Chapters A metallic clanging sound reverberates outside waking me up with a jolt. I sit up and unclip the MAC-10 out from my belt and point it in the direction of the noise.
“What the fuck was that?!”
I slowly stand up out of my sleeping bag, wipe my cyan locks out of my eyes and walk across the room in a low crouch towards the window stepping lightly on the creaky floorboards. I slowly make my way through the sea of obliterated pews littering the church floor towards one of the side windows that had been covered in a tarp almost like a curtain. I lift the tattered cloth away from the window and peek out at the small side alley below.
Outside the sky is light orange hue as the sun rises; long dark shadows cascade down from the fallen skyscrapers of the ruined city. I look up and down the alley searching for whatever could have made that noise and spot an old, rusted trash can lying on its side spilling out rotten trash and papers which were carried away by the wind.
“Hope that was the wind’s doing,” I muse reclipping the gun to my belt and make my way back to my sleeping bag at a more relaxed pace. Considering I was so kindly awoke it only made sense to get the day started. I eye the large travel pack sprawled next to my sleeping bag. “Well I might as well eat something,” I unzip my pack and rummage around a bit before I feel the small cardboard box hiding off to the side with my granola bars.
“Shit, only twelve bars left,” I mentally state as I grab one of said bars and carefully open it up before scoffing the dry bar down leaving no crumbs behind. With breakfast secured it would probably be good to just check what supplies I have left. I did check just a few days ago, but I would hate to run out of food and water again.
“Okay I have about two and a half litres of water left, 2 packs of bandages and plasters, a roll of gauze, two 50. Cal ammo boxes filled with .45 ACP and my granola bars. Not too shabby, but food and water will probably only last a day or so, so I should probably go scout for that,” I determine before closing my pack and rolling up my sleeping bag. I always hated rolling up a sleeping bag as no matter how hard I tried I could never get it to fit in that shitty small bag that it came it; however, having done the same routine of rolling and unrolling the damn thing I would say I got pretty good at it. Still fucking hate it though.
With my sleeping bag properly secured to the top of my pack I grab my makeshift bandoleer off my pack, that I had fashioned from the strap of a fanny pack and a tool belt, before securing it over my shoulder and upper chest. I unload the mag from my gun checking the amount of ammo in the mag before reloading it into the gun with a satisfying click. I look back to my pack as I reclip the submachine gun to my belt before checking the rest of my weapons.
I reach down to the sheath on my hip and pull out my old diving knife. I flip it about in my hands a bit giving it a few practice swings and stabs before I slide it back into the sheath. The small blade had served my well all these years and would hopefully be around for a few more; however, it had been overshadowed by one of my more recent additions.
Reaching down to the back of my pack I loosen a few straps and carefully remove my badass fireman axe. I had salvaged it from an old station a few years back and had modified it to have a larger mass on the head to increase its stopping power as well as replacing the old heavy wooden handle for a more lightweight aluminium one. I slowly checked over the surface of the axe before securing it to a quick release strap on the side of my bag.
After checking that my fireman axe was properly secured to the side of my pack, I hoist the hefty bag onto my back and grab an old tourist pamphlet out of my pocket. “Right looks like if I continue East down Norris Street, I should reach Broad Street which I can then follow North to the more sparse regions outside of the city,” I mentally state as I walk to the front door of the old church I had stayed in for the night and out into the ruins of Philly.
The Sun had risen slightly in the time it took me to gather all my stuff, and the sky had started to transition to a more bluish hue. The streets were littered with abandoned cars, concrete blockades and military vehicles, all casualties of the great collapse. I looked down to the watch on my wrist which told me that the time was 07:13. “Huh I actually managed to get a good night sleep for once.”
I remove the small explorer’s compass from my belt and determine the direction to go before setting off at a slow walk making sure to check around every corner and listening out for any sounds. The city had become eerily quiet as of recently and I was not about to be ambushed due to complacency.
I sneaked slowly ahead before a slow ticking noise made itself known from the side of my pack. I reach back and grab my battered Geiger counter before checking the reading. The small needle had drifted to about 0.4 μSv. “Shit so the bomb had been dropped closer than I thought,” I realise as I look down to the demolished city centre on the horizon.
I start to pick up the pace hoping to get further from the radiation zone before I suffered any radiation sickness. I zig-zag between the cars in a half-run-half-jog making sure to regulate my breathing and to conserve as much energy as possible.
The noise of the Geiger counter slowly starts to increase as I ran motivating me even more to get out. I suddenly reach a large intersection up ahead which had been converted into a military blockade. “That must be Broad Street!” I mentally exclaim as I skid around the corner and ran up the road trying to get as far away from the radiation as quickly as possible.
I continue my mad dash for a few more minutes as the noise of my Geiger counter slowly diminishes to an occasional click before stopping all together. With the radiation hopefully know behind me I slow down to a quick walk before stopping altogether. I look back over my shoulder at the crumbling buildings in the distance and the monsters that no doubt roam the rubble.
I turn around to take in the city for hopefully the final time. The once majestic buildings have either collapsed or have been shredded to pieces in the blast. The buildings look like the distorted teeth of a large beast as it howled up into the sky. I chuckle quietly as the mental image pops into my mind as well as how the thought was unironically true. Millions had lost their lives in those streets and those who didn’t weren’t human anymore.
I take a deep breath and continue away from the city taking it slow and keeping low to the ground to avoid any corrupted that could be roaming around. If there was one thing I wanted more than anything it was to get as far away from this hellhole as I could.
A few hours later
I slowly approached what looked like an old bank. The sun had started to get low, and the streets were covered in harsh shadows. I clipped the MAC-10 back onto my belt and grabbed the fireman axe off my pack.
“Okay, get in, confirm if corruption, if there is get out,” I tell myself as I hold the axe in my hands getting a feel for it before slowly moving through the broken glass door and into the bank.
The tiled floor is littered with shards of broken glass and spent ammunition. Piles of rubbish lie up against the walls and some lie about across the floor in old barricades. I slowly step up to the counters making sure to step clear of the glass, spent casing and trash.
As I approach the counter, I stop and see the last thing I was hoping to see. Through the cracked bullet-proof glass, I get a somewhat clear view of the walls behind and the stuff on it. The walls are covered in a black slime-like substance which pulsates erratically giving off red, yellow, green and blue flashes occasionally like what would be seen on a glitching TV screen.
“Fuck,” I whisper in my mind. I start to scan every inch around me being more alert and careful than ever with this newfound information. I just had to hope that there were no corrupted in the building currently. I had been very quiet though so if there were any they hopefully hadn’t heard me yet.
I turn around to walk back to the door when a crash off to my left catches my attention. I immediately shoot up into a combat stance holding the axe tightly in my hands as I prepare myself for an attack. My heart pounds in my chest as adrenaline shoots through my system.
