Chapter 5: As the Stars Burst

Autumn gazed up at the tall brick walls of the Fortress known as 'Stone Hoofed Valley'. There was just a gate the size of probably two ponies standing on top of each other, but what she really found curious was that the entire city seemed to be on a deep foundation made of metal that furiously dug its way into the ground, and considering the time the fort was made, from what Grella told her, it would make sense.

The Hallowed Shades was completely destroyed by Diamond dogs who hollowed out the ground under the city's base, causing hundreds of bat ponies to brutally be crushed to death in their own homes, with only a hoof full of survivors. Out of fear, the princesses prepared for anything, and for ten long years Equestria was fearful of being attacked by things they couldn't even see. The fortresses were made, but most of them were converted to house refugee bat ponies after the signs of war subsided.

From the top of the wall, a grey bat pony in purple and white armor flew down to them. "Grella, I almost thought you wouldn't come!"

"Had a hail storm last night, it was too dangerous." Grella said. "Found these guys trotting up the road, brought them this way."

Silver Star smiled. "I'll get the gate, it'll be safer." The inside of the walls would have looked better if not for the constant tinge of death and despair in the air. Silver Star flew down once the gate closed behind them. "Just as a precaution, we'll sent you to the medical area while we find an open room. It's this way, this big building up here, with the blue sign, that's where we have the people wounded resting while we try our best using the medical personnel sent from ponyville, as well as volunteers." She gently clapped her hands together. "You know... we could use more volunteers, if you want to help." She pointed up with her wing. "There is the local restaurant and bar, and over there is the housing, which has both locals and refugees." She moved to the small center as she trotted to the medical building. "Over there is where you can get supplies, such as excess food, clothes, blankets, etc." She glanced at the central building with what looked like a lightning rod on top. "And that is where the guards, such as me, are stationed, as well as the spire where we get our electricity from along with messages from my fellow guards stationed across Equestria in this crisis."

Autumn nearly gagged at the blood stains by the medical building. "So... a lot of ponies been through here?"

"Not nearly as many as we thought there would be. There are only ponies here from the everfree and cities without shield spires just outside of the Everfree." Silver tapped her chin. "That would be... probably fifty, but barely any of their injuries were anything to write home about besides a hoof full. And that's not even counting the prior inhabitants..."

"Bat Ponies, right?" Autumn said softly.

Silver star frowned. "That was the assumption, but it turns out most of the bat ponies that lived here left to a different settlement a while back, from what the ponies at the bar upstairs told me. To be honest that was a bit of a let down, I always like meeting other bat ponies that grew up in different settlements..." She stopped at the doors, peeking them open and talking to somepony behind the door, them she turned back towards them. "Okay, you are all good to go."

Once everypony trotted inside, Silver Star sighed. 'I'm glad they made it here safe...' Turning to go back on her rounds, a pegasus flew down towards her.

"Captain said that I get tonight. He wouldn't want you getting exhausted taking all the night shifts, Silver," he said, adjusting his helmet, "and you know how he gets when you start to doze off near dawn."

"Oh..." Silver brushed back her wings in embarrassment. "Well, okay... but I'm going to work tomorrow night!" She flew off to her quarters. 'I guess I have the night off then...'

After a quick cool shower in the mare's communal guard bathroom, she went back to her room. Her room was small, but sufficient, with a small closet, mostly taken up with her bulky armor that she polished every other night, a cot covered with her favorite quilt, and a desk scattered with books and papers. She thought about Captain Frostbite looking at her room sent chills down her spine, and she actually would be worried if it wasn't for the current events keeping him busy. Either way, she figured she would have to clean up her room eventually.

After brushing out her damp hair, she knew what she was going to do on her day off. Putting on her sweater and getting her purse, she sighed and left her room, locking up.

"You're going back to talk to Clover, aren't you?"

Silver Star flinched and straightened into a respectful stance. "Captain Frostbite, sir!"

The old bat pony known as Frostbite was a force to be recognized, towering over Silver with Lunar armor worthy of a warrior like him. "At ease, Guard Silver Star. I was just wondering if you were going to talk to that Clover character at the Late Bite again."

"I... I was going to go to the Late Bite to relax, sir!" She sputtered, only partially easing herself.

