Titanium

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

***

Eclipse stared at this tiny pony beside her.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked poking the foal with her hoof. "And why would I be a guardian angel?"

"I'm Sprite, and you told me worse would come." Sprite choked on the last few words.

"Yeah, unless it was in a freaky dream where you were chained and a bunch of dead ponies where about to kill you, I have no idea what the buck you're talking about."

"That's precisely what was happening." The yellow filly said, her lime-green eyes shining. Eclipse looked at her.

"No, because that is impossible."

"You're impossible. Alicorns don't exist."

"There, I do not exist. Go run along and tell your mommy to get you tested for insanity."

As the mare started trotting away, she heard small sobs. She turned, seeing Sprite crying into the dust. "What now?"

"My mom is dead, that's what you were warning me about."

"Awww, shit," Eclipse mumbled, she couldn't help but feel responsible. "Hey kid!"

Sprite looked up.

"Want to...uh... join me? Seeing as I'm your guardian angel or whatever the buck you said." The alicorn was assaulted by a large hug. Glimmering eyes stared into hers.

"Thank you so much!" Sprite snuggled into Eclipse, who was debating whether or not to hug her back. She finally hugged the filly back awkwardly.

"We have to go now." Eclipse said, looking straight foreward.

"What's your name?" Sprite asked curiously. Eclipse thought about this. She looked at her own flank and made a conclusion.

"Eclipse," She answered simply.

"That's a nice name, better than Sprite."

"Uh-huh..."

"By the way-"

***

Silver tears slid down a yellow face, making dark lines from eye to jaw. Sprite awoke with a start, hypeventilating. She looked about, hoping it was all a bad dream, that her mom wasn't dead, that... that maybe she would awake and find her mother staring down at her with loving eyes, tell Sprite her coat was the exact shade her father's was, that she had his black hooves. That she was the most beautiful filly in the wasteland, that one day she'd be a princess and bring Equestria back to it's former glory.

Sprite sniffed, it wasn't going to happen. Her mother was dead, killed by raiders, and she'd never be a princess. Only alicorns could be, she was a normal earth pony. Scratch that, she was a pitifully undergrown earth pony. If Eclipse hadn't found her, she'd be dead. The filly smiled, yes, she had Eclipse. Mama said Eclipse was her guardian angel, and she found Eclipse, so she'd be okay. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. When she opened them again, they were locked on the glowing white shape in front of her. She crawled over to Eclipse, and curled under her outstretched wing. A shaky hoof stroked the alicorn's lavender mane. It was silky soft and shimmered in the moonlight. Sprite fiddled with it for a bit before retreating into Eclipse's side. She curled into a ball and slept. She didn't notice the mare sneak a glance at her and grin. Nightmares came not for the two was they dreamed in peace.

***

Sprite coughed on the dust was she walked ahead of Eclipse, checking her PipBuck's map.

"We're nearing a town called... Sweetsprings..." She reported to the alicorn, who was looking apathetic as usual.

"Cool, how far?" She asked uninterestedly. Eclipse's aqua eyes spoke of anything but gentleness, her movements stiff and rigid. She kept her wings tightly to her side, and one might assume her to be a unicorn. And yet she was perfect in Sprite's eyes, much to the elder's confusion. "Um... right over this ridge over here-" Sprite screamed as a couple of coyotes dashed towards her, their teeth bared and snarling. The filly turned tail and ran for her life, her heart pounding out of her chest. Eclipse galloped beside her, equally afraid despite her size advantage.

"Crapohcrapohcrap!" The white mare gasped as her hooves struck the ground, pushing Sprite foreward.

The two nearly collided when they heard a couple of gunshots rung off, followed by the coyotes' dying whimpers.

"If that was scary to you, you're gonna have one hell of a time in the rest of the wasteland." Eclipse turned, seeing a tan unicorn mare with a ginger-red mane tied back.

"Thank you so much!" Sprite jumped up, hugging the unicorn's leg. The unicorn patted her back.

"You're welcome," She pulled away and held out her hoof. "I'm Sunny."

"I'm Sprite!" The filly chirped back, shaking her hoof. Sunny turned to Eclipse, who regained her look of indifference.

"Eclipse. Are we near Sweetsprings?"

"You bet you are!" Sunny said, examining the alicorn before here. "Why do you want to know?"

"We need to get ourselves prepped for the wasteland, as you just demonstrated."

"What in the hell? I can understand Sprite, but how long have you been alive, then?" The tan unicorn exclaimed, aghast.

Eclipse's face went blank.

"You don't know your own age?"

Blink.

"What are you, an overgrown foal?"

Sunny jumped as Eclipse ruffled her feathers.

"You're an alicorn?!" She shouted, her brown eyes filled with shock and wonder. "I'm

hallucinating."

"Yeah yeah, I guess everypony is then. Just, please take us to Sweetsprings." The white mare said, her face hidden behind a mask of apathy, nudging Sprite along as Sunny trotted towards the town they spoke of.

"Can you teach me how to do that? Shoot all those coyotes without even blinking?" The youngest of the three asked the gunmare, green eyes shining with innocence.

"Maybe, we just need to see if you can handle a gun yet." Sunny answered, smirking playfully.

