Equestria: Downfall

Chapters

A familiar face
Turning the page
Conflict
The frayed end
Keep Calm and Survive
The end of the beginning

A familiar face

Equestria: 367 days after collapse. Following: Dashiell, Rainbow. Outskirts of Ponyville.

Two days has passed, and it was the fastest two days of Rainbow Dash’s life. This was a special day, however. Today somepony woke up. Out of the corners of her eyes, Rainbow Dash saw her guest awaken from her two days of sleep. Dash immediately readied water and food. She trotted over and softly cooed, “Hey sleepyhead, how are you doing”.

Pinkie Pie’s eyes shot wide open at that. “D-D-…Dashie!!!” Pinkie jumped up and wrapped a hug around Rainbow Dash. Dash gratefully returned the embrace.

“I brought you some food and water; we can talk after you are done eating.”
Sure enough, Pinkie gobbled down her food as fast as she could. Rainbow was sitting across from her, it was the first time she smiled in ages. Pinkie soon finished her meal, and then asked Dash innocently, “Dashie, what happened?”

“Let me start at the beginning.” Rainbow took a long exhale, “About a year ago, something happened, nopony even knows what it was, if happened too fast.”

Pinkie looked at Dash quizzically and asked, “Was it Discord?”

“No, it was much too powerful, earthquakes, tornados, tidal waves, and every other natural disaster, the only thing weirder than that is that it happened overnight. When I woke up, Ponyville had already gone to Hell. Ponies looting, killing, running away. I didn’t see any of our friends, so that is either really good or really bad.”

Pinkie Pie looked even more puzzled as she said, “I don’t remember any of that”

Rainbow Dash took a quick mental note and continued. “For the past year or so, all I have been doing is surviving. I scavenged at night, planned by day. I have now searched every single building in Ponyville, with no signs of the rest of our friends. Pinks, you don’t want to see half the things that have happened. So just a couple days ago I found you. Now I have a single question; how did you get there?”

“I-I don’t kn-know…” Pinkie began sobbing.

Rainbow Dash embraced Pinkie and cooed, “It’s okay, I’ll take care of you. Soon, however, we need to get to a new place, with more resources.” Pinkie just stared at Dash. Dash had changed. She now wore a black as night full body suit, covering her mane and tail. She was also sporting some new scars on her face. The cerulean pegasus lost most of her original arrogance, and swapped it with silence. It wasn’t a good silence; it was one that came with seeing too much.

Pinkie wanted to leave Dash alone, but she had so many more questions. “What about the princesses?” Pinkie inquired.

“Dead, all three of them” Dash responded grimly.

“But I thought princesses were immortal!” Pinkie shot back.

“To age, yes. But they died from the anarchy. They were giving their speech in Ponyville while three assassins finished them off” Rainbow said, still more downtrodden.

“But what about the incident with Chrysalis?” Pinkie asked, a hint of fear and a hint of desperate snuck into her voice.

“She was still injured. Luckily Celestia still had strong enough magic to deflect most of the shock.” Rainbow said, a tear rolling from her eye. “I’m so sorry that this is happening Pinkie, but I have been trying my best to find all of our friends. Fortunately, there are belongings missing at each of our friends’ house, so at least they got out.”

Pinkie couldn’t control her sobbing, and she began to wail. “I-I’m s-so sorry, b-but I can’t handle th-this” Pinkie managed to choke out in-between cries.

“Pinkie… Pinkie!... PINKIE!!!” Rainbow yelled at the pink pony. Pinkie finally got up the courage to look at Rainbow.

“Y-y-*sniff*-yes?” Pinkie said t about the volume of a mouse.

“You are strong. You may not think so, but you are strong. I have seen you pull out of stuff that most ponies could ever attempt to, you have done amazing things, you have never backed down” Rainbow said in a much softer tone, tears rolling down her cheeks. “But right now, right here, you have to pull through. I’m only going to be able to get you so far, and I know you can do this. Please Pinkie, do it for Equestria, do it for our friends… Do it for me.” Dash ended, with tears now freely
pouring down her cheeks.

Pinkie looked up, fright and determination in her eyes, and she spoke softly, “D-Dashie… Thank you.”
Dash and Pinkie soon stopped their tears and started talking about both their friends, and their future plans.
“We could always head up to Canterlot, there are probably useful weapons and books. From there we will head to Fillydelphia and hopefully some of our friends will be there to be with their families. Pinkie, you have to promise me one thing.”

“What is that, Dashie?” Pinkie Pie responded, already regaining some of her bubbly personality.

“I’ve run into some trouble in the past year, and I have new skills. You don’t, but I can teach you. For now, you need to listen to everything I say. Without the elements of harmony, our last chance of being saved is gone. You have to trust me with your life. Do you understand?” the pegasus asked to her pink friend.

“I understand” Pinkie said with complete understanding.
They shared one more embrace. Neither of them wanted it to end.

“Well we better hit the hay, tomorrow we are going to have to pack up and leave. We can follow the train tracks up to Canterlot and we’ll probably make it by tomorrow night. And Pinkie, one last thing, thanks.” Rainbow Dash finished with a small smile.

“For what?” Pinkie inquired.

“Without anyone, life has been hard. This is the first time I have smiled in a whole year. With any luck, we will find the rest of our friends, we will make this better.” Rainbow finished with determination.
“Nighty-night Dashie” Pinkie said in a singsong voice.

“Goodnight Pinkie” Dash said happily.
For the first time in a year, Rainbow Dash fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Author's Note

Yeah, yeah I know what you're think: "This sucks Bic Mac's D**K!!!!". Don't worry, this story will get better with some time, I just needed to set the story straight. As always, all criticism is welcome. ALL CRITICISM!

Turning the page

Equestria: 368 days after the collapse. Following Dashiell, Rainbow. Canterlot Railroad, Canterlot, Canterlot Library.

Silence is a funny thing. Silence can provide a being solitude and comfort at times. Silence can also bring the most eerie fears. Silence is the purest form of fear, in this case. No birds, no trains, no voices. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie walked along in silence. The only sound between the two is the steady pattern of hoofsteps and an occasional rock falling. The view was bad enough without the silence. The tracks overlook the Everfree Forest, which was even more eerie than ever. Trees were overturned, rivers were flooded, scorch marks covered the ground. Every so often, Pinkie swore she could see a flash of color.

It was just about noon as the sun reached its peak in the sky. The oddest thing about the sun was that it wasn’t hot outside. It was the middle of the summer and it was still only warm. The tracks themselves have seen better days, half of the spikes were uprooted, and the tracks themselves were no better. There was one thing for certain, Ponyville was deserted, and it was obvious why. Ponyville is where the princesses were… killed.

There is definitely something going on, no normal ponies would assassinate the princesses. No simple ponies could be behind this, it was something bigger. Even a little more information would help. But one thing is for certain, something much more is going on here. Somethi-

“We’re almost there Pinkie.” Rainbow said with a slight sigh of relief. “We’ll need to find somewhere to set up camp overnight.” She added quickly, not sure if something was following them. Considering all these weird things happening, anything’s possible.

I wish I could get that damn scene out of my head… The princesses were just simply killed. Just killed. Killed. I didn’t think it was possible. Hell, it seems anything is possible now. Something’s not right. I can feel it. In the air, on the ground, and we’re gonna find out what. Unfortunately, we also need more ponies. I’m good at fighting, but if I’m down, Pinkie’s done, and I can’t have that my conscious.

“Ummm… Dashie? You might want to take a look at this!” Pinkie shouted. The city was done for as well. Celestia’s tower was split in half and still burning, there were at least thirty dead ponies lying in the town square, and all of the stores were broken into. Unfortunately, this meant other ponies. Maybe thieves, maybe innocent families. Fortunately, the library wasn’t in too much damage.

OOOHHH! We should go get some books about what this possibly is and how to survive. Too bad Twilight isn’t here to see th- Wait! Twilight!

“Dashie do you think that it is possible that Twilight took shelter in-““-the library?” Dash completed. “Possibly, we’ll check there after we get some weapons and food we’ll go check it out.”

“There is a blacksmith shop downtown; they make some of the best weapons, that’s where we’ll go.” The pegasus finished. “Watch out though, who knows what’s lurking out there.”

