The Ambassador

Chapters

I – Savanna – [Unknown]
II – Savanna – [Unknown]
III – Savanna – [Unknown]
IV – Savanna – Emperia
V – Savanna – Emperia
VI – Savanna – Emperia
VII – Savanna – Emperia
VIII – Savanna – Emperia
IX – Savanna – Emperia
X – Savanna – Emperia
XI – Savanna – Emperia

I – Savanna – [Unknown]

Savanna could feel blades of grass tickling her back as she rolled over and stared up at the sky. The sun wasn’t visible while hidden behind some clouds.

She rose to her hooves, wobbling slightly. She reached, retrieving her hat and satchel. The stiff pleather material of her western hat stretched as she put it on.

Blades of grass tickled the frogs of her hooves as she took a step forward. She was dead center in a healthy, green grassland. It was an alien sight. She was accustomed to seeing the stiff, yellowed turf back home.

Savanna didn't feel frightened, exactly. She didn't feel the urge to scream or cry out. She felt only a soul-crushing sense of dread. She was the one at fault here. She had been negligent and hadn't heeded her father's warning to stay out of trouble. He didn't have the ability to predict the future, but it sure seemed that way in hindsight.

Nearby, the sound of flowing water came in waves, building to a crescendo and crashing before petering out into a gentle roar.

The ground before her rose in a gentle slope before dropping away unexpectedly. It looked like the edge of a pit mine or a sinkhole. There was nothing after. It was as if the world had been sliced in two by a gigantic knife. Savanna approached cautiously, fearing the edge would crumble from her weight. She hadn’t been around many sinkholes in her life, but she understood they were dangerous.

A hundred or so meters below, waves crashed against a sandy shore littered with shattered seashells and sharp, eroded rocks. She was standing on a cliff, and a massive one at that.

Fearing she would fall, Savanna made sure not to lean too far out. Below, the water was murky, swirling with dark greens and blues and spotted with contrasting whitecaps.

Savanna sat back on her haunches, staring out into the horizon. The vastness of the ocean was astounding. A great, navy-blue line that extended across her entire vision.

She sighed gently, her ears laying back. She feared the worst possible outcome: that the magical artifact had teleported her somewhere far away from her home. She had acted like the stupid foal she was and had gotten herself into a predicament that only Celestia knew the outcome of.

Maybe she was dreaming? Maybe there was hope. If she was dreaming, then at this instant she was safe at home. Her mother was making breakfast. The smell of food being fried would fill the entire cottage. Hot coffee, eggs, sautéed onions, fried tomatoes and buttered bread.

This wasn’t a dream, was it?

"Celestia help me... ah bucked up, ah know ah did. Just have mercy. Please." She lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes as emotion flooded her.

“Ah didn't know any better...”

Savanna looked around, remaining seated. Her voice felt weak, dispersing into the surrounding air with little effect. She could almost visualize the sound echoing across the empty plains, getting caught up in the blades of the mysterious, white windmills.

Her eyes were blotchy and red with irritation from crying, but she managed to compose herself eventually. She needed to form a plan. She couldn't just sit here waiting for rescue. The first idea that came to her mind was to look for civilization nearby. So, she stood up and began to move.

There were no landmarks nearby, aside from the windmill-like structures. If she walked toward them, she would happen upon civilization eventually, right?

The world seemed dead, entirely too quiet. She was used to hearing the sounds of crickets chirping, the collective din of insects fluttering their papery wings and ponies chattering distantly. Savanna’s ears strained, swiveling in an attempt to recognize any sound beside the distant roar of the ocean behind her—but there was nothing but the wind.

She shivered, uncomfortable.

Ahead was a wide rise of the earth. It was a half-moon-shaped miniature cliff that exposed rock beneath—distinct from the otherwise flat plains. Beyond was a line of trees telling of a forest, about a kilometer or less away.

Before passing by, Savanna took some time to investigate the rise. At the base of the rocky overhang, she tapped a hoof against the exposed rock. It was an absolutely rigid surface, and her hoof made a solid clop when it landed. The rock was the color of charcoal, with flecks of white, the color of salt.

Savanna jumped initially when she heard what sounded like hoofsteps behind her, but the source of the sound was actually an unidentified object that had fallen from the crest of the rise above. It looked like a black ball of slicked feathers or fur, like an oversized, fresh owl pellet. It was large, up to her shoulder in height. Savanna poked it cautiously with a hoof. It was solid.

The object expanded outwards, forming a head first, then two tiny, undeveloped wings and four legs. It was obviously not a pony, but the similarities were striking. Its muzzle was elongated and pointed. Its ears were sharpened to points. It was a quadruped with hooves, and it had feathered wings. Its eyes were tiny, black and intelligent. Pointed directly forward, they were the eyes of a hunter. This was undoubtedly a fledgling, but it was a bird of prey. Savanna backed away, unnerved. What an odd creature...

Wait, her camera! Savanna always carried her camera with her. It was in her satchel, wasn't it? She wanted a snapshot of this specimen to document it, and then she would leave. That would prove to her future self that she had seen this and that she wasn't dreaming.

Reaching into her satchel with a hoof, Savanna dug around briefly. She found her journal, some of her beloved blue-ink ballpoint pens, and a magnetic compass... and a revolver? She frowned curiously, recognizing the model. It didn't belong to her, though. It was a friend's. A week ago, she been invited to go paper target shooting. Those were fun times, even if she hadn't been a very good shot. It had probably been left in her bag accidentally, forgotten about until now. Unloaded or not, that was dangerous, leaving a weapon unattended in her bag. Unfortunately, due to her lack of knowledge about firearms, she didn't think anything of it.

She retrieved her camera. It was an instant model, made of polished stainless steel that reflected the sunlight.

"Sweet Luna, you're weird..." Seemingly in response, the youngling opened its mouth and released a soft hiss. It had a row of small, white nubs for teeth. They weren't yet completely developed. Savanna looked through the viewfinder and snapped a quick shot. The mechanisms within the camera whirred and out of the slot at the bottom, a photograph was released.

Savanna examined the snapshot. It was slightly warm to the touch from being printed just moments ago. The creature was hissing in the photo, its eyes focused intently on the photographer. She nodded appreciably, storing the photo and camera in her satchel.

Savanna's ears perked up as she detected a sound coming from the very top of the rock face. The utterance sounded like the quiet hisses occasionally produced by the fledgling, but it was much lower in pitch. Before she had the opportunity to shift her weight to look, a powerful shiver of terror ran down her spine. Instincts commanded her to run.

The much-larger animal hissed intensely, the tone slow, intelligent and conspiring. It was examining Savanna, discerning if she would serve as a satisfactory meal for its younglings.

Savanna tore across the plains, galloping toward the safety of the forest. Hyperventilating, she risked a glance over her shoulder. The black beast spread its massive wings and leapt off the rock face, diving toward her. It was impossible for her to outpace that thing! It was triple her size and could fly! It had nearly caught up with her, and she had only made it halfway to the forest.

Savanna released a desperate cry and dove to the ground, covering her head with her forelegs protectively. The creature had been so close behind that when Savanna ducked to the ground, it lunged and accidentally flew directly over her, the gust of wind that followed sending her hat soaring away. The ground shook as it landed. It assumed a wide, tactical stance. Spreading its long jaws, its pearly-white teeth glistened with saliva. They were the serrated teeth of a carnivore.

Savanna raised her head in time to witness this unfold. Her pupils dilated, and in that moment of rushing adrenaline, she caught every detail of the creature, creating a still snapshot in her brain. She saw its prominent jaws, tiny, sharp and intelligent eyes and huge, feathered wings that allowed it superior maneuverability while in flight. Its black fur was patchy and mottled with grey.

Instinct took control of her body, and when the beast lunged, she darted to the right. Her tiny size and slim shape meant that while the heavy, bulky creature was recovering from the momentum, Savanna was tearing across the plains and dashing into the first row of trees of the forest. Branches whipped at her exposed face as Savanna got herself well and truly lost in the woods, still hearing the crashing of brush behind as the beast attempted to follow her. It was too large, however, and the trees grown too closely together, with only enough space between for Savanna to navigate.

Not hearing the creature trailing her anymore, Savanna sank onto the ground. The adrenaline from barely escaping her pursuer was dwindling, and Savanna was weary. She saw stars, multicolored spots that danced across her vision. She hadn't ran that intensely for years. Huddled in the dirt at the base of a hardy tree, her body fell limp and she passed out.

When Savanna awoke, it was the dead of night. Crickets droned. Off in the distance, an owl hooted.

She grimaced in discomfort as she rolled onto her back, kicking away her satchel with a rear leg. Her entire body ached from her desperate gallop earlier, but the dull, throbbing pain was mostly concentrated in her legs. She couldn't walk even if she wanted to.

The trees had thin trunks, growing closely together and blocking most moonlight from casting to the forest floor with their intertwined leaves. Small dots of light trickling through the thick, blanket-like canopy were barely enough to see by. Savanna brushed a lock of mane out of her eyes and held up a foreleg, inspecting herself. Her peach-colored fur was dirty and matted. She had a variety of cuts from the sharp branches that she had collided with while running to escape the creature. They were scattered all across her forelegs and her chest, and she was certain there was a scrape between her eyes.

Savanna looked up at the canopy of leaves above and tried to relax, taking deep breaths.

Occasionally, a firefly blinked in the darkness. A mosquito buzzed in her ear, and she swatted it absentmindedly.

The forest floor was teeming with life and noises. Eventually, Savanna began to feel at ease. She had a new-found respect for nature and life now after having barely escaped from that vicious beast. She breathed a quiet, relaxed sigh, reminiscing. She thought of Equestria. She thought of her home town. Her parents, her friends, and everypony else—did they know where she was? Would somepony come and save her?

A dozen or so meters away, some dry leaves crunched.

Savanna jolted upright. "Hello?"

She looked around, searching for the source of the disturbance.

"A - Ah'm lost. Ah need help."

She hesitated, listening for more sounds, and then tried again.

"Please..."

Savanna doubted that, in the middle of this secluded forest, anypony would come to her aid. Another crunch of dried foliage confirmed that something was out there, and it wasn't a pony. It was so dark—Savanna couldn't see anything. Her body tensed. If it was a dangerous animal, she wouldn't be able to outrun it, not in her weakened state. She needed to improvise.

She reached for her satchel and drew the revolver, swinging the cylinder open and checking inside. Unloaded. Of course it was unloaded. If it wasn't, the constant jostling of the gun and other items in her satchel during her escape from the monster probably would have caused an accidental discharge—but she didn't know about this.

Was there ammunition in her bag too? Savanna dug through quickly, throwing miscellaneous items out of the way as she searched. The pages of her journal fluttered as she tossed it aside. It hit the dirt with a muted thump.

At the bottom of her satchel, alongside a few of her ballpoint pens, was a brightly-labeled paper box of .38-caliber revolver cartridges.

She didn't hesitate, sliding the lid off and withdrawing a cartridge from its foam nest. She slid it into one of the cylinder's chambers, closed it, rotated it until it clicked into position and pulled the hammer back, cocking it.

At the mere thought of firing the gun, Savanna winced preemptively. She had no ear protection.

Her ears were perked up and at attention, swiveling as she tried to pinpoint where the animal was.

Directly ahead, the brush shifted. Savanna saw beige fur and a pointed muzzle as the creature began to exit the undergrowth. It snorted, grunting softly. Light glinted off its beady, chocolate eyes.

Savanna raised the revolver, her forelegs shaking unsteadily, and...

BANG!

She cried out in pain, dropping the gun and covering her ears with her hooves. Her sensitive ears were ringing in an intense bout of tinnitus. She saw the animal hesitate for a second before turning tail and darting off into the woods, unharmed. The bullet had struck the trunk of a tree. It was illegal and immoral to shoot any animal or, really, any living entity, in Equestria. But you could scare them off—which is what she had done.

Savanna laid back against the dirt, panting softly.

"Sweet Celestia..." Her legs wobbled unsteadily as she stood. She leaned against the tree she had been napping under, collecting herself. Having almost been violently slaughtered and eaten twice in less than a full day, Savanna was feeling ill with anxiety.

She needed to find civilization, or at least a safe place where she could breathe and think on what to do next. Her goal of reaching the ivory windmills couldn't be achieved at night, especially not in the middle of the woods. She was lost, without any sense of direction.

She couldn't go back to sleep, knowing the creatures that roamed the forest. She had to move.

Savanna grabbed her bag and began repacking her things. She brushed soil off of the cover of her journal and tucked it into her bag. Reaching down, she picked up another of her discarded items. It was her compass. She flipped open the silver lid, consulting the needle, tilting it back and forth to catch the light so she could read it. She was facing southeast. Judging by her position on the cliff when she was teleported here, with the sun rising to her right, that meant the windmills were approximately northeast.

Before Savanna started walking, she unloaded the revolver and inserted six new rounds. She carried the gun with her as she walked, the darkness making her paranoid and fearful.

Now knowledgeable about what was lurking in the forest, Savanna felt a new air of unease. The woods were nearly pitch-black, and without a way of casting light, she was forced to carefully walk with her head tilted downwards to avoid stepping directly into branches head-first.

Occasionally, an animal would crunch on dried leaves as it passed by, but nothing drew too close. Savanna kept her guard up constantly, her ears swiveling toward every noise. The fear of the unknown was more terrifying than understanding what was actually out there.

Savanna had been walking for what felt like hours, but it had been impossible to tell time without the moon. When she stumbled upon a clearing, she could finally see clearly. Above her was a tiny, purple-tinted moon and a few stars, offering more light than what was available in the forest, but still not an impressive amount. The position of the moon told her that the time had to be between midnight and three o'clock in the morning.

The clearing felt artificial, somehow. Several trees had been ripped from the ground, their roots exposed to the air. A shallow pit had been dug in the ground by an unexplained force. It reminded Savanna of the scene caused by an accidental magical detonation—a violent explosion or implosion that varied in severity. Particularly common for young mages or other unicorn laymen, magical detonations occured for a variety of reasons. Unicorn magic was unspeakably complex, and, while performing advanced spells, there was always the risk of a mistake being made. In the absolute worst case scenario, a magical detonation could occur, as the magical energy destabilized suddenly in an uncontrolled fashion. Some could result in craters only a few meters wide, like in the case before Savanna right now. And others could be catastrophic. Unicorns hone their skills for years before trying advanced magic for a reason.

Savanna hoped a unicorn had not met their untimely demise here. Her ears laid back sympathetically. She bowed her head respectfully for a few moments, gave the pit a generous berth, and continued southwestward.

For the next half hour or so, her walk was uneventful. She felt slightly less on edge, but her ears still swiveled, seeking out noises that could potentially give away the location of a dangerous animal priming to attack.

When Savanna finally left the confines of the forest, she breathed a sigh of relief. Weaving between the closely-knit trees had been claustrophobic. Despite knowing birds of prey lived in the area, she was less anxious while on flat, open ground. Seeing and anticipating the threat coming felt safer, somehow. Hopefully they would be scared of gunshots...

The moonlight wasn't as majestic as back home. Above her wasn't Luna's sky—of that, Savanna was certain. The moon and stars were all the same, but in completely different positions. Enough light was provided to see, though.

After climbing a hill, Savanna had finally reached her goal. The ivory, windmill-like structures were much larger than she had thought now that she was close. There were three of them, and they were comparable in height to sequoia trees from back home—maybe even taller! She approached the base of one, tapping it with a hoof. The clang that ensued suggested they were made of a thin yet sturdy metal. There was no obvious entrance.

This was it. She was at the summit of the hill she had seen in the distance from the cliff, all the way on the opposite side of the forest. It had been her goal to reach there and survey from that vantage point to search for civilization. It had taken her the better part of a night to make it there, traveling on hoof.

Savanna turned her head, surveying the landscape on the other side of the hill...

The unanticipated sight made her gasp aloud.

It was a massive, flat valley with rows of dozens or maybe hundreds of the white, windmill-like structures. The vast majority of them had been destroyed, tilted over and lying on their sides. Some were scorched black by fire. A building in the very center, probably large and upholding some importance in the past, had only three walls now. One wall and part of the roof had caved in.

What in Celestia's name had happened? Who had done that? What had done that?

Savanna slumped back onto her haunches, feeling defeated. The three white structures she sat beside were a few of the only survivors.

She felt guilty thinking it, but at least the ruins of the building would provide adequate shelter from the elements and wildlife.

Savanna bowed her head respectfully, praying nopony had been harmed, and then began her descent.

Debris had been violently thrown far from the ruins of the building. Some pieces looked rather sharp, and Savanna look long, exaggerated steps to avoid cutting herself as she approached. The ruins were settled, but had not been overgrown by grasses or vines yet.

The building had been made of mostly metal and concrete. Steel, possibly. It had been constructed on a thick slab of concrete foundation. The vibe the place emanated was unpleasant, but some sections had the semblance of a roof, and they would be dry if it rained. Most importantly, she wouldn't be easy pickings for the birds of prey that patrolled the lands outside.

Savanna chose to rest in the first room she found that was mostly intact. The small space was exclusively reserved for a complicated machine that Savanna did not even attempt to make sense of. She saw pipes, bright, red valves and deduced the machine had been powered by steam in some unexplained manner. The bulkhead's door sealing the chamber away had been blown off its hinges.

Savanna allowed the strap of her satchel to slip off of her back. She opened its brass clasp and withdrew her journal. The cover was still smudged with dirt. She brushed it off to the best of her ability and reached into her satchel once again, withdrawing one of her beloved, blue-ink ballpoint pens. She opened her journal to a blank page and tapped the tip of the pen against the paper, thinking of what to write. She recalled all that had happened in the last 24 hours: the teleportation of her here, almost being eaten by the flying creature and barely escaping with her life, encountering a mysterious animal in the woods at night—she still didn't know what that thing had been. Now, she was here, taking shelter in the ruins of a destroyed building.

Savanna lifted her pen, and, with the little amount of moonlight provided, began to write.

I've only been here for a day, but already two things have tried to eat me: a flying monster with the wings of a pegasus pony and the jaws of a crocodile—many teeth, too—and a wild animal that I saw in the woods late at night. I used Lone Star's revolver to scare it off. I guess it's mine, now. Thank Celestia there was a mix up and that gun was left in my bag, somehow. If it hadn't been in there, I don't think I would be alive to write this.

I'm taking shelter in some kind of ruined factory. The roof has collapsed in some spots, but it'll keep me safe and dry from the rain. I have no idea what this place was originally or why it was destroyed. Unfortunately, I probably will never know.

On the opposite page, Savanna began sketching the flying creature by memory. It was rough and two-dimensional. She gave up halfway, frustrated by her inability to recall the finer details. "Pegasus creature?" she titled it questioningly, underlining.

She turned to the next page, her pen lifted in preparation to write, but then the butt of a rifle struck her solidly in the rear of the skull.

Her back was turned to the entrance. She never saw it coming.

Savanna's body sunk to the floor, rendered unconscious instantly.

II – Savanna – [Unknown]

Savanna's head was spinning. The rear of her skull ached like she had fallen and struck her head particularly hard against a solid surface. Had that happened last night? She didn't remember much. She had been writing and sketching in her journal when all of a sudden the world went dark.

Her mouth was dry, and her stomach ached dully from being empty for so long. She groaned softly, feeling generally unwell.

"...a single unicorn who fought an entire platoon by herself. Glad I wasn't in one of those squads."

Sunlight was shining in Savanna's eyes. She blinked rapidly, squinting, but she couldn't see. A ray of sunlight was blinding her.

"So, it was an ambush?"

"Probably. But it was a massacre."

There were two voices, both male. Savanna's ears perked up to attention, swiveling.

"Shit."

"Yeah... Anyway, I got a pair."

"Two pairs."

The subtle sound of rustling playing cards could be heard.

Savanna made an attempt to stand, but encountered sudden, unanticipated resistance. She was confused at first, and her instinct was to try to move again. She was unsuccessful, and her ineffectual thrashing had managed to attract some unwanted attention.

"Hey, she's awake!"

A third pony hoisted Savanna up from behind like she weighed nothing. Whoever he was, he was strong. Burly and very tall.

She swayed, dizzy and unable to support her own weight. Her hooves were bound together tightly.

Savanna blinked. She shook her head thoroughly, trying to focus. Standing in front of her was a pegasus. He wore an angry expression, but Savanna didn't know why. She hadn't done anything to him...

"Hey! Look at me."

He stomped a hoof against the solid metal floor. The resounding bang had quite an effect on Savanna's hypersensitive hearing. She winced, laying her ears back.

"You're going to make me deaf." The second stallion complained, standing just on the edges of Savanna's peripherals. She gave him a sideways glance. He was grimacing, rubbing his ears. "She's just a kid. Leave her alone." His expression was neutral, not intimidating. He looked almost kind, but unfortunately, his benevolent request was ignored.

"What were you doing sneaking around in here last night?"

The aggressive one gave a hard poke with his hoof into the center of Savanna's chest. She gulped, trying to clear the lump out of her throat. "Ah - ah..."

"I - I - I." The aggressive one immediately caught onto her stammer, teasing her mockingly with it. He and the stallion holding her up shared a laugh at her misfortune, while a fourth stallion rounded the corner to see what the fuss was about.

Seeing another pony show up, Savanna realized the situation could end badly. Her body was stiffening as adrenaline flowed through her system. Her vision was sharpening, and she was on full alert. She was beginning to panic, trying to plan a method of escape... but nothing came to mind.

She licked her dry lips, swallowing and preparing to speak.

"Thirsty?"

Savanna blinked at the unanticipated question. Hesitantly, she raised her voice. "V - very."

While maintaining eye contact, the aggressive stallion reached for something on a nearby table. It was a metal canteen. Savanna heard liquid splash around inside. Her eyes widened. Could it be water? Maybe juice? She was so desperate, she would settle for anything, even something alcoholic.

"You want some?" He offered it forward, swinging it from side to side. The metal handles of the plastic stop at the tip jangled softly.

Savanna almost made an attempt to reach for the canteen, only to remember her hooves were bound. She frowned, disappointed.

"Well..." The stallion withdrew the canteen. "Maybe if you cooperate and tell us who you work for or what you're up to, I'll give you some."

Savanna swallowed dryly, her gaze darting between the canteen and the stallion's eyes. She didn't like his expression. It was indiscernible, but she was afraid he would lash out at any second. Maybe she was just panicking for no reason.

"Ah don't work for anypony. Ah came here alone," she spoke up.

The stallion nodded slowly, setting the canteen aside. With a wing, he reached for a bayonet on a nearby table. Savanna's eyes widened fearfully. "N - no..." Savanna finally managed to speak up. Her gaze was focused on the blade, voice weak and inconsequential.

Evidently, the burly one's voice was as low and intimidating as his outward appearance. "You aren't afraid she's going to start kicking?"

"We'll see." The aggressive one sat back on his haunches at Savanna's left side. "When I get your legs untied, you aren't gonna start kicking, are you, kid?"

Savanna had no clever or witty responses. "Please don't hurt me..."

"Weird accent," the burly one commented.

"Yeah. Foreign," the aggressive one replied, breaking eye contact with Savanna briefly before returning to gaze down at her once again. "You sound like you're from the south. You look like it too. West or east side of the train tracks?"

Naturally, Savanna didn't answer.

Seeing how he wouldn't get an answer, the aggressive one changed topics. "You haven't answered my question, kid. You going to kick?"

Savanna's ears laid back in despair. She feared that no matter what she said, she was going to get hurt, but maybe by going along with what they said, she could escape what she thought was coming.

"A - ah won't. Ya have mah word."

The aggressive one chuckled. "Ok. Sure..." He raised the bayonet. Savanna clenched her eyes shut, anticipating pain, but it was only used to cut the ropes binding her hooves together. The movement was so fluid and sudden she hardly had time to flinch, but it was unwarranted, since he hadn't harmed her. Suddenly free, Savanna flexed her muscles, feeling the blood beginning to flow at full strength again.

When the stallion supporting Savanna loosened his grip and let her stand on her own, she wobbled, struggling to balance. For a second, she glanced over at the hole in the factory wall in the other room and considered making a break for it. It was a clear shot...

"How far did you have to walk to get here? Cerise is, what, 30 miles away? 40? I'm assuming you're from there. Why did you come here from the city?" The aggressive one motioned with the bayonet at Savanna, then lowered it again. While waiting for an answer, he casually tossed it up into the air and caught it again with a wing, doing a little trick. Savanna nervously kept her eyes on the blade, still anticipating the moment he used it as a weapon.

"Ah didn't." She hesitated for a moment, knowing that her story would sound contrived—but it was all the truth. "Ah came from the south, looking for shelter. There was a cliff and ocean, ah think. Ah was teleported there."

"By who?" The response wasn't immediate. The stallions seemed confused—they hadn't immediately dismissed the claim as a lie, which was good.

"Not by somepony." Her ears lowered shamefully. "Ah did something really stupid. Messed with a magical artifact and sent myself here... somehow."

The stallions were thoroughly confused, now. They exchanged glances.

The aggressive one nimbly rolled the knife between the individual feathers at the tip of his wing, doing tricks with it as he thought. "Only museum I know of for magical shit like that is in Cerulia," he mused.

"That's the little island of unicorns off the coast, right? Where Queen Melody was exiled?" A stallion who had been silent this entire time now interjected, his interest clearly piqued. He was older than Savanna, but still had a younger, softer face.

"It's just plain Melody now, kid. No one cares how they're doing over there, or what they call her."

"Yeah." The younger grunt shrugged. He looked like he wanted to say more, but held his tongue.

The aggressive stallion extended his wing, using the handle of the bayonet to draw Savanna's chin upwards so she could focus on him. Her eyes had been directed at the floor as she thought, but now she met his gaze. "You're from Cerulia, then?"

"Ah don't even know where that is..." Feeling confused and frustrated, Savanna frowned, her ears laying back.

"Yeah." The aggressive one tossed the bayonet upwards, catching it. "Now that I think about it, you don't strike me as an islander. I still think you're from the south, even if you won't tell me."

Before Savanna could reply, a new voice firmly interrupted.

A stallion had entered the room. Everything about him was sharp and commanded attention, especially the way he moved. He was dressed in grey fatigues and a stiff jacket. The dress was unique, with colorful stripes on the shoulders indicative of an officer.

Everypony in the room was wearing those types of clothes, actually, but Savanna had been entirely focused on their faces and hadn't realized until then.

He stood in front of the aggressive stallion. Savanna recognized the posture. Clearly, he was the leader, and was staring down her interrogator in an act that showed dominance.

"I think this has dragged on long enough."

The aggressive one slowly stood, maintaining eye contact. For once, his ugly maw was silenced.

"Get out of the way," the officer ordered.

The stallion nodded, stepping aside. "She refuses to say anything about herself, sir."

Savanna glanced toward the exit again, but the burly stallion had moved to block it. Even with her hooves free, Savanna wasn't going anywhere yet.

"Look, kid," the officer started, making lingering eye contact, "I was informed gunshots were heard last night—around the same time they found you sneaking around in here. And with all the shit that's been happening over in Cerise these past few months, I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. Do yourself a favor and tell us everything you know. You'll be held here for the time being." He moved to step out of the room.

"One of you, stay here and watch her," he ordered, taking his leave.

When the grunts cleared out, Savanna was left alone in the room with yet another new face. She locked eyes with him, retreating into a corner. She had no trust for anypony.

"Yer not gonna hurt me, are ya?"

The grunt leaned against the wall, breathing a sigh. "Don't intend to, yet."

"Really?"

"Yep."

Savanna still felt no trust for him. She glanced warily at the door. It would be easier to dodge one pony than several. If she escaped, though, where would she go? Back into the forest? With her revolver having been confiscated, she was virtually defenseless, and she wouldn't feel safe out there. Not to mention that all of her other belongings had been confiscated as well.

"So, where are you from, kid? I've never heard that kind of accent before."

"Maripony. It's a village in western Equestria."

"Yeah, never heard of the place. Lot of earth ponies down there?" Seeing how he wasn't going to get an answer, he changed the topic. "So, are you going to explain why you're out here yet, kid?"

Savanna sat back on her haunches. She knew she wasn't running, so there was no reason to be prepared to instantly take flight. "Ah already said... And mah name's not 'kid.' It's Savanna."

"Well, like I said, I've never heard of the place."

"Yeah, ah know ya haven't. Ah was teleported here. Ah dunno where ah am. All ah know is that ah don't live here. Ah don't live in this world. This isn't mah home." Tears welled up in Savanna's eyes at the mention of home. She lowered her head shamefully.

The grunt sighed impatiently. He shifted his weight. "You say a lot of wild shit. It's hard to believe.

"You shouldn't have been sneaking around in here. Why do you think we were so paranoid when we found you last night? You could have been a revolutionary."

Savanna scowled. "He could have been a little nicer with the interrogation, at least." She leaned back against the wall quietly, too tired to think of any witty responses.

From the belt around his waist, the stallion retrieved another canteen. Savanna, desensitized by this point, paid no mind—until it was thrown and landed in her lap. It was made of thin steel, and was heavy with liquid. She held it and looked up, confused.

"Don't give me that look. We have to keep you alive somehow. Just don't drink all of it."

"Thank you." She unscrewed the cap and tested the liquid inside with a small sip. It was pure, sweet water. She drank hastily, taking long gulps.

"Hey. That's enough." The stallion was insistent. Savanna obeyed, but she stayed cautious, not yet completely trusting him.

She was about to return the canteen when she froze, looking to the door and then back to the stallion. She breathed a soft sigh in an attempt to calm her nerves. The hole in the steel factory wall suddenly seemed so distant, but it was within reach. There was only one pony blocking her way.

"Give it here." Her guard held out a hoof for the canteen, frowning at her odd behavior. Savanna wouldn't have long—she needed to make the decision to escape then, not later.

In one swift motion, she hurled the canteen into the grunt's face and threw herself into a gallop, bursting through the door. On a table near the hole in the wall, she caught a glimpse of her satchel and revolver—but a pony was standing between her and her things. He was unarmed, and wasn't yet looking her way.

"Hey! She's getting away!"

"Stop! Or I'll shoot!"

Savanna heard stallions clamoring confusedly behind her. Now was her chance.

She ran up beside him and gave him a hard shove, knocking him against a metal pole. Before he could recover, she tossed her gun into her bag, threw the strap over her shoulder and jumped out of the hole in the wall onto the grass outside. She landed at full gallop, heading straight for a hill to escape the valley. Once she crested it, she would break line of sight and be relatively safe.

Savanna yelped when she heard a gunshot and saw the bullet bury itself in the dirt in front of her.

"That was a warning shot! Stop!"

Ignoring the voice, Savanna vaulted over one of the many carcasses of the destroyed, ivory windmills. A bullet hit and buried into the steel to her right, missing her by a mere hoof-length or less.

Savanna's momentum caused her to lose her balance, and she went tumbling down the other side of the hill head first. Her satchel's clasp loosened, and its contents were thrown to the ground as she hit the ground.

When she finally came to a rest at the base of the slope, she was breathless for a moment. She quickly rolled over, moving to gather her things.

As Savanna sat and lifted the revolver from the ground, preparing to store it in her satchel, she hesitated. She tilted it and watched sunlight reflect off the cylinder, gleaming. Only a minute ago, she had almost been shot in the back. She could have died. She frowned, troubled.

Savanna pressed the release button and swung the cylinder out. Those pegasi had emptied it when they confiscated the gun. She loaded six rounds and closed the cylinder until it clicked, slipping it into her bag.

Savanna glanced back, worried she was being followed, but she couldn't see over the hill. Regardless, she needed to get as much distance between her and the ponies as possible. The buildings on the horizon were promising. They were probably within the city the grunts had mentioned.

Savanna had only taken a few steps before she heard the distinct sound of hoofsteps crunching onto grass and dirt behind her. She jumped, spotting a nearby bridge and identifying it as adequate cover. She trotted over, trying to make as little noise as possible, and snuck beneath it into a small ditch. Lying in the shelter of some tall weeds, she stayed perfectly still and waited.

Eventually, a pair of ponies came trotting over the hill. Their eyes scanned the trees just past the dirt road, only briefly glancing to where Savanna was hiding. Her position had given her enough cover.

She was close enough to hear their voices. Her ears swiveled into position as she eavesdropped.

"This is a waste of time," one spoke, shaking his head. "She could be anywhere by now."

"Yeah," his partner agreed.

They lingered for a few more moments, standing still as they focused, looking up and down the line of trees for any sign of movement.

Savanna's ears perked up and swiveled in a different direction as she detected a sound. It was a dull rumbling, coming from the east, up the road. Accompanying the noise were several large, unidentified objects. They were definitely artificial, with hard edges and the sheen of metal. Savanna estimated they were about seven or eight feet tall in some places, and they were approaching steadily, traveling along the road about as fast as an average pegasus could fly.

The repetitive drone grew louder as the vehicles drew close. The sound was almost like what a train's coal engine made. They were as large as she had guessed—maybe even bigger. They had wide, rectangular rear ends covered in hessian fabric for protection against the elements. The rough shape of the vehicles reminded Savanna of a spider, the thin perturbance at the front being the spider's head and the wide, rectangular base at the rear being the spider's abdomen, where its silk would be produced.

One of the vehicles in the convoy stopped on the bridge, and the wood creaked dramatically under the weight. Savanna flinched, wondering if the supports would collapse on top of her. Powerful, choking exhaust fumes wafted down to her level, and she resisted the urge to cough by holding her breath.

"Hello," one of the grunts greeted a driver. "Did you see an earth pony down that way while you were driving? She's probably a revolutionary. Looked young, couldn't have been older than 17. Orange coat and mane. You'd recognize her if you saw her."

"No sir, can't say I have. We'll keep an eye out, though. We're heading to Cerise, anyway. She's probably on her way there now."

"She's armed," the grunt warned. "Watch yourself."

"Aren't they always?"

After this little exchange, the convoy of vehicles drove off, tearing up a storm of pebbles and dirt that rained down onto Savanna through the cracks in wooden planks. She grimaced in discomfort, forcing herself to stay still and quiet.

Savanna waited until the grunts had crested the hill before she emerged from beneath the bridge. She was filthy with dirt, and her legs were splattered with mud. Still, she hadn't been spotted, and for that she was grateful.

Brushing herself off to the best of her ability, she consulted her compass to assure she was northbound and began to trot.

She hesitated to think it, knowing danger could potentially be lurking, but the open field before her seemed peaceful compared to the dangerous, rocky cliff. There was gorgeous, green grass, blooming flowers and stalks of wild grain. Everything was in constant motion as a gentle breeze blew.

Savanna reached out and brushed a foreleg through some stalks of barley. The newly germinating stalks were soft and delicate. She was away from the wind farm and the ponies with their guns, and she almost felt at peace, connected with nature again—like how all earth ponies should be.

Savanna's eyes swept the horizon as she walked, looking for any signs of danger. So far, it was a peaceful walk. The wild barley was growing, stretching upwards, and the flowers were blooming around her. Savanna stopped to sit down and get a closer look. Below her was a patch of the tiniest, most innocent-looking blue flowers. Bluebells. She identified them solely because of reading, not from common knowledge. Her little village in the open savannas of western Equestria had little floral diversity, but plenty of books.

She didn't linger for too long.

When Savanna climbed a nearby hill, she laid eyes on a body of water. It wasn't just any common body of water, but a secluded lake, rimmed with reeds and the slender stalks and characteristic brown, cylindrical seedpods of herbaceous Typha. The water was clear, blue and inviting. Below the surface, undulating, submerged plants like Elodia and hornwort swayed in the gentle current. As Savanna drew near, she noticed a deer across the lake from her on the bank. His head was dipped low to the water as he drank. The buck didn't seem especially concerned by her presence.

The place had a peaceful atmosphere. Encircled by trees, it was private, sheltered from the outside world. If the grunts
really were looking for her, they probably wouldn't find her there. The lake was far from any roads. It would be a safe spot to spend the night.

In imitation of the buck, Savanna stepped onto the shore and lowered her head to drink. She was still thirsty, and the refreshing water filled her stomach, staving off her hunger. When she lifted her head, the deer had retreated beyond the lake's ring of trees, leaving a trail of cloven hoofprints in the mud.

Savanna left her cumbersome satchel on the shore and breached the lake's surface with a foreleg. The water was tepid; it was the perfect temperature for a dip. This was an opportunity to clean herself that she was not about to reject.

Taking several strides forward, Savanna sank up to her flank into the water. She began with her forelegs, scrubbing away several days' worth of grime and sweat. Her peach-colored fur immediately appeared brighter and fluffier. She immersed her entire body below the surface and scrubbed her mane, removing dirt and little pebbles.

Savanna paddled farther out into the lake, swimming just for fun at that point. As she treaded water and held her position, her hooves no longer touched the mud of the lake bed. Despite the fact she was struggling to keep her head above the surface, it was an enjoyable experience, as always. The last time she had gone swimming had been years into the past, and she almost forgotten how.

When Savanna looked down, she saw only murky darkness and the grasping tendrils of aquatic plants on the lake bed stretching upwards towards the sun. A curious pike slithered close, then disappeared into the depths. Sunlight only penetrated so far into the inky blackness. The lake appeared impossibly deep. It was a little frightening. She had never swam in such a large body of water.

Savanna breathed a gentle sigh. Her mind began wandering to Equestria once again. Her poor parents, her friends... It had been longer than a day since her disappearance, and they haven't left her mind. Was anypony looking for her? Did they have any idea of where she might be? Surely somepony would come to her rescue. But... where even was she? Had she traveled back in time? Forward in time? She had heard stories of unicorns who casted the wrong spell and accidently sent themselves to the wrong time, never to be seen again.

Savanna didn't understand how difficult teleportation was, or how complicated locating specific objects on different continents or worlds was. She was an earth pony. No matter how long she studied it, she would never experience unicorn magic firsthand. She accepted this, of course. She was born an earth pony, and she had duties outside of controlling unicorn magic—like influencing nature and animals. Earth ponies were intuitively harmonious with those things, it was their inherent magical talent.

Savanna frowned. The cogs in her brain were turning. Maybe the reason she felt like a stranger in the world was not the fact she was a literal stranger. Earth ponies were supposed to be naturally harmonious and in-tune with nature, yet Savanna felt nothing special. The world felt physically empty, as if it were drawing its final, desperate breaths before something terrible happened. That, or something terrible had already happened, and the world was missing something vital, as if it had been forcefully stolen. Savanna really hoped the former was not the case. But if it was the latter, than what was missing?

She looked over her shoulder and back at her cutie mark. Through the churning water produced from her constant paddling to keep herself afloat, her mark was visible. It was a bundle of freshly harvested, golden wheat. She was a farming pony at heart. If anypony should feel a natural connection with the world, it would be somepony like her.

Savanna's legs were beginning to stiffen, and she was growing weary from the constant exercise of treading water. She decided to return to shore and get herself dry.

She began paddling, driving her forelegs through the water and kicking with her rear legs in a clumsy and inexperienced manner.

On the shore, Savanna shook herself vigorously, spraying water everywhere. Her long, wet mane clung to her neck and jaw. A lock hung in front of her eyes, which she promptly brushed away. Now that it was clean, her hair's natural, tan color had reemerged. Her earthy tones would be perfect camouflage in the dry plains of western Equestria, but in the lush, green fields and forests she now found herself in, she stood out like a broken wing.

The overcast of clouds above had parted during her swim. Sunlight was now shining through. The sun wasn't as scorching as back home, but it still provided a revitalizing warmth. Savanna laid down on the soft grass, basking in the golden glow.

The little oasis in the middle of nowhere between the wind farm and the city offered some pretty views. The flora and fauna was similar, yet distinct from Equestria's. Savanna had identified many familiar submerged and above-water plants, but, at the same time, she spotted plants she had never seen before. Some of the trees rimming the lake were thin, with smooth bark and waxy, spiked leaves. A portion of their branches were flowering, while some were entirely vacant of flowers. Others still hosted a few bulbous, hanging growths that may have been fruits. They resembled immature pineapples, with a jagged, brown husk. They grew fairly high off the ground, and their spiky armor and small size made them appear particularly unappetizing.

Some tree branches hung lower than others, where larger, swelled and pale-yellow fruit dragged them downwards toward the ground due to gravity. They must have be ripe.

Savanna had eaten pineapple once in her life. The opportunity had arisen less than a year ago, when an expensive import of exotic, tropical fruit reached her tiny village.

Were the fake-pineapples surrounding her edible?

Savanna stood and trotted to one of the nearby, low-hanging branches. She carefully plucked one of the spiky, yellow fruits from the branch, careful not to get any thorns lodged in her hooves. She examined it, rotating it slowly. The spikes covered the entire spherical fruit.

She needed a tool to break the fruit's hard armor. There wasn't anything useful in her satchel. A sharp stone could do the job.

Savanna left the fruit on the ground for the time being and wandered away from the lake, moving further into the surrounding line of trees. Her eyes were fixed on the ground as she trotted, searching.

Her mind drifted off. Savanna saw herself napping atop the hill overlooking her little farmhouse and her family's acreage of farmland, her hat tipped over her eyes as she napped at the foot of the old acacia tree. That same night, she and Night Owl had snuck to the old widow's mansion through her neighbor's cornfields. Savanna recalled Night Owl's expressive, sapphire eyes with the thin, vertical pupils all thestrals had. He had shown such concern for her well-being that night, when she had been exhausted and threatening to pass out. He was such a genuine pony. He didn't try to hide his emotions, either by choice or from inability. He and Spotlight were two of her most trusted friends. She had known them for years. Spotlight had been in her life since the two were foals.

Did her parents miss her? Did they think of her? Her relationship with them hadn't been the healthiest at the time of her disappearance—mostly her father—but she still felt love for them. If the days before her were going to be her last, and she would never return home to Equestria alive after her long adventure, Savanna hoped her parents and friends knew she loved them. She loved them with all her heart. She loved them and she missed them.

Meanwhile, in present times, Savanna held a fruit steady with one hoof and bashed it with a sharp rock with the other. Whatever the reason, her technique being inefficient or the rock not being sharp enough, the fruit's armor was unyielding. Savanna gave a final grunt of effort and slammed the sharp rock against the its husk. She was getting frustrated by her lack of progress. Panting from exertion and annoyance, she lifted the fruit to check for damages. There was a tiny crack in the fruit's husk, exposing a slit of dull-yellow flesh.

Savanna lifted the sharp stone and wedged it into the crack. She lifted a foreleg and placed a hoof on the stone, leaning with all her weight—which wasn't a whole lot for a pony her size.

The fruit's husk succumbed to her assault and split apart. Fresh juice oozed from the opening. The revolting odor emanating from the fruit made Savanna gag. She scrunched up her muzzle and tore open the fruit until it was completely halved. The flesh was a healthy yellow. Little, black seeds were dotted everywhere.

Savanna held a spiney-fruit half in her hooves after plucking out all the seeds immediately visible. She lied to herself, imagining it was just pineapple.

A heavy drop of thick nectar slowly dripped from the half she held, plopping onto the ground.

Savanna breathed, taking an intrepid bite. Viscous juice overwhelmed her and oozed down her chin.

Bon appétit.

It wasn't like pinapple.

Savanna retrieved her satchel from the shore of the lake and trotted to the surrounding line of spikey-fruit trees. She laid down in the soft grass near the roots of one of the trees, kicking aside the shell of the fruit she had picked clean to create free space.

She opened her satchel and retrieved her journal. She brushed its stiff, pleather cover with a hoof absentmindedly, then opened it to a free page. She clicked one of her ballpoint pens and lifted it in her mouth, preparing to sketch. She hesitated, staring down at the blank pages and recalling everything that had happened that day.

She began by sketching the buck from across the lake, the curious pike, a patch of bluebells, some wild barley and stalks of Typha. She began sketching one of the ponies who had participated in her interrogation, but stopped and left the drawing unfinished, having not completely remembered his face. She paused, gazing up at the evening sky. There was room left for one more drawing on the page, and she was searching for inspiration.

She began drawing the town square of her home town, Maripony, along with several Equestrian ponies.

Midway through drawing her sketch, tears began welling in Savanna's eyes. She dropped her journal and blue-inked pen onto the grass below and lowered her head, crestfallen. The unfairness of her situation was striking her, yet again. It was because of her actions that she was stuck in a foreign world.

She was inexpressibly alone. Ponies shouldn't ever be forced to be isolated.

Savanna raised a foreleg to swipe away her tears. She reached for her pen and began a new journal entry.

I've eaten a wild fruit to keep my energy up. Its armor is brown and spiked. The actual fruit part was yellow and tough. Not exactly the sweet treat I had hoped for. Its juice was thick as honey.

Next to this paragraph, Savanna sketched a spiney-fruit and its tree.

The factory I had been taking refuge in was full of pegasi. Soldiers? Most were repulsive, except for one. He was reasonable, and actually had a lick of sense. He gave me some water to drink, but I eventually had to betray his trust to escape. I doubt he would have let me leave freely.

He mentioned an isolated society of unicorn ponies operating under a "Queen Melody" on an island called Cerulia (?) off the coast. If she truly is a queen, her magic may be powerful enough to return me home. Now, I just need to get there. Surely it's too far to swim.

Savanna clicked her pen and closed her journal with a prompt yawn. The sun had almost set below the horizon, and she was becoming weary. She tucked her journal and pen into her satchel, closed it and then curled up into a ball.

Her thoughts while attempting to rest were of home and fear. Fear was the strongest emotion.

III – Savanna – [Unknown]

When Savanna awoke, she yawned widely, stretched and rolled onto her back. She stared up at the smooth-barked branches and waxy leaves of the spinefruit tree she rested beneath, breathing slow, steady breaths. Her body felt normal. No adverse signs from eating the spinefruit the day prior were manifesting. Beneath shelter sustained by the lake’s ring of trees, she felt relatively relaxed—even safe—in the fertile sanctuary.

She stood and stretched deeply, trotting to the lakefront and splashing some water on her face. It was cold and refreshing.

Peeking out from behind fluffy, grey clouds, the sun cast some balmy rays. On the sandy shore of the lake, Savanna sat back onto her haunches and tilted her head back, basking in the golden glow.