The door leading to an employee room on my left is smashed off its hinges as something barrels through the door and into the main room of the bank. The creature slowly gets up off the ground before turning to face me. The creature resembles a human, but heavily distorted. Parts of the creature are coated in the corruption and some of its skin appears to be melting off. Its mouth and jaw are distended into something that resembles the mix of an open-mouthed smile and guttural howl of anguish with its eyes being completely white and glow slightly.
The creature looks at me for a moment before laughing manically.
“Why so serious child?” The creature says in a glitching and distorted voice as it continues to giggle.
I just glare at the abomination ahead of me. Anger coursing throughout my system as I glare at the creature with pure hate.
“Why must you resist so?” The creature says its mangled jaws moving unnaturally with its speech.
“The darkness is eternal; you and your pathetic world have lost. You can’t save us,” It continues tilting its head to the side as its shoulder slumps down.
I remain absolutely silent as the corrupted continues to laugh and giggle manically. My entire being wanting nothing more than to rip into the corrupted before me, but I know that given enough time it will lose its patience.
“HAHAHAHAHA… RAAAA!!!” The corrupted roars before charging at me. Unlucky for it having known it would eventually attack I was prepared.
Placing my one leg back to get a better stance I grip the axe at the base and swing it as hard as I can at the corrupted smashing its chest in with a resounding crunch and a spray of blood and bone fragments as its lungs and heart are pulverized.
The corrupted flies across the room and crashes into the wall before falling to the ground in a heap with its organs spilling out of its chest.
Just as I think it’s over a second and third corrupted barge out of a separate side door alerted by the sound of their comrade having an intimate moment with the wall.
Twisting the axe around I hold it by the base in my left hand to free up my right. Drawing from the power within me I summon a red and black flaming microphone into my right hand. With practised ease I hurtle the flaming microphone at the attacker on my right striking its face with enough force to shatter its skull killing it instantly.
The one on my left attempts to flank me however I see it and pulling my mic back before hurtling it to my left twirling the wire of the mic around its throat before pulling it in. The corrupted stumbles and flies through the air before landing at me feet. With no time for it to react I smash the axe down on its head causing it to explode in a shower of gore.
I pull the axe out of the remains of its head with a wet squelch and dissipate my mic before grasping the axe in both hands again and looking around at the scene before me. The scene of violence brings a smile to my face, and I start to giggle at the display almost wanting more to appear so I can kill them too.
A separate distorted laugh joins mine and I freeze. The first corrupted is lying on the ground laughing as the corruption covering its head shimmers and pulsates violently.
“You… don’t realise… your end…” the corrupted wheezes through the blood and corruption flowing out of its mouth. I just stare at it with all of my hate and anger as I slowly make my way towards it to finish the fucker off.
“You… are doomed Keith,” I pause in shock. How does it know my name? I had never met who this person used to be and if I did it should not even be able to remember something like that.
“This universe… is ours now. You’ve lost… boyfr-”
“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT NAME!!!” I yell in pure rage my voice hoarse and gravely from years of disuse.
“Hehehe… face it… you’ve failed… you failed your friends… your family… girl- “
The start of the nickname sends me over the edge and before I even know it my gun is in my hand, and I empty the entire mag into its head pulverizing it into sludge.
I stand as still as a statue the gun still pointing at what used to be the corrupted’s head. My mind is completely blank and devoid of emotion as I breathe heavily.
I don’t even feel the tear leaving my eye.
Author's Note
Hey if you've read this far and you have any advice please let me know.
I've never written anything as ambitious as what I have planned so any criticism is welcome.
If you absolutely despise this story and want to write a raging rant about how terrible it is feel free to do so just please let me know what it was that ticked you off so much and I will try my best to improve in the future.
If anyone gets confused I just want to state now that any italicized words are supposed to indicate a character's internal dialogue. I will try my best to make sure that any character interactions are as legible and understandable as possible however as english is not my first language I will probably make mistakes and my editor is me, myself and I.
That is all I have for now.
1 week later
I stand in silence as I look up at the dark visage of an old apartment complex. Most of the windows are either shattered and lying on the floor in heaps of glass or boarded up with planks and pieces of sheet metal. The old brick walls are cracked and split in multiple places and blood splatters taint the surface of the bricks.
The place had changed so much since I was last here all those years ago.
I step over some debris littering the parking lot and make my way inside.
The reception desk has been flipped on its side; boxes of old ammunition resting against the legs of the table. An old AR-15 lies next to the skeleton of a long-deceased soldier just behind the makeshift barricade. All things I notice yet I can’t get myself to acknowledge as I walk over the corpse and up the stairs.
A long hall stretches across the length of the building as I reach the top of the stairs. The checkered red carpet has been stained black with age and dirt. All the apartment doors are closed or barricaded shut showering the hall in complete darkness.
Walking from memory I pace through the darkened hall counting my steps as I walk along before stopping and turning to my left. The door before me is cracked and covered in streaks of red, it could almost be mistaken for a design choice if the stench of iron wasn’t so obvious to the true nature of the marks.
Looking up I can just about spot an old stain resembling a ‘13’ at the top of the door. Reaching back, I lower my bag off my shoulder and remove and old key from the depths of my bag. The small plastic label attached to the keychain clinking softly against the main body of the key as I insert it into the lock of the door.
The door unlocks with a quiet click and slowly opens away from me.
“Home”
I grab my bag and walk into my old room. The old door mat had been reduced to a pile of tattered threads at the foot of the door. My old coffee table had collapsed due to a broken leg and my fridge had fallen onto its side spilling all the internal shelves across the floor. My couch sits proudly against the wall pointing towards the window where I would occasionally watch the sun set across the horizon.
With a faint click I push the door closed and plop my bag against the foot of my couch before sitting down on the couch itself. The decaying frame groans in protest as I sit down, but I can’t be bothered to care.
My eyes slowly scan the wreck that was once my home. Memories of the life I had lived flash before me in vivid colours. Pico and I playing Mario Kart on my Nintendo Wii as rain poured outside; fiddling with a second-hand DJ set late at night; surfing the internet for cheap speakers and mixers; exercising early in the morning before work and…
Sophia
I cringe as I see her face vividly in my mind. The soft smile she always had when she spotted me appearing crystal clear in my memories as if she were standing right in front of me. Her locks of light brown hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall and the bright red dress that she so adored. I clamp my eyes shut tight as memories flow freely behind my eyes.
“I miss you so much,”
Everything starts to go blank as my hopelessness and despair hits me full force. The memories crash down on me in a whirl of colours, sounds and smells overwhelming my senses. I hold my face in my hands in an attempt to drown out .
“You weren’t good enough-“
“Pathetic-“
“You killed them-“
“Waste of space-“
“Trash-“
Sensations and memories assault me in rapid succession as I feel myself tuck into a ball.
“Why didn’t you protect me?”
