Songs in Silence

Chapters

Prologue ~ The Elegy of Twilight Sparkle
Chapter 2 ~ Ruined Roads
Chapter 3 ~ Clawing Calamities
Chapter 8 ~ Treasured Tombs
Chapter 6 ~ Dashing Desperados
Chapter 5 ~ Seperate Stories
Chapter 4 ~ Resulting Regrets
Chapter 7 ~ Remote Reverie
Chapter 1 ~ Destitute Defenders

Prologue ~ The Elegy of Twilight Sparkle

"Legend says that when Celestia first touched the ground during the reign of Discord, even the plants which had defied all rules of nature to grow into grotesque forms retreated to their natural state and everything the mad god had created headed for oblivion rather than meet her. Which brings me back to my original point that--"

The dragon stopped dead on the bridge, "Twilight," he said as calmly as possible.

The elderly mare turned around just as she stepped on the other side's ground, "What, Spike? Spike, Spike..." she would continue to repeat the last word until he'd speak up. The dragon growled.

"Listen, I know we have to keep talking, but, you know, it's just, well...I mean," he mumbled, trying to get what he wanted to say right.

"Would you please speak up!"

Before she could start repeating the last word again - oh how he hated that - Spike did indeed speak up: "Could we talk about something interesting? For the past two days I have listened to nothing but theories about black holes, books, Star Swirl the Bearded being an earth pony, books, spell research and, hey, I think I forgot to mention books. Plus, if I recount correctly, at least SEVEN hours of you bashing your university colleagues for being, well," he had to find a milder term when what she had used, "bad."

All the while Twilight watched her assistant and the moment he stopped, she immediately followed up.

"Spike, I'm perfectly aware of how annoying this is but I have to keep talking, since a.) I have lots of things on my mind and b.) the moment the sound stops we're..." The dragon could see it in her eyes, the pain coming up again. Twilight was scared, very, very scared. "Come on, it isn't much farther until we reach Canterlot."

The small dragon started moving again, the wood of the bridge creaking with every new step. He looked down once, where once a river had been flowing, a seemingly unpiercable darkness had appeared. He tried to focus on the wood rather than the question if it still was deep as the last time they had taken the road. Nobody had put much care into the old path ever since the train network had been built to its full height.

His sight moved forward again, checking on his companion. Twilight Sparkle's coat had once been a stronger color, but the purple had faded and her mane was nearly white, with only the multicolored streaks remaining. The mare was so old by pony standards, not just physically. The things she and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony had seen and fought...

He thought that maybe he should cheer her up a bit. This whole journey had been more than a bit draining, plus him talking would keep her from opening her mouth again. Spike really couldn't take anymore of the unicorn techno-babble.

He sped up a little and moved besides her, "Twilight," the baby dragon said. She stopped in her talk and for one moment, the only sound in the mountains were their own steps on the ground. "Remember before the trains?" he asked with a grin on his face.

The unicorn looked at him, wondering what he wanted to say when she clearly had such groundbreaking and fantastic theories to present as she did for the past two days.

"The first time we came to Ponyville we had to take the royal chariot. Never imagined just one year later the train line would be established," the dragon continued, laughing. Twilight smiled a little, remembering her first time in Ponyville...

From meeting the other Elements to the first party they all had together. That had been such a wonderful time.

The smile faded as the laughter of Nightmare Moon resonated through her head again.

"Let's go Spike," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

The purple dragon wanted to say something, but Twilight started up with the history of magic. He knew what that meant, so he followed suit.

Since the path led across the side of the Canterlot Mountains one always could get a good view on Equestria. Spike remembered when he, Applejack and, funny enough, Rarity had taken the path about four decades ago. It had been bristling with life. Ponies traveling across the countryside, enjoying every second of it. Now he looked to the side and there weren't green forests or vast grasslands, there was only a deep blackness and complete noiselessness. It was almost as if the life had vanished from the land.

The purple dragon really wanted to say something profound but the problem was that he seriously doubted that he'd get Twilight in a better mood. This wasn't a situation for Spike the dragon but rather for Pinkie, Celestia bless her. World's one and only pink party pony. Spike didn't feel sad when he thought about her, though. He smiled. Just the memory of her elicited laughter.

That was enough for him but a memory wouldn't get Twilight the energy back she once had. The mare he was following really was old.

Walking across the silent pathway, probably nearing Canterlot and listening to the scientific babble of the Element of Magic he couldn't help but just looking at her. She held fifteen different titles, amongst them headmaster of Celestias School for gifted Unicorns, Archmagus of Equestria and of course, her ladyship, Princess Celestia's most faithful student.

Her eyes were filled with fear and sadness. Emotions Spike didn't share. He only felt confidence. Twilight had solved so many problems over the course of her life, this right here, right now was just another stepping stone. With a smile on his face he started to sing one of Pinkie's old songs to lighten the mood up a bit more.

Giggle at the Ghosties...

The path ended at the white gates of Equestria's most beautiful city, the royal residence of Canterlot. The moment they stepped through, Twilight immediately changed the subject to its history.

"The ponies of olden days built Canterlot as thanks to the princesses for defeating Discord, the princess told me. In its own time it was a monument to the world. Its mere existence told of the magnificence and potential us ponies had back then."

Spike only heard how tired Twilight sounded. She got worse and worse by the moment and even though this tale would've sounded uplifting in a classroom, here in the desolate city it felt crushing. They walked across the open main road. The houses were abandoned and if it weren't for Twilight's Light Spell they probably wouldn't have seen the hands before their eyes. Just the moon itself would've been enough to keep Spike feeling a bit of hope. Alas, the princesses were gone and the celestial bodies with them.

The small dragon looked around. This had to be the first time ever that Canterlot was quiet. No stuck-up upper-class ponies prancing about, no guards marching around the corner, no lady's fainting at the sight of Cap'n Pip, wherever that guy had gone and of course, nopony that walked into him and then would shout at him, because they were the baron/baroness of that and that part of the country he had never even heard of. Still, Spike didn't know whether he should feel good about the quiet.

Sure, in the beginning he had just been as afraid as everypony else, especially when the dragons had vanished and the memories with them. Years had passed since then and in the end even Ponyville had succumbed to the silence. THAT was the one and only scary thing he could still think of now. From Lyra poking into everypony's life, trying to find clues about 'humans', Derpy raiding Carrot Top's fridge and the follow-up screams of anger from Carrot Top to the late CMC's giving the new ones advice about crusading. There had always been noise in Ponyville. One day, though, it simply stopped.

There had always been light, too. From the Sonic Rainbooms Dash had performed at nearly every festivity, having the only pony who could do one in her town had made wonderful bragging material for the mayor to the occasional spell gone wrong. One day, though, it started to die out. With it, everypony's memories vanished. Derpy couldn't remember Carrot Top, then they all forgot about Lyra and so on.

That had been the scariest day of his life but at least Twilight was still here. She'd save Equestria, she always did. Even with the others gone, she'd do it.

The duo never stopped and as Spike never stopped thinking, Twilight Sparkle never stopped talking. For two and a half days she had done nothing but constant talking, Spike had mentioned on the beginning of the second day that she didn't even stop in her sleep. The unicorn was getting tired but there were more important things than her health, there always were more important things.

Of course this time it all didn't matter to her. She'd just do her thing and then she would leave. That was the plan: Save Equestria and then quietly leave. Twilight Sparkle didn't even want to leave a memory behind. Equestria had long enough a history and was full of names that were so much greater than hers.

As the unicorn rambled on about physics and mathematics she couldn't help but sigh. As Element of Magic she'd been called the strongest Element even though without the others, she was just a spark with no fire to ignite. She was worth less than her titles said and even those weren't that wonderful and magnificent as anypony else made them out to be.

As they reached the steps to the castle, Twilight remembered the day she became the Archmagus and Chrysalis having disguised herself as whoever-that-was. Probably the weakest day for the changeling queen but hey, even she couldn't be able to be at her top game every time.

That was everything she associated with the title though, that and the praise of the princesses, Luna had recognized her as a pony whose knowledge was on par with Star Swirl the Bearded himself. Celestia had smiled and told her that she so proud to be a friend of Twilight's.

Without these things, the word 'Archmage' meant nothing to Twilight. She could live without being respected, without being constantly hassled by the so called 'lesser' ponies. There always had been the faintest bit of regret in the back of her head. It always kept asking why she hadn't stayed in Ponyville, why she hadn't stayed with her friends, why she hadn't lived a happy life instead of a successful one.

Then, there was Fluttershy saying those words she'd never forget the day she left for the university of Canterlot.

"You will always be welcome here."

It would've been a happy memory if it wouldn't be tainted by the darkness. Every face she had ever seen, every word ever spoken to her. Nopony in the whole wide world remembered any of it. Every single part of their existence had been absorbed by the dark and it had only been Twilight's connection to the ley lines that she still remembered everything.

No, that was wrong, it was the bond of friendship that kept her mind sane and everything together. That bond had brought her here. She was for science and all that but here in the dark, she wanted it to be her friends that protected her, even if they weren't there.

They went on, talking, thinking. Going through the shadows of what had once been the greatest city in all of Equestria until they reached their destination.

"Spike, we're here," Twilight then announced with a smile as reality hit her again. "The Twilight Sparkle Library. Celestia had it built for me and in it there is every single book, it is quite remarkable, because-" she kept on talking, her mind drifting, asking. She didn't even want to tell the dragon the obvious, she didn't want to brag.

What the pony wanted, was a moment of peace.

The building was huge, with artful spires, like the rest of Canterlot, with a dome atop of it, containing the third greatest observatory in the world and the second best in Equestria. As they opened its painted gates, silence and dust awaited them inside.

Twilight didn't dare look at the pictures on the gates, instead she just walked past them and told Spike, "Search for a lantern, then I can switch to a different spell."

The dragon nodded understandingly and walked right up to the foyer, jumping behind the counter. There he went to search for something, anything to create a light with. After going through a few drawers he sighed in defeat. Even worse, the bucking dust was everywhere. Just their luck, Canterlot had been abandoned for years and maybe the darkness was actually smart and took away whatever could make light. What kept him going was loyalty to his friend, it was the fact that if he found a light, he could give the purple unicorn a chance to shut up.

Twilight held the spell close to them as she looked across the room. Yet she continued to talk, instead of going for something intelligent she just blabbered about. Like how this place was extraordinary. How there were entire floors dedicated to specific subjects, from scientific essays to books for children. It went up for about 4 floors but the cellars extended deep into the mountain.

If she remembered correctly back then they had to bargain with a local gang of diamond dogs. They'd go south, the ponies would get their tunnels beneath Canterlot. Twilight still regretted pestering the Princess to do that.

The princess had been right, probably and the diamond dogs might have had something to do with AJ disappearing like-

"GOT ONE!" Spike exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm at that moment and for the first time in a long time, Twilight was thankful for the interruption. The small purple creature grinned as he held up an old lantern with a candle inside of it. The dragon breathed a small green flame into it and closed it shut.

"That should be enough light for the beginning," he said. Twilight nodded and began to concentrate.

The arcane white of the light spell began to twist and fade, before it exploded coloring the ley lines of Twilight's world purple and spreading into the many corners of the library. Then, for a moment there was silence. It took the spell a few seconds to built itself up but then in the distance, a tune could be heard. A lonely voice singing a sad song.

Twilight smiled. "If we ever meet Lyra again I've got to thank her for that," she told Spike, "but now, how long's that flame going to hold?"

"Till the day I die of old age, if you catch my drift," the dragon answered with a smug smile. Twilight groaned and turned around.

"Anyway, give that to me so that I can find a book that explains this whole...everything. I doubt the scholars here really searched for anything," she said before grabbing the lantern with her teeth and moving away from the dragon. Her horn still glowed a bit but at least the talking could stop and they could just search the book to the song of her heart.

As she grabbed the lantern with that silent rage shut within her, Spike felt a shiver. Twilight really had come to disdain the scientific elite of Canterlot and it wasn't helping the mood that now he had to listen to this song.

"Ah, well," he said, before moving back to the door of the library and closing it. He took one last peak before he did so only to discover that truly only darkness remained in Canterlot. Lucky them.

Then the dragon moved back inside. The green light of the lantern moved through the shelves and the faint sound of Twilight's song echoed through the halls. Books upon books where piled up in this place and Spike could feel it again. Life. He felt it like he hadn't in a long time. Everything here had just waited for him and Twilight to come.

Even though the mare had grown old, their relationship hadn't changed much since he was by all accounts still a baby dragon. So this was just the one thing he'd waited to do for such a long time, ever since Twilight had left the ponyvillian library in the care of him and her friends.

"Let's study the hay out of this place," he announced, cracking his knuckles.

And far away

they would go

Now lost to me

these ponies of my dreams

The torches burnt in a bright green color and somewhere, three floors down the gramophone was playing one of the many hits by a certain Sweetie Bell. This one was aided by the canterlot symphonic orchestra so it was kinda appropriate for the situation. Spike rubbed his eyes before he turned the pages back again. Maybe he had overlooked something.

Twilight was mumbling in her sleep again, he heard it. Whenever she had a nightmare the dragon would move to her side and hold her hoof. Whenever she wanted to speak, he would listen. It was good to talk when there wasn't any pressure that forced them to do so.

The fear had vanished from Twilight's eyes after she had found a book called 'The Nightmare Wars', written by Princess Luna and Princess Celestia as an historical accurate portrayal of the first appearance of Nightmare Moon. Nighttime Eternal seemed so much better than what was happening outside Twilight had concluded after being done with it.

Spike had felt his own sanity shift towards the better end now that there wasn't constant talking and managed to look at all these selfish thoughts he had gathered during the journey with a bit of shame. The dragon had no idea what had gotten into him. For better or for worse, though, he'd remain by his trusted friend's side.

As he went through the pages of the books the song ended and was followed up by another, performed by the same artist and then another. The dragon would just stop with the reading and listen to the beginning of every new song that came up. They sure had been lucky to find a gramophone in the library and that whoever had brought it here had been a fan of Sweetie Belle. Her singing seemingly made everything at least, what was it again, ah, twenty percent cooler.

She had been revered as a star before silence fell unto the country, after that, Spike remembered, she was called a hero. Sound had been known to be the only effective weapon against the silence, as light against the dark. That had made the unicorn the most able fighter on the front, if it could even be called that.

It was sad, though, nopony else remembered her...If there was anypony left beside them. Spike didn't even want to think about what happened to those that had vanished. Instead he focused again on finding something in the books.

It was bad enough that they didn't know what to search for, but Twilight just knew that there had to be something here. They had ravaged the top floors and had gone down into the basement. Book after book went to the ground after the old unicorn had skimmed through them. It was good that her reading skills had become completely unrivaled in all of Equestria. They had to go through every book known to ponykind and with a history that stretched back to...

She couldn't remember.

Not that it mattered, though, as the beginnings of the ponies probably hadn't anything to do with the task at hand. She had done the whole thing in her head. A creature of that power could've only been created between the beginning of the Sisters' Reign and the coming of Discord.

Celestia had once told her that there were four eras before Discord came. The era of dreams, the era of darkness, the era of light and the era of earth. As she dug through the books, further and further away from Spike's location she eventually came across some books that held musings for these times.

The author's name was "Twilight Sparkle".

It was the book that had gotten her the position of the headmaster of the academy for gifted unicorns. It illustrated that the first records started during the era of earth and they were mostly bad illustrations of what was thought to be important events with no hint of any blackness or silence. The darkness and the silence probably hailed from before, she figured.

Thing was, Twilight also knew that she could be completely off with that guess. Did that make whenever history itself started important?

She slammed her head against the book that she until then had held up with her magic, groaning annoyed. They had been on it for about a week now and the music started to become somewhat annoying, aside from everything Sweetie Bell had done. That mare just had a voice like no other.

They had thrown away the album where Celestia and Luna had tried themselves on music. Of all things, singing wasn't the forte of either, unlike Cadance, she remembered.

Twilight looked at the book before her. Shaking her head she turned its page and, funny enough, a piece of paper fell out of it.

"What?" Twilight asked no one in particular. Spike was sleeping safe and sound by the gramophone since a while back, he couldn't have placed it there.

Curiosity got the better of her and so she picked the letter up and read it out loud.

Don't stop talking.

Don't stop listening.

NEVER STOP THE SOUND!

Don't let the lights flicker.

Don't stay alone.

ALWAYS REMAIN IN THE LIGHT!

And before the end comes

And everything falls to pieces

KILL HER!

- T.

"What?"

Twilight looked around. The torches created enough light to cover every bit of space and the songs were loud enough to be heard through the entire floor. There was nothing to worry about. The letter or whatever it was was flung to the ground again as Twilight began scrambling through the books again. This time determined to find something.

Every work of literature she held in her hooves seemed to be written on subjects she either knew everything about or just had plain nothing to do with everything. Yes, the thoughts and theories about the lost book of Star Swirl were pretty neat to go through and if the world hadn't been dying around her, she would've enjoyed Tartarus out of it. Yes, the celestine history was a good read, but there was nothing that had to do with both the dark and the silence, since this time it only went to the Time of Tribes, which marked the end of the era of earth.

Groaning once more, she stumbled away from the books. Her stomach grumbled and a moment later she stumbled over her own feet and against one of the bookshelfs, a huge work of literature falling on her head. It took her a few seconds before she could crouch out from beneath it and sighed. They had scarcely any food left and even with proper rations they'd-

Her train of thought stopped as she saw the title of the book.

"Nothing?" asked Spike. Twilight nodded in response as she made her way back towards Spike. The gramophone started up another song from the next aisle.

"The celestine and lunar histories both," she said, not even remembering the letter, "And it get's worse."

Spike sighed and threw his head back, readying himself for the even-worse-than-bad news, trying to get a listen to whatever song currently played. He couldn't quite make out which one it was, despite having listened to the whole platter a gajillion times already. Although, he figured, it had to be 'Lunar Conqueror', that one had a pretty quiet intro.

"Do you remember how I made transcriptions of every spell and text from the Star Swirl the Bearded wing?"

"Yeah..don't tell me, the old guy had noth...ing?" As Spike spoke those words a grin started to form itself on Twilight's face widening with every word the dragon spoke. He looked at her quizically. Hadn't she just said it would get worse? Had that been a joke? Had she actually found something?

The old unicorn started to concentrate and her horn began to glow. Within a moment she produced a scroll from behind her saddlebag. The parchment was still young compared to most residents of the library and the seal of the archmagus held it together. That seal was normally the most impressive thing on magic scrolls. The symbol was exactly like Twilight's Cutie Mark with the Sun and Moon at it's heart. This certain scroll had a distinct blue aura surrounding it, which meant, it was probably levitating on its own after it had been conjured up.

Spike's heart jumped, because if the magic of the scroll was strong enough to keep it from falling it had to be something good. "This is great! We can save everypony, right? So what kind of spell does it contain? Some sort of huge fireball? Some kind of ultra-super cage-spell? Can you transform yourself into a magical warrior?" he asked in a rush of euphoria.

Twilight chuckled, her eyes going to the ground, "Yeah..." she mumbled, unsure.

Seconds passed with Twilight looking to the ground, trying to figure out how to explain this scroll to spike without him trying to stop her. Then, she noticed something. It was far too quiet and the dragon hadn't responded to her. The music had stopped by the time she had reached Spike and with a look to the side she realized something else. The torches had gone out. Immediately she threw her head up, looking at Spike, who was waving frantically, his mouth opening and closing, as if he was shouting something but no words left his mouth.

Don't stop talking!

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Twilight screamed, closing her eyes and concentrating once more. Her horn started glow as the magic began to pulsate through it. The unicorn tried bring up every bit of magic that rested within her to play the song of her heart.

A spark emitted from the horn and wave of light illuminated the hall, forming a glowing orb around them. Spike had only managed to cover his eyes in the last second. Before he opened them again he heard it, Twilight's song. A lonely voice, singing her sad song and the drums of war beating the darkness away.

Yet now wasn't the time to care about that. There was noise and as the dragon opened his eyes, he didn't care about the situation. He could see Twilight again and now they could fix Equestria.

The old mare was breathing heavily, her legs were shaking. She knew that she was too old for casting two spells at a time. Still, it would be the last time anyway.

"We need to get to the archives, to the Star Swirl the Bearded wing!" Archmage Twilight ordered, "Grab the scroll, Spike. We're moving out!"

He did as she said and with the scroll they hurried up the stairways and out of the library. The light of Twilight's spell illuminating their way and the war drums of her heart keeping them safe.

Don't let the lights flicker.

The two of them went past the main gate into the royal halls. Neither had time to notice just how empty it all was. They went through the doors into the royal garden, taking an old short cut to the Canterlot Archives. Past the statues of old pony heroes and long forgotten villains that had wanted to usurp the power of Celestia's leadership and through the Cadence's shrubbery. As they ran Spike noticed that in the corner of his eyes, it seemed as if the surrounding darkness was moving with them, keeping away from the magic that illuminated the area around the two.

"Twilight!" he yelled, panicking, "I think it's following us!"

"What is?"

"The dark!"

"Just..." she started, wondering if the creature was actually IN the blackness, "Just keep up Spike. We've got to make it!"

Twilight was sure that the spell would work and that was enough to keep Spike's moral up. The duo went through a window, fast as they could, dashing through the corridors of the archive, the dragon keeping close behind Twilight.

Don't stop listening.

Then Twilight stopped all of a sudden, with Spike nearly crashing into her. Neither spoke a word, for they were at their destination. Before them were the old halls of the Star Swirl the Bearded wing. The gate had been torn down during the battle against the harpies and, as most of the archive, the literature was burned during the Sacking of Canterlot. Twilight still couldn't help but smile at Tirac's fate, considering all the terrible deeds he had done.

They moved into the room. Aside from the black burned wooden shelves only the hourglass in the middle of the room remained. It was said that the world would end when the last corn of sand went down through the middle.

The clock seemed far away from reaching that point.

What got Spike wasn't the hourglass, though, but something entirely different.

"Our steps are echoing again Twi," he said with a grin. He had no idea what was going on, but this was definitely something positive. The drumming had vanished, too.

He used this quiet moment to take a closer look at the archive. He had come here every now and then together with Twilight. The most vivid memory was when they had tried to break in, though, Twilight, Pinkie and himself. That had been the worst stomachache he had had ever. The archives looked different, too. The old beard probably wouldn't have liked what Tirac had done to the place. Now, with only ashes and the hourglass remaining it had probably been luck that Twilight had made it one of her duties to make transcripts of every piece of work the last Archmage of the Unicorn Kingdom had ever written down.

Luck, or just Twilight being Twilight. Anyway, even with the knowledge saved, they just had to rescue everypony now. All that remained was to cast whatever spell was written inside that scroll.

The dragon went towards his friend who looked almost entranced at the hourglass, "So, what do we do?"

Twilight stared as a single sand corn fell down. "Everypony's gone, Spike," she started, her voice hollow.

While she spoke, the voice of her song became clearer, Spike almost understood what she was singing.

"I've been thinking...during that time in the library, during the run from Ponyville. I've been thinking the whole time. Ever since Applejack-" she stopped and took a deep breath.

"Sorry, vanity. I'm getting old," the mare told herself more than Spike and with a bit of concentration she pulled the scroll from his claw and levitated it towards herself, walking towards the hourglass.

"I've just seen too much, lived a bit too long. Everypony keeps relying on me while I have nothing left," she mumbled on.

With every step the song of her heart became clearer.

Spike smiled, "What are you talking about Twilight? You've got me, and the princesses, and your brother, and..."

Twilight laughed out. "I know, Spike," she spoke softly, "but, if there was a way for everypony to be together again. Once more, us all, no darkness, no wars, no cold winds and long winters. Don't you think that maybe..."

Don't stay alone.

The dragon looked at his old mare friend. Walking towards the hourglass as slowly as possible, almost as if she was asking him, no, begging him to stop her. Her head was held low and with every step she seemed to become less confident. Yet every step echoed and the hall kept being lit. He turned around, the darkness kept the whole place shrouded, he couldn't even see past the entrance.

Whatever Twilight was planning, it was big and would probably kill them, judging from her hesitation. "If you're talking about an afterlife. There's nothing scientific on that Twi...Well," he said, "If you ask me. I wouldn't mind us all being in Ponyville together again..."

He saw that her ears perked themselves and her neck was lifting itself up.

"I'd probably try to get together with Rarity again,while she just uses me as a pincushion or get's me to drag carts full of delicious diamonds for her," the dragon mused. Twilight looked at the hourglass again.

"Rainbow Dash would show us another new trick she learned to join the Wonderbolts. Like that one time she crashed and landed in the hospital, or the other twenty times that happened," he spoke. Twilight's eyes narrowed.

"Then Fluttershy would start worrying really much about her. Like that one time her assertiveness training came out again and she started yelling at nurse Redheart." A hopeful smile got on Twilight's face.

"After Rainbow Dash's release Pinkie'd do a party, like always and we'd all go through it all night. It would be nice to hear her rambling on once more. Never found out about that oatmeal." The unicorn's steps grew faster.

"And Applejack..." Spike looked down and then up again, "She'd be there, too. Together with Big Mac and Granny Smith and Applebloom. They'd all be there, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ditzy, Mayor Mare..." he wanted to go on but stopped as Twilight did upon reaching the middle of the room.

NEVER STOP THE SOUND!

The reflection looked at Twilight. An old mare, with a nearly white mane, wrinkles and eyes so tired of the many adventures she had lived through. The Element of Magic, now at the end of her road. Carefully, she levitated the scroll above the hourglass. One moment, one second.

All noise faded, making a clear way for the elegy of Twilight Sparkle.

Now Spike could hear what the voice in Twilight's heart was singing and with it his heart sank. He understood immediately what Twilight was planning and as she turned around to him one last time, he could finally see why her eyes were filled with such hesitation. She had given up.

The unicorn looked at her dragon assistant, the one who had been there with her from the very beginning and would remain by her side to the end. Probably forever now. He'd be happy, too. There wouldn't be any problems. Still she didn't know if this was the actual right thing to do. The world couldn't be saved from something like this. It was just a battle against time, and nopony could win a fight against that. If these were truly the last of days then she'd rather not spend them here.

Twilight Sparkle would go, not leaving a memory behind.

"I'm sorry, Spike. I'm so sorry."

Lifting her haunches she let out a roar as she bucked the glass, cracking it.

A bright light spread across the wing, then the whole archive, then the castle, and then the whole of Canterlot. Engulfing every part of it, every shadow, every cloud above it. The sands spread into the air, controlled by the magic of the scroll, the wish of the unicorn and heart of a dreamer, releasing a spell that should've never been performed. So the noise faded from Canterlot but so did the silence, the darkness, the light and a tomorrow and only a dream remained. Twilight Sparkle's dream.

