Equestria 2028: Friendship Still Exists

by The Equestrian Tour

The Threat

Cherry Petal lead the pair to the dome towards the middle of town. Sure Shot stuck close by and chatted with his sister, while Windy followed closely behind. Mares all around town stared at the trio as they walked through town; some were impressed, while others were disgusted. "How did ya survive?" he asked in surprise. "Weren't you with our moms in when the spell went off?"

"Yeah, but they had me at Cousin Jack's farm," Cherry Petal explained. "I was with Cousin Apple Bloom in the basement of the barn helping her move the apple cider they were about to sell. How did you survive?"

Sure Shot looked away at the bronze statue of Princess Luna as it approached them, "Field Runner happened."

Cherry Petal felt her brother's pain, "What happened to Field Runner?"

"He sacrificed himself in order to save me," Sure Shot frowned. "We felt the rumble of the blast from were we were. Everypony was scared and ran into the environment protection cell in Canterlot, thought it was an earthquake. But we stayed out and saw the explosion from where we were, and we immediately escorted citizens into the cell." Windy began to move faster to get closer to the story. "We helped as many ponies as we could into the cell, there was still room for two more. We began to enter the room, but then a cry came from behind us," Sure Shot turned to face Windy, "It was a little filly."

The young filly was crying underneath a picnic table, the two stallions began to run to the crying filly.

When they got there, Field Runner stooped down, "Hey, there little filly," his voice was calm, despite the approaching flame. The filly retracted farther under the table.

"Field, I don't think she's going to budge," Sure Shot concluded.

Field Runner looked up at him, "You know that I love children. And I hate to see one in pain, or dead," Field Runner scolded his partner.

Sure Shot nodded his head and stooped down, "Hey, there sweetie," he comforted the frightened filly, "Come with us we want to make sure ya'll will be safe."

The filly began to cry louder, "Mommy!"

A mare inside the cell raised her head, "Toffee! Oh, no! Where are you baby?!"

Toffee screamed, "I want my mommy!"

"Don't worry Toffee," Field Runner's soothing voice reassured her, "We're here to make sure you'll be alright."

Toffee looked up at the two stallions with tears in her eyes. She began to slowly crawl out from underneath, and whimpered. When she was fully out, Sure Shot used his magic to levitate her onto his back. The pair began to run for the cell, the flames came closer and closer Sure Shot entered the cell first and returned the crying filly to her fretting mom, "Oh thank Celestia you're alright!" she rejoiced.

Sure Shot turned around and saw his lover operating the control panel on the outside of the cell. "What the hell are you doing?!" Sure Shot demanded an answer.

Field Runner continued to tap the panel, "Saving your lives!"

"Git your ass in here!" Sure Shot commanded.

A light yellow aura appeared in front of him, "There! You guys will be safe from disaster."

Sure Shot punched the aura, but it rippled and he couldn't get past it, "Damnit I'm not leaving you!"

Field Runner approached the aura and stared Sure Shot in the eyes passionately; tears came from both of their eyes. "I love you, and nothing will ever change that," Field Runner place his hoof where Sure Shot's was.

"Don't say goodbye!" Sure Shot commanded silently.

"I have to," Field Runner removed his hoof and began to run out of the cell's vision, "I love you..."

"NOOOOO!" Sure Shot screamed as he watched his lover disappear. The flames hit the field and the world went dark.

Cherry Petal hugged her brother tightly, "I'm sorry that he's gone, I know how much you loved him," she sympathized. "If it means anything whenever I talked to him, we always talked about your embarrassing moments."

Sure Shot wiped away a tear that escaped his eye and hugged his sister with a chuckle, "It ain't your fault. Like I told Windy, everypony lost somepony."

Cherry Petal unraveled herself from her brother and walked up to Windy, "I'm sorry we never really met," she extended her hoof out. "My name is Cherry Petal, Sure Shot's sister."

