//------------------------------//
// The Parting of Ways 
// Story: Harbinger 
// by Tealove 
//------------------------------//

	Big Macintosh stood in the open doorway of the hotel lobby and looked out into the cold, bleak morning. Rain was coming down in icy needles, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. He and Pokey managed to drag in several pots of rainwater already and they were all taking turns going outside in pairs to wash up in the natural shower of water. Stretched across the red stallion's back was Pinkie Pie, damp from her own shower but slightly more perky than the day before. She too looked at the rain and sighed softly in Big Mac's ear. He glanced over his shoulder at her and nodded, guessing at her thoughts. “It's gonna be a miserable day of walkin'. 'Cept for you o'course.”
Pinkie smiled and wrapped her forelegs around his neck in a gentle squeeze. “I really can walk, you know.”
“Never said you couldn't. I just think it'd be better if you took one more day of rest is all.”
Twilight and Allie came back in from the rain looking chilled but refreshed. The taller unicorn headed toward the  sleeping area while Twilight stayed with her two friends. “We've got enough water to take us to Fillydelphia now, provided we don't run into any trouble.”
“I'm sure we'll find streams an' such along the way, too,” said Big Mac. 
The unicorn nodded, her attention going to Pinkie. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Better. But there's a rumbly in my tumbly that makes me think I smell food.”
Twilight's brow furrowed and she looked toward the kitchen, sniffing the air. “No, I smell it, too.”
Now Big Mac turned as well, taking a deep breath in. “I don't smell food, I smell...”
“Coffee!” Merry May stuck her head out from between the swinging doors with a grin. “Fillies and gentlecolts, breakfast is served! If you would please follow your waiter he will seat you and take your drink orders.” Spectrum gave a deep, exaggerated bow before leading everyone through the lobby and out into the large and one time beautiful dining room. There, small tables had been pushed together to form one long table with enough seats for everyone. As they all sat, Spectrum cleared his throat to put on airs. “Hello, my name is Spectrum and I will be your server this morning. Would anyone like to start off with some coffee?” Hooves shot into the air and he smirked. “So coffee for the adults, water for the little ones. I'll be right back with your order.”
As Spectrum headed for the kitchen conversation broke out, and soon the dining room was filled with voices and laughter. Merry May brought out coffee and sugar with apologies at not having any milk, and water for the children. Then, promising breakfast, they made everyone close their eyes as a meal was set before them. Merry May was beaming as she took a seat to join in the fellowship, grinning as Spectrum did the same. “One, two, three, open!”
There was a collective gasp from the room as eyes opened. “Omelets?” Applejack asked. “How in the hay did you manage that one? We didn't have any of this stuff last night!”
“Spectrum and I went out this morning,” Merry May told them. “We figured with the rain everyone out there would be hunkering down and trying to stay dry. So we risked going to the park and getting the dandelion greens and found some mushrooms to go along with it. The eggs...” Her nose wrinkled, some of her joy disappearing. “We had to fight for those.”
“There's a camp closer toward the middle of the city that has a bunch of chickens,” said Spectrum. “Merry May and I swooped in to steal the eggs and one of the camp colonists saw us and sounded the alarm.”
“You stole them?” Dinky asked, disapproval in her eyes.
“We have to do things we wouldn't normally do to survive, sweetheart,” Bubblecup told her daughter. Looking back at her pegasus friends she asked, “How did you get away with so many?”
“Spectrum held them off while I scooped as many into the pot I was carrying our greens and mushrooms in as I could.”
“I don't care how you got them,” said Spike, already finished and sitting back with a pleasant look on his face and a hand on his stomach. “I haven't eaten this well in a week!”
“Spike,” hissed Twilight. “You were supposed to wait for the rest of us!”
