The Ambassador

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.