Shift in Spectrum

Chapters

1 - Found by Chance
2 - Chosen by Force
3 - Side by Side
4 - Named by It
5 - Met by Threat
6 - Possessed by Fire
7 - Stormed by Humanity
8 - Damaged by Seperation

1 - Found by Chance

Hills of sand rolled endlessly into the horizon. Each varied in shape and height, but all were equally unremarkable and dreary. A paved road, cracked and broken from time, was the only element that offset the sand. It ran in a straight line, never deviating to either side as it cut into the landscape. Where it lead was hidden in a haze, merging with the wasteland like there was no true end to it. The silence was heavy in the air; stray gusts of wind sang their hushed melodies as they swayed and swerved through the sand.

The rumbling of an engine broke the still air, and it only got louder before a car screamed down the road, leaving a trail of thunder in its wake. It was painted black, but dirt clung to the side, giving the car a hue of tan as well. Two large tanks lay in the exposed trunk, pumping precious gasoline to the V8 engine jutting from the hood. This is where its name originates: the V8 Interceptor, a souped up muscle car. Its whine echoed through the hills for kilometers, as well as the ears of the driver. He sat on the right, clutching the wheel firmly. His eyes were set on the haze at the end of the road.

A man in black, he had a leather jacket and pants as dark as the Interceptor, with a shoulder pad on on his right. His short brown hair and stubble wavered in the breeze as it rushed past him. Despite the speed he traveled, the driver was more concerned of a possible ambush. The wasteland was unforgiving to those who didn’t pay attention. The moment the driver let his guard down was the moment he was a dead man. He lived long enough to know that rule by heart. It was a part of the law of the ruined world, one only governed by each individual.

Survival.

Blinking, the driver rubbed his eyes. Having no windows meant dust could easily slip into the Interceptor. It was those fretful moments the driver couldn’t waste time. He hastily pulled his hand away to suddenly find a girl’s face flying right at him. He winced, bracing for some sort of impact. But when none came, he released the breath he had held. The face was gone as quickly as it came. The ease that the driver had was replaced with gripping alarm. His breathing had increased as he shook his head, furrowing his brow. His sunken eyes kept their focus on the horizon even more than last time.

And it was that focus he was able to catch a glimpse of something blue. It was so far away it was almost like a piece of the sky had fallen in front of his path. The driver didn’t show much interest in it, his face remaining stoic. However, the longer he drove, the closer the blue speck became, until the driver could see it was an actual object of some sort. Even still, the driver merely raised a brow, still unaffected by the potential obstacle.

The blue object revealed more of itself as the driver closed the distance. Lines of color made up parts of the blue, in a formation not seen by anyone for a long time. Instead of dismission, the driver was intrigued before it melted into a hard expression. He released one of his hands on the wheel, moving it to the sawn-off double barreled shotgun holstered at his side. He slowed down just enough to be able to scan the hills. They were as unappealing as ever, but the driver narrowed his eyes regardless.

It wasn’t until the Interceptor was a couple meters away did it come to a halt. The brakes whined for a split second before the humming engine was the only sound left. Pushing the door open, the driver stepped out, keeping one foot inside and over the gas pedal. With shotgun in hand and ready to fire, the driver made another sweep of his surroundings. Nothing popped out, there was no other engine sounds; it was a good sign so far.

Exiting the Interceptor completely, the driver slammed the door shut, pointing his shotgun to the right and left, his head whipping every which way. Still nothing. Sighing, the driver holstered his shotgun, facing the object he had stopped for. There was no denying it was an actual object and not a hallucination, as it had the dimensions and look of a solid entity.

The driver walked forward, the metal leg-brace on his left squeaking as he studied the object intently. It was alive, a creature - more specifically a pony - breathing as its sides expanded and compressed. Bird-like wings were on each side, fluttering every so often. Four hooves were in the place of feet and hands, and the muzzle on its face was prominent, allowing it to snore softly. Pristine fur covered its body, perfectly replicating the sky. The clean mane on its head was what made up the stripes of color, and it was what the driver paid the most attention to.

“A rainbow,” he muttered, his voice raspy and nearly unintelligible, especially through his Australian accent. The pony’s vibrant mane was also her namesake, Rainbow Dash.

Max stood over her body and glanced at her smile. She was at peace, and the driver wavered. His eyes traveled up and down Rainbow Dash, from her tail - also a rainbow - to her strange lightning tattoo to her muzzle. He swallowed as he kicked her lightly, but Rainbow made no indication that she felt it. A couple more taps of his foot proved she was in a deep slumber. All curled up like she was sleeping on the softest pillow on Earth.

Another look around and still no movement. If an ambush had been set there, it would have sprung by then. Rainbow was truly alone. Nodding, the driver pulled his shotgun out again. Pressing the short lever on top, it opened up the barrels. Two shells rested inside, and with a jerk of his arm, the driver closed his shotgun before taking aim at the Rainbow’s head. His finger was ready and twitching, and without a hint of hesitation, pulled the trigger.

There was a sizzle, but no shot. Growling, the driver lifted up the shotgun, examining it before shaking his head. A misfire. With one more shell, the driver took aim again. However, as he steadied his hand, he found his vision blurring, distorting his view. Something whispered nearby, like a far off echo next to his ear.

Max…

The driver’s name. A simple thing, yet rarely heard by him or anyone. Max shook the voice off as he clutched his shotgun tightly, using his other hand to support his arm. Both were trembling and he couldn’t stop it. Another whisper, louder than before, and he grimaced.

Max.

No matter how much he struggled, he didn’t pull the trigger. Grunts escaped his dry lips, his hands shaking harder with each passing second. In a flash, a girl was standing between Max and Rainbow.

Max!

The whispering had turned to a shout, and Max jerked back, his shotgun pulling up as he pulled the trigger. Unlike before, a small explosion emanated from it, nearly knocking him to the ground as the blast discharged harmlessly into the sky. Rainbow shot awake with a yell, her head perked and panicked. Max was still getting over the shock of the voice in his head, as well as steadying himself.

Rainbow launched into the air, her wings beating rapidly as she floated a good length away from Max. He could only watch as she hovered in the air, staring at him with fear. He didn’t express much from the phenomenon of a flying pony, but locked his gaze with her own, his arms spread out. Rainbow’s magenta eyes widened.

“Who the hay are you!?” she shouted, squeaking at the end. Her breathing was very audible as it sped up. Max was expressionless, though didn’t make any sudden movements as he slowly took a few steps back. “And what was that noise!? And where am I? And…”

She drifted off as she looked over Max. Humming to herself, Rainbow rubbed her chin, drawing closer without much caution. Max gave a sideways glance to his shotgun, still empty. His muscles, however, were ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Though Rainbow was startled before, she was untroubled as her gaze remained on Max.

“You know, you look kind of funky,” Rainbow noted frankly, crossing her forelegs. “You remind me of… well, nothing really. I bet Twilight would know." she looked around the area, “I wonder if that egghead is in this place.”

Her eyes eventually landed on the horizon where Max had come from. Squinting, she tilted her head to the side as she pointed a hoof.

“Who are they?” she asked, confused more than shocked. On the other hand, Max whipped his head back, finally showing an emotion: agitation. A large dust cloud swirled and blew about a kilometer away. Cars - their dark, wide bodies giving them away - drifted along the road in front of it, swaying back and forth amongst each other. It was at that moment did the rumbling of engines reach Max’s ears.

Hissing to himself, Max wasted no time rushing to the Interceptor, slipping his shotgun back into his holster. Rainbow remained still, curiosity building up as she kept her hooves dangling. She looked between the approaching vehicles and Interceptor with perplexity.

“What are those things?" she asked before she grew cross. “Answer my questions already! Don’t just get in your… thing! Where are you going!?”

The only response she got was the squealing of wheels as the Interceptor burned rubber. As soon as the wheels caught, it sped forward, the engine once again thundering as the Interceptor blazed down the road. Despite the circumstances, Rainbow smiled as it raced off at an astounding speed.

“Whoa!" she said in astonishment. “That thing is fast. Heh, not as fast as me though!”

With one final look back at the approaching cars, who were close enough to distinguish each vehicle, Rainbow rolled one of her forelegs in its socket, her smile turning into a confident smirk. Flaring her wings, Rainbow pushed them with all her might, sending herself careening after Max. A rainbow trailed after her, and the group of cars in pursuit had reached it before it faded away, hoops and hollers resounding amongst them. Their own engines roared like beasts on a hunt, ready for another slaughter.

2 - Chosen by Force

The roar of the V8 engine resounded through the hills, increasing the speed of the Interceptor little by little. The other cars could be heard still, alongside the yells of the group that drove them. Pounding on the steering wheel, Max pressed harder on the gas pedal, but it would not go any further. He was already flooring it.

A blast of blue flames burst from the exhaust pipes of a truck leading the pack. The others followed its example, their nitro propelling them closer with each use. The Interceptor was fast, but their nitro kept up with him easily. Pulling out his shotgun, Max held the steering wheel in place as he reloaded it, retrieving two more shells from a nearby bag. Finished, he held it up next to him, glancing back to the group chasing him.

Their car bodies were littered with bullet holes. Sunlight streamed through the ones on their roofs, just barely illuminating the occupants. Each wheel had four spikes jutting from them. Facing forward again, Max shook his head. He had dealt with the group the other day. Leopards.

A flash of blue caught his attention. He jerked his shotgun to the driver’s window, almost leveling it with Rainbow Dash. Her eyes were half-lidded, flying as if it was a pleasant afternoon.

“You should probably know who you’re dealing with here,” she explained, holding up a hoof to examine nonchalantly. “Just to make things fair. I’m the Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria.” Max stared at her for a second more before putting his attention back on the road ahead. Rainbow furrowed her brow, fake coughing into her hoof. “I said, fastest flyer in Equestria. I don’t want to make you nervous or anything, but you should probably rethink this whole race.”

At the mention of the last word, Max raised his own brow but otherwise remained unmoving. “Hello?” Rainbow called, waving a hoof. “Anypony home in there? You can at least give me your name.”

She reached a hoof towards him, but wasn’t even close to touching him before Max aimed his shotgun at her forehead. The twin barrels pushed her away while Max glared harshly at her. The nudge made Rainbow falter in her flight, taken off guard by his actions. However, she glared right back at him as she swatted the shotgun away.

“Okay, okay, jeez,” she said, flying normally with her forelegs in front of her. “You don’t need to shove your stick in my face.”

Once again, Max was silent, and Rainbow rolled her eyes. With a hard flap of her wings, she ascended above the Interceptor, keeping pace with it. Despite Max’s behavior, her snideness returned in florish. The wind blew through her mane, her heart raced, and the only clouds around were far away. Turning her attention to the Leopards behind Max, she spotted six vehicles in total. All but one were the same; five cars and a truck. The latter had a large harpoon gun bolted to the bed with a man wielding it. Blue flames erupted from the exhaust pipe of the lead truck, putting it a meter or two closer to the Interceptor.

“These clowns are the competition?” she laughed, clutching her stomach. “This race will be a piece of cake.”

Her wings gave a couple more flaps, gaining just enough height before diving back down. The wind picked up, whistling in her ears, but it didn’t detract her in the least. With the extra speed, she was able to reach the front, still a couple meters above the Interceptor.

Max regarded her for a moment before grunting in frustration, “Fucking thing thinks it’s a game.”

Behind him, in the lead truck, a man crawled out through the side window. His fingerless gloves gripped the rusted bars running along the side. It was a smooth climb onto the roof, and he stood upon it openly, presenting himself with arms spread wide. A dozen black spots randomly dotted his back. A rope was tied around his waist, with some extra flowing behind him, along with his long, black hair. Clothing was sparse on him; he only had pants on, which were bleached yellow from age. Strapped to his wrist was a single knife. He was the Leopards’ leader, Pedant.

“My leap!” he bellowed, garnering the attention of the other men. All of them stuck their heads out, gazing upon the man on the roof. Pedant pointed to the Interceptor, his vision sweeping over the others. “A Gazelle drives before us! As the Voice has prescribed, waste not the prey of the hunt, and gain the bountiful meat that nourishes!”

“Leopards!” the men chanted, pumping a fist into the air. All at once, other men climbed out of the windows of the other cars, each one standing on the roofs. They were different from Pedant, lacking the rope around the wastes. Even their backs bore fewer spots, ranging from six to ten. However, they were equally as clothed and armed, and far more rowdy. They clapped their hands, hitting the roof of the cars with fists, and screamed over the roars of the engines.

Without so much as turning his head, Max sighed.

The Leopards’ display interrupted Rainbow’s concentration. It was hard to brush off their act while maintaining a high speed. Her falter pulled her back a bit, putting her directly above the Interceptor instead of ahead of it. Pedant beheld her with both arms, looking to the others again with vigor.

“And yet another Gazelle!” he said with a raised fist. “Take out the first one, and the other shall follow!”

“Leopards!” the men chanted again, their own fists raised.

Rainbow looked behind her in bafflement, scratching her head, “Are these guys a team or something? They sound like they lost their marbles.”

The rambunctiousness of the Leopards’ toned down as Pedant held up his hand again, palm open. The other men were tense, the drivers hunching over with gleeful smiles while the ones above bent their knees with bated breath. And when Pedant threw his arm forward, cheering loudly, the others cheered as well. The exhaust pipes of every car burst with blue fire, and they all launched forward.

The lead truck slammed into the back of the Interceptor, causing it to skid. Max wrestled with the wheel until he had control again. The short stall, however, allowed the other cars to clump together around the truck. The harpoon gun aimed and fired on the Interceptor. A whirling noise was heard as a harpoon, a metallic rope tied to it, struck one of barrels on the back and locked in place. Gasoline gushed out from the hole, filling the back compartment. The odor wasn’t hard to miss, and Max ground his teeth. Being so close, and attached to the lead truck, it wasn’t difficult for the Leopards to slowly hop from car to car, making their way to the front.

“Are those guys cheating?!” Rainbow Dash asked, her head jerking back. “I mean, it’ll make it easier for me to win, but I was going to do that anyway!” She swooped down, just a meter above Pedant. “Hey, bozos! Let’s keep this clean, alright? I want to win fair and square, and not cause you cheaters made it harder on that guy.”

She gestured to the Interceptor, where Max tried his hardest to pull away from the others. He put all his might into turning the wheel, and only managed to slightly sway the Interceptor back and forth. The harpoon kept him harnessed to the truck and prevented him from driving off. Cursing quickly, he turned back again to see the Leopards already reaching the lead truck, brushing by Pedant. He stared up at Rainbow in awe, holding his chin with a hand.

“You are far more like a true Gazelle,” he noted with a nod. “Perhaps the only creature close to one! You shall make a fine sacrifice to the Voice!”

“Sacrifice?” Rainbow questioned, her face in disgust. “Who sacrifices people? That’s just wrong.”

Pedant merely chuckled, holding his knife close to his chest as the first man jumped onto the Interceptor. Max didn’t waste a moment, whipping around with his shotgun and blasted the man on top of the barrels. The shot hit center mass, sending the man flying back onto the hood of the truck, cracking the windshield. Another man got clipped by him, and nearly fell off before catching himself on the handholds.

One of Rainbow’s ears twitched from the noise. Her eyes landed on the man splayed on the hood of the truck. Her breath hitched in her throat. His torso was a mess of blood and bone. He didn’t scream, didn’t move. He was dead.

And she could have ended up just like him.

The other men shied away, keeping their distance as Max waved his shotgun around the back. Though Max couldn’t aim anywhere past the hood of the truck, the Leopards stayed back, either beside Pedant or the harpoon gun, looking up to the former. Rainbow watched them before her eyes traveled down to the Interceptor. To Max holding his shotgun. The one Rainbow had thought was a strange stick.

“This Gazelle wants to put up a fight,” he said, bearing his teeth in anger before addressing the others. “The Leopards are higher in the food chain, so says the Voice! Put your confidence in him and do not falter!”

“Leopards!” the group cheered with fists in the air, all sense of fear disappearing. They clamored for the Interceptor, climbing along the sides - though slowly - as well as the trunk. A man in the trunk was easily taken out by another fire of Max’s shotgun, and the victim fell back onto the gas barrels.

The return of another shotgun blast knocked Rainbow out of her stupor. She flew from side to side, her forelegs rubbing each other.

“If that guy is a… killer, then is he the bad guy?” she asked herself, her ears drooping. “Those guys attacked him first, but they didn’t kill somepony.” She clutched her head, her hooves digging into her fur. “What’s going on here?!”

Another fire of the shotgun put attention back to the situation. A man hanging on the left side of the Interceptor, at the window, let go of his handhold, dead. His limp body fell to the road before being swallowed underneath the Leopards’ cars. The way the cars lurched up over the body made Rainbow shudder.

Another man crawled through the back window, and Max aimed at him. Before he could pull the trigger, his car went over a bump in the road, and a knife-wristed hand flew through the driver’s window, centimeters away from his throat. Max dropped his shotgun to grab the arm. With a yank, the offending man’s head followed, and got an elbow to the face from Max. Blood gushed from his nose as Max let go of him to sock him in the jaw, and finished it up by kicking open the door. All of the abuse was enough to knock the man off the Interceptor, who hit the road before the cars took him like the other.

Just as Max shut the door, a man leapt onto the roof, announcing himself with a loud metallic thud. Max snatched his shotgun and stuck it outside, pointing it above himself where he had heard the noise, and fired. The man flew off, screaming before tumbling onto the road.

Rainbow still didn’t make a move, even after watching several people die. Her breathing was amplifying, and she looked at the violence with uncertainty.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” she rambled, hooves covering her mouth. “I-I don’t know what to do. If Twilight was here…” She gasped as an idea came to her. “I’ll stop them from fighting! Yeah! Maybe they’ll listen to each other or-or something.”

Pedant still stood atop the roof of the truck, and Rainbow swooped over to hover in front of him. She raised her hooves towards him just as he took a step back from her sudden appearance.

“Listen, dude,” she said, her anxiety shifting into desperate defiance, “I don’t know why you’re messing with that guy, but just call your friends off. We can work something out-”

Hands lashed out and grabbed a hold of her forelegs. Rainbow squeaked from the pressure; her hooves were already going numb. Pedant grinned demonically, bringing her closer as she brought her head back in response. No matter how fast Rainbow flapped her wings, she couldn’t break free. The stench of his breath made it even harder.

“Your words mean nothing, sacrifice!” Pedant declared with a laugh. “The Voice is who we follow, and he says all Gazelles are food for the Leopards!”

“Let me go!” she demanded, clenching her eyes shut before holding up her hind legs and kicking Pedant square in the chest. He coughed as the air was knocked out of him, falling back into the truck bed. The kick sprung Rainbow away with a yell before landing on the roof of the Interceptor.

She lied on her back when Max had finished inserting two more shells into his shotgun. A groan escaped Rainbow’s lips, disoriented from the impact. Another jerk of Max’s arm clamped the shotgun shut, and he raised it over the side like he did before, but a tuft of Rainbow’s mane drooped over the windowless windshield. It’s rainbow color was unmistakable.

Max.

The girl echoed in his ears, and he grunted, tucking his shotgun back into the Interceptor to clutch his head. Facing the road ahead of him, he blinked. His earlier discomfort evaporated in an instant as he tightly clutched the wheel, narrowing his eyes at the obstacle ahead. The road lead them to a bridge that no longer existed. It had crumpled sometime in the past, leaving behind lines of rebar and chunks of concrete. The canyon the bridge had spanned across was all that remained, getting closer with each second.

