The Long Road to Normal

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1: Waking to wastes
Chapter 2: The Cottage
Chapter 3: Cannibals
Chapter 4: Recovery
Chapter 5: Suffering
Chapter 6: Dust
Chapter 7: Pains from the past
Chapter 8: The Reaper

Prologue

Iron Wing was trotting through the golden meadow. It was evening, and the long blades of grass cast interesting shadows on the ground. His wife, Robin Feather was on the other side of the field, bird-watching. She always found beauty in nature like that. She was close to the Everfree forest, but Iron Wing didn't mind since he knew she was capable of taking care of herself. He sat at the picnic table, watching her as she galloped in pursuit of a family of robins, her favorite bird, hence her name and cutie mark. She was always smiling playfully, as Iron Wing watched her and waited for her to return. It was their fifth anniversary of their marriage, and Iron Wing wanted to take her someplace he knew she would love. She had seen a small robin flying further into the forest. Iron Wing always wondered how she could stay attached to a certain area for hours at a time. Iron Wing called her back, not wanting her to go too far into the forest where he couldn't see her. She trotted back, letting the robin she was watching flutter away, into the deeper parts of the forest.

"Hi honey." Robin Feather said, greeting Iron Wing.

"Glad to see you're enjoying the nature."

"You bet your wings I am, this is our best anniversary yet!" Robin Feather said, kissing Iron Wing before settling down at the table.

Iron Wing sat in thought for a moment, nibbling at his small sandwich, deep in thought.

"You alright honey? You seem to have something on your mind." Robin Feather said, looking into his eyes.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing."

She put her hoof on his muzzle and gently pushed it so he was looking at her.

"Come on, we've been married for five years today. You can tell me anything!" She said, kissing him again.

"Well... have you ever thought of having children?" Iron Wing said.

Robin Feather was slightly shocked by the question. She sat there with a puzzled look on her face before finally answering.

"Well, I don't know..." She paused, looking into the forest.

"I just... I think it'd be a bit much, don't you think? I mean, we have to hold two jobs just to get by. I really think we should wait until we're in a better financial position. Sorry..."

"Oh no, it's quite alright. It was just a thought."

Robin Feather put a small smile on her face.

"Besides, who knows what the future holds?" She said.

It was Iron Wing this time that lead the kiss, holding it for a while. He didn't mind lengthy moments of embrace since they were alone in this place. In fact, besides some picnic tables and a dirt road, There was nearly no other evidence that ponies had been there.

"If we did have a child, what would you name it?" Robin Feather asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"I thought you said it wasn't a possibility." Iron Wing responded.

"May as well be ready." She said with a hopeful smile.

They resumed their meal, which was composed of grass sandwiches, apple pie, some cupcakes, and finished with a very large Red Velvet cake bought from Sugarcube Corner.

"Honey, this is amazing. I have no idea how I can repay you."

"Just keep doing what you do Robin." Iron Wing responded with a hopeful smile.

"Um... honey?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind... going on a nature walk?"

"Not at all."

Iron Wing cleaned up the table and packed the left-overs into a large wicker basket before He followed Robin Feather on a dirt path into the forest, the sun was very close to setting...

And then he woke up.

Chapter 1: Waking to wastes

Entry One:

The first death caused by the plague was reported in Ponyville at the end of winter. The Princesses were reported dead in the middle of Fall. Canterlot was overrun by rioters at the beginning of summer. All cities shortly fell apart some time after that. I think it's April, but since the plants around here are dead I'm not sure. It doesn't help that I don't have a calendar either. It pains me to think that not too long ago this place used to be vibrant and full of life, but now it's nothing but a graveyard. I used to live alone after everything fell apart, in fact, I had been alone for several years before the plague. However, I am currently looking for my two adopted daughters who may or may not be alive. They were named Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but I won't write about them much more unless I find them. I hope that if they are dead, they haven't been victims of or have succumbed to cannibalism. That is my greatest concern. My pen is going to run out of ink soon, so I must stop writing here.

Hope I find them,
Iron Wing.

Iron Wing used a scrap piece of paper to bookmark that entry before closing the journal. He put the journal in his satchel before putting out a nearby candle and slipping into a damp sleeping bag. He kept his switchblade close since the door of the building he was in had no lock and there was nothing left to barricade it with. He looked at his dark gray hide, noticing that he was getting slightly pale.

Hope it isn't the plague. He thought.

Deciding that it would be too difficult to sleep with the thought of invasion, he got out of the sleeping bag and looked out into the ruins of Ponyville through a cracked window.

One could tell that more than a plague happened here. During the plague, one greater danger was rioting caused by ponies looking for fuel and food. Many buildings held signs of fire, including blackened wood, melted windows, and some buildings had charred skeletons near them. The once great town hall was now nothing but a pile of steel and wood. The building he was scavenging from earlier, Sugarcube Corner, held not much else but half-eaten cakes and the only thing that wasn't eaten by what rodents were left was a small packet of potato chips. He also found a pistol with a single bullet in it. Iron Wing decided to save the bullet in case some cannibals caught him or he got the plague if it still existed. After picking the bakery clean, he searched through a store called "Carousel Boutique." He didn't find much but some worn down pieces of cloth which he used to repair some of the sleeping bag. After the Boutique he located a Barnyard on the outer edges of Ponyville. He located a few slightly stale apples and a lead pipe. He kept the apples, but gave up the pipe to make room for a candle, a small pack of matches, a journal, and a small pen. He found shelter in an abandoned bank. He decided that he would search for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy next morning, when the cannibal hunting parties wouldn't be so active. His wings sprung out at the sound of a gunshot in the distance, but he eventually gave in to sleep.

He dreamed of walking in a vast desert. Filled with nothing but gray sand dunes. He looked to his left, nothing. He looked to his right, nothing. Not even a small hill. For some reason, keeping up his pace caused excruciating pain. He then collapsed as darkness overtook him. He "Woke" in the same desert, as far as he knew, with two pegasi corpses in front of him. One was cyan, with a darkened rainbow mane. The other was a pale yellow, and covered in maggots. He would've screamed and galloped away if he could move, but as he kept his eyes open, it became increasingly hard to do so. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was a blood-covered unicorn staring at him with a smile on it's face.