The intrusive thought of her friends and family at home in Equestria brought Savanna back to reality. She gazed out across the lake, contemplating. It was a gorgeous sight. The lush flora growing along the lakefront moved to-and-fro in the breeze. The wind noisily flowed through the leaves of the loosely-knit circle of trees surrounding the lake, creating natural static like feedback from a loudspeaker.

Birds regularly flitted from tree to tree, twittering. Members from the family of deer across the lake occasionally peeked their heads out from within their dens beneath the dense brush.

Savanna sighed, disheartened. Equestria was a gigantic continent hosting countless unique biomes and territories. Traveling from one coast to the other on hoof without the assistance of pegasi, unicorns or technology would take weeks or months to accomplish. She couldn’t imagine how long and arduous such an expedition would be.

What other choices did she have?

Savanna raised her head to investigate a nearby rustling noise. Behind her, a fawn nuzzled its nose curiously into the grass at the roots of a spinefruit tree. It took long and exaggerated steps with spindly, underdeveloped legs.

“Hey, lil’ guy. Whatcha doin’ on this side’a the lake?”

Savanna’s voice, hoarse from disuse, startled the fawn. It sprung to attention and dashed behind the tree, where a motherly doe was waiting. She nudged the fawn behind herself with her nose in a protective gesture and raised her head, gazing warily towards the interloping pony.

“Don’t y'all mind me none.”

The couple of deer gazed at her curiously, remaining silent. Their shiny, black eyes blinked. There wasn’t a hint of intelligence within.

“Gonna be leavin’ soon. Y'all can have this whole side’a the lake." Savanna hesitated a moment, waiting for a response before continuing, "Well, have at it, then. Ah won't disturb ya."

She hadn’t expected them to give a verbal response, considering their empty, lifeless gazes, but it would have been welcome. She felt so incredibly lonely.

Savanna squinted thoughtfully, reaching into her satchel and withdrawing her camera. Before they could scatter, she looked through the camera's viewfinder and snapped a photo. Out of the slot at the bottom, the newly-developed photograph was released. Savanna examined it briefly before storing both the camera and the new picture away. It was perfect, showing the meek deer and the vastness of the lake and all of the beautiful flora in the backdrop. It would make a great addition to her growing collection of photographs.

Savanna consulted her compass for directions, turned and began trotting through the line of spiney-fruit trees ringing the lake. Her goal was to reach the city and navigate through it. She wouldn't be able to pass through in a single day without directions, so hopefully she could find some shelter there and sleep safely.

As Savanna trotted into an open field, she noticed another of those black strips off in the distance. It led directly into the city. Chugging along it were ground vehicles, similar to those she had encountered yesterday. Could they be the same ones, by coincidence? Savanna remained hidden behind a tree until they drove out of sight behind a row of buildings, occasionally belching black smoke into the sky like miniature trains.

The realization that those things prowled the streets of the city gave Savanna all the more reason to stay out of sight. They may have ponies inside who controlled them, and she didn't want to be spotted.

She descended the hill, taking quick, trotting steps, but placing her hooves carefully. She was hungry and not at full strength. She didn't want to misstep and hurt herself.

Savanna had seen pictures of modernized Equestrian cities with concrete and steel construction. Evidently, the city before her right now was no different. It was darker, though. It seemed grim, actually. There was hardly any color. It was like looking into a black-and-white photograph.

Savanna strayed away from the paved road and assumed a quicker trot. The grass wasn't tall enough to hide in, and even if she tried, she may already have been spotted. It didn't feel like she being watched, though. The outskirts of the city held small, several-level-high buildings. Their windows were dark. Curtains were drawn, if any. Savanna realized there might not be any ponies to spot her, after all. If so, then why were the vehicles coming here, if not for security?

Speaking of security, the outskirts of the city weren't very secure in the slightest. Savanna had seen pictures of Canterlot surrounded by its huge, ivory castle walls. The doors to these buildings were exposed to the outside world, separated only by a row of chain-link fencing that could be vaulted or flown over provided one had wings. One of the windows was even open.

She climbed some concrete steps, approached a door and knocked, rapping loudly with a hoof. "Hello? Ah'm lost. Need directions."

Unsurprisingly, there was no answer.

Savanna trotted down the concrete landing and onto a sidewalk, trying in vain to blend into the shadows cast by the midday sun. As a farm pony from an isolated town, Savanna concluded that the city was very large. Imposing. It made her feel tiny and insignificant. She felt insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but also because she literally was so small. The houses around her were fairly large, and they incrementally grew taller and wider as she trotted deeper. She was leaving the residential neighborhood of the city outskirts and entering the city proper. Massive buildings and skyscrapers dozens of levels high surrounded her.

So many ponies once lived here... Were they now all gone? Thousands, or maybe tens of thousands?

Still, the city was undeniably gorgeous. Sure, Savanna felt unwelcome and anxious, but there was so much to see. There was detail packed everywhere. It was sort of a visual assault. Despite how dull and grey the buildings were, there was a lot of bright graffiti around. Savanna dismissed it as senseless gibberish and didn't attempt to decipher any. They did add a well-deserved splash of color, though. Inspired, she took some quick photos of a few pieces.

The streets were paved with asphalt—a mysterious substance that Savanna was still unfamiliar with. It apparently allowed large vehicles to move smoothly across, but it seemed so unnecessarily expensive. Dirt, concrete or even brick roads would work perfectly fine.

The sidewalk she navigated now was concrete. Cheap, reliable, strong and easy to lay. It was everywhere in Equestrian construction, and clearly these ponies thought similarly. Her hooves made solid clops as they landed onto the durable surface, quickly and one after the other.

If she wanted to navigate directly north, she would need to cut across the street. She left the dark recesses of the shadows of the skyscrapers, looking around.

Savanna drew her camera from her satchel and snapped a quick photo of the road. She almost felt like an adventurer or urban explorer, taking photos and seeing the sights as she went.

After consulting her compass and deciding to turn the corner and take another road, she encountered a roundabout. Within was a massive tree with several benches and a public, communal area. The roundabout was constructed around this spot, with several branching roads splitting off into different directions. Savanna drew her camera from her bag and looked through the viewfinder, lining up the perfect shot.

"Hey! You!"

Savanna's ears swiveled, detecting the call behind her. She turned to investigate. A pegasus was approaching with short, quick strides. His dress was similar to that of the grunts Savanna had encountered earlier in the wind farm. At the sight of him, she felt anxiety swelling in her chest.

He kept a safe distance away, maintaining a gap.

"This side of Cerise is under lockdown! Why are you loitering?"

"Ah, uh..." Savanna slowly reached for her satchel and stored her camera away. Her hoof promptly returned to the ground.

"Do you have I.D.? Who are you?"

"Well, ah'm just... Ah wasn't doing anything..."

Savanna winced. Her opportunity to remedy the situation had passed. She had fumbled nervously over her own words.

Over his shoulder, Savanna noticed a second pegasus crossing the street and approaching them. Her muscles began to tense up. She was reading the first stallion's facial expression and body language, and didn't like what she was noticing. She saw his eyes scanning her too, drifting back and forth between her own eyes and her revolver hanging near her chest, trying to read her mind and predict her next move.

Savanna had used one of the metal, spherical clips from her binder and the decorative carabiner previously attached to her satchel to fashion a makeshift hold for her weapon. It hung precariously from her satchel's strap, pointing at the ground. She had done it on a whim, imagining that keeping the weapon outside of her satchel and the barrel pointed away from her body would be a smart choice. Now, she was beginning to regret that decision. It made her appear even more suspicious.

The moment one of the grunts twitched was when she wheeled around and began to sprint.

She heard shouts from behind, threatening and warning her to stop. She ignored them, and immediately broke line of sight using the edge of a building, turning and galloping down the sidewalk of a new street. She could hear them close behind and knew she had to break line of sight again if she wanted to escape. Everything on the block was shut down and closed up tight, though. There were no obvious unlocked doors or windows to leap through.

She passed by four before the idea clicked in her mind: the alleys.

She darted into the alley closest to her and was confronted by a tall chain-link fence and a pile of garbage. Her panicking mind didn't see it as garbage, though. She saw everything as stepping stones to help her vault the fence. Without even thinking if they could support her weight, Savanna leapt onto a pile of cardboard boxes and jumped off onto a tall waste bin. Precariously balancing on her rear legs, Savanna leapt and barely managed to clear the peak of the fence. She briefly felt cold metal scrape her inner thigh and abdomen, but she had successfully cleared the obstacle. The force from the jump had knocked the waste bin over. This would have impeded the ponies pursuing her and prevented them from chasing her further if not for the fact they could fly.

Savanna landed hard and paused briefly to look around for an escape route. To her left, she spotted it—an open door. She dashed through the opening and yanked the door shut behind her, sitting down and physically holding her breath with a hoof over her mouth. Had they seen her enter here? Would they try to get in? Her insignificant weight couldn't impede the bucking force of a fully-grown stallion. The door wouldn't protect her for long.

When she heard them both dash past the door, she took it as an all-clear sign. Savanna immediately released her hoof, gasping. She was seeing stars—she desperately needed oxygen.

It took her a minute or two to catch her breath and recover from the shock of adrenaline. Her legs were aching from the desperate gallop.

Pangs of hunger were now regularly striking her, which she made an earnest attempt to ignore.

She was in a utility shaft with a closed door across and a metal, spiral stairway leading both upwards and downwards. A plaque labeled with a "1" marked the floor she currently occupied. She stepped forward and tried to push the door open. Finding it was locked or jammed, she knocked firmly. "Hello?"

When there was no answer, she abandoned that door and climbed the nearby stairs in search of the next.

The door to the second floor didn't open, as anticipated. Savanna knocked nonetheless, hopeful. When there was no answer, she sighed and continued upwards.

The next few doors were locked. Savanna was growing impatient. How tall was the building? She leaned against the stairway's rail on the edge and tilted her head, looking up the shaft. When she saw no roof and only more stairs, she sighed disappointedly. "For Luna's sake..."

When Savanna tried the door to the fifth floor, she frowned, having not expected it to move when she touched the door handle. It was unlocked.

She stepped through the doorway, letting the door swing shut behind her with a bang of metal. A series of numbered apartment doors stretched in front of her, down a long, ill-lit hallway. It was illuminated by natural sunlight, but only barely. The industrial lights in the ceiling were inoperative.

There were a lot of doors to check. Surely one of them would be open, or somepony would answer.

The building felt completely empty, though. Her ascent had been plagued with silence. Her only company was the sound of her own hoofsteps against the hard ceramic flooring.

On the third-to-last door, right when Savanna was beginning to lose hope in finding anypony, the door she tried opening budged a little. Giving it a small shove, she confirmed her suspicions: the door was unlocked, but blocked by something.

Savanna leaned her shoulder against the cold metal of the door and gave it a hard shove. Her negligible weight did nothing but rock the obstruction on the other side. She sighed in exasperation, turned around and gave the door a powerful buck with her good leg. That managed to dislodge the blockage with a loud splintering sound of wood.

Despite the fact she was technically still a filly, the strength of an earth pony wasn't to be underestimated. She had also worked on her family's farm her entire life, so she had experience and natural strength to boot.

Savanna took a step inside, immediately being blinded by a powerful beam of sunlight from a nearby, east-facing window. She held a hoof in front of her face, blocking the rays. "Hello?" Savanna lowered her hoof a little, looking around the room.

Among the random assemblage of household items obstructing the door was a wooden chair. Its corpse laid to a side, now destroyed. One of its legs had splintered and gave way.

The room was empty. Savanna turned the corner and found a bedroom, only to discover it was uninhabited too.

Savanna scanned the room for signs of recent occupancy, but found nothing noteworthy.

She shivered gently as a breeze blew in from a nearby, open glass door leading to a balcony. Some woolen curtains that were drawn aside fluttered. A pegasus had probably barricaded the front door and leapt off the edge to safety. Savanna could practically visualize it happening as she looked back and forth between the broken, splintered chair and the opened door. But why would somepony do that?

While her eyes drifted across the room in search of clues, she spotted a note with scribbled text on a nearby table. It was completely cleared of clutter, and the note was clearly visible, pinned directly to the laminated wood with a strip of clear adhesive tape.

Savanna lifted the note from the table, ripping the tape and breaking its flimsy adhesion.

The text looked hastily scribbled, and was barely legible. She squinted, holding the note closer to her face.

"Lei, if you're reading this and don't know where to find me, I'm at my sister's place. I know you probably didn't even have time to get used to lockdown last week, but they're ordering an evacuation today, and I don't think I can choose to stay behind. I'm sorry I couldn't wait for you, but I swear the military is keeping our streets safe. They promised us that much. They just captured a group of the terrorists yesterday, they have things under control. Just stay safe, please. I love you, Lei."

Savanna frowned, lowering the note back onto the table where she had found it. That was a completely new word for her, "terrorist." It was probably derived from the word "terror." Savanna was smart, she could put two-and-two together.

A mandatory evacuation would certainly explain why an entire side of the city seemed deserted. Savanna imagined that a group with evil intent had passed through, and these ponies in the city were reacting. And this all had been going on for at least a week...

Outside in the hallway, Savanna continued traveling forward. She had spotted proper, concrete stairs that weren't locked behind a metal door in a utility shaft. Surely they led to an exit out onto the streets.

Savanna recalled what the grunts she had encountered earlier had said. They were demanding she show identification and pressing her for details. They were probably just trying to keep the streets safe, but...

She was conflicted, not wanting to trust them. The grunts she had encountered at the wind farm were so intent on capturing and imprisoning her that they had willingly shot at her in an attempt to prevent her escape. On the other hand, if the ponies in Cerise were just trying to keep civilians safe from an unknown terrorist group, surely if Savanna could prove her innocence they would protect her and escort her to safety. What if she encountered a band of the roaming, dangerous criminals? She wouldn't be able to defend herself.

Savanna tried vocalizing the new word, letting the multitude of R's roll over her tongue. "Terrorist," she murmured, stuttering slightly.

"Rose?" It was a male's voice, speaking to the left. It was just out of sight.

Savanna jumped, having not expected to hear a voice. She turned to investigate, catching only a glimpse of brown fur before the door slammed shut.

"H - hello?" Savanna trotted up to the door, knocking. Inside, voices could be heard. They seemed to be deliberating.

"Does anypony know where Rose is? One of you didn't lock the damn door, and somepony's out there!"

Another male voice asked a question, too quiet to be heard.

"I don't know! It wasn't me!" The first voice replied irritably. "I think it was Rose. She did it herself."

"Ah'm sorry, ah just..." Savanna trailed off, searching for words. "Ah need help," she called through the door.

More deliberation from inside. At first, it sounded like they were considering letting her in, but...

The stallion with the brown fur opened the door a crack and peered out warily. "Who are you?"

"Savanna. Dry Savanna. Ah live in Maripony, western Equestria. Or, well... ah used to." At the reference of her home, Savanna's ears laid back sadly. "I'm travelin' north to Cerulia to get the help of some unicorns."

The stallion raised an eyebrow. He looked like he was considering asking her more questions to satisfy his own curiousity, but bit his tongue. "Just come inside. When Rose comes back—if she comes back—then we'll talk. Something better not have happened to her."

Slowly, the door was opened. At the sight of Savanna, some of the ponies inside glared in the direction of the stallion who had opened the door. One of them spoke, "what the hell, Ray? She's just a kid. Why the paranoia?"

"Keeping us safe is what's important to me right now. I don't care how young she is! It doesn't matter! You don't know who she is." The brown-coated stallion who had opened the door sulked.

Savanna stood still, processing a brief shock of adrenaline. While happy to see other ponies, the realization had struck her that the ponies before her may be a group of the terrorists. If given the chance, what would they do to her?

"You coming in, or what, kid?" The brown-coated stallion demanded.

Before Savanna could make the decision to move forward or flee, a voice spoke from behind her. "Who's this?"

Savanna, surrounded and without any other options, turned to see who had spoken.

It was a mare. Her coat was a dull, muted white. Her mane was a pinkish, coppery orange, and her eyes were sharp and narrow. A thin horn protruded from her forehead. Savanna gulped, intimidated.

"I leave for a half hour and you've already started opening our door to total strangers. Look Ray, I..." Exasperated, the mare raised a hoof and rested it across her face. "I'm tired of working with you. All of you!" She threw her hoof forward in an exaggerated gesture to indicate everypony. "Go back inside! What are you gawking at?"

As the crowd of ponies dispersed and began retreating back into the apartment, the mare made eye contact with Savanna and nodded her head in the direction of the doorway. "Get inside."

"B - but, ah—"

"Get the hell inside!"

Fearful, Savanna lowered her head and obediently trudged forward into the apartment. With a resounding click, the door was closed and locked behind her, trapping her inside.

As the ponies conversed amongst themselves, Savanna withdrew into a corner under the watchful eyes of a few armed ponies. She sat down, looking upwards at an inactive, industrial-sized light hanging from the ceiling. She sat motionless for a few moments, taking a few deep breaths.

It didn't take long for her to be addressed. The unicorn mare had an obvious interest in her, and made eye contact as she trotted over.

The mare pulled up a chair and sat in front of Savanna, looking down to meet her eyes. "Alright. You aren't going to tell anypony we're hiding out here, are you? Because if you do, I—"

"N - no! Ah won't tell a soul. Ya have mah word."

"You're an unknown, kid," Rose responded. "For all we know, you're going to run straight to the military if we let you leave and blow the whistle."

"Ah gave you my word..."

She didn't reply. Savanna gulped.

"We're few and far between. If I get a whiff that ponies know we're here, I'll know exactly who to go to. I'll remember you. I'll remember your face. I have a good memory." The mare nodded astutely.

Shocked silent, Savanna froze, staring into the mare's menacing expression.

"I think we've come to an understanding." Rose leaned back, releasing a sigh.

Savanna broke eye contact and looked around the room, scanning the faces of ponies. One pegasus in the background was in the process of lighting a cigarette.

"Why are you in our building? On our floor?" The mare leaned back in, squinted suspiciously.

"Look, ah realize how this may seem unbelievable, but ah was being chased..."

"Pursued," Rose repeated. Judging by her expression, she wasn't believing Savanna's story so far.

"These two ponies, one of 'em asked for I.D., and ah had nothin' to show 'em. Ah guess they thought ah was actin' suspicious?"

"They probably thought you were a revolutionary. You have a gun, and you're wandering on this side of town."

"Ah was just takin' pictures." Savanna glowered, her ears laying back.

"Pictures," Rose repeated again. She chuckled, amused by the ridiculousness of that concept. "Sightseeing? In this city?"

Before Savanna could reaffirm her statement, the mare interrupted. "Well, you should have known what you were getting into, kid. You honestly didn't suspect anything was wrong when this entire side of the city is empty? How stupid are you?"

Savanna remained silent.

Rose's eyes widened as a thought visibly came to her mind. She turned, making eye contact with Savanna. "Which way are you traveling?"

"Uh... north?" Savanna had identified her sudden interest immediately and was perturbed.

"Past or near Juniper?"

"Ah don't know where that is. Sorry."

Rose levitated over a large, neatly-folded sheet of paper from the nearby table. "Here, kid. Look."

"Ah have a name." Despite making a passive-aggressive remark, Savanna obeyed, giving her upmost attention. She watched as Rose unrolled the sheet of paper, revealing it to be a map. The filly blinked, not believing what she was seeing. "Is that...?"

"It's a map of Emperia. What, you've never seen a map before?"

"Celestia..." Savanna gawked, stunned. The land itself was identical to Equestria, but some cities or main roads were renamed or missing entirely. Plenty of new landmarks had been added or planted atop where others once stood. Ponyville was renamed, and the mountain above it which used to hold the city of Canterlot was bare. Cities in the south like Appleloosa and the Pie rock farm were completely missing, replaced by barren desert. The bigger cities like Vanhoover and Fillydelphia had been renamed.

The main continent was named "Eon". To the northwest, there was a little island named "Cerulia," and to the southwest, another, larger island named "Era." In Equestria, during Savanna's life, those islands hadn't been named—they were newly discovered and barely explored.

If Savanna was reading the map correctly, it seemed Eon and the surrounding islands were all part of a larger territory called "Emperia", exactly like how Equestria operated. Cerulia, however, was, seemingly, its own independent country.

Savanna quickly located where Maripony was supposed to be on the map, but it was gone, erased. There was just an empty patch in its place.

"Cerulia is this island." Rose tapped a hoof against Cerulia on the map. "Why are you so convinced on traveling halfway across Eon?"

"A stallion mentioned unicorns living in Cerulia. Need to talk to Melody."

"Who was the stallion?"

"A soldier, ah suspect. There were quite a few of them. They captured me well before ah came to this city."

"Military? Not around here. Still... you were captured by CED officers and escaped?" Rose frowned. She folded the map up and set it aside, her full attention now directed at the filly. "Why would they even bother you? You're a kid. What did you do?"

"Ah snuck into an area they were living—not intentionally," she added quickly. "Made myself seem real suspicious, when ah was just lookin' for shelter from the rain."

"Hey," she spoke up before Rose could reply, "what does CED stand for?"

"'Civilian Enforcement Division. They're paramilitary. Here solely for security and to keep us under surveillance. Treat us like shit."

Savanna paused for a few beats. "How far off the coast is Cerulia?" She asked desperately, dreading the answer.

The mare belted out a laugh. "Miles. What are you going to do, swim there?"

Savanna furrowed her brow. "Ah don't know, yet."

"You're delusional, kid."

The two sat in silence for a moment. Savanna's thirst for explanations had been momentarily sated.

Rose levitated the map of Emperia. "From here?" Rose pointed to where they were now—Cerise, a northwestern city—and measured the distance with a hoof. "Cerulia's about 75 miles away. Probably more than that. Far to travel on hoof."

Savanna hung her head. At the moment, she truly thought it was an impossible distance to travel.

Rose folded the map and set it aside on the nearby table, standing up. Savanna rested back against the wall, watching the unicorn go and talk with the other ponies.

"Everypony, it's settled," Rose spoke, addressing everypony in the room. "I'm leaving tonight." She got a lot of confused looks and questions. "This is a sign," she affirmed. "I talk about leaving for Juniper, and a few days later a kid stumbles into our exact building looking for help? And she's also traveling north? It's settled."

"I didn't think you'd stick by that, Rose," the smoking pegasus responded. "We need you. You're one of the only unicorns we have, and you know restoration magic."

"You can't stop me." Rose levitated a saddlebag and began packing things, circling around the room to collect various items. Canned food, water, a can opener, a compass, the map of Emperia, various tubes and brushes for cleaning and maintaining firearms and other practical tools. She closed the bag's flap and secured it by slipped a button through a small loop. She sat back on her haunches and set the bag down beside herself. Pointedly, she laid a hoof on top. "Kid's going to run straight to the cops and let them know you're hiding out here. She's coming with me. I'm making sure she doesn't talk."

The pegasus waved a wing dismissively, sighing. "I'm done talking to you about this, Rose. I can't stop you if you really want to leave, but you're not welcome here if you come back."

"Fine."

She exchanged a final intense glare with the stallion before standing and trotting over to Savanna.

"Give me your bag."

"Why?" Savanna questioned, not wanting to hand over everything she owned so quickly.

"Going to pack you shit. What do you think?"

The filly hesitated for a moment before unshouldering her satchel and handing it over. She felt naked without the familiar weight of her satchel's strap on her back.

Rose packed her the same general supplies. Savanna saw a flashlight and a knife, two essentials she didn't have prior to that moment.

Partially concealed behind a highrise, the sun was beginning to set. Shadows were creeping, drawing longer as the sun dipped further below the horizon, casting its telltale, orange-red glow.

"We should leave soon," Rose spoke, noticing the impending descent of the sun.

Savanna nodded in agreement. She lifted her satchel and tossed it over her shoulder, adjusting the strap.

When she returned her gaze to the mare, she noticed her levitating a square of some strange material. When she unfolded it, Savanna frowned. "What's that?"

"It's a poncho. It can conceal your identity and keep you dry, too. Now put it on." Rose waited until Savanna took the poncho before she stopped levitating it.

Savanna rotated the garment, feeling it in her hooves. Lightweight, rubbery and probably water-resistant. It was a dull shade of nickel-grey, like the clothes worn by the CED. It was a strange garment that the filly who lived in a savanna her entire life was unfamiliar with. "Hey... what do ah do with this?" Savanna asked quietly, embarrassed.

"It's like a cloak or cape, but it has a hood. You pull it all the way over. Yeah, like that. Keeps your forelegs free, that way."

"Thanks." With instructions, Savanna quickly dressed. The poncho was loose and lightweight, like a second skin.

By the time she was geared up, Rose had also gotten situated. She was wearing a vest with pockets, pouches and loops. Secured in their own dedicated pouches on the chest were two thin, long magazines.

Wrapped around her barrel were two pleather belts, secured with buckles. A long gun was stuffed between her side and the belts. The friction and tightness of the pleather material meant that the weapon would stay completely secure and not jostle when Rose walked or even trotted.

"You about ready to head out?" She spoke after quickly donning a poncho. As expected, it covered and concealed all of her gear and most of her body, except for the head and legs.

"Yeah, ah guess so."

Rose led the way. They walked to the maintenance shaft and began descending the stairs. Nopony tried to stop them, and Rose ignored all of the passing glances she got. Savanna kept her eyes glued to the floor, not making eye contact with anypony as she walked.

Five flights, they had to descend. Savanna occupied herself by planning what to write in her journal that night. What to write, who to write about and what to sketch. The day had been eventful.

In the alley outside, Savanna breathed deeply, inhaling fresh air. It was a welcome improvement compared to the scents of second-hand smoke and bleach inside.

"You jumped over that, did you?" Rose motioned to the chain-link fence.

"Yeah." As Savanna approached and her position shifted, the barbed wire atop glinted, catching light. "Didn't even notice the wire."

"You didn't cut yourself, did you? You better be able to walk. We're going to be doing a lot of that." Rose led the way down the alley. It was impossible to see clearly all the way down at the bottom, compressed between two buildings. The highrises above cast impressive shadows. Rose seemed to know exactly where to walk, deftly stepping in her own hoofprints. Savanna felt brief anxiety, hoping she wouldn't step on anything sharp.

As the two stepped out onto the street, they cautiously looked around, surveying the environment, and exchanged glances. There were a couple of CED officers patrolling to the far west. Luckily, that wasn't the direction Savanna and her companion needed to go.

"We're going to be avoiding town square. Should expect more light patrols out here. Nothing more."

"Sure. Followin' ya."

Savanna looked around, appreciating the environment. There were countless little shops and advertisement signs dotted everywhere, but all of the names were foreign and unrecognizable.

One building in particular stood out. It looked old, constructed of stone bricks instead of concrete and steel. What were once tall and thin stained glass windows colored all the shades of the rainbow had been shattered. The walls were all caved inwards in a very deliberate way. A spire that had once been mounted on the roof and touching the sky was now lying dormant and forgotten on the floor among the rubble. At the very tip of the spire was a dusty gold star and a silver crescent moon intertwining together.

"What was that place?" Savanna stopped, pointing.

"It was an old temple for Luminescence and..." Rose frowned in thought, concentrating, "...Obysious, I think? Can never remember her name. The sun and moon goddesses. The CED tore it down a while ago."

Savanna sat back on her haunches, stunned. "What?"

"Yeah. Those kind of names are old as dirt, huh? Anyway, I think it's all a bunch of hocus-pocus garbage, personally. The goddesses don't actually exist. But whatever makes superstitious ponies happy, I guess." Rose chuckled softly. "You know, I think that old thing had been around when this city was built. Don't know how it hadn't crumbled to dust already before now."

Savanna lowered her head, mulling quietly to herself.

"You okay, kid? You look like you've seen a ghost, or something."

Savanna sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah, ah'm fine. Just need a moment to think. Where are we headed next?"

"Going up north. Following Main Street the whole way. Once we cross the bridge, we'll be in the clear. But we have to get there first."

Savanna nodded and stood, giving a final glance to the temple ruins. Inside the ruins, partially hidden within the rubble, the gold star and silver moon caught what light remained in the dying twilight, twinkling.

When she finally turned to walk with Rose, she noticed the mare had left her behind and was almost 50 paces away. Savanna trotted to catch up, but froze dead in her tracks when a particular page attached to a pinboard caught her eye. It was an official notice, and it had a comprehensive sketch of Rose's face. It was unmistakable—Rose's sharp, narrow eyes and thin horn. Savanna ripped the notice from its pin and held it in a hoof, scanning the lettering beneath the sketch.

"Wanted for detention: 'Rose Gold'. On the charges of assault, murder, treason ... "

Loyal citizens of the new Republic, please report any information you may possess on the subject to the nearest military authority. Your compliance may be necessary for their apprehension.

Savanna's chest tightened anxiously as she lowered the poster and looked in Rose's direction. She hadn't seen Savanna take the poster, or even knew Savanna knew. She could just leave the poster here and forget about it...

Savanna had suspected that Rose and her posse weren't all that innocent, but she had never considered it was this bad.

She had enough time to fold the poster and store it in her satchel before Rose called out.

"Savanna?"

"Sorry, ah—"

"Goddesses..." Rose hissed. "Keep up with me, won't you?"

The sharp tone made Savanna flinch. "Ah'm sorry, ah just—"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence before she was interrupted once again. But it wasn't Rose who was responsible this time.

"Bit late for a camping trip, isn't it?" It was a CED officer who had approached from behind them, and where there was one, there surely were more close by.

"You could say that," Rose quickly responded, stepping forward to meet him. "I thought the streets were kept safe at all times, and we didn't have a time constraint."

"Sure. You do know there's a new curfew, don't you? Ponies aren't allowed in or out of the city without identification." The stallion's body language was casual. He wasn't suspicious of the two yet. He seemed to buy the disguises.

"No, I haven't heard of that."

"Don't worry, it isn't in effect until Saturday morning. Well, I guess that's all. You two had best be on your way, then..." He paused, glancing up at the evening sky. "I heard it's going to absolutely pour tonight."

"Of course! We packed in preparation of that." Savanna her companion had only turned and moved a few steps before their attention was called for again.

"Hey! Wait."

Savanna froze. She leaned in, whispering to Rose, "what do we do‽"

"Stop panicking," the mare hissed in response. "Let's just see what he wants."

Savanna reluctantly turned in tandem with Rose and waited for the officer to approach. He wore a suspicious expression now, and his eyes were glued to Savanna's. His partner was trailing behind him, now. It was like those pegasi conveniently teleported or materialized out of thin air when needed.

The first officer slowly nodded, as if he were beginning to piece things together. "At 5 o' clock this evening, we received a report of a suspicious pony in the restricted south commercial district at the intersection of Spire Avenue and Kings Street. You match her description perfectly, down to the cuts on her face."

Savanna knew it was impossible to deny her true identity any longer. "T - they were threatening me!" she protested. "Ah thought mah life was in danger!" This wasn't a lie, but it also wasn't entirely true.

"Excessive force—likely story. Well, we're giving you another chance," the officer spoke. "Both of you. Come with us peacefully. If you can prove your innocence and lack of a connection to those meddling, conspiring criminals, you're free to go." He swept his hoof in a gesture to indicate "free to go," then returned it to the ground.

His partner was at his side now. Both pegasi were ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, but they were hesitating, waiting for Savanna or Rose's response.

"Savanna," Rose spoke, looking down to meet her gaze. When Savanna locked eyes with her, she frowned, not immediately recognizing what Rose's subtle eye movement was supposed to mean.

The humming drone of a magical aura met her ears, and in the 10th of a second as Savanna blinked, she found herself standing in a different place, having been teleported. She gasped aloud in confusion, looking around. Before she could call out for Rose, a whistle to the right caught her attention.

"Come on! This way!"

It was Rose, and she was galloping down a tight alleyway. Savanna followed, trying to match her speed. The mare was pretty quick.

Behind her, Savanna heard the officers calling out angrily through the links of the chain-link fence. Did they know this was the alley Savanna and Rose had escaped to? Would they follow? Probably.

Rose fumbled with a levitated key and unlocked a door, pushing it inward and dashing inside. Savanna followed her without question.

"Are we safe?"

"Quiet." Rose shut the door behind them, locking it once again.

Savanna obeyed, though reluctantly. In her temporary spell of silence, she looked around at the environment she now found herself in.

"Oh mah Celestia, is this...?"

Savanna dashed up the orderly row of bookshelves, rising nearly as high as the ceiling. There were rows of shelves of books of all shapes and colors. The brick walls were decorated with colorful posters and more shelves of magazines and small books. At the head of a nearby T-corridor was a wide desk with pens, pencils, standing lamps and miscellaneous papers. A little, standing plaque read "returns."

"This place has been locked up tight for a long time," Rose spoke. "For now, it's one of our hideouts."

"Ah've never seen a library this big... the one in mah hometown is tiny."

"Hey," Rose spoke, recognizing Savanna's glee. "You know we can't stay."

"But..." Savanna's ears immediately lowered with disappointment. She looked back at the mare with unintentional puppy eyes.

"Goddesses..." Rose swore, practically rolling her eyes. "Just go grab one, or a couple," she relented. "We're short on time, here."

Savanna nodded, pleased with the compromise they had struck. "Where's the section on magic?"

"Fifth or sixth row in that direction, I think. You are after nonfiction, right?"

Savanna trotted alongside the sixth row of bookshelves as suggested, scanning the spines of books as quickly as she could. There was a section dedicated to elemental magic and another to magical runes. The titles of some tomes were written in unrecognizable, foreign languages.

Finally making a choice, Savanna pulled it off the shelf, studying it. "A brief study of elemental magic, volume one: pyrokinesis", it was titled.

"I think I've read this one. Yeah..." Rose nodded, reminiscing. "I read it before my midterm. Elemental was a son-of-a-bitch to learn, but I had a great tutor. She really helped me pull through."

"You can do elemental magic?" Savanna met Rose's eyes, intrigued. Most unicorns—especially those who didn't study in a magical university—had difficulty learning even basic elemental spells. It required excessive natural skill, knowledge and determination.

Rose nodded. "I studied elemental in university. Passed a few courses. I only know pyrokinesis—don't get too excited."

"Still, that's impressive."

"Thanks, I guess. You wouldn't be saying that if you met any of my peers, though. I got low 80-score grades, mostly, and I was fine with that, but you should have seen some of the ponies who went there—only settled for high 90s, no lower."

"Ah'm not the best student in my school, but I'm passing." Savanna sat back on her haunches, leaning against the bookshelf. "Ah don't obsess over grades."

"That's exactly what a kid who's failing in school would say." Rose chuckled.

"Ah'm doin' just fine." Savanna's mind began to wander, thinking of home and her school.

"Mah friend—he takes the same classes as me—he spent the better part of last year asleep in all his classes. You'd think he'd be doing terribly, but he actually gets amazing grades. He's really something else. Can just pick somethin' up and absorb it and remember it days later. He's a bat pony, so ah understand shiftin' his sleep schedule from day to night was probably a struggle."

Rose lifted an eyebrow. "You're friends with a thestral?"

"Ah am, yeah. Why do you look surprised?"

"Thestrals don't live in Emperia, kid. They're halfway across the world. You're from west Eon, aren't you?"

"Equestria," Savanna insisted. "Ah'm from west Equestria."

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but Equestria isn't a real place. So either you're a liar, or..." Rose shook her head, looking confused. "I'm confused."

"You're telling me." Savanna sighed, looking down. The reminder that she was so far from home had soured the mood.

"I hope you find answers," Rose spoke eventually. "If you really are speaking the truth."

"Ah am."

"You're... not from this world?"

Savanna didn't respond immediately. Disheartened, she stared down at the floor for a long while. "No. Ah miss home and my family more than ah could ever explain."

"I know the feeling, kid." Rose's tone was uncharacteristically soft.

"You'll... help me, won't ya?"

Rose shrugged. "I guess. I think I'd feel guilty if I didn't at this point. Be grateful we're both going in the same direction."

They exchanged a glance, wordlessly acknowledging it was time to move.

Because she had the key, Rose went first. Savanna stored the book away in her satchel and followed, quickly trotting to catch up. They left through a different exit, looking both ways before crossing the street.

The bridge Rose had mentioned earlier was only a few blocks down the road, after the highrises transformed into regularly-sized buildings and the regular-sized buildings transformed into modest houses. It was a wide bridge to accommodate vehicles, made of steel for structural stability. Savanna brushed a hoof against a thick cables as she passed, marveling.

Looking down over the edge, Savanna could barely see what was in the ravine below. It was getting darker, and she could make out the tops of trees, large boulders and the glint of light shining back at her. Though she couldn't hear it flowing, there was undoubtedly a river below.

She yelped as Rose gave her a hard tug with her levitation magic, pulling her away from the edge. "Hey!"

"Try not to fall to your death, yeah?" Rose gave her a pointed look.

"Relax! Ah'm not gonna fall."

The mare shook her head in disappointment, turning to continue forward again.

Savanna reached for her satchel and drew out her camera, snapping a photo. Afterwards, she idled for a few moments, taking in the view. Out in the distance, past the bridge's steel cords and triangular supports, were rolling hills, lush greenery and a wall of trees. The night sky was clear, and she could see the dim, white peaks of distant, snow-capped mountains. Savanna thought they were the Smokey Mountains of Equestria, or the unnamed mountains just west of them—but she could be anywhere in this world. This world that wasn't Equestria... Those mountains that weren't from Equestria...

Rose interrupted her and her homesick thoughts by giving a sharp whistle and a jerk of the head, ordering her to hurry.

"Sorry!" Savanna called, trotting to catch up. "Ah was just thinking..."

"You're not going to do this a lot, are you? Stick with me. A kid like you wouldn't survive long out in the wilderness by herself."

Savanna interjected immediately, defending herself. "Ah got to Cerise just fine by myself."

"And how'd that go for you?"

"Well, ah got attacked by a couple wild animals..."

"Yup."

Savanna stayed quiet, knowing her companion wasn't wrong. It had been dangerous for her to travel alone. She shivered uncomfortably as a memory of the massive, flying monster surfaced.

"Hey..."

"Hm?" Rose grunted questioningly, glancing over.

"One of the animals that attacked me—it almost looked like a pegasus pony. It had feathered wings, hooves and the ears of a pony, but had the jaws and slim body of a wolf."

Rose raised an eyebrow curiously. "Really? They usually don't migrate this far west."

"What are they called?"

"Caravi."

"Caravi," Savanna repeated, frowning. She let the unfamiliar word roll over her tongue, repeating it once again. "Caravi..."

"You're lucky to be alive. They aren't creatures to be messed with—very territorial."

"You're tellin' me."

Beyond the bridge was a wall of trees through which a dirt road was carved. As Savanna trotted forward into the forest, it was like the darkness swallowed her and her companion effortlessly. The leaves of the trees were the source of the overwhelming shadows—they blocked almost all moonlight. It was almost like Savanna was back in the forest near the windfarm again, except this time she wasn't stumbling blindly between trees. There was a path.

She was about to reach for her flashlight when Rose cast a luminescence spell and lit the tip of her horn alight with a magical orb, casting light ahead where they were walking.

"Thanks. Ah was about to say something—it's really dark out here."

"Watch our backs, kid. Make sure we aren't being followed. I'll lead the way."

Suddenly paranoid from that remark, Savanna looked over her shoulder. The path behind them was enveloped by darkness, and she could barely make out the bridge in the distance. She saw nothing yet, but fear flooded her senses.

"Why would they follow us?" Savanna didn't doubt they would be followed, she just wanted Rose to say something rational that would give her an excuse to relax. And indeed, Rose gave an immediate response. "They probably aren't. But I can't watch ahead and behind us simultaneously. Keep your eyes open."

They walked in tense silence for a while, Savanna glancing over her shoulder often. The occasional sound of sticks breaking or bushes rustling certainly didn't ease her anxiety. Wild animals were probably making the noises, but Savanna was on full-alert. Her ears were raised to their highest positions, swiveling in the direction of any sounds she and her companion didn't make.

Just outside of the ring of light that Rose's magical orb cast came a small snarl that made Savanna's heart leap. The animal was off the path and stalking them from behind the veil of the wall of trees. Savanna only saw light glinting off its bright fur before it retreated back into the woods.

"What was that?" Savanna wondered aloud, watching the empty space where the animal had once been. Her eyesight was betraying her, and she began seeing faces in the dark where there were none.

"Tell me if it's an actual threat," Rose responded quietly. "We're getting close. Let me focus."

"Sounded like a timberwolf, but..." Savanna shook her head, abandoning that train of thought altogether. "Close to what?"

"There's a clearing nearby. Well hidden. Would be good for spending the night." Rose looked over her shoulder and back at Savanna for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "What's a timberwolf?"

"They live in central Equestria. Not as far west as mah village. Ah've never seen one, personally, but ah've heard stories."

"The wild animals in these parts aren't the biggest threat to your health, Savanna. We need to get to Juniper as fast as possible. Eon is crawling with CED officers. And... they'll be coming for me, eventually."

"What do you—"

"We're here."

Suddenly cut off, Savanna stayed quiet, looking out into the forest. There was no obvious path or clearing in sight. "Are ya sure?"

"Follow me."

Rose led the way through the thicket, disappearing behind a tall shrub. The light being cast by her magical orb weaving its way through the thicket created long, creeping shadows. Savanna held a hoof in front of her face, shoving aside branches and vines. Thorns snagged her poncho as she passed through, but nothing tore the thick, exterior layer of rubber.

As Savanna looked out into the clearing, she saw hanging branches half-blanketed in shadow swinging in the wind. They reached like extended appendages with twigs like the long claws of a specific wooden, wolf-like monster. One branch swung and tapped her on the back, and she jumped, half-expecting there to be a timberwolf looming ominously over her shoulder. Rose got a brief chuckle out of her fear before quickly calming down and getting back to business. She levitated a roll of off-white fabric from her saddlebag. "There's nothing in these woods, kid, and I doubt anypony followed us. Now come on, help me set up the tent."

"Ah guess you're right..."

Still spooked, Savanna glanced over her shoulder before turning to offer her full attention to the task at hand. Rose carefully propped up a metal pole in the front and center of the triangularly-shaped tent, while Savanna began nailing an edge of the tent to the ground with a spike. She used a hoof, stomping hard on the spike's flat head to secure it in place.

When they were finished, Savanna brushed a hoof against one of the tent's walls. It was ivory-white canvas, and undoubtedly waterproof. She ducked inside, lying down and scooting all the way to the rear of the tent to make room for her companion. Rose hesitated, though, waiting outside for a moment. "I'll be taking first watch tonight."

Savanna didn't feel like arguing, so she just nodded, showing she understood. She was tired from the excitement of the day. As Rose left and circled around to the side of the tent, Savanna adjusted her weight, lying lengthwise with the tent on her stomach. She reached into her satchel for her journal, hesitating as she laid eyes on the folded wanted poster. She wanted to confront Rose about it, but just then seemed inappropriate of a time. She was tired, and her eyes felt blurry.

Drawing her journal and one of her pens from her satchel, Savanna opened it and flipped to a new page. Before she could begin sketching, though, the light given off by the magical orb projected from Rose's horn winked out. Plunged into total darkness, Savanna fumbled through her satchel's contents and eventually drew out her new flashlight. She clicked it on to provide some light to see by, and began writing.

The officers were right—there was a city nearby. It's a large metropolis named 'Cerise.' [?] The district I entered from the south was entirely abandoned. Houses and apartments were empty when I went searching for friendly ponies. While I did eventually happen upon a group of ponies, I now, in hindsight, wish I hadn't. They were all revolutionaries, hiding out from the law on a desolate floor in an apartment building. They were just as brusque and offensive as the officers, if not more so.

One of the revolutionaries by the name of Rose Gold has joined me in my journey northwards. Though, I suppose it is more her guiding me. She spoke of a town named 'Juniper' that she wishes to stop at.

While I hate to admit it, Rose frightens me. I found a wanted poster in Cerise requesting information to assist in her apprehension. According to the military, she's done some terrible things. She seems to perceive authority as a blight that must be snuffed out. She claims that the queen of this land was unjustly usurped from the throne, so surely the new ruler must be corrupt and a tyrant. I don't know who to trust. I want no part in this conflict, yet I have somehow found myself trapped between both sides.

Savanna sighed, lowering her pen for a moment as she thought. She needed to confront Rose with the wanted poster and ask for answers eventually.

Savanna began her daily sketches by drawing the long, desolate hallway on the fifth floor of the apartment the revolutionaries were hiding out in. She sketched the rows of bookshelves from the revolutionaries' library hideout and the wide steel bridge connecting Cerise's Main Street to the outside world. She drew a few rough sketches of timberwolves, but eventually gave up midway through.

When she was finished drawing, Savanna capped her pen and closed her journal, flicking her flashlight off and storing her things away into her satchel. She curled into a ball, preparing for a long rest.

IV – Savanna – Emperia

When Savanna awoke, she raised her head drowsily and, upon realizing her companion wasn't inside the tent with her, stretched deeply, occupying nearly the entire interior of the tent. The delicious scents of roasting coffee and cooking food were wafting in, and her ears perked up at the pleasant smells as she took a deep sniff. Moving aside the tent's front flaps and poking her head outside to investigate, Savanna caught sight of Rose in front of a campfire, cooking.

"Good morning," Savanna greeted politely, stepping outside. Rose responded with a small nod of greeting, then lowered her eyes, using a stick to poke at the embers of her magical fire. The flames were a peculiar shade of coppery-gold—the color of Rose's magical aura. Above them was levitated a pair of metal cups and a pair of opened steel cans.

Savanna took a few steps forward, her hooves creating soft squishing sounds on the soil. Indeed, Rose's prediction had been correct—it had rained heavily during the night. In the background behind Rose, Savanna saw raindrops still dripping from the branches of trees.

She sat down, warming herself by the fire across from her companion. The early morning air was surprisingly cold, and she found herself shivering when hit by a breeze. The sun had barely began to rise that early in the day, and the forest was foggy and chilly. The fire and sun together provided enough light to comfortably see by, but only barely.

"Are you..." Savanna hesitated before finishing her comment, trying to read Rose's expression. The young mare looked tired and irritable. "...okay? Ya don't look quite right."