"Yippee! Hey, hey Eclipse. I'm gonna shoot a gun!" Sprite smiled, hopping circles around the two older mares.

"Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm." Eclipse said, readjusting her wings to blend back into her body.

Sprite looked at her curiously as if she could not understand if her companion was being sarcastic or not. The little filly shrugged and examined her PipBuck.

"Woah, woah, is that what I think it is?" Sunny gasped, staring at the contraption on the foal's hoof.

"Um, I don't know." Sprite squeaked, holding the leg her PipBuck rested on. "If it's a PipBuck, my mom gave it to me."

"Damn, you have a pretty good advantage with that thing on."

"Really? What does it do, my mom didn't... she didn't have time to explain."

Pity for the filly crossed Sunny's eyes. "Well, I don't have one obviously, nor have I toyed with one, but I hear they're really good. Damn near indestructible and can help you with so many things." The unicorn thought for a moment. "Doc Mitchell knows about them, he grew up in a stable. You should go speak to him later. You're probably pretty hungry and thirsty from all that running, so let's stop at the saloon. We can all get a quick drink, and y'all can say hey to Trudy. She's like the town mom, and would love to meet you. Especially little Sprite."

Sprite blushed a bit, lowering her head. She perked up when she saw some buildings.

"Is that it?" She yipped, bouncing around, stirring up dust which settled on her black-tipped hooves.

"You bet it is. That first building's the saloon, go run ahead. We'll meet you inside." Sunny smiled, tilting her head towards the saloon. It was wooden, with big letters and broken lights announcing it's name. Sprite's face nearly split due to her large smile. She galloped ahead, excitement taking over her small body.

Sunny look at Eclipse seriously.

"So, are you raising her?"

"I guess so, she insists I'm her guardian angel." Eclipse replied.

"What are your plans, then?"

"What?"

"You know, will you be travelling or settle down somewhere?"

"What's the difference?"

Sunny looked like she was about to slap the mare. "She's a foal, and you seem a bit daft, no offense, so are you going to raise her around monsters? I mean, her mother died."

"She never told you her mom died." The alicorn snapped.

"Some things don't require words." Sunny said solemnly. Eclipse was about to retort, but just stared with seething hatred. "If you want, she can stay here. Trudy can raise her. She's a sweet filly and shouldn't see what the wasteland has just yet."

"Why not let her choose?" Eclipse suggested, a feeling inside of her. She couldn't describe it, it was so new and foreign.

"Okay then," Sunny replied serenely, her tail swishing.

"Hey slowpokes! Hurry up!" Sprite called out from the porch connected to the saloon.

"Let us go, then." Eclipse said, and galloped forewards towards the foal.

***

"OH B-" Eclipse cried out, taking cover under a rock as glass flew everywhere.

Sprite laughed, picking up a knife from a pile of glass shards. She backed up, knife in her mouth, and eyed some sarsaparilla bottles. She reared back, flinging the knife at the bottles. Sunny whooped as the blade shattered it's target.

"Still upset about the gun?" The unicorn laughed.

"EeNOPE! Knives are much more fun!" Sprite giggled, her cheeks flushed. She pouted when she noticed she had broken all the bottles. Sunny noticed, and ruffled her mane.

"Why don't we grab a drink and then shoot those bottles?" She suggested. Sprite perked up.

"Ooh, ooh, yes, yes!" She bounced over to her knife and picked it up.

As Sunny turned to go inside, she looked back at Eclipse, who was making a run for it.

"Let's go!" Sprite said, grabbing Sunny's hoof and dragging her towards the back door of the saloon.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming!" Sunny laughed as she trotted in.

Eclipse galloped faster and faster, her hooves striking the ground. She and Sprite had been in Sweetsprings for a week, in which Eclipse had been re-learning how to care for herself while Sprite's emotional wounds healed.

No, these were wounds that could never be healed. Never fully, never completely. They seemed to close, only to open with a searing pain at the worst moment, making you succumb to all the feelings you once knew.

"And so young..." Eclipse breathed. "She'll live her whole life with them."

The white mare felt a pang of guilt puncture her seemingly emotionless shell. She could never fight the feeling she was responsible for the death of the mare Sprite called mom. But she wasn't! Was she? No, no, she only warned Sprite. But how? How could she know?

The movement of running made Eclipse feel so relaxed, so free. She kept galloping on, closing her aqua eyes and breathing in the air. She had a plan set, she would get a bunch of caps, get herself all set and ready to go. Go where? The Marejave wasteland. She knew she had something to do,but she didn't know what. Maybe she'd bring Sprite... no. Sunny was right, it was too dangerous for her, plus she still would need time for the scars to fade, at least a bit.

The rhythm of her hooves beating the dust below her felt so right, so good, as if they stomped her worries away. Eclipse took a sharp turn around a fallen house, all the

memories of life and the ghost of the happiness it once knew haunting her slightly. The alicorn unfolded her wings, and jumped over a pile of rubble. She still couldn't fly, instead focusing on magic with Sunny, but she could still glide. The wind in her mane, ruffling her feathers. She licked her lips, pushing off of another pile, therefore gliding farther. She fell out of the air when a voice, unfamiliar yet belonging to somepony very close, called her name.