Rainbow grumbled from her landing, flipping back onto her hooves warily. The Leopards had halted in their attack as they stared at the broken bridge they drove blindly towards. Rainbow glanced back, her jaw falling open at the missing bridge. She did another sweep around at the people and cars heading straight for it.

“Horse apples,” she whimpered out.

3 - Side by Side

The Interceptor and the Leopards’ vehicles sped towards the destroyed bridge. The Leopards remained still at the sight of the canyon. It wasn’t until Pedant pulled himself up to his feet did he see the situation for himself. Instead of showing the fear like the other Leopards displayed, he huffed indignantly, climbing back onto the roof of the truck. He grabbed the arm of the closest man and pushed him forward.

“The sooner the Gazelle is killed, the sooner we can feast!” he proclaimed, turning to each person, giving them a crazed look. “If it gets away, we will have failed the Voice. Leopards always catch their prey!”

“Leopards!” the men bellowed, their fists in the air. They then swarmed for the Interceptor, fear dissipating, but their pushing and shoving hampered their movement. Several men at the front fell down on the hood of the lead truck, and the others behind them had to stop to step around them, and would trip themselves, making matters worse. Rainbow Dash just watched them with disbelief from atop the Interceptor, her heart thumping harder.

“These guys are crazy!” she proclaimed, glancing back to the approaching canyon. “I-I gotta do something!” She turned back to Pedant, who gazed upon her with a wry smile. She shivered, holding up a hoof to hide her eyes away from him. Her breathing was erratic, and she could only stare to the side at the hills of sand.

“Wait,” she whispered, lighting up as she looked straight down to the Interceptor. “That guy. Maybe he’ll listen to me.” She shivered again, hugging herself. “A-at least I hope so.”

Another bump on the road made several more Leopards fall onto the hood, their bodies and limbs tangling up and preventing any real progress. It was nearly impossible for them to make any headway in the crowd they formed. Pedant’s features hardened, yet he gave a hint of disappointment and impatience. Their incompetence made Max grunt, observing them with a loaded shotgun at the ready.

“Hey, mister!” Rainbow called, flying outside the passenger window, prompting Max to whip his shotgun over to her. Rainbow recoiled with her eyes clamped shut, and a shrill whine rang in Max’s mind. His aim faltered, baring his teeth while maintaining his glare on Rainbow Dash. “Don’t k-kill me with that thing, alright!?”

It took a few seconds before Max lowered his gun, the whine fading away like it was heading into the distance. His glare intensified, his gaze flicking over to his shotgun before focusing back on Rainbow. Opening one eye tentatively, she heaved a shaky sigh before putting a hoof on the door, pointing with the other to the Leopards still failing to reach the Interceptor.

“Okay, look, if we don’t stop these carriages or steer them away, everyone’s going to die!” Rainbow said blatantly. “The guy leading them is… not listening, and I don’t know what to do. Please, I just want to save these guys!”

A rumbling erupted from Max’s throat, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath through his nose. The wait made Rainbow anxious, eyeing the canyon that edged closer with each second. It was a kilometer away by that point. Max reopened his eyes, baring his teeth as he slammed a fist against the wheel.

“Fuck,” he hissed, scanning his feet with eyes furrowed. The jeers from the Leopards were sedated but still there, constantly reminding the two of them of the impeding threat. When Max locked eyes with Rainbow again, she flinched as he released the wheel, reaching underneath his seat. His hand came back with a bolt cutter, red from rust, and he promptly thrusted it over to Rainbow Dash, nudging his head to the back of the Interceptor. “Cut the cable.”

“Cut the cable,” Rainbow repeated, climbing inside. She tucked her wings in as her legs touched down on the passenger side, which lacked a seat, but suddenly leaned her head back as she gagged, her tongue sticking out. A terrible stench was strong within. Scrunching her face up, she sat on her haunches and held out her hooves. Max tossed the bolt cutter to her, and when she caught it, Rainbow swayed back and forth from the new weight, nearly dropping it.

The tool was nothing special, only able to cut metallic wires and the like. Rainbow glanced back to the cable connecting the harpoon. It wasn’t particularly thick, but she was already having troubles holding up the bolt cutter.

“What about you?” Rainbow questioned with no hint of malice; her voice was more desperate than angered.

“I let off the gas, this car flips,” Max stated, focusing forward. Rainbow raised a brow, tilting her head to the side. A cry was heard as a man dived through the back of the Interceptor, flailing his wrist-knife wildly. Rainbow jumped back, hugging the bolt cutter as Max took his shotgun and blasted the man in the face. Rainbow turned her head away from the noise, drops of blood splattering on her as well as everywhere else. The head fell to the floor with a wet thunk.

Rainbow’s breathe hitched in her throat, the blood sliding down her fur as she clenched her eyes closed. Blood pooled around the body and slithered around until it came in contact with her hind leg. Once it did, she let out a quiet whimper.

“This isn’t happening…” she whispered.

“Cut the cable!” Max barked, holding the shotgun at her. Rainbow yelped before hurriedly twisting around and climbing back through the passenger window, the bolt cutter hitting the door repeatedly before she was able to slide it out of the car. The weight was enough to make her hold it limply in her hooves, her wings working hard just to keep up with the vehicles. Max watched her for a moment before shaking his head, relaxing his shotgun.

The Leopards had finally detangled themselves from each other, three men already climbing along the Interceptor to Max, and more followed behind. With little time to spare, Rainbow soared around, searching for an ideal spot to cut the cable. Most of the Leopards were either on the hood of the truck or already invading the Interceptor. The safest place to cut the cable was directly on the harpoon, where one other person remained to keep a hold of it. Pedant had his back turned, unable to pay any attention to Rainbow falling back to fly behind the truck. Another blast from Max’s shotgun was heard.

Lining herself up beside the other cars still clustered together, Rainbow beat her wings furiously as she built up speed, racing straight for the man on the harpoon. She lowered her head just before impact, hitting the man right into the harpoon gun and knocking the air out of him without so much as a peep. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Pedant didn’t budge, allowing Rainbow to sigh in relief before positioning herself over the cable, a hoof holding each handle of the bolt cutter. “This can’t be too different from scissors,” she muttered to herself, setting the blades onto the cable. With the bolt cutter in place, she pushed both ends of the handles inward, her muscles tensing up and her cheeks puffing out.

All of her effort was in vain as she couldn’t get the two handles any closer to each other. Rainbow angled herself in different positions, from hugging the handles to hitting both ends repeatedly, but she lacked the strength to get the bolt cutter to do its job.

“Come on, come on!” she whispered frantically to herself, her hooves aching from putting so much pressure on them. “Think of how much Applejack would tease you for this. And how much you really hate losing to her!”

Growling, she pressed down even harder, and the blades incised just a little bit. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Rainbow to give a wide smile. It was cut short, however, as Pedant sliced through her foreleg, causing her to cry out and drop the bolt cutter. Her hoof clutched the spot, blood oozing around it.

“Ow, ow, ow!” she cried, tears threatening to spill over. The gash was deep, and whenever Rainbow let off the pressure for even a second, the pain would double.

“That is the fate of all Gazelles,” Pedant mused with a smirk, reaching over and grabbing her mane, pulling it back so Rainbow would be forced to look up to him. His wrist-knife was dripping with blood as he held it aloft. “You should consider yourself lucky that you’re a sacrifice, otherwise your head wouldn’t be attached to your body.”

Rainbow struggled against him, but her wound was giving her the shakes, making her struggles weak. It just made Pedant laugh. “Pathetic!” he howled, bringing his head closer to her own. “This is why we are the hunters, and you are the prey. I look forward to cooking your flesh-”

Rainbow lashed out with her hoof, striking Pedant in the eye. Though she couldn’t muster all of her energy into it, her hoof was hard enough to get a good hit in. Clamping a hand over his eye, Pedant let go of Rainbow as he stepped back, using his other hand to lean on the truck. With a fierce glare, Rainbow used her wings to gain a burst of speed as she kicked his head with her hind leg. He tumbled off but was able to catch himself on the rails along the side of the truck, his feet dragging along the pavement.

The canyon was nearly upon them; a few more seconds and it would be too late. Holding her wounded leg up to her chest, Rainbow hobbled over to the bolt cutter, taking a hold of it with her mouth. She gagged, nearly spitting it out, but remained tough as she used her other foreleg to pick it up. Her wings were able to help her position the bolt cutter back where she had it before, the indent from her previous success easily visible.

A motion of panic swept through her, freezing her up. Her eyes wandered up and down the bolt cutter and cable, her confidence draining. That is, until she saw that one of the bolt cutter’s handles could easily be braced against the truck’s bed. Rainbow let go of the bolt cutter, which remained propped up. She shot up into the air without hesitation, gaining altitude so quickly that the rebound nearly threw her back. Just as fast as she went up, she flipped in the air and hurled herself straight back down, her wings pumping. She held her uninjured foreleg out, aiming it at the bolt cutter with one eye open to get it just right.

It all came together as she twisted mid fall so that her shoulder could slam into the bolt cutter. The force was enough to clamp it shut, cutting through the cable flawlessly. Despite the victory, Rainbow yelled from pain shooting through her shoulder as she slid onto the bed, but didn’t stay long before she took to the air again, her body hanging limply.

The sound of the cable retracting echoed through the air, catching Max’s attention as he jolted like electricity had struck him. The edge of the canyon was meters away, and Max gripped the steering wheel with both hands, turning it as much as possible while flooring the gas pedal.

The Interceptor changed course sharply, escaping the push of the Leopards’ vehicles as it drove to the side. One of the cars nicked the corner, and the Interceptor spun out. Max held on tight, his body leaning to the side. The men that were hanging on to the Interceptor flew off, landing on the surrounding sand dunes.

Only then did Pedant get back into the truck’s bed, just in time to see the canyon before him. The truck skidded to the side in an effort to steer away. It was futile as the truck hurdled off the broken bridge and plummeted into the canyon. Several of the cars did the same; trying to turn away only to fall off, spinning around in the air. Only one was able to brake in time.

By the time the Interceptor came to a complete stop, the screams from the canyon could be heard, followed by explosion after explosion as the cars smashed into the ground, metal debris ricocheting in the canyon as fire erupted from within. Rainbow saw it all, and could only gape in horror, the screams cutting off instantly making her look away.

The car that had managed to stay a top of the canyon turned to the side, the driver waved his hand at the other survivors, who were pushing themselves onto their feet from being flung off the Interceptor. They rushed for the car, hopping inside before its wheels squealed from the burning rubber. Dust kicked up as it slowly accelerated, quickly building up speed as the car took off down the road it had came from.

Rainbow could only watch as the survivors fled, and squinted her eyes as she saw one man stick an arm out and hold up his middle finger, along with a shout that was nothing more than a noise from the distance.

The car shrunk as it neared the horizon, leaving the area near silent. The engine of the Interceptor still rumbled, but the earlier noise of yells and cars were gone. Rainbow remained in the air, hovering in place as she slowly turned her head to the bridge, where thick, white smoke billowed out from the canyon, flowing away from her.

“They’re…” she said, her eyes glazing over as her ears folded back. “They’re gone.”

Max remained still, his breathing labored. His eyes also remained unfocused, closing them after a minute as he relaxed his shoulders. It wasn’t until he looked out the window did he spot Rainbow Dash still there. He studied her again with uncertainty, spotting blood trickling down her foreleg from the laceration.

“She is real,” he grumbled, grunting afterward with begrudged acceptance.

4 - Named by It

Throwing up the hood of the Interceptor, slipping it past the V8 engine, Max peered inside. A thin layer of sand coated everything, pasted on by the heat of the engine and sun. His eyes glazed over it without a second glance, searching over the block. Nodding, he gripped the hood, but stopped from closing it when he caught sight of Rainbow, still hovering in place. Her eyes hadn’t left the canyon, where the white smoke shifted to a grayer shade.

Max slammed the hood shut, knocking Rainbow out of her thoughts. She turned to him and watched as he walked alongside the Interceptor towards the trunk. Her brow furrowed with each step he took, her frame quivering. It wasn’t until he was fiddling with the harpoon did she streak over to him, landing on the roof of the Interceptor with enough force to leave a faint dent.

“What the hay was that!?” she shouted, her breathing heavy, hitching every so often. She quickly winced, falling onto her haunches to put a hoof over her injured foreleg. Blood still spilled out of the gash, staining her hoof in red. Max didn’t even flinch as he twisted and pulled the harpoon still lodged into the gas barrel. The harpoon had hit the side, which spilt most of the gasoline. A final grunt and tug and the harpoon was free. An arrow head with several hooks on each side; normal as far as harpoons went. Tossing it aside, Max gripped the barrel and gave it a good shake. There was no sound of sloshing liquid from within, and Max grunted disapprovingly.

“Empty,” he said, pulling his hands away. Rainbow clamped her eyes shut.

“Listen to me!” she blurted, jumping back on her hooves, her wings flaring as she threw her head forward. “All you’ve done is-is shove that… death stick at me, and kill a bunch of people! I thought cutting that cable would help us get through to them!”

Max made to leave, but stopped, staring ahead, “I never promised anything.”

“But you- the cable- and there- Gah!” Rainbow rambled, stomping a hoof, and wincing again, since it was her injured leg. Waving her off, Max continued around the Interceptor to the driver’s side, leaving Rainbow to slump down and hit the side of her head with her hoof repeatedly.

Opening the door, Max ducked inside the Interceptor and grabbed a hold of the corpse still lying inside. With a grip on each arm, Max dragged the body out, the head dripping blood. Rainbow only had to take one look at the body before the urge to puke arose in her. She swallowed it away and lifted a wing between herself and the body.

Max hefted the body to the top of a nearby sand dune before dropping it over the side. The body slid down, pushing aside the sand and leaving a trail of blood before slowing to a halt. Making his way back, Rainbow lowered her wing hesitantly before raising a brow.

“You buried that guy fast,” she said, her voice dying halfway through as she bowed her head.

“I didn’t,” Max replied, completely stoic as Rainbow stared at him in horror.

“You just left him there?” she breathed, “You kill him and don’t even bother burying him?”

The smoke from the canyon drifted faster as the wind picked up. It pushed through Rainbow’s mane, allowing it to sway and wave like a flag. It was enough for Max to look at her, watching as the colors clumped together; no color of hair clashed with another. It was much like how a real rainbow would be. Rainbow moved to the side, her eyes narrowed.

“You’re awful!” Rainbow snapped, eyes flicking over to the canyon. “You kill all of them and don’t feel a thing? I don’t know who you are, but you have to feel something! Anything!”

“Get off my car,” Max growled, making Rainbow harden her expression.

“No,” she stated flatly, standing up high.

“I’m not going to tell you again,” Max said, a hand resting on the handle of his shotgun.

The small action made Rainbow Dash falter, glancing around at the Interceptor and the desert surroundings. Endless sand greeted her, and besides the road and canyon, there were no other landmarks. Rainbow released a breath, wiping a hoof over her forehead as sweat dotted her face. Max gripped his shotgun, looking into the Interceptor to see his canteen resting beside the bag of shotgun shells. There wasn’t a lot of water contained in it.

“You know what?” Rainbow asked, lifting herself off the roof with her wings. “Fine! I’m not even sure why I’m still talking to you. Good bye!”

And she was off before Max could make a move. She flew upward, keeping straight the whole time as Max observed her departure until she was a speck against the sky, only visible by her rainbow mane and tail. After which, he hopped back into his car, closing the door before resting his hands on the wheel. The whistle of the wind could be heard, as well as a girl’s voice.

Why do you do this? Max?

The voice was hollow, floaty, like the wind had carried it. Max snapped his head to the side as his face scrunched up. Quickly, he started up the car, the engine roaring back to life. Gradually, he accelerated off, mindful of the slippery sand underneath. With a wide turn, he drove with the canyon to his left.

Despite driving slower than before, the Interceptor still kicked up a cloud of dust, easily visible by Rainbow as she pressed on towards the sky. The dust cloud made her push her wings harder, her face scrunched up in agitation.

“That guy is worse than Gilda,” she remarked to herself. “At least she gave me her name… and doesn’t kill people.” She blinked, “Actually, a lot of guys are better than him.”

Halting midair, scanning the horizon, she put a foreleg over her eyes, shielding them from the sun. The landscape was flat, the hills of sand barely making an impact. A mountain range rested far off in the distance, just past the canyon, but was faded, barely seen through the haze of heat.

Rainbow wiped her forehead again, the sweat clumping up her fur, “Jeez, it’s hot. When was the last time this place had any weather control? Come to think of it, this place isn’t even in Equestria. Those tall, upright things are here, and those driving machines. But how’d I get here? I remember a book... “ A long silence followed as Rainbow put both of her hooves against her head. “Darn it, why did I read it? Gah, I hope Twilight figures out I’m missing.”

Her gaze wandered over to the dust cloud again, and then a glint was seen further ahead of it. Sparkling in the sun, it would gleam brightly before disappearing, with no pattern whatsoever. It was near the base of a small cliff, and though Rainbow couldn’t make out the object itself, something reflected sunlight off in the distance, a spot Max was heading straight for. Looking between the glint and the Interceptor, Rainbow groaned.

“I’m just looking for the book,” Rainbow reminded, setting course for the blinking light. “I don’t need to talk to that… guy.” She picked up her pace, her wings flapping harder. “I could even beat him there.”

Those words put a smirk on her face, streamlining her body as her speed increased. The Interceptor streaked across the sand as she slowly passed it. She gave a curt nod, but before she could focus back on her flying, two other vehicles rapidly came around a sand dune, closing in on the Interceptor. They were much smaller than the earlier cars, and had no trouble treading through the sand. They twisted and turned amongst each other, in sync with the other’s movements as they jumped across the hills.

Rainbow watched them but shook it off as she pulled her head up, “It’s just going to be like last time. Don’t get involved.”

Despite what she told herself, Rainbow was gliding lower and lower, sneaking glances to the small vehicles. They were rusty ATVs, one having a red exterior, and the other displaying blue. The riders themselves were cloaked in drab brown, their faces hidden by gas masks.

“Hey, brother!” the man on the blue ATV, Blucifer, spoke, his mask muffling his words. He drove closer to the other as he pointed to the Interceptor. “Look! I told you there’d be something from the smoke!”

“I see it, damn it,” the red ATV rider, Redding, grumbled, restraining himself from facing Blucifer. “You don’t have to rub it in.”

“You owe me two koobs, just like we bet!” Blucifer laughed, hopping slightly in his seat. “I also bet three koobs that he’ll be dead before the sun sets.”

“I won’t take that bet,” Redding mused duly, looking to the side. “Considering the sun isn’t even close to setting.”

“Okay!” Blucifer said, pointing across to Redding. “Make it one koob then.”

“I hate you so much,” Redding grumbled.

Max could hear it all, eyeing the followers irritably while bearing his teeth. Rainbow, on the other hand, looked between the two of them with her face blank.

“Are these guys for real?” she mused before vigorously shaking her head. “Forget them! I gotta get home! I don’t care what these guys do with that… monster.”

