I wish I could tell you what it was like to wake up in a strange world. To see the world you knew to die in a fire and then you wake up with these cybernetic parts inside your body ad you have no idea why it even happens. I am a zebra and sometimes we have spiritual body experiences but this wasn’t one.

I met a diamond dog named Bowser. I don’t know why he was captured but the stories he told me he wasn’t like the others of his kind.

“There are times when I think being a Diamond dog is trouble since most ponies find it hard to trust us.”

Then a great surprise the next creature I meet is a buffalo named June. I don’t get why these ponies called the Black Hooves went after her. From what I learned about her she is just a simple creature that likes to trot through empty lands. At times she is a cool-headed gal. I can also see she is a teen and not even a full adult of her kind.

“Sometimes when it comes to running. We see the past behind us. The future of time around us and when our horns gather air or dust we finally see the focus of our spirits that lead us into our future lives. It’s when our future lives become one with our past lives then we are one. Maybe someday all of us could do this trot and become our old selves again.”

During this time when I woke up with these two, I met another mare. A pegasus her name is Thunder Drift. I don’t know much about her. Just that she was a mother a happy mother like I was. She was accused of being a slut and then forced into this program she won’t go into her former job. I have a feeling there is more to her than even I know.

“We are all seeking the true path even if I have to flap my wings for us to see. I just wish my emotions didn’t get tied to this strange machine in my chest. I feel that I could hurt my friends without even noticing it.”

Even though the four of us showed up in this time of death and destruction. We weren’t alone a computer or Ai that she called herself. We learned later she calls herself Deco and she was placed inside me to help us on our journey. From what I have no idea even though we may never learn.

“There are times that an Ai may or may not understand what is told to them. I have never learned what is told to me ages and ages ago. I may have learned and may have understood why I was created. But why was I placed in your head Rose? I will never understand it myself and maybe I will learn.”

We followed a road down to a few factories and met a mare named Bubble Gum. She helped us and told us many things about this new world. We even got hired at the bar and helped who we could and some of the guards did try to have their way with Drift. But the biggest thing we got from that is the next stretch of our journey.

“I thank you so much for helping me. I warn you though this world is not kind to zebra even after the war. Even some of the zebra tend to hurt their own. For more reason than we understand. I wish I could be of more help to you but you need to find your way to other factories. Most of them are pretty filled up but you will find more souls to help after the bridge.”

When we followed the path that she set for us. We found some upgrades faced many that we could and then we found a whole community on that bridge. When I went there I felt something strange happened. We learned that cybernetics make things more attractive to us. So I slept with a bar owner named Hops. I learned that there is more to than I gave her credit for. She did fall for me.

“Rose I know you’re are a mare out of time and would be older than me in life. But I can’t allow you to be alone in this world. If you were so alone I couldn’t stand it and I would feel like I lost you. I love you Rose and I will wait for you when your journey is finally over so we can become lovers for life.”

We did the task they wished of us. We even fought raiders and a robotic creature that ran across to the other side of the bridge. We never saw them again. Then we found ourselves on the other side of the bridge in a dead village. We met a little creature that we named Maria and calls herself the Frozen Clock. I wish I could understand what she means by this.

“I have no idea why I was created. I just know that I am something that many are after. I am sorry for being such a trouble to you and your friends Rose. If you need to leave me behind and let whoever is coming for me come for me. Don’t worry about whatever is going on. It seems a war of robotic nature is going on something that you don’t belong in.”

After all this, we finally get on with our journey. We make ourselves look like traders and gather what we can to get us on our way. We go into many buildings to loot them if they haven’t been gone through yet. Then we think we will become traders till our journey is over. But the first roadblock has come.

A robot that looks like it was hastily put together so long ago. Blocks our path June takes the cart and hides it behind a building so it doesn’t get destroyed with whatever is going to happen. We get ready for the first real battle that we have had since we have come to this world.

“Surrender the Frozen clock or die!!”

The missile ports open up and instead of firing. We start hearing loud music playing and the robot starts to dance. I look at the others very confused as the robot dances to this strange music.
“Oomp oomph I have come. To defeat you but I shall beat you in song and dance. Give me the Frozen clock and I will not end your lives. Give me the clock and I won’t destroy your ass. I shall dance on your corpses and put a wrench in your plans!!”

I had no idea what to do but June looks like she had an idea and her horns blow out the steam. They add to the music and she dances on our four hooves. As if she has done this before. The steam pours out of her horns.

“Oh big eh? Do you think you could dance and sing to get this clock? You got another thing coming. We shall not only fight through dance. But through death and battle.”

June charges and the two force each other back and the music gets thumpy and louder with each beat. The two push each other adding to the music.

“You’re strong but I am stronger I am made of metal you’re made of flesh. I shall win in song and this battle.”

The robotic creature takes its claws and tosses the buffalo on the other side of it before June hits she forms her metal shell and smashes into the ground it takes the wind out of her. While she can’t sing anymore because of that.

“One down. Now give the frozen clock before I dance on your graves!! Oooo YEAH!!!”

I roll my eyes wishing I had a gun but I don’t know if any of these guns had ammo. But I can’t believe what I saw I heard claws clicking looking over to Bowser wait he is getting in on this. The music turns from heavy rock to blues and Bowser looks through the cart to find a coat and a saxophone?! Why would one be in there? He plays it slowly and leans back.

“Oooh, the moon normally sings for us oooh whoa. The whiskey grows hot tonight in these streets. For the bourbon, noon shall sing for us.”

