Nick, and his friends (minus Luke and Venus) were quickly adjusting to their new situation. Something that was quickly noticed was that aside from the walls and guards...life in Ponyville continued as normal. Ponies grew their own fruits and vegetables in their gardens, and Sweet Apple Acres was still being used and run by Applejack and her family. Water was found easily, as the nearby lakes and streams provided enough for a long time. As for things like kitchen appliances, they were all powered by magic. No issues there.

However, the apocalypse still made problems for the citizens of Ponyville. Due to the recent outbreak, many were separated from families in the outside towns and cities. Some ended up losing their families in Ponyville during the early days of the apocalypse. Because of this, many foals became orphans due to their parents and elders dying from the mysterious outbreak...or the looters.

Two days after their arrival, they were already well-known in town. However, until Luke and Venus arrived, IF they arrive...they must find a way to occupy their time. That brings the story here.

Axel decided to talk to the guards for a job, while Miranda decided to work with the orphaned foals. They even spoke to Nick about getting a job. "I don't want to work with these cringey ponies," Nick would say in response, "Isn't being a superhero enough of a job?"

All through his life, Nick hated being told what to do. That's why he quit being in the army after such a short period of time. A lot of people called him a loner, which he scoffed at. "There aren't any loners," Nick would say, "There are only leaders and followers. A loner is just a leader who hasn't found anyone to lead yet."

Anyways, this brings us to two days after their arrival. Nick was talking to Miranda is town hall.

"What do you do?" Nick asked.

"Well, because the orphanage is...unsuitable for ponies to live in, they have to camp here." Miranda responded.

The setup was makeshift. Various mattresses, blankets, mini-tents, and sleeping bags were scattered messily about the floor. The chairs and benches that once faced the end of the room were pushed to the side to make room. The foals lied around, talking with their friends. Some seemed to even forget about the dreadful apocalypse going on.

"Well, better than the orphanage. Place stinked like piss." Nick said.

"Nick! Language!" Miranda said.

"Alright, alright! Anyways...what do you do again?"

"Oh right! I help Mayor Mare out with the fillies and colts. Maybe even teach them."

"Yeah...I could see you being a teacher!"

"Really?"

"No."

Miranda punched him in the shoulder, "Screw you, Nick."

"I love you too," Nick said, batting his eyelashes annoyingly.

Miranda wretched, "Ugh, no thanks."

Nick was about to walk out, when he felt something tug his leg frantically. He turned around to see the filly from two days ago, Cotton Cloudy. She again, looked distressed.

"What's wrong?" Nick asked.

"Those meanies took my bear!" Cotton Cloudy said.

"Where are they?"

She pointed to three colts, who were bashing her teddy bear against the wall. Nick wasted no time, and approached them. He quickly grabbed it, and yanked it out of one's teeth. The colt looked at him, and then his pupils shrunk to the size of pinheads.

"I told you my best friend was the element of Brutality!" Cotton said, hiding behind Nick's leg.

"Here ya go, Cotton," Nick said, handing her the bear.

"B-but...whaaa...?" A colt said.

"Now," Nick said, cracking his knuckles, "What have you got to say for yourself?"

The three colts looked at each other, "We're sorry!" one said.

"Yeah!" said the other, "Just please, don't tell Luna!"

"Keep it up, and I will," Nick said, putting on a cheesy demon voice.

That was enough to make the three colts run away like they had dry ice on their backs. Nick laughed so hard, he fell to the ground...tears falling from his eyes. He then heard someone else laughing...he looked to see Cotton laughing alongside him.

"Heh, am I really that funny?" Nick asked.

"You're hilarious! That...was the first time I've laughed in a bit." Cotton said, quietly.

"Superhero Nick, back at it again?" Miranda asked, "Someone's lightening up to ponies..."

Nick quickly got up, "Nope. Sticking to my opinion. However, I'll take any chance to share my awesomeness with the world." He said, defensively.

