We always see these people-turned-pony dealing with their appocalyptic situations in the relative comfort of their own homes/bases...but what if you're not at home when all of humanity disappears and you're left as a cute little pony in a bad place.
When does life ever happen at a good time for most people? It doesn't. This is a compilation of one-shots and short stories exploring many different scenarios for a brand-new pony survivor when humanity vanishes and you're left by yourself in a situation or place that is not conducive to learning about your new cute pony body or surviving in a world after humans.
This is not the story of how humanity vanishes, it's the story of what happens to the ponies and world we leave behind.
Hello, I am recording this message on my tape recorder, so that people can find out what happened up here in case I die. I'm on a flight to Denver, Colorado right now and everyone is gone. I swear there were others when we took off, but I dozed off for only a few minutes and everyone is gone. Did I miss the Rapture or something?
My name is Max Turner and I’m a used car salesman. Being alone on an airplane at 20,000 feet is bad, but it’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me today. I’ve transformed completely into some kind of animal. I seem to be a small, light gray horse or pony of sorts. Not a natural-looking one either; I have a white mane and tail with a single red line that runs through the center of both. My eyes have also changed color and are now a deep blue. Also, wings. Wings! Now that wouldn't be so bad if the wings weren't only one and a half feet long for my roughly three foot long body. Truth be told I haven't tried them out to see if they work yet. If I had to describe myself in a word, unfortunately, it would probably be...."adorable."
Is this God's revenge for dishonest car sales? If so, this is really messed up. Really, it was only a few thousand dollars. Not worth a species reassignment and being turned all girly and so darned cute! I was perfectly happy with my human set up thank you very much.
Despite my previously considering that this is the doing of God, I must mention that I had a dream during my brief nap when (I presume) my transformation occurred. I saw a peaceful and idealistic land called “Equestria”. I "flew" over this lush green place and after seeing all this in what seemed like seconds, I met this blue “alicorn” named Princess Luna who told me that being left here on Earth was an accident and many ponies were doing everything they could to help. Part of me desperately wanted to stay in this dream world of harmony and be a part of it. But an equal part of me was loyal to Earth. My home world, even with all its flaws and man-made damage, was my home and I wanted to stay here too. Then I woke up and noticed the changes to my body.
I am convinced that this is just my new 'pony' brain trying to offer an explanation....But it also raises the question of how did I dream I was a pony before I even woke up to find out I was a pony? Is “Equestria” where everyone vanished to? Will I go there someday as well? These different possibilities are making my head hurt. Now, most people would panic at this point, what with being a new species and all, possibly being effected by animal instincts or whatever, but I can't focus on that right now, I need to focus on surviving this situation before I panic about my change.
Now back to topic. I have about two hours before I reach Denver and this plane runs out of fuel. I've been trying to not only learn how to walk in this new pony body, but also out of necessity I've been bucking on the cockpit door. I've actually started to dent it. I should be through it in about an hour or so at this rate.
Either these doors are not as safe as they want you to think or I'm just a lot stronger now. Whatever the case, then comes the problem of crashing this plane safely. God, if you're up there, get me out of this and I swear I'll be a good little pony thing for the rest of my life. I'll even go to little girls' parties to atone for my scamming, just get me out of this. Damn, I never even considered the thought that I might one day be on a plane alone, as a colorful pony. Maybe Trevor deserves this fate, but not me! Whatever, I just need to get this door down.
I'm in! I managed to dent the door enough to get it open and I'm in the cockpit now. Have I mentioned that it’s a pain to push the record button on this recorder with hooves? Anyway, I just need to find out how to fly this thing. I forgot to mention that this situation I'm in is eerie as hell.
The fact that I'm sitting like this is surprising due to the fact that I'm pony, well, 'Pegasus' is more accurate but this is off topic. It's like the passengers and crew just vanished. It's freaking me out even more then I was already. Also, I just realized that to fly this thing correctly I need to reach the rudder pedals on the floor, great. The plane is on autopilot so I'm good for now but flying without the rudder is going to be almost impossible.
I put the headphones on and there is no one speaking. I've tried to broadcast but no one is talking back. Things are looking pretty bad for me. Not only do I have to land this plane, it seems so far that I'll be doing it on my own.
This is it. I'm sorry. I'm getting kind of emotional right now. The 'low fuel' alarm just went off and I can hear the engines struggling to burn what's not there anymore. In a few minutes I'm going to crash into the ground and become a smoking crater. Then my family will have to scrape what's left of me up into a shoe box and bury me in a field somewhere because I'm gone and can't make a living for them anymore and they can't afford a proper funeral for me!
No! You know what? I may die but for the first time in my life I'm going to try my hardest to do something right! I'm going to do this for my family! I don't even know if they're still out there, but I'm doing this for them, to make them proud of me! I'm going to be the man they deserved and if I get the chance, if they're still here, I'm going to make up with them for being an ass all this time, for not representing myself, my business, and my family correctly!
And if they're not a-around any m-more I'll find survivors and be a useful p-person to society for the first time in my life.
S-sorry, I'm getting emotional again, it’s funny you know? It took losing my humanity and getting tossed into a situation like this to realize what a thirty-one-year-old failure I've been, as a father, as a husband, as a son. If I survive, if I get a chance I'm going to make the most of my life however it turns out, I'm going to do my best.
Sorry about that, I've recomposed myself but now the engines have completely failed and I am taking control of the airplane. Just push this...that's it! The plane is in my control. I have butterflies in my tummy. Here we go, I'm just going to turn and look for a place to land (or crash). I'm looking for a field or a road or something flat. There! I see a field with a few trees I think. It’s amazing I can see it so well even from this altitude! Maybe a bonus to having a new body? On that note this body seems tons more expressive, the eyes are much bigger and my ears fold back in emotional situations, as I've observed first hand...hoof. I almost died from my own cuteness.
Alrighty; here we go, controlled descent in a spiraling pattern until 1,000 feet and then level out and turn for a final approach on that field. I have played Ace Combat 5 so I know some basics on flying, kind of.
New update: that 'field' only has a few trees like I thought but they're really big and the ground is not level and is extremely rocky but I'm at a thousand feet and I have no thrust so I can't change my approach now....you know what? What if I jumped? Why did I not think of this before? I have wings and they might not be big but they should slow me down enough so I don't die when I hit the ground.
That's it! That's what I'm going to do. I can't survive a crash in this plane but I might be able to survive a jump out of it. I'm heading to the nearest exit, the pressure on the inside and outside of the aircraft should be equal now because I've descended, so I should be able to open the door up and jump out. But once I do that, I'll need to look out for the main wing and tail elevators...God help me. I've got my carry-on bag with me and I'm opening the door now.
Well, I survived, as you might be able to guess 'cause you're listening to this recording and it's intact. When I jumped out of my plane I got rather disoriented, but I fortunatly fell under the wing and missed all of the plane's flight surfaces I was worried about. Then came the 'fun' part: learning to fly in minute or less. I opened my less than impressive wing-span and somehow, someway, my fall turned into a glide.
It was a strange feeling, like an instinct, but don't ask about the physics of something my size flying with wings like this. Maybe I’m just really light now, whatever, I'm just happy to have another chance at life.
Here's a strange development. I have this picture on my flanks of a heart inside of a twister or tornado. I didn't notice it before, but for some reason I feel it has a meaning. I started out on that plane an arrogant, thieving, sales-man, but up there I had a huge change of heart in a whirlwind of emotion. I feel that I could help other people turn around their life as well if they wanted. But I'm probably just being silly, not noticing it might have been a result of the stress I was under at the time. For some reason I feel that I should call it a cutie mark, but at the same time I shudder at the thought. Anyway, I’m a changed...pony, now, and I'm going to live like it. So, whoever is still out there, whatever you are, you're not alone. This is Max to whomever: Good bye and good luck.
Wow, you would not believe the past month I've had. I got on the subway like I did every morning of the week to go to work before this all happened and suddenly, Boom! I black out, next thing I know I'm waking up as some miniature, female, freak bat-horse. Jeez, I need to think of something to call my new kind. 'Bat-horse' is not going to cut it. My new coat is a dark gray and my hair and tail are a royal blue color, my eyes though, are slitted like a cats' now, are the same green color that they have always been, so that's nice I suppose. The most dramatic change though is the bat wings I have now. They aren't big but they are really helpful. But speaking of names and stuff, my name is Josh T. Wilson. I've actually been thinking about giving myself a new name so I can have a completely fresh start. I work, well worked , at the local center of document preservation for my town/city. The reason I don't mention places and dates here in this 'journal' is 'cause I don't believe in that sort of thing. Just remember what makes you, you, and remember the events that shaped you into the person you are then move on in life, learning from past mistakes. So yeah, I like to use a well-pen a lot, like they did back in the old days to write with, so that's what I'm using now. I was never great in grammar but I can write so I'll record this event in this little book I found looting this store. It's been too long anyway and I don't want to forget anything before I write it down.
It all started on that train. First thing I notice when I wake up is that my clothes are much more uncomfortable then they were before, they just sat all wrong on my body and I tried to stand up, but I got tangled in my shirt, which confused me greatly at the time. Taking a break I looked around to see why no one had helped me up, and that's when I noticed there was no one around. I get to the train station pretty early, but no train I've ridden has ever been completely empty before. I started to struggle all the more until I caught sight of one of my new, alien hooves. Now, I'd like to write here that I handled that well, but I didn't. Who could? I mean, a completely new body, so suddenly? I started to panic and literally ripped my clothes apart to escape and examine my "deformed" body. That is obviously when I realized that I had been completely changed. I did cry and I cried even more when I found out I was not a guy anymore. Being a new gender is going to take some getting use to. And for all you out there, crying is manly and real men cry. Even if I'm not male anymore, we can't always hold it in all the time so shut up. On a different note I suppose I always wondered what it was like to be female...
Anyway, as I was saying about my day... I realized the train was passing every station that I came across and I started my way up to to engine of the train to try and stop it. I don't know about other people, but learning to move around on all fours was not hard for me. Not, sayin' I didn't fall any, just it wasn't too hard. As I went I noticed an abundance of personal items that were seemingly abandoned in the train. Phones, bags, stuff like that. I considered taking it but I didn't have a way to carry it at the time. At this point I knew something was wrong. Call it my 'city sense' if you want, I knew something was way off. I rushed (as fast as I could in an unfamiliar body) to the engine of the train to find it completely empty. I looked out the windshield and to my utter dismay I saw another train engine pointed toward me on my tracks. So being the brilliant bat-thing that I am, I ignored the 'emergency stop' button right in-front of me and flung myself into the rear cabin area using my wings, as the two trains collided.
That's the last thing I remember about the crash. When I awoke the second time that day I discovered I was in a train station, inside a destroyed train, in the dark, in much pain. But despite the oppressive dark, I was able to see the dark outline of everything. (I'm assuming that was courtesy of my cat-like eyes.) With that ability I limped with my now broken foreleg out of the station without tripping, into the ghost city above. It was dark when I got up to the surface except for the ever-present glow of signs and street-lights, I guess I was out for a while. But that didn't bother me at the time, No, not seeing any one, nothing, no human life anywhere, was what got me. I thought we were under nuclear attack or something. Seeing as no one was around but there was no sign of a visible battle yet.
As luck would have it, one of the taxis had a First-Aid kit and I fixed up my leg. Let me sum it up for you. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! That's about it. Set the bones pretty well if I do say so myself. The only thing I'd ever heard about bone setting before that was "set it till it don't hurt no more." That's bullshit. I made sure the bones were alined and then put the splint I'd found on it and taped it like no one's business. Despite what you might think, duct tape is the best material in the world. For anything. After I set my leg I started limping to the Walmart store I knew was not too far away. As a side note, I realized that my body is as flexible, if not more so, then my human one. Go figure that. I decided I might as well make use of an open store to get some free food. Can I eat meat in this body? The sharp teeth and bat wings I now have make me thing so but I can't say for sure until I try in the future.
Thus I raided the store and stuffed myself (avoiding meat) until I couldn't eat another thing. Now that I remember that, I'm surprised at how much I ate. I don't know how much it was but damn, the fact this little body is able to eat that much has to like break the laws of physics or something. I decided on staying in the store until my leg healed since there was enough food there. That night it really sunk in that I was indeed a horse. I cried myself to sleep. I had just been settling into my new life in the city after getting out of prison and now all of it had been ripped away by god-knows-what and I couldn't hold it in anymore I guess. It really is a big shock to suddenly be in a completely different body you know, I think I handled it fairly well, all things considered.
The next day, somehow my leg was vastly improved. The swelling was almost gone and it didn't hurt as bad as before. It was completely healed two weeks later. I'm not complaining but damn that's fast! Do I have some enhanced healing capability now that allows for that? In one way that is a good thing but in another...what if I hadn't set the bone when I did? Would it have healed incorrectly just as fast? I stayed the rest of the week in the store, sleeping in the day and moving around at night, as intense light gives me a headache now, and packed what I could, like water, peanut butter, sleeping bags, socks, and compatible clothes into a shopping cart and started leaving the city. The electricity went out the third day so staying in the city felt dumb to me until I can fly better, then it might actually be an epic place to fly around. I could even bust out some windows up there in the skyline and make little places to stash stuff that would be impossible for people on the ground to get to. Would you climb a thousand flights of stairs to get my stuff? I wouldn't.
Anyway, as I left I stopped along the way to pick up stuff like this very book and also to practice using my wings. It feels amazing to fly in case you're wondering. If I ever go back to being a human and all this gets fixed and goes back to normal, I'm learning to fly a plane, or at least a glider. Though, it freaks me out how I hadn't seen a single person this whole time, but it's only been a few days, maybe I'll find someone along the way? Maybe what happened to me happened to others? I guess I'll head south to find out. It's far too cold up here in the northern United States right now and I've been looking for an opportunity to start a new life anyway, this gives me that chance even if it's not what I had in mind originally.
P.S. After I finished writing this, I saw a flash behind me and saw this image of an black inky heart appear on my ass. Either I'm going insane or there's some strange crap happening in this world now. (Well, more then usual.) But I can't help but feel that this picture has a deeper meaning for me, like I need to write from my heart or something equally sappy. As it stands, I think I will keep writing though, maybe I'll grab a few boxes of pens on my way out of the city. Never know when a pen will come in..'handy'. I crack myself up sometimes. I've also decided to change my name to Ink Heart. Yes, like the movie. It just seems to fit and this way no one will ever know who I was before I became a pony.
Being on a cruise ship is supposed to be a rather relaxing experience. You get to sit back and enjoy the 360 view of the glittering blue ocean from and equally glittering pearl of a ship and just chill out by the pool all day. Not to mention the food. You can eat all day and there are so many different things you can try and do. However, all of these things could not be further from the mind of the young unicorn mare stumbling through the abandoned and eerily quiet halls of this floating city. Her desperate calls for anyone to answer her and tell her she was not alone dissipate on the def ears of the sailing iron behemoth. As she glances left and right down another empty hallway of the ship her teary rose red eyes reflect the decorative lighting that no one cared about anymore. As she became more panicked and frightened she started to dash through the passages of the ship, her black mane dancing around her royal purple furred face. Despite her plees for help and begging for an answer from people who had now vanished she received no answer but silence from the pleasure vessel turned ghost ship. ---------------------------------------
Silvia is a 19 year old girl who grew up in the city. She had always dreamed of going on a cruise and her chance came when she won the lottery. But never in her wildest nightmares, would she have though this is how it would turn out. She was now completely alone on a massive ship in the middle of the Atlantic ocean with no one at the helm and a diminishing supply of fresh food. On the bright side the ship still had power and would continue to have power until the fuel ran out.
Silvia had been in her little room for the past few hours crying. She had been in here since she came back from her little exploration of the ship. Had this been a chemical attack? Biological? What purpose would turning someone into a unicorn serve? And why had she not been taken with the others? Could it have been...aliens? She wiped her eyes and tried to take stock of what she had with her that would be useful to a little pony on an empty ship......not much. She had a few grooming implements, brushes and the like, but not much else that would benefit her in the long run. She decided she needed to relocate to a more central position on the ship so that when she started to steal peoples' stuff she could get it back to her new room without having to walk all the way across the ship.