Windy placed her hoof against Cherry Petal's, "My name is Windy Skies, Sure Shot's friend."

Cherry looked Windy right in the eye and examined it. "Hmm, you like him don't you?"

Windy turned bright pink, and laughed hysterically, "Haha! Me? No, I don't! I mean he's not even into mares. Why would I even try to go after him?"

"With that response, you aren't hiding anything," Cherry explained. "Anyway it's okay. You'll get out of the little crush mode. All of the mares do eventually, but it did take Golden Beacon a while." She turned around to her brother, "She still talks about you as if you two did it or something, and it was the best thing ever."

Sure Shot gave a small humph, "We need to have a talk."

"Do we now?" another voice came from the statue.

They turned around and saw a gold colored mare with a soft white colored mane. She stood triumphantly in front of the statue, mares all around smiled as they walked past her. Sure Shot walked up to her and they stood eye to eye with each other. Windy thought they were squaring off for a fight, until the two began to hug. "Golden Beacon, it's good to see you’re alive."

"And it's good to see that your touching me now," Golden Beacon joked.

Windy leaned into Cherry Petal, "That must be Golden Beacon."

"Yup, that is the leader of this sisterhood," Cherry answered.

Windy examined the scene in front of her, the stallion and the mare hugging each other. "So she turned him gay? Huh, she is beautiful though," Windy thought to herself.

The pair retracted from each other and smiled, "Come let's go somewhere more private," she said this really provocatively.

"Well that seems like a good ol' idea," Sure Shot agreed.

Golden Beacon began to trot then followed closely by the stallion, then Windy and Cherry. Golden Beacon began to interrogate Sure Shot about the wound on his leg and then they got into a full fledge argument.

"Has it always been like this?" Windy wondered.

Cherry thought for a second, "I don't ever remember Sure bringing her home." She went silent and thought, "Actually, Sure never did bring home any mares, he only brought over Field Runner for Hearth's Warming Eve," she chuckled, "Imagine everypony's face when Sure Shot brought home his coltfriend for the holiday."

Windy tried to act like she didn't know about their family, "I bet they were really shocked."

"You would think that wouldn't you?" Cherry asked confidently. Then she looked at Windy, "If Sure didn't tell you about our moms."

Windy snapped back, "How do you know that Sure Shot told me about your parents?"

"Magic," Cherry Petal explained as mystically as possible.

Windy immediately looked at Cherry's forehead, "But you don't even have a horn?"

"I was born an earth pony yes, but..."

"Are you afraid of dirt?" Windy interrupted hopefully.

Cherry looked at her concerned, "Uh, no. Why?"

Windy looked discouraged, "Damn, never mind."

"Okay," Cherry shook off the weird question. "Lets see, I was telling you about why, okay. I was born an earth pony yes, just like mommy Cherry Blossom, but it appeared that I also born with a little magic from a unicorn."

"So what?" Windy questioned, "You're like a psychic or something like that?" Cherry smiled and nodded her head. "Whoa... That is pretty cool."

"Yeah it is!" Cherry agreed. She looked at Sure Shot, "See he's thinking that it was sort of a mistake coming here because Golden Beacon just talks and talks," she whispered so the pair in front of them wouldn't hear. Then she looked at Golden Beacon, "And she just wants his love."

Windy looked at Cherry in amazement, "You have to be the coolest mare I've ever met!"

"Thanks," Cherry accepted the compliment. Cherry looked around at the wall, "So what's it like out there now?"

Windy watched all of the mares at work, trading and selling merchandise, "Well it's hell really." Windy watched a couple of fillies playing with a ball in an outlined court. "Stallions trying to get your flank, some funky looking bunnies, war between towns, death no water, insanity, loneliness."

Cherry didn't look phased by the list, "Still seems better than life within the walls."

"What?!" Windy asked shocked. "It seems like a great life being: protected, feed, and loved by others like you."

