> Return of Disaster (Season 1)
>  by Tomo-Domo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Episode 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Aww, come on, Violet. I can do a better loop than you can," my best friend shouted from the cloud she was sitting on. We had challenged each other to some friendly competition to see who was a better. She was a fairly pretty mare: her cyan coat glowed in the sun, her rainbow mane flowed gently with the breeze, and her eyes beamed in the sunlight, displaying the fullness of her confidence. Her name, was Rainbow Dash, she always stood up for her friends when they needed her, and she never left them hanging.

"Oh yeah? Well, that's only because my wing is still scarred. But that doesn't mean we don't have a score to settle," I shouted back. We tied our last race, and I was determined to train until I could beat her.

"That's right, let's settle this now!" She shouted, jumping off of her cloud.

"Fine, let me grab my bow before I forget it." I then walked over to said weapon, and slung it over my back. I then flew up next to her and got into position. "Ready."

"Okay," she said, getting ready. "On your mark, get set, GO!" She shouted, and dashed away.

Surprised at her sudden start in the race, and I dashed after her, trying to catch up. I didn't try desperately to catch up, since that would just use all of my energy and possibly end the race before it truly started. I stopped next to her and slowed down a bit to save my energy for the end when I really needed a good dash to the finish.

"You seem to have gotten even faster since our last race. But that's not going to help you, because I put obstacles all over our course. Even I don't remember where I put them." She said, flying even faster.

Before we found the first obstacle, we heard a high pitched scream and stopped. Completely forgetting about our race and flew in the direction of the scream.

When we arrived, we found everything abandoned, turned over, and broken. There was nopony around, save for a small filly walking with a limp. She was facing away from us, so we didn't see her face. Her mane was out of place and crooked, giving her a look as if she just got out of bed.

"Little filly? Do you know what's going on?" I asked her, slowly walking up to her.

She didn't respond, so I asked again. But still didn't receive an answer. Clearly impatient, Rainbow Dash spoke next.

"Hey, we're trying to talk to you, do you know what happened?"

The young filly then finally turned around, and revealed a horrible sight.

Her eyes were clouded, and showed no sign of life. Her muzzle was covered in blood, and her cheek was completely gone, revealing teeth underneath. She had dark circles under her eyes as well, and one of her ears were gone. Her left front leg was torn into by something, showing a large, bleeding wound.

She started to walk closer, letting out a long growl. I slung my bow off of my back and drew an arrow.

"I'm warning you, filly. Don't come any closer or I will shoot." I warned.

Ignoring my warning, she walked closer, reaching for us with her hoof. Closing my eyes, I released the arrow, not wanting to see the effect. I had just killed a filly, but was she really a filly?

"Violet? You just killed her! Why in Equestria would you kill a little filly?" Rainbow Dash asked, starting to panic.

"We both know we've seen this before, and we both know what this is. We have to get back now. We are in danger once again, but this time we need to be more cautious. With more ponies, that means more danger."

"What next?" She asked, starting to panic.

"You're faster than me, so fly ahead and warn the others, they need to know immediately. I'll fly just behind you, but I need to gather as much as I can in case we need to hide out for a while." I responded, sending her away.

I immediately flew to the nearest store and gathered as many supplies I could hold: food, water, first aid, etc. After that, I began to fly back to the library, hoping Rainbow Dash had already been there. My thoughts were once again interrupted by another scream.

"Help! Somepony please help!"

I flew towards the source of the voice and found a young stallion standing in the middle of an alleyway.

"Hey, are you alright? What's wrong?" I asked him, looking for any response through his sobs.

Out of nowhere, I felt somepony grab me from behind. I struggled against their surprising amount of strength. The stallion in front of me faced me and smiled. The pony holding me grabbed my mane and pulled my head up to face the stallion. He walked up to me and spoke to the pony holding me.

"Good job, Cinder. She'll do perfectly. She even has supplies and a weapon." He then faced me. "But you won't be so lucky."

Angry at his audacity to trick other ponies into his traps, I spat in his face, only making him mad. He lifted a hoof and punched me in the chest, knocking the breath out of me. He then reached up and lifted my chin up to face him.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't try that again. Got it?" He released my head, and I simply looked down.

"I said, Got it?!" He demanded, slapping his hoof across my face.

"Yes!" I screamed, desperately.

"Good girl. Now, Cinder, take her back to the hideout. She could be useful. And, Cinder. Try to keep this one alive, okay?"

I struggled with all of my strength to get away from these ponies, but only received more abuse. The stallion walked up to me.

"Just so you don't get any ideas..." He then punched me in the face, knocking me unconscious.

When I awoke, I was greeted by the stallion who had captured me. He was simply sitting in a chair, playing with a knife. When he noticed me, however, he stood up and walked to me. I noticed I was tied down to a bed by my hooves. I struggled hard to escape, but to no avail. The stallion simply smiled at me.

"Don't bother, you're dealing with rope here, you're not going anywhere. But I can use you. You can tell me where the rest of you are hiding. Or..." He held the knife to my throat, "we can do this the hard way."

"Buck off." I insulted. No matter what this stallion did to me, he would never know where my family was.

He simply responded by placing the blade on my left hind leg and cut a deep incision into my leg. I screamed in pain as my eyes burst into tears. I struggled to get away, but still, without success.

"Are you going to talk now?" He whispered in my ear.

"Never." I said in between gritted teeth.

He simply smiled and stabbed the blade into my right foreleg. I screamed desperately for it to stop. I prayed for the pain to end. My eyes were filled with fresh tears.

"How about now?" He demanded, placing the blade up to my underbelly.

"No." It was all I could say, before another surge of pain erupted from my belly as he cut deeply into my body.

The pain was unbearable. I felt myself start to drift back into unconsciousness, only to receive another hard slap to my face.

"Don't you pass out yet, there's still so much to confess!" He then held the blade to my cheek. "Unless you want to talk."

All I could do was cough up blood. The pain was so intense that I felt vomit rise up in my throat. Through the pain, I managed to say, "You might as well kill me."

He simply smiled and said, "So be it. Just know that you will experience a very slow and extremely painful death. Your family and friends will never see you again!" He shouted, thrusting the blade into my right hind leg, and began moving the blade around inside.

The new surge of pain was worse than I could even think. I felt myself start to drift into unconsciousness. I prayed that it would end. I hoped he would just kill me now, and get it over with. At the same time, I wished that somepony would burst into the room and save me. I felt my mind go blank and the entire world went black, and the pain finally ceased.
> Episode 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Scootaloo, sweetie. Can you come here,please?" I shouted upstairs to my daughter.  

After a moment, a young pegasus filly walked down the stairs. She had a look of curiosity in her eyes. "Yes mom?"

"Scootaloo, do you by any chance know where Violet is? I haven't seen her since this morning."

"Sorry, mom. All I know is that she went out with Rainbow Dash for some competition."

"Okay, Scootaloo. Thank you."

Suddenly, we both heard a loud knock on the door, followed by panicked screaming.

"Twilight? It's me Rainbow Dash. Please, let me in!"

