//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: The Herald of Fire 
// by InsertCleverNameHere 
//------------------------------//

It felt as if Twilight needed to make an effort to even take a simple step. She walked down the steps lightly, almost as if her touch would destroy the stairs themselves. When she reached the end of the stairs, she was met with a scene that stung her still hurting heart. Fluttershy’s body still hung limply at Applejack’s side, while Pinkie Pie slowly caressed Fluttershy’s mane in her hooves. Rainbow Dash looked out through the window, likely watching the same terror that Twilight had just seen steadily approaching the library. Rarity had finished the letter, and Twilight had arrived just in time to see Spike send it. 
The look on Spike’s face was a mix of terror and confusion. It was almost as if he wanted to care, but couldn’t understand enough to bother. His eyes brimmed with sadness at the sight of Fluttershy’s body, but they couldn’t quite believe what they saw. Twilight almost wished to be in his state of obliviousness. 
It was Rainbow Dash, seemingly the new defacto leader in this crisis, who broke the silence.
“We have to go. Now. We can’t just sit here and wait for them to come to us.”
Nopony argued. Everypony began to clear the library. Twilight set off too, but stopped at the welcome mat. She looked back at her library, at her home. Her books remained pristine. They remained untouched. It was almost as if they were frozen in time. They stood there, a testament of a time where Twilight would search for the vast knowledge hidden in their pages. It dawned in Twilight that, should this rampage continue, and it showed no signs of slowing, this would be the last time she saw her home. If she returned, what would she find? A smoldering ruin? She saw no other outcome but that. She didn’t want to leave.
It was the voice of her loyal friend that broke her from her trance.
“Come on, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled, desperation filling her words to the brim. “They’re going to catch us if we don’t move!”
It was all the motivation Twilight needed, but it was none of the reassurance. Nevertheless, she turned her back on her home, and stepped out, her horn glowing to close the door behind her.
She turned and faced Rainbow Dash, tears trying to form in both of their eyes. Twilight held them back, though. She had cried enough for one day.
Applejack spoke before Rainbow Dash could begin to breakdown, much to Twilight’s pleasure. At least one of them should still be in control.
“Alright, Rainbow, are we riding out of here in your Sonic Rainboom?”
A look crossed Rainbow Dash’s face that looked like a mix of sorrow and fear.
She responded quietly, “Sorry guys, but those Sonic Rainbooms aren’t easy to pull off. I don’t think I could do another one if I tried...”
She trailed off. Applejack had a look of pity, but shook it off, and turned to Twilight.
“Sugarcube, do you think you can teleport us out of here with your magic? Maybe to Canterlot?”
The thought had crossed her mind, but she was hesitant. Long distance travel was difficult in general. Across a large town like Ponyville would be tough. To Canterlot would be surely impossible. At least, not all the way, and not without making her weak to the point of passing out. Not to mention that she had just barely begun to learn long range teleportation with another pony, let alone five of them.
Twilight almost whispered her response. “Sorry girls...my magic isn’t  that strong yet...especially since I need to teleport all of you...”
“Well then, we’ll just need to go on hoof, won’t we?”
Everypony looked up at Pinkie, who had spoken for the first time since the heralds had killed Fluttershy.
Twilight looked at her. She was looking in the distance, watching the building burn. It took Twilight a moment to realize that Pinkie was looking at what once was Sugarcube Corner. Twilight took a few steps forward to see Pinkie’s face. Anypony walking by would have thought it was anger, but it wasn’t. Twilight’s stomach churned when she realized that, it wasn’t anger or sorrow, or anything. It was indifference. She scowled, but not out of anger. Twilight had only seen Pinkie scowl twice in her life, once when she thought that everypony didn’t like her anymore, and the other when Discord attacked. Both memories brought nothing but pain, but not like the pain she felt now.
But Twilight couldn’t deny that she was right. For better or worse, they would have to go on hoof, and fast.
And so, without much to say, the five remaining Elements of Harmony started running, praying that they would get out in time.
War was running as fast as she could, and though she did not tire, she still wasn’t having any luck finding Twilight and her friends. She had started by following the direction that the rainbow trail had pointed.it wasn’t long, though, before she reached where town ended and the forest began.