As Sil raided the ship for things she might need, she could almost hear the ghosts of the thousands of people that had suddenly vanished. Their strangled voices, laughing, little feet on the deck, the sounds of a small town snuffed in a single night. She half expected to see the spectral forms of her once fellow humans traveling the ship as they used to. She shuddered. How she desperately wished that there was someone there to hold her close and tell her it was all going to be alright. She opened her eyes and found herself laying on her side hugging herself in the middle of a vast corridor. Alone. She stood sullenly, head hung low and her ears drooped equally as low, and wandered through countless rooms and maze of halls collecting whatever caught her fancy.
It had been a week since the event happened. Sil had come to terms with her situation and was now traveling to the bridge. Despite how much time she had been here, this would be her first trip to the control center of the ship. She had also discovered the reason behind her having a horn: she was able to use telekinesis! She had been practicing for several days. At first she accidentally blew a hole in the side of the ship several decks above the water-line. She had toned it down a bit but she was still kind of clumsy when it came to doing stuff with her horn. On a different note, she was still doing alright on food as the ship was stocked with enough food for thousands of people for several weeks and she was only one pony. She still ate well every night.
Silvia continued to the elevator that went to the bridge and pushed to button with her magic. As the elevator rose, she took a moment to look out the window over the sea and sighed at breath-taking sight. To bad there was no one to share it with. She soon reached the top but then ran into trouble: she needed a code to enter. She then proceeded to blast the door down. Problem solved. She entered to nervous system of the ship and spotted the helm wheel and approached it slowly. The wheel was turning idly as it pleased before she pushed herself up and took hold of it with her purple hooves. Feeling a sense of power, she spun the wheel to the right and felt to ship slowly respond to her command. She stood there for several minutes playing with her 300,000 ton toy ship before she noticed the compass and saw she was heading west now. She had been going south-east before, but it would make since to go back home to Florida wouldn't it? She Duct taped the wheel so the ship wouldn't drift while she was away and left the bridge to go check the engine room.
The engine room was far too loud so she didn't go in there. Instead she headed up to the bow of the ship and looked out over the expanse of water. She felt free out here. Truly free. No one to tell you how to captain your ship, no one to command you what you can and can't do because you might endanger yourself or others. True freedom. She felt high on it! Her horn flaring to life and firing a beam of pure energy into the fading light of the sun's sky. It felt wonderful out here, if only there was someone to be there with her...
Over the next few hours she played with her magic, finding out that you can lift yourself into the air to "fly" if you concentrated enough. She could also lift several objects at a time but found herself getting tired after exerting herself to long. She was also able to shoot 'lasers' (but really they're just beams of un-purposed magic), crushed various objects, threw others and basically explored what she could do with this new magic she could harness. She went to sleep that night exhausted, but glad to know what she could do.
Two days later she caught her fist sight of land from the bridge of the USS Unicorn. She had decided to name the ship so it would be more like a home and a friend to her. She even talked to it sometimes, though it was just so she could hear a voice even if it was only her own. As the coast became nearer and nearer she realized she did not know how to really pilot the ship. As time ran out she trotted from console to console trying to figure out, One: How to slow the ship, and two: How to turn off the engines. After some minutes it became apparent she had no idea how to save the ship from apparent disaster on the rocks of the coast she was approaching save turning back out to sea.
But to her, that was not an option. Land was right before her so she would beach the great ship on a sand bar, close enough to the beach that she could make a bridge over to it. But far enough away from the beach that unwanted guests would have a hard time swimming over and getting up onto her ship. Only minutes later, the powerful ship collided with her selected sand bar. The hull of the vessel shuddered and rocked as instead of plowing waves the tall and proud bow of the ship instead plowed sand and mud out of the way until the ship came to it final resting place and heaved a final sigh as its propellers got stuck in the sediment below. Sil had got thrown forward when the ship was beached, not taking into account the speed that she was moving and paid for it with a nasty cut over her right eye and had bruised her back where she collided with the helm. Other then that she felt Ok.
She spent a few hours making sure the ship was not damaged and was pleasantly surprised to find that everything was still water tight. She then turned her attention to the beach on the starboard (right) side of her ship. There were several hotels lining the beach and a few little beach houses here and there. But everything was empty, it was a nice sunny Saturday and the beaches of Florida were abandoned completely. She went down a few decks and opened one of the boarding doors that was nearer the water and levitated herself down the last 12 feet or so to the water and flailed over to shore where she started to explore the surrounding beach area. She would call out from time to time and that growing sense of panic returned, had the aliens taken everybody but her? Why would they do that? Was there anyone left in the world at all?
After that day she spent a further 3 alone on her ship before she heard something that made her spirits soar and made her feel light enough that she wanted to fly. Singing. That's right, she heard the voice of another living creature. She spent 20 hours that day looking for the voice, and just as she was ready to give up, she spotted another unicorn mare like herself in a store and called out to her. When they finally made eye contact they rushed to meet one another and embraced (although it was slightly awkward as they didn't really know how to hug in pony form). They hugged like they had known the other person for a thousand years before this and cried together in joy that they were not the only one left. Sil invited her new friend Rebeca to come back and live with her on the ship and Beca agreed. The coming years would be tough and full of trials, but they could weather them together, with the support from each-other.
The wind whistled threw the car clogged streets of Alton Indiana. It twisted and weaved through and around the quaint little buildings bringing a little chill with it as it passed. As the wind continued its path it soon noticed another sound mixing with its own moans and whispers: crying. The wind whipped around a crying earth pony foal, he had been alone for two days already and was desperately hungry. His light blue coat was scuffed up and marred with dirt and swirling dust and his red mane was wind-swept and unkempt. Two days ago he had been a little five year old boy, traveling to the store with his mom. But on the way there she suddenly vanished leaving leaving him alone there in the car. Only a few seconds later nearly all the cars that had been occupied shortly before were now driving empty and they started to smash into each other. Fortunately, the little colt was not too injured, just a little jarred when his car crashed and was able to get out of the car in only a few minutes. How fortunate that his mother had been unable to find his car seat other-wise he might have been trapped forever in that burning wreck.
The colt's name is Sunny, though his mood is anything but. "M-mom? Mom where are you?" He whimpered quietly, he had been searching for two days, his hooves ached, his voice hurt, he was thirsty, where could she be? He came across the store they had been heading to, its doors had stayed open before the power went out and so he walked in, unsure of what to do. As he wondered through the aisles he couldn't help but take some of the food, he was so hungry and no one was around to notice him take something. His mommy had always told him stealing was bad but he would just say he was sorry when she came back.
Sunny's POV-----------------
I knocked a cereal box off of the shelf and tried to open it the way I always did, but I couldn't grab it with my hooves. I got sad after that and cried. I tried biting it and I finally tore the box open to see the clearish bag on the inside. I don't like the taste of cereal box or plastic bag. It's yucky. I was finally able to eat the cereal but it wasn't the same without cow milk on it. Why is the power out still too? It's never out this long as far as I can remember. I started walking around in the store until I got to the candy section. There was so much stuff, I was always smaller then mommy and daddy so I couldn't eat as much sweets as them, but now that I'm even smaller, there'll be so much I can eat candy forever!
"I don't feel so well now..." I groaned quietly, my tummy really hurts and I threw up some in the bath-room. I'm never eating candy again. I sniffled and wiped my eyes trying to find somewhere to sleep. I found a doggy bed and pulled it off the shelf into the aisle before going to sleep in it. Mommy always tucked me into bed at night before this happened, where did she go to? I was asleep after that and started to have dreams about mommy.
When I woke up, I opened a water bottle and ate more cereal and walked outside. There where buildings on fire from the cars that crashed before and so I tried to find a phone to call (911) but I remembered the power was still out. Anyway I just started walking around the town trying to find mommy again when I heard barking, I'm walking over to go find out what kind of little doggy is making the noise. I peek around the corner and I see that it was a big doggy, a lot of big doggies. They turn to me and start to growl at me, I shrink back and whimper "G-go away. I don't want to get hurt." Then they start chasing me. I'm running pretty fast but they're starting to catch up. Wait! There's a car that's on fire so if I get close to it the dogs will leave me alone, so I run close to the fire and turned to face them because I was now trapped. The dogs are circling me some trying to get close by crawling towards me on there bellys to avoid the heat, but I just hit them on the nose and they back up. This has been going on for a little while and my back is starting to get burned so I'll just move a little further from the flames so it's not so hot.
"AHHH!!" I forgot about the dogs trying to get closer to me for just a second and one just bit me, he's pulling me closer and starting to bite me again and again but I'm screaming and kicking him and hitting him so he starting to back away now. My back left leg is bleeding pretty badly now..I wish mommy was here.
It's been a long time since the dogs left but I'm too scared to go out there. My leg hurts really bad and my back is hurting too. I just don't know what to do now. I start sobbing softly, hoping someone will come save me. But they don't. ----------------------------------------------
Sunny stayed near that car for several more hours before limping back to the store slowly. His leg was still bleeding a little it wasn't broken bat was badly lacerated. And the fur on his back, it was nearly completely burned away and the skin underneath was burned to the 1st degree at best. He managed to get to the employee's restroom that had a shower in it and turned the water on. It was painful at first but the cool water soon lulled him to sleep and he stayed the rest of the night in the bathroom. When he woke the next morning his leg was in burning agony, the places around the bites was swollen and painful and his back was little better. His burn covered most of his back and had started to painfully scab over. Poor Sunny could barely move from his little dog bed to eat or drink. He was still exhausted from the previous day and he was scared that the dogs might find their way into the building and then eat him. He spent his day like this the only noise besides his breathing was his quiet crying.
Outside, in the quiet town, once more was the silence broken by the sounds of hoof steps clopping down the street. A gray earth pony mare trotted cautiously around the corner of the store, her short blueberry colored mane bouncing with each step. Her bright teal eyes scanned for danger constantly. Anna's POV-----------------------------
I walked through the empty town quickly to get to the store. I live at the edge of town on a corn farm about 60 miles away. I had to get walking as soon as I could to get to the store after the power went out, figured it was too dangerous to drive the car here. I would have had to walk through most of the town anyway what with all the cars left everywhere. I neared the open doors of the store and noticed a few drops of blood on the ground. I cautiously entered the building glancing right then left for any signs of an attacker or someone that might be injured, once I was satisfied there was no danger I started to gather what I came here for Letus, tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes and maybe some sweets if there's room left in my bags.
I found most of the fresh produce rotted or rotting but I did get my other items so I'm about to leave except I want to look around for anything else I may need. I walk through the aisles until I spot one of those little dog beds that they always have in stores but never seem to sell. It was sitting in the middle of the aisle with something in it so I go investigate and there's this poor burned little foal in there. I of coarse couldn't leave him there but when I went to see if he was awake I saw him shaking like he was scared. I came around to his front and saw the poor dear crying, I did my best to calm him down, he's been all alone ever since this started he's really brave about the whole thing. I'd better get a look at his leg though, it may be getting infected so I'll have to get 'im all cleaned up, then I'll take him back to the farm with me. ------------------------------------------
Anna took Sunny to the pharmacy and took care of his wounds. It wasn't a pleasant experience for Sunny but when Anna was done fixing him up he felt much better over all. She packed more burn medication and other antibiotics into her bags for the trip home and decided to spend the night here and return to the farm the next day. She lay out a couple other beds and slept next to him in case he needed something in the night. Anna awoke to a touching scene the next morning, Sunny and snuggled up close to her in the night and was still fast asleep, pressed softly against her barrel. She was young almost 26 and had never had children of her own yet but she decided to take care of him until this whole mess got taken care of or he came of age and wanted to move on in life. She very carefully lifted him to her back and started the walk back to her farm. Sunny's POV-----------------------
I woke up on Anna's back today, she told me we're going to her farm and I'll be staying with her for now. I don't mind, miss Anna is really nice and I feel safe with her. I just want things to be normal again, like they used to be but she says that the world has changed and a lot of people are missing. I miss my mommy Anna said that she would help me find her, that this was like a big game of hind n seek, but I don't know where to start looking, there's a lot of space out here and I wish she would just come out already. But why would everyone want to play hide n seek at the same time? It doesn't make since to me. But I'm going to take a nap now and I hope we get to the farm soon.
We got to the farm about two days later (walking with all this stuff is slow) and I got to watch Anna take care of all the animals there and make sure they were all happy. The animals seemed like they knew more then they used to. They always did exactly what Anna told them to and it was funny to see the chickens walk around. We went inside next and she made dinner for us, there was no meat like I like to eat, but she said that she would give me a treat if I ate everything on my plate even if it wasn't meat. So I did and I got half a snickers bar after dinner. That night I got a bad dream about the dogs from before and Anna came in and snuggled with me. That made me feel happy.
The next day I got to help Anna take care of the animals, she showed me all sorts of things around the farm. She even showed me this thing on the back of her tractor called a gasifier. It uses dead leaves and wood and stuff then puts it under pressure and heat making gas come out that makes the tractor go. She says this way we don't need other gas and we can take care of all the crops like always. That way if people come back we'll have enough food for them. I'm glad I met Anna, even though she's not my real mom it still feels like she is and I love her and I think we'll get through this Ok.
I opened my eyes, almost as if it were the first time I had ever done so, and let my gaze fall across the expensively decorated board room. All my memories then came rushing back to me, the meeting, expensive contracts. Did I really fall asleep during a meeting? Oh my god, my ass is so fired. I started looking around, but there was no one else around. Odd, did they leave me here because they didn't want to wake me? Did they feel disrespected because I didn't have the courtesy to stay awake during the meeting? I used my talon and spun my chair so I could leave and go explain myself.....talon.... ? I look down at my new appendage. What the hypothetical heck? I look over my entire body and find that I am a griffon strait out of those Greek myth books I read in high school. Time for a nap then. My body hits the floor in a very much less then graceful maneuver referred to as "falling".
As I opened my eyes again, I refrained from trying to get up immediately and started to explore the new sensations from this alien body. I feel a twitch from something on my back but decide to hold off on checking that further until later. I move on to twitching my legs around and I discover that they have a backwards knee joints. Very interesting. My arms are about the same as they've always been, so that's something good I guess. The main difference is this my "hand" has three fingers instead of four. The last thing I noticed was a swishing sensation near my ass. It's kind of like when you're sitting on a bench that is too tall off the ground so your legs don't reach the floor and your legs just start kicking back and forth on their own. Well, that's all I could take and I looked around behind me to find a lions tail attached to me. I was surprised how easy it was to control and flicked it around for some minutes before I decided to find out what's going on. I discovered at that point that my clothes were a shredded mess so I left them behind.
As soon as I was was comfortable I started to stand up. It wasn't as hard as you might think. You see I own three cats, and so I'm able to make a mental image and use that to help me learn to stand because I'm part feline now I suppose. I got up and looked myself over, I guess if I stood up on two legs I would be about the height of a short human. So about 5ft 1in or something. I have dark tan fur and my feathers are black, and in a ring around my eyes, of all the colors out there, I had red feathers there. Red and black. Really? Anyway, I left the board room and made my way quickly to the security office. "J-Jim? You here? It's me, Rob. You know, from the contract management department? Hello?" I looked over the counter to find no one there. The chair the elderly man usually occupied was empty. "Damn." I cursed under my breath and after several tries managed to throw a chair through the divider glass and crawl into the security office.
Once in, I made my way to the back of the office and began searching for a way into the gun safe. I went back to the front window and found the keys on the desk...damn it Jim. No offense to the old guy, but he probably should have stopped working ten years ago. But I suppose with the economy the way it is, he couldn't afford to. Well, at least I got the keys out of the deal. I walk over the gun safe and open it up. To my disappointment, I find most of the guns are missing already, probably they were in use when all the people left. That brings me to why I'm at the gun safe in the first place. People don't just leave a perfectly good buildings in the middle of the day for no reason. Something happened. The zombie apocalypse has obviously started. I find a glock and a single magazine of 15 9mm bullets and tucked it away in a computer bag around my neck. The main perk I've found so far about this body is having hands, 'cause I can at least use guns still. I make my way out the broken window, but I trip and fall on my side outside the office.