He awoke with a jolt, grabbing his switchblade and pointing it at the door. When he realized that there was no danger, he eventually let his guard down, drifting into a more peaceful sleep.

When he woke up once more, he realized that he only slept for an hour. It was about mid-day, though it was hard to tell since the clouds had always been gray since the plague began, and the covered the sky where ever somepony went. Iron Wing rolled up his sleeping bag and put it into a shopping cart, along with several other supplies and about a days worth of food and water. He opened up the door and set out into the cold, gray world outside. As he trotted and pushed the shopping cart, he made sure to keep a sharp eye out for bandits or cannibals.

After all of the cities fell, Food became an issue. as crops were dying, and food became more valuable than gold. As more of it was used up, ponies became more and more desperate to get a meal. Some resorted to scavenging, others to stealing, and the rest resorted to cannibalism. Although it was an evil and macabre act, it kept them and their families fed. Unfortunately, Most ponies who became used to that way of life fell into madness, some forming groups and the rest becoming lone hunters. As Iron Wing trotted down the road, he could see areas with bear traps covered in blood and a skeleton here and there. The iron-stench of blood filled the air around this place, so Iron Wing went around it. He found his way to a small market, where he stopped, pulled the shopping cart inside, and lit the candle. He was determined to survive, to find his daughters...

to redeem himself.

Chapter 2: The Cottage

Iron Wing didn't find much in the store, save for some cans, two bottles of water, and a pony's skull. The candle was about halfway burned when he was finished searching the place, and he left to find shelter. It was going to rain soon, and he wasn't wearing heavy clothing, so he had to find shelter or he would die of hypothermia. He found a small cottage further away from Ponyville and decided to spend the day there. He noticed overturned chairs, pieces of burned artwork, and each of the windows had been smashed. The wooden floor also held signs of damage, from blackened spots to pieces of it torn out, most likely for firewood. He went inside, dragging the cart with him. He looked upstairs for anything useful and found nothing but a small bed and a dead rabbit. He unceremoniously threw the dead thing out one of the windows and pulled the bed downstairs. He looked around for anything else of interest and found a small picture frame with a picture of...

No... it can't be.... The photo was of Fluttershy.

Iron Wing remained determined to find his daughter. He would've set out, but the rain had set in, and he would catch hypothermia if he was outside too long. So he decided to explore the cottage a little more. He found a small drawer, which he looked through to find a journal, similar to his own. The front was burnt, so he couldn't read the title, but he opened it anyway. The first lined page had some writing on it.

Dear Diary,

My name is Fluttershy. I want to share my thoughts here since it too dangerous to go outside... Ponies are fighting each other, it's horrible out there! I hope my friends are ok... I know Applejack and Rainbow Dash will be though, they've always seemed tougher than the others. What about the rest though? Pinkie won't be able to have a party again, I saw Rarity's cat Opalescence outside, but she didn't come back, and Twilight... Her house must have burned to ashes! Poor Spike... he's just a little dragon, and I would never see him fighting them...

The rest of the entry was literally soaked with tears.

I'll write more later...

Sincerely,
Fluttershy.

Iron Wing shut the book and put it back into the drawer and shut it. At least now he knew she survived the riots, but he was unsure about how she would make it afterwards... He shook his head as if trying to push out any negative thoughts. He then put all of his meager supplies into his saddlebags and flopped onto the bed. He decided that it was too cold to sleep, so he got back up and tried to find something to occupy his time. He took out his switchblade and played tic-tac-toe on the walls with himself till what seemed like a few hours till sunset. He sheathed the blade and got back into the bed, which was strangely warmer this time. He just laid there, staring at the sunset and waiting for the dark to come. He fell asleep just as the sun went down. How the sun and moon rose and fell was anypony's guess, since the princesses were surely dead.

When he woke up again, the now gray light of morning cast eerie shapes within the dark cottage. Iron Wing got up, stretching his legs and wings to get more 'comfortable' before he set out again. He opened his saddlebags and got a bottle of water and an unlabeled can. He used his switchblade to cut it open, and it turned out to be diced potatoes. He tore some loose floorboards out and got a small fire going within the blackened fireplace. He poured the potatoes into a pot he got from his saddlebags and began to cook them over the fire. The orange glow went throughout the cottage, seemingly keeping the darkness and gray from reaching him. When they seemed decent enough, he put out the fire and ate the small meal, washing it down with water.

After finishing his small, but satisfying meal, Iron Wing got up and began to write in his book again.

Entry Two:

I think that I've found the cottage of one of my adopted daughters, Fluttershy, but she isn't here. neither of them are, but it's a start. She apparently kept a journal with herself and wrote one entry, but must have left the book here in a rush. All the windows are broken, so I guess this place has been looted dry. I only found her journal, her bed, and a dead rabbit. I guess the poor thing was her pet. I guess she's really torn up about things. She can't have any more animals, they've all been eaten. Or at least, the ones I've seen have been eaten. I guess that's what cannibals ate before they decided pony tasted better.

Where Rainbow is, I don't have a clue. When she was a filly she loved to fly, so I suppose that she flew elsewhere. Maybe to the ruins of Cloudsdale... maybe. I doubt she'd find anything useful there, though. The cloud part of it is long gone, condensed for water. The buildings probably don't have much. But hell if I know. Haven't been there since the riots.

I'll write more when I find something interesting,

Iron Wing.

He stuffed the pen and journal back into his saddlebags, along with his other provisions. When he was about to put the pistol back in, he stopped for some reason. He couldn't put it in. He just sat there, staring at it. It wasn't much, though. Just a small, slightly rusted .357 six-shooter revolver. He swung out the cylinder, saw that there was still only one bullet, then snapped it shut and opened it again, as if expecting five other rounds to magically appear. Nope, still just the one, the measly, hardly needed one. He closed the cylinder again and cocked the hammer, just to be sure he could instantly pull it out and fire if needed.

