They slept near the Buggy that night. But Lightning couldn’t sleep. He just stared at the stars, watching the moon slowly travel across the sky. His back was facing the car, so all he heard were hoofsteps. He turned around, smiling as he saw Phoenix walk over and sit down.

“Can’t sleep either?” he asked. Lightning shook his head. “I can see why. Ever wonder why we are doing this?”

“I have since we set out yesterday.” he answered. “What if we don’t make it? What if we all die?”

“Then we all die. There is nothing we can do about it.” Phoenix said. Lightning sighed.

“I just wish we had some choice in this. Would you have thought that we would ever be doing this?”

Phoenix laughed. “Not a chance. I thought I would be living a normal ponies life. Well, as normal as it can be in an underground Bunker.”

“I was thinking, the shortest way to a point is a straight line.” Phoenix said. “We should just point out selves at the Bunker and hoof it. I doubt we will have to do any fighting.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thin--” His voice cut off. Phoenix just stared at him.

“I thought I heard something.” he said, standing up. He pulled his Mk18 to his front, twitching at the trigger. He looked around, all the others were in the car, sleeping. The fire had died down, casting a circle of light three feet wide. Phoenix got to his hooves as well.

“I didn’t hear anything.” he said, walking to stand next to him. Lightning stood still for a moment, then shook his head.

“Yeah, maybe I heard something.” he said, walking back over to the fire. “Nerves probably.”

Fluttershy opened her eyes slightly. She had been leaning against the window when she fell asleep. She looked out the window, seeing nothing but the black of night. She turned away, looking at the rest of the car. Rainbow and Twilight were curled up in the back seat, Rainbow snoring slightly. Cora was sitting next to Lunar, who was still asleep. Rarity was splayed out on a seat, her mouth curled into a frown Every now and then she would twitch and let out a small noise. She was having a nightmare.

Fluttershy got up and walked over to her. She gently stroked her mane, singing softly in her ear.

Just close your sleepy eyes

Lay down your tired head

Wait for the dawn to wake you

Let sleep take away your fears

All the monsters in your head

All the fears in your dreams

Let your love scare them away

And free you from their hold

Slowly, the frown faded, and the twitching stopped. Fluttershy smiled and walked back over to her seat. She laid her head against the window and closed her eyes. She wanted to get as much sleep as possible before tomorrow. A tapping noise made her open her eyes.

And look directly into the eyes of a zombie. She let out a sharp gasp and fell out of her chair, hitting her head on the floor of the car. She could feel blood on the back of her neck. She threw her eyes around, but none of the others had woken up. Inching towards the front of the car, she searched for a weapon. In the dark, her hoof found the handle of Twilight’s pistol.

She stood straight up and pointed the barrel at the window. The infected pony had started to scratch at the window, a low growl escaping its throat. Her hoof pulled down on the trigger. The pistol bucked back in her grip, its bullet flying towards the window. It pierced the glass, a spray of red obscuring her vision as it hit its target. The blast slowly echoed away, only to be replaced by screams from the other ponies.

Lightning and Phoenix rushed towards the Buggy, hearts pounding. They could see the others inside the car, panicking. They could see Fluttershy holding a gun. They ran to the other side, just to see a dark lump laying on the ground. Phoenix took a step forward, but Lightning held him back.

“Wait a minute.” He leveled his gun and put a few rounds into the lump. It didn’t make a noise or a sound. He nodded at Phoenix, then walked towards the pony. Cora bolted out of the Buggy, running towards them. “Do you think we could get some light?” Lightning asked. Cora nodded and closed her eyes. A second later, a bright white glow erupted from her horn, illuminating the area.

The zombie was lying on the ground, a small red pool starting to surround it. Lightning turned it over, the light playing off the blood. They could see, right between its eyes, a large, jagged hole. Phoenix whistled.

“Wow. Nice shot Fluttershy.” A moment after he said that, a soft thump came from the Buggy. Twilight rushed over, then stood up.

“She fainted. I think she might have a concussion.” She waved Cora over and together they carried Fluttershy out of the Buggy. But Lunar ran over to them.

“I think we should get inside. The smell is going to attract more of them.” The others nodded. Twilight and Cora carried Fluttershy inside, and Phoenix drove the car in. A couple of Lunar’s guard helped to shut the metal gate. It closed with a clang behind them.

