//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: The little one // Story: Tales from a lost pony // by Zen Gale //------------------------------// The filly felt numb. The outside world was distant and obscured by the black void that the she drifted through. For her, there was nothing in this darkness. No sight, no feeling, no sou.....'What was that?' She thought as something stirred in the distance. Some distant cry sounded off, but the muddled sound was indecipherable. When it sounded again, from the same direction, the little filly turned towards the source. Weakly flailing her hooves, she began to try and swim towards the noise. Mythic the sound called out again, still weak, but this time just barely understandable. It....It sounded like her name? But who would be calling for me here....wherever here is..... Mythic, the stranger called out again. This time though, a light appeared in the distance. A little globe of luminescence, the only change in the otherwise pitch black world. Now she had a goal, and with that goal the little filly re-doubled her efforts in trying to reach the orb of light. The name sounded out again and again as she tried to get closer and each time it was just a little bit louder. Gradually it started to sound familiar, the filly knew that voice, it was one that she'd known for as long as she could remember. Mommy? Suddenly, the light exploded outwards and completely enveloped the little filly. Temporarily blinded by the quick shift from pitch black to bright light, Mythic was barely able to make out the multi-colored shapes moving in her vision. There were more sounds now, they were still muddled but they were there none-the-less. It sounds like...like screaming? Gradually the colors came into focus as well as the sounds. There were ponies, dozens of them, all running along side her even though she was sure she wasn't running. No, she was being carried on a body of yellow fur. Turning her head slowly revealed a thick green mane blowing behind the pony she was riding on. Occasionally this strange pony would call out her name while speaking, even though it was barely audible over the screams of the ponies that surrounded them. A much louder boom followed by an increase in the screams drew Mythic's attention upwards, towards the ending scenes of an airship crashing into a building. The whole mass, now a burning wreck, plunged past them and towards the city floor below the skywalks. "Keep your head down sweetie, we just need to keep running and we'll be safe. Daddy's waiting for us with a ship." The mare said as she kept running. Mythic complied as the press of bodies began to tighten around the pair, even burying her eyes in her mothers mane out of fear. Once more Mythic's world was shrouded in darkness, but this time the sound didn't go away, or the feeling of her mother under her. Until a almost painful jolt, and Mythic was once more floating through space. Snapping her eyes open at the feeling of separation from her mother, Mythic was greeted with the sight of flying just over the heads of several ponies. "MOMMY!" she screamed just as the filly fell beneath the river of bodies she saw and heard her mother scream out "MYTHIC!!!" The filly landed hard on the ground, and the thunder of the hundreds of hooves drowned out any other calls of her mother might have yelled. Mythic struggled to stand only to be kicked, hard, knocking off her hooves and a few away. She tried to stand again, only for her to be knocked to the ground again, this time accompanied by a stomp from another fleeing pony. Mythic cried out in pain as the mass of colors kept moving past her, curling into a ball and starting to cry for her mother. "Mythic!". The filly's ears perked up as she heard the call and felt her body being lifted off the ground. Her tear filled eyes looked about until they landed on her mother, fighting against the current of ponies swarming past her as she levitated the little filly towards her. The yellow mare took off running again as soon as the filly was on her back again. "Try to hang on Mythic, it's going to get a little bumpy sweetie," the mare told Mythic as she continued to run with the others. Together they kept running, occasionally getting bumped and shoved by other fleeing ponies, but Mythic kept a firm hold on her mother. The screams spiked in volume and pitch as a massive explosion erupted in the air ahead. Craning her head around her mother, Mythic saw the now blazing airship explode a second time and begin listing towards them. As the ropes holding the gondola snapped the ship began to at first tip and then change direction towards the pony filled suspended walkways. Mythic's eyes widened as the burning ship closed in on them and remained locked on it even as her mother turned around with the other ponies who were suddenly trying to flee the oncoming wreck. She watched in horror as the flaming craft came closer and closer till finally it crashed into the walkway. The jarring impact nearly knocked Mythic's mother off her hooves, but the determined mare kept her legs beneath her and kept running. Mythic however never noticed the stumble, her eyes were still trained on the ship that had hit the walkway and was now sliding across the smooth stonework towards them. She watched in horror as the ship either crushed ponies underneath it's bulk or knocked them over the edge of the path. "mom," she said, her voice rising in pitch and volume as the ship began to close in on them. Mythic's mother kept running, now actively shoving ponies out of the way as the mare tried to simply get away from the wreckage that, when she