A little more than 60 kilometers north-west of Ponyville, a massive city of static clouds was supposed to be here; Cloudsdale was a testament to Equestrian ingenuity and magical ability... and it was gone.

A pegasus pony has a natural magic inside them which allows for the manipulation of clouds, but what's more, the entire populace in Cloudsdale had harnessed their collective magic to manufacture weather events to prevent natural disasters, such as the hurricanes that frequently threatened the east coast, or cities south of Ponyville that suffer from drought. Cloudsdale was our guardian against the sporadic forces of mother nature which was why, I guessed, that it was a strategically advantageous point of attack.

We stood awestruck by its replacement; an ominously grey, nuclear mist that churned above and choked the sunlight from the foliage around us. I stood at the top of the hill and scanned over the sea of bodies strewn across the field. I noted the enormous black crater a few kilometers from us where the detonation took place. The city's cloud floors likely provided little protection from the blast as the exothermic shock wave simply evaporated the city from below and set the air ablaze. I could only imagine that all of these pegasi simply could not find the strength to fly through the flames that engulfed them as they fell to their deaths.

I'd shouted her name for quite a while, but we got no response which presented two possibilities; Rainbow Dash was in the crowd and among the dead, or she was not here. I prayed hard for the latter, but I continued to search the bodies carefully, most of which were simply pony shaped piles of burned flesh. Around half of them though, weren't the charred remains that we saw in Vanhoover. No, many were clearly victims of gravity which confused me greatly.

The first mare that I found not scorched by the fires had landed on her belly from a very great height. Her coat was light blue, but a bit darker than Rainbow Dash, and she had a yellow mane and tail. Her skin appeared to have barely held in her internal organs that liquefied on impact, and her limbs remained at an unnatural angle which flattened her against the ground. She lie with her eyes closed peacefully, but in a sinister pool of her own blood.

We made our way slowly through the field, and I grew more and more fearful that any one of the blackened remains was my friend simply rendered unidentifiable by the fire. After maybe an hour of checking bodies, despite realizing the futility, I began screaming her name again. I screamed until I ran out of breath, and then collapsed on the crumbling grass.

Ditzy took me in a firm embrace, and offered words of consolation, but I couldn't hear her over the ringing in my ears brought on by my exertion. I simply buried my face under her chin and cried, and for the first time since the start of this ordeal, she cried with me.

As my sobs slowed, I couldn't help but feel like I'd wasted valuable time in getting to Twilight. Maybe she already knew that Rainbow Dash was dead, but more optimistically, maybe Rainbow Dash had escaped and already taken refuge with Twilight. The mystery of Rainbow Dash's fate was more painful than the idea of her death. I felt like I could plan a funeral and grieve accordingly, but not knowing for sure was a source of repeatedly built and crushed hope; and that was murderous.

"We need to just get back to Ponyville." I said. "There's nopony here."

"I'm sorry, Rarity." Ditzy sniffled.

"I just need to find Twilight... or anypony for that matter." I explained while getting back on my hooves.

We had only made it about halfway through the field of death when we had stopped. When we finally continued, it was exactly as painful to disregard the bodies as it was to search them. We walked slowly through the silent, mass grave site, and I found myself looking at yet another dead mare that we passed by. I couldn't even tell what color she was before, and I nearly couldn't even tell that she was a mare. I had an awful thought, What if that is Rainbow Dash, and I'm just passing her by because I've given up?

Ditzy led the way, and we left the train tracks to go south-east and cut through Unicorn Range where Ponyville was on the other side. I could not get the idea out of my head that Rainbow Dash had miraculously survived, and that we'd left her to die in the field. She didn't deserve to be left behind even if she was dead. I wished to, at the very least, find her body and bury her. Ditzy warned that there had not been a rain-out in this area; therefore, we were probably soaking up radiation that still fell from the sky. With the dangers of war still lingering, even if I wished to continue searching for her, we would be sacrificing ourselves for potentially nothing.

We trotted a few kilometers toward the mountains of Unicorn Range through a corn field, the stalks of which were browned and sickly. To the east, there was a grape vinyard, and to the west, there was an orchard of orange trees, but all of the plants were in the same diminished condition. We were about 4 kilometers from the valley that we were going to use to pass through to Ponyville, and I admired the bright red barn that we were passing. We were probably 100 meters from the barn, and from here, it appeared mostly intact with the exception of the broad face that was discolored from the ultra-violet radiation of the Cloudsdale bomb.

I slowed my gait while Ditzy continued to trot in front of me, and I pointed to the tractor that I could see through the open barn door, "I'd really like to get off my hooves for a while."

"What are you saying? We take that tractor?" Ditzy asked while coming back to me.

"If you think that we could, darling." I said simply. "I'm sure we can figure out how to get it moving."

