My legs feel heavy and rubbery. I've been walking for some time now and I think it's starting to get to me. I don't think I've ever walked this long.

I made my way through EverFree forest. As I enter the dark forest, It became unnerving. However, theirs a radio signal coming from the north. It's Morse. The signal talks of a settlement up North that will welcome friendly survivors. It's better than the west and its bandits. The bullet lost in my back says so.

I levitate my knife out in front of me. It has a compass on the bottom of the hilt, and that's its main feature for carrying around. I look down at it as it settles . I'm going east. Perfect. I will make it to, Ponyville then heads North. I have to think about going through Canterlot or not.

A loud rumble erupts behind me, breaking my concentration. A large pony with no fur or hair sprouts out from the ground. Its skin is completely pink and wrinkly. A tunneler, Is what I call them.

This infection pops out new crazy freaks all the time. These guys usually make their way around by digging holes in the ground. Other survivors tell me that these "tunnelers" were once earth ponies who were hard outdoor laborers. The chance of becoming one is more possible if the pony has an interest in gardening.

I levitate out my bat and ready it up as he charges. I swing and hit him with the metal bat. Blood flows out of its mouth. It gives out a loud scream of pain, but it still stands. I swing again and crack its head from the side.

Bloody pieces of meat flys out of the creature's head. Pink entrails slowly leak out with bone in it. The muscle walls of its head start spraying blood. The blood stops and goes with the creatures heart. The tunneler raises his hoof up to cover his wound. It bleeds out on the ground.

The infection is far beyond normal. It first began in major cities, like where I'm from. The infection first starts out as a zombie-like virus. Ponies who attract it will run madly through the streets to eat anything that moves. It somehow slowly develops into this.

It adjusts itself to who the pony is like. Where they live, what their body is like, and ,in some rare occasions, the way they think and how they feel. I've seen ponies a little disturbed by this. Insane by the thought that they will become a familiar shell of their former self.

Though, I Got to admit, this is what I love. My life two years ago is a cashier at a supermarket. That dead end job in Fillydelphia is nothing I wish on no pony. This is my calling. Why even fix it if you can. Yes, ponies dying in huge masses is bad, but this is better to understand. Survival is my calling. My cutie mark of a campfire can show it. So why to stop your calling.

I must be half way through the EverFree forest by now. It takes awhile to just simply avoid all the poisonjoke. I know touching it is bad but I wonder if a machete can do good work on them. I rather no test it since I only have a knife, and one chance to not die from a deformity.

I'm getting closer to Ponyville. I can feel it. I just- what's that?

I slowly hear voices coming towards me. No, actually. I'm getting closer to them. I throw my leaf covering on and began looking for whoever.

Looks like a small camp up ahead. I barely poke out of the bushes and observe the camp. Several ponies walk around. A teal mare with a rainbow mane, a white mare with a blue mane, a yellow mare with a pink mane, and one young mare that's orange with a purple mane. They all look familiar.

My back began to get wet. My bullet wound is starting to bleed badly again. Guess "The amazing surgeon isn't good at himself up in a 24-hour super mark-

The snapping sensation under my leg made my heart sink. "Hello?" The rainbow mare calls out raising a sawed off double barrel off her holster.

Shit. Now the surgeon is an excellent twig snapper. I need to run.

I bolt back the way I came. "Stop you, son of a bitch," I hear the rainbow pony call out. I just ran. I look behind me. The teal mare is directly behind me. Theirs no chance, she's gonna be on top of me soon.

I felt teeth digging into my left leg. She flips me forward, smashing my back onto the solid ground. "Do you really think you can get away from me?" the mare praises.

"Yeah, I," I pant, "I actually did," I answer with another set of painting.

"Ain't nobody faster than me, so that begs the question. Why are you spying on our camp?" she asks gripping the shotgun in her hooves. Despite threatening me with a gun, she's very cute.

Her body screams athletic structure. Muscular body and a gleam of determination in her eyes meant she's all too eager to toss any sorry ass to the ground and proceeded to slam that ass to a wall. The steady aim of her gun is her set of fighting skills.

She's wearing a holster for one small gun and one rifle-size gun, most likely for the sawed-off, she's using. Wearing a tight shirt that holds her perfect form, adds on to the athleticism. A black leather jacket and jeans. It's quite smart for armor, well any armor without making your own set. The unzip jacket hides most of the holster around her shirt.

The final glimpse of her body shows wings poking out the back of her jacket. No doubt a pegasus.

"I didn't try to spy. I'm looking," I pant again, "for a camp. It's up north near Canterlot," I explain

"You too, huh," She responds.

"Your heading there. You and your friends?" I ask.

"Yeah. However, I still don't know your not some creep spying on us?"

"I guess you can't believe me, but why did you admit you guys were heading North."

"Cause if I'm wrong then I'm holding a promise I made."

"What?" I swear I didn't hear her right.

"Well if you're telling the truth I want you to come with us. If not I can't let you go in case your some kind of bandit. So it's a stand still," she says.

"But why not...just kill me?" I wonder.

"Because then we won't have something to bargain with." The mare grabs my hoof and yanks me off the ground. She pushes me forward with the shotgun digging into my back. "Names Rainbow Dash by the way."

"I, uh," I couldn't speak.

"So what's your name?" She asks.

"Me?"

"Yes, dip shit."

"Red Stream. You sure the other ponies don't mind me being here?"

"Nah. I'm very loyal to them. They know they can trust me."

"Loyal?" I question.

"Yap."

Holy shit. I know who she is. "Oh, My Celestia! You're the element of loyalty, Rainbow Dash."

"I knew this awesome look would get me noticed. Although it took you long enough," she complains.

"So everyone else is-"

"Most of the...The other elements."

