Fallout Equestria: The Lost Empire

Chapters

Prologue
Life in Stable 70
Recovery
The Dream That Started It All
The First Steps
A Crumbling School System
The First Contact
A Spiritual Experience
Silver Bullet

Prologue

“War, War Never Changes. Or At Least, That’s What They Tell Me."

This is the story of my life. A life that would send into what I could only describe as nothing more than Tartarus itself.

Before I began I guess I should feel you in on where I was before it was destroyed.

I grew up inside the steel confines of the underground shelter known as Stable 70. One of only two Stables that were built inside the borders of the Dragon Empire, more specifically the border city of Salt Lick City. A large multi-story steel bunker built underground in order to protect those inside from dangerous radiation in case of megaspell fallout. A fallout that no pony, zebra, or dragon expected to happen. But still ended up occurring anyway.

The cities of Equestria and its enemy in war the Zebra Empire being destroyed by weapons of mass destruction known as megaspells. Nowhere was safe from the end of the world. Not even the Dragon Empire. The Dragon Empire being a large country that shared the southern border with Equestria. The large empire being mostly a desert with only a few major cities. Most notably being the Empire’s capital Pearland and the border city of Salt Lick City that I mentioned earlier. The Dragon Empire being ruled by a single king, a king that went by the name of the Alpha. The Alpha being the rarest and most powerful form of a dragon. Alpha’s being able to easily reach the rise of mountains. The Dragon Empire being ruled by the third of these Alphas during the Great War between Equestria and the Zebra Empire. The Dragon Empire becoming one of Equestria’s closest allies under the rule of the third Alpha. The third Alpha spending most of his time near the end of the war in the border city of Salt Lick City. The city also being where the Embassy for Equestria was located. Theta was still inside the city when it was hit, like so many others during the ‘Last Day’. Salt Lick City getting hit directly by a massive megaspell from the Zebra Empire, a megaspell that was said to be the same size as the one that had hit Manehattan. Theta, along with many other ponies and dragons alike, believed to have been killed in the massive blast. The city almost getting completely leveled.

Luckily, some ponies and dragons were able to escape from the almost certain death from the megaspell. Them finding shelter inside the steel confines of Stable 70. My mother, Beta, her being just an infant at the time being one of the last to find safety inside the underground bomb shelter. The steel door of Stable 70 closing behind her. Her having no mother or father that she knew, being an orphan inside a steel bunker built to keep out the toxic radiation from above.

The Stable being one of the largest ever built, and it needed to be as it was the Stable, at least that I know of, that was built specifically to hold not just ponies but also dragons. The hallways being much wider than other stables to accommodate the increased size of most dragons.
Life in the Stable isn’t that bad, per say. A little boring, but at least you don’t have to worry about getting shot, or at least unless you’re an idiot actually shot yourself at the firing range inside the Stable. But even with that, all of the weapons in the Stable aren’t powerful to pierce dragon scales. So my mother and I are safe when it comes to weapons. Other that there isn’t really that much to say about good old Stable 70. I guess it really makes the old saying ‘same shit, different day’ come true. I can tell you that much.

Oh, before I forget, my name’s Eta by the way and I just turned the bright semi-young age of 20. Me along with my mother, Beta, are the last dragons that are still alive inside the steel confines of Stable 70 over 200 hundred years since its large metal door was sealed. This is my story and I hope you ready for it. I sure as the pits of Tartarus are filled with fire wasn’t.

Author's Note

Salt Lick City is an obvious analog of Salt Lake City, Utah, which just happens to also be my hometown. This story will take place both a few months before and during the original events of Littlepip's Fallout Equestria.

Any connection to the fact that Vault 70 actually is supposed to be located in Salt Lake City in the Fallout universe is completely coincidental. No, I'm serious I decided on Stable 70 before I found out that Vault 70 was actually located in Salt Lake.

Life in Stable 70

“I Thought I Was Safe, But Really Was I.”

Boredom!

That’s the quickest and easiest way to describe the life inside the steel walls of Stable 70. Boredom, really just sit in your room and do nothing for a whole day. And even if you do have a job inside the Stable you just go to your workstation and do the same damn thing all day, every day, for the rest of your life until you die and the Overmare has to get rid of your body through cremation.

I mean I do have a job in the Stable if you can even call it that really. What I do exactly you might ask. Well… it’s a little difficult explain to someone or somepony that hasn’t lived inside a Stable. But to put it simply, I am basically the Overmare’s bitch.

Ok, let me explain even further. My job is to send ‘special’ messages from the Overmare to various ponies all across. ‘Special’ messages that contained information that the Overmare couldn’t just announce over the intercom.

I guess I should explain what an Overmare is since I been talking her for awhile now. Basically, the Overmare is like the mayor of the Stable. Her ruling over the Stable with absolute power and authority. The Overmare, at least to my knowledge, had always been a mare since the Stable’s door had been sealed, hence the name. My mother even ran to be the Overmare of Stable 70, twice in fact. Both times being before I was born. But she lost both times, I’m guessing the ponies and some dragons that were still alive at the time didn’t want a dragon ruling over the Stable for what could be hundreds of years since the Overmare rules as Overmare until they die.

Anyway, I was laying on my bed inside the small living space that shared with my mother. The living having two rooms that were about the same size, I think my mother’s room is actually slightly larger. I haven’t measured it to be sure.

Anyway, I keep getting sidetracked. Come on Eta, remember what your mother told you. ‘If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t just ramble on about nothing.’ Damn it! I’m rambling again!

Sorry, about that. What was I talking about again? Oh yeah, my room. Well, I was talking about my room. So… I guess I should start there. I was laying on my bed inside my room, in living quarters that I shared with my mother. My bed is a bit of an over exaggeration, it was more of a cot that was just big for me to sleep somewhat comfortably.

Anyway, I was laying my cot bed thing listening to the radio station on my Pipbuck, a Pipbuck being a small computer that is worn on the foreleg of a pony, or in my case a dragon. My Pipbuck having a light purple, almost lavender colored, display and was specially designed to be slightly larger so that it could wrap around my larger wrist.

As I was saying before I had give some stupid exposition. I was on my small cot listening to one of the like fifteen songs that play on my Pipbuck’s radio. The songs aren’t bad per say, I do like the pony that sings them's voice. I think her name is Sweetie Belle, I don’t I really don’t pay attention to those sort of things But when you listen to the same damn fifteen or so songs for your entire life. I wonder what my mom’s feels about them since she just turned two hundred not that long ago. UGH! You just wish for anything different, the song could be complete shit, but I’d still listen to it just to stop the boredom. Ugh! Can boredom kill you, because right now it certainly feels it?

But I’d listen to any of the songs on my PIpbuck any day over the tortuous voice of the Overmare. The devilish mare’s voice interrupting the semi-pleasant song that was currently playing. The static caused by her interruption was so much that I had to take out my earbud just to make sure that my eardrum didn’t explode.

“Ugh! You bucking bitch!” I cried out, covering my left ear, which was still ringing.

“Language, you young lady!’ I heard my mother scold me from the other room. I was little surprised that mother could even yell that loud. Her not being in the best of health since she turned two hundred a few months.

“Sorry, mom!” I called back, still covering my left ear. The ringing had stopped and I guessed it was a good idea if I listened to whatever our bitch of an Overmare had to say. She might say something worthwhile for once, maybe.

“Will resident DM-237 report to my office as soon as possible, thank you.” The Overmare’s voice called over the radio calling me to her office like if I was her lab dog, or cat in her cases. DM-237 being my official resident number for Stable 70, the two letters before the numbers telling what I was. The ‘D’ standing for a dragon, while the ‘M’ stood for a mare. The process was the same for my one friend in the whole stable. Sweet Breeze. Sweet Breeze being US-2187. Sweet Breeze being a unicorn stallion.

“Sure I’ll right, you stupid bitch.” I internally groaned, seriously I doubted she even knew my damn name. Being always called me resident DM-237. DM-237 do this, DM-237 do that. Ugh! I wanted to roast that bitch so much.

But I didn’t, I needed the extra daily food that came for working for her, and now even more so than usual being that my mother hadn’t been in the best of health for quite some time.

I groaned at the internal dilemma as I rose from my cot that had for a bed. “Did you hear that mom?” I called into the other room. My eyes widened when I didn’t get a reply back. “Mom!” I called into the other room, there still being no response from her.

My heart began to start beating faster as I ran out of my room and into my mom’s. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw my mom’s body on top of her bed, her’s being an actual bed that my friend Sweet Breeze let borrow from his room not long after my mom got sick, her body moving up and down as she breathed in her sleep. My mother was a large black dragon, her being slightly larger than me even in her poor health, with a pair of wings protruding out of her back. I have never seen my mother use her wings to fly, most because the Stable despite it's large than normal size was still too small for a full grown dragon to fly in. I had my pair of bat-like wings but had never used them. Not even learning how to fly once. It’s a little difficult to fly when you don’t have another dragon or even a pegasus to teach, me having never might a pegasus inside Stable 70.

I walked over to my mother and gently touched her nose. My mother’s eyes slowly opening. My mother’s having the most beautiful purple eyes you will ever see. I felt my light blue colored eyes tearing up as I stared at my mother’s.

“What is it Eta?” My mother asked, her voice weak. Her one outburst over my language must have really taken a lot out of her.

I wiped my tearing eyes with my un-Pipbuck hand and cleared my throat before speaking. “The Overmare said that I needed in her office. I just wanted to tell you that I was leaving.” I told my mother, even though I just wanted to be by her side right now.

My mom gave me a slow head nod in response as she closed her eyes again drifted off into another round of sleep.

I made sure that she was actually sleeping and not… well you know, by putting my paw up by her nose to check if she was still breathing.

When my paw felt warm air coming out of her nostrils gave my mom one small kiss on the forehead and left. I didn’t say goodbye to her. My mom hated goodbyes, and I did too.

It took me several to walk up through two levels that were above the level where my mother and I lived. The Stable being set up like a large steel maze, it being easy to get lost if you weren’t careful. Thankfully for me, I knew this Stable like the back of my claws, and even if I didn’t my PIpbuck came equipped with a special navigation spell known as Eyes Forward Sparkle or E.F.S. for short.

Anyway, it didn’t take any more than maybe ten minutes for to walk through the maze what was Stable 70 and reach the office of the Overmare. Her office being located not far from the large steel door. The same steel that was the Stable’s only protection from the outside world.

Wanting to make a good first impression for the day I knocked on the steel door, seriously almost everything in this damn thing is made of steel, that was the entrance to the Overmare’s office.
“State your business.” I heard from a voice box that was located next to the door. The Overmare seemed to be out of breath on the other side of the line, which I found to be odd but didn’t question any further.

“Um… this is E… I mean DM-237, you said that you wanted to see me Overmare.” I said to the voice box, catching myself before I could actually give the mare my real name.

I waited for what seemed like a full minute before I finally got a response from the mare that was inside the office.

“Yes, 237, please come in.” The Overmare said over the voice box, the lock to the metal door opening with a hum of hydraulics. The door slowly opened not long after, the door slowly rising above me and allowing passage into the room. When I entered the door closed on its own in one quick motion, it barely missing my tail.

“Shit, that was close!” I internally yelp as the door locked itself. I drifted my eyes around the room in front of me. The room being much better than my own, that’s for sure. The Overmare having a wooden bookcase filled with kinds of copies of Pre-War books. I couldn’t read the titles of any of them from where I was standing and I didn’t look like was invading the mare’s private collection so I left them be.

My thoughts about the bookcase were interrupted when I heard a strange sound coming to the left of me. It sounded like a moan from a mare. I turned my head to investigate the sound and immediately regretted it.

I covered my eyes with my claws when I turned my head. The Overmare, a light pink mare with a light red mane and blue eyes, was lying down on a blue sofa while a brown earth pony who I didn’t recognize was fucking her. His large black cock being implanted deep in of her.

“Oh yes, right there baby.” I heard the Overmare moan, her words just making the situation even more awkward than it already was.
I cleared my throat, catching the two ponies attention. The brown stopped plowing the pink mare, only for her to send a glare that could burn through the steel walls of the Stable if it was a laser.

“I didn’t tell you to stop.” The Overmare snarled at the brown stallion. “Keep pounding me, you know exactly why you are here anyway.” The Overmare said to the brown stallion, him following her commands as his above average cock began to disappear inside the pink mare.

I might have been aroused by what was surely a fantastic piece of pumping for the stallion, but instead, I was disgusted. Not disgusted, for the fact that I was watching two ponies having sex in front of me mind you. I have walked in on two ponies having sex when I was being a messenger pony for the Overmare before the pink slut that was in front of me two times before this, my first time when I was only five or so, the actions weren’t what disgusted me. But instead, it was that I felt that it was a waste for this excellent instrument of sex to be wasted on such a bitch of a mare.

“Oh yes, that’s… just right.” The Overmare moaned as the pounding that she was taking from behind started again. “So, you were saying.” The Overmare said, speaking to me.

It took me several seconds to register that I had been speaking to, me shaking the cobwebs out of my head when I noticed that I was being spoken to.

“Um… yes.” I stammered, clearing my throat. “You wanted to see me Overmare.” I said to the pink mare, me doing my best look at the top half of the mare that I was talking to, and not whatever buck was happening at her rear.

“Oh yes, I needed you for a special… AH!” The Overmare said to me, her stopping mid-sentence as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she let out a loud moan. “Oh yes, right there baby. Keep going, I’m… grunt almost there.” The Overmare grunted, her nearly at her orgasm.

I tried to looked away from the scene in front of me, but I… just couldn’t. I felt a warmness beginning to build in parts that I’d rather not mention.

No, No! Am not getting off on this bullshit! “Ah! yes , right there baby!” The Overmare screamed in both pleasure and pain. Sweet Alpha, I hope this room is sound proof.

“Just block it, just block it out!” I screamed internally. Me sitting down on my rump and covering my ears with my claws, doing my best not to listen to the two ponies having sex right in front of me.

But I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried the Overmare’s moans wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t stop myself from looking at the… magnificent cock in front of me. I felt my mouth being to water, my blue eyes widening, and the heat in my adnomination beginning to build. My unmentionables beginning to itch, an itch that needed to be scratched.

I mentally slapped myself across the face trying to regain composure and focus. No, no! I am not like her. I won’t give into my… oh! SWEET ALPHA! YES!

I didn’t care anymore… I need this!

“OH! BUCK!” I cried out as I pleasured myself. My mouth warping into one of needed pleasure. Me falling onto my back, my wings spreading to their max. My wings tips hitting a wooden desk on my left and the bookcase on my right, some of falling from the bookcase and onto the ground. But I didn’t care… I needed this. Three of months of taking care of my mother you have practically on her deathbed and I needed this!

My cry of pleasure caught the attention of the brown stallion and the Overmare, their fun coming to a halt for a brief second. The pink mare’s blue eyes falling on my enlarged marehood with two of my claws being pushed in and out of it. In and out, in and out, in and out. Oh, Sweet Alpha please don’t let this end.

“Do you want me to continue, Overmare?” The brown stallion asked the pink pony that he was fucking. His voice was gruff and sounding out of breath, and based on having to fuck a slut like the pink pony in front of me for at least ten minutes. I don't blame him.

“Yes, but you remember what to do when your close right.” I heard the Overmare say as I continued to pleasure myself. It was difficult without the sounds of the two ponies fucking, but I made do.

“Yes, Overmare I do.” The brown stallion said the pink mare.

“Quit talking and start fucking her damn it, I can’t do this without you Mister Monster Cock.” I thought as my claws fell still inside my marehood and the heat from it beginning to decrease.

“Good, now keep fucking me. You still haven’t made me cum.” The Overmare said to the brown stallion. Getting an affirmative grunt as he shot his entire into her swollen pussy. A loud moan coming from the slut. “Oh yes! Right there baby, now make me cum.” The pink slut moaned, the brown stallion granting her wishes and pounding into her even harder and faster than before.

“Finally, now I can get some relief.” I thought as my claws began to pleasure myself again. A soft moan coming out of me as I moved my claws in and out of my marehood in rapid succession.

Several minutes passed, I don’t know exactly my brain was too blurry from the moans and grunts of the two ponies having sex in front of me and my own to notice the passage of time, but eventually the pink mare let out a loud cry.

“OH I’M CUMMING! I’M CUMMING!” She screamed as she let out her loudest moan yet. A moan that probably could’ve been heard in every room inside the Stable. I saw the pink mare’s body fall limp and collapse into the blue sofa from her orgasm.

An orgasm that put me over the edge. My claws sped up, I was now using four of them, my thumb rubbing my slit. The heat in between my legs raising to point that it could burn me, and I am a dragon.

I closed my eyes as I closed in on my inevitable orgasm. My moaning becoming louder and louder with each passing second.

“Now Overmare?” I heard the brown stallion asked the Overmare. I paid no attention to it as my brain was completely focused on pleasuring myself.

“Now, and make sure that her eyes stay closed. If they open it will ruin the surprise.” I think I heard the Overmare say, I don’t know. My mind was too clouded at the moment to really notice what was going on around me.

About a minute passed before I felt my legs tense up and the feeling my cum shooting out of my marehood shortly afterward. Me letting a loud moan that sounded more like a roar as my claws fell still. Three of them still being inside my marehood.

As I laid on my back in the heavy breathing bliss of my orgasm until I felt something being shot onto my face. Water, perhaps. Curious I used my tongue to taste some of it. The taste was anything but water. It was salty, with a small mix of tanginess, and whatever it was, it was sticky. It sticky to the purple scales of my face and the inside of my mouth.

“What is this?” I thought, using my tongue to take another taste of whatever was on my face. Whatever it was tasting slightly better than before. My closed eyes widened as I began to piece it together. Sticky, tastes salty, two ponies just had sex.

“No, No, NO! She didn’t!” I screamed internally, tears beginning to form in my closed eyes.

I reluctantly and slowly opened my eyes, which was a challenge on its own as whatever was on my face had landed on my left eye and made it difficult to open. My left eye only opening barely, luckily, or unluckily I didn’t need both eyes functioning perfectly to know what had happened to me.

I opened my eyes to see the brown stallion standing above me. The Overmare standing at his side, her pink magic wrapped around his large black cock. His cock being covered in the pink mare’s pussy juices, but what I cared about was that none of his white cum was on his cock or on the pink mare.

Tears began to flow freely as I used the paw that I hadn’t been using to pleasure myself to touch the top of my face it not being not hard to find some of the sticky shit that was on me. Me finding that my suspicions were true with a thick white sticky semi-liquid on one of my claws.

“She really did it, she made him… cum on me.” I thought, feeling like I was about to throw up. I tried to get up, but my movements were stopped by the pink hoof of the Overmare.

“Oh, we’re not done yet, my little slut.” The Overmare said to me with a devilish smirk on her face.

“I’m not a slut, you exploited me!” I yelled at the pink mare, tears clouding my vision, but I didn’t care. I was just sexually exploited and by this mare’s ever growing smirk, she was enjoying it.

“You need to pay for what you did to us, and know just what will be the perfect payment.” The Overmare said, saying things that I didn’t understand.

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything!” I cried, trying again to climb to my feet. Only to hit the hard steel ground of the room when I was hit in the head by a heavy book from the bookcase next to me. My chin hitting the ground in a loud crash. I cried out in pain as my brain seemed to have gotten scrambled. I probably had a concussion.

“It’s not what you did. It’s what your kind did!” The pink mare roared at me, hitting me across the face with the same book that had hit me with before. She hit with the book until she seemed to tire herself out. Small cuts forming on my face from the strikes, they weren’t deep but they still stung. The stallion’s cum that was on my face beginning to dry and some even dripping into my mouth. I tried to spit out as much I could, but I couldn’t stop some of it from going down my throat.

“But, I know just the punishment that will clear everything up.” The pink mare said, her literally jumping for joy at whatever twisted thing she had thought up. “3012, assume the position.” I heard her say, and my eyes felt like they were about to pop out of my head.

“No, NO! You have already ruined my face with this stallion’s cum, please don’t also ruin my marehood forever!” I screamed internally. Me fighting with every fiber of my being to stand, but my muscles wouldn’t listen. Whatever that hit from that book did to me, it had made completely defenseless.

“This isn’t what we agree to. You said that you would call her down. I would fuck you that she would pleasure herself and once she orgasmed I was supposed to cum on her face. That’s it. You said nothing about me doing… that to her.” The brown stallion said, surprisingly coming to my defense.

“I’m sorry or are you hard of hearing I said 'assume the position'. Mount this dragon and fuck her like the slut that she is!” The Overmare ordered at the brown stallion.

He was having none of her shit and stomp his hoof. “No! I am not going to violate this poor girl’s body more than it already has been. You have done enough damage unto her. Now, let her go with at least some part of her dignity intact.” The brown said I couldn’t believe it the stallion that had actually marked me has his own… slut was now defending me against the most powerful pony in Stable 70.

“Fine then, if you won’t fuck her then I will.” The Overmare said my eyes widening at what she meant by ‘she’ll fuck me’. I turned my head to see the mare use her pink magic to take a long black box out of the drawer of the wooden to my left. She opened the box to reveal a giant fake cock.

The cock was huge, easily larger than any cock I have ever seen on a pony, including the large cock that the brown stallion processed. But what caught my attention the most was not the cock’s size but what it was made out of. The cock like any other cock you would find on a stallion accepts that it was made out of metal, not flesh or even plastic and the cock was lined with easily an inch long spikes made out of steel. This wasn’t a sex toy, this was something used for punishment. No not punishment, torture. Torture intended to make it impossible for a mare to... never have kids again.

I couldn’t take this anymore, I was going to be… raped either way. It was only a choice between if I was going to be raped by a stallion that will probably take it easy on me or from an insane mare with a weapon designed to destroy my insides.

“Just do it!” I called out to the brown stallion, my eyes watering.

“No, I can’t.” The brown stallion responded back, shaking his head back and forth.

“Yes, you can! Now, just do it!” I screamed presenting myself to him. “Just do it.” I whimpered into the steel floor.

“You heard her, do it, fuck her like you fucked me.” I heard the Overmare whisper into the brown stallion’s ear.

“I can’t, I didn’t agree to this.” The brown stallion said. I genuinely felt bad for him. He probably thought he was just going to have a three-way with two mares, one being of which being a dragon. I might be the one that is actually about to be raped, but I wasn’t the only victim in this situation.

“Oh don’t be a baby, besides this isn’t rape. She practically gave you consent.” The evil mare whispered to the brown stallion. Her words seeming to work as he trotted closer to me

I flinched when I felt his cold hooves on the scales of my flank and mounted me. I clamped down on my teeth as I prepared for the eventual penetration. “I’m sorry.” I heard him say to me, his hardened cock up against my pussy.

“I forgive you.” I whimpered to back to him.

“Thank you.” He said as he let out a grunt as his cock penetrated into my swollen pussy. I cried out in pain as my pussy stretched to accommodate for the stallion's giant cock. There was no pleasure from his thrust, just pain.

“Oh, you’re so tight.” He said as he removed his cock almost entirely from my pussy and then slammed back in. His balls making contact with my hips. Under normal circumstances, I might have enjoyed this, but this wasn’t normal circumstances. I don’t care what that bitch said, this was rape pure and simple.

He continued to pound my pussy for several minutes, me not enjoying a single minute of it. Me screaming pain into the steel floor each time he thrust into my pussy. I didn’t cry, I couldn’t. I couldn’t show the Overmare that I was weak. I was going to take this and show her. I was going prove her wrong.

The only sounds in the room being the slapping of the brown stallion body against my hips as he thrust, my little cries of pain, and… I shit you not, the soft moans of the Overmare as she played with herself. She didn’t just call me into her office knowing that I would be aroused and pressure myself so that she could defile me by having a stallion cum on my face. The same fucking stallion that was raping me against his will right now! AND SHE WAS GETTING OFF ON IT!

My anger toward the mare when the stallion that was bucking me grunted. “I’m… almost about to cum, what do when that happens?” He grunted the Overmare’s way of defiling me even further coming to a stop.

“Hm... don’t cum inside her cunt, we can’t risk any more of her kind running around in this Stable. But, she still needs to be punished.” The pink mare said, her face lighting up as a thought came to her. “That would work most nicely.” She said in a tone of voice that made my scales crawl.

“What?” He grunted after another hard thrust into my pussy. Me letting out another whimper in pain.

“When you are close to cumming, take your cock out of her and put it right in there.” She said, pointing her pink hoof at my mouth. “No; you can have a stallion cum on my face, give me a probable concussion, rape me, but please don’t make me suck stallion’s cock until they cum and swallow their cum.” I cried internally, and at that moment my all of my walls shattered. Tears began to flow from my eyes, them mixing with the dried cum on my face into an even stickier white mess.

“Can you do that one last thing for me?” She asked me, she must have known that she had broken me.
“If I do, will that be it, can I finally leave.” I said in complete tears. An instinctive sniff from all my tears coming from me, my muzzle getting a full whiff of the musky smell of the dried cum/tear mix that was now all over my face.

“Will you not speak of what happened to you here to anypony, not even your mother.” She said to me. I reluctantly nodded, me honestly believing that even if I didn’t tell anyone. The ponies of the Stable would know exactly happened in here. Maybe not that I was raped, but everyone knowing me as a slut that engaged in a three-way with an Overmare that everyone knew was sexually active isn’t much better.

“Good, this is much easier when they are being cooperative.” The pink mare said. “Wait ‘they’, what does mean by ‘they’. Does that mean that all of the ponies she had sex with, she didn’t really have sex with? She raped them.” I thought, me becoming truly appalled by this pony.

“Are you close baby?” I heard her ask the brown stallion. “I can tell you that he felt close.” I thought as his movements were becoming faster and harder.

“Almost... yeah I am about ready to burst.” He said him removing his cock from my former marefriend with an audible pop. My marehood was dead, it was no longer a sacred part of me. Now it was a pussy and not just a normal pussy it was just a violated piece of flesh now. There was nothing honorable about it left.

He then walked in front of me and held his rock hard cock in front of my face. The black cock being covered in my juices along with the other mare’s. I felt like was about to vomit from the sight in front of me, again maybe if the situation was different I would’ve jumped on this cock and sucked it dry without as much as a second thought. But this wasn’t any normal situation. I have just been raped and was now staring at a cock that was now being forced to suck a cock so that this madness would just end.

“Open up girl, you promised, now finish what your pussy started.” She whispered in my ear, stomach turning again. I am so losing my lunch the second this over.

I shut my eyes tight, I didn’t want to see what was about to happen and I began to slowly open my mouth and the large cock began to enter. I won’t tell you guys what it tasted like, it didn’t matter. This stallion’s cock could’ve been the greatest tasting cock in the world at that moment. Nothing, and mean not a damn thing in this bucked up world was making this moment any better.

“Good girl, now suck it dry.” She whispered into my ear, my head beginning to bob up and down on the cock. The stallion the cock was connected to let out a moan as I sucked his cock. You know what I take back what I said earlier, about forgiving him that is. I wanted to kill me now too. Buck this stallion he deserved to die, brutally.

“Keep going, I’m… almost there.” He moaned. At least his raping of me was kind enough to most of the work to get this damn thing that was now defiling my mouth to cum in my pussy and not have me suck this damn thing for several torturous minutes.

“Yes, keep going going, you are natural at this.” She whispered into my ear again, if I were to guess she almost sounded jealous. Jealous that I was being forced against my will to get fucked from both the behind and now the front. You know what woman buck you, buck you so much.

“Oh, I’m cumming! I’m CUMMING!” He shouted, and he wasn’t lying. My blue eyes shot wide open as I felt my mouth being filled with the stallion sticky white cum. He slowly removed his cock from his mouth and just make sure I was going to kill him shot another blast of his hot cum onto my face. Coating it for the second time with his seed.

“Thank you, 3012, you are now dismissed, but please clean yourself up before anypony sees you. We don’t want to create a scandal.” She said to the brown stallion. He gave her a single nod and left the room as if he didn’t just rape someone.

I didn’t swallow any of the cum that was in my mouth. I wasn’t going to have any of this jerk’s cum becoming an actual source of food.
My defiance didn’t long as I felt something sharp beginning to penetrate my pussy. “She wasn’t, was she?” I thought, my eyes going wide.

“Swallow that cum or…” She threatened me, whatever was penetrating my pussy moving more inside it. I had without a doubt in my mind that what was fucking me from behind was that Omega sent cock of spikes. “you can never have any kids ever again.” She finished her threat, the cock of death getting pressed even further into my pussy. Me being able to feel the first spikes against the walls of my pussy. Red blood beginning to leak out of me.

“Do it!” She yelled, her slowly beginning to twist the cock that was only about a third of the way inside my pussy. “You promised, and breaking a promise is never a good thing, isn’t it.” She said to me a polite manner that only made me want to shove a shotgun her throat and pull the trigger even more.

Not wanting to risk losing the ability to reproduce I reluctantly swallowed all of the stallion’s cum in my mouth. My stomach twisting and turning as the sticky hot goo traveled down my throat.

“Good, because I was going to this anyway.” She said and violently thrust the Omega sent cock all the way inside my pussy. Ripping and tearing up my insides as it did.

“AHH!!!” I cried out in utter pain, this wasn’t punishment, this was bucking torture. “You said that if I sucked him dry I could go.” I somehow managed to say through my unbearable pain. “AH! You Promised!” I cried, my vision blurry and burning from a mixture of tears and both dry and wet cum that covered my face.

“I know, but that the difference between you and me. I don’t keep my promises.” She snarled at me, using her magic to take the cock out of my pussy and then slammed it back in. My insides probably looking like it had just gone through a meat grinder.

“Please, don’t do this. You have done enough already. Just make it so I can still have kids!” I cried, no I pleaded to the sick mare.

“No, and just for that plea of weakness. You get five more thrusts in varying speeds and all of them twisting. When I’m done with you, you won’t have anything that somepony should even recognize as a pussy.” She said as she used her pink magic to take the cock of death out of my pussy and slamming it back in. Her twisting both clockwise and counterclockwise once it was completely inside. My red blood was spilling out of my pussy like a river of red. My cries of the pain getting louder after each thrust.

She went on to repeat this another eight times, making it ten times that she had destroyed my pussy with her cock of death. She must have already planned to thrust into me five times anyway, which should’ve been enough to make it impossible… impossible for me to ever have kids, but no she did it ten times. Just to make sure, I guess.

By the sixth time that she thrust into me I didn’t cry out in pain anymore, I couldn’t anymore as my abdomen having gone completely numb from about fifteen minutes of actually having a stallion fucking and of course whatever the buck had just happened to me.
After the ten times, she destroyed my pussy finally pulled the cock of death out of me and gave out a sigh of triumph. The cock of death no longer being black but instead red from all my blood.

“There I think should be enough, finally, the mission of this Stable is complete.” She said more to herself as she placed the cock of death inside of the box that she got it from in the first place.

“Can… can I go now?” I asked as politely as I could given my situation, I didn’t want to provoke any other ‘punishment’ from this insane mare.

“Yes, you are now free to leave.” She said, me beginning to raise to my feet. I was when surprised that I could even walk from the punishment that I had taken over the last hour. “But first.” She said, and my movements stopped instantly. “We need to make it so that you are more… presentable.” She said running off to get something from across the room. Her grabbing a box filled with wipes and beginning to wash my face with them. The cum and tears from an hour that I just wanted to forget to disappear with a wave of her magic.
“Just stay still, everything will be back to normal before you know it.” She said moving to my rear and wiping my blood stains away from my destroyed pussy.

“Normal! NORMAL! You think this fucking bullshit is NORMAL!” I roared internally. I wanted to raise my claws and swipe at her. It would be so easy. One swipe and she would be gone. But, no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t raise my claw at the pink mare. Why you may ask, I don’t know. I really don’t.

“Perfect, now run along.” She said wiping the last of my blood away.

“Yes, Overmare.” I said almost robotically, beginning to walk out of the room. The metal door opening for me.

“And not a word of this to anypony, not even your mother correct.” She said to confirm that I would keep my word.

“Yes, Overmare, not a soul.” I said a tear forming in my left eye.

“Good, now go run along, run along.” She said treating me like I was her filly and she wanted me to go play on the playground.

“Yes, Overmare.” I said leaving the room. The door closing automatically behind me.

The moment I had left the room I found the nearest trash can and kept my word to myself and vomited the entire continents of my stomach into it. I wasn’t having that stallion’s cum inside me any longer than it had to be.

Once I was finished vomiting my guts out into a nearby trashcan I went on my new current mission, get help. I knew I was bleeding badly from my insides, I probably had a concussion, and I needed medical attention and I needed it now. I went on a search for my best and only friend Sweet Breeze he was a doctor or at least one in training.

My eyes lit up as I heard a familiar voice. “Eta, it’s good to see you. Is your mom doing better?” I heard Sweet Breeze say, him being a yellow colored unicorn with a light blue mane and blue eyes. Sweet Breeze was holding three cardboard boxes in his light blue magic when I saw him. Him probably running errands for the Stable’s built-in hospital.

"Eta, are you alright?” I heard him ask, his speech was getting slower and could’ve sworn that I saw three of him.

“Help me…” I said at a volume no louder than a whisper.

