Project New Dawnby TacticalDisadvantageChaptersA flying contraptionIt's a dangerous world out thereDragon LairA flying contraptionWhen I was a little filly, me and my friends used to play in a crashed bomber. My parents told me that it was a flying machine, capable of soaring through the sky with ease, and dropping mighty explosives onto everything it flew over. Once a mighty war machine, that ponies feared the sight of, was now left in a green field, slowly rusting away. Most of the equipment was scrapped off for parts. We never thought of it much before, thinking it was there since the beginning of time. We acted like we were actually flying it, even though we never saw a flying plane once in our lives. Back then, I was still learning how to fly, so that was the closest experience I had of flying. A lot of my memories are tied to that bomber. It's where I had my childhood fantasies, made new friends, fell in love for the first time and had my first kiss. It was my favorite place, and I spent a lot of time there, not knowing of what horrors that thing brought to my parents, their friends and so many others. "Rainfire!" Someone shouted my name "Yes, mom?!" I replied "Come back, dinner's ready!" my mom said I realized how hungry I actually was. I returned to my house and entered the kitchen. My dad, my two brothers were waiting for me. And someone I didn't recognize at first. "Grandma!" I shouted and hugged her "Hey, sweetie! I haven't seen you in a long time! My, my, you really grew up in the past......how long was it?" She asked "12 years." I replied "I remember when you were just a filly! You were five when I left." My grandma said "I know! It's so good to see you again!" "Okay, folks, the dinner is served!" My mother said and placed a big plate of Ravioli on the table. It must be easier to do stuff like that when you're an unicorn,you can levitate stuff around, we others just have to struggle and drop things every time. We started eating. My brothers were throwing food at each other. Disgusting idiots. But I love them regardless. My mom was so tired of their bullshit that she didn't even try to stop them. "So, what's up with you?" My grandmother asked me suddenly. "Uhhhhhh....nothing.." I replied "I know there is something. You can't hide it from me, girl. Is it a handsome stallion?" She asked one of THOSE questions. "Yes, there is!" My little brother said before I could answer. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled at him "Rainfire! Don't swear!" My dad said "Cut her a little slack, will you? You were even worse! I remember one time you yelled that in the class at your friend!" My grandmother saved me "Yeah, I remember that!" My mother joined the conversation. My mom and dad went to the same school. "Mom, please...." My dad tried to escape. "He had to sit on the corn crops for the rest of the class!"- She continued. My dad stood up and left the room, embarrassed. "Rainfire has a boyfriend, Rainfire has a boyfriend!" My brothers started singing "Yes, Thunder Wing, she has, but do you have your special somepony or you don't like girls?" My grandmother asked my older brother Thunder Wing stood up and also left the room. My younger brother was smart enough and decided to keep his snout shut for the rest of the dinner. I love my grandmother. The rest of the night was peaceful. We finished the dinner and we went to sleep. I had school early tomorrow. I hated school, but there I could be next to Moonlight Hunter. My god, I actually fell in love? It was really early in the morning and I couldn't sleep. I just stared at the ceiling for hours, thinking about life. I know I will be like a zombie today if I don't get some sleep, but I just can't. I've decided to go for a flight. I'm not the best flier, but I enjoy it. It'll be quick, and I will return just in time for school. Area around my town Is filled with interesting places, mostly abandoned structures from before the war. I've never had courage to explore one of them, but now I was determined to see what kind of secrets they offer. They always taught us NOT to go past the river. I never did. Not because I wanted to obey their orders or something, but because nothing was there. Just plain desert, for miles and miles. Mountains switched place with fields, occasional buildings made of some kind of weird stone could be seen. One of them seemed to have a huge hole in the wall. I landed right in front of it. There was a light, dimly shining inside, like it was summoning me to go inside. At first I was hesitating to step hoof inside, but I did. It was mostly empty, but I wanted to see what that light was. At the end of the hallway there was some kind of screen in the wall, like the one we have in the town hall, just smaller. Out of curiosity, I read what's written on it. "EQ-TEK FINANCIAL LOGS FOR THE YEAR 5167." I don't know what that means, so I didn't bother. The rest of this floor was empty, the building was really tall, and I had no time to explore it. It was time to return home and catch some sleep. I was getting close to the town, and something seemed odd. There was smoke coming from the town hall. It was on fire! I was flying as fast as I could to get there. I landed in front of my house, to wake up my parents to tell them that there's fire, but the door was wide open. On the kitchen floor was my mother's body, lying