She took in greedy lungfuls of the chilly air as she collapsed against the stacked rubble, heavily rolling about to face the broken ceiling and the glimpses of overcast sky that peeked in through its fractured face from the floor above. Pain arced through each of her legs from both her lengthy fall and her running, and subsequently her back where she'd just thrown herself down against everything she carried, yet it was a minor note in her raging mind.

She clutched her precious shotgun to her chest in her hooves and kept her frantic eyes on the slanted partially-buried entrance she'd fallen through. She quickly edged herself into the corner of what appeared to be a small lobby of the dilapidated building she was now taking refuge inside. The minor details were almost lost to her; the smashed pictures on the walls, the ruined and rotting seating crushed by debris, the frozen desiccated bodies of those that had died, it was all out of mind. The signs that something had once also nested in here were apparent by the bodies missing flesh, and the filth that had built up in places, though these things were just as secondary as the immediate threat mattered more.

Applejack couldn't relax, and refused to let herself. They were certainly still coming for her. If it had been her friends that had been killed she'd be tearing down walls with her bare hooves to get at their murderers. Whose childhood memories had she irrevocably tainted with the knowledge that the precious others weaved into them were now gone forever, their candles snuffed out by a strange mare that had been hiding in a barren shop. She tried her best to push it down but it was no use. The stallion she'd murdered with her knife, Guppy, his blood was still fresh on her, the stallion she'd blasted with her shotgun, Crow, she could still see his pained grimace. She felt nauseous and breathing was hard, her throat felt blocked and her eyes stung with tears that weren't just the result of her hastened run.

Two more deaths she'd caused, added to her list.

She'd already killed three the previous day...

The only possible solace that she could take in both matters was that she'd never intended to do any harm. She wasn't bloodthirsty and she didn't want to kill, she despised that she had to kill at all. Her attacks on others were and had been in defence of herself and so she could protect Applebloom. It wasn't exactly comforting, but she clung to it all the same.

She clenched her eyes shut as she did her best to deeply breathe in and out, in and out, trying to calm down and ignore the smell of blood. She simply tried to breathe, to slow her heartbeat, doing her best to rid herself of agitation as she opened her eyes again to keep them fixed on the doorway. Now was not the time for trauma, there wasn't any room for it at this moment. Compartmentalise now, deal with the trauma later. Much, much later. Slowly, slowly she felt herself shake less as she got herself under control and the adrenaline abated bit by bit, hefting the shotgun and keeping it raised at the open gap in front of her. There were no other ways in, the wide window on the far side was blocked with collapsed debris from the building having fallen on that side, and she had a good angle on the half-buried door. Her eyes cleared as she blinked the tears out of them, the seconds ticked by as they dried on her face and her breathing became more even.

Lock it all down.

No following danger yet, it'll come soon.

She waited tensely, still shaking a little from the comedown as her ears perked for any hint of a cry or a shout, any possible sound that might inform her that the group she'd wronged was pursuing her. She didn't hear much but the shrill whistling of the wind through the streets and ruins. While the sound was unnerving it at least meant she was alone for now. After a few more seconds there were some distant gunshots, though those weren't anywhere near her, and she almost believed herself to be in the clear until she heard the distant crunch of a boot on gravel.

It was faint but she definitely heard it.

She partly cycled the action, nudging the lever down to peek into the shotgun's breach and finding it had a shell loaded. Thankfully she had already cycled it after the last shot, she just hadn't recalled if she had done so or not in the heat of the moment. Carefully letting the lever move back up into the resting position, she kept her breathing low and the barrel as steady as she could currently manage. She pushed herself back against the rubble to brace as the heavy steps became louder. There was likely nothing for it, she was probably going to have to shoot somepony again today.

"Hello? Hey, are you alright?"

...Maybe not? That voice didn't sound hostile, but that trick was what had gotten them into this mess in the first place.

She kept the shotgun level.

"Hey, lady? Saw you running like a pack of fucking Hounds were on your tail, you alright?"

The voice was sharp and bordering on grave, almost a bassy baritone. She felt like she could hear a certain level of concern in it underneath the heavy layer of wariness. It was a voice that was also used to being tricked, a voice that belonged to a creature that was certainly keeping a weapon at the ready and looking around for the ambush. She slowly took in a deeper breath and held it while the stranger approached her position, her shotgun prepared to fire if she needed to. If she saw the hint of a weapon first...

The heavy steps stopped.

What?