"So, you saw the folds in her delivery too..." Captain Frostbite glared. "Carry on, but be careful. Understand? And, Silver, relax for pony's sake. I didn't give you the night off so you could be tense."

"Sir, yes sir!"

The Late Bite was dark with dark blue walls, a long wood bar the highlight. It was small, but that didn't stop the troops of depressing looking patrons, although the ponies playing an intense card game seemed happy enough. Silver scanned the room and her eyes rested on the bartender. "Oh, hey there. On break?"

"I got the night off." Silver smirked. "What do you got?"

"Well... depends. Are you hungry, thirsty, maybe just want to wade out the certain death outside?"

"I'll start off with something light for now, I do have to go back on duty tomorrow."

"Well, I guess we have something light for you. What do you want? Water?"

"Applejuice sounds pretty good." She paused. "Actually, I have something to ask you."

"Is this about the other day?" Clover said, pouring a small glass of apple juice. "I told you and that big guy that the other ponies living here left to that settlement."

Silver Star took a drink of her apple juice. "Have you met a bat pony named Cotten?"

"Cotten?" Clover paused. "Sounds familiar... what's their cutie mark?"

"A pink cloud," Silver Star said, "she was living here about a year ago?"

"You mean Candy?" Clover said. "I knew a bat pony named Candy with a pink cloud cutiemark. I can't imagine any other ponies like her. Why, you know her?"

"She's my cousin, can't you tell the similarities?" Silver wafted her hair about. "Well, it's been awhile since I've seen her. I lived in Canterlot. She had a kinda grey coat, like me, and a pink and white mane."

"Yeah, Candy, that sounds like her." Clover said. "Candy left a few months ago. Hopefully. Because if she didn't she's been missing for three months. If you really want to know where she went, you might want to talk to her boss. I don't know if you want to though. She is pretty poisonous."

"Her boss?"

"That... place up the path." Clover paused. "But, I am pretty sure she went with the group to the settlement." She wiped down the counter. "My younger brother went there, too."

Silver Star finnished her glass of apple juice. "You keep talking about a settlement. Could you give me any further details while you get mea glass of hard cider, please?"

"Finally moving up, eh?" Clover laughed under her breath, Getting out a bottle of Hard apple cider. "Well, a mare came down here saying she was from a settlement of bat ponies up north, in the Everfree. We didn't believe her at first, she being a unicorn and all, but her escorts were bat ponies and said that it was the real deal. So... a lot of ponies left. This town was going down the dumps anyway, if it wasn't for my business here I would have up and left, too." She gave Silver the glass. "But I'm not so sure anymore. I would think my brother would try to get in contact with me, they have a spire... apparently."

"The Everfree?" Silver Star's eyes lit up. "Maybe... I could be of some help? I've been scheduled to take rounds through the Everfree anyway. Maybe... I could look for this town and see if everything is okay?

Clover sighed, but smiled at the thought. "If you want to try, go on ahead. Now... do you want anything else?"

"Well..." Silver paused. "... I guess it is my day off."

"Looks like you're all clear to go, Miss Darling."

Autumn stirred on the doctor's table uneasily before jumping down. "You sure?"

The doctor, a mare in a clean scrub shirt, smiled. "Why, is something bothering you? Stomach ache? Lightheaded? I could subscribe some vitamins..."

"No, well... it's nothing really."

"Anything I could help with? I think there are some former psychologists in the clinic."

"It's nothing. Really." Autumn slipped her jacket back on. "Do you actually have something else I could put on Over this? It's really chilly here..."

"Um... Oh, one moment." The doctor trotted over to a supplies box that seemed like it was donated from Canterlot, or at least she assumed it was, then floated over a big blue hooded sweatshirt. "This should be your size. Must be from the Manehattan line, certainly not in style, but I suppose it's more for function."

Autumn slipped it on. It was a little baggy, but close enough. It fit almost perfectly over the jacket under her, the side pockets a little irrational considering she couldn't reach them. But it was warm with a soft lining on the inside. "Thankyou." Autumn was about to go when the doctor stopped her.

"Miss Darling... please just... well, stop by when you're ready to talk about things. You know, in times like these, most ponies around here could use somepony to talk too. Maybe we could help you with something? When you're ready of course."

"I think I'll be fine. But... I'll consider it." Autumn trotted out of the examination room with a little relief, then decided to go wait for the others in the main hall, yawning as her stride slowed to a softer walk. It had most definitely been a long past few days, and she wasn't exactly sure if she was just having a messed up nightmare or not.

