Her Guardian Angel

by FriendlyTwo3

Rating: mature
Tags: Adventure, Tragedy, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Anthro, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash
Length: 8359

Post zombie apocalypse. Three months into the epidemic, you must escort six-year-old Rainbow Dash to the one last safe haven in Equestria- Cloudsdale.

Three months. It's been three months since your family was killed. It's also been two and a half months since Rainbow Dash's family was murdered by these horrible creatures. She's the only one you have left. And you'll do anything to get her to safety. Even if it means giving your life.
No one'll believe me, but I had this story half written before I even heard of the Last of Us. I swear!
Filly Rainbow Dash, anthro, lots of zombie-killing, and hopefully a good story! Special thanks to proofreader Mint Stripe!
P.S. If you don't like anthro, simply replace "hands" with "hooves" and stuff like that.
EDIT: For each chapter I put in a song recommendation for that chapter. If you don't like the song choice, please let me know a song you think fits that chapter.
Oh, and here's a link to the image. It didn't come through so well... http://hey657.deviantart.com/art/Her-Guardian-Angel-386634315
Sorry I put myself into it. I don't really like the whole 'blank slate' 2nd person drawing thing.

Going on hiatus until The Scar is complete. Please see the blog post about it.

Hey, if you liked the story, you think you could add it to a group or two?

Published 2013-07-16 20:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-07-25 23:32:24 UTC

Chapter 1

Her Guardian Angel

"Muse" -Advent Rising

Chapter 1
“Well, I won’t back down. No, I won’t back down…”

A short cough escapes your lips as Rainbow Dash enters the room. Her tiny hands grip the blue plastic cup as she rushes towards you and gives you the water. You had requested it to the best of your ability. Gulping down the warm drink, you feel the pain in your neck again. As much as you wanted to hold your wounds and apply pressure, you knew that would simply make things worse at this point. Dry blood stained the cloth on your stomach. Looking around, you almost forgot where you were. The middle of the Everfree forest in a damnable old cabin. You sit with your legs straight forward on the enormous windowsill. Your eyelids become ever more and more heavy. You weren’t scared. You accepted death. Ever since your father, mother, and sister were taken from you just three months ago, death was something you asked for.

That was, until you met Rainbow Dash.

A simple six year old, her parents and brother were murdered before her eyes. In an attempt to save them, you only ended up making matters worse by getting your leg badly bruised. You did manage to drive the… things off. Your leg is long since healed, but right now… suffice it to say, you’ve been better.

An enormous gash across your stomach, a broken finger, a broken wing, and a large tear on your lip. That, and your neck was nearly snapped. These wounds had been treated for the most part, as much as they could in just a few hours. The pain, however, was still present, and you’d lost a LOT of blood. The makeshift safe-house you and Rainbow Dash had been staying in for the past month was overrun by monsters and you had to take shelter in a shack in the woods. Jesus… The mere thought of the situation made you want to cry. You were basically dug into ground-fucking-zero of the zombie apocalypse. Even the weather hadn’t been the same the past three months. Not a single hint of blue sky could be seen. The days were shorter and nights were darker. Damned princesses. All high and mighty in there thrones, not doing a thing to help the situation- no, epidemic. You and Rainbow were all alone. There was no hope for survival, especially not now. She’s six years old. She couldn’t defend the both of you if she tried. Even if she could, she wouldn’t have much luck. The only defense you had was a bullet-less pistol and a blunt pipe. Hardly survival tools.

Yet something drives you forward. Something has ever since this whole clusterfuck started. Something prevented you from dying, and you suddenly deduce what it is. It’s her. It’s Rainbow Dash. You’ve had to be stronger. You’ve had to abandon all doubt in order to protect her. There was but one safe haven in which none of these vile creatures could set foot on. A floating city called Cloudsdale. Only Pegasi could survive there. Hell, they were the only ones who could WALK on the clouds supporting the city. These creatures, even if they had wings, simply wouldn’t have the strength in their decayed bodies to fly there.

At least, that’s what you hoped.