"I didn't sleep last night." Rose's voice was but a murmur. "And I spent close to two hours getting this damn fire going. Wet wood isn't easy to work with. Coffee?" She levitated Savanna one of the metal cups. Savanna took it in her hooves, cleverly noticing the steam rising out from the top. She decided to wait for it to cool down before she tried to drink some. "Thank you."

The pair sat in silence for a long while. Savanna watched the steam rise from her cup of coffee and get swept away by a breeze. In the cold air, the puffs of steam were visible as they ascended. After some waiting and aggressive blowing, Savanna eventually found her coffee to be the right temperature for drinking. She took a small sip at first, savoring the flavor.

She had finished the coffee when Rose offered her one of the steel cans. Savanna exchanged it for her empty cup, peering inside curiously. Within, beans floated in a clear, bubbling liquid. "What's this?" Savanna questioned, giving the liquid and beans inside a small, experimental swirl.

"They're kidney beans canned in brine."

Savanna grimaced. "Starvin' would be preferable."

"I'm sorry if things aren't up to your standards, princess." Rose snapped, glowering. "Eat your damn food—or don't, I don't care."

"Sorry," Savanna quickly apologized, her ears lowering. Not wanting to push her luck, she held her tongue for a bit, eating her food hot and watching curiously as Rose studied the Emperian map.

"When are we leaving?" Savanna spoke up only to ask the vital question before falling silent again.

The mare hesitated before replying, taking a sip of her coffee. "Soon. I'm just making sure we're headed the right way. Go pack your things, or make yourself useful and take down the tent." Her eyes were glued to the map, and she waved her hoof in the general direction of the tent, not looking. "Go."

Savanna obeyed, though reluctantly. She tossed her empty metal can aside and grabbed her satchel, slinging it over her back. She then went about loosening the tent's main support poles, eventually collapsing the entire thing. She also had to individually draw each spike from the ground.

After a few minutes had passed, when Savanna had finished disassembling the tent, she noticed Rose hadn't moved from her original spot and was still poring over the map. "The town's clearly labeled, ain't it?" she spoke up. "Should just be a straight shot."

"No." Rose automatically responded, before frowning and considering how she had just responded. "Well, yes, it is, but... Get off my back, won't you‽"

Savanna nodded silently. She stretched deeply once again and yawned, waiting patiently. The tent, secured in a tight roll of fabric and metal poles, was balancing across her back.

Rose stood, levitating her saddlebags and slinging them across her back. "You walk ahead this time, kid. I'll be behind you... trying to stay awake." The last comment was said as mostly a grunt as she kicked some dirt over the campfire to extinguish it.

"Which direction?"

"Northwest. We'll come across a road eventually—it'll be impossible to miss. Follow that for a bit, cross a bridge over a river, then follow that river downstream. We can take a shortcut and cut across some more forest to reach town sooner. Might even make it by nightfall tonight if we cover enough ground, but I doubt it."

Savanna drew her compass from her satchel and consulted it, turning and motioning in the direction of northwest. "Okay. Follow me, ah guess."

Savanna lead the way through the forest, a metaphorical spearhead cutting through bushes and brambles. The occasional needle-like thorn found its way around her protective poncho and snagged her directly in the legs, and she winced, but persevered nonetheless. After a brief half hour of hiking, they had crested a hill and reached the northern edge of the forest. A wide, muddy dirt road ran along atop the hill where the ground was flattest. The ground quickly sloped downwards until meeting a river. Across, another hill sloped upwards, and together the two hills formed a small valley.

As Savanna and her companion emerged from the trees, they startled a grazing family of deer, who all fled toward the river together as a group. At the water's edge, they stopped and warily looked back one by one. They seemed prepared to cross the river and make the treacherous climb up the steep hill if needed.

With a dramatic clap of thunder, the first raindrops of a new storm began to fall from the sky. Savanna glanced upwards, only to have a drop land directly onto her forehead. Rose hardly reacted, only lifting a hoof to draw the hood of her poncho over her head.

"Again?" Savanna wondered aloud, pulling her own hood over her head. "Is this kind of weather common here?"

"Can't say it is. Usually we get most of the rain in the summer months, not this late in the year."

Savanna shrugged.

Follow the road, cross the bridge, follow the river downstream.

Savanna looked down, realizing her hooves had sunk into a puddle of mud. Her hoofprints weren't the only prints, though—several trails of hoofprints ran through the mud, along with several pairs of consistent, patterned stripes. Savanna frowned, confused, before realizing they must have been the tracks of wheels formed by vehicles.

"Other ponies have been this way," Savanna called to her companion, waving her over.

"These had to have been made recently. They would have gotten washed away by all this rain," Rose mused, studying the tracks carefully. She followed them back and forth, tracing the same tracks several times, but eventually gave up, showing obvious frustration. "I can't tell which way they were going. Could be heading towards Juniper, but I hope not."

"Is there any chance of us catching up with them?"

"Why?"

"Maybe we could hitch a ride on whatever they're driving?" Savanna immediately felt foolish for even suggesting such a risky idea. Still, the idea sparked obvious interest in Rose's expression.

"Maybe, we'll see. It would save us a lot of time... Let's keep going. I'll watch our flanks."

Savanna nodded, following the road. She stopped only once to photograph some curious, fire-red flowers. Rose didn't comment on how often Savanna was stopping, though, judging by her expression, it seemed she wanted to. They didn't share more exchanges until they reached the bridge, when Savanna spotted the vehicles parked. There were two of them paired together in a small convoy. In tandem with Rose, she ducked behind a small, natural incline of earth and hid to the best of her ability. A pair of ponies were idling around the second truck to the rear of the convoy, waving their heads back and forth as they scanned the environment around them. They clearly were looking for something.

Some were definitely CED. Savanna recognized their uniforms. Others wore dark-grey uniforms that Savanna was unfamiliar with. Best case scenario: the ponies wearing the dark-grey uniforms were CED VIPs. Worst case scenario: they were military.

The rear of the truck toward the back of the convoy was full of stacks of unlabeled wooden crates and boxes, perfect for concealing two stowaways—but there were a lot of ponies guarding the supplies.

"I spy just the two standin' out there together," Savanna murmured, nodding in the direction of the pair of soldiers.

"No," Rose replied quietly. "There's more. Two more in the rear of the first truck."

Indeed, there were two ponies sitting in the rear of the first truck that Savanna hadn't spotted initially.

"That's four..." Savanna began.

"Plus two more, at least. The drivers," Rose pointed out.

"It's risky," Savanna admitted. "Can you te—"

Rose waved a hoof in Savanna's direction to silence her. "Wait! They're speaking!" She hissed.

Indeed, the ponies were talking amongst themselves. Savanna cocked her head to a side, listening in.

"They're wanted alive, you know," a purple-maned one spoke. He was a short, stout pegasus, and looked muscular and strong.

"What if they attack us?" Another stallion responded. He was scrawny, and had the attitude to match his meager appearance. He seemed nervous, occasionally shifting his weight or looking over his shoulder. "I'm just worried, I guess."

"You're being paranoid. Triton is 20 miles east from here, so they're probably headed straight for Juniper. If they are, they won't be our problem anymore."

"If they keep resisting, they'll need supplies eventually—and haulers like us will be big targets in their eyes, is all I'm saying. I hate guerrilla fighters," the scrawny one spat.

Savanna shifted her weight, looking over to Rose. "What do you think, can you teleport us into the back of that truck?"

Torn, Rose sighed. "I want to, but my better instincts tell me that would be a good way to get ourselves killed. Still... it would save us a lot of time. Hm."

They exchanged glances for a moment. Savanna nodded. "It's your call, Rose. It'd be dry in there, though. And we could rest."

Rose considered it for a moment. She shrugged, her horn glowing as she prepared the teleportation spell. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Savanna blinked, and when she reopened her eyes, she found herself teleported to the rear of the truck. Rose was beside her, and the mare motioned silently for her as she retreated behind one of the stacks of crates. Savanna followed, and she sat down, peering through a gap between the stacked crates.

She watched as the soldiers jumped into the rear of the second truck. "There's nopony out here!" The purple-maned one called out.

"Let's get going, then!" An unidentified officer replied.

Then, finally, the convoy began to move.

Savanna felt the truck beneath her jerk forward, and she almost lost her balance, but managed to stay upright. Rose's eyes widened, and she cursed under her breath at Savanna's indiscretion.

"Sorry," Savanna whispered. Her voice was almost drowned out by the loud growling of the trucks' engines, and the pair had to lean close together to communicate.

"I'm going to get some rest. Wake me up when we're close, alright? These fools are probably hauling supplies to or near Triton, so they're going to be taking a right turn at the next fork in the road to head east. We'll need to disembark then. Stay discreet, ok?"

"Got it." Savanna nodded.

Rose responded with a small nod, then settled down to rest, lying on her side.

They probably had a long drive ahead of them, but Savanna couldn't get too comfortable. She needed to keep an eye out for when, exactly, the convoy passed the fork in the road.

At least the rear of the truck provided adequate protection from the rain. Savanna craned her neck, looking upwards. The tan-colored sheet of hessian fabric outstretched over the truck bed flapped in the wind, and the raindrops created a soft pattering sound as they battered against it.

Savanna's ears pricked upwards as she listened to the pattering of the rain. She released a soft sigh, trying to relax. The constant jostling of the truck beneath her made her feel slight motion sickness, but the motion was subtle enough to not make her feel completely nauseous.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, their ride would end much sooner than anticipated. Only partway through the drive to Triton, the truck drove over a particularly-deep pothole, causing the vehicle to lurch to one side. Some unsecured crates toppled over, and one landed directly onto Rose's sleeping body, waking her immediately and causing her to yelp involuntary.

"What the hell was that‽ Hey! Stop! Stop the truck!"

As the vehicle slowed, crept to a crawl and finally came to a stop, Savanna knew she only had moments before she was discovered. Fear struck her powerfully, and she looked to Rose in desperation, only to realize the mare looked dazed and confused and hadn't yet completely awoken from her slumber.

The soldiers turned to investigate the noise, grabbing weapons as they did so. The crates providing Savanna and Rose with cover had been scattered, and now they were plainly visible. "Hey you! Behind the crates! Stand up!"

Rose stood first, followed by Savanna. There was tension in her muscles—her joints were locking up. She exchanged a brief glance with Rose, trying to communicate silently that they should teleport away to escape, but Rose just shook her head, frowning.

"Stowaways? On our truck?" The purple-maned soldier squinted suspiciously. "You both aren't the ones we were looking for, but..." He trailed off, locking eyes with Rose. "I know you... I've seen your face somewhere. What's your name?"

"I don't have a name," Rose responded firmly. "And no, you haven't."

"No, I believe I have." The soldier was insistent. He tightened the grip of his firearm in his wings, pointing it directly at Rose. "You're Rose Gold, aren't you? You're a wanted terrorist."

"You're mistaken, buddy. I've never heard that name before in my life." Rose was defiant. She narrowed her eyes, staring down her aggressors.

"She's lying!" The scrawny one spoke up. He aimed his firearm between both Savanna and Rose, swapping between the two occasionally.

"Get out, both of you," the purple-maned soldier ordered, motioning with his firearm to outside. Already, the officers from the other truck had gathered outside, waiting for their new prisoners to step out. Rose went first, leaping down onto the ground, and one of the guards moved to slip a magic-suppression ring around her horn. "Don't try anything, now," he warned her, quickly slipping the ring onto her horn. Despite the warning, Rose was docile. Savanna could see anger in her expression, but she knew Rose was smart enough to resist the urge to lash out.

Savanna was next. She jumped down onto the ground, splashing into a puddle of mud, and the purple-maned soldier moved in front of her to address her. "Spread your legs out, kid, and don't make any sudden movements," he warned her.

Despite the fact she was being spoken to, Savanna looked past the soldier in front of her and met Rose's gaze. They exchanged a look, and Savanna tried to the best of her abilities to silently communicate with the mare, but all she could read in her expression was distress. Savanna didn't know what to do. She was panicking—she didn't want to surrender completely and be at the mercy of the CED.

The rain had begun to come down heavily, then. The sky had grown overcast with grey clouds, and a loud boom of thunder made Savanna jump. The dirt road they all stood on had been reduced into a slick, muddy surface by the constant hammering of the rain.

The purple-maned pegasus in front of Savanna lowered his weapon, peering at her almost curiously. "Who are you?"

"Ah'm nopony." Savanna was quick to repeat Rose's assertion. She wanted to sound strong, but internally she was terrified.

Dissatisfied, the stallion frowned. He looked like he wanted to prod her for information, but momentarily held his tongue, shifting his tone instead.

"You never should have associated yourself with criminals like her." He nodded slowly, emphasizing each word. "But, if you tell us where you two were planning to go and where the rest of her terrorist friends are hiding out, we'll let you walk free, kid. Don't get involved in this," He cautioned, poking her hard on the chest with a hoof. She flinched, taking a step back.

Savanna looked downwards, refusing to meet the stallion's gaze. He seemed reasonable enough, but she was afraid he would lash out if she said anything too hastily. Nervous, she fidgeted, rubbing one foreleg with another. She watched the stallion's dark-grey uniform stretch as he flexed one foreleg, then another, shifting his weight.

"Savanna," Rose called from the background. Savanna raised her gaze and looked past the stallion standing in front of her. Rose met her gaze, and when she was certain she had Savanna's attention, she distinctly shook her head. "Don't—"

A unicorn standing beside Rose raised a rifle he was levitating, spun it around and bashed the butt of its stock against Rose's head. Her body lurched to the side from the recoil, but she recovered quickly, her body tensing as she growled in frustration. She looked ready to retaliate, but several officers aiming firearms at her made her reconsider. "Quiet!" One ordered, "let the filly speak!"

"Tell me where they're hiding out," the purple-maned stallion demanded. Savanna slowly looked up, meeting his gaze. She swallowed dryly, her throat tightening up. "T - Triton," she stammered, lying through her teeth. It was a terrible lie—her feeble tone gave it away.

"Where?"

The inevitable question hit hard. Savanna knew nothing about Triton—she had never been there to familiarize herself with the physical structure of the city, and Rose had obsessively kept the map to herself since they had left Cerise.

Savanna realized she was out of options. They probably knew she was lying, and she didn't have enough knowledge to double down on her last claim. She decided, then, that her only option was to commit to a bold and, admittedly, stupid plan.

Savanna reached for her revolver in one hoof and drew her other foreleg around the neck of the soldier, spinning him around and heaving him forcefully backwards up onto his rear legs. To balance on just her rear legs, she leaned back against the truck. She didn't know where the strength had come from to lift all of the soldier's weight up and lift him onto his rear legs, but now he hung there being used as a shield, supported only by her foreleg wrapped around his throat. No longer able to hold it in his wings, his firearm dropped to the ground, and his wings folded against his back.

All of the other ponies immediately aimed their weapons at Savanna, but it was futile. Savanna held one of their own at gunpoint then, and they knew exactly what she wanted before she had to say it.

"Let the unicorn go!" Savanna demanded. A few of the ponies began to lower their weapons, but most held still, training their guns directly at her. "Drop the weapon, kid!" One soldier called out.

Savanna's hostage began to squirm, trying to free himself from her grasp, but Savanna pressed the barrel of her revolver against his head. He froze immediately. "Don't make me do this," she threated him.

"I know you won't shoot me," he retorted. "I know your type, kid. All talk—and not even good at that. You're soft."

Savanna knew he was right. His assertions made her doubt herself, and when he began to squirm again in an attempt to free himself, she could do nothing to stop it.

It was an intense standoff. They stood aiming weapons at each other for what felt like an eternity. At some point, Savanna's hood had slid backwards and was no longer protecting her head from the storm. The heavy rain soaked into her mane and made the hair cling to her neck and jaw. Water was dripping into her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to maintain her vision.

"Look!" Savanna called out. She had to raise her voice to be heard over a loud crack of thunder. Desperately, she tried to control the situation. "This is all a misunderstanding! We were just stowaways lookin' to travel to Triton! Ain't nopony wants to get shot, here! Drop your weapons, and ah'll let your friend go!"

Most of the ponies had surrendered and dropped their weapons by that point, accepting the deal. All appeared to be going well until the purple-maned soldier Savanna was holding hostage squirmed aggressively. She shifted her weight in an attempt to stay upright, but one of her rear hooves ended up slipping in the thick soup of mud the dirt road had long since been reduced to. She dropped her revolver and hit the ground hard on her side near one of the rear wheels of the truck. Chaos ensued.

The purple-maned soldier and Savanna stood up at the same time, but Savanna was in no way trained to fight. The soldier gave her a quick jab in the jaw with a forehoof and a powerful buck into her ribs with a rear leg. Unable to defend herself, Savanna took the blows and fell onto her side again in the mud, clutching her muzzle with a forehoof.

Mud was in her eyes, but despite being partially-blinded, Savanna could clearly see her revolver on the ground next to her where she had dropped it. Without thinking, she grabbed it and rolled onto her back, pointing it at her attacker. Indecision plagued her—she knew she had to defend herself, but it wasn't some wild animal attacking her this time, it was another pony...

Despite her indecision, Savanna knew internally that she didn't have a choice. She fired a shot, and the purple-maned soldier slumped down into the mud, incapacitated. Immediately, regret flooded Savanna. The tension released from her body, and she gasped for air after not breathing for a moment, dropping the revolver. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her eyes were wide open in shock as she stared at the body of the soldier. She wanted to believe she saw movement from him breathing or moving, but she genuinely couldn't tell. Sections of his mane had been slickened with mud and stuck to his head, while the dry parts were swaying in the wind from the storm.

To her side just out of view, several gunshots rang out. Rose had managed to free herself during the chaos and take the magic-suppression ring off of her horn, and she was using magic to defend herself. A magical shockwave sent several ponies flying. One hit the metal door of the front of a truck head first, while another landed and hit the metal rim of one of the truck's tires. Another flew past the road and hit the trunk of a nearby tree, slumping to the ground.

The two remaining officers surrendered, dropping their weapons and spreading their legs and wings.

"Savanna? Let's get the hell out of here." Rose's voice sounded weak as she offered a hoof to her companion. Savanna looked at the hoof, blinking, not completely comprehending what was being offered to her at first. Eventually, she accepted it, letting herself be pulled up. She could barely hold herself up. The mud, rain and guilt weighed her down.

She quickly threw her revolver into her satchel, and then, together, Savanna and her companion fled to the trees of a nearby forest. It was a desperate, adrenaline-fueled sprint. Savanna didn't want to stop and look back out of fear that they were being pursued. Instead, she forced herself to keep moving. She could feel branches and brambles whipping at her face as she galloped through the undergrowth, but she was panicking and didn't do anything to stop it.

They didn't stop until, several minutes later, they stumbled upon a small cave leading into a rocky outcrop. It was nothing more than an indentation in the rock with an angled slope of rock above serving as a roof, but it was shelter nonetheless, and it would serve as a hiding spot if any of the ponies attempted to pursue them.

Panting, Savanna fell onto her side in the cave, only to have a new, sharp shock of pain bolt down her left foreleg and entire chest. She grunted in pain and switched the side she was putting her weight on, trying to rest.

They laid apart on opposite walls of the cave, resting in silence. Outside, the storm still raged on.

"Rose?" Savanna spoke. She regretted speaking, reaching a hoof up to clutch at her muzzle. Her jaw ached where she had been struck. It hadn't broken any bones, but she would find speaking difficult for a while.

"Those bastards shot me." Rose grunted matter-of-factly, clutching her side where she had been injured. With effort, she slipped out of her rain poncho and used some restoration magic to heal herself. Savanna watched the process briefly before looking away, losing interest. To occupy herself while she waited, she tried to clean some of the mud off of her face.

She wiped the side of her muzzle with a foreleg and raised her hoof in front of her face, seeing blood. She frowned, confused, before realizing her face must have been cut badly by all the sharp bushes she had ran through earlier.

"Are you okay?"

Savanna hesitated, grimacing in pain as she tested her shoulder by rolling it. "No. Ah don't think ah can get up..."

"Let me see," Rose offered, standing. With effort, Savanna sat up and pivoted so her companion could see her shoulder clearly. She removed her muddy poncho, letting it fall to the ground.

"You took a bullet back there, kid," Rose remarked quietly. "One of them must have missed me and hit you."

"Really? Ah didn't even feel it at first..." Knowing exactly what had happened felt like it escalated the pain. In reality, the adrenaline from barely surviving the encounter with the group of CED and military was probably wearing off. Either way, Savanna felt awful.

"That happens sometimes, don't worry. Sit still," Rose ordered, her horn igniting with light as she prepared the restoration spell.

Savanna closed her eyes. Through the ordeal, she tried to stay still, resisting the urge to twitch. The spell was painful as it slowly reversed the effects of the damage. To a degree, the magical aura was cool and refreshing, but it did nothing to mask the stinging pain.

After she was healed, she leaned back against the wall of the cave, trying not to vocalize too much. While the physical injury had been healed, the pain from the shock still remained. In synchrony with her beating heart, a shock of pain frequently migrated up and down the left side of her body.

She closed her eyes, trying to relax and release the tension in her body. All she could think about, though, was what had happened during the skirmish with the CED. The memories of the event that had just occurred organized themselves in her mind as snapshots, like photographs from a camera. What she had done to the soldier who had attacked her played continuously in her mind over and over.

"Why didn't you accept the offer?"

Interrupted from her thoughts, Savanna opened her eyes, looking over. "W - what?"

"Why didn't you tell them where my buddies back in Cerise were hiding out? They offered you your freedom in exchange."

"Ah..." Savanna reached a foreleg up, massaging her aching jaw. She considered it for only a short while. She knew the answer; it came to her as second nature. "Ah didn't because... because of Loyalty."

"Loyalty?" The mare repeated, confused.

"There's no deal or proposal offered to me that could possibly be worth more than Loyalty to my friends." Taken aback by her own words, Savanna's eyes widened. She had no idea where that had statement had come from, she had simply said it by instinct. It felt right. It felt true to her very core.

"You... consider me a friend?" Rose frowned after hearing the unexpected response. "Why? What have I done for you?"

"You've helped me, haven't ya? Even if ya didn't realize, ya helped me when ah needed it the most. Ah was so lost... and confused. Ah still am to an extent, but this journey is so much easier with somepony by mah side." Savanna nodded with finality. The words were coming from her heart now—she didn't need to stop and consider what to say, the words simply came to her naturally.

"Rose, ah suspect somethin' happened to you a long time ago... If ya don't wanna tell me what it was, that's fine. Ah understand. But ah think you're taking advantage of this terrible situation you're in to abuse other ponies to vent your frustrations. While it may not seem like it, everypony's in the same boat, they just have their own ways of handlin' things. Some ponies are really terrible, but not everypony deserves..."

Savanna trailed off. It was a long train of thought, but Rose's attention had been perfectly captured. She sat still, captivated, quietly listening.

"Ah know what ya did to those officers, Rose. A while ago. I heard some CED officers talkin' about it when they captured me a couple days ago. I think, inside, you're a good pony, it's just... I think something happened to you. Something bad. I think you're frustrated. You're angry. Ya have no friends to help you, and ya think you're stuck without any other options. Don't lose yourself."

Rose nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah." She breathed a sad sigh, looking down at the cave floor. She rubbed a forehoof against the ground awkwardly, clearly unsure how to respond. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I haven't been myself, recently. I just... get so angry, sometimes. I'm angry at the world. I guess... I'm angry at everypony."

"Ah'm sorry." Savanna's ears laid back, and she bowed her head sympathetically.

"What for? None of this is your fault."

"Ah know." Savanna nodded quietly, unsure of what else to add. She had shared everything she felt obligated to say in one single line of thought, and then, afterwards, she felt she had made a difference. Rose's expression was abnormally soft. Her cheeks were red, and she appeared to be on the verge of tears.

There was a moment of silence. Respectfully, Savanna stayed quiet. She dug through her satchel and drew her revolver from within. Holding it in a hoof, she slowly rotated it back and forth, examining it. It was caked in mud and dirt from when she had dropped it in the struggle with the soldier. Eventually, she would have to take time to clean it. For the time being, she hung the weapon from the carabiner attached to her satchel's strap.

Savanna was about to close her satchel when the wanted poster inside caught her attention. She lifted it out of her satchel and unfolded it, reading it over again.

"What's that?"

"It's a poster ah found in Cerise. It's actually about you. They know who you are, Rose... and they want you." Savanna held the poster forward for Rose to take it. The mare accepted the offering, levitating the paper as she read it silently to herself.

"I know they want me. They want us all. It's their world. It's their laws. Or nothing—to hell with you." Rose glared down at the paper, reading it one final time. With a flick of her head and a spark, she lit the poster aflame with magical fire, balling it up and tossing it aside. Savanna watched the ball of paper bounce along the ground deeper into the cave. When it grew still, it blackened and shrunk, releasing smoke as it burned and curled further inwards.

"What do we do now, Rose?" Savanna raised her voice, asking.

"Now..." Rose cast her eyes downwards in thought. "I need to get some damn rest. I haven't slept properly in days. Wake me up in four or five hours. We can leave at twilight, try to avoid any CED who may potentially be patrolling. Hopefully arrive at town before sunrise. I know a place there we can take refuge."

Savanna nodded in response. "Understood."

The two laid down in synchrony. Savanna rested on her uninjured side, applying her weight to her right shoulder, and kept her eyes locked onto the cave entrance. Warily, she watched for interloping animals or ponies. Outside, the storm continued to rage on, rain weaving through the leaves of the trees above and pattering against the soil ceaselessly.

As Savanna laid still, her eyes gradually began to lose focus. While she stared out of the mouth of the cave, watching the rain falling, her mind was elsewhere. Now that Rose was asleep, Savanna was alone with only her thoughts to keep her company—and they weren't welcome. She visualized the facial expressions the soldier had made as he charged her. Rage, then his expression had contorted into shock and pain as he fell to the ground after she shot him. She saw herself lying on the ground in the muddy road, then she saw the stallion charging her as she held the revolver, and, finally, she saw his legs give out from under him as he slumped to the ground.

Ashamed, Savanna covered her face with her hooves and curled into a little, miserable ball. She wanted to curl into an even tighter, impossibly-small ball and disappear. She hadn't intended to hurt him—fate had forced her to.

For once, she was grateful to be alone; nopony was around to witness her shed tears for her enemy.

The sun had only just began to rise when Savanna and Rose arrived at Juniper. The pair had spent the entire night walking in relative silence, avoiding roads whenever possible and keeping a lookout for potential CED patrols. The sky was beginning to transition from black to blue, and the stars were fading from sight.

Savanna had spent the journey silently ruminating. She was still soaked with mud, and her filthy rain poncho was clinging to her body in some spots. The early morning air was chilly, and, when combined with the fact that Savanna was still damp and muddy, she was shivering from the cold. Her situation became ever worse, though—her shoulder still ached from the pain after she had been shot. She felt miserable. It was the most miserable she had felt in perhaps her entire life. She wanted nothing more than to relax in a warm, safe space and have an opportunity to sleep soundly and safely.

Juniper was mostly deserted. The majority of ponies were probably sleeping and taking refuge inside their dark, unlit houses. On the porches of several nearby houses, some strangers made lingering eye contact as Savanna and Rose passed through. Uneasy, Savanna avoided their gazes, keeping her eyes to the ground as she walked.

From what Savanna could see during the nighttime, the town was surprisingly familiar. It reminded her of Maripony. Dirt roads, small, wooden cottages and rolling, grassy plains. Compared to Maripony, though, the grass in Juniper was a healthy green, and there were more trees.

In the outskirts of town, Rose finally stopped before a large house. While not quite as immense as the old mansion in the outskirts of Maripony, the building before Savanna was still imposing. Planter boxes outside of the porch were filled with colorful flowers. Dim light shone out from a large bay window overlooking a dining room. A wide balcony outstretched above, and to either side, dormer windows peeked out from a sloped roof. Drawn curtains concealed the rooms behind the glass.

To the side of the house were rows upon rows of growing crops. Savanna immediately recognized the familiar mature and immature stages of corn stalks, but there were a wide diversity of other plants growing that she couldn't easily identify from a distance.

Rose climbed several steps and entered the house's porch, raising a hoof to knock on the front door. Savanna followed close behind, impatiently shifting her weight every few seconds as she waited for a response from the ponies inside. She wanted desperately to get inside and warm up.

"Who is it?" A male voice on the other side of the door called.

"It's me," Rose responded.

When the door swung open, periwinkle light spilled out from the entrance. The pegasus who had opened the door stood before them. He wore a fancy, gold-buttoned trench coat. He was tall—taller than Rose, surprisingly. He looked muscular, strong and intimidating, but, most importantly, he looked shady, especially considering the black coat. His eyes were narrow as they shifted back and forth and he scanned Savanna and Rose. His gaze lingered on Savanna. It was clear he didn't recognize her.

"Rose," he greeted, nodding.

"Maverick," Rose greeted in response.

"Come in," the stallion offered, taking a few steps backwards to give them room. "It's cold outside this morning."

Rose stepped through the doorway and into the main corridor. Savanna followed suit, closing the door behind her. Her eyes naturally drifted past Maverick and to a young unicorn standing beside and behind him. She looked to be no older than Savanna, with a fair, lilac-colored coat and a brighter, orchid-colored mane. Her gentle luminescence spell appeared to be one of the only sources of light in the house. Long, dark shadows cast by the four ponies huddled together danced on the wall as the young unicorn shifted her weight and the source of light on her horn moved.

"Amethyst, cut the light," Maverick ordered. At once, the group was plunged into almost complete darkness. Faint, non-magical light shone from the dining room to the right and another, unidentified room to the left.

"Let's head to the kitchen," the stallion suggested, passing through the dining room. Rose followed him closely, while Savanna trailed behind, taking in the sights. There were supplies everywhere in the dining room—food, weapons, tools, junk. A lone stallion sat on a chair in the corner of the room, staring out of the bay window and observing the street outside. As Savanna passed by him, she nodded as a greeting, receiving a small nod in return. He looked tired.

In the kitchen, Maverick was leaning against the counter of an island as he spoke with Rose. "You looked... healthier the last time we spoke, Rose. What the hell happened to you?"

"I've been through the wringer. Met some ponies while traveling here from Cerise—CED and military. It didn't end too well for any of us, mostly them. I'm still breathing, though. So is the kid."

Savanna stepped past the threshold and officially entered the kitchen. She leaned against the frame of the doorway, watching the conversation unfold. Absently, she rubbed a hoof against her shoulder and the invisible mark where she had been shot. She was no longer limping as she had been hours prior, but her muscles still ached from the shock.

"Who is she, anyway?" Maverick asked, motioning to Savanna.

"Her name's Savanna. She saved my life, actually. I made a stupid choice and got myself captured, almost got us both killed. She distracted them long enough for me to take the opportunity and free myself."

"Should me and my guys be concerned about them coming down here?"

"They were heading to Triton," Rose affirmed. "They didn't know where we were planning to go."

"Good. I don't need more trouble around here." Maverick released a sigh, raising a hoof to brush a lock of his red mane out of his eyes.

"More?"

"It's a long story," Maverick admitted. His gaze shifted over to Savanna. She made eye contact with him, albeit after some hesitation. His presence still made her slightly uncomfortable. "Hey, kid, why don't you head down the hall and get yourself cleaned up while me and Rose catch up? You're also looking pretty terrible."

"Where, exactly?" Savanna's ears perked up slightly. The prospect of taking a bath after treading through the wilderness for hours in filthy clothes was enticing.

"There's a bathroom at the end of the hall, past the stairs."

"Will do. Thank you." As Savanna left the kitchen through the way she had come, she heard the retreating voices of Rose and Maverick in conversation. She passed the lone guard sitting in the corner of the dining room and took a right down the main corridor, heading deeper into the house. All of the lights were turned off, and the hallway was very dark. She was forced to navigate by only the sparse, natural moonlight.

At the end of the hall, there was a tall, thin window with its curtains drawn open. Savanna tried opening the door to the left and discovered that it was unlocked and slightly ajar.

Inside was a bathroom, as had been promised. Against the wall was a bathtub with various soaps, shampoos and other cleaning products arranged on a small, adjacent table. Moonlight was streaming in from a small window, but it would be insufficient to see by, so Savanna searched the room looking for a solution to that particular dilemma. Luckily, there was a convenient oil lamp on a table next to a collection of various toiletries. Savanna ignited the lamp and carried it over to the bathtub, placing it on the adjacent table to she could see.

She slipped her satchel off of her back and stripped out of her rain poncho, running herself a bath. A nice, hot bath would be exactly what she needed to relax. The current day and the day prior had been stressful—she deserved it.

When the bath was sufficiently filled, Savanna dipped a hoof into the water to test the temperature. It was lukewarm, hot even. Adequate, and a welcome improvement compared to the chilly air outside. She reached over and took one of the bottles of soap resting on the table nearby, reading the label carefully. The brand was unrecognizable, and she couldn't tell what exactly its intended purpose was, be it for washing pony fur, manes or for just washing clothes...

Careless, Savanna shrugged and uncapped the bottle. She lifted it in front of her nose, giving it a sniff. The contents smelled of floral perfume. She smiled a little, immediately being reminded of a distant, nostalgic memory of when she was younger. She and Spotlight picking savannah wildflowers together when they were kids...

She dolloped some of the soap into the bath and mixed it around with the water, creating an intense froth. Small bubbles rose to the water's surface and popped, while other, larger bubbles formed and floated, managing to survive for longer.

Savanna set the bottle aside and plunged one foreleg into the soapy water, then another, and another, until, eventually, she sunk completely into the water. She released a sigh, gazing up at the white, painted ceiling. She could feel the tension releasing from her body as she soaked and her body temperature gradually began to rise to comfortable levels again.

Now that she had been given time to relax and think, her mind wandered freely. She thought of Spotlight and herself when they were kids, romping through grassy plains and picking savannah wildflowers, recalling the memory in greater detail... Spotlight had picked some yellow, cup-shaped flowers, while Savanna had chosen a bunch of gorgeous, purple, spherical flowers. The grassy field and creeping flowers had outstretched for miles in all directions, the droning of hundreds of bees feeding overwhelming. It had truly been a sight to behold.

Reminiscing, Savanna smiled a little. She released a small, tranquil sigh, eyes closed in concentration. She could almost hear the giggles of young, happy Spotlight again—and then her cute little scream when a curious bee had flown too close.

Where had the time gone?

In that little moment, Savanna was at peace. Silently, she ruminated, scrubbing first her mud-soaked mane with scented, soapy water, then her peach-colored fur, scrubbing away all of the dried mud.

Feeling cleaner and renewed, Savanna stepped out of the bath. Water dripping from her fur, she wrung most of the water from her mane with her hooves, then gave a quick jerk of her head, tossing the rest of her mane out of her face and over her shoulder. A weight had been lifted.

Once partly dried off after cleaning and grooming herself, Savanna left her belongings in the bathroom and went about exploring the house in an attempt to find where Rose had left to. She hadn't been in the kitchen when Savanna went to check.

The old house was eerily quiet as Savanna crept through the main corridor. The sun was rising higher in the sky by that point in the day, and there was almost enough natural light to comfortably see by. Regardless, Savanna walked with the oil lamp held in her mouth to assure she didn't trip on anything otherwise obscured. The only sounds were her own muffled hoofsteps against the carpeted floor and the faint snores of ponies sleeping somewhere upstairs. Her quiet breaths were audible.

Her weight upon a specific floorboard caused it to creak. A unicorn inside a nearby room ignited their horn alight with a gentle magical aura and peeked out of the doorway to investigate the noise.

"O - oh, it's just you," Amethyst spoke, relaxing.

Savanna nodded silently, transferring the lamp to a hoof. "Sorry if ah startled ya. Have you seen Rose?"

"She's the mare you came with earlier, right? No, I haven't, sorry." She retreated back into the room and took a seat on a sofa upholstered in velvet. She marked the spot in a book she had been reading with a bookmark and set it aside on a nearby end table.

Savanna followed, taking a look around. The room was a study. A fire crackled upon a pile of logs and ash in a stone brick fireplace, keeping the room warm and comforting. Two plush sofas and several armchairs surrounded a coffee table in the center of the room. To the right of the stone fireplace were several tall bookcases filled with colorful books of various sizes and widths. At the rear of the room was a desk and an unlit oil lamp situated in front of a grand window. A leafy, potted plant grew upwards triumphantly, leaning toward the window to achieve the superior angle and absorb the most sunlight.

Savanna extinguished her lamp and set it aside on an end table, taking a seat on the second sofa. She leaned back into the comforting upholstery, trying to relax. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, um..." Amethyst reached for her book, holding it aloft so Savanna could see the art on the front cover. It depicted twin waterfalls, one far wider than the other. "This? It's called 'The Revenant of Platinum Falls.' It's a mystery novel."

"Oh, really? Ya don't strike me as somepony who'd be interested in mystery."

"I am, actually. I love reading." Amethyst levitated the book aside and set it onto the end table again. "But, to be honest, I've just been looking for ways to keep myself occupied while I've been cooped up in here. I've been here for weeks, and the work keeps piling up."

Intrigued, Savanna leaned forward. "Why are you living with insurgents? Did your parents decide to side with them and you had no choice?"

Amethyst broke eye contact momentarily, releasing a sigh. "I... no, it's nothing like that... I'm here alone."

Recognizing she had struck a nerve, Savanna kept her voice steady and gentle, trying to coax the filly to respond. "What's wrong?"

"I... they... The CED, they took my parents."

Savanna frowned. "What happened to your parents?"

"Arrested," Amethyst admitted, her ears lowering flat against their head, "for harboring revolutionaries. I - I was scared, so I ran away... It's been weeks, now. I don't know what happened to them. I don't know if they're okay." She raised her gaze, making explicit eye contact with Savanna. "Y - you think they're okay, don't you...?"

Hesitant, Savanna broke the eye contact. She doubted Amethyst's parents—who had been detained by the CED—were alright, but she didn't want to break the tragic news to the filly.

"Ah... yeah, ah believe they are," Savanna lied, immediately regretting her decision. Despite how guilty she felt for lying, Amethyst's eyes lit up a little. Her expression softened.

"I - I know," she replied. "That's what I think, too. They have to be.

"Maverick let me stay here," Amethyst continued, "on the condition that I help with all the chores. It's not terrible work, and I'm glad to have somewhere to live now, but, i - it's not how I want be to spending my time. I feel trapped. Everything and everypony I used to know is in Triton, and I can't go back there nowadays with all the tension between the CED and the rebels. Nopony is supposed to leave town. Life just isn't normal anymore..." Unsure of what else to add, Amethyst awkwardly rubbed one of her forelegs, abruptly ending her spiel.

Savanna nodded quietly. "Ah understand. Ah—" She cut herself off, furrowing her eyebrows in thought. After some brief consideration, she realized divulging her exact origins and plans for the immediate future wouldn't be wise. Explaining everything that had happened would take too long. "Well," she continued, "let's just say ah understand and leave it at that, uh... what's your name?"

"Amethyst Dust," the filly replied.

"Dry Savanna."

"You sound like you're from the south," Amethyst commented.

"Ah'm from the west, actually. Or, well, ah was. Ah ain't currently."

After receiving the response, Amethyst immediately frowned and began asking questions. "As far as I know, there's no rebels that far west... It's mostly uncharted. You can't be a settler because, well, you're here. Why did you come all the way out here? Wasn't there news about what was happening in the east?"

"It's... complicated." Savanna sighed in frustration, wanting desperately to share her woes. Amethyst genuinely seemed interested and willing to listen, but explaining would take far too long... Regardless, Savanna began speaking. She explained her origins—her home, Maripony, her friends and family and how she had ended up in Emperia—and what had happened in the few eventful days after her arrival. Enraptured, Amethyst sat still and quiet as she listened.

"So, how did you end up here?"

"Like ah said, ah've been traveling with Rose since she and ah left Cerise. This was her final destination. Ah still have a ways to go. Speaking of, ah'd hate to bother ya for this, but... do ya know which towns or settlements near the west coast have docked boats?"

"No," Amethyst admitted, frowning. "Why?"

"Ah intend to steal one." Savanna nodded with finality.

"You're going to steal a boat?" Amethyst's eyes widened in reaction to the unexpected response.

"Maybe. Ah don't know yet. Ah'll figure something out. Ah think it's my only decent shot at getting to Cerise."

"I guess so. Still, that just seems wrong..."

Savanna released a sigh, nodding. 'Ah know. But, it's for a good cause, anyway."

There was a pause, and Savanna took advantage of it and began speaking again, changing the topic. "Ya know, Amethyst, it's been great talking with you. Your, uh..." Savanna paused, fishing for the optimal word," sincerity reminds me so much of Spotlight. Ah wish we could become friends, but... well, ah guess fate decided otherwise."

"Me too..." Amethyst broke eye contact momentarily, her eyes downcast toward the carpet sadly. "I wish I could go with you, Savanna..."

Amethyst's desperate tone made Savanna's heart bleed. She knew the filly was intent on saying more, and she wanted to interrupt and say something to console her, but Savanna couldn't. She couldn't find the words.

"I - I just want to see my family again, but... I can't." Amethyst's voice cracked, and it was becoming increasingly unsteady, but she persevered. "And now with the way Maverick is talking, it sounds like the rebels are planning on going on the offensive soon. I'm afraid he's going to force me to fight. He always says he needs as many ponies as possible. I - I don't want to fight—I can't." Her cheeks were becoming red, and her eyes were glistening.

Realizing that the poor filly was on the verge of tears, Savanna tried desperately to keep the situation under control with meticulous word choice. "Amethyst, you... it's okay. He wouldn't. Y - you, well... Even if they were going to follow through with that idea, there would still be plenty of work to be done. They would still need your help for that."

Her attempt at encouragement had failed. Amethyst lowered her head into her hooves, crying softly. Sympathetic, Savanna stood up from the sofa, acting as if she were going to do or say something, but she didn't know what to do. Truly, the situation Amethyst was in was terrible, and Savanna had tried and failed to console her.

Savanna gently seated herself on the sofa next to the crying filly. She released a soft sigh, looking down in consideration for a moment, before leaning in and reaching out with her forelegs, pulling the filly into a hug.

Amethyst resisted weakly for a moment out of surprise, but after the surprise wore off and she realized it had been a move intent on showing affection, it only made her cry harder. She reached out and wrapped her forelegs around Savanna in a tight hug.

"Ah'm sorry..." Savanna eventually murmured when Amethyst had begun to grow quiet.

The filly pulled away from the hug slowly, sniffling. The two exchanged a long, somber look. Amethyst's eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her posture was slumped, and she looked exhausted.

Eventually, she looked down at the floor, breaking the eye contact. "Y - you don't have to be sorry... I - it's not your fault. None of this is..."

"Ah know. It's not your fault either, neither, though. You... You can still come with me."

"I..." Amethyst released a sigh. "I - I want to, Savanna. But..."

"You can..." Savanna trailed off, immediately abandoning the train of thought before she could finish it.

There was a moment of silence. Neither pony attempted to fill it. Amethyst rubbed her foreleg with a hoof, eventually raising her gaze again. "G - go get some rest, Savanna. Find an empty room upstairs. There's food always made around 8 or 9—you have a couple of hours to get some sleep. I'll be down here... if you need me for anything, I guess."

Savanna nodded silently, standing up and moving away from the couch. She gave a final nod of farewell before slipping away into the house's main corridor.

She entered the dining room first, approaching the lone guard seated in the corner of the room. "Have you seen Rose?" She asked him.

Realizing he was being spoken to, the stallion looked over. He nodded a slight nod. "She's the mare you came here with last night, right? Maverick and her are upstairs."

Savanna thanked him and returned to the main corridor. She retrieved her belongings from the downstairs bathroom before climbing the stairs to the second floor. Every few steps, she paused, tilting her head to a side to listen. There were distinct voices engaged in conversation, but she couldn't discern exactly what was being said.

At the top of the stairs, Savanna peeked through the relatively-tall, wooden banister. The upstairs hallway was clear. Most of the doors were closed. At the end of the hall, sunlight streamed through another tall and thin window. At that time in the day, it was finally bright enough to see by using only sunlight.

Savanna's hooves created soft, muffled pattering sounds against the plush carpet as she moved toward the source of the voices. Rose and somepony else were conversing in a room at the end of hall. Savanna pulled the door handle downwards and pushed the door inwards.

Inside, Rose was naked, with all of her belongings scattered across the room. Her long gun rested upright against one of the walls. "I say we travel at night," she spoke. "We can move through the forest and get fairly close to town without risking being detected. Two pairs of ponies watching both flanks for any signs of CED activity, while the rest move into town and escort the rebels out one by one. Once everypony is secure, we can rendezvous there." Rose pointed with a hoof to a specific point on her map. Spread out across a table she and Maverick stood around, it was visible only to them. Maverick nodded silently, considering her plan.

"Rose?"

Rose looked back over her shoulder to Savanna. She frowned disapprovingly. "Savanna? What do you want? I'm busy."

"Can you or somepony else wake me up around 9 this morning? Ah wanna try to get some rest."

"I'll send somepony for you," Maverick spoke up, offering. Savanna's eyes met his, and she offered him a small nod. "Thank you."

Savanna slowly backed out of the room, closing the door partly. "Sorry for, uh... disturbing ya." Receiving no response, she gave a final nod and closed the door completely, leaving the two to their privacy.

Immediately after she had closed the door, she heard Rose and Maverick conversing again. They seemed to be planning something, though Savanna wasn't entirely sure what. It was none of her business, regardless. She didn't intend to be around when it happened. Speaking of, Savanna would eventually have to say her goodbyes to Rose and Amethyst before departing Juniper to head west. That was later, though... In the present, Savanna was focused on finding a bedroom and getting some rest.

Most of the bedroom doors were closed and locked, but some were swung open. Savanna chose at random which bedroom to claim for herself. She entered, quickly scanned the room for occupants, found none, then turned and shut the door behind her, leaving it unlocked.

