//------------------------------// // The Damage Done // Story: My Little Strife: The Sigil Is Magic // by Ichtudirweh //------------------------------// The damage revealed outside wasn't as catastrophic as you expected it to be. You peer outside, only to see the comet lodged three hundred meters away from the building you were located in. Curious settlers slowly exit from their homes to examine the oddity. As the curious species of humans and ponies draw closer, a peculiar yellow cloud cracks through pores of the comet. The citizens of Ponyville step backwards in shock. They sprint away with their families in dismay, as the toxic cloud uplifts into the atmosphere of Ponyville. You could only watch in horror, as the citizens of Ponyville drop like flies. Dead to the ground. Ponies scurreid with their hooves over their mouths. Humans rip their clothing in distress, and use the strips as makeshift gas masks. To little avail did it stop the poisonous cloud. The two species wailed in agonizing pain when the cloud made contact with their skin. They grasped their throats, as the yellow cloud entered their lungs and choked all quality of life out of them. Your eyes widen, as your cover your mouth in horror. You felt like you were going to be sick. The manes from the unfortinate ponies who came in contract of the cloud, falls into clumps and patches. The skin of many humans blister and boil like the bubonic plague, whenever they came in contact of the expanding cloud. They scream to seek shelter from the toxic cloud, that swept slowly into Ponyville from above the atmosphere. Inside the home that you were contained, you took extra precations to seal the cracks of any exposed openings with whatever you could find. It worked. The cloud could not seep into any entryways that the building had. The ponies from outside the door cry out: "PLEASE! OPEN THIS DOOR! WE HAVE CHILDREN WITH US! PLEASE, AT LEAST TAKE THEM INSIDE WITH YOU!" "Oh my goodness....The children...." You thought to yourself. It would be morally unjust to let them suffer the same fate as their families. You could see them crying with their mothers. They wimpered from outside the doorway, as you can see their distraught expressions from a nearby window. The cloud reeked with inevitable death for the families. It expanded around the outside perimeter of the home with every passing minute. You had to make a choice. Are you going to risk opening the door to let the foals/children inside with you? Or are you going to value your own safety and protect yourself, and whoever was inside with you at the time being? You cringe, as you have to face a dreadful decision. A cold sensation travels throughout your spine. Read onto paragraph: A) You choose to morally do the right thing. Risk your life and open the door. B) Value your own Safety and keep the door closed. You had to preserve the life contained inside the house. A) There was no way that you could just stand around, and let innocent life fade away before your eyes. Your going to play the hero card this time around. You unlock the series of locks on the interior of the door. You remove the damp towel from the lower doorway, that has sucessfully blocked the air from the outside. You grasp the doorknob and swiftly swing open the door. That, unfortinately for you, was an unwise decision. The children with their parent were already dead at the front doorway. Their facial features were lifeless and gray. The yellow cloud choked all life from them, before you could save them in time. The cloud swiftly flows inward. Your body locks into an immovable state of horror. Once the cloud made direct contact with you, every cell from within your body was ignited to a state of unimaginable pain. You drop to your knees, as you gasp for breathe for the slightest hint of air. Your eyes water intensly, as the world around you slowly fades to black. You collapse to your side on the floor. You slowly lose consciousness and pass away into the afterlife. Not only did your actions foresaw the end of you, but you've jeopardized everyponies life inside the home as well. They go along with you to the afterlife, as death strips away every living thing inside the home. Go back and read part B to continue on. B) It was a inhumane decision, but you couldn't risk the life cotained inside the home you were in. You've witnessed how the citizens dropped lifelessly to the ground, once the yellow cloud came in contact with them. The draining quality of life from outside the doorway, pounded on the door in a last attempt. The door locks withheld to the substantial abuse. You could hear the disturbing outcry of gagging and coughing. You couldn't take the sound of deteriorating life anymore, and force yourself away from the doorway. You head to the living room (and attempted to comfort any ponies that were with you for the time being). There was absolutely nothing you could have done for those poor souls, but you've managed to save yourself and everyponies life inside the home for now. You turn on the radio and television, to gather up as much information as you possibly could. You discover that 'Mareshal law' was fully enacted and into effect. The media warned everyone to stay in their homes for at least five days, or until the visible radiation from the comet completely diminished. Imminent death was warned to anyone/anypony who was willing to risk to go outside. The citizens of Ponyville were also warned not to make direct contact with any deceased bodies, or any loved ones infected from the cloud. Anybody who was infected, was to be quarentined immediately to avoid risk of further contamination. Luckily for you (and anypony inside), you had just enough stocked up canned food and supplies to wait out fives days. There was no reason to go outside and witness the damage done. Days pass by, while you occupy yourself and anyone else inside the home. You peer from outside the window, to see teams of hazmat suits piling up dead bodies onto wagons. As the fifth day passed by, it was finally announced safe to go outside once again. You walk around town with anypony who was with you (that's if there was a pony with you). To your horror, you witness hundreds of deceased beings littered all over the streets. A majority of Ponyville's citizens failed to plan properly, and stubbornly ventured outside for supplies during the radiational exposure of the cloud. They suffered from skin infections and mutations. The ones who planned properly and took precautions, held out fine inside and were in perfect health. Everyone suffered due to the tragic loss of life around Ponyville. Celestia was nowhere to be found. Mayor mare was now fully in charge of Ponyville. The citizens of Ponyville, and everyone else in Equestria, has now taken a major downfall. To experience a new era of rule...