Twilight and Cora were gently laying Fluttershy on the ground. “We have to get her awake.” Twilight said. “If we don’t, she could go into a coma.” Lunar walked over to them.

“We are both trained professionals! I thinks she needs a doctor, not a soldier!”

“And you don’t think a soldier knows how to deal with injuries?” he asked, his pure white eyes almost glowing. Cora stared back for a moment, then broke her gaze.

“I will start flying away immediately.” he said, smirking. Cora took a deep breath, but stepped back. Lunar knelt down next to Fluttershy. Lightning hadn’t noticed it, but she wasn’t breathing. Had she hit her head on the second fall? Lunar started to flap his wings slightly, a cool breeze flowing over her form. Then he pressed his mouth against her, gently blowing into her lungs. He pulled away and pumped her chest a few times, expelling the air her had put in.

“You say she can go into a coma?” he asked, looking up at Twilight. She nodded. “How long would she have to be out for that to happen?”

Lunar breathed into fluttershy again. This time he was rewarded with a small exhale upon removing his mouth. Her chest slowly moved up and down. But her eyes were still closed.

“I think I can get her up.” he said, smiling. He reached back and pulled a feather out of his wing. He leaned over and tickled the bottom of her hoof. Fluttershy’s eyes flashed open, a loud giggle escaping her lips. But then she blushed and looked around.

Twilight nodded, smiling as well. She reached down and helped her to her hooves. “Good thing you are staying here tomorrow. “I want you to take it easy for a day or two.” Fluttershy nodded. Lunar stretched, walking away from them.

“I don’t know about you, but I am beat. See you tomorrow.” He took off and flew towards the Temple. Lightning shook his head as he watched him go. He turned back to the others, who were shaking off their scare.

The rest of the night passed without interruption. The moon slowly crossed the sky, and sank below the horizon. Then the sun followed. However it didn’t seem as spectacular as the moon had. It seemed to be wavering.

Lunar floated down to the ground, landing as softly as possible. After the zombie incident, they had decided to sleep in the car. All except Fluttershy, who was still awake. He winked at her as he went by. Then he walked to the side door and pulled it open. They were all asleep inside. Lunar began the delicate procedure of yelling them all awake.

“Up and at ‘em soldiers!” he yelled, causing several of them to fall out of their seats. “We have a big day ahead of us!” He proceeded to bang his hoof against the metal, shattering the morning silence. All the while, a sly smile was spread on his lips. When they were all awake, they slowly filed out of the Buggy.

“Was that really necessary?” Phoenix asked, yawning. Lunar walked over and put his hoof around his shoulders. He feigned thinking about the answer.

“No, but it was fun.” he said, smiling broadly. Lightning had never noticed it, but his incisors were pointed. More like a dragon’s than a ponies. “Anyway.” he said, dodging Phoenix’s hoof as it came towards his head. “You have a big day today, so I thought I would get you up bright and early to see you off!”

Lightning laughed at this. “How thoughtful!” he said, walking passed Lunar. “Thank you for thinking of us! And just what are we going to do again?”

“I think I will let the queen refresh your memory.” he said, turning and walking down the gravel street. Lightning and the others followed him. A few minutes later, they reached the Temple. Luna, he shadow falling over them as they walked closer, stood on the peak of the roof, her wings thrown wide. Her braid and come undone, and her mane and tail were being thrashed in the wind.

As one, they bowed. Lightning could hear the sound of something falling, then wings unfurling. The teeth-grinding sound of metal on rock heralded her approach. He looked up in time to see her stop in front of them.

“Warriors.” she said, her tone almost made of silk. “You have given so much to be here, and I thank you for that. But you will sacrifice more than that before all this is finished.” The last part caught them off guard. What did she mean?

“You must go to the north, and decide if that Bunker is a threat, or a valuable commodity. After which, you will report back to me your findings. I will then see what action i must take.”

“As of now, yes.” she said, looking him straight in the eyes. Lightning saw something reflected in them. Pride? He couldn’t tell. But he nodded along with the others. Luna reached back and pulled a few items out of her pack. Small, grey plastic headsets. She turned back around and handed them to the five that were leaving.