Applejack waited for a couple of seconds without anything happening before she breathed out and carefully lent to the side to try and peek for the stranger, but to no avail. They must have either realised where she was hiding and were waiting for her to move, or they were simply listening out for where she might be. If they had grenades then they would have thrown them in already had they guessed where she was. Maybe waiting was the best play for now.

"Hey."

Her eyes went wide and she gasped in alarm through another spike of fear as she quickly snapped her head up, her shotgun moving with her and her hoof ready on the trigger. She saw the Gryphon peeking at her through the gaps in the damaged floor above as her shotgun began to point in his direction, before he quickly darted down in a flash, a forelimb moving imperceptibly fast as he grabbed the barrel in his claw. Before she could pull the trigger or fight back he'd snatched the weapon from her grasp and partly caught her legs up in the weapon's sling. She was prevented from moving too easily by it, so she tried to edge towards grabbing her pulse rifle instead.

"Calm down, lady. I'm not gonna shoot you."

She tried to pull her weapon back but it was futile, snorting in anger at him in the attempt to thrash out of the sling. The sound of her brief struggling echoed slightly off the walls around them. It was more an annoyed gesture of being caught stupidly unaware if nothing else. A few seconds passed, and instead of trying to kick at him she allowed herself to ease up just a bit, the Gryphon staying in place with a partial smirk on his beak. She reasoned that he could have shot her with a weapon that he could easily pull from elsewhere by now, and he also could have already shot her from above while she'd been focusing too hard on the doorway, and he hadn't. Unless he was the sadistic type then she wasn't going to get a bullet in the back either.

"Can I have mah gun back?" Applejack asked in a huff after a moment.

He raised an eyebrow. "You gonna try and shoot me?"

"Not unless ya pull a gun first."

He grinned, the answer seeming to satisfy him as he let go of the shotgun's barrel. Applejack caught the weapon as she saw him move back just as fast as he'd caught her out, wings gusting wind as he moved a little higher up onto a rubble stack. He didn't draw anything as she got a hold of her weapon properly and leant back again with it in her hooves, though he certainly had his claw on one of his own as she got herself sorted out. She stood tall on all fours and let the shotgun rest, and he then dropped back down, his tufted tail swishing as he landed on his booted paws with a weighty crunch on the debris-strewn floor around them. He stood up to his full height as well with one claw resting on a holstered pistol on his opposite hip, vibrant azure eyes assessing and staring down at her.

His upper half was probably silver in colour, his down and lower being varying shades of gold, and he was very well protected in what was clearly military-issue body armour and kit, sans a helmet. The standard assault rifle of the Royal Gryphonian Legion rested on his back besides just the pistol in its holster, as well the usual items most had on them like the Phobos secured to his chest rig or the gas mask at his side. It made her wonder if she was actually rather lucky to be as decently equipped as she was.

Similarly like her, he'd covered himself over in a mid-length poncho, though he had a scarf too. Oddly, both were a strange mix of patterns ranging through shades of grey and white. It was strange as his armour was also a dark grey, and she could only assume that it was something recent to the Gryphon's of Equestria's military before the Singularity. The usual soldiers she'd seen beforehand had always been fitted with the standard wheat-coloured drab. Something that was definitely unique to Gryphons and Dragons though were the open-toe boots he had on his paws, each digit spread out with the claws dug in on the floor below them for purchase.

She nodded at him and he returned the gesture with the same grin on his face.

"Howdy." Applejack greeted him.

"Hey," he said again, his claw relaxing off his pistol. "You look like a capable mare, what were you running from?"

Applejack shrugged, glancing over her shoulder. "None of yer business," pausing as she took a breath and looked back. "No trouble out there then, I take it?"

"Nope, pretty empty streets today. Except you, of course."

She nodded. "Yeah, well... see ya, thanks fer not shootin' me."

She moved off, still careful in how she went to the doorway as she peeked out. As the Gryphon had said, it was apparently clear, and she warily stepped out to keep on going as she had recovered from her panic. She could always head back with what she had, maybe go and cut up the Direwolf she'd shot for meat, but she wanted to find some electronics for the radio and general equipment now that she'd gotten the winter clothing she needed for her and Applebloom. As much as it would have been ideal she couldn't return to the shopping centre anytime soon. Frankly, she didn't want to. It would have been handy to go and look there again as there had been an appliance store on the ground floor, however right now the idea made her sick to her stomach.

