I do not own MLP in any way.
Rated T for Cussing and Gore.
you are warned.
Black clouds swirled above as the wind began blowing harder than ever before as the skies began to rain tears of acid green.
I flew away from the library as a few drops of the green rain began to fall again, I dove for a cottage that seemed to be more intact then the others to wait out the rain in silence.
I had watched while I fled the gorge as every living thing showed the effects of the rain every plant the green rain hit wilted, every pool of water turned black, and every pony I had found was now dead and come back as a zompony. I watched now in sorrow as what was left of Ponyvill crumbled around me with every drop.
"How the hell could I let this happen?" I thought sadly to my self as my tears began to fall.
...xXXx...
"Hey Chance whats up with this temple we exploring?" Karma asked as she pranced around looking at the plant life.
Karma is a strange one, the only other pony I knew stranger then her was her twin brother Irony, they are both unicorns. Her coat is nearly black, her hair is blue, her eyes are purple, and her cutie mark is a Z with the infinity make on it.
"You even got summoned to the royal court over this, so I wanna know too" Irony laughed as Karma found a smelly flower that sprayed her.
Irony on the other hoof has a white coat and a red mane. His eyes are light green, and his cutie mark is a moon and sun that looked like they were smashed together.
I shook my head at them as I walked, smiling as Karma hugged Irony who gagged at her smell.
"All Princess Celestia told me was that an old temple had been found in the ghastly gorge after some mining ponies knocked loose some rocks. The Princess can't remember what coulter it belonged to and has asked me to explore it and report my findings to her personally" I replied as we came to the edge of the bog that connects to the gorge.
I, Chance am a Pegasus along with being an explorer pony. My coat is dark blue, my eyes are light purple, my mane is purple and dark blue, and my cutie mark is a horse shoe with four black dots around it.
I along with the strange unicorn twins, work for the royal history division of Equestria, our job is to locate and explore ruins that have been lost through out history.
Stopping at the edge of the gorge I turned to find both ponies gone.
"Guys?" I said.
A crash followed by too ponies wrapped in vines answered my question, I couldn't help but laugh as Karma and Irony fought to get loose realizing it was hopeless I help them to get free.
"heh, sorry bout that Chance" Irony smiled as he got to his feet.
"Ya!" Karma giggled as she jumped to her feet too.
"Okay here's the deal, there's the path that will take you to the floor of the gorge were we need to go" I said pointing to the beginnings of a path. "I am going to fly on down and locate the temple then come find you, got it?"
"Yup!" Karma bounced in place as Irony nodded.
Shaking my head I spread my wings and took fliet. It didn't take me long to locate the cave that led to the temple, landing I began to inspect it to make sure it was stable.
After a few minutes of looking the cave over I was about to fly off and find the twins when a loud yell followed by a crash and laughter told me I wouldn't have to look far as a white blur rolled to a stop at my hooves followed by a bouncing blackish pony.
"Quit playing, we have a job to do!" I said to Irony with a laugh as he got up with a glare aimed at Karma.
After everypony was ready we headed inside the cave, once inside the twins casted there magic so we could see as we walked.
The cave was rather bland with nothing of intrest till we reached a large hole at the back that lead to a huge cavern where a large stone and metal temple with creepy monster like carvings sat.
"That is a big castle" Karma said looking stunned as we approached.
"That is not a castle sis, it's a temple" Irony replied looking equally stunned.
"Whats the diff?" Karma giggled before bouncing ahead of us, shaking our heads we hurried to catch up.
The entrince was a large stone arch way with no door, the inner walls were made of grey stone with bizarre carvings all over them, the floors were path ways of stone, and the ceiling had monster like creatures painted on it.
"This place gives me the creeps" Irony whispered to me as we walked under the archway.
"Me to" I replied smiling.
"Guys check this out!" Karma yelled from a chamber a head of us.
We hurried to the chamber and found a rather large creepy thrown with Karma next to it.
"Dudes I think this is made entirely from pony skulls!" Karma cheered as she examined the throne.
"Really?" Irony wonder as he approached the throne.
I left the twins to examine the skull throne as a strange writing on the wall next to the throns steps caught my eye.
*Let those who enter here not disturb the sleeping prince of the drake ponies*
-What is a drake pony?- I wondered as I re-read the text, suddenly the ground shook as I heard the twins yell.