The two of them slowly walked down the streets of Canterlot, looking left to right, always aware. The buildings all looked smashed into in some way or another, some were completely destroyed, and others were badly damaged. As the two continued to walk, Dash started to notice pairs of eyes in one building, some in another. Pinkie took notice too, as she tensed up immediately. The two were surprise that they even made it to the shop intact. Just like the others, it was broken into and looted.

“There’s nothing here Dashie” Pinkie started, “the place was looted clean a long time ago and- Dashie?”

Rainbow Dash was focused on the back wall of the store. She seemed to be focusing way too hard on a simple wall. Dash then started to push on the wall in certain stops. This was followed by a few short clicks and then the whole wall opened.

“Yeah I used to know the guy who owned this place, we met in Cloudsdale.” Rainbow said with a smile.

Three stacks of black body armor, enchanted swords, magical potions and charms, and even some sets of hidden blades awaited them.

“Wowie! Your friend sure makes some primo stuff” Pinkie exclaimed, wide eyed at the new gadgets. “What does this whatchamacallit do?” Pinkie asked, holding up a bracelet emblazoned with three five-pointed stars.

“Oh. That’s a magic absorber or something along that line. Basically unicorns can’t use their power on you.” Rainbow said with a small hint of depression. “Too bad Twi isn’t here, this is some advanced technology.” The two of them suited up and were soon ready for whatever life threw at them. Next stop: the library.

The two yet again began the long trudge down the streets of Canterlot, but this time, with some gained attention. The new attire had drawn many thieves out of their hiding spots and closer to an inevitable fight. The two picked up pace and trotted briskly down the cracked cobblestone streets of Canterlot. Soon enough, they were at the doors of the library.

Rainbows flipped out one of her blades and proceed to clear corners while Pinkie followed.

*Flip*

“Did you hear that? It sounded like-“

*Flip*

“Yeah Dashie it so-“

*Flip*

“Let’s keep moving” Dash decided.

*Flip*

They rounded yet another corner.

*Flip*

And another.

*Flip*

And another.

*Flip*

“I got something!”

*Flip*

“What is it Dash?”

*Flip*

“It’s… a machine.”
*Flip*

“OOOH! A button!”

*CLANG*

The surrounding gates shot closed, trapping the two in the small room.
“This has to be Twilight, it just has to be. Nopony else could possibly think of something like this.”

Suddenly, a mysterious purple vapor filled the room.

They both said in unison before they fell unconscious, “Buck.”

“Looks like you two made it. It’s been awhile, but I can’t help but ask you both to leave.”

“Tw- Twilight!”

Both Pinkie and Dash awoke with a jump; they didn’t even pay attention to what she was previously saying.
“Twi it’s been so long, what a-“

“Leave”

“But Twi-“

“LEAVE!”

The two stood up carefully and began to take their leave. Something was different about Twilight, besides her personality. Her aura of magic was not nearly as careful and gentle as it usually was, her eyes were cold, her face unemotional. The baker and sports pony were almost out the door when a real familiar scream came from behind Twilight. Quickly thinking, Dash jumped backwards and flipped over Twilight, securing her in a chokehold. Dash ripped a sedative from her saddlebags and injected the unicorn.

“Da-Dashie stop hurting her!” Pinkie yelled as she ran over to Twilight’s unconscious body. Suddenly, with a short burst of staccato pops, Twilight Sparkle changed into a small black pegasus. It had wings that resembled those of bugs and a pale blue glow emanating from its eyes. “Whaaa- What?!” Pinkie managed, dumbfounded.

“Twilight’s there.” Dash pointed to a pile of books, upturned messily on the ground. Pinkie ran over and picked off book after book, until eventually a shade of purple was visible. Pinkie kept digging. And digging. And digging. Eventually, none other than the Twilight Sparkle was standing before them.

“PLEASE TELL ME THE BOOKS ARE OKAY!”

“They’re fine Twi” Dash said as she walked over and embraced Twilight. “I’m just glad that you are.”

“How did you get here?” Twilight inquired.

“I was about to ask you the same thing…”

“Dash, I’m sorry… But the princesses…”

“So you were in Ponyville too for that, huh. Sorry you ha-“

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait… Ponyville? I saw them killed in Canterlot.”

“And I saw them killed in Ponyville.”

“Hey, you two eggheads wanna come check this out” Pinkie joked. “This changeling is different from the others… he has a weird symbol on his chest, it looks like a crescent moon surrounded by five stars…”

“Wait! I’ve seen that before! Let me look in here…”

The door burst inwards as three thieves entered, hearing the ruckus from outside. All three ponies jumped to cover.

“What the hell is that!?”

“Don’t touch it.”

“So who are we looking for again?”

“Two ponies; female, in full body armor. One is Pink with blue eyes and the other is blue with violet eyes. Spread out and find them!”

“Yes sir.”

*Clip-Clop*

“Sir I think we ARGGG-“

*Thud*

“Brutis? Brutis respond! Dammit, looks like we’re on our own Shadow.”

“Understood.”

*Clip-Clop*

“Shadow report.”

“All’s good on th-“

*Thud*

“Shadow? Shadow!? Answer! Dammit!”

“This is your final chance to leave in one piece.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Stay and find out.”

“Come on then! I don’t got all day!”

Rainbow watched from behind a bookshelves as the thieves conversed and finally split up. Rainbow looked over. I can end this right now without fear of discovery. The colorful pegasus crept slowly towards the next bookshelf in line, much closer to the first thief. “Sir I think we-“. Dash struck. She executed a perfect right hook to the thief’s temple. He fell with a loud groan and a thud. She then saw the next thief walking past a bookshelf. Dash quickly grabbed the body and pulled it behind her. The thief walked right past until the boss started talking again.

Dash knew that the guard was about to turn around, and she took her shot. At the speed of a bullet, she sped forward, grabbing the thief’s arms and rammed him headfirst into a nearby bookshelf. One left… The pegasus snuck along the next bookshelf and followed it to the end. When she peeked around the edge, she saw what she assumed to be the boss.

“This is your final chance to leave in one piece.”

“Who the hell are you?” the boss inquired angrily.

“Stay and find out.” Rainbow said menacingly.
“Come on then! I don’t got all day!” the boss taunted back.

Dash jumped from the shadows, throwing a quick right hook. The boss took defense and blocked the punch, throwing one of his own. Dash swerved quickly right, just in time to dodge the attack. Rainbow countered with three quick jabs to the fore head. The boss took two of the blows but caught the third, and sent Dash flying across the room. Dash got up shakily, and got back to fighting.

The boss threw a punch and calculated Dash’s block and prepared another punch. Dash spun by the punch and kicked him straight in the ribs with a roundhouse. The boss was knocked to the ground by the sheer force. When the boss got back up, Dash was ready with two quick jabs.

The boss caught one of these and countered by pulling Dash in and kneeing her hard in the ribs. Dash fell to the ground in pain. The boss stood over Dash with a menacing look. “Looks like you won’t be fu-“ Dash took out his legs with a well-executed kick . Quickly Dash climbed atop the fallen stallion and with one swift motion, pulled out another sedative and hit him directly in the jugular with the syringe.

“So I see this world hasn’t been kind to you, and I’m sorry.” Twilight said with sincerity. “But at least you found Pinkie!”

“Yeah, I got lucky. So what have you been doing for this past year, ever since Equestria went to Hell?”

“Surviving, researching, dying slowly on the inside. Without the princesses, I have no guidance, no purpose. I know I should try by myself, but it’s been tough.”

“I’m right there with ya.”

“Do you have any snacks?”

“Pinkie is right; we haven’t eaten since last night.”

Rainbow proceeded to take out several cans of food and water , one for each of them.

“How have you been getting food, Twi?”

“Oh! The library has a shelter in the basement, filled with food and supplies, and I have been well fed as of late. What about you?”

“I’ve been surviving off of what I’ve scavenged, every night I went on a hunt for food and tools. Two days ago I found Pinkie Pie in the last unchecked house in Ponyville. We came here figuring that if anything, you would be in the library.”

“That changeling was different though, it was immune to my magic. It was also a very skilled fighter.”

“Well we’d better get going, we need to get out before the rest of their crew comes lookin’” Dash said while motioning to the unconscious thieves.

“No.”

“Run that by me again Twi.”

“I-I can’t leave. I don’t want to face whatever is out there. I already saw too much. Why else do you think I set traps?.”

“Twilight, we gotta go ‘cause you’re the most important element, as well as know the location of the element.” Pinkie attempted to joke.