She glanced around at the street she'd gotten herself in, not seeing much to indicate where she was. This part of the city was rather new to her, so really it just came down to exploring and hoping for the best. Thankfully her Phobos hadn't triggered yet so she hadn't needed to slow her pace and throw any bolts, there was apparently a lack of monsters too which was─she paused as there was movement behind her, unmistakably the Gryphon. A tense jolt quickly crawled up her spine as he didn't mask his steps and casually thudded on the damaged roads. She stopped and glared back at him and he just smirked at her in return.

"Can I help ya?" Applejack said dryly as she went.

"I don't know, can you? I haven't seen anypony in a while that wasn't openly hostile," he shrugged, coming up and walking along behind her, still on his hindlegs. She was about to point out that she would have shot him had he not stopped her, but he quickly raised a talon. "You were clearly surprised by me, I don't count that one for civvies."

"So yer actually military?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Former," he clarified. "I doubt you want the specifics."

"Ya guessed right. So long as ya aint a bandit I don't much care what yer history is," she said, scanning her immediate surroundings.

"I've already scouted the area from above when I saw you running like a madmare," he supplied for her. "There's some commotion further out to the east between some bandits and the Rebirth lot, their people have been pushing into the city a little more lately, but other than that there's just a few strays here and there like yourself."

That didn't mean much to her. "Rebirth?"

He gave a grunt of confirmation. "Some wannabe paramilitary idiots that popped up from the north-east. It was a small town community that had a wealth of supplies, it made them into kings after the event. You could say they have a bit of a monopoly on the outlying area, and they've been adding more to their numbers lately. You haven't heard of them?"

"New info to me," Applejack said as she relaxed a little, then regarding him again. "How long were ya trailing me?"

He shrugged. "Not long. Saw you running down a street away from a shopping centre as I was flying, covered in blood and not looking behind you as if a pack of Hou-"

"-Hounds, yeah, ya said," Applejack cut in, glancing down at herself and sighing. "...Shit."

She felt herself tremble as she looked over herself, a wave of sickness passing up her throat as she saw she was still quite obviously damp with Guppy's blood. It had soaked through a majority of her front. A section of her poncho was also stained, and it had spread over her forelegs, even areas of her neck if the stickiness there wasn't simply just sweat from running. Her jacket was a normally sage green in colour, usually a little darker as she rubbed soot into it, but right now it was a disgusting dark reddish brown where the blood was slowly drying.

It made her want to vomit... made her head swim.

"You alright? Why don't you sit down?" The Gryphon said to her left.

She swallowed the nausea and gently shook her head. "No, can't stop, I got things to be done."

"You're limping as well," he stated. "You might need first aid."

"I'm fine."

He relented with scoff and a light shrug. "...Alright then."

Her legs did hurt, though it wasn't anything she couldn't power through. If she had any fractures then she'd already feel where her legs would have been swollen, and she'd really be having trouble taking steps if any of the fractures were in her forelegs. The Gryphon's dubious concern was somewhat appreciated, if a bit queer. It was rare these days to have anypony that looked over others as anything more than competition. Granted there were a few that might offer help, but it was always in order to gain something in return, and she was suspecting as much from him as well.

She made it another few streets before she decided that the blood covering her ─and the Gryphon following and side-eying her as if she was about to keel over─ was bothersome enough to take a short break. She had completed the task she'd set out to do, it was okay for her to take some time to recover from the ordeal, if at least eat something.

Applejack carefully dipped from the cold street into a thankfully unoccupied side alley, her Phobos also blissfully silent as she took wary steps into the cramped space. It was a dead end, so there wouldn't be any surprises coming from that direction. Other than some old heavy bins that weren't currently overflowing and a general scattering of snow-topped debris, it was a clear and passable place to recuperate.

She threw off her weapons and her backpack, placing them to one side as she settled onto her haunches against the side of the alley. A deep sigh of relief escaped her from the lack of their weight, a brief shiver also running through her from the cold ground pressing through her jeans. Her vision flicked up briefly as she watched the Gryphon brush off and sit down on a chunk of stone opposite her, thankfully silent for the moment. She turned her attention back to her clothing and pushed down her discomfort as she lifted the poncho over her head, holding her breath as it passed her nose so she didn't get the full scent of blood. Throwing that to the ground, she unclasped the buttons of her jacket at its centre and drew down the zip, feeling a lot less disgusting as she swiftly shrugged it off.

She gently shook her mane and took in a fresher breath of air, feeling a lot less constricted with the clothing now free. It was a little odd to feel underdressed in front of a stranger, though that was an odd feeling to have, and she ignored it as she took a little comfort in the cold breeze that travelled up through the alley for the sheer freedom she felt. She shouldn't be down to her fur for too long as it was much colder than it should have been. These early days of the first winter since the sky fell were getting a great deal chillier, and the snow was already reaching far higher levels than they'd faced in previous years even well into the later months.

