Author's Note

Ok, this is exciting, the sequel to my story, blood of the Chimera. first, if you haven't seen that story you might be a bit lost, and you should go read that first. second I want to thank all of you who have read the first book and decided to continue the story. I hope you all like it, and where I'm going with it.

Prologue

prologue

May 14 xxxx 6:14 pm

A sound of a motorcycle raged past the gravely silence of a ruined city. A single song played on the bike's radio.

Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never turn around and desert you.

It looked something out of a video game. The skyscrapers and buildings were torn apart, with broken glass everywhere. Some parts of the city were covered in ash from fires long put out. The roads cracked and chipped, filth covered the sidewalks, and everywhere it seemed like an abandoned ghost town. Abandoned cars and other vehicles were piled on top of one another. Twisted metal that was once street lamps and traffic lights lay scattered about. An odor of decay hung in the air, yet everything felt lifeless. No bodies, dead or alive, were to be seen. There were no signs of life as the shadows of the city darkened most of the streets.

The time of day was obviously dusk, as a warm orange glow filled the sky.

A setting for a video game, maybe. But this was no video game. This was Ponyville. Once a bustling city full of life, it was now a wasteland full of abandoned buildings.

The only sign of any life was the sound of the motorcycle that was going through the quiet town, playing "Never Gonna Give You Up," an old song by Rara.

On the back of the bike were two figures. One was a mare who was driving. She was a grey mare with a black mane that had pink highlights in it. She wore faux leather boots, a jacket, blue ripped-up jeans, and a dirty, ripped white T-shirt.

The other figure riding with her was a tall, lanky yellow pony wearing a white lab coat and all black. He had a backpack on as he rode alongside her.

Eventually, they came to a stop by what looked to be the remains of a grocery store.

She cut the engine of the bike, and the sound of it dying out was the last noise of any kind that echoed in the area.

Not a bird, not even the scurry of a rat, moved past their ears. The only sound was their own hooves hitting the ground as they walked.

Finally, it was the mare who broke the silence. "See what you can find that's edible; I'm gonna try and find some water."

"Good luck! I'll find food before you find water up here, I bet," he chuckled.

"Carefully dismiss any sign of... THEM. And you come get me, understand?"

“Stop treating me like a baby! You're only, what, five minutes older than me? I know what to do, Mel," he argued as he took off his backpack. It was empty by the looks of it.

"I'm only being cautious. Remember the last time we went scavenging?" she argued.

"We've scavenged a hundred times since then," he countered. “They never caught us, and they never will." He called back as he began digging around what remained.

"Just be careful, please," she said suddenly, her tone shifting.

He said nothing and continued his work as she headed in the opposite direction.

Judging by the way the sun moved, an hour had passed before he found anything remotely edible. "Hey, jackpot!" he exclaimed as he picked up a few granola bars. "We actually might have dinner tonight." He stuffed them in his bag and looked around. There on the ground was also a can of sprinkles. "Oh, look—dessert too!" He picked it up and looked at the flavors. "Cherry, strawberry, lemon... Ugh, no chocolate. Man, I miss chocolate." He shook his head. "Oh well," he said cheerfully as he smiled brightly.

He didn't notice that in the shadows, something was watching him. It turned out there was life there, but what was it?

There was just enough daylight left for him to return to the bike. He never noticed something creeping up on him.

He called over a communicator he had. "Hey sis, I got dinner! I even found sprinkles for dessert."

"That's good! I got some water. It's filthy, but we can run it through a filtration unit when we get back home. I'm on my way back now."

"Okay, I'm at the bike," he said and hung up. He then looked out at the horizon, or what little he could find of it. "Home, huh?" he whispered to himself, thinking back.

A bright, happy smile came to his mind, but it faded into a look of sadness. He finished his thoughts, "We're never going home, are we... Mom?"

Just then, he heard something behind him move, making his eyes widen. He twitched his ears and scanned all directions for any sign.

He then slowly blinked, and when he reopened them, his blue eyes were now glowing yellow, with red slits. With his eyes this way, he could see much better in the dark shadows of the city. Though he could make out more detail, he could not see anything but could smell it. He took a whiff and noticed the scent—it smelled like that of a carcass already. But with his sense of smell heightened to its max, he could make out another scent: the scent of another creature.

He then quickly called his sister. "Hey sis, we got a—ahhhh!"

The creature jumped out at him, seemingly out of nowhere.

The pony literally flipped as the creature flew off his back with his bag. He pulled out a rusty cleaver knife. It was not sharp, but it was better than having no weapon at all.

"Brother, you alright!?"

The creature snarled at him, and he snarled back.

At the sound of both, she gritted her teeth, showing her fangs. Her eyes began to glow, and she took off on all fours, running like a beast herself.

The creature was a strange, slick black entity with green bug-like eyes. It had an exoskeleton and was very beetle-like, yet it seemed to resemble a pony. Its hands were sharp, and it had snarling fangs, hissing at its prey.

The two creatures began circling one another, looking for a good position to strike. Soon it was the pony who struck first, but the creature dodged and pushed him back.

Just then, it was the other who jumped ahead about to join them. "Melody, look out!" yelled her brother.

Her eyes widened in shock and surprise. When...

BAM!!!