Ellie felt them giving her hard, judging stares. First it was Joel, then his brother, and now Maria. She banged her head on the chair a couple of times and sighed deeply. In front of her was a list of supplies, mainly their hunting supplies. Zero arrows, a broken bow, a black eye and a broken wrist. It was Joel first that relaxed and covered his face. Oh, he was disappointed, but more happy that she was still alive. That was what mattered most. Although, her hard work for the past week outside of the small town had gone to waste when she was ambushed.

And they got away.

"I-...I just can't believe it." Maria sighed looking out Ellie's bedroom window. "How far away was this? Were you close?"

"I was two counties away..." Ellie felt so defeated, deflated with a pumf when her head fell on the pillow. " I was just done killing a couple infected, a Clicker and a runner-"

"A Clicker?!" Joel roared. "You put yourself into danger!?"

Ellie's face turned red with rage. "I'm nineteen Joel! And have you forgotten I can't get infected!?" to prove her case once again, she pulled harshly on her sleeve to reveal an old memory. The bite was roughly three inches from her wrist to the middle of her arm. It was gently faded from natural growth and time, but it was still slightly red. It was a sign that the fungus was still inside of her. "Besides!" She continued, calming down after a few ragged breaths and on the verge of tears. It was bad enough she was mugged, but at least she wasn't dead. "It was a couple of those raiders who asked to join us. They just wanted what I had, when I said no, they pulled out this gun lookin' thing and I passed out. Bow was broken, shit was gone, but hey! I'm still fucking alive!"

"I say we hit them hard!"

"Dammit Joel!" Maria snorted. "We just lost four good folk to the new turbine. No way in hell we're going to use violent diplomacy."

"Maybe we can cut a deal." Tommy cut in. "Maybe if we let them in, they'll give us the supplies? Maybe some food or fresh water? The new filters are working great thanks to Bill."

"Pft, they'll just hurt us like they did Ellie."

Maria stared hard a Joel, then relaxed her pose. "How 'bout we just sleep on this. Go get that eye looked at. Tommy, see if you can get Chuck Drowl to work on a new bow for Ellie, that one was getting old anyways."

"Can do, but what about Joel here?"

"What about me?" Joel frowned at his younger brother.

"Go see if we have a dozen potatoes, carrots, and ten gallons of water."

Joel looked offended until he realized Tommy's wife was too scary to deal with. "Fine...Ellie, I'll see you in a bit."

"Take your time old man..." Ellie said before covering her face with a pillow.

Tommy was next to leave, but Maria stayed yet silent. She sat down on her bed and looked on to the hydroelectric power plant. It's long waterfall made the early morning seem so peaceful. Nature was still dominate over this region, even before the Cordycepts hit twenty five years ago the land was lush with wildlife, land, and a beautiful way to restart civilized society.

"Did they hurt you?"

"Yeah, I got a black ey-"

"No, Ellie...Did they hurt you." Maria pulled the pillow off of Ellie and gave the young woman a hard stare. "Here-" She pointed to the black eye. "I know about, but what about here." She set her hand down on Ellie's belly button.

Ellie flushed up and looked away. "No..."

Maria pulled Ellie up into a very tight hug. And cried softly. "Oh thank God..! I thought you were hiding it and-"

Ellie hugged Maria and pushed her off gently. "Don't worry, there was a nice lady there, she made the demands, the guys just roughed me up a bit."

"You got lucky!" Maria wiped away a couple stray tears and breathed out. "I gotta go. Rest tonight, we'll see about talking to those raiders. We're running out of men because they're all so stupid."

Maria left and Ellie looked down at her stomach, resting a hand over it. Maria was right, she got lucky, and she knew it. Ellie grabbed her pillow and brought it under her head to lay on. She shut her eyes before feeling very odd. Shrugging in her mind, Ellie was ready to embrace.

*CRACK!* Then a long rumbling sound ripped over head. Ellie's eyes flashed open. All around her were dense woods and rain was pouring down in waves. She stood up realizing all too late she was in a nightmare of sorts. A ghostly figure walked over to her and held out a hand.

