The Last of Equestria

A gentle breeze floats through the silent city of Baltimare and through the rundown buildings surrounding me. The breeze is cool against my yellow skin as it gently tosses my brown mane. Around me, three stallions and four other mares walk around bored and armed with small pistols, broken boards, baseball bats and metal pipes- some with nails, some without. The majority of them are dressed in tattered, raggedy clothing. The rest of them and I are dressed in light clothing with improvised armor.

The eight of us are waiting next to a broken, busted up bus on a hill. I can tell some of them are getting impatient by the looks on their faces. The bus we’re waiting around is part of an ambush scheme I and the other Hunters devised to capture and kill other ponies, ones we call 'Tourists’. Tourists are nothing more than scavenging, wandering ponies who unknowingly found their way into our city, into Baltimare. Unbeknownst to them, the entirety of Baltimare is a trap. There's no one place a Tourist can really go to escape a Hunter here in Baltimare. Ambushes are set up all over the city to surprise Tourists. Scouts are all over the perimeter to let those signed up for ambushes know whenever a Tourist enters the city. If somehow a Tourist escaped the grasp of ambushers and made it into the inner city, they'd be caught by the dozens of patrols that stand on guard. Not even the infected are safe if they wander into the city, not that we care. One way or another, they’ll end up wandering into the Pit, an area in the middle that traps in infected, leaving us to pick them off for the fun of it, like a shooting range of sorts.

The walkie-talkie attached to my bullet proof vest buzzes and a feminine voice comes through;

“I got ten Tourists heading into your sector of the city. Got that bus ram ready?”

The others look at me with excitement plastered to their faces. I press a button on my walkie-talkie and answer the mare on the other end;

“As ready as it'll ever be.”

The voice snickers and comes back through;

“Good, I'll alert the others. The Tourists are pretty well armed, so be careful.”

“Will do,” I say.

My walkie-talkie falls silence as the others and I get ready to push the bus down the hill. We stand there, ready and waiting, until we receive the signal to push. Five minutes later, a flare whistles into the air and bursts into a bright red cloud in the sky. The others shout in excitement as we begin to push the bus. We push the heavy hunk of metal on wheels a few feet until it begins to roll all on its own down the hill, picking up speed as it goes.

We watch seven Tourists gallop into the three way intersection as the bus approaches the bottom of the hill. My fellow Hunters cheer as the bus runs over two of the Tourists. We watch as blood squirts out from either side of the front of the bus as it rams into a building. Weapons drawn, we charge down the hill towards the remaining Tourists, who run off in search of cover. Three of them duck into a rundown convenience store, two of them run off into an alleyway.

My group of Hunters split up and take after the Tourists. Three Hunters- two mares, one stallion- and I follow after the Tourists who've taken shelter in the store. The windows of the convenience store are all busted open and broken. The shelves and freezers inside are picked clean and the rest of the store is a complete mess, glass and wood pretty much everywhere- a product of one of our earlier raids and an ambush against previous Tourists who've come through here.

One of the Tourists- an earth pony mare with a livid coat, a royal blue and tyrian purple mane and tail styled into messy curls and a cutiemark depicting a single large, bright teal gem- darts through a door and hides in the back storage area of the store.

“Get the bitch in the back,” One Hunter says to me “we'll take care of these fuckers.”

I simply nod my head at her in response as I canter away. I make my way around the emptied shelves and towards the door the mare had gone through, all the while dodging bullets sent my way from all three Tourists. I quickly slide behind a fallen vending machine and take cover as I wait for the right opportunity to charge into the back room. Bullets whizz over the vending machine and find new homes in things outside the store. Moments later, I hear the unmistakable sound of a gun being reloaded and use that opportunity to charge into the storage room.

Once in the back room, I tackle the mare, pin her to the ground and put my gun up to her head. The mare looks up at me with beautiful but angry emerald green eyes. My heart flutters and falls into the pit of my stomach. Something in my head starts yelling at me to not kill this mare, so I just freeze, still on top of her with my gun to her forehead. I feel my face relax from an expression of anger to one of soft shock as I stare into her eyes.

“What's the matter? Having second thoughts?” The mare sneers.

I shake my head and my expression of anger returns to my face.

“Of course not, just savoring the moment,” I sneer back.

My statement was an empty one and had no truth behind it. I can't bring myself to kill her. Something inside of me won't let me do it, but if I let her get away, the other Hunters will surely claim treason and kill me.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer,” She snaps as she spits in my face.

I sigh angrily and wipe the spit off my face.

“Look, I'm gonna cut to the chase,” I say “I can't bring myself to kill you.”

The mare’s expression changes to one of surprise.

“Wh-what? Really?” She questions “so you'll let me go?”

“Yes, really,” I answer “I'll let you go, but I'm coming with you. I can't stay here anymore if I do.”

“And why's that?” She asks.

“Because the other Hunters will claim treason and kill me,” I reply.

“Hunters? Is that what you're calling yourselves?” The mare questions with a laugh “sounds fitting, though.”

“Yeah, well, keep it down. We don't got long to talk,” I say “I'm going to let you go, but you're going to let me come along.”

“Why should I?” She questions in snarky tone “give me one good reason.”

“The entire city is one big trap, you'll never make out alive without my help,” I answer.

“I suppose that's good enough,” She says “but I'll let you come with me under one condition.”

“What's that?” I question.

“To make up for ambushing me and my companions, squishing two of my best fighters with a bus and being apart of the Hunters killing my friends,” The mare begins “you have to join MY group, the Underground, and be my little assistant and do whatever I fucking say.”

I let out a small growl before sighing.

“Fine, fine, whatever,” I sneer “I'll do it. Happy?”

“Very,” The mare says “now get off of me.”

I let go of the mare and get off of her. She stands up and quickly grabs her gun. The mare dusts herself off and trots over to the door on the other side of the room. I follow her outside into an alleyway. Half way up, she stops and looks back at me.

“Sparkles, Sapphire Sparkles,” She says, holding out her hoof.

“Honey Cake,” I say, grabbing her hoof and shaking it.

The mare grins at me and trots off down the alleyway.

