You start walking toward the shape. After all, if it is a pony, directions will undoubtedly be helpful lest you go down the wrong path and end up even farther into the desert, which is not what you want.
As you get closer, the shape does indeed seem to get closer as well, and before long, it clarifies and you can tell now that it is for sure a pony.
But there’s something strange about the pony. Not necessarily that their fur is stained with dirt and unkempt, or that their mane is tangled and in a similar condition—although you do find that very weird—but instead that the pony is just standing still, no less in the middle of a desert.
While that does strike you as strange… a pony’s a pony! So they’re bound to be helpful in some way.
You’re a few steps away from the pony before you stop. You notice that the pony you’re approaching is not standing completely still, and instead twitches every few seconds sporadically. Not to mention, you also hear what sounds like a light, but rough growling coming from them. Now you’re really starting to get an eerie vibe from the pony.
However, you continue approaching them anyway. You need all the help you can get, and if they can provide it, it’s worth it.
You stand behind the pony as they continue to grunt and spasm occasionally. The pony smells bad, like flesh that’s been rotting for weeks or even months. Their skin looks like it too… You reach a hoof out and touch their shoulder to get their attention. The pony doesn’t react to it at first, but the growling comes to an abrupt stop. You then ask the pony if they can help you, once again inciting no reaction.
Then, the pony slowly turns around, and you see the details of their face. Their eyes are lifeless and gray, the skin around their muzzle torn and hanging, exposing the rotten muscle of their jaw.
And the teeth… they’re sharp, and covered in dried blood…
Before you can step away, the pony jumps forward and tackles you to the ground. You flail, trying to push the lunatic off of you as an intense pain flares in your neck, and you feel a warm, wet substance spread from your neck downward toward your chest. The pony is too strong for you though, and the pain gets worse as they pull their head back, carrying a piece of meat in their mouth.
You kick the cannibal off of you with a hind leg, and your front hooves go to your neck to ease the pain on instinct, but the pain only stings worse from that. Also, your hooves now feel warm and sticky, and you realize why when you examine your hooves.
They are covered in blood. Your blood.
Distracted, the pony jumps onto you again while you have no time to react, and digs their teeth into your stomach. The agony you feel is worse than any pain you have ever experienced and you’re left there to suffer as the pony digs into your flesh and tears you apart from the inside.
Your vision goes blurry as you lose consciousness. The sky turns dark, and the darkness rapidly approaches, enclosing you in near darkness. The pain in your stomach and all sensations fade away into nothingness and before long, your vision is black.
***
Pinkie thanked everypony who came to the party as they left, smiles on each and every one of them as they parted toward their homes or a restaurant for an after party. Mission successful!
Only, she couldn’t help but be curious about the new pony. During that game of pin the tail on the pony, her newest friend had just steered off and disappeared. Perhaps the pony had somewhere to be, or something along those lines, but she couldn’t help but find it strange.
Standing outside as she watched the partygoers scatter off down the road away from the bakery, she was about to turn around and head back inside Sugarcube Corner when she saw something in the distance down the road. Pausing, she stared in the direction of the something and examined it.
A far away shadowed shape was approaching her from the end of the road. She couldn’t see it well at all, but upon straining her eyes, she could make it out to be the shape of a pony.
She trotted toward it to see the pony better. They hadn’t stopped approaching since Pinkie had spotted them, and as she got closer, she realized the pony was limping, their head hanging to one side.
After a few more steps forward, she suddenly recognized who it was. The new pony had returned!
She began to gallop to her friend, but then noticed that something was off. There was a strange growling coming from her friend’s direction, and the new pony’s hide and mane were knotted and disheveled.
A bad feeling was welling up in her gut, but she kept walking forward. Meanwhile, you walked toward the pink party mare, feeling intensely hungry.
Hungry for flesh.
THE TROTTING DEAD | ENDING 10 OF 17
BAD ENDING