He put the gun in his saddlebags and finished packing. He took Fluttershy's journal as well, hoping that if he found her, maybe she'd want it again. He wished that he had something he could carry the bed in, but the size of the mattress was just too big for the small saddlebags. He got up from the floor and stretched his legs, cracking some cricks in his neck as well. Just as he was about to move, he heard something in the distance. Wheels. And several ponies screaming while others laughed and joked about.

"Oh, she was meaty!"

"I think the flames sealed in his juices! Ha!"

"Celestia help me! Help!"

All of those were blurred in as Iron Wing hid below one of the windows. He pulled out the pistol again, making sure the bullet was next to the barrel and ready to fire. He also drew his trusty switchblade and put it into a sheathe. As they got closer, the sounds of screams, crying, and bone being cracked open got louder. However, three sentences reached his ears the clearest.

"What are we going to do Rainbow Dash!?"

"I don't know Fluttershy! I can't break the ropes!"

"Don't even try! I'll cut 'em for the both of ya! 'Cause your next!"

Iron Wing had to cover his mouth to stop himself from screaming.

Chapter 3: Cannibals

Iron Wing racked his mind, trying to find out what to do. They were mere hoof-steps away, but he wouldn't get close enough without getting shot. If he used his one bullet, the rest of the gang would hear the shot, and if he just stayed in hiding, how would he live knowing that Rainbow and Fluttershy had been eaten alive? He wasn't sure if the fluid on his face was sweat, tears, or both. He was shivering, but he knew that making any sound meant instant death. He heard the caravan full of ponies stop, and listened to what they said.

"Alright, these two, the blue and yeller' one are mine. Alright? The smell-"

"What smell?"

"You don't smell it anymore? Anyway, the smells' too bad here, so Ah'm gonna take these two out in the forest. Mah knife'l serve good." One cannibal said. He removed the ropes that bound Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to wooden poles, but not their hoof-binding. Iron Wing peaked out the window to see which direction that the cannibal was walking, and then ducked back down and made a plan. He made his way out the back window of the cottage, and sneaked his way around it. He went into the forest, then in the direction the cannibal went. He stayed low, hiding beneath the dead and withered husks of bushes and trees. He took off his saddlebags and placed them inside an abandoned foxhole. He took out his pistol and switchblade and took them with him.

As he neared where the cannibal took Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, He slowed his pace and got down even further, inching towards where he saw the cannibal and the two mares.

"Git on over bah that tree ova' there!" The cannibal commanded as he waved his knife in their direction. Fluttershy flinched and began to tear up, but Rainbow just glared at him and spat in his face. The cannibal closed his eyes and wiped it off with his open hoof. He kicked Fluttershy to the ground, which would've caused Iron Wing to fire then and there, if it weren't for his ammunition problem, and got closer to Rainbow Dash.

"You seem tah be quite the fighter there, bluey." The cannibal commented. Even from where he was, Iron Wing could smell the stench of blood in his breath.

"I'm not going to just lay back as you gut me. Also, it's Rainbow Dash, not Bluey." Rainbow responded, looking away. "Didn't your mother tell you not to play with your food?"

"'Ah don't know, miss, There don't seem to be much on ya' ta gut." For once, the cannibal was right. She was pretty skinny, but not twig thin like most of the starved corpses Iron Wing had seen on his travels. Rainbow just spat on the ground near the cannibal.

"And you.." He said, looking over to Fluttershy, who was still crying over the previous attack.

"Shoot, y'all haven't said a word since ya' got here, why don't we git ta know each other? Have some coffee, dinner in Canterlot, wouldn't that be fun?" The cannibal said, straight to her face.

Fluttershy said nothing, but kept on weeping.

"Answer me, mare!" The Cannibal yelled. He then got up and bucked her in the side. She let out a small squeak upon impact and her sobs got louder. Iron Wing kept his hoof on the trigger. This bucker would die.

"Well, if you don't like the sound of that,let's just skip the dayum date and get straight to the kissin'!" He prepared to lift her up and kiss her on the mouth, much to Rainbow's distaste, to say the least, as she fought hard to try and remove her hoof binding. However, she stopped at the sound of a voice.

"That's not how you treat a lady, mother-bucker." It was Iron Wing, gun aiming straight for the cannibal's head.

The cannibal put Fluttershy back against the tree and raised his hoof.

"Look, ah don't want no trouble, alraght?" He said, backing up and ready to call for his allies.

"You call out and you'll get a bullet in your skull." Iron Wing said sternly.

The cannibal walked forward and away from the clearing he as about to gallop away into.

"Now, let's talk. You got any .357 bullets?" Iron Wing said, his voice somewhat calmer than before.

The cannibal found this slight change in tone quite strange, but still chose to respond.

"Not on me... you got any food?" The cannibal responded, also calming his tone.

"I'm not looking to trade, I'm looking for ammo."

"And ah can see why." The cannibal said after he looked closer at Iron Wing's gun.

"Ya' either got one bullet left, or yer' bluffin' me." The cannibal said. This might have been true, but he didn't let his guard down.

"Ya know, if you shoot me,my friends'll hear the shot!" He said hastily.

"Maybe they will, but I'll still get what I want, you dead."

The cannibal said nothing but looked back at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

"I know exactly what you want to do with them, and if you make a single move, I'll kill you. You are a disgrace to ponykind."

"You know what? Ah did what ah had ta' do to protect and feed mah family!"

"You butcher ponies while they're still alive! Doesn't seem very fatherly to me!"

"Hmm..ok, man, ok." The cannibal said apathetically.

There was a moment of silence, but Iron Wing never lowered his gun, and the cannibal never took his eyes off of it. After a while, the cannibal spoke.

"Look, we're not all meat-eaters, hell, some of the group back by the town are even against cannibalism, but we protect our own. Why don't all three of y'all come with us? We could git ya warm beds, clean water-"

"You don't have any of that. You just want to eat us." Iron Wing interrupted.

"... Your good at this... maybe too good."

"Maybe."

Little did Iron Wing know that the cannibal was still inching towards a stone when he occasionally checked for cannibals behind him. He was now mere inches away from it.

"Ya' wanna know what Ah' think?"

"What?"

