I was dreaming again about the farm. I was a young stallion again walking along the trail to my family's farmhouse with my father.

“Hard to think all this used to belong to raiders and hard to think the sky had almost no sunlight truly a gift from the six,” my father said to me as we pulled wagons of food to the farmhouse for storage for the nearby settlement.

I nodded as I pulled my wagon of food through our trail.

“Equestria is healing. We got food and clean water. I say if Equestria keeps moving forward like this everything will return like it was all those years ago,” My father said before he stopped and unhooked from his cart to open the storage.

As I started pushing my cart in as my dad held the doors open as a gunshot rang out.

I woke up in my Bunk with Zonk looking at me.

“Can I help you?” I said, shoving them back as I got up from my bed.

“Right now no. But Winterboots and Frosty are waiting for you on what remains of the wall,” Zonk said as I got up and headed to meet with them as Zonk watched me exit the barracks.

Zonk's line of sight from their helmet blacked out visor made me feel a bit weird.

Walking through the fortress ponies started talking, some saying “I think these are raiders?”

Another pony saying “no it cannot be ARA broke them years ago we are called the Anti Raider Alliance for a reason. The ponyville slaughter put an end to them years ago, read your text books.”

A sense of dread fills the air around our fortress today. Most of us have not seen big raider groups for years, maybe a few small bandit or small slaver groups, maybe a small raider group or two but nothing like yesterday.

On my way to the wall I saw Plow reading a book on basic medical treatments. Well that raises a few questions worth asking.

Walking to Plow I asked him “You know that's not a book on guns right?”

He shrugged and said “I know but the medic team is trying to keep ponies alive that got hurt and we were short staffed after that skirmish yesterday,” he stop for a moment and pulled out another copy “would you like one?” before giving me a medical magazine. I am not sure how this helps any pony but ok.

I took it then said to him “Thanks and good luck with all that, just remember you cannot reload a pony like a gun to fix it not working,” as he nodded I waved him goodbye and made my way to meet Winterboots and Frosty.

Reaching Winterboots and Frosty I heard the sound of muttering from them before Winterboots passed her something before I made myself known.

“Reporting for duty Winterboots,” I said as I stood tall and saluted.

“We got an important visitor coming and we need to make sure no raiders attempt anything or I will never hear the end of it. So you and my daughter are heading out to try figure out where they came from and stop them if they try anything if they not plotting anything basically do recond,” Winterboots said to me as he light a cigar then said “also careful what you say when you get back because if you got raider family blood keep it to yourself our visitor is arriving by vertabuck and well just do not say anything got all that?”

I nodded and headed to the armory to get some recon gear and set off with Frosty.

Meeting Frosty outside the fortress she led the way as we moved through the snow it gave us time to talk. the Blood from yesterday still caked on the snow, nothing changed from yesterday so was the smell.

“Raiders returning and a report of Graymane being at head is super bad how do you feel rook?” Frosty asked me as she kept looking forward.

“I am doing well but Graymane, who is he? I think I heard of him before but I do not remember where," I said back to her.

Frosty stopped and gave me a look then turned back to walking then said “Over a hundred years ago there was an attack on the reclaimed Ponyville with Graymane at the head of the raider group launching this attack. Before you waste time asking yes a hundred hence why it is odd to have his name pop up it is very likely just some pony acting as if it is him or something.”

I then jokingly asked “Hundred years? Maybe it is him? like he has a herald with that heavy metal pony. Maybe he is immortal like the princesses from before the balefire?”

Frosty gave me the cold shoulder but before I could ask another silly question she stopped and signaled me to hunker down and move to cover.

I follow her orders knowing full well she knows recon better then me and has the best eyes out of us all.

She held a knife in her magic as she grabbed a raider covering their mouth with her hoof and jammed the knife deep into their neck as she dragged him into our cover out of vision of any pony.

The raider struggled to break free before going limp and the life drained from his eyes at that point Frosty dropped him, letting him land face down in the snow as Frosty cleaned her knife on the dead raider body and sheaves it.

“Let's move,” she said as she led me to high ground overlooking a massive encampment as more raider groups joined it.

I layed down on the ground then pulled out some binoculars from my bag and took a look as Frosty used her scope from her rifle to get a better look.

