Nar Yakushi

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXstck3A4ko) What has been seen, cannot be unseen. Though the streets of a dead Ponyville are past him now, the memories of it will linger with Nar for the rest of his life.  The Astral Highway System offers no comfort to a weary soul, such as his. It's unfathomable expanses, and those that lurk within offer no solace. Only confusing routes, vast emptiness, crushing loneliness, and an unhealthy dose of paranoia. Nar set out into the AHS in search of a way home, but he knows the chances of finding one are slim. He's far more likely to get lost, and go mad in the depths of this plane than he is to ever see his family again. Yet, he persists. The reality of his situation weighs heavy on his mind, but determination, and a near unshakable conviction to see his loved ones again keep his legs moving, and mind stable.  Three highways. That's how far he's gotten so far. Without a way to tell the time, it's impossible for Nar to know how long he's been in the AHS, or how long he spends in each highway. He tells himself not to think about it. If he starts to worry about time, he'll wear his sanity down sooner, rather than later. He can feel the plane slowly gnawing at the edges of his mind. Nibbling away at his sanity with slow, but steady hunger. A quick meal, bottle of water, or a quick nap help to keep it at bay, but it never goes away completely. The only way to rid oneself of the Astral Highway's hunger, is to leave it entirely. Traveling through a vast, empty expanse, Nar can't help but notice an abundance of ash piles dotting it. Close inspection reveals the piles to be almost identical to the ones he found in the dead streets of Ponyville. Experience tells him to turn back, and find another route. He almost follows through with that plan, when something else catches his eye. Something appears to be laying just beyond one of the piles of ash. Surveying the area, Nar sees no sign of any threats, and moves in to investigate. It's an arm.  The grayish-blue fur is undercut by the cold, pale skin underneath. It appears the arm was ripped off at the elbow, leaving the lower half here, while the upper half continued with whoever it belonged to. Closer inspection reveals the faint traces of dried blood around the arm. As well as a barely perceptible trail that leads further into the highway. Ideas formulate inside Nar's mind, but he opts to push them aside for now. Despite his better judgement, he opts to follow the trail to where it leads. He really should just turn around, and find another route, but curiosity drives him to venture deeper.  Following the trail of dried blood is difficult, given how faded it's become. At times, Nar finds himself having to retrace steps. All the while, he finds himself having to avoid piles of ash littered around the highway. While following the trail, a blur of bright color catches his attention in the corner of his eye. Turning his head to look over, Nar is greeted by a scrap of clothing in bright yellow, as well as a few mangled threads of straw from a hat. He has no doubts of who these are from. Given the arm he saw earlier, Nar is not confident he'll find himself alive, and well at the end of this trail of blood.  The trail of dried blood leads Nar to another door. With great caution, he slowly pulls the door open, and steps into the threshold beyond. Lights impair his vision. A stale, electric buzz fills his ears, and the smell of decay fills his nostrils. Blinking away the spots in his eyes, Nar's vision adjusts to the harsh, sterile lights. Slowly, a large, clinical looking hallway comes into view, with a massive metal door blocking his progress. Approaching the door, Nar finds a folded piece of paper that has been placed atop a floor tile in front of the metal door. As he kneels down to pick it up, the faint sound of something scratching against metal emanates from the metal door. He does not notice.  Rising to his feet, Nar unfolds the paper to see what could be inside. What he finds is some sort of letter.  "Here lie 4 brave souls, who sacrificed themselves to stem the tide of horrors that lie beyond this door.  Three of these souls were some of my closest friends, and colleagues.  Rush Gale. A brave, and competent leader. He received the call for aid shortly after our party had exited subspace after a grueling expedition, and made the decision to assist. Though battered, Rush lead the charge into subspace to assist the adventurer who called for aid. Dawn Glare. A spirited, and tenacious woman with a passion for exploration. When Rush made the decision to render aid, Dawn nearly rushed off to help all on her own.  Igneous. A headstrong dragon with a big heart, and compassion for all. When the call for aid was received, he insisted we focus our efforts on protecting civilians. When we were informed that we would be locked behind the door ahead in order to stem the tide of horrors, he accepted his fate without hesitation.  I do not know the name of the fourth soul who gave their life here, but I know they were brave, and held a great love for the town of Ponyville, and those who inhabit it. He was the first to witness the breach, and called for backup. Though it seems he attempted to locate the source of the breach before help arrived, and as such, was nearly killed before he arrived here. He had locked himself in the control room of the complex beyond these doors, and required our assistance to initiate a lockdown. He was a father, son, brother, and friend to many.  I feel great shame in knowing I was not brave enough to sacrifice myself alongside my friends. I can only hope that one day, someone reads this message, and will remember their names." With great care, Nar folds the paper back up, and gingerly tucks it into his backpack. Silently, he vows to give Rush, Dawn, and Igneous their proper place among the Wall of the Lost when he returns home. For now, though, he needs to find another route. Otherwise, he won't even make it home in the first place.

