Third Entry in John's journal:
I sped along the highway, swerving to avoid the abandoned cars. I wanted to get to Barrie before nightfall.
What I didn't like about this situation is that for some reason there are people who are turning into ponies. Hold out on me here; Turning into ponies and are coming after ME. Rainbow Dash seemed like she was waiting for me. But then again she could have been waiting for anyone to be speeding out. But Applejack being in my moms house? To obvious to be a coincidence.
Nothing was boding well with me. I didn't care right now. I needed some music. Just block out the outside world for a bit. I hit random on the stereo.
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My brother wasn't home. Nether was my mom or sister. Fuck going in silently, I'm not gonna let them surprise me. I raised my shotgun and shot the lock. A dog was barking in the distance. I had to make this quick. Grab family albums, heirlooms, shit like that. Even in a apocalypse, I don't want to forget where my family came from.
I grabbed a box of albums from the shelf, photo frames and other stuff from our families past. I don't want us to forget how we were a family. And in this situation, it's good to have them close.
"Hey there! My name's-" I spun around and clocked the pony in the jaw with the stock of my shotgun. I heard a crack as he landed on the hardwood floor. Out cold. From the way it's mouth was hanging, I broke his jaw.
I left swiftly before more showed up. I had one more stop I needed to make.
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Shoppers Drug Mart was one of those chains that everyone knew about. Get your drugs, cosmetics, lady-part cleaners and your last minute holiday cards/gifts all in one place. What I needed was over the counter stuff. I grabbed a duffel bag that was on a shelf and started stuffing whatever I could. Tylenol, Aleve, Flintstones vitamins. I was lucky enough to find that the shelves were still stocked.
I tensed up as I heard crying. I slung the duffle bag behind my shoulder as I brought up the shotgun. Listening in I could tell it was coming from behind the pharmacists counter. As I got closer I could tell it was a kid. I looked over the counter. There was a body. Three bullet holes in its chest. It looked like it was female, but the way it was slumped, I couldn't tell.
I fought to keep the vomit back. Two dead bodies in the span of three days. I've been lucky so far that they weren't me. The kid wasn't there. He was most likely in he back room.
"I w-want my mommy..." The kid sobbed.
"Shh... Shh... Everything is going to be alright." Another voice I recognized.
"I swear to god that better be Andrea Libman calming him down..." I whispered under my breath.
I cracked the door open. The kid was huddled in the corner, next to a desk. A pony wasn't hugging him per-say. More like rubbing his back. Okay, good to know that just skin contact doesn't turn you, just full on cuddles. He looked around seven to eight years old. Looked like a typical W.A.S.P. Seemed about right for how far north we are.
I shifted to get a look at the pony. Yellow fur, pink mane and butterflies for a cutie mark. I started cursing under my breath. Fuck, fuck fuck! Now SHE'S here. They were fucking following me, and I fucking knew it.
"W-Why did daddy h-have to do that, F-Fluttershy? Why did he have to shoot mommy?" He blubbered into his arms.
I glanced back at the body. I'll find that asshole...
"I'm... I'm not sure why." Fluttershy sighed. "But I can give you something that could make you feel a bit better."
Shit.
"W-what?"
"Want a hug?"
SHIT.
"O-okay..."
"SHIT!" I yelled as I burst through the door, pointing my handgun at the yellow mare. "Kid, get away from her!"
He screamed in fear and backed up into the corner.
"What're you doing!? You're scaring him!" Fluttershy yelled at me.
"Listen to me. If you hug her, you'll turn into one of them. One of those things that messed everything up!"
"W-what?" The kid looked up to me.
"Look, the whole reason people are running is because of creatures like her. You hug her, she'll turn you into the things that we're running away from."
He looked more confused and scared than anything. I couldn't blame him. He was far from home, his dad shot his mom and left him for dead. How is he gonna trust me over the friendly looking pony who was comforting him.
Fuck it. I'm gonna get him out of here. "What's your name, kid?"
"J-James..." he stammered.
