Protopony

Mist Shaker 3rd POV

Mist was walking alone, he had been silently escorted out of Blackhoof headquarters and he kept walking, searching for his brother, Midnight Star, hoping that he would find him soon.

'Fucking Blackhoof bastards, trying to get me to kill my own brother.' Mist thought to himself. 'I'll kill them all just to prove my loyalty to my family, but I need to find Midnight and make sure he's still alive.'

Upon Mist's removal from Blackhoof, he was forced to turn in his uniform, weapons and all, leaving no trace of him being a Blackhoof official, therefore, also leaving him unarmed.

For days he searched without success, he was starving, nearly collapsing with every step. He wouldn't last much longer unless he found his brother. One day, he collapsed, not knowing that his brother was nearby.

"M-Midnight… help… me." Mist called out weakly before passing out.

Twilight 1st POV

It had been several days since Midnight had joined our ranks, no doubt thanks to me, but I guess it was meant to happen.

"You know, it's been hard just to survive now that this has happened to us, being prototypes of the virus." I said to Midnight. "It's been hard for all seven of us since before you joined us."

Midnight was about to answer when his ears perked. "Did you hear that?" He said. "Sounded like somepony was calling to me for help but the call was weak, but we should still investigate."

I turned immediately and looked down the street behind me and saw nopony, so I walked down the street a ways, but not out of earshot, to see if I could find anypony.

I was heading back when I heard "Over here!" I bolted in the direction of the call and found Rainbow carrying a pony on her back, unconscious.

"Who's that?" I asked curiously.

"Dunno, let's just get him to safety though, looks like he's been starving himself for some reason." She replied.

Midnight looked at the stallions face before he had a look of disbelief on his face. "No… it can't be."

"What can't be?" I asked.

"Th-this is… my little brother." Midnight said as a tear ran down his cheek. "T-to think… I'd see him in such a miserable condition. We need to get him back to good health." I was nervous about welcoming a new pony into our little group but this pony looked like he’d been through the meat grinder of some sick weather facility.

“Where would we be safe until he has recovered?” Spike asked with the same concern for this pony as I have, maybe even more concern than I.

“I don’t know.” I replied, for the first time since this had happened, I truly had no idea where we could go to remain safe so that we could get the pony we found back in good health. I considered the hospital for a while but then I remembered that Blackhoof was probably watching those like a hawk. I then thought about some of the shelters the city had but once again Blackhoof would’ve had watches around those as well. It just seemed hopeless until Rainbow poked me.

“You know we could always hide him out in my old place here. It’s not that far actually.” She told us as she pointed out a hotel not that far from where we were. I smiled and thanked her before she picked him up and placed him over her shoulders. She flew off to the hotel before I turned back to Midnight.

Mist Shaker 3rd POV

Mist began to wake, noticing that he was no longer on the ground but in a bed. “Wh-Where am I? Where’s Midnight?”

“You are safe and in good hooves, Midnight, your brother, will be here soon, he’s on his way with the others.” A cyan mare replied. “What’s your name.”

“Mist… just call me Mist.” he replied weakly due to his starved condition.

“I’m Rainbow Dash, you’re in my old hotel room. You’ll be safe here while you are recovering.” Dash stated, looking at Mist with gentle magneta colored eyes.

“Thanks for the help Rainbow.” Mist said as he tried to stand up only to be greeted by a sharp pain in his gut.

“Um dude... I wouldn’t move until that scar in your gut is looked at. It really looked nasty.”

“Gee thanks.”

It wasn’t long until the rest of the group had arrived, Midnight immediately rushing to his brother’s side. “Mist, thank Faust you’re alive. What happened to you?” Midnight asked, nearly breaking down as he asked.

“M-Midnight… It was Blackhoof, they fired me because they wanted me to kill you and your friends… and I refused.”

“Y-You refused to follow orders… for me… for all of us?” Midnight asked, his voice wavering as tears welled in his eyes again.

“Yeah… I even said I’d kill all of Blackhoof just to protect you after being escorted from the building, but nopony heard me, I hope.” He said. What none of them noticed however was that, outside Rainbow’s apartment, a hunter was listening. The moment they finished talking it took a giant leap and landed on the ground. It then jumped from the building and arrived at a huge hive. It looked around before finding an opening and squeezed in through it.

“Mist, right now, you just need to rest and we’ll find something for you to eat.” Midnight said. “Just lay back down and rest.”

Mist nodded and laid back down. “M-Midnight?”

“Mhm?”

“Will somepony be staying to keep watch over me?”

It wasn’t Midnight who answered but I. “Of course one of us will be keeping watch over you, we all will, while we go out one of us will stay behind to keep an eye on you.”

“Thank you for the help by the way .” Mist said as he smiled a little.

"Any time." I replied then looked at Dash. "Hey, you wouldn't mind staying here with Mist a while longer while we go and get him something to eat, would you?"

"I wouldn't mind." Dash replied.

"I'm staying as well, to keep my little brother company, be there for him when he needs me." Midnight said stepping up beside the bed where his brother lay.

"Very well Midnight, I respect your need to accompany your brother and your need to see him through to his recovery." I replied. "Just stay out of trouble."

“We will Twilight, trust me.” Midnight replied from his place beside Mist.

After that was said, all but Rainbow Dash and Midnight left, the two remaining behind to stay with Mist. Dash looked at Midnight with a pained expression in her eyes. “L-Listen, I’m sorry that you had to see your brother like this, I know I had nothing to do with the cause of it, but I still feel so sorry for him since I found him, but if I hadn’t then he would have…” She stopped before saying anything else, fearing that she might upset Midnight.

“You saved his life when you found him and I appreciate your sympathy and concern, thank you.” Midnight replied. Rainbow smiled a little at this before she heard something outside. She looked and saw that there were some infected outside the building.

“Yeah that’s great um we gotta go… like now.”