"I didn't even touch anything!"
"Thats Irony for ya"
Looking up in shock both ponies were gone along with the thrown, I flew up quickly only to find nothing but the seems to the trap door.
"Great" I muttered to my self -oh well they can take care of themselfs- I thought with a sigh.
Lighting a torch I trotted down a hallway to random chamber with nothing much in it but strange carvings and creeping paintings.
It wasn't long till I found my self in another chamber but this one with a large round opening at the back that looked to have once had a stone spiral stairs case, that was now mostly gone, that led down nodding to my self I flew down in to the darkness.
At the end of the crumbling steps I found my self hovering in a large dark chamber before a huge creepy statue, landing I found a path that lead to the foot of the said statue with copper railing on ether side and two large bowl looking things at the head of each rail.
I flew up to see what was in the large bowls and found they held oil, I touching the torch to the oil which instantly flamed up. I watched as the flame ran down the length of the rails and over to more bowls of oil lighting the place up.
With the fire casting light around the chamber I could see the statue fully and wished I hadn't. The statue had a long tail wrapped around its hoofs, its mouth us open with large teeth jotting out, two curved wings on ether side, and its eyes were some kind of green jewels. The full effect looked like a cross between a dragon and a pony.
A glittery light caught my eye, looking down I saw a large moat filled with a strange green liquid that reflected the light from the dance flames. The stone bridge that had once crossed over the mote was half gone crumbled away like most of the temple rather than walk on it I flew to the statue.
I was a few feet away when I noticed a large crystal sitting in the middle of what looked like a swirling maze before the statues hoofs, suddenly the cave shook around me and I had to dodge falling rocks as a large hole was formed above me by the mini quack.
A grinding sound had me turning my sights to two small doorways that opened and spill for some of the green water in to the stone maze below, I watched as it filled the channels completely before touching the crystal.
The crystal suddenly began to pulse in turn as the green water began to swirl and bubble around it. A cloud of green fog began to form over the moat growing darker as it hovered above the water. Suddenly a green beam of light shot up in to the cloudless sky above turning it instantly black and cloudy.
"Chance look out!" I heard a pony yell before a bone was thrown at me from the ground.
Dodging the bone I looked down to see long dead ponies I hadn't seen laying at the feet of the statue groaning and pulling themselfs back together, some were nothing more than bones, others still had some flesh on them that looked dried like jerky, while some looked fresher with blood dripping from the chunks of blackened flesh.
I readied myself as the few skeleton like ponies began pulling their rib bones off and throwing them at me like boomerangs, the others stumbled off. looking in the direction they were going I saw Karma kicking and shooting her magic at them as they swarmed her.
"Karma get out of here!" I yelled at her dodging yet another bone.
"Don't you worry bout me Chance, I have the cosmic force on my side!" She laughed as she kick off the head of a Zompony.
-annoying jurks- I thought as I dodged more bones and some rocks.
Flying up I kicked loose a stalactite from the ceiling and watched as it fell on one of the bone ponies.
A howling wind began to pick up and soon forced to land somewhere quickly as it began to blow the green fog upward in to the black cloudy sky. I landed by another cave opening not far from the statue.
"Sis quit playing around, we gotta get out of here!" I heard a pony yell, turning I saw Irony standing in a cave opening close to where his sister was.
I watched as more zomponies headed for Karma who was using her magic to shoot them, when out of the blue a rock fell crushing some of the zomponies and destroying the path way to her.
"Thats Karma for ya" She smiled.
Irony on the other hoof was trying to fight the zomponies as they came at him only to miss and trip over his on hoofs which tripped a zomponie who landed on another before the two rolled in to the others down the path they were walking up.
"And that my brother is Irony" Karma laughed as Irony glared at her.
I was about to yell at them when a I spotted more zomponies pulling themselfs from the green moat.
"We need to get out of here, I can't fly out so I will meet you two top side alright?" I yelled at them as I kicked a zomponie back in to the water it was crawling out from.
"Right! Meet ya on the flip side!" Karma laughed before dashing down her tunnel.
"Don't worry about us Chance, just get out of here alive alright?" Irony yelled at me before galloping down his own tunnel.
