Author's Note

This is a mini chapter, and some editing is still needed, but its been a while, so enjoy. Bigger chapter is on its way.

Into the Valley of Death

Into the Valley of Death

"and a safe return to their homeland.... if they so wish"

The morning sun rose over the distant mountains bathing the red dirt in its golden light as two shapes trudged ever forward. A gentle breeze carried their voices as they spoke to each other.
“... are Hero.”

“No, No, No! Try again,” Misty’s voice cracked as she tried to teach her companion

“We.... is Hero?” the changeling’s voice buzzed as she struggled with what Misty was teaching her.

“Gah!” there was the distinctive sound of hoof meeting face. “Ow.”

The two continued down the pathway as Misty struggled to explain the intricacies of first pony pronouns.

“Let’s try this,” Misty suggested as they continued walking. “Repeat after me,” taking a breath she started.

“I,” Misty said with emphasis.

“I,” Hero repeated with equal emphasis.

“Am.”

“Am.”

“Hero.”

“Hero.” The changeling felt a surge of pride run though her for repeating everything correctly.

“So, who are you?” Misty asked

“We are Hero”

Sometimes a facehoof just isn't enough. Misty pounded her head repeatedly on the ground.
Bemused Hero watched this strange ritual, but being a good student, she copied Misty’s example.

Misty spat out some of the dirt she ended up eating and looked at the happily head banging Hero.
“You’re doing this to make fun of me now.” She gave her chitinous companion of wry smile.
Hero stopped her head hammering, looked back at Misty, and chirped in response.

Misty dusted off her face and the pair continued down the dirt path.

Purple eyes continued to watch them as they disappeared into a rocky gully.

The mid-afternoon light gleamed off the beads of sweat forming on Misty’s coat. Unable to sweat like her companion, Hero resorted to panting.

“We’re nearly there” Misty said. “We will have plenty to drink when we get back to the stable”

Hero nodded in response but wondered why they just didn't take a drink from the canteens they were carrying. Rough desert brush gave way to gravel as they made their way into a dry stream bed that cut through red rock. Pebbles clattered against each other as they bounced away from the travellers hooves. Hero’s jaw cracked as the changeling gave a huge yawn, the feeling of boredom impinging on her mind. Hero huffed but continued to follow Misty as they walked along the former watercourse. She looked down and watched her hooves as she walked, letting her mind wander over the course of the past few days that had led to her following this mare. She was totally unprepared when she walked into Misty's backside.

Misty stopped and stared with her mouth agape. Blackened craters ravaged the mouth of a tunnel leading into the hill before her. The charred remains of an auto turret smouldered and spat electrical sparks.

Misty remained silent as she stepped around the burning weapon, and made her way into the gloom. Hero stepped after her, featureless blue eyes gleaming in the darkness as the changeling fought a feeling of claustrophobia that was enveloping her.

Deep in the cloying smoke choked depths of the tunnel, a single spluttering red light illuminated the devastated ruins of a gear shaped blast door.

“I don’t understand, this is my home” Misty’s voice cracked, “What could do this?”

Hero’s eyes gleamed in the dim light as she stepped through the hole cut into the heavy steel door into the stable. Corpses littered the ground where the defenders had fallen.
Hero bent her head down and sniffed at one of the bodies, her sensitive nose wrinkling at the smell of meat that had started to rot. “Not good food”, Hero’s declaration made Misty turn towards her.

“What?”

“Food smells bad” Hero replied.

The remark passed over Misty as she started deeper into the stable. Red emergency lights flickered down the hallway bathing the walls and floor in a blood hue. Bullet craters peppered the stone and metal walls. Oppressive silence closed in on Misty as she took in what had been her home for all her life.

“Mom! Dad!” Misty’s eyes widened in fear as realisation hit. Taking to her hooves she galloped down the hallway and disappeared from Hero’s view.

Hero watched with a confused look on her face as Misty ran off. Left to her own devices the changeling started to nose around the debris. Poking at a bullet ridden corpse she saw its left foreleg snapped like a twig. She looked over another corpse, and saw that it also had a broken left foreleg.

Misty's hooves clattered on the floor as she galloped through hallways deeper into the hive like underground bunker that was her home. Ignoring everything else around her, she tore her way though to her living area. She skidded to a stop in front of her family's quarters. Panting deeply she took in the rough opening from the door blasted off its hinges. Gulping she stepped though, terrified of what she will find.

“Celestia no” Misty’s voice cracked as she took in the destruction in her family's small apartment. Tables violently scattered and overturned, bullet holes pocked the walls and blood painted the floor. Misty’s eyes fell to a familiar coloured hoof sticking out from an overturned table.

“Momma!” The table eveloped in a magic field and thrown across the room, leaving the bullet ridden body of a dark blue mare uncovered. A shattered remains of a carbine lay beside her. Slowly Misty gathered the corpse into her forelimbs and cradled it. Then she wept.

Hero wandered down the hallway into another office. File cabinets lay across the floor, their draws ripped out and contents scattered. The remains of a stallion lay slumped in a corner, the top half of his head missing, and his left forelimb snapped and bare. hero gazed around the room She noticed in the wall gaping holes with bare electrical wires dangling uselessly. It seemed to her that somepony had looted almost everything they could.

The changeling continued to investigate the rooms near her. In each room that she found nothing but carnage and the stripping of everything of value. Each room also contained the remains of ponies, some wearing basic armour, but all of them brutally killed. This increased Hero’s own sense of confusion as she had never in her time in the wasteland come across so many dead ponies in one place.

As she went down one of the corridors, she came across another group of bodies piled against a dead-end wall. Hero trotted up to them and sniffed around. Something seemed slightly different about these. To Hero’s mind they seemed rather smaller than she had been used to seeing. The curious changeling pawed at one of the bodies. She noticed that, unlike the bigger ones, this one and most of the other ones lacked the marking on the rump that the bigger ones had.

At the bottom of the pile, a small hoof twitched.

Hero watched the hoof, then she started moving the other corpses away, revealing a small colt that was still breathing. The colt’s breath rattled in his bloodied chest. His eyes opened to see the dark figure before him.

Hero’s thoughts immediately went to her empty stomach. The rest of the bodies she had seen were too long dead. This one would be fresh. She opened her jaws wide ready to deliver the final bite.

Unbidden a memory rammed itself into her mind, she saw herself surrounded by smaller versions of her species. Small black chitinous creatures chittering and playing around her. Her mind's eye saw the gleam of playful eyes and her minds ear heard the buzzing of underdeveloped wings. She felt the need to protect…. then the memory disappeared.. leaving nothing but the feeling.

And she stopped. Somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to take that life. She could feel the fear coming from the small figure before her. She had felt ponies fear before, but this was a new kind of fear.It was not fear mixed with hate. It was fear that was pure. Fear that was innocent. Fear that she felt pierce her armour. She had no idea what it was but she wanted, no, she needed to help.

Hero laid beside the dying colt. She pulled him to her and gently started to stroke his mane As she petted him she gave a low rumbling churr from her throat. She felt the colt slowly begin to relax against her and saw him close his eyes. She felt the colt’s fear slowly evaporate. She felt him become comfortable. Five minutes later she felt him exhale deeply. The colt became still.

Hero lifted her head and howled.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please give me a few minutes, *sniff* this part always makes me sad.