“I don’t even know what the princ-“

“Twilight, wherever they are, they’d be glad that you’re even alive.”

“I don’t wanna go back out there, I don’t need to for a long time, I have shelter and food. I’m not ready to take another risk, I’ve already taken enough.”

“C’mon Twily, we need to go, before we’ll have to die”

“You two are strong enough on your own. I’ll just slow you guys down.”

By this point the two were across the table from each other, locked in verbal combat.

“Fine, stay. But know one thing. This living Hell that we are in can be stopped. You can blame science, nature, the princesses, me, hell, you could even blame yourself. Just know that right here, right now, this is ALL on you.”

Rainbow slid a small piece of paper across the table and walked out. Simply walked out. Pinkie followed suit. After moments that seemed to take years, the front door opened and then clicked shut. Twilight was all alone, with one piece of paper. She stared for what felt like hours at that piece of paper.

Eventually, she got the courage to flip it over, and it completely shattered her heart. It was a simple picture of her and her friends at one of Pinkie’s parties. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were laughing hysterically, Twilight was trying to complete an… embarrassing dare. Fluttershy and Rarity were shocked, but you could see their apparent giggles. Applejack was with Pinkie and Dash.

This didn’t bother her. What bothered her were the simple words, in a very familiar hoofwriting :

From better times, faded away.

Hell has come, and is here to stay.

A simple request will you fulfill,

If for the owner, time is now still.

This is Rainbow Dashiell. If you uncover this, please do this one thing for me. If you see any of these girls, say that Rainbow said her goodbyes, and died looking for you. Eternally Grateful ~ Rainbow Dash.

Tears were now flowing from the purple unicorn as she finally realized the reality. Rainbow was ready to DIE for the chance to find one of her friends. This finally broke Twilight.

You can blame science,

Twilight ran through the halls of the library, desperate to go with her friends.

nature,

The words rang clear, clearer than when they were spoken.

the princesses,

Twilight scrambled to pack food and a few useful books into a leather rucksack.

me,

Twilight was quick, and ready in under a minute.

hell, you could even blame yourself.

Twilight was now running at full speed to the exit with new found determination.

Just know that right here, right now,

Twilight quickly kicked open the doors and started to run down the street.

this is All on you.

“So why are we waiting here again, Dashie?”

“So we can get Twilight silly-filly!”

“But Twilight said she’s staying.”

“I was prepared for that as well,” Dash chuckled, “I slid her my dying will. She’s sure to get the reality knocked into her.”

“Smart thinking!”

“If I know anything, she’ll be coming right. about… No-“ Dash was cut off as the library doors burst open, and Twilight started running right out into the street.
“Hey Juliet!”

Twilight turned around quickly, questions riddled across her mind.

“Romeo isn't that way!” Dash finished, a chuckling Pinkie off to her left.

“OhmygoshrainbowdashIamsosorryIdidn’tknowthat-“ Dash simply lifted a hoof. “Twilight, we both know you can get really crazy, especially when it comes to the princesses, we forgive you-”, mid-sentence, Rainbow tossed Twi the remaining set of body armor, “- and suit up, we got a long road ahead of us.

Author's Note

This should be the first decent chapter of the story. Many things mentioned in this chapter are going to be used in the future. Most chapters are going to be this long or longer from here on out. The gore tag may be added, I haven't decided yet. As always, all criticism is welcome, please tell what I can do to make the story better, as well as future suggestions. Also, leave a random comment, why the hell not?

Conflict

Equestria: 370 days after downfall. Following: Dashiell, Rainbow/ Sparkle, Twilight/ Pinkimena, Pie. Location unknown/ Cloudsdale.

By the time that Twilight had been ready, night had almost fallen.

How is this possible, the princesses…

“Hey Twi, we’d better get moving, nighttime is dangerous.” Dash warned.

“Wait, I have the perfect place, but we have to be careful. We need to get to the library’s basement, and fast.” Twilight said quietly.

“Lead the way.”

“So you’re positive that these caves are safe?”

As dusk set in, the three mares trotted down the caverns beneath Canterlot.

“Positive, nopony but Celestia herself knows how to get down here.”

The caverns themselves were covered with shiny-surfaced rocks, reflecting the light emanating from Twilight’s horn. The ghastly odor would've been enough to drive almost anypony away, but given their current situation, they didn’t have a choice.Every sound triggered fear. Every hoofstep was a cause for panic. Every drop of water drove the three insane.

“Be careful girls, these caves start getting extra creepy around here.”

The three proceeded in caution. After a few minutes, the creepy part set in. It turns out that the tunnels were also used as catacombs. Wall upon wall of coffins greeted the ponies’ eyes. They all picked up pace, hoping to get out as soon as they could.

After a good half hour of walking, Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence. “So, why’d you leave for Canterlot, Twi?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time. The princesses were there, the most books, and the most ponies. However, it was affected just as bad as anywhere else. All of the high order ponies were snuffed out by the changelings. However, these aren’t at all like the ones we fought at the wedding. “

“How so?” Dash inquired.

“First of all, they have advanced fighting abilities. It seems that these were either specially trained or they were magically enhanced.”

“First of all?” Pinkie asked.

“The next thing is that they cannot be defeated by magic. Even my most powerful spells did nothing.”

“Speaking of which, I found some charms and potions at one of my friend’s blacksmith shop.” Dash started. “They negate any spells used against the holder.”

“I’ve never heard of any such technology. What else did you find?”

“The armor you’re wearing, the blades you’re carrying, some charms and potions, and that’s about it.” Dash finished.

“No pendants with the symbol that the changeling had on his chest?” Twi asked uncertainly.

“Some were similar, but they were the symbols for spells that activated them… By the way, that would be good to do pretty soon.” Rainbow hinted.

“Yeah, we will activate them at the next place we set up camp.” Twi said. “Maybe Chrysalis is still alive, maybe she got powerful.”

“That’s probably impossible for her to gain power, she needs love, and who knows where she’d get that?” Pinkie queried.

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.”

Above ground, light had started to flow over the mountains and cast away the shadows that plagued the land. The ground stirred, and soon opened up to reveal Twilight. She peeked around a bit before deciding that the coast is clear.
“Okay girls, it’s safe.” The purple unicorn declared.

Pinkie and Dash soon followed suit and breached the surface. The air was heavy with humidity, fog covered the ground, and the nearby forest loomed over the three ponies, more menacing than ever.

“Where are we? I’ve never seen this place before.” Pinkie questioned.

“The other side of the Everfree Forest, that’s where the tunnels lead to. They were mined to this point in case Celestia ever needed to escape quickly.” Twilight explained.

“So where will we go? This place isn’t near any major cities.” Dash pointed out.

“All but one. Cloudsdale.”

“Fluttershy.” Was all Dash could counter with.

“Ummm. Guys? You might wanna see this.” Pinkie said with misunderstanding in her voice.

Twenty meters ahead, a large gape formed in the earth. The indent was lined with stone, and the stone was engraved with some sort of markings. The gap was about 5 feet deep and 15 feet across. In the center of all the engravings, there stood a crescent moon, surrounded by five stars.

“Twi, do you know what this says?” Dash questioned.

“I hardly know any Changeling, but what I can make out is that it speaks of some sort of crystals, probably the elements, and how dangerous they are. It also says that they are of prime target, and the ponies that carry them can be dangerous.” Twilight said mechanically. “But wait… This isn’t all Changeling. It seems that there are new symbols. I’ve never seen these before. They don’t seem to be based off of any language either”.

“Ya don’t suppose that the language here was the creation of one of those thingies that Dashie fought in the library, do you?” Pinkie queried.

“One thing is for sure, those things were created by Changelings or derived from them, but they are far more advanced.”
A howl from not too deep inside the Everfree sent shivers down their spines.

“We should find shelter and plan our next move.” Dash quickly interrupted. “Let’s head to that cave.”

“Wow Rainbow, your friend must have been pretty smart. Some of these spells needed to activate these charms are pretty advanced.”

“Yeah, he to EIT and graduated as the top of his class. Heh, too bad you couldn’t have met him, you too would have hit it off.” Dash quipped.

Pinkie had dozed off by the fire quite a bit ago.

She still has the exact same adorable snore, Dash thought to herself.

“So, do you have a plan on how to get to Cloudsdale?” Twilight asked the cerulean pegasus.

