//------------------------------// // There's so much to see, // Story: Pony-Me™ // by TheMajorTechie //------------------------------// Lisa Garnet instinctively followed the concrete path, the map unfolded in her hands, and the sheets of the cot wrapped about her shivering body. It had hardly been an hour since she had left her so-called "home", but it had already become cold enough for her to turn back once, hence the sheets. The wind has picked up as well, whereas before it was hardly noticeable, it now howled through the girl's ears, and tugged at the flapping sheets she wrapped around herself. Nevertheless, Lisa trudged forward, barefoot. After all, what was the use of staying put for all your life? It was now another hour into her trek, and by this point, Lisa had grown ever so slightly impatient. Though she was supposedly "Just a walk's away" from the city on the map, it already felt as if she had trudged for days on end. Silently, she cursed her human stamina, and continued following the path. It was only now that she could see the buildings dotting the horizon. Though the settlement had been labeled as a "city" on her map, the girl was now clearly convinced that it was only in name. The town, for a more appropriate name, appeared to be half-derelict, with some of the taller structures visibly deteriorating even with Lisa being so far from them in actuality. And yet, she forged onward. One and a half hours into her journey, and Lisa had finally begun to feel the sensation of thirst creeping in the back of her throat. A glance at the map revealed no waterways for miles around, and so her thirst went unquenched. She was now close enough to see what appeared to be the true city limits- small, fallow farms dotting the perimeter, and some sort of half-burnt fence of some kind. With the town so close now, the girl began to sprint, trying, along the way, to ignore the painful flecks of gravel that pierced the soles of her feet as the concrete pathway gave way to potholes. With another half an hour and enough sprinting to last a lifetime, Lisa Garnet had finally arrived at what she assumed to be the city gates. The only problem? The people. The streets of the town, while paved, hardly looked to be in use, and the few people seen wandering outdoors were dressed the same way Lisa herself had been- medical gown, shoeless, and occasionally donning a makeshift cape of sheets. Many seemed to cast wary, almost confused glares at each other, as if nobody had known each other, or even seen each other, for their entire lives. Some appeared to be bedraggled, groaning quietly and blinking in the light of the sunset as they confusedly conversed with each other. It was a town that had awoken- not by intellectual means, nor by the light of sunrise, but rather by being dragged feet-first, kicking and screaming, back into the waking world. "H-hello?" the girl asked timidly, tapping on the shoulder of a passerby. "OFFICER JONES, AT YOUR SERVICE!" the man shouted, spinning to face Lisa with a salute. She glanced down at the man's wristband, then back at the man, the half-crazed expression still firm on his face as he held the salute. His name was anything but "Jones", rather, being instead being "Andrew Smith". She turned her gaze back to the man, his hand shaking slightly as his arm grew tired. "I... I don't understand?" she asked in confusion. The man remained still for a couple more seconds, before his eyes widened, and he dropped his hand with a sigh. "Sorry, I-I'm sorry." he replied, "I haven't quite been myself recently. Terribly sorry..." "No, no," Lisa cut in, "It's fine. I think we've both been pretty confused for the past few days." The man nodded, and awkwardly turned away, walking as if with a limp that clearly didn't exist. And for the first time since waking, Lisa Garnet-- Twilight Sparkle, was afraid. What has this world been through?