Celestia opened her eyes. Her back hurt like it was engulf in fire. She raised her head to look at her surroundings.
It was nighttime now, and a thick fog surrounded everything, making it look like she was alone in a black emptiness, an eerily familiar feeling. She wondered how long she was out for, and why no pony came to her aide, and where was this light that illuminated her coming from. Celestia looked down to see a small square oil lantern with black straps connected to it. Next to it was a small black (1930esc) Radio, a brown coat and a letter with ‘Princess Celestia’ written on it. Celestia looked back on herself. Somepony had bandaged her back. She tried to get up, the pain had mostly gone but she felt that her wings where to weak to fly, and her magic was only strong enough to preform simple levitation. She raised the lantern to see her reflection in the brass on the side, her hair was half its normal length and pink colored, as she expected. She could feel the cold of the night, and without the warm calming glow of the moon and the stars she felt like she could die and not notice. Celestia took the letter, opened it and began to read…
I hope you will soon awaken to read this.
I have done all I could to aid you in the journey ahead of you. Keep the items I have left you close, at all times. Keep moving. Never stop. Never give in to the fear and terror of this land, and maybe you will find the answers you seek, and survive this nightmare. I wish I could have stayed to help you more, but the things in the shadows are relentless.
Remember. Stay in the light, but avoided the hellish glow of the flames.
Listen to the radio
You allay
P.O.T.N
Celestia looked down at the collection of items again. Behind the lantern out of her view from the ground was a small battered red book. She looked inside of it to find notes, drawings, depictions of hellish monsters born from fears and dread. Maps of the once peaceful town with photos of buildings and pony’s, and pages that looked like they had something on them, but they where to faded to see properly. That’s when she heard the laughter, the familiar heart warming laughter. Then she looked up from the letter and saw her. She was standing just outside the circle of the lantern, but shining like the moon. No. Not like the moon, the small filly looked more like a film projection that had come to life and walked off the screen. But no matter how Celetia looked at her, it was her. Luna looked at her and giggled.
“You took your time”
Even her voice sounded like it came from an old movie. But there was no doubt. This filly was her little sister. This was Luna.
“Come play with me Tia!”
The Filly Luna ran off into the darkness leaving a trailer of fading light behind her. Celestia called out to her.
“Wa…Wait!”
But she was already gone. Only the light trail remained. Celestia picked up the items, put on the coat and after looking at the lantern’s straps for a moment and realized that it was made to be worn like a baby sling. The Lantern felt warm on her chest, but not uncountable. It cut though the darkness like a tunnel of light, but the fog made it so only a few yards ahead was visible to her. Celestia followed the white line left by her sister across the cold empty town. Where had all the pony’s gone? Last time she had checked Ponyvill was a lively bustling home of some of the most happiest pony’s in all of Equestria, now it was an empty and shadow filled ghost town. As Celestia’s eyes finally began to get used to the darkness, she could see the faint outlines of building’s, but they where all…wrong. The town looked aged, cracked walls, boarded up windows, dirty roads covered in scars and deep scratches. Celestia gasped, she could see that the ground and walls of the area ahead was patched with blood. Some of it spelt out words
Beware Danger Run Nightmares Help Us
Celestia gaged at the sight. The air was stained with the smell of decay and death, and strangely, it also had the smell of…burning. Then there came the noise. It sounded like a swarm of bee’s mixed with an alarm clock. Celestia reached in the pocket of the jacket and found that the sound was coming from the small radio. The sound got louder, and she could here something else, something was in the darkness, and it was coming closer. Celestia felt a growing sense of danger coming from the seconded sound and began to gallop away. She looked around and saw a lone lamppost illuminating like a sun in the darkness. Celestia went into the ring of light and listened. The sound of the radio began to get weaker, before finally falling silent. Celestia lent against the lamppost and breathed heavily. And then…
“Light”
A Grey Pony dragged itself into the area of light from the darkness. He was missing his back legs and covered in deep bloody cuts. He dragged himself closer to the Lamppost leaving behind a trail of blood before stopping. Celestia rushed to mangled Pony and raised his head to meet his eyes.
“By the Sun! What happened to you!”
The Pony was weak; he was only just able to talk.
“The Monsters…they hate the light…I tried to keep safe but…there drawn to fire…they hate light but…they like the fire…I couldn’t have known…”
Celestia held on the Pony tightly.
“Hold on! I’ll get you out of her I…”
The pony lay in her hoofs motionless. Its body began to grow cold.
“H…hello…are you…”
Celestia looked at the pony for a moment before the facts of reality sunk in. she held the body close to her as her eyes began to fill with tears and cried softly. Why did things happen like this? Why was this happening? The noise of buzzing started again, but there was something else. In the darkness was the sound of hoof’s coupled with the sound of something large, dragging on the ground. Celestia rested the body on the ground, opened her lantern and ran out of the light in the opposite direction of the noise until the radio stopped making the buzzing sound. She began to softly weep again.
“I am so sorry. I promise once this is over I will give you a proper burial”
Celestia looked up and saw the faint white trail of Luna again. She wiped the tears from her eyes and ran to follow. The sadness she felt, she knew she would feel it again this dark, cold, lonely night.