"WEll. I thought it would be a while until I see your face around here." said a raspy voice fueled with rage.

Autumn hesitated to look around, realising she stumbled into the recreation hall of the medical clinic, but realized that the voice came from right in front of her, from a face she surely never thought she'd see again. Well, at least she thought it might be her. "Starburst?"

Star burst was standing by a table, telekinetically shuffling a deck of cards. "What brings your ass to this shit hole? Personally, I thought you were eaten alive back when you were crying about how Dragonsblood and Rose were engaged to be ass-buddies for the rest of their lives." Starburst laughed as she started a game of solitaire. "But don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I was wasted off my mind anyway. Good thing, too, or I would have really been screaming when my eye was gouged like a pudding cup. Now my depth perception is shot, but at least I have this pretty eye patch."

"Oh, Autumn, I could barely recognize you. So that was where you ran off to?"

Autumn felt like hiding in her hoodie when she saw Dragonsblood peeking from one of the tables. "Dra- oh, uh, hi! nice to see that you're... doing well."

"Likewise. Sorry if Starburst startled you, but at least it's a sign she might be recovering well." he glared at Starburst, who threw a card at him. "And Rose and I most certainly will not be... 'ass' buddies, as you put it."

Autumn's eyes lit up. "Rose is okay?!"

"Oh, yes. She's working volunteer at the bar right now I think. She must be up to her hoofs in business, you could wait here, she should be back anytime now." Dragonsblood smiled.

Autumn pondered it, then shook her head. "I should probably get myself situated first. I'll be back though, I need to talk to Rose."

"What, did you just get here?" Dragonsblood said. "I'm staying here at the moment as a small time volunteer, that mostly just sums up to me grabbing this and that for the real doctors though."

"Aren't you a guard?"

"Yeah... I guess." Dragonsblood rolled his eyes. "I'd much rather be here though."

"Brutal," Starburst said. "Now I get to have this Prince of Drag watching me and reminding me to take my pain pills every so often. living the dream, Muffin Butt, living the dream. Oh, and did you see the other kick in the crotch?" Starburst lit her horn with magic and went over to Autumn. Autumn muffled a gasp seeing the contraption helping her walk. "Leg got a big chunk taken out. If it wasn't for Rose I would have been alot worse off, but it was infected by the time I got here. They had to saw it off while I was under."

Dragonsblood glared at her. "Starburst."

Starburst ignored him and laughed. "I lost my best friend, too, I might add. You know, it's so funny how you were the one who lost nothing. Do you feel better about yourself now?"

"Starburst, that's enough, you're acting like a foal." Dragonsblood said.

"And even after I lost everything, you know what? I still don't sit around and cry all day and bitch about how everything sucks..." Starburst laughed a little, then went back to her game. "That's why I don't much care for you, Muffins."

"Oh?" Autumn's words esscaped her mouth like vomit. "Are you sure you don't just hate me because I'm, what was it? A shit eating mud horse? Yeah, what a glorious seventh birthday that was."

Starburst frowned. "You think I'm that narrow minded? No. I don't like you because you're a brat who whines and cries when any little bad thing happens in her happy little life."

Autumn almost managed to bite back her words. "Well, at least I'm not a bitch to everypony she sees!"

Starburst was so silent in that moment Autumn could hear her own heartbeat. Even Dragonsblood was a little surprised by that, and backing away from being in the center of the death battle sure to come. But, to everypony's surprise, Starburst suddenly just giggled a little and smiled. "Well, that's a start, Muffins."

Autumn looked at her in full on surprise. "You... you're not going to... beat my ass or something?"

"Autumn, please, with all the pain relievers they have me hooked up on I'd be lucky to be able to kill a fly. Oh, and I never really found you for the kinky type. Talk about surprising!" Starburst laughed, wiping her muzzle with her hoof and stacked her cards together. "If I was feeling any less shity, however, you would be on the pavement crying." She reshuffled her deck. "How's about when you come back to bump flanks with Rose or whatever it is you ponies do, hell if you can make another friend by the end of the day why don't you bring them with and we can play a good old game of cards?"