Let me just say it was rather unpleasant. After several seconds of hissing in agony, I look at my side, half expecting to see like a nail or something sticking out of me, but what I saw shocked me more. There, on my side, was a wing. An honest-to-god feathered wing.
I made said wing twitch, and I felt the new mussels ripple and stretch out for the first time. I couldn't help it, a large smile spread across my (beak?) as I examined the foreign appendage. I checked my other side and found the wing's twin that was also extended to its full span. I flapped them carefully, the pain now faded to bearable levels, and felt my body lift up for a second. "Sweet~" I was fanboying inside, I had always wanted to fly as a child and now I probably could.
With the exploration of the rest of my body done I found I was still a guy and my back paws were clawed. If I were to describe extending claws it would be like extending your fingers out strait, then relaxing them to bring the claws back in. With that finished I made my way to the elevator, checking each hallway for zombies before creeping along. Doing it this way takes longer but I need to make sure that there is no danger before I walk right into it. I made it to the elevator unmolested and pressed the button to descend to the bottom floor, it would take a few moments to reach the bottom as I was on the 69th story at the moment. As I went down, the power went out. Good news is I have some amount of night vision. Bad news, I get to try these wings out sooner then I had hoped.
I had hopped up and managed to get out the emergency hatch in the roof of the elevator and I gazed down in the the dark abyss. Taking a few breaths I opened my wings and came to the edge. "This can't be that hard, right?" I tried to reassure myself. I took one more breath and leaped into the void.
I was doing it! I was flying, or at least gliding. I was happy for about 3 seconds before I hit the cables for the other elevator and started to fall. Should have been paying attention. I screamed as I descended, my alien voice echoing in the dark as I approached my doom. But as all seemed to be lost my instinct to survive kicked in and I twisted my body around and threw my wings out decelerating quickly but not enough before I hit the ground and was knocked out.
When I regained what I lost, mainly my consciousness, I noticed that I was at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Then, I noticed the pain in my right wing and both my front wrists but my hind legs were fine. I found nothing was broken but they were all too painful to use for the moment. I managed to push myself slowly into a sitting position and try to nurse my hands into working condition again, but I had little luck but I really needed to get out of here before the elevator came down smashed me to paste when the electricity came back on. I glanced around and noticed the elevator door for the parking garage was only a few feet up. I grunted in pain as I flew up there and started to pry the door open. I managed to get my claws in and open it enough to squeeze through and lay just outside the opening for a minute to rest. My talons weren't happy about being used so soon after so much stress.
I made my way out into the parking lot, limping along slowly, gun in hand, as I made my way to my car. Now I don't want to brag or anything, but it is a nice car. (Link to car picture. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e7TN8Malw0E/T9zcA-rv30I/AAAAAAAABeo/5kF98uw6Ayw/s1600/Very+Nice+Cars+(10).jpg ) Everything went well until I went to grab my keys to unlock the car, they were in my suit jacket back up stairs...lovely. Right when I was about to shoot myself for being a dumb dumb, I remembered I had a spare key hidden under the car and held by a magnet and slowly went to retrieve it.
Finally I had everything together and I just sat in the front seat and relaxed for a sec. What a day. I reached up and pulled down the sun blind and opened the mirror. I finally got a good look at my new face, honestly it wasn't that bad. My odd face is very expressive. I had no idea beaks could smile, or do anything for that matter beside be a beak. You learn something new everyday I guess. I sigh and lean forward, sliding the key into the ignition and starting the car. The familiar hum of the engine was calming and I glanced around for zombies one more time before putting the car into gear and pulling out of the parking-lot.
As I sped down the eerily empty highway, I tried to call someone using the car's phone, but no one answered. Also I saw no zombies at all, so I was slightly disappointed about that. I stopped at the little gun shop in town I sometimes went to when I felt like looking at cool guns. I've never actually used a gun before but I could learn now I guess. I walked in slowly. "Hello? Anyone here? Any...zombies?" When no one replied I made my way behind and the counter and found all the guns chained to the wall with one long, thin length of chain. I pulled my gun out and shot the chain......I regret that decision now. The report of the gun made my ears ring and bits of the wall flew into my face, thankfully none of them got in my over-sized eyes. But I did get the chain off them at least. I decided to take two of each general kind of gun. Why you might ask? Before I answer tell me this: does a blacksmith use one hammer for all his work?
Every type of gun has its own use. I won't snipe with a shotgun and I will not hunt birds with a sniper rifle. I can't reach out and touch some one with a pistol at 200 yards and I can't maneuver in a house with a rifle. Each gun is a tool and having one gun won't give me the flexibility I need to operate effectively. I picked up an AK-12 and an M4 and set them on the counter. I spent several minutes picking out my other weapons and gear and when I was done I moved the weapons to a back room to keep them safe. I then loaded all of the ammo and magazines I could find into the car after loading up the AK and putting that over my shoulder. If looters don't have bullets, they can't shoot ya. They can take the guns if they want but they'll just be fancy clubs without the ammo. I placed my selected firearms in the front seat with me but kept the AK on my person the whole time. After my little stealing spree I drove by the gas station and I was able to fill the tank of my car up and then I started driving home.
When I arrived I unloaded all the guns and ammo into my room for sorting later and lay on my bed to get some sleep. My body ached and all I wanted now was to sleep. My pretty little kitties came up and somehow they knew it was me. They rubbed against me and purred, I knew they accepted me. I didn't know if anyone else would. I was happy to at least have their company. I didn't see a single human this whole time, I'll need to go find out if there is anyone out there at some point and I can't stay here for long. Maybe I can get one of those big semi trucks with a container on it and make it my own little rolling HQ. Whatever comes in the future though, I'll be ready for it.
Garry, AKA Smoker, gunned his engine as he and his girlfriend Hanna powered down the road on their motorcycles at speeds up to 90 mph as the May sun beat down on them. The adrenalin pumped through his body, one single error and he might be dead, he loved the feeling of danger that let him know he was alive. He and his girlfriend were coming out here to "camp" for the night. They had been together for 2 years and they felt that they were ready to take their relationship to the next level. They drove on through the empty desert roads of Nevada without a care in the world. Garry watched as his girlfriend attempted to ride solely on her rear tire but failed and nearly lost control of her bike. But that was the fun of riding such a vehicle. The uncertainty of what the next second would bring, having to be alert for all movement and not be taken unawares. It was what he lived for. But he could never have expected what happened over the next few minutes.
He popped up on one tire, showing off as he usually did but as they rushed down the road he started to feel a bit dizzy. He dropped the bike back down and and glanced over at his girlfriend trying to signal her to pull over. She must have been distracted too, because she thundered on and seemed to be having her own problems. He started to feel his center of gravity move and warp and started to see stars in his vision as his body started to change. He felt himself slide further from the handle bars and soon the only thing keeping him upright was the gyroscopic stabilizers in the bike. His motorcycle suit was now a prison, cutting off circulation in some places while others were now loose. His helmet started to feel to small as well. He needed to stop, now! He lunged forward and put his hooves on the handle bars but one hoof slipped off and the motorcycle tried to turn to fast and lost balance. He smashed against Hanna and felt a buzzing sensation when they made contact right before the bike finally flipped, throwing him down against the road and he know no more.
When Smoker opened his eyes again he found himself inside the tent he and Hanna had brought with them for their...activities, that they had planned for that night. His body felt like it was on fire. "Hanna? You there." He almost choked on his voice when he heard it. It sounded really feminine and soft, and could not be further from the gruff raspy voice he had before.
As he contemplated his strange voice he hears someone rush up to the tent. "Garry, is that you? Are you awake?" Now, he thought his voice was off, but he found that Hanna's voice was stranger. He didn't even recognize her and he assumed the worst.
"Who's out there!? Where's Hanna? If you touched her you. Are. Fucked!" Thinking something might have happened, he struggled to get up but hissed in pain as the wounds he recived from his crash protested his movement. As he struggled to escape Hanna opened the the tents zipper door. But instead of a human woman there, standing out side the three man tent, was a light brown stallion Pegasus with a dark green mane.
"Calm down Garry, it's me Hanna." She--He said to him. Garry looked at him in shock. Fear and uncertainty ran through him.
"W-what the the fucking hell?! What are you? If you really are Hanna say something only she would say!" He demanded, trying to sit up again but failing due to the pain.
"Quit swearing so much you little potty mouth." Hanna replied and smirked at the shell-shocked pony laying before him.
It was true, that really was something that only Hanna would say to him, truth was, everyone else he knew was too afraid of him to come out and say that to his face, it was so simple and yet the way this thing said it was exactly right. "Hanna? What happened to you? You look like a horse. And a...guy.....?"
Hanna scoffed. "I'm not the only one who changed." He walked in and closed the door of the tent with his teeth. It was getting dark out so he didn't want any bugs that were attracted to the light hanging in the tent to get in. He then layed down next to Garry and pulled back the blanked that was over him. "See? You're a pretty little pony too~" Garry was too shocked to say anything. First off he noticed that he now had a light gray coat and a black mane that hung over his eyes. Then he saw the wings on his own back that were loosely folded up to his sides. "Ok, that's odd." He thought to himself. He also noted that his entire left side was covered in gauze and bandages and was the main source of his pain.
"So, uh, does this mean we're gay?" Garry wasn't a judging or discriminating person, but he had never been attracted to males much. But maybe if it were Hanna he'd make an exception. Hanna laughed, it was weird for Garry to hear that familiar laugh in a masculine tone rather then feminine.
"No silly, you're a girl. Didn't you notice? I thought was the first thing you'd notice." He said simply. Garry just blinked.
"What?"
"You're a girl, Smokes." He said once more.
"Alright, Ok, just say it one more time. I just need to make sure I understand what you're saying." Garry said squeezing her eyes shut.
Hanna rolled his eyes. "You are a girl, a female, a mare. Do you understand? You know I still love you, right? This doesn't change anything between us." He said and put a hoof on her chest. Garry's mind tried to reboot and comprehend the situation.
"Are you sure?" She asked desperately, her new voice cracking slightly. It was uncharacteristic for the 'tough' biker to not know what to do next, how had her life suddenly flipped upside-down and backwards so quickly? She was now a girl and pony and her girlfriend was a guy now. What the hell? She opened her eyes and was surprised to find tears running down her face. She had never really been emotional before, what was this body doing to her mind?! Hanna smiled and leaned down, placing a kiss on Smoker's cheek.
"Yes, I'm sure. Even though we've both changed I still love you for who you are. And I know you're the same person no matter what body you're in." He said to the shaking mare. "Though, this will make our night more fun~" Smoke's blood ran cold and her eyes widened. She slowly looked over to see a smiling Hanna. He stood up and moved to be over Smokes.
"H-hey, now! I'm...you can't do this right now...uhhh, I'm hurt. That's it, I'm hurt so we shouldn't do this." The new mare said blushing and trying to avoid eye contact with her partner.
"You want to have children still, right?" He asked.
"Well yeah, of course--" But Hanna interrupted her.
"Then this shouldn't be a problem. Besides I know how to be gentle with a girl." With that he descended onto his partner and the readers are left to imagine the rest.
Several hours later as the dawn sun rose over the the Nevada horizon two little ponies lay in a tent sleeping close together. They would have many trials ahead and things would be difficult for them for many years, but hope is always kindled in situations like this. In this case, it was in the hope for the future, in the form of the conception of a tiny life resting in the womb of a brand new pony.
"Hello, I'm transmitting on all channels and all frequencies, this is a priority message from what remains of the US military in the mid-west and will be playing over the emergency broadcast system for the next ten hours. Right now whoever can hear this needs to respond, I hold the future of this world in my hands. I am the commander of the Joint Wyoming-Nebraska-Colorado ICBM missile complex in the central United States. My name is classified, but you can call me The Commander, what I can tell you, is that the United States of America has suffered an attack by an unknown entity or state and we have suffered heavy losses in it's overall population. The ones that are still alive and that have not vanished off this planet entirely, have been afflicted by being literally transformed into some sort of animal. Like I have. Right now, I'm standing by with nearly 200 nuclear missiles primed and ready to launch if this country or this facility comes under attack by an enemy force. We have lost all communications with the president and NORAD As well as communications with all our allies over seas, simultaneously. As I am unable to contact the president or anyone who out ranks me at this time, the responsibility has fallen to me to protect this country with all the assets at my command. If you can hear this, find a way to respond, I will remain on station and on duty until I am relived by someone." _____________________
The white stallion slumped back in the chair and listened to his recording travel out over the airwaves. He was the sole protector of the US right now as far as he knew. He had no idea what tech was needed to accomplish such an attack on this country. Was China responsible? Russia? North Korea? He already had them in his sights, so one step out of line with them and they get lit up with the the might of a thousand suns. In fact I could send a nuke to nearly every country in the world if he had to. Of course, that was only if there was a confirmed attack. He didn't want to go down in history as the guy who got spooked then turned the world to glass. Not the legacy he wanted to leave behind. Was his family Ok? His kids, his wife? He was not scared for his own safety but for theirs, but he couldn't leave his post, everyone in the country was counting on him for their protection. If there was anyone left. How do you choose between your family and your country? What a nightmare.
He got up and started climbing the stairs to the launch control center, only tripping once or twice over his new hooves. He was muttering about how stupid horses are when he arrived at his destination. Why not turn everyone into robots or something useful? "It doesn't matter if I'm a horse, I can still hit that red button if I have to." He said and looked over at the glass encased button. With a simple press he could end the world. Or at least the Russian and Chinese parts of it. He though with a grim grin. After checking to make sure the radar was still functioning, he proceeded to the officers quarters. Maybe sleep would calm his nerves. But, when he went to sleep all he could dream of were communist ponies marching in lockstep with little '='s on their asses and singing about how great it was to be the same as everyone else. He woke up in a cold sweat. "Fuckin' commies." He muttered and went to the bathroom to clean up, he wasn't going to be sleeping again tonight.
That day he drove between several different silos to check for other people, but they were all empty. All the systems in the bases were up and running though, so he made sure that they were all secure. Setting up explosive traps and trip wires that would stop an invader in their tracks. He then started to hum a song
while setting up the rest of the traps he had with him around the gates and entrances of his base and the bases closest to his. He also set up automated gunnery turrets with mounted machine guns and linked those to his control center. It doesn't matter what the other branches of the military say, the Air Force has the coolest toys.
When he arrived back at his silo, he checked all the turret cameras and mics/speakers to make sure everything was working he then fired each of the guns and found, to his satisfaction, that they were all working. He set them to motion sensitive mode, but put them on safe so they wouldn't shoot anyone without his say so. With all that working, he took time off for lunch. Each silo was stocked with about nine months worth of food and water for 15 people. With him living alone now, that would last much longer.
He had been calling his wife's cellphone several times a day up until that point. She hadn't answered though. Finally the service failed and he was only able to use the radio for communication. But, he had to stay strong still. There could still be people out there that needed protection. In fact he had been picking up on some faint radio signals from Texas and maybe even California. He would adjust the antenna array on the tower outside later in the afternoon so that he could listen in on what was going on and maybe organize a....what would he do if he got in touch with them? His job was to nuke people not organize camps for survivors. He didn't want to think about that right now, he had a MRE to finish.
He realized he was hiding from the pain of his loss in his work. It was obvious. It was the only way to keep his mind off his family. His two little girls, his wife. Were they alright? What was the cause of the disappearance? How many people were left? Did it hurt...to disappear? Were they in pain when they were taken from this world? He knew he had a duty to his country, but he had a duty to his family as well, damn it!! He slammed his hoof against the steel table and left a dent in it, then he got up and wiped angry tears from his eyes and stormed off to mess with the antenna tower. He'd have to fix the damned table now as well.