"Where are the rest?" I ask

"You'll meet...most of them," she responds.

"Most of them?" I question.

Rainbow Dash didn't respond. She bites her lip in silence. She lowers the gun away from my back. The short walk feels like a mile. "You better hope that bandage isn't a bite mark. I rather not turn my newest fan into a puddle."

"It's a bullet wound," I respond.

Rainbow Dash raises her gun back up on my back. We step into the clearing. Four tents are set up neatly, and have exotic patterns sewn on to them. A small fire is in the middle burning pieces of cloth, that are beautiful in an array of colors.

The White mare approaches us. The filly and the yellow mare take cover in the tents.

"Dashy. What on earth do you think you're doing? Do you even know this pony?" The white mare asks. I already know this mare. Her name is Rarity, she's a tailor for Ponyville and Canterlot.

Rarity is a unicorn with a well-kept body. Her fur is cleaner than any other pony I've seen, since the incident. While not muscular, her body looks soft and well sculpted. Even in the end of times she clearly wants the form of elegance.

"He's fine Rarity. He knows us like we're celebrities. This is a first time thing for me Rare. Don't ruin it." Dash begs.

"What about me?" the orange filly screams out from a blue tent that has a flower pattern on all sides. The filly barely sticks her head out.

"Never, forgotten Scoots. You're still in my heart sister." Dash reassures.

The filly makes a satisfying hmph as she jerks her head up a bit. Showing me who's the real biggest fan, I guess.

"I really mean no harm Rarity. In fact Dash-" I stop as a quick jab struck me on the side. "I'm...heading North if you don't want me here."

"My apologies darling," she apologizes, "but we can't trust a whole lot of ponies, especially these days."

"I understand. Please, Rainbow Dash is telling the truth. I did hear a lot from you before the infection," I explain.

"So you know all of us?" she asks.

"Well I didn't recognize you guys at first, but yeah. Like the mare in the tent is obviously Fluttershy." Fluttershy ducks back into the tent before I can even make eye contact.

"And if you've actually been following us?"

"No, I haven't. Yet, you probably don't believe me."

"Oh, Dear," Rarity sighs.

"Wait, Rare," Dash speaks up, "If we don't want to kill him if he's telling the truth and not let him go cause he could be someone we trust. Why not have him around."

"I don't know..." Rarity responds.

"We said we'll help as many survivors as we can. We promised Twilight."

"But we don't know where she even is and...and..." Rarity sighs again, "I suppose so. Just don't let him trot off."

"I never really asked to come along, but thanks." I gave in. If Dash is correct we all plan to head North.

"No problem. If you need rest use the purple one with stars on it." Rarity points to the one directly behind her, "Before you rest, what's your name?"

"Red Stream, and thank you, again."

I huddle up into the sleeping bag. It's very nice and squishy against me. Yet I can't sleep.

I hear voices coming to the tent. They were whispers then became average voice volume. "I just don't know if I can. A bullet is something I've never treated before," A mysterious voice protests.

"Oh, come on. This can be a whole new opportunity. What if he dressed it badly and you are saving his life," another voice tries to reasoning. I didn't dress the wound badly, it's just too much to handle.

"I just don't know-"

" you're the element of kindness. It is your job to be nice and help others. So, how about you help that pony."

"Alright... but that's really more like the element of gene-," She says in a whisper.

"Great!" the second voice screams.

"EEP!"

I jump out of my skin from the crashing noise on the tent. A pony figure nearly smashes through the tent door. "Uh... Whoops," the second voice says apologetically.

The zipper on the tent opens up. Fluttershy slowly pokes her head in, and waves shyly to me. "Scootaloo, please go back to sleep... If you wouldn't mind?" Fluttershy whispers. She gets all the way into the tent, brandishing a small box with gold, metallic corners. "Hi there, Red Stream. My name is Fluttershy, and I was wondering if I could... looks at your shoulder?" She asks smiling nervously.

"Sure," I agree to her help. She places the box next to me and pops it open with her hoof. It's filled with needles, some medical tools, gauze, and vials of different liquids. She removes my shirt and some of the bandages around my gaping wound. She grabs a small pole and begins to lower it into the bullet hole. It slightly hurt and I couldn't shake the question, "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Hmmhmm," She answers.

"Really? I never knew you were a doctor or nurse," I happily breath.

"Oh, goodness no," my heart sinks. "I-I mean, I just apply the same means on how I treat animals to ponies. That's ok...right?" Before I can answer, I guess, she gasps as a little thump comes from the bullet wound. "This may hurt a little, so I'm sorry if I cause you discomfort." She grabs a pair of pliers and unfolds them.

"How badly?" I must know. I think some sort of animal is howling at the moon, but Fluttershy didn't react to it, so I thought nothing of it.

"It will probably sting a bit," she answers. She slowly spreads the wound open and lowers the small pliers. She ooo's as she grabs the bullet. She is right. This fucking hurts.

"Guys!" Rainbow Dash bursts in. Fluttershy jumps up and quickly yanks the bullet.

"AHH DAMN IT!" I curse in pain.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" She apologizes.

"Enough time has passed for those things to eat the bait. I heard a tunneler howl, so there gonna be on us soon," Dash explains. "Sorry about the outburst on you Red."

"It's fine," I forgave her.

"We'll hurry this and get you out," Fluttershy says, dropping the small little round.

Author's Note

This was once a story I made back in the first time I wrote stuff. Its been way to long and I need to get back into this. I hope you all enjoy this, and if there is anything weird with the grammar, I wish to know about it, but I rather you guys don't make a big argument. I still a bit new to writing, and while I did review it, I don't have any pre readers to catch these things so I want to know about them but I don't want you guys to think so negetavily on them. So thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it.