Dash takes the empty cup from you and takes it back into the kitchen. After a moment or two, she returns into the bedroom. The light from the full moon enters through the glass-less window. The light from the moon had been dim as of late, and didn’t offer as much light as it used to. Especially behind the ever-present clouds. Shifting yourself a little, you tell Dash to get some sleep. Though the bed didn’t look very comfortable, it was at least a bed, and Dash knew this. You had taught her to live with what she had for the time being and to not complain. Sometimes, you had to use more cruel methods of getting her to listen, like telling her if she didn’t get rest, well… you basically told her the blunt truth of what would happen. Boy, did that teach her to listen. Sometimes you felt bad about it, but like it or not, this was the situation she was in, as well as you were. There was no room for laziness. There was no room for slack. And there was definitely no room for emotion. Fear, happiness, sadness, love. All of these emotions are trivial in the current world.

The little Pegasus solemnly nods and climbs into the bed. She doesn’t bother with the dirty sheet. It’s excruciatingly hot in the room. Looking out the window, you notice that some of the clouds had disappeared, offering a clear view of the corner of the moon. The waves of tiredness continue too pound against your head and soon, you find your head bobbing up and down in an attempt to stay awake. The determination of protecting Rainbow Dash took back-seat to the pangs of sleep. The temptation was simply too great. The last bit of sleep you had gotten this yesterday morning, when you couldn’t resist a short hour-long nap. It was Rainbow Dash that woke you up and started screaming that the monsters had found you both. Before that was four days ago.

Your eyelids finally seal themselves, and they weren’t opening for anything. Your arms crossed at your chest, you fall into a much needed, yet incredibly uncanny sleep.

A light tug is felt at your shirt, along with the quiet calling of your name. With a wiggle of your nose and an audible groan, you slowly open your eyes. At the sight of Rainbow Dash, your eyes shoot open and consciousness fully takes you. What the fuck was that?! You could’ve been attacked and killed, all because you fell asleep!

Nevertheless, Dash still continues to groggily tug at your sleeve. The only shirt you had was a loose white one, now grayed from dirt and sweat. The sleeves and collar were torn from months of endurance and scuffles with creatures. It was the last little bit of home left. As you look down at the six year old tugging at your shirt, you lose all sense of exterior strength. What you witness is the most adorable thing ever. The child’s hair is ruffled in an impossible cowlick, her bangs where a unicorn’s horn would be. She’s rubbing her left eye tiredly while pulling your shirt with her right hand. Her tiny wings are incredibly ruffled, the feathers going off in a million different directions. A smile spreads across your lips as you gaze at her, which only widens further as she mumbles your name in her adorable little voice. Eventually, she looks up at you. Realization hitting you, you let your previous stoic expression wash over you. Clearing your throat, you inquire as to what’s wrong.

“You fell asleep.” And again, guilt hits you for dozing off like that. A few weeks ago, you’d told her that if you started to nod off, she was to wake you by any means necessary. Once, she caught you start to fall asleep by a river and pushed you in. Let’s just say you had to try REAL hard not to snap at her.

“I know,” you say quietly. Your voice, for the past few days, had been short of audible. All that yelling to get to safety, or to run somewhere was finally getting to you. “I should be fine now. Won’t happen again.” Taking a look outside, you figure it’s about 5:00 in the morning from the dark white light that bounced off of the fog. The entire sky was a solid white; as if this were a cartoon and someone forgot to put in a sky. Your mind wanders elsewhere though. “Rainbow… What’re you doing up this early?” Her nose points to the floor and her shoulders rise to her cheeks.

“I, um… I… I had a bad dream…” She looks as embarrassed as she could. Just as you open your mouth to say something, she cuts you off, “I… I know you told me to be brave… a-and I know they’re just dreams… but…” As with the many other times this has happened, your heart sinks to your stomach as a glistening tear falls down her face. “A-And I wanna be brave, and I wanna help, but I just…” Against all logic and all protests from your body, you swivel yourself and sink to the floor on your knees. Now eye-level with Dash, you notice she’s probably been crying for a while; her eyes are swollen and a bright red. Finding no words, you reach out and pull her into a warm hug. She immediately rushes into your embrace and lets all of her pain out. Your stomach churns with each long-winded sob she lets out. You can almost make out words in her cries, but it’s barely understandable. The parts you can make out, though, somehow involve her family, especially her brother. You’d actually graduated with Stormcloud Dash. His name completely contrasted with is outgoing and nonchalant personality. Unlike you, he was one of the most popular students in school, despite only moving to Ponyville the year before. You didn’t talk much to him, but when you did, you enjoyed his company, and he for the most part seemed to enjoy yours.

But now he couldn’t enjoy anything anymore.