Somewhere in the distance, Ponies watched a bright light and took it as a sign. Celestia hadn't left them, there was still a fight to be done.

And they fought on against eternal darkness and noiselessness. For ten years, for a hundred years, for a thousand. They fought until the Princesses of Day and Light became legends and the elements of harmony a tale to tell the foals. They marched across the wastelands, fighting off the remaining diamond dogs, whatever had been left of the changelings and even the dreaded creatures of Tatarus who had looked for refuge.

They all fought, until one day a filly was born in one of the caravans and if the hourglass would still work, its last grains would pass with every year the foal grew.

Prologue

~The Elegy of Twilight Sparkle~

End

Chapter 2 ~ Ruined Roads

Chapter 1 ~ Destitute Defenders

The stallion's blonde mane remained unmoving, even as he positioned himself upon the hill to gaze at the land before him. Humming to himself he watched the blackness without blinking, trying to make something out. His blue eyes shifted back and forth but there didn't appear to be anything at all in his sight. The stallion nodded to himself before turning around and facing his two companions.

The vanilla colored unicorn mare with the most horrible green mane stared right back at him with that smug grin on her face that just told the world 'Ain't I the best thing ever?'. He didn't like being looked at like that, especially since he was her superior. He also knew that bringing that subject up would end up in another verbal fight he'd lose. The stallion didn't like losing either, especially to her.

"There isn't any sound down there," he stated bluntly. Sunset raised those eyebrows of hers in a way that really made him want to buck her good.

"But Captain, Seeing said there were diamond dogs about," she argued with an almost condescending tone.

"Yeah, and Seeing was never wrong, right? Aside from the last time and the time before that and the time before before before, not counting before before, he was right then, right?" asked the third pony. A young turquoise pegasus colt with the most enthusiastic grin and mane - seriously, that mint colored mane was a force of nature on it's own - wearing the metal barding of the caravan guards, just like Sunset Dale did, contrasting the Captain's own, more artful gear.

"Exactly my point," the Captain said dryly, "He's been wrong before. Sunset and I didn't hear or see any Diamond Dogs. Mind you, they aren't the quiet types."

Sunset shook her head with a sigh, "Captain, Captain, Captain."

He was her superior, he could just kick her right in the face and nopony could complain about it.

"The diamond dogs can dig themselves in and wait for us to come by, then just ambush us," the mare explained. And astounded 'oooh' came from the young Colt, to which she replied: "And that, too. Thanks for the insight, Party,” not really appreciating the amazement of the colleague.

The Captain really hated Sunset but on the other hoof, she had a point. Diamond dogs were known for their cunning traps and ambushes. They couldn't just waltz in there. The problem was, they had to.

"Probably, yeah...but if we assume that he is right with the diamond dogs he might also be right with the river, which means..." he paused to look over his shoulder, "We'll have to fight these rotten beasts."

Sunset Dale's grin faded and even Party Star lost his smile immediately. The Captain knew exactly what they thought but he couldn't take anymore chances, not after what had happened when after the whole string of events that had led to this peculiar situation.

"I'm sorry but our water supply is running thin and the last stop where the liquid was still drinkable was over at the silver knot. We have to keep going. If we remain together, we can manage, alright soldiers?"

The unicorn and the pegasus nodded each, regaining a bit of their confidence.

Still, Sunset wasn't quite sure about this.

"We lost Dream on the road, sir," she said, earning a confused look before the Captain started nodding, the memory of somepony like that existing coming back to him, "and aside from us three, we only got Frisbee, Limelight and Garden Tool left as soldiers. Do you really think we could take on an entire gang of Diamond Dogs?"

Party started laughing, "You forgot Stardust," he sang, jumping up and down excitedly. Both his comrades just stared at him in silent disapproval for a second, before they resumed their discussion.

"Yes. I believe in you ponies. Every one of you may be a contestant for being the most annoying pony alive, but skill you do have," the Captain answered firmly with an honest smile on his face.

Sunset wanted to answer but closed her mouth again, moving closer to Party. She whispered in his ear: "Did he just insult us or give us a compliment?"

"Both I believe," Party giggled, completely oblivious to what his own statement meant.

The mare grumbled. She was completely sure that she'd make a better leader than the Captain. All he did was spend half the morning combing his hair and the rest of the day he'd just give them the wrong orders anyway. That and the fact that he always trotted about like some aristocrat from one of the oasis villages. Really, it was just plain disgusting, especially since she was clearly superior to him in every aspect. Especially the one where memories were involved.

The earth pony stallion looked at her distress with a bit of glee, before he started talking up again: "Now then, soldiers. We should go back and inform the others of the harsh trial ahead. Follow me!"

He led the group across the dry earth and through the blackness, all while trying to look as graceful as possible in his old velvet covered armor that stood in contrast his sky blue coat. Considering he spent more than enough time caring for either, it came easy to the stallion. They moved on, looking at the darkness before them until the lights of the caravan came in sight. Six wagons stood there in a circle, a mighty fire acting as guiding light for whatever pony was stranded out there. As they closed in both the light and the song a certain trio sang became clearer.

As they approached they were greeted by a gray Pegasus covered in armor. That one always patrolled by flight, even though the line of sight from up there wasn't much better than from below. Still she halted above the nearest wagon when she saw them and saluted but didn't stop to chat. The Captain noted that as a good thing. Frisbee always had been his favorite subordinate, mainly because she was both dutiful and aware of military rankings, unlike other certain ponies he didn't want to name, like Sunset.

They entered the wagon fort without further ado. The wagons themselves were placed in a safe distance from the large fire and the civilian ponies had huddled together in pairs, each making noise in their own way. This had become some kind of a tradition over the years. Fine Clouds always wanted to sing songs and he knew so many that he'd always managed to teach whoever was interested a new one. Sweetroll didn't much care for music and would rather play with the fillies whereas the remaining two, well...they just wanted to be alone together.

The Captain took the moment to breathe in the air of the camp. A sweet scent hung in it, he noted. He figured that was either because of the atmosphere they always had in camp when nopony had any work to do or Sweetroll was probably sitting by the side of the flame with that full bag of marshmallows she had picked up by the silver knot.

He liked to think that it was the first. Being a guardspony was harder work than any of the other ponies had, mainly because you had to be vigilant all the time. At least that was what every guard had been instructed in by their master-at-arms. They didn't do anything outside from protecting the other ponies and pulling the wagons, sure, but their duty was the one where sleep often was hardly affordable. Even, or especially, in such a small caravan.

A mint-green unicorn filly hopped around the fire while howling gibberish. The stallion stopped and just looked at her go before facehoofing in annoyance. Seeing had taught her yet another unnecessary would-be chant. The Captain truly feared for Nightdancer's future if she decided to follow that specific unicorn's path, since otherwise she would become a great guard for this caravan or another. The blonde stallion was very sure of that.

Plus, the Captain had been the one who had brought the little ones to the caravan. Each of them was his charge, alongside the rest of the caravan and if they got another guard they might even relieve Stardust of her armor. She'd like that, too, he figured. Never had been a guard, that one.

He reached the fire and looked to his compatriots.

"Sunset, you tell the other guards about the dogs. Party, you'll tell the civilians," he commanded.

Sunset lifted an eyebrow. "And just what are you going to do?"

"I'll converse a stratification."

"What?"

The Stallion shook his head, "Sunset, Sunset, Sunset. It is because of my superior intellect that-"

"Captain, if you just intended to use fancy-speak what you probably meant was: 'I'll conjure up a stratagem' or something like that"

The Captain grinned a forced grin.

Right in the face.

"Just...Go! Do as you're told!"

Party hopped off with a "Yay!", while Sunset turned around with a blank expression on her face. Once more, her belief that she would make a superior officer had been proven.

The group decidedly split up to give the news to the others. They had another fight ahead of them and everypony needed to be as prepared as possible. The Captain even knew that they couldn't just shout it from the roofs, even though that would have been simpler. A quiet moment under as few eyes as possible did wonders in these dark times and would hold them together better.

How long had they been wandering together? As he looked at the fire he went into full nostalgia mode. Limelight remembered that he had traveled with three different caravans before this one. The first one was a changeling trap, one he had escaped with a broken heart. Both his parents had been killed and the changelings had taken their place. For quite some time they had feasted on the colt's love, too.

He had trained to be a caravan guard in service under Lady Fencing then. With her and her group he had stayed for the longest time. It had been a wonderful time, too. The mare had been the most able fighter he'd ever met and her name was feared by most non-ponies. After he had left them to guard a real caravan he had never heard of her again, though.

Instead Limelight had moved on. Spent twelve years traveling with a group of thirty-five ponies, more than he had ever seen before. They had still been a close-knit community, as every caravan. He remembered them but after they had gotten too close to Canterlot they all went to sleep and never woke up again, save for the one unicorn that had brought them there to begin with.

He and the blankflank then had moved towards the south. Always talking, always keeping their baggage loose, clanking and making noise. Luckily, they had only traveled a day until they ran into the Captain and this caravan.

Limelight, a very lanky, red earth pony who was getting pretty close to getting a gray mane, stood watch by the side of his dear friend Seeing Sight, a caramel-colored unicorn who acted as this caravan's guide. They sat on the side of the guards' wagon and as Sunset approached he couldn't help but sigh. As he had seen them pass by the stallion had already known they would bring bad news. Not that he could see the future or anything but seriously, if they brought good news they would've yelled it out quite loudly.

"Okay chaps," Sunset started, though Limelight just stared at the fire reflecting on the metal of the mare's armor, "we're guessing the Diamond Dogs are hiding underground and probably know we're coming."

The stallion threw his head back in annoyance, Seeing just chuckled.

"You're guessing?" he asked.

Sunset grinned at him, "When it comes to your ability to pick up life signs, dear Seeing, you're the worst unicorn ever. So yes, we're guessing."

"My special talent is growing fruits not navigating ponies through the darkness," the stallion answered truthfully, although special talents and cutie marks had stopped mattering a long time ago.

"Who cares about that," Limelight chimed in, his lavender eyes gleaming, "We can't fight diamond dogs. They act in large groups. We're only seven guards, of which with a high probability only six will actually do something!"

He was on the verge of spatting the last sentence out with more than just a bit of hate going against that one pony who would most likely not fight, again.

Sunset looked at him understanding. She knew what he meant with the numbers, since she had the same doubts, but what they had achieved so far clearly stood against the thesis of them actually losing if she was honest with herself.

"Limey, we've got you, we've got the Captain and there's a reason we call Frisbee 'the raging hurricane'. Remember us taking out the hydra on the void path? If we stick together like we always do, a few diamond dogs or even two or three dozen can't take us on." She spoke each word from the heart and felt a bit more confident herself. It was the honest truth.

Limelight just looked at her for another moment. There was still that brimming hatred and also the fear of losing more friends. After a few seconds though he decided to put on a small smile, just to reassure her. "Yeah, you're right, though you shouldn't sell yourself short. The Captain may be good in a fight but you're still our real leader," he voiced giving her a friendly knock on the shoulder.

Seeing looked at them both, a bit of a grin on his face, "I don't want to interrupt you're pep talk, but you should try getting Stardust out in the field, too. A caravan guard who doesn't do any guarding is really something we don't need. Especially since it's because of her we're in..." he stopped and his smile faded. "Well, you know. You should really try to get her to start doing something, otherwise she's going to be the end of all of us."

Seeing really wanted to make this sound lighthearted but it began to dig into the morale of the whole group, even his own. Stardust wasn't a good caravan guard, she wasn't even a good pony per se. He wanted to believe everypony had something good in them, but she just seemed to defy everything. Everypony else couldn't stand her either, as it was clear from Sunset's reaction as he had mentioned her name.

Sunset let her head fall, she hated talking to that coward. There was no other word more fitting for Stardust aside from 'baggage'. She wasn't just a useless guard, she was greedy, mean-spirited and an overall-

The mare stopped her own train of thought at that point and simply lifted her head. "She's inside the wagon, I'll take it?" She asked coldly, hoping to get this over as quick as possible.

Limelight wouldn't speak to her, Sunset knew that. The two had known each other since Stardust's birth so it was no wonder he didn't like being too close to her and Seeing wasn't a caravan guard. That meant she had the wonderful job of-

"Oh...that rotten son of a-" she grumbled.

"What?" the two stallions asked in unison.

"He did this on purpose."

"Who?" came another question, followed up by another: "What?"

"The Captain. He's getting back at me for being better at everything he could do." Sunset didn't look too happy and with that mood she went around the wagon to it's door.

Seeing just shook his head, "Really, not only are Cloud and the Captain always bickering, no, Sunset also wants in on the politics. Wonder how much longer this caravan is going to stay whole..."

"Either the Captain or Sunset will have to leave after a while and I really hope it'll be the Captain. He's too easy on us soldiers."

"You mean Stardust."

The earth pony didn't answer.

The caravan had six wagons. Two for the civilians, one for the guards, one for the food-stock, one for 'other' stuff and one carried the fire-wood they got from the oasis villages.

The wagon of the guard had two compartments, one big and a small one at the other end. The small room in the back had a small table, a very uncomfortable bed and a small chest before it. It's only redeeming quality would have been the large window by the rear of the wagon, if it hadn't been covered with papers depicting strategies, tactics and child drawings. That was where the Captain slept. The other one was stuffed with two hammocks and two sleep-rolls on it's side, lightened by a lantern which hang down from the middle of the wagon. The guards worked in shifts and only met for one hour in the morning and in the evening before they exchanged their sleeping places.

It was here where Sunset expected to find the unicorn but, as her luck wanted it, she wasn't there. A grin came to her face.

"Well, I can just start with another, then," she stated to herself, fairly relieved.

Sunset Dale felt excitement, as she would talk to the certain other guard now. She could talk with Frisbee, the gray pegasus who patrolled around the caravan so dutifully.

Party Star had been with the caravan from the moment of it's beginning at the Twinkling Cascade, far down the south of the Badlands. Ever since then they had traveled north. On the old and broken roads they had met new ponies. Some had joined the caravan, some had left for another that had headed in a direction more suited to their longing or for other reasons. In the beginning there had been Fine Clouds, Seeing Sight, Limelight, Stardust, Dry Soil and at least four other ponies or so Fine Clouds had told him. Party didn't remember any of them, though.

They didn't matter anymore, if their memories were lost, then so was everything else. What did matter were the ponies they had picked up on the road. The Captain who had joined them with Nightdancer, Summer Breeze and Toodle, the only three ponies in the caravan to still not have their cutie marks. Limelight actually thought that the Captain had been with them from the beginning, for whatever reason. Also Frisbee had joined up with them later on. She was the one who had carried an unconscious Sunset from their 'home', wherever that had been.

Then there had been Garden Tool, who had owned a bit of farmland down by the Shimmerlake originally. It had been taken the cinderwolfs, though.

Party Star didn't quite remember when Counting Copper and Windsight had joined up with them. The unicorn mare and her special pegasus blended wonderfully in with the rest of the caravan and aside from their whole 'lovey-dovey'-stuff, which they could keep up for hours, they weren't that noticeable.

Even now as Party Star hopped around the fire to see which group he should talk to first he barely even noticed them. The two sat on the side of the wagon they both slept in and just looked into each others eyes, smiles on their faces. Frankly, he didn't quite feel like disturbing them.

Sweetroll sat by the fire, her curly white and violet striped mane enlightened by it. She sat there, holding a stick in the bristling brightness, an orange pegasus filly and a fuchsia earth pony colt doing the same at their sides. They sang that marshmallow song Party had come up with weeks ago and the small pegasus was quite happy that it was put to good use.

The last group sat in front of the wagon which carried all their belongings. Every remaining pony had gathered around Fine Clouds, the old pegasus stallion, his coat had long lost it's original color and the last remaining piece of magnificence he possessed was that venerable moustache. It was truly a sign of what a stallion he had once been and how wise he was now.

In front of the pegasus sat two male earth ponies. The brown coat and dark, fuzzy mane along with the guardpony armor gave Garden Tool away almost instantaneously. Dry Soil on the other hand had a shorter, more styled, blue mane contrasting his straw yellow coat. He was the only pony who never covered up his cutie mark with a piece of cloth as it was tradition among the southern caravans. A shovel digging in the dirt with a flower sprouting. Soil was proud of his special talent, although it wasn't that useful in times like this.

Well, Party thought, he should probably start with them.

The pony didn't hop over, instead for once walked up slowly, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted to say. The group didn't notice him approaching, as all their attention was focused on Fine Clouds, who tried to tell them that the chorus of the Song of Grass wasn't the same incomprehensible wailing as in the Song of Souls but rather an upbeat, well thought out verse. Otherwise both sounded very similar, something both earth ponies found rather annoying. They listened to Fine Clouds and Party Star would've really liked it if they had just continued with that and started to sing, completely ignoring the guard that had just approached them. Fate didn't want that, though.

As he approached most ponies faced Party with their backs, only the short-sighted Fine Clouds who sat on the wagon could spot him which he did, sadly.

"Aah, Spongy, nice of you to join us," the old stallion said with utmost happiness.

"Uhm..." Party Star stopped, "I'm not...who?"

There was a moment where the only sound was the mumbling of the other ponies, who shot Party angry looks. He understood. Nopony liked it when their rare, peaceful activities were interrupted. It could kill them, so the stares were rightfully earned.

"Doesn't matter," Fine Clouds said with a hint of sadness in his tone, "just an old friend of yours, Party. You two always had the finest time together. If you'd kept that journal you'd still remember."

Party didn't respond to that, instead focusing on something more important, "We finished the scouting job."

"And?" the elder asked, now with a glint of hope in his eyes.

"If there are diamond dogs, they're hiding and are going to ambush us. We can't risk taking any other way, though."

Garden Tool sighed as he looked at his comrade in arms, "So we're gonna fight our way through whatever is waitin'?" Party nodded.

"No other way? Really, did Seeing check?" Dry Soil interrupted.

"We don't have the time, our water supplies are running thin as it is and he said that they color of the lines indicated that there was water about," it was explained to him.

Dry Soil grumbled discontentedly, while the other two just nodded in silent agreement. Party could see that Garden Tool tried to smile, probably thinking positively, which was really good. Fine Clouds seemed to think about what he should do. Party liked to imagine the old pony as a great warrior back in the past. Maybe he had some old armor hidden away in his own stash. The younger pegasus duly noted that he had to investigate this matter further.

"The Captain's coming up with a good strategy, so you ponies should ready yourself," Party voiced. Garden Tool stood up.

"Well, I've got my job cut out for me. Time to pack up everything and start walking, right guys?"

Party had already turned around, towards Sweetroll. He had done his job just fine and hey, it would probably turn out well, especially if they had Fine Clouds the Destroyer at their sides. That sounded about right, since Fine Clouds simply had to be a hero of old age.

As she stepped outside and looked to the sky what Sunset saw filled her with a strange warmth. Everypony was singing and even Limelight and Seeing were making some conversation. Frisbee stood out because of all the ponies Sunset had met during the course of her life this pegasus was the weirdest.

She flew there, only accompanied by the flapping of her wings and the noise the metal armor made as it moved. If it weren't for that, the pegasus would've long since been drowned in the silence.

"Hey, Frisbee!" the unicorn yelled but was ignored as the guard simply turned to make yet another round.

Sunset sighed. It was always like this. Always. Frisbee was such a simple, dutiful pony. It was one of the reasons Sunset held her so close to heart. Though after she watched the gray pegasus fly for a few more seconds, she would've preferred an eternity of just gazing at the object of her attraction. That was cut short though as Frisbee finally decided to land before her.

Then the main noise was created by Frisbee whirling her tail around. A couple of metal bits and bells were fastened at it's end and clanked against each other. Sunset looked at the pegasus mare. She wore a full armor set, from helmet over the barding to leg guards. The pegasus had never told anypony where she had gotten that kind of gear. Bits of her jade green mane could be seen under the helmet, although what stood out the most was the dark green bandana tied around her neck.

As Sunsets gaze drifted across the watcher, Frisbee just waited patiently for whatever the other mare had to say. There wasn't any kind of emotion to be seen on her face. The unicorn had her full attention, although she didn't seem use it very well. Yet, wether or not she was annoyed by it or not was completely hidden by Frisbee's unflinching face. The only thing that managed to let her avoid higher levels of creepiness was that the pegasus was still blinking, overwise she might as well have slept with open eyes.

They just stood there and Sunset completely ignored the constant noise around them, since she had grown up with it and as any pony never had had a moment of complete silence. In fact, she was completely entranced by her own thoughts about how beautiful Frisbee was with that helmet on and how nice the entire ensemble looked.

The Unicorn snapped out of it after a few more moments of being attentively watched herself, "Ah, yes...pardon me, uhm...well...How're you doing, Frisbee?"

"Patrolling," it came out of her. Sunset loved that voice. It sounded very hoarse and might've been the reason why Frisbee never talked, but there were worse things. Like everything about the Captain. Still, the answer itself wasn't really enough to build a conversation around. Sunset felt inclined to try, though.

"Uh, yeah, I...saw that."

"…"

That was now the most awkward conversation, Sunset thought. She could start swooning over the pegasus but seriously doubted that she would look so good doing that. Instead she tried another route. Something had to work.

"Well, seen anything interesting? Diamond Dogs stalking us? Another Caravan?"

"No."

"Uh, sounds...good?" Sunset asked, silently admitting that the awkwardness wouldn't go away so easily.

And of course, there came no answer. The pegasus instead decided to just stare at her. That was one of those wonderful things about Frisbee, she only spoke the words that needed to be said the most. That mare was truly a marvel amidst all these ponies.

They looked at each other for a few more seconds, before Sunset snapped out of her romantic thoughts again. Frisbee had just looked at her, mind completely focused. A comparison with a robot might've been in order, but Sunset thought this gray, winged mare too beautiful for that. So instead it was time to get back on track.

"Anyway, the diamond dogs will probably ambush us when we'll make it to the water."

Frisbee looked at her for a moment, then simply saluted and started off for another patrol. Leaving Sunset behind.

That was the pegasus of her dreams, a silent mare who never complained and always fulfilled her duty. Even though it was kinda weird that Frisbee didn't talk much, the vanilla colored unicorn still had to admit that she was probably the best pony around. In fact some other pony should really take her as an example and-

She then noticed that in the corner of her eye, the darkness afar from the camp seemed to shift. She looked into said direction, checking if something was moving there while she started mumbling to herself. She found nothing, strange enough. Then the mare decided to investigate further, just on a whim. She stepped farther away from the lights of the fire and decided that this was the moment where mumbling wasn't an appropriate defense anymore.

Instead she started singing to her own, an old drinking song that she had learned from Fine Clouds during their stay at a caravanserai, a roadside inn for caravans by the edge of the badlands, a while back.

Every step took her away from the noise and from the light. Sunset Dale knew exactly what consequences this could have, as she remembered everypony taken by the dark and the silence. She and Fine Clouds were the only ones who did. Her heartbeat got faster, her mind told her to move back again but the unicorn just knew that something was there. Behind her she still heard the songs and the jingling that Frisbee's gear made. This gave her a bit of hope. As long as she could hear them still, everything was fine.

Then Sunset spotted something, something moving.

"Hey!" she yelled but there was no answer. "Is somepony there?"

Again no sound came back, she carefully listened and tried to shake her legs a bit, letting the metal that protected her move, making a bit of sound on her own.

"You can answer me if you're there."

Then she heard it, the plucking of a harp in the distance. This certainly hadn't happened before and Sunset immediately took another step forward. The melody of the harp ringing in her ears. She knew that song.

She moved a bit further into the darkness, then even farther. Step by step, closing in on the plucking strings, constantly mumbling, trying to figure out how she knew that song.

Then a small rock appeared in front of her, something shifted in the darkness around her. She turned her head around, the sound was gone but the fire still pierced through the darkness like a beacon.

"Okay, no worries, everything is fine," Sunset reassured herself and turned her head back.

There she saw it. The mint green mare, clad in a white, torn dress, bandages dyed red with blood covering her eyes and body, sitting on the rock in a position that could closest be described as similar to a minotaurs, plucking away the golden harp in her hooves. Sunset looked at the wounded unicorn for a second, who on the other hoof didn't stop the music. The melody twisting itself into the vanilla mare's head. As the sounds of the world were overtaken by the lone harp, the unicorn couldn't get her eyes off that apparition.

The mare with the white dressed stopped plucking the harp, but the song continued inside the Sunset's head.

"Who...What are you?" the unicorn asked as the green pony ghost turned to look at her.

Then she spoke in an ethereal whisper: "There are two prophecies. For one look at the waters you will find, the other will be brought to you by the winds. Take note of these and decide, for the fate of the world will hinge on your decision, young Sunset."

The unicorn just looked at the ghost with a blank expression, then blinked, trying to clear her mind. When she opened her eyes again she was alone by the rock.

"What?" she asked herself, "What was that all about?"

Sunset decided not to remain so far away from the caravan, instead turning back and thinking about the words of that thing, speaking her every thought out. She had absolutely no idea what just had happened. As she walked back she couldn't even decide whether or not to tell anypony about it. They'd probably think her crazy, which she sure as sugar wasn't, at least she thought so...wasn't that a stock phrase for crazy ponies? Was she really sane, was she...

Once more her train of thoughts was interrupted as she closed in on the caravan and through the power of coincidence got a look at the right angle to see beneath the wagon of the guard, beneath there sat the most irritating of all ponies. All her thoughts vanished for this was the moment she decided that THIS TIME that mare would do her job, even if she had to serve as bait for the dogs.

~Destitute Defenders~

~End~

Chapter 3 ~ Clawing Calamities

Chapter 2 ~ Ruined Roads

It was a good thing Sweetroll was good with the kids. Upon hearing that they might fight diamond dogs she immediately had said that the guards shouldn't worry. The kids were safe with her. That was actually pretty reassuring to Party who really hoped that she could fulfill that promise.

It made the pegasus feel good how they all reacted. There was anxiety in the air and everypony was aware that the outcome might be very bad for the caravan. He remembered that before the first battle he had ever witnessed, everypony had been way too frightened to act rationally and even the guards hadn't done their jobs right. With that in mind he was happy to work with so many competent ponies...It made him even able to tolerate Stardust. As he walked towards the last two ponies in the caravan he reflected on that thought, a bright smile on his face.

Party Star's talent was basically to make any party better. He wasn't good at organizing them or coming up with ideas for them but the moment you put him in the middle of something that was already going on he could roll with it and take the fun up to twenty-six point five. He was by all means a party pony. Yet, even though that was his special talent, it didn't matter.

The northern ponies wore their cutie marks with a stubborn hope that someday these things would actually mean something again. Party was a southerner, as were the rest from the caravan. Not to say southern caravaneers were more pessimistic but they had long since accepted that the marks on their flanks were but a mere leftover from a long lost time and hid them appropriately. Party let his gaze move to his own, covered by the rusty metal of an armor that had once belonged to another guard.