He worked on the antenna until it was dark and then went back inside to check the radio, there was no significant improvement to the signal except he knew for sure now someone was transmitting. Poor bastards, they were probably as lost as he was. There was no way he could leave his post though to go check on them, in case something happened he would have to be here. Just then, one of the turret motion detectors went off. He rushed over, adrenalin pumping through his body. This is it! The Russians' Spetsnaz units were here to take the facility! He reached the turret controls and turned on the monitor ready to allow the guns to fire with the push of a button. There, just outside the gate, was a bear. Not a Russian bear mind you, just a regular American black bear, standing outside the gate as they do from time to time. He released a shaky sigh and relaxed, resting his forehead on the control panel. "Just a bear...a bear." He looked back up and saw the bear wander off into the forest. He re-armed the turret and quickly flipped through the other turret cameras, finding nothing strange or out of place.
With his concerns dealt with he started looking at a way to secure firearms to something he could wear and operate. He settled on a harness of sorts that had an arm that swung out in-front of him. Then he made a bit piece that when he bit down on it would fire the weapon in the direction he was looking. It wasn't perfect but the recoil was not bad and he was now able to walk around armed. Reloading was a challenge still so he would stick to using 100-round drums for his rifle.
The next day he armed himself and drove around inspecting the turrets. They were all still working well and since they were powered by wind and solar power, as was the rest of the facilities, they would last for some time. He secured a few more silos in person and set up turrets there as well. There were about 10 turrets per silo and he personally had control over all of sections N and M of the missile complex so that was 22 silos so far. Only 180 to go. Fortunately he had access to all of these silos as the commander of the complex and therefor he could control everything from any one of them. After a long day of setting up traps and security measures he decided to start writing them all down in the computer by poking the keys with a pencil he held in his mouth. He didn't want to forget about one and kill himself.
The next day he woke to the jarring sounds of the alarms blaring. He arrived at the launch controls and the view on the screen turned his blood to ice. NORAD's automated radar system had detected several missile launches out of North Korea! He turned the keys. Put in the right codes. Opened the little glass case and stared at the all powerful button before him. He glanced up and the computers indicated all the missiles were headed towards the United States. All intelligence up to that date indicated that North Korea did not have the capability to send a nuke all the way to the mainland of the United States, but would he risk that? Could this be a drill that had been scheduled but had been unable to be passed on down to him? What should he do?! He could send the nukes flying, but if it was a drill then the US would be seen as the aggressor. But if he did nothing....the Commander made his decision and selected four nukes, set an intercept course for the three Korean nukes to blow them from the sky, and pressed the Big Red Button.
Hospitals are supposed to be a place of healing for most people. The funny thing is, my luck would have this one be my tomb. I lay there on the operating room table looking at the ceiling. The bright light hanging there was directed at my mid-section where the doctors had cut me open to remove a stick that I had fallen on running around. Like most people do...I think the stick is out but that's not what I'm worried about. I woke up a different species then I fell asleep as! I'm a zebra now. Well, kind of. I am much smaller then a zebra is but I have the same equine body type and stripes all over me. I was living the nightmare of most people who get operations, the doctors had taken something that did not need to be taken: My humanity.
How had they managed to put me in a new body? And why did they not finish the operation? It's like they managed to get the stick out and then said, "Looks good to me~! I need some coffee." Then they tossed their tools into my opened belly and left. Fuckers. I moved my new hooves and tossed off the sheet that was partially over me. I still had sedatives in my system but it was imperative I escape this place before the psychos come back and tried to staple wings to me or something equally dumb. I reached to my stomach and started to pluck the different tools from my wound. Knife, scissor thingy, more scissor pinchy thingys, sponge....I think that's most of it. Thank god I didn't have to feel that. I toss the bloody tools to the floor and I look around for something to close myself up with. I see a stitch kit nearby and pick it up. How am I picking things up anyway? The stuff just seems to stick to my hoof at my command. Some sick, rich son-of-a-bitch must have spent a fortune to have this done to me.
I've read how to do stitches but it's hard to do with hooves. It took me a good 20 minutes to finish stitching my insides and another 10 to finish the outside and close the skin. But I know that some stitches are not enough. Also, why have the doctors not returned? It's been about 40 minutes since I woke up and who knows how long I was sleeping before that. I carefully rolled onto my side and ever-so-gently slid off the table to the floor. I slowly and painfully walked over the a rolling shelf and grabbed a stapler and pressed it against my wound before firing a staple into myself. Now I'll admit it wasn't pleasant but it could have been worse. I put in three staples and started to wrap gauze around my barrel tightly to make sure the wound could not open again and started to hobble out of the room.
As I snuck out of the O.R. and into the hall way I stopped by a window and looked at my reflection. I had a Mohawk mane thing and my eyes were green now. They had been brown before. How was this science possible? Or was it science? Could it have been some cult thing going on? I examined the stripes on my face more closely, I was really odd looking, if not a tad bit cute. Before I left I creeped into the pharmacy to get some medications in case I got an infection. One thing I noticed was that the entire place was deathly quiet. I even heard some of those heart monitor things flat-lining in several rooms, but when I looked there was no one there. It's as if everyone just decided they were fine and walked out. Everyone. Even my parents. We've always been close, them and I. They said they would be right here when I came out. Did they get tricked into thinking I was dead then left me here? "I'm not dead! I'm still here!" I screamed into the void of the now imposing hallways. "I don't want to be alone..." I slumped down against the wall and cried myself to sleep. Fortunately the sedatives that were still in my system did not allow me to dream. I wounder how I knew that...?
When I awoke again, I saw the clock said 9:28 AM. I had slept the entire night and into the morning and I think the drugs had worn off. I went to stand up, but I felt a burning, piercing agony from my wounded tummy. I whimpered on the floor for several minutes trying to figure out a way to alleviate the pain. I was unlike any pain I had felt up till that point. Why was I alone? What did I do wrong to be punished like this? I'm only a 14 year old girl, it's not like I ever really hurt someone. Why was I so small anyway? I was like up to the average person's mid thigh or there abouts. After I finished my little internal conversation, finally managed to get up. The pain was still present but I could manage it. I was still in the pharmacy and so I looked around until a a bottle caught my attention. I don't know what it is, but I just knew that this was the right thing to take for my pain. It's hard to put into words but I could sense these little white pills were the correct thing to take. ((I do not condone the unprofessional use of prescription drugs. Seek professional or adult aid in taking any and all medications.))
I took one of the pills and placed several other types of drugs and meds in plastic bags that were near the trash-can. I took the bags in my mouth and continued my slow trek out of the hospital.
I made it out of the hospital and into the warm Oklahoma sun. Where do I go now? Home? What if someone sees me? Would my parents recognize me? Why do I even care? They left me in this place with a bunch of psycho doctors and didn't even come back! And then everyone in the whole god damn city went on fucking vacation! I realized I had just said that all out-loud and glanced around to see if anyone heard. No one had. All the cars sat empty and no one walked the streets I guess I'll go the the mall or something. I started walking and it took me awhile to get there in my state. I've been feeling more pain since I got here and look down to see my gauze have bled through. I need to replace them quickly.
I had brought some gauze with me in my bag but I needed more to make the bandage tight and secure. I limped through the mall until I was completely exhausted, I needed to sleep again. I found a furniture store and crawled up onto a couch to sleep. I had to close my eyes to rest for a bit.
When I opened my eyes I found myself in an even more miserable state. I felt really cold but I'm sure my skin could boil water. I just laid there and cried, I had no idea what was wrong with me. Did I have a fever? I also was aware I was laying in blood. I need to take care of this cut now. I rolled onto my back and propped myself against the back so I could look at my tummy, it wasn't good. There was a lot of blood and I can feel something in the wound. I need to re-open the cut. Fucking hell. I whimpered and tears started to roll down my cheeks as I got up and started to search for sanitary tools for the process.
I found a store with exactly what I was looking for and grabbed a packaged set of first-aid tools and I also grabbed the gauze I needed and rubbing alcohol for being sanitary. I pick out a couple other items and went back to the furniture place. I picked out a new couch and got everything into place before I crawled up in agony and lay with my back against the couch. I swallowed and took up the razor I had collected and cut away the bloody gauze. I nearly threw-up when I smelled the injury. It was swollen and there was puss seeping out. "F-fuck..." I set the knife down and grabbed a cotton-ball and the alcohol and started to clean the outside of the cut. ((I do not condone self performed surgeries, if you need a surgery seek professional help and do NOT do anything yourself!)) I grunted in agony as the clear liquid stung my cut, when I was finished cleaning the outside I grabbed a pair of pliers and gripped the first staple and ripped it out. I screamed in pure pain and sobbed as I dropped the staple on the floor. Then I went for the next one and the next. I took a moment after the staples were out to catch my breath and I quickly cleaned the outside of the cut of the slowly oozing blood. Steeling myself again, I grabbed the knife and started to cut the stitches open, that wasn't as bad as the staples were.
Now came the fun part, I had to open the wound up. I grabbed a new set of pliers and firmly gripping the flap of skin, and let out a muffled scream as I opened the wound again. Inside I saw a festering sponge that I had missed before. I nearly passed out but managed to grab the disgusting bloody wad and flung it, and that pair of pliers, as far away as I could. I then started to clean the opening out and after another agonizing 30 minutes, resealed and restitched the now disinfected cavity. I put cream over the stitches to make sure it would not get infected and then wrapped myself in gauze once again before I gave in to fatigue and passed out.
As I woke up, I felt vastly better. I could breath again without too much pain and I didn't...well, my wound didn't stink of rot anymore. I got up and cleaned up my impromptu work place and disposed of the contaminated implements I had used and went to the fountain in-front of the mall and gave my self a sponge bath. I really needed it. On the bright side of things I was able to go on a big shopping spree because it had been two days and no one was around still. I need to start worrying about that soon. I snagged one of those large rolling suitcases and filled it with all the things I might need, not surprisingly comprised of mainly medical tools. And I just started walking, all-be-it slowly, south. I never really liked it up north anyway. What's Texas like? I guess I'll find out, and hopefully, I don't fall on any more sticks....
They said I would never see the light of day again. I said I was innocent. They didn't believe me. Now, I'm alone in this prison and I've been turned into some beast and I have no way to escape this place.
My name is Caleb. I was accused of murder of the first degree against several people in their home during a home robbery. But I'm innocent! I know they say that there are no guilty people in prison; but I swear I didn't do anything. I wasn't even around there when it happened. Ah well...I guess your wondering what I turned into then? I seem to by a cross between a man and a cow. My torso and arms are about the same as they were before; all-be-it furrier. But my head and legs are like a cow's. I have two rather large horns and my eyes are...rounder. They aren't human shaped. Now, I've always been very muscular, but after this change I. Am. Ripped! My biceps are like 15 inches in diameter and my abs are chiseled. That's a big plus in my opinion.
I'd been alone in this place for about two days by myself before I realized there was no one out there. At first I just sat there and panicked, but after I got angry and punched the door, I found I was significantly stronger then I was before as a human. I had left a dent the the cast-iron door four inches around. Using my fist. That's pretty impressive if I do say so myself. I hammered on the door until it buckled and flung open. I stepped out of my cell and glanced around for any guards or inmates. There were neither. I started to leave but found that all the security measures were still in effect. All the gates are closed as well as the electric counter-measures being active. To bad I didn't know how to mess with electrics.
I tried to pull the bars apart, but there were to many and they were to close together. I also just tried running into it and managed to nearly dislocate my shoulder. I decided to look around for something I could use to break open the gates with and found nothing of use. I was able to get to the mess hall though, and I finally got some food. Though I have to say everything was rather stale and apparently I can't eat meat anymore. Why did this body not come with an instruction manual or something? Its not like I could read it, but still. I hadn't even started to consider what happened to me or where everyone went until after I ate. Was this some sort of government experiment?! Was I some sort of test subject? That idea pissed me off. With renewed rage I re-approached the first barred gate and ripped it off its hinges and continued my march to freedom.
As I walked down the halls I noticed that the cameras were not moving to track me. That was odd, as the guards should have been watching through those. It didn't take me too long to get out of the next gate, just a little "friendly" persuasion like the others. I got out into the court-yard and took a nap. Apparently smashing reenforce metal doors down in a tiring thing to do. By the time I woke up it was dark. I'm not just saying the sky was dark, but everything was dark. The power must have gone out or something. I got up and made my way into the building again and to the guard-house. I can't see very well in the dark so I searched around blindly for about 20 minutes to find a flash-light. The room as a mess when I finally go the lights on. Well now I have some weapons at least. I even found a bullet-proof vest that fits me, even if it's just barely.
I managed to get a pretty looking M4 and plenty of ammo for it from the guard house and made my way to one of the watch towers. It was nice out here. Just looking at the stars, no distractions from other people or machines. I would probably come to miss having annoying people around, but I'll savor this while I can.
Where is the God damn rope?! Is this a ropeless prison or something?! I checked out the front gate, damn thing is solid as the earth herself and the walls are too high to climb or jump off of. I guess I'll have to use the bed sheets like they do this the movies. I gathered about 40 sets of sheets and tied them together double strong so that they would not tear under my weight. Now I just need a hook or something so that I can secure my rope up there and get over the wall. I settled on throwing a chair over the wall based on the fact that is there's enough weight up there it would be like there was a hook because the way I pull would not be able to pull the chair back over to my side, even if I do weigh a lot. I managed to get the chair over on my third throw, and started climbing. I had my flashlight tied into my jump-suit and the M4 over my shoulder and as much ammo as I could carry all on me as I climbed the wall, but I could hardly feel the weight of it all. That's pretty sweet.
When I reached the top of the wall, I was able to see the second and third chain-link fences out about to 100 yards. That would be no problem to get through. I hung the chair over the other side of the wall and started going down the rope. At the bottom I was able to breath a sigh of relief and I marched to the fences that I was able to bend down and walk over easily. When I was far enough away, I turned around and looked back at the prison. I'm glad I'm not in there anymore, but now my problems have changed. I forgot to bring any water or food....I would forget that wouldn't I? Bring the gun forget the water, I am so smart sometimes....So I started to walk along the highway back to civilization. I don't know why I would go back there, what if there were people? They would probably shoot me or something. I just somehow felt that it was alright to go there. I also found that my new ears are more sensitive to sounds and I'm far more jumpy. It must be a cow thing.
I guess since I've reached the town and there's no one else here, I'll claim it as my turf. But it just feels kind of silly tagging a building when there will never be anyone around to see it. I managed to amass quite the arsenal as well. I raided the Police station, and the local armories as well. I'm set for anything. Well maybe not everything, I guess I need to find a more replaceable food source as my next goal. Too bad I never learned how to garden from grandmother. I was always out causing trouble instead. If only I could turn back time....I think I would have done things different if I had known this is how things would be. ____________________ "Hello? Is this thing on?" A masculine voice asks followed by the sound of someone tapping on a mic.
"Yeah babe, it's on." A feminine voice replies in the background.
"Alright, so my girlfriend wanted us to leave a recording behind in this base because we're heading out of this town for good. It's been about...four weeks? Since the Event that made everyone vanish. There are no more resource here for us to use so we've decided to go live up near Helena; the capital of Montana for those who don't know that."
"Hey! Don't be rood to the listeners!" The woman chided followed by a smacking sound and laughing from both parties.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, if anyone wants to like find us or something, we're in the hills of Helena. I've actually become quite proficient in herding the bison if I do say so myself." There is more laughing from the female voice. "What? I have!"
"You mean you've become proficient in pissing off the bison to chase you everywhere you want them to go." She said between fits of laughter.
"It's not true! Don't listen to her! I totally have never been bucked by a bison. Ever." Caleb says barely containing his own laughter.
"Yes! Yes you have!" This continues for several minutes before they both calm down.
"Ah, there's nothing like a good laugh. Anyway, we're near Helena if anyone listens to this recording. Be careful out there guys." The recording ends and the two Minators, one with a large green cape wrapped around her body and the other with an orange jump-suit tied around his waist, walk out into the chilly evening air pulling carts with everything they need to make a new home and life in the wilderness along with them.