Taking off her hoof-dusters and gloves she removed her jacket completely and looked it over, sighing at the revolting mess across it that was turning brown at its edges. Her poncho wasn't as stained but it was definitely going to need cleaning too. Her gloves were leather and weren't as susceptible at least. She allowed herself a little more time to feel the lack of restriction that came with not being bound in protective gear before she soon started to dress again, until the Gryphon cleared his throat to get her attention.

"You're clearly not used to that, you look like you're about to puke," he observed. "Let them dry for a while, it lessens the smell."

Applejack nodded after thinking on it for a second, taking the jacket and laying it out flat on the ground along with the poncho. That done, she slowly exhaled, closed her eyes, and leant her head back against the wall. She heard the Gryphon fleetingly rummage around and she then grunted as something soft collided with her face, her senses instantly being filled with a utterly bizarre smell. She opened her eyes as she dragged the offending item from her face, looking at the Gryphon's own oddly coloured poncho in her hooves.

She glanced up quizzically to see him putting on a second poncho from his backpack.

"Always best to carry a spare. Wear that for now, keep yourself warm. Not that I don't like seeing a pretty mare in the buff but it's best you don't catch a cold. It's not as if you can head down to the local pharmacy for some tablets," he said, readjusting the poncho until it was comfortable and digging back into his pack again to pull out what appeared to be some oddly stiff-looking sachets, full of a transparent ruby-tinted liquid. She immediately realised what they were. He held them between his claws and snapped them, an audible crack sounding, and he then tossed those over too. "Put those under your clothes, they should be alright without hanging them up."

She'd been hunting for heat packs ever since the ones she'd had were stolen, when she and Applebloom had been accosted all that time ago. They were extremely rare and one of the most sought after items around besides probably a Remnant. She imagined a Remnant that generated heat was even more treasured. They landed in her lap, and the quickly building heat was both surprising and welcome as the ones she'd had before would usually take a while to increase in temperature. Military heat packs must have been a little more potent. As much as she wanted to simply hold onto them, she placed them under her jacket and poncho as instructed.

The Gryphon went into his pack again, pulling out two ration bars and glancing up at her. "Want one?"

She gave a slight nod. "Sure?"

Catching it out of the air this time as he chucked it over, she unwrapped it to find that it wasn't the usual fare of a bland hay or hardtack ration, but instead an oat-and-nut bar. She even smelled honey. She took a small bite and chewed very slowly, savouring the taste, the Gryphon lightly chuckling as he saw her expression change to one of bliss. Wrapping it up after having half and putting it away into her pack for Applebloom, she swallowed the mouthful and retrieved the bottle of water she had with her.

"Why are ya helpin' me?" Applejack asked bluntly after unscrewing the cap and taking a few invigourating swigs.

The Gryphon shrugged. "Why not?"

She sighed and shook her head as she lowered the bottle. "Things aint worked like that fer a while now, what are ya after?"

He chuckled at her again. "Not much, seriously. Just trying to help a civvie that looked like they needed some help. It's what I'm meant to do."

Applejack wanted to believe that, she heard a hint of honesty in his voice, it was just that the idea was almost foreign now. She'd had so many run-ins with those who'd tried to pull a fast one on her that somepony actually being genuine was a rarity. She studied him as she met his vision, holding the gaze for a time before he raised his brow questioningly. She had heavy doubts in her once-strong ability to unconditionally discern the truth from others, yet she couldn't find much fault in his expression and it was almost alien to behold.

She sighed as she looked away. "Fine. I appreciate it."

"Glad to have your approval," he scoffed, amusement in his tone.

They sat quietly in what could be considered companionable silence until a distant howl made them both glance to the mouth of the alley. The howls picked up and the Gryphon began to reach for the assault rifle on his back, until the howls were then followed by an equally distant burst of gunshots and further silence. The instance broke up the tense monotony of simply waiting without talking. Applejack usually had Applebloom to keep her occupied, her little sister always humming a tune under her breath or talking away. Even if it was to herself about something that she was doing it generally kept things from being completely quiet. The Gryphon was apparently the silent type when he wasn't pestering anypony, seemingly quite content with the long stretch between their conversation.