I took on last look before flying full force down my tunnel, it took me a bit to find my way out but soon I found myself hovering in a thicket of dark trees and vines known as the EverFree forest. I turned in the direction of the Gastly gorge and saw a beam of green light with green fog swirling around it flowing in to the clouds.
-This is bad- I thought as I flew off in the direction of ponyvill which was closest to me -Maybe princess twilight can help me-
I was half way through the EverFree forest when a loud clap of thunder rattled my teeth and I was forced to dodge a few drops of green rain that threatened to hit me. I paused where I was and watched a drop hit a passing bird which in turn fell out of the sky instantly, confused I drifted down ward to examine the bird only to find it withering on a branch no longer a bird.
Its feathers were falling out replaced by leathery looking skin, its beak had streaks of blood from the blood that was running from its nose, its eyes were now the same green as the moat by the temple, and it was glaring at me.
It gave a loud cry as it suddenly flew at me, in shock I dodged it just in time before kicking it out of the sky, turned for another pass at me but more rain then I could dodge began to fall forcing me to seek shelter quickly in a tree hollow below as the thing that was once a bird flew off.
I watched the green rain pelt the ground causing the plants around me to wither and wilt, even the tree I was hiding under seemed to ground in pain as the rain hit it. I began to nod off to the sounds of screams mixed with the echo of the rain.
"Wha?" I groaned as I came to.
I couldn't tell if it was night or day as the sky was now pitch black and everything around me including the tree I was under looked ashen and gray, realizing the rain had stopped I flew off in hopes of reaching Ponyvill before it began again.
I kept an eye on the sky and the ground below as I flew, the world was no longer lush and green but grey and dead, I found my self flying over what had once been a pool of crystal clear that was now tar like and black.
"This is bad" I said to myself as I flew faster.
-I hope Karma and Irony are okay- I thought sadly as I flew.
I gasped in shock as I began to fly over what was once sweet apple acres, the home of the apple family, it now looked like charred ruins sitting in acres of withered dead trees and rotted land.
It wasn't long after passing the farm that Ponyvill came in too view the sight of which made my heart sink, everything was destroyed.
The cottages were have burned down, chunks were all that was left of the town hall, and the school-house looked as if they had tried to use it as a safe house what with its broken out windows with pony parts poking out and its missing door were two dead half eaten ponies lay.
The hospital was the worst, a lot of Zomponies walking around it, bodies of ponies along with fire poked out from the windows, and I saw zomponies eating something on the roof.
I flew on to the Golden oak library in hopes that it was still intact, only to find its branches withered, a large hole where the balcony once was, and the front door kicked in.
I rushed in to the dark library fearing the worst, I stumbled my way through the darkness heading for the stairs to Twilights room.
The door to her room was splintered across the floor replaced by a large table that covered the door way.
"Twilight? Twilight Sparkle! its Chance, please tell me you alive!" I yelled as I pushed the table aside.
Twilights room was empty, I noticed some of her stuff was gone giving me a false hope that she may have gotten away.
I jumped as something crashed in to the table that I forgot to shove back in to place and before I could fly out the hole where the balcony once been three zomponies dripping with blood stumbled in.
I punched the nearest zomponie to me and heard a sickening crunch as my hoof met wet meat and bone, the zomponies head lolled to the ground with a large dent in it as the rest of its body tried to function on with out it.
I stood there in shock for all of two seconds before on of the other zomponies tried to take a bite out of my neck. I kick the zomponie who in turn met the far wall with a sickening splat leaving a dark streak as it sled to the floor.
Suddenly I heard a lot more moaning and turned to find zomponies fighting each other to get through the door to me, realizing I was fighting a loosing battle I turned and leap for the hole in the wall flying out just as a zomponie tried to bite my ass.
As I flew away from the library as the sky began its green rain once again forcing me to seek shelter quickly. I dove for a cottage that seemed to be more intact then the others and waited out the rain in silence as I hid from the Zomponies that stumbled around outside.
I had watched as I fled the gorge as every living thing showing the effects of the rain every plant the green rain hit wilted, every pool of water turned black, and every pony I had found was now dead and come back as a zompony. I now watched in sorrow as what was left of Ponyvill crumbled around me with every drop.