Cherry shook her head, "Not for me." She stopped and Windy did also, "Most mares hear about this place and immediately seek shelter here, but this place isn't exactly what it's cracked up to be." She began pointing at the walls, "Look, I can't even see the landscape. I mean sure it's desolate and burnt, but what if a tree were to bloom in the distance?" Cherry looked at Windy with a sad look. "How would we know?"

"Well you could go up the steps right?" Windy explained.

Cherry shook her head, "That doesn't solve the problem of not always being able to see that tree every day." She began to walk again and Windy followed, "Do you understand what I'm saying Windy?"

Windy nodded her head, "But haven't you already been out there?"

"Yes. But now that I've lived here for a while and I've made my way through the ranks," Cherry stared at the fillies playing with the ball, "I want to explore more. That's me Windy, I'm not suppose to be trapped in some wall, with the same ponies every day. I'm supposed to be adventuring, discovering new places, and meeting new ponies."

Windy took this to heart, "So what are you just going to leave?"

Cherry looked at her with hope and opened her mouth, but was cut off by a mare approaching from the dome.

"Madame Beacon, we have an emergency!"

Golden Beacon acknowledged the fear, "Is it him again?" The messenger mare nodded. Golden Beacon turned around and made an announcement, "Alright everpony get ready! Wooden Cage is back and we need to fight again!"

"But we lost so many last time!" a mare responded.

A large commotion began to envelope the mares in attendance. Cherry scaled the statue, "Enough! Listen to our leader!" she commanded.

Everyone grew quiet, and she climbed off of the statue and apologized to it. "Thank you Cherry Petal." Golden Beacon thanked her. "Now I know we've had loses, but if we stick together. We can stop anything, including Wooden Cage and his marauders!"

The mares were silent for a minute, but then began to run to their homes with talks about retrieving their arsenals. Some mares began escorting little fillies to the dome where it would be safer for them.

"Now follow me Sure Shot and I'll get you somewhere safe!" Golden Beacon commander her friend.

Sure Shot chuckled and began to trot to a staircase that lead up to the top of the wall, "Like hell!" he called as he trotted. "I have a little score to settle!"

"That damn stubborn headed mule!" Golden Beacon cursed as she watched him go up the stairs. She turned to Cherry Petal and Windy, "Well what are you two waiting for? Get to your posts."

Cherry saluted, "Yes mam." She began to run, but then looked back at Windy, "What are you doing?"

Windy shrugged, "I don't have a post."

"You've got guns right?" Cherry questioned. Windy stretched her wings out in order to show her arsenal. Cherry nodded and motioned for Windy to follow her by jerking her head back, "Come with me!"

"Oh, okay,” Windy folded her wings up and followed Cherry.

Golden Beacon began to trot to the dome, "I swear some of these mares are dumber than the mutants."

Cherry Petal lead Windy into the back to the front of the city where they first met, and opened a door that blended in with the walls, "Come on we have to get out there!"

Windy entered the open door, and Cherry closed it behind her. It was dark, Windy tried to feel her way around, but then a bright light turned on. "Okay, a little warning next time?" Windy asked trying to regain sight.

"Sorry," Cherry apologized, "But you have to wait until the door's closed to turn the lights on." She began to run down the hallway past Windy, "Lets go!"

Windy began to run after her, "What exactly are we doing?" she questioned.

Her guide didn't look over her shoulder, but answered, "We're going to fight back!"

"How are we going to do that underground?"

"Easy, we're going out in the field," Cherry answered.

Windy's eyes grew wide, "You mean, we're actually going out there to fight?"

"Hell yeah!" Cherry laughed.

Windy began to slow down, "No," Windy objected. "I can't go into that fight. I'm not fit for war."

Cherry noticed she was the only one running still and turned around quickly, "Why not? You have weapons and you even have a little blood on you."

"Yeah Sure Shot put them on..." Windy stopped her retorting, "What do you mean I have blood on me?"

"It's on your chin," Cherry began to move closer to Windy, "It's actually stained."