A voice breaks through the chatter in my mind, cold and accusatory. I freeze as the words echo around in my head, a cold sensation spreading throughout my body.
I cry until I fall asleep.
A few hours later
A harsh crack shatters the silence of the night reverberating across the ruined streets of Glenside. I groggily rise off the couch into a sitting position. I slight tremble shoots through the room rattling the shelves strewn across the floor.
“Somethings wrong”
I quickly stand up and grab my bag. I had experienced minor earthquakes before, but something felt off about this. I wasn’t sure what but considering my instincts had gotten me this far I wasn’t about to start ignoring my gut when it said shit was about to go down.
I lower myself into a semi-crouched stance and strain my ears for any noise at all while I scan the room around me for anything out of the ordinary when my eyes stop on the view just outside my window.
The sky outside is all wrong. Instead of stars and galaxies the sky appears to be covered in corruption with small multicoloured lights flickering randomly throughout the entire night sky. The sight is oddly beautiful as colours dance about the sky.
I am shaken out of my trance quite literally as a slight tremor shakes the room before a low rumble reverberates across the town. My blood runs cold, and an almost incapacitating sense of dread fills my body.
“I need to get out!”
I rush to the door and kick it open knocking the door off its hinges in the process. Taking off at a solid sprint I rush down the hall and back into the main reception area before bolting out of the building and into the dark streets.
A loud crash sounds off to my right as a building a few metres away suddenly and inexplicitly crumbles in upon itself. As I watch the building suddenly crumple out of seemingly nowhere my ears are suddenly filled with the sound of multiple buildings collapsing all around me.
“What the fuck is goi-“
My thoughts are cut off as the ground violently starts shaking causing me to lose my footing and fall to the ground. Wasting no second thought I scamper to my feet and bolt down the street in an attempt to get away from whatever is happening around me. I round a corner down a side street when a corrupted suddenly bolts out of a nearby doorway.
The corrupted is convulsing violently as its limbs contort and flail about wildly. The corruption coating its body is violently flashing in such quick succession that the colours merge to appear white.
As I stare at the convulsing corrupted in disbelief, I suddenly realise that the streets had become a lot brighter all of a sudden. Looking up I am greeted by the same sight as the sky violently flickers. An overpoweringly loud roar shatters the air around me and the ground starts to shake more violently than before.
I fall to my knees due to the sudden movement. The sharp noise of cracking rock and concrete fills my ears as the ground around me starts to break apart and seemingly drift away from each other.
Looking down I see a crack form just below me. I frantically search for a safe before spotting a broken streetlight pole next to me. As quickly as I can I launch myself towards the pole just before the ground below me gives away.
Grasping tightly to the pole with one hand while holding my cap securely with my other I finally chance a look up to the scene around me.
The ground around me splinters and shatters bringing the buildings all around me crashing down. In the sky I spot what looks like frozen lightning bolts suspended all around me pulsating brightly.
Another roaring noise echoes through the destruction as the ground continues to shake. I spot a faint glow weaving its way in between the cracks before a large chunk of land suddenly drops down right in front of me disappearing into the light below with a rush of air.
The ground below me starts to tilt downwards towards the gaping hole before me. With a yelp I grab the pole as hard as I can. My eyes are drawn towards the light below me and what I see freezes my blood cold.
The hole appears to lead to a sea of what looks like TV static. As more rocks and debris falls down into the hole and disappear into the light show below. I suddenly become aware that the wind roaring around behind me is actually air being sucked down into the hole ahead of me.
My mind is in a panic trying to figure out what the hell is happening. I look up and see these sinkholes appear all around me sucking anything and everything into the bottomless pits below.
I hear the sound of creaking metal through all the chaos around me and whip back around. The pole starts to creak under the strain of my weight and the howling winds buffeting against it.
“shit shit shit SHIT!!!”
I frantically search for something else to grab on. My eyes dart about wildly as I search for something, anything to hold onto.
My eyes land on an old newspaper dispenser to my left still standing strong despite the howling winds and shaking ground. I shift myself up to lean against the back of the buckling pole and reach out to grab the metal box.
The noises all around me become a faint drone in the background as I focus all my effort on reaching the small little box.
A loud snap shatters my concentration as I suddenly feel the pole give way under me.
With a terrified shout I tumble down the hole and into the abyss below.
I bright flash of light encompasses my vision before everything went dark.
Twilight groaned softly as she joined the waking world. The sound of birds chirping filling the quiet morning air as the Princess of Friendship unceremoniously plopped out of bed.
The school holidays had started a few days ago and Twilight was behind schedule with marking her student’s papers. The school had seen a massive influx of students after the defeat of Tirek, Chrysallis and Cozy Glow a few months back and even with Starlight’s help the workload was still suffocating her.
Twilight made her way to a small crystal mirror she had fitted to the wall next to her bed. The close proximity of the mirror had allowed her to save twelve seconds every morning that she would otherwise lose if she walked to her bathroom to brush her mane and back.
With barely any thought Twilight enveloped her mane brush in her magic and got to work straightening the knots out of her hair. Making sure to be quick yet methodical she brushed her unkept mane into its usual appearance when a quiet knock broke through the morning air.
“Twilight are you up yet?” Came the muffled voice of Spike from behind the door.
“Be there in a second,” Twilight replied groggily as she finished straightening her hair before trotting over to the door to greet her number one assistant.
“Good morning, Spike,” Twilight groaned as she looked down at the little drake before her.
“Geez Twi, you look rough. What time did you go to bed last night,” Spike replied, a shocked expression adorning his face.
“Uhhh….”
“Look Twilight I know you’ve got a lot of tests to get through and all that, but it’s the school break for pony’s sake! Take the day off, go meet the girls for lunch or something,” Spike demanded authoritatively giving Twilight a harsh glare in the process.
“Spike you know I can’t just shrug my duties for the day,” Twilight rebutted trying her best to suppress a yawn in the process.
“No! You need a break. I can manage a few papers if it’s such a big deal, after all you specifically made those memos for each paper so that Starlight could help you when she had a free moment between counselling,” Spike shot back flying up, so he was eyelevel with her.
“But I-“
“No”
“Can’t I just-“
“No”
“I have to-“
“NO!” Spike bellowed shocking Twilight into silence.
The purple alicorn stared at the small dragon flying up in her face. A determined expression on her face that she had seen whenever he wanted to do something for Rarity. She knew that this was not something she could argue with.
“*sigh* Okay Spike. I’ll take the day off BUT tomorrow I’ll have to work if I want to be ready before the start of the next semester. Got it,” Twilight responded firmly.
Spike smiled triumphantly at his victory and got out of Twilight’s face to allow her to get out of her room. Twilight slowly trotted past him before stopping to turn and face him.
“Uhh… Spike do we have any coffee left,” Twilight muttered quietly as her ears folded against her head and her head drooped.