His cutie mark was a blue balloon alongside two yellow and red streamers. The thing felt so unnecessary. Especially since he would soon enough have blood on his hooves. That thought alone was already enough to spoil every party. Even though he had seen battle, he hadn't been needed the last few times in the first line of defense, instead had stayed within the safety of the wagon fort and had waited along with the civilian ponies. His Cutie Mark, his special talent hadn't helped him in that situation. The only good thing was that he could get along with most ponies. Somehow it always worked out.

Stardust, though...nopony could stand a coward. She had even told him once that her talents involved quick escapes. Funny enough, this added to the feeling of cutie marks being useless.

Caravan Guards would be better off without any distinguishing marks, he thought.

Even if it should have been easy it to see that someone was approaching, the two lovers didn't notice him. The sky blue unicorn was far too busy nuzzling the cyan pegasus. Huddled together, whispering into each others ear. Party began to doubt most ponies would notice them. Even if they would, it would always seem as just one pony from afar. The two even had the same silvery white hair color.

Party had seen a few pairs. Once he even had a girl, back in another caravan. He had given her his diary, probably the worst mistake the pegasus had ever made. Probably not. He never really had put any weight into that book. All those memories of dead ponies were better left forgotten and the important thing was that she had something to remember him by, right?

Though within the boundaries of the singing and the fire there were moments one was allowed to be quiet the pegasus never was one for quiet moments. They weren't his style so upon coming closer he immediately opened his mouth, trying to sound as optimistic as possible.

"Hey ponies! We're back!"

Windsight opened one of her eyes, giving the younger pony an offside glance. She didn't seem very happy to be interrupted in their moment of intimacy and Counting Copper didn't even bother reacting to the bouncy colt that stopped before them. His partner took a moment before she went into a better position for actual talking. To the stallion that came rather unexpected and as she left his embrace he nearly fell over, although Counting quickly recovered and also went to look at the come back patrol member.

Since neither said anything Party just seized the moment: "You know, when we reach the water we should totally make a party, you know, with actual music, to dance. We could all have Nightdancer teach us, just look at her, dancing around the fire like a moth, just not jumping into it. That would be extremely daft, hay, she'd probably do it if there was candy in it. I would certainly do it if there was any candy. I mean-"

"You spotted the dogs, didn't you?" Windsight asked.

The smile didn't fade, "Well, no...but..."

"You still think they're there?" Counting Copper interrupted.

The young colt nodded.

These two didn't share the dutifulness with the rest of the caravan, instead they took each others hoof and looked into each others eyes. Party knew why. They were scared. There was no battle without losses and out of all the members in the caravan, these two were the ones who could realize the easiest just how much they had to lose. The moment called for the right words, a speech to up the morale.

"Don't worry, we could still be wrong!" he stated with a grand smile, though neither seemed to be convinced by that statement alone. "We," he tried to think of something else, "We could...well, will, might...just...what I mean. We'll protect you, that's what guards are for."

He stood there, hoof to his chest, his armor reflecting the fire's light and a brave smile on his face. The pair looked at him and for just a moment he thought it would actually work.

"I can't bring myself to trust a brat, a farmer, an idiot and a coward for protection," Windsight then spoke, her gaze averting him, following with an apology, "I'm sorry."

Everypony who wandered through the dark and the silence knew one thing: Trust is a fickle thing but it is also the most important thing. Amidst the last beasts of the old world, the creatures of the underworld and the darkness itself nopony could survive on their own. That's why they traveled in caravans, with their friends and kin. They traveled with whom they could trust. Everypony knew that, because if the ponies would ever start mistrusting each other....

The smile was gone and Party looked at the mare, who evaded his gaze, knowing exactly how much weight that phrase just had.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't remember, with your journal gone and all that," Counting started, "but she lost her mother during the incident at the knot. Isn't quite over it yet."

Party's eyes went to the stallion for a second and then his mind started putting things together. She hadn't meant it. Of course she hadn't meant it. He regained a bit of his smile.

"OKAY!" He yelled. "We'll protect you, don't worry." With that, he jumped off.

Counting Copper sighed, "You're supposed to say you're sorry," but Party was too busy bouncing away to hear him.

"It's fine. I mean, it was just a lie to get him up and running," Windsight said with a smile. She knew her mother hadn't actually traveled with them. The pegasus didn't even remember her mother.

There was a small pause.

"Yeah...A lie."

"I'm not hiding from anything...I just happened to have lost a coin beneath this wagon the moment we stopped and couldn't find it...in the last...few...hours."

Stardust Arrow was a pretty mare. She had an unusual dark shade of blue for her mane color with sides of fiery orange. The dark colored mane contrasted the white coat and to top it off the mare had eyes red as rubies. Truly, pretty might even have been a good word to sum up most ponies first impression of her. And that was the only good point about her, everypony who met her concluded quickly.

Trust was a fickle thing and Stardust was the kind of pony who couldn't be trusted with the most simplest of tasks. Actually, Sunset still didn't want to talk to her, but it was necessary.

"Stardust...I. Don't. Care. About. You."

The other mare looked up from beneath the wagon, her ears lowered, looking as if to just beg Sunset to go away. Clearly, Stardust didn't care about what her fellow guard had to say, too. The situation could have been so grave and the white unicorn would never care about her companions. She was truly the worst pony, therefor Sunset only felt contempt for her.

"We'll take the direct path to the water."

"I heard," Stardust mumbled. Sunset could just hear the annoyance in her voice.

"This time you will do your job, or we'll throw you into the wasteland, where, in my opinion, you belong," Sunset insisted. The other mare looked straight into her eyes, setting off that spark of hatred in the elder mare.

"You always, ALWAYS try to evade taking action! You always hide! How about you try being like Frisbee, once? She's always watching over us. She's so strong, so brave, she's even more beautiful than you are-" She practically shouted, though each word of the last statement had gotten quieter and quieter. Sunset still glared at the other unicorn, trying to overshadow her blushing with fury, hoping it wouldn't catch on. "ANYWAY! You do your job."

With that she turned and walked off into the darkness, mumbling to herself, nearly vanishing until she, yet again, turned around and moved into camp, looking as far away from Stardust as possible. She nearly bumped into the wagon beside the one of the caravan guard, before she managed to get into the camp.

Stardust just looked at her, more scared than anything else. Because in her mind, she still hadn't forgotten all those other times those words had been said to her.

Doing her job meant that it would become very dangerous. Stardust didn't like danger very much.

Discussing strategy was always the easiest thing. All the Captain had to do was look stern, tell his ponies where to go and then let it sound like an elaborate scheme. It wasn't though. All he had done was to put two partner pony teams together, each with an earth pony and a unicorn, while the pegasi would fly above and try to spot whatever danger they would face before the danger could spot them. That wasn't a great plan as Sunset made him painfully aware but it should work. He, Stardust and Garden Tool would take the lead. This time he'd get that mare to not run away with the first sign of danger. Then there were Sunset and Limelight in the back. He trusted them enough for the job. Well, he had to since there weren't any other ponies who could do that job. Party Star and Frisbee would circle above.

It was brilliant.

Well, not brilliant, but it'd do.

"Do you really think the dogs would fall for such a maneuver?"

The guardsponies had gathered inside the Captain's room, sitting in a half-circle around him. Everypony had listened attentively to his explanation and only Sunset had put on that doubtful face. The Captain long since had started to think that she did it more to spite him than anything else. That question of hers was weak, too.

"We have six guards and six wagons, three of them linked together then one pulled by Dry Soil the other by Sweetroll," the Captain explained. "Do these two look like fighters to you?"

"That's not what I-"

Sunset was immediately interrupted by the Captain stomping his hoof on the wooden floor, "OF COURSE NOT!" His bellowing made them all move a bit backwards, especially Sunset. "There's not much room for great formations. We even got far too few guards for this many wagons and for some reasons we can't just leave one or two behind. So we're stuck."

"Well, actually we could-" Sunset began again only to be interrupted by another shout from the Captain.

"THEREFORE!" He looked gleefully at her annoyed expression before continuing: "We shall move with this plan and be like an impenetrable fortress of...PONIES! Yeah, that's good...PONIES!"

Though he gave it his all, the crowd wasn't too convinced about this. "Sir, when they come from below, what then?" asked Stardust, meekly, as everyponys hateful gaze immediately turned towards her, figuring she just wanted to ask to stay comfortably in the wagons for the journey.

"Well, obviously we'll just cast a few spells beneath the wagons, simple light ones should be enough. A diamond dogs gets beneath a wagon, the thing goes off, blinds it and we know that a digger has come up," Sunset explained and the Captain nodded.

"Yes," he said.

He hadn't thought of that actually but hey, at least he could still get credit for that tactic.

"Wonderful idea Sunset. You really are the smartest pony around," spoke Party while bouncing up and down, giving the Captain no chance to let it all sound like his own plan. Sunset took that chance to sneer at the captain.

Just one buck, right in the face.

"Anyway..." he mumbled, gathering himself again, "That's how we'll do it. If we're lucky there are either no dogs or they run away from us. If there are dogs and they fight, we got armor, they don't. We got trained, they didn't. And we got weapons. They. Don't."

He said that while moving to the chest besides his bed and getting the sword out. It's pommel and guard were golden and on the green hilt were three cutie marks. By the pommel was, at least he thought so, his own, a shield with two Spears behind it, then his fathers, a shield with a smaller shield inside and then below the guard a a sword with a whirlwind behind it. It was the Captain's pride and family heirloom. The reason why he kept no journal and forgot every death so far.

He looked at it and lifted it with his hoof. The magic in the hilt let it stick to the hoof so he could swing it with his arm instead of his teeth. Way more comfortable and safer that way. He turned around and looked at the guards, lifting the sword up. Luckily the wagons were high enough for doing something like that.

"Comrades, LET'S DO IT!"

And they cheered. Yet, with each hour their departure approached, their fear of fighting grew.

Always trotting onwards. That was the caravan way, had been that way ever since the old cities and civilizations had gotten gobbled up by the darkness. That was the one thing every caravan pony did, stomping their hooves into the ground, looking into the never ending darkness and think: "Onwards!" And that they did in the noisiest fashion possible. There were so many pots and small bells, parts of the guards armor, shovels moving against each other, all just to keep the silence from creeping close.

Even in a situation like this, Sunset couldn't help but think exactly that. Not because she was that brave, nor because everypony around her did it. Fact was, they had to get some more water. She didn't know what had happened with most of the fluid they had gotten back at the Silver Knot and Stardust hadn't told them yet, she had been to scared. Probably of her own shadow, Sunset smirked.

Her gaze went over to Limelight, whose barding reflected the lights of the lanterns which were installed at the sides of the wagons. The silver-like shine of the metal added a bit to the stallions coat. The still bright red was a fine looker, but on the other hoof, he really was getting old. Soon he wouldn't even be fit to be a guardspony anymore.

Right?

The only sounds she could hear right now were the talking - or rather self appraisal - of the captain up in the front, more talking in the wagons, the steps of their hooves and the Limelight humming some random melody to himself. Clearly, it was nothing compared to the noise everypony made in camp.

Maybe it was time to make some more noise.

"Limey?" she asked.

"Hm?" came the answer as the stallion shifted his attention to her.

"How old're you anyway? Seems like you might soon kick the bucket."

His lavender eyes closed a few times, "What?" he asked flatly.

"I asked how old you are!"

"Old enough. What's this about? Don't tell me you want my armor. You've already got a set of your own," he snapped at her.

"I was just asking," she put up one hoof defensively. "Besides...what the hay would I want your armor for?"

"I don't know. Exchange it for jewelry or something like that when we meet another caravan. I know how you mares roll."

Now it was her turn: "What?"

"Well, you ponies are all about jewelry."

"What?" She repeated not quite getting the statement.

"You heard me."

Sunset sighed, her blowing a strand of her mane off her sight again. This conversation had gone off the deep end before it had even started, so she just decided to look to the ground before them. A faint glow beneath the wagons revealed that the wards set up by herself and Stardust hadn't worn off or fulfilled their duty. For all the bad things she could say about Stardust, her spells sure were well-executed. While Sunset had taken two or three times to get each ward right, the younger mare had done her part always on the first try.

She'd probably a good guard if she weren't such a bad pony.

"Sorry," she heard Limelight say to her right. Her look went up and she watched the stallion smile at her. That warm smile he reserved for moments of genuine friendship happening. It wasn't a rare smile. Everypony here was a family, they all liked each other, aside from Stardust of course. That was just the caravaner way.

"Me too," Sunset Dale answered, chuckling. These small fights just happened sometimes and she was so glad Limelight always stepped up and admitted his wrongdoings before any other pony. He was quite quick at settling conflicts. Yet, she intended to remain silent, apart from a bit of humming of course. The clanking and rattling of her armor was a bit of noise, but it wouldn't fight the silence off on it's own.

"I never asked," Limelight then began, "Where did you and Frisbee come from. I mean, you were pretty beaten up when you got to this caravan."

She didn't look at him though, rather she immediately tried to figure out what to say. "I have no memory of waking up and seeing Frisbee's face." She turned a bit red at the thought of her knight in shining armor guarding her in her sleep. Something Limelight noticed.

The concept of two mares in love was a bit uncomfortable for him but at least it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Frisbee was way to stoic to get into any kind of relationship with anypony. That was a reality that made Sunsets swooning look a bit sad. Yet it was also something good. Lovers always disturbed the communal sense in the caravans, he had found in his travelings. Everywhere he went it was the pairs that stuck to themselves, hugging and nuzzling each other, not caring about the other members of their respective families. Really, love was overrated.

He didn't want to tell her that, though. Picking fight after fight just wasn't right and he knew that. She'd get over her feelings for Frisbee in the end and would become an even better caravan guard. That's what he told himself.

At least he could continue the conversation, "So...does she remember?"

Sunset stopped for a moment, "She..." her face dropped immediately, he could see it. Something was there she didn't want to say.

He hated it, that feeling of not knowing why the ponies around him were in pain. He simply had to inquire: "She what?"

"She," Sunset mumbled, "Always the same face."

Limelight understood, "The sad face?"

Sunset looked at him. "Y-yes? How do you know?"

A warm smile.

"Funny thing about this caravan, everypony here has their own sappy story. My family was killed by changelings, Garden lost his farm to cinder wolves...really, everypony here lost something," he stated, looking as her as friendly as possible, "So you're probably the one lucky mare who's forgotten whatever your friend couldn't. The one white rock amidst the black coal, or something like that."

Sunset chuckled as she started moving again, "How philosophical of you, Limey. Where did you get that?"

"Seeing...he's quite profound once you get a few mugs of cider down his throat."

"We have Cider?"

"I have Cider. Still got a bottle stashed in my bags. You know what, when we're by the water we'll have ourselves a drink."

Sunset nodded. That did sound like a fine proposal. Although she wondered, "Where did you get a bottle of cider anyway? Isn't that stuff expensive?"

Limelight chuckled. "Robbed it off one of these oasis traders." As he noticed that Sunset didn't take that comment quite well he quickly added: "Bit hoarding dog deserved it, I swear. Most of the cider he possessed he had taken from a seemingly abandoned cellar down by the Fiery Fork."

"Seemingly? Or rather...a cellar by the Fork?" Sunset asked. She hadn't even been aware that ponies lived down there. The Fiery Fork was the closest one could get to the Gates of Tartarus. No pony, sane or insane would have built something like a cellar down there.

"Yup," he answered, "A seemingly abandoned cellar full of cider. You'd have more luck finding one of the old dragons hoarding places than that. Don't know the details, though. All I needed to know is that he went down to the Fork which probably means he knew how to get to that cellar and get the stuff. Probably stole it from others and stashed it away," he explained further,looking above, where Party Star and Frisbee circled the caravan.

As his gaze turned back to her he added: "You know how these settlers are. They steal stuff from good caravaners and proclaim it their own. They're all robbers, the whole lot of them."

Sunset felt prone to disagree but really, as a fellow caravaner she had to admit he had a point, so she nodded again, began humming a tune. Limelight decided to join in, even though it was a bit unfriendly of her to simply cut the conversation off. At least they could celebrate once they got through this.

"And he probably still thinks the cider bottle's in there," the Captain laughed. He stood to Stardusts left and Garden Tool was at her right, ensuring that she wouldn't run off the moment the diamond dogs would appear. Apparently Garden managed to crack up at the joke, Stardust not so much. Instead she looked left and right, her ears perked. She was practically the only pony who kept watch. The Captain knew it was out of pure self-interest but then again, the Guards existed because of pure self-interest from the ponies they had to protect. It was a simple principle, really.

He didn't question it. The stallion had dedicated most of his life to protecting those around him, that's why they followed him, too. His element truly was loyalty for he'd always stand by his comrades sides. He knew that as did everypony else. A good thing, too.

While most caravan guards wore their barding blank, every guardscaptain had a bit more of an exquisite armor. The one of the Captain was covered in dark blue velvet, with golden highlights and a helm embroidered with the symbol of the sun, a good luck charm that had helped him more than once. All of this really let him stand out, aside from Frisbee, who practically wore full plate and Stardust who had covered most of her armor, except the helmet and the saddle with red leather. He had forgotten how she had gotten that armor but Sunset seemed to dislike the other unicorn for it.

For everypony else, that was enough reason to hate Stardust a bit more, too.

"Anyway," he continued, trying to get away from his own thoughts, "Our civilians are pretty loud in there."

He heard Sweetroll growl angrily behind him. The mare had hoped that for once she wouldn't have to do all the carrying. As far as the Captain knew, she'd rather be inside the wagon and let herself be carried, while she was surrounded by guards and wooden walls in absolute safety. On the other hoof, everypony thought that way.

As leader he didn't blame them.

His hooves dug themselves into the ground, lifting themselves up, flinging dirt and small rocks up. The ground was pretty dry around this area, which meant if there was water, it probably wasn't much.

Now that was one negative discovery if he ever had made one.

And worst of all, nopony responded to his small talk.

The sword hang loosely on his left side, where a shield was fastened to his arm. It had his cutie mark on it and was also covered in velvet. If he weren't a southerner he could've said it was because he was rich.

That was when Garden finally decided to enter Small Talk mode: "I've been wondering..."

The other stallion looked in his direction, "About what?" He asked, just too eager to start a real conversation.

"What's your name, sir?"

The Captain looked at him, "I'm your Captain."

"Yeah, but you weren't born as 'The Captain'. I mean, what kind of Name is 'The'?" Garden Tool looked at his superior, whose eyes shifted to the ground for a second. Stardust used the chance to move a bit to the back.

"Stardust, don't you dare hide away," the Captain grumbled and with that she silently moved back between those two. The Captain then looked right back at Garden, "I'm the Captain. That's all you need to know."

"Sir, with all due respect...why?"

"Because a lot of stuff happened I don't ever want to be reminded of and you don't want to hear. Believe me," he responded, his voice sinking. He regretted to jump to the conversation just like that.

"Captain. I've had my share of bad stuff. I lost my house, my gardens, my family. Everything I had really...I lost everything to beasts driven mad by the silence around them and set asunder by the flames of Tartarus itself," Garden stated with an understanding tone.

The Captain knew what he meant. Legend had it that the timberwolves of the Everfree Forest once reigned during the times of the zap-apple season. They ran through the wilds during that season, to spread the seeds for more of their kind, to hunt and to, well, live. They were the so called 'guardians of the free woods', or at least the Captain had heard that at the Fall of Silence they were called that by the denizens of a town called Ponyville. They appeared around the Zapapple Season and their noise would fill the woods and free them of the silence.

Up until the Gates of Tartarus broke and the cursed flames of hell engulfed the Everfree Forest. It's magic kept the creatures of the woods alive, imprisoned in their burning bodies forever, even when only ashes would remain. Driven mad by their eternal pain, all they could do was struggle on, losing all sense.

That was what had destroyed what Garden Tool had once called his life. Really, he'd understand.

"Every time a pony dies, if we haven't some record of their existence written down..." he began, "It's just like they...disappear. Like they never there were to begin with. Just, some things we don't forget," the Captain knew that Garden Tool of all ponies would understand.

"Like everypony but Sunset forgot about that Summernight Dream pony?" the brown pegasus asked, not even noticing how Stardust made a short attempt to speak up, but almost instantly after opening her mouth just shut it and lowered her head.

That was because the Captain immediately answered: "Yes. Whoever that Summernight Dream was, like her," he said with a smile, glad that the fuzzy mane understood his plight.

"Well, I really hardly remember anything before meeting the caravan. I know that I protected the kids for some reason. I don't even know why. In fact-" The captain spoke up then, every word pouring out weaker and weaker.

He just got himself caught in the moment. Telling what he had promised himself to tell nopony. The reason why he had abandoned his life before and why he could never return to being himself ever again. When he'd end that sentence maybe Garden would lose faith in him. When he'd finish that sentence he could lose his position as the captain of this guard. As their protector. Or he could rise up and even Sunset would acknowledge him. Here, in the middle of the open field on an old and destroyed road that led to water all would either go right or wrong. This was the moment where his fate would be decided and he knew it. Or maybe he was being overdramatic in that moment, the stallion wasn't quite sure. He never had been.

The Captain took a deep breath before he continued and then the words formed in his mouth.

Then just as the noise formed itself, all three ponies saw it in the corner of the eye. The lights going off, bright as hell itself for a second and then vanishing. A shrieking could be heard through the darkness. A howl familiar to everypony.

The Captain didn't waste anytime and grabbed the sword with his hoof as he turned around, yelling: "DIAMOND DOGS! AMBUSH!"

It took but a second, then everypony hurried into action. Quick as they could each tried to assess the situation but the diamond dogs also reacted to the shout. Around them they jumped up from beneath the ground. It took just one look to know that they were outnumbering the ponies at least 3 to 1.

"CHARGE!" The Captain yelled and the earth pony by his side took his own weapon, a small axe, in his teeth. Garden Tool just preferred working that way. Both of them stormed against the diamond dogs who, just as the ponies had expected, wore nothing but rags. If they truly just outnumbered them by 3 to 1, this would actually be pretty easy.

Meanwhile, Stardust used the moment where the attention was away from her and ran towards the wagon, intending to do two smart things. One, telling the civilians how to act.

"Sweetie! Dry! INTO THE WAGONS, NOW!" She yelled, but just before she could fulfill that order, a claw emerged from beneath the ground and grabbed the violet unicorn.

Stardust's eyes widened. While Dry Soil stared at the claw that had grabbed Sweetrolls leg, the pony wanted to scream in panic. Yet, before there was even a chance to actually do so she was dragged down the hole, her body smashing heavily against the ground. She yelled out in pain, looking pleadingly at Stardust, who just ran towards Dry Soil, not even bothering to look at her. The one who looked into another direction was Dry Soil.

Neither The Captain, who stabbed the first dog that came at him with his sword, nor Garden Tool, whose axe cracked the skull of another were able to help them. The diamond dogs had surrounded them.

Dry Soil looked at Sweetroll and both realized just how scared they were as a second claw emerged from below and grabbed the pony's neck. With a loud cry the earth beneath the mare gave in and she vanished underground. Not even the sweet scent lingered.

While Dry Soil was too shocked to act the cowardly mare didn't make the mistake of standing around in fear: panicking while running was a much better solution.

She considered it her luck that the harness for the wagons was easy to manage and with a quick whiff of magic she lifted it from the struck earth pony, with a second she opened the door of the wagon behind him and as she entered the final sprint she concentrated on the ley-lines before her, shaping them into the correct form. Feeling for the right moment, she concentrated and then unleashed the magic energy. The burst engulfed Dry Soil who found himself lifted into the air and flung through the door. He crashed onto the floor, as the wagon of the guardsponies had been right behind him. He looked at the scene for a moment.

He saw Stardust leaning against the door, breathing heavily, panic in her eyes. One moment after Dry Soil had realized where he was and with whom three more things started to dawn to him: He was alive, Sweetroll was gone...

And the Silence hadn't taken the memory of her vanishing immediately.

III

~Ruined Roads~

End

Chapter 8 ~ Treasured Tombs

Chapter 3 ~ Clawing Calamities

Sunset's front legs stood firmly on the ground as she lifted her haunches to kick an attacking dog in the face. With a crack the beast was flung into the air, a few of it's teeth parting from it's mouth. Her green mane whirled around with the rest of her body as she immediately turned towards the diamond dog and jumped towards it, punching it and knocking the foul creature unconscious.

She laughed, "That's what you get for messing with me!" Another diamond dog jumped out of the ground behind her, howling in anger, its claws ready to strike. As the unicorn turned around she gazed directly into the diamond dogs eyes. The beast didn't move.

Both pairs of eyes went down, looking at the tip of the spear that had pierced the creature. The diamond dog gasped for air, then smacked against the ground as Frisbee pulled her weapon out of it's chest. The pegasus looked at Sunset for a second, nodded silently and then went up into the air again, launching another air strike at the beasts below.

Even with dirt in her mane and a dogs blood on her face, Sunset managed to sigh romantically as her special somepony skewered another dog. That moment was taken away, as a giant of a hound came up behind the mare, grabbed her by the head and torso, hoisting her into the air and with an angry howl threw her towards a wagon, where she crashed through the wooden walls and landed head first against the firewood.

The dog didn't waste much time. He jumped right after her, moving through the new entry and looked at the apparently unconscious enemy.

"Stupid pony," he growled, his red eyes gleaming with anger as he kicked her head. The dog howled.

Then a log hit it's face.

It stumbled back and looked in wonder as five logs were lifted into the air by magic. The unicorn's horn glowed as she bent the mystical lines of the magical world to her will.

With shivering legs the pony stood up, breathing heavily. "Stupid..." she whispered, "DOG!" With a battlecry like that she hurled the firewood against the unarmored creature. It wasn't elegant, it wasn't pretty but it worked.

That was all that counted.

The hound fell backwards, his head cracked after being hit repeatedly with the wood. Sunset moved forward, unsteady on her hooves. Getting knocked around like that had made her dizzy and she felt blood dripping down her nose and muzzle, heck, even the back of her head felt weird.

"That's why everypony's wearing a helmet, huh?" she said more for herself than anypony else, shaking her head and jumping right into battle again.

Party Star hovered above ground, he guessed the original number of diamond dogs at about forty or forty-five. Well, they were down a few. The Captain was flinging his sword around with such ease he had already cut down about six of them. Garden Tool and Limelight had each taken out three. He didn't see Stardust, which wasn't that surprising and Sunset had taken down two, one of them had been the biggest diamond dog the pegasus had ever seen. Then there was Frisbee who had taken down seven more. She flew a bit away from him, holding her spear ready, still looking for a target.

All of them had already lots of experience and fighting came as easy to them as dealing the final blow to their enemies. Party had never killed anything up until this point.

