> The Jokes On Us
>  by Twisted Visions
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> Prologue 
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	Paperwork, Paperwork, Paperwork... Was this really what her life had become? Celestia sat at her desk and flipped through the various papers, containing Ambassador meetings, treaties, Noble Requests and other such boring things. She remembered a time where everything was much simpler, easier to understand. Now everything was about money and looking good. Celestia couldn't even walk around the palace anymore without someone asking her for something, be it a raise, a blessing, approval for this approval for that. Over the last century or so her little ponies had become less and less intent with what they had, and more focused on what they didn't have. Food on the table and a roof over your head didn't suit ponies anymore, and she could see that it was slowly starting to grind on the stability of the populace. 

Crime was the biggest thing she had to worry about now. The rich were getting more and more money, while the poor were getting poorer and poorer every day. She had tried numerous times to tax the richer nobles so that she could provide more for those who could not provide for themselves, but they always managed to find a way around her legislation. She could simply just take their money, but that would just make her look like a tyrant and Faust new that the Nobles would twist her actions into evil. The poor were getting desperate, but thankfully nothing too serious had happened yet. That was until there was a knock on her door.

She got up and slowly strode to the door, opening it to see a guard. As common as this was, something about the air made it feel that there was something more to this. "Yes? I am a little busy at the moment, so do try to make this quick" The goddess asked politely. 

The guard nodded and handed her a letter. "This came from the downtown guard post Your Majesty. They were very adamant on it being seen by you immediately" He finished. Celestia just sighed and smiled. "Thank you, I shall give it the highest priority I can muster" She finished before softly closing the door.

She walked back to her desk, holding the letter in her hand as she pondered it's contents curiously. She broke the wax seal and slowly read down the letter. Her look slowly went from curious to concerned. Attached was a Guards incident report which made her go from worried to shocked in but a few minutes. Dropping everything she turned to the door and quickly left.





Celestia hurried into the Down Town Guard Post in a Panic. How? Who? What had happened to cause this! She approached the front desk in a hurry. "I need to speak with Sargent Barrier immediately. I don't care what he is doing or where he is I need him here as fast as the wind can carry him" She said very snappishly. This was out of character for the princess, but one does not hear of this every day. The Guard at the desk didn't even have time to speak before he quite literally bolted from the desk into the back, knocking his chair over as he did so.

The tall white princess paced back and forth, citizens trying not to look directly at her. She should have just walked into the back, but this was the guards stations and she would not impose herself on them more than she was already. They did have a job to do after all. After some time a tall White Pegasi walked from the back and approached her, stopping and giving her a crisp Salute. "Your Majesty! My name is Sargent Barrier! You wished to speak with me?" He asked, more rhetorically than literally. 

"At ease guard, I just need to speak with you about the incident in Canterlot park with the adolescent? Please explain to me what happened with as much detail you can muster" She asked calmly, not wanting to put any pressure on the Stallion. 

"As you wish your Majesty" He nodded, his stance relaxing slightly but nothing else. "But Perhaps we should take this into my office. We are still trying to keep the incident as isolated as possible" He said, opening the door into the back office area and waiting for her. 

Celestia nodded and quickly walked through the door. The Sergeants office was not hard to find, and she more or less lead him there before entering the room. She finally allowed her concern to be shown, standing next to the door and biting one of her fingers with crossed arms. "I don't need a seat, please, just tell me what happened" She said before the Stallion even had a chance to offer. 

"Of course Your Majesty. I was a little shocked about it myself when I saw what was going on. At first I thought it was just a fight. They had been getting more common over the last little while so as usual I went to go break it up. This was however till I saw one of the stallions face. He seemed to be bleeding from every orifice on his face and had a wild look in his eye. He was in a struggle with a citizen but before I could stop him he..." The Sergeant started before dying out. Celestia was patient, lowering her arms and giving him a more positive look. "The younger stallion tore the victims throat out, then turned to face me. Knowing my duty I subdued him, but not without injury to the assailant. Afterwards I sent him with a guard escort to Canterlot General and ordered a troop to come and collect the body. I quarantined the area and made sure no one was able to see what had taken place" He finished.

Celestia shook, looking side to side to see if there was anything she could think of that would cause this other than the already current distress on the citizens. She had to find out for herself... Which meant she had to talk to the Stallion herself. "Canterlot General you say? I need to pay this stallion a visit. If what you said was all true, I need to know what caused this so I can stop it" She said, opening the door. "Thank you Sergeant, and by all means take the rest of the day off. Few days even if you need it" She said before walking out and teleporting away.





The hospital was a flurry as it always was, but Celestia did not take long to find where she wanted to go. With the help of a friendly nurse she was directed to a room with several guards out front. A little over kill but this had never happened before. She stepped into the room and stood off to the side for a few minutes as the doctors continued their work. After a while she finally worked up enough courage to ask everyone to leave.

Once the room was cleared, Celestia approached the young stallion with a sad look. "No more than a teenager... And your life is already ruined" She sighed. The your stallion opened his eyes and locked onto hers with... a look she had never seen in a ponies eyes before. Her fought the restraints, but the doctors had assured her that he would be unable to get out so she did not feel the need to move. "What has happened to you?" She asked. All she got in return was an angry snarl and the young Stallion trying to throw himself at her in a horrible rage. Before she could do much else though, the boys eyes went from anger and hunger... to utter pain. The boy gurgled at something, arching his back and continuing the struggle.

"Nurse! I think something is wro..." She started before a sick wet pop exploded from the room and she was suddenly soaked in a hot fluid. She stood there in shock, covered in blood before she had the courage to look at the boy. The Nurses who came in were so shocked by the scene they quickly ran out, but Celestia remained by some sick sense of curiosity. The boys chest had literally exploded, and his insides were filled with what looked like... Pollen? 

Before she could examine this any further she was being looked over by doctors, as two stronger stomached nurses took the boy out of the room covered in a blanket and started to clean the walls. She allowed the doctors to do their work, and sat there thinking quite hard on what happened. The boy was sick that's for sure... The doctors were paranoid, injecting her with every antibiotic they could think of that wouldn't kill her. Anything to keep her safe from whatever ailed this poor colt.

An hour or so past, and soon the Doctors thought her well enough to be sent back to the castle under the watchful eyes of the Castle medical staff, and she was picked up by the castle guard and she went directly to her room. Her peace would not last however, as a disgruntled Luna quickly appeared in her room.

"Sister! I arrived as soon as I heard!" the dark Alicorn started but Celestia just waved a hand. 

"Luna dear... Please... I have spent all day being asked if I am alright. I just want to sit down and relax. Would you like some tea?" She asked, sending a guard to the kitchens and sitting down at a table. Luna sat across from her and they sat in an awkward silence until Celestia finally sighed.

"I am fine sister. The doctors ran more than enough tests to see if I was ok, and to my knowledge they are still running tests." She finished. "Are you happy now?" She asked. Luna didn't say a word, but continued to stare at her. Celestia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Is something wrong?" She asked, getting a little worried. Luna seemed to be trying to respond but unable to, stuttering over what she was trying to say with a strained face. Celestias heart started to beat faster and faster, watching her sister struggle. "Luna! Please say something!" She said in a concerned tone. 

Luna finally managed to get the words out. "Your face sister..." She started. 

Ceestia was confused with that statement and looked at the mirror. She froze, staring at her reflection with an unmoving gaze. Blood... Her face was covered in blood... From her eyes, ears, nose, and now it was trickling out of her mouth. "Luna..." She started before everything went black.
> Chapter 1
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	Three weeks. Three weeks since things started to go down hill in all the worst ways. After Celestia fell, others followed and the population was dropping like flies. Luna, Cadence, and even the elements fell to the wrath of what everypony called "The infection" from what he heard. No one knew what it was, or where it came from. All they knew was that it was deadly, and to be found by those who were infected was everything but a guaranteed, and horrible death. 

It was night, and light breathing could be heard from inside one of the buildings. Quill, a light brown pony with a short brown mane sat in an old shop. Like many others, he was displaced when the Royal Guard tried to evacuate the city. Everything was already falling apart and that was only the beginning. Mistake after mistake was made, and in a last ditch effort the Royal Guard sacrificed the Citizens of Canterlot at the order of the remaining nobles. Those citizens who were still alive were trapped in Canterlot, and there was starting to be fewer and fewer safe places to stay. Quill hadn't seen another pony in a long time, and he was starting to think he was the only one left. His only hope was to keep on ticking till maybe, he was saved.

Quill shook his head. He was tired but it was time to move. He slowly got up and looked outside cautiously, taking in the sights of the city. It was beautiful, in that morbid kind of way. The city for the most part was untouched, and still held the Canterlot Grandeur. Plants however, had started to grow through the city taking it over and giving the city a natural touch. Right now it looks as if many of the buildings had ivy across the front of them, but during the day they exploded with brightly colored blossoms. It was a beautiful sight to see, but going near these houses was a death sentence. 

Those who had been infected seemed to gather in buildings when these plant over run them. It was as if they were gathering points, and honestly, Quill was thankful for the warning.  He barley made it out alive the first time he stumbled into one of these buildings, and if it weren't for the fact that they seemed to get weaker at night, he wouldn't be in here right now. 

He walked down the street, keeping to the sides and trying to stay out of the light when he was able. He could hear heavy breathing from inside of some of the buildings that were filled with the infected. He passed by them without any real issue. Night time was safe time as he always told himself, and for the most part that remained true. He would stop into the occasional store or house and look around for anything useful that he could carry. Food, water, blankets. He never bothered with weapons, because to be fair, he knew he would probably never have the "balls" to use one. He had a knife yes, but it was for utility more than defense and if he ever had to use one, he knew he was already dead. 

The night remained quiet, and he continued his little rounds through the city  to find anything useful, or a safe place to sleep. The sun should be coming up in an hour or so, but since the fall of the princesses, there really was no point in trying to make any sense of it. That was the biggest hit to him though. If the princesses had fallen victim to this, then why didn't he? Why was he alive out of everyone who had died? That was the problem with being alone... You had way to much time to think.

His thinking however was cut off by a loud scream. He froze, looking around and trying to listen for any clues as to where it came from. The infected sometimes screamed in anguish, and he had seen one crying once or twice but every time he tried to see if he could help they attacked him. So he stopped seeing if he could help... This time was different though. This was a scream of terror.

Before he could do anything, he saw a white mare run around a corner as if Cerberus was on her heels. It didn't take him long to find out why she was running though. Three ponies who seemed to be glowing came screaming around the corner. He couldn't believe it... They acted like infected, they looked like infected... but he had never seen infected move like that during the night! He remained frozen watching the scene play out before him.

The mare tried... Oh how she tried, but her thin legs just weren't cut out for this. He had never actually seen this happen before and in some sick way, wanted to know what they did when they caught someone. He had heard the screams and knew they killed people, but never knew how they killed them or why. He watched... watched as the mare fell and the three others caught up to her. Even from where he stood he could hear it.

He regretted staying to watch, but his feet were frozen in place. He didn't have a good view of the mare, but he could see the three glowing ponies. They tore, beat, and bit the mare like animals. The wet sound of tearing flesh and the pops of broken bones made a symphony with her dying screams. It... it was a blood bath and he knew there was nothing he could do to help... Nothing anyone could do to help. His stomach turned tricks inside him, and he felt as if everything he had eaten that night was trying to escape from him all at once. After what seemed like years though... it was over.

He remained planted where he was and watched still. If those things turned on him, he didn't think he would be able to even think of moving his legs, let alone run but he was lucky. After a little while, they turned and started to walk up the street, and away from him. He was finally able to let out a sigh of relief, and to tell the truth he didn't even realize he was holding his breath. He slowly walked towards where the mare had been, being cautious with every step. He didn't know why he wanted to see the after math, but he didn't know a lot of things. He just inched over till he could see the mare... Or what was left of her.

To say the scene was bad would be like cyanide might make you a little sick. The mare was missing an arm, her horn was broken, and her chest was ripped open in some kind of macabre display of power on the infecteds part. The parts of her that were missing though weren't too far away from the body, and how they were removed was quite obvious. This mare had litterally been ripped apart while she was alive!

Quill staggered at the sight of it all. He tried to imagine what that must have been like, and when he remembered her screams his stomach voided itself. He fell to his knees, holding himself up with on of his arms and threw up. Could you really blame him? He felt pathetic already and this just sealed the deal for him. He was a coward! He could have done something! He could have caught their attention and used the distance between him and the creatures to get away! Threw a rock or yelled something! Even if they stayed focused on her at least he could say he tried! 