I got up and ran to the door and opened it. Rainbow Dash burst in and shut the door, locking it behind her.

"What's wrong, Rainbow Dash? Where's Violet?" I asked, hoping she knew where my wife was.

"I'm sorry, I don't know. But, Twilight, the undead. They're back. Violet said she was going to gather supplies, and I haven't seen her since. She told me to warn you."

"Oh no. We have to find her!"

We were interrupted by another panicked knock on the door.

"Twilight? Violet? It's Sherbert and Pinkie. Please, let us in!"

I opened the door again and they burst in and locked the door behind them. Pinkie was holding her foals in her hooves with tears running down her cheeks.

"Twilight?" Pinkie asked, "Where's Violet?"

I stared at the ground and felt tears start rolling down my cheeks. "I don't know, Pinkie. She could be anywhere."

"My sister is out there with those... things, and we're just sitting here doing nothing?" Sherbert shouted.

"Sherbert, there's nothing we can do. Ponyville is already being destroyed. We have to leave, and just hope for the best." Rainbow answered as calmly as she could.

"But ... Fine. But only if Twilight agrees with you."

Suddenly, I felt all attention turn to me. Were they really asking me to decide whether or not to leave Violet, the only pony I love, to be hurt, or worse?

"I...don't know. We have to find her, and if we can't... then we'll leave," I decided. As much as I hated to admit it, I was actually considering leaving Violet behind. "But only if there's no hope of finding her. Rainbow Dash, I need you to fly over Ponyville and see if you can find her. Sherbert, you can scout around the city and search the buildings and stores, just in case she's still looking for supplies."

Sherbert then nodded and headed to the door before being stopped by me.

"Wait a second, Sherbert. We do need a way of defending ourselves. Did you bring any weapon at all by any chance?"

"No, we were at the park when it happened. We didn't expect this sort of thing!"

With a sigh, I replied, "There's an extra bow Violet would hide under our bed in case the house was broken into. You can use that. Do you know how?"

"Of course, she taught me when we were still little."

"Good, now everypony. Let's go, we meet back here in an hour. Look for the others while you're at it."

Without hesitation, we all left. I looked down at my weapon, remembering where it came from. Violet had given it to me when the undead first attacked about a year ago. She had seen a mare being attacked and tried to save her, but failed. She gave me the sword that the mare had. I held onto it since then and always kept it by my side.

I was alone, nopony else was around, to my surprise. I looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying overhead. She seemed to be flying away from something. Out of nowhere, I felt a large weight drop on my back. I rolled over and the attacker was above me. But what surprised me was that it was a normal pony. The young stallion was holding a knife and placed it to my throat.

"Why hello there, beautiful. How are you?" He asked menacingly.

"What do you want with me?" I asked beginning to panic.

"Simple. I want your supplies and resources. Otherwise this could get ugly." He said, cutting my cheek, causing it to bleed.

"Fine! Take whatever, just don't hurt me!" I begged.

"Very well." He said, and began searching my bags. "I'll also take that sword."

I gasped at the last demand. "What? No! I'm not giving this to you!"

"Oh really now?" He then cut my leg, causing me to squirm and drop the sword. He then picked it up. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Why? Why are you doing this?" I asked desperately.

"Shut up, already. I've just got through killing a mare who was just as foolish to defy me as you are. She wouldn't listen to me, so I did what I had to. She's most likely dead and rotting in our hideout."

I started to get frightened. Was he referring to Violet? "Who was this mare?"

"I don't know," he said, putting a hoof to his chin, "Some violet colored mare with a bow and arrow cutie mark. What's it to you?"

I felt myself start to break down. I felt my legs weaken. The stallion walked up to me and whispered in my ear, "You're the mare she wouldn't shut up about. The mare who she constantly blabbered about how much she wanted to be with you. Aren't you? Don't worry, I killed her quickly, although she struggled. In fact, Cinder, grab her. We're taking this one, too." He said raising his hoof.

Suddenly, I felt somepony grab me from behind. I struggled, but to no avail. A sudden motion in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked up to see Rainbow Dash crouching on the end of the roof above us. She looked at me and moved her hoof up to her lips, signaling for me to be quiet, then pointed to the rooftop behind us. I turned my head as far as I could, but could only see a blur of who I thought was Sherbert. With a nod, Rainbow Dash pulls a knife from her bag and holds it steady. In a single movement, she threw herself off of the building, landing on the stallion in front of me, pinning him down and placing the knife to his throat. The stallion holding me only threw me forward and tried to run, but was tackled by Sherbert before being slit in the throat, choking on his own blood.

With Rainbow Dash still holding the stallion down, I walked over to him. "Now where's my wife?"

He simply let out a laugh. "Good one. You'll never get it from me." 

I looked at Rainbow Dash, who got the hint, and cut his cheek, earning a grunt from the stallion.
"I said, where's my wife?!" I demanded, kicking him in his face.

He coughed up blood and spit out a tooth. "Seriously? I've been hit harder by my little sister!"

I walked over to my sword he dropped and picked it up. I walked back to him and stabbed him in his stomach, earning a satisfying scream from him.

"Ahh! Fine! I'll talk! She's in the warehouse back on the east side of town! But it's no use! I told you I killed that mare!" He continued to cough up blood. 

Hearing enough, I nodded to Rainbow and ripped the sword from his body and walked away. Once I rounded the corner, I was greeted by Sherbert.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine. Can't say the same for the stallion with Dash."

As if on cue, we heard the suffering screams of the stallion as Rainbow Dash finished with him. Once the screams stopped, Rainbow Dash walked around the corner as well.

Her coat was matted with blood and she wore a creepy smile. She seemed almost satisfied with what she just did.

"Well?" I asked.

She let out a chuckle. "Don't worry, I put him to sleep. He ain't waking up either."

"Hey, Rainbow Dash. Are you feeling okay?" I asked her. She never acted this way.

"I'm magnificent. Why would I not be?"

"Never mind that. Let's go find Violet. We need to meet with the others, too."

"Of course, Twilight. We all have a job to do." She said, her smile growing even more.

Something's not right with Rainbow Dash, I'm going to have to confront her about it soon.  I thought to myself.But first, let's go find Violet. Even if there is no hope for her.

I could feel tears stream down my cheeks, before Sherbert put a hoof on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'm sure she's fine.Violet is strong. There is no way she would be beaten that easily. That guy was simply bluffing."

I let out a sigh. "I know, Sherbert. But I have to be sure. He said something about a warehouse on the east side of town. Know anything about it?"

"Yes, actually. I know it was abandoned three years ago. I didn't think anypony would even bother going in there."

"Well, we have to make sure she's safe! We have to!" I felt fresh tears wash over my face.

"We will both be here for you, Twilight. No matter what." Rainbow Dash said from behind me.

"I know. Let's go get her now."
> Episode 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Mom? What's going on? Where are you going?" I asked her, desperate to know.