His armor wasn't tarnished nor was his coat dirty. His mane was still perfect, well...okay, perfect wasn't the word, it was still as shrub-like as ever but that wasn't the point. He still hadn't found a target, he still didn't want to target anypony.

For a moment longer he looked at the field. He saw Frisbee diving down again, a diamond dog barely escaping her onslaught by jumping back into the hole he came from. He really wanted to be as brave as her but then...

This wasn't really what he wanted, was it? Killing sentient creatures?

His wings flung open and the young colt would've liked it most if he could have just dropped his spear, tell everypony to stop and they'd all do it. That wasn't going to happen, though.

He asked himself...was that how Stardust felt all the time? Was that how being a coward felt like?

The young pegasus with the talent to make every party a brighter place decided at that point not to be a coward. From beneath the steel of his helmet he looked sternly at the field below. Everypony was still fighting and he had to help them.

He readied the spear with these turquoise coated arms of his. The azure eyes stared at the field, whatever diamond dog would come up from beneath the barren earth he'd kill. A few moments later, a bit away from the Captain and Garden Tool he saw two more dogs coming out of the hole. Party saw that one of them was armored, the other not. The armored one also was closer to the Captain so he'd be taken care of. The other dog was a bit away from everything so that would be a safe go. The Pegasus had made his decision and for the first time went into combat.

Squinting and yelling some noise that was akin to 'HUAARGH' he dashed towards whatever had just come out of the hole.

The dog looked at him surprised and then the spear that was meant to pierce him missed it's head by half an inch if not less. Still the hound had no time to be happy as a fully armored pegasus smashed into it, cracking a few ribs through the force of impact. The dog was flung backwards, away from the safe spot of his the hole.

The spear pierced the ground and as the diamond dog hit the ground, so did Party Star, rolling another meter or two. As he hit the ground the first time his left wing cracked and the colt screamed in pain.

Another attacker wanted to take the chance to take care of that pegasus and stormed towards him, only to get an axe thrown into the side of his face. Garden Tool hurried towards the wounded Pegasus.

"PARTY!" he yelled, prioritizing his fallen comrade well over getting his weapon back or picking another up.

"Don't worry, I'm still-" He remarked as he stood by the colt's side. A howl interrupted him and as Garden turned around he saw a mace being flung at his face.

He felt pain for a second, then nothing.

Right after they had entered the 'safe zone' they found out that the wagons weren't that safe a place. Both Stardust and Dry Soil tried to calm down, each one taking deep breaths when they heard the noise of something scratching at the floor of the wagon.

"What the hay?" Dry Soil asked, looking at the middle of wagon, moving closer towards it.

"No, no no!" Was all Stardust said as she galloped across the wagon towards the captain's room.

Dry Soil looked quizzically at her before what had to happen happened. A brown furred hand with sharp claws broke through the wood, then another. With a yelp, the earth pony backed away but immediately decided to do the sensible thing. He jumped up and grabbed the room's lantern smacking it down on the emerging diamond dog before it even knew what had happened. The lantern's glass cracked as it hit the beast and the light inside it went out almost immediately. Leaving the him alone in almost complete darkness.

Lucky enough at least one of the wards still illuminated the space beneath the wagon and gave a bit of light away and the sound of battle would keep the silence from gobbling him up. Still, he had to use this chance. Either get out of the door and get involved in the battle itself or stay with the most hated pony he knew. Since survival was a priority above everything he decided to move to the back of the wagon.

The Captain's room looked as unpleasant as always. The only thing that managed to make it even more unpleasant than the old, uncomfortable bed with a mattress probably filled with worms and the table with very rotten looking wood was Stardust who ripped the pictures and from the Captain's wall.

"What the hay are you doing?" Dry Soil asked, furiously.

The mare turned around, the window revealed behind her, "This wagon isn't safe. We need to go to the next!"

Dry Soil looked at her, how nonchalantly she acted while she had just abandoned him back there, "But..."

"NO BUTS!" she yelled.

Dry Soil looked at her, wearing that guards armor, symbol for courage and honor, sullying it with her fear. He gritted his teeth. He had seen her hide away often but actually seeing her panic like this was just driving the point home everypony had made about, Stardust was useless.

The mare with night blue mane then opened the window without further ado but immediately stepped to the side.

"Get through here into the next wagon," she instructed.

The stallion looked at the window and then at the mare, wondering if that was her genuinely caring about somepony or something else. He opted to find out.

"You...why do you want me to go first?" he wanted to know of the coward who always saved herself before anypony else.

"Just. GO!" There were tears in her eyes as she looked back, expecting to find more diamond dogs having climbed out of that hole but there weren't any. Still she she shook with fear. He really doubted letting him go first was an act of kindness. Still, anymore stalling could get both of them killed and so he decided to take his chances with the window.

Maybe he could've tried to convince her to go first he thought as he started to take the climb. Not that Dry Soil wanted to be left alone in that wagon. The window was large enough for a pony to climb through. Whoever had once constructed that wagon might not have thought a backdoor was a good idea, but at least they thought of something that could at least be used as some kind of exit. As he climbed through the window he looked to his left, where the other wagons obstructed his sight and then to the right, where he saw Frisbee kicking another diamond dog who somehow had expected to be able to block metal-clad hooves. That made him realize why that mare had sent him first. To make sure it was safe to move. Stardust had made him do her work. Grumbling, Dry Soil just jumped on the next wagon, opened the door and found two fillies, one colt alongside a pair of lovers.

"Hey, everypony," he said with as much a smile as he could muster but was pushed in further by Stardust who had practically jumped out of the window after him and now smacked the door shut, probably thinking that now she was safe.

This was one of the civilian wagons. It was basically one room with some hay to sleep on on it's sides and a kitchen in it's back. A fairly standard wagon, not the most comfortable thing to travel in but the wood kept it's inhabitants fairly safe. At least when they weren't encountering any really dangerous beast...like a diamond dog.

Stardust backed into the corner beside the door, just to be in the blind spot if something came through there, while Dry Soil moved towards the group.

"Everypony alright?" the yellow pony asked his companions.

"Yeah, we still are." Counting Copper answered. Windsight was burying herself in his unicorn arms, while she hugged him back with both arms and wings. Dry Soil figured that had to be the safest hug in the whole, wide world. And if they were still safe, things probably go alright.

But there were so many diamond dogs out there, why weren't any of them coming to attack them, he asked himself.

"Why don't they attack the wagons? Why did they not kill you if the doors aren't blocked? There's so many of them....yet..." he asked loudly, hoping to get some input from the others.

"DOES.IT.MATTER?" Windsight yelled, but immediately shut up and buried herself again, her ears perked, if any diamond dogs had heard her. From the outside the sounds of battle were still to be heard. Yelling, screaming, the noise of weapons hitting flesh and also the sound of metal against metal on one end. She was so very, very scared. The only soldier in here was Stardust and that meant that every real guard was fighting outside. They were sitting ducks.

"Yes..." he answered the question, truthfully "because something is wr-"

The stallion was interrupted as the wagon began to shake heavily.

"What's happening?" Counting asked, looking around as the wagon started to lean more and more to the left side. Everypony stood there for a few seconds, watching as the world seemed to turn around, asking the same question. It was Dry Soil who finally came to the conclusion.

"They're dragging all the wagons down the hole."

It wasn't the smartest tactic, it wasn't the oldest trick in the book. But it would work.

That's what the diamond dogs had thought.

There wasn't much white remaining on his coat. He was covered in a lot of dog blood and a bit of his own. His sword was dripping and his shield was broken. Yet he stood there, three dogs remaining before him, two others had scrambled. That was good.

These three were scared, too. Even though he was exhausted, even though he had to take the sword into his teeth now, there, since his arms were to weak to do any swinging these dogs were now too scared to approach him. He couldn't help but grin a bit. This had gone way better than expected, now nothing could go wrong.

Behind him he heard a noise and he turned a bit, seeing how the ground beneath all six wagons had given in and they all had fallen sideways and sunk further into the ground. That was incredibly bad. He turned around again. A fourth dog had taken his attention towards the Captain. This was the one who had done Garden in. The bastard. A black furred beast wearing a rusty armor and an helm with ox horns attached to it along a double-handed mace. Probably their leader. If he'd kill that one, then...

"I'll take care of that pony. Watch," the hound spoke, lifting his mace up and running towards the Captain, whose grin widened. A simpleminded dog with a blunt object was absolutely no problem for him. As the dog approached he decided to take a mere half-step and then put the sword through the beast's lungs before it could even start swinging that giant club around. A simple maneuver, easily executed. No problem.

When the moment came, he made the half step with his front legs but then for a moment, his legs gave in from the exhaustion, he stumbled and the mace hit his shoulder, throwing the Captain on his side, his sword falling to the ground right beside the dog. He screamed out in pain. Plate armor protected good against arrows, spears and anything with a blade but a blunt object was it's great weakness, as the captain felt. His coat didn't provide enough padding to defend against a strike like this. His shoulder was smashed and the diamond dog stood gleefully above him.

"Death to killer of my tribesman," the dog spoke, "Such honor befalls to me as the leader of the Tribe of the Broken Jaw!"

The dog didn't waste any time for showy swinging and instead aimed for the downed pony's head as quickly as possible.

Then a log hit his own head.

"You won't touch our Captain!" Sunset yelled, standing atop one of the fallen wagons, two more pieces of wood floating beside her. The mare's mane was definitely ruined, covering half her face. Not that she seemed to care she tried to focus as much as possible, readying her improvised yet fairly effective weaponry.

The leader of the diamond dogs still stood, looking angrily at the unicorn. "You-"

That was the only thing he managed to say before Frisbee came down, aiming for the slit of the helmet. The dog evaded at the last moment and grabbed the pegasus by tail as she tried to get up in the air again, smashing her to the ground. The chieftain let the mare's tale go, ignoring the sword that was laying right beside her. The beast then let out a victorious howl, just before the other logs hit him. He only stumbled forward a bit, because this time they only hit the back plate and were far too weak to cause any damage. Laughing, he turned around.

The dog looked at the unflinching Sunset, who gave her best to hide that she was pretty battered herself and asked, "That everything?"

With a scream of rage a wounded Limelight jumped up from behind Sunset and stormed towards the leader, who, after a moment of shock, cackled madly as he lifted his mace again, all while shouting: „WONDERFUL!“

Then, four things happened.

First: The Captain used the last bit of his strength to kick the dog leader in the heel. That had little to no effect, since he couldn't summon that much strength anymore.

Second: One of the logs was levitated up again and smashed in the back of the head, causing enough damage for the beast to tumble.

Third: Limelight, being an experienced fighter would've ducked under the swing but as in the last moment the strike of the hound was interrupted, he dodged a second too soon and was hit, his skull shattering as it was met with the steel ball.

Fourth: Frisbee, slowly regaining her consciousness, took all the strength she had to take up the Captain's sword, jumping up and ramming the sword down a small opening between neck and shoulder, killing it instantly.

The remaining three diamond dogs looked at the scene and as they saw the female unicorn approach and the pegasus standing up, again, they decided not to try their luck and turned towards their holes. Leaving their own dead for the silence to take they left for their kingdom down below.

Sunset took the chance to finally collapse and although she was still awake, she took in the moment. The feeling of victory and started singing to herself, so that the silence knew that this was not yet the moment. She was accompanied by the metal and the bells attached to Frisbee's tail. While not very melodious, there was at least some noise remaining.

Frisbee moved towards the captain, not even a bit uneasy on her hooves. Instead she walked up to him, then look over the field with what anypony would interpret as a stone cold gaze before she finally settled on looking at the Captain once more.

"Alright, Sir?" Came the inevitable question of the only two words necessary. The kind of stoic treatment the Captain could not really appreciate after such a fight, thus he groaned as he rolled into what he hoped to be a more comfortable position.

Still he answered with grim expression: "Do I look alright?"

"No."

The wagon had fallen to the side and the scratching from below had begun. The ponies found themselves by the wall on the right side, the only thing to illuminate them now being the light spell Counting had immediately cast when they had fallen. Now everypony looked to the once-wall-now-floor, going over what they should be afraid of most. Stardust especially especially seemed eager to run out screaming but if they would leave they'd just run into the fight and considering the numbers, the diamond dogs would probably win or had already won.

What remained was the worst case scenario. They had to fight.

Dry Soil figured that, but none of them were able fighters. Still, even if there was just a small chance, they had to take it. The earth pony looked to the blankflanks.

"Get to the side," he ordered and turned to Counting Copper and Windsight, "That's the dogs. They'll burst through."

The both looked equally horrified and seemed both very eager to hold each other in the arms. A gesture Dry Soil couldn't really appreciate. "If we work together we can do this!" he said but the two didn't quite get it.

Lovers were every caravan's curse.

The scratching continued and Dry Soil had to take deep breaths. He closed his eyes for a moment, getting himself to calm down. This was the deciding moment where they'd all be taken down the holes by the diamond dogs or he would stand up and protect what could closest be described as his family. The decision was clear, he opened his eyes. The scratching became louder but he was ready.

Then one clawed finger broke through the wood. And Dry Soil decided, once more, to do the sensible thing and the moment the rest of the beast broke through it, the stallion immediately jumped forward to give the intruder a welcome-hoof to the face. Yet that didn't work as planned, as the beast instead of falling back just grabbed his hoof and Dry began struggling to get it free, kicking with the other leg and trying to jump backwards with his hind legs, hopefully shaking him off. That too didn't work.

Whinnying the stallion felt himself being dragged down. Then, a bit of luck on his side turned things around as the diamond dog from beneath the shadows let go of his hooves and grabbed his neck.

He used the momentum to grab the diamond dogs arms and pulled the beast towards him, giving the dog a mighty headbutt. He let the dog go and stumbled backwards, dizzied from the impact. The hound fell back into the hole it came from.

"Serves you right," he spoke and got up again, three diamond dogs appearing out of the hole.

By the sidelines Windsight and Copper really just wanted all the fighting to go away, yet somehow Dry Soil's actions inspired them and thus the diamond dogs met unexpected resistance. As the first one tried to climb out of their hole four hooves, Windsight's and Counting Copper's, met his head and practically catapulted him back into the dark. The second and third were greeted in the same manner, just that this time Dry Soil helped while the young ones and Stardust just watched from the sidelines.

"YES!" yelled Dry Soil as the dogs retreated into their dark kingdom beneath the grounds, "And stay where you came from!"

The sound of battle was gone.

The ponies had won.

~Clawing Calamities~

~End~

Chapter 6 ~ Dashing Desperados

Chapter 4 ~ Resulting Regrets

The ponies tried to salvage as much as they could from the situation but what remained of the caravan after the attack was very little. The ground beneath the wagons had caved in. Those that weren't sunk by rocks and sand had their axles broken, their wheels torn off or something different. They had managed to get the guards' wagon up again, although there was a gaping hole in the middle of it's floor and the the roof had a large crack, thanks to falling right into another wagon. Frisbee and Windsight had put on the harnesses and pulled the wagon farther.

Inside the coach, the wounded had been laid and for once Stardust had proven a bit useful, as she had treated them all with what still remained of their medical equipment. The others looked still at her with scorn, since she evidently had done nothing during the attack aside from running.

Right now, though, there were matters more important to be handled. Sunset had exchanged the barding for a simpler cloak and a bandage was wrapped around her head, covering her right eye as well as the back of it. She still felt pretty light headed but it didn't matter. She stood by the Captain's side. The stallion laid on his bed in the back of the wagon. The seemingly uncomfortable bed that was, when one had spent a considerable amount of time to settle in, actually pretty comfortable. His face was expressionless as he looked at the ceiling, almost as if he hadn't even noticed the other pony there.

"The ward that went off first," Sunset began, her voice toned down, "was the one beneath Fine Clouds' wagon. They took him and Seeing Sight. Then they managed to take Sweetroll. If Dry Soil hadn't rallied the rest they would've gotten them, too."

He breathed in deeply, "Didn't think he had it in him," he stated, not really bothering to put any strength in his voice.

"Yeah, he thought the same," Sunset answered, "Him and the others want to train to fight now," she said, "and in the meantime Copper has taken over navigation duties."

He nodded silently, "Well, we're not lost then."

Sunset looked at him, "Truth is, Captain...he's doing a really good job. Might be because the diamond dogs are gone or there are less magic users about but the leylines have cleared. Apparently the source of water is the Oaktongue and we should be there soon."

The Captain's head turned a bit, just enough to look at her, "Never heard of it."

Sunset chuckled, "Captain, Captain, Captain...what do you know?" she asked. It wasn't as condescending as the other times, more a friendly jab. He cracked a bit of a smile himself.

"I haven't either ever heard of it. But it should be drinkable if the leylines are to be trusted," the mare then added.

"Well, they aren't sentient so they can't lie."

Sunset nodded.

"Also, you damn filly, you take the lead till my shoulder has healed."

There was a moment of silence which was then followed by a flat "What?" from Sunset as she stared at him.

"Fractured shoulder. That tribe leader sure could swing his stick. Stardust couldn't treat that too well. I won't die but if we don't meet another caravan in the coming days or weeks I'll be unable to continue my duty as captain. Until that happens though, you act as my stand-in. You always wanted that, right?"

The mare looked at the Captain, her captain. "Yeah."

"Just, why are you so against me leading us?" he asked. He saw it on her face, this moment was the one to sort it all out.

"I've..." she started, "Well, how to start." The mare was scratching her chin with the hoof. "Ah, yes. Your tactics aren't breathtaking, your speeches aren't convincing and I find your mane annoying."

"Says the one with the green hair."

"Shut up," she said, though cracked another smile after a few seconds.

The Captain nodded to all the other points, though, much to Sunset's surprise. "We'll see if you do better, okay?" he asked.

Sunset didn't immediately salute, instead she commenting further: "One more thing...you forget those we lost."

The Captain sighed, as she added, "You don't keep a journal. You hardly do anything to get to know the ponies around you. You even forgot Summernight, right after you two were...married."

It was harder for her to say that than for him to hear that. The Captain didn't remember a Summernight Dream in his life, not ever, then again, he didn't remember much of his life either.

"Sunset...do you know why I call myself the Captain?"

"Because of your pompous ego I assume," she spoke with a brutal honesty.

He raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, "You know..." The Captain began but then stopped before abandoning the idea that he'd ever get along with Sunset."Yeah, my ego, definitely," the stallion uttered in a defeated voice. "You can leave."

When he'd get out off bed he'd give her such a buck to the face that she would never say something like that again. As the unicorn left the room he still grumbled to himself about how much he hated her. Probably that would never go away and rather than really try to figure her out, instead violence would do the job for the Captain. Just once in his life he wanted to solve a problem with violence alone.

Counting Copper was good with money, a skill he had learned to utilize well and that had made him infamous up in the north. So much that some ponies had gone to ridiculous ends just to get him to stay away from their homes. He never told Windsight, though and never intended to do that. All he had wanted back then was to go south, become rich overnight and live the rest of his days out surrounded by walls of wood and with fresh water always nearby. How he had ended up fighting for his dear life and then navigating a caravan through what he presumed to be the remains of the legendary Appleloosa was well beyond the blue unicorn.

He sat on the edge of the guard wagon, staring at the two pegasi before him. The battered Frisbee still seemed to have more strength left than his marefriend. Sometimes he wondered if she even was a pony, with that unholy stamina and strength of hers. If Frisbee ever joined with the goddesses she'd probably take claim to a close seat to Celestia.

To the side of the wagon walked Dry Soil, who had a sour look on his face. Obviously, it had only been a few hours since the attack. None of them had gotten over it. They had lost three good ponies...Although Copper wondered, had their guard always just been composed of five ponies? For a caravan with six wagons that seemed like too few. He sighed, they probably had more before the battle, even though he couldn't remember. His gaze went over Dry to the blackness that was kept away by the lights Stardust and he had cast.

He growled, he hadn't had the time to secure his journal so if there had been anymore guards, he'd never find out who they had been. It made him a bit mad, but only a bit. There wasn't much space in his heart for ponies he didn't know...anymore.

It was probably for the better, he mused. Not remembering them spared the rest of the caravaners a bit of pain and since the darkness had taken care of their bodies a burial was unnecessary, too. That was definitely for the better.

His thoughts were interrupted by Windsight asking, "How long until we reach the whatsitcalled?"

"Oaktongue, my love. It should come in sight soon," he spoke, although that was more of a guess. Copper was sure that they were going into the right direction but he wasn't nearly good enough at navigating to make a sense of how long it would take them. Reading the leylines was really something difficult and it was hard to believe that Seeing Sight had done it as well as he did. It might've not been his special talent but magic had still been his forte. He still hoped it would only be an hour at most until they reached it. He had managed to convince Sunset that he did a great job at this and now he had to show his skills.

Counting Copper had lied at that point but a bit of bragging before Windsight had never really hurt anypony. Although it had never led him to hold much more responsibility than he already had. That was a good thing about being together with a loved one in the middle of a southern caravan, other ponies always assumed you didn't want to spend time with them. He liked that.

Counting sighed and let his head down, listening to the noise around him. The wheels on the dirt, the talking in the background, the sound of Dry Soil murmuring to himself, the flapping of the pegasi wings and humming noise of the spells that brought light onto them.

Listening to these sounds, as they resonated and created a wonderfully serene symphony he nearly fell asleep. He closed his eyes and took it all in, only to be interrupted by the that happy squeeing noise Windsight made when something excited her.

He looked up and saw it in the darkness. At first only silhouettes but then the shapes of trees appearing before them. Actual trees. He just looked at it, before another comment threw him off.

"Hey, you should stop hovering."

Dry Soil's comment got Windsight and Copper to turn their heads towards him and then, realizing what he meant they both looked down. The soil around the oasis was fertile, grass and flowers grew around the trees and as the place was illuminated its colors sucked the ponies completely in. Apart from their own coats and clothing they had only seen black and brown and gray over the last weeks. Truly, this was celestia-sent.

Counting grinned, "Told you it wasn't far off." Luck had saved him an embarrassing situation, he was grateful for that.

Windsight smiled, although she turned her head towards Frisbee, "I think we can stop."

There was no reaction, absolutely none.

"Frisbee?"

She knocked the other pegasus' shoulder, yet she still continued to flap her wings, looking forward.

"What's going on?" Copper asked, wanting to look himself, but Dry Soil did him the honor and galloped before Frisbee. Walking backwards he waved one of his hooves before her face, which still caused no reaction.

He then stopped dead and as she waltzed into him he started to hug her, much to the surprise of the ponies.

"You can stop, we're here," he told her while still being pushed backwards by the much stronger pegasus for a bit. He repeated the line, which caused her to settle down on the ground, then once more, and she collapsed.

Me and Sunset were born in a place called the World's Wake. That is all I remember, though. Maybe the pain in my bones is from my childhood. Maybe the black cascade tearing down houses and claws of darkness grabbing ponies around me that haunt my dreams are from that time. I don't remember.

I flew, though. For the first time I flew and it wasn't just like any other pegasus taking their first real flight. I did it in armor and carrying Sunset. I don't know where I wanted to go, why I wanted to leave and why Sunset remembered nothing, too. I just saw her face when she woke up and I was incredibly happy, as happy as I never was again. I knew why. It was because a pony had been saved. I don't know from what but I just knew I had saved her. That was enough. So when we met the ponies of the caravan the decision fell instantly and I left my armor on to become one of it's protectors.

Though Sunset and I didn't remember anything we shared so much and she, too, became a guardspony. We had quite a few adventures and the Captain praised me a lot. In fact, everypony praised me, despite that they'd never talk much to me.

Actually it seems kinda weird. As if they only care about my ability to kill. I have an aptitude for the things surrounding killing, yeah but the ponies reduce me to that. They call me 'stoic', 'mute' and other stuff despite me talking quite a bit. They just never listen. They open their mouths, they say something and even why I nod or laugh as loud as ponybly possible they don't seem to notice.

They only care for my ability to murder other beings and I can't accept that. They all talk so normally with each other, yet I have to scream at their faces to get them to listen. There is something horribly wrong with the lot of them.

Only Sunset seems to care. The way we talk with each other, even when she gets irritated for no reason, is truly special. How she never interrupts me, how she smiles at my jokes, even though they aren't funny.

Really, she's good to me. Something I might never repay.

I don't remember much of what was and right now I don't feel much at home, aside from when Sunset is around. She's the main reason I pull through and despite my gut telling me otherwise, to stay near them.

From the moment I met them I felt something off with this caravan. As if it was watched constantly, as if something was waiting in the shadows to drag everypony to hell. The ponies talked, laughed and cried with each other, yet so easily forgot those who vanished around them.

There is something incredibly off with this caravan and I should have run away a long time ago. As I fly above I still think of it, just galloping towards the horizon. Of course I'd take Sunset with me. It'd just be me and her. If I would go I'd take her with me to the end of the world, where even the darkness and the silence couldn't reach. I'd run and run and run until we both died of exhaustion. That would be the right thing to do.

If I don't...

We will all bathe in the sun.

Frisbee opened her eyes, feeling weak. The first thing she felt was the warmth of a blanket wrapped around her and straw beneath her. The mare felt naked...of course, her armor was gone. Had she fainted? The Pegasus turned to the side to find Sunset looking at her with a painful smile.

"You're awake," she said weakly. Frisbee noticed that her one eye was red and she had to snuffle. Sunset Dale had cried.

Why, Frisbee asked but got no answer.

Why would you cry Sunset?, she asked again, yet Sunset only stared at her.

"Are you okay?" the unicorn asked. Frisbee felt a lump in her throat, Sunset hadn't heard her, for whatever reason. All she could see right now was Sunset, the thing she had sworn to protect, crying over her. Then it dawned to her. There was no reason to ask. Frisbee remembered every fallen pony and Sunset did, too. For whatever reason fate had never been kind to the unicorn.

Frisbee rolled on her stomach and pushed herself up. She felt incredibly weak. It was probably because she had given her rations to the kids. Maybe even dehydration. Not that Frisbee cared, there were things far more important than that.

Sunset tried to move towards her, that face not changing, "You don't need to get-"

Frisbee threw her arms around the unicorn and pulled her close towards her. The one-eyed unicorn just let it happen, completely flabbergasted.

Frisbee, though, she didn't just hug her, instead she decided to scream at the top of her lungs.

"It's going to be alright."

Although the words reached Sunset as barely something above a whisper it still worked and she hugged her knight in shining armor, tightly. This was a good moment, a moment Frisbee didn't want to let go of. Strands of their manes mixed together before Frisbee's eyes. Two different tones of green mixing with each other, close to two different kinds of gemstones.

She herself had to admit that Sunset's embrace felt as warm as blanket at least and she asked herself if this was the reason why Windsight and Copper were always hugging each other. Probably, it felt good, warm, safe. Three good things, even more so with what had transpired today.