"I think you're chicken. Y'all ain't ever killed anything in your life."

The cannibal suddenly picked up the rock and threw it. Iron Wing would've fired at the instant the cannibal pulled a sudden movement, but he didn't want to waste his only bullet. The rock hit him in the face and he instantly fell to the ground. The cannibal sped past him and began to attack Fluttershy. He pulled out a kitchen knife, turned her over, and-

BANG.

-fell to the ground as blood spilled from his left eye socket, onto her pick mane and yellow hide.

Iron Wing could hear indistinct shouting, obviously from the cannibal gang, but he didn't care. He got up from his daze and sped over to cut the two from their binding. The ropes fell to the ground as he cut them, but he didn't care to pick them up or the knife that the cannibal had. He just had to get the two mares out of there. Fluttershy had passed out from the shock, so Iron Wing had to pick her up and lift her onto his back, using his wings to keep her from falling as they galloped.

"Follow me!" He yelled to Rainbow Dash. She quickly nodded and they sped into the forest as a small group of cannibals went in pursuit of them. He went by where he put his saddlebags and gave his gun to Rainbow Dash, who unwillingly picked it up, so he could carry his saddlebags. They kept galloping until they found a small ditch, which they hid in, underneath a dead, hollowed-out log. Iron Wing tried his best to not be emotion-heavy after the end of the world, but his heart was going a mile a minute as he put Fluttershy down and tried to remain still. He saw the cannibals on the hill they just came down from, and froze.

"Aw hell, we lost them. Come on, lets get back to the caravan. Make sure to get what you can off of Blazing Storm. I mean, come on, He wasn't dead that long."

The other cannibals nodded and left. Iron Wing waited until he didn't hear the sounds of hooves on the ground anymore. He then made his way out of the area underneath the log.

"Come on. It's safe now.. We need to talk." Iron Wing said between breaths.

"Your right, we do." Rainbow Dash said, somewhat irritated.

Fluttershy was still frozen, traumatized by what happened right in front of her eyes. Sure, she saw where death happened, by she never saw it happen, right in front of her at that. Iron Wing helped her up as she trotted silently up the hill.

Chapter 4: Recovery

They took about two and a half minutes to get up the steep hill. They kept trotting silently, with Fluttershy still on Iron Wing's back. when they came upon a small creek, he set her down and nudged her back into consciousness.

"Fluttershy? Fluttershy you've got to wake up..." Iron Wing said as he lightly nudged her with his hoof. She didn't move for a while, but eventually she woke up.

"Am... Am I dead?" She asked.

"No." Iron Wing responded

"Is Rainbow ok?"

"Yes."

"Am I ok?"

"I think so."

"Are you ok?"

Iron Wing paused for a moment.

"I don't know."

Fluttershy just sat there and buried her face into his chest, which muffled her wailing and kept her tears off of the ground.

Rainbow dropped the pistol, tired of the taste of metal in her mouth. She then trotted over to Fluttershy.

"Hey... 'Shy... it's ok..." She said, trying to calm her down.

After her crying subsided, she lifted her face, sniffing and wiping the leftover tears away.

"Does my mane have blood in it?" She asked in between sniffles.

"A little bit." Iron Wing responded.

"Do you think that the water will wash it off?"

"It'd be cold."

"That's ok."

She got up and shuffled over to the water to clean the blood and dirt out of her pink mane. She instantly shot out of the water after her scalp touched the surface. It was freezing cold, but she slowly dipped her head back in. Iron Wing ran his hoof across her mane in the water to loosen the bits of dirt away. When the condition of her mane could be considered decent, Iron Wing lifted her out of the water.

"Does it look better?"

"Yes."

"Not perfect though, right?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"That's ok."

"I don't have a towel, but you can use my sleeping bag to warm yourself up in."

"That's ok. I don't want you to be cold too."

"Please? I don't want you to get cold either." Iron Wing pleaded.

"A-Alright then." Fluttershy responded softly.

Wait, where is it? Iron Wing thought.

Oh no.. no.. no... He left it in the cart. He forgot the cart at the cottage. It'd be too dangerous to go back now.

"I forgot to bring it with me. I'm sorry."

"Oh... that's fine." Fluttershy responded, hiding her disappointment well.

"Hey, do you mind if I talk to you in private for a moment?" Rainbow interrupted.

"What about Fluttershy?"

"If she needs us, we'll be in calling distance." She responded simply.

"Well... ok. Fluttershy, if you need us, just call. ok?"

"O...ok..." She responded.

They trotted a good distance away into a part of the forest with more dead plants. Rainbow flapped her wings once to get over stumps in her way, while Iron Wing just walked around them, as he was less willing to fly in times like these. When Rainbow stopped, Iron Wing did as well.

"So, what do you ne-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Rainbow smacked him with the back of her hoof, leaving a sizable imprint on his muzzle. He could taste a slight hint of blood in his mouth.

"What in Equestria do you think you're doing!?" Rainbow yelled at him.

"I'm trying to help you tw-"

"After all the stuff you put us through, all the times you yelled at us, and after all the times you came home drunk, after you KICKED US OUT, you expect us to come with you!? Forget it! I'd rather be eaten by cannibals than suffer a fate like that!"

Iron Wing rubbed his muzzle as she talked, then responded.

"I didn't want you two to die!"

"Could've fooled me!" She spit back at him.

"I just want to help you!"

"WHY!?"

"I just do!" He said as a small tear began to form in his eye. He turned around and wiped it before she could notice, though.

She kept yelling at him, and he kept trying to talk peacefully with her for several minutes until she came to a decision.

"You know what? I don't care if you take Fluttershy with you or not. I'm leaving!"

"NO!" Fluttershy responded, who had been hiding behind the stump of a tree as they argued. She galloped up to Rainbow with tears in her eyes.

"What are you trying to prove? Why are you trying to leave!?" She wailed. Rainbow stood where she was, stunned by her sudden appearance. Iron Wing did the same.

"I... I..." Rainbow stuttered.

"I won't have any friends left if you leave..." At that point, she'd let her floodgates down and sobbed upon the dirt. Rainbow hugged her as one would hug their sibling and finally spoke back.