You should be dead. A dark sick voice rang inside her head. So I will make you dead in one place, and alive in another. Beware, or you shall truly find death more agonizing than bleeding to death while being raped.

"Who the fuck are you to say that?! This is a dream!" Ellie was a very lucid dreamer, always was. She thought deeply of waking up but the lighting struck once more. "The hell?"

This is no dream child of man, defiler of deeaatthh...Do you not accept and die?

"I'm not dying asshole!"

The hand snapped to hers and the figure turned into a Runner. It bit down on her right arm, pain flooded her mind before all went black once more.

This time she woke up in a different place. No longer was she in a clearing in the middle of the woods, but in an empty field with lights far-far off in the distance. A few miles perhaps, but once she got adjusted to her surroundings, she frowned.

"What the fuck that bullshit!?" She screamed as loudly as she could. Her only reply was a fading echo of the sick laughter from the sick ghost. Ellie rapidly turned her body in many circles, looking for attackers or otherwise, Infected. It was dark, the stars were out, unlike the morning she arrived back at Tommy Town.

When she found the field was truly empty minus the lights far ahead, one thing she wished she had was her backpack..and Joel... She shook her head, trying her best to break away from the safety she felt even from all those years ago. 'I gotcha baby girl...' The echos of his voice rang through her head. 'Stay down...don't move...DAMMIT ELLIE!' Loud explosions forced her mind away from her memories.

Off where the lights glowed, large and colorful explosions. All sorts of reds, greens, blues, and even violets lit up even as far as where she was. Perhaps it wasn't the town that was far away, but perhaps whomever or whatever that was making all these explosions were sure to draw the ire of the infected and where much closer than she thought. She must have been kidnapped while she was asleep or something. Could it have been that strange dream she had, yet barely could remember. Just the sick laughter of whatever forced her here.

Despite being really unsure what to do next, Ellie prepped herself for a couple miles of walking. Nothing quite like a walk across the continent of North America, she felt thankful. A mountain off in the distance also began making similar exploding lights. They were really daring, making so much noise. And on she began to walk.

About a mile and a half later, Ellie could actually see a large gathering as she stood upon a large hill. Although, even for how dark it was, she could see something very odd. The gathering consisted of people dressed up in more all-to colorful costumes that struck her as incredibly odd. Joel told her as much as he could about the Old Earth, the time before the Crotocepts, people wouldn't eat to remain skinny, people would go to massive...what were they...? Conventions and dress up as their favorite characters from comic books. But these, they looked a little too real.

Another round of these explosions, the sixth since she arrived where ever she was. She had to warn these poor people before the infected came. She tripped halfway down and began rolling down the hill. When Ellie was able to stop herself, she was already at the bottom but it also seemed that she had attracted the attention of the crowd. As soon as she was done dusting herself off, she looked up to see four figures moving her way. One was large and blue while the others were slightly smaller and in a multitude of colors, even a rainbow.

"Huh?" Ellie rubbed her head slowly, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

As they approached, Ellie realized that these weren't costumes at all. Their eyes blinked and dilated, and wings shuffled oh so gently. Wait...

"Wings? The fuck did I get shot with?"

Now only roughly ten feet away from her, the large blue one stepped only a foot closer and took the lead.

"Greetings...we...heard your screams from up upon that hill."

Ellie looked around, still struggling to figure out what was going on. "Um... I don't think I'm in Kansas any more.."

"Kansas?" The blue one asked. "Oh, forgive me. My name is Princess Luna, these fine ponies are Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. You must be from another land, we've never seen your kind before."

Ellie shook her head and pinched herself. When she felt pain, it was no dream. "Oohhh-ho-ho man...." She felt a little dizzy. Bringing a hand to her head, she sat down in the grass. "Yo-...you guys don't look like horses..."

"Well I sure hope so!" Rainbow Dash huffed in annoyance. "I'm not worth twenty bits."