Ditzy shrugged, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

A sudden, distant cry struck my ear and I froze. Despite the danger of fallout, I ripped off my hat and perked my ears to listen closely. My head swiveled slowly, and my ears gyrated wildly for a source of the voice.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered, and Ditzy nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Hey!" The voice shouted, much more clearly, and my eye caught a cerulean speck inside the barn. The light blue was difficult to detect because of the growing darkness, but her rainbow mane was unmistakable in any light. I shouted back, using words that I wasn't sure were even Equestrian, and my hooves pounded the ground in a dead sprint for Rainbow Dash.

As I approached, I shouted through joyous tears, "Rainbow, darling! Is that really you!?"

I jumped over the shovel laying between the door and the tractor and trotted to Rainbow Dash whom was laying on a small arrangement of hay-bales.

She simply smiled at me and shook her head, but didn't move, "No, I'm the Princess herself."

I stopped about a meter from her, and my happiness faded quickly. Rainbow Dash's flank, left rear leg, and belly was covered with blisters and radiation burns. Her entire body was pale, and her eye sockets were darkened heavily as if she hadn't slept in days. Her fur was matted with dirt, her teeth were harshly yellowed from extensive vomiting, and her backside was stained with excrement from prolonged diarrhea. Her fur was thinned and sickly near her chest and forelegs, while her flanks had patches that were completely bare. My entire body trembled as I sat next to her and tried not to cry.

"Darling, you look... horrible." My voice quivered.

Her smile appeared painful and forced, "Well, you don't look so good yourself. Have you seen your mane? And you brought Derpy along! How are you doing?"

Ditzy smiled, forcefully ignoring Rainbow's obvious plight, and she shot her old friend a little salute. Rainbow Dash was one of Ditzy's defenders from the consistent bullying that she endured in her youth; therefore, one of the only ponies allowed to call her "Derpy" with no offense taken.

My hoof involuntarily ran over one of my curls. I could feel the dirt, twigs and sticks entangled within, but I shook it off. Rainbow's radiation sickness was much more urgent.

"We've got to get you help, dear." I said, then looked at Ditzy and continued, "Can you get that tractor started?"

"Of course. I'll see if I can find a key." Ditzy affirmed, and then she trotted to the other side of the barn where a tool box was.

"Rarity, you wouldn't happen to have any food on you, would you?" Rainbow Dash pleaded, but she tried really hard to remain lighthearted. "I haven't thrown up in a few days, and I'm starving to death."

"Oh, yes, darling." I used my magic to pull Pretty from my bag. I opened it for her while I also gave her a bottle of water. She took the nozzle of the bottle in her teeth and allowed all of it to drain into her mouth. She allowed the bottle to fall onto the floor while she buried her muzzle into the Pretty. I worried that she wasn't chewing, and Pretty is very dry like a trail mix. I opened another bottle and held it within her reach. For a few minutes, she was like a professional eater, trading water and food back and forth with surprising intake power. She finished nearly the whole bag before stopping herself and taking a moment to just breathe.

"What are you doing out here?" Rainbow Dash panted. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy you're here, but I really thought I was a goner, out here all by myself."

I didn't leave any details out, and I told her everything, except for the sexual ventures of course. I rattled for several minutes while Ditzy had taken a length of wire, a pair of wire strippers, and a screwdriver from the toolbox. I went into finding Cloudsdale, or rather not finding it, while Ditzy unscrewed the ignition housing and exposed the starter and fuel pump pins.

I stopped my story just before I got to the part where we had left Cloudsdale, and I watched Ditzy for a moment before I asked, "What are you doing, darling?"

Ditzy didn't look up while she used the tips of her hooves to wrap one end of the wire to the positive post on the battery under the tractor's seat, "There's no key, but I think I can hot wire this thing."

"Where did you learn something like that?" I asked.

"I like to tinker. It was just something I picked up." Ditzy said nonchalant while she ran the wire to power the fuel pump.

"With Rainbow Dash sick, we should figure out where we're going first before we do anything." I suggested.

Rainbow Dash cocked her head, "We're not going to Ponyville?"

I shrugged and then patted Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, "We could, but I'd rather find you some help, darling."

"Then where are we going?" Ditzy asked while she ran another wire from the battery.

"We need to brainstorm, darling." I said.

Ditzy nodded as she kept the wire between her fore-hooves and carefully guided it to the starter pin, "I just want to see if this will work. That will decide how far we can go. Does that make sense?"

I gave her a nod and watched her touch the wire to the node. A loud, spinning whine sounded and then a deep roar fired thick black smoke from the exhaust pipe that stood at the back of the vehicle. Ditzy smiled at me, and then she pulled the fuel pump wire. The engine sputtered into silence.

Rainbow Dash nodded weakly, "Okay, so where are we headed?"

My brain worked hard to churn out places that I figured may still have ponies that would be able to help. The Ponyville General Hospital was likely, if not destroyed, overrun with sick ponies. With Twilight's Castle a possible target of war, it wasn't feasible that any Ponyville doctor's office would still have anypony there. But if we went further south away from the predicted nuclear detonation, we would only get into the Everfree Forest.

"Wait, that's it!" I beamed. "The Everfree Forest wouldn't provide a strategic advantage, right?"