She looked up to him again after a while of staring at the cold ground, seeing him idly checking over his Phobos. He had removed its main face panel and was likely ensuring its inner components were all properly intact and functioning correctly, something she'd already done herself with her Phobos the previous night. He held a tiny black screwdriver in his talons, part of a small contained tool pouch beside him. That specific type of set was something that wasn't common in the hardware stores she'd come across. It was a specific kit that might rarely be sold in a specialist store, but they were far more common in places such as police or firefighter service buildings. Some engineering workshops had them for getting into and working on certain types of magitech devices found around junctions or utility buildings, like the terminals that no longer functioned.

She had a similar kit back at the train station, one that she'd found still unharmed inside the side-pouch of damaged webbing wrapped around a desiccated and burnt corpse, one that had been part of a destroyed security checkpoint near the giant scar just outside the station itself.

The Gryphon's claim of being former military was ringing true, and not just from the decent calibre of equipment he possessed. It was rather clear that he carried himself differently to others. She'd taken full note that regardless of his steps being devoid of any stealth that they were still deliberate, each one taken had been so that he could have the best stability upon the icy ground. The way he sat was different too, and she could see that he was actually tensed up like a spring despite his apparent relaxedness, as if he was ready to jump into action at a split-second's notice.

She always had to second guess a pony when they told her something, most often being the offer of trade that she wasn't really certain was legitimate, reading into possible context clues that led to them secretly wanting to pull a weapon. There had been plenty that she'd had to quickly deal with during the following months after setting out from Ponyville, travellers on the road that had rapidly eroded her high trust in others when they pulled a weapon rather than the goods they claimed to have.

The Gryphon being this upfront was incredibly damn refreshing.

But that didn't mean she was going to throw caution to the wind and blindly trust him either.

"I'm pretty but I'm not that pretty," he mused, as she realised she'd been staring at him a mite too hard. "What's on your mind, lady?"

Applejack laughed a little despite herself, she was hardly a lady. "Nothin'..." she said, her expression quickly becoming serious. "What did ya mean when ya said ya were former military? I woulda thought the military was still established in a bunch of places, settin' up safe zones and the like."

"Not exactly," he smiled darkly as he paused his work, it wasn't a happy look. "After the event hit we obviously tried to maintain some level of order and do that, but that broke down pretty fucking fast when our supplies started dwindling. Things got dire, people were dying all over the place, and then we got the order to abandon our posts from the higher-ups that were still around and retreat, and that was it, everyone else for themselves. Only a few of us didn't like that very much and tried to stick around."

She frowned. "So there's like, no military left? At all?"

He paused as he thought for a moment. "Hm, there's definitely still some Guard presence up near Canterlot, though it's heavily diminished; that place got hit hard by the event. Last I knew they were maintaining a wide exclusion zone because of the heavy radiation, no one is allowed in."

Maybe not allowed in, but maybe that meant-

"And no; trying to go to Canterlot is a bad move, before you consider it," he stated, interrupting her thoughts as if he'd read her mind. "I already tried and got shot at for the trouble, twice, they really don't want anyone coming near the place."

"Not even former military personnel?" Applejack wondered.

He shook his head. "Not unless we went with them initially it seems."

She stewed on that for a bit, it would certainly explain why no assistance ever came from Canterlot following the Singularity. It was a rather bitter pill to swallow. She and many others had held an abundance of hope that the Princesses would have been able to survive and restore things to how they were before. If the military command structure had collapsed except for a few remaining pockets and weren't helping anypony but themselves, then it was highly likely there was no true leadership left to rally them.

She started to piece together a few different snippets in her mind with disturbing clarity.

For one, the military checkpoint on her alternate route had been shot up and ransacked, and she'd thought it might have come long after everything else from others having utilised the place for cover. Now she could see at the onset an increasingly desperate populace and directionless military clashing over what remaining resources they had as the supply chain ceased to exist. Across roughly a dozen different locations she'd come across similar scenes that had played out.

It had only been one of a few theories as to why certain areas were in such a chaotic state, and yet it would explain a great deal. With the Gryphon's own testimony it lent a lot of weight behind it towards being factual.

"Well that's just great," Applejack grunted at the floor. "We really are on our own."

"Unfortunately it looks that way," he agreed.

They soon slipped back into silence, the only sound in the alley other than their breathing being the wind that blew through. Applejack felt it was slightly awkward given that she honestly would have preferred to be alone. However, given that the Gryphon seemed like the decent sort and was trying to help her out, she didn't feel as if she could tell him to leave her be. Having another person around to keep an ear out for danger wasn't unwelcome either.

"So... what happened back there?"