She could hardly believe it. She had reached a dead end. There were no leads to suggest where they might have gone.
“No, no, no! Please, I need to find her!”
War yelled at no one, cursing them, whoever they were.
What were her options? The first was obvious. Run headfirst into the forest and try to find them before Death found War. The other was to keep searching Ponyville. 
War stood there, thinking long and hard about what to do. She also knew that every moment she stood there thinking about it, the farther away they got.
But could Twilight just leave like that?
Surely, she wouldn’t leave just like that. War knew that Twilight was devoted to her friends, simply by the fact that she had offered up her life for them. Twilight might have more friends in town. Clearly many other ponies knew Twilight, that was clear when Famine shouted that they were going to kill her. Perhaps she had gone back to help those still in town.
It wasn’t much of a lead, and there were definite faults in that theory, but it was a lot more sound than running into the forest, unaware of what she was looking for. Hesitantly, War turned, gave one last look at the forest, and ran back into town. War was careful to stay clear of buildings on fire. The other heralds were likely around there, spreading their madness. As War ran through town, she began to notice something. The town was oddly quiet. She would have thought that it would have been filled with panicking ponies trying to get away. In reality, it was almost peaceful, had it not been for the fires in the distance.War’s peace was disturbed by a crack in the distance. She looked down the street, and saw a home, the only home on the street with the door open. She ran up to it, just to look. She couldn’t be too distracted, but if something had happened...
War approached the home and looked inside. Inside, she heard cries of pain, followed by yells.
“Help! Please, somepony, help! I’m stuck, help!”
It was all War needed. War ran in as fast as she could. Into the living room, she sped towards the hall, where the cries emanated from. She stopped at the hall, and called out.
“Where are you? I don’t know where you are?”
After a moment, the pony came with a reply. 
“The very last room! Please! My dresser fell on top of me! I can’t get up!”
War ran down the hall and entered the last room. The pony, a yellow furred earth pony with a blue mane, looked at her savior with pleading eyes. Once she saw her savior, however, her eyes changed. They changed from relief to fear and desperation. Her pleas changed to pleas of mercy.
“No, no, please. I beg of you, don’t kill me! Please! I didn’t do anything!”
It took War a moment to realize, or remember, why the pony was so scared. She had forgotten that, even though she had made her choice, others didn’t see it that way yet.
“I’m not going to hurt you...” War uttered. She stepped forward, and yet, the pony still struggled, trying to lift the dresser she was pinned under to get away.
She begged for her life once more.
“Please, I’ll do anything! Just don’t kill me!”
“I’m not going to kill you!” War was getting irritated.
“Then why are you here?”
War didn’t answer. All she did was bend down, put her shoulder under the dresser, and push. With War’s strength, the dresser lifted easily. War then put her attention to the pony’s leg. The pony let her touch it, if only out of shock. The leg seemed okay. There were no signs of damage other than some slight bruising.
War stood up, and looked at the pony.
“You’re going to be okay. The leg isn’t broken or anything. Just get out of here before the other heralds come!”
For a moment, the pony just sat there. 
Then, she spoke.
“Why are you helping me?”
War paused for a moment. 
She then uttered effortlessly, “I’ve seen enough death for one lifetime.”
And with that, War turned, and began running to go find the others once more. She had already spent enough time as it was. As War leaped out of the door back into Ponyville, she prayed she wasn’t too late.
They had been running for, who knows how long. Twilight had given up keeping track, but thankfully, from what she could tell, they were almost out. The scenery had changed from the shops of central Ponyville to homes, most empty. Twilight knew that they were close. Just the thought that they would get out alive lifted her spirit, even if only slightly.
Her hopes were raised even more when she realized that they only needed to round the next corner, and they would be heading out of Ponyville. Twilight felt optimistic.
Things could only get better from here, right?
In her hopefulness, she ran ahead of the others. She was the first one to round the corner. Subsequently, she was the only one to run into the pony running in the other direction.
Twilight slammed into the pony hard. It blurred her vision. For a few moments, and her ears rang from the impact. She could only just barely hear Rainbow Dash’s cries for her to run. After rubbing her eyes, and seeing who she’d run into, she could understand why.
Twilight had run into War.
