Twilight stirred as she felt something cling to her. It seemed like just moments ago it was dark out and she had fallen asleep, but now she could see more clearly through the cracks in the barn that it must be day. It had to be day time, yet the sun was still not out. Twilight’s eyes fell upon her new group. Night was leaning against the wall; his wings curled around his body . Velvet was curled up close to the entrance and Calamity seemed content with sleeping while standing up, with his head resting against a small hole in the barn door. All were accounted for, except for Littlepip whom Twilight could only assume was the one currently squeezing her like a doll.
Twilight shifted as she tried to turn her head but her captor’s body was too close. Twilight groaned to herself. Littlepip seemed to be muttering in her sleep. Twilight nudged Littlepip with her shoulder and waited for Littlepip to wake up and realize who she was clinging to. That didn’t seem to work however as Littlepip simply flinched and hugged Twilight closer. Twilight felt some precious air leave her lungs. The strange bracelet Littlepip was wearing was practically digging into Twilight’s chest. Despite being small, Littlepip seemed to be rather strong.
Twilight closed her eyes and grunted as she began to wiggle and push against her captor. After a few minutes with little success, Twilight opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. It was then that Twilight began to notice that there was a pony sitting right next to her. Twilight felt a bit of sweat run down her cheek as she turned her head slightly and saw Night trying his best to hold back a grin. “Having fun?”
Twilight felt herself grow cold and her eyes widened, “This isn’t what it looks like!”
“Oh really, because it kinda looks like you have found yourself a special somepony last night.”
Twilight growled as Night picked up his cloak that was laying next her. He casually slipped it back on but left the hood down. He then turned back to Twilight, “Would you like me to leave you two love birds alone now?”
“Seriously, I need some help right now.”
Night chuckled, “She couldn’t do that for you last night?”
Twilight felt her cheeks go red, “You know that’s not what I meant!”
Night struggled to control himself, “Alright, hold on.”
Night Glider slowly got up and walked around. He stood facing Littlepip’s backside. He then summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at her, “Rise and shine.” The tip began to glow blue.
*
Littlepip sighed in content. Despite sleeping on the ground, she felt more comfortable than ever. Homage was sleeping next to her and feeling softer than ever. Though she did toss and turn a bit, Littlepip continued to feel content knowing that she had a warm pony to snuggle up with. Nothing could ruin this moment.
It was then that Littlepip felt a blast of something cold hit her right in the back. Littlepip yelled out in surprise as she let go her special pillow and looked around wildly as a shiver ran down her back. The first thing that hit her was the fact that she was in a barn; the second was that Homage was nowhere to be seen, just a grinning pony in a cloak and an annoyed looking Twilight.
The wires quickly connected in Littlepip’s brain, “Oops.”
Littlepip rubbed the back of her head with her hoof and stared at Twilight apologetically, “Sorry about that. I thought I was sleeping with someone else.”
Twilight gave Littlepip an odd look, blinked and then sighed, “I guess it’s alright. But next time, you’re sleeping as far away from me as possible, alright?”
Littlepip nodded her head, glad that she was getting off easy. She turned around just as Velvet and Calamity began to stir. Velvets gaze fell on Littlepip instantly, “Ok, I am only going to ask this once, Littlepip, why and how are you covered in snow?”
Littlepip felt a shiver run down her back again. She quickly shook herself off, snow rained down onto the ground from her back. “I accidently mistook my sleeping partner. Twilight decided the best way to wake me up was to use a strong weather spell on me.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “First, you would not let go and your weird bracelet was starting to hurt. Second, that was Night, I can’t perform spells like I used to.”
“Wait, that pony can do magic? And now you can’t?”
Twilight shook her head, “When I was given this Keyblade, my magic stopped working the way it used to. Now, all I can do is fire, reflective and teleportation spells. Night can perform an ice spell as well.”
Littlepip tilted her head before nodding, “Ok, not sure I understand. But so long as you can still fire shots at our enemies, that’s good enough for me.”
Calamity glanced through the crack in the barn door, “If ya’ll are done with clearing up dem problems, I’d say now is the best time ta get a move on.”
The rest of the group nodded as they began to grab all that they had. They left as quietly as possible to be on the safe side. None of them said a word even after they left Ponyville. An awkward silence fell on the group and continued for several hours. While Littlepip was burning with questions she wanted to ask Twilight, she was unsure how to ask all of them at once. Velvet and Calamity would occasionally glance back at Twilight like they wanted to start a conversation, but it seemed that words would die in their throat every time they looked back. Night pulled his hood up over his head, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Twilight could practically feel the uneasiness in the air. Unsure what to say or do she tried to focus instead on keeping an eye out for anything that might be trouble. But it was just a big open wasteland as far as the eye could see.
