The Equestrian Apocalypse

— Devan —

The subtle wind from the cart ride as well as the sound of the cart traveling along the tracks stopped. The pitch black offered by sleep arrived as I finally calmed down enough to fall into it. The quiet, mysteriously natural time travel was suddenly interrupted as I appeared somewhere else. As in most dreams, I did not need to open my eyes. I just appeared, seemingly snapping out of a dazed state and regaining a lost consciousness.

I appeared in a dark train car and immediately noticed the eerily real feeling not typical of my normal dreams. Beneath me, my stump laid on the seat. Even the dream world could not provide me with a replacement. I raised my hands out in front of me, moving my fingers back and forth. The very real feeling confused my brain into thinking I had somehow woken up here. I shook off the thought, as it did not make any sense.

The train car was dark and empty. I was sitting on one of the seats toward the middle of the car. I turned to look outside the train's window beside me, where the dark forest was steadily moving by. The passing grass and green of the forest were slightly lit by moonlight, and I was lost in a daze for a moment by the calming vision. My hypnosis was interrupted when I noticed a pony approaching by the side of the tracks. As the pony passed by, slowly walking on the stretch of grass in between the tracks and forest, I focused on them. I then realized when I saw its face that it was a zombie mare, slowly trotting along. I watched her pass by until I could not see her anymore.

“Devan,” a familiar mare’s voice called out.

Startled, I turned back to see Princess Luna sitting on the seat across from me. Her star-speckled mane laid flatter than it usually did, missing the typical flow pattern it followed. Other differences from her normal appearance screamed out the moment I saw her. On one of her cheeks was a wide red scratch mark. The mark looked odd, as no blood flowed from it despite looking deep enough to do so. One of her ears was also pointed down, still attached but hanging alongside her other cheek. The last difference was her foreleg, which was twisted inward near the bottom by her hoof. She carried a tired expression through bags under her otherwise bright blue eyes.

“Luna!! What happened to you?!” I cried. I scooted forward in the seat, reaching out to grab her shoulder. But as I did, my hand phased through her body.

“Devan … that’s not how dreams work.”

I pulled my hand back and defeatedly scooted back on the bench. The princess’s appearance worried me greatly, but it seemed there was nothing I could do about it. Not in this dream, at least.

“Are you okay??” I asked.

“I … could be better, but this isn’t about me.”

“What’s this about?”

“Devan …” the princess said, sighing deeply, “I have a very important decision for you to make.”

Her serious tone carried a lot of weight with it. I noticed her eying my missing leg, but she didn't seem phased by it. So ... she knew about it? Anxiety began seeping through me as I pondered what decisions she was about to ask of me.

“I tried to reach you earlier, but your dream states weren’t compatible. I’m guessing you were merely napping, but regardless, that's when I found out about your leg. It wasn't supposed to be ... this ... decision, but ...”

She took a deep breath before continuing.

“As you know from Celestia’s letter, we alicorns are losing our magic as well … unfortunately. However, I still have some of my magic left. I don’t have much, but it’s enough for what I am about to ask of you.”

She waited briefly in case I had anything to say. I did not, so she continued.

“Princess Celestia spent part of your stay teaching me of your world. With her magic, she was able to send me there, as well as bring me back. She deemed it crucial that I learn about it, and in the process … she taught me something very important.”

I took a deep breath, starting to map out the possibilities of what she might say. She also took a deep breath before continuing.

“Devan. I can cure your missing leg, using your body’s DNA to graft a new one just like before.
Or
I can send you back to the safety of your own world.”

There was silence for a moment as I soaked this in. This was a huge decision, and even my young, naïve self understood that. I pondered for a minute, trying to make sense of the question she asked me. After a minute, I spoke up again.

“I ... want-”

“Devan,” she interrupted, “We have some time. I really need you to think this through, carefully. This is a life-or-death decision you are making now. Please consider all the possibilities thoroughly.”

I dropped my head slightly, clasping my hands together and covering my nose and mouth to think. My thought process already seemed made up though. I did not understand why Luna was pushing this as such a difficult decision. The answer, to me, was clear: Fix my leg so I can help my friends beat this thing. Why would I want to go back now? I thought about how much of a burden I had become, but ... if she gave me my leg back?? That would be game-changing. On top of that, I seemed to be immune to this virus. That had to count for something. I knew that death was still a big concern, but I felt the need to be here despite it. I opened my eyes and looked back up at the princess.

“What possibilities?”

“There are many possible outcomes that come from either choice, Devan. If you choose to leave, we may never see you again. This world could remain in its apocalyptic state, or worse, end outright if nopony is alive to raise the sun. But if we do end this without you here, Celestia could live on to bring you back. It would have to be her, as she is the only one who can bring you here. If she dies, nopony else can do so. She only taught me how to send you back.”

The thought of Celestia bringing me back had never crossed my mind. Luna continued.

“On the other hoof, if you choose to stay, you are risking your life. This applies to both this universe and your own. We do not know for certain what happens in the event of your death. Celestia believes you will be sent back to your world, but not even she can rule out the possibility of you dying outright. Also ...”

She sighed. I leaned forward, growing curious.

“Celestia and I are the only ones who know how to get to your universe. If she and I both die before our magic is restored, you will be stuck here. Forever.”

