Bloody Logs: The Later Days

Chapters

Chapter 1: A New Day, A New Equestria
Chapter 2: The Dead Mark Crusaders
Chapter 3: Hearts and Daggers
Chapter 4: Trouble in Raider Town
Chapter 5: Quantum Gaze
Chapter 6: Memories

Chapter 1: A New Day, A New Equestria

Day 43

My head still hurts. Since day 1 I have been having this headache, and I still didn't discovered what happened in February.

Today I found some survivors from the disaster. They carried big assault rifles with them so I didn't got near, They could be dangerous. At least they looked civilized enough, differently than the ones I found before. Those ones wore spiked armor on their bodies, their hooves and faces covered in blood. One time I have seen them take a filly. Poor kid, probably was raped to death from those raiders.

Tomorrow morning I'll be going in search of food, it seems I'm running out of it.

I woke up, looking at the morning sky as always. The sun hasn't risen yet, but I could see the light coming beyond the mountains. It was a very calm morning, and I got up looking at my broken fridge.

“Oh well, guess I'm out of food.” I talked to myself.

Looking down the hill I was there was the small town of Ponyville, or how I like to call it now: Torture Town. There is the residence of a few dozen of raiders. Every week I see that they captured another poor soul to their catacombs. After food became rare, they appealed to cannibalism, but I don't judge them, I might have to do it myself if I keep running out of food like this. The raiders didn't really know about my existence. I lived surrounded by bushes and trees, and I would be covered in mud.

Oh well, sorry, I guess I didn't quite explained who I am. My name is Falcon and I'm a pegasus and my cutie mark is... well, a Sword and a shield, but I always found myself liking guns more than melee weapons. A stallion if you haven't noticed.My coat used to be red colored, but now due to the camouflage, it is brown. I'm recording this story since I have the habit of forgetting things. I remember a few thing before the month of February, and nothing during February, after that, all that there was around was this place where I live now, and a Equestria left to it's doom. I don't remember why I'm here, but apparently the apocalypse came and killed everyone. Except me and those brainless ponies. I think that 43 days of pure insanity left them like that. Fortunately I still have some, and had not appealed to eating meat, but not for long, sooner or later this place is going to turn me upside down and I'm going to become like them. I just hope to remember what happened to my friends and family before this all happened.

I heard around from some traders and groups of survivors that Canterlot became a survival post. Maybe the princesses are there, doing her job of at least bringing the sun and the moon for me every night. Maybe I should go there, but every time I try to talk to someone, they try to shot me with their big rifles. I end up flying away or hiding, but I never asked why, maybe they confuse me with a raider. Well, I use raider armor, so it might explain it, but that is the only kind of protection I have around. Or maybe I was the one who caused all this. Who knows.

“Well, maybe the Everdead Forest might have something for me.” I told myself again as I walked in the direction of what used to be the Everfree Forest.

I moved slowly, moving from shadow to shadow, and trying to make no sound whatsoever, but I was never that good at stealthily spying. After I found a few fruits at the forest, I decided to see what those raiders were up to. Recently they brought a little filly into town. I'd hate to see another kid get raped and killed right after, specially with all the sound they make. They don't stop screaming. I can hear them from the top of my hill, but what is really bad is the raiders screaming and fighting to see who would end up fucking her the next. Well, I thought that if I rescued her, maybe she won't shoot me and I actually have a chance to speak with somenone after all those days. It gets lonely after a while.

There was the town hall, in the middle of the city, I had already sneaked through the gates and a few guards. I wasn't planning on calling any attention, but if things ended up heating up, I had my six shooter with me. a .44 revolver I had before the disaster. I loved the thing, and had conserved a big amount of ammo through the weeks of scavenging.

It was night time. By now all the raiders either went to sleep, or went to party, probably raping the little filly. I really don't know how they can do that. They are definitely sick and insane.

I also don't understand how those kids survived that long. There isn't monsters walking around, well, other than a few dragon and maybe manticores, but nothing so dangerous. I also saw a Changeling once, but he was with other ponies, surviving with a group. I think that this disaster brought enemies close together to make them friends. These kids probably were part of a group, and got lost or ran away.

I got near one of the big broken windows, with my revolver at my mouth. I was ready to shoot as soon as I could. The raiders were letting the kid run around, and they were going after it. They were playing with her like she was a dog, but she was scarred and crying. Those lads were going to kill her and she knew that. I had removed my camouflage, and was wearing the raider armor. I hadn't tested this out, but I think they might be dumb enough to end up thinking I'm one of them.

On the room there was about six of them. I could take each with one shot, but I would make enough sound so the rest came after me. I was waiting for a distraction. I also kept with me a small pocket knife, enough to take one of them if taken by behind and stabbed on the neck. That was how I got this armor. Suddendly I heard the sound of a door being slammed open and looked at the entrance of the Town Hall. there was a pony with a slightly better armor and gun and his neck. I guessed that was the tribe leader.

“Hey, you dumb fucks, there is a pack of Timberwolves at the entrance of the city, and the other guards might need some help taking the things down.” He screamed with the raiders playing with the filly. “Stop messing around and go help, just leave the girl locked here and you all can come back to play with it later!”

The six ponies obeyed. Two of them stayed behind to lock the door, while the other four simply ran with their rifles and sub machine guns at hand. I took a closer look and saw that the area was clear. I was rather lucky with that distraction. The area for me to go down was high, but luckily I could fly. The odds were with me today. The filly was trying to find a way to open the door. I jumped down the window to get in the room.

The filly heard the sound of my landing and turned around to see me. she then panicked and backed off, but had nowhere to run. She then hid her face with her hoofs. The filly was a white unicorn with a purple and pink curly mane and tail.

“Don't hurt me, please!” She pleaded for mercy. Just now I realized I was still with the revolver's handle on my mouth. I immediately took the gun away on it's holster, located at my leg.

“Shh!” I told her to be quiet. “I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to take you out of here.” I tried to talk with her, btu she just stood hiding her face.

“Hey, my name is Falcon, and I'm sneaking into this camp to get you out of here. Where are your parents, do you happen to know?” I tried talking to her, but she was traumatized by the situation.

“My parents are dead, I was searching for my sister.” She told me, still hiding in fear. This was sad. The filly had lost the parents, and it looks like now I would take care of her, at least for now, and if I even get out of here.

“Look kid-”

“It's Sweetie Belle! I have a name!” She interrupted me.

“Okay, Sweetie Belle. I'm going to help you. First, we are getting out of this godforsaken place, and then I'm going to help you find your sister, okay?” I tried to calm her. I stepped closer. I tried to put my hoof on her head to calm her down, maybe give the kid a hug. I wasn't good with kids, but maybe I could calm her down.

My hoof touched her hair, she then was fast and used her magic to grab my gun out of it's holster and pointed at me.

“Whoa there kiddo! I'm no enemy!” I backed away from her, since now she held my gun.

“If that is true, why do you wear their clothes?!” She asked me pointing the gun at my head. This is what happens when I try to be a good pony. I do it wrong. Or maybe this was usual for her, this would explain how she survived so much time.

“I told you" I had to sneak up some how!”

“Likely story!” She brought the gun even closer to my eyes. She was ready to blow my face up. “If that is true and they did not catch you yet, you going to take me out of here, but I'll keep the gun. If you try anything funny, I'll blast you up!” She threatened me.

“Deal.” I agreed with her offer, since my life depended on it, and since I came here to do pretty much the same thing, but not as a hostage of a kid. A very smart kid.

She climbed in my back. The revolver at the back of my head as I started flying to get out by the window I used to get in. I could hear the shots from distance as the raiders fought their way against the timberwolves.

I was using the same way I did before, since the raiders were concentrating on the timberwolves, there wasn't anybody out to see me. I stopped for a second.

“Shit!” I whispered. Sweetie Belle positioned the gun on the back of my head again.

“What is it? Why did you stop moving?” She asked me. The shots have stopped.

“The raiders stopped shooting. They are either dead or they finished with the timberwolver, and I'm willing to believe in the latter.”

“What does it have to do with anything?” She asked me, as I wasting her time.

“This means they will see that you escaped any moment now.” I explained to her what I thought was going to happen. “They might be coming after us by now.”

“Just keep moving, lets hope that does not happen.” She told me as I went back to walking with her on my back.

“Secure the perimeter, they shouldn't have gone too far!” I heard a pony screaming from distance. This was a bad sing.

Me and Sweetie Belle tried our best, but every ten seconds, a group of raiders passed by us. We didn't have nowhere to go. I had put myself in so much trouble after I decided to save her.

Near the gates of the town, which was the only way to escape since the city had a walls surrounding it. As I tried to approach it, three raiders saw me and Sweetie. On of them ran back to warn the rest and the other two started shooting at us.

“I thought they didn't want to kill you!” I told Sweetie Belle.

“They were going to make me food. How did you expect me to be alive after that?!” She blamed me back.

We jumped behind a cover near the entrance. This was very convenient. There was two ponies shooting at us with assault rifles and sub machine guns. I only had one chance. I opened a second holster on my leg with contained an attachable scope for my revolver.

“Quick, Sweetie Belle, pass me the gun!” I urged her.

“What? No way! I don't trust you!” She screamed at me.

“Do you want to be raider food or live another day?” I asked her the question of the century.

“Okay, you have a point. But after this, I will get the gun back.” She gave me a condition.

“Alright. If I die, grab the gun and the ammo on my bags and run.” I told her what to do if I was killed, as I attached the scope at the gun.

I checked the ammo on my gun, and fortunately it was fully loaded. I had some distance between the raiders and us, so the scope would give me a huge advantage, specially when their guns weren't that accurate. I peeked out of cover when on of the raiders stopped to reload. I took the opportunity.

Bam! Bam! Bam! I shot tree times. One hitting the raider reloading in the head and instantly killing him, another giving a near miss on the other raider and the third shot landing on his leg. I backed away. Another thing I could see was five more ponies arriving. I took time to reload three bullets into the mag.

I peaked again and saw the six ponies starting shooting at me and Sweetie Belle. I took a breath and shot. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Tick. I unloaded the clip at them. Hitting three of them at the head. and other two at the chest. The last shot missed.

“Okay, five down, two to go!” I said as I reloaded another six shots at my weapon. I got up and met with the raider's boss, who came slightly closer than the rest of the raiders. He had a mounted mini gun at his body, holding the handle by the mouth. I could easily penetrate his armor with my bullets, but If I got up again, I would definitely get hit. I needed another distraction. I looked at the pack of used bullets on the ground, and looked at Sweetie Belle's horn.

“Idea!” I said in excitement. Sweetie looked at me with a funny look.

“You sound a lot like my sister when you say "idea". What is on your mind.” She asked me

“Can you use your telekinesis to grab all these used bullets and shape them together and make a ball?” I asked her.

“Yes, I can.” She replied to me. “You want to make a distraction, don't you?”

“Yes, I want.” I pleaded her.

“I'm on it.” Sweetie's horn began to glow green. Taking the bullets along with some dirt and made a fake grenade. This wouldn't take their attention for more than a few seconds,but that was all I needed.

Sweetie threw the fake grenade over the cover into the air. I heard the mini gun stopping to spin, and got up with my revolver at my mouth. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! I fired five shots. Two of them landing on their leader's face. and killing him, the other three went for the the raiders at distance, who reacted were fast to react and shot back. I killed all the three remaining, but one of the raiders' shots landed on my chest, close to my neck. I got lucky. I dropped behind the cover, and dropped the gun at the ground. It still had one bullet left. Sweetie was fast and took it.

I tore apart the only part made of leather on this armor I had and used it to wrap around the wound and prevent bleeding. I started hearing more raiders coming out of the houses they were using to sleep, and so leaving us with no time at all. I told Sweetie to run ahead, since I would take some time to properly walk or fly with this pain. Luckily, we were near the entrance and got out of that place fast. I made a signal for Sweetie to meet me at the top of the hill, where my home was located.

Chapter 2: The Dead Mark Crusaders

Day 44

Well, yesterday I got shot saving a kid called Sweetie Belle that was captured by the raiders. I have no idea what she was doing running around for them catch her, but apparently she is very smart, or I'm very dumb. When I went to save her, she stole my weapon and made me her hostage.

Fortunately, I manage to escape, only getting shot at the chest by a raider. I hope it didn't hit anything that important. I'm now resting, registering this log. on the morning I'll go with Sweetie Belle at some kind of hideout, where she used to be hiding with other two friends. Apparently I have now became a babysitter and a hostage of one of them.

Not mentioning I promised Sweetie help her look for her sister, but I don't have my hopes up. After I woke in this place, I went looking for my friends, but the ones I found were dead, and the rest simply disappeared. Whatever happened to this place, made living here worse than Tartarus.

About Sweetie Belle, this kid is very smart indeed, she knew how to survive all this time alone, or with her friends. She seemed to handle the death of her parents pretty well. I bet she lost a lot of people too. When I finish this up, I will go talk to her, maybe then she will trust me. But I couldn't be happier. All this time I have been alone. She was the first that gave me a chance to talk and not shoot at me instantly. But I think she didn't had a choice. Without me she wouldn't get out of that camp.

Reminder: Don't wear raider armor ever again. If I start travelling with Belle, ponies will think I captured her and now taking her to some kind of camp.

Reminder 2º: Search for meds. With this pain, I won't be able to fly.

“Soooo... Why do you live here, so near their camp?” Sweetie Belle asked me.

“Now that I think about it, I don't even know. When I woke, This was already here already. I kinda just turned it on my house. The fridge was full of food, that kept me running until yesterday. I sleep on that rock there.” I answered her.

“Now, about me being near their camp, I don't know as well. These dead trees and bushes kept me hidden, so they never disturbed me. I killed one of them with my knife here and got their armor. After that, I think that whenever they saw me, they would think I was one of them.” I explained what I thought could be the answer. I wasn't sure myself. Seeing this way, I could have been captured any time. I just had luck.

“You are kinda dumb, no offense.” She continued. “Living here is just walking for them to come for you. It's suicide.”

I looked down. I was sitting right next to her. It was night. I didn't have any kind o light. Fortunately the moonlight kept things visible. “Maybe I want to die.” I told her. She looked surprised at me.

“So why didn't you did it already. You have a gun, you could just shot yourself.” She was cold. The coldest kid I ever saw. This place might have turned her into a different pony. “I mean-” I interrupted her.

“I know what you mean. The thing is... I have a lot of unanswered questions, like what happened in February. And maybe the world might need me. What if I was meant to change this place.” I told her. “But I'm also unsure. Ponies became a lot different than I remember before. Hope is one of the only things I have left.”

“You can't just sit here and wait for your opportunity.” She shared some wisdom. “You have to get up, turn that frown upside down, and keep up.” She started getting excited. “If the world bring you down, you get up! Yeah that's right! You show what you're capable of!” She tried to incentive me.

“Guess you're right.” I told her. Now, she was happy for some reason. Until now, I had only seen her sad. “Tomorrow we'll find your friends and I'll help you find your sister.” I told her, keeping my promise.

“Now, go and try to get some rest. I won't move until morning and this pain is killing me, literally.” I got up and went to my rock.

I only had one blanked, and the night was kinda cold. Sweetie would freeze. I grabbed with my mouth and wrapped her on it. She thanked me, and went back to trying to sleep. I wasn't that bad of a babysitter after all.

“Are we near there?” I asked like a kid on a trip that it didn't want to be in.

“We are close.” Sweetie Belle replied. We had been walking for some minutes now. We got out of my camp on the starting of the morning. Now, we were going across an dead apple orchard. It was part of a farm near Ponyville. There was a sing at the entrance showing the name of the farm. "Sweet Apple Acres" was what read in the sing.

From my hill, I could see some of the fields of this farm, but never ventured enough to come to this place. The nearest place I went was the Everdead Forest. Sorry, I meant Everfree. I have to keep the original names in mind.

After some walking, me and Sweetie Belle were near a destroyed tree house. This could be the place she was hiding all this time. It was better than mine, but it was as dangerous as mine, since it was somewhat easy to spot.

“Apple Bloom! Open the door!” Sweetie Belle screamed at the window of the tree house. Seconds later, a yellow earth pony filly with red colored mane and tail, and a big pink teared lace on her head head. According to Sweetie Belle, that was Apple Bloom.

“Sweetie! I thought you were a gonner!” The yellow pony sounded excited. The filly went back to the house and dropped the ramp for us to climb into the house. I was just following Sweetie Belle at this point. The house was just a room. there was a table, but it wasn't filled with with almost anything than posters and a map of ponyville with some marked structures.

Inside the house there was another filly. A orange pegasus, with very small wings and a purple colored hair. Even when I was a colt, I had wings bigger than those.

“Sweetie, I'm so glad that you are okay!” The little pegasus galloped at Sweetie and gave her a hug.

“Yeah, I'm glad to see you too, Scootaloo.” Sweetie Belle hugged her friend back.

“So, who is the new guy?” the pegasus called Scootaloo asked.

“I guess you can say that he rescued me from a few raiders, and now he is my hostage.” She explained the situation to her friends. At this point I was used to her calling me a slave just because she has my gun. I just don't get it back because I don't want any accidents to happen either to us, or to anything around us, and also because I don't hit kids.

“Wait. Lemme get this straight. You got captured by raiders, they were going to kill you, than he showed up and saved you, and then you made him your slave?” Apple Bloom asked, trying to see how this happened.

“Actually, I made him my hostage before he saved me, but that doesn't matter. He is going to help us find our sisters!” Sweetie Belle jumped in excitement. Apple Bloom facehoofed as she took the gun from Sweetie Belle. “Hey, that is mine!” She tried to take it back, but Apple Bloom refused.

“That is not right Sweetie. I know everything is different now, but you can't turn ponies against their wills like this. Specially after he saved you!” Apple Bloom argued with her friend. She seemed much more mature than Sweetie. I guess the wasteland didn't affect her as much.

“But what if it gives me my cutie mark?!” Sweetie Belle pleaded. Oh, I forgot to mention that the three of them doesn't have their cutie marks yet.

“You really want a cutie mark at slavery?” Apple Bloom had a point. I don't think that a cutie mark like that would be nice. “Here you go mister, your gun.” Apple Bloom handed me over the gun. I took it and guarded it on its holster. It still had one bullet just like before and the scope was attached as well. I unattached and unloaded the gun before guarding it.

“So, where are we going next?” Scootaloo impatiently asked.

“We will work something out. We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders after all.” Sweetie Belle tried cheering everyone up. She then looked at me with a look of doubt. “Why are you still here? You're free to go! I'm not keeping you as a hostage now.”

“I can't really leave you kids wander around this dreadful land without safety, what if a bunch of raiders catch you again?” I stayed for the sake of those kids. They weren't going to stay untouched for much longer. “And also, I think I caused enough trouble to the raiders last night that they are probably searching for us now.”

“All we need to do is get out of the city limits. I bet they won't come that far.” Sweetie Belle tried to assure me.

“I wouldn't be so sure about that. I don't know how they will handle the death of their boss. They might be searching for us, so if you guys will go somewhere, I'd be happy to accompany you.” I refused to leave them. I don't think that staying around for much longer would be good. Maybe I can take them to the Canterlot refugee camp. That would be the best place to see if their sisters are alive, and at least they would be safe there. I don't want they being taken by those raiders, or raiders of other regions of Equestria.

“I heard there is a camp over Canterlot, That is the safest place to be around Equestria, according to some ponies I heard around. Who knows, maybe your sisters are there.” I continued. “It's worth checking.”

“Do you think Applejack is there?” Apple Bloom asked with a little of excitement. I think her sister is lost as well. Sweetie Belle also gained some hope. Scootaloo didn't move an inch. I think she wasn't searching for anyone.

“Well, how are we going to Canterlot if there isn't even a train available? The only train around is the one at the town, and it is infested by raiders, and we don't even know if it is going to work!” Scootaloo.

“Who said we need to take the train? We can walk the railroads or just walk to the mountain and fly it up. I could take Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, and you can fly it up.” I countered. The trip would take days if not by train, but if I can at least get these fillies somewhere safer, it would be nice.

“You make it sound easy.” Scootaloo replied. “I don't know if you noticed, but I can't fly with these wings!”

Yeah. Turns out that the pegasus can't fly because of the small wings. Really nice Falcon. Indirectly offend the kid, what a babysitter.

“He can still fly you up as well. The plan still works.” Sweetie Belle countered Scootaloo. Apparently I got them in some kind of discussion.

“Alright, alright, I got it. It's not like I have a choice. If you guys leave me here, I would end up dead after all.” Scootaloo inpatiently stopped the discussion, giving up, and agreeing on going too. “There isn't anything worth fighting out there, but I don't really want to die.” She commented over her decision. That commentary was kinda sad, I think that she went through a lot before and after the accident.

“We will check the train on Ponyville. If it don't works, we will have to walk. Since we are going, we may want to wait for night to fall so we can sneak the camp up.” I re-checked the plan with everyone and turned back to the door. “Pack up whatever you need. I'll be waiting outside.”

“Wait!” Apple Bloom stopped me before I went outside. “We didn't quite catch your name, mister.”

“It's Falcon.” I told her, and walked out of the tree house back into the dead apple orchard.

Night was falling. The sun had already left and the moon was the only thing that lit our land. It was clear enough to see something moving miles away, so I told everyone to stay put. I looking at the entrance of Ponyville, waiting for a chance to get in unnoticed, but apparently they reinforced after my escape. I can't believe I was going in there so soon again. I just wanted to leave this place and never come back by now. I used my attachable scope as a binoculars to keep an eye on the guards. They weren't giving us much of a chance, and the ones they gave only lasted seconds. I needed more time, like a minute or more.

“I'm not sure we will even get the chance to check that train at the station.” I gave an update to the three fillies, waiting my permission to follow me in there. “Do any of you know some kind of secret passage to get it?”

