//------------------------------// // The Superior Species // Story: Peace // by Masterweaver //------------------------------// The cart wheels creaked and groaned, gaining the attention of so many milky eyes from the shattered houses and hodgepodge homes around him. He gave a snort, half amusement and half aggression, as he returned many of the looks with a flat stare of his own. It wasn't so long ago that he'd have visited this town--any town, really--and gotten naught but a glance. Of course, in those days magic was woven into every brick, defending every settlement against incursion; a magically neutral donkey would have been beneath notice for most of ponykind, save merchants wishing to make a sale. It had seemed reasonable, after all; Nightmare Moon was magical, Discord was magical, and the army of Crystal Changelings was magical--fight magic with magic. And then Tirek had come rampaging out of nowhere, crushing the warring factions with their own drained power. His long ear perked and he turned to see a small group of foals talking. From the looks of it, a trio comprised of all three tribes was trying to talk some pink filly into playing a game of kick the ball with them. Or maybe headbutt the ball. There really wasn't that much they could do with a ball, all things considered. And the pink filly didn't seem interested. In anything. Oh, he'd seen that look before. That was the look of a pony who put far too much value on their cutie mark, back when they had one. Well, he hadn't seen it on a foal before, but it was obvious enough; the slumped neck, folded back ears, and tail clutched in loose forehooves. On the one hoof, it was terrible and all, given how much ponies had defined themselves by those magical flank stamps. On the other, he couldn't take it at all seriously when all around them other milky-eyed ponies were shillin' out a living. He shouldered his harness with a huff, tearing his eyes away from the tiny scene and letting them roam warily around. Thankfully, none of the ponies around him seemed ready to jump him. All the ponies he'd met were rather shaken from having their entire society upended, which was only to be expected; a large number had simply become desperate enough to try anything, steal from anyone they saw in some mad attempt to regain whatever it was they lost. Once he'd have been happy to give handouts. Once he even did. And he only ever made that mistake once. He'd barely gotten out of that horde with his life. A grating voice caught his attention, and he looked skyward to see a pink pegasus shouting orders at a group of ponies below. Well, now that was something. Had she regained her magic...? No, her wings were simply huge. A ground-bound pegasus was an interesting creature, all things considered--they'd been hit even harder than the unicorns, when it came down to it. Down being the key word; for a race whose entire culture was tied up in flight, losing their bonds with the sky was even more devastating than the usual loss of mark. He'd seen many crazy pegasi on his travels... too many to count. Unicorns were at least able to reconnect with their hornless brethren, and pretend the jut of bone on their heads was nothing more than a fancy gift of genetics. They and the earth ponies were both reduced to mostly the same level, after all, since a lot of the earth ponies had relied on their own subtle magics before Tirek stormed through their lands. He noted, with a satisfied nod, the white unicorn helping along a couple of earth pony twins, making sure the pair was taken care of. This town had once sat at the foot of the mountain, probably becoming a bastion of trade for those going to and from the capital itself. He could see, here and there, remnants of luxury services; a spa, a tailor shop, a candy store. He wouldn't have been surprised if there was a good dependency on tourist trade. This community was better than most, all things considered. They were taking care of each other, of their lost and broken. The fact that they were all broken... well, that was somewhat disappointing. He seriously considered actually staying for a while, settling down, perhaps. But... no. His quest was greater than that, and he was too close to his goal to fail now. A short rest, then... The ruins of Canterlot beckoned from the base of the mountain they'd fallen to, shattered spires and mansions across so much rubble. He could see it in the distance--he suspected that quite a few ponies from this very town had either made their way there or, perhaps, come in after Tirek had thrown it off. Maybe he could ask around for ponies who had lived there. He looked around, from the massive-winged pegasus gliding around, to the white unicorn helping the twins dig through some rubble, to even the fillies playing a mildly rousing game of chase-the-ball-and-kick-it-some-random-direction. There was just enough calm in the air to suspect that Equestria's new overlord hadn't visited recently, but... well, the damages didn't seem to be all that old. Perhaps this was just one of Tirek's favorite haunts; it would make sense, given how close it was to the mountain. And--ah. The pegasus was looking about, constantly, not just at the buildings but at the horizon. The unicorn kept an eye on the fillies, who themselves never strayed onto the road. It was a fairly clear road. Right. Staying here was far too risky. With a sigh, he doubled his pace and pulled his cart as quickly as he could through the settlement. If he were found by Tirek... well, not all hope would be lost, he wasn't really that important, but it would be something of a setback. He tipped his hat at the pair of donkeys he saw--no idea if they were in on it--and soon enough, he was out on the road, walking toward his goal. Still, he spared a glance backward. "...How the mighty have fallen..."