The Last Mare
written by Mixed Scales
Art by Mixed Scales
The faces, it was the faces. Their emotionless features that were getting to her. Not the burning of the world that she loved, nor was it the sounds of chaos of the ponies she cared for. She new those weren't real. She new that the world would never end in a fiery blaze, or descend into chaotic disarray. But the faces were a different matter. Not even a thousand times could have numb the pain that she and another thousand would do nothing to aid her suffering.
“Please children, stay with me. Life still has so much to give!” The old alicorn screamed in desperation, as the last familiar face faded into the background. Waking up in a cold sweat she laid their shivering. That nightmare had always left her that way. It mortified her, but strangely it also relieved her. The dream reminded her that the past was real. Without it the mare feared that she would forget the past, And to think the world she lives in now had always been. Was far more terrifying than any nightmare.
Looking up to the night sky. It seemed to her that she couldn’t take a glance and not see the effects of the collapse. The sky once filled with brilliant stars that glowed with the hope of the beings that they watched over so closely were gone. Now was only a black void. The only object in the night sky was the moon, faintly glowing. giving her little to work with in the ways of seeing her surroundings.
Sighing she laid back down and prayed that she could be spared of the nightmares. Eather from pity or just lack of energy her subconscious granted her wish. She slept restlessly but with no intrusions from her demons.
Almost mechanically she slowly opened her eyes and got up. It took a great deal of strength to do so. Ten thousand years of this, and every single day she awoke with a even more of a broken heart. Still sitting on her makeshift bed the mare looked towered her destination.
Not that their was anything to look at. It remained the same, no matter ware she went. Always appearing to be the late season of autumn. The time of year when it seams that the whole world had died When the the leaves have lost their mesmerizing colors of red and gold. And the air gave way to the harsh bite of winter.
In truth the world had died. The ground was naked and cracked, without it’s protective vegetation. What little plants that remain were dried out husks of their former forms. The trees were the last to die, so they still hold onto the leaves that they loved so much.
The heavens too were not immune of this this disease. The clouds had disappeared, and with their desperation for existence stole what little water that remained on this land. Leaving the sun in the open for the mare to see. Once full of pride it shown it’s fire brightly and brilliantly, but now it all but exhausted it’s fuel. now reluctant to give away it’s precious heat, leaving the earth cold. The air was heavy and motionless. Acting as though it was in itself, a final breath.
“Suffer then, or suffer now?” The pony mumbled as she finally got to a standing stance. The Alicorn once stood tall in regal pride, now slouched with the same heaviness of the air. Her white coat was covered in scratches and bruises. Her only attempts to nurture these wounds was the dirt that clung to her. The mere thought of movement caused her a great deal of distress.
Her Main fared no better. the years of neglect truly shown. It’s tangles held the dirt and twigs from sleeping on the cold ground. It accrued to that not to long ago, she would ben disgusted by the uncouth hair.
“Suffer now.” she finally answered her question and took the first few painful steps foreword. Her journey was long and dull. Leaving her time to think. But she had nothing to ponder during this time. She had far too much of it, to simply think. So she continued, head hung low and her thoughts were just a blur.
Only the occasional fork in the road gave her something to truly ponder. The pony always took the paths with the least civilization. Those places hunted the mare more than the dead forest.
Still planing out her course she halted. The alicorn looked up to see in more detail of what made the scenery different. A house, just a simple house in the middle of the woods. The mare new what house this was and who lived there. It surprised her just how close she was to her destination, but also it aloud her to think of something more than just her destination. The house itself wasn’t strange but the pony who resided in there was. a friendly enough pony. But she always thought it strange that this colt would live in solitude.
Ponies were sociable creators. even the less social ones preferred to live near some other ponies. But this one was the only one she new that lived alone. Thinking hard she tried to remember everything she new about this pony.
An Artist by profession, although she never did see any of his works. would visit the city of Canterlot to resupply. It was in that city did she meet him. A kind and imaginative pony. Had many questions for her, many of which she could not remember. One that she did was “How are you going to fix this”? Now exactly what the pony implied she could not recall. but she feared to guess what.
One other thing bothered her. The name of the colt. She couldn’t remember, she was great with names. But this one name she didn’t have the foggiest clue of what it could be. it unnerved her more than the questions he asked. She wanted to know more of this mysteries pony. And their laid the house luring her with the possibility of an answer.
Taking one step towered the building she lit up a bit. She new something was about to happen. Just what it was she didn’t know, but that hardly mattered.