“Eta, watch where you’re going!” I heard him slowly call at me. My head beginning to drop toward the steel ground. I didn’t register that I had hit the ground until I felt a sharp pain going through my forehead.

“Eta!” Sweet Breeze yelled as he dropped the three boxes that were being held in his magic. Them slowly falling toward the ground and hitting the floor with a muffled crash.

“No, Eta stay with me!” I heard Sweet Breeze say, him cradling my head in his hooves. My eyes beginning to waver.

“Somepony get a doctor now!” I heard Sweet Breeze yelled at the top of his lungs. Why was he doing that, that is so unlike him? He was usually quiet, he never raised his voice.

“Help me, Breeze.” I whispered weakly to my best friend, there being black spots beginning to form in my vision. Why were they there, go away black spots no one likes you.

“Don’t worry Eta I will, we have somepony going to get a doctor. You’re going to be alright. You just stay with me, you here.” Sweet Breeze said tears beginning to form in his sky blue eyes. At least that’s what I think they looked like. I have never seen the sky before, only in books, my mom had shown me when I was a hatchling. I’m cold, why am I cold, I’m never cold. I’m a dragon for Alpha’s sake. I think, I think gonna go to sleep. Sleep is good, sleep is always good.

“No Eta! ETA! Stay with me damn it. Somepony get me a Celestia damned doctor! I’m losing her! No Eta, wake up. Wake up!” I heard Sweet Breeze yell, and that was the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

Level Up! New Perk: Avenger-- You can now relate to the trails of mares in the wasteland. You now have a +25% damage and a +10% chance of critical hits to all raiders that you come across during your travels of the wasteland. However, this perk comes at a cost. Your fertility has now dropped to 5%. It is nearly impossible for you to ever have any kids later in your life.

New Companion added, companion name Sweet Breeze: You now have your first companion. Your charisma skill increases by one point automatically and you can now call on Sweet Breeze for support in battle, healing, and moral support. Trust me, your going to need it.

Author's Note

I don't believe in the idea of easing your audience into the tone of your story. This chapter is the embodiment of my thinking. If this is too extreme for you, then feel free to give this story a dislike and turn back now. This story just gets darker. If not, thank you for still being with me and I hope you like Eta's adventures in the future.

I think you should all know that I didn't take what happens in this chapter lately. I had to stop over ten times writing this chapter because I got too emotional while doing so. I take rape and making a woman unable to have kids anymore seriously, as it should.

On a more positive note, I have completed all of the chapters up to chapter five and currently have about 90% of chapter six done with the beginning of chapter seven already written. So you can expect regular chapter releases on every Monday following for the next month or so.

A dragon saying "Sweet Alpha" is the same as a pony saying "Praise the Goddesses or Sweet Celestia/Luna". The reason for the difference will be explained later. I have also ponified all of the swears. I kept fucking the same when it is referring to two ponies having sex, but in normal conversation, I will use buck instead.

Recovery

“They Say What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger. Yeah, But At What Cost.”

Pain!

That was the only thing that I felt, pain. Just pain, all over my body. All the way from my forehead and all the way down to the tip of my tail. I felt bruises over my body, it wouldn’t have surprised if my purple scales were now blue from all of the bruises. My eyes were still closed and I didn’t want to open to check. I didn’t want to open them ever again. Why was I still alive, I was still able to feel this pain, I just wanted it to end.

I let out a small whimper as tears began to flow out of my closed eyes. I was even surprised that I still had tears to shed after all the shit that I had gone through.

I could hear some ponies talking not that far away from me. One of them I recognized as Sweet Breeze, my best friend. He was probably talking to one of the doctor ponies that was in the Stable. I had never met any of them, I almost never went above the third floor of the Stable.

Me meeting Breeze was even an accident. I met him when I was running errands for the Overmare before the one that… you get the picture.

The ponies that were talking must have heard my whimpers as they stopped talking. I heard one of them trotting towards me. It being impossible not to hear the clang of hooves hitting steel every time they took a step.

“Eta… are you awake?” I heard somepony ask, it was Sweet Breeze. I slowly nodded my head. I kept my eyes closed Breeze continued to speak to me. His light voice always being a source of calmness and peace for me. His cutie mark was a dove holding an olive branch with the olives being in the shapes of hearts, after all. The bird of love and peace after all, and right now I need peace more than anything.

Breeze said his words in a solemn tone, it wouldn’t have surprised me if he was crying right now. “Eta, I’ve read your medical report. Whatever whoever did to you the doctors are almost certain that…” Breeze said stopping mid-sentence. I knew what he was going to tell me. I already knew it was almost a certainty after what that bitch did to me, but I needed confirmation.

“Just say it.” I said with my eyes still closed.

“There almost certain that you will never be able to have kids later in your life.” Breeze said with a sniff from the amount tears that he was obviously shedding at that moment.

I was broken, tears began to flow out my eyes. “How long have I been asleep.” I whimpered, I needed to know how much of my life had taken away from me by that bitch and her brown minion.

“You’ve been out for a few days, we even almost lost you once.” Breeze said, a snort coming from me. “What Eta?” Breeze asked me, surprised by my snort.

“Wouldn’t it been better.” I said opening my eyes for the first time. Sweet Breeze being sitting on his haunches next to my hospital bed. Her forehooves only a few inches from one of my paws. I instinctively brought my paw closer to my body as Breeze spoke.

“Would’ve what been better?” Sweet Breeze asked me. I slowly turned my head to face him. I could tell that he had been crying lately.

“If I had died.” I said and Breeze’s face dropped.

“Eta… I know you have been through a lot, but death isn’t the answer.” I heard Breeze tell me. I turned my head away from him. I wasn’t in the mood to hear this speech from him.

“Is it.” I said defeated the pain in my abomination now being what I was focusing on.

Breeze let out a heavy sigh as he turned his said to speak to the pony that he was speaking to before I had woke up. “Red Cross, would you be so kind as to tell Eta’s mother that she is awake.” Sweet Breeze said to the other medical pony. The pony being a bright white unicorn mare with a large red cross for a cutie mark.

My eyes widened, my breathing increased, and my heart felt like it was about to pop out of my chest.

“My mom! Is is ok! What happened to her!?! Answer me Breeze!” I asked Breeze quickly.

“Eta, calm down your mom is fine.” Breeze said to me him holding up his hooves in a manner to calm me down. His attempt didn’t work as my instincts kicked in and I screamed.

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed trying to get a far away from Sweet Breeze as I could. Me falling off my hospital bed in fear. I hit the hard steel floor with a loud thud.

“Eta, I’m not going to touch you. I just trying to help.” Breeze said, but I wasn’t listening. I kept retreating backward until I hit the wall of the room. My heart kept beating faster and Sweet Breeze’s body slowly began to warp into that of the brown stallion that had taken my dignity away. I felt trapped and the stallion kept trotting slowly toward me. He had come back, he had come back to finish what he had started.
“Ah! Stay away from me! Stay away from me… you monster!” I cried, tears flowing from my eyes like a river.

“Eta… I’m… I’m your friend.” The brown stallion said, tears forming in his eyes. Why was he crying, I was the one that he hurt? Was truly he that twisted to think that he was my friend after what he had done. No, I was the victim here, not him!

“No your not! You were never my friend! YOU ATTACKED ME!” I screamed, the stallion physically hurt by my words.

“Eta… I’m never hurt in my life. Why are you saying these things.” He said, his tears making me want to kill him even more.

“You know exactly why! Now, stay away from me!” I roared, I had never breathed fire before but I was willing to do so if meant that I would finally be safe.

“Eta… I’m just trying to help.” He whimpered, his actions disgusted me. How could He be brought to bucking tears from the truth? How could think He was my friend. How could He do all of these terrible things to me, and now try make me feel bad about it? He was still moving closer to me and I reacted the only way I could. I gave me something I wanted to give him since he… attacked me.

“Stay away from ME!” I roared as I swung my tail around and hit him right across his chest. Him going flying across the room and landing into some kind of medical instrument with a loud crash.

“What is going on in here?” I heard the white nurse pony say as she entered the room. Her trotting in just as the brown stallion hit the medical equipment. “Sweet Breeze!” She said rushing to his side.

“Wait! What!” I screamed internally as my the brown stallion’s body began to warp back into the yellow body of my friend. Oh no, what have I done? I just attacked Sweet Breeze, and he was bleeding. He had a deep gash on the top of his forehead. I hadn’t just attacked my friend, I had caused him to bleed. What happening to me!

“I’m fine, I’m fine… check on Eta.” Sweet Breeze grunted in pain. The white mare took a single look at me and must have seen the look of terror on my face, her eyes beginning to water.

“I’ll be right back, just stay right there Breeze. I’ll go get somepony to help you with that cut.” She said as ran out of the room to get whatever she was looking for.

“Breeze, I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t know happened to me.” I said to Breeze.

“You have now reason to apologize to me.” Breeze said to me, him beginning to raise to his hooves.
I shifted my attention away from my wounded friend as the door to the room was opened and the same white mare from earlier trotted in. Her joined by another nurse. The pony that she brought with helping Breeze slowly limp out of the room.

“Just stay still Eta, your mother’s on her way.” The white mare’s said leaving the room. The door closing automatically behind her. And then I was alone. Alone, I hated being alone. Why was I alone? Why did everyone leave me? Why did this have to happen to me?!?

I couldn’t take it anymore. My walls shattered and I broke down. My tears began to flow freely as I collapsed onto the cold steel floor. I cried myself into another nightmare filled sleep.

I don’t know how long I was asleep, but I didn’t awaken until I felt someone poking me in the forehead.
Wait! Someone was touching me. My eyes shot open and I screamed. Whoever was touching then embraced me in a giant bear hug. I kept screaming, my legs kicking in every direction.

“Let me go. Let me go!” I screamed, me not even realizing who was hugging me.

“No! I am never letting you go again!” I heard the familiar voice to me ever say. My kicking stopped as I looked up to see the purple eyes of my mother.

“Mom… Mommy.” I whimpered now accepting her hug. More tears coming from my eyes.

“Yes honey, Mommy’s here and she’s never letting go.” My mommy said, her forelegs cradling my head as she slowly rocked me back and forth in her tight embrace as I cried into her shoulder. Her large wings wrapping around my body like a bulletproof shield to the horrors of the world. “There, there, now just let it all out. I’m right here for you.” My mommy whispered as she patted the top of my head. “I’m right here.” She repeated as I continued to cry into her.

I don’t know how long I cried, seconds, minutes, hours, they were all the same to me. But when I had finally run out of tears I looked up at my mommy. Her face was neutral. I had come to expect that from her. She rarely showed emotion and when she did… while had to know her to even see it. I could see that she was hurt, she knew what had happened to me. She had to. I could see that her purple eyes were red from crying. Maybe not while I was awake, but definitely when I was knocked out.

When my mommy noticed that I had stopped crying looked down at me. “Are you done.” She said with a smile that seemed to hurt her muscles to give.

“Hmmm… I think so” I whimpered with a close nod and a sniff.

“Good, now tell me what happened.” She said in only a way that a mother could.

“You already know happened.” I whimpered back

“I know, but I still need you to tell me.” My mom said.

The memories of what happened to me came flooding back. I could tell her everything. Tell her how I was tricked into letting my guard down. How the Overmare made a stallion cum all over my face. I could tell her how I was raped both in my pussy and my mouth. I could tell her how my pussy was destroyed by a cock designed to make so that a mare could never have children later in her life. But I… I couldn’t. I couldn’t tell her what happened. When I tried to piece the words in my head my body wouldn’t listen and say them. I was frozen in silence. Finally, I gave up and said.

“I can’t.” I told my mom.

“Eta, I know it’s hard to talk about, but you have to tell me.” My mom said with words of understanding, maybe a little too much understanding.

“Mom, I can’t tell you. I’m trying to tell you, but I just... can’t.” I whimpered, my eyes were watery but I didn’t cry. I couldn’t cry anymore. I had run out of tears to shed.

My mom let out a heavy sigh and said something that took my breath away. “She made you promise not to tell me, didn’t she.” My mom said, and my eyes widened at her words.

“What?” I said in disbelief.

“The Overmare, she did this to you, didn’t she.” My mom said with absolute certainty in her voice. How did she know, how could she have known. Unless... scratch what I said earlier. I still had some tears left in me.
“Mom, you weren’t. Were you?” I asked my mom, not believing that strongest woman I had ever known could have gone through what I did.

“Yes Eta, yes.” My mom said and her eyes began to become watery and tears flowed from them. This was the first time I had seen my mom cry in front of me, and I can… can’t even describe to you how heart wrenching it was to watch. “Just like you… I was raped when was your age.” My mom said through sobs, are positions now switching with her being the one crying her eyes out and I was the one receiving all of the tears into my shoulder.

I don’t know how long the hug with my mother had lasted, but it was certainly over an hour. We just sat there, in each other tight embrace. Two dragons, mother and daughter. Two victims of something terrible together.

However, whenever we finally broke our hug my mom spoke to me. “Ok, Eta enough this crying nonsense.” My mom said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. My seemingly emotionless mom was back, and I needed that side of her right. While seeing her more emotional side was helpful, especially after I learned that she had gone through the same experience that I did and survived. In truth, I needed the rock I had always been able to turn to.

“Now, you are still in recovery. That bitch really bucked you up...” My mom said her words a little surprising to me. Despite what you would think from my language, she rarely if ever cursed. So the fact that she was opening cursing in front of me just showed how much anger she was hiding inside her hardened scales. “and you need your rest. So get on that bed and sleep.” My mom said her simple directness that I have come to know. My mom was back and I was happy that she was.

“Yes, mom.” I said and followed my mother’s instructions as I climbed into my hospital in the center of the room. My head hitting the pillow with an audible ‘proof’. My mom then rose to legs and started to walk toward the metal door that led out of the room. My heart began beat faster as I watched my mom walk away from me. Not wanting to be alone I called out to her.

“Mom!” I called out to my mother. Her movements coming to a stop and her head whipping around to the sound of her frightened child. My heart began to beat a little slower as our eyes locked and I took a deep breath before continuing. “Mom, could… could you maybe stay and keep me company. I… I don’t want to be left alone.” I said, my mom’s face giving me an understanding smile. Her walking over to my bed’s side.

“Of course, I will stay with Eta, you are my baby and I will protect you, forever.” She said in a way that only a mother could as she planted a kiss on the top of my forehead. “Now go to sleep, I will be right over there if you need me.” My mom said, pointing at the right corner of the room.

A happy smile appeared my face as I spoke to her. “Ok, thank you, mom, you’re the best.” I said giving my mom a small hug.
“I know, now go to sleep.” She said as I laid back down my pillow. She walked over to the corner and laid down in a half circle. Her tail wrapping around her body as she laid down.

“I love you, mom.” I said as my eyes began to droop.

“I love you too, honey.” She said back as she rested her head on one of her forelegs.

“Forever…” I began to say, my mom finishing more me.

“And Always.” My mom finished as my eyes closed and I drifted off into dreamland. Me about to have a dream that would shape the rest of my life forever.

Level Up! New Perk: Mother’s Love-- You have the protection of your mother around you at all times. All damage dealt to you is decreased by 25%.

The Dream That Started It All

“It Does Not Do To Dwell On Dreams And Forget To Live”

Peace.

Not something that was expecting once I closed my eyes and drifted off into dreamland, especially after all of the shit that I had gone through the past two days. Well, it was technically more a full week since I was knocked out for nearly that long, but it felt like two days to me so it was two days. There happy, if you're not, then you can buck off.

Oh shit, I am sorry you guys. I don’t know what happened to me there. I deeply apologize, I must be losing it lately. Anyway, like I was saying earlier.

The moment that I dropped into a deep sleep I got a surprising feeling of peace wash over me. I couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was the fact that I knew that I wasn’t alone in that room. I don’t know, regardless I went safely once again, and I started to have a dream that would shape my life forever.

I found myself at the top of the desert hill in the middle of a ruined city. The city having many of its buildings being destroyed beyond repair from some kind of large explosion. It didn’t take me long to realize that this was the surface, the ruins of the city that Stable 70 was built under to be exact. The ruins of Salt Lick City a once great border city between Equestria and the Dragon Empire which was destroyed by a massive megaspell from the Zebra Empire.

I shifted my eyes around as I scanned my surroundings. Me being able to see the entire ruined city from my viewing point. A large snowcapped mountain being off in the distance as I stared off. The sky was covered by an eternal blanket of black clouds. I couldn’t tell if it was day or night as the sun couldn’t shine through the thick blanket from above.

I eyes shot behind me as I heard something. My heart began to beat faster as I heard the earth around me beginning to tremble as something really big began to approach me.

“Sweet Alpha!” I thought in awe as I was approached by a large white dragon. The dragon nearly twice my size. I thought that was decent size as I was taller than most stallion inside the Stable, but this dragon was huge. He also didn’t look like any dragon that I had ever seen. Either that being me, my mother, or any other dragons that have seen in any of the books that I had when I was just a hatchlings.
This dragon while being big seemed to be both alive, well also alive at the same time. I couldn’t explain it. The right side of the dragon’s body looked like what any other dragon would, with white scales going all the way down his body. It was the left that took me by surprise. I instantly took a step backward as I saw the dragon’s left side of its body. The dragon’s scales were gone them seeming to be burned off by some kind of unknown means and what was left was a combination of both decaying flesh and bone.

The dragon’s left foreclaws weren’t even covered in flesh anymore, they were just bones. Bones that looked like they were sharpened to point that it wouldn’t have surprised me if they could rip the steel armor from some those armor ponies that had seen in a few books that I have read. Steel Rangers, I think that was what they were called. The same strange combination of decaying flesh and bone continued all the way up the dragon’s leg. Most of the bone exposed on the dragon being near the outer side of the leg while the inner was decaying flesh. I felt I was about to throw up as I drifted my eyes down the dragon’s body. The dragon’s left ribs being exposed and I was able to see the dragon’s lungs breathing and heart beating inside his chest.

But it wasn’t the dragon’s exposed chest or his deadly claws of pure bone that stuck out to me the most. It was his face. The dragon’s face shared the same right side being seemingly living while the left was decaying or even dead. I found myself focusing on the dragon’s mismatched eyes. His right eyes being a beautiful emerald green color while the left was an almost blood red eye inside of a socket without an eyelid. The decaying flesh of the dragon continued as I was able to see the bone of the dragon lower left jaw. The dragon looking like he hit had taken a megaspell to the entire left side of his body, the megaspell leaving the right side of his body completely untouched.

The dragon also had a massive ammo belt wrapping around his body. The belt looking like it contained ammunition that would be used for some kind of heavy weapon do to the sheer size of the belt, but I couldn’t find any kind of weapon that the dragon was carrying. Other than some kind of large box that was strapped to the dragon’s back. Maybe that was his weapon, but what could a box and an ammo belt that probably had year’s worth of ammunition for something that I couldn’t identify do for this dragon. I couldn’t wrap my head around this dragon. From his strange appearance of seemingly being both dead and alive at the same time to the strange feeling of being heavy armed while not looking the part. Apart from a truly insane amount of ammo. I couldn’t understand this dragon, but I intended to find a way to understand.

My thoughts of both fascination and fear came to a stop as the dragon began to speak to me. His voice was raspy and filled with bitterness from I could only assume was a difficult life to live.

“What you looking at kid?! You look like you have never seen a ghoul before.” The strange dragon spat at me.

Ghoul? What’s a ghoul, I have never heard of anything like that before. Was that what he was. Was he like some kind of zombie dragon or something. Were there other dragons like him in this wasteland. The longer I stayed in this ‘dream’ the less it felt more like a dream and like reality.

The zombie dragon seemed to sense my continued confusion and let out an amused snort. “Hmm… you have no idea what a ghoul is, don’t you?” He said asked with an amused laugh. I laughed awkwardly with the dragon as I took a step back. The zombie dragon seemed to notice my small movement in retreat and spoke to me in a voice that was both calm and direct. “You have no reason to fear me little one, as long you cause no harm to me. I will cause no harm to you.” He said, and shallow an invisible apple in my thought as I spoke to zombie dragon.

“No… no, I do not. I apologize for my ignorance.” I said shyly, the last thing I wanted to do was offend a dragon that could kill with a single swipe of his claws, either of them could do me in within seconds.
The dragon’s next words surprised me even more.surprising to me. “You have no need to apologize to me, young one, not everyone is as knowledgeable of the wasteland as I.” The dragon said a smile appearing on his face. If you look at the left side of his face you might think that she was about to bite you if have due to being able to see her lower jaw and his one red eye. But if you looked at his right you saw something different. In his right, you saw a genuine smile from a dragon that must have gone through a life that what I’ve gone through seem tiny in comparison. But despite that, he was still able to give a complete stranger a simple smile with genuine meaning.

My thoughts about the dragon’s surprisingly high amounts of honor left me when he continued to speak. “So, kid, what’s your name and where are you from? I don’t really see anyone with a Pipbuck around these parts, especially one that is a dragon.” He asked me, taking note of the mobile computer that wrapped around my right foreleg.

“My name’s Eta and I am from Stable 70.” I said, the dragon seeming to be put into deep thought from my words.

“Stable 70, you say. So it has been opened.” The dragon said scratching his lower jaw, the part that still had scales attached to it. “Tell me little one, are you the only dragon from the Stable to enter this wasteland?” The dragon asked.
“I think so, Tartarus, including myself and my mother. We are the only dragons that still live inside Stable 70.” I said as the zombie dragon one green eye widened at my words.

“You don’t say.” The dragon said walking passed me and beginning to stare off into the distance. The dragon let out a heavy sigh as he continued to stare. Him looking like he in was deep thought.

“What are looking at?” I asked him, sitting to the right side of him. I couldn’t understand what he could think was so great about a city of ruined buildings. The dragon kept his face looking directly forward as he spoke to me.

“I’m not looking at anything, little one.” He said, him seeming to give a new nickname. Was I really that small, I mean sure I was small compared to him, but really. I was a dragon after so I could keep growing.

“Then what are you doing?” I asked, the dragon slowly turning his head to look down at me.

“I’m remembering.” He said simply, turning his head to look off to the distance again. “I’m remembering a time when you could actually see the sun in the center of a clear blue sky. I’m remembering a time when war didn’t consume the world, but instead, there was peace.” The dragon said somberly, him briefly pausing as a seemingly painful memory came to him.

“This dragon could remember a time when Equestria was a land of peace, then how old was he. I mean, I heard that the door of Stable 70 had been closed for two hundred years, so he had to older than that.” I thought as a forced laugh came from the dragon.

“Huh, peace. Something so simple, yet so difficult to actually obtain, and even harder to keep.” He said and another thought came to me.

“Was this dragon real, or just a creation of my mind after all the trauma that I’ve been through.” I thought and I needed an answer, so I asked the dragon.

“Hmm… sir, can I ask you a question?” I asked the dragon, catching his attention.

“Sure, what is it that you wish to ask me.” The dragon said in response, him turning his gaze away from the ruined landscape and onto my blue eyes.

“I don’t really know how to ask this but… are you even real?” I asked the dragon, me getting a laugh from him. “Great, now he’s laughing at me. You really need to learn how to talk to others Eta.” I thought as the dragon’s laughing came to a stop and he answered my terribly worded question.

“Yes, little one, I am real. You may be dreaming but everything that you see in front of you does really exist. This place might be in a creation of your own mind, but everything within that creation is real.” He said, his gaze returning to the wasteland in front of me.

“Huh… what’s the buck is that… wisdom.” I grumbled.

“You can say that.” He said as he raised to full height and began to walk away.

“Where are you going?” I asked him.

“Come with me and you’ll find out.” He said, his one red eyes burning through me.

“You’re not going hurt me, are you?” I asked the dragon sarcastically while still having some concern in my words.

“Of course, not Eta. I can’t do anything to you that you don’t want me to do.” The dragon said his words shooting off warning signs in my head.

“What do you mean?” I asked him as another thing caught my mind. “And how do you know my name?” I added, the dragon turning back to face me with a smirk on his face. A smirk that was both funny looking and terrifying at the same time. I always found my eyes drifting off to the exposed lower jaw of the dragon. The sight of him was both able to take your breath away from awe and send shivers all over your body from fear. I couldn’t decide what to feel around this dragon.

“Eta, you are in a dream. You may be in a real place, talking to a real dragon, but I am still a creation of your mind. I know what you know, along with all the things that the real me knows.” The dragon said, my body tensing up at his words.

“So you know… everything that I know. Even the… other things.” I said as another memory of the worst day of my life shot into my mind.
“I’m not a slut! You exploited me!” I heard myself shout as I relived the memory. I did myself to shake the memory away as it continued. “3013, assume the position.” The memory continued.

“No, no, NO! I am not reliving this again.” I screamed internally as my heart began to beat faster and my breathing increased. “You heard her, do it, fuck her like you fucked me.” I felt like was about to explode, that was until I felt something soft touching my shoulder. I looked up to see the dragon staring down at me with his right foreleg on my shoulder and all of the anxiety that I had felt left me.

“Yes Eta, yes. I know what happened to you.” The dragon said and my face dropped. “But, I am to show you how to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.” He said, a look of confusion appearing on my face as I looked back at him. I like to focus on the right side of his body for obvious reasons.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Follow me and I’ll show you.” He said beginning to walk away. I got off my ass and did a short sprint to catch up to him.

“Where are going?” I asked the dragon.

“My place, where I will teach how to make sure that you will never be attacked again.” The dragon said as we began to walk down the hill. An old wooden shack being located at the bottom of it. A place that I can only assume was the dragon’s home.
“How are you going to do that?” I asked the dragon.

“Have you ever fired a gun before?” He asked.

“No, dragons aren’t allowed guns in the Stable.” I said, the dragon snorting at my answer.

“Figures, follow me I show you how to use one.” The dragon said as he continued to walk down the hill.

I followed the dragon for several minutes until we came across an old wooden shack that looked about as old as the dragon that I was following. The building looking like it was being held by nothing more than its foundation as one of the support beams for the shack looked like it was about to give way at any moment. A few of the shingles on the wooden room shaking in the light breeze.

“Is this where you live?” I asked him.

“Yeah, this the last time I checked. Come on, what I want to show you is inside.” He said as we stepped onto the porch of the old building. The wooden floorboards creaking with each step that we took.

The dragon opened the screen door with his boney claws and entered the shack. I stopped in front of the door, not sure if I should really enter. He seemed to notice that I wasn’t following him anyone and turned around and spoke to me. “Make yourself at home kid, you have no reason to fear me.” He said, raising my spirits a little bit more. As I entered the building I could’ve sworn that I heard him say underneath his breath. “At least, not this version of me.” I didn’t know what he meant by that. Could he be talking about the other version of him, the real world version of him? Wow, I still couldn’t wrap my brain around the fact that I was still dreaming. It felt so real, or was this really a dream? I couldn’t tell, and if I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or not, what else could I not know the difference too.

The front room of the shack was the largest, it having an old wooden table that was about a foot tall in the center of the room. The table having a silver resting on top of it. I couldn’t tell what it was, but based on the fact that it was the only clean thing in the entire building it must have been important to the dragon. Or, at least, the real world version of the dragon. Next to the small table was a stained mattress that looked like someone (probably the dragon) had been sleeping on for quite some time. The floor was made of wood, like everything else. The floorboards creaking every time that I took a step. There wasn’t that much else inside the room. I kept feeling like this building was going to fall on top of me at any moment.

“Don’t touch anything. I have something around here that I think will be a good starter weapon for you.” The dragon said as he disappeared around a corner of the front room of the old building.

“Alright, take your time.” I said as I walked over toward the table and sat down. My gaze falling on the strange silver orb in front of me.
“He told me that not to touch anything, but this can’t be that bad.” I thought as I began to stretch out one of my claws. My movements stopped when I heard the strange dragon call to me.

“I said, not to touch anything.” He said startling me. My eyes shot toward the sound of his voice to see that he was shooting a terrifying glare my way, both sides of his face with a death glare plastered on them.

“Sorry, but I didn’t touch it.” I said giving a quick glance at the strange orb.

“But you were going to, and you not yet ready to learn what it contains.” He said picking up the orb in his bony left claw. That was when I noticed something else being held in his right claws, it was a small pistol, similar to the ones that I had seen some of the ponies of the Stable carrying around. But this was different. Unlike the ponies pistols which were revolvers and had a mouthpiece to make them fire. This pistol was different. This pistol had an internal magazine and had a grip and trigger to make it easier for dragons like me and him to fire it.

“What is it?” I asked the dragon, me finally realizing that I had never learned his name. “And what is your name, I don’t think I ever learned it?” I added. The dragon letting out a heavy sigh as he continued to stare into the orb in his left claws.

“You will learn all that you need to know in time, but first,you need to learn how to defend yourself from a distance.” He said placing the orb back on the table. “Catch.”He said as he tossed me the pistol in his head. I caught it in my right claws. The steel feeling cold up against my scales.

“How is a pistol going to stop from getting hurt again?” I asked as I stared at the weapon that I held in my claws.

“Someone can’t hurt you if they are filled with bullets.” He said, an image of me filling that pink slut with all the rounds in this pistol flashing into my mind. An image that I couldn’t help but laugh at. “Now come on, think it’s time that you learn to fire that thing.” He said as I followed outside the back door of the old building and into what I would assume to be his backyard.

“Stay here, I’ll set up the firing range.” He said as he picked up three empty soda bottles and placed them on a mound of dirt about twenty-five yards away. Him placing the three bottles all right next to each other.

Out of curiosity, I found myself drifting my eyes upward toward the sky. The gray blanket of clouds that covered the sky now turning a slightly reddish color. The day must have drawn to a close. Again it was tough to tell without the sun to help me judge the time of day.

“Ok, now show me what you got kid.” The dragon said as he walked back over toward.

“You actually want me to fire this thing.” I said as I stared down at the metal pistol that I was holding in my right claws.

“Of course, now trust me it is easy. Now just aim the gun at a target of your choice.” He said pointing at the three empty soda bottles in front of me.

“Just any of them?” I asked as I began to raise the pistol.

“I think it would easy for you to start with the one in the middle, you are a beginner after all.” He said and I followed his advice as I lined up the pistol on the soda bottle that was located in the middle. The bottle was a standard green glass Sparkle-Cola bottle with a chipped neck.

“Ok, now just take a deep breath.” He said and I did as he commanded. “Exhale and clear your mind.” He said and I did as he said, my brain becoming clear of all of my troubles in life for the first time. “Excellent, now just pull the trigger and the gun will do the rest.” He said I felt my index claw tense up and I pulled the trigger.

Everything seemed to slow down and then… boom! A single loud boom coming from the pistol as the barrel began to left and I felt recoil going down my hand and into my shoulder. The recoil was that bad, but it still took me a little off guard. I was brought back to reality when I heard the soda bottle shattering from the gunshot.

My heart was pumping, I wanted to fire again. I might have been jumping for joy from the rush. My heart rate returned to normal when the dragon put his right claw on my shoulder.

“Hey slow down there, little one, you had a great first shot. But can you repeat your success on the next two shots.” The dragon said, a smug look appearing on my face.

“Don’t worry I can.” I said as I moved my hand a little to the right and lined up the barrel of the pistol at the empty bottle was direct to the right of the one that I had just shot and pulled the trigger. There was no slowly of time as the gun fired and less than a second later the glorious sounds of the glass bottle shattering.

“Mm… not bad kid can you take the last one with only one more bullet?” He asked, trying not to sound impressed by my skills.

“Do you doubt me?” I said as I lined up my next shot. The barrel of the gun being pointed directly at the only remaining empty soda bottle.

“I think that you have a lot of potential. How much potential is yet to be seen.” He said a thought coming to my mind as I pulled the trigger.

“Nice dodge.” I thought as another shot from the pistol rang out and the last bottle shattering.

“Nice shooting kid, you could become a respectable marksman yet.” He said as I emptied the pistol. I might have never used a gun before but I knew how to maintain one.Thank you firearm books that my mother was awesome enough to show me.

“Thanks, is there anything else that you wanted to show me?” I asked as I handed the pistol back to him.

“No, that’s about it, kid.” He said and his body began to become transparent. What was happening? I looked up at the sky to the that the gray blanket above had turned a complete reddish-orange color. You wouldn’t have been surprised if you thought that the sky was bleeding.

“What is happening?” I thought out loud.

“You’re waking up. Won’t be able to communicate when you are awake.” He said his body disappearing and me only able to see his head floating in midair.

“Will I be able to see you again?” I asked I began to feel myself returning to the waking world.

“In dream form probably, in real life, I can’t say.” He said the wasteland world beginning to crumble around me. The shack having fall in on itself.

“Where I want to meet you, the real you.” I said quickly, I didn’t want this to end I wanted to stay with this dragon forever. Despite his appearance, he was pretty cool.

“Leave the Stable and follow your instincts. You should find me in no time.” He said as his head disappeared completely.

“No, don’t leave me!” I yelled as I opened my eyes breathing heavily and sweating. I was back, sitting up in my hospital bed inside good (relatively speaking) Stable 70.