I lay on the side of the road, lost, hungry...scared. It felt cold outside, my thin frame shook in the wind, my muddied coat barely keeping me warm. I have no idea how this came to be my situation, but I know the universe balances things out in the end, and maybe things can turn out for the better for me. Karma? Don't be a bitch to me anymore. P-please? _____________Days earlier________________
I enter consciousness to get quite a shock today. I'm a child. I'm a baby...pony? A foal? I should be a 42 year-old nuclear engineer! I went to work this morning and everything was normal but then everyone disappeared and I fell from a cat-walk and went unconscious. I've been calling...well, trying to call for someone to come help me. It's more along the lines of unintelligible wailing, but it's the same difference. It also seems as if this body has instincts as well. I guess I got the packaged deal here. New body complete with new urges and habits. Lovely. The flip side of that would be I at least know how to walk and I actually have wings. But they are too small to fly with right now which is a bummer.
Let me describe myself real quick, My name is Jenifer and at this time I have a pink coat and white mane and my supper huge eyes are dark blue. If I had to guess I'd say I was about a foot tall at the most. I'm some sort of pony type, though it is unlike anything I have ever seen.
At this time I have to reach the power station controls as we might be under a terrorist attack. I can't allow this station to be captured or destroyed, at least not until I've secured the reactor. It is slow going as I am so tiny and I'm getting very tired. I guess that has to do with the fact that I've never used this body before and the muscles before. I started up the stairs to the main control complex. I reached the top of the stairs panting and coughing and looked at the door that I needed to go through....How could I have forgotten the number pad?! I wanted to start crying, or at least my body did but I didn't have time for that I turned and started going down the stairs, but I slipped and rolled the rest of the way down.....I did cry at that point. I had scraped my leg and it was bleeding...I don't have time to bleed, leg!! I have to get the the reactor controls, couldn't this have happened on a day when the reactor was not under going tests and was automated? That's right the reactor is not automated at this time and will not regulate itself. We are under threat of nuclear melt-down!
I searched desperately until I found a broom and started pulling it back up the stairs but that didn't work. I had to get down behind it and push it up the steps and worst of all I had to put my muzzle in the dumb, dusty straw end of the broom. I wanted to sneeze the whole way up the steps, but I managed to make it up before I did. Who knows, I may have rolled down the steps again if I hadn't controlled myself. I have the goddamn cutest sneeze though~!
I propped the broom up against the number pad and tapped a number! Yes! It works! Now I just need to get them all in order without messing up a single digit in the 9 number code. I tapped the broom against the pad again and again making sure to get all the right numbers, but I slipped on the last number and messed it up....I started again and accidentally hit two numbers at the same time. And again and got half way through before the same thing happened again. I started to get frustrated and huffed. before stopping and taking a quick break. Getting all mad is not going to solve the problem. I tried again and messed it up.....That God damn piece of fucking shit!!! I told them to get the key-card thing and they didn't! No body listens to me! I started screaming and throwing my hooves around uncontrollably until I caught myself in the face and started crying about that instead. When did I get reduced to this?
After a few more tries, I manage to get the door lock to click open, but now how was I supposed to use the handle? I placed my hooves on the door and tried to reach up but I couldn't get to the leaver. I looked to the broom and remembered that with handles like this you could lift up on them and open the door as well! I turned the broom over and slid it up the door until it met the handle. Then I got in position and pushed against the broom as hard as I could until I heard a 'click' from the stubborn door. I got a hoof in the door and squirmed in as the door tried to shut by itself with that little angular thingy that is in place at the corner of the door. Does anyone even know what that thing is called? Anyway, I got in and jammed the door open with the broom.
But I've managed to find another problem; I can't get up to the controls and I can't just use a broom for this either. Suddenly an alarm sounds alerting me to the fact the reactor in getting to hot. The water flow must be slowing down.
I run out of the room and go to the broom closet located down the stairs and to the left. I return dragging a step latter behind me. As I start to climb the stairs again the fatigue is starting to get to me. I start to cry as my body rebels and sits down barely keeping the latter with me on the stairs. Why can't I control myself better?! I force myself up, still crying, and start pulling the latter up and into the control room, where alarms are starting to go off in a cascading pastern. Heat warning here, radiation spike there; why can't things ever work out right?! I get up and start turning knobs and flipping switches, but the cascading effect of all the failing systems forces me to have to use the emergency flood gate. Basically it floods the reactor and cools everything down. But the bad part is; it will make the reactor explode from the heat difference and I'll have to get out of here really fast or the steam will get me and cook me alive.
I hit the release valve and start running from the room. I managed to roll down the steps again, but I can't think about that. I hear a massive explosion from the reactor and the rending of metal before it is replace by a din of escaping steam. I run for the main door but I remember I can't get out that way, so I climb into one of the air vents and start crawling out before I'm met with a searing cloud of steam that ejects me from the vent and out of the power station. I soar through the air and look back at the ruined facility. At least it was contained...sort of. It would not melt down at least. I then looked down at the rapidly approaching lake and balled myself up for impact. Have you ever been hit by a car? Me neither, but when I hit the water all the air in my lungs left and I started to drown. I flailed and managed to get my head above the surface and start breathing again and with some struggle I barely managed to doggy paddle to the shore where I collapsed and fell asleep.
The next time I regained consciousness, I was desperately hungry. I tried to eat grass but I couldn't seem to hold in down, and I threw-up several times. So, I settled on drinking as much water as I could and started to walk away from the still steaming Nuclear Plant. I needed to find someone to give me milk....where did that come from? Damn childish instincts, trying to make me all emotional. I walked along the road and found that the road started wearing out my hooves after some time, so I walked on the grass instead. Unfortunately it had rained not too long ago it seems, and I slipped down into a ditch because the grass was too wet. It took me hours to get out and I had to swim the whole time. My little body is in so much pain...I wish someone could help me. I really need someone right now.
I slept by the road that night and it poured again, I'm soaked obviously, for being so smart I sure can be dumb. I should have stayed by the power plant. Now I was sick, starving, and freezing in a down-pour in the middle of the night. I went on like this for three days. I found an empty town but I was unable to get into any of the stores. I knew I was a dead pony walking, it was just a matter of time now. ___________________________
I lay on the side of the road, lost, hungry...scared. It felt cold outside, my thin frame shook in the wind, my muddied coat barely keeping me warm at all. I have no idea how this came to be my situation, but I know the universe balances things out in the end, and maybe things can turn out for the better for me. Karma? Don't be a bitch to me anymore. P-please? I closed my eyes to sleep, I knew it could be the last time I opened my eyes, but I was so tired now. I was so hungry and alone, I just couldn't care anymore. I just wanted to be warm again, to feel someone hold me and say it was all going to be fine. But that wasn't going to happen was it? I had finally hammered the last optimism out of my childish personality so we could finally be pessimistic together. My tummy gurgled in pain asking one last time for someone to feed it, but I couldn't risk wasting water by vomiting the grass up again. This was my fate. I was the top of my class, the first pick for the job I got, I was the overseer for an entire Nuclear power plant and now karma was here claiming its pay, as is fate.
I wished sleep to come but it eluded me, I heard a car coming and prayed that it would hit me and end the suffering...waaaaiiiit, car? I opened my eyes and saw a small white four-seater coming down the road and it stopped next to me, its headlights pointed at my small, soiled form. The door opened and someone came out into the rain and picked me up. I was carried back to the car and the other pony-person started to fret over me. I know I should be mature about this but I couldn't, the child in me demanded attention and I submitted. The mare that had found me fussed over me, cleaned me up and dried me then we curled up on the open back-seat next to me and comforted me with sweet nothings. I was able to press my face against her warm, furry tummy, and I was finally able to sleep soundly. It felt so natural.
And now it's awkward. When I woke up, I found that sometime in the night I had latched onto the mare's teat and started to drink her milk. When I realized what I had done, I looked up and found that she was just smiling at me. I was mortified, so I started to cry. I found out later as she talked at me that her name was Sarah and she had lost her 5 month-old baby when everyone disappeared. She said she would look after me, and since I can't really talk, I couldn't tell her I'm actually a decade older then her and am smarter then her. I know what's best for me! I don't need diapers! They are the bane of children everywhere! In all honesty though, I don't mind playing the child, it feels nice to not have to worry about the world or what's happened. Also, I get to go to school again at some point and I'm looking forward to that. I'll just be happy as long as I'm with her, I didn't know how lonely I had been without someone to be there with me. Plus I need her now as I can't live without her milk, I should be freaking out that I'm saying something like that, but I don't care what anyone thinks, milk tastes really nice....
"So why don't you start from the beginning, miss Lindsy?" An older stallion said as he stood across the room from a mare who looked as if she had been doing a lot of traveling as of late. He place a kettle on an wood stove to boil water for some tea and turned back to her as she started her story.
"Well, I was in Panama when the Event happened. I always wanted to see the Panama Canal and so I was finally able to do that." She said and shifted in her seat. "I was staying in a hotel that night and was going to get on the flight home in the morning, but when I woke up I had been transformed." She said and looked at the candle in-front of her. Besides the wood stove, there were only these candles to light up the small kitchen.
"So you were asleep when you transformed?" The stallion asked and retrieved a loaf of bread from a cupboard. She nodded.
"Yes, I was asleep." He turned and looked at her.
"Alright, you may continue."
"Well I spent a few hours trying to figure out what to do, I couldn't go outside to get help because someone might see me and sell me to the circus or something. I guess that was a kind of silly fear to have since I didn't even hear anyone outside the whole time. I had a room with a window right next to the road you see and I didn't hear any cars the whole time I was locked in my room." He nodded and placed a slice of bread on a plate and put a tea-bag into a mug.
"When did you finally leave your room?" He asked.
She blushed, "Well, when I got hungry I decided to go find something to eat."
"Ah, yes, food is a powerful motivator."
"Anyway, I kind of raided the kitchen because there was no one around and brought everything I could back with me to my room. I couldn't read half the labels though because they were in Spanish. I just snacked on what smelled good. Looking back, I should have probably been more cautious with what I tried to eat, but I was alright fortunately."
"Indeed, it was not very safe to just eat anything but you got lucky; we all did. I don't know what I would do without my tea." He said and chuckled, "Did you ever try any plantain chips? I did find them a rather nice change to what we have up here."
She nodded, "I did, and I actually have some here if you'd like to share some with me." She offered and reached into her weathered bag and pulled out a new bag of the aforementioned chips. The stallion approached and plucked one of the chips up from the now opened bag.
"Mmmm, it is different from corn chips to be certain but it is deffanately a nice change from the norm, thank you." He said and went back to preparing the tea. "So you were saying?"
"Oh, right. So after I ate, I went out and looked for people but I didn't find anyone. Obviously. So now I was lost and alone in a country I had never been to before. And with everything in Spanish down there, I was not going to stay. So I gathered what I had and stared walking north."
"You walked? Were there no cars? I know many of them disappeared with their drivers but why didn't you use one of the other cars?" He asked curiously.
"Your right, but at that time I still thought of it as stealing and I didn't want to get in trouble. That lasted until my hooves were in pain and I didn't see anyone around." She laughed, "I guess I don't have very good resolve. I took a car and started driving north to come back home to the US. But as you know, no plan survives first contact with the enemy."
"So what happened?" He asked and placed a single sugar cube in each of the brown mugs next to the tea-bags.
"Well, I hit a pot-hole in the road and ripped the wheel off the car." She said and chuckled again. "The hole must have been like two feet wide and just as deep! And it was just sitting there in the middle of the road. I wonder if they even have road repair down there?"
"So what did you do after that?"
"After the crash I tried to find another car but they were all gone, so I had to start walking. Because it was the tropics I got really hot and dehydrated walking and had to spend a couple nights at a gas station to recover."
"Two days? That's a while to be recovering from dehydration."
"Well I get these really bad head-aches and they last for a while, so I just wanted to make sure I was good again before continuing. It's not like I was on a time limit or something either." She said and repositioned herself in the cushion she was on. The kettle started to whistle and the stallion poured the tea and waited for it to steep for a few moments.
"The tea will be ready in a moment." He said stirring his own tea.
"Alright, thank you." After another minute he carried the plate of bread and the tea over to her and joined her sitting at the table.
"So you stayed at the gas station?" He asked.
"Ah, yes! Oh, and the tea is very nice." He nodded in response. "So I started walking again and finally found another car and took that one up to the border of Costa Rica, found a new car and drove to Nicaragua and stayed there for a few days to rest. Did you know they have no road sings in Costa Rica? How do they find anything there? It took me 5 days just to get through Costa Rica by itself and all this time I still hadn't seen a single person." She said and nibbled on her bread briefly. "It's hard to believe, but the roads got worse as I went north. Panama was alright, Costa Rica wasn't too bad, but Nicaragua was hell. I had to drive at like 30 mph to avoid destroying the car on the road. At least fuel wasn't to big a problem."
"So how many countries are down there anyway? I know Mexico is down there and Panama..."
She giggled, "Well, I'm pretty sure there are six countries between Panama and Mexico, but I only drove through four of them."
"I see, go ahead."
"After I got through Honduras and Guatemala, it was fairly smooth sailing until I ran out of gas in southern Mexico. I had only a little water left with me so I had to stay in a little hotel by the road until it rained and I was able to start walking again. By the time I reached that point though, it had been nearly two weeks. I was talking to myself regularly by then. Like a regular crazy person." They both had a good laugh at that.
"So you had to walk through the Mexican desert the whole way up?" He asked and set his empty mug on the table.
"Well, Mexico does have a reputation of being a desert but a lot of the country is fairly well watered, actually. About a day later I found an ox by herself and it followed me around so I named her daisy and she led me to a cart that I hooked her up to and she pulled me for quite some distance until we found a heard of oxen. She seemed happy with them so I said good bye and left her there with them." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "She was such a nice oxen too."
"A few weeks ago I would not have believed that, but animals do seem to be more intelligent now, so I suppose it would be able to show emotion." He shook his head. "I liked it better when cows were meat and humans showed emotion." He said grumbling.
"I know what you mean." She replied. They sat in silence for a few moments before she continued. "Anyway, after a few more days I got yet another car and managed to show up here, in Texas."
"So, what will you do now?"
She considered that for a moment, "I think I'll go back home to see if there's any chance my family is still there. I don't think they are, but I can't hurt to check can it?" The older stallion smiled.
"It couldn't hurt. I mean you managed to become a pony so they have the same chance I think. I would encourage you to go check at least, and you're welcome back here if you...don't find them. There's a lot to be done down here still and I could use the help." He stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm getting old, can't run everything like I used to and the library won't take care of itself." They both chuckled quietly.
"Thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind."
He nodded, "Well your welcome to stay here tonight and go your way in the morning if you want to." But she shook her head.
"I would hate to impose on you and the longer I wait the more likely it is for my folks to move on to somewhere else. I'm gonna get going tonight, thanks for the tea and bread though, it was really nice to talk to someone else for a change."
The elderly gentle-colt nodded, "I can understand that. The door's always open to you if you decide to come back this way, just remember that." She nodded and gave him a hug before she made her way out to her car and started driving off. As she drove into the night, she considered everything that she had gone through over the last few weeks. It probably could have been worse, she did get to see a lot of places though. Maybe next time she went somewhere, there could be less transformation and more time for the actual vacation.
The ISS, or International Space Station, was usually a quiet place most of the time, only getting a few visitors a year. But today, right now, it was more still then ever. Its usual number of inhabitants had dropped to only one remaining, and she was sleeping at the moment. Unfortunately for her, all good things come to an end and she started to wake up.
I opened my eyes after my allowed 8 hour sleep, and went to un-Velcro myself from my vertical bed but found my hands replaced by hooves. I've been trained to react calmly and rationally in the worst of scenarios but this takes the cake as far as stress inducing. They never mentioned that you might wake up as a pretty little pony one day in basic training! I took several deep breaths to calm my nerves and forced the panic into the back of my mind so that I could focus on the problem at hand. I reopened my new, neon green eyes and used my hoof as best I could to pry off the clingy Velcro that held me prisoner in my own bed. After I was free I started floating away from the wall as I started to examine my new body. I had a slim build, and well toned muscles, that much was the same at least. My coat color was a bright orange. Not a blinding orange like my normal Astronaut jump suit that seemed to be missing now, but kind of an orange orange....you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, my mane was a tan color and seemed longer then my human hair was, the color of my hair was really similar to the Marine's combat boots if I had to find something to compare to.