"Wait, Luna, may I handle this?" Twilight offered, looking up at the taller princess. Luna gave a silent nod and she moved aside to let Twilight by. Twilight, like all other of these 'ponies' looked almost perfectly like humans, except for the fur, color of, and extra appendages. Oh, and instead of feet, they had wide hooves. "I think we may have a problem..." Twilight said after a little while of studying Ellie. "What's your name?"

"E-...Ellie...Williams..."

"Yep...she's a human girls." Twilight held out a hand for Ellie. "Come on, let's go see what we can do about how you arrived. Luna, you can keep the festival going, just make sure Celestia knows?"

Luna tilted her head in confusion before truly getting Twilight's words. With a curt nod, she lead the other ponies along back. "Come now, we must assure the ponies that all is well."

"Can I go with Twi, Princess?" Applejack asked.

"I don't see why not, you may even be able to assist me." Twilight looked to Luna, then the large blue mare nodded. "Great. Hey, Ellie?"

Ellie began laughing delusionally. "I'm drawing a black here...What the fuck is going on?!"

Twilight rubbed her chin and looked over to Applejack. "Think you can help her back to the castle?"

"Sure I can." AJ held out her hand to Ellie. When she hadn't she pulled on Ellie's right arm.

No need to say how wrong she was. Ellie flipped shit and threw AJ onto the ground and began screaming. "JOEL!!! JOEL!!!" Ellie cried and fell onto the ground. "No...nonono....not again....don't....again...." Ellie was stroking her arm right.

AJ got her barrings and brought her gaze upon Ellie. "That girl is mite troubled..."

Luna had returned quickly. "I heard screaming, what's wrong with her."

"Joel....Joel....Joel..."

Twilight's horn lit up and Ellie's body just relaxed. "Sleep." She knelt down and closed Ellie's eyes. "She was in shock and it triggered her. Sorry Applejack if she hurt you too bad."

"It's all fine and dandy Twi, I'm just worried about her." Applejack shrugged and pointed to Ellie.

Luna too knelt over Ellie. "She's dreaming, but because she's not a pony, I cannot enter her mind until I discover how... It's... strange..." Ellie was wearing a long sleeve t-shirt with a couple of characters. One was one that looked like Ellie but with long ears and the other was a furry creature with a pair of goggles. She wore a pair of faded pants just as faded as she shirt. Grime, dirt, and ash covered her head and hair to toe. "She is filthy...Twilight, I must take her to the castle in Canterlot. Have her cleaned, looked at, and given general first aid."

Twilight nodded. "Alright. Let's try to keep this low profile until we got the story. This could explode if things get out of hoof."

"I'll tell Rainbow and the other girls." AJ offered before departing.

Luna looked to Twilight then back to Ellie. "We have quite the mystery here I believe. Once I return to the castle with her, I'll inform my sister of these new events. Be sure that the Spring Festival continues if you'd please. I believe this matter should be in the care of my sister."

"Yes, Luna. I'll make sure. Will you return?" Twilight asked with little hope. This was a problem she may not return from for a short time.

Luna sighed sadly. "No, now this human is more pressing than another reason to party." Luna's horn charged up as she picked up Ellie in her hands. "Have fun."

Twilight smiled. "I think that speaking with her would be more fun than partying."

Luna vanished in a bright blue light. When it faded, Twilight looked over the crowd roughly six hundred yards away. Fireworks were still flashing high in the sky with loud explosions. As she stepped, she felt something under her hoof. Moving it to see, she saw a small wood and metal object. The wood was stained a deep red and copper color while the blade itself was slightly rusted. She pulled on the blade and it flicked out, forcing her to drop it in shock as it cut her arm.

After picking it back up Twilight carefully considered what this may have been used for. Protection, it seemed likely but it showed signs of extensive use. A small pocket knife like this seemed just a little off to her, but Ellie was alone. What was her story?

Author's Note

Ellie's reaction is explained I believe but I'm worried after beating the "Last of Us" six times now, I still kinda struggle to get a hold of Ellie's persona. Going for a seventh as soon as my step dad resubs to PS+. This time it'll be on expert.