"Ok... I'm not leaving. I'll stay."

She glared back at Iron Wing.

"So long as the past doesn't repeat itself."

Chapter 5: Suffering

The small group found themselves in a house after some uneventful trotting back into the city. Iron Wing had put down the saddlebags and was looking for something to barricade the door with. He had located a small, broken machine which he couldn't make out the origin of. It was heavy though, so he pushed it across the floor, screeching across the chipped linoleum in the kitchen and hallway. Rainbow Dash had looked for bedding upstairs, but just found some fluffy material. Only enough for one pony, really. He she brought it downstairs to Fluttershy, who had been looking the main living room near the entrance of the house for anything of use. She didn't find much but a small plastic trashcan full of assorted junk and ash, which she managed to pick a ash filled water bottle and a ceramic dinner plate out of.

"Hey Flutters." Rainbow said.

"O-oh... I found some... stuff..." She said meekly.

"Like what?" Rainbow questioned.

"Just this bottle... and a plate..." She said, disappointed in her find.

"Hey, we could fill that bottle, and we can eat off of the plate." Rainbow said, trying to comfort her friend. She knew she felt like a burden, but Rainbow found her as a great pony to have around. She just seemed to brighten up the usual gloom a bit.

"What good would the plate do?" Fluttershy asked.

"I dunno, make you feel a bit more at home, I guess?" Rainbow said back with a small smile.

"Y..yeah.. I think that would help." Fluttershy said, her frown turning back into a grin.

Iron Wing had finished barricading the door, and the heavy pushing took its toll on him. He was heaving as he rested against the wall next to the door. He pushed the black hair out of his eyes and got back up. He trotted over to the two mares, and Rainbow Dash returned to her now usual mood.

"Hey." Iron Wing said simply.

"What?" Rainbow said sharply.

"I just wanted to see if everything was alright."

"We're fine. Thanks for asking." Fluttershy said kindly.

Rainbow remained silent, keeping her disapproval upon her face.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch. You two could share the beds upstairs, if you'd like."

"There's only one up there. I'd say it's large enough for two ponies." Rainbow responded with an almost monotone voice.

"What about that white fluff?" Iron Wing responded.

"I was going to give it to Fluttershy, for a pillow. I can rest my head on the mattress."

"Um.. Rainbow, are you sure?" Fluttershy asked.

"What's the problem?"

"I.. I thought if you had it, it'd be like sleeping on a cloud..."

"It's fine... you need it more than I do."

"Please? I'll be ok... honest.." She said as she looked away.

Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Alright, but just this once. After that, I won't use it anymore."

"Ok." Fluttershy responded.

"Will you be alright D.. I mean... Iron Wing?"

Iron Wing was slightly disappointed at her change of words.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He responded. "If you need me, just holler."

"Ok. Night." Rainbow Dash responded.

She and Fluttershy both trotted upstairs to find the bed. Fluttershy looked back and waved goodbye to Iron Wing silently. Iron Wing trotted over to the torn and basically broken couch. It was probably a step up from sleeping on the floor, so he chose to rest here instead of forcing a constant awake state any further. The couch was uncomfortable, itchy, and there must have been some spring that was poking Iron Wing in the back, but he didn't care. The floor had to be worse. He managed to drift off to sleep after about half an hour.

Iron Wing opened his eyes on the hospital bed, a white ceiling, a pain in his side, and a constant beeping of two heart monitors to his left. He somewhat painfully turned over to see if Robin Feather was awake.

"Honey? You up?" He asked to her.

"Yes." She answered with a grunt as she turned over to face him.

"You feel any better?" He asked her, concerned about her well being.

"I suppose, perhaps a little more than yesterday." She responded after pulling up her covers a little bit.

"Any recovery is better than none." Iron Wing said optimistically.

Robin Feather simply nodded, still not quite awake yet.

"Do you know when breakfast is honey?" Robin Feather asked after a while.

"I'd say about half an hour. Why?" Iron Wing asked. Robin Feather simply winced and grabbed her stomach.

"It'll be fine, Robin. Why don't we talk to get your mind off of your hunger?"

"Not much to talk about when you've had a good number of your bones broken by a manticore..."

Iron Wing's ears flopped down on his face.

"...I'm sorry... I just-"

"It's ok. It's ok... I'm just a bit sad right now..."

"Thank Celestia that ranger came..."

"Yeah..." Robin Feather tried to lay on her back, but her broken wing made her shoot straight back up.

A nurse came in with a tray with several foods and a newspaper. Iron Wing and Robin Feather thanked her as she left.

Iron Wing leaned up and picked up a newspaper from the tray. He pushed the tray to Robin Feather, who smiled back to him in thanks. Iron Wing laid back down and flipped open the newspaper. After going through several stories, one in particular intrigued him.

"Hey Honey, did you hear about the new flu going around?" Iron asked.

"No, why?"

"Just wondering... it says that there's already forty cases of it back in Ponyville."

"It's probably just a sniffle going around. Nothing too scary to me."

"Oh, alright." Iron Wing set the newspaper back down and laid back down.

"I'm going to rest for a bit Robin, I'm not very hungry."

"Alright dear. Goodnight..." He got up and kissed him on the cheek.

"Love you." She whispered to him.

"Love you too, Robin." Iron Wing closed his eyes.

Iron Wing woke, with a single tear streaming down his face and several more forming in his eyes. He only let out a small cry for a moment before calming down a bit and getting up. He wiped his face and looked about. He caught a glimpse of Fluttershy at the top of the stairs, but she ducked away before he could see her face. He sighed, and then laid back down, turning his face into the sofa and weeping himself to sleep.

Chapter 6: Dust

The trio searched the house for anything of use, and found just a fruit cocktail and a jar of grease. They left the grease behind for obvious reasons. With their combined strength, they removed the barricade and left the house, taking a road east. They watched as they trotted through the charred landscape. Trees white and fallen, buildings reduced to half of their height, skeletons, bloodied and broken, laid all over the road and land, and Iron Wing simply pushed his way through the ones he couldn't get around. Fluttershy stayed close to Iron Wing and the cart, while Rainbow Dash strayed a bit behind, looking for followers. When they reached the town of what they believed to be Baltimare.

