M̸y̶ ̸L̴i̶t̸t̶l̴e̶ C̵o̸r̷r̴u̶p̶t̶e̷d̸-P̵o̴n̴y̷

by ScorchingFlamesInc

Chapter 26: Post-Fallout

Two days have gone by since that horrible night took place, and it didn’t seem as though things were getting better any time soon.

Equestria’s survivors had won. The moment Spike’s mind slipped away and succumbed to the darkness, the contraption did its work. The darkness had been banished, the void had disappeared, the sky had returned, all of Equestria’s literally broken land had put itself back together, and nearly all of Equestria’s inhabitants have been freed from the darkness, and free to return to their lives. Mostly everyone Spike had been with throughout the entire incident… Pinkie Pie, Discord, Fluttershy Tempest, Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream… had all turned out alive and well. Injured, but alive. Pinkie received medical care as soon as possible, and is currently in the process of getting a prosthetic foreleg.

But not all of it was a completely happy ending.

Even though Equestria’s own soil and rock was put back where it was as if the land never became a series of floating islands, all towns and cities were left in ruins, with many homes, shops, and buildings left completely destroyed. It was as if the spell that banished the darkness specifically reversed Equestria’s natural world, and not everything else. When Spike first returned to Ponyville the morning after the apocalypse, there was nothing but rubble. Even on day two, after plenty of cleaning and rebuilding, the town still looked to be a complete mess. It was going to be a long time before it looked even remotely welcoming.

Canterlot was no exception. From the town of Ponyville, it could be seen that Canterlot was also in heavy ruin, the condition of the city just as horrible as when Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow attacked.

No pony or creature could travel. The Friendship Express and a good portion of its tracks had all been destroyed. Some citizens were outraged. Others didn’t mind the halt on being able to leave.

The biggest loss of it all was that not everyone was here. As it turned out, multiple deaths have taken place during the apocalypse. Discussion arose over many different topics surrounding it, such as if the ones responsible were corrupted ones or survivors, or if those that died were even corrupted or not. The discussions died down quick, as most have come to terms that it didn’t matter in the end.

Some reported deaths, Spike didn’t know at all, but he and his friends gave condolences out to those that were close. For another select few, Spike knew their names, though he himself never directly interacted with them. And then there were a couple of fatalities with the victims being those that Spike and his friends knew very well, the news of their deaths hitting them all like a train.

Applejack still hasn’t left her farm. Neither have her siblings. Their friends still check on them every now and then, but it was clear that they wouldn’t leave the farm for at least another week.

“Well, I think it’s sweet that you’re wearing her scarf to remember her,” Fluttershy said during one visit.

“It looks awesome on you too!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Applejack said nothing. All she did was slowly raise a hoof and touch the orange, apple-pattered scarf she wore on her barrel.

There was the tiniest number of losses that have not been considered casualties. No bodies have been found. And that is why Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, Cozy Glow, Starlight Glimmer, and Twilight Sparkle have all been declared missing. All of them gone, without a trace. The moment the word spread about Grogar being around, he had been put on the search list as well.

Spike wanted to stay in Twilight’s castle in Ponyville, but he knew he couldn’t. At least not right now. So he chose to live in what was left of the Canterlot Castle, residing with Celestia and Luna while working with them to find Twilight and Starlight. So far they have had no success.

Celestia and Luna have wanted to study the darkness, to know more about it and where it came from, but they have nothing but their faded memories to work off of. Most of what they remembered while being corrupted have been lost, but what they did remember was that the darkness wasn’t an average everyday Equestria threat. It wasn’t exclusive to their world, nor was its intent solely set on their world. Although they didn’t know the full picture, all they could figure out at the end of the day was that there was something far greater out there beyond their world.

Today, Spike rested. If there was another good thing to come out of the apocalypse ending, it was that at least now he could finally rest and heal. His wings were bandaged and splinted. He wasn’t going to be flying for a while. His scratches and bruises thankfully have been healing much faster. The most peculiar of all however was his abdomen would. Surprisingly he survived retaining it, and although he had to get the wound closed up and he now had to wear bandages for weeks, he was lucky to be alive, even if his outlook on life was far more melancholy. Although they technically won, it felt as though with the aftermath of the apocalypse, the victory felt more tied and hollow than in their favor. As if the darkness' last laugh was leaving the world in ruin and taking so many lives.

He didn’t want to give up on his search. Even though it would be easy to consider his missing friends dead and get it over with, he knew he couldn’t. It wasn’t just because of denial. From his brief moment of being corrupted and encountering Twilight, Spike felt certain that she was out there.

He wasn’t going to stop searching until he saw otherwise. If he has to fight even more in the process, then so be it.

The apocalypse changed Spike. He’s been in big battles before, and he’s grown to feel more independent as he got older. But only after the whole thing did he understand that he was capable of surviving something this big and catastrophic without Twilight specifically, even if he does still need help from others to get through it.

Spike knew that with Twilight and Starlight missing, it wasn’t the end. But Spike wasn’t entirely sure if it was the end of the overall threat and story. The darkness was banished from Equestria, and it isn’t supposed to come back.

So why was Spike feeling unsafe? Why did he feel an urge to be prepared in case something else happened? Was it post-battle trauma? Or did he just feel uncertain about Equestria’s safety after all that had happened? He didn’t know, though he wishes he did. However, only time would tell if he ever would.

But whatever the case, if this truly wasn’t the end, he knew he had to be ready for what was to come next.

Author's Note:

[̴M̵e̴s̵s̷a̸g̴e̵ ̴b̷e̴i̴n̴g̷ ̶r̵e̷t̵r̶i̶e̸v̴e̵d̸.̴ ̶I̷t̵ ̵i̸s̵ ̸n̷o̵t̶ ̶o̴v̴e̸r̴.̷ ̶N̶o̵w̶ ̴l̴o̸a̴d̵i̷n̷g̶ ̵t̷h̵e̷ ̶e̸p̷i̴l̴o̷g̵u̴e̴.̵.̷.̷]̷

Comments

[Ditzy Doo - Mailmare]

The Uneasiness is real. Good job!

[Josh1988]

Great one!

[AllenVth]

I guess the threat is not over. The glitch is technically out there in other worlds. Equestria, and I suppose G5, were lucky to have those crystals that can vanish otherworldly influences and reset things as they were.
Maybe the missing creatures are out in other worlds? Did the glitch take them?

[TheAlienBrony22]

I've heard many compare the darkness to a disease, a virus that won't stop its spread till all has been infected/consumed. Those consumed are just merely hosts to this disease, driven by the terror of this unknown threat.

Knowing that the threat isn't gone for good, this makes a lot of sense, ironically enough.

[Slamp5000XL-3-0]

Bueno me encantó este final, me entristece que Chrysalis no haya escapado de la corrupción, pero habrá que esperar que nos depara el siguiente arco