He wasn't given long to beat himself up though. From down the street he heard an very angry growl, and slowly rose to his feet. not thirty or so yards away from him was one of the creatures, still covered in the mares blood and staring at him. It was odd how he felt about the situation. There was one of the things that killed the moor mare at his feet, and he was having a staring contest with it? May be it would leave him alone? It got it's fun from her and would leave him alone! Nope, not going to happen.

In that one moment, Quill truly knew what it was like to be a cockroach. Before he even knew it, his legs were carrying him down the road as fast as they could carry him, and that thing was right behind him. By Celestia these things were fast! Quill couldn't think, he just ran and ran, till he saw an open door. No plants that he could see, so in he dived! He kept running once her got up, bolting up the stairs and into a bedroom. He didn't even realize that he was in a house! He sat against the door, praying to what ever god may hear his prayer for his life to continue. His heart was beating so hard that he could feel it in his throat trying to choke him and it drowned out most everything but the creature outside. 

His breathing slowed after he heard the thing walk back down the stairs. He was alive... It didn't come after him despite the fact that all there was between him and it was a door. He heard it search the house, but why didn't it search this room? He didn't care to be honest, he was alive and that meant he had the chance to escape this damn city,

Once he had relaxed as much as he could he stood up and looked around. It was a bedroom, had a bed, a table. Normal things like that in it, but when he took a moment, he could hear a few quiet raggedy, stuttered breaths. He pulled his knife out and looked around, trying to look threatening. "Wh-Who's there!" He whispered, looking around. His entire body shook as he waited for a response. "Please... Is there someone there... I - I won't hurt you..." He started till he heard shuffling under the bed. 

Slowly, a small white coated girl with a pink and purple mane crawled out from under the bed looking at him. It was obvious she had been crying, and hadn't had a chance to get cleaned up in a while. Quill didn't know what to do. He put his knife away and slumped against the wall. A little girl... He had found a little girl. "What's you name?" He asked, staring at the floor.

The girl sniffled slightly. She kicked her feet against the ground and looked at the ground in much the same way. "Sweetie Belle... My name is Sweetie Belle Mister" She said looking at him. "H-Have you seen my sister... She told me to run in here, hide, and not come out til she came back for me" She said, starting to shiver. 

Quill had a really bad feeling about this. "Wh-What... did she look like?" He asked, scared of what he was going to hear.

"White... With a dark purple mane" She said, looking at him with her big tearful eyes.

Quill didn't know what to do... Or what to say. All he could do was cry... And that's what he did.
> Chapter 2
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	Quill had yet to pull himself together. Here he was, talking to this poor little girl after he had stood and watched her sister get torn apart. What did he tell her? Did he tell her he hadn't seen her? That wasn't going to work if this girl had anything resembling a brain in her skull. What normal pony would break down crying at a description of a mare? Great! Just great.

He forced himself to pull himself together and stop crying. Few deep breaths later he was looking at the girl, who looked so depressed it almost sent him back to his previous state.

"She's dead isn't she..." The young girl asked, tears starting to roll down her face. 

Quill just stared at her. For such a young girl she was holding out about the news whole hell of a lot better than he. He didn't even know the Lady and he broke down crying! By Celestia he was a whimp... "I'm... I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do to help her" He said. He decided to leave out the part where he stood there and watched like some estranged psychopath but he figured she didn't need to know that.

Sweetie Belle got up, her entire body slumped. "Alright sir... Uhm... Thank you for telling me I guess. Twilight used to tell me knowledge no matter how awful could be useful at the right time" She sniffed, wiping away tears. "I'll get out of your mane I guess" She started, pulling a backpack out from under the bed and heading to the door.

Ok he was wrong. This filly was a train wreck, and she was about to try and go outside! "Uhm... Wait!" He said getting up and taking a step towards her. "I..." He started trying to find the right words. What do you say in a situation like this? "Look, I can understand your really not in the best shape, but it's not safe out there anymore. It wasn't the normal infected out there that killed her...  These ones are new and they obviously threw a wrench into anyone who is alive's strategies. Please... Don't go out there" He said, his courage to keep going draining from him in an instant. That was probably a really bad way of saying what he wanted too...

It seemed to hit home though. Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks and just stood there, tears rolling down over her muzzle. The things a kid must have seen to not just be freaking out. She must have been trying really hard to not to break down in front of Quill, and she was doing a better job that he expected.

"Was... Was it fast?" She asked, croaking more than speaking. Quill was brought back to hearing the screams of the mare as the three infected tore her apart. Sweetie Belle contracted her answer from Quills hesitation to answer and just collapsed, sobbing into the ground. Now Quill was in a horrible situation. In the three weeks this had been happening he didn't know what to do! Hell, in all his life he never had to deal with this!

He awkwardly stepped over and patted Sweetie Belle on the back as she cried. She didn't respond, she didn't move, all she did was cry and in some ways it was making him nervous. Couldn't the infected hear her? Oh Celestia They might hear her! "Sweeite Belle! I need you to please try and calm down" He whispered. She didn't respond. She just kept crying. Quill looked around frantically trying to figure out what to do. In panic he grabbed her and used his chest to muffle her. Yea, a little intimate than he would like but it was that, or make her feel like she was being kidnapped.

She struggled against him for a few moments before slumping, and continuing her sobbing. Well... At least she was quiet. He leaned back against the wall and slid down, letting Sweetie Belle clump down to the ground with him. Now what? Barged in on her, told her that her sister was dead, and is now holding her against his chest like some kind of creeper. He waited for a little while longer, patience kinda being a thing for him. Someone could only cry for so long, no matter how much they hurt, and Sweetie Belle was no exception. Soon she was just shivering into his now soaked shirt, which he figured he would have to change eventually. 

"Hey... I'm going to leave my stuff here alright? I'm just gonna take a look through the house to see if I can find anything useful. Keep the door shut, and get yourself something to eat from my bag alright? I will be back in a jiff" He said, finally looking at her. No wonder he didn't notice any clothes on her before, what she was wearing were practically rags. He blushed at the fact that he didn't notice that before. Was there something wrong with him? "Also... I have some clothes in my bag. Put them on... Please" He said, before quietly walking out the door.





Once he was out the door he relaxed big time. Maybe getting something in her belly and some decent clothes on her back would put her in a better mood all things considered. First place he went was the bedroom down the hall. It was obviously the Master bedroom given its size, and it was as good as any a place to start. He looked through the Cabinets and drawers. Usual stuff,   but there seemed to be some antibiotics in here. He looked the packaging over and saw that they didn't expire for a few months. Certainly useful if ever in a jam so he put them in his pocket.

He went over and sat on the bed, just to see what it was like. He wasn't able to give a good opinion though as something clicked against his foot. Looking down he saw a long red tube with a brass metal cap laying on the floor. From where it was it had obviously come from under the bed, so he decided her would take a look. 

Reaching under the bag he pulled out a box that had two overly charismatic ponies on the front. "Flim and Flams Extraordinary ShotgunShells" He said to himself. Shotgun? He had heard stories of the Royal Guard developing weapons that used an explosive powder to "shoot" a metal projectile through the air. He looked under the bed and saw a few more boxes, and a long black canvas bag. That must have been the gun in the bag, so he grabbed it and pulled it out. A few guys who had come in to the place he worked were talking about these things once, and he was well aware that it could kill him if used improperly, but after that nothing.

He opened the bag and was met with something that was rather anti climactic when he thought of it. It looked like a metal tube with a handle, some kind of shoulder rest, and a lever. He could see that someone had taken a saw to the metal tube rather crudely, as the opening was jagged and rough, where everything else was smooth. There was also a metal tube in the bag with a similar looking end, but it obviously wasn't a gun on it's own. He looked the thing over and smiled. He may not know how to use it, but maybe he could trade it or something?

Like that idea he tossed it to the side and went to bend back down to grab the other boxes. Before he got down though, he heard a deafening BANG come from behind him, and he threw himself over the bed with his hands over his head. "What the fuck was that?" He half yelled. His ears were ringing like crazy and he could hear anything but the ring. His head felt wobbly but he was able to shake the feeling. Once his ears stopped hinging, he stood up and looked around trying to find the source of the sound.

Laying on the ground, the shot gun laid, the opening smoking slightly. A few feet away, it seemed the carpet was torn in a line, and the wall had a bunch of tiny holes in it. So that was the source of the sound... By Celestia! Bang that loud and from what he saw on the carpet, and the damage on that wall that thing could have killed him if it had been pointing at him. He made a mental note to treat it with respect.

Leaning back down and looking at the boxes, he decided to pull them out. He figured they went with the gun somehow, so he grabbed them. Looking at the boxes, they all had the same general look to them, but he noticed the back of the box had more writing. For use with the Flim Flam Standard Shotgun. For use of the Equestrian Royal Guard only, all fire arms are illegal for civilian ownership. he read to himself. Well, the owner of this house must have been with the royal guard. Then again, knowing the richer ponies in Canterlot, anyone could have lived here. Guess it didn't matter now. He collected the boxes and picked up the gun to leave before he heard something downstairs.

"It came from in here Tavi! Maybe there are some ponies who are alive! Maybe they know what's going on and how to get out" A gruff, mareish voice drifted from downstairs. Quill panicked and dropped the boxes of shotgun shells and fumbled with the gun, pointing it in front of him. "Wh-who's there!"" He asked nervously. No response. Great! They could have a gun like this and he just gave away his position! He didn't even know how to work the damn thing!

Soon a white Unicorn mare with a shockingly blue mane that was cut in a short, messy way came up the stairs. She turned and looked at him, her eyes going wide when she saw what he was holding. 

Her face went aggressive in hardly a second and she took an aggressive step forward. "Hey! Who the hell do you think you are pointing that at me!" She snapped. Quill jumped slightly and took a step back, praying she didn't get any closer. He didn't even know if the gun was going to go off even if he figured out how to fire the damn thing. 

Before anything else could happen an annoyed tone came from around the corner. "Vynil! What do you think your doing?" and elegant more sophisticated voice said. A grey earth pony with a black mane walked around the corner next and saw the situation. She sighed ad stared at Vinyl with an unimpressed look on her face. "You twit, can't you see this poor gentleman is scared out of his wits?" She snapped, causing Vinyl to shrink a bit.

"I am dreadfully sorry about my companion here, she can be a touch abrasive and has the subtlety of Pinkie Pie at the Grand Galloping Gala. Please, if we could just talk for a bit. Neither of us are in any position to cause you any problems, and we understand that you were here first. All we need is a place to stay until the night, and we can move again" The grey mare said in such a calm voice he thought he was being hypnotized.  

Without thinking he lowered the gun and looked at the ground. "You can stay til dark I guess... But it's not safe out there at any time it seems" He said, kneeling down to pick up the shotgun shells. "I saw a new kind of infected last night, glowing and moving just as fast as as the regular ones in the day." He said, taking the strap to the shotgun and putting it around his shoulder. "I just made it here, but... Another mare wasn't so lucky" He finished

The Grey mare looked sad "Was she a close friend of yours?" She asked softly.

Quill shook his head. "No... But I found her sister hiding in one of the bedrooms. She... She's taking it pretty hard. I haven't checked the kitchen yet, but I figure we can split anything we find there" He said, walking past the two. Vinyl and the unnamed mare seemed to have a split second fight before the grey one followed. 

"We would both appreciate that, and thank you for letting us know about the new things... I don't think we would have made it if we didn't know" She mentioned quietly. Quill just shrugged. The last three weeks alone were tough, but now he was finding it difficult to get used to being around others. He was pretty anti social before everything happened and this was new to him. Suddenly Octavia spoke.

"You don't know how to use that thing do you?" She asked cautiously. 

Quill flinched and cursed at himself. "I know... The principle. It wouldn't be hard to figure out after a while I assume. I would only trade it though, knowing ho to use it so that anyone I give it too doesn't blow their head off" He said shrugging. 

Octavia nodded. "Shotguns in this time are a blessing, especially that one. Pump action, 8 round tube magazine in a 12 gauge? I'm surprised you were able to find one in such good condition" She said, causing Quill to look at her in shock and awe.

"You... You know how to use this thing? And what it is?!" He asked in a very surprised tone.

Octavia just laughed "My cousin in ponyville owned one on her farm. She was given a special licence due to all the Timberwolves in the area. That and being the Element of Honesty was a bonus. When she asked if she could apply for the licence, Princess Celestia was happy to write it out herself. She saw them as a useful tool in certain situations, and was going to start making licences to own them more common as the technology was refined. She would take me, her sister and her brother into the furthest reaches of the farm and teach us all how to use it if we ever needed one. I guess she figured I would move to Ponyville and move in with them on the farm" She said simply.