“You're a fully grown pegasus, just fly there!” Scootaloo reminded me. It wasn't that easy. The injury I had would hurt a lot, making me unable to fly with out screaming in pain. I told those rifles were powerful

The other two didn't knew anything. I had another plan in mind, but it was risky, enough that it could cost my life.

“Do any of you know how to use a gun?” I asked them.

“Big Macintosh once let me use a revolver at our farm. I don't have much experience but I can take care of something.” Apple Bloom told me about her experience with shooting a gun. A filly with some experience in shooting, creepy but efficient

“Rarity always had a hidden silenced pistol in case somepony tried to steal her dresses or gems. I never used it, but I took sometime to examine it to see how it worked. Maybe I could have gotten myself a gun expert cutie mark.” Sweetie Belle told me about her experience on how a weapon works. She could be of some use in this situation.

“A raider once invaded our little campsite. I took his gun and shot at him. It was easy though, he didn't have much of a reaction time. It all happened in mere seconds.” Wow. This was impressive. Scootaloo, for a flightless pegasus, she was very agile, that could be useful. “But what exactly are you planning? Getting in a free fire zone with us as soldiers?”

“No. Not at all. I was planning on leaving you guys my revolver and my ammo.” I looked at the raider camp. “That place gotta have another way in. I go in there alone, leaving the three of you here with my gun in case they find you, and I get in there and check the train. If it works, I'll will guide all of you in, but if it doesn't, We will just walk to Canterlot ourselves.” I explained what I had in mind. It wasn't the best idea to let them alone here, but we needed a way to get to Canterlot, and the faster the better. I would also take the opportunity to steal some medicine from them, since I would need to fly to take them to Canterlot.

“That could work, but what if something happens to you?” Apple Bloom showed actual concern about me. I was the only chance for her to find her sister, so that would explain it. “If they find you, you don't have anything to protect yourself.”

“Actually, I have my knife, so there is nothing to worry about me.” I showed the holster that I kept on my hind left leg with a combat knife on it. I only used it one time, but it was still a very powerful weapon at close distance.

“I'll be going now, you girls take care.” I threw the revolver with its holster and a bag of bullets I kept hidden with me to the three fillies. “Oh, and be careful with that. Don't shot it unless you are sure you are in danger. Sweetie, let Apple Bloom or Scoots to handle the combat, I trust you to show them how to properly aim, since you took some time inspecting a weapon.” I gave my last warnings and turned into using some shadows to move down the hill. This wasn't the hill I kept my camp.

This was a hill in the middle of the way between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville. I had already gone to my camp alone and taken some stuff I found important, like the sheet I gave to Sweetie Belle and the notebook I used to keep a diary.

To enter the city wasn't going to be easy. Those raiders are dumb, but not that much. They reinforced security since yesterday, and I think that they might be searching for me. I also suspect they got a new leader. I didn't damage the armor at all, so the condition mustn't have changed, and I doubt they will be leaving a minigun laying there on the ground. I was moving slowly, cornering the city, always behind or under something so the moonlight didn't hand over my position. I managed to get to the wall, but There was still some raiders hanging around. I couldn't fly over the wall, since my body hurts, I'm handling most of the pain, but flying would trigger enough to make me give up.

I looked around me, to see if there was anything for me climb on. One good thing about a world on wastes is that you find a lot of utilities for useless trash around. The disaster wasn't that bad since there was still some building in perfect state, like the Town Hall, but there were others that didn't handle all the impact and collapsed. Unfortunately there wasn't anything really useful other than sticks and maybe a log, all the buildings were withing the wall. How my fridge got up that hill, I don't have any idea.

I had no other choice than to appeal to my knife. If I made enough effort, I bet I could boost myself up. The wall was about two fully grown ponies height. If I get my knife inside the wood and use my strength to pull myself up, maybe I could climb it up, but I think that making that much effort would bring me loads of pain. The shot I took was on the chest, a little over the belly, not in the not near my front leg or neck, so I won't affect my pain at all. I was unsure. There wasn't any other way I could think of the moment, and I had to be fast about this. Fast and careful. I was almost forgetting I had no armor now.

I opened the knife holster and wrapped my hoof around the handle. I stabbed the wood hard enough to make it stay in place, like a well thrown knife on a tree, but it went half-way inside the wooden wall. I was now standing on my two hind legs, while one of the front would give me support for jumping over, and the other was holding the knife. I was opened my wings to give me some stability.

I backed enough to give me some propulsion. I ran for less than a second and jumped. In mid air I used my right hoof to turn up with the knife, putting my hind legs on the wall, and using my left hoof to push the wall to unplug the knife. Giving a spin in the air, and I used the knife to grab the ground of the top level of the wall. I had climbed it up, and were now hanging on my hoof, all I needed was to pull myself up. I closed my wings and got my left hoof on up, and started pulling myself up, getting some help from my hind legs pushing the wall and trying to get up. Finally after some struggle I got up the wall and laid there, breathing.

“Ugh...” I gave a small time to breath before continuing talking to myself. “I never though parkour-ing my way up a wall would be so hard. I really need to work on my agility.”

I got back up on my four legs and jumped down the other side. Luckily I was on a alleyway between two buildings. This would make harder for the raiders to see me, but could fuck me up if there was one wandering around. I took a look around and the closest raider was on the buildings on the other side of the building. I continued, there was some distance between me and the train station. There was a building with a sing written Sugarcube Corner. It was near the town hall, but on the other side of the city compared to the train station. I entered the building from the back of it. There was nothing left but tables flipped over and tableware. I went to the kitchen, this appeared to be a candy shop or a bakery. I took the chance to scavenge for any medicine.

Opening one of the drawers, I found some paper with notes written on it. I checked the date

02/01

“Oh my. This is from february!” I thought to myself. I continued to read the note

Mr.Carrot Cake went to make an delivery on the other side of the town and Mrs. Cup Cake gone out to buy more diapers for their babies. I got another chance to administrate the shop for some time! I'm so excited!

Some scientists looking stallion came here and asked me a few questions about my element of harmony, trying to understand how it worked before that tree on the Everfree Forest took it from me, and they also asked where they could find Twilight. I happily answered all their questions and told they could find Twilight at her castle, duh, who don't know the princess lives there? how silly!

They also bought a cupcake from me. Ooh! My first cake sold in the afternoon!

“Castle? What Castle? I don't see any castle here in Ponyville. There gotta be something wrong with this.” I thought again, and went back to my reading.

I couldn't sell any more cakes since Carrot Cake came back. That makes me sad. I wanted to feel more important. Oh well, maybe I can do that another day.

Anyway, I will just leave this note here in case something happens and I don't remember what. That is a silly idea, but could happen.

- Pinkie Pie.

“Not such a silly idea. Something happened after all.” I though to myself. “Well, this is at least something. Maybe I can re-write the February if I end up finding more of these. I hope that Pinkie Pie left more notes around.”

I guarded the paper note in one of my small saddlebags on my back and got out of the shop, back into alleyway.

“Huh?” I heard a pony humming in confusion. Shit, I think they heard me.

I ran under to the inside of a broken house. It seemed to have been exploded, as its second floor was open, its walls all destroyed. I hid around the corner, hoping that the raider didn't come looking for me. I was holding my knife, ready to give it a strike in case the pony came, but if I was going to kill him, I had to be fast, if he screamed or shot by accident, I would be cornered mere seconds later.

“I must be hearing things.” I heard the same voice as before talk to himself really near me, and walk away. “Some meat would be nice anyway.”

“Wow. That is disgusting. How can they do that?” I asked myself the same question as I always do when I hear a comment like that.

I waited some seconds and gave a peak. There was nothing around. How lucky of me. Moving out, I found myself wandering back at the street, moving under the shadows of the house, so the two raiders on the street don't notice me. The train station was just minutes away. In thirty minutes I managed to go around the town hall using the houses. It was much harder to navigate than before. There was just too many. Yesterday, many of these raiders would be asleep, now they doubled the number of them running around at night, I think that all of them are around.

I climbed the stairs at the train station to get in the building and have access to the train that was stopped at the railway. Inside the building there wasn't more than just burned paper and empty benches. I guess no one other than raiders comes here in weeks. I moved to the train.

I entered one of the railway carriages and found the empty places that used to hold ponies during their train rides. I started moving to the engine room, there I would check if the train was still in good condition and could work. Which reminds me, I haven't thought this through. If it really works, what will I do next? Drive it away and stop ahead so the girls could hop in? Leave, infiltrate this place again with them and simply re-do all this work. What if I get caught when leaving or getting again? And also, the train would make enough sound to attract them all here. I would be in so much trouble! I wasn't so sure I wanted this to work.

On the engine room, everything looked in place and completely functional. There was just one problem. The train needed fuel, coal to be more exact. and I didn't see any coal laying around for free. I got into the front windows of the control panel, to see the front of the train, and there was four saddles connected by chain to the train. they were for big and strong stallions. I guess that is how they moved when there was no coal. They pulled it manually. Well, there we go. I don't have either the fuel or the strength to pull it alone.

I didn't find anything useful in the car. No ammo, food, medicine. Nothing but trash that I had no use for. This was contradictory, since I said that every little thing had a use now, but I really didn't have a use for burned newspaper. If they at least told me about February, but there wasn't anything I could get out of them. I started hearing a moan from the depth of the passenger cart. It was strange, unlikely to be from a pony or anything I ever heard crying before. I approached it.

I turned to the seats to see what the moaning was coming from. I found a Timberwolf cub hiding under it. "Hey, you dumb fucks, there is a pack of Timberwolves at the entrance of the city, and the other guards might need some help taking the things down." The voice of the old raider leader echoed in my mind. I used this cub's pack as a distraction to escape. I now feel guilty for using the life of its family to save mine, even if I didn't meant it. She might be hiding here for the last day, in fear, and he must be hungry too. I wasn't sure of what Timberwolves eat, but I was almost certain they ate meat from probably small animals from the Everfree Forest.

I backed away, and opened one of my saddle bags, in search of any kind of food. I only had a few berries I found yesterday. It wouldn't hurt so much to give the little thing something to eat. I offered the berries to the Timberwolf, she came closer and took a sniff at the fruit and backed away. I was almost certain they ate meat by now. I didn't have meat with me other than what composed my body, but I was sure these raiders kept some kind of stock of food around. I'd hate to give her pony meat to eat, it could cause her to want more and hunt for ponies. If I gave her some kind of rabbit, it would be better, but I was not the one to decide that. I would have to hunt for a rabbit first, which I haven't seen many running around.

I started thinking. If I was a raider, where would I keep my food? Probably with my guns and other stuff. And where would I keep that kind of thing? At the dorms. That was my best bet. Maybe I could get some weapons, ammo, medicine, and food for this little thing here there. But I couldn't leave it here. I had go take her with me, otherwise someone might find her. I couldn't let it take the risk. It was the least I could do, since I used her.

“Come here. I'll you get you some food.” I talked with her, seating on the ground with my two front hooves open in the air, asking if I could grab her. The little thing's dark green eyes stopped emitting light, and it slowly came walking into my legs. I grabbed her and gave it a hug. The Timberwolf used its paws to hug me back with its little legs. She was a little bigger than a filly, but not as big as a teenage pony. “Don't worry. I won't leave you here.”

After all, we both had something in common. None of us had a family now and were wondering what our role in this world is.

Me and Artemis, as I decided to name the Timberwolf cub like that, were sneaking up on one of the buildings used for as a dorm. Usually, these things would keep up to twenty raiders sleeping at once, but considering the activity around, I think this one might be empty.

I peaked on the window, and as did Artemis, since she was standing on my back just like Sweetie Belle did when I rescued her. Jackpot! The room was empty, and I could already see a functional fridge there. Apparently they did have energy to keep some things running but not lights. Lighting up this place would be really nice, it would make this place more alive than just a torture to other people other than raiders.

Stealthily, the two of us moved to the door in order to get in the house. Artemis showed to be very friendly towards me, so it just followed me. I think that she felt safe when I showed a little of compassion for her, and so she trusts me, or something like that. I don't know how trust works when it comes to Timberwolves.

We got inside the house, and there were a bunch of bunk beds in line, and a table in the middle of the room. Laying there was a assault rifle with two mags of ammo. I could take that. I wasn't that big of an expertise with rifles like I'm with pistols, but I think if I hold it with one of my hoofs and held the mouth grip in my mouth and used it to shoot, I bet that after some training I might be good with it.

I moved to the fridge. As I opened it, all my thoughts were right. They did kept all their meat in here, and I was lucky. The smell wasn't the best I had ever smelled, it was one of the most disgusting in ages, it made my stomach freeze. I opened the holster for my knife and grabbed it. I stabbed one of the steaks, still raw, and offered it to Artemis. She started jumping in excitiment, which told me she wanted it. I removed the steak of my knife and threw it over to her. It landed in the ground and she started devouring the steak. I hoped that it wasn't pony meat, otherwise I would be the next plate for the night. I threw other two in the ground so she could eat enough and closed the fridge. I was freaking out. I didn't ever wanted to touch any kind of meat. Just to imagine eating something that is part of my composition creeps me out. I guess Artemis don't mind, since she is made out of wood.

Lastly but not least, I searched in the drawers and, by luck, found a health potion and painkiller pills. I was so happy to have found things like that, but I wasn't going to use it now. Something could still happen and leave me in a much dire situation than a simple wound on my chest, which now that I think of it, might have hit and broke my ribs and a lung. I'm having some difficulty breathing, but it wasn't enough to change my performance. I also stole a few blankets, so we could use while travelling.

I then grabbed the assault rifle and held it with my neck, using the rope that came with it. It was a unicorn designed rifle, since the mouth grip, that usually is what pegasi and earth ponies use to shoot heavier weapon than pistols. Fortunately, the rifle had an attachable mouth grip, so it wasn't much of a problem.

With everything, me and Artemis left the house and directed ourselves to the wall right next to us. The good thing about having a partner now was that I we could easily climb the wall now. She boosted me up the wall and I laid on the ground to grab her paws to help her climb. Easy peasy lemon squeazy. We got out of the raider camp unnoticed with some great stuff and she was fed for the moment. I would have to learn to hunt for small animal so she can eat, or I can let her hunt for her own. for a cub, she knew how to take care of herself, she was paying complete attention to our surroundings when we were sneaking up on that house. I think she just wanted to have a group of her own, someone she could trust.

We were not safe yet, so we kept the stance we were using for stealth. I told her to follow me as I'd guide us out to where I'd meet up with the girls.

Me and Artemis were walking normally now. We were out of range of their camp, and we were now completely fine, well, not really, I still had a bullet inside my lungs. We were very near from where I left the girls around a hour and a half ago.

“Play it cool Artemis, the girls don't know I'm bringing a Timberwolf to our group, so keep it cool, we don't want your first impression to be of fear.” I told Artemis, who is walking by my side this whole time. She seemed to like me, and I liked her too. I fed her and gave her a new family, since she lost her old one. She now played a major role in my life, as my companion and pet, somebody to keep me company. This role would normally be taken by another kind of animal, like a dog or a cat, maybe a bird or even a tortoise, but I did not expect to be taking care of a ferocious creature like a Timberwolf. She only accepted my help since she was scared and did not know what to do, otherwise I bet I would have a mark of a bite by now.

Near the place were the Cutie Mark Crusaders (yeah, that is how they call themselves) were left, I started hearing voices, it seemed to be someone leading something. I froze, and so did Artemis, as she started analyzing the sounds of our surroundings, searching for something. I feared that they were captured.

“Hurry up, grab them and let's go back to the camp.” A voice of a stallion ordered. Shit, they were cornered. I got down, trying to hide. We were almost on the top level of the hill, near to the top, where the voices were coming from.

Bam! The sound of one shot from my revolver roared across the landscape. One of the tree shot at one of them.

“Shit! they got and weapon!” Another voice screamed. “Get to cover!”

“I'm hit!” a third voice came to my ear. That was useful, I collect enough information to discover that there is at least a group of three or more ponies. I loaded one clip at the assault rifle and held the grip with my mouth. I would pull the trigger by pulling it with my tongue, just like my revolver, but the iron sight on this wasn't at the best condition, so I might miss some shots. Artemis got ready as well, she went to a hunting stance, like she was waiting to make an ambush on something, she then started going around the mountain. I suspected she was going to make an ambush, so I went to the other side.

I trotted up the mountain, at full speed, and having difficulty breathing. I stopped right before the top, and peak a little. I saw three raiders on my side of the mountain, and other two on the other side, one of them injured laying on the ground bleeding and unarmed, all of them were hiding behind some cover, like a tree. Scootaloo was fast to take the weapon from their wounded. The three fillies were cornered in the middle, Apple Bloom holding the revolver, while Sweetie Belle helped Scootaloo sub machine gun the pony had. Apple Bloom pointing the revolver at my direction and Scootaloo at the other two

I saw a dark green glowing pair of eyes on the background. I was sure it was Artemis. I backed away and re-checked my the clip on my gun. Fully loaded. I was ready. I got up and aimed for the one of the three on my side. I aimed at the one that noticed me.

Bratatatatat

I shot a full burst of five bullets on the pony who was about to give my position. I gave it myself anyway. I saw in the background Artemis had jumped to her prey on her side, and where now biting its neck. Ouch! That was brutal! The other two ponies turned to me. I aimed at one of them and shot another burst.

Bratatatatat

I had hit the five bullets on the pony's head. It head blew into pieces and painted the tree trunk red, the pony's brain flew everywhere. I aimed at the second, who was still drawing its weapon out on me. This was all happening in micro seconds. I aimed for the pony's head

Bratatatatat

The pony went down. The three ponies of my side were dead. I looked at Artemis, who had already finished the two at her side by stabbing their necks with its wooden sharp teeth. Scootaloo was aiming at Artemis, in fear, she wasn't sure if Artemis was friend or foe.

“Scootaloo, put that thing down.” I ordered the pegasus. She looked at me, and then focused back at the Timberwolf.

“Ah can'th, it'sh a Schimberwouv! Ich wil try to eat us!” She replied to me, with gun at her mouth. Artemis just kept looking.

“That is Artemis. She I helped her to get out of that camp, just like I did with Sweetie Belle.” I told Scootaloo. She dropped the gun.

“You befriended a Timberwolf?!” The three of them asked me in surprise at the same time

“Yes, I think I did. I couldn't leave her there, after what I did. I felt guilty for using her pack to escape with Sweetie Belle.”

“So you are just planning on raising it?” Apple Bloom asked me. I nodded. “Well, that is awesome. Will she accompany us until Canterlot?”

“Yes, and after that, I will decide what the two of us will do next.” I explained my plan. “Anyway, I think it's better if we start moving before more raiders come checking the place” I rushed our conversation as I checked the bodies of the dead raiders in search of ammo and medicine. I also took their weapons. Apple Bloom gave my weapon back, and I gave her and Sweetie a sub machine gun each of them, for protection only, otherwise, I would be the one shooting. I had let Scootaloo keep her own.

After we checked everything, we started moving northeast in the direction of Canterlot. We would be getting there by the end of tomorrow with a full day of travel, or in the morning of two days from here if we took time to rest. Artemis let the fillies hide her back during part of the trip, and they happily accepted it, they have never experienced hiding the back of a Timberwolf, and neither did I.

“Those kids aren't that bad after all. I'm starting to like them” I thought to myself.

Chapter 3: Hearts and Daggers

Day 45

So, today was different than what I expected. Everything went smoothly. After getting Sweetie Belle and her friends out, we went back to a hill at Ponyville and camped there until night fell. I had the great idea of going alone inside the town trying to see if that god dammed train worked. Apparently not, but I got to know a new friend. I befriended a female Timberwolf cub. She was more like a teenager than a cub, but that don't matter to me, she is awesome.

Skipping most of "Operation: Sneaky Beaky Like", we got out of the raider camp and went back to meet the girls. Turns out some shit happened and the raiders found about them, I think I was lucky to find out they were still there, if I had taken more time, who knows what would have happened to them. Some shots fired later, me and Artemis, the Timberwolf, killed the five raiders and we looted their corpses and trotted our flanks out of that place, following northeast, where the mountain where Canterlot was located is.

Apart from that, nothing else happened. We still got some food, and I hope it's enough until we arrive Canterlot, where I hope to buy more. I hope they still accept bits. I gave some blankets I took from Raider Town and gave it to the girls, who went to sleep. I'm now writing this log under the moonlight, with Artemis resting by my side. We were now resting before continuing our trip, we just got some distance from that town, so we don't end up being captured.

I checked that note by Pinkie Pie, which was from the start of February. I never though of that, maybe I could get enough notes to re-build the whole month, at least the most relevant news of that month. The note mentioned a castle, which I don't recall seeing on Ponyville. It was supposed to be a big crystal castle tree near the Town Hall, but there wasn't anything there, not even a crater. I wonder if I can really trust on that note. Or I'm just with amnesia. I can't really remember February and hardly remember things from before. I still have most of it, but there is a lot of blank spaces in my head.

I should stop thinking about it before I forget more things. No wonder why I keep this diary.

I was walking on one of the streets of Canterlot. Ahead of me there was a destroyed house. It had been cut open by some kind of explosion. I walked inside by the destroyed door, in the entrance room, there was a small table near a sofa, both by the wall. In the middle, in front of me, there was the skeleton of two ponies, one from a child and another from a fully grown pony.

In an instant, a image flashed at my face. It was of the same house, but now it was brand new. The sky looked light blue, and not so dead as it is now. The skeletons turned back into ponies alive, with happy smiles on their faces. I saw all of that in a moment, one frame of a second. I looked at my legs, bringing up my front leg that kept the revolver holster. The same scenario flashed for a moment again. my grey-ish red coat was back into a more bright color, and the holster wasn't there during the flash.

