//------------------------------//
// Stranger on the Horizon 
// Story: From the Ruins 
// by Doctor Derpin 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 2 

Stranger on the Horizon 

---Rainbow Dash--- 

Rainbow Dash was BORED! She hated her turns at guard duty; she understood why they were necessary, but hated them none the less. There’s nothing to do but watch for those stupid raiders that almost never come! She thought to herself. After waiting for a moment she gave up on being patient. “UGH!” she cried and kicked a rock into the ruined building nearest her. It would do no damage, not this far from the town square. 

That was where everyone spent most of their time in Ponyville now. It was easier to keep track of everyone when they were all in the same place. Not to mention the first incident that brought about the need for the bored pegasus’ current assignment. 

It had been about two weeks since the destroyers had vanished; a group of about twelve ponies came into town. They were armed with makeshift weapons and began demanding food; if anypony refused they were killed. That was the first day Dash had killed another pony. It had been another pegasus, he had a gimp wing and was cut up on his face. As his gang ransacked the town, he wandered over to the library. Dash didn’t hear the screams until the rest of the gang was scared off. Flying as quickly as possible, she located her friend. Rainbow Dash was horrified by the sight before her. The bastard was raping the poor librarian with a knife to her neck. The rage that been building up all that day inside of the cyan pegasus was unleashed as she burst in through a window and tackled the thug. She beat him… mercilessly… there was blood everywhere and she didn’t care or want to stop. He deserved to die… and die he did. A tear rolled down Rainbow’s cheek. She knew she had done the right thing by killing him, but that didn’t make her feel any better about what she had done. 

The sight of a figure on the horizon brought Dash back to the present. She didn’t recognize the stranger, but it was a smallish colt. After a moment of waiting she could make out more details about him: he was a dark grey unicorn with a purple mane that almost looked black. At first, Rainbow thought he looked to be 14 at the oldest, upon closer study she knew he was much older. “Well, you’re a short one aren’t you?” She asked with a teasing smile. 

He didn’t even look up at her as he apathetically responded “Yeah that seems to be accurate.” 

“Why are you here?” she asked, remembering that she had a town to defend. 

The unicorn stopped for a moment, thinking. After a few awkward moments he answered “Because I refuse to die.” Then he walked on into Ponyville without meeting any resistance. For some reason, Rainbow trusted him. She didn’t understand why; his aloof display would have infuriated her if it had come from just about anyone else. Then she thought back to the first day she had met her now dear friend, Twilight, and how the purple unicorn had tried to act in almost the exact same way.