Spike smirked, “Already way ahead of you Twi,” He proclaimed before shooting off down the hall ahead of Twilight towards the kitchen.
Twilight groaned loudly as the scope of what she just agreed upon struck her. “How could I have allowed myself to be coaxed into taking the day off! There are still hundreds of papers to mark, and Starlight and I have barely been holding it together! Now Starlight will have to keep going while I take a break leaving her more exhausted and less productive while I go running about! Then she will be mad that I took time off while she had to work, and she will think I’m a terrible friend and that I’m selfish and inconsiderate and-“
“Good morning, Twilight!”
The cheery voice of Starlight interrupted Twilight’s brooding yanking her back into the waking world. Twilight deflated further at the sound of one of her close friends and personal student greeting her in such a jovial manner while Twilight was just about to ditch her to go relax.
“Wow, Twilight are you alright? You look like someone just lost a borrowed book or something,” Starlight asked with concern seeing that Twilight was a mess.
“Oh… Starlight! I didn’t see you there!” Twilight replied a little too loudly forcing a grin onto her face that was just too wide to be natural. Starlight winced as she saw Twilight’s face.
“Uhh…” Starlight stuttered completely at a loss to what do to in this situation. She had dealt with Twilight’s ‘episodes’ before yet she was still not entirely sure on the best way to relieve the situation. The one time she got it wrong she spent the next two months finding quills impaled all over her room.
“Hey, Twi I got the coffee you… asked… for…“
Spike stopped just short of the small standdown occurring in front of him before clearing his throat loudly to get both mares’ attention.
“Twilight, I already told Starlight that you would be taking the day off and she agreed to it,” Spike deadpanned as he realised the problem.
“B-b-but s-she-“ Twilight stammered still not convinced of Spike’s decision.
“Twilight it’s okay,” Starlight said, placing a hoof comfortingly on Twilight’s shoulder.
Twilight looked back and forth between her two housemates trying to find any way to convince them to let her help them with the day’s work. She couldn’t just leave all the work to them to just do what she wanted, yet as she looked into their eyes and saw the determination behind them, she knew it was a lost cause.
“*sigh*” Twilight sighed drooping her head in defeat. “Okay, one day.”
Even though Twilight couldn’t see, both Spike and Starlight beamed.
“Right let’s go get some breakfast then!” Spike said breaking the silence that hanged after Twilight yielded.
“Sounds like a great idea, Spike I’m starving,” Starlight seconded as she trotted over to Spike’s side.
“Twilight, are you coming?” Starlight asked over her shoulder.
“Huh… Oh,” Twilight stammered once she realised that the duo was waiting for her and trotted over.
“I heard that the girls had decided to have a quick breakfast at that new griffon café down the road,” Spike started conversationally. “I thought maybe the three of us could go join them for a quick breakfast before Starlight and I got to work.”
“I like that idea,” Starlight responded before looking over to Twilight, “What do you think Twilight?”
Having regained some of her composure Twilight looked up at Starlight with a genuine smile, “I think that’s a great idea.”
With smiles all around the trio trotted through the crystal halls with the sound of clopping hooves echoing throughout the castle.
A few minutes later
The warmth of Celestia’s Sun engulfed the citizens of Ponyville like a warm blanket as ponies moved about the town. Twilight and co were walking through the town market, waving occasional at the various sellers and buyers as they walked by.
“Hey Twilight!” A raspy voice called out over the chatter of the crowd.
Twilight, Spike and Starlight turned towards the voice spotting Rainbow Dash hovering just over the roof of a small hut-like building wedged in between two houses. The small café had a small seating area outside with Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy waving at their friends. The group quickly made their way over to the others greeting them with various hugs and nuzzles of affection. As the group settled down and got all their orders in, the group dissolved into friendly conversation.
“-Oh, you would not believe it darlings, but I got invited to create ensembles for the Hoofington Fashion Fair this year!” Rarity announced excitedly, “Apparently the new yak dresses and coats I made have gathered quite the attention and the investors wanted me to come star as their main attraction this year!”
“Oh, wow Rarity that’s wonderful,” Fluttershy praised quietly.
“Ya you go Rarity,” Rainbow and Pinkie yelled in sync.
“Ah gotta say Rares that’s mighty good news,” Applejack drawled.
“Oh ho ho you are all too kind, but enough about me how have things been going with all of you? Between all the work with the school and the boutique I feel as if I rarely manage to even speak to you all,” Rarity responded.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! You guys you will never guess who is coming to help out at Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie squealed vibrating in her chair in excitement, “CHEESE SANDWIDCH!!!”
“Oh awesome! I haven’t heard from him in ages!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“I know right! He said he wanted to move closer to Ponyville, but didn’t have enough bits on hand so I was like: ‘Oh, if you need bits you can come work at Sugarcube Corner,’ and he was like: ‘Are you sure Pinkie? I don’t want to be a burden,’ and I was like: ‘Oh you silly you would be more than welcome!’ and he was like-“
“Okay Pinkie, we get it,” Twilight deadpanned while trying to suppress a chuckle at her friend’s antics.
The mares and dragon all shared a laugh at the display when a unicorn stallion wearing a green apron walked over carrying a tray with an assortment of drinks.
“Here are your drinks,” the stallion announced while floating everyone’s drink toward their respective owner.
A collective round of thanks echoed from the table as everyone started drinking their drinks. The table was mostly silent for a moment as everyone enjoyed their drinks, just enjoying everyone’s company.
“So Fluttershy how is the animal sanctuary goi-“ Twilight started before she felt a strange tingling in her horn. It felt as if an invisible force was pulling at her magic.
Looking around she could see Rarity and Starlight with confused expressions on their faces. They were probably feeling the same sensation.
“Twilight is everything okay?” Spike asked looking at her a hint of worry in his voice.
“Oh, don’t worry about it Spike I’m sure its noth-“
A loud crack reverberated throughout the town square causing ponies all around to either bolt or shout in panic. Everyone at the table was drawn to the source of the noise and immediately spotted a faint amount of distortion in the air a few hooves ahead of them.
“Twi what in tarnation is-“ Applejack began before another loud crack shot out.
The two unicorns and alicorn at the table yelped in pain as they grasped the base of their horns.
“TWILIGHT!!” Spike shouted rushing to her aid just as a crack similar to a lightning bolt shimmered into existence within the distorted air.
Ponies all around started to panic and run about wildly while all the unicorns groaned in agony on the ground. The mares that weren’t incapacitated leaped into action trying to calm down the panicked residents of Ponyville. Twilight could only watch in pain as her friends ran about trying to keep everyone calm and help the unicorns that were either flailing about or had passed out.
Twilight then looked to the strange floating light just ahead of her. Whatever it was it was unlike anything she had ever seen and she could also feel it feeding off her magic reserves. Twilight’s eyes widen as it clicked in her mind that the anomaly was feeding off the magic around it.