The last word was enough for her to pull back up, distancing herself from the action. With her presence still unbeknownst to the two drivers, Blucifer leaned forward on his ATV, pulling a pistol from his hip. He held it in his left hand as the other turned the throttle.

“Steady now...” he said, taking aim as he neared the Interceptor. “Four koops says I’ll get him in the head.”

“Five koops,” Redding countered.

“Deal,” Blucifer agreed excitedly.

Their short conversation caught Rainbow’s attention again as she looked back down, spotting the pistol, boxy and black. She squinted at it, tilting her head towards it before her eyes wandered to Max. With the pistol angled in such a way, she gasped, soaring over to Blucifer, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. She rammed against his hand and knocked the pistol out of his hold before swooping back up. The pistol vanished amongst the sand, and though Blucifer caught sight of where it landed, he could only watch as they sped away from it. Pounding a fist against the handle, Blucifer whipped his head toward Rainbow, flying steadily high above them.

“Darn!” Blucifer shouted, holding up a fist at her. “I call cheating on that bet! The bet is off!”

“Hardly,” Redding said, studying Rainbow. Blucifer groaned as he pounded another fist against the handle. “Something tells me that’s not the usual figment of the imagination we come across. My bet it’s a really ugly bird.”

“Two koobs?” Blucifer offered dejectedly, sagging his shoulders.

“No, it’s more of a personal bet,” Redding explained, holding up a finger. He raised his voice as he asked, “Hey, are you an ugly bird!?”

Rainbow twitched as she ground her teeth, “I’m a pony, you featherbrain!”

“And it speaks,” Redding noted with a sagely nod. “It’s the end times indeed.”

“Whatever, just get her for the lost-pistol thing,” Blucifer snapped, his eyes keenly kept on Rainbow Dash. Her glare was intense, but it didn’t detract him in the slightest. He just smacked his lips. “Plus, I bet she’d make a good meal, right? Or is that cannibalism cause she can talk?”

“Probably a result from reading too many kid stories,” Redding remarked with a shake of his head, whipping out his own pistol. He didn’t waste a second as he fired three shots at Rainbow. All of them missed, whizzing by her as she flinched, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

“How many of those things are there!?” Rainbow yelled frantically, throwing her forelegs over her head. She hissed as she unintentionally opened up her wound, fresh blood emerging as she set the foreleg down. She stared at it with animosity, but it didn’t last as two more bullets zipped past her head, prompting her to pull ahead in panic. “Dang it, why did I help that guy again!?”

“You shoot like a girl,” Blucifer chuckled with a shake of his head.

Redding muttered inaudibly to himself, lowering his gun to the Interceptor and firing a single bullet. It struck the empty barrel, a sharp twang resounding as the bullet bounced off. Max released an angry huff, unholstering his shotgun and holding it aloft.

“Never mind, you shoot like a girl with bad aim,” Blucifer said with surprise, giving a thumbs up. Redding pursed his lips before he throttled his ATV, pulling up directly behind the Interceptor, still aiming his weapon. Rainbow watched, still holding her bleeding wound as confliction laced her face. The rolling hills and uneven ground gave Redding trouble as he adjusted his arm to compensate. It changed so often he couldn’t keep his sights on Max.

“What am I supposed to do?” Rainbow said, her fear shifting to anger as she threw her forelegs to her face. “Why can’t things be simple? Why can’t I be back home!?”

Her eyes snapped back to Redding as the vehicles entered a wide plain. The ground was drier and harder than the sand, cracks zig zagging across the flat landscape. The occasional dead bush could be seen in various spots. Without any hills, Redding had a perfect shot, lining up his pistol.

Once again, Rainbow gasped and made to move, but stopped herself. She glared over to the Interceptor, giving a huff before turning her head away indignantly. She shuddered ever so slightly, sighing.

“I’m a better Pony than him,” she muttered, facing Redding and giving her wings a powerful flap. She shot straight at him, but instead of hitting his hand like with Blucifer, she slammed into his chest. The force nearly knocked him off his ATV, but he was able to keep a grip on the throttle as it veered slightly. Rainbow didn’t let up as she dished out a flurry of punches with her hooves.

“Fuck this ugly bird!” Redding yelled, holding up an arm to block her blows. In doing so, he couldn’t bring his pistol towards her. “Blucifer! Do something!”

“Okay, but you owe me a koob!” Blucifer called back, driving his ATV closer to Redding. Coming up on the right, Blucifer extended a hand, staying within the boundaries of the fray. His hand shifted back and forth, but didn’t intervene.

Hastily holstering his pistol, Redding grabbed a hold of one of Rainbow’s forelegs, only for her to repeatedly punch Redding with the other one. With one hand still on the throttle, he was left in a painful predicament. Blucifer remained uninvolved, his hand hovered just far enough away that no one could reach it.

“Grab her already!” Redding demanded angrily, crying out when another punch hit him in the stomach.

“I was getting to it!” Blucifer replied nervously before throwing his hand forward. Rainbow met it swiftly by biting his fingers, and he screamed in agony. Just as fast as she had bit him, Rainbow released him, and he retracted his hand, nursing it with pitiful mumbles. Rainbow spat to the side, her tongue hanging out in disgust.

“Has anybody here ever heard of a bath?!” she asked, holding a foreleg against Redding’s face to keep him away. She pushed him away as a result, and he waved a foot wildly to maintain his balance on the ATV.

“By all the koobs in my collection, you are worthless!” Redding declared. Blucifer only moaned.

Max raised a brow. All of them were distracted one way or another. Blucifer was still agonizing over his bitten hand, Redding was holding tight to his ATV to stay on, and Rainbow was pushing him away to break free from his hold. He glanced forward, lowering his shotgun as his eyes lingered on the pedals by his feet.

Turning back to the fighting behind him, Max slammed on the brake, and the Interceptor jerked forward as it slowed considerably. The ATVs crashed into the back, and the drivers were flung over the handles. Redding let go of Rainbow, but she couldn’t get away before she found herself tossed forward from the inertia as well, landing on top of the gas barrels. Redding and Blucifer hit the corners of the Interceptor, but couldn’t hang on as Max floored the gas again. The Interceptor blazed away and the two riders slid off as their ATVs flipped and tumbled along the sand. Rainbow had to hold on to the straps holding the gas barrels in place, her hooves trembling.

As the Interceptor sped off, Blucifer jumped to his feet, holding his hands out in front of him, “They were supposed to be easy pickings! I’d bet on it! What happened?!”

“Your incompetence,” Redding said from his stance on the ground, his limbs spread out.

Rainbow watched their forms shrink as the distance grew between them, until they mixed with the haze that fuzzified her surroundings. She still kept her eyes fixated on their position, her expression falling to thoughtfulness. Eventually, the Interceptor climbed upon a sandy hill on the brim around the cracked plain. At the crest of the hill, the Interceptor came to a steady halt before Max leapt out with binoculars in hand. He hurried away from the Interceptor and raised the binoculars to his eyes, catching the two drivers prop up their ATVs, hop back on and drive away, following a snaking trail that matched the plains in terms of terrain. They disappeared behind a hill of sand.

Lowering his binoculars, Max scanned his surroundings. The hill they rested upon was the ridge of the plains, rising several meters higher and forming a bowl shape. The canyon they had driven alongside was gone as Max was unable to spot it. Rainbow regarded him, her thoughtfulness from earlier shifting to determination.

By the time Max turned to her, that determination deteriorated within seconds.

“Off, now,” Max said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder as he walked back to the door he had left open.

“Listen,” Rainbow said, sitting on her haunches as Max passed her, “I hate you just as much as you hate me, but after that… encounter, I think everyone out here is crazier than Discord. So, I need...” She groaned, holding a foreleg over her snout. Max tilted his head to face her. “I need your help.”

“No,” Max answered, hopping back inside the Interceptor. He would have taken off if Rainbow hadn’t climbed over the roof and stood upon the hood, blocking Max’s view.

“What do you want from me?!” Rainbow asked hotly. “I’m completely lost in this messed up world, and I just want to get home. But you gotta be all edgy and mean, like it’s your job to make everyone’s life harder.”

Max didn’t face her, hands on the wheel as he stared forward like she wasn’t in his way. Pawing the hood in agitation - a metal whine emerging - Rainbow lowered her body to face him directly. “If you won’t help a stranger, than maybe you can work for one,” she said. “You want bits? Jewels? My friend is a princess, so just name it already and I can get it! I’ll even help you navigate this desert, just get me out of his place!”

A tense pause stagnated the conversation, neither of them moving or speaking. In a way, it made everything louder around them. The engine hummed and the wind howled. A silent duel was held between Max and Rainbow, staring into each other's eyes without so much as blinking. Hands tightening over the wheel, Max scowled, and Rainbow mirrored it.

“Water,” Max stated, and Rainbow lost the duel as her eyes lit up in surprise, “and food. You have any?”

Rainbow twisted her head, but still kept eye contact, like looking away would mean disaster, “Yeah, we’ve got plenty back in Equestria. Why do you want that stuff though?”

Her answer was enough for Max to loosen up, his shoulders relaxing as he sighed. Rainbow remained baffled, but didn’t say a word. Tensing up again, Max reached beside his seat, pulling out a brown cloth, tossing it to Rainbow. It lightly hit her chest before dropping to her hooves.

“Patch that leg up,” Max ordered, his tone giving no sympathy. “I have enough blood in my car.”

5 - Met by Threat

High above the ground, the world was immense and vast. A bleak outlook with the prominence of sand and rock. Except for the glint still flickering in the distance. Rainbow hummed in thought, squinting her eyes at it. Even though she was much closer than before when she had spotted it, there wasn’t anything about it that stood out. It did shine brighter, but nothing significant. However, in the blank landscape, it made itself known far better than any other landmark, even with the cliff behind it.

Giving it one last look, Rainbow shot back down, the Interceptor resting just below her. Max rested an arm on the roof, clutching his canteen while looking through his binoculars. All he saw was the hills of sand; not a glint in sight at his level. Sighing, he pulled the canteen to his lips, drinking a gulp of water. He set the canteen on the roof as Rainbow fluttered to a stop, hovering in front of him.

“It’s still there,” Rainbow announced, pointing ahead. “I can’t make anything out of it. It’s just there.”

Tossing the binoculars onto the driver’s seat, Max gave her a sideways glance before focusing on the nothingness that hadn’t changed. There wasn’t even a mountain in the distance; it was flat and barren.

“You’re sure?” Max said, his voice neutral. It gave Rainbow the chills, but she still maintained an expression of resolve.

“Positive,” she stated with a nod. “And if you want proof, I’ll be more than happy to drag your flank up there.”

She pointed to the sky with an arrogant smile, and Max grunted. Once again, there was no discrepancy in his tone. Rainbow gave her own grunt, though it was full of frustration, crossing her forelegs in the process. It stretched her injury, and she winced, relieving her muscles as she patted the brown cloth wrapped around her leg. Because of the dark color, there wasn’t any a way to tell if the bleeding had stopped without removing the bandage.

“Get in,” Max ordered, sliding inside as he set aside the canteen and binoculars. Rainbow opened her mouth, but caught herself as she looked back to her wings. She also wiped her forehead, the sweat permeating through her body. The canteen was put near his seat, and she gave a faint smile before making her way to the passenger window.

By the time she was climbing through the window - her face recoiling - Max was already shifting gears. When she sat on her haunches, they were off. The sudden transition in speed threw Rainbow against her seat. Her heart thumped much like whenever she would fly at incredible speeds, but she was much more shocked, clutching her chest as she took steady breaths.

“Warn me next time!” Rainbow demanded, putting a hoof down as she glared at Max. “I’m used to being the one in control when I’m going fast, okay?”

Not a sound was heard from Max as he drove the Interceptor through the hills of sand, weaving around to maintain a relatively bumpless ride. Irritated, Rainbow turned to the window, watching the world go by. However, it didn’t take long before she whipped her head back to him inquisitively.

“So, what’s your name?” she asked, curious.

There was a long silence as Max faced the other way a moment. Rainbow lifted her head, finding his gaze landing on the side mirror. He eventually turned back to her briefly, but put his focus on his driving.

“Doesn’t matter,” Max said simply, and Rainbow scoffed.

“It does matter, jerk,” she snapped, jumping to her hooves. “And seriously, what’s with the attitude? You’re quieter than Fluttershy, but act like you’re cooler than everything else.” No reply from Max, but Rainbow smirked regardless, “If you won’t give me your name, than I’ll just call you ‘Jerk’.” Rainbow chuckled, “How do you like that?”

No response again, and Rainbow huffed as she fell into her seat, her eyes wandering out the window, “Jerk.”

Her chin rested on the sill, watching each hill pass by. The sun pressed its heat onto her, and she found her throat dry. Retracting her head, the interior provided a cool shade to encompass her. However, even with the rushing air from the drive, she was still hot as she rubbed her throat, swallowing. The canteen sat between her and Max, but Rainbow didn’t speak up about it. Instead, she forced her attention on the metal leg-brace on Max’s right.

“What happened to your leg?” she questioned, gesturing to it. The topic got Max to flicker his sight on it before turning away from Rainbow. She didn’t berate him, but nodded her head understandingly. “Sore subject? I feel ya. I broke a wing a while ago. I had to stay in the hospital for a few days. I didn’t like it either. I did enjoy this awesome book though. Heh, I guess that kind of makes me an egghead, but I don’t care. It was really awesome.” Her thoughts ground to a halt as she gasped, “You know, maybe the book that brought me here is, well, here, in this world. Do you think someone might have found it?”

“Probably gone,” Max muttered. Rainbow blinked in shock, staring at Max before her ears folded back, the shock being replaced with despair.

“I hope not,” she said somberly. “It’s my only way home. Unless you know someplace nearby called Equestria.”

“That book…” Max said, turning to her as his expression filled with curiosity. “That’s how you got here from your world?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded. “Someone gave it to me in the mail. It was supposed to be the newest issue of Daring Do, but I guess it was something else.” She tapped a hoof to her chin, “I wonder if it’s like the Power Ponies comic: getting trapped inside a fake world. Is this world fake?”

“If this is fake,” Max said, narrowing his eyes ahead, “then I’d have no reason to help you.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say another word.

No matter how high Rainbow was, the sunlight beat down on her dreadfully. Her flying was labored and forced as sweat poured off her, even when the sun was close to setting. Regardless, she was excited, smiling down at the spot the glint had lead them to. A wide semi circle entrance of a tunnel inside the cliff. Concrete bricks were along the side, supporting it. Sand built up along the entrance, dwindling further in and revealing an intact road. The object responsible for the glint could be seen: a large mirror hanging on a thread.

The sight made Rainbow give a small laugh, gliding closer before pulling back. Grimacing, she peered below to find Max looking up to her. He was halfway out of the Interceptor, a hand on the wheel and a foot on the sand. Nothing swayed him as he watched Rainbow, who crept a bit towards the glint before sighing in exasperation.

Slowly lowering herself, Rainbow crossed her forelegs, scrunching up her face. “It’s that way,” she stated monotonically, nudging her head towards the cliff. It was enough for Max to hop back inside and gun it for the location. Though Rainbow was left in the dust, she rolled her eyes, shooting off after him.

The hilly terrain had died off and was replaced with gentle slopes, giving a smooth ride for Max. The cliff sat prominently, looming over the Interceptor as it drove closer. Color emerged in the corner of Max’s vision, and he glanced over to see Rainbow flying beside him. A memory of their first meeting arose in him, and he gave a ghost of a smile. Rainbow didn’t even bother turning to him, even with the roar of the engine drumming against her ears. Her focus was solely on the tunnel.

Upon reaching it, the Interceptor slowed as Rainbow pushed back with her wings to stagnate her speed, until the both of them came to a stop. The sand sloped steeply into the tunnel, giving the Interceptor a precarious obstacle. With a foot on the brakes, Max flipped a switch to his right. The head lights flooded the tunnel, illuminating the darkness. A shabby wall, made of metal sheets, was further inside, cutting off the rest of the tunnel and leaving a small area at the entrance, big enough for a car to fit.

Tapping the gas pedal, Max leaned forward, keeping an eye on the front of the Interceptor intently as he rolled inside. He would shift his gaze to the wall every so often, hunching his shoulders with a hand firmly on the stick shift. Rainbow paid no mind to Max, fixated on the mirror swaying on the thread. It was broken, jagged on both ends. The thread was tied in the center, allowing it to swivel in place. It was as big as her too.

“How did this thing reflect light all the way out there?” she asked, twisting around to face the wasteland. “I don’t think the sun could even reach it.” She hummed to herself before blowing a raspberry, throwing out a hoof nonchalantly. “Doesn’t matter. As long as I find that book.”

The car door slammed shut, and Rainbow glanced back to find Max stepping over to the wall. A single sheet of metal stood out from the rest, a wooden stick curved over like a handle. Max and Rainbow grouped together at the door, the latter hovering in place. The headlights cast large shadows against the wall, giving the two monsterous appearances as they stared at the door without a sound. A low moan swept through the tunnel as wind pushed through. Rainbow studied the wall, fiddling with her hooves nervously.

“So, you think the book-?” she was cut off as Max held a hand in front of her face. She winced, but kept her mouth shut, watching as he pressed himself beside the door. With his back to the wall, he stood as flat against it as possible, reaching a hand towards the door. He froze before looking to Rainbow, who flinched like she had been struck. Sighing, Max pushed her to the opposite side of the door, which was easily done with her lack of resistance. She could only stare in bafflement.

“What are you-?” she started but was cut off again as Max clamped a hand over her muzzle. He retracted it quickly enough, but Rainbow groaned in frustration, crossing her forelegs.

With his hand, Max leaned closely to the door, and gave one solid knock.

Before the metal could stop reverberating, a hidden slote, about eye height for Max, slid open. A pipe stuck out before it boomed, a flash of light radiating from it. Rainbow recoiled from the shot, flying backwards hastily before hitting the wall. She cried out, her wings catching herself before she fell to the floor. The door swung open, nearly slamming into Max, as another man hurried out.

The vest and pants he wore were ragged and brown, their original color lost. A curved piece of green metal was tied to his chest, rusted around the edges as it shined in the headlights. A pair of sunglasses were worn, but lacked the shaded lenses, leaving only the thick frame. His movements were twitchy, whipping a weapon around that was more like a long pipe with a handle and trigger. His gaze landed on Rainbow, and he aimed it at her, a smile on his long face.

“Ha, ha!” he laughed, his whole body quivering. “I didn’t think I’d ever get fresh meat!”

“Fresh meat?!” Rainbow blanched, her wings faltering a moment. No one made another move when a double barreled shotgun tapped the back of the man’s head. He froze instantly, lowering his gun as Max stepped around the door. He never let the man out of his sight.

“Ah, I figured I still had a good run ahead of me,” the man lamented, his voice turning more refined as he dropped his gun, clattering against the pavement. He shrugged as he bent his elbows to raise his arms. “Technically, I’ve had a terrible run, what with the Black Clouds stealing my stuff.” He blinked when Max came into his view, and then held a hand to his heart. “The Road Warrior himself! Technically, you’re a Car Warrior, but Road Warrior has a nice ring to it.”

“Road Warrior?” Rainbow asked, glancing to Max. He didn’t react, still keeping his shotgun aimed at the man’s head. Staring at his weapon, Rainbow glowered. “Lower your death stick, Jerk. He’s hardly someone who likes killing others, unlike you.”

