//------------------------------// // IV: Survival // Story: We Shall Live On // by The philosopher //------------------------------// The week passed quickly, especially since I had no guard duty whatsoever. Instead, I was helping Iron Sights with the production of light machine guns. They were essentially a rifle, modified with a drum magazine, pistol grip, extended barrel, bipod, and an open bolt. "You know," said Iron Sights, "I think I'm going to make some more belt fed light machine guns instead of these guns after we ship them off." He turned to me, " What do you think? They take a while to make, but they would probably be finished by the time you get back from your quest." he smiled. I admired his optimism, the thought that I would actually live to return. The thought of death haunted me, but it was not quite as haunting at the thought of a death in vain. What if I die before I found the elements? Would my home fall? Would the rest of Ponyville follow? "Roadside, hey, listen." Iron Sights pulled out a .357 revolver. "This," he said as he held the gun in his hoof, as if it were one of the very elements I was searching for, "is the Horseshoe. It caused the first timberwolf casualty when this pit of Tartarus started, and it was the first firearm model I sold." I looked at the revolver, which glistened like gold. It's barrel was short, but it wasn't a snub nose. It was still long enough to suggest that this pistol was used for hunting, a sport that was only exercised in Stalliongrad. I levitated the relic. Its black body and oak grip made it beautiful. "I want you to have it." he said. It was obvious he did, why else would he present it? Still, that didn't make his declaration any less touching. "She's-she's so beautiful..." was all I could utter. "Isn't she?" smiled Iron Sights. "Take care of her, Roadside, and you can bet your flank she'll take care of you." I continued to admire the treasure. Her skin reminded me of the pictures of the night sky, and each shine off its black metal body were glistening stars. I finally holstered the pistol. "Thanks...." I felt like a little foal as I hugged him, "Thanks... Dad...." "You be careful, alright?" he asked as we seperated. "Of course, master!" I exclaim. "Good. You'll be leaving...." "Before four tomorrow morning." I smiled, "Guess Bon Bon's an early bird." "Alright. Just... Just be careful...." "I will." I answered before exiting. "I promise." I wondered if he saw me leaving his tent, or if he was seeing enter my coffin. •••~••• I wanted one more night to relax by the fire. Just one more night to feel warm. I was quickly gathered my ammunition, flashlight, canned foods, and other necessities into a saddlebag by my carbine in the corner. As if on cue Clear Sky barged into my room. "Hey Roadside-" "Holy bucking horsefeathers!" The ground was cold, and... Ow.... It does a number on one's head... "Clear Sky, what the buck?" I groaned. "Why are you packing?" he was analyzing my saddlebag, as if waiting for it to move. "Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking." I glared, "Jackass." He was oblivious to my comment. "Are you going somewhere?" "No-" "Roadside!" boomed a familiar voice. Bon Bon stuck her head into my room, "Make sure everything is packed and ready, I want to leave first thing tomorrow...." her voice trailed off as she stared at a Clear Sky's inquisitive stare. "The buck you looking at?" she challenged. "Are you two going somewhere?" he squealed like a little fillie. "Wouldn't you like to know? Mind your own business!" she snapped before slamming the door. Clear Sky turned to me. "No." I answered tersely. I knew what he was going to ask. -•••~••• "Seriously, bro! What's up?" pestered Clear Sky. No, not pestered, he wasn't asking to join on some "little adventure". He was concerned, after all, we all lost enough comrades last week. "I'm going to help Bon Bon deliver the LMGs. Mechanics' business, you wouldn't understand." I fibbed. "And then what?" he asked, "You're coming back home?" I kept silent. " What's really happening?" "Nothing." He didn't continue to ask about the journey; but I knew the thoughts still lingered in his head. We had finally reached the campfire again. It was so bright, and yet it's never felt so cold. Bon Bon was sitting with Ditzy, who was talking to her daughter "..... But what about Canterlot?" asked Dinky. " Iron Sight said that Canterlot ordered numerous rifles and that his master Springfield included the blueprints for them. Perhaps Canterlot is surviving like we are." offered Ditzy. Bon Bon turned to her old friend, "Don't be silly, Derpy. Can't you see What's at Canterlot? Those huge swarms that fill the sky? Theirs no way any Canterlotian is left when there are that many dragons occupying the city." Dinky finally spoke, "What about Stalliongrad?" "Stalliongrad may have made it," said Derpy, The city was the only place to produce weapons in Equestria. And I heard there are tunnels there where it's been said that ponies could survive for years..." A spark of hope glistened in Dinky's eyes, "Really? Do you think any other place may have survived? How about Trottingham? Or Manehatton?" Ditzy just shook her head. "I don't think so, no cities outside of Stalliongrad had weapons, save here and Canterlot. How would the ponies fight off the creatures of the everfree?" "ahh... Manehatton..." Mused Bon Bon. "Do you remember that city, Derpy? the warm sun, the beaches, the breeze from the ocean- the cute stallions..." Ditzy giggled and blushed before turning to Bon