War was also stumbling from the crash. She wasn’t as dazed as Twilight, due to her armor protecting her head, but the surprise of the impact stunned her enough. Twilight didn’t step away, however. She looked at War and saw the same look she saw when War first entered. One of confusion. A look of fear.
She spoke eagerly. 
“You have no idea how glad I am that I’ve found you all...”
Rainbow Dash didn’t wait for Twilight’s response.
“I bet you have!” she yelled.
She then flew up to War and kicked her away as hard as she could. War only stumbled back a few steps, but Rainbow was starting to try to get them away before War composed herself.
“Come on! Run!”
“Wait!!!”
Twilight and War yelled the plea at the same time, much to the surprise of everyone, including Twilight.
Rainbow Dash was the most stunned of them all.
“What do you mean wait? Do you have a deathwish? Run!!” Rainbow yelled at the top of her lungs, then sped off, only to stop when she saw that nopony was following. She also stopped because War, to everyone’s surprise but Twilight’s, wasn’t attacking. Dash was visibly frustrated, and made it clear to everyone.
“AM I MISSING SOMETHING HERE?” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
For a moment, there was silence as Dash waited for a response.
War was quick to break the silence.
“I’m not here to kill you, I’m here to protect you...”
War’s voice trailed off.
Rainbow Dash only looked at War, stunned into silence.
It wasn’t supposed to go this way. Then again, it’s not as if War had a real plan per say. She had sounded so confident in her head, but when she said it, she didn’t sound so confident. The thing War hated most was not being able to read Twilight’s face. The other’s faces were easily readable. Rainbow Dash was clearly furious. The other ponies were simply confused. But Twilight, there were so many feeling in her face that War couldn’t quite see them all. One was confusion, another was fear, but the rest were a blank. They flowed on her face, like a pond murky with dirt. Did War see...pity...in those eyes? 
Her train of thought was wrecked by Rainbow Dash once more.
”Protect us? Well, you’ve done one heck of a job so far! Let’s see here, Ponyville is in panic, murderers, you included, are running amok, and one of our friends is DEAD!!! DO YOU HEAR ME? DEAD!!!” Rainbow Dash’s voice spewed acid, and it burned like it too. With every utterance of the word “dead”, War flinched a little.
War had to find the strength to go on.
“That...that doesn’t matter now...All I care about is getting you all out of here...”
“Well we were doing a great job of getting us out before you showed up! Get out of here! And don’t even think about coming back!”
War couldn’t take much more of this.
It’s funny, almost. War could take killing, and she could take some wounds here and there, but she is reduced to nothing under the acid-filled words of a rainbow colored pegasus. Maybe War shouldn’t be here.
They don’t want me. Hell, why would they..? It’s not like I’ve brought them any good...
“Well, well, well...What do we have here..?”
War snapped out of her stupor when she heard that all too familiar, deep voice.
The voice came from behind her. Already, War could see the other ponies cowering in fear, except for Rainbow Dash. Though she blames War, War knew that her true quarrel wasn’t with her, it was with Death. Death had been the one to kill the Rainbow Dash’s friend, not War.
Slowly, War turned to face Death. Normally, War would have snickered at the symbolism, but, in a way, she really was facing death. 
The herald, Death, looked at her with the same cold eyes as always. Those eyes were still cold, but they were tinged with a hint of anger, or more disappointment than anger.
Death spoke again, this time, savoring every word, as if each were a part of an entire meal she had just been handed.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the herald of deception and treachery, War.”
Those words chilled War.
“I recommend you step aside, War. If you do, perhaps I may let you live. If not...”
Death didn’t need to finish her sentence. War braced herself for an attack. She unsheathed her sword. Through her teeth, she uttered a quick plea to the ponies.
“Run. Get out of here now. I’ll keep Death busy.”
War charged right at Death. Not a good idea, War realized i little too late. Death swerved under, avoiding the blade by a hair, and got under War, and threw her a hard as she could. Unlike Rainbow Dash, Death had more strength behind her. War flew off of her feet, and landed on the ground dazed. When she looked up, she saw Death going straight for the ponies. War had to get up now, or they were as good as dead.
Luckily, Twilight had put up a force field of magic. Death unsheathed her sword, and began striking at it. 