The man turned to Rainbow, “Technically, I’m a killer too, or did you not see me shoot ol’ Pip here? But besides that… are you talking? Technically, it would be jumping to conclusions in thinking that, but if true, then my books are not completely fictional!”

Books. The word made Rainbow’s ear twitch. She glanced to the ground before looking to Max. He was hard to read, near unemotional. The man was rather perky, especially with the shotgun still pressed against his head. The sight was enough for Rainbow to maneuver over to Max and lay her hooves over his shotgun. No words were exchanged right away as Max shifted his eyes to her coldly. “Lower it already, Jerk,” she demanded. “He might have the book we’re looking for. You know, the one that’ll get you food and water?”

The incentive didn’t work immediately, only having Max hum in thought. The man nodded vigorously, nudging his head to the open doorway with a smile, “Oh, yes! I have more than one book, technically, but books nonetheless.”

He spoke quickly and with little pauses. Both Max and Rainbow stared at him, his smile, though innocent, was somewhat psychotic as he showed his teeth to them. They were a mixture black and yellow, causing Rainbow to grimace. Growling, Max brought his shotgun down, allowing Rainbow to hover as she looked to him gratefully. The man sighed, stepping back to the door as he waved them to follow.

“Come, come,” he offered, his voice calm and level. “If you seek books, I have them here. A mighty sanctuary for books! I’m sure there’s a technical word for it, but I don’t know it.”

Rainbow tilted her head as Max stepped backwards, his shotgun still out as he made his way to the Interceptor. He opened the car door and cut the ignition, flipping off the headlights all the while. The area became dark again as the shade returned, somewhat brightened by the dying sunlight. Max didn’t waste time as he briskly walked back to the other two, bending down to snatch the weapon off the floor before pushing the man towards the door. Rainbow gaped in anger at his actions, but the man shrugged it off and walked through first.

Rainbow grunted disapprovingly before landing on her hooves to follow with Max just behind her. The interior was lit with a dim lantern sitting in the center. Shelves made of wide metal sheets were wedged into the tunnel walls, each one holding several books. However, most of the books were lying in towers, stacking higher than Max. And these towers littered the floor, making traversing the room dodgy. The end of the room narrowed with the books, ending with an opening into the rest of the tunnel. It was pitch black, with no sight of where it would end.

“The name’s Greenhorn, by the way,” the man explained as Max closed the door behind them. The way Greenhorn stood - straight and proper - along with the rise of his chin made him more like a gentleman. “Technically, it’s Ernst, but I changed it.”

“I’m Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow introduced before pointing to Max with a roll of her eyes. “And that’s Jerk.”

“He’s the Road Warrior, technically” Greenhorn corrected, scratching his chin, “but that’s more of a title. His real name is a mystery.”

Max made no indication that he heard them, studying the room while pacing back and forth. There was a bedroll beside the lantern, as well as a small pile of books. A handful of beaten suitcases and chests were open, holding cans of food and dirty bottles of water.

“We’ll stay here for the night,” Max announced, crouching beside a chest, setting the weapons aside as he pulled out a can. There was a pregnant pause as Rainbow stared at him in shock. Her face was red and she stomped a hoof down, but Max gave her no mind.

“You can’t just act like you own the place!” she yelled, trotting over to him. “And that’s his stuff, Jerk!”

“Ah, let him be,” Greenhorn waved off. Rainbow skidded a bit across the pavement to halt, whipping her head to him. She was more shocked than finding Max digging through the chest. Despite her surprise, Greenhorn didn’t show any sign of anger or frustration. The gentle smile on his lips was almost mature in a way, especially as he set his arms behind his back.

“But he’s…” she started before a tin can opened behind her. Max had gotten his hands on a small dish, the faded and torn sleeve on the can presenting a cat. He dug his fingers into the mush and shoveled it into his mouth. His lack of hesitation and disgust made Rainbow cover her mouth. Her last words came out as a defeated whimper, “He’s eating cat food.”

“And it was a good find,” Greenhorn admitted, walking over to the bedroll and sitting upon it cross legged. Rainbow shuffled her way over to him, unable to tear his eyes away from Max finishing off the can of cat food. Sitting on her haunches, she shifted her eyes to Greenhorn, his expression calm and collected. “There are worse things to eat.”

Rainbow groaned, her head lowering, “Like what?”

“Maggots,” Greenhorn offered instantly, his lips purse yet still holding a smile. Rainbow blinked in disgust, pulling a foreleg up. “Any corpse I find is just littered with them. But they’re better than whatever the hell they’re eating.”

A shiver ran through Rainbow, her eyes wandering to the bedroll. Greenhorn tilted his head, watching as she heaved a heavy sigh. There wasn’t a hint of disgust like before, just disappointment. Max opened another can, stirring the air with more noise, but neither Rainbow nor Greenhorn paid any attention. Lying down, Rainbow flickered her gaze to him.

“Why is everything like this?” she forced out, her voice faltered just a pitch. “Why is everyone crazy, or mean, or just-just… terrible? This place couldn’t have been like this all the time.”

“Well, duh,” Greenhorn exclaimed, grabbing a purple book from a pile resting nearby. A few sputters of laughter escaped his mouth. “Of course, this place wasn’t always like this.” He let the book fall open in his hand, looking upon the page that was revealed. “My father told me that there was once a time when books were used for many things besides telling stories: fun, learning, thinking. A world where books were used for a wide range of things really shows what it was like. I got down his story before he passed away.” With both hands, he closed the book, holding it over to Rainbow. “Tell me what you think.”

Rainbow took the book with her forehooves, her movement slow and tender. With one hoof, she held it as the other opened it, her eyes gazing upon the contents. Which was absolutely nothing. There were no words or pictures, there wasn’t even any ink. Furrowing her brow in bafflement, Rainbow flipped through the pages, finding that the entire book was blank. The considerate care from before vanished as she tossed the book to the ground.

“There’s nothing there!” she stated, gesturing at the book. “You didn’t write anything down!”

“Ah, but you are mistaken!” Greenhorn replied with a finger in the air, his voice slightly giddy. “Technically, there is a story within the confines of this book. It’s just not readable.”

No matter how hard Rainbow stared at him, Greenhorn didn’t laugh off his words nor say it was a lie. He just sat there, his smile growing bit by bit. Then Rainbow’s jaw dropped in awe, scooping up the book again as she opened it.

“You mean there’s some sort of secret message in here?” she asked in excitement, “Like invisible ink? That’s awesome!”

“Ha, ha! Don’t be ridiculous,” Greenhorn chortled, swiping the book back, leaving Rainbow with more confusion as her forelegs remained still. “This book holds a story, it’s true, but not in a way you’re familiar with.” He grabbed another book from the same pile, presenting it flashingly like it was pure gold. “This has a story of two warring robot factions that can change into vehicles.” He dropped the book upon his lap, picking another book and waving it around. “This book contains the adventures of a teenage girl speaking to little animals - ‘pets’ as they were once known as. And to you, they have nothing. But to me, everything is as clear as the day after a sandstorm.”

“Ugh,” Rainbow moaned, slapping a hoof to her forehead, “you lost your marbles too.”

“Technically, I don’t own marbles,” Greenhorn corrected, positioning the book under his arm.

“Psh, that explains a lot,” Rainbow deadpanned, glancing to the side before leaning forward threateningly. “And what’s with all this ‘technical’ stuff? You say it all the time; it’s annoying.”

“Technically, I don’t-” he started but stopped when Rainbow glared at him. He blinked as he set the book in his hand down, chuckling weakly. “My family used to get a lot of stuff wrong. I guess I picked it up.”

“You can’t have kept up with all of these books,” Max spoke up, his fingers sliding down the spines of several books. “Why keep ‘em?”

Rainbow scowled at him. He didn’t give much regards to the books, sifting through them. Books tumbled to and fro, landing in awkward position on the floor and making the room harder to move around than before. It wasn’t until Max pulled out one book, dark pink in color, did he stop. He held it up, catching a bit of the light from the lantern, before turning to Rainbow. Her magenta eyes were enough to make him grunt quietly, setting the book back down on a pile.

“Tech-...” Greenhorn sighed through his nose, his voice somber for the first time. “No, I can’t keep up with all the books in my collection. But if I can’t remember the story later on, then it mustn’t have been very important to begin with.”

Max stared at the book he had picked up, his thoughts drifting…

Why didn’t you tell me your name sooner, Max? Don’t you like it?

The voice was soft. There and gone before Max could register the tone: curiosity. Hissing quietly, he pressed a hand over his eyes, rubbing the sides of his head. The girl had come as a shadow before him, but remained just that; a trick of the mind. Wiping his hand across his face, Max bent over and snagged a bottle of water before heading to the exit.

“I’ll keep watch,” he grumbled, swinging open the door. The outside was dark enough to give off a blue hue over the sand and pavement. The moon shined down and delivered a shimmering silver to compliment the blue. The sight was only a fraction of what the night had before Max slammed the door shut, leaving the lantern with it’s golden light.

Rainbow perked her ears, staring at the door intently. Besides the shifting of feet, there wasn’t any other sound. Not even the wind would give a low whistle. Swallowing, Rainbow searched around until she spotted a suitcase filled with bottled water. They were light brown, the sediment within swirling amongst the liquid. Despite its unappealing contents, Rainbow smacked her lips, dipping her head slightly as her ears splayed back.

“Do you mind if I…?” she started, chuckling nervously as she nudged a hoof in the direction of the bottles.

Looking to the water, Greenhorn smiled with a nod, “Yes, you may have some. Think of it as an apology for pointing my shotgun at you.”

With a nod in return, Rainbow swiftly trotted over to the bottles, using her mouth to pull one out and bring it back to the bedroll. The bottle was set down before Rainbow held up her head, raising a brow.

“Why are you so friendly?” she asked, holding up a hoof. “We started on the wrong hoof, but you’re like the exact opposite of Jerk.”

“Because you fascinate me,” Greenhorn expressed, jumping to his feet, the books in his lap tumbling down, before hurrying over to a particular pile of books. It was the tallest one of the bunch, sitting in the corner of the room. He pulled a brown book from the bottom, causing the pile to tilt and topple over into a line of books across the floor. Greenhorn ignored the mess, the brown book held tightly in hand as he plopped back into his seat.

Opening the book from the very first page, Greenhorn adjusted the frame of his glasses, “I want to hear your story. Especially with the Road Warrior. It’s not everyday I get to listen to events from a creature like yourself.”

His behavior put Rainbow in a neutral expression, looking upon him and his book without much emotion. However, a smirk did eventually emerge from her lips as she gave a quick laugh, “Technically, I’m a pony.”

His vigorous nods were fast as he looked to the book in his hands, tracing a finger along it. He stopped at a point, and looked up to her expectedly. Put on the spot, Rainbow faltered, scratching her chest tensely. “So, where do you want me to start?” she asked.

He scrunched up his face as he waved a hand dismissively. “Anytime really,” he explained, facing the pages of his book. “As far back as you can remember in this place preferably. I doubt you were born here.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, her eyes nostalgic as she pulled her gaze to the ceiling. “I actually came here from my home in Ponyville. You see, as far as I can tell, it started with this new book in the mail…”

“...and then I asked you where to start,” Rainbow finished, lying on her side, staring at nothing in particular. She closed her eyes a few times after she was done, shaking herself from dipping into sleep.

“The last part was unnecessary,” Greenhorn said, his finger still tracing along a page in the middle of the book. Stopping at a point, he closed the book and rubbed his thumb along the brown cover. “Regardless, you gave me a story to remember for a good long while. I thank you.”

“Eh, no big deal,” Rainbow shrugged, sitting up as she reached her mouth to the open water bottle, nearly empty. With the neck of the bottle clenched in her teeth, she pulled her head back and swallowed what was left. Dropping the bottle, she sputtered a bit, coughing to the side politely. “Just wish I had some fresh water.”

“Not a lot of people are willing to share such a luxury,” Greenhorn explained, looking through his book. “Even I have to admit I wouldn’t share it if I had some.”

A suitcase in the corner was near empty, with only a single can sitting inside. Rainbow stared at it, her stomach grumbling slightly before rubbing her eyes. The sound of sliding feet was heard from the door, but lasted only a second before silence came back. And it was far more potent than it ever was.

“You're still better than him,” she snapped, glaring at the door. “Jerk always pointed that death stick-”

“Shotgun,” Greenhorn interjected.

“-shotgun at me,” she finished irritably, her glare flickering to him. “I’d rather stick with you. You probably have that book somewhere in this collection.”

“The one you described being the reason of you being here?” Greenhorn inquired, to which Rainbow nodded. He pushed himself to his feet, wincing a bit as rubbed his lower back. “I’m afraid the one you speak of is no longer here.”

Rainbow gasped, jumping to her hooves, “You mean you actually had it?! Where’d it go!?”

“Yes,” Greenhorn admitted, narrowing his eyes. “My family brings as many books as they can find. Usually, they don’t have much luck, but just the other night, they came by with an interesting one. One with words. I couldn’t read them - dad was always the one who read stories to us. But what I could tell was that it was very much different, special even.”

“Did they tell you where they found it?” Rainbow asked hesitantly, her voice faltered as her ears folded back slightly.

With a finger raised, Greenhorn drawled in thought, waggling his finger as he stared off into space. “It was…” he started before humming, “I think it was in some old ruins. Yeah, yeah, some ruins. They said it was just sitting in the corner. Makes me wonder if it was on a time out or somethin’. But it isn’t where you woke up, if that’s what you’re getting to.”

“How’d I get in the middle of the road then?” Rainbow whispered, before shaking it off as she stood firm and tall. “So what happened to it?”

“I mentioned the Black Clouds,” Greenhorn said, shuffling over to a section of the room filled with piles of books. He scanned over the books, before grabbing one from the top, pulling it open. “A bunch of men who drive around in Rigs. Terrible people. Raided my place while I was out scouting for supplies. Stole a fair amount of books - along with your book - and a bunch of food and water. Left one hell of a mess too.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to go after them,” Rainbow declared, rocketing into the air. She stook a foreleg out, posing like someone was about to take her picture. “You and me! We can take them!”

“You talk like I can fight,” Greenhorn said, a slight grimace emerging as he eyed Rainbow. Her bravado deflated as she lowered back to the floor, slumping her shoulders. Greenhorn focused back on his book, his tone even and to the point. “I’m a scavenger at best. You have a better chance of surviving with the Road Warrior.”

Rainbow pounced to him, making him flinch and pull a leg up. She bore her teeth angrily, staring daggers at Greenhorn. “There’s no way I’m going anywhere else with Jerk over there,” she seethed, glancing to the door. “And why the hay do you still support him? He would have finished you off if I didn’t stop him!”

Rainbow’s breathing was heavy, memories flashing through her mind of the Leopards, the canyon, the broken bridge, the explosions. She tore herself away from Greenhorn sulking away but her face was still red. The sight relaxed Greenhorn as he set his foot back down, stretching his neck back to watch her. He broke his sight and turned back to the book, his eyes set on the crease.

“How do you know you stopped him?” he asked, hollow and nearly unfeeling. Rainbow whipped her head to him, glowering at him. He didn’t move a muscle as he continued. “You may think you have him all figured out, but there’s a reason why he’s a legend out here.”

Rainbow’s face fell, but still kept her eyes narrowed at Greenhorn. He set the book down, his movement stiff as he let his arms fall limply to his side. “Was there ever a time he obeyed your commands? That he actually took you as someone to listen to?” Rainbow opened her mouth. “No, I think not. That’s not how he operates.”

Upon turning around to face Rainbow, she gazed curiously at him. He was more notably tired than before. What few wrinkles he had were more prominent, sticking out like they had marred his expression. “Get to the point already,” Rainbow huffed, falling to her haunches with a frown.

Greenhorn grunted, “If he didn’t want you around, he would have left you. He isn’t the type to give second chances.”

“But he gave you a second chance,” Rainbow snapped, pointing a hoof at him.

“Then I guess you see my point,” Greenhorn remarked, no sign of pleasure over his arguement. Rainbow groaned, slapping both hooves to her face as they slid down.

“Great, thanks for nothing,” Rainbow grumbled. “Point or no point, I still don’t know how you expect me to follow Jerk, or whatever you want to call him. I mean, come on! He doesn’t even give his name, or actually care about anyone!”

Greenhorn walked over to her, and crouched down, tilting his head slightly. A ghost of a smirk emerged from his lips, “You’re very fixated on having someone around.”

“It’s something important to me in friendship,” Rainbow explained, heaving a sigh as her eyes wandered to the floor. “Being loyal and all that.”

“Considering the stories I’ve heard of him,” Greenhorn said, patting her shoulder in comfort, “he’s more loyal than you give him credit for.” He looked to the door, “You should get some sleep. You’re going to need it if you’re heading after the Black Clouds.”

Greenhorn rose back up, heading back to his books. Rainbow could only stare at the door, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. It wasn’t until she blinked - staying up just a bit longer - did she spot the door was ajar.

6 - Possessed by Fire

The wind was a near whisper in the small shaded area of the road tunnel. Occasionally, a gust would rise, sending waves of sand flowing through. Metal flaps not nailed down properly would flap uncontrollably, making a constant rattling noise. However, the gust would suddenly die off in seconds, and the sand would settle. A thin layer covered the Interceptor and most of the pavement. The stillness shattered when the the door burst open, swinging to the side as Rainbow backed out of Greenhorn’s dwelling.

Clamped between her teeth was the handle of a suitcase, the contents rattling within as she dragged it towards the Interceptor. It left a trail through the sand, but still scraped against on the pavement underneath. Upon reaching the Interceptor, she swung the suitcase around and threw it through the window. The suitcase clattered around before settling in the driver’s seat. With a nod of satisfaction, Rainbow headed for the door, pushing her wings to give herself a quick boost to her trot, but stopped just before ramming into Max.

He stared her down, and Rainbow blinked at his rather aggressive stance. She stepped to the side and allowed him to pass, but glared harshly at his back. Greenhorn stepped through the doorway, looking between her and Max.

“Still not getting along, it would seem,” Greenhorn observed, holding his waist like he wore a belt.

Rainbow sighed, her ears dipping slightly as she eyed him, “I might have to stick with him, but that doesn’t mean I gotta like it.”

“Time will tell,” Greenhorn said quietly, watching as Max swung open the car door. He grunted, lifting the suitcase and tossed it onto the passenger seat before slipping inside. Rainbow kicked a hoof against the pavement, glancing up to Greenhorn with a mixture of frustration and appreciation.

“Thanks for the food and water,” she said just before the Interceptor’s engine blared its motors when it started up. The enclosed space made it echo loudly, and both Rainbow and Greenhorn clutched their ears tightly, the former sitting on her haunches to do so.

“Car’s set,” Max called from his seat, focused on the dashboard. “Get in, before I leave you here.”

Rainbow spoke silently, mocking Max before stepping forward with a few insults under her breath. She didn’t get far before Max threw a gun over her head. She ducked, watching it sail over her head before Greenhorn caught it. A quick check showed that it was his single barrel shotgun, Pip. A smile faintly emerged on his lips as he faced Rainbow, who rose back to full height. Max didn’t even bother looking over to them.

“You may not want to have him around,” Greenhorn said humbly, “but he is someone worth having around.”