The room was fancy, yet cozy and compact. To the left were some wall-mounted pegs for hanging various items, a wooden wardrobe and an iron stove for warming the room during particularly-cold times of year. It was unlit at the moment, and clean of ash. A small, rectangular mirror was mounted into the wall. To the right of the room was the bed arranged parallel to the wall, with a short, wide chest at the foot of the bed. A plush chair sat diagonally in a corner of the room. In the center of the room was a large, oval, brown and black rug. It appeared to be made of wool, and looked hand-stitched. In the back wall of the room was mounted a wide window. Its curtains were drawn open. Below was a desk with an oil lamp and a simple, wooden chair with square legs.

Savanna hung her freshly-washed rain poncho on one of the hooks, then her satchel onto another. Immediately, she trotted over to the bed and hopped onto it, drawing the blankets up and over herself. She had no time to waste—even if she fell asleep immediately, she would only have a couple hours to rest.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly, releasing a little breath. She rolled onto her back, gazing up at the paint-speckled ceiling. Sleeping would be difficult. Knowing that getting home wasn't a guarantee, she couldn't be expected to be patient. In fact, Savanna felt the opposite of patient. The memory from her foal-hood was fading, being replaced by emotions of dread and anxiety.

Despite the fact it was her nightly routine, she felt no desire to write or draw in her journal. She felt tired, somewhat, and the aching in her shoulder hadn't yet dulled, but—above all else—she felt guilty. The guilt of harming or potentially killing another pony...

Savanna sighed, beginning to count the individual, tiny cracks on the ceiling. She counted 12 before rolling over onto her uninjured side, pulling the blankets tighter around herself. Nothing seemed effective enough to completely distract her and make her forget what she had done...

For once, she was grateful to be alone; nopony was around to witness her grieve for her enemy.

V – Savanna – Emperia

Savanna awoke to the sound of powerful knocks against the door of the bedroom she was sleeping in.

"Hey, kid," a stallion called, pushing open the door and peeking inside the room. "Maverick told me to wake you up."

Savanna groaned tiredly, rolling onto her back. She raised a foreleg, blindly waving in his direction. "Ah... Thanks. Ah appreciate it."

"No problem." The stallion pulled the door shut. His retreating hoofsteps could be heard as he descended the nearby stairs.

Sleepy and lazy, Savanna yawned, rolling onto her side. She could feel her eyelids fluttering shut instinctively. The little cocoon of blankets she was enveloped in was warm and comforting. If she were able to, she could lie there all day, reminiscing on memories of the past—but, unfortunately, that simply wasn't realistic. She needed to work to get home.

She delayed getting up as long as possible before she finally threw the blankets off and slipped off of the bed and onto the wooden floor. She rocked forward and then backward, stretching deeply.

Savanna took several short steps across the room, her hooves creating a soft clopping sound against the polished wooden floor. She stopped in front of the wall-mounted mirror and ran her hooves through her messy, somewhat-tangled tan mane. When she was done, she allowed her hair to naturally flow down the side of her head like normal.

Savanna gazed into the mirror, looking into her own violet eyes for a moment. Her face was all cut up, and although the bleeding had stopped a long while ago, some of the little slashes hadn't healed completely and had formed scars. She released a little sigh, gazing down for a moment. She looked like herself, despite all that she had been through so far... She didn't feel normal, though. A volatile concoction of emotions was swelling within her. Namely, she felt guilt for harming another pony, yet, there was still a certain sparkle in her eyes. Savanna tilted her head to the left first, then the right, examining herself. Sunlight streaming in from the nearby window reflected off of her eyes, emphasizing the color in her purple irises.

That sparkle in her eyes was hope. Savanna felt it internally, a distinct sensation. She knew she could get home, she just needed to stay determined.

"I miss you," Savanna murmured to herself gently. She hadn't directed the message to anypony in particular, just the vague concept of ponies at home in Maripony. She did miss them. She missed Equestria in general, in fact. Retrospectively, her life in Equestria had been so fantastic before disaster struck. She had never truthfully considered that she would lose it, even for a brief period. Coming to terms with reality was difficult.

In just a couple of days, Savanna had been so busy and occupied she rarely had quiet moments to think and ruminate on her situation. Despite it really only being a few days, Equestria felt so distant.

Savanna positioned herself and gazed over her shoulder at her cutiemark, confirming the golden bundle of wheat was still present on her flank. Her cutiemark was a physical reminder of who she was and where she had come from. She couldn't let herself be overwhelmed with depressing thoughts.

The indistinct murmuring of dozens of ponies chatting struck her, and Savanna paused, an ear standing to attention as she listened. While she couldn't hear the exact words, she knew there were many ponies downstairs chatting amongst themselves. The sound was trickling through the floorboards below.

"Okay," Savanna spoke to herself quietly, giving a little nod. It was time to start the day.

She grabbed her satchel from one of the wall-mounted pegs near the door and swung it over her shoulder, then grabbed her rain poncho, swinging it over her back and letting it balance behind her head.

She opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the second-floor hallway. The indistinct drone of countless ponies chatting instantly grew louder. Additionally, a pleasant smell wafted in her direction. It smelled of boiling vegetables and some unidentifiable seasoning.

It sounded as if the majority of ponies were downstairs. Two ponies sat together near the window at the end of the upstairs hallway, chatting.

"Good morning," Savanna spoke as she passed, offering a nod of greeting. The ponies gave her a polite nod in return.

Downstairs, there were ponies everywhere chatting amongst themselves. Most held bowls in hooves, wings or magic. Savanna left her belongings near the base of the stairs and went about exploring the house, looking for ponies she was already acquainted with.

In the dining room, a bunch of ponies had gathered around the great table in the center of the room. Maverick sat on a chair at the head of the table, with a bowl of food and a mug of what looked like coffee. An expansive regional map was spread across the table, and it seemed he was discussing plans for something. He held a pencil in a wing, and was pointing to various locations on the map. Savanna stayed quiet as she passed, not interrupting him.

The kitchen was almost uninhabited. Various vegetables and other ingredients were strewn across the island, along with several knives, a ladle, a metal kettle and a bunch of stacked metal bowls. No prepared food was around, though. If it hadn't come from the kitchen, where was the delicious smell of cooking food coming from? Curious, Savanna searched the final room downstairs.

In the study, ponies were separated into small groups, chatting amongst themselves. As seen earlier, most ponies held a bowl of food. Within the large fireplace, a huge cauldron was hung on a metal pole over an intense fire. Beside the fireplace, several metal bowls were stacked on top of one another.

Curious, Savanna trotted over to investigate. She peeked inside, not leaning too far forward to avoid burning herself with hot steam. Inside the cauldron, a soup of various ingredients was bubbling ferociously. The pleasant yet odd smell that Savanna had detected earlier had definitely originated from this pot. As if it had a mind of its own and was protesting its lack of being filled, her stomach immediately released an impatient growl.

Excited, Savanna helped herself to one of the metal bowls and reached for a ladle hanging from the metal pole. In two generous scoops with the ladle, she filled the bowl with a decent amount of stew. She hung the ladle by its curved handle on the metal pole again and went trotting back to the kitchen in search of cutlery.

In the kitchen, she encountered Maverick pouring himself another cup of coffee. He offered her a small nod of greeting, which Savanna returned politely. "Have you seen Rose?" She asked, setting her bowl of soup onto the island.

"She's upstairs," he replied, setting aside the kettle. "On the balcony, I imagine." Holding his cup of coffee in one wing, he turned and opened a drawer mounted below one of the kitchen counters with the other. From within, he drew a spoon out, which he offered forward.

Surprised at the polite gesture, Savanna accepted the offering with a smile. "Thanks!" She dipped it into her bowl of soup and allowed it to remain there as she returned her hoof to the floor.

"So, kid, you're leaving today, aren't you?"

Savanna nodded. "Ah am. Ah'm going northwest." She paused, frowning. "How did ya know know?"

"Rose informed me of your plans. I asked because I actually want you to do me a favor, if you don't mind."

"What kind of favor?" Savanna raised an eyebrow curiously.

"There's a pony named 'Cloverleaf' in the town of Queensland to the north, and I haven't received word from him in two weeks. I want you to make a detour to Queensland and find out why."

Savanna broke eye contact, considering the proposal for a moment. "Well, ah guess ah am heading in that direction anyway..."

"He has a green coat and a short, mint-colored mane. If you see him, tell him 'the crows are mourning'. It's one of our code phrases. It'll let him know you're my messenger."

Savanna nodded to show she understood. "Will do. Ah'll remember that. Ah'll try to find him."

"Thanks. And one more thing, kid..." Maverick trotted into the dining room, returning with a bundle of notes wrapped with a rubber band. "Buy yourself some food when you get to town."

Savanna accepted the bundle, flipping through the paper currency. The notes were of a random assemblage of 1, 5 and 10 notes, all a variety of different colors. Each note depicted the face of a stallion Savanna didn't recognize. His striking eyes and long, sharp horn looked intimidating.

"Thank you, Maverick," Savanna spoke, surprised. She tucked the notes into her satchel for safe keeping.

"Don't mention it, kid. There's enough to spare. Good luck." He nodded in farewell, taking his coffee to the dining room.

Savanna took a moment to use the spoon and investigate her soup. The liquid was a pleasant orange color. She poked some of the ingredients in the soup with her spoon, identifying them purely by sight. She saw carrots, onions, peas, zucchini and various leafy greens and herbs. However, one of the ingredients in the dish she absolutely didn't recognize. She poked it curiously with her spoon, spinning it around. It was a pale, grey-colored lump. The soup's ambient smell, too, was exotic and unfamiliar. She just couldn't place her hoof on it.

Curious, Savanna dipped her spoon into the soup and lifted a combination of chopped carrots, onion, leafy greens and the mystery grey lump. She popped the spoon into her mouth and chewed, trying to identify everything based on taste. Immediately, she recognized the distinct chewiness of the carrot and the soft texture of the onion, but the grey lump had its own, unique flavor. It was something she had never tasted before in her entire life. It was savory and slightly chewy.

Repeating the rebel code phrase in her head several times to memorize it, Savanna took her soup and went trotting upstairs in search of Rose.

The din of chatting ponies was quieter in the upstairs hallway. Savanna gave a small nod of greeting to the two ponies sat chatting by the window and approached an ajar door to the left. She pushed it inwards, peeking inside.

The room was a large, decorated bedroom. Savanna thought it was empty before she spotted a lone pegasus pony sat in the corner of the room, gazing listlessly out of a window. In front of him on a table lied a small device. Savanna recognized it as a magic-powered radio. As she closed the door behind her and slowly stepped forward, the sound of gentle music carried through the air. A male was singing about the regret of past actions and desire to rekindle lost love over the soft strumming of an acoustic guitar.

Having heard the bedroom door close, the pegasus sitting in front of the radio looked over his shoulder. "Hi," he greeted, then turned back.

"Hello," Savanna replied. She set her bowl of soup down onto the table and sat back on her haunches next to the stallion. She took a moment to relax and listen to the music. The window in front of them had a remarkable view of the street outside. Below, ponies could be seen going about their businesses. Her gaze drifted from pony to pony as she silently wondered what plans they had for the day.

"What did you do, before?" The stallion looked over.

"Ah'm sorry?"

"What did you do before Valor and his thugs seized the throne?"

Savanna looked over, meeting the stallion's gaze. She frowned confusedly. "Who are ya talkin' about?"

"Him. From that damned propaganda." The stallion pointed in the direction of the bedroom's grand double bed and broke eye contact, staring out of the window. Adjacent to the bed and an end table was an opened cardboard box. Savanna had neglected to notice it when she first entered the room.

Savanna stood and took a few steps closer, gazing inside. Within, there were countless colorful posters with bold text folded and compacted into the small box. Savanna reached inside and drew one out, unfolding it. Despite the fact the edges of the poster were tattered and ripped, the fancy, cursive text was clearly visible. The colors were bright and gaudy.

"Our highly-trained Civilian Enforcement Division will keep order! Accommodate and cooperate with them whenever necessary!

Below, a stylized depiction of CED officers were marching.

Another poster—equally as gaudy—read:

"These brutes seek to destroy the order we are so carefully preserving!"

A cartoon of Emperia was depicted below. Sections of the country were being devoured by flames. A large bucket of water with the acronym "U.R.E." was extinguishing the flames. In smaller text below the artwork:

"The Unified Republic of Emperia holds steadfast!"

The final poster read:

"Loyal citizens of the new Republic, your Supreme Leader guarantees a quelling of this disturbance!"

Below was the depiction of a unicorn Savanna had never seen before. A short, vivid-blue mane was swept back to reveal striking amber eyes full of firm determination and resolve. He wore a decorated, black uniform studded with golden buttons. From gold shoulder pads swung hanging yellow tassels. His slate-grey coat was dotted with spots of blue. The long horn atop his forehead looked sharp and intimidating.

Savanna decided to stop. "This is insane," she remarked, dropping the poster.

"I was an engineer," the nearby stallion spoke, looking over. He motioned to the cutiemark on his flank, depicting a wrench and several gears. "That was before Queen Melody was exiled and Valor assumed control. Life hasn't been the same since.

"What did you do before?"

Savanna trotted over, closing the distance between the two. "Ah'm a farmin' pony. Ah live in Maripony, western Equestria. Going to school, teachin' mahself magical symbology."

The stallion raised an eyebrow. "Maripony? Equestria...?"

"It's a backwater, and it can feel small if you grew up there, but... it's home. I miss it," Savanna affirmed.

He released a sigh, gazing down at the table sadly. "I know the feeling. I hope Lei is alright... I haven't seen or spoken to her in so long..."

Recognition stuck Savanna suddenly, and she perked up. "Wait, ah know that name! Did ya live in an apartment in Cerise on the fifth floor?"

"Y - you've been to Cerise?" He looked over, his eyes widening. "Have you seen her?"

"Well..." Savanna shook her head. "No, ah haven't. But ah wanted to ask you: ya wrote that note addressed to Lei, right? Why did ya write it like ya hated the rebels?"

"I wanted to protect her and me from being charged with treason. Anything found in our home could have been used against us by the CED. They're paranoid in finding rebels.

"I really hope Lei's okay, wherever she is. Maybe she's at my sister's place..."

"Well, maybe she read the note," Savanna offered weakly. There wasn't much she could say that would be taken as reassurance.

"Maybe..." The pegasus released a sigh, raising his gaze to stare out the window once more. "When all this shit is behind us, I'm going to go look for her—but right now, Maverick needs me to do my part. He needs all of us."

Savanna quietly nodded. Sensing the conversation had come to a close, she grabbed her bowl of soup from the table and trotted to a nearby set of double doors. They had to lead to the balcony—where else could they go?

Savanna pushed the doors outwards. Indeed, they led to the balcony. The exterior air was surprisingly chilly, but the morning sun's beams were comforting. To the left, Rose stood with her forelegs balanced over the balcony's railing as she looked out over the town of Juniper. The town wasn't bustling with activity, but many ponies were traveling and going about their businesses.

"Hi," Savanna greeted, stepping closer to her companion. A loose floorboard creaked under her weight.

Rose glanced over to Savanna, then returned to looking out over the town. "Hey, kid."

Savanna sat back on her haunches next to Rose, eating some of her soup as she appreciated the view.

"Ah'm leaving soon," Savanna spoke eventually, looking over.

"I know."

Savanna frowned, searching for the appropriate words. "Rose... Thank you. For everything. Ah couldn't have made it this far without your help."

"You still have a ways to go, kid," Rose responded. "You aren't finished, yet."

They were silent for a moment.

"...Thanks for saving my life," Rose eventually spoke.

"Of course, Rose." Savanna responded immediately.

Rose didn't respond. She was avoiding eye contact, and her expression was trapped in a ceaseless frown.

"Are you okay...?"

"I'm fine," Rose answered immediately. "I can handle myself, kid. Look, I appreciate the advice you gave me yesterday, but... there's something I need to do. It's bigger than you or me, and it's bigger than the damn rebels."

Rose's eyes were locked onto two ponies below. They were sat on a bench together privately chatting on a porch. When one of them went in for a kiss and they shared a hug, Rose's expression softened. She grimaced in pain, looking away and clenching her eyes shut.

Silently, Savanna stood and slowly made her way back to the double doors leading into the primary bedroom. She looked back, waiting. When Rose looked over and their gazes met, Savanna nodded in goodbye. Rose returned the favor with a small nod. "Good luck," she spoke.

"Same to you." Savanna turned and pushed open the doors, returning inside the house.

There were only a few things left for her to do. Savanna needed to find Amethyst and say goodbye to her, and she also needed to clean her revolver and assure it was functional. Luckily, both could be done simultaneously.

Savanna made her way down the stairs to the first floor and finished her soup, leaving the bowl and spoon in the kitchen. She grabbed her satchel and tossed it over her shoulder, then quickly checked outside on the house's front porch. Having searched most of the downstairs rooms and some of the upstairs rooms, that meant Amethyst was either in one of the bedrooms upstairs or was outside somewhere. Savanna went to check the backyard first, but made a detour to the downstairs bathroom.

Inside, Savanna unloaded her revolver, discarding the singular spent cartridge and saving the remaining live rounds. She kept the cylinder swung open and rotated the sink's tap to the activated position, running the revolver under the stream of water to clean the excess amounts of dried mud from its frame. Savanna tilted the weapon back and forth, wetting every surface. She had a long way to go in cleaning it, but after most of the mud had been washed away, she could focus on the miniscule spots remaining.

After Savanna's little detour, she took a metal soup bowl filled with water with her and opened the backdoor, peeking outside of the house.

Outside, Amethyst Dust was sat alone on a chair pulled up to a wooden table, reading her book and enjoying a cup of coffee with her back facing the backdoor. Her orchid-colored mane shone even brighter in the morning sun.

"Amethyst?" Savanna called, trotting around to the opposite side of the table. Their eyes met as Savanna took a seat on one of the chairs. Amethyst marked her spot in the book and closed it, setting it aside. By this point, she looked to be about halfway through.

"Hi," the young unicorn greeted, smiling a little smile.

Savanna returned a small smile of her own. "Hey. How's the book readin' going?"

"Fine! I don't have much spare time left today, though. I need to help wash dishes. You'd be surprised how many dishes these ponies go through...

"And, um, I noticed you brought a bowl of water with you... You know there's cups in the kitchen, right?" Amethyst joked gently, motioning with a hoof.

"Ah know. It's for this." Savanna drew her revolver and placed it onto the table, its barrel pointing safely to the side. The metal frame was still tarnished with splotches of mud. Sunlight reflected and shone off of the patches of metal that weren't dirty.

Amethyst blinked, her friendly, jokey attitude evaporating. "You aren't going to use that on anypony... are you?"

Savanna shook her head immediately, frowning seriously. She reached into her satchel and brought out the pleather bundle of firearm cleaning equipment Rose had given her, drawing a little brush from its designated loop. She dipped the brush in the bowl of water and began scrubbing the weapon's frame. "No. Not unless ah have to."

"I don't think I could ever bring myself to hurt somepony," Amethyst admitted, her ears drooping downwards in despondency. She quietly watched Savanna work for a moment before speaking up again. "Have you ever hurt somepony, Savanna...?"

Savanna froze, remembering when she had shot the soldier. "Ah..." She grimaced, looking away for a moment. "Yes, ah did."

"When...?"

"Yesterday. Ah shot a soldier. Rose and ah got into some trouble with the CED... and ah did what ah had to do."

Amethyst broke eye contact for a moment, her eyes downcast. "I wish I was that brave..."

Savanna elected to stay silent, ruminating. She continued cleaning her revolver, occasionally dipping the brush into the water.

"I wish I knew restoration magic—that way I could heal ponies, and Maverick wouldn't see me as just another pony who's able to fight... I never practiced it, though. I spent a lot of my free time reading and learning symbology and memorizing magical runes."

Savanna rotated the revolver to its opposite side before responding, continuing to brush away all of the splotches of mud. "Ah used to study magic in mah free time—before ah came here, ah mean. Mah dad, he wants me to study law and eventually follow in his footsteps as mayor of mah town, but that's not for me. Ah'm a farmin' pony through-and-through, but I think I wanna get a job that involves magic in a couple years when I graduate from school. Ah dunno yet."

Amethyst nodded, acknowledging what had been said. "It's nice to have aspirations," she commented. "I, um..." she hesitated, frowning. "I hope you leave Emperia safely, Savanna, and I hope you don't ever return. This world—things aren't right. The only hope of toppling Valor from power lies in the hooves of the rebels, but I'm not optimistic a group of rough-and-rowdy guerrilla fighters can easily combat the largest military in history."

Amethyst released a puff of air in frustration. "And," she continued, "why do so many ponies keep enlisting‽ Can't they see his propaganda is obvious lies‽" The filly's tone was growing shrill as she raised her voice, but she eventually calmed down.

"Ponies can make stupid choices when they feel trapped," Savanna explained, her tone soft. "And since this Valor guy seems to be the opposite of trustworthy and kind... ah think that's why. Ah think ponies support him out of fear."

"It's just so... unfair," Amethyst lamented, gazing down listlessly at the table in defeat. "I wish there was some way we could reach out to all those ponies and tell them there's something to hope and fight for..."

"Ah know it's unfair." Savanna nodded, releasing a small sigh. "Sometimes ah guess it feels like the underdog can't make a comeback. Ah know in my heart that isn't true—but it feels like it. Ah don't think this rebellion is going anywhere."

"That isn't true. Queen Melody was just like you, Savanna. She was benevolent, wise, compassionate... We just need a pony like you to lead us. Maverick is too, um... confrontational. He's arrogant. He thinks he was born to fight this fight. His ego is huge—he can't acknowledge the ideas of others. And Rose, she, well... I don't know much about her, but I've heard ponies gossip about her. She's... not right, mentally. You were traveling with her alone for at least a couple days, weren't you? Don't you understand what I mean?"

Savanna nodded quietly, acknowledging the question she had been asked. As she listened to Amethyst talk, she set aside the small scrubbing brush and lifted a long, spiraling brush. She firmly thrusted it down the revolver's barrel several times to clear it of any debris.

"Rose saved mah life, and ah saved hers, too. Ah owe her some respect, at least. Ah suspect she's trying her best to help the rebels, but whatever internal struggles she's fightin', they seem to be eatin' her alive. I sympathize terribly with her.

"Nopony is really bad, they just... become misguided. Everypony has their own way of lookin' at the world and handlin' their problems. Opposing viewpoints are a good thing, but sometimes it can be easy to take things too far. Normally, the lure of Harmony would be powerful enough to make ponies think rationally again, and if not, then a friend would be there to set them straight—somepony like you or me. But that's just not the way things are now."

Amethyst's ears perked up, and she gazed at Savanna, her interest clearly piqued. "Harmony?"

Savanna nodded, solemn. "It's the most powerful magic in Equestria. It doesn't seem to be present here, though."

"I remember life being... normal under Harmony, when the royal family still held the throne. There wasn't a military, and the royal guards were only ever stationed at the palace or sometimes around the city. They didn't even use guns—there was no reason for them to."

It was only a couple years after Valor stormed the palace and claimed the throne and word got out that the royal family had been exiled when things started going downhill fast. There was a violent protest in the streets of Cerise. Some protesters were killed." Amethyst bowed her head respectfully for a moment. "When ponies began arming themselves, the country went into lockdown. Nopony in or out of town, ponies stopped going to work or school... and the rest is history."

Savanna dolloped some oil from a small metal can onto a rag and began polishing the frame of the revolver. When she was finished with one side, she held the revolver in a hoof and ran the cloth along the opposite side. Afterwards, she set the rag down and slowly rotated the weapon, inspecting it from different angles. She closed the empty cylinder and spun it, then, making sure the barrel was pointed away from Amethyst, pulled the trigger. The hammer clicked.

Now that it was clean and operational again, the revolver's polished metal shone, practically glistening in the sun.

"You won't be using that again, will you...?" Amethyst spoke, noticing how Savanna flaunted the weapon.

"Ah'll avoid that as best ah can," Savanna asserted, setting the weapon down.

"Ya know, Amethyst... ah think you and ah are pretty similar in mind. You're a pacifist, aren't you? Ya still believe in Harmony?"

"Of course. I always did." Amethyst sighed, her ears lowering flat against her head. "I can't say the same for everypony else, though. It's like they all just forgot."

The two exchanged a long look. Savanna adjusted her weight, frowning as she considered what had been said. Amethyst's periwinkle eyes glistened as she blinked. There was sadness visible in her facial expression, but a certain light in her eyes shone brighter—the one of hope, strength necessary to persevere.

"When you leave, you'll be safe, won't you? I - it..." Amethyst hesitated, looking away for a moment as she chose her words carefully to describe exactly how she felt. "...It would comfort me knowing at least one pony managed to escape here and do something better with their lives."

"Ah promise." Savanna cleaned up her firearm maintenance equipment, slipping each instrument into its designated spot in the roll of pleather, then rolled it up and tossed it into her satchel. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, swinging her revolver's cylinder open as she loaded six new rounds in. She clipping her revolver onto the carabiner hanging from her satchel's strap and stored the rest of the .38 rounds away in her satchel, closing the bag's flap.

"Savanna?"

"Hm?"

"In your bag, do you have any pictures of yourself or your family?"

Savanna automatically responded with a "no", but then paused, considering. She opened her satchel and began sifting through her belongings. There were many things—her bag was beginning to grow heavy. At the very bottom was her journal, which she lifted out and placed onto the table. She opened it and began flipping through the pages.

There, pinned to the inside of her journal's front cover, were photographs. There was a photograph of Savanna and Spotlight as young fillies, a photograph of Savanna's parents embracing on the day of their wedding anniversary and many more. Savanna saw more recent photographs. One was of her and Night Owl. Another still was one of several photos taken of her surrounded by her friends. Her entire school class had all posed together to take the formal photograph. Savanna chuckled, brushing a hoof against the school photo as she reminisced. That was the day she had permitted Spotlight to braid her mane—something she had hated, and something she still hated in the present day.

Instantly, all the forgotten memories came flooding back. She had completely forgotten about the photographs. Some were old—the one of her parents was so old, in fact, that it was black and white. She released a heavy sigh, resisting the urge to cry. The physical reminder of her loved ones impacted her heavily.

"Why do you want them?" Savanna unpinned some of the photographs and slid them over to Amethyst's side of the table.

Amethyst levitated the photographs, smiling gently as she examined them. Her happy expression quickly melted into solemnity as she set the photos down. "Souls Day is Monday next week. Ponies bring photographs of their loved ones and light candles for them to celebrate their lives. I want to light candles for you and your family, if that's alright, Savanna."

"Is that like Remembrance Day? Mah folks celebrate that." Savanna frowned, confused. "But mah family and ah, we're still alive."

"Souls Day is about celebrating the lives of all your loved ones, Savanna—passed or still living." Amethyst nodded gently, releasing a little sigh. "That's why I'm going to light a candle for my parents as well."

"That's... nice. You can keep 'em. Ah have plenty more at home." Savanna nodded, closing her journal and setting it into her satchel again. "Thank you, Amethyst. That's a really kind gesture."

Amethyst nodded, raising a hoof. "Good luck, Savanna. May the goddesses watch over you."

Savanna glanced up at the afternoon sun, squinting. It was smaller than Celestia's sun, and, overall, the two didn't resemble each other in the slightest. Perhaps the Emperian goddesses truly did exist, but even still, she longed for the comforting warmth of Equestria's sunlight.

"Good luck to you too, Amethyst." Savanna returned the nod of farewell, then turned and trotted back into the house.

Inside, Savanna trotted down the main downstairs hallway, taking one last look into each room. In the study, ponies ate soup and chatted amongst themselves. The dining room was no different, but while ponies chatted and ate, Maverick was pointing to various places on the regional map with a pencil as he planned and gave orders. That, however, was none of Savanna's business. The only thing she thought of at the moment was that she would soon be alone again as she wandered in the general direction of northwest. She was a nomad—and a solo nomad, at that.

Before leaving, Savanna dropped her satchel to the floor before slipping on her rain poncho, then slung her satchel over her back again. Adjusting her satchel's strap, she gazed back into the house one final time before pushing open the front door, stepping outside.

Sometime when Savanna had been sleeping, rain had lightly showered down. Grey storm clouds still hung precariously in the sky, and rainwater pooled in small puddles dotted across the ground. Savanna stood on the porch for a moment, watching the wind pluck leaves from trees and scatter them. She hadn't noticed the day prior, but some of the trees had yellow and orange leaves, and they were loosening and falling to the ground. The thin, naked branches swung in the breeze.

The air felt chilly as Savanna made her way through town. She got some curious looks from ponies as she passed, but she kept her eyes glued to the dirt road as she walked, not risking looking at anypony directly. Accidentally, she splashed through a puddle, and her forelegs got soaked in icy water. She shivered, her body tensing up.

On the outskirts of town, the ground rose unexpectedly upwards to the right of the dirt road, forming a tall ridge with exposed rock. To the left, the ground sloped downwards, leading to a pond. Beyond the pond were rolling fields of wheat and other crops.

Savanna abandoned following the road temporarily and went to fill her canteen with fresh water from the nearby body of water.

She removed the stopper and drank what water remained in the canteen, then reached low to the surface of the water and filled the canteen. When the metal canister was filled, Savanna lifted it into the air, shaking it to test its weight and capacity. Satisfied, she popped the stopper back into the mouth of the canteen and tossed it into her satchel again.

Savanna returned to following the road. She walked parallel to the ridge on the right, keeping within its shadow.

Some trees growing atop the ridge rained yellow and orange leaves downwards. Occasionally, when the wind stopped blowing, the leaves twirled and spun as they fell directly downward towards the ground. Savanna tried stepping on each one as she passed, listening to them all crunch under her weight. Satisfied, she smiled a little.

Her ears perked up and swiveled in the direction of a sound she had detected. It was the unmistakable grinding sound of wheels on a compacted dirt road. Savanna immediately froze, looking around for a hiding spot. Luckily, a patch of tall weeds were growing nearby adjacent to the rock wall. Savanna dove into them, crouching and making her profile as low as possible. She peeked through the grass, waiting.

Three trucks in this distance were approaching. They looked like more transport trucks, heading in the same direction as the other trucks she had seen yesterday—in the direction of Triton. Savanna patiently lied still and watched them pass her position, heading toward Juniper. CED officers were sat in the beds with weapons, guarding the various supplies.

Savanna counted for five seconds after she could no longer hear the vehicles driving away in the distance, then did a final visual sweep of the area before stepping out from her hiding spot.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Savanna sat down and dug through her satchel, retrieving and consulting her map. She located the town of Juniper, then traced her route with a hoof to confirm the direction she was heading in. Follow the dirt road leading from Juniper until it connected to an asphalt road. Take a left and follow that road until it reached a bridge. She nodded, folding the map and storing it away in her satchel again. Queensland wasn't too far, but on hoof it would take her hours to travel there. Savanna sighed, beginning to walk.

VI – Savanna – Emperia

After many exhausting hours of walking, the dirt road had eventually led to a wider, asphalt road. Savanna had taken a left and followed it, coming to a stop when she reached a bridge. It was undoubtedly the bridge that led to town, but what made Savanna hesitate was the bleakness of the surrounding area. Off to the right were several pinboards with military propaganda posters and other miscellaneous papers pinned for all to see. Most of the posters were secured tightly to their pinboards, but those that weren't were flapping in the wind.

Savanna shivered in her light rain poncho. Cold and dehydrated from the long journey, Savanna reached into her satchel and drew out the metal canteen given to her by Rose. The metal loop at the top near the mouth of the canteen clattered about as Savanna removed the stopper and sipped the water within.

Most of the wanted posters on the pinboards were requesting the capture of ponies Savanna didn't recognize, but one depicted a sketch of Maverick, and another depicted Rose. She frowned, lowering her canteen and reaching up, brushing a hoof against one of the posters. She wanted to believe that Rose was a good pony, but, at the same time, she knew Rose was battling an evil inside of herself—in fact, everypony seemed to be. Ponies like Rose were hopelessly lost to anger or fear without guidance, while ponies like Amethyst felt trapped, unable to make a difference or change things for the better. Savanna understood how Amethyst felt—she was living it. She had tried her best to convince Rose to consider her situation and make an effort to change for the better, but Rose—in her ignorance—had ignored her plea.

Savanna didn't linger and ruminate for long. She aimed the stopper toward the mouth of her canteen, then gave it a hard strike with a hoof to jam it into the neck and seal the canteen. She stepped onto the metal bridge, trotting forward and looking out over the edge. The wind was blowing particularly strongly. Despite there being a tall railing separating Savanna from the edge, she kept her distance, fearful. She knew that, below, the ground curved sharply downwards into a deep ravine, one that would absolutely be fatal if she fell into.

Past the bridge's railing, twin waterfalls were flowing downwards in the distance, crashing into a basin of rocks far below. One waterfall was far wider than the other. The twin waterfalls, however, reflected the evening sunlight in an equally-gorgeous way. Platinum falls, Savanna recognized the landmark as.

She drew her camera from her satchel and snapped a photograph, stuffing it into her satchel with all the others.

Queensland wasn't far past the bridge. The first sight that greeted Savanna when she entered town was a big metal statue of a changeling queen striking a dramatic pose, her papery wings spread, gnarled horn at the ready. Her facial expression was indiscernible. Impressed by the craftsmanship of the piece, Savanna slowed her trot as she circled the statue, examining it from a different angle. There were no signs or carvings detailing who the changeling queen was or why her significance was so great as to warrant building a statue to depict her.

Savanna quickly looked around and checked her immediate vicinity for ponies who may be watching her. Spotting nopony who may be spying on her, Savanna drew her camera from her satchel and snapped a photo of the statue before continuing on her way.

Military propaganda was everywhere in the town. Posters were attached to pinboards, walls of buildings and streetlamps as they blew noiselessly in the breeze. The fact that the citizens of Queensland hadn't attempted to tear down any of the propaganda suggested that rebel presence in town was minimal. Suddenly feeling paranoid and unsafe, Savanna watched all around her, looking for ponies who may be spying on her as she passed through town.

While she hadn't seen any ponies yet, she knew she would soon. Not wanting to make the same mistake as before when she was spotted by the CED officers in Cerise, Savanna unclipped her revolver from the carabiner attached to her satchel's strap and stored the gun in her bag, concealing it from view. Savanna theorized that, if she were spotted without a weapon, she may appear inconspicuous enough to avoid attracting attention.

It would be inefficient for Savanna to knock randomly on the doors of various houses of citizens living in town as she looked for the undercover rebel, Cloverleaf. She needed to find a public space where a lot of ponies were gathered so she could look for him. She was too young to be entering any bars, so restaurants would be the next best bet.

Savanna kept in the street, close to the sidewalk but not quite walking on it. Turning a corner around a house, Savanna realized she was approaching the center of town. Groups of ponies were traveling to and from destinations or resting on benches, most wearing light coats to protect against the mildly-chilly weather. A lone pony leaned against a streetlamp, smoking a cigarette. Savanna swept her eyes over the small groups of ponies. So far, she spotted nopony who resembled Cloverleaf's description.

Pairs of CED officers were stationed on the sidewalk at periodic intervals, observing the citizens and watching for any signs of trouble. The general vibe of Queensland made Savanna uncomfortable. CED were everywhere, and they were watching her every move. If she slipped up and made even the slightest mistake, there would be no possibility of escape.

As she passed close by a pair of officers, Savanna kept her eyes low to the ground, not meeting their piercing eye contact. Regardless of how intimidated she felt, she hadn't appeared suspicious to them. Her plan had worked.

Despite her terror, Savanna also felt a twinge of anger. CED had almost killed her—almost killed Rose. And here they were, standing smug and ostentatiously in their stiff, nickel-grey uniforms, surrounded by deceitful military propaganda and aggrandizing themselves as peacekeepers. Bunch of paramilitary fools playing dress up.

They must have noticed Savanna staring. One of the ponies, a mare, gestured with her levitated firearm down the street. "Get lost, kid," she ordered. "What are you staring at?"

That was the final straw.

Savanna turned, staring down her aggressor. Her eyes narrowed, her stance widening in defiance. The CED mare was taller and more muscular than Savanna, and even if she weren't holding a weapon, she could probably still kill Savanna without much effort. To make matters worse, the mare had a partner, and, judging by his facial expression, he wasn't too keen on Savanna's nasty expression either—but her blood was boiling, and there was no turning back by that point.

"How can you be so..." Savanna faltered, struggling to choose an appropriate word. "...delusional? Can't you see you're the problem around here, tearing stuff down and causing chaos wherever you go? All you're doing is making the lives of ponies miserable!" Savanna lunged forward and pointed aggressively with her hoof. "Your sense of grandiosity makes me sick!" Her western accent was less pronounced as the volume and intensity of her voice grew.

"Back the hell up!" The mare lifted her levitated firearm, aiming the barrel down directly toward Savanna. "And watch your damn mouth! Who do you think you're talking to‽"

Savanna took a step back, lowering her hoof to the ground. Her heart was pounding ferociously from the conflict, and her legs were quivering under her, threatening to give way. Seeing that the CED were stubborn and not acknowledging what she was saying, she sighed, looking away for a moment. "You orphaned mah friend."

Seeing that Savanna had taken a step back and was, seemingly, re-evaluating the situation, the mare snorted, lowering her weapon slightly. "What?"

"Ah said you orphaned mah friend! You bastards!" She pointed accusingly with a hoof. "And y'all are gonna get what's comin' for ya. One way or another."

Before either pony could respond, Savanna took a step backwards, giving them a final look of distaste. She turned, marching away down the street. Citizens were staring at her, but Savanna ignored the glares and confused looks she received.

"Yeah, that's right! Walk, kid! Keep going!" Savanna heard the voice of the CED mare shouting behind her. Ignoring it, Savanna kept moving forward.

Savanna turned another corner around a building, then stopped to rest, leaning against a wooden pole supporting an overhanging cantilever. Venting to the CED officer had been appeasing, but it wasn't a wise decision. Savanna had drawn attention to herself.

Savanna backed up and took a seat on a wooden bench below the cantilever, releasing a sigh as she rested. To her left sat a pegasus stallion, comfortably slumped onto the bench and casually smoking a cigarette. "Hey," he greeted, looking over.

"Hi," Savanna responded, looking over for a moment to meet his gaze. She broke eye contact and slumped back onto the bench, relaxing all her weight and gazing listlessly up at the roof of the cantilever.

"You new in town, kid?"

"Ah'm... yeah. Ah'm not from around 'ere."

"Maybe not the best idea to go making enemies with the CED."

"They had it coming."

The stallion chuckled, nodding his head. "You're damn right about that."

Savanna looked over, raising an eyebrow curiously. "Can you... help me find somepony?" Recalling the code phrase Maverick had shared with her, Savanna added it quietly after asking the question, lowering the volume of her voice by a measure or two. "The crows are mourning."

The pegasus's eyes widened in surprise. He lifted a wing up to his muzzle and grasped his cigarette between some feathers, drawing it away from his face as he puffed a cloud of smoke. Copying her, he lowered the volume of his voice a little. "You don't strike me as one of his message runners, kid, but, yeah, I think I can help you. Who are you looking for?"

"A stallion named 'Cloverleaf.' Short, mint-colored mane. Green coat."

Confident, the pegasus nodded, motioning with his free wing to a building across the street. "I'm familiar. He meets ponies in there, usually. Look in the back. Oh, and he likes window seats."

"Thanks." Savanna stood up from the bench and began crossing the street, heading in the direction she had been advised.

The building was undoubtedly a restaurant, but none Savanna had ever visited before. Her village had a small, modest eatery, but nothing to the scale Savanna was witnessing before her at that moment. There were countless tall windows skirting the exterior of the building, with flowerpots beneath growing colorful blossoms. Even the landscape surrounding the building was fancy. A trimmed, flowering hedge bush separated the restaurant from the sidewalk. Two twin archways in the hedge bush signified where customers should walk to reach the entrance of the building.

Savanna stepped through one of the archways in the hedge and trotted up three concrete steps, approaching the restaurant's glass entrance doors. She placed a hoof on the metal bar handle and pushed the door inward, stepping inside.

A rush of comforting, hot air blew over Savanna as soon as she entered. Relieved, she stood still for a moment, breathing in the smells of cooking food as she examined her surroundings.

Everything was bursting with color, especially the décor. The floor was polished and hard, white and black tiling that made Savanna's hooves create exaggerated clopping with each step. Booths near the windows were cherry-red and white. Red, swiveling barstools surrounding a yellow-countered bar in the center of the room had inward-curving legs made of stainless steel. A massive menu dominated most of the wall behind the bar, filled with vibrant, cartoon pictures of food and drink and prices written in cursive, bubbly text.

The place was bustling with activity and buzzing with background chatter. Ponies sat together at booths, tables or barstools, chatting. Some solo ponies were reading newspapers or smoking. Savanna passed her eyes over the crowd, failing to spot anypony who resembled Cloverleaf's description.

Savanna casually glanced over the menu, her stomach rumbling as the colorful cartoon depictions of food caught her eye, but what really captured her attention were the milkshakes near the bottom right of the wide menu. She had a job to do and really couldn't afford to stop and grab a bite to eat, but she had walked all the way to Queensland from Juniper and was feeling peckish.

Savanna hopped up onto a barstool, shifting her weight to cause the barstool to swivel. She spun to face the bar, the barstool below her giving a subtle squeak as it rotated. As she waited for the waitress to notice her, Savanna casually tapped her hooves against the bar to the beat of some cheerful, upbeat pop music playing from some hidden speakers.

The vibe of the restaurant was something Savanna had never experienced before. The glaring industrial lights and bright colors overwhelmed her senses at first, like she was on a bad sugar crash. It wasn't a terrible sensation, though—in fact, Savanna was enjoying herself! She could feel she was involuntarily smiling.

When the waitress noticed Savanna was waiting, she glided over, light and quick on her hooves. "Hi, hon'!" The mare greeted, wearing a small, professional smile that was practically part of the uniform. Long mane tied back in a bun, she sported a short black-and-white spotted dress with a yellow apron. She floated a levitated pen and notepad over, preparing to write. "What can I get you today?"

"Milkshake, please!" Savanna requested, motioning with a hoof to the menu behind the counter.

"Sure thing, hon'! What flavor would you like?" Currently not using her pen, the mare spun it with her levitation magic, during a little trick.

Savanna considered this for a moment, pursing her lips in thought. "Strawberry!"

The mare quickly scrawled Savanna's request onto her notepad, looking back up. "Anything else?"

"Nope!"

"Alright! We'll have your milkshake in a jiffy!" Quick as a flash, the mare turned and began traveling down the bar, pointing with her pen as she addressed ponies sitting on stools, confirming their orders before disappearing into the kitchen.

The song on the radio changed. The focused song was a slow one, this time. Guitars and drums played a melancholic melody, one that methodically traveled up and down in pitch, like ocean waves lapping against a sandy shore. Relaxed, Savanna tapped her hooves against the counter gently, humming along.

When the waitress returned and began serving food and drinks to other customers at the bar, Savanna waited patiently, looking over. She saw alcohol and appetizing food being served that made her stomach growl enviously—but she had an important task to complete, and she was already pushing her luck by ordering a milkshake.

The waitress glided over to where Savanna was sitting, floating a levitated glass in front of Savanna. It was filled with pink, delicious-looking strawberry milkshake and whipped cream, but the glass itself was fancy and caught Savanna's eye. The glass had "petals". It was shaped to resemble a blooming flower. A paper straw was sticking out of the top.

"Here you are!"

"Thank you!" Savanna responded, smiling politely. Afterwards, she returned her attention to the sugary drink and its fancy receptacle. She reached and nudged the glass closer to herself with a hoof, then leaned forward and took a sip of the delectable drink. Immediately, she was overwhelmed by the taste. Fruity, creamy, and sugary! It would easily supply her with enough temporary energy to survive the rest of the day.

The song playing on the radio changed. While the tune had been evidence enough, the sappy lyrics confirmed it was a chipper pop love song. Cheerful, Savanna sipped her milkshake and bobbed her head gently to the tune.

"You're my baby, you're my lady, you're my lover, you're my honeybunch,
I knew it since day one with you—I got a hunch,
Just one kiss from you, you'll have me stunned,
And I'm never never never never never gonna leave you again!"

Feeling satisfied after filling herself with strawberry milkshake, Savanna opened her satchel and withdrew some of the money given to her by Maverick, paying for her sweet treat. She left the cash on the counter next to the empty milkshake glass and hopped down from the barstool, adjusting her satchel's strap with a quick shrug.

Back to business. Savanna couldn't sit on that barstool listening to relaxing music all day.

If anything, it had been a nice change of pace.

There were plenty of ponies sitting in the rear of the restaurant, but nopony who looked like Cloverleaf. Getting desperate, Savanna considered asking some of the patrons if they had seen him in the past half hour.

She turned a corner, brushing against a tall potted plant. There, in the very back of the restaurant, sitting at a booth near a window and reading a newspaper, was a green-coated stallion with a mint-colored mane. Breathing a sigh of relief, Savanna trotted toward his booth, closing the distance, and sat in the seat opposite his.

The stallion carefully folded and set down his newspaper, eyeing Savanna suspiciously. "Hello," he greeted, not breaking eye contact.

"Hi," Savanna responded, nodding in greeting. "Ah've been lookin' for you..."

Cloverleaf raised an eyebrow, staying silent.

"The crows are mourning. He wants to know why you haven't contacted him recently."

The stallion's eyes widened as he realized Savanna's intentions. "Come with me. We can talk in private." He motioned subtly with his head to a rear exit. Taking a quick look around to see if anypony was watching them, and discovering that, in fact, nopony was, the stallion hopped down from the booth and trotted to the emergency exit, slipping through to outside. Savanna quickly followed, not wanting to be seen by anypony as she acted suspiciously.

The exit led to a dark alleyway. The sun was setting, not that it had provided much light to begin with in the small crevice that was the alley Savanna now found herself in.

Savanna turned to Cloverleaf and opened her mouth to speak, but the words got caught up in her throat when the stallion was suddenly enveloped in a small tornado of swirling, green fire. Savanna blinked, temporarily blinded by the light, and released a gasp of shock when she finally laid eyes on the creature that stood before her.