“You could probably cast the wings spell on Pinkie, and then the cloud-walking spell on yourself and I’ll carry you up.” Dash stated.

“Sounds good, I just hope that we’ll make it by tomorrow, the day after by most.” Twi worried.
“We will. We should probably get some actual sleep.” Rainbow suggested.

“Yeah, we should.” Twilight agreed.

As they both laid down, Twilight started to mumble quietly, mostly to Rainbow Dash.

“Whassat Twi?”

“I said I’m sorry. For the library. I don’t know what came over me. I just- I just. I’m sorry.”

“It’s cool. This new world does weird things to ponies. I’m sorry too, I could’ve been more… gentle” Dash replied, surprisingly calmly.

“Here’s your picture back.” Twi said as she slid a piece of paper to Dash. “And no. If you wouldn’t have done what you did, I probably wouldn’t have snapped out of it. Where did you learn to motivate ponies like that?”

“I used to have a lot of ponies look up to me, and after I overcame my own arrogance, I could help a lot of other ponies. Most of it is just what I think moves ponies the most, to reach a new point of view.”

“Well, we’d better get to bed, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Twi said sleepily. “And Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

All three of the ponies awoke in the middle of the night to howls. Ten or twenty howls.

“Timberwolves.” Dash stated, venom in her voice. “Okay guys, stay behind me, this is gonna get rough.”

As if somepony flicked a switch, a pair of glowing eyes grew appeared. And another. And another. And another. By this point there were at least fifteen timberwolves forming a half-circle around the three mares. Dash was still, posed in a ready-to-pounce stance. Every small sound sent her ears flicking.

“Dashie?”

*CRACK*

Dash had already jumped forward, annihilating the timberwolf in front of her. She quickly bucked the one to her right and flipped over the one to her left. She extended out her arm, sending a plume of kindling and branches flying. As she landed, she blocked the hit of a nearby timberwolf, another caught her in the back.

Twilight and Pinkie could just watch in amazement. Every flip and spin was perfect, every kick powerful . She truly made killing beautiful.

Two left
.

Then trouble hit. One of the wolves got under Dash, sending her spiraling forward. The second one took the opportunity to pin Dash down. The first one got up and slowly waltzed over to where Rainbow was pinned. The first timberwolf wound up for a final blow. Dash closed her eyes. One second went by Two seconds. Three seconds.

Dash was trapped. Twilight was shaking right by Pinkie. Pinkie slowly crept put of the cave and crawled over to the timberwolves. With one swift motion, Pinkie bucked the one holding Dash down, the other rolling backwards from the impact. Pinkie took the opportunity and jumped upon him, sending debris flying every which way

“P-Pinkie!” Dash exclaimed, wrapping the pink pony in an embrace. “Thanks.”

“Just returning the favor.” Pinkie replied with a wink.

The two finished their embrace and walked back over to their camp, and a shivering Twilight.

“Twi, you okay?” Dash asked sincerely.

“Okay!? You were almost just killed! How are you okay with that!?”

“Because I had Pinkie here to save me,” Dash said with a small smile, “And plus, I wouldn’t die on you, I never leave a friend hanging.” Dash finished with a wink.

“Yeah Twily, you have to cheer up! Can’t fix the past!” Pinkie added.

“I guess you guys are right. Okay let’s get going, sun’s almost up.”

The sky was absolutely clear. No birds, no ponies, no clouds. The path to Cloudsdale was somewhat comfortable. Like it was a casual visit. Unfortunately, this was not true. When the three arrived, it was shocking. Fences fifteen feet tall surrounded the city, all broken up. Holes surrounded the perimeter, as well as dead ponies. The city was in even worse shape.

Buildings overturned, broken into, blood splats everywhere. Seems like the roads got it the worse. Cracks covered the surface, large bits were just missing. The most ghastly sight was town hall. Across the surface in large letters written with blood was: GO! NO WAY OUT!

“Alright guys, this is it. Remember that pegasi are aggressive. They will attack you. We have to be much more careful than in Canterlot.” Dash explained.

Pinkie and Twilight nodded upon which they started their search. Dash rolled silently between buildings, aware to the slightest detail. Ears standing on end at every unheard noise. They dashed from building to building, between cover, through clouds. Eventually, they had reached Fluttershy’s house.

There was no sign of life from inside. The door was locked, obviously, so the three mares had to go around to the back door. It was locked too, but luckily Dash had a trick up her sleeve. She started pawing at the wall right next to the door.

“Um, Dash?” Twilight asked questionably.

Eventually a small shine appeared from the fluffy white. With great care, Rainbow extracted the key. Dash put the key in the lock, “Yeah Twi?”

“Couldn’t you have just kicked a hole in the wall?”

“No. These houses are only an exterior and interior of clouds; the walls are just like any other house.” Dash replied as the door clicked open. “Let’s go.”

He inside of the house looked like nothing bad was happening. Very good or very bad. The floors were completely clean, the tables even moreso. There was only a thin dust settled on the bookshelves. There was something missing though, Dash could sense it.

“There are no pictures on these walls…” Dash thought aloud. “Let’s check the house. Twilight; you get the basement. Pinkie; you get this floor. I’ll get the upstairs. Are we clear?”

“Yep.” The two replied in unison.

“One thing first.” Dash had a sudden flash of memory. She walked over to the dresser at the far side of the room. She opened the drawers, flashed a covert smile, and closed the drawer. “Alright, let’s get to it."

Twilight lit up her horn and descended the stairs. Yet again, tensions have risen. Every sound caused a flinch, every second dragged on for years. The basement was cleared, almost eerily so. There were some boxes in the corner, a water heater and generator in another, that’s about it. Twilight walked over to the boxes. As she peered over the edge, nothing stuck out, old plated and silverware, newspapers and old toys.

There were no surprises, no secrets, just blatant nothing.

Pinkie Pie had four rooms to check. The first one was assumed to be her parents’ bedroom. There was a king size bed, two dressers, and a closet. The first dresser held nothing important, mainly toiletries and a few accessories. She quickly grabbed something before she walked to the second dresser.

The second one was very similar to the first, this time containing a stallions clothing. Mostly ties and suit filled the drawers. As with the first dresser, the second drawer held toiletries. The third was completely empty. Pinkie stood confused.
I’ll have to ask Dash about that one. Pinkie thought as she skipped to the closet.

The closet itself looked very worn, not purchased worn, but used-too-much worn. When she opened it, she understood why. Their business clothes were hanging, looking as pristine as when they were first purchased. Also, there were scraps of paper.

College refusals, job rejections, and… diary pages. Pinkie pondered. Whelp, next room!

Rainbow knew exactly where she was going. Fluttershy’s room was on the top floor of the house, first door on the right. She silently opened the door, careful not to be loud. The door slowly cracked open. What Dash saw next was shocking.

Nothing. Nothing was different. Except there was the absence of a butter-colored pegasus. The room seemed untouched compared to the last time she was in there. She carefully walked over to the dresser. First drawer clothes, second toiletries.

Same as her parents. Dash thought as she failed to suppress a small smile.

Third drawer empty.

Thank Celestia. Better regroup with the oth-

She stopped mid-thought, a small note hung on the door.

Dash: I know this is you. Thanks for looking for me. On the back of this note is my location, written in our code, of course.

I’m fine and safe. I haven’t seen any of our friends. I hope you can come soon. We left about three quarters of a year after…

Well, you know. Please come soon. I love you.

~Flutters

Dash sighed. It was the only thing she could manage.

The three regrouped soon after their respective searches.

“Nothing!” Pinkie and Twilight said in unison.

“What about you Dashie?”

“Yeah, I got something.” Dash said with pride.

She presented the note. The others just stood there stunned.

“So Fluttershy knew that this was gonna happen?” Twilight asked, still taken aback.

“No, but she did know that I’d come looking, and she was smart writing that location in code. Here, lemme see that for a second.” Dash closely examined the back of the note. “It says… “ Dash paused, “Hey girls, guess where we’re going!”

Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow were once again walking through the tunnels of underground Canterlot.

“Damn, too bad she couldn’t be in the library.” Dash said bitterly.

“Where exactly is she, Dashie?”

“The main castle, basement floor.”

“Too bad the tunnels don’t come up there.” Twilight said with regret.

“ At least we can find her. Rarity is probably in Fillydelphia and Applejack is probably in Dodge Junction.” Dash said hopefully. “But those places are miles away and we’ll need more supplies to reach them alive.”