Her eyes were unsure as she glanced to Max, still uncaring of their conversation as he leaned back into the Interceptor. Her gaze wandered downward, where Max’s legs were if she could see through the car, where his leg-brace resided. Sighing, Rainbow stretched her wings out before tucking them back in, walking over to the passenger side.

“We’ll see,” she grumbled, but it was enough for Greenhorn to give a satisfied grunt. As she climbed through the window, she scrunched up her nose, wiping it quickly before sitting in place. Greenhorn shuffled over to Max, bending down to face him properly.

“You’ll want to head for Pillar’s Rock,” Greenhorn explained, pointing in a direction that would have indicated left of the tunnel’s entrance. “That was where the Black Clouds were headed. If you find yourself at the base of a mountain, you’ve gone too far.”

Staring at the tunnel wall didn’t help Max, but he nodded regardless, giving a half hearted wave as he shifted the gears. Looking behind him, Max backed up the Interceptor, revving it up just before heading up the slope of sand. The extra momentum put the Interceptor back into the sunny wasteland, and Max kept reversing until they were facing the direction they needed to head. Shifting again, Max floored the gas, kicking up loads of sand before setting off.

Greenhorn hiked up the incline as well, struggling a great deal before finally leaving the confines of the tunnel. Releasing a sigh, he watched the Interceptor head out with one hand on his head, the other on his hip. In the back of the Interceptor, Rainbow waved reluctantly, setting her hoof down after a while and just looked out to Greenhorn. He didn’t wave back.

“Didn’t the story say the Road Warrior’s car was destroyed?” he muttered to himself. Another gust of wind - a particularly strong one - pushed him back, sweeping the thought out of him. Even by firmly planting his feet to prevent himself from slipping, the wind nearly toppled him over. Sand beat against his face as he raised his arms to protect himself. “Something is brewing. Hope it’s just a…” A glance to the sky showed no sign of clouds, and Greenhorn’s eyes widened. “Oh dear.”

The Interceptor was a good distance away, too far for any sound to reach it from where Greenhorn stood. Instead, he just let his arms hang by his side, swallowing nervously.

“There!” Rainbow announced, jumping up to the dashboard. With one hoof supporting her, she pointed to the cluster of huge, rock pillars, rising several stories above the ground ahead of them, Pillar’s Rock. The way they were organized put them at odds with the elements; even though they were weathered down and barren, they remained sturdy and practically undisturbed without any protection in their isolation.

Rainbow hummed, setting her hoof down, “They need a new name for this place. I’m pretty sure there’s more than one big rock.”

Max glanced around as they entered the shadows, sunlight unable to break through the pillars. His eyes swept over the tops of the pillars they neared. There was no sign of movement. They were as lifeless as the wasteland that surrounded them. The closer they got, the more forsaken the place became. Just before they were swallowed up inside the pillar labyrinth, Max tapped on the brakes as the Interceptor eased to a stop. Rainbow tilted her head as she looked to Max. He simply narrowed his eyes before turning around. Nothing could be seen through the dust kicked up by the Interceptor. Even beyond that, there wasn’t anything out of place in the wasteland they had come through. Rainbow glanced behind as well, raising a brow.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her tone even and clear. Max gave her a sideways glance, but remained unmoving.

“Thought I spotted something,” he muttered, shifting back into his seat. Rainbow settled back in her own seat, bracing herself as Max sped up again, driving between two pillars. The temperature cooled instantaneously, and Rainbow rubbed her foreleg. Before long, she hopped around, looking every which way anxiously. Max simply rested his hand on his shotgun.

“I don’t like this,” Rainbow drawled, finally resting on the window sill, her hooves dangling. The Interceptor weaved through the pillars, bits of rock tinkling down occasionally. It was natural in the way it moved, rarely needing to steer too hard to wind around a pillar. Rainbow squinted her eyes through the shroud encompassing them before glancing behind her. There was little difference of where they came from and where they were going. It was like a never ending flow of pillars.

“Are we lost?” Rainbow asked, turning to Max, who grunted in thought. Sticking his head out the window, he stared straight above while keeping an eye on the road ahead. The blue sky was still there, without anything tarnishing its rich color. However, there was the occasional wisp of dark smoke. It would slink into view briefly before dissipating; it was hard to catch.

Max slipped his head back in, tightening his grip on the wheel, “It’s a trap.”

“What?” Rainbow blurted, pulling her hooves back in as she stood up, facing him fully. “What makes you say that?”

“There’s smoke above us,” Max said, pointing a finger directly above them. Rainbow looked up and grunted at seeing the roof of the Instructor.

“Well,” Rainbow said, her tone uneasy as she looked to the front. “How do you know it isn’t the smoke from your carriage? Doesn’t it come from that pipe in the back?”

“That’s exhaust fumes,” Max stressed, glaring at her. “Smoke lasts longer in open air. And it doesn’t come from cars.”

“Cars,” Rainbow repeated, tilting her head down. “Carriages… cars. Huh.”

“Quiet,” Max said lowly, holding up a hand to her muzzle. Rainbow grunted as she crossed her forelegs, but obliged. Max retracted his arm slowly as they drove, the air only disturbed by their V8 engine. Another sound slowly mixed with it. As faintly as it started, there was no denying that it grew as time went on. One of Rainbow’s ears twitched as she looked every which way, growing tense and frustrated.

Upon facing the back of the Interceptor again, three cars came around a pillar, their engines blaring louder than before as nitro shot out of their exhaust pipes. The holes covering the car bodies, though less noticeable, were still prominent. Rainbow groaned as she threw a foreleg over her muzzle.

“Not these guys again,” she stated, her heart dropping. “Why can’t they just leave us alone?”

Cheering and hollering emanated from the three cars in pursuit. It wasn’t something to be ignored, no matter how much Max furrowed his brow, his muscles straining as he focused on the trail ahead. He slammed on the gas pedal, and sped forward while steering a hard right. A pillar was inches away from the Interceptor, the wheels nearly gliding along the sand. Rainbow pressed herself against the door, getting as far away from the pillar wall as possible.

Max eventually pulled out of his drift, just in time to pass the cars. Getting a better look, the Leopards were more rowdy than before, jumping around in their seats in a near chaos. Max didn’t waste the opportunity as he drew his shotgun and fired both shots at one car. Small metallic rings were heard, but there was no visible damage to the cars. However, blood gushed from the shoulder of a man, and he screamed, throwing his head back.

The Interceptor sped off before anything else could be done. The Leopards’ cars spun around, nearly throwing themselves against the pillars before accelerating back into the chase. Rainbow kept a watchful eye on them, her face conflicted as her eyes wandered between each car before settling on Max.

“I really wish we could work this out without shooting anypony,” Rainbow admitted, tapping her hooves together, “but if it’s possible, could you maybe lose them instead?”

Max grunted harshly, the sound either being acknowledgement or dismissal. Whichever it was, he glanced behind him before tossing his shotgun to Rainbow. She flinched upon it hitting her side, falling to her haunches. Staring at it, she nudged it away like it would go off at at any second.

“Reload it with these,” Max ordered, grabbing the bag full of shotgun shells and tossing them to Rainbow. It landed just beside the shotgun, the contents miraculously remaining inside. Another sharp turn almost tipped the bag to the side, but Rainbow grabbed it with her hooves. She stared at it like she did with the shotgun, shaking its contents around as Max took another sharp turn.

“I-I don’t know how to use these!” Rainbow announced, dropping the bag before grabbing the shotgun with the crook of her foreleg. A growl from Max, and Rainbow could only groan as she tossed the shotgun beside her, leaning out the window.

On Max’s side, one of the Leopards’ cars pulled up beside the Interceptor, and the passenger reached his arm out, swinging his wrist-knife. His attacks weren’t near Max at all, but that didn’t slow the man down.

“You will pay in blood for the death of Pedant, Gazelle!” he yelled, followed by several cheers from the other occupants of the car. Max didn’t say a word as he rammed the Interceptor against the other car, the man’s arm being crushed between the two doors. He screamed as they steered away, the Interceptor pulling ahead. Rainbow was stunned by his actions, and flinched when Max snatched his shotgun back, along with the bag of shells. He darted his attention between reloading his shotgun and driving, even though the path was fairly linear at the moment.

Rainbow watched his haste and stamped a hoof down, baring her teeth. The three cars were still behind them when she checked through the window again. Glaring, she jumped out the passenger window without a hitch and put some distance between her and the Interceptor, her wings beating to keep up instantly and effortlessly. Clouds of dust and sand didn’t deter her as it rushed alongside the Interceptor.

She did a barrell roll over the Interceptor to appear on the other side. Max glanced at her briefly before closing his shotgun, two new shells inside. Rainbow responded by sticking her tongue at him. She was unable to suppress a grin, spreading her wings wide as her speed quickly diminished. It was enough for the Interceptor to shoot forward, the other three cars passing her as well before she flapped her wings again. With a powerful push, she rocketed after them, keeping pace easily as she flew from side to side. Her eyes were narrowed intently on the three cars, but she blinked when a person climbed out of one.

His hands grabbed hold of the bars running along the side, much like the truck from the other day, but instead of standing on the roof, the person was crouched. He kept one hand clutching the bar while the other held up his wrist-knife. His hair was long and lanky, but was only shoulder length. The dots on his back numbered eleven, but other than that, he was the same as any other Leopard.

“So you are the true Gazelle Pedant saw on that fateful day,” the man said. His tone was low, but his voice was loud enough to break through the rushing wind. “The sacrifice for the Voice. Unlike him, I shall not fail. The Voice will be appeased! For we are Leopards!”

“Lep-!” the other men chanted, right before a semi truck struck the side of the leftmost car. Rainbow had to pull up to avoid hitting it as the semi truck pushed the car straight into a pillar. It crushed it like tissue paper, the occupants squashed as the car caught fire. Rainbow flew by with her jaw dropped as the semi truck reversed, allowing the car to explode. The flames lit the area up, metal bits shooting in several directions as parts of the car body arced away. Rainbow covered her eyes as a wave of heat encompassed her. It lasted half a second, but it was very intense, making her falter in her flight.

Upon opening her eyes, she caught sight of another semi truck weaving through the rock pillars. It would disappear occasionally as it passed each pillar, a huge tank - as high and wide as the cabin itself - glowed a faint orange. Rainbow hunched her head as she faced the Interceptor and remaining two cars.

“I gotta get back to Jerk,” she muttered, launching higher up and diving afterword. She spiraled in the air, gaining speed as she closed in on the Interceptor before landing on the roof. Max steared a hard right, causing Rainbow to clutch the roof as her body swayed to the left. “You idiot! It’s me!”

The shout locked Max’s muscles, his hold on the steering wheel tightening, as words whispered through his mind.

I’d rather stay with you. You win a lot.

“Jerk!” Rainbow bellowed, clamoring through the passenger window as Max shook out the voice. His eyes lingered on Rainbow, her expression frantic and angry, before turning to the two cars still chasing them. He caught sight of the semi truck approaching one of the cars’ side, showing the entirety of the vehicle.

The semi truck itself was plain. The paint was orange, along with some rust, and there wasn’t any distinct decals or decorations that made it stand out. However, what rested on its bed was especially noteworthy. A huge tank sat behind the cabin, a wooden platform wrapping around it to allow two men to run along it. They occasionally threw something into the tank, and though nothing really changed, the faint orange glow and wisps of fire proved that it was a giant burning pot. The men themselves were adorned in leather padding, with tanks strapped to their backs. A tube connected their tanks to a handheld nozzle hung at their side.

Rainbow watched too, staring out the back with both hooves propping her up. As the semi truck grew closer to the Leopards car, the man on top jumped to the next car to get as close as possible. Again, he waved his wrist-knife around as he shouted, “You dare defy the followers of the almighty Voice from fulfilling-!”

The semi truck rammed into the car's side, and though it wasn’t enough to knock the car - nor the person - off course, one of the men on the wooden platform pulled out their handheld nozzle and a wave of fire surged from the tip. It engulfed the man on top of the Leopard car, liquid fire spreading relentlessly, and he screamed his head off. His arms flailed around as he stood up, fire dancing along his body as he stumbled around until finally tripping onto the hood of the car, rolling off, and promptly getting run over. The car was no better as the torrent of fire streamed inside as well, sending the entire car alight as it wavered back and forth before exploding, the body flipping over.

The last Leopard car veered away, but it was too much as it turned completely on its side and flipped off off its wheels. It rolled over several times before crashing into pillar. One person inside lifted a shaky hand, grasping for something, before the other semi truck smashed into the side, easily pushing the car away and continuing through without pause. The engine roared as it drove alongside the other.

These were the Black Clouds’ vehicles: Bond-fire and Fül.

“They have fire!” Rainbow bellowed. “They can breath fire like dragons!”

“Flamethrowers,” Max said, more as a note than a correction. He glanced along the many pillars they passed, seeing no end to them anywhere. “You need to fly ahead, see if you can find a way outta here.”

“No way, Jerk!” Rainbow exclaimed, already clamoring out the back window. “I’m going to see if they’re tossing books into that tank-thingy. My book could be there!”

“We have to get out of this first!” Max shouted, making Rainbow flinch. His voice was authoritative and to the point. However, Rainbow swallowed before giving a forced glare.

“Well, for once, Jerk, I’m doing things my way!” she said before jumping out the back window. Max reached a hand to grab her, but missed her tail by centimeters as she climbed on top of the gas barrels in the back.

“Dash!” Max yelled angrily before slamming a hand against the wheel. “Fuck!”

Huffing at his yells, Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the two semi trucks. Since they were side by side, and closer than before, she could get a better look at Fül - the one with the container in the back. She couldn’t make out what the shabby plywood held, but a glance between it and the burning giant pot on Bond-fire made her hope build.

“So if that’s where the fire is,” she muttered, rubbing her chin before pointing to Fül, “then that must be where the books are. Don’t know why they separated them.”

Shaking her thoughts out, she gave a dainty hop with a smirk before flaring her wings and gliding between the two semi trucks rushing by. The wind kicked up and pushed Rainbow Dash but she used it to her advantage by letting it flow through her wings. It gave her enough momentum to send her soaring upwards, followed by a small flip before diving for the container on Fül. Upon landing, she nearly slipped on one of the books, but caught herself as her eyes zipped around.

There was so many books piled around that it could count as its own library. Not just books but broken pieces of wood and gas containers also cluttered the container, leaving a messy heap. It didn’t help that with every bump everything shifted on top of each other.

“Come on, come on,” she grumbled, furrowing her brow as she sifted through the books. Her pace picked up with each book she moved aside, and eventually she just upturned them in her search. “It’s gotta be here! I want to go home!”

Her eyes caught sight of someone sidling along the edge of the container, a pistol in his grip. Growling, she lunged at him before he could even raise his weapon. Her hooves connected with his chest, sending him off Fül and tumbling onto the sand. The semi trucks left him behind as Rainbow watched him, easing her breathing with a hoof on her chest.

“He’s fine, don’t worry about him,” she said with a deep breath staring at the darkened form stand back up, albeit shakily. Suddenly, sunlight appeared, illuminating the area greatly as the pillars were distanced like the man. Rainbow blinked several times, the heat already making her dizzy. Rubbing a hoof against her forehead, she turned around to continue searching before her eyes caught sight of the Interceptor heading for a cliff. The ledge lead off into a huge valley, so flat that the roads the Interceptor had traveled on were bumpy in comparison.

The Interceptor swiveled slightly and kicked up tons of dust, sliding on the sand in an attempt to stop. The semi trucks already slowing down considerably. By the time the Interceptor was close to stopping, the front half slide was already handing off the edge, front tires dangling as the car tilted down. The semi trucks came to a full halt before falling over, just as Max pushed open the door and jumped out.

His hands reached for the ledge, but they were just shy, sliding along the side of the cliff and running his skin ragged. His face tensed as he plummeted down the side. Rainbow’s jaw dropped in horror, her wings beating rapidly as her hooves slipped and slid on the bundles of books.

“Jerk!” she yelled in panic, her voice hoarse as her wings finally caught and she flew, albeit haphazardly and disjointed. She hovered in place upon passing the lip of the cliff, gazing down the half-a-mile long drop. It was nothing compared to the canyon, but it was still high up. At the very bottom, the Interceptor laid on its side, fairly beat up with a huge dent on the front corner and several metal components scattered around. However, Rainbow fixated on Max, lying spread out on his stomach beside the Interceptor.

Before she could get down there, a gust of wind pushed her to the side. She had to fly against it to stay in place. The driver of Bond-fire peered out the window - a leather helm on - staring out into the valley below as bits of dust and rocks tinkled against the metallic sides.

“Sandstorm!” she bellowed, pointing to the side. “Head back to the pump!”

Both semi trucks backed up and made a U-turn to head back for Pillar’s Rock. Rainbow just glanced at them before flying straight down, never letting Max out of her sight. Upon getting closer, the actual wreck was a cluster of broken pieces. Metal bars and bits dotted the rocky sand, and Max lay amongst them, unmoving.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Rainbow muttered quickly, landing unprofessionally and nearly tripping over her hooves. Upon reaching Max, she found him unconscious, with no visible injuries. She pressed a hoof to his shoulder, shaking it roughly as she gazed at his face for something, anything, to indicate he wasn’t critically wounded. “Come on, wake up. Wake up, Jerk! You can walk it off, right? You’re tough, you can handle it!”

Max didn’t move. Rainbow used both her hooves to shake him harder.

“Just do something!” she yelled, her breathing frantic as the wind picked up. “Tell me you’re alive!”

Another brush of the wind stung her eyes, and she pulled a hoof away to rub them. A rumbling built up just to the side, growing louder by the second. Glancing to the source, a humongous wave of dust and sand towered over her, higher than the rock pillars. It rolled and overlapped itself with no way to see through it, like a tidal wave of the wasteland. And it was getting closer.

7 - Stormed by Humanity

The wind howled and brushed past Rainbow Dash in a blitz of gusts. Slivers of sand and dust beat against her fur and gave a preview of what was to come. She closed her eyes, turning away from the sandstorm responsible. It loomed over her like death itself, the sun already fading from view as the dense clouds of sand blocked it. Rainbow opened her eyes a smidge, peeking at the sandstorm - monstrous and threatening - before flicking her gaze to Max. He hadn’t moved since she had seen him there, lying on the ground. Her expression softened into guilt, a low whine escaping her lips.

“Jerk…” she said, lifting up a wing to protect her face from the gull forces. She suddenly coughed hard, nearly falling down as she covered her mouth with the crook of her foreleg. Her guilt evolved into panic as she stepped away from Max, her breathing erratic as she coughed again. Her eyes lingered on the cliff wall; it was high and held no sanctuary. Fidgeting, she trotted a ways down, until she spotted a crevice - a fissure carved into the cliff wall at least fifty meters away

She stared at the opening, titling her head back and forth in thought before shaking it off. Her wings flared and she flew fast enough to push against the wind towards Max. The sandstorm was nearly upon them, like a moving wall with the intent to envelop them. Her mouth clamped onto one of Max’s sleeves, and she whined, her eyes bulging as she nearly gagged. She groaned as she bore her teeth, tugging on his arm and dragging him through the sand. She moved a few meters before the sandstorm hit.

Their whole world was replaced with raw power; wind whipped around, howling in her ear as sand ground against their fur and skin. The area was tinged in a rustic color, shifting and morphing around Rainbow. Her eyes burned, her throat was scratchy, she heaved and coughed, but through it all, she never let go of Max.

