Mornings were usually quiet in Haven, mostly due to the fact no animal was alive to wake you up, with the exception of maybe a few growling Mimics here and there. Despite that, after a crammed-up sleep in a hammock it wasn't very difficult to wake up and stretch your body after a rather uncomfortable nap.

I lazily yawned and climbed out of my bed. I took a look out the small, foggy and grimy window my room used to peer into the plains. I sighed and turned to open the door, jumping a bit to see a yellow Earth Pony filly with a purple mane and a few bruises along her body standing there, curiously watching me.

"Jesus-" I knocked over a few object on my shelf after jumping in shock "Holy shit, kid! You don't creep on ponies like that when they're sleeping, got it? Nearly gave me a bloody heart attack!"

The filly looked down in disappointment. After seeing this, I calmed down a little.

"Sorry..." I shook my head "But what do you have to say for yourself?"

The filly shook her head frantically.

"You don't have anything to say?" I questioned "Now that's just plain rude. I mean, you're pretty young, but you look old enough to understand your pleases and thank yous."

"Dashie-" Pinkie entered, but was quickly silenced by my ramblings.

"In a second, Hun" I said before turning back to the filly "It can't be that hard, can it?"

"Rainbow Dash, can you please listen to me for a moment?" my wife put on her rarely used strict voice. I sighed and listened in on what she had to say.

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"The poor thing's mute" Pinkie said sorrowfully and simply.

"She's... What?" my eyes widened significantly before I looked back down at the filly, still looking very saddened by my recent behaviour "Oh... Um... Look, I'm sorry, kid. I had no idea..."

"Since she can't speak and she doesn't even know her own name, I've decided to name her Quiet" Pinkie got out of her strict tone and smiled "I think it suits her; mysterious, small, mute. No offense, sweetie."

Quiet merely shook her head and smiled, telling us she was okay with those words. She then turned back to me and tugged on my front right hoof, urging me to go somewhere with her. I tried to pull back, but Pinkie came and stopped the young filly for a moment to speak with me.

"I know you don't like her too much, Dashie" she whispered so Quiet wouldn't hear "But I promised her to take her out today to play, but I need to stay home and do some housewife things and the sort. Can you take her out instead?"

"If take her out you mean give her to the neighbors, then sure" I whispered back, leaving to do as I said, until Pinkie stopped me.

"She's already grown attached to us, Dashie" Pinkie told me straight "Just please, try and bond with her for me, okay? Remember our talk last night."

"...yes, dear" I sighed, allowing Quiet to drag me outside my home to do what she wanted to do for the day.

We went right up next to the Bonfire where Quiet simply stared at it. I wasn't as much concerned than I was really freaked out. I know what fillies her age like doing, and staring intently into large fires in certainly not one of them. I would've questioned why she was doing that, but I didn't really care so long as she was getting some enjoyment from it. She wouldn't have been able to answer me anyways.

"So... What do you do for fun besides staring at flames?" I asked Quiet before she turned towards me and smiled, grabbing my front right hoof again and dragging her off toward the Ravaged Plains "Whoa, whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves, okay? That's the Ravaged Plains right there! Y'know, the place we found you?"

She gave a quick gasp.

"...I'm guessing Pinkie never told you..." I looked around frantically, thinking about what I should say "Look, um... We found you with all those bruises yesterday and..." I sighed in defeat "...Forget it. The less you know, the better, I suppose. Though, it's a bit late now..."

Quiet simply smiled joyfully and hugged me before grabbing my hoof again and dragging me over to the dirt and debris-filled field once covered in flora and thriving with fauna. She sat me down on the very same hill from earlier and looked out over the plain. I looked at her, her eyes staring intently on the field, seemingly emotionless to her surroundings. Did she feel what I felt ever day? Somehow I doubted that. She turned up and looked at me with a warm smile on her face. She reminded me of...

"No, stop!" I quickly turned away from her, huddling up so she couldn't see my face "Not again! I can't lose another one!"

I heard Quiet gasp behind me. Silence was all that surrounded us for a minute or two. Finally, I began to softly cry. As I did, I felt two warm hooves on my back.

"I... I'm... " I tried to hold back my sadness "I'm sorry, I just..."

I turned around and saw Quiet giving me a gentle smile. She patted me on my back, urging me to explain why I acted why I did. She looked at me patiently, but I never knew why. I could have left right there and then to give some time to recollect myself, but for whatever reason, I stayed behind. I sighed and began to speak.