I looked up and saw the two ponies, a beautiful earth pony purple mare with a light brown hair and a small steel pegasi filly with a bright pink hair, standing side by side, looking at my direction. There was some space between them, like if it was supposed to be another pony standing between them.

I backed away, and I planned to start trotting away. The same image flashed constantly at my face, like if it was turning this whole apocalyptic world on and off.

I got out of the house and was about to turn when I heard something. The world paused at the old and beautiful world. I looked down as I couldn't see my legs anymore, like if I was a floating spirit. I slowly turned around. “This isn't happening.” I thought to myself. Finishing the turn I saw the same two ponies standing side by side, in the same position, What disturbed me was that, my body, it was there, between the two. One of my hooves was over the mare's neck, like if it was hugging her. My saddlebags had disappeared, as well as my bandage, and I was smiling like them, like if I was posing for a family photo.

“I love you daddy!” I heard the friendly voice of the filly speak. My mind told me it was her, but I didn't want to believe. This was all impossible in the current situation of this world.

“Why do you have to leave so soon dear?” The mare spoke. I felt the eyes of my spiritual boy starting to water. This couldn't be.

The ponies were speaking, but the image was frozen. They wasn't moving, it was just a photo.

“Don't go daddy!” The filly spoke again. The happy image turned off for a moment and went back again, The skeleton of the filly flashed right at me face. “Please stay-” The vision I was having turned off. I fell to the ground and the smiling skull of the filly smiling at me. “- and play with me.” She finished. I got up, and looked around. I was alone, not even Artemis was with me. I started backing away from the flying skeleton of a pegasi filly, frozen in the air, my heart bumping like crazy. My equipment was back, as well as my body. I had my eyes wide open, locked at the skeleton. The skeleton of the mare was standing like it's alive image, back at the house.

A frame of a second later, I saw the jaw of the filly openned and it's head flying at me, with the sound of a kid's laughter at the background. The scenario faded away. Another frame later, I found myself looking at the starry night sky, breathing very hard. It was like I was being suffocated by the dream. It wasn't a nightmare, as I wasn't in fear, but the situation really scared me. How could that be? What were they doing in my dream?

I got the first half of my body up with my back to the ground, being sustained by my two front hooves, as my hind legs were under the blanket. I looked to my side, and saw the three fillies sleeping safe and sound, as well as Artemis, who was sleeping under the same blanket as me, side by side with my hind legs. I took some time to breath, luckily I haven't awoken anybody.

My lungs weren't in the best situation to take air in, and I found myself in pain. I opened the saddle bags where I had the pain pills bottle I found, and took two down my throat. I waited some seconds, and I could finally breath properly. I really needed some time to heal up, just get the bullet out and I can take the health potion to help my body re-build from the damage faster. I got the pills bottle back in the bag.

I laid down again and tried to get some sleep, as I tried not to think about what had just happened. On the morning I would be walking all day.

“Are we there yet?” Scootaloo asked me. I shook my head, since we haven't even got near the mountain yet. We were following the train line for some hours now. Artemis was walking by my side, while the girls followed us. By now we had covered half of the trip until the mountain, and then we had to climb it. I estimated we would be arriving Canterlot by morning, as we kept a slow pace to not waste ourselves and because I was injured.

Apparently, my lung had just gotten worse. Breathing was much harder than before, and I started coughing blood this morning. I might have a bandage at it, but I think that the wound is getting infected.

I started to think how their sisters were going to react when I arrived Canterlot with the three holding their own guns and ammo, as well as having a Timberwolf. I think I'm going to leave Artemis out of Canterlot for the day, just to not cause any trouble. Maybe she will hunt something for her, or just wait for me, I wasn't planning on wasting more than a afternoon there anyway.

Now that I think of it, I don't know what I'm going to do after I leave them at Canterlot, this is, if thing really are holding out there. I won't leave this gals in the middle of gunfire. Maybe I will focus on getting all the notes to rebuild the month of February, and know what happened to the princesses, how I ended up at Ponyville, since I resided Canterlot, maybe discover what exactly happened to my family. Or I could just find myself a place and live there for the rest of my life, spectating this unforgiving land.

The possibilities are endless, so to speak. I can still get killed in the middle of our trip, if my body doesn't hold up for that long. I still have the health potion and some pain pills, but the potion would rebuild my body, and with the bullet still in my lungs, that isn't the best option.

“Ugh... Can't we go any faster?” Scootaloo groaned.

“Well, unless any of you know how to teleport all of us or knows how to remove the bullet inside me, there is no other way. Deal with it.” I gave Scootaloo a look of anger. She wouldn't stop complaining about how long this would take. “We will have to go through all this to find your family anyways.”

“Well, I don't see my parents in a long time, long before the apocalypse, seeing them would be nice. I still think this is all pointless.” She replied, with the same look as before. I assume she never had a family, so she just wanders around.

“Would you two please stop?!” Sweetie Belle, tired of our discussion, stopped us. “Even if your parents are dead, we can't stop down the whole group because of that! Cheer up Scoots, maybe Rainbow Dash is there too!” Sweetie Belle destroyed me with that comment, I didn't know their parents were long dead before it all, how was I supposed to know that? Scootaloo seemed unchanged

“And you! Stop being that depressed! I know your life have been turned into a big mess, but things can still get better, try to think of the good things for once! For fuck's sake, I'm tired of the mood of you two!” She them unloaded on me. Wow. I wasn't expecting for that.

Sweetie Belle than calmed down and went back to her friends side. I started thinking about she said. "Think about the good things for once!". Well, after all that have happened, I don't think that it is possible anymore.

We were really close to the tunnel that lead up to the mountain and went to Canterlot, night was falling already, and our light was going out. The moon wasn't as bright as it was the nights before, and so we would be left in the dark soon. I decided it was for the best that we camped for the night.

Gathering sticks for the fire, and using a tree trunk I found laying around, I immediately prepared our camp, making a camp fire, and using the trunk as a seat for everyone. I lit the campfire using a lighter I kept with me all this time. We were all gathered around the fire, enjoying the last bits of food we had left, until Apple Bloom came with a comment.

“I still don't understand why there is so many guns around, enough to make raiders overpowered at least.”

“I may not know exactly why there is that many weapons, but I may explain a little about they came into existence, and I have a theory why they were around.” Her comment grabbed my attention. She looked at me, interested. “If you are willing to listen, of course.”

“A little bit of lore never hurt anyone. Go ahead.” She replied to me, and her friends looked at her in confusion. “What? I liked history class.”

“Okay, are you all familiar with the Changeling invasion that happened at Canterlot years ago?” I asked, the three fillies nodded, interested in what I had to tell. “Well, after the attack, Princess Celestia made sure to reinforce security around Equestria, and with it, came the guns. Celestia wanted something powerful enough that could eliminate a threat as fast and easy as possible. With that, months of research later, guns started to being manufactured, but not distributed, they were at a max used by the royal guards I think, at that point. Celestia also wanted special groups capable of monitoring Equestria, looking for any danger. She recruited the best weapon masters in Equestria.”

“I was part of a squad. As nobody had any experience with the guns at the moment, Celestia recruited the ones who understood how to use a weapon in combat. I was a sword master, as you can see by my cutie mark, and I decided to accept the request, despite being happy with my family at Canterlot. There I learned more about the reason of why they needed a group like this, and I learned some ways of stealth, since I would be a secret agent. Celestia didn't want to depend on the elements of harmony and the power of friendship all the time. She didn't want to, but she admitted that we would have to use violence at one point to prevent things from happening.”

“Long story short, I presume that at some point, despite having a few dozen of members, we couldn't cover all of Equestria, and so Celestia liberated the use of weapons by citizens that met a certain criteria, like weapon management, a clean criminal file, and only meant self protection and a few others prerequisites.” I finally finished my story telling

“Well, that might explain why Rarity had her own gun.” Sweetie Belle concluded.

“I didn't know about those special groups. I bet not even Rainbow Dash knew about them” Scootaloo commented. I suppose Rainbow Dash was part of her family for her, well, close enough to her so she mention her. She hasn't even told me the name of a parent member, while the other two really want to see them again.

“We even had Discord to help us on some magical detection, but we never found anything that troubling.” I added. “You could say we weren't that requested by Celestia.”

“Do you miss your old life, Falcon?” Sweetie Belle asked. I didn't expect a question out of the context of the story, but I told a little about my life, so I guess I made her curious.

I paused for a moment before answering. Old memories of my life, my family and the city of Canterlot. The day I was requested was the day that changed all that, for the better and for the worse as well. I ended up wasting less time with my family and wasted even more time monitoring Equestria or going in different missions. I always kept it a secret, and that made my wife go crazy, thinking I was betraying her. I was afraid I had turned the world against me, but from what I remember, the world ended our marriage before she could. “Yes, I guess you could say that.” I answered Sweetie's question.

“Press the button Blades, I guarantee you won't regret it.” I woke up hearing the voice of a Changeling calling me by my last name, and the followed by a crazy maniac laughter.

I sat down on the ground and started recovering air, this lung wouldn't give me a break. I took a look around, searching for anything, but couldn't see anything. I think I was just hearing voices. Moments later, I coughed a little, and ended up coughing some blood again. This was bad, the wound wouldn't heal or even let me not bleed from other holes. I got up, and carefully grabbed a flaming stick from the still lighten campfire. I took care so I didn't woke anyone up, and carefully placed my hooves while walking so I don't make any sound. I walked about fifty meters away from the camp and sat on a rock I found.

It was very dark, but the moon light helped me see somethings around, and the torch I took would help me to see what was around me. I opened the holster for my knife on my hind legs and grabbed it. “It time to do some medical procedure.” I talked out loud to myself, as I bit a piece of wood I took. I grabbed my knife with one of my hooves and removed the bandage with the other.

I could feel the bullet, and fortunately it wasn't that deep on my chest. I didn't want to do this before, since I wasn't a good doctor, and could end up damaging one of my lungs, but now, I didn't really had much of a choice. The bullet had broken one of my ribs and penetrated the lung, and I would do the same with my knife.

I stabbed my self with the knife, the pain flowing trough my body, making me feel like screaming, but just biting the piece of wood as hard as I could contained myself. Blood started flowing down my hoofs, painting my already red coat into an brighter red. I started wiggling my knife inside my chest, searching for the bullet so I could pull it off. After some minutes of searching, I found it, and a lot of blood had already came out, I was starting to lose consciousness. I positioned the knife into an angle I could pull the bullet and the knife out, but ended up scratching the meat inside me middle way through, causing another flow of intense pain to strike me.

I stopped middle way through the "surgery" and got my hoof out of the knife's handle. I took a moment to hit the rock I was sitting with my hoof, stomping it so hard that I caused a loud sound to happen. I had come to a point that the piece of wood couldn't handle me that much. I spitted the piece of wood, making it go back to the ground, and opened the saddle bags where I stored the health potion and the pain pills. I got the pain pills out and opened the bottle. “Why didn't I do this before I stuck the knife in my chest?” I asked myself out loud again, with a fainted tone in my voice. I shoved the remaining pills all in my throat, and bit the picked the piece of wood again, biting it again. I knew the pain pills wouldn't be enough to handle all this pain.

I continued struggling to get the piece of metal in my chest out of there, and after five minutes of pain and blood all over me, I managed to get it out. I looked at the torch, laying in the ground, still lighten, but I couldn't see the colors, I was seeing in black and white. I bandaged my wound again and drank the whole health potion.

Out of exhaustion, I laid my back on the rock I was sitting. I looked at the sky, waiting for the potion to take full effect. The stars all seemed beautiful. I bet if Luna is still out there, she prepared this night just for me, she somehow knew that I would look at the sky after such of a moment of suffering. Thank you Luna.

I started hearing a growling. Sitting back at the rock, I looked around and found a pair of glowing eyes in the dark, I focused a little and saw a Timberwolf looking directly at me. “Artemis?” I asked the Timberwolf, trying to make sure that I haven't awoken them. The Timberwolf didn't move a stick of it's body, if it were Artemis, she would have answered my question with a gesture. God damn, the smell of my blood must have attracted it here!

I got up from the rock, removing my revolver from it's holster and starting to aim at the Timberwolf. I wasn't fast enough.

The Timberwolf flew and got me in the middle of my action, throwing me at the ground and making my revolver fly some meters away. I was surrounded on the ground, with my back to him. I tried getting up, but it was no use. The Timberwolf didn't waste a single second of his time, and grabbed my left wing with his wooden teeth and started pushing it, trying to rip it apart from me. I screamed in pain, and I felt the bone connecting my wing to my body being dislocated.

In my panic, I found my knife, laying right where I dropped after my surgery. I extended my leg further in order to pick the knife up before I lost my wing. I grabbed it while I screamed in pain for my life, at this point, I must have awoken everyone, I felt my eyes fading, and the vision starting to go black and white again. My first wound was still bleeding, even with the bandage at it, and would take a while before it settled down.

I stopped hearing, and stopped screaming, my eyes were slowly closing. This was it, my death had come to me. Despite not knowing what I wanted, I didn't knew why, but my mind wasn't clouded with doubts and questions for once. I felt... I felt peaceful. Even if I was having a horrible death, being eaten by a Timberwolf and bleeding, I felt like it was to be this way. I had never been in such peace before. Well, I actually did, when I still had my family. “Daddy, when will you come home?” I heard the voice of my daughter in my head.

I started feeling my heartbeats again, and my body was alive again. I haven't even got the chance to answer to my daughter before something dragged me back here. It wasn't my time to go.

I strengthened up and rolled, with the knife already on my hoof. the Timberwolf rolled with my wing, not letting it go. I jumped on his head stabbed the back of it's head with the knife.

Shnk!

On the first stab, I felt my wing being free again, and, oh boy, how does it hurt. I have probably killed it with the first stab, but I had no control, I kept stabbing the piece of wood that was the beast's head. The thing almost killed me, and I wasn't going to go easy just because it is dead.

Shnk! Shnk! Shnk! Shnk!

I looked up, panting and trying to take air back inside, I might have removed the bullet, but my lung was still recovering with the help of the health and regeneration potion. I saw the CMC and Artemis, looking at me, the fillies in terror.

I was standing in a pile of wood that used to be part of Artemis race, and was covered in my own blood, with an expression of anger in my face and a knife at my hoof. I must have looked like a monster for them.

I got up, grabbed my revolver and guarded it and the knife back on it's holsters. I apologized everyone for the mess I caused and for disturbing their sleep. I also gave Artemis a pat in the head, accidentally marking her with my blood. Well, at least now I knew which Timberwolf she was.

I have taken enough of our time, that the day was starting to come back, I awoke in the end of dawn, so in the place of going back to sleep, I decided it was better it we continued further in the cave, following the tracks, so we could get to Canterlot by lunch time or a little later. I didn't really cared, I just wanted these girls to get to a better place than this traitorous land.

I saw light. Finally. This was the last cave until Canterlot, and we didn't had a single problem getting here. Everything was going okay, and I was feeling better due to the potion. I'd say it was midday, but I didn't have a clock to be exact, all I knew was that the sun was burning.

Not so far, was the train station at Canterlot. The place where people are staying is at the Royal Castle, located deeper in the city. We got to the station a few minutes later. Canterlot looked just like Ponyville, half of it was completely torn apart, while part of it was still intact.

Now, if I followed the right path, we would be getting to the castle in no more than simply five minutes. I started walking down one of the streets once we got out of the Train Station building, and the rest of my group followed me. I stopped and turned to Artemis.

“Look, I think it's better for you to stay out of this, I don't think the ponies inside there will accept a Timberwolf walking in their only safe place. Why don't you go hunting while I'm out?” I asked Artemis to stay here in order to not cause any kind of problems, I didn't want to be banned from the first safe place I have been in over 47 days or more. “I promise I won't waste more than a few hours there.”

Artemis accepted, and I felt like she understood what could happen if a bunch of armed ponies saw her. I definitely know she didn't forgot about her old pack. I tuned back to walking, and the three fillies followed me in silence. They were always so agitated, but now they were simply quiet. I liked it, but wasn't sure if it was something I should worry about.

“So...” I tried to start a conversation. “Are you guys anxious to meet with who y'all wanted after all this time?”

“I hope Rarity is there.” Sweetie Belle answered. “I miss how safe she made me feel.” I wasn't sure if she was saying that it wasn't safe with me, or that her sister cared deeply for her.

“I hope AJ made it out, and maybe Big Mac too.” Apple Bloom replied to me, without adding anything, but I knew she felt just like Sweetie by the tone of her voice.

“Yeah, I hope Rainbow Dash is there, but my hopes aren't up.” Scootaloo told me, with the same "my hope is dead" tone of her.

“Wow, what got you all down like that?” I asked, to know what was happening.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell kept quiet, but Scootaloo just simply answered me. “Yeah, I don't really know, is it because you traumatized these two yesterday by killing a Timberwolf after you were covered in you own blood and looking like a raider with no armor, maybe?” She told me with a sarcastic tone.

Okay, I think she is right. I did show them what a monster I really was, and what I was capable of when I wanted. That scene yesterday wasn't the best one for them to start a day with. Well, at least for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo just kept the same way. But really, what did they expect from me in that situation? Get eaten by the beast? Run? There was no other way.

We went back to being in silence, and I just kept walking forward.

Moments later, I looked to my left. There it was. The same destroyed house from the dream I had, and the two skeletons laying on the ground. I immediately turned my head back, and closed my eyes, refusing to have seen it, but that image just saddened me.

We finally got to the entrance of the castle. There wasn't anybody at the door, I was starting to suspect that there wasn't anybody inside. Opening the double doors, I was two armed ponies with assault rifles. They grabbed their weapons and aimed at me.

“Halt! Who are you?” The pony on my left asked me.

“I'm Falcon. I came here looking for the survival camp.” I answered him.

“Very well, leave your weapons here if you wish to enter.” The other pony told me. I felt a relief. For a moment I suspected they were going to kill me, and on another I though there was no one else.

I gave my revolver, my knife and my rifle to them, and told the three fillies to give their weapons as well. I told the guards that this were their weapons, so when I left, to not give them to me. After an inspection at my saddlebags, I was authorized to enter. I'm relieved they didn't think I was a raider just because of all this blood at my hooves and chest.

They opened the second double doors, that went directly to a hallway on the castle, and I had finally got in the castle. It has been an awful while since I last came here, when Celestia asked me to make part of that group. The hallway was very different from what I remember, now the windows that remarked important times of Equestria were broken, and the hallway was filled with shops, of guns, ammo, food, medicine and even clothes. It was also filled with a variety of ponies, chatting around or buying things. they appeared to have enough to hold themselves for years.

“Rarity!” I heard Sweetie Belle screaming behind me as I was walking down the hallway. I looked to my side and saw Sweetie Belle running in the direction of a clothing shop with a white unicorn mare with a violet colored hair. A very beautiful mare in my opinion.

“Sweetie Belle?” The mare turned to the filly. I could see that her eyes started to water. “Thanks Celestia! I though I'd never see you again!” She said as she hugged the filly. The two of them were crying now.

It's been weeks since I though happiness was dead. I was completely wrong. Little moments of happiness and relief like this is what keeps most people going. Not me though, I don't really know what moves me, but when I see a family reunited like this after such disaster makes me happy to. I cleaned the tear that came out of one of my eyes, and I was smiling, something I haven't done in a while.

The mare then looked to the other two fillies standing by me. “Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, it's good to see that you two made it through as well. I bet Applejack and Rainbow Dash will be happy to see you all.” She said as she got up from hugging her sister, but then a frown came to her face and she became a little worried. “Or they would.”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were lighten up for a second, but as she said that, a frown came to their faces as well. I interrupted the moment. “Miss, may I ask what happened?”

She looked at me. “May I ask you who you are first?”

“I'm Falcon, Falcon Blades to be more exactly. I was the one that escorted these fillies here.” I presented myself to her.

“It's a pleasure meeting you Falcon, my name is...”

“Rarity.” I interrupted her in the middle of her phrase. “Yeah, your sister talks a lot about you. Now may I ask what happened?”

“Well, It was so long ago. I remember being here with my friends, princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. We were still missing on Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. AJ and Rainbow went searching for them, while me and the princess stayed to help the other citizens, since Celestia and Luna disappeared. Its been over ten days since we haven't heard of AJ and Rainbow Dash.”

Seeing the situation, I could see that those four that disappeared were of great importance to some of these ponies. I didn't really had a next location to move on to, so I guess I could try to find them. “Did you mention Pinkie Pie?”

“Indeed. She and Fluttershy have been gone since I could remember, I would say around fifty days already.” She answered me.

“Do you know in which direction Applejack and Rainbow Dash headed?” I asked. She got what I was trying to do.

“No no no. That would be too much to ask from you. I'm already glad you got my sister here, you don't need to do this.” she refused to let me help her.

“Look here Rarity, I hate being a douchebag, but I'm not the one that needs to be asked to help. I help when I find it's necessary, and I think you and your friends need a lift now. I will ask again. Where did they head?”

Rarity gave up. she knew this wasn't what she wanted, but what she needed. “They headed to Filly Delphia, to the east from here, but I doubt you will be getting there by walking, and even by flying, it would take days.”

“I don't care, this isn't about me.” I replied. “Somebody has to do it. Filly Delphia is a city controlled by raiders, If I don't go there, they might just be dead.”

“I doubt that AJ and Rainbow would let such cannibals get them so easily. But, if you are going to do this anyway, I might just provide you with some armor, I see that you had some trouble lately.”

“Some trouble would be nice. Thank you.” I thanked for her kindness to give me armor for free, one that wasn't from raiders for once. I still had another thing I needed to ask. “Do you know where I could find a wagon big enough to carry a Timberwolf?” I asked her. She just gave me a weird look.