What Twilight suspected may have been an open field was now a dry dead desert. Twilight stopped and brushed some dirt that the wind suddenly kicked into her eyes. But as soon as she removed it, more of it seemed to blow into her face. Twilight growled in frustration. Littlepip looked up and noticed that Twilight was lagging behind. She glanced a ways back and saw Twilight was battling the wind and dust as it seemed to be annoying her to no end. Littlepip slowed and turned around. She casually fished around in her bag using her magic and produced a pair of goggles once she reached where Twilight was standing. Twilight stopped rubbing her hoof over her eyes when the goggles were lifted up and strapped to her head by Littlepip.
Twilight blinked in surprise and placed the goggles over her eyes. Instantly it was like the dust was no longer there. “Wow, thanks.”
Littlepip nodded her head and smiled, “You’ll get used to the landscape eventually. but for now this should help.”
Twilight nodded and remembered she still had a black bandanna still tied around her neck. Grabbing it with her telekinesis, she brought it up over her mouth to keep the dust from coming in while she was talking. Littlepip smile grew bigger. Twilight looked at her in curiosity, “What?”
“Sorry it’s just… If you told me two days ago that I would be helping Twilight survive the wasteland and getting the chance to help her save Equestria, I’d not only think you were crazy, but I would also think it would be more likely that I would be able to make out with a celebrity and meet Celestia face to face in one life time. Though now that I think about it, I have done both recently.”
Twilight cocked her head while Littlepip chucked to herself internally. Twilight and Littlepip quickly noticed however, that their friends were getting well ahead of them.
Both Twilight and Littlepip began to run to catch up with the group, once they did so, Twilight turned back to Littlepip, “So… Celestia is still alive?”
“Yes, at least her consciousness is anyways.”
“Wha?”
“It’s a long story.”
Twilight glanced ahead and back to Littlepip, “I think we’ve got time.”
Littlepip nodded and began her story, “Ok, so back when the war was still going on…”
*
Velvet glanced behind her and saw Littlepip talking up a storm while Twilight seemed to be listening intently. “Well, they seem to be getting along well.”
Calamity glanced behind him and then back at the way in front of them, “Looks ta be that way. Littlepip sure knows how ta tell a story, don’t she?”
Velvet smiled and nodded her head. She then glanced to the right of her and saw Night staring at the ground in deep thought, his hood blocking out his eyes and casting a shadow over the rest of his face. Velvet stepped over and slightly nudged him, “Hey, you sure are quiet over here.”
Night shook his head as he regained himself, “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. You just seem a little out of it.” Velvet lifted up her hoof and pushed Night’s hood back a ways so that she could see his face. “So tell us about yourself. What’s your relation to Twilight?”
Night pushed his hood back of his head with his hoof, “We’re just good friends. I met her not too long ago. She crash landed right into my homeland. I actually watched her fall and it reminded me of something. It reminded me of my past when…” Night shook his head, “Doesn’t matter.” Night was silent for a moment before he continued. “Anyways… Turns out that she was a Keyblade bearer, just like me. I could tell there was something special about her the moment we met. Ever since we fought against that giant Shadow together, we have been traveling together and trying to save our Equestria.
At first, I did my best to teach her what I knew. She was a quick learner and soon she was learning how to do amazing feats on her own. I feel like a proud teacher. But lately, I am beginning to wonder if maybe she sees me as something more.”
“Do you feel the same for her?”
Night glanced off into the distance before turning back to Velvet, “Not sure yet. Maybe? I don't know... Right now, I’m just happy to be friends, I guess.”
Velvet raised an eyebrow and looked back at Calamity. Calamity caught her look and immediately grimaced upon seeing it. It was a look he had known all too well at this point. It was the look of ‘time for me to play matchmaker.’
Calamity shook his head, knowing that somehow he could be dragged into this later. He opened his mouth, about to say that he wanted no part of it when a bullet flew past his face, just inches from hitting his nose. Calamity blinked in surprise before his training and experience kicked in, “Raiders!”
Calamity dove for some rocks nearby just as wave of bullets was unleashed near where he was standing a second ago. Velvet and Night dived for the spot Calamity was taking cover at. Littlepip grabbed Twilight and dragged both of them behind some boulders just off to the left of Calamity, Velvet and Night. The whole group flinched as a wave of bullets hit the rocks they were hiding behind. As soon as the barrage of bullets ended, probably due to a reloading sequence, Calamity took that as the advantage and returned fire from his cover. Littlepip had also taken out her revolver. Twilight looked at her with curiosity and pulled her handkerchief back down, “What’s that?”
Littlepip stared at her in surprise but then quickly remembered that guns had not yet reached Twilight’s Equestria. “This is a revolver. It has the power to shoot these metal things called bullets. When it hits, it can either kill or do major damage.” Littlepip put her hoof to her chin, “It’s called Little Macintosh,” she said as an afterthought.
Littlepip then turned around and stuck her head partially out. The wristband she wore began to glow and make odd sounds just before she fired it. The bullet went clear across the field. Twilight lost sight of it but she could hear somepony cry out just second later before a body slumped to the ground out from behind the rocks in front of them. Twilight felt her jaw drop slightly. She nudged Littlepip after she dived back down into cover. “Hey, what exactly was that?”