"A long time ago," I said, taking a deep breath and preparing myself to look back on the past again "this entire plain was grass and trees. I lived happily with my friends and family, and there really wasn't much in the way of conflict, with the exception of a monster or five every so often..." I chuckled a bit before recalling my most dreaded day "...But then, something happened. A bomb went off and either killed or mutated every single pony in Equestria, causing what you see here."

Quiet lowered her head in sorrow for a second before looking back up at me with sad eye, urging me to continue. I wasn't sure how long I could handle the pain or how much she could take the truth. Taking a deep breath, I continued speaking.

"There was a filly about your age" I shuddered a bit "She was always such a sweetie. Even though she got into tons of trouble with her friends, her intentions were always pure. Then, on the day the bomb went off, I..." I swallowed a bit "...I lost her."

The filly beside me seemed to be lost. It seemed she didn't know what I was talking about. I suppose it was for the better; the less she knew, the less she would be traumatized. I decided to end the story right then and there, slightly disappointing Quiet. Her mood was soon turned around when she eyed the sword I had forgotten to take off my back when I went to sleep.

"What, this?" I asked curiously, unsheathing my sword with my front left hoof and showing it to the little filly "This is my Edge Sword. I made it myself with something I picked up on the road to Haven here..." I rubbed my bandage a bit before realizing Quiet was trying to take the sword out of my grasp. Quickly, I pulled it back, refusing that she'd be hurt by me.

"Okay, that's enough for today..." I sheathed my sword back where it belonged "I don't... I don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

The yellow filly nodded.

"Good" I turned back to Haven whilst continuing to speak with Quiet "Now, I'm not sure what else we can do from here on out... I mean, you could go and stare at the bonfire again if that makes you happy, or you could meet up with the neighbors... What do you think?" I turned back to where she sat only to see she wasn't there anymore. I looked over to the plains and saw she had begun walking further away from the village.

"QUIET!!" I shouted, racing towards her. She turned around and stared at me in confusion before I picked her up off the ground with my wings and placed her on my back. Only god knew what lay beneath all that trash.

"For Christ's sake, Quiet, don't do that again..." I sighed before I walked back home "Maybe Pinkie was wrong for once. I knew I wasn't cut out for this kinda-"

I heard the clanging of metal moving and the sound of something unnatural clicking behind me. My eyes widened in fear. I knew what that clicking was. Slowly, I turned around and saw a quadrupedal insect-like beast much taller than me with a grey exoskeleton, a long neck and darker grey abdomen, as well as two bright yellow compound eyes staring at the filly and me in every direction possible. Its legs had been replaced with sharp bone from its previous life as a pony, forming four blades that could cut through solid metal. I recognized it immediately as a species of Taint.

"A Skell?" I questioned the beast in front of me "All the way out here? No, that can't be right... Something's definitely wrong... Quiet, run back to the village. I'll take care of this thing."

However, Quiet refused to budge.

"Now's not the time, kid" I urged her to get away "You gotta make a run for it!"

Still she refused to climb off my back and flee.

"Stubborn little... Fine, stay! Like I care anyways..." I shook my head and grabbed my sword with my mouth, pulling it out of its sheath and pointing it right at the Skell "Alright, it's game time!"

Without knocking Quiet off my back, I extended my wings and flew upwards, looking for a good place to strike the mutated pony. As I was looking, I never noticed it charging up an attack, and sure enough it headbutted me, sending Quiet tumbling down onto the debris. She shook her head around and moved out of the way, allowing me sigh in relief. I then turned my attention back to the Skell with anger in my eyes.

"Alright, you so need to die!" I shouted as I charged right at its left eye and sliced it right off with my sword, causing it to burst and splatter its yellow blood all over the hill. It roared in agony, stepping back a bit and bearing its pincers at me. It wasn't long before it regained its bearings and faced me again.

"Still up for more?" I asked the creature, knowing it couldn't reply "Damn... For a bug, you sure are pretty fucking persistent. Fine then... Taste my-"

Without warning it swung its neck around and used its head as a battering ram against my body. I managed to stay in-flight, but the blast had knocked down my sword onto the ground. Without thinking, I flew to go and get it, but the Skell raised one of its front legs and slashed at me, preventing me from retrieving my blade.

"Oh no..." I muttered to myself "Quiet's down there, but..." suddenly, I saw that she had begun racing towards my sword to go and grab it back for me "QUIET, DON'T GET CLOSE!!"

She outright ignored me. The Skell had been distracted by Quiet's movements, but I feared if I even tried to move it would slice me in two. As much as I hated to admit it, that filly was the only one who could help me now. But I saw a fire in her eyes that I could see even from the sky. It was a burning passion unlike anything I had ever seen.