“Honey, are you ok?” I heard my mom say as she rushed over to my side. “Did you have a nightmare?” She asked as she placed a hand on my forehead. I shook my head as I got my breathing under control
.

“Then what happened, what did you dream?” My mom asked.

“I didn’t dream… it was weird. It was more like I had a vision.” I said, my mom sending a look of confusion my way.

“Oh, do you want to talk about it?” My mom asked.

“No.” I said as I rolled out of my bed and landed on the steel floor of the Stable’s hospital. I knew my mom was just trying to help but I didn’t want her to worry about me dreaming about the dragon that was missing half of his face and had just thought how to fire a gun.
Let out a heavy sigh as I spoke to my mom. I didn’t want to tell her this, but I needed an answer about that strange dragon that I had a vision about and I wasn’t going to get any of them inside the steel confines of Stable 70.

“Mom, I’m leaving.” I said my mom walking around the hospital bed and placing her right hand on my shoulder.

“What, like the hospital?” My mom asked and I shook my head.

“No Mom, I’m leaving the Stable.” I said, making a decision that would shape my shape my life for the months to follow.

Level Up! New Perk: Inception-- You now earn double the Experience you would normally every time you learn a new skill from your dream dragon friend.

New Skill: Basic Marksmanship-- You have fired your first gun ever and you seem to a natural but you still have a lot to learn. You earn a +10% more Experience earned while using firearms. This skill can be upgraded.

New Quest Added: All Long Journeys Began with a Single Step-- Leave Stable 70 and find the Mysterious Dragon in the ruins of Salt Lick City.

The First Steps

“The Journey of Thousand Miles Begins With A Single Step”

Shock

That was all I saw in my mother’s face after I told her I wanted to leave the Stable. I kept a neutral face as my mother moved so that she was facing me directly.

“Eta, you can’t be serious. You can’t leave the Stable, you are still in recovery.” My mom said but wasn’t really listening. Sure I still needed time to recover from my injuries, but even if I stayed until I was physically well again that still didn’t mean that I would be mental ok again. I needed to leave the Stable, not just to find that dragon from my dreams, but also to save myself from the slut that could want more from me.

“I hear what you are saying, but I can’t stay here. Not anymore.” I said as I began to rise off of the ground.

“Are you sure honey, living is one big decision that shouldn’t be taken lately.” My mom said placing a claw on my shoulder. A claw that I shook off. I didn’t want to make it look that I didn’t care for my mom. I did, I loved her very very much. She’s my mom for Alpha’s sake, but I needed to leave and I didn’t want to make the experience any worse for the both of us.

“Yes mom, trust me. I don’t want to leave for your sake. But… there’s left more me here. I can’t risk staying here just to recover only to have the fear that the Overmare will do something even worse to me.” I said briefly pausing as something even worse came to my mind. “Or her do something to hurt you.” I said, and my mom seemed to understand the logic behind my words as she nodded.

“Ok, you are a grown woman, and if you think that this is the best decision for yourself then, by all means, do it. I won’t stop you.” My mom said with watery eyes, she didn’t openly cry, but I could tell that she was fighting not to.

“Thank you, mom.” I said as I embraced my mother in a tight hug.

“You’re welcome honey, just be careful.” My mom said as she pulled out of the hug.

“I will mom.” I said as I began to walk out of the hospital room. My movements coming to a halt when my mom called out to me.

“I love you.” My mom said with a smile that must have been difficult to give.

“I love you too mom. Forever…” My said my mom finishing my sentence.

“...and always.” She said as I exited the room. Knowing this could easily be the last time I would ever see my mom.

The moment I walked out of the room I was almost instantly met by my closest and really my only friend in this Stable, Sweet Breeze. Sweet Breeze having two saddlebags strapped to his sides.

“Eta, what are you doing up and walking about? You are still in recovery and should still be in your bed resting.” Breeze said in his usual calm and collected voice. I wasn’t in the mood to hear this lecture from him and just continued walking.

“Eta, where are you going?” He called after me as he trotted up to my side.

“I’m leaving Breeze.” I said bluntly, the yellow unicorn’s movements coming to a stop and a look of both shock and confusion appearing on his muzzle.

“Leaving? What do you mean, leaving?” He asked, my movements coming to a stop as I turned to look at him directly.

“Yes, Breeze I am leaving. There is nothing left more me here and I need to move on.” I said looking down the steel floor.

“What about your mom?” Breeze asked me.

“I already told her that I was leaving, besides she can take care of herself.” I said as I turned my head to stare down the hall of the Stable. The lights that illuminated the hall beginning to flicker from over usage. It must have been later at night as I couldn’t see or hear any other ponies wandering around the maze-like halls of the Stable.

“Well, I can’t have you going anywhere, especially not alone.” Breeze said and an idea came to me. I turned my head to face him directly as I stared into his blue eyes and said to him.

“Then come with me.” I said and Breeze took an understandable step backward.

“You can’t be serious?” Breeze asked and when I kept a straight face he continued to speak. “Sweet Goddesses, you’re serious.” He said in surprise, me giving him a single head nod for confirmation.

“Yes, yes I am.” I said with another slow nod of my head.

“Eta, I can’t leave.” He said, my frustration toward the yellow unicorn beginning to build.

“Why not, I know you don’t have any family left in the Stable. Your mom died while in childbirth, your dad died two years ago, and you don’t have any friends in this Alpha forsaken shithole other than me.” I said, putting Breeze into deep thought.

Breeze then let out a defeated sigh and said to me. “Oh! Buck it. Fine, I’ll go with you.” He said and I practically jumped for joy.

“You will!?!” I squealed like a school filly.

“Yes, but because I can’t have you going alone, and I might also be able to be helpful in the world above.” Breeze said as he walked past me, him heading down the hall and further away from where the door to the Stable was located.

“Where are you going?” I asked Breeze, his movements coming to a stop.

“I’m going to get supplies. You weren’t really planning on leaving the Stable without taking any supplies, were you?” Breeze said, the purple scales on my face turning a slight shade of pink. Damn, I'd be bucked without this unicorn. Tartarus, I’d probably be dead if it wasn’t for Breeze.

“Maybe…” I said sheepishly, only to get an expected laugh from Breeze.

“Come on Eta, I’ll get some supplies from the hospital supply room for our journey.” Breeze said, the bridges of my eyebrows rising at his words.

“You can do that? Don’t you think the hospital staff would notice them missing any important supplies.” I asked Breeze, only to get a shrug from him.

“Eh… probably.” Breeze said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Regardless, even if they do discover the lost supplies, we’ll be long gone by then.” Breeze said as he reached the supply room of the Stable’s hospital. Breeze opening the door to the supply room with his Pipbuck. The metal door opening with a hum of hydraulics.

“Point taken.” I said as I followed after him. The room was about the same size as my bedroom, which wasn’t that big anyway. The room being filled with everything that you would expect to find in a supply room for a self-sustaining underground megaspell bunker. The room being stocked with magically enhanced bandages, heal potions, bottles of purified water, and other backup medical equipment that were too heavy and impractical to take with us on our journey.

“So what are we looking for?” I asked as I looked through the boxes filled with medical supplies.

“Anything that could help us, bandages (magically enhanced recommended), health potions, anything and everything that we can carry that could help us on our journey.” Sweet Breeze said as he took several boxes of regular and magical enhanced bandages and stuffed them into his saddlebags.

That was when a thought had come to me. “Hey, Breeze can I ask you a question.” I said catching the yellow unicorn’s attention. Breeze stopping his robbery of the stock room.

“Yeah, sure shoot.” Breeze said as he continued to stuff his saddlebags with bandages, potions, bottles of water, and other medical supplies that I couldn’t recognize. Me letting out a small laugh at his choice of words.

“Um… Breeze, I know that stocking up on medical supplies is great, but don’t you think that we might need something else during our journey.” I said, Breeze’s movements coming to a stop.

“Like what?”

“Like a gun.”

“Oh!” Breeze said as he bit his lip. “Follow me, I might have something that could help.” Breeze said as he walked out of the storage room.

“Where are you going?!?” I called out to Breeze.

“I’m going to my place, I might have something that could help us out.” Breeze said as he continued to walk down the hall and toward the stairs of the Stable that led up to the top floor of the Stable.

“Breeze, having a gun.” I thought as I followed after my friend. I could never see Breeze with a gun, maybe it was his dad’s. I don’t know, but I was about to find out.

I followed Breeze up the stairs and down the hall of the floor above where the hospital and family quarters for earth ponies were in the Stable until he led me to his place.

Breeze’s place was a lot bigger mine. His room being bigger my room as while as my mom’s combined. I chalk it up to Breeze remodeling the room after his father passed being that he no longer need a second room and just combined them.

“So, what is it exactly that you wanted to show me?” I asked Breeze as he was searching through some of his late dad’s old things as I scanned around the room. My brain also taking note that Breeze also had his own bed. I wasn’t jealous, of course, just curious as to why.

“This.” Breeze said as he held up a black metal box in his light blue magic. I did nothing but stare at the box for several seconds as I was hit from another memory flash of the worst day of my life.

“Good girl, now suck it dry.” That bitches words pounded in my brain. My heart rate instantly going into overdrive. “Keep going, I’m… almost there.” The stallion who raped me said. I tried my best to block it out, but nothing I did could stop the terrible memory from continuing to torture. “Yes, keep going, you are natural at this.” That bitch that took my dignity away said, my scales crawling at her words. “Oh, I’m cumming! I’m CUMMING!” The brown stallion shouted in my brain, I could’ve sworn to Alpha himself that I could even taste that asshole’s cum in my mouth.

“Eta are you ok?” I heard Breeze say, his words snapping me out of whatever was happening to me.

“Yeah, I’m fine… what was it that you wanted to show me.” I said as I shock the rest of cobwebs out of my mind.

“It’s in the box.” Breeze said as he tossed the black metal box across the metal floor. It landing a few inches in front of my forelegs.

“This thing’s not going to explode if I open it, will it?” I asked Breeze sarcastically.

“I hope not.” Breeze said with confusion staining his words.

I laughed off Breeze’s confusion as I opened the black box, and what was inside took my breath away. “Is this what I think is?” I asked as the picked up what was inside with my claws. The cold steel feeling familiar against my scales.

“Yes, yes it is.” Breeze said as I examined the weapon that was in my claws. I weapon was a pistol, a revolver to be exact. It was a six shot double action revolver that seemed to be pony made given that it had a mouthpiece that was used for firing the weapon. Unlike the dragon pistol that I had used in my dreams which an actual trigger. The gun was, by what I could guess, either a .38 or a .44 in caliber. I looked back in the box to find what was probably a week’s worth of ammunition for the revolver. The ammo showing that the weapon was indeed a .44 caliber pistol, not bad. Look down at the handle of the weapon to see the words ‘Burning Spear’ engraved in it.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked Breeze, remembering that this pistol had belonged to his late father.

“Yes, I want you to have it. I have never seen myself as one for firearms, I’m more the field medic that is only needed when it is necessary.” Breeze said, getting me a little frustrated at his ideology. He was willing to break into a storeroom for the Stable’s hospital for me, but he won’t fire a gun from his father. Yeah, you’re a real help, Breeze.

I shook off my internal thoughts as I spoke continued to speak to Breeze. “Whatever you say, Breeze, now do you have another saddlebag that I can use. I don’t think it would be a good to carrying around this box everywhere we go.” I said as I continued to examine the revolver that was in my hand.

“Sure, one second Eta.” Breeze said as he trotted over to the other side of the room and took an empty saddlebag out from a blue crate that had the words ‘In case of emergencies’ written in bold black letters on it. “Here, this should fit you.” He said as he used his magic to throw it at me. I caught the bag with my free claws. I placed the revolver on the steel floor and tried to put the saddle bag around my body. Me failing spectacularly.

“Um… Breeze a little help here.” I said to the yellow unicorn as I had the saddle bag hanging off of the left side of my body.
Breeze suppressed a laugh with his hoof as he trotted over toward me. “Sure thing, Eta.” Breeze said as he trotted over to me. My heart began to beat faster as he raised his right forehoof toward me.

“Wait!” I said a little louder than expected, Breeze’s movements coming to a stop. “Could you use your magic instead of your hooves, please?” I asked Breeze, his right hoof beginning to turn a shit brown color.

“Sure, whatever you say Eta.” Breeze said with a certain amount of understanding, him undoubtedly remembering when I hit him into a piece of medical equipment the day before. Breeze’s horn lighting up with his light blue magic as he helped put the saddlebag around my body. His magic felt weird up against my scales but at least he wasn’t touching me. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Breeze, far from it. It was just… too early for a stallion to lay his filthy hooves on me.

“There, that should do it.” Breeze said as he tightened the strap of the saddlebag with his magic.

“Thanks, Breeze, and sorry about what happened yesterday. I don’t know want happened to me. One moment I seeing you trying to help me while I was in a petrified state and the next you were him. Him coming back to finish what he had started.” I rambled on, my words coming to a stop when Breeze spoke to him in his always calm voice.

“Hey, Eta, it’s alright. What happened to you should never happen to anyone, and I didn’t take the proper precautions yesterday. Besides, all you did was knock the wind out of me and give me a small cut on the forehead. Trust me, you have nothing to apologize for.” Breeze said, making me feel a little bit better.

I picked up the pistol off of the floor and placed it in the saddlebag that was on the left side of my body. I then moved to the black box that contained the revolver, placing all of the ammunition for the pistol in the same saddlebag as the one that contained the pistol. Sweet Breeze also tossed me two bottles of purified water and two red apples that were resting on a shelf in his room, me placing them in the saddle bag that was on the right side of my body. I didn’t want to have the pistol go off accidentally go and lose all of my precious water. My Pipbuck beeping as I finished loading of my supplies into it.

I looked down at it to see that it had logged all of the materials that I had placed in the saddlebags into my inventory; one 44 magnum revolver that was labeled Burning Spear’s revolver, 44 magnum ammunition (150 rounds to be exact), two red apples, and two bottles of purified water.

“I guess that’s it.” Breeze said and that’s when reality finally hit me. I was really leaving this place. Stable 70 had been my home since… well forever, and I was just about to leave it. Wow, I was really about to do this. “There’s only one more thing that we need.” Breeze said catching my attention away from my internal debate.

“What’s that?” I asked him.

“The override key for the Stable door.” Breeze said, a look of confusion appearing on my face. I was about to ask Breeze what he meant, but had already guessed that I wouldn’t know what he was talking about and decided to explain further. “The override key is a code that you put into the maneframe of the door’s computer and it opens it without having to destroy the door entirely.”

“Ok, so do you have it?” I asked Breeze, getting a laugh from him.

“Do I look like a pony that would have the security clearance to have knowledge of something that important?” Breeze said sarcastically, I really needed to work on my ability to talk to others.

“So, do you know of anyone that could know the override key?” I asked Breeze.

“I know of at least one pony that would know.” Breeze said as he bit the bottom his lip. Why was he biting his lip? That’s never a good sign.

“Who!?!” I demanded Breeze to answer.

“The Overmare.” Breeze said and my heart stopped, my muzzle turned pale, and I began to hyperventilate.

“Th-the Ov-Over-Overmare. No, I can’t. This was a mistake, I should’ve never gotten you involved in this. This is stupid, I’m stupid.” I said quickly as my heart pounded in my chest.

“Eta, it’s ok.” Breeze calm voice snapped me out of my trance. “Everything is going to be alright. Once we leave the Stable you will never have to see that bitch again.” Breeze said to me in his usual calm voice. I could see that that he was fighting the urge not to put a reassuring hoof on my shoulder, but his words had already did what was necessary.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what is happening to me as of late.” I apologized to Breeze, him waving off my words with his hoof.

“You have no reason to apologize, it is my job as a medic to help those in need, and I failed at that one job. You attacking me yesterday is proof of that.” Breeze said putting a reassuring hoof on my shoulder. I flinched at his touched, but I accepted nonetheless.

“Eta, you are overreacting, Breeze would never hurt me.” I said to myself internally.

“Thank you, Breeze. I… I feel better now.” I said to Breeze, my words were shaking but I meant every word of them.

“Good.” Breeze said with a smile, a smile that vanished when he continued to speak. “So, do you want to talk to the Overmare, or do you want me to?” Breeze asked me.

I felt my heart began to beat faster and my breathing increase, but I kept my cool. Or at least the best the I could. “”I-I’ll do it.” I said to Breeze, my voice and limbs were shaking, but I held my ground.

“Are you sure?” Breeze asked out of concern. At least he cared about me.

“Yes, I will talk to her. I have unfinished... business with her anyway.” I said seeming to get a little bit of my honor back. No matter how painful seeing that bitch again was going to be. I needed to see her. I needed her to know that she couldn’t break me. I needed to prove her wrong.

A prideful smirk came to my face as I began to leave Breeze’s room. The metal door opening automatically. “Where are you going?” Breeze asked me.

“I’m going to see the Overmare.” I said to Breeze continuing to walk down the hall that lead to that pink slut’s office. “I have a present that I want to show her.” I mumbled to myself as I continued to walk down the hall. My thought only being about one thing. Revenge.

“Are sure you want to do this?” Breeze asked me as I stood just outside of the Overmare’s office. My limbs were shaking but kept a determined look on my face as I stared at the metal door that marked the barrier between me and the crazy bitch that was inside.

“Yes, yes I am.” I said to Breeze. “Just wait here, I’ll be right back.”

“Are you sure that you want to go in there alone?” Breeze asked me and I groaned internally.

“Calm yourself Eta, he’s just trying to help.” I said to myself internally as I partially turned to face him.

“Yes, this is something that I must do on my own.” I said to Breeze as I turned back to the steel door that was in front.

“Ok, I’ll be out here if you need me.” I heard Breeze say behind.

“Thank you, Breeze. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you.” I said, my words being literal. I probably would’ve been dead if I didn’t find after I was attacked.

“Don’t mention it, Eta. Just you standing here is enough thanking for me.” Breeze said to me. His words seeming to have more meaning behind them than he might have intended.

I let out a heavy sigh and held the index on my left foreleg in front of the voice box that was located in front of the door to the Overmare’s office. I held my claw in front of the moment for what seemed like forever. My claw just staring at the small red button.

“Eta, are you alright?” Breeze asked from behind me, his words breaking me out of whatever in all of Tartarus was happening to me.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I said quickly as I shook the last of the cobwebs out of my mind. “It’s ok Eta, you can do this.” I said to myself internally as I pressed the red button on the voice box to the Overmare’s office.

There was a buzz which was quickly followed by silence. The silence was there for what seemed like forever until there was another buzz and I heard the seemingly polite voice of the Overmare coming out of the voice box.

“Yes, state your name and your business.” The Overmare said in an almost robotic and rehearsed voice. A voice that made me freeze in my place. All of the muscles in my legs tightened and began to feel light headed.

I had to shake the cobwebs out of my brain again in order to just stammer out. “Over-Overmare it’s me, DM-237. I apologize if I am interrupting anything, but I have something that I have to discuss with you.” I said to the voice box, my words being followed by another round of silence.

I was just about to turn around and leave when the I heard the Overmare speak again. “Oh yes, DM-237. I was wondering when you would come back to see me. Please, come in. I have been eagerly awaiting your return.” She said and the metal door opened automatically. I felt a chill going down my spine as I entered the room.

“Eta, I’ll be right here.” Breeze said as I entered the room.

“I know, thank you, Breeze. Thank you for everything.” I said as the metal door closed behind me and I was met by the demon-like eyes of the Overmare.

The Overmare was laying on top of the same sofa that was on when she was getting fucked by that brown stallion. She seemed to be enjoying every second of my discomfort as she had spread her body across the sofa and I could see a pair of light pink panties that looked to be wet over her pussy.

“It is so good to see that are back to good health again.” The Overmare said as she hopped off the mattress and began to trot towards me. The pink mare’s hips having a little more sway in them than usual. “I hope that what happened to you wasn’t enough to drive you away from me.” She whispered in my ear, her words sending a chill down my spine. I wanted to attack her, I wanted to swipe that devilish grin right off her face.

But… I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. I just couldn’t raise my claws at her. And she knew it.

“You know, this is the first time that any of my playthings has ever returned to me.” She said as she began to circle me. Her spending a little more time than I would’ve liked near my tail. I moved my tail so that I made sure that she couldn’t get any peaks down below. The mare letting out a soft giggle at my discomfort.

“You have no reason to fear me… Eta.” She said and I grunted in disagreement. At least I found out that she did know my name.

I let out a heavy sigh as I began to talk to her, I didn’t want to be in this Omega sent room any longer than I had to be. “I’m not here for that. I have a very important matter that I have to discuss with you.” I said to the pink mare, her eyes lighting up with what seemed to be genuine interest.

“Oh, and what would that be?” She said as she trotted back toward my tail. I felt a strange sensation wrap around my tail and move it aside. I heard the crazed mare let out a gasp from behind me and one of her hooves touching my pussy. She wasn’t! She wasn’t doing this all over again.

“Oh, there it is, just like I left it.” I heard her say from behind me. I felt her hoof move away from my pussy and the mare’s pink magic began to spread the lips of my pussy open. I was still sore from when she destroyed my privates and I let out a groan as felt myself being stretched.

“You like that?” She asked me and I shook my head no. “Well, too bad. I been wanting to taste this pussy for so long.” She said before bury her face in my privates. I let out a loud gasp at the sudden impact. Her tongue going in and out of my pussy in rapid succession.

I gulped and tried to control my breathing as I continued to speak to her. “Please, this is important.” I tried to say to her, but she wasn’t listening.

“Oh, baby! You have the greatest pussy ever, it must be a dragon thing.” She moaned as she continued to eat me out.

“Please, stop!” I groaned as my hind legs gave up and I hit the steel floor with a loud thud.

“Not until you cum for me, baby!” She shouted. She had to have been pleasuring herself as her breath was hot and her actions were only increasing.

I had to bite down on my lower lip in order to stop a moan from escaping me. I wasn’t going to actually get pleasure from what this slut was doing to me.

I also felt something different building up inside of me. My blood began to heat up to near a boil, with all of the superheated blood being sent to my claws on my right foreleg. I felt something happen to my eyes as my claws began to glow.

“ENOUGH!” I roared as I swirled around. The sound of the Overmare slamming the steel walls being music to my ears. My right foreleg being held up with open claws that were glowing a bright red. The mare having some kind of red aura wrapping around her body as she hung a few feet above the ground. “I AM NOT YOUR PLAYTHING!”: I roared as I tightened the muscles in my claws. The strange red aura around her tightening at the same time.

“How are you doing this?” She asked me, her face filled with terror that I couldn’t help but laugh at.

My laughter was short lived when I noticed something. I wasn’t touching her! I looked down at my glowing claws to see my reflection in them, and I was shocked at what I saw.

The dragon that I saw in my claws wasn’t the same dragon that I had seen in the steel door before I entered the room. This wasn’t a scared dragon that feared what would happen to her. This was an angry monster that had just been unleashed.

My scales were a darker shade of purple than they normally were, my eyes were blood red, and my face had warped into a devilish grin. I released all of my energy in my right foreleg and the red aura that wrapped around the Overmare faded away and she dropped to the ground in a loud crash.

“H-how did you do that?” The pink mare asked me as she tried to catch her breath.

“I-I don’t know.” I said in shock as I stared at my claws on my right foreleg. They had stopped glowing and my blood at returned to normal.

“When did I have magic?” I thought as the pink mare tried to climb to her hooves. No, I wasn’t losing this perfect opportunity to get what I needed.

“No, you don’t!” I shouted as I slammed my left foreleg next to the mare’s hooves. She expectly jumped and curled up into a fetal position. I almost felt bad for her, almost.

“Wh-what do want from me?” She asked in a completely terrified voice.

“I want the override code to the Stable door.” I said directly as I raised my right claws. I didn’t intend to attack her, but if threatening help me get what I wanted then so be it.

“Really? That’s it?” She said in disbelief.

“Yes, now give it to me!” I shouted as my claws moved closer to her pink face. Her still having of my fluids sticking to her muzzle. Her actions disgusted me. How could anyone do this to someone else, and even worse get joy out of it?

“I override code is PRJCTLGTSPED1.” She said like it wasn’t anything special.

“Thank you, now I will be on my way.” I said lowering my claws. I felt my eyes seemingly return to normal as I walked over toward the steel door of the room. My movements were halted when the Overmare called out to me.

“Eta wait!” She called out to me and I stopped mid-step, my left foreleg hanging a few inches above the ground. I wanted to keep walking, I wanted to never see this mare again, I just wanted this torture to finally end. But… I couldn’t. I lower my left foreleg and slowly turned my head to face her.

“What?” I asked bluntly, I felt whatever strange ‘magic’ that I had unlocked all of a sudden, wrapping around the revolver that was in one of my saddlebags.

“I-I want to apologize.” She said and my eyes widened my ‘magic’ released from the revolver.
“You want to what?” I said completely shocked at what I was hearing from the pink mare.

“I was just following what this Stable was sent up to do. Sure I put my own sign on things, but I not the monster that I know that you see me as. You’re a beautiful young lady and I honestly feel terrible for what I did to you.” She said and could only stand there wide-eyed. I couldn’t decide if I should feel pity for this mare or disgust.

She had raped me to a point that made it nearly impossible to have children and once I returned to her again she tried to rape me again.
I decided to just snort in denial if I could tell she was just doing this because she knew that could finally fight back.

“I know you may never forgive me for what I did, and I don’t suspect you of doing so, but I just hope that you can at least understand why I did it.” She continued to ‘apologize’ to me, but I wasn’t having any of her words.

“Stop!” I shouted holding up my claws, her words coming to a stop. “You have done enough damage to me already, don’t try to ruin me anymore with your lies. And if you try to come back to me will shove this pistol down your throat and pull the trigger.” I threatened her holding the small revolver in my red ‘magic’ that I still didn’t know how I processed.

“But I’m not lying!” She shouted, no she pleaded to me.

“Sorry Overmare…” I began to say as the metal door to the room opened automatically. “But I honestly don’t give a shit.” I said as I exited the room and the door closed behind me. Me being might by the concerned eyes of Sweet Breeze.

“What happened in there?” Breeze asked me as I exited the Overmare’s office. “And how are you holding my father’s revolver?” Breeze added when she noticed the revolver hovering at my shoulder level in an aura of red magic, my right claws glowing again.

“Nothing, I got what I needed.” I answered Breeze’s first question, I didn’t go into what happened inside that pit of Tartarus of a room. Breeze didn’t need to know.

“And I don’t know how I’m holding this thing, apparently, I have magic now.” I answered Breeze’s second question bluntly as I walked passed him. Placing the revolver back inside the saddlebag that it belonged to.

“Magic, how do you have magic, you're a dragon?” Breeze said the same amount of confusion, maybe even more so, than I did when I first noticed that I had magic.

“I don’t know Breeze, and right now I have bigger things to worry about than how I could control magic without a horn.” I said to Breeze as we continued to walk through the walls of the Stable toward the large steel door that marked the entrance into the wasteland above.
We were both pretty quiet for quite a long time. Breeze only breaking the silence when we reached the giant steel door of Stable 70.

“Eta, are you sure that this is something that you want to do?” Breeze asked as I walked over to the door controls of the Stable door.

“Yes, we have already had this discussion Breeze.” I said as began to type the override code for the door, PRJCTLGHTSPED1.

“I know, but you seem to be off and given your strange new abilities to control some form of magic. I fear that you are just doing this to run away from your problems.” Breeze said and I stopped typing in the override code mid-code. Me turning my head to face Breeze completely. Breeze taking a step back as he stared at me. My eyes must have been red again and I could feel that my claws were beginning to glow again.

I walked over to Breeze and stared directly into his blue eyes, them plastered with fear and I could see that my eyes had indeed turned to a blood red coloration again, and I spoke to Breeze in a voice that I didn’t even recognize.

“I’M NOT RUNNING!” I roared at Breeze, my words sending a chill down my spine even as I said them. “I am getting out of one bucked situation before it gets a chance to get any worse. Is that understood.” I barked at Breeze, him nodding his head quickly. “Good.” I said as turned around and back over to the controls of the Stable door and finished entering the override code.

“There, if that bitch wasn’t lying about this then we should be good.” I said as I pressed the button to open the door. There were a few moments of silence until there was a loud clang of the gears of the Stable door unlocking.

“I guess the Overmare actually came through.” Breeze said as the door slowly began to open. The door screeching and scraping as it slowly opened. The warm air from the outside flooding into the Stable. This was the first time I felt ‘fresh’ air on my scales and it felt weird. The air was heavy and thick, making it difficult to breathe. The air was nothing like had imagined, but I guess things that you dream about are always nothing like you assumed they would be.

My thoughts were interrupted when an unexpected alarm rang overhead.

“What in Tartarus!” Me and Breeze both said at the same time.

Our surprise was short lived as the rarely used intercom in the Stable ringing overhead and the voice of the Overmare came out of it.
“This is the Overmare speaking, we have an unsanctioned opening of the Stable door. Guards hunt down whoever is responsible.” That bitch said and couldn’t stop myself from snarling at her words. My anger soon turned to terror as she continued. “Deadly force is authorized, stop those traitors!” She shouted and the intercom went silent, but silence was kept for long as the thundering of hooves heading our way was the next thing that caught my attention.

“Come on, Eta!” Breeze shouted as he jumped out of the barely open door, into the unknown darkness that was the outside.
I was just about to follow him when something out in the corner my eye stopped me.

I slowly turned my head to see him. My felt my eyes turn red again and my claws begin to glow and the revolver hovering out of my saddlebag and be suspended a few feet above the ground.

“You!” I shouted at the same brown stallion that had raped me maybe a week earlier. I still wasn’t how much of my life I had lost thank to this asshole.

“Look, what I did to you had no control over, it was all the Overmare. She's the one that you should be mad at, not me.” The brown stallion said holding up his forehooves in defense. Was he truly trying to apologize to me for what he did. No! He wasn’t get off that easily.

I used my newly required magic to bring the hammer back on the revolver and pointed it directly at that piece of filth's muzzle.

“Eta, what are you doing?” I heard Breeze call from outside the confines of the Stable.

“I’m taking out some garbage.” I said and the brown stallion’s eyes widened as my magic only strengthened around the pistol that it held.

“Look Eta, I’m sorry…” He tried to trick me with his words, only for me to cut him off. I was too pissed to deal with his bullshit.

“Don’t say my name, you don’t know me! You are nothing, you’re worse than nothing!” I shouted as my red eyes began to water and my claws tightened.

“Eta, what is going on” Breeze asked as I caught a sight of him out of the corner of my right eye peaking his head from around the partially opened door of the Stable.

“And you will pay for what you did to me!” I shouted as my magic tightened around the trigger of the revolver and then BOOM!

A shot from my revolver rang out.

Everything else seemed happened in a blur. The bullet from my pistol ripped through the skull of the stallion that exploited me. His head exploding in a blast of blood and brain matter, all of it happening in slow motion. His body falling limp on the steel floor of the ground, his red blood spreading across the ground.

“Eta!” Breeze shouted as he grabbed me by the shoulder. I let myself be led my friend out of the Stable as the Overmare’s guard showed up and started opening up on us with their firearms. One of the guards running over to the limp body of the pony that I had just shot and checked his pulse. I couldn’t stop myself but laugh manically as the pony shook their head in a motion meaning no.

He was dead. I killed him, I was free, while almost there was still one more left. But she could wait for another time when the opportune moment would arise.

“Focus fire on the dragon!” I heard one of the guards shout as Breeze guided me into the safety of the outside world and behind the protective wall that the Stable door created.

“Overmare, should we follow after them?” The same guard from earlier asked over his Pipbuck radio.

“No, the outside world is enough punishment for her. Retreat and recover your wounded soldier.” I heard the Overmare say and I was just about to pounce back inside the Stable when I was stopped by Breeze slapping me across the face with his hoof.
I stared up at him with a shocked look on my muzzle. Breeze staring back with a look of both anger and disgust.

“What the buck was that Eta!?!” Breeze shouted at me as the Stable door closed behind the both of us. The lights from of our Pipbucks being the light source in whatever we were in.

Why was Breeze mad at me I didn’t do anything wrong. I had just done was equivalent to taking out the garbage. A brown and four-legged piece of trash, but trash nonetheless.

If Breeze was going to be like this for the entire time I try to find that white dragon from my dream then this was going to be one long trip.

Author's Note

Level Up! New Skill: Basic Levitation-- You have just learned that you can levitate things with your claws. Your newly found magic is weak and unstable, but in time you will become better. This skill can be upgraded.

New Weapon Added: Burning Spear’s revolver-- You were given the revolver of Sweet Breeze’s late father. This weapon gives you a +10% chance of scoring a critical hit on all enemies you come across. This weapon can be given to your companions. In the magic of Sweet Breeze, all of the revolver effects are doubled. This weapon requires the Skill: Basic Levitation in order to be used properly.

A Crumbling School System

The Wasteland Has A Way Of Changing Those That Enter It. Will It Change You?”

Relief!

That was the only thing that I felt as my back laid up against the closed door of Stable 70. My magic that I still didn’t know how I got in first place had vanished and my revolver was lying right next to me with one less bullet in its six chamber magazine than normal. That one missing bullet having put a 44 caliber hole in the stallion that had raped me skull.