“There are other ways to get there, but we can worry about that later. In the meantime, we need to figure out what to do about those changeling creatures.”

“Simple. We kill ‘em.” Dash said cooly.

“Wha-What. Are you crazy, we’d get in so much tr-“

“I agree with Dashie. Those things are vicious, and they can fight, and they’re immune to magic. The only reasonable solution is to make sure they don’t get to us first.” Pinkie said shakily.

“Those blades you have on the backs of your front hooves can be activated by magic or by flicking down and in hard enough, and you have a sword if you are aware enough to use it.” Dash stated. “If you guys get separated, remember, throat and chest.”

“So what of those thieves that you knocked out? Twilight inquired.

“That Changeling thing probably finished ‘em off. Just stay close when we do get to the surface.” Dash ordered.

The walk dragged on even more than the previous, each wind and turn taking them closer to a fight. The ground above was completely silent, not a single hoofsteps managed to be heard from such depths. The end of the passage was sealed with a door emblazoned with the Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. Twilight cast a spell and the door made a succession of clicks, and popped open.

*CHING*

Dash readied her wing blades as soon as the view of the library was clear. Blood, everywhere. It seems the new changeling was challenged to a fight, and lost. The marks on the thieves’ bodies looked… strange. They were composed of three holes in a triangular formation. The others were in singular streaks.

*Clip-Clop*

The… thing strolled around the corner, eerily calm. It trotted up, and this was the first time Twilight got a look at it. It had black fur, wings that appear to be that of a bug, but actually just like a pony’s with bug designs. Its eyes were like anyponies’, but with a blue glow around the edges. It had two fangs and a rounded off muzzle. And of course, his chest was emblazoned with a crescent moon surrounded by five stars.

He let out a shout and pounced.

Author's Note

Hey guys! I finally found out where I wanna go with this story. As per usual, leave suggestions or whatever you want. Also, I will be gone for the next seven days. I will be writing on my trip, and the next chapter will be twice or three times as long. Thanks for reading!

The frayed end

Equestria: 371 days after downfall. Following: Dashiell, Rainbow/ Sparkle, Twilight/ Pinkimena, Pie. Canterlot.

The creature attacked with unrivaled speed and perfect accuracy. Dash quickly blocked with her with her right hoof blade, countering with a right hook. The creature matched her speed, blocking and then throwing a left hook. After blocking, Dash swung her wing blade. The creature jumped left and threw two fast jabs at Dash’s head. Dash was fast and blocked, yet again swinging a right wing blade, but this time mixed with a right hook.

The creature attempted the same block, but Dash’s right hook caught him in the jaw. He stumbled back as Rainbow took the advantage. She threw a quick jab to its chest, and a left hook to its head. She quickly wound up with a blade, but the creature already had his bearings.

He quickly blocked and threw two quick jabs, one connecting with Dash’s jaw. Rainbow stumbled as the creature tried to take his turn. He threw a haymaker straight to Dash’s forehead, to which she skillfully blocked with her wingblade.
The creature fell back in pain, blood pouring from his hoof. Dash took the opportunity to pounce, hitting the creature with two rapid jabs. The creature fell back more, which Dash took the advantage to buck him in the chest. He fell back with enormous force and landed with his stomach on the ground. Rainbow took the advantage to pounce on top on him.

*SPLAT*

With one quick flick, the light in the creature’s eyes was extinguished. Dash tried her best to try to pretend that nothing was wrong as she signaled to Pinkie and Twilight to move forward. As Dash followed them, a tear flowed off her muzzle. Dash quickly shrugged it off and caught up with the others.

You’re losing it Dash. You were just defending yourself.

No, you killed for yourself. You like the feeling, the steel, the sound; you live for the blood.

No! I just wanna fix this! I don’t wanna kill, I don’t wanna have to kill, but I have to…

You know the pleasure you feel is not concealable. You know you want it. You know you need it.

NO! I DON’T NEED IT! I DON’T WANT IT.CELESTIA KNOWS I COULDN’T IN ANY OTHER SITUATION!

You look like a fool yelling to yourself like that. You can only hide it for so long. You know why you want to kill, which makes the flame burn brighter.

Yeah, I fight for myself, and my friends.

And there’s the winning piece. You want to kill for your friends, what they went through, what you know they didn’t deserve.

I don’t need to hear this right now.

Dash continued to trot, hoof after hoof. Step after step. Second after second. The walk to the library’s door took what seemed like years, each step bringing more and more sorrow. Dash was mostly concerned that her friends had to see that at this point. Pinkie and Twilight were mostly thinking about what they had just seen.

Twilight pondered upon the creature, how it looked, and more importantly, how it fought. Pinkie dwelled upon the gruesome scene that she had just witnessed. The thought that ate at her the most was that Dash didn't want it. How she… hesitated for final blows. How she prolonged it with punches. The tear that Rainbow thought that nopony had seen.

After the long, sorrowful walk, the three reached the front door. Dash took point and creaked open the door to check the outside.

“It’s nighttime, we’ll have to wait till morning to be able to move.”

“Okay, we’ll set up camp here.”

“Twilight, can you finish putting up camp? Dashie and I need to talk.” Pinkie asked sweetly.

“Sure thing Pinkie.” Twilight responded absentmindedly.

Dash and Pinkie started to walk back to the basement.

“Dashie… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For… for that.” Pinkie said as she motioned to the dead creature.

“It’s fine, I had to protect you girls.”

“But I have weapons too. I should be stepping in more, plus I know Twilight’s taking the whole princess thing pretty hard.”
“Yeah, but what about you and your family?”

“I left. They probably didn’t even notice.” Pinkie said sadly.

“Pinkie… I’m so sorry.” Dash said, even sadder than Pinkie.

“What about yours?”

“Dead.” Dash said almost too calmly.

All Pinkie could do was wrap her hooves around Dash. “Th-That’s why you never wanted to talk about th-them!” Pinkie said in-between tears.

Dash returned the embrace. “It’s not your fault. It probably makes it easier during all of this.

Pinkie was still embracing Dash, her tears soaking the back of her neck.
“I-I still co-couldn’t imagine my early years without my par-parents. How d-did you make d-do with th-things?”

“I taught myself. I dropped out of flight academy because everypony there made fun of me for not having any parents. That’s what fueled my dream of flying. It hurt. The insults, the bullying, the beatings. All of it. I took all that I could and I left. I lived on the outskirts of Ponyville for quite a bit. All I needed was a place to get away. That’s all I ever wanted. To get away” Dash took a long exhale. “When I left, the only pony I had ties to was Fluttershy, so I had to take care of myself. I was sneaking apple off of none other than: Sweet Apple Acres. That’s how I met Applejack. “ Pinkie just sat across from Dash, looking more and more broken with every word. ”She’s the only other pony that even knows even a little about this. But I never told her the whole story. You’re the sole pony that is informed.” Dash finished, a couple tears rolling off of her cheeks.
Pinkie was absolutely speechless. All she could do was sit and replay what she heard.

“Pinkie, this isn’t your fault, I’m not asking for pity. I don’t care if you said ‘so what?’, but please don’t take this out on yourself.” Dash said honesty and loyalty heavy in her voice. “I need you to pull through this, and I know it’ll be hard. Twilight has never really known this caliber of pain and struggling.”

“I-I will Dashie” Pinkie promised.

The two mares took the walk back up to the main room of the library. It was almost too unreal how fast Pinkie could cheer up, she was already back up and smiling. The more interesting thing is how many of these books that Twilight read. Dash could tell that they had to have been Twilight since every stack that was on a table was in alphabetical order. Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle as she continued walking through the seemingly endless rows of books.

After a few more minutes of silence, Dash and Pinkie were back to the main room. Rainbow shot a quick, subtle wink at Twilight.

“So, where to next?” Twilight broke the silence.

“Maybe we could try Dodge Junction; it’s probably safer than almost everywhere else. After that we might as well check Fillydelphia. The others probably went to their families as well. Speaking of which, why didn’t you go to yours Twilight?” Dash asked.

“They weren’t at our house, so I figured they either are out of the city or with Shining, which would be guarding the princesses.” Twilight finished, slightly downtrodden.

“We never did figure out what happened there, did we?” Pinkie asked innocently.

“Yeah, but I don’t think we want to either.” Dash said cynically. “It’ll come up later, right now we need to focus at the task at hand, that being Fluttershy.”