Ditzy shrugged, "Sure, it may have not been hit, but what does that help?"

"Zecora lives in the Everfree Forest." I explained. "She's got herbal magic for everything. I'd put all my bits on her for help."

"That sounds like a plan." Rainbow Dash smiled. "I'd just really like to get out of here. I'm not even sure how long it's been."

"It's been a week, darling." I said.

"Wow, really?" Rainbow Dash said. She shook her head and let out a dark chuckle, "I've been sitting on this hay-bale for a week. It's no wonder that I've been so bored."

"Speaking of," I started, "What happened? Were you in Cloudsdale?"

Rainbow Dash nodded somberly, "Yeah. I was just kind of hanging out with some old flight academy buddies, and then we were like..." Her face squinted as she tried to come up with a word that described it, "We were all blind, out of nowhere, and then I looked down through the clouds and I saw fire everywhere, coming up fast."

"What did you do?" I asked while leaning in closer.

"I just took off to Ponyville, but then my flank felt like it was on fire, and all the air was gone." Rainbow Dash continued, "I couldn't fly anymore. I kept flapping, but it was like the air was totally gone. When it came back, it was sucking me back to Cloudsdale."

Ditzy didn't look up from the tractor while she quoted the literature we'd found in the cellar, "The explosion forces the air outward in a positive pressure pulse, and then negative pressure from the rising heat forces the air back to the mushroom cloud."

Rainbow Dash nodded, "Right, it was just like that." She looked back at me, "When I finally got my bearings and was flying again, I'd almost hit the ground. I went ahead and set down, but..."

I watched her silently struggle, and I wasn't sure if she couldn't remember, or if it was too painful to recall.

A tear made its way down her cheek as she continued, "I looked up, and Cloudsdale was gone. They were all just... falling. I just closed my eyes for a long time, but I couldn't not hear them hitting the ground. Some of them..." She took a sharp breath, "Some of them screamed all the way down."

*** *** *** *** *** ***

We decided to stay the night in the barn while we fed Rainbow Dash and made sure that she was adequately hydrated. Ditzy and I searched the barn and found a lot of tools, a half-filled fuel can, and a wooden box with sheep shearing supplies. I took the shaving soap and a sponge from the box, and then we helped Rainbow Dash onto her unsteady, fatigued hooves. We led her to the hoof-operated well pump at the back of the barn and awkwardly bathed her.

Ditzy, being much stronger than I, pumped the water while I cleaned Rainbow Dash. I used my hooves to massage the hay and dirt from her mane and tail. I wet the sponge and used it to work the dirt from her fur, and I carefully dabbed the radiation burns on her flanks and leg. I could not help but avert my eyes while I used my magic to indelicately scrub the filth from her backside, but I could still feel her shame. It was humiliating for Rainbow Dash, and I wanted to assure her that it wasn't her fault; she was a victim for Celestia's sake, but I found myself unable to come up with any words that would ease the embarrassment. I remained mute while I sponged her dry and laid out my jacket for her to lay on.

I pumped the water while Ditzy bathed herself, and then she pumped water for me. It wasn't the pampering that I would enjoy at the spa, or the hot bath that I'd soak in for hours at home, but it was most satisfying to finally be afforded the opportunity to clean myself after the last week. The only complaint that I had, which I didn't feel the need to voice, was that my mane had lost its curl from the wash. I had never worn my hair straight; it was much too long for that, especially in this dangerous environment.

They went to sleep rather quickly, but I toiled in the thought of Rainbow Dash losing the precious seconds that she needed to live. I was sure that we were staying in an area that was mostly free of radiation based on Rainbow's symptoms depreciating in severity over time, but even still, I couldn't relax. I felt creepy watching Ditzy sleep, but I studied her and thought about what she would do if she was on my shoes.

"I need a distraction." I whispered to myself, and then I looked around the barn. The base was about a five-by-ten meter room and about 4 meters to the ceiling. I stood next to the barn door and leaned on the tractor with my right shoulder while looking over the western field. I watched the overcast roll over the landscape all the way to the horizon and really thought about how bad the damage was. I suddenly found myself wishing that I could see the moon again.

I trotted outside and circled around the back of the barn. There was a lot of discarded furniture and appliances strewn about on the south side of the barn. It began to feel pointless to look through it until I spotted a mirror that was attached to a large porcelain sink. I used my magic to hold up the sink, and then kicked the base of the mirror a few times until the rusted screws came loose. I took the mirror inside and leaned it up against the north wall so that the tractor would be between me and the sleeping ponies in the south-east corner.

The shears from the wooden box floated to me and I studied my mane for a long while. I took a steel bucket from next to the tool box, filled it with water, and returned to the mirror. Let's try something short and manageable, I thought to myself as I carefully chopped my mane off at chin length. I wet the shears and dunked the shaving soap bottle in the bucket. I held a hoof over the nozzle and shook it to get what little soapsuds that I could and then massaged it into my scalp. I folded the shears open and ran the blade against the back of my head. I stopped shaving below my crest, and I wet the shears again. I snipped the mane until it blended with the front part of my mane, and I took a good look at my new style... I immediately regretted it. It appeared lazy with no hope of being styled into anything but a lifeless mowhawk, but at the same time, I think that's what I was going for; something that wouldn't get dirty so easily.