“G-g-girls,” Twilight groaned as the throbbing in her head dulled her ability to think straight.
“G-g-get a-away.”
The strange light suddenly started to flash brighter before seemingly bending downwards to the ground. A loud cracking sound and a bright flash exploded outward from the centre of town engulfing ponies all around it before flowing over Twilight.
And then everything went dark.
Author's Note
Do please let me know if you feel someone is out of character I am going to try my best to keep everyone as in character as possible
My first conscious experience was a debilitating headache unlike anything I have experienced before. Scrunching my eyes shut even tighter I groan in pain as the searing headache overwhelms my recently regained senses. I pull the blanket in my hands closer to my chest, grasping it in an iron grip as instinctively pull myself into a foetal position.
The movement helped lessen the effect of my headache by kindly bringing all my other aches to attention. The muscles in my legs and arms felt like they were on fire and my throat ached due to how dry it was.
Another groan leaves my throat sending me into a coughing fit. My eyes start to water as pain shoots through my chest and a soundless yell escapes my mouth as my coughing stops. I start to focus more on my breathing, taking deep slow breaths in and out so as to not agitate my lungs and send me into another coughing fit.
I don’t know how long I lay there but soon the pain all across my body started to dissipate allowing me to finally think clearly again. My eyes were still closed and the only sensation I could feel was the blanket over my body and the pillow under my head.
Wait… blanket? pillow?
My brain immediately kicked into action as my eyes shot open at this realisation, which I almost immediately regretted. I quickly shut my eyes again as they were assaulted by the light around me making me groan as pain shot through my eyes this time.
My brain was in overdrive trying to figure out what was going on. Slowly I started to open my eyes little by little allowing them to acclimate to the light around me. My mind blanked as I looked around.
The walls of the room seemed to be made of wood and were painted a light bluish colour with darker shades of blue painted in some sort of swirling pattern while the floors were made of what looked like beige coloured ceramic in a checkered style. The curtains around my bed were a whitish-blue colour while those at the windows were turquoise. The sky outside was a greyish brown colour with no clouds in sight. What struck me as bizarre though was how clean and well-maintained everything looked.
There were no piles of trash strewn about across the floor, no blood stains or corpses and no corruption. It almost felt… normal.
What the fuck is going on?
Looking around my bed I spotted various types of medical equipment around me. Again, also in strangely good condition, although they weren’t on at the moment so I could not confirm whether they worked or not. Looking at the contraptions I realised they had some odd design features such as what appeared to be small gemstones attached to the machines.
My attention was drawn away from this though as I noticed some of the wires coming off the machine heading underneath my blanket. I threw it off myself and saw as it tumbled over the bed onto the floor. Looking up and down my body I realised that I thankfully still had all my clothes on and my shoes too strangely enough. The people who brought me here must be idiots considering they didn’t even remove my knife from my belt.
Looking at my arms and legs I see medical pads attached to various exposed points along my limbs with wires attached to them. Safe to assume that those machines work then, that or I am dealing with delusional junkies who wanted to play doctor with me.
Removing the wires from myself I turn to sit on the side of the bed and hopped off to have a look around the small room I’m in. Despite the fact that the building is made of wood; still standing and the fact that whoever lives in this hospital managed to keep this area clean, it looks like any other small hospital room, at least how I remember a hospital room looking.
Right, I need to get out of here and figure out how I got here. Hopefully my bag is around here somewhere.
I start searching about the room checking in the small bedside tables and the lockers arranged along the walls before eventually finding my bag and all my weapons carefully stored in one of the lockers. Okay I can confirm these people aren’t just idiots, they are grade-A dumbasses.
With my MAC-10 on my belt and my bag on my back I can finally get started on figuring out where the hell I am. My memories feel like a coagulated soup with lights and sounds flowing about slowly and out of focus. I remember falling asleep on the couch at my old apartment, but after that I…
I rub my temple with my hand as the headache starts to come back.
Okay memory loss can be dealt with later now I need to figure out where I am and who bought me here.
I grab my axe off my bag and start towards the door opposite my bed which I assume leads further into the building. Reaching the door, I crouch low and peak through the keyhole at the hall outside. The hall beyond has a similar colour scheme to the room, but with white accents and just out of the corner of my eye I can spot an upturned hospital bed.
After listening through the door for a second or two I slowly ease the door open and step into the hall. I remember why I never liked going to hospitals, the creepy silence that you find in an abandoned hospital is so much worse than any other abandoned building. The hall is at least a bit more like what I was expecting with all the medical equipment littered throughout the hall.
Right is there a legible sign here that I can use to find my way out of here.
I look up and down the hall to see if I can spot a sign that could indicate where I was. A small popping sound echoes through the hall and before I know it, I have my gun in my one hand pointing down the hall and my axe in my other. Looking down the hall the sound of tinkling glass quietly sounds from the suddenly darkened corner of the hall.
Just a popping lightbu… Wait
My brain blanks for a second as I finally realise that the lights in the hall aren’t from ouutside, but from lights just above my head.
So, if there are lights working here then this building has power but how! The national grid has been offline for years and I haven’t seen a functional generator let alone a functional engine in just as much time.
Somehow whoever lives in this building had managed to get power back and running for an entire hospital and considering I was hooked up to some of those medical machines then those must work too! Who the fuck are these people!
Taking the more lit up path I make my deeper into the hospital. Hopefully I can find some directions further down. The strangeness of my surroundings still troubles me though. I can’t still be in Glenside as the hospital there had collapsed years ago and if I was in the hospital in Philly my skin would have melted off at this point, so that begs the question, where am I?
Rounding the corner at the end of the hall I enter what looks like the reception area of the building. Small benches line the wall with large pillows on top. Pictures adorn the walls, which are light green in colour with the same swirling patterns of the room I woke up in. I look quickly up and down the large space before my eyes land on something I never thought I would see again.
Is that a… plant!?
Just next to one of the benches sits a large potted plant which should be an impossibility. All plant life had gone extinct years ago having been consumed by the corruption as it grew throughout the world.
This newest piece of evidence threw all my predictions of where I was out the window. Sure, I had barely travelled far fromPhiladelphia in the last few years, but surely if there were still plants around, I would have heard of it at some point!
I slowly approached the plant, running my fingers along the delicate leaves and stems. I never realised how much I had missed the feeling of plants. My mind was filled with a sense of euphoria I hadn’t experienced in years as my fingers danced about the soft skin of the plant, memories of happier times entering my mind that I hadn’t thought of in years.
My blissful state was shattered as an ear-piercing scream sounded off in the distance. My instincts immediately kicked in and I assumed a defensive stance facing the direction of the noise. The shriek came from just behind a glass door to the left of the potted plant leading out of the building.