“Oops,” he said sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Before we eat,” Big Macintosh said, “I'd like to give a word of thanks if ya'll don't mind.” When no one objected he held a hoof out to Apple Bloom on his left and Applejack on his right, then bowed his head while the others joined hooves as well. “Great Creator, we all come before you to thank you for this meal an' the ponies that made it possible to share it. As we go our separate ways we ask that you keep all of us safe an' continue to walk with us an' remind us that you're workin' in a thousand tiny ways behind all this, weavin' the tapestry of our lives. When we start focusin' on the back side an' nothin' but the mess, remind us that you see it from the right side an' know how beautiful it really is. Be with our friends an' loved ones that're still missin' an' be with our princesses. Keep them all safe an' strong so that we may be reunited once again in days to come. Amen.” As the closing sentiment echoed around the room, Big Mac opened his eyes and nodded. “Let's eat.”



By mid-morning the rain had not let up, though everyone was all packed and ready to go. “I say we move out,” said Applejack. “The longer we stay here the more we're gonna have to fight for food an' protect this place. An' to be honest I feel better fightin' off them others than my own livin' an' breathin' kind.” Everyone in her party agreed except for Rarity, who suggested waiting another day to see if the rain let up. The others eventually talked her into seeing it their way, though she pouted about it when it came time to move. Everyone shared hugs and last minute words of thanks and encouragement before heading out as one large group into the rain.
The streets of Manehattan were completely deserted and it gave the usually thriving city an eerie feel. Every once in awhile someone would feel eyes on them and turn to look, only to find ponies watching them from the protection of their own shelters, gazes either curious, questioning, or passively hostile. It was clear they were leaving the hotel for awhile just by the saddlebags most of them carried, if not for good and that meant less ponies to fight with over resources. No one would willingly take on a group that large out in the open no matter how tempting their saddlebags were. As they crossed the bridge that would take them out of the city and back into nature, none of them looked back.
It took them nearly an hour to get across the bridge and by the time they set hoof on green grass they were all soaked and cold. Quick goodbyes were said again as Allie and her group set off west while Big Mac and his group headed south. Going was slow and for a long time no one said anything, not even the usually talkative Pinkie Pie. They were all feeling the effects of the icy rain as it worked its way into their very cores. They were just beginning to see the crests of the mountains on the horizon when Twilight asked if they could stop for awhile. So they headed for a cluster of trees, something they'd been trying to avoid because of what they could hide, and found dryer ground than they would find out in the open. With Rarity's help, the cloak tent was set up and weatherproofed by one of Twilight's spells. But even magic couldn't help them with a fire.
“I'm so cold,” Spike said, his teeth shattering. 
“Don't get too comfortable,” said Big Mac, watching the baby dragon curl into a ball between Rarity and Twilight. “If we stop now we won't be able to keep goin'. Id's say it's just another hour or two before we get to the mountains. Then we should be able to find an outcroppin' to get under or, if we're real lucky, a cave to hole up in for awhile.”
“Big Macintosh is right,” said Rarity. “I want to lay down desperately but I know if I do, I'll be hard pressed to continue.”
They took time to graze, each one startling like anxious deer at the smallest sound. Soon enough they were packing up the tent and on their way once more. Twilight looked back where they had come from and frowned thoughtfully. “Not that I'm complaining, but I thought we would have run into trouble by now.”
“I was thinkin' the same thing,” Applejack agreed.
“Maybe they like the rain about as much as we do,” offered Apple Bloom, taking careful steps as she walked directly under her big brother to keep the rain off of her. 
“It's possible,” the lavender unicorn said. “Every once in awhile, though...I feel like we're being watched.”
“We are,” said Merry May, shaking her pink mane from her eyes. “I've seen them once or twice. They're behind us now.” Everyone stopped to turn and look but Merry May didn't hesitate. “Keep walking,” she said calmly. “I don't think it's the others. They stopped when we stopped. The others have always attacked us without hesitation. They wouldn't have paused when we did. Unless they're not following just to attack us.”