"How the hell could I let this happen?" I thought sadly as my tears began to fall.
..xxXxx..
I don't know how long I sat there hidden in the remains of what had once been the kitchen when a loud cry rang out and I found myself rushing to the window where I watched as a two ponies fought in the house across the street.
-How the hell can I get over there?!- I thought as I frantically tried to find something keep the rain off me.
Another scream told me I was to late running ran back to the window I watched as a zompony tore a chunk of flesh from a green colts neck.
I could do nothing but watched as a blue mare was dragged from the same house by another zomponie, I could hear her screams of pain as the two passing zomponies stopped and began to eat her with the zomponie that had dragged her out.
"Sick isn't it?" I jumping out of my skin as a ponies voice came from behind me.
"Shhhh!" The pony hushed me as I knocked over a pot that lay on the ground beside my hooves.
"Well don't sneak up on a pony like that!" I angrily whispered back.
"I'm sorry I didn't know there was another way to sneak!" The pony whisper back harshly, the sounds of hooves outside the door had us both ducking for cover.
Some how we both wound up under the stairs behind some rubble that had fallen from the second storie.
"Hey I was here first" The pony whispered next to me.
"Stuff it or I'll feed you to a zomponie!" I whispered back angrily.
"Hey, have you been crying?" The pony whispered as he looked closely at my face.
"No!" I growled back.
We were so busy growling at each other that we didn't notice the approaching shadow till it fell over us. The pony I was arguing with suddenly turned white with a look of sheer panic of his face, slowly I turned to see what he was looking at and came face-to-face with two zomponies.
One was Mis Cake who was missing an eye and half the flesh around said eye socket, while the other was Ms Cake who had most of his neck gone showing of his spine, but both were covered in fresh blood.
"Every pony for themselfs!" The pony next to me yelled before jumping over the zomponies and running for the door.
"Coward!" I yelled at him before bracing my self for another fight.
Ms and Mis cake zomponie began to advance on me as I back up in to the wall behind me, sighing I readied myself before jumping up and flying for the exit which was the closest broken out window I could find.
Once outside I saw the zomponies of Ponyvill gathering under me trying to get in to the cottage where I had hidden while Ms and Mis cake zompony fought to get out.
"Shit!" I yelled as I scrambled to get away from the fray.
"This way!" I heard a pony yell.
Turning I saw the coward who ran waving his hoof at me signaling for me to follow him. nodding I began to fly after him as he ran on a head when I was suddenly hit by something causing me to crash in to one of the detroyed shops in what use to be the market place.
Hearing the approaching hoofs along with gurgling like moans I frantically fought to get free of the wreckage. Finally pulling myself free I took off in a dead sprint in the direction I thought the coward pony was, once clear of the market I found I was lost nothing looked the same. Panicked I jumped up in hopes of flying up and away only to crash back to earth with a pain shooting through my wing.
Looking at the said wing I found it twisted in an odd angle telling me it was dislocated, groaning I ran in a random direction praying that luck was on my side. I quickly found a line of withered ashen trees and with a sigh of relief I charged in hoping to lose any zomponie that followed.
The forest of grey withered trees was quite nothing but the sounds of my hoofs reached my ears as I strained to hear something, anything.
"There ya are!" A pony yelled at me from behind causing me to jump.
Turning quickly I found the coward leaned against a withered tree behind me with a cocky grin on his face.
"You could have help me ya know" I growled at him before walking away in the opposite direction.
"Aww, don't be like that lov. What could a little'o pony like me have done but get in your way?" The pony grinned as he caught up with me.
"Oh your right!" I sarcasticaly exclaim. "After all you are nothing but a cowardly earth pony"
"Now wait just a minute! That's not what I meant!" The pony growls as he follows me.
I didn't bother to reply and soon we fell in to brooding silences.
"Hey by the way where we going?" The pony asks after a while.
"We aren't going any where" I replied. "I am going to Canterlot to report this to the princess"
"Oh, well, good but I think Canterlot is that way" The pony said pointing away from the direction we were headed.
stopping I looked in the direction he was pointing at and realized he was correct.
"Huh, I think your right. Oh and just who the hell are you?" I asked turn to glare at him.
"Why I am Trades, Jack'o Trades at your service" Jack replied with a bow.