in a pool of blood. "MOM!" I cried She was dead. I ran upstairs, but the whole house was empty. I could hear loud noises from the town square, and people screaming. On the square were machines standing on their rear legs, shooting everybody there with guns. I've never seen a gun in real life, but now they were everywhere! "RAINFIRE, QUICK, GET IN!!!" Somebody shouted from the school I quickly ran inside, before the machines could see me. Everypony was hiding beneath the tables, except for my teacher, Lunar Aura. "Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked me "I...I am, but my mom is......" I couldn't finish the sentence because I started crying "Everything will be okay, sweetie." She said and hugged me " But now we need you to warn the other settlements about the attack!" "M..me? Why me?" I was confused "We need to spread the information quickly, and you're the only pegasus that's still alive." She replied "Only one? But...but what about Thunder Wing? What about my dad?" She didn't reply, but her face told me everything. I cried again. "Look, sweetie. I know It's hard, but we need you right now." Lunar Aura said "I...I don't know If i'm capable...." "If you weren't capable, I wouldn't even ask you to do this." "Okay. I will do it, but where's my little brother?" I asked "I don't know." She said "O...okay....What do I do? Go to the Federation?" "That's a bad Idea...." "Why?" I asked "This is the Federation." Lunar Aura replied It's a dangerous world out thereI was sitting in a corner, thinking about the whole situation. My parents are dead, Thunder Wing is dead, I don't know where my brother is, and now they want me to go and warn the outside world. Why did this even happen? What do these machines want? Not to mention that I've never been past the Null Channel, nor I know what's out there. Suddenly one filly hugged my legs. "Rainfire?" She asked "What is it, Honey Cake?" I asked her "Are you going to help us?" "Of course I will, don't worry." I said and hugged her "I'm sorry about your parents." She said "I'll be fine, don't worry about a thing." I said even though that's probably not true "Yo, R. Come here." Moonlight Hunter said Good thing my fur is red so they won't notice me blush while talking to him. "Y...Yes?" I asked him "Just so you know, I appreciate this. We all do. I know I've been an asshole to you in the past, but...look, I'm sorry." He said "It....it's okay..." I said. Smooth as fuck. It would probably be a good idea to tell him what I feel for him now, because there is a good chance that I won't come back alive, but I had no courage. They gave me a bag of food and supplies for a few days and told me to look for a place called New Belreen. "Wait, before you go!" Wild Metal, our town tinkerer said "What is it, mister Wild Metal?" I asked him He handed me a shiny black slab with a single button on the bottom. "Keep that. It will help you a lot." he added "Wait, what is this?" I asked him "It's a computer. It has a navigational system in it. You'll find it easier to navigate Equestria with it." He explained "Ummm, thank you." I said "When you warn the rest, there will be no point in coming back here." He said "What? Why?" I was confused "Because we will probably be all dead by the time you reach the Null Channel." "But I told those fillies I will get help....." "Well, too bad. Those robots are programmed to kill on sight. To them, there's no difference between you, me, and children." "And you won't tell them that they will kill you all?" "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! The closest settlement is called New Balreen. Go there. Look, just be safe. It's a dangerous world out there, especially for a filly like you." "I'm not a filly!" I argued "To me you are. I don't like making somebody that young risk their life like that but we don't have any other choice" "I understand." I said and went to the door "WAIT!" Moonlight Hunter said and came up to me "Rainfire....I....I..." He stuttered Oh god. "I don't know how to tell this to you but...." Say it so I don't have to! Come on! "I think I...look, I love you. I've never loved somebody like I love you, but I've never had courage to say it. You can laugh but, that's just how it is." He said My face turned into a big smile. I kissed him on the cheek. That gave me the determination I needed for this stupid "quest". I opened the door and closed it behind me. One of the robots turned around and looked straight at me. "TARGET DETECTED" It said in metal voice "Oh, shoot...." I slowly said "TARGET MARKED AND ACQUIRED. OPENING FIRE" I spread my wings and zoomed right past them before they started shooting. There were bullets flying very close to my head, but they all missed....fortunately. Soon, I was out of their range. I started laughing. I was so grateful that I survived that mess I forgot all the horrors for a second. The Null Channel is called that because everything past that is a plain desert. Nothing. And now I'm here, on the shore. I was staring at the nothingness for a few seconds. I suddenly felt a pain in my leg. I got hit. I was so under pressure I didn't even notice one of the robots' bullets actually hit me. I didn't know how to treat the wound alone, and the first aid kit that was in my bag was a bit too basic for that. Suddenly, I saw somebody moving among the trees behind me. It was