"Let's take a look." Iron Wing said to the two.

They trotted close to the beach in search of food. The sand was dirty, the water was grey, and the sky as depressing as ever, and nopony knew why. Some believed it was from all of the ashes of the dead, but there was no way to prove it. Fluttershy scanned the beach for umbrellas or towels, or just some sign of life before, but she knew she wouldn't find tem. They had all been taken away for fuel for fires or just protection from the cold rain. Rainbow Dash also scanned the sky, hoping for a patch of blue. Iron Wing looked at the road in front of him. A wheel on the cart got stuck in a hole on the boardwalk, but it didn't break. They searched through a building nearby; titled "Beach Wear" But found nothing usable. The clothes there were too small or thin to provide any protection from the cold.

"If Rarity was still alive, she could stitch these together." Rainbow mumbled.

"Who?" Iron Wing asked, turning his head away from a rack for glasses.

"Rarity, element of Generosity? Jeez, has it really been that long that you forgot all of our names?" She said pessimistically as she pushed past him. Iron Wing sighed and continued searching. Fluttershy, who had been keeping to herself in an abandoned aisle, trotted slowly to Iron Wing. She didn't say or do anything, just sitting and watching him rummage through the ruins. It was about ten minutes before she spoke.

"... D-dad?" She said to him.

He turned, surprised to hear her speak.

"Yes?" He said simply.

"N-nothing..." She dropped her eyes and head back down.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I just wanted to say... thanks."

"What for?"

"For coming back... for saving us from those bad guys... for... f-for..." She started to tear up, a single drop of water going down her face.

"Fluttershy?" Iron Wing asked, concern showing on his face.

"Thank you for being a dad." At this point, her floodgates let loose and she started to bawl.

Iron Wing hugged her, letting her bury her face in his chest and just cry for a while. Every once in a while, he would tell her it's alright, but she'd just cry again.

Rainbow Dash watched from the entrance, saddened that she wasn't able to show the same affection. She sighed and took the one useful thing she found, which was a lockpick, to the cart.

It'd been about half an hour before Fluttershy cried herself to sleep in Iron Wing's hooves. He carried her to the cart and tried to place her in it, but Rainbow Dash stopped him.

"She's not helpless. She can walk for herself." She said angrily.

"Rainbow, for Celestia's sake, she's just tired." Iron Wing said as he let her down.

"I don't care. If she sleeps for too long, it'll throw her internal clock off." She said in the most unforgiving way possible.

Before Iron Wing could say or do anything, Rainbow Dash nudged Fluttershy awake.

"Hey. We need to go." Rainbow commanded.

"W-what?" Fluttershy said groggily.

"We need to go!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

Fluttershy yelped and got up, shaking and hugging the cart.

Iron Wing had a hundred things he wanted to say at that point, but he wasn't going to let the words out.

I am NOT letting that monster out again. Not after what I did to them...

"You don't understand, Fluttershy. The longer we stay, the greater the chance we get attacked by cannibals or starve to death."

Rainbow turned and left before either of the two could say anything in defense. Iron Wing helped her up and helped her trot along the cracked road. The found nothing in the buildings they searched silently along the way, except for half-eaten bits of food that could hardly be considered edible. They took shelter in a clothing store further inland. They ate very little that night, and had no wood to spare for a fire, so they ate their food cold. Iron Wing found them all some better clothing to wear within the place, after looking around in some of the back rooms. For himself, He got a dark-brown hoodie with a broken string, no zipper and hole-filled pockets. For Fluttershy, he found a Black jacket with a some buttons and a pair of sweatpants for her back legs. For Rainbow, he gave a completely dark outfit, a black windbreaker with yellow lines, and a pair of torn running pants. Iron Wing and Fluttershy shared a sleeping bag, but Rainbow refused to sleep, and instead took watch near the entrance.

Iron Wing fell asleep with Fluttershy's mane in his face, but he didn't care to blow it off. He was too tired and didn't want to wake her. He slowly closed his eyes, hoping for a better tomorrow. Any tomorrow would be better than the last one.

Chapter 7: Pains from the past

"I'm going to die, Iron. There's nothing we can do." Robin Feather said.

Her heart monitor's beeping began to slow in the middle of the night. The doctor had previously told both of them that all of the drugs they had given them reduced their immune systems, and Robin Feather had gotten horribly sick. She had not been able to sleep the night before this one, as she could not stop vomiting. And the previous night, she had muscle aches all over her body. She knew she'd be dead soon.

"Honey, don't talk like that... please... you're just sick.. you'll be ok!" Iron Wing had already begun to cry.

"Iron, I'm sorry. I've tried so hard... but it's just too much to bear. I don't know how I've gotten this far alone."

"Robin, you're strong. You survived a manticore attack for Celestia's sake!"

"I know. I know that you want me to survive this, and to get out of this hospital, and go home... but I just can't, Iron. I don't want to survive. Don't you get it? I've been in so much pain for what's felt like forever. Just let me go..."

Iron Wing had no words, only more crying.

"What am I going to do? I have nothing without you. You were my heart and joy... My love... My beautiful Robin..." He recalled her past pet name.

"I know, Iron. I love you too. You brought happiness into my life that nopony else could deliver." She had begun to weep.

"What am I going to do? What'll I do..." Iron Wing stared at the wall blankly as tears left his eyes and dripped onto the white floor.

"Live life. Move on. Just let me go. Don't let me eat you away..."

Don't let me eat you away

let me eat you away

eat you away.

She died around 2 o' clock in the morning the following day. She died peacefully, but Iron Wing still was pained for weeks. At first, he would only leave his bedroom for some food or a sip of water, but then he just laid there. His friend visited him and got him help, but the memory of her always pained him, even worse now.

He woke up, the place he was laying was moist and his face felt wet. He felt the salty taste of tears in his mouth. He also felt a warm line going around his wings and chest. He looked down and saw the palish-yellow hide of Fluttershy. He looked behind him and saw that her face was tear-stained as well, but less than his. She had fallen asleep on him, probably hours ago. He looked around and saw Rainbow Dash, who looked to him with sympathy in her eyes; the first somewhat positive look she had given him since he found them.

