Her Guardian Angel

“Canceling the Apocalypse” -Ramin Djawadi

Chapter 4
“And I’ll keep this world from draggin’ me down. Gonna stand my ground. And I won’t back down…”

Breakfast comes around after what seems like a few short seconds of sleep. The zebra told you that the time you and Rainbow Dash got to her hut last night was around 10:30. Now it’s 8:50. Your mane is nothing short of a mess and your eyes could barely be seen open. Your shirt is anywhere on your torso than where it should be. Rainbow Dash sits at the table across from you. Her mane is as (if not more) disheveled than yours, but she looks far more awake than you must be. As you look back at your breakfast, you wonder just what in the hell you’re eating. The zebra had told you it was a mix of rare fruits and herbs. Apparently it rejuvenates the body and mind or whatever. The only thing that matters is that you’re eating something. Though the taste is something you’d have to accustom yourself to, it was… decent. An unignorable tang nips at your tongue and tickles your throat. Though you try your very hardest to be polite in your eating, something simply won’t hold you back as you furiously eat your breakfast. The last time you ate something was probably three days ago. As you look up at Rainbow Dash, you notice she’s eating just as vigorously as you are, letting no ‘food’ slip off her wooden spoon.

The zebra had left a few minutes ago, to which you bluntly called her ‘out of her mind.’ Of course, she paid no mind to this and walked out past the protective barrier to do who-knows-what. No words could describe the disbelief running through you at the fact that she nonchalantly went out into that godforsaken wasteland. As you look around the sun-filled hut, you notice an array of sharp objects. From swords, to daggers, to bows and arrows; there was basically an arsenal. From what you can remember last night, none of this stuff was out here. The walls had instead been filled with creepy little trinkets and artifacts. Not sharpened steel weapons.

Perhaps this zebra is more helpful than just giving you a place to stay.

With one final spoonful, you finish your breakfast. A loud burp is heard from across from you, and as you look up, you notice Rainbow Dash leaning back in her chair. Her hand is placed firmly on her stomach. An audible chuckle escapes your lips.

“All full?” you ask sarcastically. Dash looks up at you with a huge smile, one of satisfaction, one of pure joy, one you’d never seen before.

“You bet… I haven’t eaten like this in forever,” she says with a yawn. You take her bowl and place it in your own. Approaching the sink, you hear Dash call out to you. “How’s your wing doing?” she asks.

“Better,” you say, looking back at her, “Still hurts though.”

“How about your stomach?” Somehow, you completely forgot the enormous gash in your stomach. As you look down and lift your shirt to your chest, you notice a large bandage wrapping around your torso. Nothing can be felt from your wounds, but as you peek behind the wrap, you see just how horrifying the wounds really are. Dark red, hardened skin can be seen, the fur nowhere to be found. You set down your shirt again and sigh. Though Dash had asked you to be blunt with bad news… what harm could come of her not having to worry about you?

“A lot better, actually. Can’t feel a thing.”

“Really? It looked pretty bad…” Suddenly, her expression lights up and an audible gasp breaks the silence. “Wait! Did you get a scar?! Like, an epic battle scar?! That’s so cool!” For that half a moment, her true nature shines through, and you’re elated to see such. For that moment, you almost heard her brother’s voice. That would be exactly what Stormcloud would’ve said had he been here.

And for a moment, you hope you did get an epic battle scar.

Setting the bowls in the sink, you turn back to Rainbow Dash. Sadly, your short time of peace must come to an end. Though you wish you could stay in this hut for the longest time, getting to Cloudsdale safely would be the much better option. There was much more room. Much more space for Rainbow Dash to be happy. The food and drink was plenty and the very atmosphere was welcoming. A big chunk of your family lived there. You even owned a house there, which you shared with your mare-friend Cloudburst. The very thought of her makes you smile. She was such a girl-next-door kind of mare, and you loved that about her. Though she was so shy around other people, around her friends, she was so talkative. The two of you were pretty much destined to be together (as your sister had told you), as you were friends since daycare. Your smile widens as you picture her in your head. She had a pure white coat which complemented her deep blue eyes that were covered by black rounded-rectangle glasses. She had shortened light blue hair with white tips which was often topped by a gray wool beanie. She only came up to about your neck. In fact, she always had a ‘meek’ atmosphere about her. But the cutest thing about her had to be her voice. It was such a humble voice, as if she’d never grown from her teen years. Sometimes, it still cracked when she talked. It sent your heart into your throat whenever it did.

With a sigh, you wipe the tear from your cheek.