Despite the hellscape surrounding them, Rainbow was able to squint her eyes at the cliff wall that still remained. The only solid surface besides the ground she stood upon. There was no change, no difference on the wall as she continued. The wind blew in all directions, like the hurricanes she was all too familiar with. Her eyes broke away from the cliff to linger on her wings as they twitched. Giving a big tug, she opened them and pushed herself back. By positioning her wings, she got the most out of the wild gusts, while angling them to negate any unwanted winds.

The crevice revealed itself through the billowing sand. A dark cave laid in wait with its inky blackness shrouding the contents within, hiding it from Rainbow. She only gave it a glance before changing direction, dragging Max through the narrow opening. The ground became hard stone. Her fur was still and flat, though far more beige than before. A sigh escaped her lips as the relentless howling was hushed instantly, and grew quieter as she pulled Max further inside. The cave moaned from the wind licking against the opening as the few rays of light filtered into the cave to shine on Rainbow and Max. Everything around them was darkness.

Rainbow spit out Max’s sleeve, coughing and hacking hard. So hard, she fell to the floor, a puff of dust arising from her fur. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she gasped for air, pounding a hoof. When she finally settled down, she remained there on the ground, giving sputters of a cough every so often as her eyelids were closed. Her body quivered, and every movement was slow and weak.

“Jerk,” she said, her voice raspy and forced, almost like her very life was inching away from her. “Are you… are you alive?”

Silence; Max was as still as a statue.

Rainbow lifted her head, wincing as she used a foreleg to steady herself. Though her voice was faint, she didn’t let up, “I wondered how you live the way you do, threatening and… k-killing people all the time. But if you have to survive through something like… that.” She made a merger gesture to the cave entrance, the sand still whipping around outside. “I just… I really don’t know everything about you.”

Another cough threw her head back to the ground. Her breathing more desperate than before. “I hate this place,” she grumbled, “but I’m sorry, okay?”

The moan of the cave was all that was heard. “Jerk? Can you hear me? I said I’m sorry. Please, say something…”

You said you’d watch her! Where is she?

Several hooves were beating against Max’s chest. He couldn’t breathe, his body was rigid.

You kill all of them and don’t feel a thing?!

In a flash, Max sat up with fist poised to strike. His wide eyes hastily scanned the dark interior of the cave, the light from the entrance still streaming through and projecting on himself. Then, he burst out coughing, sending him to his side as he rested on his hands and knees. And to top it off, gasping, Max wrapped an arm around his waist. His hands tightened on his jacket as he hissed in pain.

Even after his coughing fit, Max remained on the ground, simply breathing in and out. The light was tainted by the dust floating around in the air, filtering it through like a transparent object. It distracted Max a moment as he sat back down, wiping a hand against his mouth. Shaking his head, he slowly examined the area, until his gaze landed on the prone form of Rainbow Dash, unconscious.

Max growled at the sight of her, waving a hand at her dismissively until he looked through the crevice leading outside. The sandstorm still clouded everything, and though it wasn’t nearly as intense, it was still too thick to see through. Max stared out into the ravaged land, stoic as ever, but gradually, a faint smile emerged.

It lasted a few seconds before the silhouettes of two figures were walking through the sandstorm to the cave entrance, both with their hands set at their sides like there wasn’t sand whipping against them. Grunting, Max jumped to his feet, cradling his waist as he shuffled to the side of the crevice. He didn’t press himself against it like back at Greenhorn’s abode, but did pull out his shotgun, opening it up to find two shotgun shells. His gaze shifted to Rainbow Dash, watching her rest, breathing gently and without a care.

A silent sigh escaped his lips as voices echoed through the cave, courtesy of the two men approaching. The howling wind and low moan it created hid their words, but as they grew closer, it didn’t take long for Max to pick up on their conversation.

“You know, it feels kind of pointless having gas masks if our Atives can’t drive in a sandstorm,” one man spoke, the voice familiar enough for Max to raise a brow. Blucifer.

“Oh, do enlighten me,” another voice spoke, just as familiar, only it made Max narrow his eyes. Redding. With a final glance to Rainbow, Max closed his shotgun, eliciting a quiet click, before he turned it over to grip the barrel. “Would you want to walk without a gas mask? Please, take it off if you’d rather breath sand!”

Blucifer grumbled, “Maybe the Atives just don’t like your attitude.”

With his makeshift club held high, Max waited as the first man made his way through the entrance, hands clamping on the rocks for support. As soon as a head poked through, casting a shadow onto the cave floor, Max hit him with the handle of his shotgun. The stranger garbed in brown fell to the floor without much struggle.

“Ah!” the Blucifer bellowed, running through with a pistol in hand. “Redding!”

Max took another swing, aiming for Blucifer, but missed just as he stumbled inside. He pulled himself together, crouched down slightly with the pistol pointed at Max. It made him freeze with the shotgun still in hand. Blucifer backpedaled to stand by Redding’s side, lowering himself to shake him.

“Brother, you didn’t die, did you?” he questioned, though there wasn’t much worry in his tone. “Does that mean I get all your koobs?”

The very mention of the last word, got Redding to spring up, albeit awkwardly, staring directly into Blucifer’s eyes, “I thought we discussed this.”

“What? We did no-” Blucifer started before Max tackled him to the floor. Pressing his knees against his chest, Max grasped the hand with the pistol, slamming it repeatedly against the floor, Blucifer crying out all the while. Eventually, he dropped his pistol, which was quickly picked up in a blur of blue and rainbow. Max didn’t get a chance to register the act before Redding kicked him in the side, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Rainbow flew in from the side with the pistol between her teeth, landing to stand protectively in front of Max. Her glare pierced Redding as he hesitated in another attack. The pause allowed Blucifer to stand back up, his legs wobbly.

“It’s the ugly bird,” he whispered to Redding, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Remember? The one who-”

“Yes, I remember, idiot,” Redding snapped, slightly loud and still unsecretive. A stalemate ensued in which the only person to move was Max, pushing himself back up with his hand still supporting his waist.

“Give me the gun, Dash,” Max ordered gruffly, holding out his hand. His eyes were trained on Redding and Blucifer, his expression hard. Rainbow glanced up to him, saddened, before she closed her eyes.

“Mo,” she said, muffled by the pistol in her mouth. She spit it onto the ground as Max furrowed his brow at her, but she didn’t look to him, but rather to Redding and Blucifer. “I’m willing to follow your instructions, Jerk. You’re trying to stay alive and get me home. And I appreciate it. A lot, actually. But if we have a chance to spare someone, I want us to take it.”

“I agree with her,” Blucifer spoke up with a finger in the air. “Mostly because I end up living in the end.”

“Ten koops say we get shot anyway,” Redding muttered, rubbing his forehead. Rainbow shook her head slowly, but was too late to do anything as Max swooped down and grabbed the pistol, holding it up. He didn’t aim it at Blucifer and Redding, who flinched as his actions as much as Rainbow did.

“Jerk…” Rainbow warned, her tone heavy with more worry than anger. Even her eyes pleaded to him, but Max kept his gaze trained on the pistol, examining it. Before long, he stared across to Blucifer and Redding, pointing the pistol upwards, and pulling the trigger. A metallic click was heard, but no bullet was fired.

There was a long pause, the moaning from the cave entrance louder than before.

“Blucifer,” Redding said lowly, turning to him, “did you reload my pistol like I told you?”

Blucifer faced the ground a moment before looking to Redding, “...Yes.”

“You liar!” Redding declared, jabbing a finger into Blucifer’s chest. Rainbow sighed in relief as Max flipped the pistol in his hand and holstered it under his belt. “How many times do I tell you to keep our guns loaded?!”

“You do realize you owe me ten koobs because of that, right?” Blucifer reminded.

“And now you know why I’m angry,” Redding huffed, crossing his arms as he turned away from him. Rainbow rolled her eyes as Max stood at the entrance, the sandstorm still inense.

“Hey, you two,” Max called, knocking them out of their argument to focus on Max, “you’re going to help us.”

“You don't really have a reason to tell us what to do,” Redding replied hotly, arms still crossed.

Rainbow hovered in the air, floating close to him with a smirk, “I’d listen to him. He knows what he’s doing.”

“He did outsmart us last time,” Blucifer concurred. “And the ugly bird did stop him from killing us. Sort of.”

Rainbow was stuck between a beaming smile and annoyance. Redding sighed, wincing as he rubbed his head again.

“Fine,” Redding said. “What do we gotta do?”

Max pointed to the sandstorm, angling his arm to the side, “The Black on Black. It needs fixing.”

Redding and Blucifer glanced to each other, before the latter stepped up. Rainbow followed beside him, still in the air. “We’re no Black Thumbs,” Blucifer admitted, “but we do know a thing or two about fixing cars.”

“We’ll need to swing by our brother’s place to pick up some tools first,” Redding added with a shrug. “After the storm dies down, of course.”

“Your brother’s?” Rainbow questioned, flying in front of them. Her eyes shifted between the two of them before remaining on Blucifer. There wasn’t much difference between them; their clothing and gas mask were identical. Except for their height - Redding was slightly taller - they were indistinguishable from each other.

“Yeah,” Blucifer nodded rapidly. “Greenhorn. He doesn’t live with us, so we visit him once in awhile.”

“Greenhorn!?” Rainbow blurted, her mouth agape.

The calm in the wasteland was unlike any other after a sandstorm. Not a hint of a breeze would brush against the cliff. The sands were still. The world was in a perpetual pause. Even as Max trudged along, not a sound was heard besides his steps on the sand. Rainbow followed silently in the air as they came over the newly formed hill of sand to find the Interceptor. It was half buried and still on it’s side. The storm had covered several of the broken components. Some of the scattered remains poked out in places, but most were completely gone.

“Definitely a fixer-upper,” Rainbow noted with a nod, setting down near a metal rod poking out of the sand. “You think we can get it up and working?”

“It’s gone through worse,” Max explained, but didn’t go much further than that. Engines rumbled behind them, and just as they turned around, Redding and Blucifer rolled up on their ATV’s. They drove around them and made their way to the front of the Interceptor, parking side by side with the car behind them.

“That should do it,” Redding said, hopping off with Blucifer and grabbing a pile of chains from the back. He looped it around his arm as Blucifer grabbed one end, bringing it to the Interceptor as it rattled around.

“We should be able to drag this thing back to our home, no problem,” he stated rather blatantly. Rainbow looked to Max and he did the same, both sharing an expression of confusion. After wrapping the chain around the front bumper, Blucifer tugged a bit and walked back to the ATV’s. “Well, if the wheels still work.”

“I bet five koobs we’ll meet trouble on our way there,” Redding said, his arms busy pulling out more of the chain.

“You’re on,” Blucifer agreed, tying down his end of the chain onto a metal bar. It was attached to his blue ATV, sitting just by the exhaust pipe in the back.

Rainbow trotted to the Interceptor, digging through the sand to expose part of a joint. The car was at least a half meter deep. Max walked up to the Interceptor too, brushing sweat from his forehead as he knelt down. Piles of sand had pooled inside, dirtying the grease where metal ground against metal. Oil also dripped from a few tubes.

Max swabbed a bit of grease with his finger, the sand clearly visible with the oil as he rubbed it between his fingers. It was grimy and rough, and Max hummed as he wiped it on his pants.

“This’ll take time,” Max mused, standing to his feet and resting a hand on the door. Rainbow heaved a heavy sigh, staring into the inner workings of the vehicle.

“Then we’d better hurry,” she said. Max flickered his gaze to her. “No telling where those Black Cloud guys could end up.”

Their speed wasn’t exactly fast, but they were making headway back to Greenhorn. Redding and Blucifer, driving their ATV’s, towed the Interceptor, following the cliff wall away from Pillar’s Rock. Max sat in the Interceptor with his hands on the wheel, keeping the car steady as they moved along. Their pace was slow, compared to how Max usually drove. Even the gas indicator showed he still had little less than half remaining.

He looked to a gas barrel in the back, a gnarly hole still exposed on its side, “Hope they have fuel.”

“So you can take that too?” Rainbow snapped, sitting up high, eyes piercing his own. Max just had to stare at her for a moment before she fidgeted, groaning. “Sorry. It’s just… just this heat.”

Max gazed at her for a while longer, softening his expression before focusing ahead, “If you have somethin’ to say, now’s a good time to say it.”

Blucifer and Redding were far enough away to miss what they said, and once they got to their destination, they would all be busy getting the Interceptor running again. Even still, Rainbow hesitated, looking everywhere but at Max. He looked to her expectantly with slightly bemused expression.

“I don’t like you,” Rainbow stated blatantly, earning a quick chuckle from Max. “You kill others, you only care what you get out of something, and you don’t even share your name.”

A lull in the conversation made Max close his eyes for a moment, waiting. His ears perked when he heard shuffling beside him. Rainbow had sat herself back down, but was still stern, almost piercing the side of Max’s head.

“But you still help people,” Rainbow continued. “Something inside of you still cares about that. You wouldn’t have kept me around after… what happened at Pillar’s Rock. You had a plan, and I ignored it. So I’m willing to do what you tell me to do. And the least you can do is stop killing others.”

“No promises,” Max replied with a shrug. He was almost indifferent from the way he behaved, but his muscles were loose and he was more at ease. Rainbow shook her head, before nudging it at Blucifer and Redding.

“Just don’t hurt those guys,” she stated. “They might have tried to kill us, but… if they’re related to Greenhorn, they can’t be all bad.”

“Right,” Max said, a tinge of somber in his voice. The tone made one of Rainbow’s ears twitch. Rushing wind filled the void of silence as Rainbow and Max looked ahead, Blucifer and Redding pulling the Interceptor up a slope.

“So, I’m not the only one surprised they’re related to Greenhorn, am I?” Rainbow questioned, scratching her chest with a hoof, smiling nervously. “I feel kind of stupid.”

Max didn’t respond, but smirked instead.

The staring match between Blucifer and Redding was hard and intense. Though they had their gas masks on, it couldn’t be denied their absolute concentration on each other, barely moving as they sat on chests across from each other. Stacks of books surrounded them in the tunnel of Greenhorn’s home, still dimly lit by the few lamps around.

Rainbow stood with Max to her left and Greenhorn to her right, simply watching them. Amongst them, Rainbow was the most confused, furrowing her brow in disbelief as she looked between Blucifer and Redding. Finally, Redding relented as he sighed and reached down with five books in hand.

“There, five koobs,” he said stiltedly. Blucifer snatched the books out of hand, shuffling them in his fingers eagerly before setting them with the books he was near.

“And the bet with the gun?” Blucifer reminded, rolling his hand in anticipation. “That’s one you can’t’ve forgotten.”

Another staring match, to which Rainbow groaned loudly, slapping a hoof to her forehead.

“These bozos are wasting time,” she grumbled before looking to Greenhorn. “Can’t you tell them to hurry it up?”

“How can I?” Greenhorn questioned exasperatedly, yet patiently. “I don’t keep track of their bets. They have to remember on their own.”

“Dash is right,” Max added, crossing his arms. “No tellin’ where the Black Clouds’ll end up. We gotta get movin’.”

“Technically,” Blucifer emphasised, using one finger on each hand for air quotes. “we have plenty of time. Pillar’s Rock is where their oil pump is. They’re not going very far from it.”

Greenhorn adjusted his glasses, “Regardless, it’s not a good idea to keep the Road Warrior waiting.”

“Road Warrior?” Redding asked, sitting up as if something had struck him. “Who’s that?”

Greenhorn balked, aghast at his words. With palms out, he gestured to the two sitting there as he looked to Rainbow. “This is what I have to deal with,” he stated lightly. “I tell them all these relevant stories and they just cause problems.”

“Technically,” Redding emphasised, using one finger on each hand for air quotes. “we’re not even here often enough to be a problem.”

“Wow,” Rainbow blinked. “You must say that word a lot. Like, more than Twilight would.”

Max shook his head before pointing to Blucifer and Redding, “You finished?”

“Gah, ten koobs,” Redding relented, sliding a pile of books, lying about haphazardly, to Blucifer, who jumped down from his seat to pool them together with his arms like a bunch of poker chips.

“Now we’re good!” he called, setting his winnings to the side of tunnel. Rainbow turned to leave, but glanced to the stack of books on each side. Neither had more or less books, based on appearances. Though the number of each stack varied widely, it was difficult to see which side was bigger than the other.

“So, who’s winning?” she inquired. Blucifer tilted his head before looking at his pile. Redding just looked to him.

“Why does there have to be a winner?” Blucifer asked back, startling Rainbow. A competitive smile came to her and she opened her mouth to speak. Greenhorn caught a glimpse of her and interrupted before she could say a word.

“In a world like this, Rainbow,” he said, “they try to enjoy what little friendly competition they can get.”

“Don’t make it sound weird,” Redding scowled, standing to his feet with Blucifer. “Let’s go before that guy there pulls a gun on us.”

The garage Blucifer and Redding resided in was an old gas station. The wear and tear of time had put everything to shambles. The gas pumps were completely gone and the roof over them had collapsed down the middle, giving it a V-shape when viewed at the right angle. A large sign, the only thing still standing besides the building, was rusted brown with the prices spray painted over with a simple message: NO GAS.

From where Rainbow sat, outside of the garage, leaning against the wall, all of this was on display. The remnants of a ruined world seen from a small area; the idea that the world was once alive replaced with the hollow shell of its former self. The stars, however, were untouched, and stood out brightly in the night sky. Rainbow was in a state of awe at the countless number above.

A loud clunk from within the garage pulled her back down, and the suppressed cursing made her roll her eyes.

“I thought it was good to go,” Blucifer admitted feebly, a wrench in hand.

“It’s good to go when the damn thing is running!” Redding snapped, snatching the wrench out of his hand. “Just… just warn me next time, okay?”

“Yeah, right, sure,” Blucifer answered hurriedly, relieved. He lifted the hood of the Interceptor, and their voices lowered to near whispers, calling out tools and instructions. Cranks and clicks filled the air, which Rainbow took in with a deep breath.

“Sandstorms may come in hard and fast,” Greenhorn said, stepping through the open doorway of the gas station, “but they leave behind a sense of calm.”

Rainbow shivered, “I’d prefer if I didn’t live some place with sandstorms. Like home.”

Greenhorn hummed and opened his mouth, as if to speak, but stopped himself. Instead, he glanced back inside, where Max sat upon the stained counter with shotgun in hand. His fingers delicately fiddled with each hinge and barrel, a cloth wiping the excess dirt. With that sight, and Rainbow’s curious gaze, Greenhorn's face lightened up and snapped his fingers. Max stopped to raise his brow at him, and Rainbow did the same.

“Come here,” he requested with a wave of his hand, slipping back inside eagerly. Rainbow stepped through as well, though hesitantly and rather perplexed. Kneeling next to his bag situated on the floor, Greenhorn dug both hands through his stuff, metal rattling and items shuffling around. Elbow deep, Greenhorn finally pulled out his shotgun, Pip, and shuffled over to Max.

“Better to keep that within reach,” Max advised darkly, returning to cleaning his weapon.

“The only time I use it is for ambushes,” Greenhorn revealed, keeping both hands on Pip. “It’s a bitch to reload. But this isn’t about Pip, but more for Rainbow here.”