I put the shears back in the box, crept to Ditzy's side, and curled up next to her. Her comforting warmth was the only source of true happiness I had left. I had found Rainbow Dash, but that ended up being just another worry to add to an already extensive list. The world had gotten more complicated. Much like my mane, anything that I wanted was clouded with the anxiety of leaving behind my old life, or it was plagued with new dangers. I allowed Ditzy's warmth to take away my worries, and I enjoyed the one pure thing I had left.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

A loud commotion roused me. It sounded like Ditzy was shouting, but then a sudden flash of heat spread across my face and my heart lurched from my chest as I sprang to my hooves. I was still blinking the sleep from my eyes when a large stallion head butted me in the neck and sent me over and onto my back. I shuffled backward until I was against the back wall of the barn. I glanced left to see if Ditzy and Rainbow Dash were aware of the attacker's presence.

Rainbow hadn't moved from where she was sleeping, but appeared fearful. I figured that, in her sickly state, the intruder hadn't harmed her. Ditzy, to my immediate left, caught my attention when she spit blood on the floor, and then I saw that her right lower lip was split.

"You better back off." The stallion growled. His teeth were yellowed like Rainbow's, and his fur was patchy as well. He was an earth pony, so I thought about trying to restrain him with my magic, but I wasn't sure if I could. He appeared strong.

Ditzy stared him down, "I'm not letting you take anything."

"What's going on?" I said forcefully because I felt like my windpipe was bruised.

"I caught him going through our thingth, and then he charged me!" Ditzy lisped in her anger. I looked over the Stallion and noticed that he had a fresh pair of boot prints on his face. Just in front of us, our bags were spread into a mess. My guess was that he was sneaking our supplies and woke up Ditzy. When he realized he'd been caught he attacked, she kicked him, and I was caught in the fury of blows.

The stallion took a step toward the bags, "Your weak little buck did nothing. Now, if you don't think I won't stomp your brains in an take everything you got-"

My magic lit up the bags, and all the dumped contents that I could see, and I pulled them toward me, "Now, you listen here!" I shouted, but my voice shook, "You cannot just steal things from us. We would be willing to share if you will simply leave us alone."

Ditzy stomped her hoof and screamed at me, "No! Fuck that, Rarity. He'th not getting anything when he came in here, trying to take our food, and beat me up!" She shook her head at him, "No. Fuck you. You can hit the road. I'm not about to reward a robber."

The stallion took a step toward us, "This is going to go badly for you."

"Everypony, just stop!" I shouted, but my words were tossed to the wind, and the robber broke into a charge.

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes and rolled out of the way as the robber planted his fore-hooves onto Ditzy's chest and pinned her against the wall so hard that the wood buckled under the impact. He brought his head back and head butted her in the face, twice. I attempted to push him over with my fore-hooves, but his left hoof swung out and knocked me away. I stood again, but now he had her on the ground with his right hoof on her throat. She punched and kicked at him, but he wouldn't allow her a breath. I tried to buck him, but I was pathetic. He absorbed the blow, looked at me while continuing to strangle Ditzy, and he chuckled grimly. Ditzy gasped and choked, and her right hoof repeatedly slammed him in chest, but he didn't seem phased.

That's when I saw the barrel of the pistol in her saddle bag on the ground. It felt like hours that I stared at it, knowing that we weren't strong enough to stop this stallion. I took it in my magic and it shook in rhythm with my convulsing body as I leveled it with the side of his head. Tears streamed from my face as the cylinder clicked into place and the hammer locked. I fearfully clenched my teeth as my magic slowly pulled the trigger back, and I dreaded every centimeter it traveled.

His ear caught the click. He looked at me, his eyes grew wide, and he shouted, "WAIT!" but before I could reconsider, a deafening blast exploded from the weapon and his head jerked away from me. He slumped backward onto the ground and let out a sickeningly hollow gurgle as the new space in his skull filled with blood.

Ditzy coughed and wheezed while she clawed to get back onto her hooves. Rainbow Dash sat up and eyed the dead stallion with horror, but no strength to get away from his body. And I stood frozen with regret and guilt.

"He..." I sobbed while I remained still, "He said... "wait"... I didn't give him a chance."

"We gave him lots of chances, Rarity." Ditzy panted as she sat on her haunches in front of me and took the pistol with her fore-hooves. She slowly, and carefully, de-cocked the weapon, and placed it on the ground.

"I..." I continued to sob and buried my face in Ditzy's chest, "I killed him, Ditzy. I killed him."

"That's okay, Rarity." Ditzy stroked my head. "It's okay. You just did what you had to do."

"No, I think I could have just scared him off!" I cried. "I didn't..." I held back a heave of sickness and continued, "I didn't try everything, Ditzy. There were other options."