She looked up from the ground again to meet his curious gaze as he fitted his Phobos back onto his rig. There wasn't any judgement there, just his mild level of curiosity and little else. Of course he was probably also wondering as to why she was covered in blood. Whether he was hiding any obvious thoughts to what she'd done under the surface she couldn't tell, but it didn't really matter.

"None of yer business," she stated evenly. "I'll thank ya not to pry."

He shrugged as he leant back. "Fair enough," he then nodded to her weapons that rested beside her. "What about those?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What about 'em?"

"They're good equipment, and you know how to maintain them in a pinch it seems," he said just as evenly. "The shotgun's in great condition, and there's not many that would think to jury-rig lesser gem-cores to get a pulse rifle functioning without a proper core."

He had a very keen eye. It wasn't as if the pulse rifle's socket was hidden from view, though most people would simply look it over as some surface damage. It usually would have required a Unicorn's magic to open the socket, but she'd simply brute forced it so that she could get it working in the first place.

"I asked ya not to pry," she frowned, a certain level of grit in her tone. "Why'd ya keep askin'?"

"Sorry, like I said, you seem like a capable mare," he smiled.

Applejack sighed as she looked elsewhere, gently shivering after another breeze travelled through. She glanced at her clothing laid out on the floor and decided they'd probably been sitting for long enough, picking up her poncho and finding it quite warm to the touch thanks to the heat pack. There was an unmistakable tang of iron in the air from where the warmth had affected the blood soaked into it. As unpleasant as that was, she found it was much drier than it was before as she padded a hoof over the affected areas. Checking the jacket she found it in the same condition. Both didn't smell very nice given that she hadn't had the time to give them a proper wash lately. A mixture of stale sweat, dried blood, and whatever grime she'd used to darken them filled her senses, though she felt it was better to have an amalgamation of them rather than only being able to focus on the scent of blood.

She took off the Gryphon's poncho, shimmying her jacket back on as well as her own poncho and found she could breathe much easier without feeling ill, the cold already cooling them and lessening the impact that the heat had on the odour. There was nothing that she could do about the dark stains across them right now, but that was something she could deal with easily enough when she was safely back at the train station.

She picked up the heat packs and wrapped them up within the patterned poncho, throwing them across to the Gryphon who caught the bundle in his claws with a brief nod of thanks. He stuffed them into his backpack as she got to her hooves and began to get everything together. He was already standing by the mouth of the alley waiting for her as she finished fitting on her second hoof-duster over a glove, simply observing her process.

"Can I ask where you're headed now?" He said with a slight grin. "Or would that be considered prying?"

She rolled her eyes. "Prying."

"Thought so."

Moving to the alley's exit alongside the Gryphon, they both peered out and didn't see any immediate threats. She flicked her eyes to him and looked over the way she stood, leaning upright against the wall for cover as he checked the direction to their immediate right. The way he was leaning was almost suggesting to her that he was assuming she would cover the left direction herself, which she was to a degree.

It didn't seem right to her that he should place even that level of trust in her given that he knew so little of what she was like. Obviously she wasn't going to shoot him, but he had no true way of knowing that. She couldn't imagine trusting something that important to a complete stranger. She doubted he was stupid at all, and as she stepped out towards the left side and watched her path forward he automatically withdrew his pistol in a claw and kept himself in cover much as she would have done as he moved out to the right, partially leaving himself exposed to her when he moved between positions.

He really was trusting that she would cover his flank.

While he had possessed ample opportunity to get the drop on her, she hadn't felt any sense that he might try to. He hadn't drawn his sidearm until now, and even while he had talons he hadn't brandished them at her either. He'd made no threats, and there had been no suspicious edge to his voice or sinister look in his expression that she could pick up on that suggested ulterior motives. He'd only given freely of what he had without asking for anything back in return.

At this point she almost felt guilty that she was still doubting him. Why would he waste resources on her if all he was going to do was eventually kill her? Her mind jumped to the extreme that he might be wanting to gain her trust in order to lead her into a group lying in wait, as that would be easier than killing her and carrying her gear by himself. As much as she was justified in thinking to that extent, it still didn't feel right. She knew that if the girls were here they'd be telling her that she had to place a measure of trust in others again at some point.

She didn't know his motivations, however she could extend an olive branch.

"My name's Applejack," she said after a couple of minutes.

"Ah, so she does have a name," he said while keeping his eyes forward, though they flicked to her for a brief moment. "You look like an Apple. I knew an Apple once, any relation?"

Her brow raised, surprised. "They're muh kin."

"Huh, small world," he commented, the crook of his beak raising in a smirk.