"Whatever" I muttered with an eye roll and began walking in the proper direction.
"Hey, um, what happened to your wing lov?" Jack asked as he began to walk beside me on my injured side.
"Nothing" I muttered.
"Looks likes it dislocated to me" Jack mumbled back as he examined my wing.
Before I could reply my wing was suddenly yanked back in to place and it took all of my might not to scream from the pain.
"You cowardly earth pony...I should punch you in the face for that!" I moaned angrily at him as black dots danced in my vision.
"Now now, let's make up and befriends eh?" Jack smiled sticking his hoof out for me to shake.
"Never" I growled back as I smacked his hoof away.
"Testy, testy" Jack muttered as I walked away before slowly following behind.
The forest that surrounded the foot of the mountain that house Canterlot was devastated worse than that of the Ever Free Forest. The trees were mostly gone withered to such a point they simply crumbled away, all plant life was gone turned to ash at our hoofs, and not a sound was heard except for our hoofs upon the ground.
We walked for what seemed like forever as I looked up and found I could not tell if it was day or night from the thick swirling black clouds that swallowed up the sky, when finally we found the foot path up the mountain to Canterlot.
"Hey lov, lets take a break I'm tired and I know you have got to be too" Jack'o Trade said as we entered the first of the tunnels that twisted up to Canterlot.
I hated it but Jack was right I'm tired as hell, in pain from my many crashs, and have an injured wing that hurts with every step I take.
"Fine" I muttered before picking a spot in the tunnel to lay down.
The cosmic magic of Irony seemed to be on our side as the sky suddenly let loose a down pour of green rain without any warning, thanks to the tunnel being at an up turned angle the mass flooding of green rain couldn't reach us.
"Um, maybe we should find some higher ground" Jack said tapping my shoulder.
Turning around I found myself agreeing with him as rain water trickled down the tunnel from the other end. Jack tapped me again before pointing out a pile of large rocks that would keep us just high enough.
Moving quickly to the rocks we found ourselfs once again trying to rest as the sounds of the rain lulled us to sleep.
...xxXxx...
"Shouldn't we wake her?" I heard a voice ask.
"No, if she was injured then she needs all the rest she can get" A voice replied.
Mentaly sighing I cracked open an eye and found Jock'O Trades talking quietly to a large black colt with blue and black hair, I watched with half lidded eyes as Jack and the mystery pony talked.
"Then names Jack'O trade and I was following the pony sleeping over there to Canterlot hoping to find shelter away from the dead walking around" Jack said with a grin.
"Hate to tell you but you wont find any pony alive up there" The black colt replied catching my interest.
"What do ya mean?" Jack replied with a panicked voice.
"Just what I said, there is no pony left alive in Canterlot" The colt said walking away from the stunned Jack to gaze out the tunnel entrence.
"If that is true then where are the princess's?" I asked with a groan as a dull pain shot through me as I got up.
Jack jumped at the sound of my voice while the mystery colt mearly turned to look at me with a 'to bored to care' look.
"How long have you been wake up?" Jack asked as he plopped his butt on to the ground looking dejected.
"Not long" I replied as I stretched my sore muscles, I am so not use to this much walking.
"The Crystal empire" I heard a voice reply.
I turned to the mystery colt and found him watching us with an uncaring gaze, I muttering under my breath before moving to stand next to him and look out the entrance.
"If thats the case we might not make it there" I sighed watching the green rain.
"What?!" Jack exclaimed from behind me "What you mean 'we might not make it there'?"
"Shes right with the rain increasing and the dead wandering around in herds, we my not make it" The mystery colt explained.
"Great! Were all going to die!" Jack cried as he fell over on to the ground dramatically.
"By the way the names Chance, nice to meet you" I said to the mystery colt as I ignored Jack.
"Atlas" The colt replied also ignoring Jack.
A suddenly flash of light had all three of us turning to look at the sky in shock, there dancing among the dark clouds were the auroran lights of the Crystal Empire.
"I think we may still have a chance" Atlas smirked before turning to me.
"Well what are we waiting for? let's go!" Jack cried with joy before dashing to the entrance only to come to stop suddenly as Atlas and I yanked him back.
"The rain" We replied pointing to the still pouring green rain outside the entrance.