This situation could be a lot worse you know, I could be completely alone while dealing with this. "Guys?! Where are you!?" I called out to my crew mates. I got no answers and my voice echoed throughout the lonely vessel. I started to move forward through the station, pushing off the walls carefully. I found that this body moves very similarly to a human body, except with out hands, I ran face first into a wall and became the first pony-person to get a bloody nose in space. I placed a foreleg over my nose so that the bloody blood did not get into every thing and went to the bath-room to clean up. I looked in the mirror for a moment before grabbing a tissue and stuffing it into my nose until the bleeding stopped. Good thing I'm focusing on other things right now or I might have started to freak out that there was no one else on this station with me...Damn....I started to hyperventilate a little and desperately tried to calm my nerves so that I could do something productive. "It's fine! It's fine~ I'm fine." It took several seconds to achieve this goal, but I managed to calm down again and reached the control and radio center a few moments later to call for help. I press the intercom button, "Hello? If there is anyone else on this station please respond ASAP." I then picked up the radio, "Houston this is the ISS, we have an emergency please respond." I waited for a few moments, fiddling with the paper in my nose before trying again, "This is Captain Joanna Free, this is an emergency, please respond." No one answered though. I started to get extremely worried. Aliens are something you have on your mind a lot out here even when there are other people with you.
I left the radio center and went to the window and looked down at the earth, the little blue jewel that we call home. I was over China at the moment but something was wrong, huge swaths of the massive country were in total darkness, well, more then usual. Like if nukes had gone off and fried the electrical system there, "What's going on down there?!" I yelled rapping my hoof against the window frame and returned to the radio. I needed to get a hold of someone right now. I started to send out transmissions on all government and emergency channels and just waited.
I waited for 5 agonizingly long hours. I received no signals from anywhere in the world and I observed that the US and many other counties around the world also had big blackouts everywhere. At this point I had no choice but to assume there was a war going on down there. Maybe even full on nuclear war. I was really scared now. In the case that the US was plunged into a world war, I had the responsibility to put into action the Atlas Drop emergency protocol. This protocol states that in case of a US national emergency the Americans on board the ISS or any other international space vehicle would size control of said vehicles and use them as American assets. Also, once the ISS was secured, me or my partners would activate the S.M.I.T.E. satellites and target the main threats to the US: The big cities and bases of China, Russia and North Korea. S.M.I.T.E. units drop a heavy led rod that is encased in ceramic to make sure it does not melt upon reentry of the atmosphere. The rod would touch down on target with the force and kinetic energy of an atomic bomb and would level any city for 25 miles in all directions from inpact. Even bunkers would be trashed by the kinetic force of the weapon.
And I'm the lucky person who gets to activate these weapons and fire them.
My heart was beating in my ears very quickly and loudly as I made my way to the US space shuttle docked at the moment with the ISS. Wait a second...there were no space suits that would fit me in there! Usually we would just space walk to the satellites but now it looked as if I would have to pilot the shuttle over to the unit and waste precious fuel to do so. But I have my orders. The US can not fall into enemy hands!
She closed the airlock to the ISS and got into the cockpit of the shuttle. With a small flick of her hoof on a switch, the shuttle pushed away from the ISS with a small burst of air. And for the last time, someone left the International Space Station.
"This shuttle was not made for ponies to use." I thought grimly to myself as I piloted toward the smite unit. I approached the massive death machine and after about 30 minutes of lining up (yeah, it takes that long) I docked with the satellite. I was soon in the unit and started to prime the rods for drop. Each SMITE unit held 15 rods for a total of 45 in all three active units. I put in the launch codes for the three satellites and let my hoof hover over that little glowing red button. I was about to destroy the 45 biggest and most important cities and or military bases of these three countries...I would be the one to kill millions. I pushed away from the button and started breathing really hard as I floated aimlessly around the small cabin of the unit. I couldn't do this could I? One person to decide the fate of millions? I steeled myself and re-approached the button. Whatever happened down there, whoever started it, I was loyal to the people of the United States of America and my duty was to push this button to protect the people.
I clench my jaw and press the button. I watch as one after another, the huge multi ton rods drop down and fall into the atmosphere of my planet and toward those cities and bases unfortunate enough to be targeted by the Pentagon. I choked back a sob and observed from orbit the first rod hit Moscow. Even from here you could see the flash of energy produced by the rod impacting. I had just been following orders...right? Was I a murderer? My face was blank as I floated back to the shuttle as the SMITE units continued dropping their rods. Once I was back in the shuttle I separated from the satellite and started programing my reentry to the planet. Some of those cities are really huge, you know? 25 miles really isn't that big maybe most of the people survived in those cities because they were far enough away from the impact, right? I could hope that right? Was I going to be in the history books for this? Would my name live in infamy forever?
I blocked out all my emotions as best I could so I could focus on flying and started to guide the space shuttle down into the atmosphere, but right in the most critical stage of reentry, I ran out of fuel. The shuttle started to drop and I struggled to hold onto the controls with my stupid hooves as I passed over the east-coast of the US. I was probably waking everything up for miles with the sonic-boom I was making and hopefully I should see some fighters soon. Where to land though?! I was to far along for landing in Florida, California was too far...I guess I was going for the salt flats of New Mexico. I adjusted the flight plan and but soon found out I was going to have to land in Texas due to a lack of altitude. I couldn't make it to New Mexico and Texas was flat enough. I hope I can find an airport....And where are those damn fighters already?! They are supposed to lead me to an air-field so I can land.
I grind my teeth as I approach central Texas, I would be touching down soon. I was heading in a west by northwest direction and would hopefully be able to use the flat desert there to land on. I really hope that there are emergency units on stand by still. Not likely though if we've been nuked.
I lower the landing gear as I rush past the desert sand at 200 mph, I put the flaps down and feel the shuttle slow down to about 150 mph, then I hit the ground. The chutes did me no good because the sand was too soft and the nose dug in far too quickly and I started to tumble through the desert, finally coming to a stop in the mangled wreck that was...used to be, the Space Shuttle Night's Eyes. I just hung there in the pilot seat's straps and blood dripped out of my nose and mouth. I'm pretty sure I have a concussion and my wings were broken. Did I even mention I had wings? I have wings. Sweet. But I have to survive first before I can use them. I don't think that my legs are supposed to turn that way either...I'm a mess. I close my eyes and sigh in despair, what was even the date? Could someone save me before I die hanging upside down here? Was there even anyone else alive? Why was I a pony? Where did the rest of the ISS crew go anyway? There was no way to even get out of the ISS. I have so many questions and there's no one to answer them. Maybe a quick nap would help?
I silently start to cry, there's a lot of physical pain right now, but nothing compared to the pain my heart felt at all the lives that I must have snuffed out with those SMITE units....I hope I die here. It would be fitting. It would be justice. I may have been following orders, but I'm still a human...pony, and I have to live with the decision for the rest of my hopefully short life. I resign myself and relax into the straps that are gently holding me by my chest and shoulders. Maybe someone would find me. Maybe....
"Run!!" I screamed as I galloped as fast as I could, a huge grizzly crashing through the snowy Alaska forest after me. This had all started about twenty minute ago when I accidentally came across a bear and her cubs. I ran back to my truck and scrambled into the elevator arm basket and started raising it higher so the bear would leave me alone. "Go away! No body likes you!" I half screamed half cried at the bear. The grizzly just snarled in response and started stalking around the truck and would occasionally try to climb up it, but she couldn't get very good traction on the cold metal so I was safe for now. In case you were curious, my name is Jim Hallsy, and I am a power line repair guy. You know when the power goes out in the winter? I'm the guys that goes out and fixes that. Anyway, I seem to have been changed into a clearish pony thing. That's right clearish, like I'm made of glass or some BS like that. Does anyone remember the movie Brother Bear? This is some weird freaky spirit shit like that, except I don't remember killing any bears or whatever.
Back on topic though, I am a dark grayish-green color and my hair is white. I'm not that old, jeez. I also have this little yellow lightning bolt on my butt. Like, what the heck is up with that?! What even caused this? The bear started to rock the truck from side to side, trying to knock it over but the stabilizer legs are down so there's no way this truck is going anywhere. Buuut, I'll hold on just in case. As the sun goes down the bear is still walking around trying to find a way to kill me. "You suck! Just leave already! Every second you annoy me, your babies are out there on their own! What if something happened?" I had been reduced to yelling insults at the bear out of boardum but the bear seem to react to that last comment and started to look around for her cubs, seemingly realizing that she left them to chase me. She ran off into the forest in what seemed to be panic and I just stood there in the elevator arm with a blank expression, "If I had know it would be so easy I would have done that a long time ago."
I lowered the arm cautiously and climbed into the cab of the truck and tried to start the engine....darn keys. I left them by the telephone pole when the bear started to chase me. I got out of my truck again and started trotting through the snow, one of the interesting things is, after my body change I didn't really feel cold outside anymore. Also my "coat" is very strange, it seems hard like diamond when you hit it against something, but when you just kind of pet it it seems soft and fluffy like a dog or cat's fur. I can't even think of how to explain that. As I neared the familiar power pole, I glanced around to check for any problems and I thought I saw the bear coming back or something silly like that. I reached down and grabbed the keys with my mouth then jerked my head up and saw the the bear was actually really running at me again. I nearly peed myself and turned tail to get back to the truck but I tripped on a snow covered branch and got face full of snow. I knew that was it, I was all tangled up with myself and by the time I got my hooves under me again I would be having my spine chewed on my a 400 pound bear.
I curled up, waiting for the pain of teeth ripping be apart to become my world, but all I felt instead was a incessant nudging from behind. Maybe she thought I was dead, hmmm, I probably should not make her think otherwise. I held my breath and waited, but suddenly I felt one of the paws on my side and she started to push down on me! As the pressure increased I couldn't help it, I started coughing and wheezing as the air was forced from my lungs. As soon as that happened though she stepped off me and nudged me again. "Please don't eat me!" I whimpered pathetically. While flailing a hoof at her. I couldn't reach her though and I was too scared to move away, I was at her mercy. She pushed me again and I finally opened an eye to see a look of concern on her face. Wait, expressions on a bear? Maybe I wasn't the only thing to be changed after all. I slowly started to get up, careful not to make any fast movements yet. That's when she started motioning for me to follow her. I mean it. She started making gestures for me to come with her.
I had no idea how to react to that, so I started to follow her as to not make her mad. Now I knew that this could be some sort of trap or something and more then likely would result in my death, but I really didn't have any other choice unless I wanted to get myself mauled. "So, what do you want? Where are you taking me?" I don't know why I asked a bear a question, it just kind of was a habit I guess, just to start up some small talk, but she looked at me anyway and huffed, kinda like she wanted to say something but didn't know how. By this time it was completely dark and I couldn't see anything except the bear next to me. I was getting kind of tired and was starting to slow down, but the bear kept urging me onward.
We finally came to a cliff and I could hear noises from over the edge. I looked and there were the two cubs, sitting on a little outcropping and looking back up at me. It was too steep for them to climb up and their mom couldn't reach down there or climb down there because she wouldn't fit on the ledge and would fall the entire 60 feet the to bottom of the cliff. I looked back at the mom and could see what she was saying now, "Save them." I started to consider my options, it would take some time to go back to the truck and get something like a rope. Maybe I can use a branch? I started to look around for a suitable branch, I spotted a branch that looked about the right size and called out to the mother bear, "Hey! Come here real quick." She hurried over and stopped next to me. "Alright, see that branch there? I need you to go see of you can rip it off the tree, okay? I'm going to lower it down to your babies so they can climb up to us." I pointed at the branch and she nodded and started to climb up the tree. Good thing that my truck was made of metal or I would have been a goner for sure.
The mom reached the branch and then started to jump on it until the sound of splitting wood was heard and she grabbed onto the tree as the branch fell. I started dragging the branch toward the cliff as she shimmied down the tree and joined me. "I need you to tell them to get to the side while I lower this down there. I don't want to push them off." She started making bear noises and the little cubs huddled to the right side of the ledge and I lowered the branch until it was propped up to where we were. Now remember, I'm doing this with minimal light, so it took me a minute to make sure everything was good. "Alright tell them to come up here." I said to her and braced the branch so it would not tip over while they climbed. The cubs climbed up and finally reached the top where they ran to their mother. I smiled at the sight (although it was dimly lit) and started to follow the tracks to get out of here. As I walked though, I hear them start following me and I turn around, "Uh, w-what is it?" The mother came up to me and licked my face (ew).
I tried to get them to go, but they had made their minds up. They were coming with me. I was able to get them on the truck and I finally had my keys again and we started to head back to civilization to get some help.
When we arrived in the town of Buckland, we found it completely empty. There was no one to be found at all. I let the bears, who I named Big mama, Cody and Nipper, into the store to clean out some of the meat while I gathered as much food as I could an loaded it in my cab. I like meat a whole lot, but all the meat in that place was rank! On other topics though, we can't stay here in Alaska. Or at least I can't. The supplies will run out so we're heading over the Canada in my truck and then down south until we find a good place with plenty of resources. I don't want it to be too hot where we go, but we need to get somewhere where stuff I can eat grows more often.
I got everyone into the truck again and we started driving east, Big Mama apologized to me about chasing me around yesterday and I apologized about all the mean stuff I said about her. It is really strange to think though, that a day ago I was a human and bears didn't communicate in simi sign-language. But to tell you a little about the cubs, Cody is the larger of the cub brothers and seems to have more energy then Nipper and I bet you can guess how Nipper got his name. Both of them are a light brown and are about one and a half feet tall right now. At least I'm not alone out here, but I hope I can find other people soon.
A young foal walked quickly through the prestigious but empty halls of MIT. He is a small brown earth pony colt with messy chocolate brown mane, halfheartedly combed back, and his tail sloppily cut short. His sky-blue eyes were tired but determined and his green tie, that was a little to long for him, hung near his chipped hooves. On his flank was a picture of a hour-glass. His name is William Stritesev, but he was known to all of his friends as "Future" based on his obsession with time theory.
If you're like, "What's with the name Stritesev"? His Great, great grandparents were Russian, his great grandparents where British, his grandparents were born in America and so was his father. His mother was an American from North Dakota. And so, he had a British accent and a Russian name but also had the American spirit of invention and "Can be done" from his mother's side of the family.
He had graduated from high-school at the age of 14 and was finished with collage by the time he was 17. Before The Event, he was working on his Doctorate degree in Time and Relativity Theory. He had achieved the creation of a time window in which you could see into the past of the location you were at. It was revolutionary tech. When he was interviewed by the Collage president and the board of Regents, they had wanted to use the word "gifted" to describe him, but they said that using such a word would be an insult to his intelligence. But unlike the normal savants, that were completely socially inane and usually unable to interact with other people well, he was very out going, and he could hold a conversation in a group of people and speak in language that everyone he was with could understand.
He was a prodigy, a genius, and yet those words did no justice to his abilities. But what use was a genius with no one around to share the knowledge with? He walked into his lab and looked over his work. He was trying to find a way to get back in time and save everyone. He had the knowledge, all he had to do was build the thing. But that was easier said then done. He had already built the frame over the last three weeks, but his progress had been stemmed by the fact that he was a horse and the need to go find food out in the city. He walk over to his soon-to-be time machine and ran his hoof over it. The delicate wiring, the smallest circuitry, the amount of electricity he would need to power this thing would be incredible. But as soon as it got started it should sustain itself. He nodded and trotted over the table and started to work on one of his other projects.