“What are we looking for exactly?” I asked as I looked at the encampment.

“Anything that would be a threat to the fortress or them grouping up for attack basically any red flags,” Frosty said while peeking at an old wanted poster.

Does she think Graymane is alive for real? Like it was just a joke, I didn't really mean it.

I ignored that fact as I looked over the raider camp and saw heavy metal he was still alive?

no way he was still alive after being blown up and stabbed in the side like our kidneys are around there.

I saw heavy metal still alive seemling ordering his raiders to whip him and beat him for some reason. Is that a raider thing or something?

Somepony runs up to him and says something before heavy metal gets up then heads to the middle of the encampment.

“Frosty something is happening down there towards the middle of the encampment,” I said.

We both looked and saw what looked like a pony in heavy duty power armor standing by the right side of two double doors as a pony was speaking as heavy metal stood to the left of the double doors. Then the doors swung open and out stepped a gray unicorn with a dark gray mane with a cutie mark covered by his leather armor. Last he had a black crystal around his neck in the form of a necklace.

We could hear raiders cheering as Frosty says “Impossible,” as she looks at the photo and back to him “How a hundred years,” she started adjusting her rifle and scope.

“Wait we are to just watch,” as I grabbed onto the rifle to stop her but was not fast enough and the shot went off.

I quickly looked through the Binoculars and yup they knew we were up here as well she missed the shot but the shot seemed to have hit heavy metal in the back right hoof by mistake so not all that bad news.

I put my Binoculars back in my bag before I could say anything Frosty said “this way i patrol here before this way now!” Then she ran off.

I followed her as fast as I could as raiders took potshots at us and their trucks broke down at the gate.

Lucky for us there trucks broke down at the gate but they still had hoofs and a blood lust we needed to escape.

Frosty turned and took shots at random at the snow as raiders started showing up; they chased after us but stopped shooting, seeming they must have changed their minds and wanted to take us alive.

We kept moving as Frosty kept wasting ammo by shooting snow. I shouted “Stop wasting ammo we nee-” but I was cut off by a roar and a giant tentacle bursting out of snow grabbing a raider.

I stop in confusion as Frosty grabs my hoof and pulls me to follow. She led me to a hidden path leading into the mountains and back to the fortress.

“Ok now that we are safe, what in Celestia and the six names was that back there!?” I said loudly as we traveled through her secret path.

“Snow Kraken,” She calmly said as she led the way.

I shaked my head then said “No, not that. The fact that you recklessly opened fire at the raider leader after we we-” she cut me off by stopping and looked me dead in the eye.

“Father gave me special orders to kill the raider leader if he was a perfect match to the wanted poster he gave me. But thanks to you who fuck up our likely only chance to kill a historical monster Celestia only knows the mayhem he will bring and now i have report this back to dad,” she said before turning back and leading us back to the Fortress.

I followed a bit then said “Sorry but how do we even know if it was Gra-” but before I could finish she turned and looked me dead in the eyes.

Her eyes were full of rage and fury then said “My dad was there when he was a young colt and he felt it was going to be him and the poster was a match so it must have been him not a fake but the real deal. Now he has a chance to cause the mayhem he did all those years ago. He can now do it in the here and now.”

“It seem Graymane is back after all no?” a familiar voice said along our path somehow?

Frosty quickly turned down our path to the fortress and aimed her sniper rifle at where we heard the voice come from with full intent to kill whoever managed to sneak up on us.

We both stopped at the sound of a Stealthbuck turning off and Zonk turning invisible to visible in front of us.

“Why are you here!?” I asked loudly.

Zonk took a moment then said “I felt your weakness would ruin Frosty shot so I sabotaged the raider trucks by the gates so you could escape.”

Frosty was shocked and then said “Dad told you?”

Zonk shaked his head no then calmly said “you know me Frosty now then let's get back to the Fortress an..this isn’t correct,” as he looked past us.

We both turned around to see what Zonk saw and it was a good size group of raiders with few rushing away from their group to attempt to get to us before the others.

Frosty yell “Fuck how did they find this path way Snow Kraken should of took them off our trail,” attempted to fire her gun but all she got was a click she pull out her magazine from her gun and looked then said “I should of brought more ammo. “

I noticed Zonk hoof prints in the snow and I put it together but I chose to stay silent about it because infighting isn't the best idea right now.