Bon, "Yeah... Manehatton was some town." I swear her lazy eye was intentionally staring at me again, "What would you do if you could bring it back?" "I'd do anything," said Bon Bon, "anything to have things the way they were ten years ago." Clear Sky was sitting by Dinky again, I didn't like the conversation. He sounded like a pony who had just joined the militia, wondering if he would ever return to see his loved one again. Was he on guard duty tomorrow? I turned away from the conversation, and spent the rest of the evening staring at the fire. I wondered how much brighter would the sun would have been, and how warm it would be, too. ---~--- Bon Bon kicked me awake the next morning. "Get up." she commanded. "We're leaving. Now." I retrieved all my gear from the corner and quickly scrambled out of my room. Bon Bon was waiting outside the building with a small wagon filled with the light machine guns. "We'll take turns pulling the supplies, understood? Three hours per shift. Do you know the rules or the red zones?" I shook my head. I never knew a lawless world would have laws. "Keep an accurate and reliable account on your food, ammo and other supplies. If you get lost and you think you see a pony, make three circles with your flashlight. If whatever you see doesn't do that, then run. It's not a pony. Don't eat plants that you can't identify and filter any water you want to drink. Got it? Now let's move!" she growled impatiently. The walk out of the district was noiseless. I apreciated the muteness, for I was to afraid to speak to Bon Bon. The fact alone that she was a stalker made me feel like a pathetic ant. "Pick up the pace, Roadside!" she growled. Who was I to disobey a totally pissed off pony who killed blood-thirsty monsters for a living? "S-sorry!" I stammered. We had walked for four hours now and I was carrying the weapons now. "So....How far is the boutique district anyways? I've never been there before so-" "Shhhh..." hushed Bon Bon, "Did you hear that?" "What? What was it-" "Shhh!! Shut up." said Bon Bon, keeping her voice extremely low, "We're being watched. There's something following us." She turned and faced some nearby bushes behind us. Suddenly, one of them violently shuttered. Instinctively Bon Bon pulled out her rifle. BANG! BANG! "Bucking Horsefeathers! Stop shooting!" screamed a pony from the brush. "Who are you? Step out of the bushes. Do it Now!" A brown pegasus with a green mane stepped out from the brush. I couldn't believe it. "Clear Sky?" He smiled sheepishly, only to be hoisted into the air by Bon Bon's forelegs. "Why were you following us?!" "I- well-" "I said, why are you following us?" she repeated. "Well, I just wanted to help my friend out! I swear!" "And you thought the best way to do so was to stalk us?" "I-well.. funny story... you see..." I strayed from the heated discussion. Something caught my eye in the bush. There was something else hiding in the brush, I could tell by the occasional shudders. I could have sworn there was also the sound of raspy breathing... Then I saw it. The enraged, bloodshot eyes staring right at me. There was the mad lust to kill in those Celestia-forsaken eyes, and it brought a cold shiver down my spine. I felt paralyzed with fear, I felt everything tighten up in my body. A numbing cold began to overtake me as I stared into the haunting abyss of those irises. There was something disturbing about those eyes. My legs felt heavier, as if they were becoming stone. How I wished it were only a feeling! My legs, sweet Celestia, my legs! they were petrified! My whole body was turning into a statue, and all I could do is scream a muted scream. "Roadside! Horseapples, Roadside! what in Tartarus?!" Clear Sky's voice was only a faint echo. "Roadside, hang on!" Suddenly i was knocked over by a powerful force. Reality snapped back at me like a whip. "What? Huh?" The whole world seemed to be spinning, I felt completely disoriented. "What happened?" Bon Bon demanded to know. "I....I don't know.." I admitted. "Roadside, you were turning into a freakin statue! That's what happened! Bon Bon had to knock you over so you could snap out of it!" I turned to Bon-Bon, who simply grunted in annoyance. "We're moving. Now." she huffed, "You two try not to do anything stupid, got it? Or do I need to draw a picture to explain it to you two featherbrains?" I was actually grateful that Clear Sky followed us. Bon-Bon was only responsible for my safety until we reached the boutique, and after that, who was going to watch my back? ---~--- Ponyville was never a large city, thank Celestia for that. But the Red Zones were dangerous, and as soon as a pony stepped out they were being hunted, whether they knew it or not. If I only knew that earlier... "Holy Shit!" I screamed as the timberwolves pushed themselves our way with their powerful claws. They crushed large branches on the ground that were at least twice as sturdy as bones. There were maybe a bit more timberwolves then the amount we saw when we were ambushed in the Green Zone, but their numbers wouldn't make a difference to me. No, I would be terrified all the same. What truly frightened me was the unfamiliarity of the land. In the Sugarcube district, I knew where I was safe and where I could get trapped. I knew where to go to flank and where to avoid so I wouldn't be flanked. But here, in the Red zone, what was salvation and what was a trap? Bon Bon was pulling the cart away from the firefight, eager to escape. Clear Sky was wise enough to look her way and follow her. Firing the