***

That same mare I met that day leads me now through the abandoned maintenance tunnels of the old Canterlot museum. As we've traveled through these tunnels, occasionally fighting infected, I've reflected on all the years, all the time and all the blood and bullets Sapphire and I had spent together. I've reflected on all the memories we've had together, the good ones, the bad ones… even the half-drunk, exhilarating ones of us in bed together. It wasn't until our first Hearth's Warming Eve together that I realized why I couldn't bring myself to kill her in Baltimare. It was love at first sight that had kept me from pulling that trigger, love that I still have for her. I had kept my feelings a secret from her for two years, partially because I had built a wall around my heart and was scared of losing her if I had told her and partially because I didn't want to embarrass myself and make things awkward between us if I told her. It wasn't until Hearts and Hooves day those two years later that Sapphire knew of my feelings for her, but that had been after she had made me aware that she too was in love with me by giving me a box of chocolates and bottle of whiskey she had stolen from some soldiers and a long, semi-awkward speech. However, because of the nature of our line of work, Sapphire and I never got to find the time to be a real couple and because of that, our feelings for each subsided but they were still there, as evident by the numerous times we've came to each other's apartments, had some drinks, shared some laughs and then somehow found ourselves in bed together and waking up the next morning hot, sweaty- also sticky with a substance that was definitely NOT sweat- and snuggled up together.

I know I told Sapphire that I meant it when I said I was going to keep her out of my life forever, but thinking back on all the memories and all the time we've shared together, I don't know if I could really keep her out for long, let alone forever. Even though she hurt my feelings, hit me hard in memories I had buried away and crossed lines she shouldn't have, I still find myself loving Sapphire. Even though I'm still a little mad at her for crossing lines that should never had been crossed, I fully understand why she went where she did. She said those things because she was worried, scared and terrified at the thought she could've lost me and honestly, it's completely all my fault. I can't say I knew this was exactly what I thought would happen when I went into the basement alone, but I was fully aware of what the consequences would be and had a good idea of what Sapphire would say and do afterwards. I don't think I can really blame Sapphire much at all.

I sigh and look up at Sapphire, who's in front of Zephyr Hearts and River Rose, both of which are in front of me. I let out another sigh as I trot past the two young mares and up next to Sapphire, who looks at me with an expression of guilt and sadness spread across her face.

“Life isn't a baseball game and forever is a long time to be alone,” I say quietly as I kiss Sapphire’s cheek “I forgive you, okay? I thought about it and- even though you crossed some lines you should never have crossed- I decided I couldn't really blame you for scolding me the way you did. It.. it was my fault. I knew what I was doing and that I'd hear a banter from you afterwards. So, with that said, I'm sorry for breaking the rules but more so for scaring you, worrying you and making you think you could've lost me.”

Sapphire stops walking and stares at me. Her expression softens as she gives me a sad smile. I stop as well and stare back at her.

“I didn't mean to say the things I said. I knew what I was saying but I didn't mean for them to come out the way they did,” Sapphire says “I… still feel horrible for saying that about your mother, but even more so for saying what I said about you and your ex-husband. I know you care for me and others and in fact, more often than not, you actually put others before yourself. I know you said you forgive me, but I still feel horrible.”

“Well, don't,” I say “because you look fucking ugly when you frown, cry and look sad.”

Sapphire chuckles and softly punches me in the shoulder.

“You look pretty ugly too when you cry, frown and look sad,” Sapphire says quietly with a less sad smile.

“So that's pretty much all the time,” I say with a laugh.

Sapphire laughs and gently bops me on the nose.

“Nah, I'm kidding,” Sapphire says “I think you always look beautiful, especially when you're kicking some ass and fuc- er-”

Sapphire’s cheeks turn several shades of red as she cuts herself off and glances over at Zephyr and River Rose.

“Ew, I really hope you weren't about to say what I thought you were going to,” River Rose says in a disgusted tone.

“Not that it's any of your business, but there's nothing wrong with Sapphire telling me she likes it when I kick ass,” I sneer, looking over at River “and fuck hers.”

“Honey Cake!” Sapphire exclaims in an embarrassed tone as she punches me in the shoulder.

“What?” I ask as I look at Sapphire while trying to suppress a smirk “you know you do.”

“I-I do but- ugh,” Sapphire grumbles as she facehoofs “it feels embarrassing. I'm not trying to hide the fact we've… you know… but I didn't want to blurt it out. I'm not embarrassed to say that I've… that we've… done it… but... ugh! It hards to explain.”

“Sooner or later, these two were bound to be told about the birds and the bees,” I say, covering my mouth to hide my smirk “well, in this case it'd be the birds and the birds.”

“Ew, no! I didn't want to know about that!” River Rose exclaims in a disgusted tone.

“I walked in on my parents one time, so I already know what that is!” Zephyr exclaims in a slightly less disgusted tone than River’s.

“Ew!! I didn't want to know that either!!” River Rose exclaims as she looks at Zephyr.

“What? It’s true! They were making my youngest brother!” Zephyr exclaims, looking at River Rose.

“EW!! SHUT UP!! SHUT UP!!” River Rose yells as she flops onto her haunches, covers her ears and squeezes her eyes shut.

I uncover my mouth and burst into a fit of laughter. My intentions were to attempt to embarrass Sapphire as some form of non-violent revenge for making me cry, but now that I've made not just Sapphire embarrassed, but both Zephyr and River Rose too, I can't help but to laugh. All three of them look at me with embarrassed expressions.

“We should probably get moving,” I say after I finally manage to quit laughing.

Sapphire clears her throat and trots down the tunnel.

“Right, well, follow me,” Sapphire says awkwardly after clearing her throat “and Honey, if you would kindly take up the rear again, it would be most appreciated.”

“Aw, you don't want me up there with you?” I tease “you don't want me your side, recounting all the times we've-”

“Oh, hush,” Sapphire interrupts “just get in the back and, I don't know, stare at my butt or something- and recount those moments in your head. Just… don't start masturbating or whatever, you fucking weirdo.”

“It's not fun to do when you have company around,” I say “so I guess watching that ass as we walk will have to do.”