A laugh coming from me as I remembered his skull exploding from the shot.

“You think that this is funny!?!” Breeze shouted at the sound of my laughter.

“Relax, Breeze were still alive, aren’t we?” I said as I put the revolver back inside the saddlebag that was on the right side of my body.

“Relax, relax!” Breeze shouted holding up his hooves all dramatically. Something that I had to physically fight myself from not laughing at. “You just shot somepony! No, you just made somepony’s head explode. And you want me to relax!”

“So?” I said with a shrug as I walked passed Breeze. Breeze having an expected look of appallment on his face. Appallment that I honestly didn’t care if it was being directed at me. He didn’t know what the stallion had did. What he had did to me and he deserved to be killed.

“So you don’t even care that you had killed somepony?” Breeze asked me and I stopped. I had to end this argument once and for all and the only way to do that was to tell Breeze what he had done.

“No, Breeze! No, I don’t!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. “And you want to know why!?!” I continued to shout.

Breeze stood his ground and shouted back me. “Yes, I believe I deserve to know why you had just murdered somepony in cold blood. Tell me Eta! Tell me why you would do something so horrid!” Breeze shouted and my brain snapped and all my walls shattered. I couldn’t stand Breeze defending this terrible pony any longer.

“BECAUSE HE RAPED ME!” I cried out and all of Breeze’s anger seemed to vanish from him. “H-He raped me, Breeze.” I whimpered at Breeze as he embraced me in a tight hug. My head falling into his shoulders as he cradled it with his forehooves.

“I’m sorry, Eta. I-I didn’t know.” Breeze apologized to me, but I shook my head no. It wasn’t his fault, what he did was normal. I had just shot, no I had just killed somepony. It was normal for him to be mad at me for what I did. Even if I felt like what I did was justified.

“You have no reason to apologize to me. I am the one that took another ponies life…” I whimpered in Breeze’s shoulder, me becoming more accustomed with him touching me. “Even if he deserved it.” I spat bitterly as I image of his rock hard cock being shoved down my throat flash before my eyes. The image leaving me again once Breeze started talking to me again.

“It’s ok, Eta, it’s ok.” Breeze said softly as he patted the top of my head. I honestly didn’t know what I would do if I ever lost Breeze.

“No, it’s not. I know what I did was terrible, but it still doesn’t excuse what he did to me and I was just repaying the favor.” I said as I pulled out Breeze’s hug.

“I know.” Breeze said as he trotted over to my side. “So, where are we?” Breeze thought out loud changing the subject. Something that I was very thankful for.

“I don’t know Breeze, but there’s only one way to find out.” I said as I continued to walk through the rubble that littered the outside of Stable 70. I looked up to see that we were still underground. There being a ceiling of concrete directly above us. Some of the concrete having fallen down over the nearly two hundred years that whatever we were in had been a radioactive wasteland. It was dark and despite being a dragon and having better eyesight while in the dark. I still had to use the purple light of my Pipbuck to show me the way.

I continued to walk through the rubble with Breeze following close behind until we came a cross a large wooden door that was located on a forty-five-degree angle. The door having a few pieces that had rotted out from over the years and a small amount of natural lighting shining through. While it’s a door and doors lead to somewhere. I checked the doorknob on the door to find that it wasn’t locked.

“Uh! I wonder where this leads?” I thought out loud as I stared at the door.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Breeze said as he gave the door a good buck with his hind the legs. The rotting door went flying off of its hinges from the impact. “Uh, I guess I didn’t know my own strength.” Breeze said as the both of us exited from whatever was hiding the entrance of Stable 70. Us finding that we're now standing on top of an old stage with a practically destroyed auditorium that would have seated a few hundred or so ponies or dragons easily before the Great War went and destroyed everything.

The ceiling of the auditorium going up about fifty feet and the roof was shaped in an almost dome-like shape of concrete. Some of the roofing having collapsed either from age or something else (my bet going on something else) and daylight was shining through the spare holes in the ceiling. The air was thick and made it difficult to breathe. Me catching Breeze having a cough every few seconds. I could feel the shitty air but being dragon seemed to make me more resistant than my pony companion. I chalked it up to having lungs that evolved to breathe while being surrounded by fire without problems.

The stage of the auditorium was nothing more than a shell of its former self, with most of the wood that covered it having rotten or even burned away given the shape of few surviving pieces. Leaving nothing back a concrete floor underneath. Concrete that felt really strange on my claws and scales. I was used to the metallic touch of steel from my years of growing up in a Stable. So the touch of something hard and rocky was foreign to me. Breeze seemed to be thinking the same thing as he poked the ground with his right forehoof.

“Where do you think we are?” Breeze asked her scanned the auditorium. His blue eyes falling on the many seats that were inside it. Them looking to be standard red, at least that’s what they would’ve been, seats that had been designed to fold up with they weren’t in use. Most of the seats, especially the ones that were closest to the stage had their padding turn out and were either stained by unknown means or looked like they had been caught in some kind of fire. I had no doubt that there had been a fire inside this large room.

“I don’t know Breeze, somewhere in Salt Lick City, but other than that I don’t know.” I said as my gaze now fell on the walls of the strange auditorium. The walls were covered by posters that I didn’t recognize. All of the posters had been faded from age but I could make out two of them.

One of them being of a large dragon with snow-white scales. The dragon having a striking similarity to the dragon from my dream. Minus missing half of his face and body, of course. The mysterious dragon on the poster having words where his front claws were located. I couldn’t read what they said, but I could read some graffiti that had been painted over it with some kind of black paint. The paint was also faded and looked to be about as old as the poster that it had been destroyed.

The words being ‘Lies, for true freedom join Sigma and the Zebras against Equestria.’

The words sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t know who this Sigma was but I could tell that he wasn’t a nice pony or dragon as it was more likely. I had never been to Equestria, but I had always seen them as the good guys in the war against the evil Zebra Empire. So seeing something that actually encouraged join the enemy scared me.

The second poster was even more, faded than the first, but it was still legible. The poster showing an elderly pink earth pony (me guessing that she was at least in her forties or fifties) with a puffy pink mane with a few streaks of gray in it. The pink pony having massive blue eyes that seemed to stare through your soul. The pink pony having a smile that I couldn’t decide if it was either happy or terrify. Much like looking at the two different sides of the white dragon from my dream. The words ‘Pinkie Pie is Watching You! Forever!’ being written in bold letters above and below the image of the pink pony. There looked to be even smaller words written on the poster, but they were both too faded and too far away for me to read. And really wanted to get away from that poster as soon as possible.

The poster was strange and frankly a little creepy if I was perfectly honest. “Weird, come on Breeze. I think it’s time that we figure out where we are.” I said taking Breeze away from staring at the same poster that I had been staring at.

“Right, lead the way Eta.” Breeze said almost robotically as we hopped off the stage and walked over toward the double doors that lead to the auditorium. The doors being made of a red colored metal. The paint of the metal having faded and some even chipped off from the years of being exposed to the wasteland of above. The doors having push levers that were painted to make look like they were made of gold. It was a nice touch and a striking reminder of what this place used to be. Before everything went to shit.

I pushed the level on the double doors and they both slowly creaked open. Breeze and I both exiting the auditorium and entering a long hallway that had a tile floor that was stained to a blackish brown color.

“Hmm, interesting.” I said as I walked down the hallway, Breeze following close behind.

“What’s interesting.” He asked as I walked up to a metal drinking fountain that was connected to the brick wall on my left side.

“Nothing, it’s just so… different than I expected.” I said as I, out of curiosity, pushed down a lever for the drinking fountain. A black sludge coming out of it. My Pipbuck going insane with beeping as the ‘water’ continued to flow out of it. The mobile computer thing on my left foreleg showing that whatever was coming out of it was both radioactive and poisonous, great.

“Don’t worry Pipbuck, I’m not that crazy.” I thought as I continued to walk through the halls. After a few minutes of wondering through the halls of the building that seemed to have been built over Stable 70, I finally looked down at the interface of my Pipbuck. Me remembering something about the computer thing.

“What are you doing?” Breeze asked, noticing that I had stopped in the middle of an abandoned hallway, and was playing with my Pipbuck.

“I’m figuring out where in Tartarus we are.” I said as I activated my Pipbuck’s Eye Forward Sparkle, or E.F.S for short. “There, perfect!” I exclaimed as my Pipbuck began to create a map of our surroundings. The Pipbuck labeling the building that we're in as ‘Alpha’s Schoolhouse for Dragons and Ponies’ I stared at my Pipbuck for quite some time in a state of shock.
We were in a school, a bucking school. You had to be kidding me.

“Eta, what is it?” Breeze asked me, breaking my trance.

“Breeze, turn on your E.F.S.” I said still looking the screen of my Pipbuck.

“Why?” He asked, her words beginning to fill with concern for me.

“Just do it.” I all but ordered for Breeze to follow.

“Ok…” Breeze said as he used his magic to activate the E.F.S. on his Pipbuck that was located on his right forehoof. Breeze’s blue eyes widening as he stared down at the portal terminal that was on his forehoof.

“Do you see what I’m talking about?” I asked Breeze, him nodding absentmindedly as he continued to stare his Pipbuck.

“Eta we're in a school.” Breeze said as I continued to walk passed him.

“I know.” I said as I turned a corner to find another long hallway that had many doors that lead into rooms on both sides. This without being a hallway filled with classrooms. The gaps between the classrooms being filled with metal lockers looked to have been originally painted green and yellow. The lockers on my right side being green and the lockers on my left being yellow. The paint being faded and many of them not being covered in paint at all anymore.

“Huh! Classrooms, I wonder what’s inside them?” Breeze said as she trotted up to the classroom that was one on my left. His horn lit up with his light blue magic as he tried to the doorknob on the door. “Damn, it’s locked!” Breeze exclaimed as he delivered a solid buck from his hind legs to the metal door. The door not budging but instead only injuring Breeze in return. “Eta could you give me a little help here.” Breeze grunted in pain as he limped away from the door. His left hind leg looking like it had pulled a muscle.

I just shook my head and rolled my eyes at Breeze’s stupidity and walked up to the door. I wasn’t fantastic at lockpicking but I didn’t think that I would’ve needed my claws to open the door.

I walked up to the door, turned around so that my rear was facing the door and brought back my tail. I then swung it at full speed, my tail ringing true. The force impact breaking the hinges that the door was hanging on and it went flying into the room. It landing in a loud crash.

“How do you make that look so easy?” Breeze said in awe as he watched my awesomeness. I felt a slight blush spreading across my cheeks at his compliment.

“It’s nothing really special, it’s one of the benefits of being a dragon.” I said modestly as I entered the classroom. “Come on, let’s check this place out.” I said as I entered the room, Breeze being not that far behind me.

I walked into the classroom to find that it was huge, it easily being nearly double the size of the school that was built into Stable 70. The room had carpet floor that was so stained that it was impossible to determine its original color.

There was a chalkboard that looked similar to the chalkboards that I had seen in the school that was built into Stable 70. Though one looked like it had been teaching the students something about the anatomy of dragons. I couldn’t tell anything further as the chalk on the board was both faded from time and seemed to be half-erased by someone else before me and Breeze left Stable 70.

The room was filled with desks with varying degrees of preservation. Preservation might be too strong of a word as even the best-looking desks still looked like it had gone through a megaspell explosion… wait it did.

There being five rows of desks with five desks being in each row, the desk all being large enough to hold dragons that looked to be my size or even slightly larger. Or, at least, most of them. The five desks that were at the rear of the room looking to be slightly smaller and more designed to hold ponies. My Pipbuck did say that this school was for both dragons and ponies. I found interesting as back in Stable 70, when I went to school I had always seat in the rear of the classroom. This school seemed to set up completely different with the dragons being near the front and the ponies at the back.

There was another desk, this one being made out of metal unlike the desk for students which were made out some kind of fake wood. This desk looking to be the one that the teacher used when the school was still be used.

I walked over to the metal desk and opened the two drawers of the metal desk. The drawer wasn’t locked and scrapped open revealing what was inside it. My Pipbuck scanning the contents of the two drawers and showing what was inside it on its display. The some of the contents being what I had expected to find, while other were a little weird and surprising to find in a school, even one that was nearly leveled by a megaspell explosion.

My Pipbuck showing the first drawer contained a wooden ruler, a clawful of wooden number two pencil (five to be exact), a box of staples for a stapler that seemed to be missing, and three brown folders that contained papers that were ruined beyond ability to be read (me only able to determine that they were for some kind of lesson plan that never happened).

“Boring… boring… and more boring.” I thought as I turned my attention to the drawer that was directly below the first one.
It was the second drawer that was interesting. The first thing that showed up on my Pipbuck was what really surprised me. The screen of my Pipbuck read 38 caliber revolver with a box of ammunition (50 to be exact).

“What in Tartarus.” I thought as I went through the drawer and found the small pistol. The pistol was pony-made based on the mouth trigger and looked similar to the one that Breeze had given me, just smaller and with a shorter barrel. The pistol was a six-barreled revolver that was already loaded with four bullets. The metal of the gun was in relatively good condition having only a small amount of rust on the top of the barrel and the handle. The revolver didn’t seem to have any kind of special markings on it. It was just a regular small caliber revolver.

“Maybe Breeze could use this.” I thought as I held the pony-made pistol in my claws.

“Hey, Breeze!” I called out to my unicorn companion. Breeze having been occupying himself by searching through the few desks that still intact. Each desk having a built in small cabinet for storage.

“Yeah, Eta!” Breeze said as he stopped what he was doing and trotted over toward me. “What’s up?” He asked as he stood in front of the metal desk that was standing behind. I thought of me being his teacher and him my student quickly before my eyes. I couldn’t stop myself from internally giggling at the sight. Eta, you are such a hatchling.

I regained my composure and asked Breeze about the odd revolver that I had found within the desk. “What do you think about this?” I asked and Breeze gave me an expected look of confusion.

“Where did you get that?” Breeze asked me, recognizing that it wasn’t the same revolver that he had given me back in Stable 70.

“I found it, in one of the drawers of this desk. Along with a box of ammunition for it.” I answered, Breeze’s interest looking like it increased a little bit.

“Why would a teacher need something like that?” Breeze asked, asking the same question that I asked myself when I first found the pistol.

“I don’t know, but… do you want it?” I asked, Breeze’s blue eyes widening at my words.

“You can’t be serious?” Breeze said as I held the small revolver in my claws.

“Yes, yes I am.” I said a little more bluntly than I had intended. “I already have a weapon and we don’t know what we will come across while we are out of here.” I said, my logic seeming to be affecting Breeze. “Breeze, I know that you aren’t a fan of guns, or really any weapons in general. But, can you at least try it out?” I asked Breeze as I extended my claws that were holding the pistol toward my unicorn friend.

“Just one bullet, that’s all I ask. That you just fire one bullet, and if you don’t like it then I bug you about guns ever again.” I said to Breeze, the yellow unicorn’s eyes locked on the small pistol that I held in my claws.

“Just one bullet.” Breeze repeated my words.

“Just one, if you don’t like then I won’t bug you about guns ever again.” I said to Breeze, his blue eyes still locked on the small revolver that I held in my claws.

Breeze let out a sigh before he spoke me. “Ah, buck it!” Breeze exclaimed as his horn ignited with his light blue magic and he took the small pistol out of my claws and levitated it on the left side of his body.

“So, what now.” Breeze said to me as he examined the revolver in his blue magic.

“Um… shot it at the blackboard behind me.” I said as I turned my head to the blackboard that was behind me.

“Um… ok.” Breeze said as he continued to hold the pistol in his magic. His magic was shaking and it was the only part of his body that was shaking. Breeze’s hind legs also shaking as I placed an old textbook in the center of the blackboard that Breeze could use as a target, it was actually a little cute to see in fact.

“Ok, there you Breeze. You can fire when you’re ready.” I told Breeze as I walked over to his right side.

“And I just shoot it?” Breeze said to me as he continued to levitate the small pistol in his blue magic.

“Yes, just tighten your magic around the trigger and… the gun will do the rest.” I said as Breeze used his magic to aim the pistol at the textbook that I placed in the center of the blackboard.

“Ok, let’s get this over with.” Breeze said as he tightened his magic around the small revolver and boom! The sound of the revolver going off broke the silence. The revolver wasn’t as loud as my own, but it could still make your ears ring if you weren’t careful.
It wasn’t a second later when the 38 caliber bullet ripped through the pages of the 500 or so page textbook that I set up as a makeshift target for Breeze. He wasn’t the best shot with the bullet hitting the box at the upper corner but at least he did hit the damn thing. A fit one on of itself since Breeze was shaking like a piece of garbage in the air conditioning of Stable 70.

I stared up at the yellow unicorn that was next to me and I could see the muscles on his cheeks fighting to keep a straight face. I could tell that he enjoyed firing that pistol. It didn’t surprise me, guns are fun.

“Not bad.” I said hitting Breeze lightly on the shoulder.

“Thanks.” Breeze said with a smile on his face. A smile that brought one to my own.“I think I’m gonna keep this thing.” Breeze said as he put the pistol in the left side of his body. “Just in case.” Breeze finished and I couldn’t stop myself from playfully rolling my eyes.

“Sure Breeze, whatever you say Breeze.” I said sarcastically as I walked passed my unicorn companion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I heard Breeze ask as I walked over toward the destroyed door of the classroom.

“Nothing Breeze…” I said as I turned my head to face. “Now come on, we still have an entire school to search.” I said doing a motion with my head for Breeze to follow me.

Breeze and I spent the next few half an hour or so searching through the rest of the classrooms that were in the hallway that we were in. Most of them not containing anything that was of any great value. The best that we got nothing more than a couple of rounds for a twelve gauge shotgun without a shotgun to go with it that I found in a teacher desk in the third classroom that we searched. I didn’t know why some the teachers of this school were armed with revolvers and now shotguns. Maybe it was safety percussion, this place was in a war against an army of zebras that didn’t hesitate to kill younglings.

We continued to walk through the school until we came across what look like to be the mane office of the school. I made passing looks at my Pipbuck every five minutes or so and there were flashes on my map of red dots. I disregarded the red dots on my map as I was yet to come across anything that was actually dangerous to me, outside of some supersized roaches. Roaches that freaked out Breeze every time that they got too close, but instantly retreated once they saw a purple dragon charging at them.

The one thing that did surprise me the most was despite searching through most of the building we were yet to come across any skeletons from either dragon or ponies. Not that I wanted to see the bare bones of someone that had died in a megaspell over two-hundred years ago. No, not at all.

Sweet Alpha what the buck is wrong with me.

Anyway, the desks inside the mane office of the room were similar to the metal desks that teachers of the school used, only that they had three drawers instead of two and they were smaller and more designed to hold papers instead of whatever the teachers held in their desks.
The desks were also slightly different than the desks that the teachers had by them all having a large terminal monitor on the upper right of all of them. I had seen several terminals back in Stable 70 and they were basically bigger versions of the technology that made up my Pipbuck.
I wasn’t the best when it came to what was known as hacking, but I knew what was enough to break into the terminals that were on the desks of the mane office.

Most of them contained protected documents for what I see was nothing more than school meeting that was dated over two hundred years ago. Meetings that I also assumed never actually happened.

I continued to search through the desks of the mane office until I came across one that contained twenty small metal bottle caps that had the words ‘Sparkle Cola’ stamped on them.

“Bottlecaps?” I said in confusion as I held one of them in my left claws.

Let me see.” Breeze said as he walked over toward me. Breeze using his magic to take one of the bottle caps out of the drawer and examining it in his light blue magic. I studied Breeze carefully, I still had no idea how I had magic seemingly in my claws and I took every opportunity that I had to learn what I could from my unicorn friend.

“Uh, strange.” Breeze said as he put the bottle cap back inside the drawer of the metal desk.

“Why would someone have a collection of bottlecaps in a drawer?” I asked Breeze as I ran my claws through the collection of bottle caps. The sounds of metal clanging as the bottlecaps in the drawer hit my black claws.

“Why would one of the teachers of this school have a desk filled with shotguns shells?” Breeze asked me sarcastically, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his words.

“Point taken.” I said as I put a clawful of the metal caps in the saddlebag that all my water and medical supplies in.

“What are you doing?” Breeze asked me.

“I taking some of them.” I said as I put the rest of the metal in my bag.

“Why?”

“Why not, we don’t know what it is like out here. The ponies and dragons up here might use these things as money.” I said getting a suspected laugh from Breeze.

“Yeah, when somepony uses bottle caps as currency is when I see pigs fly.” Breeze as she trotted off to another side of the room.

The roof of the room had been destroyed and the light breeze of the day went through the room. The breeze sending a small shiver down my back as I walked through a rotting wooden door to a room that was at the end of a long hallway away from everything else.

The door was so rotted that when I touched with my claws it fall off its hinges and landed on the carpeted ground of the room in a loud crash. My body jumping at the sound.

“Are you alright, Eta!?!” Breeze called out to me out of concern at the sound of the crash.

“Yeah, I’m fine, this place is just falling apart!” I called back to my unicorn companion.

“Ok, call me if you need me!” I heard Breeze say.

“Will do!” I called back as I searched the room.

The room was about the size of the hospital room, maybe even a little smaller, that I tried in back in Stable 70. The floor of the room was a furry carpet that looked to have originally a light green color. The carpet now looking a dark green with black stains all over the place.

The room looked to be the office for the school principal given the by the wooden shelves that were filled with the records of the students of the school when it was still in operation. My eyes fell on a large bookcase that was behind a metal desk that was on the far side of the room. The bookcase having a skeleton head of pony with glowing red eyes. The skull still having some its flesh still on it. The skull was creepy but I laughed it off as I walked over to one of the brown shelves that contained the files of the students

Out of curiosity, the began to run through the files of the students. They were all dead, so what not invade their privacy.

“Are you still alright in there?” I heard Breeze call out to me from one of the rooms that lead to the principal’s office.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” I called back as I continued to scan through the student files. “You need to get your grades up, kid.” I thought out loud as I read the file of one the students.

“How’s the search going, Eta?!?” I heard Breeze ask from another room as I walked over toward the principal’s desk that was in the room.

“I have really found anything yet…” I began to say my movements and words coming to a stop when I walked around the other side of the desk and I was might by something that had expected to come across in this abandoned school, but it still shocked me to my core.

“Eta, are you alright?!?” I heard Breeze asked me as I stood frozen in front of a large dragon skeleton that was in front of me. The skeleton was of a dragon that was much larger than me. The dragon’s bony tail wrapping around its body as it seemed to have died while being stuck in the fetal position.

“Um… yeah, I’m fine. Great actually!” I called back to Breeze with my limbs shaking as I continued to stare wide eyed at the bony skeleton that was in front of me. My words being followed by a fit of nervous laughter.

It was strange this was the first time that I had seen a skeleton of another. I mean I had already taken the life of another before, so this shouldn’t have been that difficult for me to see, right? I had seen and committed death before, but this was different. I couldn’t explain it. I knew that finding skeletons inside a destroyed school was expected, but it was still shocking and difficult for me to see.

It might have not been seeing the skeleton of another that was so shocking, but how the skeleton had died. I scanned my eyes around and found a small six-shot revolver lying in his/her open right boney claws.

I slowly pick up the revolver, doing my best not to disgrace the skeleton that was in front of me and picked up the pistol in my claws. The pistol was different than the two pony-made revolvers that I had seen. This revolver was closer to the semi-auto pistol that I had fired in my dream last night. The revolver actually having a handle and a trigger for firing the weapon rather than the mouthpiece. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that this weapon was created by dragon claws.

I examined the revolver in my claws and opened the cylinder to see if it was indeed loaded. I opened the cylinder to see that the revolver was loaded but it was missing one of the bullets, there being only five instead of the usual five. The revolver was chambered the same caliber that the revolver that I had received from Breeze.

I brought my eyes away from the revolver and back to the dragon skeleton that was in front of me to see that there was a large hole in the skull of the skeleton. My eyes went straight back to the revolver that I held in my claws. That was when a scary thought came to my mind.

“This dragon committed suicide.” I thought as I just now noticed the dark red coloration that was on the carpet that was around the body of the skeleton, the red coloration, without a doubt, coming from the blood of the dead dragon.

I put the revolver on the metal desk and began to search through the drawers of it. There had to be a reason for this dragon taking his own life or was it a she. Skeletons made it impossible to tell the gender of someone.

I continued to search through the drawers until I came across what looked like an old audio recorder. I took the recorder out of the desk and used my Pipbuck to download what was on it.

The recorder seemed to contained two messages, one a long message and the other a shorter message on the recorder that looked like it was over two hundred years old. I was surprised that it was still functional after all this time and the state of the office was in.

Just out of curiosity I pressed the longer message that was also had another older date and it began to play in the earphones that were connected to my Pipbuck.

“Recorded 237 years, 5 months, and 18 days ago. Journal entry 054: The thirty-second day of the forty-fourth year of the reign of the Third Alpha.” The first recording began, the words sounding like it was part of an automated system that the recorder created.

“Another boring day at Alpha’s School for Dragons and Ponies…” The recording said, the dragon talking sounding like a gruff accent that I couldn’t place.

“Another one of those pony brats was sent to my office today.” The dragon on the recording said, him without a doubt being the same dragon that had killed himself only about a yard from where I was listening to his personal messages. I’m not a snoop, I’m just trying to get some information as to why someone would shoot themselves.

“I don’t know why we teach these four-legged monsters if it was up to me I would kick them all out and go back to teaching exclusively to dragons. Like it should be.” The dragon on the recording said. I had to stop the recording at his words.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Why would someone say something so terrible? I pressed the button on my Pipbuck to continue the recording and it just got worse.

“But it’s not. I don’t know what the Alpha intends to achieve by letting ponies into our own school system. But what do I know, I’m just the principal of the most renowned secondary school in the Empire.” This asshole continued to rant into the recording. As the listened to more and more of his words. The more and more I became less and less sympathy for this guy putting a bullet through his forehead.

“But whatever, the will of Alpha is better than mine apparently.” He continued as a knock on the door was that currently in several pieces at the moment was heard. “Come in.” He said as I heard the sound of the door opening.

“Sir, your meeting with the member of Stable-Tec are here.” I heard the voice of a young mare say. Her voice was warm and welcome inclusion from the racist asshole that I was currently listening to. The company that she was talking about ringing a bell in my brain. I having seen that company name sometimes around Stable 70. They must have been the ponies that built the Stable in the first place.

“Thank you Sugarlily, you can go now.” He said and I heard the door to the office being closed. I had to give this dragon one thing, he got one really great recorder.

“Yet alone have those vermins as members of my own staff.” He said under his breath the moment the door had closed. I starting to regret listening to this recording.

I heard the door to the office open again and the clatter of hooves on the carpet as a pony entered the room.

“Hello Miss Bloom, please take a seat.” He said pleasantly to the pony that entered. Him hiding his racist ideals toward ponies very well.

“Thank ya’, and please call me Applebloom.” A young mare said in an accent that reminded me of some of the earth ponies back in Stable 70. I then heard the sound of a wooden chair being pulled out and the young mare taking her seat.

“I hope that you don’t mind if I record this. Striking just to document the events that happened today?" The dragon asked. At least he had the decenticy to let the mare know that she was being recorded.

"Certainly, documentation is one of the most important parts of a company." She said in a pleasant voice.

“Anyway, I would like to thank ya’ for allowing me and all of Stable-Tec for being able turn your wonderful school into one of our state of the art Stables.” The young mare said happily, though I could still sense a little worry in her voice. Given the current state of the school, she had reason to be worried.

“It was a pleasure. I am always for the forwarding of my species.” The dragon said in response.

“Now, I have your word that your contruction of your so-called Stables will not interfere with the learning of my students.” The dragon said to the young mare, me imagining him making air quotes with his claws at ‘so-called’. “Because I last thing I would want to do is make more difficult for my students to learn what they are required to.” He said with a level of sarcasm that would’ve my sarcasm meter explode.

“You have my word along with the word of all of Stable-Tec that the construction of Stable 70, as we are gonna call it, will not interfere with any school activities. Construction will not begin until after the current school is over, until then you are free to do with the school you please.” Applebloom, I believe her name was, said. The young mare either not noticing the dragon’s sarcasm or simply not caring.

“Excellent, I am sure that you along with your Alpha will be very pleased when the Stable will be finally finished.” Applebloom said to the dragon.

“If it isn’t too much ask I would like to know how what this ‘Stable’ will look like when it finished?” The dragon asked Applebloom in a polite tone.

“Of course, I actually have brought some of the planned blueprints for the Stable with me today.” Applebloom said to the dragon. I then heard the sounds of papers being taken out of a saddlebag.

“Ya see here that we plan to have the Stable be built right below the auditorium.” I heard Applebloom say with the sound of a hoof hitting, I assume, a large blue piece as she continued to explain the construction of the metal bunker to the dragon that was currently resting with a bullet hole in his skull a only a yard from where I was listening to his recording.

The concrete structure underneath the stage makes a perfect opening for the Stable door.” Applebloom continued to explain, her sounding like she had spent several rehearsing this moment. I had to give her something is was one Tartarus of a salespony.

“Hmm… I see.” The dragon that was recording the conversation said and I could swear that I heard the heart of the pony stop as silence fell upon the recording for a few seconds.

The agonizing silence was finally broken after about ten seconds “Do you know what the living quarters would be like?” The dragon asked Applebloom and I hear her breathe out a sigh of relief.

“Oh yes, the living quarters are right... here.” Applebloom said as I heard her rummaging through papers. “The Stable is going to be one of the largest that Stable-Tec has ever built and will have three distinct levels. With the halls being made larger than other Stables so that dragons could easily navigate.” Applebloom explained what would eventually become my birthplace over two hundred years later.

“Each level being for living quarters for the residents along with other rooms that are required for the Stable to function for an extended amount of time.” Applebloom explained, her explanation being interrupted when the dragon asked her a question.

“What kind of rooms specifically?” He asked the young mare. Applebloom didn’t get delayed the question as she continued talking.

“Maintenance, storage, a fully functioning built-in hospital, you know those kinds of buildings.” Applebloom said to the dragon without pause, though I could sense that she was leaving out something else. I couldn’t tell why, it was just a feeling.

“Also a state of the art Overmare office! One of the best designed yet!” Applebloom said with pride.

“Yeah, more like a torture room of death if you ask me.” I spat out as I continued to listen.

“Overmare?” The dragon asked not familiar with the term.

“Oh yes, of course!” Applebloom said, me imagining her facehoofing herself.

“The Overmare, as we call it, is pretty much the Principal or Mayor of a Stable. She makes sure that the Stable is functioning at maximum efficiency and maintains order.” Applebloom explained to the dragon.

“And by maintain order I assume that you don’t mean rape the residents of the Stable when she doesn’t get her way. Right?” I said sarcastically as I continued to listen to the young mare speak.

“She?” I heard the dragon ask Applebloom.

“Yes, she. It is customary for a mare to be the Overmare of a Stable. Hence the name of Overmare.” Applebloom said to the dragon, her saying her words in manner most of seemed obvious to her.

“It’s not that the leader of the Stable is a woman that I have a problem with. I, and all over residents of the Dragon Empire, are completely for gender equality.” The dragon on the recording said, his words taking me, and I assume Applebloom as well, off guard.

“It is that the leader of the Stable is a pony that I have a problem with.” The dragon said to Applebloom beginning to show her his true colors.

“Well…” Applebloom stammered as she nervously laughed off the dragon’s words.

“This is just the very first Overmare and it is customary, and a start business strategy to have somepony from Stable-Tec to run the Stable for the first ten or so years of its lifespan.” Applebloom said to the dragon and I couldn’t stop myself from calling bullshit on her words. Through the two hundreds years of the Stables existence the Overmare was never a dragon. Either being male or female.

“Hmm… I see.” The dragon said not sounding convinced.

There were a few moments of silence with me only being able to hear the sounds of distant chatter coming from other rooms in the office of the school. The unbearable silence was finally broken by Applebloom.

“Well, I believe that have made some really good progress with this matter.” Applebloom said quickly, her sounding like she wanted to get out of that room as quickly as she possibly could without offending the dragon that was she was currently sitting across from.

“You will hear from another of my business partners in the comin’ weeks and months for any updates and/or changes.” Applebloom said as I heard her picking up her papers and shoving them into so kind of bag.

“I look forward to it. And hopefully this Stable that you are building will never actually have to be used.” The dragon said to the young mare. He imagining a huge smirk on her face.

“Yeah…” Applebloom sighed as if she had already accepted the idea of the world being destroyed in balefire. I couldn’t tell by the recording how long before this was before the destruction of the world, but I guessed it was at least over a year before hand. “Hopefully.” Applebloom whispered just loud so that only she would hear but the recorder was somehow able to pick it up. Seriously this guy had a really great recorder, especially given that it was over two hundred years old.

“It was certainly a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bloom.” The dragon said to Applebloom.

“Same to you, and I surely hope that this Stable will be nothing more than a safety measure.” I heard Applebloom say, the sound of the door to the office opening in the background.

“Certainly, I would hate to see this pointless war come to a point where we would all have to hide in steel bunkers like rats.” The dragon said as I imagined Applebloom’s muscles tensing up at his words.