Rainbow Dash stood despite her fatigue, "He was going to kill Derpy. I don't care if he pledged allegiance to the Elements of Harmony before you shot him, he was going to strip us clean and leave us for dead."

I knew they were right, but I couldn't shake that fraction of a second that I saw his fear, that moment he knew he was dead even before the bullet ripped through his skull. My nausea became heavier and heavier; So, I began to make my way outside, "Excuse me, I'm going to go throw up."

Ditzy was responding, but I couldn't make out what she was saying because I had broke into a gallop. I skidded to a halt just outside the door as my body pulled all of its energy into vomiting. I stood there for a long time, just looking at my throw-up and waiting for another wave, but it never came. I wiped my mouth, and then saw Ditzy at my side.

"You okay?" She asked.

I mustered a halfhearted smile, "Sure, darling. I'll be okay."

"I like your mane." She commented.

I laughed painfully and shook my head, "It's awful, dear. I made a mistake."

"No, no. You look hot." Ditzy assured. She smiled big, "I'd kiss you, but, you know."

I nodded, smiled, and wiped my face again while Ditzy led me back to the tractor. My eyes downcast from the stallion I had killed, and I focused on preparing to move. I took a deep breath and tried to make my mind narrow. We are going to the Everfree Forest, I told myself. That is all that happened today. The robber's fore-leg twitched and caught my attention. Although it was only a symptom of death, it still made me think that he may be alive. I repeated the phrases silently to myself as we gathered our supplies and put on our bags.

We put our jackets on the back panel on which Rainbow Dash was laying. The panel was a wide piece of steel that laid flat across the width of the vehicle and curved around the large rear tires. Ditzy, being the only pony here that knew how to drive the tractor, was in the seat and I straddled her hips. Ditzy carefully touched the starter wire to the ignition pin, and the engine roared to life. She dropped the wire and immediately pushed the differential lever to her right which simultaneously released the clutch and engaged the accelerator. The tractor rocked forward, but pushed against the brakes until Ditzy folded the brake release down next to the left of the seat. The tractor lurched, and then steadily rolled at a trot's pace.

"Sorry." Ditzy called over the engine in reference to the rocky take off. "It's been a while since I've done this."

"Don't worry, darling." I said, and then I looked at Rainbow Dash, who was resting her head on her hooves like a lazy dog, "We're all still on for the ride. So, I call it good enough."

The tractor effortlessly traversed the hills of the fields before the Unicorn Range base, and I held Rainbow Dash onto the back with a fore-hoof and my magic while we went over a few rocks and steep hills through the valley. We carved a fairly easy line through the dying trees to the north-west of Ponyville before making it out into a clearing. Ditzy turned the tractor onto the path that winded through the western, and much less populated, part of town. I glanced to the east every once in a while as she drove with an urge to sprint off through the woods into Ponyville and shout Twilight's name, but we were going to get Rainbow Dash help. I needed to see that through first.

She pulled onto a set of train tracks to go over a bridge and into Froggy Bottom Bogg which was due south-west of the Everfree. The over-sized rear tires of the tractor tore up the ground and pushed hard through the thick, wet foliage of the bog, and Ditzy had a hoof on the differential the entire time so that she could let off to correct wheel spin. We made our way onto more solid ground into the dark, scary cover of the ominous Everfree Forest. I had started to provide directions to Zecora's hut, but Ditzy just gave me an arrogant look. I thought to myself, Oh, right. The mailmare knows where everything is.

There was a hard knock in the engine as the fuel pump pushed out the last bit of fumes that it had left, and the tractor slowed to a halt. Ditzy pulled the brake and leaped off the seat. She went around to the back of the tractor where a tiny cage held the spare fuel can. She pushed the lid off the can with a hoof, took the handle in her mouth, and poured the fuel into the reservoir by the left rear tire. Not long after we'd stopped, Ditzy hot wired the tractor, and we were on our way again. Only now, it sputtered. Ditzy said this was because we'd ran it out of fuel which is harmful to the engine.

Thick black smoke billowed from the smoke stack, and the tractor had much less power than before, although it remained at a steady pace. We continued through the Everfree and soon saw the glow of Zecora's lanterns through the trees.

"There it is!" I shouted over the engine protesting it's continuation. It wasn't until I spoke that I realized how much louder it had gotten. "Gosh, it's loud! What's wrong with it?"

"I think that can had 2-cycle in it." Ditzy shouted back.

I said, "Oh." as if I knew what that meant.

We made it into the clearing about 50 meters from Zecora's hut, and we went about half of the distance before the sputtering turned into a continuous roar. The tractor came to an abrupt halt as the gears slipped from the transmission, and then Ditzy engaged the brake, pulled the wire that powered the fuel pump, and allowed the engine to starve and die.

"We'll have to hoof it from here." Ditzy said while getting off the tractor. I shrugged with certainty that I could carry Rainbow Dash a little more than 20 meters.