I chuckle as I trot past Zephyr and River Rose and resume my position in the rear.

“I swear to Celestia… ugh, when we deliver River Rose, come back and get those weapons, the moment we get back to your apartment- or mine- I'm so getting you back for this,” Sapphire says.

“What are going to do? Fuck me?” I question.

“I… Honey Cake!” Sapphire huffs, looking back me “there won't be no fucking involved if you keep at it.”

“Aw, but I was only asking a question,” I say, pretending to pout.

“I swear, sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours,” Sapphire mumbles “but then again, I think I'm afraid to know. It might drive me to drinking.”

“Drinking is fun,” I say “I like to drink, I do it all the time. Sometimes I drink to forget, but I always remember, like last night for example.”

“God, you're so weird,” Sapphire mumbles.

“I have my moments,” I say with a smile.

“You two better savor the moment, no matter how embarrassing it has kind of been,” Sapphire says “soon she'll be back to being- how did you put again Zephyr? Stone cold and rock hard? Yeah, she'll be that again. I love it when she's like this, but even more so when she's just her normal self.”

“You like stone cold and rock hard, huh?” I question.

“You know it,” Sapphire answers with a chuckle.

I smile warmly to myself as I follow behind my companions. Though the moment was a bit uncharacteristic of me, or at least in front of company, I couldn't help myself. It was, at least, a good- albeit semi-embarrassing- way to lighten the sad, gloomy mood that had been lingering heavily around us for the longest time. Besides, River Rose seems to think I'm a complete bitch. I won't lie, I am most of the time, but I can be fun, loving and affectionate. Before the apocalypse, when Ivory was still alive, I was like that all the time, but after her death, that side of me became buried underneath the nearly impenetrable wall I had built around my heart. I'm still like that from time to time, but more often than not, I choose to act like a emotionless bitch and for my line of work, it's almost necessary.

I'm snapped from my thoughts as River Rose hangs back and lightly taps on my shoulder.

“Um, I know you- uh- extremely dislike me and all, but do you think you could help me find some place to use the bathroom when we get out of here?” River Rose questions in a near whisper.

“Sure,” I answer “what do you need to do?”

“I, uh, I have to piss,” River Rose says quietly.

“I'm sure it won't be much longer until we're out of here, just hold it for as long as you can,” I say.
River Rose nods her as she continues to trot along next to me.

“So, uh, your cutiemark is a cake, strawberry and a stick thing with, uh, I'm gonna guess honey?” River Rose asks.

“Wow, you know to use your eyes and make observations,” I reply sarcastically “obviously that's what my cutiemark is.”

“Sarcasm. Making progress,” River Rose says proudly.

I roll my eyes and glance at her flank.

“Fifteen and still a blank flank, huh?” I question.

River Rose looks back at her bare flank with sad eyes.

“Yeah,” River Rose answers sadly “Ocean Breeze says I'm special but I think she's wrong 'cause I don't have my cutiemark yet. Everypony seems to have on 'cept for me.”

“Er, uh… I-I’m sure you'll get your cutiemark one of these days,” I say awkwardly, slightly thrown off guard by River’s shift in attitude.

“If it makes you feel any better, I didn't get my cutiemark until I was Zephyr's age,” Sapphire says “wanna know how I got mine?”

“How?” River Rose asks.

“I robbed a jewelry store,” Sapphire replies “was my first major crime. Before that, my crimes were petty ones like shoplifting and trespassing.”

“Wow, your 'special talent’ is just… being a criminal?” Zephyr questions.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Sapphire answers “but luckily, my cutiemark is pretty deceiving. That's how I got away with a good number of my crimes.”

“Oh, wow,” Zephyr says in genuine awe “what was the greatest crime you ever did and or got away with?”

“My greatest crime, one that I got away with, has to be the time me and my gang robbed a national bank,” Sapphire says “got away with billions of bits.”

“What did you do with the money you stole?” River Rose questions.

“Made like a pirate and buried it all,” Sapphire answers.

“Woah? Seriously?” River Rose questions in genuine awe.

“No, of course not,” Sapphire says with a laugh “I bought a lot of things and before you ask, yes, they were all illegal things and no, I'm not going to tell you specifically what they were.”

“How did you not get caught?” Zephyr asks.

“Skill, manipulation, money and moderation,” Sapphire replies.

“Honestly, you're cutiemark is better than mine,” I say “all I did was bake my mother a Mother's Day slash birthday cake all by myself.”

“Nah, you're cutiemark is definitely better than mine,” Sapphire says “it has a special meaning to it.”

“I earned mine after saving my family once and healing their wounds,” Zephyr says “could you believe Ursa Minors are still around even in the apocalypse?? I thought my family was dead for sure, but luckily I was able to divert it's attention and save my family.”

“I really hope my cutiemark is something as epic and special as all of yours,” River Rose says.
“Don't worry, squirt, you'll get yours someday,” I say instinctively, ruffling River's mane gently.

“Nicknames and head ruffles. Makin’ more progress, hehehe, ” River Rose mumbles proudly.

“Don't mistake my motherly instincts for genuine care,” I say coldly.

“Pft- motherly instincts my ass,” River Rose sneers “don't get all bitchy because you showed emotions for once.”

“You tryin’ to say I'm lying about being a mother??” I question in a half-yell.

“Did I say that? No, I did not, but what I did say was to not get bitchy just 'cause you showed that you care,” River Rose answers in a snarky tone “Zephyr says you've been through a lot and that's why you're such an asshole-”

“I didn't say you were an asshole,” Zephyr interrupts.

“-but I think you've always just been a shitty asshole. Even if you were a mother, you were probably a terrible one and whatever happened to your kid, they're probably happy they're not with you,” River Rose continues in such a cold, bitter tone that causes my entire body freeze and tense up from a combination of shock and anger.

***

“She's gone, Honey. There's nothing we can do,” A familiar voice says quietly from behind me “it's not safe to stay here any longer, we've got to go.”