"We're going to go find Violet, Scootaloo. You're going to stay here with Aunt Pinkie and your cousins, okay? We'll be back soon, sweetie. Don't worry," Twilight then came up to me and kissed my forehead.  "Now get your bow, you know how to shoot it, and shoot anyone who tries to hurt you or Pinkie, okay? Don't hesitate for anything." She asked, letting me go.

"Okay mom, I won't let you down." I answered, letting my head hang to the floor. I wanted to help them find her. But I have a responsibility to take care of.

"Good, now let's go now, while it's still light out." She said, and she, Uncle Sherbert, and Rainbow Dash left.

"Hey, Scootaloo, would you like some cupcakes? I'm sure they will make you smile!" Pinkie asked me, hoping to change my mood.

With a sigh, I answered, "Sure, Aunt Pinkie. I could use a smile right now."

"Great! Cream Pie and your cousin Violet are asleep upstairs if you want to watch them for me."

"Okay, thanks." I answered, forcing a smile and walking upstairs to my parents room. I saw the little foals lying in the crib together. They looked so calm.

Suddenly Cream Pie started to stir in his sleep and woke up to see me watching him. He started to whine and raise his hooves up. Reaching down and picking him up, I held him in my hooves and sat down, cuddling him. He then started to relax again and just stared at me. Quietly, I started to talk to him.

"Hey there, little guy. I'm sure you don't understand me, but I'm Scootaloo, your cousin. You don't know how lucky you are to have the family you do. Your parents are great, they're the best aunt and uncle ever.  Then there's your aunt's. Who are my parents. I know, two mares with a kid. But I was adopted, and I was very lucky to have them. Your new family is the best. And of course, you have the best cousin in the world, little guy. Who, you may ask? Well, it's me, of course!"

Looking down, I saw that he had wrapped his hooves around me and had fallen asleep.

I couldn't hold back a smile, getting up, careful not to wake him, I placed him back in the crib and covered them both in their blanket.

Just after I finished, Pinkie Pie came in, holding a tray of cupcakes. I took one gratefully, thanking her for it.

"Thank you for watching them. They weren't any trouble, were they?" She asked.

"None at all, they were both perfect." I answered, looking over to the crib and smiled.

Just then, we both heard a loud crash as a window shattered downstairs. I heard hoofsteps moving around and voices, the were masculine voices.

"Come on, I'm sure there's some kind of thing we can use. Spread out and look for anything." One of them said, and the hoofsteps scattered. "And if somepony resists, kill them."

"Pinkie, take them and hide somewhere. I'll take care of this." I quietly said, getting ready to run to my room, but she stopped me.

"Be careful, Scootaloo," she then pulled me closer and hugged me. "I love you."

"I love you, too Aunt Pinkie. Now go, hurry." I then heard hoofsteps approaching up the stairs.

Quickly running out of the room, Pinkie grabbed the foals and ran from the room. I ran out as well and went to my room and quickly dove under my bed, feeling around the floor for my bow that mom made me. I also felt around for any sign for my dagger that I 'borrowed' from my mom. I found them both fairly quickly and placed my ear against the floor, trying to hear the intruders.

"Celestia forgive us, but I need to feed my family. I'm sorry." It was all I heard before silence took over.

Slowly, I pulled myself out from under the bed, and made my way out of the room. Quietly sneaking around the corner, I saw one of the intruders. His face was covered with a hood, and his coat wasn't visible. He was busy looking through a bookcase for anything that he could take.

As I slowly made my way over to him, I pulled out the dagger and held it in my hoof. When I was just a few steps away from him, I jumped onto his back and covered his mouth with my hoof. He tried to throw me off, but I quickly stabbed his throat, he threw himself around harder before collapsing on the ground, suffocating.

Jumping off of him, I leaned down and removed his hood, and the life was gone from his eyes. His mane was a bright blue color, and his coat was a dark orange. His eyes were a green, and were already fogged up. Grabbing his tail in my teeth, I dragged him away from sight and hid him in a corner.

I walked into another hallway and looked down it, and saw nothing. Slowly, I walked down its length to get to the living area. Halfway through, though, a voice interrupted me. It was feminine, and she sounded no older than Rainbow Dash.

"Hey! Stop right there." She spoke, and I heard her hoofsteps run towards me.

Turning around, I saw another hooded figure run toward me, she jumped at me, but I slid under her and cut at her side,  causing her to shout.

"Ugh, you're going to pay for that, kid." She said, between clenched teeth, before dashing towards me again.

Reacting quickly, I grabbed my bow and an arrow. Just before she reached me, I dove out of the way and jabbed the arrow into her side. She screamed in pain before collapsing.

Coughing, she stood up and ripped the arrow from her side and blood poured from the wound. "I've had enough, kid," she said, pulling a knife from under her hood. "you're DEAD!" She charged me again. I drew an arrow and shot her, directly between her eyes, and she slid just in front of me, dead.

Leaning over her, I removed her hood and pulled out my arrow. Her mane was a dark purple, and her coat was a bright blue. Her eyes were a bright orange.

Walking away, I made it to the ledge upstairs and looked into the living room. I saw the last figure standing there. He had removed his hood and was sitting on the floor, waiting. I couldn't see his face, but his mane was a dark orange color, with red streaks through it.

Drawing my bow, I aimed directly for the back of his head. Releasing the arrow, it flew directly toward him, only to be deflected and hit the ground in front of him by some kind of force field. Jumping up, surprised, the stallion threw his hood over his head and turned to me. Before I could shoot at him again, he disappeared.

"What? Where'd he go?" I asked myself, looking around.

"Here." I heard a deep voice say.

Turning around, I was instantly hit across the room. Hitting the back wall, I fell to the ground, panting. When I looked up, he was standing above me. Picking up my dagger, I stabbed him, but wound up stabbing nothing as he was already gone. I instantly felt a sharp pain in my back as he kicked me into the air. Before I hit the wall, he teleported behind me and punched me into the other wall. 

Desperately trying to get up, he teleported in front of me and lifted me up with his magic. I felt his stare stab into me as he tightened his grip around my neck. Quickly losing air, I tried everything I could to escape, but he held tight. Movement caught my attention in the corner of my eye. Looking to see what it was, I saw one of the dead ponies walk into the house. As it approached, the stallion seemed oblivious to it. When it grabbed him, he immediately dropped me and turned to face it, but it was too late, the pony had bitten his front left leg, and it was bleeding terribly.

Seeing this as my chance, I ran back upstairs and called to Pinkie Pie. She appeared a moment later with her foals and walked over to me. She grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh, Scootaloo, I'm glad you're safe."

"It's okay, Pinkie. I'm fine. But we have to leave, there's more coming."

"Okay, we can go to your mother's bakery. You're uncle may go there if he sees we left here."

"Good idea, now let's hurry before-" I was interrupted by maniacal laughter. Turning around, I saw the stallion from before, holding my dagger with his magic. It was covered in blood, and he had the sickest smile on his face.

"Y-you th-thought that it w-would be that easy? Ha! You make m-me l-laugh." He said, and vanished.
I turned around quickly to see him tackle me and pin me to the ground.

