//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Cottage // Story: The Long Road to Normal // by scifidude47 //------------------------------// Iron Wing didn't find much in the store, save for some cans, two bottles of water, and a pony's skull. The candle was about halfway burned when he was finished searching the place, and he left to find shelter. It was going to rain soon, and he wasn't wearing heavy clothing, so he had to find shelter or he would die of hypothermia. He found a small cottage further away from Ponyville and decided to spend the day there. He noticed overturned chairs, pieces of burned artwork, and each of the windows had been smashed. The wooden floor also held signs of damage, from blackened spots to pieces of it torn out, most likely for firewood. He went inside, dragging the cart with him. He looked upstairs for anything useful and found nothing but a small bed and a dead rabbit. He unceremoniously threw the dead thing out one of the windows and pulled the bed downstairs. He looked around for anything else of interest and found a small picture frame with a picture of... No... it can't be.... The photo was of Fluttershy. Iron Wing remained determined to find his daughter. He would've set out, but the rain had set in, and he would catch hypothermia if he was outside too long. So he decided to explore the cottage a little more. He found a small drawer, which he looked through to find a journal, similar to his own. The front was burnt, so he couldn't read the title, but he opened it anyway. The first lined page had some writing on it. Dear Diary, My name is Fluttershy. I want to share my thoughts here since it too dangerous to go outside... Ponies are fighting each other, it's horrible out there! I hope my friends are ok... I know Applejack and Rainbow Dash will be though, they've always seemed tougher than the others. What about the rest though? Pinkie won't be able to have a party again, I saw Rarity's cat Opalescence outside, but she didn't come back, and Twilight... Her house must have burned to ashes! Poor Spike... he's just a little dragon, and I would never see him fighting them... The rest of the entry was literally soaked with tears. I'll write more later... Sincerely, Fluttershy. Iron Wing shut the book and put it back into the drawer and shut it. At least now he knew she survived the riots, but he was unsure about how she would make it afterwards... He shook his head as if trying to push out any negative thoughts. He then put all of his meager supplies into his saddlebags and flopped onto the bed. He decided that it was too cold to sleep, so he got back up and tried to find something to occupy his time. He took out his switchblade and played tic-tac-toe on the walls with himself till what seemed like a few hours till sunset. He sheathed the blade and got back into the bed, which was strangely warmer this time. He just laid there, staring at the sunset and waiting for the dark to come. He fell asleep just as the sun went down. How the sun and moon rose and fell was anypony's guess, since the princesses were surely dead. When he woke up again, the now gray light of morning cast eerie shapes within the dark cottage. Iron Wing got up, stretching his legs and wings to get more 'comfortable' before he set out again. He opened his saddlebags and got a bottle of water and an unlabeled can. He used his switchblade to cut it open, and it turned out to be diced potatoes. He tore some loose floorboards out and got a small fire going within the blackened fireplace. He poured the potatoes into a pot he got from his saddlebags and began to cook them over the fire. The orange glow went throughout the cottage, seemingly keeping the darkness and gray from reaching him. When they seemed decent enough, he put out the fire and ate the small meal, washing it down with water. After finishing his small, but satisfying meal, Iron Wing got up and began to write in his book again. Entry Two: I think that I've found the cottage of one of my adopted daughters, Fluttershy, but she isn't here. neither of them are, but it's a start. She apparently kept a journal with herself and wrote one entry, but must have left the book here in a rush. All the windows are broken, so I guess this place has been looted dry. I only found her journal, her bed, and a dead rabbit. I guess the poor thing was her pet. I guess she's really torn up about things. She can't have any more animals, they've all been eaten. Or at least, the ones I've seen have been eaten. I guess that's what cannibals ate before they decided pony tasted better. Where Rainbow is, I don't have a clue. When she was a filly she loved to fly, so I suppose that she flew elsewhere. Maybe to the ruins of Cloudsdale... maybe. I doubt she'd find anything useful there, though. The cloud part of it is long gone, condensed for water. The buildings probably don't have much. But hell if I know. Haven't been there since the riots. I'll write more when I find something interesting, Iron Wing. He stuffed the pen and journal back into his saddlebags, along with his other provisions. When he was about to put the pistol back in, he stopped for some reason. He couldn't put it in. He just sat there, staring at it. It wasn't much, though. Just a small, slightly rusted .357 six-shooter revolver. He swung out the cylinder, saw that there was still only one bullet, then snapped it shut and opened it again, as if expecting five other rounds to magically appear. Nope, still just the one, the measly, hardly needed one. He closed the cylinder again and cocked the hammer, just to be sure he could instantly pull it out and fire if needed. He put the gun in his saddlebags and finished packing. He took Fluttershy's journal as well, hoping that if he found her, maybe she'd want it again. He wished that he had something he could carry the bed in, but the size of the mattress was just too big for the small saddlebags. He got up from the floor and stretched his legs, cracking some cricks in his neck as well. Just as he was about to move, he heard something in the distance. Wheels. And several ponies screaming while others laughed and joked about. "Oh, she was meaty!" "I think the flames sealed in his juices! Ha!" "Celestia help me! Help!" All of those were blurred in as Iron Wing hid below one of the windows. He pulled out the pistol again, making sure the bullet was next to the barrel and ready to fire. He also drew his trusty switchblade and put it into a sheathe. As they got closer, the sounds of screams, crying, and bone being cracked open got louder. However, three sentences reached his ears the clearest. "What are we going to do Rainbow Dash!?" "I don't know Fluttershy! I can't break the ropes!" "Don't even try! I'll cut 'em for the both of ya! 'Cause your next!" Iron Wing had to cover his mouth to stop himself from screaming.