My thoughts were interrupted when Quiet took out my sword from the pile of rubble and dashed up the hill with it. I held a deep breath as the Skell attempted to crush her with its giant blades where its hooves once where. To my relief, the filly managed to reach the top of the hill without being killed and threw my sword back at me. Just before I caught it in my mouth again, I let out the breath I held for all that time.

I looked right back at the monster and, without a single word, leaped onto its head and began stabbing my sword in its brain. My blade had become absolutely covered in yellow blood, but with one final thrust, I tilted my sword to the left and snapped its neck, killing it almost immediately.

(Music Stop)

The Skell collapsed on the ground, very little blood still leaking out now. I gently glided back down to where Quiet was patiently awaiting me. At the same time, Pinkie had rushed out to see if anything bad had happened to us during our battle. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly impressed with the filly at the moment.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I asked her crossly "That think could've killed you! In fact, it never would have never attacked you in the first place if you never rushed out in the open without me!"

"Dashie, please, calm down" Pinkie held Quiet, who had begun crying a bit "You're scaring her..."

"Pinkie, if that brat hadn't run out like that, she wouldn't have gotten in danger from being mutilated by that Skell!" I argued. This was the point when Quiet broke free of Pinkie's loving grasp and ran back to the house with tears in her eyes. My wife just looked at me with disappointment.

"Rainbow Dash, you should be ashamed of yourself..." she said, shaking her head "What would have happened if Quiet wasn't there to awaken that Skell? Think about it."

"Pinkie, I-" I was about to answer her, but she turned away from me and began walking back to our home. I reached out a hoof, about to call her back, but I eventually put it back down. A feeling began to swell up within me; a feeling I was all too familiar with: regret. I silently looked down at the ground as I continued my walk back home as well.

As soon as I entered the house, Pinkie said nothing to me as she continued to cook dinner for us tonight. I couldn't blame her for being upset with me after earlier. Feeling guilty, I looked to her and spoke.

"Pinkie, where's Quiet?" I asked my wife.

"She's in my room" she answered "But I don't think talking with her is a good idea right now. And before you ask, I give you full permission to speak with her. But like I said; not the best idea."

"Thanks..." I nodded before walking over to Pinkie's room's door. Opening it as quietly as I could, I peered inside and saw Quiet on Pinkie's hammock, softly crying to herself. She made little noise due to her vocal cords being underdeveloped and all, but I could tell still due to her body shaking up and down with every sob. I entered the room and closed the door behind me, making Quiet gasp in shock. She quickly turned around and saw me, but instead of wanting me to leave, she simply watched me curiously. I gently flew myself onto the hammock, sitting next to her.

"Hey, Quiet..." I greeted.

She merely turned away from me after realizing I wanted to speak to her about earlier. I sighed, knowing if I tried talking to her about it right away, she wouldn't listen to what I had to say. Instead, I tried to talk about something else.

"...Y'know, when I was your age," I began, making the filly look back at me a bit "I used to play and race around so much. One day I would be a pirate captain, the next, I'd be a scuba diver and so on and so on. Of course, I got into tons of trouble..."

Quiet looked away again when I said the word "trouble". However, I stayed on my story.

"Look, Quiet..." I sighed "I... I overreacted back there. I just... didn't want to lose another kid thanks to my stupidity. In fact, I wanted to, um... thank you for what you did today."

The filly looked back up in confusion, now giving me her full attention.

"Yeah, really" I nodded "If you hadn't had gone out there, who knows if I would've found that Skell or not. Eventually, it would have destroyed our little village of Haven from right under our noses... So, thanks, kid. Could you ever forgive me?

Quiet wiped away a few of her tears and smiled at me before embracing me with a hug. I was a little surprised at first, but soon enough I began hugging her back as well. After we let each other go, I allowed Quiet some space and exited the room, only to see that Pinkie was right outside the door. I closed the door and listened to what she had to say.

"Thank you, Dashie" she smiled "So, can we keep her?"

"I dunno..." I chuckled a bit before winking quite suggestively "Why don't we think about it tonight after dinner?"

"It's a deal, sexy" she kissed me on my cheek and walked back to the stove to begin making dinner again. I smiled before heading off into my room and taking a short nap in my own hammock.

"Maybe the kid isn't as bad as I thought..." I quietly said to myself before closing my eyes and attempting to get some shuteye.

Author's Note

Did I give you warm fuzzies inside? If not, that's okay. I can't please everyone, right?

Well, looks like Rainbow Dash has gotten used to a little kid in her home. Now they'll live happily ever after sort-of in their post-apocalyptic world, right? Read the description next time guys. Remember when I said not to get used to all the warm and light-hearted content in this story.

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then, this is SuperKamek signing off!