“The only problem there being that the castle is kinda… collapsed.” Pinkie said, using her hooves to reenact the castle falling.

“Not to mention the thieves all over the city.” Twilight added.

“And you two don’t have any real experience fighting…” Dash finished.

“Well we could always go at night and take the stealth approach.” Twilight started.

“Yeah but the crowd comes out at night. Ponies think it is a good idea to move under low light, but the thieves and those creatures always take ‘em out.” Dash countered.

“What if we could avoid them?” Twilight asked skeptically.

“These guys run in gangs, they have ponies running every block of Canterlot. These guys aren’t good at fighting. In fact, I don’t even think that they could fight a filly.” Rainbow proclaimed, “But, in numbers they can be very deadly.”

“Could we get in by the tunnels, Twi?” Pinkie questioned.

“No, the tunnels only go here, the forest, and the railroads.” Twi answered.

“We don’t know what is in the castle! Fluttershy may be long gone, or worse. If those creatures got in, we have a tough time ahead of us. We need to be ready for anything. If there are only thieves, they can only do so much, but those… things, they’re different. They know how to fight, it’s like the one I fought knew my next move before I even thought of it.” Dash observed.

“If we could just get in and out, that’s all we need.” Pinkie said.

“Yeah, but the only danger is that those things made it into the castle. Thugs are a minor speed bump, but those things can really fight.” Twilight said, “But if we don’t do it during the day,” Twilight stomped her hoof on an empty can, “that’ll happen.”
“Hey Twilight, isn’t the royal armory right next to the basement?” Dash inquired.

“Yes, but you need the key… Or a good lock picker.” Twilight said, her eyes widening at the last word. “ Oh, shall we leave at first light?"

The three armored mares stuck to the shadows as they crept past the eyeshot of anypony nearby. Building after building past as they reached nearer and nearer to their prime goal. The streets were lined with bodies, most of them brand new. There was still a lingering problem with the rising of the sun and the moon, stuck in all of their minds.

The castle‘s lower half was standing right in front of them , cut off jaggedly at the midpoint. The castle was splattered in blood, The majestic white walls infected with the crimes of murderers and thieves. As the three walked up to the front door, somehow thinking that it would be unlocked. To their surprise it was. Twilight began to pull the door open.

“Wait.” Dash said suddenly. “Back in Ponyville one of my first buildings I searched had a trap at the front door. We have to go around or risk something really bad happening.”

“Dashie’s right, we need all three of us in case of trouble.” Pinkie chimed.

“Okay, then we’re going to need a second way in.” Twilight thought aloud.

“I could always fly in the top and clear the front door, then you two can join there.”
“You can’t do that alone, we need you.” She objected.

“I have to, we need to get to Fluttershy as soon as we can. She needs us more than we think. If I know anything, it’s that she already had to leave the castle. We need to get in there and then get out.” Dash finished, solemnly.

“I agree with Dash, Flutters needs us, and we need her.” Pinkie agreed with a frown.

The feelings of loss and suffering reappeared in all of the mares’ minds. The surrounding buildings even seemed to lean in to hear the conversations. The pool of shadows where they resided slowly became less and less the more time they spent talking.

“Dash, be safe, please. We need you,” a singular tear fell from Twi’s cheek, “we need Fluttershy too. Try to get out fast, we don’t know what lies in these shadows.”

Giving a single affirming nod, Dash took to the skies, but not as rambunctiously as she was accustomed to. She flew low along the castle until she reached the broken halves ‘connecting joint. She stealthily flew up and down into the sea of shadows.

Dash sparked up her light charm, and the room slowly revealed itself. The shadows slowly receded to the edges of the room, revealing the ornate furniture and the large, cracked table. The table only had one segment that was still standing, but that segment was important. On the ledge of the table sat a letter. The letter had a pure black seal and the paper was a soft sky blue.

Dash trotted slowly over to the table and swiped it quickly into her bags, continuing to trot towards the door. The door itself was unlocked, albeit very damaged. The door creaked open at a painfully slow speed. The next room was no better than the first, beaten up and dirty. Splats of blood decorated the walls, running down to the floor. This room was much larger, rubble-filled, and open. There were slight cracks in the wall, blood yet again running down the walls.

The most surprising part of this room was the main door, seemingly unblocked and unrigged. Dash fluttered carefully over the debris, eyeing the tunnels that lead to the basement, luckily undamaged. As Dash flapped to a halt, she landed with a soft *click*, and continued to trot towards the door. The door crept open with ease and with no visible effects. Dash motioned the other two mares into the ruined room. Right then and there, trouble showed its face.

Three of the creatures entered the main room, only visible by their glowing eyes. The three were speaking in a language that not even Twilight understood. All three of their hooves contacted in perfect harmony, making a singular sound. The three mares stuck to the wall nearest to the door, none of them making a single noise.

The three creatures made a loop around the entire room, no doubt checking for intruders. Two of them split off in opposite directions, one towards the stairs and one towards the door. The ponies froze in fear as they saw a pair of glowing eyes pass right by them. Dash took the opportunity to draw her wingblade. She quickly leapt to the flank of the creature.
With one quick motion, Dash swept her blade against the creature’s throat, a spray of brilliant red shooting in every direction. The creature made a quiet croak as he fell limp, the blood slowing and his eyes closing. There was a short moment of quiet until the other two guards came to investigate.

The two creatures slowed to a halt at the dead body. Neither of them uttered a word. Dash took the time to sneak up. Unfortunately, the guard turned around to check their backs. Dash quickly swung her blade into the creature’s chest. The creature jumped back as the other creature took the time to kick Dash’s ribcage. Dash stumbled back as both of the creatures attack. Dash threw up both of her hooves as she shrugged off both hits. Dash took that moment to swing a blade at the back of one of them. The creature jumped back, obtaining a new gash from the blade.

The unscathed creature drop-kicked her in the front left hoof. Dash buckled under the intense pain, throwing up a blade to protect from the scarred creature’s attack. The pressure never hit Dash’s hoof, and she darted back up into an attack stance. She looked in shock as she saw Pinkie up and shrugging off the two creatures’ hits, every once in a while hitting one in the chest or hoof. Dash quickly regained her senses and jumped back in with Pinkie. Dash swung a blade at the scarred creature’s throat, solidly connecting.

The creature stumbled back, but jumped right back into Dash. Dash deflected the creature’s jabs and grabbed his right hoof at the next punch. She pulled him back and taking advantage of his poor balance and kicking him in the right of his head. The first creature fell back, completely unconscious.

Pinkie was having her own troubles; the creature that she was fighting gained the upper hoof and knocked Pinkie back with a kick to the chest. The creature swiped Pinkie’s hooves and she fell to the ground with an oof. The creature stood victoriously over Pinkie, raised his hoof, and said clearly, “You will never win.” Pinkie stared shocked at him as he drove his hoof down.

Dash quickly dove on top of the creature, his hoof only grazing Pinkie’s side. Dash threw four quick punches into the creature’s forehead. As she raised her hoof for the last strike, Dash stared into the eyes of the creature. Its eyes were happy, he was smiling, almost like this was a plan. That was the last thought that passed through Dash’s head as she let her hoof down, a loud *thump* echoed throughout the room.

Author's Note

Apologies first. I got back from vacation and before I even got to do anything, I discovered that my computer had a virus. Every last 10,000 words and every other single file on my computer had to be wiped. After I got it back, I began writing immediately, so if this is a bit rushed, I wrote this in about 4 hours. Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, if you wanna criticize go ahead. If you wanna say any suggestions go ahead. I'm gonna start doing weekly updates each week of 5,000 plus words. The next update will be the day after next with 3-5 thousand words. I can only say one thing about the next chapter, which is you have to keep calm and flutter on ;).

Keep Calm and Survive

Equestria: 372 days after the collapse. Following Dashiell, Rainbow/ Pinkimena Pie/ Twilight Sparkle. Canterlot.

The room maintained its lingering silence; only small beams of light pierced the ever-present darkness. Dash was still in shock after the events that had just transpired. Pinkie lay on her back, paralyzed in pain after the fight. Dash quickly hopped off her departed opponent, hooves slightly shaking. The room adopted an eerie silence, the last hit echoing in everyponys’ minds. Dash fluttered over to Pinkie, her side severely wounded by the creature.