"More likely that we're pretty spread over," she returned. "If you were about Canterlot before all this then ya probably knew one of cousin Strudel's family, she had plenty of siblings and children."

"Probably that then, it was just a corner shop I commonly dropped by," he nodded.

"Sounds like cousin Syrup's café," Applejack said. "He makes some great pies."

The Gryphon nodded, smiling to himself. "That was the one, small little café off the corner of Duchess's Street."

They slowed and paused as they came up to a T-junction exit on the next street, both checking their immediate directions again and passing their vision over the many weathered buildings towering over them. Applejack didn't spot anything that might indicate trouble along the icy street or around common clutter sprawled through it; the few lonely vehicles and propulsives that lay abandoned along her way were devoid or anything she might think to be a trap. She scanned the dead buildings again just in case, the many hundreds of smashed windows above were also clear and unobstructed. It was the boarded or covered up ones that she was always wary of. The rusting vehicles that had stopped at the exit out which they were utilising were rather good cover too should anypony take a shot at them.

A quick tap came at her shoulder and she turned her attention the Gryphon's way. He was holding up his claw, his face a mask of concentration as he appeared to listen out for something. She understood as she sharply felt a disturbing sense of unease, a chill crawling down her spine and tensing as she heard it before she saw it. It was a gentle whisper in the air at first, and it was gradually climbing into a scream. She immediately backpedalled as he tugged hard on her shoulder, moving with and forcing her back as there came a horrendous keening echo that warped her vision. She stumbled over her own hooves across the ground, broken glass and hardened snow crunching underhoof as she corrected, a second echo with a much deeper wail punching through her thoughts and staggering her further.

She fumbled away until she couldn't see straight and threw herself behind another vehicle further down. It was all she could do to cover her ears as the bizarre anomaly soon haphazardly tore through the street somewhere ahead of them, however she wasn't sure if it helped her whatsoever. Her vision swam as the distorted screaming increased in pitch and a multitude of painfully tortured voices reverberated off of every single surface that the sound could reach. Darkness filled with blinding stars edged in around the sides of her peripherals as the intensity of it pierced into her brain. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before, the discomfort having rapidly turned into a profound agony that deeply ached through the rest of her body and made her fall limp.

She felt as if she was on the verge of passing out before she was tackled into an embrace by the Gryphon, his forelimbs wrapping around her while the pain from the anomaly slowly and inexplicably began to lessen. He held her tightly against his chest while she blinked away a worrying glint of red through her disorientation, blinking until her vision cleared up and she could see better. She felt she could begin to breathe a little easier as the maleficent anomaly continued on its way, its vicious howling decreasing the further away it travelled.

The Gryphon released her after a short period, his tufted tail lashing in agitation as he wiped at his eyes with a cloth, fixing her with an intense glare as he offered her the rag. "Are you alright? That was the most intense fucking Banshee I've ever seen."

"I-I'll live," she swallowed past the lump in her throat, wiping at her eyes with a cleaner part of her sleeve instead. She'd never encountered that type of anomaly before, and sweet Celestia the damn thing could move. "Thanks fer the save. How come ya aint too outta sorts?"

He regarded her for a moment, looking partly distrustful for the first time since she'd met him, before he opened and reached into one of the pouches on his rig. He pulled free something that almost appeared to be a misshapen stone, except it seemed to be formed from some kind of dark opaque crystal and she almost felt like it played tricks on her eyes. She knew what she was looking at.

"Remnant." Applejack said.

"We called it a Nox. Found it in a black patch of what I'm fairly sure was a Siren," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "It seems to give some protection against shit like that."

She raised a concerned eyebrow. "Aint seen a Siren either."

"It's what a couple other guys called it after their buddy walked into it," he explained, pocketing the Remnant again. "He just kept on repeating how beautiful the singing was and how nice the ponies were, over and over again. Then he just collapsed and died."

"It sounds like it lures ya in."

He gave a nod. "It does. If you ever hear singing in a language you can't understand, or see a silhouette of a pony standing nearby, you plug your ears and run away."

She would remember that. "Noted."

They could still just about hear the Banshee wailing off in the distance if they listened out for it, and she was glad that the way it went wasn't the way she was going to go. She still felt quite out of sorts, it was a highly powerful anomaly that was par for the course. She already expected that she'd not found all the types of crazy that the Singularity had created just yet, she'd grown a little complacent as of late. Now she had knowledge on two more. Her mind was settling as she slowly recovered, the pain that had settled in her chest was getting better and her limbs ached less.

"I'm Gwaine, by the way."