"Awesomeness? More like sharing your massive ego with the world."

Nick scrunched up his face, like is he had just sucked on a sour lemon.

"Looks like I got ya." Miranda said, smirking and walking away.

Nick sigh, and accepted defeat. He had better things to do anyway, so he went outside.

Outside, Nick was thinking about what he would do now that he was in Ponyville. Guess I'd better find me a house to stay in or something. Nick's stomach then let out a low growl. It sounded like a wolf was in his gut, craving for food. But first, I gotta find me some grub.

With that, Nick went off into town. He decided to check an empty house for food. Due to the recent disaster, there must be a few empty homes that have food in it. He went to the first house he saw. It was a two-story building, and the door was ajar. Nick pushed it open, and bent his neck so he wouldn't bump into the doorframe. The living room was furnished with a couch and two chairs. A bright yellow rug lay in the center. A coffee table in front of the couch had a vase of flowers on it, already withering.

The most striking thing was the pictures on the walls. Nick walked over to them, and examined them out of curiosity. One photo appeared to be a wedding picture. A white mare, with a green mane stood next to a stallion with a light blue mane and gray fur. They were smiling. The next photo was a honeymoon photo. The two were in a place that looked like Las Vegas. The stallion seemed drunk off his mind, and the mare was trying to stand him up. The next photo was a hospital picture. The mare was lying in a hospital bed, and the stallion was right beside her. Nick was slightly shocked when he saw that they were looking at a filly Cotton Cloudy, resting in her mother's arms. The last photo was of their filly, playing outside. The mare and stallion were sitting on their porch, as Cloudy lied in the grass. She was smiling as a monarch butterfly rested on her nose.

Nick recalled Cloudy talking about her parent becoming zombies. He then looked back at the pictures. His thoughts about finding food went out the window. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his lip quivered.

"This was my house," he heard a voice say from behind.

"I'm not crying!" Nick said, turning around to see Cotton Cloudy standing behind him.

Nick's tight throat made his voice shake, giving away the fact that he indeed WAS crying. His vision got foggy, and he sniffled.

"Okay, fine. You got me. So what I feel bad for you? So what if you don't have a family anymore? So what if...I didn't really have one either..." Nick slowed his words down a little.

"Nick..?" Cotton asked, "Are you ok?"

"Mama...Papa..." Nick said, "Died in a car crash when I was seven. I loved my parents. Papa wanted me to join the army, and Mama took care of me for most of my life. When they died...I was taken in by my uncle. Raised me to be a hard worker." Nick sat on the tiny couch, "He always told me, 'Nicky, you're gonna have a family again one day. You just gotta be capable to provide for them, and care about them.' I wanted a family again, so I worked my ass off wherever I went. Put maximum effort into everything I did."

Nick looked at Cloudy, who returned his gaze.

"I don't want you to go alone. You need SOMEONE to keep an eye on you." Nick said.

Cotton Cloudy's eyes widened, "Will you take care of me?!"

"Sure, as long as-"

He felt Cotton fly into his arms, and she held on to him tight, "Thank you, Mr. Nick! I'll be the best foal ever!" She said as she closed her eyes, genuine happiness could be seen on her face.

Nick smiled. All his thoughts about disliking ponies were forgotten. It was only a few days since he met her, and suddenly...he grew attached to her. For the first time in a long time, he had found something to care for. Not as a pet, or another friend, but almost like...a daughter of his own. He felt himself wrap Cotton in a hug, and he ruffled her mane with a free hand.

"Cotton?" Nick asked.

"Yes, Nick?" Cloudy asked in response.

"Could you...not tell my friends about this? They'd never let me hear the end of it."

"I don't say anything."

With that, the two continued to share a hug. For once, Nick didn't feel sarcastic, or annoyed...but rather...genuine sympathy, and fatherly love.

Author's Note

Thank you guys for reading! If you liked this chapter, leave a comment! As always, have a nice day