War ran back to face Death. She knew that even Twilight couldn’t hold Death back for long. Death stopped, and turned to face War. She ran, sword shining in the setting sun. Their swords clashed with a sound that nearly deafened War’s ears. Their eyes met in the struggle. Through gritted teeth, War tried to say something.
“Twilight! Transport out of here! Now!”
Twilight’s response came rushed.
“I can’t! I’m not that powerful yet!”
War’s heart sunk. Their only way out wasn’t powerful enough to save them.
Death broke away, and tried to flank War, trying to stab at her ribs. War was able to block every strike. Behind her, she faintly heard Twilight and her friends talking. Her mind was preoccupied with fighting Death, however, and she only caught a few words.
“Drain....”
“Magic....”
“More....”
“Share it...”
Then, a thought came to her. War had magic in her. She had to. She obviously couldn’t use it like a unicorn could, but there was a reason she had no need to eat, sleep or rest. If it were possible for Twilight to use her magic, then she could possibly teleport everyone out of Ponyville, maybe even to Canterlot. But she had to get Death off of her to do that, and Death showed no signs of slowing down.
Death stopped, and paused to look at War with murder in her eyes.
Suddenly, a beam of purple light hit Death and caught her by surprise. For the first time, War saw Death stumble. It took a moment for War to realize that this was her chance. She sheathed her sword and ran back to Twilight and the others. Most of them backed away a bit, but Twilight held her ground.
Hurriedly, War spoke.
“Twilight, teleport us somewhere! Anywhere, it doesn’t matter!”
For a moment, Twilight was confused.
“Wait, why?”
War looked back. Death was already sprinting towards them, fire burning in her eyes. War already knew enough about fires to know what kind of fire this was.
She turned back.
“Explanation after! Do it! NOW!”
She looked at Death, who was in mid-leap. Just as she was about to land, a purple light engulfed War, blinding her. War had to shield her eyes. For a moment, she sat where she was, trying to get rid of the stars circling her.
Twilight’s voice brought her back to reality.
“Well then? What is it?”
War looked around, and saw that they were around completely different houses. They must be deeper in Ponyville.
War wasted no time. 
“Is there any way we can share magic so you can get us out of Ponyville?”
Twilight thought about it.
“Wait, YOU have magic?”
“Not magic I can use like a unicorn, but magic that allows me to not need sleep, not need to eat, not need to rest. Is there anyway you can use that to get us out of here?”
“Well...I was just talking about that with the others,” she gestured to the other ponies that had traveled the short distance with her. “But Rarity doesn’t have enough magic for me to use. You might have enough, though...”
She trailed off.
War pressed on.
“Well then, go on, before Death finds us again!”
War lowered her head, as if she was presenting it to her.
Twilight took a moment before she did anything.
“Alright then, girls, get closer, this won’t be easy, and it’s easier if you all huddle close.”
The other ponies gathered around the pair, most against their better judgement. The orange one had the dead pegasus draped on her back. She got close enough that the body touched War. She almost shuddered, but was able to keep it under control.
War felt Twilight’s horn touch her head, just under her armor. Almost immediately, War felt like she was being drained of blood, slowly becoming weaker. Suddenly, War was parched, and almost began gasping for water. Her stomach grumbled for food, much to everyone’s surprise. War felt groggy. While it wasn’t pleasant, it at least told War that whatever Twilight was doing was working. 
War heard hoovesteps in the distance, she looked up, and saw, in the distance, Death.
“Hurry, Twilight!” the white unicorn screamed.
“I’m trying!” the response came.
Death was close enough to see the whites of her eyes by the time something happened.
A bright purple light engulfed War once again, but this time, she knew to close her eyes, or else she would be blinded again.
Behind her eyelids, War saw the moment the light cleared. She opened her eyes and looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere, as far as she could tell. It was a clearing on the edge of a forest. Ponyville was nowhere in sight. War had no real idea where they were.
By this point, War had begun to regain the magic that kept her alive, but it was steady. She had lost the need for water, and the need for food was mostly gone, but the sleepiness that came had yet to subside.
She turned to see the other ponies. Everypony else was stumbling a bit, but, for the most part, were all right.
Except for Twilight.
Twilight hadn’t been lying when she said she wasn’t strong enough. War could plainly see that now. She hardly had the energy to stand up. War began to walk towards her, but she was stopped by Rainbow Dash.