I was walking, taking a look at some shops, mainly at medicine and ammo, that was what I needed the most right now. I still had one mag and a half of my rifle and enough bullets for the moment to my revolver. I was a little confused since none of these shops had any prices for their things. I was taking some time to buy some food and other supplies for me and Artemis, and maybe someone that comes around, while I waited Rarity to get ready with my armor. I asked for something light, since mobility was something really important. She also told me she would put better places for me to put my guns into, since these holsters were rusty, from what she said.

I found a shop that sold fresh food. Not meat, real pony food. Hay, some vegetables, everything I needed. I got a sack of bits I had kept all this time in opportunities like these, and checked to see if I could buy something with it. I think prices would have risen a lot since things became rare eventually.

I heard some giggles behind me. “I don't think you will be buying anything with those bits there.” The voice of a mare spoke with me from behind. I turned and found myself staring at a purple alicorn princess. Wow, what a honor. “I'm Twilight Sparkles, Rarity told me you would need some help when buying things.”

“Uh...” I couldn't say a word, I was still admiring the beautiful alicorn standing in front of me. Was I dreaming? Did I really die to that Timberwolf and was on heaven?

“Mister?” She called for my attention.

“Uh... Sorry. I finally snapped out of it. “Sorry, I was just... ah... Admiring you, I mean... It's a honor to be in the presence of such a beautiful alicorn. I mean...!” I didn't had any words, and ended up fucking everything I needed to say. She gave another giggle, and I found myself blushing. Nice move, Falcon.

“Come on, big boy, I don't really think you know that bits are used anymore around here.” She continued. I blushed even more when she called me "big boy".

“uh... Why is that?” I asked back.

“When the disaster happened, the whole government felt with Equestria, and there was nopony to keep the money rolling properly. Things also became rare, and the prices did really go up. When I took control, I made that buying things worked with trades and favors.” She explained.

“But don't you think that if somebody doesn't has anything to trade for, let's say, food, how exactly will that pony get some food.” I saw a flaw on that.

“As the princess of friendship, I see where your point is coming from. Here we are all friends, and are kind to others that are in need of our help. Those that are helpless, we each give something to get that pony running, and then he or she can work, helping our system grow.” She explained, everything made much more sense now. I remember this princess Twilight from before, but never understood what exactly she did, now it all made much more sense.

“Okay. Now, for a completely different question. How do you guys get fresh food?”

She simply giggled again. “It's a little complicated to explain, but it's basically science.” She answered me. She seemed very dedicated to her work, and seemed to know a lot. I bet she was one of those special students from the unicorn academy at Canterlot.

I looked in my bag, and I had some junk I had no use for, maybe I could trade them around, and get what I want by the end. I thanked the princess, and apologized for the strange beginning, and then went back to my trading.

I had spent some hours in the market, but by the end, I managed to trade some of my stuff for some ammo, some medicine and plenty of food. I was now wearing Rarity's armor, that was specially designed for me. It was a suit made out of cloth, with a chain mail vest behind it, and at the core a lightweight ballistic vest, and it covered my entire body but my tail, head and neck and most part of my legs. It was just like a casual shirt and pants connected and reinforced by combat, but that helped movement and still made me able to fly. It was just perfect.

I had just got out of the Royal Castle, retrieving my knife, revolver and rifle from the guards. I was pulling a wagon that would let me fly with Artemis at it's back. Flying would help us go faster and further in less time, as well as being more safe, but with this wagon, I would have to keep close to the ground.

On my way back to meeting Artemis, I found myself looking at the same house from my dreams, with the skeletons on the ground. I unstrapped myself from the wagon for a moment, and removed two flowers I had bought at the market. I placed the flowers at it's skulls. I was paying my respects for my wife and daughter after all. I strengthen up and got the the skeletons on the wagon, strapped myself to it again, and went back to moving.

“It appears that we are done, Artemis.” I told her, as I finished burring the bodies of my family. I needed to pay my respects by giving them a proper funeral. I had left my wife and daughter after. Why or how, I don't know, but I had to do this after all. Artemis has been keeping a look out for any danger around. I had lit a small fire, since we went all the way back from Canterlot to the bottom of the mountain, where there was space for me to dig a hole to bury them. It was the middle of the night, since we took time to walking down the caves. Now I would fly with Artemis all the way to Filly Delphia.

I got enough ammo, medicine, stealth skill and food. That was enough to get me inside a raider town just to rescue three or four ponies, a bit of action in my life does not hurt, right? Oh no, it does. But this opened me a big possibility. If I found Pinkie Pie, maybe she could help me rewrite the forgotten month, and maybe everything will make more sense, or maybe even less.

Extinguishing the fire, I moved back to the wagon, and began to strap the saddle that held me with the wagon, and I whistled to tell Artemis she could get in the wagon. With everything ready, I started trotting in a straight line as I flapped my wings to get up. After running about a fifty meters, I started pulling up, and so it worked, I was flying, as long as I don't lose any speed, we shouldn't fell from the sky, and I decided to keep with the ground, even if I could just fly as higher as I wanted. I just preferred that it was for us to crash, we don't suffer a death by fall.

Well, with everything settled, we started our trip to Filly Delphia

Chapter 4: Trouble in Raider Town

Day 46 and 47

These last two days I didn't wrote because I was working on getting these girls to Canterlot. Thanks Celestia, it's good to know that they are safe now. Unfortunately, it appears that four members of that community were missing, and I volunteered to search for them. Apparently, they went into Filly Delphia, which is not very far from where me and Artemis are camping. by morning I'll get us there and work of finding them. The only reason I'm doing this is because one of those missing is Pinkie Pie, the one that was writing notes just for precaution, maybe she knows where they all are, or know what happened to Equestria.

Filly Delphia is filled with raiders, which means there is a chance they are dead, but I'm not counting on it yet. I know who those mares are, or at least were, and I know that the wielders of the elements of harmony aren't that easy to take down. Thanks to Rarity, Sweetie's sister, I have a nice thing to wear that protects me as well, and some other things I traded for some junk I had.

Well, I'm going to leave this short, since we will go back to flying right now. I just needed some time to record this and take a little rest.

I landed our small flying carriage. Artemis jumped out of it when I stopped and I got myself out of it as well. We landed about a mile or so from Fillydelphia, and the day was running short. The sun would soon fall and we would be left with near to no light at all, since the moon isn't full anymore. I was going to use it as my advantage, avoiding being spotted by raiders.

Now, I suppose they aren't that dumb, just because they changed their minds about eating meat don't mean they are irrational. I suppose they settled some kind of light so they could keep a look at the entire city. Filly Delphia, just like Manehattan, is a big city filled with buildings, using them to go around is my plan, wasting less than a second jumping from one to the other.

But first, before anything, I had to have any kind of idea of where these mares would be. I didn't know anything about either Rainbow Dash or Applejack, even less from Pinkie Pie and Fluttlershy. Even if I worked as a spy, Celestia ensured me that leaving the life of the elements of harmony alone would be okay. If I at least knew more about their lifes and family traces. I suppose I could have asked Apple Bloom and Scootaloo about her sister and friend/tutor.

Moving on, me and Artemis were getting near the city. Climbing the small hill, I could already see the taller building on the city, and another few about it's height. As always, I don't have a plan. Well, I do, but that is the general plan. Get in the city, find the group, get the group back to Canterlot. By a plan, I mean a way of getting there and getting out, with no trouble if possible. I must like raiders to have lived near them and getting in one of their centers. Well, it's too late to back off now.

I need to see the bright side of this. If I get all the elements of harmony back, maybe they can restore this world to it's normal state. even if I'll never see them again. I don't even think I'll live long enough to see any change.

Night fell, but the lighting around the city didn't seem to change. Apparently these raiders were more intelligent, and lit up the place. Maybe on fire, from all the light coming out of it. The city seemed pretty open, no wall around it, making it easier for me to get in, but we couldn't simply walk across the streets, making it fairly easier for the to see us. We would use the roofs like I said.

Now, it's not easy to carry a timberwolf, and their claws can easily hurt my back. I told Artemis to bite my tail, and since it was just hair, I wouldn't feel anything. She obeyed, but I could she was a little worried that this idea of mine was suicidal.

I started flying, slowly getting used to the extra weight. I can tell that flying like this was very different than flying that wagon. I never really understood aerodynamics, but I can say that different ways of flying causes different results. Hovering is different than normal flying forward and just pointing up to get higher, but I don't have to tell the obvious. Minutes late, we found ourselves on the top of a 5 stores high building. thankfully there was other buildings of the same height, allowing me to have easy jumps and not having to fly or leaps of faith.

We started moving, directing ourselves to the center, where I could take a closer look at all this situation. I would see the place they storage the bodies they rip apart to eat. I was always taking a look at the streets, looking for anything else that could be important. I wasn't having any luck.

I also felt that this was just a shot at the dark. Rarity just told me they went in this direction, but I'm not even sure they are still here. I imagined it could be worth a look though. If they are not here, they should have left some kind of information, and I'm somewhat good when it comes to tracking. If they were captured, I still have hope. The raiders don't kill mares that fast, since they always got some use for them, like pleasuring them before they kill. Besides, these raiders might be different. Maybe they don't kill, maybe they aren't cannibals... Who am I kidding?

I suddenly heard the sound of a big rifle being shot, and very near to us, the sound of a bullet landing. My eyes widened as I looked up in the taller building by our side.

“Shit! I missed!” I heard a raider screaming, announcing his failure. I looked up and finally located the raider reloading his sniper rifle, three floors before the buildings. I ran into cover, and so did Artemis. I prepared my rifle, and attached the small scope I used for my revolver at the top of the rifle. I was about to peak and try to shot the sniper, when I was interrupted. “James! Blow that building up!”

My eyes widened. I opened my wings wide and positioned my self to fly. Artemis didn't waste a second and bit my tail again. I lifted up as I heard the sound of explosions coming from the street. The ground below us started collapsing and the building fell. I didn't lose any of my momentum, and started flying above the buildings, dragging Artemis with me.

I heard another shot from the sniper. I held myself as the pain flooded my body. He had hit my left wing. I started losing control fast, and went flying directly on the windows of a office building. The goddamn sniper hit one of the only parts of my body not protected by the armor.

I turned my back to the building, in order to receive the less damage as possible from the shards of glass that I would create, but kept my tail in front of me so Artemis didn't suffer as well. I held my self and prepared for the impact.

Crashing through the window, I could feel the shards going through the cloth, but stopping at the vest. I landed on the ground and knocking over a few tables and chairs. Artemis had already let go of my tail and got back up. I got up and cleared the shards from my back. I then picked a regeneration potion and shoved it down my throat. This injury would fuck up my flying, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I grabbed my rifle's grip with my mouth and started moving. My plan now had changed, and I wanted to go downstairs and keep myself away from snipers. I wonder how they blew up the building in just a few moments. This meant I couldn't stay inside buildings anymore, specially with them acknowledging me.

I heard another explosion coming from below.my eyes widened as the ground started to crack. I looked at Artemis who started climbing the stairs back like a bullet. I thought it was a better idea to follow her. It wasn't helping much, since the cracks had already gone upstairs even faster than us. The building would collapse in moments, and I couldn't just fly us out.

Three floors later I could feel the building starting to stumble. I looked at Artemis with a worried look, she looked back at me and jumped right of a window, breaking it and jumping to the building. She left me. I tried follow, but the ground below me started collapsing. I tried hovering, but my wing was still hurt and it was no use. I felt back at the ground.

I ran for it, trying to go for a leap of faith. I ran, and the ground I was standing on started falling. I ran for my life, and it really depended on it. Well, if I didn't die before, I wasn't dying now. Near the window, I was about to jump out, but I felt something hard falling on my tail. “Shit!” I thought to myself. “I can't keep going with this long tail.” A big cinder block fell on the top of my tail, and didn't let me move out. I was stuck. I tried getting my knife out and cutting the hair from my tail out, but before I could do anything. more blocks started falling from the top floors. I got down to the ground, trying to protect me from anything that could fall on my head. I felt a hard hit on my head moments later and my vision blacked out.

“Put him on that table!” I started waking up with the sound of a raider giving an order, and screams of excitement on the background. This wasn't going to end well. I started opening my eyes and could see I was being dragged by two unicorns with their magic. Around us, there was a crowd of other raiders, both males and females, cheering up as they dragged me to a table in the center of what appeared to be a circle of ponies. There was possibly all raiders in the town here. I was definitely fucked. There was no way I was getting out of here. My life is now over. At least my wing wasn't killing me with pain anymore.

The two raiders dropped me a little before the table, and dragged my right hoof up in the table. I had no idea of what was happening. I felt something pulling my hair and making me lift my head, and then a unicorn with it's horn glowing walked to my side.

“So the little runner is awake?” He asked me, with a smile cracking on his face. “It's been a long time since our victims were awake during this process.”

My eyes widened. What kind of process? What was happening here?

The raider turned to another raider earth pony standing by a weapon stand. “Hey you, give me my machete.” He commanded. The raider picked up the machete and handed it over to the unicorn that was doing a monologue with me. The raider than just looked at my face. “So you think you can just walk up on our sister's tribe and free one of their slaves?” He asked me, with a sarcastic look. “You thought we wouldn't get to know that?! And you still think you can walk to our place and do the same?!”

He then backed off a little. I tried moving and maybe escaping, but was immediately stopped by another unicorn's magic. “If it was up to me, I would just kill you or just leave you on that buried on that destroyed building.” He told me. “But our leader seems to think differently. You're a pretty strong stallion, and we could use some slaves like you here.”

Slaves? Wait, you don't eat other ponies? I'm really confused, but that seemed more intelligent from their side. Rather than just killing and storing the meat, they made our lives even more miserable before we die of exhaustion.

“Unfortunately, to you, I took your attack a little personal, and I'm not just letting you go unpunished.” He finished his speech while levitating the machete to the table. He then sat on the only chair there, by my side. I was dropped in the ground. “Say good bye to you leg, you wanker!”

The unicorn levitated the machete high in the sky, preparing to give only one hit to get my leg off. I tried pulling my hoof out, but it was no use. Only now I looked up in the sky and saw the sun. I guess they stayed up all night to get me out of that place just to do this. How nice of them.

Giving up, I knew I had already lost this battle. I'd now become a slave and probably food after my death. So much for trying to discover the past and rescuing some kiddos. I had my eyes closed, prepared to embrace the pain that would certainly come to me. I could now hear the screams of joy of the thousand raiders surrounding me. I thought about that had happened until now. Artemis had left me and ran before suffering a likely destiny just like mine. I also had been separated from my armor and weapons, so even if I got out of this, I wouldn't be able to defend myself.

Suddenly, I heard a big gasp coming from all around me. Seconds had passed and my leg was still with me. Something had happened and I had no idea of what, I was just glad it stopped my destiny for some time. I opened my eyes, and say the raider looking for something. His horn wasn't glowing anymore and the machete had disappeared from my vision.

An Instant later I was covered in blood from the raider that was going to cut off my hoof. I got surprised by the moment where I saw his brains being penetrated by a sniper bullet. I haven't heard a sound. Somepony was probably using a silenced sniper. Clever.

After the silenced shot, the other ponies were able to locate the sniper, up in the the 5th floor of one of the buildings surrounding the area. The other raiders grabbed their guns, which were much more powerful than the usual around Ponyville. “James, blow that building up!” Another pony screamed. This James probably was the bomber of this place. Seconds later a big explosion happened on the first three floors of the building, and the cracks started tearing it apart. The raiders near it ran. These guy probably didn't have any worries about the well being of their other soldiers. But how did they blow it so fast? Do they have settled explosives in every building?

As the building fell, I couldn't see anyone jumping out. They probably didn't react that fast. The raider was about to turn to me, but was surprised when a Timberwolf, with a orange earth pony mare with blonde hair and a cowboy hat with a few bullet holes riding it, jumped at our vision. She wore a light armor suit and held in her mouth my revolver. She then quickly shot the other three raiders standing by me with only three bullets in a blink of an eye. Artemis had come back and brought a friend!

Out of the effect of the unicorn magic, I turned the table and used it as a wall. I grabbed the nearest raider's weapon and held it. the raiders watching didn't waste time and started shooting at us. The mare jumped out of Artemis's back and jumped under cover with me. Artemis ran back to an alleyway nearby and disappeared.

“Thank ya for letting me use that revolver of yours. It is pretty good.” She told me as we reloaded our weapons. “Sorry, I don't think I introduced myself. My name is Applejack, but you can just call me AJ if you want.”

I blinked my eye. So they were still here and alive? Jackpot!

“Why are you helping me?” I asked out of curiosity. This isn't normally a situation where a pony would risk their life for me.

“I always like to help the pony folk. It's a part of me and will always be. But next time send in a pony. I almost shot that Timberwolf.” She finished reloading my revolver and took a look at it, then she threw it over me, and grabbed the SMG I had in my hooves. “Don't mind me, I just like rifles more.”

I didn't react to that. I just grabbed my revolver and checked the ammo. Six bullets, just enough. “So, what is the plan?” I asked got my revolver in my mouth and stood out of cover.

She stopped shooting and got down to cover again. I aimed at the raiders standing around and shot my revolver three times, hitting two of them in the head of two raiders.

“I don't have one. I didn't expect to get you out of here alive.” She told me. her answer surprised me. The both of us hadn't planned anything, and were stuck around a few hundred of raiders, shooting directly at us. Good thing this table wasn't made out of wood, but of concrete. Thanks Celestia it wasn't bound with the ground.

I took a look around, trying to find anything before our cover was blown up by this many bullets being shot at us. Looking at one of the four bodies standing near us, I saw the body of a unarmed raider with a tablet on it's body. It was probably what triggered all the explosives around the buildings. “Hey, do you think we can make they go near that building over there?” I asked AJ, pointing my hoof in the building's direction. She nodded and checked her throat.

“Fluttershy! We are pinned down over here! Bring out the big guns!” She let out a scream that could be heard a mile away with even all these shots being fired. she gave that scream to the recently destroyed building, where the sniper was standing up. seconds later, I saw a pegasus with a very long mane flew off behind the destroyed building. She flew up in the sky and stood between us and the sun. I couldn't tell her colors, since the smoke from the demolition covered us and the sun light was also blocking it, but apparently that was Fluttershy. Now all that was left was Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

The pegasus drew out of it's back a big cannon like object. That couldn't possibly be...

I ducked even more, and heard the sound of an explosion behind me. Yep, they had a Rocket Launcher. I took the moment and ran for the tablet. Grabbing it with my mouth, I made a U-turn and ran back to cover. The pegasus flew back to behind the destroyed building and I was ready to destroy the building where the raiders were backing up. there should be a few hundreds that ran inside seeking protection, I almost felt guilty. Almost.

Pressing the button on the screen, I selected the building and a few others around it and exploded them all. I heard the big booming sound behind our cover. I looked at Applejack, who was holding her hat on her head. She looked back to me.

“Yeehaa, That is how ya do it!” The let out a scream of joy, celebrating over the few hundred of dead raiders under what was left of the buildings. She peaked her head out to see if it was clear, but came back to cover an instant later. she threw the SMG with no ammo aside and ran to the nearest rifle. She gave a barrel roll, and got back up with the semi automatic rifle being held by her mouth and one of her fore hooves. She then fired one shot and stopped. “Yep, we are clear now.” She then drew the rifle back to her back and looked at me. “Come on, before the rest of them come after us.” She told me as she hurried me up. I got up and we ran into the same alleyway Artemis had.

“Can I get a better explanation of what happened back there now?” I asked AJ, as we stopped for a second.

“What is there to know? We rescued you.”

“Not that. I mean how did you know I was in danger?” I asked again.

“Easy. You sent us your Timberwolf. If it wasn't for Fluttershy, I admit I would have shot it.” She explained the whole situation, but I still wanted to know more.

Our conversation was interrupted when a yellow pegasus with pink long hair walked into our vision, carrying a Rocket Launcher and a silenced Sniper Rifle. AJ didn't seem to react to her coming out of nothing, so I presumed she was Fluttleshy, one of the mares I was looking for. Behind her, Artemis came into vision. She was now carrying some saddlebags, exactly like mine. Was that my stuff? How did they find it?

“Hey Fluttleshy, good job right there!” Applejack praised the mare, patting her back. The yellow mare just hid her face and tried to stay back.

“Never ask me to kill anyone again” Fluttershy whispered, I could see she was crying.

Applejack tried to cheer her up, by using her hoof to make her look up. “Sugarcube, you did a good job by killing those-”

“Never again!” Fluttlershy screamed at AJ, using it as a threat. AJ backed off. I wasn't understanding the situation, it was like I wasn't there.

“I'm really sorry for making you do that, I promise.” She told Fluttlershy back, trying to calm her down. The yellow mare looked at the cowgirl with a suspicious look. “Aww come on. Would I ever lie to you?” AJ then turned back to me to continue our conversation.

“Okay then, so where is Rainbow Dash?” I asked her. “I was told you two were travelling together.”

“Wait, how do you know about Rainbow?” She asked me back, doubts were flying around like mosquitoes.

“Long story short, I offered myself to rescue the four of you. Rarity told me where you were.” I answered her question, it was good we kept replying to each others question one at a time, otherwise this would all get confusing.

Applejack bursted into laughter after hearing my answer. “ha-ha! Excuse me! -ha-ha- She sent you to rescue us?” She sarcastically asked me. I rolled my eyes. “I'm sorry, but I don't think that if you can be so easily captured by them, you can save anyone.” Wait, was it all that bad?

“I think that was nice of him.” Fluttleshy replied, silencing AJ for a moment. “At least he offered himself, and was not obligated to do so.” I now saw where this was going. The two would end up fighting.