“You think they're friendlies?” Applejack asked.
“I wouldn't say friendly, but I don't think they're out to eat our souls or anything. I hope.”
So the group continued on, occasionally glancing back. Every once in awhile one of them would think they saw a speck back the way they'd come from or another pony in the sky but nothing that ever lasted or that anyone else was witness to; they were gone as quick as they were spotted.
“Whoever it is,” muttered Rarity, “they are very good at keeping out of sight,”
Soon the mountains loomed high above them and they could see the steep path that would take them up to an elevated height and give them a better vantage point. They all stopped once more for a quick time to graze, then headed up the narrow path with Applejack in the lead and Big Macintosh bringing up the rear. Merry May and Raindrops disappeared overhead to look for a place they might be able to make camp at and possibly get some rest.
“Where did you lose your hat, Applejack?” asked Spike. She'd offered to carry the baby dragon for awhile and he was only now noticing she was without her signature Stetson.
“I don't even remember,” she admitted wearily. “Almost forgot about it, actually. Everythin' else has just been more important.”
“Sorry to bring it up then.”
She gave a tired smile that he couldn't see. “Don't worry about it, Spike. I lost a hat. Compared to losin' somepony from my family or one of my friends it just ain't that important.” She sighed quietly. “I'm just glad Granny Smith wasn't around to go through all of this.”
Spike grimaced. “Guess that's a good thing.” He glanced back at the line of ponies following them up the trail. “Where are we, anyway? I've never really been anywhere besides Canterlot and Ponyville.”
“These are the Coltorado Rockies. It's a shame it's rainin', we're lookin' for our friends an' runnin' for our lives. This place is beautiful in the sunlight.”
“You've been here before?”
“Once,” the earth pony admitted quietly. “Rainbow Dash tricked me into a week long vacation a couple years back. We went to Manehattan an' stayed there for most of the time but we did take a day to come out here. That'll always be one of my favorite memories.”
“We'll find her, Applejack.”
“Aw, I know we will, Spike. I'm just hopin' she'll be the same pony we all love.”
“Uh oh,” announced Pinkie, walking just in front of Big Macintosh. “My knee is pinchy!”
“Go back!'
Merry May and Raindrops came from above, panic on their faces. Everyone looked up at them and Raindrops repeated herself. “Go back! We can't go this way!”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked,
“There's a whole herd of them up ahead,” reported Merry May. 
“How many of them are there?” asked Big Macintosh.
The two pegasai glanced at each other and Merry May shrugged. “I don't know. A dozen or so maybe?”
“Anypony we know?” Rarity asked uncertainly.
“Not that we could see,” the green pegasus answered. “But they're all together at the mouth of a cave. I don't think they really saw Raindrops or me but...I don't know. It's like they felt us or something. They started to move when we got too close.”
“You say they're in a cave?”
Merry May looked at Applejack and nodded. “Yeah, maybe a hundred feet up? They're not that far away.”
“Spike, you're gonna want to get down.” Applejack waited until he'd hopped to the ground before turning to look over the heads of her friends to her brother. “Sounds like there's a cave up ahead that needs some cleanin' out.”
“We're bein' tailed, too.” Applejack, Rarity and Twilight looked over the edge of their treacherous path to see three ponies down below slinking their way up. Big Macintosh shook his head. “Can't go forward, can't go back. Only means one thing.”
“Twilight,” Rarity gasped. “It's Berry Punch.”
“And Bon Bon,” Twilight added, feeling sick. “You were right, Merry May. They weren't just following us to attack us. They were herding us.”
“All right, ya'll.” Applejack glanced around at their surroundings. “We gotta do this right or we'll be in a heap of trouble. If we can shove these here rocks over the side we should be able to at least slow down the others, if not stop 'em all together. But if those ponies above are payin' attention at all they're gonna know we're comin' the second we take action. So as soon as that happens-” There was a shuddering of the mountain like a very small earthquake that made them all stagger and throw themselves against the side of the mountain. All but Big Macintosh.
