//------------------------------//
// The Town I Used To Know 
// Story: The Town I Used To Know 
// by NovaEraMDM 
//------------------------------//

My home town, once a quaint little village, bustling with the day to day drivel of the ponies therein, has seemed to have… Changed as of late. Once pulsing with the life and energy of the citizens, their businesses, idle gossip and chores, now lies desolate, as if an asphyxiating cloud descended upon it and wrought the lifeblood and soul out of its being. This is not the Ponyville I remember…  I stare sullenly forward, as if aimlessly peering into an abyss, the shock of my once beautiful home’s demise settling in. I sigh heavy-heartedly as I trot warily through those streets, vessels in a once vibrant body, now standing exsanguinated, the pulse of life absent from its architecture. I gaze upon those hollowed shells where my friends and family used to live, every day I’d stop by to visit, their smiles and warmth filling me with an utmost ecstasy, the ecstasy of knowing that I’ll never be alone, the unabashed euphoria from understanding that I’ll never be abandoned. Never abandoned, until now I guess. 

I walk slowly down Main Street, looking upon Carousel Boutique, the once beautiful building now lying in rot and decay, an odd, organic discolouration desecrating its alabaster walls that once housed the most prodigious fashionista in this side of Equestria. A tear traces its way along one of my cheeks, leaving a trail through my coat as I press on through the hellish ruins that I once called home.  I can barely suppress my tears as I reminisce upon the great times I’ve had with my friends here. I’d strut by the candy store across the road from Sugarcube corner, rapping vigourously on the door, usually to the shock and dismay of the inhabitant, who was my only friend. Not that I really needed many friends, she was a friend enough for me. How I miss her violet and rose mane, that svelte, cream coat of hers. Hah, I always loved how she’d get all irritated about my escapades, in the end we usually just laughed it off and got on with our lives.

This place is really getting to me, somepony HAS to still be here, I gotta check the library, I doubt the librarian would ever abandon that grand trove of knowledge and history for ANYTHING. I sprinted as fast as I could manage, kicking up dust as my hoofsteps echoed in those barren alleyways, the sky pallid as ash, the sun blocked out by a dense cloud cover. How odd, usually it’d have been taken care of, since here we never had that kind of weather, as we had the best weatherpony (and flier) in all of Equestria. Hah, I remember her very well, that young mare full of spunk and a fire unmatched by any other. She could get that sky cleared in a few heartbeats time, then getting right back to her napping. Sometimes I’d try to talk to her, but we never really had much in common, she always was out doing things with her other friends. How I wish I could have gotten to know them better before… this. As I come to the library, it looks sorta how it used to, but as I near I notice it’s incredibly decrepit, and as I grow even nearer, my jaw drops. That glorious collection of tomes and records, now reduced to a smoldering shell, its smoke polluting the air around it, adding an acrid, singed stench to the dead feeling air around me. I fall to my knees and began sobbing, the tears flowing freely and burning hot as they form thin rivulets in my coat. My heart was absolutely broken. All the time I spent here with the librarian and my best friend, sharing in our love of knowledge and companionship, now a charred husk, all that remains are a few pages of a scrapbook I remember making with them. I weep softly, placing that page into my saddlebag as I forge onwards. 

I sullenly walk these abandoned roads, drifting away from that once beautiful library, the pain still heavy in my heart. I turn a corner and see a familiar building’s silhouette in the distance. I smile just a little, remembering the amazing times I’ve had there. I trot towards it as it slowly becomes more and clearer. Ah, Sugarcube Corner, home of the best baked goods in Ponyville. Owned by two ponies, one chubby and the other lanky, it was always pulsing with activity. I can’t forget that energetic mare, whose happiness seems to have radiated out from her, always spread from pony to pony, even cheering up the most cantankerous of mules. How I miss her, every time I felt hopeless, I felt down, she’d be there to pick me back up. How I wish she was here right now, I could use one of her parties right now…

I meander down a side road, a simple dirt trail leading off to the east. I look around, taking in the new state of the forest, once vibrant and full of innumerous fauna and flora, now lying sickly and frail, like an old stallion in the final chapter of his life. I press onwards, knowing exactly where I’m going. I walk up to the cottage, once home to a kind Pegasus mare, with a timid yet loving heart. She was in a sense the town’s veterinarian, taking care of and healing the various pets and woodland creatures of the area. Oh how I miss her birds, their melodic, chirpy songs pure beauty at the crack of dawn, always starting the days off beautifully. Now there is not a peep, nor a rustle of leaves, not even the cluck of a chicken as all the life has been choked out, leaving it lifeless and cold. It’s a far cry from the place I used to know…

I stare down the path, leading me to the large orchard where one of the most well-known families lived. I trot down the winding path, staring at the apple trees, once bearing the sweetest, most crisp apples in all of Equestria, now nothing but rotten twigs.  I push open the gate leading to the yard, and the feeble crossbars snap and it falls off the hinges. I jump out of the way before it falls on me, I don’t dare to think what would happen if I got hurt out here… I come upon the barn. Oh, the barn, home of many parties, dances, gatherings. I even made my first cider there! It wasn’t as good as the family’s, but my friend and I were sure proud of it! Ahh, those were the times, how I wish I could just go back, but alas I am in this horrible parody of my once hospitable home. I briefly mourn its downfall before noticing an odd path. I could have sworn this was never there before… Of course I head down it, taking me over a small bridge to a riverside. I remember this place… It’s where my friend declared her love for me. Damn, how bittersweet is this? The place at which I was happiest, now as dead as the rest of the town, the river now a mere trickle, filled with coagulated sludge, the contents of which I’d prefer not to think about. I stroll down the banks, taking in the corrupted scenery as that day plays in my mind, the memory as vivid as the day it was made. I notice an odd clearing that I never saw before a bit down the way. I gallop steadily towards the lot, gaining on it rapidly. As I reach it, I notice an odd stone standing in the center of it. I tread carefully towards it, looking it over, I see that it has some writing on it, but it was obscured by layers of grime. I brushed the grime away, and as I read what was on the stone, I felt an intense chill sweep over me. I could practically feel the life drain out of me… I fall to my knees sobbing, knowing all too well what happened, and my destiny as well….

“Lyra Heartstrings
A good friend,
A wonderful pony,
We will never forget you.”