“Right…” Applebloom said, the awkwardness in his words only seeming to grow. “Well, it was pleasure it finally meet you and another of my business partners will be here in the coming weeks to discuss the final touches for the construction of Stable 70.” Applebloom said as

“I look forward to it, Miss Bloom.” The dragon said and I heard the door to the office close. Applebloom having left the room leaving the dragon alone in the small room.

“What has our Alpha gotten us into this time?” I heard the dragon ask himself as the recording finished with a buzz of static.

Huh! So this school was turned into a Stable in some collaborative effort between Equestria and the Dragon Empire. An effort that from words the dragon on the recording not everyone was pleased about. This school also seemed to have something against ponies. And now that I think about it the Stable also seemed to have something against dragons.

As I continued with my thought something the Overmare said when she… raped me came to my mind.

“...finally the mission of this Stable is complete.” I heard the Overmare’s sick words say in my mind. I made sure that I quickly shook the thought out my mind as soon as it began.

I wasn’t going to relive that shit again.

A school that seemed to have something against its pony students having a Stable built underneath it that had its dragon residents raped to a point that it made it nearly impossible for them to have… children. I really don’t want to think about what the Stable did to its male inhabitants. Were these two things connected somehow or was it just some crazy coincidence?

No, I’m just being paranoid and rushing to conclusions, right. Right?

I sat there for a few seconds as I thought about the message that I had just listened to.

I wouldn’t say that the message wasn’t useless per se, but it didn’t help answer why that there was a dragon skeleton laying next to me with a bullet hole through his skull.

I stared at the second and final message on my Pipbuck for a few seconds before I finally pushed the button, the final message beginning to play. I was first met by the same robotically opening that I was met with during the first recording.

“Recorded 233 years, 1 month, and 23 days ago. Journal entry 123: The forty-ninth day of the forty-seventh year of the reign of the Third Alpha.”

What happened next made it so that I had to pull out my earphones as I was met with the loud banging of something pounding up against the wooden door of the office.

“Buck!” I shouted in agony as I covered my ears as they rang from the noise. My ears feeling like someone had just fired a gun next to them.

“Are you alright, Eta!” I heard Breeze call out to me from another room. Breeze’s words were muffled as my ears tried to recover from the recording.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” I called back, I could barely hear myself speak and my throat was hurting from my words so I was probably yelling at the stop of my lungs at that moment. “Go back to whatever you were doing!”

“Ok, call me if you need me.” I heard Breeze say, my hearing seeming to have repaired itself.

“Will do Breeze!” I called back to my unicorn friend as I went back to my Pipbuck.

I rewound the recording the point where I could my earphones and continued listening to the recording.

“How am I still alive?” I heard the dragon from the previous recording say, his words just above a whisper and filled with panic.

“SLC has been hit.” I heard him say and that was when I began to hear the pitter-patter of what sounded like rain falling from above. Me having a tiny suspicion the ‘rain’ wasn't actually rain.

“Those zebra bastards finally did it. They destroyed the world. They blew it up, those damned dirty animals!” I heard him shout, the pounding on the door becoming even louder.

“I have nothing else to live for. My country is destroyed, my family is dead, and I about to get overrun by a horde of mindless ponies that seem to be neither dead nor living.” I heard him say in defeat.

“If anyone is hearing this turn back now. I leave this message as a warning to any future generations. If there even is any future generations.” He said in defeat as I heard the sound of a revolver being loaded.

“They’re coming for me.” He said as the pounding on the door had reached a point that I had to lower the volume of my Pipbuck in order not to damage my ears any further than they already were.

“They, who's they?” I thought as I continued to listen to the recording.

“Ironic, I spent all this time at this Alpha fore shaken school slamming my pony staff and now they are going to be the ones that end up killing me.” He said his words only making even more confused.

“No, I am not going down. I am not getting by a race of degenerates.” I heard him say as I heard the sound of the hammer on the revolver being pulled back.

“If I am going to die, it will be on my own terms.” He said and I continued to hear the sounds of the door being torn apart by the swarm of seemingly zombie-ponies that were behind it.

“My name is Black Diamond and I will only die on my own terms.” The dragon said, me learning his actual name for the first time.
I then heard the sound of a gunshot and then silence. The recording coming to an abrupt end with the end of buzzing static.

“This dragon was killed by zombie-ponies, how is that even possible.” I thought as the final message ended. That was when the appearance of the dragon from my dream came to me. He was both alive and dead. What did he call himself, a ghoul? Is that what attacked this dragon. Are those the things that forced him to take his own life.

Wow! Was I actually feeling pity for this dragon all of the sudden.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a beeping coming from my Pipbuck. I looked down at it to see that my minimap was almost entirely filled with red dots. I had first ignored these dots as nothing more than radroaches, but after hearing this dragon’s dying words they took a new meaning.

I scanned my map trying to find the white dot that signified myself, but I just couldn’t. I looked again and again but I just couldn’t find myself. That was when a tiny white dot that was almost entirely covered by a red dot caught my eye. The white dot was me and the red dot was a...

I then felt something hot and wet hit the back of my neck. My ears perked up and I could hear the sounds of growling that would expect from a wild animal coming from directly above me.

I slowly turned my head to look at the bookcase that was above me. My blue eyes locked on the head of a pony that I had noticed when I entered the room. I had first thought it was nothing for than an old skeleton that the Principal had when the school was opened. Oh, boy was I wrong!

“Um… Breeze!” I called out to my unicorn friend that was in another room.

“Yeah!” I heard Breeze call back. The zombie-pony that was above me snarling at me.

I could only see the pony’s head but it was still uglier than anything I had ever seen before. Most of its face having decayed and now only having a small flap of skin over the pony’s lower jaw and two burning red eyes that stared directly at me.

“You haven’t seen anything… strange… have you?” I asked Breeze as the zombie-pony above me scrummed as it tried to attack me. A growl coming from the zombie-pony as it struggled to free itself.

“No, why?” I heard Breeze say. I swallow a mountain-sized gulp in my throat as I responded.

“Um… no reason.” I said laughed nervously as the zombie-pony above me broke one of its forelegs through the plaster wall of the office.

The zombie-pony above me continued to scrum as it shook more and more plaster out of the wall. The yellow plaster falling out of the wall and barely missing from hitting me in the head.

“Food!” The zombie-pony grumbled as it body broke out of the wall and it pounced.
And I screamed!

Level Up! New Perk: First Time Leader-- You have lead expedition into the wasteland of above for the first and seem to be excellent at it. Your Charisma has been permanently increased by one point. This perk can be upgraded.

The First Contact

“Ready, S.A.T.S., Fire!”

SHIT!

That was the only thing that could think of as I was attacked by what seemed to be some kind of zombie-pony. The pony had crashed through the ceiling of the office and landed directly on the skeleton of the dragon that had taken his own life over two hundred years ago. The ribcage of the dragon shattering as the pony landed on top of it.

My blood boiled (maybe even literally) as I watched this obvious act of degradation toward the dragon’s remains. The dragon might not have been a dragon but it was still a shitty thing to do.

The pony didn’t seem to care as it picked up one of a dragon’s bones, one of the dragon’s leg bones based on the size, and spat it at me.
I dodged the zombie-pony’s attack, the bone flying past me and shattering when it hit the wall. I then used my magic that I still didn’t know how I processed to pull out the revolver that Breeze had given me out of my saddlebags and aimed it at the pony.

I used one of two mane spells of my Pipbuck to help me aim at the strange zombie-pony that was in front of me. The spell going by the name of the Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell, or S.A.T.S. for short. The spell making so that time seemed to slow to a crawl, maybe even stopping it completely I rarely if ever used it in Stable 70, and making so that I could target an individual body part of whatever I was aiming at and the spell showing me a percentage of how likely it was that my shots would hit their target.

I tightened my right claws that were glowing in my red magic and fired my revolver. I dropped out of SATS and the spell did its job with a single bullet from my revolver ripping through the pony’s mostly decayed skull. The head of the pony exploding in a blast of blood, bones from the pony’s skull, and brain matter. The pony’s limp body falling to the ground with a thud about a foot from the claws on my forelegs.

“And stay dead!” I shouted at the ‘dead’ pony that was in front of me.

I heard the thundering of hooves behind and I swung around and pointed my gun at the opened doorway behind me.
I was about to drop into SATS and fire again when I caught the sight of the unmistakable yellow coat of my unicorn companion, Sweet Breeze. I let out a sigh of relief and lowered my revolver but still held it in my red magic.

“What happened! I heard screaming! And gunshots!” Breeze said quickly as he entered the room.

“I’m fine, Breeze.” I said to Breeze, catching my breath. Me just now noticing how fast my heart was currently beating. My heart feeling like a sledgehammer beating against my chest as adrenaline rushed through my vines.

“What is that thing?” Breeze asked me, pointing his hoof at the ‘dead’ pony that was lying with a bullet hole in its decayed skull next to me.

“I don’t know Breeze, some kind of zombie-pony or something like that.” I said as I stared at the pony that was next to me.

“Zombie-pony?” Breeze said as the sound of thundering hooves on tile was heard some part of the school.

“Eta, what was that?” Breeze said with wide eyes.

“I don’t know, Breeze. But there’s only one way to find out.” I said as I reloaded my revolver and cocked it.

“What in the fiery pits of Tartarus are those things!” Breeze shouted as he hid behind a corner as I fired my revolver at a hoard of some kind of zombie-ponies.

“I don’t know, but this would be a lot easier if you’d help me shoot.” I said as I fired another shot at the zombie-ponies in front of me. The sound of my revolver going off right next to my ear making them ring.

I grunted in pain as the ringing died down. I saw Breeze’s mouth moving as he responded but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

“What!” I shouted as my hearing returned.

“I said, I can’t. I’m not a murder!” Breeze shouted as he continued to hid behind what used to be a dispenser for Sparkle-Cola. Some empty and rusted cans being screwed around the tile ground.

I just growled at Breeze’s inability to fight. “This isn’t murder Breeze! This is nothing more than self-defense against creatures that want to eat you!” I internally shouted as I shot a death glare my unicorn companion’s way.

“Then if you won’t fight than I don’t think you’ll mind if I borrow the pistol that you have.” I all but shouted at Breeze.

Breeze didn’t speak as he gave me his revolver. I used my red magic in claws to grab it from him and aimed it down the ever-advancing horde of zombie-ponies that were about to overrun us.

I checked to make sure that Breeze’s revolver was still loaded, it was, and I dropped in SATS. My red magic took on a light green highlight as I used the spell.

I was still not used to the sensation of time coming to a full stop and being able to choose actually where I was going to fire, but it was still really helpful.

I used SATS to aim my revolver at the two closest zombie-ponies to me. Them both having no manes and missing the left half their body. Me being able to see their beating hearts in their exposed chests.

I targeted the head of both ponies and unloaded four shots, two each, into the ponies’ skulls. I popped out of SATS and the spell did its job with the two ponies dropping dead with two bullets holes in both of their heads. Them falling in a pool of their own blood that my Pipbuck beep from the radioactive blood. Their blood looking like black sludge rather than the usual red blood.
I then brought up the smaller revolver that I had given Breeze and dropped into SATS with that one.

The gun didn’t seem to be as accurate as my other revolver as the numbers for targeting the different body parts of a zombie-pony that’s left hind leg had decayed so much that I could see the bone that was underneath the flesh. Or I could just be a worse shot than I thought I was. But that’s not likely, right. Right.

I used SATS to aim two shots at the neck and head of the pony and fired. The calming release of SATS left me as my Pipbuck carried out the shots for me. The gun wasn’t as loud, so I didn’t lose any of my hearing, the recoil of the weapon was also less as I didn’t feel the same amount of kick on my red magic as my other revolver.

Regardless, it fired and both shots hit their target. The first bullet was a little off target (I aimed it at the pony’s neck) and went straight through the breast of the pony. The pony cried out in pain for less than a second as the second shot ripped through its body. And this one was on target. The pony’s decaying skull exploding in a blast of the same black sludging blood and pink brain matter.

The zombie-pony hitting the tile floor with a thud, there being a crunching sound when its head it the ground. It's shattered skull shattering even more from the impact.

I wasn’t out of the woods yet as another half a dozen zombie-ponies in vary degrees of decay rounded a corner. Them looking like a wave of decaying death. The ponies jumping over each other as they tried to make the both of us their next meal.

I tried to drop into SATS again but I wasn’t met by the familiar stopping of time and the green targeting of all the different body parts of my targets, only an infernal beeping coming from my Pipbuck.

The beeping was different than beeping that I heard when I was exposed to radiation. That was high-pitched beeping that got louder depending on the radiation that I was taking.

I looked down at the purple screen of my Pipbuck to see that it had a message for me.

“No SATS points remaining. Please wait, twenty to thirty seconds and try again.” The message said in bold green letters. The message having a cream-colored pony that was wearing blue Stable barding with a happy smile on its face and holding one of its forehooves. The pony having one of its black dots for eyes winking at me.

The sight was patronizing, to say the least.

I internally cursed my Pipbuck’s limited magic and I turned my head to speak to Breeze.

“We need to fall back!” I shouted at Breeze, he didn’t question my words and began to start sprinting in another direction. His movements catching the attention of the zombie-ponies. Them all growling and dropping into their own sprint after my yellow friend.

“Damnit, Breeze!” I internally cursed my pacifist companion. Why did he have to be a bright yellow. That must just scream lunch to these things.

“Hey!” I shouted from behind the tipped over can dispenser that I was using as cover. My words catching the attention of the half a dozen zombie-ponies that were chasing Breeze.

“Why have a regular unicorn for breakfast...” I said as I stood up on top of the can dispenser. “When you can have a dragon as the mane course?” I said to the zombie-ponies.

My words seemed to be effective as they stopped chasing Breeze, allowing him to escape by turning down another corner. The ponies all shared a look between each other, they still seemed to have some kind of rational thought as they seemed to debate amongst themselves what would make a better meal.

Wow, did I just say all of that in a single sentence? Damn, less than a day out of the Stable and I am already doing insane shit.

Anyway, the half a dozen zombie-ponies that were in front of me didn’t take long to make up their minds and they all shifted their attention from growlingly arguing with each other to looking at me. All of their mouths watery with the same black sludge that made their blood, while all except one that is.

One of them being a young (looking) unicorn mare that had only a few patches of her pink mane remaining on her head. Her body also seemed to be mostly intact, outside of a few bare flesh. Her skin was gray with a slight tint of blue and looking more wrinkled than anything else. Her eyes were the same red color as the others that I had come across. But they were… different. They weren’t filled with the same blood lust that I had seen in the rest of the zombies. This mare’s eyes were filled with… fear. Her eyes were staring directly at the two pistols that I held in my magic, not at my fleshy underbelly like the rest of them were.

I couldn’t get a reading on this mare, but she was one of them. And they all needed to die.

Regardless all of the zombie-ponies slowly began to advance towards me. Their eyes burning as red as fire. They must have been thinking that they had an easy meal as they slowly advanced forward.

I was about to shot all of them without the assistance of SATS when I heard another beeping coming from my Pipbuck.
I looked down to see a different message from my Pipbuck.

“SATS recharged, thank you for your patience.” A message in the same bold green lettering said to me. The image of the cream colored earth pony smiling at me with its hoof up. I couldn’t help but again feel patronized by the message, but it meant that I didn’t have to rely on my own skills anymore.

The beeping didn’t go unnoticed as the zombie-pony that was closest to me, a red stallion that was missing a fair amount of his face and right hind leg, jumped at me growling and with its sharpened teeth ready to dig into my scales.

The quickly dropped into SATS again and all time went to an instant halt. The sensation was strange, to say the least. The feeling of time stopping, me being able to the beauty, yes the beauty, that the destroyed the school still managed to process. The floating pieces of rubble that the zombie-ponies had kicked that hovered in mid-air. The small beams of sunlight that shined through the broken windows of the school.

But I couldn’t take in a strange beauty that the school had. I was still being attacked by a horde of ponies that wanted to make me their next meal.

I aimed the two pistols that I still held in my red magic and marked the larger revolver to unload three of its remaining four rounds in the chamber into three of the zombie-ponies. I marked my small revolver to fire three of its remaining ammo into the other three zombie-ponies. I made sure that both of them still had at least one round remaining, just in case any of the bullets missed. Or if the shot didn’t kill their target.
I dropped out of SATS and the first shot fired and there was no way that it could’ve missed as the first bullet from my .44 caliber revolver was aimed directly at the head of the zombie-pony stallion that had charged at me.

The revolver went off and less than a second later the stallion’s head exploded with a beautiful blast of brain matter. The falling in a heap in front of me and the second shot from my .44 went off shortly afterward.

The second reign true with the bullet hitting the pony, a tan earth pony mare that was missing all of her hair and tail, that was directly behind the one that I had just made head’s explode. The bullet hitting the pony directly in the left eye and it falling backward from the force the impact. It’s black sludging blood spilling out from its wound from its eye. Then the first shot from the .38 revolver that Breeze gave me went off.

The bullet was noticeably weaker than the one from my larger revolver as the pony, a silver unicorn stallion whose was missing half of a mane that looked to be originally a two tone black and green, was hit right in the neck and all it did was disorientate him. The stallion fell to the tile ground and growled angrily, but it remained on the ground. Luckily for me as the second shot from my .38 fired automatically.

The second shot fired and it was more successful than the first. A small beep coming from my Pipbuck, my looking down out of the corner of my left eye to see that it read “Critical Hit!”.

The bullet hit the fourth pony, a unicorn mare that's coat looked shit brown, directly in the head. The pony’s head didn’t explode, much to my disappointment, instead, I heard the bones of its skull-shattering from the bullet. The pony falling with a small thud not far from the unicorn stallion that I shot earlier.

The stallion that I shot earlier wasn’t dead, my Pipbuck’s enemy detection said so, but he hadn’t moved since I shot him. Maybe he was hoping to ambush me later. Not likely asshole.

Anyway, there were still two other ponies and the third shot from my .38 fired.

The final shot from my .44 fired and this final shot hit the blue mare that had a strange feeling about. She cried out in pain as the bullet pierced through her chest and she fell to the ground. Her cries of pain were unusual as none of the other zombie-ponies ever cry out in pain, they just growled.

She wasn’t dead, she was still breathing slightly. I deemed that she was no longer a threat to me, at least not yet, and I turned my attention to the red stallion that I shot earlier.

I didn’t need SATS to kill this stallion and I aimed my .44 revolver at the stallion head manually and fired. The bullet found its target and punched a nearly half an inch hole through the back of the stallion’s head. The red dot on my Pipbuck that meant him flashing out. Leaving only one red dot that was next time. The blue mare that just couldn’t get a reading on.

I checked my Pipbuck one last time to see that Breeze was around the corner waiting for me. All of the other red dots being a good distance away and they were all retreating. I guess they still had some brain cells left and didn’t want to follow the rest of their friends by having a bullet in their skulls.

I walked out from behind my can dispenser that I used as cover and cautiously approached the wounded mare.

The blue mare was breathing heavily and her blood was spilling quickly out of her gunshot wound in her chest. Her eyes were closed and I could hear what I thought sounded like sobering but I quickly wrote it off.

My .44 revolver was out of ammo so I placed back in my right saddlebag as I slowly approached the blue mare.

“Time to die, you monster.” I said as I pointed my revolver at the mare’s head.

“Wait.” The mare whimpered at me and I stopped dead in my tracks.

She spoke, I had heard these ponies speak before. But it was nothing more than an animalistic rambling about trying to make me into its next meal. She was speaking to me, pleading with me. Her voice was raspy and gravelly and she had opened her eyes.

Now that I was closer to her, I could get a better look at her eyes. Her eyes weren’t red, they were pink. And they weren’t filled with blood lust and anger, they were filled with fear. This wasn't a brutal beast, this was a scared mare. This was different, all of this was different. This mare wasn't trying to kill me. She was… pleading for her life.

“What?” I said in shock, what else could I say. The red magic that held my revolver was shaking as I continued to stare into those pleading pink eyes of the mare that was in front of me. Me just now noticing that the blood of the mare wasn’t the black sludge that the other ponies had, her’s was red and it continued to flow out of her body.

“Wait…” The blue mare said weakly. Her breathing was fast and heavy. I must have hit her in one of her lungs. “Don’t kill me.” The mare pleaded for her life. Her voice was weak, probably from the gunshot, and gravelly. Her sounding almost like my mother whenever she woke up in the morning. Back in Stable 70.

My revolver continued to shake in my red magic, the barrel being only mere inches from the small horn that protruded out of the blue mare’s forehead. The horn having a thin crack that ran all the way from the point and all the way down to the base. The horn being slightly crooked and looking like it had been broken and some point of the mare’s shitty life and hadn’t healed properly.

“But… but… you are a monster.” I stammered, my brain had seemed to shut down. I didn’t know what I was doing anymore.

“Monster is a matter of perspective.” The blue mare said as she coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her red blood landing mere inches from the claws on my left foreleg.

“But if you must kill me.” She said as she closed her eyes and placed her forehead up against the barrel of my revolver. The red light from my magic making so that I could see the many cuts and healed or healing scars that was all over the blue mare. What kind of life had she lived?

“Then do it already.” She said weakly accepting her fate, she was going to die anyway. It was only a matter if it was going to be quick and mostly painless or long and painful.

I felt the corners of my eyes begin to feel with water. I had killed ponies before, this shouldn’t have been any different. But… it was. I wasn’t killing a pile of shit that didn’t deserve to life. I wasn't defending myself against mindless beasts. No, this was… murder. I was ending the life of another. I was killing an innocent. An innocent that must have made my life look minuscule in comparison.

I shut my eyes and turned my head away from my head away from the blue mare. I couldn’t bare myself looking at her. “I’m sorry.” I whimpered as I tightened my right index claw and then…

Bang!

I heard my smaller revolver go off and I heard a ringing in my left ear for a few seconds. I kept my eyes shut for a few seconds, I couldn’t open them. I was doing the best I could to hold back tears. Opening them would just break the dam that I was trying to keep.
I finally opened my eyes and turned my head to look at my work. A small bullet hole being in the head of the blue mare. Her eyes were closed, she had accepted her fate. She was peaceful, why wasn’t I.

I couldn’t look at her for long, I was too ashamed of what I had done. My eyes drifting down toward my left foreleg and my Pipbuck. The last red dot on my mini-map flickering out. She was an enemy, she was a threat. But really was she?

“Eta, are you alright?” Breeze asked me as we continued to walk through the destroyed school. I wasn’t really listening to Breeze, my mind was going two hundred miles an hour.

“I’m not a murder, I’m not a murder, I’m not a murder.” I repeated in my head. I wasn’t a murder, it was just a misunderstanding. My Pipbuck told me she was an enemy. I was tricked. Yeah, I was tricked, I didn’t kill her, it wasn’t my fault.

I didn’t even notice that Breeze had stepped in front of me before I bumped into his side.

“What?!” I all but shouted at Breeze.

“What is wrong with you?” Breeze asked me, and I just snorted in denial. I wasn’t in the mood for another one of Breeze's lectures.

“Nothing.” I said quietly as I pushed past Breeze.

“No, you’re not.” Breeze said stepping in my path again, blocking my movements with his yellow hooves.

“Breeze move, or you will be moved.” I said to Breeze as I felt my eyes change color again and my claw beginning to glow. I didn’t want to threat Breeze with violence, he was my best friend and I knew that needed him as much as he needed me in this shithole. But I wasn’t looking forward to another lecture from my unicorn companion.

I could see Breeze’s mind debating whether or not he should let me pass, but he still held is ground. I respected him for that. I could tell that he was scared of me. Tartarus, I was scared of me.

“No, I need answer Eta!” Breeze shouted with a stomp of his right hoof.

“You want an answer, Breeze!” I shouted back at my companion.

“Yes, I believe that I have the right to one!” Breeze shouted back.

“Why!?!” I shouted back at Breeze. My brain was clouded by misplaced anger toward my friend and I wasn’t thinking straight.

“Because you’d be dead if it wasn’t for me!” Breeze shouted at me and I fell silent. “Am I wrong!?!” Breeze continued to shout and that was when I realized just how much the both of us had changed since… the worst day of my life.

Breeze was always quiet and he almost never argued with somepony, yet alone get into a full fletched fight of words. Now less than a day into the wasteland and we were already at each other’s throats on two separate occasions. What would the both of us be like tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. What would we turn into, what had this new bucked up world turned us into? I shuttered at what came to mind.

I needed to fix this. I needed to Breeze to trust me with the same amount of trust that I had for him. I needed to tell me the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

“I killed somepony.” I said quietly. Breeze’s muzzle warping into a look of confusion. “No, I murdered somepony.” I corrected myself. Breeze’s confusion only increasing. He had seen me shot a stallion in the face in cold-blood.

“Ok, what about it.” Breeze said waving off my actions with his non-Pipbuck hoof. His actions disgusted me, maybe two hours ago he was at my throat for killing the very stallion that had raped me. Now he treated me taking the life of another as nothing more than a normal occurrence. What was this world doing to him, what was it doing to me.

“This wasn’t a random… zombie-pony or just a pile of shit that deserved to be killed anyway. I killed a real pony. I killed a defenseless mare!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I didn’t care if the remaining zombie-ponies that were in this school could hear me. I needed to shout, I needed to yell, I needed to be loud.

“Eta, calm down your...” Breeze began to say before I cut him off.

“I will not ‘come down’ Breeze!” I shouted as tears began to fill my eyes. “I murdered an innocent mare Breeze. Less than a day out of the Stable and I have already murdered the stallion that raped me, a dozen or so ponies that were trying to eat me, and an innocent mare that I had no right to decide if she was going to live or die this day.” I cried out with tearing eyes to Breeze, who kept a neutral expression. Him mentally eating up everything that I was saying.

I fell silent for a few seconds as the weight of what I had done in the last few hours seemed to double. I spoke again when a stunning revelation.

“Breeze, am I a bad dragon?” I asked Breeze with tearing eyes.

“No Eta, you aren’t a bad dragon.” Breeze said embracing with a warm hug. “You are a very good dragon that very bad things have happened to.” Breeze whispered into my ear. I was getting more used to him touching me.

Did I love Breeze? Yes. Maybe not romantically, but I still loved him. Breeze was like the little brother that I never had but always wanted. And I really needed somepony to comfort me right now.

I reluctantly pulled out of the hug the Breeze was giving me and wiped away some of my tears with my non-Pipbuck paw.

“Thanks, Breeze, but it still doesn’t change what I did.” I said as I continued to walk through halls of the destroyed school.

“Eta, wait!” Breeze called out to me and my movements went to a halt.

“What?” I said a little bit more bluntly than I had intended.

Breeze’s next words took me off guard as he trotted up next to me. “Did I ever tell you about what happened after you passed out a few days ago?” He asked me and my blood instantly jumped to a boiling temperature from anger.

“You mean what happened after I blacked out after getting raped!” I angrily shouted.

“Yeah, that.” Breeze said sheepishly, him seeing that he had touched a nerve in my me. My nether regions were still sore from what that bitch did to me.

“But to question, no. You never told me about what happened after… that.” I said to Breeze respectively, my anger beginning to get back under my control.

Breeze waited to tell me what had happened when I was knocked out until we were in a safe place. Well, safe relative to the fact that we were currently in a crumbling school that was invested by a horde of zombie-ponies.

But anyway, we found a safe place inside an old classroom. The classroom being about the same size as my room back in Stable 70. A blackboard similar to others that I had seen in other classrooms in the school was at the front of the room. There was a large window that took up most of the far left wall of the room. The glass of the window was surprising not broken, just extremely dirting. Some kind of graffiti in a language or a slang of a language that I couldn’t understand. The classroom looking to have been some kind of an art class given that now yellow walls (me thinking them to be a pure white when the school was still in service) were covered in old drawings.

Most of the drawings had been faded or completely destroyed from water damage from the 200 years that they had been exposed to the elements. But the few that I could see looked to be a cruder version of the propaganda that I saw in the auditorium when I first entered the school. Most of them showing a large white dragon that remained of the zombie-dragon from my dream in some kind of stance of leadership. Any zebras that were shown being shown in a very negative light. I didn’t mind it, these creatures were monsters and deserved to be depicted as such. It wasn’t like they were disrespecting them, they were just showing them for the monsters that they were.

One that stuck out to me showing the white dragon standing atop a rock with his massive wings extended with the decapitated head of a zebra being held in one of his claws. A stream of orange fire coming out of his mouth and pointed directly into a blood red sky. I was also able to make out a large green mushroom cloud off in the right corner of the picture. The picture looking like it was depicting some kind of armageddon. An armageddon that was caused by the evil of the Zebra Empire. The one that had drawn it being a very good artist. The pictures were very patriotic, to say the least.

The room had the same ‘a bomb went off inside’ kind of look to it with overturned chairs and desk. Most of them being completely destroyed and nothing more than a pile of twisted metal and fake wood. Anyway, enough with the room. Back to Breeze.

Breeze and I took a seat in one of the few desks that were still remaining in the classroom and Breeze began to tell me about what happened when I blacked out. Me eating up all of his words as he spoke.

I could tell the Breeze was nervous. He was playing with his hooves and avoiding from making any kind of contact with me. It was almost like if he as much as looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes I would shatter like a piece of glass.

It I was made it so that he could talk to me. “Breeze…” I said reaching out to my unicorn friend. My right claws resting atop of his forehooves. Our positions from only a few moments ago changing. Instead of him reassuring me, now I was reassuring him. The feeling was strange. The day before I wasn’t even able to let anyone touch me, except my mother. Know I was able to reassure a pony, urging him to tell me about the worst day of my life from his perspective. Had I recovered? Maybe, only time could tell for certain.

“You can tell me what happened.” I said to Breeze, my words were soft and urged Breeze to tell me what he knew. My scales were thick, I could take whatever he had to say right, right?

Breeze let out a heavy sigh and turned his head to make eye contact with me before he spoke, his words taking me off guard. “I was scared.” Breeze said, a look of confusion appearing on my face at his words.

“What?” I asked Breeze and he continued speaking.

“I was scared.” He repeated, this time I didn’t interrupt. I wanted to hear everything that Breeze had to say.

“That day looked like to be nothing special, in fact, it started off looking like it was going to be a good day.” Breeze said with a small amount of nervous laughter. “Everything was going well at the hospital. No pony had died from the night before. I had been given a job by my supervisor to deliver a special package to the Overmare in exchange for extra food. Food that I intend to give to your mother.” Breeze continued to speak without a pause. He sounded happy, but his words still held an apparent sadness.

“Everything was going great until…” Breeze paused, this being his first pause since he started telling me his story. “It happened.” Breeze said somberly, his words coming to a stop. I could see small tears beginning to form in his light blue eyes and he stopped looking at me.
I stayed silent. Breeze didn’t need my help. If he needed to shed some tears then I wasn’t stopping him.

“I’m sorry.” Breeze said through small tears that began to flow down his muzzle. Breeze wiping away some of his tears with his non-Pipbuck hoof.

“Don’t be…” I spoke for the first time since Breeze began his story. “Everythings alright.” I tried to reassure Breeze, but it didn’t work. I saw a flash of anger build up in Breeze as his muscles tensed up and he sternly shook his head no. Then he exploded.

“No it’s not!” Breeze shouted, his outburst taking me off guard.

“Breeze, are you ok?” I asked my friend, trying to reach for his hooves. He recoiled his hooves and continued to shout.

“No, no I’m not!” Breeze shouted, I recoiled in fear and my eyes began feel watery.

“Everything was going fine, everything was bucking perfect. Until you showed up!” Breeze shouted his blue eyes burning with anger.

“You ruined EVERYTHING!” Breeze continued to shouted, the walls of the classroom making his voice sound even louder than it actually was.

“You had to come lumbering over to be while bleeding to death! You had to faint right in front of me! You had to lose unconsciousness and make me fear that I had just seen my best friend die in my hooves for no apparent reason! I had to hold you in my hooves for what felt like forever as somepony got somepony that could actually save your bucking life!” Breeze shouted an image of him holding my unconscious body in his hooves while being scared to death.

“I had to watch from the outside as actual doctors saved your life. I had to be with your mother and assure her that she that her only child would actually be able to outlive her. I had to be the one that told your mother that it was nearly impossible for her to ever have grandchildren!”

“I had to feel both pain and joy when you finally decided to rejoin the land of the leaving. I had to be one that had to get slammed into a piece of medical equipment after you lost it!” Breeze shouted, my memory of when I mistook Breeze for the stallion that raped me flashing into my mind. I was ashamed of what I did. I apologized and Breeze had accepted it. Couldn’t Breeze see that, or had his anger clouded his judgement that much.

“I was the one that had to break into the very hospital that I had a steady job at for you. I was the one that gave you the only thing my father left me when he died! I was the one that was stuck in a Celestia and Luna damned pit of Tartarus because you told me to. A reason that you still haven’t told me!” Breeze shouted and tears began to freely flow from my eyes. H-He was right. I had force into this wasteland. And for what?

“You’re the one that has made me angry at everything all the bucking time!” Breeze shouted his anger at its tipping point.