These will let you stay in touch up to a mile.” she said. “If you get separated, push a small button on the earpiece, and it will direct you to the nearest member.” When they had all put the headsets on, she smiled down at them. She produced one last thing. A small light grey box with a lens on the side. She handed it to Lightning.

“It is a camera. If you find their base, I want you to take as many pictures as possible. Understand?” He nodded.

“The perfect soldiers, wouldn’t you say?” she asked, turning to Lunar. He looked them over for a second, then burst out laughing. Luna just shook her head.

“Is there anything else you would like to say before I send you on your way?” Luna asked, pacing in front of them. Twilight stepped forward.

“Then get back here immediately and report your findings.” she said, eyes and voice filled with malice. “If it has fallen into Death Hunter hooves, we must destroy it.” Twilight nodded, not sure what to think. “Anything else?” Luna asked. They just shook their heads. She smiled again. “Alright. Good luck, my soldiers.” They bowed one last time, then turned and walked back to the car. Lunar was walking behind them.

They retrieved their weapons, then waited at the gate. The stallions pulled open the metal doors, and they walked out. All they could see was the forest that waited beyond. Lunar walked over and stood next to Lightning.

“You will be going that way.” he said, pointing north. “It should be a couple days journey. Air support will deliver food each night, but that is all we can do.” He held his hoof out, and Lightning took it in his own. “Don’t die on us.” he said, smiling. “You are a good fighter, and we need you.”

Lightning smiled back. “I will do my best.” he said, dropping Lunar’s hoof. “Watch out for Cora and Fluttershy, alright? I want to see them untouched the next time I am here.”

Lunar’s eyes widened. “Oh, right! I forgot to tell you! We plan on moving them to our base to the west. They will be there when you get back. I think Luna, me, and my platoon will be the only ones when you get back.”

“That would have been good to know.” Lightning said. “Alright. Just, see that they are safe.” Lunar nodded.

“Same to you.” Lightning said. Lunar nodded, then walked back through the gates. They shut behind him with a clang that shook their bones. Lightning turned around to face the others, who each had varied stages of anxiety on their faces. He pulled his Mk18 around to his front, nodding at them.

“I think we should get going now.” he said, taking a few steps forward. The others followed, their steps slightly hesitant. Besides Phoenix and Rainbow, none of the others had much combat experience. This was going to be interesting.

Before long, they had entered the forest, and lost sight of the Bastion. The thick, lush trees and plants closed in on them, shutting off most of the light from the sun. Their hoof falls, normally so loud against the quiet of the Wastes, we muffled by the soft, wet earth. Small scurrying sounds occasionally broke through the silence, scaring them all. One time, Phoenix lost his nerve, shooting into the brush. A search revealed a deer, shot multiple times, dead on the forest floor.

“Let’s not tell Fluttershy.” Rainbow said. Twilight nodded in agreement. They continued in silence after that, only the wind and animals making noise. The sun slowly set in the sky, and they could feel their stomachs growing empty. By the time the sun had completely set, they were starving. They found the softest patch of earth, and laid down. Lightning had just closed his eyes, when the sound on wings made him open them again.

Floating to the ground in front of them, were three pegasi. Each was dressed in the Midnight army’s blue tunic. They landed almost soundlessly. One stepped forward, looking down at Lightning. Lightning stood up, saluting as he did. The pegasi nodded and reached into his pack. The other two did the same. They produced two metal containers a piece, laying them on the ground in front of them. They nodded again, and then took off, leaving Lightning and the others to stare after them.

Phoenix walked over to the containers, lifting one open. Inside sat three small, plastic wrapped bars, and a canteen of water. He pulled out one of the bars and unwrapped the silver plastic. He sniffed then, then ripped off a bite.

“Not bad.” Phoenix said, talking around the food. “Could use some salt, but it’s alright.” He tossed the others a couple bars and then pulled out the canteen. The others dug in, actually enjoying themselves. All except Twilight. She was looking curiously at the six containers.

Why aren’t you eating, darling?” Rarity asked, waving a bar at her. “You have to be starving.”

“I am.” she said. “It’s just...there are five of us, and six packs of food. Does anypony else think that is a little weird?”