A deep, familiar voice cut through the silence of the forest, "That is far enough!"

I looked up to see Zecora with a spear in her teeth, stalking toward us and continuing to call out, "This weapon is no bluff!"

"Zecora, darling!" I called. "It's me, Rarity! We've got Rainbow Dash! She needs help!"

Zecora quickly planted the end of the spear into the ground, but continued toward us and left it behind, "It is you, Rarity! That makes me so happy!"

"Come on, dear." I said to Rainbow Dash as I picked her up with my magic, and then I turned back to Zecora. "I cannot even tell you how glad I am that you're here!"

Zecora galloped to Rainbow Dash, and then crept under her floating body to carry her on her back, "I apologize for the threat. I did not know I wasn't to fret. The sound of this contraption, and then it's sight. It just gave me such a fright."

I released Rainbow from my magic and let Zecora carry her, and then I said, "It's alright, darling. We realize that ponies have grown a bit desperate in these times."

"Yes, they have, my dear friend. At my home, three looters have met their end." Zecora stated confidently as we followed her to her hut.

I was taken aback for a moment. Did that mean that Zecora killed three ponies? Sweet Celestia, was this the world that we lived in now? Before I could respond, she pulled the spear from the ground, and I could see the blood stains and fur from the slain ponies on the blade. I elected not to ask her to elaborate.

We trotted around to the north side of the house, and Zecora leaned the spear against the outside of her hut, then she opened the door and led us inside. When I entered, I was pleasantly welcomed with the fact that nothing had changed since the attack. It was a relic of peace in our new and dangerous world.

There was the sweet aroma of a mysterious brew in the center of the room. To the left of the cauldron was a small seating area with a couch and two chairs that faced the east wall and the pot. The south wall was made up completely of shelves which were host to a multitude of potions, herbs, and magic dusts. The east wall was decorated with masks from her homeland which communicated cheerful greetings despite their menacing appearance, and it opened to a hallway that led to her bedroom. The west side of the room had a natural wood table which held an advanced chemistry station complete with a set of burners, tubes, and flasks. Zecora wasted no time, and she carefully laid Rainbow Dash down on the small couch.

"Is it over?" A soft voice shakily called from the hallway as a yellow pegasus with very long, pink mane emerged.

"Oh, my gosh!" I screeched, "Fluttershy, is that you!?"

"Rarity?!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see you again!"

I swiftly galloped to Fluttershy, careful not to bump anything in Zecora's cluttered home, and grabbed her harshly in a tight embrace.

I felt that I nearly knocked her from her hooves, "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so happy to see you're alive!"

"I'm just glad it's you." Fluttershy said nervously, and then she whispered, "Zecora... she is very scary when mean ponies come here."

"Yes, yes." I nodded dismissively and pointed at Rainbow Dash, "Look who I found."

"Rainbow Dash!" She exclaimed and started around the couch, and then slowed her approach, "Oh, my gosh. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, jeez." Rainbow said while she waved a hoof at Fluttershy, "A little radiation can't get me down."

Zecora took a ladle from the pot and spooned a thick green liquid into a bowl on her hoof, "Even though you say you are fine, you must drink this brew. It is your lifeline."

Rainbow Dash sipped and recoiled. She appeared to struggle with each gulp which surprised me because the smell was so sweet and relaxing. Fluttershy took a seat on the chair next to Rainbow Dash's head while I took the chair on the other side, and Ditzy sat down on her haunches to my left.

Zecora gave Ditzy and I both a bowl of the stew as well, "If you were outside in the element, you must drink so sickness you prevent. I shall create a much more powerful brew." She stopped to look at Rainbow Dash, "So, that we can help the more afflicted you." And then she trotted to her chemistry table to begin her work.

"So, what are you doing here, Fluttershy?" I asked while taking a sip. The taste was exactly as revolting as Rainbow made it out to be. "Zecora, darling. What exactly does this brew do?"

"A magic herb with a purpose most narrow, it strengthens and rebuilds bad marrow." Zecora explained without looking away from her table. She carefully placed a thorny flower into a tube filled with a bright pink liquid, which began to dissolve the plant, and she continued, "The destruction of this world is harmful to blood, and strong bone marrow makes for a health flood."

I managed to stomach a gulp of the viscid stew that felt like it coated my insides with hot oil. It burned through my nose like I was vomiting in reverse which made me feel like I was going to correct the flow with every swallow. With zebras having brewed these magic cures for supposedly thousands of years, it was a wonder that none of them thought to refine the taste.

"I'm sorry, dear." I said to Fluttershy. "I must know how you made it out."

"The animals told me." Fluttershy said simply. She shrugged and nodded, "Yep, they sensed something was wrong, and led me here. Almost not in time either, because I saw..." She looked at the floor and shook her head before looking back to me. "It was just very scary."

"So, where are they, now?" I asked while trying to recall if I had seen any of her animals outside.

"They're gathering a very specific list of supplies for Zecora and I. We're going to make enough of the radiation cure to take to the Ponyville hospital and begin a relief effort." Fluttershy explained.