“Pinkie!!!” Dash shouted, finally regaining her senses. Dash quickly opened one of her bags, grabbing a bottle of clear liquid and bandages. “Pinkie! Stay with me,” Dash said desperately, “you’re gonna make it, just focus on me!”

Twilight was stuck in the shadows, the black holding her in an iron grip. Years of lessons that Celestia had taught her of wars stuck in her mind. Somewhere far back she remembered the relief of never having to experience war, to be forever safe. The comfort and safety of her old life ebbed away slowly as she finally realized the events that just transpired.

Dash was holding pressure to Pinkie’s side, Pinkie moaning from the extreme pain. “Twilight, Pinkie is patched up. She’ll live, but she needs a few days of rest. We have to find Fluttershy as soon as possible.” Dash stated, sadness lingering at the end of every word. Twilight just nodded and helped Dash pick up Pinkie.

“Twi? Do you even know where the basement to this place is?”

“Yeah, all we need to do is go to the main vault,”

“Let’s hurry then, we don’t need any more of these things getting in the way.”

What are these things? The first one was easy, but the rest seemed… armed. Pinkie did have a gash made from a blade… I need to figure this out.

How about we start with you admitting that you want to kill them, you need it.

Celestia-dammit, leave me alone already!

You’re basically telling yourself to go away at this point.

You are NOT me. I don’t know where you came from, nor do I even care! But I just wanna end this, all of it!

Dashie, Dashie, Dashie. You live for the sword; it’s in your blood. All you want is to kill. The only reason you don’t go after your friends is because you know them. Anypony else is an obstacle.

And I would suppose that you could fix this, that you could do a much better job than me, right?

None of you will ever come close; you know that this is unnatural, that no normal being could do this. A higher being is involved, all three of the princesses happen to die in two different locations, and that is suddenly not a possibility?

Well… no. But that doesn't mean that we can’t fix it. If we got all of the elements, we could fix this.

Think what you want, but remember that if you do something right, nopony should know you’ve done anything at all.

The two conscious mares reached a large door at the end of the hallway, yet again emblazoned with an eight pointed sun. The door seemed untouched by the outside world, keeping an eerily clean exterior. Twilight got to work on opening the large locking mechanism. Dash looked at Pinkie, an unsettling look on her face. Pinkie let out several moans and yelps in the few minutes Dash waited for Twilight.

“Okay, door’s open. Let’s move.” Twilight ordered, gesturing a hoof to the room.

Dash picked up Pinkie and rested her on her wings. Twilight took point as they began the journey into the giant basement. The whole place was a mess, furniture knocked over, excess supplies scattered around the ground, along with documents lining the floor. The room, however, lacked the blood that all of the other previous rooms boasted.

There was dust settled on every overturned table and desk, seemingly unmoved in years. As Twilight lit her horn, Dash noticed that something wasn’t right, the papers were all stacked in perfect stacks, the stacks were just very scattered. Dash began kicking aside the papers with one of her free hooves. As Twilight trotted over to Dash, her search unfruitful, Dash was pawing at a small wooden door.

*Tap*

*Tap-tap-tap*

*Tap-tap*

*Tap*

*CLICK*

The door seemed to magically open, and much to the surprise of Twilight, nopony was opening it. Dash readjusted Pinkie before motioning Twilight to the stairs, leading even further into the darkness. As she lit her horn, a loud series of clicks and pops came from the now closed door.

“Now listen Twi, Fluttershy is probably gonna be hurtin’, she’s not used to this, and to be honest, I don’t know about the fate of her parents. Please don’t say anything rash.” Dash pleaded.

“I promise.” Twilight confirmed. “But have you thought about our next move?”

“A little here and there, but the major thing that comes to mind is getting the others.” Dash said. “Unfortunately, this route is very dangerous, but it is necessary. We have no clue when something else bad is gonna happen.” Dash finished with a sigh.
“We do need the others, but the elements are gonna be a high profile target.” Twilight said, motioning to Dash’s saddlebags. “We do have to keep this whole situation on the down low.”

“We need to rest after we find Flutters, Pinkie needs her wounds tended and I need a break from fighting.” Dash said in a dejected tone. “It takes a lot out of ya.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I wish I could take your place, but I’m nowhere near as brave as you.” Twilight replied.
“Unfortunately, you guys had to be dragged into this too. As long as you can lay low and defend yourself if you need to, you’re gonna be fine.”

The two conscious mares finally reached another door, this on emblazoned with a crescent moon with splatters around it. Dash used the back of her hoof to nudge open the door, readying her blade with the other. Dash spun around to check behind the doors, which were cleared. Twilight had a different priority, however.

Twilight kept her hooves quiet as she approached the faded yellow blob lying in one corner of the room. As soon as she finally drew near to what she feared to encounter, it was too late.

“EEK! Who’s there?! Please don’t hurt me!” the timid pegasus pleaded, sobbing loudly. “I don’t have anything! Just leave me!” Twilight took a step back before clearing her throat.

“Fluttershy?” Twi asked uncertainly.

“T-Twilight? How did you get down here? What happened? Is this gonna get better? Have the princesses started finding the cause?” Fluttershy rattled the questions off at machine gun speed.

“We don’t know, we don’t know, and something… odd is happening with the princesses.” Twi answered mechanically.
“Wait. You said… we?” Fluttershy quizzed, hope clearly displayed on her face.

“Yeah, luckily we have two more of our friends… Thank Celestia that Dash got us, we wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for her.” Twilight finished. It was obvious that Fluttershy stopped paying attention at the mention of Dash. She shakily got to her hooves and trotted towards the door. Dash was changing Pinkie bandages, her wounds seemingly improved.

“DASHIE!!!” Fluttershy squealed in delight, instantly springing on the blue pegasus.

“Ohmycelestiaimsogladyoumadeitithoughtforsurethaty-“ Dash held up a hoof.

“I’m glad to see you too, Shy.” Dash said as she returned the hug. “But before we can catch up we have to get Pinkie patched up.” Dash said, motioning towards the still-unconscious mare. “The healing potion we found at the shop sure works like a charm.” Dash said, holding up a vial of glowing blue liquid.

“Shop?” Twilight asked, obviously intrigued.

“Yeah, I stopped at a blacksmith shop of an old friend. That’s how we got this body armor, weapons, and charms, remember?”

“Wait, so this wasn’t from Celestia’s armory?” Twilight inquired.

“Nope, from an old friend. I told you this all before.” Dash said, slightly irritated.

“I guess I never really thought of it until now, but this stuff is more advanced than Celestia’s guards are equipped with.”

“Yep, he was really smart and always kept his stuff under close control.”

“You don’t happen to know where he is now, do you?”

“Nah, old Double Down could be anywhere, haven’t seen him for years.”

“Too bad. This stuff is powerful, could maybe fix some stuff, and maybe find some answers.”

“Well, if we ever see a thug that looks like him, I’ll try to keep him in one piece.” Dash shot a wink at Twi. “If you wouldn’t mind setting up shop Twilight, I’ll finish taking care of Pinkie and then we can fill Flutters in on what’s been happening.”

“Sounds good.” Twi said, trotting to the center of the room while Dash fluttered back over to Pinkie’s side.

After a while of medical treatment and decorating, the three conscious mares sat around a cloth with various assorted objects. “Well, Shy, here we are. About one year ago, we still had everything, but today, we have nothing. Some stuff happened and the whole world went to hell. As far as we know, the princesses were assassinated in two different parts of Equestria at about the same time.” Rainbow sharply inhaled before continuing the explanation. “I found Pinkie as the only one of our friends still in Ponyville, we traveled to Canterlot to find something like a changeling, but a bit different…”

“These things can actually inhabit a pony’s personality and use their abilities, but the abilities get less and less effective as time goes on as far as I can assume. They can also fight very well and aren’t weak” Dash took a break to motion towards Pinkie. “We found Twilight and after some convincing we got her to come with us. We ended up in Cloudsdale and found your parents’ house.” At this Fluttershy winced a bit. “I knew that you were gone because all of the pictures were gone. I found your note and came here.” Dash swallowed, knowing what conversation followed this one.

“We got in a fight just in the main room of the castle and Pinkie was hurt. And now, here we are.” Dash finished. “What happened with you?” She asked with genuine concern.

“Well, I left Ponyville about an hour after whatever happened. I found my parents’ house. I-I took a-all of th-the pictures t-to war-warn you.” Fluttershy was starting to tear up. Suddenly she felt feathery down on her shoulder, and looked over to see a smiling blue pegasus to her side. “I lived there for a while, b-but eventually I ran out of food and supplies. I went to town and got some, almost not getting out alive.” Fluttershy paused.