“ALL OF THIS BECAUSE OF YOU!” Breeze shouted and didn’t know what to say. How do you respond to something like that. Had been reduced to nothing more than a hatchling from Breeze’s harsh words. Was that truly how he felt? Was he really that angry at me for getting raped? No, he was my friend. He was made at my… our situations. He wasn’t mad at me, he was mad at her.

“Breeze, none of that was my fault.” I whimpered back. My words were weak but they seemed to work. Breeze’s anger beginning to leave. Breeze wasn’t angry at me, I just happened to be the one in front of him when he released all of his anger.

“I know.” Breeze said sinking into the desk that he was seating in. “I know.” Breeze repeated reverting his eyes from me again. “It’s her’s.” Breeze spat bitterly as he fell silent again.

There was a few moments of awkward silence. How could either of us respond after what Breeze had just done. I knew that his anger was directed at me. But they still hurt. Me getting raped and how it affected Breeze initially wasn’t my fault, but everything afterward was. I had attacked Breeze, I had hurt him, I had made him become a thief, I had been the one that forced him into a wasteland that he never wanted to be apart of.

I had ruined Breeze’s life, it was my fault. What had I done?

My self-destructive thoughts left me when Breeze began to start speaking to me again.

“You still didn’t answer my question.” Breeze said and I didn’t respond. He asked a question during his angry rant. I guessed I must have missed it.

“What question?” I asked quietly, couldn’t look at him. I was too ashamed. He might have just been at his situation and not at me. But it still didn’t change the fact that he was right.

“Why did you leave the Stable?” Breeze asked and was about to snap at him with my answer that I had convinced myself with. But then it hit me… I couldn’t.

“Well…” Breeze said beginning to become irritated again. I didn’t want to start another fight with Breeze

“I don’t know.” I said admitting defeat to my cursed brain.

“What?” Breeze said in shock, but it was a calm shock. He wasn’t angry. Or at least, if he was he didn’t show it.

“I don’t know, Breeze! I don’t know why I left!” I shouted as more tears began to form in my eyes. How could I answer Breeze’s question when I couldn’t even answer it for myself.

Maybe it was as a way to get away from the insane mare that had raped me. Maybe it was to find that dragon from my dream. Maybe it was both, I didn’t know. Maybe I would never know why I left. All I know is that I left and Breeze just happened to be along for the ride.

“I ran.” I finally spoke, my words were quiet and I doubted if Breeze even heard them.

“What?” Breeze said leaning over his desk to hear me better.

“I ran.” I repeated, this time, a little louder than the last. “I ran, there’s excuse for it.” I said more to myself as my brain still tried to come up with a real answer as I left my home.

“That’s what I did, I ran. I was running from my problems.” I continued to say, Breeze leaning on her forelegs to listen to me closer. I felt exposed, weak, and scared. I just wanted to curl up in a tiny ball and die. But I continued despite what my body telling me to stop.
“I could try to bullshit my way out of this and say that I was getting myself out of a shitty situation after I was raped.” I said, now more speaking to Breeze. My words being what I had kept telling myself since I left. I was making sure that bitch would never have a chance to make me one of her playthings anymore. But… I knew deep down inside me that wasn’t the case.

“I could say that I left in order to find a dragon from a dream that I had, but I know that’s not true.” I said to Breeze not even realizing what I was saying until Breeze interrupted me.

“Wait, a dragon, from what?” Breeze interrupted my self-destruction dive into my own bucked brain. That had been the first time that I had told anyone about my dream. And now Breeze what an explanation for it. Oh… buck me with the claws of Omega.

“Um…” I mumbled my brain going blank as I stared directing into the blue eyes of Breeze.

“So wait!” Breeze said as we continued to walk through the destroyed hallways of the abandoned high school. I had just told Breeze all that I remembered about my dream involving that strange zombie-dragon and he still had question. I mostly ignored him, only answering questions that I knew the answer to. Even if I knew the answers I still sometimes didn’t answer them. I was able to tell Breeze about my dreams, but I still wasn’t reading to tell him everything that I experienced while I was sleeping. I might never tell him the whole truth, I still had the right to my own privacy. Right, right?

“You had a dream where you met a dragon that half of its face burned off and thought you how to shoot.” Breeze said behind me as I turned down a corner onto another long hallway. I was following the map on my Pipbuck but so far it didn’t show any place that looked like an exit.

“Yes.” I said as look back down at my Pipbuck, the red dots from all of the zombie-ponies that still remained in the school seemed to have been on the other of school but they all seemed to be regrouping and some of the stragglers looked to be heading our way. I wasn’t really that concerned. It only look to be two or three and I had already reloaded my .44 revolver, just in case.

“Do you know his name?” Breeze asked as he quickly trotted up to my right side.

“No, he never told me. And even when I asked he said that he could tell me and that I would come to know all things about him in time.” I said to Breeze as I turned around another corner to find another long hallway that had the right side wall being light up by the natural light of several windows that had surprising not been shattered, just really dirty. The windows being spaced apart every twenty feet or so.

“So… what was it… he like?” Breeze asked me. I wanted to drop the topic, but I couldn’t deny Breeze anymore. I would answer any of his questions, no matter personal they got.

“He was… different.” I said as I remembered the strange dragon from my even stranger dream.
“What do you mean?” Breeze asked me as the both of us continued to walk down the long hallway. Me having a sense that we walking down the mane hall of the high school and that one of the entrances had to be close by. At least, I hoped it was.

“Breeze!” I exclaimed as my movements came to a halt and I turned my body to face Breeze completely. “He had half his face burned off and just happened to also be the first dragon I had ever seen that wasn’t my mother.” I said to Breeze. “Even if it was just in a dream.” I said more to myself as I continued to follow my Pipbuck’s small map. The hallway that we were walking down looking to finally lead to the outside. I eager to find out what the rest of Salt Lick City looked like. If the school was any warning to the outside world then I might not really want to know.

“I see…” Breeze said falling silent not long afterward. His brain seeming to look like it was trying to find the best words as he said them. After a few moments of awkward silence, Breeze continued to speak.

“Do you think that you will see him again?” Breeze asked me and I didn’t miss a beat with my answer. I think I was getting better with opening up to Breeze.

“I don’t know Breeze, in my dreams maybe. But…” I said to Breeze pausing briefly. “I don’t think I will see him in real life. I idea of an actual dragon like the one from my dreams actually existing is unbelievable.” I said to Breeze, a small giggle coming out of me as I thought about the insanity that the two of us had been through the last twenty-four hours.

“I see, so know what?” Breeze asked me as I spotted a sign that hung from a single metal cable from the ceiling. One of the cables that had held it up looked to have snapped making the sign hang facing directly downward. Making a faded black arrow that was attached to the metal sign look like it was pointing directly at the ground. The arrow looking like it had originally pointed toward the closest exit out of the school. And sure thing, there was a pair of double doors that looked to lead outside.

“About bucking time!” I gave an internal sigh of relief. I had just about enough of this destroyed high school and I wanted to see anything else right now, even if it looked objectively worse.

“I don’t know Breeze.” I said to my unicorn companion as I walked over to the door that I assumed was an exit to the school and began to push it open. “But we might as well explore. This place is our new home after all.” I said as the doors protested my actions by creaking as the doors slowly opened. Light from the outside world shining into the school and me being hit by a wave of hot air. My lungs didn’t seem to like my introduction to the true outside world as I dropped into a massive coughing fit.

“Are you alright, Eta!?!” Breeze asked me with genuine concern and fright in his voice.

I had to wait several seconds until my coughing had subsided enough for me to actually speak.

“Water.” I said, my voice being both hoarse and raspy as I held out my left claw for a canteen from Breeze.

“Right, of course.” Breeze said quickly as he used his magic to hand me one of his canteens into my opened claws.

“Thank you.” I said hoarsely as I downed a big gulp of the canteen. The cold water flowing down and wettening my throat.

“Better?” Breeze asked as I gave the canteen back to him. My yellow friend returning his canteen to his saddlebags.

“Much.” I said with a sigh of relief, my voice returning it's beautiful self again. “Thanks, Breeze.” I said to my oldest friend.

“Don’t mention it, Eta.” Breeze said as he followed after me into the outside the world.

We both walked out of the school and I had to take a step backward in shock at what I saw.

Everything was destroyed, and I mean everything. All of the buildings, that were made from some kind of reddish brick that had since turned a maroon color, had been destroyed. Most of them had missing or caved in roofs. All of the windows were shattered. All of the buildings and roads were covered with overgrown plants that brought eerie sight to my eyes and a lump to my throat. All of the buildings also being covered in graffiti that not even me, a foul-mouthed dragon, wouldn’t repeat.

I looked up at the sky and was met by a blanket of black, gray, and red. I couldn’t see anything that I could even think was a sun or a moon for that matter. The sky was completely covered by a blanket of heavy black clouds that only thing that made certain that it was daytime the slightly red coloration of the lowest clouds as the light from some sun far above tried to pierce through.

I shifted my eyes to the east to find a massive mountain that stood above the destroyed city. The mountain’s peak, that looked to be easily several thousand feet up, still looked to be covered in snow. I had never seen snow before but I had heard about it. The white powdery substance that this region of was known for still seemed to exist at the top of the giant mountain. However, the ‘snow’ didn’t seem to be white anymore. The snow, instead, taking on a more black-green color and I might have just been seeing things, but I could’ve sworn that I saw the ‘snow’ glowing.

I felt the corners of my eyes beginning to water as I stared across the landscape that was in front of me. I haven’t seen the rest of the city and I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to. I didn’t want to know what had happened to the city’s famous temple for the Alpha. If regular buildings that no one really cared about were destroyed and vandalized were liked this. I shook to think about what one of the symbols of the Dragon Empire would look like now.

I felt a small tear flow down my cheek as an image of a completely destroyed temple flashed before my eyes. By the Alpha, please don’t make my mind be true. Was this really Salt Lick City, the pride of the once great Dragon Empire, or was it Tartarus. The pit of fiery death and destruction that bad ponies and dragons went to when they died. Was I dead, was this all a dream?

I had almost forgotten that I wasn’t alone in my journey and I violently jumped and dropped into a defensive stance when I felt someone touch me on my right shoulder.

“Wow! Eta, it’s just me!” Eta shouted at my actions, my unicorn companion holding up his hooves in defense. I breathed out a sigh of relief before I spoke, my increasingly sore muscles relaxing at my friend’s presence.

“Sorry, Breeze. I must have zoned out there.”

“You don’t say.” Breeze said sarcastically, if I wasn’t wrong to say that Breeze had become more sarcastic since when left the Stable. I couldn’t tell if it was him being around me more often or his exposure to the wasteland of above, probably the later, but it was still good to see. I think I was being a good-bad influence on him.

“So what now?” Breeze asked as we started to walk down the concrete sidewalk that was just outside the high school.

“We explore.” I said to Breeze as I began to walk down the concrete sidewalk that was in front of the school. Most of the sidewalk being cracked and having overgrown grass that had taken on a brownish-black coloration growing out of it.

“There’s gotta be someplace safe where we can rest for the night.” I said to Breeze as we continued to walk side by side down the sidewalk.

“You’re the boss, boss.” Breeze said as we walked down the sidewalk.

The both of us walked down the same street for several minutes or was it hours, I couldn’t tell. I had lost almost all sense for the passing of time since leaving Stable 70. Plus the blanket of black and red that made up the sky above made it impossible to tell if the sun was even still up. Given that I couldn’t see anything in the sky above that I could remotely think was anything like the sun that I have seen in the books that my mother had given me when I was just a hatchling.

Oh… my mom… I wonder if she is still alright. I had just left her, at least I was still a good daughter right, right?
Ugh! Stop beating yourself down Eta, you left and you gotta own up to it. Mom’s fine, she has been through way more than just being without me for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, despite all of the destruction around us, I felt a strange sense of peace. I couldn’t really explain it. Maybe I just liked to imagine what this city looked like before… they came and destroyed everything. I first time I come across a zebra I am going to shove both of my pistols down their throat and pull the trigger. It might be messy, but it would worth it. They deserve for what I have done.
My thoughts have anger were interrupted when Breeze tapped me on the shoulder. “Hmm… what is it, Breeze?” I asked my unicorn companion as my movements came to a quick halt.

“Do you know what that building over there is?” Breeze asked me, pointing his hoof across the street that we were walking down.
I shifted my attention away from where I was walking and over to where Breeze was pointing.

“What do you mean?” I said absent-mindedly as I turned my head to look at the building that Breeze was pointing at. When my gaze fell on the building that Breeze was pointing at my light blue eyes widened and my mouth dropped. My mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry and my legs began to shake.

“I think I remember seeing in a few books back home, in the Stable, but I can’t remember where. Or what the building was called.” Breeze said but I wasn’t really listening to him. I was more focused on the building that he had been pointing at. I hadn’t even noticed that my body had started moving toward until I almost tripped when the claws on my right foreleg hit the crib of a sidewalk. I recovered quickly and continued to have my body taken over by the beauty of the building that was in front of me.

“It’s real.” I said in awe as I stared up at the massive building that was made out some kind of cream-colored marble. A large golden dragon that was resting on the roof of the large building and holding the world in his claws staring back down at me. The statue was magnificent and could feel the corners of my eyes filling with tears as I continued to stare up at the large building that was in front of me.

“What, you mean you know what this building is!?!” Breeze exclaimed, him being so how shocked that I recognized one of the shining achievements of the Dragon Empire. Well… he did worship two pegasus unicorns that were said to have the ability to control the sun and the moon… so what the buck does he know.

“Of course, I know what this building is!” I snapped at Breeze, the yellow unicorn taking a step backward at my outburst. “What dragon in their right mind doesn’t know what this place is.” I grumbled more to myself.

“Ok, but my question still stands.” Breeze said as he trotted back up to my side. “What is this place?” Breeze asked and I breathed out a heavy sigh.

I slowly turned my head to face my friend and spoke to him.

“Breeze, this is the most sacred place for dragons.” I said to Breeze, telling him of the importance of the building to dragons like myself.
“This is the famed Salt Lick City Temple for the Great Alpha. The largest temple of its kind.” I said to Breeze, his blue eyes widening at my words.

“A Temple for the Greatest Dragon that had ever lived.” I said as I turned my attention back to the massive golden statue of the Great Alpha that was on the roof of the building.

I felt something rush through my body as I stared up at the statue that towered above me. I don’t know if it was my own fire that I has yet to learn how to use or the very power of the Alpha that had not a single doubt still burned. Even in the irradiated wasteland of the above world.

The Temple had to have been a safe place for us to stay for the night, right? Oh, how wrong I was that day.

Level up! New Perk: SATS Beginner: Your first experience with SATS has been successful and you will get better at using it in time. This perk can be upgraded.

Author's Note

The Salt Lick City Temple for the Great Alpha is an obvious analog for the famous LDS temple in Salt Lake. If you happen to be a Mormon or are deeply religious, I don't recommend reading the next chapter because of fucked reasons.

A Spiritual Experience

“Praise The Alpha And Through His Light, Thou Shall Find Peace!”

Awe!

That was the only thing that I felt as I stared up at the legendary Alpha Temple of Salt Lick City. It was amazing that the temple was still mostly intact. The left spire of the front of the Temple having been destroyed. The spire looking like it had been cut off my a massive saw with pieces of the remaining granite looking like it had been through a meat grinder. The rubble remains of the spire laying a few yards from the entrance. The skeleton of a creature with the form of a pony lying smashed underneath the granite that made up the destroyed spire. Some unfortunate soul looking to have been crushed. All of the glass that made up the windows for the temple had been destroyed leaving the windows completely open with the hot quickly turning simply warm breeze of the evening rushing through them.

I was about to rush into the confines of the Temple, only to be stopped by the protective hoof of Breeze stopping me from moving forward.

I turned my attention over to my friend and I stared up at him with a look of confusion plastered on my face.

“Wh-What are you doing, Breeze?” I asked my friend.

“I’m stopping you from doing something stupid.” Breeze said back to me, his words were blunt, but I don’t think that was how intended for them to land. But I still took a step away from Breeze and held up my right foreleg up and close to my body. I must have looked a small puppy in front of him.

“Stupid, stupid!” I shouted back at him. “How could going into the most sacred place for me and the rest of my species be a bad thing!” I continued to shout at Breeze my body beginning to heat up as I felt something that felt like hot magma rushing throughout my body. I also felt something strange happen to my eyes as I stared daggers at Breeze. How dare he insult the Alpha. I knew that he didn’t believe in the Alpha, but he didn’t give him the right to deny me from paying my respects to him. Besides, after all of the shit that I have been through in the last week or so. I deserved to have so personal time with the greatest dragon that had ever lived.

“I don’t mean to offend you Eta, but you gotta remember. This place hasn’t been a temple for over two hundred years. Plus, I know you might be taken away by the sheer size of this place but…” Breeze said to me before pausing. Why was he pausing? Answer me damn it!

“But what!?!” I demanded Breeze to answer.

“But this isn’t a temple anymore, Eta!” Breeze shouted at me. Only to get an irritated snort from me.

I knew and understood what Breeze was saying. This wasn’t a functioning Temple anymore. But, it still was a Temple! Who would dare try to disgrace a beautiful place like this? It might not look perfect, it might be missing one of its spires, it might have survived a megaspell blast. But I didn’t care! This was my place of worship and if there was anyone that wanted to turn it into anything any but a House of the Alpha than were going to have to fight me. And I was armed and more than willing to put a few bullets in some pony’s skulls. Then pray to the Alpha for forgiveness afterward, of course.

“I know what you’re saying Breeze, but we need a place to stay for whatever this pit of Tartarus has for the night and this looks to be our best option right now.

Breeze was silent for a few seconds, almost like he was trying to come up with a good rebuttal to what I had just said. He seemed to find none as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Alright, but just this night. We still don’t know what is friendly and what is foe.” Breeze and I literally jumped for joy at his words. He was going to let me spend the night in a place that I am sure that most dragons would kill to just see, yet alone spend the night in.
“Excellent! Now follow me!” I exclaimed as I rushed into the opened doors of the Temple.

“Eta, wait for me!” Breeze called after me as I rushed into the Temple. I was really listening to him, I just wanted to experience the greatness that this Temple was so renowned for. Maybe if I had listened to Breeze more, or if I had been realistically cautious. I might have noticed the profane graffiti that lined the outside of the Temple. The graffiti that on a second glance depicted words and things that even I, a foul-mouthed dragon, wouldn’t even repeat. I thought that this place was a place of worship and peace.

Oh, how wrong I was.

My movements came to a stop once I had entered the Temple. Any delusion that I had of this place’s current state of repair was eliminated the moment that I entered the Temple’s confines.

The front room of the Temple was completely destroyed. Rubble from the Temple’s granite construction-littered the front room. I looked up to see that the room of the Temple had completely caved in and rubble from the wooden roof was spread across the floor. The remaining wood was no longer the usual brown color of wood but a sickly black color. There must have been a fire sometime in the past. Or the wood was destroyed during the bombing of Salt Lick City. The pieces of granite that were spread across the floor of the Temple were huge. Most them being around my size or even larger. Everything was destroyed! Everything! Nothing was left! Nothing!

I was doing my best to contain my emotions and anger but it wasn’t easy. Who could’ve done something like this? All of my emotional restraint left me once the claws on my right foreleg hit something that was lying on the cracked tile floor beneath me. I looked down and I felt a rush of something hot flow throughout my body.

My blue eyes, that must have been red at that moment, falling on the sight of a small black book. A small book that anyone that wasn’t a dragon would look on as nothing special. But a dragon would see and be brought to tears.

The black book was small, the book looking to have been made so that it would fit perfectly in the paw of a dragon my size or just slightly larger. The book’s cover made out of some kind of black leather that gave it almost a scaly texture at the touch. The book wasn’t it great condition, but I guess everything was relative given that I was currently standing in a Temple that could fall down on me at any moment.

The book’s cover read “Livet til Alfa. Historien om en levende legende.” The title of the small book read. My understanding of the dragon language before the Great War wasn’t best. But from what I had learned from my mother I was able to understand what the title of the book read.

The title of the small book reading “The Life of the Alpha. The History of a Living Legend.” This was what dragons would consider their holy book, or their own bible if you will. The collected life of the First Alpha and his two apprentices. Two Apprentices that were twin brothers went by the names of Delta and Omega. Two Apprentices that would later battle each other for the right to be named the Second Alpha.
I knew all of the stories that were in this book.

I felt my anger beginning to build throughout my body again. I felt hot. I felt black smoke coming out of my nostrils. I was mad, I was angry, I was… I wanted to kill something! I wanted to find the person, pony, dragon, zebra, whatever that was responsible for this and beat their skulls in with own claws. The one that did this didn’t deserve to live, they didn’t deserve to live knowing what beauty that had just taken from this pile of shit world.

I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed this all before, any of this!

Maybe I was to cut up in the beauty that I wanted to see and the destruction and death that was actually right in front of me.

“Eta…” I heard Breeze say cautiously behind me. I couldn’t believe how much my friend actually feared of me. And he had good to be afraid of me. I had attacked him in a state of hallucination cause rage. He had seen me kill… no murder another pony in cold blood. I must have looked like an absolute wreck to him. A weakened hatchling crying into a small black book that he probably had no idea the significance A small book told the stories of the very life of the greatest dragon that had ever lived. Stories that I remembered my mother telling me when I just a hatchling and I hadn’t yet learned just how bucked up this world actually was.

How could a dragon that these stories had told me was capable of moving mountains allow something like this to happen!?! Was he even real… did he even ever live!?!

I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I had felt like my heart had ripped out of my chest and stomped on repeating and then forcibly put back in with some unknown power expecting it to be able to function like it had before.

“Are you alright?” I heard Breeze asked me in a voice that brought, even more tears to my eyes. Why was he afraid of me? Tartarus, I was afraid me. If I was afraid of myself what kind of chance does my friend have.

“No.” I said to Breeze in response, my voice being cracked. “No, I’m not.” I said as I placed the small book in my saddlebags. It wasn’t going to be left in this Alpha forsaken place again. It deserved to be read and worshiped by a dragon that actually knew that true meaning of this place.

“Eta, not to say that I told you so but…” Breeze began to say to me and my brain snapped.

“Then don’t!” I shouted back at Breeze snapping my head back to look directing at him, my unicorn companion taking a step backward in fright. What was wrong with me? Why was Breeze afraid of me? I breathed a heavy sigh as I turned my head to looked at the cracked tile floor of the Temple. I was ashamed.

I was silent and motionless for a few seconds as I just sat there. A rush of strangely cold air rushing over my scales as I just sat on my rump in complete silence. I had almost forgotten that I was with Breeze until I heard the clatter of his hooves making contact with the tile of the Temple.

Breeze slowly approaching me and taking a seat to my direct right. Me only being able to see him out of the corner of my right eye.

“Eta…” Breeze began to say to me. I could feel a lecture about looking for the good in things rather than the evil coming on. But I wasn’t isn’t in the mood to listen to another one of Breeze’s signature lectures so I just held up my right paw. Breeze heeded my silent warning and no other words came out of his mouth.

There was another round of awkward silence as Breeze just sat there next to me. I could help but think that he was studying me. Watching, listening, making silent mental notes. Had to have been. He told me that he was planning on going into more mental forms of medical expertise.

He was probably doing that thing that mother did to me when I was younger, or angry, or both. Whatever she called it, psychoanalyze. It was something like that. What it was, I didn’t like it.

Eventually, my brain couldn’t take all of the signals that I was sending it and I snapped.

“What do you want, Breeze!” I shouted at my friend. Breeze’s body drawing back at my outburst.

“Damnit Eta, why are you always the worst at talking to others?” I scolded myself.

“Ugh!” I groaned as I covered my head with my claws. “I’m sorry Breeze.” I apologized as turned my head away from my unicorn companion. I honestly didn’t know why he was still with me. Maybe he had already made the calculations that it would be worse for him to face whatever horrors this world had than having to deal with my bullshit every other second.

I don’t know. Breeze was always better when it came to math then me.

“I don’t what’s wrong with me.” I said as I felt the corners of my eyes begin to fill with tears. “You must think that I’m insane, don’t you?” I asked Breeze while still looking away from him.

What Breeze did next surprised, I guessed to shouldn’t have given that I was talking to Breeze. But… nevertheless, it did.

I felt the light touch Breeze’s yellow hoof on my right shoulder. I flinched slightly at his touch. I was still not at the point to allow any random stranger to touch, yet alone a stallion to touch me. But Breeze was a friend, he could touch me. At least, for now.

“No, Eta.” Breeze said to me with a soft voice. I turned my head slightly to my right to see Breeze out of the corner of my eye. A happy and reassuring smile plastered on the small portion of his face that I could see.

“I don’t think you are insane.” Breeze said to me and I could feel a small lump begin to build at the bottom of my throat. How Breeze was still able and willing to stand by me despite all that I have done to both him and myself for that matter. I might never know, but right then I didn’t. Breeze was giving me a level of kindness and patience that I really didn’t deserve and I wasn’t about to stop him.

“I have never thought that you were crazy, never.” Breeze said as he placed one of his hooves on my right paw. His hoof was cold but… I liked it.

“Eta, you have been through a lot. You’ve been through things that no mare should ever have to go through.” Breeze said to me. A small segment from the worst day of my life flashing into my find.

“Open up girl, you promised…” I heard that bitch’s words ring in my head. I had to close my mouth and shut my eyes as I felt an invisible cock being pushed against my mouth. I couldn’t explain what was happening to me, but it didn’t last for long. The beautiful words of Breeze bringing me back to the land of reality.

“But the mind and body need time to recover.” Breeze said as he put a little more pressure on my paw. “Time that is yet to pass.” Breeze said to me, a rather painful memory (but not the most painful) coming to me as he spoke.

“Breeze… I hurt you. I-I could’ve killed you.” I said to Breeze, referring to when I nearly killed him when I woke after… that happened. A knot beginning to form at the bottom of my throat. A knot that only seemed to grow as we continued to talk.

“But you didn’t.” Breeze said, his eternal optimism shining through again. A kind of optimism that I could only wish and pray to the Alpha in order to process.

Despite everything that told my body that we were safe and at peace. My mind kept sending me signals that were still in danger. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

I wasn’t, and I was about to find out just how unsafe we really were.

“Well… well… well. What do we have here!?!” I heard a voice that I didn’t recognize say behind me. I snapped my head around to see where the voice from. My eyes widening when I laid eyes on the first ponies, that weren’t dead, that I had seen since leaving Stable 70.
There were three stallions of varying size and shape. The only thing that they seemed to have in common was that they were all earth ponies and were clad in this strange looking armor that was nothing more than random pieces of metal welded together in a wash of steel that tried to resemble armor. Each of the stallions being different in their own right.

The largest of the three stallions was standing directly in front of me and Breeze. The other two stallions standing at his direct right and left. The stallion had a light gray coat with a light blue mane and tail. His mane being trimmed off and in the shape of a small mohawk. His tail being the same light blue color as his mane but was regularly cut, almost like somepony had cut with a piece of sharp glass or a shard from a mirror. He was smiling at me, but it wasn’t a happy smile or one the warm smiles that Breeze had given me whenever I was feeling down and always seemed to be enough to cheer me up. No, this smile was different. This was evil, his teeth were all yellow and crooked. Not to mention they were all pointed. His teeth only adding to the devilish smile that he was giving me. The stallion’s eyes didn’t help him earn my trust any more than his creepy smile. The stallion’s eyes being a dark brown color and he spent of the time running them up and down my body. When I moved my tail to cover the lower part of my body I could’ve sworn that I saw a small smirk spread across his muzzle and his pink tongue licked his lower lips. I couldn’t tell from where I was sitting what his cutie mark looked like. I couldn’t see and of the stallions’ cutie marks. The largest stallion looking to be the leader of the three stallions.

The stallion that was to the largest one’s right and my left was slightly shorter than his taller counterpart, there being about a three-inch difference in height. The stallion had a lime green coat and red mane with light orange highlights. The most notable thing about the stallion was the state of his left hind leg. The stallion’s leg looking to have been broken sometime during his past and having not healed properly since. His left knee being bent at a weird angle and looking to bend at a near diagonal angle whenever he bent his knee. The stallion also looked to have had a recently healed black eye. His left eye looking to have been swollen recently and having a slightly darker coloration of green fur under the eye. Speaking of his eyes they a light blue color. They almost reminded me of my own eyes. He was the one of the group that I trusted the most, nowhere near my level of trust toward Breeze, of course. But I still liked him better than the other two stallions.

Speaking of the other stallions, the stallion to the left of the largest was the shortest of the three. Him being a solid foot shorter than the one in the middle. This one just gave, and I would also assume Breeze too, the creeps. Even more so than the largest stallion. The small stallion having a bright orange coat and a shaved head. The stallion’s tail looking like it had been originally a forest green color but had turned a dark brown and black. His tail looking to have been burned in a fire earlier in his life and not having most of its original color coming back afterward. The shared the same crooked grin on his face that the largest stallion had, but this one was creepier somehow. Maybe it was the fact that he was smaller than me. Maybe it was that bright orange eyes just seemed to bore in my soul as he looked me over as if I was a piece of meat. Maybe it was the fact that he almost seemed to be jumping in place in either excitement or just plain insanity. I’ll let you be the judge.
“It looks like we got two lovebirds, boss.” The stallion with the strange looking hind leg said to the largest of the three stallions. The stallion confirming my original assumptions.

“Is that so?” The largest stallion said in a tone of voice that showed that he wasn’t really surprised.

“More like trespassers if ya ask me, boss.” The smallest of the three stallions chimed in. The stallion shaking his head every few seconds as he seemed to have some kind of strange tick.

“This place is a Temple! And you are the one that are the ones that are trespassing!” I shouted back at the three stallions. They all reacted in a manner that I had expected. Them all reeling back at my outburst. The smallest looking to have taken my outburst the worst as he looked like he was about ready to pounce on me.

“Come yourself, Hot Blooded.” The largest stallion said to the smallest as he held him back with his hoof.

“This is civil conservation between friends.” The largest stallion said down to his smaller counterpart, but I couldn’t stop myself from feeling that he was really talking to me. And in that case, this was not a civil conversation and we not friends. I doubted that this stallion even knew the real meaning of either of those words.

“We have no need for violence.” The largest stallion said to the smallest one. The two stallions sharing a look that just screamed “At least, not yet.” to me.

“Right, boss. But, let me have the dragon, I’ve always wanted to try dragon.” The smallest stallion said in a tone of voice that made my scales crawl. The stallion’s orange eyes also sizing me up, almost as if he saw me as nothing more than a piece of meat that he could sink his teeth into. I wasn’t and if he tried anything then he would get a firm reminder of that fact.

“Don’t worry Hot Blooded. But remember, I always get the first taste. I have to make sure that the meat is good before I pass it off to you.” The largest stallion said to… The two stallions sharing a look that made my blood freeze and my heart skip a beat.

“Of course. She’s all yours, boss. Just make sure you save me a slice.” The smallest stallion said as he took a step backward and the larger one approached me. The smell of something horrid reaching my nose as he trotted closer to me. I couldn’t tell what it was, but whatever it was it must have been what death smelled like.

I took a brief look over to my side to see Breeze, my unicorn companion looking just as comfortable as I currently was. Maybe even more so.

“Honey, darling.” The largest of the three stallions said to me in a patronizing way that made me want to beat his skull in with the very rubble that he was disrespecting.

He might have been tall but that was by pony standards. The top of stallion’s blue mane only being a few inches taller than me. Making our eye level about the same.

“I’m not sure that your little mare brain to there is able to grasp this but…” He said as I had already made my mind about him. Yeah, I wanted to beat his head in with a rock and then shoot him, twice, with a shotgun, in his junk.

“This place is ain’t no temple, as you call it. And it hasn’t been in a long ass time.” The stallion said in the most patronizing way possible. My body and eyes were burning with anger, it wouldn’t have surprised if they were red, and I was sending him a death glare that if it was connected to a laser it would be able to burn through marble. Despite my anger, the only thing that this stallion seemed to find was humor. A pathetic smirk spreading across his face as I continued to stare daggers at him.

“So, if you would be so kind as to vacate the premises and go on both yours way. Then we won’t any an issue.” The stallion continued to speak to me in the most patronizing way possible. The stallion walking past me and running his horrid hoof down my back. I had to fight with every fiber of my being not to take a bite at the hoof.

“The both of you might be new to this wasteland, and based on this one’s clothing. That might be true.” The stallion said to be me, directing his ‘this one’ at Breeze. Breeze still wearing his blue Stable barding. I didn’t wear any clothing. The Stable had near given me, or mother for that matter, any barding. The Overmare that ruled when I was I was just hatchling telling me that they had no bardings that were made to fit a dragon. I had believed the story for most of my life, but based on what had happened as of late. I wasn’t so sure.

I pushed away my thoughts as I went back to listening to the largest stallion. His disgusting hoof still touching my and drifting further down my body. I moved my tail so that it covered my privates and wrapped underneath my belly. I didn’t want to monster to even get a peek at my nethers. My actions bringing another wicked smile to his muzzle. The smile didn’t last, his muzzle returning to a neutral expression in a matter of seconds. He probably didn’t even realize what he had just done. But I did, and I wanted to slam his skull into the ground and shot him and his two lackeys with a shotgun.