Right now he really had no way to defend himself, not that he had seen any other people yet but you never know. He was building a head mounted laser gun. Not like something from Star Wars or anything like that, but an array of 13 laser pointers focused through a magnifying glass so that when it is activated, it will burn whatever it is pointed at, but is not lethal in small bursts. He would be able to activate it by biting down on a bit piece that went in his mouth. Though the draw back was he would not be able to talk to himself while wearing it. That wast the Worst! Possible! Thing! Not really, but it was a habit for him to talk to himself now more then ever. After a few hours of work on the device he tested the array and found that it worked as advertised. Taking a few minutes to relax, he found himself drifting off to sleep despite his efforts to stay awake. It must have something to do with the new body he had that seemed to be slightly younger then it "should" be. He was soon in a deep sleep and visions started playing through his mind. ______________________
"Hey mom! I'm home!" I called into my house as I tossed my bags onto the couch nearby. It was oddly quiet and I knew something was off. "Mom? You here?" I walked into the kitchen and found no one there. My dad wouldn't be home for a while and I was an only child so I if my mom wasn't here I should be alone. Maybe she's taking a nap? She very rarely leaves this late to do anything so I don't know why she isn't here. This is not normal. I started to get a bad feeling and with my heart starting to speed up and climbed the stairs and opened my parents' bedroom door to find it empty. I heard a voice echo through the house just then, "Where were you when we needed you, William?" I heard my mom down stairs but no body was there when I arrived. I tried to leave the house out of fear but the doors and windows disappeared and a ghostly specter appeared in my living room and started to speak, "You know how to save us and yet you waste time sleeping." It sneered at me.
"H-hey! I'm doing my best okay? I have to do everything by myself here. All the stuff I need to build it needs to be found and properly placed and that's a big pain with hooves you know!" I held up my hooves and then realized that I was a pony now again instead of a human.
"You have the power to save us. So do something already." The specter vanished and I woke up. _____________________
The young colt bolted upright and fell off the chair he was in. He was covered in sweat and had tears in his eyes from fear and even though he had just been sleeping, he looked even more exhausted then before and trudged over the his machine to slave over it some more. He worked for several more hours on the machine and managed to finish one of the six energy projectors. But, at this rate he would not be finished for months. But time was not an issue, he would have control over time when he finished this project, well, control over the ability to move through time and possibly space as well if his ideas worked. He sighed and rubbed his reddened eyes. He needed sleep, but with those nightmares always there to greet him, he feared every time that he closed his eyes.
Later, he walked through the parking-lot of MIT quietly and headed into town wearing his tie and his laser gun, it was getting cloudy and might rain soon but he needed to get more supplies so he could work on his machine without as many interruptions. He walked into the first store he came across and absentmindedly took things from the shelves by using a broom stick to nudge them off the shelf and into his cart. He was really out of it right now. The guilt of still existing while everyone else had met an unknown fate was tearing him up inside. He was blaming himself for not doing...something. He should have finished the machine sooner, but he was tardy as usual. He should call the machine The Tardy Machine or something like that....He put a rope around his neck and tied it to his cart and started to pull it back to his "home".
Several hours after he has arrived back at his lab he was still working on his machine he had his head lamp on because the power was out and was soddering a wire junction when he heard a howling sound, like wing tearing down the hall at high speeds and he spun around to see a ghostly apparition looking through the door at him. He screamed and scrambled over to his laser gun and fired it at the ghost, but he only managed to scorch a line into the door and the ghost ducked out of view. He place the weapon on his head and chased after the ghost firing the laser spasticly but the ghost just dove and weaved around, never saying a word and never getting hit. For over an hour he chased it through the massive complex of MIT, leaving burned walls and scorched glass behind him. He collapsed on a couch panting and wheezing for breath, he didn't catch it and whatever it was it would probably be back later. He fell asleep on the couch and slept fitfully for several hours. ________________________
Several months later he had nearly completed his machine, but unlike before, he looked malnourished and rather sickly. He needed a quick break from his work so he limped over to his time window to see if it still worked. He hadn't touched the Time Window for a while and was interested in what might be in store for the future of this building. He turned on the machine and it hummed to life. He was glad now that he had installed that power unit while people were still around, it could last for years. He watched through the screen as the window showed time in fast-forward. The walls collapsed, plants grew out of control, the bigger buildings in the distance soon crumbled to dust and he watch the land go back to a natural state. He sighed and turned it off, no need to think about that, he was busy with other things. He couldn't ever find peace if he didn't fix this mess and keep it from happening. ______________________
It was impossible...he had gone back in time a thousand-thousand times. Do you know how many times that is? And he always went back as a pony, nothing he did could change that apparently. He sat in defeat, no matter what he did nothing could change this. He had gone back and prevented global warming, he had stopped Hitler from becoming a dictator by making sure he became a famous painter instead, he had tried warning people, telling the FBI, CIA, or anyone who would listen what was going to happen and sometimes they did something about it, other times, they tried to shoot him or take him to prison. He had even become the leader of the world once. But every-time he went back, at about 3:20AM May 23 2015, he was sent back to his own timeline at his young current age and everyone disappears. He had never found an explanation or any reason for it to have happened, but he was left alone every time.
His health had gone rather quickly soon after he returned, he hadn't been eating well or exorcising the entire time and it was catching up to him. He was currently sick and bed ridden. His cough sounded like he was trying to remove his lungs through his mouth and he wondered how things may have been if he hadn't been so obsessed with going back in time. Maybe he would have ever found others. It's not like he was any more special then anyone else was. He knew that he had wasted so much time on doing this, and it didn't even work. But now he could know with a clear head that he had done everything he could do to try and bring them back. All his power had failed but at least he tried. He tried to fall asleep and when he did, he finally defeated his demons and slept peacefully.
When he awoke, he was feeling good about himself, but his physical health was out the window. He was sicker then a dog. He couldn't keep any food or water down and was constantly using the restroom...He was not a happy camper. Because he was so thin, he did not have the strength to move very much and so he was left to use only what he could reach with his short legs. He had decided to camp out in the bathroom because out how often he needed the toilet. He was like that the entire day and when he finally didn't need to use the bathroom he was able to drink a little water and go sleep on the couch again.
William was awoken by voices the next morning, "--cking MIT man! I wanted to go to school here one day before this happened." A female voice said from the hall adjacent to his lab.
"Yeah, whatever. But didn't you see those scorch marks on the walls? Someone has been here already or is still here and I don't want to be on the receiving end of what ever made those marks." A male said in response.
"Whatever, man. You're a wuss." She scoffed.
"No, I'm cautious, and you should be too." They opened the door and came into the lab, "Wow, it's a real mess in here." She said not seeing Will right away. "You go check that room over there and I'll look around here." The stallion left and she walked around to check out The Tardy Machine. William was able to see that she had wings and thought that was pretty cool, then he noticed that she had noticed him and tossed a blanket over his head like a fool to hide. "Hey Mat!? Come here a sec?" She called to her companion.
He soon trotted in, "What?"
She pointed to the trembling blanket on the couch, "I think there's someone under there." She said and walked over and poked Will in the side, "Hey, we know you're in there little buddy, so come out already." She said in a soft tone. Will peeked out and let her pull away the blanket. "Awwww~! The poor thing!" The Pegasus squealed and scooped him right up into her arms.
Her friend objected, "Hey, Simone! He might have, like, rabies or something! Don't just grab it and start hugging it." Will was slightly offended, he did not have rabies and he wasn't that dirty...well, maybe he was, but still! Simone gave Mat a glare, "It's just a child, Paul. Who knows how long he's been alone! Look at how thin the poor baby is!"
William was a pretty prideful guy a lot of the time but he still felt like crap and it was nice to be held and taken care of, plus his voice hurt from coughing a lot and the vomiting, so talking wasn't an option right now as far as he cared. Paul and Simone stayed with William the entire night, making sure he got what he needed and the next day they started cleaning his lab up. Paul was adamant about that part, he probably has OCD or something. He was soon able to talk again, and was able to get his feelings out there about what happened. Paul wanted to destroy the machine because there was no more use for it and it might be dangerous, but he changed his mind because Will objected loudly. It took several days, but Will, with the help of Paul and Simone, was able to take it apart and load it up with a lot of the other stuff into their cart. It might be useful someday.
Will went with them to where a small group of others were waiting for them in a small apartment building. He made a lot of things for his new group over the next few weeks, mostly tools and the like, and was happy to finally be living in the present, rather then the past. He was able to be productive here with his new friends and he liked the feeling of being useful again, he would always do his best to take care of his group, but wouldn't blame himself for bad things that happened, and did everything he could to improve the lives of those around him.
You know what? I feel like Steve from MineCraft right now! Everything here is here for my own personal use. I can use it however I want, make whatever I feel like, I can destroy anything I don't like and no one is here to tell me otherwise! This island is a paradise in more ways then one for me. Some people might find being alone was a curse, I have always found it a blessing. My name is Roger. I was the son of a wealthy American business investor and so I never had to work for anything before now. I got anything I wanted and I was pretty spoiled. I was 400 pounds over weight, and hadn't done anything in my life that was worth while until recently. I only spent time improving skill that would never further me in life, but because of this Event I got a second chance to live a proper life.
Since two weeks ago, the entire population of this vacation island has disappeared and I was the only one left. If I were to describe the island, it would be very similar to the island from Dead Rising. Well, except without all the zombies and gore everywhere. I woke up one day and found that I had been changed, I seemed to be a dog of some sort except I could walk on two legs and my arms were much more muscular now. Not to mention I was greenish now as well. But I honestly think this is something of an improvement, I need to tell you guys the truth; before this change, I hated myself. I was discussed with my situation but if you had asked me back then I would have lied and said that was not true. I hated that I couldn't control myself and do things that were productive, but it was easier for me to do nothing and I always said, "Tomorrow." I'll just start exercising tomorrow, I'll stop eating so much tomorrow. But I never did. But after my change, after everything I had ever known was gone, I now had a brand new slate to work with. I weighed myself and found that I am only a hundred pounds less then I was before, but somehow, all that fat turned to muscle!
For the first week I just ran all day. It was amazing, no waddling, no limping, no needing two other people to help me up from a sitting position. I could feel the wind in my fur as I sprinted down the beach and I didn't care that I wasn't human anymore; this was worth it. I suppose though, that if you had asked me if I wanted this to happen I would have said no. I mean, who would want this to happen? But now that it has I feel amazing. Now I need to survive and find a way off this island, I may have no experience building stuff but I watched other people do it on the internet, and I think I could do the same thing now. I think.
I walked through the quiet streets humming to myself and looking for anything useful. There were still a few boats left in the harbor but I needed the keys to use them and however much I liked it here I didn't want to stay here forever. I kicked in a door and entered a random house looking for evidence that they might own a boat. I found several pictures that indicated as such, but I found no keys. Blast. I did find a couple guns though. But the draw back there, is that most guns have rather small trigger guards and my paws seem to be a bit meatier then human hands, so I'll have to find a hack-saw and cut it off so I can actually pull the trigger. But that's just one of my many projects. I want to get a boat and leave the island as a priority, but if I can't find a key I better learn to sail real fast or I'll just have to row back to America. I wonder though if sharks will eat a weird dog thing like me?
I got back to my base, which was the Life-Guard station, and put away my new guns for later. Then I went to the radio and made a few broadcasts, but as usual no one called back.
Next, I decided to go down to the docks and see if there were any boats that I could start without keys. I really should have thought of this earlier! I mean, there are some boats that you can put start up with the simple press of a button that were there because there were people guarding them, but now that there is no one to protect the boats I can take one. I'm not the smartest sometimes. I mean come on! That should have been the first thing I checked, but noooo, I went and decided to go search every house for boat keys. What does a boat key even look like? I face palmed and walked across the docks looking for such a boat for several hours. But I got lucky and found a small motor speed boat and was able to get it all started up. I found out also that apparently my tail can wag on its own and defy me even when I try to force it to stop with my thoughts. Sure I could grab it but that's not the point, I find it kind of annoying but whatever. I have a boat now!
I (drove?) the boat closer to my base and moored it to a little dock. I would have to load it up with a lot of water and food. It can't be more then a 5 or 6 hour ride over to Florida from here right? But I want to make sure I have whatever I need to make the trip safely, so I made a little list and started to choose what I might need.
* Water * food * bedding * guns * more water * bullets * extra gas for the boat
Just 'cause I play survival games dose not meat I know how to survive unfortunately. I kind of wanted to build my own raft and everything, but lets be real, I would not trust my life to anything that I could build right now. I got everything ready to go but left it in my base for now. I would leave in about a week. I want to make sure there is no one else on the island first.
After a good nights rest I drove around the island and didn't find anyone. I do like being alone, but it is kind of sad that everyone left without saying good-bye. On a happier note, I finally understand why dogs like putting their heads out the window; it helps to cool you down for one, but also it makes you feel like you're actually running that fast! It's a lot of fun. I got back home and got on the radio again, but this time there was someone talking! What are the odds that the day I go to look for people and don't find anyone, is the day I get called on the radio? I talked with the guy for about 3 hours. He was getting really depressed from being alone so long and apparently he was some sort of "pony" now. If you ask me, 'he' sounded more like a 'she', but who am I to judge? I've met people online who are like that. We set a meeting place at a gas station between where we were both staying and we'll meet there tomorrow. He was staying in the light house all this time, again, I'm not always the smartest. That should have been one of the first places I looked.
The next morning I woke up and sighed, there is a part of me that's happy to find someone else, but the rest of me is dreading the other problems that come with having more then one person around. Oh well, I suppose the pros out-weigh the cons as far as having more help with what needs to be done. I got in my truck and lurched off to get to the gas station. As I pulled up to the station, I saw what at first looked like a dog that had fallen into pink paint, sleeping in-front of the gas-station doors. I opened the car door but when I closed it again, I managed to wake it up. I froze and waited to see what happened. It lifted its head and looked at me and I could tell that it was defiantly not dog. Anyway, she or...he...he is a she now apparently. I don't know how that happened but she freaked out when she saw me and I kind of freaked out as well, but we calmed down and I brought her back to the Life guard station with me.
Her name was Frank and she was only a year older then me. (25) It's nice to know that I'm not the strangest thing out here though. And I still have hands! Frank does not have hands anymore and is now a girl. I feel for the guy, I guess this does add merit to the idea that you can be put in the wrong body though. She says she was a guy and I need to call her a him, but I just can't do that. It's rally weird to me. She is a nice guy though, we have a lot of the same interests and she's pretty cool. She can run faster then me I found later that day, but that makes since because she is on all fours and I'm on two. I may have arms like an ape but I will NOT run like an ape thank you very much.
I had to load some more supplies into the boat today because Frank is here and we need more. I suppose I don't mind though, it gives me time to think. I feel that Frank may freak out about her situation after we reach the mainland US and are in a better situation to survive. She's kind of avoiding talking about the transformation, and I guess I'm not the best people person, but she needs to accept that she is a she now.
We left the island this morning. Frank has been rather quiet, I haven't known her that long yet, but even I know she suppressing her emotions. She has thanked me a lot for helping her leave the island though, at least she's grateful. We can see Florida in the distance but it will take another 3 hours or so before we arrive. I really hope we don't run out of gas, I've already used most of the reserve I brought with us. We better make it or I'll have to swim us both there cause Frank can't swim.
Well, we did run out of gas about 300 yards away from the beach...it's not as bad as it could have been but I'm not happy about it either. At least Frank had had the presents of mind to toss a couple oars in the boat before we left, now I just have to row to the shore.
Aaaaand Frank got sea-sick in the last 15 minutes of the trip.....The last 15. She was fine the rest of the time but now she's sick. I carried her to a hotel that was not to far away and she hung out on the couch for the rest of the day while I check everything out. Did you know she has wings? I guess I just need to pay more attention, anyway I'm not mad at her or anything, I just liked being alone. But I'm not going to be the same person I was before this and just do what's best for me because she needs someone right now.
To whatever force caused this; I guess I'm kind of glad this happened to me. It could have been better but it could have been worse too, and I actually have a friend now so that's one thing that I never had before all this happened. I'm going to do my best to be there for Frank while she goes through this because that's what friends do right? Also, I'm gonna recommend that she change her name. What? It's not that insensitive to say that. It is weird saying 'Frank' with a 'she' pronoun.
The drug trafficker dashed through the undergrowth of the thick jungle at high speeds, firing his AK-47 at the police chasing after him. "Fuck!! How is this my life?!" He stopped and turned around mowing down to unprotected officers, their blood splattering the trees behind them as the huge 7.62 bullets ripped through them, the mangled bodies then flopped to the forest floor. "Sorrry!!!" He felt two bullets fly past his neck and prayed to the coke gods that he would survive to get payed. Unfortunately for him, his drug laden backpack was slowing him down. He slid down a steep hill and into the river below, and fired up at the police to get them to take cover so he could get the hell out of there. One of the officers tripped and tumbled down the hill splashing into the water not to far away from our character. The officer surfaced in a panic and raised his M4 to shoot but his head stopped existing as our man blasted him point blank and fled deeper into the jungle.