Two things shot through Quills mind. First, he was talking to an Element bearers cousin. Second, they knew how to use and shoot a shotgun. An idea came across him. "I can make you a deal if you want. You show me how to use this thing, and if you want to stay with us and figure this out then I guess you can" He said. Bringing people in made him nervous, but it seemed like the safe thing to do. More people meant more eyes, and more eyes meant less people died. That, and he had no idea how to take care of a ten year old filly.

Octavia smiled "Actually... I think I would like that. My name is Octavia by the way, and my obnoxious friend is Vinyl Scratch. What's your name?" She asked politely. 

Quill smiled a little "My name is Quill. I look forward to learning how to use this thing and having some extra eyes around." He said. "These new things make life a little difficult" He said with a chuckle. Octavia just nodded and they finished there search in silence.

When Quill got back into the room, he saw Vinyl had found Sweetie Belle, and the situation looked awkward. Sweetie Belle sat in the corner, knees to her chest wearing one of his shirts and just looking like death warmed over. Vinyl looked as if she had tried talking to her, and confirmed that by shrugging when Octavia gave her a questioning look.

Quill sighed "She had a rough night. Lets just get some rest, and maybe we can think about what to do in a few hours" He said, sitting next to Sweetie Belle. Vinyl and Octavia shrugged and walked to the other side of the room and spoke quietly between themselves. Quill looked down at Sweetie Belle with a sad look, and put his arm around her in the attempt to be comforting. It worked, and she leaned into him. He smiled a little, and closed his eyes.

This might be nice He thought to himself, going to sleep. 
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Two days had passed since any real action happened. Vinyl kept Sweetie Belle as occupied as she could, while Octavia and Quills went out to gather supplies. Octavia had kept her word and taught Quill everything she knew about guns, which wasn't a lot. How to load it, how to cock it, how to aim, and how to fire. Taught him about the safety too. Good lord, he half wanted to break the safety in the on positions just so it wouldn't go off again, but Octavia told him that it will one day save his life. 

The small mismatched group had grown rather comfortable with each other and were able to share the room that they did rather well. Octavia and Vinyl had surprised Quill and Sweetie by reorganizing the room so that there were two beds in it, allowing them all to sleep on a bed. Vinyl and Octavia shared a bed, and Sweetie Belle clung to Quill like a lost kitten, but no one cared. Everyone had their problems, and it was never brought up as a negative. All in all, Quill could see them sticking it out till the end and after. Till then though, they had to come up with a plan.

"Look, we have to wait. The pigs in gold collapsed anyway down the mountain, and going out during any time of day is a huge danger! We have it good in here, and we should stay until shit outside gets sorted. Nothing comes in here" Vinyl said, quoting the same argument she had every time they had this discussion.

Octavia just placed a hand on her face lightly in annoyance. "Vinyl, please realize that chances are no one is going to come here, and we are going to have to move eventually. It's not like before where we had a Market down the street from us and we could toss a merchant a few bits for fresh food and water. We are relying on what we find and the fact is, the supplies in this area are running thin, and it is dangerous to venture too far from here lest we get separated! We need to move to another part of the city, maybe find a nobles house close to the palace where they are bound to have preserved food to last more than enough time. Vinyl I am not disagreeing with you on the waiting, I am just saying we need to find somewhere else we can wait. We are running out of time here, and you know it" She finished, crossing her arms. 

Vinyl rolled her eyes and looked at Quill. "Well? Come on you have been silent this whole time! Every time we have this argument you say nothing! I want to hear what you have to say boyo, cause silence is getting aggravating" She snapped at him.

Quill sighed. There was a reason he didn't join in the argument. Nothing would change, and he would just throw in a totally different opinion than them and they would still be no where. Well, if she wanted his opinion! "Look, On the part with Octavia, I agree. If you haven't Noticed Vinyl, we are actually running out of food, despite mine and Octavia's supply runs. We are hitting the bottom of the barrel in this part of the city, and it's too dangerous for the two of us to go further. We wouldn't be able to get to any fresh grounds, do a good sweep, and get back before daylight." He said making Vinyl wince a little. Then he turned to Octavia. "Your wrong too though. Noble houses are the first place any other survivors would go, which means that chances are they have been stripped of food. Plus, the likelihood of a nobles house having anything canned or preserved is very unlikely. Nobles have the money that they can just buy fresh food when they want it no matter what it is, so why would they want to keep preserved items" He went, causing Octavia to lower her ears.

Quill sighed "And on the final part your both wrong. I don't know if you guys have noticed, but we have no contact with the outside world. We haven't seen anyone try to save us yet, and it's been weeks. If they haven't come yet, they aren't going to. If they do come, then well, we may as well do something productive while we wait. This city is old, REALLY old so there has to be a way out of here that the royal guard didn't think of" He said simply. 

Vinyl went to say something but Octavia cut her off. "Quills right Vinyl. We are kidding ourselves thinking that anyone is coming to help us. Canterlot is a lost City, and those who are still alive are just acceptable losses to the remaining nobles. We have to find our way out of here." She said looking at the eccentric mare.

Vinyl just nodded "Yea... Your right. So what's the plan?" She asked, looking back at Quill.

Quill shrugged "Well, me and Octavia have figured that Night time is the safest time to be out still, but that is changing every day. More and more of those Glows are coming out each night so our time to move is slim really. They can't seem to hear much, but they can sure see well enough. Almost got caught when one saw the barrel of the shotgun poking out from behind a way, and suddenly there were a few on us. Thankfully, Octavia had planned for it and we had an escape" He said smiling at Octavia.

Octavia blushed and continued "Look, we have fifteen scatter shells left, and a box of shells I can't identify, so I have been hesitant to let Quill put into the gun. Till we have a chance to safely test it, I don't think they are possible rounds we can use, so we have to make due with what we have. However, I did put one in the weird shell compartment I found in the stock of the gun. Didn't know they had that" She said shrugging. 

Quill nodded "Alright, we leave tonight. Gather anything left in the house that may be useful, and get a little rest in. We will leave once the moon is in the sky" He said. Guess he was the leader now, but he didn't mind. They trusted him to lead, so that's what he was going to do. He was worried about Sweetie Belle though. She hadn't said much in the last few days, or eaten much for that matter. He decided he would go talk to her.





Quill found Sweetie Bell where he usually found her. The house had roof access, and she would sit in the middle of it where she couldn't be seen from the streets to look at the sky. Made her feel better, so as long as it didn't put her in any danger he didn't have a quarrel with it. He sat down next to the small girl and gave her a small smile.

"We miss you down there you know..." He started, not knowing how to continue actually.

Sweetie Belle didn't give him a chance to continue though. "I'm sorry... I just want to think" She said, still looking up at the sky.

Quill nodded, looking at the roof. "You know... My brother died when I was younger. Bone Cancer. Nothing the doctors we could afford could do for him, but despite the fact that he knew he was dying he always had a smile on his face. He always put me ahead of himself in everything that he did" He started. Sweetie Belle looked at him, but didn't say anything so he continued. "He always told, I swear to Celestia and Luna themselves, if what happens to me ruins your life I will personally come back from the dead and kill you" Quill said chuckling. "Every time I was sad he would say it. Every time I saw the pain in his eyes... He once told me what it was like. He said it was as if his bones had turned into glass rose stems with razor sharp thistles had replaced his bones. He would get up and try and get something for himself but soon the pain he felt made it so even the slightest movement or touch hurt him. By the gods when he was 20, he looked like an old man!" He said laughing, but tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"But still he did everything to keep me safe... Make me feel better. He endured pain that I couldn't even imagine day to day, and there was nothing I could do. We made a plea to Celestia to help us, but all she could offer us was a bed in a hostle. He was too far gone for even the best medical or magical help that was around and I lost it. I lost it like you wouldn't believe. One day I walked into his room, crying like a newborn and he didn't even think. He pulled himself out of that bed and ran over to hug me faster than I had ever seen him move in his life. I wanted to die Sweetie Belle. I wanted nothing more than to take a long walk off a short Pegasi dock, but seeing him move the way he did to comfort me... Knowing the pain he went though just to do that one simple thing" Quill continued, sniffling a little. 'It made me realize that he didn't care the pain he went though. It didn't matter if  Tirek himself was between me and him. He would do anything to keep me safe and alive. Oh he got scolded by the nurses for it big time though. Bone growths had literally tore him apart from the inside and he looked like he was born black and blue. He still smiled at me though, and told me that everything was alright. That if anything, he knew that when he died, I would be able to live on and make something of my life. Didn't matter what I did, I got to do it and I got to experience it" He said look at Sweetie Belle.

"When I met you? When you told me what your sister had told you to do? I remembered how your sister died. I remembered everything that happened, and I know I will never forget it because now I know why I did it. She wanted to give you a chance... And she saw only one way to do it. Let me tell you Sweetie Belle... The memory of what happened will tear me up in my sleep for the rest of my life, but it gives me comfort to know why she did it. There was no way she could have defended you, and there was no way you guys would have been able to outrun them. I hardly made it away from one, let alone three." Quill said, looking at the small girl. "Your sister, in her final moments reminded me of my brother. The sheer amount of audacity plus the big middle finger she gave the gods when they came for you. She gave herself up so that you both wouldn't die, and Celestia did she put up a fight" He said, lying a little. All the greatest legends were fluffed on a bit after all.

"She fought tooth and nail, but it wasn't to get away. It was to give you more time, and try to give you three less problems to worry about. I could see that she knew living wasn't an available outcome for her and in the end she accepted that. She wouldn't have been able to kill one of those things with her bare hands if she didn't" He said, getting up onto his knees. "Just remember that about her ok? Remember the good, and accept the bad for what it was and I'm sure a tough girl like you will make it through in the end" He finished, standing up and turning around.

Before he was able to get any further, he felt himself get tugged back by the waist. Sweetie Belle had wrapped her arms around his waist and was cuddling into his back!

"Please... Don't go" Sweetie Belle whispered, sobbing a little. "I don't want to be alone anymore... I've had enough time to think... I just want to try and enjoy the life rarity let me have" She choked.

Quill smiled and turned around, placing a hand on her head. "Well, if you wanna start enjoying life then why don't you start with making some friends?" He asked.

Sweetie Belle looked up at him, her face wet but with the most confused look on her face. "Aren't we friends?" She asked.

Quill couldn't help but laugh! "Well we can't really be friends if We only know each others names! I don't even know how old you are!" He chuckled, getting her to smile as well.

"I guess we can't can we?" She said, laughing a little too. "Alright! Well, I'm Sweetie Belle, and I am eighteen years old!" She smiled at him.

Quill blinked as his brain ground to a halt. "I beg your what now?" He stammered "Your eighteen? You look like your ten no offence!" He said looking her up and down.

Sweetie Belle just smiled and shook her head. "I'm a "Normal" Dwarf" She said, air quoting the word Normal. "Despite being stupidly uncommon, it's called normal. Basically I stopped growing when I was like... 12 years old and that was it. Twelve years old in body, but eighteen years of life. Me and Rarity were in Canterlot to see if I could get into the Academy after I finished highschool in ponyville, but I guess that's out of the question now:" She shrugged, sitting back down on the hoof.

Quill was still reeling in shock. That... That was a new thing to him to say the least. "Well, my name is Quill Tip, and I'm 21 years old. I worked as a secretary at a tea whole sale company and was nick named "Booker" by the staff, as that was what I usually did. Such an exciting life, I know" He chuckled at her. 

Sweetie bell just sighed "I hope everything gets fixed. Then maybe me and you can get on with our lives" She said smiling at Quill

Quill nodded "Yea, that would be nice wouldn't it?" He agreed. "Anyway, we are gonna be heading out when the moons up. We should probably go get some rest he said.

Sweetie Belle just nodded "Mind if we lay down here? We won't fall  and the sun feels nice" She asked, looking at him.

Quill nodded "You know what? that's the best idea I have heard all day" He said, laying down on the roof.

Sweetie Belle leaned over and laid her head on Quills chest, closing her eyes and falling asleep almost instantly. Quill just smiled and shook his head. Everyone needed some comfort every once in a while.





"Hey sleepy heads! Time to go!" An obnoxious voice said, waking quill from his slumber. He saw that Sweetie Belle had all but curled up against him and honestly he didn't wanna move. He had to though, so with a begrudging sigh he rolled over and lightly shook Sweetie Belle awake. "Come on Sweetie, it's time to wake up! We gotta get going" He said, watching the little mare stir awake.