“Before you two start fighting, can you answer me where is Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie?” I tried to prevent anything from happening. I still wanted to get everyone out of this city alive, specially when Fluttershy had a fucking rocket launcher strapped to her back, and applejack had a semi automatic rifle.

“Sugarcube, there is a problem with that.” Applejack tried to hide something. I pushed her enough to make her talk. “Alright, if you really want to know, I'll tell ya.”

“When me and Rainbow came into this town looking for Fluttershy and Pinkie, we did not expect to find a lot of raiders like this. When we had came here, we found Pinkie and Fluttershy as raiders. as you can see, I got Fluttlershy out and back to herself, well, sorta. Rainbow tried talking with Pinkie, but she was captured. They took her somewhere, and I don't know where it is.”

“Wait, so you are telling me they got her into some kind of jail?” I asked in surprise. I wasn't expecting for this.

“It is out of town...” Fluttershy spoke again. “I can't seem to remember where, but it was near the Everfree forest, or inside it. Pinkie Pie still has a little of her inside, so she wouldn't kill Rainbow, but things can change pretty easily on her, being it for the bad or the good.”

Okay, I have seen a lot of dark things in my life, but this was all new to me. Can a raider be turned back to normal? So there is still hope for Equestria?

Well, not really. I bet some of those raiders became used to eating meat, and now can't stop. Those wouldn't handle Equestria being back to normal, but there was still hope. If we could get all these ponies back to normal, we could rebuild the land together.

Applejack looked at Fluttershy, seeing that she had now discovered a secret too. “Fluttlershy, my dear, why haven't you told me this before?” Applejack asked the yellow pegasus, a little mad. I just watched while I wore the armor Rarity got me, and strapped my saddlebags on me, while Artemis stood by me. “Why the hay haven't you told me that before?!”

“You know what Applejack, I regret turning back the raiders. It was all fine until you showed up. Now why don't you stand aside while I let him do his job?!” Fluttershy replied to AJ. Something told me that their relation wasn't really working out since she left the raiders.

Applejack backed off, keeping the face of madness. Fluttershy walked up to me and continued. “Me and Pinkie discussed about a jail for us to keep outside of Filly Delphia, in case we wanted to protect something or just keep someone stuck. We decided the best place would be a pond in the middle of the Everfree Forest, that dried when this whole thing happened. Pinkie got a bunch of rocks to hide the place, and make it impenetrable, and I talked with the beasts of the forest to keep the place protected from anyone other than us.”That explanation reminded me when I went in search of fruits in the Everfree Forest. I was really close to danger and had no idea of it.

“And what happened to Pinkie after she captured Rainbow?” I asked Fluttershy and Applejack, since I wasn't sure of in what order this all happened.

“That is it. We don't know.” AJ continued. “She just got back to working with the raiders, but I have been sneaking around night and day in search of her, but It is no use.”

“What do you think we should do?” I asked them. “I think if we get enough help, we can get Rainbow out of that place on the Everfree.”

“If we get enough help from the ponies around Canterlot, we may be able too, but what about Pinkie?”

“I think I know how to call her attention. The raiders mentioned they had slaves...” I started developing a plan.

“The city is already in panic, and you want to cause even more destruction?” Applejack asked me as we followed Fluttershy to where they kept all the slaves.

“Those hundred of dead raiders must have attracted the leader's attention, and if we get all the slaves out, we could not only rescue them, but even battle our way into recovering the city.” I explained what I had in mind. “Hopefully we still have a chance.”

We followed Fluttershy through some alleyways. She told me she knew where they kept all the people, and I was planning on rescuing them. Nobody should be left over to raiders. I regret not helping the ponies at Ponyville until Sweetie Belle, I could have saved so many lives.

Fluttershy then got inside a building, and the other three of us followed her. 3 floors later, there was a small balcony, that had some kind of vision to a big park, surrounded by buildings like this one.

Fluttershy had stopped. She was looking from the balcony to the park, her eyes wide. I walked up to her side and took a look in what amused her. I wasn't expecting such horror.

There was this yard, filled with bodies, dead bodies. The blood pools were still around, so this happened recently. “We need to get down there!” I hurried Fluttershy. “There might still be someone alive!”

“They were gunned down...” She spoke like I wasn't there, she just kept watching, with a traumatized look on her face. Fluttershy until this point had been a very dark pony for me. I don't know anything about her, but I know she has a soft side too. Specially in such situation. “I can't believe she did that...”

It was no use, she was focused on her mind. I ran back to the stairs, passing by AJ who got confused why I was running like that, and decided to follow me. After some searching, I found the doors that went outside and bursted through them. Looking around panting for running down the stairs, I shook my head, looking for someone that would still be alive. I saw hundreds of colorful pony bodies, every one of them with a blood pool around it. I started galloping around in search for someone alive. AJ got the idea and started searching too. She had now seen the massacre.

While searching, I came through a message written on the ground, by blood. It told me "For every one of us that you kill, we will kill the double of slaves". I froze, feeling a tear go down my face, I felt a sensitive side of me I haven't felt in a while. Guilty came into me, telling me that it was all my fault for making all of this people die. Somehow they knew I would come here, but how?

“Hey!” Applejack called for my attention on the other side of the field “I think you might wanna see this!”

I galloped to her, wiping out the tear in my eye. I started wishing she found someone still alive.

Arriving at her, I saw she was pressing the neck of a light blue mare with a knife as a cutie mark. She has a two colored mane, most of it being cyan, and the other part black. “I could use a helping hoof here!” AJ hurried me up. “I found her bleeding and unconscious, but she still breaths, we might be able to save her. Any bright ideas?”

“Hm...” I hummed as I thought of a solution to our problem. According to Applejack, her neck was bleeding, so I presume she, just like everyone else here, was shot. I she stopped pressing, the mare could lose even more blood and die. If I bandaged it, the bullet might still be inside her neck and cause some problems, and in her case, a bullet to the neck would cause a lot more damage than one to the chest. “How long can you keep pressing that?” I asked Applejack.

“There is too much blood to keep inside, so I guess a few minutes. Why?” She asked me back.

“I'm going to try and give her a few potions, so she can heal a little. Then, I would need your help checking if the bullet is still on her, and finally bandage the wound.” I explained my plan. I wasn't a doctor, but I knew that these things needed to be done in order to keep her alive for as long as she wants.

“You sure about this? It's risky and will cost you some good medicine, in her case. She is as white a Rarity with this blood loss.”

I looked at the unconscious mare, laying in the ground there. I couldn't just leave her. I'm not the same pony I used to be back at Ponyville. I wanted to help this world, make it come back to it's normal state. “Yes, I'm sure, and I'm willing to give it a try.”

I came closer and crouched near the mare. I picked up five health potions and a few bandages of my bag, about eighty percent of all my medical supplies. I opened the first bottle and forced the mare to drink it. Finishing the first bottle, I opened a second one and forced her to drink it. I did the same with the rest, so they could all have the same duration, but cause a bigger effect, or at least I hoped so. I unwrapped the bandage roll and laid her neck on it, with Applejack still pressing the other side. We waited about a minute and I gave the permission for Applejack to stop. I checked the mare's pulse, and fortunately she is still alive. Cleaning the small pool of blood around her neck, I discovered a big hole at it. The bullet seemed to have left a great destruction where it passed. The bullet had near missed her, but left a good hole for it to bleed. I thanked Celestia for not having me to remove another bullet, that thing hurts and I could cause great damage to her if I tried.

Finishing the inspection job, I wrapped her neck in the bandage. With the amount of health potions I gave her, she should heal back to normal in a few hours, and there would be actually no scars. I can't say the same about my chest. “Right... What now? We just going to drag her around the town with us while we search for Pinkie Pie?” AJ asked me.

“We should leave the city and come back later.” I told her, destroying my original plan. “We should check the state of the other ponies and see if anyone is still alive other than her. Taking them to a secure place would be for the best.”

“None of them are still alive,” A male voice came from behind us. I turned and faced a raider unicorn, a different one from the park that I destroyed. “And you felt directly at our trap.” His horn started glowing, making other ponies appear out of a electrical field. It was like they were being teleported or were invisible all the time. I grabbed my assault rifle and loaded it ready. AJ got her semi auto rifle back from the ground. The two of us were surrounded by the raiders, we were in trouble. Two unicorns came out of the building, dragging Fluttershy with their magic, they approached the circle and dropped Fluttershy near us. Fortunately they haven't harmed her.

“We are taking y'all down and finding Pinkie, you won't oppose us!” AJ replied to the raider's comment. The raider reacted by letting a sarcastic laugh out.

“Silly Applejack, have you looked behind you?” I heard a mare's voice, followed by a small giggles, coming from behind us. I turned and saw a pink earth pony mare, with a long fluffy hair, also pink. “You should see your faces! You ain't going anywhere.”

“Pinkie...” Applejack stopped for a second. “What have they turned you into?!” She screamed with the pink mare. The pink mare reacting by letting a big happy laugh out. I was confused, and I didn't knew if this was a good thing. I had to do something fast, otherwise we would all be dead.

I left Applejack discussing with Pinkie Pie, and went over to check out Fluttershy. She was scared, looking at the raiders around us, and I could see she was nervous.

Noticing they had removed Fluttershy's weapons, I was sure that she didn't had anything that could help on our situation. I wanted to get the four of us out of here alive, and if possible, Pinkie Pie too. I took a look around and realized Artemis wasn't with us. I got worried, she was with us until the moment we entered this place, she followed us all the way through the alleyways to this place. Wherever she is, I hoped she was okay, and planning something that would help us, we are really in a near death situation.

“Pinkie, please reconsider it!” Applejack pleaded. “We can go back to our normal lives, rebuild Equestria together. We will take you back to Canterlot and things will go back to normal.”

Pinkie Pie hang one of her hooves in the air. “On my command.” She told the raiders, making them ready their weapons out. They are about to kill us, I have to do something!

I checked the ammo on my assault rifle, checking if I had enough to kill ten raiders in quick succession. If I used three bullets for every one of them, I could do it. Applejack got her carbine ready, the two of us were going to fend out them in other to protect our lives.

I felt a cold on me as I saw Pinkie's hoof moving back to the ground, I'm seeing it in slow motion, as I knew this would be possibly my last moment. I embraced myself. I heard the sound of glass breaking coming from above me. I felt small pieces of glass landing on me, and fortunately not cutting. Above me, a shadow of a creature jumped. This couldn't be.

Artemis landed at Pinkie Pie and used her fangs to bit the mare's neck. The raiders aimed their weapons and started opening fire at Artemis. I saw bullets landing at her and a sudden cold came to me. I felt rage going through me. Aiming my assault rifle, I sprayed the bullets strafing it, dropping the number of enemies to the half. Applejack did the same, grabbing her carbine and shooting at the other raiders.

The ammo for my rifle ended, and I was about to pick my revolver to end the remaining raiders. I threw my rifle at the ground and got my head down to my legs to grab the revolver out of it's holster. Six bullets was all that I needed. I got back to battle and found the last raider standing alone. He had just now realized that his teammates were dead. Applejack was reloading, so I took the opportunity to end him, and I was more than happy to do it. He attempted to aim at me, but before he did, I shot one bullet directly at his head, making a .44 caliber bullet go directly through his skull. The raider fell to the ground.

I looked over to Artemis, her body was now sticks and logs, with bullet holes on them. I closed my eyes and forced them, causing my face to have a expression of deep regret. My eyes were watering but they just now let out a tear. the tear scored down my face and mover to my neck. Holding the revolver, I moved near to the recently killed raider. I aimed at his dead face, and slowly closed my eyes.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

After unloading the remaining bullets of my revolver at his face, I slowly re-opened my eyes to find myself staring at a red half open skull on an unicorn. I made the raider pay the price, by blowing up his head. My face, armor and leg were now covered in small remaining of this pony's brains, and possibly, skull. I went back to Artemis remains, leaving the raider with it's skull open laying on the ground.

I sat by the side of the pile of wood, my eyes closed, forcing myself not to cry. I had just lost someone I had considered family for the last days. “I told her I would protect her...” I talked with myself, remembering when I first found her at the train. “For fuck's sake, I told her I'd repay for using her family!” I got up and stomped at the ground to relief myself.

Fluttershy walked up to me. putting one of her hoofs on my back to try and help. I just looked down in disappointment of myself. “I may be able to help you with your problem.” She told me. I looked up and looked at her. “You might not be familiar with a Timberwolf's nature. They drain energy from the Everfree forest to create their life. That is why a whole group of Timberwolves can turn into a big monster, or rebuild themselves while in the forest. I believe if we take her remains there, she might live again.”

I stopped crying and cleared the tears on my bloody face. It was not over yet, I could still be able to revive her. To keep my promise, to keep Artemis safe. I still had to somehow keep her remains safe, and since I got some space on my bags, since I gave most of my medicine to the unconscious mare, I'd be able to carry it.

I started collecting the sticks and branches, leaving the logs for the last so I could carry most of it, and if needed, create even more space. I removed the enough to see Pinkie's neck, there was no marks of a bite on it. I got confused. Did Artemis not kill her?

I called Applejack over. She checked the pink's mare breath to confirm that the mare was indeed not dead. This cheered us all up. We could bring Pinkie Pie back and even if she didn't agree to go back instantly, we could take some time to convince her. Everything is working out, even if at first I was sad. There is still hope, there is still a way.

With everything back at it's place, I positioned the light blue mare on my back, while having my saddlebags carefully wrapped so I didn't let any part of Artemis behind. Sadness had not yet left me, as Artemis was temporally, and possibly forever, dead. I just tried to calm myself as we went back to the alleyway we came in from so we could get out of the city. Next stop: Canterlot.

Chapter 5: Quantum Gaze

Day 48 and 49

Alright, somehow I managed to get all the mares but one out of this city. I'm now camping for this night with the company of Applejack, the cowgirl (also with an awesome hat), Fluttershy, a for now unconscious mare that we were able to save, the remains of Artemis, and Pinkie Pie, the raider.

What is the deal behind this all, I don't know, but These last days were full of things. For a starter, I survived the demolition of a building and got saved by a raider just so I could become a slave after they cut my hoof off. Fortunately I was saved by Applejack and Fluttershy, that were encountered by Artemis, and we blew an entire army of raiders together. I then moved over to try and save the other slaves, since I now knew that there was some. well, going into the place they kept the slaves, we only encountered one that we could save. Turns out they left that one alive on purpose, so they could get us. Something happened and I was able to kill them all with the help of Applejack. We could get Pinkie Pie, that was with the raiders, out unconscious, but not without the lost of Artemis. I'm going to try, with the help of Fluttershy, revive the Timberwolf I adopted since last week.

Now, we are going to go back to Canterlot, so I can get them to Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. After that I'm going to head out with Fluttershy to the Everfree forest, so we can find where Rainbow Dash is stuck, and as a secondary objective, revive Artemis.

But my job here at Filly Delphia is not done. On the field there was a message written on blood telling they would kill the double of slaves considering the number of dead raiders. That either meant they had more, or they would send a message to their other camps telling them to do so. I'm working on getting the elements of harmony back together, but I'll save all of the people that I can. Nopony deserves such fate.

**Side Note:* As soon as we get to Canterlot, get new armor, since I gave mine to the unconscious mare to keep her safe while we got out of the city.*

I was sitting near my wagon, checking somethings and leaving my saddlebags there, I was wrapping everything so we could still leave this place even during night time. Not only we would be getting to Canterlot by mid-day, but we would be leaving this place for now. I still had things left to do here, but now wasn't the moment. I still had to help the most important six mares on Equestria getting together.

I turned my back to see what the others were doing. Near the campfire, Fluttershy was sitting, watching the fire while it burned the wood we used to light it up, not Artemis remains, but some wood we found around. Applejack was near the the unconscious body of Pinkie Pie, and talking to the now awoke unicorn we saved. She was helping her unwrap the bandage around her neck, that by now, should not have left even a smallest scar. She was good as new, and I got to admit myself, that mare was kinda attractive.

I just now realized I was the only stallion on a group of mares. I don't take it as a chance of getting laid, but in today's world, what were the chances?

After sometime talking with the mare, Applejack left her with a smile on her face and came in my direction. I was still checking the things on the wagon and checking if we could fit that many ponies and things inside.

“How ya doing back here, with that small magnum of yours?” AJ asked me.

“Not much, just getting our plane ready for the trip.” I replied. “You?”

“I just talked to that mare you rescued, told her our whole adventure.” She answered as she sat by me while I worked. “She thinks it was noble of you to use that many medical supplies on her. I myself wouldn't do the same.”

“You told her everything?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Yeah, from the time you got captured to now.” She said as she got her hat over her eyes and laid her back by the wagon. “Wake me up when it's time for us to go. Oh, and her name is Quantum Gaze, by the way. Good night partner.”

“Good night AJ” I told her as she went to sleep by my side. I already had everything ready, but I was going to give these ponies some rest, as I needed mine too. I turned to see the campfire and found Quantum Gaze and Fluttershy speaking. That unicorn seemed to be pretty friendly towards others. I think she will do well around Canterlot. I would too, but apparently I'm a bounty hunter now.

Fluttershy had a smile on her face, something I haven't seem her do inside the city, but we didn't even had any reason to laugh in there so I don't blame her. She was safe now, and was with her friends. If things work out maybe she could go back to do whatever she loved, and I hope that the same happens for everyone still alive in Equestria. Me? I don't know if I really can go back.

My family died, I don't remember what really happened in February, my job was working as a watchdog around Equestria, and since everything fell to the ground, I don't know what could really happen. Looking what I do now, I don't think that at this pace I'll live long enough to see things back at normal, but even I wants that to happen. But even I know, that with everything this way, nothing is really going to be the same anymore. The two main princess disappeared, and the sun and the moon are still going just like before, that means they are somewhere out in Equestria or beyond. Who knows, maybe they are stuck in the moon for a thousand years.

“Hey there.” My thought were interrupted by a female voice. Getting my head up, I was facing Quantum Gaze, who finished talking to Fluttershy and went to talk with me. “Falcon, isn't it?”

“Yeah, that would be me.” I replied. “And hi, by the way.” After that I had put on a nervous face, as I wasn't expecting for this. I realized I'm now blushing.

She gave a small giggle due to my reaction and continued. “Applejack told me what happened when you found me on the field.” Quantum Gaze approached me. “I wanted to repay you for using that many medical supplies on me and for giving me your armor so I didn't suffer any damage.”

“It's was nothing, really.” I tried to hide my blush as the mare approached me even more.

“No, I insist, what you have done was something I won't ever forget, you saved my life.” She told me back. “Well, I don't really have anything I could give you back, but...” She stopped for a second.

I opened my mouth, prepared to say something, but I stopped. I was interrupted by something I really didn't see coming this time. A kiss. The mare leaned over to my face and gave me a small kiss on my mouth. The hole situation surprised me. I had no reaction.

The kiss only lasted a moment, less than a second I'd say. I stood there, looking into the infinite and beyond in front of me, with neither a good or bad reaction, just surprise. “Uh...” I made a sound.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that.” The mare regretted the kiss, as she hid her face,blushing. “I'll see you when we are ready to go.” The mare then turned and walked back to the campfire, leaving me.

I heard a whistle of excitement coming from behind me. It was Applejack, impressed with the scene. “That is something ya won't forget that easily boy!” She said, making fun of me.

“Uh...” I tried speaking again, but it was no use. I blinked a few times and shook my head, regaining control over my body. “What just happened...?” I asked myself out loud.

“Shouldn't you stop for some time?” Fluttershy asked me, as I wrapped the belts on my belly. “Aren't you tired of flying the whole night?”

“I'll be fine.” I replied. “Canterlot is just a few miles from here, so we are going to arrive pretty soon” I told her as I stopped looking at the belts and focused on our take off.

“Don't worry Fluttershy.” AJ talked to her friend. “He will have a lot of time to relax and cuddle with Quantum here once we get to Canterlot.” She then laughed for a few seconds, as I rolled my eyes and Quantum Gaze stood silent.

I then started running in a straight line, ready to take off. It was much easier taking off when there is sunlight, making it much easier for me to see. Moments later we were back in the air. I could see in the distance the mountain where the city of Canterlot stood. I tried to keep a constant flight, since my wings were tired of flapping all the way through here, and finally I would be taking a break. Maybe I could ask back a room for the night, so I could sleep before I continue my work.

Our trip until now had been sweet. Pinkie didn't wake up, otherwise, I'm sure she would try doing something, since she wasn't that easily persuaded by AJ. Everyone kept silent most of the night. some slept, but AJ kept up telling me how it was to work on a Apple farm. And I'd rather not speak of apples for a while now.

I also haven't talked with Quantum since we "kissed". I thought it could be a little awkward for the two of us, so I don't mention it, but I surely would like to know what happened that made she kiss me. I think I should keep this weakness in mind. Kisses out of nowhere can keep me stuck into nowhere for a while. I try to not think about the situation much, but that was really strange. That was something I haven't felt since I last saw my wife alive, and I kinda liked it.

Once again, I was giving my weapons to the two guards on the front double doors of the Canterlot Castle. We had arrived and I was now taking them to Rarity. Pinkie Pie decided to wake up, but Applejack kept her quiet with her rope. Impressive, in my opinion. Laces were a good way to keep someone put

Entering the hallway, filled with shops, we walked right up to Rarity's armor stand. We stopped as we saw that Rarity was busy. Sweetie Belle wasn't with her, so I suppose she was with her two friends. I had to check on them later. Applejack stopped by my side.

“Ahem...” Applejack said something, trying to catch Rarity's attention, but failing. She then checked her throat. “Ahem!” She repeated the same thing, but this time louder, and so catching Rarity's eyes.