"You're c-clever. You k-know that?" He slid the dagger to my throat.

Before he could slit my throat, I bucked with as much strength as I could, sending him flying and dropping my knife. I quickly picked it up and threw myself under him before he hit the ground, stabbing him in the back and killing him instantly.

"More clever than you think." I said in his ear as I pulled the dagger from his back. "More clever than you think."
> Episode 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Slowly, I opened my eyes. Looking around, I noticed I was in Fluttershy's cottage. I noticed that Fluttershy wasn't here. Getting off the bed, I walked downstairs to find the mare I love sitting on the couch, eating breakfast.

"Good morning, Emerald. How'd you sleep?" She asked, her sweet voice smooth as silk.

"I slept well, thank you." I answered before leaning forward and stretching my muscles. First my legs, then my neck, and finally my wings.

"Would you like some breakfast? I can make you some if you'd like." She suggested.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. I can do it myself. Thank you for the offer, though." I said, walking into the kitchen.

After I got situated, I heard banging on the door. Before I could do anything else, I heard Fluttershy scream, followed by low growling.

I dashed into the living room and saw some crazy pony on top of Fluttershy, trying to bite her. Fluttershy was struggling to push the pony off of herself, but it wasn't working. Instinctively, I grabbed the pony and threw him across the room, and Fluttershy got up and sprinted behind me. The pony got back up and limped toward us slowly. I then picked up a piece of wood lying on the ground and swung at the pony, knocking him away, which snapped the stick in half, leaving a sharp end. The pony continued to walk forward. In a last attempt of desperation, I thrust forward with the sharp end of the stick and stabbed him in his eye socket, and he went limp and stopped moving.

Turning around, I grabbed Fluttershy and brought her into a deep hug.

"Oh, Emerald! It was horrible! I... I heard the banging... I thought they needed help... But they attacked me!" She then began to cry uncontrollably into my shoulder, and I held her closer, only letting go to close the door and lock it before going right back into the hug.

"Shh, I know, Fluttershy. I won't leave you alone again. I love you, but we have to leave. We could look for Twilight. Surely she knows what's going on. Come on now, we need to grab whatever we can and go."

Wiping a tear from her eyes, she sniffed and answered. "O-okay."

I then went back to the kitchen and grabbed a bunch of water bottles and put them in my saddlebags. I then grabbed some apples and put them in my bags as well. I then opened the kitchen drawer and grabbed a knife. I held it hesitantly before putting it in my bags as well.

"Fluttershy, are you ready?" I called out to her.

"Yes, I am. I'm ready." She said, shaking.

I walked toward her and hugged her. "It's okay, Fluttershy, once we find Twilight and Violet, we'll be safe. "

"I trust you, Emerald. We can go now, but we need to hurry."

Without another word, we left and began running. We ran for what seemed like hours before we reached Ponyville. We ran around a corner and saw an entire hoard of these ponies standing in front of us. One of them saw us and growled, which alerted the others and they all started to walk toward us. I turned around and yelled at Fluttershy to run.

"Fluttershy, run!" But she was petrified. "Fluttershy! Come on!" Still no movement. One of the ponies were faster and grabbed Fluttershy and pinned her to the ground, and she screamed. Quickly grabbing my knife, I ran towards them. But before I reached them, I was sent to the ground when the ground began to rumble. Before I could react, a black and white flaming figure jumped towards Fluttershy, and tackled the pony on top of her. He then pinned the pony to the ground and ripped its head off with his bare hooves. He then jumped away and let out a low roar, which sent flames out of his mouth. But they kept moving towards him. He then jumped onto the nearest one and punched it in the face, smashing its skull and killing it instantly. He then smashed more of their skulls before the ponies he set on fire fell to the ground. All that was left was a single pony, which he walked up to and took a huge bite from its skull, setting it on fire, and it fell to the ground, it's head still ablaze. Seeming satisfied with himself, he walked over to the first pony who's head had been ripped off, and looked at it. The head was still looking around and its jaws were still working in an effort to bite somepony. Without any hesitation, the new pony stomped on it, and brains spilled from the broken skull. He then looked directly at me and I finally got a good look at him.

He was definitely a pony, but his head was simply a skull, which was on fire. He wore a leather jacket and had a deep voice when he spok to us.

"Greetings, Element of Kindness. I knew I'd be seeing you someday, but I hoped under different circumstances." He then turned to me. "And who are you?"

"I'm Emerald. I am protecting Fluttershy here. It's a good thing you came around when you did. Any longer and-"

"And somepony would be hurt!" He then turned back to Fluttershy, "Or worse." He then calmed himself down before speaking again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout. I was worried for Fluttershy,  that's all. I'm Ghost, Ghost Rider." He said, nodding his head.

Before anything more happened, a small filly walked into the open from the brush. She had the most adorable blue eyes I've ever seen.

"Are... Are they gone, Ghost?" She asked shyly.

"Yes, Sun Flower, I got rid of them. They're gone."

"Look, Ghost Rider." I began. "We're looking for a friend of ours, can you help us find her?"

He seemed to ponder this for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I'll help. But for now we need to find a place to hide out until later. It looks like you both need the rest. Follow me, I know an abandoned house down the road we can stop in, we can stay there for a while." He said before walking off.

I then whispered to Fluttershy while we walked. "Do you think we can trust this guy? I mean look at him."

"I have to trust him, he wouldn't have saved me otherwise." She said as we continued to walk.

Soon, we arrived at the house Ghost was talking about. The house was poorly kept, but it was still holding together surprisingly well. After going inside, Ghost layed down a blanket on the floor and layed down on it. His sister then followed him and jumped onto the couch.

He then motioned to the stairs. "There's a bed upstairs if you want it. You can both use a little rest if you ask me."

"Thank you, Ghost, for your hospitality. Without you, well... You know." I said, looking over to Fluttershy.

"Sure, I wouldn't want a friend to be hurt. Sun Flower, why not help Fluttershy get situated upstairs while I talk to Emerald?" Ghost said, giving me a strange look.

"Sure, Ghost." She said, hopping off of the couch and walking over to Fluttershy. "Follow me." She said, running up the stairs.

"Will you be okay?" I asked Fluttershy.

With a giggle, she nodded before following the small filly.

Ghost then stood up and walked over to me and stared at me. His look worried me.

"So, how long have you been with Fluttershy?" He asked, never looking away from me.

"Well, about a year.  That's a bit personal, right?" I said.

"Will you protect her with all of your strength?"

"Of course, I love her with all of my heart." I answered.

"You better," he said, getting even closer, "because if ANYTHING happens to Fluttershy, Or my sister, huh, you watch your back, because I will kill you."

"I understand. I will never let anything happen to anyone."

Without any warning, he touched my shoulder, as if half expecting something to happen. He then put his hoof down.

"Um, what was that about?"  I asked, curious as to why he touched me.

"If you had a cold heart, you'd be dead." It was all he said before he walked back to the blanket and layed down, turning away from me.

Just then, Ghost's sister came back down the stairs before shouting to me.

"Fluttershy's upstairs waiting for you." She said, cheerfully.