I wipe the tears from eyes and look back at my brother, Apple Cake. Next to him stands our younger sister, Star Cake, who nods her head sadly in agreement. Another choked sob erupts from my lips as I return my gaze to the small grave before me. Upon the small pile of dirt sits a small picture of my daughter, Ivory Rain, along with her favorite stuffed bear in front of a makeshift cross made from sticks tied together with a yo-yo string.

“I'm sorry, baby girl,” I sob “mommy’s sorry she couldn't protect you. I… I hope you forgive mommy by the time she comes to see you someday. I won't blame you if you don't, baby. I- *hic*- I promise to come visit someday, okay? Mommy swears she will.”

“Honey Cake,” Apple says gently “I know it's not easy, but you need to say goodbye. We've gotta go.”

“I'm so sorry, baby girl. I'm sorry we have to leave you behind like this,” I sob “goodbye, my sweet little angel. Mommy loves you.”

***

Something inside of me snaps as my vision and hearing becomes a blur and everything turns into a mixture of red and black. All I can feel is rage coursing throughout my entire body like a wildfire. Anguish, guilt and anger swirl through my brain fiercely like a whirlpool. Bad memories and strong emotions hit me like a category five hurricane. Faintly, I can hear screaming and yelling. Just barely, I feel something being squeezed between my hooves and something grabbing my forelegs. I feel a sharp pain in my gut followed by a sharp pain in the back of my head. My cheeks begin to sting as I feel my back being forcibly pressed against something cold and slightly damp. From both instincts and the rage burning throughout my body, I buck at whatever is pinning me down. I hear the faintest sound of a thump and use the opportunity to get back onto my hooves. I feel something being repeatedly squashed beneath my hoof. Something wraps around my neck and yanks upwards, causing my body to lurch backwards. I bite down hard on something slightly squishy in an attempt to get away. Shortly afterwards, everything begins to fade away into darkness and silence as my mind slips away into unconsciousness.

***

As I slowly begin to regain consciousness, I hear two familiar voices talking but can’t make out what's being said. I groan and roll over onto my side. My body aches all over, but my head, stomach, and neck ache the most. The voices stop talking and grow silent. I hear a third familiar voice speak in a pained tone, something I'm barely able to make out:

“She's waking up? You didn't actually kill her?”

I hear somepony sigh and shuffle closer to me.

“Of course I didn't kill her. We need her,” Somepony says “besides, I… I could never bring myself to kill Honey Cake. Not unless she was bitten and turned.”

That voice… I open my eyes to see Sapphire sitting just barely out of my reach. She looks down at me with a sad smile and a look of disappointment in her eyes. I can't tell whether or not if that look of disappointment is meant for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zephyr trot over to me. I grunt and groan as I sit up and flop onto my haunches. The four of us are taking shelter inside of a small, old garage. I rub my neck and let out a sigh.

“The fuck happened?” I question “why does my neck feel like it's been squeezed with a vice?”

“What the fuck do you mean the fuck happened’?!” I hear River’s shout angrily from the other side of the room “you fucking attacked me and nearly killed me, you fucking cunt!!”

“Bullshit,” I snap “what’d she do to me?”

“You mean other than buck you off of her in self-defense? Uh, nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Sapphire says “now, if you were to rephrase that to 'what’d I'd do to her?’, I'd tell you that you suddenly attacked her, broke her nose and right jaw- and almost her neck too if I hadn't stopped you- oh and nearly choked her to death, let's not forget about that.

“Gave her a black, swollen eye along with several other bruises and you busted her mouth wide open too. All in all? You tried to kill River Rose. Oh, oh! Let's not forget that you broke two of my ribs and bit the shit out of my right foreleg in the process!”

My body freezes and I just simply stare at Sapphire. My heart sinks a little in my chest as a pang of guilt.

“You're fucking with me,” I say in disbelief “you both look fine to me.”

“Hello? Are you forgetting something?” Zephyr questions, pointing to her cutiemark.

“Oh, right, of course,” I answer in a half-mumble.

“Sit still for a moment and let me x-ray you again real quick,” Zephyr says, her horn lighting in a peach-red color.

I do as she says and sit completely still. My body becomes enveloped by magic of the same color and begins to feel a little funny. I look down and can suddenly see every bone inside of my body.

“Woah- holy shit,” I mumble in awe “I look like I'm wearing a skeleton costume.”

“Yes, yes, now hold still,” Zephyr orders “it's hard to see a fracture or break if you're moving around.”

I sit as completely still as I can and wait for Zephyr to finish. A quick trot around me and a few moments later, my body is no longer subject to Zephyr's spell and returns to normal.

“Once again, neither of you broke anything,” Zephyr says to River and Sapphire “however, one of you did microfracture two of her ribs,the back of her skull and her cheekbone. Impressive actually, if I don't say so myself.”

“Four microfractures?” I question “what in the hell are those?”

“You ever drop a glass cup and it cracks on the inside, but you rub your hoof over it and you can't feel the crack, like it's not even there?” Zephyr questions.

“Yeah. Er, I've never broken a glass cup like that that I can remember, but my daughter did once so, uh, yeah,” I answer.

“A microfracture is basically that, but with a bone rather than a glass cup,” Zephyr says “and it's also nothing that requires medical attention, so there's no need to use a healing spell on yours, just gotta let your body take care of that on its own.

“However, because you have one on your skull and on your cheekbone- though the one on your skull is what I'm mostly concerned with- I'm gonna have to ask you to keep me updated with how you're feeling up there, okay? I don't know an MRI or CAT scan spell, so I can't look at your brain to see if you have a concussion or not. You let me know ASAP if you start to feel funny or feel like something is wrong up there. Got it?”

“Don't worry, I got it,” I say.

“That said, I can't tell if anything inside of you is damaged- if damaged at all- so if you start feeling funny anywhere-”

“Tell you ASAP, I got it,” I interrupt “do you know a pain reliever spell?”

“Oh, I do actually. Normally when I use a healing spell it also relieves pain, so I don't really use the spell much,” Zephyr says “but, uh, give me a moment to remember it.”

“Make it quick,” Sapphire orders “I don't know how much longer we'll be safe here. We're nearly at the train station.”