"You just started crying in your sleep. It got so loud it woke both of us." She got up and moved closer to him.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

"I don't think you want to know." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Take it from me, If you don't tell somepony your feelings, they only get worse." Her ears flopped down.

"I'm... I'm..." She closed her eyes, as if she was going to be ashamed for what she was about to say.

"You're what?" Iron Wing asked her."

"I'm sorry... for being a jerk all this time... I guess the end of the world doesn't do wonders for your mood..." She laughed a little.

"No, it's alright. I was stupid, hell I was a moron for what I did to you two." He looked down.

"I know, and I'm not sure if I can forgive you for getting mad at us all the time, but at least you didn't beat us. I know I can forgive you for kicking us out though."

"Why?"

"Because if you hadn't, I never would've become the element of loyalty,and I never would've met all of my greatest friends..." She looked out a window into the grey sky.

"Even if they are dead now..."

"Maybe they're not.. maybe they're somewhere..."

"I don't know, maybe." She shrugged.

"So... why were you crying?" She asked him.

"It's a long story."

She pointed out the window with her hoof.

"We have all the time in the world. Might as well start talking, buddy."

He sighed and began to explain to her.

"In my dream, My wife died."

"You had a wife? Then why'd you-"

"She's already dead."

"Oh..."

"When she died, I was broken. I had nopony to love. I literally had no reason left to live. I didn't have a lot of money, I didn't have many exciting things to do, and I only had a few friends. My friend said I ought to adopt a foal or two. It took some convincing, but I did it eventually."

"That's how you found me and Fluttershy in the first place." Rainbow Dash said aloud.

"Yep... anyway, I guess that my anger problems flared up at that point. I really wanted a child, but Robin Feather dying was just too much. I regretted everything I said to you two whenever I woke, but it just repeated itself because I was bucking stupid-"

"You couldn't help it. I know that now..." Rainbow commented.

"Well... maybe that's why I sent you both away when you were almost mares. I made yet another stupid decision, and now I'll never be able to forgive myself for it." Iron Wing simply looked down. He was too tired to cry.

"Hey, you've found us again.. that's what matters, right?"

"I'm only going to make it worse."

"No you won't, I know you'll do better." Rainbow Dash made small smile.

"Yeah... maybe..." Iron Wing got up and roused Fluttershy from her sleep. Rainbow explained the story, and she just cried. None of them ate breakfast as they continued south.

Chapter 8: The Reaper

They found nothing. Nothing along the road they traveled. Barren skeletons were left on the ground. Not even blood was left. Some skeletons even had bite marks on the bone where cannibals had chewed hungrily. They took shelter in a small house, but since it was entirely wood there was no place to build a fire. They put their sleeping bags in the living room. The only things they found when they searched the house were a pair of long-dead beetles. Fluttershy teared up, but Iron Wing decided it was better than cannibalism. He picked them up. and brought them downstairs.

"I-I can't eat that..." Fluttershy shivered.

"It.... didn't want to die." she hid in her unkempt mane.

"I don't want you to die either. Please at least eat a bit of it..." Rainbow Dash begged.

"I-I can't... I'd rather die..."

"You mustn't say that, Fluttershy." Iron Wing responded calmly.

"Why? It's just true... I'm sorry though..." She whispered.

"I get upset when you say that." Iron Wing looked at the meek par of beetles.

"Me too. You don't have to eat it, but promise you'll at least try the next thing we find." Rainbow spoke to her calmly, putting a hoof on her back.

After about a minute, a meek "ok" was all Fluttershy could summon. Iron Wing and Rainbow Dash choked down the beetles. It tasted oily and disgusting, but it was better than starving. They all laid awake in their bags, held back from rest by hunger.

"Do you think we'll make it, Dad?" Fluttershy asked.

Iron Wing found it a bit difficult to respond.

"I don't know. I've heard that somewhere in the south, it's safe, so that's where I've been going."

"Us too. We think our friends made it there." Rainbow Dash butted in.

"I've heard a lot of things about a paradise beyond the desert, even before the plague. Ironic, seeing as how nopony really ever came back when they went there." Iron Wing turned in his sleeping bag.

"M-maybe the reason nopony came back.. I-is because they found something better..." Fluttershy suggested.

"Maybe." Iron Wing replied.

"I still think we should go there, even if there's the slightest chance that life there could be better." Iron Wing said.

"Agreed." Rainbow Dash responded. Fluttershy was able to manage a meek nod before falling asleep.

Iron Wing was startled awake by some nightmare he couldn't remember. As his vision cleared, he got up. He looked around, but only noticed two empty sleeping bags. He heard somepony running around upstairs in an extremely quick manner, and got out his switchblade. He slowly trotted up the stairs, and peeked inside a door. He saw no cannibal or thief, but he did see Fluttershy, tears streaming down her face a she hyperventilated.

"Where are you? Where are you!?" She said through sobbing and tears.

"What's going on?" Iron Wing put his hooves on Fluttershy in an attempt to calm her.

"Rainbow Dash! She's gone!!" Fluttershy screamed.

"Did she leave a note? Did she leave anything!?" Iron Wing said, concerned.

"O-only her sleeping bag..." Fluttershy took a deep breath and calmed slightly, but she was still crying.

Iron Wing hugged her as he wept silently.

"I'm not losing her again.. I'm going to load up the cart, and we're going to find her. We need to look for hoofprints, scraps of food, anything." Iron Wing helped her down the stairs. He began folding the sleeping bags, but then he noticed the cart was gone, along with the gun.

"They took... everything..." Fluttershy said silently. Iron Wing didn't stop though. He was intent on finding his daughter. He got up, and helped Fluttershy onto her hooves, but as he opened the door, he noticed about six stallions with guns, all pointed in his and Fluttershy's direction. He dropped his blade and the bags, but unfolded his wing around Fluttershy.

"Step forward." A feminine voice replied from the dead trees. Iron Wing did so, and stepped foward.

