The Calm Before

The entire drive was spent in silence. The only noise that could be heard was the humming of the wheels. Everyone knew Rainbow Dash admired Spitfire, as Spitfire did her. Not a word could be spoken, as it would feel out of place. Applejack tried to think of things to do, but not a single idea came, not even a fragment. Then Rainbow spoke again.

"Why. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't they just let go of a grudge?"

The others were all confused now. "Rainbow," said Twilight. "do you know who's behind the outbreak? Who's the enemy? Please, you have to tell us!"

Rainbow looked out the window. "It's the Griffons. Gilda sent me a message yesterday, saying that she hoped these years had broken me. Such a bitch. Do you know what it's like? I finally made it to the Wonderbolts, I had something going for myself, and it's all gone in a flash. Being in that rubble, in Cloudsdale, was like standing and screaming among my broken dreams. My dead memories will forever stay there, until my end. Do you know what that's like?"

Twilight shook her head. "I wanted to be Celestia's student, and I was. I wanted to learn and study, and I did. I don't truly know what it's like, but you have so much else to live for. Your friends, AJ, and maybe one day they'll be able to rebuild Cloudsdale."

Rainbow just sighed, and stared at the floor. The chances of rebuilding her home town were slim, and the chances of them living to see it were almost as slim. The car's vibrating floor was making them rather tired, but they stayed awake in case the need for fighting arose. Too many times in three days had danger found them, and they would not perish in their sleep. Twilight once again polished her gun, even though she knew she already had. It was the only thing she had of her old library in Ponyville, and her key to survival. She heard a shift, and heard Spike mumble in his sleep. He really did sleep too much, and she wondered if Celestia's advice would prove needed. Many times he had mumbled about something he called Pnakotus, but she put it down to nightmares. She looked again out the window, and saw the sun sinking behind the hills. They would need to stop soon, or risk thieves and gangs.

"There," said Twilight. "in that small grove of trees. We'll be fine there, unless people actually stop to look."

Pulling up in the trees, they noticed a strange smell of smoke nearby. They had their guns at the ready, and Applejack sniffed the air. Her senses were heightened from her years on her farm, and her sense of smell was perhaps her strongest. Sneaking through the foliage, they came upon a clearing, and saw three jeeps all parked side by side. Around a campfire, eight men sat drinking and laughing. The insignia on the jeep would suggest a gang, so they readied to shoot. The men at the fire were starting to yell, and it seemed a fight was breaking out. This would be the best opportunity, and Twilight fired. One of the men fell back, alerting the others of their guests presence.

"Shoot their tires," said Twilight. "It'll make it harder for them to escape!"

Two of the men had taken cover behind a car, and now tried to shoot from the gap underneath. Applejack finished them both with quick reflexes, and Twilight managed to kill one that was trying to start one of the cars. The other four had taken position behind a rock, and Rainbow Dash tried to creep up towards them. But they saw her, and a shot from their gun clipped her shoulder, sending her to her knees before rushing them. In their haste, they had grabbed an antique musket, probably stolen from a museum or someone's personal belongings. As they jammed the powder in, Rainbow was able to rush them, shooting one in the throat, and smashing the other one's face.When all were confirmed dead, Fluttershy checked Rainbow's shoulder, and found that the bullet had traveled straight through, so not much in the way of care was needed. After dressing it, they checked the bodies for useful items, hoping for some ammunition or a clue to their base. They found a strip of paper in the pocket of one, and found it had directions to an airfield south of their current location. They knew it would be dangerous, but it was their best option. A breeze had arrived, and the smell of rain made them even thirstier.

Walking around the camp, they found five gas cans, all of them full, which would serve their purposes nicely. The cars had been searched as well, and they found ammunition, food, and clothing to last a while. The light was now completely gone from the sky, and a chill was settling in the air. Exhaustion, accompanied by their earlier travails, was getting the best of them, and they settled in for a welcome, deep sleep.