A minute or two passed, and both Quill and Sweetie Belle were ready to leave with Octavia and Vinyl. The all left the house slowly, one at a time so that they weren't all seen. Octavia first due to her dark colors, Quill second as he had the shotgun, with vinyl and Sweetie Belle taking up the end. Vinyl had picked up Sweetie Belle for the sake of ease and in some strange sense of Maternal Care? Quill didn't know but he could see Sweeties mild aggravation at being coddled.

When they took a moment to stop and let Octavia look around he looked at Vinyl. "Put her down, she's old enough to walk on her own" He said quietly. 

Vinyl just looked at him with a funny expression. "No offence to her, but she's like... Ten! I would rather her be strong for if we actually have to run" She hissed.

Quill rolled his eyes "Look, she's older than ten. It's a complicated story and not great for right now... But she is defiantly not a child" He said matter of factly. "She has graduated high school and was looking to join the Canterlot academy. That's why she is even in Canterlot in the first place. Just... Trust me ok? It will be explained later when we have some more time" He finished just as Octavia came around the corner.

"There's one or two of them out there that I could see, but I want to try something. I was thinking about those shells, and I remember applejack fawning over a similar shell. Something about putting the Timberwolves in there place? Load one into the shotgun and remember it's their. The Glows are distracted so I think we have some time in which we can get by" She said, getting confused looks from the rest of the party. 

Octavia facepalmed. "Look, just trust me alright? I know what I am talking about sorta ok? Just follow me" She said, starting to walk away.

Quill shrugged and soon the party was on the move again. Octavia blazed the trail with such sped and grace, it was like she was made out of water. Not only that but it made it a little difficult for the others to follow some of her paths. Quill couldn't help but give her a large amount of respect though. She managed to adapt her past skills quickly in this new world they lived in and for that he was immensely grateful. She did have a sense of mature beauty about her. 

Suddenly he felt a sharp jab in his side. Looking he saw vinyl, giving him what h could only describe as a "Shit eating Grin" before she mouthed I saw that and falling back behind. Quill blushed hotly. Great! Now Vinyl would think he was going after Octavia! Weren't they together? He never actually asked... Wait, did that mean Vinyl was into that thing? Quill blushed even more at this though, and he could hear Vinyl sniggering behind him.

Quills shook his head. Serious time and here he was goofing off in his head. He collected himself, and caught up to Octavia. She was stopped? He didn't get it. "What's up?" He whispered. 

Octavia just pointed at the intersection. It was empty, but something seemed off about it. "Isn't this where you said Rarity died?" She asked softly.

The realization hit Quill like a sack of bricks. The intersection was empty. "Oh dear Celestia..." He said, unslinging the shotgun and handing it to Octavia. "I'll be right back. Whatever you do, do NOT put yourselves in danger" He said before slowly creeping into the intersection. He creeped over and took a look around, spotting where rarity had been lying all those days ago. Her pool of blood had dried to the concrete, but her body was no where to be found, which concerned him.

He looked around, wondering if maybe an infected had moved her body for some reason but his time was cut short. Of in the distance he heard a blood curdling, animalistic scream, and as it lingered more and more joined in the chorus. Faint glowing specs could be seen all around the intersection and Quills blood ran cold. He was surrounded... And they were all focused on him... This wasn't good...

He heard Octavia from a distance. "Quill! Get out of there!" but Quill just slumped his shoulder and sighed. He couldn't escape this... He heard Sweetie Belle scream and his cold blood flash boiled. No. He was not going to let her watch him just submit. "Come on you assbutts! You want a fight?" He screamed. Two of the creatures came out of their hiding spots and snarled at him. He didn't know what he was doing, and honestly he didn't even know how to fight! Like hell he wasn't going to put one up though. He waved back at his party, telling them not to get involved, and to find somewhere to hide. He was gonna give them a chance to get out even if it was the last thing he did.

The showdown continued, when finally the two charged at him. It was weird, they seemed to be moving slowly. Were they getting weaker? He didn't complain though. He stepped out of the first ones way and ducked, sending the second one over his back.  He stood up and looked shocked. Was fighting really that easy? He always thought you had to train for years to be any good. Smiling, he walked up to one and punched it. He felt a little pain shoot up his hand and forearm, but ignored it. It seemed the Glow ignored it to. Quills confidence drained faster than a bucket without a bottom. He was dead...

The Glow seemed to smile, which honestly wasn't the greatest thing to see before you were ripped apart by a horde of creatures. Quill accepted his fate, dropping his arms and falling to his knees. Hopefully, his friends had gotten away and wouldn't have to see this. He closed his eyes and waited, but his death never came. What did come though, was a sharp loud CRACK, followed by a wet throaty gurgle and the sound of a body hitting the floor.

The chorus of screams started again, but there was another voice this time. "Get the FUCK ON YOUR FEET!" a commanding voice screamed, followed by more of those loud cracks. 

Quill looked around in a confused stupor. He didn't see anyone, where was the voice coming from?

"On the roof, south east corner of the Intersection! You wanna live? Run down the street directly behind you! I'll be able to cover you but you have to move NOW!" The voice screamed again. Looking up, he saw a a person completely covered in rather intimidating clothing. He also had a gun, but it certainly wasn't the same as what Octavia had right now. It was thinner, with a long rectangle stick out the bottom. It was also, a LOT more accurate from how he watched the infected fall around him. He was shocked!

"Hey dumbass! Get those legs MOVING!" The Stallion screamed. That got quill going. He ran down the street that Octavia and them were down last he saw them. Up on the rooftops he saw the pony running, keeping up with him while still taking out several of the infected. He missed a few times, but the fact he was able to hit anything while running was a shock to Quill. He turned, following the pre-established path that they would take. He didn't care if that's not where this guy was going to take him, he had to make it back to his friends! But, the infected around him still fell, and the gunshots still followed him. Maybe he was just really lucky? Well, he hoped his streak would continue. 

He ran, and ran until the street started to end. They had pulled quite a few more of the glows as they ran and Quill was starting to think that the Stallion on the roof wouldn't be able to handle them all. However, something glinted in one of the windows, and he saw a ghostly grey figure in a window with a gun... AND THEY WERE AIMING AT HIM!!!!!

Quill dove to the ground, and just as he did a huge, roaring blast shot over his head, singeing his coat. DAMN that was hot! What the hell created so much heat?! Another blast shot over his head, causing him to curl up in some attempt to protect himself from the heat. Blast after blast went over his head, coupled with the Stallions gun shots and the screams of the Glows as they fell Quill was down right terrified! He could feel blisters forming on the side of his head and his forearm from the heat, his shirt and pants protecting him from the heats somewhat more, but soon it was over.

Quill got up, and was quickly met with a hug around the waist by a very upset little mare. "I thought you were DEAD!" Sweetie Bell cried, Squeaking adorably when she said dead. Octavia and Vinyl followed, Octavia looking around to make sure there were no more glows in the area, and Vinyl had picked up a copper pipe at some point. 

"Your really quite the lucky one Quill. We all thought you had died" Octavia said happily, hugging Quill as well. He smiled and picked Sweetie Belle up, not meaning to treat her like a child but she obviously didn't care. 

Vinyl just looked at him for a second before rolling her eyes and smiling. "Awe come here ya big dumbass" She said, wrapping her arm around his neck and giving him a noogie. Well, everyone had their own way to express themselves. Everything seemed all fine and dandy until Octavia yelp in surprise!

"Hey what the hell?" Octavia shouted. The stallion from the roof and obviously climbed down, and snatched the shotgun from her, looking it over. The way he operated it showed quite a bit of experience, removing all of the shells from the weapons he looked at the group.

"These are restricted to military use only. Not only that, but Dragons Breath rounds are hard to get, even for military personnel so would any of you care to explain to me how you managed to get your hands on them?" He asked in a cool voice. Vinyl, obviously wasn't taking any of this guys shit, and got up in his face.

"Hey! Why the fuck don't you start by telling us who the hell you think you are!" She shouted at him. Before anyone could react, the stallion was pointing a small metal object under her chin, and by the looks of it... it was just a much smaller gun. 

"I am asking the questions Civilian. The fact you own this weapon is a breach in Equestrian Military law. Please tell me how you obtained the weapon" He said, his voice just as cool as before. Everyone froze instantly with this sudden shift in power and it was clear everyone was uncomfortable. Even Vinyl was able to stay perfectly still, despite the fact that she was giving him a glare that would turn the stomach of a lesser man.

Octavia was the first to speak. "Alright... Vinyl, please come here an sit down. Everyone is on edge, and the man is asking a rather good question for our situation. For all he knows, we could be criminals or something and that just won't work. Sir... Please don't point that at her. We will cooperate, but I promise you that no one is in any danger so long as you put the gun down. Please, lets just talk this over" She said, he hands slowly going up. Quill and Sweetie Belle followed suit.

The Stallion was motionless before holstering the weapon and turning vinyl around by the shoulder, giving her a light push away from him. This Stallion was obviously being incredibly cautious if he was treating people like this. Quill looked over the stallions outfit, but he saw no markings to identify himself. Freelance mercenary or something? It didn't matter to him, all he cared about was that his friends were safe. 

"Look, it's technically mine" Quill started. "I walked into a house a few days ago, and it was all just laying under the bed in the master bedroom. I didn't know what it was, but to be fair I also didn't think that there was any reason to follow the law word for word at this point either. Octavia here was the one who showed me how to use it, her cousin Applejack owning a permit for one, signed by the princess herself. We just want to get out of here." He said looking at the guy.

The stallion scanned the four of them slowly, before slinging his own rile back over his shoulder and tossing the shotgun at Quill, which he managed to catch. "Who I am is classified. Me and my team were sent to extract a H.V.I from the Palace after the quarantine was placed in effect. I... I was separated from my group and have been trapped for the last few days trying to find survivors. Our squad leader told me of a passage in the Canterlot Basement that lead into the mountains. If the Nobles didn't think of it, which I am sure they didn't, we should be able to get out through there. Any other information I have will be issued on a Need to Know Basis. Is that understood?" He asked. 

Quill had a feeling the question was rhetorical, but Vinyl obviously didn't. "No actually! How do we know outside is even ok? Won't the Military or whatever your a part of come and get you? Like, do we even have a chance?" She asked in rapid succession. 

"No" The Stallion said coolly. "Canterlot was put on total lockdown when the Royal Guard cut it off from civilization. The only reason my team came is was because we had a mission to attempt to bring leadership back to the rest of Equestria in the aftermath of the princesses fall. Situation outside was stable last I had radio contact, and I don't work by chances. Hard work and perseverance is what will get us out of here. Not chance. Enough Questions. We need to find somewhere to lay low before the sun comes up. The Nocturnal Infected population was dented by that bout of chance, but we have no hope against the daylight Infected. Let move." He finished, walking into the building.

The four ponies left behind looked at each other with bewildered looks. Sweetie Belle shrugged and started following the military stallion. "Guy knows more about what's going on than we do, and is sworn to protect the citizens of Equestria. May as well go with him" She said. Quill looked at the other two, and they shrugged back at him. The turned and followed, but quill could only think of one think...

Something bad was going to happen... 
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Quill didn't know what to think at this point. All he could do was accept the fact that they now had someone who actually had an idea of what they were doing with them, even if they left the rest of the group in the dark. They finally reached their final destination and found a suitable house to lay low in before sunrise. It was large enough for the five of them and gave them some room to maneuver. The Military stallion walked in, and dropped the large duffle bag he was carrying on a bed and started sorting through it.

"Right. First off I apologize for my less than kind first impressions, but protocol can be strict in certain cases. You were armed with a restricted weapon and for that you were to be seen as threats until evaluated. Never got the chance to evaluate you properly, but from what I saw you are no lot of criminal" He said turning around and handing quill bag. "Your Dragonbreath rounds back, plus a few more rounds. When my team was forced to leave me, they left me two duffle bags of equipment should I need it. Unfortunately, I cut most of it out for the sake of mobility, but kept what I thought would be useful. I have plenty of ammo, more than I really know what to do with to be fair. I figured seeing as I was here I could try and find some survivors who hadn't succumb to the infection and get them out with me. I would need a way to help keep them safe, so I kept some other things" He said, pulling out a small case.