He'd turned himself to the side and was bucking out with his back legs against a massive boulder. Another solid kick and the boulder cracked and rumbled as it tumbled over the side and went careening down to the path below. They looked down in time to see the boulder land directly on top of Berry Punch, then start rolling back sending Bon Bon and the third unfamiliar pony running and leaving a mess where the plum colored earth pony had been standing.
“Move!” shouted Big Mac. Once again everyone pressed up against the mountain leaving just enough room for the stallion to thunder past. Small rocks and pebbles came showering down with the rain, a sure indication that the herd up ahead was coming their way. With a holler, Applejack was off at top speed with Twilight and Rarity close behind. Pinkie stayed behind with Spike and Apple Bloom in hopes of keeping them safe.
Merry May shot up the side of the mountain like a rocket, right past Big Macintosh. All he could hear was a loud “CANONBALL!” before ponies started falling from the side of the mountain. Two or three fell past him, snarling at him even as their bodies hit against rocks and bounced off the jagged path edge to fall far down below. When he reached the area where the rest of them were he pulled up short, seeing Merry May on her hind legs completely encircled by enemy ponies. There was no fear on her face, just sheer determination and possibly a bit of a crazy mad spark in her eye. As she moved her lifted forelegs in a slow movement she made strange noise, something like the creaking of a door. In a flash she darted forward, then to the side, then to the side again like a zooming ball bearing in a pinball machine.
Applejack, Twilight and Rarity came up behind Big Mac, Raindrops hovering just to the side. None of them could move or do anything but watch in stupefied silence. 
“Nine little ponies fighting on a cliff,” chanted Merry May. She jumped in the air to do a triple somersault and landed on her forelegs, bucking out with her back to send another one flying into the unknown. “Whoops, make that eight! Eight little ponies fighting on a cliff!”
“Is she...singin'?” Applejack asked, looking up at her brother.
“I think she is.”
Raindrops gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “She's always been a little...different.”
“Seven little ponies trying to defeat. One got kicked in the face and accidentally bit his tongue turning it into mincemeat!'
“Come on,” Twilight said, shouldering past the others. “We don't have time for this!”
The remaining ponies divided their attention between the ticking time bomb that was Merry May and the others they now realized were there. Twilight wasted no time and lunged at the unicorn charging her, ducking her head low. Drawing her withers up to prepare for the force of the impact, she closed her eyes and ran at full speed, plunging her horn into his chest just under his neck. The unicorn screamed in an unearthly double timbre voice and Twilight pulled back, her face covered in blood. The body fell to the side and she held her breath, looking for the slight disruption to her immediate field of vision. As soon as she caught the quick, nearly invisible ripple to the scenery beside her she lunged again and felt the icy burn envelop her horn as she made contact. 
“Twilight!” Applejack tackled her to the side and out of the way just in time to avoid the vacuuming void the spirit became as it died. 
“Thanks, Applejack.”
“Don't thank me yet. We still got a few left.”
Between Big Macintosh and Merry May, most of the others were kicked off the mountain as well. Rarity somehow managed to take out two all on her own, leaving her face and mane sticky with blood. “I never thought I'd be so thankful for rain,” she panted, lifting her face to the sky.
“What do we do with these three?” Applejack asked, looking at the three dead ponies that lay bleeding from gaping holes in their chests.
“I can get rid of 'em for ya!” 
“Hang on a second!” Applejack frowned at Merry May and shook her head. “These ponies were once alive, once someone's family or friend. We can't just go kickin' 'em off the side of a mountain like they're useless rubbish!”
Merry May looked confused. “I'm sorry. Isn't that what we were just doing?”
“We can't bury them like we did Sweetie Belle and Cheerilee,” Rarity said gently, eyes still closed as the rain washed away the blood from her face. “I appreciate your sentiments, Applejack, but we're on a mountain. Though there appears to be a topsoil I doubt it goes deep enough for a proper burial.”