Cloverleaf wasn't a pony at all. His shiny, black exoskeleton reflected the dying twilight. His radiant, arctic-blue eyes were squinted in a constant frown. He spread his tattered, gossamer-thin blue wings, stretching them. "I haven't been able to—" He cut himself off, realizing that Savanna was backpedaling. And, indeed, Savanna was backing up quickly, her eyes wide with fear. It was a changeling—an unreformed changeling!

"W - wait!" His eyes widened, realizing that Savanna was terrified by his appearance. He held out one of his forelegs that were all riddled with holes. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

Savanna kept backing up until she hit a concrete wall. Backed into a corner, with nowhere else to go, she was forced to speak. "B - but, you're a—"

"Changeling, I know." He nodded, assuming his normal, stoic expression. "I see Maverick neglected to inform you of my true identity..." The stallion had a strange way of speaking. He spoke slowly and methodically, using complicated words. His eye contact was intense and almost unbearable. Savanna broke eye contact several times, uncomfortable.

She silently nodded. She gulped, intimidated. She still didn't entirely trust him.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. I suppose I'm, also, feeling anxious. I'm not yet accustomed to living near ponies this closely."

"Why, then? Why are you here, and why do ya work for Maverick?" Savanna wondered aloud, frowning.

"I'm a changeling envoy. The Queen sent me to discuss diplomatic relations between changelings and you ponies. She believes we changelings have an opportunity to make peace with ponykind and guarantee our survival in the future by assisting Maverick and the revolutionaries in their quest to overthrow Valor. Valor, he..." The changeling grimaced, breaking eye contact for the first time as he looked away momentarily. "...abuses us changelings terribly and disrespects our needs as a species. The Queen doesn't want to go to war—she's wise. She understands we have no hope of winning. So, having no alternatives, the Queen sent me as an emissary. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend', as the saying goes."

Savanna digested this information slowly, gradually allowing the tension in her body to fade. Indeed, if the changeling standing before her had wanted to drain all of the love and emotion from her body, he would have done so already.

"You aren't going to... hurt me?"

"No," he affirmed.

Savanna stepped forward, holding out a hoof. The changeling slowly reached forward, taking her hoof in his own, and they shook.

"Friends, then," Savanna nodded. "Ya said it yourself."

"No, not friends—allies. The Queen doesn't want indoctrination. She wants an end to hostilities." The changeling shook his head.

"How can you expect to cooperate with ponies if you aren't friends with them?"

The changeling hesitated. He paused for a moment as he stalled for time and thought of an appropriate response. "Friendship is... ridiculous," he hissed. "You ponies are ridiculous. Individuality hinders your efficiency as living beings. We changelings far outnumber you in population. Or... we used to." He looked away, his ears falling downwards sadly.

"What happened?"

"Queen Platinum and many drone guards were... tragically killed in battle by Valor's forces." The changeling released a sad sigh, recalling what had transpired. "She was a glorious queen... Queen Silver now leads us, and she will allow changelings to recover in an era of peace, assuming that the revolutionaries succeed in their goal to overthrow Valor."

"Ah'm sorry to hear that happened."

"As was I, when I was a hatchling." He sighed sadly.

Savanna bowed her head in respect, sympathizing with the changeling. Showing respect for unreformed changelings was something she never thought she would ever do in her life. Changelings in Equestria had long since reformed and learned to share love instead of stealing it. Their unreformed selves were terrifying—terrifying, yet pitiable. Savanna understood changelings were merely misguided, ignorant individuals brainwashed into believing that totalitarian rulers greedily retaining all the power for themselves was acceptable.

A parallel could easily be drawn between unreformed changelings and Emperian ponies who supported Valor, their dictator. The thought made Savanna feel depressed. She tried distracting herself by asking some questions of the changeling standing before her.

"What's your name?"

"Chorilax. And you?"

"Savanna. Dry Savanna."

"Well met, Savanna." The changeling nodded silently in greeting. Savanna returned the nod politely.

"Why haven't ya contacted Maverick recently?"

"I'm unable to. I was informed the CED disabled all phones, and nopony is allowed in or out of town without identification—be grateful they didn't apprehend you when you first arrived."

"Nopony's allowed in or out?" Savanna blinked, realizing she had gotten very lucky when entering Queensland for the first time. If CED officers had been guarding the bridge, they must have temporarily left to do something the moment she crossed.

"They're hunting for rebels, and they want all of them dead." Chorilax affirmed flatly. "'Treason of the highest degree', they say. Maverick insists this... squabble will be beneficial for everypony in the future. He did say every pony, as well."

"Do you trust Maverick to keep his word?"

"Regarding whether he and the revolutionaries, after seizing the throne from Valor and establishing a period of reconstruction, will accept our Queen's offer of peace? Maybe. I don't suspect he's abusing us changelings and our ease of hostilities for his own gain, if you're suggesting that."

"Neither do ah. Still, ah'm wor—" Savanna hesitated, cutting herself off.

Chorilax raised an eyebrow, eying her knowingly. "...Worried? You're concerned for us?"

Savanna nodded, silent.

The changeling smirked, amused. "You're a fool. Offering sympathy where its undeserved will get you nowhere. Still, I admit it's challenging adjusting in response to the temporary peace. All civilians aren't aware that we changelings have agreed to act peacefully. I stay disguised often. Even the revolutionaries—I'm aware they know we changelings mean them no harm, and I'm aware they mean us no harm, yet... I hesitate to act normally when around them."

"You're usin' a lotta words there, buddy, but ah think you mean to say that you ain't used to bein' friendly toward ponies."

"I—" Chorilax tried saying something, but Savanna cut him off, taking a step forward and pointing with her hoof.

"You think the foreign concept of harmony is some great evil that dares to threaten your enclosed mindset—but it isn't. Ponies are happy under it! Are you happy? Day to day, week by week, year by year—how do you feel?"

Frustrated, the changeling growled, baring his pointed fangs. Intimidated, Savanna took a step back again, pressing against the concrete wall of the restaurant behind her. He looked like he wanted to respond with an aggressive retort, but he held his tongue, frowning. "Sometimes... I feel... dissatisfied, but—"

Savanna immediately caught on, using his own words against him. "Well?"

Chorilax narrowed his eyes. The arctic-blue light irradiating from his eyes grew a little dimmer. "You foolish ponies and your desires, your individuality—it hinders your efficiency. The mentality of one changeling is irrelevant when considering the wellbeing of the Queen and all changelings. We changelings have duties. I wouldn't expect an interloper such as yourself to comprehend that."

"There can be more to life than just lifelessly servicing your superior," Savanna quipped. She recognized the changeling was at his tipping point, but managed to get one more sentence in.

Chorilax sighed, frustrated. "I didn't ask for your philosophies on life. You're not some omniscient being. Walk a mile in my hoofprints and understand changelingkind before speaking."

Savanna, realizing his suggestion had been rhetorical, stayed silent.

He nodded. "Okay. So, if you need a place to rest for the night, I recommend you follow me. I know where the revolutionaries are secretly taking refuge in this town."

Chorilax enveloped himself in a mini tornado of green fire and transformed into his disguised pony self. He turned, walking forward and intent on stepping out of the alley. Savanna adjusted her satchel with a shrug of her shoulders and trotted forward, walking beside him.

"Where—"

"You'll give us away! Quiet," Cloverleaf hissed, his tone sharp. Savanna obeyed, remaining silent. She walked with the disguised changeling for a long while, traveling deeper and deeper into town. So far, nopony found her or her companion suspicious—even the eyes of the vigilant CED officers guarding the streets didn't track them for long.

Walking through the streets of Queensland alone had been intimidating enough, but knowing that Savanna was allowing herself to be escorted by a disguised changeling filled her with even more dread. The things the CED would do to her if they became aware that she was allied with the rebels and her companion wasn't even a pony...

A cold breeze blew, fluttering the paper of hanging propaganda posters. Savanna shivered in her light rain poncho, chilled. Cloverleaf, as a cold-blooded creature, shivered intensely beside her.

After they had crossed a couple blocks together, Cloverleaf turned, walking down an alleyway. He rapped one of his hooves against a door at the very end of the passage, then set his hoof down onto the ground again, waiting. Savanna stood behind him, waiting impatiently. They weren't invisible inside the alleyway, and anypony could glance inside and spot them.

"Chorilax?" A mare opened the door, peeking out.

"The very same." The disguised changeling motioned with a hoof over his shoulder, pointing at Savanna. "And I've brought a friend with me, you could say."

"That makes three this week," the mare mused, looking away for a moment as she pondered. "I don't know if we'll have enough supplies to feed everyone."

"Let's talk inside! Ponies might be listening in on this," Cloverleaf urged, motioning with a hoof for the mare to step aside. Silently, she nodded, backing away to give Savanna and her companion room to enter.

Cloverleaf entered first, and Savanna followed, giving a final glance to the alleyway entrance to assure nopony was spying on them.

The basement was surprisingly warm. The pleasant warmth was a welcome improvement compared to the chilly weather outside. Adjusting to the rapid change in temperature, Savanna gently shivered, her muscles relaxing.

Cloverleaf took a few stairs down and stepped onto the basement floor, immediately being assaulted with hugs around his forelegs by two foals. He chuckled, sitting back on his haunches and giving the closest one a pat on the head. "Hello, little ponies." Green fire formed a miniature tornado around Chorilax as he transformed into his natural changeling self. Immediately, the curious foals started circling him and examining his body. One played with one of his tattered wings, while another messed with the holes in his forelegs, sticking a pencil through until it pointed out the other side.

Savanna and the middle-aged mare who had answered Chorilax's knocking silently observed the foals playing. While it was indeed mesmerizing to see such raw, unadulterated curiosity and happiness, Savanna was shocked to discover that foals were being forced to get wrapped up in this entire mess. They should be in school, not forced to live in a basement all day, hiding from everypony.

"They remind me of hatchlings. So curious and... excited," Chorilax commented, staying perfectly still as he let the foals play with him.

"Ginger, Roly Poly, come on, dears! Give the changeling some space."

Obediently, the foals bounded towards their mother, nuzzling up against her legs.

No longer surrounded by two foals holding him down, Chorilax chuckled, standing up and stretching his transparent wings.

Now that the spectacle was over and Savanna's attention was no longer captured, she swept her glance across the room, looking around. The small room she found herself in was lit by lamplight. There were ponies crowded everywhere, congregating against the solid concrete walls of the basement. Some chatted amongst themselves quietly or occupied themselves in other ways. Some smoked cigarettes, and others read books or newspapers close to lamps resting on tables. There were even a few changelings, though they all abstained from smoking. They all looked surprisingly normal, but Savanna recognized they were revolutionaries. Some guns were lying on tables, and others were leaning against walls. They were all mostly young adults. A few, however, were middle-aged, like the pony mare who had answered the door.

"Who's in charge, here?" Savanna asked aloud, looking around. She received many looks from all the creatures, but no one seemed eager to respond. Judging by their facial expressions, they looked tired and miserable.

"I am," Chorilax responded, nodding.

The changeling turned, sweeping his eyes across the crowd of ponies. Clearly, he didn't spot who he was looking for. Frustrated, he frowned, raising his voice to address everyone in the room. "Have any of you seen Jovial Day?"

One stallion responded with a quick motion with a hoof, pointing to a door that lead deeper into the basement. When Chorilax opened it and went trotting through, Savanna hesitated before eventually deciding to follow him. She was unsure what to do at that point—would it be appropriate for her to introduce herself to everyone, or should she keep following Chorilax around?

The room that Savanna entered was a large bedroom. It was significantly warmer than the entrance to the basement. There were bedrolls and nests of blankets everywhere for ponies to sleep in. The room was crowded with junk and personal belongings, though space was reserved in the center of the room so ponies could navigate safely without risk of tripping on anything.

Several ponies were lined up near a capacious wood stove at the rear of the room. Some of their extremities were bandaged liberally, and their facial expressions confirmed they were in varying degrees of pain.

A unicorn mare was flittering from bed to bed, tending to the wounded ponies, making the unoccupied beds, changing sheets and fluffing pillows. Undoubtedly, she was Jovial Day; her physical appearance gave away her identity. The mare's bright, sterile white coat practically glinted light. Her long and flowing, lemon-colored mane was as happy as sunshine. A red cross surrounded by hearts was printed on her flank—the standard symbol for nurses.

"Jovi," he spoke, approaching the young mare from behind. "This pony here, Savanna, she needs a bed for at least tonight. And..." He trailed off, glancing over at Savanna. "Do you want food, as well?"

Savanna considered the offer. After hours of hiking from Juniper to Queensland, she had burned through the calories in the soup she had eaten earlier in the day. The strawberry milkshake—though delicious—had only given her a temporary energy boost. "Maybe," she responded.

Jovial turned, locking her pumpkin-orange eyes onto the changeling as she approached. "Chorilax! Hi," she greeted, smiling a pleasant smile.

"Hello, Jovi," The changeling responded, smiling a genuine smile when he laid his eyes on the mare.

"And you're Savanna, are you?" Jovial turned her head, looking at Savanna and flashing her charismatic smile. "Nice to meet you! There's available space back there, whenever you're ready to settle down tonight." She pointed with a hoof, showing Savanna.

"Thank you, miss," Savanna responded politely, shrugging to adjust the strap of her satchel.

"Not a problem!" Jovial returned her attention to Chorilax. "Chorilax, we need to talk..."

"Already?" The changeling asked, chuckling.

"Yes, while we still have time tonight. Come on!" Jovial spoke as she faced Chorilax and retreated backwards in the direction of another closed door that led ever deeper into the basement. She opened it with some levitation magic, and the two stepped through, disappearing inside and closing the door behind themselves.

Savanna blinked, wondering what she had just witnessed, but shrugged, deciding not to devote too much time thinking about it. It wasn't her business to find out whatever those two were doing.

She trotted to the space she had been assigned, setting her satchel and all of her belongings down onto the ground. Now that she was in a safe space and didn't have to worry about appearing suspicious, she sat down on the floor and drew her revolver from her satchel. She set it onto the ground, pointing it safely at the concrete wall.

Savanna sat quietly for a long while, ruminating. She rubbed a hoof against the concrete floor absently, listening to the muffled din of the large group of ponies and changelings chatting amongst themselves in the other room. She could hear Chorilax's and Jovial's distinct voices through the wall, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Considering she had free time before she should sleep, she decided to spend the time productively and journal for a while. Though, so much had happened since she had last journaled that she wasn't sure where to even start.

Savanna reached into her satchel and withdrew a pen and her journal, brushing a hoof against the front cover. She flipped through the pages, seeing all she had drawn and written so far, and then reached a blank one. She set the journal onto the floor and raised her pen, beginning to sketch. She drew the pair of CED transport trucks surrounded by CED officers parked on a road in the surrounding field and forest. She doodled copies of the military propaganda she was seeing everywhere, then drew a detailed sketched of the large house Maverick and his rebels were hiding out in at Juniper.

Savanna turned the page, committed to drawing a vivid sketch of Amethyst Dust's face. When she was finished, she smiling, examining it. It looked perfect.

Savanna turned the page again and began writing, detailing everything that had happened to her recently.

The fact I am still alive shocks me. I have fought tooth and nail to travel this far, meeting many new ponies and making just as many enemies. The CED are constantly harassing and trying to stop me—they even tried to kill me and Rose, but we managed to escape after an intense skirmish.

Despite recent opposition, I traveled to Juniper with Rose in one piece. I was introduced to Maverick—who seems to be the stallion assuming command of all the rebels—and Amethyst Dust, a young filly like me who was tragically caught up in this whole mess. She's a pacifist like I am. I wish our situations were different and we could be friends. She insists she wants to stay behind and wait to see her family again. In the moment, I didn't have the heart to tell her I thought that was a fruitless idea. The CED don't seem like the merciful type. If her parents crossed them, then all hope is probably lost. I sympathize with her terribly.

Before I left, Maverick gave me some money and requested I find a pony in Queensland and discover why he hasn't communicated with Maverick in a while. As it turned out, Cloverleaf was a changeling. He called himself a "changeling envoy" and assured that their queen wanted to establish a temporary truce with the rebels now that Valor is in charge and terrorizing everypony. His brutal policies have forced changelings and ponies together—in a way, that's a good thing. Fate is pulling them together. Chorilax is nice enough, if a bit curt. If all unreformed changelings are this polite and reasonable, I don't know why they should be feared in the first place. Maybe my judgement is skewed because I have only met one changeling.

Savanna turned the page and began writing at the top of the blank paper.

I said my goodbyes to Rose before I departed from Juniper. I don't think I will ever understand what, exactly, is going on in that mind of hers, but she's stubborn like somepony dared her to drive her head through a brick wall and she's about to do it against all odds. She refused to listen to reason.

I sympathize with her greatly. I wish there were something I could have done to help her find solace in these troubled times. I believe I did all I could to help her. I think that's the excuse I'm going to stick with from now on—I tried my very best.

Savanna turned the page for the final time.

Before I left, I gave Amethyst some pictures of me, my friends and my family. She said she wants to light some candles for our pictures on Souls Day, a holiday which seems to parallel Remembrance Day. It seems like a kind enough gesture.

Below the short paragraph, Savanna drew a shrine lit with candles typical for Remembrance Day, if a very small one. She knew that by the end of her adventures, on Remembrance Day, she would light dozens of candles for all the victims ensnared in this terrible conflict.

Reminded of her current reality, Savanna set her pen down and sunk down onto the bed of wrapped blankets on the floor. Feeling depressed, she sighed, lowering her head. She knew it would be impossible for her to keep living the way she was living. The constant, daily reminders that she was small, useless and insignificant in the grand scheme of things were driving her crazy. The only thing keeping her moving forward was the vain hope that she would eventually get home again.

Savanna sat quietly, eyes closed as she ruminated. Her ears perked up, rotating in the direction of the muffled chatter of creatures in the other room as she listened.

"Celestia," Savanna swore quietly, shaking her head. She looked down at her meager journal entry, sighing again. It was tiny, and didn't nearly begin to describe how she felt. She couldn't find the words, though. Frustrated, she threw her pen and journal into her satchel and closed the flap, then laid down on the bed of blankets. She curled up into a small ball and prepared to sleep, miserable.

"Sleeping already, hon'?"

Savanna opened one eye, looking over at Jovial. "Ah'm just really tired," she responded. It wasn't entirely untrue, but Savanna was also feeling sad and lonely at the same time and just wanted to be left alone to her own thoughts.

"You're not hungry?"

"Ah don't think ah could eat even if ah wanted to right now," Savanna admitted, frowning. The anxiety caused her to feel physically ill.

"If you change your mind, you can just ask, hon'. We also have money if you want to go out and buy food for yourself." Jovial gave Savanna one of her cheerful smiles, then trotted toward the rear of the room, approaching the wood stove. Respectfully, she didn't step over the wounded ponies, instead using levitation magic to open the stove's hatch from a distance and toss a couple logs in to keep the room as warm and comforting as possible.

Savanna watched her work, stupefied. "Do y'all... do all the work around here all by your lonesome?"

Jovial trotted over to Savanna, taking a seat on a nearby stool. "I don't do all of the work, but besides, somepony has to! And I'm a nurse—it's my job to help ponies."

"Don't you ever... get a break?"

"Rarely," Jovial admitted, her face drooping into a frown. The tired expression made Savanna feel even more sympathetic.

"I need to monitor the wounded constantly, and with all the time I spend napping to recover my energy, I don't have much to spare. Restoration magic can be difficult magic to cast, especially when you're tired, and especially when you're using it on living ponies. You don't want to botch a spell and potentially kill somepony."

"Is there nopony else here to help you?" Savanna was stunned—she had seen other unicorns when first descending into the basement. Did nopony else know restoration magic?

"Nopony who knows restoration magic, unfortunately," Jovial confirmed, nodding. "I haven't slept properly in..." She paused, considering. "...three days, now."

"Ah'm sorry to hear that. Ah wish ah could help somehow." Savanna meant it. Temporarily distracted from her woes by sympathy, she wished there was some way she could help the wounded ponies who were in need.

"You don't owe me or Chorilax anything, Savanna. Well, actually, he needs somepony to go with him on a mission, but... I've already said too much. He wants to divulge his own plans himself to everypony early tomorrow morning. He's the changeling leading us, after all!" Jovial paused. "Anyway, Savanna, if you do want to help, you can talk to Lucky Stars."

"Who?"

"Lucky Stars! But everypony calls him 'Hero'. The burgundy-coated stallion in the front there. Go ask him why we call him that."

The stallion in question had been staring listlessly up at the ceiling, quietly contemplating. Hearing his nickname being spoken, he turned his head, gazing over. "Hey, kid," he greeted.

Savanna took a few steps forward, sitting back on her haunches on the concrete floor in front of his bed of blankets. Both of his forelegs were bandaged tightly. He held them in what looked like an uncomfortable position. "Well, why do they call ya that?"

"I've been shot five times by CED and the military before now." Gingerly, the stallion lifted one of his injured forelegs. He winced.

"Ah'm sorry to hear that," Savanna spoke, genuine with her apology.

"It's no big deal. I start missing walking every time, though. This is the sixth time I've lived to tell the tale, due in no small part to Nurse Jovi, here."

"I'm a nurse, Lucky—it's my job to help ponies! I will always support you and everypony else."

"Don't think I forgot, Nurse—you personally carried me out of combat and to safety last month. You're the real hero."

Jovial smiled her pleasant smile. "You're going to make me blush."

The stallion chuckled, leaning back as he assumed his resting position, gazing up at the ceiling once again. "When will you get to me with your magic, Nurse? I'm itching to start walking again. I want to get out of this room."

"Tomorrow morning," Jovial assured him. "Everypony needs to be awake and at full strength tomorrow."

"Why?" Savanna wondered aloud, motioning with her hoof.

"Chorilax will explain," Jovial assured her, nodding.

Savanna frowned, but held her tongue, suppressing her curiosity.

"You'd best get some rest, Savanna," Jovial suggested, ushering Savanna with a waved hoof to her assigned bed. "Like I mentioned, everypony needs to be at full strength tomorrow. If you get called to serve with Chorilax on whatever mission he's planning, you have to follow through."

"Me? But.. why? Ah just arrived," Savanna protested, frowning. What did she mean by "mission" ? Whatever Chorilax was planning, Savanna wanted nothing to do with it.

"That's the rule, Savanna. He's our leader, and he's a very capable one—he made the rules and we follow them. It's fair." Jovial shrugged. "Now go get some sleep."

Unable to think of a way to argue, Savanna gave up, turning and stepping back to her bed. She closed her journal and slipped it into her satchel, then closed the flap and shoved it aside. She laid down on her bed of soft blankets, stretching and then curling into a little, comfortable ball. For once, she was going to enjoy getting a real night's sleep.

VII – Savanna – Emperia

"Small pony, wake up!"

Savanna, having received an impatient shove, jolted upright. Her head was spinning. Woozily, she made eye contact with a changeling standing over her bed and gazing down at her. "What's happening...?"

"Chorilax is hosting the lottery soon. Everyone needs to be awake and at attention." The anonymous changeling raised his voice, walking down the line of sleeping ponies and continuing to rouse them from their slumber.

Savanna stood up, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. There were ponies and changelings alike crowded around the bedroom, chatting noisily amongst themselves. When Savanna spotted Jovial being awoken from her slumber in a spare bed on the other side of the room, a pang of sympathy struck her. The poor mare had probably only gotten a few collective hours of sleep.

Tired, Savanna slowly began to pack up her things. She retrieved her rain poncho from where she had left it after taking it off prior to sleeping, balling the jacket up. She was moving in a sluggish manner. The slumber she had just woken from was the longest in a while, but it wasn't enough to compensate for all the hardships she had faced in the last few days. She needed sleep and relaxation to recover—a luxury that was, unquestionably, a rarity in these arduous times.

Jovial and Amethyst had faced far worse than herself, Savanna realized, yet they still managed to smile. It was inspiring, if a bit baffling. Even with the absence of harmony, ponies could still make peace with their realities. They weren't happy, yet they found peace through accepting their positions in the world and not believing there existed a better situation they could pursue. It was a miserable position to be stuck in.

Regardless, compared to these other brave ponies Savanna was meeting, she felt like a selfish foal for even thinking of losing hope.

Savanna was about to leave the room, but hesitated. Ahead of her were changelings moving together in a group. Their black, shiny exoskeletons were intimidating. The language they used while talking amongst themselves was crude and casual compared to how eloquently Chorilax spoke.

Savanna decided not to keep her distance. She tagged along behind them. A few gave her some odd looks, but otherwise didn't comment.

"Ponies, changelings! Everyone, gather. You all will each be given a slip of paper..." Chorilax spoke. Savanna heard his voice grow louder as she entered the main living area of the basement. Everyone stood in a crescent shape around Chorilax as he gave orders. Savanna assumed her position in the formation beside a few changelings, glancing over. One nodded silently, greeting her, before turning his attention toward Chorilax.

Savanna noticed every pony in the room kept their distance from the changelings—except her. She also noticed all of the changelings were male. Was it just a coincidence, or were all changelings male apart from their queen? Savanna knew very little about changeling society. Chorilax had been right when he was lecturing her earlier about her lack of respect for changeling life philosophies—it was unacceptable for her to judge because she was completely ignorant.

"...and I want you all to write your names on it. When you're finished, deposit your papers and writing implements..." Chorilax paused, levitating a metal bucket from behind himself. He placed it onto a chair facing out toward the crowd. The bucket's metal handle clattered noisily against its metal frame. "...into this bucket."

Avoiding using her magic to save her strength, Jovial passed out the slips of paper manually. Chorilax helped too. He levitated Savanna a slip of paper and a pencil, which she accepted. She waited for him and Jovial to return to the center of the room before she scribbled her name onto the paper. Skillfully, she planted her hooves, balled the paper up and tossed it into the bucket from where she was standing. She threw the pencil as well. Seeing a few other ponies and changelings copy her, she smiled.

"A large military force is coming to Queensland to parade through Main Street in just a few hours today. Valor himself will be attending as an observer. After you all are finished here, Jovi will help evacuate everyone from the city. I..." Chorilax swept his gaze across the room and the crowd of ponies and changelings, "...and one of you will be staying behind. We're going to assassinate Valor together."

That got everyone's attention. Hushed whispers rippled across the crowd. Savanna's eyes widened. Realizing what she had just inadvertently signed up for, she considered speaking up and vocally renouncing her stake in the lottery.

"Before the rest of the military or the CED even realize what has happened, Maverick and I will march an army east to Verena. We'll retake the city and the royal palace and reinstate Queen Melody.

"In the event that I and my partner fail to escape the city after the assassination, Jovi is already familiar with this entire plan. As a contingency, she can relay this information to Maverick personally when everyone arrives at Juniper."

Chorilax slowed the pace of his speech, placing extra emphasis on each word. "Does everyone understand the plan?"

Receiving nods of confirmation, Chorilax continued. "Okay. I see that everyone has submitted their papers." He used levitation magic to temporarily seal the mouth of the bucket, giving it a vigorous shake to mix the papers around. Then, with a hoof, he reached into the bucket and withdrew one slip of paper.

"Silence!" Chorilax ordered. Hearing the hushed whispers of conversation stifled, he unfurled the balled paper and read aloud the name printed on it.

"Dry Savanna."

Hearing her name being read aloud, Savanna gulped. Fear immediately struck her—she had just inadvertently signed up for a dangerous job. Worst of all, there were countless ponies in the room who would do a better job than her. Why had fate decided to choose her?

"W - wait, Chorilax, ah—"

"Savanna," Chorilax spoke forcefully, silencing her. "You willingly signed up for this. You can't lose your nerves now."

Anxious, Savanna quivered, shifting her weight. "Ah know," she eventually responded.

"Good. Stay behind with me when everyone starts to leave." Chorilax turned his attention away from her and focused it toward Jovial. "Jovi..."

The unicorn mare spoke first. "Be safe, please," she requested, frowning with concern.

"I will," he asserted. "Lead everyone to safety. Savanna and I will only be an hour or two behind you."

They engaged in a long, pensive session of eye contact. Jovial lifted a hoof off of the ground, looking like she wanted to say or do something, but hesitated, placing her hoof against the ground again. Silently, she nodded, then turned and began organizing the cohort of ponies and changelings into small groups who would be evacuated separately.

"Savanna." Chorilax beckoned Savanna with a wave of his hoof. Obediently, Savanna stepped forward before the changeling.

"Do you have a gun?"

"Ah do, but... ah don't want to hurt anypony that ah don't have to."

"Neither do I," Chorilax admitted, "but, this is bigger than you or me, Savanna. We changelings know deeply of sacrifice." Chorilax paused. He held a hoof against his chest, frowning and looking very solemn. "The queen, the future of changelingkind—it all depends on my plan, I wager. The end justifies the means, that much is clear."

"Are you sure he has to die...? There's nothing else that can be done?" Receiving telling silence in response to her question, Savanna frowned. Frustrated and unsatisfied, she turned away from Chorilax and watched Jovial escort a group of ponies up the basement stairs and outside. Most were dressed in coats or jackets, carrying bags and satchels full of supplies. It was probably cold outside. Hopefully they would be okay hefting all of the supplies for such a long journey.

"How did ah get wrapped up in this whole mess?" Savanna wondered aloud. Anxious, she tapped a hoof against the floor. She was about to witness a pony be killed. It just didn't sit with her right, no matter how Chorilax tried to convince her to feel otherwise. There would be no excuse she could accept.

"I will be taking the shot, Savanna. Your job is to watch around us for any signs of trouble. I predict we'll have the opportunity to leave before anyone has time to properly react to the shooting."

"Ah don't wanna go."

"No one does. I don't want to, either." Receiving no response from Savanna, Chorilax turned away and began getting dressed. He transformed into his regular pony disguise first, then strapped on a saddlebag as well as two belts around his waist. He levitated a rifle that had been leaning against the wall and slipped it between the belts and his side so it rested securely. Finally, to obscure the weapon he was smuggling, he slung a long, brown coat over himself. He drew it shut, buttoning all of the buttons.

"There are stairs outside we can use to access the upper floors of this building."

Savanna nodded, donning her rain poncho and slinging her satchel over her back. "Ah'm ready when you are."

They were the last pair to leave. Savanna took one last look around the empty basement, shocked at how efficiently everyone had cleaned everything up. All of the guns, supplies and personal belongings had been packed up and hauled out. There were obvious signs of the place having been lived in for a while, but that hardly mattered now that everyone had successfully evacuated.

Outside in the alleyway, Savanna shivered in the cold fall air. Her thin rain poncho did absolutely nothing to insulate her from the freezing air. "Celestia, it's cold today," she swore, complaining.

"How do you think I feel?" Cloverleaf demanded, shivering. "We changelings are cold-blooded."

"Right... Sorry," Savanna apologized, sympathizing.

Cloverleaf led the way through the alley to a metal spiral staircase. It led upwards from the ground to a small metal platform, one of many that dotted the outside of each floor of the building, connected with more spiral staircases. They were installed to relieve ponies escaping from a fire or other disaster. Conveniently, the stairs could also be used to access the upper floors, as Cloverleaf had already mentioned.

Despite the fact that Cloverleaf walked at a casual pace up the stairs, Savanna was hesitant to imitate him. She was keenly aware of how loud her hoofsteps were against the solid metal stairs.

"Aren't ponies going to see or hear us?"

"Probably. It doesn't matter, though. They won't follow us, and we'll be long gone before anyone remembers it was us who came up here."

Savanna shrugged, unsure how to oppose his logic. She kept climbing.

Cloverleaf stopped on the seventh floor. Deftly, he slipped through an open window, looking around for inhabitants. As anticipated, the floor of the building was completely deserted. It was still under construction. There were tools and equipment strewn about that hinted the project hadn't yet concluded. There was no furniture, and the room was very bare and desolate.

Savanna slipped through the window, following Cloverleaf. She quickly glanced around the empty room before focusing her attention on her companion. "We're a little high up, aren't we?"

Cloverleaf slipped his saddlebag off and leaned it against the wall. He unbuttoned his coat and took it off, levitating the rifle that had been secured against his side. Rotating the weapon's safety into the off position, he gripped the bolt's handle with his magic, pulled the bolt back completely and ejected one of the rounds to confirm the weapon was loaded. He retrieved the live round from the floor and manually chambered it, closing the bolt.

"No. We're safer if we're this high up. Also, I can see farther this way."

Savanna stood onto her hind legs and opened one of the windows, peeking outside. Below, on the streets, there were twice as many CED guards stationed than the day prior. It was a little frightening to see everypony lined up on the sidewalks after Savanna had witnessed the city once bustling with activity, ponies walking in every direction, resting on benches or leaning against poles or walls. It was like they were all in a trance.

"The CED are policing the streets to reserve space for the military to march through during the parade. Speaking of—I suspect it won't begin for at least another half hour." Cloverleaf set his weapon down onto the floor safely and sat down, resting back against the wall.

Tired, Savanna was about to copy her companion and take a seat, but hesitated, seeing a few military trucks being driven down the road. She considered mentioning it to Cloverleaf, but decided not to. She sat, resting. Her satchel rested on the ground too, its strap loosening. All of the contents within jangled against each other subtly.

There was a moment of silence. Savanna breathed, trying to relax. She thought about the fact that, soon, she would witness a pony be killed. The logic seemed so flawed—she couldn't accept the idea as morally right, even if the end did justify the means.

"Do ya miss home?"

"I... my feelings are complicated. If I told you how I felt, and the truth somehow spread from you, I would be found guilty for trespassing against changeling law and executed for treachery by Queen Silver. Treachery and... lust, among other minor infractions."

"Treachery?" Savanna frowned in response to the unexpected word.

"Since our inception, we changelings have nurtured our intricate laws across countless generations. Changelings prioritize efficiency in everything that we do, as I have told you, and..." Cloverleaf hesitated. Clearly, he was considering withholding whatever he was feeling internally and abandoning his train of thought altogether. "The significance of what I'm trying to explain to you is: we changelings have lived under changeling law for so long that the concept of breaking one of the laws is... incomprehensible."

"And you broke one, huh?"

"Several, actually." Despondent, Cloverleaf hung his head, gazing down at the wooden floor. Absently, he brushed one of his disguised pony hooves along the wood grain. "I can never return to changeling society again. If I continued living and serving the queen without sharing the truth, the guilt would consume me. On the other hand, Queen Silver will have me executed for treachery if I share the truth.

"I don't belong in pony society—that is obvious to me, despite how little I've experienced of it. Suddenly, I'm... realizing I don't belong anywhere. And, I... don't know what to do. I - I think I..." Cloverleaf trailed off. Clearly, he was struggling to translate his thoughts and emotions into words. For once, the tone of his voice was unsteady and irresolute.

Savanna could sense it—in fact, she could visibly see it. The pupils of Cloverleaf's disguised pony eyes were wide, and his eyes darted back-and-forth erratically as if he were desperately seeking an escape from a burning building and was running out of time.

"Chorilax, first, you need to calm down, okay? Ya look like you're sufferin' from paranoia.

"You need to accept Harmony into your heart, Chorilax. I know it'll be difficult for you, but... you'll feel so much better! You'll feel like a weight was lifted from your shoulders, like all of your problems never existed at all!"

Cloverleaf took a deep breath and released a sigh, continuing to avoid eye contact. "All of those years I lived in my hive, trying to find my place in changeling society... the education I received, memorizing changeling law... None of it matters?"

"Of course it does! It helped ya become the pony you are today, Chorilax. Or, uh... the changeling you are today. You're older now. You have a better understanding of the world. You know enough to make your own choices."

Cloverleaf hesitated. Internally, Savanna celebrated his hesitation, understanding that she was planting seeds of doubt in his mind. If not soon, maybe, eventually, Cloverleaf would learn to accept harmony and denounce changeling life principles.

"I guess I'm just... I'm afraid." Cloverleaf looked over, maintaining eye contact with Savanna. His dilated pupils had grew wider again—he looked to be on the verge of crying.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Chorilax. Harmony will always be there—it's waiting for you, for when you're ready to try. You don't ever have to accept it, but you just have to know that it's there for you if you want to. There will always be ponies in the world who can help you when you need it, you just need to extend a hoof. You need Kindness."

Cloverleaf reached with a hoof, kneading at his eyes. "You're... acting very kindly towards someone you don't know."

"Ah do know you."

Cloverleaf snorted, looking away and shaking his head. "You don't know me."

"Ah know that inside, you're good, it's just... I know you're frustrated and angry. You have no friends to help you, and ya think you're stuck. It's healthy to have relationships with other ponies. They can be there for you like ah am right now."

Cloverleaf quietly pondered this for a few moments. "I... do have one pony in my life in that way, but... it's illegal for changelings to form relationships and devote themselves to anyone other than the queen."

"Buck the rules!" Savanna exclaimed, stamping one of her hooves against the wood floor in emphasis. "Do what makes you happy!"

"Happy..." Cloverleaf repeated listlessly, frowning.

Savanna was about to reply, but she detected the distant sound of music playing and stopped, lifting her head away from the wall. Her ears perked up, swiveling in the direction of the sound.

"Is that... music?"

"The parade is starting," Cloverleaf noted. He stood, gazing out of one of the windows. Savanna, being shorter than him, stood up on her hind legs and raised both her forelegs, balancing them on the windowsill and gazing out and down at the street. In the distance, a mass of ponies were traveling down the street, moving at a steady, energetic pace. Savanna heard the rhythmic, metallic beating of horseshoes against concrete beneath the pounding of drums and blaring of trumpets.

"Buck," Savanna swore, her eyes widening. The soldiers were wearing dark grey winter uniforms, while the superior officers wore black. In general, they were better equipped than the CED and were more intimidating. They stepped forward with one foreleg and rear leg at the same time, marching in perfect synchrony across countless long lines.

"This is insanity..." Savanna drew away from the window, stepping down onto all fours again. There were so many ponies—an incomprehensible amount, an amount that one couldn't even begin to count if they tried.

Cloverleaf took a deep breath, steeling himself. He opened the window, took a step back, levitated the rifle and planted the legs of its bipod onto the windowsill. There, in that position, he waited, sweeping his eyes across the balconies of various buildings in an effort to spot Valor.

Feeling anxious and twitchy, Savanna fiddled with her forehooves. Unconsciously, she tapped one of her rear legs against the floor. "L - look, Chorilax, ah'm feelin' real nervous here... Let's just go. T - this is a terrible idea. There are so many ponies out there..."

Cloverleaf refused to reply or turn around to make eye contact. Savanna understood the message, but she wasn't satisfied with the answer.

She hopped up, balancing her forelegs on the windowsill again and gazing out of the window. She noticed that all of the balconies were unoccupied so far.

"There, on that balcony—the one with the metal railings."

Savanna scanned the buildings with balconies, her eyes eventually coming to a stop. There, exiting from within a building onto the balcony, was Valor himself flanked by two guards. His short, swept-back sapphire mane and vivid blue, spotted coat were immediately-identifiable. His black trench coat was highly adorned with gold buttons and aesthetic gold bands.

She knew who he was. Cloverleaf clearly understood, as well. His body visibly tensed. He looked down the rifle's sights and began lining up a shot, making precise adjustments to the weapon with careful levitation.

Savanna was about to draw away from the window and sit back on her haunches to place both forehooves over her ears, but movement in the corner of her eye made her hesitate. She almost dismissed the movement as a bird or a falling snowflake, but her eyes flicked in the direction automatically. Across the street on the rooftop of a building, she saw an indistinguishable silhouette behind a brick chimney and a bright, shining white star obscuring it. It was a bright glint of light—sunlight was reflecting off of something on the rooftop and obscuring her vision.

Savanna considered mentioning it to Cloverleaf. She turned her head, looking at him and preparing to mention the odd phenomena, when a loud bang made her flinch. Her ears ringing, she had time only to cry out in surprise before Cloverleaf recoiled backwards, dropping the rifle he had been grasping and clutching at one of his shoulders with a hoof.

"Shit! Fuck!" Cloverleaf swore, hitting the wood floor hard as he tripped and lost his balance. Having been violently interrupted, he lost his concentration, and his pony disguise winked out like a dying ember. His rifle, no longer being supported, clattered onto the floor.

"Chorilax!" Concerned, Savanna turned, gazing down at him. She froze, clueless, unsure what to do.

"Get down!"

Doubtlessly, Savanna obeyed his order. Right when she hit the ground, another shot rang out. Savanna heard the bullet whiz by overhead and then pierce one of the windows on the other side of the room, shattering it.

"Chorilax, are you—" Savanna's words stopped before leaving her throat. She knew he was physically alright, but he looked to be in pain.

"I'm fine! Just... fuck! I fucked it up!" Chorilax grunted, pressing at his injured shoulder with a hoof where he had been shot. His hoof and shoulder were covered in a thin layer of green blood. Perturbed, Savanna looked away. She swallowed, trying not to panic. Internally, she could feel her heart beating rapidly.

On the other side of the street from behind the brick chimney, the unicorn sniper set his scoped rifle down and stood up, unsure of whether he had hit both of his targets or not. His horn ignited with an intense purple glow as he prepared to cast a spell.

Savanna heard a loud whizzing sound—far less subtle than the whizzing of a bullet overhead—and saw a purple flash of light shooting through the air and in through the window like a lightning bolt. Savanna couldn't comprehend what the spell was before it was too late. The lightning bolt struck the wall behind her and exploded it in a cloud of dust and flying debris. The shockwave instantly shattered all of the windows in the room and sent her and her companion flying. Savanna hit the wall hard, all of the breath leaving her lungs sharply as it was squeezed from her body. Stunned, she laid on the ground and tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"Chorilax?" Savanna coughed, exhaling all the dust she had just breathed in. Wincing, she pressed a hoof against her side. The small fragments of glass had bounced off of her rubber rain poncho, but a big chunk of glass the length and sharpness of a finely-honed unicorn horn had embedded itself in her side. It had pierced directly through her jacket.

She heard Chorilax groan. Looking over, she spotted him laying on his back several feet away.

"We need to get out of here, now! This place is going to be crawling with soldiers soon!"

Savanna recognized he was right. Terrified by the very prospect, she scooped up her satchel and shot up from the ground.

On the other side of the room, a massive hole had been bored into the wall from the explosive spell. Savanna had no idea how the seventh floor and all the floors above it hadn't yet collapsed. She saw straight through and spotted the wall of the building next to the one she was currently inside.

Her hooves crunching on broken glass, she leapt over a pile of loose bricks and dove out of one of the broken windows, landing onto the metal platform of the fire escape outside. Wincing, she pressed a hoof against her unprotected foreleg where some smaller pieces of glass shrapnel had bitten into her like rose thorns. She thanked fate that none of the fractured glass had acted as caltrops and buried themselves into the vulnerable part of her hooves.

Savanna reached, feeling where the elongated chunk of glass had impaled her. At the moment, there was so much adrenaline in her system that she only felt a dull ache in the area of the wound. She considered quickly yanking it out, but hesitated, realizing that would probably do more harm than good.

The sniper took another shot at Chorilax and missed as he abandoned his rifle and coat and grabbed his saddlebag, stumbling toward the window. Clumsily, he dove through and landing heavily onto his back on the metal platform below. His bag landed onto his chest, its contents clattering noisily.

"Chorilax, are you okay? You..." Savanna paused, panting, "...don't look so good. Can you walk?"

The changeling looked weary. His brilliant, artic-blue eyes were dimmer than usual. Despite the fact his tough exoskeleton rendered him immune to being stabbed by the sharp chunks of glass, he had been shot in the shoulder, and it clearly was hindering his ability to walk.

"I'm going to try." Chorilax stood up from the hard metal floor, leaning his weight on his uninjured legs. He slung his saddlebag over his back and tightened the strap, securing it. "We need to get out of this city. Follow me!"

Chorilax leapt off of the metal platform, halting his downwards momentum as he spread his papery wings and flew up to the roof. Savanna tightened her satchel's strap and began ascending the metal stairs as quickly as she could, trying to avoid tripping. As she rotated around the spiral staircase, she caught the occasional glimpse of the streets below when temporarily positioned in the correct direction. Through the crack between the buildings she was sandwiched between while in the alley, she saw a mass of soldiers mobilizing and moving into the building. Below, some were moving into the alleyway. She wasn't sure if they had spotted her yet—she didn't want to know.

Chorilax landed onto the sloped roof of the building across the alley. He motioned with a hoof to attract Savanna's attention. "Jump across! I'll catch you if you fall!"

Savanna approached the edge of the flat roof the fire exit's spiral staircase had led her to. Briefly, she looked down over the edge and saw the soldiers far below darting around like ants. Nervous, she swallowed, steeling herself.

Savanna backed up and jumped, clearing the gap and landing on her forehooves. She slipped momentarily, losing her balance on the sloped tiles, but caught herself before she fell. Her satchel, despite being tightly secured against her side, bounced up and down. The contents within jangled.

Savanna followed Chorilax as he trotted across the roof and darted around a brick chimney. Clearly, he was in a lot of pain—he was vocalizing with pants, and the way he moved was sluggish and erratic.

Cloverleaf flew across another gap between buildings, beckoning Savanna to jump. She obliged, leaping across, and followed him as he took off again.

"Where are we going?"

"Not towards the bridge, that's for sure," Chorilax responded. "You couldn't fly over that giant gorge, and even if you could, we'd be shot out of the sky. We need to take the long route—head southwest down towards the base of Platinum Falls."

Savanna leapt and Chorilax flew over several buildings before they finally came to a stop. Like Cerise, Queensland had no expansive wall guarding its interior from the outside world. The city's asphalt road yielded to a dirt road that stretched across an open field before meeting a hill and sharply dipping downwards, vanishing from view.

Savanna and her companion exchanged a look, silently acknowledging that they would need to cross a giant, open field before reaching the hill and successfully breaking line of sight. The military would pursue them. It was dangerous—but they had no choice.

Chorilax leapt off of the roof first. He spread his wings before landing, rapidly slowing the velocity of his descent before hitting the grass below. He turned, waiting for Savanna to jump so he could slow her descent with his levitation magic.

Savanna didn't hesitate, understanding that time was of the essence. She leapt, feeling her momentum be slowed by Chorilax's levitation magic before she hit the ground and landed on her hooves. In synchrony, Savanna and her companion rushed for the hill. Being unable to use one of his legs, Chorilax flew, while Savanna galloped. Despite feeling dazed and terrified, Savanna was at almost peak performance—her life depended on her ability to get enough distance between her and the town as quickly as possible.