Setting Pip down upon the counter, Greenhorn beckoned Rainbow over, who looked to Max. He merely shook his head without tearing his gaze away from his shotgun. With a flare of her wings, Rainbow shot over to Greenhorn and landed on the counter. She was still curious, but did show a tinge of annoyance.

“I think you two should clean weapons together,” Greenhorn said, reaching into his back pocket for a brown cloth. Though he was fairly optimistic of the suggestion, Max and Rainbow only had to glance to each other to express their sentiment.

“Excuse me?” Rainbow said, nudging Pip back and forth. It was dark inside the gas station, but she could see the filth caked on the outside of the shotgun as clear as day. “Why do I need to clean a weapon with Jerk if I’m not even going to use a weapon.” She turned away as she spoke under her breath, “And I’d rather you guys not use one either.”

“I thought it’d help you bond,” Greenhorn explained with a grin and a shrug.

“Don’t fall for it,” Redding blurted out from the garage, barely made out as he rushed to the doorway. In his hand was a wrench while the other held the door frame. “He did the same thing with me and Blucifer. Absolutely no point to it.”

Greenhorn sighed, “And yet you two bicker more than Rainbow and the Road Warrior. You don’t have proof it doesn’t work.”

Redding threw his hand in the air with a groan and headed back for the garage. Muffled words were muttered between him and Blucifer, followed by laughter. Rainbow puffed out her lower jaw inquisically and Greenhorn scratched his head under her scrutiny. Max still didn’t pay any attention.

“By the way,” Rainbow brought up with a glare, “why didn’t you tell us you were related to those two?” She gestured towards the garage, “They nearly tried to kill us you know.”

“It wasn’t-”

“And don’t give me that ‘you never asked’ junk,” Rainbow snapped with an elaborate wave of her hoof. Greenhorn shut his mouth and pursed his lips, adjusting his glasses. Afterwords, he clapped his hands together and sidled over to the door.

“I think I’ll just check with them, see how they’re doing,” he said, pointing to the garage with both fingers. He never faced away from Max and Rainbow, making him back out of the room awkwardly. Rainbow’s gaze lingered on the doorway before softening. Once again, the stillness had returned, and the very room - worn down walls and sand in every nook and cranny - offered the same callousness from before.

Wings spreading out, Rainbow trotted to the edge of the counter, positioning her legs to jump off.

“What’s your world like?” Max said, startling her. She nearly slipped but caught herself as she backed away, eyeing Max. His head was lowered, his shotgun resting in his lap. Whatever remark Rainbow had didn’t manifest as her expression shifted between annoyance and thoughtfulness. It almost perfectly mirrored Max.

“The exact opposite of this place,” Rainbow said. The description, although accurate, didn’t have the same impact of detail. However, as Rainbow scraped her hoof against the counter, she didn’t follow up with any words. Not about the colorful land and its occupants, not the near everlasting peace, nor the gentle princess that ruled over Equestria. Not even her friends.

Max sighed, returning to cleaning his shotgun, “Got it.”

8 - Damaged by Seperation

With Greenhorn behind the wheel of the Interceptor, Max kept a grip on his shotgun, resting an elbow out the window as they drove through the wasteland. Rainbow lay behind them on the back panel, the lack of additional seats forcing her to the floor. With her eyes half lidded, she examined herself, spotting smudges of grime and speckles of blood. Rainbow sighed at the latter, shaking herself before stumbling to her hooves. Her wings fluttered as well.

“Can’t wait to take a bath when I get home,” she announced, a wry smile on her lips as she stuck her head between Greenhorn and Max.

“A bath…” Greenhorn muttered to himself, his hands gripping the wheel like it would fly off if he let go. “My dad said they were meant to keep you clean. I always felt it was a waste of water myself.”

Rainbow crinkled her nose, “Yeah, you would think that. Heh, maybe you guys can come along back to my world. It’d be a nice change from all this, huh?”

Max twitched his head in Rainbow’s direction, but remained silent. Greenhorn lifted his chin in thought, the familiar sounds of the V8 filling the compartment. It was much smoother than before, though the rare stutter of the engine left a lot to be desired. The car itself was near identical from it’s last iteration, but the front corner was still smashed.

“Pillar’s Rock!” Blucifer’s voice rang from the side, knocking everyone back to attention. With his ATV, Blucifer drove on ahead, leaving a trail of dust. Redding did the same from the other side, though stuck closer to the Interceptor. True to Blucifer’s word, Pillar’s Rock came prominently into view. The many rock pillars still blotted out the interior. A chill ran through Rainbow from the shadows and what she had seen last time. Her eyes wandered away. The cliff Max had fallen from, though nearly camouflaged as it merged with the horizon, still left a pang in her chest.

Turning away from that, the presence of a mountain laid before her. It didn’t run straight up, but still had several platforms and trails swiveling up high angled cliffsides. The mountains rose up just a ways behind Pillar’s Rock, and from Rainbow’s perspective, were about as tall but much fainter from both the haze of heat and distance. If it wasn’t for the faint billow of smoke on the side of the mountain, she wouldn’t have paid any more attention to it.

“What’s that?” Rainbow questioned, pointing a hoof to the smoke. It wasn’t too far off for Max and Greenhorn to catch, and they all stared at it. Reaching under his seat, Max pulled out a pair of binoculars and brought them to his eyes.

Sand and rock were all he could see for a moment before he searched around, finally landing on the distant sight of a semi truck. The huge tank in the back still spilled smoke into the sky - Bond-fire - and shifting slightly to the left, Max found the other semi truck loaded with burnable materials in the back - Fül.

“Our target,” Max said, lowering his binoculars. Greenhorn and Rainbow grew grim, the former sticking his head out the window.

“Blucifer, Redding!” he shouted over the rushing air. The two of them turned their heads to them, driving straight while keeping parallel to the Interceptor. “To the mountain!”

Blucifer gave a thumbs up and Redding simply nodded before diverting course away from Pillar’s Rock. The Interceptor did the same. Instead of driving through the shrouded, maze-like area, they went around it, following the side like it was one seamless cliff. Each pillar whizzed by as they picked up speed, but Rainbow caught sight of something moving, pumping, from within just before it vanished amongst the other towering rocks.

She rubbed her chin with a hoof. Though there was no way to even see what had moved, her eyes glazed over the pillars. Even after the place was far behind.

The air was tense within the Interceptor, stifling Rainbow ever so slightly. Though the heat was primarily to blame - thanks to the sunlight beating against the dark vehicle - the way Max and especially Greenhorn sat in their seats made Rainbow shift uncomfortably. They were so focused, their demeanors were nearly identical, all the way down to their scowls.

“Do you think they know we’re coming?” she asked, her eyes flickering to the left, finding a steep drop. Memories of the other two cliffs Rainbow had come across floated in front of her vision, and she quickly diverted her attention to the other side, where a wall of rock and boulders was all there was. A flashback of a sandstorm swept through her mind. Putting a hoof over her muzzle alleviated some of those thoughts. Despite her reaction, the mountain trail they drove along was stable with plenty of room to maneuver, both for the Interceptor and the ATV’s still driving nearby.

The smoke in the sky, growing closer with each passing minute, could be seen perfectly floating above. It was always just a little ahead of the bend on the path.

Rainbow dragged her hoof away from her face to scratch her ear at the lack of a reply, raising a brow at the two in the front, “We’re still going with the plan, at least, right?”

Max caught her gaze and nodded. Releasing a shaky sigh, Rainbow fidgeted in place and scratched her ear again.

“Might need to change it up a bit,” Greenhorn noted, his voice drier than usual. A bump in the road knocked his glasses askew and he hastily adjusted them. “The only places to go are forward and back.”

“And down that way,” Blucifer offered, driving next to the driver’s side and nudging his head towards the drop. “Although, I wouldn’t bet a single koob to using it.”

“I’m pretty tempted to offer a few koobs just to see if you’d do it,” Redding called out from the opposite side, eliciting a laugh from Blucifer.

Greenhorn smiled, “Luckily, we know there are only two Rigs to worry about. And their both ahead of us. If we need to, we can fall back-”

“We’re not retreating,” Max interrupted. He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the shifting smoke. “They’re coming up now.”

Greenhorn made a quick and hesitant glance to Max. Nothing else was followed up, though Redding and Blucifer waited for one. As much as Rainbow groaned at Max’s words, she didn’t glare at him. After all, Bond-fire had shifted into view.

“Shit,” Greenhorn swore under his breath. “Okay, stick with the plan, but keep in mind of our surroundings.”

“Kinda hard to forget ‘em,” Redding responded darkly, looking to Blucifer across the Interceptor. “Ride up ahead, Blucifer. I’ve got your back if they try anything.”

Redding pulled out his pistol with his left hand as Blucifer did as he was told. His engine whined as he pulled ahead, the dust behind him thinner than in the the open desert. Bond-fire had armor, but not enough to defend vital components. Most of the metal plates covered the main cabin and the wheels. Even the railing around the large, burning tank was too meager to offer protection.

As Blucifer trailed behind Bond-fire, approaching from the left, a person dressed in leather barding appeared in the back window of the cabin, aiming his pistol. Three shots were fired, the first narrowly missing Blucifer as he ducked down to avoid being hit. Redding, a little behind Blucifer, returned fire with his own pistol. Bullets pinged against the metal plates protecting the shooter. Blucifer pulled to the right, to which the driver did the same, barely scraping the side of the mountain and denying Blucifer the chance to advance. Redding took the opportunity to pull up to the left of Bond-fire, avoiding a couple more rounds from the shooter before firing off a round of his own. The shooter fell down with a shout, and Blucifer looked back to the Interceptor with a wave of his hand.

“Go-go-go,” Rainbow chided to Greenhorn, who pressed on the gas pedal hard. They climbed up ahead, passing by Blucifer and riding behind Bond-fire. The Interceptor kept a ways away, but stayed close enough to allow the exhaust fumes to roll through the car.

Greenhorn and Rainbow choked, but the former kept his teary eyes on driving. Max quickly pulled himself through the passenger window, keeping slow as a few bumps rocked him around. Giving a few coughs, Rainbow blindly felt her way through the back window and clambered out onto the gas barrels. Out of the exhaust, she lept onto the roof alongside Max, who had pulled himself up to a crouch.

The Interceptor slowly inched forward as they waited atop. As if reading their intent, Bond-fire suddenly braked and Greenhorn veered to the side to avoid colliding with it. Rainbow and Max hunkered down and slid a bit before the Interceptor was back on track, driving beside Bond-fire. After regaining their balance, Rainbow leapt effortlessly, with the help of her wings, onto the wooden platform encircling the tank. Heat radiated against her fur, and the planks of wood were warm to the touch.

Max jumped as well, but clung to the side instead, his legs gaining a foothold easily and hopping over the railing. His hand instinctively reached out for support and rested against the tank. He quickly retracted his hand with a hiss, flexing it several times. Though it was faint, burn marks scarred his hand.

“Don’t touch the metal,” he warned, tightening his burned hand into a fist. Rainbow gave the tank a once over and nodded at his words. Max didn’t check to see if she heard him, sweeping his gaze over the back window of the cabin. There was activity from within, though it was too darkened to make out exactly what.

Pulling out his shotgun, he sprinted for the cabin while Rainbow galloped around the tank for the flamethrowers that had guarded the Rig before. A door, with a window cut out of the upper half, impeded Max’s progress. Settling into a crouch, he pressed an ear against the thin metal of the door. It was warm, but thankfully nowhere near as hot as the fire tank.

“-nal them!” a woman screamed from within, followed by subdued cursing. The mixture of rushing wind and the rumbling of the engine concealed the first part of her sentence.

“Something’s not right,” Max commented quietly, just as Rainbow looped around the tank. The lack of flamethrowers lowered the danger, and allowed her to study the tank itself. The entire surface was dark gray with only a few dents and scuffs. There was no holes or piping of any sort attached to it. She trotted to Max, steadying herself as the Rig shifted slightly. “Get back to the Interceptor.”

“What?” she replied, recoiling her head. “But the whole point here is to take this thing and use it!”

A flare unexpectedly shot out from the right side of Bond-fire, the whole area engulfed in red light momentarily before the burning flare rose higher in the sky, briefly leaving a trail of red smoke.

“Oh shit!” Redding cursed, hunching down. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Max peeked around the corner of the cabin just as Fül came around the bend up ahead, slowing down to allow Bond-fire and the others to catch up. It had it’s usual large bed trunk in the back, but besides the books, planks of wood, and gasoline tanks, there was also a half dozen people, standing, waiting, with two of them having flamethrowers at the ready. They were trained on Max and the group.

“Leopards always get their prey, you’ll be sorry!” a shaky voice said from the top of Fül’s cabin. Tied to a post was a burned man, almost husk-like in appearance. His skin was melted, his hair gone, and was beyond recognition. But Rainbow lit up at the words he used.

“Is that… is that guy…?” she whispered hesitantly, pointing to Fül.

“We got bigger problems,” Max spoke, his voice never wavering. Despite Redding swearing profusely off to the side, Max was calm and collected. He knelt down with his shotgun resting on his leg, furrowing his brow at the group of men growing closer. An old woman stepped out from behind the burned man on top, almost out of nowhere. Her gray hair was short and tied into a small pig tail. Soot was her name, and even from the distance, Max could faintly make out her sly smile on her wrinkled face.

“Get back to the Interceptor,” Max repeated, and Rainbow didn’t argue, vigorously nodding as she backed away. Redding didn’t even need to be told as his ATV slowed down to regroup with the others. Max remained where he was, however, staring intently at Soot.

Her attire matched the other men; leather barding covering her legs, arms, and torso. However, she showed less skin, wearing gloves and a thick scarf. Raising her arm, she pointed to Max with her fingers resembling a gun, and the flamethrowers on Fül instantly aimed and spewed a plethora of flames. Max jerked away from the corner, a wave of fire brushed past the corner and lighting up the area immensely.

The door behind him burst open as a bald man quickly ran through with a baseball bat. He whacked Max’s shotgun out of his hands, and it clattered onto the floorboard. Max ducked underneath the next swing, but another man, a bandana over his forehead, jumped out from the cabin and dived on top of him. His arms wrapped around Max’s neck, and he shuffled his legs and tipped each other around in the ensuing struggle. They both nearly slammed against the fire tank, but the bandana man held tight, gripping harder than before. The bald man held up his bat, but didn’t swing as he sidled around for the best opportunity. Rainbow, standing atop the Interceptor once more, growled before spreading her wings, crouching down to take off.

“Hold it!” Redding bellowed from beside the Interceptor, and Rainbow nearly tripped to follow his command. “We need a new fucking plan! Cause there’s no way we’re ready for this kind of shit!”

“The plan is still good, technically” Greenhorn said, a smirk slowing emerging. “And… this isn’t so bad. Lots of people to shoot.”

Redding moved like he was having a seizure, finishing off by staring at Greenhorn. It was dramatic in its length, as he made no other movement for seconds, and after then, turned away slowly. “Damn, he’s getting that bloodlust again,” he muttered.

Blucifer looked across the Interceptor to Redding. Greenhorn didn’t acknowledge anything but Fül, still slowing and approaching Bond-fire. Max was able to pry an arm off but the man had him pressed against the railing, which was creaking underneath his wait.

“I’ll help the Road Warrior,” Greenhorn said, flooring the gas pedal. The Interceptor shot forward, Rainbow sliding back onto the gas barrels, and nearly fell off of those too. As the Interceptor came from the left of Bond-fire, he pulled out Pip and pointed it straight at Max and the bandana man he was fighting with. Spotting his intention, Max quickly used his free hand to grab hold of the man grappling him and twist each other around, allowing Greenhorn to fire Pip and hit the bandana man in the back. He cried out and Max shoved him away. His body tipped over the railing and was swept away, but Max didn’t get a chance to breath before he caught the bat intended for his head. The bald man pushed back with sweat glistening on his skin.

“Greenhorn!” Rainbow shouted, ducking her head into the Interceptor. “You almost killed me! What are you-?!”

The Interceptor was still pulling ahead, and collided right into the back of Fül. The force was enough to knock one of the flamethrowers onto the Interceptor before rolling off. Two leather-barded men hopped onto the hood, and after pulling her head out from within, made Rainbow bear her teeth. She lept onto the roof and headbutted one man in the stomach, who gripped it tightly as he gasped for breath before a bump in the road made him trip, the vehicles whizzing past him before he touched the ground.

“Rainbow!” Blucifer called from behind the Interceptor. Rainbow perked her ears, but kept her focus on the man still on the hood. Another man jumped down to join him. “Greenhorn is a bit cuckoo right now! He only wants to kill!”

Rainbow huffed angrily, hopping from side to side on the roof, “Well, is there anyway to change him back right now!”

“Yeah, threaten him with death!” Redding screamed from behind Bond-fire, his voice echoing slightly. That solution just made Rainbow groan. She dodged to the side when a man tried slamming both of his clenched hands into the top of her head, and Rainbow pivoted on her forelegs and kicked with her hind legs. The strike was enough for bones to crack as the man was knocked away against the side of Bond-fire.

“AJ taught me that one!” Rainbow taunted with a chuckle.

“Hell yes! Break all there goddamn bones! Ha!” Greenhorn ordered with a hearty gaffaw. Rainbow rolled her eyes over to Max on Bond-fire

He clutched his arm, backing away from the bald man who spun the bat in his hands snidely. However, the shotgun rested just beside the bald man, and with a quick glance to it, Max dove for the weapon, snatching it and aiming at the vulnerable side of the bald man. Max fired as soon as possible, a spray of blood erupting as the flesh tore open. The man sputtered before tumbling to the floor.

Another kick from Rainbow stuck the leg of another man who inhaled sharply as he slid onto the hood. Lifting a foreleg, Rainbow swept her mane side to side cockily until she froze when a flamethrower stood in front of the remaining men, aiming his nozzle at her. Her eyes widened, “Pull back, pull back, pull back!”

Hearing her cries, Max whipped his head to her and fired his shotgun at the flamethrower. The man tripped over his legs, writhing in pain amongst the books as he reached out like help was just beyond reach. He had taken the brunt of the shot, as the other men around him cowered behind the thin plywood that made up the bed of Fül. Max simply dug a hand into pocket and reloaded his shotgun.

Tightening her hand on the wooden post beside her, Soot scowled.

“Ohhhhh, she’s pissed,” Redding noted. His fingers flexed around the gun still in his hand. His voice trembled but his confidence could be heard just as much.

“Bet you five koobs you can’t kill her,” Blucifer yelled.

“Easy win!” Redding cheered, coming in between Bond-fire and Interceptor. He didn’t waste any time firing his pistol at Soot. She took cover behind the burned man on the post, and the bullets hit him instead. The man jolted and dipped his head, blood pouring from the bullet wounds. Soot held an arm out pointing to Bond-fire.

“Pull in!" she ordered, and the driver obeyed, the semi truck easing to the left. Redding kept his distance but accidently rammed his ATV against the Interceptor. In his panic, Bond-fire smashed into his ATV, the back wheels already pulling it underneath.

“Sonuva-!" he gasped, reaching out for the railing. As soon as he grabbed it, his ATV tipped over and was smashed to pieces from the semi truck’s tires. Fragments of metal flew into the air and rained down. The red ATV frame was on fire and broken down as it flailed around. Its wheels rolled around and scattered in different direction. Blucifer ducked his head as he passed the carnage, chunks of metal beating down on his head as metallic bits brushed against him like sand.

