the journal

DAY: 80

Entry:1

It's been a crazy few months, Canterlots on total lockdown, and we're stuck in our rooms. These guards in suits keep checking everyone for the Hollow. The screams echoing through the halls are enough to send shivers down my spine.

But guess what? There's a little secret they don't know. i designed the anti-bacterial layer on those suits! They work by using magic to block the Hollow, but only unicorns can activate them, and it weakens them. Here's the kicker: I know how to fix them and make them work for everyone, but for now... Let's just say I have a bargaining chip.

i need to go home but First, I need to find a suit. Rarity designed them, so maybe she can help me upgrade them for everyone. But I can't do anything without one. Maybe Shining Armor has one lying around in storage? Hopefully he's alright too!

Entry:2

The flickering red recording light casts an eerie glow on her face. Dust motes dance in the beam as she clutches the ancient video recorder. her voice, a low rasp, fills the stale air.

twilight: I found this old video recorder from a few months ago, buried under a pile of… well, let’s not dwell on that. It’s low on film, barely a sliver left. Honestly, I don’t know if I can capture everything I need to say, everything I need the world to know. But there’s no other choice. This might be my last chance.

(A cough wracks her body. she proceeds take a shuddering breath and clench her jaw.)

[SUBDOCUMENT#2]

Static hisses as the recorder is turned on. A nervous breath.

Twilight Sparkle (muffled): Are we recording? (Checks recorder) Yes, we are. Here we go. (Pause) I can do this. (Click)

Three loud knocks slam against the metal door. A metallic voice booms.

Guard: Prepare for inspection!

Twilight Sparkle (voice trembling): Ready!

Twilight scrambles to her feet, grabbing a previously packed bag. The door shrieks open, revealing a grim-faced guard.

Guard: What is your name?

Twilight Sparkle: Twilight Sparkle.

Guard: Age?

Twilight Sparkle: Twenty-seven.

Guard: Purpose for leaving cell?

Twilight Sparkle (voice firm): Transfer to military sector.

The guard snatches the recorder returning it without a word. A heavy silence descends before Twilight, now referred to as Sparkle, is ushered out.

They reach a bus. As Sparkle climbs in, a chorus of screams and cries fills the air. A mare's desperate plea cuts through the noise, begging for her foal who is being dragged away.

Sparkle (whispering): That foal was so scared… well, there dead now. (Voice hardening) [REDACTED] them and their stupid quarantine.

The bus lurches forward, checkpoints flashing by in a blur. As they leave the fortified sector, the devastation outside becomes horrifyingly clear. Houses stand with gaping wounds - shattered windows like vacant eyes, roofs caved in like broken skulls.

Sparkle, her face etched with a mixture of fear and determination, peers into a dilapidated building. Through the tattered drapes and a cavernous hole in the roof, a dark shape shimmers. An unknown creature stirs within the ruins.
as the bus passes by

The groaning engine of the bus finally sputters to a halt, the metallic doors hissing as they open. Twilight squints through the dusty window, the harsh sunlight momentarily blinding. Military Sector 4. It looms before her, a stark contrast to the crumbling ruins they left behind.

A towering security checkpoint bisects the entrance, a stark line dividing the outside world from the supposed safety within. Two fortified towers flank the checkpoint, each a bristling nest of weaponry. Four heavily armed guards, faces obscured by mirrored visors, scan the approaching bus with cold efficiency.

Propaganda posters plaster the checkpoint walls, their once vibrant colors dulled by the relentless sun. They depict sickly figures, their bodies contorted in pain, with bold captions screaming warnings about the signs of infection.

The bus lurches forward, inching through the imposing gate. A metallic clang echoes through the vehicle as the gate slams shut behind them. A tense silence hangs heavy in the air, broken only by the rasp of the engine.

Suddenly, the bus door hisses open again. Four more armed figures materialize, their faces grim under glowing visors. But these guards are different. They move with an unnatural grace, their hoofs outstretched palms up. a rifle levitates, held aloft by unseen magical energy.

Twilight's heart pounds against her ribs. waking up

Without a word, the guards begin a ruthless sweep of the bus, their levitating rifles searching every face. The recorder clicks, abruptly cutting off the chilling scene.
[END OF DOCUMENT]