I waited for a second to determine whether I had actually heard the scream when the same scream tore through the air. The scream was not what I had expected as it had no distortion like what a corrupted scream sounded like. It sounded feminine and from how it sounded the person it came from sounded distressed.
Maybe if I go figure out what’s going on there, I can get some information on how I got here.
Having decided a course of action I stepped out of the hospital and onto a dirt road. Looking around the small courtyard just outside what I could now confirm as the main entrance to the hospital I could see a forest close by with huge trees lining a field of greyish grass on which the dirt path lay. Following the dirt path with my eyes I spotted a small village consisting of wooden houses a few hundred metres away.
Okay this is just getting crazy!
I slowly walked down the dirt path as I became more and more concerned about what was going on. Nothing made sense as everything I was seeing should either be extinct, corrupted or not there to begin with, yet here were plants, trees, relatively well-maintained buildings and no corruption in sight.
This couldn’t be a dream? No, the pain I had experienced as I woke up was too vivid to be a dream. Corruption? But then I would have been experiencing bouts of insanity as all newly corrupted individuals do and I am definitely thinking straight.
I continued walking deep in thought as I slowly approached the village ahead of me. As I got closer, I could see the buildings in clearer detail. Almost every building was an off-white colour with either pink or purple accents. Every house had boarded up windows and the thatch on the rooves had started to fall off leaving holes in them.
As I walked past the houses deeper into the town the feeling of wrongness I felt quickly started to increase. It was too quiet all of a sudden. There was definitely something here if those screams were anything to go by so then, where were the people?
My thoughts were interrupted as a faint clopping sound permeated the air. I stopped and strained my ears to listen. I stood completely still as I focused on the sound. It was getting louder.
A scream tore through the air again coming from the same direction as the clopping noise. Now that I was closer, I could identify something about the scream that boiled my blood in anger.
The scream was that of a child.
Author's Note
Please let me know if I made any grammar or spelling mistakes
Things will probably start ramping up from here
If anyone has any tips on how I can improve my writing please let me know
In an instant the whole world stopped and everything was silent. My mind went into auto pilot as I rocketed as fast as I could towards the sound of the screams. Energy conservation and self-preservation be damned I will NOT let another innocent child die again.
My feet pounded on the dirt road kicking up a cloud of dust in my wake as I ran. Houses and shops flew by in a blur as I homed in on the source of the scream. I ran and ran twisting and turning through the maze of streets as I got closer and closer to the source of the screams.
Rounding a finally corner I spotted what looked like a herd of ponies adorned in strange black armour, the helmets had some kind of hair tuft on the top similar to what Romans had on their helmets.
Wasting no time, I charged straight toward the armoured equines brandishing my axe as I yelled a battle cry. The ponies all twisted around to face me, allowing me to see their features in clearer detail. Four of the ponies had wings, four had horns and another four had neither. The pegasi, as I could now see them for what they were, leapt into the air while the unicorn formed some sort of defensive line around something behind them and proceeded to form strange, coloured clouds around their horns. The four normal ponies crouched low before charging toward me as the pegasi dived down toward me at the same time.
The pegasi reached me first with the lead one going straight for my head. With a furious yell I swung my axe with all the strength I had at the pegasus, striking it in the in the side of the head with a resounding crunch of metal and disintegrating bones as its skull caved in from the impact and catapulted the flying equine across the open square and straight through the wall of a shop.
I was too slow to recover and the second pegasus slammed into my chest knocking the wind out of me and throwing me back a few feet knocking my axe out of my hand in the process. The edges of my vision went red as rage and adrenaline coursed through my system. I jumped up into a defensive crouch as time slowed. The pegasus that had knocked me over was busy recovering from the impact but the remaining pegasi and ponies didn’t slow their charge at all.
Clenching my fists I charged straight at the approaching squad yelling as I ran. The first pony I reached tried to kick me with one of its front legs, but I dodged to the side before punching it in the side knocking it over and causing its armour to ring like a bell.
Acting on my well-trained instincts I twisted back around before catching one of the charging pegasi in my left hand. Using its momentum I slammed it head-first into the ground with a crunch as its neck shattered under the impact.
With my hold still on the corpse I swung it around into one of the charging ponies sending it and the corpse careening off to the side. As I recovered from the swing a bolt of light struck me in my shoulder creating a scorch mark on my bandoleer. Looking up from the impact of the bolt I spotted one of the unicorns with its head lowered and its head pointing in my direction.
The pegasi and ponies still standing had stopped their charge and just stood before me. They seemed almost hesitant to continue their assault but with their helmets it was impossible to tell. My mind however was not focused on what these creatures were feeling, I had to find those kids, and nothing was going to stand in my way. The ponies and I stood there for a few seconds before a voice suddenly spoke up.
“Stand down beast and surrender yourself to the Dark Empire or be destroyed!”
The glowing clouds on the unicorns’ horns started to glow brighter and the pegasi and normal ponies fell into some kind of formation as the voice finished. I glared at in the direction of the voice which appeared to be coming from the unicorns or most likely what was behind them.
I stood my guard studying the formation of the ponies before me. The two remaining pegasi were hovering to the left and right of their earth bound conterparts while the remaining normal ponies were standing close together in a crouch similar to that of a bull before it charged. As I stood there, I noticed that the pegasi were slowly moving further away from the ponies in the centre.
A smug grin slowly worked its way onto my face as I realised the ponies’ intentions. Reaching down I unclip the MAC-10 from my belt with my right hand before speaking up to whoever addressed me previously.
“Then come.”
The pegasi rocketed off to the sides as the last word left my mouth before they turned simultaneously and shot towards me with one coming from my right and one from my left. In a near instantaneous movement, I raise my right arm and without looking fire a shot at the pegasus and then swinging my fist, with the gun still in my hand, and nail the pegasus coming from my left in the face just as it reaches me.
I then draw my attention to the remaining two ponies charging at me and fire two more shots downing the duo just as quick.
I look back towards the unicorns and see that only three are standing ahead of me. As I realise this the missing unicorn rams into me from the right stabbing its horn into my side as the force of the impact hurls me through the air before I smash down into the dirt knocking the gun out of my hand in the process.
I groan from the impact, I was definitely gonna bruise from that. I start to rise to my feet when I spot the unicorn charging toward me in my peripheral. As I struggle to get up my hand brushes against the handle of my axe.
I grab the axe in my hands and swing it just as the unicorn comes into range. The axe head tears straight through the unicorn’s neck ripping its head clean off. The lifeless body of the unicorn crashes into me as it continues forward knocking me back down.
I grab the lifeless body and throw it off to the side as I get back up grabbing my discarded gun in process.
The remaining unicorns had spread out slightly and their horns were glowing brighter than ever. The unicorns then start firing bolts of energy from their horns similar to what hit me previously. I try to jump out of the way of the first bolt but my right leg collapses under me. Looking down I spot a growing pool of blood.