"Eeewww," Windy complained. "See, I freak out when I see blood, and I plus I haven't even really shot a gun before," Windy explained.

Cherry put a hoof around Windy's shoulder to comfort her, "Look I know what you're going through. You don't have anything to fear. When I first came here, I didn't want to kill anypony either," she began to walk Windy deeper into the tunnel. "But then I had a thought. Why do we go to war?"

Windy continued to walk not even knowing she was walking, "Well ponies usually do it for resources or for land most of the time."

Cherry shook her head, "Maybe back then, but this is now. Sure we need resources, I mean they're scarce, but we do this in order to protect the ones we love, to save our sisters and to defend the only place that won't do us any harm."

Windy began to trot. "Are you and you're brother usually this inspirational?"

Cherry began to trot with her and chuckled, "Only when it's really needed. Let’s go meet the rest of the team!"

Sure Shot reached the top of the stairs and was met by four mares who held him at gun point. He smiled at them, "Think about it ladies. How mad would Golden Beacon be if she found out you killed her old flame?" The mares exchanged glances with eachother, then stepped aside. Sure Shot began to walk past them, "Thank you for your cooperation."

He began to trot along the wall, and picked up a sniper rifle that was leaned against the wall. He continued to trot until he arrived at the tower where the sniper was shooting at him earlier. He entered the area and whistled, the mare sniper turned around and stared coldly at him, "You!" she hissed.

Sure Shot smiled, "The name's Sure Shot miss."

"Don't call me miss!" she snapped. She pointed a hoof to herself, "The name's Heat Secure, and I don't deal with stallions."

Sure Shot trotted to the edge of the tower and began to set up his rifle, "You think you can shoot as many as I can?" he challenged.

Heat Secure brushed him off, "I don't make deals with stallions." She readied herself away from him.

Sure Shot pulled the trigger with his magic and the rifle fired, a stallion in the distance fell in a pool of blood. Heat Secure turned to Sure Shot, who was smiling with a huge grin, "That's one."

Heat Secure growled, "You're on!" She took a shot, another stallion fell, and the two officially started their competition.

Cherry led Windy into a room at the far end of the tunnel, in their stood a small group of mares, readied to the teeth with a variety of weapons. They stood appraisingly when they saw Cherry, "We are ready when you are mam!" they said in unison.

"At ease," Cherry ordered. They relaxed, and Cherry began to walk past them, "Ladies this is our new sister, Windy Skies, she will be joining us today." she hoped up on a small flight of stairs. She turned around, "Any objections?"

One mare examined Windy closely and snorted, "She won't last five minutes, and she barely has any muscle."

Windy looked her in the eye, "I bet I can knock down just as much as anypony here! That includes you."

The mare laughed, "Big talk..." she turned for the stairs, "two minutes."

Windy felt her body get warm and her blood boiled, another mare came up to her, "Don't mind her..." she said calmingly. "She always does this to newbies. She's a major bitch and nothing will ever change that."

Windy nodded as she began to walk to the stairs, "I'll show her what I can do."

Cherry cleared her throat in annoyance, "If we're done squabbling, lets get a move on!" She turned back to the door, "We've dealt with these cutthroats before and we know what they do. So lets show them no mercy." The mares gave a great war shout, while Cherry threw open the doors, and everypony charged out of the room into the barren lands.

Windy took one step outside and instantly felt her stomach churn as she saw the corpses of the stallions and the mares who have already took to the field and have been shot down. "Oh... Celestia, what have I gotten myself into?" Windy questioned herself.

A dreadful shout came from in front of her, she looked up and saw a stallion charging her, with a knife in his mouth. Windy's breathing increased rapidly, and her eyes widened, she didn't know what to do. What could she do? She closed her eyes and stretched her wings out. She thought of Sure Shot and what he told her before.

"Just stretch your wings out, point and stomp."