last bullets from my magazine, I quickly scampered after the two. My misfortune had resumed instantly. A Timberwolf appeared right in front of me like an apparition. Perhaps it had leapt from the side, or maybe it had simply appeared in my way. I didn't care, I was too shocked by the betrayal of my hooves. In one second they were taking me to the safety of my friends, the next moment they guided me to the snapping jaws of an oak beast. Instinct took over from there. I spun around and bucked its jaw, completely seperating it from its snout. It was the most basic and primal form of fighting, saving the lives of the first ponies to ever run through green fields, now saving my own life. The snap of the wood was the crap of a whip through to ears, screaming at me one order. Run. I didn't run to Bon Bon and Clear Sky, nor did I run to the safety of home- nature still held my reigns, guiding me in one direction: away. Somewhere, anywhere, that took me as far away from the jaws of the Timberwolf was fine to me! I just needed to get away! The Timberwolf was pursuing me. Somehow, the hellish creature had retrieved its jaw, now hungry for both flesh and revenge. The sinister glow in its eye, the twisted teeth, the gnarled root-like legs, all became clearer as the determined predator began to close the distance seperating us. Of course it was faster, no damn predator was ever made to be slower than prey. But I refused to falter. I will not surrender my life! Whatever energy and will I had left I dedicated to my hooves, now pounding the earth as they galloped to the abandoned buildings. Small cottages, humble shops, now lifeless derelicts, I prayed, would be my sanctuary. My sights homed in on a single building; a small house, with a straw roof littered with punctures and windows and an open doorway bard with ancient wood. There was a large space between the boards and the ground, too small for a Timberwolf, but large enough for a colt to fit through, maybe even a crouching stallion if he was small enough. I struggled to squeeze myself through the small space. I had to fit, I just had to! There wasn't enough time to turn back and find a different means to escape. I heard the crunching of dirt from behind me- the wooden hellhound was near! No, dammit no! I can't die! Not here, not now! I'm so close to safety! Just a bit farther, I can squeeze through! I need to squeeze through! The hound was so close I could hear the panting of its breath! Dammit! No! Please! I clawed the ground in a fruitless effort to pull myself through the door, but slippery dust just passed itself around my hooves. I needed to get through, but I couldn't! I was trapped, helpless like a child. Suddenly wooden claws seized my back, nearly tearing my flesh from me. Suddenly, all resistance ceased, and I launched myself from the small rathole that had trapped me. If the princesses still exist, then they were with me that day. The wooden claws were just the stubborn beams barricading the doorway, scraping the skin off my back as I- somehow- slipped through. I breathed in sweet relief... ...Only to see the teeth of the Timberwolf snap vigorously from below the planks. Terror returned as I helplessly scuttled to the end of the room. The Bruce's claws rapped around the boards, the wooden walls, and effortlessly began to tear them down. It was as if they weren't even their to begin with. It no longer ran, but confidently walked towards me, entertained by my terror of the inevitable. It savored every drop of my sweat, every sudden breath, every quickened heartbeat. It loved it all. My fear amused it. But hunger quickly returned to the demon, licking its lips one last time, he monster crouched, and pounced. •••~••• Silence, that was all. Even my breath couldn't be heard, for I kept it held within me. I must've squeezed my eyes shut, because I remember opening them at the sight of the creature, suspended in its moment of victory. No... It was not time that suspended it. If it were, the beast wouldn't have been twisting and whimpering like a little pup. It was trapped, caught by... Something... But what? The sunset stabbed the house through one of the openings through the roof, gladly answering my question. Strings shined from the light, silk chains ensnaring the Timberwolf. Webs. I gapped in horror, and realized the house was filled with them. I felt a tug on my hoof, only to realize it was caught in a cobweb. Quickly I freed it from its adhesive grip before my eyes began to explore the room again. Dear Celestia, there were webs everywhere- The strings restraining the Timberwolf began to shake. Violently. My eyes slowly drifted up, followed by the rest of my head..... It was impossible.... Holy shit! A spider, a black widow as large as a plow crawled towards the timberwolf, gluttonous thoughts radiating from its eyes. A single bite of its two large fangs stopped the canine's resistance in an instant. Then all was silent, even as the large arachnoid dragged the now dead predator into its web burrow above me. I felt trapped. I didn't want to leave, but I especially didn't want to approach the silk webs less I share the fate of the Timberwolf. Instead, I ate cold soup from a can, curled up, and prayed that I could fall asleep despite the frequent sounds of scuttling legs and shifting bodies throughout the night. The starlit sky was the only thing that could bring peace to me, and I found myself wondering if the world before me had the same tranquility of the stars, and... Where did it all go? Where could I find it?