I finished my cup and then sucked my teeth. I had the urge to spit the remaining drop that mixed with my saliva back into the bowl, but I forced myself to swallow it. I looked at Ditzy who simply listened to Fluttershy and drank like it wasn't a cup of butt-taste-juice. Gosh, she was so strong.

"So, how long will that take?" I asked.

"We're not sure." Fluttershy said. "But we're not close either. We really need Twilight for a duplication spell to speed things along."

I looked at the floor and nodded, "If she's..." I shook the horrible words from my mouth and started again, "We'll find her. We just need to recuperate, and then we're going to Ponyville to find her."

Zecora had a tiny spoon in her mouth as she spoke, "In my home, you are most welcome to stay. I am curious; have you come a long way?" She carefully took a pinch of white dust from a jar and poured it over the digesting flower.

"We were in Vanhoover." I said, "It took two days for us to get here."

"Such a long an arduous journey of suffering. That's over one hundred kilometers of walking." Zecora commented while she used her fore-hooves to lightly swirl the tube. As the powder mixed, the liquid turned a dark, glowing green.

"We are so lucky that zebras know how to cure radiation sickness." I commented while putting the bowl on the end table to my right.

Zecora shook her head, "This cure is not some ancient prescription. It is something of my own creation."

"You mean, you invented it?" I asked, surprised.

"Fluttershy's animals had shielded her from the harmful rays; therefore, some of them became sick along the way. Once I found what was making them sick, I was able to mix up a new brew quick." Zecora explained while she poured the contents of the tube into a bowl. She took a small, pale leaf from the shelf above the table and dropped it into the bowl. Rose colored steam burst from the liquid, for only a moment, and then she nodded to it. "This cure is ready for Rainbow Dash, but the taste is sure to make her thrash."

"Oh, great. No, I love it." Rainbow Dash said with a smile. "I've always loved drinking horrible tasting, straight up magic."

Zecora made her way to Rainbow Dash with the bowl on her hoof and held it up, "To call this magic would be naming it incorrectly. No, this is what we zebras call alchemy."

"Whatever you call it, I'm sure I'd like a little more cream and sugar with mine." Rainbow Dash joked, and then she took the bowl in her hooves. She tried to sip it, but she nearly spit it out and retched. She shook her head, took a deep breath, and then she drank it quickly with her face pinched into a hard knot.

"To add unnecessary ingredients for taste would void it's power and make it a waste." Zecora explained.

Rainbow Dash sucked the last of the cure from the bowl and then coughed, "Gosh, that is so bad. It's like... ugh, I don't even know what to call it. It's a completely new form of bad."

Zecora chuckled, "If it is life that you seek. You must continue to drink for a week."

"A week?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "How do you know it's got to be a whole week?"

"Because that is how long it took for Harry to get over his sickness. It also how I know that this brew is not useless." Zecora said.

"Harry?" I asked.

"My pet bear." Fluttershy answered. "He got really sick, and his hair was falling out. Zecora fed him this stuff, instead of his regular meals, for a week. He looked so much better the first day, and on day three, his hair was growing back."

Zecora patted Rainbow Dash on the shoulder and gave her a serious look, "Because he is much bigger than a pony, I know that the brew works more slowly. In a much shorter time, you may be cured, but you must drink for the week, just to be assured."

Rainbow Dash nodded, "I understand. Thank you, Zecora."

"I shall continue to brew more, but feel free to accept my home as yours." Zecora said as she took the bowl from Rainbow Dash and trotted back to the table.

I looked at my watch. It was only 3 PM, but I felt like it was much later. We had traveled such a long way, but I didn't feel like it had taken that long. The taste of the stew lingered on my tongue and breath, but I didn't want to rinse my mouth for fear that it would null the effects as Zecora had said. I felt my head begin to dip, so I shook my face to wake myself up.

"Zecora, are there any side effects to the cure?" I asked. I seemed unable to keep my head up straight.

"Sleepiness is a slight complication, but that comes with an easy solution." Zecora explained while dissolving more flowers.

"Yeah, I thought so." I said with a weak smile.

"Reuniting with friends is important while danger looms, but you should retire to one of the bedrooms." Zecora suggested without looking away from her work.

"I'll show you." Fluttershy said, and then she got up.

Ditzy and I stood as well, but much more unsteady. I smiled to her as I motioned to brace myself on her, but found that she was just as wobbly as I was. Fluttershy led us down the hallway where Zecora's room was on the left, and her guest room was on the right.

Much like the entire home, the rounded bedroom was made of natural wood. The walls curved over into a dome, and an irregular, circular window was in the north part of the wall. There was a bookshelf built into the eastern part of the wall, and past that, there was a lantern hanging in the north-east corner. That's when I saw it, an actual bed with a full-sized mattress and sheets and a comforter. I had not even seen a bed in eight days.

I tossed off my bags carelessly and stripped my body bare before throwing myself into the bed.

Ditzy was following my example when Fluttershy stopped her and said, "The bookshelf folds down into another bed."