“Applejack! Fluttershy! Pinkie!” Rarity said the mares names out loud. “It's good to see that you are all okay, but where is Rainbow?” She asked, as she noticed the last missing member wasn't with us.

“We are going to find out soon. Pinkie here will tell us.” Applejack responded. “Isn't that right Pinkie?” Applejack threatened the pink earth pony. Something told me Pinkie had yet to turn back to normal.

Pinkie Pie stood silent, with no answer to AJ, but kept an natural smile in her face. Rarity took a look and saw that we had an extra member. “I see you brought somepony new. What is her name?” She asked me.

“I... Uh...” I, for some reason, felt nervous and got all wrapped up in my words. Regaining control, I attempted to try again. “Her name is Quantum Gaze. She was the only slave we were able to save from the town's raiders, and I decided to bring her here, where she could be safe.”

“I see...” Rarity said as she inspected something. Quantum Gaze was distracted with something else, a little away from the group, talking with a trader. “I see that you gave her your armor. Would you like me to mend you a new one?” Rarity asked me. “It's is the least I can do for you since you were able to bring almost everyone back.”

I nodded, accepting her offer. She then got out of her shop, and told us she would get Miss Sparkle here, since she would be happy to see that some people came back. Me and Applejack agreed to wait for her here. I then turned to Applejack to ask her something.

“You know around here, don't you?”

“Yep, have been around until I left in search of Fluttershy and Pinkie.” She answered me.

“So you know what they do to new comers?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Well, it depends.” She started. “If the newcomer is in condition to work, we just feed them and give them a small bed with the other workers. If the newcomer is injured or not at age/condition to work, we treat them until they can work, or if they are old, we just keep them safe. Been like this since we can remember.” She told me how things worked around. “You for example, we don't have to treat, you are like a bounty hunter. We give you something to do, and we pay you on supplies. But why do you ask?”

“I wanted to know what I would be doing here if I decided to stay...” I lied. I was actually asking because I wanted to know If I saved Quantum so she could be free, or a slave in better conditions. I didn't want her running around this land, but I didn't want her doing things against her will.

“I wanted to thank you Falcon.” Twilight Sparkle gave me a compliment. “Somehow you managed to get almost everyone back, and still offered to get Rainbow as soon as we can get Pinkie to tell exactly where she is.”

“I was just doing what I was asked. It was nothing, really!” I replied, not asking anything back. I was just glad to help. We were walking down a hallway, back to the room where everypony slept at night, going back to Applejack. Twilight had asked for my attention on something, and now we were done.

“I want you to have this.” She said as she got a key out using her magic, and gave me. “This is a key to one of the rooms here on the castle, so you don't have to sleep with everypony else.”

“Don't you think I'll be better than everypony here if they see me with this?”

“Not really, if you don't go around showing everypony.” She told me back. “And remember, don't tell anypony that Pinkie was, and possibly still is, a raider. Some of them knew her before this all and they would be destroyed to know that the only pony capable of cheering them up in a moment like this is a raider.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

We then got back into the room, filled with lines of sleeping bags for the people living here. There was only Applejack and Quantum Gaze here. They were putting her to sleep along with eveypony else here, and were still discussing what she could work at around Canterlot.

“Can I ask you something, Miss Sparkle?”

“You can just call me Twilight. And sure, go ahead.”

“Why are you putting Quantum Gaze at work this fast?” I asked her. “I mean, she was a slave, and she has been working possibly all these... 50 days for raiders without proper food or treatment. Don't you think she should take a rest before working?”

“I can't keep looking on others past to know what they have been through. There is just too much ponies to take care of, and I don't have enough time to give special treatment to everypony. This is the only way, sorry.”

“I understand it.” I replied. I didn't really understand it though, so I left Twilight standing by the door as I walked to Applejack and Quantum Gaze.

Arriving there I found the two talking. Applejack was finishing her explanation of the ambient around here. I simply waited my turn to talk with Quantum Gaze.

“... and lastly, this is your sleeping bag, you will use this when ya go to sleep around. I hope you don't mind snores around, because some workers do snore at night.” Applejack explained, and then followed with a laugh. Quantum was paying attention to her, and kept a smile at her face. I guess she was happy to be out of that hole. “Well, that is everything, I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Applejack then turned and walked off to the entrance, where Twilight was standing. Quantum Gaze turned as well, just to see me standing there. Her expression changed from happiness to surprise, and not the good kind of surprise. She immediately turned back, hiding her face from me.

“Hey, I just want to talk with you.” I started.

“If this is about the kiss I gave you, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that” She interrupted me, apologizing again, in hopes I just walked away. She seemed to be very friendly and outgoing with everypony else but me.

“I actually didn't mind it.” I commented, blushing a little. “But I came here to ask you about your current condition.”

She turned back to me. “What do you mean?”

“Well, since we found you as a slave, I presume you have been stuck with those raiders all this time. I don't think you should already go back to working, even if you are in better conditions. You should take a rest.”

“You are right about me working this whole time for the raiders in extremely bad conditions, but this place is different, it's better.” She told me back. “I'll get used to it, don't worry.”

Alright, this mare was doing everything now to make me go away. I decided to fast things up.

“Still, I think you should get some proper rest before they put you into some work. Here have this.” I then extended my mouth to pick the keys that I had stored on my saddlebags. I was giving her the key to my room here. “That key is for one of the suits here at the Castle. It is all yours.”

The mare picked it up with her magic and inspected it. “No, this is too much, you have done enough for me by rescuing me and giving me your armor. I can't take it.”

“I insist. I don't need it, since I'll be travelling all the time.” I forced.

The mare then took a second look at the key. “Well, that is very nice of you, but I don't suppose you will be leaving tonight. Where are you going to sleep?”

I looked inside of my head. She was right about me not leaving tonight, I still had to wait until Twilight gave me the information to find Rainbow. “Well, maybe I will sleep outside Canterlot, or just sleep here with everypony else.”

“No, you have done enough for me.” She replied. “You don't need to keep sacrificing your things for me, there is other ponies that need these things.”

“I can't help everyone at once, can I?” I replied. “Take that key and go get yourself some sleep on somewhere comfy.”

The mare then took a third look at the keys and kept staring at them for sometime. She then started walking to the entrance, but stopped right at my side.

“I don't really regret that kiss.” She whispered in my ear. I froze in place. “You are a cute and kind gentlecolt, you know that?”

Once again, I was staring at infinity, speechless. What is happening to me?

Day 50

I have successfully rescued everyone, and brought them back to Canterlot. I spent this afternoon walking around this place, talking with everyone.

I'm now waiting for my next job will be rescuing Rainbow Dash, who according to Fluttershy, is being kept in a kind of prison built by the raiders on the Everfree Forest. We would go there immediately, but Fluttershy does not know where it is located exactly. With this in mind, Twilight will get the help from the chief of the guards and a few other ponies to interrogate Pinkie.

This day was strange as well. I was kissed by Quantum Gaze, the mare I rescued. Apparently it was a way of her paying a debt we didn't really had, but I don't know. I only know that the kiss she gave me made me feel strange, in a good way. She gave me a feeling I only felt with my wife, before all this. Am I falling in love again?

I ended up giving up the room to a suit here at Canterlot, and gave it to Gaze, as I wanted her to get some proper rest before she got in any work. It's not like I will continue living any longer by getting into jobs like these. At least she will put the room for use.

I'm now finishing this chapter for the day, and will get to sleep, alongside with the other workers. I admit, a good bed for once would be nice, but giving that room to Quantum Gaze was a better decision. She is a beautiful mare by the way, but I shouldn't be thinking of love in a situation like this. I should set my priorities.

I woke up, my neck in a little pain, as I used my saddlebags as a pillow, and they are not the best pillows you will have when they are filled with wood. I got up in my hooves and before I wrapped them back on, I opened them to get me some food, it's been a while since I ate anything.

Opening my bags, I grabbed my water canteen and two apples. This should be enough to keep me going for now. I was about to close it when I noticed something. My notebook, where I kept a kind of diary/log of my days wasn't where I usually kept it. Did I not put it back after I wrote the log?

Checking my sleeping bag, I couldn't find it. There was just two possibilities, some one robbed it from me, or I'm just stupid enough not to see it, and it wasn't the second option. It couldn't possibly just disappear in thin air from night to day.

I got out of the big room where most of the workers slept and directed to the hallway with the shops, where some of the workers were awake already, and working. I was looking for Twilight, so I could know how to report a robbery, or request the search of a missing item. I couldn't possibly have lost it.

“Falcon.” I waked past Quantum Gaze and Rarity, who were talking at Rarity's shop. Rarity saw me in a hurry and decided to speak with me. “Why the rush, dear?”

I stopped walking down the hallway and turned to her. “Well, I have "lost" a book of mine, and I was going to ask if anypony has "seen" it around. I was going to ask Twilight if I could request a search for it.”

“Eh...” Rarity stopped to think for a second, I saw she was a little nervous. I approached her as the two seemed to be hiding something.

“Is anything wrong?” I raised my voice a little bit.

“I don't think it will be necessary, Falcon.” Quantum replied, raising a notebook from behind her using her magic. My eyes widened. She had stolen my book!

“Now, now, I know what you are thinking. That I stole your little diary after you trusted me and all.” Quantum continued. “If you let me explain, you will understand why I did this.”

I got back into a normal stance. I don't want to kill that mare, but she better give me a good reason. “Go ahead.”

“Well, on the night before we got back here.” She started. “Applejack told me how it was strange that you kept a small diary around. I got curious and decided to see what it was, so last night, I waited for you to finish writing it and went to sleep, after that, I used my magic to get it without you noticing it. With the book, I went back to my room. I wasted part of my night reading it. Every log you kept during these 50 days.”

“You read everything...?” I asked. “You know what I did to the bodies of my family...?”

“Yes, I have read every chapter, and I'm sorry of what happened to your family Fal-”

“What happened to them wasn't your fault!” I interrupted her. “Can I have my notebook back?” I asked, angry, as I was violated of my privacy

She used her magic to give me the book back. I turned my back and was ready to leave. I wasn't coming back, after this I would only come back to get supplies and nothing more. I wasn't living here where my privacy could be easily violated by anyone.

“You really want to know why I picked the book up?” I had started walking, but stopped as Quantum wanted to say a last thing to me. “I wanted to know what you thought of me.”

I froze in place, my eyes widened. At this point, the mare had all control over me.

“After reading that you found me cute... I came over here at Rarity to see if she had a dress. I wanted to impress you.” She continued. “I was making a deal with Rarity to see if she could mend me one. She was generous enough to make me one for free.”

Still frozen in place, I kept hearing what she was telling me. “Quantum...” I whispered. I wasn't mad anymore for some reason. I was actually feeling bad for making her sad. I didn't want her to feel like this, it was like... if she was special to me.

“I understand if you want to report me for theft, and get me into jail. I didn't think of your reaction if you discovered it was me. I was planning on getting it back on place before you noticed it, but you woke up earlier than I had expected, and I wasn't expecting you to notice it until you wrote your next log. I'm sorry.” She finished, with a sad tone in her voice. I could feel she was feeling regret.

I regained control and turned back to see how Quantum was feeling. She had her head down, looking to the ground. She was really feeling guilty for doing this.

On my side, I wasn't mad at her for some reason. She had stolen my book after all, and I made a whole scene about it. But I was feeling bad for making her feel like this. Even if I didn't had any real close relation with this mare, she had already filled me with happiness. I wanted to have this.

“Quantum... I will not do that. I don't need to.” I told her. She lifted her head to look at me, with a feel tears on her eyes. “I'm sorry... I just felt betrayed for a second. I did not know about your intentions, and I over reacted over it a bit. I'm sorry”

“But... You have all the reasons to be mad at me... Why are you forgiving me so easily?” She asked me back, trying to hide her face again, feeling guilty

“I have two: The first is because it is important to forgive others. You have suffered enough, and I don't want you to feel bad now, since you are safe.” I told her back, getting her face up using my front right hoof to lift her head up from her chin. “And I believe that you know the second one if you really read my diary.” I then wiped the tear out of her face and gave her a hug.

Quantum Gaze was frozen in surprise. I bet she wasn't really expecting for a reaction like this. After the scene I made, I was surprised I reacted this way too. If it was anyone else, I would probably just walk away. I didn't like to admit that there was some ponies that were more important than others, but this one was really special to me now.

I let go of her. She was now back to normal now. “So what do you say?” I asked. “Can we be friends now?”

She looked at me, and stared at my eyes for some seconds. Quantum then surprised me once again. She extended her head up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I was now blushing. “Friends? I don't think so.” She then smiled at me, blushing as well.

We looked to Rarity, who was just watching the scene in surprise. She then turned to Quantum. “Will you still need the dress, miss Gaze?” She asked. “or should I prepare a suit for Falcon too?”

“So...” I asked Twilight, as I got in the room with the commander, next to the interrogation room, he was watching the process through a window. “She said anything?”

“Before anything, Falcon, this is Captain Iron Wings. Captain, this is Falcon, the one who brought Pinkie Pie back.” Twilight introduced us to each other.

“It's a pleasure meeting with the stallion that went through hell and came back alive with survivors.” He complimented me.

“It's a pleasure meeting you too.” I replied.

“We weren't capable of getting any information from her yet. Any bright ideas Falcon?” Twilight looked at me. “Well, since you worked as a spy and all...”

“No, but I could try talking with her.” I answered. “But how did you knew I worked as a spy?”

“I did my research.” She replied. “But do you think you can make her speak?”

“As I said, I'm not sure, but I could try.”

Twilight then told the Captain to stop the current interrogation and told me to get in. I asked for a private conversation with her, so they wouldn't be listening. I had more to ask her than simply discovering where Rainbow Dash is.

“So... You are the one they sent this time to try and make me talk?” Pinkie asked me, with her insane raider smile. “The little rat I was trying to kill back at the camp.”

“I'm not here to have you talk about Rainbow, yet.” I told her as I picked a small piece of paper I had and sliding to her over the table. Pinkie inspected the paper for a moment. Her expression changing for insanity happiness to surprise, a bad surprise in the case. It was the note I found back at Ponyville.

“This note... where did yo-”

“I found it back at the Ponyville Raider Camp, at Sugar Cube Corner, where you left it there.” I replied to her before she could even finish. “Now you are going to tell me. Did you wrote more of those, and if so, where are they?!”

“He-heh-he” Pinkie gave out a insane small laugh. “For your information, yes. I did write more of those.” She told me. “But I'll have you know that, I burned them all, but this one.” She spoke with her usual raider insanity voice, but I could hear a bit of regret on her voice.

My eyes widened. She was the only chance I had of rebuilding part of the past, and now it is all gone.

“Trust me on this one, You wouldn't like to see how the past went.” She continued. “Whatever it holds, you will not like it very much.”

“Maybe then I could discover what happened in the past.” I told her back, with a saddened tone. “Maybe how my family died.”

I looked at Pinkie. Her eyes had widened again once I talked about how my family died. Her mouth hanged open. She had remembered something, maybe from the notes, about her family, as she did that when she heard me saying about mine.

“Maud, Marble, Limestone...” She talked with herself. “I'm sorry for what I have done after I found out what happened with you when I got back to the rock farm...” She hanged her head down, crying while she spoke. She was now remembering her family, that I presume had died.

“Miss Pie...?” I tried speaking with her.

“I'm sorry, I had not yet realized this...” She continued speaking, alone I presume. “I don't know what had gotten into me...” She continued crying while speaking. I think I have triggered something on her.

“Miss Pie, I need you to focus here!” I told her, attracting her attention again. She looked at me, her face covered in tears, and I now noticed that her fluffy mane had now, some how, "deflated" like a balloon. it was now a very straight mane that went on just the right side of her face.

“I have lost my family, can't you see!” She screamed at me, tears flying out of her face as she tried to force herself out of the suit she was in, that stopped her of breaking free. “I have lost my mind, turned into a bloody raider, killed ponies, EATEN ponies!” She continued, expressing herself with deep regret now. She was lost in some kind of hypnosis, where she couldn't see that what she did was wrong. “I have even lost my friends that I like to cheer up, and when they tried talking to me, I locked them up in a bloody cave deep in the Everfree Forest.”

She had now stopped, and was crying. She had gone through some moment she regretted. And I supposed she wasn't there to help her family when this all happened.

Behind me, Twilight saw how Pinkie was reacting and breached in the room. Pinkie looked directly at her, She banged her head on the table and laid it there, crying.

“Twilight... I-I'm so-sorry...” Pinkie Pie apologized to Twilight after the epiphany she just had. Twilight hugged her friend, and looked at me, her face asking me what have I done.

“I think she will speak now, Twilight, and I think it's better if you talked with her along side Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack.” I told her, as I retrieved the note back to me. I got up and left the room, where Twilight was with her friend, and the Captain at the room, watching the scene.

“...So, with this Dynamite, you two will break the rock wall and open the cave, breaking Rainbow free. After that you just leave the forest and come back home.” Twilight told me and Fluttershy the plan as we walked down the entrance hallway, with all the shops.

I was now fully equipped again. Rarity had given me the new armor. Exactly like the last one, but this one was more comfortable for some reason.

Walking down the hallway, I went past Quantum Gaze, talking with a trader, unnoticed. I stopped and told the others to continue, as I would meet then back at the exit.

“Hey Quantum,” I called for her attention. “I just wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving for the next few days, since I will be going to rescue Rainbow.”

“Already?” She asked me in surprise. “But you promised me we would spend some time together first!” She protested.

“I will come back, I promise.” I tried calming her down. Finishing my words, I turned and started to walk to the exit again.

Quantum, frustrated by the situations, grabbed me by the armor using her magic. “I'm coming with you then.”

“What?!” I asked in surprise, as she held me. “You can't possibly be serious. After all, you are now safe, why would you go back to that terrible land?!” I tried convincing her, as I didn't want anything bad to happen with her.

“What, do you think you can keep me away from the rest of the world forever, my dear?” She asked me with a tone of sarcasm. “I can handle myself in a fight. How do you think I earned this knife cutie mark after all, and how do you think I didn't got raped all this time?”

“But...” I tried counter-argument it, but that could be true, that might even explain why she survived the raiders all this time.

“No buts, I'm going with you, and I know you are liking it, even if you think it's better if I stayed around.”

She then turned back to the trader, and retrieved what she wanted. A big knife, not as a machete, but as a dagger. She then positioned the dagger on the holster she now had, along with the armor that used to be mine. She apparently asked Rarity to change it into a mare's outfit, as she seemed more... I wouldn't say sexy, but more beautiful. The point is, she might be more agile at an outfit that fits her perfectly...

“Come on, stop horsing around, we've got a job to do.” She then stopped holding me, letting me go. “... Or do you think you can't beat me at stealth?” She teased.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah...”

“It told me everything.” She then turned and started walking to the exit, giggling at me. I didn't know what it was, but I was liking this mare.

Chapter 6: Memories

Once again, walking across the streets of Canterlot, I was walking back to where I left the wagon, accompanied by Quantum Gaze and Fluttershy this time.

Passing by a big dome, that had it's roof half destroyed, my eyes were caught by the figure of a still dead body, hung by a rope. The poor stallion had hang himself, and watching by the actual body condition, it's been there for a while. Part of the destroyed roof would let light come inside the dome. This dome was a theater where musicians would play, and many other plays too. I told them to keep going ahead because I was going to check on this.

Entering the dome, I walked up to the stage, where the body was hanging. He was at hung by a rope still attached to the ceiling, with a hole underneath him, that had a small piano chair at it's bottom. He was a grey unicorn stallion, with a dark blue hair with a red stripe on it, just like mine, but my hair was brown with a yellow stripe on it. He had a music note as a cutie mark, but I couldn't really tell which one it was, I didn't had such a big knowledge at music. The stallion had a knife stuck in his chest, on his heart to be more exactly. His pulse was also cut open, I presume by the same knife.

On the ground, by the hole, there was a big piano, with a score on it. The sunlight was on it, so I could see some red marks on the back of the score. Picking it up, I saw a letter written by the stallion in blood. That would explain the hoof half open. It read:

Time has passed. I know I should have forgotten by now, moved on, but some things are just hard to forget. On the day that you left me, I felt everything bad possible. Regret, sadness, a huge urge to cry. It's been days since you left me, and everyday, I have been missing you. Sometimes I try to forget about you, and see if it helps me to move on, but I know that I can't forget someone as special as you.

From the thousands of pianists all over Equestria, specially at Canterlot, you were one of the few fans I had, but for me, you were more than a fan, more than a viewer. You supported me, you cheered me up when I thought that there would be no way for me to continue my work. You kept me moving for such a long time, and you brought to my life great things. I would like to thank you for all that, if I ever have the chance.

I still remember one of the first things I told you. "You are my everything". Whenever I bring that moment up in my head, I put on a smile, followed by a frown and a tear scoring down my eye and landing on my piano. I sit alone by it, playing for a crowd made out of air. No one to really listen to me, nobody to tell me how good or bad of a player I'm. You know, we shared great things, we were happy together, and now I wonder where did I go so wrong.

I shouldn't have done that, and I shouldn't have put you in such an uncomfortable position, under so much pressure. I was a fool. I understand your reaction after that, I caused you to cry after all, how can I be a good pony if I make the ones close to me sad?

Days later, I had discovered one of the few things that would calm me down. The fear of death was no longer with me, as I embraced the feeling of having no purpose and walked with it. Since then, death and I have been walking side by side, as two friends would. The only difference is that friends bring cheer into their friend's live, while this new found friend of mine brought thoughts of the end, how close I was of it. I could have been a pony just like any other and ignored those thoughts, but I chose to listen. I couldn't help

I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and there is nopony to show it to me. I think I'm just getting further inside.