Frisbee had wanted Sunset to talk, but the other mare seemed content with just being so close and being able to cry her heart out. And Frisbee smiled.

An hour after what had probably been the single best moment of the day they all sat by the fireside. The oasis had been much more than they had expected. In the middle of the wasteland a waterfall came down from a mountainside and down below a lake had formed and around it trees and grass had long since grown. A small haven in the middle of nowhere and an oasis which they had discovered first.

Grass and flowers grew wildly around these parts, which gave Dry Soil the chance to make a wonderful salad and for once, everypony sat together, with only the Captain and Party sleeping inside the wagon. Stardust sat a bit away from the wagon, shoved aside with no recognition for her skills as a medic. In their eyes, she was still the coward who had gotten them into the situation to begin with. Windsight was still swooning over the great navigator, a title with which she prided Counting as of now. He wasn't really modest with it but Counting never was modest with many things. Nopony denied him that, too. Frisbee munched on a few pale blue flowers, which were slightly glowing. Sunset had picked them out.

Lunar Lovers they were called. Based around an old legend concerning the great Princess of the Night. Sunset hadn't told Frisbee, of course. The tale spoke of Luna, who shaped these flowers with the magic of the stars themselves and put them in the garden of a mortal pony she fancied. The pony would go out every night and find one more flower in their garden, until his garden looked like a reflection of the starry sky and he knew who had placed them there. Sunset had never seen a star but had heard that they once covered the entire sky, going around a huge planet that was called the Moon. All that sounded so romantic.

Dry Soil also sat there, entertaining the kids. It might've been called a tranquil scene, but it was not. Whenever a pony died, the silence would take them and drag their entire existence with them. Yet Diamond Dogs had taken three of them and their loss remained unforgotten. It was always the worst, being reminded that death was not the worst fate one could suffer. They all had heard the tales of the gemstone mines of the Diamond Dog tribes. Any captured pony would live at the cost of never seeing the surface again or having the warmth of a family again. Instead all they would do for the rest of their lives was to work for their new masters. A horrible fate. Though the worst part was that those that remained wouldn't forget about it and were left wandering, never being able to save them, yet always in false hope that one day they would return.

The fire flickered and all the mare could do was sigh. Her eye still hurt and she'd probably had to wear a patch over it for the rest of her life, which could be short considering having one eye made for a considerable disadvantage in battle. That was both horrible and depressing. She had to get her thoughts clear.

She stood up, "I'll be back in a minute." She told the others and moved towards the lake, they basically ignoring her. Probably for her own sake. Frisbee looked at her as she went, Sunset noticed that. Frisbee always looked after her and she loved her for that.

They had positioned their wagon not very far away, basically just a few steps, so there wasn't any need to cast anymore light spells. Neither unicorn had still the power to do so and Stardust wasn't even mentioned as a helper. It was kinda sad, Sunset had to admit. That filly had fixed up everypony as good as she could after the fight was over and yet Sunset still couldn't be thankful towards her. It had all just built up for this moment. If it hadn't been for Dry Soil they would have lost even more ponies. She would've had to drag the other guards to this place, probably failed and died. Dry Soil had saved the day more so than Stardust.

And the green maned unicorn hated her for it. As she stood before the water she looked at her reflection. The mane was as wild as Party's, her coat was fuzzy and when she looked at her face all she saw was a tired mare with one eye less. One more sad sight today. Nudging the water a bit with her hoof, she thought that surely it would get even worse by days end. Something would still happen.

Something did happen but it wasn't what she had expected. As the ripples formed Sunset felt something shift in the water. It wasn't something a normal pony or a pegasus could see, she knew that instantly. Something in the lines of magic. Sunset looked at the water, then figured she could try something to find out what was happening. The next sensible thing was to tap into the magic of this place.

Taking a deep breath she moved her head closer to the water and touched the water with her horn's point. Then she closed her eyes and tried to feel the leylines.

A moment of silence in her head. The voices vanished, the sound of the water, the woods, everything, something that would let her draw back under normal circumstances but with the silence something else came. A peace of mind and indescribable warmth. As she tapped into the raw streams of magic this place possessed she felt an immense amount of...

Love?

For a moment she wondered what that meant, then she felt something. Opening her eyes she lifted her head.

She stood atop a black sea, surrounded by water and before her on a rock, surrounded by light she could make out the silhouette of a pony, no...something different. It had the shape of a pony, but bigger and it spread it's large wings before her while a horn adorned it's head.

She couldn't make out any details on the ethereal creature, though and sincerely doubted that she stood before an actual alicorn.

"What is this?" she demanded to know, trying to figure out where she was.

"Part of a larger plan," the silhouette spoke, "We're all part of a bigger plan and I am here to tell you something important, Sunset Dale. The whole of creation hinges on you, everything that was, that is and that will be. The fate of my kin, as well as yours. I want you to listen closely, because if you make one misstep everything will fall apart."

Sunset stared at the majestic creature before her. She didn't know what to say.

"Fret not, young one for you are the most trusted of our servants," the 'thing', Sunset didn't know what else to call her, said.

"I'm not your servant!" The unicorn barked immediately, "I serve my caravan as a guard and it's interim captain! Whatever you say will not-"

"Time is short, Sunset Dale," the ghost interrupted her, "I cannot keep on much longer, so I need you to listen to me."

Sunset looked at her, just more questions rising up in her, still, the only way to get an explanation was to play the things game, "Speak then."

"The Silence and the Dark are coming Sunset and you must take the reigns and make your decision based on what I will tell you now. A simple prophecy, though it's meaning will show itself in time."

Sunset tilted her head, "What?"

"Sunset Dale, never forget this, burn it into your mind, understand. Perk your ears and listen well," the winged unicorn-horse ghost-thing told her and took a step forward. Sunset just felt the water trembling beneath her.

"O-Okay?" she asked, trying to take a step back, but even though she moved her hooves she didn't get away from the spot she was standing on.

The creature though looked at her for a second, as if she tried to consider what to say next. Then though, she spoke.

"There have always been four."

And Sunset blinked.

The mare found herself again by the river side, her horn stuck in the water but the feelings of warmth and love their gone, and the leylines she felt had weakened immensely. Whatever that thing had been, Sunset was sure of two things: a.) it had been incredibly powerful and b.) Whatever decision hinged on the number 4 couldn't exactly change the world. It was probably rations, though. Everypony would get four flowers with them or something.

She shook her head, "That was dumb," she told herself and turned around, just to have a piece of paper clash right into her face. With a "hrmmlglmf" she levitated it off her face and read it out loud.

"Don't stop talking.

Don't stop listening.

NEVER STOP THE SOUND!

Don't let the lights flicker.

Don't stay alone.

ALWAYS REMAIN IN THE LIGHT!

And before the end comes

And everything falls to pieces

KILL HER!

signed: T"

She looked at the piece of paper with a quizzical look. "What?"

She wanted to scrunch the paper but then stopped herself, looking at it again. The apparition had talked about this, hadn't she? Two prophecies.

"Four is always the number," she spoke, looking at the paper and then at the camp.

"Sunset, Frisbee, Captain, Party," she spoke the names in thoughtful manner, "Stardust."

She looked at the pieces she had been given, the words the apparition and the ethereal creature had spoken to her. A conclusion that could change the fate of the world. Was the whole world meant or her own? Was it that if she, now that as intermediate Captain she had power, didn't use it to get rid of the one element that wronged all the time.

The reason why they hadn't had any water had been Stardust, the reason why two guards died and three civilians captured by the hounds was Stardust. The one pony who hadn't fulfilled her duties was Stardust.

If she stayed she'd only bring more trouble. Sunset looked up.

"This is it," she decided, a smile coming to her face, although she didn't know why she had needed two ghosts to tell her something so simple.

With a smile on her face she moved back to the caravan.

What followed was a quick announcement that as Captain she intended to change some things after this whole diamond dog disaster. Namely: She wanted to have everypony start guardtraining. They were far too few now and the remaining guardponies weren't able to protect them like before. The Caravan would stay by the Oaktongue oasis until the Captain and Party had recovered and then would go on and see if they could join up with a caravan. A few northerners had to be around here somewhere and even they wouldn't refuse some poor sods from the Badlands. It was a safe enough plan and everypony agreed on it, all while Sunset eyed with a knowing grin to Stardust.

Then came the point she had waited for, the moment for her to be as brilliant as only she could be and do the thing the Captain or Limelight should have done in the very beginning.

Standing by the flame she told Stardust to come over and the mare followed suit.

"Guardspony Stardust Arrow. As Interim Captain and effective leader of the Caravan I hereby decree that you shall be exiled from this caravan."

There was a small moment where everypony looked at Sunset yet only Stardust in shock, "W-What?" she stuttered.

"You heard me," Sunset stated with a smug smile, "All you ever did was be baggage, you got more ponies killed in your time than you saved. Plus: Nopony likes you."

Stardust looked around, trying to find somepony to disagree.

The younger ones looked a bit unsettled, but they too blamed her for this. The lovers looked down, not wanting to drag attention to themselves. Dry Soil smiled and Frisbee...

She looked at Stardust with what she perceived to be an actual encouraging look.

"You can't just exile me. I'll die in the wastelands," Stardust defended herself.

"Really?" Sunset asked and she didn't even try to put on the face of her caring. She had always been waiting to do this and Sunset had to admit to herself right now, being in power was awesome.

"You could just take my rank as a guard. I still saved the Captain and-"

"Two Ponies. That's your good record. Have you ever tried to look on all the ponies you got killed. You probably don't even remember what happened back at the white rivers or the Skygape."

Sunset blinked as Stardust actually did react, looking down...actually remembering. For a moment Sunset even thought...no, she had to do this. For the sake of the whole caravan and herself. One nuisance had to go, at least one.

"Do you get it?"

Stardust's gaze shifted, from the corner of her eyes she looked at the darkness. Going out there was a death sentence.

"Please..." Stardust implored, choking up, "Please, please," she fell unto the ground, folding her hoofs, "Please let me stay," tears were coming up in her eyes.

Sunset felt for her but it was all for the better of the caravan, she told herself. It had to be done and there was no other way around it. Nothing could change Stardust from being the useless coward she was and forgiving her wasn't easy. Even then, she would have to leave. For the sake of the caravan, Sunset repeated in her mind.

For the sake of the caravan.

The unicorns stood there by the fireside, one begging on her knees, the other trying to look as strong and smug as possible to avert any suspicions that she did actually still care about Stardust, telling herself to be a strong leader. Around them the other ponies felt obliged to follow Sunset's example and put on a mask that hid their own conflicting feelings. They had their thoughts but for now, Sunset led them. She was the only one capable of doing so and they also told themselves that this was for their own good. Even if one soul had to be sacrificed.

Sunset frowned, "If you don't want to go," she offered, "I could simply cut your throat right here."

"That was wrong to say," Dry Soil said long after that discussion had ended and Stardust had packed her things, readying herself to leave for good.

"It made her leave," Sunset answered, trying to sound sure of herself, although she felt that not giving that pony any kind of farewell would be inappropriate....well, maybe.

Indeed they sat around the fire as Stardust had taken her gear, left the vicinity of the campfire and now concentrated on a dual spell for both light and a bit of noise.

While Sunset asked herself the question just how strong a leader she was, Frisbee stood up and moved towards Stardust. The two mares looked at each other, one as stoically as ever, the other with a tear in her eye and a smile on her face.

"You never speak," Stardust whispered, "Even though you think you do..."

Frisbee gave her a look that normally would interpreted as sheer emotionless but at this point Stardust moved towards her and hugged the pegasus, whispering in her ears: "I'm still grateful...Just, listen to your own heart and do what you think is right."

Frisbee gave a hint of a smile, of which Stardust knew it meant a huge, thankful grin, she nodded and as she left the pony's embrace she said the following.

"Let's meet up again someday."

The pegasus held her hoof up for a second and then untied her bandana, giving it to Stardust. Sunset saw that and did the thing she thought the wisest to do, turn to the fire and ignore it.

Stardust took the bandana with her hoof. "Thanks, thank you."

She tied it around her own neck with magic and then proceeded to turn around, "Until next time."

With only Frisbee waving she moved away from the caravan, her home. Now, as Frisbee sat down again Sunset gave her an angry stare.

"First thing I do as Captain, get rid of the one pony who caused most of the trouble. You guys may not think much of it now but you'll just see how peaceful it's gonna be in the coming days," she stated bluntly her eyes going to the fire again.

"We're not going to have any more weird accidents or ponies getting wounded, having our whole water disappear or our food stolen. We're not going to have to worry about sudden ambushes," she stated. The others looked her way, nodding, Dry Soil even cheered a bit, for whatever reason.

"We have to worry about absolutely nothing of these things anymore. In fact I honestly believe that all bad things come to an end now," Sunset continued, slowly going from convincing she did the right thing to actually believing it.

"She's been nothing but trouble," the unicorn then claimed, with a grin widening on her face,"HA! I sure as hell saved us a lot of future trouble."

She wanted rambled on, fixing her opinion more and more, saying she did the right thing, that it was for their good, that the pony harbored only bad luck. Frisbee noticed as she continued that at some point she started repeat the stuff again and again, eventually shifting into justifications which were not quite as sane as those before.

"It was only meant that there should be 4 guardsponies remaining," being one of those and: "Killing her might've been kinder but this way we won't have to bury her."

Sunset herself didn't seem to quite care about that, as far as she was concerned, it was only venting. Nothing serious anymore, aside from the fact that she had just de facto killed off a member of her caravan. No matter how much she would try to justify that, in the back of her head she would probably go on and doubt the whole thing for the rest of her life. With that in mind she closed her eyes after a while and then just waited for somepony to pick the conversation up again. Yet that line never came, so instead Sunlight opened her eyes instead, frowning. Nopony had been listening or they would've answered her by now.

"Seriously, my little ponies," Sunset Dale said and looked down at the horrified faces of two fillies, a colt and a stallion. Her eyes sunk even deeper at the fire, which, while still enlightening the place had stopped making any kind of actual noise.

"Oh-" Sunset started and jumped up. She heard something behind her, turned around and just felt a gust of wind moving behind her, blowing the fire out with one gust, leaving them in complete darkness. Only Stardust in the distance seemed to be unharmed. She had moved pretty damn slow, which was just Sunset's luck.

"STARDUST!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, the other mare turned around in the distance. She could still hear Sunset.

A smile formed on her face, that faded the moment she saw the wagon being hurled through the sky towards Stardust. Before it landed on the pony Sunset closed her eyes and then turned around again.

"FRIS-" She started to yell but was immediately cut short.

The sound of a harp.

As Sunset opened her eyes for the last time she felt something grabbing at her legs and neck and tail and mane, something scratching at her body and head. Slowly, the mare felt the pain growing and her own strength fading. Yet there was this weird thing happening. She looked at the apparition, clad in the same dress, with the same bandages, sitting there with her legs crossed and strumming the golden harp. It was a beautiful sight to say at least.

"Thank you," the ghost then said.

"For what?" Sunset asked.

"For saving us all.”

Sunset didn't find out what was meant. All she knew was that it was over and she let it happen. The dark took her.

The remains of the wagon were scattered across a few meters. Actually all that pointed towards the thing had once been a wagon were the wheels that also lay there. Whoever it had once belonged seemed already gone, though. She wondered what had happened here?

The scavenger moved looked around the broken wood and walked a bit around until she found something lying in the middle of it. She hurried towards that thing, since it looked like an actual pony.

She was right. A dark blue mane with fiery orange sides, white coat. Her armor had protected her from the bulk of the blast as it seemed but she was still unconscious and her face was covered in blood. If she could actually still be saved it had to happen fast.

The scavenger looked at her for a second before taking action. Whoever that pony was and whatever had gotten her to stray so far from the ruined roads didn't matter right now. All that had to be done was to save her.

~Resulting Regrets~

End

Chapter 5 ~ Seperate Stories

Chapter 6 ~ Dashing Desperados

It was only when Daydream had went past the ponies and the fillies, who had just woken up, and back into the wagon that she realized what had happened and how she had reacted.

There were two things on her mind as she climbed into one of the beds.

1.) She just had unintentionally put forth what had sounded like a confession to Thousand Miles of all ponies.

2.) She had completely and utterly overreacted.

When you overreact on such an occasion, does that mean you have feelings for the other pony? Can a pony truly have feelings for an egotistical, narcisstical ball of “I love myself”?

Was there any chance in the name of Celestia to rectify this mistake?

She sighed, looking around the room. The decor was simple, an old carpet from New Hoofington in the middle and a lamp that was always shining in a soothing blue light. The wagon had a number of four bunk beds and by each lower bed was a small window. So there was a total of eight beds. That was one of the reasons why the fillies had the same time to sleep and most adults another. Most adults meaning aside from Three Strings, who slept whenever the hay he wanted. Being the only real musician he had that right considering the most he slept in a night would be three hours before somepony’d wake him for a song. For some reason that always happened.

The fillies each had one of the lower beds for themselves when they slept. It was better that way in case of an emergency, they could get out to the guard wagon pretty fast. Unlike the southerners it was typical in the equestrian lands and the northern realm that the guards had one or, if it was a bigger caravan, more wagons which could serve as mobile fortresses to act as safehouses during fights and ambushes. It made for a safer feeling and had saved many lives, even though the added weight meant that at least one earth pony was needed to pull one of those small forts.

Still, it wasn’t that kind of emergency that made her think. When they had drawn straws who would sleep in what bed she had gotten the same one as Bittersweet and that was the youngest of fillies. Until now only Whistle had gotten her Cutie mark, which was a hundred twenty-eighth note. Even with that, they were all close, between Whistle and Bittersweet was only half a year. Still it was an open secret that the filly still had a problem keeping the bed dry. It happened and they were rich enough to afford enough spare bed linens, even though the mattress had suffered over the time. Not to say anything of washing. But that wasn’t much of a problem to anypony. Anypony but the one she shared a bed with. Still, the bed was dry for once so that wouldn’t be an issue.

Still, she sighed, “How the hay did that happen?”

“What?” came a small voice from across the room and as Daydream looked, she found Golden Bit crawling out from beneath the bed across the room. The unicorn filly had a long, rose mane and a yellow coat with rose patches. Her eyes were lavender and reminded Daydream of sparkling gemstones, always filled with such great curiosity. She wore a dark green cloak with a small coat of arms on it. A cloaked golden filly on a bright blue background.

The sign belonged to the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’. It was an ancient tradition for northern blankflanks to actively search for their Cutie Marks, mostly because that way they could still have fun in the wasteland and socialize with other caravan ponies. Nopony knew when exactly the whole crusading had started but that didn’t diminish it’s importance as an equestrian tradition.

The little filly came out, only to put her head beneath the bed again and then dragged a small suitcase plastered with paper with her name on it forth. Everypony in the caravan had such a suitcase beneath their bed. They had gotten them on Diamond Dust's behalf, to ensure thieves didn’t get the emotional valuables mixed up with the stuff in the storage.

Daydream leaned forward, looking at the filly, “Why aren’t you outside?”

“Why aren’t you answering?” the filly asked, spitting the suitcase’s fastener out.

“Adult stuff, nothing you should care about. They’re singing a song, you know.”

Golden Bit looked, pointed at the opened window by her bed, “I’m not stupid, I keep the window open.”

That was half a lie, Daydream knew. Golden Bit kept the windows open because outside there was fire. The little filly was afraid of the dark, not just because of the darkness itself, but because of the childish thought that cinderwolves and other beasts waited beyond it, only to be shied away by the warm fires the ponies lit in friendship and harmony.

“Still,” Daydream said, trying to get away further from the original topic, “shouldn’t you be outside.”

Golden Bit shook her head, “I’ve got another bit for my collection.”

The proud tone in her voice was indicator enough for Daydream, this was the safe route, the route away from her blunder with that dark blue pegasus. Golden Bit loved telling ponies about her collection. “What have you added now, can I see?” she asked, standing up from the bed.

The filly looked at her, a grin spreading across her face, “Yes, yes!” she said out loudly, hopping around the suitcase enthusiastically. That was how Golden Bit was. The filly had an affinity for gathering things and it didn’t matter what, as long as they were beautiful in her eyes. She opened the suitcase and revealed her prized treasures.

Daydream spotted various things. There was a shard of glass, which the filly had proclaimed belonged to an old cider bottle that she had found. Not just any cider, though, but one that had been made with the apples growing beneath the sun. Then there was a snowglobe with a rainbow colored castle in it and a tag on it saying: ‘Where we’ll meet again’. Also there was an ominous piece of paper, stating:

Remember

The Songs in Silence

They-

Then, there was a piece of an insect wing, old and dried out. She had told her that it was a changeling wing but there weren’t any changelings anymore, so that was that. There were some bits from different eras. Some had pictures of two princesses on them who clearly had way too much fun posing, then there were some with only one princess, then with two and then there were coins with lots of different ponies, probably all important. Aside from the coins with obvious royalty on them she counted 7 different pony faces on the coins.

Of course it didn’t stop there, there was also a black piece of metal, which Old Shield had once used as a good luck charm. He told her it worked wonders. Also a red feather with an orange tip, which everypony thought belonged to a phoenix, which was even more ridiculous than the whole changeling-theory since phoenixes were gone with the princesses and/or belonged to the realm of myths and legends.

Golden Bits last addition, the one she had been given a few days before the trio had joined up with the caravan, was a griffon feather. She had told the three that it had belonged to Rendrik Sturzflug, Champion of the fifty-three Wind Clans, the greatest hero of griffon-kind. Daydream had never ever heard of him, so that griffon had probably been lying about his importance. She found that griffons did that.

Those were the treasures she had seen and if you took all the stories away, which were probably either lies or plain wrong anyway, each and every piece of it was junk. Still, she smiled for the filly, trying to look excited as anything was better than talking about the life and lovings of Daydream the earth pony.

The filly got the piece out. “I found it yesterday before we stopped. Right on the way and I just looked at it and though ‘Wow’ and then I went to it and looked at it for a moment then Old Shield shouted something and I picked it up in a hurry and then we stopped and I totally forgot I had it then I went to sleep and it fell out of my pocket and then I woke up and then I just had to put iz to the others and then you came in and now I am showing it to you.”

Daydream nodded and took a closer look at the thing. It was a string, like from a music instrument, made of pure gold. The thing looked old, how old she didn’t know and somehow, Daydream felt not very good looking at it. No, that was wrong. She felt like her eyes were seeing the string and yet her brain was telling her it wasn’t there. It gave her a headache.

“It’s cool, right. I bet it belongs to a ghost.”

Daydream knew a pony with a golden instrument, but she doubted the singer to appear here. That would be bad. Where the singer appeared bad things followed. So she reassured herself that it didn’t belong to that pony and just nodded.

“It’s...nice,” she said, fumbling for the right word. She hadn’t found it but what she had proclaimed would have to do. At least now she had forgotten whatever she had come here for in the first place. That was positively positive.

She let Golden Bit lock her new treasure away and then they went out to join the singing. Luckily for the earth pony Thousand Miles was nowhere to be found, probably still sitting on her roof and thinking about blue skies and grey rainclouds.

Then they went packing their things and putting the lanterns on. Lemon Cake, being a unicorn and all, knew but one other spell, that had taken him years of studies. A magical fire, enlightening the lanterns in the bright and diverse flames. It spared them using all the candles up and looked prettier than any normal flame. Only after all the lanterns on all the wagons were lightened and every piece of attire that was able to make sound made loose enough to constantely produce sound they could start pulling the wagons and move towards the Oaktongue.

The job of setting everything in the storage wagon straight fell to Daydream and, of course, Diamond Dust. The ponies entrusted everything considering organisation to the unicorn and Daydream could understand why. It had been a disorganized mess before and within three days after their arrival Dimey had organized and categorized everything the ponies carried around. If there ever was a pony she’d trust with putting order into chaos, it would be that mare.

Even now it was basically just folding up blankets, putting them in the right position - so the green ones and the blue or red ones wouldn’t get mixed up -and then marking it on the checklist. They wouldn’t be here for much longer but Diamond Dust made it a thing to leave the ponies they stole from in a good position. It was a kind of courtesy she applied to make herself feel better and for Daydream it worked.

“So, she’s got a golden string now? Sounds neat,” the unicorn said uninterested as she counted the stacks of firewood.

“Yeah,” Daydream answered, hoping for more of a clarification. “It seemed valuable, too...somewhat,” she then added and took a good look at her comrade, who still hadn’t stopped counting.

“They don't need to restock. Not at Oaktongue. Hay, we don’t need to stop at Oaktongue at all, actually,” the elder of the two ponies remarked, before she looked in Daydreams direction. “And no, I didn’t make them separate the stuff that was important to them so we could go after stuff they hold with a personal value. You know how it goes. We steal from them, doesn’t mean we have to hit them hard. We only need enough to get through next week until then we’re sure to catch up with another caravan.”

Daydream smiled. She knew the words perfectly. ‘They’re going to betray us at one point, so it’s better if we do it first. At least then they’ll know we would never really harm them.’ That was the code they followed, the code they would always follow. Daydream looked over the organized thing, spotting three packed saddlebags.

“Is that?” she asked curiosly.

“Ditzy was asking me why I was separating stuff, so I told her that I hadn’t yet categorized the stuff in the bags. Ditzy being Ditzy, she believed me. I felt so bad I gave her my own treasure after that.” The unicorn sighed. Even she had taken a liking to Ditzy, it was weird. Everypony felt kinda attached to that clumsy, somewhat half-witted pony. And giving her her treasure, Daydream understood the gesture, because she had done so before, too. Dimey’s treasure was an old, broken pocket ley-clock. It was worth more than the entire caravan, Diamond knew but would’ve never admitted it. She never even tried to sell it and Ditzy being Ditzy, she’d never try to sell it, too. In fact she would stash it away and probably look at it every night, just dazzled at the beauty of the mechanics that once were overflowing with magic.

“Do you think they’ll hate us?” Daydream then asked.

“I dunno. I like these ones well enough, so I’ll keep track of them however I can. One day I’ll return and repay ‘em double.”

“Yeah, best get some mattress protection as well. Bittersweet will be so happy,” Daydream suggested.

To that, Diamond turned her head, again with the slightest hint of a smile. “Reminds me of that one Nightmare Night when I and Riverside went to the-”

“NO!” Daydream yelled. That was a story she wanted to be never ever mentioned again. Diamond just grinned, although she knew that by just bringing that story up she had effectively ended the small talk, or every talk. She could live with that, though and went back to accounting.

The rest of the packing went underway smoothly. As said before, as long as Diamond was in charge, there wouldn’t be any other possibilty. So they saddled up and moved farther. The group had a total of two unicorns capable of navigation: Lemon Cake and Diamond. Even though the latter was better, she had always told Lemon Cake to do the job, because he was the leader and the leader doing the navigation was always a good thing, even though he feared a diamond dog assault. Everypony did that close to the Oaktongue, Daydream found. The actual number of attacks was below the average. You had to expect two caravans a month passing by and once every two years one would get attacked, statistically. At least that’s what she got from the mathematicians up by the Green Spoon.