one of the robots! It approached me and looked me straight in the face. I was so scared I didn't even try to fly away. "INITIATING SCAN." It said and stared at me for a few seconds "SCAN COMPLETED. SPECIES: PONY. CLASS: M2- PEGASUS. GENDER: FEMALE. ESTIMATED AGE: 17. GUNSHOT WOUND DETECTED." "W...what do you want from me?" I asked it "WOUND TREATING INITIATED, PLEASE STAY STILL" It said, took my leg, picked out the bullet, applied alcohol and bandaged it. It was a medical bot, thank heavens. "WOUND TREATED, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. DISPENSING LOLLIPOP" it said and gave me some kind of a candy on a stick I've never seen before. The robot continued staring at me awkwardly. It seemed friendly enough...at least it didn't try to kill me, which makes him friendly in my book. "Who are you?" I asked him, not expecting him to answer "SSMBU, SELF-SUFFICIENT MEDBOT UNIT, PROTOTYPE NO. 2 AT YOUR SERVICE, MADAM." It said "Where's your home? You must've come from somewhere." "I AM NOT STATIONED. I AM SET TO FOLLOW, PROTECT AND GIVE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO MY COMMANDER" "Where's your commander, then?" "YOU ARE. IN THE ABSENCE OF DIFFERENT INSTRUCTIONS, I'M PROGRAMMED TO CONSIDER THE CLOSEST PONY OR HUMAN IN RANGE MY COMMANDER." "W...what's a human?" I asked him "HUMANS ARE THE ONLY EXTANT MEMBERS OF HOMININA CLADE, A BRANCH OF TAXONOMICAL TRIBE HOMININI, BELONGING TO THE FAMILY OF GREAT APES. THEY ARE CHARACTERIZED BY ERECT POSTURE AND BIPEDAL LOCOMOTION, MANUAL DEXTERITY AND INCREASED TOOL USE COMPARED TO OTHER ANIMALS." It "Explained" "Can you simplify that please?" "AN INTERNET CONNECTION IS REQUIRED FOR THE WANTED ACTION." "What?" I was confused "I NEED A WIRED OR NON-WIRED CONNECTION TO THE CLOSEST INTERNET PROVIDER OR INTERNET CONNECTED DEVICE TO PROCESS YOUR REQUEST PROPERLY" "Ohhh, just forget it. Do you know the way to the town of New Balreen?" I tried asking him something different "I'M NOT EQUIPPED WITH A GPS MODULE, NOR I HAVE DOCUMENTATION ON NEW BALREEN IN MY DATABASE. I SEE YOU HAVE A TABLET COMPUTER, YOU WIGHT WANT TO TRY TO USE ONE OF IT'S SUPPLIED PROGRAMS." It said I picked up the computer thingy Wild Metal gave me. "How does it work." I asked the robot It took the computer from my hooves and pressed the button on the bottom of the machine with it's finger. The screen turned on, showing the current time, and a picture showing some kind of galaxy with stars around it. The robot handed me the computer again. There were a bunch of small pictures on the screen with different names. One of them attracted my attention. It was named MAPS. "TO OPEN A PROGRAM, TOUCH IT'S PICTURE ONCE." The robot said I opened MAPS. And the result was magical! On the screen was a view from above of the whole region! The Null Channel was there, the forest was there, and it said that New Balreen was a few miles away from here! "Wait here until I come back" I said and flew away. I was kinda feeling bad for leaving the robot there, but I had to be fast and fly to get to the settlement on time! A few hours passed and the New Balreen was nowhere to be found. Just sand. I think I got lost. I was thirsty and hungry, but I had to keep going. Suddenly, something hard hit me in the face. I lost control and crashed into soft, warm sand. "Nice throw!" somebody said "You know it, bitch!" the other voice replied "Ohhhh, it's been a quite long time since we eaten a pegasus! They taste like chicken!" "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" "Whatever, just help me light up a fire and check her bag. We'll eat tonight. And tie her up, remember last time?" "That was your fault." I blacked out shortly after. Dragon LairI woke up, with my legs and wings tied up. It was night time. Two ponies were sitting next to a campfire, eating some meat. One of them was inspecting my computer. "The fuck does iPad even mean?" - He asked his partner "Shit if I know, I can barely read!" - She replied "What does this button do....oh shit! There's a galaxy in it! I must be high or somethin'!" "You're always high." They started laughing. "Damn, this dragonite meat is 4 days old. I'm hungry for some real, juicy meat!" One of them said One of the ponies approached me. I was acting like I was still sleeping. "Come on, sweetie, I know you're awake! I can clearly see you shaking!" I had my eyes closed. I got myself in a big big BIG trouble now! "So, we're playing that game, huh?" She said and kicked me hard in the stomach. I twisted around in pain. "Hey, don't hit her like that!" the other pony complained "You know I LOVE roasted kidney!" These two were cannibals! Why me of all people? "I guess you'll be eating kidney pulp tonight!" She said and kicked me again, this time even harder. "Hey, enough!" - the unicorn cannibal said and approached me with a knife.- "We usually kill our food before we eat it, but I feel a bit psychotic tonight!" "SCAN INITIATED." I heard a familiar metal voice. Medbot was standing close to us, starring at the two cannibals. The unicorn dropped the knife. "Whoa, whoa there pal! We were just joking!" He said and started petting me on the head "Fuck. Off." I said slowly "Or I'll order him to make "Kidney pulp" of you two bollocks!" They were scared. They had no idea that that was not a fighting robot, otherwise..... I basically had complete control here! "Now listen closely, you two assholes! First you will untie me, the you'll drop all your belongings and then you will leave and never hurt anypony else! My friend Robbie here has your faces inside of his database now and he will hunt you down if we ever see you two harassing innocent travelers! NOW GET LOST!" I said The unicorn untied me and they both started running for their lives, without turning around. That was a close one. "MINOR BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA DETECTED ON THE ABDOMEN AREA. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DISTRIBUTE PAIN LESSENING BALM?" - Medbot asked me "Yes, please." I replied He rubbed my belly with some kind of gel, and the pain went away immediately. "WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO REMEMBER THE NAME ROBBIE AS MY ANSWERING NAME?" He suddenly asked "Yes, that sounds nice." I replied It was dark already, and I was so tired from flying and getting the shit kicked out of me that I couldn't continue flying anymore. I told Robbie to be on a lookout for any movement. "PARAMETERS UPDATED." Robbie said I don't care even if I have to walk, I will never leave Robbie behind, no matter what. It's way safer to travel with a robot three times your size. I fell asleep next to him. Don't you just love to wake up to a gun barrel up you face? Well, that was the situation I was in. A squad of dragon like creatures that were standing on their legs surrounded us. They were all heavily armed, with big guns and armor. "We glorious tribe of dragonites. Chieftain want to see you." One of them said in broken Equestrian "What do you want from us?" I asked him "Chieftain will explain." "Look, we don't have anything you...." "As I said: Chieftain will explain!" "Put those weapons away or I'll order my robot to kill you." I said, trying to intimidate them "You think we stupid? That a medical robot. They have no armament. Now let's go. We mean no harm to you if you co-operate" "MOVEMENT DETECTED, MADAM." Robbie said I just gave him a look. They walked us through the desert until we approached a small settlement with houses made of metal scrap and machine parts. There were more dragonites there. Women and children. It was a town, not a war camp. There were also some other creatures. They looked like dragonites, just without scales and dragon-like heads. Their skin was smooth and they were chained. At the end of the street, or at least I thought it was a street, there was a big building, painted red and with dragon head symbol on it. In the courtyard was a blood chilling sight. There were two ponies' mutilated corpses and severed heads! They looked familiar....those were the two cannibals that tried to eat me. I was very nervous. Inside the building, a dragonite in gold armor was sitting on a big improvised throne made out of a big plane engine that was carved out in a shape of a seat. "Don't worry, little pony! You won't face the same fate as those two bandits in the front! Welcome to Pu-lun-t’ai! My name is Colrath Eater Of Bunnies, and I'm the chieftain of this small village!" - The chieftain said "That's a pretty morbid name, don't you think?" I asked him "By your standards, yes! But words have different meanings in our language! I mastered the Equestrian language so I could negotiate with those knaves from the Federation. And so we can speak with the travelers. They usually open fire at us when we try to talk to them because they don't understand us. And so, we have to kill them and eat them. Such a shame." "Well maybe if you greeted people without pointing a gun at them, they wouldn't shoot you?" "Kilarth, is that true? I told you to ask our guests to come here politely, not force them to come here against their will!" He said to the leader of the squad that captured us. "I sorry, chieftain." Kilarth said "As a punishment, you will be getting half as much of pony meat at the feast tonight!" "P...pony meat?" I asked him in terror "Don't worry, you are not on the menu...for now. You must be wondering why I wanted you here?" "Can we just finish this as fast as we can because we have places to be?" I asked him "Of course. You see, two weeks ago, some demons inhabited my body, inflicting me massive pain in my tooth." He explained "You mean, you have a toothache?" "Ah, so that's how you ponies call this menace? Yes! Do you know somebody who can fix that?" "I don't. At least, not anymore.....Wait! Robbie, can you help Colrath with his tooth?" I asked Robbie "I AM EQUIPPED WITH DENTAL SURGERY TOOLS. HOWEVER, I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION ON PATIENT'S ANATOMY. DENTAL CARIES REMOVAL MIGHT YIELD SOME RISK." Robbie replied "Whatever it takes, my child." "I WILL NEED YOU TO SIGN HERE AND HER....." "Oh just do it so we can get out of here!" I said "VERY WELL, I WILL NEED YOU TO LEAVE THE BUILDING TO PREVENT THE INFECTION RISK" We stepped outside. Horrible screams could be heard inside. A few second later, Robbie and Colrath the chieftain stepped out side too. "It's a miracle! The demons are gone! Thank you so much! Here, take this token of appreciation!" He said and handed me some kind of a crystal on a rope. "This will guide you!" He added "Thanks, but right now I need to be guided to the town of New Balreen. Do you know where that is?" I asked him "Sure, my warriors will escort you there. And remember, you're always welcome here! You can consider us friends!"