She heard several loud gunshots ring out from behind and detected the subtle whizzing sound of a bullet zipping by, but she didn't allow herself to slow down.

Savanna could feel her legs growing weaker. Her gallop was becoming sluggish and erratic, with the pounding of her hooves against the dirt growing heavier with each passing second. She was struggling to breathe—she couldn't keep running forever.

After she began running downhill, Savanna risked a glance over her shoulder to confirm if soldiers were still pursuing her and her companion. Seeing a group continuing to chase them, she gulped dryly. In the cold morning air, all of the moisture had been siphoned from her eyes and mouth.

Savanna abandoned following the dirt road and headed for the concealment and relative safety of a nearby forest. Reaching a small wood fence, she leapt directly over it, then over a fallen log, weaving through trees and shoving aside bushes, all the while struggling to continue moving in a straight line and not deviate.

No longer hearing the sounds of the military crashing through bushes and brambles in an effort to pursue her, Savanna fell into a sitting position, resting. She held a hoof against her chest, wincing in reaction to an onset of intense stiffness.

Chorilax, no longer hearing the pounding of Savanna's hooves against the dirt as she followed him, stopped, hovering in place in the air. He looked back over his shoulder. "We don't have time to stop! Come on!"

"Can we..." Savanna paused, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree and panting, "...slow down a little?"

"Just trot, at least."

Savanna obliged. No longer moving at maximum speed, her heart was given a chance to rest. It was beating twice as fast as normal—it was beating so fast that Savanna's whole body was gently resonating in synchrony. She panted in an futile attempt to catch her breath.

Her heartbeat was slowing, though, however gradually. Her body, acknowledging that she no longer required the energy to gallop at maximum speed, cut off her supply of adrenaline. The first wave of pain Savanna felt was enough to make her stop trotting and gently cry out in surprise, which Chorilax immediately reacted to.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah..." Savanna placed a hoof against the elongated piece of broken glass that had bitten into her side back in Queensland. Touching it made the area flare up in pain. "N - no..."

Chorilax's eyes widened. He stopped hovering, landing onto his three good legs and folding his wings against his back. "By the queen..." He murmured, eying Savanna's injury, "that... looks like it hurts."

"Ah didn't think it'd hurt this bad..."

Using some levitation magic, Chorilax reached into his saddlebag and dug around inside. Glass containers and metal objects clanked together noisily. He drew out a metal box, opened it, peeked inside and nodded, placing it back into his saddlebag. "We should find shelter first. Can you keep walking?"

Savanna put one hoof in front of the other, slowly moving forward. She increased her speed to a normal walk. She winced, feeling a light ache in her side from where she had been injured. "Ah'm fine."

Chorilax nodded, extending his wings and hovering a few feet off the ground, flying forward at a slower pace than before. Savanna trailed behind him, slowly plodding forward.

As she moved, Savanna listened. Her desperate gallop earlier had scared most of the animals away, and in their absence, the forest was unnaturally quiet. She frowned, suddenly considering that she and her companion could be ambushed at any moment. Scared, she listened more intently, swiveling her ears in all directions. Her own hoofsteps and the buzzing of Chorilax's papery wings were some of the only sounds she could detect at the moment. The audible rustling of her rain poncho made her feel paranoid above all else. For a moment, she considered taking it off, but quickly realized that the glass stuck in her side would make that endeavor challenging.

Another wooden fence separated the edge of the forest from a dirt road. For all Savanna knew, it could have been the same dirt road from earlier. It felt like she and Chorilax had been running in circles earlier.

Savanna climbed over the fence carefully, then stepped onto the hard, compacted dirt road. Another wooden fence separated the road from a giant, flat field where dead or dying cornstalks of various heights were planted in long, even rows. The fields were left in a state of dilapidation in reaction to the upcoming months of winter.

Savanna and her companion exchanged a glance. Wordlessly, they acknowledged the fact that they had managed to escape Queensland and get themselves completely lost simultaneously. For the time being, it was good that they were lost—the Emperian military wouldn't be able to easily track them.

"The farmer's gotta live nearby. Maybe they gotta basement or barn we can hide out in for a little while."

Since he was chatting with Savanna for the time being, Chorilax landed onto the ground, folding his wings against his back and leaning his body weight onto his uninjured legs. In reaction to the wind having started blowing particularly strongly, he shivered forcefully. He was vibrating so strongly that it began to impact his voice. "And how should we respond if they don't desire two wretched strangers trespassing on their property?"

"They don't even have to know we're here at all." Savanna retorted.

Chorilax shrugged with his one good shoulder. He tried to transform into his pony disguise, but failed. Savanna witnessed his appearance flicker between changeling and pony for a few seconds like pathetic sparks from a lighter running dry on fuel.

"Are you okay?" Savanna asked, inquisitive.

"I'm tired, hungry, I've been using a lot of magic today and... I'm cold! Cold in this damn weather! I'm going to save my strength. I don't want to transform right now," Chorilax admitted, dispirited. The glow from his eyes was fainter than ever.

Savanna frowned, feeling pity. She wished she had some warm clothing to offer him, but her measly rain poncho wouldn't suffice.

They kept walking.

Savanna took the lead. She followed the dirt road and circled around the exterior fence of the farm's fields, searching for the farmhouse and barn.

When the road split into an X intersection, Savanna finally spotted an official entrance to the farm. The fence arched upwards to meet a few wooden beams supporting a big sign. A long gravel road stretched across open ground toward a distant, small group of buildings.

Savanna lifting a hoof off of the ground, pointing to a smaller building in the back. "That's a barn back there, alright. They'll see us comin' on this flat ground, though," Savanna observed.

"I think we have no options available but to walk directly in and hope they're too preoccupied to notice us."

Savanna was too tired and cold to argue.

They made a beeline for the barn. Internally, Savanna begged fate that one of the barn doors were unlocked.

Savanna went first. She stepped beneath the shadow of the tall, imposing, red wooden building and touched the handle of one of the barn doors. It turned, and the door swung open. Relieved, Savanna slipped inside. Chorilax followed after quickly checking their surroundings for anypony who may be watching.

The barn was surprisingly dark. The only light sources were small beams of sunlight that poured through cracks in the wooden walls and ceiling. Hanging from a wooden, load-bearing pole was a metal oil lamp. Savanna reached with her mouth and turned the ignition knob, igniting the oil reserves within and casting light across a wide portion of the barn.

As Savanna crossed the barn, her hooves crunched on dry, ground-up bits of hay and straw that covered the floor. Piles of hay were everywhere—she made herself comfortable by removing her satchel and taking a seat on top of one of the piles of hay. Gingerly, she pulled a sleeve of her rain poncho back, feeling the fur on her foreleg where tiny pieces of glass had buried themselves into the skin beneath.

A few feet away, Chorilax set his saddlebag down onto the floor beside himself and sat down onto his own pile of hay. He sat still for a moment, thinking. "I can't believe I messed up that shot," he spoke aloud, shaking his head regrettably.

He paused. Savanna thought he might swear, but he resisted the urge.

Chorilax reached into the bag with some levitation magic and withdrew the metal box, opening it. Within were medical supplies. There were rolls of bandages, small jars of various, unidentifiable powders and long, thin vials of colorful liquid.

Curiously, Savanna eyed the glass containers. "Are those... bottled potions? And powders?"

"Magical potions and powders, yes." Chorilax nodded. "Jovi insisted I take these supplies with me.

"I was shocked to discover how coveted alchemical products became after the practice was outlawed. They're very effective, though. Potions remind me of ambrosia, in a way. Less... delectable, and sometimes inedible, but equally as magical."

"W - wait," Savanna stammered, shocked, "alchemy was outlawed? Why?"

Chorilax shrugged with his one good shoulder. "You're asking the wrong changeling, I'm afraid. I still lived in the hive when the law went into effect. Some ponies say the presence of magical flora in Emperia has diminished over the years regardless of the law, so I suppose alchemists would be hard-pressed in their foraging efforts if they were to try, anyway."

Receiving this news, Savanna frowned. She was too cold and tired to consider the source of and consequences for magical flora vanishing from Emperia. It just made her feel sad.

Chorilax removed the deformed bullet from his shoulder and dabbed some beige powder onto his wound, swathing the area with bandages. With a grunt, he snapped his sharp teeth and cleanly severed the bandages he required from the roll. Then, he returned the roll to the box, along with the glass jar of mysterious powder.

"Come over here."

Savanna obeyed. She sat down before Chorilax, presenting her wounded side to him. The glass shard waved back and forth as Savanna shifted her weight.

"Stand still."

When Savanna remained still, Chorilax used levitation magic to quickly yank the glass shard out. Savanna cried out in surprise. Instinctively, she tried reaching a hoof over and kneading the wounded area, but Chorilax swatted her hoof away with his own. Savanna, understanding the message he had silently communicated, kept her hooves planted against the floor.

With the help of Chorilax's levitation magic, Savanna removed the rain poncho. She kept her eyes firmly affixed to one of the barn's wooden walls, avoiding looking at where Chorilax was working. She knew that the sight of her own blood would make her feel nauseous.

Chorilax used his sharp teeth to separate a strip of bandages and a strip of adhesive tape from their respective rolls. Before Savanna could react, he stuck the tape directly onto the fur on her side to secure a strip of bandages over her wound.

"Hey!"

"It may be painful to remove," Chorilax admitted, "but it's sensible enough to warrant the pain."

Savanna shrugged, accepting her fate. "Can you please remove some of the glass in mah leg?"

"You really were peppered, weren't you?" Chorilax used his precise levitation magic to comb over her foreleg and remove individual, tiny shards of glass shrapnel. Savanna winced as each piece was floated out and tossed away.

"Ah'm not armored like you are."

"I'm hardly armored." Chorilax snorted. "That round pierced directly into me. I wasn't raised to work as a hive guard. Those changelings—you may have witnessed a few in the basement we resided in when living in Queensland—they are heavily armored. I'm sure it's intimidating for some ponies. An extra half-inch of armor plating may sound insignificant, but a changeling could emerge unscathed after being struck with a bullet if he were lucky. I, on the other hoof, am not so fortunate."

"You're, uh..." Savanna hesitated, not wanting to sound offensive, "...not a guard?"

"No. I was an outlier by choice." Chorilax finished removing all of the shrapnel from Savanna's leg. He returned all of his supplies into his bag and levitated out an oval glass bottle that tapered off gradually toward the top where a thin mouth resided, currently corked by a plastic stopper. A menacing, golden-brown liquid within sloshed around, lapping at the walls of the bottle.

"My peers recommended I pursue becoming a harvester. I was—and am, to this day—lightweight, fast, nimble and, most notably, charming. In the beginning, when I was younger, Queen Silver approved of the idea. That was before she had decided to intervene in the conflict between the Emperian pony citizens and their government on the side of the citizens. Back then, though, I didn't know what I wanted to be."

Chorilax removed the plastic stopper and sniffed the formidable liquid within. He immediately recoiled, coughing. "Ugh, what in the queen's name...?"

"What is that?" Savanna asked aloud. Internally, though, she already knew the answer.

"Jovi also gave me this. It's a bottle of 'whiskey'. I've never heard of it, nor do I know what it's composed of. She assured me it mitigates pain, though, and makes you feel warm. It sounds magical, but I can't be certain."

"That ain't magical, Chorilax," Savanna warned, motioning with a hoof. "And it ain't topical—ya drink it."

Chorilax shrugged with his good shoulder. He levitated the bottle's mouth to his own and tilted his head and the bottle back simultaneously, taking a small sip. Immediately, he coughed, choking slightly. "By the queen...!"

Savanna grinned, laughing at the changeling's unadulterated reaction. "She didn't mention it tastes like crap?"

"Yes." Chorilax grimaced, lowering the bottle. He coughed again, breathing. "Ugh. Ponies drink this... for fun?"

"Yeah! Ah didn't know changelings could drink anything at all, actually, now that ah think about it. Ah know y'all don't eat food."

"We consume food," Chorilax defended himself, motioning with the bottle, "just not pony food. Harvesters drink love magic directly from creatures, and drones and worker changelings have their fill of stored love in the hive. Ambrosia is reserved for hatchlings primarily, but grown changelings can be awarded some under specific circumstances. All changelings require water to survive, though—we are only partly composed of magic."

Savanna, fascinated by the influx of new information, suddenly thought of something. "Are ya sure it's healthy for you to drink that? Ah mean, ya don't eat regular food, but that drink is made from grains."

"I'll probably be fine," Chorilax replied. "I'm willing to take the risk. Jovi promised me it would make me feel warm, and I certainly want to, right now."

He took another sip. The foul taste made him instinctively grimace, but he vocalized little, managing to swallow what he had in his mouth.

"Do you want some?"

Savanna immediately shook her head, having predicted he would have asked. "No, thank you. Ah'm not allowed."

Chorilax narrowed one eye, widening another, giving the impression he was raising an eyebrow. Clearly, he was confused. "Why?"

"Ah can't until mah next birthday. It's required. By law."

Chorilax widened his eye further, silently entreating Savanna to continue.

"Well, ya see... alcohol does... it..." Savanna hesitated, unsure how to phrase her explanation. "It causes you to feel things ya wouldn't normally feel and do things ya wouldn't normally do. It makes you feel like a different pony, so I've heard."

"That sounds good."

"If ya drink too much, though, it can have serious side effects. Memory loss, disorientation, confusion, stupidity—very temporarily, of course, but you can wind up makin' a fool outta yourself in public in that short amount of time or potentially hurting yourself if nopony is around to watch you.

Chorilax considered what she had said. He shook the bottle gently, watching the liquid inside slosh around. "Admittedly, I see no drawbacks to that."

"Chorilax, trust me, you—" Savanna was too late. The negotiations were over.

Chorilax took a long drink, managing to choke the potent liquid down with a few coughs. "When do the side effects set in?" He asked.

"Well, ah don't know," Savanna admitted, shrugging. "Ah've never drank with somepony else before."

"From the way you have described it, Savanna," Chorilax spoke, motioning with the bottle. "It seems to me the only reason that law exists is to protect ponies who are ignorant of the side effects. You appear perfectly logical. You don't seem to be a fool."

"Well, thanks. Nice offhand compliment." Savanna chuckled.

"You know what I mean."

"Sure, ah do."

"Well?" Chorilax levitated the bottle forward, offering it.

Savanna was hesitant to reach out with a hoof. She spent a long moment considering. She knew that she was being presented an opportunity to have fun that she would probably never get again for a long time, and she would probably forget about it in the morning after a long night's sleep anyway... so she made her choice.

"What are ya doin', Chori?"

Chorilax balanced on one of his rear hooves on top of a giant pyramid of hay, standing upright like a rigid cane and balancing a glass jar on the tip of his crooked horn. "I'll tell you, I don't know!" He slipped, falling heavily onto his side onto the blend of crushed hay and straw on the floor. A big plume of dust went everywhere, and the jar bounced onto the ground, skittering across the floor and vanishing into some dark corner somewhere. Joyful laughter immediately erupted from both of them.

"Oh, Celestia," Savanna swore after stumbling slightly from laughing so hard. The glass bottle of whiskey in one of her hooves was held tightly, but had almost spilled. "Ah almost spilled it!"

"Let me hold onto it then!" Too inebriated to even use levitation magic, Chorilax trotted forward and extended one of his hooves, snatching the bottle. He tilted his head back and gulped down more of the vile liquid, releasing a big sigh, contented yet pained from the burning sensation.

"Celestia," Savanna swore, beginning her sentence strong, "ya know how ya told me y'all changelings got magic 'n stuff in your veins?"

"We, uh..." Chorilax swayed in place a little, only partly comprehending what Savanna was saying. "Yeah? Yeah, I said that."

"You were bleedin', Chori, and you were moanin' like a grouchy foal," Savanna recalled, giggling, "but..." She trailed off, her expression warping into sudden seriousness. "We both bleed, ya know? We both bleed, and ah know we don't got the same color in our veins, and ya got, like, honest magic in ya, but, we ain't so different, you and ah."

Chorilax swayed. "Yeah! You're right! We're not so different!" He reached out, placing a hoof on Savanna's shoulder. "I'm glad I got you as a friend. Shit—who else do I have? Jovi? Jovi isn't shit," Chorilax continued, complaining, "she treats me like a regular old stallion, but she and I both know I'm not one. She only comes to me when she needs a stallion in her life right then and there, but never any other time. She doesn't care how I fucking feel!"

Savanna considered this for a moment. Having only comprehended part of what Chorilax had said, yet understanding the gist of it, she reached out, patting him on the shoulder with a hoof. "Naw, naw, ah get it, Chori. Ponies can be that way! Just... bucking impossible sometimes! Ya wanna know somethin'? Spotlight, mah friend, or so she says, is so... shy! It's stupid—she's stupid! That filly just don't know how to speak her damn mind. And ah am the one speaking for her most of the time!"

Savanna prepared to continue rudely gossiping about her friends. Chorilax prepared to continue listening, clutching onto the whiskey bottle tightly. By that point, the liquid within was more than halfway gone.

A beam of bright sunlight shining in through a crack in the barn roof awoke Savanna. She grimaced in pain, reaching up to rub at her eyes with her hooves, only to realize that she was buried up to her neck in hay. She clenched her eyes shut, wanting to escape the light.

"Ughhh... buck," she moaned, aggravated.

"Savanna?"

Savanna opened her eyes, looking in the direction of the voice. She squinted, seeing Chorilax sat on a small pile of hay. "Yeah?"

"Do you... remember anything that happened last night? Do you remember anything I told you?" Chorilax sounded desperate. He looked confused and a little scared. "What the hell did I tell you?"

"No, ah don't remember anything," Savanna admitted. "But, look, Chorilax, it's alright. Being forgetful is normal—and so is this damned headache..."

"So, my head aching is normal?" Chorilax kneaded below his horn with a hoof to try to alleviate the pain. Savanna reached one of her hooves out of the giant pyramid of hay, mimicking him. It didn't work.

"Do ya got any idea what time it is?"

"Late in the day, that's all I'm aware of. The fact the military didn't locate us hiding out here means we hid pretty well, though—or they're terrible at searching. Time is probably not of the essence."

"Oh... yeah... right." Savanna, reminded of reality and all the problems she had, sighed. So many ponies still wanted her dead, and she was still so far from home.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's okay, Chorilax." Savanna locked eyes with the changeling, smiling. "Ah had fun last night. That's all that matters." And it was true. She had enjoyed herself. She remembered very little, but she knew she had fun.

"I..." Chorilax frowned, looking away.

"You can admit you had fun too, y'know. Ah don't think your queen is gonna come bust down them doors there and kill ya on the spot." Aloe pointed with a hoof to two of the barn's doors.

Chorilax rolled his eyes. "I understand that. It's just..." He trailed off.

"...I enjoyed myself too. Despite the fact I may have disclosed too much information to you."

"Ah remember nothin'." Savanna wiggled her way out of the hay, stepping onto the barn floor and stretching and yawning. A sudden shock of cold struck her, and she recoiled, shivering. Remembering what season it was, she regretted leaving the pyramid of hay. It had been warm and insulated inside.

"By the queen, I'm famished," Chorilax muttered, holding a hoof against his chest and grimacing.

He made eye contact with Savanna. "I considered stealing your love from your dreams last night, but the guilt of not asking for your permission first would have eaten me alive."

"You... were considering doing what to me?" Savanna frowned, confused and a little intimidated.

"I was considering feeding off of your dreams when you were asleep just a few moments ago. I neglected to do so, though. The alternative is I eat some of the ambrosia I have packed, which, I suppose, is not quite a waste considering I lack the energy to even form complex thoughts at the moment."

Savanna raised an eyebrow, finally deciding to ask. "What's ambrosia?"

Chorilax reached into his nearby bag with a hoof and withdrew a large, glass jar. Within, a sparkling, neon-pink substance reached halfway up the walls of the jar. It gently glowed, irradiating colored light like a firefly. Like a big firefly.

"Is it... food?"

"Not just simple food. This is an energy-dense substance refined from love magic. The workers produce it—female changelings," Chorilax clarified. "Hatchling caretakers possess the natural qualities required to produce it, specifically. No one else can, aside from the queen herself. It's highly coveted. All hatchlings are fed it so they develop quickly, and grown changelings can only eat it with permission by the worker herself, typically after he's done something to warrant a reward.

"With that being said, you can infer that ambrosia is very special to changelings. This is mine. I earned it. I've had it for many years. And..." Chorilax sighed sadly. "...I ate half of it in my stupor last night."

"Ah'm sorry to hear that."

"I as well."

With that being said, Chorilax used his levitation magic to unscrew the lid from the jar and delicately scoop a spoonful-sized ball of the pink substance. He popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes and releasing a gentle, relaxed sigh. He chuckled. "It's... enrapturing." He opened his eyes, gazing over at Savanna. "Do you want to try?"

"Well, ya got me curious, now! Sure."

"Be careful, please." Chorilax gingerly handed Savanna the jar of ambrosia, which she accepted, cradling in her forehoof like a newborn foal. The substance within the jar gently glowed, practically humming with magic.

"Ah, uh..." Savanna blushed, embarrassed. She pointed at the jar's mouth, then waved her hoof. It was too wide to fit.

Chorilax got the message. He chuckled, amused. "Oh, right. Here." He used his levitation and scooped a spoonful-sized dollop out from the jar. Savanna opened her mouth and allowed herself to be fed from the levitation magic. She tried using her tongue to push the ambrosia around in her mouth to chew, but it merely soaked into her tongue and gums. It faded with the subtly of a dream upon waking, or a memory upon forgetting. And the taste...

It tasted like... her parents. Like home. Like Night Owl and Spotlight and all her friends back home in school. It tasted like how she remembered her childhood, chasing a young Spotlight through fields of flowers, making crowns and bracelets out of woven flowers. It tasted like the songs she sang and heard. It tasted like love.

Savanna cried. A tear dripped down from her eyes, narrowly missing landing directly into the jar. To prevent any impurities from mixing with his ambrosia, Chorilax snatched the jar away from Savanna's clutches.

"Are you alright, Savanna?"

Savanna gently shook, her eyes clenched shut. Memories were flooding her, memories so sweet and pleasant and sudden they overwhelmed her.

"Ah..." Savanna rubbed at her eyes, feeling embarrassed, like she was being judged for being a dumb, babbling, crybaby foal. "Ah'm sorry."

"It's alright, Savanna. Though, I admit I've never quite seen someone react so... strongly to ambrosia before." Chorilax, still feeling starved and needing to eat, ate some more ambrosia. He ate four more spoonful-sized daubs before screwing the lid back on tight and placing the jar back into his bag. The glow in his eyes immediately intensified. He looked stronger and healthier.

"Can ah... have more? Please?" Savanna begged. The intense feelings of love were already fading from her mind.

"No." Chorilax shook his head firmly. "You would probably get addicted. Changelings can eat all their ambrosia in one period and not receive more for months—or even years. The strategy is to reward yourself with some occasionally. I've witnessed changelings wolf down their share immediately and then regret it after. It escalated to the point that Queen Silver implemented a law: any changelings who showed signs of addiction to ambrosia would be subject to punishment.

Savanna frowned, pouting.

Chorilax remained quiet, having said all he needed to.

Savanna sighed, knowing that he was right. Resisting the intense urge to eat more ambrosia, she stood and rotated in a circle, looking around. "Have ya seen mah bag anywhere, Chorilax?"

"No. I hope it's still in here and one of us didn't take it outside and lose it somewhere."

Savanna, dreading this, began quickly searching. She checked corners and sifted through the piles of hay formed into various sizes, including the gigantic pyramid. Eventually, she found her revolver buried under a pile of hay in the corner of the room. It was unloaded, and the cylinder was swung open. "What the buck did we do last night...?" Savanna wondered aloud.

Her satchel was buried deep in the pyramid of hay. Luckily, despite its flap being open, the satchel contained all of Savanna's belongings. They were arranged in a completely different order, suggesting she or Chorilax had played with her belongings at some point during the night.

She sifted through her belongings, hoping nothing was broken or anything made of paper was ripped.

Savanna noted a few of the photos she had taken so far into her journey were bent or crumbled, which irritated her, but at least the pictures they depicted were still clear enough to see.

A few pages in her journal were ripped. Several blank pages in the back of the book had been ripped out messily. Savanna flipped through the book, begging fate that none of her entries had been scrawled on or scribbled over.

At the end of the book, near the ripped and ragged pages, was a new journal entry. Savanna raised an eyebrow, seeing the messy, unrecognizable writing. She scanned the words, reading.

chori is a real great guy. like, a reallly really great guyy. hes standng right here nexttome and we bothare sharing a boooze and just laughing and just talking about stuff. like really reaally importent stuff. hes saying his marefriend is a total drag which i totally get, she doesn't understand his needs and i totally understand. my parents dont understand me night owl doesnt understand me spotlight doesnt understand me—

Savanna stopped reading. Embarrassed, her cheeks flushed with pink as she immediately tore out the page and balled it up, tossing it away into one of the corners of the room.

Chorilax gazed at her curiously, narrowing one eye. "What was that?"

"Nothin', trust me."

Savanna was already feeling the regret.

VIII – Savanna – Emperia

Savanna's hunger had been temporarily sated by the ambrosia, but she was still ravenous. A strawberry milkshake and an indeterminate amount of alcohol were all she had consumed in about 36 hours. Running for her life from the Emperian military had been exhausting—merely surviving, in fact, was exhausting.

So, Savanna used the knife given to her by Rose to imprecisely open a can of sliced pears. She drank the sugary syrup from within, avoiding the can's sharp edges. She sat on a small, comfortable pile of hay in the decrepit barn of the lonely farm. Chorilax, sitting across from her, sipped from a levitated canteen from his bag that was filled with water.

"Chorilax? Will your armor, uh..." Savanna hesitated, considering how to phrase her question to avoid sounding offensive. "Will your armor grow back? Can ya even do that?"

"Where I was shot?" Chorilax reached with a hoof, gingerly pressing against his bandaged shoulder. "No, not completely. Jovi will heal me, though."

At the mention of Jovial Day's name, Savanna frowned. The message written by her inebriated self the night prior made her curious. She had used the word "marefriend" when referring to Chorilax's companion, Jovial Day...

Savanna didn't rule out the possibility that she was merely in a drunken stupor and scribbling nonsense down into her journal at the time, but it was something to consider. She truly hoped Chorilax had a relationship with someone. It would be healthy for him.

Not that it was any of her business.

Savanna stopped thinking about it and fished a pear slice out of her can, eating it whole.

"What do we do now?"

"Well, that depends on the circumstances. Have we returned to Juniper after successfully killing the most influential, disreputable and dangerous pony in the country? No. Have we, in our desperate evasion of his military, escaped them after neglecting to assassinate Valor and, fortuitously, reached a decrepit barn smack-dab in the middle of nowhere‽ Yes."

Sensing her companion's vocal tone shift, Savanna frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I invited you to accompany me so you could observe and assure that exactly what happened to us wouldn't happen!" Chorilax released a frustrated sigh, maintaining stern eye contact. "We both could have died. You weren't paying attention."

"Ah was paying attention!" Savanna was quick to defend herself. She motioned enthusiastically with her foreleg that wasn't holding the can of fruit in an effort to communicate her point. "And you didn't invite me, you forced me to go! You could have brought anyone more experienced than ah am, but you chose me! Ah didn't know somepony was watching us—ah had no idea what that glint of light was!"

Disappointed in Chorilax and herself, Savanna avoided his eye contact, looking down into her can of fruit. The pale-yellow slices of pear floating in syrup within the can looked delicious, but she had suddenly lost her appetite.

"Ah'm sorry," Savanna apologized, feeling regret.

Chorilax grunted, avoiding eye contact. He paused before responding, calming down. "I'm not angry at you. I suppose I am responsible, to a degree...

"For the time being, we need to head east," he continued. "Cross the river that Platinum Falls flows into and return to Juniper. Jovi will be expecting us."

"Ah have a map. Take it from mah bag if ya wanna take a look."

Chorilax accepted the offer. He levitated Savanna's satchel close to himself, looking through it, then withdrew the map, setting the bag down. He unfolded and spread out the paper map, examining it carefully.

"We are... there." Chorilax flipped the map around and held it aloft in levitation for Savanna to see. He pointed with a hoof to a specific T intersection where two dirt roads connected southwest of Queensland.

"How can ya be so sure?"

"I'm not." Chorilax rotated the map around again so he could get a closer look. "We travel southeast, pass the river that Platinum Falls flows into and hopefully find a road soon after. I'm making the most accurate predictions I'm able to in the present."

"Let's hope you're right, then, ah guess." Savanna sipped the glorious sugary syrup from her can of fruit, then ate another pear slice. She was so dehydrated that any amount or quality of liquid energized her. The sugar also helped.

"We'll have no choice but to." Chorilax stood, stretching. He folded the map into a smaller square and stuffed it into Savanna's satchel, then went digging around in his own bag to assure all his belongings were secure. "How are you feeling, Savanna? We need to leave as soon as possible. We will be traveling a long distance this afternoon."

"Ah've felt worse before. Ah feel energized now that ah have some food in me. Ah can walk and eat at the same time, let's get going."

Savanna set her can of fruit down onto the barn floor and retrieved her rain poncho, slipping it on. She loaded six new rounds into her empty revolver's cylinder and then clipped the revolver onto the karabiner on her satchel's strap. Her satchel went over her back next, and, after tightening the strap, she lifted her can off of the ground.

Chorilax stepped over the discarded whiskey bottle on the floor as he approached the barn door, hopping to avoid putting excess weight on his injured leg and shoulder. Savanna kicked the bottle as she passed, watching it ricochet off of the barn wall with a dramatic clatter.

When they stepped outside, Savanna squinted, her eyes sensitive against the bright afternoon sun. The urge to bring a hoof up to massage her forehead was strong, but she resisted. She lifted her foreleg, sipping the syrup from her can of pears.

The farmhouse was still dark and devoid of life, completely untouched since the day prior. "Ya think this place was abandoned?" Savanna wondered around. "We probably made a lotta noise last night. Why didn't anyone come outside and investigate?"

"I don't know. Be grateful we angered no one by infiltrating their property."

"Ah can imagine how that may have turned out..."

"Changelings have no concept of privately-owned property. I'm assuming you used to live on some—as most ponies do, to my knowledge—prior to coming here and working for Maverick. How would they have reacted, do you suspect?"

"If they were mah folks back home, they would have welcomed us."

Chorilax snorted, amused by the very concept.

"It's true! Anypony in mah home town would have."

"Come on." Chorilax, hovering in midair, beckoned Savanna with a wave of one of his forelegs.

Savanna walked and Chorilax flew away from the farm, down the path leading towards the dirt road.

"I find that difficult to believe," Chorilax admitted, looking over.

"What?"

"Ponies willingly opening their doors for strangers—that's preposterous."

"Not during times of peace."

Chorilax considered this. He nodded, shrugging with one shoulder in an acknowledging way. "Well said. We're living in a very... confusing time at the moment. I have only heard rumors of ponies and changelings cooperating in the distant past. It seems fate has brought us together. Do you believe in fate?"

Savanna sipped from her can, munching on a pear slice that dropped out. By the time that they reached the road, Savanna allowed Chorilax to lead the two of them. She trusted his intuition.

She neglected to answer his question, responding with one of her own.

"Do you think things will ever get better?"

"Do I believe that Maverick and his poorly-trained militia are capable of engaging the military with all of their equipment and training and toppling Valor from power?" Chorilax sighed. "Admittedly, it's unlikely. There exist no alternative actions to take, though.

"Valor will be on guard now that I unsuccessfully attempted to kill him. I imagine the military will begin cooperating with the CED from now on, or perhaps replacing them altogether. They... want us. They want us so terribly. There will be consequences for this."

Savanna, unsure how to respond, attempted to stimulate Chorilax into continuing to speak. "What are you going to do?"

"In the grand scheme of things? Survive. Follow Maverick's orders and make suggestions of my own. Take care to assure that Jovi remains safe, that is my wish."

"Hey, Chorilax?" Savanna asked, looking over. Now that Jovial Day had been mentioned, she decided to ask the question that had been on her mind for a while. "You, uh, consider her to be your marefriend?"

Chorilax's head rotated sharply for him to make eye contact with her. "How do you know?"

"You told me when we were drinking last night," Savanna explained. "Ah scribbled some gibberish in mah journal and managed to decipher some of the writing this mornin'. You apparently used the word 'marefriend' when referrin' to her."

Chorilax exhaled a long sigh. "I do consider my relationship with her to be... more complicated than mere friendship. I care about her—more than I desire to admit."

Savanna was reading and easily identifying her companion's expression. He looked embarrassed. "That's nothin' to be embarrassed about. It's natural."

Chorilax looked away, avoiding eye contact for a moment. "Sometimes I struggle to communicate how I feel to her. I wish things were easier and I could describe to her exactly how I feel. Sometimes... I wonder if she feels the same."

"She absolutely does!"

"That appears to be a simple conclusion to make from an outside perspective."

"You aren't alone in the world, Chorilax. Other ponies who share your feelings exist, you just need to find 'em—and ah think you already found somepony."

Chorilax grunted. "I'm a fool for risking everything in this gamble—and I'm a fool for confiding my private business to someone I hardly know. Don't ask me about it anymore. I don't want to discuss this."

Savanna ate the final pear slice remaining in the can. She sipped the remainder of the syrup within and tossed the can aside, lowering her hoof to the ground. Normally, she would hesitate to litter, but keeping the world clean and litter-free was the least significant of all her concerns.

When they finally reached the river, Savanna kept her head on a swivel, looking in all directions. Despite the fact they were no longer following the road, they were in a wide, open clearing and were completely exposed.

"Can you levitate me across, Chorilax? Ah don't want to go wading through that water. It's probably freezing..."

"I would if I could, Savanna." Chorilax flew over the river, landing on the riverbank on the other side. He turned around, holding his injured leg in the air and waiting patiently for her to cross.

Savanna hesitated, looking around and appreciating the beauty. While she was paranoid that she and her partner would be suddenly ambushed, the surrounding landscape of the valley was undeniably pretty. Reeds and typha with their heavy, oblong, brown seedpods waved in a gentle breeze. To her left, a giant, sheer cliff wall extended high into the sky. Somewhere at the very peak was Queensland. Far in the distance through the crevasse that the river flowed through, Platinum Falls could be seen crashing into the basin below. They were so far away that Savanna could barely hear the crashing of the twin waterfalls.

"Why can't ya levitate me?"

"Living creatures are far more difficult to levitate than inanimate objects."

Savanna sighed, realizing that her companion was right. Finally mustering the courage, she weaved her way through the reeds and dipped one foreleg into the water. Immediately, an icy shiver ran through her body, but she forced herself to continue. The sandy shore on the other side of the river suddenly looked so distant. Savanna breathed a shaky sigh, struggling to control the pace of her breathing. She plunged one leg into the water, then another and another.

Savanna's fur was still damp by the time she entered the outskirts of Juniper. Chilled to the bone by winds buffeting her wet body, she shivered, stiff with tension. She hadn't spoken a word to Chorilax in more than an hour. They both suffered in silence.

Savanna was the one to knock on the door of Maverick's house. She loudly rapped on the wooden door three times with a hoof, stepping back. Impatient, she moved back and back and forth, tapping one of her rear hooves against the porch's wooden floor unconsciously.

"Open up! It's cold out here!" Savanna demanded.

A changeling Savanna didn't recognize opened the door. He made eye contact with her, raising an eyebrow, then swept his gaze over to Chorilax who hovered in the air behind Savanna. Recognizing Chorilax, he nodded, stepping backwards to make room for she and her companion to enter.

Savanna entered the grand house hastily and trotted into the study with the fireplace. She paused, examining her surroundings. She spotted Jovial Day sitting on a chair, levitating a book as she read. She casually glanced away from her book, offering a polite nod of greeting toward Savanna, but immediately shot up from the chair when she spotted Chorilax.

"Chorilax!"

"Make room, everyone! The kid and I are freezing," the changeling ordered. He landed in front of the lit fireplace, folded his papery wings beneath his elytra and levitated a blanket that had been resting on the back of one of the sofas, wrapping it around himself. He lied on his side on the floor, resting.

"Chorilax," Jovial repeated, stepping forward. She sat down next to him, placing a hoof on one of his forelegs. "I'm so glad to see you're safe..."

"I have been through worse than being shot in the past," he admitted, "though that doesn't make the pain easier to tolerate right now."

"May I help you?" Jovial offered, igniting her horn with her magical aura preemptively.

"Please."

Savanna copied Chorilax, grabbing a blanket that had been hanging from the back of a sofa. Circling around, she considered taking a seat near the fireplace, but what made her hesitate was spotting Amethyst slouched on the sofa,
reading a book.

"Oh, Savanna!" The filly set aside her levitated book onto an end table and sat up straight. "I didn't expect you to come back."

"Ah wasn't planning to. Since ah was already passin' near the area, though, ah did a favor for Maverick and took a detour to Queensland to find out why a changeling he was previously in contact with stopped responding." Savanna hopped up onto the sofa, wrapping the blanket around herself.

She explained everything to Amethyst: her arrival at Queensland, meeting Chorilax, assisting him in his failed assassination attempt, and their hasty escape from town. She neglected to mention her escapades with Chorilax in the isolated farm's barn. Whether this was because of guilt, embarrassment or something different altogether, she wasn't sure.

"So that's why a lot of changelings showed up earlier today," Amethyst registered aloud.

"Chorilax explained he was sent as an envoy to represent changelingkind and deliver their queen's message—she wants to make a temporary alliance with the rebels after realizing they share a common enemy."

"That's... difficult to believe," Amethyst commented, surprised.

"Ah know. To be honest, though, ah don't care about these politics. It's none of mah business."

"I feel the same way," Amethyst admitted.

"Ah have nothin' to gain from the outcome of this conflict, but ah'm still sick of this. Ah'm sick of things being this way. Ah can only imagine how it must feel for other ponies..."

Amethyst scooted closer so the distance between the two was reduced. She lowered the volume of her voice slightly, motioning with a hoof. "Like her?"

Savanna looked in the direction Amethyst had indicated. In the corner of the room, Rose leaned against the wall, head hung low, as if she were meditating. She ruminated, motionless.

"Yeah," Savanna agreed, frowning. "Like her."

"Savanna?"

Hearing her name being spoken, Savanna gazed in the direction from where she had heard the call. Jovial Day closed the distance between the fireplace and the sofa with two graceful strides from her long legs. "Chorilax informed me you were injured as well. Do you want assistance?" She sat back on her haunches on the floor, awaiting for the inevitable response.

When Amethyst scooted away to the opposite end of the sofa, Savanna utilized the abundance of new space and reached with one of her hooves, pressing against the location on her side where she had been pierced by the spike of glass. Through her rain poncho, her fur and the layer of taped bandages, the skin was still tender to the touch. Savanna was surprised—it had been nothing more than a minor annoyance for her all day, and she had almost forgotten about it. A literal thorn in her side.

"Yes. Please."

Jovial preemptively ignited her horn with her vivid, orange-tinted magical aura as Savanna removed her rain poncho and the blanket she had wrapped around herself. With her side exposed to the open air, Savanna looked away, allowing her companion to do her work. She winced, anticipating pain.

The adhesive tape being ripped off and taking several of her coat's hairs with it did hurt, as expected.

"Punctures like these are very dangerous," Jovial warned as she cast restoration magic, healing the injury. "What happened to you?"

"There was an explosion, big piece of glass hit me—it's a big of a long story."

"Explosion? Chorilax will be telling me all about this tonight..."

Savanna frowned. "Something to that effect, ah suppose. Ah'm just glad to be here, and safe."

Jovial nodded, the magical light being emitted from her horn extinguishing as she finished healing Savanna. She withdrew, giving her a gentle smile, then returned to tend to Chorilax who was still curled up by the roaring fire in the fireplace.

Savanna and Amethyst exchanged glances. Silently, information was exchanged between the two. Slowly, Amethyst edged closer, and Savanna consented to her advances. They leaned against each other. Savanna, pleased, relaxed her body. She felt warmer already.

Gradually, everyone except Rose, Chorilax and Amethyst had left the room. Savanna, lying still and cuddling with Amethyst on the sofa, observed as Chorilax rose from where he had been resting near the fireplace and unwrapped himself from the blanket. Having absorbed enough heat to regain his energy, he folded the blanket and threw it over the back of the other unoccupied sofas, taking a seat. Rose, having withdrawn from her solitary corner of the room, sat in a chair.

The quiet was not fated to last.

Savanna released a gentle sigh, gazing upward at the ceiling. For once, she had peace and quiet. However, peace and quiet meant that her stressed brain had been permitted to begin considering everything that had happened to her recently. Without consent, her brain recalled for her the intense skirmish she had unwillingly participated in with the CED on the muddy dirt road and the botched assassination attempt on Valor's life. Savanna witnessed a real-time photographic display of the tragedy that had befell her in so few days. By all accounts, she shouldn't have survived. She did not feel lucky.

"Hey, kid."

Lost in thought, Savanna didn't perceive someone was addressing her immediately.

"Savanna!"

Amethyst gently nudged Savanna. The physical movement startled her, and she sat upright, becoming alert. "What?"

"Why are you all buddy-buddy with a changeling?" Rose was sat erect in her chair, back straighter than an arrow. Her eyes were locked on Savanna as she asked her question firmly.

"What?" Savanna repeated. She frowned, not comprehending what was being asked of her immediately. "Ah... because we're friends."

"We aren't friends," Chorilax was quick to correct. He looked at Savanna. His gaze was less intense and not threatening in the slightest. "You and I are... closer than strangers, I admit, but just allies nonetheless. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what you have done for me, Savanna."

"Partners in crime," Savanna suggested, weakly attempting to make a joke.

"I'll be your partner in crime!" Amethyst butted in enthusiastically.

"Ugh." Exasperated, Rose dramatically rolled her eyes and slouched in her chair.

"What, exactly, is your problem?" Unlike everyone else, Chorilax had the bravery to confront Rose directly. "Everypony in this room has their problems, Rose, but they are capable of withholding them internally. You are the only one who is consistently rude and antagonist to others in what I imagine to be your queer way of coping."

"None of your damn business what my problem is," Rose snapped, waving her hoof dismissively. "I liked you better before when you didn't speak your mind, changeling."

"I liked you better when you weren't racist!"

"I'm not racist!" Rose scoffed. "It's not you specifically anyway, Chorilax, I just... ugh." She rolled her eyes, looking away. She sat back in her chair once more, crossing her forelegs.

Agitated, Savanna leaned closer to Amethyst. The unicorn filly looked over, noticing Savanna's advancements, smiled, and scooted ever closer, returning the favor. Amethyst was, needless to say, more receptive to physical contact than someone such as Chorilax or Rose. Savanna was glad to have her as a friend.

Attempting to find a solution to reduce the tension and awkwardness of the situation, Savanna glanced in the direction of Amethyst's book and decided to make it a topic of conversation. "What are ya reading, Amethyst? Is it the same book as last time?"

"Actually, that's something I'm writing! I'm writing... something. I haven't decided yet. Right now I'm just writing down my life story and including all of the interesting bits." Amethyst's excitement looked earnest—she seemed glad somepony was interested in her hobby.

"Go easy on me in there," Savanna joked, chuckling.

"I haven't gotten to that part yet, but I will not go easy when writing about you." Amethyst chuckled. There was a pause, and she released a gentle sigh, assuming a serious facial expression. "I, um... I wish we could be friends."

"We are friends," Savanna decided, nodding in affirmation.

"You know what I mean. Real friends. I wish things weren't this way with everything... the world and ponies in it."

"Look, Amethyst," Savanna began, lowering the tone of her voice. She leaned closer to her friend. "It's our job to fix things—spread Harmony and convince ponies there's somethin' real to believe in aside from... hate."

"Fix things?" Amethyst sounded incredulous. "How are we supposed to do anything?"

Savanna hesitated. She did not know how to respond. Truthfully, she didn't even believe her own words. It was difficult to formulate a reply.

"Do what has to be done," Savanna clarified. "Take care of yourself and other ponies, show Generosity and extend a helping hoof when everypony else refuses. Celestia knows ah've been tryin' for some time..."

Amethyst looked unsatisfied by the response. Savanna, herself, felt unsatisfied and conflicted. Showing Generosity was difficult—few ponies were willing to accept help if offered it.

"Yet you'll run," Rose spat, clearly having listened in to the private conversation. "You're going to run! You've witnessed everything that's happening in this country, yet you're going to leave all of us behind to fend for ourselves!"

"You don't need me! Ah have nothin' to offer you!"

"Bullshit!"

"What can ah do?" Savanna demanded, feeling audacious suddenly. "What am ah supposed to do?"

"Not be a selfish asshole."

"Ah'm not selfish! At least ah feel ah have something to live for!"

Reading Rose's expression and realizing she had struck a nerve, Savanna shied, wishing she could withdraw the statement. She was beyond the point of reclamation, though—Rose snarled, ready to retaliate with a virulent insult.

"Look, I think you're blowing this out of proportion—" Amethyst began, attempting to subdue the brewing chaos.

"Shut up, kid!" Rose pointed with a hoof accusingly. "You don't know shit! Stop agreeing with every word your marefriend says and come up with something original to say!"

Rose huffed. Now that her momentum had began, there was no stopping her. "Savanna, you have no idea what you're talking about. Valor has the entire fucking country in his hooves and you honestly expect me to allow you to leave now? We need ponies to act and make moves."

Frustrated, Savanna crossed her forelegs and leaned back against the sofa, not responding.

"What the hell, Rose? You're taking this too far." Chorilax finally spoke up, realizing the conflict was beginning to spiral out of control.

"I'm right! You know I'm right!"

"Of course you're right! No one genuinely anticipates that Valor will surrender without a fight, but have some subtly, for Queen's sake!"

Savanna looked over to her left, trying to capture Amethyst's attention and reassume the cuddling position they had been in earlier. The filly looked disconnected. Her eyes were downcast, and she looked as if, at that moment, she wanted to be anywhere else but sitting on that sofa. Her eyes were wet.