“Dash…” you say, barely loud enough to hear, “…Get dressed… We’re leaving in a bit…” The poor child’s expression quickly changes from contentment to surprise.

“What? I… Can’t we just stay here?”

“No. We still have to get to Cloudsdale. It’ll be much better than staying here.”

“How?” With another sigh, you walk over and sit down at the table.

“We’ll be free to do what we want. You can make friends. We’ll have a home. There are more resources up there. Plus, there’s no chance of some magic barrier failing. It’s high up in the clouds, meaning the… monsters can’t get there.” Truth be told, you were never quite fond of unicorns. Though you had a unicorn friend or two, the sheer thought of bending the world to one’s own will kind of bothered you. Defensive magic bothered you the most though. Who’s to say that the defense won’t fail? Hundreds, thousands, millions of lives could be at stake whenever a force field is cast.

“…Okay…. When do we leave…?” asked Dash solemnly. With your left hand, you softly rub her shoulder.

“In an hour or two. I know you don’t wanna leave.” You slowly lift her chin so she meets your gaze. “But trust me. This’ll all prove better in the long run.” After a moment or two, she stands up. Without looking you in the eye, she places her cheek on your shoulder and hugs you. Hugging her back, you carefully place her on your lap. She reacts by lightly squeezing you and burying her face in your shoulder. For what seems like an hour, you tenderly rock her back and forth. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. Her response slightly shocks you.

“I’m ready to go,” she says. She lets go of you and slides out of your grasp. You watch as she walks down the hall to the bathroom. Never before had she said those words. You always had to push her toward the road, so to speak. But now she was leaving willingly. She was slowly changing. She was molding into what she had to be to survive. An unbelievable pride washes over you and leaves you stunned.

But after a moment, you realize those feelings will have to wait. Right now, you have to get ready.

In the bedroom, you pick up your pistol to find that the magazine is filled. You’ll have to thank that zebra if you ever see her again, which is probably unlikely considering you’re never leaving Cloudsdale when you get there. As you look in the drawer on the night table, you find that a few clips of bullets are stashed, all tucked in the pockets of a sash. The sash resembles one that you had seen in a war movie. You place it and the pistol on the bed and open the closet. Remarkably, the clothes inside had changed since last night. The closet once filled with thin jackets, shirts, and jeans now held thick, tough vests and coats. A pair of tough looking black boots resided at the bottom of the wardrobe. You take off your sweatpants and slide on a pair of very thick, tough camouflage pants. You clip them together at the waist with the very thick, shiny buckle after you stuff your shirt inside them. The pants are a little heavy, but helping your aunt at the farm all your life had made you quite the tough Pegasus, so it didn’t bother you. You ride the pants up your leg and slip on the boots. Tying the knot twice on each, you slide the pants over them. As you stand up, you grab a thick camouflage vest and slide it on. With five clips, six buttons, and three knots; that vest isn’t going anywhere. Finally, you put the sash on and clip it together. On the left side, it has a holster for the pistol, which you use accordingly. On the other side, it has a place to tuck away a dagger. On the back, it has two pockets in which to hold two swords. Walking out into the main room, you put the three weapons in their designated places. On that, you place a heavy metal crossbow. At your waist, you let a quiver of bolts dangle.

You’re ready for war.

You hear the door open and turn around to find Dash walking out of the bathroom. She turns to head into the bedroom, but you call her name. She jumps a bit and turns around. Her expression suddenly transforms into one of slight fear.

“__? Wh- What did…?” Well, maybe you should’ve warned her about all of the weapons and clothes and such. You suppose you do kind of look a bit… hardened. Your mane that hadn’t been cut in months probably didn’t help, as your sideburns alone go down to your jaw. Your mane could probably fool someone into thinking you’re a mare from behind.

“It’s… just a few things to help me prepare. I wanna help you be prepared too,” you say, walking closer to her. After a moment or two, she nods and heads into the bedroom. You follow her and walk over to the wardrobe.

Later…

You slide the small dagger into the pocket on Dash’s black vest. As you look her over, you see just how much she’s changed since just a few minutes ago. Her blue sweatpants had traded places with near-black midnight blue thick pants, much like yours, but smaller (obviously). Above her old light blue t-shirt, she wears a black hooded jacket. Above that is a thick black vest that holds a small dagger. Though you wanted to outfit her with more weapons, her age and size simply wouldn’t allow it. The dagger is the only thing of use to her. She thanks you and walks toward the door. You stand up straight. Cracking your neck a couple times, you follow her and continue your journey to Cloudsdale.