"Thank you." I said, walking upstairs and finding Fluttershy laying down on the bed, already asleep.
I layed down next to her, trying not to disturb her, but she woke up, and hugged me tightly.

"Emerald, I'm scared!" She said, pulling me in closer.

"I know, Fluttershy. I know. Don't worry, we'll find our friends, and we'll be okay. Try and get some rest, I'll be here."

With that, she layed her head on my chest and layed there before sitting back up and looking at me, frightened.

"Emerald? Where's your heartbeat? I can't hear it!"

"Fluttershy, I've told you before, I'm practically dead, my consciousness just uses my body. I have no reason for a heart."

"But can't you feel emotions?"

"Of course! I love you. Come on, let's get some sleep."

"Okay."

Little did I know, Ghost was standing outside, listening to our conversation.

"So that's why I couldn't kill him, earlier. Hm, well, nopony is immortal. If he ever hurts Fluttershy or my sister." He said before walking away.
> Episode 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Slowly and painfully, I opened my eyes. I felt weak, and I could barely move. Before I could think, I felt a stabbing pain shoot from my right wing. I struggled to move when I realized I was still bound to the bed my captors tied me to. I turned my head to the right when I noticed the stallion who had tortured me still leaned over the bed. He was busy cutting my wing up when I screamed, making him jump.

"For Celestia's sake! Die already!" He shouted, thrusting the knife back into my belly.

I screamed for mercy, the only words coming out of my mouth being how desperate I wanted Twilight to help me.

"Twilight?" He said, scratching his chin. "Must mean a lot to you, doesn't she? Oh well, you won't have to worry about her ever again."

Before he proceeded to stab me, he was interrupted by the large pony I believe was Cinder burst into the room.

"Boss, it's important. I found another mare. She's alone, an easy target, I'm sure."

"Hmm, describe her." He asked, straightening his mane.

"Well, she's about as big as her," he said, pointing to me, "but she's a unicorn. She has a lavender coat and a dark blue mane with pink streaks through it.  I couldn't see her eyes, but her cutie mark was a group of stars."

"Hmm, very well. We'll take her, too." He then looked at me, my eyes wide in shock. The stallion had just described Twilight! "Oh? What's this? You must know her. Say, is this that 'Twilight' you were talking about?"

"No! Don't hurt her!" I screamed, trying desperately to escape my bonds, still to no avail.

"Oh, shut up, already. There's nothing you can do." He said leaving the room and shutting the door, leaving the room in complete darkness.

Hours passed of endless struggling. Still with no success. I was interrupted by a loud creak as the door opened, revealing a 
white-hooded figure holding a lantern. The pony approached me and inspected my bonds.

"Who are you? Please don't hurt me!" I shouted, desperately.

The pony above me placed their hoof to my lips and pulled a knife out from under their hood.

Before I could react, the pony cut my right foreleg free, and immediately got to work on the other.

"I am not your enemy, I do not wish for a fight. But attack me, and you shall see my might." A feminine voice sounded from under the hood. After finishing my other foreleg, she simply placed the knife next to me and walked away, leaving my hind legs in their bonds.

"Hey, wait!" I called to the mare, and she stopped in the doorway. "Thank you, whoever you are. For saving me."

The mare just stood there before replying, "You're welcome, young filly. Be careful, now, don't be silly. This enemy may be scary, but don't let it make you weary."

She then left, leaving the door open. Leaving me alone. Gripping the knife she left, I cut myself out of my two remaining bonds. Welcoming the freedom. I tried to get off of the bed and fell to the ground, sudden pain shooting through my limbs.

Determination being the only thing driving me to escape, I ignored the pain, and limped to the door. Once I was outside of the room, I was greeted by a large warehouse. Seeing the exit sign above the large door, I began to walk in its direction when I caught something in the corner of my eye. I turned and saw a young unicorn mare tied to a bed in a similar manner that I was. She was mint-green, and her mane was a similar shade, with the exception of a bright blue streak. I looked at her flank and saw that her cutie mark was a lyre. I lifted my hoof  and placed it on the side of her neck. No pulse. I looked to the side and saw a pile of weapons and supplies thrown on the ground. One was my bow. I immediately picked it up and slung it over my back. I also took a dagger and ten arrows from the pile. Heading to the door, I walked outside, half expecting to see the mare who saved me. I was instead greeted by chaos. 

Some of the buildings were on fire, and I heard screams fill the air. I tried to run, but stumbled in my weakened state. I stood back up and limped toward my home, the library. If the others were still alive, no doubt they were there.

I walked for hours before completely collapsing in front of the library. I had made it back, at last.

"Twilight! Scootaloo!" I shouted, hoping somepony would come out. I waited for a moment but nopony answered. Desperate, I shouted again, but still no answer.

Summoning all of the energy I could, I picked myself up and walked inside. I kept calling to my family before I felt a hoof on my shoulder. Turning around, I was met by a young mare. She had a dark blue and pink mane and a pale yellow coat. Her beautiful teal eyes were full of worry.

"Are you okay, miss? Do you need some help?" She asked.

"Do you know where my family is?" I asked, desperately.

"I'm sorry, no. I haven't seen them since this morning. Hey, I need to get you to some help. Come with me." She said, turning away.

"I have to find my family!" I shouted, causing the young mare to flinch and duck away from me.

"I want to help you, truly, I do. I just need to find you some help. You're turning pale from blood loss, and those cuts can get infected." She pointed out.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, I agreed, and her eyes beamed.

"Good! Come with me, hurry." She said before walking out quickly.

I woke up to the smell of something delicious. Trying to sit up, I was immediately pushed back down by a soft yellow hoof.

"Ah ah, not yet. You're still to weak to move," she then leaned over and picked up a bowl with a spoon in it. "I made you some soup. I put some medicine in it to help you feel better. I hope you don't mind." She said, holding the bowl out to me. It did smell delicious. I gratefully took it and sipped from it. It tasted as good as it smelled, better, actually! I eagerly began to take  large gulps from the bowl, earning a giggle from the mare beside me. Blushing, I slowed down a bit. After I finished, I gave the bowl back to her.

"Thank you for your help. I don't think I caught your name earlier."

"My name's Bon Bon. And you are?" She asked, expectantly.

"Violet, Violet Arrow. Nice to meet you, Bon Bon."

"Pleasure meeting you as well, Violet."

I tried to make myself more comfortable in the bed, but pain shot through my limbs and belly.

"Be careful, Violet. You have to give your wounds time to heal. The bandages are brand new."

"Sorry, Bon Bon."

"It's okay, Violet. Get some rest now. Don't worry, I'm sure they're safe." With that, she walked out. Turning off the lights as she did. She paused for a moment before turning back to me. "Violet? While you were out there, did you by any chance see my partner Lyra Heartstrings?"

"What does she look like?" I asked, hoping I could be of help to the mare who also helped me.

"She has a mint-green coat, a similar color mane with a white streak in it, she has golden eyes, and she has a lyre as a cutie mark. She went to go look for anything that we could use to help us this morning, but she never came back, and I've just been worried about her."