A flying contraptionWhen I was a little filly, me and my friends used to play in a crashed bomber. My parents told me that it was a flying machine, capable of soaring through the sky with ease, and dropping mighty explosives onto everything it flew over. Once a mighty war machine, that ponies feared the sight of, was now left in a green field, slowly rusting away. Most of the equipment was scrapped off for parts. We never thought of it much before, thinking it was there since the beginning of time. We acted like we were actually flying it, even though we never saw a flying plane once in our lives. Back then, I was still learning how to fly, so that was the closest experience I had of flying. A lot of my memories are tied to that bomber. It's where I had my childhood fantasies, made new friends, fell in love for the first time and had my first kiss. It was my favorite place, and I spent a lot of time there, not knowing of what horrors that thing brought to my parents, their friends and so many others. "Rainfire!" Someone shouted my name "Yes, mom?!" I replied "Come back, dinner's ready!" my mom said I realized how hungry I actually was. I returned to my house and entered the kitchen. My dad, my two brothers were waiting for me. And someone I didn't recognize at first. "Grandma!" I shouted and hugged her "Hey, sweetie! I haven't seen you in a long time! My, my, you really grew up in the past......how long was it?" She asked "12 years." I replied "I remember when you were just a filly! You were five when I left." My grandma said "I know! It's so good to see you again!" "Okay, folks, the dinner is served!" My mother said and placed a big plate of Ravioli on the table. It must be easier to do stuff like that when you're an unicorn,you can levitate stuff around, we others just have to struggle and drop things every time. We started eating. My brothers were throwing food at each other. Disgusting idiots. But I love them regardless. My mom was so tired of their bullshit that she didn't even try to stop them. "So, what's up with you?" My grandmother asked me suddenly. "Uhhhhhh....nothing.." I replied "I know there is something. You can't hide it from me, girl. Is it a handsome stallion?" She asked one of THOSE questions. "Yes, there is!" My little brother said before I could answer. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I yelled at him "Rainfire! Don't swear!" My dad said "Cut her a little slack, will you? You were even worse! I remember one time you yelled that in the class at your friend!" My grandmother saved me "Yeah, I remember that!" My mother joined the conversation. My mom and dad went to the same school. "Mom, please...." My dad tried to escape. "He had to sit on the corn crops for the rest of the class!"- She continued. My dad stood up and left the room, embarrassed. "Rainfire has a boyfriend, Rainfire has a boyfriend!" My brothers started singing "Yes, Thunder Wing, she has, but do you have your special somepony or you don't like girls?" My grandmother asked my older brother Thunder Wing stood up and also left the room. My younger brother was smart enough and decided to keep his snout shut for the rest of the dinner. I love my grandmother. The rest of the night was peaceful. We finished the dinner and we went to sleep. I had school early tomorrow. I hated school, but there I could be next to Moonlight Hunter. My god, I actually fell in love? It was really early in the morning and I couldn't sleep. I just stared at the ceiling for hours, thinking about life. I know I will be like a zombie today if I don't get some sleep, but I just can't. I've decided to go for a flight. I'm not the best flier, but I enjoy it. It'll be quick, and I will return just in time for school. Area around my town Is filled with interesting places, mostly abandoned structures from before the war. I've never had courage to explore one of them, but now I was determined to see what kind of secrets they offer. They always taught us NOT to go past the river. I never did. Not because I wanted to obey their orders or something, but because nothing was there. Just plain desert, for miles and miles. Mountains switched place with fields, occasional buildings made of some kind of weird stone could be seen. One of them seemed to have a huge hole in the wall. I landed right in front of it. There was a light, dimly shining inside, like it was summoning me to go inside. At first I was hesitating to step hoof inside, but I did. It was mostly empty, but I wanted to see what that light was. At the end of the hallway there was some kind of screen in the wall, like the one we have in the town hall, just smaller. Out of curiosity, I read what's written on it. "EQ-TEK FINANCIAL LOGS FOR THE YEAR 5167." I don't know what that means, so I didn't bother. The rest of this floor was empty, the building was really tall, and I had no time to explore it. It was time to return home and catch some sleep. I was getting close to the town, and something seemed odd. There was smoke coming from the town hall. It was on fire! I was flying as fast as I could to get there. I landed in front of my house, to wake up my parents to tell them that there's fire, but the door was wide open. On the kitchen floor was my mother's body, lying in a pool of blood. "MOM!" I cried She was