"Before this all happened, the Griffons were starting to show more hostilities and with the ever growing threat of war Luna ordered a large sum of money to go to the production of fire arms that any race of pony could use. You have the Shotgun MkI. They didn't need to do much to it to improve it so really once you know how to use that, you know how to use any shotgun you find. Lucky your friend knows how to use one" The Stallion said, trying for humor. "I have the Assault Rifle MkIII. Semi Automatic, which means one bullet fired per pull of the trigger, and fully automatic, which means as long as I hold the trigger, it keeps firing. However it is unreliable in fully automatic and I don't suggest ever using it" He said, placing the gun on the bed. 

The Stallion then opened the case, showing what looked like the shotgun and the Assault Rifle combined. "This, is the Assault Carbine MkVII. Luna favored this one, and so she kept pouring money into it until it did what it was supposed to do perfectly. It is a Slow fire semi automatic. Pull the trigger, it fires, but the trigger takes a moment to fully reset. For the more subtle shooter. Has a four times optical scope on it to give improved accuracy over range" He finally finished before looking at the group. He reached up and took his helmet off and uncovered his face, revealing a Tan Stallion with a Grey mane. "My name is Sergeant First Class SilverWing of the Royal Guard Special Operations team. If we are going to work together and live, we are going to have to play nice" He finished, giving a smile.

Quill breathed a sigh of relief. There actually WAS a pony under there after all. Quill then looked at the weapons. "So... What exactly was the point in you telling us all of this? Cause at the moment you kinda seem like a kid showing off his new Hearths Warming gifts. We appreciate the power and all but seriously? No need to give us the lowdown on them all, seeing as we aren't technically allowed to have them" He said, looking at Silverwing.

Silverwing nodded. "Yea your right, you aren't allowed to have them. However, due to the state of Canterlot, and the fact that I am currently the highest ranking official in the city since our HVI got out, I enact a kind of Martial Law. I let you keep your weapon, so may as well arm as many of you as possible. Once we leave Canterlot though, I will be forced to confiscate all the weapons on your persons, as well as anything that goes with them down to the very last screw. Civilians were never meant to know these existed, and I am disappointed that your cousin took the liberty to not only tell you about them, but how to operate one. These are still incredibly classified" He said, picking up the Carbine and putting it together. He thrust it into Octavia's hands, and looked at her. "Can you shoot?" He asked.

Octavia blinked and looked at the weapon. Jeez it was fancy despite being made out of wood and metal. Octavia nodded "Yes, I believe I could put this to some use. Is there anything really different between using this and the shotgun?" She asked. 

Silver shook his head "Other than the fact that it has a detachable box magazine and not and attached tube magazine, it's pretty much the same. It uses a different round than the shotgun, but the same as my assault rifle so we should be good" He smiled at her. Octavia smiled back and looked the gun over curiously. 

Silver then turned to Vinyl next and withdrew his side arm. "This is a pistol. For short range defense really. simplest weapon I have and I have never seen you use a weapon" He said, not trying to sound condescending. 

Vynil just looked at the gun and shook her head. "Naw, I'm good with my pipe. Guns complicate things I find" She said pushing it back to him. Silverwing didn't seem to like that idea. 

"We have four adults and a child. I have four guns. Taking the gun improves our chances of suvivabili..." He said before he was cut off.

"I am not a kid" Sweetie Belle squeaked adorably. Everyone but Quill just stared at her for a second before Octavia leaned down and put a hand on Sweetie Belles shoulder

"I understand it may seem like the Sweetie, but we all think you might be a little too young for guns" She said kindly. Sweetie Belle gave Octavia the most aggravated glare Quill had ever seen in his life.

"I'm Eighteen years old, graduated highschool, and was in Canterlot to get my application forms for the Royal Canterlot Academy. I'm not a child, I'm a dwarf" She said so coldly that Quill almost burst into laughter. Octavia stared at Sweetie Belle, blinking several times and looking at Silverwing. 

"Anyway you can confirm this?" She asked

Silverwing shrugged. "That depends. When we got our mission, we were told that our H.V.I said he would try to gather as many survivors as he could. We were all given a list of secondary list of targets who were put on priority. When we showed up, our original was the only one, saying he tried and failed. Once I was abandoned I turned off that feature. I would rather not know if one of the infected were one of our targets" He said picking up his helmet. He put it on and ran a finger over a rune, causing a magical glow to take the visor. After a few moments, he removed the helmet and laughed. 

"Sweetie Belle. Sister of Rarity, Element of Generosity. Priority classification two. Eighteen years of age, and graduated from ponyville high. Yep, she's 18 alright" He chuckled. Everyone stared at Sweetie Belle, who crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Quill couldn't help but start laughing.

"What!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, throwing her arms up. Quill couldn't help himself! He just found Sweetie Belle to be the most adorable 18 year old he had ever met!

"I'm sorry Sweetie, I swear I think of you as an adult, but your just too cute sometimes" He said, which brought Vinyl and Octavia into a fit of giggles. 

Sweetie Belle raged silently until Silverwing handed her the Pistol. "I guess this is yours. Your as good as anybody in this group with a little practice" He said with a small smile. Sweetie Belle looked over the gun with a curious caution, then look up at Silverwing.

"How do you use it?"

Silverwing stiffled a snort and motioned to the door. "Come on, I'll show you how to use it in the other room. Don't want anyone in here hurt if we have any accidents" He smiled, leading the filly out the door and into the next room.

"Then there were three?" He said with a nervous smile. Vinyl just gave him that cheeky glare again, but Octavia seemed to have other plans.

"Actually two. I figure I can go next door and get some fun in with this new... Toy of mine" She giggled. "Have fun you two!" She said, waving as she walked out the door.

Quill gulped.

"So... Tavi's pretty hot isn't she?" Vinyl said after a few minutes passed. Quill just groaned. "Oh come on! Don't play that card on me, I saw you staring at her ass earlier" she laughed, poking him in the ribs.

Quill just wanted to die. He looked at it ONCE! When it was Literally in his face as she climbed over something! "Come on Vinyl! I don't even see her as a possible prospect!" He said through his hands.

Vinyl looked at him with annoyance. "Hey! Is there something you wanna tell me? Cause if you got a problem with Tavi you get a problem with me!" She growled, taking a step forward with a fist raised up to quills face.

Quill just slumped. "Well, she's gay isn't she? Like she's cute but you two are together aren't you?" He asked sheepishly. Vinyls angry look switched to mild shock and confusion before she burst out laughing.

"Tavi?! Gay?! Oh my god I think my sides are going to explode!" She cackled, falling to the floor. Quill felt really stupid now. "Dude! I don't think Tavi could be any straighter than she is right now! Like sure, I may like to get between a girls legs, but Tavi's the type of gal who love hard and natural inside her" She laughed. 

Quill started hyperventilating. If his mother knew he was a part of this conversation... Even if it was once sided... By Celestia's flaming ass he could FEEL the slipper flying from the afterlife. Vinyl started to die down a bit. "Hey would you stop drooling on me?" She asked opening her eyes. She looked at him confused until something wet fell into her eyes, causing her to yelp. "Awe man what the fuck was that?" She gasped, rubbing at her eye. Quill walked up to her...

CRASH!

... But he was interrupted... Before he could even ask, he heard Sweetie Belle scream at the top of her lung and he was in motion. Silvers Crazy, and he just let Sweetie Belle go to a room with him alone. Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid! He swore to whatever gods that were watching him that if Silver so much as laid a FINGER on Sweetie Belle in anyway that could be deemed wrong, he was going to beat him to death.

He slammed against the door but it was jammed pretty tight. He didn't even budge the door a little! His fear spiked a little at this realization, but his idea of the situation changed when Sweetie Belle screamed again.

"Noooo! It's me!! Sweetie Belle! Your sister!!!!" She shrieked before becoming incoherent. He then heard the gurgling snarl of and infected. This changed things. This changed things a lot! Fire burned through Quills veins as he took a step back and kicked the door. The Door snapped out of the frame from the force of his kick, and he was able to tear it out of the doorway, letting him see the scene inside. 

Sweetie Belle was curled up in a corner of the room, the pistol in her hands but it wasn't pointing at anything. She was just staring at the infected laying a foot away from her, trying to grab her. The thing that bothered Quill the most though... Was that it was Rarity... Quill ran over and kicked the dead mare in the side, knocking her away from Sweetie Belle but also freeing her leg so she could move freely again. When she got up, Quill almost lost his lunch. The Mares chest was still torn open, and the arm that was missing, had a flurry of vines hanging out from it. Not a pretty sight to be sure.... Made even worse when she screamed at him, more vines coming out of her mouth and whipping around at him. He had her attention though... 

"Rarity" Finished her scream, and suddenly the vines coming out of her arms were around his neck. This wasn't good... "Sweetie... Belle" He gurgled "My... Knife" He gasped, his feet no longer having anything to support him. Sweetie Belle just sat the, eyes clenched shut with her hands over her ears, muttering something to herself. He croaked and gurgled, kicking at the air trying to get out of the dead mares grasp. Black dots started to swim in his vision and things started to get dark.

BANG

Suddenly Quill was on the floor, and rarity was missing the top of her skull. The creature stood for a moment before the rest of her body slumped to the floor. Octavia quickly started to try and wake Silverwing while Quill went over to Sweetie Belle who threw herself into his arms whimpering. "How's Silver?" Quill asked, picking Sweetie Belle up. Silver stirred and got up, looking around. "Sunnova Bitch!" He swore "She came out of the roof. Took part of the ceiling to the head. Is everyone alright?" He asked looking around.

Everyone nodded, but the Octavia took a look around the room. "Where is Vinyl?" She asked. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. "She was with me in the other room" Quill said, shrugging. Octavia left the room and the remaining looked at each other. 

"Oh my god Vinyl!" They heard Octavia shout. The three ran into the other room to see Vinyl laying in a corner, looking like death warmed over. Her eyes were dim, her hair had stuck to her face with sweat, and her breathing was short and raspy. She was bleeding from the nose, and one of her ears. Octavia was sitting in front of her, holding her face to get a good look at her. "Vinyl? Vinyl! Come on! Tell us what happened!" She asked.

Silverwing looked grim, pulling a pair of gloves out of his pocket. He put them on and lightly grabbed Octavia by the shoulder. "Excuse me if you will" He said, kneeling in front of Vinyl. "Vinyl, I need you to do me a favor ok?" He asked. The white mare just looked at him and nodded. "I need you to let me put a cloth over your mouth so I can look at you, alright?" He asked. Vinyl just nodded again. Silver pulled a large cloth out of his bag and tied it around Vinyls head, making sure it covered her nose and muzzle. He then pulled out a small pen light and shined it in her eyes. They contracted near instantly. He snapped his fingers in her ears, and they hardly twitched. Silver frowned, digging into his bag and pulled out a small tin. He opened it, covered his face with his arm and waved it in front of her nose. She didn't react.

Silver stood up and walked over to where he put down his gear, picking up his face mask and helmet. Everyone in the room aside from Vinyl looked at him curiously. "She's infected" he said in his old cold tone. Octavia, stumbled against the wall and slid down, looking at Vinyl. 

"How did she get infected? Nothing is in here?" Octavia asked quietly. That's when Quill remembered. 

"Before the whole ordeal with rarity, she said something dripped in her eye" Quill said. Silver light sighed, walking over to Sweetie Belle and taking the Pistol.

"I think you should all leave..."

Octavia looked at him, tears flooding from her eyes. "Y-your... Your not going to kill her are you? You can't kill her! Please you can't kill her!" She begged, crawling to Silver and grabbing onto the lower straps of his vest. "Please... She's like my sister... She IS my sister! Isn't there some other way?" She pleaded. 

Quill look at Sweetie Belle, who was looking on in silence. Everyone knew what this infection could do, her more than anything at this point. He felt he should tell her to leave... But something told him she should be here.

Silverwing looked down at Octavia and brushed a tear out of her eye. He shook his head. "I'm sorry Octavia. We don't have a cure... Or at least I don't, and Vinyl isn't going to last more than an hour if she's lucky at this rate. We will never be able to get out of  the city or get her somewhere that would have the cure if any exists in time. Without air support Vinyl is as good as gone. I just want to spare her the agony of being taken over" He said.

Octavia's eyes angered and she pushed Silver with all her might, standing over Vinyl protectively. "I won't let you kill her! You kill her your going to have to get through me first!" She screamed at him, angry tears flowing freely down her face. The group stood in an awkward silence.