My eyes went wide in shock, but before Bon Bon noticed, I stopped the expression and just replied as innocently as I could, "I'm sorry, Bon Bon, I haven't seen her."

"Oh, okay," she said, letting her head drop to face the floor, "thanks anyways, Violet." And she left, turning the lights off and closing the door.

As I layed in the bed, I did my best not to cry, but the thoughts of my family and lying to Bon Bon swarmed my mind. I prayed to Celestia that they were okay. It felt like hours before I finally let sleep take hold of me.

Darkness was all that surrounded me. I could see nothing. All I could hear was screaming. I felt a hoof touch my shoulder.

Spinning around, I saw Twilight and Scootaloo, safe. They were safe from all of this.

"Twilight! Scootaloo! You're safe!" I said, hugging them both.

"Violet, you abandoned us." Twilight said with an apathetic tone.

"What? No I didn't! I'm here! With you both!" I shouted.

"You said you'd always be there for us, mom. Why did you lie?" Said Scootaloo with the same tone.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here! I'd never leave you!" I said, tears beginning to form in my eyes.

"You lied to us, Violet. I'm taking Scootaloo somewhere away from you. Goodbye Violet. Forever." With that, they both turned and walked away.

"Twilight, Scootaloo! Wait!" I screamed, trying to run after them, but my hooves were practically running in place. Twilight and Scootaloo were already far away, and I pushed myself harder in my attempt to get to them. Tears now freely falling down my cheeks. I was simply bawling my eyes out. I couldn't handle losing my family. I continued to run, before I heard a voice.

"Violet? Violet! Wake up!" I could feel myself being shaken in an attempt to wake me up.

I jolted upright and saw Bon Bon standing next to me with a worried look on her face.

She turned the lights on and gasped in horror at me.

"Bon Bon? What's wrong?" I asked.

She held up a mirror for me to see myself when I gasped as well. My appearance had changed yet again. My mane had turned pure black, and my coat had turned blue. My eyes had turned green as well. I had not expected this to happen. I still felt the pain in my body, so that wasn't a surprise.

"Violet? I'm sorry for waking you. It's just that you were crying in your sleep and it scared me. Are you okay?" She asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm fine, thank you, Bon Bon. It was just a bad dream, that's all." I said, trying my best to turn myself back to normal.

"What happened to you? You changed color!" She asked eagerly.

With a sigh, I explained. I told her how I could transform myself into more powerful versions of strength. She simply sat in awe.

"Wow, so you have a transformation for different emotions?" She asked.

"Yes, from rage to despair."

"Wow. I never knew somepony could do that. Anyway, are you sure you're okay, Violet? I could help you." She asked, sweetly.

"I'm okay, Bon Bon. Thank you. But just in case, I'll let you know if I need anything."

"Okay, Violet." She said, walking out again.

I sure hope Twilight and Scootaloo are safe.
> Episode 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Twilight, is this the place?" Sherbert asked from his position next to me.

"Yes, I'm sure this is the warehouse that that stallion was talking about. If we're lucky, she's here." I responded.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rainbow Dash said before running toward the door, before being stopped by my magic.

"Rainbow, we need to think. Do you really think that the entire group who hide out here would leave it unattended? If anything, they have guards on the inside. I'll teleport inside and see if there's a safe way for us to go about this."

Before they had time to answer or protest, I disappeared.

When I reappeared inside the warehouse, I let out a gasp. The whole inside of the building was torn apart. There were dead bodies laying on the floor, and there were no guards, surprisingly. So I teleported back to the group.

"How was it, Twi? Is it going to be easy, or nearly impossible?" Rainbow Dash asked, practically shaking with excitement.

"They're all dead, there were no guards. There were dead bodies everywhere. But I still have hope for Violet, if she's in there, she's still alive." I answered back.

"Well, let's check just to make sure." Sherbert said, walking to the door and opening it with ease, making a loud creak as it opened, walking in. He wasn't in there longer than a few seconds, because he ran out and vomited on the ground.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked gently, setting a hoof on his back.

After coughing a few more times, and spitting to get the taste out of his mouth, he answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go in and find her."

We all walked back inside, when Rainbow whispered to me, "He must have a really weak stomach."

"Leave him alone, Rainbow. He's never been in this situation before."

We walked and searched for about 45 minutes due to the sheer size of the warehouse before Rainbow Dash finally said something.

"Guys, I don't think we'll find her. We better go."

"Are you crazy?! My sister's here. I'm not giving up, just yet." Sherbert interrupted.

They continued to argue for a few moments before I saw something. There was an iron door and it was slightly opened. I quickly called to the others.

"Will you two stop?! I've found a door here. I'm going to go in to see if she's in here." With that, I entered. And I was met with a gruesome sight.

There was a single bed in the middle of the room, and it was stained red with dried blood. There were knives and other tools on a table next to it. Upon further inspection, I noticed that there was rope tied to the four corners. But they were cut. Whoever was here must have escaped. I looked under the bed for anything else when I saw a single feather. Lifting it up with my magic, I saw that it was bright magenta, and it had blood splatters on it, but I recognized the color anywhere. Violet was here. She must be alive.

"She was here, we're going back to the library in case she went back. Come on." I said quickly as I ran out of the building, the others following suit.

After a while, we made it back to the library, and what we saw, was horrific.

The entire interior was destroyed. Tables and desks were thrown over and broken. One of the windows were smashed, and there was a single dead body in the living room. Walking up to it, there was a large hole in the top of its skull. There was blood trailing up the stairs. Panicking, I ran up the stairs and started calling out to my friends and daughter.

"Scootaloo! Pinkie Pie! Where are you?!" I immediately ran into my room, and looked around. The crib was empty, and there was no sign of anypony being here. I then dashed to Scootaloo's room, and looked around, she wasn't here.

"No no no no no  no!" I shouted, breaking down and letting the tears in my eyes flow.

"Twilight?! Are you okay?" Sherbert shouted from downstairs, soon coming into the room with me, and sitting with me.

"They're not here... they're gone." It was all I could say before completely losing control of myself and bursting into tears. He allowed me to hold him and cry into his shoulder. He began stroking my mane and hugging me, doing his best to comfort me.

"It's alright, Twilight. I'm sure they're safe. They probably just left, and found somewhere safer. Come on now, the bakery has helped us twice before, I'm sure we could go there."

"Yeah... you're right... let's go." I answered, wiping my tears away.

"Twilight? You may wanna come check this out."

Going back downstairs, we saw Rainbow Dash holding a paper in her hoof with a worried expression on her face.

"What is it, Rainbow Dash?" I asked.

Without another word, she gave me the page, and I read it out loud.

"Twilight, how'd you like my little surprise? Oh, don't worry, Scootaloo and Pinkie are safe. I'll say, your daughter is very tough. She killed all three of the ponies I've sent after them, but they got away. And your wife, Violet? She's either dead or one of those things. She fought, and boy, is she strong. She lasted longer than all of the victims I've had, but of course, she didn't make it. The only thing left to do is surrender to me, and nopony else will come to harm. You have until the end of the week. I'll wait at the train station every day at 5 o'clock until you show up. Fail to show up, and I'll kill everypony else you love starting with your daughter. Yours truly, S." 