"Her too!" The voice yelled. Fluttershy stepped forward meekly, looking to the ground.

Two more stallions appeared from behind them, armed with bloodied lead pipes.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The voice said before it's owner stepped out into view. It was a yellowish mare with a dark green mane and deep red eyes. She was wearing pieces of metal and a few bits of proper clothing, all of which were blood-stained. She had a grocery bag tied around her, which clacked as she walked, for it was filled with bones, horns, and other inedible bits of meat.

"Who are you?" Fluttershy asked the mare.

"I go by many names in my group, but as far as you're concerned, you may call me The Reaper." She said as she walked around him and Fluttershy, looking at which cuts of meat she could take.

"There's somepony and some things in our possession which we think might be yours." She said in a raspy, cold voice. As she finished, Rainbow Dash was pulled out from under some dead brush. She had several cuts on her, a bloodied nose, and she was bound by rope.

"What did you do to her!?" Iron Wing yelled, but the cannibals aimed their guns at his head as a warning.

"That is none of your concern. What does concern me is a choice you have to make." She looked him in the eyes.

"We possess a good majority of your supplies, some of which have already been consumed. However, we are willing to give what is left back to you in return for something you may not want to give." The Reaper smiled, revealing her makeshift scythe from behind a tree.

"What's that?" Iron Wing said.

"One of your daughters' wings." At that sentence, Two stallions grabbed Fluttershy and Iron Wing, and bound them with rope despite their resistance.

"Let her go!" Iron Wing yelled.

The Reaper paid no attention to his command.

"So, what will it be? Your food? The blue one's wing? Or hers?" She waved her scythe at the items she described.

Iron Wing's eyes darted around. He didn't want to starve, but he couldn't let one of those pony-eating freaks take away Rainbow's or Fluttershy's wing.

"What will it be?" The Reaper commanded.

"Let them take mine! I'm not starving!" Rainbow yelled.

"Don't let them hurt me dad!" Fluttershy cried.

Iron Wing had no idea what to do. A million things rushed through his mind as The Reaper stared at him, waiting for his decision.

"What will it be!?" She screamed, holding her scythe to his throat.

"Dad!" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy yelled.

"Take mine." Iron Wing said simply.

"Ooh. This just got interesting..." The Reaper took her scythe away from his throat.

"Don't do it Dad! Please!" Fluttershy yelled.

"Take my wings, just don't hurt them.. please..." Iron WIng looked her directly in the eye.

The Reaper put her face into his, her nose touching his own.

"Those were just the words I was looking for." She pushed her lips against his, forcing a kiss before pulling away.

"Leave him alone!" Rainbow Dash yelled as Fluttershy looked away.

"This stallion is willing to give his wings, just to save his daughters from suffering. That is a loving father!" The other cannibals laughed. One stallion unfurled Iron Wing's left wing, and another got a rusty saw ready.

"I'm sorry Dashie... I love you both, just look away..." Iron Wing begged the two mares.

"Daddy... don't let them hurt you!" Fluttershy begged, but it was too late. The cannibal let the blade cut through the flesh, then the muscle, and stopped just to let Iron Wing scream. The burning pain in his joint made his wing vibrate. Fluttershy cried, and Rainbow Dash just yelled at them. As the saw began to cut through bone, Iron Wing felt nauseous, but had nothing in his stomach to vomit up. The others chanted some song as the bone marrow became visible. When the bone had been cut through entirely, the wing went limp, and The Reaper grabbed the wing with her teeth and pulled it off, blood covering her face as she and some other cannibals began to chew into it. The one holding Iron Wing began to cut some more, not even giving Iron Wing a chance to recover. The blade tore through blood veins, spraying blood in different directions, even into Iron Wing's eyes. Some of the other cannibals began to fight over the first wing as it began to run out of meat. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both cried as they saw their "Father" in pain and anguish because he didn't want them to be hurt. As Iron Wing's other wing had finally been sawed off, The one holding the saw thew Iron Wing out of the way as he tore into his wing along with the others.

"Now let us out!!" Rainbow Dash yelled through her tears. Fluttershy couldn't stop crying long enough to speak. Iron Wing could hardly see through his blurred vision, but he managed to make out the saw blade and one of the cannibal's rifles. He inched towards both in pain as the dirt rubbed against his wounds. He yelled out in pain a few times, but kept moving almost constantly.

"All of the meat's gone!" One cannibal yelled.

"We'll eat them!" The Reaper yelled, licking blood off of her lips as she looked at the two bound mares not too far away.

"No!!" Fluttershy yelled.

"Stay away from her!" Rainbow yelled at the mob of seven.

Iron Wing had managed to get to the saw. He tried to cut as fast as he could, but the rusty saw snagged and got stuck several times.

"DAD! HELP!!!" Fluttershy yelled. Rainbow Dash kicked at one of the cannibals, giving it a blood nose which showed well on his white coat.

Iron Wing heard Fluttershy's calls. He brought the rope down hard upon the saw, finally cutting it all. He grabbed for the rifle and checked the clip to see that it was fully loaded. He rammed it back in and took a quick shot at the mob. It hit the reaper in the leg, and the rest backed off.

"Leave them alone!!" Iron Wing yelled, standing on his hind legs so he'd be a better shot.

"Take it easy!" One of the cannibals yelled.

"Shut up!" Iron Wing yelled. His vision slowly cleared as his anger grew.

The Reaper pulled out a kitchen knife and charged at Iron Wing. He aimed and pulled off a few shots but she didn't stop her movement. She brought down the knife on his shoulder, which made him yell out in pain. He bashed her off, pulling out the knife and charging forward. She punched him in the face and bit onto his foreleg, but he didn't let go of the gun. He pushed her off, her teeth tearing off some of the flesh as she fell back. He hit her in the face with the barrel of the rifle, which caused her to fall to the ground.

"No, DON'T!" She yelled. But Iron Wing still pulled the trigger. He then fired a few shots at the other cannibals, who abandoned their leader and ran off. Leaving their weapons behind in fear.

"D...Dad?" Fluttershy asked.

Iron Wing just looked back at them, then collapsed to the ground.