(Note, the previous chapter was revised on May sixth, 2020. Please go back and read the new version before continuing. Thank you!)

While Ashaa and I were unaccustomed to carrying Shadow, we were both endurance fliers. And as such, we were able to carry Shadow much farther than he anticipated. By morning we had reached the industrial area where Ashaa had been shot. I tried to remember how many days we had been on this quest, but I couldn't check my pipbuck while flying, and Celestia Laboratories wasn't big on clocks or calendars.

None of us attempted to start a conversation, as Ashaa and I could tell that Shadow did not enjoy being in the air, and probably wouldn't like it if we distracted each other from our flying. Instead, we flew in silence. Shadow keeping watch on the ground for snipers and the like, while occasionally giving out directions. That and the small rest stops we made once every two hours were the only breaks from the quiet.

As the sun began to set on the second day of our return trip the cloud cover became a noticeably darker shade, and soon we were flying in the rain. At first, it was a light drizzle, but it soon turned into a heavy, thundering rain as night fell. With our wings heavy with rainwater and visibility dropping we decided to stop for the night.

Shadow, seeing something we didn't, directed us to the outskirts of a residential area. From what little I could see through the rain, we had entered a more wealthy part of the massive city. Once beautiful and elegant gardens lay in front of the massive ruins of elaborate mansions and estates. Even the streets had been well taken care of, the cracked sidewalk under my talons covered in intricate designs and patterns. Though the neighbourhood was in shambles, I still felt out of place surrounded by so many expensive houses.

The one our companion was leading us to was different than the others. While most gave off an air of superiority and power, this one felt dark and ominous. It was built like a small castle made of dark stone, with a high wall surrounding it made of the same material. Compared to the rest of the street, the building was surprisingly well preserved. Its tall menacing spires and multiple balconies were still intact. Not a single window was broken, a rare sight these days. The gate that led into the courtyard was made of black wood, somehow untouched by rot. Carved into the huge double doors was a familiar sight, Princess Luna's cutiemark. The style and decor of the building now made quite a bit of sense, but why would Luna have had a small castle in the middle of Neigh Orleans?

Inside the courtyard was a small private garden filled with long-dead plants and stagnant water, the most interesting thing, however, was that the style of the building had changed slightly. Instead of the moon, a shield insignia now dominated the statues and small fountains that were scattered around empty flowerpots and dead trees.

The door to the inside of the castle was made of the same wood as the front gate, but again had the shield carved into it.

"Wow, what is this place!?" Ashaa shouted over the rain, making me realize we had all remained silent since we landed, and that we were still in the downpour.

"Doesn't matter! let's get inside and dry off!" Shadow hollered in reply, making his way towards the door. Ashaa and I stayed back, in case of a trap, and both sighed in relief when Shadow opened the door without any complications.

As I entered I suddenly felt how completely soaked my feathers were, I had been so concentrated on flying that I hadn't noticed quite how wet I was. Ashaa seemed to be having a similar experience.

While Ashaa and I tried our best to dry off Shadow hung his hat and duster on a dragon-shaped coatrack in the hallway ahead of us. He had his revolver out and pointed in front of him as he systematically checked each room on the first floor, as well as the massive stairwell that led to the upper floors. While he did so I took the time to look around.

I had expected the main hall to be large, but it wasn't as grand as I had thought. The dark purple ceiling was several meters above my head, held up by ornate wooden rafters. The walls were painted a royal blue colour, speckled with white stars. At regular intervals were the gilded wooden doorways that Shadow was exploring. The end of the hallway contained a large stairway covered in a black carpet, the handrails made of silver metal. Even from across the long hallway I could tell it was embossed with the same shield as the front door. Whatever this place was, it was completely untarnished by time. Everything remained untouched by scavengers. Even though no threat had presented itself yet, I was on my guard. There had to be either some serious magic or a monster of some kind that kept others out.

Once satisfied that we were alone Shadow returned to the hallway, slipping his gun back into its holster with a sigh.

"Blitz, there's a living room on the third door on your left, go see if you can get the fireplace lit while I check the second floor. I shouldn't be long."

I nodded as he climbed the steps. Ashaa had already started trotting towards the room Shadow indicated, shivering violently as I followed.

The entryway had been large and ominous, but the living room was quite the opposite. The walls were painted in the same blue as the hallway, but without any stars. There was a stained glass window across from the doorway that depicted a black alicorn with light blue armour and a mane made of the night sky as she fought off a hydra, protecting the town behind her. The mare bore a striking resemblance to Nightmare Moon, but I didn't think it was. First of all, Nightmare Moon was a villain. The only creature She would protect was herself. Secondly, she bore the blue shield symbol seen around the castle as her cutie mark, instead of a dark version of Luna's moon.