By the end of reading it, there were tears freely flowing from my eyes.

Sherbert hugged me and tried to comfort me as best as he could, but it wasn't working. I looked to the side and saw Rainbow Dash, but she was just standing in front of the window, just staring out of it.

"Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?" I asked her, just starting to let the tears stop.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" It was all she said, before jumping out of the window and flying away.

"Rainbow Dash! Where are you going!" I tried calling out to her, but she didn't return.

"Come on, Twilight. Let's go to the bakery. Scootaloo and Pinkie are there, I'm sure." Sherbert said, helping me up.

"Yeah, you're right. Now let's hurry. If they're there, we can make sure they're safe."
> Episode 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Do you need anything else, Aunt Pinkie? I'm going to keep watch for tonight, so you can get some sleep." I said to her, pulling the blanket over her and the foals.

"No, thank you, Scootaloo. But be careful, I don't want you getting hurt."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." I said, hugging her.

Leaving the room, I went downstairs to keep watch for any kind of intruders. I sat in one of the chairs that the customers would have and just waited. I didn't know what to look for, exactly, but I knew what to kill and not kill. After about an hour later, I felt my eyes start to get heavier. Just before I fell asleep, however, I heard panicked shouting from outside.

"Hello? Please! Pinkie, Scootaloo! Anypony! It's Twilight and Sherbert! For Celestia's sake, somepony please answer!" I heard my mom shout from the other side of the door.

Immediately, I jumped up and threw the door open, and my mom grabbed me in a warm hug.

"Oh, Scootaloo! I'm so glad you're safe! Where's Pinkie?" She asked, small tears forming in her eyes.

"She's upstairs, mom. Did you find her?" I asked, desperate to know if my mother was with them.

She let her head fall before talking again. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo. We couldn't find her. I have to talk to Pinkie, I'll explain later. 

I love you, Scootaloo."

Hearing enough, I ran to my room and slammed the door. I jumped onto my bed and started crying loudly into my pillow. I just couldn't bear the thought that my mother can either be one of those things, or hurt. If my mom couldn't find her, I definitely will. 

Standing up, I retrieved my bow and dagger. I finally opened my window and stood on the windowsill. Inspecting my surroundings, I saw that there was a house nearby, easily within jumping distance. I noticed that there was an entire row of houses that 
could take me to the library.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. "Scootaloo? Can I come in please?" My mom said from behind the door.

Letting out a sigh, I quickly hid all of my weapons and put them under my pillow and layed on it. "Sure, whatever."

Without any hesitation, my mom walked in. "Hey, sweetie, how are you?" She asked gently.

"You tell me. How would you feel if you lost you're mother and nopony could find her?" I said angrily.

"Well, I suppose I would be extremely upset. But we are doing everything we can to find her."

"No you're not!" I shouted. "You are doing absolutely nothing to find her! Nopony is doing anything but staying here while mom is out there! I'm sorry, mom. But if nopony is going to do anything, then I will." I said before grabbing my weapons and walking back to the windowsill.

"Scootaloo! What are you doing! Get back here this instant!" She tried to stop me, but I jumped, and landed onto the nearest roof. I ran, still hearing my mother's shouts. But they stopped after a second. Looking back, I saw that she wasn't in the window anymore. Turning around, I saw that she was standing in front of me.

"Scootaloo! Are you insane?! Don't you know what's out here?! You get back to you're room, now! I'm not going to tell you again!" She shouted at me before I took off running again. I managed to get to the next rooftop before I realized she was running after me. Seeing no other choice, I jumped off of the roof, and brought myself into a roll to absorb the force of the impact. I then ran into the nearest alley and found that I had run into a dead end.

"Darn it, Scootaloo." I said to myself.

Looking around, I saw a ledge above me. I ran directly at the wall and ran up it just enough to catch the ledge. I then jumped onto the next rooftop and stopped. Hiding behind a chimney, I looked behind it. I saw no sign of my mom. I must have lost her. Walking toward the edge of the house, I looked over and saw an entire hoard of the undead gathered in the streets. Seeing no other choice, I pulled out my dagger and prepared to keep running along the rooftops. After about an hour of this, I finally made it back to the library, my home. Quickly running  inside, I looked for my mother. I saw no sign of her, and the house was exactly as we left it.  I looked everywhere, my room, my mother's room, even the attic. All empty. I then resorted to calling for her.

"Mom? Mom! It's me, Scootaloo! Please, mom, I've been trying to find you, unlike the others!" I then layed down and started crying. I then heard hoofsteps approaching me from behind, and I turned to face the pony standing in the doorway.

The pony was wearing a white hoodie. Their face was hidden behind the hood, so I couldn't see their face. They simply stood there for a moment before they spoke.

"Good afternoon, young mare. I know it doesn't matter. But I am called Rosethorn, or Rose. I prefer the latter. Now you're most likely thinking, 'Why is she talking in rhyme?' Well, it's just what I do. Only all the time." She then removed her hood and I finally saw her face. She was a beautiful mare, with bright green eyes. Her mane had a very pretty ponytail tied behind her head, and her tail was perfectly brushed in the most beautiful shade of pink anypony can see. Her coat was the brightest shade of yellow as well.

"What do you want with me? I know that you are most likely not going to hurt me, but why me?" I asked, not knowing why she chose to talk to me over anypony else.

"Because, you're mother is who you search for, and I know it. She's safe, I assure you, she may just be injured a bit. I don't know where she is, but do know this more. This enemy you now know, is more dangerous than before."

"How do you know she's safe?! Oh no, I have to find her! Please, can you help me?"

"Help you, I shall, little filly. But we can't leave now, that would be silly. I know you want to find her soon, but it's not safe to travel with the light of the moon."

"How do you know she's safe, Rose. Surely you've at least seen her?"

"Indeed I have, young pony. I helped her get away. She was captured, but her captors wouldn't let her have her way. Come, you can stay in the place that I now stay. Tomorrow, we can leave and find our way." She said walking away.

I didn't know whether to follow her or not. Why is she helping me? What does she want with me? And most of all, what does she have to do with my mother? After all of this consideration, I decided to follow her. We walked in silence the entire way. We didn't encounter anypony or any of the undead ponies, fortunately. Soon, she brought us to a single house in the middle of a field.

"This is where you and I will stay, until we then get on our way. I've prepared a room for you, I have a room for me, too."

"Um, excuse me, Rose, but is this place safe?" I asked, worried.

"Indeed it is, my little one, this house has been safe, since it was done."

"Well, alright then. Where are we going tomorrow?" I asked, looking at her.

"We will find out where there are others. And we shall find your mothers."
> Episode 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

          "Fluttershy, wake up. I'm going to go on a run for any supplies. Are you going to come?" I asked Fluttershy, hoping she would choose to stay and be safe.