dead. I ran upstairs, but the whole house was empty. I could hear loud noises from the town square, and people screaming. On the square were machines standing on their rear legs, shooting everybody there with guns. I've never seen a gun in real life, but now they were everywhere! "RAINFIRE, QUICK, GET IN!!!" Somebody shouted from the school I quickly ran inside, before the machines could see me. Everypony was hiding beneath the tables, except for my teacher, Lunar Aura. "Are you okay, sweetie?" She asked me "I...I am, but my mom is......" I couldn't finish the sentence because I started crying "Everything will be okay, sweetie." She said and hugged me " But now we need you to warn the other settlements about the attack!" "M..me? Why me?" I was confused "We need to spread the information quickly, and you're the only pegasus that's still alive." She replied "Only one? But...but what about Thunder Wing? What about my dad?" She didn't reply, but her face told me everything. I cried again. "Look, sweetie. I know It's hard, but we need you right now." Lunar Aura said "I...I don't know If i'm capable...." "If you weren't capable, I wouldn't even ask you to do this." "Okay. I will do it, but where's my little brother?" I asked "I don't know." She said "O...okay....What do I do? Go to the Federation?" "That's a bad Idea...." "Why?" I asked "This is the Federation." Lunar Aura replied
It's a dangerous world out thereI was sitting in a corner, thinking about the whole situation. My parents are dead, Thunder Wing is dead, I don't know where my brother is, and now they want me to go and warn the outside world. Why did this even happen? What do these machines want? Not to mention that I've never been past the Null Channel, nor I know what's out there. Suddenly one filly hugged my legs. "Rainfire?" She asked "What is it, Honey Cake?" I asked her "Are you going to help us?" "Of course I will, don't worry." I said and hugged her "I'm sorry about your parents." She said "I'll be fine, don't worry about a thing." I said even though that's probably not true "Yo, R. Come here." Moonlight Hunter said Good thing my fur is red so they won't notice me blush while talking to him. "Y...Yes?" I asked him "Just so you know, I appreciate this. We all do. I know I've been an asshole to you in the past, but...look, I'm sorry." He said "It....it's okay..." I said. Smooth as fuck. It would probably be a good idea to tell him what I feel for him now, because there is a good chance that I won't come back alive, but I had no courage. They gave me a bag of food and supplies for a few days and told me to look for a place called New Belreen. "Wait, before you go!" Wild Metal, our town tinkerer said "What is it, mister Wild Metal?" I asked him He handed me a shiny black slab with a single button on the bottom. "Keep that. It will help you a lot." he added "Wait, what is this?" I asked him "It's a computer. It has a navigational system in it. You'll find it easier to navigate Equestria with it." He explained "Ummm, thank you." I said "When you warn the rest, there will be no point in coming back here." He said "What? Why?" I was confused "Because we will probably be all dead by the time you reach the Null Channel." "But I told those fillies I will get help....." "Well, too bad. Those robots are programmed to kill on sight. To them, there's no difference between you, me, and children." "And you won't tell them that they will kill you all?" "WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! The closest settlement is called New Balreen. Go there. Look, just be safe. It's a dangerous world out there, especially for a filly like you." "I'm not a filly!" I argued "To me you are. I don't like making somebody that young risk their life like that but we don't have any other choice" "I understand." I said and went to the door "WAIT!" Moonlight Hunter said and came up to me "Rainfire....I....I..." He stuttered Oh god. "I don't know how to tell this to you but...." Say it so I don't have to! Come on! "I think I...look, I love you. I've never loved somebody like I love you, but I've never had courage to say it. You can laugh but, that's just how it is." He said My face turned into a big smile. I kissed him on the cheek. That gave me the determination I needed for this stupid "quest". I opened the door and closed it behind me. One of the robots turned around and looked straight at me. "TARGET DETECTED" It said in metal voice "Oh, shoot...." I slowly said "TARGET MARKED AND ACQUIRED. OPENING FIRE" I spread my wings and zoomed right past them before they started shooting. There were bullets flying very close to my head, but they all missed....fortunately. Soon, I was out of their range. I started laughing. I was so grateful that I survived that mess I forgot all the horrors for a second. The Null Channel is called that because everything past that is a plain desert. Nothing. And now I'm here, on the shore. I was staring at the nothingness for a few seconds. I suddenly felt a pain in my leg. I got hit. I was so under pressure I didn't even notice one of the robots' bullets actually hit me. I didn't know how to treat the wound alone, and the first aid kit that was in my bag was a bit too basic for that. Suddenly, I saw somebody moving among the trees behind me. It was one of the robots! It approached me and looked me straight in the