Time was running out I had to finish this fight now. I drop my axe on the ground and move the gun to my left hand and summon my mic in my right.
One of the energy bolts strikes me in the shoulder searing my skin slightly but I barely feel it due to the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
I raise myself to my knees and throw my mic at the one unicorn while shooting at another. Both projectiles hit their mark downing the two unicorns simultaneously. I quickly bring my gun around to the last unicorn before placing a shot right between its eyes snapping its horn clean off.
I let out a sigh of relief as the final body strikes the dirt, the whole fight couldn’t have lasted more than two minutes yet for me it felt like hours. I slowly rise to my feet making sure not to agitate the hole in my stomach; now that my adrenaline started to wear down, I became increasingly aware of my injuries as the pain finally started to register.
I look around for any sign of the kids I heard scream, my eyes search fervently across the small market area before movement behind one of the unicorn corpses catches my attention.
Using my axe as a makeshift crutch I limp my way over to where I spotted the movement, keeping my gun in my off hand just in case. As I slowly approach, I spot what looks like orange fur sticking out just over the unicorn corpse. I raise my gun and slowly limp closer before finally spotting the source of the fur.
There on the ground bound in fur are two small ponies one a pegasus with bright orange fur and a purple mane and tail as well as a normal yellow pony with a red mane and tail; in the yellow pony’s hair is a tattered pink bow. Both ponies look slightly malnourished with their ribs showing slightly through their skin.
Looking at their faces I see two pairs of enormous eyes looking at me in fear.
“P-p-p-lease d-don’t h-h-hurt us.”
Author's Note
Well here's the next chapter.
I have seen many things in my life and over the years I have developed ways to overcome strange situations and find logical solutions to said situations.
But I think my limit is reached concerning talking ponies.
The adrenaline and battle haze, as I dub it, had lessened to the extent that I was finally able to take in the reality around me and I’ve got to say. What the fuck is happening!
Without noticing it I fought a bunch of armoured ponies – which ignoring the fact that ponies have been extinct for the last seven years – in a medieval style village in some sort of fantasy land.
My whole body freezes up as the small, bound fillies cower away from me in fear and my mind races to comprehend what’s going on. None of this should be possible, unicorns and pegasi are myths and they can’t be creatures of the corruption as I haven’t seen… any… corruption…
. . .
My mindfuck moment was kindly interrupted by the sound of shuffling dirt behind me.
Twisting around I spotted the first pony that I had sucker-punched in the ribs stumble up before running off in a limping trot. I was about to pursue the pony for answers when I remembered the two small fillies shaking below my feet.
Wait if these small ponies are here and bound does that mean that those armoured fuckers kidnapped them?
I turn back to the two small fillies shivering in fear below me. If there was one thing that made my heart ache it was seeing children in fear. I have seen too many innocent children reduced to mumbling wrecks due to my inability to act. I won’t let it happen again.
“Um… Hello.”
The two fillies wince as I speak, turning to face me I see their large eyes staring right at me, their pupils reduced to pinpricks.
I take a shaky step towards them causing them to shuffle back in panicked synchrony.
“Hey, hey it’s ok. I don’t want to hurt you,” I clip my gun to my belt and raise my hands in a non-threatening manner.
A pregnant pause fills the air as I stand there as still as I can in an attempt to ease the fillies’ fears. I open my mouth to end the silence when the small yellow one speaks up.
“W-what are ya?” She asks. Her voice has a somewhat thick southern accent to it.
“I’m a human,” I reply.
Another pause hangs in the air before the orange pegasus speaks up.
“Are you with… them?”
My suspicions regarding the armoured ponies seem justified now. The amount of fear and panic in her voice when she asked that question confirmed that they had to have been the captors of these fillies. My blood starts to boil once again as the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.
“No,” I say with a bit of anger seeping into my voice causing the fillies to flinch back at my tone.
Silence fills the air once again as I study the two fillies before me when the rope binding them comes back to my attention.
Reaching down I unsheathe the diving knife from my belt. The fillies gasp in panic and start trying to shuffle away once more.
“Hey, hey, hey, I just want to cut those bindings okay,” I state holding the knife up so that the fillies can see it properly.
I step up to the small fillies and examine the rope. The knot seems pretty sturdy considering it was made by creatures without apposable thumbs so colour me impressed. I grab the rope in my left hand and pull it away from their fur just enough to be able to slip the knife under.
My hand brushes against the orange filly’s fur as I work on the rope causing her to flinch in fear. The fillies whimper as I struggle to cut the rope; sharpening my knife is definitely my top priority once I get a moment to rest and properly treat my wounds, it should heal relatively quickly yet I would prefer to keep as much of my blood inside me as possible.
The rope finally gives way with a sharp thunk and the fillies scatter almost instantaneously. The orange pegasus darts to my left and jumps through the window of a store while the yellow pony jumps behind an upturned cart to my right.
Sighing I resheathe my knife and rise uneasily back to my feet with the help of my axe.
“Please come out, I just want some answers.”
Silence fills the space once again as the fillies continue to cower away from me. I move to take a step, but the handle of my axe slips on a loose patch of dirt, and I tumble onto my face.
“Ahh… Fuck!”
My face scrunches up in pain as my injured side throbs in pain from the fall. Of course, I had managed to fall in the perfect way to feel maximum pain. Just my fucking luck.
I groan as I turn off my injured side, the fall had reopened the hole and blood had once again started pouring down my side and onto the ground. It’s going to take forever to clean all this blood out of my white shirt.
The sound of hooves interrupts my mental musing, and I see the small yellow filly standing above me out of the corner of my eye. I twist my head to get a better look at the pony causing her to step back at my sudden movement.
I stare at the filly, trying to gauge her intentions. I have been tricked into traps by kids before. Scorcher parties would set up ambushes in small corridors using kids as bait to lure survivors in before surrounding them and slaughtering them for their supplies.
My eyes narrow as the filly continues to stare at me with her large eyes making me more and more paranoid. I go to grab my knife when the filly finally opens her mouth and speaks up.
“A-are ya ok?” the filly tilts her head similar to how a dog would, the fear and apprehension is still there but I can also see a glint of concern for me.
“I’m good,” I reply some of my pain leaking into my voice.
I turn onto my stomach and get my hands under me and push myself into a seated position. From here I’m about eye-level with the filly causing her no amount of discomfort as I look into her eyes.
“Apple Bloom what are you doing!”
The sudden shout startles me and before I know it, I am facing towards the shout with my gun following suit. The orange pegasus locks up in fear as I point the gun straight at her, she starts to shake violently as she stares down the barrel of the gun.
“Don’t hurt her!” The pony who I assume is called Apple Bloom calls from behind me breaking me out of my instinctive reaction. I lower the gun to my lap before slowly turning my head to look at Apple Bloom behind me.