“Why don't you just use a healing spell?” I question.

“Because I don't know the full extent of your injuries,” Zephyr answers “yes, I'm aware of your microfractures and the bruises you have, but you could have other injuries that we don't know of, therefore, I can't determine the severity or extent of them- if any at all- and therefore cannot determine which spell to use. I don't want to overtreat or undertreat your wounds.”

“Makes sense,” I say “in that case, don't worry about the pain reliever spell. We need to get going.”

“Are you sure?” Zephyr questions.

“Yeah, I'm sure. I've endured much worse than an aching body and a pounding headache before getting treated and relieved of pain, so,” I answer with a shrug “but, before we go, there's something I gotta do.”

“And what's that?” Zephyr asks.

With a small groan, I stand up and trot over to River Rose. The young pegasi backs away with a look of anger and a hint of fear on her face. She backs up into a shelf and glances at it. I step in front of her to prevent her from being able to trot away. I grab her roughly by the ear and bring her face uncomfortably close to mine. She lets out a yelp of surprise and whimpers quietly.

“Never EVER say that about my daughter or about me as a parent again- do you understand me?- because next time, Sapphire won't be able to save you,” I say sternly, glaring harshly “do I make myself clear?”

“Y-yes ma’am,” River Rose whimpers quietly.

“You were right about two things, though,” I say, my voice wavering “I am- was- a horrible mother. I couldn't… I… I couldn't protect my daughter from those things… those… from the infected. She… died on her birthday. She had just turned seven. Wherever she might be, Ivory is probably glad she's not here with such a shitty mother like me right now. You were right about those things.”

“I-I didn't know… I'm sorry,” River Rose says in a near whisper.

“But before that, before the moment the infected flooded that pizza place that day, before my daughter died in my embrace, I was the happiest, kindest, probably most sweetest, loving mare you would ever meet,” I say in a near whisper myself “but the moment she was ripped my from life was the moment that mare died and the one you see now was born.”

Another whimper, one hinted with pain, escapes from River’s throat as tears well up in her eyes. I suddenly realize how hard I had been pulling on her ear. I let go and take a few steps back from her. River Rose rubs her ear and casts her gaze to the floor.

“This’ll be the only time you'll ever hear these words, so listen up and listen closely,” I say “I blacked out, so I don't really remember attacking you, but it's blatantly obvious that I did and for that, I… I'm s- mmm… I'm sorry.”

“We all good now?” Sapphire questions.

“Yeah, we're all good,” I answer.

“Good,” Sapphire says “now let's going. The sooner we get this over with-”

“The better, I-I know, Sapphire,” I interrupt.

Sapphire nods her head as she rises to her feet and trots over to the garage door. River Rose looks up at me and stares. I gesture for her to come closer, which she does immediately.

“Still got to pee?” I ask.

“No, you- uh... you kinda beat the piss out of me. Literally,” She replies “well, no, I take that back, I still kind of have to pee, but I'll be fine.”

“You sure?” I question, earning a simple nod from River in response.

“You let me know when you have to go again,” I say “I promise I won't beat it outta you.”

“That would be preferable, thanks,” River Rose says quietly.

“Come on, you two,” Sapphire calls “can't deliver her to the other Fireflies without either of you.”

I sigh quietly to myself as I turn and trot over to Sapphire and Zephyr. I follow the two of them out of the garage and into the open cobblestone street. It's still raining and thundering outside- harder now than it was before we entered the museum- and much darker. Wordlessly, Sapphire leads us down the street and down several more. The old, worn buildings around the streets loom over us like a teacher looking over her students’ shoulder to make sure they're not cheating. After several minutes of sploshing through water-filled streets, the four of us find ourselves at the Canterlot train station.

We quickly take cover behind an old car as two soldiers trot out of the back door of the station. They come to a stop a few feet from the door and stand their with their weapons drawn.

“Fuck, I thought this place would be abandoned by the way Guffy and Nelly were talking,” Sapphire mumbles with a sigh “dammit, we’ll just have to sneak our way into the station and into the tunnels.”

“Couldn’t we just, like, go around the station? Or over it?” River Rose questions in a half whisper.

“It would save hassle and lessen the chance of us being caught or killed,” Zephyr whispers.

“Go 'over it’, huh? That isn't such a bad idea, y’know,” Sapphire whispers “hey, River, do you think you could fly up to that roof up there and scout out the other side of the station?”

“I can do it,” River Rose whispers back “what do you want me to look for?”

“Guards, the entrance into the tunnels, a place to teleport and infected if necessary,” Sapphire whispers “don't get us caught, kid, and don't take long.”

River Rose nods her head as she outstretches her wings. In a blur of red, green and blue, she takes to the air and lands on the roof of a nearby building. She disappears from sight and remains gone for a solid ten minutes. As quickly as she had left, River Rose returns to her spot between Zephyr and Sapphire.

“So what did you see, kid?” Sapphire questions.

“There’s, like, at least fifteen soldiers that I could see and the tunnel entrance isn't blocked like we thought,” River Rose answers “but, two soldiers are guarding the entrance. There's an old box car laying next to the tracks. It's got boxes and crates around it that will make for perfect cover.”

“You did good, thanks kiddo,” Sapphire says quietly “now we just need to figure out a plan. If we rush in now, it could jeopardize the mission. The guards are much more well armed than us.”

“River, how were the soldiers placed?” I ask.

“Placed? Oh, uh, there two by the door facing the tracks, four on the platform also facing the tracks, two groups of three patrolling the perimeter and the two guarding the entrance facing the platform,” River Rose replies “but that was just what I saw, there might've been more.”

“That was good enough, don't worry,” Sapphire says “now that we know where they are, what's the best course of action? Hmmm. Got anything, Honey Cake?”

“I could get us up on the roof of the station, then over to the box car and then behind the soldiers at the tunnel,” I say “but, with the light my magic produces when I teleport and the faint sound teleporting makes, we might get caught like that.”

“Good point,” Sapphire says “Zephyr?”

“I wish we had a way of distracting the guards,” Zephyr says “if we could draw most- or at least half- of the soldiers away from the station, we could possibly take out the remaining ones to get through. We'd need to draw those who leave far enough away to give us ample time to hit and run.”