I stare at Bowser and I look to Drift who shrugs her shoulders.

“Oh come on boy the blues come sing sing sing. I will dance on your grave now give me the frozen clock!!”

I took a deep breath shaking my head at this. I watch Bowser snap his claws as he dances towards the robot. Why is everypony so strange in this new world? Why does music make everyone dance and sing?

“The bourbon street shines with gold. The whiskey has become too toxic for these days old. It’s time to end this dance it’s time to end this song of whiskey and bourbon. Now come let’s duel and dance.”
Bowser drops the saxophone and tries to rip apart the wiring he can see in the robot but he gets punched in the gut and tossed into a wall and the robot laughs. Turning his sights to me and Thunder Drift. He turns off his music just for a moment.

“You have no idea what you hold, do you? We can’t allow you to learn then.”

The music starts up again. Why won’t it even use its real weapons? I then stare at the weapons it has. It has no ammo it has no missiles. It’s like they don’t even have weapons. I wonder I look over to Maria and starting to wonder if she is the key to fix this. Maybe the weapon’s creation has been frozen. Before I could even answer Drift charges at the bot with all her force but even with the emotions of the orb she smashes into the bot and she bounces off the metal of the bot is in a daze. But she did leave a dent and the bot tries to go in for the kill but his programming stops him.

“Program don’t harm flesh activated restarting cores.”

Finally, he turns to me after he restarts and I just stare down at him. His music turns into zebra drums and chanting. I felt insulted how dare this robot pretend to be one of my kind. I took a deep breath and stood on my back hooves and close my eyes chanting.

“I shall dance to your music zebra. I shall destroy your land in the name of the ones who created me. I shall.”

He goes silent from my chanting. The drums he plays get louder as it’s time for me to sing.

“Egameni lamadube ngaphambi nasesiphethweni. Izinkanyezi ziyasina futhi ziyasiculela. Umlingo ezimpilweni zethu awusoze waphela.”’

The bot tries to translate but it’s having trouble and the music grows louder my friends slowly get back up and they watch to see what I will do. I reach down with my hoof and chant magic forming around me. I haven’t done these spells in so long it takes more than sand to do them. It takes the spirit of a zebra. If I do this wrong I could harm myself. Since I only have sand it will be harder to do the spell.

“Oh Stars yizwani ingoma yami. Ngicela unginike amandla engiwadingayo ukulwa nalesi sitha. Sicela unginikeze nabangane bami amandla okwenza lokhu .. Ngeke sikwazi ukukwenza ngaphandle kwezinkanyezi o.

The drums get louder and harsher the robot stares at me like it’s losing control of itself and I do one more chant to the spell trying to sing the last few words. If I do this wrong it will harm me more than it will harm this robot.

“Ukunyakaza okukodwa .. Umdanso owodwa .. iculo elilodwa ngikunika kancane umphefumulo wami kuwe izinkanyezi .. Ngizokunika igazi lakho lapho kufika isikhathi”

The last verse of the song is blurted out. My eyes open and glow just a bit as a green mist connects with the dust. It becomes a weapon and the spell is cast a sand storm made of a bit of my soul and the rage of a zebra spell.

“What are you doing?! This doesn’t compute you did a zebra spell some spells use your soul. You”

“I did what is needed I will do what is needed to see the end of this journey. So will my friends.”

He stares at us in the dust as we walk into the dust like it doesn’t bother us.

“We may not agree to her methods. I for one don’t as the only diamond dog here. We make due. If she used her soul to bring up this dust spell. To just win this battle then it’s the only way to win.”

Bowser swings his claws and slices into one of the wires on the bots back and he screams robotically feeling his left arm no longer working and he tries to move. Bowser laughs backing up into the dust.

“I could care less about what our zebra friend does. If we could win a battle just for the use of her soul and win this battle then I will do whatever I can to make sure it counts.”

June forces her horns into the bot and flips him over smashing him down with a thud holding him down and the final one before me puts her hoof on his chest as June holds the bot down. I feel weak myself from using the spell.

“Rose and I had our whole lives taken from us. Now you wish to harm us? All you were doing is singing and not using real weapons on us? How do you expect to beat us if your programming won’t allow you to?”

She smashes her hoof hard into his chest. She uses all her might to force her rage into the chest and exposes the core she tries to smash the cor with her hoof but her hoof couldn’t break the core. The dust slowly starts to leave after I come over to see the bot lifting my metal hoof.

“I normally don’t care for the idea of killing. Even if you don’t have a soul creature of robotics. I will mourn you as now the count of the blood of the stars. I have to give them blood now if I don’t another will be tasked to do the blood. If this happens then the life of such a one will never become true again.”

I lift my hoof feeling my heartbeat. I grunt feeling the pain from the spell and I force my metal hoof down in the door and it just breaks and shatters it the robot trying to gasp like it’s breathing air and the robot shuts down. I kinda expected an explosion and I pull my hoof out of the core grunting feeling weak.

“Rose… why did you?”

I lift my hoof to silence Drift.

“I did it to protect Deco and Maria we need to learn this journey. We need”

I gasp holding my hoof to my chest I feel it finally the part of my soul being taken to the stars, They didn’t get their blood and I feel they will be coming to me soon. I grunt groaning and I fall to my side.

“Rose?!”

They rush to me as my world goes black and I see nothing but the stars before me. I feel the judges will be harsh to me and I will have to fight to not fulfill this deal and give it to another poor soul.

Author's Note

To those that read Rainfall. This is the reason why Ruby became the weapon of the stars so now there is a reason for that heh.