Still, even with statistics backing up that the possibilities of an attack were close to zero percent, the job of a caravan guard was to be paranoid, as Old Shield put it. So both he and Ditzy treaded carefully by the sides of the wagons, the lamellar bardings strapped on, covering their bodies completely down to the legs and hiding their faces. Old Shield always looked particularly funny in armor, since he tied his beard together so it looked like reins, like the ones that had been used by the first diamond dog knights during the legendary sack of Canterlot. They went on about their way. Being an earth pony, Old shield walked between the wagons and checked if anything beneath them was amiss. Ditzy took to the skies. The wagons were pulled by Book Binder and Streamline, who walked besides each other, either giving the other the evil eye. The guardwagon was pulled by Lemon Cake, who earned her name ‘Strong Lady’ for no other reason than the obvious one. She was the only pony who was still able to pull that coach.

The other ponies straddled by the sides of the wagons. Thousand made it a hobby to help out the guards. Even though she was very obnoxious about it, they gladly accepted their help. Diamond talked with Lemon Cake, with her sitting on the stairs of the storage wagon and him walking beside her.

Three Strings was sitting on the remaining wagon and plucked happily on his violin, adding a small melody to the cacophony of metals ringing and hammering and scratching each other, while Whistle laughed to it and tried to make up lyrics on the spot to the mess of a soundtrack. To put it mildly, she failed. Hard.

Storm Cloud being a young pegasus and all tried to fly but only managed to hover a few inches above the ground for several seconds, earning some laughter from the remaining two fillies. Thus, again flapping her wings with rapid speed, she chased after them, leaving a small cloud of dust behind them. Bittersweet turned around a corner and jumped unto Daydream’s back, laying still. Storm, focusing only on the ground, chased past them, then locked Golden Bit as target.

The grayish green earth pony called Bittersweet giggled, her curled, bright orange mane bouncing up and down. She looked at Daydream with her bright blue eyes, which where referenced often by Book Binder when he talked about the color of the sky.

“Sorry, evasive maneuvers had to be taken,” she laughed and jumped down to the ground after making sure the coast was clear. Bittersweet was a nice enough pony when she was happy but make her sad and she’d make sure you’d notice it.

Before Daydream could answer, somepony else added herself to the conversation. “You sure look like you had fun,” the voice sounded light-hearted enough to identify the speaker before she landed on the ground.

Ditzy Dare, the most famous and notorious guardpony on the westside of Canterlot landed with her front hooves first, only to get the angle wrong and one second later hit the ground face first. She always hit the ground first with either her head or her posterior. Nopony quite knew how she did that but everypony was sure that she should never give flying lessons to anypony.

“Yeah, Stormy failing is always funny!” the little filly proclaimed. Ditzy, standing up quickly and trying to look like the fall never happened, laughed at that, childish as she was. Daydream found her motherly side and tried to speak as softly to the filly as possible.

“She’s young, she can’t fly that good yet,” she said. Ditzy nodded to that but on the other hand, there weren’t many topics Ditzy didn’t agree on with every party involved.

“She says she’ll be a guard one day,” Bittersweet then said, trying to sound mocking again but Daydream shot that down immediately.

“That’s wonderful, then she can protect all of us,” Storm was fine enough to be a guard. The earth pony didn’t know whether she had the killing down, but on the other hoof, as far as she knew everypony could do it. Stooping so low was hard for all of them, but they could do it and guards, they had to do it. Since there were many things out in the world that aimed to kill.

“I hope she doesn’t need to become one,” Ditzy said, “It’s hard work, I slept like for, like, only six hours in the last few days and Old Shield said I can’t eat sweets for breakfast anymore.” The pony frowned, “He’s so unfair sometimes.”

“Considering we bought all the sweets they had from the last caravan and they’re nearly gone again I kinda see his point. You eat far too much Candy," Daydream said and Bittersweet giggled at the guard being scolded by the newcomer. At least Daydream interpreted the giggle that way.

The armored mare grumbled beneath her helmet, “It gives me energy and it tastes good, also, we didn’t just buy candy, we bought toothpaste, too. If it weren’t for me nopony here would care about tooth hygiene.”

Daydream raised an eyebrow, somehow Ditzy brought this up in every direction. First candy, then brushing of teeth. It was pretty much THE thing she prided herself with. Normally, Daydream would’ve made a rebuttal but this time she decided against it.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.”

Ditzy smiled proudly and flapped away again, for once getting the recognition she deserved. Bittersweet looked after her, “Brushing your teeth isn’t that important,” she decided and then walked off again.

And that, Daydream found, was her last talk with those two. A normal, simple conversation. It made her feel even worse. Still it had to be done, sooner or later somepony was going to betray the other and they had to be first. And they’d repay silver in gold. That’s what they would do. She would go back and work together with Book and everything would be fine. That’s what Daydream decided, that’s how she would do it. This wasn’t the last time but this time she had found a direction for the everafter.

She would work together with Book, she’d tell him then, when she had given back all they had stolen. No, she'd tell him when they had given them treasures twice as much as what they had stolen. Then they could settle down and do what they dreamed of. Everything would be fine and nopony would have to be afraid on the ruined roads anymore. Yeah, that was how she wanted it to be. The singer probably, too. Why had she led them away from Manehatten if not to give them a chance for the happy ending they had always dreamed of but not dared to hope for.

That was the moment. The sign they had given each other had been simple. First, Diamond would make sure that the distance to the Oaktongue was correct and the approach was the right one, too. Then she told Lemon Cake that she had to check on something in the wagon. The next thing that happened was that Thousand Miles flew towards Daydream and gave her instructions to what appeared to be a prank. Then she lifted herself up over the roof of the storage wagon and unto the front, giving the others a sign to ignore her. They all knew they were friends and good friends pranked each other sometimes. Daydream moved around the side to the other end of the storage wagon. It was the only one with two doors. Most moving storages had them, since accessibility was the most important thing with these things. They listened in and as planned, the moment Diamond reached the number ‘3’ inside, they both opened the doors quickly and closed them behind them.

“That’ll never work,” Daydream heard Bittersweet say behind her but the filly was now in her past and hopefully future.

Inside the three met up by the saddlebags. Diamond had spent the end of their accounting job adding things they would need for the time they’d spend alone again. Wood for fire, blankets to sleep under, food to eat. The basics really. Southerners wore clothing all the time, Daydream had heard but clothing was only baggage in their line of work. They couldn’t afford to wear armor or even a coat. These things would hinder them when it would come to the most important thing about stealing.

“Do we need to do this?” Daydream asked one final time, like always and like always the others interpreted that as a question reaffirm their morale. This time, though, there was doubt in Diamond’s eyes.

“We pay silver back in gold you two. We’ve written the letters,” Thousand Miles said.

The letters, ah yes. Daydream had forgotten. They had prepared the letters after the first week. Letters of apologies and promises and over the time, they had gotten longer and longer. Daydream knew hers was now one huge confession to Book Binder that she’d definetely go for a professional relationship with him when she felt ready to trust somepony outside her friends and when they didn’t need to do this anymore.

She had confessed all her thefts in it, all her lies and truths and doubts. Still, she had decided not to tell anypony about the singer. Nopony ever talked about the singer. Talking about him would only bring about bad luck. That was what they didn’t need in a situation like this.

“Okay,” the earth pony said finally and looked over the unicorn and the pegasus. They were the perfect team. They trusted each other, they liked each other, they would never betray or lie to each other. When something was said between them, it was honest. They would repay the kindness done to them, truly. But not now, now was the time to act first.

“Then, Ladies, saddle up!” The order came quick and everypony took a saddlebag.

That was the last moment. Three ponies in the dark, surrounded by the sounds of a life they all longed for. Daydream knew. A blue sky above, steady roots beneath and whatever the unicorn wanted. These things could be found here, in a way. But there was also another way. A true blue sky, real roots beneath. The singer was calling and they had to follow, only then they could achieve true happiness.

“Friends trust each other,” the cyan unicorn pony with the indigo colored stockings and an indigo and blue mane with three indigo spots on each side of the face said. Her dark blue eyes shined with forming tears.

“Friends walk down the same path,” answered the dark blue pegasus with the purple, wild mane and the brass goggles. For once her smug smile was replaced with an expression of anxiousness and possibly fright.

“True friends are never apart,” she said. She had an ice blue coat Book Binder found dazzling and her hair compassed of two shades of aquamarine. Also, she had bright blue eyes, often said to be the color of water. As they positioned themselves before the exit that led to the front,she knew why.

She didn’t want to leave the caravan.

Yet, Thousand managed to snap her out of it, “But we’re not just friends, we’re more,” she said and her grin returned.

They’d return silver in gold.

Why?

Because they were magnificent ponies who could do that. This trio had a long standing record on opening debts and paying them back later. Sure, it was all with stolen goods but in the end that didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the thing they had told everypony they ever met when they were asked what three beautiful fillies were doing alone in the desert.

They had the time of their life.

With that, the unicorn kicked the door in. Every available gaze turned to them. In that moment, she felt it again, the reason why they were doing all this. The unicorn had positioned herself in the middle, standing on her hind legs, one hoof stretched to the sky. The Pegasus was to her right, spreading her wings. Daydream found herself on the left, standing with all for hooves firmly on the ground. All were posing and then they yelled to that pose.

“We’re the Dashing Desperados!”

~Dashing Desperados~

End

Chapter 4 ~ Resulting Regrets

Chapter 7 ~ Remote Reverie

Yellowish orange mane with a few grey streaks, cut short.

Red coat, sporty build.

Campfire and guitar for a Cutie Mark.

His name is Limelight and my first memory of him is teaching me the names of flowers. There's even one called a limelight. His parents wanted him to be a florist and named him more out of selfish desire than the truth their hearts recommended.

He still speaks fondly of them, though. Always with a smile on his face. I later learn that he doesn't know if he himself ever actually knew his parents. He tells me the changelings fed off his love and even now he struggles each day to find some harmony within himself. As he tells me all that he starts cracking up, so I hug him. I remember that well, it was practically the first hug I ever gave. A small thing really, just throwing my arms around him, hoping this tiny gesture will make him better. One of the things I knew even as a filly was that crying wasn't good. He didn't say anything that moment, instead just sobbed quietly in the small filly's arms.

Limelight is the closest thing I got for family. That's why it would later hurt so much. Not just seeing the grey in his mane spread and the color in both his coat and life waste. It hurt because I always felt responsible for all the pain that never healed. No, that's wrong, isn't it. I am responsible. For everything.

I distinctly recall us sitting on the roof of a caravanesai. Our caravan was huge. It had at least thirty wagons and that night, it looked like a small village in the middle of nowhere. Limelight hangs out with me, he always does. I sometimes call him my father. I never got to apologize for that. In the beginning he wasn't bothered by it, though.

Well, what I wanted to say was, that we are sitting there. He, me and another colt, who's a bit older than me. It's two months before that caravan ends by the teeth of a hydra. Limelight looks at the other ponies. There's so much noise, so much happening. I'll never forget it. Ponies dancing and singing and laughing. So many of them. I knew some had differences, I knew some disliked each other. Some of these I saw dance and sing and drink happily together.

Limelight takes the opportunity for a life lesson he will later be sure I have forgotten. I haven't. I never will. He asks both me and that colt, Stormcloud: "What defines us caravaneers?"

Our answers are clear. Caravaneers are the cool folk. We guess that, unlike the oasis-ponies we aren't jerks. That means we're the good ponies and makes us automatically cool.

Limelight laughs it off.

"We stick together," he says, "No matter who does what. Sometimes, one pony will be loved, sometimes, a pony will be hated. It doesn't matter since we're one huge family."

I remember asking him if he'll stick with me.

He's a proud stallion and at that time still looked like an actual warrior pony. I remember him laughing at my question and then putting his arms around us. He says the following words as he looks happy at the fire, "We're family, of course we stick together."

Remembering hurts.

Stardust opened her eyes slowly. The first thing she saw was a ceiling made of wood. Their wagon? Had she fallen asleep during the job?

"Ah, Sunset is going to be mad," she whispered, brushing aside the blanket that was laid ever so softly on her body. There was a bit of smile on her face, she felt happy, although she didn't understand why exactly. Somehow she figured to just have woken up from a bad dream. Not that it mattered, there she probably had overslept, maybe her shift had already started. Sunset would definitely be mad.

The mare set her hooves on the ground but upon getting up from the bed her body's state revealed itself. She felt a sudden surge of pain going through her limbs and her head began to hurt as well. Stardust immediately let herself fall back into the bed, closed her eyes and took deep breaths, tears starting to roll down. The pain wasn't that bad, she told herself, a guardpony shouldn't cry that easily.

She remained there for a bit. The unicorn didn't know for how long, whether it was seconds or whole minutes passing or maybe even a whole hour. She concentrated merely on the pain she felt and that feeling that something was off. It took her a few more seconds before it sprung to her mind exactly what it was.

Stardust's eyes opened.

"I've survived..." she muttered, her voice immediately cracking up. She felt pain and that was a clear indicator that she survived yet again. For a moment she looked at the ceiling, her breathing going faster, moving into sobs. Surviving wasn't the problem, she knew. She had honestly cared for them, loved them and had wanted to protect them. Yet she had failed once more and again it was because she had decided to run away at the wrong time.

Even now, crying and hiding beneath the blanket felt easier than anything else. It took a few more moments but then she decided to be strong. Stardust knocked herself over the head. Crying had to wait; for now she had to find out where she was.

"This bed is comfy," she examined, still lying beneath the thick blanket. That and the fact that the ceiling was too high for a wagon gave her enough reason to doubt she was picked up by another caravan. Most oasis dwellers didn't have houses either...well, southerners at least. Were they that far up in the north? Did they have actual, real houses here? Where the hay was the 'Oaktongue' anyway? She couldn't say anything about this place from a look but judged it belonged to a pony. At least she hoped it did. The white mare had heard of changelings living afar from civilization and picking up half dead strangers. They nursed them back to health, cared for them, draining their love until no emotion was left, then discarded them.

Fine Clouds would always talk of the changeling hives that existed hundreds of years ago, giant cities with thousands and thousands of changelings within.

Good thing these were only tales and even what Dry Soil had gone through had been an exception. That she had been taught during her years as a guard and as an officially named coward she obviously knew anything that would save her life in the long run. Although, she might prove to be an exception, too. Stardust pondered how to spot a changeling but after searching her mind for a while she merely found a minor headache and not the information she was looking for. So apparently, changelings were a problem now.

She sighed.

Stardust shook her head and decided that it would be best to just embrace the comfort of the bed. Even if she had only a moment of peace, she'd take it. The white unicorn laid down again, resting her head on the extremely fluffy pillow and covering herself with the blanket once more. The unicorn used the chance to look at her surroundings.

It was a room far larger than what she was used to. There was a window, although she could only see the color black through it, to her left and on the same side a bed table with a lamp on it. Some fireflies buzzed around inside of it. As Stardust looked at the lamp she also spotted that it wasn't enclosed, instead the bugs were actually able to leave through the top quite easily.

"So this all belongs to an earth pony," she then figured, since earth ponies were all very close to what little remained of the tame and safe animals. She had seen it a few times when they had halted. The animals kept close to the earth ponies, even those who originally hadn't had any kind of special talent involving them. There was a natural bond between those and even small fireflies made valuable friends out in the wastelands.

To her right and across the room she spotted the door. Also of notice were the wardrobe and a picture on the wall. It depicted a scene from the Celestial Scripture. She knew that because even from her position she saw that the primary colors were green and a light shade of blue, the colors of a summer day, one of the most sacred memories of ponydom. The wardrobe looked antique. It had probably lasted a few generations already and gave the whole room an even warmer feeling than it already had. There also was the red carpet on the wooden floor and the light green pony with the blonde mane and the large straw hat that had just entered through the door.

Stardust looked at her for a second before she realized that another pony really had just entered the room. The immediate reaction was to hide beneath the blankets. If she was a changeling she'd probably be discouraged by the wall of fabric.

"Hey, no need to be afraid. Ah'm harmless," the stranger said with a smile so bright that the unicorn could actually hear it and an accent so thick and foreign that Stardust wondered if it was actually equestrian she had heard. "Ah did those banda-thingies, never used 'em before so Ah dunno just how sloppy of a job Ah did." Actually, it sounded like equestrian. Equestrian in weird.

Stardust smiled, weird was good. Changelings weren't weird, they were horrifying. So with that, she found the conviction to raise her head up from beneath the covers.

"I guess they're fine," she said, finding her voice still shaky. You're a guard, guards are brave, guards don't cry, she thought. She was alone and the least she could do was try....

"Then why're ya cryin'?"

Stardust wasn't brave, she wasn't a good guard and she had abandoned her family twice now. They had gone up from the Badlands like before and once again she was the one that remained. This time, she was completely alone and it made it all so much harder.

She felt the other pony actually hugging her, she heard the words of comfort but as she cried herself asleep once more she only found the smell recognizable.

The smell of apples.

Green hair, curls probably not natural.

Vanilla coat, with lots and lots of dirt on it.

Three sapphires for a Cutie Mark.

Her name is Sunset Dale and when we first meet, she smiles the whole time, calls me a 'cutie' and wants to be my friend. She asks where I'm from but before I can answer, Limelight cuts in.

"You really shouldn't talk to that little horse apple," he says with all the spite he can muster. Since it's me, it's a lot of spite. A lot has changed between us since our family died. He blames me and I know he's right. We both want them back, even though I lead us towards the castle. Worst of all, while I want them back so badly, I'm glad I didn't sleep in the gardens. I'm actually glad that I abandoned them.

Sunset is different. We went to the Void Path, where no magic reaches. I looked into a cave, still a young guardspony and instead of checking what lingered in the dark I deemed it safe and practically lured the whole caravan into the jaw of a hydra. The beast appeared when we had set up camp and roared it's heads above our wagons. I remember that while it did that, Frisbee crashed into it, spear first and Sunset immediately started barking orders, like she was our captain.

I remember them taking it down, the monster I lead them, too, all while I cowered by the side of the ponies I had sworn to protect.

I remember, because when I'm treating the wounded she comes to me, "You know how to heal?" she asks. I say 'Yes' to that, fully expecting her to say that I should be a doctor, not a fighter. She's going to say that I would at least be helpful if I did that.

"You're not scared of blood?" she asks instead.

"I'm scared of dying." I answer, although a bit to fierce. It's not even a year since I put on the armor. Somehow I still feel pride in that.

She looks at me, a smile coming to her face. I think she's laughing at me, so I turn away from the wounded Garden Tool and towards her. "Next time I'll prove myself, just you see!"

Sunset Dale just stands there, smiling, shaking her head. "I rather hope that when the day comes we don't die fighting but run away living."

She later curses me not for running away, but for killing one of the two colts that were with the Captain. Sunset lets the memory of him go at one point but neither she nor me can ever truly forget or forgive.

Remembering Hurts.

The pony with the straw hat was one thing: Nice. She had placed an old gramophone in the corner of the room after Stardust had awoken the first time and although it was mostly incredibly tasteless banjo play, it still was noise. Over the days she changed the bandages, the bed sheets, came with food and more often, and just sat at Stardusts side with either a bright smile or a worried look. She waited for Stardust to talk, instead of bothering her. She didn't even ask the unicorn's name.

In the beginning, Stardust didn't speak. The more she thought about them, the more she remembered the good times they all had. Then she would remember how they would turn away from her, one by one and in the end they all died because she had made a stupid mistake.

At one point, she woke up from sleep and looked at the ceiling, saying: "If I hadn't run, I could've made a difference."

"Where?"

She looked to her side, seeing the straw hat pony with...some fairly nice looking dishes.

"What're those?" Stardust asked and pointed at the tablet.

"Oh, them're called apple strudels," the pony said with an even brighter grin than ever before. Stardust didn't talk to her, she ate rarely and didn't drink much either.

"They look tasty, can I have one?"

"Ya can have all them strudels, if ya want," she said.

That was how it began, really. She didn't know how exactly but suddenly she was talking with the green pony. It started with questions about the place, then how long it had been since she had gotten there. Those were all questions the earth pony couldn't answer. Apparently there were quite a few apple trees just outside the building and a river a bit further from here. That one ended in a waterfall, which again ended in the Oaktongue, although the straw hat didn't use that name. Although Stardust didn't make the inquiry, she figured that the green pony hadn't come here long before them. Time was another matter. The earth pony had no way of measuring it and Stardust sighed, admitting that she maybe should've asked some questions to read the leylines beyond the whole 'levitation' and 'combat-usage' thing.

"What'cha mean?" the green mare asked, genuinely wondering.

Stardust felt taken aback at that question, since that was common knowledge, "Don't you know any unicorns?"

The straw hat pony shook her head and Stardust decided, rather than asking uncomfortable questions, to elaborate.

"Our horns act as kind of an eye to see magic. It flows across the world in long streams dyed in the colors of the rainbow and colors that don't even exist for our normal eyes. We call these streams Ley-lines," she explained, then pausing to think. "I don't know too much about it but I heard that we once knew what exactly magic was made of. A griffon from the windclans once told me that a certain Twilight Sparkle had written a dozen volumes on the subject...but, well, yeah...griffons...Anyway, since we don't know what magic is, the actual process eludes us somehow but we unicorns re-shape parts of the ley-lines when we cast our spells. We change their colors and their form to create spells like levitation or whatever else we can do.

"Colors and shape are the heart of it. You see, some ley-lines, special ones, can't be changed and a well-trained unicorn can sense these lines and read them. There's always a reason why they can't be changed and you can trace them in certain directions. At the Silver Knot, these special streams form a silver-colored knot that is spun so tight, it can't be moved,for example. Or the Oaktongue, down there...well, I didn't see it but apparently the ley-lines form some sort of tongue above the water and out of it rises the magic in a golden oak."

The straw hat pony nodded a few times throughout the somewhat-explanation and at the end seemed to try to imagine how the oaktongue must've looked. Stardust figured it from her look that she found it impressive.Yet the earth pony didn't simply nod the whole thing away.

"What does this have to do with time, though?"

Stardust smiled, talking got her mind of things, yes but she had made an important point with that speech, "Colors and shapes. The ley-lines roughly flow in four directions: North and South. West and East. Each line has smaller arms and they all connect at one point or the other. The great points, like the Silver Knot I told you about, they're all mapped and known. So by them, we figure out where we are. Telling time goes similarily," she explained, leaving out that explaining it would be even harder, "It's said that with good enough knowledge, a unicorn can let her mind float amidst the magic and look into it's vast ocean. The ocean of magic is the only thing in the world that still knows..."

Pause for dramatic effect.

"Day and Night!"

That didn't have the much needed reaction. Normally ponies or other creatures tended to at least be little bit shocked then they heard that part but the straw hat pony just looked at her with a quizzical expression. After a small explanation how sun and moon existed and moved back in the days she nodded understaning, though.

"Anyway, by it's color you can read the actual time." Stardust finished then, quite happy that the pony on the other side had little to no understanding about magic, otherwise she would've started poking holes into her explanation. Luna's Gift was hard to grasp and harder to explain but it served it's purpose for those who were trained to look into it. Although, she thought, there are other ways.

"Do you have a ley-clock?"

After a short pause of thinking the green pony answered, "Sorry, I dunno."

Stardust nodded. Ley-clocks weren't that easy to find and she doubted the earth pony possessed one. Losing track of time when you were surrounded by darkness was an easy thing. It hardly seemed important. For the first time in what felt like a thousand years the unicorn decided to sit up to see eye to eye with the straw-hat. Their conversation shifted from time to the music, from the music to the state of the house, and from that to apples.

And from apples Stardust went on to saying that she was hungry. She hadn't moved around much during her time here. Some bones were broken, her head had been hurt and she had some cuts from the woods. All in all, Stardust had given herself two weeks until she could go out again. The Straw-hat trusted her judgement and during her time here she had given Stardust much attention without asking for anything.

Even now the grin on the pony widened, and she reached to her back, getting a plate out. The unicorn hadn't even noticed the platter. The straw-hat pony always managed to surprise her, just as the food did.

In the caravan they had lived mostly on grain and oatmeal so mealtime had always been stale. As the straw-hat pony sat the plate on Stardust's lap she found both the sliced apples and the flowers on it a welcome sight, even though it seemed badly prepared from a visual standpoint. The apples badly cut and the flowers lying around completely random. Reminded her of the times Hearth had still been alive. All his meals had looked the complete opposite of what they tasted like. This wasn't so bad though. It looked fair enough and tasted quite good, too. When it came to apples, the straw-hat pony seemed to work some kind of magic.

As the unicorn started chowing the food down, the straw-hat pony started grinning, "Ah thought you'd need somethin' good to eat."

Stardust was truly grateful for that thought. Her host stood there, smiling brightly, although a bit awkwardly. She seemed to be thinking what to say next. After a few more moments of watching her guest chewing apples she decided to go for what Stardust thought the weirdest question possible.

"So...you're from beyond the wasteland?" the straw-hat asked.

Stardust looked at the stranger. "Yeah...I'm from one of the southern caravans. Founded by Fine Clouds, if you've heard the name," sure as sugar, when the mare shook her head Stardust knew they were far north. Fine Clouds had been around for more than eighty years and he had used that time well. Even up in the Badlands his name had been known, she had heard that he had even gone up to the fields near Canterlot. With that one thought, the floodgates opened and the memories of her big family came to her mind again. The mood shifted instantly.

The earth pony looked at her for a few seconds before she got an idea what to do.

Wisely, she decided to shift the topic and seated herself beside the bed. "Ah'm from here," she said rudimentarily. "One day Ah just woke up here. Ah remember the furniture, the fireplace beside an' the ceiling above me. Ah remember that when Ah took mah first breath it felt exciting. Ah remember how Ah opened my eyes having no idea where Ah was, what Ah did there, who Ah was and even what Ah was."

That did it's job as Stardust looked at her, bleakly.

"Ah still don' really know any of them things and whenever Ah found something here Ah didn't know what to do with, Ah just tried different things out until Ah got to what Ah thought was the right thing to do. Ah remember first trying to get somethin' to eat, because when Ah felt 'hunger' that was the right thing to do. Yet Ah had to go figuring out what to eat. Ah wasn't able to eat myself, because that hurt. Ah wasn't able to eat them rocks on the ground, because Ah couldn't chew them. Ah could eat the wood with some preparation, though but mind you Ah don't fancy the taste. Instead Ah settled for the grass, them flowers before the house and these small reds.

"Apples they are. Weird little things are mah lifesavers. They grow on trees before mah house, you know? Best thing, there's a lot of them, too. Ah can just go out everyday after Ah wake up, buck one of 'em good and down fall them apples. They taste amazing and are generally amazing."