The poor child continues to weep into your shoulder, her little arms going only as far as your sides in an attempt to hug you back. Danger seemed to be lacking in presence, so you let Rainbow have her moment. You almost consider having a moment yourself, but that’s no option. You have to stay strong. For her. For yourself. For what little life remained in Equestria. You have to be there for this poor child all alone. You have to protect her, lest she come to an unforgiving end. That can’t happen.

You have to be her guardian angel.

Author's Note

Hope you like my first 2nd person story! Don't ask why Dashie is a filly here. I dunno.
I'm dead serious when I say I had no idea about the Last of Us while writing this. I wrote it a while ago an only now (after playing that amazing game) did I remember to put it up.
EDIT: K. SO I PLAYED TELLTALE'S WALKING DEAD GAME. AND THEN THE ENDING HAPPENED. HAD NO IDEA.

Chapter 2

"Dead Reckoning" -Clint Mansell

Chapter 2

“You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won’t back down…”

A strange tingling feeling enters you through your stomach as you lead Rainbow Dash through the woods. The golden glow of early morning coats the both of you in an eerily calm light. Mosquitos buzz around your head, much to your annoyance. In one hand, you hold your father’s pistol. The six bullet magazine it had was quickly drained, and had been rendered useless for over two months. Though it had no value in terms of survival, you held it close to you. It was the last thing your father had ever given you. In his dying breath he slipped it into your palm. On the side of the stainless silver, an inscription was clear in bold letters.

“Keep Going and Never Back Down.” There was no chance in hell you were giving this up.

In your other hand, you hold Dash’s tiny hand softly, caressing the back of it with your thumb in an attempt to help her relax. She had stopped crying for the most part, but her quiet sniffles could still be heard. Her eyes were still bloodshot and her mane was still a mess. Her dirty blue t-shirt had dried up, but the tear stains still showed through, simply adding to the list of stains. Words couldn’t describe how badly you felt for her above all else besides the obvious death of her loved ones. For three months, she’d had to wear the same clothes without any hint of a bath. Of course, neither had you. The smell was becoming too much to bear as of late, and the recent extreme loss of blood didn’t help to keep you from passing out. Then again, she’s only six. AND she’s a female. Through experience, you know females, kids or not, had less tolerance for stink as much as males. And if the smell makes YOU wanna pass out, clearly she’s not doing too hot either.

The dead leaves under your worn down black sneakers crunch as you step on them. Birds can be heard in the distance, singing merrily to each other. The sound nearly drives you over the edge in half of you. To hear their happiness and carefreeness makes you envy them. And they’re BIRDS. Fuck them and their tiny lifespans.

A quiet cough breaks through the near silence. It was your cough. In fact, this was basically your ninetieth cough of the morning. Ever since you and Rainbow Dash set out again, your throat had been dry and stung. Though you had told Dash you couldn’t get some water out of your gullet, you knew the real reason.

You’re coughing up blood. Your untreated and probably infected wounds are getting the better of you. The only thing you could possibly hope for now is that you were at no point bitten.

With the hand that holds your weapon, you raise it to your lips and cough into the back of your wrist. Pulling your arm away to examine it, you notice that the expected blood covering your wrist is oddly dark. As if it were within a shadow, even though being in direct sunlight. It didn’t glisten in the sun; it remained a deep, dark, monochrome red. It was more like a reddish black to be honest. This reaction could only come from one source. With wide eyes you come to the heinous realization.

You really were bitten.

The disease would soon spread to your mind and corrupt your basic senses. It would send primal, terrible commands to your body; make you hunger for the most uncouth of meats: the flesh of your own kind. You’re starting to become one of them. From the corner of your eye you see poor little Rainbow Dash look up at you with curious eyes. You fall short of breath as she asks you what’s wrong.

“Dash… Go straight back to the cabin. Hide somewhere, I don’t want to know where. Take this,” you say, handing her the pistol. She takes it in both hands and looks to have to strain to lift it. Her breathing increases in speed.

“Wh… Why…? What’s going on? …__? Please tell me…” The pitch in her voice rises to a squeak and she sounds as if she’s about to cry again. The more you think about the reaction you’re having, the more you begin to lose your temper.