“Not really.” Rainbow said, opening the sixth container. “Just more for us.” She was just about to grab a bar, when Twilight slapped her hoof away. “What they hay, Twilight?”

“I think we should just leave that alone for now.” she said, pulling it away from the group. Rainbow stared after her, shaking her head.

“Whatever.” she said, jumping into the air. “I am going to fly around for a couple minutes. Don’t wait up!” Then she flew away, the sound of her metal wing fading into nothing.

One by one, the others fell asleep. Finally, it was just Lightning and Rarity awake.

“I can. I have gotten better in the past couple weeks.” she said, looking up at the stars that were peeking through the leaves. “I just....I just want to stay awake tonight. Something, I don’t know what, is making me want to just go by myself. Go find their base and destroy it.”

“I know what you are feeling, but revenge like that is just going to get you killed.” Lightning said. “You are better off leaving the fighting to the army.”

“I guess you are right.” she said, tearing her gaze away from the sky. “I just--”

“What was that?!” Rarity asked, standing up. A second later, a blue and rainbow blur crashed into her, knocking her to the ground. Rainbow jumped off of her, not even apologizing.

“Guys! You have to see this!” she practically screamed. By this time, the others were already awake.

“It’s...you have to see it.” Rainbow said. She jumped into the air and grabbed Lightning under the front legs. Before he could protest, she picked him up off the ground.

“Taking you to see it.” she said. “Be back in a few!” Then they flew off into the sky. Lightning could see the campsite shrink behind him. They flew straight up into the sky, then turned and flew farther north.

“You will see!” she replied. “And you weigh more then the last time I picked you up! Seriously, rocks?” Lightning just laughed. They flew in silence for a few minutes. Trees passed under them. Occasionally, some feature would stand out. A clearing, a pond, river. Landmarks that looked so unnatural to the Wastes, seemed to fit this place. The silence was finally broken when Rainbow cleared her throat and pointed. Lightning looked at the exact point, and felt his heart drop.

A soft glow had appeared on the horizon, growing as they flew closer. Slowly, buildings and towers came into view. Large, metal gates formed out of the blur of shapes. Rainbow dropped them down closer to the trees, until Lightning’s hooves were barely brushing the top leaves. Finally, maybe a mile from the buildings, she dropped him down onto the tallest branch of a tree.

It was now as clear as day. Patchwork, metal fences ringed the entire structure. Watchtowers and guard towers were placed every so often. Guards themselves patrolled the outside of the fence, black cloaks swishing behind them. Giant searchlights pointed towards the sky, looking for Celestia knows what. A giant building, made of the same patchwork metal, sat in the center of the ring. More patrols, maybe twice as many, walked along the outside of it.

Lightning’s breath had caught in his throat. But he was able to breath two words.

“But...but..” Lightning stuttered. “It’s right here! Why didn’t Luna do anything about it?!” Then he remembered what Luna had asked of him. He pulled the camera out and began to take pictures of the base. He was caught off guard by a small burst of static in his ear. Twilight’s annoyed voice came through the speaker.

“I swear, if you don’t tell me what is going on, I will teleport you back here right now.”

Lightning smiled at Rainbow, who had overheard her voice. “We found the headquarters of the Death Hunters.” A brief pause met his statement.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked slowly. Lightning nodded, then remembered that she couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, pretty damn sure.” he said. “But that means, if we are this close to this, then the Bunker shouldn’t be far off.”

“Alright. I want you guys back here. We don’t need you getting hurt or blowing our cover.”

“Roger that!” Lightning said, then cut her off. “She wants us back.” he said to Rainbow, who shook her head.

“I have been waiting for so long for her to stop being so uptight and bossy.” she smiled. “Guess I will just have to wait longer!” She flew over and picked Lightning back up, carrying him away from the base.

“Do you think we will have to go in there?” Rainbow asked a couple minutes later. Lightning shook his head.

“I really hope not. But if we do, we better have the army.” Rainbow nodded, and they dropped into silence for the rest of the flight. The campsite finally came into view, and Rainbow dropped down, letting Lightning fall the last three feet. He gave her an annoyed look, but she just stuck her tongue out. The others were waiting for them to return.

“So, what did you see?” Rarity asked when he had finished brushing himself off.