Stardust looked at the strange pony before her with an unchanging blank look on her face. After all the time she had spent with the stranger, she hardly knew her and this story was more than just a small revelation to her.

"But that's not what Ah like so about them. What Ah like is their smell. The smell of apples. No matter what happens, apples always smell nice. Even the ones that sat so long on the table that they're brown and mushy and not good food anymore. There really is only one word for it: Indescrit-, intist-,...give me a sec...indescribable. Yeah.

Not the wood of the trees, the earth through which their roots dig, not the colors of my house, nothing smells like these apples. In mah small world they are the best thing," the stranger continued, pointing at the remnants on the tablet.

Stardust looked at the thing and the few pieces of apples that remained. The smell of apples, she thought.

"You're...lost," she stated bluntly, covering her mouth instantly.

The straw-hat only smiled, "Sounds like me. Anyway, if yer sad ya can tell me," the straw-hat said. "We're friends now and friends are honest to each other."

Mint colored mane that won't bow to any comb.

Turquoise coat, small pony.

Two streamers and a balloon for a Cutie Mark.

His name is Party Star and the first memory I've got of him is when we first meet the caravan. Everypony's welcoming me and Limelight, but this one, he's a bit younger than me, he's almost ecstatic meeting new faces. It's thanks to him that Limelight can smile once more and I, too. It's the welcoming meal where he shows off what he is good at, making an otherwise stale meal a fantastic occasion.

My fondest memory is when I don the armor of the guard and everypony looks at me so trusting and hopeful. Some die because I run, some because I wasn't with them when I had to be, others because of my stupidity. Party doesn't lose that smile of his, not even around me. The others keep him away from the fighting, but I see a similarity between me and him. We're both scared of something. I am afraid of dying, he's afraid of killing.

Party is a better pony than me.

I tell him that one day when we go the rounds. I'm scared of him, even though he's younger and smaller than me, so I even tell hm why. That one time he builds himself up, tries to look tough.

"Are you calling me a coward?"

"No," I say and under my breath I add: "I'm calling me a coward."

I'm aware of it. In the beginning, I'm the only one, later everypony else realizes it, too. They know they should throw me aside, but they don't. They still care about me. One night Party sits by my side. The fire in the middle of our Fort is burning and Seeing Sight is teaching the fillies one of his funny dances.

"You're a better pony than you think," Party lies.

I don't answer, I don't smile, I don't cry, I don't react. I see Seeing singing in the language of the zebras, a prayer to the sun to shine once more and to the soil to keep steady until light is upon us one day. I listen to the sound of hooves, the laughter of our youngest members as they fail to repeat the chant. It's a normal scene, I can remember a day when the noise faded.

I look at Party. He doesn't know such a day and I pray he never will. I'm here though, so he's going to die like everypony else.

"Someday you'll admit it even," he continues.

Why do I remember him being like this?

Remembering hurts.

VII

~Remote Reverie~

~End~

Chapter 7 ~ Remote Reverie

Chapter 8 ~ Treasured Tombs

It took her only one more week until she could get farther than just the restroom. Every part of her body was aching but Stardust had been lucky that only her ribs had been broken. She felt pain throughout her body every time she stood up and it would take weeks until she could carry her armor again. So for now she had taken one of the woolen coats that the strawhat pony kept in her wardrobe. Even after all this, she had tried her best to cover up her Cutie Mark. Tradition was always there with her.

The green pony helped her walk, showing her around her place. The house the strawhat lived in creaked beneath every step and the windows probably never had had glass. There was little to no noise in the house, if not for the gramophone, which constantly moved. Stardust figured it was one of the very, very old magical artifacts that had been crafted by the great wizards of the first days of darkness. How one such gramophone would be here, she didn't know. Still, it was good to have a bit of noise. Although with what had happened to her caravan, which had certainly been louder than one meazly gramophone, she wasn't quite sure about it being safe. She had never heard of a lost pony remaining in one place once her memories were gone but if this was the place, did it have any meaning?

The fence which surrounded the house and the trees marked the end to that world of the earth pony, or so she had told Stardust. She hardly ever ventured beyond, said she didn't fancy a walk through complete blackness and not finding her way home later. Stardust then considered herself lucky for once. It was wooden fence, painted white, that surrounded the house. That was painted in the color red. "Red like an apple", the green pony always said. "Found it like that an' Ahm happy with it, too. Ah like the color."

She lived in a red house and before it stood apple trees and quite a few of them, too. Everything was surrounded by a fence which in return was surrounded by complete and utter blackness. Hardly any light pierced through that. When one would go to the trees they'd lighten a lamp by the side of the house and take a lantern with them. At the farthest point away from the home, one wouldn't even have seen the lamp if there hadn't been any trees. It scared both of them.

There was a path that lead to an exit and another to a smaller wooden structures of which neither had any idea what purpose they served. They had very small entrances and their interior was covered with hay.

"Maybe a foodstorage," Stardust guessed when she had taken a first look. Also, one of the paths lead to the side of the mansion, but there were only two rocks there with lines carved into them, or so the earth pony told her.

"No idea who thought that up but Ah figure it's a landmark or som'thing. Maybe somepony thought that he'd use them stones to explain something or show something. If they did, Ah'm not seeing it and Ah leave them rocks alone," the strawhat said. Stardust would have been interested in them if there had been something written on them or a map or something. 'Lines' wouldn't help her orientation.

There wasn't much entertainment to be had. Stardust often sat by the front door in the old rocking chair that stood there, almost like a throne from which she could overlook the trees when she tried to figure out what to do.The straw-hat had explained to her that she had explored all possibilities.

"Ah went to the small houses with the hay, which wasn't even remotely entertaining. Ah actually used it for a small experiment. Ah found a small box inside my house a while back and didn't know what to do with it. Ah could open it and there were small sticks inside. Pull these things fast by the side of the box and you've got fire," she explained and Stardust stated that these sticks were called matches where she came from. "Anyway, them matches were really glowy and very hot. Nearly burned mah hoof, then tried it out on one of them houses. It met the hay and there was a bigger fire."

Stardust looked gazed over to these houses, two stood there and now she had found out that once there had been three.

"The thing burned down and Ah never touched these sticks again. Now there's only the apple trees and they're only good for harvesting. The other thing is the stuff inside my house. There's some leatherbound things with paper inside 'em, can't do much with them and they don't taste like usable rations."

"You...ate...You ate the books?" Stardust inquired.

"Yes, if that's what they're called. Ah try at least taking a bite of the stuff I find. It's important to know what you can eat and what not," the straw-hat admitted with some pride, although Stardust’s amused giggling drowned some of that pride and the straw-hat meekly added, "Just in case."

The unicorn thought the innocent honesty amusing and the straw-hat seemed happy to entertain a guest. Stardust never got the courage up to tell her about the whole guard thing and the stranger didn't seem to bother. The unicorn thanked her for it, although it felt wrong to repay such honesty as the earth pony's with nothing but silence.

One day she felt both strong enough to start wearing her armor again and to take a walk on her own but her new friend told her that she might keep the steel in her room for some time. It wasn’t needed anyway and a simple dress made her feel fine enough. Guards didn’t possess much clothing, so what the stranger gave her was quiet nice. A dark green dress with bright leaves on it. The steel, she didn’t simply leave it in the room but hid it beneath the bed. She had spent quite enough time moping around so when she moved once more, she thought that maybe she could even forget it. Probably even start a new life with the pony with the hat of straw. Right now, it didn’t seem so hard, although she had needed the help of her friend to get back on her hooves again.

When she went outside, the mare looked at the black world around her with a smile. It felt good not needing anypony to carry ones weight although she felt still a bit of a sting She moved forward, listening to the faint sound of music.

The Straw-hat Pony, she had decided that was the most appropriate nickname for her friend, was standing by the trees, a grin on her face.

“Ah thought that maybe today, y’all could help me with these,” she knocked against an apple tree.

Stardust moved closer, looking at the trees. They were probably the remnants of a once proud orchard. She had heard that there had been a fairly famous one up in the north, although she didn’t remember it’s name. Besides, there were far too few trees here to be considered one of the richer orchards.

Still, they were good apples. Although one tree in the middle of them all always stood empty. Neither Straw-hat nor Stardust knew what to do with it. The unicorn felt something magical about it, so they left it alone.

“We’re gonna do some buckin’. Think you’re up to it?” the earth pony asked.

Moving closer, Stardust felt her energy getting drained from her. The trees seemed so imposing to her and she wasn’t even that good at kicking things. Her legs were made for running and not much else. She gulped as she halted before it, which was answered with a chuckle from Strawhat.

“Dont’cha worry now. The worst them trees can do is let apples fall on yer head.”

“They don’t weigh much, right?”

“Ah doubt ya can get hurt.”

“I just got the bandage off, what if the wounds on my head open again and I bleed out? What if I die here!” Now she started panicking and stared at Strawhat, who simply raised an eyebrow, her expression alone asking: What the hay?

“Listen, sugarcube,” she started, unused to that kind of panicky reaction, “they’re jus’ apples. They can’t hurt you. Just come here, let me show you where to put yourself to buck ‘em just right,” she said, actually moving a bit to show her the spot, “If you kick the tree from here nothing bad’s gonna happ’n. There ain’t even apples to fall on ya.”

Stardust looked up. At this position there would be no danger from that at least. The white unicorn still had to admit that it felt weird standing beneath the apple tree. A strange, ominous feeling surrounded her, as if something was amiss. She didn’t even know what exactly it was that she felt but it was bad. Ultimately it would always be bad.

“Ya can do it,” the straw-hat cheered. She actually encouraged Stardust. The unicorn took a deep breath and kicked the tree hard, shaking it thoroughly. First the trunk but then it also extended to the branches, the leaves and the fruits. For a moment, the entire tree shook and a second later three of the small, red apples fell towards the ground, landing rough on the ground.

She took a moment to look at the fallen fruits and the smile grew back on her face. There was only a little pain remaining in her haunches and the pony knew that was a good sign. She moved towards the apples and picked them up, throwing them into the one basket that the earth pony had placed there. .

“I’m all for applause,” she grinned.

“Yer hardly did anything. Ya didn’t even kick all them apples down,” came the answer and the Strawhat pointed at the tree. She was right, there was still a bunch of apples up there. Now that she looked, quite a few of the trees still had a lot of apples on them. She figured that neither one nor two ponies would be able to eat all of them too quickly.

Still, they wanted to fill up that basket, “Well, let me just handle this. I’m at the top of my game right now,” Stardust declared. Almost bravely, she thought to herself, too.

What followed was lifting the haunches and kicking a tree. Straw-hat seemed almost amazed at how few apples fell down and that sunk Stardust’s spirits. It made her remember the guards even though she had decided to forget. That made her kick the tree harder until most of the apples were down and she stood there, breathing heavily.

“Wow, shucks...you’ve got no feeling for this. Don’tcha?” Strawhat asked.

“Feeling? What’re you talking about, isn’t it just kicking the tree hard enough?”

To that, the earth pony laughed. “No, no, no,” she started, “It’s more than that. Y’all need to feel the tree. Stand at the right point, kick ‘em with the right strength. Ya don’t want to fell it, ya want to get the apples.”

Stardust looked at her with one lifted eyebrow. That was typical earth pony talk. She had seen unicorns with a special talent for plants-related stuff but even they couldn’t compete with earth ponies.

“I’m no good at that. Here,” she pointed at her horn, “I do magic. You earth ponies are better with anything that relates to the ground.”

“Now you’re just giving up,” Straw-hat answered and she had the truth of it. Stardust didn’t think she’d ever be able to do that right. She never did anything right.

The unicorn sighed and looked down to the ground, just to get something bumped against her head. She looked up and saw that the blonde pony held an apple towards her.

“For your hard work. Apples taste best when they’re well earned.”

Stardust Arrow nodded and levitated the apple out of her friends hoof and towards her mouth. She took a bite and after doing that bit of work, the apple tasted even better than usual. That was when she knew that she could probably live forever amidst these orchards. There in the house that smelled of apples with the pony without a name.

She could start anew.

blonde mane, extremely well cared for.

White coat, so wonderful to look at.

No Cute Mark.

He has no name so we call him the Captain. Yet I’m the only one who seems to have realized the truth, even though I don’t want to admit it. He joined the caravan with his charges a few days before we come to it and he took charge of the guards.

When we first see him he looks at Limelight and asks him if he’s a guardpony. Limelight answers: “Yes.”

The tone in Limelight’s voice, the look of the Captain, they scare me, so I hide away. As the Captain sees me he gives a laugh. He later teaches me about bravery, I listen, I am even brave a few times. Ponies die when I’m brave, fewer ponies die when I run.

With every day training in the guard he notices it more and more. With every day we leave behind he urges me to stop. For some reason I don’t. No, I promised myself to be brave. I’ll be a good guard. I’ll be a good guard.

“When it comes down to it, you’re bright as a star and quick as an arrow. The thing is, you use these qualities to run away and not help defend us. You endanger others when it comes down to it. At heart you’re brave, I see that,” he tells me one day, “but when it comes down to it, you just run. Stardust...I don’t think you can be as brave as you want to be and you should stop.”

I look at him and after some minutes pass I shake my head, “I’ll be brave.”

Later he tells me about them. “They’re called the Lost, Seeing told me. Ponies who forgot everything, down to their own special talent. They’re taken by the dark and the silence is burned into their mind, yet they live. He told me it’s the willpower of these ponies. A reason to keep on.”

His reason are the fillies and the colts he brought with him and then the caravan becomes his reason. Day in and day out I hear that green-maned unicorn called Sunset Dale moan about him but we all know that he is our Captain. Sometimes he makes mistakes, but he does them in the hope of protecting all of us in the long run.

I ran, I didn’t protect him. He was right. I ran and now there remains only the dream of a memory I want to forget.

And remembering hurts.

The same week, Stardust decided that she wanted to see those two stones. When she had woken up one day, she had started feeling uneasy about the thought of them. It was like something she had tried to push back into her mind kept creeping up. A thought of something. She wanted Straw-hat to show her what they were.

The earth pony obliged and lit the lantern up. “Maybe y’all can see something in ‘em I can’t.”

Stardust, for some reason, hoped not but answered: “Maybe.”

When they stepped outside the unicorn felt the unease rise up. Though she didn’t know why exactly, she felt like turning around. Leaving the whole endeavour behind but the earth pony dragged on.

“If they’re nothing maybe we could plant them somewhere, where we could look at ‘em better. I mean, they’re quite nice to look at.”

Stardust was too afraid to ask to return inside the house. There was the feeling that something would go horribly wrong. She had ignored the stones as best as she could over her time spent here. She had checked everything else out but those two stones which stood a bit away from the house, left alone in the darkness with only a never-lit lantern.

They moved past the side of the house and for a moment Stardust felt like she saw something different than the shades of red on the wall. She stopped only to find that her eyes had betrayed. Shaking it off she followed the earth pony once more. It would’ve been a quiet moment but in the distance, an old song played. Stardust didn’t know how old really but the voice of the singer was something she hadn’t heard before, even though she couldn’t make out the words, the power and the emotions were carried right through. She had never heard something like this. The unicorn would’ve gladly run back and listened closer to the music but as the song appeared they were already there.

She saw Straw-hat fumbling around with both lanterns, lighting the one by the stones up and as she moved aside, Stardust braced herself, before she moved towards them.

Somehow she knew, the river had once run by here, a long, long time ago and the field they were now standing on had been green. Now it was but dry soil with cracks in it and some rocks. Nothing special aside from the two stones that stood there solemnly. Stardust looked at them and felt a lump in her throat.

She had already figured out what these stones had been before she had come here. She hadn’t wanted to see them because of what they were. What they reminded her of. The unicorn just gazed at them for a few moments.

“Everything alright, sugarcube” the last word resounded in a different voice, an echo carried over the fields. Stardust understood now.

She opened her mouth and started talking in a hushed voice, “Remember when I called you lost?”

“Yeah...I kinda figured what you meant, so-”

“It means you’ve been taken by the silence and the dark but somehow managed to escape. A pony robbed of everything but one singular thing,” Stardust continued, her eyes fixed on the stones.

“What’d that be?” Strawhat asked, suddenly excited. Stardust knew why, this was great news for her, wasn’t it? At least it must’ve seemed that way.

“The orchards,” she said, her voice cracking, remembering.

She couldn’t start new here. “One of the members of our caravan had a farm and orchards, too. They all burned down,” she spoke, remembering Garden Tool and his distanced demeanour.

The strawhat looked at her for a moment, before she moved in to comfort her, “We should go back.”

Stardust looked at her, too scared to move, and locked the green pony in an embrace.

She had known this place and understood it’s magic from the moment she had seen the tombstones. Everything about the lost soul in front of her was clear now. Everypony knew the stories, everypony knew the legends. One of the bravest pony families to ever exist.

They hugged each other and in the background the music sounded but this time the singer came through, the sweetest of voices singing her farewell.

We met with our flanks bare

Singing and laughing our lives away

Crusading with no care

But far away

they would go

Now lost to me

these ponies of my dreams

“I’m sorry,” Stardust said, too afraid to lie, “You’re the last of them. These are the Sweet Apple Acres and you’re...” she couldn’t finish it but from the silence she got that the straw-hat understood.

“What’s it say on the left stone?” Straw-hat asked.

Stardust thought it’d be a kind gesture to read it and looked at the epitaph.

“Here lie the apples that grew on the field

Strong Ponies, never forgotten

Strong hearts, always remembered”

The straw-hat stroked through her mane, “Ah lost mah memories but really. Ah think it’s just a daft tale back there. Ah don’t live for the orchards, Stardust. Ah live to help ponies who need help,” she said and Stardust saw her smile.

“An’...ya don’t need to worry anymore. Ah can live a life without a story but y’all should remember yer roots.”

Roots. The laughter of ponies surrounded this place, it was what they had left behind or maybe the spirits were actually still here. Anyway, Stardust felt weird. A good kind of weird, since now she hugged someone who needed a hug and she herself got the same in return. It was mutual and mutual was good.

They remained by the tombstones for a while longer and while Straw-hat seemed to try to figure out her connection to the place, Stardust thought she could maybe do something else. She had experienced the honesty at the strangers hearth and the kindness of her, too. She had experienced those things in the past, too and in the end it had all come crashing down. Somehow she felt as if there was meaning behind all this. She didn’t remember how they both spent the rest of their day but somehow she found herself abed, looking at the ceiling like the first time she had woken in there and then she drifted into darkness.

Stardust’s eyes opened and somehow she just felt like it was morning. Even if it wasn’t that dream had certainly left her wide awake. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves and then climbed out of bed. As she dressed she mused to thank the straw-hat for helping her to bed. It hadn’t been the best display but she felt better now, even though she didn’t quite know what to do now with herself. She could stay, sure, but her life had been a string of misfortunes which would probably continue.

Plus, she didn’t know how the straw-hat’s mood was. The only other lost pony she had ever known had been the Captain and he never had been confronted with the whys and hows of his existence. As she magicked the comb through her hair she yawned. Apparently contemplating was a thing now.

She moved through the house, looking for the Straw-hat. She found her on the rocking chair, overlooking the Sweet Apple Acres, like so many generations of Apple ponies had done before her. As Stardust saw that sight she somehow felt like that chair was pretty impressive and it was only an old, creaking rocking chair.

Stardust moved beside her friend and sat on the wooden floor, looking at the orchards, too. So they spent a few moments in complete quiet, Stardust trying to figure out what her friend was thinking about but she didn’t ask.

“Y’know...Ah thought of this place as home but...it just feels different now. Like there’s something missing. Ah jus’ don’t get it,” the earth pony said after a while.

“Yeah, on my side, it’s feeling like there’s something missing,too,” Stardust admitted. “It’s not the first time I saw my family die, it was the second actually. Normally, ponies can sit there and just forget certain things, certain names, places, parts of their story they never want to remember. I’d like to do that, too.”

A moment later Stardust cursed herself. Straw-hat only looked at her, not saying anything. She hadn’t wanted to admit that but maybe...maybe the Straw-hat would understand...

“You don’t want to...Beneath those graves, maybe there’s family members Ah knew before whatever happened. That’s something important. It’s the thing with the roots, All them ponies got them but Ah sit in mah home and don’t feel that. Ah don’t have history ,family. There’s no happiness or sadness, no experience...Ah feel empty.

“Ah know the smell is important, Ah know the apples are very important but that doesn’t mean Ah feel a connection to this place. It feels like Ah’m missing something here.”

Stardust remembered, “Did you hear the laughter?”

“The what now?”

“There are six Elements of Harmony and laughter is the one that prevails, so I have been told. Laughter carries on long after the Element is gone from a place and it’s kept by the people who remain. The Laughter in this place was so strong it got imprinted here not too long ago,” Stardust explained.

“What’cha mean?”

“Before that ‘whatever’ this place was filled with laughter, by you, by your ancestors and I’ve found the root for it already.”

Straw-hat smiled a sad smile, “An’ now you’re better connected to this place than Ah am.”

Stardust had always run away but now, this was safe...wasn’t it?

“I can show you.”

The pony with the large straw hat turned her head, “What?”

“Come, I’ll show you,” she said and jumped up, showing the pony through the darkness. She knew it was safe, the laughter would keep them safe, because that’s how it always was. The one element, the strongest in times of darkness.

Giggling at the ghosties.

They stopped before the wall of the house on the way to the tombstones. Stardust looked at it. “Okay, I’ve never done this before, but I’ll try anyway,” she said.

Straw-hat looked at her, then at the wall, then back at her. She seemed to wonder what was going on and that made Stardust smile a bit. She felt the magic of this place, she felt closer to it than yesterday, before she had visited the graves.

“Just stand there and be amazed.”

She closed her eyes and focused on the laughter. The lines of magic formed around her in all the shapes and colors that she could imagine and even more. She stood amidst a finely crafted artistic work, filled with the joy and happiness of centuries. She didn’t need to change anything. She just needed to expand her own field of vision. The unicorn concentrated heavily, took deep breathes and focused. Her magic worked and the she felt a surge of power. She imagined the Straw-hat with her and suddenly, with a *plop* she was there.

“What--”

Then, something happened.

They stood before the same house, no, a barn. An orange pony was trying to paint it and failing hard. On her head rested a cowboy hat, she had a blonde mane and three apples as Cutie Mark. She looked at the barn with a face that said she thought she’d never finish the wall. Until a pink, singing ‘thing’ appeared. Jumping and laughing.

It's true, some days are dark and lonely

And maybe you feel sad

But Pinkie will be there to show you that it isn't that bad

There's one thing that makes me happy

And makes my whole life worthwhile

And that's when I talk to my friends and get them to smile

With her help, the barn was finished in no time and the pink pony’s bright grin found itself on the barn.

Then the barn was gone, they stood before a large living house, an old pony with a large bow-tie in her hair sat in front of it with a foal on her lap. Around them was darkness but for a few lanterns scattered across the many, many apple trees. The old pony sat in a rocking chair, rocking and rocking. She sang a song to the foal, the same song the pink pony had sung before.

I like to see you grin

I love to see you beam

The corners of your mouth turned up

Is always Pinkie's dream

But if you're kind of worried

And your face has made a frown

I'll work real hard and do my best

To turn that sad frown upside down

The two looked at the scene for a moment, listened, before they stood before three more ponies. A stallion with pale yellow a coat, blue mane and a large straw hat, a mare with a pink mane and a silver coat and a small filly, green coat and blonde hair. They all sang.

Come on everypony smile, smile, smile

Fill my heart up with sunshine, sunshine

All I really need's a smile, smile, smile

From these happy friends of mine!

Then Stardust looked into the eyes of the alicorn, those pleading, hurt eyes. The hooves of the goddess were entwined with roots and her wings were made of leaves and flowers.

“Four...” she said.

Then, they stood before the wall again.

“Those were my parents...those were my ancestors,” the earth pony mumbled, taking her hat into her hooves. “My...parents...”

Stardust looked at her for a moment, then, the earth pony started to weep.

“Oh no,” the unicorn said, knowing full well how this was going to end. She didn’t want one more pony to hate her, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just thought-”

“Thank you, Stardust.”

She hadn’t been prepared for a hug of such proportions but the earth pony dropped the hat and embraced her friend. “It’s no problem,” the magic user said then and truly, it wasn’t. She had made someone happy with her magic, she had helped another pony.

The unicorn had only now realized it. She had her roots and as long as she didn’t forget she could become braver and stronger. She could help.

Stardust Arrow could help.

“Come on, let’s get us some apples,” the unicorn then said with a bright smile before they went to spend the rest of the day.

Somewhere afar, there was an echo. A song ending in the silence.

Come on and smile

Come on and smile!

Laughter remained.

He never forgave me later on, he thoroughly hated me. Everytime we'd see each other I just wanted to hide away. His eyes were filled with hate and spite, I could see his mood shift. If he hadn't believed in what we are he would've killed me one day for sure. He didn't.

His name was Limelight and my one memory is of me yelling at him to wake up, to run away together. The one brave thing I ever did, the one thing I don’t regret even though he hated me for it. I saved him, after I got everypony to move towards the castles. I saved only him because I was selfish before. It’s a daft tale really. A story best forgotten. The one with me being brave. Only I remember it and maybe I’m lying about it, too.

I hear the silence disperse and hear the roar of a beast. I want to run. I will run. I will always run.

The howl pierced through the darkness and Stardust was wide awake, “What?” she asked loudly. She found a candle burning, the gramophone playing. It was hopefully morning, although she couldn’t be sure. Did she just have a nightmare? She was sure to have heard-

In the distance there was another howl. She immediately jumped out of bed and levitated her armor out of the wardrobe and onto her back before running out into the hallway and to the entrance.

There she found Straw-hat already. She gave her one look to see if she was alright. The green pony had her bed hair and a shocked expression but aside from that everything seemed alright. Stardust stopped, shocked expression? That normally meant nothing good, she took a deep breath and slowly followed the gaze of the other pony.

Behind the many trees where only darkness should be, far away a bright light flickered. It was down the cliffs, Stardust knew immediately. She also knew it was a huge fire and not a normal one either. She felt shaking as another howl pierced the sky.

“What is that?” Straw-hat asked, obviously scared.

“The flames of Tartarus. Cinderwolves are coming.”

VIII

~Treasured Tombs~

End

Chapter 1 ~ Destitute Defenders

Chapter 5 ~ Seperate Stories

“Once upon a time,” Book Binder began. The azure pony started all of his stories like that, just like he’d look over his audience after he said that line. He looked at each and every one of them with his wonderful magenta eyes. They were a marvel, the mare found, just like his mane of dark blue, green and yellow streaks. It looked like ice-cream, tasty ice-cream.