Spoils the post a bit, but I want to give fair warning for the people who aren't comfortable with these kinds of topics. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xca0tutOOU)  The lifeless streets of Ponyville slowly fade over the horizon. The road ahead is barren, save for the occasional abandoned, or damaged vehicle. Along the road into the countryside of Ponyville, a lone stallion treads. Alone, on edge, and unsure of just where he really is, Nar scans his surroundings constantly while making his way to his sister's house. Instincts, and experience work in tandem to ensure he is alert, aware, and ready to react the moment anything seems off. He passes by a sheriff's deputy who lies next to his cruiser. His firearm is clutched tightly in his right arm. Shell casings laying close to where he fell. There's no visible damage to his person, but when Nar stoops to check on him, the man's body is ice cold. He checks the deputy's radio, but finds it as lifeless as the man it once belonged to. Rising slowly, Nar re-focuses on his current objective of reaching his sister's house. The walk out to Asuka's house is not a particularly long one. From the outskirts of Ponyville, he manages to sight the house after around 50 minutes of walking. Not once does he spot any living beings, or any of the entities that came into the town. All he finds are lifeless bodies, and the rare pile of black slurry. He can only assume these piles of slurry are the remains of what entities the townsfolk managed to take down. If that is the case, then the townsfolk got far worse than they gave.  Sat between a section of Ponyville's woods, and a large pasture, Asuka's house is far from a sight for sore eyes. Even from the end of the long gravel driveway that connects the house to the road, Nar can see a large tear has been ripped into the garage door. Worry wraps it's icy tendrils around his heart, dulling reason, and hastening his steps. His head tells him to slow down, and think. To be more cautious, but his heart tells him to hurry to his family. Reason manages to reign in some control, but not fully.  Gravel crunches beneath Nar's feet. In his haste to find his family, he's neglected to walk along the dirt. Experience tells him to make as little noise as possible, but worry tells him to move quicker. Who, or whatever might hear him be damned!  Nar slips through the large tear in the garage door. His eyes take a moment to adjust to the darker interior of the garage. He blinks a few times in an attempt to adjust faster, finding it to be of little help. Once his eyes have finally adjusted to the light, he can see that the door into the house appears to be missing. His heart leaps into his throat for a moment, before dropping into his stomach. Breaths become shallow. His arms begin to shake with panicked anxiety. He doesn't know if he's ready to see what he knows he'll see inside.  The sight from the doorway sends ice through every centimeter of vein in Nar's body.  Against the pantry opposite the door, his father sits slumped forward. His chest has been punctured with what looks to be some sort of blade. Reluctantly, Nar takes one step into the house. A device from within lets out a series of beeps, followed by a synthesized voice stating "Front door." He doesn't notice. His head turns left in order to look for the door. Wooden splinters lay on the floor where the door would normally open to. The hinges ripped apart in the door frame. Whole body shuddering, Nar forces himself to turn to his right, and move further into the home. His heart drops again when he sees his mother lying on the floor with wounds similar to his father. A kitchen knife lays on the floor a few feet from her. It appears to have gone unused. A voice in Nar's head reminds him to breathe. He realizes just how long he's been holding his breath. He exhales a shaky breath, then inhales deeply. The breath seems to remind his heart to beat. Only, it does not beat steadily. It races, pounding inside his chest like an engine. Shock slows his movements. The walk through the kitchen, into the living room feels like it takes ages. The floorboards creak as Nar steps foot into the living room. The rug in the middle of the living room has been torn to shreds. The wooden boards underneath filled with large, deep scratches. The recliner sat next to the entrance to the hallway has been shredded open. Cushion fluff hangs loosely out of the scratches, leaving a trail that leads into the hallway Of the four doors in the hallway, three are still standing. The only one that has been opened is the one at the back left end of the hallway. Asuka's room. Mind numbed by panic, Nar listlessly drags his feet along the hallway. No thoughts reach fruition. With each step, dread seeps into his heart. It seems to fill his limbs, causing them to become as heavy as concrete.  Hesitantly, Nar orients himself to face the doorway of Asuka's room. The door lays in much the same state as the front door. Smashed to splinters on the ground. Inch by inch, Nar forces himself to shuffle into the bedroom. Anguish gnaws at his heart, eroding his will bit by bit. He doesn't want to-no... He CAN'T face what he knows he'll see. He's already seen too much, but... He can't bring himself to back out now. If he doesn't see this through, he'll eat himself up wondering about it later.  The room's dresser sits between the bed, and the closet. Blocking it off from entrance. It doesn't seem to have done any good, as the bed appears to have been torn up in it's place. With a deep breath, Nar hardens his heart, and commits to looking beyond the dresser. He bounds forwards before he loses his nerve. His head shoots over the dresser to peer behind it.  On the floor just behind the dresser is Asuka. Thank Solaris she's face down. If Nar had to see his sister's face after what happened, he'd... The large lacerations on Asuka's back give Nar pause. Tears begin to stream down Nar's cheeks. She was just trying to hide. No... Wait... The position of her arms. They aren't splayed out. It looks like she'd been on her hands and knees before she collapsed.  A little, pastel blue hand sticks out from under Asuka. Nar breaks.