Littlepip lifted up her hoof that held the bracelet, “This is called a Pipbuck. It is a device given to most Stable Dwellers. It gives us the ability to lock onto targets easier, keep track of our stuff, listen to radio and much more. It is like having a super computer strapped to you.”
Twilight felt her eyes grow bigger in amazement. She stared at the strange device in front of her. “You have to show me everything! This has got to be the most amazing piece of technology I have ever come across.”
Both Twilight and Littlepip flinched as a stray bullet bounced off the top of their cover.
“Later,” they both said at the same time.
Twilight summoned her Keyblade out in front of her, “I think it’s time we ended this.”
“Unless you want to be pony swiss-cheese, I don’t think a sword will work here.”
Twilight smirked, “Just sit back and watch.” Twilight stood up and began to leave her cover. Littlepip instantly became terrified and dragged her back before a bullet to take her out. “Are you insane?!”
Twilight looked calmly back at Littlepip and smiled, “Trust me. I know what I’m doing. I promise it will all be over soon.”
Littlepip felt her heart jump out of her throat as Twilight began to casually walk out from cover and stand out in the middle of the firing range. “Hey, over here! You want something to hit? See if you can hit me.” It took every bit of Littlepip’s will power to not run out there, grab Twilight and drag her back into cover. Instead she watched silently from behind the rock. Sweating bullets, she held her breath as every Raider seemed to pause for a moment before turning their guns towards the crazy unicorn. Twilight’s smile grew as every single Raider trained their guns towards her direction thinking they were about to get an easy kill. Almost in unison, every Raider fired their bullets at Twilight.
Twilight whispered under her breath and a big bubble quickly encased her. The bullets stuck to it like glue, every single one of them stopped before they could even get an inch from hitting Twilight. Every one of the Raiders stopped firing in surprise and stared as their bullets seemed to hover around Twilight, before their faced turned to terror as the bullets turned around and the bubble exploded outward. Now every single bullet that was fired was now being returned to the sender and all the Raiders could do was curse as the bullets hit their mark. Several of them died before it could even register in their brain what happened while others tried to duck back down in time. All them were hit however as the bullets ricocheted of the rocks behind them.
None of them were safe from the onslaught.
Once the bullets stopped flying, the area became very quiet. Not a single soul moved from where the Raiders had taken cover. Twilight grimaced as the death and the knowledge of her actions hit her again, but this time she was ready for it. She did her best to accept it. Taking a deep breath, Twilight turned back towards Littlepip, and almost burst out laughing. Littlepip was in a state of pure shock. Her face seemed to be frozen in state of a pony that had just seen Celestia raise the sun for the first time. Littlepip was beyond impressed.
Twilight then turned towards the rest of her companions. Both Velvet’s and Calamity’s jaws had hit the ground and seemed to be having trouble finding their words as they both seemed to just stand there and sputter. Night was silent. though Twilight could just make out a grin forming underneath his hood.
Twilight felt her face go red as everypony continued to stare at her, “So, I guess you all have never seen anything like that before, have you?” Everypony but Night nodded their heads in unison. Twilight grinned, “Well… now what?”
Littlepip was the first to recover, “I…uh…Maybe now is a good time to set up camp. It is going to get dark soon anyways.”
Everypony again nodded their heads silently. Twilight felt her checks grow warm as she quickly tried to move out of the spotlight.
*
It was dark by the time everypony had set up camp. Camping near the rocks gave them a little bit of cover; having to sleep out in the middle of an open wasteland was never a good idea. Twilight used her Keyblade to get a fire started and soon everypony was seated around the small camp fire.
Unlike the walk over, everyone was talking to one another. Twilight and Littlepip were swapping stories, Velvet was leaning against Calamity as he told Night about his childhood and some of the best times he had with Littlepip. Night listened intently, only interrupting to ask about a certain town or weapon he did not recognize. After awhile, everypony seemed to settle down. That is, until Twilight nudged Littlepip just as she was starting to drift off.
“Hey, you promised you would show me your special bracelet later. I want to see what all it can do.”
Littlepip yawned, “I don’t know Twilight, I feel kinda beat. How about I show just one thing and then we call it a night?”
Twilight scrunched her face but nodded her head nonetheless.
Everypony’s head turned to Littlepip as her Pipbuck began to glow. She fidgeted with it for a moment as she set it to radio. Littlepip then began to turn the dial looking for a good station until she found what she was looking for. Soon a voice could be heard coming from the Pipbuck, “This is BarroBroadCaster here with all your favorite musical hits. Tonight, we have something that will really help those nerves feel relaxed and fill you with nostalgia as we remember the good old days.” Music of a young singer could be heard then coming from the bracelet. Twilight at first felt her heart grow with excitement, but then felt her eyes grow heavy as the singers voice begin to lull her to sleep. The singers voice was sad yet calming. Yet it also seemed to fill everypony with a bit of hope. Everyone drifted off as the sweet melody played into the night.