After he was satisfied with the look his spectators gave him, he started speaking again. “Two princesses reigned over a land named 'Equestria'. One of them controlled the light of day, the other the light of night. These they called sun and moon and it was said that the days were so bright, you could see from the Crystal Mountains down to Appleloosa and still not see the horizon and even in the darkest hours the world beneath the skies was illuminated. During the nights, magical beings watched over all the living creatures. They were called stars. Creatures who looked down on the earth for all of eternity in the name of one of the two princesses, called Luna.”

The fillies looked at him in wonder. None but the oldest knew the story and that pleased Daydream to no end. She might have been a bit too old for listening to these old ponytales, but for one she always had liked them and for a second, Book had wanted her here. Still, even though she would’ve been able to tell the story on her own and wasn't here voluntarily, she listened intently. Her own bright blue eyes were fixated on the storyteller. She might've been here against her will but the story was good and it's teller gorgeous.

“Now, you have to know, there were tens of thousands of stars up there in the sky. Each and every one of them a beautiful thing, each and every one of them a wonder to behold, even for a mighty princess like Luna. And each and every one of them older than the princess or the ground she stood upon and in the beginning the skies did not bend to the will of either princess. In the darkness before the first dawn, the stars were scattered throughout the skies, yes, but they were too shy to show themselves in their full light and the mightiest of them all, the sun, was also the shyest of all. The princesses who looked at the land, wanted there to be light, so they talked to the sun and the stars but they did not speak their language.

“The princesses tried to talk to the stars over and over again. They made signs on the ground, they painted in the skies with their magic but the stars would not heed, for they could not understand the ponies so far beneath. Yes, Luna herself gave up at one point, admitting their failure but with a jest, her elder sister, the princess Celestia, lifted her spirits. They decided to split up, while Celestia would still try to find a way to talk to the stars, the younger sister would travel to another world to find someone old enough to teach her their language. So she spread her tiny wings and flew towards the moon.”

His foot stomped on the ground and he then lifted it skywards, symbolizing the way the princess flew.

“The journey was a long and harsh one, for the moon was a black spot amidst a sky that was as black as the one today and there were not yet any Ley-lines to guide the poor princess. Still, brave Luna didn’t stop and her stubbornness paid off. She landed on the moon and there she searched for a beast to teach her the ancient language. After a week's journey, she found someone: The Moondragon. A beast made of rock and sand and flame, only younger than time itself. Still, the beast lay dying of old age and only the light of the sun could give him his old strength back.

“‘I have come to learn to speak to the stars. Teach me, so that I can save you, poor dragon’ the princess said, nuzzling the old beast and the dragon agreed to her generous offer. For three years, three months and three days she stood on the moon and talked to the beast, learning the queer language of the stars and as the dragon's final hours approached she flew towards the sky once more, far away from Equestria and the moon.

“There, on the eternal fields of dreams she looked on all the stars and sang in their language: ‘I am Luna, third daughter of the Heavens and anointed ruler over the skies of night, the moon, the stars and striving comets. I have come to let you know, you beautiful stars, that all your lights are needed now, for our home is dark, my sisters without hope and above all else, the ancient guardian, the dragon of my moon, he is dying. Please shine your lights and aid us.’

“Even though she could’ve ordered them, she begged. Even though she could’ve made them bow, she bowed and thus the stars followed their humble princess. Before the first dawn then came the first night, the longest night, with all the constellations up their glittering, meteors rushing over the countries and the moon shining with magical light.”

Book Binder finished with a smile, “The End.”

With that his voice vanished and in the background, Three Strings could be heard playing the Lullaby of Trottingham as clearly as he could. All the kids had slept in, just as intended and if it weren’t for Book slightly nudging her, Daydream would’ve probably fallen into the land of dreams, too. He wanted to make sure she kept her promise and helped with the younger ones.

Really, she still thought it funny how a caravan of this size had four fillies in it. There was only a total of two guards: Old Shield, an earth pony who always said that he once had a beautiful caramel brown mane, but it was snow white and he had a beard that reached down to his hooves, so he’d often tumble over it; and Ditzy Dares, a brave, albeit clumsy pegasus, whose greatest feature wasn’t her black coat or mustard mane, no, it had to be her golden eyes. Daydream often found herself just looking at them whenever she had the chance and Ditzy stirring nervously at the ground and looking away was cute, too. She didn’t like Ditzy more than Old Shield, Daydream often told herself, she just had a weakness for cute mares.

Aside from them, there were three other caravan members. The pale yellow coated caravan leader whose name was Lemon Tart, he who had an aquamarine mane and the longest face Daydream had ever seen on a pony. Then there was Lemon Cake, Lemon Tart’s sister who had a claret red mane along her dark brown coat. The last one was Streamline, the stallion who had designed and built their wagons. He had made them more ‘aerodynamic’ and ‘stylish’ or so he proclaimed. Daydream had to admit, the muffinesque roofs were wonderuful to look at, although Book Binder always told him that back in the old days, those were the designs for the trainwagons. He had seen the pictures in a book.

Needless to say, Streamline didn’t like Book Binder very much. And, as Daydream had heard, until Diamond Dust had beaten them both up, they always had been at each other's throat. Sometimes, she feared, they were still at it when nopony was looking. She had heard stuff from the fillies and those were exactly the ones she was worried about the most. All the shouting and fighting might actually get to them and set a bad example. They had a chance to grow up in a safe environment like a caravan and still there were such little things to worry about. The pony didn't like that one bit.

She worried because all four of them were lovely girls. Yeah, Storm Cloud could be a bother sometimes and with Bittersweet it wasn’t hard to tell what her name meant, but she liked them all the same. Golden Bit and Whistle were both lovely little things and Golden even was the bravest of the bunch. She saw such things and Diamond often told Daydream how she had a bit of a motherly streak. The mare loved that idea. Someday, she might even settle down at an oasis and just take care of the orphans that were around. There were a lot of orphans around the settlements, she knew. Daydream was an orphan, too.

Carrying the kids into their respective beds wasn’t hard and after the work was well done, they quietly went out to look at the fire. They could sleep better if the only sound they were hearing was from Three String's play. As he closed the door of the wagon behind them, Book Binder smiled at her.

“Thanks. You’re a good helper and make a great addition to my audience,” he told her.

Daydream giggled and said to him, “When there’s a story to be had, I’ll be there.”

Just in that moment Thousand Miles hovered by, the bells on her tail making a melodious sound. She gave Daydream a mocking smile and from beneath her goggles, the unicorn knew the darkblue pegasus’s eyes looked down on her. Thousand Miles was as wild as that purple mane of hers and most ponies they had met didn’t like her. Granted, her attitude wasn’t the best but she was still a bit dependable. A bit, because she was so hard to get through and even though the earth pony knew how little the pegasus cared for her, she returned the smile with one of her own, a friendly one, so welcoming and nice as possible. It was enough to make Thousand Miles turn her head and move away quicker, towards the storage-wagon, one of the three wagons this caravan had.

“Does she ever get off her high horse?” Book asked, dragging her out of her thoughts.

“You know her,” she answered. They had only joined up about three weeks ago, but everypony had quickly established their place within the caravan, “at least she’s not grumpy anymore.”

Book laughed. When they had reached the caravan, the trio had been injured and had lost most of their goods. Of course, the great trader Thousand Miles had not been able to accept that for two weeks straight, yet right after she was done mourning, had gone into full snob-mode again. Diamond and Daydream had told the other ponies that she simply was like that. Still Miles being Miles never helped much.

She and Book sat down by the fireside where they had left their dinner. The caravan was rich and so they could afford food. As a matter of fact they had lots of trading goods like rare spices and a barrel of Zap apple cider, probably the last out there, not to mention all that stuff from the old equestrian mines. There was promise here and even something like dinner, which until now had been some measly oatmeal for the mare called Daydream now was a feast of southern and northern flowers atop fine baked goods.

Traveling in small groups had it’s own merits. The larger a caravan got, the worse the food distribution had to be, Daydream found. Fewer ponies ate less and if they had such competent traders as the Lemons, and now Diamond Dust amongst them then they'd get a lot of good deals in the cities and with the caravans they passed. Such good trading could only result in a large variety of extravagant meals. She dug into her food like every breakfast and every lunch and every dinner. It still felt wonderful to have three meals a day. Other caravans had like one or two meals a day and she was used to one meal every two to four days.

“So, you like stories, huh? How’d that come to be?” Book asked, obviously trying to make small talk. Daydream grinned, she knew that sometimes she could be absent-minded and was often called an airhead but she noticed already that he liked her. Liked her really much.

She turned her grin at him. “Oh, you see, it’s like I told you before. I grew up in the city of good ol’ Manehatten.”

He smiled, although it was an unsure smile. Book always seemed so close to engulfing her in a hug when she started her talks about Manehatten. The elder tales spoke that it had been a bristling metropolis once but nowadays you wouldn’t believe that. The Manehatten Daydream had grown up in was all dust, ruins and little communities fighting over every bit of fertile ground and drinkable water.

He knew about her past because she was open about it. He knew how the fillies and colts without parents gathered up or died in the streets, he knew how they had needed to steal and sometimes would go weeks without food. However, while to him these thoughts appeared to come like the nightmares of old, she was fond of her memories. Daydream had been lucky enough to meet such true companions in Manehatten. Companions that hadn't left her side until this day.

“We would always make up stories when we huddled up by the fire. None of us knew any songs, still we needed sound. We’d tell each other our secrets, what we were afraid of and when we were out of such talk we’d go on about our fantasies,” she told her friend, looking at the fire before them.

She knew Book didn’t follow her gaze. Lemon Cake had told her that she had heard him tell Old Shield that her ice blue coat looked positively dazzling in the light. He liked her, she thought, even though she preferred mares and made no secret of it. His love seemed almost innocent, like the one in a book.

“It must’ve been hard,” he said, like always when she’d talk about her past.

“No, not really. I was shy, but I liked to listen. Got my Cutie Mark that way,” she pointed towards the swirl on her flank, in the seven colors of the rainbow. A mark for her great fantasy. “I’ve always been good at making things up and the others really helped me to learn to get the fantasy into spoken words.”

“That sounds good... uhm... hey,” he said after a moment, “How about we, like settle down when we’ve made enough money with trading. Open a book shop in one of northern settlements, or by a southern oasis.”

The two stared at each other for a moment, then Daydream just turned away and ate her food up. Book Binder just watched her with a blank gaze, probably waiting for an answer that wouldn’t come. Instead she shifted the conversation in an unsubtle manner towards the Pale Tower and Book Binders history.

He talked, although his look told her that he had taken the shift in topic badly. He must have thought that it meant she had just declined him. Probably for the better, too. After that was finished, Daydream decided to go talk to Diamond Dust, who probably was counting bits at the storage wagon again so she went there. She left Book with nothing but a short goodbye, which left him again with a hoping gaze, why, she couldn't figure out. She didn't bother trying to puzzle him out, though, instead she walked. At the end of the short uneventful trip the mare found that, yes, after she reached the wagon the other mare sat there and couted bits.

Diamond Dust was slightly older than Daydream. A cyan unicorn pony with indigo colored stockings, alongside a purple and blue mane and three indigo spots on each side of the face. Daydream had to admit that Dimey was the most unique unicorn she had ever met. Her Cutie Mark was a giant Diamond with glittering dust around it. It spoke true, for the pony had her ways with gems, just as she had with other ponies. Everypony she knew respected her and she had become somewhat of an unofficial leader for the group in the short time they had spent here. Yes, Dimey, as Daydream called her, was the ultimate authority figure.

And so she greeted that figure with a: “Still as many as yesterday?”

The other pony looked up, “Did you pick your humour from Thousand? Because...she’s fast, not funny. Just because the words start with the same letter doesn’t make them the same, tell her that from me,” she said completely deadpan.

Daydream frowned. She knew many unfunny ponies but didn't consider herself among them. “I’m just saying, your hobbies seem to be making money, counting money and spending money. How about you hang out with the rest of us? Would probably do you some good to have some non-wealth related things in your life. Come on Dimey, you know you want some friends, too.”

The unicorn sighed. “Friends? I’ve made two of them, which seems enough to me, “ she said with the slightest hint of smile. That was the best she could muster, a slight hint. Daydream figured that the day Diamond could smile for real the sun would come out and all the flowers would start blooming. Still, the comment was enough to make Daydream beam, she loved Dimey more than anypony. However the positive atmosphere was ruined when the cyan mare followed up with: “And there isn’t much to do here but counting money. You know I don’t like getting too close to these ponies. If I had friends among them I would feel even worse about what we do.”

Daydream knew what she meant, “Yeah, but it’s necessary, isn’t it?” There was no illusion. Those were long gone. Neither of them would ever truly be able to follow a caravan again. All they needed was each other, the three of them could survive anything. Friends could come through anything.

“Yeah,” Dimey replied dryly. What then followed were a few awkward moments Diamond spent putting bits on top of other bits, all coming from a small chest which had the caravan’s fortunes stashed inside. Daydream just stood by her side and watched her.

“So,” Dimey started after a while, “I noticed you’ve been hanging out with Bookworm.”

“He’s called Book Binder.”

“Same difference. Anything particular about that? I thought you were into mares.”

The dry tone in which Diamond talked about sensitive stuff made it even more off putting than usual.

“I am, he... I just didn’t tell him,” Daydream said defensively.

“Yeah... right," the unicorn said rolling her eyes. "You are aware that playing games isn’t doing him any good?”

The earth pony looked down, quietly answering, “It is,” for some reason. She did not know why exactly she said that, but it certainly got Diamond Dust's attention. The mare turned away from counting bits and looked right at Dream.

“What?” she asked appalled.

Daydream looked around, the strings still played and she heard Old Shield laughing loudly, probably at a joke made at Ditzy’s expense, that appeared to be something of a standard happening as of lately. Then she found that they were safe she gave her full answer.

“I... I just think that, that it’s better to let him go on in hope for a while. I don’t think that shattering his heart twice in a row would be... I just can’t Dimey, I just can’t...”

She felt the other mare’s hoof on her shoulder, then moving onto her head, petting it softly. “You’re a good filly, you know that. Just make sure to not give him any hopes of having a chance with you. Best in a way he can still trust strangers that suddenly join up with the caravan,” she told her friend with that hint of an approving smile that always made Dream long for more. The darkness and the silence could take her if she could only see that mare smile once.

She nodded, with a bright grin on her face. She felt inspired, because unlike Thousand, Diamond only looked mean. The moment one got to know and understand how she worked, she was one of the best friends to have.

“Anyway, d’you know where we are, Dimey?” she then asked.

“It’s still a while, we’re not yet close enough. The Apples are nice ponies so they’re gonna hide a few traders and the Oaktongue’s got some incredible fresh water. It’s like the best in all of Equestria, or, to put it in Thousand's words, all of the world,” she swooned. A few weeks back, when she had told them of the Oaktongue and the orchards she had sounded far more longing but now that they had a decent meal everyday, her tone was far more matter of fact.

Daydream nodded, “When do you think it’ll be enough?”

There came no answer, obviously. Daydream actually knew better than ask that question but truthfully, she wanted to answer Book’s. She wanted to tell him: “I want to open an orphanage and we could publish our stories by the side.” That way, they could all settle down in a town, amidst the lights and the noise. They wouldn’t need to worry about sleeping too long or not making enough sound. There would be no need to ask questions about who knew any songs and who didn’t, how the guards were doing their job or who was an able trader amidst them. They could just go to a city and live in a way their special talents and dreams could be heeded. That was all she really wanted.

She turned around as Dimey started to count again. Looking over the fire and the camp. Now she saw Old Shield coming back from the wagon of the guard. He shook his head and grumbled. Daydream didn’t wait. More socializing waited for her.

“Hey, oldie,” she said loudly as she stepped towards him. By the side of the wagon where the fillies were sleeping, she could feel Three Strings’ glance.

“I told you not to call me that,” the white stallion grumbled angrily beneath his massive beard, “What is it, Head-In-The-Clouds-Pony.”

She looked at him for a moment, twisting her face in played disgust. “I told you I’d stop if you ever stop with the egregious nicknames,” she said, “You could kill people with that un-talent.”

He took that as a joke. Old Shield took all criticism on his behaviour as a joke and he would laugh with a boom that was the same as a cannon’s.

“Oh, you sure got me for a moment;” he said.

“Yeah,” she answered with an awkward laugh, “so, what did you do with Ditzy again?”

“Nothing, I just stated that her mother had a problem with her eyes a-”

“As a joke?”

He grumbled, “Why do you sound so accusing, that one would’ve taken that. Good ol' Toodle at least had a sense of humour unlike you lot.”

“Oldie, you know how sensitive she’s about her mom. Can’t you give her a break?” Daydream asked. She knew he couldn’t. It hadn’t taken long to figure out that all the jokes about Toodle Do were his way of keeping her memory alive. He had been her uncle, as far as Daydream had gathered it and never gotten quite over her demise. Even though Toodle had been one of the few ponies who had been granted to sleep after a long and fulfilling life. The earth pony still didn’t blame him. Old Shield was exactly that, an old guard who’d rather live in his glory days than now with all the ponies he had known gone to dream.

However, instead of just marching of grumpily, this time he reacted differently. He understood. “Yeah, you’re right. Always,” he muttered and turned around to go and fix his mistake.

When the trio had arrived Old Shield had constantly pestered the far younger guard, going so far as to accusing her of forgetting her own mothers’ death. Unlike with Book Binder and Streamline however it hadn’t taken some good old flank-kicking to set things right. Over the weeks all Daydream had needed to do was talk to both of them, be a friend to them. She found that friendship was a safer, better way. Sure, in the beginning she had only seen the crying klutz and the grumpy veteran but the earth pony had soon learned to like both of them, each with their own good side and bad side. Through that, she had helped them find each other.

As Old Shield went into the wagon she couldn’t help but smile to herself. Friendship always prevailed, just like in the tales.

Just like in the songs she remembered.

Thinking about that Daydream went to get Three Strings to play a song she could sing to.

The Lemons had been born and raised in the Crystal Mountains. They were what was often called ‘Dog raised’ since their substitute father had been a knight of Crystal Kingdom, which occupied the crystal mountains. It was ruled by diamond dog nobility and they were more civilized than the equestrian tribes. Being raised up there in the north one might expect the Lemons to be grim and stoic but they were clearly ponies. They relished company just like any other and understood the art of making friends. Basically, right now they were the closest thing a pony like Daydream had for a hero figure.

The pony had left Manehatten shortly after she had gotten her Cutie Mark. She herself, Diamond and Thousand Miles alongside another pony called Riverdance had followed the singer and that had marked their beginning. Riverdance had then gone to the frozen land to join the World’s Wake but had promised to always remember them. Then, basically, she and the other two had gone up and down the lands, joining one caravan and then another, 'trading goods' in between. Their days in Manehatten had teached them that they could trust each other but all the other ponies? Yeah, Daydream found herself clinging to the chance of having heroes to herself. She wasn’t that needy actually but the blue pony always felt that it was better to have somepony to worship.

Anyway, the Lemons were good to about anypony and showered them with friendliness, something anypony could accept, anypony but Thousand Miles, who used the time the others spend singing together lying on a wagon’s roof and looking at the skies through her goggles. They were brass and had dark shades on them. Still, Thousand always ran around with them on, claiming they were magical and let her see better in the dark. Of course, Daydream had always claimed it a lie and when she and Diamond had investigated back in their childhood days. They had found that you could see even less if you put the goggles on. Thousand had chased and caught them in but 5 seconds flat. It had been an unsuccessful and short lived theft but also one of the few times they had seen Thousand Miles being seriously wound up on something. Those goggles had always been her most prized possession.

It was one of the moments Daydream felt especially sociable when she climbed the storage-wagon. It had been hours since the fillies had been put to sleep and according to Diamond it was actually morning again.

“What’re you doing here?” Thousand asked, not really putting any thought into it, she looked at the blackness, her mind completely absorbed by her own thoughts.

“Just...checking on you,” Daydream said truthfully. Thousand never liked being in a place for too long.

“Can’t you bask in my awesomeness later? Or if you want I could draw you a picture of myself, so you can look at me every time you want,” the pegasus then said, full of herself as always.

“I don’t think-” Daydream began but was immediately interrupted.

“No need to say anything. Tell you what, you get me a piece of paper and something to write with, then I’ll draw you a picture. Of me. Hugging you. What? Sounds great? Tell you what, because it’s you Dreamy, I shall throw in my autograph for good measure,” she said, going into full smug-mode again. “Just imagine how you can tell everypony that you know me. I mean, I’m the greatest, the fastest and the most awesomenestestest flyer on the whole, wide world. For sure,” she turned her head towards the earth pony, grinning brightly, “you’re already way more radical when you're hanging out with me.”

The truth of the matter was, nopony liked Thousand Miles but she actually was the fastest flyer Daydream knew, so she probably had it correct when she claimed the bragging rights. Still, at one point, Dimey after a month and she herself after three days, most ponies learned to accept Thousand Miles for who she was. That was one of the reasons she wasn't groaning but simply smiling at the narcissim.

“You know, I actually feel cooler just by seeing you,” looking down on us, she added in her thoughts, “so much in fact that I think you can stop telling me that. Really, you’ve been going on how much you’re better than-”

“I’m not just better. I am the best!”

“...yeah, so, what I meant to say is-”

“I heard you talking to Dimey,” one thing was for sure, Thousand liked herself guiding a conversation, “Bookworm really loves you, huh? Good to see you steppin’ up the ladder. Now it’s not just fillies but gentlecolts, too.” Thousand gave her a proud look before she went over to the sky again, leaning her head on her front hooves. “I’m proud of you kiddo.”

“I’m one year older than you...and just because he likes me doesn’t mean I like him,” Daydream retaliated, thinking that the only bad point about friends was how they constantly meddled in stuff they shouldn’t really meddle in.

Thousand Miles just laughed, “Oh come on. Diversity isn’t that bad. I myself had three marefriends and two coltfriends back in Manehatten!”

There was boasting and outright lying. The most romantic Thousand had ever gotten was with her mirror image. Daydream rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure they all loved to hang out with you!”

“Hay yes they did. Not only could they date the one and only Thousand Miles, no, they also got free stickers and a hat with me brohoofing the oatmeal out of those horse apples!” She boasted loudly.

For a moment they were quiet and the wild fiddling and singing and bell-ringing overtook the moment. Then the two started laughing, loud, hard. Daydream found herself rolling around and holding her belly. She always liked it when Thousand turned her own boasting into a joke. It somehow always managed to catch her unexpected. It took them a while until even the remaining giggles left them.

“Yeah... no,” Thousand Miles confessed, “I don’t really need anypony to love me like that. It’s really just getting you into trouble.”

Daydream didn’t really know what to say to that but, “Yeah.” The pony would have liked being loved and caring for somepony else in ‘that’ way seemed attractive to her but somehow she felt it more important to stay true to her friends. Friendship always prevails, that’s what she had been taught and that’s what she wanted to believe.

Thousand took the goggles off her eyes, looking at the sky with her light aquamarine eyes. “We can’t stay much longer. He’ll hurt you in the end, they will all only hurt us. We need to finish things up and leave,” she said in a hushed voice and Daydream knew she was right. They had always learned it the harsh way. The pony didn’t even want to remember and Thousand always seemed so grim when she talked about it.

Daydream didn’t want this to go on like that. She needed a distraction, a change of topics. She sat there for a moment, before thinking of the perfect thing to say.

“Why in Luna’s name are we looking at the blackness?” And in her mind she added: Perfect!

Thousand let her left hoof knock on the glasses and regained her smug grin, “Too sad you can’t see through them,” she said, leaning back again, still keeping them on her forehead. She sighed. “Also, I’m looking because it’s sad.”

Growing up with black as the only worldwide color could be depressing, Daydream figured but it wasn’t a topic explored by too many ponies. Not since the darkness could actually eat you when you were too quiet. Ponies tended to not talk about harmful things. Still, this seemed incredibly odd for Thousand to bring up so Daydream said nothing.

As expected, the wild maned pegasus didn’t even wait for an answer. “I mean... you know that one story about the pegasus pony?” she asked, looking at Daydream who grimaced.

“Which pegasus?”

“Ugh...” Miles seemed to think, “Well, I forgot her name but all the stories about her are awesome. She was the fastest flyer in Equestria, the only pony to ever do an actual Sonic Rainboom, the Element of Loyalty and she had so many great adventures, you know the one:”

Daydream knew indeed, but the name had escaped her, too. She had always found the stories about the rainbooming pegasus way too over the top and hadn’t memorized them but Thousand had as it seemed.

“See, you do. What I’m saying is that in those stories and all the others, there’s always talk of a blue sky and a bright sun, there’s even grass and trees everywhere. I mean, clouds! Have you ever seen clouds, or rain? Have you ever felt wind or seen a storm throw mountains around? I sure didn’t,” the mare grumbled, “All we’ve got is rocks, dirt and more rocks on the ground with the occasional three trees and mud puddle. Back then, a forest spanned as far as the eye could see. Nowadays? Fifteen trees. Back then you needed bridges to cross the rivers. Nowadays? You hardly find a stream you can’t walk through or jump over. Back then, you could stand on the highest spot in Manehatten and see Los Pegasus. Nowadays? Black. All Black. It’s like the whole world is just a prison and it’s not even subtle about it. I mean, I don’t even know why I still have wings! To hover five feet above the ground? I should’ve been born an earth pony, everything’s easier for you. A unicorn has to deal with these freaky Ley-thingies, we Pegasuses don’t have any kind of freedom to actually fly. You’ve got it way too good. That rainbow pony... I bet I could fly faster than her. If you gave me a blue sky and clouds and wind I could be faster than anypony. I could prove them all I’m the best and no one would ever dare to doubt me again.”

Daydream looked at her friend. She had expected a few sentences, yes, but not a full-fledged rant. She looked up at the blackness, thinking about what she had just heard. A pony with wings yearned for freedom, she yearned for steady roots. All earth ponies probably wanted roots in the ground, a place where they could be remembered by, just like the Apple Family who persisted until today, not just on Sweet Apple Acres, but throughout the northern realm. What did unicorns yearn for, then? She looked up at the sky. Probably something that, too, would be solved if the skies were blue and bright and the grounds full of grass and fertile.

Still, the situation called for something positive, not more depressing lines, so after thinking about it, Daydream gave moral support a try.

“You can’t fly the way you want and I can’t stop to build myself a home. So... I guess walking the ruined roads together is our fate then,” she looked at Thousand Miles and smiled, “and it’s not a fate I find so bad.”

Thousand turned her look for a moment towards her before awkwardly asking, “Are you coming on to me?”

Daydream didn’t know what exactly happened but the next moment she was throwing her arms up and went down the roof, cursing Thousand and then as she made her way towards the songs still muttering to herself in the most angry way possible.

~Seperate Stories~

~End~