“And given your lack of knowledge.” The stallion continued “I would be so gracious as to let the both you leave…” He whispered into my ear, my scales crawling as I felt his hot breath up against my ear. “Unharmed.” He finished his sentence as he put his body up against my own. I being able to feel something hard and twitching up against my left hind leg. I knew what it was, and I was disgusted.

“How stupid do you think I am?” I asked the stallion sarcastically as he ran his horrid foreleg up my back. A shiver of pure disgust ran up my spine as he ran his hoof over my right wing. I had use every fiber of my being to fight off the urge to just open my wing and slapped him in the face as he walked back in front of me.

“Given that you’re a mare, well… you can’t blame me for assuming things.” The stallion said with a smile that made me want to break every tooth in his precious mouth.

“Leave her alone!” Breeze shouted stepping protectively in front of me. I didn’t need his help, but it was nice to know that he had my back.

“Oh, look what we got here boys!” The stallion said sarcastically back to his companions, and I think I have never seen Breeze more angry in my life.

“I was beginning to think that you were just going to stand there in silence. Do you even care about this mare?” The stallion asked Breeze sarcastically. Him getting a few from his partners.

Their laughter came to a quick end when Breeze took a step forward and stomp his hoof.

“Yes…” Breeze said with an amount of firmness in his voice that I didn’t expect coming from Breeze. Breeze turning his head to face me and his angry frown dropped into a pleasant smile. Breeze’s blue eyes turning from ones of rage into ones of love.

“I love her.” Breeze said directly to me with a warm smile that brought one of my own to my muzzle. Breeze’s smile and eyes filled with love then quickly returned to eyes of rage and an expression of hate as he turned his, and his attention, back to the largest stallion.
“And you, and the rest of heathens can take your offer and shove right up your ass and have it stay there!” Breeze shouted at the stallion enrage. The entire Temple becoming silent just after Breeze spoke.

“I take it that you reject my offer?” The stallion asked Breeze, him seeming to already know Breeze’s obvious answer.

“No, we don’t accept offers from cretins like you.” Breeze said to the largest stallion. Breeze being more assertive than I have ever seen him before. I think I wanted to kiss him at that moment. Not a kiss between lovers, but like a kiss between siblings. He really was like that little brother that I never had, and I loved him for it.

“I see.” The stallion said while sounding genuinely disappointed. He remained silent for a few seconds before he cracked another one of his signature crooked smiles.

“Hmm… bravery.” The stallion said in a voice that sounded like he was genuinely impressed. “I like bravery, it’s not something that you see so much in this world anymore.” The stallion said to Breeze, seeming to direct his words towards his companion that had the messed up leg. The stallion sending a sharp look the other stallion’s way. The stallion with the messed up leg looking away from his boss’ gaze. “But, bravery is also a sign of stupidity.” The stallion said to Breeze, his tone becoming my much darker.

“Hot Blooded, if you would do the honor?” The stallion said back to the smallest, and seemingly the most mentally unstable, of his two other companions.

“Copy that, boss.” The smallest stallion said as he walked in front of his leader. The stallion both me and Breeze as if we were a piece of meat that he wanted to sink his teeth into.

“What are you talking about?” Breeze asked with a look of confusion on his face.

“Oh, you will find out soon enough.” The largest stallion said to Breeze. “Do it, Hot Blooded.”

“Ha, ha, with pleasure boss.” Hot Blooded, if that was even his real name, said as he pulled a small revolver seeming out of nowhere and put into his mouth.

Then… boom!

The Temple’s quiet atmosphere was broken by the sound of a gunshot. A gunshot from a revolver in the smallest stallion’s mouth. The stallion aiming the revolver directly at Breeze’s head.

“Breeze!” I shouted as I watched helplessly as my closest friend dropped to the ground. Breeze landing with a thud in front of me. His eyes were closed and he didn’t seem to be breathing.

“Breeze!” I cried out in terror as I dropped to his side and wrapped my forelegs around his body and neck. The bullet from the smallest stallion hitting Breeze right in the head, just above his eyebrow and piercing through his skin. The bullet looked like to have gone into Breeze’s skull, there was no exit wound. It seemed to just graze him, but… he wasn’t getting up! I could no longer see his beautiful blue eyes! There was no weight in his body!

“No, Breeze!” I cried as I shook my unicorn companion’s seemingly lifeless body with all of my might. “Breeze, get up!” I cried as I tried anything, and everything, that I could just in hope that Breeze would open his eyes. He didn’t even seem to be leaving.

I was so focused on Breeze that I didn’t even notice that the largest stallion had made his way behind me before it was already too late.

“Oh shut up, already!” The largest stallions said as he wrapped his disgusting forelegs around my body and began to lift me into the air.

“No! LET ME GO!” I shouted as I kicked my legs in every direction, in a desperate manner to break free.

“If you say so.” He said with a level of sarcasm that made my blood boil. He then threw effortlessly to the ground. My head hitting the crack floor of the Temple and making my vision go blurry and my ears begin to ring.

“You monsters!” I shouted at the three stallions as I tried to gain my footing. I tried to use my magic, but nothing seemed to work. Maybe it was the hit that I had taken to my head. I don’t know, but it just wasn’t working.

“No, we aren’t monsters.” The largest stallion said in a soft voice that just didn’t fit the situation as his massive frame towered over me.

The stallion placing his left hoof onto my chest and pressing down with all of his weight. I cried out as I heard one of my ribs snapping like a twig.

“How can you even say that!?!” I cried out in pain.

“Because I know exactly what I am.” The stallion said in an even soft tone than before. His words that he spoke weren’t full of malice or creepiness, but instead, something that if given a different situation I might have seen as wisdom.

“I know that you see me, and my men as monsters.” He said down to me. I could only snort back at him in disgust. I quickly regretted it as my actions only lead to the stallion increasing his weight on my chest at my defiance.

“I have accepted the creatures of your type would see me and my men and such.” The stallion spat bitterly at me. I couldn’t tell if he was talking about me being a dragon, or me being a mare, or both, but I didn’t care. No matter what he said he was the monster in this situation, and I was going enjoying beating his skull into the ground when this was all over with. He then pressed his left down harder on my broken rib. A painful groan coming from me.

“Being a monster is simply just a matter of perspective, my dear.” The stallion whispered to me as he leaned down so that we were both muzzle to muzzle.

“And from my perspective.” He said as he returned to his full height. His left hoof still on top of my chest but the pressure that he was applying being less than he had before.

“You’re the monster and I am the hero sent to rid you from this world.” The stallion said as he began to rise his right foreleg off of the ground.

“In my own way, of course.” He said as he kicked me in the face. His words along with a short zap of pain being the last thing that I remembered before I blacked out.

I don’t know how long I was out but when I finally came to I could hear voices. I could only recognize one of them. The one that I recognized being the voice of the largest stallion. The other voice I didn’t recognize but since it wasn’t Breeze’s, it wasn’t that difficult for me to guess that it was the voice of the third member of their little crew. The stallion that had that one messed hind leg.

I didn’t open my eyes just yet. I wanted to hear what they were saying, maybe they would give some important information without even knowing it.

What I ended up hearing actually only made my heart break into over a thousand tiny pieces.

“What do we do with him?” I heard the stallion that I marked as the one with the messed hind leg ask. That was when my head flooded with memories of when Breeze was shot by the smallest stallion. He couldn’t be dead, could he? No, this was Breeze, he would never leave me.

“We’ll deal with his later, right now we have different matters to attend to.” I heard the voice of the largest stallion say. His words being followed by the sound of hooves making contact with the tile floor of the Temple. The sound of hooves started out quiet but quickly grew in volume as time went on. I could make out two different set of hoof steps. They were walking towards me and there was at least two of them.
“Are you sure that you want to do this boss?” I heard the stallion with the messed leg ask the largest stallion.

“Are you doubting me, Cool Headed?” I heard the largest stallion ask the one that had the messed up leg. I made a mental note of his name, he seemed to be the most reasonable of the three and the only one that I thought I could help me if things went awry.

“Of course not boss…” I heard Cool Headed say before his words seemed to stop mid-sentence. He had either paused or was now whispering to the larger stallion.

“Relax, Cool Headed. We need not worrying about the dragon.” The largest stallion said to Cool Headed, the two of them now talking about. Or they were already about me and I just missed the transition in their conversation.

“Besides, she a little chained up at the moment.” He said if and my eyes were opened I think they would’ve popped out of my skulls. That was when I finally realized that there was something loosely wrapped around the ends of each my legs. Out of instinct and fear I moved my right foreleg and came to find out that I could only move it about a foot in each direction. My movements didn’t go unnoticed as the two stallions stopped talking.

“Shit!” I thought as I knew my cover had been blown.

“Hmm… looks like our little meal has returned to the land of the living!” I heard the largest stallion say. A rush of disgust rushing over my body as he spoke. My disgust being directed at his choice to refer to me as his ‘meal’. I was no meal of his. If I didn’t want to kill me then, which I did, I definitely wanted to now.

“Oh come on, I know you are awake. Why don’t you let me see those beautiful eyes that you have?” I heard him asked me as he ran his hoof up my left hind leg. If I wasn’t chained up I would’ve kicked him.

“Boss, are you sure that is necessary?” I heard Cool Headed ask the largest stallion.

“Shut it, Cool Headed!” The stallion snapped at his companion. “A mare needs like this needs to be coked out of their shell.” The stallion said as he ran his hoof further up my leg. My scales crawled as his dirty hoof moved further up my body.

“Ah!” I cried out as he ran his hoof over my pussy. His hoof spreading apart my pussy’s lips and sending a zap of… throughout my body. My eyes snapping open at the sudden contact.

“There they are. I missed them. Plus, you got one very nice pussy if I do say so myself.” He said as he continued to run his hoof over my pussy. His hoof now working at speed. I arched my back and let my head hit the tile ground. My entire body being rocked with a flurry of mixed emotions and sensations.

“What do you want from me!?!” I spat at the larger stallion as he stood above me. My body was probably shaking with fright, but I didn’t care. The angry glare that I was sending him was enough for me.

“Hmf… I think you already know the answer to that question.” He said as he opened his mouth and ran his pink tongue across the purple scales of my chest.

He licked me, he BUCKING licked me! I tried every possible to break out the chains that constrained me but they didn’t budge.

“Boss, what are you doing?” Cool Headed asked the stallion that was about to rape me. Cool Headed’s question making the orange eyes of the larger stallion shrunk to the sizes of peas and he stood up and turned to face Cool Headed.

“I’m doing what we always do when we find a mare. We kill their male companion if they have one. We knock them out and then send them back her to have our way with them.” The larger stallion said to Cool Headed. I wasn’t really surprised that I wasn’t the first mare that he had raped, but damn. He said this as if was nothing. I guess I wasn’t surprised that he had raped mares before, but more just how long he had been doing it. The stallion didn’t look to be that much older than I did anyway. Was I feeling pity toward this stallion?

No! He is evil and deserves to die. No matter what his past might be, he deserves to get pummeled into the ground.

“Why must you rape every mare that we come across?!?” Cool Headed angrily demanded his boss to answer. I couldn’t believe it, one of this stallion’s was actually defending me. Maybe things were as bleak as I thought.

“Don’t patronize me, Cool Headed. You know exactly why I do exactly what I do.” The largest stallion said to Cool Headed, and his subordinate went completely silent.

“No, if you are so insecure about this then why don’t you get rid of that trash in the time being!” The largest stallion snapped at Cool Headed.

My anger towards this stallion grew to a new height as he pointed at the lifeless body of Breeze. Breeze wasn’t trash and he deserved to be treated with the respect that he deserved

I then heard a loud crash come from seemingly nowhere. The largest stallion groaning at the strange occurrence.

“But make sure that Hot Blooded didn’t just kill himself first if you be so kind?” The largest stallion added to Cool Headed previous orders.

“Copy that, boss.” Cool Headed said to the largest stallion as he turned around as he followed the largest stallion's orders.

“I do I even still hang out with you two?” I heard Cool Headed ask himself as he walked away. He then turned around a pile of the Temple’s rubble and now I was alone. I was alone with him. And he knew it.

“Now that, that’s out of the way.” He said as he returned his attention back to me. His signature Omega sent smirk across his muzzle as he ran his orange eyes up and down my body.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we.” He said as he stood above me. My nose being rushed with his horrid scent again. I looked away from his muzzle and down his body. And that was when I almost lost my lunch.

My gaze falling on the stallion’s rock hard cock that was hovering just above my pussy. His cock was pitch black and had a flare that was twice as wide as the rest of his cock was. That was when it hit me.

This was happening again, I was going to be raped twice within the same week. I still didn’t know long I was knocked out the first time that I was raped.

“This is going to be fun.” He said as he repositioned his body so that his cock rested right up against the entrance of my pussy. Then I felt him began to push forward. My pussy, which was still sore, screaming in both pain and… as its lips creaked open.

“Wait!” I shouted just before he could insert the head of his cock inside of my pussy.

“Yes.” He stopped, I didn’t think actually would. “Yes, what is it that you need?” He asked in a tone of voice that in a different I might have believed that we were just about to have some really kinky sex, not me getting raped on the tile floor of the greatest Temple that had ever existed.

I swallowed an invisible apple in my mouth as I stared directly into his eyes.

“I won’t do this if you aren’t happy. I make it my duty to make sure that all of my mares enjoy their ride.” He said as he ran his hoof across my face. I felt the sides of my eyes fill with tears.

“I-I just…” I began to say. My voice being shaking and me choking over my own tears and a knot in my throat that only seemed to grow in size.

“Yes, what is it?” He asked me in a soft voice that my stomach turn.

“I just… want to pray. If that’s not too much to ask?” I asked him, a look a strange understanding spreading across his muzzle at my words.

“One last time before, you know.” I said looking down his hard cock that was twitching up against my swollen pussy.

“I understand.” He said as he began to get off of me. “You haven’t been the first mare to ask me for a prayer. And I might not be a religious colt myself, but I respect those who are. Finding something to worshiped in a place like this, is admirable.” He said to me, her voice holding the same softness as before. I couldn’t tell him he was being genuine with his words, or if he was just trying to butter me up before he fucked the daylights out of me. I wanted to believe the former, that there really was a good stallion buried underneath all of the evils that he had done. But, I knew that the latter was more likely, and that brought, even more tears to my eyes. Was this was the wasteland really did to ponies, and dragons. I guess I was about to find out.

“I’ll give you some privacy for the time being.” He said to me and I almost hear my heart jumping at his words.
My hope almost left me completely when the stallion finished his thought. “But I wouldn’t recommend it. This place has lost any kind of sacrality long ago.” He whispered to me as he lay back on top of me. His rock hard cock resting on top of my lavender colored scales of my underbelly.

“And it’s not getting it back anytime soon.” He said something that most have been sacrilegious somewhere. The stallion running his sickly pink tongue across the side of my face before he stood back up.

“But, I will still grant your request. Even as shortsighted it might be.” He said as he turned around and started walking away from me. An internal sigh washed over me as he continued to trot away.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, don’t go anywhere.” He said in the patronizing tone of voice that I had come assumed to getting from him.
“If you even could.” I heard him say to himself as he trotted away.

The moment he had left earshot I went straight for the chains that bound me. But no matter how much I tried and tried all I would get was the resounding clang of metal that refused to budge. The chains must have been made out of steel and each of their stakes had to have been implanted several feet into the ground.

My forelegs collapsed onto the tile floor. It was useless. There was no way that I could’ve broken out of my chains on my own. Despite being a dragon I could never find a way of creating any fire of my own, and my magic still didn’t seem to want to work. Maybe it was because I was too hungry, or because I was dehydrated. I didn’t know, all I did know was that I was bucked!

“It can’t end like this.” I whispered to myself as I stared up at the ceiling of the Temple that had fallen in on itself years before I was even a thought. That was when my eyes caught something that I hadn’t noticed before.

The roof had given away but it had also given me a perfect view of the statue of the Alpha that rested atop of the Temple. The statue was still in good shape, good in comparison to the rest of the Temple. I could still make out a small section of his golden finish and the globe that he held in his right claws was held firmly in his grasp.

I didn’t actually plan on praying to the Alpha, I had just said that in hope that it would make him leave and it would allow me to escape. But now with my hopes dashed and my gaze focused entirely on the statue of the great Alpha I didn’t have much of a choice. So did I only thing that I could. I prayed. I prayed to a creature that I had been having doubts even existing. I hope that all you don’t hate me for it. I was desperate, what else could I do.

Let me ask you a question. If you were in my situation, what would you do?

I prayed in a last ditch effort to get any kind of hope. What would you do?

“Alpha…” I began my small prayer as I stared up at the golden statue of the Alpha that was above me. “I know it has been a long time since I had talked to you, but…” I said up to the statue the black sky of above lighting up with what seemed to be some kind of green lighting. It had been… longer than I could even remember since I had actually prayed to the Alpha. Not including the times that I would join my mother in pray before we ate dinner. I mean actually, to him, it had been so long.

“I need you right now and I’m sorry.” I said up to the golden statue. I must have looked ridiculous to someone who was watching me. A dragon that was chained spread eagle to the ground praying to a golden statue. Yeah, ridiculous. But I still did it.

“I’m sorry that it has been so long since we had talked last. I’m sorry that would even think to doubt your existence. I’m even sorry for the current state of your Temple.” I apologized to the golden statue. I knew that the last apology was not my fault but given what was most likely going to happen to me next. I guess I just needed to cover my basis beforehand.

“So, if you do exist. If you still have any power to change the world. If this place is still as sacred I believe it is. Please, for the love of you, please. Please, set me free. Set me free from this chains and allow me the strength to get vengeance on the ponies that would dare try to destroy your name.” I said to the golden statue.

“I say this in the name of you, the Alpha, the greatest dragon that has ever lived. Amen.” I finished my prayer and it might have been my imagination by I could’ve sworn to the Alpha himself that I saw a small twinkle coming from the eye of the statue of the Alpha.
That was when I heard something that I thought I would never hear again, and it brought tears to my eyes.

“About time he left.” I heard the voice of somepony that I thought I would never hear again.

“Breeze!” I shouted out into the emptiness of the Temple.

“Shh!” Breeze scolded me as he quickly ran over to my side. I felt tears flow from my eyes the moment that I saw his signature yellow coat.

“Don’t worry Eta, I’m going to get you outta this death trap.” Breeze said to me as to began to fiddle with the chains that held my forelegs.

“But… Breeze… I-I…” I tried to asked my closest friend. I was still in a state of shock that he was even alive.

“Saw me get shot?” Breeze finished my question for me. I could only nod my head in response, it was one of the few things that I could do given that I was still chained to the ground.

I saw a small smile spread across as he fiddled with the chain that restrained my right foreleg. “That small stallion, Hot Blooded or whatever his name is, isn’t the best shot. The bullet barely grazed me.” Breeze said to me as he pointed his right hoof up to his left eye. There being a small cut that ran up from his left eyebrow and ended just before his hairline. If you didn’t know any better you might have thought that he had been cut by a small knife and not just be shot in the head by a revolver.

“Are you going to be ok?” I asked Breeze out of concern for his health, I did believe that he was dead less than a minute earlier.

“I’ll be fine, it was just a flesh wound. It will heal and probably won’t even leave a scar.” Breeze said to me as he continued to struggle with my chains. Breeze’s voice making it sound like getting shot in the head was nothing special. Had Breeze always been like this and I just hadn’t noticed, or had this happened this entering the wasteland. I don’t know. But right now I had bigger things to worry about than Breeze’s choice of words. I was still chained to the ground after all.

“It’s great to see you, Breeze.” I said to Breeze, a small smile spreading across his muzzle at my words. A smile that faded when the chains that had me refused to budge an inch.

“Damn it!” Breeze exclaimed as he let the chains that held my right foreleg to the ground. “They must be made of steel, I can’t do anything to them.” Breeze said as he began to scan the room.

“What are you looking for?” I asked Breeze. Despite my position, I could still help him.

“Your saddlebag.” Breeze said as his light blue eyes widened as he saw my brown saddlebag laying on top of some rubble. “Ha, perfect!” Breeze said as he ran over to where my saddlebag was and began to run through its contents. “If I can’t break the chains that hold then I am going to do the next best thing.” Breeze said as he pulled his father revolver out my saddlebag. Breeze holding the gray revolver in his gray magic.

“And what is that?” I asked Breeze with alarm in my voice in my voice. Breeze raising the revolver and pointing it directly at me.

“The only way I know how, now don’t move.” Breeze said as he pointed the revolver at the chains that restrained my right foreleg. I followed Breeze’s instructions to the letter and made sure not to move a muscle in my legs. My head being the only thing that moved. I shut my eyes and moved my head to the left away from where Breeze was aiming. And I waited, and I didn’t have to wait for long.

Boom! The shot from the revolver rang out. Then heard the sound of chains that held my right foreleg in place shatter. The bullet from the revolver working perfectly as intended.

The shot from the revolver didn’t go unnoticed, however, the voice from the largest stallion of the trio sound out.
“What in Tartarus!”

“Eta, stay down!” Eta ordered at me with more command in his voice than I had ever heard from him before. “I’ll handle these cronies.” Breeze said as he cocked the revolver, ready to fire the moment the stallion returned.

“Breeze, are you sure?” I asked my closest friend, he wouldn’t even fire his revolver at zombie-ponies. Nothing more than wild animals, what made him so sure that he would be able to shoot actual living and breathing ponies now.

“Yes.” Breeze said without hesitation in his voice.

“But what about before?” I asked Breeze.

“Before you weren’t being chained to the floor by ponies that don’t deserve to live!” Breeze angrily shouted as his light blue magic tightened around the pistol that he was holding. “I’m not killing ponies, Eta. I’m riding this bucked planet of some of its trash.” Breeze said to me before shifting his attention back to the pile of rubble that the largest stallion that left from. Breeze eagerly awaiting for his gray coat to poke around so that he could feel his body full of lead.

“What is Tartarus is going on here!” I heard the largest stallion said as I saw the gray color of his fur pick out from around the large pile of rubble.

I watched as Breeze’s light blue magic took on a slight green coloration. A clear sign that he was using SATS.

Then… Boom! The similar sound of a shot from the revolver sounded out. The largest didn’t know what hit him. Breeze’s bullet rang true as it went straight through the largest stallion’s neck.

“Buck!” The stallion shouted as he dropped to the ground covering the bullet hole with his hoof. He squirmed on the ground for a few seconds until his body went limp and his hoof left his neck. Me not having a doubt in my mind that he was, in fact, dead.

“And stay dead!” Breeze bitterly shouted at the dead stallion as he returned his attention back to me.

“Don’t worry, I got you covered.” He said as he quickly shot out the other chains that were holding me in place. The chains that restrained me breaking loose with a single shot from Breeze’s pistol.

I didn’t waste any time regaining my feet and was quickly back at Breeze’s side. Me sending a quick look up at the golden statue of the Alpha that was above and mouth a thank you up at him. He had answered my prayer. I had no doubt in my mind anymore, he was real and he definitely still had power.

“Breeze, pistol me!” I ordered at Breeze, returning to the role as leader of our small group. Breeze following my command and giving me the other pistol that I had in my saddlebags. Breeze also throwing my saddlebags over to me. I simply just draped the bag over my shoulders. I wasn’t going to bother going the extra time and effort in order to properly wear them again.

I quickly reloaded the pistol that Breeze had given me and sent out hunting. The sounds of hooves thundering on the tile floor being a beacon that a battle was about to commence.

“Die!” The smallest stallion shouted as he fired his revolver at the both of us. The both of us taking cover behind a large piece of rubble. Breeze was right, he was a terrible shot. The stallion only hitting the piece of rubble that we were heading behind only once, and even when he did it was only barely. He was an earth pony, after all, maybe it was just a species thing. Aiming a gun with nothing but your mouth must be difficult.

But, no matter. If he’s shooting didn’t get any better it would just make it easier for the both of us to kill him with a bullet of our own.

“You will both pay for what you have done!” I heard the smallest stallion shout as he fired another shot at us. The bullet hitting the pile rubble that we were taking cover behind as few inches from where my head was. The small section of the granite rubble cracking off at the impact.

He was getting better, damn it!

I hadn’t seen Cool Headed since he had left earlier. Maybe he had taken the gunfire as a means to get himself out a bad situation. If so then good for him, he has so far been the only stallion (outside of Breeze) to actually show any kind of kindness in the last week or so.
There weren’t any gunshots for several seconds after the last one that the stallion had fired at us.

Thinking that the stallion was busy reloaded I deemed it safe enough to peek around our cover. I quickly began to reject my life decisions as I heard another shot ring out and the force of a bullet scraping across my face hit me like

“BUCK!” I shouted as I dropped to the ground. The bullet from the stallion’s revolver having scraped passed the scales that covered my nose. The force of the impact making me lose my balance and I dropped to the ground with a thud. I wasn’t hurt that badly. The bullet doing nothing more than scratching my hard scales.

“Eta! Are you ok!” Breeze cried out as he used his magic to dragged back behind cover.

“I’m fine!” I grunted as I gritted my teeth. My veins being filled with the familiar sense of both adrenaline and rage.

“Yeah, take that you stupid bitch!” I heard that evil stallion shout in triumph behind me. And my brain snapped.

“That’s it!” I shouted as I climbed to my feet and bomb rushed around the corner of our cover. The stallion had left his own cover and was beginning to advance on our position. I guess he wasn’t expecting either of us, yet alone a dragon with scales of steel, to attack him. The stallion getting startled and dropping the revolver that was in his mouth. The revolver falling to the ground in a small crash.

I didn’t allow the stallion to recover any ground. My body slamming into his with the force of a bull at full speed. I could hear the sound of his bones cracking at the impact. A small smile spreading across my face at the sound. It was satisfying, finally I was the one giving the pain, rather than the receiving end of it.

“You like taking advantage of mare!?!” I shouted as I slammed the slammed the stallion’s body into the ground. The tile floor cracking from the impact.

“You like my them your playthings!” I shouted as I punched the stallion across the face with my right claws. My rage blindly my brain and my actions. All I knew was that he was evil and needed to die. My rage did the rest.

“You like defiling them!” I roared as I delivered another spike on the stallion’s face, this time with my left.

“Well what about now, how do you like this you sack of shit!” I shouted as tears began to feel my eyes as continued to deliver punch after punch on the stallion’s skull. The sound of the bones of his face crushing from the force of my punches being the only thing stopping me from passing out from exhaustion.

“Die, die, Die!” I shouted as I delivered my last few punches on the stallion’s face. My energy was spent. I couldn’t even move my body anymore. My vision was blurry from both my tears and the blood of the stallion whose face I had just pounded into the ground.
The stallion’s face being completely unrecognizable and looking more like a mushy pile of oatmeal than anything else. A pile of bloody red oatmeal.

“Breeze…” I whimpered as I turned away from my work. My gaze being my the open forelegs of Breeze.

I didn’t hesitate as I fell into his soft embrace. He hadn’t stopped me, he just let me let out all of my anger.

“Thank you, Breeze.” I whispered to Breeze as I tightened my grip around Breeze’s body. My small claws digging into his back. I could feel the muscles in Breeze’s shoulders tightening up as my claws dug into his skin. But he didn’t say anything.

“You’re welcome, Eta.” Breeze whispered back as he lightly kissed my forehead.

I slowly pulled out of the hug and began to walk in the direction of a set of stairs. I made sure not to step in the blood and gore of the stallion that I had just killed. I didn’t care about ‘disgracing’ his body. I just didn’t want to get any more of his bodily fluids on me. I had enough already.

“Where are you going?!?” Breeze called out to me, but I didn’t stop.

“Exploring, we have this whole place to ourselves. We might as well make the most of it!” I called back to Breeze as I turned down a corner that led up to a set of stairs that were made out of the same granite material that the rest of the Temple seemed to made out of.

“You’re the boss, boss.” Breeze said as he lightly nudged my shoulder. A small laugh coming from me as I lightly nudged him back. I don’t know what I would do without Breeze, but I knew that nowhere how far into the Pits of Tartarus we would go Breeze would be right beside me.

I was ready for whatever was going to come. And soon our little duo would grow in size. But I’m getting ahead of myself. You first would have to meet her first.

Silver Bullet, the mare that would change my life forever. In more ways than one.

Level Up! New Perk: No Pen For You!--Your body has built up an immunity to penetrations. All melee weapons that have a blade and all forms of bows have their damage reduced by half.

Author's Note

Who is Silver Bullet, well there is only one way to find out. I'll see you all next chapter.

The language that the title of the Alpha 'bible' is written is Norwegian. I used Bing translate for the title so if someone actually speaks Norwegian and knows it is wrong, please feel free to tell me.

Silver Bullet

“It Always Seems That At Darkness Of Times, That Is When You Find The Light.”

Satisfied.

That’s what I felt as I wandered through the halls of the Salt Lick City Temple. Me and Breeze no longer having to worry about assholes coming and bothering us. Me and Breeze having either killed or scared off a group of three stallions. One of which even chaining me to the ground and trying to rape me. Needless to say, it was very satisfying to see when Breeze put a bullet through that stallion’s neck. And it was even more satisfying when I put all of my rage into beating the final stallion’s skull into the ground.

Changely, I hadn’t heard anything from Breeze since I beat that stallion’s face into the ground. My claws were still covered in the smallest stallion’s blood, but I didn’t care. I could wash them properly later.

The two of us continued to rummage through the various metal and wooden boxes that were all over the Temple. Under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn’t have dared to steal from this place. But this wasn’t normal circumstances. The two of us might have been pretty well stocked with supplies already but you never know what you can come across in this shithole of the world that was outside the ‘safety’ of Stable 70.

This might have been a Temple, but as the stallion that had tried to rape me said. That was a long time ago. As much as it internally pained me to admit it. This place was no longer a Temple. The Alpha answering might have been a sign as proof that this place still had some of its great power remaining after all of these years and only Alpha knows how heinous acts that have been committed inside of its crumbling walls.
But how much of the great power still remained, I couldn’t say. As far as I was aware the Alpha answering my prayer by allowing Breeze to still be alive and willing to kill, something that I would never imagine Breeze ever being capable of doing, might have just been the last thing that the Alpha could allow happening within the Temple’s boundaries.

My thought were interrupted when I heard the voice of Breeze call out to me. “Hey, Eta!” I heard the voice of Breeze call out to me.

“What is Breeze!?!” I called back to Breeze as my lifted my head to an empty box that didn’t hold anything of that screamed ‘take me, I’m going to be worth the extra carry weight’ to me. But when I did lift my head to talk to Breeze, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Breeze!” I shouted with heavy concerning my voice, my heart rate jumping about 20 beats per minute and my body began to shake as I couldn’t for the life of me relocate my friend.

“Where did you go!” I shouted into the empty room of what must have been the chapel of the Temple. My unicorn companion still nowhere to be seen.

I felt an internal sigh of relief pass all over my body as I saw Breeze’s head poke out from around a corner.

“Over here, Eta!” Breeze called out to me with a wave of his non-Pipbuck hoof. Breeze’s horn being lit with his familiar light blue magic. Something that I labeled as strange but didn’t question any further than that.

“Come check this out, I think I found something that could surely help us.” Breeze said as he disappeared behind the corner again.

“Ok…” I said with a shaky voice as I stood up and started walking toward the hallway. I hadn’t notice the hallway before, maybe I was so busy searching through the Temple’s chapel that I just ended up missing it. I don’t know, but whatever. I guess it didn’t really matter.

It didn’t take that long for me to walk over to the hallway and I started walking down it. The hallway was dark, so dark that it required me to turn on the lamp that was on my Pipbuck. The waist-sized terminal emitting a bright purple light from its scene. It didn’t take me long to find Breeze, my unicorn companion having his horn lit up a Hearth’s Warming Tree with his light blue magic.

“What is it that you wanted to show me, Breeze?” I asked my unicorn companion.

“It’s in here.” Breeze said as he used his magic to open a door that was at the end of the hallway. The door opening with a loud creak, not a good sign, and my eyes burned as they were met by a bright light.

I quickly shut my eyes and let out a small groan as I rubbed my eyes with my un-Pipbuck hand.

“You alight, Eta?” I heard ask as I reopened my eyes. They still burned but it was as bad as before. My eyes having quickly readjusted to the new levels of light that whatever room that Breeze wanted to show me was sending them.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I said to Breeze as I rubbed both of my eyes for the last time.

“What is it that you wanted to show me?” I asked Breeze as I opened my eyes. Them having readjusted the bright light was coming from the room.

“I-It’s in here, follow me.” Breeze said as he walked through the opened doorway and into the bright room.

I followed after Breeze and was stuck with a strange sense of deja vu as I entered the room.

The room was an office, much like the office of the school that I had searched earlier that very same day.

It was just in even worse condition than the one that I found in the high school. If that was even possible.

It didn’t take me long to find out why the room was so much brighter than the hallway that led to it. Turns out that the ceiling of the office had craved in and I was able to see the grayish blanket of clouds that made up the sky above. Seeing the sky while still being in a building being strangely not weird to me. I never thought that I would be able to say that I had gotten used to seeing a hole in a ceiling and not thinking that it was weird afterward. Huh, this wasteland does some weird shit to your brain.