"T-Tavi... Is that you?" Vinyl rasped from the floor. Octavia spun around and was in front of Vinyl, almost nose to nose. Were it not for the cloth over Vinyls face, everyone would have been a lot less willing to let her do that. "Tavi... Please... Don't do anything stupid alright? That's my job remember?" She asked, looking the grey mare in the eye. Even with the cloth, you could see Vinyl grinning. 

Octavia let out a sobbing laugh, stroking Vinyls hair softly. "I can't let you die Vinyl. I don't know what my life would be like without you" She sobbed.

"Your life?" Vinyl asked. "Less... Stressful... I would say" she responded. You could hear her struggle to laugh. "I'm dead Tavi. I can feel it. Don't die trying to keep me out of a grave when I am already in it. The world would miss you" She said, reaching up slowly and placing a hand on Octavia's cheek. Octavia just cried.

"Hey... Full Metal... If I'm going to die at least let me be comfortable. I wanna feel like I'm going to bed... In my own bed... Before all this bullshit happened" She rasped weakly. She was getting weaker and weaker with every passing sentence and Quill was surprised. Silverwing took a step, but Octavia stopped him, pulling his knife out of his sheath and glaring daggers at him. "Your not touching her till I say so you understand" She practically snarled. Silver just put his hands up and took a step back.

Octavia walked over to Vinyl Scratch and kneeled in front of her again. "Are... Are you sure you want it exactly like at home?" She asked. Vinyl tried to laugh but only coughed, a red splotch starting to form on the cloth. "I'm dying... What do I care about modesty? Get these horseapples off me. If I can have my PJ's... Then I ain't gonna wear  anything" She gasped. Octavia nodded and bit her lip before bringing the knife down the front of Vinyls shirt. 

Normally, Quill would look away. He was raised that it was wrong to look at a mare naked unless you were married, but right now it seemed different. It was like he was looking at Vinyl for the first time, and actually seeing at her. Seeing Vinyl as who she was. Quill saw her cutie mark clear as day, and was rather surprised by it. It was so simple... Two eighth notes. Something seemed weird about them... But he didn't pay that any mind. He remembered it so that he would always know who Vinyl was, and not just what she looked like.

Octavia picked the smaller mare up and walked over to the bed, placing Vinyl softly on it. She groaned, and Octavia rolled her onto her side and Vinyl seemed to relax. "So... Much... Better" She rasped, before rolling her eyes to try and see Tavi. "Sing me a lullaby would you?" She asked, sending Octavia into a fresh wave of tears. She was breaking. She walked over to Silver and thrusted the knife into his hands. "You make sure she doesn't realize a thing you understand me... I see even a little pain in her eyes I swear to Celestia I will kill you" She hissed.

Octavia turned back to Vinyl and sat down on the bed. Quill and Sweetie Belle moved to stand just a little way off from the bed, and Silver silently walked behind Vinyl. He took his helmet and mask off to let everyone see his face, and even he wasn't able to hold back his tears. There wasn't a dry eye in the room, and yet here Vinyl was smiling. He was always told strange things came over ponies when they died...

Octavia opened her mouth and closed it, biting her finger and shaking her head. "I don't know what to sing. I play the Cello... I don't sing" She whispered. Vinyl slumped visibly. "try... Voice... Beautiful". Quill was shocked. He still managed to get words out. Octavia opened her mouth again, but all that came out was a choked squeal and she clamped it shut again. She looked positively heart broken, and still she couldn't do this. Octavia was finally starting to fully crack. She was shaking and rocking back and forth, whimpering into her hands. She couldn't even look at Vinyl! 

Good night my angel time to close, your eyes
And save these questions for another day.
I think I know what you've been asking, me
I think you know what I've been trying to say...

Sweetie Belle... With the most beautiful voice any of them had heard had started to sing. Everyone looked at her in total shock, causing Sweetie to fumble a bit and stop. Octavia stood up and looked at her, shaking her head. "Please don't stop..." She asked, moving to lay next to Vinyl. She looked the dying mare in the eyes and weakly smiled, still crying. Sweetie Belle nodded.

I promised I would never leave, you
And you should always know
Where ever you may go, no matter where you are
I never will be far... away

Sweetie Belle continued, singing the instrumental break. Octavia had pulled Vinyl into a lovers embrace, and Silverwing quitly wiped at his eyes. Even quill was silently crying, but he wasn't ashamed to let it show. Vinyl looked into Octavias eyes. and no matter how weak she was everyone knew she was not going to stop until the end.

Good Night my angel now it's time, to sleep
And still so many things I want, to say.
Remember all the songs you sang for me
When we went sailing on an Emerald, bay

And like a boat out on the ocean
I'm rocking you to sleep...
The water's dark and deep, 
inside this ancient heart

You'll always be a part of me

Again Sweetie Belle sang the Instrumental break, but this time it seemed oddly... final. Vinyl Scratch was getting weaker and weaker every second she tried to fight, and Silverwing knew this. Her legs started to shake, but Octavia made Vinyl keep looking her in the eye, stroking her blue mane and cooing too her softly. Silverwing leaned forward, and with only the slightest motion, ended Vinyls life. Not even Octavia realized this happened through her tear filled eyes.

Good night my angel now it's time to dream
And dream how wonderful your life, has been
Someday we'll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on
They never die, that's how you and I....

Will live....

Sweetie ended the song, and Octavia finally snapped. "Oh Vinyl I am so sorry!" She sobbed into the mares mane. "Why did I leave you... Why didn't I wait a little while to go and practice with that stupid fucking gun!" She cried. Silver walked over and grabbed her shoulders. "Come on... We have to go..." He said softly. Octavia didn't fight, but her eyes never left Vinyls motionless body. "Vinyl I am so sorry!" She yelled, collapsing at the door. Silver grabbed her around the waist, and Octavia weakly fought trying to go back into the room. Quill and Sweetie had already grabbed their stuff and were waiting outside.

"We have to get her out of her" Silver said, practically carrying the now uncontrollably sobbing mare. Quill nodded and took Sweetie Belle down the stairs, followed by Silver carrying Octavia bridal style with the mare weeping into his neck.

Silver carried Octavia to the next place they were going to hole up, with Quill and Sweetie Belle keeping an eye out. Quill had stayed behind for a few moment, and unloaded a full tube of Dragonbreath rounds into the house which had attracted a lot of the infected to the building. They seemed to like light it seemed, but that didn't matter. Vinyls last act was making it easier for them to live...

Even if it was for one more night.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four days. Four days had passed since Vinyl died and everyone kept going. It was difficult, but it was clear Octavia was still taking it the worst. That fluid grace when she moved from building to building had a slight hitch in it. It was like she was just trying to get where she was going and nothing more. When they didn't have to sneak around, she just looked around, a dead glare in her eyes at all times. When they were resting, she always went and found another room to stay in. Silver had started joining her, leaving Quill and Sweetie Belle alone usually. This was one of those days.

Sweetie Belle was curled up against Quill, and silence filled the room as it usually did. After seeing Vinyl die, Sweetie Belle seemed to have had an easier time getting over Rarity. She still apologized up and down to Quill about not helping him, but every time Quill just smiled at her and told her it was fine. Anyone would have froze in that kind of situation. Now they just curled up on a bed and laid there silently.

Sweetie Belle was the one who broke the silence in the end. "So... Octavia and Silverwing have been spending a lot of time alone lately" She mentioned innocently. Quill just shrugged, never paying it much mind. "Don't you find it Kinda weird Quill? Like... Vinyl got infected yeah, but he was the one who actually killed her. Shouldn't Octavia hate him?" She asked him.

Quill thought long and hard before he said anything. "Now this may not be why, but here is what I think. Octavia, despite everything knew that it was a lost cause. She knew Vinyl was gone but the pain of losing her was just too much for her to just turn around and accept. Octavia knew the right thing to do was to let Vinyl die peacefully but sometimes doing the right thing is the hardest thing anyone could ever do. Silverwing knew what had to be done, and knew Vinyl had to die as soon as possible so as to save the rest of us from possible infection. He could have just shot Vinyl and had it done with, but instead he acted as Octavias hand. He did what Octavia couldn't, exactly how Octavia wanted it to be done. To Octavia, he is a pillar of support that she can lean on and rely on for answers when she has none, and action when she can't take the right steps forward. In a way, killing Vinyl brought them closer. He killed a mare, and the one mare who was closest to her needs comfort. Who better to comfort her?" He said. Honestly, he was glad Sweetie was fast asleep when the real comforting started. Not much was private, even in another room so everyone was a whole lot closer than they thought.

"Oh..." Sweetie Belle mumbled, pulling closer to Quill. They looked at all the stuff in the corner and sighed. Supplies were starting to get scarce, and Silverwing had to establish a ration system so that what they had lasted. Moral took a big blow because of this. Without running water, cleaning the clothes that they had was impossible and soon they started to become itchy and uncomfortable. Finding new clothes was incredibly hard as well. More and more houses were starting to be taken over by the infected, and what was left was usually ransacked already. Personal Hygiene was down the drain too. Silver allowed Octavia and Sweetie Belle enough water to clean the more sensitive parts of their bodies but that was just to maintain a level of "Combat Effectiveness" as he put it. They all knew that things could get really uncomfortable for them though, but Silver was probably trying to maintain a level of discreetness and respect. Quill and Silver would eventually have the same problems, but not quite as fast or as bad all things considered.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a rather aggravated Octavia stormed into the room followed by a VERY confused Silverwing. The two on the bed stared at Silver with a similar look of confusion, but he just shrugged. Octavia seemed to be muttering to herself while she searched through the bags and finally slammed her fist down on the bag with clothing in it. "Uhm... Octavia. Would you mind telling us what's wrong?" Quill asked. He kinda regretted it when the words left his mouth, but there wasn't exactly much he could do now,

"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! I am done! I am tired of this and it ends now" She snapped standing up. Everyone took this seriously standing up and looking at the distressed mare. "I am tired of spending all my free time in this hell hole of a world  feeling like I wanna tear my fucking skin off" She continued, quickly taking of her shirt. Now everyone was looking at her with a confused look. "I'm living in a world without my best friend, where I could die at any time, and I can't even be comfortable when we are doing nothing? I don't accept that!" She continued, undoing her jeans and puling them off. She reached behind her and unclipped her bra and let it fall to the floor. At this point Quill had to look away, blushing. 

Octavia finished undressing and looked at Quill, anger in her eyes growing when she saw he wasn't looking at her. She marched right up to him, grabbed him by the muzzle and forced his head painfully to look at her. "So you have a fucking problem? Can look at Vinyl laying on a bed naked but can't bear to look at me naked?" She snapped at him, letting his face go.

Quill rubbed his muzzle and averted his gaze a little. "That was different..." He muttered. Octavia didn't seem to like that. She looked away from him, biting her lip and nodding before she slapped him with enough force to knock him off the bed. Silver had to step in at this point, grabbing Octavia in a full nelson hold and bringing her to the ground. At the same time Sweetie jumped off the bed and hurried to Quill who was working his jaw after the blow. "What the FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Octavia screamed at him. "Do dying mare hit the spot for you or something!" She spat at him. Now Quills blood was boiling.

"Actually no! Dying mares DON'T get me off thank you very much! I just happened to be raised to know that looking at any lady while she was undressed was rude! I don't know about most guys but my mother taught me better than to just gawk at any girl who decided to walk around naked" He shouted back at her. Silverwing was forced to let go of Octavia, but stayed close just in case things got physical again. Sweetie Belle clung to Quills pant leg and stared at the two ponies glaring at each other.

Octavia spat on the ground. "No offence Quill, but your Mother was an idiot! I was raised the same damn way and now that I look at it, what the fuck is the point of clothing?! We have fur! We have ALWAYS had Fur! Not Clothing, fur. I don't recall anyone being born wearing a nice suit or anything because guess what, we were born NAKED! I'm just wearing what whatever gods may be out there gave me when they put me on this Tirek forsaken planet, and I'm going to enjoy not having to wear stupid, fucking, clothes. " She snapped taking a step back and spreading her arms. "Look Quill! A naked girl! By the fucking GODESSES! Isn't it horrible? Almost like she was made to be naked and clothes were just an after thought!” She snapped.

This was getting bad. Octavia was furious, and the situation wasn’t going to be helped anytime soon. that is at least until Silver stepped in. “You know what Octavia?” He asked, undoing the clips on his body armour. “Sure, clothing can be useful but why do we need it on right now? Why should we care? Nothing none of us probably haven’t seen before!” He said, removing his clothing. Now it was Sweetie Belles turn to blush but she didn’t advert her gaze, fearing similar treatment that Quill got.