“Rainbow Dash!” the use of her full name startles her. With a deep breath and a sigh, you calm down just a bit, but not too much. “I have no time to explain. In fact I have no time at all. I have to run as fast as possible and I can’t carry you right now. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Stay hidden. Stay safe. If you see any of them on the way back, call for me. If you’re hidden and you see any… Stay. Put. Don’t scream. Don’t run. Don’t cry.” You lift the pistol to her chest and place it where her heart is. “This gives me strength. It’ll give you strength too.” As expected, Dash rushes in and gives you a tight hug, which you return. Pulling away, you put your hands on her shoulders. “Follow the path. Run. Now,” you whisper. She nods once and bolts back to the cabin. As she runs, you notice her tiny wings are flapping, trying in vain to get a lift. You would’ve flown straight to Cloudsdale with your wings, had one of them not been broken. The second she’s out of sight, you take off in the opposite direction. Where you’re going, you’re not sure, but you have to find help. In the very last news broadcast you saw, you could see that there were emergency staffs that could treat the newly infected.

Though, what does ‘newly’ entail?

With a severe loss of blood, aches everywhere, and a serious lack of proper sleep and food, sprinting isn’t exactly working out too well. The nearest city from here was Canterlot, but something tells you that you won’t exactly have the needed strength to sprint twenty-three more miles and climb a mile-high mountain. Your breath is already nowhere to be found and you halt in your pursuit of treatment. A small cloud of dust rises as you collapse onto the ground, coughing and hacking the whole way. Blood splatters onto the ground and mixes in with the light brown dirt. Though as hard as you hack and beg for air, your lungs simply won’t take anything in. A feeling of incredible unease washes over you as your stomach churns. The ground suddenly hardens and the world seems to distort as you fail to hold back your vomit. Once, twice, three times you let it out onto the ground with your eyes shut tight. The flow finally comes to a halt and a ringing enters your ears. The muscles in your arms fail to hold you up and you fall to the ground, only just missing the massive pile of puke. You lay on your side as the world continues to spin out of control. Opening your eyes, you finally see that your vomit wasn’t vomit at all.

Three times you had puked up massive piles of your own blood.

The world collapses in on itself after spinning a million more times, simply making you dizzier. Though you feel the blood rising from your stomach once again, and against your better judgment, you decide to force it out and get it over with. But nothing comes out. You’re drained. You’ve got nothing left.

You’re becoming one of them. You ARE one of them.

The Earth shatters, the clouds fall, the sun extinguishes, the ground crumbles, and the atmosphere collapses. Death has finally taken you. Your family welcomes you back home with open arms. You’re at your childhood home, your happy place that you thought up whenever you were stressed. And all of that stress lifts and you accept your inevitable fate. A long awaited smile spreads across your lips as you run toward them. Though, the second you reach them, they disperse, leaving you to hug the open air. The second you look back at them in confusion, you see that they aren’t there at all. That damned ringing enters your ears once again and threatens to tear your mind in two.

Where your family used to stand now stands one being. One mind opposite yours.

It’s Rainbow Dash, holding her new pistol and running in place for her life, calling your name. Tears stream her face and she runs as fast as physically possible. Screams fill your ears and you realize that the ringing from before wasn’t ringing.

It was her screaming. She screams your name in terror. She needs you and you just left her.

They found her and you left her.

Rainbow Dash’s screams continue to flood your ears. But those screams disperse and become your own. Now you’re screaming. At the top of your lungs you’re apologizing to her, telling her with all your strength that it was your fault, not hers, hoping that by some chance she’ll hear you. You plead to the gods to spare her life and instead take yours down. Suddenly, your world of pure blackness begins to shake and your very name floods your ears and threatens to deafen you. You continue to scream random apologies as you fall. Falling to your doom. Falling into the hell you deserve to be in for leaving her alone. All the while, your name rattles your eardrums.

Author's Note

Here's chapter 2
P.S. Could anyone let me know how to add italics? I can't figure it out. It just looks weird to me.
I probably look like an idiot.

Chapter 3

"Shifu Faces Tai Lung" -Hanz Zimmer/John Powell

Chapter 3

“Gonna stand my ground. Won’t be turned around…”

And you wake up.

Sitting up, you notice that all traces of dizziness, sickness, or overall uncomfort had left you. You feel… clean. Proper. Adequate. All that fills your ears now is silence. Perhaps... Perhaps it was all a dream. Perhaps your family is still alive. Perhaps Rainbow Dash is living a peaceful life with no worry of death. But something still feels odd. The air still has that distorted nature about it. The moon above still draws no light from the sun. It's not a dream. It's still reality.

