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// Day 30― 
// Story: Her Eyes Reflect The Stars 
// by Lynwood 
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Day 30―

It's hard to believe it's only been a month since this started. It's impossible to imagine that only thirty days ago we were all back home. Steady was still working at the fishery, and Symphony was still going to school, and mother wasn't 

It's been five days since we escaped the city. We were lucky to have planned to pack our bags with food the night before, because, by the time we ran out of food in that cellar back in the outskirts, it seemed like everything was over. At least, we couldn't hear any more of those horrible noises coming from outside.

We were out of food and water, though, so we had to do something. I don't remember many defensive spells from school, but I do remember how to cast a shield, so I made Steady stay with our daughter while I went outside and made sure it was safe. I was so scared, but we had no choice, and I have to keep them safe.

I'll remember it until the day I die. The air was completely silent as I pushed the cellar door open. I tried to leave slowly, and I was careful, but it made this awful groaning noise. I was so scared one of them would hear it so I shut the door as quick as I could and dashed away, so that if something came, I could maybe lead it away. I ran around to the front of the house and that's when I saw the body in the road.

A pony was crumpled there. A stallion's body, I think. It was hard to tell. He had a horrible burn along his side. Thinking back on it, probably some kind of incineration spell. His legs were far too long. They stretched out in long, furry, knobbly tangles of meat. It wasn't like they were just stretched out, they bent sharply at random, unnatural places. I thought they were broken until I looked closer, and I really wish I hadn't. They were knees, he had more knees on his legs.

It wasn't just his legs. His neck was too long. His muzzle was too long, and his teeth were too long. His tongue looked like a gray rope lying there on the dirty, empty road. His eyes were wide open. They were green, underneath all of the cloudiness in them. I remember that the clearest.

I couldn't run back, because if one of them had heard, it could have found Steady and Symphony, so I ran into the barn. I hid in there for a long while, and once I was sure it was safe, I crept back outside. I could see the city in the distance, still burning. I made a big circle around the house, just to make absolutely sure there was nopony or nothing there.

Steady could see I was pretty shaken up, so he went and searched the house for food. I warned him about the thing in the road, but he must have seen because he had this horrible, haunted look in his eyes when he came back. There were a few cans inside, but most of the food must have been taken or something because Steady said the front door had been smashed in. Then we left.

Night fell before we got too far into the woods so we pitched the tent. We were too scared to make a fire, though, so we're all just huddling in the tent being quiet right now. I'm putting out my light now.


—Silk Stream