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The sound of birds and rain woke them, and they became glad of the jeeps they'd rested in. The rain had come in the night, and it pattered on the glass in a rhythm. As they rubbed the sleep from their eyes, they found that their joints hurt, likely from their sleeping positions. Stretching proved difficult, and Twilight hoped the car wasn't stuck in the thick mud. Once they had eaten a light breakfast of old oatmeal, they got on the road again, and tried to follow the map. But it had been hastily scrawled, and was difficult to read. Finally Twilight threw it to the floor, frustrated.

"How are we supposed to read this? The writing is like a child's!"

Fluttershy raised her head a little, hearing the word child. "Umm, I might be able to read it, um, Scootaloo used to always draw at my house before..."

Twilight nodded her head, and handed the map to Fluttershy. "If these people really are the Griffons, we need to be extremely cautious with the approach, more than normally. But the way this is drawn it shows three entrances. One at the front, back, and another to the right side. I think that this base they took was modified by them, so we should expect traps and turrets that rival the EDAU base. We should only be three hours away now."

It was just after noon, and they thought it best to wait until dark to infiltrate the base. Dark would provide cover and play tricks on the guards' minds, so it would be the best plan. Trees, grass and shrubbery passed the windows in blurs of green, brown and the occasional white. The car's humming and the consistent bumping in the road was starting to make them sleepy, and they tried to think of ways to stay awake. Their destination was a dangerous one, and they couldn't afford to fall asleep. They agreed, however, that a rest was needed before they moved in, as it was certain death if they were discovered. Applejack turned on the radio, listening for news of her family, but none came. She shifted in the driver's seat, and checked the clock. Two o'clock now. A song by Blue Poctober came on, and it reminded her of her life before all this mess, making tears cloud her vision. She turned the song down, wiping her eyes and nearly crashing into a tree.

When she saw it, she had to blink first. And she knew it wasn't a mirage. A massive airfield stood in the distance, and wire and guns surrounded the perimeter. Cars lined up in front of the main entrance, and she saw hundreds, even thousands, of men running to their duties. As she pulled up to a group of trees and bushes, the others awoke. Seeing where they were, they sat straight up and grabbed their weapons.

"Relax y'all," said Applejack. "We're safe here. We have a few hours 'fore dark, so just have a bite and let's discuss the plan again."

As they ate their granola, Twilight went over the entire plan so they were ready. "We're going to go in after dark. We'll go through, try and find supplies and civilians if they've captured any, and destroy the base, if we have to. No doubt the commotion will cause alert, so be ready to fight. Then get over to Ponyville or Canterlot. Clear?"

"Yes."

Twilight smiled. "Good, then all we have to do is keep occupied until nightfall."

They passed the time with conversation, and talking of their pasts, even though they knew them already. It was still good to remember. Applejack seemed to have it worse, and took her time.

"Ah just can't believe, even after all this time, that they might be dead. Apple Bloom's body wasn't ever found, and I don't think she's dead. But Granny... I miss Granny. Never seein' her face or hearin' her voice just leaves a hole in me. Big Mac would'a known what to do now. Anyway, I suppose we can't keep lookin' at the past, the future's what matters. I mean, you can't change your past, however much I wish I could. But ya can alter your future. It's almost time, let's go."

The sun had indeed set fully, and all natural light was now gone, leaving the glare of the lights in the base to illuminate their way. They snuck to the side entrance they had discussed, and saw a rather depressing sight. At least ten thousand people were gathered here, trying to join the Griffons. Their gang was becoming too powerful, and they would have to act swiftly and silently if they were to succeed. Gunshots fired, and they looked to a far wall on the opposite side. A family of seven had just been executed, their blood on the wall, bodies in a heap. This sparked a feeling of rage in Twilight and the others, and the desire to destroy this base became a priority. Turning to the others, Twilight mouthed the words that would spark a series of events that would be dangerous, saddening, and otherwise life-changing to everyone there.

"Move in. We've got them now."

Author's Note

The Blue October song is The Feel Again,, one of my favs from them. The album Foiled is still their best, though.

Sorry it was short, but CLIFFHANGERS.

Anyway, we're starting to get into the more active chapters here, oho! Stay tuned for that. Thank cheese for giving me time. BTW, I finished writing thirty five songs! Two albums will be ready to perform when the band goes up, so that'll be good. But enough of that, stay tuned for more exciting action slash derpiness in the next chapter, of The Wasted Lands.