“Hold it right there! Do you think we’re just going to let you near her like that?”
War was taken aback. She could understand them being untrusting of her, but this?
War could hardly get the words out.
“Wait-what? I just saved your lives! You think I would save you all just to kill you?”
Rainbow Dash didn’t respond.
War didn’t wait for one.
“Whether or not it’s me or someone else, please help her up! Can’t you see how weak she is?”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes narrowed, but nonetheless, she turned and tried to help Twilight up. Twilight’s eyes screwed in an attempt to regain her focus and stay conscious. Twilight could tell she was struggling.
She had to say something.
“Twilight, stop struggling. Just rest. Go to sleep.”
“Shut up!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
Twilight was visibly struggling to even speak.
“You sure..?”
The words came out messily, but at least they came out.
War only nodded.
Twilight looked at her, unsure of what to do. Finally, Twilight closed her eyes. Her steady breaths told everypony else that she was asleep.
For the first time in a long time, War smiled. She looked down, and smiled, her eyes closed, just accepting this moment as real.
We made it. We’re alive. She’s alive, Spark thought.
No. Not Spark. She didn’t deserve that name anymore.
Either way, they had done it. Now, they just needed to get to Canterlot, and then...
And then what?
The heralds would know exactly where they would go. They wouldn’t have much time before they would be heading for Canterlot, but at least they had a generous head start. 
It was then that the white unicorn broke her train of thought.
“Why are you here?“ she spoke with an elegant demeanor, one that might have been stronger had it not been for everything she’d been through all day. “You come here with ponies to destroy this town and kill our friend, and yet, you betray them and save us. Why?”
For a moment, War didn’t speak. She couldn’t just give the one sentence answer she gave the other pony.
She finally found the words, but she couldn’t look at the pony while she said them. She turned and spoke, her head hanging low.
“I...I’ve done things...terrible, terrible things...I’ve done them because I thought we were going to change everything...for the better, that is. But I just...I just couldn’t take it anymore. Whatever future we were after...it’s not worth...all this...”
“But...”
The pony couldn’t continue.
Rainbow Dash spoke again, but now she had Twilight draped on her back.
“Well, whatever you want, you better leave! You’re not coming with us!”
“Now wait just a apple buckin’ second there, sugarcube.”
The orange pony that carried the dead Fluttershy had spoken.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I think she should come with us.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it.
“What? Are you all forgetting who we’re dealing with?”
“From what I can tell, RD, not even you know who we’re dealin’ with here. You call her a killer. Now I may have missed somethin’ here, but I have yet to see her lay a hoof on anyone besides that Death feller...”
If only she knew who War had met. Or more appropriately, who she had been reunited with.
“She even helped us, and nearly got herself killed too. i don’t think it’s as simple as her just being a killer.”
War was surprised. She hadn’t expected anypony to become so trusting, or at least not so distrusting, so quickly.
Rainbow Dash wouldn’t give in, though. She kept the look of disgust on her face. The pony could clearly see that.
“Listen, Rainbow Dash, even if you don’t trust her, she’s the only pony who knows these other...heralds...that’s what you called them?”
She had turned to War. She only nodded.
Rainbow Dash still wasn’t convinced.
The pony groaned, and added, “At the very least, she needs to go to Canterlot to answer for everything that she’s done everywhere else...”
War’s heart sunk. She had been expecting something like that, but it didn’t make it any easier.
Rainbow Dash easily accepted it, though.
“Now there’s something I can get behind.” She looked at War. “Come on, and don’t fall behind. And if you do anything to try to hurt Twilight, I swear, I’ll-”
She stopped. She obviously couldn’t figure out what she would do to her.
War decided to try to gain some trust. She reached to her side, and grabbed the strap for her sword. The strap came loose easily. She held it in her mouth, looking at somepony to take it.
“Here.”
She looked at Rainbow Dash, but it was the white unicorn who took it and draped it across her back.
War sighed.
Rainbow Dash spoke again.
“I know which direction Canterlot is. We passed by here on the way to the Grand Galloping Gala.”
With that, she started walking. So did everypony else. Reluctantly, War began walking down a road to an unsure future.
She prayed that things wouldn’t end badly.
Then again, things usually didn’t end well for her.