I have been thinking... On the day of my judgement, when I stand before the goddesses, and the ask me what I have done and what I regret in all my life, I will think very deeply about all this. I wonder if I will regret this and all the mistakes I made, or if I will not, since I know you moved on and found somepony else, somepony better that would make you happier. I never saw my life as the point of view of my own story, but as a different point of view from other's, with different opinions and thoughts, as if I was more like an spectator, as a viewer of my own show.

Sitting here alone, in just a dark theater, with only me standing on the spotlight, watching my piano, all I see are tears that dropped on the many notes it has. I tried playing happy songs I knew and composed myself, to see if it worked, to see if it could cheer me up, but nothing compares with what you made me feel. How happy I was.

Being just an spectator my whole life, I had never experienced such feelings, never cared about them anyway, but once you showed me them, I thought they were great. Now they are gone, just like you. You had given me a chance and I threw it on a garbage can, just like a failed song or plan. But I can't go back in time and fix this now, I think it's time for me to go on, although I would love to fix things if possible.

I sit on this piano now, as I said before, my mind filled with regret. I write all of this on the back of this paper, with some kind of red ink I found myself. Don't worry, what is about to happen to me is not your fault, the fool was I after all. Of all the few ponies I interacted with, you were the most special of them. I don't want you to feel bad for what I'm about to do. Sure, I became like this because of what happened to us, but this is all something that got on my head. I just don't know how to deal with it, and I'm just confused. I'm about to make this end.

The way I acted these days is all a drama I have been making with myself. The way I refuse to work, how I can't sleep, and when I can, my dreams turns into nightmares or I don't dream at all. I realized that everyday I come one day closer to death, and I realized that each day has become calmer because of it. I lie to my friends telling them I'm fine, and all the laughs I had were fake. The truth is that my soul is just dead. I hear voices in my head and I can't recognize them. I can't feel any real emotions at all now, other than bad feeling. This might explain all this pain I'm feeling in my chest right now.

I'm running low, the paper is ending, and I can feel that the blood loss, since I'm using it to write this down, is starting to make me dizzy. This is the last message I leave for you, and this will be the last thing you all will ever hear from me, but remember, always look on the bright side life.

Now I will play the last segment of this song, and as I play it, I will only feel the chair under me dropping on the hole I made under the floor, and I will feel my body floating as I draw my terminal breath, being held just by the rope wrapped on my neck, my hoof slowly dropping blood from it and a knife stuck in my chest, and so fading away, flying on the spotlight of this dark theater waiting until somepony comes do something about me.

I turned the paper around to see that some parts of the song where highlighted with his blood.

...Always look at the bright side of death, just before you draw you terminal breath

It ended like that, with a brush of the blood he was using to write moving out of the paper. Looking back at the piano, I could see the rest of the trail that followed to the ground and then into the hole. Seeing he hanged up on the ceiling, he was just ending the letter when he hanged himself. He never got to finish his song, I presume. This was, from my point of view and understanding, a letter for someone he considered very special, but fucked up something. Probably a family member or his "special somepony". I wonder if I will ever make such mistakes with Quantum, since we are dating and all now.

I stored the letter on my saddlebags, along with my diary.

“May Celestia and Luna have mercy on your soul...” I spoke my sorry words for the stallions body. I hope he is in a good place, with the pony he loves, or that he loved. It appeared that he still loved her. I just hope that things worked between them.

It were stories alike this one that made me want to change this world. There is no love out here anymore. This used to be a happy land, full of ponies and a few other species that would live together in harmony, friendship and love. But all I can see now is death, depression, darkened hearts and pain. There is just too much of it, and I can't sit idly just waiting for it to come to me. Hopefully, none of this will actually affect me for having these ponies around me all the time, it brings light to my heart, and I must admit, both my heart and soul were dead before this moment.

With that in mind, I had set for a main objective, and moved along to meet with the Gaze and Fluttershy.

Back at the Ponyville hills, what was once my home. Well, them raiders cleaned up the place of everything I left behind, but I don't care for that much, it's not like I'm going to come live here again.

Fluttershy took us directly to the Everfree Forest. We would be reviving Artemis first and then go for Rainbow Dash, since it seemed to be faster. We walked past a cottage near a small river and also near the forest. I looked over to Fluttershy, who stopped for a moment. Her eyes were watering and some tears were scoring down her face. Quantum Gaze moved close to her.

“Is anything wrong, Fluttershy?” She asked, worried about what was on the pegasus head.

“It's just... I used to live here... with my animal friends...” Fluttershy took her time to speak. I could see it was hard for her to talk about it.

“You want to talk about it?” Quantum asked, trying to make Fluttershy realize she has our support.

“They are all gone now, there is nothing to be said.” Fluttershy looked away from her house and looked to the forest again. “Let's go, we have a job to be done.”

Fluttershy went ahead. Quantum, that was by her side while she was thinking, looked directly at me, worried. I looked back at here unsure of what was going on with her as well. We went back to following her.

Getting deeper in the forest, I noticed we had gone deeper than I have ever been to, when I lived around here, I only came here a few times, and kept by the starting areas, which were the most affected by the disaster. I can say that the Everfree Forest is the only place in this entire land that still have a small amount of natural living plants, but seemed to be slowly dying as it was getting smaller as time passed. I also can say that this place lacks "normal" creatures, as I only saw beasts on the few times I had been here. I knew Fluttershy had been here before, and I assumed she knew her way around, as she was an animal lover and lived near the place. I decided to ask her a few questions.

“Fluttershy, would you mind answering me some questions?” I asked her, just to make sure she wasn't going to be mad at me, since I can see she is going through some thoughts.

“Oh?” She turned her face to me. “What is it?”

“Even after the disaster, this forest has been kept alive, even without pony assistance. Why is that?”

“Hm...” She took a few seconds to think. “That is a pretty interesting question you have there. The Everfree Forest has always been living by it self. While pegasi wouldn't control it's weather, or unicorns using magic or even earth ponies managing the land, it has always been taking care of itself. Some say it's the place where evil sleeps, or at least it would, but I personally thing that this place is just not explored enough. I think this place is basically a piece of Equestria that was left untouched by ponies during the colonization of the region, and that is why so many beasts live around here, it's the only place they still have a little of the old land.”

“But now, you can see that the land is giving it up. The Forest is dying, and that is probably the reason you found Artemis. Her family was probably searching for food outside of the area, or even shelter.”

“I see...” I said as I took all that information in. “But do you suppose there is a way for it to be saved?” I asked her. “I mean, it is probably the only area with an unaffected land that could be used for a few things that would help the pony kind, and maybe the other animals, to grow back up.”

“I don't really think that.” She said with a lost hope tone in her voice, as we kept walking through the woods. “This is just like when Discord took over Equestria when he was free again. Ponies do not care about others anymore and hope is dead for most of them. I think the only way this land can go back to it's glory is if we had some sort of way of using the Elements of Harmony to reverse the situation, but since we gave it up a while ago, I don't remember any way to do that anymore.”

I kept silent. What Fluttershy said was true, she had a point. I had some hope inside me of getting this land back to normal, but I couldn't simply do it by myself. Turning an entire land from waste to wonderland? How easy is that?

I wasn't looking to be a hero. I didn't want to be one. But seeing the current situation, with many ponies having lost all their hope, this land is nothing more than a bloody battlefield. I had to do something, somehow. I'm not giving up that easily. What ever may have happened to Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor and the whole land, I was going to discover it and do something about it. As an agent of Celestia's secret police or something, I swore to protect the land with my life, and now that it is destroyed, I'm going to build it again.

“Sshhh!” Fluttershy told me to shut up. The timberwolves were near, and we didn't want to attract their attention.

“What should we do then?” I whispered.

“It's been a while since I interacted with a entire group of timberwolves, so for now it's better if we waited.” She whispered back, impatient, anxious to go back to watching then. That pegasi might have lost hope, but she sure still loved animals and beasts.

The timberwolves weren't doing very much other than just standing around. I guess that is their usual everyday life, until they run out of supplies and risk taking up a raider camp or a group of travelers camping. Having my rifle near me, ready for anything, I was trying to do whatever I had to to protect ourselves, even if that meant shooting an entire pack of timberwolves.

About half an hour later of sitting around on the trees, Fluttershy decided to do something. The timberwolves clearly weren't planning something this afternoon.

“What are you planning, Fluttershy?” I asked as she started climbing down the tree we were hiding.

“I'm going to try and speak with them, maybe they will listen to me.” She said.

“Talking with them?” Gaze asked.

“Yes. When I took care of animals, I could speak with them, and they would understand me.” Fluttershy explained. “It seems to be our best option now.”

I stopped to think. When Artemis and I walked around by ourselves, she could clearly understand me. It seems logic that they can understand us if we spend enough time around them.

“But I don't think timberwolves are exactly... Animals...” Gaze brought up a point. They are creatures made out of wood and... magic, I guess.

“Well, Falcon here was able to communicate with one of them.” Fluttershy insisted. I was unsure of what to do, so I was just going to let it happen.

Fluttershy got back to the ground and slowly started walking towards the timberwolves. The timberwolves took notice of her and went to an attack position. I got worried. Picking up my gun, I aimed at the timberwolf on the front.

“Hello there, mister wolf, my name is Fluttershy, it's nice to meet you.” Fluttershy introduced herself to the wolf. The wolf's stance did not change.

I started worrying. The wolf was making a threat to Fluttershy and I didn't want to get the mare injured or dead. I held my breath and aimed directly at the timberwolf's head. I heard Quantum Gaze moving by my side.

“Do not shoot” She whispered to me. “That will only trigger them.”

I kept in silence, with the trigger ready to shoot. The timberwolf backed off a little, and so I backed off from my weapon. I took a look at all the group of wolves, looking for any who would still be a threat. It appeared that all of them went back to a normal pose. Fluttershy didn't seem to be such a threat for them, which calmed me slightly.

“I'm looking for some help on something I think you might know how to do. Can you help me?” Fluttershy asked the beast for help. I knew if they agreed, I would go down there and show them what remains of Artemis.

The timberwolves took a moment to think. Back to Fluttershy, I have no idea of what happened, but they appeared to have agreed. She turned back and looked to me up on the tree.

“You two can come down now, they told me it depends.” Fluttershy said. I opened my wings and got ready to fly down. Quantum climbed on my back and held my left hoof. I then cautiously flew down the three, which was a little high, in my opinion. Getting down there, I unattached the saddlebags with Artemis remains and handed it over to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy showed the saddlebag to the timberwolves and threw it to them. “I was wondering if you could help me get this timberwolf back to life, if that is okay with you...”

The timberwolf in the front sniffed the bag for a moment and opened it right after. Seeing the remains, he backed off. Suddenly, all the timberwolves got in a attack stance, ready to jump onto us. Soon, we found ourselves surrounded by the whole group, with no where to go.

I found myself panicking for the first time in a long while. I didn't know what to do. I picked up my weapon and aimed to the timberwolf in front of me.

“No!” Fluttershy stopped me. “They will think you are a threat!”

“Our situation don't seem to be going smoothly either, girl!” I argued with her. I went back to my panic aiming.

“Falcon, watch out!” Gaze warned me from behind.

I felt a force pushing me hard into the ground, making me fall and throwing my rifle away. I felt the stakes of wood trying to go through my armor, and fortunately failing to do so. I opened my eyes to find a timberwolf right on me, holding me down. I tried breaking free, but I failed miserably. I then felt the huge pain flowing through my body as I felt my wing being pulled out

The timberwolf decided to go for my face. He backed his head off a bit and opened his mouth wide open, enough to go and try to bite my head off. I closed my eyes while trying a last time to get out, but I somewhat knew I wouldn't be able to.

Suddenly, I felt free again. I heard the cry of the timberwolf above me, while he flew away. I opened my eyes to see Quantum Gaze, hurrying to get me right up.

“There is no time to lose,” She told me and Fluttershy. “Just run!”

I didn't give any room for thought. I mindlessly started galloping behind Quantum Gaze right into the forest. Fluttershy followed us, seeing that the timberwolves weren't interested in being friendly anymore.

“Can't you try flying and taking some shots on them?” Gaze asked me as we ran. I could see Fluttershy's expression changed to regret. She didn't want to see these creatures dead.

I tried opening my wings, but something kept me from doing so. I can feel the pain going through me as I tried to fly. I guess the timberwolf actually got some damage on my only exposed area.This also gave us a second problem. Fluttershy wasn't that much of a flyer, and my wings are hurt. If we don't get Rainbow Dash out, we will have to make a trip to Canterlot by hoof.

“Yeah, I can't fly. Sorry!” I apologized for the inconvenience.

Yeah, now we are screwed really bad. I lost my rifle, and using a revolver, six bullets at a time, wouldn't save us from the amount of beasts following us. We found ourselves running for our lives in a desperate situation. I was in panic, worried of how I would get everyone out of here. I also left Artemis behind, getting me even more down on the emotional side.

“Aah shit!” Gaze complaint.

I took a look on what she was swearing what, and saw a rock wall right ahead of us. We stopped running, as there was no where for us to go now. The timberwolves had already caught up with us, and now, we were cornered once again. We are in big trouble!

“Fluttershy, can you try speaking with them?” I asked desperately as I tried to find solutions.

“I can try, but I don't think we will come to an agreement anymore!” She said. “I can see they are pretty mad at us!”

The timberwolves started closing up to us. My worries were just growing as I started to think we are not getting out of here alive, or at least with everyone unharmed at least. Fluttershy, if you are going to do something, you better do it now!

I closed my eyes. Nothing was going to happen. I know Fluttershy is scared, and after so much time, so am I. I have no idea how Quantum is feeling, she seemed worried, but dedicated to get us out of there. Over here I'm just wishing some kind of miracle happens, like one of the princesses drop down the sky and saves us, or anything at all. Any kind of convenience or cliché would be appreciated.

I heard the wolves' growls, and that just made me keep my eyes closed. “Can't we come to an agreement, mister wolf?” Fluttershy asked the wolves, but was only answered with more threatening growls. “They are mad at us because they didn't know they had one of their own as a "hostage".” Fluttershy directed her words to me. “I guess this is it then.” She disappointed gave up, and I was about too. I was ready to be hit by one of them. I have my eyes closed, my body ready for anything, and my mind in panic.

Suddenly, the growls stopped. I heard Quantum and Fluttershy gasping by my side. I suppose the timberwolves backed off, so I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see that the timberwolves haven't changed, but one of them was standing between us and them, facing their own kind. Threatening the timberwolf in the front, the two were in a confrontation, and I think they were communicating between themselves, as there was nothing but movement happening. I tried backing even more away, but I the rear part was already unconformable on the stone wall.

I have nothing else but to see what will happen. It's like one of them decided to give us a chance, or was standing by our side on this story. If I try to understand this, my head would just stop working, and I kinda need it now. Taking a closer look at the timberwolf, something inside me told me I knew that one, which got me confused. Artemis had marks on her wood, which helped me to keep track of her, but this one didn't, and besides, Artemis was, well, dead.

“A... A-Artemis?” I asked the timberwolf standing with us, just trying to make sure of what was happening. The timberwolf turned it's face with a grin to me, then went back to defending us. That was enough of an answer to me. Artemis was back... but with a slightly different body, just like a normal timberowlf. As soon as we get finished with this, I was going to give her a scarf Rarity gave me.

At this time, the two timberwolves were growling at each other, discussing something. I looked to Fluttershy, who seemed fascinated by the interaction. “Do you know what they are... "saying"?” I asked.

“Artemis is defending us. She is bringing up that you took care of her when she was helpless, and that you are a good pony, while the other one is saying you held her as a hostage and caused her death.” Fluttershy told me. “I have no idea of how this will turn out, but I doubt Artemis will give up on defending you.”

“She is... defending me?” I asked again.

“Yes. After she was left alone, you were the only one who took care of her, and even brought her back here to try and bring you back to life. She doesn't mind the moment she jumped on those raiders to protect us, she was sacrificing herself for her family, or in this case, just you.”

A flame lit up on my heart. Artemis really considered me as a family, just like I did to her. She was going up against her own kind just for me, and now I asked myself, would I do the same?

Minutes passed, and finally Artemis turned back to us. She had a smile on her timberwolf face, and now moved close to us. I knelled down to her and gave her a hug and put the scarf on her. I looked over to Fluttershy.

“Did she say anything?” I asked the yellow pegasus.

“Yes.” Fluttershy answered. “She said: "I made a deal with my own kind, you are all free to go now."”

“Wait... What about you?” I asked Artemis.

“She said: "I'm going to stay around for a few hours, to sort some things out. I'll meet you all later."” Fluttershy answered.

“But how?” I curiously asked.

“Timberwolves are hunters. They can hunt down their prey easily, or in your case, their family.” Fluttershy explained. I looked at Artemis, who just nodded her head confirming Fluttershy's explanation. That was sorta dark, just to know they can easily stalk you, but I don't really care. If it was an easy way for Artemis to find us, so be it.

“Alright girl, take care out there. I will catch you later.” I told Artemis as I patted her head. She nodded once again, and went back to the timberwolves and together they walked back into the forest.

I looked at Quantum and Fluttershy, who were by my side. “So, any of you know the direction we have to go?”

I could see not too far from us, another stone wall, but this time it had a boulder big enough to block a passage. I supposed that is where they are keeping Rainbow Dash, and that brought some thoughts in my mind. How was she living there? Was there enough food to keep her alive all this time? And is there someone watching her to make sure nothing happens?

Yeah, about the second question... I kept my revolver ready just in case. It's been a while since Fluttershy had been here, so she might not remember, and I'm not asking her to remember more about her time as a raider.

As I walked behind Fluttershy, who lead our way through the forest, I noticed she was looking at something by our left.

“Miss Fluttershy, is there something troubling you?” I asked. There mare kept silent, but I did not bother. She might be lost in thoughts, and I don't want to mess around with it.

Suddenly, Fluttershy stopped and turned her entire body in the direction she was looking. I took a closer look at my left side to see what had caught her attention. Not any sooner, I spotted a few gravestones by the distance, and looking back at Fluttershy, I was sure that was what caught her full attention.

“Excuse me everypony, I need to take a look at that...” Fluttershy said. “To open the cave, just push the boulder to the right, it's not that hard to do. I will catch with you guys in there.” She told us how to open the cave and then moved to the gravestones.

I opened my mouth and was about to say something, but Gaze had put her hoof in front of me and said. “Give her that moment.”

“Why? Are those gravestones... ?” I asked

“From her animals, yes. I was able to take a brief moment to look at them from here, and one of them are named after her pet, Angel.” Gaze told me.

“And how do you-”

“Fluttershy told me back at Canterlot, while we were waiting for you to show up.” She explained. “She told me she buried them around here, and that she also helped imprison Rainbow Dash near them. At the time she thought it would be nice to bury all her friends together, since she was a raider and all.”

“So you are telling me they planned to bury Rainbow Dash alive?” I asked.

“I asked the same thing. She told me even if she was a raider, she would only bury them dead, but Pinkie thought about imprisoning Rainbow at this dungeon.”

“I can't believe I lost so much information from not watching these mares back them...” The idea of knowing what went in the minds of all the Elements of Harmony made me curious. How did they know about dungeon locations, such as this, which was a secret even for me! I bet that Pinkie Pie knows a lot of things she is not letting out. I have to do my research later, because now, we had to save Rainbow Dash!

Moving to the boulder's left, I positioned my back hooves on the rock and pushed it with all my leg's strength, and as Fluttershy told us, it really wasn't that much of a deal, I was surprised that boulders this big were so easy to push. With the cave open, me and Gaze entered the cave. It was very dark, but we were lucky Gaze was an unicorn. Lighting up the way with her magic, we started going down the path of the cave.

As we turned a corner, I saw a shadow down the path. Quantum saw it too and found it strange. “Wasn't Rainbow Dash supposed to be locked down?” She asked.

“Rainbow Dash?!” I screamed down the path, but received no answer. “I don't even think that shadow was from a pony.” I whispered to Gaze. The shadow had already moved down the path, and we could only follow it down, as there was no where else to go.

Coming closer, I noticed the shadow was similar to a dragon... No. The shadow was from a...

“Is that...?” I heard a voice down the path. It was very familiar...

The shadow is from a draconequus, and I only know one in existence...

“Discord?”

Jumping out of the shadows, Discord jumped into me, wrapping his snake body on me and leaving me powerless. My revolver fell on the ground.

“You! You caused all this! How dare you to come back?! Haven't you seen that you caused enough destruction already?!” Discord blamed me. I had no idea of what he was talking about. Meanwhile, I tried to free myself.

“I... I have no idea of what you are talking about Discord! Let me go!”

“So you are telling me you haven't seen all the chaos all across the land? Liar!” Discord then got out of me, dropping me to the ground. I now could breath once again. “How about I take you to a little trip to the past and remind you of what you have done?” Discord then snapped his fingers, taking the three of us to space, where we floated above Equestria

But this one... it was different, it was alive again. Colorful...

Discord them took us Ponyville. “I bet you don't even remember the month of February, do you?” Discord asked me, angry.

Ponyville was new again, and this time, it had a big crystal castle in the middle of the town. I'm sure it wasn't there on January. "I happily answered all their questions and told they could find Twilight at her castle, duh, who don't know the princess lives there? how silly!" The words from the note Pinkie left echoed on my head. Discord took us even deep down, to an Underground level. It was a small cave, underneath the castle, but it seemed more like a rushed laboratory, and it's passage would go down to the Everfree Forest.

“Press the button Blades, I guarantee you won't regret it.” I heard another familiar voice speaking. Discord took us directly to the laboratory room, where surprisingly, I was standing with my usual agent suit, with two teammates down by my side. They were either dead or unconscious. In front of me... well, my old self, there was a scientist. Behind me, there was a mechanical tree, with wires following down the underground path, and it seemed very familiar to me... it was an mechanical copy of the Tree of Harmony! “I know you want it, and I know you will do it.”