"Oh, heh right" Jack muttered with embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head.
We got comfortable and waited for the rain to stop which thankfully wasn't long. Jack quickly lead the way out from the tunnel as Atlas and I followed behind at a slower pace.
The walk was silent as we followed the lights in the sky, Jack seemed to care about only hurrying while Atlas and I were more concerned with what could be lurking in the withered woods as we walked.
"So Atlas, what did you before this nightmare happened?" Jack asked braking the silence that surrounded as.
"I am an explorer pony, my job was to check the accuracy of maps and make new ones as I explored" Atlas replied uncaring.
"Chance?" Jack asked slowing down to walk beside us.
"Also an explorer pony, only my job is exploring for the royal history division of princess Celestias court" I replied back without looking at them.
I didn't hear ether ponies reply as sorrow hit me full force -A member of the royal court my ass, I helped cause the end of the world how can I ever look at princess Celestia agian?-
"Chance" Jack smacked my side pulling me back to reality as a hot pain shot through my injured wing. Snarling I turned a murderis glare at Jack who 'eeped' and hid behind Atlas who looked uncaring but his eyes held concern.
"Well I was a trader, born to a clan of trader ponies. We trade everything, books, crystals, jewels, candles, animals..."
"Jack, we don't care" I cut jack off.
"We should be more concerned with our surroundings" Atlas stated.
He was right, the further we walked the thinner the trees became till we were nearly out of trees to use as cover. Suddenly the silent forest was no longer silent, but alive with cries that sent a chill down my spine.
"I don't like the sound of this!~" Jack sung out as he trotted closer to the two of us.
Atlas and I watched the few trees around us for the source of the cries but we saw nothing. We walked on ignoring the sounds in hopes that it would go away or in turn ignore us.
"Look out!" Jack cried before jumping a head of us.
Atlas and I turned in time to see a mutilated creature, much like the one I had seen before, swooping down at us.
Only this one was much bigger.
The creature opened its mouth revealing rows of glittery red teeth, we moved just in time to avoid the creatures attack. It moved to make another pass at us, Jack'O Trades was by now long gone. Atlas looked to be readying his own attack, and I truly wished I could fly at this point.
EEEEYYYAAAA~
Jacks scream of terror caught me off guard nearly allowing the flying creature to gauge my eye out if not for Atlas.
"Go! Help Jack! I got this" Atlas growled before moving to try and hit the creature as it swooped down at him.
I didn't bother to reply as I ran in the direction Jack's screams were coming from. Once clear of the few remaining trees I could see Jack clearly, he was surrounded by scale covered pony like creatures.
The monster ponies had lizard like tails, black clawed feet instead of hooves, and a scaled fringe that ran the length of its back.
As I neared they grabbed and held Jack on the ground as the largest of them pulled a bottle full of the glowing green liquid from his pack. I watched as the other two scaled ponies pulled Jacks mouth open as the largest began to try and pour the bottle down his throat.
I caught them off guard as I slammed full force in to one of the monsters holding jack, freeing him.
Jack slammed his hove in to the face of the other monster and jumped free. Both monster ponies cried out in pain as they hit the ground hard.
I knocked Jack out of the way as the largest of the three took a swing at had us out numbered and out muscled, the two small monsters moved to attack us there black claws glittering as it swung.
I dodged easily enough moving quickly to the side as Jack ducked out of the other monster way, this caused the two to hit each other rather than us.
They cried out in rage before Jack and I were suddenly sent airborne before smashing in to the ground.
Something warm ran down my side as I struggled to stand, a large shadow quickly fell over me before a large claw smashed in to my side.
I cried out in shock and pain as the large monster pony snickered, its large glowing green eyes seemed to glow brighter at the sounds of my screams.
-So this is how im going to die?...And here I always thought I would get offed by Pinkie Pies party cannon- I thought with a sad smile.
"CHANCE!" I heard a someone yell.
I could barely hear their voice over the ringing in my ears. The large dark blur standing over me was suddenly gone as a strange cry rang out in the growing darkness around me.
"Chance you have to stay awake!" I heard a someone yelling "Just stay awake! Please Chance!"
...xxXXxx...
End
(Not really lol)
Leave a comment if you wish for me to post the last chapter to this tale.
Thanks for reading!