//------------------------------//
// The Beautiful City! 
// Story: Could this be paradise? 
// by Timemaster 
//------------------------------//

	Holding Mr. Bubblepants, I descend into the city streets from a small hill. All there is broken city structures, puddles, and pieces of wood. I go into a building, which had been barely touched compared to the rest, and see that it was only the outside that was untouched. The inside was dripping and cold, a hole from the ceiling being the only light source. Looking around in the dim light, I find a few hard, white sticks. I pick one up in my mouth, carrying it to the light.

I drop the stick and nearly scream, for it was no stick. It was a bone. I looked around, seeing more and more bones appearing from the darkness, for my eyes have adjusted to the light. I look around the bodies, noticing that they were picked clean. As if an animal had devoured them after death, I hope. I go to a counter that survived.

This must have been a bar, for a few shelves remained above the counter. I open an unopened one, seeing cylinders. I pick one up, and place it on the counter. In the dim light, it read, 'Beer Salt'. yes, this was a bar. I go behind the counter, seeing a door. I would have opened it, if it had a knob to begin with. I just push it down, but it lands inclined upwards. I pull it off the stairs and go upstairs, wondering what may have survived up here.

Under another hole in the ceiling, I see something move. I walk to it, and it squeaks in fear. It is a little colt. It was surrounded by several cans of food and a can opener, but they were all empty.

"Do you need help?" I say.

I hear no response. Must be deaf, too. The little pegasus, blue and small for his apparent age, had an injured wing, too. I couldn't tell if he was lucky to be alive or unlucky to be so mutilated. I look back in the bag that I took stuff from the car in. I find a few foodstuffs like applesauce and lay it in front of the kid. He looks at me, his eyes full of fear. I shush him, and go downstairs.

I find a drawer in the kitchen's remains (which is in another door-less are), and pick out a wooden spoon. I go back upstairs and give it to the kid. He begins to eat slowly, watching me. I wait for a minute or two before he finishes. I pick him up, him being surprised. He begins to kick me lightly, but is too weak to do any real damage. I carry him out of the store, covering his eyes as we leave the building. I look at a piece of the counter and repeatedly stab it with the spoon, forming words. I broke off the piece with the words, handing it to the kid. It read, 'Go into the forest, there is people looking for me there, but they will save you. Never mention me'.

He still looks untrustingly at me, so I set him down and put the note back on the counter. I hand the kid a toy, the only one I ever had, and he picks him up. I did not want neither of them to feel the painful route I was going down any further. I pat the head of Mr. Bubblepants one more time, and look at the kid. I mouth my name, seeing if he knew how to read lips.

"Lemoon?" he said, somewhat loudly. I nod my head, smiling. He points at himself, "Caesar."

I smile at him, but then look to the woods. I point him towards the woods and hit his flank softly. He is shocked and begins to run. I turned the other direction, running further into the city.


Alone.






After a full hour of running, I finally found the source of the problem. This city used to be a riverbed, so they used a dam to block the water from draining here and created a city. It seemed that the dam, though, had a huge hole at the very top. The dam was probably 15 stories high, but it still overflowed, probably drowning everypony unlucky enough to be trapped inside.

But where did the water go?

I go up a heavily-chipped staircase, walking all the way up the the top of the dam. I look at the city, seeing what it must have been like.  An entire forest surrounding a city, beautifully full of wildlife, and an entire lake up top to swim in. The years of life here were probably nice, with this nice wind from up top blowing leaves into the streets. I smile at what it once was, but then look at the hole that caused its downfall. The water level of the dam is right below the hole, but I am pretty sure taht is because the flood has died down. I look at the concrete they used to make the dam, discovering something awful.

There was a small inscription that listed the years this thing was maintenance. It was not maintained for a few decades. Appalled at the blatant failure of the mayor's office, I look down stream. The water looked like fresh water, so I take a drink.

IT was fresh.

I trot down the river, seeing if any other cities were near this one.


 Hopefully not destroyed this time, though.