Rose eyed Amethyst, spying weakness like a shark smelling blood in the water. "Start pulling your weight and I'll actually start respecting you, kid. You do the bare minimum around here and spend all your time recently writing in that stupid book. Nopony will ever read that! Stop wasting your time! Do you honestly think anypony will care?"

Having stood idly by while Rose abused the ponies around him, Chorilax had finally ran out of patience. He shot up from the sofa he was sitting on, pointing with a hoof toward the exit from the study. "Get the hell out! Now! You're not welcome in here anymore!"

"Shut the hell up!" Rose, in response, shot up from her chair.

Her body tense and stiff, she slowly stalked closer to Chorilax. Her stance was aggressive, with her body crouched and legs spread apart slightly. Chorilax eyed her, watching keenly as she approached. He tensed as she grew near, and the two stood, motionless, for a moment, waiting for the other to move first.

Rose was the one to attack first. She spun 180 degrees and delivered a poorly-aimed, miscalculated buck toward Chorilax's armored chest, missing his vulnerable head. Anticipating the attack, he nimbly dodged to a side, and, in retaliation, spun around and swiftly kicked with the hoof of one of his rear legs directly against Rose's nose.

Rose cried out in pain, stumbling backwards and clutching a hoof against her injured muzzle. Savanna, shocked, leaned closer to Amethyst, prepared to take her friend and leave the room if the fight escalated. Amethyst, scared, began to cry quietly.

Fortunately, the fight ended as quickly as it had begun. Chorilax snorted, breathing harder and quicker than he had been when at rest. "Look what you made me do."

"Fuck you," Rose grunted. She massaged her injured nose delicately with a hoof. "I never liked you!"

Chorilax gently panted, exerted in the heat of the moment. He glanced in the direction of Savanna and Amethyst huddled on their sofa, frowning, then returned his attention to Rose. "You made the kid fucking cry. Are you happy with yourself?"

Rose looked as if she wanted to respond with a calculated, stinging remark, but hesitated, remaining silent. Defeated and bitterly angry, she retreated, leaving the room and climbing the nearby stairs in the hallway.

Jovial Day and several other ponies trotted in, looking around to investigate the source of the disturbance. Rose's chair had been knocked over in the scuffle.

Jovial, seeing Chorilax agitated like a cat with its fur standing upright, rushed over to him. He assured her he was unharmed, and began to explain what had just happened.

Savanna, realizing she had been unconsciously clutching Amethyst in a hug during the entire ordeal, released her friend, looking over. Amethyst whimpered, rubbing a hoof against her eyes to dry them. "This sucks," she muttered.

"Ah know." Savanna leaned back against the sofa, breathing a sigh to calm herself. She reached with a hoof, pressing it against her chest. Her heart was beating faster than it had been when she was at rest—for just a moment, Savanna had been afraid that she and Amethyst would be hurt in the fight. Fortunately, Chorilax was even tougher than he physically looked.

"Ah like writing too."

"Really?" Her curiosity stimulated, Amethyst looked over.

"Ah've been journaling for a long time. Ah like drawing, too. It used to just be a way for me to pass the time, but now ah think it helps keep mah sanity. Ah've gotten away from it for a few days, now, but ah'm usually pretty consistent with it."

"What do you write about?"

"Whatever comes to mind. The things ah've done, the ponies ah've met—ponies like you. Ah've written about you quite a bit."

"Well... that's flattering." Amethyst gently smiled.

"I don't care what Rose thinks. And, clearly, she's incapable of caring about anything at all," Amethyst continued, quipping. "I'm going to keep writing. Like you said, it keeps me busy, and I think it gives me some sort of, um... satisfaction, especially when I write brutally-honest things about ponies I wouldn't otherwise say to their faces."

"Ah know what you mean," Savanna agreed, nodding. "It's nice to just get your thoughts out."

There was a brief pause. Savanna observed as Chorilax, Jovial and other ponies on the other side of the room conversed amongst themselves. Unconsciously, she refused to translate their indistinct voices into words. All she heard were murmurs in the background. It was background noise. Savanna listened, hearing nothing in particular.

"Do you want to come up to my room so we can be alone?"

Savanna heard Amethyst's distinct voice clearly. She looked over to her friend. Not having a reply prepared, she simply nodded in response.

The two partners dodged the ponies and changelings crowded into the study, climbing the stairs together. Amethyst led the way to her room. Savanna, while being led, silently hoped that they wouldn't, coincidentally, bump into Rose upstairs.

Amethyst's room was clean and almost empty, giving no obvious indications for what, exactly, she liked doing in her spare time. There were personal belongings, but Savanna's only glanced around casually, not snooping.

Amethyst set her levitated book onto a bedside table and hopped up onto the adjacent bed in the corner of the room, sitting. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Ah'm all ears." Savanna stood awkwardly near the entrance to the room, hesitant to join her friend on the bed. She wasn't sure if Amethyst enjoyed cuddling or if she had simply been responding to Savanna's advances earlier when they were on the sofa together in an irregular fashion, for reasons... unknown. Maybe Savanna was reading too into things. Regardless, Savanna knew that if she sat near her friend, she, eventually, would want to start cuddling again, and she didn't want to be rejected.

"Before Valor instituted the ban on everything alchemy, I, um... that's what I was studying. I lied to you, before, when we were talking about the future and aspirations and stuff. I wasn't studying magical symbology, I was practicing alchemy. That's what my cutie mark represents." Amethyst rotated 90 degrees and, remaining in a sitting position, presented one of her flanks to Savanna. There, distinct compared to Amethyst's fair, lilac-colored coat, was a representation of a blue-and-purple-colored pile of sparkling, magical dust. Unmistakably, now, after Savanna had received the context, she realized it was ground gemstone dust.

"You can't change who you are. Actually, ah think alchemy is interesting! Who cares what other ponies think?"

"It's illegal. He made it illegal. Even if I weren't already associated with a bunch of criminals, if anypony found out who I truly am, I would probably be arrested."

Amethyst, revealing this ugly truth, sighed sadly. She dragged a hoof along one of the creases in the bedsheets she sat upon absently, thinking.

Savanna sighed, disappointed by the unfairness of the situation.

"Are you going to come sit?"

Attention being drawn to her hesitancy, Savanna blinked. She still felt her previous fears, but she knew she had to surmount them. When she truly put her mind to it, it wasn't very challenging. "Sure."

Savanna trotted forward, hopping up onto the bed. She sat quietly with her friend, waiting for her to act and make the first move. It seemed that Amethyst, though, had been waiting for Savanna to do the same.

"Ah'm gonna leave tomorrow—for real this time. Ah'm packin' up all my stuff and goin' east. Ah, um... ah don't wanna leave you behind."

"I used to wish I could come with you, but..."

Savanna glanced over. Despite the small amount of light being provided by a nearby ignited oil lamp, Amethyst's expression was clearly discernible. She looked solemn. Patiently, Savanna raised her eyebrows, silently insisting she was paying attention and listening to what Amethyst had to say.

"Did you lie when you told me about Equestria, where you came from?"

"Ah could never tell a lie," Savanna affirmed. "Especially to somepony like yourself."

"You wouldn't tell a white lie, something to reassure somepony or makes things easier for them in the moment...?"

Automatically, Savanna shook her head. She realized immediately after, though, that Amethyst was right and she absolutely was willing to tell white lies. "Well... yes, sometimes, ah am willing to. Ah promise everythin' ah told you about mah home is true, though."

"It sounds... mythical."

"Ah never knew life could be so terrible without Harmony. Ah never really gave the idea thought," Savanna admitted, speaking in an almost apologetic tone. "Equestria is mostly a paradise, though. Ah promise life is infinitely easier than it is here."

"Mostly?"

"Equestria is in a constant power-vacuum," Savanna patiently explained. "Like everywhere else in the world, ah imagine. Someone will always stray away from Harmony and become frustrated, angry or greedy and cause trouble. It's inevitable, especially in Equestria where laws and law enforcement are very relaxed and more community-based and not governmental. It's the responsibility of the ponies within their communities to watch for trouble—and it's the responsibility of everyone to believe in Harmony and never forget. That is their choice to make, though, in Equestria. It's a free world."

"Free...?" Amethyst considered this. She absently rubbed a hoof along her chin, thinking. "Savanna, I, um... I want to come with you when you leave."

"Really? But didn't you say you wanted to stay and—?" Savanna trailed off, not wanting to risk mentioning Amethyst's parents and upsetting her.

"Savanna..." Amethyst sighed. She fidgeted, rubbing a hoof against one of her forelegs. "You and I know both that... there's nothing left for me here. I want to be able to live in peace, start over anew and... forget. Also, I can't live as myself here. Even if I didn't already find myself trapped in a giant rebellion, I am who I am." Amethyst pointedly glanced down at her cutiemark, then back up at Savanna, maintaining eye contact. Savanna understood her friend's point.

"It sounds ridiculous to think about since ah've started living in Emperia, but Equestria isn't a paradise. Ah felt really bored when ah was living in Maripony. Even though it was my destiny to live a humble life as a farm pony, ah wanted more—and ah still do. At least, ah think ah do. If this is the future of Equestria, though, or even the near future of Equestria... If this is how depraved ponies can be..." Savanna frowned. Amethyst nodded, showing she was paying attention and urging her to continue.

"...No. Ah shouldn't even consider that. Harmony is much stronger in Equestria. Something is wrong here. Ah can feel the influence of Harmony in mahself, and ah can tell you clearly can't. It's like gravity is weaker here. Ah don't feel tethered to the ground."

"You use a lot of metaphors for a 'humble farm pony'." Amethyst teased her friend gently.

Savanna blushed modestly. "Maybe ah showed too much interest in book-readin' and neglected mah work for too long, but that's beside the point.

"Ah think ah'm startin' to ramble a little. Ah'm sorry. Mah point is, even though Equestria isn't a paradise, and ponies have to work to make it as civilized and wonderful as it is, it's way better than here. Ah think you would love it there."

"Right now I just want to sleep and think about what you said," Amethyst admitted. "It's getting late. It's been a long day."

"Yeah... for everyone."

Savanna paused, looking down at the floor awkwardly for a moment as she tried to consider how to properly end the conversation.

"Ah'm gonna go journal for a bit before ah sleep tonight. Ah'll see you in the morning. And we can leave, tomorrow?" She looked over, hopeful.

Amethyst nodded gently. "Yes. Probably.

"Goodnight, Savanna."

"Goodnight." Savanna hopped down from the bed onto the floor gracefully, making her way through the door and into the house's upstairs hallway. She retrieved her belongings from where she had left them and began hunting for a spare, empty room. Luckily, most of the upstairs rooms were unoccupied, on account of the majority of the rebel ponies still remaining awake, scattered across various parts of the house. Briefly, Savanna wondered where Rose was. She hadn't seen her after she had hastily retreated once she lost her fight with Chorilax.

Savanna entered the room she had previously slept in before, turning and locking the door behind her. Secure inside the cozy yet chilly room, Savanna deposited her belongings in one corner and began looking around for a starter which she could use to light a fire. Small logs and other pieces of fuel were stacked adjacent to the iron stove, but there were no starters. Without Rose's pyrokinetic magic, Savanna had to improvise.

Luckily, there was a lighter next to an abandoned pack of cigarettes inside of a drawer in the desk in the room. Unluckily, Savanna had no idea how to operate the device. With some time and dedication, she managed to flip the lighter's lid off and use it to create a spark and ensuing flame, though, she singed herself slightly. The metal lighter dropped onto the floor with a clatter, and Savanna cried out in surprise.

After careful consideration, Savanna realized the small wheel rotating around the axle was striking a flint, creating the sparks. She played with the spark-striker like it was a toy for a while, adapting quickly to the motion. Using the device was awkward with hooves—it was probably designed to be used with magical levitation.

Regardless, Savanna managed to successfully ignite a small bundle of tinder beneath some split logs. She flipped the metal lighter's lid closed and elected to keep it for future use, storing the device away in her satchel.

With the temperature in the room gradually rising, Savanna withdrew her journal and one of her blue-inked pens. She hopped up onto the bed in the corner of the room, laying down and placing her journal in front of her. She flipped through the pages deftly using her nose until she found the blank section, then, holding the pen in her mouth securely, she began to write.

Chorilax foolishly led me and himself into a trap. I suppose I am also at fault for triggering it. He was so adamant in his plan to assassinate Valor that he completely failed to notice a unicorn perched on a roof across the street who nearly shot us both. I thought, for a moment, that the glare emanating from his position wasn't dangerous. I failed to warn Chorilax. I guess I am a fool for trusting anything to be benign. I almost paid the ultimate price. The changeling, as well.

Later in the day, he informed me that everything alchemical was outlawed by Valor. I was hardly surprised to learn that. It seems Valor is outlawing things by a process that observes only his personal interests. If I were feeling so inclined, I would identify the parallels between his society and changeling society. I am shocked that they do not make natural allies. Maybe they would be fated to destroy each other otherwise.

After we escaped Queensland, Chorilax and I spent an evening together in an abandoned farmstead's barn getting drunk together. I'm not certain if our own societal differences were responsible, or if it were just the natural excitement anypony feels before trying something new, but we went completely unrestrained and wild. Admittedly, I remember very little of what escapades we got up to, and, frankly, I don't wish to remember any more.

I'm not entirely sure if I enjoyed myself or not. I feel indifferent. A part of me regrets ever explaining what alcohol is to Chorilax, yet another part of me is still recovering from the giddy first-time excitement I felt that night.

Amethyst told me she is seriously considering returning with me to Equestria. I have begged her enough; this decision relies on her. Still, I cannot resist the temptation to hope that she will come with me and we can be friends. I am already envisioning a better future for her. I am already envisioning my own future, away from this terrible country.

Savanna paused, drawing her head back slightly as she read everything she had written down. She nibbled on the pen she held in her mouth absently, thinking. She considered scribbling out the final sentence of her journal entry, but neglected to follow through. A macabre thought briefly passed through her mind—if she were to die or be imprisoned, and somepony were to find her lost, abandoned journal, maybe they could find some solace in her words. Maybe the understanding that other ponies existed and were, also, struggling to survive in the same position as they were would be comforting, in a way.

Savanna sighed. The very idea was depressing, yet she couldn't force herself to think otherwise.

IX – Savanna – Emperia

Savanna awoke feeling anxious the following morning. She lied still in bed with the blankets wrapped around herself like she was enveloped in a tightly-swathed cocoon. She wished she could sleep more, and, with sufficient luck, dream pleasant dreams of home and her past or potential future.

She lied like this, immobile, for some time, counting little cracks in the bedroom's ceiling.

She felt anxious, hesitant to rise out of bed and start making preparations to depart for Cerulia in the west.

A tiny flicker of hope within her wanted to believe wholeheartedly that she and Amethyst would successfully escape this terrible nightmare-like reality and return to Equestria unscathed. Internally, though, she secretly doubted that would happen. She doubted she and her companion could travel across Emperia unimpeded. She doubted her ability to lead Amethyst and herself—in fact, she doubted herself.

Sometimes she reconsidered the idea that she was in a complicated nightmare and that, eventually, she would wake up. Maybe she had suffered some terrible misfortune and had been asleep for a long time, awaiting recovery from a terrible, crippling injury. Maybe she was still at home and hope still remained.

Feeling depressed, Savanna rolled onto her side, refusing to leave the bed.

Being alone with her thoughts wasn't reassuring, though. Nothing was reassuring. Savanna was battling ponies externally and herself internally simultaneously.

Savanna craved the ambrosia Chorilax had shared with her, yearning for the potent drug's calming effects to help her cope with her current situation.

The fire she had ignited the night prior had been reduced to hot ashes and winking coals overnight. The air in the room was warm and welcoming as Savanna lifted herself from the bed and began gathering her belongings, preparing to leave.

Outside of the bedroom in the upstairs hallway, changelings were gathered together in groups, chatting amongst themselves. One group of ponies were sat, isolated, in a corner near a window, giving the changelings a big berth. Savanna greeted some of the changelings politely as she passed and headed down the staircase.

She was about to round the corner and peek into the study to look for Amethyst, but, while distracted, almost ran directly into someone.

"Whoa!" Savanna lurched backwards quickly, barely avoiding an impact. "Am'm sorry, ah wasn't watching where ah was—" She trailed off, realizing it had been Rose who she had almost bumped into.

"It's fine, Savanna."

"Ah, um..." Savanna awkwardly attempted to find a starting point from which to launch into a conversation. "Are you feeling okay? How's your nose?"

Now that attention had been brought to it, Savanna realized Rose's nose was healed and no longer broken. The reminder that restoration magic existed made her unconsciously rub the location where she had been shot. The pain had long since vanished and was now merely a memory.

"Still hurts," Rose responded honestly.

"Ah'm sorry to hear that."

Rose grumbled. "I, uh... I'm sorry about last night."

Savanna looked away, avoiding eye contact. She felt anxious speaking to Rose. Frankly, Rose scared her. She especially disliked how rapidly Rose's mood had shifted. She had progressed from personally and physically attacking Savanna's friends to now speaking to her casually the morning after.

"Look, you saved my life, kid. I haven't forgotten that. I feel like you and I... we haven't—"

"Don't call me kid!" Savanna stood up for herself, pointing accusingly with a hoof.

Rose slightly raised an eyebrow, having not expected Savanna to retort.

Uncomfortable, Savanna took a step backwards. She was tempted to abandon the conversation altogether.

"What 'we' is there? There is none! You're crazy!" Savanna took another step back defensively, concerned that Rose would lash out at her. "Your mood is all over the place, you're constantly brooding and angry all the time! What's wrong with you? Even the changelings treat me better than you do! They're complete strangers!"

"It's none of your business what my problem is." Rose remained quiet and reserved, answering as little as possible. She frowned.

"...Yeah. Ah figured you'd say somethin' like that.

"Ah thought we could be friends with enough work. Now ah'm startin' to think that time we spent together meant nothin' to you at all. Ah thought..." Savanna sighed, disappointed. "Ah thought you cared about what ah said. Ah poured mah heart out for you, because ah cared. Maybe ah care too much. Clearly ya ain't lost sleep thinkin' about that, have ya?"

After waiting a few moments for a response that never came, Savanna dodged around Rose and began walking down the downstairs hallway, pretending she wasn't there to begin with.

Politely, Savanna greeted rebel pony and changeling groups as she weaved through the crowd in the study, searching for her friend. After asking around and thoroughly searching, she determined Amethyst was not in the study and was somewhere else in the house.

Bumping into Jovial Day at the base of the stairs, Savanna saw the opportunity and took it, beginning to chat with her.

"You believe in Harmony, don't ya?" Savanna considered glancing back into the study, but she knew exactly what she would see if she were to—segregated groups of ponies and changelings barely managing to coexist, let alone talk amongst each other and bond.

"Of course," Jovial affirmed. "Changelings and ponies will eventually come together to coexist peacefully. Chorilax and I... we prove that. He and I are close friends. I don't want us to be the first and final example that our species can't exist together under Harmony—I want to see others follow in our hoofsteps."

Savanna hesitated, unsure if she should reveal the truth of what she knew to Jovial.

"Chorilax, um... told me the truth about his relationship with you."

"What‽ Why would he do that?" Jovial Day's eyes widened in panic; it was a facial expression Savanna had never expected to witness on her.

Savanna stammered briefly, struggling to quickly communicate her follow-up statement. "Ah don't think it's wrong. Ah'm proud of both of ya, especially Chorilax for breaking out of his shell. Where ah come from, changelings have started to integrate into pony society, and ah know relationships between them have formed, but it wasn't easy healing a relationship broken years prior. Ah don't think ponies and changelings are incompatible, ah just think they have different mindsets that get in the way."

Jovial released a gentle sigh. "Chorilax... he makes me happy, you know. I enjoy hearing the stories he has to tell. I used to know nothing about changelings and their biology or culture before meeting him. I wasn't taught that, I didn't study it."

"Many ponies probably won't support you, Jovial, but ah want you to know that ah do. That's what Harmony is about, right—creatures coming together?" Savanna smiled.

Jovial Day seemed convinced. She sat back on her haunches, leaning against the wall near the staircase. "I understand you're right, Savanna, I just wish society was different and ponies believed in Harmony again."

"Things will change, ah'm confident in that.

"Chorilax probably won't tell ya," Savanna continued, changing the topic, "so ah'll let ya know now: we shared that bottle of whiskey you gave to him. Ah don't remember much about what happened when we spent that night together, but ah know for certain that he got real silly."

"Really?" Jovial considered this, giggling. "I can't even imagine him acting that way!"

Savanna gently giggled, recalling all she could. "It was... fun," she admitted. "Ah remember having fun that night. The hangover the morning after wasn't worth it, though."

"Alcohol dehydrates you—that's what causes the headaches and fatigue. I recommend you try drinking water in tandem with alcohol next time," Nurse Jovi recommended, giving her professional, medical advice.

"Ah don't intend for there ever to be a next time. That was a one-time thing."

"Fair enough." Jovial nodded. "I'm reassured to hear your first experience with alcohol went well. Acting irresponsibly never leads to good fortune.

"Now I know what to talk about with Chorilax the next available moment we can share alone. I want to hear what he has to say about the experience he shared with you." Jovial gently chuckled at the prospect.

Savanna smiled. She excused herself, traveling upstairs in search of Chorilax.

Passing through the grand bedroom that yielded to the balcony, Savanna glanced in the direction of the large bed. Beneath, she suspected the cardboard boxes full of torn-down Emperian military propaganda posters still lied.

In the corner of the room where she had chatted with the rebel stallion several days prior, the radio rested on the wooden table. It was activated, quietly playing some new, unfamiliar music. Chorilax experimented with the foreign device, trying to deduce how to modify the volume.

Due to, presumably, his annoyance and impatience, his thin, papery wings were extended, fluttering. Maybe he was just stretching and Savanna was overthinking it.

She lingered behind the changeling for a moment, observing his wings with fascination. Chorilax had, in fact, been the first changeling she had ever beheld with her own eyes. Savanna had heard stories of reformed and unreformed changelings and descriptions of their physical features. They, however, hadn't prepared her to witness the majesty that was changeling anatomy: Chorilax's shiny, black exoskeleton, his intimidating, timberwolf-like fangs that had been bared at her before, and, most-importantly, his wings. As delicate as gossamer or paper, they were translucent and imprinted with a unique spiderweb of intricate patterns. They were like ovoidal panes of blue stained glass. Pegasi would probably be quite jealous of such magnificent wings, considering their own were merely made of feathers. Even Night Owl's wings, despite being thin and papery and having a mildly-abrasive texture, were opaque and, therefore, not as stunning.

Savanna could have dedicated more time to studying Chorilax's intriguing wings, but decided not to out of fear of offending him somehow.

"Try the little, circular dial on the left."

Chorilax's wings folded neatly beneath his elytra, then he accepted the advice and twisted the radio's dial, successfully raising its volume so the music could be comfortably listened to. "Thanks. Blasted device."

"Ah'm leavin' today."

"You're traveling to Cerulia, aren't you? Maverick informed me of your plans."

He looked over, and their gazes met. They shared a moment of direct eye contact. Savanna considered, again, how intimidating the changeling's piercing, arctic-blue eyes were. She was thankful she and Chorilax weren't enemies.

"Rose was wrong to antagonize you, Savanna. You have no obligation to stay and should leave this country as quickly as possible. Amethyst, the uh..." He struggled to select an appropriate word, eventually giving up. "...the hatchling, she's accompanying you, isn't she?"

Savanna raised an eyebrow, surprised to hear the accurate assumption. "Filly," she corrected, "and how did ya know?"

"I noticed how you treat each other with such respect, despite that, I believe, you two are merely acquaintances. Am I wrong and you secretly care for her more than that? Maybe you love her? Why would two ponies be so close, otherwise?"

Savanna blinked, not expecting to have been asked such a question. "No, not at all. She and ah are just friends. Ah do care about her and feel some obligation to stick by her side, but just as her friend."

Chorilax nodded. "I believe I understand. Hatchlings aren't immediately independent when they hatch. It's the responsibility of workers to assure that hatchlings remain fed and healthy until they grow enough to receive their first assignment. I suppose that comparison isn't the most accurate, but, regardless, I can understand the obligation one can feel to care for those who need it. Workers must care for hatchlings. They are very cute," he conceded. "You know, for a brief moment, when I was younger and unsure what assignment to claim, I wanted to act as a worker and care for hatchlings. I truly was lost back then."

"Not obligation—love," Savanna corrected. "You can feel love for your friends, too. Changelings never love each other? You work together, don't you? You cooperate?"

"Changelings love their queen," Chorilax replied, "but never each other, and not hatchlings, either. Besides, most changeling harvesters work alone. Infiltration is easier that way."

"Why don't they love each other?"

"It's impious against our queen," Chorilax explained, "and because changelings never form familial, friendly or romantic relationships. Love is an emotion shared personally between individuals that are in those types of relationships, correct? So, acknowledging that, it's impossible for changelings to feel love for one another."

"You say that like ya think it's tragic. Do you?"

"No. It's natural."

"Ya answered that pretty fast."

There was a brief pause as Chorilax decided between remaining silent and replying. "Emotions are complicated. I don't understand why changelings have a natural obligation to pledge loyalty to their queen. Perhaps it's the result of natural intuition native only to changelings. Regardless, when I grew to reach a certain age and ascended beyond being a mere hatchling, I pledged my loyalty to my queen long ago. I served her for many years, yet, despite that, I only successfully completed a few missions as a love harvester in that time. I... have failed her, I suppose, in that regard. And I have definitely failed my queen with my betrayal to her laws. I still revere her greatly, though, and, given the opportunity, would serve her for as long as I were able to. Is that not love?"

"Ah agree love needs respect—among other things—but that's a mighty twisted perspective."

Chorilax listened to the music playing on the radio quietly for a moment, looking away. Savanna appreciated the brief respite from gazing into the changeling's intense eye contact.

"Conversing with you can be frustrating," Chorilax admitted. "but... truthfully, I have enjoyed our time together. Our arguments stimulated my mind. You remind me of Jovi.

"These are... strange times," Chorilax continued. "I don't quite feel as myself. Years ago if I had encountered you, I would have considered you as nothing but food. Jovi enlightened me—and you have as well. I suppose I should thank you."

"Ah think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Savanna smiled.

Chorilax's blue eyes widened, brightening slightly as he expressed confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ah know you would be happy under the influence of Harmony, Chorilax. Ah can envision a future where you and Jovial are integrated into society and are happy."

Chorilax grimaced, looking away. He grunted in acknowledgment of what had been said, refusing to respond for a moment. "If Harmony were to return, it would make Jovi happy, and... I would do anything to see her happy. I will do anything."

"One day it'll be too late, Chorilax," Savanna warned. "You'll approach the end, confused, afraid and angry at no one but yourself. Maybe in those final moments you'll finally have your revelation, but it'll come too late to matter. Ah genuinely believe you should accept Harmony, but if you choose not to, that's okay. That's for you to decide. But stop fighting yourself and make a decision. Loyalty is important, but... only if you feel it for what really matters to you. What really matters."

Chorilax grunted, avoiding eye contact. He hissed angrily, briefly baring his sharp fangs. "I hate Loyalty. I despise the Elements. I wish Jovial had never explained them to me. You ponies act like there exists a golden standard everyone must achieve—and it's too restrictive for edge cases."

"It's not easy determining what you should be Loyal to," Savanna conceded, sighing. "Changelings have a strong bond to their queen, so... ah wouldn't blame you if you chose to remain loyal to her. Ah guess it's unfair of me to suggest that you abandon your old life altogether and try to fit into a pre-determined mold. Like an oven-baked cookie cut from a stencil."

The song on the radio changed. After what felt like an eternity of silence, Chorilax spoke. "Did... you just compare me to a cookie?"

Savanna giggled. "Yeah, ah guess ah did. Ah wasn't thinkin' about what ah was saying."

Unamused, Chorilax shrugged, changing the subject. "I'm sorry about what happened in Queensland."

"No offense taken. Ponies make mistakes—changelings too, ah wager. We miscalculate, screw up and learn. It's normal. Everyone does it."

"Miscalculate," Chorilax repeated, looking away as he thought.

Savanna hesitated before launching into a different conversation topic. "How did you two meet, you and Jovial?"

"That... is a long and private story."

"Come on," Savanna gently encouraged him to speak. "Ah'm not tryin' to be rude, but who else will ya tell that story to?"

Chorilax silently nodded in acknowledgment. "I met her several months ago in a hospital in Cerise. She healed me after I, er..."

Realizing his summary of the story wasn't sufficiently detailed, Chorilax began again. "At the time, the revolution wasn't as organized as it is now. In fact, it was in its juvenile stages of development. This was so long ago that my queen wasn't aware of the plight of Emperian ponies living under their new, oppressive leader. She assigned me my final job as a love harvester and ordered I travel to Cerise to seek a target.

"It was in that city's streets where I encountered two changelings I knew. We weren't on the same mission—"

"Friends of yours?" Savanna wondered aloud. "Or partners?"

"No. They weren't my friends, nor my partners. I never worked with them before. I only knew their names and preferred pony disguises because they were infamous for being very hot-headed and needlessly aggressive in our hive.

"Somehow, they had managed to instigate a brawl with several ponies in the street when I arrived. I don't know who started it and I don't know who emerged victorious. I only know that when I tried to physically become involved and stop those idiots from fighting and potentially revealing their and my own concealed identities, someone, confused in the frenzy, bucked me directly in the head. The blow chipped my horn," Chorilax remarked, "but after carefully filing and sharpening it anew, I discovered it still functioned normally."

Savanna winced, imagining how painful it would be to be bucked in the head by a fully-grown, angry stallion or changeling. "Ah'm sorry that happened to ya."

"Don't feel sympathy. The rest of the night onward from that point was a blur. I scarcely remember what happened, or in how much pain I was. What I know for a fact is that Jovi saved my life."

Chorilax paused, his eyes narrowing as he frowned, considering something he had never considered before. "I never considered this before, but, as far as I'm aware, changeling anatomy is very different from pony anatomy, and considering how unicorns have probably never had an opportunity to heal a changeling prior to that moment, she... truly did gamble in her attempt to save my life. I really am indebted to her.

"Regardless, after I was rendered unconscious, I later awoke in a hospital bed in a Cerise hospital after being revived by Jovial. She swore to me that she tried healing me for hours through the night and until dawn. I believed her then, and I still do now.

"I'm able to recall the following week after I first awoke in the hospital bed clearly. That was the first time I had ever, er..." Chorilax hesitated. Savanna detected embarrassment in his facial expression.

"That was the first night I hugged someone. Jovi, in her excitement, embraced me after witnessing me stand on my own for the first time since I was injured in that fight. My mind had been scrambled. The first time I attempted to stand on my own before fully recovering, I fell over. I was stubborn and didn't try only once, but none of the attempts were ever successful until a week had passed of mental recovery.

"After witnessing me successfully walk again, Jovi suggested I stay in the hospital for at least another week to fully recover. Coincidentally, though, that night would be the final night I spent in that hospital. The following afternoon, I awoke to discovery everypony had vanished. It was... terrifying, admittedly. Witnessing the once lively, bustling place transform was bizarre.

"Immediately, I feared for Jovi's safety. Fortunately, she was one of the few ponies who elected to stay behind. That was the day thousands of ponies originating from all across the city had gathered to protest on Main Street. I don't recall why they intended to gather originally, but I understand they weren't all nurses or doctors. Jovial told me musicians, engineers, teachers and other ponies attended the protest too.

"I digress. Jovi remained by my side through it all. After the CED called in reinforcements and the military arrived, some of the ponies protesting were shot. Jovial and I evacuated during the resulting chaos and fled here.

"When we arrived at Juniper, I had decided that my mission was a failure and I should report back to my queen to alert her of what had transpired. Jovi convinced me not to. We... she, er..."

Chorilax looked sheepish for a brief moment. "She had devised a plan to help me obtain love magic to return to the hive. I won't detail exactly what happened that night, but... I believe I'm the first changeling to have ever drawn love magic from a host who willingly gave it. I also believe I'm the first undisguised changeling to have ever kissed a pony.

"That is how I earned my ambrosia, by the way. It's Jovial's. That's why it's special to me."

Savanna giggled, enjoying listening to the scandalous story.

"I got carried away expressing my emotions there. That's how I met Jovi," Chorilax explained. He smiled dimly, reminiscing. "That mare was the first pony to treat me with kindness. You're the second."

Chorilax shifted his weight during another pause in the conversation, subtly stretching. "I've heard rumors from the rebels that ponies are fleeing across the southern ocean to Era to escape the war—due to fear, cowardice or something else entirely, I'm not sure. I haven't given Jovi this advice yet, but I think she should flee to Era. Not only that, but I want to accompany her. It may be cowardly for me to retreat and attempt to evade the punishment I know my queen would inflict upon me if word ever leaked that I betrayed changeling law, but... I care about Jovi so much. It's my duty to protect her. I'm willing to live as a coward and an outcast if I must in order to be with her."

"When are you leaving?"

"I'm not sure if I even will, to be honest. I have, still, assignments left to complete. Maverick ordered me to send word to Queen Silver that Queen Melody will soon reclaim authority and control over Emperia. Before that, though, she could make their alliance official and transform the revolution into something more true and realized. That hinges on you delivering the necessary information to Queen Melody, of course. That should be no problem, considering you will already be speaking with her.

Assuming they both agree to form an official alliance, I've already devised a title for their bond: 'The Royal Coalition'. Afterward, with the theoretical blessing of both queens, Maverick, I and Rose will plan how to invade the capital and finally retake the throne, capturing or killing Valor in the process. Personally, I think he should be executed," Chorilax affirmed, "but a vote will probably be held to decide his fate. That is assuming the slippery bastard can be captured."

Shivers ran down Savanna's spine; the finality of Chorilax's words were impactful. She couldn't think of an appropriate way to respond. The concept of the rebels finally retaking the throne and working to rebuild the country and heal the wounds caused by war was tantalizing. It sounded like an unrealistic plan, though. Everything had been planned without room for improvisation in the event that something went wrong.

"Good luck."

"Good luck to you as well, Savanna. We all entrust you with the task of delivering this message."

"You can rely on me." Savanna stood, sensing the conversation was drawing to a conclusion. "Amethyst and ah will let Queen Melody know everything.

"Thank you, by the way. Ah know it isn't easy for you to talk about your emotions, so ah'm glad you had the courage to share your thoughts with me. Thank you. It means a lot to me. Ah... do consider us friends, even if you don't. Ah wish we could be."

Savanna took a step forward, wanting to reach out for a hug. She raised a foreleg, but quickly dropped it onto the floor again, regretting even conceiving the idea.

She was surprised when Chorilax stepped forward and extended a hoof. He placed it on one of her shoulders, patting. He nodded silently, expressing emotion without words. Savanna nodded in response, nodding a farewell. She smiled.

She left the room feeling content.

Downstairs, Savanna was about to continue her search for Amethyst but peeked into the house's kitchen and noticed a pair of ponies were cooperating together to prepare ingredients to make food. It would soon be time for a meal.

Savanna observed as the two unicorns effortlessly juggled ingredients and tools with levitation magic, doing several tasks simultaneously. Carrots, onions, green onions, potatoes, leafy greens and other ingredients were being chopped precisely and deposited into a large cauldron filled with water.

As Savanna observed the skilled chefs prepare the ingredients of a hardy soup, she was reminded of her mother and her cooking. She was a mare of many talents—cooking, farm labor and being an expert mom, among other things.

Savanna thought of the home-cooked meals she had eaten. She recalled her mother's distinct, heavy accent. She smiled.

"Make way! Coming through." Together, the pair of chefs ordered ponies to move out of the way and used their combined levitation magic to hoist the, presumably, heavy cauldron to the study, where it was then secured above a fire crackling in the fireplace.

When the soup had finished boiling, Savanna waited in line and poured a bowl for herself, carrying it as she resumed her search for her friend. She checked the areas she hadn't yet searched in, peeking out of the front doorway to check outside.

Eventually, Savanna peeked out of the back doorway and noticed Amethyst sitting outside at one of the wooden table reading her mystery novel.

It was cold outside. Savanna resisted the urge to shiver as she trotted forward, depositing the bowl of soup she had been holding in her teeth onto the wooden table. "Mornin'," Savanna greeted her friend, her mouth no longer full. "This is for you."

"Good morning," Amethyst greeted politely, smiling, "and thank you!" She set her book aside and nudged the bowl closer to herself, poking at the ingredients within with a levitated fork.

When Savanna returned after pouring herself a bowl of soup, she took a seat across the table from Amethyst, setting her bowl before herself.

"Cold today," Savanna commented.

"It'll be winter soon. It's only going to get worse. It may feel more bearable once we start walking."

They chatted infrequently. Savanna was contemplating. She decided that her final farewell to all of her friends had been appropriate, except for her conversation with Rose. She had tried earnestly to befriend Rose, but that mare simply wasn't willing to cooperate. That wasn't Savanna's fault.

"I'm not excited to leave."

"Ah'm also feelin' anxious," Savanna admitted.

"It's not just that." Amethyst gazed down into her bowl, poking at the various, assorted ingredients in her soup, delaying and not finishing the meal. "It feels safe here. I like this town. There's so many rebels and civilians here. If we leave..."

Amethyst raised her head, gazing across the table at Savanna. "How many soldiers did you see, Savanna? How many of them were in the parade?"

"Hundreds, or maybe thousands," Savanna estimated. "Ah don't know. Ah remember the huge crowd of ponies watching were all cheering. Live music was being played, too. It was hard to take in all them details at once. So many horseshoes stompin'..."

"There are so many soldiers out there, Savanna. It's safe here. We... don't have to leave right now, do we? Maybe it would be safer if we stayed put?"

"Nopony knew who ah was or tried to stop me when ah was in Queensland," Savanna insisted. It wasn't entirely true, but not entirely a lie, either. "Ah did get into an argument with this one mare, but that's a whole 'nother story. We'll be fine. We just gotta act like normal kids and not draw attention to ourselves."

"Normal?" Amethyst sighed, looking down at the table. "What is normal, anymore?"

Savanna nodded silently, acknowledging what had been said.

"I don't think I could go back to living a normal life even if I tried..." Amethyst continued, brooding. Her ears laid back sadly.

"We're gonna be outta here soon. You can forget about all this," Savanna suggested, "and move on."

"Could you forget about any of this?" Amethyst demanded. When Savanna predictably neglected to reply, Amethyst threw one of her hooves forward, gesticulating. "Don't just shut up and stare at me or somewhere else like you usually do—answer me!"

Forced to consider the question she had been asked, Savanna broke eye contact with her friend and looked away, frowning. Not only had she spoken automatically without considering her own words, but it had been hypocritical and unhelpful. Savanna, the pony who sometimes acted secretive or dispirited, served advice she, herself, didn't believe.

in truth, Savanna had almost forgotten. She knew the relatively-peaceful state of mind couldn't last forever, though. The fun she had with Chorilax had almost disguised her internal, hidden feelings. Having deep conversations with Chorilax about the purpose of life, drinking with him, cuddling with Amethyst, saving Rose's life only for her to betray Savanna's blind loyalty with hostility—did any of it matter? Did her memories of home matter? Did her hopes? Did anything matter in comparison to how evil and terrible and ignorant ponies in Emperia could be...

...herself included?

Without her consent, Savanna began recalling the anger, surprise and pain on the face of the CED stallion she had shot. She recalled his voice. She remembered the way he had lied in the mud, motionless, with his mane swaying from a passing breeze.

That could have been her in that moment of hysteria. Savanna had risked her life to save a wanted mare who betrayed her in the end—it could have been her lying there in the mud and rain. Would Rose have abandoned her and fled to save her own hide?

Maybe it should have been Savanna after all.

"Amethyst, ah, um..." Feeling shameful and physically ill, Savanna couldn't find the words to speak. She hung her head low, avoiding the gaze of her friend.

She didn't want to remember. She wanted so desperately to accept her own advice, to move on and forget. Amethyst, her friend, was sitting directly in front of her. Savanna could move, she could leave the chair she was sitting on and stand up and move forward to comfort her friend and tell her that things would be alright. Things would be alright if they just stayed together and remained Loyal to one another. But Savanna couldn't move.

"Savanna."

Savanna raised her head, gazing in the direction she had heard her name being called. Maverick stood beside her at the table, assuming a tall, straight stance as he prepared to give orders. When he noticed Savanna and Amethyst's sad facial expressions, though, he hesitated, raising an eyebrow. Only concerned with business, he offered a quick remark, lacking true sympathy for either filly.

"Sorry to interrupt. Savanna, I've called a stallion I am in close contact with who lives on the western coast. He confirmed he's able to provide a boat for your transport."

After waiting for appraisal that never came, Maverick continued.

"A word of warning for you both: nopony knows how concentrated military or CED presence in Cerulia has grown since the queen's exile. What once had been a modest allocation of guards could now have grown to be a small army. Be careful."

Savanna barely managed to register the information that had been delivered to her.

"Got it."

Maverick nodded. Having delivered his message and fulfilled his purpose, he turned, withdrawing back into the house.

"I'm sorry if you thought I was angry, Savanna," Amethyst apologized. "I'm not. I'm just... frustrated."

Savanna gazed across the table at her friend. She wanted to smile and assure her things would be okay, but she wasn't certain that was even true at the moment.

She felt like a migrating bird flying unconsciously on autopilot at the head of a V-formation, traveling hundreds of miles. Many steps of her journey so far had felt unconscious. Savanna was moving, but was she really in control?

Had she really shot that stallion...?

"Can we leave now, Savanna? I think I'm ready. I want to start walking and clear my mind."

Savanna met Amethyst's gaze with her own. "Yeah. We really should get moving."

Amethyst didn't finish her soup. They left their dishes outside. Briefly, Savanna considered how it was a rude gesture, but she made no attempt to fix her mistake.

Inside, Savanna gathered her belongings and assured that nothing was missing or had been misplaced. Before she donned her rain poncho, she hesitated, acknowledging how thin it was and how vulnerable it was to windchill. She searched the house one final time for her friend and found him in the study.

Chorilax, though, stubbornly refused to give them winter clothing, affirming the rebels were already undersupplied and needed as much clothing as possible.

"Come on," Savanna bargained, "ya owe me one small favor by now, right?"

Chorilax shook his head silently, insistent.

Disappointed, Savanna returned to Amethyst to deliver the bad news.

"We could build a fire if it doesn't rain soon," Amethyst suggested.

"It'll have to do." Savanna tried not to sound too disappointed.

Savanna slung her satchel's strap over her shoulder and slipped her rain poncho on overtop. Dressed, she waited for Amethyst to give the all-clear before they could leave. She noticed her friend had also packed a saddlebag full of personal belongings, but Savanna neglected to ask what was inside for brevity's sake.

When she opened the front door, a blast of invading cold air made Savanna shiver. Amethyst, standing beside her, exhaled sharply in reaction to the weather outdoors. "It's not too late to go back inside..."

Savanna didn't respond, convinced that she would never make progress if she didn't start moving.

Citizens of Juniper stared as Savanna passed through town, but she paid them no mind. she was relived to finally have a friend walking beside her. She had never been afraid of the ponies in town harassing or harming her, but she respected the philosophy of safety being amplified by grouping together.

The trees growing atop the tall ridge to the right on the western outskirts of town rained golden and red leaves down, blanketing the dirt road. Some danced in the air, roused by the cold breeze. Casually, Savanna wondered when was the last time she had danced. She distinctly remembered trying and failing to teach her friend Spotlight how to perform a particularly-challenging western dance. Unfortunately, it had been too much too soon for the inexperienced filly.

Left, tall grasses and Typha grew adjacent to the lake. Ringing the circumference of the body of water was a light frost. The water was beginning to freeze.

Autumn was beautiful. Despite the fact there was no magical flora in sight to capture, Savanna stopped to take pictures. For once, her companion accompanying her consented and even encouraged her.

"Chorilax told me magical plants are disappearing," Savanna spoke, making conversation. "Males for a real borin' picture."

"Animals too," Amethyst confirmed. "It's... sad, especially knowing there's nothing ponies can do right now to help them.

"I heard a rumor that somepony in town saw a snow-white Mesmerizer pup foraging for food near the lake recently."

"A... what now?" Savanna raised an eyebrow, confused. Quickly, though, she recalled an entry in a guide dedicated to magical animals that she had read. Mesmerizers were magical animals, distant relatives to wolves that had evolved a unique defense mechanism to ward off threats.

"Mesmerizer," Amethyst repeated. "Their pups are cute. They look like little baby fawns with their horns."

"Ah've seen pictures," Savanna confirmed. "Do ya know Caravi?"

"Everypony knows what those are." Amethyst frowned thoughtfully. "I hope we don't bump into a Caravis. Or a flock.

"Ah did 'bout a week ago. Not a flock, but it did try to eat me."

"Really?" Impressed, Amethyst's eyes widened. Immediately, though, she made an assumption, assuming the worst. "Y - you didn't shoot it to escape safely, did you...?"

"No." Savanna shook her head firmly. "Ah didn't even consider that at the time. Ah just got real lucky and managed to escape with mah life. Ah did manage to take a picture of one of its fledglings, though."

Amethyst stopped in the middle of the road, intrigued. She looked over. "Can I see?"

Savanna swept her rain poncho out of the way and reached into her satchel, drawing out the little bundle of photographs she had been collecting. She flipped through them, selecting the photo of the Caravis fledgling. Its scary eyes were glaring and its mouth was open as it hissed, revealing its juvenile teeth. Savanna offered the photo to her friend.

Amethyst levitated the photograph, taking a closer look. When she was finished, she returned it to her friend. "Wow! How did you...?"

Savanna placed it and the other photographs back within her satchel and closed the flap, adjusting her bag's strap. She started from the beginning, recounting the events leading up to her encounter with the Caravis and its fledglings as it attacked her for stepping too close to its nest.

As they talked, they approached a fork in the road. To the right, the road led up a hill gradually in the direction of Queensland. To the left was territory Savanna had yet to explore.

They turned left at the crossroads.