The silence is unbearable. It always has been. From the first moment of walking, from the first day the silence was pure torture. Above all things was the silence. Rarely did either of you talk to each other. Though you always knew silence was better, less noise and all that, you wanted something to comfort you. Talking with Rainbow Dash always somehow had that effect on you.

After an eternity of walking in the forest, you come across what you think is… pavement? How could that be? This deep in the woods? Something’s wrong… As you look left and right, you notice a clearing in the trees. You nudge Dash toward the clearing and tell her to be ready for anything. She whimpers a little and nods. Her wings stretch out a bit. The wind coos its soft melody into your ears as you walk. As you near the clearing, the light fog parts to show you what seems to be an old facility. It’s covered in dense overgrowth and it seems oxidized. A once metal, silver building now reduced to a withered, rusted shack. In an action of paranoia, you quickly take out your dagger and hold it up as you near the building. A sign with covered letters is welded to the wall. As you walk up to this sign, you wipe away the rust. The sign reads:

"Everfree Testing Facility
QUARANTINED"

A quiet ‘huh’ escapes your lips. Your breath falls short and your heart ceases its beating as you hear a heavy noise behind you. Someone’s behind you. Someone YOUR size.

“Excuse me.”

You spin around and grab this entity by the collar of its shirt and slam it against the wall. You hold the dagger up to its throat when you realize what you’re holding.

It’s a woman. An uninfected woman.

Suddenly, cries for you to stop are heard from behind you. At first you think they’re Dash’s cries, as they sound about her age, but the pitch is too light. This woman had a daughter with her. A terrified expression is painted on this woman’s face. You quickly let her go and sheathe your dagger. Apologizing, you ask her if she’s alright.

“It’s quite alright. I’m fine. I just scared you is all,” she says in a quiet voice. Her eyes show a light teal and her coat is that of a dirty white. Her mane is dirty and tangled. It comes down to her shoulders and it’s a light pink. You’d seen this woman around Ponyville a while ago. If you remember correctly, her name is Rosa. You’d conversed with her a few times actually. Memories of your friendly chats pop up in your head. She must have gotten away safely with her daughter.

You remember her telling you about her daughter Fluttershy.

You look over at said five-year-old. Tears stream her face as she looks up at you. She quickly hides behind her mother’s leg. “Where are you going?” Rosa asks you. You look back up at her. Dash walks up next to you as you respond.

“We’re going to Cloudsdale. It’s the last safe haven in Equestria. At least that I know of…”

“Then we have a common goal,” she responds with a warm smile, “That’s where me and Fluttershy are going. We’ve been flying for hours. Well… I carried her. We just came down for a rest when we saw you two.”

A sense of hope rises in your mind. You take a sword from your back and offer it to her. “Come with us,” you say bluntly, “We could use all the help we can get.” A quick nervous expression washes over the adult’s face as you offer the sword, but she nods, though she pushes the sword away. You give her a confused expression, but she looks at the crossbow. You look back at it and nod. You hand her the crossbow and bolts, which she wraps around her back. You look back at the facility.

“What is this place?” you ask.

“The old experimental lab. They conducted a bunch of horrible tests on living subjects some forty years ago. It was condemned when I was just a teenager.”

“You think this is where all of these monsters came from?”

“Maybe. I can’t be too sure.”

“Maybe we can find something in there.” You begin to walk inside, but Rosa holds you back.

“Don’t try. Radiation poisoning will have you on the ground in minutes. That’s why it was condemned.” A sigh escapes your lips.

“Fine. Let’s get moving then,” you say with a huff. Rosa nods and picks up her daughter, who looks at you shyly. Looking down at Dash you nod toward the path. She nods and starts walking. And down the path you went. Rosa looks over at you and down at Dash. Then back up to you.

“You’re not going to carry her?” she asks you, nodding toward the child on the ground.

“Why would I?” you ask. “She learned not to be carried everywhere. It saves my strength, and it keeps her more aware.”

“I know, but… isn’t she just five?”

“Six.”

“Right… But she’s just a kid.”

“Doesn’t matter how old she is. We need to be strong or we all die, no matter who we are.” Rosa looks at the ground for a moment.

“I don’t think I’d like to know what it’s like to lose someone in all this.” You look away from the path and into nothingness.

“Trust me. You don’t know the half of it,” you say, remembering watching your family get slaughtered. Watching Rainbow Dash’s family get slaughtered.

“I’m so sorry,” says Rosa.

Sorry isn’t getting your family back.