Quill was baffled as he looked at the two who were both now stripped. Wait a second... What the hell was this argument about? Quill shook his head “Ok, I’m sorry. I guess I can’t really tell you what to and not to wear. You are a grown mare after all. You too Silver. What you guys choose to do is up too you” He said. 

Octavia looked at him with a blink. “Thank you. I apologize for hitting you, I guess I didn’t see the merit you had to look at Vinyl. That doesn’t change my mind though. Those rags we call clothes are NOT something I am going to wear all the time and especially if we are inside and safe. I just refuse at that point. I wanna die comfortable if my death is on it’s way” She said finally, crossing her arms over her chest. Quill didn’t let his relief show at such an action. 

“Right! Ok! Octavia, I think it’s high time I take you back to your room! As much as you have a fair point, this is incredibly awkward for some of us” Silver said, turning her towards the door. He looked at the two with a weak smile and mouthed the word sorry. Quill just waved his hand in dismissal. It wasn’t really worth it, but it was probably good for Octavia to get some of that out even if it did hurt.

“What just happened?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking up at Quill. Quill just shook his head and shrugged “Emotions I guess. Just like Vinyl said, when you're going to die, may as well die comfortable. Octavia may not be dying, but if it helps her then I guess I really shouldn’t care. Habits are hard to break though, so two part time Nudists may take me a little while to get used too, even if we hardly see them any more” He chuckled. “Come on, lets go get some rest” he finished, crawling back onto the bed. Sweetie Belle followed and nuzzled into him sweetly and laid there with her eyes closed.





A few hours had passed since the whole argument over clothing, which was actually over Quill looking at Vinyl but not wanting to look at Octavia... Quill didn’t even want to think about it anymore. 

He was actually shocked that even after that fiasco, and Silver bing with Octavia while they were both obviously naked, he hadn’t heard anything. He didn’t mean to creep, but he just couldn’t get good sleep anymore so he spent his free time keeping an ear out for anything or anyone that might walk into the house. Sweetie Belle Stirred a bit in his arms and he looked down at her. She was a nice girl to be fair. After everything that has happened to her you would think she would have a lot of trust issues but Sweetie Belle seemed to be fine. She smiled, laughed, she was like anyone else before all this. Quill respected her for it, it was a good thing to have in this world.

He wasn’t alone for long though. “Why are you still up quill?” Sweetie Belle mumbled, looking up at him with groggy eyes. Quill just smiled, stroking her head. “You don’t worry about me” He said softly. Sweetie Belle didn’t accept that and sat up, still leaning on him. “Quill. Can I tell you something?” She asked. Quill just tilted his head. Sweetie Belle looked at him with a smile. “I like you, you know that right?” She said.

Quill was confused, but smiled. “I like you too Sweetie Belle. I am glad I met such a good friend” He grinned at her. Sweetie Belle looked at him for a moment with an unimpressed look. “No... I mean I like you” She said again. Quill nodded, his face contorting with slight confusion. Sweetie Belle just sighed and laid her head on his chest, looking at little disappointed.

Quill thought the conversation was over when he was suddenly muzzle to muzzle with the small mare. She kissed him... You could almost hear the gears in Quills head screech to a halt. Sweetie Belle broke the kiss and looked at him with the same unimpressed look. “I like you dumbass” She said, grinning slightly.

“Oh...”

Quill didn’t even know what to do. She was a kid! Well... No, she wasn’t a kid... BUT SHE LOOKED LIKE A KID! If he said he felt the same would that make him a pedophile? Wasn’t that what a Pedophile was? A person who liked kids in inappropriate ways? Quill didn’t know... 

“You... Like... Me?” He said slowly. Even he was trying to understand the words, even as he spoke them. Sweetie Belle just kept looking at him. Honestly she was used to this. She had a Colt Friend before, but they broke up because he felt awkward being with a “Kid”.

“Please don’t say you don’t like me because of how I look” She said, her grin fading a bit. “Yeah, I look like I am ten, but even Silver said I was eighteen! I’m old enough to make decisions like this. What I look like has nothing to do with it” She said, getting up and crossing her arms.

“No! No that’s not it at all! Your pretty hot actually but...” Quill stopped. Now it was both of their turns to be shocked. Quill just hung his head “Great... I’m a Pedo” He grumbled in defeat. Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but laugh, curling up and kissing him again. “As long as your only Pedo for me, I think we are okay” She teased. This got Quill to smile. She was right! She... She was actually incredibly sweet and kind. Just cause she had a birth defect didn’t mean he was a bad person. A Pedophile maybe, but sometimes definitions were too broad.

“You know what Sweetie Belle? You’re actually right. Despite the fact that I told you I looked at you as an adult, I still saw you as a kid. Being in a relationship never actually crossed my mind. You have an obvious birth defect... Your smart, or at the very least smarter than me. You have that childish air about you, but I’ve met older who act way more childish than you. Oh my Celestia Sweetie I am so sorry” He finished. Sweetie belle just smiled and buried her face in his neck.

So now he was in a Relationship. That shocked him actually, as he never really had a relationship before. Pathetic huh? What shocked him more though was how fast he came to the conclusion. Yeah, he thought about Sweetie Belle in a romantic way once or twice but he always envisioned her looking like a grown mare. Now that he realized she didn’t have to look like a grown mare to actually be one, he didn’t feel bad about this at all.

Sweetie belle then got a devious idea. She got up, pushed Quill into the headboard and straddled him. Quill blushed as she leaned really close to him, pressing her chest into his and placing her muzzle against his ear. “Hey Quill...” She whispered softly. Quill, having gone beat red and felt in danger of his eyes popping out of his skull could only mumble a faint Mmm Hmm. Sweetie Belle bit his ear softly. “I want you to fuck me...” She said in the most seductive voice she could muster. Quill just froze up before falling to the side. He FAINTED! Sweetie Belle cackled in laughter, having expected an awkward no but she had stuck pay dirt with this! She curled up against Quill, having enjoyed her little joke.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night seemed longer than it had been for a long time. The cool air a little uncharacteristic for this time of year, the group being able to see their breaths in the moon light. Despite this, the group had continued on as they always had. Even Octavia ignored the cold, after her whole "No clothes" fight with Quill the other day. They had apologized and moved past it, but Octavia was still dead set on being naked as much as possible or as naked as possible. The group managed to convince her to wear something even remotely functional when they were travelling, just in case they ran into survivors. Eventually, she gave up and asked Silverwing to cut up her clothes. She now wore a similar outfit to her cousin Applejack when the farm mare was feeling exceptionally promiscuous. Quill could even see Octavia's cutie mark! 

It was odd to see the Mare who used to be so prim and proper essentially dressed as what Canterlot would look at as a two bit slut, but it actually kinda suited the mare in this new situation. Quill thought she was silent and fast before, now it was just insane. Seeing her was a bitch too, as she never wore pure black clothing. Just very dark shades coupled with her very dark coat. Oh, and she cut her mane. Quill still couldn’t get used to that, but he figured Octavia wanted to get as far from the stuffy perfect Canterlot attitude as possible, and this was how she decided to do it. The shoulder Length hair suited her actually, if she put it in a pony tail at least. It looked mangled and off when her hair was down. Quill just thought it was because he was used to seeing her with longer hair.

Quill had given her a compliment once the other day, but Sweetie Belle jabbed him in the side. He was now aware that complimenting naked women when your new girlfriend was right beside you was a really bad idea, and that Sweetie Belle was a LOT stronger than she appeared to be.

Silverwing despite joining Octavia in her nudist ideals part time, still wore his uniform and body armour. He had handed the ammo for all the various firearms he once carried to those who now carried them, so he insisted on carrying a majority of their supplies. Quill didn’t argue, and really preferred Silverwing taking command. Silver made some calls that Quill didn’t agree with and soon learned that without Silver making said calls, they would all be dead. Quill didn’t want to be the leader anymore. He never did really well, and he chalked up his ability to lead before Silverwing to an insane amount of luck that was about to end in all likelihood.

For now though, he liked his luck right where it was. This was actually, quite possibly the happiest he had ever been in his life all things accounted for. He had more friends than he had ever had now, as well as a girlfriend. What a girlfriend Sweetie Belle was too!

Something told Quill she was trying to get as much out of their relationship as she could, and she was doing a decent job of it. He had finally gotten used to kissing the poor girl, but the group still poked at him for being a Pedo. Nothing hurtful, and of course they all knew he wasn’t actually a pedophile. It just looked really weird when Sweetie Belle would hold up her arms for Quill to pick her up like a child, and then have her suddenly trying to eat his face. She didn’t exactly have kissing down yet, but neither did Quill. They would simply have to survive by eating each others face. Once, Sweetie Belle went in for a kiss, and shoved her muzzle in Quills mouth. It was bad, and Octavia felt the need to pull Sweetie Belle into another room for a girl talk. Silver just stared at Quill awkwardly for a few minutes till the girls came back. They were starting to get better, and during the day when Silver and Octavia went off alone Quill and Sweetie could suck at kissing all they wanted!

Other than that, Sweetie Belle would do other things for him. Hold his hand, rub his back, cook him food... Yea that actually wasn’t one of Quills favorite things. Sweetie Belle had this nasty habit of burning whatever she made, and it took Quill a little bit of time to work up the courage to tell her. She burnt cereal once... The only thing that stopped him from spitting it out was the gun on the little girls hip. Dangerous little tyke she was...

It was a new night however, and the group was carrying on their lives as best they could...





“Ok, Silverwing? You gotta tell us what the plan is here” Quill piped up. The last week had been exploring the various parts of Canterlot and the group was getting a little unsettled. Best him look like the dumbass than Sweetie Belle or Octavia. Silver stopped where he was and look around. It was starting to seem like even he didn’t have a plan.

“We need to collect information on these things. As much as we can, or else whatever is in the castle could take us by surprise” the Soldier started. “Canterlot Castle, and Canterlot General Hospital are both Locations to which the outbreak happened the strongest. Who knows what could actually be in there” Silver finished. Quill thought it was a good idea...

Octavia did not.

“Whatevers in the Palace that will more than certainly surprise and kill us, will probably do the same out here once we find it. I say we should just get the castle over with and see if that passage you spoke of is still accessible. I would rather die trying to get out then die walking around with the hopes of learning what could be in the castle” Octavia said coolly. 

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “Octavia is right. If these thing are evolving, then chances are no matter how much information we gather here the things will just be a step ahead of us. Best go now and expect anything than to wait until they are next to impossible to defeat or even get around later” She piped in. 

Silverwings shoulders slumped a little and he rolled his eyes. “What do you say Quill? Surely you agree with me!” He asked. 

Quill just raised his hands. “My mom used to tell me that a happy wife means a happy life. I think that applies to both of us here dude” He joked. Both Octavia and Sweetie Belle looked away, Sweetie Belle blushing wildly. Octavia’s coat didn’t take to blush well, but you could see she was flustered. Silverwing however gave up in silence, mentioning something about everyone having it their way.

Silverwing just sighed “Fine, we will head to the Palace. If we run into anything we can’t handle though, we need to get out and find a better route. Alright?” He asked the group, looking around at the three with him. Everyone nodded. “Good, let’s go...” the stallion said finally.





A few more hours passed, when Octavia finally looked at Silver with an interested look. “Silver... Why is your name Silverwing?” She asked. The group just paused, unsure of how to react. “Yea, it’s probably rather rude to ask, but it has been confusing me for quite some time and I would rather know now instead of dying later” She said.

Silver stopped and looked at Octavia, a conflicted look on his face. “First off, we won’t die. Second, I’ll tell you when we get out of here. Look, we are at the Castle now anyway. We need to hit up the armoury, and then get to the sub level of the Castle as fast as possible. Come on!” He finished. He sounded aggravated, so the group left the topic along. Octavia seemed ashamed a little, but kept herself moving regardless.

They walked, and could see that the castle was in fact abandoned. One thing that made them all nervous though was the vines as thick as tree trunks that had taken the once beautiful castle as it’s home. 

“We aren’t far now... Just a little further” Silver said, before they came to a large door. It was clear that it was designed to keep people out. Silver walked up, and placed his hand on a glowing brick. “Emergency Access Clearance Bravo Alpha. Identification One One Seven Seven Three Eight Four” The Military stallion spoke with a sound of dread.

The stone flashed red multiple times before lighting up with a solid, steady green. A loud thunk could be heard from within the room and the doors slid open with a strained grating. “We need to hurry” Silver commanded, slipping into the room. 