“Why would I do such a foolish thing?” I threatened the scientist. I was unarmed, otherwise I'm sure I'd have shot him by now.

“Hahahaha” The scientist had now an evil-ish grin in his face, while laughing at me like a maniac. The scientist then threw an smoke bomb on the ground, and we were all unable to see anything.

Suddenly, coming out of the smoke, I could see myself again, going to a panel right by the side of the tree, he then looked to the sides, and slammed down the button. It then jumped back into the smoke, and, minutes later, the smoke settled down, with me facing the scientist, just like before.

“I knew you would do it.” The scientist happily said. “Enjoy your little piece of apocalypse, Falcon.” He then finished with another evil-ish grin in his face, and started walking. I, powerlessly, fell to the ground, and went unconscious.

Now, I was staring at something I thought could only be a nightmare. I realized my eyes were watering. Discord took us back to the vision of Ponyville, just like before. Suddenly, a giant beam of light came down on the castle, destroying it and leaving nothing left of it. The skies started turning grey, the ground went from a lively green to the dead brown ground we have nowadays. Ponies started panicking, and the whole place went to chaos. Discord took us back to the vision of Equestria from space. Snapping his fingers once again, a giant clock appeared in front of us. Discord started turning the pointers, making time go faster. I could see the slow spread of the chaos I caused on Equestria. Quantum Gaze gasped by my side. I looked directly at her and tried speaking, but I had no words.

“And if you haven't realized how much of a monster you are...” He snapped his fingers again, taking us to Canterlot, where I saw myself, running through the streets full of people on panic. Shots went off on the background. I was running back home!

Arriving there, my old self saw the house I lived in... It was completely on fire. Bursting in, I went in the looking for my wife and daughter, but... as I walked inside the living room... There was the body of my wife and daughter, laying on the ground, dead... They were shot...

My old self ran out of the house, his eyes crying in desperation. He ran directly at one of the guards at Canterlot, who were helping defend the area. That explained the shots.

“Falcon, that's good you showed up! We are in need of some assistence!” The guard exclaimed.

“Do you have any idea of who these ponies are?” My old self asked.

“I don't know, but they seem to be raiding towns all over Equestria, and their numbers are much bigger than ours. They have taken control over Manehattan, Ponyville and Fillydelphia already. ” The guard answered

Snapping his fingers once again. Discord took me to a flashback of what happened later. I had helped defend Canterlot, and I went directly to Ponyville, where the raiders ran off to. I wanted revenge from those who killed my family... That is why I lived my entire life up that hill... I was just waiting for the perfect moment.

Then, another flashback. It was Fluttershy. The only thing I saw was a small glimpse of her and her animals, then it instantly changed to the moment she was burying them, and then to the moment she became a raider... Because she had lost hope. Now I saw Pinkie Pie. She was running across the fields of what looked like a rock farm. She ran up to a house in the middle of the field and burst through the door. I saw her face of surprise, and then it changed to a view of her looking at what seemed to be five other dead ponies, killed by shoots. Pinkie's fluffy mane suddenly "deflated" and her face went to one similar to the one I first saw her with. Her pink coat got in a darker tone. She turned back to the house's entrance, and started walking away, with a grin in her face like if nothing had happened. Moment's later I was watching her as a raider once again.

“Do you see the lives you helped destroy? The countless deaths that happened just because of you?” Discord asked me.

“Discord, what happened on that day?” Quantum Gaze asked.

“I was helping the agents once again, searching for suspicious grows of magic in areas so we could keep Equestria safe. I felt one that went from the Tree of Harmony, the one that took away the Elements of Harmony, and right below Twilight's Castle. After we discovered the magic source was the same, and that it wasn't Twilight with another one of her crazy experiments, We decided to check it out.”

“Upon arrival, I stayed behind by the tree, while I send one of the squads inside. It was Falcon's Squad. Hours later, I saw a big beam of light landing directly at the Tree of Harmony and the Castle. Then everything happened. On the first day of March, I had no idea of what changed. I used my magic to search the past, and I finally discovered what happened in that day, even if I can't know the reasons.”

“All I know is that this bastard here-” He then picked me up by the throat. Quantum gasped. “-Is the one who caused it.” He then dropped me as he was finished

I opened my mouth to try and answer him, but I had no words. This was all surreal. I felt my body giving up as I tried to understand that I had destroyed the world. I fell to the ground as I tried to think of reasons of why to press that button. For some time now, I thought of me as the bringer of life... but I'm just the bringer of the apocalypse...

“Discord!” A voice echoed from distance. “That is enough! You don't get to be this mean to others!” The voice of Fluttershy started getting louder as she approached us.

“Fluttershy?” The tone of anger on his voice disappeared.

“Even if all you just said is true, you have no rights to threat him like that. Can't you see he doesn't remember what he did, just like everypony else? And don't even know why he did it?” Fluttershy reasoned with Discord, defending me, even after that...

“But Fluttershy, can't you see that it was because of him that you lost everything you loved?” Discord argued.

“It doesn't matter, he is trying to turn things around. To fix the world, and I do believe on him.” Fluttershy still held her position by my side. “Just because bad things happened, doesn't mean we should give up on the ones who did it. I never gave up on you. We should always show a little kindness to others, Discord!”

“But...” Discord tried to argue back.

“Discord...” Fluttershy took a closer look at him. “They brainwashed you too... The raiders... Is that why you are here?”

Discord stood silent. even if I was down on the ground, just like a dead body, I could see he was struggling, or at least his mind was.

“Snap out of it!” Fluttershy screamed at Discord. Discord fell to the ground like if he was suffering from a mental crisis. “Discord, it's me! It's your friend, Fluttershy!”

“Brainwash...?” Quantum Gaze asked curious.

“It's a theory of mine. I think that it is the reason why all the raiders are some sort of insane, and just like me and Pinkie, still have a chance to turn back to normal.” Fluttershy explained as she helped Discord up. “I'm not sure if it is the truth, but it makes sense.”

Brainwashing ponies? It does make sense, but who would be able to easily brainwash thousands of ponies in around 50 days?

“I'm going to stay behind, and check on Discord. You two go ahead, Rainbow Dash's cell should be just up ahead.” Fluttershy told us. I was still laying on the ground.

Quantum Gaze helped tried to help me up, but I hid my own face, ashamed from being the pony I'm.

“Come on Falcon, we have to go.” Gaze tried to convince me to get up.

“I'm sorry Gaze, I'm not moving, I'll never leave this place...” I said, curled in the ground, hiding the tears coming out of my eyes. “Not after what I did...”

I heard the sound of magic being used. Suddenly, my hoof lifted and Quantum grabbed it. Forcing me up, I gave up and got up, but I kept my head down. She used her magic again and pulled my hair up, making me lift my face.

“Look here, I know you have done some things on your past, and some you regret, but they are in the past. I don't care what you have done in there, because I know who you are now, and I know you want to fix this world.” She told me, trying to cheer me up. I was about to give her an answer, but I was surprised by her. Quantum leaned over with her eyes closed and gave me a kiss. I blushed hard and, other than that, didn't react at all. I don't know how to. “I'm going to stand by your side until the end, and I don't even believe that story, I'm sure you wouldn't be capable of such a horrible thing.”

I must admit, my heart was racing. Somehow, she really got me lifted up. The thoughts of terror and death on my mind vanished completely, and I was back to normal. And hey, she might be right about this not being real. Discord was under control, according to Fluttershy. Until I know more about the past, I'm not going to completely believe that, even if it seemed real and familiar enough.

And just as a last reminder: Using love as a way of getting me to work is cheap.

“So Rainbow Dash is in there?” Gaze asked.

“Yep.” I answered as I tried to get the door to open.

“Well, if you say so.” She continued. “I just think that, with the many other rooms around, and you trying to open that one for half an hour now, maybe you were just randomly choosing one.”

I looked at her, with no expression in my face. “Well, if you have a better plan than to try to look at the bright side of things and do what you can, I'm open-minded.”

“Hm...” She stood next to me thinking. “Ya got something that I can mold into a key or something?”

“Nope.” I answered. “Were you going to try and make a key by jamming it in the lock with your magic?” I asked curiously.

“Well, it is an better idea than you just lock-picking this lock.”

“I'm working with hooves here, alright?” I argued as I got back up, giving up on opening the lock. “You know, fuck it.”

I got my revolver out of it's holster and aimed at the lock. “Cover your ears.” I told Gaze before shooting it. When she got ready, I shot the lock. Bam! The sound echoed all the way through the cave.

With the door open, and a blasted lock on it. I used my front hoof to open the door as I got my revolver back to it's holster using my mouth.

“How do you even shoot with that on your mouth?” Gaze asked me out of curiosity.

“I use my tongue.” I answered before we continued. “It's much easier to shoot them as a unicorn, but as a pegasus, we just learn how to control the trigger with our tongues, although I would rather have some kind of technology that would just let me use my hoof, such as the grips and handles on the rifles. But in the end, you grow used to it.”

We continued, Gaze leading the way since she knew a spell to light up the way. I would follow. We now entered a room just like the others in this dungeon, except that this one had a rock bed on it, and a small lake on it. For a dungeon cell, this was a big one. Not huge, but enough to keep the one here with enough food and water, as well as some rest, but barely any light, as the torches stands around already burnt out.

“Rainbow Dash?!” I screamed, asking if she was there. Suddenly, I heard a sound coming from behind the rock bed.

“You're not getting me alive, you damn raiders!” The voice of a mare screamed from behind the bed.

So she is here after all. Me and Gaze moved to the side of the bed, trying to get to her.

“Back off! I have a gun!” She warned us. I wasn't afraid to be shot, so I went ahead. Gaze followed me, but tried to keep the light up so I could see. I turned and saw Rainbow Dash hiding behind the bed. She covered her eyes with her hoof. “Ugh! Turn them off, I can't see.”

Hm... She must have been here for a while to have grown used to the darkness.

“Rainbow Dash, I'm not a raider. I came here with your friend Fluttershy to rescue you and get you back to Canterlot.” I told her.

“Don't lie to me, Fluttershy is a raider!” Rainbow Dash argued. I looked to Gaze, but she had no answer as well. “Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy betrayed us, and probably already killed Applejack!” Rainbow Dash started screaming at us. She clearly didn't believe our words.

I took Gaze a few meters away and started whispering to her. “There is no way we can prove Rainbow Dash that Fluttershy is with us. If we bring her here she won't even be able to see her due to the light.”

“So what you suppose we can do?” Gaze whispered back, asking me.

“Well, all we can do is take her by force.” I told Gaze. She looked at “I could drag her until we got back to Fluttershy, or you could use your magic to levitate her with us.”

“Well...” Gaze looked for words in her head. “I can barely levitate a gun, I don't know if I can handle carrying a pony around.”

I looked back to Rainbow Dash, who was rambling some words around and some groans due to the light, making her unable to see. “Guess I'll have to carry her then, but we will need a way to tie her down, otherwise she might fight back.”

“And do you have anything we could use to do that?” Gaze asked me.

“Hm...” I hummed as I searched my saddlebag for some kind of rope or something I could tie up. I have a few blankets I brought in case we needed to stick around for a while. I showed them to Gaze.

“We could use that. Tie some of them together and we will tie Rainbow Dash up, making her unable to move.” Gaze answered.

Minutes later, I was standing on top of Rainbow Dash, holding her down, while Gaze used her magic to tie her up. Once we were done, Rainbow Dash had all her 4 hooves and both her wings tied up, while being blinded so she didn't had to suffer because of the light of the day, outside the cave.

I positioned Rainbow Dash on my back so we could go back into moving, but she was still trying to free herself, giving me problems while moving. Her struggles were understandable, at least from my point of view. Imagine two strangers taking you out of jail, but forcing you to come with them, because you don't trust them. Yeah... That would not leave a good impression on either me or Quantum Gaze.

We started going back up again to meet with Fluttershy. As we arrived there, Discord was no longer with her, and she was crying on the ground.

“Fluttershy, what happened?” I asked her. Rainbow Dash started humming.

“Discord... He... He...” Fluttershy tried to speak, but was left with no words. She was speechless, and couldn't handle her emotions, and went back to crying again.

“Come on, Fluttershy, we will worry about Discord later.” Gaze ran past me to help Fluttershy up. “We got Rainbow Dash, now we need to get back to Canterlot. We can inform the others about Discord and then decide something from there.”

“But he...” Fluttershy tried looking for a reason to why not leave him, if he was still around.

“It's important we get you and Rainbow Dash back to safety.” Gaze replied, as she helped Fluttershy getting up. “Now, we need to get out of here. The Everfree is a dangerous place, and we already got what we came looking for.”

Fluttershy nodded, moving behind us. And so, we started hurrying up the pace to get out of the cave and back to our wagon.

Back at the wagon, we ran into another problem...

“How are we supposed to fly back to Canterlot now?!” Gaze asked me.

One of my wings is... well...

“I should have thought about a solution for this when you hurt you wings back at the forest.”

Broken.

“I mean, Fluttershy can still fly right? She could fly us back if we need to!” I replied

“Actually-” Fluttershy tried saying something, but was interrupted by the discussion between me and Quantum Gaze.

“I know Fluttershy more than you do, and I know she is not much of a flyer.” Gaze replied. “And it's also nighttime, how do you expect her to see anything?”

I must say the sky looked beautiful tonight, but the moon, no where to be seen. It was a strange night.

“Mmhp!” Rainbow Dash tried saying something, but the blanket on her mouth kept her from saying anything.

“How do you expect me to see then?” I asked her. This was turning into a discussion with no ending.

“You did fly during the night when you rescued me back at Fillydelphia, and now you are telling me you can't really see in the dark?”

“That was because I would start flying before the sunset.” I explained. “And still, I can't fly with a broken wing!”

“Mmhp!” Rainbow Dash continued trying to free herself and say something.

Me and Gaze continued discussing things for quite a few minutes. I bet if we had a home, I would have to sleep at the couch tonight.

“Enough!” I heard Rainbow Dash scream behind me. I turned to see that Fluttershy had helped her out. “You know you could have freed me when you got to Fluttershy back at the cave?!”

I kept silent, and so did Gaze.

“You proved me wrong about Fluttershy. she really came back to herself, and I could hear that from her voice when she spoke about Discord.” Rainbow Dash continued. “So I believe I own you guys one. Since I lived for weeks or months, Celestia knows how much time, in that cave, I grew used to the dark. What you say about me flying everyone back to Canterlot, with a little help from Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash then turned to Fluttershy. “Been some time since I last flied. What do you say Fluttershy? Just like the old times.”

“Actually, I think I can help.” Fluttershy replied.

The two pegasi then moved to the wagon and changed it so there would be two fliers in the place of one. Me and Gaze stopped discussing and climbed on the back of the wagon. With everything ready, we started taking off. As we started to fly, Ponyville, that was fairly near us and lighten up as the raiders camped for the night, came in Rainbow Dash's vision.

“Aargh!” Rainbow Dash then mumbled a few things and she started to lose control of the flight. Fluttershy followed her so the wagon didn't fall. “The light! It still hurts my eyes!” She told us as she covered her vision. We weren't falling, but she was directing us right above the city. I hoped that we went fast enough for the raiders not to see us.

I opened my saddlebag with all the things I found useful, and started throwing them on the wagon's floor. One of those items is the book with my logs. I picked up the item I was looking for, my attachable scope. I started using it to check the city's activity's as we approached. What I saw brought us bad news.

I saw a bunch of raiders, running to the center of the city with guns. Big guns. I saw one of them carrying a semi automatic scoped FN FAL rifle. Those things would cause a lot of damage to a pony. Another pony in particular carried with him an RPG. I took my eye out of the scope as I saw that this would be trouble. If that RPG had a lock-on, everyone on this wagon could be a goner.

“Uh?” I heard Quantum making a sound of doubt as I picked my revolver out of it's holster and attached the scope into it, while moving myself to the front of the wagon.

I aimed carefully, I didn't want to miss a shot, even if we were moving. I could see the raider aiming directly at us, but taking some time to shoot. It probably had a lock-on. I shot three times, startling Fluttershy and Gaze, but Rainbow Dash kept calm.

I missed the two first shots, but fortunately got the raider right up on it's head, making him spin around a bit and shoot one of the houses on the city, putting in on fire. Getting out of the scope more and more raiders started coming out of the buildings, with weapons. From Remington 870s to AK-47s, some of them carrying some melee weapons. I lost the line of sight with the sniper, which was a bad sing.

As I stood on my two rear hooves to have a better shot on some of the raiders, I ended up finding the sniper again, but not before he fired a shot with that FN FAL of his. I felt the impact on my left leg. “Uugh!” I let out a small scream of pain. The bullet had gone through the wood of the wagon and burred itself up on the meat of my leg. I tumbled and tripped, falling out of the wagon.

“Falcon!” I heard Gaze screaming my name as I tried flying, but it was no use with a broken wing. I felt Gaze trying to use her magic to keep me from falling, but it was no use, her magic was too weak.

I kept falling, but I turned my vision to the ground. I was going to fall on the building that got hit by the rocket. It really wasn't my lucky day. The whole building but the third floor was on fire. If I survive the fall, the fire will probably spread and reach me.

I turned my back to the ground, so it would absorb most of the pain and the impact, closing my eyes so I could get ready for it. I also heard shots from all around me, trying to hit me in mid-air, but fortunately missing.

I felt the pain hitting me hard in my back and the sound of the roof breaking. After that, I was taken by darkness.

Day 51

Hello, this is Quantum Gaze and I'm writing this day for the log, simply because my special somepony, Falcon, the owner of these logs, was shot and now, I'm not sure if he is still alive of not. There is a big possibility that he might not survive through this.

The day started with us coming from Canterlot to here, aiming for getting Artemis, who is not even with us here too, back to life, and rescuing Rainbow Dash. Both of the objectives were reached and so we were departing back to Canterlot. Since Falcon's wing was broken due to a Timberwolf's attack, he was not able to fly us back, so with the help of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, we took off. We ended up flying above a town dominated by raiders and that was when Falcon was shot and felt out of the wagon, protecting us. Unfortunately, we had to leave him behind against my own will. It was too dangerous.

I hope Falcon is okay and survived the fall. I want to send a rescue team as soon as possible.

“Ugh...” I said as I got up and left my bed, my wife and daughter were still sleeping, there was some time before I had to take my daughter to school. “What a nightmare...” I complained as I walked in the direction of the bathroom.

I turned faucet and left the water to fill up the sink. I looked at the mirror to see my face. Everything was like always. My yellow eyes were in check, my brown hair and it's yellow line were all messy from my sleep, and I lastly, my wings were all in place, fully functional.

“Was it all a dream...?” I asked myself as I stared at myself in the mirror. Looking back at my wife in the bed right back on the room. She was still sleeping, and I could see much of her, she was covered in the blankets. I looked at myself back at the mirror again, now with a strange look at my face. I then noticed the mirror was much more dusty now and had a huge crack on it. “Wait... This wasn't here before...” I talked to myself once again.

I looked at the water. The clean water from minutes ago was now red. Red as blood. I backed off from the sink and held myself against the wall. I looked around and the bathroom itself looked all destroyed, totally different from how it was before. To tell the truth, the whole house was destroyed, there was this whole hole in the ceiling, just like... the house... on the dream...

I ran from the bathroom to my wife on the bed, hurrying up and getting the blanket out of her. As I removed the blankets, I saw her body. Not a skeleton this time, but her body. I checked her pulse, and checked if she was still breathing.

Unfortunately, dream or not, I'm being haunted with a curse that seems to dislike my family. I started running out of the room, leaving the unconscious body of my wife on the bed. I had to check on my daughter, I had to check if she was still alive to!

Tripping and falling just as I got out of the room, I looked up to the door leading to my daughter's room, noticing that the walls and the house in general started falling apart in front of me. The open sky on the horizon started turning dark, but there was no change on the lighting in what I could see of Canterlot.

I got up and broke through the door, slamming in what was still left of the wall around it. My daughter appeared to be covered by the whole blanket, surrounded by the countless toys and plushies I had bought for her. I rushed directly to her bed to remove the blankets.

As I galloped to the bed, what was left of the walls, and also the ground, started going black, like if it was being erased. This had to be another nightmare. I couldn't have simply died and went to somewhere filled with nothing but grief. I removed the blankets to see...

A skeleton. The skeleton of my daughter.

“No...” I said as my eyes started to water.

“It's not possible...”

“This can't be.... No...”

I looked around as I held the skeleton in my hooves. My surrounding were being quickly taken by the darkness that erased the world. I could see that the city on the outside, also destroyed, was being taken by it, and I was standing on the only place left not taken by it.

Suddenly, the skeleton of my daughter disappeared into thin air, and everything went dark. I was falling in the middle of nowhere, I could hardly see myself, and I felt air passing through my body as I fell.

“You! You caused all this! How dare you to come back?! Haven't you seen you caused enough destruction already?!” I listened once again to Discord, I remember he told me that.

“I will now bring you down with me!” Discord said and then started laughing. I then saw his head flying in my direction, it was now much bigger than normal. As he got near, he opened his mouth wide, like if he was going to eat me.

I only saw his mouth covering me, and everything went dark again.

“Wake up.” I heard a soft voice minutes later. I then realized my eyes were closed.

I opened my eyes. It was dark, but there was a door, and light coming out from it. Standing on the entrance, there was a pony looking at me. It wasn't a simple pony, it was...

An Alicorn, I could now see the wings and the horn.

“It's not over yet.” The voice spoke with me again.

“Celestia? Luna? Cadance?” I asked the alicorn, but received no answer. The alicorn simply walked out and disappeared in the light. I got back on my hooves and walked through the door.