You can smell it in the air.

As you look around, you notice you’re in a different location entirely. In what looks to be a hut, dimly lit torches hang from the straw ceiling. Various ornaments of all different sorts hang from the walls. Though the atmosphere was comforting, these ornaments and trinkets certainly proved anything but.

For the first time in what seems like weeks, you take a long breath of fresh, rejuvenating air. It’s only at this point, though, that you realize that you had sweat running down every inch of your body, coating you in a sheen of bodily dew. Your throat hurts, probably from screaming your lungs out just now, and you seem to be panting hard. You also notice that your clothes are nowhere to be found.

But that’s of no importance right now. Right now, you have to find out just where the hell you are. Just as soon as you begin to stand up, a voice calls to you, making you jump out of your skin. You quickly jerk yourself up and take on a defensive stance.

“Exerting yourself would be unwise,
Like just now, even opening your eyes,” says the entity. You don’t dare call her one of your kind. She seems far from it. Her very atmosphere screams distrust and mystery. She’s a zebra. An odd one at that.

“Who the fuck are you and where the hell am I?” you ask, lowering your defenses only slightly. The zebra chuckles.

“Such language, my friend!
Fear not, I am the one who saved you from your end.”

“Fine. How long was I…” Your mouth immediately closes as your priorities make themselves clear once again. Your eyes widen and your heart stops beating. “No… Did you see her?! Did you see a little girl?!” you quickly ask the zebra. She retreats a little.

“I’m afraid I have not.

Why? Have you nau—” Fuck her and her stupid rhymes! Rainbow Dash is probably being killed! You run by her, unintentionally shoving her. As you bolt out of the hut, you grab one of the torches.

After running a short way, you finally find the path, and your massive pile of blood. It was hard to find though, as it was night time. The moon had taken the form of a half-moon. The blood on the path had spread out to horrifying lengths and dried into the dirt, mixing and creating a dark burgundy. You can see faint drag marks, probably from when the zebra found you. Looking down the path, you can see your way to the cabin. With the large torch in hand, you bolt as fast as possible toward the cabin, finding it much easier to run, and to breathe for that matter.

You don’t care that you’re bare-ass naked. You have to get Rainbow Dash to safety. Images of the worst outcome flood your mind and threaten to make you throw up again. You run ever faster. As you near closer, you can hear the sounds of grunting and moaning.

That familiar goddamn sound.

They were in the cabin, and from the sounds of it, they were there for a while. The cabin is in sight. Running toward it, you can see their glowing eyes in the dark bedroom. There looked to be about five of them. You don’t bother with the door; you simply crash through the glassless window, snapping the thin boards holding there. The creatures take notice and start rushing at you. Normally, you would have been able to fight more smoothly, but in your rush you were primal. Uncoordinated swings with the torch nearly miss, but the flame hits them, and they make a clear note of this. They scream and continue to attack you, all five on fire. You impale one of them with the torch, burning it from the inside out, ending it. Another one swings at you, but you duck just in time for it to miss. This leaves it open for attack, a window you forcefully take, cracking the torch across its dark face. It falls to the ground in a burning heap. Two more rush at you. Ducking again, you force one to slash the other, easily taking its head off. In a video game style, you uppercut the first with the torch, ending its existence. The final one comes up from behind you and nearly bites your shoulder. You hold its jaw closed and stick the torch into its mouth.

You had succeeded without a scratch.

The flames threaten to burn the entire house down, so you have to hurry. With several yells of Rainbow Dash’s name, you frantically run through the house. Sweat pours off your face in buckets. Besides the fire, the house looks the same, though somewhat… trashed. Furniture is now on its side and doors are ripped from their hinges. With one final call of Dash’s name, you lose hope. A lava hot tear runs down your cheek. The floorboards creak as your fist comes down onto the floor.

You failed. She’s dead.

Now there’s nothing left. Existence holds no weight anymore. You let a six year old die because you left her alone. A furious scream echoes throughout the woods as the heinous truth sinks in more, followed by another. Tears flow freely onto the floor, staining the dusty wood. The entire room is lit up a bright orange, the flames engulfing the rest of the house. There’s no point in holding back your sobs and screams. No one’s gonna hear you anyway. That damned fire might as well take you. They dance for you. They sing for you. And in an odd display, they say your name. It’s like they really said you’re name. But soon, you realize that the voice is coming from the front door next to you, the one area the fire hadn’t surrounded yet. The voice calls out again, as if to ask for confirmation that it is in fact you it’s talking to. As you look up through tear-blurred vision, you can see something a third your height. Her coat is a dirty light blue and her mane is that of three different colors. You quickly stand up and scoop up the child, carrying her away from the house, yelling her name as you do.