George panted as he hiked in-between the trees, he had managed to loose the police and was now on his way to the camp he was supposed to deliver this shipment to. As he got closer he suddenly felt a bullet fly through his heart and he collapsed to the ground.
As Geo opened his eyes he felt dirty and restrained, he glanced down to find a puddle of drying blood under him and started to panic. He found it was too hard to get up on two legs to run so he crawled as fast as he cold away from the evil camp. As he went his backpack got caught on a branch and he couldn't go any further so he just lay down and waited to bleed out. Strangely, even after 15 minutes he felt no different so he started to struggle with his bag until he got free of the branch. He started to pat himself down and found that his chest was rounder then before and his hands felt different. He looked down at his bloodied shirt and saw that his body structure was all off. Then he caught a glimpse of bright red in the corner of his eye and found that it was his own hair. "What the--!" He also found in a bit more difficult to get his backpack off, like his shoulders weren't made to move like that. But once he did get it off, he started to pull his shirt off.
Underneath, he found a bloodied, but still blueish, coat of fur....He dropped his shirt down again and started to scream bloody murder. He continued until his throat could no longer make noise and he was just making shrill wheezing noises. Once he calmed down he pulled the disgusting shirt and pants off and stumbled back to the river with his payload of drugs to clean off. He found the officer's weapon in the water and remembered he had left his own back where he was shot. However, the body was gone and so was everything that was attached to it, such as radios and the like. He pulled the rifle from the muck of the river with his mouth and tossed it to the shore. He spent a good two hours exploring his new body. Apparently getting changed had saved his life cause he was no longer wounded. So...that was a plus. He was still a guy so he had that, but unfortunately his colors were not the most camouflaged. His mane and tail were bright red and his coat, now that it was clean, was an ocean blue and his eyes were silver now. He got out of the river and took his new rifle with him and started to creep as quietly as he could to the camp.
As he neared the camp, it became apparent that there was no body there anymore. He walked in and found everything had been left there as well. Including all the drugs....he looked around and approached the white substance and took a bag in his mouth and placed it on a nearby table. He then realize he could not open the bag without hands. He really needed a snort right now. He pondered this for a few moments and then started to bite the bag with his teeth in hopes to tear it. He picked up the bag with his mouth and started to shake it and toss his head around until suddenly the bag tore open and the fine cocaine dust exploded into his face making him breath in a good two or three cups of the stuff. He dropped the rest of the bag and started rolling around on the ground coughing and spitting the coke out of his mouth and trying to get the stuff out of his eyes.
Soon though, the chemicals started to effect him and he began to giggle at the craziness of it all. He started to prance around the camp laughing to himself about how he was a pretty little unicorn and was going to be dancing on rainbows as soon as he found one. He continued his prancing right out of the camp in into the river where he went down stream until he found a water fall, "Ooooh~! A rainbow! I am a pink fluffy unicorn and I will dance on it." He stated with a voice of ignorance and delusion and with that final statement he leaped over the edge and into the roaring waterfall's rushing waters. __________________________
A zebra mare was gathering some water on the banks of the river when she saw a blue object float into her view, she looked and realized it was another person that had been changed like she had. She waded into the water and fished him out, it took her some time but she was able to bring him back with CPR. Though he didn't wake up and seemed to be in some sort of coma or deep sleep. The tribes woman started to gather some ingredients and then started to make a concoction to wake him up with. It was an old family potion that should even wake the dead. She dumped it down his throat and waited for a second before he flipped off the cot and tried to barf his guts out. "It burns....my stomach is on fire!" She hoofed him a bottle of water which he drank and immediately barfed up as well.
When he was stable again she spoke, "Good you are awake, now if you please, give yourself a break." She said in rhyme, which confused Geo greatly and it seemed to bother her as well but she continued, "It is not good to take drugs at all, and it seems because of them you have made a large fall." She pointed at a bandaged gash on his side, probably from a rock he hit. "I need to gather food before it is dark, please, do not leave any mark." She pointed to many glass bottles and the like that were on the shelves. She didn't want him to break anything he guessed.
He nodded, "Alright, uh, what's your name?"
She walked out of the hut, "My name is Iris, so you may call me this."
"Why are you rhyming all the time?" He called after her, but she didn't say anything because she was pissed she was the only one apparently effected my the curse of rhymes.
Several hours later she returned right as the sun started to set, she was carrying a basket with her and she placed it in a separate building before retuning to find that Geo had fallen asleep on her bed. He was kind of cute like that she thought to herself before going about redressing his wound. It was not the worst thing she had ever seen, but it was deep and he had just been in the river. She would have to keep an eye on it. She then got into bed next to him because it was the only bed and was soon asleep too.
The next day the Iris had Geo help her around the abandoned village. They both had no idea what had happened to everyone but there weren't too worried about it. For some reason, it just didn't bother them anymore. They were happy where they were at, for Geo, it was a more simple life. No drugs no gangs, no threats and there was a cute mare there to spend time with. For Iris she had always known this as her home so she was happy here. Goe had never been in a relationship before, not even a one time stand, but he wanted to see if Iris was interested. He really thought she was the right one for him. She was nice, clean, selfless, she knew what needed to be done; she was the right one for him. Though it didn't help that he was shy and she was kind of scary sometimes. Iris also was into Geo, I'm mean, he's a cute little pony after all! Not to mention he's helpful and dose what she tells him to. So, she decided to talk to him, even if she had to do it in rhyme.
She decided to ask him after it was dark and motioned for him to come over since she couldn't rhyme the sentence very well. (Just in case you're wondering, for this chapter, it literally is physically painful for a zebra to not speak in rhyme.) She then spoke up with a blush covering her face, "Geo, I think I have a crush on you, I was wondering....if maybe you had the same feelings too?" Geo blinked and nodded slowly, "I do feel the same way, I was just worried that you would say no." He said, and looked down at the floor. She came forward and hugged him and they embraced for a few moments before continuing their daily work. Geo and Iris began a relationship a few weeks later and they decided to move closer to the city so they could benefit from whatever resources were left. They liked where they were and would return from time to time but they wanted to profit from what was left behind in the city so they made themselves a little trade post in case anyone ever came by and lived a relatively comfortable life style.
Timothy screamed as his reality faded away into a black haze. He had been driving to work one day and suddenly there was a flash and everything went dark. But as suddenly as things went dark, they lit up again and he could see. Unfortunately what he saw freaked him out even more. He seemed to be much smaller than before and also his clothes no longer fit and he could reach neither the steering wheel or the gas peddles at the same time. Panicked at not even being able to see out the windows, he slid down in his seat as the car thundered over the worryingly uneven and grassy highway overpass. He managed to reach the brake and stomped down on it as the car smashed into the concrete guard rail and ground against it fiercely as he and the car slowed and finally stopped.
Timothy was breathing hard, what the hell was going on here? He was in a rather uncomfortable position now and the seat-belt was crushing his upper chest that was unusually round. He finally realized that his neck shouldn't be able to turn and look around like it was. He thrashed around and finally managed to free himself from the belt and got his first look at the city around him.
"What the hell happened?" He asked out loud. He was too stunned to react and he didn't even notice the change in his own voice or body and just looked over the ruined, burnt-out city. After a few moments he opened the car door and stumbled out in a daze, his old clothes getting in the way of walking. It was all very shocking. Where did all the other cars go? And the people? Finally snapping out of his daze he looked over himself, though he was not as surprised at this as he thought he might be. He kicked his way out of the clothes and discovered he was now a bright yellow unicorn with a black mane and pink eyes. While he was not to fond of the colors what was even worse was that he was a mare as well. Despite this, he decided he could figure it out when he was somewhere safe. He used to live in LA, but it seemed he would need a new city and he--She, would have to find somewhere else to live and survive now.
She walked through the scorched streets of LA and darted through ally ways that were equally burnt. What had caused this? She wandered into a less burnt area of the city and found a store that had no window remaining. Upon further investigation she found that only the front of the store had been damaged and that the back was mostly in mint condition if you don't count the pest damage and debris that had blown in. She managed to obtain several dusty bottles of water and cans of food that had not been chewed through by rats and put them in a bag. After that short break she started her trek out of the burnt-out city. Where would she go? Where was everyone? The city couldn't have burned too long ago, there was still smoke rising from parts of it. So where were to emergency responders? The only thing Tim could think of was a nuke had gone off or something and he got mutated into a horse. It was scientifically possible, right?
As Tim pondered the possibilities, she managed to be clear of the city by dark and looked back at the sun was setting, bidding her goodbyes and hoping she would find out what had happened soon. It was soon dark after that and she camped by the side of the road for the night. She slept fitfully that first night, unable to forget the images from her first day in this new world. When she awoke, she ate and drank sparingly before setting out east, she had no destination in mind and hoped to find people soon. As luck would have it she found a small town a few hours into her walk and was able to find some more basic supplies, she was even able to take a quick bath in the local lake and explore her body in more detail, such as range of motion and the dexterity of her hooves. She even found a car that would run, but the tires were flat so she couldn't drive it without changing them first.
She set about trying to change the tires of the car and noted that it seem like no one had been in this town either for many weeks if not months. It was only a day's walk away from the potentially nuked city of LA but surely people would have at least put away their merchant-dice before evacuating right? Not that she was complaining, she had four new, slightly sunburned, tires for her commandeered car. It took her the rest of the day and part of the next morning to replace all the tires and finally be ready to go. "You better work..." She muttered, hoping the wheels wouldn't fly off as she drove. She got into the vehicle and realized that she could not reach the petals. With an exasperated sigh, she got out again and went to go find something she could use to push the petals. She settled on a plank of wood she kicked out of a shipping palette and got into her car and started off down the road, listening to the radio for any emergency broadcasts or anything really.
She drove for days, she ran out of places to get gas on interstate 25 in New Mexico and had to start walking from there. At least she didn't sunburn. She had also since run out of food and only had a little water left, she should have picked some up in the last town, oh well. When she finally reached the next big city and found no one, she kind of gave up and wandered until she found a farm. The animals were roaming free, the crops were in need of harvest and of course there were no people. She claimed the farm as her own and the animals seemed happy enough with having someone to watch over them again. She decided living on this little farm alone might not be so bad, she just needed to keep busy. Learning how to farm would take time, but time was all she had anyways.
High above the Atlantic ocean, a lone Boeing 747 passenger aircraft pops back into existence with a flash of light, on its way to land in the U.S. On the outside, it appears as majestic as always. Its bright paint glimmering in the sun, four powerful engines humming as they pulled the plane through the open sky. You wouldn't be able to tell something was wrong, or at least not right on the aircraft if you weren't inside it yourself. But there was something going on. Something that could only be described as mass hysteria as several types of creatures numbering in the hundreds panicked over their change in bodies.
Gennie whimpered and cowered in the bathroom stall she was in when the change had happened, and covered her new sensitive pony ears as she listened to the sounds of near rioting in the cabin outside her hiding place, "Get away from me you monster!" "Oh my God! My hands!" "Stop, please! Stop hitting me!" "Ahhhhhhhhh!!" Poor Gennie flinched as someone slammed against the bathroom door and heard unintelligible shouts before a sickening crunch was heard outside. She started to cry and slumped to the floor still tangled in her human clothes as she slipped into unconsciousness. In the cockpit, the pilots were being a bit more professional about the whole thing and were trying to contact any American or Canadian control towers. There was no one to hear them though and their calls went unanswered.
As Gennie opened her eyes she noticed that the noise had died down and someone was knocking on her door, "Hello, is someone in there? Hello?" It was a female voice, maybe a flight attendant? Gennie answered, "Y-yeah, I'm in here..." Her throat sounded all scratchy and she coughed after answering. The voice responded, "Are you alright? The fighting is over now so it is okay to come out." The woman--mare outside reassured her. Gennie started wrestling out of her clothes, "Hold on, I just need to get this...off." She finally got free and opened the door. Outside and partially spattered with blood was a red mare that was wearing a flight attenedant's hat. "Are you Ok?" She asked Gennie again to witch Gen nodded and walked out upon the mare's request.
Through out the airplane there was almost no one who was not hurt, "What happened out here?" Gennie asked. The mare led Gen down to first class while talking, "When this happened, a lot of the passengers got really scared and started to fight each other." Gennie was shocked at this revelation. "Was anyone seriously hurt?" She asked helping the mare with an injured stallion. "There were three deaths." The flight attendant said sadly. Gen covered her mouth with a hoof, unable to believe this tragic fact. "Just because they were scared?" She asked sadly, the attendant just nodded. At that moment the pilots came on over the speakers, "Alright everyone, we will be landing shortly. Please buckle up and secure all personal items."
Gennie, sat down next to an uninjured mare and buckled up, with some struggle mind you. She looked out the window as they descended and gasped. Out side the window was the remains of Washington DC, now but a former shadow of itself, it was terribly overgrown and birds could be seen flying from the New York sky-line in the distance. All around the cabin, similar whispers and gasps could be heard as the other passengers took in the information. Her state of quiet contemplation was interrupted though, by the sound of the captains voice again, "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be having a rough landing, under the circumstances please try to brace yourselves." Gen looked around and saw the different species doing different things to brace, some curled up, some leaned over, others had nothing they could really do. Gen resolved to brace her hooves on the chair in-front of her and hope for the best.
Soon enough, they were descending towards the cracked and overgrown runway getting ready to land. Gen was getting nervous as someone nearby was freaking out and hyperventilating, she closed her eyes tight and waited for then to touch down. Just then the wing hit a tree and was cut right off causing the plane to land hard and break the landing gear off. Gen screamed along with the other passengers as the plane careened down the runway sideways and kicking up all sorts of sparks and dust. But as suddenly as the crash had begun, it ended. She looked up and saw that the plane was tilted to the right and the fuselage was bent in the middle, but not broken thankfully. The passengers and crew then cheered and clapped as best they could with their new forms as the flight attendants started the evacuation.
The slides were dropped and inflated and Gennie joined the mass of ponies griffons and the rarer minators on the cracked tarmac. As the last passengers disembarked and the pony pilots got off and received an applause from the group again, they started to get organized. They managed to get most of the luggage off the plane and take anything that might be useful and started to travel away from the wrecked plane. Gen had made a few friends while she walked with the group and made small talk with them as they went. Generally the topic was about what had happened to the world while they were on the flight.
By nightfall most of the group was exhausted and they made camp in an old Wal-Mart. They managed to procure several Twinkies there, but they would need more supplies for nearly 250 mouths though. The next morning the group organized into hunting parties and scavenged anything they could find to eat and brought it back to the camp to sort through, they found some goods that they could eat and the Pegasi and griffons started to learn how to fly that first day so they could provide insight from above. Everything went well for the first week or so, no major injuries, everyone seemed healthy for the most part. Gennie was part of the furthest out gathering squad and was actually fairly talented in finding what they needed. Because of this fact, she got the nick-name Finder.
It was three days after she got this name when she made her greatest find. She and her squad came across another pony that was not from their group. The "native" pony mare ran off when they called out to her and they thought that would be the end of it when only an hour later they came across an unknown group of native ponies. They claimed that they knew of the "Returners" and that the elders of their own colony would be able to explain more about it. Finder and her squad brought the ponies back to camp and they arranged to meet with the colonies elders in a few days time.
The day finally came when the leaders of the two different groups did meet and all was explained, the transformations, the way the city was, the passage of time, everything. Many in the plane group were heart broken about the situation but the elders did offer the new group a place in the colony which many accepted. The ones who did not, wanted to return to their home towns to look for friends and family. Finder was one who stayed though. They also found out from the elders that it had been 300 years since they had disappeared, which was mind boggling to many in both groups. They would have to get used to living in a new world without technology. At least they had a new home, it would take some getting used to, but they had each-other and their new friends to rely on. Finder actually had a crush in her little squad and maybe, just maybe, it would turn into something more. There was hope for the future, there is always hope.
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