“That's not a bad plan actually, but what could we do to lure them away?” Sapphire questions.

Zephyr, Sapphire and River Rose throw around some decent ideas: faking the sound of infected, shooting off a flare, screaming, even starting a fire. While those are all good ideas, I doubt enough guards will leave to check any of them out. A large grin spreads across my face as an idea pops into my head.

“What's ERMR’s number one enemy?” I ask.

“Uh, the Fireflies,” Sapphire replies “why?”

“Here's what I'm thinking,” I begin “two of us take out those guards over there, steal their uniforms and put them on, make ourselves look injured and enter the station yard claiming there's a Firefly attack not far away.”

“That's… wow. That's a great plan,” Sapphire says “only one problem. How do we make it convincing enough that a good bit of them leave to check it out?”

“Easy. The other two who aren't disguised go off somewhere a good bit aways, start a fire, shoot off a few rounds from their guns and shout,” I say “the two of us disguised will canter in the station yard, alert of them of the 'Firefly’ attack and run off. We'll lose 'em and then meet back at the station near the car.”

“What about the other two? How will they know to come back?” Sapphire questions.

“Hmm, I could try out that magic flare spell Dove and Cranberry Wishes showed me,” I answer.

“Alright, now that that's settled,” Sapphire begins “who's doing what?”

“Honey Cake has the body of a soldier, she should be one of the ones to disguise themselves,” Zephyr says “I'm good at making distractions and plus I can teleport myself and whoever back here to the station.”

“Good call,” Sapphire says “you and River have smaller bodies than me and Honey Cake. I don't think either of you could pass as a soldier anyhow, so Honey and I'll be counting on you to make a convincing ‘Firefly’ attack.”

“You two go on and get in your positions while we take out those soldiers,” I say.

Zephyr nods her head and leads River Rose away. Sapphire and I wait a moment or two for them to leave out of sight before sneaking behind the two oblivious soldiers. In a single, swift and simultaneous movement, both soldiers are put into tight choke holds. The soldiers gag, gasp and wheeze as they make ever faltering attempts to break free from our tight grasps. After a minute or two, the soldiers go limp and still. We drop them- their bodies hitting the ground with a thump- and begin to strip them of their gear.

“You know, we could probably use some of this. Their gear, I mean,” Sapphire says “impersonating soldiers could make things easier on the Underground, so long as we don't over do it. We should bring it up at the next meeting when we get back.”

“I agree,” I say “it could have a lot of perks. However, when we get to the Castle of Friendship, we should probably make ourselves look less like soldiers and more like smugglers.”

“Right,” Sapphire says “alright, you all set?”

“Mhm,” I hum as I make final adjustments to the stolen armor.

“Let's fake some injuries and hide these bodies,” Sapphire says “er, how exactly did you plan on faking injuries?”

I use my magic to pull a shiv from my bag and stab it into one of the corpses. I rip open a large gash and let the blood pour out. I wipe the bloodied shiv against the bullet proof vest and repeat my actions a few more times. After getting the vest bloodied, I dip my hoof into the blood and smear it on my face and the bottom of my forelegs. Carefully, I take the shiv and cut a few circle shaped holes the best I can on the vest. With some more blood, I finally make it seem as if I've been in a tough fight.

“Wow, that's actually pretty convincing,” Sapphire says “okay, my turn.”

I watch on as Sapphire takes the shiv from me and mimics my actions. After finishing, she gives the shiv back and starts dragging one of the soldiers’ body out of sight. I put the shiv back in my bag and copy Sapphire's actions. With the beginning of our end of the plan completed, Sapphire and I trot off to start to next phase. As we get into position, we go over lines to use when we canter into the station yard. Sapphire and I hide next to a dumpster as we wait to see smoke and hear Zephyr and River Rose shout.

“I really hope this works,” Sapphire mumbles.

“It will,” I say “I have faith that we can pull it off.”

“Oh, fuck- the name tags,” Sapphire says “the name tags on the uniforms… wouldn't the other soldiers recognize the names?”

I look down at the stolen armor hugging my body. On the left side of the vest rests a silver name tag pinned securely with the name ‘Sgt. Onyx Ironhide’ engraved onto it. Sapphire's right. One look at our name tags and our ruse is busted. Removing the name tags would avoid the problem, but the other soldiers will surely become suspicious if they see us without them. So, what to do then? My shivs aren't strong enough to engrave fake names on the back of them, not that would do any good anyways considering that the pin is on the back side of the tag.

“We might just have to deal with it,” I say “we could just face them long enough to get their attention, tell our tale and get the hell out of there. We don't need to get close enough for them to read the tags.”

“Yeah, you might be right about that,” Sapphire says “we'll be long gone before they notice it's just a set u- hey, look at that. Smoke. Zephyr and River Rose did it.”

I look to where to Sapphire is pointing and see black curls of smoke rising into the air. Moments later, we hear Zephyr and River Rose whooping, hollering and shouting at the top of their lungs followed up with half a clip’s worth of gun shots evenly spaced out. We take that as our cue to leave from our hiding spot and take action. Sapphire and I dart out from behind the dumpster and canter down the alleyway. As the station yard comes into view, I begin to fake a limp.

“Fireflies!” Sapphire shouts as we approach “Fireflies came out of nowhere and attacked us! You gotta help our squad before they wipe us out! Synthia and I barely managed to get away!”

“You gotta come quick!” I exclaim, doing my best to sound injured "five of us are already down. We radioed for help but nopony answered!”

“Woah, calm down there, soldiers,” One soldier- a unicorn mare- says to us “what's another squad doing out here anyways?”

“We were supposed to bring supplies here, the ones that you asked for,” Sapphire says “that's what our leader- Candy Apple- told us at least.”

“Supplies? Oh, yeah, about time they showed up,” The soldier says “how many were in your squad?”

“Including us, twelve,” I answer “there were seven when we left, though. Candy Apple is dead.”

“What?!” The soldier exclaims “he’s dead?! Oh, those goddamn Fireflies are gonna pay for that! Everypony but Coral’s and Amethyst’s teams come with me!”