A long ways away from the burning cabin, you finally set Rainbow Dash down. She looks at you with tear stained eyes, and you return her gaze. After a moment of staring, you both wrap each other in a long warm embrace. Her tears soak your shoulder. You tell her you though you lost her, and she tells you she thought you weren’t coming back. You slowly take her shoulders and lean away to meet her teary gaze.

“I’ll always come back. I’ll never leave you again. I promise you.” She sniffles and lets out another sob. “Come on,” you say, picking her up, her stomach on your bare chest. She keeps a hold of your neck as you carry her toward the zebra’s hut. Hopefully the zebra can forgive you for shoving her earlier. You feel Dash’s cheek leaning against your shoulder. Her breathing slows to a much more relaxed one and you realize she had fallen asleep. Who can blame her? Soon, after a long while of walking, you come upon the lit up hut. The zebra is leaning against a tree outside. As you approach her, she crosses her arms. “Look… I’m sorry I shouted and shoved you earlier. I just… I needed to…” you show the zebra Dash’s sleeping form in your arms. The zebra holds up one hand and nods with a smile.

“I understand,” she says simply. No rhyme. No clever wording. Just a show of forgiveness. She motions for you to follow her. The hut is a lot bigger on the inside than it seemed on the outside. She leads you to a door.

“Give her here,
Do not fear.
I simply wish to help while she’s here.” After a moment, you notice that this is the same room you had awoken in. She meant to heal her. With that in mind, you slowly hand the zebra the sleeping child. The zebra holds her with such gentleness, as if she knew exactly what she’s doing. And that’s all the better. She points to another room. This one has two beds in it.

“Sleep until tomorrow.
Then sleep some more.
Here, there is no need for sorrow,
The monsters cannot come through my door.” You thank her and walk into the room. Behind you, you can hear the other door close.

The bed is softer than it looks, and the second you hit the mattress, you begin to fall asleep. Before you do however, you notice the wardrobe in the corner of the room. As you walk over to it, you can hear the faint sounds of jingling from the other room, followed by some muffled chants. The wardrobe, to your surprise, is full of clothes. They all look much too big for the zebra. As you pull one out, you notice that it’s exactly your size. Hauntingly so, actually. You also notice the familiarity of this shirt. It’s the shirt you had on not five hours ago, but it looked just as clean and tidy as when you first bought it. You put it on and, oddly enough, it even smells like home. It was still comfortably loose on you. The rips and tears had been fixed. You slip on some boxers and sweatpants, which all fit perfectly.

Now you’re ready for bed.

Sleep immediately washes over you as you lie down, but you don’t fall into unconsciousness quite yet. Within what seems like seconds, but which you know is hours, the door opens and the soft pitter-patter of footsteps approaches the other bed. You open your eyes to see Rainbow Dash, in a loose blue t-shirt and sweatpants in the bed opposite you. An audible ap comes from the night table next to the bed. The footsteps disappear and the door closes. In an uncomfortable act, you turn your head around to see what now lies on the night stand.

It’s your father’s pistol.

As you turn back around, you notice that Dash’s eyes have opened slightly. She groggily and ever so quietly utters your name. Her eyes widen a little.

“Who’s… Who’s gonna watch us…?” A short sense of pride comes to you. She immediately knew to stay cautious, even in her tired and worn out state.

“There’s a barrier around this place. Keeps the monsters out. And if they get in, I’m still here.” She smiles and grabs the extra pillow. A long period of silence washes over the room. After a minute or two, the silence is broken by the child next to you. She quietly says your name.

“Do… Do you think this'll ever end…?” she asks, looking at you with despair in her eyes. That’s a question you hoped she would never ask. In fact, you couldn’t count how many times you’d asked yourself that. With a solemn tone, and a long sigh, the answer breaks the silence. The answer is one that you feared uttering, even though it was the truth. You knew- and even Rainbow Dash had requested it- you were not to sugarcoat it. That would just lead to pain later on. You speak in a hushed tone the blunt answer that makes you want to cry

“…I don’t know if it ever will.”

Chapter 4

“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.