Autumn teetered off to the main hall in a confused hurry, until she eventually ran into Zian and Whirlwind waiting by the doors. Zian smiled. "We were just going to go check out our assigned rooms. It seems like we have to double up though, not enough beds for everypony, you know?" She gave Autumn a small key card with a key attached to it. "This is your key. Try not to loose it, they only have so many can't make copies, you know?"

Whirlwind leaned exhaustively against the wall. "Yeah, the others left already, but we were waiting for you. Run into somepony you know?"

"Yeah, some..." Autumn paused a moment. '...friends? No, to personal. Acquaintances? Wow, even that is stretching it.' "... ponies."

Zian smiled. "I like your new jacket."

"Really? It's not that special. Warm enough I guess."

"Oh, Autumn, not that it should be weird or anything, but your staying in my room." Zian smiled. "I mean, if that's not okay I could see if they could switch it for you..."

"Oh, well... I don't really see a problem with it. I guess." Trotting outside, freezing rain hit Autumn like a waterfall. "Really?!" She screeched, lifting her hood.

"This way," Zian said, hastily trotting in front of Autumn.

The old apartment building seemed like it used to be the soldier's quarters, but bigger. 'These were probably made for bat ponies,' Autumn thought to herself, climbing up the stairs at whirlwind flew by.

"This is our stop." Zian said cheerfully.

"Oh, Whirlwind, I guess if you're not busy later my... acquaintance wanted to play a game of cards at the medical clinic tonight if you wanted to join." Autumn said happily before trotting in the room.

"What game?"

"Beats me. Whatever she wants I guess."

"What the hell, why not."

Autumn trotted in the room, peeling off her drenched hoodie and the coat underneath. "That rain was just so sudden, wasn't it? Like... crazy, right?"

"Autumn." Zian closed the door behind her. "Are you okay?"

Autumn paused. "Huh?"

Zian put her hoof gently on Autumn's shoulder. "Yesterday, with that whole thing with Cherry... and that zombie..." Zian smiled gently. "You've been acting strange ever since that happened. Are you feeling okay?"

Autumn sat on the floor. "It's nothing."

"No it isn't. Something is obviously bothering you."

Autumn Glanced up at Zian. "Why do you care so much? I'm just a stranger to you. We only met a couple days ago after all."

"Well..." Zian glanced away. "Maybe I wanted to get to know you as... more than... just a stranger..."

Autumn sighed. "I... I don't know, Zian..."

"I mean it."

"No way." Autumn glanced away. "I mean... lately I don't know what to think anymore! Ponies coming back from the dead... Starburst actually being nice to me, now that's something I never expected. And I mean... ponies... actually wanting to be friends with me...?"

"Why wouldn't somepony want to be friends with a mare like you?" Zian said, helping Autumn up and going to the kitchen.

"Why not? Why would is more like it." Autumn sat down on one of the beds. "I mean... I am just some dull boring nobody baker from small town nowhere... that never even leaves her house or interacts with anypony...," her face flushed as she wiped a hoof over her eyes, "...just whines and cries because nothing is the way she wished it was... and never actually does anything... is just so selfish and mean and just a stupid, dirty ea..."

"Hey," Zian moved Autumn's hoof out of her eyes. "There is nothing wrong with being an earth pony." She smiled and used a napkin to dry of Autumn's face. "And you are not stupid. A little awkward, yes, but not stupid. You're not that Autumn you told me about." Zian set down a warm cup of tea on the bed stand. "You are only what you make yourself, and putting yourself down like that isn't helping anything. You are Autumn Darling, dammit. And even though I'm just a stranger to you." Zian smiled. "I think this Autumn Darling is going to be pretty daum great."

Autumn stared at her, then smiled and hugged Zian tight as tears ran down her face. "That is probably the nicest thing anypony ever said to me..."

Zian was taken a bit back by autumn's abruptness, but gently hugged her back. "Actually..." Zian stepped back I think that you should have this tea I made, then head straight to the bath. Because, no offence of anything, but you smell terrible."

Autumn sniffed herself. "Oh... I guess sleeping in a dusty old train car and rain don't mix well."

"Not to mention wearing the same clothes all the time. You need to clean them after such extreme conditions, you know."

"Hey, I don't wear clothes that often, don't get sassy!"

"You should put your hair up again though. It looked adorable in a bun..."

Autumn took a sip of her tea. "Hey, we'll talk about that later."