//------------------------------// // Back in the Saddle // Story: Red // by FallenFromGlory //------------------------------// When Red awoke later that day, it was mid-evening, but somehow, it felt as though it had been much longer. Strange. She spent the next few hours running checks on all of her equipment, making sure everything was in top shape. Satisfied, she sat crosslegged in the center of the living room, meditating, preparing herself for the coming evening. She allowed her mind to carry beyond the walls of the house, hoping to glean information on her enemies. However, just like early that morning, she felt nothing. Other than Cat, that is. Speaking of the feline, it hopped onto her lap, breaking her trance. "Can I help you?" Red asked as she looked down at the critter. The only response was more meowing. "Right. You hungry?" Cat purred this time. "Let me get you some food then." With that, Red stood and made her way to the kitchen. She quickly realized that there was no pet food stocked in this house. With a mental sigh, she walked over to the list that was still on her counter and added "cat food" to the already long list. She then took a look around to see if there was anything that would suffice for now, but there was no meat products anywhere, as she had noted when she arrived. Grabbing a handful of berries, she walked back to the cat, and made the offer, to which she received more mewling. "Figures," Red complained, promptly eating the berries. "Guess I'll go find some pet food then, but where could I go without being seen?" Suddenly, Red was struck with inspiration. She went back to the paperwork on the dining table, and found the information on the Elements of Harmony. Scanning the page until she found the entry on Fluttershy, she saw that she lived next to the Everfree Forest. Outside of town, and nearby. The best part is, she took care of all kinds of animals year 'round. "Perfect!" she said in triumph. "I'll be back soon," Red told the cat before donning her black clothing and red riding hood. Leaving out he back door, she glanced around, making sure no one was around, before deftly making her way towards the forest. Red peered through a back window, looking to see if Fluttershy was home. She quickly spotted the yellow pony talking to... a rabbit? Whatever. Guess she would have to wait until she left. As she was wondering how often the little vet actually left her cottage, Fluttershy walked out her front door, making her way towards Ponyville. Huh. Convenient. Red slowly opened the window, and climbed in stealthily, making use of her years of breaking and entering. For a good cause, of course. As she was rummaging through a cabinet, the little white rabbit from earlier tapped on her shin. Looking down from her work, Red got a curious look on her face. "Um, yes?" She asked uncertainly. The rabbit made angry motions with its arms, gesturing towards the door. "You're angry I didn't use the front door?" asked Red. The little rabbit nodded. "Well, I apologize. I promise I'll use it next time, ok?" The rabbit nodded again and hopped off. This place keeps getting weirder. After a few more minutes of searching, she found a bag of cat food, then, remembering the oddly intelligent bunny, walked out the front door. A few hours later, Red had fed her cat, and was now sharpening her dagger. It was getting close to nine in the afternoon, and for the first time in many years, Red felt restless. She was in a new land, with new places and new people, but she was fighting the same enemy, and that's all that mattered. As the sun set, Red preformed her usual checks and double checks. She had her dagger in her boot, her crossbow and quiver over her shoulders, her cape and hood, and her new gun in her belt. She wished she had grabbed a holster. All set, she made her way into the night. There are some things out there that we are not meant to know. Sometimes, mystery should just be appreciated as it is, rather than investigated. At least, that's what Fluttershy thought as she tried to tell Twilight that she needed to go home. While she walked back to her home in the dark of the night, she reflected on everything she had learned that day. "Those poor farmers, I wonder if anyone is going to be able to help them?" She asked out loud into the pleasant night air. Not waiting for the fountain she was passing to giver her an answer, she continued on, wondering if Rarity was still awake. She always loved to see Fluttershy, and even though it was late, maybe she would enjoy a quick cup of tea. The full moon was just rising above the tree line as she approached, but she could hear a low growling inside. Is that someone snoring? It doesn't sound healthy... thought Fluttershy as she raised a hoof to knock. Then the door burst outward, knocking the pegasus back and onto the ground. A lumbering beast came walking through the door. As Fluttershy struggled to get up, she saw, to her horror, that the beast was carrying Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Fluttershy tried to scream, but lost her voice as she just stood there. The monster tossed Scootaloo roughly against the ground, then started walking towards Fluttershy, raising Sweetie to its face. It opened its mouth, and bit viciously into the filly's neck. Now Fluttershy couldn't stop screaming. She cried out in terror as the head of her friend's sister rolled away. Then it dropped her body, and leapt at the cowering pegasus. Fluttershy closed her eyes, and felt two large fangs sink into her neck. Crying out in pain, shy waited for her end. When she felt the beast let go of her, she looked up to see a small, metal shaft sticking out of its head. Then, it fell to the ground. Fluttershy couldn't take any more, and fell into unconsciousness. Red stood over the corpse of a young filly with a yellow coat and a red mane, with a small bow in her hair. I should have been faster. Unfortunately, the Bearer of Kindness had been bitten by the werewolf. Normally, she would just put down the victims of a wolf, but this would be a problem. Well, I have a few months before she requires the cure, but I'm not sure the rulers of ANY country will be able to find what she needs. She would write a letter to Celestia about it, but she didn't want to put down someone so important to the defense of a nation quite yet. As she turned to leave, she heard a cough from behind her. Having almost forgot about the other victim, Red turned to see the little orange pegasus struggling to stand, looking at the scene in front of her with a look of confusion on her face. "What... what was that?" She asked to herself. "Bloom was yelling, and then, I saw... Applebloom!" She yelled before running towards the front of Carousel Boutique. Seeing her dead friends, and the figure dressed in red standing near them, her face changed to one of righteous anger, as she attempted to tackle Red to the ground. "What did you do to them? What did you do!?" She screamed, determined to beat the answer out of her. "Whoa, slow down there." Red said as calmly as possible, and caught the little filly, holding her down. "I saved her from a life of torment and guilt," She replied quietly, answering her question. Scootaloo fought against her captor for a while, struggling to get out of her grip, before shivering, turning into a sobbing mess. "What h-happened? Why d-did s-s-she..." She trailed off, continuing to cry on the ground. Seeing the fight leave the filly, Red let go, but crouched down as far as she could. "The girl you knew was gone long before I got here. I'm sorry." She hardly ever had to comfort the loved ones of those she killed. They were usually all dead by the time she did the deed. But then, werewolves were a relatively new threat to this world. Red wasn't good at social interactions, as she had spent the majority of her life avoiding contact with people when possible and buying her supplies quickly when it wasn't. With this in mind, she turned to leave, knowing whoever found her next could help her more than she could. Hopefully, they would dismiss anything she said about Red herself. It wouldn't do to have her cover blown on her first night. However, after she took no more than four steps, a small voice called out behind her between sobs. "Where are you going?" "Your friend was hardly the only one." Red replied cryptically, hoping to keep her from remembering too many details. "Take me with you." Red halted in shock. She turned and walked back to the child still laying on the ground. Kneeling down once more, she looked directly into her eyes. "No, go back to your parents, and get some counseling. Live a good life. It's what your friends would want." Scootaloo's eyes filled with sadness, before giving way to hate. "I never had parents. All I ever had was my friends. They were my whole world. Please, I cannot stay here knowing that the monsters that killed my only family are still out there." Red's eyes hardened. She almost left, but then the princess' words came back to her. She turned to the filly again. "You will die if you come with me. I will not be able to protect you." Her gaze never wavered. "I don't care." Red stood up. "Then follow me, we have a lot of work to do." The thing that you need to fight against the monsters of the night? The thing you must have in order to always win, and to never succumb to despair, or corruption? Hate.