I’m about to tell her to be quiet when I spot the armoured pony from before rushing towards us from the road behind Apple Bloom. I raise my gun and fire past Apple Bloom’s head causing her to shriek in panic at the loud noise and run over to her friend.
The bullet strikes the pony in the neck knocking it off to the side where it falls to the floor in a growing pool of its own blood. I grab my axe and hoist myself to my feet, my gun still pointing towards the dying pony ahead of me. A rumble fills the air and I spot a second group of armoured ponies charging towards us from the same direction.
Shit!
I spin on my heels and slide my axe through a loop in the side of my bag before limp-sprinting towards the two fillies. Switching the gun back to my right hand I grab the two fillies with my left and hold them to my chest as I run.
The hole in my side burns with every step but I pay it no mind, I need to get these kids away from these other ponies. I look back as I run and raise my gun to provide suppressive fire, switching the selector to full auto I slam the trigger home and the gun roars as I unload the mag into the approaching horde.
Ponies start falling left and right as bullets hit their mark and soon the combination of bullets and bodies hitting the path culminate in an impromptu smoke screen of dust slowing the ponies to a stop in the confusion. Using my unplanned distraction to my advantage I dive to the left through the broken window of a house and scamper to have my back against the wall. I drop the empty gun into my lap and use both hands to cover the mouths of the distraught fillies in my grasp.
“SHHH!” I shush as loudly as I dare, and the fillies settle down.
My heart races as the clopping of hooves rush past us and continue down the street. Once the noise had dissipated a fair amount I chance a look. Confirming that the coast is clear I look down at the fillies in my grasp who are looking at me with wide fearful eyes.
“Okay, I’m going to remove my hands from your mouths. Do NOT scream or run,” I whisper to the fillies before I slowly remove my hands from them. They backpedal away from me a bit once they are out of my grasp before settling down a few feet away from me.
In the interest of not having another session of awkward silence and a burning need for answers I decide to just get started.
“Okay let’s start over real quick. Hi, my name is Keith, who might you two be?”
Apple Bloom looks over to her orange companion before responding, “Um… Mah name is Apple Bloom and this here is Scootaloo.”
“Uh huh… You two wouldn’t happen to know where the fuck I am exactly?”
The fillies flinch at my language before Scootaloo replies, “Y-you are in Ponyville.”
Ponyville, seriously.
“Okay then… Who were those strange, armoured ponies out there?” The fillies flinch simultaneously at the mention of the ponies that chased us.
“They are soldiers of the Dark Empire,” Apple Bloom responds, her voice laced with sadness.
“What’s the Dark Empire?”
“It’s what Sombra calls his kingdom. He reappeared suddenly and without warning two months ago after a strange surge of magic appeared in the centre of town and knocked out the whole unicorn population in Equestria. He then captured the princesses and declared to the rest of Equestria that we must submit to his rule or be destroyed. He then started foalnapping ponies before brainwashing them into joining his army and then using them to search and capture other ponies,” Apple Bloom responded.
Just like the corruption…
“Wait you said this happened two months ago right… How have you guys not been captured yet?” I asked, maybe there was some kind of resistance movement like back home that I could get help from in getting me home.
Scootaloo lifts her head before responding, “When we first heard that unicorns had been affected by the magic surge and that Sombra had returned we rushed to Sweetie Belle’s house to check on her. When we arrived in her room the first soldiers had rushed into Ponyville and started capturing ponies. We dragged her into the closet with us and hid as the soldiers ran through the streets taking ponies with them. When everything was quiet, we walked back out of the closet to find the streets empty and the buildings wrecked.”
“Huh…” This all seemed very far-fetched. Three kids managing to survive in a somewhat apocalyptic environment alone. Something doesn’t add up.
“You said you guys went to a ‘Sweetie Belle’s’ house right? Who are they?”
“She is our friend. She is holding down the fort back at Carousel Boutique while Scoots and are looking for food,” Apple Bloom quipped, her eyes suddenly went wide before, “Scootaloo we still haven’t found any food!”
“Shhh! Keep your voice down!” I scolded. Apple Bloom shrinked back as she realised her actions.
Another round of silence filled the air, both fillies had visibly calmed down but I could still see the fear and uncertainty in their eyes. It was a sight I was all too familiar with.
I slowly rose back to my feet, reclipped the gun to my belt and looked down at the two fillies. Their story still filled me with apprehension, and they could just be some ruse to capture more ‘ponies’ but with the look in their eyes and their emaciated forms the evidence in favour of that thought felt slim at best. I guess I will go along for now and return them to this ‘Sweetie Belle’ who could hopefully give me more information about what is really going on. I do have enough supplies to last me a few days so I could spare some of my food in exchange for information.
“Okay listen up,”
The fillies raised their heads and looked me in the eyes, the sight of the small fluffy creatures was strangely adorable and a small part of me just wanted to pick them up and hug them tightly like a teddy bear.
“I have some granola bars I can share with you guys,” the fillies’ eyes light up at that, “However I do want some more information in exchange. So, take me to this Carousel place so we can chat further okay.”
A faint smile graced the fillies’ faces and they nodded eagerly.
“Okay Mister Keith. Just follow us,” the fillies walked past me and back out into the streets.
With axe in hand, I limped after the two as they walked along. Sticking to the shadows we slowly trekked through the empty streets. The town felt like a maze with each building nearly identical and the roads jutting about randomly. My nerves were at an all time high as my eyes darted about all over the place. There were too many dark corners and high windows where ambushers or snipers could be hiding and I felt extremely exposed. My heart thundered in my chest and every tiny noise made me jump.
The fillies were also jumpy, they would occasionally stop and swivel their ears about before setting off once again. They were obviously well versed in sneaking about and being careful, but they were a little sloppy and weren’t nearly aware enough of their surroundings.
After thirty gruelling minutes of wandering the deathly silent streets, the fillies eventually stopped in a small clearing. A large three storey building sat ahead; it looked like a mix between a circus tent and a medieval castle. The building was light blue in colour with purple accents at the base of the walls. The large windows were boarded up with thick wooden planks and the paint of the walls had started to flake off.
I stared at the strange building in confusion when a light tap on my shin got my attention. Looking down I spotted Apple Bloom staring up at me.
“Could ya just wait out here for a second while Scootaloo gets Sweetie Belle. We just want to let her know that yall are coming so that she doesn't freak out when she sees ya.”
I nod in acknowledgement and watch as Scootaloo knocks on the door of the building. I think they called the place a boutique if I remember correctly.
The door creaks open and Scootaloo sticks her head through the gap. The sound of hushed whispering fills the air as Scootaloo and who I assume is Sweetie Belle converse with each other. Their little chat goes on for a minute or two before Scootaloo pulls her head away from the door and motions for us to come.
I take a deep breath and step up to the door with Apple Bloom before entering the boutique.
Author's Note
Here's the next chapter.