In the centre of the room was a circular coffee table covered in old newspapers, silverware, and a couple of board games. Surrounding the table was a semi-circle made of futons and large beanbags. At the other end was a large ornate fireplace, with a stack of wood and a poker set in a metal box off to the side. Above the fireplace was a huge television. Out of curiosity, I pressed the power button. To my surprise, the machine fizzed to life and began playing an action movie. Ashaa almost jumped out a window in fright as I quickly turned it off again.

"What the hell?! This place has power?" She exclaimed, obviously quite rattled by the sudden noise.

"I guess it does, there must be a backup generator somewhere."

"Well, Let's get a fire going. I'm freezing!" I nodded and took the necessary supplies from the metal box, which also contained a full box of matches and some other fire-starting equipment, and began to make a small lean-to in the middle of the fireplace. Once the fire was lit and at a decent size, I dragged a couple of the bean bags closer while Ashaa found a few blankets, draping one over me as we sat down. I sighed as we dried off and warmed up, it had been some time since I had last spent a little quiet time with my sister.

Above us, I heard Shadow as he searched the upper floors. I stiffened, however, when I realized I was hearing two sets of hooves walking around. One was slowly pacing back and forth, while the other was on the other side of the house, heading towards the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Ashaa asked quietly, as she gave me a small nudge. I shivered slightly at her touch.

"Uh, oh! nothing, I thought I heard something." As I finished my sentence, the pacing above our heads stopped. Leaving only the sound of Shadow as he trotted downstairs and joined us.

"Looks like you two are comfy, If you're hungry there's a kitchen upstairs. Fifth door on the left. I'm going to scavenge while the two of you recuperate." And with that, he walked off again. I really wanted to call him back and ask him to stay with us. But I knew that if there was something hostile in the house with us, it would have attacked already. That, and my EFS would have reported it. My nerves were getting to me, that was all. I managed to shove my anxiety down and fell into a dreamless slumber.

A sudden gust of freezing cold wind woke me a while later, making both Ashaa and me jump out from under our blankets. The wind had come from the fireplace, blowing out the remains of my fire. Though it was hard to tell for sure, I thought I heard a voice in the wind as it blew through the chimney.

leave

"Woah, that was strange. Um, how about we get some food? I think Shadow said it was upstairs." Ashaa said, obviously shaken. I was too, but was better at hiding it.

"Yeah, fifth door on the left. Let's get up there, I'm starved!" Even though the place was deserted, Ashaa put the bean bags and blankets back where we had found them while I made sure the fire was well and truly out. We then followed Shadow's instructions up to the kitchen.

As expected, the kitchen was spacious and well equipped. Ashaa walked over to the still working fridge while I checked the cupboards for anything still edible. I found several cans of bacon soup of all things, it had a picture of some kind of cartoon creature printed on it, but I was unable to figure out what. When I looked at the expiration date and found there wasn't one. Shrugging, I pried one open with a knife left on the metal countertop next to me and began to eat.

Ashaa had found a six-pack of Nuka Colas and a couple cups of yoghurt. I trotted over to her as she tossed a soda in my direction and I handed her a can of soup. We ate in companionable silence for a bit, listening to the house creak and moan in the wind.

Crash!

"Dammit!"

It sounded as though Shadow had knocked something over. As I stood up to go help him I heard a metallic thunk! from behind me. Ashaa and I turned to find the knife I had used earlier deeply embedded into the metal countertop.

"What? Ashaa you saw that right? I left that knife on the other side of the room!" We both glanced to where I had placed the blade to find that it was exactly where I had placed it after opening my bacon soup. I spun around and the sharp cooking utensil was gone from the table, even the hole where the blade had stuck into the table was nonexistent.

Ashaa and I were both quite rattled by the whole thing. She silently nodded towards the door and I was all too eager to agree.

We ran upstairs to find a very annoyed unicorn stuck under a pile of random objects that had fallen out of a nearby closet. I had to fight the urge to laugh as we helped him out from under the wreckage, as a small rubber duck was impaled upon his horn.

"There's not much in the way of survival gear in this place, mostly old trinkets and other useless stuff. Before the war, this house would have been full of valuable items, but now it's all junk. I hope you two found enough food for a couple of days, the storm outside probably won't give up for a while."

A couple of days? I didn't think I wanted to stay here for longer than a couple of hours. This mansion was in such good shape for a reason, and it probably wasn't a good one.

Footnote:
New perk! Marathon Flyer: You've gotten used to flying long distances and can now bear the pain better than before! you now use less stamina when in flight.

Author's Note

My procrastination level has reached over NINE THOUSAND!

But I did it! (yay!)

I hope you are enjoying the tale I am telling. If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to comment! I read every one, (Which is pretty easy atm, but still.) and will always do my best to respond!

Anyway, I thank you for reading and hope you are having a wonderful day/night!

-A Bloodthirsty Unicorn56.