“But we can't just toss 'em away!”
“Applejack.” Twilight touched a hoof to her friend's withers. “We can't leave them here. Not if we intend to stop here for the night. Any wandering sentient being could just take them over again and attack us while we sleep.”
The orange earth pony looked sadly at the three bodies. It was clear she knew her friends were right but it just didn't sit well with her. “Fine. Do it while I go get the others.” With ears flat against her head, Applejack set off back down the path.
While Twilight and Rarity finished cleaning up, and Merry May and Big Mac took care of the bodies, Raindrops flew nervously into the now vacant cave. “Hello?” she called, not seeing a back wall. “Anypony there?” Her voice echoed around her and returned, bouncing off the cavern walls. “Hello?” As Big Macintosh joined her, she landed to stand on her three uninjured legs. “Do you think it's safe?”
“I don't know,” he answered honestly, eying the black expanse before them. “Least it's dry. If we can find enough tinder for two fires we'll put one at the mouth of the cave an' one back here. Just to be safe.”
With a little effort and a lot of searching they were able to find enough wood to get two small fires going as Big Mac suggested. More wood was brought in to dry out to keep them warm through the night and ward off any possible intruders. With nine of them all resting in between the fires the cavern warmed up quickly and as night began to fall they finally remember what it was to be dry again.
By the fire at the mouth of the cave, Applejack sat warming her back with Rarity and Twilight. She watched her brother tend to Apple Bloom, Raindrops, Merry May and Pinkie, making sure they were comfortable and warm enough, and it made her smile softly. “He's always gotta be protectin' somepony.” The other two followed her gaze. “When we were kids he was always tryin' to play Pops. Always runnin' around tryin' to do everything Pop did when he was alive. Like he felt like he had to take care of every thing and every one.”
“Like he's doing now,” said Twilight quietly. “I don't think we would have made it to Manehattan without him, let alone this far.”
“Look at the poor dear,” intoned Rarity softly. “You can tell he's just exhausted.”
“But he's still playin' Pops,” said Applejack. “Somepony needs takin' care of, he'll do it without complainin' an' without anypony askin' him to do it.”
He turned then and looked at three three mares by the fire. “Ya'll warm enough over there?”
“We're fine,” Applejack promised. “We'll take the first shift. You get some rest, big brother.”
“Actually, Spike an' I were thinkin' about takin' a torch of sorts with us an' explorin' a bit deeper into the cave.”
Twilight laughed tightly. “Absolutely not. Big Macintosh, you carried Pinkie Pie most of the day, kicked down part of a mountain cliff and fought off crazy possessed ponies! You need sleep. Don't make me put a spell on you.”
He couldn't help but laugh at the seriousness with which Twilight spoke, even if the almost teacher-like look on her face reminded him of Cheerilee. “All right, we'll explore in the mornin'.”
“We'll talk about it in the mornin',” Applejack corrected. Big Mac said nothing more but found a spot beside Apple Bloom and lay down. As quiet conversation once again picked up at the back of the cave, Applejack turned around to warm her front, her friends doing the same. They were quiet for awhile as they stared into the fire, but a soft sniffle from Twilight  drew Rarity and Applejack's attention to her. “I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I've been trying to keep it together.”
“Aw, hey now sugarcube.” Applejack moved around Twilight so that she was in the middle of her friends and could be comforted by them. “Ain't gonna do you any good keepin' it all bottled up you know.”
“I know,” she whimpered. “I'm just... I'm so sad. About Cheerilee. About Sweetie Belle. Berry Punch, Bon Bon. We've lost so many friends. And with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy still out there... my heart is just breaking.”
Rarity rubbed Twilight's withers gently. “It hurts,” she agreed. 
“And I'm terrified that we'll never see Luna or Princess Celestia again.”