This thought didn't strike me as hard, as that didn't sound all that bad. Regardless, it still sent a chill down my spine. Continuing my thought process, I tried to realize the consequences she had mentioned. My clear decision was not as clear as it seemed. While my life on Earth was far from great, I did not want to die, especially if I could have avoided it and come back to Equestria. The new question became:

How useful am I in stopping this apocalypse?

Did my friends need my help to stop it? Even if they didn’t, could I live with myself once I was sent back to Earth? Death almost seemed like the better option, as opposed to living with constant, anxiety-riddling uncertainty. I may just end up living the rest of my life on Earth not knowing that all my friends died. And maybe there was a situation I would have ended up in that would have saved somepony from dying, like Candy, or Spark, or Cloud, Dash, Flutters, maybe even Twilight. This rush of uncertainty brought a new wave of fear over me. With my hands still cupping my nose and mouth, I couldn't stop tears from rushing out.

“I’m so sorry to put you through this, Devan,” Luna spoke softly.

I wanted to respond, but my tears continued flowing a minute longer. Eventually, I came to grips with myself, wiping my eyes and looking up at the princess. She continued.

“I want to thank you, Devan. You have done so much for all of us, taking on the hard challenge of helping us rebuild, and working selflessly, even in a time like this. You have made some difficult life choices, and I know that is tough, especially for a young boy like you. If I could make it easier for you, I would. I want you to know that I am proud of you.”

Aaand I burst into tears again. The princess’s motherly tone flooded my brain with an overwhelming comfort I had not felt in a very long time. It took me another minute of crying and a few minutes of sitting in silence with the princess to recuperate. I stared out of the train window, appreciating the calmness of the nighttime ride. Still, the decision loomed inside of my head.

“I- I just want everybody to live,” I spoke my thoughts out loud, “I want them to live so I can be happy here.”

“I know, Devan. I want that too. But unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that. There is a heavy risk with every move we make now. That is why it is very important that you choose carefully.”

I looked out at the passing trees, memories of my past beginning to play in my head. Dark, choppy images of my teenage life before I was sent here appeared, causing me discomfort. Past trauma, sprinkled with a few soft, welcoming memories, before returning to the pain. Then, the memories morphed to after Celestia brought me here. Good memories.

My first time meeting Twilight. My first party with Pinkie Pie. Goofy memories. Somehow knocking over the bucket when bobbing for apples at a party with her and AJ. Getting pied on my surprise birthday party. Tumbling on the ground after falling off of Dash when she tried to fly with me on her back. Fluttershy showing me her 'animal' magic, pranking me with a butterfly attack. Teaming up with Spike and invading Rarity's boutique, trying on clothes meant for ponies. So many memories, one after the other.

One of them stood out.

“Twilight!” I yelled, running up the grassy field.

The alicorn was sitting up against a tree on the hillside reading a book. She looked up from it and smiled when she saw me. “Devan! How are you?”

When I approached the picnic blanket lying underneath her, I bent over, putting my hands on my knees. I raised my finger, telling her to wait for a second while I caught my breath. My watch read 7:22, over twenty minutes late from when we were supposed to meet.

“I’m sorry, Twi. I lost track of time.”

“That’s okay! Come sit, I’ve got your sandwich here,” she replied, opening her picnic basket as I took off my backpack and sat down beside her. She hoofed me a cheese sandwich she made for me, topped off with lettuce and tomatoes. She then took out her less appealing daisy sandwich, which she described as ‘so much better than a typical cheese’. I preferred the former, by a lot.

We both bit into our sandwiches, taking in the beauty of Celestia’s sunset. This was the first time she'd brought me to this spot, and I was grateful she did. The horizon glowed a light red as the sun slowly dropped over the rolling fields and forests. Mountain peaks in the distance shimmered under the light. Equestria really was a beautiful world to behold.

“So,” I said in between bites, “What is the experiment you wanted to run after this?”

“This is the experiment.”

I looked back at her before observing my surroundings. There were no wires, no devices attached to my brain, and no blinding lights being flashed in my eyeballs. I squinted my eyes at her, suspicious and confused.

“I promise,” she insisted.

“Well, in that case, this is the best experiment I have ever been a part of! I like this one a lot.”

She smiled. “I thought you might.”

“Wait,” I said, holding my sandwich out to inspect it. “Did you do something to this?”

“No …” she said, with a suspicious slur in her voice. I sniffed the sandwich and opened up the top slice of bread. Inside, hidden underneath the tomato, was a small daisy. I picked it out and held it up to make sure I saw it right. I looked back at her in dramatic disgust. “Really?”

“Oh come on!” she said, “they are delicious!”

“No way!” I exclaimed, tossing the daisy on the grass beside the blanket. She then used her magic to pull another daisy out of her own sandwich. I caught her doing so and pressed my lips together, shaking my head dramatically. She took the daisy and made it dance in front of my face. “You know you want it!”

I sat up on my knees and swatted at the daisy with my free hand, but she was too quick. I raised my knees and reached up as she lifted it above my head, continuing the assault. This caused me to lose my balance and accidentally drop my sandwich on the blanket while I fell backward, my legs sweeping out in front of me. She let the daisy fall on my lap as she couldn’t stop a fit of laughter. When I sat back up, I grabbed the little daisy and threw it at her before succumbing to the laughter myself.

The memory faded. The passing trees continued. I looked back at Luna, who sat patiently across from me.

“I’ve made my decision.”