“Well.” he started. “A huge shit-storm that we are probably going to have to wade through.”

“We have had worse odds.” Phoenix said, walking up next to him. “We will pull it off like we always do!”

“I don’t know, this one seems pretty tough. I think we should set out at dawn tomorrow.” Lightning said, walking over to his specific spot. “We should spend as little time as possible out here.” The others agreed, and one by one, they fell asleep. Lightning’s eyes finally closed, thinking about the Death Hunters the whole time.

He opened his aching eyes to nothing but black. He lifted his head off his chest, head and neck burning with pain. Groaning, he tried to move his legs, but found that he couldn’t. Confused, he looked and saw that they were chained down. Thick leather strap attached to metal chains held him to...something. Looking as far over his shoulder as possible, letting out a scream of pain as he did, he saw that he was strapped to a large wood table.

He tried to looking into the black, his eyes slowly adjusting. Shaped loomed out of the darkness. More tables? And what was on top of them? He blinked a couple times, trying to speed up the adjustments. When he opened them again, he felt his heart leave him.

The other four were strapped to tables. And they were most certainly dead. Blood stains covered their normally once bright fur. Faces were screwed up in the pain that they had felt before their deaths. Rivers through the dirt on their faces showed the tears they had cried. Cora was on the table closest to him, and he could only stare at her blood stained body.

The chest, from the neck down to her pelvis, he been cut open. The rib cage had been broken open. And it seemed like all the organs had been pulled out. Rivulets of blood had fallen down her white fur. Died tears streaked her face. And it looked like she was reaching out to try to touch him.

He tore his gaze away, unable to take it anymore. Minutes passed, with nothing happening. But, finally, heard a door open. Hooves were coming closer, until he was looking up at the face of a Death Hunter. It looked him up and down, a grizzly smile spreading across its face. It reached back, pulling out a long, wickedly curved blade. It positioned the tip right over Lightning’s sternum. And with one final look at him, brought it down.

He woke, clutching at his chest. He bolted straight off the ground, panicked breaths escaping him. He threw his eyes around the camp. Everyone was still asleep, and safe. He took a few deep breaths, silently cursing his dreams. But he did do one thing. He walked over to Cora, who was sleeping farthest from him. She was sleeping on her back, front legs pulled close to her chest. He let out a small sigh.

He decided it was probably a good thing to get everything ready before they woke up. He packed the left over food and water into their packs. He put the one container, the one that Twilight had pulled away, in with the others. He didn’t know why, but he felt like she was right. They should probably save it.

By the time he was done, the others had woken up. They didn’t seem to be any worse for wear, unlike him. As soon as Rarity, who was the last one, woke up, they set off again. The sun was still blocked by the trees, and they walked in the shade.

The others struck up a conversation. It was mostly about their lives before. Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity told stories about their time in Ponyville. Phoenix talked a little about where he grew up, San Foalsisco. But Lightning was unable to say anything about his past. He had never thought about it much, be he began to wonder. What was he missing? What life had he lived before? Maybe he had a family? Maybe a wife and children? He had so many questions, but no answers. Rarity broke into his thoughts.

“Hey, what’s that?” she said, pointing ahead of them. They had been walking for most of the morning, and the sun was almost right above them. Lightning could see light hitting the ground ahead of them. It looked like a clearing. He galloped forward, breaking through the last line of leaves and foliage.

A clearing. A circle maybe thirty feet across met his eyes. In the center sat a familiar sight. A Bunker, seemingly untouched, waited there for them. And sitting next to the door, eyes downcast, sat a pony. She looked up and saw him, eyes widening. Her pink mane hung down by her shoulders, and her soft blue eyes had no life in them.

“Don’t do that Lightning!” Twilight scolded. “There could have been a trap or...” Her voice trailed off when she saw the pony sitting there. The pink mare saw them, and her eyes grew even wider. She stood up, walking a couple steps forward. But she stopped and shook her head, blinking several times. Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity took a few steps forward as well. Lightning and Phoenix watched them go, not sure what to think.

The four ponies stared at each other, not saying anything. But finally, the pink mare opened her mouth.

As I'm Falling to Pieces

by Pinkamena Diane Pie

Chapter L: Forgetting To Breathe