Redding clutched the railing, his legs kicking wildly, until Max hurried to him. He grabbed a fistful of Redding’s cloak while keeping his shotgun aloft. It didn’t take long to drag Redding on board, and when he was lying on the floor, Max diverted his shotgun to the cabin. Redding stammered in his speech, completely incoherently in his mutterings, except when he pressed a hand against the burning tank for support. In that case, he retracted instantly, howling.

“Mother of all Jesus fuck!" he cried.

“Redding!” Blucifer called as the men on Fül withdrew from their previous timidness, peeking from around the bed, or holding up books to act as cover for their heads. With a wave of his hand, Redding got to his feet, nursing his burned, quivering hand. A solid nod from him was enough for Blucifer to sigh.

“He’s good, good,” Blucifer announced with a shaky laugh. “He’s always good.”

Out of everybody, it was Greenhorn who gaped in disbelief. His eyes traveled the side of Bond-fire and along the Interceptor. Metal scraps littered both vehicles, and slight scorch marks marred the wooden platform and railing. His hands loosened around the steering wheel and slid down onto his lap. His breath hitched for half a second, choking on his saliva until he shook himself out of his stupor.

As everyone was distracted with Redding, one man with spiky hair on Fül tugged the flamethrower off the dying man, barely breathing, and hoisting it onto himself. Max was the first to notice, only for the man to aim the nozzle at him.

“Burn in Hell!” he yelled, pulling the trigger. A spark of fire flickered as the nozzle puffed methane. The man shook the nozzle before another man behind him backed away hastily, pointing a finger at the tank strapped to his back.

“You got a leak!" he bellowed. The man wielding the flamethrower turned around swiftly, trying to look at the tank but only twirling around. A low hiss could be heard through all the engines. With the tank visible, Max brought up his shotgun.

“No, wait, the book!” Redding shouted, reaching out, but was too late as Max fired. An explosion instantly erupted from Fül, shrapnel flying in all directions as the semi truck slid from side to side. Rainbow plopped her whole body onto the roof of the Interceptor, hiding her head in her forelegs as metal ricocheted around her. Rushing wind was all she heard until two knocks resonated underneath. She lifted a leg and peaked out, seeing the carnage that was left behind. One of Fül’s wheels was warped and flattened, and the ply wall had broken up in chucks, revealing charred books laying around. Everyone in the back was dead.

“You okay up there?” Greenhorn called with another pound against the roof.

“Y-Yeah!” Rainbow replied, swallowing. Her eyes wandered to the burnt books, all of them, her face falling. “Or… maybe not.”

Max breathed heavily as he stared across to Rainbow. A low groan escaped his lips, but a hand slapping his shoulder gained his attention.

“You fucking idiot!” Redding berated, shoving Max a bit. “We’re trying to find her book and you nearly blow the whole thing up! Are you trying-”

An arrow whizzed by his head and Redding jerked back as Max hurriedly sidled up to the cabin again. Soot furrowed her brow as she inserted another arrow into her handheld crossbow. It was shabby and in need of repairs, but she didn’t care as she aimed and fired another bolt. Redding dived behind the large tank, an audible ding vibrating it as the bolt bounced away. He aimed out and fired a few rounds of his pistol. Soot once again took cover behind the burnt corpse. Bullets struck it, jerking the body with each hit. With another pull of the trigger, Redding’s pistol clicked empty. He couldn’t even pull back behind cover before a bolt pierced his eye and lodged into his head. The impact pushed him to the floor on his side, dead.

“Redding?” Blucifer called, pushing himself up as high as he could. There was enough worry in his voice to get Rainbow to look over as well. Max never left his position, but he also never tore his gaze away from Redding. He shook his head. “Redding! Redding, get up!”

Redding did no such thing.

“No,” Greenhorn whispered. Rainbow didn’t move, fixated on Max. He caught her gaze and returned the stare before gazing back to the cabin door. It was then that Soot landed on the hood of the Interceptor, startling Greenhorn and caused him to veer slightly. She reached in and grabbed the wheel, forcing it to the side, but Greenhorn fought against her. Her other hand steadied her crossbow for another shot.

A swift kick from Rainbow Dash detracted Soot. Her grip on her crossbow was lost. It bounced on the hood before falling off. Soot retaliated with a punch to Rainbow. She squeaked as she fell off the Interceptor, catching herself with her wings at the last moment. Blood was already oozing from her nose. The vehicles zoomed ahead, the sound of Blucifer’s cries striking her more than anything before.

“We made a bet, damn it!" he shouted angrily. “A bet I want you to win!”

With Greenhorn busy, Max hurried into Bond-fire’s cabin. A woman at the wheel, whipped her head to him, reaching for a crowbar, and got a shotgun blast to her arm as a reward. Blood coated the console, but it hardly mattered to Max as he shoved the shrieking woman through the door and outside. He quickly got into the seat and pressed on the gas pedal, the engine thundering loud as he sped up.

Glancing through the left window, he could make out the silhouette of Soot through the grime, still fighting Greenhorn over the steering wheel. Max’s hands clutched his own wheel and vigorously turned towards Fül. He rammed against it, jolting slightly from the impact, but kept the wheel in place. Fül eased its way to the ledge, with the driver fighting against Max. Bond-fire had the weight advantage, however, and Max pressed Fül’s tires over the edge until the entire semi truck was tipping away.

Soot broke away from Greenhorn to see Fül slide along the ledge. She glanced back to Greenhorn who braked quickly to have her tumble back and almost slide off the hood of the Interceptor. She caught herself before that became the case, but instead of attacking Greenhorn again, she dashed and lept onto Bond-fire. After vaulting the railing, she made her way along the platform to the back of the cabin.

Rainbow suddenly tackled her from above, slamming her head against the floor. “That’s for Redding!" she declared before jumping and slamming all of her hooves onto the top of Soot’s head. Her whole body went limp as Rainbow huffed indignantly before trotting into the cabin.

“Jerk, what’s your plan here?" she asked hastily, staring out the front window. Max just looked to her, Fül already tipping diagonally over the ledge. Eventually, a man burst open the driver door, looking around for a way out. Max pulled a bit to the right before slamming back into Fül. The driver lost his balance and fell to the ground and was run over by Bond-fire. Fül was sliding down, many books - both charred and untouched - shifting to the side. A few were falling out.

Rainbow chopped on his sleeve and tugged him, but Max simply released the wheel with that arm. The other still kept turning against Fül and putting Bond-fire itself close to the edge. The tail end of the semi truck was also pushing along the Interceptor. Greenhorn was braking it to get away from them, but the force of the push negated it. Rainbow’s heart was thumping in her chest, releasing Max to speak clearly.

“Knock it off, Jerk! You’ve already done enou-!" she said before Bond-fire lurched, alongside the Interceptor, careening after Fül down the side of the mountain. The wheels found no traction as they kicked up loads of dust. Rainbow stabilized herself and watched with a horror stricken expression as Max braced himself against the door and wheel. The mountain was steep, and a boulder rested in their path.

It came by so quickly. First Fül slammed against it, stopping in its tracks, but the Interceptor wasn’t so lucky as it smashed into that and flipped over the bed full of burnable items and the rock itself. Then Bond-fire hit Fül, causing both of them to launch in different directions, and both of them flipped onto the side, still sliding down.

Max ground his teeth, the blood rushing to his head. The entirety of Bond-fire was rattling uncontrollably, josling them. Rainbow was low to the ground and panicked when a voice echoed in Max’s head.

But you gotta be all edgy and mean, like it’s your job to make everyone’s life harder.

It was Rainbow, clear as day, but she wasn’t speaking to him. Another voice, the girl’s came next. She even stood on the floor, her head tilted down as her eyes gouged a hole through his head. Hundreds of eyes, in fact.

It’s your fault they’re dead!

With a flash, Rainbow was screaming through one ear while the girl screamed through the other.

What do you want from me!?

Bond-fire came to an abrupt halt, and everything was black, the world crashing around Max and Rainbow Dash.

With a constant ringing in her ear, Rainbow squirmed where she lay. Her cheeks rubbed against the dirt, shuffling it around as her head pounded against her skull. Opening her eyes, she came face to face with the burnt corpse of the man that was once strapped to the top of Fül. His dead eyes made Rainbow yelp leaping to her hooves and nearly lose her balance. She clutched her head with a hoof, groaning. Her gaze softened on the dead man lying next to her, but she backed away quickly and looked around.

The area was a mess of broken machinery and vehicles. All the dust that was kicked up still lingered, like a fog of brown had rolled in. Her heart skipped a beat, remembering the sandstorm, but there wasn’t a sound of wind brushing against her. In fact, it was dreadfully quiet. One thing that was also prominent were books, everywhere, and she kicked a burnt one away with a frown. Her ears sagged, her eyes going glassy as she looked around.

“Jerk?" she called in a raspy voice, quickly clearing her throat. “Greenhorn?”

“Rainbow?” A voice called as Blucifer emerged through the thick dust. A hand waved in front of him, but all it did was stir up the dust in the air. Rainbow sighed gratefully, mustering a smile.

“Glad you’re alright,” Rainbow muttered, studying the area.

“See anybody else?" he questioned, his voice quiet and to the point. Rainbow glanced to him. He was still nearly identical to Redding. She shivered.

“N-No,” she forced out, taking a deep breath. “Let’s split up.”

Blucifer didn’t reply but simply followed her suggestion as he walked off, disappearing just as suddenly as he had appeared. Rainbow watched where he had gone, his footsteps already fading away. She tore herself away, her head drooping as she walked in a different, random direction.

Dark figures plagued her surroundings, and though most of it turned out to be parts of Fül and Bond-fire, there was still the occasional corpse. All of it, even the heaps of metal and wood, made Rainbow wary. Hesitantly stepping over another corpse, she caught sight of a sparkle of green. Her ears shot up as she jerked her head around. The green glimmer shined through the dust, not too far away, and she bolted over to it.

“Greenhorn!" she said, a smile rising on her face. She dropped it quickly enough when she reached him, lying on the ground with his hands covering his stomach, blood seeping through his fingers. His glasses frame was gone, making him look much younger despite the lingering wrinkles. He was hissing in pain, facing Rainbow with something to say. Rainbow rushed forward with a glance to a trail of blood, smearing along the sand and leading to the Interceptor. It was in shambles. The door broken in half and blood coating a stray beam of metal. “Greenhorn!?”

“Lost a lot of blood,” Greenhorn explained. The daze in his eyes attested to that.

Rainbow looks everywhere. The dust was settling, but there was still a haze surrounding her. “Well, I’ll get help,” she stated with a firm nod of her head.

He pulled a hand away to grab her foreleg, covering it with blood as it trickled down. “I lost a lot of blood, Rainbow,” he said, coughing.

Rainbow frowned deeply as Greenhorn pulled his hand away. It put attention to the cloth still tied to her foreleg. Pulling it off with her teeth, ignoring whatever taste invaded her mouth, she brought it over to his wound, moving his hand in the process. Lifting herself up, she put her weight on the cloth. The blood was already bleeding through it.

“I asked my dad once why he named me Ernst,” Greenhorn said, taking deep breaths. His body was lax underneath Rainbow’s hooves. “He said it was because the world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places. His favorite author said that." he chuckled but all it did was make him cough hard, tearing away any mirth he had. “He said the world would break me, just like it broke him, but… but…”

He coughed again, shaking Rainbow out of her staring. “Stop talking, you’ll make it worse,” she pleaded.

“Redding, Redding,” Greenhorn lamented, closing his eyes and resting his head against the dirt. “How can I be strong after that?”

A pang of pity struck Rainbow. She had never lost a friend before, and for Greenhorn to lose his own brother was out of her range of experience. But not all was lost. Rainbow smiled softly, ignoring the blood still trickling down her foreleg, “Technically, you still have Blucifer, right?”

Another chuckle from Greenhorn, showing his filthy teeth. No coughing broke out this time as he opened one eye to peer to Rainbow. “Yes, he’s still alive,” Greenhorn smirked. “Now, if anyone would break…”

Silence.

“Yeah?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head. Greenhorn didn’t stir, his head rolling limply to the side as his eyes remained shut. She blinked, her mouth going dry. “Greenhorn?”

She shook him, but he didn’t react. He simply lay there, gone. Rainbow tore her gaze away, her eyes already watering as she let off the pressure on his wound. She took a step back and sat on her haunches. Her energy was seeping away, and so she didn’t go out to find anybody else.

Something dropped with a dull thunk behind Rainbow. It made her fur stand on end as she jumped to her hooves and looked back to find Soot. Her face was a mess of blood, the red smearing in places and giving her an ugly, terrifying appearance. A large shard of glass rested by her feet. Rainbow flared her wings lowering her body in a position to strike. Despite Rainbow’s threatening stance, Soot didn’t budge, staring past her in horror. Loosening her stance, Rainbow followed her gaze to Greenhorn with a tilt of her head. Something he had said had struck a cord inside Soot.

The blast of a shotgun broke the calm. Rainbow flinched as Soot flew forward over Greenhorn and onto the ground. Her body remained unmoving with her back covered in blood. The area was near clear of the foggy dust, leaving Max completely exposed with his shotgun still aimed in the air until he dropped it to his side, wincing in pain.

Blucifer was just behind him, still as a statue at first, but eventually took careful steps as he gazed upon Greenhorn’s body. Rainbow swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. “Blucifer, I-I’m sorry,” she apologized, a tear running down her cheek. “I sh-should have called for help sooner. He just…”

Blucifer stopped in his tracks, and crouched down in front of Rainbow. Being that close to him, she became fearful. Unable to see through the tinted glass of his mask sent a chill up her spine. However, Blucifer didn’t utter a word, and brushed a hand past Rainbow to grab the bloodied cloth on Greenhorn’s stomach. Gripping it tightly, he pushed himself up and turned away, heading to his blue ATV parked aways back.

“Where are you going?” Rainbow asked, her voice rasp and hitching.

“To Redding,” Blucifer replied, hollow and without life. “He owes me five koobs.”

“This isn’t a game anymore!” Rainbow called after him, absolutely livid. “Your brothers are dead! Redding can’t keep his stupid bet!”

Blucifer lifted his head slightly, slowly easing himself onto his ATV and starting it up. It hummed to life, and he drove away, leaving Max and Rainbow to watch his leave.

“Blucifer!” Rainbow said, flapping her wings, but Max held up a hand to stop her. The shake of his head, mixed with his remorse, was enough to freeze Rainbow in place, her wings still spread out.

“Jerk-”

“Leave him,” Max said darkly. Blucifer was already far away, driving in a straight line. It wouldn’t be hard for Rainbow to reach him, but she just sighed and glanced around the area, stopping on Greenhorn. She recalled the time when Max had dumped a body over the side of a sand dune, and her heart filled with guilt.

“They’d want us to find my book home, right?" she asked. Max didn’t respond, walking off to the side. Rainbow heaved a heavy sigh. “Hope it’s still intact, or even here.”

With the dust gone, everything was laid bare to Max and Rainbow Dash. A large field of rock, metal, corpses, and books. A real mess that was the result of their activities. Max strode through without missing a beat, but Rainbow lagged behind, staring straight down. Max crouched down by a intact book, but when he flipped through it, there was no writing. He tossed it away, spotting another fine book - seared along the edges - near where the last one had landed. And this one was quite different.

The cover was beige, matching the ground in color, and the front had a gold-trimmed circle with the outline of a car driving down a simple road. There was no complexity to it, but when Max flipped through it, words danced across his vision. Closing it, he tossed it in front of Rainbow. She retracted her head as the book slid into view.

“This isn’t the book,” Rainbow informed, tapping the cover with a hoof.

“Read it anyway,” Max ordered, crossing his arms. Rainbow huffed, but opened the cover, eyeing the first words written.

“Once upon a time, in the forlorn world of the mad.”

Like the book heard the magic words, a chime of bongs rattled the air, irritating Max, until a portal zapped into existence over the book. It was sudden enough for Rainbow to back away hastily. The portal was a exmy of the book, as particles of blue laced through the pages and the portal itself. Images of fluffy clouds floated past, like the portal was a window into another dimension.

Max, for the first time in his life, widened his eyes with a sense of disbelief and surprise. The magic radiating was so authentic and real, that even his encounter with Rainbow was negligible in comparison. After what he had been through, both from his life before finding Rainbow and after, what presented itself before him was truly something unique. He would never, in his lifetime, find anything like it: pure magic.

Rainbow gave a half-hearted smile and looked up to him. Max’s shock shifted to acceptance before she could see. Even so, his heart was beating harder than their conflict with the Black Clouds.

“This… this is it,” she proclaimed. “My ticket home." Her mouth tensed, scuffing the ground awkwardly, swishing her mane to the side. “Our ticket home. A promise is a promise.”

Max was motionless. Rainbow’s magenta eyes pierced him much like the first time they had met. He hummed to himself from that memory before sighing through his nose, giving a single nod. His heart was still hammering away against his chest. Rainbow nodded back, much more enthusiastic.

“You’ll like Equestria much more than this place, trust me,” Rainbow said with a wave of her hoof. Her cocky self came through in spades as she trotted for the portal, a confident smirk on her lips. “I wish the others could have come too. But I guess things just don’t… that… huh?”

Her voice distorted as she entered through the portal. The image rippled like a pond, leaving rings through the image until Rainbow’s tail had passed through completely. Once again, Max gave a hint of disbelief, no where near as severe as before, but the lingering doubt still haunted his mind. Regardless, Max followed with a few cautious steps, walking up to the portal. Standing closer, he could see more finer details. Smooth grass, bulky trees, an untainted land; the world of Equestria where Rainbow lived. It was the exact opposite of his world.

Briskly, he unholstered his shotgun and blasted the book apart. It jumped a meter away as the portal winked out of existence in seconds. Strips of paper floated around and a faint sizzle was heard in the air. Max released a shaky breath.

The book itself was torn to shreds. There wasn’t a single page that wasn’t ripped open from the shotgun. In his vision, the book was a ghost, something that once held value but became nothing. His heart stirred, the very brief memory of Equestria, that luscious world, churned his stomach. The carnage around was clear enough of the potential the portal would mean for both worlds. Max’s sense of loss festered.

Pressing the lever on top, his weapon popped open. Both shells inside were spent. He emptied them to the ground, and reached in his pocket for more. But there wasn’t any left.

“Damn,” he grumbled, jerking his shotgun closed. Holstering it, Max eyed the book intently. He knelt down and picked it up, his fingers sifting through the pages and finding none of them legible compared to last time. However, a faint feeling of energy flowed through his hands.

Where are you?

The girl’s voice again.

Where are you, Max?

It grated against his ears, gnawing his brain. Grinding his teeth, he tossed the book away in a fit of rage. It landed with the spine up and open. As soon as it left his hand, he staggered as a wave of exhaustion overtook him. Sweat permeated his forehead, his tongue was cracked, and his stomach growled. The book distracted him as a faint shimmer of light radiated from it. The shimmer faded away like a haze of heat, so he dismissed it as he turned away.

His feet carried him across the field, almost automatically, searching for some soft dirt to dig. Greenhorn needed a grave.

Author's Note

Hey! I actually finished a story on this site! Jokes aside, here's my thoughts and commentary.