"Just stretch my wings out... Point and..." she felt herself rear up and stomp on the ground. The sounds of her pistols were added to the sound of the war. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the stallion lying on the ground surrounded in crimson that sunk into the parched landscape, with his eyes looking up at her. "Oh, Celestia. Oh, Celestia," she breathed. She took a step back and fell down the stairs, her head bouncing off the ground, the world faded to black.

"Windy, ya better not be hurt," Sure Shot worriedly threatened her. "And I really need to teach ya how to aim."

"Haha, take that impregnating asshole!" Heat Secure taunted her kill. She turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Sure Shot. "Make that twenty-two."

Sure Shot took his eye from behind his scope and grinned at her. His rifle jerked back and the crack of his gun went off. Two stallions standing side to side fell to the ground in convulsing, "Make that twenty-three."

Heat Secure gave a small smile, "There's still plenty more where they came from!" She aimed her rifle at the wall and pulled the trigger with her wing, two more stallions fell in a pool of blood. "Twenty-four."

Windy slowly opened her eyes, and put a hoof on her head, "Ough, my head." She began to pick herself up. Once she was fully up she wobbled up the stairs, her gaze met that of the stallion she thought she killed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." she apologized to the corpse. Her eyes began to wander around the field as she looked at the other dead bodies, "Why?"

A great force hit her from the side and she fell to the ground, her head bounced off of the ground, even though it was on a softer surface, it was still enough to create a gash, causing her blood to pour out of her head. She wearily looked up and saw a deranged stallion with a rope in his mouth. "You're just the one to get me a raise!" he said through the rope. He began to tie Windy up, and she weakly bucked with no effect. A yellow streak crashed into the side of him, the stallion fell off of her and lay next to her, he tried to get to his feet again. Once he was on his feet he was met by more mares, who came and began to beat him savagely, his howls of pain pierced Windy's ears, it pained her to watch and hear, so she turned her head.

Windy tried with all of her might in order to rise to her hooves, but was only met with failure. After a couple of attempts, she felt herself rising from the ground. She was in the sky.

"Damn, not even a minute!" the yellow pegasus who saved her taunted.

"Thank you," Windy thanked her savior weakly.

The mare chuckled, "If you want to thank me, why don't you waste some of these impregnators." Among the shots on the battlefield, one shot rang with the most volume. "If you really want to save me, why don't you lose a couple of pouooonds!" the mare grunted.

They began to decent, from the sky. Luckily, they were only about ten feet off of the ground, so Windy wasn't injured any more than before, but her savior was dead before she hit the ground. Windy rolled a few feet, while the yellow mare landed on her face right into the dead soil.

Windy laid on her back, wings outstretched looking at the sky. "Stop it!" she whispered to the ocean in the sky. The clouds began to form a mouth and a pair of eyes, and they began to laugh at her. Windy felt warm, "I said, STOP IT!" she demanded louder. The clouds continued to laugh, Windy began to cry, "I've always wanted to fly... But I won't be dead when you get me."

"They're retreating!" a mare called from close by. A great cheer came from all around her.

"Windy!" Cherry Petal began to run up to her. "Windy, please still be alive!"

Windy smiled as Cherry Petal came into sight, "Did we win?" she asked raspily.

Cherry Petal kneeled down beside her, "For now," she comforted with a smile. She turned her head; "Somepony get a medic over here this instant!" she turned back to Windy. "Don't worry Windy, we're going back to behind the wall."

"Oh, that's good," Windy responded dazed. "I'm just going to take a nap now before I pet the puppy."

"No! Windy stick with me, you have to stay awake!"

"But I'm tired," Windy whined.

"I know Wind," Cherry said calmly, "you can take a nap as soon as we get that nasty wound checked."

Two mares approached with a stretcher and began to place Windy on it. They strapped her in and began to cart her off. Windy's eyes closed as the mares took her back into the wall with Cherry Petal close behind. "Windy! Windyyy!" this was the last thing Windy heard from Cherry Petal, before everything went black.