glanced behind her, could see was still in hot pursuit. She was extremely worried though as now they were approaching a dead end, the path continued off to the right side, but rubble from a building had blocked off the pass. Several ponies were trying to climb over the pile of rubble, others were simply jumping off the walkway in vain attempts to reach the buildings to the sides. A few made it, some were saved by near flying pegasi or airships speeding by, but many plunged to the city floor far below. Mythic's mother was forced closer and closer to the edge by the wreckage behind her and the crowd of ponies surrounding her. Just as she was forced to the ledge itself, the shoving ponies as well as the ship stopped. The screams were mixing with Mythic's cries but the older mare drowned it out as she thought of what to do next. They were trapped here on the skywalk between a mountain of rubble and the wreckage of a burning airship. The buildings were too far away to try and jump to and she'd already seen far too many ponies plummet to their deaths to truly consider it. It was only a matter of time until the walkway collapsed or another ship crashed into them now. She scanned the area, desperately hoping for something to appear and such a miracle happened to come by in the form of another airship. The craft was descending, but it was at least descending slower than if she were to just jump. She readied herself for the leap, preparing to land on the deck as it flew by. "Hold on tight Mythic, mommy's going to make sure we're safe." She told the terrified filly clinging to her back and mane. The time came, and she bounded off the skywalk. Her jump was perfect and her hooves aimed to land on the airship clacked loudly on the deck. There were dozen of other ponies on the ship, but none seemed to mind the two hitch hikers as the ponies scurried about the deck. Some taking care of various things along the ship while others were just trying not to be in the way of the working ponies. Mythic's mother joined the latter crowd and relocated herself near the side. "It's okay now sweetie, we're on a ship, we'll meet up with dad, and then we'll all be safe." She said to try and soothe the upset filly. "It'll all be.... oh no." The older mare said as her eyes widened in fear, which also drew Mythic's eyes around her mothers head to see what was going on. Another airship, this one on fire and descending, was on a collision course with their own ship. Ponies started screaming as the crew of the ship desperately tried to shift the course of their own ship. Time seemed to slow as the two aircraft closed in on each other until finally... 'CRASH'!!! The two craft collided with a jarring clash that sent everypony on either deck sliding across the surface. Mythic's mother was tossed hard into the rail that bordered the other ship, the impact knocking the breath out of her and launching Mythic clean off her back. The older mare screamed 'MYTHIC!' and lunged for the little filly just barely missing her as she sailed over and onto the other ship. "MOMMY, NOOO!!!!" Mythic screamed before hitting the other ship's deck. She tumbled head over hooves before scrambling back to her hooves, and looking up with tear filled eye at the other ship. Her mother was still leaning over the side, hooves outstretched and horn glowing as she tried to reach the rapidly descending filly, but it was too late. "Mommy! Please, mommy!" Mythic continued to cry as the ship kept descending, down into the depths of the city and farther away from her mother. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mommy!" Mythic screamed waking up with a start. Her now bright red eyes with slit pupils took a moment to adjust from the dream to what she was really seeing. In front of her was a small fire casting shadows about the small room she was in. Sniffling a little and wiping away the tears that were left over from the nightmare, she shifted about noticing the bright red blanket covering her. Curious, Mythic lifted up the garment only to find that is wasn't a blanket, but a coat. And one that was somehow familiar but she couldn't quite remember where she'd seen it before. Letting the coat fall back tot he ground, she looked about the room. Aside from the fire, there was a small pile of cans, bottles, and other various things sitting next to a few saddlebags. "He-hello?" Mythic called out quietly, not really expecting an answer, but curious none the less. "So you're awake," replied a voice from behind her causing the filly to jump. "Woah now, you're alright, calm down." "Wh-who are you?" She asked hesitantly. "Zen Gale, and you are?" Zen asked as he sat down around the fire. The light reflecting off his strange hourglass eyes. "M- M- Mythic Sketch, what happened to your eyes?" Mythic asked, still clearly a little nervous. "It's a long story, and I bet you've got one as well. Why don't we take some time and we'll recall what's happened to us okay?" Zen asked, earning a nod from the filly. For the rest of the night, and most of the next day, the two recapped what had happened to each of them before gathering up their things and setting off. "You sure you want to follow me?" "Yeah, you're pretty nice and you've got that scythe if more monsters show up." Mythic replied as she trotted alongside Zen. "Heh, well let's hope I don't have to use this thing too much," Zen said with a quick look back at the scythe that rested between his wings. "I haven't really had a lot of practice with it ya know." "It's still better than nothing." "Heh, if ya say so." Zen replied as they continued onward deeper into the ruined city.