Zonk looks at me as they pull out a Zebra assault rifle and check its ammo before finishing prepping it.

“Me and Zonk got this you go warn your dad we will buy you as much time as possible,” I said as me and zonk took cover behind a few rocks.

Frosty silently mouthed fuck it and ran leaving me and Zonk to slow them down by our selves.

“So betting, I can kill more than you,'' I said to Zonk as I opened fire with my rifle.

“Only in your dre-...nevermind hundred bits say i get more,” They said back as he opened fire down at them getting the first kill before me.

We manage to take out a good chunk of them during the few minutes of fighting. They kept using melee till one of them shouted something and they started shooting back. It seemed they wanted Frosty not us. I can only imagine why. know what I do not want to know.

The white snow changed from an untouched white wonder to a crimson river as more kept rushing and few shot back.

Like what the fuck how do they have this many raiders it scarry to think this many raiders manage to stay hidden from us all for so long.

Also fact we seem to be killing mostly psycho raiders again and again but something off about them i cannot put my hoof on it.

“For Graymane for the new age of the raiders!” one of them shouted as he got shot by Zonk.

Zonk quickly reloaded faster than I was able to before saying “pick up your speed Rook we got another group and they do not seem normal,” as a gunshot grazed their helmet.

Three ponies in full heavy armor started walking up one firing a minigun and two firing standard assault rifles. Their weapons lack the standard rust that you would see from raider weapons as well their armor was well keeped and cared for.

When did raiders have the mental capacity to make elites like this in all sense they should hoard the best weapons and armor for themselves out of greed. Unless these ponies are the best fighters to make sure there equipment was never stolen from them oh great we are more fucked then i first thought.

Things only went from bad to worse as an explosive barrel was sent flying from down the path to behind us causing the mountain path to shake causing an avalanche.

Cold snow rushed down sweeping us and the raiders away. The avalanche brought us down the mountain. I struggle to keep myself above the snow, losing sight of Zonk.

Attempting to stay above the snow with swimming movements trying to find something solid to grab onto. But I was blindsided by a rock and darkness took me.

I had no idea how long I was out for. but when I woke up I found myself partly buried in the snow and a Power armored pony looking at me.

Wait a second it was the pony that was with the raider leader fuck.

They lift up a hoof ready to smash my head in but was stopped by a pony saying “Hold up wait Armor,” it was the one Frosty called Graymane “He killed a few of our ponies the honor of his death should go to my most devoted.”

Pony he called Armor set their hoof down on the snowy ground as raiders' hoof cuffed my front hooves as well as put black ring around my horn and dug me out from the snow.

I noticed as they dug me out three armored raider ponies pulling themselves out of the snow before walking to a raider at a makeshift catapult. Raider by makeshift catapult looked scared and was about to say something before one hit him with a spiked hoof and the other two started beating him till he could not move.

A raider said as they finish restraining me “Be grateful Graymane offering you a chance to have a respectful death more than you ARA ponies deserve.”

They yank my chains to get me to follow behind them as Graymane and Armor watch them escort me away. I had no clue what they were planning to do exactly but I feel more killing will be involved.

After a few minutes of walking I saw no evidence of Zonk making it out alive but I am just happy knowing that Frosty got away at least.

Once we reached the Encampment and oh Celestia the smell of I have no idea what filled the air but it wasn’t pleasant. All I could assume was a mix of their filth and rotting meat.

Their tents and makeshift homes had pictures of Graymane with words I could not read them fully but I knew one had words about a new raider god on it.

“Welcome to paradise ARA filth. The type paradise Light Bringer tried to destroy by bringing back that damn sun!” The raider leading the way said to me,

“Shut up!” Another raider who was escorting me said.

The one leading group rolled her eyes before saying “this paradise is built on faith and unrestricted freedom. Also soon your grave.”

They took me to what looked to be a makeshift arena. They point hoof to a cell within the arena “if your lucky somepony will sponsor you for this arena so it will not be a slaughter,” one raider said as they shoved me into the cell.

Author's Note

well got another chapter out going try end it by 8 or 10 but happy some of you seem enjoy it i am open for some feed back.

Anyway thanks sticking around make to chapter 3.