"Its body was too big to squeeze between the tightly-knit trees—especially with them huge wings—so ah was safe inside the forest 'til nightfall..." Savanna trailed off. "Now that ah think about it, we're gonna be outta road by the time ah'm done tellin' this story."

Despite her comment, the road, in fact, continued to stretch onwards into the distance. The trees of the forest almost seemed to stretch upwards and inwards, reaching toward each other over the road. Savanna had contracted tunnel-vision.

She chuckled. "Maybe you should just read my journal. Make it a whole lot easier."

They continued to chat back and forth. Savanna was enjoying her friend's company so much that she almost neglected to notice the thin, vertical plume of smoke snaking through the sky, visible through the leaves of the trees above.

"Do ya see that too?"

Amethyst stopped walking, gazing up into the sky as she observed the plume of smoke continue to rise, contorting in a gentle breeze.

"That smoke could be anything, Savanna. We should just leave it be and keep following this road and head right past."

"It could be friendly ponies! Don't you want to take a break from walking? It's cold out here. We could at least go take a look," Savanna prodded, struggling to remain optimistic. Still, internally, she knew her friend was correct. Being paranoid was the smart thing to do if they wanted to remain safe and out of harm's way.

Amethyst whined audibly, exasperated. "This is a dumb idea. I'm not tired of walking yet."

Savanna perceived her friend's reply as a urge for her to move forward. It was only when Savanna took a few steps off of the main trail and began following a thinner path that she began to sense a vague sensation of dread. Maybe Amethyst had been right—maybe it was a dumb idea to leave the main road.

Fortunately, Savanna and Amethyst's fears had been for naught. The thin trail led to a wide, flat clearing of open ground. An isolated temple stood in the center of the clearing. The smoke that Savanna and her friend had spotted earlier lazily rose from a chimney.

Despite being small and constructed mostly of wood, Savanna knew it was a shrine dedicated to the sun and moon goddesses. She recognized the gold dual star-and-moon symbol that was suspended from a pointy spike atop the temple's roof.

"That symbol looks familiar..." Amethyst commented, squinting as she focused, trying to get a better look from a distance.

Savanna was relieved they had discovered a place where they could take shelter from the cold weather. Still, she remained vigilant. "Can ya stand on mah back and peek into one of them windows?"

When Amethyst nodded, agreeing to cooperate, Savanna trotted over and positioned herself below one of the shrine's colorful glass windows. She planted her hooves into the dirt firmly and held her body steady as Amethyst climbed up onto her back and utilized the extra height to peek into one of the windows.

"What do ya see?"

"There's ponies inside," Amethyst confirmed. "A lot of them. They're not soldiers, though, or CED."

Savanna grunted as Amethyst hopped off her back and landed onto the ground safely. "Easy!"

"Sorry!"

Savanna whistled, stretching her legs one at a time. "No big deal. Ah'm just a little stiff, is all. Well, should we knock?"

"It'll probably be warm inside," Amethyst deduced, "and, frankly, that's all I care about."

Savanna nodded in agreement.

Together, they climbed a few wooden steps toward the shrine's front entrance. A loudly-creaking board below one of Savanna's hooves made her hesitate, lifting the hoof that had triggered the noise.

Immediately, the ponies inside scrambled around chaotically in reaction to the noise. Hushed orders were briefly exchanged. An old stallion slowly cracked open the heavy, creaky door, peeking his head outside. Witnessing two fillies on the doorstep, he opened the door completely, no longer suspicious of who was outside.

The stallion looked as old and decrepit as the shrine he stood in. His height had shrunken with age, and he had lost some hair in his mane. His clothing identified him as a preacher; his wrinkled orange-and-blue robe was imprinted with the symbol of the goddesses. He looked old, wise and the opposite of intimidating.

"Please, enter," the old stallion suggested at once, stepping aside to make room. "It's quite cold outside today."

Grateful to see a friendly face, Savanna entered the shrine without a second thought, taking a look around.

Despite being comparatively-rudimentary as opposed to the magnificent shrine's ruins Savanna had witnessed in Cerise, the one she currently stood in was still highly decorated. Orange-and-blue banners hung symmetrically from the ceiling, along with a decorative, hanging chandelier made of bright, polished crystal. Seats and chairs that had once been organized in rows had been shoved aside and stacked neatly or broken down for firewood. Small bookshelves adorning the walls between the tall, thin, vertical windows were all packed with the same few, identical books. On one of the longer walls of the rectangular shrine, a huge stone fireplace sheltered an ignited fire that helped keep the shrine feeling warm and safe.

Savanna padded through the big room, her hooves creating subtle thumps against a strip of carpet running through the center of the room. It continued onwards, past the fireplace and up a small flight of stairs to a raised platform where a lectern stood.

"Where did everypony go?" Savanna asked, curious, not spotting any obvious hiding spots in the room. There were no tall dressers or bedframes. The rafters above were composed entirely of thin planks of wood, unbefitting for any pegasi attempting to perch.

The old preacher stepped up onto the platform and assumed his position behind the lectern. "This place of worship had never experienced emptiness for long stretches of time," he explained, ignoring the question, "before the war. And now, still, ponies come and go, seeking shelter or comfort. Ponies like you two."

Amethyst silently looked around, taking in the sights, then left Savanna's side and went to investigate one of the bookshelves.

Realizing she may never have a better opportunity, Savanna decide to finally ask a few questions that she had been wondering for a while.

"Are the goddesses real?"

"They are as real as you or I," the old preacher replied. "Once upon a time, years ago, they walked amongst us ponies, here, in ancient Emperia. Old tales suggest that the goddesses were capable of performing miraculous acts no unicorn or magic could ever hope of replicating. The reason they vanished is unknown. Perhaps our ancestors failed to appropriately appreciate the miracles they performed."

"So if the goddesses were real at one point, where did they go when they disappeared? Why haven't they ever returned?"

The preacher gently nodded, as if he had anticipated Savanna's question. "Nopony knows."

Savanna paused, pondering. She had heard stories and firsthand accounts of Discord's, the God of Chaos's, abilities. She understood his powers were well beyond what any alicorn pony was capable of.

The idea that multiple gods or goddesses had once wandered the world and performed miracles was fascinating and terrifying. Many years ago, Discord had singlehandedly frozen Equestria in a state of havoc with his chaotic powers. The world needed only one god, not more.

"They... weren't alicorns, were they?"

"No. Luminescence and Obysious merely assumed the physical forms of alicorns. According to all known legends and accounts, ponykind has never witnessed the true forms of the goddesses."

Despite having her questions answered promptly and clearly, Savanna felt unsatisfied. Everything in Emperia was foreign and distant, yet faintly-recognizable. Nothing made her miss Equestria more than Emperia reminding her of what she was missing at home. The retired princesses Celestia and Luna never abandoned their subjects.

"Perhaps you could find the time to consult the scriptures of old?" The preacher recommended, motioning to one of the bookcases lining the walls. "They have been translated from the olden languages for the sake of convenience.

"Sources of comfort are difficult enough to rely on in these troubled times. Some ponies pursue faith. It is my responsibility to guide those ponies."

Savanna shook her head. "Ah'm 'fraid not, sir," she politely insisted. "Mah friend and ah aren't here to hide out until the war is over. We're only stoppin' to warm ourselves up."

"Very well." The preacher nodded understandingly. "Everypony is welcome here, regardless of their relationship with the goddesses."

He stomped onto the wooden floor with a hoof, creating a loud bang, then swept a portion of the long carpet aside. "You can come out now, everypony. It's safe."

A camouflaged trapdoor, once revealed, swung upwards and open. Ponies stepped outwards from the concealed staircase. Presumably, they were the same ponies Amethyst had spotted from outside through the window.

Savanna was relieved when she recognized some familiar faces from Queensland. Ginger and Roly Poly, the two foals, were safe, along with their mother. Savanna recognized some rebel ponies and disguised changelings. It seemed a few creatures had decided—or were ordered—to relocate to this isolated shrine.

There were new faces. There was a young mare who looked like she was from an island, judging by her vivid hair colors and tropical-flower cutiemark.

Savanna was surprised when she noticed one of the ponies she didn't recognize was wearing a military winter uniform. He even still donned the standard steel horseshoes on his hooves. The pegasus stallion looked awkward and out of place. While everypony fanned out and formed small groups, the lone stallion flew up to where the chairs had been stacked and claimed one for himself. He landed and placed the chair in an isolated corner, sitting by himself.

Savanna was so curious that she approached the stallion with little hesitation, certain that he wouldn't try to harm her in front of countless witnesses.

Indeed, the stallion was not hostile. He intentionally avoided Savanna's eye contact for a moment as she approached before recognizing that was staring at him and clearly wanted something.

"What do you need, kid?"

"Are you...?" Savanna failed to finish her question, trailing off. The stallion was wearing the same uniform that she had witnessed the soldiers wearing at the military parade in Queensland.

The stallion didn't reply for a moment. He swallowed heavily, glancing away. "No. Not anymore."

"Why are you here? Why are you... alone?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? I fled. I left my unit.

"If you're going to accuse me of being a terrible pony for abandoning my country and all Emperians in their time of need, save it. I've heard that enough from ponies." The stallion glowered, looking down at the floor.

Savanna shook her head. "No, ah wasn't gonna say that at all."

When the stallion raised his head again and discovered that Savanna was still standing in front of him and staring, he blinked, confused. "Why are you still standing there? What do you want?"

"Why did ya desert your post?"

The stallion sighed, glancing away as he considered how to reply. "Why do you care?"

"It... seems to really be botherin' ya a whole lot. And 'sides, you're the first soldier ah've met who hasn't tried to, er... hurt me in some way. Ah wanna know more about y'all."

Savanna bit her lip, uncomfortable by the awkward silence that followed.

Eventually, the stallion narrowed his eyes, grimacing. "You're barking up the wrong tree, kid. I don't know jack about what goes through the heads of some of the ponies I used to work with. Some of the things I've seen... and been ordered to do... are unbelievable. The preemptive attack on the changelings in their hive, our presence in Cerulia, then the chaos in Cerise. I fled after my officer ordered me to fire into the crowd of protesters there a few months ago. That was the last straw for me. I refused. I refused to do that.

"If you had any family or friends there, I'm... sorry. I didn't expect things to get so out of control. I didn't know we were going in to try to clear such a massive crowd.

"It should have been the CED's job, anyway. They shouldn't have let so many ponies gather together in the first place. Then again, they were lacking equipment and training—still are. Even if I hadn't been there as a witness, though, I still would have surrendered my Loyalty to the military anyway. You have to be in a real fucked-up mindset to be a soldier in this country. Or... maybe all you need to be is brainwashed like I was."

The stallion fell still and quiet, failing to elaborate.

"Why did you enlist in the first place?"

When she asked the question, Savanna immediately regretted it, realizing her tone had sounded accusatory. She expected to see anger in the stallion's expression, but all she detected was sadness.

"I was tricked," he conceded. "I was a fool, same as everypony else. Dumb and impressionable. I took the lies the propaganda spread as truth and pledged my Loyalty to a cause undeserving. I actually thought I could make a difference and serve my country in a meaningful way. I thought being a soldier was about order and power. Instead, I was ordered to terrorize ponies, march in those stupid parades and... kill ponies, most probably innocent to a degree."

Savanna laid her ears back sadly. She had previously been content knowing that one thing in Emperia was certain: the CED and military were the enemy. Now, she was unsure of even that.

"Ah think ah, um..." Savanna trailed off, looking away. Revealing the honest truth was difficult. It didn't help that after listening to the stallion's sad story, she was feeling sensitive and emotional.

"Ah think ah killed somepony... CED... ah shot him."

The stallion's eyebrows dipped low in a deep frown. He pursed his lips. "Why?"

"The situation, it got out of control. Ah was travelin' with this mare, and they were tryin' to capture the both of us, but... ah stopped them."

"There are a lot of wanted ponies. There's been so much chaos recently because of them. I knew somepony in a unit who were ordered to capture a mare last month... None of them reported back."

"The rebels, they want Harmony. Don't you think... it's worth a try? You should help them. From what ah've heard, they need as much help as they can get."

"I left, kid," the stallion insisted. "It's over for me. My motivation is spent. I don't want any part in this fight anymore."

Savanna sat back on her haunches and gazed down at the floor, quietly ruminating.

"What's your name?"

"Torrential Downpour. I was a weather-pegasus years ago before Valor ordered the weather to be automated by a magic spell."

Savanna glanced at the stallion's cutiemark. It was a depiction of a few small rainclouds deploying an overwhelming amount of rain.

"I didn't make any real friends when I was in the military, but my officer called me Torrent. It's the short version of my name."

"Savanna," Savanna introduced herself. "Dry Savanna. Ah was a farmin' pony before comin' here. Ah still am at heart. Ah'm goin' home eventually." Savanna sighed. "Eventually..."

"Why are you here?"

"What?" Savanna blinked, not comprehending the unexpected question. "What do ya mean?"

"You should be taking shelter at home, not wandering. You don't strike me as a rebel pony, you're a little... soft, and young, no offense."

Savanna nodded in agreement. "No offense taken—it's true. Mah friend and ah are headin' west. Don't want to pick any fights, we're deliverin' a message to Queen Melody asking if she agrees to the idea of forming an alliance with the changeling queen and combining their strengths."

"The rebels are planning to reinstate the queen? The changelings are... what‽ The changelings want to cooperate?" Torrent's eyes widened in surprise.

"There are a few changelings in this room right now, actually. That pony over there ain't actually a pony. Ah met 'em in Queensland." Savanna looked in the direction of one of the disguised changelings she recognized from Queensland and raised a hoof, waving. The changeling noticed her looking his way and politely nodded in greeting.

Torrent absorbed the influx of new information before speaking again. "You... trust them? The changelings?"

Savanna thought of Chorilax and her escapades with him. She thought of how he had saved her life and how she had saved his, too, in Queensland after the failed assassination. She recalled when they had gotten drunk together. She smiled dimly. "Yeah. Ah'm friends with one. They seem to be okay folk."

"How can you be friends with one of them? They're..." Torrent trailed off, altering his sentence. "They used to be enemies of all ponykind!"

"Used to be," Savanna echoed, raising a hoof in objection. "Could return to being enemies again in the future, ah'm not blind. For now, though, they're allies."

"So you're telling me their queen made a proposal and you just expect her and the changelings to keep their promise?"

"Yeah. It's a long story, but... circumstances recently may be motivating the queen to act more humbly than a changeling queen might otherwise." Savanna considered the limited information Chorilax had shared with her regarding the massacre of changelings and their previous queen. They, as a species, could potentially be low in population and not yet prepared for warfare, even if they desired it. Fortunately, it seemed Queen Silver was wise and understood the consequences of further aggression. Now was the time for diplomacy.

"From what I've seen, changelings can be gullible brutes who follow their queen's orders without question. They could easily betray our trust and backstab us."

"You're one to talk." Savanna raised an eyebrow accusingly.

Torrent scowled. He changed the topic. "There'll be many ponies who won't accept Queen Melody being reinstated. I'm not so hot on the idea, either. Valor could be leading the country far worse. How can you be sure Melody will be a better ruler? Why fight for change if it isn't guaranteed to be an improvement?"

"Harmony existed when she still held the throne."

"Harmony?" Torrent raised an eyebrow.

Savanna frowned, saddened. "You've never heard of Harmony?"

"I haven't heard anypony talk about that in a long time. I've... forgotten, mostly, by now."

"Harmony did exist," Amethyst affirmed, stepping beside Savanna from behind. Apparently, she had been eavesdropping on the conversation. "I used to have friends and... live a normal life.

"It's peace. Harmony is peace; it's right there in the name. No war, no hate," Amethyst clarified. "I know no one wants this war—not even the military, probably."

"Well, like I told your friend, kid, they're fools just following orders. There isn't much anypony can do to stop that train now that it's gained so much momentum." Torrent sighed.

The stallion leaned back in the chair he was sitting in, closing his eyes. Savanna and Amethyst exchanged a glance. Apparently, their conversation with him had drawn to a close.

"We can leave soon, Savanna, whenever you're ready. I'm already feeling better."

Savanna shook her head. "Ah think ah'm gonna take today off, Amethyst. Ah'm gonna read this book ah've been haulin' around for a while now."

"You trust these ponies?"

"Ah know some of 'em from Queensland. The new guy—he seems alright." She motioned to Torrent with a hoof. "Dangerous ponies don't typically spill the beans like he did just now."

Amethyst shrugged, not attempting to argue. "Let's stay close together. A few hours here couldn't hurt, I guess. And I would like to finish my book."

Savanna swept her gaze across the large room, seeking potential spots for her and her friend to claim. They decided on a spot adjacent to the fireplace. It would be warm, and the fire would emit enough light to comfortably read by once the sun set.

Savanna undressed, placed her satchel aside and laid down with her legs folded beneath herself to get comfortable. Finally, she had found time to begin reading the book about pyrokinesis that she had selected from the library in Cerise.

"'A brief study of'... what?" Amethyst exclaimed, incredulous. Apparently, she had read the title of Savanna's book over her shoulder. "You like that sort of stuff? That looks academic. Where'd you find that thing?"

Savanna giggled. "Ah told ya ah like magic!"

Amethyst smiled, amused. She sat back on her haunches beside Savanna, placing one of her hooves on top of her own bag of belongings. "Yeah. It's a shame that's not a book about restoration magic—I would have enjoyed reading it myself. That's magic I want to learn some time in the future.

"There's... a lot of stuff I want to do in the future."

"Never enough time in the world," Savanna noted. "We can do things together, you and ah, if ya wanna."

Amethyst gave the offer no consideration before replying. "I'd like that."

Savanna considered ending the conversation there. She didn't. "Ah'm sorry about... ya know. Ah'm sorry ya don't have anywhere else to go, with your family or otherwise..."

Amethyst sighed. "It's okay. All that's been happening recently, I'm not saying it's good, but... I haven't had much time alone to stop and think. I've been on autopilot." She took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. She laid down on her back and gazed up at the ceiling, relaxing. She watched one of the hanging banners lazily wave in a gentle breeze.

Savanna yawned, opening her book to the table of contents. Sufficiently relaxed, she was intent on reading and enjoying her friend's company for the rest of the day.

X – Savanna – Emperia

The night was quiet and peaceful as Savanna slept, curled up in a little ball beside the crackling fire in the stone fireplace. Ponies were scattered everywhere across the large room within the shrine of the goddesses, sleeping in little, isolated groups.

It wasn't as comfortable as sleeping in the bed in the room she had been assigned in Juniper, but being within the walls of the goddesses' shrine felt safer somehow. Amethyst was close by; she was almost close enough to reach other and touch. Her nearby presence was comforting.

The comfortable sleep wasn't destined to last for the entire night, though.

Savanna awoke from her peaceful slumber to hear the shrill sound of ponies screaming. Immediately, she jerked awake and hopped up onto her hooves, spinning a circle as she searched for Amethyst.

The filly stood beside her, looking as confused and exhausted as she herself felt. "T - the roof! It's on fire!"

Ponies were emerging from the concealed basement, demanding to know what was going on.

"What's happening?" Savanna wondered aloud, looking up. Indeed, the wooden roof of the old shrine was being gradually consumed by a azure-colored magical blaze. Only a unicorn could produce a magical fire like that.

Quickly, Savanna began gathering her belongings, scrambling to get dressed. She fumbled a few times. Her eyes were blurry from tiredness.

"W - we need to get out of here!" Amethyst's tone of voice was higher than normal. She was clearly panicking, light on her hooves as she paced back and forth.

Savanna could feel her chest tightening in fear. She struggled to resist the urge to surrender to complete panic. All she could focus on, though, was the magical fire consuming the roof of the shrine. Occasionally, a small fireball or some sparks would rain down from the ceiling.

A large rock came sailing in through one of the stained glass windows, shattering the thin, delicate glass. More rocks of various sizes shattered more of the gorgeous windows, sending shards of broken glass careening down onto the floor.

"Stay away from the windows!" Someone warned. Defensively, ponies clumped together in the center of the room, taking cover.

One of the beams supporting the rafters above burned to such an extent that it was no longer being supported and fell, almost striking a pony on its way down. Savanna didn't recognize the warning sign immediately, but, in hindsight, it had been an obvious sign of imminent disaster.

The fire weakened the support beams enough to trigger half of the ceiling to buckle and collapse in a cacophony of bending and snapping wood beams. Scraps of wood, nails and other debris came crashing down onto the heads of unsuspecting ponies with a huge crash, followed by a big plume of dust that blinded Savanna and made her choke. She ducked instinctively to avoid being struck by any debris, but none of it reached her side of the room.

"Is everypony okay?"

A changeling emerged from the wreckage unharmed, his sturdy carapace having protected him from shrapnel. Other ponies weren't so lucky.

Savanna watched as ponies began rushing around the room, heading downstairs or checking to assure nopony had been injured by the falling debris. She exchanged a quick glance with Amethyst, looking for advice, but her friend looked as confused as she felt.

Savanna took a few steps forward, her hooves crunching on broken glass as she approached the trapdoor leading down into the basement. She was shoved aside as a group of rebel ponies emerged from below, their mass bristling with guns held in levitation or wings. Savanna swallowed, growing increasingly nervous in reaction to the impending fight.

Seeing a face she recognized, she reached forward with a hoof, touching him on the shoulder to stop him. "Torrent, what's happening?"

"Military, it has to be." The stallion looked tired and distressed. He clutched a pistol in one of his dexterous wings, pointing it upwards in a safe direction. "I don't know how they found us, but I'm getting out of dodge, now. No time to think about it. You kids should too."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but neglected to. "Stay safe." With that final remark, he disappeared downstairs.

Some of the armed ponies began barricading the shrine's front entrance with debris, while others assumed defensive positions, gazing warily at the windows.

Savanna placed a hoof on Amethyst's shoulder to attract her attention. She looked into her friend's eyes, wordlessly acknowledging they should escape—but she wasn't sure how.

"We need to get outside," Amethyst suggested. "We should follow Torrent."

Savanna had no objections. Increasing the space between themselves and the looming fight that was about to occur would be smart.

Downstairs was equally as chaotic as upstairs. Ponies and disguised changelings were rushing around the basement, grabbing weapons, chattering noisily and heading upstairs into the shrine or exiting through an alternative trapdoor to outside.

Amethyst went first, following a group of ponies who had scurried outside. She peeked over the edge where the stairs met a small concrete platform atop the grass, looking for aggressors—those who had thrown the rocks that had broken the shrine's windows.

Savanna swept aside her rain poncho and touched the frame of the revolver hanging from her satchel's strap with one of her hooves. Hearing Torrent's laments about the military and how he was fooled into enlisting made Savanna feel overwhelming sympathy for her enemy. She could have drawn her weapon and flaunted it to defend herself, but made the decision not to.

Outside was significantly more dangerous than inside the shrine. Ponies were yelling, rebel ponies talking amongst themselves and military issuing orders.

It was too dark for Savanna to see beyond the first row of trees in the nearby forest. The azure-colored fire consuming the roof of the shrine barely provided enough light to navigate by. She had an overwhelming suspicion, though, that the military were hiding behind trees and bushes to conceal themselves.

When a shot was fired with a loud boom, some voices hushed and others grew louder. Savanna ducked instinctively, prepared to attempt to hide in the tall, wild grass.

The colors of the walls of the shrine, the clearing itself and trees of the surrounding forest were all being drowned and obscured by the sickly-purple glow of the fire. It was gradually creeping lower down the walls of the shrine. A fireball had dripped onto the grass nearby and started a new fire. The fire was so hot that Savanna could feel its burning passion from what she had previously considered a safe distance.

"Amethyst!"

When Savanna called for her friend, she heard a shot ring out and a zipping sound as the bullet whizzed past her at a ludicrous speed and buried itself into the wooden wall of the shrine behind her with the sound of a whip-cracking. Savanna flinched, staying low in the grass. Did whoever was shooting have no regard for who they were aiming at?

A shrill scream from behind the shrine made Savanna's ears swivel in the direction of the sound. She recognized that it was Amethyst's voice. Savanna assumed the worst, her heart dropping. She swept her rain poncho aside and drew her revolver, holding it in her mouth. She moved as quickly as she could while staying low in the grass.

The worse case scenario Savanna had predicted turned out to be true: Amethyst had been captured by a group of soldiers. They were military, judging by their uniforms, and they were armed.

"Savanna!" Amethyst squirmed, but she was being held in the clutches of a stallion and a yellow pegasus mare, as well as the powerful levitation magic of a unicorn. She wasn't able to escape.

Savanna sat back on her haunches and leaned back against the wall of the shrine, holding the revolver in both of her forehooves now.

"Amethyst! Don't move!" Savanna struggled to conceal the desperation and panic in her voice, but it was difficult. "Don't hurt her!"

"Oh, so you two know each other? That's convenient."

Savanna recognized the stallion who had spoken. Her eyes widened as she made eye contact with the purple-maned soldier she had grappled with days ago on the road leading to Juniper. He looked as angry and determined as he had when she had first met him, but now he had the advantage and Amethyst's life was at risk. Savanna was terrified.

Ah..." Savanna struggled to find the words to properly communicate. Shock and guilt coursed through her. "Ah shot you."

"Turns out you're a lousy shot." The stallion glared. He lifted a revolver with one of his wings, flaunting it. He stepped beside Amethyst and pressed the end of the barrel into her neck. The filly squealed, clenching her eyes shut in fear. "Drop the gun, kid, or I'll shoot your marefriend. I'm not messing with you!"

Savanna hesitated, trying to identify some possible way she could turn the tables and gain the advantage. Failing to see any possible methods, and not wanting to risk Amethyst's life, she tossed her revolver a few feet away.

"P - please don't hurt her!" Savanna stammered. She was losing her nerve.

"I gave you a chance to walk away, and you wasted it." The stallion frowned a deep frown, glowering. He held the barrel of his gun pressed firmly into Amethyst's neck. Amethyst squirmed helplessly, but the other ponies in the unit controlled the filly and kept her still. A few tears leaked from her eyes from the stress.

"Rose Gold has been wanted for months." The stallion raised the volume of his voice to be heard over a few gunshots in the background. "It's your fault that terrorist is still walking free!"

"A - Amethyst has nothing to do with all this!" Savanna bargained. "It's me ya want, isn't it? Take me! J - just let her go... please... Ah can tell ya where Rose is..."

"I don't give a shit about your marefriend, kid," the stallion replied curtly. "I'm not letting either of you walk away this time. My mistake for trusting somepony of your type." He raised his wing and aimed the revolver directly at Savanna's head. Savanna raised her forelegs in front of herself in a futile attempt to defend herself. She clenched her eyes shut, anticipating pain.

"Let the fillies go."

Savanna dared to open her eyes, slowly lowering her forelegs as she looked in the direction of the voice belonging to the pony who had saved her.

"Torrent?" The purple-maned stallion narrowed his eyes. He lowered his wing in an almost relaxed way, pointing the barrel of the gun away from Savanna and down toward the ground. "So, you damn coward, you're finally showing your face."

"I'm not a coward, Tempest, I just have some shred of dignity left to my name. I don't shoot kids, and I don't threaten to shoot kids. I'm not like you scum... not anymore." Torrent extended one of his wings and aimed his pistol directly at Tempest.

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you, Torrent?" Tempest narrowed his eyes cleverly. "You sure followed Autumn's orders without question back then and killed a lot of those savage changelings in their hive. How long ago was that, a couple years by now? We're going to destroy every last changeling soon, with or without you."

Torrent grimaced, looking sad for a moment. "I thought we were brothers, Tempest. We both used to be weather ponies back when the world was... different. But you led me down a path I regret traveling. Now, I've finally realized it—only savages here are you folk.

"You think there's honor in this because we used to be one of Valor's most esteemed units. We used to be. I don't care what anypony says. You've changed. Something in you is different."

"I still think we could have made good partners, even 'til this day, if you hadn't run like the useless coward you are." Tempest shrugged. "Oh well."

Tempest made the first move. His body jerked as he assumed a shooting position and jerked his wing upward as quickly as he could in an attempt to shoot Torrent. Torrent was faster, though. With quick reactions, he fired an accurate shot. Tempest hit the ground hard, his body slumping.

Savanna cried out in shock, standing and backpedaling a few steps. The shot had been fired so close to her that her ears were ringing.

Nopony reacted for a few seconds, surprised. The unicorn who had been holding Amethyst still with his levitation magic temporarily lost focus. The spell vanished.

Amethyst, sensing slack in her captors' grips, shoved aside the stallion who had been clutching her, making him drop his gun and throwing him off balance. She bucked wildly with one of her rear legs in his general direction, missed, then quickly made her escape, dashing to hide behind Torrent. The yellow pegasus mare who had once been holding Amethyst stumbled backwards, not wanting to be struck by wild, bucking hooves.

"Get the hell out of here! You want to end up like him?" Torrent stomped one of his forelegs aggressively, alternating which pony he was aiming at with his pistol between the remaining ponies that had once composed his squad.

The unicorn and pegasus who had once been holding Amethyst took a few, nervous steps backwards, looking to the pegasus mare for orders. By that point, only the pegasus mare was armed, and she was smart enough to acknowledge that she had lost any advantage she had once had.

She begrudgingly accepted Torrent's offer of mercy and motioned with her head for the remaining soldiers to follow her. She turned tail, retreating into the forest with her goons close behind.

"Y - you..." Savanna watched in horror as Tempest's lifeless body decomposed, withering like a flower in the first frost of winter and crumbling to ash before her eyes. What had once been a pony was now a useless bed of ashes being blown away by a gentle breeze. What had once been an evil pony who hunted ponies and changelings alike and had almost killed Savanna and Amethyst was now gone, erased, permanently eradicated.

Why did Savanna feel... remorse?

Savanna wanted to thank Torrent for saving her and Amethyst, but her mouth was dry and her throat was tight.

Amethyst continued to hide behind Torrent, curled into a little, defense ball.

Savanna dared to raise her head and look around. She watched as ponies in dark-grey uniforms ran into the nearby trees of the surrounding forest, dropping weapons and other supplies behind in their desperate escape. Her ears hadn't been deceiving her—the ponies had stopped fighting and the military was retreating. They were routed.

She hesitated for a moment, breathing in short breaths as she lightly hyperventilated. The realization that she had survived hadn't yet struck her. Adrenaline from the panic she had felt was still flowing through her.

"Amethyst...?" Savanna gently placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder.

Amethyst raised her head, revealing wide, pastel eyes that were dark from crying. Her face was painted blue by the raging fire that still continued to consume the roof of the shrine. "W - we need to stop... we need to *stop* doing this. I don't want to keep living through this nightmare..."

Savanna's ears fell back sadly. She released a sigh, looking away. "Ah know..."

"You kids be careful," Torrent cautioned, panting gently from adrenaline triggered by the fight. He holstered his pistol in a holster concealed beneath his jacket and returned to the shrine to regroup with the rebels and assess the damage.

Savanna stayed by Amethyst's side. She focused on her own breathing, watching the bed of ashes be slowly eroded by wind and listening to the nearby magical fire roar.

"We need to get out of here..."

Amethyst lied still for a moment. With a sigh, she rose and began to plod away from the shrine.

Savanna retrieved her revolver from where she had tossed it and followed her friend as they entered the dark, cold, spooky forest. When the bright glow of the massive magical fire began to fade behind them, Amethyst cast a luminescence spell, lighting their path with a subtle, thistle-colored glow.

They left behind all of the rebel ponies, including their savior, Torrent. Despite how scared Savanna probably should have been, considering they were alone and without protection, she didn't feel any fear. She was physically and mentally exhausted, but she knew that with Amethyst by her side, things would be okay.

They exchanged few words. They cooperated together to gather soft leaves and grass to make an improvised nest, and constructed it at the base of a tree, nestled near a thick, exposed tree root.

Amethyst was moving slowly. Savanna could visibly detect it—she knew her friend was feeling depressed. Her luminescence spell somehow looked grey and weak.

The atmosphere was somber. Savanna used a foreleg to poke at their nest. It was sturdy and serviceable, but sleeping outside would still be cold without blankets.

"We're... going to die, aren't we...?"

Savanna stood still for a moment, considering how to respond. She shivered in the cold air, gently swaying on her hooves from exhaustion.

"Not if ah have anything to say about it, Amethyst."

Amethyst released a sigh, setting her saddlebag of belongings aside. She swept her mane out of her eyes to the best of her ability and laid down on top of the nest, curling into a little ball. The feeble light being emitted from her horn vanished, casting the forest into darkness. Savanna could barely see her friend directly in front of her, mere feet away.

"You... saw what Torrent did to him," Amethyst spoke, her voice soft.

Savanna considered what had happened to Tempest. Had it been justice? Had he deserved that, considering his past actions? Did anyone deserve death, such a final, abrupt gesture? No civilized creature in Equestria would agree with such a sentiment.

Savanna undressed, set her satchel aside and stepped onto the nest. She curled into a ball, laying all of her body weight down. The leaves and weaved grass were soft, but did little to insulate her and protect against the chilling air.

They were close enough to touch—the next logical step for the two was obvious.

Savanna rolled onto her side and extended her forelegs, offering them forward. Immediately, Amethyst reciprocated, wrapping her forelegs around her friend in a hug. Together, they cuddled, forming a tight circle to share body heat.

Savanna rested her head over her friend's shoulder. She focused on her own breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly as she relaxed the tension from her body. After all of the stress and ordeals she had survived, it was comforting lying still with her friend in a warm hug.

She listened to Amethyst's gentle breaths, feeling her chest expand and deflate. It was peaceful.

"You... came for me..."

"What?"

"You came for me when they captured me. You tried to save me... you could have just ran."

"Why would ah do that?"

"It... would have been easier. You wouldn't have risked your life." Amethyst released a sigh. "You don't... think they would have shot me, do you? It was just to scare us... right?"

"No, ah don't reckon he would have hurt you. He just wanted me. Maybe he wanted hostages to use as leverage. He, uh, really wanted revenge." Savanna recalled the primal anger in Tempest's facial expression when she confronted him.

Savanna frowned, realizing her friend was crying silently. She could feel Amethyst's chest spasming as she lost control of her breathing.

Savanna tried to act as reassuring as possible, nuzzling her friend on the shoulder with her nose. She was also feeling sensitive and emotional, but was so tired that she felt prepared to immediately fall asleep when the opportunity arrived.

Savanna lied still in her embrace with her friend, feeling Amethyst squeeze her as she ruminated, considering all of the times she had saved others or had been saved herself. Rose, Chorilax and Amethyst—she had helped them in their times of need and received companionship as a reward.

Savanna understood the amount of times she had saved others or been saved by others was irrelevant. Being brave or a coward was irrelevant. What truly mattered was the companionship she had received from her friends. Amethyst, being the youngest, kindest and most impressionable, would hopefully remain by Savanna's side into the foreseeable future. The loyalty Savanna wanted to form with her friend—that was what truly mattered.

The difficult part was explaining how she felt to Amethyst. Words weren't necessarily required, though. Not at first.

Savanna's target she focused with her nuzzling became Amethyst's neck. The filly twitched, retreating slightly as the ticklish spot below her chin was stimulated. Savanna stopped as she noticed the undesired reaction from her friend, then smiled, continuing.

"H - hey!" Amethyst drew away from the hug, gazing into her friend's eyes head-on. She cast a gentle luminescence spell that bathed their faces in a subtle, thistle-colored glow.

Savanna reciprocated, noticing how her friend's eyes were dark and wet from crying. She looked miserable and sad.

Savanna smiled slightly, visibly showing she had been messing around. She desperately wanted to be playful with her friend and cheer her up.

Amethyst blinked a few times to clear some tears lingering in her eyes. She sniffled, smiling a tiny smile. "I haven't done this with anypony in... a long time."

Savanna recalled hosting and attending sleepovers with her friends and cuddling with them. When was the last time she had done that, a year ago? Longer?

"Me too."

Amethyst reached forward with her forelegs, drawing Savanna back into the hug they had been assuming earlier. The filly released a sad sigh, extinguishing her glowing horn. She remained quiet for long enough that Savanna thought their conversation had ended.

"Ah, um... Ah'm real glad ah met you."

Amethyst opted to remain silent. She squeezed her friend with her hooves slightly, relaxing as she grew still.

Savanna knew it had been an appropriate response. She would have done the same, if given the opportunity.

In the silence that followed, Savanna's conscious began to slip outside of the protective shield that was the nest she and her friend laid in. Beyond lied a pitch-black night. Savanna could faintly perceive the outlines of tree trunks, but nothing more.

The world beyond their nest wasn't relevant, though. It may as well have vanished into nothing. The cold, the darkness and all the ponies she had met were meaningless. Savanna's entire world at that moment was the soft nest of leaves and grass she lied in, cuddling with her friend and cherishing the warmth she provided.

Savanna closed her eyes. The world did vanish, then, and her only perceptions before sleep were the gentle thrums of Amethyst breathing.

Inhaling... and exhaling...

XI – Savanna – Emperia

A ray of golden sunlight shining through the tree leaves above and into Savanna's eyes made her wake. She shifted uncomfortably, rolling her head and burying her muzzle into Amethyst's shoulder to evade the intrusive light.

The light from the afternoon sun warmed the air. Savanna felt content in the embrace with Amethyst, no longer freezing like she had been the night prior.

She wanted to fall back asleep and dream pleasant dreams. They could be dreams about anything, but Savanna would have especially appreciated dreams about home or of sleepovers with her friends.

Unfortunately, she understood she couldn't stay cuddled with her friend forever. In the end, though, it wasn't her who made the decision to leave the nest.

Amethyst raised her head, yawning deeply. She withdrew from the hug and sat up, sitting back on her haunches. "You awake?"

Savanna remained lying on her back for a moment before sitting up. She held a hoof against her belly, trying in vain to suppress the growls being emitted from her empty stomach.

"Ah'm awake. Hungry."

"You as well?" Amethyst levitated her saddlebag and placed it in front of herself, digging around inside. She withdrew a canteen from within and unscrewed the cap, sipping from the contents within. She seemed intent on trying to suppress her sensations of hunger with water.

Savanna sifted through the belongings in her satchel, withdrawing several cans of fruit. She shook them to confirm they were full, listening to the satisfying slop sound the fruit and syrup made within as they jiggled. "Do ya want apples, peaches or..." Savanna paused, juggling the cans as she rotated the final one in an attempt to find a label to read. "...cranberries?"

Amethyst's eyes widened slightly as she eyed the cans of food and their colorful, attractive labels. "Fresh apples would be preferable." She shrugged, not being picky, and accepted the canned apples that Savanna offered her.

"Some'a this fruit's canned in syrup, though," Savanna pointed out. "So there's that." She wielded her knife and jabbed it into the top lid of her can, poking holes around the edge. Eventually, she pried open the lid, revealing delicious peach slices floating in syrup within. Savanna immediately plucked one of the slices out using the tip of her knife and ate it in one bite. It was as cold as the air temperature. Savanna suddenly wished she had a fire to warm her food over.

Amethyst used deft, sharp levitation magic to cleanly separate the top lid from the can, then floated out an apple slice, examining it. The slices were peeled and a little soggy, but edible.

They ate silently. Savanna was focused, concentrating entirely on the fruit she was eating. She didn't want to think about anything else, fearful her mind would enter a dark place like Amethyst's had the night before.

"Wish we had coffee," Amethyst commented, breaking the silence.

Savanna paused, holding her knife in the air. Speared on the end was a particularly-soggy slice of peach dripping with sugary syrup. "There's a lotta stuff ah miss."

"Hard to believe we're... forced to live like this. A lot of ponies are."

Savanna looked around, examining her surroundings. The forest was brightly lit with yellow sunlight, and the bushes and weeds growing upwards from the soil were sparse enough to allow her to see into the distance. The forest felt safer and more peaceful in the afternoon than it had in the pitch-black night.

She was sharing a meal with her friend. She had a friend in the first place. She could be hungry and alone.

She did miss the familiar arid environment of her home in Equestria's western savannah and all the comforts that were inherent to pony society—clean bedsheets. Fresh water. Proper meals. Four walls and a roof. Safety.

Fruit was delicious, but she missed home-cooked meals. Baked goods, too.

"Things could be worse for us right now," Savanna concluded, "but ah miss normal life too."

"I guess it could be raining. Or storming."

"Cross your hooves the weather holds 'til we arrive at Cerulia."

"Hooves crossed." Amethyst levitated the can she had been holding with a hoof and crossed her forelegs.

Savanna shishkabab'ed the final peach slice in the can with her knife and popped it into her mouth. Chewing, she peered down into the can. It was empty, aside from the small layer of sweet syrup lingering at the bottom. Savanna immediately tilted her head back and gulped down the sugary liquid, releasing a satisfied sigh. She could feel the sugar incorporating into her system rapidly, energizing her.

"Savanna?" Amethyst was about to finish her sliced apples, but hesitated, thoroughly rotating and examining the final slice in an almost nervous fashion.

Savanna detected and acknowledged the nervous body language, but neglected to mention it.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh... thank you for last night. You're a really good... friend to me."

Savanna smiled. It had sounded like Amethyst wanted to say more, but for the moment, she was glad that her friend appreciated her help. Sometimes, all someone needed was a hug to cheer them up.

"Ah never considered leavin' you. Honestly, we should'a just stayed closer together. Ah was followin' right behind ya, ah just got distracted, and then the next moment you were gone."

She heard a loud crack followed by several pops originating from Amethyst's direction, as if the filly were igniting firecrackers.

"Are those firecrackers?" Savanna glanced upwards curiously from the empty can of peaches she had been studying. She observed as Amethyst levitated a broken twig in front of herself. The thistle-colored magical glow emanating from her horn brightened and intensified as she attempted to cast a more complicated spell. The filly closed her eyes in concentration and focused. A visible ripple traveled upwards from the base of her horn to its tip. Some sparks crackled from her horn as Amethyst neglected to apply the magical energy correctly. She had failed to cast the spell.

"What are ya doin'?"

Amethyst frowned, frustrated. "I'm trying to cast restoration magic to repair this twig."

"If ya did that, wouldn't it just... fly back to the tree it had fallen from? It broke off a tree somewhere. Probably from wind."

"Not without me intentionally manipulating it to," Amethyst clarified. "Basic restoration magic only applies to objects that have recently been permutated—typically, objects that were destroyed or reduced to a lessor state from their previous state. Also, it only applies to objects that changed states within a vague time frame." She shook the broken twig with each word, emphasizing.

Surprised by her friend's knowledge, Savanna blinked. "Wow, that's fascinatin'. How'd ya learn all that?"

Amethyst smiled dimly. "Book learning. I used to study magic, too."

Amethyst discarded the broken twig, tossing it aside. "Have you ever heard the story about the goddess who used restoration magic to its fullest potential?"

Automatically, Savanna shook her head. Having not originated from Emperia, she wasn't familiar with the local culture and its share of folk stories.

"A very long time ago, reportedly a goddess used to exist in Emperia who was capable of reviving ponies from the grave. Technically, she was..." Amethyst narrowed her eyes. "...a necromancer."

Savanna gasped. "But that's impossible! Equestria's never seen real necromancy. Is it... normal here?"

"No. Her abilities are still considered unique. Replicating her magic is the greatest ambition of masters of restoration magic, but nopony has ever been successful to my knowledge. Not even an alicorn."

"Queen Melody is an alicorn, right?" Savanna asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yes.

You know, Savanna, she probably has the magic necessary to take you home... but what if she doesn't? What will you do?"

Cleverly, Savanna gazed into her friends eyes, reading her thoughts. "Aren't ya comin' with me when ah go home?"

Amethyst looked away, avoiding eye contact. She gazed out into the forest, shivering gently in a chilly breeze.

"Amethyst?" Savanna didn't like when ponies withdrew from a conversation and went silent. Their body language indicated they were struggling with their words—usually because they were upset.

"You aren't... lying about where you came from just to meet the former queen, are you? Just because she's an alicorn?" Amethyst squinted, giving Savanna a look of suspicion.

Savanna blanched. "W - what? No! No, never! Ah'd never do that to somepony, especially somepony like you.

"Ah invited you to come with me to Cerulia because ya don't have anywhere else to go, and because you said ya felt trapped workin' for Maverick and his band'a ponies. Ah wanted us to be friends. Ah know we haven't spent any real quality time together, but... ah do like you as a pony. And ah'd like to get to know ya more."

Amethyst's expression softened. An apology was clearly on the tip of her tongue, but she hesitated. Savanna continued, claiming the moment of opportunity.

"Besides, ah don't care about Queen Melody. Plenty'a alicorns exist in Equestria. She ain't special. Ah wanna meet a few of 'em, sure, but that's not worth betrayin' your trust." Savanna, feeling a little frustrated that Amethyst had accused her of lying, used a western phrase in exasperation. "Ah mean, land's sakes, Amethyst, ah'm not evil!"

Amethyst smiled in reaction to Savanna's intense accent. "Okay, okay, I believe you! Simmer down, cowpony."

"You wanna see a cowgirl? I'll show ya a cowgirl! Ah just need a new, replacement western hat, some rope and a long afternoon with the sun beatin' down an' fryin' ya like you're hot cakes on an oiled fryin' pan!"

"Stop!" Amethyst giggled, her eyes sparkling.

Savanna grinned, successful in her attempt to playfully jest and tease her friend. "You're gonna love mah mama. Couldn't make 'er stop if ya had your head down 'n bowed, beggin'. We're both from the far west, born and bred, but mah daddy's a bit of'a stuck-up and instilled book learnin' in me. He's the mayer of mah town back home."

"Your parents sound like great ponies."

"They're fine folk." Savanna sighed, smiling dimly. "Ah'm lookin' forward to seein' 'em again. Everypony, actually."

Savanna withdrew the map from her satchel and unfolded it, tracing their estimated path with a hoof. "So, ah think we're 'ere in this forest. Seaport we're headin' to is only about 50 miles away. Maybe 40."

"50 miles," Amethyst repeated, gulping. "That's far."

"Two days," Savanna clarified. "That'd take a couple days to walk, assumin' we're takin' breaks every few hours."

Amethyst inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself. "Okay... Okay. I can do that. You... really think we're going to be able to leave?"

"Ah know we will."