“I thought that down here would be safest until you guys would hopefully find me. Luckily you did, I just ran out of food.”
“Fluttershy, I know this is gonna hurt to talk about this, but did you see your parents?” Twilight asked, softening her tone at the end of the sentence.

Fluttershy instantly deflated. “Y-yeah. I-I saw m-my d-dad flying aw-away, but I-I couldn’t even f-fly after h-him, He wa-was too fast.” Fluttershy managed to choke out. “ M-My mom I-I s-saw a-a-at t-th-…” Fluttershy broke out in tears. Rainbow instantly drew Fluttershy in a tight embrace, sharing some of her yellow friend’s tears.

“It’s okay, you don’t need to talk about it.” Dash cooed. Fluttershy couldn’t even respond, she could only continue sobbing into Dash’s shoulder.

After about an hour of talking about the weapons that Fluttershy would be using, everypony was just about too tired to focus; everypony got set in for bed. Just at the point where Twilight was about to fade away into the realms of sleep, a rumble shook the castle, pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor, shattering to shards.

Dash instantly drew all her hoof-blades and her sword. “Stay here, I’ll check it out.” Dash barked, running out of the room. Dash had to concentrate harder than before, her mind dragging from sleep loss. As soon as she hit the panel that lead to the castle, she hesitated. Rainbow cautiously approached the door, tilting her head and resting an ear on the cold metal.
Dash could hear faint voices, almost too muffled to even begin to recognize. Dash instantly tensed as she realized that the voices were drawing closer.

“S- you s-y sh- to-k ou- three o- our bes- guys?” The first voice was rough and sandpapery.

“Ye-h, c-t throu-h ‘em li-e th-y were paper.” The second voice was soft and clear. “I’m lu-ky I e-en got away.”

“So y-u think she would -ide here?”

“Definitely, I k-ow she’s an e-ement holder, -he’ll need to check the castle to move away from the city.”

“Well, hopefully this girl i-n’t as tough as you make her out to be.” A third voice joined in.

“Yeah, we can’t deal with any more deaths than we already have” Fourth. Dash thought.

With a quick spin, Dash was off, she knew that these guys were gonna find them eventually. Damn, why didn’t we move those papers back over the door!? Dash mentally cussed to herself. She burst through the door, startling Twilight and waking Fluttershy.

“Listen up, we’re gonna get some heat. Four guys are coming, no doubt from the group of thieves that I took care of at the library. In case things go south, you guys need to defend yourself. Twilight, if anything, just teleport away.” Dash rattled off the instructions as she grabbed a small bag within her saddlebags. She took a deep inhale, “Fluttershy, I know you’re gonna be fine as long as you stay with Twilight. If I yell out the word ‘apple’, you guys leave. It’s been an honor knowing you guys.” Dash finished.

“Good luck.” Twilight said, words falling short of how she really felt. Fluttershy was openly crying. “Oh, and tell Pinkie to stay strong.” Dash said before turning back and running out of the room. “Don’t worry Shy, she’ll come back,” Twi said wistfully, “she always does.”

Dash walked with velvet hooves down the hallway. It seemed to stretch for miles and miles, only the darkness greeted her. When she reached twenty feet from the hatch, she reached in her bag and threw out a few tiny orbs. She took a moment to breathe and draw all of her blades. She thought for a moment before taking out another object from her bag. This time it was a black box about the size of her hoof.

With great care, she placed the box against the wall, and continued walking back. After throwing out a few more orbs, she walked back another ten paces and stopped, hiding herself in the shadows. Dash knew that she wouldn’t have to wait very long; she knew that thieves wanted to steal, and they’ll do it as quickly as they can.

As if her thoughts were magic, there was an explosion that blew open the trap door. Dash readied herself, mentally preparing for another round of playing hero.

“Are you sure they’re down here?”

“Positively, all we need to do is find them.”

“Let’s get to it then.”

Within a matter of seconds, a powdery explosion poured from the front of the hallway, covering everything in the vicinity a dark black.

“Ah bollocks! She’s smarter than we thought.”

“But her luck’s about to run out.”

Dash heard the sound of their hoofsteps grow closer together, no doubt angry about the first trap. A silent release of a spring was heard, and then another.

“Aye, boss! I’m all tied up! I can’t move me bloody hooves mate!”

“He’s right, I’m tied up too. Just go get her; we’ll be there in a sec.”

The two standing thieves were foolish enough to keep trotting forward at an even faster pace than before. Yet another powdery explosion followed. Rainbow leapt from her position in the dark, successfully ran her blade across the throat of the first pony, causing a sharp gasp and a muffled cry. Dash quickly took up the space behind the second pony, making sure that he still couldn’t see.

Dash took out a curved, black knife and flung the knife perfectly in the center of the chest of the first tied up pony, frightening the other to no end. Unfortunately, he already untied himself and the one in the darkness behind her swung his arm in a strong hook, which Dash was ready for, throwing him over her shoulder. Rainbow gasped slightly as his knife cut into her right hoof.

The recently untied pony was up and ready for more, swinging a kick that connected with Dash’s ribcage, a dull thud resounded. Dash shook of the pain and grabbed his leg, twisting quickly upwards, a sharp cracking sound resulted. The crippled pony cried in pain as the second thief swung yet another hook at Dash, this time it was successfully caught with Dash’s hoofblade.

Dash took advantage of his pain, flipping over him and catching him in a chokehold. In a matter of seconds and a quick twist of her hooves, yet another ear shattering crack resounded throughout the hallway. Dash let out a scream of pain when she realized that the bandit had taken the opportunity to swing his knife directly into Dash’s side. Dash fell to the ground grasping immediately at the gash that was now pouring blood. Dash slowly got back on her hooves, with no lack of cussing and screaming. Dash quickly staggered over to the one last thief.

“Hahahahahaha! You lose, but good fight anyways.” The stallion said.

“Nah, I never lose, I’m awesome.” Dash said with a twisted grin, delivering the last blow to the still chuckling stallion. Dash began hobbling to Twilight, hoping to warn her that they had to move, now. At least half a dozen clicks resounded from the hall behind her as Rainbow stopped dead in her tracks.

“Don’t make a move, don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

Dash looked at her hooves, took her last breath and yelled her last word. “APPLE!!!!!!”

Author's Note

CALM YOUR FLAMING HOT MAN TITTIES!?!?!?! I didn't give up on the story, and I won't. Stuff happened and it wasn't good and then more bad stuff happened so this kinda fell into second place. Whatever, go ahead and yell at me. Hell, go ahead and try to punch me. I'm on the other side of the glass. Only Chuck Norris can punch through time and space. HAHAHAHA have fun with your broken computer.But on a serious note I hope you enjoy, criticism is welcome, and any free cookies are accepted.

The end of the beginning

Equestria: one year after collapse. following: Dashiell, Rainbow. Ponyville.

As dark settled in, Dash was ready to begin the night. Quickly, she jumped off of her cloud. Just as she was about to hit the ground, she flapped her wings with enough force to be able to stop her imminent death. She quickly fled to cover behind a nearby cart and cautiously peered over.

Ponyville was completely different than it was a year ago. Buildings were tore apart or completely collapsed in heaps on the ground. Dash quickly rolled on to the door of a nearby, mostly intact building. Rainbow slowly and stealthily opened the door and slid inside. This was a normal procedure, in and out, be quick, be stealthy, and be efficient.

The cerulean pegasus carefully walked over to some nearby shelves, and started to look at the covers. Rule number 8: food supply. Rainbow quickly salvaged all non-perishable foods and silently slid out. The pegasus quickly and carefully galloped over to the next building. Unfortunately, this was the last building in Ponyville that remained unchecked. Soon she’d have to move on.

Same as the last building, she slid inside and looked around. She’d seen about every damn sight in this cruel world, looting, murder, rape, and everything in-between. Rainbow Dash has killed on several occasions, and has become hardened to nearly every single thing that could possibly happen.

But as soon as she was about to return to her main base, and there was another set of hoof steps in the house, she drew her knife. Soon thereafter, Dash saw just what was coming, and nothing could have prepared her for that.

Author's Note

Criticism is very welcome, and please be harsh. Also, send suggestions for the future. Thanks for reading!