She looked up at him from the road she was staring into. "Nice to meet ya."

And it was, she thought. He'd helped her and then he'd saved her, she didn't know what would have happened had he not been around to shield her from the Banshee. She didn't want to think what could happen if she had passed out in the street, she'd be easy pickings for anypony or any monster that came along. She might not know him well, but in the past she'd declared herself friends with other ponies for far less, and the girls would have greatly insisted on friendship by this point. Pinkie would already be making up a song too... Even so, she wasn't going to call him a friend just yet, but he'd earned some of her trust and that was more than she'd given others in a long while.

"Gwaine," she said. "Thank you, truly."

He waved her off with a grin. "It's fine. Like I said, it's what I'm meant to do."

Gwaine chuckled as he moved past her, his boots crunching on the road as he neared the spot ahead between the vehicles again. He glanced out both ways as he held low, gently waving her forwards as he kept watch. He was being a lot more cautious thanks to the encounter, and she was glad as they'd both be better off for it.

"Think I can ask where you're heading now?" Gwaine asked as she came up behind him.

She huffed, glancing out as well. "Why d'ya wanna know?"

Gwaine grunted in return, looking at her.

"Alright, so..." Gwaine sighed. "I said you seemed capable, and you are. That's important. You're green when it comes to shit made by the event, but that's most civvies," he paused as he weighed his words. "The thing is... I can't tell you why just yet, but I can watch your back."

And that was why she didn't blindly trust, there was always an ulterior motive.

"I'm good, thanks." Applejack frowned, slightly annoyed. "I got things to be done, general scavving and the like. Aint no particular place I'm going an' I doubt ya wanna tag along."

Gwaine perked up at that. "I know some place that has supplies. Some food and ammo, not a lot, but, some. I haven't had much need for them, but if you do... I can take you there."

Her frown deepened. "Why wouldn't ya have already taken them fer stockin' up?"

"See, I might not need them, though," he shrugged. "I also can't get to them."

She sighed. "So what makes ya think I can?"

"Together we can, no problem," Gwaine smirked. "It's a two person job. Admittedly, it would be easier with a Unicorn, but an Earthen can do just as well."

Ah, so it was like that.

She didn't like that she was seriously considering it. He'd only helped her out to get help in return, and he was probably quite over the moon that such a nasty anomaly had made an appearance. It had allowed him to save her, and she owed him for that. He knew it and she couldn't ignore it, yet neither did she want to go into something unknown and dangerous with somepony she couldn't fully trust.

"And if I don't want to?" Applejack poised.

Gwaine sighed, tapping a talon off his leg. "Then I guess I'm fucked on that one," he looked at her properly, shifting around. "Look, I get it, I'm a complete stranger, that's hard to trust, but how about you just see what we have to do first?"

"Yer really tryin' to sell this, huh?" she raised an eyebrow. "I aint stupid, ya want into them supplies fer somethin', ya just aint tellin' me what."

Gwaine nodded. "Alright, look... fine, I'll be honest. There is something I need from the stash," he quickly raised a talon. "But just the one thing, I don't really need any of the rest of it. You can have everything else and that won't be any feathers off my back, I swear."

He clearly didn't want to tell her what 'the one thing' was, so she suspected it was probably a Remnant or something similar. They were extremely rare and powerful oddities, and many ponies would try to search around the areas of anomalies in order to find them. From what she understood it was where they formed, and Gwaine had said that was where he'd gotten his Nox. She couldn't imagine risking her life for the damn things, personally. Yes, they granted protection from the bizarre creations of the Singularity, but they were also of the Singularity. That didn't sit well with her at all, there was no telling what effect they might have on a pony, in mind or body.

Regardless of her own misgivings however, there was an opportunity here.

It was also a clear goal instead of wandering blind.

She didn't want to consider it, and yet she was; she and Applebloom needed more than they currently had, and Gwaine was providing her with a way to get more. She scanned his face for any signs of deceit, but try as she might she couldn't see any hint of dishonesty to what he'd said. He'd told her the basics and she could easily guess the rest of it from here. At the very least, if he did have further ulterior motives then she wouldn't allow herself to be caught unaware, not again. She'd be ready for it this time.

Applejack regarded him, and soon exhaled through her teeth. "...Okay. If it's too dangerous then I aint gonna do it, but otherwise if it looks to be doable then you've got a deal."

She held up her hoof.

Gwaine grinned, taking her hoof and shaking. "Good enough for me. I'll lead the way."

Author's Note

I imagine Gwaine as sounding something like Steven Blum, personally.