldn't hurt. Several sleeping bags piled on top of each other, a perfect fit for whoever lived here. And a couple in another part of the room, filled with food, so that's where the smell was coming from. This was horrible… In the middle of it all was a young "filly" with strange eyes, green bug-like eyes, and a strange body filled with holes…? I found you. Aegis flinched back at the sight of her. A monster…? On the other hoof Ivy wasn't as scared as him. She was no monster. A changeling…? But shouldn't they all be-? And why here…? The girl stepped back as Ivy crouched down to her height. A kid, all alone in here… "What's your name?" The girl looked at Ivy as she wiped away her tears. "Riley… You're not gonna hurt me, are you…?" How the heck did she come to that conclusion? Did someone hurt her before? Well, Ivy would never do that, especially not to a kid even if she was a changeling… "No, I would never do that to you." Ivy smiled at Riley and extended a hoof to her. Riley smiled back and accepted it. It mightve been the weakest smile she had ever seen, but that was enough for Ivy. They would've all went back outside and that would've been that, but Aegis grabbed Ivy and pulled her to the side for a moment. "What are you thinking?!" They couldn't keep a kid- Creature, whatever she damn was with them! Was she crazy?! "Aegis, please!" Ivy pleaded. "You know very well we can't keep her, especially not around those weirdos." Aegis used that as nothing more than a "excuse" in truth, he didn't like "Riley" one bit. I mean, look at her what was she even supposed to be? What a digusting creature… "Aegis, she'll be fine. We have a literal vampire in our group for heaven's sake!" Riley probably would've been the least weirdest person there, especially compared to Wildcard. And if they really needed to, they could just hide her. "She's just a kid…" And what kinda person would leave a kid behind? Aegis turned to Riley, not with a look of kindness like Ivy showed her, but one of distrust and hatred. If Ivy wanted it then… "Fine…" She could stay. Ivy couldn't have been happier. "Thank you, Aegis." The three of them headed out that disgusting mess of a "place" and outside. On the way out Ivy noticed something, Riley stayed oddly closer to her the whole time but wouldn't even dare to go next to Aegis. Guess she couldn't blame her, he was pretty scary… Welp, no point in staying here. Might as well head back "home." It would take a while for them to get back though, almost half a day of a while. So they pulled over and stopped to camp for the night. Riley explained some things to Ivy, like how some people shot at her when they saw her. It filled Ivy with an indescribable animosity she never felt before, and she thought her people were bad…. No, there were definitely worse out there. Riley looked sad, like she was holding back tears. "I miss mom, dad, everyone…" Ivy smiled at her. "Well, you don't have to be alone ever again, you have us." They would never leave her side, ever. Well, Ivy wouldn't. She didn't know about Aegis. "We can be your mom and your dad, would you like that?" It wouldn't be her old parents but it was the closest "alternative." Riley smiled. "Yeah!" Meanwhile a certain someone else wasn't as happy as her. Aegis turned to Ivy with a stern look on his face. Was she trying to imply they were some sort of couple? Heh… "How about big sister, that works too right?" That made Riley about as happy as Ivy's other suggestion did. Something that made her happy too. What a sweet smile… She'll treasure it for the rest of her life. Hmm… Riley didn't seem hungry but she couldn't just not eat anything. Ivy dug through her bag for a moment. Ha, how about this! "I would make some s'mores but we don't have any marshmallows, so here. She took out what looked like a chocolate bar. They didn't have any "real" food right now, but kids liked this kinda stuff right? Riley took it, reluctantly so. "Is it good?" Ivy asked. "Mh-Yeah!" Riley replied with the chocolate still in her mouth. She was a quiet one. That would probably change with time as they got closer, but oh well. She couldn't force her to talk about things she didn't want to. She's just a kid after all. Plus, it probably didn't help that they had Aegis's looming presence over them. They probably would've stayed up but it was getting late, and kids need their sleep so Ivy forced her to go to bed. So, soon Riley was off to sleep…. Ivy was starting to get sleepy too. Was it just her or did she feel sorta light headed…? She felt like that back at the museum too actually… Maybe she just needed rest. "I'm gonna get some shut eye, keep an eye on her for me, okay?" It was funny, they really were like one big happy family... Aegis nodded as he watched Ivy head into the tent by herself. "Don't worry." Leaving him and Riley alone…. Disgusting thing. He saw what she did back there… This "child" could not be trusted. If he were Ivy he would've put her down immediately. Such an abomination cannot be allowed to roam the earth. But yet… Yet…. Ugh… He would just have to put up with it for now. Just like he did with everything else… Author's Note For those who wanted to know what happened to Riley, there's your answer.
Mini-Prologue, Premonition.Water… You can't see or feel anything… Just complete and empty nothingness… You stay like this for a while, just drifting… Drifting in the vast sea of souls. Until… A voice finds itself into your head. "This world…" It sounds like the voice of a young woman. She spoke with bitterness in her voice, like she was desperately worrying about something. And yet she sounds peaceful, serene even… Like she knew how to keep her emotions in check even with the current state of things. It even makes you feel at peace… "This world cannot go on like this…" The voice repeats. The darkness splits apart and suddenly, light. You can see it. You try to reach out to it, move towards it, anything! Just anything to stop being in this endless darkness! It works, the light gets brighter, and brighter until you're engulfed by it. And you wake up. What was that dream, or was it even a dream at all…? You wonder. Well, no point in dwelling over things like that. You must've fallen asleep again. You sigh heavily. Guess that's what you get for working overtime, even if you need the money. Why didn't any of your co-workers wake you up though…? And why was it so quiet…? You try to stretch a bit but it feels weird… Like you haven't moved in months, everything feels so hazy… And your body feels different… You glance into the reflection of your office computer and almost jump back from what you see, a strange oddly colored horse with a purple coat, light purple hair with black stripes, and black eyes gazing right back at you. The office chair falls over and you come tumbling out of it. "What the…?" What was that…? Who was that…? You look down where your hands would be just to find purple stubs instead. It's you… But how, and why…? This shouldn't be possible… You take a quick glance around. There's nobody else here… It looks like there hasn't been anyone here in ages too. Has long has it been, months, years…? You can't remember, as far you know it should the twenty-fifth of May. Maybe this was all just some weird dream…? Well, there's only one way to find out go and investigate. So you do. Author's Note And so it begins, I used 2nd person for this so I won't spoiler the new characters identity. It might be pretty obvious who they are by their appearance though.... hint: they looked pretty similar to a certain someone...