"James, If you come with me, I can get you to a safe place. Away from here. My family can take care of you." I extended my hand to him. "Food, shelter, anything you want. You just gotta come with me."
Fluttershy looked at me and then at James. "James, I can offer you the same thing. But If you go with him, I can guarantee the same things will keep happening." She opened her hooves to receive the hug. "But I'll leave it up to you."
She's playing that game? James was looking at us both. He got up onto his feet and looked at both of us with a scared expression. He looked into my eyes for a moment until he looked at Fluttershy.
He started walking towards her.
"James, don't do this."
"Come on, James."
"James, don't do this!"
"Everything is going to be alright, James."
"James, If you do this, you're gonna throw away everything!"
He was almost there.
"I know a lot of foals and fillies you would love to meet!"
"She's lying to you!"
"I'm friends with one of the princesses! Do you want to meet Twilight?"
"THINK ABOUT YOUR MOM! DO YOU FUCKING WANT TO THROW HER AWAY!?"
How stupid was I? Why didn't I just grab him? By the time I said that, he was already in her embrace. As they hugged, she rubbed his back.
"Shhh... No more tears now."
White fur crept over his skin from under his shirt. It was starting to spread across his arm to his hands. His fingers melded together as the fur passed over them. They rounded out as they formed into his hooves. The fur was moving up his neck. His head grew a little as it made way for the changes that were about to be made.
I raised my pistol at him. I had a perfect shot lined up. Put him out of his misery. But a voice in the back of my head nagged, "He's just a kid."
His ears were moving up the side of his head. They looked more and more like a pony's with each inch until they stopped at the top of his head. His eyes grew bigger in their sockets as they made room for his now dark green eyes. His nose sunk into his face as his mouth shifted forward, creating his muzzle and completing his pony head.
My hand was shaking. Just pull the trigger, I thought to myself. End it. It's going to be nothing but lies for him, here on out.
But I didn't want to kill a kid. He may have been the enemy now, but he was still a kid.
The fur was creeping down his exposed lower back. His shorts fell to his ankles as his lower back spasmed as it changed to accommodate his now quadruped form. His leg joints cracked and shifted as they changed to that of a pony, resulting in a whimper of un-comfort from James . His shoes ripped as his hooves formed.
Just put him out of his misery....
Just a kid...
His brown tail popped out of the back of his underwear. He was full pony now... And I did nothing. I could have prevented this. But I just fucking stood there.
"See? It wasn't so bad, right?" Fluttershy cooed as she helped him out of his remaining clothes.
"I-I guess..." he sniffled as she pulled off his Spongebob shirt with her hooves.
"Now we have one other thing to deal with before we go." She looked right at me.
"F-Fuck you..." Tears were fogging my vision. "You didn't change anything. His mom is still dead!"
"He can cope better-"
"How the fuck can he cope!? This is just avoiding the problem and you're saying he's going to be fine!?" This wasn't regular anger. This was rage. "Everything isn't going to be fine! Ever since you assholes came, you started this chaos!" I pointed my gun at her.
She stared at me. This was THE Stare. She knew what I was going to do. This stopped me in my tracks. My anger kept compelling me to start firing until it went click, but I couldn't do it. It felt as if my mind was on fire.
I started to creep backwards. I couldn't do it. These things were killing us and I couldn't do it.
I ran. I grabbed the duffle bag and ran to the door. There were two ponies by my car. They ran at me and tried to hug me. What they got in return was a fist in the eye and a broken wing.
I started the car and sped off.
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"I just stood there. I fucking just stood there..."
"Shh... It is okay my sister... In time, we'll be together and all the pain will be gone..."
I looked up at the white form and wiped my eyes. "Lady, I don't know where you get this notion that I'm your sister, but A: I'm male. B: I have no blood relation to you. And C: I don't even know you."
"Ah, but you do know me." She replied. "I do believe you have written stories about me on a website."
"That doesn't help me at all."
"Do not worry, sister. All will be revealed."
As the dream faded, I woke up covered in a cold sweat again.
No one found my car in this alley. I started off again. It was another two hours until I hit the camp. I hope to god I find my family in one piece.