"Oh, we'll be alright." Ditzy slurred and then she crawled into bed with me. She snuggled her back against my chest, and I rested my chin on the back of her head. She rested her head on my left fore-leg, and I laid my right leg over her side. She pulled her legs in tight and allowed me to embrace her.

"Do you need anything?" Fluttershy asked.

I didn't open my eyes, and I quietly whispered, "No, thank you, darling."

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Fluttershy said as she made her way out and closed the door.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

The field was completely flat, and the winds blew through the lush, green grass. Not a tree in sight, the sun beat down on my face with such satisfying intensity that I wished I had an ice-cold lemonade and my favorite fashion magazine. I looked down at my hoof and found that the handle of a mug was curved around it, and inside was a yellow liquid and three ice cubes. I used my magic to move the tiny, pink umbrella from the glass, and I sipped. The frigid lemonade, tart and sweet, kissed my lips, and I sat down on the lawn chair that I hadn't realized was even there. I floated the mug in my magic while I took the magazine from my lap and opened it to the center. It was a Countess Coloratura article where she outlined 7 simple exercises that would give me more toned legs. I pulled the sunglasses down from my horn and smiled at the drawings of ponies performing leg lifts. I laid on my back and crossed my rear hooves in front of me. Finally, some much deserved relaxation.

A loud, wet thud struck my ear, and I put my magazine down. I looked over the landscape, but saw nothing but the horizon in all directions, so I flipped the page and continued to read about how to improve my flank muscles. Another wet thud, but this one was much closer and louder. I had just began to put my magazine down, when a single drop of blood landed in the middle of the page. I stared at it for a long time as if it was going to tell me where it came from, and then I saw a blurred shadow whisk down in front of me, but it was obscured by my reading material. I heard it make the same sickeningly wet thud, accompanied with a grotesque hollow crack, as it slammed the ground just beyond my rear hooves.

The magazine pages rustled as I trembled, but I couldn't bring myself to look. I stared intently into Countess Coloratura's bright grin on the page as I heard a soft whimper mixed with horrendous gurgling. I clenched my eyes closed, pressed the magazine to my face, and shook my head. This is not happening. and when I opened my eyes, the magazine had disappeared from my magic.

The pegasus tried to call my name, but couldn't get a breath around the intestines spilling from her lips.

*** *** *** *** *** ***

I woke up before Ditzy did, but I didn't move because I was afraid that I would wake her. I used my magic to silently get my watch from my bag and check the time. The sunlight, filtered through the thick tree cover of the forest and clouds, was shining bright beams onto the rug in the center of the room. The rug was another creepy zebra face with black eyes that stared deep into my soul. It was the same colors as the hoof-carved mask above the bed, meant to be the zebra equivalent to a dream-catcher, but I really hated that they stared me down like that. This room was awful to look at, so I just kept my eyes shut, felt Ditzy's warmth, and then I heard her take a conscious breath.

She turned over and squinted to see me through the light, "Hey, there." She gave me a kiss, stretched her back, and then became relaxed again before asking, "How did you sleep?"

"Good." I said, but that was a lie. I still felt exhausted.

"I'm glad. You kept having nightmares, and I was worried." Ditzy smiled, and she ran a hoof over my chest.

I pretended not to remember, "Oh? Did I keep you up?"

"No, I was pretty solid." She smiled.

That's good because I was worried that every time I woke up sobbing, I woke her too. I've never had dreams so vivid or grotesque, and I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to sleep again. I began to think that Zecora's cure was the source of the horrid images, but I concluded that Ditzy had not experienced the same plight that I had. I could tell she had slept well because her vibrant golden eyes were sharp despite such recent return to consciousness.

The door creaked as Fluttershy entered, "Sorry." She said, "Zecora wanted me to ask if you'd like to join us for breakfast."

"Of course, darling." I said. Ditzy took that as her cue to move, and she rolled from the bed.

"Okay, then... sorry for bothering you." Fluttershy said, and then closed the door.

I crawled out of bed as well and stretched my legs. I was much more exhausted that I thought, but I decided to push through it. I glanced around the room, hoping that I would find a brush for my sleep entangled fur, but I didn't see one. Zecora will have a proper place to bathe which I couldn't wait to get into, and we were finally going to be able to set off on a mission without being rushed by danger or emotions. After finding Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the same day, I'd become quite confident that we would go out and find Twilight today.

Ditzy went to the door, but she stopped to look at me with a smile. She made her voice deep, "This breakfast is almost ready, and my food is good for a healing pony." Truth be told, it was an impressive Zecora impression.

Author's Note

I wasn't sure about adding the dream sequence, but the more I read over this chapter, the more I want her nightmares to be explicated.

Writing for Zecora is hard, yo, but I imagine she's like a warrior princess. Hardened, fierce, and highly intelligent.

At this point, I worry that our hero is being shown up too much by those around her. :/ Let me know, please and thank you.

Thanks to LeNerdFIMfiction for helping me proofread.