face. I was so scared I didn't even try to fly away. "INITIATING SCAN." It said and stared at me for a few seconds "SCAN COMPLETED. SPECIES: PONY. CLASS: M2- PEGASUS. GENDER: FEMALE. ESTIMATED AGE: 17. GUNSHOT WOUND DETECTED." "W...what do you want from me?" I asked it "WOUND TREATING INITIATED, PLEASE STAY STILL" It said, took my leg, picked out the bullet, applied alcohol and bandaged it. It was a medical bot, thank heavens. "WOUND TREATED, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION. DISPENSING LOLLIPOP" it said and gave me some kind of a candy on a stick I've never seen before. The robot continued staring at me awkwardly. It seemed friendly enough...at least it didn't try to kill me, which makes him friendly in my book. "Who are you?" I asked him, not expecting him to answer "SSMBU, SELF-SUFFICIENT MEDBOT UNIT, PROTOTYPE NO. 2 AT YOUR SERVICE, MADAM." It said "Where's your home? You must've come from somewhere." "I AM NOT STATIONED. I AM SET TO FOLLOW, PROTECT AND GIVE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO MY COMMANDER" "Where's your commander, then?" "YOU ARE. IN THE ABSENCE OF DIFFERENT INSTRUCTIONS, I'M PROGRAMMED TO CONSIDER THE CLOSEST PONY OR HUMAN IN RANGE MY COMMANDER." "W...what's a human?" I asked him "HUMANS ARE THE ONLY EXTANT MEMBERS OF HOMININA CLADE, A BRANCH OF TAXONOMICAL TRIBE HOMININI, BELONGING TO THE FAMILY OF GREAT APES. THEY ARE CHARACTERIZED BY ERECT POSTURE AND BIPEDAL LOCOMOTION, MANUAL DEXTERITY AND INCREASED TOOL USE COMPARED TO OTHER ANIMALS." It "Explained" "Can you simplify that please?" "AN INTERNET CONNECTION IS REQUIRED FOR THE WANTED ACTION." "What?" I was confused "I NEED A WIRED OR NON-WIRED CONNECTION TO THE CLOSEST INTERNET PROVIDER OR INTERNET CONNECTED DEVICE TO PROCESS YOUR REQUEST PROPERLY" "Ohhh, just forget it. Do you know the way to the town of New Balreen?" I tried asking him something different "I'M NOT EQUIPPED WITH A GPS MODULE, NOR I HAVE DOCUMENTATION ON NEW BALREEN IN MY DATABASE. I SEE YOU HAVE A TABLET COMPUTER, YOU WIGHT WANT TO TRY TO USE ONE OF IT'S SUPPLIED PROGRAMS." It said I picked up the computer thingy Wild Metal gave me. "How does it work." I asked the robot It took the computer from my hooves and pressed the button on the bottom of the machine with it's finger. The screen turned on, showing the current time, and a picture showing some kind of galaxy with stars around it. The robot handed me the computer again. There were a bunch of small pictures on the screen with different names. One of them attracted my attention. It was named MAPS. "TO OPEN A PROGRAM, TOUCH IT'S PICTURE ONCE." The robot said I opened MAPS. And the result was magical! On the screen was a view from above of the whole region! The Null Channel was there, the forest was there, and it said that New Balreen was a few miles away from here! "Wait here until I come back" I said and flew away. I was kinda feeling bad for leaving the robot there, but I had to be fast and fly to get to the settlement on time! A few hours passed and the New Balreen was nowhere to be found. Just sand. I think I got lost. I was thirsty and hungry, but I had to keep going. Suddenly, something hard hit me in the face. I lost control and crashed into soft, warm sand. "Nice throw!" somebody said "You know it, bitch!" the other voice replied "Ohhhh, it's been a quite long time since we eaten a pegasus! They taste like chicken!" "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" "Whatever, just help me light up a fire and check her bag. We'll eat tonight. And tie her up, remember last time?" "That was your fault." I blacked out shortly after.
Dragon LairI woke up, with my legs and wings tied up. It was night time. Two ponies were sitting next to a campfire, eating some meat. One of them was inspecting my computer. "The fuck does iPad even mean?" - He asked his partner "Shit if I know, I can barely read!" - She replied "What does this button do....oh shit! There's a galaxy in it! I must be high or somethin'!" "You're always high." They started laughing. "Damn, this dragonite meat is 4 days old. I'm hungry for some real, juicy meat!" One of them said One of the ponies approached me. I was acting like I was still sleeping. "Come on, sweetie, I know you're awake! I can clearly see you shaking!" I had my eyes closed. I got myself in a big big BIG trouble now! "So, we're playing that game, huh?" She said and kicked me hard in the stomach. I twisted around in pain. "Hey, don't hit her like that!" the other pony complained "You know I LOVE roasted kidney!" These two were cannibals! Why me of all people? "I guess you'll be eating kidney pulp tonight!" She said and kicked me again, this time even harder. "Hey, enough!" - the unicorn cannibal said and approached me with a knife.- "We usually kill our food before we eat it, but I feel a bit psychotic tonight!" "SCAN INITIATED." I heard a familiar metal voice. Medbot was standing close to us, starring at the two cannibals. The unicorn dropped the knife. "Whoa, whoa there pal! We were just joking!" He said and started petting me on the head "Fuck. Off." I said slowly "Or I'll order him to make "Kidney pulp" of you two bollocks!" They were scared. They had no idea that that was not a fighting robot, otherwise..... I basically had complete control here! "Now listen closely, you two assholes! First you will untie me, the you'll drop all your belongings and then you will leave and never hurt anypony else! My friend Robbie here has your faces inside of his database now and he will hunt you down if we ever see you two harassing innocent travelers! NOW GET LOST!" I said The unicorn untied me and they both started running for their lives, without turning around. That was a close one. "MINOR BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA DETECTED ON THE ABDOMEN AREA. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO DISTRIBUTE PAIN LESSENING BALM?" - Medbot asked me "Yes, please." I replied He rubbed my belly with some kind of gel, and the pain went away immediately. "WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO REMEMBER THE NAME ROBBIE AS MY ANSWERING NAME?" He suddenly asked "Yes, that sounds nice." I replied It was dark already, and I was so tired from flying and getting the shit kicked out of me that I couldn't continue flying anymore. I told Robbie to be on a lookout for any movement. "PARAMETERS UPDATED." Robbie said I don't care even if I have to walk, I will never leave Robbie behind, no matter what. It's way safer to travel with a robot three times your size. I fell asleep next to him. Don't you just love to wake up to a gun barrel up you face? Well, that was the situation I was in. A squad of dragon like creatures that were standing on their legs surrounded us. They were all heavily armed, with big guns and armor. "We glorious tribe of dragonites. Chieftain want to see you." One of them said in broken Equestrian "What do you want from us?" I asked him "Chieftain will explain." "Look, we don't have anything you...." "As I said: Chieftain will explain!" "Put those weapons away or I'll order my robot to kill you." I said, trying to intimidate them "You think we stupid? That a medical robot. They have no armament. Now let's go. We mean no harm to you if you co-operate" "MOVEMENT DETECTED, MADAM." Robbie said I just gave him a look. They walked us through the desert until we approached a small settlement with houses made of metal scrap and machine parts. There were more dragonites there. Women and children. It was a town, not a war camp. There were also some other creatures. They looked like dragonites, just without scales and dragon-like heads. Their skin was smooth and they were chained. At the end of the street, or at least I thought it was a street, there was a big building, painted red and with dragon head symbol on it. In the courtyard was a blood chilling sight. There were two ponies' mutilated corpses and severed heads! They looked familiar....those were the two cannibals that tried to eat me. I was very nervous. Inside the building, a dragonite in gold armor was sitting on a big improvised throne made out of a big plane engine that was carved out in a shape of a seat. "Don't worry, little pony! You won't face the same fate as those two bandits in the front! Welcome to Pu-lun-t’ai! My name is Colrath Eater Of Bunnies, and I'm the chieftain of this small village!" - The chieftain said "That's a pretty morbid name, don't you think?" I asked him "By your standards, yes! But words have different meanings in our language! I mastered the Equestrian language so I could negotiate with those knaves from the Federation. And so we can speak with the travelers. They usually open fire at us when we try to talk to them because they don't understand us. And so, we have to kill them and eat them. Such a shame." "Well maybe if you greeted people without pointing a gun at them, they wouldn't shoot you?" "Kilarth, is that true? I told you to ask our guests to come here politely, not force them to come here against their will!" He said to the leader of the squad that captured us. "I sorry, chieftain." Kilarth said "As a punishment, you will be getting half as much of pony meat at the feast tonight!" "P...pony meat?" I asked him in terror "Don't worry, you are not on the menu...for now. You must be wondering why I wanted you here?" "Can we just finish this as fast as we can because we have places to be?" I asked him "Of course. You see, two weeks ago, some demons inhabited my body, inflicting me massive pain in my tooth." He explained "You mean, you have a toothache?" "Ah, so that's how you ponies call this menace? Yes! Do you know somebody who can fix that?" "I don't. At least, not anymore.....Wait! Robbie, can you help Colrath with his tooth?" I asked Robbie "I AM EQUIPPED WITH DENTAL SURGERY TOOLS. HOWEVER, I DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION ON PATIENT'S ANATOMY. DENTAL CARIES REMOVAL MIGHT YIELD SOME RISK." Robbie replied "Whatever it takes, my child." "I WILL NEED YOU TO SIGN HERE AND HER....." "Oh just do it so we can get out of here!" I said "VERY WELL, I WILL NEED YOU TO LEAVE THE BUILDING TO PREVENT THE INFECTION RISK" We stepped outside. Horrible screams could be heard inside. A few second later, Robbie and Colrath the chieftain stepped out side too. "It's a miracle! The demons are gone! Thank you so much! Here, take this token of appreciation!" He said and handed me some kind of a crystal on a rope. "This will guide you!" He added "Thanks, but right now I need to be guided to the town of New Balreen. Do you know where that is?" I asked him "Sure, my warriors will escort you there. And remember, you're always welcome here! You can consider us friends!"