"Well, who's all going?" She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Just me. I figured it'd be the best option if we want to be quick and quiet about it."

"I'll go with you, then. You can't be outside, alone, with those things." She said before shuddering.

"Okay, Fluttershy. I would prefer you to be safe, but if you insist. We leave in a few minutes, get something to defend yourself with and a bag to carry anything you find." I said before grabbing her head and pulling her closer for a kiss, which she returned gratefully. We then went downstairs and told Ghost of our plan.

"Wait, you're taking Fluttershy with you?" He asked, surprised, and a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yes, she'll be safe with me. I swear. We're just going to go look for anything we can use to survive." I answered, raising a hoof in defense.

He seemed to stare at me for several minutes before answering. "Very well, just take care of her."

"I will."

We walked for about an hour before Fluttershy spotted a small building which I'd say was a grocery store with all of the advertisements plastered on the windows.

"Good idea, Fluttershy, I'm sure there's some food there, unless it was already raided." I then said in a more serious tone.

"But stay quiet and use your knife if you have to, Fluttershy. Once you fill up your bag or find as much as possible, then come find me, I won't be far."

"Okay, let's go." She answered, and walked inside.

The atmosphere was eerie, to say the least. The lights, or what was left of them, were flickering, and items were thrown from the shelves, scattered across the floor. And the floor was covered in blood.

"Stay close to me, come on." I whispered to Fluttershy, slowly walking forward. I then saw a can laying on the ground, and picked it up.

"Carrots. Here, put them in my bag." Fluttershy whispered, setting her bags down. I then quietly put the can in the bag and gave it back to her.

We continued to walk, scanning the ground and shelves for anything else, but the cans or bottles we found were either empty, or broken.  But just when I thought we were done in the store, Fluttershy whispered.

"Emerald, I found a much bigger can. I think it's still full." She whispered.

I then looked back at her and smiled. "Good job, Fluttershy, that'll work for at least a few days."

She then placed the can of apple slices into my bag, and we began making our way out when Fluttershy was grabbed.

"FLUTTERSHY!" I shouted, and saw a group of hooded ponies gathered around a single red-hooded pony who was holding Fluttershy. "Let her go, or you'll regret it."

"Oh, yeah? Very well, get him while I have my fun with this cutie." He said, pinning Fluttershy to the ground.

A group of five ponies ran towards me, and I immediately kicked the first out of the way before punching the second out cold. The last three came at me at once, and I ducked, making two crash into each other. The last one looked at me, and ran out the door.

"Fight me like a real stallion, and not an ignorant foal!" I shouted to the colt, who immediately got off of Fluttershy and dove toward me, tackling me. He then rolled me over and layed on top of me, punching me several times in the face, before I threw my head forward and head-butt him, dazing him, before I saw a blade appear through his chest, blood covering the blade. The colt then looked down, and fell off of me, and said through coughs.

"Not bad, not bad at all." He said, before his eyes closed for good.

I then turned to Fluttershy to see her eyes full of tears and her face and forelegs covered in bruises. I then walked up to her and grabbed her in a hug and pulled her closer.

"Did he hurt you badly?" I asked.

"Not more than this... Oh, Emerald! I didn't want to! But you were in danger! I just couldn't let you get hurt!"

"Shh, I know. You did what you had to. Come on, let's get back. You can get some rest."

"Mother of Celestia! What happened to Fluttershy! I'll kill whoever did this." Ghost screamed, causing the walls of the house to rattle and the rest of us to cover our ears.

"The deed has already been done. The one who did this is dead. Look, Ghost, I know you're upset, but I assure you, Fluttershy is safe with me!" I said as calmly as I could, but the words still came out as a shout.

"If she was safe with you, well then why was she hurt today?!" He said, walking closer to where our faces were mere inches from each other. But I held my ground.

"It was not my intention for Fluttershy to get hurt. I am taking care of her the best I ca-" I was cut off by Ghost swinging his hoof at me, which, when it made contact, threw me out of a window. I stood up and spit out blood, and my wings were cut deeply with shards of glass.

"Fine, bring it on." I said, as I flicked the glass out of my wings and the cuts mended within the second.

I then saw Ghost walk out of the house, the flames around his skull glowing brighter.

"You will pay for hurting Fluttershy, Emerald. Innocent or not, you were with her, and a pony who cannot protect the one he loves is unfit to live." He said, shooting fire toward me with his hoof.

I ducked under the attack and jumped toward him, kicking him in his head as hard as I could manage, which turned his head backwards, snapping his neck.

I was then taken back by him simply grabbing his head in his hooves and turning it forward, cracking his neck before he returned a kick, which sent me into a tree, causing it to snap in half and come crashing down on top of Ghost.

"No way he could of survived that neck snap. If he survived that, then-" I was interrupted by the entire tree catching fire and disintegrating into ash.

"Then a measly tree cannot kill me either. I am immortal. I cannot be harmed in any way."

"Heh, well, I can tell that there won't be a winner, because I am as well. If you break my wings, they'll simply heal. You can't defeat me."

If he could make facial expressions, I'd think he was smirking when he said, "We shall see."

I then jumped towards him, and landed on his back, smashing my hooves into his head, which only left burn marks on my hooves, which healed the second I lifted them away, only to come down to another strike.

He then reached behind him and caught my hoof, and slammed me into the ground. He then stomped on my wings and legs, breaking each one with ease, only for them to heal instantly.

"It's not working, just give in to the fact you've already lost." I said, kicking him off of me.

"BOYS!" A feminine voice screamed from the house, and we both slowly turned our heads toward the angered Fluttershy standing in the doorway. "GET INSIDE, NOW!" She shouted, and Ghost and I gave each other glances like we were colts who just got caught stealing candy from a candy store. Slowly, we trudged back inside and closed the door.

"I'm very disappointed in you boys. Fighting when there are more important things to worry about. Ghost, you know very well that Emerald can and will protect me until the end. And Emerald, you know better than to fight a friend. Now we have to fix the window that you boys broke." She scolded, while Ghost and I sat in shame.

"But Fluttershy, I wasn't the one who broke it, Ghost punched me." I tried, but to no success.

"It doesn't matter. You both are going to fix the window. So get started now before it gets too dark." She said walking upstairs.

"Phew, finally done!" I said, spitting out the hammer I was holding in my mouth and admired our work.

"Hey, Emerald. Listen, sorry about attacking you earlier. I just don't want Fluttershy to be hurt. She's a really great friend, and you are very lucky to be with her. Protect her, like she's the only pony in this world." He said, walking over to the couch and layed on the floor, Sun Flower was already asleep on the couch with a small blanket wrapped around her.

I then walked upstairs and saw Fluttershy sleeping on the bed. I slowly walked over and layed down next to her. She then began to shiver.

With a short chuckle, I wrapped my wings around her and brought her closer, kissing her forehead, and closed my eyes.

Screams. Fire. Destruction. Loss. Sorrow. Despair. Desperation.

These are the feelings and sights I've experienced through my 1273 years of my life. Fluttershy changed that. I will never lose her, even if I have to give up my life.