“This way,” Sapphire says “follow us!”

Sapphire turns and gallops away. I- despite the fake limp- keep up with her pace. We keep going until we reach a rusty, rundown bus sitting in the middle of the road. As soon as we go around the bus, temporarily out of sight from the soldiers, I teleport me and Sapphire back to the station near the car we had previously been hiding behind. As soon as we're there, I cast the magical flare spell. Concentrated, volatile magic whistles high into the air and explodes into a cloud of smoke and dying magic. After a moment or two, in a brief flash of bright light, Zephyr and River Rose appear in front of Sapphire and I.

“Good job, you two,” Sapphire says “now, let's get going before the other soldiers get back.”

“Roger that, uh, Sgt. Ironhide and… Lt. Flare,” Zephyr says with a small chuckle.

“They left us eight soldiers to deal with,” I say “so, I say we take out the ones on the platform first, then deal with the ones at the tunnel entrance last.”

“Time's a-wastin’,” Sapphire says “let's go.”

“Wait, how are we gonna take them out?” Zephyr questions “we aren't just going to rush in and hope for the best, are we?”

“Well, that was sort of the plan,” Sapphire says “what do you suppose we do, Zephyr?”

“I believe the four outlooking the tracks should be dealt with first,” Zephyr says “and then take out the two at the entrance. Taking out the four cuts down the resistance, especially if we hit them without warning. Then taking out the other two leaves with us with the ability to escape. Plus, it’ll save us some bullets.”

“What about the other two? We just gonna leave 'em?” River Rose questions

“They won't be able to chase us, they'll have to stay to tell the others,” Zephyr answers “and let them tell, we'll be long gone by the time they come back and get the full story.”

“Well, if we don't get going we won't,” Sapphire says “Honey Cake, will you down the honors of ridding Equestria of those maggots?”

“With pleasure,” I say, teleporting onto the roof of the train station.

With my magic, I draw all three of my pistols and my shotgun, creep silently over to the edge and ease the firearms down. I aim the guns at the back of their necks, directly at the spinal cord, about a half a foot away.

“What the-”

The soldier is cut off by an ear piercing, resounding sound similar to that of an explosion. The heads of the four soldiers come clean off with blood and chunks of flesh flying everywhere. I jump down from the roof and take out another soldier before galloping away. Bullets whizz past my head- the air whistling as they slice through it- and pierce the ground. I look over and see a perfect place to hide near the box car. Quickly, I teleport behind some chest high crates- but not before a couple of bullets manage to hit me in my right flank. Pain shoots up from my flank, up my side and down through my leg as blood oozes from the newly formed holes.

“Fuck,” I mumble through gritted teeth.

I peek over the crates to get an angle on the soldiers so I can take them out. As soon as my head leaves the safety of the crates, a bullet whizzes past my head, just barely missing my horn by a couple of centimeters. Another bullet is sent my way and punches a hole through my left ear. I quickly duck my head down and hold my ear.

“Fuck, since when did they finally learn how to shoot straight?” I ponder aloud in a half-grunt.

“Over there! Three mares, get 'em!” One of the soldiers shout.

Quickly, I peek over the crates and take aim at one of the soldiers. Before I can pull the trigger, my target is taken out. I lower my gun and duck back down. Pain runs down from my ear and down the left side of my head. It's not the first- nor the last- time I've been shot, but the pain always stays the same. Somepony grabs my shoulder and- instinctively- I use my magic to point my guns at whoever it is. I whip around to see River Rose crouched down with her knife drawn.

“You're bleeding,” River Rose says “how badly are you hurt?”

“They shot my ear and my right flank, but I'll be fine,” I say “you hurt?”

“Is my eye swollen again? One of the guards punched me in the eye before I took him out,” River Rose says.

“It looks a little purple, but not swollen,” I says “maybe we can find some ice to put on it later.”

“They're all dead! Let's get going!” Sapphire calls.

“Can you stand on your own?” River Rose asks.

“Like I said, I'll be fine,” I reply “it's not the first time I've been shot like this.”

“Okay, okay,” River Rose says with a sigh “just wanted to help.”

I grit my teeth to bear through the pain and grunt as I stand up. Pain shoots up my side, over my back and down my leg like bolts of lighting, causing me to drop back down.

“Seriously, you can lean on me,” River Rose says.

Reluctantly, I grab onto River Rose and use her to help myself stand up. I shift most of my weight on the left side of my body and onto River Rose.

“Oof, you’re a bit heavy,” River Rose says “that's okay, though. I'm not complaining.”

With a sigh, I take a wobbly step forward and nearly fall again due to the pain. I look down at my leg and realize that I’m shot elsewhere besides the two bullets in my flank. Three more bullet holes- two side by side in my hock and one in my gaskin- ooze blood. They must’ve hit me at the same time the bullets hit my flank. I didn't feel them hit me. I shake my head and- with some help from River Rose- make my way over to Zephyr and Sapphire.

“Whelp, so much for that plan,” Sapphire says to Zephyr.

Sapphire looks over at me and frowns.

“Damn, you took one hell of a beating,” Sapphire says “let's get a good bit into the tunnels and I'll have Zephyr help you.”

“Somepony finally taught them how to shoot straight,” I say through gritted teeth, the amount of pain I'm in showing in my voice.

“Holster your weapons and get on my back,” Sapphire says “I'll carry you.”

I slip my pistols back into my saddlebags and holster my shotgun. With some help from Zephyr and River Rose, I climb onto Sapphire's back. I adjust myself so that I'm comfortable despite the pain shooting throughout my body like rods of lighting. I lay with my stomach pressed against part of her neck and her back, my forelegs wrapped gently around her neck and my gaskins and stifles pressed firmly against her flanks. The way I'm positioned reminds of me that of scared foal clinging tightly the seat of a carousel ride.