Anyway, aside from the office’s ceiling (or lack thereof) the floor of the room was also a complete mess. The had boxes, both metal and wooden, spread all over the floor of the office. There were mounds of pieces of paper spread across the floor. Most of the papers looking to have destroyed beyond the possibility of reading anything due to the moderately sized room’s lack of a ceiling.

While the papers that spread across the room might not have been that interesting that didn’t mean that whatever was in the boxes weren’t.

I sent a knowing look Breeze’s way and he nodded his head in response.

“You take left, I’ll take right.” I said to Breeze as we broke off to search the room for semi-needed supplies.

“Copy that, boss.” Breeze said as he followed my command. I liked the sound of that. I was a boss, the boss of a stallion at that. Take that Overmare. No matter how hard you might try to knock me down, you will never be able to be able to stop me from getting back up and fighting back.

“Maybe coming across those three stallions wasn’t such a bad thing, without them showing up we might have just left without seeing what this place had inside.” I said as I searched through my three box that was in the room. The boxes so far not having anything of great worth.

“Speaking of those three stallions. What do you think happened to the last one, the one with the messed hind leg?” I heard Breeze ask me as he closed the wooden crate that he had been searching through and trotted over to another. The office of this Temple was filled with lot. I was little surprised that any looters hadn’t taken any of this lot before we came here. Well, whatever they lose and our gain.

“I don’t know, maybe he saw the writing on the wall after you took the one tried to rape me and took to the hills. I said back to Breeze with a level of casualness that surprised myself.

“Maybe, do you think that we have to worry about him?” Breeze asked me as pulled out what looked like a small snow globe, being no bigger than an apple, out of a metal box that had the word “Private” written in bold letter on the front. Breeze must have seen some worth in the snow globe looking object as he carefully put the small object into his left saddlebag.

“I don’t think that we have to worry about him.” I said as I continued to run through the various metal and wooden boxes that were in the mane office of the Temple. Most of the boxes being filled with various religious items. You know, scriptures, robes, prayer rugs, that kind of stuff. I didn’t take any of them. I already had my set of scriptures that I had ‘saved’ and I don’t really think that a bright red long robe and prayer rug would be that effective in the wasteland.

“What makes you say that?” Breeze asked me as he closed the box that he had searching through with a loud slam.

“Because he was only one that was actually willing to help me.” I said and I could almost smell the amount of disbelief that was coming from Breeze the moment that I finished my sentence.

“What do you mean?” Breeze asked me, disbelief reeking from his words the moment that he spoke them.

“He was actually willing to help me.” I said to Breeze as I explained what had happened when I was chained down to the tile floor and how the third stallion, Cool Headed I think was his name, was willing to help me. And how he actually argued with the larger stallion to let me go.

“I see…” Breeze said, but I could sense a ‘but’ coming to quickly follow, and my senses were correct.

“But what do we do if we come across other ponies that want to kill us?” Breeze asked me, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his words.

“I don’t think we would have to worry about any kind of other aggressors for now on. And even if we come across someone else.” I said to Breeze as I used the red magic in my claws to hover the revolver that I had found in the high school only about an hour earlier into view.

“I’m pretty sure that we can handle ourselves.” I said with I’m sure a smug look appearing across my muzzle, maybe even a small blush.

“Keeping of which…” Breeze said as he stared down at his father’s pistol. “What do you want me to do with this?” Breeze asked me.

“Keep it.” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. “It was yours to begin with anyway.” I said as I walked over toward a section of the office that I hadn’t search yet. Me walking behind the desk of the mane office. My movements coming up to
“Hmm… thanks, Eta.” I heard Breeze said behind me as I searched behind the desk of the office. Me giving Breeze an affirmative ‘hmm hmm’ as ran my claws across the books of the bookcase.

My claws stopping when I went across a section of the bookcase that felt strangely different than the rest. While none of the books were in perfect condition. Most of them being an unnatural color of black and having varying degrees of water damage, these books looked to perfect. And there were three of them, all of them right to each other. The book being just about eye level and being in the center of the bookcase.

Out of curiosity, I pressed the set of three books forward. And that was when the magic happened.

The set of the three books popped out of the bookcase and fell onto the ground as one. The books seeming to have been false as none of them allowed you to open their pages.

The bookcase than began to change. The bookcase widening until it had grown a solid two feet wider. The bookcase barely fitting without scraping up against the walls of the office. The shelf of the bookcase that had held the three books that had started this whole process moving up until it hit the shelf that was above it.

I then heard the unmistakable sound of scraping metal as this strange process continued. The scraping being an horizontal elevator as a small metal box came into my vision from the blackness of the large hole that had been formed in bookcase.

It was a safe! What would a Temple have any need for a safe. Especially one that was hidden so expertly. This wasn’t a normal safe that some behind a picture that everyone knew held a safe. This was hidden behind a mechanical mechanism that most would completely miss. I was just lucky and found the right set of books.

Maybe it was where they held all of their money from tithing. But even if that was the case. This safe was complete overkill. The safe having been made out of heavy duty steel that looked to still be in good condition, despite having gone through a megaspell explosion.

I had tried some lockpicking in my youth, only as a means of revealing boredom. I never stole from anyone, pony, or dragon. But even so, my lockpicking was on small wooden chests, and that was years ago. This was a high-end safe designed to keep out lotters like myself out and whatever goodings that it held in.

Maybe Breeze would have better luck than me when it came to this, and it didn’t hurt to just ask. So that’s actually what I did.

“Breeze, how good are you at lockpicking?” I asked my unicorn companion. A look of confusion appearing on his face at my question.

“Not really, I never tried anything of the sort.” Breeze said offhandedly. “Why do you ask?” Breeze asked his own question as he started maneuvering around the many either empty or otherwise useless boxes that were scattered all over the office of the Temple.

“Because I have found a locked safe and I don’t see any kind of key to opening it.” I said to Breeze

“Are you sure that it is locked?” Breeze asked me and my muzzle dropped into a disappointed frown. I couldn’t tell if Breeze was just being sarcastic or if he was really being serious in his question. Either way, he wasn’t helping in the slightest.

“Yes.” I said as I turned the handle for opening the safe to prove my point. The handle doing a half turn and then there was a loud clang of metal. The clang of metal being the safe unlocking, or just allowing me entry to whatever goodies were held within.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I said wide-eyed as I effortly swung the door of the safe open.

I went right to search the contents of the safe. My movements came to a halt as I sensed with my very core that a sarcastic comment was going to be coming from Breeze at any moment. A moment that I wasn’t going to allow him to have.

“Shut it, Breeze!” I shouted at Breeze as I held up one of claws.

“I didn’t say anything.” Breeze said in as I saw him hold up his forehooves in self-defense.

“Yes, but I know you wanted to.” I said as turned on the lamp of my PIpbuck to help in my search of the safe contents.
Breeze was silent for a few seconds before he finally spoke.

“I guess you’re right.” Breeze said after some time passed and I heard the usual sounds of hooves hitting the ground as he walked away. Me assuming to search anymore boxes that we might I have missed.

The safe was much larger than I had expected it to be. Me not being able to reach the back of the safe, even when I stretched my forelegs as far as they could go.

The safe that was hidden in the bookcase must have been nearly as big as I was, and properly weigh just as much.
The began my search of the safe by scanning through the many papers that were at the front of the safe or had fallen onto the ground when I opened it.

None of the papers being really that interesting, but one thing that caught my eyes about almost all of them, only a few being an exception, they had almost nothing to do with the Temple or religious practices. Instead, most of them, were about troop deployments during the Great War. One piece of paper, from what I could gather from a light scan, was an naval order to the fleet of the Dragon Empire to something that went by the name of the Omega, maybe it was a ship. The Omega having the orders of finding the Caesar of the Zebra Empire. How a ship would be capable of finding the Caesar of the Zebra Empire, I had no idea. I was still confused as to why the most famous Temple in the Dragon Empire had military orders in a massive safe that was hidden inside of a bookcase.

Maybe the Temple had been turned into a base operations for the military of the Dragon Empire during the war. That was the most likely reason, even though it was a reason that I didn’t want to believe. How bad had the war became for the higher ups in the Empire’s military to be forced into using a bucking Temple.

But that was an issue for another date and time. If this was a safe for military document, and rather big one at that, maybe it had more helpful items for our journey. And oh boy, was I right.

I continued to search through the contents of the safe until one of my claws hit something that didn’t feel like it was made out of paper. A ‘thunk’ sound happening everything I hit whatever I had just found.
“What in Tartarus.” I thought outloud as I found what felt like a carrying handle on the top of whatever I had found. I must have found some kind of crate. The contents of which I was still yet to discover.

“What did you find?” Breeze asked me as he trotted back to where I was currently searching the contents of the office’s safe.

“I don’t Breeze, could give lend a little bit of your magic in getting this thing out.” I said to Breeze.

“Sure, one second Eta.” Breeze said as he trotted over to where I was currently sitting on the ground and doing my best to get whatever I had found out of the safe.

“Ok, I’m here.” Breeze said as he sat down next to me and lit his horn up with his light blue magic. Me being able to feel his magic wrap around the strange box/crate thing that I had found in the safe.

“This that want you are looking for?” Breeze asked me as I felt his magic tighten around crate.

“Hmm… that’s it.” I answered with an affirmative nod of my head.

“Alright, on three we both pull at the same time.” Breeze said as he ready to help me pull whatever I had just found out of the safe.

“On three.” I said as I wrapped my claws around the sides of the box/crate that I had found.

“One.” Breeze said

“Two.” I said less than a second after Breeze spoke.

“Three!” The both of us said in unison and we both began to pull. Me with the muscles in my forelegs and Breeze with the power of his magic.

With the combined power of both my muscles and Breeze’s magic it didn’t take long until whatever had found began to break the confines of the metal safe.

From what I could see, I was right. What I had found was some kind of crate. A green one to be exact.

“One more time, on three.” I said to Breeze while breathing heavily. Who knew that simply getting a single crate out of a safe could be so taxing. Maybe I was just really out of shape. Probably the later, but whatever.

Anyway, Breeze gave me another silent nod of his head.

“One.” I said, starting off the countdown this time around.

“Two.” Breeze said less than a second after I spoke.

“Three!” The both of us said in unison and we both began to pull again. This time was the charm. The green crate sliding out of the crate and falling onto the ground of the office with

“Way to go, Breeze.” I said as I tried to regain my breath as I held out a closed fist to Breeze. Breeze accepting my gesture by tapping my fist with his left hoof.

“You alright, Eta?” Breeze asked me as I slide the crate a few more feet across the floor.

“I’m fine, I just…” I said to Breeze while holding up a thumbs up. I was still trying to catch my breath. But I was doing better than before. “I just really should’ve went to the gym more before leaving the Stable.” I said to Breeze as I lay on top of the green crate. Breeze and I both sharing in a short laugh.

“Now…” I said as I regained both the control of my breathing and my composure. “Let’s see what’s inside this thing.” I said to Breeze as I looked down at the crate that I was currently sitting on top of.

I didn’t have any fear of the crate breaking underneath my weight. The crate being out of a heavy duty plastic that had been painted green with golden latches made out of the same heavy duty plastic on the side of the crate that kept it closed and sealed from the elements. This thing was as military grade as the safe that it had come out of. This crate being designed to withstand far more punishment than a single young adult dragon mare sitting on top of it.

“After you, boss.” Breeze said to me, a small smile spreading across my face at his words. I was probably also blushing, but I didn’t care.

“Is you calling me boss going to become a regular thing, Breeze?” I asked Breeze as I hopped off the crate.

“It can be if you want it to be.” Breeze said back as I kneeled and prepare to open the latches that held the green crate closed.

“Hmm…” I mused as I scratched my lower chin with my index claw on my right claw.

“I could used to it, but I still like being called by my name.” I said to Breeze, my unicorn companion just shrugging his shoulders in response.

“Now, let’s see what this thing has to hide.” I said as I shifted my attention back to the green crate was resting in front of me. Me opening the golden latches that were on the side of the crate. The latches of the crate opening with a small snap.

The crate opened with a small creak. I opened the crate completely and then I froze. I couldn’t believe what was in this crate. I probably wouldn’t believe what this crate held even if we were both on an actual military base, yet alone a former Temple.

“What is it?” Breeze asked me as he trotted up to me.

I didn’t respond, I was in too much shock. What was in front surprised more than anything that I had seen in the Temple.

The crate held a gun, and not just any gun. This gun wasn’t like the small revolvers that me and Breeze both had. No, this was a rifle. And not the tiny BB rifles that I saw fillies and colts play with when I was just a hatchling. I had asked my mother with I could have, but that was when I learned that dragons weren’t allowed to have firearms of any kind in Stable 70.

But those fillies and colts could go fuck themselves. They might have had little BB guns to play with but I have a real rifle.

“It’s a rifle.” I said to Breeze as I pick up the rifle in my claws and brought up into Breeze’s field of vision.

“A rifle!” Breeze exclaimed as I held the rifle in my claws. Breeze having the same amount of surprise, maybe even more, than I did in finding a battle rifle in an office of a Temple.

The rifle was definitely dragon made as it had a trigger that was designed to fired by a creature that had claws, unlike the strange mouth triggers that the two pony made revolvers had. The trigger was closer to the pistol that I fired in my dream. The trigger being contented to a long pistol grip that was covered in a black leather that allowed me to wrapped my paw completely around it. I also couldn’t see a pony being able to create a weapon that was so beautiful to the eyes.
The rifle was long, easily three and a half feet in length. The rifle being much longer than any other BB rifle that I had ever seen. It was also much heavier. While most BB rifles I had seen in my youth were made out of wood this was made out of steel, aluminum, and type of plastic that reminded me of the plastic that the crate that protected it was made of. The barrel of the rifle was long and slender, the barrel having a small muzzle brake that had three small holes that were drilled into each side at the end of it. The rifle’s claw guard being made out of a brown colored hard plastic that had three holes cut into the top of it. The holes being so that it didn’t overheat during continuous fire. The rifle having a long box magazine located a few inches from the front of the trigger. The stock of the rifle being made out a the same heavy duty plastic as the claw guard.

“Why would a Temple have a rifle!” Breeze exclaimed as I held the rifle in my claws. My claws running across the plastic and leather of the rifle. Breeze shouting as if he was me.

“Does it really matter, Breeze?” I asked my unicorn companion as I used the strap the came with the rifle to wrapped the rifle around my right shoulder.

“What do you mean?!?” Breeze asked with complete shock in his voice.
“While, true, I am just as surprised as you are that a Temple would having something like this.” I said as I pointed my index claw on my right foreleg at the long battle rifle that was strapped to my shoulder.

“Does it really matter?” I asked Breeze a rhetorical question as I continued to speak to him.

“Is it really that important how or why that there is a rifle in this Temple. All that matters is that there is a rifle and based on what we have come across in the short amount time that we have been up here, I would say that we need something that can take out anyone that tries to kill us, at a distance.” I said to Breeze. He was still a little physically shaking around me having gained a battle rifle from a crate that was in a safe that hidden inside the office of a damn Temple. I understood his uneasiness. Tartarus, I was even internally uneasy at the idea of a Temple having a battle rifle hidden in its mane office.

“I guess you got a point, Eta.” Breeze said with a shrug as he began to trot of toward the door of the small office.
“Where are you going?” I asked Breeze as I stood up, gathered up any extra ammunition that was also in the crate (there was three extra magazines filled with ammo), and closed the crate and kicked it back toward the opened safe that it had come from.

“I’m leaving Eta, it seems that there’s nothing left that could benefit us in the long run in this place.” Breeze said back to me as I stood back up. “That is, unless you think it is still worth searching the rest of the Temple?” Breeze asked me, putting me into deep thought.

I look one long look at the remains of the Temple’s office, all of the boxes inside either having already been searched and their contents taken by either Breeze or myself or were empty. I didn’t want to leave the Temple, despite what had gone down in here, either it being in this radiated or whatever in the fiery pits of Tartarus happened in this place when the Dragon Empire was still actually a thing.

But I knew, even though I didn’t like it, that Breeze was right. He always seemed to be, I guess that would make him the logical one of the group. I guess that would make me that the mentally unstable one of the group that always managed to get herself hurt. Huh, that’s sounds about accurate.

“Huh, I guess you’re right Breeze.” I said with a sigh of defeat. “Lead the way.” I said to Breeze as I followed after him out of the office. Breeze using his magic to close the door behind us.

“So, what now.” I heard Breeze ask me as we continued to walk through the ruined streets that used to make up Salt Lick City. The two of us wondering through the leftover streets after leaving the Temple literally behind us.

“I don’t know.” I said to Breeze with shrug. I continued walking in front of Breeze as the both of us walked out from around a corner and into an opened area.

That was when everything changed.

BOOM!

The sound of high-powered rifle firing shattered the calmness of the evening air. Less than second later I felt something big and unbelievably fast tearing through my back. My armored scales making almost no resistance as the bullet from whatever had just shot me torn through them and down to my underlying meaty flesh like a hot knife through butter.

“SHIT!” I grunted in pain as hit the ground in loud thud. I could feel my blood running down my back as felt the soft magic of Breeze wrap around my body and begin to lift off of the ground.

“Eta, are you alright!?!” I heard Breeze asked me as dragged me into cover behind a pile of rubble using his magic. The pile of rubble being made out of a thick piece of concrete. The slab of concrete was several feet high and probably acted as a military barrier. Despite being made of heavy concrete, it didn’t seem to give that much protection from what was shooting at the both of us. A large junk of the concrete barrier that we were both hiding behind being shot off as another shot that sounded like a tornado went off.

“No, I just got bucking shot!” I cursed as I winced in pain. What the had shot having torn straight through the scales of my back. If you didn’t know you probably think that my back had been cut by some kind of sharp sword. But no, I had just been shot.

Whatever that had hit me, must have been a really power rifle. A rifle that would put even one that I had found inside the Temple to shame.

“Don’t worry Eta, you’re going to be alright.” Breeze said with panic all over his voice as he threw his saddlebag on the ground and began to dig through its contents.

“Are you sure?” I grunted in pain as I heard even more sounds of gunfire going off in the distance.

“Yes, just hold still.” Breeze said as he stood above me as he used his teeth to bite off a long piece of medical gaze and began to wrap it around the area where the bullet from the sniper rifle that had ripped through my scales and flesh on my flesh. Breeze also having upwards of five magically enhanced bandages hovering above the ground in his light blue magical aura.

“The shot came from over here!” I heard the voice of someone that I didn’t recognize called off from the distance.

“Was it a sniper?” I heard another voice say off in the distance.

“Does it matter, maybe we can have a little bit of fun before we feast.”

“Breeze, wasn’t going on?!? Tell me?” I asked Breeze as groaned in pain.

“It doesn’t matter, what matters is making sure that we can stopping the bleeding.” Breeze said as he continued to wrapped the protective gaze over the wound on my back.

“Breeze! Behind you!” I shouted as I saw the crazed haired pony pointing a rifle at my best friend’s head.

“SHIT!” Breeze cursed as he whipped his body around to face his attackers. Breeze dropping the remaining bandages that he was holding in his magic and

Breeze standing protectively in front of me and everything seemed to slow down at that moment. Everything seeming to go in slow motion.

I could see the pony that was attacking Breeze slowly raising and aiming his rifle at Breeze. I could see Breeze in turn aiming his revolver at the attacking pony. I could see the individual chambers of the revolver that Breeze was carrying turning as he magically pulled back the hammer of the weapon.

That was when I realized something. Something that brought tears to my eyes.

Breeze was willing to die for me, he was willing to stand in front of a pony with a rifle and get shot, to protect me.
I couldn’t bear seeing my friend getting hurt, because of me. Good thing I didn’t have to. Because just as the pony that was attacking Breeze was about to fire that was a loud...

Boom!

The shot from something that wasn’t the revolver that Breeze was carrying went off. The gunshot being much louder than Breeze’s revolver but not as loud as the sniper rifle that had ripped through my scales. Then the head of pony that was pointing a rifle a Breeze exploded in an explosion of blood and brain matter. The headless body hitting the ground with a loud thud and splat.

That was when a flash of gray entered my vision. It was a pony. A unicorn to be exact. The gray unicorn taking cover behind the same concrete barrier that we were using as cover.

The pony was a gray unicorn that was about the same size as Breeze, maybe a little bit smaller. The pony having two-tone light and dark blue mane that was both dirty and messing. The pony having a pair navy blue eyes.

“Don’t point that blasted thing at me.” The gray unicorn said to Breeze. Me being taken a little back as the voice that came out of the pony was very different than what I had expected.

The pony was a mare.

A mare that had a slight exotic accent that I didn’t recognize. None of the other ponies that had come across down in Stable 70 speaking with an accent that was similar to the gray mare that had just saved not just Breeze, but also my own life.

Breeze followed the mare’s orders and slowly lowered his pistol.

“I’m here to help both of your sorry arses.” She said to Breeze before returning her attention back to the group of armed ponies that were advancing on our location.

“Now, keep your heads down loves.” The mare said as she reloaded her two pistols. Both of them looking to be the same type and model. The pistols looking similar to the one that I had fired in my dream, just much, much bigger.

This also being the fight time that I noticed that the mare was also wearing pair of saddlebags that were similar to our own. The mare having a belt of high caliber rifle rounds wrapping around her body. The mare also having the barrels of two rifles sticking out of her saddlebags.

“I’ll take care of these raiders.” She said as she ran out of the corner, both of her pistols blazing away.

“It’s her!” I heard a pony shout off in the distance.

“Open fire!” I heard another pony shout in a grave voice as even more gunfire erupted into the air. The gunfire being deafening.

“What now?” I asked Breeze as I grunted in pain. The sounds of more and more gunshots going off overhead.

“Nothing, don’t worry Eta. You are going to be fine, just hold still.” Breeze said to me as bite off another piece of his magically enhanced bandages.

“This gray pony looks to be saving our flanks right now.” Breeze continued to speak, more to himself, as he wrapped his bandages over my injured back.

The gray pony jumping back over the concrete barrier and taking cover behind it. The mare ducking down low to the ground, making sure to not show any part of her body to the incoming fire.

This mare had some kind of expert training at some point in her life. Her movements were to suffocated, too perfect. Too…

“Shite!” The gray mare cursed in her fancy accent. An accent that I found oddly… cute.

“These bloody raiders, they’re being tougher than I thought.” She said to herself as she reloaded her massive pistols. The pistols hovering on each side of her head in her magical aura.

“Raiders, what are those?” I asked the gray mare as I grunted in pain again. My back roaring with indescribable pain.

My words seemed to have broken the mare’s concentration for just a second as she turned her head to look directly at me. The mare’s beautiful dark blue eyes staring directly at me. The mare having a look of confusion and almost disgust on her muzzle. The look that was mare was sending me hurt me to the core, or maybe to was just the massive gash that had in my back, I couldn’t tell.

“Raiders are insane ponies that are all over this shitehole of a wasteland.” The mare explained to the both of us as more shots rained down on our position.

If I knew anything about these ‘raiders’ already, they were terrible shots.

“They are all shot first ask question never kind of blokes. You can’t talk to them, you can only hope that you are better armed and armored than they are.” The mare said, her playful tone evaporating. She was being serious, she wasn’t telling me information for later logging. She was warning, and her message was received

“Good thing I have always won in that regard.” She said, her playful tone returning as quickly as it had left.

“Are you two Stable Dwellers?” The mare asked the both of us, her seeming to notice the bright blue jumpsuit that Breeze was wearing for the first time since had come into contact with us.

“Yes, we are both former resistants of Stable 70.” Breeze answered.

“Stable 70, wait that thing is actually real. I thought it was just some cockamamie legend that raiders and crazy travelers told.” The mare said as another shot rang out. The mare letting out a high-pitched yelp as she dropped to the ground.

“Shite!” She shouted as she covered her ear with her hoof, small drops of her red blood hitting the cracked cement. The mare groaning in pain as she muffled some curses under her breath.

“Are you alright?” Breeze asked the mare, taking his medical focus away from me and over to the newly injured mare.

“I’m fine love, that bastard just grazed me.” She said as she lowered her hoof away from her ear. The bleeding seemed to have stopped. The mare’s gray hoof having turned a slight shade of red from her own blood.

“I’ve gone hoof to claws with a Hellhound before, this is nothing.” She said with a small laugh. I didn’t know what a Hellhound was, but in the manner that she spoke of it I could tell that they something that you didn’t buck with.

“You blokes, got to do better than that you want to take me down!” She shouted off into the distance. Her words getting around the barrage of gunfire in response. The mare letting out a hearty laugh as she took cover behind the safety of the concrete barrier.

“Was that really necessary?” Breeze asked the mare with a raise of one of his eyebrows.

“Of come on mate, you gotta let a mare have her fun.” She said with another small laugh. Breeze rolling his eyes at the gray mare in response, him only getting another laugh from the mare.

I liked this pony, she was fun.

“We can all get properly acquainted and all after this is after with.” The mare said as she looked was about

“Agreed.” Breeze said with a single head nod, a nod that was copied by the gray mare.

She looked like she was about ready to head back out from cover, but then she stopped. Her eyes falling unto me. I felt my body heat up, even hotter than usual. It was a strange sensation. Why was she looking at me. She was the expert on all things above the surface. And I was injured, what did want. Tell me!

“Yeah, are you using that?” She finally asked. The mare pointing one of her pistols at the rifle that I had wrapped my shoulder.

“No, I’m not really in the health for combat.” I said to the mare as another zap of pain rushed through my body.

“Great, can I borrow for a second.” The mare said holding out her left hoof.

“Sure…” I began to say, the mare’s indigo eyes widening at my words. “But on one condition.” I said, the mare’s eyes quickly returning to their original size.

“Ok, what’s that?” The mare asked me, with a look of confusion appearing on her cute muzzle.

“What’s your name, if you’re going to risk your life to save ours. Then I would like to, at least, now your name.” I said to the mare, her look of confusion quickly warping into a small smile of happiness.

“Silver Bullet, that’s my name love.” She said with a smile that warmed my heart, even more so than usual.

“That’s all I needed to hear. And the name’s Eta, and this is my friend ” I said as let the rifle dropped to the ground. The rifle not even hitting the concrete group as the mares magic wrapped the rifle and she quickly returned to her role as our savior.

“Pleasure to meet the both of you, hopefully we will be able to survive long enough to become acquainted further.” Silver Bullet said as she cocked my battle rifle. The grey mare quickly switching back to the hardened traveler that must of had some kind of professional training at some point in her life.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Silver Bullet said more to herself than to either of us.

She then took a deep breath and turned her head slightly so that she was facing the both of us directly and she spoke to us.

“If I’m not back in five minutes, then well…” She began to say becoming silent. The mare seemingly beginning to realize something, and I think I know exactly what it was.

“We understand, good luck… Silver Bullet.”

“The same to you, loves…” Silver Bullet said to the both of us, before pausing slightly and shifting her indigo eyes so that she was looking directly at me.

“And I’m sorry.” She said speaking directly to me. I don’t know what she meant by her words, but I nodded my head in response anyway.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” She said as she did a dodge roll out from the concrete barrier that she was hiding behind and immediately started opening fire with the battle rifle that I had found not even an hour earlier.

The rifle was loud, like, really loud.

I felt my muscles tense up, which brought a zap of pain as the damaged muscles of my back found it was a start idea too also join in my body’s reactions.

The recoil of the rifle was also very strong as the mare also had to use her magic in order to stop the weapon from raising too high.

“Shite!” She shouted as quickly rolled back into cover.

“What’s wrong?” Breeze asked Silver Bullet.

“I’m out love. I need another clip.” She said quickly as she expertly through the spent magazine out of the rifle and tossed unceremoniously onto the cracked concrete sidewalk.
“Breeze, I have more ammo in my bag.” I grunted in pain. “The left side.” I continued as Breeze heeded my words.
“Copy that Eta.” Breeze said as she rummaged through my saddlebags. Him pulling out two magazines filled with the rifle's ammunition.

“Thanks love, and don’t worry. I’ll get us out of this.

“Us?” I asked the mare. I mean sure, she helping Breeze and me out of a sticky situation was great but, was their really any us, in this situation. Had Silver Bullet really just added herself to our little group.

“Why of course, we are in on this together love. And if we make it through this. I would more than glad to show the both of you the ropes of how not to die this shitehole of a wasteland.” Silver Bullet said to me with a warm smile.

“But before any of that. I got a job ta’ do.” She said as she did a dodge roll out from the cover of the concrete barrier and started opening fire.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three shots from my battle rifle sounded off. The three shots being quickly followed by three screams in agony.

“You bitch!” One of the raiders cried out in pain.

“You’re welcome, love!” Silver Bullet shouted back as she continued to open fire.

The Raiders than began to return fire. Silver doing another dodge roll back behind cover as she was fired upon.

The Raiders weapons sounding like nothing more than pop guns in comparison to my new battle rifle. It certainly is a great find, at least when in the hooves of a trained fighter.

“How many are left?” Breeze asked Silver Bullet.

“Two, maybe three.” She said with a little uncertainty in her voice. “Don’t worry loves, I got this.” Silver Bullet said to Breeze as she did another

“Is that you all cockers got!” She shouted standing up.

“Just another shitty day in the Dragon Wasteland.” Silver Bullet said more to herself as she casually trotted back to where I and Breeze were currently hiding behind cover.

“Is that all of them?” Breeze asked as he helped me to my feet. A feat that was harder than it seems as I was nearly double his size and weight.

And I’m not fat.

“I think so, and even if it’s not. I think they got the message not to mess with the three of us for the time being.” Silver Bullet said to Breeze as she assisted him in helping me to my feet.

Silver Bullet lifting me up from my right shoulder as Breeze lifted from my left.

“Can you walk, love?” Silver Bullet asked me.

“Maybe.” I said shaking off the assistance of both Breeze and Silver Bullet.

I could still walk, it felt like I was walking on lava, but I could still walk.

“Alrighty then. Follow me, I got a place where we can mend that nasty wound of yours, love.” Silver Bullet said with a pleasant smile on her muzzle. Her satisfied with my slight limp.

Then again, a slight limp is probably nothing compared to some of the shit that she has seen throughout her life.

“How far is it, I don’t want Eta out in open for any longer than she has to be.

“Breeze, I’m fine… ugh… I’ve been through worse and come out just fine.” I said to Breeze with a slight groan as a zap of fine rushed over my body.

“No, your not Eta. And if you're referring to happened in the Stable you were out for a week and almost died, twice.” Breeze said to me, his words being a massive wake up call to me. He hadn’t told me how long I had been out, yet alone that I had nearly died. Twice.

“Relax, loves. My flat’s not that far. You won’t have to walk for a few minutes, tops. I promise.” Silver Bullet said, changing the subject. Thankfully.

“And why should we even trust you? You could just be leading us into an ambush.” Breeze asked Silver Bullet. I understood why he was being cautious around our new ‘friend’ here. But he was taking this a little too far. Silver Bullet had just saved the both of our lives. She had earned the right for us to take her at her words.

“I just saved the both of your lives without asking for a reward, just because it was the right thing to do. Trust me, most others wouldn’t give a shite about you. Leaving ya to just be another victim to this shitehole of a wasteland.” Silver Bullet said to Breeze. Her words seeming to be affective against my unicorn friend as the muscles in his shoulders relaxed.

“You have… no reason to not trust me, love.” Silver Bullet said to me with a slight pause. I acknowledged her pause mentally but didn’t question it any further.

“Alright, lead the way.” Breeze said with a heavy sigh, submitting defeat. At least, externally.

“Excellent, follow me. My flat isn’t far.” Silver Bullet said holstering her weapons. My new battle rifle wrapping around her neck from its sling. Silver Bullet making a ‘follow me’ motion with her right hoof.
The two of us did as she command. Me slowing following after the silver mare. I could walk just fine, aside from a few zaps of pain from the wound on my back.

But despite of my perfect, given the circumstances, walking ability. Breeze still stayed close to my side. I guess, just in case, I fell. At least he cared, that’s a good sign, right?

And that is how I met Silver Bullet, a silver mare that would quickly become the most important creature that I had ever come into contact with throughout my travels through this wasteland.

And I still alot more stories to tell, but that is a matter for another chapter.

Level up! New Perk: Scavenger-- You luck in the wasteland seems to have turned for the better. As a result you will find more ammo in crates and off the corpses of your fallen enemies.

New Companion added, companion name Silver Bullet: You now have your second companion. Your perception increases by one point automatically and you can now call on Sweet Breeze for support in battle, combat training, and moral support.

New Weapon Added: Alpha’s Hammer: A powerful battle rifle that you found in a crate while searching through the Temple of SLC. This weapon gives you a +50% chance of crippling the limbs of all enemies that you come across through the wasteland. This weapon can be given to your companions.

Author's Note

I apologize for how long that it took me to write this chapter. I hope to have the next chapter is done much sooner.

The scavenger perk that Eta gets at the end of this chapter is meant to function similarly to the Scrounger perk from Fallout 4.