Quill just looked at Octavia and SweetieBelle before shrugging and following along. Really, at this point it felt they were all way over their heads at this point. They ran into the room, and were shocked by what they saw. First... It was BIG! Quill suddenly felt enormously small and pathetic in comparison to the now apparent strength of the royal guard. He used to scoff at how the only thing keeping Equestria safe were the Princesses and the Royal Guards were useless. This very quickly changed his mind.

In accompaniment to the usual gold armour and basic Roaman styled weapons, there was a plethora of firearms. Shotguns, Handguns, Rifles, carbines, and firearms that Silver never even told them about. 

“Uh Silver... this is a lot of firepower...” Sweetiebelle whispered softly, looking at a gun which was almost bigger than she was. She reached out to grab it but Silver stopped her sharply.

“Don’t even think about it. I don’t even have the training to use that thing, and from the demonstrations we saw, that thing would spin you around like a top if not set up properly. That is not something used for what we need” He said, walking right past it and too a large wall of Lockers.

“We need to stock up on ammunition. If things go to plan, we will be out of Canterlot and in the hands of the Equestrian government by tomorrow evening. Grab what you can carry, and lets get going” He said, prying open one of the lockers and starting to sort through literal cases of ammunition. 

Octavia walked over and started to fill up her own make shift sack, with Quill and Sweetiebelle soon following after. Things went on quietly, but eventually everyone was stocked up and ready to move out. Quill had noticed Silver grab what looked like a six pack of beer, but he was almost certain they weren’t beer. Metal cylinders with red bands around them. He would ask later, for now they had to leave.

“Alright, now where are we heading?” Quill asked, looking around.

“We need to head to the sub level of the Castle. From there, we have a path into the inner workings of the mountain which leave out through a cave at the base. It was originally intended to ease up the Canterlot water and sewage lines during floods. We are going through the maintenance hatch, but you will see what I am talking about once we get in. till then, we need to move” The Stallion said, leading the group out of the armoury.





The walk through the castle was nerve wracking, but uneventful for the most part. The plant that had taken over the city with such muscle had turned the halls of the castle into a jungle, but there was no sign of infected ponies. It was odd for such a place to be abandoned, and no one felt safe. If anything, it made them even more paranoid of what would be around the next corner.

Quill was also a little paranoid over the guns. With how jumpy everyone was, it was a miracle they hadn’t just started firing at something.  He himself had to turn the safety on so that he didn’t just reflex pull the trigger. He was calmed a bit though, when Silver seemed to relax. 
“Alright... We are here. The plants made it difficult, but The hatch should be just over there. We will go down one at a time, but be careful! These shafts haven’t been checked out in a long time. Who knows what damages time or even this plant thing has done” He mentioned, walking over and opening a floor hatch. 

Quills face would have went pale if that was possible. It was dark... Quill didn’t realize how much the dark bothered him, until he saw the all encompassing, pitch black of their escape route. Silverwing pulled out a small light rod and cracked it. He dropped it down the hatched and watched as it lit up the hole. 

“Alright, The ladder looks clear. I’ll go down first, then Octavia, then Sweetiebelle. Quill, you follow last and make sure nothing comes after us. Worst comes to worst, you get down the hole and shut the hatch” He said flatly, before starting down the hatch himself.

Quill groaned internally, but kept his eyes peeled on the darkness around them. It took them a few minutes, but eventually, Quill was able to follow behind Sweetiebelle and rejoin the group. They walked in silence, lead only by the very faint glow of the light rod. It was just enough to see the path before them and the wall directly beside them, but nothing else.

they walked for a bit until they heard rustling from all around them. “Stay close everyone! Stay tight and...” Silverwing started before they heard a clatter and a scream. “Sweetiebelle?!” He called out. 

“Uhm... I’m right here Silver...” the small mare whispered, cuddling into Quill and looking around in fright.

You could see Silvers eyes grow wide “OCTAVIA! Octavia!! Respond!” He started screaming until a soft, calm voice that every citizen in Equestria would recognize interrupted him.

“Good evening my Dear Little Ponies... What has you so scared..?”
> Chapter 7
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Quill stared out into the darkness, head turning back and forth as he tried to get a bearing on the voice. That voice. Fear clutched at every fibre of his being, a single thought running through his mind. "We're all going to die..." It was a fact that had to be faced, if what he thought was in front of him truly was what was in front of him. 

"You fucking cunt!" Silverwings voice shouted out in the darkness. Clearly, he wasn't so stricken by the voice. "Whatever you are, give back Octavia!"

The laugh he got in response made Quill's spine tingle. "Oh, now, now. my little pony... Is that any way to speak to your princess?"The voice asked, as something in the cave illuminated. It reminded Quill of the Glows, only this had to be far larger, given the cave was lit up enough to see somewhat clearly.

Standing before them, was Celestia. The sight of her made Quill's legs buckle, dropping him to his knees. "No..." He whispered, stricken by what he saw. It was Celestia, but it was nothing more than a hollow shell of the Alicorn. Vines coiled around her body, and in places where the coruler's flesh gave way, he could see vines shifting. It was the most convincing, yet sickening marionette display he had ever witnessed.

The vines from her body coiled down a ledge as she stared at them, leading Quill to try and look over what ledge he had available to him. Celestia was blocking the path forward, but she far from dominated the entire platue they stood on. Below them was an utterly massive plant. It was huge, and in the middle of it was a giant blue bulb that was the source of the light. 

Silver didn't even bother looking away from the puppet that was now Celestia. "You aren't Celestia! All you are is a fucking weed that needs to be exterminated!" He snarled, taking a step forward. "Now give us back Octavia, or I swear to the gods that be I will fucking end you!"

Celestia seemed to grimace, a testament to how well coordinated this plant was, brow furrowing over empty sockets. Then she tilted her head. The grace and naturality of each movement sickened quill to his very core. "Oh... You mean this one?" She asked, lifting her hand. From out of a knot of vines, Octavia was pulled. The trailing plants were wrapped around her limbs and torso as if it were some sick display of bondage, several vines wrapped around her muzzle to keep her from talking. Despite this, she still squirmed, trying to get out of the grip. 

Celestia regarded her for a moment, before turning back to the group. "I thought she was pretty... I wanted to make her a voice of mine as well. Living voices are always the best, the dead never truly getting the right look," Celestia continued with a smile.

"Oh no you don't!" Quill growled, lifting the shotgun up. They were all going to die. He knew it, but he wasn't about to let one of his friends suffer this monstrosities sick and twisted forms of amusement. He took aim, but Silver snatched the gun away from him.

"No! There is still a chance!" He shouted, looking back at Celestia.

"Are you mad?! It's over Silver! Put her out of her misery or she'll just be turned into a puppet!" Quill shot back.

"Hmm... Silverwing... I know that name," Celestia sneered in false kindness. "I remember what happened too you. Tell me, as I am sure your friends have asked. Why is it, that you call yourself Silverwing? Entertain me, and perhaps I will let this one go. If you don't... Well... Maybe I'll leave that a surprise," Celestia teased, waving the grey mare side to side. 

Quill could see Octavia shaking her head. He could see tears running down her face as the vines manipulated her, spinning her upside down and right side up. Letting her dangle over the edge. 

"Or... You could walk away." Celestia added as the vines started to form a bridge. "Let her watch as you give up on her. You will all survive this encounter, and I get to keep my pretty voice. 

This was when Octavia managed to bite through the vines. "GO! JUST G-AHK!" She started to scream, just as one of the vines shot down her throat, gagging her once again. She struggled, but the vines just wrapped around her even more.

"My... She's good at that. Have you two been helping her practice," Celestia asked, laughing darkly as she watched Octavia struggle. Quill watching as the mare slowly started to lose the ability to fight, eyes rolling back as she was robbed of oxygen.

"They were ripped off alright!" Silverwing shouted, pulling Celestia's attention back to the group. Sweetie Belle was firmly attached to Quill's leg, and Quill was staring at Silverwing. "There was a border conflict, I engaged a griffon, and he ripped my wings off! There! Are you happy?!" 

Celestia thought about the question, tilting her head from side to side in consideration. Then she sighed. "It was a short story. I suppose really all the details needed. One thing would have made the story so much better though..." She continued. "Your screams of agony..."

Before anyone could do anything, the Vines imprisoning Octavia tightened, and she was allowed to breathe. This wasn't what they were expecting, as the second Octavia took in a gasp, she let out an ear-splitting shriek. The vines were all pulling away from each other, and whatever Octavia was trying to say was killed by the force of her agony. Gunfire raged as Silverwing shot at Celestia, bullets ripping through her body but doing little to change anything.

Octavia's scream died in her throat just in time for the sick sound of bones popping and flesh ripping to be heard through the cavern. Quill couldn't register what he had witnessed, even as Octavia was dropped onto the path. Both her legs were gone, as well as an arm. Her other fumbling about uselessly as she gurgled, eyes wide and frozen from the torment she just faced. Silver rushed to her, but her arm dropped before he could reach her. She was gone, and Silverwing screamed while Celestia just laughed.

In his rage, Silver pulled something from his belt and threw it at the Puppet. A metal cylinder that she caught and looked at with annoyance. "You threw a pip-"

BOOM!

Celestia was ripped to shreds by the following explosion and the entire cavern shook from the force. Quills ears rang, but not enough for him to miss the dull, distant screaming coming from the pit below. He didn't even notice he was knocked to the ground, bringing Sweetie Belle down with him. The thing that brought him out of his disorientation was Silver grabbing him by the collar and picking pulling him harshly off the ground, followed by Sweetie Belle. He was talking but Quill couldn't hear what he was saying.

"-TO THE BOTTOM! THERE IS A PASSAGE HALFWAY DOWN!" Silver's voice finally came through, pushing him and Sweetie Belle along, getting their legs moving. The plant and the vines were in a frenzy after the explosion, and what remained of Celestia's destroyed body was plastered against the cavern wall. It didn't phase them as they ran past, but Silver stopped short.

"Come on Silver! This isn't the time to stop running Quill shouted, skidding to a halt. 

"Go! I'm not letting this fucking this stay alive!" Silver shouted back, looking down the Cavern. It was easily a hundred yards down.

It only took a moment to figure out what Silver was about to do. Quill backtracked up the path, watching as Silver undid the straps to his Vest. "I'm gonna need to be light to get far enough! Go!" Silver ordered, but Quill just grabbed the Vest, reaching over to grab Silver in turn, but he pulled out of the way. 

"Go! I'll make sure the girls keep the beer cold for what we next meet. You and Sweetie get out," Silver said, looking down at the cavern. He pulled to grenades from his belt. It was pointless. He could just throw it! Then Quill clicked. Obviously Silver was aware of that. Silver knew more about all this equipment than everyone else. He didn't want to throw it.

"Quill!"

Sweetie Belle's scream pulled Quill from his thoughts. "Fine! But I swear to the gods you don't save me one!" He shouted back, fighting hard to keep his voice from cracking. He turned and ran, scooping up Sweetie Belle as he ran past, being able to move faster without her trying to keep up. Vines were everywhere, thrashing in anger, trying to get a hold of them, and Quill could hear the screams and shrieks of the infected from the top of the Cavern. This thing was calling to them.

He didn't dare look back, but the small girl in his arms screaming at him to run faster. He kicked the last of his energy into making it the last stretch, getting to the door just as another explosion went off. This one, was so much bigger than the grenade. The shockwave threw him into the passage, and all he could hear was the sound of rocks falling, before everything went black.





"Quill? Quill! You have to wake up Quill!"

Sweetie Belle's voice filtered through the darkness, stirring Quill awake. The passage they were in was lit only by the magic of Sweetie Belle's horn. Other than their breathing, it was silent. "How long has it been?" Quill asked, trying to get his bearings. 

"Since I woke up, about ten minutes. In total? I have no idea... I just woke up under you," Sweetie Belle stated, looking around the cave.

Quill stood up and sighed, shaking his head. They almost had everything. He put on Silvers vest, only to find... Octavia's rifle under it. "What?" He asked, picking the rifle up. "Hey Sweetie, did you at some point grab Tavi's rifle?" He asked, tuning to the tiny mare.

Sweetie Belle looked at it, tilting her head. "No, I thought you grabbed it? Maybe you didn't realize in the rush?"

"Maybe? I don't know, doesn't seem to have any ammo, but maybe we will find some later? Hopefully we won't need it, but you never know right?"

"Right. Come on," Sweetie said, nodding her head as she started walking. Quill followed behind, smiling at Sweetie.

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, I'll get you home safe..."