I let out a small grunt of pain as Sapphire begins to canter inside of the train tunnel. I bury my face inside of Sapphire's mane and sigh. I've been shot more times than I can count, I've broken several bones over the years and I've endured my fair share of punches, but no matter how many times I've been injured- being shot especially- the amount of pain never seems to decrease. Sometimes, like now, it feels as if it increases instead. No matter how many times I've been injured, a small part of me has always been thankful that it was by a living, breathing pony and something I would recover and walk away from and still by myself- still be alive- instead of by the hooves of a infected, where I would either turn into one myself or become its snack. Despite that, another small part of me is always bitter that it was not at the hooves of an infected pony. That small part of me always wishes I'd share the same fate- the same untimely, grisly demise- as my daughter, just so I can know and experience the same pain- the same trauma- she went through. It always nags in the back of my mind everytime I'm injured, whether it's badly or not.

“Hey, how you holding up?” Sapphire questions.

I pull my face out of her mane and sigh.

“Not so well,” I answer “can hardly hear a thing outta my left ear. Not sure if it's 'cause of all the blood inside or what.”

“That's not good,” Sapphire says “just hang on for a bit further- okay?- then you'll get all patched up.”

I simply nod my head and rebury my face into her mane. It smells good, like a combination of cucumbers, ginger and shea butter, but there's also a slight hint of sweat. My shampoo and conditioner both smell like watermelon and cherries. When we get back, I'll have to swap out our mane products or I just might have our friend, Arctic Thunder, find some for myself.

“Alright, I think we're good for now,” Sapphire says “Zephyr, do your thing.”

“Roger that, Lt. Flare,” Zephyr says with a small chuckle “alright, let me look at your war wounds.”

Zephyr gingerly examines my flank, hock and gaskin before examining my ear.

“Alright, so, all the bullets are still inside of you except for the one that got your ear, that one went clean through,” Zephyr says “I'm gonna remove the bullets before healing you up. I'm gonna use a numbing spell, but you'll still feel it a little. You'll just feel uncomfortable pressure.”

I pull my face out of Sapphire's mane and watch as a peach-red magic envelopes Zephyr's horn. From my waist down, the four of us are able to see my bones and the bullets inside of me. A second layer of magic envelopes Zephyr's horn and targets my body from the waist down. Soon after, everything goes completely numb and I can hardly feel a thing. A third layer of magic envelopes Zephyr's horn as she removes each bullet one by one from my body. Like she had said, an uncomfortable pressure arises in my flank and leg with each blood stained bullet she removes. A few minutes later, the magic disappears from her horn and I can no longer see my bones, however, my body from the waist down remains very numb. I look up at Zephyr, who looks physically drained from using so much magic at once, and give her an appreciative smile.

“Hey, you can just wrap them up in bandages,” I say “you look pretty drained and I don't want to tire you out more.”

“Are you sure?” Zephyr asks.

“I'm positive,” I reply.

“Thanks,” Zephyr says with a smile.

The young unicorn pulls a first aid kit out from her bag and opens it up. Zephyr pulls a roll of bandage wrap from the kit and begins to dress my wounds with it. I flinch a little as she wraps my ear with the bandage wrap.

“Oh, also, before it slips my mind, we need to be on the lookout for some hydrogen peroxide so I can clean those wounds and clear out that blood before I use a healing spell on them,” Zephyr says.

“If we pass by a pharmacy or doctor’s office, we'll stop and take a look,” Sapphire says “though any we come across probably will have been scooped clean.”

“It won't hurt to look, though,” Zephyr says.

“Right,” Sapphire agrees “do you still need me to carry you, Honey?”

“Yes,” I say “unless you want me drag myself along on the ground that is.”

“What do you mean?” Sapphire questions.

“I’m numb from the waist down,” I answer with a small chuckle “can hardly feel a thing.”

“Ah, gotcha,” Sapphire says “you should ride me like this more often, but just a ~little~ lower. Hehe.”

“Maybe I will when we get back,” I say sensually.

“Ew, ew, ew!” River Rose exclaims “man, do you have to say those things in front of us??”

“Someday you'll be like that too, so hush,” Zephyr says “everypony gets like that when they find somepony they love.”

Sapphire and I can't help but to chuckle at them before sharing a small kiss. Again, it's a bit uncharacteristic of me to act so flirtatiously in front of others, especially ponies I don't know very well, but at this point- probably because of exhaustion and pain- I don't really care. I love Sapphire and there's really no reason for me not to act as such. Besides, if River Rose continues to piss me off from time to time like she's been doing, knowing acts of romance gross her out, I can use that against her to keep her in line. Hell, I might even do it just for the fun of it, just to watch her squirm. I think it's funny, hilarious even, but perhaps that's just the exhaustion and pain talking.

“Well, let's keep going,” Sapphire says “we’re… um… a third- I think- of the way there. Or maybe a forth? Eh, point is we're getting closer and closer.”

“We won't get lost in here, will we?” River Rose asks.

“Nah. It's just a straight shot to the bottom from here,” Sapphire replies “well, not literally a straight shot, but you know what I mean.”

“Do you know where to go once we get to the bottom?” Zephyr questions.

“Of course,” Sapphire answers “and if we do end up getting lost- which we probably won't- we have Honey Cake with us. She lived in Ponyville for pretty much her entire life, so she knows the place like the back of her hoof.”

“I haven't been there since… since it all started,” I say “you don't mind if we take a detour on the way, do you?”

“You mean other than to get hydrogen peroxide?” Sapphire questions.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“That depends, what are we detouring for?” Sapphire asks.

“I promised somepony I'd visit her the next time I was in Ponyville,” I reply “and I don't want to break that promise.”

“Oh, do you mean your daughter?” River Rose questions.

I look back at River Rose and nod my head.

“But I thought you said she was- oh, did you bury her there?” River Rose asks.

“Well, obviously,” I say, my tone slightly annoyed.

“I didn't know. I was just askin’, yeesh,” River Rose mumbles.

“If it's okay with you, I'm going to take a nap until we reach the bottom,” I say to Sapphire.

“Go right ahead, darling,” Sapphire says warmly.

With a small smile, I bury my face back into Sapphire's mane and close my eyes. I let out a small sigh and allow myself to relax. Slowly but surely, everything becomes dark and silent as I fall asleep.