“I know it's all crazy right now but it's Princess Celestia we're talkin' about. She's unbeatable!”
“But she's not,” Twilight said sadly. “Don't you remember my brother's wedding? When she was fighting Queen Chrysalis she was overpowered. And my brother...” Her tears ran freely now and all she could do was cry. When another pony came up behind her and hugged around her middle she didn't even have to look to know it was Pinkie Pie. Twilight hiccuped on a sob when Spike joined the group to hug one of her forelegs. “I'm just so scared.”
There was nothing any of them could say to comfort her because they were all feeling the same. Now that the shock of the situation had time to wear off it was gradually sinking in that life was not going to go back to normal anytime soon, if ever. They had been privileged to live the lives they had for so long, to sleep in a warm bed at night, eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, and never have to look over their shoulder when doing any of those things. Normal for them would now be second guessing, fighting to stay alive, scouring for resources, and always wondering who else was out there doing the same exact things.
“I took so many things for granted,” Twilight whispered, staring into the flames.
“We all did,” Rarity said. “There are so many moments I can think back on and wish for a second chance. I would savor everything.”
“But we can't go back,” said Pinkie. “We have to go forward. I know Dashie and Fluttershy are okay. And the princesses, too!”
Twilight sniffled as Pinkie wormed her way in between Rarity and Twilight. “Does your Pinkie Sense tell you that?”
“Nope,” the earth pony replied confidently. “My heart tells me that.”
“I gotta agree with Pinkie,” said Applejack.
“As do I,” intoned Rarity.
“Me, too!” cried Spike, still hugging one of Twilight's legs.
She laughed quietly and gave him a gentle squeeze, then looked at her friends. “Then I have faith in your faith.” With a sigh, she wiped her tears away. “We should get some rest. It's been a long day.”
“Go ahead, ya'll. Me an' Rarity will stay up.”
“Wake us if you start getting sleepy,” ordered Pinkie, giving them both hugs. When they promised they would she returned to her spot. Spike settled down next to her with Twilight on the other side of him. The silence of sleep quickly descended  and lent a peaceful quality to the night.
“Applejack, there's something I've been wanting to ask you.” It had been quiet in the cave for awhile now, the only sounds coming from the rain, the fire and the heavy breathing of sleeping ponies and a baby dragon. Rarity looked down, a pained expression on her face. “Will you tell me about...when you found her? When you found Sweetie Belle?”
“Aw, Rarity you don't wanna hear about it.”
“I do,” the unicorn insisted quietly. “Please.”
Applejack took a deep breath in and let it out in a sigh. “There really ain't that much to tell if I'm bein' honest. We found her wandrin' all by herself. This was before they were really gatherin' into groups, mind, so we didn't really think nothin' of it. An' it was before we understood what the sickness meant. That's what we called it, a sickness. We just thought there had to be some way to make her better.”
“Was she anything like herself? Anything at all?”
“No,” Applejack said flatly.
Rarity nodded, a watery smile there for a second and then gone. “You've always been a terrible liar.”
“Rarity, you gotta know that if she was able to be taken over by these...whatever the hay they are, she was already dyin' an' nothin' we could'a done would've saved her.”
“I know that.” Rarity nodded and touched Applejack's hoof. “I do. And I apologize for the way I yelled at you before. Had the roles been reversed I know that I would not have been able to hurt Apple Bloom, no matter how bleak the outlook.”
“We're gonna get through this, Rarity.”
“I know we are. Sometimes I just can't help but think-”
There was movement outside. Both of them heard the scuffle of a hoof tripping over rocks over the sound of the still falling rain. In one fluid motion, Applejack was on her hooves, ears back and head down to listen, Rarity rising to do the same. Past the fire everything was dark and it was impossible to see anything. But they heard it again, the telling tumble of small rocks. And then from the blackness, a tired and greatly annoyed voice said, “I loathe these mountains.”